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American Morning

Travel Troubles; Saddam Hussein on Trial; Violence in Baghdad; Military Recruiting; Bodies Found

Aired December 06, 2005 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm Soledad O'Brien.
A developing story out of Iraq again this morning, a secret witness taking the stand in the Saddam Hussein trial telling of beatings and abuse at the hands of Hussein's men. A live report is from Baghdad just ahead.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Miles O'Brien.

Important information before you leave home this morning, a strong winter storm moving across the northeast. We'll look at what this does for morning travel.

S. O'BRIEN: And Tom DeLay is one step closer to a trial. Can he ever regain his job as House majority leader? That story ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning. Welcome, everybody.

We're just getting word right now, this news just in to CNN, an Iranian C-130 transport plane has crashed in Tehran, Iran. Some of the news coming to us says that there are 80 passengers on board, 10 crew members.

What we are hearing is that the crash has taken place in a residential part of Tehran, a building, by some reports in the city. Unclear exactly of any more details about this crash. But what we know is an Iranian C-130 transport plane has crashed in a residential area in Tehran, Iran. We're monitoring this story. We're going to bring you developments as soon as we get them right here at CNN -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: We're following that.

And we're also looking a little closer to home. We're watching a major East Coast storm, or the major East Coast airports this morning, looking to see what the snow is going to do to travel all around the country. The commute is just beginning in Washington.

Kimberly Osias is there.

Good morning -- Kimberly.

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Miles and Soledad.

Well you guys had it yesterday. This is really the first winter blast, if you will. And so far, the commute is looking pretty good.

Just to give you an idea, this started really late yesterday afternoon. Check this out, a couple of inches of accumulation right here, really pretty. And it's also that sort of powdery stuff, really light, which is actually certainly good news for the commute.

Last evening there were a number of crews that were out, really putting that magnesium chloride on the ground to really melt it so that it wouldn't get too, too terrible. And really driving in this morning, no real problems there.

The concern is, of course, if things get really a little bit colder, that water and the precipitation on the ground will actually ice up and make it very dangerous on those bridges and the overpasses. But things are looking pretty good. Later in the week, a little more precipitation, but it is expected to be just cold.

And of course very, very good news for the Rocky Mountain region, and you know what they call it there, Miles, they call it liquid gold.

M. O'BRIEN: Liquid gold, but that's there, and you're in Washington. They're a different part of the world, Kimberly. All right.

OSIAS: That's right. That's right. But it actually isn't bad, so it's really beautiful. It's quite a winter wonderland.

M. O'BRIEN: Did you bring your cross-country skis?

OSIAS: That's right. Yes, yes, that's exactly what I'll be needing to do. I just actually saw a runner, if you can believe that, heading out in this stuff.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, yes, well there are some runners who are diehard indeed.

All right. Thank you, Kimberly Osias.

Let's get to Jacqui Jeras now in the Weather Center at CNN Center.

Good morning -- Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Jacqui Jeras. Appreciate it.

S. O'BRIEN: We got more updates coming to us this morning just in. Wire reports now saying that at least 27 Iraqi police officers and students have been killed in Iraq in Baghdad when two female suicide bombers blew themselves up inside a police academy classroom. This word, apparently, according to the wires, coming to us from the U.S. military. We're going to update you on this story. Obviously fascinating to see exactly what has happened here. Low on details at this point. We'll follow this story as well.

All of this brings us to Baghdad and another remarkable day in the testimony and the trial of Saddam Hussein.

Let's get right to Nic Robertson. He's on the phone, and he's been taking part, listening in on this trial.

Nic, good morning. A witness whose identity concealed today, what did she say?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, she was -- she says she was 16-year-old -- 16 years old when the attack happened in Dujail. She said that she was taken from Dujail to the intelligence headquarters in Baghdad. And she described how she was taken to a room.

They took me, she said, to an operation room. She described it. They asked me to take my clothes off. They lifted my legs, she said. They handcuffed my hands and they hit me with cables. She said after that, five officers beat her. She said she was taken to a small, confined room painted with red walls and red ceilings. We have heard about these in detention facilities from other witnesses.

What makes this witness different to the others? This is the first woman that we have heard from and her identity was kept hidden in the courtroom. She gave her testimony from behind a curtain.

But the day has not been without technical problems. Her voice was very heavily disguised using an electronic synthesis, but it's got disguise her voice. The disguise was so heavy that the judge had to call for the electronic synthesis to be taken away, that she was to give her testimony by her own voice. He then closed the microphones in the courtroom so that her voice would not be broadcast.

And following that, when the defense wanted to cross-examine this witness, say the first woman from behind that curtain, the defense insisted that she came out from behind the curtain and gave testimony in the open courtroom. That she did. The judge, at that point, closed the curtains. We were able to hear before the microphones were cut then.

But the defense asked two very specific questions. They said, and this is a very leading statement it appears, we agree that it was very bad at Abu Ghraib jail. She had described how she was taken to Abu Ghraib jail. She said -- he said we agree it was very bad at Abu Ghraib jail. The conditions there had been terrible until recently. He said did they ever use dogs on you? She said no. Did they ever photograph you? No, she said. Can you prove you were there? And she said no to that question, too.

Now the court is still in session. There is another witness, a woman who is about 60, 62, 63 years old now. She is giving testimony, because her voice is so quiet, in the middle of the courtroom. This is also completely closed to broadcast and to the media at this time -- Soledad. S. O'BRIEN: Wow, that's fascinating those questions that they -- being asked by the defense attorneys, Nic. Let me ask you how these witnesses are called. I've read they are not called by the prosecution. What kind of witnesses are they?

ROBERTSON: These are witnesses that are being called by the judge. The judge is calling these witnesses. These witnesses, the first witness say, he asked the witness at the end of her cross- examination by the defense, he said, and who do you accuse in this? And she said I accuse Saddam Hussein. Do you have any proof that he was involved? No, I don't have direct proof. But, she said, as the leader of the country, he should have known about this.

And this is the type of command responsibility that the judge will need to build in this case to prove that Saddam Hussein and the other defendants are guilty in this particular case -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson, joining us by phone, who has been watching the proceedings at the Saddam Hussein trial.

Thanks, Nic -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: And as the Saddam Hussein trial continues, so does the violence on the streets of Baghdad. As we have been reporting to you this morning, two women apparently strapped themselves with explosives and blew themselves up inside the police academy in Baghdad. Unclear of the total number dead, but it could exceed a couple of dozen, many injured.

Aneesh Raman joining us now from Baghdad with details on that -- Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, good morning.

The U.S. military confirming to us now that the casualty count in the incident you just referred to 27 Iraqi police officers killed, 32 others wounded, after, as you say, two female students, essentially at the Iraqi police academy, which is near the country's interior ministry in central Baghdad, detonated. We're still waiting for more information about where this exactly took place, whether it was inside, whether it was outside. That will undoubtedly raise questions about the security.

But again, about 20 minutes ago, the U.S. military saying that 27 people now confirmed dead, 32 others wounded, after two female suicide bombers detonated at an Iraqi police academy near the country's interior ministry here in central Baghdad -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Aneesh, you bring up an important point. According to some of the wire service reports we're getting, Association Press indicating it was actually inside a classroom, and thus brings up all kinds of questions about security for recruits there.

RAMAN: It does. We have seen these recruitment centers often targeted here in Baghdad. We found an airfield, one that often sees suicide bombers detonate really at the line as they go in to the actual recruitment center. And to combat that, security has been set up and the lines wind around, blast walls have been put up.

But if this in fact took place within the academy itself by two female students already there, it raises any number of questions. How the explosives vests got in? How these people were able to turn? They obviously were both students, but also working for the insurgency. We haven't seen something like this, if this is the case that it detonated inside, a security breach like that in some time -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: And the fact that it's two women, Aneesh, that is unusual?

RAMAN: It is. It is. The tact that we often see is either male suicide bombers often in these recruitment lines, otherwise, the suicide bombers they use the car, the vehicle bombs. But it is, as you say, something we do not see often here, these female suicide bombers.

M. O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman from Baghdad, thank you very much.

Let's get a little closer to home now. On the Supreme Court's agenda today, mandatory military recruiting on college campuses.

AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken in our Washington bureau this morning.

Bob, what's the core issue here?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well since 1994 there's been a law on the books that law schools must provide access, equal access to military recruiters, equal to that that they give to others who might be coming to hire the law students at job fairs.

Now the universities have complained that that is an unconstitutional blockade of their rights of free expression because they have anti-discrimination policies that are violated by the military's don't ask, don't tell policies concerning gays.

So now it's before the Supreme Court. The justices will decide the constitutional question, do the universities have the right to do this or does the government have the right to deny funding, as the law requires, to these universities if they don't comply? It's a question about free expression versus the need for the military to fully staff its forces -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, Bob, I guess a key issue is here is if the university is allowing recruiters on campus, the assumption is that the university is endorsing this practice?

FRANKEN: That is what the university says is implicit in this. That as a result of this, it is violating its lack of endorsement of a policy like don't ask, don't tell.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Bob Franken in Washington watching that for us. Thank you very much -- Soledad. S. O'BRIEN: Developing story out of New Orleans this morning where the painful process of recovering the dead still not over. Two bodies were found in a house on Monday. And the discovery raises more questions about just how many homes in the city have been fully searched.

CNN's Keith Oppenheim has some details for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): This morning there are questions as to why an elderly couple, drowning victims of Hurricane Katrina, were found dead in their home as late as yesterday, more than three months after Hurricane Katrina struck.

Eighty-eight year old Antonio Jackson (ph) and her 97-year-old husband, Eddie (ph), were found dead in their home by a close family friend, Gwendolyn Alexander. And Gwendolyn Alexander told me a couple months ago she was told by New Orleans police that this house had been checked. Plus, there are markings on the house.

We learned from the Oregon National Guard painted markings, which say September 14, and there's a zero on the home, seeming to indicate that there were no victims inside.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. DOUGLAS PRITT, OREGON NATIONAL GUARD: And the zero meant that there were no living inhabitants that identified themselves to us. We didn't put down that we found any remains because we didn't enter homes to find remains. We just put down that there were no people that identified themselves to us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: That report coming to us from CNN's Keith Oppenheim in New Orleans.

Coming up in the next hour, we're going to talk to a councilman, Cynthia Hedge Morrell, from the Gentilly section of New Orleans. That's where those bodies were found.

Still to come on the program, how is the Saddam Hussein's trial playing in the Arab world? It's an important question for the future of the region, of course. We'll take a look.

S. O'BRIEN: And some tough words for the war effort in Iraq from Howard Dean. Did he go too far? We've got details just ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: And another huge company telling thousands of employees no more contributions to the pension plan.

On that troubling note, we'll take a break. Back with more in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Winter wonderland there.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, it is, although we didn't get as much snow as we expected overnight.

M. O'BRIEN: No, no, the kids were hoping for a snow day.

S. O'BRIEN: I know.

M. O'BRIEN: No joy, kids.

S. O'BRIEN: Didn't happen.

M. O'BRIEN: Get going.

S. O'BRIEN: We're going to talk more about the weather.

M. O'BRIEN: Get the backpack, get going. All right.

Carol Costello is here with some more news for us.

Good morning -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.

A suicide bombing to tell you about in Iraq, the news just coming in to us in the past 10 minutes. The U.S. military says two female suicide bombers walked into a police academy in Baghdad and blew themselves up. At least 27 people have been killed, 32 hurt. Much more on this story as we learn more details.

The other breaking news story we're watching for you this morning, an Iranian military plane crashing in a town just south of Tehran. It apparently struck a 10-story building. It is not clear at this time if anyone was killed.

Republicans would say Howard Dean is at it again, this time for something he said on the radio. The Democratic Party chief said the idea the U.S. can win the war in Iraq is -- quote -- "just plain wrong." Dean also said he wished President Bush had paid more attention to history.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD DEAN, DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHIEF: This is ultimately what America had to do in Vietnam. Ultimately they said we're either going to turn this over to the Vietnamese, and of course the South Vietnamese couldn't manage to take care of their own country. And I -- you know, as I said, I supported President Bush, the first President Bush's war in Iraq, I supported this president's war in Afghanistan, but I do not believe in making the same mistake twice.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: The Republican Party chief accused Dean of embracing retreat and defeat. He says it sends the wrong message to the troops.

Israel is clamping down on security after the first suicide bombing inside its borders since October. The explosion at a crowded mall killed 5 people and wounded 35 others. According to Israeli radio, troops have arrested the father and brothers of the suspected suicide bomber. Extra police are patrolling the West Bank and Gaza borders. No one is allowed to pass without proper identification.

And take a look at this. That is an overturned tractor-trailer believed to be the work of a tornado that touched down in Crawfordville, Florida. Severe storms spawned several twisters across the panhandle and southern Georgia on Monday. Most of the mess is from uprooted trees and damaged roofs. No serious injuries were reported.

And you know the East Coast, well, it was -- parts of it was supposed to get its first real snowstorm of the season, but here in the New York area, and even in Connecticut, Jacqui, nothing. In fact, all the trucks are lined up waiting to do something in New York City.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: All right. Thanks, Jacqui.

Business news now, President Bush takes a stand on protecting pensions. Are corporations, though, getting the message?

Carrie Lee has got a "Financial News Update."

Good morning.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rather ironic that Presidnet Bush talked about pensions yesterday and we're now learning that Verizon Communications is planning to stop making contributions to the guaranteed pension plans it offers its 50,000 managers. They're also going to cut some health care benefits once those managers retire. The goal here is to save $3 billion over the next decade by taking these steps. And the move could potentially prompt other telecom companies to make similar moves.

Now of course we've seen other companies do things like this, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Motorola, to name a few. Rather ironic that this comes just as President Bush is talking to corporate America, talking yesterday, asking them to continue making these pension promises so that retirees don't see cuts in their pension checks.

Now skeptics may say, well, this is why Verizon is doing it now before potentially some rules change. But still, Verizon basically doing this to try to stay more nimble. Pension plans guaranteed by the government. 401(k)s give them more flexibility and that's what they are shifting to, at least with these managers, to start.

M. O'BRIEN: So just don't count on your company.

LEE: Right.

S. O'BRIEN: That's the takeaway.

M. O'BRIEN: You just got to take care of your own agenda, right?

LEE: Well the Verizon plan is certainly generous, they're matching dollar for dollar, at least for the first 6 percent. But in times of economic instability, it does give them more flexibility, exactly.

S. O'BRIEN: Carrie Lee, thank you very much.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you -- Carrie.

LEE: OK.

S. O'BRIEN: "Morning Coffee" is -- gosh, my Long Island accent just came out.

M. O'BRIEN: Talk amongst yourselves.

S. O'BRIEN: "Morning Coffee" is just ahead. Our next block. Carol has a look at that.

Carol, good morning.

COSTELLO: I kind of like that -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Sorry.

COSTELLO: Coffee.

Thank you.

If you've got a booboo on your arm and it's not healing, blame it on that argument over who took out the garbage. Yes, it's his fault. "Morning Coffee" next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: A little John Cougar there, right?

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, he's pretty good.

M. O'BRIEN: Or is that the John Cougar Mellencamp days? I think...

COSTELLO: I think that's the John Cougar days.

M. O'BRIEN: It is.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I think you're right.

M. O'BRIEN: How do you spell coffee?

S. O'BRIEN: Coffee. M. O'BRIEN: C-A-W-F-E-E, coffee.

S. O'BRIEN: Hey, a lot of Long Islanders in Manhattan. Now that you're here, I wouldn't mock our accent...

M. O'BRIEN: All right (ph).

S. O'BRIEN: ... if I were you. It could be dangerous, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Should be careful. Should be careful. OK, coffee.

COSTELLO: That's right, it is time for "Morning Coffee."

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

COSTELLO: And an interesting story that will wake you up this morning. If you're going into surgery or recovering from a wound, dump your spouse, especially if you have been arguing. According to scientists at Ohio State University, that heated discussion over the kids or money or housework can actually slow your body's ability to heal. Really. This is based on 30 years of experiments conducted on 42 married couples.

In a nutshell, here's how it worked. Both husband and wife were fitted with a suction device that created eight blisters on their arms. That device allowed scientists to extract fluid from the blisters.

I know we had pictures of this, but maybe not.

S. O'BRIEN: I hope not.

M. O'BRIEN: Well no wonder the...

S. O'BRIEN: God.

COSTELLO: Not the extraction, just the device that created the blisters.

M. O'BRIEN: No wonder they were fighting, though.

S. O'BRIEN: They've got blisters.

M. O'BRIEN: All these blisters, they're cranky.

S. O'BRIEN: Painful.

COSTELLO: No, no, no, that wasn't...

M. O'BRIEN: No.

COSTELLO: Anyway,...

M. O'BRIEN: Go ahead. Go ahead.

COSTELLO: ... after the blisters were created, then each person was fitted with a catheter so blood could be drawn for analysis.

Now during their first visit, couples were asked to talk in a supportive way about how they'd like to change their spouse. On the second visit, they were asked to talk about something they vehemently disagreed with and that's when things changed. An ordinary half-hour heated argument slowed their body's ability to heal those blisters by one full day. A routinely hostile relationship can actually double the healing process.

Tom and Eileen Wilson (ph), you see them there, they took part in this study. They've got the blisters on their arms. They healed nicely, though, because they never fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM WILSON, STUDY PARTICIPANT: Well I was really surprised how quickly mine went away. I think Eileen may have a little slight trace on her arm of hers, but you know they're going away. There was no problem with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: And she said no I didn't, honey.

COSTELLO: That one was funny. They're funny.

S. O'BRIEN: No, sweetie, my blisters went away faster.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, they did.

S. O'BRIEN: No.

COSTELLO: That would have been really funny.

Anyway, they have been married for more than 40 years. But just think about it,...

M. O'BRIEN: Good for them, by the way.

COSTELLO: ... a half-hour argument equals a full day extra of recovery.

S. O'BRIEN: I buy it. That's very stressful.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

COSTELLO: And that's what it does, it creates stress in your body. And so if you are fighting constantly with your spouse, don't bring him to the hospital, or her. I should be fair, shouldn't I?

S. O'BRIEN: They should do a whole thing on your mother, too, I mean just if your mother should come...

COSTELLO: Exactly.

S. O'BRIEN: Not that I would know personally, just throwing it out there, right?

M. O'BRIEN: Go ahead.

COSTELLO: Abercrombie & Fitch...

S. O'BRIEN: I love my mother.

M. O'BRIEN: You're going to get a blister.

COSTELLO: Abercrombie & Fitch...

M. O'BRIEN: Trust me, you're going to get blistered.

COSTELLO: Hold off, people.

M. O'BRIEN: I'm sorry. Go.

S. O'BRIEN: Sorry.

COSTELLO: Abercrombie & Fitch is considering a new line of T- shirts inspired by a boycott against their own company. A group of teenage girls from Pennsylvania organized their so-called girlcott in response to these T-shirts.

M. O'BRIEN: You know Connery (ph) is never going to wear a T- shirt like that.

COSTELLO: My goodness, I hope not.

M. O'BRIEN: Ever. That first one, that was bad.

COSTELLO: Anyway, these girls said these T-shirts were demeaning. Can you believe it? Anyway, their boycott worked. The company agreed to pull some of their attitude T-shirts.

Well now the girls are pitching their own line of shirts to Abercrombie executives. And the company says it's actually considering the designs. But at least one of the girls says she's not optimistic that their ideas will end up on store shelves.

S. O'BRIEN: Because she lives in the real world and she understands they are just trying to deal with a PR fiasco.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

S. O'BRIEN: She's only 15, but she gets it already.

COSTELLO: She does.

M. O'BRIEN: I'm curious what their T-shirts are going to look like and what their slogans would be.

S. O'BRIEN: They're never going to be out there, don't worry.

M. O'BRIEN: That's right. OK.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: (INAUDIBLE) for the coffee talk.

COSTELLO: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: Unnecessary.

Ahead this morning, more on some developing stories that we're following this morning. One, that Iranian military plane that crashed just south of Tehran. And then the other story in Iraq, two female suicide bombers apparently blowing themselves up inside the police academy. At this point we know that at least 27 people are dead. We've got an update on both those stories just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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