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American Morning

At Least 36 Killed in Attack on Baghdad Police Academy; DeLay Sees One Charge Dismissed; Supreme Court to Review Military Campus Recruiting

Aired December 06, 2005 - 09:30   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The opening bell is still resonating. Has bit of sustain there, as they shake hands at another successful ability to make hammer meet bell, as it should.
The Dow Jones Industrial average coming in at 10,835. Andy Serwer says it will never -- he repeats, never -- reached 11,000. That's his way of saying he hopes it does. It was down 42 points at yesterday's close. Over at the Nasdaq at the market site there, the composite opens down 15 points at 2,257.

We will be back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That is so beautiful when you see the world glistening as the sun hits it.

M. O'BRIEN: We've got the whole world on our front doorstep here.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, we do or at least a big version of it on our doorstep. Welcome back, everybody. Thanks for joining us. A reminder, we start at 6:00 a.m. Eastern time. So if you didn't join us right at the get go, we'd love to have you tomorrow.

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Back to Iraq now. Learning more about that suicide bombing that took place today at a Baghdad police academy. Police originally were telling us that it was the work of two women, but now the U.S. military says, in fact, the bombers were men.

Aneesh Raman live for us in Baghdad. Aneesh, obviously, if it's a mistake it's a big mistake. Tell me how they would be able to make this change?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: Well, and the U.S. military, as well, Soledad, telling us initially these were female suicide bombers. We often see conflicting information, especially after substantive attacks like we saw this morning. The U.S. military now say they've concluded their investigation that both suicide bombers were males. They know that, they say, because no female remains were found. They also say these suicide bombers were dressed in coveralls, essentially alluding that they were pretending to be workers going into this facility.

Now, it is part of the difficulty of covering incidents here. We are in Baghdad, but we cannot travel to the scenes of these incidents for obvious security reasons. And so we are caught in between, often, between information we get from the military, information we get from Iraqi police. And as today we saw, the information we get from both of those today were conflicting in and of themselves.

But as far as we know now, the death toll is at 36, according to Iraq police. Seventy-two others wounded. And we also know from the U.S. military that a U.S. contractor was wounded in this attack that took place, as you say, at a Baghdad police academy. That is the biggest question. How did these suicide bombers, whether they were male or female -- we now know they were male -- get into the facility? That is a question we're waiting to find out answers on -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Are there any female police recruits? I mean, that was the one thing that I thought sounded strange, that the women would be able to get in dressed as police officers or recruits.

RAMAN: There are. And part of the reason why initially it seemed to fit into this security breach was that the security screenings of females as they go into the facilities is incredibly sensitive for them to be searched in the public area. And they often are searched behind a curtain. And so it was plausible that females might have been able to get through the security without having been searched.

We now know that they were not females and so the question becomes, again, how did these two men get in with explosives vests, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, well, that explains -- all right, a little bit. And of course, we'll try to figure out the answer to that question. Aneesh Raman reporting from Baghdad for us. Aneesh, thanks.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, Tom DeLay probably won't get his job back as the House majority leader anytime soon. He remains under indictment this morning after a judge upheld money-laundering charges against him. The judge did throw out one charge, a conspiracy charge.

Ed Henry joining us now from Capitol Hill. Ed, why don't you assess the political implications for us?

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

Major implications from Tom DeLay, not just legally, but politically, you're right, as well, from this split decision from the judge down in Texas. The DeLay camp is celebrating the fact that, as you mentioned, the conspiracy charge was thrown out. They have one less charge to deal with. Obviously a positive development there.

But also the judge letting stand two charges on money laundering and that moves Tom DeLay a big step closer to having to face a trial which could come as early as next month. So, legally, he has peril and jeopardy there, but politically, as well. The longer this drags out with the trial, the more difficult it will be for Tom DeLay to reclaim his House majority leader post here in Washington.

Republicans nervous. They only want him to come back with a clean slate. And politically for DeLay, it's becoming very complicated. And amazing coincidence last night. This news coming down as Vice President Cheney was raising money for Tom DeLay, trying to shore up his reelection bid back in the 22nd District of Texas.

And a new poll by CNN suggests that, in fact, Tom DeLay needs that help any more. The poll showing that DeLay, among his constituents, now has a 52 percent disapproval rating. The poll also showing that in a head-to-head match-up with a Democrat, he's losing the race. DeLay is losing by a margin of 49 percent to 36 percent. It was an unnamed Democrat in the poll. He actually is facing a former Democratic Congressman, Nick Lampson.

Democrats believe this poll shows their line of attack, that there's a Republican culture of corruption, is working. They think that will be effective in the mid-term elections. The DeLay camp, of course, is scoffing at that. They say the election is a year away, a long time for Tom DeLay to recover. But, in fact, time will tell whether he can recover politically and legally, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Ed Henry on Capitol Hill. Thank you very much.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: To the Supreme Court now. And on the agenda, mandatory military recruiting on college campuses.

AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken at the Supreme Court for us.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATL. CORRESPONDENT: This is one of these cases that we've seen sporadically up here about the government and what it says it needs, and the right under the government to effectively dissent.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): The Armed Forces have never been wildly popular on most campuses, but the tons of federal money contributed to colleges and universities certainly has. Many law schools limit the access military recruiters can have to their graduating students because they believe the Defense Departments "don't ask, don't tell" policy discriminates against their gay students.

Congress got involved in 1994 with a new law: No access to the law school, then no federal funds.

REP. RICHARD POMBO (R), CALIFORNIA: I don't think you can have it both ways. I don't think you can take all the money, but now not allow the recruiters to come on campus. FRANKEN: Now after all these years, the Supreme Court will decide whether that's constitutional. Whether the government can force law schools to, in effect, accept policies they oppose if they want their money.

Joshua Rosenkranz will argue today for the universities.

JOSHUA ROSENKRANZ, ATTORNEY: Their policy is we do not discriminate, we do not abet others who discriminate, no exceptions. The military is demanding an exception to those policies.

FRANKEN: Since 9/11 and the Iraq War, the administration has taken an aggressive stance, because military recruiters need to replenish their supply of JAGS, or judge general advocate lawyers.

BILL CARR, DEPT. UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The military is a terrific employer, and should have a chance, as with any other employer.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: All the Armed Forces say that they want is treatment equal to those given to other recruiters from other professions. The universities and law schools say they want equal treatment, too, for their students, particularly their gay students -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us at the Supreme Court this morning. Thanks, Bob.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, holidays a little stressful around the house? A little later we'll talk to an etiquette expert. He has some tips how couples can survive the holidays and couples can thrive in general. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Showing you the strength of the manners gene, Peter Post, the great grandson of the legendary etiquette expert Emily Post is out with a follow-up to his book on "Manners for Men."

M. O'BRIEN: And it is just in time for the holidays. It is titled -- stay with me now -- "Essential manners for Couples, From Snoring and Sex to Finances and Fighting Fair, What Works, What Doesn't and Why."

Peter Post joins us now with the longest subtitle I can recall. So nice to have you with us.

S. O'BRIEN: But it does cover a lot of ground. It's kind of like couples therapy. So we'll get right into the therapy. Because we're a couple; we could use some help certainly.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's start the rumors.

S. O'BRIEN: An anchor couple, honey.

All right, you say for the holiday season, step one is plan ahead. What do you mean?

PETER POST, "ESSENTIAL MANNERS FOR COUPLES": Plan ahead. Instead of waiting until, YOU KNOW, the day before Thanksgiving and the day before Christmas to talk to people about who's going to go where or what you're really thinking about doing, do it early. A couple of months early would be great. And that way you've it. And the other thing is plan between the couple first, then tell your in- laws, then tell the family. Do not let the mother-in-law and the father-in-law get into it in when you're trying to make the decision.

M. O'BRIEN: That's really important.

S. O'BRIEN: In some ways, the holidays is about dodging land mines.

POST: It is. It is. And, you know, I think that this whole books is preventive maintenance -- avoid the problems rather than having to deal with them after they happen.

S. O'BRIEN: You're advice is really compromise more than usual. To your spouse, or to everybody or...

POST: To everybody. Be prepared to be in a more compromising mood. For instance, you get invited to a holiday party. I might want to watch a hockey game that night. But maybe at the holiday season, I ought to compromise a little more, and go to the party, and be a partner with my spouse and be a friend to the friends who are going to be at the party.

S. O'BRIEN: You also say maybe you'll be forced to compromise, but if you are, do it with a smile. Don't do it with a frown, and yell, and complain and grumble.

POST: And compromise is not about 50/50 either, you know. You've done three, I've done two. That's not the deal here. And don't hold it over a person once it's done. If you say you're going to the party, go to the party, don't say, oh, I wish I was at that hockey game.

M. O'BRIEN: And still be talking about it around Easter.

(CROSSTALK)

POST: Once it's done, it's done.

M. O'BRIEN: Next on our list is think of immediate family first. Now when you say that...

POST: That's your family.

S. O'BRIEN: Your spouse, your children.

POST: This is you, your spouse and your children. My mother-in- law did a wonderful thing when we first had our children. She said now that you've got your children, please have Christmas at your house, you don't need to come to our house, and I thought it was one of the generous things I'd ever seen a person do for me, because it really...

S. O'BRIEN: Usually people fight about that.

POST: That's right. And here she was saying, have it -- and so we have had it at our house every year, and I think it's been a wonderful tradition.

M. O'BRIEN: What a great thing to say, though. It just takes all that pressure off, doesn't it?

POST: Certainly. I was impressed by that. So mothers-in-law out there, think about that.

M. O'BRIEN: Listen up. Listen up.

S. O'BRIEN: And you say decide which holidays matter, because the truth is between official holidays and unofficial holidays, and little things that people celebrate, you are talking about a lot of dates.

POST: You are talking about a lot of dates. And for your family, it may be that's Thanksgiving the big thing. It's the time when family really gets. That's the place why you want to be then, whereas maybe one of the other holidays, it's OK if you aren't with your family. So think about what's important.

S. O'BRIEN: Arbor Day we don't celebrate.

POST: Arbor Day you don't celebrate.

M. O'BRIEN: Huge one at the house, always plant a tree.

Final one, this is a bit of a mystery to me. I want you to explain this one. Don't let colleagues be a mystery. What is that all about?

POST: You know, workplace. You guys work together, but if your significant others know nothing about you, the ability to build up fantasies, build up jealousies, whatever. Let them meet the people you work with. Let them put a face to that person you talk about.

S. O'BRIEN: Some days I spend more time with Miles than I do with my own husband.

POST: Exactly, and so take mystery out of that person. If you take the mystery out of a person, you take the potential for jealousy out of that person as well.

M. O'BRIEN: Very good advice. Very good job.

S. O'BRIEN: It's back to thinking of your immediate family first, isn't it?

POST: And preventing. Preventing the problems rather than dealing with them.

M. O'BRIEN: Peter Post, a man with mannerly genes. Thank you very much for being with us.

S. O'BRIEN: The book is called "Essential Manners for Couples."

Nice to see you.

POST: It's good to be here.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Daryn Kagan, were you taking notes?

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, absolutely. So far, so good.

M. O'BRIEN: That's a good book. It is.

KAGAN: Yes, so far so good with the holidays, cruising right along.

We have a lot coming up in the 10:00 a.m. Eastern hour. Coming up, it's echoes of the Terri Schiavo case. This time, though, it's an 11-year-old girl at the center of a right-to-die case. We're going to explain her tragic past and the fight over her future.

Also, sons often want to grow up to be just like their father. That was true of their three brothers, until they discovered dad lead a double life. We will unravel that case as well.

So now back to you in New York.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, they ratted their dad out. They sent him up the river, as they say. I don't know.

KAGAN: More ahead.

S. O'BRIEN: An interesting story.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Daryn Kagan.

He was a good dad in some ways, in other ways not. But anyway, let's press on. Andy Serwer is here with a little bit of business news.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: We are going to be talking about rebuilding New Orleans and Louisiana. Help is coming from an unlikely source. That up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Don't you feel like getting ready for the holidays? Only 19 shopping days until Christmas.

SERWER: It's kind of a peppy version.

M. O'BRIEN: Are you at the point where you're sick of the Christmas carols yet?

S. O'BRIEN: Not at all. I love the season. I am so happy.

(CROSSTALK)

M. O'BRIEN: I think it's going to happen in about 20 minutes for me.

S. O'BRIEN: I wish it would snow more, because it would make it all nice for the season. Welcome back, everybody.

SERWER: Scrooge over here.

M. O'BRIEN: I know, I'm sorry.

SERWER: Grinch.

S. O'BRIEN: Hi, happy holidays.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, right.

S. O'BRIEN: God.

M. O'BRIEN: Same old freaking bells. All right. Let's...

SERWER: Move on, shall we, I think?

(CROSSTALK)

S. O'BRIEN: No Santa for you this year.

M. O'BRIEN: We better move on.

S. O'BRIEN: Mr. Coal in your stocking. Whatever!

M. O'BRIEN: I just a thing with Christmas carols. Let's move on. Let's talk about New Orleans. Please don't do that! No bells, please. Please, no bells.

S. O'BRIEN: Go on. New Orleans, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Here's -- this is -- you know, this is one of the few good stories out of New Orleans we've been able to tell, quite frankly. I mean, you know, there's so many uncertainties, so many tragedies that we've been -- even this morning. And here comes the company saying, you know, we're going to build and build big. I like that.

SERWER: I think it's a feel-good holiday story, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: There's got to be a song.

SERWER: Let's check on the markets, first of all, because I think we've got some cheer down there as well. We'll stop at some point. Thirty-three points up on the Dow this morning.

One stock moving to the upside is Apple Computer, because NBC is staying now it will be putting some of its shows on the iPod. Remember, ABC said it would be doing it. So now we'll be able to watch Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno on your iPod. Interesting development there.

M. O'BRIEN: Interesting.

SERWER: But let's move on to this New Orleans story. K-B Home, which is nation's fifth largest homebuilders, has announced it will be building homes in New Orleans and Louisiana. Of course, these homes are desperately needed. They're not saying how many, but they bought a big 3,000-acre tract of land. They're going to be building homes in the city as well.

It's the first time a major homebuilder has come into the area since the hurricane and, in fact, the first time a homebuilder has come into Louisiana at all. Louisiana not a desirable state, quite frankly, for homebuilders because the economy's been bad, the population has been shrinking and because, well, there's a lot of flooding.

And so -- but the homebuilding group needs new niches, so they've decided to do this and obviously it's needed. Over 300,000 homes were destroyed in the region. And so here is a case of a company doing good, but also probably doing god for itself by having a business plan that it should probably profit from.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, yes, they'll probably make a few bucks. Now, this 3,000 acres -- this is not in the city of New Orleans. This is...

SERWER: Jefferson Parish. I'm not too familiar with...

S. O'BRIEN: Which didn't actually suffer too much of the damage. They had thought they were going to be hit very hard and some parts were, but they ended up being the parish that was giving a lot of aid to other parishes like St. Bernard Parish once the storm passed.

SERWER: Right. And these homes, by the way, will be moderately- priced homes. Probably around $150,000, which today, of course, is not that much, $150 to $200,000. And, you know, it will be interesting to see what sort of loans would be involved and really trying to help people move back into these communities.

S. O'BRIEN: I think that's great news. And I also think it inspires people to say, OK, I can move back, and there's a place to go, there's a house...

SERWER: Right. A new home they're building.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, something's got to trigger it all. And lest we forget Mississippi and parts of Texas, as well.

S. O'BRIEN: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's hope that...

(CROSSTALK)

M. O'BRIEN: ... others follow and for that matter K-B looks at some property there. A tip of the hat to K-B.

S. O'BRIEN: Allowing people to deck the halls in their homes one day...

SERWER: Very good, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: ... in Jefferson Parish. Give me a little love here. Thank you.

SERWER: I like that, I love that.

M. O'BRIEN: Hallelujah, bring it on.

S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at what's coming up tomorrow on AMERICAN MORNING. You remember, of course, we all became familiar with Lieutenant General Russel Honore in aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Tomorrow on AMERICAN MORNING, we're going to give you a rare inside look at his other job, which is training troops headed for Iraq. AMERICAN MORNING starts at 6:00 a.m. Eastern. And we're back in just a moment.

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