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American Morning
Deadly India Stampede; Defending the War in Iraq
Aired December 19, 2005 - 06:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush opens up to the American people about Iraq. Will his prime-time speech change public opinion?
Ariel Sharon in the hospital this morning following a mild stroke. He's still working from his hospital bed.
And a man accused of assault while posing as a New York City firefighter is heading to court. We'll tell you why.
And the king is back -- "King Kong" that is. The great ape is number one at the box office.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. The lights look so pretty, don't they?
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, all over. I saw when I was going through Central Park there were a bunch of booths set up. What are they going to sell out there?
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, you know, all of the Christmas stuff for people to run out the front door and buy stuff and come back to work really quickly.
Miles O'Brien is on vacation for the holiday. Rick Sanchez has been nice enough to fill in for us, and we appreciate it. Thank you very much.
SANCHEZ: It's always a pleasure with you.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right -- oh, you're nice. Let's get right to our top story this morning.
The president, he says progress is being made in Iraq. In last night's speech, he pointed to the Iraqi elections and talked about what those elections mean for Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This election will not mean the end of violence. But it is the beginning of something new: constitutional democracy at the heart of the Middle East. And this vote 6,000 miles away in a vital region of the world means that America has an ally of growing strength in the fight against terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: The president is also appealing directly to his critics for their support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I have heard your disagreement, and I know how deeply it is felt. Yet now, there are only two options before our country: victory or defeat. And the need for victory is larger than any president or political party, because the security of our people is in the balance.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Analysis of last night's speech is just ahead with Ron Brownstein.
Let's get right to Carol. She's got a look at some of the other stories making news this morning.
Good morning again.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I do. Good morning, Soledad. And good morning to all of you.
There has been an attack outside of a children's hospital in Baghdad. The Iraqi police say the car bomb killed at least two people. It was apparently targeting a police chief. He was standing near the hospital. He was wounded in that attack. Earlier today, gunmen attacked a deputy governor of Baghdad. Three of his bodyguards were killed. The politician was unhurt.
Vice President Dick Cheney is trying to rally support for the war on terror. The vice president is in Afghanistan this morning. He watched as the Afghan National Assembly took its first oath of office. The vice president also made a stop in Baghdad. He told U.S. troops that a sudden withdrawal is not an option, adding that remarkable progress has been made in the last year-and-a-half.
The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, is undergoing tests after a minor stroke. Doctors say his condition is good, and he is continuing to improve. He was reportedly joking around with family members and government officials. We could hear more about his condition later this morning.
U.S. Customs are seizing fake Tamiflu shipments. Tamiflu is the drug being stockpiled against a possible bird flu pandemic. Agents have seized more than 50 packages in the past month. It's not clear where they're coming from, but some information on some of the boxes was reportedly written in Chinese, which is a pretty big coup actually. Let's head to the forecast now and check in with Bonnie Schneider.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: It was a horrifying story from southern India. Dozens of people crushed to death in a stampede. About 3,000 people were lined up Sunday morning. They were waiting for flood assistance checks that were coming from Chennai. That's about a thousand miles south of New Delhi.
Satinder Bindra is live for us now by videophone from New Delhi.
Satinder, how does something like this happen? And what's the government doing about it?
SATINDER BINDRA, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was basically an accident. It's being described as a tragedy. The local government there has ordered an investigation. It will take this investigation a little time to submit its report.
But in the meantime, let me just backtrack and tell you what happened. In south India, it's been raining very heavily over the past few weeks. Some 430 people have been killed. A half-million people have been rendered homeless, and that would be homeless people who had been gathering outside a flood relief center in the south Indian city of Chennai. They gathered early Sunday morning. They wanted to get some relief. They wanted to get some kerosene oil, some rice and small paychecks. That's when it started to rain. This crowd grew agitated.
Just about this point in time, somebody opened the gates to this relief center to allow a car to pass in. At this point in time, the crowd just surged forward. A stamped ensued. Some 42 people were killed, 37 people injured. Most of the dead were women. Eleven policemen on duty were also injured.
Now, this is not the first time something like this has happened in the south Indian city of Chennai. In November, there was another stampede at a food distribution center as well. Six people were also killed then.
Back to you, Rick.
SANCHEZ: What kind of assistance is being offered to the men, I suppose specifically to their families as well, who are now having to make do?
BINDRA: Rick, these were poor people to begin with. They are now without homes. The state government has just announced compensation to the families of those killed. They'll get about $2,000 each. And those people who have been injured will also be supported by about $330 (ph).
This is not much in American terms, but by Indian standards this is considered to be a good and a decent settlement. SANCHEZ: Fascinating story. Satinder Bindra, thanks so much for bringing it to us.
Soledad, back over to you.
S. O'BRIEN: A terrible story.
Well, pretty candid remarks coming from President Bush in his speech last night on Iraq. Was it just a changed tone that the public was looking for? We're going to take a look at that this morning.
SANCHEZ: Also, six more shopping days until Christmas. Do retailers get their holiday wish this year? Andy is going to be "Minding Your Business." He's going to tell us up or down. Stay with us. We're coming right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: President Bush is using a softer tone. He's not giving any ground to his critics on the war, though.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: My fellow citizens, not only can we win the war in Iraq, we are winning the war in Iraq. It is also important for every American to understand the consequences of pulling out of Iraq before our work is done. We would abandon our Iraqi friends and signal to the world that America cannot be trusted to keep its word.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: A little analysis of the speech now. Let's get to CNN's political analyst, Ron Brownstein. He's in Washington.
Ron, good morning. It's always nice to have you.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, let's get right to it. First, the tone. It sounded to me to be much more relaxed, much more conciliatory. Is that a correct reading?
BROWNSTEIN: Yes. I think -- look, I think the speech was distinctive more for tone than content. There really was no new proposal in there on how to proceed in the war. But there was a very distinctive shift in tone, which we've seen over the last few weeks in the series of speeches the president has made.
He talked about mistakes being made in the areas of training the Iraqis, in reconstruction. He acknowledged that there were significant -- there was a significant level of opposition in the American public.
And he also tried to make the case, I think, in a broad sense that he is not ignoring what's happening on the ground. They are adjusting, he said, to experience. And he tried to make the case to Americans that he's listening and learning from what's been happening in Iraq.
S. O'BRIEN: He also acknowledged, I think for the first time, that it's controversial. Let's listen to a little bit more of what the president had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: I know that some of my decisions have led to terrible loss. And not one of those decisions has been taken lightly. I know this war is controversial. Yet being your president requires doing what I believe is right and accepting the consequences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Do you think if you think it's more tone than necessarily substance that people heard this time around that that's going to work to sway the people who are not yet convinced of the war?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, I think the president's situation now really isn't that much different that it's been over the last few years. And I think we have seen a very clear pattern.
If you look at the series of speeches that he's given on the war, combined with the coverage of this very encouraging Iraqi turnout in their election, I think there is no doubt that he'll see in all likelihood some kind of short-term improvement -- I think we already are -- in public attitudes toward the war and toward his performance as president.
The problem he's had is sustaining those gains. And, in fact, in the past whenever there has been kind of an uptick around the capture of Saddam, the installation of the interim government, the interim election last year, they have all literally bled away through continued violence in Iraq. And I think he's in the same situation. He can make gains, but only if the situation improves on the ground.
And similarly, Soledad, I think he raised the stakes on himself by, in the clip you showed, saying so flatly, we are winning the war in Iraq. If Americans don't see evidence of that, they are going to be disillusioned.
S. O'BRIEN: Talk about tone, very different when we heard the president's radio address when he was talking about this defending, really, his authorizing the use of wiretaps without any kind of court order or warrant, and also when he was hounding critics of the Patriot Act. Explain that. What do you make of that?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, often you see good cop and bad cop in an administration. Rarely do you see it in the same person in 24 hours.
And the president on Saturday had a very confrontational live radio address, even, you know, saying that his critics on the Patriot Act and the domestic surveillance were endangering the security of America. This is about as tough as it gets coming out of the Oval Office. And in the day speaking to what he knew was a much broader national audience, he tried to reach out at least in tone to those who disagree with him. It was a very different approach.
I suspect that as we go deeper into the campaign year, what we saw Saturday was more of a preview of what Democrats can expect from the president if these confrontations continue.
S. O'BRIEN: Do you think the series of speeches has worked overall? I mean, has it been a success from the president's perspective? And can it continue to hold sway?
BROWNSTEIN: Within the limits of what rhetoric and words can do, I think it was a success. I think one of the big problems the president faces is the sense in the public that he doesn't have a plan for victory. He tried to lay out his thinking on this as best he can. But in the end, actions count more than words. Events, I thin, drive the American attitudes about Iraq. And I think we will see that pattern return.
If things get better, he has laid the foundation for an improvement in public support. But if they don't, I wonder if the dissolution might be even greater this time, in part, Soledad, because this is the last major milestone that he can point to. We have the constitution. We have the interim government. We now have a permanent government. If this doesn't lead to improvement, it's not clear what will.
S. O'BRIEN: A couple of big ifs there. All right, Ron Brownstein. As always, from the "L.A. Times" and our political analyst, too, thanks, Ron.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you, Soledad.
SANCHEZ: Andy has going to be "Minding Your Business." He's going to be talking X's and O's in terms of not football, but business, right?
S. O'BRIEN: Thank god, not football.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: We had enough football. We can never have too much football, if you ask me.
Anyway, we're going to be talking about holiday winners and losers, Rick, in terms of shopping. Plus, another round in the holiday culture war. Stay tuned for that AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO (voice over): The holidays are festive. Family, friends and food. Lots of food. People often find themselves overeating.
Registered dietician and author of "Small Changes, Big Results," Ellie Krieger has five tips on feeling fuller faster.
ELLIE KRIEGER, REGISTERED DIETICIAN: Take a small plate, the smallest plate available, because if you take a small plate you will be satisfied with less food.
COSTELLO: Don't go the party hungry. Another tip is to eat something before you go. Soup or oatmeal is a good option.
Also:
KRIEGER: Fill up on fruits, vegetables and lean protein. So at a party, go for the cru de tai (ph). Fill that plate up with lots of vegetables and some dips.
COSTELLO: And don't keep the food on your plate. And she suggests buying the smaller package of food you're preparing.
And Ellie's best holiday advice?
(on camera): Another cool tip that you have is you should eat like a baby. Eat like a baby?
KRIEGER: Right. When babies eat, they eat when they're hungry, and they push the food away when they've had enough.
COSTELLO (voice over): Carol Costello, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: All right. What's so bad about wishing someone "happy holidays?" Wal-Mart certainly is finding out. Andy has a look at that. He's "Minding Your Business" coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: I was just thinking, I don't own enough sporty spice (ph).
SERWER: Yes. No. Good call, Soledad. I know where you pulled that from.
S. O'BRIEN: They told me in my ear.
SERWER: OK, I was going to say that's cheating, because I was trying to get it.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, it is. And I am proud of it. Yes, it is.
SERWER: Good. All right, good.
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
SANCHEZ: Pretty pictures, huh?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, very nice. Let's get right to our top stories this morning. Carol has a look at those.
Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning. I do. Good morning to all of you. Vice President Dick Cheney is in Afghanistan right now. He's meeting with the nation's leadership. Today marks the first session of Afghanistan's first elected government in more than 30 years. Before heading to Kabul, the vice president surprised some people when he made an unannounced stop in Iraq. Cheney says Iraq with a new constitution and a permanently-elected government will mark a watershed year.
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell is making a prediction. He says some of -- there will likely be a drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006. That's what I'm trying to say. But in a BBC interview, he adds pulling them all out at once would never work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I think that a withdrawal is appropriate in due course. First of all, I don't think that the United States' military at its current strength can sustain this level of deployment for an extended period of time.
So one way or the other, I think a drawdown will begin in 2006. But, of course, this is for the current generals serving to make a decision upon, not me. But to essentially just walk away, to say we're taking all of our troops out as fast as we can, would be a tragic mistake. It would be a disaster for us to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: On another subject, the former secretary of state says he and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld had some big differences of opinion about post-war planning for Iraq.
An Iraqi war -- my goodness. An Iraqi war veteran wants to go to Congress. Tammy Duckworth (ph) is a former Army major who lost her legs when her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down. She's now vying for the congressional seat of retiring Illinois Republican Henry Hyde. Duckworth (ph) says she disagreed with the decision to invade Iraq, even though she volunteered for duty there.
It was supposed to defy every single adjective, and hopes were as high as the Empire State Building. But it seems "King Kong" is less than fantabulicious (ph). The giant ape took in more than $50 million this weekend. Not bad. It made it number one at the box office. But Hollywood executives were apparently hoping for a figure closer to 60 million. The film is still something to roar about. It is the fourth largest opening on record.
Let's head to the forecast center now to check on the weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Six shopping days left until Christmas.
SANCHEZ: Count them.
S. O'BRIEN: Words that strike fear into the heart of procrastinators everywhere, including myself.
SERWER: You'd better get going. You'd better get going.
S. O'BRIEN: Andy has got a look at who is winning and who is losing. You think soon, huh?
SERWER: That's right. Less than seven shopping days left until holiday. All right, I'll say it, Christmas. That's a line from "Saturday Night Live."
Retailers, how are they doing? OK. Really a continuation of some trends we've seen over the past several years. Electronics, good. Malls, kind of mixed, kind of blah. Luxury stores, a big thumbs-up. Online shopping, baffo (ph). Gift cards, still growing. And, of course, they don't count the sales of gift cards until they're reimbursed later in 2006.
Christmas is on Sunday. So the Saturday before could be a big day, and that could be very, very telling.
Meanwhile, we told you we were going to tell you about another round in the culture wars. And yes, they're at it again. This time a Wal-Mart in Sacramento protesting Wal-Mart's decision to drop the word "Christmas." But they haven't really dropped the word "Christmas." Well get to that in a second.
This is an activist of the Church of the Divide dressed up as Santa Claus.
SANCHEZ: Church of the what?
SERWER: Church of the Divide in Sacramento, California. Now, the 50 protesters were there this past weekend.
Now, here's the bottom line. Wal-Mart still uses the word "Christmas." Wal-Mart also uses the phrase "happy holidays," because it says it's inclusive, and because it says the advertising campaign includes Thanksgiving. It goes all the way back until then.
One shopper up in Sacramento says, I believe in Christ. I don't like the word if they use X-mas or happy holidays. The bottom line is Wal-Mart had what I need, so I went to Wal-Mart to buy it.
I mean, there are a lot of common sense here.
S. O'BRIEN: And a flaw in the strike.
SERWER: Right. I mean, there's a lot of common sense by Wal- Mart, by the shopper, and I think we should turn to common sense this time of year as well.
S. O'BRIEN: I think everybody is getting a little out of control on this one.
SERWER: Yes.
SANCHEZ: It tends to work well.
S. O'BRIEN: Merry Christmas, by the way, and happy holidays.
SERWER: And happy holidays to you.
S. O'BRIEN: In a moment, a look at the day's top stories, including this one. Seven weeks on the run, Peter Braunstein is finally captured. He's the man accused of impersonating a fireman and sexually assaulting a woman in New York City. We're going to tell you just how he got caught and also how he almost took his own life. That story is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back. Be sure to check our Web site, CNN.com, for the very latest on this morning's top stories, including the president of the United States sounding somewhat conciliatory, but asking Americans to really consider and believe in the Iraqi cause.
Also, in Latin America, yet another socialist winning an election. This time it's Evo Morales. That's in Bolivia. Some of the most popular stories, including that.
And before you head out the door for work, for school or holiday shopping, you can keep up to date on CNN on AMERICAN MORNING. Log on to CNN.com. Be sure to check out CNN Pipeline as well and get your latest news and commercial-free television there at CNN.com/pipeline -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: An update on a story, really, that was huge in New York here. A New York City man accused of impersonating a firefighter and then sexually assaulting a woman on Halloween is going to be arraigned in Memphis, Tennessee, later today. Peter Braunstein arrested in Memphis on Friday. His family says he needs help.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALBERTO BRAUNSTEIN, SUSPECT'S FATHER: I just want him to know that I'm there for him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN (voice over): Those words from the concerned father of New York's sexual assault suspect, Peter Bronstein. He arrived in Memphis, the site of his son's capture, on Friday.
Police say Peter Braunstein, a former fashion writer, impersonated a firefighter and gained access a former co-worker's New York City apartment. Then it's alleged he sexually assaulted her for 12 hours on Halloween.
After that, he eluded police for weeks, traveling to Cleveland and finally to Memphis, where a tip led to his arrest.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He called our offices and gave them pictures of the individual that was on the Internet. And one of our officers was on patrol looking for the guy actually, and encountered him here on Patterson Avenue.
S. O'BRIEN: When cornered by an officer, Braunstein stabbed himself in the neck several times. A witness described the grizzly scene.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He asked him to stop. He proceed to pepper spray him. The guy wouldn't go down. And he turned around with his back to the officer. He tossed the gun in the bushes over there, it seemed like. Stabbed himself in the neck right about here. And he fell over, keeled over down on his knees, and blood sprayed everywhere. He tried to get up one more time, and he wasn't getting up.
S. O'BRIEN: Braunstein spent two days in a Memphis hospital, was released into police custody on Saturday.
His father says his son needs help.
BRAUNSTEIN: He's got mental problems. So, you cannot treat him as a rational person. So whatever he has written in those letters and everything else, it's a sick mind writing those letters.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Braunstein reportedly gave police a videotape of the assault and diary that detailed the attack. He also faces extradition to New York on charges of kidnapping and sexual abuse. And coming up in the next hour, we're going to talk to a woman who first recognized him and also the patrolman who took him into custody.
SANCHEZ: And before we do anything else, let's go over to Bonnie Schneider and find out what's going on with the weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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