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American Morning

Pakistan Attack; King Day

Aired January 16, 2006 - 07:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Miles O'Brien.
Anger at America. Protests follow an unsuccessful attack in Pakistan. The missile miss could now be a major setback for the war on terror. Details are ahead.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Carol Costello, in for Soledad this morning.

It's the 20th anniversary of the first Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but now part of his legacy could be up for sale. In the meantime, MLK's influential widow finally makes a public appearance. We'll take a look.

O'BRIEN: And one British politician seems to have let his good sense take a long holiday, as they say. The controversy over the cat from parliament, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Must have got away. Have you lost your mind? I believe he has!

COSTELLO: That's just insane. But we're going to get to that later.

Thank you for joining us this morning.

O'BRIEN: Other more pressing news to tell you about. In Pakistan today, anger over a U.S. missile attack that threatens a key relationship in the war on terror. Friday's attack didn't get Al Qaeda's number-two man, Ayman Al Zawahiri, or so we think. Now Pakistanis are protesting against their America and their own president, Pervez Musharraf, a key ally to President Bush in the global war on terror.

Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson joining us live now with more from CNN Center.

Nic, good morning.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

For the very latest here, indications that Zawahiri may, in fact, have been in the area right before that missile attack.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Rubble. When new reports in Pakistani newspapers say Al Qaeda's number two, Ayman Al Zawahiri, was expected for dinner when a CIA-initiated missile attack tried to kill him. The man so often seen next to Osama bin Laden appeared for a few hours at least to have finally been cornered. But CNN intelligence sources and villagers denies Zawahiri or any outsiders were present.

QAZI HUSSAIN, OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): Foreigners and outsiders are not here, nor among the recovered or dead.

ROBERTSON: Eighteen people were killed, including women and children, angering not just this tribal region, but the whole country, threatening the war on terror.

From rain-drenched durtalis (ph), where tribes are more powerful than government, to the wide, well-ordered affluent boulevards of the nation's capital, Islamabad, the cost of the apparent intelligence mistake is being paid. One of the U.S.' staunchest allies on the world on terror, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, is being told to step down.

FAROOQ SATTAR, PAKISTANI POL. LEADER: The government of Pakistan should resign because they have failed to protect their territory and protect their citizens from the unjustified attack from the American forces.

ROBERTSON: Outrage has been so strong, Musharraf's allies are, for the first time in years, joining forces with the opposition.

Musharraf has been through this before. Most notably, announcing his support for the U.S. after September 11th, but he is politically weaker now, and that means catching Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri may be getting harder.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time is running out for all of those who are engaged in this, and they must very seriously address the lapses and the weaknesses in the intelligence.

ROBERTSON: In the war on terror, improving intelligence is proving one of the hardest battles to win.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: And that's where the challenge lies right now, Miles, is getting that intelligence component right.

O'BRIEN: Nic, tell us this, does this make it more or less likely that Zawahiri will be caught? Is he likely to go deeper underground, so to speak?

ROBERTSON: You know, it depends what Zawahiri has taken away from all of this. Does he know that somebody is in his inner circle compromised his security, gave away information about where he was supposed to be? If that's the case, then perhaps he's going to make it a little harder, because there's nobody perhaps in his inner circle now left to rat on him.

Or was it just a big miss? And is this now going to, as the Pakistani president has told his people, that it's their responsibility to make sure there are no outsiders in their region. So is this going to reinforce a message for Pakistanis, keep people like Zawahiri out of your area? So therefore, it would make it perhaps easier to get Zawahiri because he has got less places to run and hide.

So I think very much it depends on what Zawahiri himself has taken out of this particular attack -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Do you think it's likely we will be hearing from Zawahiri soon in videotape fashion?

ROBERTSON: Miles, that is very interesting. I mean, this particular town is actually not all that remote. It's quite close to the sort of the more sort of industrial part of Pakistan, if you will. This could be one of the places where he's hiding and able to slip those messages easily out, because he's connected pretty much to the rest of the world. So maybe he won't go back. Maybe he won't be able to send a message out, but I think if he can, he will because, he'll want to show that he won and he's still back in the game -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson in Atlanta for us this morning. Thank you, Nic -- Carol.

COSTELLO: The situation with that airstrike in Pakistan, Iran is restarting its nuclear program. Plenty for the White House to be concerned about.

Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux watching these developments, and she has reaction from the Bush administration.

So, Suzanne, what's the administration saying?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, really what happened was this started off as an airstrike on the Pakistan/Afghan border and has now turned into a very difficult diplomatic incident. White House and Pentagon officials not talking about the specifics here, but if you take a look at those pictures over the weekend, very disturbing, as you see, those tens of thousands of Pakistani people in the street chanting death to America. Obviously, a lot of anger, outrage because of this incident.

Now, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on her way to Liberia. She did speak to reporters about this. She was asked about this. She did not give the details about the airstrike, but she did say that the U.S. will continue to work with the Pakistanis and try to address their concerns, specifically saying, "I would just like to say to the Pakistani government and the Pakistani people that we are allies in the war on terror. The biggest threat to Pakistan, of course, is what Al Qaeda has done in trying to radicalize the country."

It has been long suspected that Zawahiri, as well as Osama bin Laden, are on that Afghan/Pakistan border. And both U.S. officials and Pakistanis have been working together to try to bring them to justice, but obviously, Carol, a very difficult situation for the administration. very sensitive at this time. COSTELLO: Another very sensitive, difficult situation is what's happening in Iran. In fact, Senator John McCain was talking about it over the weekend. He called it one of the gravest situations since the Cold War. What does that exactly mean, though? Does he mean that military force could be an option?

MALVEAUX: Well, U.S. officials are being very, very careful about the language here. They always say that the military option is on the table, but it's certainly not the preferred option here. The very difficult to actually carry out in Iran as opposed to Iraq. But the one thing that they're hoping to do is really press the International Atomic Energy Agency today, representatives from the United States and European allies, to get Iran before the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.

COSTELLO: Suzanne Malveaux, reporting live from Washington this morning. Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Developing story out of Iraq this morning. A U.S. army helicopter down today north of Baghdad. It's the third chopper to go down in Iraq in the last nine days. Our Michael Holmes live in Baghdad with more.

Michael, what do we know?

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles.

Hi, Miles.

Well, there's not a lot of information coming out at the moment. What we do know is that this happened about seven hours or so ago, just north of Baghdad, a very small area, small village if you like, north of here.

According to a U.S. military official, the chopper did go down. He's not saying what type of helicopter it was, although there was a two-man crew aboard. Now, that could mean it's one of the Kiowa helicopters. It could be an Apache. We just don't know. And it's not yet clear either what caused it to go down, nor what the fate of the crew was.

As you said, Miles, the third chopper to go down in nine days. There was that Blackhawk, 12 dead, eight military, four civilian, and a Kiowa went down also just a couple of days ago. Both crew members killed in that incident. We're still working the phones, hoping to get you some more information -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, thank you, Michael Holmes, working it for us there in Baghdad.

More turmoil, meanwhile, for the Saddam Hussein trial, and this seems to ratchet up to the disarray to a new level. The chief judge says he wants out of the hot seat. He'd rather be just a regular judge of the tribunal. Rizgar Amin cited personal reasons, but there are reports he is fed up with criticism that he let the trial spin out of control. The head of the tribunal is said to be considering the request -- Carol.

COSTELLO: In America today, we're honoring Martin Luther King. On this, the 20th anniversary of the holiday, the center promoting his legacy is at a crossroads. The King Center in Atlanta is deeply in debt, and has the civil right leader's children fighting amongst themselves.

Rusty Dornin live in downtown Atlanta with more.

Good morning, Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is where it all began, Carol. We're on Auburn Street, in downtown Atlanta. Just down the street, Martin Luther King was born in 1929. And we're here at the old Ebenezer Baptist Church. He gave many a fiery sermon there, as did his father before him.

Next door to the church is the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. And the control and possible sale of that has King's four children deeply divided.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DORNIN (voice-over): He fought furiously for racial equality and social change through non violence. Now as the world remembers Martin Luther King, Junior on what would be his 77th birthday, the battles continue among his sons and daughters over his legacy.

Specifically, the legacy here at the Martin Luther King, Junior Center for Nonviolent Change. The center was founded by King's wife Coretta in 1968. It was her passion and life's work.

The center, located just down the street from his childhood home, is where many of his papers and memorabilia are exhibited.

Now two of King's children, Center chairman Dexter King, his sister, Yolanda, and some board members want to sell it to the National Park Service.

No way, say two other siblings, Bernice and Martin Luther King III. They claim the center's independent voice could be compromised by federal ownership. And they also fear it could water down their father's message of social justice.

MARTIN LUTHER KING III, KING CENTER BOARD MEMBER: Bernice and I stand to differ with those who excel our father's legacy and barter our mother's vision, whether it is for 30 pieces of silver or $30 million.

DORNIN: Her children and others close to the family say Coretta Scott King, who suffered a stroke last summer, has been unable to communicate her wishes. Critics say the center has fallen into disrepair in recent years. It needs a facelift that would cost $11 million.

The brother and sister fighting the sale admit at times they didn't do a good job of taking care of their father's legacy. Now they want an independent group to run the center.

Lifetime King Center board member and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young says it would be better to let the government do it.

ANDREW YOUNG, KING CENTER BOARD MEMBER: Because of the wear and tear by the visitors that come through there, you do need constant maintenance. That was one of the reasons why I was an advocate of turning over the physical property to the Parks Department.

DORNIN: But the brother and sister who are opposed to selling the center say they might take legal action to keep the government out.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DORNIN: From what we understand, despite all of this squabbling, all four of the King children will be here at the Old Ebenezer Baptist Church this morning when the ceremonies begin at 10:00 a.m. Eastern. After that ceremony, there will be downtown. They will assemble and also have a march, which they do every year. This is the 20th year. And they will come downtown here, assemble at the King Center, where they will have a rally. As far as the sale goes, no details and a formal proposal has not yet been announced -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I want to talk about Coretta Scott King. She suffered that stroke, and she has been unable to speak. She appeared publicly. Will she be at the ceremonies today? And is there any way to find out from her now what her wishes would be for the center?

DORNIN: From what we understand, she is still unable to communicate about the subject. However, she did appear on Saturday night. It was her first public appearance. It was for a fund-raiser for the center. She came in a wheelchair smiling, that sort of thing, but did not speak at all. It was for a dinner for a salute to greatness. So we don't know if she's going to come here this morning, and from what we understand still, she has not been able to articulate her wishes about this center.

COSTELLO: Rusty Dornin live in Atlanta this morning, thank you.

DORNIN: President Bush will speak this afternoon for Georgetown University's Let Freedom Ring Celebration.

CNN will carry the president's remarks live from the Kennedy Center at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Coming up, bad news: If you get the flu, seems two of the most popular anti-flu drugs, they don't work! We'll look at some other options for you.

O'BRIEN: Also mission accomplished. The Stardust space capsule -- doesn't that look like 1950s, you know, "The Day the Earth Stood Still" kind of thing?

COSTELLO: "Space Odyssey 2001."

O'BRIEN: Yes, right. That's it, with those little silhouettes in the foreground. Hey, look at that! I got a capsule!

Anyway, NASA's Stardust capsule is back, and now we're going to know the meaning of life. It's inside that capsule, I believe.

COSTELLO: Yes, right, they wish.

And later, controversy on ice. Michelle Kwan named to the U.S. Olympic team, even though she did not compete in the qualifier. Does she deserve this?

O'BRIEN: Sure, she does! She is Michelle Kwan. She's got marquee value!

COSTELLO: Well, a lot of people say I don't think so. Skating legend, Peggy Fleming, what does she think? She'll join us live to tell us. That's just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Confirmation, OK.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All stations, space chute is open. We're coming down slowly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right, that's kind of like geek stock there. Everybody there. And JPL clapping because of what they -- what you see here, cheers from mission control. The Stardust mission returns to Earth. And if you remember, Genesis came down, similar thing,no chute. This time, chute. Good thing. It carries a thimble-load of material from the tail of a comet, a piece of tail, so to speak.

And that is 4.5 billion-year-old material, which is basically the ingredients of our solar system. The chief scientist for the mission talked about how exciting all this was.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON BROWNLEE, STARDUST PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR: We traveled almost three billion miles in space. We visited a comet, grabbed a piece of it, and it landed here this morning. It's an incredible thrill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: The mission launched in 1999, orbited the sun, and in January of 2004, flew right through the tail of the comet, Wild II. A little bit crispy there, but apparently not too much worse for the wear. Scientists open the capsule tomorrow, and hope it will tell them a little more about how the planets were formed.

COSTELLO: Just think, a thimble full of stuff could give us, like, the answers to the secrets in the universe.

O'BRIEN: The absolutely meaning of life could be in that thimble.

(MARKET REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Coming up, something you don't want as we head into the height of flu season. Two of the most popular anti-flu drugs out there, not going to help you. That story is ahead.

Plus, that failed U.S. attack on Al Qaeda's number-two man. Has he found safe haven in Pakistan? Where is he now? A closer look, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The Centers for Disease Control is alerting doctors nationwide stat (ph). Two commonly used drugs to fight the flu may not work anymore. Dr. Anna Mascona is an infection disease specialist at New York's Weill Cornell Medical Center, and she joins us live now.

Good morning.

DR. ANNE MOSCONA, INFECTIOUS-DISEASE SPECIALIST: Good morning.

COSTELLO: This is pretty disturbing. These are two very popular antiviral drugs, amantadine and rimantadine, and now apparently they don't work at all to fight the flu. Why is that?

MOSCONA: That's right, these drugs have been the mainstay for many years to treat and prevent influenza. And now the bulk of the circulating influenzas, the virus people are infected with, is resistant to these drugs. We just can't use them this season.

COSTELLO: So the flu that's going around right now is resistant to these drugs?

MOSCONA: That's right.

COSTELLO: So are you surprised by that? I mean, because last year, they were effective, right?

MOSCONA: Well, the resistance has been climbing. So last year, there was a sense to these drugs climbed to about 14, 15 percent. And we expected it to keep going up. I mean, resistance to these two drugs has really been mounting. To find it at 91 percent this year, yes, it's a little high.

COSTELLO: Yes, just to put it in perspective. Two years ago, two percent of the virus were resistant to these drugs. One year ago, 11 percent. And then this year, 91 percent resistant. How do you build up an immunity that quickly? MOSCONA: The virus evolves very rapidly. And there are several mutations, changes in the viral genes, that make it resistant to these drugs. And that can happen spontaneously, or it can happen while people are on treatment very frequently, and then those strains begin to circulate in the community. So these drugs are done for us this season. We just can't use them.

COSTELLO: So what are the new drugs out there that can help?

MOSCONA: Well, fortunately, we have a new class of drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, and those are still very effective. While Tamiflu at preventing, and both of them at treating influenza.

COSTELLO: And are they widely available, easy for doctors to get?

MOSCONA: Well, this has been the problem. They're actually in quite short supply. And not only that, we have to be careful with how we use them, to avoid treating people for short courses or inadequately to encourage resistance developing to those drugs, as well.

COSTELLO: So when you say they are in short supply, does that mean I as a healthy person who was the flu could go to my doctor's office, and he could say to me, you know, I'm saving these drugs for somebody who's a little sicker than you?

MOSCONA: Well, I really hope that doesn't happen, that we'll have supply for all of the people who need to be treated this year. And certainly we're working toward treating that supply so everybody who needs to be treated can be treated.

COSTELLO: S this has nothing to do with the flu shot you got at the beginning of the year? Is that still working?

MOSCONA: Absolutely. Flu shots are protecting people. And in fact, if people have not gotten their flu shot yet, there's still time to get, it, and that would be a really good idea.

COSTELLO: Even though it's January now?

MOSCONA: Yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, well. You know, it is worrisome to doctors, though, that people build up immunity to these drugs so quickly. So what would be the long-term answer to this? I mean, you can't always find new drugs to treat the flu, right? That quickly anyway?

MOSCONA: Right. Well, a flu virus is a very crafty virus, will evolve to escape whatever we throw at it. And so right now, it's true, our backs are against the wall. We really just have Tamiflu and Relenza, and really just Tamiflu that's readily available. So it is absolutely urgent we put the scientists, the medical scientists back to work, prioritize that research that will lead to new drugs. We need new classes of drugs to fight flu.

COSTELLO: But you should go to your doctor anyway, even though there may be a shortage.

MOSCONA: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: Thank you joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

MOSCONA: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Dr. Anne Moscona, thank you very much.

Coming up, it's not exactly Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, but there is a new controversy for the U.S. Olympic figure skating team. This time it's over Michelle Kwan and how she got on the team without competing in the qualifier. Skating legend Peggy Fleming will join us. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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