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American Morning

American Hostage in Iraq; Tony Blair's Son Target?; Laid to Rest

Aired January 18, 2006 - 08:59   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.
Time may be running out for an American journalist who's been taken hostage in Iraq. An ultimatum, a looming deadline. We're going to take you live to Baghdad for the very latest on this developing story.

And was it a plot or was it a prank? Was Tony Blair's son really in danger of being kidnapped? We're live in London this morning.

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

My bad. Mayor Ray Nagin says he misspoke. But can he get past those "chocolate city" comments?

And is your breakfast making you moody, a little cranky? We'll have the dish on that ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody.

It's Wednesday, 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

M. O'BRIEN: Good to have you with us.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right to one of the stories we're working on this morning, the story of this kidnapped American journalist, Jill Carroll, could really just be a matter of time. And it's really time that she does not have.

Carroll was abducted 11 days ago in Baghdad. Videotape of Jill Carroll played on Al-Jazeera television on Tuesday. The network says the tape came with a message, and the message was this: Carroll will be killed in less than three days if all Iraqi prisoners -- female prisoners -- are not released.

Let's get right to Michael Holmes. He's following the story out of Baghdad this morning.

Michael, good morning.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Soledad.

Yes, a lot of unanswered questions. First of all, that 72 hours that was mentioned as this video was released, what did that mean, 72 hours from when? In the past, I can tell you it's been from the first airing of the video. That was now 18 hours ago or so.

You can see Jill Carroll in that video speaking. We don't know what she said. There was no audio.

As for the demands, they are that the United States release all female prisoners. What did that mean, all female prisoners in all jails? Well, there is a lot of criminals in jail, according to the justice ministry.

There are only 10 women in it detention who have been arrested by the United States. Six of those were going to be released in the days ahead anyway, unrelated to this case.

Who is behind it? The Brigade of Revenge, they are calling themselves. We don't know who they are. They're new.

And now on your show, actually, you spoke earlier to a friend of Jill Carroll, and she had this to say about her friend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACKIE SPINNER, FRIEND OF U.S. HOSTAGE: Jill had a sense of purpose in Iraq, and she wanted to be there. She felt that her fate was there. Those were the very words that she used, "My fate is in Iraq." And she was very careful and went about her business and was just trying to tell the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Yes, that friend there of Jill Carroll.

Just by way of background, it has now been many days. She was taken on January the 7th in a pretty dodgy area of Baghdad in what seemed to be a fairly organized attack, leading to suspicion that someone was tipped off about her whereabouts -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Michael Holmes for us this morning with an update on that really terrible story.

Michael, thank you -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: In London now, a kidnapping at Number 10 Downing Street? Was it a real plot or some idle talk that got out of hand?

In any case, Fleet Street is having a field day with the news Tony Blair's 5-year-old son might have been the focus of a kidnapping, talk at least. Police found out about the caper, if it ever even got that far, very early on. But it's certainly stirring up things in Britain either way.

Robin Oakley live now in London at Number 10 Downing Street.

Robin, how seriously are police taking the threat?

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was the headline in "The Sun" newspaper this morning here, Miles. And the police have had to take a really serious interest in this story because let's make it clear, this is not a question of al Qaeda terrorism or criminals seeking to seize the prime minister's son and hold him to ransom. But this is a potential stunt by a group called Fathers for Justice, or not the group themselves, but extremists who have attached themselves to that group.

The group had been involved in some spectacular breaches of security. For example, dressing up in Batman costumes and getting into Buckingham Palace, or throwing flower bombs at the prime minister in the House of Commons.

So when police intercepted conversations between some of this group about a possible plot to kidnap Leo Blair and hold him for a few hours to draw attention to their cause, they had to take this seriously. But it has to be said, there have been no arrests, and the police don't really believe that this group were capable of carrying out that kind of plot anyway. So it doesn't seem that there was any danger of physical harm to Leo Blair -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: I guess, Robin, it's kind of like joking about having a bomb when you're going through security at an airport. This is just not the kind of thing even in pub talk you would want to talk about.

OAKLEY: Not really. And of course, Fathers for Justice, a group who campaign for fathers to get greater access to their children in divorce cases, are horrified really that extremists have attached themselves to their cause. They're even talking now of disbanding themselves because they say what they're about is direct action with a little bit of humor attached, and that they're all about uniting families, fathers and their children, not about taking them away from their fathers. So they've been pretty horrified, and they may well wrap up their organization as a result of this -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Quite a bit of irony that they might be linked to a case where a parent and a child would be torn apart. All right. Robin Oakley, at Number 10, thank you very much -- Soledad.

Right now here in New York, a family and friends and, in many cases, perfect strangers are saying good-bye to a little girl whose death literally shocked the city. Seven-year-old Nixzmary Brown was allegedly beaten to death after she took some yogurt out of her family refrigerator. The funeral is just getting under way.

We want to get to Gary Anthony Ramsay. He's of our affiliate New York 1, and he's live at St. Mary's Church in New York.

Gary, good morning.

GARY ANTHONY RAMSAY, REPORTER, NEW YORK 1: Good morning, Soledad.

And you can tell that it is horrible conditions out here this morning, but that is not expected to stop the masses who are going to come to St. Mary's Church. It is expected to be standing room only. Over the last few days, there have been thousands of people who have been moved and certainly outraged by the details of the death of 7- year-old Nixzmary Brown.

Last week, her body was found on the floor of her Brooklyn apartment. Police say that she was beaten to death by her stepfather who became outraged that the child had eaten some yogurt that she wasn't supposed to have. And investigators further allege this wasn't an isolated case of abuse, and, in fact, the child may have endured months and perhaps even years of abuse at the hands of her stepfather, Cesar Rodriguez, and her own mother, Nixzaliz Santiago.

Yesterday, a grand jury formally indicted the pair on a number of charges related to her death. Rodriguez faces second-degree murder and sex abuse charges. The mother, Santiago, faces manslaughter and child endangerment charges.

Now, we found -- we found out after the child's death that despite complaints from educators, that the child -- that little action was taken to protect her. The mayor is promising sweeping changes to prevent this from happening again.

I'm Gary Anthony Ramsay in New York. Back to you.

S. O'BRIEN: Gary, thank you for the update.

And obviously it's terrible weather there, but as he points out, it is unlikely, given just how much attention this heartbreaking story has gotten here in the city, that that will really affect the huge crowd that's expected today. He's with our affiliate New York 1.

Time for a look at some of the other stories making news. Carol has got that.

Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I do. Good morning.

Good morning to all of you.

He didn't mean it. New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin is backing off the surprising comments he made on Martin Luther King Day about saying a rebuilt New Orleans would be a "chocolate city." He says he meant to reassure African-Americans, not inflame other New Orleanians. And he wishes he hadn't brought god into it when he said god sent hurricanes to punish America for the Iraq war and for African- Americans for "not taking care of themselves."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: If I could take anything back, that's what I would take, any references to god. I think that was inappropriate for that particular setting. It was something that I had discussed with a minister several weeks before, and for some reason, it became top of mind and it became part of that speech. It was totally inappropriate.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: So, Mayor Nagin is asking forgiveness. He's well known for shooting from the hip, and this may not be the end of it. His political opponents are likely to bring up his remarks in the upcoming re-election campaign.

Was it planned or was this a slip-up too? Senator Hillary Clinton is drawing fire after telling a mostly black audience that Republican leaders have run the House of Representatives like a plantation. She also called the Bush administration one of the worst in U.S. history.

New York Republican Congressman Peter King says Clinton should be ashamed of using the race card. But Al Sharpton, who hosted this event, defends Senator Clinton.

And how much jail time do you think the woman who stuck the fingertip in her bowl of Wendy's chili should get? I know you remember this story. How could you not?

Wendy's says it lost more han $2.5 million in sales due to bad publicity. Anna Ayala could get more than nine years in prison for her role in the scam. She and her husband pleaded guilty last September to two felony charges. He is also being sentenced today.

As for the fingertip, well, police say it belonged to one of the husband's co-workers who lost it in a workplace accident.

Did you follow that?

Soul singer Isaac Hayes is in a Memphis hospital this morning. We are hearing it's for exhaustion. The 63-year-old is perhaps best- known for his 1971 number one hit theme song from the movie "Shaft." More recently, he was the voice of Chef in the TV program "South Park." Hayes was admitted to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

And we've been telling you about this story all morning. You might call it a super-size punishment for a rowdy football fan. Take a look again, because you can't see it often enough, can you?

Nathan Mallet (ph) ran on to the field during a Browns-Steelers game on September -- then he's slammed to the ground by a Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, James Harrison. Oh, let's see that take-down again.

You'd think that would be punishment enough. But, no. Mallet is paying for his stunt.

He has been sentenced to spend Super Bowl weekend in jail with no TV or radio privileges. Mallet is also ordered not to attend any Browns games in person for the next five years. Or any other NFL game, for that matter -- Miles.

S. O'BRIEN: They took him out.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, it's sort of like a duel with an unarmed person to tackle a poor guy without pads like that. You know? S. O'BRIEN: Well...

M. O'BRIEN: I feel sorry for him. I feel sorry for him.

COSTELLO: He was drunk. He was drunk and on the field.

M. O'BRIEN: So does he deserve to get hammered by a 300-pound guy in pads? No.

S. O'BRIEN: He didn't get hammered. And did you see -- if you roll that tape again, you'll see, he's still fighting. He's on the ground trying to grab the guy's, you know, helmet and face mask.

COSTELLO: And that would have been a penalty.

M. O'BRIEN: Here is what the real punishment should have been...

S. O'BRIEN: Look watch. OK.

M. O'BRIEN: ... they should have forced him to watch all the Browns games. Now that would be punishment.

S. O'BRIEN: Watch. He takes him down. Now, look at this. He's still fighting.

OK. Now he's sitting on him, right, holds him down. He's still fighting. He's not even...

M. O'BRIEN: No, look. Look how he takes him down. Ow! He could have broken his neck, for gosh's sakes. He could have poked an eye out.

S. O'BRIEN: The guy is probably drunk, definitely disorderly.

M. O'BRIEN: He deserves to get hammered?

COSTELLO: He looks perfectly fine there.

S. O'BRIEN: His pants are falling off.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, maybe the lubrication is what saved him from injury. Who knows. That's possible. All right.

S. O'BRIEN: You and I are just going to have to agree to disagree on this one, Mister.

M. O'BRIEN: I'll take you down.

(LAUGHTER)

All right. Let's check back on the -- Chad, what do you think?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I went to a fight and then a football game broke out.

(LAUGHTER) M. O'BRIEN: But no, should he have taken down the poor fan like that?

MYERS: You know...

S. O'BRIEN: Poor fan. Please!

MYERS: I saw a broken clavicle all -- written all over that.

M. O'BRIEN: See? There you go. You were ready to give him your card as an attorney. Except you are not an attorney.

MYERS: No, I am not a card-carrying attorney.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

(LAUGHTER)

MYERS: Good morning, New York. Good morning all of you there, including you guys up there in the city.

Look how ugly this is now. Rain coming up. We have a live shot from our affiliate.

Here's Times Square, WABC. Winds are gusting quite a bit now up here. Just had a wind gust of 56 miles per hour at LaGuardia. And it's raining all over the place. Airplanes, in fact, now.

Here is the latest map behind me, 31-mile-per-hour sustained winds. And no planes are being allowed to land at LaGuardia. Every little blue square, little blue plane you see there, is actually a plane up in the air or coming down. But no planes are allowed to be coming down into LaGuardia at this point because of wind sheer problems there.

And everybody is getting stacked up now. Even planes that were supposed to be landing at 8:30 are just flying around in circles waiting for that wind to die off. Eventually, they may have to get diverted somewhere else.

Wind even in Philadelphia at 17 miles per hour.

There goes the rain, Albany, all the way back up into D.C. A couple of showers down in Miami. Kind of a rough day down there. Not as many thunderstorms as they can get with a cold front. But it isn't going to be very warm as the cold air moves offshore, cold air across the northeast.

Look at the next 48 hours, though, out to the West. Kind of a quick focus here on the West. All the higher elevations all above 5,000 feet. Everywhere you see purple, that's a foot of snow or more. That's a lot of feet.

Back to you guys. S. O'BRIEN: That's a lot of snow.

M. O'BRIEN: I should say. I didn't know it got purple when it got deep like that.

S. O'BRIEN: It's very complicated, scientific.

M. O'BRIEN: We'll discuss it later.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Chad.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Chad.

Coming up on the program, Senator Trent Lott will join us live. He surprised a lot of folks saying he'll seek a fourth term. He had said or hinted earlier that maybe he wasn't interested. But he says now is not the time to leave the Senate behind. We'll ask him why.

S. O'BRIEN: Also, if you're feeling a little cranky this morning, maybe you should blame your breakfast. We're going to tell you what you need to eat every morning to feel better.

M. O'BRIEN: And "AM Pop." We're going to talk to Albert Brooks. He's got a new movie called "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World." And we'll ask him if he found any ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi ended a lot of -- some self-fueled speculation yesterday and announced he would seek a fourth term as U.S. senator from Mississippi. Not long ago he suggested he might be able to do more for his state out of office and someone else could do the job just fine.

Senator Trent Lott joining us from Capitol Hill.

Senator, I think what you said before, we could probably put the quote up on the screen here, is essentially -- there it is. "There has been the implication I could do more here for Mississippians than somebody else. But the truth is somebody else could do just as good."

You changed your mind. You're the man now. Huh?

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: Well, I was home during the holidays and met with my family and neighbors and loved ones, constituents, and I listened to them very carefully. And whether it's right or not, I got the clear impression that they felt like they needed the experience they had given me now more than ever. And my conscience just wouldn't allow me to leave at a state when the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the entire state is struggling with the aftermath of a devastating hurricane.

If I thought we could get it all taken care of in a few weeks or a few months, maybe it would have been time to hand off the baton. But it's obvious to me that this problem is going to be with us for years. And I need to do everything I can to be helpful in that situation.

I also, frankly, you know, care a lot about what's going on in Washington. You never complete your job in Washington. You just do your time, do the best you can, you move on. But there are some issues where I hope I can get involved and be of assistance to my colleagues in the Senate and help -- I'd like to help make Washington a little more civil as I go forward into the future, too.

M. O'BRIEN: Ooh. I want to talk about that civility thing for just a moment. Let's go back to post-Katrina issues here.

LOTT: All right.

M. O'BRIEN: Back in December, you said this -- in that same interview, as a matter of fact -- "I'm so disappointed with the Bush administration's response to this disaster that I'm almost embarrassed."

You still feel the same way?

LOTT: Yes, I'm not very happy with the response. It could have been better.

Now, I always start by acknowledging that this was an overwhelming event. We underestimated the severity of it and how much destruction and how difficult this was going to be.

I know the president cares. He's been there repeatedly. He's seen the destruction. But it doesn't seem like there is a connection between what he feels and sees and wants to happen and what FEMA and sometimes the Corp of Engineers and others are doing on the ground, EPA.

We're having trouble now even bulldozing some houses because EPA says, oh, well, we've got to go in there and find out if there is any asbestos. Well, if they have any suspicion that it does, put it in a different place. But just the delays and the lack of common sense has just been incredible. And I'm going to spend later on this week time meeting with officials from all the agencies that are involved.

When I talked to them in Washington, they talk good. But there is a disconnect between decisions and directions from Washington and what's happening on the ground.

It's not good enough. There is no use focusing on the past. I want us to know what can we do in -- you know, now and a month from now, because it's got to be better than it has been.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, let's talk about this, because it kind of leads us to a discussion about civility and how government works or doesn't work. The fact that, you know, communication has broken down might have a little something to do with this. You said at one point that in many ways there was a better dialogue during the Clinton administration between Republicans and Democrats.

What's happened in Washington and how can that be fixed? LOTT: Well, I think it has been evolutionary, and it's been sort of spiraling down. I don't think you can put the blame on any one person or either party. We're all guilty of this. But it's just one thing after another that makes getting along more difficult.

I think what Senator Hillary Clinton had to say a couple days ago was unhelpful. I think when the Democrats delay for no good reason the debate and the confirmation vote on Judge Alito is unhelpful, because we clearly had the impression the vote would be this week. And then all of a sudden, they said, oh, no, no, no, we're going to delay it another week.

It's just one little thing after another. But the only way you do something about that is saying, OK, I'm going to do something about it and try to do a better job of communicating, talking across the aisle.

Look, we get mad at each other. We'll disagree. But I just wish we could do it in a more amicable way and get our job done. I don't even care if we have to have, you know, political fracases or partisan disagreements, as long and we're finding a way to get something done on immigration reform, or health care costs, on pension reform.

There's a lot we need to do. And it seems so difficult to do it without it turning ugly.

M. O'BRIEN: Final thought. You mentioned Hillary Clinton there and her comments. You had your own foot-in-mouth comment back in 2002...

LOTT: Oh, absolutely. Right.

M. O'BRIEN: ... relating on a racial note, which caused you to lose your position.

LOTT: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: Are you going to seek a leadership role again in the wake of all that?

LOTT: A lot of people have speculated that that's what I have in mind. Look, this is one step at a time. I'm running for re-election. I've got to ask the people to re-elect me. What the future holds I don't know.

We have a good leadership team in the Senate. I enjoy working with them. I want to be helpful in any way I can.

We won't have any elections probably before a year or so. Who knows what's down the road. But I want to be involved. I want to be helpful.

I didn't come back just to try to -- just to work on Katrina or just to be chairman of the Rules Committee. I want to be a player in trying to be helpful in what goes on here. I've learned some lessons, good and bad. I've made my mistakes. And I want to put that to good use for myself, the people I care about the most, but also issues I care about in Washington.

M. O'BRIEN: Mississippi Senator Trent Lott, thanks for your time.

LOTT: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Senator Lott will also be a guest on "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT," 6:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

And we are back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Albert Brooks wants to know what makes Muslims laugh, so he goes "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World." It's the title of his new movie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALBERT BROOKS, ACTOR, "LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD": All right. Do you have an off-stage mic?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD": No. We only have one mic. You asked me to put it out front.

BROOKS: I know. But I need an off-stage mic, because then I'm going to have to introduce myself.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So?

BROOKS: Well, do you want to go get that mic for me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want me to go out and get the microphone?

BROOKS: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't want to get it?

BROOKS: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why not?

BROOKS: Because I'm the headliner. I shouldn't go out and drag the mic off and then make another entrance. Please.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love you, Albert!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See that? They love you.

BROOKS: That's not me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Albert Brooks joins us this morning.

It's a funny movie. Nice to see you. Thanks for talking with us about it.

BROOKS: Nice to see you. Thanks for inviting me.

S. O'BRIEN: The story, in a nutshell, is that Albert Brooks the comedian-actor is sent by the government to go do a lengthy report on comedy in the Muslim world.

BROOKS: Write a 500-page report, go to India and Pakistan, spend a month, and tell the government what makes the Muslims laugh under a new sort of person-to-person contact program.

S. O'BRIEN: You go, actually, to India. How hard was it to actually shoot in India and Pakistan?

BROOKS: Well, you know, first of all, I had to go there initially just to get permission. You know, you can't just go and bring a crew with you. So that was really -- that was sort of the most nervous part, because if they said no, I would have nowhere to shoot the movie.

S. O'BRIEN: How hard was it to sell the idea then to officials in India and Pakistan, who have to be concerned that you're going to mock their culture?

BROOKS: Yes. Well, you know, I mean, I really wasn't -- I really wasn't going to mock the culture. I was going to sort of mock me and, you know, maybe more the inept quality of the State Department to try to figure out anything. And they were more concerned -- they gave me an example.

They said that Steven Spielberg wanted to shoot one of the "Indiana Jones" movies, I think, "Temple of Doom" there, that they wouldn't allow it because there was a scene where he ate monkey brains. So, you know, there are issues they have. So I signed a thing, no monkey brains, and signed my name.

S. O'BRIEN: Not a one. And there is not a one in the film.

BROOKS: No.

S. O'BRIEN: You had your premier in Dubai.

BROOKS: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: I mean, talk about a tough crowd for a comedian, because, you know...

BROOKS: It was just amazing. It was one of the best -- I'll tell you something. It was -- I want to get an apartment there. It was one of the best comedy crowds I've ever had for any of my movies anywhere. S. O'BRIEN: People in stitches.

BROOKS: Yes. And I think the reason is -- and I've been thinking about it ever since I got back. You know, the whole reason I wanted to make this movie, there hasn't been any comedies about this post-9/11 world really. None.

And the tension is everywhere. It's not just here. It's in every city on the planet. You know? The very small amount of people that want to cause trouble is dwarfed by the 99.9 percent of the people that want to get through their day and have a nice meal and send their kids to school and have a regular life.

So just the idea of being able to laugh at something that's really tense was refreshing for them. And also, they're used to -- out of American movies, portrayals of Muslims are always the guys in the belly of the 747 on the phone going, "Land here." You know, it's the same guy.

So to not see that I think they were sport of grateful.

S. O'BRIEN: It's a great movie, a lot of fun. We enjoyed it.

BROOKS: I'm glad.

S. O'BRIEN: Albert Brooks joining us this morning. The movie is called "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World."

BROOKS: Thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, what did you have for breakfast today? What you eat or what you ate could set the mood for the rest of your day. We're going to tell what you foods can keep you from getting cranky during your morning.

That story is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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