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American Morning
Iraq Update; Mine Safety; Controversial Domestic Spying Program
Aired January 23, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Top of the Monday morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Another desperate plea to tell you about for the American journalist who is held hostage in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIM CARROLL, JILL CARROLL'S FATHER: I hope that you heard the conviction in Jill's voice when she spoke of your country. That was real. She is not your enemy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: My interview with Jill Carroll's father is just ahead this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Ford Motor Company with a massive overhaul, tens of thousands of autoworkers could be out of a job in just hours. We'll find out which plants could be manufacturing pink slips.
Two more mining deaths could lead to immediate changes in safety rules. We're live on Capitol Hill with that.
S. O'BRIEN: And a lucky escape to tell you about, happened in Utah, stranded hikers rescued from a snowy mountainside. We've got their story just ahead this morning.
And did you see this, what a night for Kobe Bryant, the Lakers superstar. Well now he enters the most exclusive company. Had an unbelievable performance. We've got the highlights.
Welcome, everybody.
We're going to begin this morning with a father's plea for his daughter's life. It is now 16 days since Jill Carroll, a journalist, was kidnapped while she was on assignment in Iraq. Her kidnappers are demanding that female Iraqi prisoners be released or she'll die.
I spoke with Jill's father, Jim Carroll, last night. He had a message for his daughter's captors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CARROLL: I wish to speak directly to the people holding my daughter. I hope that you heard the conviction in Jill's voice when she spoke of your country. That was real. She is not your enemy.
When you release her alive, she will tell your story with that same conviction, alive. My daughter will not be silenced. Your story is one that could be told by Jill to the whole world. Allowing her to live and releasing her will enable her to do that. You already know that my daughter is honest, sincere and of good heart. Her respect for the Iraqi people is evident in her words that she has been reporting. Jill started to tell your story, so please let her finish it.
Through the media, if necessary, advise her family and me of how we might initiate a dialogue that will lead to her release.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: We're going to have the rest of my exclusive interview with Jim Carroll. That's coming up at 7:00 a.m. Eastern right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Let's get the latest now out of Baghdad on Jill Carroll and also word of a suicide car bombing near the very heavily fortified Green Zone as well.
CNN's Michael Holmes is in Baghdad this morning.
Michael, good morning.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
That's right, as you say, still no word on Jill Carroll. That deadline set by her abductors expiring last Friday. Nothing heard from since. We do know from past experience that deadlines can be fairly fluid. However, now we do know that there has been a lot of talking going on behind the scenes in the meantime, diplomatic, religious, political figures discussing her case.
You mentioned the eight Iraqi women who are being held on suspicion of insurgent related activity. We're still told by the Justice Ministry that it believes six of those women should be released soon. The U.S. military saying procedures are being followed. Don't expect any imminent release -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: How about on the other front, Michael, this suicide attack in Baghdad, what's happening there?
HOLMES: Yes, three bombs shaking the capital today. One, the one you're talking about, only half a mile or so from here, rattled our windows. It was a suicide car bomb. It blew up at an Iraqi police checkpoint near the Green Zone, close to what's become known as assassin's gate, a popular target for bombers. At least three people killed, one police officer among them, and at least seven other people wounded, three of them police. This was very close to the Iranian Embassy. Another suicide car bomber exploded Monday near a joint U.S.- Iraqi Army checkpoint in Baghdad. That was less than an hour later. No word on casualties there -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Michael Holmes in Baghdad for us this morning.
Michael, thank you for the update on both of those fronts -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The nation's number two automaker following the leader, GM, down a rocky road today. Ford expected to layoff upwards of 30,000 employees and close several plants outright. It's a matter of survival for Ford. And it's sure to send huge ripples all throughout the rest of the economy.
Andy Serwer up early and with us this morning to tell us what's going on.
Andy, good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning you guys.
Ford is expected to make the announcement at 10:30 Eastern, up to 30,000 employees and as many as 5 plants in North America, 4 in the U.S., 1 in Mexico. And you can see here on the map the various places: St. Louis, St. Paul, Hapeville, Georgia and Wixom, Michigan. The company is getting smaller and losing market share. Analysts say this is a necessary step.
Let's drill down and look at one of these plants in particular, Hapeville, Georgia, which is near Atlanta. This plant was first built in 1947. It was famous for making Taurus cars. And the mayor of Hapeville, Alan Hallman, has indicated that this is a situation that is going to hit this town hard.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ALAN HALLMAN, HAPEVILLE, GEORGIA: So we've kind of made some plans to get some new development going on. And we're excited about that, because that will help replenish the tax base. It will spur on jobs. And it will help -- kind of help revitalize Hapeville.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SERWER: Well I guess that's looking on the bright side there. The mayor suggesting that they'll be able to find some new jobs. This plant in Hapeville accounts for 10 percent of the city's budget by paying 1.2 million in taxes. And you know, you guys, we're hearing from mayors and governors across the country trying to lobby Ford to not make this hurt so bad for their particular communities. But it's going to happen and there's no denying it.
S. O'BRIEN: With those numbers, 30,000 predicted, yes, it's...
SERWER: Out of 87,000 people across the country.
S. O'BRIEN: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: Here's what's interesting, Ford North America is going to lose upwards of a billion dollars. But overall, globally, they're still going to post a profit.
SERWER: Yes, well that's because they're making so much money overseas, obviously. But here this business is so tough, Toyota making big inroads.
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
All right, thank you -- Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
M. O'BRIEN: Not the last we'll hear of this. CNN, of course, will carry the Ford announcement live, 10:30 Eastern Time, right here on CNN. Tune in for that -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: The governor of West Virginia, Joe Manchin, wants new laws on mine safety in place by tonight. The push comes just days after two miners died in a mine fire in Melville, West Virginia.
Meanwhile, two Senate committees begin their own hearings on mine safety.
Let's get right to AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken. He covered, obviously, the latest mine disaster in West Virginia, and he's in Capitol Hill this morning.
Hey, Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
And it's certainly no secret that the mining, coal mining, is very dangerous work. It has a long history of tragedy, which was reinforced where we were in West Virginia this weekend in Logan County where two miners lost their lives. And a very emotional Governor Manchin came out afterwards to say today he was going to the West Virginia legislature demanding some reforms, suggesting that the coal companies have been remiss.
That has been a charge almost since the history began of coal mining. He's going to require better monitoring of the coal miners when they are down, more quick mobilization of rescue forces and more access to oxygen while they are down there in that dark closeness of the coal mines.
Meanwhile, there's a hearing here today. There's going to be a lot of discussion about whether in the current Bush administration there has been a laxity in enforcing mine regulations. The newly discovered issue now has a tragic content -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Doesn't it. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN ROCKEFELLER IV (D), WEST VIRGINIA: There is a laxness about coal safety consciousness which the state legislature and the Congress are going to have to change. And you've got to get angry and stay angry, we call it sustained rage, until the law is changed and people do things differently.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: Get angry and stay angry. One of the realities of politics, Soledad, is that oftentimes issues sort of flare like a nova and then disappear like one.
S. O'BRIEN: Bob Franken, was that Senator Rockefeller who we heard from there?
FRANKEN: That was Senator Rockefeller when he was down there over the weekend, along with the governor, all saying perhaps now, in the wake of this tragedy, now is the time, now is the time to try and make some changes.
S. O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning.
Bob, thank you -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Expect a lot of talk this week about the president's controversial domestic spying program. The administration insisting it is an important tool in the war on terror. The president will make that point at Kansas State University today.
Elaine Quijano covering the story from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The White House is launching an aggressive new push to counter critics of its controversial domestic surveillance program. Aides say when the president delivers his war on terror speech today in Kansas, he'll repeat his position that the program is essential in the fight against terrorists.
Then on Wednesday, the president will visit the headquarters of the National Security Agency, which carries out the surveillance. The events are all part of the administration's stepped up efforts ahead of congressional hearings on the issue next month.
And in an example of the forceful new strategy, late Sunday, the White House released this rare weekend rebuttal document called Setting the Record Straight. It reiterates the president's arguments, calling the NSA program a vital tool in helping officials to connect the dots.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE) M. O'BRIEN: CNN will cover the president's speech live, of course, 12:30 Eastern, right here. Stay with us all day long.
Well it's going to be a snowy day in parts of the northeast and a big day of storms in the southeast.
Chad Myers watching it for him.
My son, last night, said it seemed like the snow was avoiding New York -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Just a little bit.
M. O'BRIEN: He's very upset, because he has the day off today.
MYERS: Right. Well the sun and the snow, rather, always avoided Atlanta when he was down here, too, so, yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's something about that wherever he goes.
MYERS: Yes. Now if you drive to Albany, you can get snow up there.
M. O'BRIEN: That would be fun.
MYERS: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
MYERS: And then drive back in the evening.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Right.
MYERS: That'd be so much more fun.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Chad Myers.
Let the hype begin. The match up for Super Bowl 40 is set. In just two weeks, they'll actually play a game. The Seattle Seahawks are making their first-ever Super Bowl appearance. Seattle beat Carolina 34-14 in the NFC championship game. And the Steelers will represent the AFC. The Steelers beat the Broncos 34-17. They became the lowest seated team ever to reach the big game. And the lucky teams get to go to Detroit for the Super Bowl.
S. O'BRIEN: Your hometown.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes. Last time they had a Super Bowl there it was like, I think, about 50 below zero.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. That must be fun to play football.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, at the old Silverdome.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, that's got...
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Well, it was inside, but the party around was dampened, you might say.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I think one would say.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: And Chris (ph) -- Kobe Bryant, you see him last -- my goodness.
M. O'BRIEN: Well I didn't see it, but I saw the highlights. It was amazing.
S. O'BRIEN: What a night.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: L.A. Lakers star kind of went nuts on Sunday. He scored 81 points. The game is against the Toronto Raptors. Highest, or rather, I think, the second highest total in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain back in 1962 scored 100 points.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: A 100 points. Lakers, obviously, won the game. Bryant scored all but 41 of the team's total, which was 122 points.
M. O'BRIEN: On fire.
S. O'BRIEN: Triple digits.
M. O'BRIEN: You might say on fire.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Mouy caliente (ph).
Coming up on the program, the latest on lobbygate. President Bush says he doesn't remember ever meeting convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff, but are we getting the full picture?
S. O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we're going to tell you about trouble off the coast of Somalia. We'll show you what happened when the Navy ran into a suspected pirate ship.
M. O'BRIEN: And a little pill to melt your spare tire away. A powerful prescription diet pill may soon be available in over-the- counter form. We'll tell you about it and the nasty side effects ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: You up now? You up? S. O'BRIEN: Whoa! If you were sleeping, now you're up. Whew!
M. O'BRIEN: We're rocking. Only 19 hours and 45 minutes of broadcasting to go this week, we're already rocking.
S. O'BRIEN: You're a little bitter about that, aren't you?
M. O'BRIEN: Am I keeping score? No.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning, it's Monday.
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back.
Let's get right to Carol Costello. She's got an update on some of the stories making news.
Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.
There was violence in Iraq in Baghdad today. A suicide car bomber strikes at an Iraqi police checkpoint. Happened near the city's Green Zone, the highly secure area where the U.S. military headquarters and diplomatic officials are located. At least three are dead; seven others injured. The bomber struck close to the Iranian Embassy.
Do pictures of President Bush with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff tell a thousand words? Maybe. President Bush says he doesn't remember ever meeting Abramoff. But two (ph) magazines have reported the existence of several photographs of the two together at White House functions. A Bush spokeswoman admits Abramoff attended some events, but downplayed the pictures, saying the president takes pictures with thousands of people.
Surely you have noticed gas prices inching up again. They rose more than three cents per gallon over the past two weeks. The Lundberg Survey finds the nation's average now at $2.33 a gallon. That's up nearly 20 cents per gallon since early December. And don't expect any relief anytime soon, more price hikes are expected.
A diet pill offered only by prescription may soon be available over-the-counter. Two advisory committees for the Food and Drug Administration will vote today on whether they will recommend the approval of Xenical. The over-the-counter version would be half the prescription strength. And there are side effects involved with that. We're going to talk to a nutrition expert in the next hour and ask her more about this drug.
Off the coast of Somalia, U.S. Navy investigators were questioning more than two dozen people onboard a suspected pirate ship. The Navy seized the ship Saturday after firing several warning shots. Investigators were trying to figure out who onboard were pirates and who were legitimate crew members.
And a piece of video that caught our eye from jolly old England. Meet the only male member of the Nixon Vixen's (ph) cheerleading squad. There he is. This is 9-year-old Kiernan Duncan (ph). His mom runs the Nixon School of Dance in Carlisle (ph). And she says Kiernan (ph) is in his element when he's cheerleading. He's been taking dance classes since he was 1-year-old. And, yes, he loves cheerleading -- Chad.
MYERS: You know what, he's trying out for "The Wiggles" next week. No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding.
S. O'BRIEN: (INAUDIBLE) "The Wiggles." They make money...
COSTELLO: They do make money hand over fist.
MYERS: They are billionaires, exactly.
Good morning, everybody.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Back to you guys.
S. O'BRIEN: You know it's all relative, isn't it -- Chad?
MYERS: That's right.
S. O'BRIEN: It it's all about your perspective. Moscow really, really cold, and suddenly I feel better about our 39 degrees here in New York today, see.
SERWER: That's doing it for you?
M. O'BRIEN: Bring it on.
S. O'BRIEN: That's what it's all about.
M. O'BRIEN: So they are suffering so we can enjoy a nice winter.
S. O'BRIEN: No, just that our 39 is not so bad when you compare it to, what was it, minus 3 that he was talking about.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: Or Antarctica.
M. O'BRIEN: But they certainly have the togs for the cold weather.
S. O'BRIEN: They do have those big furry hats.
M. O'BRIEN: You know they've got the furry hats and the thing. Yes, so.
S. O'BRIEN: That's what it's all about. M. O'BRIEN: Let them revel in it.
S. O'BRIEN: Want to talk business news?
SERWER: Sure.
S. O'BRIEN: The Dow...
SERWER: Yes, that's nasty, too, right?
S. O'BRIEN: Bad.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: Like the weather outside here in Manhattan.
Big tumble last week, especially on Friday, sent the averages all sharply into the red for the week. The Dow was down almost 300 points. Nasdaq, on a percentage basis, down even more.
We have talked about troubles in Japan. That market is down again today 2 percent because of the Internet scandal going on. Their futures are up this morning in the U.S.
Another problem here, and Carol alluded to this earlier, is oil and gas. And the price of oil is streaking. It's now at $69 a barrel, up $10 since December. Problem now is Iran.
And what's going on here is kind of a market psychology. There's really no limit, no shortages of supply right now, but the U.N. is threatening sanctions against that country because it may resume its nuclear program. And Iran has responded by saying it may retaliate by curving exports of its oil.
Now analysts say that would be shooting the country itself in the foot because it needs that money desperately. But it is the second largest export of oil, 2.5 million barrels a day, after Saudi Arabia. Just to give you some frame of reference there, we use about 20 million barrels a day. So it's a very significant producer. But you know this is a game of chicken here, really, between the U.N. and the international community and Iran. And it's not helping us at the pump is what it comes down to.
S. O'BRIEN: I know, no question about that. Wow!
M. O'BRIEN: A lot of talk about $100 barrels. Can you imagine?
SERWER: Yes. It's possible.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow!
SERWER: I mean, you know that would really be a bad situation, obviously.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
Thank you -- Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome for that (ph).
M. O'BRIEN: Doctor Doom (ph), thanks for dropping by.
S. O'BRIEN: Really, gosh.
SERWER: Yes, well.
S. O'BRIEN: So far, well, it's only been 20 minutes into the show, you've had two really...
SERWER: Had layoffs and expensive oil.
S. O'BRIEN: ... depressing stories to share.
SERWER: OK, we'll try harder next time.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks so much.
SERWER: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: I'm sure Carol has got better news for us. "Morning Coffee" is just ahead.
COSTELLO: I do.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: I have much better news. Anybody who has ever taken a cruise might have a complaint or two, maybe the food stinks or maybe the cabin was too small. But what could possibly drive passengers to mutiny? It's happening on one ship. We'll tell you about it in "Morning Coffee" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Is this Carole...
M. O'BRIEN: King.
S. O'BRIEN: Carole King, right.
M. O'BRIEN: Any relation to Larry?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Really?
S. O'BRIEN: His sister.
M. O'BRIEN: No. You are so making that up.
S. O'BRIEN: I know, and you fell for it. That never happens.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, really? S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Let's get right to "Morning Coffee."
Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning. Good morning to all of you.
It's not quite "Mutiny on the Bounty," but it sure is close. Some passengers aboard the luxury liner, the Queen Mary 2, are not leaving the ship. About a thousand people are supposed to get off the ship in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday. But after six long days at sea with no stops at any fancy islands, some of them are refusing to leave.
The Queen Mary 2 had to skip stops on St. Kitts and Barbados because an engine was damaged when it left port in Florida, so it couldn't stop. So these people have been six days at sea and they're angry. The company actually offered...
M. O'BRIEN: Well that's not such a bad place to be, the Queen Mary. I mean that's -- it's got everything, right?
COSTELLO: But some of these people...
S. O'BRIEN: As ships go, but...
COSTELLO: But some of these people paid tens of thousands of dollars for the cruise of a lifetime.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: And they're being gypped out on not -- I think three islands they skipped over, so six days at sea all on the ship. No matter how luxurious, they're really mad.
Now the company had offered people up to half-off the trip.
M. O'BRIEN: Good buffets, right? Good buffets?
COSTELLO: Right, but that wasn't enough. They offered them some money off of the trip.
S. O'BRIEN: They want the islands. For God's sake, will you stop?
Go ahead -- Carol.
COSTELLO: To finish, one passenger told the BBC he feels like a hostage onboard, because, you know, six days at sea, it's boring.
S. O'BRIEN: But then why are they staying? If they feel like a hostage, then why are they camping out?
COSTELLO: Because they want more of their money back.
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: They're only offering them 50 percent of their money back. They want it all, or they want another trip, right?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: So the ship will reach -- won't reach its final stop, by the way, in Los Angeles, for another month. So I want to keep following that.
M. O'BRIEN: Well is it Captain Bligh? Is that who -- is this...
COSTELLO: That's the captain, yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Really, and Mr. Christian is leading the entire pack? It's...
COSTELLO: How did you know?
M. O'BRIEN: I knew this. I've seen this story.
COSTELLO: Hey, do you swear you're having sex? I mean swear? That got your attention, didn't it?
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Where are we going?
M. O'BRIEN: Do I swear when I'm having sex, is that what you said?
COSTELLO: Some people do.
S. O'BRIEN: Stop. Stop. Stop.
Go ahead.
COSTELLO: Anyway, if you work at the University of Florida, get ready to put it on your application. If you want domestic partner benefits, you have to prove you're actually a partner. In other words, you have to swear that you are having sex. The new healthcare plan covers both gay and straight couples.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow!
COSTELLO: As part of the plan, people have to swear that they have been in a sexual relationship for the past year. So you have to say yes, I swear I have been having sex with my partner.
M. O'BRIEN: Quality, quantity issues, or I mean...
COSTELLO: Doesn't matter.
S. O'BRIEN: OK, stop. Stop.
COSTELLO: Of course the big question does remain is, like, are there going to be sex police to check up on you? I mean who is to say you're not lying? M. O'BRIEN: The National Security Agency. They'll be watching, right? Isn't that their thing?
COSTELLO: Homeland Security. Anyway, there's a lot of controversy about this...
S. O'BRIEN: Yes,...
COSTELLO: ... at the University of Florida.
S. O'BRIEN: ... one would think, on a lot of levels.
COSTELLO: Yes, and we'll keep following that one, too.
S. O'BRIEN: Wow, a lot going on in "Morning Coffee." I'm awake now.
M. O'BRIEN: TMI time. All right, thank you very much, Carol.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.
M. O'BRIEN: The morning's top stories are straight ahead, including massive layoffs at one of the big three automakers. Tens of thousands of pink slips expected across the country this morning. A look at who is on the chopping block ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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