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American Morning

Hurricane Katrina Response; State of the Union; Journalists Wounded in Iraq

Aired January 30, 2006 - 06:30   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: ABC News co-anchor Bob Woodruff in intensive care this morning following an attack in Iraq. We'll go live to Baghdad for an inside look at the dangers journalists face there.
What was FEMA missing during Hurricane Katrina search and rescue missions? Apparently quite a lot. We'll explain.

And Enron executives on trial. Jury selection begins today in the huge case of corporate corruption.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody.

M. O'BRIEN: Good Monday morning to you.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right to Carol. She's in the newsroom with an update of the top stories this morning.

Hey, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I've got an update for you. ABC news anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt are in stable condition this morning. The two men were wounded Sunday in a roadside bombing in Iraq about 20 miles north of Baghdad. The network says both sustained head injuries. They're now in a military hospital in Germany, where doctors are keeping a close eye on them. We'll keep you posted.

A New York City police officer remains in critical condition this morning after being shot in an apparent case of mistaken identity. Some disturbing surveillance video to show you now, but it may help solve the case. It shows some men pummeling an off-duty police office. The beaten man later pulls his gun and is shot three times by a colleague. The incident took place over the weekend.

President Bush is talking strategy with members of his cabinet today in preparation for the State of the Union address. Officials say tomorrow's speech will focus on new proposals involving energy and gas prices and touch on health care, education and retirement. Another issue he is sure to address, Iraq, where the American death toll now stands at more than 2,200.

One of the biggest corporate corruption trials in decades is set to begin today. In Houston, attorneys begin questioning potential jurors in the trial of Enron's former top bosses. Former CEO Jeffrey Skilling and founder Kenneth Lay both are charged with fraud and conspiracy, and Skilling is charged with insider trading as well. It's been four years since Enron imploded, shouldering Wall Street with billions of dollars in losses.

And let the Oscar talk really begin. At the Sag Awards in Los Angeles, Reese Witherspoon took top honors for playing singer June Carter Cash in "Walk The Line." Philip Seymour Hoffman won for playing Truman Capote in "Capote." And in something of an upset, the movie, "Crash," won for best cast, the equivalent of best film over the much talked about "Brokeback Mountain." So maybe, maybe, Soledad, that it will make the Oscars a little more exciting, because there's some controversy now.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. And there's my boyfriend, Terrence Howard (ph), right here.

COSTELLO: He's cool, isn't he?

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, the big old statute. Yes, good for them. Good for them. Yes, make it interesting. More people will watch. Carol, thank you.

Let's talk about this new outrage over the FEMA response to Hurricane Katrina. We're learning that hundreds of rescuers and their equipment were sort of sitting idle in the days right after the storm. And that's going to be the focus of today's Senate hearing.

CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve has more for us this morning from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Senators will ask why the city of New Orleans Fire Department had no boats, why rescuers had to wait to communicate on the jammed and mutual aid frequency, why there was no provision for evacuating or taking care of the people who had been rescued.

They also want to ask about documents indicating that the Federal Emergency Management Agency turned down offers of critically needed assets from the Department of the Interior, including 300 boats and experienced water rescue personnel, heavy equipments, helicopters, even 500 rooms.

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: Some of the documents that we showed FEMA, the officials we interviewed acted as if they had no idea that these offers had been made. And that's very troubling, because we're dealing with the key FEMA staff, who were responsible for coordinating the response.

MESERVE: The Department of Homeland Security acknowledged that not all federal assets were used in Hurricane Katrina, and it is studying ways to utilize them better.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: It is State of the Union eve, and we are told the president will focus on energy and the economy tomorrow when he addresses the nation. But those won't be the only key points tomorrow night, of course.

CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano with a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): President Bush will try to strike an optimistic tone in his State of the Union address, aides say. Not with a laundry list of proposals, but rather with themes, focusing on issues the White House believes are important to Americans, issues like energy and gas prices, retirement and health care.

But also the issue of Iraq. With the U.S. death toll at now more than 2,200, expect the president to once again vigorously defend his Iraq strategy.

And on the political front, this year's State of the Union address also gives President Bush the chance to give Republicans a platform to run on in the upcoming November congressional mid-term elections.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, much more on ABC co-anchor Bob Woodruff. He and his cameraman, as we've been reporting all morning, seriously wounded in Iraq. We're going to take a look at why that war zone is becoming increasingly dangerous for journalists.

M. O'BRIEN: And later, a preview of tomorrow night's State of the Union address. What is at stake for President Bush? We'll take a look ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: ABC News co-anchor Bob Woodruff and his cameraman, Doug Vogt, arrived in Landstuhl, Germany, just a few hours ago. They are victims of a roadside bomb attack in Iraq yesterday. The attack reminds us all of something Michael Holmes will never forget.

Two years ago, his convoy was targeted in Iraq. Two of our colleagues died in that attack.

He joins us now live from Baghdad, Michael that is.

Good morning, Michael.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Miles. Yes, the sad reality is really that such incidents are a daily event here. Five IUDs in Baghdad yesterday alone killed several people.

What happened to Bob Woodruff and Doug Vogt resonates, of course, with all of us, but particularly for us here in Baghdad, coming exactly two years after our own tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES (voice over): It is a sad fact of war coverage that casualties become numbers, compounding the tragedy trivializing the individual. But that's what many victims here have become, numbers

With so many deaths it is impossible to cover the individual stories, the lives of those who perished.

Reporters at work, it's easy to become anesthetized. There's an element of deja vu here sometimes. Another day, another bomb, another attack, another death toll.

(on camera): Many of us, of course, try to stay detached from the actual violence. You'd go crazy if you got emotionally involved in every horror that you see.

But there are always times when we in the media cannot bury it, and usually that's when the horror involves you or someone you know.

(voice-over): Many in the media have lost friends and colleagues here. These are photos of just some of them. It is two years since we lost two of our own, translator Duraid Mohammed Isa on the left, and one of our drivers, Yasser Katab, two vibrant young men whose lives were cut short by insurgent bullets.

We'd been returning from filming a story south of Baghdad when our two cars were attacked by two cars. None of us there will forget the image of gunmen standing up through the sunroofs, firing AK-47s, wanting to kill not someone who had become a number, but us.

Cameraman Scott McWhinnie was sitting next to me. He was shot in the head, but survived. Yasser and Duraid didn't make it.

(on camera): It changed me, changed all of us in the cars that day, of course, and many people who were not. These were people we worked with, lived with, and joked around with.

(voice-over): Yasser, young, idealistic, came to work for CNN despite his family's constant warning of the dangers. He used to bashfully teach us Arabic swear words on the way to stories.

Duraid, fun, funny, devoted father of two children the same ages as my own. We'd proudly compare photographs and laugh at their latest antics.

(on camera): This is where we do our live shots from every day, reporting to you. However, most days this is as close as we can get to those in the city behind me.

(voice-over): It is difficult to get out and about. We do, but it is always with great caution. The kidnapping of journalist Jill Carroll is another reminder of the risks involved. Like most of us, she is here because it is a story that needs telling, despite the risks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And that is why we're all here, Miles. But, of course, our prayers are with the families of both Bob and Doug today.

M. O'BRIEN: Michael, tell us, you've been there for so many years now. Tell us what your sense of how the security condition had changed over time. Is it worsening?

HOLMES: Well, to me, I mean, I can only speak for myself. I've been here half-a-dozen times or so. And, yes, Miles, every time I come back here, personally I feel that things are less secure, not just for us but for Iraqis in general.

I remember earlier in the war I came up at the very end when the statute was famously pulled down. We actually sat on that statute with no flack jackets in Firdos Square, a place I wouldn't walk through now with all of the armor in the world. There was still firefights, but it was different. It's a bit more sinister now, more random if you like.

Also, this war is different for us in the media for two reasons. There is, (a), no front line. This is all around us anytime very random. And secondly, we're targets rather than being seen as independent observers of this conflict. We are actually sought out by insurgents -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: That's an ominous note. Michael Holmes in Baghdad, thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: It sure is. Let's talk business news.

What do you have this morning?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Soledad, good morning. Some company news for you.

First of all, Buzz Lightyear gets zapped. A burger battle. And just how fat is Time Warner anyway? Stay tuned for that coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning in just a moment, a look at the day's top stories, including this new movie called "Alpha Dog." Have you guys heard about this? It's based on a true story. Well, it turns out the filmmaker might know a little more about the crime than he should. We'll explain just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: We're talking business news in just a moment. First, though, a check of the headlines. Carol has got that.

Good morning again.

COSTELLO: Good morning. And good morning to all of you.

ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff and cameraman Doug Vogt are now in a U.S. military hospital in Germany. They had surgery in Iraq. The two men were wounded Sunday in a roadside bombing in Baghdad. Both suffered head injuries. CNN's Chris Burns is at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. He'll join us live from there with an update. But we understand that they're in stable condition this morning, and that is good news.

Four Shell Oil workers held hostage in southern Nigeria could soon be reunited with their families. They were released earlier today after almost three weeks in custody. The group includes an American who takes medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol. He, as well as the others, are said to be in good shape.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in London this morning for talks on Mideast peace prospects. Secretary Rice arrived in London last night. She's set to meet later today with the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai. Also on the agenda are Iran's nuclear program and the Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections.

And if you're dreading another boring day at work, you are not alone. In a new survey by salary.com, nearly 80 percent of those asked say they've recently searched online for job postings. Employers surveyed think only 40 percent are doing that. The top reasons people leave their jobs? Well, according to the survey, boredom comes in at number one, then compensation and then lack of advancement.

Boredom is number one. That kind of surprises me.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. I guess so.

COSTELLO: Actually it doesn't surprise me.

MYERS: I've been looking.

COSTELLO: I've been looking, too.

MYERS: For wine expert. But I don't qualify.

COSTELLO: Somuyee (ph).

MYERS: Exactly. I've got to go to school for that unfortunately.

COSTELLO: Darn!

MYERS: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: To infinity and beyond, maybe not.

SERWER: Not.

M. O'BRIEN: Maybe not.

SERWER: No. The ink isn't dry on the Disney-Pixar deal and already there are changes afoot at Disney. Get this. "Toy Story 3," which is in production, 100 people working on this film, has been axed. New chief creative officer -- love that title -- John Lasseter...

M. O'BRIEN: Creative boss.

SERWER: You can be our chief creative officer. John Lasseter, who came from Pixar who is now at Disney, says this story isn't any good. He never wanted them to do this anyway. He's the genius behind all of the Pixar movies. Disney was running this movie. And he said, this is not worthy of our product line. We can't do this. This thing is over.

M. O'BRIEN: I thought they never made a sequel they didn't like in that bizz, huh?

SERWER: Well...

S. O'BRIEN: But they were already down the road with the...

SERWER: Making it, writing it. They had a plot.

S. O'BRIEN: He doesn't like the story.

SERWER: He doesn't like the story.

S. O'BRIEN: (INAUDIBLE) they're in charge of the animation. They always have been. That's the Pixar element.

SERWER: Right. He said unless there's a great story, we're not going to do it.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, you know, we've seen a bunch of...

SERWER: That's not refreshing to hear.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. We've seen a bunch of bad animated, you know, flicks.

SERWER: And lord knows we've seen bad sequels before.

S. O'BRIEN: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: Do you think?

SERWER: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: And lots of bad animated sequels.

SERWER: Yes, right, exactly.

M. O'BRIEN: And Jaws 7 didn't do it for you?

SERWER: No. A couple of other stories.

S. O'BRIEN: Rocky 90.

SERWER: This is an interesting one out of California. Old and In and Out Burger. You remember this. We talk about them from time to time, a venerable California burger chain, 202 restaurants. And, you know, it's very old school.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, it's so good.

SERWER: There are no salads. There's no chicken.

M. O'BRIEN: Right.

SERWER: There's no kids menu.

M. O'BRIEN: But those French fries.

SERWER: There's no veggie burger.

S. O'BRIEN: It's gone healthy (INAUDIBLE).

SERWER: And here's what's going on, though. There's a power struggle going on between the granddaughter of the founders and a board member. Apparently, apparently, the granddaughter wants to expand the menu and make changes...

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, careful.

SERWER: ... so says the board member. But she has got a lawsuit back saying that's not true. It's he the one who wants to do the changing. So, you know, a little in and out, back and forth...

S. O'BRIEN: If there's no changes then it shouldn't be a problem.

SERWER: That's right.

M. O'BRIEN: There you go.

SERWER: And then finally...

S. O'BRIEN: I can solve that. I can solve that.

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: Yes, right. I want to talk a little bit about corporate agitator Carl Icahn, who, of course, is going after Time Warner, our parent company here. The latest salvo...

S. O'BRIEN: Again.

SERWER: Again. He's been doing this since August. The latest salvo in "The Wall Street Journal" today, saying that corporate overhead and spending at Time Warner is bloated. Carl, where? Check it out.

M. O'BRIEN: Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute.

SERWER: This is kind of bare bones here.

S. O'BRIEN: Carl, have you seen our set?

M. O'BRIEN: Look at this set. Look at this set, you know.

S. O'BRIEN: Look.

M. O'BRIEN: This is the show biz set, for god's sakes.

S. O'BRIEN: We can't put our hands on the table (INAUDIBLE). We've got to put our hands back here.

SERWER: We're sitting here. This is from Ikea at best.

M. O'BRIEN: Is it the lunchroom they're after?

SERWER: I don't know. He says that their airplanes in the overhead...

M. O'BRIEN: Don't touch that lunchroom.

SERWER: I talked to him on the phone and I asked him, I said, you know, so what is this all about? He goes, oh, not you. You're one of the people who gets (INAUDIBLE). And I said...

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, man! You get to stay.

SERWER: Yes, right.

S. O'BRIEN: The rest of us...

SERWER: Yes, right.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow!

SERWER: Anyway, so some good news there, right?

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carl.

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: Yes. S. O'BRIEN: That's just what we need, Carl.

SERWER: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, we're going to give you the day's top stories. Also bring you the very latest on the condition of ABC anchorman Bob Woodruff and his photographer as well. Doug Vogt was also injured, as we mentioned, over the weekend in an attack in Iraq. Why are journalists targets for insurgents? We'll talk about that this morning.

Plus, President Bush's approval ratings are low. What's he going to have to say in tomorrow's State of the Union address to try to turn things around? We'll have a preview just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Be sure to check out our Web site, CNN.com, for the very latest on this morning's top stories, including this one that we've been following really since yesterday. Bob Woodruff and his cameraman, Doug Vogt, both injured in Iraq, apparently attacked by small-arms fire and also an explosion. An IED exploded under the vehicle in which they were traveling and standing.

Also this morning, a look at the most popular stories, including this: Believe it or not, baby Jessica. Remember baby Jessica dropped in a well?

M. O'BRIEN: Well, she's not a baby no more, is she?

S. O'BRIEN: No, she's not. She's 19 years old and just celebrated her wedding on Saturday. There she is, a little baby, wrapped up. They pulled her out of that well in Midland, Texas...

M. O'BRIEN: Way back when.

S. O'BRIEN: ... many, many years ago. She was just 18 months old then. Well, today she is a married woman, peeking out the door.

M. O'BRIEN: We don't have any recent pictures though.

S. O'BRIEN: No. And actually they said no one was allowed in the chapel or the church with any kind of photographic equipment who wasn't a close family member.

M. O'BRIEN: She had her 15 minutes very early in her life, and that's not thank you very much.

S. O'BRIEN: And she clearly is done with it.

If you're heading out the door, obviously, or off to work or school, you can stay in touch with us here at AMERICAN MORNING or CNN by going to CNN.com, where you can go to our pipeline video service and catch live commercial-free news updates all day, CNN.com/pipeline.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. We're approaching the top of the hour, which means it's time to check the weather.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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