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American Morning

President Bush Talking Tough in India; Insurgent Attacks in Iraq; President & the Polls

Aired March 03, 2006 - 09:00   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Carol Costello, in for Soledad.

President Bush talking tough in India. The president had much more to say, including a few things about American jobs and outsourcing. We are live in India this morning.

O'BRIEN: Another deadly day in Iraq as insurgent attacks once again target civilians near Baghdad.

Defending FEMA's response. Former director of FEMA Mike Brown tells us who's to blame for confusion in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

COSTELLO: Stewing over smut. A well-known actress files suit against "Playboy." She says her reputation has been sullied.

And countdown to the Oscars. Our well-placed predictions just ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

O'BRIEN: To that developing story. President Bush in a speech you saw just a few moments ago here spoke to an audience in India, but much of the message aimed at Americans. The nation, he says, will not give in to protectionists and lose business opportunities overseas, among other things.

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux live in New Delhi, where the president made that speech.

Hello, Suzanne.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello, Miles.

As a matter of fact, President Bush says that "I come to India as a friend," that these are two countries half a globe away but simply have shared values. He talked about as well the importance of Americans of Indian decent in the United States and talked about the economic ties, the opportunities, saying it's just a cell phone call away between Bangalore and Boston, that there are a lot of business opportunities here in India, GE, Microsoft, just to name a few.

But also, Miles, the president addressing the very controversial issue back home, that of outsourcing. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: True that some Americans have lost jobs when their companies moved operations overseas. It's also important to remember that when someone loses a job, it's an incredibly difficult period for the worker and their families.

Some people believe the answer to this problem is to wall off our economy from the world through protectionist policies. I strongly disagree.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: President Bush, of course, make no apologies, talking about the economic opportunities for the United States and India to partnership. And also, Miles, really talking about the links between India and the United States when it comes to the war on terror, saying there were 30 people of Indian descent who lost their lives in the September 11 attacks.

All of this on the heels, of course, his next stop, Pakistan. That is where the United States and the president are very unpopular -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux in New Delhi.

Thank you.

Are there any White House initiatives to go along with the president's message? We'll pose that question to Deputy White House Chief of Staff Trent Duffy. That will be in about 30 minutes -- Carol.

COSTELLO: In Iraq, soldiers and police are enforcing a daytime curfew to prevent violence during Friday prayers. This following attacks on a power station and two brick factories near Baghdad. At least 18 people were killed.

CNN's Aneesh Raman live in Baghdad.

Aneesh, tell us more.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, good morning.

That attack took place late yesterday just east of the capital in the predominantly Shia city of Nahrawan. There, gunmen attacked, as you say, a brick factory. At least 18 of the workers were killed. They set part of the factory on fire. The same gunman then attacked a power station in Nahrawan, wounding two guards, also cutting off power in the city.

Meantime, in the Iraqi capital another extraordinary daytime curfew has just ended in the past hour. You can see some live pictures. Iraqis now going back on to the streets. The intent of the curfew, to keep any attacks on mosques at bay during these Friday noon prayers. But really, Iraq has seen a spate of car bombs and suicide bombings in the past week, especially in the capital. The government has said over 500 people have been killed in either insurgent attacks or sectarian violence since a week ago Wednesday's attack on that sacred Shia mosque -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So they've instituted two curfews. This latest one is just over. There are calls for unity it the midst of all of this. Is the call for unity catching on at all?

RAMAN: Not -- not in wildfire in terms of throughout the country. In the southern city of Basra, the Shia city, there, there were joint prayers today between Sunnis and Shias, calls for unity. We know a number of demonstrations are planned in the weeks ahead, calling for unity, as well. But tensions here are far from resolved.

They're essentially just shelved, and the hope is that the longer they are shelved, the more that they will decrease. But any number of major insurgent attacks could simply re-ignite fury on both sides -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Aneesh Raman reporting live for us in Baghdad this morning.

Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Michael Brown this morning both taking responsibility and defending his handling of the Katrina disaster. He says Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff needs to go. Brown said Chertoff has not grasped what needs to be done to handle national disasters.

Here is more of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL BROWN, FMR. FEMA DIRECTOR: I should have owned up to the public very early in this disaster, probably on Monday and Tuesday, that -- how catastrophic it was, how serious it was, and that we were going to have problems. And I think had I done that, the American public probably would have been a little more accepting of some of the problems that we did have.

What it really is, it's this mindset in Washington, D.C., that we always have to put a good face on everything. And as I've testified and said in other interviews, I think sometimes we inside this beltway believe that the American public can't handle the truth. And I just -- that's a lesson that I've learned the hard way, and I think we need to get beyond that and just start being honest with the public in telling them exactly what is going on.

And I'm not protecting the president, but I think that, again, the media has focused on these videotapes and said, look, he sat in the briefing and he didn't ask a question. That's not the point. He and I were having conversations about what was going on throughout it. Now, I will say that I think the mistake the president did make is that he was overconfident in FEMA. Despite my entreaties about what was happening to FEMA, that was falling on deaf ears in the White House. And I do believe that's a mistake that they did make.

This may come as a surprise to you, but I don't think an independent investigation -- an independent commission is the right thing to do. You know, it's time for these people behind me in Capitol Hill to stand up and do their job. And they need to do the investigation, get over the partisan bickering, and do your job as members of the U.S. Congress and the Senate.

You do the investigation. You do the reports. Quit running to independent commissions to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: The White House says Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff doesn't need to resign. The president continues to stand behind him, according to the White House.

Let's get some more headlines in. Kelly Wallace in the newsroom.

Good morning, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning again, Miles.

A key Republican is vowing to sink that U.S. ports deal. House Armed Services Committee chairman Duncan Hunter calls the deal "a bazaar for terrorist nations."

He's planning to introduce legislation that would prevent any foreign companies from controlling facilities deemed critical to U.S. security. The proposed deal to give a Dubai-based company control of six U.S. ports has been under heavy criticism. It's now under a 45- day security review.

That so-called cell phone bandit could be sentenced to life in prison today, but we expect she will get a lesser sentence. Surveillance video showed Candice Martinez chatting on her cell phone during a series of robberies in northern Virginia last fall. She has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and firearm charges.

And the person on the other end of the phone was Martinez' boyfriend. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham is set to be sentenced today. He's been found guilty of tax evasion and bribes totaling more than $2 million. Prosecutors are asking for a 10-year sentence, but Cunningham's lawyers want the judge to keep in mind that Cunningham is a war hero and that he's almost 65 years old.

And the fallout from the Cunningham case has spilled over to former Florida secretary of state Katherine Harris. You may remember that she oversaw the presidential recount back in 2000. Well, it seems Cunningham and Harris are linked by a defense contractor. Prosecutors are alleging that one of the contractors who bribed Cunningham also funneled thousands of illegal dollars into Harris' Senate campaign back in 2004. Harris is denying any wrongdoing.

And officials in Hawaii warning people to avoid parts of Oahu after some of the worst flooding there in decades. Heavy rains stalling traffic and closing down some schools. Parts of the main coastal highway also shut down. A flashflood warning remaining in effect this morning.

Those are some of the headlines. Get you caught up. Now back to Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. Let's talk more about the weather now. Let's head to Atlanta to check in with Chad.

Good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COSTELLO: President Bush's approval ratings hovering near record lows. In just a minute, we'll take a look at whether today's speech could help him get back on track.

O'BRIEN: Also, we'll meet a young woman doing her part to fight a troubling epidemic among African-American women. Dr. Sanjay Gupta will join us for week one of his special series, "Fit Nation."

COSTELLO: And the Motion Picture Academy is sued over one of its Oscar contenders. The controversy surrounding "Crash" just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: There is a cold front still swirling around the White House. The forecast from a new CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll shows the president's approval rating remains near record lows.

CNN political analyst and "LA Times" columnist Ron Brownstein joins us from Washington to run the poll numbers and talk about the president's speech.

Good morning.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: OK. I take it you heard the speech. The White House called it a major address.

Was it major? BROWNSTEIN: Well, I mean, the trip itself is a major trip in the agreement that's been reached with India on nuclear power, which has gotten a mixed reaction from people on Capitol Hill. But the speech itself probably not.

You know, presidents often look for a little boost when they go abroad. It allows them to emphasize a role in which they are speaking for the entire country. But it's probably going to be hard for the president to get much of a -- much of a gain out of this from his current low point politically.

COSTELLO: Yes. He really went over some of the same themes that he has in the past. Let's listen to a bit of his speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: Free societies do not harbor terrorists or breed resentment. Free societies respect the rights of their citizens and their neighbors. Free societies are peaceful societies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: So he's sort of saying that democracy trumps terrorism., and he's said that before. But when you take a look at the polls and how Americans believe that he's handling the war on terror, they are not so good.

I mean, are they buying that message anymore?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, no. I think -- I think the public, by and large, believes that democracy is better than the alternative. But the equation, the sort of step-by-step equation of democracy with progress against terror, has been challenged by a number of events in the last several months.

Obviously, the success of Hamas in the election in the Palestinian election and the deterioration of the situation in Iraq, despite democratic election, toward greater sectarian violence makes it tougher to simply say that one is an outgrowth of the other. And in some ways, this civil -- this potential of civil war in Iraq could be changing the debate in America I think in ways the White House has not fully anticipated or responded to yet.

COSTELLO: His approval ratings are 38 percent, but the only way it's going to go up is if the situation improves in Iraq, right? It doesn't matter what else good happens in this country.

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, we talked about this last fall quite a bit. The president gave a series of speeches defending the rationale for the invasion of Iraq and arguing for why success there was important. And he did see some improvement in his numbers.

But at the time, I remember saying to you that events trump rhetoric. And we're seeing that once again.

In our "LA Times"-Bloomberg poll, which is also out today, has a very similar approval rating, we have a sharp decline for the president on his handling of Iraq in the wake of this terrible sectarian violence they've experienced, and the real lesson of that once again is that it is very hard for him through argument, I think, to fundamentally and lastingly change his position. He really does need the cooperation of events on the ground in Iraq. And I agree with your other point that Iraq probably outweighs any set of events on the domestic side.

COSTELLO: OK. Well, let's talk about the affect it will have on midterm elections and the Democrats, because some polls show that people are approving of the Democrats' performance a little tiny bit.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Well, I think the main thing the White House has to worry about now is what I would call the intensity gap. I mean, if you lock at your poll and you look at the poll that we put out today, the share of Americans who say they strongly, strongly disapprove of the president significantly exceeds those who strongly approve.

Now, this is critical, because in a midterm election not as many people vote as in the presidential election. And the issue is who gets off their couch and comes out to vote.

The White House has always relied upon large turnout from a Republican base passionately committed to the president to generate their election gains in both 2002 and 2004. They are facing a situation now, Carol, when you look at the polls, in which the passion is greater on the other side. And that is something that is a threat for Republicans between now and November.

They've got to find a way to sort of right that shift (ph). At the same time, they are dealing with a terrible erosion of support for the president in the center of the electorate, among Independents. You have him down below 30 percent there. They've got to fix a boat that's leaking at both ends right now.

COSTELLO: Ron Brownstein, thanks for joining us.

Ron Brownstein, CNN political analyst and "LA Times" columnist.

A bit later this hour we'll hear from the deputy White House press secretary, Trent Duffy.

O'BRIEN: Coming up, we'll meet a young woman doing her part to stop one of the biggest killers of African-American women. Dr. Sanjay Gupta with that.

And later, those big wildfires in Oklahoma, they're under control today. But for the people who live there, the devastation, the damage will linger on.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: The epidemic of obesity in this country well documented. Perhaps most alarmingly obesity rates in children. Ninety-six percent in a new CNN poll said it was a serious problem.

To that end, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is teaming up with the American Heart Association and colleges across the country.

Those numbers came up kind of quick. Did you speed-read those? Did you -- were they the wrong numbers or something? They're the wrong numbers.

(CROSSTALK)

O'BRIEN: There's the correct numbers. I was trying to do the Evelyn Wood as I was trying to introduce you. There you go.

A lot of people see this as a serious problem. The question is, what are they doing about it, of course.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta here with that.

Hey, Sanjay.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Miles.

And, you know, one of the things that we're focusing on is not the numbers. You know, and I say that sort of because I think a lot of people are hearing these numbers over and over again. And we've started a program here, Miles -- you'll appreciate this -- where we're actually going to get off the television screens for a little bit and talk to people mano a mano, actually get into college campuses where we believe real change can occur when it comes to fighting this problem, because I think everyone gets it now that obesity is a bad problem, and it's getting worse.

And we've become one of the most obese nations in the country. The question is, what do we do about it now? And that's why we've started this program, "Fit Nation," using some of the power of the media to actually go into communities and to get something done.

And college campuses are a good place, Miles, because I think great ideas can come out of college campuses from college students. That's where we're sort of trying to harness some of this energy.

Here's an example of one of the ideas that we heard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice over): Spelman College freshman Miriam Archibong doesn't take good health for granted.

MIRIAM ARCHIBONG, SPELMAN FRESHMAN: My grandfather died of diabetes. My dad has diabetes. He has Type I Diabetes, where he's injecting insulin into his body every day. My family is overweight and...

GUPTA: So Archibong started a vegetarian club at her high school and prompted the school board to create meals for vegetarian students.

ARCHIBONG: And it was very important for me to take care of myself before I got to a worse place.

GUPTA: Former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher says when it comes to heart disease, statistics for African-American women in the U.S. are alarming.

DR. DAVID SATCHER, MOREHOUSE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: Black women, for example, are 35 to 40 percent more likely to die of heart disease than white women in this country?

GUPTA: Why are black women more affected by obesity and the chronic diseases associated with it? Satcher says the reasons are complicated.

SATCHER: People are predisposed to things like obesity and diabetes based on their genetic inheritance. But whether or not they actually become obese or diabetic depends a lot on behavior and environment.

GUPTA: And he warns that this new epidemic could undermine recent gains made in health care.

SATCHER: Decline in cardiovascular disease in the last 40 years of over 60 percent, decline in even new cases of cancer. All of that is spreading by the epidemic of overweight and obesity.

GUPTA: Satcher adds the disparities in health care between white and black Americans are real and they cut across class lines.

SATCHER : In every socioeconomic group that we have looked at there are major disparities. If you look at black physicians, compared to white physicians, there are major disparities in life expectancy.

GUPTA: Archibong says now that she knows the benefits of good health there's no going back.

ARCHIBONG: I was sick a lot, got migraines often. And once I became a vegetarian that was no longer an issue for me.

GUPTA: She believes setting an example and taking care of herself is the best thing she can do for those she cares about.

ARCHIBONG: In order for me to encourage others to change their lifestyle, I have to begin with myself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: And, you know, Miles, Miriam Archibong, who you just met there, was actually at our event last night. We also had members of the American Heart Association, we had the former surgeon general there, we had celebrities, everyone who's really passionate about this issue to come up with some real solutions at the particular event.

That's what we're trying to do in specific communities. And I think it's starting to work. Last night was our kickoff event. We're going to be doing eight more over the next eight weeks. O'BRIEN: Well, good. I'm glad that there's awareness getting out there, because it's not just obesity. It's the chronic diseases that go along with it. And these are serious diseases.

GUPTA: Anything that you can possibly think about just about, Miles, in terms of chronic diseases is in some way or shape associated with obesity, whether it's heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, gallbladder disease, types of cancers, depression, arthritis, all of these things are associated with obesity.

Heart disease the biggest killer of men and women already in this country, Miles. The numbers are going to go up so staggeringly high if we don't get the obesity epidemic under control.

And, you know, the statistic -- like I said, I want to ignore numbers, but a statistic that I find mind-boggling is that the generation of children, our children, Miles, that are being born today have a good chance of having a shorter life span than we do because of obesity.

O'BRIEN: Boy, that's stunning when you say that.

GUPTA: It is stunning.

O'BRIEN: We just assume that we're all going to, you know, continually live longer as time goes on. That really says a lot. I hope people are listening.

Dr. Satcher talked about complex reasons why African-American women are more subjected to obesity. Can you get into that in the time allotted? Give us a little sense of what he's talking about.

GUPTA: Yes, just really quickly, our event was at Spelman College, which is a traditionally all-woman black college. And we talked a lot about the fact that access to health care issues are different among the African-American community.

There might be some genetic predisposition that Dr. Satcher talked about. The messaging is not as good. Doctors may not be doing their jobs as well when it comes to certain populations of people.

Doctors have the obligation to tell their patients as well how to live a healthier lifestyle. We need to be doing this. And these are just some of the reasons.

It is complicated, but we're hoping to get down -- dig down on some of these things for sure -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: You know, it's so tough, though, when you're up against these multibillion-dollar advertising campaigns from the fast food industry which gets that message out there all the time which is not a great message if you're trying to trim that obese condition.

So keep at it, Sanjay. Thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you. Thank you.

O'BRIEN: In just a moment, we'll get more reaction to the president's big speech in India this morning. The White House deputy press secretary will join us and we'll ask him about that.

And later, "AM Pop," our fearless Oscar prognostications. Will Philip Seymour Hoffman go home as a winner for "Capote"? What about those gay cowboys? Are they going to win?

And could there be an upset in the making? Who knows?

But first, Anderson Cooper with a look ahead at what's going on, on "ANDERSON COOPER 360" tonight.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Miles, tonight on "360," call it L.A. very confidential. A Hollywood detective to the stars accused of spying on the stars. Now a lot of people in Hollywood are wondering and worrying does he have dirt on them?

What does he know? And what will he say? That's tonight on "360l" 10:00 p.m. Eastern -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Anderson.

More AMERICAN MORNING in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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