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Spring Storm Dumps More Than a Foot of Snow in Parts of Midwest; Dozens Dead Following Heavily Armed Jailbreak by Insurgents

Aired March 21, 2006 - 08:00   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.
Welcome, everybody.

I'm Soledad O'Brien.

JOHN ROBERTS, SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And I'm John Roberts in this week for the vacationing Miles O'Brien.

Good morning to you.

O'BRIEN: Take a look at the pictures. A spring storm dumps more than a foot of snow in parts of the Midwest. Now the severe weather is headed east. We've got your forecast just ahead for you this morning.

ROBERTS: Dozens are dead following a heavily armed jail break by insurgents. We're live in Baghdad this morning with the very latest.

And this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN POLK: I thought I was going to die, so I did -- and it was horrible, but I did what I had to do to survive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: A claim of self-defense may get lost in a courtroom circus as a mother on trial grills her son on the stand.

O'BRIEN: And a rebuilding plan finally in place for New Orleans. The mayor's decision, though, is sparking even more controversy. We'll tell you about that.

And Spike Lee back with a high-powered thriller. Plenty of star power. We'll talk to the award-winning director just ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Welcome, everybody.

In Iraq this morning, an attack on a police station and jail detention facility. At least 15 police officers are dead. More than two dozen suspected insurgents were freed by the attackers.

Let's get right to Baghdad and CNN senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson -- hey, Nic, good morning.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

The attack took place about 65 miles northeast of Baghdad, in the town of Muqdayia. We're told by Iraqi security that about 100 insurgents massed an assault on this police headquarters. They used rocket propelled grenades, heavy machine gun fire in their assault. And in that assault, we have now learned that the death toll of the police has risen. Eighteen policemen, we're told, have been killed now, seven wounded.

The death toll of the insurgents is a changing statistic at this time. We have heard from U.S. military officials, who put the death toll of insurgents at one. The Iraqi security also downgrading their death toll of insurgents from 10 to one.

The significant thing that happened, the insurgents were able to free more than 30 people being detained by the police in that compound. Most of those are believed to be insurgents.

U.S. helicopters were brought in and in the gun battle that continued when the U.S. military, the U.S. Army and Iraqi Army arrived, one U.S. soldier injured there -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Well, northern Iraq, Nic, if insurgents, heavily armed, are able to break into a jail to free the prisoners there, what -- what does that say about Iraqis eventually being able to take control and manage their own security?

ROBERTSON: It means there are a lot of issues still out there. One of the big issues is corruption and infiltration within the police and within the Army. It's believed that there is more infiltration within the police force by insurgents. And an attack like this would probably lead some investigators to begin to wonder if there wasn't some collusion on the inside to know, perhaps, about shift change; perhaps about exactly where the insurgents were being held.

And undoubtedly in an investigation, that will be looked at and that is one of the problems for building the security forces here, that in the drive to recruit American public as possible, it's well known that insurgents have made it into the ranks of the Army and the police here and that we are told by U.S. officials that it's going to be a long process to weed them out. And that's likely or quite possibly one of the reasons that, perhaps, this attack, that we've -- the details we've heard of so far, was so successful in freeing so many insurgents -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Yes, it is going to be a long time.

Nic Robertson for us this morning.

Nic, thanks -- John.

ROBERTS: Severe weather is moving east from the Plains States this morning. Five deaths are blamed on the storm so far. Missouri is still under an advisory, but a winter storm warning has just been lifted in Nebraska.

Central Nebraska saw the worst of it -- 25 inches piled up on Monday. No surprise that roads are the biggest problem there. Stretches of I-80 are closed during the day.

Ten inches of snow in Kansas, enough to close I-70 from Colby, in western Kansas, to the Colorado border. Crews are trying to get the road cleared by this afternoon to get traffic moving again.

A winter storm warning is up for parts of Indiana. After an unusually mild winter there, they're expecting their heaviest March snowfall since 2000, about six inches today. Good news for the kids. Some schools are already closed there.

That same slow moving storm has finally moved out of Texas. Dallas is trying to recover from flooding caused by eight inches of rain. Officials there say the storm will help ease the drought, but not reverse it.

Let's check in with severe weather expert Chad Myers.

He's at the CNN Center with the very latest forecast.

And another busy day for you this morning -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's all right.

Good morning, John.

I like it busy. Actually, the day goes faster that way.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Let's continue talking about the weather Down Under.

Residents of northeast Australia picking up after Cyclone Larry slammed ashore early Monday. It was the most powerful storm to hit Australia in decades. One official is estimating that 7,000 people have lost their homes.

Food, water and other emergency supplies are now being brought in by Australian troops. Barbecue and vegetables were served up for free this morning by Innisfail store owners. They say they had all this meat and produce and they didn't want it to go to waste after power was knocked out in several areas.

No deaths reported. Millions of dollars, though, lost in the banana and sugar cane crop.

Time to check out the headlines with Carol Costello -- good morning, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.

Good morning to all of you. Securing potential targets for terrorists. We're waiting to hear from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff about securing the nation's chemical plants. The administration has taken a couple of hits from critics about not doing enough. Secretary Chertoff's speech is set for 9:00 Eastern this morning.

The sentencing trial of Zacarias Moussaoui picks up again today in Alexandria, Virginia. On Monday, an FBI agent says he gave repeated warnings about Moussaoui, but no action was taken. He told the jury he believed at the time that Moussaoui was a terrorist intent on hijacking a plane. The agent arrested and interrogated Moussaoui four-and-a-half years ago in Minnesota.

A bizarre story to tell you about out of Ohio. Police say a man allegedly shot his teenaged neighbor for walking on his lawn. Sixty- six-year-old Charles Martin now behind bars. He apparently told police he's had trouble in the past with people walking on his grass. The 15-year-old victim died after being shot in the chest with a shotgun.

And perhaps more of a reason just to bring a carry-on bag. A new report finds airlines lost 30 million pieces of luggage last year. Two hundred thousand bags never made it back to their owners. The problem cost the airlines $2.5 billion in 2005. Closer connection times for flights and tighter security being blamed for that lost luggage.

So, now you know.

O'BRIEN: Carry-on.

COSTELLO: Carry-on.

O'BRIEN: It's all about carry-on. I'll tell you, I never check a bag. It's carry-on, carry-on, carry-on.

ROBERTS: So many people are doing carry-on now...

O'BRIEN: I know.

ROBERTS: ... that the planes are just jammed.

O'BRIEN: I know. That is a problem.

ROBERTS: Not much is going into the belly anymore.

O'BRIEN: Just wear the same thing every day. It doesn't really matter.

All right, Carol, thank you.

President Bush hits the road again...

ROBERTS: I can't believe that you would actually say that.

O'BRIEN: John's like I'm not even going to touch that. President Bush hits the road again to shore up support for the war in Iraq. It's going to be a tough sell, though.

Coming up, we'll get the reaction to his latest speech.

ROBERTS: Also, months after Katrina, the demolition of some homes is just now beginning. We'll take a look at what's behind the hold up.

O'BRIEN: Then later, courtroom drama in California. This woman here is acting as her own attorney, cross-examining her son. Here's the question -- is Susan Polk a murderer or is she a victim? We'll tell you her story just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: President Bush on Monday again defendant his position in the war in Iraq.

CNN political analyst and "L.A. Times" columnist, Ron Brownstein, is in Washington, D.C. this morning -- hey, Ron, good morning.

Nice to see you, as always.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST, "LOS ANGELES TIMES": Good morning, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: What did you think of the president's speech yesterday?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, I thought it was one of his better speeches on Iraq. He was very specific. He acknowledged difficulties. He acknowledged that we have had to change course. But, Soledad, we have been in this place before. The ability of the president to change public opinion with words, I think, on Iraq, is very limited. Events matter more.

Last fall, he gave a series of speeches with a similar tone, a more kind of contrite, in some ways acknowledging difficulty kind of tone, saw some improvement in public opinion. All off has washed away as the sectarian violence has increased. And I think the president is in a situation where there is very little he can say that will ultimately change American opinion about Iraq. Ultimately, it has to be events on the ground.

O'BRIEN: Well, let's listen to a little bit of what he did say.

Here's a little part of the speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The last three years have tested our resolve. The fighting has been tough. The enemy we face has proved to be brutal and relentless. We're adapting our approach to reflect the hard realities on the ground. And the sacrifice being made by our young men and women who wear our uniform has been heartening and inspiring. (END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: He talks about adapting the approach. He talks, really, about the young men and women, clearly referring to the loss that has happened in Iraq.

You don't think a speech like that goes a long way in helping the president?

BROWNSTEIN: Honestly, at this point, I don't. I think that we saw -- we, very clearly, last fall saw this. A somewhat -- he was able to move public opinion slightly in his direction with a series of very concentrated speeches. But he is now in a weaker position than he was then and he is facing a new and, I think, overarching challenge in terms of public opinion at this point. And that is the growing perception among Americans, and, indeed, among some Iraqi leaders, that the nation, Iraq, is now falling into -- on the verge of or has already fallen into a civil war. And that really challenges the basic assumptions the president throws out about what we are doing there.

The argument that as -- we will stand down as the Iraqis stand up becomes more complicated when the very security forces that we are training can be implicated in some of the sectarian violence.

So the situation is getting much more complicated on the ground in Iraq and I think that is also complicating the challenge in terms of public opinion at home.

O'BRIEN: Yesterday there was lots of debate over that very phrase, civil war or not a civil war. And yet we didn't really hear that reflected in the president's speech.

Any surprise there?

BROWNSTEIN: No. I mean they -- look, they have been very, very determined to tamp down discussion and to argue that we are -- we are not facing a civil war in Iraq. The president has been very forceful on that. But, of course, the former Iraqi prime minister, Ayad Allawi, an ally of the U.S. said on Sunday that that is, indeed, the situation Iraq is already in.

You know, when you have those kinds of fears layered over what is an under, sort of a foundation of anxiety on the American public, as I said, it becomes much more complicated for the president. The president's basic construct is we are chasing terrorists in Iraq, we are fighting terrorists, we are training the Iraqi government to fight terrorists. That's one way of looking at the war.

But, in fact, increasingly it appears that what's happening is that Shiites and Sunnis are embroiled in sectarian violence and we can be caught in the middle of that. And that is something that I think there is going to be much more -- much less tolerance for on the part of the American public.

O'BRIEN: When you take a look at the poll of polls, which I know you're well aware of, which, of course, is the poll of all of the polls, rating the president's approval rating, the average comes out to 38 percent.

To raise that number for the president, is the only option to improve things on the ground, do you think?

BROWNSTEIN: You know, I think there -- I think so. And I think there are people in the White House who believe that. If you look at the agenda the president laid out in the State of the Union, for example, the domestic agenda on things like health care, alternative energy and other issues, it's hard to see that even if you can pass all of that through Congress, it would really outweigh the overwhelming perception of Iraq.

Now, Iraq is a war that is very clearly identified with him. And I think that, a large extent, he will rise and fall in public esteem upon it.

You know, it's interesting, the third anniversary this weekend, it was very clear that Democrats did not want to have an ideological debate about the war on Iraq. They wanted to debate the competence of the administration in prosecuting and managing this war, perhaps part of a broader critique looking at things like the Medicaid prescription drug issue and Katrina.

And that's why it's fascinating to see Republicans, as much as any Democrat, touting this idea from liberal Senator Russ Feingold of censuring the president. They want to inspire more of an ideological debate on national security. Democrats, I think, want to keep the focus on competence and execution and try to harvest gains from that public discontent with the way the war has been managed.

O'BRIEN: Why are we, outside of Russ Feingold, who's kind of out there by himself on some of these issues, why are we not hearing from Democrats at this -- at this opportunity, you might think?

BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, it's interesting. I mean when Jack Murtha came out several months ago talking about an immediate -- moving toward an immediate redeployment of American troops from Iraq, many thought that that would become a rallying cry for Democrats. In fact, they really have not moved dramatically toward that position. They have been relatively cautious. They want to keep the president debating events rather than debating them.

But having said that, I do think there is a Democratic position that is emerging. We heard it from Jack Reed on the Sunday shows, probably most identified with Senator Carl Levin, the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, and that is that the U.S. should increase the pressure on Iraq to reach a coalition government and to do so by threatening to begin removing our troops if they can't resolve their differences and come together in a coalition government.

You know, no one really knows if forming a unified government in Iraq is the answer here. But I think most people agree that as long as you don't have one, you're going to see this sectarian violence continue to be intense. And I think that's where Democrats are going to put their efforts. And increasingly rhetorically in the months ahead. O'BRIEN: Ron Brownstein, nice to see you, as always.

Thanks, Ron.

BROWNSTEIN: Thank you, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: John.

ROBERTS: Hurricane Katrina hit more than six month ago now and officials are just now getting around to demolishing some of those damages homes. What's behind the holdup?

Also, who needs G.I. Joes when you can get the real American heroes? We'll tell you why real life soldiers are getting turned into action figurines.

And later on, director Spike Lee joins us live in the studio to talk about his new movie, "Inside Man." We'll ask him why this film is a bit of a departure for Spike.

Stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "INSIDE MAN," COURTESY UNIVERSAL)

DENZEL WASHINGTON, ACTOR: Things are not all they appear to be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's another girl that's whacked up! (ph)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Nearly seven months after Hurricane Katrina hit, New Orleans still seems to be caught up in a whirlwind.

Mayor Ray Nagin presented a blueprint for rebuilding this hurricane battered city on Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: The task ahead is one that has not been faced before in the history of this country. No one organization has all the resources and no one entity has the wealth of experience and expertise that will be required to rebuild New Orleans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: However, not everyone agreed with the plans and that provoked an angry storm of protest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BABATINJI AHMED, RESIDENT: A smaller footprint means you don't want my mama back. You don't want my grandkids back!

ALBERT CLARK, RESIDENT: This is a racist, no good, rotten committee. It doesn't represent the grassroots. It doesn't represent poor folks. It represents the rich, the ruling class.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: But before rebuilding can begin in many places, there's the big and often dangerous task of tearing down homes.

CNN's Sean Callebs has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Michael jaws devour the remnants of a building in New Orleans' 9th Ward. It is one of 120 homes here parked on a public road or sidewalk, the first homes in the city the Army Corps of Engineers are beginning to demolish nearly seven months after Katrina.

JOHN FOGARTY, ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: People have this perception that debris is moving so slow here. It's just the magnitude that we're dealing with.

CALLEBS: The White House recently trumpeted the fact that nearly 85 percent of the debris in Mississippi had been cleared. Compare that to the 54 percent that the administration says had been removed from Louisiana.

RANDY ZAHN, QUALITY ASSURANCE, ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: You just don't go into a site and destroy it and just get after it.

CALLEBS: The Corps of Engineers says there are reasons for the disparity. In part, homeowners in Mississippi were able to get back to their houses quicker and begin the cleanup.

FOGARTY: And the majority of the debris that's in the New Orleans area and around here is still in the homes. And we do not have the authority to go in any homes or move any debris.

CALLEBS: Another major factor? Cadaver dogs are still working and crews are still finding bodies in New Orleans.

(on camera): Here's one reason why debris removal takes so much time. While the track hoe does its job, a water team is on hand soaking the entire area. There's concern asbestos could have been used in construction of this home and they don't want it to become airborne.

(voice-over): While one house came down in 30 or so minutes, the one right next to it, suspected of containing human remains, took a few hours, while the cadaver team checked and rechecked the site.

KERRY FOSTER, SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA FIREFIGHTER: But we do everything within our means to identify if there is anybody there and try to rule that out. In this case, it took a whole lot longer than we had figured.

CALLEBS: It has taken about three weeks to remove 85 of the 120 homes blocking streets and sidewalks. And in the coming weeks, the job doesn't get easier. The Corps must still destroy more than 2,100 homes still on private property.

A watchdog group in the 9th Ward vows to fight widespread demolitions.

All the while, the clock is ticking. FEMA right now is paying 100 percent of the debris removal. That ends June 30th.

FOGARTY: It's going to be a challenge.

CALLEBS: Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, some real life G.I. Joes. We'll tell you why some soldiers are being turned into action figures.

And then, in "A.M. Pop," Director Spike Lee joins us live in the studio, talking about his new star-studded movie called "Inside Man."

Those stories ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

We're back in just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "INSIDE MAN," COURTESY UNIVERSAL)

DENZEL WASHINGTON, ACTOR: Things are not all they appear to be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: What if there was a better way to monitor your health? There just might be, thanks to some incredible new technological advances.

Our own Miles O'Brien takes a look in another installment on our series, Welcome To The Future.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED PHYSICIAN: You know, I went into the field of cardiology to make patients better. I didn't go into cardiology to collect data.

Right now, a good deal of our time during the day is spent monitoring our patients. It would be great if we could monitor our patients in a more effective manner, if we could come up with a more automated process that, with the press of a button, somebody could get all of the data that you need without having to hook people up to EKG leads, so the time isn't spent collecting data, but the time is talking about the data and making our patients better.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: When they happen, heart attacks seem so sudden. But usually an ailing heart is sending out warning signs. You may not be aware of them or you may be ignoring them.

So is there a better way to watch for trouble?

(voice-over): This is Georgia Tech professor Dr. Sundaresan Jayaraman. And this is a piece of clothing that could save your life.

DR. SUNDARESAN JAYARAMAN, GEORGIA TECH: The smart shirt has the ability to monitor vital signs such as your heart rate, your body temperature, your pulse ultimately.

O'BRIEN: These electronic textiles have sensors embedded within the fabric, wired to this PDA-like device which, in turn, transmits it to a doctor's office, all in real time.

The next step? To create an interactive system that not only monitors a person, but also plays doctor, as well, giving shots and medication when needed. And in the future, your gadgets and your clothes may become interwoven. You might one day be wearing your iPod.

JAYARAMAN: You can put any kind of sensor, if you want, on it. For instance, you can plug in an MP3 player or mobile phones. It will become an integral part of everybody's life.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, it's a trial that just keeps getting weirder and weirder. A woman accused of killing her husband now cross-examining her own children on the stand. This morning, we talk to a journalist who has been following the Susan Polk murder trial.

Stay with us.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: What a good looking day in New York City, isn't it?

O'BRIEN: Yes, it sure is. Absolutely.

Welcome back, everybody.

John Roberts is helping us out, filling in for Miles.

ROBERTS: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: He's on a little vaca. I think he finally made his trip to Costa Rica.

So thank you for helping us.

We appreciate it.

ROBERTS: Hey, I'm glad to be here.

O'BRIEN: Thank you. ROBERTS: I'm going to have an opportunity to get south, as well, in the next couple of weeks so...

O'BRIEN: Oh, good for you. A little vaca.

ROBERTS: ... I'm looking forward to that.

O'BRIEN: Oh, good for you. I'm so happy for you, John.

Ahead this morning, we're talking to Spike Lee.

Of course, I'm a huge fan of his work. He's got a new movie out called "Inside Man," which kind of takes a story we've heard before, which is a bank robbery in New York City -- you know, a guy knocks over a bank -- and puts a lot of twists and turns and makes it a really riveting story.

We're going to talk to Spike this morning.

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