Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Family Safe and Sound in Oregon After Getting Stuck in Snow; War Opinion Campaign; Iraqi Police Targeted; New Orleans Race for Mayor

Aired March 22, 2006 - 09:00   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, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Roberts, in for Miles O'Brien all this week.

Good morning to you.

O'BRIEN: A family that's finally been found after more than two weeks of being lost.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELBERT HIGGINBOTHAM, MISSING FOR 17 DAYS: We didn't realize how far lost we were.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Now they're back home, safe and sound, but quite a story of survival to share. We'll bring you that this morning.

ROBERTS: A second straight day of insurgent attacks on Iraqi police. We've got the latest coming up from Baghdad.

And this...

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Lothian. Coming up, an exclusive interview with a same-sex couple that adopted a child through a Catholic agency before their church decided to shut the door.

O'BRIEN: And also ahead this morning, taking a look at the live pictures from New York's Central Park, where they are trying to corner a coyote. The poor guy is sort of lost, wandering the park, 63rd and 5th. We're going to follow that story and update you on the progress there just ahead this morning.

ROBERTS: It looks like they found the guy looking for the coyote, but no coyote.

And if you're suffering from too many sleepless nights, you're not alone. We'll take a closer look at the growing number of insomniacs in our weeklong series "Sleepless in America." O'BRIEN: We begin in Oregon this morning, where a family is finally back home after being snowbound for more than two weeks. They melted snow for water just to stay alive.

CNN's Kareen Wynter joins us from the family's hometown of Ashland. That's about 30 miles from the Oregon-California border.

Hey, Kareen. Good morning.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning to you once again.

And it's believed that just behind me, this is where some of the family members perhaps may have spent the night. Now, if you think this family's will was tested during the two weeks that they were just stranded in a cold mountainous remote area of southern Oregon, wait until you hear the extraordinary, extraordinary efforts of the children's parents.

Pete and Marlo Stivers knew they had to do something if they were going to make it out alive. That's when they left their RV on Monday in search of help, trekking through several feet of snow for 24 hours.

They finally flagged down a forestry worker. And that's when this massive search also began.

Now, Marlo's stepdad said that they initially tried digging themselves out of danger. Here is more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HIGGINBOTHAM: We didn't realize how far lost we were. We were six miles from where we thought we were. So we just had to be patient. You know?

We got -- there was five and a half, almost six feet of snow up there. You know, every time they said three to five inches, we got 10 to 12. And we slid off the road the first day and we dug ice for 300 yards to get us up the hill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: Oregon officials came within miles of actually finding this family on Sunday. They didn't and they had to call off the search.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. PAT ROWLAND, JACKSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: We did a test search for two and a half days with the helicopter and fixed wing, and we suspended it based on weather -- extreme weather moving in and no leads.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: The family survived these two weeks, Soledad, because of basic necessities that they brought along on this trip, food, water, a blanket, fuel. But even that was running low -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Kareen Wynter with a pretty incredible story.

Thanks, Kareen -- John.

ROBERTS: President Bush will be out again today trying to change public opinion on Iraq, and for the third day in a row he'll be taking questions. Today's speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, is a little more than three hours from now.

Kathleen Koch is live at the White House with a preview.

What's the message today, Kathleen?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John, the message is as it has been all week, and that is accentuate the positive. Aides say that President Bush will tell the audience of roughly 2,500 in Wheeling, West Virginia, that good things are happening in Iraq, they just don't hear enough about them.

And as he has over the last two days, Mr. Bush is expected to say that he believes the U.S. plan in Iraq is working and will succeed. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep U.S. troops there.

At a last-minute press conference yesterday at the White House, one reporter asked the president why he wanted to go to war in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No president wants war. Everything you may have heard is that, but it's just simply not true. I -- my attitude about the defense of this country changed on September the 11th.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: Now, President Bush raised some concerns about the duration of the war in Iraq when he told one reporter that it would be up to "future presidents and future governments of Iraq" to decide whether or not there will come a day when there will be no U.S. forces in Iraq. A senior administration official said the president was not hinting at a lengthy deployment of a large number of troops. Instead, he was taking the question literally to mean when every single troop will be out of Iraq, which could take some time -- John.

ROBERTS: And a lot of people, it seems, took his answer fairly literally, too.

KOCH: Right.

ROBERTS: It made quite a bit of news.

It will be interesting to see if he's got a welcoming party today in Wheeling. He looked a little lonely getting off of Air Force One the other day in Cleveland.

KOCH: He did, indeed. He got a good welcome from the audience, but the politicians in Ohio made themselves very scarce.

Not the Republican governor. Not the Republican senators. Not even a single member of the largely Republican congressional delegation turned out to greet the president.

So, John, perhaps an example of what a political hot potato the issue of Iraq has become.

ROBERTS: Yes. And a lot of people certainly will be making hay of whether or not the president is greeted by some of these politicians seeking reelection.

Kathleen Koch at the White House.

Thanks very much.

KOCH: You bet.

O'BRIEN: Iraqi insurgents once again have security forces in their sights. Two attacks today on Iraqi police, one of them on a police station 12 miles south of Baghdad. That attack very similar to the one on Tuesday north of Baghdad that left 18 officers dead.

CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson in Baghdad for us this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the latest attack on a police station coming at 2:00 in the morning, about 20 kilometers south of Baghdad, in the town of Madain. There insurgents armed with mortars and machine guns tried to storm a police compound. The mayor's office was in the same compound.

Three policemen were killed, one Iraqi police commando also killed in that raid. The Iraqi Ministry of Interior say they have now launched an operation in the area. They say that they've rounded up 50 insurgents in that area. But that wasn't the only attack against Iraqi police today.

In the west of Baghdad, a roadside bomb killed two Iraqi policemen, wounded three others. A roadside bomb in the south of Baghdad also targeted Iraqi policemen. Only casualties there.

Also, three bodies discovered in Baghdad this morning, according to Iraqi police. The bodies had their hands bound. They'd been shot in the head, apparent sectarian killings.

Now, Iraq's former prime minister, Ayad Allawi, over the weekend said that Iraq was in a state of civil war. I talked with him a little while ago. He appeared to be backtracking on that a little bit.

What he said he wanted to do was highlight the rising sectarian tensions. The concern he has over that violence -- and he still wants to ring the alarm bell. AYAD ALLAWI, FMR. IRAQI PRIME MINISTER: It's not a full-blown civil law. It's really terrible and severe sectarian violence which -- which can turn into a full-blown civil war. And sectarian violence is a stage of civil war, one of the stages of -- probably an early stage of civil war.

ROBERTSON: Well, former prime minister Allawi also says that he is concerned about the United Iraqi Alliance, the powerful Shia religious bloc here. He says he is not convinced about their intentions, whether or not they intend to form a government of national unity which he says is important, or try and form a government from their own political bloc. He says if that's the case, then it would continue the trend of this sectarian tensions, and that, in his words, could tend towards civil war.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: All right. Thanks, Nic.

Let's get right to Carol. She's got an update on what's happening elsewhere in the newsroom.

Hey, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.

Good morning to all of you.

Wisconsin authorities say two missing boys may have been abducted. They're certainly not ruling out that option. The boys, one 12, the other 11, were last seen Sunday playing outside. Relatives say Quadrevion Henning and Purvis Parker would never run away. Anyone with information is asked to call police.

Getting a glass of water isn't a big deal for us, but the United Nations says more than one billion people are without safe, clean drinking water. Today marks World Water Day, and there are some events across the globe.

And in this Alabama church, when they say the lord works his wonders in the deep, they mean in the here and now. The pastor says a section of the drywall in the church is buckled, creating an image that reminds churchgoers of Christ on the cross. You can barely see it there.

The image came after the church was flooded by Hurricane Katrina. As they say, a miracle is where you find it.

And now, an update on the coyote. Yes, you can see the coyote jumping into a body of water in Central Park. He is a wiley thing, because a short time ago -- you can see all the police officers out there and the animal rescue workers.

They're trying to corner this coyote. In fact, they had him cornered for a little while and they were going to shoot him with a tranquilizer gun. And then they were going to transport him upstate and let him go in the wild. But as you can see, the coyote has slipped away.

He's a slippery devil. So the saga continues. Dozens of police officers and even a helicopter yesterday looking for that coyote.

But John, he's a wiley one.

ROBERTS: He is a little more Wile E. than your average coyote.

COSTELLO: We need the roadrunner.

ROBERTS: That coyote would get caught for sure.

Thanks, Carol.

Time for our forecast now. Reynolds Wolf in for Chad Myers today at the CNN Center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Well, New Orleans mayoral primary just one month from today.

ROBERTS: Oh, that's going to be a hard race.

O'BRIEN: Oh, everyone's going to watch it. Coming up, we're going to take a closer look at how the race is shaping -- how race, rather, is shaping the campaign.

ROBERTS: Also, our special series "Sleepless in America." Today, how to treat insomnia without medication.

O'BRIEN: And then in "AM Pop," country superstar Kenny Rogers joins us live in the studio. He's back with his first album in three years. We'll take a listen and talk to him about the pressure to make chart-topping hits just ahead.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: In a race to rebuild New Orleans, 23 candidates are trying to unseat incumbent mayor Ray Nagin. The city's mayoral primary is one month from today.

Joining us this morning to talk about it from New Orleans, pollster and political analyst Silas Lee. And Clancy Dubos is the owner of "The Gambit Weekly" newspaper.

Nice to see you, gentlemen. Thanks for talking with us.

SILAS LEE, NATIONAL POLLSTER: Thank you.

CLANCY DUBOS, "THE GAMBIT WEEKLY": Good to be here. O'BRIEN: Let's begin with you, Dr. Lee. Many people I spoke to when I was in New Orleans, rebuilding, rebuilding, rebuilding is the only issue they were focusing on.

Is that fair to say?

LEE: Well, it's a strong theme in this campaign, the rebuilding effort. And within the context of rebuilding, you are looking at the right to return, as well as a strong undercurrent in reference to race and to class about rebuilding. Because rebuilding takes on two dimensions, those who can afford to rebuild and return and take their destiny into their own hands, and those who have to rely on insurance companies and relief from their federal government in terms of trying to rebuild and return.

So it takes on two dimensions. And that's why the rebuilding effort is so complex.

O'BRIEN: So in that one word, you're really covering lots of territory, lots of ground.

Let's talk -- before we talk about race, let's talk about what Mayor Nagin has said about rebuilding and the buyout option.

Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: It's important that you as citizens have the option of rebuilding on your own or taking advantage of the buyout options in the failed levee homeowner recovery program I pioneered. As you may recall, this program offers grants of up to $150,000. Once these areas become safer, if you choose to take that option, you will have first option to move back into your neighborhoods.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: OK, Clancy. So tell me, do you think -- what this proposal does for voters? Do you think they like what they're hearing from the mayor?

DUBOS: Well, I think the mayor is pretty much telling it like it is, as Aaron Neville would say. And I think people -- even if the news isn't good, I think the majority of people at least want to hear the truth. And I think the mayor has made an effort to tell the truth.

There is a lot of risk involved in moving back to the city regardless of where you live, but particularly in some of the low- lying areas that might be more prone to flood. Not so much because of rainfall, but because they're in areas where the levees could be topped. Not so much the levees would give way or fail, or the flood walls would fail, but areas in eastern New Orleans and the Lower Ninth Ward, where there is a good chance given the topography and the geography and the way they're situated in regard to the river and the lake and the channels that have been cut, those areas could be prone to flooding because of the levees overtopping in the event of another big storm.

O'BRIEN: To some degree, you bring the debate back to race. So let's get back to Dr. Lee for that.

You mentioned race just a moment ago. Give me a prediction of how race is going to play out in this particular race.

LEE: Well, it's a strong undercurrent, and in some cases it comes in the form of a tidal wave, the issue of race. When you look at the candidates, they're trying to build coalitions. However, you have some candidates who stand out in making racial appeals and using code words and things that people apply to race and to class.

Also, you have the emergent factor that this is a race in terms of the mayor's race whereby you have an incumbent who attracted 22 challengers, unprecedented for an incumbent or even an open seat to attract that number of challengers. And when you look at the racial composition of the field, the majority of white -- are white and the minority of candidates are African-American.

And when you look at the demographic composition of New Orleans post-Katrina, it went from 67 percent African-American in August the 29th, and you look at it for today, in March, it is now about 50 to 55 percent. So race is a strong factor in terms of influencing voters, influencing people to run to some degree, and it's a strong undercurrent.

O'BRIEN: Clancy, I'm going to give the last question to you. We've talked a little bit about the 23 candidates who are challenging the mayor. Two that really stick out, I think it's fair to say, Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu, and also the -- Ron Forman, executive director of the Audubon Nature Institute.

Who do you -- who do you pick as the victor here?

DUBOS: Well, right now Mitch Landrieu is the stronger of the challengers, but Forman is also within striking distance. And I would add, on the subject of race, while we do have 23 candidates running for mayor, 11 are African-American. So it's almost half of the -- almost half of the candidates are African-American.

But I agree with Silas that race is a very strong undercurrent. Ray Nagin is trying to make a racial appeal, and some of the white candidates challenging him are trying to make racial appeals. I don't think Landrieu or Forman are doing that, but others clearly are.

O'BRIEN: Well, I tell you, it's a race that -- speaking of the mayoral race -- it is a race that we are all watching very closely, as well as you guys, obviously.

Silas Lee, Clancy Dubos, thanks for talking with us this morning. Appreciate it.

LEE: Thank you. DUBOS: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Anderson Cooper now has a look at what's coming up tonight on "360" -- Anderson.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "360": Soledad, criminals, some of them dangerous criminals, even murder suspects, who are caught, put in jail, then let back out on the street again. It is happening in New Orleans, and who knows where they're heading next?

We're keeping them honest tonight on "360" -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thanks, Anderson.

Coming up this morning, our special series "Sleepless in America" continues. Today we've got some tips on falling asleep and, more importantly, staying asleep. We'll meet an insomniac who's finally getting a good night's rest without medication.

ROBERTS: And later on, a story that you'll see only on CNN, a same-sex couple breaks its silence. They adopted a child through Catholic Charities, but now that organization says it will never let that happen again. The couple's reaction ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: All this week we are taking a look at what it's like to be "Sleepless in America." Today, the confessions of an insomniac. As many as 70 million Americans have trouble sleeping. You're about to meet one of them and find out what she is doing about it.

Here is Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's 4:00 a.m. Jolie Fainburg wakes up and can't get back to sleep.

JOLIE FAINBURG, INSOMNIAC: I'm very tired. I woke up.

GUPTA: She's busy enough during the day to be tired. So why can't she sleep?

FAINBURG: Stop (INAUDIBLE).

GUPTA: She and her husband Stan, both in their mid 40s, are raising two energetic toddlers.

FAINBURG: Very busy. There's a lot going on.

GUPTA: Jolie also works at Children's Health Care of Atlanta, where she heads up a program that fits implants on children with severe hearing impairments.

FAINBURG: Listen. And raise your hand. Remember, you listen? You do that. So I leave the office, and sometimes I leave things undone. And I will often wake up in the middle of the night and realize, I didn't do that. Oh my gosh, I forgot to call them back. Oh no.

GUPTA: Jolie is usually in bed by 10:30 and asleep around 11:00. But she doesn't stay asleep.

We asked Jolie to videotape those moments.

FAINBURG: I'm a little anxious and wired up.

GUPTA: We arranged for Jolie to undergo a sleep assessment with psychologist Russell Rosenberg (ph). One suggestion, write down her worries and how she plans to deal with them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you don't have that in the middle of the night, "Oh my gosh, I forgot to do something."

GUPTA: He also says Jolie should make a list at night of all she has to do in the next two days.

FAINBURG: In the night I don't think about them as much.

GUPTA: Rosenberg also says Jolie should do more invigorating workouts like weight lifting earlier in the day, but continue more relaxing exercises like stretching at night. At home, she avoids caffeine later in the day.

There's no TV or computer in the bedroom. No ringing cell phones or buzzing BlackBerrys to disrupt that peaceful night's sleep. Her thermostat is set for good sleeping, between 66 and 70 degrees.

Rosenberg adds another twist. When you wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep, don't stay in bed worrying. Get up until you feel sleepy. Then go back to bed.

The idea, to make the bed a place for sleep.

For Jolie, those changes are already making a difference.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How have things been going since you were here last?

FAINBURG: Pretty good. Well, I did most of the things that you recommended. Doing the relaxation before I go to bed has really helped a lot.

GUPTA: Jolie's sessions with Rosenberg, called cognitive behavior therapy, is designed to identify and change behaviors that keep you awake.

For Jolie, the subtle adjustments she's made in her routine could change her life.

(on camera): It's been a few weeks since you and I last sat down. You've had a sleep assessment since then. How are you sleeping?

FAINBURG: Actually, a lot better. I'm still waking up some at night, but I'm going right back to sleep. I'm not having these long, extended awake periods.

GUPTA: How has your life changed?

FAINBURG: It's easier to get through day at work if I'm not feeling completely exhausted and out of sorts. It's incredible.

GUPTA: Can you put more hours in day for me, please? Do you think you can do that next?

GUPTA: I'm -- that's what I need.

GUPTA (voice over): Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: Our "Sleepless in America" series continues tomorrow with a look at kids and sleep. More and more children aren't getting the rest that they really need. We'll look at why and the negative effects that it's having.

That's tomorrow on AMERICAN MORNING.

I'll tell you, you know, where my daughter goes to school -- this Sunday night -- sorry -- at 10:00 Eastern, be sure to catch Dr. Gupta's primetime special on sleep and how the lack of it affects our health.

Sorry. I was just saying that, you know...

O'BRIEN: Does she get enough sleep? What time does she go to bed?

ROBERTS: No, she doesn't, because like so many other kids who go to her school, she's got to be up at 5:30.

O'BRIEN: Oh, that's brutal.

ROBERTS: 5:30 to be at school.

O'BRIEN: And she's 14.

ROBERTS: She's 14 years old.

O'BRIEN: And so what time is she getting into bed?

ROBERTS: A lot of times she has homework until 10:00 at night.

O'BRIEN: Wow.

ROBERTS: And sometimes...

O'BRIEN: She's on our schedule. ROBERTS: She wants to do something in the afternoon, an extracurricular activity. She doesn't start homework until 8:00, 9:00. And sometimes she's awake until 11:00.

O'BRIEN: It's a huge problem.

ROBERTS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: I'm interested in hearing this...

ROBERTS: And all of her friends are in the same boat, yes.

O'BRIEN: Same boat, yes. Interesting.

We're going to talk about that more tomorrow.

And much more AMERICAN MORNING still to come.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN (voice over): Ahead in "AM Pop," Kenny Rogers joins us live in the studio. He's back with his first album in three years with his unmistakable sound, beautiful ballads and a special message. We'll talk to him about all of that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com