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American Morning
Iraq Suicide Attack; Fight Over Immigration; Inside the Moussaoui Trial; Search for Missing Boys Intensifies
Aired March 27, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Miles O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
We're following some breaking news out of Iraq this morning.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Coming up -- I'm Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Coming up, more on the deadly suicide attack targeting army recruits.
S. O'BRIEN: That's ahead this morning.
Also, you have seen the protests, now the real fight begins in Washington, D.C. over a proposed crackdown on millions of illegal immigrants in America.
M. O'BRIEN: The woman accused of murdering her minister husband goes to court today. She confessed, she even apologized, but why? Why did she do it? A closer look at that story ahead.
Plus, a turn in the case of two young boys missing for over a week in Wisconsin. We're live with the latest on that desperate search.
S. O'BRIEN: And it's going to be a big week ahead in the death penalty trial of Zacarias Moussaoui. What happens to the case if the admitted al Qaeda conspirator takes the stand in his own defense? We'll look at that.
M. O'BRIEN: We begin this morning in northern Iraq where, once again, a suicide bomber has targeted an Iraqi army recruiting center. At least 15 people are dead near Tal Afar, a city singled out recently by President Bush as a success story in the fight against the insurgency.
CNN's Nic Robertson is in Baghdad for us this morning.
Nic, what do we know?
ROBERTSON: Well the attack took place at a joint U.S. and Iraqi base in the town of Kafir (ph), a small town about halfway between Tal Afar and Mosul, right up in the northwest of Iraq, not far from the Syrian border.
At about 11:15 this morning, a suicide bomber walked up to a line of army recruits outside of the base waiting to get into the base to sign up for the army, detonated a suicide vest, killing at least 15. It's not clear yet exactly how many people were wounded in the attack. It used to be we'd be see a lot of attacks like this, but this is the first one of this type targeting recruits we've seen in quite a while -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Nic, what do we know about the nationality of those casualties?
ROBERTSON: Very likely they are all going to be Iraqis. Because what we know so far is that this blast happened outside the big concrete blast walls at this base. But we are still only now learning the details. We don't know exactly the construction of the gateway where the people, whether the suicide bomber managed to get partway in, would he have been able to injure any of the Iraqis or perhaps U.S. personnel that may have been on duty at that gate. We just don't have those details so far -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Sadly, Nic, it's a familiar story, Iraqi army or security force recruits being targeted. What are they doing about security there at these centers? Clearly they must be aware of the possibility of suicide attacks.
ROBERTSON: Well what we have seen them do, Miles, is try and arrange the entranceways to these facilities so that the suicide bombers just can't get in there. They make it so you can't drive a suicide car bomb in. This person appears to have come on foot. And until they get to that very point where the physical screening happens, where they get patted down, it's just not possible to detect someone unless you can see it in their eyes or in their behavior.
While I've been talking to you, Miles, I've just been told that that death toll there has now climbed to 20. We're still not clear on how many casualties, but the death toll now up to 20, I'm told. But it is that checking of people stopping the suicide bomber getting to that first point once, by definition, if they're going to get to that first checkpoint.
M. O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson in Baghdad for us this morning.
Thank you very much, Nic -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: The debate over immigration heats up today. More protests like this one -- let's show pictures there from Los Angeles -- expected in Washington, D.C. today while a Senate committee tries to come up with a plan for a new immigration bill.
CNN's Kathleen Koch has more from the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Bush out of the gate today tries to set the tone for this week's emotional debate on immigration reform per some powerful feel good images as he speaks to a group of new citizens at a naturalization ceremony here in Washington. The president insists that his controversial immigration reform plan will not put temporary workers in line for citizenship ahead of people like these, people who have played by the rules, people who apply legally.
Under the Bush plan, temporary workers would be allowed into the United States to do jobs that Americans don't want and then they would have to leave. Though some business leaders and members of the Hispanic community favor the Bush plan, many social conservatives of his own party have deep reservations about it. They fear that it could jeopardize U.S. security and that once in, those temporary workers would never leave. So a tough fight shaping up this week.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: As Kathleen mentioned, the president is going to be there at Constitution Hall as 30 immigrants become naturalized American citizens. That's at 10:00 this morning and CNN is going to have live coverage of that event -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The minister's wife accused of murdering her husband says she's sorry. And this morning, she will appear in court. Police say Mary Winkler has confessed to the killing. We still don't know why she might have done it. Matthew Winkler found dead in the couple's home on Wednesday night. His parents have requested custody of the Winkler's three young daughters. Matthew Winkler's funeral will be held tomorrow in Selmer, Tennessee.
Later on AMERICAN MORNING, we'll hear from the family friend who has been talking with Mary Winkler ever since her arrest -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: A CNN "Security Watch" now. The defense gets its turn in the sentencing trial of al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. And the defendant could take the stand against the advice of his court-appointed attorneys.
Got more now from CNN's Kelli Arena.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Defense lawyers are trying to show that even if Zacarias Moussaoui had not lied to investigators about who he was and what he was doing in the United States, they would not have been able to prevent the September 11 attacks.
The defense began its case with a former FBI agent who told jurors how the government missed at least five opportunities to track down two al Qaeda operatives in the United States. Those men, Khalid Almihdhar and Nawaf Alhazmi, were among the hijackers who flew a plane into the Pentagon.
ANDREW MCBRIDE, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: The defense theory is a powerful one. The defense theory is, look, Moussaoui knew a general outline of a plan to take planes, use them as missiles, drive them into buildings. Guess what, the FBI knew that for years.
ARENA: While they won't be in court, jurors also are expected to hear from al Qaeda operatives being held in U.S. custody overseas, including 9/11 planners Ramsey bin al-Shaed and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
For the first time, notes from their interrogations will be read out loud. Intelligence officials say both have said Moussaoui was not part of the September 11 plot. If the jury finds Moussaoui's lies caused people to die and that he's eligible for the death penalty, the trial would move into the next phase to determine whether he should be executed. Many legal experts believe that is unlikely.
MCBRIDE: There have been 150 federal death penalty prosecutions. There is only one I know of where someone who didn't actually do the killing and who wasn't actually present at the scene of the murder got the death penalty and that was a drug kingpin who was accused of having directed the murder.
ARENA: There is one wild card, Moussaoui himself is expected to take the stand against the advice of his lawyers whom he refuses to talk to.
(on camera): As he left the courtroom for a recess on Thursday, he shouted to them, I will testify whether you want me to or not.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: The judge in the case has cancelled a scheduled court appearance today for Carla Martin. You'll recall she's the government lawyer who nearly blew the prosecution's case by coaching certain witnesses.
You want to stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
A court has ordered the release this week of some 911 calls from the World Trade Center. Twenty-four families of 9/11 victims received letters warning them of the imminent release, but only the voices of the emergency operators will be heard on the tapes. A court ruled that the victims' families have permission or have to give permission, rather, for the victims' side of the call to be made public. We're going to have more on this story a little bit later in this hour -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Chad Myers, it's Monday, wake up.
Good morning to you.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well I'm back, so that must mean that the weather is going to go downhill.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm back, you're back, we're all back and it's all downhill from here and I think that's safe to say. MYERS: I guess spring break is over for us.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
MYERS: Good morning, everybody.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Back to you guys.
M. O'BRIEN: Hey, Chad, how did -- Houston today, how's it look down there? Humid, right?
MYERS: Houston today. Yes, could be showers and thunderstorms later on as the day goes on.
But this is another map I want to show. Look how much rain Hawaii is getting again. I'm going to get to that in just a few minutes. More problems out there.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. That was my wishful thinking destination was Hawaii.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, he's just back from vacation. He's not going to Hawaii.
M. O'BRIEN: No, no, Houston.
S. O'BRIEN: But you're right, the weather doesn't look so hot.
All right, thanks, Chad.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, -- Chad.
MYERS: OK.
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, we're taking a look at why Americans -- more Americans are going bankrupt than ever before. We'll talk about that ahead this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Also coming up on the program, we are going to talk about paying as you go. Imagine driving your car and having to put a quarter in for Uncle Sam as you go to keep the car going. Sort of like that. We'll tell you what one state is thinking about.
S. O'BRIEN: A nice long trip there.
And we're going to take you live to Milwaukee for the very latest on the case of these missing boys. The case is now a criminal investigation. We'll talk to the family members just ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: The search for two missing boys in Milwaukee has now become a criminal investigation. Police are not saying what has led them to make the change. Twelve-year-old Quadrevion Henning, 11-year- old Purvis Parker have not been seen for more than eight days.
Vince Vitrano of affiliate WTMJ is live for us in Milwaukee this morning.
Vince, good morning.
VINCE VITRANO, WTMJ-TV REPORTER: Good morning, Soledad.
We're at the police command post and police have kept this post 24 hours a day over the last week, still no sign of the boys. They have conducted an active search in this neighborhood. The boys live a few blocks away from here. Police have been up in helicopters, searching through fields, along riverbanks, they have been canvassing door to door and still no big break in the case after more than a week.
Now, as you mentioned off top, police revealing over the weekend they now consider this a criminal investigation. But listen to the careful wording of a Milwaukee police spokeswoman as she describes for us exactly what that means.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNE SCHWARTZ, MILWAUKEE POLICE SPOKESWOMAN: We still have no evidence that a crime has been committed. I know the questions you want to ask. Most of them I'm not at liberty to answer. We want the public, however, to be rest assured that the task force is working around the clock and is aggressively pursuing all leads. And we now have hundreds of people who are working this case.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VITRANO: Another thing police continue to tell us in the media and continue to talk with neighbors about is they think someone out in this community has more information about the disappearance of these boys and still has not come forward. So police, as well as family members, continue to beg people here in Milwaukee if you know something, if you know anything, please be brave enough to come forward -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Vince, a quick question for you, just a brutal time, one has to imagine, for the family members. Have you had a chance to talk to them? How are they holding up?
VITRANO: I spoke with them very early in this, Soledad, and of course we've had people speaking with them throughout the weeks. All things considered, they're doing fairly well. They've been bolstered by a tremendous amount of community support. So many people have been out here canvassing the neighborhood, helping to search, holding rallies over the weekend. That has helped.
But again, they're very hurt by the fact that police keep telling us they think somebody out there knows something and they're not sharing. That's very hard for the families to take.
S. O'BRIEN: Gosh, that's hard to imagine. Vince Vitrano of our affiliate WTMJ, thank you.
Quadrevion Henning's father and grandfather are going to be talking with us live in our next hour. We're going to bring that to you.
Let's get some of the other stories making news today. Carol has got that and she's in the newsroom this morning.
Hey, -- Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad. Good morning to all of you.
Two Americans and a British man held hostage for the past month in Nigeria will soon head home. Militants released the men earlier today. They are apparently in good health. They are the final three hostages abducted by the militant group five weeks ago as part of a protest against oil companies in the region.
Police have a name but no motive in a mass shooting in Seattle. Six people killed and two injured Saturday after a rave party. A man who had left the party came back armed and opened fire on a house full of people. The suspect, Aaron Kyle Huff, then shot himself. Police say alcohol and drugs were found at the site but have not been linked to the killings.
After growing international pressure an Afghan court has decided to dismiss the case against a man who converted from Islam to Christianity. A judge said the prosecution did not have enough evidence. We're hearing the man could be released today. In the meantime, some 1,000 people in Afghanistan are protesting the court's dismissal. They are chanting things like death to America and death to George Bush.
You're paying more at the pump. I know, duh. You know you're paying more at the pump, but I wanted to tell you how much more, 15 cents more. That's how much prices went up in the past two weeks. The average is now about $2.50 a gallon.
Late night host David Letterman sending his condolences to the family of Paul Dana. The rookie racecar driver was killed on Sunday in a practice round in Homestead. He slammed into a disabled car at nearly 200 miles per hour. Dana raced for Letterman. He -- they called this race his big break. Paul Dana was just 30 years old. No word yet on memorial services.
And college basketball's Final Four is set. This is just -- talk about your stunning upsets. George Mason continued its historic run, beating top seeded Connecticut on Sunday in overtime 86 to 64. Can you believe it, they beat Connecticut? Florida also defeated a number one seed, Villanova, 75-62. Florida and George Mason will face each other on Saturday. LSU and UCLA meet in the other Final Four contest. The winners will play for the national championship one week from tonight. Wow!
Is your pool all messed up, -- Chad?
MYERS: I never had one. I can't believe, though, there wasn't a foul on that three-point shot, though, at the end of the game. It was like gosh.
COSTELLO: It was exciting.
MYERS: It was.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: Well the law that was supposed to reduce bankruptcies, Carrie Lee, kind of...
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Increased them.
M. O'BRIEN: ... caused a little spike you might say.
LEE: At least for the short term.
M. O'BRIEN: Want to get in under the deadline, right?
LEE: Exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: That's the idea.
LEE: Yes, exactly. So we did see a short-term spike last year, but things are falling off this year. We're talking about the bankruptcy law changes. You might remember this back in October making it harder for people to have their debts forgiven. Well, as a result, a lot of people filing ahead of that deadline and personal bankruptcies, as a result, hit a record last year, up 30 percent in 2005 to over two million.
Now what we saw is more people filing for Chapter 7 which lets you forgive all of your debts, fewer filing for Chapter 13 in which you have to repay. But over the longer term, some people do expect that the numbers here will go down. So no surprise that we saw this spike.
But bottom line, a lot of people who are hurt with medical bills, have problems paying other bills, well those are the folks who are really going to get hurt by these new laws.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, you have a...
LEE: But of course supporters say, well this is a good thing because a lot of people were relying too much on the idea of filing for bankruptcy.
S. O'BRIEN: You get hit by some kind of devastating medical illness and that can just wipe you out.
LEE: Exactly. S. O'BRIEN: I mean you're certainly seeing that a lot.
LEE: Exactly. If you're sort of in the middle income, you're struggling anyway to pay your bills.
S. O'BRIEN: You're done.
LEE: One wrong move and you can really get left behind.
S. O'BRIEN: Just bad luck, yes.
LEE: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: It's tough being in the middle always.
LEE: Sure. Sure.
Talking about being in the middle for saving for college. Most people do expect their children to attend college, children or child. Ninety-seven percent do expect their child to attend college, but 79 percent expect to pay for some or all of the education, but just 32 percent have no savings specifically for college. And...
M. O'BRIEN: A little disconnect there between those two things.
LEE: Yes, a little bit. A little bit.
S. O'BRIEN: Wow!
LEE: Twenty-six percent saved less than $5,000.
So where are people going to close the gap? Well a lot of folks say they're going to bank on financial aid and scholarships. And then others surveyed say that they plan to take advantage of 529 college savings plans. Of course they vary from state to state. They can be a good idea, although some critics say they're not aggressive enough, especially if you have an infant you have a lot of time to make up the money, and they say they're too conservative, so.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, still got to start early either way.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
LEE: Yes, absolutely.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: That's expensive now, college.
LEE: And it's going to be even more so in the years to come.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: OK.
LEE: The numbers always go up, not down. M. O'BRIEN: Man.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks for the downer on both fronts, Carrie.
M. O'BRIEN: See you.
S. O'BRIEN: It's so great to have you...
M. O'BRIEN: Kids, get a job, will you? Wake up and get a job.
LEE: Monday morning, right.
S. O'BRIEN: Wow, ouch! That was just tough news all around.
M. O'BRIEN: No more free rent, that's it, I've had it.
LEE: Markets looking up for techs. There, I'll end on a bright note.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you.
LEE: Always find a bright note, right?
S. O'BRIEN: Exactly.
Thanks, -- Carrie.
LEE: Sure.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Carrie.
S. O'BRIEN: Carol has got a look at "Morning Coffee" this morning, hello.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
Coming up, did Saddam Hussein try to use camels as weapons? Plus a shake-up at the White House, but it wasn't the president who did the firing, no. You're cup of "Morning Coffee" coming your way next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: You know I think on that shot of the George Washington Bridge. Can we put that one back up, Michael (ph)? Can you put that -- that's my house. You see it, yes, there it is. Hi, Sandy (ph).
COSTELLO: You mean you're taking my time away to show your house on TV?
S. O'BRIEN: Exactly. What is the problem with you?
M. O'BRIEN: That's my house.
S. O'BRIEN: He comes back from vacation...
COSTELLO: What is up with that?
S. O'BRIEN: ... and suddenly he wants all the time.
Welcome back, everybody.
M. O'BRIEN: Hey, hey, there it is.
COSTELLO: Listen, I already have to use a paper cup.
S. O'BRIEN: Enough with the paper cup.
M. O'BRIEN: What happened to the potpourri? It's gone.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, they didn't like it anymore.
COSTELLO: They got rid of that.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: It started to smell.
M. O'BRIEN: That's classy stuff.
S. O'BRIEN: "Morning Coffee."
Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning, and welcome back, Miles. Welcome back.
M. O'BRIEN: It's good to be back.
It is time for your cup of "Morning Coffee."
You know they are often called ships, the ships of the desert, but Saddam Hussein had another use for them, camel side bombers. A British newspaper says newly translated papers from Iraq show that Hussein had a different kind of attacker in mind on the verge of the Iraq war. He wanted to deploy explosive-ladened suicide camels against the U.S. invasion. A memo from his office even said the camels would be provided by the Directory of General Military Intelligence.
M. O'BRIEN: Really?
COSTELLO: And as far as we know, no camel was deployed in the first weeks of the war, as far as we know.
Do presidential staff shake-ups equal higher approval ratings? Maybe, maybe not, but maybe President Bush should take a cue from the misses. The relative calm in the West Wing is not echoed on the other side of the building.
First Lady Laura Bush hasn't been slow to shake things up in the last year. She's changed her chief of staff, her policy director, her press secretary. Even her pastry chef is leaving. Her third press secretary says it's just a natural turnover. In the meantime, the first lady's approval rating is a record 82 percent, while her husband's remains at a record low.
M. O'BRIEN: Boy, a few tough losses.
S. O'BRIEN: Fired the pastry chef.
M. O'BRIEN: Man.
COSTELLO: He's out.
M. O'BRIEN: Bad mousse.
COSTELLO: He's going back to Atlantic City where apparently he'll make a lot more money.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: I told you about the jump in gas prices, up 15 cents in the past two weeks. But Oregon is looking at an alternative that could take the taxes out of the price of gas. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? It's called a mileage fee. The state government would install GPS devices in cars to track how far...
M. O'BRIEN: Bad idea, bad idea right there.
COSTELLO: Yes, I know, a lot of people think so. But this would track how far everybody is driving.
S. O'BRIEN: And other things, too.
COSTELLO: And other things, too.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, I bet it would.
COSTELLO: And then when you filled up, you'd be charged by the mile. You'd be taxed per mile instead of paying the 24-cent-per- gallon state gas tax. And of course, as you said, that would mean the government would kind of know where you are at all times.
And they're really doing this because so many people are buying hybrid cars, so they're not having to pay the gas tax as much, so they want to find a way to get them. And if you charge by the mile, that would take care of everyone.
M. O'BRIEN: So a disincentive then to get a hybrid if you're -- I mean what's the point? I mean you get that tax credit for purchasing.
COSTELLO: Well you could do it purely for, you know, the environment.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, right. There is that.
COSTELLO: There is that, right.
M. O'BRIEN: There is that.
COSTELLO: So there you go, just an idea that the state of Oregon has.
M. O'BRIEN: Now, as a matter of fact, there was somebody so upset about this in Brooklyn. Take a look what happened. No, it's not truly true, he is not that upset about it. But apparently there is a water main break.
COSTELLO: I was going to say, what is that?
S. O'BRIEN: Where in Brooklyn?
M. O'BRIEN: It's Bay Ridge Brooklyn.
S. O'BRIEN: Really.
M. O'BRIEN: We don't know anything more about it than this. We've got a car in a hole.
S. O'BRIEN: That's a sinkhole, yes, because of course...
M. O'BRIEN: Sinkhole because of a water main break beneath the pavement.
S. O'BRIEN: I tell you, when I reported in San Francisco, there was a time when there were sinkholes every -- we were reporting them all the time. An entire like a row of cars would go basically right through the street. It was a crazy thing.
COSTELLO: And that would mess up your morning, wouldn't it?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, can you imagine? Now how is he going to get that car out?
M. O'BRIEN: One injury, non-life-threatening, we want to tell you that.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank goodness.
COSTELLO: Wow!
M. O'BRIEN: And so we'll follow it up and find out what happened. Obviously, the water main needed a little help there.
S. O'BRIEN: Wow, yes, and that's a mess.
M. O'BRIEN: And now the pavement does and certainly now.
S. O'BRIEN: And that vehicle probably, too, the front end at least.
M. O'BRIEN: The vehicle does, yes.
All right, this morning's top stories are straight ahead and who will lead the future in New Orleans? Voters there and everywhere would like to weigh in but they may not be able to. We'll explain.
Plus, will that Christian convert in Afghanistan be put to death for renouncing Islam? Well he might go free today, but is his case really closed?
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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