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American Morning
Secret Iraq Memo; Protests in France Over New Employment Law; Afghan Convert Controversy
Aired March 28, 2006 - 06:29 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: New information now on the lead-up to the war in Iraq. A secret memo details some surprising plans between President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
A Christian convert now out of jail and headed for asylum outside of Afghanistan. We're live with the very latest on this story.
And an unlikely hero. An amazing story of overcoming obstacles. We'll explain just ahead this morning.
Welcome back, everybody. Lots to get to this morning.
That story about an unlikely hero, wow. What a -- what a...
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. If you were -- if you were blind, do you think you could save somebody from a burning building?
O'BRIEN: No, I think that would be difficult to do even if you were sighted. So it's a pretty amazing story.
ROBERTS: Well, stay tuned for the story, yes.
O'BRIEN: Lots to get to this morning.
ROBERTS: Absolutely.
A startling memo may detail what critics have already speculated, that President Bush was determined to go to war with Iraq. The focus of the memo, a meeting between Mr. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
CNN's David Ensor has more for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The secret memo written by now British ambassador in Washington, Sir David Manning, describes the closed-door meeting between President Bush and Prime Minister Blair less than two months before the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Saddam Hussein is not disarming. He is a danger to the world.
ENSOR: The memo describes the two men talking privately on that day as if they assumed war was inevitable, according to "The New York Times," and were looking for ways to provoke it.
PHILIPPE SANDS, AUTHOR, "LAWLESS WORLD": One of the provocations that was raised by the U.S. president was the idea he put to the prime minister of taking U.S. spy planes, American spy planes, painting them in United Nations colors, putting them in the air above Iraq, and when Saddam Hussein shot at them, he would bring himself into material breach of various U.N. resolutions so as to justify the use of force.
ENSOR: British lawyer Philippe Sands referred to his memo in his book "Lawless World." "The New York Times," however, quotes from it and says the two leaders even discussed the possibility Saddam Hussein might be assassinated.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Did the president really contemplate that as an option since it would be breaking...
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Ed, this was a meeting that took place back in January of 2003. Even if I knew exactly what was said in that meeting, I wouldn't get into discussing private conversations between world leaders.
SANDS: I'm not sure from the material that I've had sight of that it was necessarily a question of the United States or the United Kingdom assassinating, or a mere expression of the hope that he might be assassinated. But the topic of assassination certainly came up.
ENSOR: "The New York Times" quotes Manning writing Mr. Bush predicted that in postwar Iraq it was "... unlikely there would be internecine warfare between the different religious and ethnic groups," and that Mr. Blair agreed.
(on camera): U.S. and British officials declined to confirm the memo's contents, but one knowledgeable source noted that there have been no denials. If they could deny it, he said, they would.
David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: David Ensor first reported on the secret memo for "THE SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer. You can watch that every weekday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., and again 7:00 to 8:00 Eastern -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: You've seen the protests in this country over immigration, but in France massive protests today over a new employment law. That law makes it easier for companies to fire younger workers without any reason. The government has extra security in place to prepare for possible disruptions of essential services.
Let's get right to CNN's Paula Hancocks. She's live in Paris for us this morning.
Paula, good morning.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. Well, they are expecting a huge demonstration here in Paris. This is the fourth nationwide strike we've had in France since Mr. De Villepin, the prime minister, tried to push through this very controversial employment law.
Now, here, in just a few hours' time, in a couple of hours' time, we will be seeing hundreds and thousands of students and union members who are protesting against that particular labor law. Also, we're already seeing protests across France.
We're seeing tens of thousands in Marseilles. We're seeing thousands in Kalai (ph) coming out onto the streets and telling Mr. De Villepin just exactly what they think about this employment law.
Also, we're hearing from police they're expecting up to a million people to protest throughout the day, and they're also putting an extra 4,000 riot police on standby in case, as has happened over the past few days, these protests turn violent. We saw a smaller entity, a small part of the protesters and youths were setting fire to cars, they were looting shops, and they were fighting with police.
So that's the one thing that police are looking out for -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: I guess the irony behind all of this, Paula, is that the law is theoretically intended to spur employment, isn't it?
HANCOCKS: That's right, yes. Mr. De Villepin says that it is to stop unemployment and to keep it down.
At the moment, it's about 9.5 percent, the average for France itself. For youth in France, though, it's about 23 percent. And in some of the suburbs around Paris where there is real port poverty, some of those where we saw those riots back in November, unemployment can reach as high as 50 percent.
So this is a what Mr. De Villepin is trying to target. He says that with this law, under 26-year-olds will be able to hired and fired very easily without a reason for the first two years of their employment. He says that will make the labor market more flexible and will create more employment. Of course the students and the unions are saying that gives no job security, and they are dead set against it.
O'BRIEN: CNN's Paula Hancocks for us this morning.
Paula, thank you.
There are other stories making news. Carol's got those. She's in the newsroom this morning.
Good morning, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.
Good morning to all of you. A rocket attack disrupting elections in Gaza. At least two people have been killed. The militant group Islamic Jihad claiming responsibility.
Israelis heading to the polls for the first time since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon slipped into a coma. Early polls show acting prime minister Ehud Olmert in the lead, but he might not get a majority. Some Israelis oppose his plan to withdraw from parts of the West Bank.
We're watching for developments. The election will set the tone for future Mideast peace talks with the Palestinians.
Zacarias Moussaoui's defense trying to salvage what some legal experts call suicide on the stand. Moussaoui admitted that he knew about plans to attack the World Trade Center, but his defense will try to prove today that nothing could have stopped the terror attacks, and that could save Moussaoui from the death penalty. Closing arguments expected to begin tomorrow.
A funeral service being held today for the minister gunned down in Tennessee. Matthew Winkler found dead in his home last week. His wife, Mary Winkler, entering no plea at her arraignment on Monday. She's facing a first-degree murder charge. A bail hearing's set for Thursday.
New dangers facing U.S. children these days: education and obesity. A new study suggests classroom performance has tapered off since 1975. The Foundation for Childhood Development is calling for better education and health programs in schools.
And who would have thought that George Mason would make the Final Four? Not many.
Get this, only four -- four people out of three million got the final brackets right on ESPN.com. Among them, Russell Pleasant (ph) from Nebraska. And he admits he chose George Mason by mistake. He got them confused with George Washington.
George Mason plays Florida on Saturday. LSU meets UCLA. The national championship is next Monday. The ESPN pool, $10,000.
O'BRIEN: You know, so often mistakes end up costing you money. But not in this case.
COSTELLO: Not for that nice Nebraska man.
O'BRIEN: No, no. That's good news. That's a funny story.
All right, Carol. Thanks.
Let's get a check of the forecast with Chad at the CNN Center.
Hey, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad. (WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Chad, thanks.
MYERS: All right.
O'BRIEN: You'll remember we've been telling you the story of this Afghan man who is threatened for death for converting to Christianity. Well, he's free this morning. Where does he go from here? We're going to get an update from Afghanistan just ahead.
ROBERTS: Also, the battle over immigration. A controversial reform measure is one step closer to becoming law. CNN's Lou Dobbs, who's been following the immigration story, joins us live with his take. He's got a few thoughts about it.
O'BRIEN: You think?
And then a little bit later, one of Dana Reeve's final projects was a documentary on the connection between your emotions and your health. We'll take a look closer this morning on AMERICAN MORNING.
We continue in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Here's a look at stories making news "In America" this morning.
Salaried workers at General Motors are bracing for layoffs. Speculation is the pink slips are going to come today. GM has already said it planned to cut 7 percent of its salaried workforce this year. Last year the company offered buyouts to hourly workers.
In Houston, the government is expected to wrap up its case against two former Enron executives today. Right now, testimony is focused on stock sales made by former CEO Jeffrey Skilling. Prosecutors say he had inside information that the company was in serious trouble.
Some residents of a Pinellas Park, Florida, neighborhood are on edge today about bees. This is a giant hive containing some 40,000 bees. Some people living near the hive say they think it could be a lethal number of the insects, but a local beekeeper says not to worry. He'll be there later on this week to take it away.
And a heroic tale for us this morning near Houston. Jim Sherman didn't hesitate when his neighbor's house caught on fire. He ran next door to save the 84-year-old woman, even though he himself is blind. He heard her calls for help over a baby monitor that the pair uses to keep tabs on each other.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
ROBERTS: Isn't that amazing?
O'BRIEN: Look at those pictures, too.
ROBERTS: Incredible.
O'BRIEN: What a great story.
An Afghan man who was threatened with the death penalty for converting to Christianity is now free. His next stop is asylum in one of the Western countries that pleaded his case.
Reporter Tom Coghlan of "The London Independent" joining us by phone from Kabul this morning.
Tom, good morning. What details do you know about his release?
TOM COGHLAN, "THE LONDON INDEPENDENT": Well, Abdul Rahman, the man who -- who has been at the center of this case, was freed last night during the night. He's been taken into the care, we think, of the United Nations, and he has applied for asylum. The U.N. has announced this morning that he's applied for asylum in a number of Western countries.
He -- we don't actually know which country is going to take him, if, indeed, any country is going to take him. He spent many years in Germany, so that's one possibility. But after he was released, of course, there's been a wave of protests across Afghanistan. So it's unclear at the moment what's going to happen to him.
O'BRIEN: When you look at the list of countries that are thinking about taking him, there are some serious concerns, in fact, that what the reaction will be of the people in those countries, right?
COGHLAN: Absolutely. I think that a lot of people are looking back a few months to the -- to those riots that occurred when newspapers in Denmark published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. Now, that caused a very serious backlash across the -- across the Muslim world. Danish embassies were burned in many countries, and there was rioting in Afghanistan which killed 11 people.
Any country that takes on Abdul Rahman does risk, I think, a backlash of some sort. And now we can't predict at this stage how bad that will be, but certainly the government here is very worried that there could be some sort of civil unrest in the coming days. So, it is an issue for any country considering his plea for asylum.
O'BRIEN: It will be interesting to see then where he ends up.
Tom Coghlan for us this morning, joining us by phone from Kabul.
Tom, thank you -- John.
ROBERTS: The fed gets set to make a decision affecting interest rates and your wallet today. We're "Minding Your Business" for you.
And later on, how much do your emotions affect your health? A new documentary aims to answer that question. We'll take a look at it ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
O'BRIEN: You don't hear enough Salt-N-Pepa is what I say.
ROBERTS: No, exactly.
O'BRIEN: You just can't get enough of that.
ROBERTS: You can start every morning with that.
Welcome back, everybody.
ROBERTS: How about these 25-year-old actresses, though? It just makes you want to die, doesn't it?
O'BRIEN: Because you feel old or because they're so cute?
ROBERTS: Because you feel so old.
O'BRIEN: Let's get right to Carol. She's got some of the top stories for us this morning.
Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
Good morning to all of you.
Public transportation in France is at a stop, or at least delayed. No trains. No planes. No subway. Hundreds of thousands of workers and students are protesting a new labor law. They say it would make it easier for employers to fire young workers. We have been seeing mass protests for weeks, but this is one of the few nationwide days of strikes.
In the meantime, protesters in this country are watching today's debate on Capitol Hill. At issue, the immigration bill. In just about three hours, the full Senate will begin debate on a guest worker program. The measure would give nearly 12 million immigrants the chance to work toward becoming citizens.
We're watching the Supreme Court for any developments in a case involving the former driver for Osama bin Laden. Salim Ahmed Hamdan (ph) has been held at Guantanamo for three years. The case involves separation of powers and whether the president has the right to set up military tribunals. It's the first terror case before the Supreme Court since President Bush appointed two new justices.
Police in North Carolina say a mom posing as a dad kidnapped her own children. Shelly White (ph) allegedly took the kids from their father in Arizona two years ago. White (ph) says she never intended to hide her identity, but police say she even had the kids calling her "Daddy." White (ph) was caught this weekend, she has agreed to go back to Arizona to face charges.
To the forecast center now and Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Thanks very much.
O'BRIEN: Look at that. He's like "John." And he's like, "Soledad, too."
All right, Chad.
Andy's back.
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": Hey.
O'BRIEN: And he's "Minding Our Business."
And you're tan.
SERWER: Yes, a little bit. Got some sun.
ROBERTS: Yes. Remember all that rain in Hawaii for the past week?
O'BRIEN: Yes, what's that all about? How did you get tan? A tanning booth?
SERWER: We found the one little -- probably -- found the one little spot in the island where we got some sun. So I had a great time and it's great to be back. Feeling energized here.
Some business news coming up. A new Federal Reserve chairman, but will the song remain the same? And what does that mean for interest rates?
Plus, a Federal Reserve Web site for the Hillary Duff crowd. We'll tell you all about that coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Guess who is back and minding our business?
SERWER: I am.
O'BRIEN: Yeah. We missed you, man.
SERWER: Oh, well it's good to be back.
ROBERTS: The man who let a smile be his umbrella all last week.
SERWER: That's about right.
ROBERTS: With a mouthful of water. SERWER: Yes. Yes, a little bit of rain out there. But some sun in Hawaii, too. So it's great to be back.
O'BRIEN: What are you talking about this morning?
SERWER: It's all about the Federal Reserve this morning. And, you know, this doesn't exactly roll off the tongue yet, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.
O'BRIEN: No.
SERWER: But he is the new fed chief after two decades nearly of Alan Greenspan. This is the first open market committee meeting by Ben Bernanke, yesterday and today. At 2:15 we're expecting an announcement from the fed. And it's likely that we will get another interest rate hike, the 15th since June of 2004, raising the fed funds rate to 4.75.
And the important thing here is that this means that the prime rate that banks use as their benchmark to make loans to consumers and businesses will probably go up to about 7.5 percent. You're probably looking for one more rate hike in May.
And, you know, the economy is like a car. You want to drive down the road nice and fast, but not too fast. You' don't want to overheat because you don't want to have inflation.
Also, a Federal Reserve story, and this is kind of peculiar, I think. It's a Federal Reserve Web site for kids from 11 to 14. And I should say young teens out there.
All kinds of information to inform young people about what the Fed does, including a little quiz at the end. And let me tell you something. I didn't know all of the answers. I've got to be honest with you.
O'BRIEN: You're not going to quiz us, are you?
SERWER: No, I'm not going to do this one.
ROBERTS: I was going to say, most adults probably wouldn't know what the Fed does.
SERWER: Yes, listen to this. "When and by whom was the Federal Reserve founded?" No, it wasn't FDR. That's what -- you know, it was Woodrow Wilson in 1913.
"Does the Federal Reserve print money?"
ROBERTS: No.
SERWER: No. It doesn't. We knew that one. And so on.
But it's actually pretty interesting, and you should send your kids there. They might last for about five or 10 seconds, I think, right? O'BRIEN: Not mine, but generally yes. I can't imagine that's an interesting Web site for kids, but good for research, right?
SERWER: We'll see what the traffic is like, right?
O'BRIEN: Yes. All right. Andy, thanks.
SERWER: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Welcome back. Nice to have you back.
With the immigration debate heating up, the U.S. might look to the Netherlands for guidance. Or maybe not.
A government-produced videotape is mandatory viewing, believe it or not, for all would-be Dutch immigrants, and it shows the country, kind of warts and all. And as Jeanne Moos tells us, not everybody is ready to go Dutch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Who needs a fence to keep out immigrants? Just do what the Dutch did ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I arrived here, it was incredibly cold.
MOOS: ... and make a video...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought, my goodness, they really are white.
MOOS: ... a video that's required viewing for would-be immigrants.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not exactly hi there, welcome, come in, sit down, you know?
MOOS: Previous immigrants do a lot of the talking in the Dutch government's DVD called "To The Netherlands."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd stay in my own country, really.
MOOS: No mistaking this for a Dutch tourism video.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Public transport runs on a strict timetable and doesn't usually wait for passengers who are late. And there are traffic jams, a lot of traffic jams.
MOOS: When we showed the Dutch tape to Americans...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): People don't make a fuss about nudity.
MOOS: No one seemed dying to move to Holland, until the topless shot appeared, which we had to blur. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, maybe I will go there.
MOOS: But then there was this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): It is against the law to discriminate against either men or women because they're homosexual.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe I'm not going there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not going there.
MOOS (voice-over): I think they're saying if that kind of thing bothers you, then maybe The Netherlands isn't for you. Is The Netherlands not for you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not for me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes that kind of turned me over and made me almost want to hurl.
MOOS: Oh, really?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MOOS (voice-over): A spokesperson for the Dutch Immigration Minister says "it's necessary for people to know that this is a free country and this is what they can expect." The DVD shows public housing, the type poor people might end up in. Sort of makes you think twice about going Dutch.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): Dutch is a very difficult language for foreigners. And you may well have to be content with the job below your capacity. Good luck.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good luck?
MOOS (on camera): You know, a required viewing DVD for immigrants like the Dutch did, that could work for New York too, imagine.
(voice-over): If you move to New York, you can expect to encounter wildlife in the subway and in your kitchen. New Yorkers aren't always cheerful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go to the yellow line, yellow, yellow, all the way down.
MOOS: And they tend to speak in a strange dialect.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You (BLEEP), in the media these are all (BLEEP).
MOOS: But take a deep breath, or maybe not that deep. And don't be surprised if you see a cowboy in his undies.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the naked cowboy. MOOS: Sort of makes topless sunbathing seem tame.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Whoa.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Jeanne's piece first aired on Monday night on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." You can catch Paula every weeknight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
As we approach the top of the hour, let's check on the forecast with Chad Myers at the CNN Center.
Hey, Chad. Good morning.
MYERS: Jeanne has such a great sense of humor, doesn't she? Man, she makes my day sometimes.
And good morning, Soledad.
Good morning, everybody.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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