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American Morning
Terror Information Find; War on the Hill; Separation Surgery
Aired June 15, 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 to you, Thursday, June 15. Welcome. I'm Miles O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Here's a look at what's happening this morning.
More than 10,000 coalition troops have fanned out across four key provinces in southern Afghanistan. It's all part of Operation Mountain Thrust. The troops are trying to root out Taliban fighters.
Meanwhile, at least 10 people are dead this morning in a bus bombing in the Afghan city of Kandahar. Fifteen other people were wounded. The bus was carrying laborers and translators to a U.S. base.
In northern Sri Lanka, a landmine attack on a bus killing more than 60. Authorities blaming Tamil Tiger rebels. Sri Lanka's air force launching airstrikes on the rebels in response.
Overnight in Istanbul, Turkey, at least four were hurt when a small bomb went off inside a trash container. Police think Kurdish militants are to blame.
S. O'BRIEN: At the Pentagon today, a groundbreaking ceremony for a 9/11 memorial. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will be on hand for the event.
And 150 National Guard troops arrive at the Arizona-Mexico border today. It's all part of the president's plan to free up immigration agents for border control issues.
M. O'BRIEN: In eastern Arizona, firefighters battling a huge wildfire. Right now the 6,200-acre fire is about a half-a-mile away from the closest home in Heber. Firefighters say it is 60 percent contained.
Also in Arizona, Flagstaff, another wildfire forcing authorities to evacuate about 100 homes there. So far that fire has burned all of 150 acres.
Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the forecast for Arizona and elsewhere.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning, -- Chad. MYERS: More fires for Arizona today.
Good morning, Miles.
Yes, we're in extreme fire danger out there. Hasn't rained in a really long time. And there's going to be dry thunderstorms. Thunderstorms that try to make rain but the air is so dry, by the time the rain makes it to the ground, it's evaporated. But what does make it to the ground, the lightning strike, because it doesn't evaporate on the way down.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thank you.
Security forces now say they have information that could be the beginning of the end of al Qaeda in Iraq. It comes from documents and computer records that were recovered after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed last week.
CNN's John Vause is live for us in Baghdad this morning.
John, good morning.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
This information was found on a thumb stick, essentially a tiny hard drive on Zarqawi's computer at his safe house. A short time ago here in Baghdad, Iraq's national security adviser said that information is now crucial in the fight against al Qaeda in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOWAFFAQ AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We have managed to confiscate a very important document. These documents belongs to al Qaeda in Iraq and the insurgents and terrorists working inside Iraq. We believe that this is the beginning of the end of al Qaeda in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So how does he know this is the beginning of the end? Well according to the information on this thumb stick, Zarqawi and al Qaeda in Iraq describe the current situation in Iraq as -- quote -- "bleak." And the best way out of the current entanglement, according to these documents, is to involve the U.S. in another war. The preferred option here, according to this information, is a war with Iran.
To do this, al Qaeda's steps has a number of steps. It includes threatening messages attributed to Shi'a Iranians. Also, carrying out attacks to stage evidence so it looks like Iran was responsible. Leak information that Iran has ties with terrorist groups and was in possession of weapons of mass destruction. And also that Iran is attempting to carry out terrorist operations, not only in America, but also against other Western targets. The reasons for the bleak situation, according to these documents released just a short time ago, according to this thumb stick, the reasons for the situation, because of the steady increase in the number of Iraqi security forces which, according to this document, provide a steady -- provide a shield for U.S. troops. Massive arrest operations, timing of financial outlets, confiscating of weapons and ammunition. Also, the media campaign has weakened the influence of the resistance, presenting it as "harmful rather than beneficial." That is a quote.
Not all the information has been released from this hard drive. We've been told by the national security adviser that the information will be released in the near future -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: In addition to releasing it in the near future, is there also information that helps track down specific individuals, John? I mean, did they -- are they going to be led to more al Qaeda in Iraq operatives?
VAUSE: Well, the information which we had today a short time ago, five pages, very detailed, nothing specific about individuals. But it did outline this assessment of the current situation in Iraq for al Qaeda was not going well and that these are the options that were spelled out, also options to involve the Americans in a war with the Shi'a Iraqis in this country and also try and promote a secular war as well. And also to provide -- to try and promote a wider war with other Arab Gulf states, that kind of thing, but nothing specific about any individuals in the information so far.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, what fascinating information.
John Vause for us in Baghdad.
John, thanks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: In Washington today, Republican lawmakers trying to paint Democrats into a political corner over the war in Iraq. The House to debate a resolution linking the war in Iraq to the war on terror and rejecting any timetable for a withdrawal of U.S. troops. It is a symbolic measure with a strong political undercurrent as the midterm election approaches.
Congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. NEIL ABERCROMBIE (D), HAWAII: Our hands are tied, literally, on the floor of the people's House.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a yellow cord wrapped around his wrists, Democrat Neil Abercrombie played to the cameras and vented at House Republicans.
ABERCROMBIE: Do not put us through the farce and the fraud of a pseudo debate going nowhere, ending nowhere. KOPPEL: Abercrombie and other House Democrats are objecting to this, a Republican resolution tying Iraq to the war on terror and declaring it's not in U.S. interest to "set an arbitrary date for withdrawal or redeployment" of U.S. troops in Iraq.
REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), CALIFORNIA: I think it's an appropriate time to send a message of thanks to our troops and not some vague statement about how we support them as has come from the other sides.
KOPPEL: But Democrats are split on Iraq, and many fear a vote against the resolution will be used by Republicans to portray them as not supporting U.S. troops and as soft on terrorists.
REP. MARTY MEEHAN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: They got together with their political spin misers and drafted a resolution designed more for politics than it is for a substantive discussion about our policy in Iraq.
KOPPEL: This memo from Majority Leader John Boehner encourages Republicans to use today's debate to hammer away at the "clear choice between Republicans dedicated to victory, versus Democrats without a coherent national security policy."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: That was congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel reporting.
A similar debate on the other side of the Capitol today, Senator John Kerry pushing an amendment calling for U.S. combat forces to pull out of the war zone by the end of this year.
Also on Capitol Hill, the Senate expected to green light $65 billion to pay for the U.S. occupation of Iraq. That's part of a larger spending bill which includes money for hurricane relief and Bird Flu preparedness. President Bush could sign the bill as early as tomorrow.
And another congressional fight brewing over that lawmaker caught with $90,000 in bribe money in his freezer. This debate pits Democrats against Democrats. The question, whether to remove Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson from the influential Ways and Means Committee. Jefferson refusing to step down voluntarily. The bribery investigation into him continues. He remains unindicted -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Happening in America this morning.
A terrible fire in southeastern Massachusetts left four people dead, more than a dozen injured. It happened in a community center in Fall River as people were getting ready for a religious celebration. Witnesses say the fire broke out when the candle accidentally ignited a ceremonial paper tree.
A busy ferry dock on the Seattle waterfront has reopened. A bomb scare forced an evacuation during rush hour last night after a man drove past the ticket booth and right onto a ferry without stopping. A bomb-sniffing dog later detected something in the man's SUV and police say they found fireworks.
Federal authorities arrested 55 illegal immigrants on Wednesday at Dulles Airport in Virginia. The raid took place as buses carrying the workers to a construction site stopped at a security checkpoint. Authorities say the arrests are part of a government effort to root out undocumented workers at sites that could be targeted by terrorists.
A fugitive charged with kidnapping his daughter 10 years ago in Arizona is now in federal custody in Virginia. Fifty-seven-year-old Danny Arthur Moran was arrested in Roanoke on Sunday. The FBI says Moran abducted his 2-year-old daughter outside of his -- her mother's home back in 1996. And according to court documents, the little girl has not been found.
In Montclair, California, take a look at this, a homeowner went digging for gold in his front yard. That's a pretty sight. He is now digging with a 60-foot hole. His name is Henry Mora. He says, hey, he broke out the shovel after his gold detector posted a positive hit. Safety officials now trying to figure out how you shore up the home and the ditch and fill it in. It's not going to be easy, though.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF TROY AMENT, MONTCLAIR FIRE DEPARTMENT: Twenty-four-foot extension ladder that went down to a ledge that they created when they dug. The workers would climb to that ledge where they would hook onto a rope and then they were lowered from that point down. And then buckets were lowered to them with a makeshift pulley system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, no, Miles, to answer your question, no, they did not find any gold. And there's the rub, as they say. Mr. Mora says he only meant to dig down three or four feet, but that little detector kept going off and he kept digging.
M. O'BRIEN: Man!
S. O'BRIEN: My goodness!
M. O'BRIEN: There's gold in them there holes.
S. O'BRIEN: Apparently not.
M. O'BRIEN: Apparently not.
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, an update on the surgery to separate those conjoined twins. The complex procedure expected to last 24 hours. We'll let you know how these little girls are doing this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Then, the Taliban spring offensive prompts a massive response, but can the U.S. regain control of parts of Afghanistan? We're embedded on the front lines for you.
S. O'BRIEN: And lawmakers disclose their personal financial records. We'll tell you how much some of your elected officials are worth. Dying to know that.
Plus, Carrie Lee with some business headlines for us.
Hey, -- Carrie.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to both of you.
A Dow rebound, finally, some might say. The industrials adding over 100 points at the close yesterday. Will the gains hold into today's session? We'll have that story and more coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Happening this morning.
More than 10,000 coalition forces are fanning out across southern Afghanistan. Troops are trying to root out Taliban fighters as part of Operation Mountain Thrust.
Congress today debates a resolution linking the war in Iraq to the war on terror. The resolution would reject a firm date for troops to come home, declaring it against U.S. interest.
And at the Pentagon today, a groundbreaking ceremony for the building's 9/11 memorial. One hundred and eight-four people were killed in that attack at the Pentagon -- Miles.
A long day and night for doctors in Los Angeles who separated 10- month-old conjoined twins connected from the chest to the pelvis. A 24-hour surgery at least, right, Carol Costello? It's amazing really what...
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well they say it lasted 12- and-a-half hours, but it's not over yet.
M. O'BRIEN: It's not over.
COSTELLO: So it's going to go on again today,...
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... because they have to reconstruct the chest walls of these girls. But imagine the scene in there. It was intense in that operating room. A team of 80 doctors surrounding these tiny girls in a perpetual hug.
Regina and Renata Salinas Fierros were born connected from the lower chest to the pelvis. At 6:00 a.m., the twins were rolled into surgery. At 9:00 a.m., doctors started on the breast bone and then they moved toward dividing the liver, the bladder and the genitalia.
Now keep in mind these girls were born with separate heads, neck, shoulders, hearts, lungs, arms and legs. Everything else they share. The biggest hurdle, the large intestine, how to split it up. Well doctors figured it out. The girls share the large intestine. Some got part of it. Some got the other.
And the director of surgery, Dr. Henri Ford, is elated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. HENRI FORD, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES: It is an absolutely priceless feeling. It's extremely rewarding. So we're excited. The girls are doing exceptionally well. I mean they have tolerated the operation without any problem there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: They're so cute. The parents, as you might expect, are absolutely exhausted. They are from Mexico. They were visiting relatives in California when they found out that the twins were conjoined. They decided to have their babies in the United States because they could get better medical care. Children's Hospital of Los Angeles offered to perform the surgery. The state of California is footing the bill. And as I said, the surgery -- more surgery will happen today.
M. O'BRIEN: So they're not done?
COSTELLO: Not done yet, because you know they separated them at the chest.
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
COSTELLO: So they have to you know repair the chest walls of both girls and then make it look nice for them as well.
M. O'BRIEN: Right. I'm sure there's a lot of subsequent surgeries for all of that, too, as well.
COSTELLO: Yes. It's far from over.
M. O'BRIEN: And they share a lot of vital organs, so there's so many complications which come along with all this.
COSTELLO: Well they didn't share a heart, so that's the most important thing.
M. O'BRIEN: That's the good one.
COSTELLO: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: That would be a key thing. All right.
Thank you very much, Carol.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get a check of the forecast now with Chad. He's at the CNN Center.
Hey, Chad, good morning.
MYERS: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thank you.
MYERS: You bet.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, President Bush sticks his foot in his mouth while poking fun at a reporter at that news conference yesterday. Made a perfect "Daily Show" moment. If you didn't stay up late, we've got it for you.
And then from the hapless robber caught on tape department, a woman losers her shirt at a convenience store robbery attempt. Wait until you see how she got it back, though. Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at some of the most popular stories on CNN.com this morning.
Search crews are looking for villagers who have been trapped by Mount Merapi. The Indonesian volcano erupted on Wednesday, sending gas and ash down on the nearby villages. The eruption came right after officials dropped the threat level and that led many people to go back to their homes.
Mary Winkler is back in court on June 30. She pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to the murder of her preacher husband. Matthew Winkler was found shot to death back in March in his home in Tennessee.
Federal government says the airlines owe them more than $14 million. You know that extra security fee that you pay every time you fly, well that's supposed to pay for the Transportation Security Administration. But homeland security's inspector general says the airlines are holding on to some of it -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Lawmakers in the House passed themselves a raise yesterday. They now earn $168,500 a year. Some counting on it, some not. Check out their newly-released financial statements.
Senator -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, from the great state of net worth here, $35 million. He made $5 million in a blind trust last year.
Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy earned up to $5 million from family trusts. Money from two books that he did and a radio show goes to charity.
Among House Democratic leaders, Nancy Pelosi with assets of a vineyard worth $25 million.
Not everyone in Congress so wealthy, though. Republican Congressman Peter King from New York collected less than $1,00 in bank interest. He does get that salary of course.
Some Democratic -- for Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York, also, he says he has no investments worth more than $50,000 and he drives a 5-year-old Taurus. Not sure how much it's worth.
They might want to follow the example of Republican Congressman John Boehner, however. He won $27,000 playing the slots at a highway rest stop. And there's -- that's an investment plan for you.
S. O'BRIEN: Wow, that is.
M. O'BRIEN: And would Carrie Lee recommend that one? I don't know. Stocks are rebounding, though, this morning, so maybe we don't have to play the slots anymore. Maybe it's time to get back in the market, right?
LEE: And did he pay taxes on that money, probably, time for reporting it, right?
S. O'BRIEN: I'm sure he did.
M. O'BRIEN: I think he probably -- yes. He is now for sure.
LEE: Keep it clean.
Well, finally a rebound on the Dow, up over 100 points at the close yesterday. Small gains, though, considering what we've lost over the past 14 days. The Dow down over 540 points. But here's a quick recap on yesterday and it's looking like some green arrows once again for the markets this Thursday morning.
Now the rebound yesterday came in the wake of a report on consumer prices. They came in as expected, take out food and energy, a little bit higher. Also in that report shows that inflation at the consumer level in May grew at an annual rate of 2.4 percent. The fed had said previously it would like to keep inflation below 2 percent.
Also separately, a report from the Fed showing that the economy is slowing. Businesses just like some consumers having to grapple with higher energy costs, raw material costs.
So what does this all mean for Wall Street? Why did we see the gains? Well the markets are liking some clarity here. The thinking now that the Fed will raise rates at least one more time for the month of June later this month and then we could possibly see another rate hike in August. But it's really that clarity that Wall Street seems to be liking.
Finally, "The New York Times" reporting that insurance giant AIG had some computer equipment stolen from one of its offices in the Midwest, 930,000 people had some data on this computer equipment, including Social Security numbers, some other things. They don't think that the burglar took this for that personal information because a camera and other things were stolen. Is -- the information is password protected. But still, just the latest in the theft stories like this that we've been reporting.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, sounds like the Veterans Affairs deal where they took a laptop...
LEE: Exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: ... not really knowing what they got. Likely it got bulk erased. Let's hope that's what happened.
LEE: Yes, and it's just -- it's funny that -- well not funny, but scary, really, that there can be so much information in one little place now these days.
M. O'BRIEN: One little memory stick because you know it...
LEE: Exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: ... can have a lot of information.
All right, -- Carrie.
LEE: But that's the latest from the times.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, see you.
LEE: OK.
M. O'BRIEN: Bye.
S. O'BRIEN: Did you catch this, the press conference yesterday President Bush had? Remember we kind of did an extended version of AMERICAN MORNING.
LEE: Watched it.
S. O'BRIEN: And you know President Bush loves to have his little fun at reporters' expenses sometimes, kind of picking on what they're wearing or you know how they're looking that day.
No big surprise when he poked fun at one particular reporter during the news conference in the Rose Garden. Kind of misfired, though, on this one. And Jon Stewart took him to task for it last night on "The Daily Show."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART": Of course it's no secret it's been a bad few months for the White House, but this week has been a bit of a turnaround. Any change in the president's demeanor?
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Roger.
ROGER: Thank you, -- sir.
BUSH: Roger, -- Roger.
ROGER: Thank you, -- sir.
BUSH: Gregory, fine looking scarf -- not scarf. What do you call that thing?
Are you going to ask that question with shades on?
PETER WALLSTEN, "L.A. TIMES": I can take them off.
BUSH: No, I'm interested in the shade look, seriously.
Jake Tapper. Yes. Filling in, huh? That's not a bad question for a substitute guy.
STEWART: There we go. He's the commander in hilarious. Patronizing funny to himself, making the press corps laugh uncomfortably.
And speaking of uncomfortable, let's take another look at that witty exchange about the shades.
BUSH: Are you going to ask that question with shades on?
WALLSTEN: I can take them off.
BUSH: No, I'm interested in the shade look, seriously.
WALLSTEN: All right, I'll keep it then.
BUSH: For the viewers, there's no sun.
WALLSTEN: I guess it depends on your perspective.
BUSH: OK.
STEWART: Turns out that was some hilarious repartee with an "L.A. Times" reporter named Peter Wallsten whose degenerative eye disorder renders him legally blind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, he's not joking there. Later, the president called Wallsten to say that he was sorry, that he didn't realize that he had the condition. Wallsten said no need to apologize and that in fact his only complaint was that the president didn't actually answer his question.
M. O'BRIEN: He said you know I don't mind being needled, but maybe the needle should be a different needle next time.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. This morning's top stories are straight ahead, including security forces say they now have information that could put an end to al Qaeda in Iraq. We'll have more on that. Could be quite a revelation there.
And a deadly explosion in Afghanistan. A bomb targeting a bus on its way to an American base. That story is ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning.
More than 10,000 U.S.-led troops are fanned out across four key provinces in southern Afghanistan, all part of what is being called Operation Mountain Thrust. Troops trying to root out Taliban fighters.
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