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American Morning
War on the Hill; Fighting the Taliban; Topless Bandit
Aired June 15, 2006 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening this morning, more than 10,000 U.S.-led troops have 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.
Meanwhile, at least 10 people were killed this morning in a bus bombing in the Afghan city of Kandahar. The bus carrying workers to a U.S. base.
And 150 Arizona National Guard troops will arrive at the border with Mexico, part of the president's plan to free up immigration agents for border control issues.
Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Security forces say they now have information that could be the beginning of the end of Al Qaeda in Iraq. They recovered documents and computer records after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed last week. They say the documents show where the terrorist leaders and weapons are, their organizational structure, and where their meetings are held. This was announced by Iraq's security minister this morning.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOWAFFAQ AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We've managed to confiscate a very important document. These documents belong 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)
S. O'BRIEN: The Iraqi government also reports that violence is down in Baghdad since thousands of troops hit the streets. Today is the second day of a major security crackdown. Iraqi forces are stopping cars at checkpoints, patrolling the streets, and enforcing a weapons ban and curfew that's been extended. It now runs from 8:30 at night until dawn.
You can expect fireworks in Congress today over the Iraq war. Election year politics certainly working their way into a resolution on the war.
Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash has details for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Center stage on the floor of the House of Representatives, Republicans have a resolution that links Iraq to the broader war on terror and also says it is "not in the national security interest of the United States to set an arbitrary date for a withdrawal of U.S. troops."
Now, this is part of a broader Republican election year strategy to try to turn the tables on Democrats when it comes to the issue of Iraq. They are going to try to force Democrats to take tough votes like this, especially when it comes to issues that divide Democrats, like the question of when U.S. troops should come home from Iraq and on what timetable.
Now, this is a tactic that Republicans used, they think, successfully in the campaign two years ago, but we're going to hear from Democrats on the House floor that they think this debate is nothing more than a sham. What they say Republicans should be spending their time on is oversight over the Republican administration, especially what they call Bush blunders when it comes to the Iraq war.
Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: In Afghanistan, one of the largest military offensives since the U.S. invasion after 9/11 now under way. More than 10,000 U.S.-led coalition forces chasing the Taliban in the southern part of the country. The Taliban had been resurgent of late.
Our Brent Sadler the only reporter on the front lines. This is something you will only see on CNN. He joins us live from Kandahar, embedded with Canadian troops.
Brent, bring us up to date.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
As you say, southern Afghanistan is now the focus of intense military activity to establish security in some of the most lawless parts of Afghanistan. A major U.S.-led ground offensive is now hitting the Taliban hard across the entire area of operations here.
Canadian soldiers at the forefront, as well as U.S. troops also battling the insurgents. Yet, the Taliban, even though they're unlikely armed, are still able to mount casualties against U.S.-led coalition forces, as well as the Afghan army and police.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SADLER (voice over): Canadian combat troops prepare for battle in southern Afghanistan, the sharp end of U.S.-led Operation Mountain Thrust in Kandahar province. Afghan police are not so well-equipped, but they're getting better at killing the Taliban, say the Canadians, learning from each firefight. This combined battle group claims the Taliban is being forced into a corner.
COL. IAN HOPE, COMMANDER, TASK FORCE ORION: I know they're tired. I know they're overwhelmed in this particular area. They still can mount attacks.
SADLER: Afghan police captain Ahmed Masood says villagers are fed up with the insurgent violence and are helping the offensive to succeed by feeding information.
(on camera): Captain, how close are we to the Taliban here?
CAPT. AHMED MASOOD, AFGHAN POLICE: One kilometer. And two kilometers in some places.
SADLER (voice over): But the Taliban know the lay of the land.
MASOOD: Even we have powerful (INAUDIBLE), even we have strong (INAUDIBLE) and airplanes, but they know the area better than us.
SADLER: An advantage, but not one that's going to have much tactical effect on these hunters in pursuit of prey.
(on camera): Operation Mountain Thrust has been hitting the Taliban hard from the air and on the ground. It is a multinational effort. These Canadian troops have been out here for the past few days, sweeping this area of Taliban insurgents.
(voice over): The offensive is now shifting into high gear, calling on some 11,000 American, Canadian, British and Afghan forces.
HOPE: It is a multinational effort, where we'll have pressure on Taliban forces throughout the entirety of the southern region of Afghanistan. Simultaneous activity, which is all focused at disrupting them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SADLER: Now, the Taliban insurgents are still able to mount deadly attacks. A few hours ago, a bus carrying Afghan workers to the Kandahar base here -- this is one of the centers of U.S. helicopter operations -- that bus was bombed. At least 10 Afghans killed and 15 others wounded -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Brent, when al Qaeda was operating in Afghanistan, the Taliban received money from -- from al Qaeda and from Osama bin Laden. What is their funding source right now for weapons?
SADLER: Well, it's just been the end of the opium poppy harvesting season here. Heaps of cash have been gathered, collected over the past several weeks. And there is a deadly cocktail of Taliban insurgents, drug warlords, and criminals, all combining in the business of drugs, weapons, trying to destabilize southern Afghanistan to keep it out of the hands of the distant governing Kabul and to thwart the U.S.-led coalition in these military operations, ahead of a NATO takeover of the military area here in the coming weeks ahead. But Operation Mountain Thrust is going to continue at a high pace, certainly for the next several weeks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Brent, has the coalition had much success targeting these poppy growers and drug dealers there?
SADLER: Well, the U.S. military has been confining its operations to rooting out and killing the Taliban and going after their leaders. And parallel to that, a major U.S. company, Dynacore (ph), has been very much involved in drugs eradication, going after the poppy growers, going after the smugglers. That's an ongoing operation, but there's still a long way to go on that drugs front -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Brent Sadler with a report you'll see only here on CNN.
Thank you very much -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right to the weather. It's 37 minutes past the hour. Chad has an update for us.
Hey, Chad. Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Back to you guys.
M. O'BRIEN: Ah, that cooling effect.
S. O'BRIEN: Ooh.
M. O'BRIEN: Just so much better.
S. O'BRIEN: We can feel it already.
MYERS: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thanks.
Still to come this morning, big fight over public housing in New Orleans. Many residents are going to be shut out of their own homes. We'll tell you what's happening.
M. O'BRIEN: Then the Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, he's kind of a wildcard guy. He's betting on a few crooks and frauds. It may actually help eliminate corporate wrongdoing. We'll explain.
S. O'BRIEN: And...
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, go ahead.
S. O'BRIEN: No, you.
M. O'BRIEN: Really, I insist.
S. O'BRIEN: The Iraq war, as we all know, taking center stage in Washington, D.C., today as Republicans trying to split Democrats on the issue of Iraq troop withdrawal.
Is that strategy going to work? We'll take a look ahead.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Happening "In America" today, a 14-year-old boy in Tucson, Arizona, has a pretty cool story to share with his friends. His name is Cruz Bentley. He says he woke up in his tent Sunday morning and he was just inches away from a young black bear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRUZ BENTLEY, ATTACKED BY BEAR: When I woke up and he was sitting down like that, then he was all (INAUDIBLE) me again. And then he, like, picked up on his four feet.
So I looked up at him and I tried to get up, and then he was gone. Oh, I was bleeding a lot. Like, it hurt for like 10 seconds, and it stopped hurting. I don't know, I think I went into shock.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, you can see where he got a big gash on his head. The bear's long claws did that. He needed four staples, but the boy is expected to be fine.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow.
S. O'BRIEN: Metrorail service in northwest Miami-Dade, Florida, back up and running. A series of explosions and a fire shut down that transit line yesterday. Nobody was hurt. An electric surge or a short circuit they believe may have sparked that fire.
In Kansas, a suspected robber loses her shirt, literally.
Kris Ketz from our affiliate KMBC has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRIS KETZ, REPORTER, KMBC (voice over): One moment a woman is buying a can of soda. The next, she's leaping over the counter and ends up topless as a result.
(on camera): How startled were you? How surprised were you?
OMAR TAKOW, STORE CLERK: I was surprised, but I wasn't waiting for a woman. I was waiting for a man. So that's why things make me a little confused. You know?
KETZ: That's Omar Takow, who works behind the counter of this convenience store along Conn Drive (ph) at Kansas Avenue. And they still have the surveillance pictures from last week of an unknown woman walking into the store around 1:30 in the morning.
She finds a can of soda to buy. She heads for the counter. And then when she jumps for an open cash register. The problem is, Takow grabs her shirt and she leaves. Without it.
Omar has made news before. While this isn't an everyday thing, maybe you remember these pictures from last winter of Omar chasing another would-be robber with a golf club. While he's not thrilled with all the publicity, he's not afraid to stand up for what's right.
TAKOW: Well, they can come and try, but they will see what -- they will get what they deserve.
KETZ (on camera): And she got what she deserved?
TAKOW: Yes, she got what she deserved.
KETZ: She did get away with $3, but Omar got the cash back when the woman returned to get her shirt back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. It's kind of, the plot thickens here. Let's explained what happened.
So the woman comes back to the store and she says, "I've got the $3 I stole. Give me back my shirt." Omar, he's no fool. He gets the money back, he gives back the shirt, she runs off, hops in a car with two other guys, and that's it.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Whatever Omar is making, give him a raise, OK?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: That is -- he is the employee of the year in anybody's book anywhere.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow.
All right. Only four days after she returned from Namibia, Angelina Jolie sat down yesterday with CNN's Anderson Cooper, her first in-depth interview. Angelina talked exclusively with Anderson about her passions of helping refugees around the world, her role as a special U.N. ambassador, and, of course, her new baby, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt.
You can see the whole conversation on a special edition of "ANDERSON COOPER 360." That begins 10:00 Eastern next Tuesday. That is part of CNN's world refugee day coverage.
S. O'BRIEN: The new world order for Angelina Jolie. She's talking refugee relief, baby Shiloh, and Brad last.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, yes.
S. O'BRIEN: New baby.
M. O'BRIEN: Didn't get her plane in there. She's got a plane.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, that, too.
M. O'BRIEN: I wonder if he talked about that. Probably not.
S. O'BRIEN: I don't know.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is dead. So who will fill his shoes? We'll look at some of the candidates.
And this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just got three strikes against us, is that we're poor, we're black, and we live in a project.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: A battle over public housing in New Orleans, why the government says residents can't go back.
Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: A follow-up now on a story we told you about back in April. Families displaced by Hurricane Katrina want to go back to their homes in four public housing projects. Well, now the federal government has decided to tear down those projects.
Jonathan Betz of our affiliate WWL has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN BETZ, REPORTER, WWL (voice over): Week two at a camp outside the St. Bernard development, where its former residents demands (INAUDIBLE).
ROSE GUY, RESIDENT: I don't know nowhere else. This is the only place I ever lived.
BETZ: The U.S. Housing secretary announced they and many other public housing residents won't be returning to their old homes. In a sweeping plan, HUD declared four major housing projects in New Orleans will come down: CJ Peete uptown; the Cooper development in Central City; Lafitte, near Tramay (ph); and St. Bernard in Gentilly.
The four developments will all be bulldozed to make room for mixed-income housing, like the River Garden project that replaced St. Thomas.
ALPHONSO JACKSON, HUD SECRETARY: Our developments have to represent a major step forward, but it also means that, sadly, not all of the residents will be able to return home in the near future.
BETZ: Four other developments will stay open: Iberville, near the French Quarter; Guste, in uptown; Fisher and Hendee Homes, both on the West Bank. They'll be renovated to make room for another 1,000 families by August.
MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: This is huge. Every unit in the city is going to be demolished and redeveloped.
BETZ: The announcement pushes forward a plan launched in the late 1990s which saw the demolition of the Fisher development and other barrack-style public housing to make room for smaller, mixed- income neighborhoods.
SONDLETIA YOUNG, RIVER GARDEN RESIDENT: You don't have to worry about people breaking in, you don't have to worry about no drug- selling. You don't have to worry about lot of things that you would have encountered in public housing.
BETZ: But the old-style developments certainly won't go without a fight. Many former residents feel the city is pushing them out.
STEPHANIE MINGO, IBERVILLE RESIDENT: We just got three strikes against us, is that we're poor, we're black, and we live in a project.
BETZ: In April, protesters stormed St. Bernard, demanding it reopen. And today, residents promised the fight is not over.
NICKCOLE BANKS, HOUSING ADVOCATE: It should be repaired and opened back up because the need is so large.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Well, HUD says they're going to increase the voucher money that they're paying to landlords to help displaced residents pay the higher rents that now exist ever since Hurricane Katrina. But, of course, that's not going to completely shore up the gap there -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: When last we saw Andy Serwer, he was on his way to Rikers Island for a story.
We're glad you're back.
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": I got out -- barely. More on that later, perhaps.
Fannie Mae executives, Miles, have their feet put to the fire. Plus, maverick billionaire Mark Cuban has a new way to catch stock crooks.
We'll tell you about that -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Also ahead -- thank you, by the way, Andy. It's good you're back.
SERWER: Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: President Bush taking a big stand for the environment, creating the world's largest marine sanctuary, 140,000 square miles beneath the deep blue sea. And those seals are happy about it. It gets his seal of approval. You know what I mean?
Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Well, if you're a Fannie Mae executive this morning, what are you having for breakfast? Light, light breakfast, I think.
SERWER: Yes, or your Wheaties, probably, right? Because...
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, maybe you need the Wheaties. Yes. Yes.
SERWER: ... you're going to need some fortitude this morning, Miles.
We're talking about the top two executives from Fannie Mae. Obviously that company under fire. They're going to be appearing before the Senate Banking Committee. All manner of issues to be debated and hashed out. Stephen Ashley and Daniel Mudd, the CEO, will basically have to talk about the $11 billion accounting fraud.
"The Wall Street Journal," by the way, is also reporting this morning the company is going to be doing a major restatement of its all earnings going back too 2001. That's just so many years, so much money. It's unbelievable. This is the nation's second largest financial institution after Citigroup.
M. O'BRIEN: Can you call it a fluke if it goes back that far?
SERWER: A coincidence, perhaps.
M. O'BRIEN: Coincidence, yes, that's it.
SERWER: No, I think not.
M. O'BRIEN: No.
SERWER: Now, speaking of stock frauds, billionaire and Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban -- he's always entertaining, I think that's safe to say -- is going to be backing a new Web site that will investigate stock fraud and wrongdoing. It's called sharesleuth.com.
There's Mark. How are the Mavericks doing? Pretty well, right? Getting ready for that NBA title, perhaps.
It's going to 2-1 (ph), I'm being told. Thank you.
The Web site is found -- it's the idea of a "St. Lewis Post- Dispatch" reporter named Christopher Carey (ph). He came up with the idea.
Cuban saw it and said, bingo, I'm going to give this guy money. There will be reporters from stringers (ph) all over the country, and investors. You know, this company's doing the wrong thing. And Cuban says he will invest based on this Web site.
I think it's potentially a major can of worms here. And they're going to be inundated with reports, some of it garbage, some of it people with agendas. Are they to sort through this stuff? Because...
M. O'BRIEN: Is it a blog that's unfiltered, or will there be some sort of gatekeeper?
SERWER: To be decided.
S. O'BRIEN: And what does doing the right thing mean? Doing the right thing in supporting charities? Doing the right thing in not committing crimes? Doing the wrong thing...
SERWER: Unclear right now. If you go to sharesleuth.com, it says, "We're coming soon."
S. O'BRIEN: Weird. OK.
SERWER: It will be fun. Mark will have fun with it. And we'll have fun watching it.
S. O'BRIEN: Because he made a lot of money on these kinds of ideas. So...
SERWER: That's right.
S. O'BRIEN: All right.
M. O'BRIEN: What you got coming up next?
SERWER: Oh, coming up next we're going to talk about inflation and the stock market and how those two intertwine, and whether we've finally got some relief on Wall Street.
M. O'BRIEN: And later us you'll rejoin (ph) us with Rikers Island.
SERWER: Ah, yes, I will.
S. O'BRIEN: Breaking out.
All right, Andy. Thank you.
SERWER: Thanks. S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a check of the forecast. Chad's got that. He's at the CNN Center.
Hello, Chad.
MYERS: Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
M. O'BRIEN: These captured Al Qaeda in Iraq documents may tell a story that could bring the terror group down. We'll tell you about the computer memory stick that is sticking it to the terrorists.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Carol Costello. A marathon operation and conjoined twins are conjoined no more. The incredible details coming your way.
M. O'BRIEN: Also ahead, Erin Brockovich 90210. The legal crusader takes on an oil drilling operation that towers over Beverly Hills High. And that's not the right picture.
S. O'BRIEN: That's Erin.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIN BROCKOVICH: You have basically an onshore oil platform, and nobody knows it's there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Erin Brockovich. I think she's done.
M. O'BRIEN: There's what towers over Beverly Hills High. We're very sorry about that, folks.
S. O'BRIEN: And can we show you these pictures of the gold digger? Yes. Let's role those -- that tape, can we? Yes, this guy here.
Oh, that's his front yard now. Kind of a mess.
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