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American Morning
Missing Soldiers; Target: NYC Subway; Missile Test Warning; Anti-Insurgent Drive
Aired June 19, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Always good to be here.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you.
New developments to tell you about in the search for those two American soldiers who are missing in Iraq. The Navy and the Air Force are joining ground troops searching in the so-called Triangle of Death. Insurgents attacked a soldiers checkpoint on Friday. One soldier was killed. Witnesses say the other two were captured. The military, though, is only saying that they are missing.
Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr live for us this morning.
Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Well, some new details but not the answer that the families of these two men want. It still is the case that they are missing. They are listed as duty status unknown. No one knows where they are. But the search, the desperate search, now on for Private First Class Kristian Menchaca of Houston, and Private First Class Thomas Tucker of Oregon. Both young soldiers. Members of the 101st Airborne Division. Just a little while ago Major General Bill Caldwell, the spokesman in Baghdad, made a statement to cameras about the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: We are using all available assets, coalition and Iraqi, to find our soldiers and we'll not stop looking until we find them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: Not stop looking is an understatement to say the least. The very urgent hunt is on beyond the small town of Yusufiya, south of Baghdad, Friday night, when these two soldiers went missing after another soldier along with them came under fire fight. That soldier killed. These two missing soldiers. Iraqi citizens reporting seeing them taken away alive. That has now led to this urgent search for them.
General Caldwell and the coalition in Baghdad, Soledad, offering a couple of details that indicate just how urgent all of this is. They have conducted a number of operations since Friday night when this happened. Seven U.S. troops now wounded in a variety of search and firefight operations.
They are working off 63 tips that they have received. They have conducted 12 cordon and search operations. That, of course, meaning that they have gone into some areas, at least 12 villages, based on tips, looking urgently for these men. And there have even been eight air assault operations -- that's troops going in by helicopter, of course -- all across this area. Now the hunt goes on for these two men.
Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon. The military looking urgently and the family members, of course, waiting desperately as well.
Later this morning, former prisoner of war, Shoshana Johnson, is going to be our guest. We're going to talk to her about what it was like to be held captive for 22 days. That was back in 2003.
John.
ROBERTS: A CNN "Security Watch" now. "Time" magazine hits the newsstand today with excerpts from a new book that claims al Qaeda planned to release poison gas inside the New York City subway system. CNN's Deborah Feyerick is live in a Manhattan subway stop right now.
Good morning, Deborah. What have you got for us?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.
Well, the FBI's top guy in New York at the time tells CNN that they were never able to really confirm whether the alleged terror suspects had made it into the United States or were actually in New York. Still, while all this was going on, it was a threat that they took very, very seriously.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK, (voice over): In 2003, two years after 9/11, al Qaeda was reportedly within weeks of carrying out a cyanide gas attack in New York City's subways. Details of the 2003 plot are revealed in a new book, "The One Percent Doctrine" by journalist Run Suskind. According to excerpts in this week's "Time" magazine, al Qaeda planned to use devices, including mason jars, to release deadly hydrogen cyanide gas on subway trains. Suskind says "there would be several placed in subway cars and other strategic locations and activated remotely. This was well past conception and early planning. The group was operation. They were 45 days from zero hour."
CNN Security Analyst John McLaughlin is a former acting chief of the CIA. He says the subway plot was taken very seriously, but says the book overstates the gravity of the terror threat.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: This was important, but it wasn't the center of our universe at this point. When you saw heightened security alerts, they were as a result of a variety of threats, a variety of reports. This was just one of many. This was -- what you she in this excerpt are a few frames from a much larger and more complex movie.
FEYERICK: The subway attack was called off allegedly by Osama bin Laden's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri. That prompted fears another 9/11 style attack might be in the works.
MCLAUGHLIN: As important as such an attack would have been, it wouldn't have been the spectacular kind of attack that I think al Qaeda is looking for.
FEYERICK: Subways have been terror targets before. In 1995, 12 people died in the Tokyo subway after a sarin nerve gas attack by members of a doomsday cult. Conventional explosives were used in deadly train attacks in Madrid in 2004.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please, for your safety, please stop moving down.
FEYERICK: And last year in London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FEYERICK: Now there's a lot of intelligence out there, a lot of officials talking at the time as to why this attack didn't take place. And the former New York FBI director tells CNN that it's likely al Qaeda simply couldn't pull it off with the desired bang. You have to keep in mind that when al Qaeda strikes their main goals are to create financial, economic and even transportation devastation. And also to kill as many people as possible. And so the talk amongst intelligence officials was perhaps they had not mastered the technology and, as a matter of fact, they point to the London bombs just recently as an example as them going back using this sort of old form, regular bomb devices.
John.
ROBERTS: Deborah Feyerick at the Columbus Circle subway station. Deborah, thanks very much.
Pat D'Amuro was assistant director of the FBI in New York in 2003 when this alleged plot first came to light and he's going to join us in our next hour of AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: North Korea is being warned this morning about the consequences of a possible long range missile test. The missile could reach as far as U.S. soil. CNN's Kathleen Koch live at the White House for us this morning.
Kathleen, good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. And there is concern here at the White House because unlike past possibilities that North Korea might be working on some sort of missile launch, in this case there is some actual evidence in the form of satellite images. They show that preparations for long-range missile launch from North Korea are accelerating. The White House, again, very concerned, watching this very carefully, because such a missile could reach not only Alaska, but parts of Asia and Russia. So the White House is calling on North Korea to stand by its prior commitment to stop such testing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The North Koreans declared in 1999 a moratorium of missile testing. This was after the 1998 one which led President Clinton to send warships to the area. We certainly hope and expect that the North Korean government would continue to abide by that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Now the possible test comes as the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program have stalled and some U.S. officials believe that this threatened launch could be simply a bluff, a tactic to get attention or to gain leverage in those talks.
Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Let me ask you a question, Kathleen. If the North Koreans say we're not listening and we're going to go ahead with the launch, what's the U.S. going to do?
KOCH: Well, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, Thomas Scheiffer, met with Japan's foreign minister over the weekend to discuss options. Scheiffer said that in his opinion economic sanctions would have to be considered. But White House Press Secretary Tony Snow making the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows would not be that specific. He said right now the U.S. wants to focus on bringing North Korea "back into the international community," rather than take provocative actions.
Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Kathleen Koch is at the White House for us. Kathleen, thank you.
KOCH: You bet.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: John.
ROBERTS: Happening in America this morning.
A first for the episcopal church in the United States. A woman has been named presiding bishop. But some delegates fear the election of Katharine Jefferts Schori could cause a serious divide in the church. She is the first woman to lead any arm of the Anglican Church. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BISHOP KATHARINE SCHORI, EPISCOPAL CHURCH: I believe that God welcomes all to his table. People who agree and people who disagree. And the episcopal church has always been a strong voice for including a variety of theologies, a variety of opinions, and insisting that all of the marginalized are most especially welcome at the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Miles would like the bishop, by the way. She's a pilot. It was just three years ago the Episcopalians ordained their first openly gay bishop.
DNA from a body found in eastern New Orleans will be tested. The body was found under furniture, apparently drowned in the floodwaters after Hurricane Katrina. A 59-year-old man who had been living in the house is missing. His family has searched the house several times without finding him. A cleaning crew, though, found the body on Wednesday.
A pair of homemade airplanes collided in mid air while attempting to land at the big air show in Illinois. One of the pilots was killed. The other was able to land safely. Both small planes were going to be displayed at that show. It went on as planned.
Hundreds of people being evacuated ahead of a quick moving wildfire in northern Arizona. Aircraft being used to dump water and fire retardant on the flames. At least 1,000 acres now destroyed near the town of Sedona, where John McCain lives, by the way.
Today, people in Hartford, Wisconsin, will be picking up the pieces left behind by a tornado. The twister touched down on Sunday and ripped apart buildings and rooftops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I went outside and I saw the tornado right on the corner here. And I ran inside. My door flew open and everything flew and I just plopped myself on the floor. My house shook and everything and it was over like within, I'm going to say not even 30 seconds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I could hear the trees hitting the side of the house. I'm like, oh my God, it's going to hit the house. The house is going to go down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The tornado caused significant damage to about 50 homes and 10 businesses. Amazingly, though, only one person was injured.
Time now for a check of the forecast to see what else is in store for us on this Monday morning. Chad Myers is at the CNN Center with the latest.
Good morning, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, coalition troops on the offensive in Iraq. CNN is on the ground with them as they prepare to take back an insurgent stronghold.
ROBERTS: Also ahead, allegations of sexual discrimination at a Wisconsin college. A professor says that she was penalized because she was pregnant.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And a new round of side impact crash tests to tell you about. We're going to tell you which car is the best bet for your family's safety. Those stories all ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Happening this morning.
Delta Airlines will go to bankruptcy court later today, trying to terminate its pilots' pension plans. Delta's CEO says the airline will not be able to go through restructure otherwise.
In just a few hours President Bush is going to deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in New York state. He's the first sitting president to do so since the academy was dedicated back in 1943.
U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan are going after the Taliban in a major offensive. Ten thousand troops are cutting off supply routes and closing in on Taliban fighters in the mountains of southern Afghanistan. About 90 suspected militants have been killed over the last few days. It's the largest offensive since the invasion back in 2001.
ROBERTS: The prosecution rested its case this morning in the trial against Saddam Hussein. Prosecutors have asked for the death penalty. The eight-month-old trial resumes on July 10th when the defense will start its closing arguments.
Also in Baghdad, a car bombing has killed at least four people. Iraqi police say an Army patrol was the apparent target. Nearly a dozen people were wounded in that attack.
U.S. and Iraqi troops pushed into eastern Ramadi today. They are part of a force that is trying to take back control of that city from insurgents.
Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is embedded with the unit of the 1st Armored Division and joins us live via broadband from Ramadi.
Nic, good morning to you.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Well, the operation got underway just after dusk last night. It took a long time to get to where we are now. The reason for that, insurgents had placed at least 10 roadside bombs, IEDs, in the road from the base leading to this location. It is only about two miles away, but insurgents had placed about 10 roadside bombs. The troops managed to defuse those, deal with those, move into the area.
They're setting up combat observation posts. This is the furthest they've reached into this area of the city with permanent bases. It's intended to defeat the insurgency as part of an ongoing operation. The day before they moved into another sector of the city, essentially sealing off the town of Ramadi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON, (voice over): A 500-pound bomb slams into barricades on a strategic bridge marking the beginning of an attack designed to stop insurgents getting in and out of Ramadi. In the hours that followed just after sunset, hundreds of U.S. and Iraqi troops in armor pour over the rail bridge to the southern outskirts of the city, penetrating areas controlled by insurgents and completing, officers say, the isolation or strategic encirclement of Ramadi.
CAPT. MIKE MCLUSKER, U.S. ARMY: Terrorists have had what we would could call freedom of maneuver or freedom of movement. And they have gone uncontested for awhile. So I would say that they're used to being able to operate freely in the area that we're moving to.
They are going to go up across this canal and establish a patrol base.
ROBERTSON: It's a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation. Although the U.S. provides most of the fire power and logistics, the plan uses U.S. strength to get Iraqi security forces into parts of Ramadi, off limits to them until now.
COL. SEAN MACFARLAND, U.S. ARMY: One piece at a time, going to take back parts of Ramadi that the insurgents have been able to gain the upper hand.
ROBERTSON: MacFarland and other commanders have been keen to play down the size of the attack, possibility concerned about sparking panic among city residents. Hundreds of whom they say have recently left the city of 400,000. For soldiers on the leading edge of the attack, there was no doubt about the scale of what they were getting into.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was the first part of the big one, you know, first part of going in. So I guess we're all a little nervous, excited, scared. I think it will work out for the best, though.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a big day, so make sure this is the one that we get everything right and bring all our guys back.
ROBERTSON: CNN wasn't taken along for the actual attack, but sleeping soldiers the next morning spoke volumes for the intensity of their overnight effort and lack of immediate insurgent response. But, among commanders, little doubt insurgents will strike back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My concern is the first thing they'll bring on us is sniper fire. And then they're going to probe us to gauge our reaction.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: And that's all we've been seeing here on this operation this morning, John. There's a very keen and alert force that is beyond the area I am at now, looking for suicide bombers trying to get into this area, looking for people who would fire rocket-propelled grenades. There's a real concern that the insurgents are biding their time here, watching how this new security is unfolding before they strike back.
John.
ROBERTS: Nic, what's going to happen in the long-term here after this attack is over? Are they going to leave Iraqi forces in place to maintain security in Ramadi or are they all just going to leave?
ROBERTSON: No, Iraqi -- the Iraqi army will be co-positioned, co-located with U.S. troops who remain with the Iraqi army until they feel that they are up to strength and can handle the security of those areas. Then ultimately what's supposed to happen is the Iraqi army will hand off to a local Iraqi police force.
There have been a lot of complaints in Iraqi that the Iraqi army that's coming to this area of Iraq is Shia from a different area. They don't like the Shias in the Sunni areas of Iraq, typically. But if once they get an Iraqi police force in recruited from Ramadi to police the streets of Ramadi, that is hope that is will ease people's concerns and give the security to the people here want in the city.
John.
ROBERTS: All right Nic Robertson live for us via broadband technology from Ramadi today. Nic, stay safe, as always. Thanks very much.
Soledad.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: So you might be sick and tired of high gas prices at the gas pump, but some oil companies executives say, no, no, no, you're getting a bargain actually. Andy's got that spin just ahead as he "Minds Your Business."
Plus, a college professor speaks out. Find out why she thinks her bosses discriminated against her. That's ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: New crash test ratings are out this morning. Oh, that's always hard to watch, isn't it? A big car, believe it or not, does not automatically equal big safety. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested side impact response in eight different models. Top marks went to the redesigned Chevy Impala and the Toyota Avalon. Both models come with standard side air bags. The Buick Lucerne and the Hyundai Azera earned, also with standard side airbags, earned an acceptable rating. And the lowest scores go to the Chrysler 300, the Ford Five Hundred and the Ford Crown Victoria. All three were tested without the optional side air bags.
ROBERTS: I think the message there is, don't make them optional, make them standard.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Exactly.
ROBERTS: Yes.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: I think that that's actually the take-away in all of that.
Oil and gas executives defending high gas prices. Here's part of their argument. Could be worse. Could be in Europe.
ANDY SERWER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, why do I not feel better with that?
SERWER: Yes, we've heard that one before and we use the relative argument for gas price, it doesn't work so well in this country. Oil executives at three of the world's largest oil companies at NBC's "Meet The Press" over the weekend defending their business practices and their profits. Executives from ConocoPhillips, Chevron and Shell, which have a combined tens of billions of dollars of profits in 2005.
Talking about the need for new supply, but also talking about demand and the need to reduce demand in this country. James Mulva, the CEO of ConocoPhillips, saying that prices here aren't so bad, as Soledad suggested. $3 a gallon versus around $5 to $7 a gallon in Europe.
Interesting when he talked about this, though, in terms of our consumption relative to the rest of the world all of a sudden. In the U.S. we have 2 percent of the world's oil supplies, 5 percent of the population, and yet we use about 25 percent of the world's consumed oil. And that is something to think about. We're always probably going to use more oil than other nations because we're more industrialized than other nations. But relatively speaking, you know, experts say we could cut back on consumption by as much as 10 percent probably and not feel it.
ROBERTS: Yes. The oil companies wouldn't like it much, would they?
SERWER: It's interesting to hear an oil executive talking about cutting back.
ROBERTS: Yes, isn't though.
SERWER: What an assumption, right? ROBERTS: Every time we raise this idea of, you know, be thankful you don't live in Denmark or Britain or wherever, people always come back and say, yes, but their taxes are far higher than ours.
SERWER: That's true. And we drive much greater distances. It's a much bigger country. There's that as well.
ROBERTS: Yes. I think the difference between Europe and America is, that in Europe 100 miles is a long way and in America 100 years is a long time.
SERWER: That's right.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Andy.
Coming up, a laptop computer goes missing and now more than 10,000 people may be at risk for identity theft. We'll tell you who's affected.
Plus, two U.S. soldiers are missing after an attack on a checkpoint in Iraq. We'll go live to Baghdad and get the latest on the search for them a head on AMERICAN MORNING.
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