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American Morning

Brutal Deaths; Grieving Families; U.S.-European Summit; Missile Defense; Ramadi Push; Hussein Lawyer Killed; Alleged Kidnapper Sought

Aired June 21, 2006 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Grief and outrage from the families of two U.S. soldiers abducted and killed in Iraq. The bodies found on Monday mutilated and booby-trapped. The military now doing DNA tests to positively identify the remains. Ed Lavandera has our report from Houston, Texas, this morning, the hometown of one of those soldiers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Just a year ago, Kristian Menchaca joined an Army infantry unit and within months he was on the front lines in Iraq guarding military checkpoints. The 23- year-old soldier saw his family for the last time in April during a quick vacation. Family members noticed the boy who had joined the Army had become a man.

MARIO VASQUEZ, SOLDIER'S UNCLE: He wanted to defend his country. He was ready. He was a man. They turned him into a man.

LAVANDERA: The details of Army Private First Class Kristian Menchaca and Thomas Tucker's last moments alive are so horrifying, Menchaca's family could not restrain their anger for the killer. But the family says they're certain he fought hard until the end.

MARIO VASQUEZ: He was prepared. He was ready. They trained him well. Yes. And I don't -- if he would have had the chance, I don't think he would have given up so easily. I'm sure he fought.

LAVANDERA: From the moment both soldiers disappeared, Menchaca's brother struggled to imagine what the young soldiers must be battling.

JULIO VASQUEZ, SOLDIER'S BROTHER: I was mentally preparing myself, you know, for bad news, but I never thought that he would actually get kidnapped. One thing is getting killed in action, another thing is getting taken by terrorists and getting tortured every day.

LAVANDERA: In Oregon, supportive neighbors in Thomas Tucker's hometown have put up ribbons and messages for his family.

KENT WRIGHT, PRESIDENT, LOCAL OREGON LION'S CLUB: You kind of hold out that little bit of hope that, you know, something good could come of the situation. And then to hear otherwise, it was quite a letdown.

LAVANDERA: Tucker's parents released a statement saying, they realize he "gained a much larger family through this ordeal than he had when he left home to help free the Iraqi people and protect his country from the threat of terrorism."

Menchaca's family says they're focusing on helping Kristian's mother and young wife cope with the loss.

MARIO VASQUEZ: You pray for tranquility in among yourself and, you know, you have to accept reality.

LAVANDERA: Mario Vasquez says the Army must hunt down the killers.

MARIO VASQUEZ: I think you captured them, make them pay for what they did. You know, don't think that it's just two more soldiers. Don't negotiate anything.

LAVANDERA: Thomas Tucker was a young man who loved to play the piano. Kristian Menchaca had dreams of becoming a border patrol agent. Their families hope you never forget their faces.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: We'll talk more with Mario Vasquez, the uncle the Kristian Menchaca, ahead this morning. He's going to join us in our next hour.

Senate Republicans may be happy to see a debate on Iraq today. That's because Democrats can't quite agree on their own plans for withdrawing troops. One from Senator John Kerry calls for all troops to be withdrawn by July of next year. First, though, the Senate's going to debate a resolution from Michigan Senator Carl Levin calling for an open-ended redeployment. We're going to talk to Senator Levin about his plan. He joins us live at the bottom of the hour.

Meanwhile, 2,100 new troop are getting ready to go into Iraq. Beginning in August, combat soldiers and Marines from Texas, Alaska and Colorado will replace troops who are coming home. There are about 127,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.

And Australia may soon give serious consideration to pulling troops out of Iraq. There are about 1,300 Australian troops there right now working in British-controlled sections of the southern part of that country. The country's defense minister says they're going to review the mission at the end of the year and then decide if it's time to withdraw.

John.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq is not the only issue on the agenda for President Bush's summit with European Union leader this morning. In Vienna, Austria, they're also expected to discuss efforts to get Iran's nuclear ambitions under control. CNN's Elaine Quijano is live in Vienna this morning.

Elaine, what's the president up to today?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, John.

Well, President Bush is expected to shore up support in the European community over how best to deal with Iran. His decision last month to allow the United States to return to direct talk with Iran, along with international partners, was welcomed in European capitals. And the president will continue to make clear that before the United States does that, Iran must suspend its uranium enrichment activities in a way that can be verified. So Iran certainly on the agenda here.

Also up for discussion, global trade, energy and also funding for Iraq's reconstruction efforts. But behind closed door, European leaders are expected to press President Bush on another issue. What to do about the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Europeans want Guantanamo shut down, arguing that holding detainees without charges contradicts American ideals. And President Bush, in recent weeks, has signaled that he wants Guantanamo closed eventually.

So one thing U.S. officials here are saying is that we can expect, in fact, from this summit, in a kind of nod to those European concerns, John, a declaration referencing respect for human rights in fighting the war on terror.

John.

ROBERTS: Elaine, as we have seen repeatedly, just about anywhere the president goes in the world, he's always met by protests of some sort. How's his reception there in Vienna?

QUIJANO: Well, you're absolutely right. A small protests taking place this morning at a train station not to far away from where we are. It was about 300 protesters or so demonstrating as the president's meetings with European leaders have taken place.

Now we are expecting this evening a much larger demonstration, several thousand people expected there, as well as the anti-war activists Cindy Sheehan. She is expected to be there tonight as well and she was also spotted at this morning's protest.

John.

ROBERTS: All right. Elaine Quijano in Vienna, Austria. I'm kind of jealous I'm not there with you. It looks very nice. Thanks very much.

CNN is planning live coverage of the president's remarks this morning. That come your way at 8:30 Eastern Time.

North Korea is another concern for the United States because of its nuclear ambitions. Has been for a long time now. Last week reports of a possible North Korean missile test. That missile has the potential to reach parts of the United States. But the Pentagon says, if that happen, the U.S. is ready to respond. Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr joins us now live.

Good morning, Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, John.

Well, that's absolutely right. The Pentagon says if North Korea launches that missile, there is a defensive shield in place.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR, (voice over): In Okinawa, an Air Force spy plane takes off carrying sensors that can be used to track North Korea's expected launch of its long-range Taepodong-2 missile. Bush administration officials hope international pressure will keep North Korea from conducting a test launch of a missile that could hit the United States.

ALEXANDER VERSHBOW, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA: This missile has a military capability and we view it, therefore, as serious matter, particularly in the context of North Korea's illegal development of nuclear weapons.

STARR: If there is a missile launch, the U.S. military will be able to see how well it's $11 billion missile defense program works. Several elements of a defensive shield are already in place. Early warning satellites will detect the exhaust from a launch within seconds, then upgraded radars in Alaskan's Aleutian Islands and at Beale Air Force Base in Sacramento, California, will begin tracking the missile's path. U.S. Navy ships in the Pacific, with upgraded radars, will also track the Taepodong missile, which has a reported range of about 3,000 miles.

All of this will help the U.S. quickly determine in Pyongyang is using the missile to simulate an attack. The U.S. currently has three aircraft carriers, hundreds of aircraft and other military assets in the Pacific participating in a long planned exercise. The Pentagon has drafted orders for a military response to a North Korean missile launch, but only as a matter of routine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: John, here's the key point. Everyone believes at this point if there is a launch, that it will be a test. That it will be able to be determined very quickly that this missile is not on an attack trajectory or path. But if it were an attack, then the United States military has nine interceptor missiles in Alaska and two in California. They're not quite ready, but could try and use then to shoot down a North Korean missile.

ROBERTS: Barbara, is there any sense there at the Pentagon this morning that this is just a bluff on North Korea's part? North Korean officials have said they're happily put off the missile test if the United States agrees to direct talks.

STARR: Well, you know, it may be a bit of a bluff on both parts. The North Koreans are, obviously, making moves in that direction to say they might back off. And the Pentagon and the military, for its part, is saying, if you launch it and we think it's an attack, we have everything in place. Not that they're going to shoot it down, though. There's really no indication that the U.S. plans any military action. President Bush has actually been fairly firm on this subject, saying that he believes diplomatic action still is the way to go with North Korea.

John.

ROBERTS: All right. We'll keep watching it. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon this morning. Barbara, thanks. Good to see you again.

STARR: Sure.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: U.S. troops are surprised and encouraged by the peaceful location reaction to their push into Ramadi. Ramadi is a Sunni stronghold and they usually meet fierce insurgent resistance there. CNN's Nic Robertson live for us in Ramadi this morning.

Nic, good morning.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

A change for the troops here who are now have bases pushed deep into central Ramadi. When they pushed to those base just as couple of days ago, they had to clear 10 roadside bombs to get there. Now they're driving down the same road with checkpoints along that road without the threat, at least so far, the incidents of those roadside bombs. They've been able to take advantage of these new observation posts in the center of the city. Observation posts that Iraqi troops are also beginning to run to go into areas where they believe there are weapons, caches.

They've been finding large amounts of weapons, large amounts of materiel that can be used to make roadside bombs. And so far at least the insurgents who have been very active in this part of Ramadi have not mounted a strong resistance. It's not clear what's happened to them. There's certainly now a lot of ammunitions taken away from them. And as the city is now isolated, as the troops say. That all roads in and out of the city are controlled. Very difficult for those insurgents to resupply themselves.

Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Nic, another one of Saddam Hussein's attorneys, lawyers, was killed. The body found. What exactly do we know about what happened to him? And what are the implications for that case now?

ROBERTSON: Yes, Khamees al-Ubaidi. His house was visited early in the morning by people claiming to be Iraqi policemen. They turned up at 7:00 a.m. in the morning. The lawyer's wife asked to see their identification. They showed her identification papers. Her husband, the lawyer, taken away by these people who claimed to be taking him to see the ministry of interior. And about an hour later, his body was discovered not too far from his home. Bullet-riddled body. When I talked to him late last year about this very concern that Saddam Hussein's lawyers at that time were being killed, at least one of them killed back then, he told me that our life is really in the hands of God. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KHAMEES AL-UBAIDI, SADDAM HUSSEIN'S LAWYER, (through translator): One should be cautious, but should not be afraid. We have to go on and God's will is above that of human beings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And that appears to be the case for the trial now. It does appear that the trial will continue. Saddam Hussein does have other lawyer. But it's an indication of the very volatile nature of the situation in Baghdad. That even these lawyers who were promised tight security, if they ask for it, are still not able to be safe in Baghdad.

Soledad.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson for us this morning. Nic, thanks.

John.

ROBERTS: We're watching several wildfires in the western part of this country. Hundreds of firefighters are at dozens of sites in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and California. That massive wildfire just outside of Sedona, in Arizona, is getting closer to hundreds of homes. Firefighters now say the nearly 1,800-acre fire is only 5 percent contained.

In neighboring New Mexico, lightning has sparked at least four fires. One of them near Pinos Altos. Five hundred firefighters using helicopters and bulldozers are trying to contain that blaze.

In southern Colorado, firefighters are trying to control flames said to be as high as 200 feet. The National Weather Service says the fire is "moving like a freight train." Some 4,500 acres have been destroyed so far. More than 250 homes evacuated.

And people around Santa Maria, California, are urged to stay indoor because of a brush fire in southern California. Smoke is billowing from the Los Padres National Forest choking air quality all the way to Las Vegas. The fire has now spread over 7,500 acres.

Time for a check of the weather forecast and, sorry to say, it doesn't look like there's going to be any relief in the four corners states from the hot, dry weather. Here's Chad with the latest.

Good morning, Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Actress Angelina Jolie made headlines last month when she gave birth to her daughter Shiloh in the African nation of Namibia. In an exclusive interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper she spoke about her daughter's birth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS: We had amazing doctors and everybody was so lovely. And, you know, you're just -- because you're there for the birth, which I wasn't for my first two kids, you're just suddenly terrified that they're not going to take a first breath. That was my whole focus. I just wanted to hear her crying. And I was sure everything would go right. At the last minute I became the mother that was sure everything was going to go wrong. And she's healthy and it was amazing.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: We're going to have more of Anderson's exclusive interview with Angelina Jolie as we continue this hour. Tonight on "360," Anderson talk with Cher about her new mission. She's trying to save the lives of U.S. troops in Iraq. We'll tell you what she's doing. That's at 10:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

Coming up this morning, there are competing Democrat proposals to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq. We've been telling you that all morning. So why no consensus? We're going to talk to a senator behind one of those measures just ahead.

ROBERTS: Also, a suspected kidnapper on the loose. Memphis police think that he is armed and dangerous. We'll have a live report on the manhunt.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And later, a father charged with a crime because his wife drove their minivan off a cliff with the kids inside. We'll explain. All ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Memphis police are searching this morning for a man they say is an armed kidnapper. Police say 23-year-old Binh Lam Ho kidnapped two girls. One of them escaped, then lead police to the other who was found handcuffed in a vehicle just south of Memphis. More now from April Norris. She is with our affiliate WHBQ in South Haven, Mississippi.

April, good morning.

APRIL NORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

That's right. Those two girls that he kidnapped are in the hospital right now doing OK, just being looked over by doctors. The suspect's name, as you mentioned, is Binh Ho. Now I'm in South Haven, Mississippi, just about a half hour away from Memphis. Police officers have been searching for him in this area all night. They're doing a two-mile radius.

He kidnapped his first victim, which is a 16-year-old girl, in her Memphis home yesterday afternoon. She knew him. So he knocked on her front door, pointed a gun at her, forced her into a car and then kidnapped her and drove her here to South Haven. That's where he kidnapped a second girl.

Now, we don't know much about her other than he did assault her. She was able to get away from him and call police about 11:00 last night. After doing a lot of searching, they did find his first victim, that 16-year-old girl, in a wooded area, handcuffed, as you mentioned, near the car that he used to take her.

So we do know that this Binh Ho does have a criminal history. He's not only wanted for these -- kidnapping of those two young girls, but he is wanted for identity theft and stealing several properties worth thousands of dollar a while back. So they are asking if you know where he's at to please call police immediately.

Live in South Haven, Mississippi, April Norris for CNN.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right, April, thanks.

And we should clarify, obviously, since police have not found him and certainly haven't charged him with everything, he is still an alleged kidnapper at this point.

John.

ROBERTS: Al Qaeda says it is naming the man who wants to be the 20th hijacker on 9/11. This is a still frame of a new video that was posted on the Internet. The video shows Saudi native Fawaz al- Nashimi, also known as Turki bin Fuheid al-Muteiry. The Web site says he was supposed to be on United Flight 93 which crashed in Pennsylvania. Al-Nashimi was killed in a shoot-out with Saudi forces in 2004. He is not the first person to be called the 20th hijacker. The FBI originally thought it was Zacarias Moussaoui. And the September 11th Commission said it was Mohammed al-Kahtani, who was turned away at the Orlando Airport in August of 2001.

Coming up, the search for a criminal who preys on the grieving. We'll tell you why they call him the "Funeral Bandit."

And later, does Superman standing for truth, justice and the American gay? The rumors surrounding the man of steel's new movie ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: What are we, about an hour away from the official start of summer?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Yes, just about. Just about.

ROBERTS: You know, when I was a kid, I always loved the first day of summer. It was like liberation somehow.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Really? Even -- not the last day of school, which sort of feels like the first day of summer really?

ROBERTS: Well, yes, it was all timing of that, you know.

ANDY SERWER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's a good one too.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Yes, another good one.

ROBERTS: It was all tied into that.

So some big news this morning for the American beef industry. Japan is finally saying, where's the beef?

SERWER: Yes, send it. John, Japan's five-month-old ban on U.S. beef is over. Officials between the two countries met yesterday and decided to allow the export of U.S. beef to Japan subject to Japanese inspections. This is a very lucrative market for American beef producers. $1.4 billion worth of beef has gone there in previous years.

You may remember, this is an on-again/off-again situation. They enacted a ban in '03 after mad cow disease was discovered in this country. Lifted the ban in December of '05. Then, in January of this year, discovered some backbone in a veal shipment. Not mad cow disease itself, of course, but just parts of cow that they didn't want and so they enacted the ban and now it has been lifted.

The timing is good because later this month Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi will be visiting the U.S. and President Bush in Washington and in Graceland.

ROBERTS: Yes, can you imagine?

SERWER: That's going to be some good pictures coming up there, don't you think?

ROBERTS: Well, you know, Koizumi is . . .

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: And good audio because he likes to sing.

SERWER: He likes to sing Elvis we know on this program.

ROBERTS: And Koizumi was always nicknamed Elvis by the press. You know what his favorite movie is, by the way?

SERWER: No.

ROBERTS: "High Noon."

SERWER: He's got a thing for the U.S., I think.

ROBERTS: Does.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Sure does.

SERWER: Right.

ROBERTS: In fact he said to President Bush, he said, you're Gary Cooper.

SERWER: Oh, this could be really good. I can't wait. Another story I want to tell you about this morning quickly, though, Lego layoffs. The Danish company announcing it is going to be closing its facility, its manufacturing facility, in the U.S. in Enfield, Connecticut, and that means layoffs of 300 workers. Guess where the facility's going?

ROBERTS: Shanghai.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: (INAUDIBLE).

SERWER: No, Mexico.

ROBERTS: Oh, Mexico.

SERWER: Mexico. That's where manufacturing is cheaper. They're closing some facilities in Denmark and sending those facilities to Czechoslovakia, which maybe is the equivalent in Europe. Or the Czech Republic, I should say.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Interesting.

ROBERTS: Interesting.

SERWER: Yes.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right, Andy, thank you.

SERWER: Thank you.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a big burger going for big bucks. We're going to tell you what makes this sandwich worth $100.

And later, did you hear the rumors about the new Superman movie? Take a look at why some folks are talking about sexual orientation instead of his super strength, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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