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More Flooding Expected in the Mid-Atlantic Region; Al Qaeda Terror Suspect Arrested in Iraq; Palestinian and Israeli Tensions Continue in Gaza; U.S. Surgeon General Hails New York as a Smoke-Free Pioneer?

Aired June 28, 2006 - 08:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A new look now at the dangers of secondhand smoke. What are cities doing to protect people from increased cancer risks? We're going to talk live this morning to New York City's mayor Michael Bloomberg.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And the car companies call it 0 percent. But is there really anything like a free lunch out there? Buyer beware, and stay tuned to AMERICAN MORNING. We could save you a bundle.

Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. Let's begin with the weather this morning. Across the mid-Atlantic, rising floodwaters, at least seven deaths are being blamed on the flooding. Advisories remain in affect today. Flooding has blocked several highways in New York State, also forced hundreds of people to evacuate in Binghamton. Flooding in Pennsylvania has prompted evacuations there, too. One man was killed when he drove his car right onto a flooded road.

In Delaware, the state that initially saw the worst of the flooding, well the waters have left about 40 people homeless there. And Maryland, more than 2,200 people evacuated after water was found leaking from a dam in Rockville. Two boys are now believed to have drowned in a creek there, and three other deaths are being blamed on flooding in Maryland.

In Washington, D.C. several government buildings remain closed today because of flooding. In Virginia, search is resuming for an 8- year-old girl who they believe was swept away by floodwaters. Some areas are getting 12 inches rain -- and have gotten 12 inches of rain since Friday. In North Carolina flooding forced more than 200 people out of their homes, and a campground near the Broad River.

Let's get more on that leaking dam in Rockville, Maryland. Engineers back at the site this morning, they're trying to get a better idea of just how dangerous it is. Could this dam fail? Let's get right to Bob Franken, he is there this morning. Hey, Bob good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Weather? What weather? It's sunny and a few clouds in the air. That, of course, is a welcome change from so many days of just unbelievable 200-year weather, the meteorologists are telling us. And as recently as last night, at 1:00 in the morning, the situation was quite different. There is a dam not far from here Lake Needwood, it is an earthen dam. In reality it feeds into Rock Creek, where there is an awful lot of residential development from here all the way through the District of Columbia. It started leaking, it is a problem. We are told now, by the way, that the water is holding steady. There are structural engineers on site and it looks like now that its is not as precarious a situation as there was when they evacuated 2,200 people from their homes, their apartments, and some cases from some assisted living facilities along here and took them out at 1:00 in the morning.

As I said it looks like the situation now is stabilizing, but these last several days have brought a variety of problems and some tragedy. You pointed out a moment ago, Soledad, that two teenage boys continue to be the object of a search just north of here in Frederick County, not far from where three people were swept off the back of a pickup truck and that's very sad. They had just been rescued from their cars that had been overcome by water, being transported away in the pickup truck when they were swept away and presumed drown. Meanwhile in Virginia, to the south and west, an 8-year-old girl is also presumed drowned, missing, as she too was last seen around a rain-swollen creek. This has been a serious problem throughout but if there is a hope now that things might return to normal. Soledad?

S. O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning with an update. Thanks Bob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: In Iraq, security forces say they have nabbed a terror leader. They say the Al Qaeda in Iraq operative helped orchestrate the bombing of a Shiite shrine in February which set off a terrible cycle of tit for tat violence between Sunnis and Shiites. CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson live now from Baghdad with more. Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well Miles a little earlier an Iraqi official described how they caught this individual, they have named him as Abu Khadin Al Chuni, a Chunisi and they say that he was a member of a 15-strong foreign fighter group that tried to attack a security outpost. The official says that all those foreign fighters attacking were killed, apart from Al Chuni, he was injured and captured. When they questioned him they discovered his involvement in this attack on the shrine in Samara.

This attack back in February of course was very devastating in terms of dividing the communities here, a sectarian attack designed according to the government official here, designed to spawn sectarian violence. It was a Shia shrine and the violence that did precipitate after that led to, according to the latest report from the U.N. here, at least 150,000 people to leave their homes because of the sectarian tensions. So the government very keen now to show that it is making in-roads against the groups that are trying to ferment this sectarian violence and now naming Al Chuni that they've captured, although they do say the cell leader is still at large. Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: On that ominous note, let's talk a little bit about this whole notion of foreign fighters in Iraq. Just fanning the flames of naturally existing sectarian rivalries there. At this point, do we have a good handle on how much of the violence we're seeing is home-grown and how much of it is instigated by foreigners?

ROBERTSON: The best assessment that we're getting is perhaps about 10 percent of the fighters here, the insurgents, are foreign fighters. Perhaps coming from Jordan from Syria, from Tunisia, from Egypt, from Algeria, from many countries within the broader Middle East. The other components within the insurgency, Baathists loyal to Saddam Hussein's regime who want this government out and then nationalists who are fighting to get what they see is the occupation out of the country. Foreign fighters, about 10 percent, that's the best estimate that we're getting at the moment, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: 10 percent, but a very violent 10 percent unfortunately. Nic Robertson in Baghdad. Thank you. Soledad?

S. O'BRIEN: Developing story out of the Middle East this morning. A major escalation of tension between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. Israeli tanks and troops back in Gaza right now for the first time since last year's pullout. Well some militants are now claiming they have kidnapped a teenage boy. CNN's John Vause live for us in Gaza this morning. John good morning.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Soledad. This could be a dangerous new complication for Israel. The Palestinian militants held a news conference a short time ago holding up the identification papers of an 18-year-old Jewish settler from the West Bank. Eliyahu Asheri has been missing since Sunday night. The Palestinians say he is their prisoner and he will be quote butchered if Israeli forces do not withdraw from Gaza. The Israeli prime minister is right now holding emergency talks in his Jerusalem office.

For now, though, Israeli forces remain dug in, in and around the city of Rafah in the southern part of Gaza. The "Associated Press" reporting a short time ago an air strike there according to witnesses, the target was a Hamas training ground. So far though no reports of casualties on either side. And the Israelis say they have encountered little resistance from the Palestinian militants and the Israeli prime minister says he will take extreme action to rescue the 19-year-old corporal, who was kidnapped by Palestinian militants after a weekend raid just across the border from Gaza.

Overnight, Israeli air strikes took out the only power plant in Gaza. Could take up to six months to repair that and Israeli fighter jets bombed two bridges. The target of "Operation Summer Rain," is to try and limit the movement of the kidnappers so they don't smuggle that Israeli soldier out of the Gaza strip. Soledad?

S. O'BRIEN: Do the Israelis know more definitively where this missing soldier might be, John?

VAUSE: According to Israeli intelligence, they believe he is in southern Gaza, in fact it's not far from his Israeli military outpost where he was grabbed on Sunday morning, probably about 10 or 12 miles, in fact a very small distance. Maybe in the (INAUDIBLE) city, the second biggest city here in the Gaza strip. Possibly being held in a refugee camp, but at this stage, they have no precise details or at least they're not saying they have precise details of where he is being held. Soledad?

S. O'BRIEN: John Vause for us in Gaza. Thanks, John. Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, we're going to talk to army staff sergeant Christian Bagge. Remember that name? You'll remember his story when you see him. Yes, he's an Iraq war vet, double amputee. One of his goals was to run with the president. Well, pictures are believing there. He realized that goal. We're going to talk to him and see what that was like.

S. O'BRIEN: Also ahead this morning, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is going to talk to us live. We're going to ask him why his city's smoking ban has been so successful. Not everybody predicted that would be the case. That's ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: There was some controversy there wasn't there? Anyway, hang on to your wallet, folks. Detroit says it has a sweet deal for you. We're going to make you an educated consumer, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: An alarming new study on the dangers of secondhand smoke is the most detailed ever by the U.S. surgeon general and it reaches a pretty inescapable conclusion. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICE ADM. RICHARD CARMONA, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: The science is clear, secondhand smoke is not a mere announce but a serious health hazard that causes premature death and disease in children and non- smoking adults.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: That's the surgeon general Richard Carmona there. The surgeon general's report recognized New York City as a smoke-free pioneer. New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg joins us to talk about that. Good morning. Congratulations I guess are in order for that.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: Glad we did it here, and we just urge everybody else, save your kids' lives, don't smoke when they're around.

S. O'BRIEN: You know that was a tough sell though a couple of years ago.

BLOOMBERG: It was a tough sell, today it's the most popular thing we've done. Employment in the food and beverage industry has gone up every year since we put the smoking ban in. There are more restaurants in New York City. People said people would leave the city. Instead they come here. S. O'BRIEN: Voters would walk away from you. They said no one will go to bars, the night life suffer.

BLOOMBERG: I remember them saying, I don't know why they picked these two countries, but nobody from Ireland or Italy would ever come to vacation here ever again if we put a smoking ban. Both countries have banned smoking in the whole country and it's working apparently.

S. O'BRIEN: So do you feel vindicated when you hear what the surgeon general says?

BLOOMBERG: Well you can't help but have a smile on your face. But the truth of the matter is, smoking is not good for you and secondhand smoke is almost as dangerous as if you're the smoker yourself. And if you look at households where parents smoke, kids have a much higher rate of asthma, sudden death syndrome is much more prevalent. Smoking is not good for you. If you want to smoke, smoke away from everybody else, outside, not even in another room in your house because the smoke does travel.

S. O'BRIEN: Carmona was pretty clear about it yesterday. His attitude was sort of like, get away from smokers as quickly as you can. Here's what else he said. He said secondhand smoke is a health hazard for all people, it's harmful to children and adults, to both men and women, it's harmful to non-smokers, whether they're exposed in their homes, their vehicles, their workplaces or in closed public places. Do you think, then, that the bans that are in place in New York today, New York City today, don't go far enough?

BLOOMBERG: Well I don't know. I don't think that the government should prevent you from smoking. I think if you want to smoke, you should have a right to do so. Doing so when other people are in the room, or in the same house, that's a different story, because you are violating their right to live and to be healthy. Our commissioner for health and mental hygiene Tom Frieden is really the genius behind our non-smoking efforts. He pointed out California tried this before New York did and they had the same experience. People didn't like it, they got love it. Business in their food and beverage industry got better and better. People came to those hotels that were smoke-free, to those bars and restaurants that were smoke-free, took jobs in buildings that were smoke-free. And I think the public is waking up to the fact this is just not healthy for you. If you want to do it, fine, you should have a right to do it, but you don't have a right to make anybody else have to breathe the smoke.

S. O'BRIEN: So then you have that slippery slope question. Because you got one in five kids are in a home with a smoker. So, should you be able to smoke in a car with the windows closed and you have your toddler strapped into the car seat? Should you be able to smoke in your home?

BLOOMBERG: It is just not smart to smoke in a car with the windows closed or open, and you having a child in the back seat.

S. O'BRIEN: But if you were hitting your kids someone would call child protective services and they would step in. Should there be a law?

BLOOMBERG: You can make the case and I'm sure there will be a lawsuit some day against somebody for hurting somebody else by smoking themselves. That's up for the courts to decide. I just think we'd all be better off if everybody understood the risks and if they wanted to smoke, did so in a place that didn't infringe on anybody else's right to breathe clean air.

S. O'BRIEN: I want to ask you a question about terror funding, because I got you here and why not.

BLOOMBERG: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: We've had a lot of conversations on it over the last couple of weeks. Do you think the city is significantly less safe because the terror funding's been cut for New York City?

BLOOMBERG: No, the city's not less safe because we're spending exactly the same amount of money, whether we got federal money or not. The difference is, that the federal government is not picking up the share that it should and so New York City taxpayers have to pay higher taxes or do without other services. But first and foremost, my policy is we are going to buy the equipment we need, train our police and firefighters and other emergency responders to the extent that we think is necessary to protect the public, and then we go and look at ways to pay for it.

It would be nice and I think fair if the federal government distributed risk monies or Homeland Security funds based on where the risks are. Same ways I think they should distribute agriculture money, for example. New York City's not a farm place and we probably shouldn't get any agricultural money, but we are the place that terrorists carry maps and pictures of, and so we should be getting a larger share of the Homeland Security dollars that are meant to protect this country. But in terms of making the city safe, we're not going to wait around. And that gives us a problem, because the federal government doesn't pay for anything, typically, that you already paid for. They also don't pay for personal.

And in the end, it's very nice to buy a fancy truck with all of the equipment and everybody can have a photo op saying, oh look what I did to protect this country or this city, but the truth of the matter is, it's feet on the ground, it's cops on the beat, it's firefighters in the station ready to respond. Those are the people that make the difference, and the federal government doesn't like to pay for that.

S. O'BRIEN: And they never will pick up that tab so then we'll be paying for it.

BLOOMBERG: They haven't so far, but we're still working on it.

S. O'BRIEN: Mayor Bloomberg, nice to see you, thanks for coming in to talk to us. We appreciate it. Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, the gun lobby and its battle against the United Nations. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

If a criminal's at your door in the middle of the night I guarantee you Kofi Annan is not going to be there.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Why is the National Rifle Association taking aim at Kofi Annan and the U.N.?

Plus -- a long road to recovery for Sergeant Christian Bagge, it wound its way to the White House track yesterday and the commander in chief as a running buddy. We'll talk to the Iraq war vet, we'll see how they ran, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Here's an update on an inspiring story we first talked to you about last fall. Army Staff Sergeant Bagge, Christian Bagge, lost both legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq. He met President Bush six months ago, swore he would run again. In fact he challenged the president to come along with him. Well on Tuesday Bagge's dream run became a reality as the two jogged around the south lawn of the White House, on the White House track. And if you look at that there, the president's kind of struggling to keep up. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's an amazing sight for me to be running with a guy who last time I saw him was in bed. Wondering whether or not -- I was wondering whether or not he'd ever get out of bed. There was no doubt in his mind that he would. Thanks for your service.

STAFF SGT. CHRISTIAN BAGGE, U.S. ARMY: You're welcome, Mr. President.

BUSH: You're a good man. God bless you.

BAGGE: God bless you. It's a privilege.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Joining us from Washington this morning is Staff Sergeant Christian Bagge. Nice to see you. Congratulations. I got to tell you, you look like you're having an easier time of it than the president. He was kind of struggling a bit there.

BAGGE: You know I'm not sure that that's entirely true. He's in great shape. And it was hard for me as well. There's a little hill there on the south lawn that we came up on. Later on in the footage, I don't know if you guys caught it, but I was sweating pretty good and he wasn't hurting at all.

S. O'BRIEN: You both have pretty good form. Listen, you were chitchatting as you were running around the track a couple of times there. What did you talk about?

BAGGE: Well, you know, that's personal. We just talked a little bit about what I had been through and where I want to go, and I'd rather not comment too much on that. Thank you, though.

S. O'BRIEN: I understand. But you didn't talk about any big issues or just sort of --

BAGGE: No. Nothing like national security or anything like that. We were just chitchatting.

S. O'BRIEN: That's what I was wondering. Back on the day that the president was talking about when he came to your bedside and talked to you and you said, I'd like to run, go on a run with you, and he said, yeah, okay. Was that motivating to you? Where were you in your rehab at that point?

BAGGE: Well I was walking occasionally and I hadn't even gotten my running legs yet but I knew that that was something that I wanted to do. I had run before. I'd run in high school and I run for fitness. Of course, in the army you have to do that to stay fit and so that was something that I knew that I was going to do again. And when I made that commitment, when President Bush made the commitment to allow me to run with him, I just kind of set myself, oriented myself on that goal, and it just all matched up, came together from there.

S. O'BRIEN: Yeah. I was going to ask. I mean once you sort of committed and he's committed to your commitment, it must pretty much motivate you to actually really push yourself and go to it, right?

BAGGE: It was extremely motivating. It was such an honor and a privilege. I mean you couldn't -- there's no -- I mean, for me, there's no bigger place to aspire to than running with the president.

S. O'BRIEN: As a runner, yeah, that's kind of the, up there with best things can you do. There's been lots of focus on soldiers who have died but not a ton of focus on soldiers like yourself who come back wounded. Do you think there needs to be more focus by the American people on soldiers like yourself?

BAGGE: Well I think the American people need to know the price of freedom. Of course, we hear it through the news, four soldiers died this morning. Eight soldiers died in Fallujah, whatever that may be, but you never hear about the wounded. Their lives are forever changed, they will never be the same, and it really is a lifelong struggle and it's good for the American people to see that, and to -- you know, I think a lot them appreciate it. They just are not informed about that, and I think this is a great opportunity to be an inspiration to other wounded soldiers and for the American people to see the price of freedom at different levels.

S. O'BRIEN: Alright. So now you've checked off, ran with the president. Check. What's next?

BAGGE: You know, I'm going to go back to school. I'm going to finish my education and we'll see what goes on from there.

S. O'BRIEN: Good for you. Thanks for coming in to talk with us about it.

BAGGE: Well thank you very much for having me.

S. O'BRIEN: We loved watching those pictures. I think you look like you're in better shape than the president. But you know that's just me personally. Staff Sergeant Christian Bagge, thanks.

BAGGE: Thank you very much.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: Thank him for his service and sacrifice as well.

Coming up, one woman's life becomes a nightmare, all because the case of mistaken identity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

It's made it really hard for me to smile and be the normal person that I felt like I was at first.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: A single mom arrested repeatedly because a criminal stole her name. It's frightening how easily they did it. We'll explain.

Carmakers pulling out new incentives trying to boost slow sales. You know, as you might suspect, some of these deals are not what they're cracked up to be. We will educate you, so long as you stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. Lots to get to this morning. With a look at our top stories we go right to Alina Cho, she's in for Carol Costello, she's got the headlines. Hey Alina?

ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there Soledad and good morning to you. Flood advisories in effect throughout the mid-Atlantic this morning. Flooding has blocked several highways in New York state. That's a park bench sticking out from the floodwaters. Hundreds of homes in the city of Hancock are being evacuated.

In Maryland the search is underway for two teens whose bikes were found near a flooded creek. The waters ravaged homes there more than 2200 people are in shelters this morning. Evacuations began last night after a dam in Rockville began leaking.

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