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American Morning

Revenge Killings?; North Korea Threat; Suicide Attempt?; Tunnel Collapse; Constitutional Raid

Aired July 11, 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, Tuesday, July 11. I'm Miles O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.

Here is a look at what's happening this morning.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld makes an unannounced visit to Afghanistan. Rumsfeld is meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. They are discussing rising Afghan violence and NATO's plans to take over military operations in southern Afghanistan.

M. O'BRIEN: The Pentagon condemning a new video on the Internet supposedly showing two U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq. The tape also includes a previously released statement from Osama bin Laden. CNN working to authenticate that tape.

In Baghdad, an Iraqi judge has adjourned the Saddam Hussein trial for two weeks. He wants to resolve a boycott by Hussein and his lawyers. They say they won't return until their personal security is improved.

S. O'BRIEN: In New York City, authorities say a suicide attempt may be to blame for that explosion that leveled that four-story building on the city's upper east side. It was a story that broke while we were on the air yesterday. Fifteen people, including 10 firefighters, are recovering from their injuries.

And in Boston, a woman is dead after part of a highway tunnel ceiling collapsed on her car. It's part of the tunnel system to the airport in Boston. It's also part of Boston's Big Dig highway project. That tunnel is now closed for the morning commute.

M. O'BRIEN: And in California, a huge wildfire burning out of control near Patterson. That's east of San Jose. So far it has destroyed 3 hunting cabins, but it is threatening 250 other homes.

Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the forecast.

Good morning, -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles.

Welcome back, -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you, -- Chad. (WEATHER REPORT)

Back to you, -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: That sounds hot.

All right, Chad, thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

S. O'BRIEN: New wave of sectarian killings to tell you about today in Baghdad. Gunmen ambushed a bus that was passing through a Sunni neighborhood in Baghdad. The bus was carrying Shiites to a funeral. Ten people were killed. Another passenger died in a second bus attack. And five other people were killed by a car bomb right outside of a green zone police station.

Iraqi insurgents say they killed and mutilated those two American soldiers out of revenge. Today, the U.S. military is condemning an insurgent videotape that appears to show the bodies of the two soldiers. The videotape says that the killings in Yusufiya last month were in revenge for the rape and murder of a young girl in Mahmoudiya back in March.

CNN's Nic Robertson live for us in Baghdad this morning.

Hey, Nic, good morning.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

It is a very disturbing video that has been released on an al Qaeda-related Web site. The lit (ph) start of the video says that this is a video of the two Americans who were kidnapped. The video, it claims to be an al Qaeda video. We have no way of proving that.

The next clip on this five-minute videotape is a short message from Osama bin Laden taken from his last message. It says that Muslims get satisfaction from seeing Americans attacked in Iraq. That is when the video of the soldiers starts playing. It's pictures of their mutilated bodies. It's very gruesome.

And over that is a message from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the terror leader here, the al Qaeda leader who was killed at the beginning of the month last month. He has a message that the attacks need to continue on the Americans.

There is no way of authenticating this particular tape. But it is the banner that runs underneath the tape that perhaps gives the clue to why the group has released it. They say this is to avenge the dishonoring of our sister by soldiers from this same brigade. As the soldier is killed, a clear implication they're referring to the alleged rape of Abi al-Janabi (ph) in Mahmoudiya by soldiers from the 502nd Infantry Parachute Regiment -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson with an update for us this morning. Nic, thanks -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: At the United Nations, debate over what to do about North Korea and that missile crisis on hold today to give Chinese diplomats a chance to make some headway in Pyongyang. The U.S. seeing a glimmer of hope in the Chinese-North Korea negotiations. The U.S. point man on North Korea, Christopher Hill, is meeting today with Chinese officials involved with those talks.

CNN's Dan Rivers in Beijing joins us live with more -- Dan.

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, the subtle diplomacy is continuing a pace here in Asia. The State Department's envoy, Christopher Hill, has just made an unscheduled stop right here in Beijing. He has been stressing the importance of China's role in resolving this crisis.

This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER HILL, ASST. SEC. OF STATE: Obviously we are in a rather crucial period. We -- there was a, I think, very important decision to postpone the actual vote on the resolution because the Chinese government had an important diplomatic mission going on. So we want to be in close consultation with the Chinese government. That's why I'm here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: And he will continue to meet Chinese officials over the next few hours. He also said that it was China that had asked for a delay in that crucial U.N. Security Council vote on whether to impose sanctions on North Korea -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Give us a sense of how these negotiations are going, Dan, and what levers, what leverage the Chinese are using on the North Koreans.

RIVERS: Well the Chinese have a big delegation in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, at the moment. They say, ostensibly, that was to celebrate a 45-year-old treaty. But interestingly, their chief nuclear negotiator, Wu Dawei, was added to that delegation after those missiles were surprisingly launched last week. So clearly North Korea's nuclear ambitions are on the table, they are being discussed by Chinese officials in North Korea at the moment.

At the same time, another delegation of North Korean officials is right here in Beijing. So both sides have sent their diplomats to try and thrash out some sort of compromise. But it must be said that a compromise looks a very long way off. It's pretty pessimistic in the diplomatic world at the moment. No one is expecting any sort of deal to emerge over the next couple of days.

And all the while, the U.N. Security Council has delayed that vote. The big question is, if no deal is reached by the Chinese, what will the international community do next -- Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: Big questions, indeed.

Dan Rivers in Beijing, thank you -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: A CNN "Security Watch" now. More details leaking out about the suspected mastermind of the New York tunnel's plot. Here's a picture of Assem Hammoud the day after he was arrested by police in Beirut, Lebanon. Hammoud's plans may have included also backpack bombs in the New York City's subway system and setting wildfires in California. Last week, reports surfaced of Hammoud's alleged plot to blow up several New York tunnels.

You want to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

And we're learning more this morning about the building explosion that happened yesterday in New York City. Investigators say the blast might have been a suicide attempt, a possible final chapter in a bitter divorce battle. One of the main clues is a very bizarre letter.

CNN's Allan Chernoff has details for us this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Firefighters found Dr. Nicholas Bartha in the basement rubble of his multimillion- dollar home.

RICHARD SCHMIDT, N.Y. FIREFIGHTER: I could hear him saying, "Could you help me? Could you help me?"

CHERNOFF: Dr. Bartha's former divorce attorney, Ira Garr, told CNN his client had been despondent about his divorce and the battle with his wife over their Manhattan townhouse.

Live on CNN, New York's fire commissioner raised the possibility Bartha was trying to kill himself.

NICHOLAS SCOPPETTA, N.Y. FIRE COMMISSIONER: There was a communication from inside the building to someone outside the building, some number of blocks away, that leads us to believe there is a potential to conclude. Now...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What sort of communication? What sort of communication?

SCOPPETTA: An e-mail to someone nearby.

CHERNOFF: Dr. Bartha had sent a rambling e-mail to his wife and others at 6:30 in the morning, about two hours before the blast. Garr, who received the letter, told CNN, Bartha wrote to his wife, "You will be transformed from gold digger to ash and rubbish digger. You always wanted me to sell the house. I always told you I will leave the house only if I am dead." The e-mail concluded, "My further staying alive does not make any sense."

A New York appellate court last year had determined Cordula Bartha was entitled to a share of the townhouse, valued at more than $5 million.

While there is evidence pointing to Dr. Bartha's intent to kill himself, fire officials have yet to find proof that Dr. Bartha actually blew up the home.

Indeed, the Con Edison utility meter reader on the block told CNN, complaints about a gas leak last month led the utility to turn off the building's gas for repairs. And again last week there had been complaints about another gas leak.

Cordula Bartha's attorneys released a statement saying she was shocked. "Ms. Bartha and her family are deeply saddened and terribly upset by today's occurrence. Ms. Bartha and her family wish the best to Dr. Bartha in his recovery."

(on camera): Dr. Bartha is at New York Presbyterian Hospital suffering from second and third degree burns. Four pedestrians also were injured walking in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: More trouble for Boston's infamous Big Dig project, a ceiling panel in a tunnel crashed down on the road, killing one woman overnight. It happened in a tunnel connecting Interstate 93 to the Ted Williams Tunnel, which goes to Logan Airport. This morning, that tunnel is shut down for safety inspections.

Steve Cooper of our affiliate WHDH joining us from Boston now.

Steve, what can you tell us?

STEVE COOPER, WHDH-TV REPORTER: Miles, good morning.

Really a stunning scene here unfolding in Boston this morning. In fact, let me step out of the way for a second, because I want to show you, this is a pretty rare sight, this is the Massachusetts Turnpike leading to Logan Airport, a pretty busy place during the morning commute, and it is all shut down right now. The only thing you see on the roadway here are emergency apparatus and vehicles, along with inspectors, trying to figure out why this whole thing happened several hours ago.

And as you mentioned, Miles, and I know you're familiar with the Boston area, familiar with the Mass. Turnpike, this is actually a new, a relatively new stretch of highway that takes commuters over to Logan Airport. This area is shut down because, basically what happened earlier last night, around 11:00, a 40-foot section of the ceiling fell onto the roadway below crushing a passing car.

Now this is the Mass. Pike that connects the eastbound lanes over to the Ted Williams Tunnel and then on to Logan Airport. Now it appears that a steel tieback that holds the paneled ceiling let go. Why that happened, no one seems to know right now. The male driver crawls out of the car, that crushed car, he escapes injury. The female passenger was killed.

This is the turnpike chairman authority speaking about what happened not long ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATT AMORELLO, MASS. TURNPIKE CHAIRMAN: This was a unique engineering specification for these tiebacks in this particular location. And we're taking every step necessary to ensure the safety of the public, to ensure that there is no future event of this nature to happen in these tunnels. Any responsible party will be held accountable for the situation that occurred tonight. And we will take, as I said, every measure to keep these tunnels safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: As we come back live, I want you to take a look at that pile of panels. Those were the panels that actually came crashing to the ground on the Mass. Turnpike here in that tunnel just several hours ago.

The other thing to keep in mind, all the roads that take you to Logan Airport this morning here in Boston have basically been shut down. They are rerouting traffic to several other locations. And a secondary tunnel, actually it was the Callahan Tunnel that was used many, many years ago, that is now going to be the major thoroughfare to get motorists, the thousands of motorists that travel this section of the Mass. Pike over to Logan Airport this morning.

And we're already being told, Miles, that this stretch of the Massachusetts Turnpike will be shut down at least through tomorrow and may go well beyond that. Federal investigators are headed to the scene even as we speak.

We're live in Boston this morning, Steve Cooper.

Miles, back to you.

M. O'BRIEN: Quick question, Steve, do you think this has anything to do, do investigators think this has anything to do with those leaks we've been telling people about over recent months?

COOPER: Right now they don't believe that, Miles. But as you know, this is a massive project. We're talking about a $15 billion project and it was actually winding down. These were some of the last projects that were being completed here, and now all of this happens.

But that is certainly something that officials will be looking at, trying to figure out if this is connected to anything. But right now, at an early morning news conference, they admit they are simply not sure why all of this happened in the first place -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Steve Cooper with WHDH, thank you very much.

Still to come on the program, that FBI raid on a member of Congress' office was constitutional after all. A judge says lawmakers can -- an office cannot become a sanctuary for crime. But that's not the end of the story.

S. O'BRIEN: No, it's really just the beginning of the story, as they say. We're going to have more on that.

Also, personal accounts of torture and starvation. Two brave refugees will talk to CNN about their horrific experiences in North Korea.

M. O'BRIEN: Then a car plows into a crowd, dozens injured, an elderly driver. The question, when are we too old to drive?

S. O'BRIEN: And Carrie Lee has got business headlines for us this morning.

Good morning.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Thank you very much.

Aluminum giant Alcoa kicks off the second quarter profit reporting season. We'll have those results and an early morning market check coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in Afghanistan meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. They're discussing the rise in violence there and NATO plans to take over military operations in southern Afghanistan.

Diplomatic talks under way this morning in China and South Korea. World leaders trying to hammer out a deal on how to handle that North Korean missile test crisis.

In Boston this morning, a woman is dead after part of a highway tunnel collapsed on her car. The tunnel closed until engineers can evaluate its condition -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: The U.S. Justice Department is free to review documents seized from the congressional office of Louisiana Democrat William Jefferson. A federal judge ruled yesterday that FBI agents acted legally when they raided the representative's office. That happened back in May.

AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken has got more on the fallout today.

Hey, Bob, good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. And it's funny, after all of the uproar, the presidential involvement, the legal maneuvering, we're pretty much where we were over seven weeks ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): Judge Thomas Hogan, who authorized the raid in the first place, ruled again there was nothing inappropriate about the FBI seeking evidence of bribery from Congressman William Jefferson's office. Saying -- quote -- "The Department of Justice shall be free to regain custody of the seized materials, and to resume its review thereof, as of Monday, July 10, 2006."

But that's easy for the judge to say, not so easy for the White House that had to call a 45-day cooling-off period to deal with furious congressional leaders. It's still dealing with them.

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Talks are still ongoing between the Department of Justice and the House of Representatives and they seem to be making considerable progress.

FRANKEN: That would represent a huge change from the confrontation that broke out between legislative and executive branches of government. It followed the now infamous late night May 20 raid, that's when FBI agents forced their way into Jefferson's office and carted away boxes of evidence.

In the entire history of the United States, there had never been such a raid on congressional offices. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee wanted to call the top federal law enforcement officials under the congressional carpet and explain why they approved the raid.

REP. F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R), WISCONSIN: I want to have Attorney General Gonzales and FBI Director Mueller up here to tell us how they reached the conclusion that they did.

FRANKEN: While that hasn't happened, and there's no further word when it will or whether it will. And the judge says, again, "There was no impermissible intrusion on the legislature."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And here's a surprise, Jefferson's lawyers say they'll appeal and they'll ask for a stay of the judge's order. The Justice Department put out a very careful statement saying it continues to negotiate with Congress and will do nothing until the judge tells it whether the stay is in effect or not -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: So it all continues.

Bob Franken for us this morning.

Bob, thanks.

Eighteen minutes past the hour. Let's get a check of the forecast beginning with a beautiful,...

MYERS: I hear it.

S. O'BRIEN: ... cue the pictures, a beautiful -- look at that sunrise in Manhattan. We had a beautiful moon last night, too.

MYERS: Yes, it was the full moon.

S. O'BRIEN: Fabulous.

MYERS: And that's just setting now, because a full moon actually sets at sunrise and rises at sunset. Exactly opposite.

S. O'BRIEN: Really, and how about the other moons, they don't do that at the same time?

MYERS: That's odd because it can be full. No, they don't do that. Sometimes some of the half crescents and the quarters, actually, the sun and the moon are up at the same time.

S. O'BRIEN: I've seen that. I thought maybe I was just seeing things.

Thank you, Chad, good morning.

MYERS: We'll do moon phases.

S. O'BRIEN: Revealing a little personal information there.

MYERS: Never mind.

Good morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Back to you.

M. O'BRIEN: I should say, middle of summer, big numbers there.

Thank you, Chad.

Still to come on the program, the bulls and the bears set to do battle on Wall Street. We'll tell you about an uneasy day for the markets.

And anyone up for a snowball fight? Well, kind of looks like snow, doesn't it, but it isn't really. We'll explain.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Some of the most popular stories on CNN.com right now.

A new insurgent videotape claims two U.S. soldiers were killed in retaliation for the rape and murder of an Iraqi woman. The tape shows the bodies of Privates Kristian Menchaca and Thomas Tucker. Both served in the same regiment as the soldiers who are now accused in that rape case.

Fifteen people are now recovering from the explosion and collapse of that building on the upper east side of Manhattan. Investigators are looking into whether it was part of an attempted suicide.

And actress June Allyson has died. You'll remember she starred in classics like "Little Women" and "The Glenn Miller Story," along with Jimmy Stewart. June Allyson was 88 years old.

I worked with her many years ago.

M. O'BRIEN: Did you?

S. O'BRIEN: She was really lovely.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: When I first started my first job in TV.

M. O'BRIEN: Wow.

S. O'BRIEN: She was doing a made-for-TV movie and local news in our local station and she was really sweet. She was a nice lady.

M. O'BRIEN: End of an era.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Carrie Lee, good morning to you.

LEE: Good morning to both of you.

M. O'BRIEN: Stock market apt to be a little bit dicey today.

LEE: Yes, yesterday we didn't see too much action at the close. Dow, Nasdaq up a little bit, down a little bit, mixed session, not too much action. The Dow was higher by 84 points during the session, ended higher by just 12, as you can see here.

This morning, it's looking flat to slightly weak. Techs looking particularly weak. One thing perhaps keeping a damper on the early market action today, Alcoa, the first Dow component, the aluminum giant, to report profits for the second quarter. Numbers pretty disappointing, actually.

The stock fell 4 percent in after hours trading. They did see profits up 62 percent year over year, sales up 19 percent. But that top line number, the sales number came in a little weaker than expected, based on the Wall Street estimates. Still, profits up. Demand from airplane makers strong, high aluminum prices, also construction very strong, and so that was bolstering the bottom line. But the sales number the reason for the stock losing ground.

Also, they're expecting the third quarter to be weaker than the second quarter and that is mainly because of seasonal reasons.

One good thing on Wall Street, as far as some people are concerned, oil prices coming down for four days in a row. You remember last week we spiked to nearly $76, concerns surrounding the North Korean situation. Well now we are below $73 a barrel and that is something that investors on Wall Street will be watching today.

But that's the latest from here guys.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, -- Carrie.

LEE: OK.

S. O'BRIEN: We'll be watching it, too.

LEE: All right.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carrie.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: The morning's top stories are straight ahead, including a new insurgent videotape that claims that the death of two U.S. Soldiers is revenge for the alleged rape and murder of an Iraqi girl. That story is ahead.

And North Korean refugees talk about why they risked absolutely everything to escape that communistic dictatorship. Their story is just horrifying. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning.

Sectarian violence to tell you about. In Baghdad, at least five people are dead after a car bombing near the city's heavily fortified Green Zone. About an hour earlier, gunmen killed all 10 people on a bus that was carrying a coffin to Najaf for burial.

The Pentagon is condemning a new videotape on the Internet. It supposedly shows two U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq. The tape also includes a previously released message from Osama bin Laden. CNN is working to authenticate this tape.

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