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American Morning

Families Waiting for Return of American Citizens in Lebanon; Crisis in Middle East; Sectarian Violence in Iraq

Aired July 18, 2006 - 07:29   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The fighting is again intense in Lebanon and Israel this morning, and Americans are finally getting their chance to get out after seven days in the war zone. The Orient Queen, a cruise ship chartered by the U.S. -- chartered by the United States, left Cyprus about an hour ago. The trip to Lebanon takes about five hours.
The ship carries about 750 passengers at a time. And keep in mind, there are thought to be 25,000 Americans in Lebanon. At least 3,000 of them are expected to leave.

Every moment that it takes to get people to safety is torture for their families waiting here at home.

AMERICAN MORNING'S Bob Franken has the story of one family separated by this war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There is little Susan Al Swalhi can do but watch television and look for any glimmer of news about her husband and son.

SUSAN AL SWALHI, HUSBAND AND SON IN LEBANON: Every time you see another building being bombed, you think, oh, dear god, please, don't let it be my husband and child in this.

FRANKEN: Mohammed Al Swalhi and his 13-year-old son Hassan left the family less than two weeks ago to visit relatives in Beirut. That reunion suddenly placed them in the middle of an escalating war.

SWALHI: You know, your mind spins, and you ask questions to your friends, "What would you do? How can I help them? Where do I go? Who do I talk to?"

You know, you just can't rest. There's no rest.

FRANKEN: Mother and daughter complained bitterly about the assistance and information they say they've not been able to get from their government.

MARY THOMPSON, FATHER AND BROTHER IN LEBANON: Nothing's being done. Nothing.

You know, the White House hanging up on you. And the State Department saying, "Well, didn't you receive our e-mail? We're still working on it."

You know, the crisis center not giving you any information. You know, the embassies, you can't even get through to them. I'm sure they're being flooded with telephone calls, but just -- it's a waiting game, and I guess that that's sufficient, or supposed to be sufficient.

FRANKEN (on camera): For those a world away here, the distance makes them safer, but also more desperate, because bringing in their loved ones to safety is completely out of their control.

SWALHI: You wake up one morning and they're in a nightmare. And there's nothing you can do about it.

FRANKEN (voice over): Nothing but wait and hope against hope.

Bob Franken, CNN, Manassas, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: More about that cruise ship. Navy warships will escort the Orient Queen, and all the extra security is adding extra time to the evacuation.

Soledad, by the way, is making her way to Cyprus right now. She'll be joining us live throughout the morning, giving us a firsthand look at the Americans fleeing to safety. And we're hoping to check in with her a little later on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Also, more on the developing story out of the Middle East in a moment. Israel bombing Beirut again overnight, and it's pledging not to stop its offensive in Lebanon until certain conditions are met. We'll take you live to Israel for more on that.

That's just ahead, too, on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening this morning in Iraq, a suicide bombing at a marketplace killing at least 45. It happened south of Baghdad in Kufa. Sixty injured in a car bombing there near a Shia shrine.

We're live in Baghdad in four minutes.

Another scorcher across the U.S. today. Temperatures again inching into the triple digits as the heat wave continues.

The Senate moving closer to loosening restrictions on stem cell research. A vote expected today to expand federal funding for the research. President Bush promising a veto.

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

COSTELLO: And I'm Carol Costello. Soledad is on assignment. O'BRIEN: Israeli warplanes still pounding Lebanon. They targeted an army barracks, killing nine Lebanese soldiers. Just one of several airstrikes today. Hezbollah responding with rockets aimed once again at the northern Israeli town of Haifa.

Our reporters are standing by with the latest from the region.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is in Haifa. And Anthony Mills, live in Beirut.

Anthony, we begin with you.

ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Lebanese capital is now braced for a response to the latest rocket fire against the northern Israeli town of Haifa. The kinds of attacks, deeper into Israel than in the past, that have, in the past few days, brought very hefty responses on behalf of the Israelis here in Lebanon.

So, this capital now waiting for a response, bombing possibly again of the southern suburbs, the Hezbollah stronghold, a part of Beirut, or, indeed, elsewhere across the country. A sense of anticipation, a sense that it could come at any moment, but there's no way of knowing when exactly.

O'BRIEN: Anthony, as you speak I see a lot traffic, I see some people on the streets there. Is there any sense of normalcy in Beirut right now?

MILLS: A couple of days ago, it's true, the streets were emptier than they are now. That may have something to do with the fact that Beirut is a city and Lebanon a country that have experienced war in the not too distant past, 15 years war, from 1975 until 1990. So that's a fairly fresh memory for a lot of people.

And during that war, people were able to get back to normalcy pretty fast. When the bombing stopped, they went out. They went back to their daily lives. And certainly the traffic in the street behind me, although slightly more than a couple of days ago, is still very thin by the standards that one would usually find down here in the rebuilt central district of Beirut at this time of year.

It should be packed with tourists, thousands of them. Especially from Gulf countries. But they're nowhere to the seen. And the few people who you are seeing now are those Lebanese who are venturing out of their houses, despite the threat of continued airstrikes.

Back to you.

O'BRIEN: And Anthony, are businesses generally open? You say the tourists are gone, but is normal commerce occurring in Beirut right now?

MILLS: There are a lot of shops that are closed, a lot of businesses that have closed down as well, or at least temporarily closed down. A lot of employees don't want to leave their homes, they don't want to come down to the businesses. They're scared of leaving. They don't want to take the roads.

Israel has been bombing bridges and tunnels and a variety of different strategic infrastructure targets across the country. And so, understandably, a lot of people are afraid to leave their homes and to go to work.

So many businesses have temporarily shut their doors. Many offices as well. But some do continue to function.

O'BRIEN: Anthony Mills in Beirut for us.

Thank you very much.

Let's move to the south now and go to the northern Israel city of Haifa, the third largest city in that country. We find CNN's Paula Hancocks there, where they are still in fear of that rocket barrage which continues to persist -- Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.

Yes, we had another few rockets landing in and around Haifa just about an hour and a half ago this Tuesday. Now, the police tell us that there were no injuries and very little damage itself.

We understand one of them may have fallen near the port area, and that port area is completely closed. It was closed on Monday. And also, many ships that were carrying dangerous substances or inflammable goods were moved out of the area in the fear that one of those ships could have been hit.

Now, over the past few days, we understand at least 12 civilians have been killed by these rocket attacks in the whole of northern Israel. Eight in one day, the worst Hezbollah attack in more than a decade which happened just behind me at a train depot down the hill on Sunday. On Monday, 50-plus rockets were launched, 10 of them in Haifa, and Tuesday.

There are a few more people on the streets trying to get back to their daily business, but very few shops are opened. And a lot of people have already gone south, headed to Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem, to try to get out of the reach of these rockets.

Now, the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, insisted that they were trying to stop these rocket attacks. At this point, that has not been accomplished. But he was also saying in a speech Monday night that he was insistent that Israel would no longer be a hostage to terror.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): When missiles rain down on our cities, our response will be to wage war with even greater determination. And we will show the willingness to make sacrifices for which this people is famous. There is no other people who wish more for peace and tranquility.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, the Israeli military has suggested it needs at least another week to carry out operations in Lebanon. It's targeting Hezbollah targets, also some infrastructure, in its words, so that weapons and the terrorists, in its words, cannot come into the country.

Now, an interesting poll in one of the Israeli newspapers today actually said that 87 percent of Israelis support the government in their action in Lebanon to try and stop these rockets and to make sure that these two soldiers are released safely. And in the northern Israeli towns, the ones that are really in the line of fire, literally, with these rockets, 97 percent believe the government was doing the right thing -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Paula Hancocks in Haifa.

Thank you -- Carol.

COSTELLO: In Iraq, south of Baghdad today, more sectarian violence. A suicide car bomber kills at least 45 people and injures 60 more in Kufa, a city considered holy by Shia Muslims. On Monday, an attack left at least 40 Iraqis dead.

CNN's Arwa Damon joins us live from Baghdad with more.

Good morning.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Well, this morning's attack happened at 7:30 in the morning just as Iraqi civilians, day laborers, in fact, were gathered at -- in Kufa, looking for work, waiting for work. We are told by the Iraqi emergency police that at that point a suicide bomber drover his vehicle into the crowd and detonated, killing over 40 and wounding dozens more.

Now, this does come on the heels of another attack that happened on yesterday, this time targeting civilians in Mahmoudiya just as they were shopping for their morning groceries. Both of these attacks highlighting just how vulnerable Iraqi civilians are as they try to go about their daily lives, and also underscoring just how crucial it is for Iraq's government to establish security in this country -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Arwa Damon, reporting live from Baghdad this morning.

Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, a closer look at Hezbollah. The U.S. and Israel say it's a terror group, but it's more than that. And that may be the secret to its success.

We'll explain.

COSTELLO: Also, more trouble for Boston's "Big Dig." We're talking hundreds and hundreds of problems on this AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Happening "In America" this morning, the Louisiana attorney general expected to announce the results of an investigation. Apparently, three arrests to be announce, and in the wake of so-called mercy killings at a New Orleans hospital. All this happened in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Subpoenas were issued to 73 employees at the medical center.

And we'll have more for you on that later.

It just keeps getting hot -- worse and worse for Boston's "Big Dig." Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney now says more than 1,100 tie bolts holding up those concrete slabs on sort of a false ceiling in those tunnels need to be reinforced. Last week ceiling panels fell loose and crushed a woman to death inside her car. Two tunnel remain closed this morning.

COSTELLO: It's back to work for House Speaker Dennis Hastert. The 64-year-old Illinois Republican was released from a Washington area hospital yesterday after undergoing four days of treatment for a skin infection in his leg. Hastert was given antibiotics and told to stay off his feet over the weekend.

Mickey Spillane, creator of the tough-guy detective Mike Hammer, has died of cancer at the age of 88. Spillane sold more than 100 million books, and his Hammer character inspired several TV series and movies. He died in his native South Carolina.

O'BRIEN: Some grim numbers in for eastern Pennsylvania in the wake of that flooding which hit last month. We're told right now by the state's emergency management agency at least 529 homes were destroyed. At least 7,200 other homes and businesses were affected. Investigators say those numbers are almost certain to grow.

COSTELLO: Firefighters hoping to extinguish the largest part of a massive wildfire in the southern California desert by tonight. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger toured some of the damaged area. So far, the Sawtooth fire, about 62,000 acres, is almost contained and crews hope to contain a smaller adjacent fire later in this week.

Let's head to the forecast center, because Chad not only has the weather for us, but kind of a tour of his new center.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, for a long time, Carol, there was a joke that the CNN tour -- if you ever come to Atlanta, take the CNN tour. You go through all the -- you go up to the top of the newsroom, and all that, but the tour weather office was nicer than the real weather office.

But now -- now it's not. Now we've got state-of-the-art stuff down here.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: All right, Chad.

COSTELLO: Coming up, the latest on the escalating violence in the Middle East. We'll meet an American family separated by the crisis and see how they're pulling through.

And oil and gas prices can skyrocket depending on what happens in the Middle East. We have tips on how to handle the pain at the pump, though. We are "Minding Your Business."

That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: With gas -- gas prices now $3-plus per gallon and going up, you would think we would all drive Priuses. Or is it Prii (ph)? I don't know.

Gerri Willis is here "Minding Your Business" with more on that.

It turns out we're not, right?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, we're not. That's the bad news.

The plural of Prius, I'll work on that.

O'BRIEN: Yes, work on that.

WILLIS: Oil prices are up slightly this morning above $75 a barrel. Records last week of $78. And this is going to trickle right into your tank.

AAA says the average price for a gallon of gas right now, $2.96. Of course, it depends on where you live. It's higher in some places. But it's not stopping Americans from driving big cars.

Of course, we love our SUVs. And according to the EPA, cars today are bigger, faster and less fuel efficient than 20 years ago. Isn't that mind-blowing?

So, if you can't give up driving altogether, we've got some ideas here to help you be a little more conscious of how much money you're spending on gas.

Tip number one, cruise control. Now, you think that's a good idea, don't you, Miles?

O'BRIEN: Generally, I would think good.

WILLIS: Well, unless you're on hilly terrain, in which case, your car keeps speeding up to maintain speed, and then that causes a problem...

O'BRIEN: It does gun it. The cruise control will gun it up a hill more than you would.

WILLIS: Absolutely.

COSTELLO: I love that feeling, though.

WILLIS: Well, you'll pay for the...

O'BRIEN: Feel the need for speed, huh? All right.

COSTELLO: I'm a typical American. I keep driving.

O'BRIEN: All right. Well...

WILLIS: Yes.

OK. Well, how about air conditioning?

O'BRIEN: We need it.

WILLIS: We need it.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

WILLIS: If your car is over six or seven years old, it's probably not working too efficiently, though. You can get it reconditioned for like $200, which is great savings and certainly better than having the entire system replaced, which would cost you a ton.

O'BRIEN: Good idea.

WILLIS: And spoilers.

O'BRIEN: What? Spoilers?

WILLIS: See, I thought spoilers made you more aerodynamic. But it turns out not. It actually costs you more in gas to have spoilers.

COSTELLO: I just thought they were there to look cool, myself.

O'BRIEN: I thought it was -- yes, I think it's just to, you know, impress the ladies, if you know what I mean.

WILLIS: I guess I'm the only person who thinks that.

O'BRIEN: You know? Aren't you impressed by spoilers? Huh? Huh?

WILLIS: If you knew the plural of Prius, I would be impressed.

O'BRIEN: That would do it. You like a smart guy, don't you?

What's coming up next?

WILLIS: Well, in the next hour, we're going to talk about an Internet gambling buzz. We'll have an interesting story for you on how the feds are catching up with those Internet gamblers.

O'BRIEN: All right.

COSTELLO: Interesting.

Thank you, Gerri.

O'BRIEN: Thanks.

COSTELLO: We'll be right back.

O'BRIEN: Back with more in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Americans pinned downed in Lebanon. A cruise ship is steaming their way, but is it too little, too late?

COSTELLO: Murder charges in New Orleans now for alleged hospital killings in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It is a story you will see only on CNN.

More record-high temperatures gripping the nation, and the heat is not going anywhere. Not just yet. Your forecast just ahead.

O'BRIEN: And Hezbollah's secrets of success. What the U.S. calls a terror group people in Lebanon see as a protector.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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

COSTELLO: And I'm Carol Costello. Soledad is in Cyprus. We'll get to her in just a minute.

O'BRIEN: We begin in the Middle East. More fighting between Israel and Hezbollah to tell you about, and growing concern about Americans caught in the middle.

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