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American Morning

Sifting Through Debris at Qana; United Nations Still Trying to Come Up With Official Response to Conflict in Middle East; New Orleans Crime

Aired July 31, 2006 - 06:29   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien.

O'BRIEN: Nice to have you helping us out.

HARRIS: Yes. Good to be here with you.

O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.

O'BRIEN: In Lebanon, they are sifting through the debris at Qana, where at least 60 people are reported killed.

Ben Wedeman was there this morning. He joins us from Tyre in Lebanon.

Ben, good morning.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning, Soledad.

Actually, most of the people have left Qana. The town is really a ghost town. The only people up there at this point are some civil defense and rescue workers and lots of journalists.

And I think at this point the death toll from yesterday's strike may actually come down. I spoke with some Lebanese civil defense workers on the scene who said that maybe 34 people were killed. That's the number of bodies they've actually recovered from that house that collapsed following a strike by a missile right next to it.

Many people were there, essentially packing up, deciding it's no longer safe to leave. Some of them obviously taking advantage of the fact that Israel has said it has suspended its air activities over southern Lebanon for 48 hours. We are hearing from Lebanese army sources, however, that there was an Israeli airstrike outside of Tyre that killed one officer, wounded three soldiers. No word yet from the Israeli military about that incident -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Ben Wedeman for us this morning. He's in Tyre in Lebanon. Thanks, Ben.

Nearly three weeks into the conflict in the Middle East, the United Nations is still trying to come up with an official response.

CNN Senior United Nations Correspondent Rich Roth has more for us this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Members of the U.N. Security Council rushed in for a rare Sunday emergency session following the attack in Qana. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was outraged at what happened and was frustrated at the failure of the Security Council to declare an immediate cessation of hostilities.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: We must condemn this action in the strongest possible terms, and I appeal to you to do likewise. I am deeply dismayed that my earlier calls for cessation of such hostilities, the immediate cessation of hostilities, were not heeded.

ROTH: After hours of closed-door negotiations on a statement, the Security Council said it was shocked and distressed by what happened in Qana.

JEAN-MARC DE LA SABLIERE, SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT (through translator): The Security Council expresses its concern at the threat of escalation of violence with further grave consequences for the humanitarian situation, calls for an end of violence, and underscores the urgency of securing a lasting, permanent and sustainable cease- fire.

ROTH: Though the Security Council failed to demand an immediate halt in the fighting, France and Russia were pleased with what they called a compromised document. The Security Council will spend the rest of the week probably working on a resolution if there is a peace agreement.

Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: The violence is getting worse in New Orleans. Six new shooting deaths there within the span of 24 hours.

Sean Callebs on what the city is doing to harness the crime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another bloody weekend in post- Katrina New Orleans. Six people were shot and killed in three separate incidents. This on the heels of five teachers being gunned down in an execution-style killing about a month and a half ago. Police here say there is a crime problem but maintain it is not out of control. Governor Kathleen Blanco says that National Guard troops who had been patrolling New Orleans for weeks will stay on in the city beyond their initial September pullout date. New Orleans has been struggling to rebuild since the hurricane to lure its residents back and to lure much-needed tourism dollars here, as well.

Police and the mayor's office say that almost all violent crime is drug-related. And in an effort to allay concerns, say almost all of that crime has been committed in low-income neighborhoods, areas they say where visitors rarely venture to begin with. However, they say there is no easy solution to the killings, the spate of killings, or the national perception that New Orleans is once again a violent city.

Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Happening elsewhere "In America," Florida police are investigating a string of hate crimes in the north Miami Beach area. Swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti were spray-painted on two synagogues in two Jewish stores Saturday night. So far, no arrests have been made.

President Bush is in Miami, where he's expected to talk about the Mideast crisis this morning. The president is in Florida to meet with local officials on hurricane preparedness and the economy. He's scheduled to make his remarks on the Mideast at 10:10 a.m., and we will carry that live on "CNN LIVE TODAY" with Daryn Kagan right here on CNN.

Arizona Senator John McCain's youngest son has joined the Marine Corps, according to a published report. Eighteen-year-old Jimmy McCain will begin basic training in September, and he could be deployed to a war zone in a matter of months. Senator McCain says he's very proud but also a little nervous.

Two major papers are sounding off about Senate candidates in Connecticut. "The Washington Post" is endorsing Senator Joe lieberman for his "bipartisan manner," but "The New York Times" is critical of Lieberman's support of the president's national security policies, and it's endorsing his opponent, businessman Ned Lamont.

Help is on the way for hundreds of firefighters battling a string of wildfires in Nebraska. Crews have been fighting the flames for three days in triple-digit temperatures. So far, the fires have destroyed at least three homes and burned more than 100 square miles.

And a very close call at a gas station in southern California. Take a look at this.

A man had just gotten into his car, when out of nowhere, bang! Yes. An out-of-control driver just slammed right into him.

The car went up in flames, as you can see. Here's the good news: everyone escaped. Amazingly, no one was hurt. Crazy video.

Time for a check on the forecast now.

And Chad, the weather story over the weekend was the heat, and so it is again today.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, our weekly look at Washington's "Hot Topics." Today we'll take a look at how the crisis in the Middle East is affecting President Bush's agenda at home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Got news just in to CNN. Israeli radio is reporting that Hezbollah rockets have hit Kiryat Shmona. Those are the first rockets to land since the suspension of airstrikes that began early on Monday. No casualties reported as of yet in those rocket attacks.

Also, this comes in the aftermath of the attacks in Qana. Sixty people, you'll recall, killed in the result of an Israel airstrike. It hit an apartment building that then collapsed.

It happened on Sunday. The numbers, 60 people killed, those could be downgraded. Ben Wedeman reported for us just a short while ago that it looks like the civil defense forces there saying there might be fewer than 60 people killed. We're going to try to update you on that figure as well.

Israel is blaming Hezbollah for those deaths, saying they put their own civilians at risk by firing rockets from civilian areas.

John Roberts has a report this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SR. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The images are heart-wrenching: dozens of dead, many of them children, carried from the rubble of this building in Qana, destroyed by an Israel bomb. They are also, Israel military officials admit, a terrible blow to public opinion in its campaign to push Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon.

Deeply sorry for what it calls a mistake, the Israeli military claims it was targeting a Hezbollah rocket launcher nearby and released infrared video of what it says was evidence Hezbollah launchers are using civilian buildings for cover. This video is not of today's attack, nor is it from Qana. But according to the Israel military, the circumstances from this July 22nd incident in southern Lebanon are similar.

The black flashes on the screen are the heat signatures from the missiles' rocket motor. The launcher appears to be positioned behind what the military says is an apartment building, a building like the one destroyed in Qana.

Another video, this one from an aircraft gun site camera, shows what the Israel military claims are Katyusha launchers operating in Qana. The military says it was shot in recent days and that the white flashes are missiles aiming toward towns in northern Israel. Israeli officials insist it is a threat that must be removed.

MARK REGEV, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: Well, if we know that there are civilians in a target area, we won't act. But we have to state the facts here.

This wasn't some peaceful little community that Israel went into. Unfortunately, we had just in the last few days more than 100 rockets fired from that community into Israel cities.

Now, that doesn't excuse. We really express our regret. This is a terrible, terrible incident. But blame has to be shared around here, and primarily with Hezbollah.

ROBERTS: A third video provided to CNN by the Israeli military shows how difficult it is to target where those Katyusha rockets are being fired from. The gun site cameras follow missile launch vehicles as they weave through the streets, running for cover in buildings and garages. The Israeli military said the video was shot recently in southern Lebanon but not in Qana.

Israeli officials say they will conduct a full investigation into the Qana bombing and the civilian deaths, but they make no apology for targeting the rocket launchers and the deadly threat they pose to Israeli civilians.

John Roberts, CNN, along the Israel-Lebanon border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, the popular "LA Times." Three separate billionaires are offering to buy the paper. But are they interesting in selling?

And for the first time this morning, political "Hot Topics." Washington insider John Mercurio tells us how the war in the Middle East is affecting the president's agenda.

That's ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, it is Monday morning, time for John Mercurio to look at the political week ahead and the one just past which, of course, featured Condoleezza Rice pushing for peace in the Middle East. John is senior editor of "The National Journal's Hotline" and joins us now from Washington.

John, good to see you.

JOHN MERCURIO, SR. EDITOR, "HOTLINE": Good to see you, Tony. HARRIS: So, OK, we learned that Condoleezza Rice is on her way back and she's bringing back the kind of comprehensive peace proposal that the president says he wants to quell things in the Middle East.

I have to ask you, what is the calculus going on here for the president in not asking for this immediate cease-fire? What do you think? What do you make of this?

MERCURIO: Well, I think he's been saying over the past several days that we've seen over the past several years in the Middle East that the -- that the territory is sort of littered with peace agreements and cease-fires that didn't work. I mean, but I think that what's interesting is that you're seeing the effect, the impact of a strategy that the White House has tried to pursue over the past several years in the Middle East, which is sort of a go-it-alone, unilateral strategy in terms of, you know, not necessarily trying to build a coalition, not necessarily trying to find support internationally.

They saw that that didn't necessarily work, especially in Iraq. They received a lot of criticism on that.

HARRIS: Yes.

MERCURIO: And what they're focusing on now I think is trying to develop a much broader coalition of support and diplomacy.

HARRIS: So much happening overseas, I'm wondering, what would the president be doing now if he weren't trying to manage these crisis overseas?

MERCURIO: Right. Well, I mean, obviously this is an election year, and what Republicans believe is most politically potent issue going into November is the issue of immigration reform, which also happens to be an issue, I think, close to the president's heart, the former border state governor of Texas. I think that if these situations weren't going on both -- both in Israel and Lebanon, and in Iraq, of course, and Iran and North Korea -- I mean, you see, he really is so focused internationally right now, but, no, if he were just focused, I think, domestically, I think tax cuts and immigration reform would be on his agenda and the Republican agenda.

HARRIS: So, John, let's talk about Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman. Now, he is in a fight. Boy, he is in a fight he never expected to be in at this point.

We learned this morning that "The Washington Post" is endorsing Lieberman. But yesterday, "The New York Times" said -- and we can take a quote of it -- "If Mr. Lieberman had once stood up and taken the lead in saying there were some places a president had no right to take his country even during a time of war, neither he nor this page would be where we are today."

This is not a fight he expected to be in, is it?

MERCURIO: No, absolutely not. Although, I mean, he did have polling I think earlier this year that showed he would have a fight on his hands, and he knew that the vote in favor of the war would elicit sort of some Democratic opposition.

But look, what I think is sort of interesting about this is there's been a lot of focus on the division within the Democratic Party over the issue of the war, but polling both around the country and in Connecticut shows that the opposition to the war is increasing not just among Democrats, but among Republicans as well. If Joe Lieberman loses this primary and goes into the general election as an independent, and as the war candidate, and then he loses, I think it becomes an issue and indictment not just of Joe Lieberman, but of the president, the White House, and this war in Iraq.

HARRIS: Is it really just his support of the president and the war, or I'm just wondering if there is something else going on here.

MERCURIO: Yes, that's one of the biggest debates. Is it, you know, his general support for school vouchers, or his overall support for the president on other issues, his sort of social conservative nature.

HARRIS: Yes.

MERCURIO: But really, I think when you talk to activists, the Ned Lamont, his challenger, his supporters, the issue is the war. It sounds overly simplistic, but it really is, I think, true. That's where the passion lies.

HARRIS: Hey, John, to Congress now. And what, we've got an August recess coming up here soon. Still work to be done. Immigration reform we mentioned a moment ago, lobbying reform.

Boy, what's going to happen with Congress? How much of this work is actually going to get done?

MERCURIO: They've only got about 25 work days left, apparently, between now and the scheduled -- and the November elections. So not a lot that necessarily can get done.

There's a minimum wage bill...

HARRIS: Yes.

MERCURIO: ... that's been coupled with an estate tax cut that was sent from the House to the Senate this week. We'll see if it gets taken up.

Sort of interesting, though, the coupling of those two very, very different issues. If it passes, I think, you know, it was a gamble that the House took that will pay off. If it doesn't, I think Democrats will be able to criticize the Republicans for failing to pass a minimum wage hike for the ninth year in a row.

HARRIS: There he is, 'Hotline's" senior editor, John Mercurio.

John, good to see you. Thanks. MERCURIO: Thank you, Tony.

And up next, Andy minding your money.

Andy, good morning. Good to see you, sir.

ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": Good morning, Tony. Good to see you here.

Some news about the news coming up. The online news business might not be growing to the sky.

Plus, will a high-profile billionaire buy the "LA Times"?

We'll tell you about that coming up.

HARRIS: Thanks.

Also ahead, he can't read or write, but, boy, can he kick. We will show you how karate is helping one young boy overcome autism.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: So, some interesting results from a survey about how you get your news.

Andy is here minding your money, "Minding your Business."

Andy, good morning. Good to see you, sir.

SERWER: Good morning to you.

So, more and more Americans are getting their news online, right? Well, not so fast.

A new survey from Pew Research says that three out of 10 adult Americans get their news online, yes, but that's basically the same amount who said they did two years ago. So the growth in this business seems to be slowing down. Plus, these same people say they spend more time with TV news and newspapers.

Newspapers, that business has obviously dropped. Four out of 10 adults say they get their news from newspapers as opposed to six out of 10 in 1994.

Listen to this one. Regular network news, nightly network news, now 28 percent of adult Americans. That's half of what they were in 1993.

So, we're seeing a lot of change...

HARRIS: Yes.

SERWER: ... but maybe not as fast or as much as you think. O'BRIEN: Is morning news going up? I'm just curious.

(LAUGHTER)

SERWER: Yes, definitely. Particularly CNN's AMERICAN MORNING.

HARRIS: Yes, there you go.

SERWER: Morning news has been a -- has been a growth business.

O'BRIEN: That's what I would have thought.

SERWER: It absolutely has been.

O'BRIEN: So, you have three out of 10 -- four out of 10 are getting it online, and six out of 10 people are getting no news at all?

SERWER: You could deduce that, yes.

O'BRIEN: Shocking. Wow.

SERWER: And if newspapers are such a dead business...

HARRIS: Yes.

SERWER: ... you wouldn't know it from what's going on in L.A., Tony, right now. Three separate bids by billionaires for the "LA Times."

First of all, music mogul David Geffen. Can you imagine David Geffen in charge of the "LA Times"?

HARRIS: Oh, man.

SERWER: Have Guns N' Roses doing the op-ed pieces, maybe.

Eli Broad, the founder of SunAmerica, and KB Holmes (ph), another guy, interested.

And then, the seemingly ever present Ron Burkle. Ron Burkle interested in buying the "LA Times," too, and there would be a lot of stuff going on there.

Now, here's the problem. The paper says they're not for sale.

HARRIS: Well, where's this coming from then?

O'BRIEN: Attach (ph).

HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Yes.

SERWER: Well, here's what's going on. The paper is owned by the Tribune Company out of Chicago. They bought it from the Chandlers in 2000. But there's been a lot of stuff going back and forth between the newspaper and the company that owns it. So people are suggesting it might be a good idea for the company to sell the paper.

HARRIS: Got you.

SERWER: The company says they're not interested. But apparently there are bidders out there.

HARRIS: I see. I see. OK.

Andy, when we see you next hour, what are we going to talk about?

SERWER: We're going to be talking about the sentencing of Andy Fastow and Jeff Skilling. Apparently, victims of Enron will be allowed to speak at the sentencing. That could be some serious fireworks.

HARRIS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Oh, wow. Wow.

HARRIS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Yes, that sure will be.

HARRIS: Andy, thanks.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Get to the forecast now, 58 minutes past the hour. Chad's got that.

Hey, Chad.

MYERS: Good morning, Soledad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MYERS: The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I take with me an emerging consensus on what is necessary for both an urgent cease-fire and a lasting settlement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Hopes for peace. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is headed home with a plan, but the fighting rages on. And outrage throughout the Arab world is growing.

CALLEBS: I'm Sean Callebs. A rash of killings in the Crescent City. A crime problem that could be a huge concern as this city struggles to rebuild. I'll have that story. O'BRIEN: And it's hot. Heat warnings throughout the Midwest today. The mercury is climbing well over 100. The latest forecast is straight ahead.

HARRIS: And Mel Gibson in some trouble over a traffic stop. It's what he said afterward that's rekindling an old controversy on this AMERICAN MORNING.

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