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American Morning

Castro Cedes Power; Israeli Security Cabinet Gives Military Green Light for Major Ground Offensive in Southern Lebanon; Syria Told to Get Ready

Aired August 01, 2006 - 06:30   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.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez, in for Miles O'Brien, in a hot New York.

O'BRIEN: Yes, it is hot, and it's going to get hotter, apparently. We're going to check in with Chad in just a few minutes.

First, though, it is an announcement that Cuban exiles have been waiting for literally for decades. Fidel Castro no longer in charge, but it's only temporarily, according to the longtime Cuban dictator, who says she now recovering from intestinal surgery.

Shasta Darlington joins us by phone this morning with an update.

Shasta, good morning.

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

That's right, we don't actually have any official date for when President Fidel Castro could resume the presidency, but this has been called a temporary handover of power, the first time in his 47-year rule. And he's handed the reins over to his younger brother, Raul, who's actually only five years younger than President Castro himself. And we'll wait and see now to find out what the next bulletin is on his health is, to find out when we could expect some -- any news on when he might be coming back into power -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: He is believed to have written the statement, but he didn't read it. So there's no way to know what he currently looks like, right?

DARLINGTON: That's correct. The statement was read by his personal secretary. It was signed by President Fidel Castro, saying that he had written it at 6:22 p.m. on Monday evening. It was read -- it was read alive on television around 9:00.

It was a complete surprise to Cubans. They had been told only an hour before that Fidel was going to read a statement on television. And then his personal secretary instead came on and let them know about the state of affairs.

So there's been a lot of surprise, a lot of concern. People are trying to maintain the sort of sense of normalcy.

Everyone's going to work today. They want to show that nothing's -- nothing's changed in Cuba, this is just temporary. But there's definitely a lot of concern about what could have prompted this man who's been in power 47 years to temporarily hand over power -- Soledad

O'BRIEN: And you were saying that it was recently as last week that he was giving lengthy speeches, as he is known to do, going on for hours and hours and hours without notes, without water, without sitting down.

That was recent, right?

DARLINGTON: Exactly. It was less than a week ago, on the 26th of July. That date officially marks the start of the Cuban Revolution, and Fidel Castro flew to two separate cites in Cuba to give two separate speeches, each of them lasting a couple of hours. He was standing up in front of the crowds, although...

O'BRIEN: Obviously we've lost our connection with Shasta Darlington, who was updating us on what is happening today.

She mentioned Raul Castro. Raul Castro is the number two in Cuba's political hierarchy, President Fidel Castro's brother, and also his designated successor.

We're going to talk more about President Castro, and also Raul Castro, who is now in charge of that nation, just ahead this morning -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Turning to what could be a stunning development in the Middle East, the Israeli security cabinet has reversed a decision and is giving the military now the go-ahead for a major expansion of the ground offensive in southern Lebanon. And the military also is calling up more reservists, we understand.

CNN's Paula Hancocks has been following this development. She's live now in Jerusalem to break it down for us.

Good morning, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Rick.

Well, that's right, this ground operation will expand, according to the security cabinet's meeting, which took far longer than expected and only finished in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Now, they have approved an expansion of this operation. This is what we'd heard from the defense minister, Amir Peretz, on Monday morning, saying he wanted an expanded and deeper incursion into Lebanon itself. And we have been seeing fierce fighting on the border and just inside the Lebanese border between Hezbollah fighters and between Israeli military.

Now, the Israeli military says over the past couple of days they believe they've killed up to 20 Hezbollah fighters. Now, we heard from the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, on Monday evening. He addressed the nation and he said this was going to continue for days to come. Interestingly, he didn't say weeks to come. So, giving the slight indication that maybe the political situation is changing after Condoleezza Rice was in the area, in the region. And she's convinced that she can secure a cease-fire and also an agreement on an international force to be placed in southern Lebanon.

Now, in that speech, Olmert also said that he apologized to the Lebanese people for the pain that the Israeli airstrikes had been causing them, but he also said that it was the fault of Hezbollah, Hezbollah was holding the Lebanese people hostage, and Israel had no choice but to react against them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We are not pursuing and persecuting innocent civilians. We are not fighting against the people of Lebanon, nor do we wish to bring down its government. We are fighting terrorists who know no bounds. And the war against them will not be stopped by us until we drive them from our borders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, Olmert also said that he believed Hezbollah had been dealt a heavy blow and it would be very difficult for the group to sort itself out after this conflict was over.

Now, we also heard from Amir Peretz, the defense minister, saying this will continue. We are hearing from Israeli military officials -- sources, sorry -- that they would like another 10 to 14 days. Of course, the political situation may not allow that much.

Now, we also know that we are in the middle of a 48-hour suspension of Israeli airstrikes. Israel saying they wanted to allow humanitarian aid into southern Lebanon. But we have seen those airstrikes continuing -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Our Paula Hancocks following that story for us from Jerusalem.

By the way, there's also deadly violence to report in Iraq today. Three car bombs kill at least 35 people. Dozens more are injured. Most of the victims are Iraqi soldiers. Violence against Iraqi forces is rising as the government tries to control insurgents, as well as sectarian violence -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Happening "In America" this morning, President Bush scheduled for his annual physical at Bethesda Naval Hospital this morning. The president turned 60 last month.

Last year, a non-cancerous skin growth was removed from his neck. He was rated in superior shape for a man his age. A Senate committee will meet today in the wake of a surprise announcement by the Food and Drug Administration. The committee is going to vote on the nomination of the new FDA chief. The vote comes one day after the FDA says it will consider allowing the Morning After pill to be sold to adult women without a prescription.

Florida Senate candidate Katherine Harris isn't letting her political party stand in the way of her campaign. In a letter obtained by The Associated Press, the GOP bluntly tells Harris the party is not going to support her. Harris, you'll recall, rose to national prominence as Florida's secretary of state during the 2000 presidential election recount.

California is going to have its own hall of fame. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver named the first 11 inductees yesterday. Among them, former U.S. President Ronald Reagan and former astronaut Sally Ride. New inductees will be named every year. A hall of fame is said to open in December in Sacramento.

Actor Mel Gibson has entered rehab. That's according to his publicist. The move follows his arrest for drunk driving in Malibu on Friday morning. That's when he also allegedly unleashed a tirade of anti-Semitic and sexist remarks. He issued an apology over the weekend.

Is that something you can fix in rehab, anti-Semitic and sexist remarks? Just a thought.

SANCHEZ: The DUI is something, the comments are another.

O'BRIEN: Just a thought.

And here's something you don't see very often. Look at this.

This is an SUV that plowed through the front door of a convenience store. It happened in Rhode Island. A customer was standing just a couple of inches away. And they're obviously doing the cleanup there.

Nobody was hurt. Not even the driver. The crash, meanwhile, is under investigation.

Time to get to the forecast, 37 minutes past the hour.

Ooh, look at that. Can you believe nobody was -- there we go.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Missed him by that much.

O'BRIEN: Yes, they were really, really lucky. And apparently I read a little note that said he sold two winning lottery tickets the same day in that store.

MYERS: Oh, great.

O'BRIEN: Good luck, bad luck, right?

MYERS: Exactly, I guess. Get some of that -- get some of that back, anyway.

Good morning, everybody.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: All right. We'll watch it. Thanks, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

SANCHEZ: Still to come, what about Syria? Syria's president is ordering his army to step up their training. Does this mean he is preparing to enter the Middle East conflict?

We'll be looking into that for you.

O'BRIEN: Then, a CNN exclusive. You can check out the latest in airport security. And we'll tell you how it might be able to make your life a whole lot easier, we hope.

SANCHEZ: Also, if you're trying to get the most out of your old cell phone, why you may see a new surcharge on your next bill.

Why? We'll explain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: What about Syria? Syrian leaders have been relatively quiet while Hezbollah and Israel battle it out just at few miles from their shared borders. But now Syrian forces are being told to get ready.

CNN's Aneesh Raman live for us in Damascus this morning.

Hey, Aneesh. Good morning.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

The announcement came last night. The Syrian president, in a statement to the armed forces, said to raise the readiness. The question, though, this morning is whether this was all, or whether essentially this was an attempt to get attention to Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN (voice over): Calling the war one of Israeli aggression and genocide, Syria's president, Bashar Assad, in a statement to the country's armed forces, raised their readiness, essentially telling them to train harder and prepare for whatever might come next. But there was no mention of increasing troop numbers or any movement of military assets.

Instead, it seems it was a reminder of Syria's regional importance. Amid the fury in the Muslim world following the Israeli attack on Qana, Lebanon, amid increasing international calls for an end to the conflict, Syria is posturing at an opportune moment. (on camera): Across Damascus at cafes like this, TVs are locked on to Arabic news channels that are constantly showing images of the children killed in the Qana attack. It is in part why the Syrian government feels the tide is turning its way as Arab opinion hardens against Israel and its ally, the United States.

(voice over): One top official here says it's Washington that's out of step, not Damascus.

BUTHAYNA SHA'ABAN, SYRIAN MINISTER OF EXPAT AFFAIRS: Well, yesterday the foreign minister of Egypt was here, nine foreign ministers called our foreign minister and talked to him. So we don't feel lonely at all.

Syria is not isolated. I think it's only in the minds of the U.S. administration that Syria is isolated. I think in this crisis, the U.S. is isolated in the Middle East and the U.S. has shown itself not to have any vision or any credibility in the Middle East.

RAMAN (voice over): Syria says the U.S. must directly engage both Damascus and Iran if a permanent solution to the crisis is to be achieved. And they say Hezbollah must agree to any international peacekeeping force planned for southern Lebanon.

SHA'ABAN: Of course we will say international troops and occupying forces because they are not consulting with the resistance.

RAMAN: The resistance is how many here label Hezbollah, seen by Israel and the U.S. as a terrorist group. And as a diplomatic solution to the current crisis is being debated in capitals around the world, Syria's president has his own message: his is a country essential to sustainable peace in the Middle East.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN: But, Soledad, there seems no peace deal in the works that will include both the U.S. and Syria, and Syria says no peace deal that will bring lasting peace to the region -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman for us this morning.

Aneesh, thanks.

He is in Damascus.

Later on AMERICAN MORNING, we're going to check in with the Syrian ambassador to the United States, talk about his country's latest moves.

Also, still ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, the Cuban president, Fidel Castro, temporarily handing over power for the first time in his 47- year rule.

We're live from Havana with the very latest on his health and reaction from Cuban exiles in Miami.

First, though, a behind-the-scenes look at a new baggage security system that's supposed to make air travel safer and easier.

We'll show you how it works just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: And welcome back, everyone.

A new CNN "Security Watch" now. And something that you'll see only on CNN.

We all want our airports and our air travel to be safe, yet we all wish that somehow those baggage screening lines that we have to go through from time to time weren't so darn long.

Now, at the airport in Atlanta there's a new screening process that just may be the answer.

CNN's Melissa Long has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIE WILLIAMS, TSA FEDERAL SECURITY DIR.: We're going to remove (ph) all of these machines, these one and two-ton machines that have been in the lobbies.

MELISSA LONG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): You may soon start to notice small changes at major airports that could bring back some pre-9/11 travel conveniences.

BENJAMIN DECOSTA, HARTSFIELD-JACKSON AIRPORT: You'll come through the ticketing lobby and they'll do their ticketing and drop their bag and be on their way, instead of having it screened by TSA employees here in the lobby.

LONG: Atlanta's airport handles anywhere from 12,000 to 20,000 bags a day. Now passengers won't have to lug their suitcases to a bomb detection machine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The check-in is great, you know, when you can pre-board and then all you have to do is check the bag right there and go quick.

LONG (on camera): So these bags are coming in from the -- from the original terminal where people checked in?

CHRISTOPHER WHITE, TSA: Right. The bags that are coming down this belt have been checked to the airlines. The airlines take it, put it on their belt, it's interconnected with ours. It will come down here like that bag. It will eventually go around here and into one of our almost a dozen explosive detection systems.

LONG (voice over): If the machine detects anything suspicious, it diverts the luggage to a separate belt and sends an image to a TSA officer.

WHITE: This is the room where images are sent for closer inspection. If they make the determination that there's no threat in the bag, it's automatically routed right back to the airline. We never touch it again. If the bag does require additional scrutiny, it's routed to our physical inspection room.

LONG: This is the only area where officers physically inspect questionable luggage. The system is not completely operational yet. It's expected to be in line with the entire airport, including international airlines, by the end of the year. While other airports have similar screenings, the federal security director says Atlanta's is the best.

WILLIAMS: It will be probably the safest and most efficient way to clear bags in the country.

LONG: And they hope a model for all airports to emulate.

Melissa Long, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: Now, by the way, the TSA is saying that it hopes the new baggage screening system will allow more officers to work security lines and move passengers along a little more quickly.

Be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliability news about your security.

Up next, Andy's "Minding Your Business."

What do you have, Andy? Hopefully you're talking a little better than I can this morning.

ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": Rick, good morning to you. Yes -- not at all.

How would you like to have to pay more each month just because you use an older cell phone?

And Honda gives its customers a way, way wrong number.

We'll tell you about that coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Cingular Wireless customers with some older phones may have to start paying a little more each month.

Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" and brining us up to date on that and another amazing story he's going to be sharing with you.

What you got, Andy?

SERWER: Rick, customers respond to both carrots and sticks, and Cingular seems to be resorting, excuse me, to the latter in an effort to get customers to upgrade their cell phones. About 4.7 million customers of Cingular will begin having to pay a $5-a-month charge because they use an older type of handset that uses an analog technology and not the GSM technology, which is the newer technology...

O'BRIEN: And more expensive.

SERWER: ... and more expensive.

O'BRIEN: Having just switched.

SERWER: Yes. And they obviously want you to upgrade to this.

So, to do that, they're going to make you pay $5 a month more. If you have analog or TDMA, you're going to have to pay $5 a month more. This will amount to $23 million a year more for this -- a month, excuse me -- for this company. So it's a lot more money.

O'BRIEN: $23 million a month?

SERWER: Yes. A lot more money coming to them.

And Cingular says, well, you know, we're just trying to, you know, get these people to upgrade. Cingular is part of a joint venture with AT&T and BellSouth. Cingular was sued last month over shoddy service to AT&T customers.

Another phone story to tell you about this morning having to do with car maker Honda. And this is the department of, "How did we get here?" They listed a toll-free number in an owner manual for millions and millions of Honda owners. And...

SANCHEZ: That's the number you call when you need help.

SERWER: Yes. It was supposed to be a government hotline, actually...

SANCHEZ: Right.

SERWER: ... about safety, I think. Instead, it was a -- well, hot talk would be a polite way to put it. 1-800 blah, blah blah talk. Just 99 cents a minute, you can call us up. And, well...

O'BRIEN: It was like a porn phone line?

SERWER: Well, that would be one way of putting it.

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: It was a chat thing, you know. It was a talk thing. You just pay 99 cents a minute, and if you're a little lonely you get to talk to someone.

O'BRIEN: Does no one call in and just double check?

SERWER: I guess they didn't. And, you know, they said -- Honda says it's a misprint. In fact, I think that's probably what it was.

SANCHEZ: Wrong number, sorry.

What you got? What do you got coming up?

SERWER: Coming up soon, we're going to talk about how tax cheats, wealthy Americans, are cheating on their taxes in record numbers. And it really is something to kind of tick you off. So we'll get to that in a little bit.

SANCHEZ: Thanks, Andy.

SERWER: You're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Let's get a look at the forecast this morning. Chad's got that.

Hey, Chad. Good morning again.

MYERS: Good morning, Soledad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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

O'BRIEN: Thank you, Chad.

Is it Fidel Castro's finale? Cuban leader Fidel Castro no longer in charge this morning. Serious surgery forcing the dictator to pass control temporarily to his brother.

SANCHEZ: Also, Israel is now stepping up its ground war against Hezbollah fighters. Thousands more soldiers, we understand, might be sent in.

O'BRIEN: Extreme, deadly heat moving east now. Temperatures are expecting to reach triple digits. We've got your forecast coming up.

SANCHEZ: Also, a new development in the Mel Gibson saga. The actor now in rehab. This late word coming to us. We'll share more with you.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

O'BRIEN: And welcome back, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez, sitting in for Miles O'Brien.

Good to be here.

O'BRIEN: Nice to have you. Thank you. Thanks for helping us out this week. Appreciate it.

SANCHEZ: Always good.

O'BRIEN: Let's begin with Fidel Castro, shall we? Celebrations and lots of speculation following a surprising announcement from the Cuban dictator. In a statement, Castro said he is passing power to his brother Raul. He also said it's a temporary move while he recovers from serious surgery.

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