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American Morning

Humanitarian Effort Facing Problems in Lebanon; Rocket Attacks Kill at Least 12 Israeli Reservists; Political 'Hot Topics'

Aired August 07, 2006 - 06:31   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening this morning, Israeli warplanes have once again struck Beirut's southern suburbs. Meanwhile, Israeli officials say one Israel soldier and five Hezbollah fighters have been killed in clashes in southern Lebanon.
High safety marks for Toyota. The 2007 Camry and the 2006 RAV4 earned top marks in tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

And antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan has resumed her vigil in Crawford, Texas. Her latest protest is on land that she helped by. It was a peace movement. She used insurance money that she received from her son was killed in Iraq.

Welcome back, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris, in this week for Miles O'Brien.

Soledad, good morning.

O'BRIEN: Nice to have you.

HARRIS: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: And good to be here with you.

HARRIS: Good to be here with you.

The Israeli army and Hezbollah guerrillas locked in fierce battles in southern Lebanon again this morning. The Israel army saying at least one soldier has been killed in action there. Meanwhile, Israel continues to hunt for Hezbollah rocket launchers near the port city of Tyre.

That's where our Ben Wedeman is standing by.

Hello, Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Tony.

Well, we've been talking today about the problems the humanitarian effort is facing here. Now, we know that, for instance, the Israelis have hit the main road to the north out of Tyre on the road to Beirut, and, of course, that is causing extreme problems for many of the humanitarian organizations working in southern Lebanon. Now, this morning, we're joining by Hakim Khaldi from Doctors Without Borders, and they're trying to bring a convoy from Beirut, but obviously the road is cut.

Hakim, how are you going to get your supplies down to Tyre from Beirut?

HAKIM KHALDI, DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: You know, normally, we have been to -- used to working in such kind of conflicts like Iraq or Gaza or Darfur. And we always succeed to get our supplies. But to run our operation in Tyre, the last two weeks it became really, really a challenge to get supplies.

We never succeeded to get trucks come in into Tyre. We have done always the supplies through small cars. And today, it was the first time for us to get trucks coming to Tyre.

We have three trucks who left Beirut this morning to come to Tyre. And now, we learn that this morning the road has been bombed at the Litani River. We are planning to go in this junction point at the Litani River with trucks leaving from Tyre to join the convoy coming from Beirut and to make it back to back with a human chain to get the supplies in Tyre.

WEDEMAN: A human chain, but aren't you exposing yourself to risk? Have you received a green light from the Israelis to do this operation?

KHALDI: In fact, we just informed the Israelis and a lot of journalists that we will run this operation. And for us, it's an emergency to get the supplies, because we have (INAUDIBLE), who is coming, (INAUDIBLE) to run our activities, to run our car (ph). We have surgical items, surgical supplies coming to run, and a surgical room in Tyre because we are expecting a very, very difficult situation. We have also drugs and surgical supplies for the main hospital in Tyre as well.

WEDEMAN: Now, how easy is it for you go to the areas to the south of here, to Bint Jbeil, to the villages and the towns near the border?

KHALDI: As I told you, we face a very, very, very big challenge to get supplies from Beirut. No one wants to come in Tyre with trucks. And the same to go south of Tyre. We've been already in hospital -- in (INAUDIBLE) hospital and Bint Jbeil hospital two times because there are (INAUDIBLE) from the city of Tyre, and there is no one who is able to access those places, and there is no many organization who are available in Tyre as well.

WEDEMAN: OK. Thank you very much.

That's Hakim Khaldi from the Doctors Without Borders.

Now, we're also hearing, Soledad, that, for instance, the Red Cross is increasingly getting the red light from the Israeli authorities when they try to move around in southern Lebanon. Back to you, Soledad.

HARRIS: OK, Ben. Just a quick question for you.

In listening to your conversation there, I'm wondering how many people are still left in Tyre? It is a small city. So how many people are even left, in need of these humanitarian efforts and work of Doctors Without Borders?

WEDEMAN: Well, Tony, we don't really have a clear idea about how many people are down here in Tyre itself. Probably more than 60, possibly as many as 80 percent of the normal population has left.

In the outlying villages, many people took advantage of that 48- hour window of relative restraint by the Israel air force to get out, but many people we know do remain. They still are in these cutoff villages and towns, and they don't have communications, they don't have electricity, there's no running water. And from everything we understand from relief officials, the situation is dire and it's very hard for anybody to get there -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK.

CNN's Ben Wedeman for us in Tyre, Lebanon.

Ben, thank you.

O'BRIEN: The Israel military suffered its deadliest day on Sunday when rocket attacks killed at least 12 reservists near the northern Israel town of Kfar Giladi.

CNN Senior International Correspondent Matthew Chance joins us from northern Israel. He's got more on that.

Good morning to you, Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you as well, Soledad.

Well, there's clearly some tough battles being fought on the ground in southern Lebanon. I just want to give you the latest information we have from there, where, of course, at least 10,000 Israel troops are engaged in clashes with Hezbollah guerrillas in pockets of that area of southern Lebanon.

We understand that over the course of the past few hours, there's been fighting around the town of Bint Jbeil, a town which previously the Israeli Defense Forces said they had control of. Well, there's been more clashes inside that town again between soldiers and Hezbollah guerrillas. At least one Israel soldier killed, another four injured. More injuries as well in fighting with guerrillas across southern Lebanon.

All this coming, as you mentioned, after the deadliest day for Israel as a result of Hezbollah rocket attacks. Three dead at least in the Israel city of Haifa, when Katyusha rockets landed on a building there. But also, here, in the north of Israel, right on the Lebanese border, a rocket attack, a Katyusha rocket, landing on staging area for reserve soldiers. And it was a really scene of carnage -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Matthew Chance with an update on what's happening there.

Thanks, Matthew.

Still to come this morning, a sudden blow to the nation's oil supply. The biggest oilfield in the U.S. is now forced to shut down. We'll tell you why and what that's going to mean for gas prices just ahead.

HARRIS: Then, cyclist Floyd Landis is fighting back following the results of his latest doping test. Hear what he had to say.

That's coming up.

O'BRIEN: And the heat is on for Senator Joseph Lieberman. What could a loss in tomorrow's primary mean for the 2008 presidential campaign?

We'll take a look at that just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Time now for a quick check on the forecast. Chad Myers is at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

And Chad, over the weekend we were following rain in Texas and saying bye-bye -- bye-bye to Chris.

What's the week looking like?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. So far, really good.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Appreciate it. Thank you, sir.

MYERS: You're welcome. OK.

HARRIS: Floyd Landis is lashing out this morning at the International Cycling Union. Landis says he's been treated unfairly and he can't properly defend himself against doping charges.

In an interview with "USA Today," Landis said there's some kind of agenda going on, he just doesn't know what it is. It was the first interview Landis gave after his second sample for synthetic testosterone tested positive.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

FLOYD LANDIS, CYCLIST: Everything about me was 100 percent focused on achieving the goal that I achieved there. And I'm very, very proud of that. And no...

(END AUDIO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, Landis was fired by his cycling team after the second sample was released. We will talk to him live coming up in the 8:00 hour of AMERICAN MORNING.

O'BRIEN: Looking forward to that, because, of course, lots of unanswered questions on that one.

HARRIS: Oh, you got that.

O'BRIEN: Also still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, a new round of violence in the Middle East to talk about. Airstrikes on both Israeli and Hezbollah targets. We'll have reports from both sides of the border just ahead this morning.

First, though, a look at what the latest U.N. proposed resolution means for the Bush administration's Middle East strategy. Political "Hot Topics" coming your way right after the break.

Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is what most people think of when someone mentions the uneven bars in tumbling, but coaches say more and more adults are doing back flips over gymnastics.

Twenty-six-year-old Ashley (ph) started tumbling at the age of 3 and says the fear factor is what holds most adults back.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody can do gymnastics. If you can do a forward roll when you're a little kid, you can do it when you're, you know, 45. You've just got to get out there and try it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a lot of fun.

COSTELLO: Anthony, who's 18, says he enjoys the strength and flexibility he gains from doing it. Carol used her gymnastics routine to get into shape for her wedding. She loves the satisfaction of conquering new skills.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. You know, when I see these kids and think, well, I can do that and I'm 33, it makes me feel pretty good.

COSTELLO: But don't jump too fast. Check with your doctor and give yourself time to develop flexibility. Adult gymnastics classes are offered in most states.

Carol Costello, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: An upcoming vote on the draft resolution to end the Mideast fighting and two members of Congress fighting for their political lives, those items are on John Mercurio's radar this morning. John is editor, senior editor, of "The National Journal's Hotline," and he joins us from Washington.

John, good to see you, doctor.

JOHN MERCURIO, SR. EDITOR, "HOTLINE": Good to see you, Tony.

HARRIS: Well, so the proposed U.N. resolution calls for an immediate cease-fire -- cessation. Let's get the language right, cease-fire, or cessation, to the large-scale violence. Isn't that exactly what the United States didn't want a week or two weeks ago? What's the sea change here?

MERCURIO: Well, I think we're seeing a little bit of movement on the part of the Bush administration, but not enough for most of the -- most of the Arab world, which has come out pretty strongly against this cease-fire. And you're not going to have a workable resolution calling for a cease-fire until you have at least some support, I believe, in the Arab world, and they don't support this resolution primarily because it doesn't call for a full withdrawal of Israel from Lebanon and only calls for the cessation -- of the cessation of military, offensive military actions by Israel.

HARRIS: OK, John. So success or failure at home. Let's talk about that, of this resolution.

What does it mean for this administration?

MERCURIO: Well, it means that they've got a lot more work to do, I think, in terms of trying to calm the issue going on in this Middle East. This is only one, of course, of the Bush administration's fire spots across the country.

HARRIS: Yes.

MERCURIO: And this is one of the -- but this is the one that I think that's been sort of dominating and controlling a lot of the time and energy going into -- into these fall election.

HARRIS: Let's talk a bit about the primary tomorrow, the big one that we've been following in Connecticut with Senator Joseph Lieberman.

What's the latest polling indicating to you as a potential possible outcome tomorrow?

MERCURIO: I think most polls at this point show that Ned Lamont, the Democratic challenger to Senator Lieberman, is probably going to win, probably by a significant amount, double digits. And a lot of Democrats are saying -- a lot of elected officials are telling Joe Lieberman at this point that if he does lose and if he loses resoundingly, that it's for the good of the Democratic Party that he then -- that he then retire and not run as an Independent, as he said he will.

HARRIS: And John, this is dissatisfaction among Democrats in Connecticut with Lieberman's position on the war and apparently his cozying up to the president.

Is that what this is all about?

MERCURIO: Primarily. I think it has a lot to do with the war, it has a lot to do with the president. A lot of 2008 Democratic presidential candidates watching this race very, very closely.

It reflects, I think, the motivation and the organization going on in the left wing of the party. And I think if you're looking to 2008, candidates like Russ Feingold, John Kerry, John Edwards, all of whom are sort of in that camp on the issue of Iraq, I think, are strengthened. Hillary Clinton, of course, watching this very closely, and I think that's why we saw last week her demanding Don Rumsfeld's resignation.

HARRIS: What does it mean if -- if Joseph Lieberman loses, what does it mean, if anything, for Republicans?

MERCURIO: Well, it probably doesn't mean a pickup of a Senate seat.

HARRIS: Yes.

MERCURIO: Their candidate in the -- in Connecticut not necessarily the strongest candidate that they could have recruited. I think for their part, though, it could reflect If he does end up running as an Independent and become the de facto Republican candidate and the pro-war candidate, a war that they have -- that Republican elected officials have been behind. It could end up becoming an indictment not just of Joe Lieberman if he loses, but of this Republican White House and this Republican Congress.

HARRIS: John Mercurio, as always, good to see you. Thanks for your time.

MERCURIO: Good to see you, too, Tony.

HARRIS: Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Business news now, and Mr. Andy Serwer.

Hello.

ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": Hello, Soledad.

Google wants its MTV and young people want their PCs. We'll explain what that means to the entertainment and technology businesses. Hint, it's all connected -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: It's time to get connected. Isn't that what they used to say?

HARRIS: Yes.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, Andy.

Also ahead this morning, how did a bunch of girls, some as young as 7 years old, get exposed to rabies at a Girl Scouts camp?

We'll tell you that story just ahead.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: OK. Hi. Oh.

O'BRIEN: You're on TV and it's live.

Welcome.

HARRIS: It's a little fancy up here, isn't it? OK.

Get your "Laguna Beach" and "SpongeBob" -- huh? What are we talking about here, Andy? This is Google and MTV kind of joining...

SERWER: That's right. It's Google and MTV Networks, Tony. Google is announcing that it will be distributing video clips from MTV Networks, which would include all sorts of programming from Viacom, which owns MTV and Nickelodeon.

"Laguna Beach," "SpongeBob SquarePants"...

HARRIS: Yes.

SERWER: It's never too early or too late to hear that, by the way, for those of you...

O'BRIEN: No, it's really not.

SERWER: No. It's always a good time.

The way this is going to work, according to Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google, he says, "Our technology takes MTV's" -- Sponge, quiet -- "takes MTV's video, marries it to an ad, and shows it on a third site. There's going to be different sites like "Pop Sugar Rap" (ph), "Godfather" (ph), and things like that.

And, you know, this is one of these marriages, and we're going to find out whether it's made in heaven or not. But a lot of companies -- technology companies and entertainment companies coming together and trying to figure out a way to distribute their wares.

HARRIS: With more and more platforms.

SERWER: That's it.

HARRIS: Create more platforms for this material.

SERWER: Right. That's right. And it's add driven...

HARRIS: Yes.

SERWER: ... so you can see that definitely is the way of the future here.

Now, speaking of convergence, which is technology and entertainment coming together, a new survey out -- this is interesting stuff. If you were stranded on a desert island, which entertainment or technology device would you bring?

A new survey says that young people, teens and people 18-24, would pick, first of all, a PC. And they would pick this over a TV. I mean, if you'd asked people of our generation...

O'BRIEN: Well, you can just use your PC to play your DVDs that you would bring as well.

SERWER: That's right. And you can get all kinds of video clips...

O'BRIEN: And you can do Internet telephony, and then you'd be fine.

SERWER: And you can do MySpace, too.

O'BRIEN: And the transcript, so you wouldn't even need to watch most of the shows. I mean, just what you're interested in.

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: I know. Well, she is well versed. She's incredibly well versed.

O'BRIEN: No, I'm just fantasizing about being alone on a deserted island.

(LAUGHTER)

SERWER: Well, I guess that doesn't include us, Tony.

HARRIS: No, no, no.

O'BRIEN: It so doesn't include anybody but me, alone.

HARRIS: Right. Right.

SERWER: Listen to this. So, number one is the PC. Number two is the cell phone...

HARRIS: Yes.

SERWER: ... which beats out the TV. The TV slips to third place. And again, Soledad, as you suggest, on the cell phone, you can get all kinds of stuff on your phone nowadays.

O'BRIEN: It's probably the TV only one way.

SERWER: Yes.

HARRIS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: See, everyone wants the two-way.

SERWER: So everyone out there is talking to the TV this morning and we can't hear it. It's Always been true. It's always been true.

O'BRIEN: My kids talk to the TV. "Hi, mommy."

SERWER: Yes.

HARRIS: That's good.

SERWER: Yes.

O'BRIEN: That's funny.

HARRIS: And coming up?

SERWER: Coming up next, we're going to switch back to a more serious subject, Tony, and that is that shutdown of BP's production in Alaska...

HARRIS: Yes.

SERWER: ... hurting our supplies of oil. We'll be telling you all about that.

O'BRIEN: Are we already seeing higher prices there because of that?

SERWER: I think we are going to see higher prices not only of oil, but, more importantly, people out there, driving gas prices as well.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Great.

SERWER: It's going to hurt.

HARRIS: Thank you.

SERWER: Yes, you're welcome.

O'BRIEN: Thank you, Andy.

Time for a check of the forecast now. Chad's got that at the CNN Center.

(WEATHER REPORT) O'BRIEN: Israel is pounding away at southern Lebanon this morning as the Bush administration presses for a cease-fire resolution at the U.N.

HARRIS: A major oil deal within Alaska is shutting down, causing a dramatic jump in the price of oil.

O'BRIEN: Combat stress cited in a case of alleged rape and murder in Iraq. It involves several U.S. soldiers. There's a preliminary hearing set to resume in less than an hour.

HARRIS: And cyclist Floyd Landis tests positive again, but he is still proclaiming his innocence on this AMERICAN MORNING.

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

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

Good to see you.

O'BRIEN: And likewise. And thanks for helping us out this week. Appreciate it.

HARRIS: Oh, please. Thanks for the call.

O'BRIEN: He's had a long vacation, that Miles. Lucky guy.

HARRIS: Yes, he's back, what, in '07?

O'BRIEN: Yes. Mid-'07 he'll be back.

No, we're just kidding. We miss you, Miles.

Let's take a look this morning at what's happening in the Middle East.

Thirteen people have died in a series of Hezbollah rocket attacks in northern Israel. Dozens of Katyushas hit in the deadliest day yet for Israel. Twelve of those were soldiers.

Israeli airstrikes again are pounding southern Beirut in the dawn hours, early this morning. Those follow the daytime round of attacks on Sunday.

Arab League members are gathering in Beirut for a special session. The foreign ministers are meeting right now to show their support for Lebanon.

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