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Trials & Terror; Fighting The Taliban; Al Qaeda Threat; Midterm Elections

Aired September 06, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: With Republican distress. Live with DNC Chairman Howard Dean.
And an ordinary bloke. No state funeral for TV's croc hunter Steve Irwin. Hear from his dad this hour.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Behind closed doors. Right now President Bush is meeting with his cabinet at the White House. It begin as busy day. Later he'll speak about detainees held at Guantanamo Bay,specifically a plan for trying them by military tribunal.

CNN's Kathleen Koch is inside the cabinet meeting right now. She filed this preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): President Bush's speech this afternoon will focus on trying to find a new way to try the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It was back in June that the Supreme Court dealt the administration a stinging defeat when it ruled that the military commission system that the administration had set up to try those detainees was illegal. The courts said that it not only failed to meet U.S. military or international justice standards, but it was not authorized by Congress.

So President Bush this afternoon is expected to try to address the latter. We are told that draft legislation in recent week has been circulating on Capitol Hill. A spokesman for Senator John Warner says that lawmakers there have been working cooperatively with the White House, that the White House has been weighing in, but though they have "somewhat different views." And we are told, then, that after the president finishes his speech this afternoon, the White House will send his proposal legislation up to Capitol Hill.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: And President Bush's remarks on the global war on terror. You can join Kyra Phillips in the NEWSROOM for CNN's live coverage. It is set for 1:45 Eastern. Of course, that's 10:45 Pacific.

This weekend, a closer look at the man who brought terror to America. "In The Footsteps of bin Laden." A CNN Presents investigation already seen by more than 10 million people around the world. An encore presentation you will not want to miss Saturday and Sunday nights, 7:00 Eastern on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

HARRIS: With the mid-term elections on the horizon, new poll numbers show President Bush could be a drag on Republicans. A big reason, the war in Iraq. Opinion Research Corporation interviewed about 1,000 American adults for CNN. Forty percent say they're more likely to vote for a candidate who has supported the Bush administration policies. But 55 percent say they're less likely to vote that way. Thirty-nine percent favor the war in Iraq. Fifty- eight percent are against it.

And when asked, who's winning the war, a quarter of the respondents say the United States is winning, 12 percent say the insurgents, 62 percent say neither. You'll want to stay with us in the CNN NEWSROOM. Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, has more to say about these new poll numbers. He's coming up next hour on CNN.

Democrats stepping up their plan to get Donald Rumsfeld fired. A push underway right now on Capitol Hill for a no confidence vote on the defense secretary. Congressional Democrats say the Pentagon's Iraq strategy is a failure. They want Rumsfeld to pay with his job. The White House says it's not going to happen. The Demes resolution is expected to come up for debate today, but Republicans are likely to kill it before a vote. We'll be following this one all day.

COLLINS: A U.S. Air Force officer is missing in Kyrgyzstan this morning. The military says Major Jill Metzger disappeared while on a shopping trip yesterday. She had gone to a mall with others from her air base. The task force and the U.S. military and embassy personnel and local officials are now searching for her.

Controversy over comments about Osama bin Laden. The Pakistani ambassador to the U.S. says a spokesman for his army has been "grossly misquoted." An ABC News report quotes General Shaukat Sultan as saying bin Laden would not be captured. That is, if he agrees to live peacefully in Pakistan. ABC is standing by its report. ABC also reports a peace accord has been signed by Pakistan and pro-Taliban militants. In effect, it carves out a sanctuary inside Pakistan for Taliban and al Qaeda leaders.

HARRIS: Allies in the war on terror. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Afghan President Hamid Karzai sharing notes in Kabul today. Their meeting comes as the campaign against the Taliban reaches a critical point. Here's CNN's Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Once dubbed the forgotten war, because fighting was sporadic and progress seemed steady, Afghanistan has burst back into the headlines. As newly arrived NATO forces are locked in deadly combat with resurgent Taliban militants.

"The New York Times" calls an area of southern Afghanistan, once touted as a symbol for change, a symbol of failure. Noting with the rising violence, statistically it is now nearly as dangerous to serve as an American soldier in Afghanistan as it is in Iraq. And now increasingly more dangerous for NATO troops who just this summer took the lead in the south. They're taking the heavy casualties as NATO's secretary-general noted as he toured the country Tuesday.

JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: It is a dramatic price we have to pay, and NATO is paying, and the NATO member states.

MCINTYRE: On Monday a Canadian soldier, former Olympic sprinter Mark Graham, was killed when U.S. A-10 warplanes mistakenly strafed his position. Canada has lost 25 troops in the south since fighting began this summer. British casualties are up, too. Fourteen troops died in a plane crash Sunday, bringing the British death toll to 16 this week, 32 in a month.

While the casualties may erode support at home, NATO's chief insists the alliance will honor its commitment to stay and fight.

SCHEFFER: We all know there is considerable resistance. As I said, there is combat going on. Is NATO up to the job? Yes, NATO is up to the job. Definitely.

MCINTYRE: But an international think tank offers a bleak assessment. Concluding the U.S.-led international community has failed Afghanistan. Among the report's findings, in the five years since military operations began, Afghanistan's security situation has deteriorated significantly. The country remains ravaged by severe poverty and spreading starvation and that misguided and badly formulated drug policy has effectively hijacked the nation-building efforts as the opium crop reaches record levels.

U.S. and NATO commanders incest they're getting the upper hand against the Taliban, claiming to have killed between 50 and 60 in the latest fighting. Since the NATO offensive began, more than 200 Taliban have been flushed out. But as U.S. commanders learned in Vietnam, and again in Iraq, body counts are not the most accurate measure of success.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And you can see more of Jamie McIntyre's reporting on "The Situation Room" weekdays at 4:00 Eastern and at 7:00 p.m. in primetime.

Liftoff on hold again for the shuttle. Atlantis was supposed to blast off today headed for the International Space Station. But NASA says there's a problem with a fuel cell. It provides electricity to the shuttle. The launch has already been delayed a couple of times. Once because of a lightning strike and later because of Tropical Storm Ernesto. NASA will decide later today if they'll try to launch tomorrow or Friday or a few weeks from now. We'll see.

COLLINS: Yes. It's hard to know, that's for sure. HARRIS: Yes.

COLLINS: We're going to keep our eye on that for you.

Also want to let you know President Bush meeting with his cabinet right now prior to his speech. The third in his war on terror series which will be coming your way about 1:45 today. We, of course, will have that for you, as well as the tape of the cabinet meeting. We'll bring that to you.

And Howard Dean, the Democrat's top strategist, says voters are angry and ready for change in November. That is straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: The Republican view of the midterm elections. We're hear from the party's communications director, Brian Jones. He's coming up in the NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN STAINTON, STEVE IRWIN'S PRODUCER: I loved him dearly and we had a partnership that was made in heaven.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Heartbreaking. Remembering the crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin, through his eyes of his manager and friend who was with him to the very end. In the NEWSROOM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Painful memories. Steve Irwin's manager and friend talked to CNN's Larry King about the wildlife crusader. Here now are some emotional moments of that interview beginning with Irwin's own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE IRWIN: If you get close enough to get bitten, if that tarantula had sunk its fangs in, it was my fault. I knew it had fangs. I was messing with it. You take the hit.

LARRY KING, "LARRY KING LIVE": John, how -- if you're having a tough time, we'll take a break, John. Are you OK or should we take a break?

JOHN STAINTON, IRWIN'S FRIEND AND MANAGER: Yes, I'm OK. And it just -- listening to his voice was -- it's hard.

KING: Yes, I would imagine.

STAINTON: Larry, it's hard. You know it's hard.

KING: How do you explain him? STAINTON: A phenomena. He was -- I loved him dearly and we had a partnership that was made in heaven. I mean, he never interfered in my side of the business, which was making the television shows. I never interfered in his side of the business, which was jumping on crocodiles and I didn't want to do that anyway. So he never questioned anything. If I said to him, you've got to do this interview and that interview. And that's why I feel guilty I have to do these interviews because it's not my job to be in front of the camera. But he did it for me for 15 years and never questioned it. And, I don't know, I feel like . . .

KING: How's Terri doing?

STAINTON: A lot worse than me.

KING: Yes.

STAINTON: We brought him home last night because he's been in Cairns and I traveled with him on the plane for six hour, just him and I. Five hours, I couldn't stop crying. It was like -- it was devastating.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: That really is. Stainton says he believes Irwin was dead by the time he was brought from the water after, as I'm sure you know by now, a stingray plunged a barb into his chest on Monday.

HARRIS: And, Heidi, no state funeral likely for the self- proclaimed wildlife warrior. His father says the family will refuse the Australian government's offer because his son wouldn't have wanted a grand sendoff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB IRWIN, STEVE IRWIN'S FATHER: He was an ordinary guy. He was just like a guy on the street. And he just had this ability to get through to people. Steve and I weren't like father and son. We never were. We were good mates. I'll remember Steve as my best mate ever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Man, a massive shrine of flowers, notes and personal mementoes has sprung up outside of Irwin's Australia Zoo. Tributes have also flooded the web and Steve Irwin clips are some of the most popular on video sites like YouTube.

COLLINS: Such a tough topic. And another one as well.

Ground Zero crews, they brought their work home with them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'd take a shower and my shower would look like a barbecue grill, solid black, and you wake up in the middle of the night with -- in the corner of your eyes, it would drip on your pillow, it would be like black liquid. And, you know, the same thing when you like clean your ears out and you would get chunks and chunks of black would come out. I mean, your teeth, when you scrubbed your teeth, you'd spit in the sink and it would just be literally like a barbecue grill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Sick from the toxins or something else? That's ahead on CNN NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: But first, Howard Dean. The Democrats' top strategist says voters are angry and ready for change in November. That's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM. This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Al Qaeda, crippled or poised to strike? Washington's new warning ahead in the NEWSROOM. CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And quickly let's get a check of the stocks this morning. Wall Street coming up on I guess it's close to an hour into the trading day. The Dow, as you can see, down 37 points. Nasdaq down 17. I don't know, Heidi, maybe the market's are reacting to changes at the top of Viacom. A big media company. Maybe changes at the top at Ford.

COLLINS: Ford, yes. Interesting change.

HARRIS: We'll take up these issues with Susan Lisovicz a little later.

COLLINS: Very good. We'll look at that.

Also want to remind you that President Bush is meet with his cabinet as we speak. We understand that we will get some pictures of that meeting in just a couple of minutes, as soon as they become available. Also, his third speech, the war on terror speeches that he's been giving, sort of a series of those, will take place today at 1:45. We will have our coverage of that as you see there on the screen.

Meanwhile, the president tweaks his terror message five years after 9/11. Has the enemy changed as well? CNN's Kelli Arena now on the threat from Osama bin Laden.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): A crippled organization. Most of its leaders in custody or dead. Its base of operations destroyed. That's how the president has described al Qaeda in the recent past. Barely mentioning Osama bin Laden's name -- until now. GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Bin Laden and his terrorist allies have made their intentions as clear as Lenin and Hitler before them.

ARENA: Now the president is talking about how al Qaeda and terrorists that inspired are successfully using the Internet to recruit and train, how they're influencing western-born citizens to join their cause and how they nearly pulled off another 9/11-style attack.

BUSH: Most recently they attempted to strike again in the most ambitious plot since the attacks of September the 11th. A plan to blow up passenger planes headed for America over the Atlantic Ocean.

ARENA: Is al Qaeda running scared or should we be? What's changed to turn what the president described as a battered organization into a serious threat? Well, part of the answer is that plot to blow up airliners. Just before it was revealed last month, two top government counterterrorism officials privately said that they didn't think al Qaeda was still capable of a large-scale attack. Analysts suggest that plot served as a wake-up call.

BRUCE HOFFMAN, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: I think there's a very good saying that sums it up and that's, the more things change, the more they stay the same. And I think whatever optimism we might have had has certainly been challenged in the past month.

ARENA: Some see politics at play here. That the closer we get to the midterm elections, the more the specter of a potent and dangerous al Qaeda suits the president and his party.

But whatever the motivation, analysts say that the new and more alarming rhetoric may be closer to the mark than the old, we're winning message.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: You can catch more of Kelli Arena's report on "Anderson Cooper 360." Watch "AC 360" weeknights at 10:00 Eastern only on CNN.

HARRIS: Two months until the midterm elections in November. A season of discontent for voters? Democrats hope so. They're trying to capitalize on public dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq and the way President Bush is handling it. Howard Dean built on those themes in his 2004 president's bid and now as chairman of the Democratic National Committee he joins us from Burlington, Vermont.

Dr. Dean, good to see you.

HOWARD DEAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Thanks for having me on.

HARRIS: Hey, let me just sort of get your thinking, so close, just two months, before the midterms. Are Democrats going to win the House?

DEAN: Well, we certainly have a good shot at winning the House, and we have a decent shot at winning the Senate. I think people really want a new direction in this country. I think they're tired of the misleading things that the president said. They're tired of the war in Iraq, which is essentially a civil war at this point. And I honestly think that all this emphasis on the defense is going to help us because I think people finally realize that the president has not made America safer and what they want is a group of people who are going to be tough and smart, not just talk tough at election time.

HARRIS: OK. Let's take you at your word. Your belief that you, the Democrats, will win the house, get the 15 seats. Hold on to what you have and get the additional seeds needed. What is going to be the difference next year?

DEAN: Well, I think it will be a huge difference. First of all, we'll put a check on the president's crazy economic policies where we've expanded the deficits enormously. One of the ideas that has been put forward, which I strongly recommend, is the idea of going back to what Bill Clinton used in order to balance the budget, which is a pay as you go. You can't spend more money on programs or tax programs for the oil companies and so forth unless you say where you're going to get the money.

Secondly, we're going to raise the minimum wage without giving some big chunks of money away to the Republican donors and so forth as the president tried to do. We're just going to -- and the next thing we're going to do is have ethics reform in Congress. We've promise that. We want to ban jet plane rides and free meals and all these free junkets that the Republicans have taken. We want honesty and openness back in our government. These are the first three things, I think.

HARRIS: Where do you have common ground on any of those issues with the president right now? Because at some point you have to work with the president.

DEAN: There's not a lot of common ground with the president. This is the most far right president we've seen certainly in my lifetime. Frankly, the Republicans are out of the mainstream in terms of what they're doing to the country. Most people don't agree with the direction they're leading us in. They want a different direction.

So we would encourage the president to work with us to help make it easier, instead of harder, for middle-class people to go to college. Make it easier to get health insurance, not harder. And let's come up with a real solution that works to fight the war on terror and not keep us bogged down in a civil war in Iraq.

HARRIS: Gotcha. So if there is, as you describe it, no real common ground that you can see right now, boy, how do you move forward? How does the next Congress do anything more than the current Congress? And aren't we talking about gridlock again?

DEAN: It's our hope that after this election that the president will begin to move back towards the moderation that we need in this country. The thoughtful middle where we can be tough and smart in the war on terror, not just tough. Where's we don't give huge, no-bid contracts to people who were formerly associated with the members of the administration. Where we don't give huge tax breaks away to oil companies and insurance companies. Surely those things are going to be helpful for America and we're hoping that the Republicans, should they end up in the minority, will at least agree with some of those.

HARRIS: Got a couple of other points I want to get to. Unemployment at 4.7 percent. The president said the tax cuts are responsible and should be made permanent. Labor Secretary Chao says this about the incomes of Americans. Take a listen to this and then I've got a question for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELAINE CHAO, LABOR SECRETARY: Tax basis. Personal income has actually risen. And it's very important to know that. Because of the president's tax cut, the after-tax disposable income increased 9.2 percent since 2001.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, what do you make of that? And . . .

DEAN: I think that's true. It increased dramatically for people like me and Bill Clinton and it went down for 80 percent of Americans. The reason the president's so frustrated, because the economic numbers are good, is because the voters know they're not good for them. Eighty percent of Americans have seen a substantial decrease in their income every year since George Bush has been president. A million of them have lost their health insurance every year since George Bush has been president. The Republicans just cut Pelle Grants and raised interest rates on college loans.

It is harder and harder to hang on to being a middle class person in this country. And so they can make the numbers say whatever they want. And I'm, you know, personally I benefited from the president's tax cuts. But they're bad for America because they've hurt middle class people. It's more expensive to stay in the middle class today than it was even though it's easier for people like me.

HARRIS: OK. Let me just switch before I run out of time with you. I want to talk about Iraq. Just a couple of thoughts. Is it time, in your estimation, for this country to bring them the men and women home in a phased out way?

DEAN: Yes, in a phased out way it certainly is. We're not going to bring them all home. We can't do that. We do have a serious war on terror to fight. But the war of Iraq was a war of the president's choosing. Saddam Hussein was not a threat to America, as dreadful a human being as we was. We've essentially met our objective over there. We got rid of Saddam Hussein. Now we're in the middle of a civil war where we have no business.

And we do need more folks in Afghanistan. We have a redeployment plan that some of us have agreed with which calls for maintaining a force in the Middle East so that we can deal with terrorists threats. But the guard and reserve don't belong to Iraq and they ought to be home.

HARRIS: And one final question. The president is going to talk about Guantanamo Bay, what to do with detainees. What's your thought on than?

DEAN: I think there's a middle road. I think Senator Lindsay Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, a lawyer in the JAG, understands this issue well. You can't -- you got to obey the law. That's the problem with the president. Look, all of us want to be tough on terrorists, but you've got to obey the law, and that's where the president fell down. So there is a middle way where we can get the information that we need, where we can imprison terrorists but we don't remove the liberties and freedoms of Americans while we do that. And that's what we seek. And I think Senator Graham, hard for me to say nice things about a Republican as the Democratic chair, but, you know, I think when you have a good idea, we out to support that one, too.

HARRIS: You did fine.

DEAN: I think Senator Graham and others are going to come out with a decent idea there.

HARRIS: You did just fine with that.

DEAN: Thank you.

HARRIS: The chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Howard Dean.

Howard, thank you.

The Republican view of the midterm elections. We will hear from the party's communications director, Brian Jones. He is coming up next in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Also want to remind you we're waiting on getting some pictures of President Bush with his cabinet. They are meeting at we speak and we will bring those to you as soon as we get them.

Also, his third war on terror speech coming up a little bit later this afternoon at 1:45. We'll have live coverage as well of that. CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Just want to remind you, because we're just oh, 30 seconds - less than 30 seconds or so away from getting the tape that we promised you of the cabinet meeting with the president.

COLLINS: Right.

HARRIS: ... with the president. But just want to remind you that we are going to hear the Republican view of much of the issues that we talked about with Howard Dean in just a couple of minutes. Brian Jones, who is the communications director, is going to talk us to us. But here is that tape of the cabinet meeting with the president.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to thank my Cabinet for what has been a very fruitful discussion.

I thank you for your continued service to our country.

Congress is coming back into town, and we welcome them back, and we look forward to working with them on a variety of matters.

One of the most important tasks is for Congress to recognize that we need the tools necessary to win this war on terror. And we'll continue to discuss with Congress ways to make sure that this nation is capable of defending herself.

Secondly, you know, I recognize it's the political season, there's elections coming down the road, but I made sure that the Cabinet understands that we'll continue to address the concerns of the American people. That's what the people expect us to do.

And those concerns include being fiscally wise with the people's money. So when Congress starts appropriating money, we will continue to urge them to be wise with the people's money.

We talked about the economy. We talked about energy. We've talked about health care and a variety of other matters.

I'm looking forward to working with Congress, members of both political parties, to do the job that the American people expect us to do.

Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: You have just seen the tape we've been waiting for a little bit here, the cabinet meeting President Bush held with all of the members today. He'll be going to give his third speech in the war on terror series. That will be at 1:45 today. Usually what seems to happen is he gets together with the cabinet before one of these addresses and makes sure that they're all on the same page, talking about the concerns of America and how he will work diligently with Congress to bring about the concerns of America, defending America and spending the American public's money...

HARRIS: Yes.

COLLINS: ... as well.

HARRIS: Yes. And that speech, again, 1:45.

COLLINS: Yep.

HARRIS: Eastern this afternoon.

COLLINS: I think we'll have it.

HARRIS: Yes. We'll have it. Absolutely.

Let's turn our attention back to the mid-term elections, just two months from now. There seems to be a lot of anger out there among voters. Earlier we heard from Howard Dean, chairman ever the Democratic National Committee.

With me now from Washington, Brian Jones, the Republican National Committee's communications director.

Brian, good to talk to you.

BRIAN JONES, RNC COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Thanks for having me.

HARRIS: Hey, give me your sense of this. Your read two months away from -- two months out from the mid-term elections. Will Republicans maintain control of both houses?

JONES: I think we will. You hear a lot of pundits right now saying that it's a difficult time for the Republicans. We heard the same thing in 2002. We heard the same thing in 2004. The bottom line, though, is voters will face a choice between one party, which wants lower taxes, less government, wants to wage an aggressive war on terror; another party that already said they'll raise your taxes, wants to cut and run from Iraq.

And the other thing, too, that I think is important to remember is most of these elections, House and Senate, will be local elections, often decided on local issues that national polls just don't capture.

HARRIS: Hey, I got to ask you, Brian, put the polling aside for a second. There are polls everywhere saying all kinds of different things. I wonder, as a Republican, are you satisfied with the work of this Congress?

JONES: I am satisfied with the work of this Congress. This Congress under tough political conditions. Look, the sixth year of a president's term is always going to be tough. But this Congress, you've seen energy legislation passed, trade legislation passed, tort reform legislation passed. You talk about immigration -- has been a hot topic lately. But $2.8 billion allocated towards the border, doubling of troops -- excuse me -- doubling of National Guard on the border. So there has been some progress made.

HARRIS: Treasury Secretary talked not too long ago about the economy. Let me let you hear what he has to say, and then get your response to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY PAULSON, TREASURY SECRETARY: Amid this country's strong economic expansion, many Americans simply are not feeling the benefits. Many aren't seeing significant increases in their take-home pay. Their increases in wages are being eaten up by high energy prices and rising healthcare costs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Brian, your reaction?

JONES: Well, I think, again, what we're going to be focusing on for fall is the choice that voters face at the election booth. Again, you've seen jobs increase, unemployment is down. The question for voters is, do you want to get behind a party that has already said that they will raise taxes by $2.4 trillion over ten years on the American people? This president, this Republican Congress, is committed to keeping taxes low on working families.

HARRIS: I had to ask you something. Depending on where you sit in this country, depending on how you're doing in this country -- I have to ask you if you feel that this country is responding to everything around them -- the economic news, good, bad, or whatever -- based on the prism that is the Iraq war? That is to say that if you're doing well, will you feel a lot better about how you're doing, if not for Iraq? And then if you're doing poorly in this country, boy, you feel like Iraq is a real drag?

JONES: It's an interesting question. Iraq certainly is the big political issue, I would say, right now, the prism through which a lot of things are viewed. Again, though, when you look at what the Democrats talk about, they talk about surrendering the tools that we need to win the war in Iraq, and the war on terror subsequently. They talk about being against terrorist surveillance, against terrorist interrogation, against the Patriot Act. So, again, I think that's what voters will be focusing on this fall. But certainly, the point that you raise is a good one, in terms of the country viewing things through the prism of Iraq.

HARRIS: You wake up on the, what, the 8th of November, after the elections, and the Democrats control the house. What's your biggest concern?

JONES: Well, that's a future I really don't want to -- don't want to posit -- but I think we've already seen what the future potentially could hold. You have Speaker Pelosi. She is someone who said, a year after September 11th, that we're not at war with the terrorists. She is someone who has been for higher taxes. So, again, I think you'd see a situation that really wouldn't be good for the country. It would weaken our national defense, it would weaken our economy.

HARRIS: Is that a recipe in your mind for a stalemate?

JONES: Look, we're focused right now on the '06 elections. We're focused on winning. We're looking forward to these campaigns getting under way. And the battle is here.

HARRIS: Brian Jones, we appreciate it. Thanks for your time. JONES: Thanks for having me.

HARRIS: We asked Howard Dean's counterpart in the Republican party, Ken Mehlman, to join us for today's political discussion. But he has a very full schedule and couldn't make it. But we were happy, of course -- always happy to talk to Brian Jones.

COLLINS: That's right. Always looking for equal time, too.

President Bush talks about the global war on terror today. Of course, CNN will have live coverage of that. Once again, a reminder, the White House event is scheduled for 1:45 Eastern, 10:45 Pacific. And Kyra Phillips right here in the "NEWSROOM" will have that coverage for you.

And this weekend, get a look at the man who brought terror to America. "Watching the Footsteps of Bin laden." It's a "CNN PRESENTS" investigation, already seen by more than 10 million people around the world. So if you weren't one of them, you can catch it on this encore presentation, Saturday and Sunday nights at 7:00 Eastern. You can watch it twice, too, if you want.

Well, he drank swamp water to survive. Get this. A missing Florida man thanks his lucky stars to be alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ron yelled back, are you looking for Eddie Meadows? And I said, I am Eddie Meadows!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: You won't believe this story. Coming up, Eddie Meadows, up to his elbows in not the meadow, but mud. See it in the "NEWSROOM," coming up next.

And now, Gerri Willis joins us once again. Top tips today. We are talking about college. I've done a little research here. Up 5 percent or 6 percent, which is kind of average. It just keeps going up and up every year.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Yes, that's right. Hey, Heidi, good to see you. Good to see the dream team.

COLLINS: Hey hey!

WILLIS: We've got -- we've got some good stuff for you. Some things -- hey, Heidi, some things just don't go together. Oil and vinegar. College students and money. We'll tell you how to keep your college-bound kids out of debt, coming up next on "Top Tips."

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HARRIS: Oh, that's snazzy, new graphics, a new look. Nice. You know, college is often the pinnacle of our formal education, but it can also be an opportunity to teach some valuable lessons on finances, and both parents and students can learn. So the topic of today's "Gerri's Top Tips" college finances 101. Here to explain -- there she is -- CNN personal finance director Gerri Willis.

Gerri, good to see you.

WILLIS: Great to see you, Tony.

HARRIS: You know, this absolutely right on time for me. I sent a niece to college here in Georgia just a college a couple of weeks ago, and I gave her some cash.

WILLIS: This is wait it works, tony.

HARRIS: That's the way it works, right, but there's got to be a better way. And here you are, lo and behold, get them a new card. What are you talking about here, Gerri?

WILLIS: All right, well, job number one here, Tony, don't get them a card on your account, OK?

HARRIS: Good!

WILLIS: Yes, get your college-bound kid their own pre-paid credit or debit card. So this lets your child spend up to the amount you have pre-deposited into an account, and not more.

HARRIS: I see.

WILLIS: Yes. It's a great way to control their spending. Now if you want to find a good one, compare prepaid debit or credit card offers at cardratings.com, or creditcards.com, two great Web sites.

HARRIS: Yes, that's great.

Now here's my concern, the debit card and my niece goes on the Internet and she's charging stuff, and I'm a little concerned about that. So maybe the advice is to keep her off the Net?

WILLIS: Well, good luck with that.

HARRIS: Yes!

WILLIS: You know, what you can do is explain to them that they don't have the same consumer protections with a debit card online as they do with a credit card or with a debit card anywhere, in fact, because you are responsible for up to $500, if you don't report the loss within two days.

And, look, if you're a college kid and you wait a couple of months, you could lose your entire bank account. So for Internet purchases, you want to break out the credit card. Other places you don't want to use a debit card, nights out on the town, TV infomercials or towing services. I think you're getting the picture. Credit cards are safer.

HARRIS: Yes, you tell us, in tip three, let their credit grow. WILLIS: Yes.

HARRIS: What does that mean?

WILLIS: Well you know, debit cards don't let your kids establish their credit worthiness. This is where credit cards are really handy. Kids start to build up credit in their own name. Of course, there is a downside. Students without a credit history may find that their credit cards carries an interest rate of 16 percent or 17 percent. That's considered a good deal. Now if somebody offers you a credit card for your kids with 20 percent annual percentage rate, APR, that's what they call it, run in the other direction. That is way, way, way too much, but you can see that kids are paying a lot to borrow money. So to the degree that you can, you want them to charge as little as possible.

HARRIS: OK, so and the other thing is I want to be able to monitor what's going on here. I want to know what they're buying, what they're charging, what they're getting. So would it make sense to have the records, the account information, have that bill sent to the house?

WILLIS: Well, see, here's the problem. You know, the kids may want to have that statement sent to their dorm room, right?

HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: You don't want to have that happen. If there's paper lying around that dorm room, other people could see that sensitive financial data. You don't want to have that happen. If there's paper lying around that dorm room, other people could see that sensitive financial data. You don't want to let that happen. You can get paper statements sent to the house so that you can see it, and then students can keep track of their spending online too. So that's the best-case scenario. Do it online. Nobody gets any information shared.

And, Tony, I just want to remind your viewers, send us questions and ideas to top tips at CNN.com. We answer questions right here every Friday, your best questions. Send them to us. We want to know what's on your mind about money?

HARRIS: Absolutely. Good to see you, as always. Love the graphics. Very fancy. Very fancy, Gerri. See you next time.

WILLIS: We're doing what we can.

HARRIS: OK, take care.

WILLIS: Thank you.

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COLLINS: Meanwhile, switching topics once again here. September 11th rescuers, five years after the attack, their bodies are now under attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You wake up in the middle of the night with, in the corner of your eyes, a drip on your pillow, like black liquid.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Leukemia, lung disease -- is it the price of patriotism? Randi Kaye's report raises critical questions. See it here in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld under fire from Democrats for his handling of the Iraq war. Congressional Democrats push a no-confidence vote. Live to Capitol Hill, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, the most trusted name in news.

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COLLINS: Katie Couric debuted last night. Some people talking about it today. So we are asking you, did you watch it? And if you did, did you think you'll watch it again tonight? That's probably the key question. You can go ahead and e-mail us. Our address is CNNnewsroom@CNN.com. One more time. CNNnewsroom@CNN.com. Brand new e-mail...

HARRIS: Is that us?

COLLINS: ... setup we have there. Yes, we got it. So we are going to be reading your e-mails and your thoughts over the next couple of hours. Should be interesting there.

HARRIS: Here's Suri! Is that how you pronounce it? Suri?

COLLINS: Yes.

HARRIS: OK, the most famous Hollywood baby, well, since Brad and Angelina's baby. Suri Cruise now taking her bow with proud parents Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Exclusive photos for "Vanity Fair." The issue on newsstands today in New York and Los Angeles. And speaking of those photos of the happy family, Larry King's got them. Got them all. See them tonight, a TV exclusive, CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE," tonight at 9:00 Eastern.

HARRIS: All right, we'll be watching for that. And also, we want to bring you up to speed on what we showed you yesterday here. No flag for this late hit, but the penalty could come -- ouch -- in court. Updating a story many of you are talking about. Tell you all about it. You're in the NEWSROOM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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COLLINS: All right. So you have seen this video probably. You've seen the hit, which is coming on your left side of the screen there. Now the rest of the story. An assistant youth football coach caught on camera taking down a player from the opposing team. Cory Petero ran from the field after he decked the player, but later turned himself into police. Petero is due in court today in Stockton, California. He could face a felony child abuse charge. We'll watch that one for you.

HARRIS: Fake Nikes? Or as we used to call them, Nikes. Outrageous. As many as 738,000 of the shoes -- federal agents have broken up what they call one of the biggest smuggling rings in recent years. It's believed to have shipped at least 80 containers of knock- off shoes and athletic clothing into the U.S. from China. Agent says the smugglers intended to reap huge profits, of course, after the goods reached the marketplace. Six people have been charged in the case. Agents say the total amount seized could reach $86 million.

COLLINS: Good lord.

HARRIS: Man.

COLLINS: All right, we'll follow that one for you, too.

Well, did he or didn't he? The Pakistani general's alleged quote about sanctuary for Osama bin Laden. We'll have that ahead in the NESROOM.

HARRIS: Plus, the president meets with his cabinet in the morning and faces the public this afternoon. His announcement on the war on terror, a preview ahead in the NEWSROOM.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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