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American Morning

War on Terror; 'No Confidence' Debate; America Votes 2006

Aired September 06, 2006 - 08:59   ET

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


SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Rumsfeld in the crosshairs. Democrats are pushing a no-confidence vote today.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The shuttle earthbound for another day at least. A predawn glitch has engineers wondering if they won't be able to slip through a narrow window.

And this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A doctor working for 24 hours straight is just as impaired as someone who's drunk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do we have a good appetite?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pretty good.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Is your doctor too tired to treat you?

We'll tell you what you need to know and what you can do about it just ahead this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: In Japan it's a boy, and what a fuss. How would they have reacted to a baby in pink, we wonder?

And finally, proof there really is a Suri. Katie and Tom debut with sharing their pictures, 22 pages worth, with the world on this AMERICAN MORNING.

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

S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.

Let's begin with the violence in Iraq today. Two coordinated bombings to tell you about. It happened at a busy intersection in Baghdad.

Six people dead, police also found 19 bodies overnight. And all those bodies showed signs of torture.

Americans -- a majority, rather, of Americans don't think anybody's winning the war in Iraq. The latest poll for CNN by Opinion Research Corporation shows that 25 percent of the people who were asked if the U.S. is winning the war said, yes, the U.S. is. Twelve percent said, though, insurgents are, and 62 percent said neither side is winning. More than half, 53 percent, now say they believe the war in Iraq is not part -- part of the war on terrorism.

Thirty-nine percent say they support the war in Iraq, 58 percent say they oppose it. That number is down from mid-August, when more than 60 percent of respondents said that they oppose the war in Iraq.

Today President Bush is going to try to get more people behind his policy. He's making his third speech on the war on terror since last Thursday.

CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the White House with a look at the focus of today's address.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 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 court 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 the 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 proposed legislation up to Capitol Hill.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: CNN's going to have live coverage of the president's speech. It begins at 1:45 p.m. Eastern Time.

M. O'BRIEN: Senate Democrats applying the pressure today. The Senate will debate a no-confidence vote on the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.

CNN Congressional Correspondent Andrea Koppel live from Capitol Hill with more.

Good morning, Andrea.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

Well, later this afternoon, the Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, is expected to put forward what's known as a sense of the Senate resolution. What this means, basically, is it wouldn't have the force of law, but Democrats, nevertheless, are saying that it would be politically significant in that it would be criticizing both the White House and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

According to a Democratic leadership aide, this is one of the -- basically, the thrust of the resolution. It would say that it had no confidence, the Senate had no confidence in the Bush administration's national security policies, nor the secretary of defense's ability to carry that out.

Now, if that sounds familiar, it should, because that's really what the essence of the letter that the -- about a dozen House and Senate Democratic leaders sent to President Bush earlier this week. This is something that's going to be attached as an amendment to the defense appropriations bill. That's the funding bill for next year at the Pentagon.

Earlier this morning on AMERICAN MORNING, the second ranking Democrat, Dick Durbin, told CNN that this -- it was really overdue to have a debate on Iraq at this time, while on the other hand, we also heard from Senator Frist, who said that he felt it was political gamesmanship.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: I absolutely do, and you're going to see that displayed on the floor today if the Democrats bring it up. I have confidence. It takes bold leadership, it takes people who are very aggressive, and indeed he is doing just that, laying it on the line.

It is important the American people understand the truth. He's laid it out, he's aggressively acting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: We believe that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has made some serious errors, misleading the American people about the reason for the invasion of Iraq, sending an inadequate number of troops in to Iraq initially after being told that he needed many more troops. When he went to Iraq, to have soldiers stand up and say, "Mr. Secretary, we're rooting through scrap piles trying to find pieces of metal to protect ourselves," and then he says, "Well, we fight with the Army that we have."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: Now, Democrats and Republicans say they have no expectation that this would actually pass on the Senate floor. I spoke with Senator Frist after the interview on AMERICAN MORNING, and he told me that he plans to call for a point of order, saying that it's not germane -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Andrea Koppel on Capitol Hill.

Thank you very much -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: The war in Iraq is proving to be a drain on the president's popularity, but now with the important midterm elections fast approaching, President Bush himself might be viewed as a drain on his own party.

CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley joins us with a little perspective on this.

Good morning.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

They are worried about the economy in the Midwest, gas prices and big government in the interior West, home heating prices in the Northeast. And everywhere voters are worried about Iraq. But superimposed over all of this is one name.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY (voice over): Though a lot of voters are angry with George Bush, he's not on the ballot this year. But it's bad news for Republicans who are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You look good!

CROWLEY: And it is the core of Democratic strategy.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: George Bush and his acolyte, Mike DeWine, just care about the people as the very, very top.

CROWLEY: Republican Mike DeWine is the senior senator from Ohio. He struggles against a rip current which threatens to pull under Republicans nationwide.

CNN and Opinion Research Corporation asked voters whether they were more or less likely to vote for pro-Bush candidates. Message: there is a price for an "R" after your name.

JENNIFER DUFFY, THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT: You mostly see incumbents telling voters, "I will be with the president when I agree with him but I won't be with him when I don't."

REP. SHERROD BROWN (D), OHIO: The next one?

CROWLEY: Sherrod Brown is a Democrat House member gunning for DeWine's Senate seat.

BROWN: Mike DeWine voted for the Iraq war and I voted against the Iraq war.

(APPLAUSE)

CROWLEY: Ohio ranks fifth in states with the highest number of Iraq war dead, and like the rest of the nation has seen the downward spiral of support for the president and the Iraq war. The president and Iraq, Republicans and the president, they are inextricably linked.

JOHN GREEN, UNIVERSITY OF AKRON: Now, most Ohioans realize that Senator DeWine is not in charge of the war effort, but he's a strong supporter of the Bush administration, and many people do hold President Bush accountable for the problems in Iraq.

CROWLEY: Republicans counter the Iraq attacks with what they hope is their campaign ace card, the war against terror.

SEN. MIKE DEWINE (R), OHIO: I voted for the Patriot Act to find and stop the terrorists. It makes a difference. Sherrod Brown voted to deny these tools to our terrorist fighters.

CROWLEY: And as the president stumps the country, insisting that Iraq is part of the war on terror, he is echoed on the Republican campaign trial in word and in picture.

9/11 mayor Rudy Giuliani has left the streets of New York for Republican hustings everywhere.

RUDY GIULIANI, FMR. NYC MAYOR: We are interested in Senator DeWine being re-elected all over the country because he is someone who is a leader in the effort against terrorism.

CROWLEY: Bottom line, we are better at protecting you. It worked for Republicans in '02 and '04. They hope it will drive their discouraged voters to the polls in '06.

Except that something is different now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He failed us on the Intelligence Committee before 9/11 and on weapons of mass destruction.

CROWLEY: Instead of avoiding the issue of the war on terror, Democrats are taking it on, convinced that this time Republican arguments won't work on a hardened electorate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CROWLEY: In the end, though, Republicans are not aiming for hardened voters. They know those are Democratic votes. What Republican contenders need to do is get their own voters out of the doldrums and in to the voting booth.

S. O'BRIEN: Can Democrats win on a strategy that's essentially, "We're not Republicans, we were against the war in Iraq"?

CROWLEY: You know, there was a great line from a Republican strategist not long ago that said, "The good news for Republicans is, Democrats don't have a plan. The bad news is they may not need one." And this is -- when you have so many angry voters, you don't need a plan. And there's -- there's -- Democrats will tell you they have one, but the fact of the matter is, the time to begin to roll out a Democrats' plan is really going to be after '06, when everyone's looking toward '08 and a presidential candidate.

S. O'BRIEN: So even if they had a plan, you wouldn't necessarily want to be talking about it now?

CROWLEY: Not necessarily, because it's sort of a plan in a vacuum for Democrats. I mean, even if one house is overtaken by Democrats, you've still got a recipe pretty much for gridlock.

S. O'BRIEN: Is there a risk for Democrats talking now really aggressively about the war on terror? Which when you look at the polls is actually weak for them.

CROWLEY: Absolutely. It's the -- although they've been gaining strength on that, is there a danger? No, they -- they really decided after watching John Kerry sort of skirt around the issue that they needed to go at the president's strength, and they're certainly doing that this -- by -- and what's interesting, also, is the president has fought so long to get people to tie Iraq to the war on terror, that his dropping poll numbers on Iraq are also dropping his numbers in the war on terror.

S. O'BRIEN: Interesting.

Candy Crowley this morning.

Thanks. Nice to see you in person, by the way. We love having you.

Candy, of course, is part of the best political team on TV right here on CNN -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning, an ordinary bloke and a best mate. That's how Bob Irwin describes his son, the "Crocodile Hunter," Steve Irwin. He says Irwin would have turned down a proposed state funeral, calling it too fussy.

Meanwhile, Irwin's friend says that tape showing his death should never be shown in public and should be destroyed.

A fuel cell problem. That's what forcing NASA to scrub today's scheduled launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. Atlantis already delayed after a lightning strike on the pad and then Tropical Storm Ernesto. Unclear if they'll be able to fix the problem in time to try again tomorrow.

S. O'BRIEN: The U.N. secretary-general, Kofi Annan, is reiterating hope that Israel will lift its blockade on Lebanon, possibly within the next 48 hours. The secretary-general is in Turkey this morning. He also commended Turkey's decision to commit troops to U.N. peacekeeping in southern Lebanon.

Polygamist cult leader Warren Jeffs wakes up in a Utah jail this morning after he was choppered in from Nevada on Tuesday. He's going to be in court today facing felony charges of arranging marriages between older men in his sect and underage girls. M. O'BRIEN: Dozens of people injured in a bus crash in New York City this morning. The bus collided with a semi-trailer near a toll plaza. The collision caused backups through Staten Island. Not clear yet what triggered the accident. None of the injuries considered life-threatening.

More word of ominous warnings before that Comair commuter crash in Lexington, Kentucky, 10 days ago. A supervisor at that control tower wrote a memo two years ago warning a staff shortage there could cost lives. Only one controller was on duty when that Comair jet took off on the wrong runway, killing 49.

S. O'BRIEN: For students in Detroit it might seem like an endless summer. A teachers' strike has canceled public schools indefinitely. A judge ordered both sides to return to the bargaining table this morning. It is day nine of that strike.

M. O'BRIEN: In Florida, Republican Congresswoman Katherine Harris now the Republican nominee for Senate. Despite being all but abandoned by her party, Harris won easily. But she faces an uphill battle. Incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson leads by a wide margin in the polls.

S. O'BRIEN: And crews are making slow but steady progress fighting a massive wildfire in Montana. The Big Timber fire has scorched about 180,000 acres and destroyed dozens of homes. Firefighters now have it about 45 percent contained.

That brings us right to the forecast at 11 minutes after the hour. Chad's got that.

Hey, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, more on the massive manhunt for Ralph "Bucky" Phillips. Like Eric Rudolph, he's living off the land and apparently getting some help.

S. O'BRIEN: And the casualties of 9/11 five years later. Heroes who responded to the World Trade Center have now been hobbled by a health crisis.

M. O'BRIEN: And our sleep-deprived doctors putting their patients at risk? We'll take a closer look at 80-hour weeks and an increase in medical mistakes ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: So where in the world is Bucky Phillips? The escaped convict is out there somewhere in western New York, maybe crossing into eastern Pennsylvania. He's been on the lam since April, escaped from jail, his parole violation is why he was there.

His original charge was stealing cars, but two troopers paid a terrible price last Thursday. They were closing in on him. He -- there were shots fired. One is dead, the other trooper still in serious condition.

Major Michael Manning is with the New York State Police. He joins us now from Fredonia, New York, right at the center of that search.

Good to have you with us, Major Manning.

Can you...

MAJ. MICHAEL MANNING, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: Thank you, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Can you just bring us up to date? Give us what you know, what kind of tips you're getting. We heard reports of break-ins in eastern Pennsylvania.

Anything giving you a sense of where he might be?

MANNING: Well, throughout this investigation he has been going back and forth from the Pennsylvania area, back here into northern Chautauqua County here in western New York. Yesterday there were two attempted burglaries at pharmacies down in Portville, which is over in Catoragas County (ph), near the Pennsylvania border, and another one into Elgrin (ph), PA., just over the border. Both cases, nobody got in to the location, but we suspect it's probable locations that Ralph Phillips has been in, in the past, and this probably was related to him.

M. O'BRIEN: So there may -- I assume you're going to try to find some sort of forensic link and get a sense of where he might be. It seems fairly evident he's getting help. Tell us about that.

MANNING: Well, throughout this investigation, one thing that has hampered us is the assistance he was receiving from family and friends, and even individuals that he hasn't seen in lengthy periods of time. He has a lot of associates that have done time with him prison and jail that live throughout the western New York area. So he's -- he's been getting everything from material support of food and cash, to people just letting -- letting him sleep in their residences. It's seriously hampered our investigation.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, what do you say to those who might want to help out Bucky Phillips at this point?

MANNING: Well, I think the results are going to be the same. We've arrested several family members for hindering our investigation. We have arrested several old friends that we found that were harboring him. And we will continue to pursue criminal charges against everyone and anyone that assists him in any way, that prevents us from arresting him. M. O'BRIEN: We talked to a lot of people there yesterday and frankly picked up on a lot of resentment about this search.

Let's listen for just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAWN COCHRAN, RESIDENT: The only danger there really is with all the troopers flying around and, you know, stopping traffic and getting in everybody's way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: A lot of people seem a little bit angry about this search. Why?

MANNING: Well, I don't think that's a consensus right now. You may have spoken to one individual who was upset, but the vast majority of people I think now are supporting us.

We are seeing signs along the road. People are stopping by, bringing meals, and giving us best luck.

The number of cars directed towards the family is just stacking up. So I think there's a small minority that don't -- don't appreciate us being here. But keep in mind, a lot of those are known associates and friends of the Phillips' family, and I guess you have to consider the source.

M. O'BRIEN: Could this be an Eric Rudolph-type scenario? He was -- he was in the woods there for five years in North Carolina before he more or less emerged from the woods.

MANNING: Well, I guess on a smaller scale that's what this is. But if you take away his support structure, which I hope we are able to do now, I think this is going to turn this investigation substantially.

The reward I don't think is as important as cutting off his supply lines of all the individuals that were helping him in the past. If people would change their attitudes towards this investigation and take it as seriously as we were trying to say that it was since -- since he escaped, and give us the assistance we need in locating him, I think this will be a much shorter investigation.

M. O'BRIEN: People weren't taking it seriously, were they?

MANNING: No, they were not. Neither the local residents and actually some of the -- some of the media out here didn't take it as seriously as we were trying to explain it.

He is a dangerous individual. Just because he has not shown -- he has not in the past shot or injured anybody does not mean he's not violent.

He has a history of committing burglaries, and burglaries with firearms, and custodial interference charges. So, you know, he has always been on the edge of violence. When you burglarize a person's home and enter somebody's house, that's a violent crime.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. So if you should see him or know anything about him, you're supposed to call a specific number. Why don't you give us that number.

MANNING: 679-1520. That's area code 716. That's the state police here. Or call your local 911, if that's easier for you. But any sighting whatsoever should be reported to your local police or state police.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Major Manning, thanks for your time. Good luck.

MANNING: Thanks for having us.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, 9/11 heroes at risk. The first scientific proof that links health problems to Ground Zero.

And overworked doctors. Is their lack of sleep risking your health? Dr. Sanjay Gupta investigates.

Those stories and much more ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Just days before the fifth anniversary of 9/11, and a new health report is finding some 70 percent of recovery workers at the World Trade Center site are suffering from long-term problems of all kinds.

More now from CNN's Randi Kaye.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On September 11th, five years ago, as word spread America was under attack, hundreds of emergency responders rushed to the World Trade Center. Among them, NYPD Detectives John Walcott and Rich Volpe, who arrived at Ground Zero right after the second tower fell.

RICH VOLPE, FORMER NYPD DETECTIVE: I remember you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, number one. I remember constantly coughing and constantly gagging.

KAYE: Rich and John were used to life-threatening situations. They'd been partners in narcotics for more than a decade. Now retired, they're no longer fighting to keep drugs off the street, they're fighting to stay alive.

JOHN WALCOTT, FORMER NYPD DETECTIVE: Right now I'm on borrowed time; 5 percent only live as long as I have.

KAYE: John is battling leukemia; Rich, severe asthma and double kidney failure.

VOLPE: Right now I'm below 40 percent function in both my kidneys.

KAYE: Both blame their illnesses on exposure to toxins like benzene, dioxin and asbestos at Ground Zero.

(on camera): But could exposure even over a period of months make them so sick so fast? After all, both were diagnosed within just two years of the attack. Or it is it possible they and thousands of others who claim Ground Zero made them sick too, were predisposed to these illnesses?

DR. STEPHEN LEVIN, MOUNT SINAI MEDICAL CENTER: I want you to breathe real deep in and out through your mouth.

KAYE (voice-over): Dr. Stephen Levin heads the largest screening program for 9/11 responders at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. The program has screened more than 16,000 first responders, half of whom are in need of treatment.

LEVIN: Well, there's no question that people have developed very high rates of respiratory illnesses. By that I mean new onset sinusitis among people who never had sinus problems before. And people who have developed asthma who never had asthma before in their lives.

KAYE: People like Rudy Washington who gets regular exams at Mount Sinai. As Mayor Rudy Giuliani's deputy, he worked seven days a week at Ground Zero, coordinating rescue and recovery efforts. This is the first time he has agreed to be interviewed about his illness.

Since 9/11, Rudy has developed chronic asthma and life- threatening respiratory problems. Also, mysterious spots and scarring on his lungs.

RUDY WASHINGTON, FORMER NYC DEPUTY MAYOR: After two, three, you know whatever exposure you had was done. After the second day or so, we were taken in with smoke, basically, from the fire. That real heavy contamination where you had asbestos, fiberglass and all of that stuff, now which shows up on my lungs. KAYE: Before 9/11, Rudy says he never missed a day of work. But in the years since, he's become a regular at the E.R., hardly able to breathe. But, still, Rudy considers himself lucky. So far, no sign of cancer.

DAVID WORBY, ATTORNEY: This is a list of the cancers.

KAYE: Attorney David Worby says he has more than 8,000 clients who got sick at Ground Zero, including John Walcott and Rich Volpe.

WORBY: 400,000 pound of asbestos, 200,000 pounds of lead, 91,000 liters of burning jet fuel, 125,000 gallons of burning transformer oils. It was the worst toxic waste site ever.

KAYE: Worby says more than 350 of his clients have cancer, 1,000 have severe respiratory ailments. More than 60 of them are already dead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Randi's report first aired on "ANDERSON COOPER 360," which airs weeknights at 10:00 Eastern right here on CNN -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, a royal solution to a royal problem. Japan gets an heir and let's out a collective sigh of relief.

Also, you've heard of Suri. Now we can see her. Photos of Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, little Baby Suri.

And an actress and much more. I'll talk to Jamie Lee Curtis about her latest book for children.

Those stories and much more ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.

The polygamist cult leader Warren Jeffs is slated for a court appearance from purgatory today. That's the purgatory correctional facility in Hurricane, Utah. Authorities choppered Jeffs from Las Vegas to the jail yesterday. The former 10-most wanted fugitive faces several felony charges of arranging marriages between older men in his sect and underaged women.

CNN's Peter Viles joining us now from St. George, Utah with more.

Hello, Peter.

PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

Just down the road from Purgatory, which is in Hurricane, Utah.

When Warren Jeffs was wanted by the FBI, they described him as possibly armed and dangerous. He was not armed and dangerous when they arrested him and since then he's behaved very passively according to officials. They describe him as a prisoner as cooperative, compliant, meek and passive. But they say this still remains a case that requires high security, high security at the jail where he's being held. Ultimately we expect high security here at the courthouse. The reason, that doesn't have so much to do with Warren Jeffs; it has to do with the people who follow him, who live about 30 miles from here. The FBI had estimated he had 10,000 followers. These are people who believe he's a prophet. The sheriff here has described them as religious extremists, and the tight security, the sheriff here says, is because they don't know how those followers are going to react to this whole legal process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHERIFF KIRK SMITH, WASHINGTON CO., UTAH: When you deal with religious extremists, you really don't know what to expect. Our job in law enforcement is worst-case scenario, and that's what we sit around and worry about all the time, and we don't want that to have happen, so we want to be prepared. So we were just thinking, and our whole thought process is just to make sure, our whole goal in this thing is to get Mr. Jeffs here, get him through his court proceedings, and then on to whatever awaits after that, whether it's the department of corrections or freedom, whatever the jury decides.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VILES: Now the legal even here today is a real quick one. It's an initial court appearance, and Jeffs won't actually physically be in the courtroom. He'll stay at the jail about 12 miles from here, and they have with a video hookup, so he can see the judge and the judge can see him. This is one of those things where the judge just informs him that the's going to be charged with a crime, and we do understand he'll have representation for the first time. He didn't have a lawyer in Las Vegas for the extradition hearing, but our understanding is he'll be represented here by a Las Vegas criminal defense attorney named Richard Wright. And the charges are serious. You need a good lawyer. He faces, if he's convicted, up to life in prison on two counts of rape as an accomplice. Not that he raped anybody, but he encouraged, or forced or coerced a young girl, aged 14 to 18, into a marriage against her will, causing her to be raped.

But at the appearance, 1:00 local time here in St. George, Miles, we don't expect a big showing of the faithful or the followers. We did not see them in any numbers in Las Vegas, and we don't expect to see them here -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Peter Viles in Utah, thank you very much.

S. O'BRIEN: U.S. artillery and air strikes have reportedly killed 60 militants in southern Afghanistan this week. By all accounts, deadly violence and Taliban influence have grown dramatically in Afghanistan this year.

CNN's Jamie McIntyre live for us at the Pentagon with more on this.

Good morning, Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Well, consider this, by one report, the number of roadside bombs in Afghanistan is up 30 percent, the number of suicide attacks has nearly doubled, and increasingly, Afghanistan is beginning to look more like Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): Once dubbed the forgotten war, because fighting war sporadic and progress seemed steady, Afghanistan has burst back in to 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."

But increasingly, the NATO troops who just this summer took the lead in the south are taking the heavy casualties, as NATO secretary- general noted as he toured the country Tuesday.

JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER, NATO SECY.-GEN.: It's 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 since they began fighting in the south 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: U.S. and NATO commanders insist they're getting the upper hand on the Taliban. As you noted, they claim to have killed 50 or 60 suspected Taliban just this week, more than 200 since the fighting began earlier in the summer. But as U.S. commanders learned in Vietnam, and are learning again in Iraq, body counts are not an accurate measure of success -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon for us. Jamie, thanks.

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, we examine a dangerous reality in hospitals, sleep-deprived doctors. To what degree are they putting their patients at risk?

M. O'BRIEN: Also, General Motors set to make a major announcement today. It looks like they'll try something other than lower prices to try to win your business.

S. O'BRIEN: And from actress to author, Jamie Lee Curtis touching many more lives now with her wildly successful children's books. We'll talk to her ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Overworked, sleep deprived, young doctors -- it's almost like a cliche, but how close is to the truth? And why are rules limiting interns hours being ignored?

Our senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta with a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's 7:00 a.m. Ben Walker is on his way to work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The morning will definitely be really busy.

GUPTA: But unlike most people, it won't be an eight hour day, but a 30-hour shift. Ben is a new doctor in his first few months of residency, often considered to be the most grueling of any medical career.

DR. BEN WALKER, FIRST-YEAR RESIDENT: You want to make sure things turn out OK for the person. And you want to stay extra, do whatever it takes.

GUPTA: And doing whatever it takes once meant that these interns worked around the clock without any limits, driven by their desire to gain medical experience. But in 2003 the medical industry put restrictions into place for the first time. Many say those restrictions are still not enough.

DR. CHRISTOPHER LANDRIGAN, BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL: For the most part the gut reaction of lay people in addressing the issue is that the system is crazy. They can't understand why a pilot is limited to eight hours, a trucker is limited to 11 hours, but a doctor is permitted to work 30 hours, and in fact that that's professionally endorsed.

GUPTA: A new study finds first-year doctors working 24 hours straight make five times as many serious diagnostic mistakes. They are far more likely to accidentally stab themselves with a needle or scalpel, or to get in a car accident while driving home after a marathon shift. Now there's no direct evidence that patient care will improve with fewer hours, but sleep expert Dr. Charles Czeisler has no doubt.

DR. CHARLES CZEISLER, HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL: A doctor working for 24 hours straight is just as impaired as someone who's drunk.

GUPTA: In the United States a resident is not allowed to work more than 30 consecutive hours, and the weekly limit 80 hours when averaged over four weeks. But that's almost twice as many hours as any other country will allow.

The medical body that governs residency in the United States says 97 percent of them comply with the rules. But in a study in which residents were given anonymity, more than 80 percent of them said they falsely reported their hours to stay under the limit.

CZEISLER: Many trainees have told me they feel that they have to falsify their records.

GUPTA: But do better hours for residents mean the best care for patients?

Dr. Joyce Doyle is one of Ben Walker's supervisors, and recognizes that there is a constant balancing act with the work-hour limits.

DR. JOYCE DOYLE, EMORY HOSPITAL: What type of physician are we creating? It is a clock-punching type of doctor who is comfortable saying, well, my shift's over, I know you're sick, but it's time to go.

GUPTA: But for Ben and other young doctors, the pros of limiting hours outweigh the cons.

WALKER: We're at our best when we're fully rested.

Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: "CNN NEWSROOM" is just a few minutes away. Tony Harris is at the CNN Center with a look at what lies ahead this morning.

Good morning.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning, Soledad.

Good to see you. You're right. "CNN NEWSROOM" starts in a couple of minutes.

Question for you this morning, when you will you also be venting? Two months to election day, polls say you're angry and restless. I will talk live with DNC chairman Howard Dean. He hopes to engineer a Democratic takeover in Congress. Republicans of course will respond, plus this from Florida.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ron yelled back, are you looking for Eddie Mettis (ph)? I said, I am Eddie Mettis!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: An adventurist jogger up to his elbows in trouble. Soledad, he got stuck waist deep in this swampy, boggy thing. We'll show you how it all worked out. You're in the "NEWSROOM" at the top of the hour on CNN -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Looks like it had a happy ending. We're glad to see that.

HARRIS: Yes, it did.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Tony.

You know, when you hear the name Jamie Lee Curtis, of course you're thinking actress, but the kids might think author. She's written a large number of children's bestsellers. She's another one. She's going to be with us in just a bit to talk about it. That's ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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S. O'BRIEN: Jamie Lee Curtis is an accomplished actress. Well all know that. But you may not know is that she's also a wildly successful author of children's books. Her characters have been known to celebrate their youth and there's always a really good lesson about self-esteem in there, which, of course, parents appreciate.

She's got a new book out. It's her seventh book. It's called "Is There Really a Human Race?" And Jamie Lee Curtis joins us this morning.

This book is so great. It's so great.

JAMIE LEE CURTIS, "IS THERE REALLY A HUMAN RACE?": Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: And, you know, I read a gazillion children's books.

CURTIS: Because you have a gazillion...

S. O'BRIEN: Because I have a gazillion children.

CURTIS: ... children!

S. O'BRIEN: You know, and my daughter read this yesterday and just really -- with me -- and really, really loved it. Where did the idea come from?

CURTIS: It's my little boy. You know, all my books are from children. A question or an observation that a child makes. My little boy came home and said, mommy, is there really a human race? And he looked at me and he said, is it a race? And why didn't tell me? You know, do I have a number on my back? Am I just running in some race that I didn't know I was in?

And if you think about it, life is, in this country, insanely competitive. And we don't really ever honor the fact that these are children, and we put them in these situations, I think, of tremendous competition very early. You know, every one of these children are born with an imprint of their parents saying this is who you are.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's get you into classes right now, honey, if you want to be successful.

CURTIS: Let's get you into classes. Have to be number one. In this country, that styrofoam finger, we're number one! We're number -- what -- there's only one person that can be number one. What about the other hundreds and thousands and hundreds of thousands of people that need to be able to walk through life not being number one?

S. O'BRIEN: And that brings us to the self-esteem part, because that, I guess, is really at the heart of the question that your son had for you.

CURTIS: It's the heart of every question.

S. O'BRIEN: I want you to read this book. Because, of course, the little boy in the book says, is this really a race?

CURTIS: Is it really a race? And he says, is the race like a loop or an obstacle course? Am I a jockey or am I a horse? Is there pushing and shoving to get to the lead? If the race is unfair, will I succeed? You know, there's this sense that we only see people succeed.

Here's a great example. Andre Agassi. We all -- you know, it's the whole country, I think, is feeling this lovefest for this man. Because he -- we watched him win and lose, and fight and work really hard at what he does. And he's a family man, and he loves his kids. And, you know, he lost. And yet we all stood up...

S. O'BRIEN: Everyone cheered.

CURTIS: ... and cheered. Because we recognize that his sense of competition is I want to try my best. But that ultimately, the goal in my life is to be a good human being. And that's where the real writing in the book is, is at the end of the book, after the question is asked...

S. O'BRIEN: A great illustration of a mother, and all these questions are posed to a mother, who...

CURTIS: To the mommy.

S. O'BRIEN: ... responding to her son.

CURTIS: And finally at the end of the book, she says to him -- and I'll do it briefly, but it's really important. She said -- I know it by heart, because I wrote it.

S. O'BRIEN: Because you know it.

CURTIS: She says to him, you know, sometimes it's better not to go fast. There are beautiful sights to be seen when you're last. Shouldn't it be that you just try your best and that's more important than beating the rest? Shouldn't it be looking back at the end that you judge your own race by the help that you lend?

And then she says has we all should do -- adults, teenagers, old people, young people -- take what's inside you and make big, bold choices and for those who can't speak for themselves, use bold voices. And make friends, love well and bring art to this place, and make the world better for the whole human race.

S. O'BRIEN: Jamie Lee Curtis, such a pleasure to have you...

CURTIS: Thank you very much. Pleasure to, you know...

S. O'BRIEN: ... in our studio. We really appreciate it.

CURTIS: Four-child mama. S. O'BRIEN: I know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: All right. She sounds like fun.

S. O'BRIEN: She was great. She was great.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Big fan of hers.

S. O'BRIEN: Hey, it's her seventh book. She's really successful.

M. O'BRIEN: This is a whole new career there.

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M. O'BRIEN: Back with more in a moment.

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S. O'BRIEN: That is it. We're out of time. "CNN NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins is up next.

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Soledad O'Brien, Miles O'Brien, Kathleen Koch, Andrea Koppel, Candy Crowley, Randi Kaye