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American Morning
Attack in Kabul; New Al Qaeda Tape; Death Order; Out-of-Control Dad; Missing Marine
Aired September 08, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, it's Friday, September 8. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Here's a look at what's happening this morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Investigators sifting through the wreckage from a massive suicide car bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan today. Two American soldiers, at least four Afghan civilians killed in the attack on a military convoy that took place near the U.S. Embassy.
M. O'BRIEN: Five people killed by a bomb in Pakistan today. It happened in a southwestern province plagued by insurgent violence. Police blaming supporters of a tribal chief who was killed two weeks ago in a military raid.
In Indonesia, a desperate search under way after a huge pile of garbage collapses on dozens of people who are sifting through the trash. It happened east of Jakarta. Dozens may be trapped. Three bodies found so far.
Countdown for the space shuttle Atlantis is under way right now, mission managers deciding to fly with a bulky fuel cell which generates electricity for the orbiter. Right now they're working on a potential problem at the launch pad which could be a showstopper with an engine cutoff sensor. We're watching it very closely for you. If all goes well, liftoff at 11:40 Eastern.
NASA boldly going where very few men or women have gone before on the 40th anniversary of the first "Star Trek." There are special events around the country today. Tonight, Trekkies will beam up to the top of Seattle's Space Needle for a champagne toast. We wish them well.
S. O'BRIEN: Get right to Chad Myers in the -- he's in the CNN Center this morning with the forecast.
Hey, Chad, where are you beginning this morning?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We'll start with Florence and then we'll work our way across the rest of the country. Still a tropical storm, didn't get any stronger over night, 50 miles per hour, that's where they're starting it right now. But you notice where the middle of the track is, the middle of the cone is right over Bermuda, and that comes in as a Category 2 hurricane. So if you have plans in Bermuda, maybe to go or to get home, you may want to think about that storm headed your way.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Rain across Florida today and that front is hanging very close to Cape Canaveral. That's going to be the focus of where the storms pop up today. NASA is still saying about a 70 percent chance of a likelihood of a launch due to weather. But clearly, Miles, there are other problems out there with the shuttle this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, there are. We are watching those very carefully.
MYERS: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: There's just to bring people up to date very quickly, an engine cutoff sensor, which is an important thing, tells the engines when to shut off before the fuel runs dry. They're working on a problem with it right now because it thinks that it's wet when in fact it's dry kind of scenario. It's kind of complicated, but until they get satisfied that that sensor is working just right, they may have to actually detank and try again, so.
MYERS: Yes, take it back to the dealer?
M. O'BRIEN: Pretty much, yes.
MYERS: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, not quite, but close.
All right, thank you, -- Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get to a developing story this morning, an attack targeting Americans in Kabul, Afghanistan. A massive suicide car bomb exploded near the heavily-guarded U.S. Embassy. It killed two U.S. soldiers, two others were wounded. Several bystanders were also killed.
CNN's Anderson Cooper had just arrived in the Afghan capital when that suicide bomber struck.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Just about half an hour after we landed here in Kabul, there was a suicide attack very close to the airport. That's what's left of the vehicle that was packed with explosives.
What we know is that it hit an American military convoy that was traveling down this main road in downtown Kabul. Three vehicles were in the convoy. Two American soldiers we know have been killed, one has been wounded. There are unconfirmed reports of a number of Afghan fatalities. We don't have confirmation of that yet. We did see a number of Afghan civilians being treated at the scene and they have left the scene already.
This is a real sign of the resurgence of the Taliban and al Qaeda here in Afghanistan. Also a sign, experts say, that the Taliban is increasingly adopting al Qaeda tactics. In 2001, there was only one suicide bombing in all of Afghanistan. This year alone there have been more than 40, and this is the second suicide attack in Kabul this week.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Anderson Cooper reporting from Afghanistan. He's marking the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks from there. "ANDERSON 360" airs weeknights, 10:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: A sinister commemoration of the fifth anniversary of 9/11, a 5-year-old tape, never seen before publicly, showing Osama bin Laden mingling with the 9/11 hijackers, some of them at least, at an al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan.
CNN's Kelli Arena with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The tape was shot before the September 11 attacks. On it, Osama bin Laden asks supporters to pray for the hijackers and their mission.
We also hear from hijackers Hamza Alghamdi and Wail al-Shehri. They are speaking before their suicide attacks with videos of the 9/11 attacks eerily superimposed behind them. Now al-Shehri was on American Airlines Flight 11, Alghamdi was on United Airlines Flight 175. Those are the planes that hit the Twin Towers in New York.
9/11 planner Ramzi Binalshibh also seen on the tape with Osama bin Laden. That's the first time that these two men are shown together. Binalshibh is still alive. He's living now at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay where he was just transferred from a secret CIA prison.
Al Qaeda tapes and messages have been coming out fast and furious lately, leading some to speculate that an attack could be imminent. But FBI Director Robert Mueller tells CNN that there is no intelligence to suggest that any attack is coming.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: In Iraq this hour, a definite and sobering threat to Americans there, the Arab network, Al Jazeera, airing an audio tape statement from the head of al Qaeda in Iraq. The speaker urges the group's followers to kill -- and we're quoting here -- "at least one American," he says, "in the next two weeks." CNN's Michael Holmes is in Baghdad for us this morning.
Michael, good morning.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Yes, a sobering message indeed. The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, as you said, urging his followers to kill at least one American in the next two weeks, using, what he said, sniper rifles, explosives, or -- in his words -- "whatever the battle may require." That coming out on Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera identifying the voice on the tape as that of Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, that's a pseudonym adopted by Abu Ayyub al-Masri who was the Egyptian militant believed to be an expert at making bombs who took over from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi when he was killed by U.S. troops. Among the words that he spoke on that tape, don't let your souls or your enemies rest until each one of you kills at least one American within a period that does not exceed 15 days.
So, yes, a sobering message. And Americans are being killed here anyway at an alarming rate. In the last month also, anyway -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Then let's talk a little bit more about the violence taking place, especially in the capital. It is not stopping today, is it?
HOLMES: No, no, it's one day much like the next, roadside bomb in the neighborhood of Karada here in Baghdad, killing three civilians, including a mother and child. Six people were wounded, including policemen. The target seems to have been the convoy of Karada's police commander. Also the toll of unidentified bodies in the streets of Baghdad continues. Six more found overnight, bound, some of them hooded, showing signs of torture and all shot in the head -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Once again a familiar scene, sadly enough.
Michael Holmes for us this morning.
Michael, thanks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: A new revelation in the CIA leak case, we know now who first blew the cover of CIA operative Valerie Plame whose husband was a harsh critic of the Iraq war. Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told "CBS News" that he was columnist Robert Novak's source.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD ARMITAGE, FMR. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE: I fell terrible every day. I think I let down the president, I let down the secretary of state, I let down my department, my family and I also let down Mr. and Mrs. Wilson.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You saw the president all the time.
ARMITAGE: Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you ever think of saying, Mr. President, I screwed up?
ARMITAGE: I thought every day about how I had screwed up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: Novak says that presidential advisor Karl Rove was his second source. No one was ever indicted for leaking Plame's identity. But the former Chief of Staff for the vice president, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, faces charges he lied to investigators, charges he denies -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Happening in America this morning, is this man the Baseline Killer responsible for a string of sexual attacks and killings in Phoenix, Arizona? Police are investigating 42-year-old Mark Goudeau. That's a sketch, obviously. Mark Goudeau was arrested yesterday. We reported that on our air. Right now he is accused of attacking two sisters in September of 2005.
Jurors in North Dakota begin hearing testimony on Monday deciding whether Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. should be put to death for his conviction in the killing of college student Dru Sjodin. It's the first death penalty case in North Dakota in nearly a century.
Architects unveiling the future of Manhattan's skyline. Here it is before 9/11 and here is what they are hoping to achieve about six years from now. Four new buildings, three of them office buildings, smaller than the Freedom Tower, one a skyscraper topped with four shining diamonds that would light up at night.
In New York, an unprecedented settlement in the works with James Frey, the author of "A Million Little Pieces." Under the proposed settlement, readers can get their money back. A million little rebates, they say. You'd have to prove that you bought the book, sign a sworn statement that you thought it was a memoir. He, of course, criticized for passing off made-up events as real in his book.
In Orlando, Florida, soaking rains turning streets into lakes, lot of cleanup, and by the looks of it, lots of car repairs going to be necessary today as well. NASA of course hoping that the rain stays away for the shuttle launch today.
And remember the father we told you about who knocked over that young football player. This is a videotape we played for you on Tuesday. That's the coach and dad whomping that kid there. Well the father, his name is Cory Petero, he was expected in court yesterday for arraignment, didn't happen though. The judge is giving him one more try.
What -- Rich Ibarra from our affiliate KING has our report this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICH IBARRA, KCRA-TV REPORTER (voice-over): On Saturday, Cory Petero ran onto the field after his son in the white jersey was knocked to the ground by an opposing player and then knocking down the 13-year-old boy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excuse me, fellows.
IBARRA: Thursday afternoon, this is Cory Petero who is out on bail walking to court, but there is a problem, he wasn't there in time for his arraignment, so the judge opened the way for Petero to be arrested again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No appearance, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) forfeit, bench warrant, (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
IBARRA: The judge refused to hear Petero's arraignment when he did appear. Petero was booked for felony child abuse, but will be charged with a misdemeanor instead.
XAPURI VILLAPUDUA, DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: And the reason we filed misdemeanor charges was lack of defendant's record, lack of serious injuries to the child and that the defendant was very cooperative with police.
IBARRA: The victim's family says some people have noted that Petero reacted to his son being hit late on the play, but the family says that's no excuse.
DENISE CHAMPION, VICTIM'S MOTHER: I've seen my son get hit before. I've never once thought about running on the field and attacking somebody. That's just -- you just don't do that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: That's Rich Ibarra from our affiliate KCRA reporting.
If Petero is late again today, he could be arrested. The victim's family says they're going to be in the courthouse today, they want to hear Petero apologize -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come in the program, the tale of an injured, lost hiker takes a surprising turn in Colorado. Was it all a ruse to avoid returning to Iraq?
And caught on tape, a grandmother now on the hook for attempted bank robbery, how big a threat was she?
And Carrie Lee with business headlines.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, everyone, this morning.
California's attorney general says Hewlett-Packard violated two laws in its media leak investigation. So what happens now? We'll have that story and more coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning, the Taliban claiming responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed at least two American service personnel in Afghanistan today. It was a powerful car bomb near the U.S. Embassy. It's the second bomb attack on U.S. forces in Kabul this week.
Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is sorry. He says he accidentally blew the cover of CIA operative Valerie Plame. He says he was the likely source who leaked her name to two reporters.
Bermuda is on watch for severe weather over the next 24 hours. Tropical Storm Florence is headed that way, on track to become a Category 2 hurricane, which brings us to Chad Myers at the Weather Center.
Hello, -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Miles.
It could be right over the island there of Bermuda, the island nation. Here's the computer forecast. We'll put it into motion for you. We'll kind of focus our attention a little bit farther to the west and southwest, then Bermuda.
Right there, Cape Canaveral, see what's going to happen today, by 9:00 we're still seeing a few showers but mainly to the north of Cape Canaveral, up along St. Augustine and also into Daytona. And then a little after 11:30, there it goes, we hope. Seventy percent chance of a likelihood because of weather. There are other factors that are going on this morning in Florida that they have to worry about.
Here is the storm Florence right there, kind of disorganized overnight. Looked really good yesterday, big blob, good central, dense overcast. Now there are like three distinct areas of cloud cover, maybe even four now. And those things will have to start spinning around each other before it gets any stronger. Winds 50, gusts to 65 right now, but it is forecast, as Miles said, to be a Cat 2 right over Bermuda, 105-miles-per-hour winds to about 120. Start need to batten down the hatches there in Bermuda.
But I will say that some of the computer models this morning are even taking it to the east of Bermuda, making that turn even sooner. And we would really like to see that happen.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Take you back to what we looked at, those spaghetti models. Here's the East Coast of the United States. That white dot right there, that's Bermuda. You can see all the models just right around it -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Wow. That's bad.
All right, Chad, thanks.
MYERS: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Authorities who spent five days searching for a missing Marine in Colorado now believe his disappearance may be an elaborate hoax so he can avoid returning to duty in Iraq.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim is live for us in Boulder, Colorado.
Good morning, -- Keith.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
And detectives here at the Boulder County sheriff's office are trying to pinpoint the whereabouts of a Marine who could soon be listed as AWOL. Authorities first thought he was missing, but now that story seems to have fallen apart.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CMDR. PHIL WEST, BOULDER CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: I think everyone had some suspicions over the course of the last few days.
OPPENHEIM: Authorities in Colorado believe Marine Corporal Lance Hering staged his own disappearance just days before he was scheduled to return to Iraq.
WEST: I guess we wanted to believe that nobody would do something like this and that this was still a legitimate search and rescue effort.
OPPENHEIM: For five days, a platoon of police and volunteers combed the area where the 21-year-old Marine went missing. His friend, Steve Powers, initially told police Hering was injured while they were rock climbing in Eldorado Canyon. But police say Powers later admitted the two men concocted the story.
WEST: The timeline that he had given us as far as when they were hiking, when the fall had occurred, how he had allegedly stayed with Lance for up to four hours while he was unconscious and then went for help started raising some concerns.
OPPENHEIM: Police arrested Powers for false reporting, and they say he offered a possible motive for Hering's disappearing act.
WEST: What he is reporting is that Lance did not want to return to complete his tour of duty in the Marines. And I think we're a little chagrined, certainly a little embarrassed that we were duped, angry.
OPPENHEIM: Hering's whereabouts are still unknown, but one retired Marine who took part in the search is giving his fellow Semper Fi the benefit of the doubt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My first take is this is a man who apparently has served our country in a combat situation in Iraq and he needs help.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OPPENHEIM: If Corporal Hering doesn't report to Camp Pendleton in California on Monday, he will be officially listed as AWOL. And keep in mind this is actually a misdemeanor investigation. If he's found, he'll probably be charged with false reporting. So what detectives are telling me is they want to find him so they can fine him for what one authority told me is tens of thousands of dollars that went into the search and rescue -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: So they are pretty confident that this whole thing is a hoax. Do they have a sense of where he might be hiding?
OPPENHEIM: Well the problem is one of their main sources is the buddy, Steve Powers, and detectives say that much of what he has said up to this point has been a lie, although they do say they have some leads that they are following through on today.
S. O'BRIEN: Keith Oppenheim for us this morning in Boulder.
Keith, thanks.
Still to come, on a slippery slope, BP's top officials admit making some big mistakes at Prudhoe Bay.
And also, a woman, a visor, dark sunglasses, plastic bag, there she is there. We're going to tell you the story of a grandma who police say tried to knock over this bank. That's ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Carrie Lee is here with a look at business. We're looking at HP and we're looking at BP.
How are you?
LEE: I'm fine.
Let's start with Hewlett-Packard.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's do it.
LEE: And then we'll go to BP.
First of all, California's attorney general says Hewlett-Packard did violate two laws in its media leak investigations relating to identity thefts and access to computer records. This really stems a big ethical debate, legal debate.
What the company did is hire a private investigation company to basically pretend they were Hewlett-Packard employees, call phone companies and get the phone records of board members. They're trying to find out who spoke to the media and leaked some information about the company. Now we're not sure what's going to happen yet as far as prosecution, but experts in the case do say that HP officials, or even the private investigators hired, could face civil, even criminal charges. And this really sheds some light on perhaps a bigger issue, how easy it is to get information if you impersonate, if you call the phone company and try to get personal records of people. We've heard a lot of stories like this.
M. O'BRIEN: So you call the phone company, you say you're who and what will they give you?
LEE: You pretend that you are the person.
M. O'BRIEN: I see.
LEE: You say well I'd like to get my own records.
S. O'BRIEN: And you can check my records to see if...
M. O'BRIEN: I can't remember my number.
LEE: Exactly.
S. O'BRIEN: No, but if someone sold your...
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
LEE: Right, you can pretend to be that person, that's one way of doing it or...
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: I think someone took my cell phone.
LEE: Exactly.
S. O'BRIEN: I need all the records to make sure...
LEE: Exactly.
S. O'BRIEN: ... they are there (ph).
LEE: You can sometimes get into a Web site and get the information, so really not too hard to do that, apparently.
And then separately, BP executives admit that the company did fall short in preventing a major Alaskan oil pipeline from corroding. Now we're talking about Prudhoe Bay of course. This was a huge story. The company's chairman says BP's operating failures are unacceptable. He goes on to say they have fallen short of what the American people expect of BP and what we expect of ourselves. This all took place during a House panel. Hearings continue today in front of the Senate.
Interesting though that the person who used to head corrosion monitoring at BP invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self- incrimination, so chairman stepping up representing the company. They also say that they're going to increase maintenance and replace 16 miles of pipeline, so trying to make good going ahead.
M. O'BRIEN: About time they did that I think, yes.
LEE: Yes, exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
LEE: A quick check on stocks. We did see a little bit of selling to the downside yesterday for two days straight, Dow down 74 points, Nasdaq down 12. But this morning, looks like we could see a bit of a turnaround, at least in the early going, so maybe ending Friday on the upswing. We'll see.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Carrie.
S. O'BRIEN: Wouldn't that be nice?
LEE: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Carrie, thanks.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
LEE: Sure.
S. O'BRIEN: Well Andre Agassi was back in the spotlight last night. The tennis star who said farewell you'll remember to his 21- year-long career on Sunday opened up to Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRE AGASSI, RETIRED TENNIS STAR: The greatest part about what I did was the chance to impact somebody's life for a few hours. I mean that's really what you could do. That was the best part. They come and watch you play for two hours. I mean my hope is that somewhere along the line I can impact people for longer than that and I don't know how that's going to be.
It's unique to everybody how they choose to leave something they care about or to say goodbye. And I just -- my only hope was that it would be reflective of what it meant to me along the way, and it was. It was never about the result, it was about that. And to be quite honest, Larry, I would go through another 21 years to have that moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: You can catch "LARRY KING LIVE" every night, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
We're going to take a look at the morning's top stories straight ahead, including that massive explosion in Afghanistan, U.S. troops killed. Anderson Cooper is live for us in Kabul.
And skyscrapers on the World Trade Center site, we've got the newly unveiled plans. We'll show them to you just ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning, Pakistani police are blaming a deadly bombing on insurgents. At least five people were killed in the blast today. In the last two years, hundreds of people have been killed in southwestern Pakistan bordering Afghanistan and Iran.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld plans to be back on the job today. He had rotator cuff surgery on his left shoulder two days ago.
The space shuttle Atlantis fueled up, the countdown continues, the crew's ready to go. Those pictures you're seeing right there from just a few moment ago. NASA is trouble shooting yet another problem though, a sensor that cuts off the main engines before the fuel runs out not working properly. NASA's already deciding to launch with that bulky fuel cell we were telling you about.
Good morning, welcome back everybody I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien, thank you for being with us. A deadly message for Americans in Afghanistan. A suicide car bomb attack on a convoy outside the heavily guarded U.S. embassy leaving two American soldiers dead, two others injured, several bystanders also killed or wounded.
CNN's Anderson Cooper arrived in Kabul just before the attackers hit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Just about half an hour after we landed here in Kabul, there was a suicide attack very close to the airport. That's what's left of the vehicle. It was packed with explosives. What we know is that it hit an American military convoy that was traveling down this main road in downtown Kabul. Three vehicles were in the convoy. Two American soldiers, we know, have been killed. One has been wounded. There are unconfirmed reports of a number of Afghan fatalities. We don't have confirmation of that yet. We did see a number of Afghan civilians being treated at the scene, and they've left the scene already. This is a real sign of the resurgence of the Taliban and al Qaeda here in Afghanistan. Also a sign, experts say, that Taliban is increasingly adopting al Qaeda tactics. In 2001, there was only one suicide bombing in all of Afghanistan. This year alone, there have been more than 40. This is the second suicide attack in Kabul this week.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Anderson reporting from Afghanistan to mark the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. "ANDERSON COOPER 360" airs weeknight's 10:00 eastern right here on CNN.
S. O'BRIEN: New tape of some old images being released from al Qaeda just days before the fifth anniversary of 9/11. The five-year- old tape which was played on Al-Jazeera shows Osama bin Laden and some of the 9/11 hijackers. It includes the so-called martyrdom videotapes from two of the hijackers. And the tape also shows Ramzi Binalshibh, one of the planners of the 9/11 attacks. He's also now among the 14 high-level detainees that were just transferred from a CIA secret prison to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. You can catch a special encore presentation of "CNN PRESENTS: IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BIN LADEN." It's running this Saturday and Sunday, 7:00 p.m. eastern.
And an audiotape is being played on Arab Television Network carrying a pretty chilling message for Americans in Iraq. It is believed to be from the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. It calls on each of the group's followers to kill an American in the next two weeks.
CNN's Michael Holmes is in Baghdad for us. Good morning, Michael.
HOLMES: Good morning to you Soledad. Yes, a chilling message. Al Jazeera identifying the man on the tape as Abu Hamza al-Muhajar. That's a pseudonym adopted by Abu Ayab Al Masri, an Egyptian militant who was believed to be an expert of making bombs and took over leadership of al Qaeda in Iraq after the death of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, that happened back in June. Now, among the words he spoke was this, don't let your souls or your enemies rest until each one of you kills at least one American within a period that does not exceed 15 days with a sniper's rifle. An incendiary device or a Molotov cocktail or suicide car bomb, whatever, he said, the battle may require. Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: Scary stuff. Let's talk about, then, this pilgrimage from the Shia pilgrims who are headed to Karbala. How are they going to protect those -- whether its Iraqi forces or American forces, how are they going to protect them?
HOLMES: Yeah, this is one of those ongoing things. Now, these moments occur very often here in Baghdad. This is a holy pilgrimage for Shias in the city of Karbala, it's about 100 kilometers southwest of Baghdad. Abu Aziz Al Hakim who we've spoken about often referred to as the most powerful man in Iraq, he arrived there a while ago to a wild reception. It's to the Iman Ali Hussein Shrine, that's part of the shabania celebrations. Hundreds of thousands of people are flooding to the city to mark the birth of the (INAUDIBLE) Mehdi. Shiites believe that when he returns, all will be -- justice will prevail.
I can tell you 22 people have been killed so far, pilgrims, mostly by drive-by shootings by also by mortars. When it comes to security, as you said, there is a total vehicle ban around Karbala, and that includes anything on wheels from bicycles on up. There have been numerous checkpoints, people are told not to have cell phones. They've being told expect to be searched, but vast numbers of people. And pilgrimages like this have been prime targets for the insurgents in the past. Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: Michael Holmes in Baghdad for us. Michael thanks. Miles? M. O'BRIEN: Happening in America. In California's sierra foothills east of Sacramento, residents asked to voluntarily evacuate because of a 1900-acre wildfire. Two hundred firefighters trying to get it under control. It's burning in steep, rocky terrain, so far threatening about 50 homes.
In south central Montana, some fire-weary folks heading home today. The derby mountain fire has now scorched 195,000 acres. It's moving into the Boulder River Valley where the movie "The Horse Whisperer" was filmed. The fire now about 50 percent contained.
Some disturbing allegations in Milwaukee, police say as many as 20 men accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl at this house may now be at risk of getting HIV. Police say the girl was born with the AIDS virus and interacted willingly with the men.
In Columbus, Ohio, police making some arrests in a deadly attack caught on tape by cameras outside a bar. A 14 and 15-year-old in custody this morning along with an 18-year-old who turned himself in last night. Police say 43-year-old Terry Ward died from brain injuries after his head hit the ground in that attack.
And in Chicago, a 79-year-old grandmother charged with robbing a bank. She allegedly walked up to the teller, asked for $30,000. Dane Platco with our affiliate WFLD with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANE PLATCO, WFLD: Seventy-nine year old Melvina Cook is shielded by her daughter as she leaves federal court. Cook is charged with robbing the Bank of America branch at Dearborn and Washington on Tuesday. The FBI says surveillance photos inside the bank show Cook approach a teller. They say she demanded $30,000 cash and opened a plastic bag to reveal what looked like a gun.
The teller sounded a silent alarm, then walked away from her station, prompting Cook to walk out of the bank. Employees flagged down a police officer who found Cook inside a nearby Walgreen's, inside her bag they say was a plastic toy gun. Cook lives with her daughter in the Hyde Park neighborhood and was reportedly behind on her rent. In a very unusual move for a bank robbery charge, the federal judge allowed Cook to be released on a signature bond, meaning she didn't have to post any more, indicating she is not considered a threat.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: That was Dane Platco from affiliate WFLD in Chicago. The FBI has gone through its records. They say this would be the oldest bank robber in Chicago history if convicted.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, we'll take a look at the new designs for the New York City skyline. There are plans in place for a massive rebuilding project at ground zero. We'll get a look. Plus, fact or fiction? An unfinished ABC docudrama on 9/11 causing a ton of controversy. We'll tell you all about it and what President Clinton is saying about it ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look now at stories that CNN correspondents around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: I'm Robin Oakley reporting from London where British Prime Minister Tony Blair under pressure from his party to quit seems to have bought himself time by promising to go within a year. In an uneasy truce between two men who privately clashed sharply, Finance Minister Gordon Brown, his most likely successor, is publicly backing Blair's stance. Brown's supporters expect Mr. Blair to go next May after Scottish and Welsh local elections. But other Blair critics believing the prime minister has now lost all authority are still pressing for him to quit earlier.
ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Anthony Mills at Beirut Rafiq Hariri International Airport where the Israeli-imposed air blockade of Lebanon has now been lifted. But despite the fact that Lebanon should be at the height of a summer tourist season, for the moment there appear to be more people leaving than arriving.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: For more on these stories or any of our top stories, you can go right to our website cnn.com. Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come in the program it's good to be the chairman, isn't it? We'll tell you about one of the benefits of being Rupert Murdoch.
Also, former President Clinton not too happy about ABC's upcoming 9/11 show, we'll tell you about that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Former President Bill Clinton is pressing ABC over its controversial mini-series on the events leading up to 9/11. ABC says it draws from the 9/11 commission report, but some scenes contradict the commission findings. Top Clinton appointees are portrayed as scuttling top-secret military operations to kill Osama bin Laden.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think they ought to tell the truth. Particularly if they're going to claim it's based on the 9/11 commission report, they shouldn't have scenes which are directly contradicted by the factual findings of the 9/11 commission. That's all. I just want people to tell the truth. And not to pretend it's something it's not.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: An ABC executive is telling "The Washington Post" they are making minor changes to the docudrama and that the editing process is ongoing. Soledad?
S. O'BRIEN: Nearly five years after those attacks, New York City is unveiling new plans for the World Trade Center site. Three skyscrapers will sit alongside the Freedom Tower forming sort of a semicircle around the footprints of the original World Trade Center building, now a memorial. If all goes well, the site will be ready by 2011. No surprise that some folks are frustrated by the long wait. AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On September 11th, New Yorkers will see the return of the twin towers of light, a 9/11 anniversary tradition. But five years after the attacks the beams of light are also a symbol of what has not been done at ground zero. No buildings, no memorial, just a 16-acre construction site.
ANTHONY GARDNER, COALITION OF 9/11 FAMILIES: I'm not surprised because I've been involved in this process since the beginning, and I've seen how the political and economic agendas of our leaders, of Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg have really prevented this process from moving forward.
CHO: Anthony Gardner lost his brother, Harvey, on 9/11. He says politicians are too worried about public perception of the rebuilding and not worried enough about the details. And that, he says, has caused even more delays. Example, July 4th, 2004, a symbolic ceremony marking the groundbreaking for the Freedom Tower.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today in less than three years, we have more than just plans on paper.
CHO: But those plans, New York's governor talked about were almost immediately scrapped.
GOV. GEORGE PATAKI, (R) NEWYORK: The Freedom Tower which is under construction over there had to have the design changed because of heightened security standards. But because of that, it's not just going to be the tallest building ever built in our country's history, it will be the most secure.
CHO: The Freedom Tower which will be 1776 feet tall is now slated to be finished not in 2008, but in 2011. Three years late. What about the rest of the 16 acres? A memorial is set to open in 2009. But a fight over how the names of the victims will be listed could cause delays.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could see the model of the Freedom Tower.
CHO: Developer Larry Silverstein is in charge of building the Freedom Tower and other office buildings at ground zero. After several changes, the final plans for towers two, three and four were unveiled on Thursday. Silverstein says there's a lot going on at the site you don't see. There are people who come down here five years later, and they look at this, and they say, I don't know, it doesn't look like much has been done.
LARRY SILVERSTEIN, DEVELOPER: It appears that way and it is frustrating, the reality is that we're right on the precipice of moving forward in a very significant way.
CHO: Silverstein and the governor contend this is sacred ground, and any construction here must be done respectfully. Anthony Gardner says he's willing to wait if it means getting it done right.
GARDNER: It's about legacy. It's about our national heritage. It's about honoring life.
CHO: Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Be sure to join us on Monday morning, the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. CNN's coverage of 9/11, the world remembers. Special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. We'll have a minute- by-minute account of the unfolding tragedy and we begin at 6:00 a.m. eastern time.
M. O'BRIEN: Up next, Andy Serwer is back, "Minding your Business." Andy, good morning.
ANDY SERWER: Miles, good morning to you. Ken Lay's estate has to put up big bucks. Bernie Ebbers has to report to the big house, and Rupert Murdoch has it made in Manhattan. We'll tell you how. Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Andy.
Also ahead, the search for a missing marine in Colorado. Was his disappearance a hoax to avoid duty in Iraq? We're live in Boulder. Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: This just in to CNN. There you see the space shuttle Atlantis. It is tanked up and ready to fly. The countdown does continue, but it is now very likely, we are told, by the shuttle program manager, Wayne Hale, talking to our reporter Dick Juliano on the scene there, very likely that there will be a 24-hour delay. Twenty-four hour scrub because of a problem with an engine cutoff sensor. The engine cutoff sensor is designed to turn off those main engines before the fuel runs dry. It says that the tank is still filled with fuel when it is not in a test, and that's not good because that could lead to a scenario where the space shuttle engines would run dry, and that could cause a catastrophic failure. So you don't want to fly with a problem with one of those. There are four engine cutoff sensors. NASA mission rules says you have to have all four working. If there is this sort of failure, what they have to do is drain the tanks, try again. If it's the same identical failure, that gives them enough confidence to fly with the three engine cutoff sensors. That forces that 24 hour delay. We're watching it closely. No final decision is made just yet.
Andy Serwer is here, Ken Lay is in the news. Bernie Ebbers is in the news. Kind of a police blogger kind of thing, right?
SERWER: Yeah that's it. Our corporate bigwigs as we've been talking about Rupert Murdoch as well. First of all, Enron workers who lost their pensions in that company's implosion can now seek up to $12 million to recoup their losses from the estate of former Enron chairman Ken Lay, who of course passed away in May after his conviction. This was an inked deal between the Labor Department and his estate yesterday. That's the good news. Now the bad news is, they don't necessarily get all that $12 million, number one. Number two, it's unclear how much money his estate has. Lay claimed he was $250,000 in debt. And number three, the estate, of course, is very likely to fight this, as suggesting the death voids the conviction which would make recouping these monies, as they say, very difficult.
Now, what will $11 billion in fraud get you? Well, it will get you 25 years in the joint, as they say. You may remember Bernie Ebbers was convicted in March of 2005, and he had been out appealing, out on bail appealing his sentence since then. Finally now, appeals have all run out. And Mr. Ebbers is going to be sent -- going to jail on September 26th. It is unclear where he will be sent. He is 65 years old, 25 years in jail.
And finally, "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting this morning that Rupert Murdoch is being paid -- his $50,000 a month rent is being covered by his company. Can you imagine that? And the excuse is, his apartment is being renovated. The apartment he owns in Manhattan is being renovated, so while he has a temporary residence that goes for $50,000 a month, his company is paying for it. Now, he owns -- he and his family own 30 percent of the voting stock of Newscorp, but still. Oh, and by the way, $500 a month in utilities. Company's covering that, too. Just in case you were wondering.
S. O'BRIEN: CNN doesn't do that for you?
SERWER: You know, somehow they must have just missed sending the check to me, Soledad.
M. O'BRIEN: That's not bad. He could write that check himself, couldn't he?
SERWER: I think.
S. O'BRIEN: A few times over.
SERWER: I think so, yeah.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, take care Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome Miles. (WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: A huge bomb blast killing Americans in Kabul, it's the latest sign of escalating violence in Afghanistan.
S. O'BRIEN: A new al Qaeda videotape under scrutiny. Why was it released now?
M. O'BRIEN: And a dire order from the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, kill at least one American in the next 15 days. We're live in Baghdad with that.
S. O'BRIEN: A marine reported missing while hiking out west, did he go AWOL to avoid returning to duty in Iraq?
M. O'BRIEN: The space shuttle countdown is on for now, but a bulky engine cutoff sensor might cut off today's plans for a launch. We'll have details on that for you as well, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
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.
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