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American Morning
U.N. Showdown; Terror Suspect Cleared; Headed for Civil War?; Kidnapped Baby; Spinach Scare
Aired September 19, 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. Welcome. It is Tuesday, September 19. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Here's a look at what is happening this morning.
In just a few hours, President Bush gives his annual speech to the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The president trying to persuade a skeptical world that the U.S. is on the right track in the Middle East, Iraq and Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is here for the General Assembly. The two men will not meet.
S. O'BRIEN: In Budapest overnight, angry protesters calling for the resignation of the Hungarian prime minister. The protests were touched off by a tape in which the prime minister admitted lying about Hungary's economy, concealing a deep budget crisis.
In Missouri this morning, police hope a new sketch are going to help them find the woman who apparently stole a newborn baby after cutting the mother's throat. Baby Abigale Lynn Woods has been missing since Friday. Police are following up on more than 250 leads.
M. O'BRIEN: That E. coli outbreak linked to bagged spinach growing bigger this morning. There are now 114 cases in 21 states. Investigators likely won't know exactly where the bacteria came from until test results come back in a week or so.
And in Australia tonight, a public memorial for "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin. Thousands, including Australian Prime Minister John Howard, expected to attend. Irwin killed by a stingray a couple of weeks ago.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get an early check of the forecast. Chad is off today, but Rob Marciano is at the CNN Center with the forecast.
Good morning, -- Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Soledad. Hi, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Soledad, you get a little piece of that cool beginning tomorrow. Back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Rob, thanks. MARCIANO: You bet.
S. O'BRIEN: The U.S. and Iran square-off today at the United Nations. President Bush and the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are going to -- both going to speak to the General Assembly. Don't look, though, for them to talk to each other.
Here is senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It's showdown day on Iran here. It is likely to dominate the proceedings of the United Nations welcomes dozens of world leaders. President Bush speaks in the morning, and then maybe seven hours later, the president of Iran.
Last year, President Ahmadinejad was in the audience of the General Assembly and did listen to President Bush. The U.S. leader was not around when the Iranian president spoke later to delegates.
The big controversy remains, will Iran freeze its uranium enrichment program? Privately, the U.S. has given indications it still would rather have some type of dialogue with Iran. Publicly, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Bolton.
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Unless there is a full and verifiable suspension of uranium enrichment activities by Iran, we will seek sanctions in the Security Council.
ROTH: Later today, the foreign ministers of the Permanent Five countries of the Security Council, plus Germany, will discuss Iran's strategies over dinner.
Richard Roth, CNN at the United Nations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: CNN is going to bring you live coverage of the president's address. That's at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.
Venezuela's controversial President Hugo Chavez is coming to the defense of Iran. Chavez is threatening to cut off oil shipments to the U.S. if military force is used to try to take out Iran's nuclear facilities. During a reception for Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President Chavez said this, "We don't want another war, but there will be disastrous consequences if Iran is attacked" -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: A chilling report on the roots and rise of terror in the name of Islam due out today. The report suggests U.S. prisons are a breeding ground for Islamic terror. George Washington University and the University of Virginia conducted the study. It says there is a shortage of Muslim counselors inside prisons and too little is spent monitoring Muslim prisoners. As a result, inmates often taught the Quran encourages holy war against non-Muslims. That rebellion by Republican lawmakers over how to treat terror detainees may lead to a compromise. Senators John McCain, John Warner and Lindsey Graham led to the GOP -- led the GOP opposition to the president's original proposal which would have skirted the Geneva Convention rules for treating prisoners. No details yet, but the White House has apparently modified its proposal, possibly averting a public showdown inside the GOP.
Misleading information from Canada led the U.S. to deport an innocent man to Syria where he was tortured. That's the conclusion of a new Canadian report. Maher Arar was deported to the U.S. in 2002 when he was tagged as a major terror suspect by Canada. Arar, who had both Syrian and Canadian citizenship, was imprisoned in Syria. He says he was tortured for 10 months.
We get more from Roger Smith of our Canadian affiliate CTV.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROGER SMITH, CTV NEWS-TV REPORTER (voice-over): Teary-eyed with relief, Maher Arar got what he wanted most.
MAHER ARAR, ACCUSED OF TERROR TIES: I wanted to clear my name. Today, Justice O'Connor has cleared my name and restored my reputation.
SMITH: Though the RCMP and CSIS tried hard to nail him as a terrorist, the report says they came up with nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Arar has committed any offense or that his activities constitute a threat to the security of Canada.
SMITH: But what happened to Arar, he says, was due to incompetence, not deliberate policy. O'Connor found no evidence that any Canadian authorities were complicit in the U.S. decision to arrest and deport Arar to face torture in Syria. But the RCMP very likely sealed his fate by giving the Americans unfair, inaccurate information.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this day and age, calling somebody a terrorist is like calling somebody a communist in the early '50s.
SMITH: For example, just after 9/11, mounties warned the U.S. to watch out for Arar and his wife, describing them as Islamic extremists with suspected links to al Qaeda. A baseless charge, it turns out, that the Americans took seriously.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If things had been done differently back in Canada, Mr. Arar would not have endured the abuses he suffered.
SMITH: The government now studying recommendations on how to prevent a repeat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened to Mr. Arar is very regrettable. We hope with any future situations like this never to see this happen again.
SMITH (on camera): With Arar already suing Ottawa, the report is in a negotiated settlement to compensate for his suffering. It also calls for further review of the cases of three other men who say they were tortured abroad just like Arar.
Roger Smith, CTV News, Ottawa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Now the commission also says the Canadian police had no idea what would transpire and that the FBI kept their Canadian counterparts in the dark, even as Arar was on a government jet headed for Syria. The U.S. has not offered any reaction to the report -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Happening in America this morning, the Capitol Police chief promises a security review after an SUV crashed through a barricade at the Capitol building yesterday. Police say the driver was carrying a loaded gun, had crack cocaine, too, when he jumped out of the car, ran into the building. They plan to charge the man with federal felony possession of a handgun and assault of a police officer.
The South Carolina man accused of holding a 14-year-old girl captive in an underground bunker for more than a week remains in jail this morning. Vinson Filyaw's bond was denied at a hearing yesterday. Among the charges he faces, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping.
In Pittsburgh, three of the five Duquesne basketball players who were shot on campus over the weekend, well, they're in the hospital this morning. One of the players is in critical condition after a bullet shattered into three sections of his head. The other two players are reported to be recovering well from gunshot wounds.
A California man pleading not guilty to drug charges after an underground tunnel was discovered along the Mexico border. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, the tunnel is 400-feet long. It runs from Mexico to a house about two hours from San Diego. Agents say about half a ton of marijuana was found in the bust.
In Louisiana, country music star Willie Nelson has been cited for possession of marijuana and narcotic mushrooms. Four others on his tour bus were also charged with misdemeanors. State police searched the bus after a highway traffic stop on Monday.
And first it was Harvard, now it's Princeton, another Ivy League university dropping its early admissions program. Princeton's president says getting rid of the program is going to help disadvantaged students and reduce anxiety as well. The school will now evaluate all applicants in a single pool.
And breaking the cycle of poverty in New York City, that's the idea behind Mayor Michael Bloomberg's new plan that would give cash rewards to people who make healthier choices. The city's Anti-Poverty Commission says folks who stay in school, see the doctor regularly have a better chance of raising their standard of living -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come in the program, police in Missouri now asking for the public's help as they expand the search for a stolen newborn. We have some new information for you this morning.
Also, an amazing story from California. Take a look at this, a driver takes a 600-foot plunge down the side of a cliff.
And Pete Rose says he's sorry, but you'll have to pay to get the proof. We'll explain.
And Carrie Lee with business headlines.
Hello, -- Carrie.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello. Good morning, everyone.
Another Sony battery recall for certain laptop computers and a major retailer upping sales targets for the month of September. We'll have those stories and more coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning, President Bush gives his annual speech to the United Nations General Assembly in just a few hours. The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also will be there for the General Assembly. The two will not meet.
President Bush getting a bounce in the polls today, the latest "USA Today"/Gallup poll shows his approval rating at 44 percent, the highest level in the year.
And in Missouri this morning, police hope a new sketch will help them find the woman who apparently stole a newborn after slashing the mother's throat. Baby Abigale Lynn Woods has been missing since Friday. Police are following up on more than 250 leads.
S. O'BRIEN: A dire warning from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. During a meeting on Monday, Annan praised Iraq's new government, but he also expressed alarm about the fate of the Iraqi people who he says are living under the constant threat of sectarian violence. And he said Iraq may just be a step away from civil war.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: The current patterns of alienation and violence persist much longer there is a grave danger that the Iraqi state will break down, possibly in the midst of a full- scale civil war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: CNN's Arwa Damon has been embedded with some of the troops in Operation Together Forward in Baghdad. She got the chance to talk to some of the people in the Iraqi capital, see what they think as well.
Good morning to you, -- Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
And I was in a neighborhood that's called Shab (ph). It's basically just on the outskirts of the Shia stronghold of Sadr City. Now it is a predominantly Shia neighborhood, but it is very mixed. And there's a lot of mixed marriages in that area, Shia and Sunni.
And going through there with the U.S. military, speaking to Iraqis, when you first ask them that question, is the country in civil war, is sectarian violence increasing, a lot of them will say no, no, no, no, no, it's not in our neighborhood, it's not in our area here, it's fine.
But when you spend time with them and you actually speak further and push them for more details on that, a lot of them will admit to this increasing tension and say that the increasing sectarian violence, the threats that they're receiving, the killings that they're hearing about are actually paralyzing their lives. A lot of people aren't leaving their neighborhoods, feeling more safer in those areas.
One woman we spoke to saying that she only leaves her home to go to school. She fears -- she's a Shia married to a Sunni and she says that you know he's my husband, I've been married to him for 18 years, of course we're not going to all of a sudden start hating each other. But she also admits that she is afraid of herself and maybe her children becoming the victims of sectarian violence.
Another man that I spoke to actually admitted to the fact that even amongst some of these mixed families there's an increasing tension between each side.
And there is no denying the increasing amount of sectarian killings that we're seeing here in the capital. But very few people on the streets are willing to say, and perhaps because it is not just yet the case, that the country is in a full-blown civil war, because, for many of them, that would be their worst-case scenario -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: So, Arwa, to what degree are they blaming all of that on the U.S. troops?
DAMON: Well that's where it gets interesting. A lot of people that you speak to, for example, those that I spoke to yesterday, are definitely saying that the sectarian violence, the increase that we're seeing is because of outside influences. A lot of them will blame Iran, they'll blame al Qaeda in Iraq, but also people will blame the U.S. military in the sense that the U.S. military came into the country, toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein, that it's their responsibility now to secure Iraq.
The other problem that exists is that a lot of the sectarian violence, like I just mentioned, is being blamed on al Qaeda in Iraq. And a lot of Sunni groups are moving towards al Qaeda in Iraq because they have little faith that the U.S. military will be able to support them and they have little faith in the Iraqi government, which many here are actually increasingly viewing as just being a puppet regime, one that is just speaking about trying to calm down the violence but not being able to really do much about it.
S. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon is in Baghdad.
Arwa, thanks for the update, fascinating stuff -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: In eastern Missouri, police are sifting through a deluge of tips as they search for that newborn girl snatched from her mother on Friday. The mother is recovering from stab wounds and has offered police a description of the kidnapper.
CNN's Jonathan Freed has more from Union, Missouri.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three days after little Abby Lynn Woods was abducted from her rural Missouri home, finally, a face to put on the suspect. Investigators say the composite sketch shows a woman between 30 and 40 years old, roughly 5'8", weighing 200 pounds, with dark hair pulled back under a baseball cap.
GARY TOELKE, FRANKLIN COUNTY SHERIFF: The victim wasn't completely happy with the sketch, but this is the best that she can come up with at this point. So, you know, it's not 100 percent. And any time you have a composite sketch like that, you know, you need to be flexible.
FREED: The baby was just a week old when her mother was attacked on Friday in Lonedell, Missouri, about an hour southwest of St. Louis. Police say 21-year-old Stephenie Ochsenbine was stabbed with a knife and had her throat slashed by a stranger who knocked on her door and asked to use the phone. Once inside, she said she was there to take the baby. The mother was unconscious for a short while, and then managed to walk 300 yards to her neighbor's house for help.
Abby's father, who police say was at work at the time of the attack, is helping the mother recover at home.
The grandparents are leading the media charge, pleading for Abby's safe return.
RAYLENE OCHSENBINE, BABY'S GRANDMOTHER: Stephenie's heart is breaking. She's in agony. She is totally destroyed, totally destroyed. If you have a heart at all, give her back.
KEN OCHSENBINE, BABY'S GRANDFATHER: You don't want to know this feeling. It's -- you just don't want to know it, because it hurts and it's upsetting. It's really messed with our lives.
FREED: Police say family members are cooperating with the investigation, but would not categorically rule them out as suspects.
QUESTION: Do you have any reason to doubt the mother's story at this point?
ROLAND CORVINGTON, FBI: Sir, like any investigation, we seek to cooperate and verify information wherever we receive it. And since this is such a fluid endeavor and we get information all the time, it's very difficult for us to say definitively one way or the other.
FREED: Police also released a photo of a scarf found outside the family's home, hoping someone will recognize it. The suspect is believed to have been wearing a scarf.
(on camera): Investigators say the phones have not stopped ringing since the sketch of the suspect was made public. They say they don't have too many strong leads, but insist they're making progress.
Jonathan Freed, CNN, Union, Missouri.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: And police are asking anyone with information on Abby's disappearance to call 888-265-8639 -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: It's 19 minutes past the hour, let's get a check of the forecast for you this morning. Chad is off. Rob is in.
Hey, Rob, good morning.
MARCIANO: Hey, Soledad, we'll start off with the tropics. You know it's been a very slow hurricane season. One of the reasons why is they've been all in the Atlantic Ocean, haven't come real close. We've got two out there, Gordon, Helene. Helene right now is the bigger one. Gordon is moving right now at about 28, 29 miles an hour off to the east and heading towards Europe.
A couple of interesting tracks for you, and they're good tracks, especially if you live in the U.S. This re-curving out into the Atlantic Ocean, this is what Helene's potential path is, probably missing Bermuda as well. Right now a major hurricane and all it will be is a fish storm.
But Gordon actually may hold its strength as a hurricane or a tropical storm as it gets to Europe. And folks in northern Spain or Portugal may get a taste of some tropical storm force winds as we go towards the end of the week.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Soledad, back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Rob, thanks a lot.
MARCIANO: You bet.
S. O'BRIEN: Also ahead this morning, if you think you know which of the fall TV shows are going to make it and which ones won't, well, you can win an iPod if you pick the right losers. We'll tell you how when AMERICAN MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: More trouble for Sony, another recall of laptop batteries made by that company.
Carrie Lee "Minding Your Business."
Hello, -- Carrie.
LEE: The latest problem for Sony Co. when it comes to Sony batteries, this time Toshiba recalling 340,000 of its laptop computers. And of course this follows big Sony battery recalls from Dell and Apple about a month ago.
Now what's happening here, this is not related to those Dell and Apple battery problems, these batteries in the Toshiba machines simply cause the laptops to run out of power, not to have the tendency to overheat or catch fire as with Dell and Apple. So perhaps not as dramatic as those recalls, but still, we are seeing yet another problem for Sony, certainly an embarrassment. One hundred thousand of these laptops are in the United States and they are the DynaBook and Satellite models made this past spring.
M. O'BRIEN: So not dangerous, just going to upset you on a plane when you're trying to do some work.
LEE: Exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: OK.
LEE: So they are going to replace these for free if you happen to have one of those laptops.
Now on to Target, they are upping their sales forecast for the month of September. We know gas prices have come down a little bit so that's one thing helping the retailer. Now they're looking for same- store sales, that is sales at stores open at least one year, to be up 5 percent from the year ago. And this comes after two disappointing months, so could bode very well for other retailers or perhaps discounters this month. September is a very important month for that sector.
And then finally, taking an early look at market indications, looking like a bit of a lower start for stocks this morning. You can see little changed action yesterday. Tomorrow the Federal Reserve will meet, so a lot of investors waiting on the sidelines to see about the latest on interest rate hikes. We will get a look at producer or wholesale prices early this morning, of course that's a clue about inflation, and that could influence the session. That comes an hour before this morning's market open.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, -- Carrie.
LEE: OK, my pleasure.
M. O'BRIEN: We'll see you later.
LEE: Sure.
M. O'BRIEN: The morning's top stories straight ahead. New cases of E. coli poisoning from spinach being reported this morning. We'll have the latest on that story. Also, a young woman snatched, her hands and feet bound, and she is thrown into her car. The suspected kidnappers: her parents. The story is ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning.
A new report says U.S. prisons have become terrorist breeding grounds. According to researchers at George Washington University and the University of Virginia, there aren't enough mainstream Muslim chaplains in prisons, which leaves room for extremists who preach violence.
In Pittsburgh this morning, three Duquesne basketball players still hospitalized after that on-campus shooting, happened early Sunday morning. Two others have been released after they were treated, and the gunman is still on the lam.
And the government says it warned California farmers last November about the safety of spinach and lettuce. So far, 114 E. coli cases in 21 states have been linked to bagged spinach.
Morning, welcome back, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.
Federal health officials are still searching for the source of that E. coli outbreak. At least 114 cases have now been reported in 21 states, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
CNN's Ted Rowlands takes a look at the impact of the outbreak on California's spinach growers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): According to California health officials, more inspectors are scheduled to arrive here in central California later this morning. Their mission will be to go out to individual farms that produce spinach to look for clues as to what has caused this E. coli outbreak.
Meanwhile, more people across the country are getting sick. One hundred and fourteen cases have been confirmed by the FDA. Twenty-one states have been affected. Eighteen cases of kidney failure and of course that death in Wisconsin of the 77-year-old woman.
Meanwhile, people are being advised not to eat or consume any fresh spinach. If you have it, you are being advised to throw it away. It's off most store shelves and most restaurants have replaced it on the menu as well. The FDA does say that they expect more cases of people getting sick to be reported before they find out what the cause is.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, San Juan Bautista, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: It's going to be a showdown between the U.S. and Iraq
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Thanks for being with us.
Federal health officials are still searching for the source of that E. coli outbreak. At least 114 cases have now been reported in 21 states, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
CNN's Ted Rowlands takes a look at the impact of the outbreak on California's spinach growers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS: According to California health officials, more inspectors are scheduled to arrive here in central California later this morning. Their mission will be to go out to individual farms that produce spinach to look for clues as to what has caused this E. coli outbreak.
Meanwhile, more people across the country are getting sick -- 114 cases have been confirmed by the FDA, 21 states have been affected, 18 cases of kidney failure, and, of course, that death in Wisconsin of the 77-year-old woman.
Meanwhile, people are being advised not to eat or consume any fresh spinach. If you have it, you're being advised to throw it away. It's off most store shelves and most restaurants have replaced it on the menu, as well.
The FDA does say that they expect more cases of people getting sick to be reported before they find out what the cause is.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, San Juan Bautista, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: It's going to be a showdown between the U.S. and Iran at the U.N. today. President Bush and the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will both speak to the General Assembly, but several hours apart.
CNN's Brianna Keilar is live for us with the day's developments.
Brianna, good morning.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning.
And when President Bush addresses the General Assembly, he's expected to talk about what the administration calls its freedom agenda, and also the struggles to build democracy in the Middle East.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR (voice over): President Bush is expected to call on U.N. members to fight extremism in the Middle East and highlight positive steps in the administration's efforts to promote democracy in the region. The president will also rub shoulders with world leaders at the crowded U.N. General Assembly, but one encounter that's sure not to happen, a run-in with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who last year watched the president speak, but never met with him.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No. I'm not going to meet with him. I have made it clear to the Iranian regime that we will sit down with the Iranians once they verifiably suspend their enrichment program. And I meant what I said.
KEILAR: Iran has ignored the U.N.'s August 31st deadline to stop enriching uranium for its nuclear program.
PRES. MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRAN (through translator): Access to peaceful nuclear energy and power is the right of the Iranian people.
KEILAR: But the White House fears Iran's nuclear ambitions are anything but peaceful. Ahmadinejad denies the Holocaust ever happened and has called for Israel to be wiped off the map. U.S. officials are looking for support from U.N. member nations to call for sanctions against Iran.
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We've not pressed for a sanctions resolution here in New York, but upon receipt of appropriate instructions, I'm prepared to do so.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: President Ahmadinejad recently challenged President Bush to a debate, but, Soledad, the White House did not accept that offer.
S. O'BRIEN: Brianna Keiler for us this morning.
Brianna, thanks.
CNN's going to bring you the president's speech live at the U.N. today. That's happening at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Happening "In America," along the Pacific Coast Highway, outside Los Angeles, the driver of an SUV lucky to be alive this morning. It plunged about 900 feet over the side of a Malibu canyon yesterday afternoon. The driver, as you can see, airlifted out of the canyon, hospitalized with back injuries.
Investigators in Missouri hoping that this sketch will help them catch the woman thought to have slashed a mother's throat before stealing her newborn. The 21-year-old mother helped police with this composite. The suspect is described as heavy-set, around 200 pounds, and between 5'4" and 5'8".
The Capitol police chief promising a security review after an SUV crashed through a barricade at the Capitol building yesterday. Police say 20-year-old Carlos Greene of Silver Spring, Maryland, was carrying a loaded gun and crack cocaine when he jumped out of the car and ran into the building. They plan to charge Greene with federal felony possession of a handgun and assault on a police officer.
In Tennessee, a grand jury will decide if country singer Hank Williams Jr. stands trial on misdemeanor assault charges. A cocktail waitress claims the singer yelled obscenities and choked her at a Memphis hotel last March.
Another country singer facing some charges. Willie Nelson cited for possession of marijuana and narcotic mushrooms. Four others on his tour bus also charged with misdemeanors. State police searched the bus after a highway traffic stop in Louisiana on Monday.
We've got a check of the forecast now. Chad Myers off, Rob Marciano in.
Hello, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Soledad, back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: Excellent news there. All right, Rob. Thanks.
MARCIANO: You bet.
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, a couple charged in a brutal kidnapping. The alleged victim, their own daughter.
We'll explain.
And is the president's plan for questioning terror detainees putting U.S. troops at risk? We'll hear what some military brass is saying.
And the debate over lethal injection. Texas still uses it. Other states say it's inhuman. Carol Costello went to Texas' death row for some answers.
Those stories and much more 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 VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON: I'm Arwa Damon in Baghdad.
Attacks in the last 24 hours have killed at least 24 Iraqis and wounded over 60. The most recent of these attacks coming at a gas station when a car bomb detonated there in the capital, Baghdad. Two were killed in that attack.
And in the northern city of Tal Afar yesterday evening, another suicide bomber detonated himself. Again, at a gas que. At least 20 Iraqis killed there.
The attacks not only targeting Iraqi civilians and the Iraqi population, but also the U.S. military announcing earlier today that two more U.S. soldiers had been killed. This time in what many are calling the battlefield for Iraq, the capital Baghdad. Two more U.S. soldiers killed in violent attacks here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Atika Shubert in Tokyo.
Japan is ratcheting up the pressure on North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program. The government slapped financial sanctions on 12 North Korean trading companies, a commercial bank, a hospital and the president of a Swiss company, all doing business in North Korea. They are barred from making any transfers or withdrawals from Japanese bank accounts.
That is in line with the U.N. Security Council resolution that was passed after North Korea launched a series of missiles in July, despite international warnings. That resolution calls for member states to prevent North Korea from acquiring nuclear weapons.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Newton in London, where a major terror trial that's been known here as the fertilizer bomb plot is now on hold. In the last few hours, it's become known that Omar Khyam, the alleged 24-year-old ringleader, has decided he will no longer cooperate with his own defense. The reasons, quite stunningly, that he gave in court, was that he feared for the safety of his family in Pakistan. He has already admitted that some of his family members work for the ISI, or the Pakistani secret services, and that they directly contacted his family in Pakistan, and that he was saying way too much about the militant training he received in Pakistan.
This is a closely-watched case internationally, and this whole new development could deprive terror investigators around the world of key evidence on how and why these young British men may have been radicalized and more driven to Islamic extremism.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: And a fourth body's been recovered this morning from a building collapse in Italy. The building exploded last night in a residential part of Milan. The Italian press says it was probably caused by a gas leak.
More than 50 people are injured. A dozen still remain in the hospital.
For more on this story or any of our top stories you can go right to our Web site, CNN.com -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: A really elaborate and high-flying conference call to tell you about. Let's go to space now, live pictures at the International Space Station.
There's Jeff Williams. Everything is good on board the International Space Station today. Yesterday about this time we were telling you about a problem with a bad odor.
But just a couple -- I'll tell you more about that in a second. Just a couple of hours ago, the 12 people, two women, 10 men, who are currently off the planet, three of them on the space station, three of them on a Soyuz capsule, six of them on the shuttle, all had a conference call and just said, "Hey, how are you doing? Can you hear me? What's going on there? You having fun?"
That kind of stuff. And just, I guess, to prove that they could do it.
In any case, on board the International Space Station, it turns out that leak yesterday of potassium hydroxide caused some rubber gaskets to burn or melt or whatever, caused that terrible smell. The air has been purified there. All is well on board there.
Now let's talk about that Soyuz capsule which is hurdling its way toward this location right now. Yesterday we told you about Anousheh Ansari, the $20 million seat she bought there on the Soyuz. She's the first female space tourist.
She was part of that conference call, said, "Hey, I'm really looking forward to coming to see you. And they said, "Yes, we're looking forward to seeing you, too." It was kind of a banal conversation, but it was to prove they could do it. Right? In any case, she will spend about a 10-day mission on the International Space Station and we, CNN, have the exclusive on-orbit interview with her which we'll bring you a little bit later in this week.
Now, as for the shuttle crew, they are a long way away from the space station. Matter of fact, they're focused now on coming back home.
Yesterday -- that's back to the space station. Let's go to the shuttle, shall we?
Yesterday, the shuttle finished its inspection of its heat shield to make sure that there was no damage caused by micrometeorites or space junk while on orbit -- as we continue to watch the space station. It turns out it's clear to -- clear to go. The heat shield is fine.
The crew practiced some landings with a simulator, they have a little laptop where they can practice landings. Powered up their systems to make sure they're going to work. Landing is slated for 5:57 Eastern Time tomorrow, weather permitting. And, of course, we'll be here a little bit earlier tomorrow do that.
Matter of fact, we'll start about 5:50. How's that?
Why don't you set your alarm about 10 minutes earlier and we'll watch the shuttle come home, weather permitting, tomorrow morning.
S. O'BRIEN: It sounds good.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, making money off of Pete Rose's apology. The all-time hit king says it wasn't his idea, though.
Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning, President Bush gives his annual speech to the U.N. General Assembly in just a few hours. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also there for the General Assembly, but the two men will not meet.
In southern California right now, firefighters battling to contain that huge wildfire burning 75 miles north of Los Angeles. The so-called Day Fire has burned more than 80,000 acres since Labor Day.
And in Australia tonight, a public memorial for "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin. Thousands of people, including Australian Prime Minister John Howard, expected to attend. Irwin was killed by a stingray earlier this month.
S. O'BRIEN: A couple in Maine could face up to 15 years in prison if they're convicted of kidnapping their own daughter. We get the story this morning from AMERICAN MORNING'S Dan Lothian.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They appeared at their arraignment by video from a New Hampshire jail. Fifty-four- year-old Nicolas Kampf and his 53-year-old wife Lola facing kidnapping charges, allegedly abducting not a stranger, but their own daughter, Katelyn, an unmarried, pregnant, 19-year-old.
MARK DION, CUMBERLAND COUNTY SHERIFF: It's a unique case. I'm sure some will find it outrageous.
LOTHIAN: It all started after an argument at the family's home in North Yarmouth, Maine. According to police, the couple, angry that their daughter was pregnant, forced her into this Lexus and planned to drive her to New York for an abortion.
WILLIAM GANLEY, SALEM POLICE DEPT.: At one point the beginning she was bound, both hands and feet, and put in the vehicle, in a lying down position.
LOTHIAN: When they stopped at this Salem, New Hampshire, Kmart, police say Katelyn asked to use the bathroom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once she realized that dad was no longer standing guard she bolted away.
LOTHIAN: To this nearby Staples store, where she dialed 911.
GANLEY: She was very distraught but she said she needed help and she was being held.
LOTHIAN: Her parents were arrested in a nearby parking lot, and inside their car, New Hampshire Police say they found rope, Duct tape, and a gun.
(on camera): The couple is being held on $100,000 bail each. Their defense attorney says they did not threaten or kidnap their daughter. And he adds, while this is a terrible family tragedy, there are some unfortunate misunderstandings and some overreactions.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: The couple pleaded not guilty at their arraignment. They could also face additional charges for crossing state lines -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: On the front lines on the war on terror, fish. Seriously. Here's the big deal.
Some big cities are using bluegills, sometimes known as sunfish or brim -- brim, wherever you live. The fish are kept in tanks filled with water from municipal supplies. These fish are supersensitive to chemical disturbances and sensors in the tanks take note of any changes in breathing, heartbeat or swimming patterns to ensure that the water supply is safe.
Bluegills. Bluegills in the war against terror.
And, of course, you know today, a very special day. First of all, it's Soledad's birthday.
S. O'BRIEN: The big 4-0. I made it.
M. O'BRIEN: OK. Woo hoo. Congratulations.
S. O'BRIEN: No, I'm happy to be 40.
M. O'BRIEN: And for that we're all going to talk like pirates, because it is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
S. O'BRIEN: That's what I'm getting? That's my gift?
M. O'BRIEN: So you can go to the site, talklikeapirateday.com and there are 29 things that you might want to use in the office today and interject in your daily business.
Like number 5, "Boss, I'll be borrowing a couple of doubloons from the petty cash for some HoHos and a bottle of rum."
Number three, "Arr, I've arranged for Arlene in archives to send up that article on arbitration."
And the number one, this is if you work in fast food, this is a great one. Use this today if you're in fast food and you're on one of those speakers and people are ordering -- "Arr, I have made note of yer demands and I have but one question for ye: Will ye be wantin' slivers of potato fried in the popular French style with that?"
That's like...
S. O'BRIEN: Is it really Talk Like a Pirate Day?
M. O'BRIEN: It really is. I didn't make that up. For your birthday. So happy birthday.
S. O'BRIEN: For my -- thank you so much.
M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer is here.
S. O'BRIEN: A gift would have been fine.
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": I noticed it was Pirate Day, too. Some business news coming up.
ImClone, the company that made Martha Stewart infamous is back in the news. Arrr.
Stay tuned to AMERICAN MORNING coming up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Here's a look at some of the stories we're working on for you this morning.
Showdown at the United Nations. Will President Bush and the Iranian President Ahmadinejad come face to face today?
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says Iraq is in grave danger of falling into civil war.
The White House seeks a compromise with top GOP lawmakers on how to handle terror detainees.
In Missouri, police release a sketch of a possible suspect in the apparent kidnapping of a newborn baby girl.
And in southern California, firefighters working around the clock trying to contain a huge wildfire that's burning 75 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
M. O'BRIEN: Pete Rose is saying he's sorry, but this time there is signed proof. A New Jersey auction house will sell 30 of these baseballs signed by Rose. And yes, each one says, "I'm sorry I bet on baseball."
This is what he had to say to CNN Headline Prime's Glenn Beck. Not easy to say.
Glenn, go ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE ROSE, BANNED FROM BASEBALL: I signed some baseballs, "I'm sorry I bet on baseball" for a friend of mine who was going to put them away.
GLENN BECK, CNN HEADLINE NEWS: OK.
ROSE: And somehow, somehow, I have no idea how, 30 of them got out. And I guess they're going to be on auction or something. But, of course, it affected some of my fans. But I think -- I think most of my fans, not all my fans, now understand that I'm sorry I made the mistake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: After 15 years of denials, Rose finally admitted he bet on baseball in his 2004 autobiography. Rose says he'll make no money off this auction but he will sign more baseballs with that same "sorry" message again, and then he'll sell it all to the highest bidder, I guess.
Remember ImClone? You know, the company lost a key patent. This is -- this is the Martha Stewart company.
S. O'BRIEN: Martha Stewart.
M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer is here with another chapter in their history.
SERWER: That's right. It's yet another example of when a company reports one set of problems, there's usually another set lurking in the bushes.
A federal judge ruled yesterday against this biotech company, saying that three Israeli scientists own the patent of the process that delivers Erbitux, which is ImClone's drug. And, of course, ImClone and Erbitux were at the center of the Martha Stewart scandal back several years ago.
The CEO of the company, Sam Waksal, is serving an 87-month sentence based on malfeasance of this company. He's done about four -- three years. Got four years left.
This means the company loses the exclusive patent on the rights to deliver this drug, and these scientists say that they will seek to license it to as many people as who want to license the drug. Which means very bad news for ImClone.
Other ImClone news to tell you about this morning. Billionaire financier Carl Icahn is seeking more and more control of this company. There's going to be a board meeting tomorrow, and he is seeking one- third of the board seats.
And this is a tough guy who is not easy to get rid of, Carl Icahn, that is. As some Time Warner executives can tell you.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, they can tell you about him. What would he want to do with ImClone? Do we know?
SERWER: Well, he thinks it's poorly managed. I think -- I think he has a point.
I mean, they've had, like, four CEOs since Waksal got sent to the joint. So I think he needs to stabilize it. But it's unclear now -- you know, Erbitux is this company's only drug, its only product. And so, you know, coming up with another drug like this, you know, you don't just snap your fingers and one appears.
M. O'BRIEN: It takes a few years.
SERWER: Yes, and Carl Icahn is no -- he's no biotech scientist. He's many things, but that's not in his area of expertise.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: So, it remains to be seen what he sees in this company.
M. O'BRIEN: What you got next?
SERWER: Coming up, it's the business story that keeps on giving. Hewlett-Packard, more developments to tell you about. S. O'BRIEN: Oh, my gosh.
SERWER: And it's just amazing what's going on there. We'll tell you about that.
S. O'BRIEN: Tip of the old iceberg, as they say.
SERWER: That's it -- yarrr!
Didn't even mean that.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you.
SERWER: You're welcome, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Do you guys think you're judges -- good judges of good TV?
SERWER: Oh yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes?
I think I am. I think I know what's going to be a hit and what's not.
Well, there is a new Web site I want to tell you about. It's offering people the chance to predict which new TV shows are going to fail. Miserably.
There are 24 new TV shows this fall. So far, FOX's show which is called "Happy Hour" is topping the so-called fall season death watch. The odds are, in fact, 3-1 that that show is going to be the first one canned.
M. O'BRIEN: You know, I have two words for you on this, though.
S. O'BRIEN: What's that?
M. O'BRIEN: "Beverly Hillbillies".
S. O'BRIEN: Right. You never know.
M. O'BRIEN: You never know. You never know.
S. O'BRIEN: Although, in today's atmosphere I don't think that that show would have necessarily...
(CROSSTALK)
M. O'BRIEN: I'm just saying...
SERWER: I watched "Green Acres" the other night and it still looked pretty good to me.
S. O'BRIEN: The Web site, by the way, is Brilliant-But- Cancelled, with hyphens between each of those words, dot-com. SERWER: Pretty cool.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
Let's get a check of the forecast. Chad is off today, but Rob's in for him.
Hey, Rob. Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: I'm Richard Roth at the United Nations.
President Bush and President Ahmadinejad of Iran under the same roof. Potential showdown? I'll have more coming up.
DAMON: I'm Arwa Damon in Baghdad.
Is Iraq descending into civil war? I'm just back from a U.S. military operation and I'll be telling you what people on the ground are saying.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kathleen Koch at the White House.
Will the administration's new proposal on how the U.S. treats detainees be enough to calm the fight within the Republican Party? I'll have more on that coming up.
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jonathan Freed, live in Union, Missouri, where police are hoping that the sketch of a suspect will lead to the safe return of a kidnapped baby girl.
That story coming up on this AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: And good morning. Welcome back, everybody.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Thanks for being with us.
There'll be a showdown between the U.S. and Iran at the United Nations today.
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