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American Morning

Foley Scandal Hits Home; Al-Masri: Dead or Alive?; Violence in Iraq

Aired October 05, 2006 - 08:59   ET

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

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The House speaker says he's staying put, but the question this morning is whether he can quiet Republican anxiety that he didn't do enough to stop Mark Foley.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Bob Franken in West Palm Beach, Florida, the town without a congressman and with a lot of confusion about how the next one is chosen.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Confusion over the life or death of an al Qaeda operative. I'll set the record straight.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Arwa Damon in Baghdad, just back from a military embed. I'll tell you how U.S. troops are dealing with an incredibly deadly month on this AMERICAN MORNING.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody.

I'm Soledad O'Brien.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien.

Now for more on the growing congressional page scandal, the House Ethics Committee scheduled to begin their discussions on the scandal in just about an hour.

Meanwhile, the House Republican leadership in disarray and the speaker fighting for his job.

CNN's Dana Bash on Capitol Hill this morning.

Good morning, Dana.

BASH: Good morning, Miles.

And there are new allegations that the speaker's office knew long ago about Mark Foley's inappropriate behavior and didn't intervene. And in light of that, I asked a senior Republican official this morning whether the speaker can survive. The response, it doesn't look good.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice over): A top House Republican aide says he warned the House speaker's chief of staff more than two years ago that Mark Foley was having inappropriate contact with pages, well before GOP leaders say they knew about it. The aide making this new claim is Kirk Fordham, who was then Mark Foley's chief of staff.

Fordham's attorney tells CNN Fordham told the speaker's top aide, Scott Palmer, that he was worried about Foley's conduct with pages. The attorney would not give specifics of the conversation.

In a statement, Fordham says, "Even prior to the existence of the Foley e-mail exchanges, I had more than one conversation with senior staff at the highest levels of the House of Representatives, asking them to intervene when I was informed of Mr. Foley's inappropriate behavior."

If true, this would contradict a timeline the speaker's office released over the weekend, saying it only found out about Foley's conduct at the end of 2005, after a former page complained he got an e-mail from Foley asking for a picture. But the speaker's chief of staff flatly denies that Fordham had warned him about Foley's conduct, saying, "What Kirk Fordham said did not happen."

Fordham dropped this political bomb hours after he resigned as chief of staff to New York congressman Tom Reynolds. The new charge put the speaker back on the defensive as senior GOP lawmakers continued to distance themselves from him.

The number three Republican, Congressman Roy Blunt, seemed to take a shot at Hastert, telling reporters back home in Missouri he would have handled the Foley matter differently, had he known about it. "You have to be curious. You have to ask all the questions you can think of," Blunt said.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Now, the speaker told "The Chicago Tribune" last night that he has no intention of resigning and tried to make the case, tried to rally his angry base by saying that that's exactly what Democrats want, him to fold his tent so they can sweep the House. And he also stepped up a charge that he has been making in the past couple of days, that Democrats were behind the timing of all this. He said that his opponents, funded by George Soros, even aligned with Bill Clinton, held on to this to make a bigger splash right before the election -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Dana Bash on Capitol Hill.

Thank you very much.

Now, ground zero for this political bombshell is Foley's former congressional district. AMERICAN MORNING'S Bob Franken is right there, the 16th district. He joins us from West Palm Beach.

Good morning, Bob.

FRANKEN: Good morning, Miles.

And it's an area right now where every explanation raises more questions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

While the Mark Foley story has serious national political implications, it's having a strong impact here at the local level, too. Certainly now at the parochial school Foley attended during the period of time his lawyer claims he was molested by a clergyman. A one-time priest and counselor at Cardinal Newman High School who knows Foley well told CNN's Rusty Dornin the ex-congressman was a workaholic who showed no signs of ever having been abused

REV. BILL BROOKS, FMR. SCHOOL COUNSELOR: Perhaps I'm naive, but Mark and I have a very strong relationship that grew as he grew, and especially into politics. I don't know.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you believe it happened?

BROOKS: It could have happened. I don't know. I can't say it happened or it didn't happen.

FRANKEN: Florida governor Jeb Bush says Foley's various explanations are really just smoke screen.

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: There is no justifiable reason to do what he did. And I'm assuming that part of that is just to provide some cloak of legal protection which, in our country, anybody has a right to attempt to do.

FRANKEN: For years, while Foley stayed officially in the closet, his sexual preference was an open secret. His refusal to step out antagonized those who felt it betrayed the gay community.

TONY PLAKAS, GAY RIGHTS SUPPORTER: When you have a politician that can do a lot for themselves and the community around them, you want them to be authentic because you think it makes a place for gays and lesbians to feel comfortable being out.

FRANKEN: The scandal affects politics all over the country, certainly here in the 16th district of Florida, which had been considered safe for Republicans. Joe Negron, his replacement, was added too late for his name to be on the ballot instead of Foley's. And even the party chairman does not hold out much hope.

SID DINERSTEIN, Republican CHAIRMAN, PALM BEACH CO.: It is very possible that there are some voters who would have voted for our side who would say, you know, you guys just upset me too much. I feel that there is a certain amount of trust I had in you which maybe at this moment is not deserved. My answer is, I understand that.

FRANKEN: Some think there should be signs at polling places to explain that a vote for Mark Foley is not really a vote for Mark Foley.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: So, that would be OK, but election officials say those signs by law can be no closer than 100 feet from the polling place. So, it raises the question of whether there could be some legal violations there. Just add that to the list of questions about the law -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: So is the biggest concern there, Bob, among Republicans that a lot of conservatives will just stay home?

FRANKEN: Will stay home or they'll be confused at the polls. And some Republicans we talked to are pretty much conceding that this one may be Democratic, but that this is a such a GOP district, that they would get it back the next time around. They're already talking about the "wait until the next two years."

M. O'BRIEN: Really? All right. Bob Franken in Florida.

Thank you -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: The U.S. military is knocking down reports that al Qaeda's new leader in Iraq is dead. Early this morning Arab television stations were reporting that Abu Ayyub al-Masri was killed in a U.S. raid.

Let's get right to CNN's Barbara Starr. She's live at the Pentagon for us.

Good morning, Barbara.

STARR: Good morning, Soledad.

Well, in the last several minutes now, Iraqi government officials also now backing up the U.S. military statement that they do not believe at the end of the day it was al-Masri killed in that air and ground attack in Haditha. What you are seeing there is a video shown by the Iraqi government of what they say is al-Masri video that they came into some possession of, of him showing how to make IEDs and other weapons material.

But nonetheless, earlier today the Iraqi government said it thought it might have been the case that al-Masri was killed in a raid near Haditha, that they were taking a DNA sample to confirm that. The U.S. military came out very quickly and said it did not think it was al-Masri, and now in the last several minutes, the new Iraqi government also saying they have reason to believe no, it was not al- Masri killed in that raid but they will proceed with that DNA test -- Soledad

S. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us this morning.

Thanks, Barbara.

Violence in Iraq is increasing this month. Several attacks today were aimed at people in a coffee shop in Baghdad and some laborers who were gathered on the street.

Let's get right to CNN's Arwa Damon. She is live in Baghdad.

Arwa, good morning.

DAMON: Good morning, Soledad.

That's right, the most recent attacks we've seen here have targeted Iraqi civilians, paralyzing life here essentially for many Iraqis. This morning, a roadside bomb detonated at an area where construction workers were gathering. At least 20 were wounded in that attack.

And then yesterday evening, Wednesday evening, Iraqis were gathered at a coffee shop -- this is quite common during the month of Ramadan -- when armed gunmen stormed that coffee shop, opened fire, killed five civilians, wounded another six. And Iraqi police tell us that they have found at least 52 bodies throughout the capital, the latest victims of sectarian violence in the last 48 hours.

And Soledad, the violence this month has also taken its toll on the U.S. military. Now we are five days into October, and so far, 19 U.S. troops have been killed across Iraq. Of those 19, at least nine were U.S. soldiers who were killed in Baghdad from incidents related to small arms fire or that involved small arms fire.

And I'm just back from a military embed in eastern Baghdad with the Army's 1st Infantry Division, and they have suffered a fair number of casualties in the month and a half that they have been in country. They go street to street in these areas, and the streets appear deceptively calm. Children are waving, adults are wary at times but still forthcoming.

It appears on the surface to be a very friendly atmosphere, but this atmosphere can change in an instant. A lot of what they are facing out there is not only the roadside bombs, it is also potshots being taken at them at times. And other times it is well-placed, deadly sniper rounds that they have incoming.

And you speak to them and you ask them how they are able to go out into these streets every day, knowing that they cannot take this calm appearance that exists there for granted. And they do say that it is very, very difficult for them to go out. It's an incredibly tough environment for them to operate in.

They say that each time they leave the gate essentially they are rolling the dice. They really never know who is going to come back. But yet they still do continue to go out every day -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: What a horrible description, rolling the dice every time they step outside.

Arwa Damon, thanks. Thanks for that update -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: NATO troops now leading the charge against Taliban all across Afghanistan. A handover ceremony in the capital, Kabul, this morning. The stars and stripes came down, the NATO flag hoisted up.

NATO has about 31,000 troops spread across Afghanistan, including 12,000 Americans. There are still 8,000 U.S. troops operating outside of NATO command, however.

The Taliban resurgent in Afghanistan. Iraq may be on the brink of civil war. But Congress thinking about a victory party.

That huge defense spending bill passed in -- last week includes $20 million to celebrate the end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That money was also in last year's budget. Obviously, unspent -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ten minutes past the hour. Chad's got the day off. Rob Marciano is working for us.

Hey, rob. Good morning.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Soledad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, more on the fallout from the Mark Foley scandal. Some Republicans starting to turn on other Republicans. We'll see how all the finger-pointing is going to impact midterm elections.

Plus, there's plenty of vaccine on hand for the upcoming flu season. So why do more than half of all Americans saying, "I'm not going to get vaccinated"? We'll take a look in our "House Call," ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: The congressional page scandal story moving fast, and it's hard to see where it all will end. Will Dennis Hastert keep his job as speaker of the House? Will Republicans, for that matter, lose control of the House because of this issue?

For now Democrats are just watching it unfold as the Republicans circle the wagons and take aim at each other.

Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider joining us now from Washington to weigh in on the political calculus of all this.

Bill, good to have you with us.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Hi, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: First question out of the box here, is it a question now of if or when for Dennis Hastert stepping down as speaker?

SCHNEIDER: You've got Republican candidates all over the country, members of the leadership pointing fingers, the conservative base is up in arms. They're saying he could be guilty of at least negligence, possibly being part of a cover-up. They are very accusatory right now.

The question is, is the pressure going to be strong enough so that he will have to resign before the election as a kind of a sacrifice to help save the Republican majority? Some people are expecting him to announce that he won't run for another term next year. We don't know, simply because the events are unfolding and surprising everyone day by day.

But there's no question that a lot of Republican candidates are pointing their fingers directly at him. And his support in the Republican caucus right now is very shaky.

M. O'BRIEN: So it sounds like when the dust settles in this election it's very unlikely Speaker Hastert will remain speaker no matter what happens to the election?

SCHNEIDER: I don't want to say that. That's up to the Republican caucus.

M. O'BRIEN: OK.

SCHNEIDER: That's a conclusion I don't want to draw. I'm just saying his support in the caucus right now is very shaky.

M. O'BRIEN: Right. All right. I tried to lead you down that road. You didn't go there.

SCHNEIDER: I did not.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about -- this is a story we are telling people and we presume to have national implications, and yet when it comes to voting for your congressman or congresswoman, it's a very local, almost intimate decision.

Will this really play into the races in the way we expect?

SCHNEIDER: Well, what you're finding is that Republicans all over the country are condemning the behavior, expressing outrage, which all Americans feel. Not just members of the conservative base, but all Americans are outraged by this, worried, angered about the possibility of negligence or a cover-up. And Republicans are distancing themselves from the leadership of their own party, hoping to protect themselves and to build a wall between clearly the very negative national image of congress and their local race.

Is that going to work? Well, this is an issue that disturbs a lot of people. It's not a remote issue. It's something that people feel they understand. I think it will have repercussions, particularly in races for congressional leaders, among anyone who has been touched by this controversy, someone like Tom Reynolds, who's the head of the National Republican Campaign Committee.

This has become a central issue in his race. He was in trouble already.

I don't think it's going to be as big as the Iraq war. Remember, you just reported that the violence is getting worse. People were already very angry about that. And on top of it, you've got the image of a corrupt and arrogant Congress.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. The speaker himself is trying to turn this on -- turn this on the Democrats a little bit.

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Yesterday he said this. He said, "When the base" -- referring to the conservative base -- "finds out who's feeding this monster, they're not going to be happy. The people who want to see this thing blow up are ABC News and a lot of Democratic operatives, people funded by George Soros," who is a billionaire Democratic contributor.

Is that going to work?

SCHNEIDER: I don't think so. You've got people pointing their fingers at the speaker. So what does the speaker do? He points his fingers at George Soros and the Democrats and ABC News.

I mean, the finger-pointing has gotten to be really over the top. I don't think that's credible because, look, however the information got out, the fact is this behavior went on, people in high places knew about it, and they did not act to stop it and to protect these young people. That's the core of the issue. And all the finger-pointing is not going to distract voters from that fact.

M. O'BRIEN: Our senior political analyst is Bill Schneider, and he is part of the best political team on television.

Thank you, sir.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, "House Call". We'll take a look at the upcoming flu season. There's no shortage of vaccines this year, but people aren't lining up to get shots. Why?

And later, a new ad campaign that says HIV is a gay disease. We'll tell you about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: In this morning's "House Call," with the flu season fast approaching it's time to get flu shots. Plenty of vaccine this year, but there's a new study that suggests that, in fact, fewer than half of Americans plan on getting vaccinated.

Dr. William Schaffner from Vanderbilt University is an advisor to the CDC on immunizations. He is in Nashville, Tennessee, this morning.

It's nice to see you, sir. Thanks for talking with us.

DR. WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: Hi, Soledad. Good morning.

S. O'BRIEN: Why -- why is that number so low? Why fewer than half of Americans planning to get vaccinated do you think? SCHAFFNER: Well, you know, it's surprising, but half of the people really don't realize how serious influenza is. They don't realize it's the respiratory infection in the wintertime that can actually put you in the hospital. A lot of people in high-risk groups don't identify themselves in high-risk groups, and people don't understand that if they get vaccinated, that can prevent them from actually transmitting flu to their family members and others whom they love and with whom they work.

S. O'BRIEN: So there's a lot of reasons why everybody should get the flu shot. Let's walk through some of the things that you mention.

First of all, what's the window? When should you be getting a flu shot?

SCHAFFNER: Well, many, many doctors -- in fact, most of them already have some influenza vaccine. So doctors and clinics are starting to vaccinate even today. But they will continue to vaccinate through October, November, into December and even into January. You know, flu usually peaks in February, so make your appointment now.

S. O'BRIEN: I've already made my appointment, by the way.

Forty-six percent of people in a poll they did said that they think that the flu shot causes the flu.

SCHAFFNER: Oh, I'm sorry...

S. O'BRIEN: That's the number, yes.

SCHAFFNER: ... that's a myth. It can't -- you cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine. And if folks will get over that, then more of them, I think, will be ready to get the vaccine.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, the theory is that you are getting injected with the flu virus, aren't you?

SCHAFFNER: Just a little piece of the virus, not the whole thing. So, the virus can't multiply in your -- in your arm.

Even the nasal spray vaccine, which is a whole virus, can cause just a little bit of a runny nose for a day or so. But other than that, neither of them can cause flu.

S. O'BRIEN: You said many people in the risk groups don't even realize that they're in the risk groups, so why don't we walk through some of the risks.

SCHAFFNER: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: Older people and people whose immunosystems are compromised already are clearly in the risk group. What about kids?

SCHAFFNER: Kids, very important. All children -- hear this now -- all children age 6 months to 5 years should get a flu shot. And most of those children will need two flu shots. So family docs and pediatricians are going to be working hard to deliver vaccine to that very, very large population.

S. O'BRIEN: Why do they need two flu shots? I've never given my kids two shots.

SCHAFFNER: You know, when you start with your baby shots, we don't usually start with one dose of whatever vaccine, we have to get them primed, we have to get their immune system really revved up so that they get good protection. So they need two up until the age of 9.

S. O'BRIEN: So, starting at 6 months old.

SCHAFFNER: That's correct.

S. O'BRIEN: What about pregnant women? You know when you are pregnant you are always thinking, I do not want shots, I don't want any medication, I'm going to try to just avoid absolutely everything.

Should pregnant women get flu shots or not?

SCHAFFNER: This is the exception. They absolutely should get a flu shot, for two reasons.

One, pregnant women, if they get the influenza, are subject to all these complications, the same kind of complications, pneumonia, et cetera, that afflict older people because they are in a fragile state. And there's some new data to suggest mom gets the flu shot while she's pregnant, that baby during the first fragile six months of life may actually also be protected. It's two for one.

S. O'BRIEN: That's very interesting.

We have talked a lot in past years about shortages. This year, shortages or not?

SCHAFFNER: We have an abundance of influenza vaccine. In fact, this year we're all working hard to make sure that we use all this vaccine.

It can't prevent flu if it stays in the refrigerator, so anyone who wishes to prevent influenza, doesn't want to transmit it to anyone else, should get immunized. Call your physician, find out about your clinic, whether you are getting your flu shot at work, but take advantage of this.

We have got plenty of vaccine this season. It's coming into offices as I speak.

S. O'BRIEN: All right. I'm getting my flu shot. The kids are getting their flu shots, the baby-sitter is getting her flu shot.

SCHAFFNER: Great.

S. O'BRIEN: All right. Dr. William Schaffner, thank you.

He's from Vanderbilt University -- Miles. SCHAFFNER: Thanks, Soledad.

M. O'BRIEN: I'm not getting a flu shot.

S. O'BRIEN: What? Yes you are.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Maybe I should. All right, I'll get a flu shot.

S. O'BRIEN: You'll infect everybody else here if you get the flu.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Sorry. I'll get a flu shot.

S. O'BRIEN: Do it for us.

M. O'BRIEN: I will -- for you.

Coming up, the Foley factor, how it might be making a real horse race in some places no one bet on.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jonathan Freed in Columbus, Ohio, with the story of how that Foley factor is having an impact on a House race 1,000 miles away.

That story coming up.

M. O'BRIEN: Plus, if you are buying a car here's one option you really shouldn't overlook. It might very well save your life. We'll tell you about it ahead.

And also, it also Miles Cam day. Send your e-mails, milescam@cnn.com. We will read the answers -- well, I will read the questions then answer extemporaneously on cnn.com/pipeline at 10:30 Eastern Time. We have a -- kind of a dearth of questions this morning, so...

S. O'BRIEN: Really? Should I start e-mailing you?

M. O'BRIEN: It's open mic day. Whatever you've got on your mind, send it away.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MARKET REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.

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

M. O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at the latest in the congressional page scandal, a new allegation from a former top congressional aid, Kirk Fordham, saying he brought concerns over Foley to Speaker Dennis Hastert's office prior to 2005. Fordham resigned yesterday as chief of staff for Republican Tom Reynolds, who once held the same position for Mark Foley. Speaker Hastert's office issued a terse reaction to those claims, offering a one-word statement. "What Kirk Fordham said did not happen." The House Ethics Committee weighs into this mess this morning. That meeting scheduled to get under way in about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, an apparent ripple from this scandal. Speaker Hastert now uninvited to next week's campaign fund-raiser for Kentucky Republican Rod Lewis. The ripple effect on congressional campaign's being seen in many states affecting Republicans and Democrats.

CNN's Joe Johns with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Scarcely 72 hours after the resignation of Mark Foley, Democrats were already working the story into their campaign ads -- no surprise.

But what's more striking on the campaign trail is that some Republicans running for Congress were also using questions about Mark Foley to separate themselves from the House Republican leadership.

Last night, in Maryland's Senate race, the Republican taking an uncompromising stance, saying -- quote -- "We need to investigate every member who touched this matter. And, if they're found conduct unbecoming, then, they, too, should resign, before they're removed."

In a House debate in Iowa, the same warning from the Republican to the leadership.

QUESTION: Knowing what we know as of tonight, should Speaker Hastert resign?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we need to investigate. And, if somebody had information of improper activity that threatened the safety of pages, young children working at the Capitol, then, yes.

JOHNS: On top of all that, a Kentucky congressman disinvited the speaker from a campaign appearance because of the investigation.

For Republicans, especially conservatives, who like campaigns to be run on higher ground, this kind of scandal is especially hard.

MANUEL MIRANDA, CONSERVATIVE ACTIVIST: There's no doubt that Republicans are associated with moral values and legislation that reflects moral values. So, it's perfectly understandable that supporters of Republicans would hold them to a high standard.

JOHNS: But the counterattack they continue to search for is something that shows Democrats planned all this as an October surprise.

MIRANDA: Sure. You know, there's another side to this, of course, which is that this is a -- seems to be a fairly well- orchestrated war room tactic, to go after a congressman like this just short of an election. And, if Democrats were holding back information of this sort, they could also be held liable, under criminal law, for endangering the welfare of minors.

JOHNS: For the Democrats right now, some say the danger is the campaign ads. Democrat Patty Wetterling is running for the House in Minnesota.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, AD)

NARRATOR: It shocks the conscious. Congressional leaders have admitted covering up the predatory behavior of a congressman who used the Internet to molest children.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Unproven allegations, no evidence made public so far suggests a molestation charge. Nor has there been any admission of a cover-up. And even some Democratic strategists warn that, if the party is seen to be politicizing something this serious, it could backfire.

JULIAN EPSTEIN, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Democrats to start playing judge and jury and coming to legal conclusions or factual conclusions, before we know the facts, is, one, not the right thing to do from a legal point of view, a procedural point of view, but I think also not the right thing to do from a -- from a -- from a political point of view as well.

JOHNS: Call it a Foley effect. It has already started, though no one knows how much damage it will ultimately do to Republicans.

Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: The Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has just arrived in Baghdad, a previously unannounced visit, a part of her Middle East swing.

CNN's Arwa Damon in Baghdad with more -- Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

That's right. We have just received news from an Iraqi government official that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is currently meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki. What they are discussing, presumably security and the current situation in Iraq. Now Secretary Rice makes frequent visits to Iraq. She is currently on a tour of the region, is not surprising that she would be stopping here, especially at this time. The violence is increasing day by day in this country. The Iraqi government is on the verge of falling apart. Sectarian divide is increasing. Presumably Secretary Rice is here to assess the situation for herself and also to get a read on exactly what is happening on the ground and what is happening with the Iraqi government.

On the surface, it is trying to put forward a face of being a government of national unity. However, there are continuing reports of bickering between Sunnis, and Shias and Kurds and other minorities within the government. Secretary of state -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice now in Baghdad, meeting with Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon in Baghdad, thank you very much.

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up, an ad campaign claims HIV is a gay disease. Is it raising awareness or reinforcing some old stereotypes? We'll take a look ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: CNN has learned that the FBI is, in fact, going to interview Kirk Fordham -- that's Mark Foley's former chief of staff -- and Tom Reynolds, the chief of staff from more recently until he resigned, as part of its investigation into the Foley scandal. Really an indication of how complex the scandal is getting. Fordham resigned yesterday. He had been working, as I mentioned, for Tom Reynolds.

Meantime, scandal is making the election season also pretty tough for many Republicans, especially for one particular race in Ohio.

CNN's Jonathan Freed is there in Columbus this morning.

Good morning, Jonathan.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Both sides here in what is a tight congressional race in the Ohio 15; both of them are grappling with the Foley factor.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello. How are you?

FREED (voice-over): It's 10:00 a.m. and Mary Jo Kilroy is working the crowd at a breakfast gathering in Columbus, Ohio. Kilroy is a first-time Democratic candidate for Congress, trying to unseat Deborah Pryce, a member of the house Republican leadership, in a tight race here in Ohio's 15th congressional district.

MARY JO KILROY (D), OHIO CONG. CANDIDATE: I'm going to go to Washington and fight for that.

FREED: There's a political elephant in the room, the Mark Foley scandal rocking the GOP, about suggestive electronic messages the former representative allegedly sent to underage House pages. Democrats across the country are hoping the scandal will energize their campaign to take back Congress.

And in this Columbus living room it's definitely on voters' minds. KILROY: What went on in Washington with this -- with Congressman Foley?

FREED (on camera): Do you think that the Foley factor is the extra piece of momentum that you need?

KILROY: I do. It's sort of like it's the final straw. It's going to topple the whole thing and bring change to Washington.

FREED (voice-over): Midday, downtown Columbus. Congressman Deborah Pryce picks up the backing of a veterans group.

But when it's time for reporter's questions...

QUESTION: When did you first learn of these e-mails between himself and the page?

REP. DEBORAH PRYCE (R), OHIO: I learned of them on the Friday afternoon.

FREED: Any Republican in a close race is going to be concerned about potential Foley fallout.

PRYCE: This is a despicable, horrible act by a sick member of Congress.

FREED: But as the Republican conference chairwoman, part of the inner circle on Capitol Hill, Pryce must also deal with allegations the GOP leadership engaged in a Foley coverup, something she denies.

PRYCE: Are you angry that you have to deal with this now so close to Election Day?

PRYCE: I'm so angry with him. I'm so angry with the fact that this is a distraction from the campaign, that the Americans want to hear about our issues, they want to hear about the war on terrorism; they want to hear about the economy.

FREED: Seasoned Ohio political watchers like Joe Hallett believe the Foley scandal will stick through Election Day.

JOE HALLETT, POL. WRITER: It's, you know, a form of water torture. After a while, it just begins to peck away. And I think it does dent, even normally solid and safe Republicans like Deborah Pryce.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FREED: Now, the Democratic campaign here is telling us they think that this Foley factor, Soledad, is going to help them connect with independents, but wavering Republicans as well.

S. O'BRIEN: So we know that Deborah Pryce has also called for further investigation about all the other rumors that were swirling around Congressman -- now ex-Congressman Foley. What can you tell us about that? FREED: I can. I spoke to somebody that is close to the Pryce organization, and they confirmed for me that on a conference call on Monday evening -- this is something that as chairwoman of the Republican conference, that this is a routine call. It's her job to take the pulse of what's going on among the GOP and on the Hill and in the House.

And it came up in that call that somebody had heard a rumor that former Representative Foley had been stopped by Capitol police a couple of years ago, allegedly intoxicated and allegedly trying to get into the dorm where the congressional pages stayed. Now, she is treating this at face -- taking it at face value at this point. But what we have been told is that she directed her staff to write a letter to the clerk of the House, as well as copy to the Capitol police, requesting that an investigation be launched to look into this -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Jonathan Freed for us this morning. Thank you. Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: The hunt for the source of that E. coli-tainted spinach, which made so many people sick, is now taking a criminal turn. The FBI raiding two produce companies in California. They are there to see if food safety laws were ignored.

Here's CNN's Peter Viles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Criminal investigators for the FBI and the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday executed search warrants at two California produce distributors. Natural Selection Foods and Growers Express.

U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan said, quote, "we are investigating allegations that certain spinach growers and distributors may not have taken all necessary or appropriate steps to ensure that their spinach was safe."

Growers Express, which had not previously been named in the investigation, had no comment. Natural Selection Foods, meantime, said it was fully cooperating with investigators and that, "it appears that the focus of this latest stage of the investigation continues to be on the fields where the products are grown by third party growers."

Investigators have traced all the tainted spinach to Natural Selection Brands, but it remains a mystery exactly how the spinach became contaminated. State health officials are now investigating the possibility the bacteria came from cow manure on nearby farms. Natural Selection has repeatedly said that its own facilities are clean.

CHARLES SWEAT, NATURAL SELECTION FOODS: All test results of our facilities, the water used in our facilities, and the finished products that were sampled by the FDA and CDA tests were negative. They were all clean. As such, we are confident that the source of this E. coli did not originate in our facilities.

VILES: In announcing the searches, the U.S. attorney in San Francisco said there is no indication anyone deliberately contaminated any spinach, and that the matters now under investigation do not pose an existing threat to public health. The E. coli outbreak sickened nearly 200 people and killed one. The government says newly harvested, fresh spinach is now safe to eat.

Peter Viles for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: "CNN NEWSROOM" just moments away. Tony Harris at CNN Center with a look at what's ahead. Hello, Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Miles, good morning to you. Join us in the CNN NEWSROOM at the top of the hour.

The House Ethics Committee behind closed doors at the top of the hour. The topic of disgraced congressman's sexual e-mails and when the house speaker found out about them.

Back to school for President Bush. He pushes Congress to renew No Child Left Behind and cheaper drugs from Canada.

The U.S. government gives up the fight. It will no longer seize your mail-order prescriptions.

Fredricka Whitfield in for Heidi Collins this morning. Join us in the NEWSROOM. We get started at the top of the hour -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: We'll be there. Thank you, Tony.

Up next, Andy, "Minding Your Business" -- Andy.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: Hey, Miles. A couple of fat cats ringing in the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange today. And I mean fat cats of the meow variety. We'll tell you about that coming up.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Excellent.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: One of the country's most influential gay rights groups is out with a controversial new AIDS awareness campaign. Some AIDS activists, though, are concerned the message is going to do more harm than good.

AMERICAN MORNING's Chris Lawrence has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The message is simple, but stunning. And it comes not from bigots, but the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. (on camera): For 25 years, you've been saying HIV is not a gay disease. Now you're saying it is.

LORRI JEAN, L.A. GAY AND LESBIAN CENTER: HIV is impacting our community more than any other in Los Angeles, and we've got to do something about it.

LAWRENCE: Lorri Jean says gay men have become complacent about AIDS, and now make up 75 percent of HIV cases in Los Angeles County.

JEAN: It breaks my heart that these numbers are still as high as they are.

LAWRENCE: She aimed billboards above Santa Monica Boulevard at the general public, but sent these posters to bars and bookstores in L.A.'s gay community. Some say the only thing this campaign will end is 25 years of progress.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going backwards.

LAWRENCE: Elizabeth Marte is HIV positive. She's been living with the virus for 13 years, since her boyfriend infected her.

(on camera): When you see a campaign like this, how does that make you feel?

ELIZABETH MARTE, OUTREACH ADVOCATE: It pisses the hell out of me. I'm a 44-year-old woman. I'm a single parent. I have three teenagers. I have a 25-year-old son. What are they going to go around saying, oh, mommy, I can't get infested because only gay men get infected? I don't want that message to go to my children.

LAWRENCE (voice-over): Nationwide, the number of women with HIV is rising. Just last month, the New York Department of Health asked outreach agencies not to solely target gay men. And the CDC is so concerned it's recommending every adult get tested.

MARTE: The HIV virus has a face, and there's your face and then there's my face.

LAWRENCE: But some say previous messages were too soft, and indirectly caused complacency among gay men.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The young kids, they think, oh well, if I get it, I get it. And, you know, there (INAUDIBLE). Well, you know, I've seen a lot of people that, you know, it's not quite that easy.

LAWRENCE: Nothing is, when it comes to both AIDS and AIDS awareness.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES) S. O'BRIEN: Coming up at the top of the hour, the House speaker is fighting for his job. He's denying he knew anything about a Congressman's sexually explicit e-mails from years ago.

The House Ethics Committee takes up the matter in just a few moments. We'll talk about that just ahead.

Plus, a rash of school shootings, now one state is considering guns for the teachers. That and much more ahead, right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: That's it. We're out of time.

M. O'BRIEN: Thanks for being with us. "CNN NEWSROOM" begins right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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