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American Morning
North Korea Nuclear Test; Foley Fallout; Intentional Poisoning?; North Korea Threat; Subway Security
Aired October 10, 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 is Tuesday, October 10. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
The top story this morning, the showdown with North Korea ratcheting up. Kim Jong-Il's regime now claiming it will fire a nuclear missile if the U.S. doesn't end the standoff.
S. O'BRIEN: And let's get right to the newswall for a look at the other stories we're monitoring this morning.
Stepping up the investigation of Mark Foley, the House Ethics Committee asked lawmakers to contact current and former Capitol Hill pages in search of information about the former congressman.
M. O'BRIEN: The man in charge of that mess hall where hundreds of Iraqi police were poisoned under arrest this morning, several other food workers in custody. Still unclear if it was deliberate.
S. O'BRIEN: In the aftermath of several school shootings, President Bush is holding a school safety summit this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: In the mountains above Denver, a light dusting of snow. And the Weather Service releases its first official winter forecast in a few hours.
But you don't have to wait, just stay with us, Chad Myers has a forecast for you.
Good morning, -- Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We are expecting some warmer- than-normal temperatures across parts of the country, colder than normal, as well, guys.
Good morning, Soledad.
Good morning, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thanks.
We begin this morning with North Korea and a possible new threat. With the Security Council considering tough sanctions, one North Korean official reportedly is saying that a nuclear missile launch could be his country's next step.
CNN's Sohn Jie-Ae is live for us in Seoul, South Korea with that.
Good morning.
SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
You could say there is almost a cloud of trouble hanging over the air here in Seoul today. A day after North Korea announced that it had conducted a nuclear weapons test, there are tough words coming from South Korean politicians, as well as global leaders on -- against North Korea.
And it doesn't help that a Pyongyang news report says that -- quotes a Beijing official saying that "North Korea was prepared to fire a nuclear-tipped missile if Washington does not reciprocate." They did not go into specifics, but the meaning seemed to be that they wanted Washington to sit down with talks with North Korea and to ease economic and financial sanctions against North Korea.
At this point, while there is -- since there seems to be no such move coming from Washington, it is a sense of very uneasiness that is hanging over Seoul today -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: So they're hoping then to get sanctions sort of off the table by threatening this missile-tipped test, potentially? What would happen if in fact sanctions do go in place against North Korea?
SOHN: Well it's hard to say. North Korea has suffered from economic hardship for years. Just a few years ago, there were reports that hundreds of thousands were starving and have died of starvation in North Korea. And so the economic growth in North Korea has been in a negative trend for years now.
So we know that the people of North Korea would suffer from any type of economic sanctions against North Korea. And we know that in the past North Korea has said that any type of economic sanctions against North Korea would be considered a declaration of war. So we don't know exactly what the North Korea reaction would be, but it certainly will not be, at this point, backing down -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Sohn Jie-Ae for us this morning in Seoul.
Thanks, Sohn Jie-Ae.
President Bush calls North Korea's alleged nuclear test a provocative act. The U.S. has begun diplomatic efforts to punish Pyongyang.
We've got more from Suzanne Malveaux at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): White House officials say it could take hours or even days before U.S. intelligence confirms whether or not this was a nuclear test, but either way this test has already changed the political equation, raising the stakes, not only for North Korea's Kim Jong-Il, but also for President Bush. The Bush administration now pushing the U.N. Security Council to vote for tougher economic sanctions.
Now the administration's problem, nuclear analysts say, is that it keeps moving the red line. Back in July when North Korea launched those missiles, it was we are going to get tough. Now with this apparent nuclear test, again the Bush administration saying we are going to get tough.
But if you look carefully at President Bush's statement and the language again warning that North Korea cannot pass along nuclear weapons, as well as technology, to rogue states or terrorist organizations. Nuclear analysts say that that leads them to conclude that again this administration may be moving that red line.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Japan is also pushing for new sanctions against North Korea, including even more stringent trade restrictions.
CNN's Aneesh Raman live for us in Tokyo this morning.
Aneesh, good morning.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning to you.
The Japanese prime minister back in Tokyo, returning late last night after a series of meetings both in Seoul, South Korea, as well as in Beijing, China. He is emerging, surprisingly, as the strongest voice in the region for tough sanctions against North Korea. We heard Suzanne lay out what the U.S. is pushing for in this draft resolution that's being passed around in New York.
Here's what Japan wants in addition to what the U.S. already is requesting. Japan wants a ban on North Korean ships and planes from entering other territories. It wants a ban as well on imports of any North Korean products. And finally, a ban on travel by high-level North Korean officials.
Now the target audience for both the U.S. and Japan today is China. Why? Because China has a veto, it has the power for a veto on the U.N. Security Council. And China, in the past, has been wary of tough sanctions on North Korea, wary of destabilizing that regime and forcing a humanitarian crisis of refugees into Chinese territory.
But from the Japanese point of view, there are two good things right now in terms of the situation. The first, the Japanese prime minister's visit to Beijing, the first visit of such a kind in about five years, mending the fences, if you will, diplomatically between Japan and China.
And secondly, this ratcheting up by North Korea with this nuclear test, something that even Chinese officials are saying was quite a brazen act -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: So are there any military options, Aneesh, for Japan?
RAMAN: Well the Japanese prime minister today downplaying any military tensions that are being felt in the region. One of the biggest fears was an arms race breaking out with Japan, in addition to other countries in the region, pursuing nuclear weapons after North Korea's test. The Japanese prime minister saying that is not the case.
Japan has a pacifist constitution. It was forced upon the country after World War II. It cannot conduct military exercises that are not self-defense of Japanese territories. No sense on the ground they're, at the moment, going to change that, but there has been debate before and lingers after that missile defense Japan could pursue would still fit within that constitution. But the Japanese prime minister clear today saying Japan is not going to pursue nuclear weapons now that North Korea says it has tested one -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman, he's in Tokyo this morning.
Thanks, Aneesh -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Now to the Mark Foley scandal and more signs there were plenty of red flags about the former congressman's behavior toward pages and those signs of trouble were there for years.
CNN's Dana Bash with more from Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The House Ethics Committee investigation is already under way. And though the panel operates in secret, there is new public information about the Mark Foley scandal they will no doubt be looking into and that is a complaint Republican Jim Kolbe's office got from a former page about a worrisome e-mail that Foley sent some six years ago.
Now a spokeswoman for Kolbe insists they are still trying to flush out the facts whether or not Kolbe directly confronted Foley when finding this out or whether this was handled on a staff level. But a spokeswoman does insist that their understanding was that -- quote -- "corrective action was taken."
Meanwhile, another Republican is emerging as a key figure in the Foley drama and that is former House Clerk Jeff Trandahl, someone who oversaw House pages. Now sources tell CNN Trandahl observed and also heard about questionable Foley behavior towards pages and he brought this to the attention of Foley's top aide.
Now the facts about all of this, that will be for the House Ethics Committee to resolve. They are going to talk to key staff members and also lawmakers under oath.
Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill. (END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: So what do Americans think about the Foley scandal? Here are our latest poll numbers.
Seventy-five percent think GOP leaders mishandled the Foley matter, only 17 percent think Republican leaders handled it appropriately. Fifty-two percent of those polled think GOP leaders deliberately tried to cover-up the scandal, while 38 percent say they thought the party leaders were unaware of just how serious it was.
And more than half of those polled, 52 percent, think House leader Dennis Hastert, that's the House Speaker I should say, should resign, 17 percent aren't sure, 31 percent say he should stay put -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: An investigation into that police poisoning has now begun in Iraq. They're trying to find out if the poisoning was intentional or maybe it was a scheme to use spoiled food. Any case, it made hundreds of police officers sick and killed seven of them.
Arwa Damon has more for us live from Baghdad this morning.
Arwa, good morning.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Now we actually just spoke with a spokesperson for the ministry of interior here in Iraq who is saying that they are still awaiting final test results. Now initially suspicions were that it was a deliberate case of food poisoning, however, initial test results are indicating that it was simply negligence.
Now what we do know is that the head of the mess hall, the chief of the mess hall on that base that was part of the Iraqi police commandos down in the southern city of Numaniya, he has been detained for interrogation, along with a number of other chefs.
What happened was Sunday evening, following the evening meal, hundreds of Iraqi police officers fell ill. According to one police officer who was there, he said that they just kept falling over. They were trying to help one another and they would just fall down. According to him and to hospital officials, seven Iraqi police officers were killed in that incident. It is incredibly unfortunate, incredibly bizarre and still under investigation here.
Meanwhile, we have had more clashes in the southern city of Darwinia (ph), this coming from the U.S. military. According to a press statement that came out earlier this morning, clashes erupted there again Monday evening. Iraqi and U.S. forces came under small arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades and grenade attacks as they were patrolling that area and the firefight then ensued. They say they killed 11 suspected terrorists. Two U.S. soldiers were wounded in that incident.
Now this does follow clashes that erupted in that same city on Sunday. In those clashes, they say, the U.S. military says that they killed 30 suspected terrorists and 1 U.S. Abrams tank was damaged. This has been a very violent month of October. We're only 10 days in and across Iraq 32 U.S. troops have been killed -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon is live for us in Baghdad this morning.
Arwa, thanks.
Saddam Hussein was kicked out of court today. That's been happening a lot. The objection followed a heated argument with the chief trial judge. Saddam and his six co-defendants have repeatedly clashed with the judge. Saddam Hussein is on trial for genocide against the Kurds in the 1980s and he faces execution if he is convicted -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The funeral today for a murdered Russian journalist who was a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin and the war in Chechnya. Anna Politkovskaya was gunned down in her Moscow apartment building on Saturday. Police believe it was a contract killing. Since her death, people have created a makeshift memorial outside the building. She had been working on a story about torture and abductions in Chechnya. President Putin is promising an objective investigation.
The men in black have come to Boston. Their job, to protect subway riders from the threat of terror. It's a pretty bold step. We'll take a look at that.
Also, caught on camera, a mistake by an elderly Florida driver leads to a disaster at a Sears store.
AMERICAN MORNING will be back shortly.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: It's a quarter past the hour, if you're headed out the door headed somewhere, Chad Myers has what you need to know.
Hello, -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thank you.
The United Nations is condemning North Korea for allegedly testing a nuclear device on Sunday night. That test has not yet been confirmed. Now the U.S. is hoping to punish Pyongyang with some crippling sanctions. And the U.S. is not alone.
U.N. correspondent Richard Roth has more for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They knew it was coming, yet nations of the world's leading diplomatic organization could not prevent it. Just last Friday, the United Nations Security Council told North Korea, don't test a nuclear device.
JEAN-MARC DE LA SABLIERE, FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: The council has warned North Korea last week, so the council has to be now up to its responsibility because this is a serious threat to international peace and security.
ROTH: Past differences over North Korea policy were easily swept aside.
VITALY CHURKIN, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: I think the North Koreans will be facing a very serious attitude on the part of the Security Council and the entire international community.
ROTH: The Security Council quickly united behind a statement.
KENZO OSHIMA, JAPANESE AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: Members of the council strongly condemn this claim and once again urged North Korea to refrain from further testing.
ROTH: The U.S. ambassador had predicted a different world the morning after a nuke test by North Korea.
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: I think the mood in the council is very somber. They recognize this is a significant threat to international peace and security. It certainly brings to mind, for Americans, why our security has to be uppermost in our mind. And we're now hopefully going to take some strong measures.
ROTH: The U.S. is proposing more than a dozen ideas for a resolution to punish North Korea, including inspections of any cargo going in or out of the country. Plus an arms embargo, a freeze on financial assets tied to weapons of mass destruction and a ban on luxury goods. The get-tough elements may make it a little harder for the United States to get China aboard.
WANG GUANGYA, CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: I think we have to react firmly. But also, I believe that on the other hand that the thought to solve this issue on -- for -- from diplomatic point of view is still open.
ROTH (on camera): Japan also introduced even more stringent resolution ideas, including a prohibition on any North Korean aircraft taking off or landing, plus a travel ban on high-ranking North Korean government officials. The North Korean United Nations ambassador said the council should be praising North Korea's researchers and scientists, instead of condemning them.
Richard Roth, CNN, the United Nations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead in our 8:00 hour, we're going to be talking to the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton. M. O'BRIEN: Coming up in the program, recalled but unaccounted for, hundreds of possibly tainted heads of lettuce still may be on store shelves somewhere.
Plus, whose tube is it anyway? Google was not on the winning side of the video war, so it bought itself a victory. We'll have details ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: "Security Watch" for you this morning. The Transportation Security Agency spends about $18 billion a year trying to keep us safe when we fly, but only $250 million on mass transit. So individual transit systems are trying to come up with their own ways to keep bus and train riders safe.
AMERICAN MORNING's Dan Lothian with a snapshot of a growing trend across the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Men in black, the new reality in Boston's subway system. So-called impact teams, trained in anti-terrorism and behavioral recognition techniques, are now on patrol.
SGT. MIKE MORRIS, MASSACHUSETTS BAY TA: It's a high-visibility patrol looking for anything out of the ordinary.
LOTHIAN: Transit officers will also be randomly testing for explosives on bags and packages, like they did during the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That means this bag is clean.
LOTHIAN: Swabbing, then analyzing samples in a machine. They will also have the power to search inside a bag, if something is suspicious.
CHIEF JOSEPH CARTER, MASSACHUSETTS BAY TA: What we hope to achieve, and will achieve in this program, is a high degree of deterrence, detection and prevention of a potential terrorist attack.
LOTHIAN: Subway passengers have mixed feelings about this latest effort.
JACOB BAUDER, SUBWAY PASSENGER: Well I have nothing to hide, so I don't care. I mean, they can check my bag. That's fine.
CARMEN ROSES, SUBWAY PASSENGER: I feel violated. And that's also going to take a lot more time in the morning.
LOTHIAN: There are also concerns about profiling and whether or not this random plan will be productive across a vast network of subway stations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are they going to try and make us feel secure? I don't think so.
LOTHIAN: But patrols and random searches are only part of the security equation. In this sweeping effort, a new video and computer software system is being tested here. It's designed to identify potential threats, like an unattended bag.
BRIAN HENRY, SR. PROJECT ENGINEER ISYS: If somebody leaves a bag in frame for a certain amount of time, auto detection will go off notifying the system that a bag has been left.
LOTHIAN: Governor Mitt Romney says fighting terrorism requires a creative approach.
GOV. MITT ROMNEY, MASSACHUSETTS: Given a very different threat, we need different tactics to prevent the attack of our citizens by those that would cause us great harm.
LOTHIAN (on camera): This high level of security is expected to be permanent. Civil libertarians say they'll be watching closely to make sure the rights of passengers are not violated.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Now there's a similar system in place right here in New York City. Civil libertarians say they are watching these programs to make sure that rights are protected.
Be sure to stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: In America this morning, 250 cartons of lettuce are being recalled. California lettuce still unaccounted for. The lettuce sold under the Foxy brand recalled because it may have been contaminated with E. coli bacteria. So far nobody has gotten sick. Company says, though, they're voluntarily recalling 8,500 cases of lettuce as precaution at this point.
Remember this teenager? We talked to him here on AMERICAN MORNING. He won his court fight to forgo chemotherapy to treat his cancer. Well, he's coming home. Sixteen-year-old Abraham Cherrix went to Mississippi to undergo alternative treatment for Hodgkin's disease. He says he feels wonderful now and his parents say he's even gained a few pounds.
In Louisiana, some good news for folks there, insurance relief could be coming for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Governor Kathleen Blanco is now proposing $1 billion in relief funds to offset the 15 percent rate hike by insurance companies in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and Rita. It's not a done deal. The plan needs an OK from the state legislature and also a change in Louisiana's Constitution.
And take a look at this, 84-year-old woman in Florida crashed her car right through the wall of a Sears department store. Happened in Orlando. All caught on tape. The woman said she pressed the gas pedal by mistake, sent the car right into the tool department. Fortunately, nobody was hurt -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Well glad to see that.
Well, what will happen to YouTube now now that it's YouTubel (ph)? YouTubel, what do you think?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I'm not sure...
M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, good morning to you.
SERWER: Miles, good morning to you.
The big news this morning that you're referring to is that YouTube has been bought by Google for $1.65 billion.
M. O'BRIEN: Wait a minute, 20 months ago the guys who started YouTube were like cobbling it together with credit cards, and now more than a billion?
SERWER: That's right.
M. O'BRIEN: Not bad.
SERWER: And I mean it really is a sign that it's the second great Internet gold rush is on, that's for sure. And remember MySpace was bought in 2005 for some $600 million. This deal is obviously bigger. Google says it will leave YouTube alone. It will be an independent company with its own brand name. And this is, of course, the video sharing Web site that is so popular. One hundred million videos viewed there every day, which is just staggering.
M. O'BRIEN: But they haven't made a dime.
SERWER: They don't make money. That's not important right now. That's how things go in the Internet space, as they say, Miles. But investors like this deal. Google stock was up over $8 to $429 on the news. So someone is applauding somewhere about this one.
Let's talk about Wall Street, generally, a little bit. Another good day for investors, albeit a small good day. The Dow Jones industrials up 8 points to 11,857. Of course we're less than 150 points away from the next milestone, what have you done for me lately, 12,000 on the Dow. Investors shaking off news of that North Korean nuclear test and focusing here domestically on earnings season, which is coming right up now.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Soledad was predicting 12,000, which means it won't happen, of course, yes.
SERWER: She's not a negative indicator.
S. O'BRIEN: Hey, hey, hey, hey.
SERWER: She's pretty good at this stuff I seem to recall.
S. O'BRIEN: Hey, I didn't actually predict it. M. O'BRIEN: That's right.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, thank you, guys.
Have you heard about this? This make your little heart go pitter-patter? A reunion fit for reality TV certainly during sweeps week. Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie apparently are calling off their long-running feud. "The Simple Life" co-stars arrived at a steakhouse in Los Angeles together on Sunday. Look at all the press there from the flashlights -- from the flashes going. Parazzi frenzy.
So they had dinner. They spent some quality time outside of the restaurant checking their text messages. They've all agreed to a fifth installment of "The Simple Life." This time they're going to do it together at a camp.
Does this say PR ploy to you? It does to me -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Maybe that's why the market is up, Andy, I don't know.
SERWER: Maybe they can get some food to eat, too.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes, indeed.
Still to come this morning, on a much more serious note, North Korea's nuclear test fueling fear of a regional nuclear arms race. How will the international community respond to all of this? We'll have live reports from Seoul, Washington and Beijing ahead.
And remember the runaway bride?
SERWER: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: You knew this was going to happen. Her former finance may be getting his own back. We'll tell you on how.
We're watching AMERICAN MORNING. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning, Tuesday, October 10th.
I'm Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Let's go right to the news wall and tell you some of the stories we're following for you this morning.
Reports one North Korean official is now threatening to fire a nuclear-tipped missile. The U.S. and its allies all trying to figure out what to do next.
M. O'BRIEN: In the aftermath of recent school shootings, President Bush convening a school safety summit this morning. It will get started a couple of hours from now.
S. O'BRIEN: And the official winter forecast comes out today, and the word is that parts of the country, including the Northeast, might be in for a warmer than usual season.
Half past the hour. It gets us right to Chad Myers at the CNN Center.
Good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's all part of El Nino.
Good morning, Soledad.
Good morning, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Back to you.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Chad.
At the United Nations, the Security Council is discussing sanctions in response to North Korea's nuclear bomb test. But now there's word of a new threat, perhaps a nuclear missile.
Our correspondents are standing by with the very latest on this developing story. Sumi Das in Washington, Jaime FlorCruz in Beijing with the Chinese response.
But let's start with that new threat. Sohn Jie-ae joining us from Seoul -- Jie-ae.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is almost a cloud (INAUDIBLE) over South Korea's capital, Seoul, today, a day after North Korea says it conducted nuclear tests. There's some tough words against North Korea coming not only from South Korean politicians, but from global leaders. And it doesn't help that -- that a Yonhap report quotes an unidentified Beijing official saying that North Korea could be prepared to launch a nuclear-tipped missile if Washington does not reciprocate.
Although they did not go into specifics, the understanding was that North Korea wanted Washington to come to the negotiating table and to ease financial sanctions on North Korea. If not, North Korea was prepared to up the ante.
Since Washington did not seem to show any signs of backing down on its stance that it would not negotiate directly with North Korea, the sense of uneasiness here in Seoul is great.
Sohn Jie-ae, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE) S. O'BRIEN: Well, the ball, so to speak, is now in the Security Council's court as they consider sanctions against North Korea. And not surprisingly, the Bush administration is seeking a very tough response.
CNN's Sumi Das live for us in Washington this morning.
Good morning, Sumi.
SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Well, President Bush says he remains committed to diplomacy, but the U.S. stance is firm, North Korea should face stiff sanctions.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAS (voice over): U.N. Security Council members agree, North Korea's reported nuclear test is unacceptable. As the U.N. considers its response, the objective for the U.S. is clear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To make sure that we make this a very, very costly decision, such that North Korea will want to come back to the bargaining table and get rid of these weapons and program.
DAS: The U.S. proposal, tough sanctions against North Korea, including freezing any assets that could be used to further their weapons program. Japan has proposed additional restrictions, such as banning North Korean imports and international travel by high-level North Korean officials. But Russia and China, both Security Council members with veto power, favor negotiations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we have to react firmly, but also I believe that on the other hand, that the door to solve this issue from a diplomatic point of view is still open.
DAS: Nonetheless, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. is optimistic there will be a united front.
JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: But I was very strongly encouraged by the mood of the council.
DAS: For many the fear is not just that North Korea is now in the nuclear club, but that it can recruit others.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: The great danger that North Korea poses to us with its nuclear capability is not that they'll fire a missile at us. They don't have that capability. But rather, they will give one of these nuclear weapons to a terrorist group.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAS: The question of sanctions will be back on the table today as discussion of the proposals by the U.N. Security Council resumes behind closed doors -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Sumi Das for us this morning. Thanks, Sumi -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: So how would North Korea's nuclear bomb detonation affect its relations with its neighbors? So far China is not ruling out possible sanctions.
Live now to Beijing and our bureau chief, Jaime FlorCruz, with more -- Jaime.
JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Miles, good morning.
Well, one day after North Korea announced it had conducted its first nuclear test, the Chinese still very upset about it. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman took pains to distance itself from North Korea, even challenging the notion that China and North Korea are close allies.
This is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIU JIANCHAO, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN (through translator): The nuclear test will undoubtedly exert a negative influence on our relations with North Korea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLORCRUZ: Even though the foreign ministry -- the foreign ministry spokesman actually ruled out the possibility of a military action, saying that that's unimaginable, but he did say that -- he did indicate that China will lean heavier on North Korea, and that it's trying to encourage North Korea to return to the six-party talks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Jaime, help us understand. China has by far the most influence on North Korea. The closest thing that North Korea has to a friend, and thus has the most leverage. And yet they seem reluctant to put a lot of pressure on North Korea. Why?
FLORCRUZ: Well, the Chinese are saying that they've done their best to try to use their leverage, their limited leverage to influence North Korean policy. But they also say that North Korea is a very proud sovereign nation. It does not want to listen to anybody, does not listen to China. It doesn't listen to the outside world.
So they think that the only way to cajole North Korea is to dangle tangible incentives for North Korea to exchange its nuclear ambition for economic aid, and for a kind of security that it will not be attacked -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Jaime FlorCruz in Beijing.
Thank you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's turn now to the Mark Foley scandal, and more signs that there were plenty of red flags about the former congressman's behavior toward pages. Those signs of trouble apparently were there for years.
CNN's Dana Bash has more from the Capitol this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The House Ethics Committee investigation is already under way, and though the panel operates in secret, there is new public information about the Mark Foley scandal they will no doubt be looking into. And that is a complaint Republican Jim Kolbe's office got from a former page about a worrisome e-mail that Foley sent some six years ago.
Now, a spokeswoman for Kolbe insists they are still trying to flush out the facts, whether or not Kolbe directly confronted Foley when finding this out, or whether this was handled on a staff level. But a spokeswoman does insist that their understanding was that "corrective action" was taken.
Meanwhile, another Republican is emerging as a key figure in the Foley drama, and that is former House clerk Jeff Trandahl, someone who oversaw House pages. Now, sources tell CNN Trandahl observed and also heard about questionable Foley behavior towards pages, and he brought this to the attention of Foley's top aides.
Now, the facts about all of this, that will be for the House Ethics Committee to resolve. They are going to talk to key staff members and also lawmakers under oath.
Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Happening "In America" this morning in New Orleans, a man is recovering after being shot by a Louisiana National Guard soldier. The guardsman says he was flagged down to intervene in an argument. That's when a man approached with something in his hand, and he was shot after the man wouldn't drop it. The first time any guardsman patrolling the city has opened fire.
In Maryland, Washington-area sniper Lee Boyd Malvo is expected to plead guilty to six murders today. Those murders took place during the October 2002 sniper shootings that left 10 people dead. Under a plea agreement, Malvo gets a life sentence in return for his testimony against his accomplice, John Allen Muhammad. That took place back in May.
In Los Lunas, New Mexico, about 25 miles south of Albuquerque, two police officers say they were served hamburgers with marijuana cooked right into them. Three Burger King employees have been arrested. They face charges, including marijuana possession and aggravated battery on an officer.
In Georgia, you remember the runaway bride, Jennifer Wilbanks? Well, apparently she's suing her former fiance for $500,000.
It's no surprise that they broke up in May. Wilbanks, though, reportedly wants half of what their house is worth. She also wants another $250,000 in punitive damages. John Mason -- that's the fiance -- well, he's got until October 22nd to respond to the lawsuit.
In Lynchburg, Virginia, students at the Randolph Macon Woman's College are protesting after the school decided to begin admitting men next fall. Some current students are filing a lawsuit. The lawsuit claims the 115-year-old school's board breached its contract by going coed. Now the lawsuit seeks to delay the enrollment of men until at least 2010.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's the most tense border in the world. Two sides standing toe to toe, spoiling for a fight for decades. What if the worst happens?
Coming up we'll tell you about that on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at what CNN correspondents all around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Arwa Damon in Baghdad.
The Iraqi government is still investigating a bizarre case of food poisoning that left hundreds of Iraqi policemen ill after they consumed their evening meal on Sunday. Initial suspicions were that it was deliberate poisoning. However, test results as of now are indicating that it was just a case of negligence. So far, the chief of the mess hall and a number of chefs have been detained for interrogation.
Meanwhile, violence has erupted once again in the southern city of Diwaniyah. At least 11 suspected terrorists were killed, two U.S. soldiers wounded after clashes erupted there Monday evening. This follows fierce fighting there on Sunday that left 30 suspected terrorists killed.
Meanwhile, in the capital, Baghdad, Iraqi police have found 10 days into October a total of at least 250 bodies. And so far, in October, 32 U.S. troops have lost their lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matthew Chance in Moscow.
Tributes have been flooding in as Russians pay their last respects to Anna Politkovskaya, one of this country's leading investigative journalists and a fierce critic of the Kremlin. She was gunned down inside this, her Moscow apartment building, at the weekend.
The United States and other countries have express their shock and concern. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has promised that the murder will be fully and objectively investigated. Police say it was a contract killing, possibly linked to the journalist's work in the Russian Republic of Chechnya.
Her funeral takes place later today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alphonso Van Marsh in Johannesburg, South Africa, where a group of grandmothers are sewing funky fabric children's dolls to help families affected by poverty and AIDS. The Shue-Shue (ph) puppy (ph) dolls were designed by 5 to 7- year-old children, and they're already popular in Africa and Europe, and may be coming to a store near you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: For more on these or any of our top stories, log on to our Web site, CNN.com.
S. O'BRIEN: It's just about 45 minutes past the hour. And if you're getting ready to head right out the door, hang on. Chad Myers has got the traveler's forecast for you.
Good morning again, Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Across the DMZ, two heavily armed sides staring each other down for decades. So what if the worst happens?
We'll assess the risks coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: China is warning that the chance of military action is unimaginable in North Korea. But what could a regional war look like?
CNN's Brian Todd has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On a peninsula that has been heavily militarized and preparing for confrontation for more than 50 years, scenarios for war are detailed and frightening. We discussed them with a former senior U.S. Army intelligence officer assigned to Korea, a former Delta Force commander who also has a CIA background, and a former strategic planner at the National War College who developed a war game on Korea.
They all make clear war is a very remote possibility, so the prospect of a U.S. preemptive strike. MAJ. JEFFREY BEATTY, FORMER DELTA FORCE CMDR.: If you're going to do a preemptive strike, you have got to make sure you get everything because if you don't, they are going to launch what they have left and they're going to probably launch a full-scale attack against the south.
TODD: Our experts say if America struck first, the best case scenario is casualties in the tens of thousand on both sides. If North Korea attacked first, they say, thousands of its special operations commandos would likely swarm into the south from the air and sea, linking up with sleeper agents who have already infiltrated through tunnels. Then...
BRIG. GEN. JAMES MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Step two would be they have to secure the Demilitarized Zone that separates north from south, and they would do that with light infantry, simply to hold the shoulders of the penetration, not go very deep but to hold the door open, if you will.
TODD: Holding the door for North Korea's heavily armored million man army to push toward Seoul and points south. At the same time, the North Koreans would launch missiles.
MARKS: They would be conventionally tipped. We have to assume they would be chemically tipped.
TODD: Prompting U.S. forces to launch air strikes on North Korean artillery positions, many of which can be hidden in deep underground bunkers. And inevitably, experts say, U.S. and North Korean ground forces would engage, likely on very difficult terrain.
(on camera): Terrain in what has turned into a very urbanized region over the past 50 years. That means possibly hundreds of thousands of casualties, military and civilian, and that leaves out North Korea's nuclear capability, which our experts say is too crude to be used effectively for the moment.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Well, that kind of a horrific battle would, in fact, mean possibly hundreds of thousands of casualties, both military and civilian -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Still ahead on the program, we're "Minding Your Business". The man at the top of the job hunting site Monster needs to start circulating his own resume. We'll tell you about his options, shall we say?
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Warren Buffett with some advice. It kind of sounds like a Dutch uncle, you know?. Andy Serwer, this is the kind of stuff you want to tell your kids. Avoid peer pressure, right?
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": Yes. And it applies to grownups, too, Miles. Business people in particular.
Warren Buffett, the oracle of Omaha, one of the most respected business people in the United States and the second richest man in the world, weighing in on the stock option scandal and the brouhaha over Hewlett-Packard. Sending a letter to his top 45 managers saying basically, don't follow the herd.
Is he talking about Mark Hurd by the way? Maybe, maybe not.
M. O'BRIEN: Maybe not.
SERWER: Maybe, maybe not.
In this letter, he says a couple of interesting things. I just love -- this guy, the wisdom is great.
The five most dangerous words in business, and maybe in life, "Everyone else is doing it."
M. O'BRIEN: You know what? Tell that to your kids, too.
SERWER: Exactly. That's right.
M. O'BRIEN: Uncle Warren.
SERWER: And how about this one? He says -- he says, "Right now somebody is doing something today at Berkshire Hathaway" -- that's his company -- that you and I would be unhappy about if we knew of it."
Two hundred thousand employees. He says there's always someone doing something.
He says, "You want a litmus test for your behavior in business and life. Ask yourself, would it stand the light of day on the front page of your local newspaper?"
Always a good test, right?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: Something to ask yourself.
M. O'BRIEN: Presumably they're listening. You've got to listen to Warren.
SERWER: That's right.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: Speaking of the stock option scandal, Miles, it's claiming another victim here this morning. Andrew McKelvey, the founder of monster.com, which is the job search Web site, is out there maybe looking for a job of his own. On the other hand, he's 71 and he's been doing this for 39 years. So maybe he's not looking for another job.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, he can post a resume and see what comes up.
SERWER: That's right. Why not?
M. O'BRIEN: You never know.
SERWER: He might get a freebie.
And listen to this. Now 18 executives and directors have resigned, been suspended or fired in this whole stock option wave of scandals that swept the United States. And there's a criminal investigation at monster.com.
"The Wall Street Journal" did an investigation of the stock options at monster.com in question. And by their accounting, there was a one in nine million shot that these options could have been done arbitrarily in the four-year period between 1997 to 2001.
M. O'BRIEN: So, given those odds, you would say that something -- it has an aroma there. But interesting how this jives with Mr. Buffett's statement. If all those people at Monster had gone by that litmus test, would this pass muster on the front page?
SERWER: That's a great question. I mean, here you are asking these people, like, you have this one in nine million shot. How would you like to have that on CNN? Well, here we are doing it.
M. O'BRIEN: Here we are.
SERWER: So it doesn't pass muster. It doesn't pass the smell test, as you're suggesting.
And, you know, usually I find in any job, it's just, does this look bad? Is this going to feel bad? Does this feel bad? Does this feel like the wrong thing to do? And if it is, it's wrong.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. But everybody else is doing it, Andy.
SERWER: I know. And here we are.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Andy Serwer.
What have you got next?
SERWER: Next we're going to be talking about Google and YouTube, this big deal that's...
M. O'BRIEN: Huge deal.
SERWER: ... going down. And really terrific video of the YouTube guys on their own Web site explaining the deal to their customers. It's really endearing, actually.
M. O'BRIEN: Does it involve Mentos and Coca-Cola?
SERWER: Sadly, no. We're still going to run it.
M. O'BRIEN: Your favorite of all time.
SERWER: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: You've got to work that in somehow.
SERWER: We will.
M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, see you in just a bit.
SERWER: Thanks, Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN (voice over): Have you been pondering the shape of the universe? Scientists in Italy say it appears the universe may be stretched in shape like a pill, rather than perfectly round.
A terrible story out of Pittsburgh. Police say a woman got in a fight with her boyfriend and used her 4-week-old baby as a weapon, swinging the child in the air like a bat. The baby is now in serious but stable condition with a fractured skull. The mother is charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment.
And in India, a photographer says he was manhandled by security for Angelina Jolie. You can see the security guard grabbing the British photographer by the neck. Angelina Jolie is in town with her family to shoot scenes for a movie about the life of Daniel Pearl, the American journalist who was kidnapped and killed in Pakistan.
For more on these stories or any stories, log on to our Web site at CNN.com.
The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING begins right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. It is Tuesday, October 10th.
I'm Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Lots happening this morning. Let's start right at the news wall.
Ominous words from North Korea. Reports that Pyongyang is threatening to fire a nuclear-tipped missile. We're monitoring all angles of this developing story for you this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Also happening this morning, the investigation into the Foley scandal is widening. Lawmakers now trying to contact all ex-pages in preparation for the ethics panel probe.
In the wake of the deadly school shootings, the White House today is holding a national summit on school violence.
S. O'BRIEN: Intentional sabotage, that is the verdict after the poisoning of hundreds of police officers in Iraq. It happened at a meal at a barracks, and the man who is in charge of the mess hall is now under arrest.
It is just at the top of the hour. Let's get right to Chad Myers for the first check of the colder temperatures this morning.
Hey, Chad.
MYERS: It certainly will be colder this week.
Good morning, guys.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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