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American Morning
The Fight for Iraq; Iraqi Sniper Video; GOP Ground War; Foley Investigation; Rice Pressing South Korea to Fully Enforce Sanctions Against North Korea
Aired October 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: Morning. Welcome, everybody. It is Thursday, October 19. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Good morning to you.
Top story we're looking at this morning, the Pentagon sending more troops back into Iraq, this as the bloodshed there grows worse.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right to the news wall for some other stories we're following for you this morning.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in South Korea right now, she's pressing a key U.S. ally to fully enforce the U.N. sanctions against North Korea.
Some Marine Reserve combat battalions that have already been to Iraq once will be going back. They're going to be sent back in 2008. Training begins next year.
M. O'BRIEN: More on who knew what and when about former Congressman Mark Foley's e-mails to teenage pages. Today, the Ethics Committee to hear from the former clerk of the House.
Homeland security now downplaying that Internet threat of dirty bombs attacks at NFL stadiums this weekend. The league says the stadiums are very well protected.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right to Chad Myers. He's at the CNN Weather Center this morning.
Storms in Texas, Chad, good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Tell you what, good morning, Soledad, Miles, the exact same place that we had storms two days ago.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, back with you in just a little bit, thank you.
We begin in Iraq this morning where the violence is spiraling toward a grim record. Just this morning, another car bomb, a dozen dead, twice that number wounded in Mosul. Iraqi civilians are now dying at a rate of 43 a day. And as for U.S. troops, October is likely to be the deadliest month since the siege of Falluja two years ago.
CNN's Arwa Damon in Baghdad with more, -- Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
That's right, the situation here every day just seems to be appearing even more dire for the Iraqi civilians involved and for the U.S. and Iraqi troops that are here. Earlier this morning, a car bomb exploded in Mosul, targeting a police station that was across the street from a university. At least 7 Iraqis are dead, over 20 wounded in that attack, police and civilians.
And the U.S. military announcing the death of yet another soldier in that volatile western Al Anbar Province, they say that the soldier assigned to the 1st Armored Division died from wounds sustained due to enemy action.
And Iraqi police found 31 more bodies just in the capital of Baghdad alone. All the country's latest victims of sectarian violence. Sectarian violence since February has displaced, according to the Ministry of Migration, at least half a million Iraqis. Many of them fear being the victims of sectarian violence here -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Arwa, the U.S. predicted Ramadan would be a violent period of time. Does this exceed the predictions, though, as far as you know?
DAMON: Well it's tough to tell, Miles. We have seen over the course of the last three years every single time that we enter the holy month of Ramadan, move through it and then reach the end. We are, right now, in the last week of the holy month of Ramadan. We have always seen this uptick in violence.
But the casualty figures that we are seeing right now, especially when it comes to attacks against the U.S. military, are really rising. There were 69 U.S. soldiers killed across this country just this month since -- pretty much since Ramadan began. It could be because of these increases in attacks due to Ramadan. But there also has been an increase in the sophistication of the weapons that the insurgents are using here, the IEDs, the roadside bombs, only more deadly and the sniper fire -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon in Baghdad, thank you very much.
Despite the onslaught of bad news from Iraq, President Bush still does not call it a civil war. In an interview with ABC, he repeated his pledge to remain in Iraq long enough for the country's fledgling democracy to take hold and defend itself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm patient. I'm not patient forever. And I'm not patient with dawdling, but I recognize the degree of difficulty of the task. And, therefore, what we say to the American people, we won't cut and run.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: Now since the war began, 2,784 American troops have died in Iraq and more than 11,000 have been wounded.
Now an unprecedented exclusive glimpse inside the insurgency, we have obtained chilling videotape, made by insurgents, showing, among other things, snipers targeting and killing U.S. troops on patrol in Iraq. The images are very disturbing.
Here is CNN's Michael Ware.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A sniper is watching these American soldiers. You're looking at the unobstructed view from the sniper team's vehicle and they are waiting for their moment as the soldiers mingle with Iraqi civilians.
"People are around them," warns this sniper's spotter.
He seems to be operating the video camera.
"Want me to find another place?"
"No, no," comes the reply, "give me a moment."
And then...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, 7:30 Eastern, you can watch Michael's entire exclusive report. Again, that's 7:30 Eastern right here on AMERICAN MORNING -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: The latest developments now in the North Korea nuclear crisis. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in South Korea today. She's trying to make sure that Seoul fully implements U.N. sanctions against the North. At the same time, North Korea is saying that another nuclear test is -- quote -- "natural" and the U.S. should not be surprised if there is one.
In Pyongyang, a special envoy from China has delivered a message to the North Korea leader, Kim Jong-Il. He's believed to be carrying a very strong warning against conducting more nuclear tests.
And Secretary Rice has just wrapped up a news conference in Seoul. She talked about the importance of keeping nuclear materials spreading -- from spreading out of North Korea. And then she reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to carrying out sanctions peacefully.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I want to emphasize again, the United States has no desire to do anything to escalate this situation. And so the idea that somehow we would want 1718 to be implemented in a way that escalates tensions on the Korean peninsula, or on the high seas for that matter, simply could not be more wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: CNN's Zain Verjee is the only U.S. television correspondent who is traveling with the secretary of state. She joins us by phone from Seoul.
Zain, good morning.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Secretary Rice finishing that press conference just moments ago. She essentially wants South Korea to take some real action to inspect North Korean cargo ships to prevent the transfer of nuclear materials. She said that South Korea is really obliged to do that after signing on to the U.N. Security Council resolution to hit North Korea with sanctions.
She said that she's here to share ideas, to talk about exactly how to do that. The goal, she went on to say in this press conference, was to de-nuclearize the Korean peninsula. North Korea, she said, has to return unconditionally to six-party talks and dismantle its program -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: CNN's Zain Verjee joining us this morning. She's traveling with Secretary Rice.
Thanks, Zain.
Let's talk a little bit more about that special Chinese envoy who is being dispatched from Beijing delivering a very tough message to Kim Jong-Il.
CNN's Jaime FlorCruz is live in Beijing for us this morning.
Jaime, good morning.
JAIME FLORCRUZ, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Soledad.
Well Kim Jong-Il, it seems, is keeping his door to dialog. The Chinese today confirming that the special envoy, Tang Jiaxuan, had a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang today. This is the first known meeting between Kim and a visiting foreign diplomat since North Korea conducted its first nuclear test over a week ago.
This -- when asked whether what kind of message the Chinese are relaying to Kim, the Chinese spokesman declined to say. But he simply said it's notable that Tang actually had just visited Moscow and Washington a week ago, so he is obviously carrying messages to difference capitals. And he's a very important point person in China's effort to reconvene the six-party talks and to lure back North Korea to the negotiation table -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: I assume that Secretary Rice will get more information on what was exactly said in that tough message when she goes to Beijing tomorrow. What do you expect out of that trip? FLORCRUZ: Well Secretary Rice will miss it -- will have a meeting with Tang Jiaxuan and other top leaders here. She's expected to lean on the Chinese to lose its -- to use their leverage on North Korea to bring back North Korea to the negotiation table, but also to prevent North Korea from conducting further nuclear tests.
It's a very tough mission for Secretary Rice because the Chinese, on the one hand, oppose North Korea, but on the other, they also do not want to push North Korea too much and cause a collapse of North Korea. They want a soft landing in North Korea -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Jaime FlorCruz is in Beijing for us this morning.
Jaime, thanks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: We're continuing to follow the top stories this morning for you. The NFL says its stadiums are safe following a possible threat of so-called dirty bomb attacks. Officials saying they are very skeptical about that threat.
Key testimony in the Mark Foley investigation today from the former House Clerk, Jeff Trandahl.
And a virus taking a bite out of Apple's iPods. Find out if yours is affected.
The weather and more news ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Top stories we're following this morning.
Secretary of State Rice is in Seoul to discuss sanctions against North Korea.
And a suicide bomber strikes in Afghanistan, killing two NATO soldiers and civilians, including two children -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Well you know they say the best offense is a defense. That's true in sports, and for politics, too. Less than three weeks until the mid-term elections and Republicans are doing just that in an effort to keep control of Congress.
AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken is live in Washington, D.C. for us.
Hey, Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
And by the time the political leaders make their October appearance at the National Press Club, they usually have a pretty good idea of what form the campaign is taking. Not this time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FRANKEN (voice-over): It's an incredibly stormy campaign where Republicans have been thunderstruck. Democrats are hoping to take advantage, not just of Mark Foley, but the months and months of corruption charges.
REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D), MARYLAND: There's a real sense around the country that what has been the People's House has become an auction house.
FRANKEN: Republicans are furiously trying to refocus the campaign.
REP. TOM REYNOLDS (R), NEW YORK: We are dealing with fierce contests fought by local personalities.
FRANKEN: In fact, the CNN-Opinion Research poll released Tuesday shows that of the issues the voters care about, Mark Foley and the other corruption charges show up behind the war in Iraq and terrorism and the economy and North Korea. And in the midst of this remarkable campaign fury sit the political professionals who play a multimillion- dollar chess game as best they can.
EVAN TRACEY, TNS MEDIA INTELLIGENCE: Money is going to matter probably an equal amount to issues. You know money is what drives the issues. In other words, if you don't have the money to push a message, you're going to come up short on Election Day.
FRANKEN: President Bush and Vice President Cheney are on the road a lot these days trying to whip up voter turnout, but a big question is whether they'll turn out Republicans or Democrats.
REYNOLDS: Make no mistake, we are on the offense.
VAN HOLLEN: As you look around the country, you obviously see an expanding number of tight races.
FRANKEN: Democrats say that number has surged to about 60 competitive races. Republicans, understandably, place the figure much lower, about three dozen. Either way, if the Democrats pick up 15, they take control of the House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
And it's not so much that this election is too close to call, Soledad, I think it's fairer to say it's too strange to call.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I think you could put it that way, Bob.
Bob Franken for us this morning.
Thanks, Bob.
Would a democratically controlled Senate send Republicans off the deep end? While campaigning in Iowa, Senator John McCain, a possible 2008 Republican presidential candidate, joked about what he might be pressed to do if the Democrats win the Senate. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: If you guys do lose control, how would you handle that role reversal?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think I'd just commit suicide. I don't want to face that eventuality, because I don't think it's going to happen, so it's hard for me to describe that. But I think we'll do OK. It's going to be tough, but I think we'll be OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: And, in fact, Democrats would have to pick up six seats to take control of the Senate -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Former Congressman Mark Foley has given Florida prosecutors the name of a priest who allegedly molested him as a child. The priest's name not being made public. He's reportedly living outside the United States. Foley's attorneys came forward with the abuse allegations after Foley was accused of sending sexually explicit messages to teenage boys who worked as Capitol Hill pages.
In Washington, the congressional investigation of Foley still under way. Today, the Ethics Committee will hear from a key witness, the former clerk of the House, who has responsibility for the congressional page program.
CNN's Dana Bash with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The man who goes before the House Ethics Committee later today will be one of the most important witnesses the panel will hear from as it tries to unravel when GOP leaders knew about Mark Foley's inappropriate conduct with pages and what they did about it.
That witness is former House Clerk Jeff Trandahl who had direct responsibility over the pages. He confronted Foley late last year after learning about one e-mail he sent to a former male page. But sources familiar with Trandahl's version of events tell CNN he was informed about and personally observed troubling Foley conduct years earlier and raised red flags about it. The questions are did Trandahl do enough and how far up the chain of command in the GOP did Trandahl go?
There's another witness that could help the committee answer some of those questions and that is the number two Republican in the House, John Boehner. Boehner says he was informed about Foley's inappropriate behavior in the spring and he actually took that to the House Speaker, Dennis Hastert. That's something that Hastert said did not happen.
Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE) M. O'BRIEN: The latest CNN poll suggests the credibility gap in Congress is growing. Half of all Americans surveyed believe most members of Congress are corrupt. That is up 38 -- from 38 percent at the beginning of the year. And the majority of people disapprove of how both parties in Congress are doing their job, just 42 percent like what the Democrats are doing, 36 percent for Republicans.
Stay tuned to CNN tonight for Jack Cafferty's election special, "Broken Government," 7:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
And this story, and all the day's political news, available at the CNN.com news ticker any time of the day or night. Just click on CNN.com/ticker -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Sixteen minutes past the hour. If you're about to head out the door, let's get right to Chad Myers for a quick check of the traveler's forecast for us.
Good morning, -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: The last couple of weeks have been fabulous for that. I've got to tell you.
MYERS: Yes. Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you, -- Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: A quick look at some of the stories we're watching for you this morning.
Former Presidents Clinton and Carter blasting the Bush administration policy on North Korea.
Nissan recalls thousands of SUVs and cars because of a faulty ignition key.
And a virus hits some of Apple's iPods.
Those stories, much more ahead, on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Some of the top stories we're following for you this morning.
In Iraq, the October death toll is rising to 69 as another American soldier is killed. President Bush says North Korea would face grave consequences if it sells nuclear weapons to terrorists -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Could be a virus in your iPod. Apple says about 1 percent of its iPods containing a virus that could infect your computer. That is if you use a PC with Windows. Apple says if your anti-virus software is up to date, it should detect the virus and kill it. The virus will not hurt the iPod itself.
Nissan recalling 70,000 of its Murano SUVs with what they call intelligent keys. The company says the devices weren't installed so correctly, not so intelligently perhaps, so the car does not lock when the driver turns off the engine. The recall affects 10,000 Maxima sedans, too. Nissan says the defect hasn't caused any injuries.
You know in the old days we used just keys.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Keys worked, but you know you've got to go high tech.
The Dow 12,000, we thought -- you know everybody was like, hey, maybe it will last, and it didn't.
Andy Serwer is here with details.
SERWER: Couldn't quite hang on I guess is the headline this morning from Wall Street, -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes.
SERWER: We did cross the 12,000 threshold earlier yesterday. At one point, the Dow was up to 12,049. You see there, look, that was some way above 12,000. In the end, it was still a good day, up 42 points, but we couldn't quite hang on. We're at 11,992. A lot of...
M. O'BRIEN: Today is the day.
SERWER: Today, it certainly could be.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: The Nasdaq techs a little weak, you can see there. Otherwise, blue chips, like IBM was up. And you know a lot of optimism on Wall Street, the price of oil stable, interest rates stable, et cetera, et cetera.
Want to get on to some other news here quickly, as well, Miles, Wal-Mart, according to a report this morning, will be expanding that prescription drug plan to 14 other states. And we saw this coming, didn't we?
M. O'BRIEN: Why not just do it nationwide? Obviously people want it.
SERWER: I think that they've got to get you know the whole program in place.
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
SERWER: You've got to get all the registers lined up and all the software, et cetera, et cetera.
And you may remember this started just in Florida. This is $4 for prescriptions for 314 generic drugs. And also remember that Target matched this in Florida, so it will be interesting to see if they match Wal-Mart. And this could be the start of something really big.
Speaking of Wal-Mart, some more news from the retail giant this morning. You know they're the largest toy retailer in the United States, and they're slashing prices. It is the holiday season almost. Let's look at some of these toy prices that we have for you this morning. Well, we've got Hot Wheels radar gun, OK. It used to be $29. It's now $20.
M. O'BRIEN: Wait, you can...
SERWER: Monopoly Here and Now.
M. O'BRIEN: ... give your car a ticket, is that what it is? The radar gun, is that what...
SERWER: They are toy cars, -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: OK, got you.
SERWER: Then there is the Monopoly Here and Now game, was $28, now $15. And the Amazing Amanda was $99 and now $69. But you can see, I mean, that's some serious savings already.
M. O'BRIEN: Only a few shopping days left.
SERWER: Yes, I know.
M. O'BRIEN: I haven't tallied them up, but...
SERWER: I'm getting nervous.
M. O'BRIEN: What's next?
SERWER: Next we're going to be talking about iPods. We mentioned there are some problems, but that's sort of a smaller point. The bigger point is Apple sold millions in the latest quarter. We'll tell you how many.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Andy, thank you very much.
SERWER: You're welcome.
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Happening in America this morning, five people are dead after a small plane crash happened north of Phoenix. The victims were taking photos of a fighter jet when their plane went down. Investigators say the planes didn't collide. Mechanical problems could be to blame. Vapor was seen coming out of the plane's engine before it went down.
In Maryland, six people taken hostage inside of a restaurant are safe this morning. The husband and wife owners, their two children, two customers were all held at gunpoint. Two suspects released them late last night. One of the suspects then was arrested after he stepped outside of the restaurant. The other accomplice is still inside, apparently.
In Florida, an intense search is under way for a missing 4-month- old baby. Fort Lauderdale police have activated an Amber Alert for little Mckai Brown (ph). They say the baby is with her mother's teenage friend. Now the friend's name is Kanesha Black (ph). Authorities say Ms. Black convinced the baby-sitter to let her take the baby out of day care yesterday.
Better but not fabulous for the rapper Fabolous who is now free on bail after he pleaded not guilty to weapons charges. His real name is John Jackson. He was arrested early Tuesday in a car that police say was full of two loaded hand guns. He'd been shot, too, in the thigh. He was headed to the hospital when the cops pulled him over, apparently. His injury is not serious -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: A quick look at the stories we're following for you right now.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in South Korea for talks on North Korea.
A California city bans landlords from renting apartments to undocumented immigrants.
And astronomers get their best view yet of two colliding galaxies.
All that, and more, on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's only a matter of time before politicians wake up and realize how important the Internet is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Politicians and policy can be affected by an opinion that's expressed on an Internet blog.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Politicians could use a blog to really promote themselves to people who they wouldn't usually see.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For just your average voter, the Internet is really a very valuable resource.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I see the Web basically being the future of politics.
M. O'BRIEN (on camera): Sixty million Americans say the Internet helped them make major decisions in their lives in the past two years. But when it comes to politics, how much will the Web affect what we hear and what we see and how we vote?
(voice-over): Henry Farrell of George Washington University says personal Web sites, known as Web logs or blogs, will continue changing the political landscape.
HENRY FARRELL, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Blogs are becoming more and more a way in which ordinary people can communicate, can express their political opinions, can engage in certain kinds of political action and can have real consequences as a result.
M. O'BRIEN: It was chatter on the so-called blogosphere that ultimately led to Trent Lott's resignation as Senate Majority Leader. And Howard Dean effectively used the Internet to raise interest and money, making him a viable contender for the 2004 Democratic presidential run.
In the future Farrell says while its role is ever changing, the Internet is sure to remain a political force.
FARRELL: The future impact of the Internet on politics is enormous. Politics is going to become much more unpredictable than it has been in the past, much more difficult to control, a lot more interesting, a lot more lively.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: And good morning. Welcome back, everybody. It is Thursday, October 19th.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Good morning to you.
Now on the news wall, and a look at some of the stories we're following for you this morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in South Korea right now. She is pressing that key ally to fully enforce U.N. sanctions against North Korea.
Some Marine reserve combat battalions that have already been to Iraq once will be going back. They're going to be sent back in 2008. And their training begins next year.
M. O'BRIEN: More on who knew what and when about former congressman Mark Foley's e-mails to teenage pages. Today the Ethics Committee to hear from the former clerk of the House.
Homeland security now downplaying that Internet threat of dirty bomb attacks at NFL stadiums this weekend. The league says the stadiums are well protected.
S. O'BRIEN: It's half past the hour. Let's get right to Chad Myers, who's watching some storms in Louisiana for us this morning.
Hey, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
Hard to tell where I am here, but this is Alexandria, Louisiana. And in the past hour, 700 lightning strikes just to the southwest of that city. And there will be more weather, severe weather, and for a while there was even a tornado warning on this cell.
We do expect more weather like this in the central plains today. Forecast in 15 minutes.
Back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thank you.
Well, the violence in Iraq is spiraling toward a grim record. Just this morning another car bomb, a dozen dead. Twice that number wounded in Mosul. Iraqi civilians are now dying at a rate of 43 a day.
Meanwhile, another American soldier was killed in the Anbar Province west of Baghdad. And October is likely to be the deadliest month since the siege of Falluja that happened two years ago.
So what exactly is an American soldier's day like amid the violence in Iraq?
CNN's Arwa Damon in Baghdad for us.
Arwa, good morning to you.
DAMON: Good morning, Soledad.
It is incredibly challenging. We were just down south of Baghdad in an area known as the "Triangle of Death". There soldiers from the 2nd Brigade 10th Mountain Division are pushing into the fields and farmlands just outside of Yusufiyah, and they say they're uncovering a Wal-Mart of weapons.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON (voice over): To the untrained eye, it seems like there is nothing lurking here. But Captain Sean Finn (ph) and his company have quickly learned the little things to look for.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This berm right before we get to the line, that there's footprints in the mud, it shows that they've been walking in here to provide concealment when they get to the road to lay the IEDs in.
DAMON: Captain Finn (ph) says it's been on-the-job training. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hanging off the reed here, broke off. We found one about 50 meters away. So these are the type of things we look for.
DAMON: First they find the spotters' position. Farther down, they pull up wiring. Another short distance away they dig up plastic explosive.
Mortar rounds are buried under the tumbleweed. All the parts in place to assemble IEDs at any moment right in this field.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They got the explosives in. They got the wire in. And probably within the next 12 hours under cover of darkness they'd recede the road with the IEDs.
DAMON: The final component hidden across the street.
(on camera): These are all IED roadside bomb trigger devices. They are quite primitive yet highly effective. This, for example, is the timer off of a washing machine. Once the timer has been set, the IED is ready to detonate.
(voice over): Since this operation began two weeks ago, the U.S. has found enough material for at least 1,000 roadside bombs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON: Securing this area has come at a price to the battalion. Since the operation began two weeks ago, at least four soldiers were killed, another 20 wounded. But as the commanders say, securing that area is vital to securing Baghdad -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon for us in Baghdad.
Thanks, Arwa -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: To the nuclear crisis in North Korea now.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in South Korea, pushing Seoul to get on board with sanctions against North Korea. At her news conference less than an hour ago she emphasized the purpose of the sanctions is to get North Korea to reopen negotiations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: We want to leave open the path of negotiation. We don't want the crisis to escalate. And the sooner that North Korea would choose to unconditionally come back to the table and take up the very good -- very good statement or very good agreement that is their framework agreement that is there as of September, it would be to the betterment of everyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: CNN's Zain Verjee is the only U.S. TV correspondent traveling with the secretary. She joins us on the phone from Seoul -- Zain.
VERJEE: Miles, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice may have a more challenging time here in South Korea. She basically wants South Korea to take action and inspect North Korean cargo that could be suspicious, that could be carrying nuclear or fissile material. Essentially, the ships she wants interdicted, inspected to prevent the transfer of those materials.
She went on to say all countries that signed on to the U.N. Security Council resolution that slapped sanctions on North Korea are obliged to inspect ships. Sharing ideas, too, she said was very important on how to go about doing those inspections. She talked, too, about sharing intelligence and cooperation, and coordination between the regional powers.
Secretary Rice also emphasized that she didn't want to make the situation worse, or escalate it. But the ultimate goal, she said, was to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, and she insisted that North Korea had to return unconditionally to the six-party talks and dismantle its nuclear program -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Zain, do you have a sense that there is a good -- a healthy agreement between the secretary of state and her counterparts in South Korea as to how firm this punishment, the sanctions, should be?
VERJEE: Well, publicly they seem to agree. The foreign minister, Ban Ki-moon, says that South Korea will enforce the sanctions on North Korea. But the question is, how far is South Korea really willing to go? How tough are they really going to be?
There's a feeling here in South Korea that they just don't want to push the north too hard in the manner that the United States would want because they're just nervous that North Korea could collapse and they would have a big old mess on their hands just on their doorstep. Also, South Korea's had a policy toward North Korea which is essentially one of engagement. They give it food aid, they trade with North Korea, and they don't want to change that policy, according to many analysts I talked to here, in spite of how hard Secretary Rice may push.
But it remains to be seen whether South Korea will push hard and put the noose harder around North Korea's neck. According to people here, that is just not going to happen.
M. O'BRIEN: Zain Verjee in Seoul. Thank you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Some of the stories we're following for you this morning.
Sony runs into big trouble over all those faulty laptop computer batteries.
Sir Paul McCartney's divorce from Heather Mills, ooh, it is starting to get nasty.
That, much more ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Some of today's top stories we're following for you.
A suicide bomber strikes in Afghanistan, killing NATO soldiers and civilians, including two children.
In Iraq, the October death toll rises to 69 as another American soldier is killed in action.
Here's a look at what CNN correspondents all around the world are covering today.
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FLORCRUZ: I'm Jaime FlorCruz in Beijing, where officials confirm a meeting between Chinese special envoy Tang Jiaxuan and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang. It is the first known meeting between Kim and a foreign diplomat since North Korea first conducted its nuclear test last week.
It also comes on the eve of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Beijing. She's expected it lean on Beijing to use its leverage against its neighbor, North Korea.
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AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Al Goodman near Lisbon, where the Portuguese parliament on Thursday is expected to authorize a referendum early next year that will allow voters to decide if abortion should be legalized. Portugal is one of the last countries in western Europe where abortion is essentially banned. The powerful Roman Catholic Church here helped defeat a similar abortion referendum eight years ago, but various women who've had illegal abortions in back street clinics tell us they think this time could be different and the country is ready for a change.
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EUNICE YOON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Eunice Yoon in Hong Kong.
The maker of the Walkman has run into trouble. Sony of Japan has slashed its earnings forecast for the year by more than half after making millions of faulty computer batteries. Computer makers like Dell and Apple have already recalled eight million Sony batteries, worried they can overheat or catch fire. That and pricing pressure over Sony's PlayStation 3 is causing many investors to wonder if it's a Sony means it's a dud.
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JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Jim Boulden in London.
The government will soon award the country's first and only license for a super casino Las Vegas style. Now, the bookies' favorite is here in London in what was called the Millennium Dome. That is now owned by American billionaire Philip Anschutz.
But many people would love to see it in Blackpool, once the site for seaside holidays for millions of Britons since Victorian times. But Blackpool is now economically deprived, run down and gritty, and many people there say the only hope it has for economic revival is a super casino.
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M. O'BRIEN: For more on these or any of our top stories, log on to our Web site, CNN.com.
There's a stunning new image out today from the Hubble Space Telescope. You see it over my shoulder there. It is once again continuing to rewrite the astronomy books.
Take a look at this picture.
This is 68 million light years away, which for the Hubble, not too far. That's basically a chip shot.
We're looking at two galaxies. They call them the Antennae galaxies, colliding. And this particular collision occurred no less than 500 million years ago, because what we're seeing is light that left that location a long time ago.
So we don't know what's happening there right now. But basically what you're seeing, instead of a violent collision, you are seeing two galaxies that are coming to the and actually creating a whole series of new stars, billions and billions of stars, many of them in clusters.
This Antennae galaxy has never been depicted in such a sharp manner. They call it the Antennae galaxy because when you look at it from ground-based telescopes -- actually, this is such a clear picture, it doesn't show it so well -- but it shows various little kind of antennae coming out there, kind of rabbit ears for a galaxy.
Not sure where the foil would be for that on the old rabbit ears. I guess that would date me a little bit.
The -- it's interesting on the timing of this. In the next couple of weeks NASA is going to have to make a big decision on the Hubble Space Telescope, which, of course, has been doing yeoman's science work for a long time, but is on its way to being out of commission, unless the space shuttle is commissioned to go to the Hubble Space Telescope for another repair mission. Post-Columbia, there's been a lot of decisions back and forth as to whether to do that. In the next couple of weeks NASA will try to make a decision on whether it's safe to go to Hubble and repair it. We'll keep you posted on that, as well.
Let's get a check of the weather now. Chad Myers in the weather center.
Hello, Chad.
MYERS: Hey, Miles. So this thing is already together? This thing has been collapsed for 500 million years now?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, that's the weird thing about -- you know, when you see pictures this far away, it happened 500 million years ago. We're just getting the light because it just -- it takes that long to get here to us.
MYERS: Right. And we think it's a big deal when thunder takes ten seconds to get from a lightning bolt, right?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes. This kind of puts this in perspective.
MYERS: It sure does.
M. O'BRIEN: You feel like a little, you know, piece of dust on top of a head of a pin kind of thing.
MYERS: There you go. That's where we are.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
MYERS: Good morning.
Rain showers in Louisiana this morning. Not a lot of rain going to affect big cities or big airports today. But maybe some delays later on this afternoon in Atlanta.
The rain does get to New York City, but after the ball game should be over. And then for tomorrow, the rain does push completely away.
For Sunday, there will be a rain-snow mix in Denver. This is the ups and downs of living in Denver. But the Northeast will be sunny and cool. Absolutely perfect pumpkin-picking weather -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Which is exactly what we're going to be doing, Chad. Thank you very much.
MYERS: There you go. You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Some of the stories we're following for you right now.
Key testimony in the Mark Foley investigation today from former House clerk Jeff Trandahl. A voter injured after a stingray leaps from the water, jabs him.
And Paul McCartney's divorce takes a very ugly turn.
Much more on that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Some of today's top stories we're following for you.
Secretary of State Rice in Seoul to discuss sanctions against North Korea. And some key figures to testify in the House Ethics investigation of former congressman Mark Foley -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, the breakup of the Paul McCartney-Heather Mills marriage is taking a very public turn, with leaks of what the British tabloid "The Mirror" says are court documents. Now, according to "The Mirror," Heather Mills is claiming that McCartney stabbed her in the arm with a broken wine glass, shoved her over a coffee table, verbally abused her, poured a glass of wine over her head.
Both Mills and McCartney had said they hoped their divorce would be amicable. But if you believe what's in "The Mirror," it is way past that.
We get more from CNN's Paula Hancocks. She's in London.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was described as a lavish wedding held in a 17th century castle in Ireland. Thanking well-wishers who camped out at the castle gates, former Beatle Paul McCartney and Heather Mills looked happy and in love.
But four years later, they are in the process of a bitter divorce. A divorce which is fast becoming one of the most acrimonious and high profile in years. And a court date hasn't even been set yet.
British tabloid "The Daily Mail" says it received leaked court papers allegedly filed by Heather Mills citing unreasonable conduct and mistreatment by Paul McCartney. The law firm for Mills says it will "... not comment on leaked or allegedly leaked documents," but their client "... stands by everything that has been filed at court on her behalf and intends to prove its truth in due course, should this be necessary."
And McCartney's lawyers say McCartney would "... very much like to respond in public and in detail to the allegations." But he recognizes on advice that "... the only correct forum for his response is in the current divorce proceedings. Our client will be defending these allegations vigorously and appropriately."
But could this alleged leak have any impact on the divorce itself?
BARBARA SIMPSON, DIVORCE LAWYER: It's about two people, and when there's that level of invective being bandied around against them, and there's one way of stopping it, then that way is settlement. So really, it puts pressure on the person who feels worst about it.
HANCOCKS: When the couple initially announced their separation in May of this year they suggested they wanted amicable proceedings for the sake of their 3-year-old daughter Beatrice. But that hasn't happened.
In an echo of the bitter fight between Britain's Prince Charles and Princess Diana, McCartney and Mills have hired the same divorce lawyers as the royal couple. And there's a lot at stake. McCartney stands to lose a substantial part of his $1.5 billion fortune.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, London.
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M. O'BRIEN: Happening "In America" this morning, a Florida man attacked by the same type of animal that killed "The Crocodile Hunter," Steve Irwin. The 81-year-old man was stung in the chest by a stingray after the 30-pound creature jumped into his boat. The man is hospitalized this morning with very serious injuries.
In Arizona, five are dead after a plane crash outside Phoenix. Their twin-engine plane flying in formation with a fighter jet, trying to take some pictures of it when it went down. Investigators say the planes did not collide, however. The focus now on mechanical problems.
Controllers saw a stream of vapor coming from one of the plane's engines after takeoff. That's the fighter jet there it shows pictures of.
In California, one city giving the green light to a plan cracking down on illegal immigration. It's now against the law for landlords in Escondido to rent apartments to illegal immigrants. The city council says any landlord who defies the ordinance will be prohibited from renting any property in that city.
New Jersey police looking for this man. They say he stole New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's car.
One of the mayor's workers was running errands in the Lexus yesterday. He was distracted by a woman asking for change. Police say that's when the suspect hopped in, pushed the man out, and drove away.
S. O'BRIEN: That's the female suspect who's involved in the gang.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, it is?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: OK. Well, I'm glad we got that straight.
S. O'BRIEN: It kind of looks like a lady, and it is.
M. O'BRIEN: OK. Thank you very much for getting that rectified.
In any case, that's one of the people they're looking for in all that.
Shea Stadium will be rocking in New York tonight. The Mets will take on the St. Louis Cardinals for a ticket to the World Series. New York forced (ph) game seven last night when they beat the cards 4-2. The winner of tonight's game will take on the American League champs, the Detroit Tigers, in the World Series.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, off the field Major League Baseball is launching a new business venture. If you're a die-hard fan you can now take your support for the team right to the grave.
A licensing agreement with a funeral company will see coffins emblazoned -- I kid you not -- emblazoned with the colors and the logos of the big league teams. Urns for ashes, Miles, will also be available.
I am not making this up. I swear to you. Major League Baseball gets a cut of the profits, and they say it's a great way for fans to truly express their love for their team.
M. O'BRIEN: Undying love, you might say. Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Or dying love, too.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, that, too.
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at some of the stories we're working on for you this morning.
Officials say they are very skeptical about a possible threat of a dirty bomb attack at NFL stadiums. And we'll tell you why falling oil prices could hurt your retirement fund.
Those stories, much more ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Top stories we're following for you.
The death toll is climbing as another U.S. soldier is killed in Iraq.
And President Bush warns North Korea of grave consequences if it puts nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Hewlett-Packard back in the news again. And this time, it has nothing to do with spying. How could that be?
Andy Serwer, do they actually make computers still?
SERWER: They sure do. And this time it's some good news.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, good.
SERWER: I mean, can you imagine good news for Hewlett-Packard? And here's what's going on.
HP passed Dell in worldwide shipments of personal computers in the third quarter. So they are now the world's largest PC maker. This according to Gartner, IDC. A 16.3 percent market share for HP, 16.1 percent market share for Dell.
Why is this happening? Well HP is growing faster. Of course HP bought Compaq, so it's both of those brands together.
M. O'BRIEN: So is there revisionist history as to whether that merger might have been a good idea now?
SERWER: I think it was a wonderful idea.
M. O'BRIEN: Well...
SERWER: Well, it seems to be working.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: And then the question is, is it the new CEO or did Carly set it up?
Dell is still much bigger in the United States, by the way. So you should know that.
Apple Computer, their market share is up to 6 percent, which is quite a jump, because it had fallen all the way down to very low single digits. And they reported last night -- and wow, unbelievable. They are continuing to cook.
First of all, let's start with the iPods -- 8.7 million iPods sold in the quarter.
M. O'BRIEN: In the quarter.
SERWER: And 39 million for the year. I mean, so if anyone thinks this is slowing down, it is not.
There's something called a halo effect, that's what's helping their PCs. They sold 1.6 million PCs. Their biggest quarter ever for PC sales.
M. O'BRIEN: The halo effect.
SERWER: The halo effect is, if you get an iPod and you think it's really cool and it works really well...
M. O'BRIEN: Oh.
SERWER: ... you can say, gee, maybe I should get one of those computers. That would work well with it, as well.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. What else you got, Andy?
SERWER: We're going to talk quickly here about RadioShack. They've got some online classes. They're kind of interesting here, where you can learn how to edit digital photos, learn how to set up your high-def TV, learn how to buy a computer.
Of course, you might want to learn how to do this at RadioShack. So it's sort of a...
M. O'BRIEN: Geek school.
SERWER: Yes. And they do a lot of things on the Web. They fired a lot of people on the Web, too. Remember that?
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, I do remember that. They might encourage you to buy some RadioShack products, too.
SERWER: Exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. What's your next segment all about?
SERWER: Next we're going to be talking about NBC. And they've got some job cuts over there, sad to say.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
Thank you very much, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Here are some of the top stories on CNN.com.
A federal judge in Ohio is delaying the scheduled execution of Jeffrey Lundgren. He's the cult leader convicted of killing a family of five back in 1989. The temporary order means that Lundgren can challenge the state's use of lethal injection to kill him. Lundgren claims he's too obese for execution, he says. Because he's overweight and diabetic, lethal injection will cause him pain and suffering.
A hundred and twenty-five people arrested and charged with subscribing to a child porn Web site. The site apparently warned customers that it was illegal to subscribe. Among those arrested, a long-time Boy Scout leader and a middle school coach.
And the woman who got a face transplant goes public a year after the surgery. Isabelle Dinoire says she's regained feeling in her face and sees herself when she looks in the mirror.
For more on these stories, log on to our Web site at CNN.com.
The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING begins right now.
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you, Thursday, October 19th.
I'm Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Lots happening. Let's get right to our news wall.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in South Korea this morning. She's trying to keep up the pressure on North Korea as China shows some signs of taking a tougher stand against Pyongyang.
M. O'BRIEN: Also happening this AMERICAN MORNING, today could be a key day in the ethics probe into the Mark Foley page scandal.
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