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American Morning
The Fight for Iraq; America Votes 2006; Madonna Adoption
Aired October 23, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, it's Monday, October 23. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Glad to have you with us.
The top story this morning, in Iraq, the holy month of Ramadan ends as it began with numbing violence. The Bush White House knocking down a published report there is a timetable to pull U.S. troops out.
S. O'BRIEN: Right to the news wall for some of the other stories we're following for you this morning.
A roadside bomb in Iraq kills another U.S. soldier, happened last night in western Baghdad. October is now the deadliest month this year for U.S. troops. Eighty-six have been killed so far.
Former Enron Chief Jeff Skilling is going to be sentenced today, could get more than 20 years in prison. He faces $18 million in fines.
M. O'BRIEN: The search for remains of 9/11 victims resumes this morning at Ground Zero. Over the weekend, another work crew found more bones near the site of the World Trade Center.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right to Chad Myers with a look for -- at weather this morning. Cold front forcing frost and freeze all the way to the Gulf Coast.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Cold, cold, cold. Nice weekend for us, though.
MYERS: And it's still not that bad in New York City, 54, but it's not going to be a warm week.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thank you, we'll wait for that.
Let's get right to Iraq this morning. As the holy period of Ramadan draws to a close this week, the American death toll is climbing rapidly. Over the weekend, 11 American military deaths, and as we told you about just a moment ago, that brings the U.S. death toll to 86 this month. It makes October the deadliest month for U.S. troops this year. And at this pace, we could be looking at the highest monthly death toll since the siege of Falluja almost two years ago.
Let's get right to CNN's John Roberts. He's in Taji which is just north of Baghdad. He's embedded with the 172nd Striker Brigade.
John, good morning.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
We're specifically with the 117th Infantry Battalion of that 172nd Striker Brigade out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska, about to go out on patrol with them in their area of operation, which is in the Baghdad area. Won't tell you specifically where it is, because you have to be very careful when you're traveling around this country. If the insurgents get an idea of where these patrols are heading, they can lay out some IEDs, and that still is the deadliest threat that these soldiers are facing.
Over the weekend, we were embedded with the 1st Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas. It's been a particularly deadly month for them, they have lost at least 15 people. Yesterday, when we were out on patrol with one of their battalions, we heard of what's called a complex attack against another patrol west of the Tigris River in a heavily Sunni populated area.
The chaplain was out to deliver Sunday services to the troops in the field. They were hit by an IED, then followed on by mortar fire and small arms fire. Thankfully, though, the only casualty was one of the drivers of the humvee, suffered a bruise to his leg. They don't know how -- well, they do know how unbelievably lucky they were in an attack like that to come out relatively unscathed.
But it has been very difficult here facing not only the Sunni insurgency, attacks from al Qaeda terrorists, but as well getting a handle on this sectarian violence. The area of operations for Camp Taji is north of Baghdad, covers about 500 square miles. And in there you have a lot of towns that are predominately Sunni, predominately Shiite, other towns that are mixed.
The Sunni and Shiite towns are often very close together, as is the case with a town called Kudis (ph) and Husiniya (ph), attacks across the border between those two towns. And some towns that were mixed Sunni and Shiite literally have been cleared out now because the militias have decided to make that their battleground -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: So what's the biggest issues then in trying to deal with all the sectarian violence there?
ROBERTS: Well it's something that they haven't been trained for, you know. They've been trained for sort of frontal attacks, one, you know the Army against an enemy. And when they try to get in the middle of this sectarian violence, it's very difficult to try to cool the tensions between the two, because as soon as the American patrols pull out, then the Sunnis and the Shiites go at it again.
And what they try to do is they try to talk to the town leaders to say you know what do you need here in terms of security, what do you need to quell the violence? They're really trying to get between the middle of two sides that really want to kill each other and that's probably the most difficult type of security to provide -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: John Roberts in Taji for us this morning.
Thanks, John.
Let's get right back to Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Soledad.
The White House denying it is working up a timetable to withdrawal troops from Iraq. That contradicts a report in the Sunday "New York Times." It said the administration would call on the Iraqi government to set its own timetable for withdrawal.
CNN's Elaine Quijano at the White House with more on this from this morning.
Good morning, -- Elaine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The White House says it's disputing a "New York Times" report that says the U.S. is drafting a new timetable for the Iraqi government to address sectarian division and to take on a larger role in securing the country.
Now the report comes amid continued violence in Iraq, as well as pressure from both Democrats and Republicans this election season, for the administration to change course, while a senior Bush aide calls "The New York Times" story overwritten. On Friday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged that the U.S. is working with the Iraqi government to develop a set of -- quote -- "projections" as to when the U.S. can hand over various security responsibilities.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: The president is expected to shift his focus this week from the war in Iraq to the health of the economy. White House advisors say the president should get some credit for recent positive economic news. Overall, the economy grew 2.6 percent from April through June.
Coming up, we'll talk Iraq strategy with the Counselor to the President, Dan Bartlett. That's this morning, 7:30 Eastern Time.
A State Department official who said the U.S. acted with stupidity and arrogance in Iraq eating some crow this morning. Alberto Fernandez is a senior diplomat at the State Department, fluent in Arabic. He made the remark Saturday on the Arab television network Al Jazeera. He was talking about how the U.S. would be judged in the future. But yesterday, Fernandez changed his tune, saying this, "Upon reading the transcript of my appearance on Al Jazeera, I realized I seriously misspoke by using the phrase there has been arrogance and stupidity by the U.S. in Iraq. This neither represents my views or nor those of the State Department. I apologize" -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Fifteen days from now we'll go to the polls. It's a critical mid-term election because control of one or both Houses of Congress could shift from Republicans to Democrats. And we're not voting for the president this time around, but there's a name that keeps coming up for a run in 2008 and that's Senator Barack Obama. He's a Democrat from Illinois. He was a guest on the show last week. He's consistently said he wasn't interested in the White House or that he wasn't ready to talk about it now. That's changed, though, and now he's talking about it.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: I think the speculation is more than I would have anticipated. Right now my focus is on the election that's three weeks away and that's what I'm spending my time doing is campaigning on behalf of other candidates. I'll have time to think about it after November 7.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Right now Hillary Clinton is considered to be the Democratic frontrunner for the presidency two years from now, but she's running for re-election for Senate in New York. So the talk about '08 is providing ammunition for her Republican opponent in this race and that's putting her on the defensive.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I have made no decisions about any future plans. And if that is a concern to any voter, they should factor that in to their decision on November 7.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN SPENCER (R), NEW YORK SENATE CANDIDATE: I'm the only one standing here today that wants to be a United States Senator for the next six years for the people of New York. Senator Clinton has been given the welcome mat by the people of New York six years ago and I believe she's using us as a doormat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Now over in the House, Republicans are working with a very thin -- excuse me -- margin as they try to hold on to power. One solid Republican district could be lost just due to confusion, and that's the seat that former Majority Leader Tom DeLay gave up when he resigned over ethics problems.
AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken is in DeLay's home district in Sugar Land, Texas, this morning.
Hey, Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
We brought the CNN Election Express down here, and well we should, because here we have an election where Tom DeLay is on the ballot, but he's not running, the Republican candidate is not on the ballot, but she is running, except that she is on the ballot because there are two elections.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHELLEY SEKULA GIBBS, TEXAS CONGRESS CANDIDATE: I'm Shelley Sekula Gibbs and I'm running for Congress.
FRANKEN (voice-over): Houston City Councilwoman Shelley Sekula Gibbs was recruited to replace Tom DeLay with little delay but too late for her name to get on the ballot, not the one for the next two years in Congress.
NICK LAMPSON, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CANDIDATE: I'm Nick Lampson. I'm running for the U.S. House of Representatives.
FRANKEN: Democrat Nick Lampson won his spot on the ballot the old-fashioned way in the primary.
SEKULA GIBBS: It is not hard.
FRANKEN: Sekula Gibbs is listed in a special election called to finish out the weeks left in DeLay's unfinished term. The problem, the special election is the same day as the general election.
Her paid TV message, vote twice.
SEKULA GIBBS: First vote for me in the special election where my name will appear on the ballot. Then, in the general election, on the same ballot, write me in.
FRANKEN (on camera): Make any sense to you at all?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Does it, you?
FRANKEN: Do you understand this at all?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don't.
FRANKEN: What are you going to do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. It is a quandary. It really is. What do you suggest?
FRANKEN (voice-over): Someone suggested to Sekula Gibbs she should have a jingle.
SEKULA GIBBS: Vote twice for Shelley, special and then write her in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well that's good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good to see you again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To see you.
FRANKEN: Lampson, the Democrat, he's staying off the ballot where Sekula Gibbs does appear.
LAMPSON: Special election is something that was going to -- that turned out to be very confusing and I chose not to be a part of that.
FRANKEN: Although it's considered to be leaning Democratic this time, the indications are that's because of the ballot confusion, not all the problems weighing down Republicans nationally. In fact, the party heavyweights have been campaigning in the area, even DeLay. But Sekula Gibbs feels she needs to sing for her support.
SEKULA GIBBS: Can do it and then we'll win.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: You don't often run into yodeling on the hustings, as Miles likes to say. She is a doctor, by the way, Sekula Gibbs is, and she will probably be congresswoman at least for a few days. No word if she's going to be taking up yodeling -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, well, she might, she's not so bad. Question for you, realistically, what are her chances, -- Bob?
FRANKEN: Well, it's a very Republican district, but obviously this confusion has meant that the experts are saying now that it is -- quote -- "leaning Democratic" but it is not at all a safe bet for the Democrats, which is just an example of just how Republican this district has been. Tom DeLay still has an influence here.
S. O'BRIEN: Interesting, so as confusing as it is, it could actually work out in her favor at the end of the day.
All right, Bob Franken for us this morning, singing and all bright an early on AMERICAN MORNING.
Thanks, Bob.
And as the election gets closer, we're going to give you a special series of prime time reports all this week. It's called "BROKEN GOVERNMENT." Look for reports from the best political team on TV. Begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm just glad Bob didn't chime in on the yodeling there.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. No, that would be bad.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Bob.
Some of the stories we're following for you this morning, North Korea may be ready to compromise in the standoff over its nuclear program. The man from Malawi who gave his son to Madonna now says he never knew the adoption would be permanent. And get ready for sticker shock if you plan on flying this Thanksgiving. We have more on that ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Stories we're following for you this morning.
The White House denying there is a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. That contradicts a "New York Times" piece yesterday. The Bush administration says it is constantly developing new tactics.
Actress Jane Wyatt has died. You remember her, she was the mom who really knew best in the 1950's classic "Father Knows Best." She was 96 -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Is North Korea ready to deal? There are reports that Kim Jong-Il's government may be prepared to compromise in the nuclear standoff with the world. North Korea is facing some serious financial sanctions from the international community following that nuclear test that took place on October 9. And the leader, Kim Jong- Il, says he's unlikely to test another nuke unless he's harassed by the U.S. He also says he's going to return to those six-way talks aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear program if in fact the U.S. lists sanctions.
Meanwhile, we could soon find out what the U.N. plans to do about Iran and its nuclear aspirations. A draft resolution dealing with that country could come later this week. It's expected to include limited sanctions. Yesterday, France's foreign minister said that dialog with Iran is always possible, but there needs to be firmness from the international community.
A quarter past the hour, if you're just about to head out the door, let's check in with Chad, he's at the CNN Weather Center with the traveler's forecast.
Good morning, -- Chad. MYERS: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Chad.
The man from Malawi whose son was adopted by Madonna now has some doubts. He says he did not understand that he was permanently signing away custody of his son.
Jeff Koinange, who covers Africa for us, joins us from Johannesburg with more, -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Miles. And you've got to remember this man is illiterate, comes from a tiny village in this very impoverished country. The biological father now says he didn't realize that Madonna was actually going to -- in his words -- "take his child away forever."
What he was led to understand by government officials, he says, is that Madonna would raise the child, feed the child, educate the child and eventually send him back to his biological father. He says had he known Madonna was going to take him away forever, he would not have agreed to the adoption papers, Miles, so again, a fresh twist to this ongoing saga.
It's not going away, because, again, remember there's a court case in the Malawi High Court where 67 human rights groups are going to argue against international adoptions, even though it's by celebrities -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Well let's talk about what the Malawian government officials are saying about all of this, Jeff, surely they were in the middle of this transaction somehow and were weighing in.
KOINANGE: That's right, indeed. And you know because there was so much publicity around it, the world's media attention had focused on this tiny impoverished country, I guess the government officials wanted to fast-track this adoption and they just had this young man, Yohane Banda, sign off his little 1-year-old child over to Madonna. And because he's illiterate, he didn't read the fine print. He signed what he was told to sign. And now, days later, he realizes it's not what he had intended -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: So that's remarkable. So what you're implying there is that the Malawian officials seeking this attention were, in essence, pressuring this deal to happen?
KOINANGE: Well, you know what, it's difficult to judge right now, but according to the boy's father, he says this is not what he had intended. He thought the child was just going to go out, be raised by this wonderful woman, wonderful family, come back at some point and help the family out, as you know many Malawians who get a chance to go outside do. But he did not think the child was going to be signed away for the rest of his life -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: So what is likely to happen next then, -- Jeff?
KOINANGE: Good question. Well the court case begins Friday, Malawi High Court in the capital Lilongwe. These human rights groups are going to argue against international adoption. But looking -- speaking to a couple of experts, they say worst-case scenario, the child might have to be returned at some point. But that's going to be really messy, because what does it do, it discourages a lot of celebrities from seeking adoptions in Africa. And at the end, bottom line, it will be a lose-lose situation -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Jeff Koinange in Johannesburg, thank you very much -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at some of the stories we're watching for you this morning. New York City officials find more human remains at Ground Zero. And in Omaha, police say call 911 to report smoking in public. More on that and much more ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Happening in America this morning.
At Ground Zero in New York, more human remains have been discovered. The medical examiner is now testing 18 bones for identification. Crews have been combing Ground Zero for remains since last week when bones found at a nearby construction site and bones were found there. It's still unknown if those remains belong to victims of 9/11.
In California, a Republican congressional candidate is refusing to give in to controversy. We told you this story last week. Tang Nguyen's staff members sent a letter to thousands of Latino voters who told them, incorrectly by the way, that they could be jailed or deported if they vote if they are immigrants or if they're illegal. Well GOP leaders and Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wanted Nguyen out of the race, but Nguyen says he didn't authorize the letter and there's no way he's quitting.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TANG NGUYEN, CALIFORNIA CONGRESS CANDIDATE: I'm innocent and there is no way in hell I am going to withdrawal. I'm not going to quite this race and I'm going to win this race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: The race is in 15 days. We'll see what happens then.
In Chicago, take a look at this. It was a beautiful run, but watch the finish, he slipped and he slammed his head. That's the winner of this weekend's Chicago Marathon. He crosses the line, then he slips and slams his head on the ground. That's Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya. Went to the hospital as a precaution, though, apparently he's expected to be absolutely fine. In Colorado, authorities now know the identity of a man who turned up in Denver suffering from amnesia, couldn't remember anything. He is 40-year-old Jeff Ingram (ph). His fiancee spotted his picture while she was watching the news. Peggy Hanson (ph) says Jeff disappeared six weeks ago on a trip to Canada. Doctors say he still has a long way to go before he regains his memory.
In Omaha, Nebraska, if you see somebody smoking, call the cops. City leaders are encouraging residents to dial 911 if they see somebody light up in a public place. Officers will be ready to respond. They'll be ready to issue fines. Smoking in most public places in Omaha is banned under a law that took effect this month.
M. O'BRIEN: Boy!
S. O'BRIEN: That's tough.
M. O'BRIEN: Got to go back to chewing tobacco there. Bring back the spittoons there.
Well if you're one of the millions that will be flying this Thanksgiving, be prepared to pay a lot more for that ticket then you did last year. The average advance roundtrip fare for Thanksgiving up 15 percent, 15 percent on average. You'll pay, on average, $434 to go wherever you need to go. But that has not slowed you down, bookings are up 42 percent from a year ago.
Andy Serwer, people are still flying .
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: They sure are.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, they sure are.
SERWER: Got to get home to that family.
M. O'BRIEN: You've got other issues to deal with, Jeff Skilling to be sentenced today.
Good morning to you.
SERWER: That's right.
Good morning to you, Miles.
The last major chapter of the Enron saga ends today in Houston. Former Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling will be facing Judge Sim Lake for sentencing. Skilling, 52, looks like he's going to be getting at least 25 years. The judge is likely to be sending out a message of deterrence to other corporate executives. He could be -- Skilling could be free, pending appeal, but that's not likely because of those two instances of intoxication that Skilling found himself involved in. Actually,...
M. O'BRIEN: That would be enough to not...
SERWER: Especially the second one, because the first -- after the first one, he was ordered not to drink again, and then he did. He had some margaritas at a bar in Dallas one night and it didn't sit well with his medication, apparently, and he ran into a police officer on the way home. That's the story the way we have it.
And because he is likely to appeal the sentencing, there will be no expression of guilt or remorse, this according to Skilling's lawyer, at this sentencing.
M. O'BRIEN: Interesting.
SERWER: A lot of people will be looking for that, but that's not going to happen, at least according to reports that we have now.
M. O'BRIEN: Will there be victim's statements today as well?
SERWER: That we don't know. Apparently not. I think it's just going to be basically the judge. And the judge may tell him that he should go right off to prison at that point.
M. O'BRIEN: On you go, all right.
SERWER: Let's talk about gasoline, Miles, prices down again nationwide, 8 cents to $2.20 a gallon. More good news, and your low, Tulsa, Oklahoma, $1.98. So you pump...
M. O'BRIEN: A dollar ninety-eight?
SERWER: Yes, averaging down there.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
SERWER: And then finally stocks, of course it was a big week for investors with the Dow hitting 12,000 and the Dow was up, you can see, 41 points. The Nasdaq off a bit, the S&P up and a lot of earnings will be happening this week, the futures slightly lower.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Dow 13,000, bring it on.
SERWER: Here we come.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, thank you very much, Andy, see you in a bit.
SERWER: All right.
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, you said it, not me.
A quick look at the stories we're following for you this morning, President Bush sort of scolded his father, gently, for speculating about the prospects of Republicans losing control in Congress. And voters approve a $5 billion overhaul of the Panama Canal. More on those stories and much more ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. It is Monday, October 23rd.
I'm Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Let's get right to the news wall, look at some of the stories we're following for you this morning.
The White House says it does not have a timetable to withdraw American troops from Iraq. Sunday's "New York Times" reported that the U.S. is drawing a timetable for the Iraqi government to deal with security issues.
And North Korea is reportedly ready to compromise in its nuclear standoff with the world. This, as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is back home. She wrapped up her four-nation trip dealing with the threat from North Korea.
M. O'BRIEN: Chad Myers at the CNN weather center. He's got a look at the weather for you.
Good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles and Soledad.
Yes, that white is snow on the map, northern Michigan, also now kind of getting down there into the snow belt areas of Lake Erie, just to the east of Cleveland. Temperatures obviously cold enough, even with the wind-chill, to support some snow.
Buffalo, it feels like 30. New York City, you don't get out of the 50s all week long. What you see is what you get. Today is the same as the rest of the week -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Chad.
In Iraq, the holy month of Ramadan will be remembered for stunning violence. At least 44 Iraqis killed across the country just yesterday. Ten American troops killed over the weekend, bringing the U.S. death toll to 85. The deadliest month so far this year.
Meanwhile, the White House is denying it is working on a timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq.
CNN's Kyung Lah is at the White House this morning. John Roberts is in Taji, Iraq.
Kyung, let's begin with you.
KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
In Iraq this morning they begin the celebration of the Muslim feast holiday, which is celebrating the end of Ramadan. It has been a holy month, as you mentioned, that has been marked by violence. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAH (voice over): What's supposed to be the most festive day of the year for Muslims, the end of Ramadan, was marked by bloody bodies arriving at Iraqi hospitals. A man wearing an explosive belt detonated a bomb in this Baghdad market.
The military reported bombings across the country, including a roadside bomb that killed a U.S. soldier. His death brings the U.S. military losses to the highest monthly number this year.
The surge in violence the reason for a weekend White House meeting. The president called in Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his top generals. Fifteen days away now from the midterm elections, Democrats renewed calls to set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Our troops have done their job. It's time to say to the Iraqis, we're giving you until this period of time, get your act together, we're coming home.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: The administration policy has shown strength, but you need strength and smarts. That's what Democratic policy will be.
LAH: Republicans say the administration is duty-bound to finish the job in Iraq.
SEN. JOHN WARNER (R), VIRGINIA: We have got to consider the consequences of this nation falling into a full civil war. The genocide among the peoples would be horrific. The image of America having failed in its foreign policy would do long-lasting damage to our credibility.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAH: Before this month, the highest monthly U.S. death toll this year was in April, at 76. So far, total U.S. military losses since the war began hovers right near 2,800 -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Kyung Lah in Washington.
Thank you very much.
Let's get right to John Roberts. He's in Taji, Iraq. He is about to go out on patrol with some U.S. troops there.
John, what are they saying there about all of this?
ROBERTS: Hey. Good morning to you, miles.
We're with the 172nd Stryker Brigade. That's that brigade out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska, that was supposed to go home back in August, but because of the level of violence increasing between Sunnis and Shiites and the amount of security that this particular brigade and this battalion, the 117 Infantry that we're with, can provide, they had their tour of duty extended. They're not going to be going home now until about December.
And we spent this past weekend with the 1st Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division going to all of the towns in their area of operation north of Baghdad, be they predominantly Sunni, be they predominantly Shiite, or mixed Shiite and Sunni. And it's absolutely clear that the sectarian violence really is threatening to tear this country apart.
You had Sunnis and Shiites who had been living together in relative peace for some 200 years. While the majority of them still want to get back to that way of living, it's clear that the mistrust is growing here. Radical elements on both sides causing more trouble.
We've seen towns that have literally been emptied out of people, with the exception of farmers who can't afford to leave their livestock behind. We've seen squatter sites that have been completely razed by Sunni militias. The Shiites and the Sunnis now increasingly fighting each other in this area. And yesterday, on patrol with the 166th Armored Battalion, they captured what they believe were four members of a Sunni militia who may have been getting ready to attack a nearby town that is predominantly Shiite.
So the violence here continues. And it's so difficult for the U.S. military to get a handle on it because they're learning as they go here.
What they're trying to do is provide as much security as possible, go into these towns, talk to the people about what they need. But there is so much trust between both sides, so much distrust on the Sunni side, of the official Iraqi police, and the Ministry of Information, that it's unclear at this point how to get a handle on this situation. The entire situation, the plan on the ground may, indeed, need some sort of revamping -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, let me ask you this, John. You talk about a lack of trust. How much can the U.S. forces, U.S. troops, U.S. officers there, trust their Iraqi counterparts? That's a big problem, isn't it?
ROBERTS: It is a big problem, because, you know, corruption has been rampant here in Iraq for decades. It's almost a way of life among officials here.
There is a problem with the Iraqi police, and the Americans believe that there are certain elements within the Iraqi police that can't be trusted. In one particular town there was a police chief who fled after he was attacked. The battalion commander did -- or the brigade commander did manage to install a new police chief who he believes will work.
But there's huge mistrust among the Sunni population of the Ministry of Information forces. They believe that they are behind a lot of these kidnappings. We met a woman in a Sunni town yesterday who said that her brother had been kidnapped by the Ministry of Information.
The only real Iraqi force here that seems to have some measure of trust is the Iraqi army. But there's a problem with getting those forces in place.
Yesterday, we attended the graduation of a platoon. But it was only one platoon, and they're not yet ready to go out on their own.
So it's still very slow getting these forces up, forces that these people here in Iraq can trust to provide security for them in these towns and villages -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: John Roberts with U.S. troops in Taji, just North of Baghdad.
Thank you very much -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Happening "In America" this morning, a recall of egg salad made by Ballard's Farm Sausage company. Tests show that some of the egg salad could contain a form of listeria.
The tests have been mixed. The investigation is ongoing. Listeria is very dangerous and can cause deadly infections in children and the elderly and miscarriages in pregnant women.
Ohio State University, an 18-year-old student there was killed by a freak elevator accident that happened in his dorm. Andrew Polikowski (ph) stepped onto the elevator as it malfunctioned, then began to free-fall as the doors were opened. He became pinned between the elevator car and the third floor opening, and he suffocated before rescuers could get to him.
In Arkansas, hundreds of residents are back at home this morning. Police evacuated them yesterday after a freight train derailed. The train was carrying a substance that was explosive. Luckily that didn't happen. It's unclear what caused the 85-car train to derail -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: More to come. Stories we're following for you this morning.
Republicans in Tennessee on the offensive with a tough new attack ad. We'll tell you about it.
And is it the freshman 15, or is it freshman 5? We'll look at a new study on weight gain in college ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back. Some of the stories we're following for you this morning.
Former Enron chief Jeff Skilling faces sentencing today. He could get more than 20 years in prison. He also faces $18 million in fines.
And Barack Obama now says that he is, in fact, considering a run for the presidency in 2008. He said he originally leaned toward not running.
M. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at what CNN correspondents all around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Harris Whitbeck in Panama City, Panama.
Voters here resoundingly decided to approve an expansion program for the Panama Canal which will cost about $5 billion, but which will allow for a new generation of much larger cargo ships. Proponents of the expansion program say it will now make it more efficient and eventually cheaper to transit the Panama Canal.
We'll be covering the repercussions of this story throughout the day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Sohn Jie-ae in Seoul.
Several media reports here are focusing on the north's next move. The Yonhap news report reports a South Korean national assemblyman as saying that a high-level North Korean official told him that Pyongyang was willing to return to the six-party talks aimed at resolving the nuclear issue if Washington was willing to lift financial sanctions on North Korea at these talks.
Another Yonhap report quotes the North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as telling the visiting Chinese envoy last week that he would not stage another nuclear test if the North was not harassed by Washington. Neither Seoul nor Washington is confirming these reports.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: I'm Robin Oakley reporting from Britain, where the controversy over Muslim women wearing the veil still rages.
Former foreign secretary Jack Straw and Tony Blair have called the veil an unhelpful symbol of separateness. Now the chairman of Britain's race relations watchdog, the Commission for Racial Equality, is warning the multiculturalism debate could trigger riots. Society, he says, is becoming evermore polarized by race and faith.
The chairman of the Muslim Council of Britain says the argument is becoming ugly and shrill, with veils torn off Muslim women and mosques subject to arson attacks.
(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: Forty-three minutes past the hour. If you're just about to head out the door, let's get right to Chad Myers. He's at the CNN weather center.
Good morning again, Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Soledad.
Some wind delays possible in the big airports across the Northeast, from Boston, to New York, to Philadelphia. Winds are gusting now. Temperatures are falling, as well, and wind-chills are in the 20 to 30-degree range across the Great Lakes. A cold day across the Northeast.
Cool across the South, and even for tomorrow with sunshine. Even Atlanta doesn't really climb above around 60 to 65 degrees. It is actually colder right now in Atlanta than it is in Boston, but that cold air will get all the way down to Miami.
That should be a beautiful week in Florida this week with lower humidities than you've had for the past, well, probably eight months -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: So we're upside down?
MYERS: Yes, right. You bet.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Chad. See you in a bit.
MYERS: You're welcome.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, Bush versus Bush. The president gets into a public spat of sorts with his father.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you come out, Sarah's going to be using weight, but you can come out to a side lunge. Try it Sarah.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you want to look great from the rear, side lunges are key in an age- defying glute workout.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... the lunge to effectively work them even harder. Let's do one more.
COHEN: Running stadium stairs are also great for lifting and toning the glutes, because the secret to a tight rear end is training all of the muscles that surround the gluteus maximus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you truly want to make your glutes age- defying, when you lunge out for stadium steps, you want to keep the back straight. The eyes are on the horizon. The eyes are up. And of course, that 90-degree angle.
COHEN: Lunges or leg presses are great substitutes when stairs aren't available. You can add resistance with a medicine ball or a body bar for maximum lower body results. A healthy mix of cardio and weight training incorporating squats, lunges, and leg presses can help you achieve great glutes.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: The election two weeks away could be a sore point between President Bush and his father. Former president George Bush may not share his son's optimism about Republicans holding power. He's quoted as worrying about the GOP losing some seats, saying, "I would hate to think what my son's life would be like." President Bush's reaction is that his father should not be speculating like this.
This morning we are focusing on the Senate, and it looks like it's going to come down to three races. Let's -- Tennessee is our first.
Democrat Harold Ford -- he's the guy on the left there -- he's running against Republican Bob Corker.
Then in Missouri, where we have the Republican incumbent -- that is Jim Talent -- he's trying to hold off the state's auditor, Claire McCaskill, who's running. She's a Democrat.
And in Virginia we've got Democrat Jim Webb. He's the guy on the left there. He's challenging Senator George Allen, and it's a pretty tight race right now.
Let's get to our "Hot Topics" on this Monday morning with John Mercurio. He is the senior editor at "Hotline". He's in Washington, D.C.
Nice to see you, John, as always. Good morning to you.
JOHN MERCURIO, SR. EDITOR, "HOTLINE" Good to see you.
S. O'BRIEN: If we're talking about six seats that are needed in order for Democrats to take over the Senate, why are we only focusing on three races?
MERCURIO: Because there's four other races that we're talking about this year that appear at this point to be done: Pennsylvania, Montana, Rhode Island and Ohio. These are races where Democrats at this point are pretty far ahead in the campaign, and we're not really expecting that the Republicans are going to be able to take it back.
These three races that you were talking about, Missouri, Virginia, and Tennessee, are probably the key races. Democrats, I think, probably leaning a little bit -- or a little bit more optimistic about Tennessee than they are about Missouri. I think that the Republican in Missouri is going to be able to pull it out.
The real race, though, the real tossup that everybody is looking at is Virginia, a state in transition from blue -- I'm sorry, from red, to sort of a purple, more competitive state. Northern Virginia, sort of a heavy Democratic machine that's building around the state.
The key in that race is going to be women, though. About 1.9 million voters, million women voters, and no Democrat has been elected statewide recently without a large lead among women. So that's going to be the interesting thing.
S. O'BRIEN: OK. So that's -- and that's the bird's eye view. Let's get some details now, starting with Tennessee, if you will.
Harold Ford, he's young, he's black, he's a congressman, he's on the cover of "Newsweek" this week, actually. He's going against Bob Corker, who is a moderate businessman, multimillionaire.
You don't think it's neck and neck? You think actually Corker has the lead, or what do you think?
MERCURIO: I think Ford at this point has a slight lead. I think Republicans are thinking over the past couple of days that they've been able to cut into Ford's lead.
Bob Corker changed his campaign manager recently, sort of revamped a little bit of his campaign. And the Republicans are very aggressively hitting Ford. They think they can build up his negatives.
As you mentioned, he's an African-American in a southern state. No black American, black Democrat or Republican has been elected to the Senate from a southern state since reconstruction.
So this is a race that Republicans still think they can win. Democrats, though, very optimistic that Ford's run an excellent campaign. Better than a lot of people expected.
S. O'BRIEN: That's very true I think it's fair to say.
Senator Jim Talent and Claire McCaskill in Missouri, who do you think has the edge there?
MERCURIO: You know, I've covered Missouri politics for -- for a while now. And, you know, I think Democrats always target this state. It is a battleground state. They did have a Democratic governor until recently.
Republicans tend to break late in this state, meaning that they've been -- they tend to return to the fold, undecideds tend to break for the Republicans. Kit Bond, former senator John Ashcroft, and now I think Jim Talent tend to be relatively favored. I give Jim Talent a slight edge in this race.
S. O'BRIEN: Jim Webb for -- oh, I'm sorry.
MERCURIO: At this point. I mean, anything can happen in the next two weeks.
S. O'BRIEN: You've got extra words in there for me, and I'm running already on to the next race. Let's talk about Virginia.
And you have Jim Webb, the Democrat, versus Senator George Allen, who frankly has just kind of tripped over himself every step of the way with "Macaca" and then his whole mother's religion issue.
MERCURIO: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: What do you think his chances are here -- the senator, that is?
MERCURIO: You're right. I mean, George Allen has had a terrible summer. First "Macaca," then the stories about, you know, his racial slurs.
He's run sort of a mediocre campaign, and yet he still has a slight lead. He's still sort of holding even at this point with Jim Webb.
As I mentioned, Jim Webb needs -- he needs women voters, and he needs his sort of Democratic base in northern Virginia to turn out for him. I really can't say at this point who's going to win this race.
George Allen has a huge history in the state of Virginia, a long history with the people. I think he knows the state pretty well. But Jim Webb, a very good challenger, he's turned out to have run a very good campaign. At this point, this is really just a tossup.
S. O'BRIEN: And lots could change in 15 days.
John Mercurio for us this morning from "Hotline".
Nice to see you, John, as always.
MERCURIO: Good to see you.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Some of the stories we're working on this morning for you.
North Korea may be ready to compromise in its standoff over that nuclear program.
And is lethal injection cruel and unusual punishment? We'll look at the death row debate in California ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: The legendary weight gain known as the "Freshman 15" not as bad as people think. Researchers say that it's more like a five to seven-pound weight gain in the first year of college, but their studies also show that that smaller weight gain is actually followed by the sophomore two or three. Hmm. Researchers also found that male students piled on significantly more weight than the female students. For a long time people thought "Freshman 15" was only for the girls.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm working on the post-grad 20 still. It's still here.
SERWER: Yes. It doesn't go away.
S. O'BRIEN: I'm working on the old age five.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
Andy Serwer, good morning to you.
The last Taurus is going to roll off the assembly line in Atlanta. And I want to talk about that. You've got some other things to deal with, too, right?
SERWER: That's right, Miles.
First of all, I want to update a story we were talking about earlier regarding Jeff Skilling's sentencing in Houston. There will be statements read by people who consider themselves to be victims of the Enron collapse. At least 10 people signed up. Remember, that was kind of a bust, though, at Andy Fastow's trial.
M. O'BRIEN: It was for some reason. It will be interesting to see if it's different.
SERWER: We'll see what happens -- yes.
The last Ford Taurus rolls off the line at an assembly plant near Atlanta this Friday. The car had been made by Ford since 1985. They sold seven million of them, plus two million more Sables, which are just like the Taurus.
My mom still drives one of those.
Best-selling car in America between 1992 and 1997. And here's an interesting little note on this story. The last one to roll off the line may go to a gentleman named Truett Cathy, 85 years old, from down in Atlanta. And he is the founder of the Chik-Fil-A restaurants. And he wants this because the Ford workers from that plant were instrumental in getting his chain off the ground.
M. O'BRIEN: That was right near his first restaurant.
SERWER: That's right. Exactly. Right there.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes.
SERWER: And so all the workers used to go and try the sandwich. And so he wants to add that to his car collection.
Now, speaking of car collections, there was a record auction over the weekend in Los Angeles. The collection of the late Otis Chandler, who was the publisher of the "L.A. Times," brought $36 million. It was auctioned off, 90 rare cars and 80 motorcycles. Some very expensive items, including the 1931 Duesenberg that he owned that went for $2.64 million.
M. O'BRIEN: Ooh, is that the Duesenberg?
SERWER: That's the Duesenberg.
M. O'BRIEN: Isn't that a beautiful thing?
S. O'BRIEN: Wow.
SERWER: $2.64 million, and there was a Porsche Carrera that went for a couple hundred thousand dollars, as well. And, oh, man, a 1970 (ph) Harley was the most expensive motorcycle.
M. O'BRIEN: A '73 Carrera.
You know, that Duesenberg, would you dare take it out for a spin? I'd be so afraid.
SERWER: I'd put it in Lucite.
S. O'BRIEN: Driving down -- driving down Sixth Avenue and getting side-swiped...
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: Yes. No, you don't have to pimp that ride. It's already been done. Right?
M. O'BRIEN: That's right. Exactly.
All right. Thank you, Andy. See you in a bit.
SERWER: Thank you. Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN (voice over): Here are some of the top stories on CNN.com this morning.
Investigators in Fayetteville, West Virginia, trying to figure out why an experienced base jumper's parachute opened late, killing him. Sixty-six-year-old Brian Shubert (ph) died after jumping off a bridge at a popular festival this weekend. Right now it's thought Shubert (ph) deployed the parachute too late.
The father of the Malawian boy that Madonna is hoping to adopt is changing his tune. He now says he never planned to let the singer adopt his son. Only raise the boy on his behalf. A hearing to challenge the adoption is set for Friday. And President Bush is gently admonishing his father. Earlier this month, George Bush Sr. said he hates to think what life would be like for his son if Democrats win control of Congress. In an interview Sunday, the current president said his father shouldn't speculate and that Democrats aren't going to win.
For more on these 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, Monday, October 23rd.
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.
New violence in Iraq to tell you about. Ten U.S. troops were killed over the weekend. It makes October the deadliest month for American forces this year.
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