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American Morning
Arson Wildfire in California; Bloody Battle in Northeast Baghdad; The Perfect Pumpkin; Rumsfeld on Iraq; Madonna Adoption Complications
Aired October 27, 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 Friday, October 27. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Glad you're with us.
Out top story, near Palm Springs, California, a deliberately set, deadly wildfire raging out of control this morning, 24,000 acres scorched in just a matter of hours. Four firefighters are dead, another is clinging to life.
To the news wall now for some other stories we're following this morning.
S. O'BRIEN: President Bush meets with NATO's chief this morning. The worsening violence in Afghanistan is what is topping their agenda.
And South Korea moving to enforce U.N. sanctions penalizing North Korea for testing that nuclear device. The measures include travel restrictions on some North Korean officials and a ban on some financial transactions.
M. O'BRIEN: In Iraq, an intensive search still under way for a kidnapped U.S. soldier in that country. The soldier, an Iraqi- American linguist, was visiting relatives when he was snatched at gunpoint.
In Florida, a possible break in the killings of four members of one family beside a highway, police want your help finding a 1999 maroon Dodge conversion van.
S. O'BRIEN: First check of the weather with Chad Myers at the CNN Weather Center in Atlanta, he's watching the fires out west for us.
Hey, Chad, good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Back to you guys.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, quite a mess coast to coast.
Chad, thanks for watching it.
Let's continue to talk about this fire in southern California, four firefighters dead, one critically injured. The search is on for an arsonist who now could face murder charges. It's called the Esperanza Fire. It's 90 miles east of L.A. It's not far from Palm Springs. It was deliberately set yesterday morning. It burned, in one day, 37 square miles.
Let's get right to AMERICAN MORNING's Chris Lawrence. He is at the command center in Beaumont, California.
Chris, good morning.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Here they are offering a $100,000 reward and one local politician is urging people here to -- quote -- "turn that scum in." Those are the kind of words more associated with a murder investigation then any simple wildfire.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Teams are attacking this wildfire on two fronts, 1,000 firefighters trying to push the flames back from the front line.
GREG KEEFER, FIREFIGHTER: And if we can't hold this row, we're in for a world of hurt.
LAWRENCE: A smaller team of investigators searching for who started it.
CHIEF JOHN HAWKINS, CDF RIVERSIDE FIRE DEPT.: This is an arson fire. This is a deliberately set arson fire. A deliberately set arson fire that leads to the death of anyone constitutes murder.
LAWRENCE: By Thursday night, this fire had killed four. A team of five firefighters moved to a town west of Palm Springs trying to evacuate residents and protect their homes. At some point, the Santa Ana winds whipped up and suddenly changed direction.
KEEFER: The fire moved in to a grove of eucalyptus. And the next thing they knew it -- in eucalyptus, the oil can explode and cause a splatter. And what happened is the fire spread quickly around and got behind them, from what I understand, and that's a fireman's worse nightmare.
LAWRENCE: They were engulfed by the fire. Three died right there, another at the burn center. The fifth is in critical condition.
KEEFER: God bless those firefighters, you know.
LAWRENCE: Officials suspected arson after investigators read the burn patterns and traced the fire back to its area of origin.
HAWKINS: It was set in alignment with the wind, the slope and it was basically set to go.
LAWRENCE: Coming near the end of wildfire season, after no rain for months, there was nothing but dry brush to fuel it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
Officials say it was so quick those five firefighters never even had a chance to get back to their engine or pull out any kind of protective shielding. At this moment, the fire is about 5 percent contained -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Such a tragedy.
Chris Lawrence for us, watching it this morning.
Thanks, Chris.
A much different problem in Colorado where they are digging out this morning from a very big snowstorm. More than two feet of snow fell in some areas and the storm left tens of thousands of people without power. Shut down a big stretch of -- 150-mile-long stretch, actually, of I-70. It's the biggest October snowstorm to hit Colorado in several years. Great news, obviously, for ski resorts that are now getting a big old jumpstart on the season.
Some of our viewers in Colorado have shared their pictures this morning with us. Let's begin with this home video, comes from Tammy McKhail's (ph) garage right there. These are pictures. Snow too deep to even get out the front door for Tammy. Thank you, Tammy, for sending this home video in. Be quite a mess there.
Let's move on. This is Main Street. The ski area of Breckenridge. Look at that. Annie Hastain (ph) took this shot for us. She's one of the few people who made it in to work at this hotel. She says there's about 15 inches of snow there and it was still coming down when she took this shot.
And Dianne LaGozono (ph) snapped this picture. Take a look at this. Estimated a foot-and-a-half of snow. This is Black Forest. Dianne is a schoolteacher. It's a snow day. Dianne is very excited. Dianne's children very excited as well.
A big thanks to all our viewers who shared their shots for us.
If you want to be able to say I report for CNN, if you witness a news event or if you have a tip or a story to share, just sent it to us at cnn.com/ireport -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: In Iraq it appears that horrible spasm of violence is tapering off, at least in Baghdad, now that the holy month of Ramadan is over. The numbers are grime. On average, 40 Iraqis died in sectarian violence every day. The death toll among American troops in October stands at 96. It's the most since last October when the same number died.
Michael Ware is in the capital with more, -- Michael. MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Miles, we see that the -- whilst the violence does continue, as the American military points out, in the last couple of days there has been a lull here in Baghdad. Nonetheless, that has to be taken in a particular conference -- context.
But let's have a look at what a U.S. military spokesman, Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, had to say yesterday about the drop in violence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, SPOKESMAN, MULTINATIONAL FORCE IRAQ: The violence is focused along Sunni-Shia ethnic fault lines, predominately outside the cleared focus areas. With the end of Ramadan, we have seen a decrease in the levels of violence; but this has only been in the past few days, and we'll have to wait to see if this decrease proves to be a trend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARE: Now, Gen. Caldwell has accurately hit the nail on the head. This lull is a direct result of the end of the holy month of Ramadan. We've just been through the Festival of Eve, which is essentially Christmas and Easter and the Fourth of July wrapped up together in a three-day festival. So the insurgents launched their month-long offensive. They're now taking their breath, literally, as their foot soldiers celebrate with their families.
Also, this would not be a time for the insurgents to attack. It would play badly with their constituency, so this is just a moment of intake of breath. And Gen. Caldwell is right, we need to see if this continues.
Meanwhile, violence around the city is continuing, 29 police officers were killed yesterday, just 45 minutes from the city -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Michael Ware in Baghdad, thank you very much.
The secretary of defense stepped into the line of fire yesterday meeting with reporters who pressed him to shed more light on the confusion over just what benchmarks and deadlines the Iraqi government has agreed to. Donald Rumsfeld was combative as ever, telling reporters to back off.
Here's CNN's Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made it clear, this news conference was all about the mid-term elections less than two weeks away.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well it's a political season, and everyone is trying to make a little mischief out of this and make -- turn it into a foot -- political football and see if we can't get it on the front page of every newspaper.
STARR: The secretary was, as they say, reframing the debate, saying benchmarks for progress in Iraq don't mean deadlines and punishment for not meeting them.
RUMSFELD: You're looking for some sort of a guillotine to come flowing down if some date isn't met. That is not what this is about. So you ought to just back off, take a look at it, relax, understand that it's complicated, it's difficult.
STARR: Mr. Rumsfeld also seemed to reframe the administration's explanation of what the Iraqi government has agreed to just two days after the U.S. ambassador to Iraq had laid it out.
ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: Iraqi leaders must step up to achieve key political and security milestones on which they have agreed.
QUESTION: And have they agreed to establish this process by the end of the year as I think Ambassador Khalilzad said?
RUMSFELD: No.
QUESTION: They haven't agreed?
RUMSFELD: Well, they're still in discussions. One would have thought they might have announced that if they decided all of it.
STARR: But Rumsfeld, who was so confident throughout his press conference, seemed to struggle at one point.
(on camera): Is it the job of the U.S. soldier to step in between Sunni and Shia violence, to step into civil unrest in that country?
RUMSFELD: I am not going to try to characterize in -- and begin at one end of the spectrum and go to the other end of the spectrum and say when is it or is it not appropriate for U.S. military personnel to be involved in the conflict.
STARR: The secretary said the mission for U.S. troops remains unchanged to help Iraqi forces take hold and stop the violence, a mission that is yet to be accomplished.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: We've got 11 days until the mid-term elections. A new CNN-Opinion Research Corporation poll just out this morning suggests that Americans don't care much for big government. When asked if the size of the federal government has grown over the past four years, 72 percent said yes, it had, 86 percent said they thought the government spending had gone up during the same period, a period in which Republicans have controlled the House, the Senate and the White House. As for the government's role in promoting traditional values, a slight majority there, 51 percent thought that was appropriate, 43 percent said the government shouldn't favor any particular set of values.
Tonight at 8:00 p.m., our special series, "BROKEN GOVERNMENT," takes a look at the political missteps by the Republican Party. The best political team in TV investigates just how the right went wrong. That's tonight, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
M. O'BRIEN: The actor, Michael J. Fox, responding to Rush Limbaugh and insisting he was neither acting, nor off his medication, in that political ad supporting stem cell research. Fox, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, visibly displaying symptoms of the disease, the tremors. Now Limbaugh made the claim that it was an act on his radio show.
In an interview with CBS's Katie Couric, Fox responded to Limbaugh's claim Democrats have a long history of exploiting victims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATIE COURIC, "THE CBS EVENING NEWS" ANCHOR: I called Rush Limbaugh, and he told me, "I believe Democrats have a long history of using victims of various things as political spokespeople because they believe they are untouchable, infallible. They are immune from criticism."
MICHAEL J. FOX, STEM CELL RESEARCH ADVOCATE: Well, first thing, you know he used the word victim. And in another occasion I heard him use the word pitiable. And understand nobody in this position wants pity. We don't want pity. I could give a damn about Rush Limbaugh's pity, right, or anyone else's pity.
I'm not a victim. I'm somebody who is in this situation. I think I'm in this situation, along with millions of other Americans, and we have a right, if there's answers out there, to pursue those answers with the full support of our politicians. And so I don't need anyone's permission to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: Now Limbaugh has said he would admit he was wrong and apologize to Fox if he is proven wrong in calling the ad an act -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Some stories we're following for you this morning, authorities say it was arson. We're going to update you on that deadly wildfire in southern California.
And the father of that little boy in Malawi that Madonna wants to adopt, well now he's saying he's backing the adoption.
And New Jersey's gay former governor, James McGreevey, weighs in on that state's same-sex marriage ruling.
Those stories and much more ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Some of the top stories we're looking at.
Firefighters in California struggling right now to contain a massive wildfire, it's already killed four firefighters, one is clinging to life. Investigators say it was intentionally set.
The military now reporting a decrease in violence in Baghdad, it comes as the U.S. death toll this month in Iraq hits 96. That's the highest since Ramadan last year.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban offensive continues and so does the bloodshed. A roadside bomb killing 14 civilians as they drove to a holiday celebration today. NATO troops in Afghanistan are finding that it takes more than bombs and bullets to fight the Taliban. A hammer and nails can be a powerful weapon as well.
CNN's Jennifer Eccleston embedded with troops in Paktika Province, -- Jennifer.
JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Miles, while U.S. and Afghan commanders have long said that military operations alone won't bring peace and stability into this country, it has to work in conjunction with reconstruction projects.
And we're with the provisional reconstruction team, a group of 115 sailors and soldiers who go around this desperately poor province to bring much needed assistance in terms of infrastructure development, building schools, building things as simple as roads to make sure that the people of this area are actually seeing tangible progress in their lives five years after the war on terror, five years after the invasion of this country -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Jennifer, the -- part of the problem in Afghanistan, of course, is there wasn't much infrastructure there before, so in many respects they are starting kind of with a clean slate.
ECCLESTON: Absolutely. As somebody told me here just a few days ago, we're looking at a country that's living much the same way they did 500 years ago, and especially in this particular province, which has just 3 percent literacy. We're not talking about major infrastructure progress, like bringing electricity, bringing generators, bringing a sewage system.
These people want simple things, like I mentioned before, roads, like stable structures, buildings that actually have roofs on top, little things that will actually make their lives a whole lot easier. And then down the road they'll start asking for those more major developments, infrastructure developments and with that electricity, sewage systems, fresh water.
But it really is, as you said, starting from scratch, building up the foundation of society, not only again through those projects, infrastructure projects, but also introducing a system of governance to this part of the world, a tribal area along the Pakistan border which has also its problems with the Taliban coming across from Pakistan -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Jennifer Eccleston in Afghanistan, thank you very much -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: A judge in Malawi says the court needs more information before it can rule on Madonna's adoption of that 1-year- old African boy. Now the boy's father is now saying he would like the adoption to proceed, but 67 human rights groups say the adoption is illegal. The judge has set a new hearing for November 13.
And CNN's Jeff Koinange is outside the court in Malawi this morning.
Good morning to you, -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
And everyone keeps asking why you know Mr. Banda, why Yohane Banda keeps flip-flopping? Why did he change his mind? First he said he didn't understand the fine print and then he came around and he said well now I endorse Madonna. In fact, we spent most of yesterday with him and I got to ask him this question and here is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YOHANE BANDA, BOY'S BIOLOGICAL FATHER (through translator): I was forced to say things I didn't mean. That agreement with Madonna in court was correct, but after the agreement, some people from Endures (ph) and social society (ph) organizations came to me asking me questions and forcing me to answer contrary to what I had agreed with Madonna.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOINANGE: In fact, Soledad, he regrets so much what he said in fact, he told us today, he appeared at the courtroom today, he wanted to have an ordinance with the judge. He said that if his child is returned by some chance by Madonna, he will no doubt die right here in Malawi, so he would want Madonna to take care of his son because he's lost two other sons, even before they reached their second years, he lost them both to malaria. So he wants this one to be taken care of, raised, fed, educated so one day he can return to take care of his family -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Give me some details, Jeff, on this adoption. Has he been paid essentially? I mean did Madonna write him a check, in essence, for this adoption to go through?
KOINANGE: Good question. In fact every journalist keeps asking him that question. Madonna did pledge $3 million to orphanages across Malawi. Yohane Banda didn't get a cent. We asked him that again today. He vehemently denied getting any money. In fact, he says he doesn't want anything. All he wants is for his son to be raised by Madonna.
S. O'BRIEN: The whole thing has certainly turned out to be a pretty ugly scene for Madonna, and I would imagine that the father says the same thing at this point. How is he feeling toward the experience, toward her? Is he sorry it happened in the first place?
KOINANGE: You know when he first met Madonna in the courtroom about three, four weeks ago, he didn't even know who she was. And he said you know I met this woman in this courtroom and he really liked her sincerity. Subsequent to that when he made that statement, he has really regretted it. And you could tell.
I spent quite a bit of time with him yesterday, you could tell he really regrets what he did, what he said. Said it was pressure from all kinds of groups, NGOs, civil society organizations. And now in fact he turned to the camera yesterday and he says Madonna keep the fight, keep fighting the fight, do not give up and you will raise a son. I know you will raise him well. So at the end of the day, he is being sincere and he would like the very best for his son -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Jeff Koinange in Malawi for us this morning.
Thanks, Jeff -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's get a check of the weather now. You're heading out the door, Chad Myers has everything you need to know.
Hello, -- Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Miles and Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Well that is some good news.
MYERS: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, we'll take it.
Thank you very much, Chad.
Happening in America.
In Iowa, take a look at these incredible pictures, a warehouse inferno there, 30-foot flames, choking black smoke clouding the sky around the Council Bluffs facility yesterday. The fire had plenty of fuel. The warehouse is used to store motor oil. It's not clear what sparked the fire.
In Utah, a court appearance by the mom and dad accused of kidnapping their own daughter. Remember this one, the motive, they apparently didn't want her getting married. The prosecutors say Lemuel and Julia Redd put their 21-year-old daughter in the car, drove her to Colorado the night before the wedding, supposedly a shopping trip. They returned the next day. The daughter eventually tied the knot, but she also reported her parents to the authorities. In South Carolina, more legal trouble for the man accused of kidnapping a girl and holding her in an underground bunker. The grand jury there just handed up 10 new indictments against Vinson Filyaw. Each one could send him to prison for a decade. The 14-year-old victim is OK, physically at least. You might recall she made a remarkable escape, she used a cell phone text message to help police find her.
In California, state health investigators say the deadly E. coli bacteria may have been spread to spinach fields by wild pigs. They say the pigs knocked down fences and may have carried the bacteria from a cattle ranch to the spinach farm. The E. coli outbreak killed 3 people, sickened over 200 in 26 states.
In Missouri, St. Louis got key hits from shortstop David Eckstein to take game four of the World Series. The Cardinals beat the Tigers five to four. They now lead the series three games to one. Strangely parallel to 1968, same two teams, of course you'll recall the Tigers came back in '68. Maybe history will repeat itself.
S. O'BRIEN: I was just thinking that. Didn't the Tigers come back in '68, -- Miles?
M. O'BRIEN: They did from three to one in '68. So we'll see.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I thought I remembered that.
M. O'BRIEN: We'll see about those Tigers.
S. O'BRIEN: Hope springs eternal, right?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it does.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's take a quick look at some of the stories we're watching for you this morning.
Is it just a move to avoid bad PR? The IRS is holding off on collecting back taxes from Katrina victims until after the election.
And police arrest rapper Snoop Dogg on drug and gun charges at an airport in California.
We're watching those stories and much more ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Some of our top stories this morning.
A deadly wildfire is raging in southern California. It has killed four firefighters. A fifth firefighter is now critically injured. Investigators say it is arson.
And new government figures show the prices of new homes fell nearly 10 percent last month. The last time there was a drop that big, Richard Nixon was president -- Miles. M. O'BRIEN: Speaking of long time ago, it's the end of the line for a classic car made by Ford. The final Ford Taurus will roll off the assembly line in Georgia just about two hours from now. The Taurus debuted the day after Christmas 1985. Folks, turn the way back to 1985. Remember what was going on there, big hair I bet, even...
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Duran Duran.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. And you had big hair, didn't you, yes?
SERWER: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Today's final Taurus has already been bought. We told you about that, actually Andy did. The owner of Chik-Fil-A restaurant chain, based in Atlanta, actually right near that Ford Taurus plant south of Atlanta in Hapeville where he got his start, is buying that one just to have it. He says the Ford factory workers kind of made him what he is today or at least got him on the road.
The commissioner of the IRS apparently trying to avoid looking like a Christmas grinch. Mark Everson ordered the agency to wait until next year to demand back taxes from Hurricane Katrina victims. Collection was supposed to start last week. Critics tell "The New York Times" that Everson is trying to make his Republican friends look good during the holidays. And of course there are these mid-term elections you might have heard about as well potentially.
Another day, another record for the Dow. Dow 19,000 any day now, right, -- Andy?
SERWER: Dow 36,000...
M. O'BRIEN: I'm getting carried away. I'm getting carried away, yes.
SERWER: ... as the man used to say.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: There was a book about that.
Want to first pick up on something Soledad was just talking about and that is the housing market. Sharp evidence that the housing market continues to sag. The average price of a new home in this country fell nearly 10 percent in September, dropping from $240,000 on average, to $217 -- $217,000, excuse me.
M. O'BRIEN: That would be some drop.
SERWER: Not quite that bad.
M. O'BRIEN: That would be some drop.
SERWER: Two hundred and forty k to 217 K, that's the biggest drop since December of 1970.
M. O'BRIEN: Ouch.
SERWER: Really amazing.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: And sales are down 14 percent in September from September of 2005. The $217,000 price is the lowest since 2004. So you can really see things are a bit trouble I guess you could say there.
M. O'BRIEN: What about existing homes, not quite as bad a drop, right?
SERWER: Existing homes, right, it hasn't come out yet, so we'll be watching that.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: Didn't seem to phase Wall Street though, Miles, as you were suggesting, the Dow and all other indices up yesterday. And you can see we have green arrows across the board, strong earnings from the likes of Exxon and Aetna. And later, after the bell yesterday, I should say, Microsoft reported their numbers are up 11 percent. And this was brought on by strong sales of the Xbox 360 which is good news for them and maybe bad news for Sony. We keep saying it over and over again they can't get that -- the PlayStation -- the new PlayStation out yet, so.
M. O'BRIEN: What is the problem with the PlayStation at this point, is it...
SERWER: I think its problem is with Sony.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, Sony has...
SERWER: They're unable to execute.
M. O'BRIEN: ... some real quality control issues, don't they now?
SERWER: And Microsoft continues to make up ground with their Xbox on the PlayStation as long as the new one is not out.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, what do you have next?
SERWER: Good news for cool people, Miles, the Ray Ban Wayfarer is coming back. You know what I'm talking about? You know their...
M. O'BRIEN: How do I know that?
SERWER: ... Ray Ban Wayfarer is coming back.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much for thinking of me, -- Andy.
SERWER: I am, yes.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, news just for me, all right -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at some people in the news on this Friday morning.
Nicole Richie is -- has checked herself into a treatment facility. She's trying to gain some weight. Her publicist might be splitting hairs here, but she is stressing that Nicole is not being treated for an eating disorder. Nicole Richie is the daughter of course of the singer Lionel Richie. She is rail thin and now they have had to delay production on her show "The Simple Life."
Rapper Snoop Dogg out of jail on $35,000 bail this morning. Did you know his real name is Calvin Broadus? Anyway, he was arrested yesterday at the airport in Burbank, California. The cops say they found marijuana and a gun inside his car.
The star of the show "Law & Order" is waking up a real-life robbery victim today. Jesse Martin, I love this guy. He plays Detective Ed Green on the show. Well he was in Buffalo, New York, filming scenes for a movie, grabbed some lunch in a diner and somebody broke into his SUV, stole his iPod and all his clothes.
Actress Elizabeth Taylor denying reports that she's planning to get hitched for the ninth time. Ninth time! Oh my goodness.
Taylor is 74 years old. She's been linked romantically with the artist and photographer Feruz Zahetti (ph). Taylor called him an old and dear friend. Aren't they always old and dear friends? But says they are not romantically involved.
The original stars of the sitcom "Designing Women" gathered for a tribute to the show in Beverly Hills. At the Museum of Television and Radio, Dixie Carter, Jean Smart, Annie Potts, Delta Burke all talked about their very popular sitcom. The museum was honoring the show's creator, Linda Bloodworth.
A little update on pop culture this morning -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: I am now -- everything I need to know. Thank you very much, Soledad.
A look at the stories we're following for you now.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says people demanding timetables in Iraq need to back off.
And authorities say that deadly wildfire in southern California was started by an arsonist. We'll go there live, bring you up to date on that, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you, Friday, October 27th.
I'm Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
Let's get right to the news wall for a look at some of the stories that we're following for you this morning.
President Bush meets with NATO's chief. The worsening violence in Afghanistan is what's topping their agenda.
And South Korea is now moving to enforce U.N. sanctions, penalizing North Korea, protesting that nuclear device. The measures include travel restrictions on some North Korean officials and a ban on certain financial transactions.
M. O'BRIEN: In Iraq, an intensive search still under way for a kidnapped U.S. soldier. The soldier, an Iraqi-American linguist, was visiting relatives when he was snatched at gunpoint.
In Florida, a possible break in the killings of four family members. One family killed beside a roadway. Police want your help finding a 1999 maroon Dodge Conversion van.
S. O'BRIEN: Chad Myers at the CNN weather center for us. He's watching the cold weather and also this fire as well.
Hey, Chad. Good morning again.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Firefighters trying to beat down a massive deadly fire in California that was deliberately set. Four firefighters are dead, one is clinging to life this morning.
The Esperanza fire is 20 miles northwest of Palm Springs, 90 miles east of Los Angeles. It started yesterday morning and in one day grew to 37 square miles. The search is on for the arsonist or arsonists who could face murder charges.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Chris Lawrence is at the fire command center in Beaumont, California.
Chris, what's the latest?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, right now the fire is only about five percent contained, and you've got about 1,000 firefighters that are literally right on the ground trying to push this fire back from the front line. At the same time, you've got a smaller team of investigators, including ATF agents, who are trying to find out who started this fire.
One official told me that his investigators are highly trained in how to read burn patterns and traced this fire back to its point of origin. He said the fire was set in almost perfect alignment with the wind and the slope of the mountain to cause maximum damage, and the sheriff here says it's clear that he is looking for an arsonist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEIL LINGLE, UNDERSHERIFF, RIVERSIDE COUNTY: You will not rest. We will find you.
Not only is the county sheriff going to commit all of our resources, but we're going to work in deliberate partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and I can assure you this, you will be brought to justice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Officials say that anybody who deliberately starts a fire that leads to someone's death would constitute murder. And so far, this fire has killed four.
A team, a five-man crew, was trying to protect a home yesterday morning when the winds suddenly shifted and the wall of fire literally just engulfed them. Three of those firefighters died on the scene. A fourth later died at a burn center.
The fifth firefighter is in critical condition. We just spoke with the nurse supervisor there. She says he remains in critical and he's got severe burns over most of his body -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: AMERICAN MORNING'S Chris Lawrence near the fire in California.
Thank you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: In Colorado, big problem there is snow. People are digging out from a massive snow storm. Two feet fell yesterday, and the roads are closed, the schools are closed, flights have been canceled.
Ski resorts, though, are really, really happy, because they can open a week early. Usually they have to rely on manmade snow on opening day.
Well, some viewers in Colorado are sharing their pictures this morning. Take a look at this.
Tammy Mikhail (ph) sent us this home video from out in front of her garage in Colorado Springs. Snow was too deep to even get out the front door, she says.
Then we've got Main Street in the ski area of Breckenridge. Annie Hastane (ph) took this shot. She was one of the few people who made it to work at this hotel. She says she's guessing it's about 15 inches of snow on the ground when she took the pictures and it was still coming down.
And Diane Legan (ph) snapped this picture for us, an estimated foot and a half of snow there. This is Black Forest. Diane (ph) is a school teacher. This is a big old snow day. She is loving it and her students are, too. A big thank you to our viewers. If you'd like to be able to say, "I report for CNN," if you witness a news event, if you have a tip or story to share, you can send it to us at cnn.com/ireport -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: In Iraq, a lull in violence in Baghdad now that Ramadan is over, but not so elsewhere. A bloody battle northeast of Baghdad to tell you about. At least 25 Iraqi police killed, 20 more wounded in a fight with insurgents yesterday.
Michael Ware is in Baghdad with more.
Hello, Michael.
WARE: Hi, Miles.
Yes, this incident north of Baghdad in Diyala province is fascinating, Miles. I mean, this tells us so much.
What we've seen in Diyala province, there's Sunni insurgents, there's al Qaeda, and there's also large presence of Shia militias. So this very much is a fault line, this province, with sectarian violence and with insurgent violence.
Over the last two Sundays, what we've seen is very well-crafted insurgent attacks against police recruits, busloads of them, as they're heading home on leave or for holiday. They've been ambushed. Some have been killed, executed, and dozens have been kidnapped. And they remain missing. So on Sunday, this would happen for the second time in a row.
What's now happened is that the local police forces were fed information to say you may be able to find some of the kidnapped police in this location. So they mount up in 10 vehicles and head out to that village. Lo and behold, they're ambushed again.
There's no women, there's no children on the streets. They were clearly laying in wait and were lured into a trap. More than 25 killed, more than 20 wounded. And this is on the back of two successive attacks on their recruits where dozens were killed and kidnapped -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, meantime, as we said at the top there, in Baghdad a bit of a lull in the violence. What's going in the capital city?
WARE: Yes. Well, as we see from the official U.S. military spokesman, General Caldwell yesterday, saying that the last few days -- and let's bear this in mind -- the last few days, there has been a drop off in violence. Let's ask why.
The reasons are relatively evident. One, we're now at the end of the holy month of Ramadan. So effectively, we've just seen Iraq celebrate the Festival of Eid, which is like Christmas and Easter and the Fourth of July rolled up into one three-day holiday.
Now, that marked the end of the insurgents' offensive. They would have spent a lot of resources on that and would now be catching their breath, regrouping, getting ready to move on.
Plus, literally, during Eid, it's not good PR to be launching attacks, and quite literally, your soldiers want to spend time with their families. So there's very evident explanations, and even the U.S. military points to the end of Ramadan as the reason for this lull, and they're very cautious about saying let's not get too excited about this temporary drop in violence -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Michael Ware in Baghdad.
Thank you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, some famous women talk about their first time. It's not what you think, though. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want me to tell you about the first time I did it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the best time is in the fall.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like to do it in the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's cool, pretty, sexy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a beautiful thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, don't get all hot and bothered. They're talking about their first time voting! We're going to tell you why they're hoping this ad really works.
That's straight ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: A look at the day's top stories.
The military is now reporting a decrease in violence in Baghdad. It comes, though, as the U.S. death toll this month alone hits 96. That is the highest all year.
And they're digging out in Colorado today. Yesterday's blizzard dumped two feet of snow on parts of that state.
Forty-four minutes past the hour. Let's get right to Chad with the weather update.
Good morning.
MYERS: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT) M. O'BRIEN: If you haven't gone out on your quest for the perfect pumpkin yet, we do have some advice for you. It comes from Stacy Newman (ph) and our affiliate WSFA.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): From Ms. Branning's (ph) (INAUDIBLE) class, the search begins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to the mountain, to the mountain to pick the pumpkins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To get a few tips, we followed Nicholas (ph) on his pumpkin pursuit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm looking for dry and little ones.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The standards were high.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This one's yucky.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And so was the enthusiasm.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look! Look at this one!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some had no problems.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wanted to get a small one so I could carry it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For others, it was a question of muscle power.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You going to be able to carry that one, buddy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. See?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But for Nicholas (ph), it took time. A lot of time. And frankly, it was a little dangerous out there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard to stand in this hay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yet, in the end...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mommy! Mommy!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... yes, success.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mommy, found one!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A perfect pumpkin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to carve it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And a perfect plan. In Chilton County, Stacy Newman (ph), WSFA, 12 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Cute. That is so cute.
S. O'BRIEN: That was great. What cute little kids. "Mommy, I got it!"
M. O'BRIEN: "I got it!" And I'm still alive, thank goodness.
That' was Stacy Newman (ph), our affiliate, WSFA.
Want some stats now?
S. O'BRIEN: Sure. Bring it on.
M. O'BRIEN: Sure. Bring them on.
According to a recent survey, 35 percent of American adults say they'll carve a pumpkin this Halloween.
S. O'BRIEN: That's it? A third only?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, that's it.
S. O'BRIEN: That sounds low to me. OK.
M. O'BRIEN: About a quarter say they'll attend a Halloween party this year.
S. O'BRIEN: I understand that.
M. O'BRIEN: And 20 percent say they'll dress up.
S. O'BRIEN: Are you dressing up?
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, I am going to dress up. I'm going to dress -- what are you going to be?
S. O'BRIEN: I'm going to be the mother witch to a lot of other witches.
M. O'BRIEN: I'll be a cowboy.
S. O'BRIEN: I'm kidding.
M. O'BRIEN: Just put the cowboy hat on and that's it. That will do it.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's take a quick look at some of the other stories we're following for you this morning.
South Korea carries out some of its biggest military exercises ever. We'll take a look at what they're doing.
And France is marking the first anniversary of those deadly riots in suburban Paris.
Those stories and much more, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at what CNN correspondents all around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ECCLESTON: I'm Jennifer Eccleston, in southeastern Afghanistan, along the Pakistan border, where the Taliban still have influence. But U.S. and Afghan forces are banking on reconstruction efforts to blunt that influence among the local population.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Sohn Jie-ae on the beaches of Pohang, where the South Korean military is conducting one of its biggest military exercises, an amphibious landing. About 8,000 sea, land and air troops are participating in this massive military maneuver. Although the north's apparent nuclear test did not factor in the timing or the scale of the exercise, it did serve as a reminder just how vital it is to maintain military vigilance here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOINANGE: I'm Jeff Koinange at the high court in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe. Coming up in a few short hours, the high court convenes and hears the case against Madonna and whether she used the right procedure in the adoption of little baby David Banda.
Also, David's biological father, Yohane Banda, talks to CNN. It's an interview you won't want to miss.
(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: In France today, a silent march in memory of two teenagers. Their deaths this time last year set off a wave of violence in the suburbs of Paris and in protests across the country as well. Those protests exposed racial tensions in Arab and African communities across Europe -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Some of the stories we're working on this morning for you.
Investigators think wild pigs may be to blame for contaminating spinach with the E. coli bacteria last month.
And just 11 days until the midterm elections. Who will control Congress?
We'll look at some predictions ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Well, well, well, Stoli would like to be the top contender. Absolutely they would, so to speak.
Andy Serwer is here with more on that.
SERWER: Miles, good morning to you.
This is a trendy product segment, and we'll start out with imported vodka.
The number one imported vodka in the United States is Absolut, but Stolichnaya, the Russian vodka, is hot on its heels and trying to gain market share. And to do that, it is going after the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender group, or LGBT, a consumer group which has $641 billion of spending power. And so to do that...
M. O'BRIEN: What, are they big martini drinkers? Is that it?
SERWER: Disposable income, big martini drinkers. And so they are sponsoring a film on the Logo network, television network, which is an LGBT-oriented network, and they're going to be sponsoring a film called "Be Real: Stories from Queer America".
Interesting. Absolut has been marketing to this group previously. Absolut's market share is 34 percent, Stolichnaya is 14 percent, so they have a ways to go.
And in other cool products, want to talk about sunglasses.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's do that.
SERWER: How about the Wayfarer? You all remember that, right?
M. O'BRIEN: It makes me think of Camelot and Audrey Hepburn and...
SERWER: Audrey Hepburn from "Breakfast at Tiffany's"...
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: ... and then of course "The Blues Brothers".
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: And then Tom Cruise in "Risky Business".
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, yes. Brought them back then. Yes.
SERWER: Bob Dylan. And these were big in the '60s, '70s and '80s especially, then they sort of fell off the cliff in the '80s. And -- but they're coming back, and they're going to be reintroduced. Starting today, a national -- international campaign. But they're going to be pretty expensive. They're going to go from about $129, all the way to $179 for the Polaroid version, and they're going to be marketed to women also.
They're going to have white and red Wayfarers. So they've been appealing to Hollywood starlets like Kirsten Dunst and Sienna Miller -- have been wearing them to sort of get the word out.
M. O'BRIEN: So that's how they do it. They give them to the stars. I bet they don't...
SERWER: It is.
M. O'BRIEN: ... have to pay the $120.
SERWER: Chad Myers told me he still has his pair of Wayfarers.
M. O'BRIEN: Does he?
SERWER: And it's always a good time to wear cool glasses, I think. Don't you?
M. O'BRIEN: Even though those aren't Wayfarers.
SERWER: They're not Wayfarers, but it's still just a good thing. Don't you?
M. O'BRIEN: It's a good thing. It's a Friday and you're wearing the shades.
All right. What you got coming next?
SERWER: I have to look carefully. It's because I've got my glasses on. Oh, it's about General Motors using (INAUDIBLE) to make green cars compete with Toyota.
M. O'BRIEN: OK. Well, hopefully that's not a shady deal. Hopefully not.
All right -- Soledad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN (voice over): Here are some of the top stories on CNN.com this morning.
Rapper Snoop Dogg is out on bail. He was arrested on Thursday after police say they found a gun and marijuana in his car. The car was parked in a loading zone outside the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. Snoop Dogg posted $35,000 bail. He's due back in court in December.
Dallas Cowboys assistant coach Todd Haley is suing McDonald's. Haley says his wife and baby-sitter found a rat in the salad they bought at McDonald's. According to the "Dallas Morning News," Haley wants $1.7 million in damages. There's no response from McDonald's yet.
Does the way you shop reflect the way you're going to vote? California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign thinks yes. They've created a vast computer database containing personal buying habits and voter records. They think the information is going to help them identify likely supporters.
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)
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