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American Morning
Charting A New Course; Mideast Reacts To Vote; Martin Luther King Memorial; South California Wildfire; Minding Your Business
Aired November 13, 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: Strategy session. President Bush looks for fresh ideas today from the group trying to find a way forward in Iraq. We'll take a look this morning at the players and what they bring to the table.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: If it walks like a duck. The outgoing Congress goes back to work today, but what can they accomplish?
S. O'BRIEN: And a dream delivered. We're live in Washington, D.C., for the first steps toward the sweeping memorial dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on this AMERICAN MORNING.
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. Monday, November 13th. I'm Miles O'Brien in New York.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. I'm in Washington, D.C., this morning.
Part of the reason we're here is for the groundbreaking ceremony at the King Memorial later today. And that ceremony, in fact, Miles, is in just a couple of hours. The memorial is going to be on the National Mall at the tidal basin, which is between the Jefferson Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. And that, of course, is where Dr. King delivered his "I have a dream" speech. That famous speech back in 1963.
We're going to have much more on the memorial and the ceremony that's happening later this morning in just a few moments. But first let's begin with a very important meeting at the White House today. The meeting is over the fight for Iraq. Here's what's new this morning.
President Bush and his foreign policy team meet with the Iraq study group today. The group is led by the former Secretary of State James Baker. He's a trusted adviser to both Bush administrations. And also Lee Hamilton. You'll remember him as the former co-chair of the 9/11 Commission.
There's also talk this morning of involving Iran and Syria to help solve the region's problems. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is also backing the idea in a speech today.
The Iraq study group's going to brief the prime minister, Tony Blair, today, as well. And AMERICAN MORNING's Dan Lothian has much more on the group, the members, their backgrounds, and what all of this could mean for Iraq.
Dan, good morning.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Well, the group was set up at the urging of several members of Congress. Their work has been in private, but the independent body could help chart the course for the next move in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN, (voice over): The war in Iraq, as Donald Rumsfeld now admits, is not going well enough and the pressure is mounting to find a solution. Staying the course no longer seen as an option.
BRIG. GEN. JAMES MARKS (RET.), U.S. ARMY INTELLIGENCE: We can't, number one, go catatonic and freeze in the headlights. And, number two, we can't just do an about-face and march out of country and say, adios my friend, this is your problem.
LOTHIAN: James Baker and Lee Hamilton, heading the 10-member bipartisan Iraq study group, have been meet being since April to find a strategy for moving forward in Iraq. Consulting with military and political leaders in the United States and Iraq. CNN's military analyst, retired Army General James Marks, says options such as more troops on the ground or pulling back forces into Kuwait should be part of a broader policy.
MARKS: It has to be about the greater southwest Asia. And the key player clearly is Iran in terms of how we move forward in southwest Asia.
LOTHIAN: In addition to Baker, a former secretary of state, and Hamilton, a former longtime congressional expert in foreign affairs, the group includes other prominent figures who have been working behind the scenes. Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, longtime civil rights leader and Washington power broker Vernon Jordan, and Secretary of Defense nominee Robert Gates, a former CIA director, poised to take his homework from the study group to the Pentagon.
LINDA ROBINSON, "U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT": He's been getting the full range of briefings, but he's also been reaching out to some people, some of the sources I've been talking to. He has been talking to them privately to try to get more understanding of exactly where the Iraqi players are willing to go and not willing to go.
LOTHIAN: Gates and other members recently visited Baghdad to get a closer look, trying to develop new options for ending a complicated war.
ROBINSON: There is no panacea. And this Baker/Hamilton group is not going to magically come up with a solution that solves all problems tomorrow.
(END VIDEOTAPE) LOTHIAN: Robert Gates resigned from the study group when President Bush nominated him to replace Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary. The study group is expected to make its findings public sometime next month.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: And is there any sense yet just how close their final findings will be to the administration's plan, to the folks who have opposite plan to what the administration's been moving forward with? Do we know?
LOTHIAN: We don't know and that, obviously, is the key question. We have to wait to get definite answers to see what they come up with and then to see how the president charts his course. But the president has made it clear that he is awaiting whatever it is they come up with and the White House also making it clear that they're open to any good suggestions.
S. O'BRIEN: Dan Lothian for us this morning.
Thank you, Dan. We'll check back in with you a little bit later this morning.
In Iraq today, a suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt blew himself up inside a bus in northeastern Baghdad. Ten people were killed. This is after the Iraqi police found 22 bodies on the streets of Baghdad on Sunday. A high-ranking Iraqi official is telling CNN that nearly 1,500 bodies were taken to Baghdad's central morgue last month.
To the west in the Anbar Province, three American soldiers were killed over the weekend. And so far this month that means that 29 members of the U.S. military have been killed in Iraq. And it brings the number of total dead of U.S. soldiers to 2,847 who've died since the war began.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The speaker of the House in waiting is weighing in on a post-election power struggle among two leading Democrats. Nancy Pelosi wants Pennsylvania Congressman John Murtha to be here number two. Murtha is the underdog for the majority leader post. Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer is the front-runner. Pelosi is a long-time ally of Murtha, a decorated veteran, who was among the first to call for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. In her letter of support, Pelosi says Murtha changed the national debate and helped make Iraq the central issue of this historic election. Hoyer has released several letters of support from other senior Democrats.
Well, make way for ducklings on Capitol Hill today. Members of the lame duck Congress are heading back to work today for the first time since the election that put many of them out of a job. President Bush is not letting them off the hook. He would like them to re- authorize his warrantless wiretap program, but Democrats already promising a fight on that. The White House also seeking agreement letting the U.S. share nuclear technology with India and a limited expansion of offshore oil drilling. Both of those measures appear likely to pass.
A summit at the White House today. Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, is meeting with the president. High on their list of issues, how to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat. The Iranian president has said Israel should be wiped off the map. And the Israelis are pushing for a tough response to Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Meanwhile, in Iran, they're still assessing last week's U.S. election and the message they believe it sends the world. CNN's Aneesh Raman joining us from Tehran with more.
Aneesh.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, good morning.
It's been awhile since we've been here. But since then, when it comes to the U.S., a lot has changed. Some has not.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAMAN, (voice over): It started at the end of October in the Persian Gulf with U.S.-led naval exercises aimed at stopping the smuggling of nuclear weapons. Days later, Iran responded. Defensive war games were launched, three new missiles were test-fired, and tensions between Washington and Tehran seemed set to intensify.
But then something changed. The Democrats took control of Congress. President Bush announced that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld would resign. And Robert Gates, a man who argued in 2004 for direct talks with Tehran, was nominated to replace him. It was a moment Iran's supreme leader simply could not ignore.
AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI, SUPREME LEADER OF IRAN, (through translator): The winning of Democrats in the U.S. elections is not solely a domestic event of America. It means the failure of pro-war and aggressive policies of the president of America.
RAMAN: Change in the U.S. has so far, though, prompted no change in nuclear politics from Iran. The country's chief nuclear negotiator in Moscow over the weekend reiterated that Iran would not suspend its program as a precondition for talks. But back home, there is some change among Iranians themselves.
You do get the sense here that tensions have simmered down just a bit. But, of course, we want to find out from the people as best we can. We're going to ride one of these buses around Tehran and see what they say.
On board, women are relegated to the back, separated by a bar. None were willing to speak to us. But up front, Hundi (ph) did. "Yes, of course," he told me, "the Democrats' win in the U.S. gives hope because the Republicans confrontational policy may be pushed aside." And along the ride even came this, a call for Babeck (ph) to reconciliation between Iran and the U.S. BABECK: If they make any relationship, it means economy in Iran is getting better and the condition for the people is getting better. And the people, they want to make a relationship between Iran and America.
RAMAN: It's a long shot. The U.S. still considers Iran a state sponsor of terrorism. And some analysts believe Iran could grow more, not less defiant after the Democrats' victory. It's not the talk of countries coming together, but not enough to discourage some in Tehran who right now see a chance for peace and are hoping it will pan out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RAMAN: And, Miles, don't forget Iraq. Iran feels it has leverage there and that that might be the opening for direct talks between Iran and the U.S.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman in Tehran, thank you.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning.
Hundreds of homes are now threatened by a wildfire in southern California. It's burning in Lake Elsinore, which is about 75 miles east of L.A. So far 125 acres have burned. It's contained by about 30 percent and approximately 100 homes have been evacuated.
A major interstate is back open this morning after a very messy crash in Connecticut. Take a look at these pictures. You're looking at I-84 in Hartford. There was a chain reaction pile-up. Twenty-one vehicles were involved, including three big rigs. Several people suffered minor injuries and the road, which was wet from rain, was shut down for two hours.
In Florida, a man's in custody for the deadly shooting of a sheriff's deputy in Broward County. Two other men are being questioned. Eloyn Ingraham was arrested in connection with the deputy, Brian Tephford's, death late on Saturday. Tephford was shot during a traffic stop in Tamarac. A second deputy was hurt and that second deputy is in stable condition.
A Los Angeles man due in court today. He's accused of sending some letters that were threatening to politicians and to celebrities. The FBI says that Chad Conrad Castagana mailed the letters filled with white powder to the Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, TV host David Letterman, Jon Stewart, among other people. Turns out the powder was harmless.
In just a few hours, President Bush, former President Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and dozens of civil rights leaders are going to gather right here in Washington, D.C., for the groundbreaking of the Martin Luther King National Memorial on the National Mall.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN, (voice over): Almost 40 years after his death, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is about to become the first African-American with a monument on the National Mall. Ambassador Andrew Young, who worked closely with Dr. King in the '60s, is co-chairing the effort.
AMB. ANDREW YOUNG, CO-CHAIRMAN OF KING MEMORIAL: When you go to Martin Luther King's memorial, it shouldn't be because he was black and he's the first black person to get a statue there. It should be because he made a significant contribution to the world.
S. O'BRIEN: Ten years ago, President Clinton signed legislation to launch the project. Major corporations like General Motors and Tommy Hilfiger are donating much of the $100 million need to put King in the same park as Jefferson, Washington, and Lincoln.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.: I have a dream that one day . . .
S. O'BRIEN: The memorial stands just a few hundred feet from the exact spot where Dr. King delivered his famous "I have a dream" speech to 250,000 marchers in 1963.
REP. JOHN LEWIS, (D) GEORGIA: The Washington mall is the front door to the capital of America. One Dr. King Jr. rolled in change in America. Not just liberating a people, but liberating a nation.
S. O'BRIEN: Congressman John Lewis was just 19 years old when he met Dr. King. Five years later, they would march together here in Washington.
More than anything else, Dr. King led with the power of his words. And it's those words that will be the central focus of his memorial. Dr. King's quotes will be inscribed on each of the stone walls.
LEWIS: People will be inspired when they feel and touch the words, the letters, that will be etched in stone. And hopefully it will inspire a generation yet unborn.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Going to be an amazing ceremony. We're going to be covering that live for you when it happens starting at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time right here from Washington, D.C.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Soledad, thank you.
We'll be back with more on that in just a little bit.
Still to come, a swimmer in Hawaii survives the jaws of a shark.
Also, a modern flying machine comes crashing down here old world Williamsburg. We'll have some dramatic pictures for you.
And the ultimate in cool. How you can walk in the shoes of Steve McQueen, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Top stories we're following for you.
President Bush meets today with the bipartisan Iraq study group.
And on Capitol Hill, the lame duck Congress back at work today. It's the first session since Democrats won back the House and Senate in last week's elections.
This morning in southern California, a lot of crossed fingers as a raging wildfire burns. It's lapping near Lake Elsinore. That's about 75 miles east of Los Angeles. So far about 100 homes evacuated because of that fire. CNN's Chris Lawrence standing by in Lakeland Village with the latest.
Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, the most important things about this fire right now are that no one has been injured and no homes have been burned. Now that said, about 100 families have been encouraged to voluntarily evacuate their homes. And in total, there's about 300 homes that are threatened.
You can take a look over my shoulder. You can see some of the about 200 acres that this fire has burned. Several agencies have been up on that mountain right now and they've got the fire about 30 percent contained at this point. They would be even further along but at some point the fire dropped down into a drainage area, it was full of oak trees, thick brush, just made it very, very difficult to get to.
The fire started just after the cut-off time for the planes to fly. So the firefighters haven't been getting any air support. That will start a little bit later this morning just after sunup. But again, it's only about 3:00 in the morning right now, so we've got a little bit of a ways to go on that.
This fire is just 40 miles from where the Esperanza fire was burning last month. That fire destroyed about three dozen homes and, more importantly, it killed five firefighters. I asked one of the supervisors here, is there any emotional carry-over, hangover from such an event like that? And he said, the only thing he can really see, and the firefighters don't talk about it much, but he says he can tell by the traffic on the radio that everyone is just going that extra mile to be extra careful. Everyone is going even more by the book than normal.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Chris, of course that fire your referred to, the Esperanza fire, was an arson fire. What do we know about this one?
LAWRENCE: So far some conflicting stories. I talked to one of the fire supervisors here. He said, you know, they heard reports of possibly a small plane down. They thought possibly that it could be -- there's some homeless camps up there, that maybe it got out from one of those. But nothing concrete at all. They're not really saying exactly how they think it started just yet.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Chris Lawrence, thank you very much. Watching the fire for us.
Chad Myers is watching conditions for the firefighters this morning.
Good morning, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a quick look at some of the stories we're watching for you this morning.
Missing something at the airport lately, besides your good mood? Turns out that more and more luggage is vanishing. We'll tell you why straight ahead this morning.
And the dream becomes reality finally. Ground is going to be broken this morning on the National Mall for the MLK Memorial. It's going to be an amazing ceremony with both Presidents Bush and Clinton, plus Oprah's there and Maya Angelou and much more. We'll bring you a preview straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
A very big day here in Washington, D.C., today. In just a few hours, ground is finally going to be broken on a sweeping new memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the National Mall. The tribute's been in the works for 10 years.
Take a look at this animation. It kind of shows you what it's going to look like. President Bush and former President Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou and many, many other big names are going to be there today. It's a four acre spread. It's going to be absolutely beautiful. And I get to MC the event today, along with Tavis Smiley. It begins at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time. You can catch it right here live on CNN.
Also happening in America this morning, a swimmer in Maui recovering after a very frightening encounter with a shark. Canadian Kyle Gruen was watching tropical fish right off the coast on Kihei on Saturday when he felt teeth sinking into his leg. He managed to escape, called for help, and was able to survive the bite.
The words "recount" and "Florida" back together again. Sarasota County is now beginning a recount in the race for the 13th congressional district. It's the first recount since the infamous one back in 2000 for the presidential election race. Florida election officials are looking into a possible problem with electronic voting machines. A Florida couple is in critical condition today after their small plane crashed into a tree. You see some of the pictures right there. The plane landed about 1,500 feet from a runway at Williamsburg Jamestown Airport. Now, it was pretty rainy and pretty windy at the time and officials say they're still trying to figure out the exact cause of that crash.
The king of cool still commands the big bucks. A silent auction for the legendary actor Steve McQueen brought in nearly $3 million. Bidders bought a Rolls-Royce from "The Thomas Crown Affair," a pair of sunglasses he wore in the movie as well. Sunglasses alone went for $70,000. I'm afraid to ask how much the Bentley went for.
M. O'BRIEN: I've got to tell you, Soledad, $70,000 for those sunglasses you still won't be as cool as Steve McQueen no matter what you do.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, you know, it's not the sunglasses, it's the man.
M. O'BRIEN: You can't buy that kind of cool.
S. O'BRIEN: No, you can't.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Back with you in just a little bit.
The stock market shook off any election worries, turned in a strong week. So, what's next. Cheryl Casone brought her crystal ball this morning.
Good morning, Cheryl.
CHERYL CASONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, I got all the answers.
M. O'BRIEN: You do?
CASONE: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
CASONE: Good morning.
Yes, you know, the markets are back on track this week. We've got a Congress, so the uncertainty is out as far as the elections. So really the markets are exited now because now we can get back to basics and we can talk about a lot of things that are coming up this week. The economy's coming up. You know, we've got a lot of reports coming out -- retail sales, business inventories.
Here are the numbers, as you can see on your screen, from last week. The Dow actually rose up 1 percent. The Nasdaq, 2 « percent. S&P was up. So, you know, we had a solid week as far as the markets go and now we're looking ahead to kind of getting back to business and earnings and the economy.
M. O'BRIEN: I guess we'll be watching retail sales. That will be a big one for the next couple of weeks or so, right?
CASONE: Oh, yes. You know we're going to get numbers from Wal- Mart and Target this week and they're going to be talking about the holidays. And, as you know, holidays big time, big bucks. So we're excited about that.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. And, meanwhile, should we be investigating the Saudi market? Is that right?
CASONE: Actually, no. I'll tell you what, they're having kind of a -- their boom go to bust over there. You know, the oil prices have been rising in the last three weeks or so -- or three years or so in Saudi. Now the market has actually fallen so drastically that people are actually dying of heart attacks. Ad put it this way, the market was at 20,000 in February, it's at 8,000 now. That is like the Dow dropping from 12,000 to 5,000 in eight months.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow. So it's a buying opportunity.
CASONE: Yes, I guess you could look at it that way.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, what you got next?
CASONE: Come up in a little bit we're going to have the new version of the nightlight.
M. O'BRIEN: A new version of the nightlight?
CASONE: The nightlight is going high-tech.
M. O'BRIEN: OK. Like my Scooby-Doo nightlight that I have?
CASONE: It's a little more advanced than that.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Cheryl Casone. See you in just a little bit.
CASONE: You bet.
M. O'BRIEN: The 109th Congress returns to Capitol Hill this morning with the Republican majority as lame ducks. The issues they're still facing while living under the shadow of the incoming Democrats ahead.
Fire raging in the hills near Los Angeles and people are already being told to get out. We'll have a live report coming up.
And a 21-car pileup, a giant mess, a road report still to come on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Looking to the future, President Bush meets today with a group that's looking for solutions in Iraq.
M. O'BRIEN: Make way for ducklings. The lame-duck Congress back to work today. Plenty to do, but accomplishing it all will be a tall order.
S. O'BRIEN: And fit for a king. Icons and celebrities in Washington, D.C., today for the new memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. It's the latest step in a very long-running dream.
We'll talk about it on this AMERICAN MORNING.
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you, Monday, November 13th. I'm Miles O'Brien in New York.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien in Washington, D.C., this morning.
In just a few hours, dozens of civil rights icons and the current president and the former president of the United States all going to be attending the groundbreaking for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. monument on the National Mall. I'll be co-hosting, along with Tavis Smiley, this morning. Going to talk a little bit more about the monument and the path to get it actually under way in just a little bit.
But first, we've got breaking news.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's get right to it. Thank you, Soledad.
First, the breaking news comes to us from Iraq. At least 10 people are dead following a suicide bombing on a bus in Baghdad. New details, new pictures just coming in to us right now.
Let's get right to CNN's Arwa Damon in Baghdad -- Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, good morning.
If anyone thought that there was going to be a lull in the violence, it is obviously not happening any time soon. A suicide bomber boarded a bus in eastern Baghdad, killing at least 10 Iraqis, wounding at least 17.
That happened in the mixed neighborhood of Shaab, mixed Sunni- Shia. It does fall, though, on a Sunni-Shia fault line. On one side, Azamiyah, predominantly Sunni; on the other side, Sadr City.
This attack just a day after twin suicide bombers detonated their explosives. Their target was Iraqi police recruits gathered just outside of the national police headquarters here in central Baghdad. At least 35 Iraqis were killed in that attack.
Miles, Iraqis are just desperate for change.
M. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon in Baghdad. Thank you very much -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Here in this country, Congress goes back to work finishing out the session before Democrats take charge of both chambers come January. They've been called the do-nothing Congress, the 109th Congress, and there is a long list of things they still have to get done.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We go in to this new season of politics in Washington, D.C., with some cautious optimism.
S. O'BRIEN (voice over): With the Democratic majority waiting in the wings, the current Republican-led Congress is back for a lame-duck session. There's plenty to do. And some of the president's priorities for the session could put the new spirit of beltway bipartisanship to the test. They include reauthorizing the domestic eavesdropping program...
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: I believe that we have to do everything within our power, including wiretapping, to get these bad people, these evil people, these terrorists. But in the process of doing this we can't have the American people think that every telephone call they have, that the government's listening in. We must do it within the confines of the Constitution.
S. O'BRIEN: Then there's the renomination of U.N. Ambassador John Bolton.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: There's no overriding reason not to appoint -- reappoint John Bolton. I strongly support him.
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: He doesn't even have the votes of the Republican-controlled committee today. We're going to have a hearing on him. There's going to be a vote on him. He's going to lose.
S. O'BRIEN: The president hopes to get his new choice for defense secretary confirmed. A Senate hearing is scheduled for the first week of December on the nomination of former CIA director Robert Gates to succeed Donald Rumsfeld.
SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: The number one question I have of Mr. Gates is, is he going to really entertain different points of view? When you talk to the generals, even those who are on duty now, it was known that Secretary Rumsfeld never wanted to hear a point of view that was different than his own. He was not likely to want to entertain facts on the ground that didn't square with his own little narrow viewpoint.
S. O'BRIEN: There's also a number of overdue spending bills worth some $460 billion. Iraq, of course, will be a big issue in the lame-duck session, and a bigger one for the 110th Congress when it convenes in January.
JOSH BOLTEN, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Everybody's objective here is to succeed in Iraq. I think that's true of Democrats, as well as Republicans. What the president has said is that we need to get fresh eyes on the problem. We need a fresh perspective.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: So moving from the do nothing to lame duck, how much can they really accomplish?
John Mercurio is the senior editor of the "National Journal's Hotline". He joins us today, as he does every Monday.
Nice to see you, as always.
JOHN MERCURIO, SR. EDITOR, "HOTLINE": Good to see you.
S. O'BRIEN: So let's talk about some of the big-ticket items that are really on the table. Do you think it's likely that, in fact, Bob Gates is going to be confirmed?
MERCURIO: Yes, I think every sign at this point is that Bob Gates probably will be confirmed. Most Democrats haven't been able to come up with any reason not to vote for him. So, yes, that's the one thing I think will definitely get done in this...
S. O'BRIEN: You like to start on a positive note. Let's then move to John Bolton.
He was a recess appointment, and he's going to struggle, certainly. Think he's ever going to be actually confirmed?
MERCURIO: Well, I think by sheer nature of the fact that he was a recess appointment shows that the president doesn't have confidence in the Senate vote. You just saw Joe Biden in your piece talk about how he doesn't even have the support of Republicans. Lincoln Chafee came out against him last week.
Yes, I don't -- I don't really see -- there's not a lot of chatter in the beltway about him serving a full term.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. He's a done deal you think.
What else do they need to get or could they get done realistically before the break?
MERCURIO: I think the main point of coming back to this lame- duck session is because they didn't finish most of the spending bills that they had to do before the election. It's not very sexy, it's not very exciting, but really that's all they really have to come back to do.
There's also a drug reimportation bill that's extremely important and very popular, which would allow people to go to Canada and buy a lot of prescription drugs for cheaper prices. That's something I think there's bipartisan support for. And it can get done. But historically, these lame-duck sessions are not the most productive times to be in Congress.
S. O'BRIEN: And a Congress that was not the most productive Congress.
MERCURIO: Productive in the first place.
S. O'BRIEN: You look at the cover of "Newsweek," and they basically -- I think it's called "Father Knows Best," is how they put it, and you have Bush 41 bailing out I think, maybe, for lack of a better term, 43, his son, the current president, on the issue of Iraq, bringing in all of his advisers.
What's your take on that?
MERCURIO: Right. There's a lot of -- you know, I think a lot of overemphasis and over-focus on this sort of father-son relationship and sort of what it might mean. But there also is some documentation that there's a lot of tension between the current president and his father, the former president.
But right, I mean, Robert Gates was the former president's CIA director. Of course, Dick Cheney was his defense secretary. Condoleezza Rice, Steve Hadley -- so, yes, I think what you're seeing...
S. O'BRIEN: James Baker is clearly adviser to both.
MERCURIO: James Baker, clearly, the Iraq Study Group that the president's meeting with today. So I think clearly what you're seeing, especially following the elections last week, is the current president receiving the message of the American voters that they want a lot more -- they want a much more pragmatic approach to Iraq, a more bipartisan approach, and maybe a more realistic approach which would be more emblematic, I think, of the former president.
S. O'BRIEN: Do you think there's an undue amount of pressure on this Iraq Study Group? Which hasn't even come forward with their -- they're having this meeting, but they're not expected to have a report until December, according to Dan Lothian. We were just talking to him a little bit ago.
MERCURIO: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: A lot of pressure on them. I mean, it's sort of like the 9/11 Commission for Iraq now.
MERCURIO: Yes. A lot of pressure and a lot of expectations that this group is going to be able to come up with a magic bullet that everybody wants, which I think is probably unrealistic at this point.
How are we really going to come up with a solution in Iraq? Is it really going to come out of a study group, or is just going to come out of sort of -- you know, sort of troops on the ground and different maneuvers? At this point I think it's -- I think -- I think to some extent the administration is setting themselves up for -- for disappointment.
S. O'BRIEN: We'll see.
John Mercurio, nice to see you in person.
MERCURIO: Good to see you, too.
S. O'BRIEN: How come we always have to come to you? You never come to New York for me.
MERCURIO: I'll come up to New York.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, we'd appreciate that. Thank you.
MERCURIO: OK.
S. O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we're talking about the very latest on the investigation into that violent arrest in Los Angeles. Remember we showed you this videotape? We'll tell you the latest there.
And Israel's prime minister makes a call to Washington. Iran is at the top of hit list of talking points with President Bush.
And then hurry up and wait. We'll tell you about the flight that's been late 100 percent of the time. We'll tell you which one it is so you can avoid it straight ahead.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at what CNN correspondents all around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Aneesh Raman in Tehran.
Iran's supreme leader has said that a win by the Democrats in Congress is a win for the world. Why? Because it's a rejection of President Bush's policies. But so far change in Washington has bread no change in Tehran.
The country's standing firm that it will not suspend its nuclear program despite an August 31st U.N. deadline to do so that has now come and gone. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator in Moscow over the weekend also suggested that if sanctions were levied against the Islamic republic, Iran could review its relationship with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Hancocks in Jerusalem.
Israel's prime minister meets America's president today, and the main topic will likely be Iran. Ehud Olmert has increased his anti- Iran rhetoric in recent days, even hinting at military action. Iran has said that if that happens it will respond in kind.
Mr. Bush and Mr. Olmert will also discuss the Palestinian issue. But some political commentators worry if there will be much substance to this summit. The two leaders are far weaker than when they met six months ago. Critics say this summit could be little more than a photo opportunity.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Al Goodman in Madrid.
This capital was seeing white as a thousand sheep hoofed it into town, including the littlist lambs. Crowds turned out Sunday to pet the wooly flock. It's part of a fight to maintain a centuries-old tradition in which sheep and cattle traverse Spain from north to south to pass the winter.
A Spanish law protects nearly 80,000 miles of these ancient livestock routes. But new highways, homes, and even golf courses are a threat. Yet the sheep still beat the odds to make the journey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: For more on these or any of our top stories, log on to our Web site, CNN.com.
Well, should you be wearing some sheep products like a sweater today? Chad Myers has the answer for you.
Hello, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And some lanolin, too. Good morning. Good morning, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Back to you guys in New York.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. No, it's back to Soledad in D.C.
MYERS: Oh, in D.C.
S. O'BRIEN: You know what, Chad -- yes -- you know, I've got to tell you, it turns out with those delays you're talking about, the romance of air travel, gone. Gone, gone.
MYERS: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Lost luggage, too, gone. Have you heard this story?
MYERS: I did hear this story.
S. O'BRIEN: Gone, gone, gone.
You know, ever since they did that ban on carry-on luggage or certain things, now everybody's checking their bags, and the numbers of bags that are misplaced skyrocketing. Take a look at the numbers. You look at August of this year, 33 percent increase in lost luggage over last year. Then look at September, 92 percent -- 92 percent more bags lost in September.
And guess what? It's going to get worse in the bad weather and as the holidays approach, of course.
And of course if you're waiting out a flight delay that Chad's been talking about this morning, that's sure to happen. Listen to this one.
At least you're not on the flight that's late 100 percent of the time. In fact, during the month of September, the Delta shuttle flight from New York to Washington, D.C., it leaves at 6:30 out of JFK -- never on time. Nope, not once, never. Never! Never!
The average delay of this flight was one hour and 19 minutes. People said, Miles, that they were so upset.
M. O'BRIEN: Never?
S. O'BRIEN: Never. No, not even once.
M. O'BRIEN: But it's so -- you know, the way to spin that if you're Delta, it's consistent. This is a consistent flight.
S. O'BRIEN: We're 100 percent consistent here at the Delta shuttle 6:30 flight to D.C.
M. O'BRIEN: Here's what I don't like about these things, though. On the screen for the Delta shuttle, for all those late flights, every time it said it was on time.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes, that...
M. O'BRIEN: Why can't we get the truth from these people?
S. O'BRIEN: Why are they lying to us?
M. O'BRIEN: Why? Tell me why. We need to know.
By the way, did you take the Delta shuttle?
S. O'BRIEN: No, I did not.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, that's a good thing.
S. O'BRIEN: I was delayed more than an hour.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: It's funny you should ask, because we took Amtrak in...
M. O'BRIEN: Oh. Oh. S. O'BRIEN: ... and our train got stuck because of wet leaves which we didn't believe because other trains were steaming right past us. And then...
M. O'BRIEN: If wet leaves are going to shut your train down we have problems.
S. O'BRIEN: People on board this train...
M. O'BRIEN: What was that a Lionel train you were on?
(LAUGHTER)
S. O'BRIEN: They were wind-up trains. People could not believe it. We're like, wet leaves? It's November in the Northeast. What are you talking about?
M. O'BRIEN: Wet leaves, that -- that's a novel approach.
S. O'BRIEN: And then they had to bring out a bridge. And when another train pulled up next to us, we had to cross over into the other train. They couldn't take everybody. Only half the people could get off.
So then we got on the other train that was moving. And then that train stopped because someone got ill.
M. O'BRIEN: There's a little flaw in the logic. If the wet leaves stopped the first train, why did the first -- the second train -- anyway, I think we don't need to belabor this anymore.
S. O'BRIEN: Needless to say, if I had taken that flight, I would have been much earlier than the Amtrak train I took. But that's just me.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. But you're there. And we'll be back with you with more on a special day for you, and for the memory of Martin Luther King in just a little bit.
Some of the stories we're following right now.
A wildfire is raging about 75 miles east of Los Angeles. And folks told to get out of the way there.
And those LAPD officers involved on that taped beating are off the streets for now. We'll have an update on the investigation.
Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It has been called one of the hottest workouts, but you have to take your exercise sitting down. Creator Josh Crosby says indo-row is all about teamwork.
JOSH CROSBY, INDO-ROW.COM: Train with a group and you're going to get better. You're going to make gains. But there's no impact.
You burn tons of calories. You build muscle. You build long, lean muscles, which seems to be the trend these days, not bulky anymore. And it's just a lot of fun.
COSTELLO: Crosby is passionate about rowing. He's on the U.S. national rowing team and a third generation rower. He ends each class at the Sports Club L.A. with a little competitive racing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the fact he puts you in teams as you are rowing, like you are really rowing in a boat, that's just an extra added motivation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My favorite part is when he makes us go all out. When he builds it up, 50 percent strength, 75 percent, and then 100 percent. And you're doing it and giving it everything you've got.
AUDREY ADLER, INDO-ROW PARTICIPANT: I am an endurance athlete, a competitive athlete, and this has just taken me to a whole new level. Yes.
COSTELLO: Crosby says besides working every major muscle group in your body, rowers can burn 400 to 900 calories in a 50-minute class.
Carol Costello, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Those two Los Angeles police officers caught on tape pinning and then punching a robbery suspect are off the streets this morning. The pair assigned to desk duty while the FBI investigates whether it was, in fact, a case of police brutality.
Here's AMERICAN MORNING'S Chris Lawrence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The LAPD is investigating whether there are any discrepancies between what this videotape shows and what the officers wrote in their police report.
WILLIAM CARDENAS, SUSPECT: I can't breathe.
LAWRENCE: The video shows Officer Patrick Farrell punching William Cardenas six times. The report counts only two punches.
Well over half a million people have now watched the 20-second clip on popular Web site YouTube, including the FBI, which just launched a separate investigation from the LAPD. Police say William Cardenas is a known gang member who ran when ordered to stop and resisted arrest. His attorney says he's not in a gang and had reason to struggle. KWAKU DUREN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The resistance that you see interpreted (ph) from that video is simply because Mr. Cardenas is unable to breathe because of the knee that's on his neck.
LAWRENCE: The police chief warns against a rush to judgment.
CHIEF WILLIAM BRATTON, LOS ANGELES POLICE: There is a presumption of innocence until shown otherwise. And that applies to police officers, as well as defendants.
LAWRENCE: The court of public opinion is another matter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Rodney King all over again.
LAWRENCE: But is it?
CONSTANCE RICE, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: It's more complicated than any video is going to tell you.
LAWRENCE: Civil rights attorney Connie Rice puts the latest video in perspective.
RICE: It's probably comparable to the Engelwood (ph) case where the teenager who was unresponsive got slammed on the hood of a car by an officer who was twice his size. It's not on the order of the Rodney King or the Stanley Miller flashlight beating where there were 11 strikes with a deadly weapon.
LAWRENCE: Rice says it's time to examine the LAPD's overall attitudes.
RICE: There is a deeper problem here which is a use of force culture that seems at odds with what normal folks see through their eyes. But we're not looking through cop eyes. We're looking through lay folk eyes.
LAWRENCE: It's a difference investigators will have to reconcile.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Some of the other stories we're working on for you this morning.
What's the plan? President Bush meets with the Iraq Study Group today as they try to find a new strategy in the war in Iraq.
Back to work today for the lame-duck Congress. The first time back to Capitol Hill since the election. The election which put many of them out of a job.
And the dream becomes a reality. Ground about to be broken on the memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: All right. If you're waking up in a hotel room right now and you don't know exactly where the bathroom is, we have just the solution for you, we have just the product.
Cheryl Casone "Minding Your Business," telling us about a high- tech nightlight.
CHERYL CASONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. The nightlight is completely redesigned.
In New York this weekend, the big international hotel and restaurant show, Philips Electronics debuted the Stumble Light.
M. O'BRIEN: The Stumble Light.
CASONE: So, this is so you don't stumble when you have to go to the rest room. So you're in a hotel room, you've traveled across a bunch of time zones...
M. O'BRIEN: You really don't know where you are.
CASONE: You don't know where you are.
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
CASONE: And you don't want the lights above, because that's just going to wake you up too much.
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
CASONE: You're going to be too alert.
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
CASONE: This will be a motion-detected light. You walk past this with, say, your feet...
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
CASONE: ... this light goes on, and this light points directly to the bathroom in the hotel room. So you're going to set them up...
M. O'BRIEN: It's like on a plane. White lights lead to red lights, that kind of thing, sort of.
CASONE: Exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
CASONE: So you're not going to the emergency exit, you're going to the restroom, in the middle of the night.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, it could be an emergency -- depending. CASONE: It could -- it could be.
M. O'BRIEN: Let me ask you this: can people buy this for their own home if they want?
CASONE: Well, I talked to the folks at Philips yesterday. They realized this is going to catch on pretty quickly. So right now they're developing it for hotels, but they think that they're going to have to start mass marketing the Stumble Light because it's getting very popular.
M. O'BRIEN: You know, Philips makes all kinds of high-tech things, plasma screens, and all that. They're making nightlights? I mean, is this a big profit center?
CASONE: It could be if you think about it. I mean, I have to tell you, this would be great to have at home.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
CASONE: Because you're not waking up your significant other, you know. There's no lights -- and you can just kind of -- you can sneak out, back in, no lights.
M. O'BRIEN: So I won't need to use the Clapper anymore?
CASONE: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Cheryl.
Thank you for shedding light on that.
What's next?
CASONE: Coming up, another CEO has retired quickly...
M. O'BRIEN: I smell an options story.
CASONE: ... over some financial...
M. O'BRIEN: I smell an options story.
CASONE: ... financial issues.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. We'll see you in just a little bit.
CASONE: All right.
M. O'BRIEN: Cheryl Casone.
The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING begins right now.
California burning again. Another wildfire not far from the one that killed five firefighters. Some residents already evacuating. We're live. Strategy session. President Bush looks for fresh ideas today from the group trying to find a way forward in Iraq. A look at the players and what they bring to the table.
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