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American Morning
Abizaid on Iraq; Mass Kidnappings; Bush-Putin Meeting; Beating Investigation; Rocking The House; SUVs Bounce Back; U.S. Airways Offers To Buy Delta
Aired November 15, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: War report. The military's top general gives his view on the war in Iraq and faces tough questions from Congress today.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm meteorologist Chad Myers in Atlanta. If you live anywhere in the southeast part of the country today, you need to pay attention. We've already had tornadoes on the ground and a lot more to come.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Out of control. The cameras are rolling as parents get in a knockout brawl in a peewee football game.
M. O'BRIEN: And cops cleared. Los Angeles Police officers caught on tape punching a suspect will not face charges, while video of another violent arrest surfaces. That's ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning to you. Wednesday, November 15th. I'm Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. Thanks for being with us. Let's get right to it.
We start in Iraq. In fact, just back from a surprise visit to Iraq, General John Abizaid, the head of the U.S. Central Command, is delivering a war briefing to Congress this morning, facing those newly empowered Democrats who, in many cases, are bent on bringing the troops home. CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: General John Abizaid, the top commander for the war in Iraq, goes to Congress today. The first commander to testify since the midterm elections. When he last testified in August, General Abizaid was extremely blunt, warning that there could be a civil war in Iraq in the sectarian violence continued to spiral out of control.
But later today, he will walk into a political buzz saw on The Hill. Democrats are already on notice that they want to see some type of troop withdrawal from Iraq beginning in as soon as four ms. Many Republicans are opposed. Some Republicans even talking about adding more troops on the ground in Iraq.
General Abizaid isn't tipping his hand yet about what he plans to say. He's just come from Baghdad where he warned Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that the Iraqi government must take control of the situation. But one thing is somewhat clear. General Abizaid may be the first commander after the elections to tell Congress what it doesn't want to hear, that there are no easy solutions in Iraq.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: In Iraq, meanwhile, developments this morning in the mass kidnapping at a university in Baghdad. Here's what we know so far this morning. The Iraqi higher education ministry is telling one news service 40 hostages have now been freed. More hostages still being held, but unclear how many. Iraq's interior ministry reporting that five senior police officers are under arrest in this case. CNN's Arwa Damon tracking all these developments for us from Baghdad.
Arwa, hello.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
And earlier today, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki at Baghdad University vowing that the investigation would not end, would not stop until the perpetrator had been brought to justice. Now we are hearing conflicting reports at this time. We heard late last night that most of the hostages had been released.
But we are also hearing from the Iraqi emergency police that only up to 20 hostages have been released. So, Miles, at this point, conflicting information. But this is quite common on the ground here as all the details start to come together.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Arwa, first of all, this, obviously, is very troubling when you have senior police officials under arrest. What does that say about how much faith the Iraqi government can place in this police apparatus, in the Iraqi security forces in general?
DAMON: Well, Miles, that has really been one of the main problems here on the ground is building up that trust between the Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi public. Now the Iraqi army is at an advantage when it comes to that. There is a bit more faith in the capabilities of the Iraqi army.
But when it comes to the Iraqi police, there is very little faith in their abilities. And then we look at the mass kidnapping that happened yesterday, we look at individuals, armed groups, walking up to the ministry of higher education in broad daylight in central Baghdad dressed like Iraqi police. And you hear this time and time again on the street. People are petrified when an Iraqi police officer who is meant to be protecting them knocks on their door.
M. O'BRIEN: U.S. forces as to where they were in this case, is this a place where they had been with checkpoints and had pulled back after Prime Minister Maliki had asked them to do so because Shiites were concerned about that presence?
DAMON: Well, Miles, where the ministry is located is pretty much a mixed Sunni/Shia area called Carad (ph). It is in central Baghdad. It is not one of those specific places that you mentioned that are around Sadr City where the Iraqi prime minister ordered the removal of check points.
It is an area that is regularly patrolled by U.S. and by Iraqi security forces. But this just really indicates and underscores the fact that no matter what, despite the fact that we right now have almost 70,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops in the capital Baghdad, really no one is safe.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon in Baghdad, thank you.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: President Bush is off on an eight-day, four-nation trip to the Asia Pacific Summit. He's making an overnight stop, though, in Russia, landing in Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin. CNN's Ryan Chilcote is live for us in Moscow this morning.
Good morning, Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Well, the president's plane is expected to touch down here in Moscow in about 45 minutes time. It's here for a refueling stop before the president and his entourage continue on to Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam where the president will be attending the APEC Summit. That is the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.
This was originally planned to just be a basically a gas and go stop, if you will. But at President Putin's initiative, the two presidents, and their wives, will meet for about an hour and a half as Air Force One is refueled, behind closed doors. The only thing we understand from both sides here really is that the only thing on the agenda is for the two presidents and their wives to make nice at this meeting.
This meeting is coming at a time, really, of very strained relations between the United States and Russia. They've been that way for the last couple of years and really deteriorating. It also comes at a time when both administrations really need one another to accomplish their immediate policy goals for the United States, for the Bush administration. That means getting Russia on board on a U.N. Security Council resolution that would allow for sanctions against Iran. For Russia, that means getting U.S. support for its eventual entry into the World Trade Organization.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Ryan Chilcote is in Moscow for us this morning.
Ryan, thank you.
Here at home, the disgraced lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, loses his freedom today. Abramoff will serve five years for bilking banks out of millions of dollars when he bought a casino boat company. Abramoff still has to be sentenced for giving gifts to members of Congress in return for political favors. That's a scandal that many Republican strategists say brought about some big losses in the midterm elections.
M. O'BRIEN: A report card on hospitals in one state offering some proof they can be a good place to get sick. It comes from Pennsylvania where last year 19,000 patients got an infection while in the hospital. That's out of 1.6 million admissions. But that's a 64 percent spike over the previous year. Pennsylvania, the first state to publicly report the number of patient who contract infections during their hospital stays. The insurance industry would like other states to do the same.
A lot of severe weather warnings out there this morning. You just heard from Chad a moment ago. Let's get the details now.
Chad, good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Happening in America this morning.
In Texas, they love their football. But sometimes things get out of hand. Check out this peewee football game turned melee. It happened in Corpus Christi -- there you go -- ten days ago. And you can blame it on the grownups. A coach started arguing with the referee, so the coach punched him, knocked the ref out and, of course, the parents got involved after that. Great lesson for the six-year- olds, isn't it? Charges are pending against the coach. Nice. Yes, ridiculous is a good word.
In New Orleans, yet another example of your tax money down the drain. Hundreds of modular homes brought buy FEMA for Katrina and Rita victims just rotting as they sit unused and unprotected from the elements. At lease 250 of them are completely destroyed. More than 100 need repairs. The bill to the taxpayers? $5 million.
In Ft. Lauderdale, election officials thought this stamp, used to mail an absentee ballot, was a rare gem. It turned out to be a fake, though. Broward County election officials thought it was one of those inverted jennies from the World War I era worth about 300 grand, but it was counter fit. There was no name on the envelop, so the vote didn't even count either. So chalk that one up.
In Indiana, federal crash investigators still trying to find out what caused the crash of a small chartered twin engine airplane. The Cessna 303 departed South Bend Airport in heavy fog Monday night. There are reports the pilot reported some engine trouble. All five aboard died in that crash. Investigators have ordered an autopsy for the pilot to determine if he was in any way impaired. In Texas, opening statements in the trial for a teen accused in a vicious attack. Eighteen-year-old David Tuck allegedly sodomized a Latino teen with a pipe after seeing the young man kiss the girl at a party. The victim spent three months in the hospital. Prosecutors say Tuck is a white supremacist and shouted "white power" as he beat him after a binge of drinking and drug use.
S. O'BRIEN: When is the use of force by police extreme? That is the question that's being asked by the Los Angeles investigators after another controversial arrest is caught on tape. AMERICAN MORNING's Chris Lawrence has our story today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): This home video captures an LAPD officer pepper spraying a suspect after he's handcuffed inside the patrol car. We're blurring the face of the suspect, Ben Barker (ph), as part of an agreement with his attorney. But the witness who shot the video could tell Barker was hurting.
CALVIN MOSS, AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHER: He was tearing. There was a lot of saliva. He was drooling. And he looked very -- in pain.
LAWRENCE: The officers arrested him after Barker assaulted a store worker in Venice Beach. The videotape shows Barker complained and yelling.
BEN BARKER: Stop! Stop!
LAWRENCE: But eventually, he voluntarily gets in the car?
JOHN RAPHLING, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: He's subdued. He has submitted to their authority. He's handcuffed. He's helpless. He can't do anything to them.
LAWRENCE: Attorney John Raphling admits the officers did loosen Barker's handcuffs when he complained they were to tight. Chief William Bratton says the officers showed restraint based on behavior not seen in the videotape.
CHIEF WILLIAM BRATTON, LOS ANGELES POLICE: He kicked at Officer Dusing (ph), lunged toward Sergeant Beras (ph) and batted Officer Gudamin (ph) by spitting on him. Barker spat inside the police car and then vandalized it during transportation to the jail.
LAWRENCE: This arrest happened last year. The officer who sprayed Barker resigned shortly thereafter. Chief Bratton says after a full investigation, the prosecutor found the officers did not violate the law.
BRATTON: Pepper spray is here to stay, make no mistake about that. It is an appropriate tool to deal with uncooperative individuals.
LAWRENCE: Last week, the FBI launched an investigation into a separate incident in Hollywood. Police say William Cardenas ran when ordered to stop and resisted arrest. Cardenas says he struggled because he could not breathe. Civil rights attorney Connie Rice says officers are in a tough position.
CONNIE RICE, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: They've got to make a split second decision that may or may not get them killed. And in that assessment, does LAPD have a culture that has an overreaction in terms of force?
LAWRENCE: A question investigators and the LAPD are still trying to answer.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Venice, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, surviving shaky ground. How new technology can help you survive an earthquake in your home. CNN's Rob Marciano will have a look at that this morning.
And they're paid to know what's inside your luggage, but did airport screeners know some inside information that could compromise security? AMERICAN MORNING's back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Some of the top stories we're looking at for you this morning.
President Bush meeting with the Russian President Vladimir Putin in just a little bit. We'll give you details on that. He's making a stop in Moscow, the president is, on his way to a week-long trip through Asia.
And American's top general in the Middle East, General John Abizaid, delivers his war briefing to Congress today. We'll keep you posted on that too.
This morning, folks in Colorado digging out after some early winter storms. Up to a foot fell in the Rockies. That's on top of a foot and a half already on the ground there. The snow, combined with high winds, gusts up to 66 miles an hour forced a lot of roads to be shut down.
Chad, you got your hands full this morning, don't you.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: How do you think your house would do in a major earthquake. Safety experts are now trying to answer that very question by taking a pretty extreme approach, creating their own earthquake in Buffalo. Rob Marciano has that story. He's here with us this morning.
Nice to see you, Rob. Good morning.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Soledad. Yes, Buffalo, of all places, where they study earthquakes. It's the largest earthquake laboratory in the country at the state University at Buffalo, New York. They built an 80,000 pound townhouse on top of a couple of shakers and they're going to shake it to a 6.7 earthquake to see what happens. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO, (voice over): Three bedrooms, a cozy den. The table is even set for dinner. But the location might leave a little to be desired.
ANDRE FILIATRAULT, U. BUFFALO ENGINEERING: This is a full-scale, two story, 8,000 square foot townhouse with an attached garage. And it's mounted on our shake tables here and we're going to submit it to a large earthquake.
MARCIANO: Andre Filiatrault is an engineering professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo. His team spent a month building this house in a huge lab last spring. Now they plan to shake it apart with a simulated earthquake.
FILIATRAULT: And in a corner over there we have a whole set of instruments that measure how much this foundation moves.
MARCIANO: The house is equipped with 250 sensors to monitor every nook and cranny. Eighth cameras will film what happens inside. But what's most important in what happens the basement, so to speak.
Now we're actually underneath the dining room where this house sits on top of this huge shaker. This is it. This is what's going to do it, isn't it, Andre?
FILIATRAULT: That's right. That's one of the shake tables. I said there's two of them. And this shake table has eighth actuators. Basically they're a big piston. You can see one of those here. You can see the stainless steel piston here. The shaft of the stem is steel piston. And basically this is going to move up and down, doing the shaking, and in 15 seconds you're going to see very high velocity, displacement and so on to reproduce the motion.
MARCIANO: Within a few seconds, one of the eight cameras dies. In one room, computers, TVs and lamps go flying. In the garage, a station wagon rocks and rolls. In one room where all of the furniture have been brace and bolted down, the bookcases and television have still intact. Plates slip and slide, but like a magic trick, remain on the kitchen table. But the house severely damaged with large cracks in the walls. Studying all this will help engineers design better wooden buildings. Some day this fake quake could save your life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: This is the largest test done on such a huge wood structure. And the reason they did wood is they know a lot about concrete, brick, and mortar and how earthquakes respond to that type of building, but not a lot about wood. And 90 percent of where we live in America, homes are made out of wood. So that's why this testing's so important.
S. O'BRIEN: Makes a lot of sense to look at that.
So what's the main lesson they took away? What's the best way to reinforce a wood home so that you don't get some of those major cracks and major damage to the home?
MARCIANO: Well, they find that tuck-under garages are a huge liability basically. The more, obviously, structured wall you have underneath your home, the better. The problem with the North Ridge quake in '94 is a lot of the homes that collapsed were tucked under garage homes. Although it's convenient for you and me, that is a liability. They did show a couple of rooms that were actually braced where the TVs were tied to the wall. So if your child was in that room, that TV wouldn't go flying. You saw another room there where computers, TVs, they were all over the place. Obviously a dangerous situation.
S. O'BRIEN: Pretty cool video. I like that.
MARCIANO: Yes, it was cool.
S. O'BRIEN: Rob Marciano. Nice to see you in person, Rob. Thanks.
MARCIANO: Likewise.
S. O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, your holiday road trip. Have Americans forgotten this summer's pain at the pump? We'll take a look.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dan Lothian at a gas station in Washington, D.C. When gas prices peaked, a lot of people were running away from SUVs. But are they coming back? I'll answer that question.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Dan.
And before they hit Broadway, they play Jersey. A sneak preview of this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade straight ahead. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back. Some of the top stories we're following for you this morning.
Disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff begins a five-years prison sentence today stemming from a scam to buy casino boats. Abramoff still has yet to be sentenced for paying lawmakers for political favors. And a report out of Pennsylvania shows that 19,000 people contracted infections while they were staying in hospitals in that state during 2005. A 64 percent jump over the previous year. Unclear if there are more infections or just better reporting of the numbers.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: White knuckle flyers might have more reason to worry while their plane is on the ground. Near misses on runways at the nation's busiest airports are up once again this year. "USA Today" reporting 31 near misses on or near runways so far this year. That's up from 29 last year. The Federal Aviation Administration testing some new systems to try and warn flight crews that a runway is being used by another airplane.
And those supposedly surprised tests of airport security may not be so secret after all. The Associated Press reporting TSA screeners at San Francisco Airport were tipped off when undercover inspectors were on the way. The inspectors are supposed to evaluate how well screeners detect fake bombs and weapons.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: A week away from your road trip to grandma's house? Let's take a quick check at what you're going to pay at the pump. AAA is reporting the national average of unleaded gas is now $2.22 a gallon. That's practically music to the old ears, isn't it? More prices falling. More people are heading back, believe it or not, to the bigger rides. AMERICAN MORNING's Dan Lothian is in Washington, D.C., at a gas station for us with more on that.
Good morning, Dan.
LOTHIAN: Good morning, Soledad.
You know, I'm guessing that right about now you're thinking about that road trip you're going to take to a family members house for Thanksgiving to eat that Thanksgiving meal. Well, it's going to cost you a little bit for that road trip. Not as much as it would have a short time ago. Take a look at the price here, $2.23 a gallon for unleaded.
Now over the last few days we've seen a little bit of a trickling up in the price of regular gas. But, overall, the trend has been going down. And for some people, that means a return to old habits.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN, (voice over): After months of severe pain at the pump, call it the recovery.
TOM LIDDY, J.D. POWER: When there's been a gas price hike, people have moved to small cars, but then they very quickly, in the United States, when gas prices go back down, big vehicles very quickly regain favor.
LOTHIAN: With gas prices well off their highs nationwide, some expert says more Americans seem to be bulling into SUV dealerships.
JOE WIESENFELDER, CAR.COM: From what we see, Americans have very short memories.
LOTHIAN: Sales manager David Melkonian sees the evidence firsthand.
DAVID MELKONIAN, SALES MANAGER: They're telling you that, gee, you know, prices of gas are down, now it makes it a little bit more comfortable to be buying a vehicle like this.
LOTHIAN: Industry analyst J.D. Power says customer loyalty for big vehicles is on the rise. Internet site cars.com says its traffic is shift.
WIESENFELDER: We're seeing people search much less for hybrids and the smaller cars.
LOTHIAN: Still, some people like Bruce McCarthy are holding on to some habits they adopted during the recent run on gas prices.
BRUCE MCCARTHY, COMMUTER: I'm now working at home and taking the train because it's a better solution.
LOTHIAN: Other commuters like Houston Smith say they'll eventually return to their big cars but are waiting until gas prices drop a little lower.
HOUSTON SMITH, COMMUTER: I don't think they've gotten low enough yet to even enjoy driving that truck the way I'd like to.
LOTHIAN: After all, gas is still averaging more than $2 a gallon. The highest average, $2.48 out west. If prices stay flat or fall, some experts say more commuters will give up trains, bikes, and small cars. What will change this cycle?
LIDDY: If they believe the gas prices are going to be high and stay there far along time, and we haven't seen that yet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN: And experts say it's not just staying high for a long period of time, but perhaps reaching a shocking level like $4 a gallon that they believe will cause people to start thinking about making changes for a lifetime.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, it might come to that, won't it? All right. Dan Lothian for us this morning.
Thank you, Dan.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. This just in to CNN. Word of a potential merger or acquisition between two airlines. Both of them have some financial ailing in their recent history. Delta and U.S. Air. Ali Velshi is here to give us more on that.
It's U.S. Airways now.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. Airways now, which is the newly merged U.S. Airways. A particularly healthy company now, but all of these major airlines have been in trouble. Delta continue to be in bankruptcy. U.S. Airways making a 8 billion cash and stock offer to buy Delta.
Now we are just getting initial details of this. We do have it confirmed that there is an offer on the table. But, wow, Miles, this is just an interesting situation because American-based carriers have just not been all that successful in the last year. Northwest and Delta still in bankruptcy protection.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's interesting when you look at the root structure of these two airlines, there isn't a lot of overlap.
VELSHI: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: So I suppose maybe when you think about it, there's some ways to bring the two together. What's interesting though with U.S. Airways, it had such a long history of labor struggles.
VELSHI: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: Would that be imported into Delta or how would that mesh?
VELSHI: Well, I mean, Delta and Northwest, the two that are in bankruptcy protection right now, it's all about the labor struggles. The fight with the pilots or the mechanics on Northwest's side. U.S. Airways, the old Allegheny, in a merge. They cater to the northeast and the southwest now with the new merger.
M. O'BRIEN: Or tried the Piedmont routes, which might be similar (ph).
VELSHI: The Piedmont routes. Exactly. Whereas Delta's got an entirely different root structure. I could actually cause a fairly national airline when you think of the combination of these two. Delta, while in bankruptcy protection, maintains a remarkable root structure. Just announcing yesterday a new cut in fares to try and attract people.
But, remember, the trend here has been toward the business traveler. They're the only profitable traveler left. What these two airlines that continue to compete for low fares on consumer routes, what they do to make money, it will be interesting.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, and, of course, U.S. Airways hasn't been as strong overseas.
VELSHI: Correct. M. O'BRIEN: Delta, of course, has the old PanAm routes and has expanded upon that.
VELSHI: That's right. And continental's got good overseas roots. Northwest shares with KLM.
M. O'BRIEN: Right.
VELSHI: So this could be a good move for U.S. Airways.
M. O'BRIEN: But the bottom line is, and this has been proven time and again, bigger isn't always better in the airline industry. Look at how the Southwest and JetBlue models there, where they've kept it . . .
VELSHI: In America it's show -- and you know why. Because when bigger means different aircraft, different types of mechanics, different types of part stores. You know, today, when an airline comes in late and you need to get out on that plane, they don't have extra planes hanging around to take you. Flights are flying fuller these days. So bigger isn't necessarily better. Efficiency is better.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Well, we had some other things to talk about just quickly.
VELSHI: We'll talk about that.
M. O'BRIEN: The stock market, new record.
VELSHI: New record on the stock market. We'll talk about that. Lower oil prices. I'll bring you all that the next time I talk to you.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Ali Velshi, thank you very much.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, halfway around the world a very unusual presidential summit of sorts. Russian President Putin meeting with President Bush, happening in Moscow this morning. And it's not going to get past the airport. We'll fill you in.
And it's the channel of choice for the Arab world. Now it's coming your way in English. We're talking about Al-Jazeera, straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Power in the presidency. President Bush, just a few minutes away from landing in Russia, first returned to the international stage since the Republicans lost the elections. We're going to bring this trip live to you from Moscow in just a little bit. M. O'BRIEN: Football and family. One couple says they're willing to part with tickets to the weekend's hottest college game to help them get a baby.
S. O'BRIEN: And Apple's iPod takes flight. Some airlines are making some pretty big accommodations for your music player.
Those stories and much more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome, everybody. It is Wednesday, November 15th.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm Miles O'Brien.
We're glad you're with us.
President Bush is due to land in Moscow in just a few minutes. He's on his way to Asia for a weeklong trip and a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin. It will happen within the hour.
CNN's Brianna Keilar has details on the president's trip -- Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, good morning to you.
And after Russia, President Bush and the first lady move on to Singapore and then Vietnam. The president will be talking with other world leaders about global trade and no doubt North Korea.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR (voice over): President Bush begins a six-day tour of Asia centered around this weekend's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Vietnam. He planned to arrive in Hanoi with a new pact normalizing U.S. trade with Vietnam, but the House of Representatives failed to pass the legislation late Monday. After meeting Tuesday with the heads of major U.S. automakers, President Bush said he'll call for a level economic playing field.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My message to our trading partners is, just treat us the way we treat you. Our markets are open for your products and we expect your markets to be open for ours, including our automobiles.
KEILAR: APEC is an economic summit, but a nuclear North Korea will probably be a major issue. Pyongyang has agreed to resume six- party talks over its nuclear program, but one expert questions the effectiveness of United Nations sanctions against the north.
JUSTIN LOGAN, FOREIGN POLICY ANALYST: For example, the South Koreans have just said they don't have very much intention of complying with, at least to the full letter of the resolution.
KEILAR: U.S. diplomat Christopher Hill met this morning with South Korean and Japanese representatives and says that's not the case.
CHRISTOPHER HILL, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: We all agree and have always agreed that the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718 needs to be properly implemented and properly respected by all parties. So there's no -- no real discussion about that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: After the APEC summit President Bush heads to Indonesia on Monday. It's the world's largest Muslim nation, and he'll hold a news conference there about fighting terrorism -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Brianna Keilar in Washington.
Thank you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: And just back from a surprise visit to Iraq, General John Abizaid, the head of the U.S. Central Command, reports to Congress this morning, facing newly empowered Democrats who are looking to make some pretty big changes for U.S. troops on the ground.
Here's CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): General John Abizaid, the top commander for the war in Iraq, goes to Capitol Hill today as the first commander to testify since the midterm elections. When he last testified in August, the words were blunt.
GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: I believe that the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I've seen it in Baghdad in particular, and that if not stopped, it is possible that Iraq could -- could move toward civil war.
STARR: But with Republicans still in charge, Abizaid is walking into a hornet's nest. Each side has already staked out its position. Everyone will be watching to see how candid Abizaid will be. Will he say mistakes were made by the generals?
Democrats who will take charge of Congress in January want to start pulling troops out within four months.
SEN. EVAN BAYH (D), INDIANA: We need to tell them they're not staying forever and that if they don't get their act together we're going to withdraw sooner rather than later.
STARR: Republican Senator John McCain wants to see an increase above the current level of 144,000 troops. Abizaid hasn't yet tipped his hand about what recommendations he might make, but two days ago in Baghdad, he warned Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki his government must quickly take more responsibility for security.
As they await recommendations from the Iraq Study Group, commanders say they still support troop withdrawals, but only if conditions on the ground permit. The biggest problem of all may be whether sectarian violence has gone too far to save the country and drastic measures are required.
COL. DOUGLAS MACGREGOR, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Get out of Iraq. Admit you've made a mistake and leave, and understand that what emerges is going to be what the people who live in that country want.
STARR (on camera): Post-election, General Abizaid may be the first commander to tell Congress what it doesn't want to hear, that there are no easy solutions in Iraq.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Well, let's show you some pictures just in to CNN. You're looking at live pictures from the British parliament. There's the British prime minister, Tony Blair. We can see he's walking in right there.
The queen of England will be giving her annual address this morning, outlining the government's legislative programs for the upcoming year. We are told that the speech will be not just about terrorism, but about security and antisocial behavior, immigration control, counterterrorism, organized crime. She'll sort of lay out her legislative slate. Also going to be talking about reducing carbon dioxide emissions as well.
We're going to bring more about this to you. As you can see parliament assembled to hear Queen Elizabeth as she makes her annual address this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: You've got to love those outfits, don't you?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I do.
M. O'BRIEN: I assume those are members of the House of Lords that wear the red outfits. I'm not sure. We'll have to get to the bottom of that.
S. O'BRIEN: That's a great shot.
M. O'BRIEN: Beautiful. Beautiful pageantry there.
Happening this morning, in just a few hours Senate Republicans will be choosing their new leaders, and Mississippi senator Trent Lott is vying for the number two slot. He's up against Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. Alexander says he has the votes to win.
Lott, as you will recall, quit as majority leader in 2002 after making racially insensitive remarks at a birthday party for the late senator Strom Thurmond.
Al-Jazeera's English language channel hits the airwaves today. The original Al-Jazeera, bankrolled by Qatar's royal family, is hugely popular. The Arab -- in the Arab world. Right now it's only available online in the United States.
Former Hewlett-Packard chairwoman Patricia Dunn will be in a California courtroom today. She's being arraigned in connection with the Hewlett-Packard corporate spying scandal. Dunn and four others facing fraud, identity theft and conspiracy charges for their role in HP's botched probe into boardroom leaks to journalists.
And supermodel Naomi Campbell due back in court today. She's looking at assault charges for allegedly throwing a cell phone at her housekeeper, causing her to need four stitches.
Campbell denies the charges. Campbell didn't show up at her last hearing. The judge says he'll issue an arrest warrant if she's not there today. Her lawyer says she'll be there.
S. O'BRIEN: We're watching some severe weather in the southeast this morning. Chad's got the very latest tornado warnings and your forecast straight ahead.
Plus, it's not a graveyard, but take a look at this. It kind of looks like one. We'll tell you why Katrina victims are victims of the elements once again.
And there's a cable company that wants to give you the hard cell -- "cell" as in cellular service. We'll tell you who's taking to the airwaves coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
We're getting this word just in to CNN. It looks like there's going to be a tsunami that will be striking in the region of northeastern Japan, happening in approximately 30 minutes or so.
Let's get right to Chad Myers for an update.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at what CNN correspondents all around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ben Wedeman in Gaza, where people are bracing for Israeli retaliation after Palestinian militants fired several rockets into Israel, killing one Israeli woman. This is the first time since July 2005 that these rockets, hundreds of which have been launched from Gaza so far this year, has lead to a fatality.
Now, senior Israeli intelligence officers are increasingly worried about the quantity and quality of weapons being smuggled into Gaza. Now, in the past, Israeli operations here have been massive and bloody, killing more than 300 people since June, and now it seems that another offensive is inevitable. (END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Atika Shubert in Singapore, in front of the Asian Civilizations Museum that President Bush will be visiting. This island city state is the first stop in his tour of Southeast Asia. He's expected to meet with Singapore's prime minister and also make a speech about the rising importance of this region.
After this, he will be visiting Hanoi, Vietnam, for the APEC summit. And his final destination will be brief visit to Indonesia.
As you can imagine, security is tight across the region, particularly because Southeast Asia is known to be the home of several al Qaeda-linked terror groups.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: I'm Brent Sadler in Beirut.
A wobbly U.S.-backed Lebanese government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora faces a tough showdown with Iran and Syria's key ally, Hezbollah. Six government ministers close to Syria have already quit the cabinet and make claims by the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority here that Iran and Syria are both plotting to sabotage a United Nations court that's being set up to try Syrians and others accused of top-level assassinations in Lebanon over the past two years.
The power struggle could turn violent if rival camps stage street protests.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Newton in London. And yes, we're still talking about James Bond.
"Casino Royale" got a royal premiere last night as Queen Elizabeth II chatted up the new James Bond. 007 will now be Daniel Craig, and for this role he beefed up and did many of his own stunts.
So far, movie reviews have been good, but this is a very valuable franchise, more than $4 billion on the line. The promotions continue around the world as the film opens this weekend.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: For more on these or any of our top stories, log on to our Web site, CNN.com.
Live pictures, Moscow. There you see the exit door to Air Force One being used as an entrance at the moment.
The president and first lady should be walking out fairly shortly. President Bush on his way to meetings in Southeast Asia, stopping in Moscow for a refueling stop. On the ground for an hour or less. Will meet with Vladimir Putin and will discuss, among other things, Iran and the nuclear threat posed by Iran.
Russia is a close trading partner of Iran. And the president apt to talk a little bit about Russia's attempts to join the World Trade Organization, perhaps as a lever to persuade Vladimir Putin and Russia to back sanctions aimed at the regime in Tehran.
We'll be watching as the president deplanes there in Moscow and we'll keep you posted as this brief meeting between the two leaders amid somewhat warming relations continues.
Back with more in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Welcome back. Let's check the grid, see some of the stories we're watching for you.
Incoming 17, there you see the scene at Moscow's airport. Pan left. Ah, there it is, Air Force One, there for a refueling stop and a little bit of diplomacy.
An impromptu 45-minute summit between Vladimir Putin and George Bush. High on their agenda, Iran and the nuclear threat posed by it. Russia's a key trading partner with Iran, and has thus far resisted sanctions aimed at the regime in Tehran.
Let's take a look at incoming 86. I believe the queen has finished her address there in parliament.
They do know how to dress for a political occasion there. This is the last royal address that Prime Minister Tony Blair will listen to as the prime minister. Gordon Brown will fill his shoes. Tony Blair's at lame-duck mode at this point.
Incoming 12 there, take a look that. That's probably Chad working on his next weather segment or something.
You see that red dot there. That's that 7.7 magnitude quake which is just below the Korean Peninsula and northeast of Japan, which has prompted a tsunami warning for parts of Japan, Russia, and maybe for the southern tip of Korea. But I don't know. In any case, a six- and-a-half foot wave expected along coastal regions there shortly, and folks in that part of the world are urged to get away from the beach for now as this potential tsunami heads their way -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles, thanks.
Tickets to the big game, Saturday's Michigan versus Ohio State, that's got to cost a couple of hundred bucks. Beers, Cracker Jack, $20, a chance to adopt a baby and make a difference, priceless. Jerry Revish of our affiliate WBNS has the story of an Ohio couple that's trying to raise some money for a dream come true.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Four hundred and fifty people have looked.
JERRY REVISH, REPORTER, WBNS (voice over): A thousand dollars and counting. That's how much someone is willing to pay so far for the pair of OSU-Michigan tickets that Ken and Christie Sigler (ph) were offering on eBay.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 7AA.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're -- they're just in this corner of the end zone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
REVISH: The Siglers are also selling a cookbook online, chock full of recipes from family and friends. They're sold $6,000 worth so far. The goal is $12,500. That's the amount they need to get the paperwork rolling to adopt a child from Guatemala.
They fell in love with the children of this Central American country while on a church mission there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That, and just the joy that you see in the eyes of the children there and their generosity.
REVISH: They decided long ago to not have children of their own until they adopted one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We feel like this is what we're being lead to do, and so we just wanted to make sure that we followed through.
REVISH: There's no telling how long it will take to get a child. Eighteen months is not reasonable, but they're willing to wait as long as it takes. These people of faith have faith they're doing the lord's work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just want to try to do our best to know him and to love him and to serve him. And we feel this is a way to do it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: That was Jerry Revish of our affiliate WBNS reporting for us.
They're hoping to get 1,000 bucks for those tickets. And the adoption fees run about $30,000. They need every dime.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
We'll be back with more in a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Big airline news this morning. US Airways with an $8 billion cash and stock offer for Delta Airlines.
Ali Velshi is here with the first cut on the implications of all of this.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I used to have a lot of U.S. Air miles, and I burned them a couple of year ago thinking this airlines was going to not make it out of trouble. It ended up making it out of trouble, merging with America West in 2005. Now making an $8 billion offer for Delta, which is one of the two major airlines under bankruptcy protection.
U.S. Air saying that if they -- US Airways saying that if they make this merger work it will be -- it will operate under the name Delta. It will be one of the world's biggest airlines, number one at 155 airports and serving 350 destinations around the world.
We'll keep on top of that.
Also yesterday...
M. O'BRIEN: Wait a minute. So US Airways is going after Delta, but they'll keep the Delta name?
VELSHI: They'll keep the Delta name. They want -- they think that name has more value, particularly internationally.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
VELSHI: Another record on the stock market. The Dow closed at 12,218 yesterday, hitting 12,228.
We'll keep an eye on how markets react today.
I'll give you more on that later -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Quick business report.
Thank you, Ali -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at some of the top stories on CNN.com this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN (voice over): There are questions about security at the nation's toughest prison in southern Colorado. It's called SuperMax, and some of the most dangerous criminals are imprisoned there, like Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph.
There are concerns, though, that coded messages are being smuggled out by prisoners. Official documents show mail and phone calls of high-risk inmates aren't always monitored, and local officials say the number of guards is too low.
The USS Intrepid aircraft carrier is still stuck in the muddy Hudson River this morning. Divers poked around the hull on Tuesday. Crews say they have no idea just how long the floating museum will remain stuck. Restoration was supposed to start last week.
A new study explains why a little chocolate a day can cut the risk of heart attack. It turns out that chocolate, like aspirin, affects the platelets that causes the blood to clot. In the study, the blood of chocolate eaters was slower to clot than the blood of those who didn't eat chocolate.
For more on these stories, you can log on to our Web site at CNN.com.
The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING begins right now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: And we begin with breaking news. A tsunami warning is in effect for Japan. It's expected to hit in about 10 minutes.
Plus, at home, tornado warnings.
We'll have a look at both of those.
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