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Iraqi Leaders Call for End to Sectarian Violence; NATO Summit; Groom Shooting in New York
Aired November 27, 2006 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You're with CNN. You're informed.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.
Developments keep coming in to the NEWSROOM for Monday, November 27th. Here's what's on the rundown now.
Undercover officers under investigation. A police shooting frenzy kills an unarmed man on his wedding day. We ask a law enforcement specialist about the officers' conduct.
HARRIS: Pope Benedict's first papal trip to a Muslim land. Protesters ready to greet him in Turkey.
COLLINS: And road warrior. President Bush heading to dual summits, hoping to shore up dual wars. His strategy this hour in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Iraq at the crossroads, reaching out for help to Tehran and Washington. President Bush en route this hour to a NATO summit, knows his larger mission begins Wednesday. He's due to meet with Iraq's prime minister, a man whose job may be as imperiled as the fractious country he leads.
CNN's Arwa Damon is in Baghdad for us.
Arwa, good morning.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
And, you know, Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister really could risk losing his main support base just because of that meeting that he has scheduled with U.S. President George Bush. Muqtada al- Sadr, the radical Shia cleric, his political bloc, is threatening to suspend its activities in the government if that meeting does go ahead.
Meanwhile, the prime minister not just risking losing the support of Sadr's political bloc, but also of a large base support that he has amongst the Shia people here. He traveled to Sadr City yesterday, a Shia stronghold, also home of the Mehdi militia, which is the militia loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr. He was there to visit the relatives of bombing victims, and while he was there, according to Iraqi officials, his convoy was pelted with stones, thrown at him by dozens of fellow Shia.
Now, the Iraqi prime minister is trying to do what he can to hold this country and the government together. He held yesterday a joint press conference with his fellow Shia, Kurdish and Sunni leaders. They are saying something that we have actually been hearing from the Iraqi people for quite some time now.
The prime minister said, "Let's be honest. The security situation is a reflection of political disagreement."
This is the first time we're hearing the Iraqi government put this public face forward, signaling perhaps a slight change or shift in how they are approaching this situation. But meanwhile, what the Iraqi people really want to know right now is, now that the Iraqi government is shouldering the responsibility, what is it going to do next to bring down the level of the violence?
In fact, in the capital of Baghdad, even though the curfew lifted, life is anything but normal. According to the Iraqi emergency police, only 50 percent of government employees showed up to work today. Many people still staying indoors, fearing retaliatory violence -- Tony
HARRIS: Life anything but normal. So, Arwa, give us a sense -- so many folks not showing up for work. What are the concerns? What's the mood on the streets there?
DAMON: Well, Tony, the number one concern are these tit-for-tat attacks that we're seeing between Sunni and Shia militias. We've also seen since this curfew went into place, since Thursday, in fact, an increase in this mortar war, mortar rounds falling on both Sunni and Shia neighborhoods. And the rumor factory here is just swirling.
We're hearing rumors about the Mehdi militia being -- receiving police uniforms from the Iraqi police. There are Sunni Web sites that are posting attacks on Sunni neighborhoods that are urging residents to carry weapons.
In fact, giving them tips on how to defend themselves against attacks, things such as, "If you don't know how to fire your weapon, ask your neighbor how to fire it. Don't be afraid to shoot. Once you fire that first shot, your fear will go away. You have to defend your family."
And Tony, really many of these rumors, be it fact or fiction, the impact they have on the public here is the same. We also heard from one Baghdad resident who says he went out to the market trying to do some shopping and while he was there clashes broke out and he saw two people killed in front of him -- Tony.
HARRIS: All right. Sounds like every man for himself.
CNN's Arwa Damon for us in Baghdad.
Arwa, thank you. A U.S. fighter jet goes down outside Baghdad. No word on the fate of the pilot this hour. His plane, an Air Force F-16CG. A U.S. Military official in Baghdad tells CNN the jet was on a low-altitude strafing run, firing on ground targets. The cause of the crash under investigation.
COLLINS: Before heading to the Mideast, President Bush will try to convince NATO allies to up the ante for the war in Afghanistan. His week begins in Estonia. Then he's in Latvia for the two-day NATO summit.
Our Kathleen Koch joining us now live from the White House.
This is some very busy travel for the president.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very busy, and this is his second trip, a major international trip in less than a week, Heidi. And he's got quite a bit on his agenda. As you mentioned, first of all, he does head to Estonia, a brief stop there today, and then on to Riga, Latvia, to meet with NATO allies.
The president very concerned that NATO allies are not chipping in when it comes to the alliance quite the amount of their gross domestic product that the United States is. He wants to see that boosted.
As a matter of fact, a case in point, it was just in September that NATO's supreme allied commander called for an increase in the operations in Afghanistan, asking for more troops, more planes, more helicopters. And that response is -- that request is so far gone unheeded. But most of the focus on this trip is on the president's next stop. That's Wednesday and Thursday in Amman, Jordan, where he'll be meeting with Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Now, despite the mounting violence there, neither leader is ready to concede that Iraq is embroiled in a civil war. In a statement I got just a few minutes ago from National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe, Johndroe says, "While the situation on the ground is very serious, neither Prime Minister Maliki, nor we believe that Iraq is in a civil war. The Iraqi government is making slow but sure progress on important issues that will help stop the violence and bring the country together."
Now, President Bush makes this trip despite those threats that came out last week from radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to withdraw his representatives from the Iraqi parliament. The White House has insisted all along that President Bush would not change his plans.
Now, before the president headed out, he was able to get a briefing from Vice President Dick Cheney. The vice president had just wrapped up a meeting over the weekend in Saudi Arabia with King Abdullah, focusing on, among other things, the situation in Iraq. And Heidi, it's just one example of how cognizant this administration is becoming that they will need the help of Iraq's neighbors to end the violence there.
COLLINS: Yes. It's interesting looking at those pictures, too.
What about the latest though? With this much anticipated presentation from the Iraq Study Group, what are we hearing about that?
KOCH: Well, CNN has confirmed, Heidi, that the Iraq Study Group is meeting here in Washington over the next three days. Among the various options that they are looking at in their report, which is due to come out at some point early next month -- and these options are reported by "The New York Times" -- direct talks, U.S. talks with Syria and Iran, the possibility of boosting the numbered of U.S. teams training Iraqi forces. That's something the military itself, U.S. military has already suggested. Though "The Times" reports that the group is not considering at this point any timetables for with the drawl of U.S. forces.
COLLINS: Kathleen Koch at White House following all the developments for us.
Kathleen, thank you.
KOCH: You bet.
COLLINS: To Afghanistan now. Two NATO soldiers are dead, killed today when a suicide bomber slammed into their convoy in Kandahar province. NATO doesn't release the nationalities of its casualties, but Canadian soldiers usually patrol in Kandahar.
HARRIS: At least 10 people lose their lives in a fire today. Flames swept a group home in Anderson, Missouri.
The early-morning fire heavily damaged the home for the elderly and mentally disabled. At least 12 people are at the hospital. Investigators haven't pinpointed the cause.
The NEWSROOM continuing to gather information on the story, and we will bring it to you as soon as it comes in.
Anger and demands for answers in New York this morning. A young bridegroom is dead, two of his friends in the hospital after plain- clothed officers fired as many as 50 bullets. All of this happened Saturday night outside of a Queens strip club following a bachelor party.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAYMOND KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: Undercover officer number two: Undercover officer number two was in front of the club when he heard an individual later identified as the driver of the Altima, Sean Bell, say, "Let's F him up," in reference to an unidentified male standing by a black SUV in front of a club. The undercover officer said that he heard the individual, later identified as Joseph Guzman (ph), say, "Yo, go get my gun."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATE: We must first deal with what actually happened that night, the prosecution of that, so that people understand that policemen and everyone else are not above the law. Police cannot go to a scene and become the judge, the jury and executioner. That's the first thing.
So whether you switch police chiefs or not -- and that may be what we have to do -- that doesn't answer the fact that we have someone that has been killed here and two wounded. And there must be accountability of those officers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: These pictures are just in from New York. The fiancee of victim Sean Bell arrives at the scene of the shooting to light candles. And she's the young woman in the pink jacket.
New York's mayor and police commissioner meeting with community leaders next hour.
Mike Brooks is a security analyst who once trained police on how to operate in high-stress situations. He joins us this morning.
Mike, good to see you.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: Good to see you, Tony.
HARRIS: So, the NYPD calls you, Mike Brooks. What are you -- what are you asking them? What are you telling them when they ask for some advice on all of this? Where do you start?
BROOKS: Well, let's -- look, there were 50 rounds shot at this...
HARRIS: Yes.
BROOKS: ... by law enforcement. You know, that's -- that's -- put that aside for a second. It only takes one shot to kill someone.
HARRIS: Yes.
BROOKS: And we have one person killed, two people injured in this particular incident. What happened inside that club? What did that undercover officer who was inside that club see and hear that brought them outside, and then there was a confrontation outside this club?
HARRIS: Yes.
BROOKS: Now, keep in mind, this club apparently had had 31 violations, ABC violations and other violations over the last number of -- over the last years.
HARRIS: So the club is a trouble spot. OK.
BROOKS: And that's why the officers were there.
HARRIS: Right.
BROOKS: Because this was a special unit that deals specifically with clubs. OK? So they are there, they're looking, one more violation and this club will probably get closed up.
HARRIS: Yes.
BROOKS: So this confrontation happens outside. They get in their cars and they go to leave. They believe, because of the one person, Mr. Guzman (ph), had said, "Go get my gun."
HARRIS: Right.
BROOKS: All right? So that makes them think, well, this guy has got a gun.
So they go to leave. They approach the car. One of the -- apparently one of the undercovers approached the car on foot. The other ones are in the car, in a minivan, a police minivan, unmarked, and this person hits the car -- hits -- almost hits the undercover officer, then hits the van almost simultaneously.
HARRIS: Right.
BROOKS: Goes to try to get out, hits another car. And then apparently the officer did identify themselves as a police officer.
HARRIS: Really?
BROOKS: Yes, that's what I'm hearing.
HARRIS: At the time he -- the officer approached?
BROOKS: Approached the car. That's what I'm hearing from one of my sources up in New York.
HARRIS: OK. OK.
BROOKS: I talked to one of my police sources up there and he was telling me this is what he's -- that's what he's hearing from the law enforcement officers close to the investigation.
HARRIS: OK. OK.
BROOKS: Now, New York is one of the first places you're used to seeing with badges around their neck.
HARRIS: Yes.
BROOKS: And that's what undercovers usually do. They have those, they have jackets they can put on, those kinds of things. But the question is, did they for sure identify themselves as being police, or did these people think they were being set up by possibly people who they were having the confrontation with? But the other thing that really bothers me, Tony, is 31 rounds fired by one officer. You figure there are -- in that officer's gun, in that Glock, there are 15 in that magazine and one in the chamber. OK?
HARRIS: You've got to reload.
BROOKS: That's 16 reps. Got to reload, so he's got another 15.
HARRIS: Well, let me stop you there.
BROOKS: Yes.
HARRIS: So you've got -- you fire, you reload. We're talking about 50 shots in all.
At some point...
BROOKS: Twenty-one hitting the car.
HARRIS: OK, Mike, at what point do you sort of slow down, stop and assess whether or not you're -- you're getting fire, return fire?
BROOKS: That's exactly right. Why are they shooting? What are they shooting at? Do they see someone with a gun?
Apparently they didn't see anyone with a gun. Who's to say if there was one inside or not. They said they didn't find one.
HARRIS: Right.
BROOKS: During the confusion of these kinds of things you might have all officers at other angles, undercover officers see rounds coming to them. I mean, there were bullets flying all over the place, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes.
BROOKS: In fact, a train, a port authority train four blocks away, bullets went through there, and there were two officers on board there that got shattered with glass.
HARRIS: Wow.
BROOKS: Bullets were flying all over the place. But take into consideration the confusion of something like this.
HARRIS: OK.
BROOKS: I've been on the scene, I've been involved in things like this where you get involved in the shooting and things -- it's just mass confusion. Maybe the officers thought there were rounds that were coming from other officers at another angle, coming at them from inside the van. They didn't know, and that's why they kept returning fire. But 31 rounds...
HARRIS: OK.
BROOKS: ... it doesn't look good.
HARRIS: So you mentioned you've been in this situation. What does your training tell you as to how to handle this kind of situation?
BROOKS: Well, you know, when you're taught to shoot, you're taught to shoot in two or three-round bursts. And then you try to -- and then try to get some cover. I mean, If I'm there, I'm going to try to get behind something.
HARRIS: Right. That's an important thing. You're trained to shoot in two to three-round bursts.
BROOKS: Right. Right, if there's a threat coming towards you. So that's what -- that's what has to be looked at. I wasn't at the scene.
HARRIS: Yes.
BROOKS: My source wasn't at the scene. But from the experience of my experience and his experience and other people I've talked to, you know, it's something they're going to have to take a look at.
And keep in mind also the district attorney's office is conducting the initial investigation because of the homicide that's involved. Now, the police Internal Affairs Bureau, IAB...
HARRIS: Yes?
BROOKS: ... they will -- they can also conduct their own investigation. It won't be a parallel investigation, though, Tony.
The officers have -- there's a rule in New York City where they have -- it's called the 48-hour rule, where the officer does not have to say anything to anyone except for what they call pedigree questions.
HARRIS: Right.
BROOKS: What's your name? What unit are you assigned to? What's your weapon, serial number? Those kinds of things, but nothing about the actual events that unfolded.
They have 48 hours that they don't have to say anything to anyone. And if they do, if they are forced to say that by the department, they receive immunity. So the department...
HARRIS: Wow.
BROOKS: I know. It's a strange rule up there. But that department is not going to force them to say anything.
The district attorney is going to start the criminal investigation side of this. And the police -- the police IAB, they may never talk to them about this.
HARRIS: OK. So we will hear from Commissioner Kelly.
BROOKS: Yes.
HARRIS: And Mayor Bloomberg shortly.
BROOKS: Shortly.
HARRIS: In this hour, believe.
Mike...
BROOKS: It will be interesting to hear what they have to say.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes. Great information. Thanks, Mike.
BROOKS: All right, Tony. Thank you.
COLLINS: No knock getting knocked. Atlanta police plan to review the policy after an elderly woman is shot dead.
That story coming up in the NEWSROOM.
And protesters telling the pope to stay home. His high-stakes trip to Turkey here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Tensions running high in Turkey ahead of the pope's planned visit there. Thousands of protesters letting their voices be heard, not happy about the pope's visit.
CNN's Alessio Vinci takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): "Pray for the success of my journey," Pope Benedict asked pilgrims in St. Peter's Square on the eve of his difficult trip to Turkey.
At exactly the same time, though, in Istanbul, thousands of nationalist Turks gathered to protest the pope's upcoming visit. There were far less than the hundreds of thousands organizers hoped would show up, but a vociferous minority, nevertheless, closely watch by security officials.
They left their small group chanting "Allah is great," stormed one of the buildings the pope is expected to visit. And weeks after a gunman fired shots outside the Italian consulate in Istanbul, shouting that it would strangle the pope.
Not enough to deter the Vatican. The pope is expected to meet with the spiritual leader of the world's orthodox churches and gather in prayer with other Christian minorities, but this marks his first trip to a Muslim country since quoting a controversial statement by a 14th Century emperor linking violence with Islam.
JOHN ALLEN, VATICAN ANALYST: The clash of civilizations that Benedict sees in the world today is not between Islam and the west. It's between belief and unbelief, that is between a culture that prizes religion and the supernatural and cultures that don't. And in that struggle, he thinks of Muslims as natural allies.
VINCI: The pope expressed regret for the damage his speech in Germany last December caused but did not offer a full apology. Vatican officials confirm that, as a sign of respect towards the Muslim faith, Pope Benedict plans to visit the Blue Mosque, essentially emulating his predecessor, John Paul II, widely credited with building bridges with the Muslim world by becoming the first pope to enter a mosque when he traveled to Damascus in 2001.
ALLEN: I think Benedict believes that those bridges, having been built, you know, it's now time to walk across them. In other words, you know, dialogue has to be more than being polite to each other. It has to be more than tea and cookies.
VINCI: The pope is in a delicate mission, with all sides willing to talk and perhaps finally willing to listen to each other.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Alessio Vinci joining us now live from Rome.
And Alessio, we now know that the Turkish prime minister has agreed to meet with the pope. Originally he had said there would be a scheduling conflict. He wasn't going to be able to meet with him.
How significant is this?
VINCI: Well, it is significant in the sense that the Turkish prime minister was among the most vociferous critics of Pope Benedict's comments in Germany. He had indicated that the pope had to apologize, he had indicated that he was not going to meet the pope when he would go to Turkey as it is customary for any head of government to do when the pontiff travels to their country.
He was saying he had a scheduling conflict because he had to travel to Riga, Latvia, to attend the NATO summit there with the president, the U.S. president. He's also headed to there in the coming days.
But nevertheless, he also came under increased pressure, probably from intellectuals in Turkey who are hoping that this pope's trip also will show the best side of Turkey, a side of Turkey that is democratic, that is progressive, a Turkey that can also welcome people with whom it disagrees.
COLLINS: Alessio Vinci, we know you'll be watching this story closely for us. Thanks for that.
And tonight you can join Anderson Cooper live in Turkey as the Muslim world prepares for the pope's visit. What will this historic visit bring? See firsthand all this week at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
Then all day tomorrow, beginning at 6:00 a.m., CNN begins a full day of special coverage, "When Faiths Collide: Christianity and Islam."
Watching all day tomorrow beginning at 6:00 a.m., only on CNN.
HARRIS: No knock getting knocked. Atlanta police plan to review the policy after an elderly woman is shot dead. The story in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Atlanta's top cop vowing to get to the bottom of a police shooting that left an elderly woman dead.
Reporter Eric Philips of our affiliate WSB has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHIEF RICHARD PENNINGTON, ATLANTA POLICE: We don't have anything to hide. We don't have anything to cover up. The investigation will be transparent.
ERIC PHILIPS, REPORTER, WSB (voice over): Speaking publicly for the first time about the shootout between 92-year-old Kathryn Johnston, Atlanta police Chief Richard Pennington recounted details of what led up to gunfire last Tuesday night. He said a confidential informant had gone to the northwest Atlanta home earlier in the day and purchased drugs from someone named Sam.
PENNINGTON: That person purchased drugs. They came back out and showed them the drugs. Those officers went, obtained a search warrant for that location, and then those officers went back to that location to serve the warrant.
PHILIPS: When officers forced their way in, Johnston opened fire, shooting all three of them. They returned fire, killing her. The chief revealed part of what investigators found in the home in the aftermath.
PENNINGTON: They did find drugs in the house, and it wasn't a large quantity, but they did find some drugs.
QUESTION: What kind?
PENNINGTON: It was marijuana.
PHILIPS: The chief attended this joint press conference with civil rights leader Reverend Mark Hutchins (ph), who has spoken on behalf of the elderly woman's family. Asked why he had not been around to personally handle this crisis, the chief explained he was away for the holiday.
PENNINGTON: I had a planned vacation to New York, and my assistant chief handled everything. So I didn't see a reason for me to come back right at that time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And in New York, shots fired 50 times. The groom is dead. Now friends and family want answers from the NYPD. We'll hear from the New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly coming up live this hour in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And curfew lifted. Traffic returns to Baghdad. Next, roadmap to peace? The talk of the town from Washington to Tehran.
Straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: At least ten people are dead in a fire today. Flames swept a group home in Anderson, Missouri. The early morning fire heavily damaged the home for the elderly and mentally disabled. At least 12 people are at the hospital. Investigators have not pinpointed the cause. The NEWSROOM continuing to gather information on this story and we'll bring it to you just as soon it is a comes in.
HARRIS: Anger and demands for answers in New York City this morning. A young bride-groom is dead, two of his friends in the hospital after plain clothes officers fired as many as 50 bullets. All this happened Saturday night outside a Queens strip club following a bachelor party.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAYMOND KELLY, NEW YORK POLICE COMMISSIONER: Undercover officer number two, undercover officer number two was in front of the club when he heard an individual later identified as the driver of the Altima, Sean Bell, say, let's 'f' him up, in reference to an unidentified male standing by a black SUV in front of the club. The undercover officer said that he heard the individual later identified as Joseph Guzman say 'yo, go get my gun.'
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. AL SHARPTON: ... so that people understand that policemen and everyone else are not above the law. Police cannot go to a scene and become the judge, the jury, and executionist. That's the first thing, so whether you switch police chiefs or not, and that may be what we have to do, that doesn't answer the fact that we have someone that has been killed here and two wounded, and there must be accountability of those officers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And these pictures are in to CNN from New York City, the fiance of victim Sean Bell arrives at the scene of the shooting to light candles. She's the young woman in the pink jacket. New York's mayor and police commissioner meet with community leaders just minutes from now. CNN live coverage when it happens.
COLLINS: Want to get over to Richard Roth now. He's having more information for us on the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and, Richard, I know that we've been hearing a little bit about the secretary general commenting on the latest violence in Iraq and sort of the direction that the country is headed in.
RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Heidi. Kofi Annan hasn't always been in public lately, winding down his two-term run as secretary general of the United Nations. I was curious considering the huge upsurge in violence over the last few weeks and months in Iraq, I asked him a short time ago, does he think that Iraq right now is in a civil war.
KOFI ANNAN, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL: I think given the developments on the ground, unless something is done to drastically and urgently arrest the deteriorating situation, we could be there, and in fact we are almost there.
ROTH: The secretary general had a bit of a curious smile when I asked him that question. He knows it's a fully loaded political question on the world stage right now. In the last few days the secretary general in a statement urged the Iraqi people to quote heed the calls by political and religious leaders from all sides to institute calm and restraint to prevent an escalation of the situation and focus on a genuine national dialogue.
Heidi, the United Nations does not have a major presence there. This is a U.S. show. When this month began there were 332 international staff in Iraq, 212 personal guards. They, of course, are rather helpless and on the sidelines of doing anything about the sectarian violence raging in many parts of Iraq right now -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Richard, I wondered did he have anything to say about the meeting between President Bush and Prime Minister Maliki?
ROTH: No, he didn't have time for many questions. Over the next few days we may get a comment on that. The secretary general is always in favor of meetings and dialogue, but how much power the Iraqi government truly has over the situation now is a big question.
COLLINS: It sure is. All right. Richard Roth, live from the U.N. today. Thank you Richard.
HARRIS: In the Mideast, Palestinian militants again send rockets screaming into Israel once more testing a two-day-old cease-fire. In spite of the violations, Israel's leader Ehud Olmert has a new peace offering on the table. Our Paula Hancocks joins us now from Jerusalem and Paula, good morning to you.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Tony. Well, in theory the cease-fire is still holding, we're hearing from both side, but, of course, in practice as you say, another couple of rockets were sent into Israel this Monday morning. And just an hour after the cease- fire started on Sunday morning, a similar situation. But we are seeing Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister saying he wants his military to show restraint. he wants to find out if these rocket attacks are just isolated attacks or if they are a full-blown violation of this cease-fire.
Now what he's been saying this Monday is that he wants to see peace talks continuing or rather peace talks starting once again between the Israelis and Palestinians. There haven't been peace talks to speak of for some time since before the year 2000. What he has said today is that he wants Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who was kidnapped back on June 25th, to be released, and then if that happens he will release many Palestinian prisoners, is what he said, even though they have been in prison for some time.
Now, this is interesting because it's the first time that he's actually made a connection between those two situations taking place, a prisoner swap, if you will. In the past he hasn't wanted to call it a prisoner swap. He's worried that militants might try to kidnap more Israeli soldiers if they think they will get a prisoner swap out of it.
He also has said he wants to see a viable Palestinian state, he could ease check points in the territories. He could release hundreds of millions of dollars of frozen assets. At this point there's a reaction from President Mahmoud Abbas' office saying they would rather actions than words, but it's positive at this point -- Tony.
HARRIS: Yes, a couple things come to mind but first let me ask you this. How are Palestinian security forces trying to enforce, reinforce, if you will, the cease-fire?
HANCOCKS: Well, according to Mahmoud Abbas' office, there's up to 13,000 of his security forces all along the border with Israel. Now, of course, the difficulty is what do they actually do if they do come across militants starting to launch rockets. Will they use physical violence to try and stop them, so that's not clear at this point, and, of course, on the other hand as well, the factions, the militants in Gaza itself are so fragmented that even if the leaders say that they want a cease-fire, even if the top echelon says they want a cease-fire, it doesn't guarantee that every single militant who is affiliated with that group will stand by that cease-fire -- Tony.
HARRIS: CNN's Paula Hancocks for us from Jerusalem. Paula, thank you.
COLLINS: Moms, daughters, and food. Head off diet pressures with the loss of dinner conversation. A daily dose coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And standing by waiting to hear from New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, a news conference scheduled, oh, any moment now regarding the weekend police- involved shooting that killed a groom and injured two of his friends just hours before his wedding. When that briefing begins, we will bring it to you live.
COLLINS: More and more teens are struggling with obesity. It follows they should diet, but not necessarily. In today's Daily Dose a University of Minnesota study found teens who tight run a greater risk of gaining weight. Some may end up with an eating disorder.
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at what parents can do.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kathy Kaysen and Molly Kaysen have a tight, mother-daughter relationship. They talk about everything from school to shopping to prom, also more sensitive subjects like weight and dieting.
MOLLY KAYSEN, DAUGHTER: Probably back in the sixth and seventh grade when I did go through my phase where I thought I was too overweight and I would barely be eating enough for like one meal, and that would be my day. And I think that was my drastic time.
KATHY KAYSEN, MOTHER: I think it's just all around them, advertising. And they just want to have that perfect body, which is so thin and, you know, it's not healthy.
GUPTA: Turns out, Molly is not alone. Many teenagers feel intense pressure from what they see in media and advertising and from their peers to be thin.
If you're a parent who has a teenager who's obese or struggling with weight issues, how do you approach the subject without hurting their self-esteem?
Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, author of "I'm like So Fat" has interviewed thousands of teenagers and offers up this insight.
DR. DIANNE NEUMARK-SZTAINER, PROFESSOR, and UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: My advice to parents is to talk less and do more. We spend so much time talking about dieting and weight; not very effective. And what we can do can make a bigger difference.
GUPTA: She says parents should listen to how they talk about weight. Their words are powerful. And they should be positive.
K. KAYSEN: Perfect.
(LAUGHING)
NEUMARK-SZTAINER: You get dressed in the morning. Do you say something like "Do you think I look fat in these pants?" Or do you say, "Oh, I like the way I look."
Those kinds of messages can be strong for a teenage daughter growing up and looking at her mother.
GUPTA: So here's some specific things she says parents can do to help their teenagers. Focus less on weight and more on health. Encourage self-esteem rather than looks. Buy healthier foods and snacks. Get active. Work out together. Buy a family membership to a gym.
Mollie and her mother have created a healthy lifestyle. And they say dieting doesn't fit into their lives.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: To get your daily dose of health news, you can always log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. That address, CNN.com/health.
HARRIS: And you already know to catch us weekday mornings 9:00 a.m. to noon Eastern, but did you know you can take us with you anywhere on your iPod. The CNN NEWSROOM podcast available 24/7 right on your iPod.
COLLINS: Most school busses don't have seat belts, but soon your child may be able to bring his own. It's a snap, coming up in the NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: And standing by waiting to hear from New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to hold a news conference any moment now regarding the weekend police-involved shooting that killed a groom, Sean Bell, and injured two of his friends just hours before his wedding. When the news conference begins we will bring it to you right here in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: We want to quickly get you out to California and these live pictures coming from our affiliate KKT-TV. We're looking at the Burbank area. There has been quite a collision on this Highway 134 between a fuel tanker and another vehicle. The problem obviously is when the gasoline leaks from the fuel tanker, and that is the situation here, so all westbound lanes of Highway 134 are now closed. You can see no traffic moving there, so we're going to keep our eye on this for you and make sure it gets cleaned up properly.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
COLLINS: Kyra Phillips joining us now. Coming up in an hour or so the afternoon edition of NEWSROOM.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, guys. And we're talking about the Iraq Study Group and that report leaked to "The New York Times." Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, who helped broker a peace deal in Northern Ireland, well he's going to join us live to talk about bringing peace to Iraq and whether it's time to use the 't' word.
Also more about the 'n' word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This word has no place in our society.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Michael Richards does the on-air penance with Jesse Jackson. Comedian Paul Mooney, once again, he was there, and he's going to join us again with more, and maybe less on the 'n' word. Will he scrap it from his routine? We'll talk about it, and we'll probably laugh about it, too. He's a little crazy. That Paul Mooney is a little out of control. That's why we love him on our newscast.
COLLINS: Exactly. All right, Kyra. We'll be watching. Thanks.
Most school busses, as you know, don't have safety belts, but soon your child may be able to bring his own. It's a snap, coming up right here in the NEWSROOM.
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COLLINS: Belting in on the bus. We've seen the crashes, but could safety belts save lives on buses.
HARRIS: Well, one couple certainly thinks so.
CNN's Dan Lothian looks at what they're doing about it.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was my best friend, and she was just a great girl.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Anne and Charles Schewe daughter, 20-year-old Sara, was studying abroad, when she was involved in a deadly bus accident on a dangerous road in India.
CHARLES SCHEWE, FATHER: The bus that Sara was on went off the road and rolled.
LOTHIAN: An official with the study program confirmed the tragic news.
SCHEWE: And he said, I'm sorry to tell you that your daughter was killed.
LOTHIAN (on camera): Sara was a junior at Georgetown University, was considering a career in marketing until her death 10 years ago. Her parents say they could have become angry or depressed, but instead, decided to turn their loss into something good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've always wanted to invent the portable seatbelt.
LOTHIAN (voice-over): A product they thought could be a lifesaver for students traveling on dangerous roads, especially in countries with inadequate vehicle safety standards. So they met with an engineering professor at the University of Massachusetts. SUNDAR KRISHNAMURTY, U. MASSACHUSETTS-AMHERST: And I said, well, you know what, it's possible our design team works on these different projects.
LOTHIAN: He enlisted the help of seven teams made up of engineering students.
JOSH DOOLITTLE, ENGINEERING STUDENT: It really inspired us and made us want to engineer the best seatbelt we could.
CLINT WALTON, ENGINEERING STUDENT: Saving lives is a huge, huge goal for us.
LOTHIAN: After trial and error, Clint Walton and Josh Doolittle came up with the winning design.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The basic design is this carrying case right now, weighs five pounds.
Pull it around, sit down on it and over your head.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If she had had a seatbelt on, I'm convinced that she would be alive today.
LOTHIAN: There is still more work to be done before this product can hit the market. International travel safety expert Rochelle Soble, who lost a son in an overseas accident, says anything that can offer protection should be explored.
ROCHELLE SOBLE, ASSN. FOR SAFETY INTL. ROAD TRAVEL: Money must be invested in road safety. The payback is enormous in human life.
LOTHIAN: Hoping to offer more than seatbelts, the Schewes founded Sara's Wish Foundation, raising awareness about the dangers American students face in foreign countries, while honoring their daughter.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She would not want us to be sitting crying in the closet. Certainly she would want us to be out there doing something really good and positive.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: CNN NEWSROOM continues just one hour from now. Kyra Phillips and the team working hard to bring you the very latest on several stories developing today.
HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe and here at home. I'm Tony Harris.
And I'm Heidi Collins. Have a great Monday, everybody.
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