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American Morning
The President's Plan: Will it Work?; Shot of Controversy; Cease-Fire in Darfur
Aired January 11, 2007 - 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: Change of course. President Bush vows to fix a mistake and commits more troops to Iraq.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Finally, winter. Snow in the northeast. A blast of arctic air in the west. A messy storm on the way for the Midwest.
S. O'BRIEN: Vaccine debate. Should shots be required for all girls to present cervical cancer? Some surprising answers in some states this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: An anonymous superheroes. Eight strangers see a crash, then lift the car off the driver. Those stories and more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. It's Thursday, January 11th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.
S. O'BRIEN: We begin this morning with Iraq and President Bush's new war strategy. Addressing the nation last night, the president acknowledged for the first time this he had not sent enough troops to secure Iraq and called the situation "unacceptable." About 20,000 more U.S. troops will be sent into Iraq at an extra cost of $5.6 billion. Elaine Quijano is in the White House with more on this story this morning. Arwa Damon is embedded with the U.S. Army's 3rd Striker Brigade in Baghdad. Bob Franken is at Fort Benning in Georgia for us this morning. Let's begin with Elaine.
Elaine, good morning.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Well, President Bush certainly has unveiled new Iraq strategies before, but last night, while acknowledging that Americans are running out of patience, the president tried making his case for why he believes this plan will be different.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO, (voice over): Just months after insisting the U.S. was winning in Iraq, President Bush conceded, sectarian violence has overwhelmed Iraq's political progress, and admitted his strategy must change. GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people, and it is unacceptable to me. Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility rests with me.
QUIJANO: Nearly four years into the war, the president offered a candid assessment of some mistakes, noting what he believes went wrong in previous, failed efforts to pacify Baghdad.
BUSH: There were not enough Iraqi and American troops to secure neighborhoods that had been cleared of terrorists and insurgents, and there were too many restrictions on the troops we did have.
QUIJANO: But the president said those mistakes have been addressed, and said Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki has promised not to tolerate sectarian or political interference. As expected, President Bush announced he will send more than 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq, with a goal of having Iraqi forces take over security for their country by November.
BUSH: Our troops will have a well-defined mission, to help Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, to help them protect the local population, and to help ensure that the Iraqi forces left behind are capable of providing the security that Baghdad needs.
QUIJANO: The president sought to cast this latest plan as an Iraqi initiative, that includes meeting political and security benchmarks. Mr. Bush said he made clear to the Maliki government, America's commitment is not open-ended but set no timetables.
BUSH: If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people.
QUIJANO: And after years of appealing to Americans for patience, the president said there would be no quick end to the bloodshed.
BUSH: Even if our new strategy works exactly as planned, deadly acts of violence will continue, and we must expect more Iraqi and American casualties.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: And both Democrats, as well as Republicans, are expressing not only skepticism, but outright opposition to the idea of an increase in U.S. forces in Iraq. President Bush will try to build public support for his new plan. We'll travel to Fort Benning, Georgia, later today.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: That's right, the president is hitting the road today.
Elaine Quijano, thank you very much.
He'll going to sell that plan, as Elaine said, he's going to be meeting with troops and their families at Fort Benning, Georgia. Some of those troops, of course, going to Iraq will be from Fort Benning. AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken is there for us this morning.
Good morning, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
And he'll be meeting with some of the families who have lost loved ones in Iraq. This is a report that is probably going to seem a bit counter intuitive since there's been such an emphasis lately on those who have challenged the president's war policies, but he still has those who are strongly in back of him, including some who have very intense feelings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now is the time to act.
FRANKEN, (voice over): They are avid supporters of the president, so David and Deborah Tainsh reaction to his speech last night was no surprise.
DAVID TAINSH, FATHER OF FALLEN SOLDIER: I support him 100 percent on what he said tonight. I supported him 100 percent when he sent my son to war. And I still support him 100 percent even though my son died over there.
FRANKEN: And those are his medals, right?
DAVID TAINSH: Yes, right there.
FRANKEN: Their son, 33-year-old Army Sergeant Patrick Tainsh, was killed by a roadside bomb near the Baghdad Airport almost three years ago.
DAVID TAINSH: Not a day goes by I don't think about him.
FRANKEN: But unlike many who share their indescribable pain, they say their loss has strengthened their support for the war and the president. Unlike many others who now believe their loved ones lives were lost in a war that's a fallacy.
DEBORAH TAINSH, MOTHER OF FALLEN SOLDIER: It was not a folly, and we have to have stabilization in that part of the country now. And even if it were a folly, we are there now. We can't keep looking to the past. We've got to look at where we are now.
FRANKEN: Later today, David and Deborah Tainsh will come to Fort Benning and drive past the young soldiers who are in training now, many of whom will soon go to combat in Iraq. They'll be among those having a private meeting with President Bush.
DAVID TAINSH: I'm going to tell him that I support him 100 percent. That I will back him in any way possible that I can.
DEBORAH TAINSH: And I'm going to say, "Mr. President, we, by no means, blame you for the death of our son." (END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: There are many who do blame the president who have lost loved ones. There is a wide range of opinions from people who are really trying to find some sort of meaning for the loss of their loved ones.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Bob Franken for us this morning. Thank you, Bob.
The cost? $5.6 billion. Is President Bush going to get the funding he needs for his plan? This morning we talk live with Senator Carl Levin. He, of course, is the chairman of the Armed Services Committee. That's at 7:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The White House is planning a full court press to buttress the Bush speech today. At 8:45 Eastern, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, will field some questions from reporters. We'll have it for you right here on AMERICAN MORNING. A little later they'll face more questions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
The race to succeed Bush getting a little more crowded today. Senator Chris Dodd apparently poised to drop his hat in the ring. The Connecticut Democrat slated for an announcement this morning. You'll hear from Dodd this afternoon on "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer.
And the results are in from Briny Breezes, Florida. Folks who live in that trailer park by the sea have voted overwhelmingly to take the cash and run. Developers offered them $500 billion for the land. Residents will look for a new place to live with about $1 million burning a hole in their pockets.
Barbaro, the gutsy Kentucky Derby winner who stole our hearts, facing a big setback again. Surgeons had to remove damaged tissue from his left hoof Tuesday because of inflammation. These pictures were shot before the surgery. Barbaro is suffering from liminitis, a complication from that broken foot he suffered in the Preakness last May.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: An amazing story to tell you about of eight heroes. It comes to us from New Hampshire this morning. A car loses control on a highway near Concord, New Hampshire, and the driver is tossed out of the car and then gets pinned under her vehicle. Eight men run to the rescue and, working together, because they don't want to move the injured driver, they lift the car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY BIVENS, RESCUED WOMAN PINNED UNDER CAR: It was, we needed to help this lady.
ROBERT FITZBAG, RESCUED WOMAN PINNED UNDER CAR: We wanted to take the weight off her, so we just held it -- held the car up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: Well, they decided not to move the driver, held up that car until the paramedics were able to get there. And, fortunately, the driver only suffered minor injuries.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's do the math on that. 3,000-pound car, eight people.
S. O'BRIEN: A lot.
M. O'BRIEN: OK. That's amazing. Adrenalin is a powerful thing.
S. O'BRIEN: And add in the factor in how long it took the paramedics to get there.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Right.
S. O'BRIEN: Winter storms on the way. Chad Myers next with the travel forecast.
Also the House votes to give a raise to a single mom, scraping by on the minimum wage, but will it be enough? A sobering look at life at the bare minimum ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Developing stories we're following for you this morning.
After 10 days without a clue, a piece of that missing Indonesia airliner has been found, washed ashore.
And prospective jurors report to an Atlanta courthouse today for the murder trial of Brian Nichols. It's the very same building where Nichols is accused of a wild escape, a deadly shootout and then that police chase that ended in a hostage situation.
President Bush is calling for more troops to go to Iraq. Today he honors a Marine who gave his life there. CNN's Gary Nurenberg has the story of Corporal Jason Dunham and how he earned the Congressional Medal of Honor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Jason Dunham made an immediate impression from his childhood in the little western New York town of Scio . . .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jason was a wonderful part of this community. He was my son's best friend. NURENBERG: To fire fight in Iraq.
SGT. MARK EDWARD DEAN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: This is the type -- the kind of guy that you want to be your best friend. This is the guy that you want fighting next to you.
NURENBERG: When he was a kid, Jason wanted to grow up, get muscles, and he did. He joined the Marines, becoming a role model for the men in his platoon.
MAJOR TRENT GIBSON, U.S. MARINE CORPS: He believed in setting the proper example for his men to follow and that made them want to be like him and want to follow him.
NURENBERG: In April of 2004, Corporal Dunham threw himself on a grenade, seconds before it exploded, saving the lives of fellow Marines. It was the ultimate sacrifice. Dunham was killed. This is all that was left of his Kevlar helmet and vest.
LT. BRIAN ROBINSON, U.S. MARINE CORPS: If he hadn't done that, the blast radius would have been a lot greater.
NURENBERG: Friends from his platoon say he treated his men as family.
DEAN: That's exactly what he did, he jumped on the grenade to protect his family.
NURENBERG: His real family understands the heroic and self-less act.
DAN DUNHAM, JASON'S FATHER: There's no greater thing than what Jason did, to be willing to give up his life so that other people can go on and have lives.
NURENBERG: Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Snow in New York in January. Normally that's not news, but not this year. Snow fell yesterday morning for just a few moments. It's the latest driving snowfall in the city of New York in 129 years. Folks in upstate New York are dealing with lake effect squalls. You'd think they'd know how to drive better there. They dumped more than a foot of snow there, making the roads rather treacherous, bringing down some trees, as you see.
In Philadelphia, a surprise snow squall after weeks of unseasonably warm weather. Didn't stop the biker there. Didn't last long. Left only a dusting on the ground, nevertheless.
And here's a look at Connecticut. Also seeing their first snowfall Wednesday. Not very Rockwellesque there. It made the roads slippery, leading to a few accidents.
About a little more than 15 minutes past the hour, Chad Myers is at the CNN Weather Center.
Yes, a flurry in New York. Stop the presses, Chad!
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Copyright? We don't need no sinking copyright. Steve Jobs is calling Apple's fancy new cellular e-mail, iPod thingy the iPhone. Well, it appears he'll be using it to take a call from the lawyers at Cisco Systems. CNN's Jacki Schechner has details.
We predicted this in a way.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We did. Well, we talked about when they announced the iPhone whether or not they had the rights to it. And there were some conversation that there were negotiations in good faith. And the fact that Apple went ahead and announced the iPhone indicated maybe to Cisco they had agreed to terms. But now Cisco's gone ahead and filed a lawsuit saying you do not have the right to that. They want an injunction. There's been no discussion of money so far, but they want them to stop using the iPhone name.
M. O'BRIEN: It's kind of a classic Steve Jobs ploy - not ploy, whatever tactic, you might say.
SCHECHNER: Well, this is not the first time its happened. We've got Apple Corporation and Apple Computer. Apple Corporation being the company that owns the rights to the Beatles music. And they have had this dispute going back, I think back until 1981 over whether or not they can each use the logo and Apple Corporation wanted Apple Computer to make sure they weren't using it for anything that was music related.
M. O'BRIEN: And so when they got in the iPod, iTunes business, it became an issue. And we covered this quite a bit. What's the status of that whole suit?
SCHECHNER: Well, the status of it now, the latest that I've been able to find, is a judge said they did not infringe on any of the trademark arrangements, but that Apple Corporation was planning to appeal that in February. So that's where it stands right now.
M. O'BRIEN: And it's interesting. There's sort of a similar line of reasoning here. Jobs saying, well, nobody else is calling the cell phone the iPhone. But nevertheless . . .
SCHECHNER: It's tricky. Because what happens is, Cisco owns a company called Linksys, which makes an iPhone, which is a voice-over- Internet protocol phone. A VOI phone where you use Internet to make phone calls. So it's still a phone device and that's where it comes into play a little bit. It's not a cell phone, but it's a type of mobile phone. And it gets a little bit tricky there. And if they've got the name, and you get the buzz that surrounds the iPhone, which has been going on for so long.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. I think we're going to be following this one for a little awhile.
Jacki Schechner, thank you very much. See you in a little bit.
SCHECHNER: Of course. Sure.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, misery loves company. Delta fighting off that hostile takeover, talking to another suitor that is bankrupt, too. We're "Minding Your Business."
And a vaccine debate. Should all girls get vaccinated to prevent cervical cancer? Surprising answers in some states this morning. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: More than 20,000 additional U.S. troops will soon be moving into Iraq. And now that President Bush has announced his new strategy, Arwa Damon is at Camp Liberty in Baghdad on an enbed with the 3rd Striker Brigade, which is the Second Infantry Division. And she's got troop reaction for us this morning.
Arwa, how are they taking the news?
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, fairly well. Now that being said, most of the soldiers that we spoke to actually did not hear the president's speech. It did happen at 5:00 in the morning here in Iraq. However, they do now know that more troops are coming to help them out in their mission to secure Baghdad. So here's what some of them had to say about that this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFF SGT. ROY STARBECK, U.S. ARMY: I just saw a lot more of the responses to the presidential address than I actually saw of the presidential address, and it's just -- it's really aggravating just listening to all these people that have never been over here and half of them really don't even know what's going on over here, just either not supporting the war because they don't like the president, or not supporting the war just because they're Democrats, or supporting the war just because they're Republicans and none of them are taking the time and energy to, you know, find out what's actually going on over here. Maybe come over here and take a look at what's going on.
SGT. MICHAEL CASPER, U.S. ARMY: Really, I mean, we haven't really thought about it that much. Just mostly about it's trying out something new, another strategy. I mean, if it works, it works. If not, we'll just have to figure something else out.
LT. CHARLES MOFFIT, U.S. ARMY: I think it's a great idea if they utilize them properly. The more people to cover our backs, the more eyes we have on the streets, the less likely insurgents can successfully place them. We've seen from past operations, brigades size operations, that the more troops we have on the ground during that operation, the less likely we are to get hit while we're searching for targets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAMON: Most of the soldiers here do realize that a military solution is not going to secure Baghdad. A lot of it does lie on the Iraqi security forces, as well as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki living up to his promises and implementing his own Baghdad security plan.
However, that being said, most people here do welcome the additional troops. They are saying, however, that although the president's plan looks great on paper, a lot of these soldiers have been here before. Some are on their third, even fourth tours. And they do now know that while plans at the government level might sound great, it really translates differently when it comes down to implementing them on the ground here in Iraq.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon for us this morning in Baghdad.
Thanks, Arwa.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, now it's up to the Senate to decide if some working men and women in America should get a raise. House Democrats, making good on a promise, passed a proposal to bump the minimum wage more than $2 to $7.25 an hour. It may not seem like a lot of money, but for some worker, it is means a world of difference, as Allan Chernoff explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAHNEY MARTIN, MINIMUM WAGE WORKER: You want peanut butter, too?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Every day is a struggle for Kahney Martin. Hard enough, she's a single mom. Tougher still that her 15-year-old son, Steven, has been battling cancer. And even more challenging, that she earns only the minimum wage in Pennsylvania -- $6.25 an hour.
MARTIN: It's not enough. And it will always keep you bound because you'll never getting out.
CHERNOFF: Though Kahney has no health insurance, the state has paid for Steven's operation, radiation, and chemotherapy at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. The tumor behind his eye is now gone and doctors expect this CAT scan will show him to be cancer free.
Kahney had been earning well above the minimum wage, $7.40 an hour, working at a laundry company. But her employer wouldn't provide the flexible hours she needed to bring her son in for cancer treatment. She took a six-month leave of absence, and then landed a job here at KFC.
MARTIN: On the first of the month, rent. CHERNOFF: Now she doesn't earn enough to meet basic monthly expenses. Kahney's rent is $525 a month, gas, $158, and electric, $46. Right now, Kahney works part-time to care for Steven, earning a mere $300 a month. If you want to buy clothing, you have to ask your landlord?
MARTIN: Yes. I literally have to ask the landlord, is it OK for me to pay her less money this month so that he could be comfortable to go to school.
CHERNOFF: Fortunately, Kahney says, food is not a financial worry. She receives food stamps to shop at the grocery store. A local food bank provides additional staples. Though she's earning the state minimum, Kahney is thankful for her job at KFC. Once Steven returns to school full time, Kahney says she'll take on a full schedule.
MARTIN: I'll be willing for overtime. I'll be willing to work.
CHERNOFF: And she's thrilled about the prospect of a raise. In less than five months, Pennsylvania plans to boost its minimum to $7.15 an hour.
Allan Chernoff, CNN, Pittsburgh.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Here's where we stand in our watch of the House's first 100 hours. Two pieces of legislation passed. The clock is now 12 hours, 28 minutes and holding. Just 87 hours, 32 minutes to go. It starts again this morning with the House debating federal funding for stem cell research. President Bush vetoed a similar bill last year.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, Delta is trying to fend off U.S. Airways, maybe by getting together with somebody else. It's coming up on 25 minutes past the hour and this morning Stephanie Elam is "Minding Your Business."
Good morning.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
That's exactly it. We've been hearing a lot about what's been going on with Delta and U.S. Air. And Delta's creditors are looking to find out whether or not this is really a viable option. So by doing that they've started talking to other airlines, we are hearing. "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting that Delta has held talks with Northwest and United. However, they're saying that they're talking more with actually Northwest than they are with United. And that's interesting, too, because Northwest and Delta actually both filed for bankruptcy on the same day in September of 2005.
Now earlier this week we did hear that U.S. Airways actually raised their offer for Delta to $10.2 billion. That's up from $8 billion, which was their original offer for the company. So, obviously, this is all about getting the Delta creditors to see what's a more viable option and "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting that it's looking more viable for them to combine with Northwest, but we'll have to keep our ears to the railroad to see what happens with that one.
Also have some news coming out on Pfizer. It seems the drug giant is looking at an over-the-counter version of Viagra. This, obviously, would be a big one for consumers here who wanted to actually get in on this drug. The problem is, is that regulators would have to be able to tell that consumers would be able to self- medicate. There have been some difficulties when combing it with heart medications. Obviously there's limited strength in dosage when you look at over-the-counter versions and they usually sell for less as well.
Also just want to tell you the markets are up 26 points yesterday and that had to deal with lower oil. That's the reason why we saw those market jumps.
Back to you, Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Stephanie Elam, for us. She's "Minding Our Business."
Thanks.
Top stories of the morning. Coming up next, a vaccine to prevent a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer. One state is offering it for free. Another city might make it mandatory. We'll tell you about this debate straight ahead.
And the next move for soccer superstar David Beckham. Contract talks today could land Becks and his famous wife someplace else.
And then later, words that changed a nation. Dr. Martin Luther King's Nobel acceptance speech in his own handwriting, straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Righting a wrong. President Bush vows to fix a mistake, calling for more U.S. troops to secure Iraq and demanding more from the Iraqis.
S. O'BRIEN: Vaccine debate. Should a shot to prevent cervical cancer be required, just like shots for Measles and Mumps? Got different answers from different states this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: And soccer superstar David Beckham could be on the open market. There's talk he could bend it right here in America. Those stories and more ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. It's Thursday, January 11th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about what's happening this morning.
The sales job for President's Bush's new plan for Iraq. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace will field questions from reporters at 8:45 a.m. this morning.
We're going to carry that right here on AMERICAN MORNING when it happens. Then later, they'll face more questions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
A raid in Iraq's Kurdish region this morning on an Iranian liaison office. U.S. forces -- U.S.-led forces, I should say, arrested five workers, confiscated office equipment. Iran is now demanding their release.
In Afghanistan, NATO troops killed 150 suspected Taliban fighter. It happened in the eastern Paktika province near the Pakistan border. NATO troops saw two large groups of suspected rebels crossing over from Pakistan, launched an air and ground assault on those men.
Reports of U.S. troops on the ground in Somalia. American and Somali officials say a small team of special forces is there hunting for al Qaeda suspects. Senior Pentagon officials say there are no plans to send a larger force into Somalia.
In Indonesia, authorities now have a piece of that jetliner that vanished on New Year's Day. According to The Associated Press, a fisherman found parts of the plane's tail piece. Several numbers on it matches the one that was given to search teams. Officials say it's the first hard evidence that the plane crashed -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Inside the military there is a lot of debate over the president's plan to escalate the war. Many officers and war planners are skeptical 20,000 more troops can make a real difference. For the plan to succeed, the Pentagon will need a lot of things out of its control to go right.
CNN's Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon to break down the plan for us.
Good morning, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
And yes, it's certainly no secret that in recent months, several top U.S. military leaders have said they oppose just such a troop increase in Iraq, but now the commander in chief has spoken, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates was to sign the first package of deployment orders right after the president's speech.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KOCH (voice over): The bottom line, 21,500 more U.S. troops will be serving in Iraq. Five brigades will be sent to Baghdad, with the first to arrive within a week.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These troops will work alongside Iraqi units and be embedded in their formations.
KOCH: Four thousand Marines will be sent to Anbar province. Some of the increases will be new deployments. Other forces will see their tours of duty extended.
Iraqis are expected to up their force levels as well. Three new Iraqi brigades, or just over 10,000 troops, are due to be deployed in Baghdad, one in place by February 1st, the other two by the middle of the month.
There will also be a shift in responsibilities. Iraqis will take the lead. U.S. troops under U.S. command will support them.
In Baghdad specifically, there will be an overall Iraqi commander with two deputies and a commander for each of the nine districts in the city. A U.S. Army battalion of 400 to 600 troops will work closely with the Iraqi forces in each district.
The U.S. forces will live in the neighborhoods they help protect, and no area will be off limits. In other words, no safe havens for insurgents or those carrying out sectarian violence.
BUSH: In earlier operations, political and sectarian interference prevented Iraqi and American forces from going into neighborhoods that are home to those fueling the sectarian violence. This time, Iraqi and American forces will have a green light to enter those neighborhoods.
KOCH: The expectation, that Baghdad will be stable by summer. U.S. troops would then pull back to areas outside the capital, with Iraqis in control of security in all 18 provinces by November.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOCH: Then the 82nd Airborne, it's already in Kuwait. And Pentagon officials say that the new strategy in Iraq will not change its promise to soldiers to give them at least one year at home between deployments to Iraq -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon.
Thank you very much -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: A vaccine to fight the virus that causes cervical cancer is causing plenty of controversy. Federal health officials recommend giving the vaccine to girls as young as 9 because it works best before girls become sexually active.
Well, now we're seeing how states are dealing with this vaccine. South Dakota now offering it for free. Washington, D.C., could be the first in the nation to make cervical cancer vaccine mandatory for school-aged girls.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Alina Cho has more on this story.
Good morning.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
There's really a hot debate going on, on this, Soledad.
The people who support these mandatory vaccinations says it makes perfect sense. The virus that causes cervical cancer is spread through sex, so it gives school-aged girls the vaccine before they're sexually active. Critics, however, say parents should be the ones to decide, not the government.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice over): They may be too young to know about the birds and the bees, but some say these sixth grade girls are exactly the right age to get vaccinated against a potentially deadly sexually transmitted virus.
DAVID CATANIA, D.C. COUNCIL MEMBER: This vaccination is safe, proven safe, tested safe.
CHO: Washington, D.C., councilman-at-large David Catania introduced a bill this week that would require all 11 and 12-year-old girls to be immunized against the human papilloma virus. They would need it in order to go to school.
The virus, known as HPV, causes cervical cancer, the second most common form of cancer among women, the third most deadly around the world. Texas and California are among the states debating similar measures.
And in South Dakota...
GOV. MIKE ROUNDS (R), SOUTH DAKOTA: We will be promoting this free vaccine so that as many girls as possible can be vaccinated.
CHO: A voluntary program is in place. Parents who want their daughters vaccinated can do so, free of charge. The state will pay for it.
In Washington, D.C., the program would be federally funded.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's something that really interests me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very important.
CHO: Even the girls like the idea.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It would probably be a good idea. I mean, it's better to be safe than sorry.
CHO: The idea is to immunize children before they are sexually active, but those opposed to mandatory vaccinations say the shots will give the girls a false sense of security, and that the better solution is abstinence.
PETER SPRIGG, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: We feel it's very important that people not be told that this is a vaccine that will make it safe to have sex.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's perfectly ridiculous. I think it no more encourages sex than a tetanus shot encourages you to step on a rusty nail.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: There you have it, both sides.
Now, something we should mention is that the Washington, D.C., bill does give parents the right to opt out of the vaccine requirement if they're really uncomfortable with it. The D.C. councilman we spoke to says he understands it's still a new vaccine -- it was just approved last year -- and that many parents may not want to take a chance with their child's health.
But, you know, Soledad, this is three shots over a six-month period. It's expensive. It's $300 approximately for the three shots. And so, you know, the proponents of this measure say it's expensive. Why not let the government pay for it, make it mandatory, make it accessible?
Of course, on the other side, they say it promotes promiscuity.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, you know, it's interesting. It's not like you can opt out of your measles shots.
CHO: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: I mean, I haul my kids to get shots all the time. They don't go to school if they can't prove they have a certain slate of shots.
CHO: Exactly. And the proponents of this measure say let's make it part of this whole package, so to speak -- chicken pox, measles, mumps, polio -- let's add this cervical cancer vaccine and make it part of the whole package.
S. O'BRIEN: Alina Cho, thanks.
CHO: Sure.
S. O'BRIEN: Great spot -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Soledad.
Coming up, a Canadian invasion. Arctic air is heading south. Severe weather expert Chad Myers has your forecast.
Plus, the world's most famous soccer player may soon have a new home. David Beckham's contract talks going on this morning could mean a move out of Madrid.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Stories we're following for you this morning.
The House takes up stem cell research about 12 hours into their first 100-hours agenda.
And the pride of Australia. Eight-year-old Bindi Irwin is coming to America today. She is, of course, the daughter of the late "Crocodile Hunter," Steve Irwin, and she's promoting her own show which is now on the Discovery Kids Network.
M. O'BRIEN: Here's a look at what CNN correspondents all around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Morgan Neill in Guantanamo, Cuba, where protesters, including peace mom Cindy Sheehan and a former detainee, are set to march to the security border of the U.S. naval base. It's been five years since the first inmates arrived at Guantanamo prison. None has ever been tried or convicted of any crime. That's why protesters say they're calling for the prison to be shut down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF: I'm Al Goodman in Madrid, outside Real Madrid's home field, the Bernabeu Stadium. And the question remains if one of their biggest stars, David Beckham of England, will continue with the team.
A report this week says the football club would let him go, but then the club said that wasn't true. Beckham is one of the highest- paid football players in the world with lucrative endorsement contracts. He's kind of a one-man Beckham brand for football. Other clubs in Europe have expressed interest in him, and there's also speculation he might try playing soccer for a team in the United States.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alphonso van Marsh in London, where the press is getting its first look at the Tower of London's first female Beefeater in this organization's some 522-year history. Myra Cameron (ph) is the first female to be selected for the position. She starts her job in September.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: For more on these or any of our top stories, log on to our Web site, CNN.com.
S. O'BRIEN: It is 42 minutes past the hour. Time for Chad Myers and an update of the traveler's forecast for you.
Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Chad.
MYERS: You bet.
M. O'BRIEN: There's a new cease-fire agreement in one of the world's bloodiest conflicts, negotiated by somebody who already has a full-time job, the role of New Mexico governor.
Bill Richardson in Darfur, that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at some of the feeds we are watching this morning here on CNN, all throughout the day, for that matter.
Take a look up on APTN. That's Mahmoud Abbas. He's in Ramallah, the West Bank, addressing a rather large rally there. It happens to be an anniversary of the Fatah party.
Down on incoming 17, that's Number 10 Downing Street, central London. We expect to see Tony Blair walk out of that door fairly shortly to make an address, presumably discussing the situation in Iraq on the heels of the president's speech last night.
On Capitol Hill, there will be a lot of action today as some of the leading members of the Bush team will go to the Hill to speak to some of the Senate committees -- Senate Armed Services Committee to talk more about the Bush plan.
And finally, you think you're having a bad hair day? Look at Suni Williams on the International space Station.
Can you get in there, Dean?
Take a look at that. When you're in space, your hair defies the laws of gravity, of course, because there is no gravity up there. It's zero Gs. Suni Williams with a -- well, maybe she could try a haircut, I guess -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Suni and I have the same -- we both have big hair. You can't help it. It just -- she just happens to be in space, but it's flying upwards. A funny shot.
A glimmer of help to tell you about in the very troubled Darfur region of Sudan. A 60-day cease-fire agreement has been negotiated by New Mexico's governor, Bill Richardson.
CNN's Nic Robertson has more for us from London this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The human toll of the war in Sudan's Darfur region is massive. More than 200,000 killed in the past four years, more than three million people forced out of their homes. Most left relying on international aid handouts and sprawling refugee camps.
The fighting began when ethnic Arab Janjaweed militia, backed by Sudan's leaders, bombed and burned non-Arab farmers off their land. Now all that could change if guarantees of a 60-day cease-fire given to New Mexico's governor, Bill Richardson, by Sudan's president holds.
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: What we were able to do is set up a political process that puts pressure on both sides to reach an agreement, not just on a cease-fire.
ROBERTSON: There was a cease-fire last year, but not all the opposition rebels who claimed to represent the refugees signed up. So by the end of the year, the fighting resumed.
Darfur is the biggest U.N. aid operation in the world, but Sudan's president refuses to accept calls for U.N. peacekeepers inside Sudan. Instead, preferring a weak, lightly-armed African Union force.
Richardson pressed for a more robust U.S.-led peacekeeping force but was not given any guarantees, but believes he made some progress.
RICHARDSON: I've been trying to convince them that command and control needs to be by the (INAUDIBLE) Bush administration. So is the U.N. And we made a little bit of an inroad there.
ROBERTSON (on camera): Until now, Sudan's tight security restrictions on humanitarian workers and ongoing fighting has kept close to half a million refugees beyond regular food handouts. If the cease-fire does last, even if it only holds for 60 days, it could bring the most needy in Darfur the first aid they've had in months.
Nic Robertson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Coming this up morning, the former head of Tyco, Dennis Kozlowski, he's out of prison today. We're going to tell you where he's staying after a reported heart problem.
Plus, new outrage this morning from the seven-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong. He's also a cancer survivor, and he is out with a message for lawmakers, talking up his new mission with our own Sanjay Gupta.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Headlines we're watching for you right now.
NATO reporting that its forces killed 150 Afghan insurgents. We'll get you up to date on that.
And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testifies about the new plan for Iraq on Capitol Hill today. We'll hear from her in a news conference in the 8:00 Eastern hour of AMERICAN MORNING, a little more than an hour from now.
Some Home Depot shareholders trying to poke a hole in the former CEO's golden parachute.
Fifty-four minutes past the hour. Stephanie Elam "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Good morning, Stephanie.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Miles.
Yes, I don't think it's too much of a surprise to see shareholders may not be happy when there's a lot of complaints about how Bob Nardelli performed as chief executive. And now they want to say, that $210 million that you're supposed to get as a severance package, that shouldn't be yours.
So what's going on here, they're claiming that, overall, Home Depot has overpaid their senior executives. And they're also backdating stock options. All part of the scandal that we've heard a lot about.
And so they're saying after six years he was there, he was actually -- resigned last week. They're saying that $210 million is just way too huge for him to get.
Now, it's not as if he would just get $210 million. Some of these perks have already been received by Nardelli. And so now they're looking to make changes on how the board will address these issues moving forward.
Now, taking a look at another executive who was disgraced after leaving a company, Dennis Kozlowski, who you may remember from June, 2005, was actually sentenced for the demise of Tyco, stealing money there, and also stock manipulation being part of the issue there. Well, it turns out that the 60-year-old Kozlowski has been hospitalized with what appears to be a heart problem.
Now, he is serving his term at an upstate correctional facility, currently serving somewhere between eight and 25 years. Of course, they are appealing that. But it seems there is one report that he had one stent surgically implanted. No word on exactly if that is exactly the case there, but he is expected to return back to the correctional facility later on this week.
Miles and Soledad, back to you.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Stephanie.
Some of the other headlines we're looking at this morning, one of CNN.com's most popular stories right now, one of my favorites from my childhood, Yvonne de Carlo, Lily Munster, has passed away. She was 84 years old.
And, you k now, it's interesting. She will be remembered as the star of "The Munsters."
S. O'BRIEN: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: But had a long and distinguished careers. Among other things, she played Moses' wife in "The Ten Commandments."
But interesting, she did an autobiography a few years ago. Do you remember this? Listed 22 of her lovers.
S. O'BRIEN: Wow.
M. O'BRIEN: A kiss and tell, including Howard Hughes, Burt Lancaster, Robert Stack, Robert, Taylor, Billy Wilder and Ali Khan, an Iranian prince.
Anyway, Yvonne de Carlo, we'll miss her. She was -- and yet that series only lasted two years.
S. O'BRIEN: Really? I didn't know that.
M. O'BRIEN: But went on and on. And still is out there in TV land.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, in reruns. Absolutely.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Interesting.
From the "L.A. Times" this morning, have this story. Japanese yawn at Apple's iPhone. "Barely a Ripple," it says right there.
The Japanese say that they have been using their cell phones to play music and do everything that the iPhone does for a long time.
M. O'BRIEN: "USA Today" with a sobering piece. Three-quarters of a million homeless in the United States now. So, of course it's always very difficult to count homeless, for obvious reasons. Actually, it's somewhere between 400,000 and 840,000, so the average comes out to about 750,000.
In the last 12 to 18 months, the story says, the homeless population has essentially exploded in Philadelphia and other cities. The real driver in all of this is the fact that there's not a lot of affordable housing in this country anymore.
I don't know about you, have you seen "The Pursuit of Happyness" yet?
S. O'BRIEN: No.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, a lot of people have seen this movie, this Will Smith movie where they become homeless. It's such a gripping thing. Forty-one percent of those homeless are families.
S. O'BRIEN: God. A huge number of homeless people. Children.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: It's really terrible, terrible news.
Let's get a report out of the "Daily News." It's reporting that Barry Bonds failed a test for amphetamines, and first blamed it on a teammate. The San Francisco Giants slugger said he took a substance from the teammate Mark Sweeney's locker. Bonds is already, as you know, under investigation for allegedly lying about his steroid use, so this doesn't help.
M. O'BRIEN: No. No. It doesn't -- the P.R. machine will have to get working on that one, I think.
S. O'BRIEN: Coming up at the top of the hour.
Chad Myers at the CNN weather center for us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Course change. President Bush vows to fix a mistake and commit more troops to Iraq.
Strong words. Lance Armstrong tells America's leaders where their real priorities should be.
S. O'BRIEN: Courthouse crime spree. Back to the scene today of that courthouse that saw a wild escape, a deadly shootout, and a police chase. And it all ended in a hostage situation.
And the pride of Australia. The Crocodile Hunter's 8-year-old daughter, Bindi, is coming to American today.
Those stories and much more ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome back, everybody. It is Thursday, January 11th.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Thanks for being with us. S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin with Iraq and President Bush's new war strategy.
Addressing the nation last night, the president acknowledged for the first time that he had not sent enough troops to secure Iraq. He called the situation unacceptable. About 20,000 more U.S. troops will be sent into Iraq at an extra cost of about $5.6 billion.
Covering the story for us this morning, Elaine Quijano, at the White House; Arwa Damon, embedded with the U.S. Army's 3rd Stryker Brigade in Baghdad; and Bob Franken, who's reporting for us from Fort Benning, in Georgia.
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