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Uphill Fight on Capitol Hill; Deep Freeze

Aired January 12, 2007 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone.
You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

For the next three hours, watch events as they come into THE NEWSROOM live on this Friday morning, the 12th of January.

Here's what's on the rundown.

New Iraq strategy -- the president's top war advisers explaining the plan again today to a skeptical Congress. Live remarks from the new defense secretary and the joint chiefs chairman

HARRIS: Deep freeze -- Oklahoma and Missouri spreading sand today before a big winter storm spreads ice.

COLLINS: For 14 years, a family at heart. Today, their bond is legally father, mother, daughter -- adoption, finalized, finally, in THE NEWSROOM.

Uphill fight on Capitol Hill. Another day, another round of questions about the president's new plan for the Iraq War.

Marching into battle this morning, new Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace.

The Hill, hostile territory for the two Thursday.

Here now is CNN Congressional correspondent, Dana Bash.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the moment she sat down, unrelenting criticism.

SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: I believe the president's strategy is not a solution, Secretary Rice. I believe it's a tragic mistake.

BASH: Across the Capitol, the secretaries of state and defense came to sell the president's Iraq plan, and were greeted with hostility and exasperation. What was unprecedented, how scornful Republicans were... SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R-NE), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: This speech given last night by this president represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam, if it's carried out.

BASH: Republicans who think Mr. Bush is flat wrong to send more troops into what they call a deepening civil war.

SEN. GEORGE VOINOVICH (R-OH), FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE: I have gone along with the president on this and I bought into his dream. And I -- at this stage of the game, I don't think it's going to happen.

BASH: Republicans who say increasing U.S. troop levels has been tried before.

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R), ALASKA: I'm not convinced, as I look to the -- the plan that the president presented yesterday, that what we're seeing is that much different than what we have been doing in the past.

BASH: And Republicans joining Democrats in questioning whether the Iraqi prime minister can or will do what it takes to stabilize his country.

REP. JOHN M. MCHUGH (R), NEW YORK: I just have my doubts the Iraqis will show up. The track record isn't there.

ROBERT GATES, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: If, at the end of the day, they don't keep the commitments that they have made to us, as I indicated before, we would clearly have to re-look at the strategy.

BASH: Under heated questioning from lawmakers, including five presidential hopefuls who sit on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bush lieutenants were forced to admit there are no guarantees this latest plan will work.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: What leverage do we have that would provide us some assurance that, six months from now, you will not be sitting before us again, saying, well, it didn't work?

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, Senator, the leverage is that we're not going to stay married to a plan that's not working in Baghdad.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COLLINS: And Dana Bash joining us now live from Capitol Hill -- Dana, Secretary Gates, General Peter Pace, due to sit before the Senate Armed Services Committee this hour.

What can we expect to hear in that testimony today?

BASH: Well, we expect it to be a little bit different from yesterday in terms of the reception that they'll get. Yesterday, it was really stunning, Heidi. Twenty-one members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, not one -- not one -- including 10 Republicans, said that they support the president's plan to increase troops in Iraq.

Today will be a bit different because there are at least three senators who sit on the Armed Services Committee, high profile senators like John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Democrat-Independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. They all have said that they do support the president's plan.

So in that sense, the dynamic will be different. But just in general, Heidi, the atmospherics here are so starkly different from even before the election. Just, for example, coming over here, I ran into a conservative Republican senator. And I said, "Are you going to support the president's plan?"

And he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm not going to say yes, I'm not going to say no, I'm going to just still wait and see. I'm still asking questions."

And that, more than anything else, we are hearing even from members of the president's own party. It is really quite a different scene here on Capitol Hill when it comes to the president and Iraq.

COLLINS: All right, Dana Bash live from Capitol Hill this morning.

Dana, thanks.

HARRIS: President Bush out of the White House and out of sight. He leaves this morning for Camp David, far from the political bickering over his Iraq war plan. He and the first lady are expected to spend the night at the presidential retreat in Maryland.

COLLINS: From the frying pan into the fire. After facing the wrath of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice seeks support abroad now. She'll also push for renewed peace efforts in the Middle East. And that's where her whirlwind tour begins -- Israel, the West Bank, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait; then on to Britain and Germany.

HARRIS: Securing Baghdad -- a tough task even for veterans of urban combat.

CNN's Brian Todd talked with two of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the top, the new mission is to clear and secure Baghdad's deadliest neighborhoods. How's that gone so far?

GATES: The clearer part of the operation went fairly well and fairly smoothly. The problem is that there were insufficient forces, both Iraqi and American, for the hold phase.

TODD: John Powers and Garett Reppenhagen know something about clearing and holding a city. For a year in Baghdad, Powers patrolled the streets looking for insurgents, his Army unit depicted in the film "Gunner Palace".

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get down now.

TODD: Reppenhagen, a former Army scout and sniper, has a descriptive phase for the year he spent in Baquba going house to house.

GARETT REPPENHAGEN, IRAQ WAR VETERAN: It's an ass puckering experience.

TODD: And that's only if you get to a house. Try getting past the roadside bombs first.

REPPENHAGEN: Sometimes they're in trash. They'll hide them in animal carcasses. They'll hide them in trees or on light posts.

TODD (on camera): Tell me something pretty mind blowing about just the curbs in Iraq.

What do they do?

REPPENHAGEN: Sure. One of the things we learned to identify is that they would make false curbs and have an IED built into the curb. So as you were going down the street, you had to find that difference in the curb, otherwise it may explode.

TODD (voice-over): Best to avoid use any vehicles, they say, too easy to get trapped. When attacked from a building, Reppenhagen says, soldiers have to counter with overwhelming fire, take out the target, then clear the entire building. It can take hours.

In one chaotic exchange, he describes firing back against a sniper in a building, having to take out another man who is rushing in and out to deliver him ammunition. At one point, that man took cover behind a car. His unit, he says, lit up the car then looked inside.

REPPENHAGEN: There were three innocent kids that were hiding in the car, not aware that, you know, there was going to be a battle in Baquba that day and all three of them were killed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: CNN's Brian Todd reporting.

Meanwhile, terrorists together the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece. Police say the building was hit by a rocket propelled grenade this morning, causing no injuries and just minor damage. The rocket was apparently fired from a street just beyond the embassy gates.

Greek officials say they are treating it as a very serious attack. They're investigating a claim that it was carried out by a domestic terror group question as The Revolutionary Struggle.

HARRIS: What do you say we get our first check of the nation's weather this morning?

Chad Myers in the Weather Center -- Chad, good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Tony.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Meanwhile, taking to the streets to take back the streets.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There have been at least eight murders in this year alone, eight murders in just 10 days. And it doesn't seem like the police or the justice system here is capable of handling it.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COLLINS: Anderson Cooper reports straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Going after a silent killer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD LUEDERS, CARBON MONOXIDE VICTIM: I would not wish this on anyone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: A father loses a son to a faulty heater and he works to save others from the same grief.

That story coming up in THE NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: And fighting a killer -- one of the nation's most well known cancer survivors issues a challenge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LANCE ARMSTRONG, CANCER SURVIVOR: Now is not the time to stall when it comes to funding. Now is not the time to stall when it comes to attention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Lance Armstrong speaks out ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And, Heidi, the crowds, the cameras, the chaos -- a furry debutante...

COLLINS: Oh.

HARRIS: ... makes her first media appearance. Cute, cute. Panda premiere in THE NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: She's awake.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A Michigan man determined to get carbon monoxide detectors in hotels around the nation. His drive fueled by the loss of a son.

CNN's Susan Candiotti has details.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

LUEDERS: I would not wish this on anyone.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two days after Christmas at the Doubletree Grand Key Resort in Key West, Richard Lueders lost his only son, Thomas, to apparent carbon monoxide poisoning. The fire chief says he suspects a malfunctioning boiler next to their room was to blame. The state fire marshal says there's no record the boiler was ever inspected.

LUEDERS: We believe that some good needs to come of this incredibly tragic situation.

CANDIOTTI: Twenty-six-year-old Thomas Lueders was on a holiday trip with his dad to the Florida Keys.

LUEDERS: My last vision of Tom was on the bed in the room reading a book. I remember falling in the shower and then I think I tried to get up and that was pretty much when the lights went out.

CANDIOTTI: When Lueders came to the next day, he was in an oxygen chamber. No one told him about his son.

LUEDERS: A feeling came over me and, frankly, I felt Tom's presence. When that happened, I knew he was gone.

CANDIOTTI: Lueders later learned other hotel guests fell ill from C.O. poisoning in the same room five days earlier.

LUEDERS: It just leaves you just completely perplexed.

How could it be, you know?

CANDIOTTI: Citing an ongoing investigation, neither the hotel nor its management company would answer any questions about the incidents. The hotel does not now have C.O. detectors, but told CNN it plans to install them when it reopens.

LUEDERS: What happened to Tom should not have happened to anyone in this country. And for want of a $20 carbon monoxide detector.

CANDIOTTI: Eleven states require C.O. monitors in homes. Only seven of those states also require them in hotels. After five La Quinta guests suffered carbon monoxide poisoning near Denver in 2001, the hotel chain began installing detectors on some of its properties. Marriott requires them at all of its hotels. Hilton and Holiday Inn did not respond.

Richard Lueders vows to fight for laws making C.O. monitors mandatory in every state.

(on camera): What do you think Tom would think of this, your efforts?

LUEDERS: I think he would be happy to know that we would be doing the best we could to be sure that he was the last person to have this kind of experience.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: Susan Candiotti joins us now from Fort Lauderdale -- Susan, are there any state or federal regulations governing whether this particular hotel needed to have carbon monoxide detectors in its rooms?

CANDIOTTI: No. The federal government has stayed out of this one, leaving it up to states or perhaps your local city or your county to regulate whether there should be carbon monoxide detectors, in this case, in hotels.

So, unless your particular state or municipality, county decides to pass such a law, none is required by these hotels.

Some of them, as you heard, have taken it upon themselves to install these anyway.

HARRIS: OK.

Susan Candiotti for us in Fort Lauderdale.

Susan, thank you.

CANDIOTTI: Enough is enough -- residents take to the streets in New Orleans. They want an end to the violence that's claimed nine lives since New Year's Day.

CNN's Anderson Cooper has more on the march.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

COOPER (voice-over): It started off small, a few dozen people, residents of this city, bloodied and bruised.

MARY HOWELL: We want the city to know, we want everybody to know, even other citizens to know, it's just too much.

COOPER: They carried pictures of Helen Hill, a local filmmaker shot to death in her home last week. Other victims were present as well.

HOWELL: The problem is that we don't have any real leadership. And people are scared. And they're frustrated. And they're worried. And this is a city that's really worth fighting for. And every single person here is fighting and putting their money where their mouth is.

But the real question is, is it worth dying for?

COOPER: Mary Howell clutched a picture of Dominic Johnson, a foster child she helped raise, a young man of promise, shot dead at 18.

HOWELL: Almost everybody here knows somebody who was murdered, loved somebody that was murdered, had a friend who was murdered. It's -- it's a very close and personal issue here. It's not abstract. It's not rhetorical.

COOPER: Dana Nashan Bashek (ph) carried a picture of her baby, Etienne (ph), shot to death by a carjacker. He was just 11 months old.

DANA NASHAN BASHEK: I was shot four times, and my son was shot in the head. My 2-year-old daughter was in the car at the time as well, and she escaped being shot. So I'm here for not just myself and my son, but everybody.

COOPER: They brought their children, their stories. They brought their frustration, as well. The mayor, they say, is not doing enough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where's he been and what is he doing?

COOPER (on camera): It doesn't seem like he's here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, not many people are seeing much of him. And -- but I think he -- I think he's a good man and I think he -- he means well. I think he loves this city as much as anyone else. But I think more needs to be done.

COOPER: What you hear over and over today is people saying enough, enough with the violent crime here in New Orleans. There have been at least eight murders in this year alone, eight murders in just 10 days.

And it doesn't seem like the police or the justice system here is capable of handling it. There -- there have, for months, been promises about new initiatives, new ways to fight crime. And, yet, the murders continue and no one seems to have any answers.

(voice-over): At city hall, they finally gather, thousands of marchers from all over town, black and white, united by grief, barely able to contain their anger.

BART EVERSON, RESIDENT OF NEW ORLEANS: Shame on you, Mayor Nagin, Superintendent Riley, District Attorney Jordan. You have really let us down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm scared to death of the police. I'm going tell you that straight up. COOPER (voice-over): The mayor, the police chief stood silent, listening, as speakers took them to task.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we don't address crime now, before we know it, there won't be a Mardi Gras. They will be snatching you off the float.

Stop the violence now.

COOPER: The mayor had hoped to address the crowd, but march organizers had other ideas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This convening was an opportunity for the people to speak. This was our press conference. Mayor Nagin will have an opportunity to speak at his press conference.

COOPER: Tired of hearing empty promises, they refused to let the mayor speak. It was a very public slap in the face, a sign of just how deep the anger here has become.

Anderson Cooper, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Cutting your cancer risk -- things you can do right now to stay healthy. That story coming up in THE NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Fighting a killer -- one of the nation's most well known cancer survivors issues a challenge in the battle against cancer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARMSTRONG: Now is not the time to stall when it comes to funding. Now is not the time to stall when it comes to attention.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Lance Armstrong speaks out, ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Are they the next hot Hollywood couple?

David Beckham and his wife coming to America. Oh, yes, he's playing soccer, too. The whole story, we'll get you the whole story, in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: There is a good chance you know someone who's fighting cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates more than a half million people died from cancer-related causes last year. But cancer is no longer a death sentence. There have been tremendous strides in treating the disease.

But in a cnn.com column, cancer survivor and cycling great Lance Armstrong says there's still work to be done. Armstrong talked about the battle earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "AMERICAN MORNING")

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Tell us about this column you wrote on cnn.com. It really touched a nerve, what you said in it. And, first of all, give people the gist of what you wrote.

ARMSTRONG: Well, it was interesting, just when we start to think that Americans don't really care about the fight against cancer or are perhaps distracted with other issues in the country, we post a column like that and lo and behold, it's one of the most viewed sites ever on cnn.com.

So, it's refreshing to know that we truly care. The basis of the story was just a general impatience that I have, and a whole army of people have, with the way we're going about things, the with lack of funding, with the lack of attention and the lack of focus and the lack of -- ultimately, the lack of leadership.

O'BRIEN: Well, let's talk about this lack of funding and lack of leadership.

How much of the problem right now, when you look at trying to find a cure for cancer, is a lack of money and how much of it is just perhaps science reaching its outer boundaries?

ARMSTRONG: Well, you know, before we paint a dark picture, I should say that we, you know, we've made tremendous progress. I mean I wouldn't be sitting here today if we had not made progress. There's 10 million cancer survivors in this country, so obviously they feel like we've made progress.

But the point is that now is not the time to stall when it comes to funding. Now is not the time to stall when it comes to attention.

I mean I think it's an interesting time scientifically. And there are two things that you always need with any great team is leadership and young potential. And, you know, coming along right now with the stalling that we're seeing, you're going to lose both of those things.

So our focus and our objective now, and the millions of people that we have behind us, are to make it an issue again, especially going into the tees.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: "You have cancer" -- chilling words no one wants to hear. And you may not have to. Experts say there are things we can all do to help avoid the potentially deadly disease.

CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just how much control do we have over whether we get cancer?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honestly, I don't think I have much control. I just -- I just hope I don't get it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: None at all. I don't think I have control.

GUPTA: a new plan commissioned by the American Cancer Society found more than a third of those surveyed, 36 percent, believe they have little or no control over reducing their risk of getting cancer.

Genes do play a role. But diet and lifestyle account for more than half the cases of cancer in this country. That's according to the American Cancer Society. That's more than 250,000 preventable cancer deaths every year.

Smoking, of course, is at the top of the list of cancer risks. And America's 45 million smokers are certainly raising their chances of getting many types of cancer.

Unhealthy diet and lack of exercise contribute to a third of cancer deaths.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Largely, many cancers are prevented through these healthy behaviors like not smoking, like getting exercise, like maintaining a healthy weight and people really aren't aware that they do have some control over their cancer risk.

GUPTA: Doctors say Americans also need to do a better job of getting screened for cancer. Catch it early and the chances of surviving the dreaded disease improves dramatically.

Dr. Jim Hotz, an expert on rural health care, says lack of insurance or transportation are two reasons people don't get screened. Human nature is another.

DR. JIM HOTZ, ALBANY PRIMARY HEALTH CARE CENTERS: It's kind of like a terrorist, you know, the fear that there is a cell that's becoming alien within your body that can kill you. And people don't want to know about that. They want to put their head in the sand about it.

GUPTA: With cancer, knowledge can be a life saver.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: And this programming note. Our Dr. Gupta teams up with Lance Armstrong for a CNN special, "Saving Your Life." You can catch that Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

COLLINS: Two to one against sending in more troops. Some of the numbers from a new poll on the president's Iraq plan. Senior political analyst Bill Schneider has more ahead in THE NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TONY HARRIS, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: What do you say we take you up to New York City? The New York Stock Exchange --, oh, they're all happy, smiling. Representatives from Yamana Gold sounding the bell this morning to get us going on this business day, Friday, getaway day, the amount of gold -- a Canadian gold producer with five gold and copper mines up and operating in Brazil. The Dow closed up 72 yesterday, the Nasdaq, up 25.

Business headlines that we're following today, some issues for Apple chief executive, Steve Jobs. Federal investigators are involved in something to do with a backdated stock option grant. He will sort all of that out with Susan Lisovicz a little later this morning.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: The battle over the president's new war plan. It's getting to resume, right now on Capitol Hill. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is back on the Hill and on the hot seat. This morning he appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Yesterday, Gates said other administration officials were grilled by lawmakers opposed to sending more troops to Iraq.

Gates says the U.S. will know within a couple of months whether the additional troops are making a difference. He says the new strategy is a pivot point in the war.

HARRIS: The president is selling his Iraq plan but it appears most Americans aren't buying it. We're getting the new poll numbers on the new strategy, this morning. Here's our political analyst, Bill Schneider.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good evening.

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Wednesday night, President Bush spoke dramatically about the high stakes in Iraq.

BUSH: It is the decisive, ideological struggle of our time.

SCHNEIDER: And his new plan for dealing with it.

BUSH: So, I've committed more than 20,000 additional American troops to Iraq.

SCHNEIDER: The public's response, 2-1 negative. In fact, half the public say they strongly oppose the troop build-up, leaving Democrats to denounce the president's proposal.

SEN RICHARD DURBIN (D), MAJORITY WHIP: The president's plan moves the American commitment to Iraq in the wrong direction.

SCHNEIDER: Democratic voters are virtually united in their opposition -- 88 percent oppose the build-up. And the president's base -- two-thirds of Republican voters support President Bush on Iraq. But we're beginning to hear criticism from Republican politicians.

SEN CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: I think this speech, given last night, by this president, represents the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam.

SCHNEIDER: He speaks for the 30 percent of republican voters who oppose Mr. Bush's plan.

BUSH: Our troops will have a well-defined mission...

SCHNEIDER: The public does not agree. Only 35 percent believe President Bush has a clear plan for Iraq, that's up a bit from the 25 percent who felt that way before he spoke, but 63 percent of Americans still don't see a clear plan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And Bill Schneider joins us now live from Washington. Bill, just a quick question for you. Do we have any sense of how many people actually watched the president's speech?

SCHNEIDER: We do and it's only 43 percent of Americans. Most say they didn't watch or listen to any part of the speech. Could that be the reason why it didn't make a big impact? Well, probably not, because among those who did watch or listen to the president's speech we found it did not make a big difference. Only 27 percent of those people said it made them more likely to support the president's policy. Half of them said it made no difference at all.

HARRIS: Thanks, Bill. CNN political analyst, Bill Schneider, for us.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

COLLINS: I want to go ahead and remind you what's going on, right now. On Capitol Hill, we just mentioned that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is back in the hot seat, appearing before this committee, the Senate Armed Services Committee. You see the chairman there, John Warner. And also, we will be watching those proceedings and bringing you some of the sound from them.

Also want to let you know about some information we are just now getting in here at CNN that we are working to learn more about. Apparently Hillary Clinton, Evan Bayh and John McHugh are on their way to Iraq. We are working to get more details on that and certainly will bring it to you just as soon as we learn more. But once again, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Evan Bayh, and John McHugh, apparently on their way to Iraq. Again, we will get more details and bring them to you just as soon as they are available.

Meanwhile, battered and bruised on Capital Hill, hoping for a friendlier greeting. In the Middle East, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice selling the president's plan for Iraq. One of her deputies paid us a visit, coming up a little later in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And another check of weather, now. Let's go to Chad Myers in the Weather Center.

And Chad you're watching a, boy, a potentially serious situation there, Oklahoma, Texas, coming up this weekend.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Sounds like it. OK, Chad, appreciate that update.

Still to come, more troops for Iraq, the president's war planners explaining to Congress right now, how they'll help combat Capitol Hill-style in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Battered and bruised on Capitol Hill, hoping for a friendlier greeting in the Middle East. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice selling the president's plan for Iraq, one of her deputies paid us a visit, coming up next in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And Soccer star, David Beckham, trading the old world for the new world, he's going Hollywood, in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: On the ground in Iraq Defense Secretary Robert Gates president is selling his Iraq plan but it appears most Americans aren't buying it Bill Schneider Hillary Rodham Clinton, Evan Bayh, and John McHugh, apparently on their way to Iraqtoday, another gruesome example of sectarian hatred. Police say three more bullet-riddled bodies were found near a highway, south of Baghdad. Iraqi officials say police found 37 bodies throughout the city, yesterday.

On the diplomatic front, Iraq's president travel to Syria, Sunday. Jalal Talabani will be the first Iraqi president to travel to Damascus in three decades. Aides say he will ask Syria to control its borders and stop insurgents from moving into Iraq.

Kurdish officials in Iraq, today, condemning a U.S. military operation in the northern city of Irbil. Six Iranians were detained for questioning. Kurdish officials call the operation a "raid on the Iranian consulate" in Irbil. U.S. officials dispute that account.

COLLINS: The battle for a new direct on Iraq. President Bush's plan faces tough challenges on Capitol Hill, it's also stirring skepticism in the Middle East. Today, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on her way to the region to shore up support. Joining us now, the No. 3 person in the State Department, Nicholas Burns is the under secretary for state for political affairs.

Thank you for being here, sir.

R. NICHOLAS BURNS, UNDER SECY OF STATE, POLITICAL AFFAIRS: Good morning.

COLLINS: I want to go ahead and get to Iraq in just a moment. But, because of the position you served as U.S. Ambassador to Greece, I'd like to touch upon the attack that happened at the embassy in Athens. How closely and how concerned is the State Department about the attack?

BURNS: Well, we're very concerned about it. It was a rocket propelled grenade that went into our ambassador's office at about 6:30 a.m. this morning. We think launched by an anarchist group in Greece. Very concerned about the security of our diplomats and of American citizens, obviously, but very encouraged that the Greek government has come to our aid, promised to help with security. Unfortunately, this kind of attack is not unknown against American diplomatic facilities world-wide. We take enormous precautions to protect our diplomats and we're very thankful for the Greek government's reaction this morning.

COLLINS: How familiar is the State Department with this anarchist group and are we talking about the Revolutionary Struggle Group?

BURNS: Well, the most vicious group in Greece was captured and taken apart three years ago -- 16 people up on trial, and now in jail. They had killed five American diplomats over 20 years. But there are other anarchist groups that are violent, that have used violence against American businesses from time to time and against our embassy. And obviously, the Greek authorities are taking every precaution they can. And we hope that they can go after these groups and arrest them and put these people behind bars.

COLLINS: Let's turn now to Iraq, if we could. As we have just mentioned, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on her way to the Middle East, as we speak. What is she hoping to accomplish on a trip like this, at a time like this?

BURNS: Well, I think Secretary Rice is leave today to assert the principle that we need international support from the Arab world, from the Europeans, political and economic, to help this Iraqi government that's so embattled.

We certainly need the support of the Arab world in the struggle to contain Iran's influence and to stop Iran from destabilizing Iraq, as well as the broader Middle East. And of course, Secretary Rice will be visiting Jerusalem and visiting the Palestinian territories to talk to the leadership about our hope that we might revive the Middle East peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. So, it's a very broad agenda for Secretary Rice in her trip and a very important one for our country.

COLLINS: We're talking about regional diplomacy once again?

BURNS: We certainly are. And because if you look -- if you think of it, with the addition after Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, and the Israel-Palestinian conflict, those are four crisis for the United States, four that are very important for our national security, four that we've got to put our best foot forward on in order to assert progress in each of those areas.

COLLINS: If you would, listen with me to a portion of President Bush's speech from Wednesday night and we'll talk about it in just a moment. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We will disrupt the attacks on our forces, we will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria, and we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advance weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: What does that mean? What type of action is he talking about here?

BURNS: I think you seen some of the action over the last few weeks. The Iranian government has been giving assistance to some of the Shia insurgent groups. They've been giving them very sophisticated improvise explosive device technology, which have been directed at our soldiers. And we can't stand for that.

And so, the message to the Iranians is they have to stop those activities. They want to use their influence in Iraq to help build up the Iraqi state and build up a situation towards peace, they ought to stop providing military technology that is targeted against American soldiers.

We have to protect our soldiers. And you've seen over the last few days, that we have taken some Iranians into custody, these were not diplomats, this was not a consulate, by the way, these were people, we think, up to no good in that country and Iran should get this message.

COLLINS: All right, you've spoken about Iran, I want talk about Syria for a moment as we continue discuss more regional diplomacy, here. Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani is on his way to Syria this weekend, going to taking with Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. How closely will you be watching those discussions and what comes out of them, which may possibly lead to U.S./ Syria discussions?

BURNS: Well, as you know, we do have our own diplomatic relationship with Syria. We have an American embassy in Damascus and we talk to the Syrians, regularly. It's no surprise that the Iraqi government and President Talabani would want to have a relationship with a neighboring country.

Both of the president's message to Syria, as well as Iran, the other night, was the following: Both of those countries are not opting to play a constructive role in Iraq. They are trying to divide Iraq along sectarian lines. They're contributing to the insurgency with military assistance to the insurgents and they ought to adopt a different position. The president was clear about that, as was Secretary Rice when she testified before Congress, yesterday.

BURNS: Undersecretary of state for political affairs and former U.S. ambassador to NATO, Nicholas Burns. Thank you for joining us today.

BURNS: Thank you very much. Thank you, Heidi. Thank you. COLLINS: Thank you.

HARRIS: We're going to get you quickly to the NEWSROOM, now. T.J. Holmes is following some breaking developments there out of Lehigh County.

T.J., is this in Pennsylvania?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Allentown, Pennsylvania.

HARRIS: Sounds like it's something different here.

HOLMES: Yes sir. We're going to Allentown, Pennsylvania, first. Got a couple of things coming in. We're going to tell you about this first, where another situation of a hazardous material of some kind. We saw a couple of these incidents in Florida yesterday. We're going to tell you about this one in Allentown, Pennsylvania, it's at the Lehigh Courthouse where, according to local affiliates, a decontamination unit is being set up because of some kind of a powdery substance has been found there at the courthouse. According, again, to a local affiliate that someone in the collections office there at the courthouse opened a letter that contained a powdery substance. Local affiliate says it also reports then the person then became ill.

So, of course, authorities trying to figure exactly out what this substance is. We do understand that the courthouse is being evacuated and they are checking out this powdery substance and a decontamination unit has been set up there at the courthouse. So, we will keep an eye on that, but local affiliates saying that, in fact, the person that opened that letter that contained that powdery substance did become ill. So, we will keep an eye on that and confirm it independently, here at CNN.

We do want to take you now to Brooklyn, New York, where there has been a school bus accident and a school bus has overturned. We're getting this information here, as well. Local affiliates reporting, as well on this and the school bus, apparently, two adults and five kids have been injured -- seven people in all. This was at the intersection of 71st and Narrow Avenue. And this happened just before 9:00 a.m., is the word we're getting.

So, not quite an hour ago. But five kids, two adults have been treated for minor injuries. Not sure exactly what the cause of this accident was. But, we got seven people, that we know of, injured in this school bus accident. It doesn't appear that those injuries are major.

But two stories we're keeping, right now, that we're keeping an eye on -- that school bus accident and also that hazardous material found that's been found at the courthouse. Again, we saw two of those incidents, people had to be decontaminated, as well, yesterday where a powdery substance -- white substance was found at a courthouse in Florida.

So, keeping an eye on this for you, right now.

Tony, we are working. We'll get back to you as soon as we get more.

HARRIS: And breaking news keeping you busy already. T.J. Holmes for us in the NEWSROOM.

T.J., thanks.

COLLINS: Growing like a weed, oh, cute as a button, too. And she's awake. Remember last time we checked with her, she just kept rolling around in the hay, sound asleep. The baby panda at Zoo Atlanta makes her media debut ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Want to go ahead and update you on a situation that we have just learned about and have been getting more information now on. Allentown, Pennsylvania, police and HAZMAT crews have been responding to the Lehigh County Courthouse. If you're familiar with the area, that's Fifth and Hamilton in Allentown.

Apparently somebody in the collections office opened up a letter that contained a powdery substance. They then got sick. So, we are waiting -- about 30 minutes or so, they say that it will take to figure out the identity of that substance. Right now, the sheriff's office is the only office that has been evacuated.

So, this is coming to you from our affiliate, there, WFMZ. We'll stay on top of it for you.

And you already know, to catch us weekday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to noon Eastern, but did you know you can take us with you anywhere you go on your iPod. The CNN NEWSROOM podcast available 24/7, right on your iPod.

HARRIS: The crowd, the cameras, the chaos. A fury debutante. What's her name, Heidi? Is it Mae Linn, Mi Linn, Mu Lon? What's her name?

COLLINS: It's not Mu Lon.

HARRIS: How about "beautiful?" Hey, Beautiful.

COLLINS: (INAUDIBLE) I remember saying, but I'm not fluent in the language. Although, she's a beaut, isn't she?

HARRIS: Yes, a panda premier in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A picture may be worth a thousand words, but can those pictures pay for your retirement? In this morning's "Life After Work" series, Ali Velshi introduces you to a woman who's letting her camera guide the way to the golden years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As a professional nature photographer, 73-year-old Carlene Rinehart travels the globe in search of memorable images.

CARLENE RINEHART, NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER: We were in Africa and I got marvelous shots of a lion fight.

This picture I took in Fiji on a reef. I love it because all the fish are headed in the same direction.

VELSHI: Carlene's interest in photography began in her 50s on a scuba trip.

RINEHART: We were diving in the south Pacific and I had some good pictures and I thought, "Wow, I can do this, I ought to be able to do some really good stuff if I got a better camera."

VELSHI: So, she spent about $1,000 to upgrade her equipment and started taking classes.

RINEHART: I found that once I started taking pictures, I looked at things differently. That's been the beauty of it.

VELSHI: Carlene practiced her hobby while still working at her career in organization design and development. After rolling over her company retirement into an IRA that really paid off, she was able to retire and devote more time to photography.

RINEHART: I love it. It is the most rewarding experience.

VELSHI: Carlene sells her photos on her website, at market, and by word of mouth.

RINEHART: I hope my photography hangs on lots of people's walls.

VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: More troops for Iraq. We are looking at live pictures now of Defense Secretary Robert Gates testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee. We'll bring some of that to you. The president's war planner is explaining to Congress how it will work. Combat, Capitol Hill style, in the NEWSROOM.

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