Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
British Withdrawal Plan; Walter Reed Problems; 'Uncovering America'
Aired February 21, 2007 - 08:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in today for Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: For the next three hours, watch events come in to the NEWSROOM live on this Wednesday, February 21st.
Here's what's on the rundown.
WHITFIELD: Drawdown in Iraq. Britain pulling out a significant number of troops just as the United States builds up its force.
HARRIS: Food safety concerns today. A wholesale club putting out a recall. This time, it's the mushrooms that may be tainted with E. coli.
WHITFIELD: Segregation, even in death. A cemetery trying to move past the days of Jim Crow. Our series "Uncovering America" in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And our top story this hour, major changes in Iraq. The U.S. sending in more troops, but Britain pulling them out. Prime Minister Tony Blair announcing a short time ago that he will start bringing his troops home.
CNN's Robin Oakley has the latest for us live from London.
Robin, good morning.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Good morning, Tony.
Well, first of all, Tony Blair set out to British lawmakers today what the implications were in terms of the numbers that were going to come home from Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Already we have handed over prime responsibility for security to the Iraqi authorities in al- Matuna (ph) and Dykar (ph). Now in Basra, over the coming months, we will transfer more of the responsibility directly to Iraqis. I should say that none of this will mean a diminution in our combat capability. The actual reduction in forces will be from the present 7,100, itself down from over 9,000 two years ago and 40,000 at the time of conflict, to roughly 5,500.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: Mr. Blair also set out what the changed role of the British forces remaining in Basra and southern Iraq was to be.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAIR: The British forces that remain in Iraq will have the following tasks: training and support to Iraqi forces; securing the Iraqi-Iran border; securing supply routes; and, above all, the ability to conduct operations against extremist groups and be there in support of the Iraqi army when called upon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: The basic political lesson which Mr. Blair was trying to set out to British lawmakers were that, in Baghdad, where there was such deliberate attempts to stoke sectarian violence, then it was important to put more troops in to cope with that situation. But it was equally important in Basra, where Britain's Operation Sinbad had shown the capacity to turn more tasks over to the Iraqis that they should demonstrate there that international forces would not stay when they were no longer needed -- Tony.
HARRIS: And Robin, let's talk about the timetable for a moment here. How soon will the pullouts be complete? And maybe the first question is, how soon will we see this first wave of troops come home to Britain?
OAKLEY: That could happen within weeks, from the end of their term of duty in April. Clearly, the British prime minister has other domestic political considerations. He'd like to see some troops coming home soon before a big round of elections to take place in May. But he was really talking of a time scale through the rest of the year for the first 1,600 troops to come home.
Anything after that will be conditional on the progress made in Iraq. But he's also suggesting that troops initially will be pulled back to barracks and to Basra airport while they wait and see how well the Iraqi security authorities cope -- Tony.
HARRIS: CNN's Robin Oakley on today's top story.
Robin, appreciate it. Thank you.
WHITFIELD: So how is the partial pullout playing in Washington?
CNN's Ed Henry is live at the White House this morning -- Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Fred. You know, this is a blow to the White House no matter how they try to play this. When you combine the news from Britain with what the Danish prime minister is saying, that he also wants to pull his troops out of Iraq this summer, perception is reality, and the perception is that U.S. allies are pulling out of Iraq, and they're doing it by using something the president's repeatedly said is awful.
The president has repeatedly said setting a timetable for withdrawal only emboldens the enemy. But that's just what his allies are now doing.
So the White House strategy, really, is to play the only card they have and claim that this shows success on the ground, and that as more Iraqi troops take over, that's why the British troops are coming home. White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe saying, "We're pleased that conditions in Basra have improved sufficiently that they (the British forces) are able to transition more control to the Iraqis. The United States shares the same goal of turning responsibility over to the Iraqi security forces and reducing the number of American troops in Iraq."
But even if Basra is relatively secure now, it obviously begs the question, what if after the British troops pull out Basra takes a turn for the worse, what do the U.S. force doss then? Will they be even more strained in trying to put out even more fires, even more violence?
Democrats on Capitol Hill already raising questions about why allies are pulling out just as the U.S. is sending more troops to Iraq. Senator Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts calling this "a stunning rejection of the president's policy" -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And so you have to wonder now, Ed, whether this is a new level of added pressure for the White House to pull out U.S. troops.
HENRY: You're absolutely right. It ratchets up the pressure, make no mistake about it, on President Bush.
His allies now feeling that he, British Prime Minister Blair, as Robin noted, he'll be leaving office sooner than he had hoped. You have the Australian prime minister, John Howard, facing a tight re- election in part because of the war in Iraq. If the president's own allies start losing and if they start pulling their troops home it only puts more pressure on Mr. Bush -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Ed Henry at the White House.
Thank you.
HENRY: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: So now here is a breakdown of the total commitments in Iraq.
The U.S. has right around 141,000 troops in Iraq. As for coalition partners, Britain has 7,100 right now, but we know that number is going down. Other contributors include South Korea, with 2,300 troops; Poland, with 900; Australia, 850. That leaves about 3,000 troops from 16 other countries.
So the British are pulling out troops. Will insurgents take that opportunity to move in? We'll talk with an expert on Iraq straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And once again, Iran thumbs its nose at the United Nations. Tehran ignoring a deadline to freeze its uranium enrichment program or face more sanctions. As today deadline approached, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed to press ahead with his country's nuclear plans. And he says Iran will not bow to western intimidation.
Those comments as the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency gets ready to report to the Security Council on Iran's nuclear program. That report expected a short time from now.
It is expected to say Iran is pursuing uranium enrichment despite pressure to stop. Iran says its program is strictly peaceful. The U.S. and its allies believe otherwise. They accuse Iran of trying to build nuclear weapons.
A startling discovery. A place where wounded American soldiers are supposed to be able to recover may not be very good for their health.
Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre has our exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Walter Reed Army Medical Center is considered one of best medical facilities in the world for treating soldiers wounded in combat, but this is another part of Walter Reed, a part many people don't often see, building 18. It's a rundown hotel now used to house wounded veterans who are well enough to leave the main hospital but too sick to go home.
(on camera): This is the inside of building 18. It's become a symbol for a bureaucracy that's not working.
(voice over): As revealed in a story first reported by "The Washington Post," building 18 has serious problem, including pest infestations, mold and faulty plumbing. CNN got a firsthand look.
(on camera): So this is the day room. They have pool tables. They've got a flat screen TV. But even here you can see on the roof, they have got water damage.
(voice over): Top Army leaders said they were unaware of the problems until they read about it in the paper Sunday. They were shocked. After a tour, the top officials told CNN in an exclusive interview there would be quick action. GEN. RICHARD CODY, ARMY VICE CHIEF OF STAFF: I had never come to this place. I wish I had. I'm somewhat disappointed in myself not understanding. I was briefed that it was in pretty good condition.
It's getting better today.
FRANCIS HARVEY, ARMY SECRETARY: It's all about leadership. It's all about seeing a problem, getting an action plan together, and then following up to ensure that the actions are taken.
MCINTYRE: Dozens of wounded troops have been living here for months as they go through out-patient care. Veterans' groups blame military bureaucracy for the rundown conditions.
FRANK YOAKUM, ENLISTED ASSN. OF NATIONAL GUARD: The commander of the hospital has deemed the situation to be "problematic," and that they were in a process to try and get things fixed. However, calling something problematic and actually doing something about it are two different things.
MCINTYRE (on camera): In an exclusive interview with CNN, Army secretary Francis Harvey promised to review conditions not just here at Walter Reed, but at out-patient facilities across the country.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And we will hear more about the conditions at Walter Reed in a Pentagon briefing at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time this morning. Again, CNN live coverage in the NEWSROOM, 11:00 a.m. Eastern.
WHITFIELD: The fate of a former White House aide may be in the hands of a jury this morning. Jurors are scheduled to begin deliberations in the trial of Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
Libby is charged with lying and obstructing the investigation into who leaked the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame. Prosecutors contended Libby disclosed Wilson's employment as part of an effort to discredit her husband, an administration critic. The defense countered that Libby was a scapegoat.
HARRIS: Let's get you to Chad Myers in the severe weather center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: An E. coli scare at a major American wholesaler. So what is wrong with the foods that we eat? We'll turn to Dr. Sanjay Gupta for a diagnosis straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And we have picked a heck of a day for a field trip, but, yes, we're on a field trip of sorts today. And we're taking a rainy stroll down MLK Boulevard in Atlanta. We're going to hit a couple of spots you might not think of when you think black history in Atlanta. And yes, that includes a cemetery. That's coming up in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Actors courting Hollywood gold. But for politicians, it is more about the Hollywood green. So who is...
WHITFIELD: Lots of it.
HARRIS: And lots of it. Who's on Tinseltown's A-list right now? Yes, that guy is.
WHITFIELD: Who, him?
HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes. She is, too.
That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: And this just in. We want you to take a look at this: remnants of a house.
Live picture right now. Apparently, a house in Loretto, Minnesota, exploded. We don't know exactly why, but crews are on the scene right now trying to douse the flames and the -- you know, plumes of smoke there.
We don't know anything about whether there were any occupant of this house. When we get more information about this very mysterious explosion of a home in Loretto, Minnesota, we'll be able to bring that along to you.
HARRIS: All this month we've been "Uncovering America," shedding light on our nation's dark history of racial inequality. And we found it is not just limited to the living.
CNN's T.J. Holmes joins us now from Atlanta's historic Oakland Cemetery with tales from the grave, T.J.?
Good morning.
HOLMES: Good morning to you. Good rainy morning here to you. Like you said, we're following along -- we've got a series of reports, really, we're going to be having today, going along historic MLK Boulevard here in Atlanta.
And of course everybody knows that Atlanta has a rich, rich black history. But a lot of people don't know that some of that black history is here at Oakland Cemetery, where a lot of people still to this day think it's a whites-only cemetery. Well, in depth (ph), we're bringing together those blacks and those whites to tell you the whole story and the whole history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
D.L. HENDERSON, GUIDE, OAKLAND CEMETERY: If you want to talk about Atlanta history, this is where you start, because there's nothing older than this in Atlanta.
HOLMES (voice over): D.L. Henderson would know, because she often walks among the dead here. She's a tour guide at the historic Oakland Cemetery.
HENDERSON: A lot of folks come to us and they say, OK, they don't realize that there are any African-Americans buried here. They think it's a white-only cemetery, so they're often surprised that there is so much African-American history here.
HOLMES: Nineteenth century slaves who are only remembered today as Negro man or Negro woman lie nearby better-known whites like golfing great Bobby Jones and "Gone With the Wind" author Margaret Mitchell. But a reflection of how they lived their lives, they are buried apart from each other, in separate sections.
HENDERSON: Something that folks tend to forget about the antebellum period is that African-Americans and whites, though socially unequal, actually lived very closely together.
HOLMES: There are white and black sections, a Jewish section, and ironically, a section for those who fought a war to keep blacks enslaved.
(on camera): How often do you see things like this pop up, a confederate flag?
HENDERSON: And Confederate Memorial Day -- there's still a celebration here at the cemetery for Confederate Memorial Day. And at that point flags are on all of the monuments. You will see little confederate flags.
HOLMES: And do you ever have issues? Because some people still see that flag and it still brings up some pretty tough thoughts and tough emotions.
HENDERSON: Well, as far as issues, as long as it is a celebration of the history, I think people are OK with that. Occasionally, folks do feel sensitive if that history and the celebration of that history seems to be glorifying a past that perhaps people wish had not gone away.
HOLMES (voice over): Of the nearly 20,000 African-Americans buried here, one prominent African-American lies in an all-white section, former Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson.
HENDERSON: This is a significant portion of Atlanta history, to have our first African-American here, and also the fact that this was a segregated cemetery. The African-American section, the historic African-American section, is in the back of the cemetery, and yet Maynard Jackson is in a prominent place here in the original six acres.
HOLMES (on camera): How does this cemetery kind of sum up and wrap up everything that the South was and became and is today, even? HENDERSON: Well, you just said it. This cemetery, I think, represents all of the people of Atlanta. It's who we were. It's who we are. And a lot of folks, we like to say it's a microcosm of Atlanta in that you can come here and every aspect of the city, all of our history, can be relayed from this spot.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: So this is our starting point, Oakland Cemetery. We're also going to be hitting today Sweet Auburn Avenue. It certainly has a rich history there as well.
We'll take a nice little stroll down MLK Boulevard, what used to be a very happening spot. That's really not the case today anymore.
And we're also going to end up at the mayor's office on this tour today. But certainly Oakland Cemetery not a -- not a play a lot of people think of first when they think about -- think about black history here in this city. But certainly, it was a perfect starting point -- Tony.
HARRIS: That's for sure.
All right. T.J. Holmes in the rain for us.
T.J., we appreciate it. Thank you. See you again at 11:00 from Auburn Avenue.
HOLMES: All right.
WHITFIELD: So here now is a warning at what you eat. Beware of the mushrooms.
A wholesale club recalling one brand. E. coli concerns straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Also, is the U.S. winning the war on terror? New allegations now that the Justice Department may be fudging the numbers.
That's also ahead in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: And a police officer barely escaping a blast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything went black. And after a few moments, I opened my eyes and I knew I was still alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Whoa. What he did to try to save others. That's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: So, one of the nation's biggest wholesale clubs, BJ's, is recalling fresh mushrooms. The concern again, E. coli. Recently, chicken strips, even peanut butter, have posed health risks.
So what do we need to know about these food dangers?
CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, here with us now.
Boy, it's getting confusing. What can we eat? What do we stay away from?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. And there's all of these outbreaks and people are feeling like their food has turned against them.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
GUPTA: You know, for the last few months it could certainly seem that way.
BJ's is the most recent wholesaler to voluntarily recall mushrooms. And this is after a routine testing that found possible E. coli. So this gives you an idea of how the system works. Routine testing, possible E. coli, leading to a voluntary recall.
No illnesses reported here. A lot of people say that's how the system should work. But remember now, just a few days ago, February 18th, listeria in chicken strips. No illnesses reported there. February 14th, the salmonella in peanut butter, the Peter Pan peanut butter and the Great Value Foods -- 290 illnesses.
And at the end of last year we heard a lot about E. coli, as you mentioned, talking about Taco Bell, 71 illnesses, and E. coli in the spinach, 204 illnesses and three deaths as well.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
GUPTA: So, you know, obviously very serious. Lots of food-borne illnesses out there. There's about 250 different food-borne illnesses. We're hearing a lot about them lately.
WHITFIELD: So what does salmonella, E. coli, listeria, what do they really do to us?
GUPTA: Well, they're all what are called pathogens. They're all things that can affect food. And for the average person, they may not be able to tell that this is salmonella, versus E. coli, versus some other infection. The only way to really know for sure is to go to the doctor and get that actually checked out. But a couple of things to keep in mind.
Salmonella typically spreads to humans through animal foods, birds, reptiles, mammals. It causes fever, diarrhea, abdominal cramps. The fever is sort of critical with salmonella, which distinguishes it from E. coli, a more common thing. But typically with E. coli, people don't get the fever, but they get terrible diarrhea and they can get kidney problems as well, which may have been the cause of those deaths that I was just talking about, Fred.
Literia less common. That's typically something found in ready- to-eat refrigerated foods. Thus, the chicken strips. You get the upset stomach. Pregnant women really need to be careful when it comes to listeria.
WHITFIELD: Yes. I remember those warnings.
So what do we do to protect ourselves? I mean, is it as simple as cooking the foods really well?
GUPTA: Yes. You know, that is a large part of it.
You know, so staying away from raw foods, uncooked foods. Also, unpastureized foods. Again, especially for pregnant women or women who think they might be pregnant.
Washing all raw vegetables, and avoiding cross-contamination. Which, you know, you hear that a lot, but what that means is maybe using separate cooking boards for your meat versus your vegetables.
Something I found so amazing, as we've been reporting this story, Fred, is that, you know, you have to organizations. You have the USDA and you have the FDA. The USDA is responsible for 20 percent of our food. The FDA is responsible for 80 percent of our food.
It gets confusing. Quite literally, you could have one agency that's responsible for the chicken and another that's responsibility for the egg. So -- and there's no mandatory recall ability. You can't recall food that's all done voluntarily by these -- by these companies. That's a big problem.
WHITFIELD: Oh, wow. So they have to be willing to step forward. And that usually means a loss of some big change for them. So...
GUPTA: Loss of revenue.
WHITFIELD: ... sometimes they may not want to step forward, huh?
GUPTA: Yes. But the bad publicity of letting that food stay on the shelves too long obviously is the counterpoint to that.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
GUPTA: But it is confusing. There is a Safe Food Act which is on the table right now to try to develop an agency like the Environmental Protection Agency for food safety. And we'll see if that happens or not.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Because it does seem like suddenly it's gotten confusing. I don't think I remember such a deluge of all these warnings and diseases...
GUPTA: Yes.
WHITFIELD: ... bacteria, et cetera, that we've had to deal with.
GUPTA: Yes. And there are a lot of people getting sick. So, you know, hopefully we're paying attention to these warnings.
GUPTA: Yes.
All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, always good to see you. Thanks.
GUPTA: Thank you.
HARRIS: And then there's this. A major drug maker caving to pressure over a cancer vaccine.
Merck suspending a controversial lobbying campaign involving its new vaccine against cervical cancer. The company, through a third party, was trying to persuade state legislatures to require 11 and 12- year-old girls to get a vaccine as a requirement for school attendants, but some parents and conservative groups complained. They objected because the vaccine, Gardasil, protects against the sexually transmitted disease that causes cervical cancer. They claimed it would encourage premarital sex.
Political front-runners turning now to Hollywood's elite for a bit of a boost. Not in the polls, but in the wallet.
We get more now from CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice over): First stop, the streets of Los Angeles, to say, show me the love. Then to Hollywood to say, show me the money.
MARTIN KAPLAN, DIRECTOR, NORMAN LEAR CENTER: Obama has something that Hollywood is uniquely qualified to recognize, and that's star power.
SCHNEIDER: Barack Obama is supposed to be the outsider. The scrappy kid who appeals to young people and political newcomers.
JOY BRYANT, ACTRESS: I kept saying over and over again that, you know, I'm hoping. We're not sure yet, but, you know, hoping that Barack's going to run. But for me, like he's the one that's going to -- embodies that spirit of Bobby Kennedy, of hope and inspiration.
SCHNEIDER: But he's drawing the ultimate a-list Hollywood crowd to his fundraiser here, which is sponsored by three of the most powerful figures in the movie industry.
LAWRENCE BENDER, PRODUCER, "AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH": The amount of money they're raising is equivalent to what a president comes into town and raises, not someone who's just announced. BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Think of it as Oscar week for politicos. There's a huge amount of money for politics here. Congress is in recess. Washington is frozen over. The primary schedule is earlier than ever and an important deadline looms.
MARTIN KAPLAN, DIRECTOR, NORMAL LEAR CENTER: The more dough you can show in the first quarterly filing on April 15th, the more credible a candidate you are and the more you can attract the big glitzy names who used to go with, say, Hillary Clinton, the more formidable a contender you seem to be.
SCHNEIDER: Does that mean Hillary Clinton is chopped liver in Hollywood? Not at all. People here feel strong loyalty to the Clintons and many Obama supporters are supporting her, too. After all, the most you can give a candidate is $2300. And in Hollywood, that's loose change. Bill Schneider, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: And CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider, part of the best political team on television.
Welcome, welcome, welcome, 9:30 a.m. Eastern time, 6:30 a.m. for our friends in the west. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Heidi Collins this morning.
British troops draw down in southern Iraq. White House reaction, political implications and reality on the ground. We're covering all the angles in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Has the glass ceiling been cracked or is it still unbreakable? A new report raises concerns for women in business.
WHITFIELD: And holy cow! An escapee turns the tables during a chase heading straight for the police cruisers. Whoa, look out. This is no time to hoof away from the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: I love the way you do that. All right. Let's sound the opening bell, let's get the business day started. The good people at the commercial real estate company HFF sounding the opening bell this morning. Let's take a look at those initial numbers. The Dow closed the day yesterday at 12,786. And to start the morning we're down, 58 points. We are following all of the day's business headlines with Susan Lisovicz here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Among our top stories this hour, major changes in Iraq. A short time ago British Prime Minister Tony Blair announcing that British forces will begin pulling out of southern Iraq. Blair touted his troop's mission in the city of Basra as an opportunity, an opportunity to pull some 1600 British troops out of Iraq and to change the focus of those left in place. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The next chapter in Basra's history can be written by the Iraqis. I've discussed this with Prime Minister Maliki and our proposals have his full support and that they represent his wishes. Already we have handed over prime responsibility for security to the Iraqi authorities in (INAUDIBLE). Now in Basra over the coming months, we will transfer more of the responsibility directly to Iraqis.
I should say that none of this will mean a diminution in our combat capability. The actual reduction in forces will be from the present 7100, itself down from over 9,000 two years ago and 40,000 at the time of the conflict to roughly 5,500. However, with the exception of forces which will remain at Basra palace, the British forces will be located at Basra air base and be in a support role.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Blair's plan still leaves some 5500 British troops in place, a fact not lost on U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The coalition remain intact and, in fact, the British still have thousands of soldiers deployed in Iraq, in the south, and any decisions that they make are going to be on the basis of conditions. But it is the plan that as it is possible to transfer responsibilities to the Iraqis, that there would be -- that coalition forces would no longer be needed in those circumstances.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So here's a breakdown of the total commitments in Iraq. The U.S. has right around 141,000 troops in Iraq. As for coalition partners, Britain has 7100 right now. But we know that number is going down. Other contributors include South Korea with 2300 troops, Poland with 900 and Australia with 850. That leaves about 3,000 troops from 16 other countries. So will insurgents take the news that some British forces are pulling out of Iraq as an opportunity to move in? We will talk with an expert on Iraq. That is ahead in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: In the war zone, bombs today kill at least 15 more Iraqis. The bloodiest attack was in the holy city of Najaf. A suicide car bomber hit a police checkpoint killing at least eight people including civilians. Meanwhile, several attacks in Baghdad including mortar blasts, roadside bombs and a car bomb laced with poisonous gas. Week one of the new Iraq security plan marked by more bombings and bloodshed. But the U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad today defends the new plan of action. Live to the CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara?
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you Fredricka. Well, as you say, at a press conference earlier today in Baghdad, the top U.S. military spokesman acknowledged that the violence is continuing but he says some of the rate of attacks now is down in Baghdad. There has been, he says, a drop in sectarian killings. A lot of the success of this, he says he attributes to the actual presence of U.S. troops on the streets of Baghdad now, something he says still remains very risky business.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, SPOKESMAN, MULTINATIONAL FORCE IRAQ: If we are going to protect the population, we have to be down there with the population. We will, in fact, grant greater security by being embedded with and living with the population than we will back seen on some large operating base. Inherent upon it is to make an assessment on each of these joint security stations that we're going to live and operate out of is how much security do we need associated with that area we're operating. But by being down there embed with the population, we in fact gain greater security being with them than we do being back on the large operating bases.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: You know, Fred, you heard General Caldwell there talk about the phrase joint security stations. That's something we're all going to hear quite a bit about. These are these small outposts right on the streets of Baghdad, right in the neighborhoods where now U.S. troops are living and working and fighting with Iraqi security forces. The U.S. feels these joint security stations are absolutely key, getting the troops out in the neighborhoods, out in the streets. But it is very difficult. The risk is high. They do come under attack and there is a very long way to go before any of this can be called a success. Even General Caldwell said that. Fred?
WHITFIELD: Barbara, meantime, speaking of coming under attack, we know that a lot of U.S. military aircraft have been under attack in Iraq. Meantime, there is another incident to report, isn't there?
STARR: Absolutely, Fredricka. General Caldwell confirming earlier this morning another U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter north of Baghdad made what the military calls a hard landing. Essentially went down hard, not -- somewhere between a crash and just a very difficult landing. All nine people on board were fine. A quick reaction force came in and they got on another helicopter. But the question now that investigators are looking into is what brought that helo down so hard? Was there hostile fire in the area? They say it's under investigation, too soon to say. Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
HARRIS: Let's check in again with Chad Myers at the severe weather center and Chad, love that picture from just a couple minutes ago from Burke lakefront airport. That's in Cleveland and trying to impress Fred here a little bit. You get that fog when you get that warmer air passing over that --
WHITFIELD: Now competing for your job there, Chad. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: He's doing good.
HARRIS: Passing over that cold lake.
MYERS: And the snow on the ground.
HARRIS: And the snow on the -- thank you, Chad. How did I do?
MYERS: You did good.
WHITFIELD: I'm impressed.
MYERS: Then you had clear skies overnight, so all of the heat that was on the ground that could have stopped it from getting to a relative humidity of 100 percent was gone. And then it just got sucked in. Here's Columbus, Ohio, WBNS, tell me what you see here.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.
MYERS: Two little guy wires holdings up the antenna there, WBNS in Columbus. That's all the way downtown, not seeing anything here. And the problem, Fred and Tony, is that the temperatures are below freezing. So this is freezing fog. Planes not having too much of a problem right now but people are having problems driving. You get to a slick spot, you didn't know it was there. Invisible ice on the ground this morning in a lot of locations with this fog on the ground, temperatures below 32 all across Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, not just Ohio. And then you get farther to the south and it's raining, been raining in Atlanta for a while. My producer left his house at 7:25 this morning, just got here, two hours and 15 minutes to go 29 miles. That's how slow the roads are now in Atlanta because of all these crashes we've had.
Up to the north, the freezing fog advisory, dense fog advisory, if it's above 32. Doesn't really matter, it's going to be thick for you this morning into this afternoon and heavy rain coming into the west as well. We'll see some heavy rain and snow, snow above 5,000 feet. One more thing, I'm just seeing on some of the new computer models that the storm that runs through -- this one here -- runs through New York City for tomorrow could put down a couple of inches of snow tomorrow night. Just for effect, but could be.
WHITFIELD: And to think people were complaining, you know that winter just hadn't arrived. And now people are complaining winter just won't go away. We're never happy.
MYERS: Two months ago John Roberts was filling in for Miles O'Brien on AMERICAN MORNING and he said, it's nice, but just wait. I think he's writing the "Farmer's Almanac." He knew.
HARRIS: Chad, thanks, man.
MYERS: All right.
HARRIS: You know he can believe he's alive. We're talking about a Wisconsin police officer. His dashboard camera shows what happened after a truck ruptured a gas main. The truck driver had run into a home's utility room. The officer was able to get the homeowners out, but when he tried to rescue the truck driver, he felt the blast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OFC. BEN HEINRICH, PRESCOTT, WISCONSIN POLICE: There probably isn't a reason I probably should not be dead right now. After seeing the force of the explosion, I guess I'm just beside myself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The truck driver was killed in that explosion. But on a much lighter note here, this is not -- the usual chase caught on a dashboard video camera. Take a look at this. For one thing it's a slow speed chase, very slow. And the perpetrator is large.
WHITFIELD: Very large.
HARRIS: About a ton, Fred. This Scottish Hylander cow escaped from a farm in Massachusetts.
WHITFIELD: How often do you see one of those?
HARRIS: You don't. You really don't. At one point...
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. The escape.
HARRIS: Look at this.
WHITFIELD: Watch out!
HARRIS: Slammed right into a police cruiser. The cow finally just sort of tired herself out. Hello.
WHITFIELD: Lugging his way along.
HARRIS: And then the owner was able to sort of -- OK. All right. Let's go home.
WHITFIELD: Thankfully nobody got hurt.
HARRIS: Enough fun and games, let's go.
WHITFIELD: Well, here's a question for you. Has the glass ceiling been cracked? Or is it still unbreakable? A new report raises concerns for women in the business, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And he is known as the hardest working man in radio. There he is. But Tom Joyner is also working hard to help college students, the flying John joins us in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Does he still like to be called that?
HARRIS: I think so, yeah.
WHITFIELD: Making his way from Dallas, Chicago. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Bias in the business world, you better believe it. A new report suggests women still have an uphill climb. CNN's Dan Lothian that has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A sobering reality for women trying to get to the top of the corporate ladder.
SUSAN CABRERA, CORNELL RESEARCHER: You're assumed to be less competent, less committed, less credible, less of a fit in the organization.
LOTHIAN: Is that disturbing?
CABRERA: It is disturbing. It's certainly discouraging.
LOTHIAN: Two researchers at Cornell's the Johnson School uncovered bias against female executives in a study they're calling "Risky Business."
PROF. MELISSA THOMAS HUNT, CORNELL UNIVERSITY: There's a perception that women are considered to be riskier candidates, although there's no evidence that they actually are.
CABRERA: I don't think people are purposely trying to discriminate. I think they believe quite genuinely that they aren't using bias. But extensive research has demonstrated that there are subtle biases.
LOTHIAN: Or perhaps not so subtle. Like women being held to a higher standard than men when it comes to hiring and promotion or considered less committed if they respond to family obligations. And their successes are sometimes chalked up to luck or, worse yet --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Frequently they're actually not given credit for those successes so the attribution is actually given to someone else.
CHRIS COLE, EXECUTIVE HEADHUNTER: It's a very male-dominated society. And so a woman in the boardroom just does have the same gravitas that a man does.
LOTHIAN: While every corporation will publicly deny gender bias, executive headhunter Chris Cole says in reality it does happen.
COLE: There's a lot of old boy networks out there.
LOTHIAN: But some women executives say the business world has been welcoming.
JOANNE JAXIMER, SENIOR VP, MELLON FINANCIAL CORP: I would have to say that if there is a glass ceiling and I'm not sure there is, there's a huge crack in it. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're talking about, you know, ways of opening those cracks wider and getting to the other side.
LOTHIAN (on-camera): Women have been making progress in business over the past few decades. They're sitting in boardrooms, running "Fortune" 500 companies and getting the respect of Wall Street. Pepsico recently named Indra Noohi (ph) as CEO and there's eBay's long time chief executive Meg Whitman. "Fortune" magazine trumpeted female titans and in Boston, the Chamber of Commerce awarded women at the top.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think women are starting to find a real foothold at all levels of business world, government.
COLE: A female voice is very, very important. We're just not there yet. And I hope we get there but we're not there yet.
LOTHIAN: The Cornell researchers recognize women are making strides but say what's still below the surface is disturbing.
CABRERA: These are the built-in assumptions that are part of our society that frankly aren't going to change overnight.
LOTHIAN: Dan Lothian, CNN, Ithica, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Is the U.S. winning the war on terror? New allegations now but the Justice Department may be fudging the numbers. That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: And social commentary or simply inappropriate behavior? Hip-hop music out in the open and under the microscope. CNN's Paula Zahn joins us for a closer look next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Turning a critical eye now towards the war on terror. How is the government doing? It is a question that is not easily answered. CNN's Justice correspondent Kelli Arena reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you want to know how the Bush administration is doing in the war on terror, good luck. The top watchdog at the Justice Department waded deep into the reporting of terrorism-related cases and found the government significantly overstated and at other times understated its successes in the war on terror. Bottom line, the inspector general says for the most part, the Justice Department was just flat out wrong.
DAVID BURNHAM, TRAC, SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY: If they can't keep track, how can you hold the government accountable? How can democracy work without a good understanding? This is very important. This is a life-threatening world. ARENA: The statistics matter because they're one of the only ways to accurately gauge progress in battling terrorists and are used to determine where resources should go. The report charges the Department of Justice lacks adequate internal controls and that its reporting is haphazard. For example, prosecutors identified crime such as marriage fraud and drug trafficking as terrorist activity with absolutely no justification to back that up.
BURNHAM: What it suggesting is the government is trying to inflate its impact by pushing the numbers up, which is done over and over again.
ARENA: The Justice Department flatly rejects that accusation. What's more, it says it has already fixed its reporting practices. The critical report is likely to reverberate. One lawmaker says it's high time the Justice Department came forward with solid numbers instead of sugar-coated stories. Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
British troops down draw down in southern Iraq. White House reaction, political implications, reality on the ground. We are covering all the angles in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: And so if you shop at one of the nation's major wholesale clubs, listen up. An e. coli scare connected to a popular food. Details straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Hip-hop videos, are some of the rump-shaking clips a bit over the top, too sexual, too degrading, too much? Paula Zahn stops by to talk at her series "Out in the Open." She's live in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You already know to catch us weekday mornings from 9:00 a.m. until noon Eastern. But did you know, did you know, did you know, you can take us with you anywhere on your iPod? The CNN NEWSROOM pod cast, it is available 24/7 right on your iPod, Fred.
WHITFIELD: I love that, very convenient. Take us with you wherever you go.
Good morning everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris, spent the second hour in the NEWSROOM this morning. Stay informed. Here's what's on the run down.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
