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American Morning
Deadly Earthquake; NATO Troops Move Against Taliban; Walter Reed Scandal; Prosecutor Pruge?; Hometown Rallies; Teens & Religion
Aired March 06, 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: Breaking news this morning. A powerful earthquake hits Indonesia. Seventy people killed and this morning there is a desperate search for survivors.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Rising tide. Stock markets rally in Asia this morning. What now for Wall Street on that up and down ride?
S. O'BRIEN: And who wants to be a mega millionaire? They're lining up right now. It's an historic jackpot and it could be yours tonight.
We're live from Jakarta, from Washington, from Baghdad and from New York on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning. Welcome, everybody. It is Tuesday, March 6th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us.
Three breaking stories right now to tell you about.
The U.S. announcing the deaths of at least nine service members overnight in Iraq.
NATO troops launching a fresh offensive on Taliban forces in Afghanistan.
And at least 70 people are dead after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hits Sumatra in western Indonesia. There's widespread damage. A hospital has been evacuated. People are running from their homes, we're told. Tremors felt as far away as Singapore where some office buildings were evacuated. CNN's Chad Myers has been watching all of the sensing equipment, the U.S. Geological Survey and others monitoring this, and has the latest.
Chad, what do we know about this quake?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Actually two quakes now, one after shock as well. It was a 6.3 earthquake. Here's Padang. And the other earthquake that caused such a large tsunami was off short. This earthquake, in fact, was on shore.
Here's Padang, where most of the damage occurred. In fact, in the north and eastern suburbs, the location of the epicenter of the earthquake was very close to this lake here, well back into the mountain areas. And as you can see right there, this is a volcanic area, as well. So a lot of up and down still going here.
Earthquakes quite common. But 6.3 and 6.1 aftershock both considered strong earthquakes. At the same time, about two hours apart. We'll see.
Now this is still in that few moon -- the new moon cycle. We just had a full moon a couple of days ago, so the earth's still pulling the poles back and forth. Obviously big-time tides as well this time of year. But right there at the edge of that lake near Padang. About 30 miles from Padang.
Guys, back to you.
M. O'BRIEN: You mentioned tides, Chad. Just to be clear, given that where these earthquakes occurred, the threat of tsunami is not considered an issue here?
MYERS: No, this is not a tsunami earthquake because it actually occurred from below the earth. So any movement up or down above the earthquake epicenter would have only moved dirt, although there is a little lake here. There could have been some kind of ripples along the lake, but not an ocean tsunami at all.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad Myers watching it for us.
Thank you.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Our other top story this morning. At least nine American soldiers killed in separate bombings. It happened north of Baghdad. The Pentagon is confirming that overnight six soldiers died on Monday when a bomb blew up right near their convoy in the Saladin province. Three other soldiers died in an explosion in the Diyala province. Three thousand, one hundred and eight-three U.S. service members have died in Iraq since that conflict began.
And NATO is on the move again today against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. CNN's Nic Robinson is in Kandahar for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBINSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The operation is Operation Achilles. It involves some 5,500 troops. It is NATO's largest operation inside Afghanistan so far.
They describe it as a major operation. They also describe it as their own -- NATO's own spring offensive. An offensive to get ahead of the expected Taliban offensive that will take place in northern Helmand, in the south of Afghanistan.
It will involve American, British, Dutch, Danish and other NATO member countries involved in this operation that will focus on a dam. A strategically important dam, the Kajaki Dam. This dam is part of a reconstruction project. There's a high Taliban presence in the area. This means that so far the reconstruction is not progressing as the Afghanistan officials and the NATO would like to see it progress. They hope by focusing this Operation Achilles in this particular area, they can bring enough stability to enable this dam project, which is reconstruction and rehabilitation of a hydroelectric power plant, to bring electricity to more people in the area.
Nic Robinson, CNN, Kandahar, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: This morning in Washington, Army medical brass will once again be called on the carpet, this time by a Senate committee on those scandalous conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. If it's anything like yesterday's session, it will be a mix of emotion, outrage and pleas for forgiveness. Here's Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DUNCAN, WOUNDED IRAQ VETERAN: The conditions in the room, in my mind, were just -- it was unforgivable for anybody to live -- it wasn't fit for anybody to live in a room like that.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): But Specialist Jeremy Duncan lived such a horror at Walter Reed Army Hospital in a building with moldy walls, roaches and mouse droppings, trying to recover from a broken neck and loss of sight in one eye an after IED attack in Iraq.
Annette McLeod's husband suffered a traumatic brain injury. She found Walter Reed's bureaucracy overwhelming.
ANNETTE MCLEOD, WIFE OF WOUNDED IRAQ VETERAN: My life was ripped apart the day that my husband was injured. And then having to live through the mess that we lived through at Walter Reed has been worse than anything I've ever sacrificed in my life.
STARR: A congressional panel went to the hospital to try to find out why nobody in charge noticed poor living conditions and the problems troops had. There were few answers. The general relieved of duty for his failures apologized.
MAJ. GEN. GEORGE WEIGHTMAN, FMR. CMDR., REED ARMY MEDICAL CTR.: I'd just like to apologize for not meeting their expectations, not only in the care provided, but also in having so many bureaucratic processes that just took your fortitude to be an advocate for your husband that you shouldn't have to do.
STARR: Still on the hot seat, Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley, the Army's top medical officer and Walter Reed's commander in 2004. Kiley says he just didn't know about the problems at building 18.
LT. GEN. KEVIN KILEY, U.S. ARMY SURGEON GENERAL: Sir, I can't explain that. It's been pointed out I live across the street, but I don't do barracks inspections at Walter Reed in my role as a med com commander. STARR: But it's not clear General Kiley will be able to hang on to his job. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has already fired the Army's top civilian, and the secretary is making it clear he wants things fixed and no excuses.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up in just a little bit, we'll talk to Senator Bill Nelson of Nebraska about his plan to help wounded vets. That's at 7:00 Eastern.
The White House now says it needs more money to pay for that troop buildup in Iraq. The administration to ask lawmakers for another $2 billion. Expect some "I told you so's" from Democrats who said the initial request of $5.6 million was too low.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Also making news this morning, a deadly fire in Bangladesh to tell you about. At least 21 people, mostly women and children, were killed as the fire raced right through a crowded and poor section of Chittagong. The fire gutted homes and two warehouses, too.
Asian stocks are finally rallying this morning after five days of losses. The Nikkei in Tokyo bounced back 1.22 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was up 1.58 percent. Wall Street opens lower today. The Dow sliding eight of the last nine trading days.
President Bush is getting ready to talk terror today. He's going to be addressing the American Legion just after 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time this morning. The president is expected to argue that the new U.S. offensive in Baghdad is seeing some early success. You can also look for the president to talk about the scandal at the Walter Reed Medical Center.
Vice President Dick Cheney is now on blood thinners after a potentially dangerous blood clot that was found in his leg. He's reportedly feeling fine. He says he's going to stick to his schedule. Blood clots, like the vice presidents, can be fatal if they're not caught in time.
Conservative commentator Ann Coulter's website is losing some advertisers. Some big ones like Verizon and Sallie Mae and NetBank, all part of the backlash over Coulter's use of gay slur to describe Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. Companies say they acted after customers complained about Coulter's remarks at a weekend conservative political action conference in Washington, D.C.
Today's day 10 of deliberations in the perjury trial of Lewis Scooter Libby. The judge holds a hearing this morning. He's going to try to decide just how to respond to three questions the jurors asked yesterday. Now sources tell CNN that the questions have to do with one of the charges that accuses Libby of making false statements to the FBI. Libby's on trial for allegedly lying in the investigation into the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity to the press.
M. O'BRIEN: Also in Washington, lawmakers will get an earful from some of those eight federal prosecutors smarmily (ph) fired by the Bush administration. The Justice Department says it pink slipped all but one of them for perform reasons, but Democrats say they smell a political vendetta. Dana Bash on Capitol Hill.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Democrats won majorities here on Capitol Hill by promising to more aggressive conduct oversight of the Bush administration. And later today, they'll take a closer look at what they suggest are unethical practices at the White House and here in Congress. Republicans pressuring federal prosecutors.
A few months ago, eight of the president's own hand-picked U.S. attorneys were fired by the Bush administration. The Justice Department says it's because they had performance problems. But Democrats say it was raw politics. They say that these prosecutors were to soft on Democrats and to hard on Republicans on corruption cases in their state.
And later today we are going to hear from several of these former federal prosecutors in their own words when they are questioned by Democrats and Republicans in hearings on the House side and the Senate side as well.
Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Happening in America this morning.
Take a look at this startling scene in Bedford, Indiana. It's really only half the story. Police say this plane crash was no accident. A small Cessna slammed into the side of the house. It killed the pilot and his eight-year-old daughter. She was a passenger. Now the pilot's ex-wife claims that he kidnapped the girl. The home, meanwhile, owned by the pilot's former mother-in-law.
In Florida, two fires lit the night sky in downtown Tampa. Take a look at that. It started in an abandoned commercial building, spread next door. Nobody was hurt in that fire.
In New Jersey, a Norovirus outbreak on the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University. At least 124 students and some faculty and staff too have been sickened since last Thursday. Crews are cleaning dorms and bathrooms and dining halls. Hand sanitizers have been handed out in libraries, computer labs and in the dining area.
In New York, a prisoner at Rikers Island is in even bigger trouble today. Police say he offered to pay an undercover cop $65,000 to have New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly beheaded. And to bomb New York City police headquarters. Police say Brown was upset about the Sean Bell case in which police fatally shot an unarmed man. He's been serving time in prison. He was convicted of attempting to murder his wife.
Steamy e-mails may have sent NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak on that diaper-wearing road trip from Houston to Orlando to confront her romantic rival. That's according to Florida prosecutors. The astronaut collected more than a dozen e-mails apparently from Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman. Those were e-mails that were sent to Nowak's one-time boyfriend, space shuttle pilot William Oefelein. Nowak's now facing attempted kidnapping charges and other charges, too.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, you've got to play to win. Just about 17 hours from now, your caviar dreams could come true. All you need is a winning Megamillions ticket. And all we need is somebody on our crew to get us a ticket -- Dean. Tonight's jackpot is now worth a whopping $355 million. The biggest prize in 12 state lottery history -- Dean. The winning numbers will be drawn at 11:00 Eastern tonight from Times Square here in New York.
So let's pretend you win -- and you have to play to win, Dean. We did a little math overnight. And if you take the lump sum payout, you get $117.7 million after taxes. The alternative, never go with this, $9.4 million a year for the next 26 years. Always go with the lump sum.
S. O'BRIEN: That's what they say. But, you know, there's something very nice about getting that $9.4 million every year. Let's say you're a big spender and you don't trust yourself, you could run through your $100 million.
M. O'BRIEN: That could happen. It's been known to happen. Yes, I could think of ways.
S. O'BRIEN: You know, you could have five years where you lose everything and the next year, you're still good. That's my theory.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. All right.
S. O'BRIEN: Bitter cold in the Northeast. Chad Myers is watching the extreme weather for us this morning.
Plus, we'll tell you the story of an Army sergeant. His hometown is rallying around him, even though he's accused of some very serious crimes.
Plus, a new kind of rebellion among young people. Not sex or drugs or rock and roll, but region. Kids who say their parents don't have a prayer.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN. We've got breaking news out of Indonesia this morning. At least 70 people are dead after a magnitude 6.3 earthquake and a powerful after shock, too, happened near Sumatra.
And in Iraq, the military is confirming this morning that nine American soldiers are dead after bomb attacks north of Baghdad.
M. O'BRIEN: In Sweetwater, Tennessee, this morning, they are rallying around one of their own, despite some stunning alleges. Sergeant Ray Girouard is facing court marshall on charges he killed three Iraqi detainees and then covered up the crime. But as Bob Franken explains, the people who know him best are convinced he is an innocent man.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOY OAKES, SISTER OF SGT. RAYMOND GIROUARD: I think everything's good on her part.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Sergeant Ray Girouard call is his sister every day.
OAKES: So everything's good?
FRANKEN: But things are far from being good for Sergeant Girouard. He's in a military brig charged with ordering the murder of three Iraqi detainees last May. Girouard's sister, Joy Oakes, and his rest of his family, have asked for help from the people of Sweetwater. After all, he grew up here.
OAKES: This community is our family. These are the people. It takes a whole community to raise a child and they've raised us.
FRANKEN: If you walk around this town of 6,000, you'll see posters and signs supporting Sergeant Girouard. And fund-raisers. So far, more than $20,000 has been raised.
This is a small town with old fashioned values like loyalty to the military. But now, Sweetwater is rallying around one of its own and charging that the military has been disloyal to him.
If convicted, Sergeant Girouard faces life in prison. Two other soldiers have pleaded guilty and are expected to testify against him. Girouard's lawyer says he is being made a scape goat for the actions of higher ups and he has no intention of plea bargaining.
ANITA GORECKI, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Whatever was done was not done at the behest of Sergeant Girouard.
FRANKEN: The court trial begins on March 13th. The Army says it's not commenting to avoid jeopardizing a fair trial. And back home . . .
BONNIE CLEVELAND, SUPPORTER OF SFT RAYMOND GIROUARD: When I saw that he was in such trouble, his mother died when he was six and I felt compelled to be the voice of his mother. OAKES: Everything's good and you have a good defense team and you know the community is coming out. Everybody's coming out and we'll be there on March 13th.
FRANKEN: If convicted, Sergeant Gouraud would probably never see his hometown again.
Bob Franken, CNN, Sweetwater, Tennessee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Quarter past the hour now. Chad Meyers at the CNN Weather Center. He's watching a very cold Northeast this morning. And I have absolutely first-hand proof of that. It was very cold this morning, I can say.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Well, it might be youthful rebellion. It might be something more. It seems there are a lot of teenagers becoming more passionate about region. Sometimes more religious even than their parents. Delia Gallagher is AMERICAN MORNING's faith and values correspondent. She's with us this morning.
Good morning to you.
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Is this a trend that you're seeing across all regions or just across some religions?
GALLAGHER: No, pretty much across all religions, for teens raised in non-religious households. So whether the parents are agnostic, atheist or what we call culturally religious. So Muslim and Jews, for example, will experience that they have this in their culture but they don't necessarily practice it. So these were kids that weren't raised going to church, going to synagogue and suddenly they encounter religion and they're attracted by the community of it, by the mystery of it in many ways. And when they do convert, and when they do get into it, they get into it in a way which is sort of surprising to their parents.
S. O'BRIEN: And in a way in which their parents are not getting into it.
GALLAGHER: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: What do the young people tell you about what is the thing that appeals to them so much? To become suddenly more religious than their mom and dad.
GALLAGHER: Well, look, I've talked to a lot of young kids across the board, all different religions, about what attracts them really to this. There was a young girl last year that I profiled, who was raised a Baptist and converted to Islam. Let's listen to a little of what she has to say. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLISON EL-GAMAL, MUSLIM CONVERT: I think for a long time I've been looking for something. There's been like a piece missing. Always one little thing that maybe wasn't right. This is something that's brought me a peace that I've never known. And it's still so misunderstood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: So, you see, there's a real attraction to . . .
S. O'BRIEN: And I can see her Baptist parents saying whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
GALLAGHER: Right. Well, this is the whole question about how do parents and teens sort of keep the family together, and yet they're going in different directions religiously. And you see that in holidays, the things they have to eat, sometimes if the Jews want to eat kosher or not, in the way they dress. And so it does create a lot of conflict. I mean, there are books written about how to reconcile these problems between parents and teens when it comes to religion.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Delia Gallagher for us, our faith and values correspondent.
Thank you, Delia.
GALLAGHER: You're welcome.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, a brewing spy scandal at one of America's biggest companies. Two employees fired after allegedly tapping the phones at Wal-Mart. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business." We'll have details.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: The most news in the morning right here on CNN.
Breaking news from Indonesia. Right now, at least 70 dead, hundreds of buildings flattened after a magnitude 6.3 earthquake and powerful after shock in the western part of that nation.
And in Afghanistan, thousands of NATO troops targeting Taliban insurgents right now. All part of a sweeping new crackdown launched overnight.
S. O'BRIEN: Business news now. Wal-Mart in the news again. The company says it's fired two employees because they tapped phone calls with a newspaper reporter. Coming up on 25 minutes past the hour, Ali Velshi's "Minding Your Business" with that story.
This kind of a shocker.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, this is kind of interesting. The conversation in question took place between a "New York Times" reporter and a Wal-Mart employee. Let me tell you about how this happened.
They took place between September of 2006 and January of 2007. Now it's unclear why the technician was recording them, but both the U.S. attorney in Arkansas and the FBI are investigating. Wal-Mart says the recordings aren't illegal if one party has given his or her consent. And since Wal-Mart staff know that any of their communications can be monitored, Wal-Mart says that implies consent.
However, it seems the technician also intercepted text messages to and from the reporter, having nothing to do with Wal-Mart. The technician and his manager have been fired.
Now, it's getting harder for Americans with bad credit to get a mortgage and fewer mortgages mean fewer home sales and that might mean lower prices for homes. In recent years, we've seen a surge in sub prime mortgages. Those given to borrowers that have lower than average credit scores.
Some of those people are now having trouble meeting their payments because their adjustable rates have increased and their house value has fallen. Leaders like HSBC, Countrywide, Wells Fargo, Washington Mutual, they're all feeling the pinch from delinquent borrowers and they might rethink their lending practices as a result. We'll keep an eye on this and see how it affects your mortgage, your investments in those companies and the stock market.
Speaking of which, another down day across the board on markets yesterday. But as you were reporting earlier, the markets in Asia have been up. Overnight, markets in Europe are trading a little bit higher. So we're looking for a positive open today. But, you know, Miles, it's been a crazy week and stranger things have happened. So we'll keep an eye on it.
M. O'BRIEN: Buckle your seatbelts.
VELSHI: Buckle your seatbelts, that's right.
M. O'BRIEN: It's good to have you back.
All right, in the wake of the scandal at Walter Reed, a question remains, how good is the care our wounded vets are getting whenever they are? Alina Cho will be with us shortly with an eye-opening look, up next.
Also, YouTube steps into the political ring. It may be making the candidates an offer they can't refuse.
And when they say Megamillions, they mean mega millions. It's the biggest jackpot ever up for grabs. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back. You're watching the most news in the morning. It is Tuesday, March 6th and I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Good to have you with us.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
(NEWSBREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: President Bush is calling for a bipartisan panel to look into the situation at one of the hospitals' outpatient barracks, but also to see if there's a larger problem at other military veterans' hospitals.
Here is what some veterans and their family members had to say at yesterday's hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNETTE MCLEOD, WIFE OF WOUNDED IRAQ VETERAN My life was ripped apart the day that my husband was injured, but then having to live through the mess that we lived through at Walter Reed has been worse than anything I've ever sacrificed in my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFF. SGT. DANIEL SHANNON, U.S. ARMY: The system can't be trusted. And soldiers get less than they deserve from a system seemingly designed to run -- and run, to cut the costs associated with fighting this war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: Other veterans are speaking out as well, and AMERICAN MORNING'S Alina Cho has been tracking all of that for us.
It's just a gut-wrenching story.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It certainly is, Miles.
You know, no matter where you stand on the war, most people agree, many people, that wounded soldiers just back from Iraq and Afghanistan deserve the very best care available. The reality is different, though.
Veterans we spoke to say the care they're getting leaves much to be desired. There are issues of cleanliness and bureaucratic red tape.
We begin with the story of one man we first spoke to a couple of weeks ago. We checked in on him again last night.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHO (voice over): Army Major Chuck Ziegenfuss might be on a second tour of duty in Iraq were it not for the injuries he suffered in an IED attack in 2005.
MAJOR CHUCK ZIEGENFUSS, U.S. ARMY: Both of my hands and forearms up to my biceps were injured. My right leg was -- the skin and the flesh underneath it were completely blown off from the inseam and right above me knee, here all the way to my hip.
CHO: He woke up four days later at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he says the care he received was first rate. The problem, he says Walter Reed was dirty.
ZIEGENFUSS: After we complained several times to get somebody to just come in and run a mop on the floor, my mom took a towel from the bathroom and got it wet and drug it back and forth across the floor.
CHO: Ziegenfuss was so fed up, he says he filed two formal complaints. Walter Reed was not available for comment.
Today, the 34-year-old is still recovering. When he's not with his wife and two children, he works at the ROTC.
Steve Kraft also served in Iraq. His problems are not physical, but mental.
STEPHEN KRAFT, IRAQ WAR VETERAN: I was a hair-trigger temper. You know, I can't be around people. I don't want to be around people.
CHO: The 34-year-old was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder a year ago, but says the care he needed was not readily available at New York area veterans hospitals. Kraft says he had to wait months for an appointment with a psychiatrist.
KRAFT: You start to self-medicate and you find yourself in a bar, you find yourself doing drugs, you lash out.
CHO: One hospital where Kraft sought treatment told CNN it could not comment on his case, citing privacy laws. At this Manhattan veterans hospital, director John Donellan promises no one will be turned away.
JOHN DONELLAN, NEW YORK VETERANS HOSPITAL: If the veteran cannot get the care here, we will make it available to them, even if we have to go outside, if we have to go to one of the other hospitals in our network. We'll make the care available.
CHO: Kraft says he finally found a therapist at a veterans hospital two hours away, a sacrifice he says returning vets should not have to make.
KRAFT: Don't appoint a committee to do a review and figure out what happened and, you know, three years down the line fix it. No. Fix it now.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CHO: Now, one veterans group director we spoke to says if you don't think the problem needs fixing, remember this -- trainloads of wounded vets are coming home, and as this veteran told us, they are coming to a hospital in a town near you. The government, he says, has a responsibility to care for them.
And, you know, as many people have said, these buildings are going to be easy to fix, but, you know, this bureaucracy is going to be much harder to solve, which is what the congressional hearings are getting at, and perhaps as a result we'll see some changes.
M. O'BRIEN: To what extent are we talking about just a lack of funding here? Or is it just the way it's all organized and managed?
CHO: I think it's a combination of both. I mean, they have said, these veterans, understaffed, under-funded. The Department of Veterans Affairs, it's the largest health organization in the country. They serve 5.5 million veterans each year.
They're overburdened. That's how they feel. And so hopefully this will get some attention.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, certainly the least we can do is take care of these people who put everything at stake for us.
CHO: That's how most people feel.
O'BRIEN: Alina Cho, thank you -- Soledad.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: The most news in the morning right here on CNN.
Developing news from Afghanistan right now. Thousands of NATO troops targeting Taliban insurgents.
And the Pentagon confirming overnight nine more U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq after separate bombings north of Baghdad -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, Ann Coulter, shh. Her mouth is costing her some big money today. Verizon, Sallie Mae, NetBank all pulling their ads from the conservative commentator's Web site. Part of the backlash over Coulter's use of a gay slur to describe the Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.
Here's a hint. It starts with an "F". The same word as Isaiah Washington used that got him into rehab.
Anyway, the companies say they acted after customers complained. Coulter made the remarks at this past weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C.
Told you about YouTube stepping into the race for the White House. And now the videos are rolling in. AMERICAN MORNING'S Chris Lawrence is with us in person today. He's been taking a look.
Good morning.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Well, you know, YouTube is all -- politicians have always been on YouTube, but normally it's been the clips that they would rather forget.
This is them, the politicians, trying to take control of their own message on YouTube.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: Some concern across the country because...
LAWRENCE (voice over): Barack Obama's speech at a Selma, Alabama, church was quickly posted on the Internet by someone outside his campaign.
When politicians first met YouTube, it was like a rude guest who points out every embarrassing flaw. From bad singing, to just bad judgment.
GEORGE ALLEN (R), FMR. VIRGINIA SENATOR: ... with the yellow shirt, Macaca, or whatever his name is...
LAWRENCE: Now YouTube is inviting those same candidates over for dinner, giving them a seat at the table, so to speak.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Keep that faith. Keep your courage. Stick together.
LAWRENCE: YouTube is inviting political candidates to post their own videos as part of a push to educate voters.
OBAMA: We want a positive video for the future.
LAWRENCE: Most of the major presidential candidates are on board.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe we're spending too much money.
LAWRENCE: But it's the second-tier candidates who could benefit most by broadcasting their message at minimal cost.
ALAN HOFFENBLUM, POLITICAL ANALYST: And this could help a lot of candidates that don't have the big money that the top-tier candidates have.
LAWRENCE: But will anyone watch? THOMAS HOLLIHAN, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Some of them are long, you know, 15, 20-minute films. You've got to really be devoted to want to sit through 15 minutes of that.
LAWRENCE: Professor Thomas Hollihan wrote a book called "Political Campaigns in a Media Age."
(on camera): Do you think some candidates will benefit more than others from YouTube?
HOLLIHAN: Those candidates who are spontaneous, quick on their feet, smile easily, are witty, they're going to really prosper in a YouTube age.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: My bill would cap the number of troops in Iraq at January 1st levels.
RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I don't get is the non-binding resolution.
HOLLIHAN: Candidates who are ponderous, who need a closely- guided script, who don't -- who don't have good emotional control, they're the candidates likely to suffer in the YouTube era.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: And it really is a completely new era. Unlike broadcast television, YouTube -- posting on YouTube is free. And the video clips are not subject to the campaign finance limits. And also, you know, you don't need those disclosure statements like you do on television.
S. O'BRIEN: Paid for by friends of...
LAWRENCE: Or "My name is Chris and I approved this message."
S. O'BRIEN: Right. Right. Right. Interesting. It will be interesting to see in retrospect how it changed the election.
LAWRENCE: Exactly.
S. O'BRIEN: We won't know for a year.
LAWRENCE: 2008.
S. O'BRIEN: We've got a little time.
LAWRENCE: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Chris Lawrence for us.
Thanks, Chris.
LAWRENCE: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: And, of course, all the day's political news is available any time, day or night, at cnn.com/ticker -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: The search for survivors going on right now from that powerful earthquake that clobbered the western part of Sumatra overnight. At least 70 people are dead.
Let's get to Chad Myers with a look at the weather and also the latest on that earthquake.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, we normally see it on cruise ships. Now it's on a college campus making more than 100 people sick. We'll tell you about that.
And think of the most dangerous jobs in the world. What comes to mind -- Fishermen, steel workers, stunt pilots? What about Mickey? Back stage in the land of the rodent, a revealing look next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the latest on that technical meltdown for US Airways. We'll tell you whether there's going to be long lines at the airport again this morning, straight ahead.
And the U.S. sits back down with North Korea in New York today, but when it comes to promises to end its nuclear weapons program, is the north just taking the U.S. for a ride?
We'll take a look.
And he's being quiet. A closer look at whether Bill Clinton is helping or hurting his wife's White House dreams.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: US Airways newly-merged ticketing system with America West has been experiencing some problems, to say the least, causing passengers to miss their flights. It's kind of a JetBlue light scenario.
About five minutes before the top of the hour. Ali Velshi "Minding Your Business."
Hello, Ali.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
One of these, you know, one-day catastrophes that airlines seem to be having right now. You kind of wonder when airlines merge when everything is going to come together. So US Air and America West merged in 2005 and it didn't take -- it didn't happen until Sunday that the reservation systems were merged. And that seems to work OK, except that the newly-merged reservation system didn't communicate with the check-in kiosks at the airport, which meant on Sunday, everybody had to check in, in person, at a counter.
Now, on a typical day, 40 percent of U.S. customers would use the automated kiosk. So they just weren't staffed up for this sort of thing. And by Sunday night, there were some massive delays at airports like Vegas, Boston, Charlotte, Reagan National.
Only about 14 percent of US Airways flights left on time on Sunday evening. So the company flew staff from its headquarters in Phoenix to eastern airports to actually help with the physical check- in until this had sorted itself out. By Monday evening, departures were up to about 22 percent on time. Hopefully we'll see everything back to complete speed today -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Ali. Thank you very much.
(NEWSBREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Breaking news we start with. A powerful earthquake and aftershock in Indonesia. Dozens of people are dead and a search for survivors is going on right now.
M. O'BRIEN: Benefit or burden? A closer look at Bill Clinton and whether he's helping or hurting his wife's White House dreams.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, and who wants to be a mega millionaire? The race for tickets is now under way as the clock ticks down to today's massive, and we mean massive, lottery jackpot.
We're live from Jakarta, from Washington, from Baghdad, and from New York on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning. Welcome. It's Tuesday, March 6th.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
We're glad you're with us. We've got a full plate this morning. Three breaking stories right now.
The U.S. announcing the deaths of at least nine service members overnight.
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