Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Iraq: 5th Year Begins; Missing Boy Scout; McCain On Iraq; Gerri's Top Tips

Aired March 19, 2007 - 10:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: For U.S. troops. The Iraq War anniversary. We will hear from the president on this somber day live in the NEWSROOM.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Three New York police officers turn themselves in to face charges. Indictments in the groom shooting case expected to be made public at the top of the next hour.

HARRIS: A Boy Scout missing in the cold mountains of North Carolina. Searchers combing the woods for the 12-year-old this morning.

It is Monday, March 19th and you are in the NEWSROOM.

And at the top this hour, a somber anniversary marked by more bloodshed and remarks from President Bush. The war in Iraq entering its fifth year. The president speaks in the next hour.

Meanwhile today, more violence in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and in Baghdad. Five bombings in Kirkuk killed at least 10 people and wounded 37 more in the Iraqi capital. A bomb went off near a Shiite mosque killing at least six people and wounding more than 30 others.

On this day four years ago, and in the weeks that followed, American war planes were taking to the skies in bombing run overs Baghdad. The start of the war announced by President Bush in an address to the nation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: My fellow citizens. At this hour American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people, and to defend the world from grave danger.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Four years later, the president vowing to fight on. Meanwhile, critics of the war are still on the march, protests and demonstrations across the U.S. to mark the anniversary.

COLLINS: Iraqi refugees trying to get out of harms way. CNN's Kyra Phillips is in Iraq. She took a tour of one of the refugee camps that's now home to hundreds of people.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): When you enter the Alba Tool (ph) refugee camp, you see the filth, smell the sewage and imagine the dangers. It's depressing. And then you meet the children.

I think what amazes me the most about all these children is that they're still happy and positive. They have bicycles. They play soccer. And that's all they need right now.

I ask them if they understand why they are here. They say eventually they hope to have a better life. They understand democracy. They understand freedom. This is all they know that the point. And they're just making the best of it.

This unexpected spirit surrounds us. We followed it. And then we met Shaqrea (ph). Her name means thankful in Arabic. Ironic for a woman who has had everything taken from her.

"Look at this miserable situation," she tells me. "Look at this room. What can I say? We're still saying thanks, God."

Shaqrea welcomes us into her home. Even with so little, she and her husband Muhammad (ph) smile, laugh, and never once hint for any sympathy. Dignity dominates this humble home. Today, they're not forgotten.

"I'm very proud," she tells me. "I'm very happy you're here. Seeing you compensates for the bad days. This visit gets me through the day."

Their story is just like the estimated 200 Iraqi families that have taken refuge here. Insurgents threatened to kill them if they didn't leave their home.

Shaqrea explains, "we can't find good clothes for our children. We can't offer them good food or send them to school. I sold everything, even my gas canisters and my furniture, just to survive."

Now Muhammad supports his family as a street cleaner earning $4.00 a day. They have five children to feed. I ask Muhammad if his children ever question their circumstances.

He tells me, "my daughter Hanna (ph) asks me, when we grow up, what is going to happen to our destiny, to our future? Why do we have to live under these circumstances?"

The truth is, this family doesn't know, so they pray, they work, and they wait.

What is your message to the Iraqi government now?

Muhammad tells me, "our message is to get rid of the terrorists, get our home back, and have security. Nothing more, nothing less.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Kyra Phillips joining us now from Baghdad.

Kyra, is there any way to know how many displaced Iraqi there are since the war began?

PHILLIPS: Well, give and take, obviously, but the number right now that comes from human rights organizations, 600,000 people. Just like the family I introduced you to, just like the Jabber (ph) family, 600,000 displaced Iraqis. And also another figure to tell you about, 50,000 families forced out of their homes every month. That's the situation right now.

What happens is they get a threatening letter. It's a part of the Shia-Sunni separation. And they get these letters. They're forced out of their neighborhoods. They're threatened with their lives and told if they don't leave that they're be killed. So that is just one of hundreds and hundreds of stories that I've been hearing since I've been able to travel through the streets and specifically this refugee camp.

COLLINS: Interesting, too, the family that you met said that they want the terrorists to go away, not the United States troops.

PHILLIPS: That's a very interesting point, Heidi. Even talking to a family like the Jabber family who have absolutely nothing, and they're struggling.

I asked them, are you glad Saddam Hussein is out of power? And they say, yes, because we keep believing in democracy. We keep believing that our life will get better. Life was not good under Saddam Hussein's rule. Even though we had electricity, we had a home, it wasn't good for the future of our kids.

So they're struggling. They're not happy with what's happening. They know that there's way too much violence is taking place and that it's affecting their lives, but they want the freedom. They want the democracy. And, once again, they just keep talking about how they pray every single day that somehow it will work out.

But can you believe that? He's make $4.00 a day and he's got five children. And those kids, you just can't forget their faces. You're effected by them.

As soon as you walked to the camp, just writing their name in English on a piece of paper, they all wanted that and they wanted to put it into their pocket. It was just a special moment for them because every day is so much the same. You come to visit and you do something little like that, it makes an impact on them.

COLLINS: And on you, I'm sure, as well. All right, Kyra Phillips coming to us live today out of Baghdad.

Kyra, thanks.

HARRIS: And we will hear from President Bush later this morning. But right now let's go live to White House correspondent Ed Henry. Ed, for much of the morning there didn't seem to be anything planned for the president to speak about this anniversary and then something changed.

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Tony.

The president's schedule basically blank heading into this morning in terms of basically not marking this fourth anniversary of the invasion of Baghdad. That changed mid morning when we found out the president was having a national security council meeting privately here at the White House to get an update on the situation on the ground. And then this hour, right now as we speak, the president behind closed doors. A secure video conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, again trying to assess the situation on the ground.

Then the president will go public 11:30 Eastern Time. It will be live from the Roosevelt Room here at the White House.

What is he expected to say? White House Spokesman Tony Snow told reporters off camera a short time ago, the president will be talking about the sacrifice of U.S. service men and well. More than 3.200 of whom who have died.

But also that the president will talk about what the White House is terming a recipe of defeat. The Democratic effort on Capitol Hill to attach restrictions to some of that funding for the war in Iraq. Basically calling for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. At least the beginning of that withdrawal. Tony Snow calling it -- he said it would "provide victory for the enemy."

Well, I pressed Tony Snow and since he's calling flatly the Democratic plan a recipe for defeat, I asked him, four years later, what is the recipe for success? Tony Snow tried to turn it around on me in this off camera briefing. He said, well, what's your recipe for success? How do you define it?

And when I pointed out to him that that was inappropriate for me to answer that, it's not up for me what the recipe for success is, what is the president's recipe for success, Tony felt I was interrupting him and he said, "zip it." He later apologized. Said he felt that was inappropriate for him to say that to me.

But I point it out because I think it shows a White House a little bit on defensive this morning about this anniversary. When he finally got around to his answer, Tony Snow was saying, well, we hope, obviously, four years later to start turning over this situation to Iraqi forces on the ground. But he admitted, "you don't know how things will play out."

Well, we've heard that for four years now. Every time that there's been progress, there have also been setbacks and there have also been -- there's been talk about turning this over to the Iraqi army and it still has not quite happened. So, obviously, a let of the predictions at the beginning of this war about the length of the war, about the cost of the war, both in human sacrifice but also financial sacrifice for the American taxpayer, underestimated by this White House at the beginning of the war.

Tony.

HARRIS: Well, Ed, if it weren't such a solemn day, we could do about five minutes on that whole zip it exchange. But because of the anniversary, we will let it go at that.

HENRY: That's right, Tony.

HARRIS: Ed Henry for us at the White House.

Ed, thanks.

HENRY: Thank you.

COLLINS: As we mark the anniversary, we remember those killed and wounded in this conflict -- 3,220 U.S. service members died in Iraq since the start of the war. More than 24,000 troops have been injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

HARRIS: The commander in chief, his thoughts on the Iraq War as the conflict enters a fifth year. President Bush live 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time right here in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Lost in the wilderness. A 12-year-old Boy Scout now missing for almost two days in a rugged area of North Carolina. CNN's Bob Franken is in the town of McGrady.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Behind me the Blue Ridge Mountains in the area where 12-year-old Michael Auberry has been lost since Saturday. The Boy Scout who walked away apparently from his troop, suddenly was found to be missing, and it began a very lengthy search that continues with the first light of day. The trackers have been going out again.

There have been about over 100 of them who are looking at trails both on the trails and off the trails in this very wild area. Looking for a Scout that the hope is, is he will remember the training that he had gotten and will be able to have withstood the cold air that has been in this area for the last couple of nights while he has been missing.

Now there have been a couple of clues. The clues include a mess kit that was found the morning after he disappeared. His mess kit. And then some footprints believed to have belonged to him.

They're continuing to look for clues. There are aircraft overhead using heat sensing devices. Dogs are on the ground. Human trackers. All hoping that they're going to be able to find this Boy Scout and bring a happy ending to this.

Meanwhile, investigators are checking out the possibility of foul play, but thus far they say there has been none. Just a young man who is missing, a Boy Scout, that they hope to find and bring back to his family.

Bob Franken, CNN, McGrady, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: He is standing firm on Iraq. Senator John McCain supporting the war when support has faded, in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Protesting the war. Are these demonstrations making a difference? We'll have that coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: A suicide bomber attacks a U.S. convoy in Afghanistan. Details ahead in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: The eve of his wedding day, the last night of his life. The police shoot that outraged New York. A major announcement this morning. We'll have it right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.

The groom shooting case. The echo of those deadly gunshots ringing loudly this morning in New York. Next hour, criminal charges expected to be formally announced.

Three New York police officers have surrendered to authorities. They are among those who opened fire on three unarmed men. Sean Bell died in a burst of 50 bullets. He was to be married just hours after the shooting.

The case ignited outrage in New York. The head of a police union says the officers will be indicted today. Lawyers for the policemen say they are innocent. Sean Bell's wedding never happened.

Police officers to face charges in the death of that New York groom. Indictments unsealed at 11:00 Eastern. We'll have that for you live right here in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: He is hoping for popular support while supporting a war that has become unpopular. CNN's Candy Crowley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Observe a moment of silence in the memory of this brave, young man.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Whether it is the death of a local soldier or a question from the audience, presidential candidate John McCain cannot avoid the subject even if he wanted to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or will it be there possibly as long as our troops have been in Korea and Germany?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What you would do as our commander in chief to protect our troops?

CROWLEY: Traveling through Iowa aboard his buss, the Arizona senator ponders whether his fierce support of the war will hurt his presidential ambitions.

MCCAIN: I just have to do what I know is right and articulate what I think is right and best for the country. This is not a minor issue. It's a huge issue.

CROWLEY: Which is to say, McCain believes the Iraq War has now become part of the broader war on terror.

MCCAIN: The consequences of failure are chaos, genocide and sooner or later we come back and, most importantly, they'll follow us home.

CROWLEY: McCain is the war's most visible supporter at a time when only a third of voters think it was worth the price. Because of his years as a Vietnam P.O.W. and his staunch support of the military, McCain strategists believe voters will give him leeway on Iraq. Regardless, he is where he is.

In the community centers and town halls of Iowa and New Hampshire, John McCain generally enters the room to Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down."

MCCAIN: This conflict we are in between good and evil. Between the forces of radical Islamic extremism that are trying to destroy America and everything we believe in. I'm qualified. I know the face of war. I know the face of evil. I will win, we will win and we will never surrender.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Mason City, Iowa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The commander in chief. His thought on the Iraq War as the conflict enter as fifth year. President Bush live 11:30 in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Also, showing off a plane with wings as wide as a football field, on its way to the U.S. Historic flight coming up in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Gerri Willis is with us today, our personal finance editor, talking about, Gerri, what do we have?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Heidi, good to see you.

Do you want to raise your credit score? We'll tell you how. That's coming up next on "Top Tips."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Have you heard about this super size, this jumbo jet coming to America? It's on its way. Its first flight to the U.S. right now. An AirBus A-380 super jumbo jet. And, man, it is huge. Its wing span is wider than a football field. It can seat more than 500 passengers. The plane left Germany this morning. It is due to arrive in New York around lunchtime. The flight is a chance for AirBus to show off the plane to airports and potential buyers in the U.S. Another jumbo jet operated by an Australian airline is flying to Los Angeles.

COLLINS: Want to go ahead and check the numbers for you. There you go. Up 60 for the Dow Jones Industrial average right now, 12,169. We're watching this one for you as the day goes on. Maybe a little bit more calmer week this week than last. We'd like that.

HARRIS: Your credit score. Lenders use it to set your interest rate. Now with mortgage companies tightening standards, do you need to improve your number? Yes, yes, yes. Here with some tips, CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis.

Gerri, great to see you.

WILLIS: Hey, good to see you, Tony.

HARRIS: Hey, we were talking about the FICO score a bit last week and maybe the week before that and then the week before that. I mean we talk about it all the time. We do.

WILLIS: We talk it a lot because it's important.

HARRIS: It really is.

So the first tip today seems to be a straightforward, simple one. Look, pay off the debt.

WILLIS: Exactly. You know, before we get to that, though, Tony, I want to show people what goes into their credit score.

HARRIS: Oh, great.

WILLIS: OK. So, remember, it's your FICO credit score that most mortgage lenders look at. Your payment history or how often you pay your bills on time makes up the very biggest chunk of your score. The amount of debt you owe is considered just as important. And the amount of time you've had your credit cards and how much new credit you apply for all play a role in determining your score.

And as you say, Tony, pay off that debt. If you want to improve your credit score in the short term, the most important thing to do is pay off your high balances on your credit cards. It can raise your FICO score 60 to 70 points overnight.

HARRIS: Are you kidding me?

WILLIS: Yes, it's a good thing to do.

Now look closely, too, at how you handle credit card debt as opposed to any other debt like student loans. It's the credit cards that matter to these folks because you're in control of exactly how much you pay, so that's what they really pay attention to.

HARRIS: And also, what do you think about this whole idea of just, to the extent you can, minimizing your balances.

WILLIS: Absolutely. Look, even if you pay your bills down every month to zero, the amount you paid off will be listed on your credit report. You could lower your score by another 60 or 70 points if you spend more than 50 percent of your credit limit. If your planning on taking out a loan shortly, don't charge a lot on your cards or split the purchases between a few cards so you can keep your balances down.

HARRIS: Oh, that's a good idea.

Hey, what about the idea of switching out your cards? Maybe your older cards for some new cards and maybe getting in with some of those lower introductory rates?

WILLIS: I love the lower introductory rates. It could really save you a lot of money. But you should remember, if you're trying to lower your credit score, they look at how long you've managed your credit. So the longer you've managed your credit wisely, the better your score. So you want to keep those old cards, those five-year-old, six-year-old cards. At least one or two of those on hand so that you have a record of having longevity in the market.

HARRIS: And what do you mean when you tell us, don't sweat the small things here?

WILLIS: Well, there are some things that don't matter to your score at all. For example, your score won't be effected if you request your own credit record or if you go for credit counseling. And I know a lot of people have questions about that. So, rest assured, that's not going to be part of your report.

Just a reminder, Tony, to your viewers, keep those questions coming. We love to get them. Send us an e-mail to toptips@cnn.com. We love to hear from you and we answer them right here every Friday.

HARRIS: We sure do. Great to see you, Gerri. Good Monday to you.

WILLIS: Good to see you, Tony.

COLLINS: The Iraq War. Today, the start of the fifth year. The conflict grows longer, American confidence, shorter. New poll numbers coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Rescue teams stepping up their search this morning for a missing Boy Scout. Twelve-year-old Michael Auberry went missing Saturday during a camping trip to Doughton Park in North Carolina. Yesterday searchers found footprints and the boy's mess kit. The search was scaled back last night out of concern for the safety of the rescuers. More than 100 people are now looking for the boy today, on the ground an in the air. Temperatures dropped below freezing the last two nights. But Auberry has had some training in survival techniques and was dressed for the elements.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID BAUER, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: He also is properly equipped for this time of year and this kind of where. He had a good coat, good boots on. So as long as he's able to stay dry, we feel he can survive for several days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Police do say there are no signs of foul play.

HARRIS: The groom shooting case. Those echo of those deadly gunshots ringing loudly this morning in New York City. Next hour, criminal charges are expected to be formally announced. Three New York police officers have surrendered to authorities. They're among those who opened fire on three unarmed men.

Sean Bell died in a burst of 50 bullets. He was to be married just hours after the shooting. The case ignited outrage in New York. The head of a police union says the officers will be indicted today. Lawyers for the policemen say they're innocent.

COLLINS: The U.S. under attack in Afghanistan. And we have exclusive pictures. A suicide bomber attacked a U.S. embassy convoy in Kabul this morning. An embassy spokesman says several people were injured. One American was evacuated for treatment. Kabul police say at least three people were killed. It happened along a busy highway that leads to Bagram Air Base east of the capital.

HARRIS: Support for the war in Iraq has dropped 40 percent since 2003. That's one number from a new CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll. We break it down for you now. Only 32 percent now favor the war in Iraq. That's down from 72 percent at the end of 2003. Nearly half now strongly oppose the war. You can see that number there at the bottom left. Only 19 percent strongly opposed the war in March 2003 and there's a majority or a major party divide. Democratic opposition is now virtually unanimous at 91 percent. Only 24 percent of Republicans oppose the war now.

COLLINS: Protesting the war in Iraq, more vigils and demonstrations today to mark the four-year anniversary. Over the weekend several thousand people took to the streets. CNN's Jim Acosta has a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Born in the Ukraine at the end of the cold war, now a college student in New York, Kseniya Bondarenko doesn't take her right to free speech lightly.

KSENIYA BONDARENKO, BROOKLYN COLLEGE STUDENT: It's really up to us to kind of say, no, this is not right.

ACOSTA: She isn't bashful about painting her face red, white and blue and joining the thousands of antiwar activists on the streets of Manhattan calling for an end to the Iraq war.

BONDARENKO: The people want the president to know, they want Congress to know that we want an end to this war.

ACOSTA: It was four years ago on these same streets when a march larger march numbering in the hundreds of thousands tried to stop the war before it started. While only a fraction of those numbers turned out today, Kseniya she says young adults like herself are only now joining the peace movement.

BONDARENKO: I'm so active now but it only happened. Maybe we're still trying to get people to become involved.

ACOSTA: She slugs off comparisons to the big protests during the Vietnam war, as does her professor who says those antiwar marches attracted more young people for one simple reason --

JAMES DAVIS, BROOKLYN COLLEGE PROFESSOR: I think the difference now, is you know, there's no draft, right? So if there were a draft, well then of course you would see an enormous movement.

ACOSTA: Whatever the numbers, today's peace protesters say public sentiment has turned against the war and now is the time for Washington to act.

(on-camera): While much of the outrage of this protest is directed at President Bush, there is also growing impatience out here with Democrats and Congress who were elected, these people say, for the mandate to end to war.

REV. STEPHEN CHINLUND, MINISTER: I hope Congress would be moved and realize that that's how some of them got elected and some more of them are not going to get elected if they don't listen to the hundreds of thousands that have been involved all over the world.

BONDARENKO: I think that we're just gaining momentum.

ACOSTA: Kseniya Bondarenko hopes that momentum is enough to finally turn the tide. Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: The commander in chief, his thoughts on the Iraq war as the conflict enters the fifth year. President Bush live 11:30 Eastern. We'll have it here in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: You want to get another check of the weather now? Do you want to do that? Chad Myers.

COLLINS: It's nice.

HARRIS: Let's do that. Chad, good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. Finally getting planes back where they should be from that ugly winter weekend across the northeast. It was unpretty for some people at airports. Here's a live shot from our New York tower cam here looking up the Hudson toward the GW Bridge and if you look that direction far enough, you will see where most of the snow landed. From Maryland in Frederick had 7 1/2 inches of snow, Manchester, Virginia, about five inches. But if you get up the Hudson on up toward Pennsylvania, the Susquehanna, (INAUDIBLE) had picked up 14.5, Ridgewood, New Jersey at 19.3, Albany, New York, the capital district at 16 1/2 and even toward Danbury, Connecticut, 11 inches of snow. It's still kind of coming down in some spots from about Detroit down into Ohio. This is just an area where it hasn't warmed up above 32 yet.

In the back side along the cold front where it's actually colder back here, there's actually some thunderstorm activity popping up in and around the weather here, 606 lightning strikes all the way from about Columbus and Delaware all the way back down to south and southeast of St. Louis. So a little bit of thunderstorm activity going on with the weather for today, but no severe weather. That doesn't -- we don't expect any severe weather to happen across the country until Wednesday. That will be west Texas. Thirty three in Buffalo right now, 30 in Toronto, 35 in New York City and 31 in Pittsburgh. It warms up a little bit, New York City to 43. That's a problem because there's still a lot of junk on the ground from all that rain, sleet, snow, whatever else you got there. It's going to melt today. It's going to try to melt, but the sewers are kind of clogged because they weren't cleaned out and so the water can't go down so it's kind of sloppy. So stay away from the curbs if you're going to walk around and then for tonight, watch out because it's going to refreeze and you're thinking you're walking on concrete. In fact there's a little layer of ice there and you may be slip, sliding away. That's always the case when you refreeze things going on over the nighttime hours. Still watching this big plane lumbering its way across the ocean.

COLLINS: I feel like we're watching Santa Claus.

HARRIS: Norad.

MYERS: 39,000 feet, 449 knots headed to JFK at two minutes before noon. We'll see if that changes time at all.

COLLINS: Thank you, Chad.

HARRIS: There are a lot more planes here. I'm just showing you just this one.

COLLINS: Just that one. It's just one today. Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

COLLINS: From glamour to garbage, super model Naomi Campbell making amends for less than model behavior, ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Also, dirty destinations, one man going to new heights not for glory but for garbage. It's the theme of (INAUDIBLE) this year. We'll explain coming up in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: A student, a banner and a battle royale, free speech versus education at the Supreme Court, the case in the NEWSROOM.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange where stocks a rallying big time on this first trading day of the week despite new concerns about the housing sector. Details coming up in the NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Good morning. Welcome back everyone to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris. An elderly woman awakened by the sound of gunshots. Turned out, she was the target. The 88-year-old woman was hit several times. She is now being treated at an Orlando hospital. Police say there were at least two gunmen. They pumped as many as 10 bullets through the window. No arrests have been made. Police say this was not a random attack.

The commander in chief, his thoughts on the Iraq war as the conflict enters a fifth year. President Bush live at 11:30 a.m., just another reminder for you here in the NEWSROOM.

Redeploy, American troops getting another call to duty, four years of war with a single goal in mind, stay alive. More now from chief national correspondent John King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This urgent work says it all, additional armor being installed on Humvees in Baghdad. For troops facing an enemy far more resilient and resourceful than their leaders anticipated, it's absolutely vital. This shop in Baghdad processes roughly 30 Humvees a day, welcome upgrades to troops like this Michigan National Guard military police patrols who say roadside attacks in their sector near Ramadi are turning more devastating.

SGT. KYLE HABERMAN, MICHIGAN ARMY NATL GUARD: I'm seeing everything out there. You see IEDs, regular IEDs, you see homemade ones, under the ground ones. Those are the worst ones right now where I'm at, under the road buried a good four to five, six feet under the ground and they mess them up pretty bad. Flip the trucks.

KING: While the progress in providing advanced armor is welcome, the urgent need is a reminder of what critics call four years of mistakes and miscalculations, from bad intelligence about Iraq's weapons programs to unarmored vehicles vulnerable to attack.

RICHARD HAASS, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: If history was giving its verdict today, I believe history's verdict would be that this was an unwise choice, badly implemented.

KING: Four years ago, even two years ago, the administration expected troop levels would be sharply down by now. Instead, more troops are flowing into Iraq, forcing more repeat deployments and stretching the military's supply and equipment lines.

HAASS: History will show the administration underestimated what could go wrong.

KING: Some troops grumble about the strain of second and third deployments. But when asked about growing opposition to the war back home, the response is fairly standard.

HABERMAN: I'm out on missions doing what I do. I don't really have anything to say about that.

KING: Besides, four years later, they still have more immediate worries. John King, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And as we mark the anniversary we remember those killed and wounded in this conflict. 3,220 U.S. service members have died in Iraq since the start of the war. More than 24,000 troops have been injured in operation Iraqi freedom.

COLLINS: Clear skies but ruffled passengers and baggage backups. U.S. Airways clearing a backlog of flights this morning. A weekend ice and snowstorm paralyzed several airports in the northeast. And its worse, about 100,000 passengers were stranded. The airlines is waving several standard fees for passengers in cities hit by the storm. One thousand travelers, many of them U.S. Airways passengers, were stranded Friday and Saturday nights at Philadelphia international airport. That figure dropped to about 100 last night.

The fallout from risky mortgages has been hitting the market for a month and now there is evidence millions of Americans could get hit, too, by losing their home. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange now with details on this. Not a good story here, Susan.

LISOVICZ: No, and this really is the end here, we talk about companies that are in trouble. They're in trouble because their customers are in trouble. So let's talk about one specific kind of home loan, adjustable rate mortgage, the ARM. Those are loans that initially offer low interest rates, but then reset a few years later at a higher rate. Gerri Willis has talked a lot about this over the last couple of years. The danger is, that new rate will make the monthly payment unaffordable for many families. On average, payments will more than double on those teaser rate mortgages.

In fact, a new study by First American (INAUDIBLE) says more than one million foreclosures are expected on adjustable rate loans made from '04 through '06, but those foreclosures are expected over the next six years. So the damage to the overall economy will be fortunately spread out. The study estimates that nearly a third of the homeowners who took out teaser loans are expected to default as the rates are reset; 12 percent of the sub-prime loans will default along with 7 percent of market rate adjustable mortgages. This assumes that home prices hold steady. But if they fall by 10 percent or more, the number of foreclosures could increase by another 800,000. So you see that domino effect, Heidi.

COLLINS: Absolutely, so housing prices are a really critical factor in all of this. LISOVICZ: No question about it and if foreclosures rise, there will continue to be a glut of homes on the market because of these problems, many sub-prime lenders are in trouble. One company we've been talking a lot about lately Accredited Home Lenders, has been warned by the Nasdaq that its shares are subject to delisting because it hasn't filed its annual report yet. Accredited says it's in talks to get new financing. Another lender, Novastar says it will cut 350 jobs or 17 percent of its work force. News of cost-saving job cuts at Novastar is giving a nice rally today. They're up 4 percent. Overall, we're seeing a nice rally after a tough week, the major averages showing strong gains. The Dow right now up 76 points at 12,187. It's up about two-thirds of a percent, ditto for the Nasdaq. That's a quick look of what's happening on Wall Street. Good start to the workweek. Heidi and Tony, back to you.

COLLINS: That's what we like to hear on a Monday, every Monday. Susan, thank you.

LISOVICZ: You got it.

HARRIS: Sean Bell's wedding never happened. Police officers to face charges in the death of the New York groom. Indictments unsealed at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time. That a look at the room there in Queens. The Queens district attorney Richard Brown will unseal the indictments, make the announcement 11:00 a.m. Eastern time live here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: You already know to catch us weekday mornings from 9:00 a.m. until noon Eastern, but did you know you could take us with you anywhere on your iPod? We keep telling you. CNN NEWSROOM pod cast available 24/7 right on your iPod.

HARRIS: It is a far cry from the catwalk Heidi. Super model Naomi Campbell performing community service this morning cleaning up around the garage at pier 36 in Manhattan. That was what I was wondering. Do you think she's doing it in full face, boots, stiletto heels, what do you think?

COLLINS: Those are the boots that she's going to put on. They're flat.

HARRIS: Nice. Don't expect Campbell to pose for the camera. She was assigned to work indoors and not in the media glare, the spotlight, unlike singer Boy George. Why do you want to hurt me, why do you want to make me cry? Served similar community service not long ago. Campbell was given five days of community service for assuming her maid.

COLLINS: The world's most majestic mountains covered in garbage. Now, one noted climber on a crusade, to clean it all up. CNN's James McDonald has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JAMES McDONALD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over) From a distance it's a postcard image. Get a bit closer to Mt. Fuji, you will find something that spoils the scenery. Japan's iconic mountain has a garbage problem, a stark contrast to a country known for cleanliness.

KEN NOGUCHI, MOUNTAINEER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Mt. Fiji is known around the world. Many foreigners visit, especially in the summer. When they come to climb it, they see rubbish like this. It's embarrassing.

McDONALD: For mountaineer Ken Noguchi, the trash is a disgrace and the inspiration for a global crusade to clean up what he climbs. Noguchi is Japan's most famous (INAUDIBLE), at one time the youngest man to summit the world's seven highest peaks. Scaling Mt. Everest for the first time he found the Himalayan wonder wasn't exactly what he expected.

NOGUCHI: Before going I always saw beautiful images of Everest on TV. I thought it would be like that. Once I got there I found litter everywhere.

McDONALD: Climbers leave behind plenty, much of the rubbish bearing Japanese labels. Noguchi set out to clean it up. Over several expeditions, his international team has removed eight tons of trash from Everest, hardly an easy job at those altitudes.

NOGUCHI: You carry the garbage from 8,000 meters down to 6,000 meters again and again for two months. It's really hard, especially when temperatures are up and there's one avalanche after another. I was worried I may become garbage myself.

McDONALD: Noguchi has since turned his attention closer to home. He leads a local club on frequent clean-up trips hoping to restore the natural beauty. The volunteers are finding some of the last things you would ever expect to see at the base of Mt. Fuji. You have a 27- inch television set, a computer monitor, a collection of car batteries. That's after only 15 minutes of cleaning. Within hours, the trash is piled high, a surprising site even for seasoned climbers.

TRANSLATOR: I have climbed many mountains in Japan he has, but this one has the most garbage. Most climbers have good etiquette but there are many visitors and some heartless people dump their trash here. Still, seven years of scrubbing are paying off, particularly at the upper regions. Though few will ever reach the heights he's experienced, Noguchi hopes to inspire people to take better care of the slopes.

NOGUCHI: An Alpinist goes into dangerous conditions but the most important thing is to never give up. It's the same with environmental problems. You can't do it all by yourself, but if you get a group of people together, anything is possible.

McDONALD: To a man used to near impossible tasks, it's just one more adventure. James McDonald CNN, near Mt. Fuji, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: Four years of fighting, no end in site, President Bush on the Iraq war anniversary live this morning in the NEWSROOM.

UNKNOWN: For CIA agent, Valerie Plame Wilson testified before a House committee on Friday about her work at the agency before her identity was leaked. You're going to find the latest at cnn.com. We have a complete transcript for you of Plame Wilson's congressional testimony. She says that learning her identity had been revealed was like being hit in the gut and she was so concerned for her family's safety. You can keep track of the investigation by following the time line as well of all the major events in the case.

And there's this gallery which highlights the key players involved in the investigation including Lewis "Scooter" Libby himself. The former chief of staff of Vice President Dick Cheney was found guilty earlier this month on four or five charges including obstruction of justice, making false statements to the FBI and lying to the grand jury investigating the case. Libby now faces a maximum prison sentence of 25 years and a $1 million fine. You can keep up with the very latest in the investigation by pointing your browser to cnn.com/cia. For the dot com desk, I'm (INAUDIBLE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Free speech versus education, the battle before the nation's highest court today. CNN's Gary Nurenberg has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the symbolic torch was carried through Juno, Alaska on its way to the 2002 Olympics, Douglas public high school let students stand on city streets to watch it pass by. When it did, Douglas student Joe Frederick unfurled this banner.

VOICE OF JOSEPH FREDERICK, COURTESY ACLU: I find it absurdly funny. I was not promoting drugs. I assumed most people would take it as a joke.

NURENBERG: His school principal didn't. She tore down the banner and suspended him. Frederick sued, arguing his constitutional rights were violated.

DOUGLAS MERTZ, FREDERICK'S LAWYER: He was a citizen exercising free speech in a public place in a public place at a public event.

NURENBERG: But the school argues --

KENNETH STARR, DEAN, PEPPERDINE SCHOOL OF LAW: It was a field trip where the school was able and did exercise its authority.

NURENBERG: In this case to prevent kids from being exposed to arguably pro-drug messages, according to its attorney Kenneth Starr.

STARR: Schools should be able to put a stop to these kinds of pro-drug culture messages. NURENBERG: They disagree. As members of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, they traveled to Washington to demonstrate for student speech rights.

ADAM KOLTUN, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: They are learning at such a young age that freedom of speech is more a myth than a fact and this is a dangerous precedent to set for our country.

NURENBERG: The court has long ruled schools do have rights to limit student speech, but Frederick's lawyer Douglas Mertz says they don't apply in this case.

MERTZ: The test is whether the exercise of free speech creates a substantial disruption of the educational process.

NURENBERG: What's disruptive enough to limit free speech? These California kids demonstrated against immigration policy last year. Others oppose the war in Iraq. Can school muzzle those views? Some Christian groups have filed briefs here saying that too much school power could prevent kids from espousing religious views.

ED LAZARUS, CONSTITUTIONAL SCHOLAR: The legal rule that's established is going to cover a lot of different kinds of protests. It may involve student messages that are much more profound and are really aimed at some of the most important disputes in society.

NURENBERG: Making the fight over bong hits for Jesus a case that could define the limits on free speech for students. Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And good morning everyone. You're with CNN, you're informed. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins, good morning to you. Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM on this Monday, March 19.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com