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American Morning
McCain Insists Iraq is Safer; Confession Claims
Aired April 02, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Washed away. Powerful earthquakes, that Chad was just talking about, triggered that tsunami, happened out in the Pacific. Wiped out villages and residents were racing for higher ground. We'll update you on the aftermath this morning.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Confession claims: Overnight reports that all 15 British sailors admit to entering Iranian waters illegally.
Also, security flack? Senator John McCain says Baghdad is getting safer; his tour of Baghdad, however, was made in a flat jacket with armed guards.
O'BRIEN: And a growing recall: Some of America's best-known pet food brands now off the shelves. So, what should we be feeding our dogs and our cats? We'll tell you.
We're live this morning from London, from Baghdad, from Washington, and from New York, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Morning, welcome back, everybody. It's April 2, Monday. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
HOLMES: I'm T.J. Holmes this morning sitting in for Miles O'Brien. Glad you all could be here.
O'BRIEN: Glad you could be here. We appreciate that.
HOLMES: I found my stride now, found where to sit in the chair.
O'BRIEN: Sitting comfortable. Got your --
HOLMES: I'm cozy now.
O'BRIEN: Very happy. It's only been the first hour.
HOLMES: Yeah.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin for you this morning in the Middle East where two prominent members of Congress are visiting there. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is in Beirut, Lebanon; she's planning a stop in Syria tomorrow. Senator John McCain is leading a Republican delegation in Iraq.
Senator McCain saying Americans aren't getting the full picture of what is going on in Iraq. He visited a Baghdad market yesterday. You can see from those shots there wearing a bulletproof vest, and surrounded by heavy security. Still, the senator says he sees improvement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Things are better, and there are encouraging signs. I've been here many times over the years and never have I been able to drive from the airport and never have I been able to go out into the city as I was today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: CNN's Michael Ware is following the delegation's movements in Baghdad for us this morning.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: That's right. There is the Republican congressional delegation here in Iraq. Essentially, they're here to view the impact of the surge, or the Baghdad security plan, and, essentially, to sell its merits.
To say that, yes, it is having an impact and to take that message home to American people desperate to hear of signs of progress. Unfortunately, they chose a very poor way of displaying those signs of change and the signs of progress.
The fact that Senator McCain and a delegation can drive from the airport and walk around parts of Baghdad wrapped in a heavy security envelope is not new. Generals and American representatives have been doing such things throughout the war. Indeed, it's the old reinvented, as new. And is in no way a sign of the real progress of the surge, which the senators should be talking about.
O'BRIEN: Let me ask you a question. There was a report that said you were heckling and you were laughing during the senator's press conference. Is that true?
WARE: Well, let's bear in mind that this is a report that was leaked by an unnamed official, of some kind, to a blog, to somewhere on the internet. No one is going to put their name forward. We certainly haven't heard Senator McCain say anything about it, or any of his staff have come forward to say anything about it.
I did not heckle the senator. Indeed, I didn't say a word. I didn't even ask a question. In fact, when I raised my hand to ask a question the press conference abruptly ended. So, what I would suggest is that anyone who has any queries about whether I heckled, watch the videotape of the press conference -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Michael Ware in Baghdad for us. Thank you, Michael.
T.J.
HOLMES: Soledad, in Iraq four U.S. soldiers were killed Sunday when an improvised explosive device detonated southwest of Baghdad. For the month of March 81 service members were killed in Iraq, compared to 31 last March. And 3,253 U.S. service members have lost their lives since the war began.
Meanwhile, the White House taking a shot at Congress for going on vacation while a bill to pay for the war in Iraq is in limbo. Here's Counselor to the President Dan Bartlett.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN BARTLETT, COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT: We sent the war-time supplemental 55 days ago. And what does the Congress do? They go on a two-week break, for their Easter recess, at a time when our troops need the funding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The House and Senate both approved spending bills that include deadlines for withdrawing the troops. President Bush has promised to veto. The White House may cut training and extend tours of duty if the president doesn't get a budget he's willing to sign by April 15th.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Beirut this morning. The latest stop on a Middle East trip that is about to go somewhere the White House won't. She's leading a delegation of U.S. lawmakers. Tomorrow she'll travel to Syria to meet with the President Bashar al-Assad. Pelosi spoke in Jerusalem last night, telling Israeli lawmakers that she will press al-Assad for information about three Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah and Hamas. Pelosi is the highest-ranking American to meet the Syrian president since Bill Clinton. The Bush administration has refused to deal with Damascus.
O'BRIEN: Tensions between the United Kingdom and Iran are being ratcheted up again this morning. Video being aired, by Iran, of those captured British sailors, once again, confessing they were in Iranian territory. Here's a look at some of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPT. CHRIS AIR, CAPTURED BRITISH SAILOR: We were seized apparently at this point, here, from their maps. From the GPS they have shown us, which is inside Iranian territorial waters.
LT. FELIX CARMEN, CAPTURED BRITISH SAILOR: I'd like to say to the Iranian people I can understand why you're so angry about our intrusion into your waters.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: CNN's Jim Boulden is live in London for us this morning.
Good morning to you, Jim.
JIM BOULDEN, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Yes, that video aired on British television last night. And it has just ratcheted up the tension between the two countries. Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman has come out with a statement to say that this, quote, "Staged, managed appearance of two more of the sailors does not change the British decisions and does not change the British position." That position is that all 15 should be released unconditionally, and should be released now.
Now, the British government has said all along that they were in Iraqi waters. Of course, the Iranians said when they were captured 11 days ago they were in Iranian waters. Neither side has actually changed position on that. We're waiting to see if Tony Blair wants to make any further statements today. He does not have any public appearances.
The Iranians tell us -- the Iranians say they have video of all 15 of these sailors and sailors and marines confessing. We've only seen four of them on television. Earlier it was believed the Iranians said they would not show the other 11. And that could be seen as a diplomatic gesture towards the British. Now, if that changes, that would certainly increase the tension between the two countries -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: So, President Bush waded in and he called the sailors "hostages", which is really the first time we heard that word used. One has to imagine that the president -- the American president -- wouldn't do that with the knowledge, certainly or the understanding of the British prime minister, am I fair to say that?
BOULDEN: Yes, he said that in a press conference on another matter at Camp David over the weekend. That was not something -- that's not a term that has been used by the British. They have not used the word "hostage". The Iranians have not used the word "hostage", of course. Mr. Bush making that comment over the weekend.
Certainly, Iran is not pleased that other countries are getting involved. They say this is a bilateral dispute between the UK and Iran only. Iran has been upset that the U.N. got involved last week. They're upset that the EU made a statement on Friday, looking for the release of these individuals. And certainly because Iran and the U.S. have not diplomatic relations they certainly are not looking for the U.S. involved. And I don't think the UK has even asked the U.S. to get involved. You can't see the upside of the U.S. getting involved in this at all -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Jim Boulden for us in London. Thank you, Jim.
There were some angry protests over the weekend, in Tehran. Students there demonstrating right in front of the British embassy. They want the Iranian government to expel the British ambassador. The crowd of about 200 people, throwing rocks and throwing fire crackers at the embassy, and shouting death to Britain and death to America -- T.J.
HOLMES: We haves some details now to tell you about that tsunami in the South Pacific. It was triggered by an 8.0 earthquake under the sea of northeast Australia. Waves crashed into the town of Geezo (ph) in the Solomons. At least 13 people are dead. The information director for the prime minister says that number could double because many, many more are still missing.
O'BRIEN: There are more questions this morning about that pet food recall that just keeps expanding. Three more companies now added to the recall list, they are Hills Pet Nutrition and Nestle Purina Pet Care and Del Monte Pet Products. They are recalling various products after the FDA tracked shipments of potentially contaminated wheat gluten back to those companies.
So, of course, the big question now is, just where did the contaminated wheat gluten come from? The FDA issued an import alert on wheat gluten from a company in China. Later this morning we're going to talk to the communications director with the Veterinary News Network. Find out all you need to know before you feed your cat or dog today.
Plus, Mother Nature finally lends a hand to firefighters in southern California. They are still battling that fire that has scorched more than 4,000 acres. The very latest on that straight ahead.
Plus, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, that's important when you're running for president, but it's all about the Benjamins, as Miles would say. Reports are still coming in about all of the cash that the candidates are now raking in. We'll update on their progress or lack there of, in some cases.
And angry words and death threats. When does blogging go too far? You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: The White House has two reasons to be miffed at the Democratic Congress. One, for leaving town without giving him a war spending bill to sign. The other aimed at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; she is in the Middle East, and plans to visit Syria tomorrow. Speaker Pelosi, in fact, plans to meet with Syria's president, which is somebody the White House is refusing to talk to. CNN Political Analyst Amy Walter is in Washington, D.C., for us.
Amy, as always, nice it see you. Thanks for being with us.
AMY WALTER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you, Soledad. Good morning.
O'BRIEN: First and foremost, let's start with the Nancy Pelosi thing. This is very much -- this trip very much over the objections of the White House, which has made it clear they're not happy. In fact, here is Dana Perino, the White House spokeswoman, deputy White House spokeswoman, weighing in on that. Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA PERINO, DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY, WHITE HOUSE: We think that someone should take a step back and think about the message that it sends; and the message it sends to our allies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: What is the message that it is sending, not only to the allies, of course, but to the White House, and the American public, Amy?
WALTER: Well, that the right question, Soledad. Which the message sent -- that Democrats want to send here, of course, hey, guess what, we have a role to play in this, too. We're now in charge of Congress. There's a new sheriff is in town. And we came in to this, after this election, we came into power with a mandate here from voters, saying they want to change. They want to see some movement here on the war in Iraq. And this is what we're going to do. We're going to have to help make that change.
The problem, of course, if you're Democrats, the concern, is that it looks like you're going too far. I mean, fundamentally, here you have Democrats who came into office with -- you know, taking over control of Congress. They have a chance here, they think, with a weakened president. And what they see as a real vote of confidence from voters to go in, make some changes.
The problem is if they're seen as going too far, getting the president an opening then to redefine the debate, and redefine the Democrats as a party that really has pushed the envelope here.
O'BRIEN: It is a tricky, tricky line to have to walk there.
Let me talk a little bit about fundraising, since we're talking about lines. Somebody is way at the front of the line now, that would be Hillary Clinton; $26 million, is what she has raised in the first quarter, adding to the $10 million she already has at the bank. She's at $36 million. When you lead by that much in fundraising efforts, do you think this sort of makes her the de facto winner?
WALTER: This was the question here for this first quarter, you know, are we going to see Hillary Clinton cement her front-runner status? Which she absolutely did, in this first quarter of fundraising. The question now is as the other reports start to come in, what is the gap then between Senator Clinton and the other candidates? Is it twice as much, three times as much? Just a little bit more? We're starting to see that at least in the case of Edwards. It was twice as much. So, the sense of here's a candidate who has a real front-runner lock. That is what she's able to do with this.
O'BRIEN: You mention that, but I look at what Edwards -- what Edwards made, and when you look at the polls he brought in $14 million first quarter.
WALTER: Right.
O'BRIEN: You look at Governor Bill Richardson, $6 million the first quarter. These are guys often at the bottom of those polls early on, I'll grant you. So, isn't one really, saying, hey, they're doing better than one might expect? WALTER: Right or he's saying, boy, Richardson can say he brought in $6 million. Well, the record for a quarter, for a non-White House occupant, was a little over $7 million, which John Edwards hit in 2004. That wasn't that long ago that $7 million was considered, wow, this is an absolutely phenomenal amount of money.
Now, if Senator Clinton keeps the pace that she's at, $100 million by the end of the year will be her take. And that's, you know, for Senator Clinton, even a few of you say, well, gosh, folks who were sort of struggling coming in behind, they could have $60 million, $40 million by the end of the year. Numbers we have never seen before for the entire field.
O'BRIEN: That would be crazy to watch. All right, thank you very much.
WALTER: Thanks.
O'BRIEN: I should mention that Obama and Giuliani and McCain, all people we're watching their numbers, as well. We haven't heard officially from them. They have to report by April 15.
Thank you, Amy Walter, for joining us this morning.
WALTER: Sure.
O'BRIEN: T.J.
HOLMES: Soledad, firefighters in Southern California hope to finally knock out a wildfire still smoldering this morning. The fire is in San Bernardino County. That is northwest of Los Angeles. It already burned 4,000 acres. Over the weekend it also threatened hundreds of homes. Firefighters were able to save those homes, and no reports of any injuries, however.
A little after 7:15 now and Chad Myers in the Weather Center, keeping an eye on the wind in the West.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: A death threat should be taken seriously, of course. And it is punishable by law, but what happens when that threat is made on the Internet? Is that exactly the same thing? AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho here now with more.
Good morning to you.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J.
The Internet has long been a place where anyone can go post their opinions, but what happens when those opinions cross the line and become threatening?
You're about to meet one woman who recently fell victim to a series of death and rape threats. Her case has prompted a huge debate on the web with bloggers everywhere weighing in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO (voice over): Cathy Sierra (ph) is a popular blogger. She talks about technology, not exactly a controversial topic, or so she thought.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel horrible. I feel frightened. I'm ready to just quit the whole industry.
CHO: A month ago Sierra started getting anonymous death threats on her blog. She says, because she was too cherry. Then these images started popping up on other sites, including a photo of her with a noose.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the comments someone said the only thing Cathy has to offer me is that noose in her neck size.
CHO: Sierra called police, canceled all public appearances, and locked herself in her house.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's taken its toll. It's still something I don't even want to believe.
CHO: How common death threats on the Internet? Sierra has received more than 1,000 e-mails from supporters who said they have had similar experiences. The anonymity of the web makes it easy for anyone to say anything, at any time. Even so, some experts say death threats on the web are the exception, not the rule.
DAVID WEINBERGER, PROFESSOR, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: The sort of violence and threats that we see occasionally we do see -- just occasionally. But if that were pervasive, no one would be on the Internet.
CHO: The misogynistic images of Sierra were posted on websites founded by another popular blogger. Chris Locke. That sparked a bitter war between the man known as "Rage Boy" and the woman some have called the "Cute Kitty". The two met for the first time a few days ago.
CHRIS LOCKE, BLOGGER: Good to meet you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chris Locke.
CHO: Locke says he doesn't know who posted the images on his group blogs, but has since shut down the sites.
LOCKE: How do you enforce this? There aren't enough lawyers in the world, there aren't enough police in the world to -- to watch these conversations.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I don't know for sure and I can't feel safe, am I willing to take, you know, am I willing to bet with my life that it is a random Internet jerk? You know, no.
(END VIDEOTAPE) CHO: Now, most states do have cyberstalking laws, but many classify Internet death threats in the same way they do verbal ones, as misdemeanors. And fines can run as little as $250. And of course, that's only if you're convicted.
Now, with Internet threats, the biggest challenge in many cases is finding the culprit. I talked about this in the piece, because you can post opinions anonymously, T.J., the author of those posts are often very hard to find.
HOLMES: So what in the world are you supposed to do? If you can't track those folks down, the bloggers, and those experts out there, what do they say is the solution?
CHO: It's tough. But everyone I spoke to said self-policing and self-regulation is really the answer. It is not a perfect solution, as you might suspect, but really the alternative is censoring. And everyone we spoke to, including Cathy Sierra, the target of these threats says that freedom of speech is really to be preserved. And you really, you shouldn't get rid of that. The alternative is to censor and that's not the right solution either.
HOLMES: How can you threaten the Cute Kitty, there? Alina Cho for us, thank you so much.
CHO: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Poor woman, so terrifying.
Ahead this morning, just how safe is Baghdad really? CNN's Kyra Philips will show us just what it is like to walk through one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Iraq.
And lost luggage, travel delays. Just out this morning there is a new look at the best and the worst airlines. We'll tell you who's who straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: A new report out this morning about which airlines are the best and which are the worst at losing your luggage, or your flight delays. The Annual Airline Quality Report says Southwest Airlines had the fewest passenger complaints.
United and US Airways had the most. Hawaiian Airlines has the best on-time performance. Atlantic Southeast Airlines -- I've never flown them -- they have the worst.
Maybe that's why I have never flown them. Same for lost bags, Hawaiian Airlines, lost the fewest bags. Atlantic Southeast, once again, lost the most. You get there late and don't have your bag with you.
When it comes from getting bumped from your flight, jetBlue, has the best record, Atlantic Southeast, once again, has -- you're late, you don't have luggage, and you're bumped from your flight. CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: At least they're consistent.
O'BRIEN: That's true, that's true.
HOLMES: I think they're really friendly there, though. And you could probably get a good deal.
Southeast, it's all right. It is going to be OK.
HOLMES: We're talking iTunes. Expected to announce an exciting deal with record company EMI, so this could mean the Beatles possibly coming online. It's 7:25 now, Carrie Lee, "Minding Your Business".
Good morning.
LEE: Thanks, T.J.
Well, that's part of the story. There are actually two prongs to this.
First of all a deal expected to be announced in London -- well, it will be announced in London, later today -- between Apple and EMI. And the first part of the story is they're expected to announce that EMI will sell significant parts of its music catalog without anti- copying software.
So, this likely means that people who use iTunes and iPods, for example, will be able to work with songs and hardware from other companies. Now Apple Chief Steve Jobs has been arguing for this for months. He says that it hasn't been Apple that locked up the songs, but rather the record companies demanding it.
He says these lock ups basically hurt music sales, that most of the music are sold in the forms of CDs, for example, that you can share those. And that this would actually help music sales. So, that's the first part of the story.
As you were saying, Beatles, EMI is the distributor for the Beatles. Remember that trademark dispute about Apple and the Beatles company, also called Apple Corp. Well, now that that trademark dispute has been cleared up, people saying this clears a major hurdle for selling the Fab Four's music on iTunes. So, a lot of folks expecting that that is going to be part of the announcement, too.
HOLMES: Not a sure thing, but hoping for it. Fingers crossed?
LEE: Right, in London, we're waiting for the announcement in London later today.
HOLMES: All right. Carrie Lee, thank you so much.
LEE: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Top stories of the morning coming up next. Questions about security in Baghdad this morning. We'll go for a little walk around town, and chat with the man in charge. You can see Kyra Philips right there.
Also, three more brands you can add them to the growing pet food recall. What exactly are we supposed to be feeding our dogs and cats?
And a live look at the Holy Land. We're searching for the truth about Jesus, by retracing his final steps. We'll show you where some people say Jesus had the Last Supper.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. It's Monday, April 2nd. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
TJ HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: And I'm TJ Holmes sitting in today for Miles O'Brien. Thanks so much for being here with us.
O'BRIEN: Several developing stories we're working on for you right now. Take a look at this new videotape. This is a montage, it looks like that just aired on Iranian TV. These are the captured British sailors who are being held in Iran. There was word earlier this morning that Iran was not going to air this videotape. In fact, we had just a moment ago Jim Boulden talking about how that would be sure to further anger officials in the UK. We'll update you on the situation there. You'll remember these 15 had been held against their will since March 23rd. There was early word that the woman was going to be released just a couple days after their capture. That did not happen. Any confessions, as experts are quick to tell us were made under duress most likely. TJ?
HOLMES: Also we're following developments in the South Pacific where a powerful earthquake triggered a deadly tsunami. Entire villages have been wiped out. Residents still on alert for aftershocks. We'll get an update from our Chad Myers.
O'BRIEN: And fears and frustrations if you're a pet owner today. More companies are pulling more kinds of pet foods off the store shelves. We'll talk to a veterinarian to figure out what we're supposed to be feeding our cats and dogs.
HOLMES: Plus, we're looking for the truth about Jesus live in the holy land. We're taking a tour of the world's most sacred sites and what they could tell us about Jesus' last days. This morning, the spot that could be where Jesus and his disciples held the last supper.
O'BRIEN: And an Internet giant is under fire now. Members of Congress are accusing Google of air brushing the hurricane damage right out of New Orleans. Now they want answers from the CEO. Those stories and much more ahead. TJ? HOLMES: Well, we're talking also this morning about the debate over safety and security in Baghdad. Senator John McCain in Iraq saying that Americans aren't getting the full picture of the progress that is being made there. He visited a market in Baghdad yesterday wearing a bulletproof vest and surrounded by armed soldiers. Still, Senator McCain says things are getting better. But CNN's Michael Ware tells us a different story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN McCain (R) ARIZONA: The American people are not getting the full picture of what is happening here. They're not getting the picture of the drop in murders, the establishment of security outposts throughout the city, the situation in Anbar province, the deployment of additional Iraqi brigades who are performing well and other signs of progress that are having been made.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Unfortunately, they chose a very poor way of displaying those signs of change and the signs of progress. The fact that Senator McCain and a delegation can drive from the airport and walk around parts of Baghdad wrapped in a heavy security envelope is not new.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So, is an armed walk through Baghdad really the best way to tell how safe the city is? Kyra Phillips took a walk with General David Petraeus. She is live now in Baghdad with more. Kyra, is that the way to go? Is that the way to display just how safe a place is by walking through with a flak jacket and armed soldiers all around you?
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's the only way that you can travel through this country right now, TJ, especially if you're the head of U.S. forces in this country, especially if you're a political leader, especially if you're within the Iraqi government, even a journalist. Your heart goes out to just the typical Iraqi because they can't have that kind of entourage. They can't have that kind of security. Every time they go to work, every time they go to the marketplace, they're in danger, yes. There are signs of progress. There are signs of life here in Iraq, but, bottom line, it is dangerous wherever you go.
Now, we had a chance to go to the door (ph) market, used to be one of the most dangerous places in Baghdad. You can see by the video the type of entourage that we had with General David Petraeus. He had inner, outer, perimeter security. He had a personal security officer right there on his side every part of the way. Yes, he took off his helmet. I took off my helmet. It's because we had security everywhere and we felt safe in that area. Still that area infiltrated by a death squad. Al Qaeda is still active there. But as they bring in forces, they're able to bring down and lessen the threat in the area. When I asked him specifically about the flap with the Senator John McCain, he doesn't want to get into it. He doesn't want to get into any kind of political debate and go back and forth with the senator on an issue like security. He said, look, this is the reality of the situation, depending on where I go, that's how I decide what type of security and how much security I need. This is what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENERAL DAVID PETRAEUS, CMDR, MULTINATIONAL FORCES, IRAQ: When we walk through Ramadi, which was an area that a few days earlier they had been fighting, I put a Kevlar on because they re snipers in the area. I think it's one of these kinds of deals in your fingertips and then you do what - but certainly folks, these guys, they don't want to get the MNFI commander shot on their turf. So you got to put up a little something.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And I can tell you if something ever did happen to him, a lot of people would lose their jobs, TJ.
HOLMES: All right, Kyra Phillips, you bet they would. Kyra Phillips live for us at Baghdad. Thank you so much, Kyra.
O'BRIEN: Let's turn to the South Pacific now and the Solomon Islands. They're searching for survivors this morning from the 8.0 earthquake and the deadly tsunami that followed. The Solomons just east of Papua, New Guinea. They're northeast of Australia, you can see right there on the map. Tsunami warning has been called off now for Sydney, Australia. The beaches in northern Australia were also closed. There were no significant waves there though, but in the Solomons, 13 bodies have been found so far. Many people still reported missing. The epicenter of the earthquake was so close to the islands that the tsunami was on them, right on top of them before anybody could really react.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
VOICE OF JUDITH KENNEDY, SOLOMON ISLANDS RESIDENT: (INAUDIBLE) Some people injured bad, really bad. The whole town is a mess. There's some building that collapsed. Yeah, some people managed to get away and some people are missing and right now people are still finding the people that are missing. I'm really scared. I didn't know what to do. We didn't get any warnings. It just happened. (INAUDIBLE) earthquake
(END AUDIO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: That's Judith Kennedy, a resident and a survivor joining us by phone. Severe weather expert Chad Myers is watching all of this for any new developments. Chad, you know, I guess the question is brings you back around to what kind of a warning system can they put in place because, obviously, for those islanders, they're just stuck if you're hit by an earthquake out in the water.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're right in the ring of fire and that ring of fire is a big trench just off shore from where they are and these earthquakes occur so close to shore literally and these waves move so quickly and there's just no way to get out of the way in time. I mean, even if there was a warning system, there would be no way to get that warning in and out so quickly. The problem with this earthquake was six miles deep. But look at all the other earthquakes that have occurred. The 8.0 that caused all the damage in Gizo (ph) actually did a lot of damage with the shaking itself and then the tsunami came in after that. But here's a 6.1 that just occurred about 10 minutes ago and a 6.0 that occurred about 11 minutes ago. It is still shaking out there and a very typical place for earthquakes for sure. There were very big earthquakes about 10 years ago in Papua, New Guinea and this is just going to be the way it is and, obviously, this was the full moon tonight. That's the extra pull that the moon and the sun give the earth, especially in spring tides. All fishermen know about how big spring tides can be. Soledad, back to you.
O'BRIEN: Chad, thank you very much. Keep watching that and see if those numbers increase there in the Solomon Islands.
Happening in America this morning, the bodies of four-year old Trysten (ph) White and two-year old Avery Stately (ph) have finally been found. They were frozen in a lake. The boys disappeared four months ago while they were playing near their home on the Red Lake Indian reservation. They're brothers. That's near the Canadian border. Authorities believe the boys may have fallen into the lake, but at this point, they are not ruling out foul play in their case.
North Carolina, a suspect was caught in the killing of two Charlotte police officers. The suspect's name is Demetrius Antonio Montgomery. He is now charged with two counts of first degree murder in the shooting deaths of Officer Sean Clark and Jeffrey Shelton. The two of them had responded to a domestic disturbance call on Saturday night.
Some pretty amazing videotape to show you this morning. Have you seen this? This is a woman in the water. She is the one who fell off that cruise ship. We told you this story last week. It's dark, but we've highlighted the area where she's waving her hands. Keep in mind, she was in the water for four hours. You could see on the tape a small boat, the cruise ship meanwhile was turning around. A small boat was put in the water to try to rescue her. She and another 22- year-old male spent about four hours in total overboard. They were finally rescued and they were hauled up into that boat and then reunited with the cruise ship and they continued to go on with the cruise.
HOLMES: Hey a cruise is a cruise.
O'BRIEN: They don't want to really have anybody -- officials release their names, either.
Let's talk about what's happening in Oregon this morning, Douglas Willy (ph) big trouble, put two kids, a 13-year-old and a 12-year-old in the trunk of his car and then drove 20 miles before he was stopped. Police say Willy said, listen, I am trying to fit everybody into one car so I don't have to take two. Yeah, there's laws against that though the fiance and two other kids were also along for the ride. He is now charged with reckless endangerment.
HOLMES: Meanwhile in Illinois, attorneys for four men allegedly beaten in this Chicago bar last December by six off duty cops want the names of the cops and the surveillance tape of that fight. There will be a hearing this morning that might lead to indictments against the police officers and the release of those tapes.
Meanwhile, members of Congress are squaring off with Google accusing the company of airbrushing hurricane damage in New Orleans. Last week we told you how Google's satellite map service now shows sections of the big easy as they looked before hurricane Katrina. You see homes and neighborhoods intact even though the storm destroyed them. A House subcommittee says that's an injustice to victims and is asking Google's CEO to explain why they replaced up to date images with old ones.
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, we're live from the most sacred sites in the holy land. We'll find out about the truth of Jesus' last days. Our first stop this holy week is what could have been the site of the last supper.
Plus, pet owners beware, once again. More questions and more concerns about that huge pet food recall. We'll tell you what you should be feeding your cat and dog straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is right here on CNN.
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HOLMES: New pictures just in to us this morning. Iranian TV is showing all 15 captured British sailors and Marines. Iran says they confessed to being in Iranian waters illegally, however, the British government certainly disputing that. This is the third video to feature a so-called confession since the sailors and Marines were captured on March 23rd. Iran says it does have more video, but says they will not be airing that.
O'BRIEN: All week is taking a look at the truth about Jesus. We're live in the holy land and every day of the week, we're going to visit a different sacred site. Today, CNN's Atika Shubert is live in Jerusalem in Mt. Zion where Jesus and his disciples may have had the last supper. Atika, good morning to you.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. Well, through this door is the room that religious tradition says the last supper took place. And hundreds, if not thousands, of Christian pilgrims come here every year to see this sacred site, but historians and archaeologists have a very different view of this room.
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SHUBERT (voice-over): Where did the last supper take place? The gospels describe it only as only a large upper room in Jerusalem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wherever it is, it doesn't exist today.
SHUBERT: Archaeologists say the general area is confirmed, but all buildings from Jesus time no longer remain. This was built during the crusades, but underneath archaeologists discovered the remains of an early Christian church, dating back a little more to 100 years after the death of Jesus indicating the holy significance of this place to the earliest Christians. Excavations confirm the customs described in the gospels of the last supper.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They would have one cup among every 10 to 20 people and they would all share a meal after they had the cup and the bread.
SHUBERT: The last supper lives on today in the Christian tradition of Holy Communion, the reenactment of Jesus' instructions to partake of his body and blood as symbolized by the bread and wine. It has inspired masterpieces, yet biblical structures say many depictions aren't accurate. For example, they don't show Jesus significant following among women.
REV. JEROME MURPHY O'CONNOR, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR: Area of which women fully participated, they were rubbed out of the story and only the men remain and the picture of Leonardo da Vinci's last supper, only men.
SHUBERT: This is likely not the place where Jesus shared his last meal. Still it is sacred to those pilgrims who come to remember Jesus' last days.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Now, just in the last few hours, we've seen pilgrims coming in from as far away as Nigeria, Russia, the United States, even if this is not the authentic room of the last supper, clearly it is still a very holy and sacred site for many people. Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It is absolutely beautiful. One can really imagine it. Atika Shubert, thank you very much. Tomorrow, Atika is going to be showing us the garden of Gethsemane. I think I'm pronouncing that right. That is the location, look how beautiful that is, that is the location where it is believed that Judas betrayed Jesus. All this holy week some amazing reports.
HOLMES: And still to come this morning, the pet food recall. It is expanding. Pet owners even more worried. Now we're going to talk with a vet about just what we can safely feed our pets.
Plus, (INAUDIBLE) you can win a piece of Barbaros' legendary win at the Kentucky Derby all for a great cause. Stay here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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HOLMES: The pet food recall that has millions of dog and cat owners worried now growing. Three more pet food makers have recalled products. Hills Pet nutrition, Nestle, Purina pet care, which also makes Alpo and Del Monte pet products. The companies were told by the FDA which is tracking shipments that they may have received contaminated gluten. Where did the tainted gluten come from? Well, possibly from China, according to the FDA which issued an import warning for gluten from a Chinese company.
So, what in the world should nervous pet owners feed their cats and dogs these days? Joining us now to discuss the recall is Dr. Sandy Willis from Animal Critical Care and emergency services in Seattle. Doctor, thank you for being with us. People are understandably freaking out. Should they be or should they just calm down a bit?
DR. SANDY WILLIS, ANIMAL CRITICAL CARE AND EMER SVRCS: They should calm down a bit and not feed the recalled foods, as they've been listed. But feel very comfortable in feeding the food that they already are feeding.
HOLMES: But that's a whole lot of food. We're talking about 60 million cans and what not in the original recall and then more and more recalled. That sounds like a whole bunch of food so it might make people nervous and think that hey, maybe nothing is safe out there.
WILLIS: No, the other foods are safe, it's the wheat gluten meal that we're looking at and, by and large, except for that very unique prescription diet, Feline MD, dry foods do not contain wheat gluten meal. If they have any questions, they really should talk to their veterinarian. That's very important, just to make sure they feel comfortable.
HOLMES: And we have numbers out there ranging from 14 to 16 dead pets out there. Do you think the number is greater or will be greater and also how many, what is the best numbers you have on how many pets out there have actually been sick from this stuff?
WILLIS: We still don't know because we don't even know what the real ingredient might be or the real source of the problem might be and the FDA is the go-to place for pet owners so they can keep track of numbers. It will probably be greater than what we've heard, but by and large, pets are doing really well in responding to treatment and veterinarians and pet owners are doing the right things.
HOLMES: What are those signs? I understand if you do get the pet in time, early enough to be treated, things will be fine. So what are the signs that pet owners do need to look for to see if their dog or cat is sick?
WILLIS: Pets are doing great. They're signs of general disease, not eating, not feeling well, vomiting, diarrhea, urinating more, drinking more and the veterinarian can do some simple blood tests, urinalysis to make sure everything is fine. It's a great opportunity to get a well pet health check, too. So I caution owners go in and see your veterinarian if you're concerned at all, discuss diet and have that blood work done.
HOLMES: And just finally here Dr. Willis, there was one important note because we heard some reports out there and some differing opinions, people saying hey, feed your pet your table food for a couple days or a little while until you feel more comfortable. What do you recommend that people feed their dog and cat, certainly not the stuff on the recall list, but what you recommend and is table food and other stuff that you eat a good idea?
WILLIS: No. Definitely not and trying to home cook is way too difficult. Pets have just really unique requirements and we don't want pizza and lasagna for pets. Feed the same diet that you're feeding. If you have any concerns, talk to your veterinarian. If there is going to be any switch in foods, you really need to work through your veterinarian. We don't want any changes, cats to go off food, anything like that. So just stick to the plan, make sure you see the recalled foods and talk to your veterinarian.
HOLMES: All right. Dr. Sandy Willis with the Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services in Seattle, thank you so much. A lot of folks worried out there, but thank you so much for your time and your tips this morning. Also, we need to let people know that if you want to see the recalled list and the full coverage of this pet food recall, you can go to our website cnn.com. We've got the full list of all those pet foods and there are a lot of them out there. We also have the numbers you need to call if you have a question. Again, it's all there at cnn.com.
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning lost luggage, travel delays, just out this morning, there's a new look at the best and worst airlines. We'll tell you what they are. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning right here on CNN.
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O'BRIEN: It is hard to believe it was just about a year ago that Barbaro won us over, winning the Kentucky Derby, then fighting back from his broken leg at Preakness. Well, as you remember, Barbaro had to be put down earlier in the year, but now you can own the saddle that he wore in his finest moment. His jockey Edgar Prado (ph) is auctioning it off to raise money for disabled jockeys at a charity auction in Louisville next month. I wonder what that is going to go for.
HOLMES: A lot.
O'BRIEN: Our business reporter says a lot. Let's talk about Merck, too, has won some approval for a new pill to treat diabetes and Novartis is also got some news (INAUDIBLE) this morning.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly and let's start with Merck. I think this is a really clever idea. Merck has just won approval to sell a new diabetes pill. It's called Dianumet (ph) and it actually combines two diabetes medicines into a single pill. So what this does is combine Merck's drug called Ginuvia (ph) with a widely used generic older medication called Metforman (ph). Both drugs help control blood sugar in patients with Type II diabetes and the fact that Merck is bringing these two together, obviously kind of getting around some of the problems that companies have when a drug goes generic (INAUDIBLE) hurt their sales.
O'BRIEN: Opens up a whole new market.
LEE: Right, so rather clever, innovative way to keep that market and maybe inspire other drug companies to try to make a similar move.
HOLMES: And its rival as well, trying to get things back together after it had to pull something off the shelf, a big-selling drug off the shelf.
LEE: A big-selling drug last week, we're talking about Novartis' Zelnorm. This is a big drug for irritable bowel syndrome. It was Novartis' 12th biggest seller, $561 million in worldwide sales last year. Well, the FDA said that there was a possible risk of heart problems for patients so they ask that the drug be pulled off so that they could study it further. So now we're finding out a little bit more about Novartis' 2007 expectations. They're ratcheting down sales overall to above its 5 percent from the mid to high single digits. The pharma group now expected to come in at the low to mid single digit growth range from mid. So numbers coming in a little bit lower. Novartis down over 3 percent in Europe right now, although it's looking like a pretty strong open for stocks here in the U.S. this Monday.
A O'BRIEN: All right. We'll watch it. Carrie Lee, thank you so much.
HOLMES: Meanwhile, the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
O'BRIEN: New video, Iran just releasing some new images showing all of those captured British sailors. We've got the very latest on the international stand off straight ahead this morning.
HOLMES: And is it safe? Senator John McCain saying Americans aren't getting the full picture in Iran. But not everyone agrees that things are getting better.
O'BRIEN: Dramatic rescue. A little boy trapped in a car, belted in, a car that's sinking to the bottom of a lake. We'll tell you what saved him straight ahead.
HOLMES: And finding Amelia Erhart (ph). The new clue surfaces that casts new light on one of America's greatest mysteries. Those stories straight ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.
O'BRIEN: Welcome back everybody, it's Monday, April 2nd. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
HOLMES: And I'm TJ Holmes sitting in today for Miles O'Brien. So glad you all could be here.
Up first this hour, Iranian TV showing new video this morning, a montage showing all 15 of the captured sailors. There was word earlier this morning that Iran was not going to air it. This is the fourth tape to surface since the sailors were captured. Iran insists they were in Iranian territory. CNN's Jim Boulden joins us now live from London with the very latest. Jim, hello.
JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, T.J. There is a subtle difference however, Iran said this morning that it would not air the confessions of all 15 of the detainees. They have aired four of the confessions so far, confessions, according to the Iranians. What they showed us is a montage of all the 15 British personnel who were captured 11 days ago, but Iran not showing their confessions. The thought is that maybe that is a diplomatic gesture to the UK.
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