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President Bush Lashes Out at Democrats Over Iraq War Checkbook; New Pictures Released of Captive British Sailors; Nancy Pelosi Arrives in Syria
Aired April 03, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning again, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen, sitting in for Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: Developments keep coming in to the NEWSROOM on this Tuesday, April 3rd.
Here's what's on the rundown.
NGUYEN: President Bush lashing out at Democrats in Congress over the Iraq war checkbook. Just a short time ago he repeated a pledge to veto a war funding bill because of troop withdrawal deadlines.
HARRIS: A strong hint of behind-the-scenes progress. Iran softening its tone on British captives. Britain's prime minister calling the next 48 hours critical.
NGUYEN: And check this out. A South Carolina policewoman tells a skateboarding teen to shove off. Can you believe that?
HARRIS: Whoa.
NGUYEN: The case of the pushy cop, in the NEWSROOM.
More shots fired in President Bush's battle with Democrats over funding for the war in Iraq. The president addressing the issue just a few minutes ago.
And CNN's Elaine Quijano is with us now from the White House.
I don't expect anyone is surprised by what he said today.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Certainly no surprise, Betty. President Bush coming out to the Rose Garden after meeting with Defense Secretary Robert Gates earlier today for an update on the situation in Iraq. And as expected, the president showed no signs of backing down from his opposition to any legislation that includes timetables. That, of course, something Democrats are calling for.
The White House has continued to keep tally of the number of days it's been since President Bush submitted his war funding request to Congress. President Bush essentially making the argument to the American people, once more from the Rose Garden, that the clock is ticking.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The bottom line is this: Congress' failure to fund our troops on the front lines will mean that some of our military families could wait longer for their loved ones to return from the front lines. And others could see their loved ones headed back to the war sooner than they need to. That is unacceptable to me, and I believe it is unacceptable to the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: And what we heard from the president essentially is the message that he is digging in. He understands some members of Congress are digging in as well. And he said he would like to essentially get the legislation so he can veto it and everyone can essentially move on. But President Bush making clear, underscoring he will veto any legislation that comes his way as long as it includes timetables for troop withdrawals -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And he also made it very clear if he does not get that bill very soon, then the troops will indeed suffer.
Elaine Quijano, thank you.
HARRIS: New developments this morning on the 15 British troops being held in Iran. New pictures released just a short time ago showing the captured sailors and marines.
These issued by an Iranian news agency. The new pictures come just a day after Iran said it would stop airing video of the troops giving what Iran called confessions. Splitting hairs here, perhaps.
CNN's Jim Boulden live in London for us this morning.
Jim, what's the latest?
JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, a few moments ago, Iran released two photographs of the 15 detainees. In the first photograph we see five of the servicemen and the one servicewoman. That's Faye Turney.
In the other photograph we see nine of the servicemen. This is the first that we've seen since yesterday when there was some video released.
Of course, much of the controversy surrounding this has been that the British have been very unhappy that the Iranians have been releasing video, especially the confessions or the so-called confessions, as the Iranians are calling them. But now we have these still photos of all 15 throughout these two photographs that Iran has released. Now, this has come a few hours after Tony Blair, the prime minister, spent some time in Scotland talking about this whole issue. And in Scotland, where he is campaigning for local elections, Tony Blair said that the next 48 hours of this ordeal are quite critical.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: All the way through we have had, if you like, two very clear tracks on this. One is to try and settle this by way of peaceful and calm negotiation, to get our people back as quickly as possible. The other is to make it clear that if that's not possible, then we have to take an increasingly tougher position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOULDEN: What might be helping all of this is that Iran said this morning that they saw no reason for these 15 service persons to be put on trial. There had been lots of worry here in the U.K. when Iran hinted to the fact that they might put these people on trial for what Iran says is that they, of course, went into their waters some 12 days ago -- Tony.
HARRIS: CNN's Jim Boulden for us in London.
Jim, thank you.
NGUYEN: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arriving in Syria today, in defiance of the White House. Take a look at this video.
Pelosi is leading a congressional delegation on a fact-finding tour of the Middle East. Here's some of that new video just in to CNN.
She plans to meet Wednesday with Syrian President Bashar al- Assad. The White House says it is a bad idea and undermines U.S. policy. Now, the U.S. accuses Syria of interfering in the war in Iraq and sponsoring terrorists. Pelosi says the Bush administration is singling out her trip to Syria for criticism while ignoring Sunday's visits by Republican members of Congress.
Well, back to the Iran story, a disputed waterway at the heart of the diplomatic standoff between Britain and Iran. Iran says the British troops were in Iranian waters, the British say, no way.
CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The dispute between Britain and Iran focuses on whether the 15 British sailors and marines were in Iraqi or Iranian waters when they were seized on March 23rd.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I deeply apologize for entering your waters. STARR: Both sides have maps and GPS satellite data to prove their case. So it ought to be easy to figure out who is right. But it's not.
Since 1975, the boundary has run down the middle of the Shatt al- Arab waterway, which empties into the Gulf. But even that has been disputed.
TRITA PARSI, PRES., IRANIAN-AMERICAN COUN.: Even if you could pin down where the sailors were, if you have a disagreement on where the boundary is, then you still have a problem.
STARR: It's a growing flash point. The U.S.-led naval coalition patrols the waters to protect Iraq's two vital offshore oil terminals. There are rules for all the ships in the area.
At 3,000 meters, almost two miles, a ship which does not have permission to be there is warned away. At 2,000 meters, we suspend the right of safe passage, says one U.S. officer. That means if you get that close, you can be shot.
The British insist they were nearly two miles inside Iraqi waters when their troops were seized after inspecting a cargo ship, but experts say the question may be whether the British had the ability to know exactly where they were at all times.
MICHAEL O'HANLON, SR. FELLOW, BROOKINGS INST.: I'm not clear that they really had a vessel that was equipped with the ability to track that kind of a trajectory. It may just have had the GPS coordinates at a given moment in time, but not necessarily the full record of where the ship had been continuously.
STARR (on camera): Maritime experts say Iran wasn't at war with Britain, the United States or any of its neighbors. So if there was trespassing by the British crew, it was a minor infraction and never should have resulted in an international crisis.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A possible connection between those British troops in Iran and five Iranians being held by the U.S. in Iraq. According to The Associated Press, a senior Iraqi official says his government is working for the release of five Iranians held since January. Also offering that, "This will be a factor that will help in the release of the British sailors and marines."
Also today, word that an Iranian official taken by armed men in Baghdad in February has now been released. Iran has claimed that the U.S. orchestrated that kidnapping.
British troops held captive. What is driving Iran in this dispute with Britain? We will talk live with Robin Wright of "The Washington Post".
That is ahead in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: An inmate on the run. Look at this. What authorities say happened before and after these pictures was even more dramatic. You won't want to miss a second of it, and you won't if you're in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And the case of the pushy cop. A police officer's move has one skateboarder kissing grass.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whatever horrible things happen, I can go and ride my skateboard and it's OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Well, this is -- this is not OK.
NGUYEN: No.
HARRIS: Unnecessary roughness, in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Look at that face. What?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Diplomatic headway? Subtle signs of progress this morning in the face-off between Britain and Iran. Caught in the middle, 15 young British service members. But is there more going on behind the scenes?
Robin Wright of "The Washington Post" joins us this morning.
Robin, great to talk to you.
ROBIN WRIGHT, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Good morning.
HARRIS: You know, we saw something -- maybe this morning we started to get indications of this. A British newspaper, "The Independent," is reporting that the capture of the British sailors and marines actually came in retaliation for the capture of five Iranians in Iraq in January.
Does your reporting confirm any of this?
WRIGHT: Well, we're not going to know anything probably definitively until the Brits are released. But I think there's a strong sense that a lot of this is interconnected.
The Iranians particularly feel -- particularly the Revolutionary Guards -- are angry about the detention of five Iranians in northern Iraq in January, the earlier detention of two other Revolutionary Guards in December in Baghdad, and the passage of the U.N. resolution that targeted specifically the top seven leaders of the Revolutionary Guards. And, of course, it was a Revolutionary Guard navy unit that went after the British ship -- the British boat. So, it's -- there's a sense that the timing of all of this is certainly not a coincidence.
HARRIS: Yes. Hey, Robin, I know we probably won't know definitively for a while, but is it -- do you believe that the release of the sailors and marines will be tied directly, perhaps indirectly, to the release of the Iranians?
WRIGHT: I think the United States is holding out against that. They feel very strongly that these five were in violation of the kind of diplomatic agreement about who can be in Iran -- I mean, in Iraq, what activities they can be engaging in.
The United States is very concerned about Iranian help in offering military equipment, particularly explosive devices used against American troops. And they think these five -- they've been questioning them, they had very important informing on their computers, their cell phones. And -- but it is interesting that the one Iranian diplomat who's a sixth person not written or reported about very much, a diplomat was released today. He was...
HARRIS: That's right.
WRIGHT: He was abducted last month in Baghdad. And his release is really quite interesting.
HARRIS: Just last hour, the president, in his news conference, answered a question on this subject that we're discussing here. And his response was no quid pro quos when it comes to the hostages. That language is interesting.
Let's listen to the president and then let's talk about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I support the Blair government's attempts to solve this issue peacefully. So we're in close consultation with the British government. I also strongly support the prime minister's declaration that there should nobody quid pro quos when it comes to the hostages.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Robin, the president using this language, calling the captives hostages, is that helpful language? Is it language that the Tony Blair government would have signed off on?
WRIGHT: I think the British government, as it said last week, has moved into a new stage and is trying to put pressure from all sides on the Iranian government. So I don't think it actually makes that much difference. But the interesting phrase is the "no quid pro quos."
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
WRIGHT: The fact is that almost every hostage episode always involves a no-deal deal. In other words, something happens even though it's not formally a deal.
HARRIS: Robin, what -- what do you believe are -- let's talk about calculations here and the possibility for miscalculations. The Iranians, what is the calculus going on here in terms of holding these service members, and what do you think they ultimately want?
We understand that the U.N. Security Council has passed two sets of resolutions now, putting in place really tough regimes. But what do you think the Iranians are hoping to get out of this?
WRIGHT: I'm not in Tehran, Tony, so I don't know. But I think there is a sense that the Iranians have been -- particularly the Revolutionary Guards, who are increasingly powerful in Iran, not only militarily, but also politically, and in the economy, are very unhappy with a series of events recently. And one can only speculate that this is all tied in some way.
HARRIS: OK.
Let's listen to former U.N. ambassador John Bolton. Here's what he's talking about in terms of how the British so far have handled this crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BOLTON, FMR. U.S. AMB. TO U.N.: What I understand the Brits are doing is talking about something like a three-sentence press statement by the Security Council. I'm sure that will get Iran's attention in a big way, reacting just the same way Iran has rejected sanctions that the council has passed on its nuclear program. I think Britain has got to be tougher here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: What do you think will be the no-deal deal moving forward? Any thoughts on how this thing ultimately plays out? Prime Minister Tony Blair saying the next 48 hours are critical in all of this.
WRIGHT: Well, the Iranians may feel they have achieved something, because all 15 of the British have said they've been -- they were in Iranian waters, even though the British insist that is not the case and there's some evidence to support the British on this.
HARRIS: Yes.
WRIGHT: The fact is, the Brits have made these statements, they've appeared on Iranian television. And in terms of saving face, this may be something that they're trying to -- that they plan to use to say, see, we were right.
You know, this is one that's likely to be settled by the nuances of diplomacy. The British prime minister has said he regrets this incident. He doesn't say he's sorry for it.
HARRIS: Sure. WRIGHT: He regrets the incident happened. That can be interpreted in a number of different ways. This is where the nuances of language may play a very important role.
HARRIS: And we will watch it all play out.
Robin Wright of "The Washington Post".
Robin, great to see you again.
WRIGHT: Thank you.
HARRIS: Thanks for your time.
NGUYEN: Speaking of watching it all play out, take a look at this. Watch as the woman takes a tumble -- oh, right there -- from her roof. Find out why she blew her house top in such a hurry.
It's the great escape in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
HARRIS: A CNN "Security Watch" now. The federal government now moving forward with new rules to protect high-risk chemical plants. Critics not impressed.
CNN Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Trucks containing chlorine, used as chemical bombs in Iraq with devastating effect, a reminder of just how lethal an attack on a chemical plant could be. By some estimates, there are more than 100 facilities in the United States where an attack or accident could affect more than one million people. Yet, only now, more than five years after 9/11, is this gap in homeland security being addressed with government regulation.
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: What we have to do is focus on the risk, put the measures in place that address the real risks, the most serious risks.
MESERVE: The regulations address perimeter security, access controls, theft and internal sabotage. The first priority, the estimated 300 to 400 plants that handle the most dangerous chemicals in the most populous areas.
Critics say it is too little, too late.
RICK HIND, GREENPEACE: Unfortunately, more eyewash in public relations for the administration and the chemical industry than it is real protection that the American people deserve. MESERVE: Some states have implemented stronger chemical security laws. DHS says it sees no problem with state laws now on the books but will not give states a blank check to implement tougher legislation.
CHERTOFF: States have a degree of freedom to regulate in the interest of the security of their citizens as long as they don't actually frustrate what we're trying to do.
MESERVE: That is not good enough for Senator Frank Lautenberg, whose home state of New Jersey contains some of the highest risk chemical plants.
SEN. FRANK LAUTENBERG (D), NEW JERSEY: We have the right to protect our people, and we don't let the federal government endanger them.
MESERVE (on camera): Lautenberg is hopeful that Congress will expressly prohibit the federal government from preempting state chemical security legislation, no matter how strong it may be.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
NGUYEN: Well, a Florida teenager is in serious trouble. The evidence posted on myspace.com.
Watch this violent attack. Prosecutors deciding to charge the 15-year-old alleged aggressor as an adult.
My goodness.
Now facing battery and kidnapping charges. The latter carries a possibility of life in prison.
Josephine Palisi (ph) already served 30 days in juvenile detention for the February beating. The victim, a 13-year-old. She suffered cuts and bruises.
Now, another 13-year-old who is accused of taping the attack is also facing charges, but as a minor.
HARRIS: A hearing is scheduled this afternoon for an Ohio inmate. He is accused of leading police on a wild chase.
Check out the pictures here. And this is only, as you'll see here -- OK, this is just a small portion of the story.
CNN's Miles O'Brien chased it down for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It started in a Youngstown, Ohio, hospital. Doctors there were treating 34-year-old Billy Jack Fitzmorris, an inmate at a nearby federal prison, a convicted drug dealer. Somehow he overpowered an armed guard, stole his .38 revolver and fled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was able to escape, alleged to have committed two car-jackings, as well as possibly two armed bank robberies.
M. O'BRIEN: Police say Fitzmorris stole a car and sped toward the Columbus area, more than 150 miles from the hospital where he escaped. Police say he robbed two banks and they gave chase.
Fitzmorris hit two cars, then began running through an alleyway, breaking into a house. Two women and a man were inside at the time. Moments later, one woman escaped from a second-story window, rolling off the roof on to the ground below, crawling to safety with the help of police.
But the other woman was held hostage for two very tense hours. Eventually, she was released unharmed. Police moved in, and Billy Jack Fitzmorris was back in custody after a wild afternoon.
Scary as it was, amazingly no one got hurt.
Miles O'Brien, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has arrived in Syria. The trip the White House calls a bad idea.
That's coming up in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Earthquakes and a deadly wall of water. The gruesome aftermath in the South Pacific here in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Also, caught on tape and put on the Web.
Did you see that?
Is this any way for a police officer to act? She told him not to mess with her.
The rest of the story is coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And more shots fired in President Bush's battle with Democrats over funding for the Iraq war. These words from the president a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Bottom line is this, Congress' failure to fund our troops on the front lines will mean that some of our military families could wait longer for their loved ones to return from the front lines and others could see their loved ones headed back to the war sooner than they need to.
That is unacceptable to me and I believe it is unacceptable to the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Those comments one day after some tough words from Senate majority leader, Harry Reid. The Democratic leader vowed to try to cut funds for the war if the president vetoes proposals in Congress to set a deadline for ending combat.
NGUYEN: House speaker Nancy Pelosi is in Syria today in defiance of the White House. Pelosi's visit is part of a Middle East fact- finding tour which has also taking her to Lebanon and Israel.
Joining us now on the phone is Senior International Correspondent Brent Sadler. And Brent, she landed there in Damascus just the last hour. We're looking at some new video of that. Set the scene for us. Who was there to greet her?
VOICE OF BRENT SADLER, SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, she was met by Walid Moallem, the Syrian foreign minister, one of a number of top officials she'll be meeting here for talks including Syria's president, Bashar al-Asad.
As you say Betty, this is a visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that's been highly criticized by the White House, officials at the White House describing this as a bad decision to come to Syria and to meet the Syrian leader, Bashar al-Asad, given the White House said that Syria is a state sponsor of terror, that Syria supports terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon and also that Syria has situations across its border that basically destabilize Iraq. So those are the reasons why the White House says Pelosi will be better to have canceled this trip.
But certainly, not what she's done. She's flying in the face of that criticism. I've just been watching her walk around the old city of Damascus where she was dealing with ordinary Syrians, who in English and sometimes in Arabic through the translator, were telling her, that America needs to recalculate its opinion of Syria and the American administration showed better attitudes towards Syria, then Syria could reciprocate.
This is what she was being told by ordinary Syrians in this old Sheikh (ph) area before and after she visited the ancient 1300-year- old Omayan (ph) mosque in the center of old Damascus here -- Betty?
NGUYEN: That's just a few moments of her landing is what we're watching that you've detailed a little bit of what she's done already on the ground. What's on the agenda for the rest of the day?
SADLER: Well, this evening she'll be attending a reception at the U.S. ambassador's residence, although there's been no ambassador here at that level for two years since the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The diplomatic status was downgraded after that over the past two years.
The United States also tightened sanctions against Syria during that time. But tomorrow, Wednesday will be the big day, that's when she'll see the Syrian president, Bashar al-Asad. There will be some tough talking to be done there, certainly Pelosi has made it clear she's not going to avoid the hot button issues of Syria's behavior towards Iraq, Syria's behavior towards neighboring Lebanon and other issues, not least trying to kick start the Middle East peace process.
She says she's here for a fact finding mission. She says she has no illusions but goes on with this mission with some hope, she says.
NGUYEN: All right, CNN's Brent Sadler joining us live from Damascus. Brent, we thank you.
HARRIS: And new developments this morning of the British standoff with Iran. Fifteen British troops still being held. But there may be some movement on the diplomatic front. Iran's top negotiator now sounding optimistic about talks, backing off earlier threats that the troops could be put on trial.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcoming the change but keeping up his tough talk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: All the way through, we've had, if you like, two very clear tracks on this, one is to try and settle this by way of peaceful and calm negotiation, to get our people back as quickly as possible. The other is to make it clear, that if that's not possible, that we have to take an increasingly tougher position.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: We are also getting a fresh look this morning at those 15 British captives. New pictures released just a short time ago by an Iranian news service. The new pictures come just a day after Iran said it would stop airing video of the troops giving what Iran calls confessions.
NGUYEN: Food and medicine are beginning to arrive in the Solomon Islands after two powerful earthquakes and a tsunami destroyed several villages in the south Pacific island chain.
Look at this video here, waves were up to 30 feet high. Twenty people were killed, and that number is expected to rise as searchers find more victims.
Information is still a little bit slow coming out of the area because it is very remote and has limited power and phone service.
HARRIS: We want to check in now with Chad Myers at the -- oh, my goodness, Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. NGUYEN: A very different scene.
HARRIS: What a scene and what's interesting, a tough couple days for the folks on the Solomon Islands to be sure. But it could be a little difficult according to the folks at Colorado State University for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season -- Chad?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: True. The new update, the April update came out from Dr. Gray and also Dr. Clothsback (ph). These guys now are updating their numbers and they're upping the numbers from what was 14 storms named storms, now we're going to have 17 named storms, nine of which will be hurricanes. And five will be intense hurricanes, which means category three or higher.
And there's a 74 percent chance, normally it's about 50/50. But there's a 74 percent chance according to their forecast, of a major hurricane making landfall in the U.S. Now that either means up the east coast or in the Gulf of Mexico, one part of the east coast or the other.
But the whole story here is that the El Nino that kept our hurricane season down last year is now gone. Now we're back to neutral. There's no warm water out there. There's no cold water out there. But we are expecting that either to stay neutral or to move into La Nina, which means that will bring in warm water out there and also there's a very good chance of warm water still being in the central and northern Atlantic. And that could, again, kick off more storms.
Now remember, we had a big forecast for a big hurricane season last year and it didn't happen in April. Because what happened, we had a big dust storm come off the Sahara Desert. We had colder than expected water with El Nino coming in. And so by June and July, the forecast was all different again. So take it with a grain of salt. But if you are making any kind of plans or if you have maybe that insurance question you want to buy or don't buy, well, if you have something that's above normal, you already have to start thinking about that as your option -- Betty?
NGUYEN: All right Chad, we appreciate it.
HARRIS: And still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, one little girl, several men say she's theirs. Could be a big day in the paternity tussle over Anna Nicole Smith's baby. Stay tuned, stay with us in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Also the case of the pushy cop. Check her out. This police officer's move has one skateboarder kissing grass.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whenever horrible things happen I can go and ride my skateboard and it's OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, it may not be OK. Unnecessary roughness, in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Newt Gingrich uncensored. Comments by the former House speaker now stirring up the English-only debate. CNN National Correspondent Bob Franken has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In a speech this weekend, former speaker Newt Gingrich called for English to be the official language of government and all public schooling.
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and so they learn the language of prosperity. Not the language of living in a ghetto.
FRANKEN: The phrase "language of the ghetto" was vintage Gingrich and so was the outraged response to it.
CHRISTINE NEUMANN-ORTIZ, VOICES DE LA FRONTERA: Three words came into my mind. Ignorance, elitism and racism.
FRANKEN: Mr. Gingrich's office declined to comment on whether the line was part of his prepared speech.
GINGRICH: The elites in the city will go crazy. They'll say you're not allowed to talk about that. Well, we just did.
FRANKEN: If Gingrich does run for president he might have to find his support somewhere besides any block of Hispanic voters.
ROSA ROSALES, LULAC: First, it's very offensive. And I would say to him, that I heard he might run for president. That if he expects any kind of support from the Latino community in the United States, he needs to do much better.
FRANKEN: Many Republicans, including President Bush have pushed hard to win over Latino voters. In 2004, George W. Bush won 44 percent of the Hispanic vote.
Last year's street demonstration showed that supporters of immigration can turn out high numbers. But English-only advocates say that while Gingrich's choice of words was not ideal, his position on the subject, and English immersion, could be a winner on the other side.
JIM BOULET, ENGLISH FIRST: Official language has 80 percent support. The mystery is not that Newt Gingrich has endorsed it, that every other candidate, Republican and Democrat is not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: We've been teasing this video, now we'll actually show it to you. Caught on tape and viewed on the Internet. A Charleston, South Carolina police officer, did you see there, pushing a skateboarder. Now skateboarders are pushing back with a new plan. Gray Hall of our affiliate WCBD reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GRAY HALL, AFFILIATE WCBD CORRESPONDENT: This video of Charleston police officer Willie Simmons (ph) pushing a skateboarder made national headlines.
CHIEF GREG MULLENS, CHARLESTON, S.C. POLICE: We are the only organization that has the legal authority to use force when it's necessary and we must make sure we only use force when it is appropriate.
HALL: Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullens suspended the officer for ten days without pay. He says the officer used unnecessary force. No charges were filed and while the officer was punished, the chief says it doesn't change the law.
MULLENS: I need to make it very clear to that skateboarding community that regardless of this situation, we're not going to condone people illegally destroying city property while skating in areas they shouldn't be.
RYAN COCKRELL, DIRECTOR POUR IT NOW: Our motto is if your city doesn't have a skate park, then your city is a skate park.
HALL: Ryan Cockrell is a skater and director of a nonprofit group called Pour It Now. His group wants to build a bigger skate park for the city. He says it might mean less problems with police.
COCKRELL: The type of park that we want, at an excess of 20,000 square feet, build by specialists out of concrete, I think would lure the skateboarders out of the streets.
HALL: Cockrell says this free skate facility in West Ashley is just not good enough.
COCKRELL: That park is not doing its job to lure skateboarders out of the street. And I think that that's obvious in the video of Corey Dowds (ph) being pushed off of his board.
HALL: Pour It Now is serious about the skate park.
COCKRELL: The goal in Charleston is to raise $1 million. We have already begun. We have an account open for Charleston and I actually have the checks I need to deposit to start that account for $1300.
HALL: It's money they hope continues to roll in.
COCKRELL: It's going to require for skateboarders to get involved and show the city exactly what they want. If city council members don't skate, then they just won't know what's best for skateboarding.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: You don't skateboard on polished granite. Knucklehead.
NGUYEN: True. That could be a problem. We have more some information regarding this, right?
HARRIS: Good friend to the show.
NGUYEN: Saying that the lady that patrols that area is really nice. But she's strict, she enforces the law.
HARRIS: You don't skateboard on polished granite.
NGUYEN: Look. You tell the kids to get off the couch and stop playing video games.
HARRIS: Were you born in a barn or something?
NGUYEN: There are two sides to that story.
HARRIS: There you go. "Your World Today" coming up at the top of the hour. Hala Gorani (ph) standing by with a preview for us.
HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I never skateboard on any polished stone. I really keep it to rough concrete. "Your World Today" at the top of the hour, hope you can join us. Jim Clancy and myself will tell you about the world in your world today.
And we'll start in Pakistan, our senior international correspondent Nick Robertson (ph) is there. Could this be the most serious challenge to the president? Their President Musharraf (ph). Is this the most serious demonstration he's faced? These are all lawyers. They are saying that the Pakistani leaders threatening the independence of the judiciary. We'll go live to Pakistan.
Also, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria. George Bush says her Damascus visit is sending mixed signals about U.S. foreign policy. We'll look at both sides of the debate.
Also, a look the at a train which is tre, tre fast, everyone. France's Bullet Train sets a new world record for rail speed, guess how fast it went? We have a reporter, Jim Bitterman (ph). There you go. You know how that is in miles per hour?
Three hundred fifty-seven miles per hour, that's as fast as some planes. And it shattered the previous rail speed record. There is one train that goes faster, its in Japan. But it goes on some sort of magnetic rail. This is actually traditional rail lines that are improved to allow very high-speed trains to speed and barrel down that way. It's going to be put in service pretty soon in Eastern France. There you have a look at it. Jim Bitterman was on the train and he'll tell us how it went.
HARRIS: That will get you from Paris to Nice in no time.
GORANI: Just a few hours. When I was a kid, Paris-Nice was a 10, 11 hour train ride. It's four hours now.
NGUYEN: Take a close look. If your kid has one of these, we have important news for you. There is a recall coming up in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Can't recall the names of all those recalled pet foods? We will sort through the confusion for you, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. When NEWSROOM returns, I'll tell you about new rules to protect your phone records and why phone companies are so upset about them. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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NGUYEN: Well, more of the things you feed your pets are being recalled today. This time, the problem is salmonella, in chicken jerky under the Dingo brand name. The treats are for dogs, cats, even ferrets. But the manufacturer warns the bacteria could infect both animals and even people handling the food. The company asked consumers to throw away any unused portion of its dingo chicken jerky treats.
HARRIS: Pet food recalls got you a little confused. Just what do you need to know?
CNN's consumer reporter Greg Hunter looks at what you need to know right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GREG HUNTER (voice-over): This is how pet store owner and dog boarder Marsha Habib (ph) starts her day, checking the Internet for both recalls for wet and dry pet food.
(on camera): You have to research this every day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to do it every day. That's the first thing we do every day.
HUNTER (voice-over): The list on the original recall Web site, menufoods.com is daunting. There can be dozens of products from each manufacturer on the list. Making things more complicated, there are now at least three more Web sites to check for recalled pet food.
Experts like Dr. Ann Hohenhaus of New York's Animal Medical Center, still do not know exactly what's poisoning pets in the tainted food.
DR. ANN HOHENHAUS, VETERINARIAN: I don't think we know what it is. The story is confusing. So how the rat poison and the melamine both fit into this story is really perplexing and unclear.
HUNTER: Still a mystery.
HOHENHAUS: Mystery.
HUNTER: So what should concerned pet parents do? Well, you can check the many Web sites every day for recalled food, or when all else fails, you can look for one ingredient that seems to be the string that ties all recalled pet food together.
(on camera): The big headline for consumers is if you're worried at all, and you don't know if it's on the recall list or not, the main ingredient to look for a pet owner is?
HOHENHAUS: Wheat gluten.
HUNTER: No. 1?
HOHENHAUS: Yes. That's been the offending ingredient that's been common in all of these recalled foods.
HUNTER: And each and every product is required to list the ingredients.
Greg Hunter, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Reaction this morning from the Chinese company accused of producing tainting wheat gluten. A statement saying the company is astonished by what it refers as recent rumors. The manufacturer says it follows a strict testing procedure, and is cooperating with U.S. investigators. The FDA director inspectors on Friday to stop all wheat gluten imports from the company.
NGUYEN: Well, we have a recall of children's bracelets and key chains to tell you about. Listen to this -- four million children's Groovy Grabber Bracelets are being recalled. There's a picture of them. They were sold in venting machines across the country. Now also on that list, about 400,000 metal key chains sold at dollar general stores. Here's a picture of that. The Consumer Products Safety Commission says there's concern about led for both the key chains and bracelets. High levels of lead can cause health problems. But so far, no problems have been reporter.
HARRIS: One little girl -- several men say she's theirs. It could be a big day in the fraternity tussle over Anna Nicole Smith's baby.
Stay with us here in the NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Well, the question of who fathered Anna Nicole Smith's daughter may be closer to being answered today. A hearing is scheduled in the Bahama this afternoon. Smith's companion Howard K. Stern yesterday dropped his bid to block the release of DNA results. Stern is listed as little Danielyn's father on the birth certificate, but several other men have come forward, claiming they're the little girl's dad. Danielyn was born in a Bahamian hospital last September. Five months before Anna Nicole Smith died of what's described as an accidental drug overdose.
NGUYEN: CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now.
HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe and here at home. I'm Tony Harris.
And I'm Betty Nguyen.
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