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Search For Soldiers; Murdered Soldiers; Blair's Farewell Visit; History Alarm; Gerri's Top Tips
Aired May 17, 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: Go ahead, just floor it.
It is Thursday, May 17th, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Unfolding this hour, intense and unrelenting. The massive search for three U.S. soldiers missing in Iraq now in its sixth day. The military hopes money will bring them crucial information. CNN's Hugh Riminton join us live from Baghdad.
Hugh, give us sort of the state of affairs, the state of play right now. Where do things stand?
HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. Well, the latest information that we've got from the search is simply that it is continuing. They've put out this reward money, $200,000. That's a great deal of money to Iraqis, to try to bring in information.
They're acting on information. They continue to question people. They continue to reach out across this area in the belief that the three U.S. soldiers who were taken remain in the sector, as they're describing it. It's not being precisely defined, but the sector were they were initially taken.
They do believe that if they are still there, they will find them in that area. It's just a question of keeping the people on the ground, going from farmhouse to farmhouse, from hut to hut, looking in the lanes, looking in the canals. Anywhere where there may be further clues.
HARRIS: And, Hugh, I'm just curious, we were talking yesterday of two suspects, two detainees, who claim to be a part of the attack. Have we learned any information as to what they're sharing with the military?
RIMINTON: Well, we can only hope that the U.S. military is gaining some information from them, and presume that that is the case. That hasn't been made more broadly public. The situation here is an intriguing one.
In the course of their searches, as you say, they brought in two people who have apparently admitted they were part of the attack. Now, bear in mind that the U.S. military believes there were at least 10 people involved in this attack. But these two claim they are not al Qaeda. They say they were doing it for the money. They were paid, effectively like mercenaries, to take part in an attack. Now, one would think they would have a fair idea of who they were attacking with. Names, perhaps. But if not, certainly where they might have come from. Some information that will presumably being drawn out of them at the moment. But, again, it's being tightly held, this sort of information, for fairly obvious reasons.
HARRIS: CNN's Hugh Riminton for us in Baghdad.
Hugh, thank you.
Grief and uncertainty for the families of the ambushed soldiers. Three of the dead have been identified. The three missing soldiers and one of those killed are still listed as duty status whereabouts unknown. They are specialist Alex R. Jiminez, 25 years old, from Lawrence, Massachusetts, Sergeant Anthony J. Schober, seen here in a yearbook photo. He is 23 years old, from Reno, Nevada. Private First Class Joseph J. Anzack Jr., 20 years old, from Torrance, California. And Private Byron W. Fouty, 19 years old, from Waterford, Michigan.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Stay in the CNN NEWSROOM for the latest on the missing soldiers. We do expect to hear from officials at their base, Fort Drum, in about an hour from now. They'll be holding a news conference at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. You will see it live right here on CNN.
U.S. soldiers kidnapped and slaughtered nearly one year ago in the same area of Iraq. This morning, new developments in that investigation. A report points to serious mistakes in the mission. Live with details now, Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.
Barbara, fill us in on all of this.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, a report has just come out on this indent that took place almost a year ago, unbelievably in the same area of Iraq, where troops are now searching for the three missing U.S. soldiers. But this case last year, this was a group. Three soldiers were left guarding one end of a bridge.
They came under attack. One soldier killed on site. Two of the soldiers kidnapped, taken away. Their bodies later found murdered and mutilated.
The investigation into what happened -- you see some of the aftermath video of the search a year ago.
The investigation now coming to these very disturbing findings. One, the observation post being staffed by just three soldiers in the middle of the night -- not enough. There were too few people left out there.
The soldiers also, according to the investigation, stayed at this observation post way too long. They were there for many hours. They became tired. They should have been relieved of their duty there.
The force protection measures at that site, inadequate. There was no immediate fire support, if you will. Rescue forces were too far away to help them when they came under trouble. And these soldiers, members of the 101st Airborne Division, a year ago, they were suffering so many casualties in this unit that basically the unit's performance was not up to par because they had suffered so many losses already in combat.
Very disturbing findings, especially in light of what's going on right now.
Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. And quickly, Barbara, two questions for you in all of this. Has there been any sort of link, I mean, is the military looking at comparisons between that event and this latest event where we still have three missing U.S. soldiers?
STARR: Well, looking at it certainly in terms of what lessons they might have learned a year ago that might have prevented this. A lot of questions, I have to tell you, being asked up and down the hallways of the Pentagon as this goes on. How, once again, could a small group of soldiers be left -- although it was eight this time -- be left on their own, not have enough fire support, not have enough help ready on hand if they came under attack?
In this case a year ago, one of the platoon leader, one of the company commander, relieved of duty, no criminal charges. But the bottom line that they found in this case a year ago, the mission was not properly executed, properly planned and the troops were not properly trained for it. They found that out a year ago. The question that may emerge once, of course, we know the fate of these three missing, is how did possibly this happen all over again.
Heidi.
COLLINS: And, of course, as you well know, a part of the mission is always that planning stage and the assessment of the enemy. Sounds like, from what happened in 2006, that wasn't adequate either. Did anything happen to the commanders of those missions?
STARR: Well, as you say, that was one of the findings, that they didn't properly assess the enemy. Because, of course, nobody would put troops out there just willy-nilly, unprotected, unprepared. So, clearly, they didn't really know what they were going into. And that is one of the questions being raised again. As we say, the company commander, the platoon leader, relieved of duty. But what the investigators found is no criminal charges because there was no real willful intent to do this. This was a unit that simply was overwhelmed out in the field.
Heidi.
COLLINS: Understood. All right, CNN's Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon this morning.
Barbara, thanks.
HARRIS: Farewell visit from a loyal foreign policy friend. British Prime Minister Tony Blair at the White House this morning. We will hear from him and the president next hour. Let's go live to our White House correspondent, Elaine Quijano.
Elaine, good morning to you.
A trip down memory lane for these two men or are there some serious issues to still be discussed?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly a bit of both. The prime minister announced last week he'll be stepping down, but not until the end of June. So a lot on the agenda, as you can imagine.
It has been a busy time for the prime minister, who arrived at the White House last night. Took part in a working dinner with President Bush. And then this morning, a Bush aide says that the two leaders had breakfast in the residence before walking to the Oval Office together.
Now just a short while ago, the two also sat down in the situation room here at the White House for a joint U.S./U.K. secure video conference with the American and British teams in Baghdad. We're told that taking part, of course, on the U.S. side were General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker.
Now, Prime Minister Blair certainly has been President Bush's staunchiest (ph) ally when it comes to the Iraq War, even as other European leaders have tried to distance themselves from the United States. On that issue, the prime minister has continued to stand shoulder to shoulder with President Bush. But that alliance has certainly proven costly politically for Prime Minister Blair as the Iraq War has grown unpopular, increasingly unpopular in Britain.
Well, now the prime minister not set to step down for another six weeks or so. He and the president are set to meet again next month when the two leaders will be at the G-8 Summit. So while this is a farewell visit, Iraq at the top of the agenda, Tony, other topics being discussed today as well, including climate change and world trade.
Tony.
HARRIS: And a joint news conference, oh, just a little bit over an hour from right now. White House correspondent Elaine Quijano for us this morning.
Elaine, thank you.
QUIJANO: Sure.
COLLINS: They are at it again. Israel responding to attacks on its territory with attacks of its own. Old problem, new tensions, coming up in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Racing through the streets of the nation's capital. In one car, the president's men. In another, the law man. At stake, a secret surveillance program. That story in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Don't know much about history? Former Education Secretary Bill Bennett concerned about your kids. We'll tell you why. A live interview coming your way coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
From the deep south to the garden state, an update on brutal wildfires. Are crews finally getting a break? Find out in the NEWSROOM.
And no show in Iraq. A change of plans for Britain's Prince Harry. A royal redeployment, in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: They may know reading, writing and arithmetic, but how about history? Take a look at this. A new government study shows fourth grade average scores in history up slightly from five and 10 years ago. So that seems like pretty good news. But why all the fuss from former Education Secretary Bill Bennett? He's joining us now live from New York.
Good morning to you, doctor.
You were in this position that really, obviously, monitored the progress of American children and their education, obviously. Don't we have any good news to talk about here?
WILLIAM BENNETT, HOST, "MORNING IN AMERICA": A little bit. I appointed the first NAEPB, National Assessment of Educational Progress Board. Lamar Alexander was chairman. You know who I appointed co- chairman? Hillary Clinton. We'll deal with -- talk about that later in the year.
Anyway, this is the nation's report card, Heidi. We assess kids and their learning, their knowledge of math, reading and history. The scores are up a little bit in history. But it's more than zero, but not much better. It is our worst subject. Our kids do worse in American history than they do in either math or reading.
Let me give you an example. Fifty-three percent of our 12th graders lack a basic knowledge in U.S. history. That means they do not have even -- and this is literal language -- a partial mastery of the basic facts in the discipline.
COLLINS: So we're talking about like the first president of the United States, the colonies, the number of states?
BENNETT: Yes.
COLLINS: I mean when you say basic, is that how basic we're talking? BENNETT: Yes. Yes, that basic. One example, a little more complicated, but not terribly much, take the question, can you give us one significant reason why the United States entered into Korea, and the war in Korea, one significant reason? Only 14 percent of high school seniors could give that. We ought to be able to do better than that.
So there are some increases in the fourth grade. But this is the pattern of American education. Somebody get this out and then whatever you want to talk about. When we test our kids in the fourth grade, Heidi, in U.S. history and in math, they do pretty well. When we test them in the eighth grade, they do not so well. Test them in the 12th grade, they don't do well at all. The longer you stay at school in America, the dumber you get relative to what you should know in that discipline. That means we've got to kick the process.
COLLINS: In history. Is it boring? Is it boring?
BENNETT: Pardon. Heidi, I'm sorry.
COLLINS: Is it boring? Is it the way that it's taught? Are they losing interest?
BENNETT: Yes, I think a lot of it is the way that it's taught. The textbooks are, for the most part, although in some ways interesting, they're very heavy. You know, they're $110 or $120. They're loaded with things. But, you know, full of political correctness, full of everything. Everybody wants something in there. And they're very hard to read and they're very hard to digest. Political correctness has taken its toll. And this greatest story, this great narrative, that is the American story, the greatest political story ever told, is lost in the process.
COLLINS: Yes, and I really want to hit on that for a minute. We were listening to the radio show this morning, your radio show. Here's something that you said. "American students are often condemned to use curriculum that is so politically correct, culturally sensitive and downright pessimistic that it loses all appeal." Are these history books that our kids are seeing today and tomorrow too, as you said, politically correct? I mean who should actually be writing them, to make them the most middle of the road that they could possibly be?
BENNETT: Well, probably good writers. Large-minded amateurs. I just did my two volumes. I completed "America: Last Best Hope."
COLLINS: So you should be writing them?
BENNETT: Well, but there are lots of others. I mean, did it -- I wrote 1,200 pages because I didn't like what was out there. You have to go back to some of the old books. And they're, of course, they're obviously not up to date if they're old books. But to take this great story and to make it so uninteresting.
I mean, you know, there's still magic in the phrase "once upon a time." But when you tell the story of, you know, Frederick Douglas who wrestles his slave owner, you know, to the ground and runs away to get his freedom and then becomes the most popular man in the state of Maryland with both white and black people, this is a great story. How could our kids not be interested in a story of this great, strong man?
COLLINS: So what are the consequences, Bill, of kids just not knowing their history very well?
BENNETT: Well, the question I ask, Heidi, is the long run. We ask young people to fight for their country. We ask young people even to die for their country. We ask people to defend their country in an increasingly hostile world. How do you fight for it, die for it, defend it if you don't know it? How can you stand up for it? How can you be a citizen in it if you don't know the story?
You know, we have a big immigration issue, Heidi. It's a huge question. But we do not make citizens of our own native-born kids here. We don't reintroduce them or introduce them to their legacy, and so they remain strangers in their own homeland.
COLLINS: Yes, great point.
Quickly too before we let you go, Bill, I want to touch on some of the other things that we like to have you on for. The GOP debate. And talking about history. I mean we are about to have a presidential election -- actually it's a ways off -- but we're still seeing those debates early, fast and furious. What did you think? What did you take away from this latest round?
BENNETT: I'm in New York, so maybe I'm a little partial. I'm going to the New York Republican dinner tonight, Heidi. But it was Giuliani's night.
He had a very good night. It was adequate or a little better than adequate on abortion. He got past that issue. What he had to do, Heidi, was get beyond the abortion issue and he did thanks to Ron Paul, the libertarian candidate, who gave him this opportunity to talk about 9/11.
But I thought Giuliani was pretty sharp all night. I don't think Romney hurt himself. McCain, not sure. Mike Huckabee, I thought, did a very good job and is now being talked about by people as maybe coming out of that second tier.
But there is a long way to go. I think they did a good job in moderating that debate. We didn't have that silliness we had in the first debate.
COLLINS: Yes. All right. Well, we will continue to watch (INAUDIBLE). There will be many, many more, as you well know.
Bill Bennett, always nice to see you.
BENNETT: Thank you.
COLLINS: Thank you so much.
BENNETT: Thanks, Heidi. My pleasure.
HARRIS: The firepower of a faux pas. Some airline passengers learn what you can't pack for your plane ride. Detail in the NEWSROOM.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.
Springtime is here. It is time to detox your house. "Top Tips" are next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Wall Street now. The big board. The Dow, well, we were off to a bit of a better start last hour, but, OK, it's still early, inside the first hour of the trading day. And the Dow, as you can see, is down nine points, last check. And, Tom, keep me honest here. The Nasdaq down five points. We are following all of the business news this morning with Susan Lisovicz right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We have all heard about spring cleaning, but how about giving your home a good detox? Your health could depend on what you know. Here to explain, CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis.
Gerri, good morning to you.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Tony, good to see you.
HARRIS: Hey, I'm trying to get my house ready for the summer. I think it's all about just sort of putting away the winter clothes, bringing out the spring and summer wear.
WILLIS: Oh, there's more to it than that.
HARRIS: A lot more to it. Boy, we want to open up the house and we want to get the air in from the outside. But we need to be careful. Air purifiers. Can they help us?
WILLIS: Well, I've got to tell you, you've got to be careful about what you buy. You've seen those fancy smancy ionizer air purifiers. They claim to purify the atmosphere in your home. But be warned, even some of the best air cleaners, well, they could be a frivolous investment. That's according to "Consumer Reports." In fact, some ionizer models also expose you to potentially harmful ozone levels. Our advice, invest in an air purifier that has a hepa filter and look for the Association of Home Appliance manufacturer's symbol before you buy one of these things. You spend $200 to $1,000.
Tony.
HARRIS: How about the kitchen? I know the kitchen area in our home is always a tricky one. How do we do a better job of sort of -- maybe we can do a detox on that room of the house.
WILLIS: You bet. You know, if you have a gas stove, you're probably always just a little worried about it. They do release a certain amount of carbon monoxide. It's not enough to make you sick if the burners are adjusted correctly. Now you'll know if they're correctly adjusted if the flames are consistently yellow. If that's the case, call the manufacturer. Otherwise, you could be releasing dangerous levels of carbon monoxide into the air.
Make sure you have an exhaust hood, too, that is vented to the outside. And clean that exhaust fan. It's all about making sure that the fire is burning correctly. And as you can see here, you know, it really matters.
HARRIS: Right. This next bit of advice is just a great reminder for all of us. Get rid of the mold.
WILLIS: You know, mold -- I'm telling you, we get more e-mail on mold than you can imagine.
HARRIS: Really?
WILLIS: Oh, yes. It's responsible for all kinds of allergic reactions. To stop mold growth, your indoor humidity level should be only between 30 percent and 50 percent. Now you can measure this yourself. You get a hygrometer at your local hardware store. I know you're thinking, hygrometer?
HARRIS: Hygrometer.
WILLIS: It's about $50.
Do you have one of those?
HARRIS: Heidi does.
COLLINS: I don't even know what the heck that is.
HARRIS: Yes. So educate us here.
WILLIS: It will measure the moisture in your house. It should be between 30 percent and 50 percent. And, look, these things only cost you -- it's an investment, $50, but if you really need to know, you really need to know. If you are over 50, invest in a dehumidifier. And if you do see grout or mold in your bathroom, it's one cup of bleach to one cup of water. Mix that together. Scrub it away. And, by the way, when you do that, can you please put something on your hands and something over your face? Because it's just -- you know, it's a mess.
HARRIS: There you go. A heads up, great advice there. You're right, it is a mess. Clean the AC. I mean, come on, we're talking about spring and summer temperatures. We need a clean AC.
WILLIS: We do. Well, you know, if you have an air conditioner that fits in the window, take that grill off, wipe it down with a wet cloth. You also want to rinse the filter in hot soapy water. It gets really nasty. Dust the evaporator coils with a vacuum attachment. They're located right behind that filter. And if you have a central air conditioning unit, like so many people do, make sure you replace the filter once every three months. HARRIS: Outstanding. Outstanding. All right. Let's talk about the big "Open House" show coming up this weekend right here on Headline News and CNN.
WILLIS: That's right. You know, we've got a lot of great topics here. More new signs of trouble in the housing market. We'll talk about gas prices. You know about how high those are. And more on detoxing your home. We'll give you some real specifics on what to do in your house. 9:30 a.m. right here on CNN Saturday morning and on Headline News, 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Tony.
HARRIS: Great tips. Gerri, great to see you. Have a wonderful day.
WILLIS: You too, Tony.
HARRIS: We'll do.
COLLINS: Racing through the streets of the nation's capital. In one car, the president's men. In another, the law man. At stake, a secret surveillance program. Tell you about it coming up in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Attack and counterattack. Tensions and violence ratcheting up in the Middle East.
COLLINS: Her debt led to her death. The only problem, she's still alive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have to have proof of it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. You have to have proof that I'm not dead?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Now she's haunted by financial ghosts. Tell you that story coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Bottom of the hour, welcome everyone to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. Good morning once again, everybody.
The search intense and now determined. Right now, the U.S. military with Iraqi troops are looking for those three missing soldier.
CNN's Jamie McIntyre has details. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): True to its word, the U.S. military is sparing no effort to find the three missing soldiers.
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ: We're sure praying that our soldiers are still alive at this point. We have no indications to reflect otherwise.
MCINTYRE: What the U.S. military needs is a break, inside information. So the search area has been blanketed with leaflets in Arabic, offering a $200,000 reward.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We only need one tip.
MCINTYRE: So far, the U.S. and Iraqi troops have launched at least 37 separate operations, based on information from 143 tips. The search area south of Baghdad has been divided into 35 zones, where more than 600 people have been questioned, and more than a dozen suspects detained.
BRIG. GEN. PERRY WIGGINS, DEPUTY JOINT STAFF DIRECTOR: Checkpoints have been established throughout the area to focus the search and prevent potential transport of our missing soldiers.
MCINTYRE: A nearby canal was even drained after a tip said there might be bodies hidden in it. So far, nothing has panned out.
In response to questions about the wisdom of leaving two humvees alone at four in the morning, in the so-called Triangle of Death, the military revealed the eight soldiers were behind a barrier of protective razor wire, only 500 yards from other U.S. troops, and did return fire.
In Torrance, California, Joe Anzack, whose 20-year-old son Joe Jr. is listed among the missing, clings to hope.
JOE ANZACK SR., FATHER OF PFC. JOSEPH ANZACK JR.: We come from a long -- a long line of military -- military people and that's what it is, gut instincts, and you rely on it. You know, and I -- I guarantee that's why he's alive today because he listened to his instinct, did what he had to ...
MCINTYRE (on camera): In this race against the clock, the U.S. military doesn't know how much time it has. But as one army spokesman says it only takes one tip to bring this search to a successful conclusion. The U.S. is hoping that tip is out there somewhere.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Stay in the CNN NEWSROOM for the latest on the missing soldiers. We expect to hear from officials at their base, that's Ft. Drum in less than an hour. They're holding a news conference at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. You'll see it here live on CNN.
HARRIS: The debate over dollars for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan right now. The Senate is preparing to vote on a bill designed to get the stalled legislation moving. This follows a move by some Republicans to challenge the president's war strategy.
Details from Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash, part of the best political team on television.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was a milestone in the Iraq war debate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On this vote, the yeas are 52, the nays are 44.
BASH: For the first time, the vast majority of the president's fellow Republicans voted to directly challenge his Iraq policy.
SEN. JOHN WARNER, (R-VA) ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: The situation in Iraq changes almost daily. Our losses continue.
BASH: The GOP measure called for Iraqis to meet benchmarks, show military and political progress. It also held the president accountable, saying if Iraqis fail to meet those benchmarks, the president would have to revise his Iraq strategy. And Congress would cut off $3 billion in economic aid to Iraqis. Republican leaders conceded the significant number of GOP votes was a sign of their growing impatience with the war.
SEN MITCH MCCONNELL, (R-KY) MINORITY LEADER: Iraqi government, it strikes me, needs to understand that they're running out of time to get their part of the job done.
BASH: The GOP measure fell short of the 60 votes needed to pass. Most Democrats, in search of a deadline for troop withdrawal, voted no.
SEN. HARRY REID, (D-NV) MAJORITY LEADER: Very tepid, very weak. A cup of tea that's been sitting on the counter for a few weeks, Mr. President. You wouldn't want to drink that tea.
BASH: As for the Democrats, the Senate decisively rejected their measure to force an end to the war by choking funding for U.S. combat operations. But the proposal did pick up support from Democrats who had opposed cutting up money for Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Obama.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aye.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mrs. Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aye. BASH: Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden, all under pressure to appeal to staunchly anti- war voters, reluctantly voted yes.
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN, (D-DE) FOREIGN RELATIONS CHAIRMAN: We're not going to be able to change this God-awful war. This war is a disaster.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Dana Bash joins us live from Capitol Hill. OK, Dana, good morning to you.
BASH: Good morning.
HARRIS: Now that the symbolic votes are out of the way, I trust the real work, the "in the trenches" work to hammer out a bill the president will sign, is under way?
BASH: That's exactly right. This is really crunch time starting now. And in fact, if you check out the Senate floor, as we speak, Tony, the Senate is going through a procedural motion to get under way with negotiations. What they are trying to do is sit down with the House and, more importantly, with the White House, and try to figure out how to get a war spending bill to the president that he will sign.
And it's really urgent because all sides agree that they're going to have to do this by Memorial Day in order to make sure that troops aren't endangered and that the mission in Iraq isn't all changed or hurt by the fact that the money isn't flowing to the mission. So, that's why everybody agrees they've got to do this within the next couple of days. And in fact, there's going to be a meeting later this morning in the Senate with the White House chief of staff and Republican and Democratic leaders.
HARRIS: So, the Senate is a very busy chamber this morning. What are you hearing about negotiations on immigration, which apparently are under way right now?
BASH: Under way right now, in fact, right down the hall from where I'm standing, Tony, there is a very important bipartisan meeting of senators who have been meeting, really, for the past couple of months, but it is down to the wire right now. We have a couple of cabinet secretaries here who have been engaged in this. Democratic leaders, Republican leaders, who are really trying to hammer out the final details, we're told of what could be a pretty big -- a very comprehensive immigration reform legislation.
Now, we are told that they were up all night, at least the staff of these key players, working on the final details, trying to get the final hitch if you will, worked out, because they are hoping that they can get this done in a way that at least these -- this group of legislators agree to today, so that they can go back and sell it to the various left flank and right flank of the various parties. That is going to be a critical thing. This could be a very important day because as you well know, immigration reform has been hotly debated. They've been trying to figure out how to come -- how to get the left and the right together. This could be a day where they could figure it out.
HARRIS: Our Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash, very busy today on Capitol Hill. Dana, thank you.
BASH: Thank you.
COLLINS: Israel makes good on its threat of a harsh response to Palestinian rocket attacks. New Israeli air strikes on Gaza today. Targets included a Hamas security compound in Gaza City and a car that Israel says was carrying a Hamas rocket squad. The attack killed two people. Israel says dozens of rockets have been fired from Gaza this week.
HARRIS: A good spring rain, and this morning, crews in New Jersey say they've turned the corner on a big wildfire. Firefighters hoping to get the entire blaze under control today, scorching some 14,000 acres north of Atlantic City since Tuesday. Thousands who fled the flames now returning. The blaze is believed to have been started by a military flare, but it is still under investigation.
A race against time, and a battle against a huge wildfire straddling Georgia and Florida. Crews hoping to strengthen containment lines while the winds have died down a bit. Those winds expected to pick back up over the weekend. Temperatures also heading north. That could make for a very tough fight. So far, some 390 square miles have burned across Georgia and Florida near the state line.
And where there's fire, there is smoke. Haze from southern wildfires reaching all the way to North Carolina. Some folks with breathing problems were urged to limit their time outdoors.
COLLINS: Yes, I bet they were. You know, it seems like, as Chad Myers joins us now with more on these fires and the weather to come over the next few days, it seems like, Chad, sometimes, it's one step forward, three steps back.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, this lady is sure, absolutely positive, she's not dead. So why won't anyone believe her? Her premature demise causing all kinds of problems, grave problems, in her ongoing life. That story coming up in the NEWSROOM.
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COLLINS: Your food, your health. New this morning, a recall of beef products possibly contaminated by E. coli. Here's what we know right now. The products were made for Gordon Food Service Stores. They were made between March 1st and April 30th and sent to 15 states. The boxes are labeled EST 1947-A. E. coli can cause flu-like symptoms and can possibly lead to greater health problems, including kidney failure. You might also be interested to see Dr. Gupta's report coming up this weekend about poisoned food in America, especially on the heels of this.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
COLLINS: Three American soldiers missing in Iraq. The search goes on this hour with determination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These men have been out for about seven, eight hours now. They're both physically and mentally exhausted. But no one is even talking about giving up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: CNN's Arwa Damon with one team of searchers. She's coming up, right here in the NEWSROOM.
Racing through the streets of the nation's capital. In one car, the president's men; in another, the lawmen. At stake, an secret surveillance program. That story in the NEWSROOM.
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COLLINS: Government infighting played out at high speed for high stakes.
CNN's Joe Johns on a behind-the-scenes battle over a secret program.
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JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This really happened, sirens blaring and speeding through Washington, a race to stop the president's men from getting a signature from a drugged and weakened attorney general on a document they knew he absolutely did not want to sign -- coming from the White House, Bush Chief of Staff Andrew Card and then White House counsel Alberto Gonzales.
Rushing to stop them and to protect his hospitalized boss, Attorney General John Ashcroft, was this man, James Comey, Ashcroft's second in command.
JAMES COMEY, FORMER DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: That night was probably the most difficult night of my professional life. So, it's not something I forget.
JOHNS: It's March 10, 2004. At the White House, the president's men are under intense deadline pressure.
The next day, a secret program to eavesdrop on people in the U.S. without a court order is set to expire, and the president and his men do not want that to happen. What they want, and don't have, is a certification from the attorney general that the program is legal. In fact, Ashcroft had already concluded it wasn't.
But, now, on the eve of the expiration, Ashcroft is seriously ill, in intensive care at George Washington University Hospital, not taking visitors, not signing anything. And the man he left in charge, acting Attorney General James Comey, won't sign, because he agrees with Ashcroft, that the National Security Agency'S program is probably not legal.
Out of the blue, Comey gets a call.
COMEY: I was headed home at about 8:00 that evening. My security detail was driving me. And I remember exactly where I was -- on Constitution Avenue -- and got a call from Attorney General Ashcroft's chief of staff.
JOHNS: Ashcroft's wife, Janet, had called the office to say that Card and Gonzales were on their way to the hospital. To Comey, it sounds all wrong. If he's in charge, why are the president's men trying to get to Ashcroft?
COMEY: I was concerned that, given how ill I knew the attorney general was, that there might be an effort to ask him to overrule me, when he was in no condition to do that.
JOHNS: Comey tells his driver to gun it.
COMEY: They turned on the emergency equipment and drove very quickly to the hospital. I got out of the car and ran up -- literally ran up the stairs with my security detail.
JOHNS: Comey, Card and Gonzales surround Ashcroft's hospital bed. And then something no one anticipated happens.
COMEY: And Attorney General Ashcroft then stunned me. He lifted his head off the pillow and, in very strong terms, expressed his view of the matter, and then laid his head back down on the pillow, seemed spent, and said to them, "But that doesn't matter, because I'm not the attorney general."
JOHNS: Ashcroft, sick, in pain, on medication, tells the president's men, that, because he was in the hospital, Comey, as acting attorney general, was in charge.
The next day, the secret wiretap program was reauthorized without Comey's suggested changes. The president did it without a signature from the Justice Department. And, that day, Comey prepared his letter of resignation.
And this is the story's epilogue. On Friday, before he could resign, and after meetings at the White House, it was decided that Comey could have the changes he wanted to the wiretap program to make it legal. What had been the worst day of his life ended up a victory of sorts. John Ashcroft resigned the next year. A year later, Comey resigned. And the president's man, Alberto Gonzales, became attorney general.
Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Just to let you know, CNN has contacted Attorney General Gonzales' office about this story. We are still awaiting a response. We have also tried to reach Andrew Card and have gotten no word back.
HARRIS: Prices may be through the sunroof, but one survey says that you're going on summer vacation anyway. Step on the gas in the NEWSROOM. And remember this surveillance video? Of course you do, who could forget it? Well, the police officer charged in the beating appears in court. What happened in the NEWSROOM.
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