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Body Found in Iraq Could be One of Three Missing U.S. Soldiers; Iraq War Spending; Dangerous Drought Conditions

Aired May 23, 2007 - 06:00   ET

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

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news. A body in a U.S. uniform turns up in an all-out search for missing soldiers in Iraq.
Target -- America. New tapes. Newly revealed secrets. President Bush to unveil intelligence about Osama bin Laden and his plans to launch attacks from Iraq.

And storm front. Tornadoes in the Plains. The heartland in the bull's-eye for more extreme weather on this AMERICAN MORNING.

It's Wednesday, May 23rd. Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for being with us today. I'm Kiran Chetry.

We have some breaking news this morning out of Iraq.

ROBERTS: Yes, we do. And let's get right to it this morning.

A body has been found that could be one of the missing American soldiers. Iraqi police recovered the body of a western-looking man dressed in an American uniform, awaiting identification. CNN's Baghdad bureau chief, Cal Perry, is live in Baghdad.

Cal, what's the latest? What are you hearing from the military?

CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're hearing both from the military and from Iraqis. We're hearing bits and pieces from both. And I'll run through those for you now.

First, from U.S. military sources, we understand a body has been found in a canal. A separate U.S. military source has told us that body does seem to be wearing U.S. military issue pants.

Now, Iraqi officials, both the spokesman in the Boble (ph) Province and interior ministry sources add that that body was shot both in the head and in the torso. Of course, all of this relating to the search, this day 12, the search for those three U.S. missing soldiers.

Now there is no confirmation at this point from the U.S. military as to the identity of that individual. They will, of course, be exceptionally methodical in their testing. They will not say, as is very typical with the U.S. military, until they are absolutely certain as to the identity of that body. John.

ROBERTS: Give us some sort of perspective here, Cal. Where was the body found in relation to where the attacks near Mahmoudiya the other day was?

PERRY: It was found close to the site of the attack. About 35 kilometers to the south of Yousefia. Of course, this was an attack on a checkpoint by insurgents. There were a number of U.S. troops killed, four, and a fifth Iraqi soldier killed. Three U.S. troops were abducted.

Now we heard from General Petraeus on Saturday. He said he believed that one of the soldiers may have been killed in that attack and that two, he believed, were still alive. What is clear in this, John, is that the search will continue regardless as to the identity of this body. More than 4,000 U.S. troops searching what is known as the Triangle of Death. And they vow they will do so until they find their missing comrades.

ROBERTS: Now we were very puzzled, Cal, when Petraeus made that statement over the weekend that he believed that two, at least two of the three were still alive. Could that be because the one was killed during the initial ambush and that he old ever received intelligence that the insurgents could be holding two of the those American soldiers captive?

PERRY: It's quite possible. They have received numerous amounts of intelligence. We know that some has been thrown out as erroneous intelligence. But some, they say, have been legitimate intelligence.

In fact, General Petraeus added he believes he knows the al Qaeda leader that's involved in this attack. He said, they've "dealt with him before." We also know that, based on certain intelligence, the search has widened. That U.S. troops have crossed the Euphrates River, down in the Triangle of Death, into an area where they are not used to operating. So as the search widens here on day 12, it does seem at this point, although we again will wait for exact confirmation from the U.S. military, but it seems there has been a bit of a development, a break, perhaps, in this search.

ROBERTS: All right, Cal Perry, our Baghdad bureau chief for us, live with the latest.

Cal, thanks. We'll keep checking back with you throughout the morning.

CHETRY: Also we have CNN's Arwa Damon. She is with the troops searching in that so-called Triangle of Death, about 20 miles south of Baghdad.

And, Arwa, I know you've been with them as they've conducted these exhaustive searches. What is the reaction coming from the men that you're with to the news that the possibility that one of their own was found dead? ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, you know the news here has been trickling out slowly and then it picked up some steam. In fact, the base went into what is called blackout at about quarter to 12 local time. That is what happens when a soldier has been killed.

I can just tell you that the faces here are incredibly long. It's very hard to describe. It's a mixture of deep, deep, deep depression, yet at the same time, some people are still voicing a certain level of optimism that perhaps the other two soldiers aren't (ph) dead (ph).

Now the battalion that I'm with is the 1st Battalion 31st Infantry Regimen and that is the battalion that the kidnapped and killed soldiers were in, are a part of. So it is unbelievably difficult for other troops here right now.

You know, one soldier I spoke to saying, I just want closure to all of this. Another I spoke to saying, my God, you know, we had hoped that we would find them alive, but now I just don't know. And everyone pretty much is saying this is such an incredibly different time. A very difficult family (ph).

We were out earlier this morning on an intelligence-driven mission, looking for the three kidnapped soldiers, looking for clues from them and actually, again, the (INAUDIBLE) made a number of detentions. And there was a certain sense of optimism amongst the troops coming back that, of course, with the rumors trickling out here. Again, no official confirmation on this son (ph). The military here really not commenting just yet, but the rumors are spreading and the base right now is in blackout.

Kiran.

CHETRY: And it also appears that this body was found about 18 miles from where the initial attack took place. Does that offer any insight into where your guys that you're with are searching?

DAMON: Well, look, they have been expanding the search, as we just heard Cal Perry reporting. In fact, we were with them when they went across the river. And speaking with the military just now, they will move forward with the search no matter what. And depending on the outcome, the positive identification of this body, they will expand the search into that area. That is the way they operate here. They take all tips, all intelligence very seriously. And we can fully expect that tomorrow's missions will be driven by the outcome of today's results.

But again, Kiran, just to go back to what the soldiers are going through, I mean, it is really indescribably difficult. They've been going out on missions that can last anywhere from seven to 14 to 24 hours. Really more than double at times, even triple, what they're usually going out for. And this news is really making these times even more difficult than they were in the beginning, the knowledge that perhaps one of those soldiers was killed and ending hope that they will be finding all three of them alive. Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Arwa Damon reporting for us from Yousefia, Iraq.

We'll check in with you a little later. Thanks, Arwa.

ROBERTS: And the search will continue.

Did Osama bin Laden personally order the creation of a terror cell in Iraq to launch attacks against the United States. That is the claim that President Bush will make later on today in a speech at the Coast Guard Academy. New information had been hidden away in a secret intelligence report for two years. It claims bin Laden wanted to use Iraq as a launchpad for attacks in the United States and ordered a top lieutenant, Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libi, to set up a cell dedicated to that purpose.

President Bush is expected to say that the report is proof that a pullout from Iraq will leave al Qaeda with a safe haven in the heart of the Middle East. What's not clear, though, is how al-Libi would have ever carried out bin Laden's orders. He has been in U.S. custody since 2002.

And there's a new tape reportedly from bin Laden's right-hand man. Ayman al-Zawahiri praises a Taliban leader killed in Afghanistan and says hundreds of his followers are prepared and equipped to attack coalition forces in Afghanistan.

CHETRY: Democrats in Congress are delivering on one promise and backing down from another. They will deliver a war funding bill to President Bush by the weekend, but it will not include timetables for troops to get out of Iraq. It outlines political and economic benchmarks that the Iraqi government must keep and meet to keep the U.S. aid flowing. President Bush would be required to make at least 18 different progress reports before August. Democrats also insisting that the bill will have a message, as well as the money.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RAHM EMANUEL, (D) ILLINOIS: It ends the blank check on more troops, more money, more time and more of the same. And it begins the notion that we have to have a new direction to Iraq that has accountability, standards that you can measure progress or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: While the bill totals $120 billion, it could include additional benefits for veterans, as well as aid for hurricane relief.

ROBERTS: No one is claiming responsibility yet for a bomb attack in Turkey's capital on Tuesday. Six people were killed. At least 80 others hurt when the bomb exploded outside of a shopping mall in Ankara. Turkish authorities aren't sure if the attack came from a planted bomb or if it was a suicide bomber. Palestinians are getting out of a refugee camp in northern Lebanon, while a cease fire still holds. Thousands of people have no food, water or electricity after three days of shelling by the Lebanese army. The army is trying to route a band of militants that are holed up in the camp. The U.S. is considering sending in supplies to help the Lebanese army.

CHETRY: Well, high drama is expected today in Washington as one of the top aides to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will testify about the controversial firings of U.S. attorneys. Thirty-three-year- old Monica Goodling cut a deal the testify before the House Judiciary Committee. Her testimony will be scrutinized to look for contradictions between her story and what the attorney general testified to. As we heard late yesterday, that Goodling had a tough time when the controversy first broke. One colleague says she cried in his office for nearly 45 minutes.

And a former aide to presidential adviser Karl Rove is looking for immunity in return for some testimony about lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Susan Ralston told the House Oversight Committee that she has some useful information that links the disgraced lobbyist and White House officials. Ralston was Abramoff's assistant for three years before going to work for Karl Rove.

ROBERTS: The Senate's immigration proposal will be challenged again today in the Senate. A key piece of the bill, a guest worker program, remains despite a challenge by a group of Democrats. They had complained the provision exploits immigrants and keeps down wages. Coming up, we'll talk to farmers who say the crackdown on illegal immigrants is hurting their ability to harvest crops and raising food prices nationwide.

Congress is targeting OPEC over high gasoline prices. It has passed a bill that would allow the government to sue OPEC, saying production quotas drove up the price of oil. The White House opposes the bill because it could draw retaliation from OPEC, which might send prices even higher.

So how much are gas prices costing you? An extra $20 billion, according to the Government Accountability office. That averages out to $146 for each passenger car in the United States.

CHETRY: Well, their annual seat belt campaign, "Click It or Ticket" kicks off this week. So will President Bush get a ticket? Well, questions from reporters about the president's seat belt use came up after he was spotted driving his pickup truck on his Texas ranch without a seat belt. It was on his ranch, though, John. He was not on any major highway, like New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, who was not wearing a seat belt when he was severely injured in a crash on the New Jersey Turnpike going 91 miles an hour at the time. A White House spokesman says he's seen the president wearing his seat belt in his armored limo.

Do you need to wear it just traveling around the ranch?

ROBERTS: I don't believe so. I don't think it's a law. Only on the roads.

Tour de France winner Floyd Landis is getting grilled over an alleged blackmail scheme cooked up by his former manager. Landis testified at a hearing on his failed drug test, which called into question his Tour de France victory, but most of the questions centered around Landis' former manager, Will Geoghegan. Three time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond testified that Geoghegan threatened him, saying he would reveal that LeMond was sexually abused as a child, if he testified against Landis. Landis claims that he knew nothing of Geoghegan's plot until after that call was made. And Geoghegan has now checked himself into rehab. He says he called LeMond after having to many beers.

CHETRY: Some other stories we're following right now.

A new birth control pill approved by the Food and Drug Administration. As we reported earlier this week, Lybrel is taken every day and it would eventual stop a woman's monthly menstrual cycle.

Well, a concern for the health of Delta and Dawn, the wayward whales trying to make it back to the Pacific. Scientists say that the wounds on them show signs of infection and the whales are still 70 miles from open water.

Well, hurricane season begins a week from Friday and the government weather forecasters are predicting 13 so 17 tropical storms with seven to 10 of them becoming hurricanes. Three to five of those major hurricanes. Our Chad Myers is going to be coming up next to break it down for us.

Well, is he or isn't he. Al Gore setting the record straight with Larry King on any possible bid for the presidency -- kind of.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Wow. It's the steady drum beat on the windshield. Take a look at these pictures of a hail storm in Graham County, Kansas. Reports say that the hail varied in size from marbles all the way up to golf balls.

But that wasn't all. That weather system also brought a funnel cloud along with it. This video was taken by some tornado chasers. Not the most well formed tornado, not even really reaching the ground there, but still quite a sight to behold. Look at the clouds on top of that, as well. You can see how that whole thing sort of starts to rotate there. No injuries reported in that particular funnel cloud sighting.

CHETRY: I always like to see the reaction on Chad Myers face when we show video like that. Impressive, the funnel cloud?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Impressive. I would have loved them to pan up because that's when you get a picture of the structure of that thunderstorm. When you get one out all by itself, you get the funnel, you get the wall cloud and then all of a sudden it looks like you've stacked plates on your dinner table -- one, two, three, four, five -- and there's these little things that go out and all the way up to the anville (ph) and the anville's shooting out the top. The structure is (INAUDIBLE).

CHETRY: Note to the i-Reporters out there, pan up.

MYERS: (INAUDIBLE), right, not just (INAUDIBLE).

CHETRY: Now, meanwhile, the hurricane forecast out, as well. Last year, it seemed like we were wildly off with the predictions. What about this year?

MYERS: The early season forecasts were by far off because el Nino moved in. El Nino wrecked the entire air mass for hurricanes. This year we don't think el Nino is going to be there. So the difference between this year and last year, you know, it's a long-term prediction.

CHETRY: Didn't they know el Nino was going be there last year?

MYERS: No. Not in May. It didn't start until June, July and August and all of a sudden it was wrecked. The whole season was done for. But this year . . .

CHETRY: But it ended up being a good thing for us because no great hurricane made landfall.

MYERS: Could you imagine trying to clean up something else after Katrina went through. Another big storm comes through. So, yes, that one year of a breather was really nice.

What do we have going on this year now? The Hurricane Center forecast came out yesterday about 10:00, 11:00 and here it is. The numbers are still high. The numbers are not high because of global warming, they don't think. The numbers are high because we're in the middle of this multi diacetyl (ph) cycle. Twenty-five year cycle. You can write that down, multi diacetyl cycle. The last multi diacetyl cycle . . .

CHETRY: You can just say 10 year cycle, can't you? Why do you say multi?

MYERS: No. Twenty-three years was the last one.

CHETRY: OK.

MYERS: 1971 to 1995. '95, that was the low season. Now we're in the high season again. So here are some of the numbers here. From my graphics machine you'll see the number of forecast hurricane numbers here, 13 so 17 names stormed, seven to 10 hurricanes, five to seven majors. That means three, four or five in the category.

But what's more impressive are the percentages. And if you're betting on a horse race, these are the percentages that you want. The chance of an above-normal season, 75 percent. A near-normal season, 20 percent. And a below-normal season, 20 to 1. So if you bet the Kentucky Derby, you bet the longshot. Maybe you bet that 20 to 1.

CHETRY: All right. But you have more faith this year that it's more accurate than it was last year?

MYERS: In May you can never tell. I have the same amount of faith whether I'm going to have a flat tire in June on my car or not.

CHETRY: OK.

MYERS: Really, at this point, not quite predictable yet.

CHETRY: That's not very high.

MYERS: We still have to wait until the season starts.

CHETRY: All right, Chad, thanks.

MYERS: You're welcome.

CHETRY: And coming up at 8:15, by the way, we are going to be speaking with the new director of the National Hurricane Center about those predictions and also some controversy as it relates to the parent group, NOAA, coming up.

MYERS: Oh, yes.

ROBERTS: Spending some money they say could be used on forecasting for other purposes.

Former Vice President Al Gore on "Larry King Live" last night, not completely closing the door to a future presidential run. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have not closed the door at some point in the future to consider being a candidate. But even saying that makes me want to immediately follow up with another disclaimer because I don't expect it to happen and I'm not jockeying to create an opportunity for it.

Look, I'm enjoying my life and I'm enjoying serving in other ways. I have been focused on a different kind of campaign to persuade people in this country and around the world that we have to respond to the climate crisis. It's by far the most dangerous crisis our civilization has ever faced.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Gore's discounting talk of presidential aspiration because he says, for the time being, he's working on saving the planet. And Joey Buttafuoco and Amy Fisher back together? Now Joey's ex- wife Mary Jo responds. You knew it had to happen. Nearly 15 years to the day after Amy shot her in the head. Watch "Larry King Live" tonight, 9:00 Eastern.

Nineteen minutes now after the hour. We're following the breaking news out of Iraq. A body of a man wearing a U.S. military uniform found in the Euphrates River. A live update from Baghdad straight ahead.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: We're following a breaking story out of Iraq this morning. Word that a body has been found that could be one of the missing American soldiers. Iraqis are saying now that a body was a western-looking man with a tattoo and was wearing U.S. military pants found floating in the Euphrates River. The U.S. military is now working on making that identification right now.

ROBERTS: It's 22 minutes after the hour. Carrie Lee "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Good morning, Carrie Lee. Haven't seen you in a while.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kiran.

I know. Nice to be here. Thank you very much.

Well, this is a very interesting story. The House voting -- the House of Representatives voting to give the U.S. government the ability to sue OPEC for price manipulation. They're calling this the NOPEC bill and especially it would make it illegal for foreign governments to limit oil and gas production to control energy prices. So this has been a big debate in political circles.

Now about a month ago, a similar version of the bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee. The White House has threatened to veto this, if it comes to that point. But they're saying that OPEC's price fixing conspiracy, and this again the House, has unfairly driven up the cost of imported crude oil.

So, John and Kiran, slim chance that this is going to become law. But rather interesting, I think, that lawmakers are trying to control what foreign governments do.

Of course, the flip side of this, let's just say it does become law. If it is successful, they bring prices down. Well, then that's going to affect oil profits for companies like Chevron, BP and others are going to have a problem with that.

CHETRY: The other interesting thing this year is they're saying it's the cost of the refining, not the actual crude, that's causing us to take such a hit. LEE: Right. That's part of the problem. That's part of the reason why gas prices are so high now. So that's one issue. But then they're saying also, well, the foreign government shouldn't have the ability to control supply and demand and dictate prices as well.

So, as I said, slim chance that this is going to become law. But the fact that they're even talking about it and trying to control this, interesting, I think.

CHETRY: It is. Carrie, thanks. Good to see you.

LEE: Good to see you.

ROBERTS: Well, if you've ever played golf, you know how hard a hole in one is. But check this out. Jacqueline Gonya (ph) in Palm Springs, California, here she is sinking her 11th hole in one.

CHETRY: In a row?

ROBERTS: No, not in a row, but 11th hole in one of her career. Now amazingly enough, she's hit them all in just the past four months. Her local paper did the math on the odds. They're astronomical, obviously. Somewhere in the millions of billions to one. That woman should (INAUDIBLE).

CHETRY: Congratulations. Or get on the PGA circuit.

ROBERTS: Not bad.

CHETRY: It's never too late.

Well, the top stories of the morning are coming up next.

We have a live report from Baghdad on the body found. Could it be one of the missing soldiers? We're going to talk more about that.

Also, President Bush about to reveal some classified information. He says it showed Osama bin Laden planned to attack America from Iraq.

Also, when will it end? We have new predictions for how long the drought -- a severe drought that's been going on in the south and the west is going to last.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Breaking news. Disturbing news outs of Iraq this morning. The body of a man wearing military pants pulled from the Euphrates River. And there are fears that it could be one of the three missing U.S. soldiers. We're live from Iraq with updates from our correspondents on this AMERICAN MORNING.

And welcome back. We're glad you're with us on this Wednesday, May 23rd. I'm Kiran Chetry. ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts.

Let's get right to CNN's Baghdad bureau chief Cal Perry. He joins us live now.

So, Cal, we have confirmation that the U.S. military does have a body in custody. We don't know if it's one of the three soldiers. Is there any confirmation that it is an American serviceman?

PERRY: There is not. And it will take probably quite some time. We also understand that there is somebody en route right now to take a look at that body, to try to determine the exact identity as to whether or not this is one of the three missing soldiers from that attack on May 12th.

Now to back up just a little bit, John. We've got a variety of information. Some from Iraqi sources, some from U.S. military sources. We understand from Iraqi sources that a body was pulled out of the Euphrates River, shot in the head and in the torso, and that this body was wearing camouflage American-issue army pants.

Now all the U.S. military is saying at this point is that they have found a body. That the body is in U.S. military custody. And, of course, we can expect they will do extensive forensic tests. They will make sure that this is, in fact, one of those missing soldiers. Of course, they want to be absolutely sure in a case like this.

John.

ROBERTS: How far, Cal, from the initial ambush incident was this body found? Was it a substantial distance down river?

PERRY: No, it was fairly close. The attack itself took place in the town of Yousefia. And this body was found some 35 kilometers south of that location.

Now, of course, this is an area that is very, very difficult to conduct searches in. It's based on a wadi (ph) canal system. All these canals funnel into the Euphrates River.

The forest there is quite thick, so the search has been quite difficult. But the body itself found fairly close to where the incident took place. But again, the search will continue. Over 4,000 U.S. troops are on this search, and you can count that they will continue this search, regardless of the identity of this body -- John.

ROBERTS: Petraeus, General Petraeus, had said over the weekend that he believed that two of the missing soldiers were alive. The commander of the unit that Arwa Damon is embedded with which has been searching for these soldiers said he believe that all three might be alive.

Anything to explain that discrepancy between those two claims?

PERRY: Well, what they're basing this on, really, is forensic tests on the scene. They went through that scene with a fine tooth comb and studied exactly what happened.

Now, General Petraeus, as you mentioned, on Friday told "The Army Times" not only does he believe that two are probably alive, one potentially dead, but he also said, interestingly enough, that he believes he knows the al Qaeda leader that was involved in planning and involved in this attack. He said, "We've dealt with him before."

So they're sifting through massive amounts of intelligence as they go door to door doing interviews, talking to people. They're trying to sift through that intelligence to find out which intelligence is legitimate and which is not -- John.

ROBERTS: All right. Cal Perry, our bureau chief for us, live in Baghdad.

And, of course, we'll keep going back to Cal throughout the morning as more information starts to trickle in to our Baghdad bureau -- Kiran.

CHETRY: And President Bush speaking at the graduation of the Coast Guard Academy today. He's expected to reveal recently declassified intelligence about Osama bin Laden and whether or not bin Laden personally ordered the creation of a terror cell in Iraq to launch attacks against the United States.

The intelligence from a two-year-old report claims bin Laden ordered a top lieutenant, Ibn al-Sheikh al-Libbi, to set up a dedicated cell that was going to attack America. President Bush is expected to say the report is proof that a pullout from Iraq would leave al Qaeda with a safe haven in the heart of the Middle East.

What's not clear is how al-Libbi would have ever carried out bin Laden's order. He's been in U.S. custody since 2002.

There's also a new tape purportedly from bin Laden's right-hand man, Ayman al Zawahiri, praising a Taliban leader killed in Afghanistan, saying that hundreds of his followers are prepared and equipped to attack coalition forces in Afghanistan.

ROBERTS: It's 6:32 now.

It appears that President Bush has won this round in the fight over funding for the war in Iraq. Democratic leaders in Congress are close to signing off on a bill without timelines for troop withdrawal.

The emerging compromise would end the veto standoff on war funding. The bill puts no restrictions on the president and gives billions of dollars for programs to help Katrina victims and drought- stricken farmers. The war funding compromise, which Democrats hope that the president will sign by week's end, is a temporary truce in the battle over Iraq.

John Dickerson is the chief political correspondent for slate.com. He joins me now from Washington.

So, could you describe this, John, as anything but a complete cave-in on the part of the Democrats?

JOHN DICKERSON, SLATE.COM: It is a cave-in, John, if for no other reason than since the November election, Democrats have been saying -- to pressure the president -- they've been saying, look, the American people voted and sent us a message to get America out of Iraq. Well, Democrats haven't done that so far. So, for now, it's a win for the president and a loss for Democratic leaders in Congress.

ROBERTS: Democrats certainly tried to put the best face on it yesterday. Take a quick listen to what Illinois congressman Rahm Emanuel said in the wake of that compromise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RAHM EMANUEL (D), ILLINOIS: I view this as the beginning of the end of the president's policy on Iraq in this way: it ends the blank check on more troops, more money, more time, and more of the same.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: You know, Mississippi governor Haley Barbour used to have a favorite statement, John, saying, "Lipstick on a pig." Is that what the Democrats are doing here?

DICKERSON: Well, a little bit. I mean, they're going to their activists and saying, look, this is a small, incremental step. We're going to keep on the president over the summer.

We've got some other things for you. We got an increase in the minimum wage, we got help for Katrina victims, some health care for children. So, they're saying, look, we did the best we can, and this is the beginning of a process, but yes, they're trying to make the best of a tough situation.

ROBERTS: You know, I was surprised to see Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, saying that she is so upset by the bill that she negotiated that she may vote against the Iraq part of it.

DICKERSON: Yes, that's right. She said she'll vote against it if it doesn't have timelines for troop withdrawal. So, this is some sense of, on the one hand, they're saying this is the beginning of the process, and on the other hand, she's voting against it. So it's a bit of mixed message.

ROBERTS: So, the Republicans are claiming victory here. John Boehner said that this is the end of the surrender deadlines. But, I mean, President Bush is not out of the woods yet, because if General Petraeus doesn't report something positive by this fall, I expect that a lot of Republicans would start to defect on it, wouldn't they?

DICKERSON: That's exactly right. Republicans are doing their own wild spinning here, too. This is the Democrats -- the Republicans and the president are in a tough spot. And they may have bought themselves a little bit of time here, but remember, there are a lot of Republicans who are saying to the White House, look, if things don't really improve by September, we're going to have to go to a plan B here. Things are going to -- you know, we're going to start losing Republicans on this.

So, it's a win for the president for the moment, but he's still in a very tough spot, and things have to really improve by September.

ROBERTS: Yes. All right.

John Dickerson from slate.com.

Thanks.

DICKERSON: Thank you.

ROBERTS: Always appreciate seeing you in here this early.

CHETRY: Well, we know it's been a crazy year for weather. Severe droughts taking place in the South and in the West, heartland. Also hail, possible tornadoes again in Kansas overnight. We're going to talk about what cities are the wettest this year, what cities are the driest, and a look ahead at what is shaping up to a long, hot summer.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kiran, the matriarch of the Florida Everglades, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, once called it a river of grass. Lately, that river, thanks to a drought, is barely a trickle.

I'll have that story coming up on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: We're following a breaking story from Iraq this morning. A body has been found that could be one of the missing American soldiers.

Iraqis say it was a western-looking man with a tattoo and wearing U.S. military pants. The body was found floating in the Euphrates River about 20 miles south of the spot where U.S. forces were attacked 12 days ago. The U.S. military is working on identifying the body right now.

CHETRY: Large sections of the country suffering from a severe drought. In Florida, the dry conditions are taking a serious toll on the Everglades.

CNN's John Zarrella is live in Plantation, Florida, with more for us on that.

Hi, John.

ZARRELLA: Hi, Kiran.

Well, I'm at the Jacaranda golf course in Broward County. And during a normal year, this lake behind me that you can see would be at least two feet higher. But right now, most of the state of Florida is in the midst of a gripping drought, one of the worst in the state's history.

Ironically, a lot of rain has been falling lately on south Florida, as the rainy season has begun, but it's falling in all the wrong places.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (voice over): In some spots, the water was more than a foot deep. Seven inches of rain fell on parts of Miami this past weekend, but rain needed to fall over Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades, primary sources of water for five million people. None did.

(on camera): This is bad, about as bad as you've seen it?

FRED SKLAR, SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DIST.: Just about, yes.

ZARRELLA (voice over): We flew over the Everglades water conservation areas with Fred Sklar, a chief scientist for the area.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks great, doesn't it?

ZARRELLA: In places, the river of grass is barely a trickle. The brown and white patches below are completely dried up.

SKLAR: This time of year, normally what I would find would be at least half a foot of water over this area, and we would be surrounded by wading birds.

ZARRELLA: There are no birds, no water. During most dry seasons, 600 million gallons of water a day would be pumped from this area eastward to coastal well fields. There, it would help keep fresh water flowing. This year, with no water to pump, the fields are being shut down to prevent saltwater intrusion.

An even bigger concern out here is fire.

SKLAR: This could go up at any minute.

ZARRELLA: The ground is not dirt, but organic material, 100 years of decomposed vegetation. A fire out here in this peat could last weeks. There are already fires burning along the fringes of the glades. You could see them as you drive along Alligator Alley, where forestry crews are setting backfires to keep the flames from reaching the road.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: Now, South Florida Water Management District scientists are telling us that it's going to take an abnormally high rainy season. We're going to need about three feet of water to break out of this drought -- Kiran.

CHETRY: All right. Maybe a couple of Category 1 hurricanes could do it. John, thanks so much.

ZARRELLA: Thank you.

ROBERTS: Forty-two minutes now after the hour. Chad Myers is here talking about the extreme weather.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHETRY: Still to come, President Bush revealing newly declassified information about Osama bin Laden today in his speech at the Coast Guard Academy graduation. And we had a chance to spend some time with some of the cadets who will be listening to the president today. We're going to show you why the class of 2007 is making history.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Well, we're following a breaking story out of Iraq this morning. A body has been found that may be that of one of the three missing soldiers, the soldiers who have been missing in Iraq since an attack near Yusufiya 12 days ago.

Apparently, the body was found in a canal wearing military-style pants. The body also reported to have a tattoo on one of its arms.

Iraqi police have turned the body over to U.S. military forces, who are actively working on trying to identify the remains. Major General William Caldwell, who is the spokesman for multinational forces in Iraq, has got his weekly Wednesday briefing coming up in about 12 minutes' times. We'll monitor that for you. If they've got some further information, we'll bring you that straight away -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Well, we've been talking all this morning about President Bush. He's going to be giving a speech a little bit this morning at the United States Coast Guard Academy. It's in New London, Connecticut.

He's expected to reveal some classified information about a plan by Osama bin Laden to attack America from a cell within Iraq. The president talking about this as he makes his case for continuing the war on terror and the war in Iraq.

We recently had a chance to spend time, though, with the Coast Guard cadets, the ones that will be listening to President Bush's speech today. And they are actually doing some of their own stuff, making some news as they make history when it comes to the Coast Guard.

Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHETRY (voice over): In New London, Connecticut, they still carry out the drills of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy the same way they did 131 years ago, but with a few notable exceptions.

Jayna McCarron is one of 77 women graduating from the academy this year. A homecoming queen and high school track star from Massachusetts, McCarron says she was more interested in making the grade than making a point.

JAYNA MCCARRON, COAST GUARD CADET: That's why I was thinking, why not? It's an hour and a half from my house, free education.

CHETRY (on camera): Did you know how many other women were going to be joining you as cadets?

MCCARRON: I didn't know how many, what the percentage was, or anything, but I knew that it was a place I wanted to try and it would be hard. But the percentage didn't matter to me.

CHETRY (voice over): Roughly one-third of the graduates are women, and that is a milestone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You all have the highest number of women graduates ever.

(APPLAUSE)

CHETRY (on camera): What drew you to the Coast Guard over some of the other branches?

MCCARRON: It was the missions. They're much more humanitarian. I like that. We have search and rescue and drug interdiction.

CHETRY (voice over): About 2,000 active duty members of the Coast Guard are in Iraq.

(on camera): There's always the possibility that you may be asked to go to Iraq. Would you go if they needed you?

MCCARRON: I would, absolutely. It did cross my mind going to the military academy, but in the Coast Guard, we mostly do stay on the coast here in the United States.

CHETRY (voice over): And now in the post-9/11 environment, that means protecting U.S. borders against possible terror attacks.

(on camera): How fast are we going right now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 14.5.

CHETRY (voice over): Cadets train in hands-on labs such as this ship simulator, where Cadet McCarron piloted us through a mock storm.

(on camera): I really feel like we're moving.

Is there anything about your four years here that's different than what you expected coming in?

MCCARRON: I didn't even know when I showed up that I was going to be yelled at. Honestly, I wasn't expecting it. There's definitely a higher volume of leadership.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: She was great. And, you know, this graduation is going to be marking another milestone for the academy because it's 30 years since they first allowed the first women to enter.

ROBERTS: Nice job of driving the boat, by the way.

CHETRY: She did all the work.

ROBERTS: Coming up, we'll tell you why the crackdown on illegal immigrants could be taking food off your table.

And forget Lassie. We'll show you how a mother deck sent a message to humans to help her rescue her ducklings.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. The most news in the morning is on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Well, for the men out there worried about cell phone radiation affecting your fertility, now there's underwear to protect your wedding tackle.

A Swiss company is weaving silver threads into its briefs. They say that that blocks radiation. The underwear isn't in stores yet, but it will cost about $24 when it's available.

There are some studies out there linking cell phone use and lower sperm counts. But scientists don't seem ready to make the connection. Of course the underwear company...

CHETRY: That guy in the picture looks very happy.

ROBERTS: Didn't he though?

CHETRY: Yes.

ROBERTS: The underwear companies are willing to make that connection because they can make a buck off of it.

CHETRY: Exactly. The guy looked very pleased with himself. I should move this Blackberry. It shouldn't be so close to you.

ROBERTS: How do you know that I haven't already purchased the...

CHETRY: Well, if you did, you're covered. There you go.

Carrie Lee joins us right now with a look at the business today.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

CHETRY: Well, coming up -- well, we have a couple of "Quick Hits" for you right now, actually.

(NEWSBREAK)

CHETRY: The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.

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