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War Spending Bill Heads for President's Desk; Shiite Leader Out of Hiding; Mid-Level Officers Leaving Army in Droves; Americans Being Detained in Iran
Aired May 25, 2007 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CO-HOST: Hello. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
T.J. HOLMES, CO-HOST: And I'm T.J. Holmes, sitting in today for Don Lemon.
You -- you -- us, all of us are about to make another big payment on the war in Iraq.
WHITFIELD: President Bush wins this round, but war critics promise this is not over yet.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: The war-spending bill, all $120 billion of it, hits the president's desk today. It's the product of compromise, but it's also considered a major coup for the president.
To Washington now and CNN's Brianna Keilar, keeping an eye on all those types of particulars for us.
Good afternoon to you, Brianna.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, T.J. This bill funds military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, but there are no deadlines for troop withdrawal.
There are benchmarks, however. And if the Iraqi government doesn't not meet economic and political goals set in the bill, there is a threat to cut off economic aid.
Democrats admit they lost the battle on this one, but they are vowing to continue their fight against the war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Yesterday, Congress took a new small step in the direction of accountability that the Americans have demanded in the war in Iraq. I would have hoped for more, but it does represent a change in direction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: House Republican leaders were also at the mics today. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell hailed the passage of a bill that did not include what he called surrender dates.
But McConnell made it clear that Republicans, like Democrats, are looking for a change in direction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MINORITY LEADER: I think that the handwriting is on the wall that we are going in a different direction in the fall, and I expect the president to -- to lead it. In other words, I think he, himself, has certainly indicated he's not happy with where we are. And I think we are looking for a new direction in the fall.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So even though this was a success for President Bush, it's the first time he will sign a bill that directly challenges his strategy in Iraq. And this was a bill with a significant amount of Republican support, and that signifies, T.J., a shift in the political landscape on the Hill when it comes to Iraq.
HOLMES: All right, Brianna, not quite signed, sealed, and delivered, the emphasis there on signed. When is the president expected to sign this bill?
KEILAR: Well, this bill should be sent to the White House sometime this afternoon, and President Bush is expected to sign it in private, T.J.
HOLMES: In private. All right. Our Brianna Keilar for us. Thank you so much, Brianna.
And the troops aren't the only ones who will benefit from this bill. It also includes a minimum wage increase, the first in a decade, and billions of dollars in domestic spending.
That's $3 billion for military health care programs. Also, $6.5 million for hurricane relief among the Gulf Coast -- along the Gulf Coast, I should say. Three billion dollars, also, in drought relief for farmers, and $650 million for children's health insurance programs.
Also, $40 million in recovery aid for the town of Greensburg, Kansas. Of course, that's the town that was wiped out by a tornado three weeks ago.
WHITFIELD: He spent the last four months lying low, reportedly in Iran while U.S. Forces in Iraq launched a crackdown. Today, the radical cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, showed up in southern Iraq with some fiery words for his supporters.
CNN's Paula Hancocks is standing by in Baghdad with more -- Paula.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka. Well, certainly, Muqtada al-Sadr has always had the same thing to say when it comes to the Americans and the fact that the U.S. troops are still in Iraq.
Now, he has been missing from the public eye for many months, but he chose today, this Friday, to come back on camera.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Muqtada al-Sadr is back in the public eye, and his message hasn't changed: America go home.
In his first public appearance in months, the radical Shiite cleric led Friday prayers at Kufa Mosque near the holy city of Najaf, urging Iraqis to stop fighting each other and unite against what he sees as the common enemy.
MUQTADA AL-SADR, SHIITE CLERIC (through translator): From time to time we hear of clashes between our brothers in the Mehdi army and the brothers of the Iraqi army and police.
Pay attention: this is an important point. As far as I know, the occupation is behind this, creating an excuse for it to stay in our beloved Iraq. So don't give it a reason, please.
HANCOCKS: Sadr is a constant target, the security he travels with a testament to the level of risks he takes every time he shows his face.
The U.S. military claims he's been hiding in Iran since the Baghdad security crackdown kicked off in February. Sadr's aides say differently, that he's been in Iraq all along, just out of sight.
But the question is, why did al-Sadr reappear now? One suggestion is he sees a political vacuum forming in Iraq. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is struggling to keep his coalition together. Add to that one of al-Sadr's major rivals, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq, is out of the country, undergoing treatment for cancer in Iran.
Al-Sadr also called for the Iraqi people and not the government to decide when the U.S. troops should leave. He knows from past experiences he has the power to call hundreds of thousands onto the streets.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HANCOCKS: And there's also the argument that the reason al-Sadr picked today to come back into the public eye is that he wanted to show his Mehdi army exactly who is boss.
Recent sectarian violence here in Baghdad have been blamed on certain elements of his militia. He wanted to make sure that nothing was done without his say so.
Now, of course, what the U.S. military wants to know now is whether or not al-Sadr is back for good or whether he will disappear again for a few months -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Paula Hancocks, thanks so much.
HOLMES: Two weeks ago tomorrow, two American soldiers were attacked south of Baghdad, and they haven't been seen or heard from since, 25-year-old Specialist Alex Jimenez and 19-year-old Private Byron Fouty.
Thousands of U.S. and Iraqi troops have been working around the clock, combing the countryside. Initially, three soldiers were missing, but the body of one turned up this week in the Euphrates River.
Private Fouty's family struggling now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON DIBLER, PRIVATE BYRON FOUTY'S STEPFATHER: After learning his deployment, we anticipated his calls every day. I recall one in March, a conversation we had, that Byron said, "It's a good thing we are here because we are doing good things."
The last time I spoke with him was on his 19th birthday. In that conversation, he was considering requesting an assignment as a medic, knowing that he would be helping people as he saw others doing in Iraq.
In closing, I want to thank everyone for all of their prayers and their heartfelt support. I can't tell you the anguish that my daughter and my family feels every moment. I -- can't take a breath without thinking about them.
I also want to thank the community for everything they've contributed to forming my stepson into the man he is today. And we want him home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Here now, a recent photo of Private Byron Fouty taken in Iraq. Not sure how long ago this picture was taken.
Now a picture of Specialist Alex Jimenez. That's on the left of your screen there. Neither man has been seen since May 12. That's when an insurgent ambush killed four U.S. service members in their unit plus an Iraqi translator.
And now, here are the numbers. The American military death toll in Iraq so far is at 3,441, 90 of those killed this month alone.
And this Memorial Day weekend, turn your frequent flier miles into hero miles. Fisher House will use those miles to transports service men and women wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan and their families to treatment centers around the country.
Pretty simple here: just go to FisherHouse.org. Donate your frequent flier miles this weekend, and participating airlines will actually match your contribution.
WHITFIELD: Well, this Memorial Day weekend, a lot of folks are hitting the roadways. Well, if you're in California, you need to pay attention to this.
A vital stretch of freeway outside Oakland reopened to the traffic, and it's opened itself to a lot of criticism, as well. Commuters were told repairs could take weeks, if not months, after a gasoline tanker truck crashed and burned less than four weeks ago, sparking a fire so hot it melted an upper deck.
Engineers say the speedy repairs are sound, but a Berkeley professor isn't so convinced. He has a grant to study the collapse and whether the rebuilt structure can withstand a major earthquake.
HOLMES: Imprisoned in Iran. Coming up in the NEWSROOM, a growing number of Americans held on political charges.
WHITFIELD: The politics of war coming up. The vote to keep funding the war in Iraq puts the presidential hopefuls on the firing line. How their votes could affect their prospects, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: And road warriors abandoning the office for the beach and beyond. So will it rain on that parade of yours? We've got your Memorial Day weekend forecast. That is straight ahead here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Major defections? More like captain defections. Huge numbers of mid level Army officers, primarily captains, are leaving the military. They're also leaving a huge void that will be felt long after the current wars are over.
CNN's Alina Cho reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a time of peace, a few months before 9/11 and the war on terror. Angela and Dave Lanmborn were graduating from West Point. The two met there, married, and started a family.
Dave shipped off to Iraq soon after their first child was born. Angela stayed behind, but she was worried about both of them being deployed at the same time. So she decided to leave active duty just a year after her five-year commitment was up.
(on camera) So how did that make you feel?
CAPT. ANGELA LAMBORN, LEAVING U.S. ARMY: A sense of guilt in a way because I was leaving during a time of war. But at the same time, a sense of relief, because I knew that there was going to be somebody at home to take care of the children. CHO (voice-over): The Army is losing mid-level officers at a rate not seen since the Vietnam War. Thirty-six percent of officers who graduated from West Point in 2001 left the service last year, after fulfilling their five-year active duty requirement.
At the start of the Iraq war, half as many, 18 percent left.
Some, like Angela, leave for family reasons. Others cite multiple deployments, fatigue over the war in Iraq.
LT. GEN. DANIEL CHRISTMAN, FORMER U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY SUPERINTENDENT: We're losing the next generation of future combat leaders for the Army. Ultimately, that's what's at stake here.
CHO: Just this week, the Army rolled out new incentives for those who are most likely to leave: captains. Among the enticements, a $20,000 bonus for three more years of active duty, or for just one more year, language training or additional military training.
COL. PAUL ASWELL, U.S. ARMY: We want those officers to stay in. There's no other way to get them.
CHO: While Dave Lamborn prepares for another combat tour in Afghanistan, Angela will stay home, serving her family.
LAMBORN: The best of both worlds. You know, my husband is going to be serving. I'm going to be right by his side.
CHO: She says by supporting her husband, she's serving her country, as well.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And now to Annapolis, Maryland, where the naval academy's class of -- yay -- 2007 threw their hats in the air a short time ago. Always a great moment.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates gave the commencement address. He told the grads they're beginning their military service at a great time of necessity and commended them for choosing the academy and the military life.
HOLMES: We're up on 1:15, and here are three of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.
President Bush expected to sign the news Iraq war funding bill later today. The $120 billion measure passed both houses of Congress yesterday. It requires the president to issue a status report but does not contain a timetable for troop withdrawals.
More people than ever are expected to hit the road this weekend, despite those record gas prices. AAA predicts 38 million motorists will travel more than 50 miles from home through Memorial Day. And in California, scientists plan to spray those two wayward whales with fire hoses in their latest attempt to get them moving back downstream. These things are stressed out.
WHITFIELD: I know. What else?
HOLMES: What else are they going to do to them? Two humpbacks were first spotted in Sacramento -- in the Sacramento River more than ten days ago.
WHITFIELD: And then there's this: an ugly trend in Iran. Since earlier this year, it appears the Iranian government has singled out Americans for political harassment. At least one has disappeared. Another had her passport revoked. And just this month, three have been jailed on political charges.
From Tehran now, here's CNN's Aneesh Raman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In what's emerging as a disturbing trend, Human Rights Watch today revealed that another American is allegedly being held in custody in Iran. His name is Ali Shakeri, a businessman from California, and friends of his who spoke to Human Rights Watch say he was detained earlier this month.
At least five Americans now are in varying degrees of alleged custody. One of them cannot leave the country, her passport taken in January. Another is missing, although U.S. officials contend he is in Iranian custody.
And three others are reportedly having -- three others reportedly have been detained. Among them is Haleh Esfandiari, who has been in prison, the Iranian officials say, for working against the government here.
It's been very difficult within Iran to get anyone to talk to us about her case, given the sensitivity of the charges. But we did speak to Sabek Zibakilam (ph), a professor at Tehran University who twice met Haleh Esfandiari and said he was shocked when he heard what the charges were, that it simply did not match who he knew.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was somewhat sympathetic towards the Islamic leaders (ph), saying that "We have these radicals. We have the same radicals back in Washington. But there are so many moderate, so many well educated Iranians within the Islamic regime.
RAMAN: Zibakilam (ph) says the detainment of Esfandiari and the others could be a part of a broader Iranian strategy to send a message to the United States.
Keep in mind that for over four months now, five Iranian diplomats have been kept in custody by the U.S. military inside Iraq. There have been no charges, though the investigations go on. And Zibakilam (ph) says Iran could be saying that it can also do the same thing. In the middle, though, are people like Haleh Esfandiari, who he says was working to bring the two countries together, who, instead, will spend another night in an Iranian jail.
Aneesh Raman, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The politics of war. Coming up, the vote to keep funding the war in Iraq with the presidential hopefuls on the firing lines. How their votes could affect their prospects.
That's straight ahead here in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: And try, try again. Fingers are crossed. At this hour, the Coast Guard is on whale patrol again, trying to prod two wayward whales toward the sea. Coming up in the NEWSROOM, we'll tell you what method they're trying today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A sudden plunge for an 18-wheeler. The rig ended up in the river this morning after a ramp collapsed at a shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. We do understand that the driver was able to get out and is OK.
And the truck sank into the water. You can just barely see it there. The Coast Guard and a building inspector are investigating now.
WHITFIELD: So Congress passes the first minimum wage hike in a decade. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us why there's little fanfare going on right now after so many years of controversy.
Is it just not sinking in yet with people?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, Fred, it's politics at work. Two words: war funding.
Congress approved that bill yesterday, and attached was the federal minimum wage hike which, of course, had been so hotly debated leading up to last year's midterm elections.
The minimum wage has been stuck at $5.15 an hour since 1997. The increase will boost wages for America's lowest paid workers by a total of $2.10 over a little more than two years and it will come in a series of three 70-cent increments.
The measure also includes nearly $5 billion in tax breaks to help businesses offset the higher costs.
The White House says the cuts aren't focused enough on small businesses. Still, attaching the wage increase to a must-pass war funding bill virtually guarantees that the hike and tax breaks will take effect. The president is expected to sign the bill maybe as soon as this weekend.
WHITFIELD: How interesting. Some states have already passed their own required minimum wages. So how does the federal hike impact those measures?
LISOVICZ: Right. Well, only 12 states, Fred, have minimum wage standards at this point above the federal minimum. The government says there were still about 1.7 million workers making $5.15 an hour or less last year. So most people would benefit, those people who are making minimum wages.
Democrats say the measures approved yesterday would boost the incomes of about 13 million workers in addition to those who earn less than $7.25 an hour. Some who earn slightly more will see their wages rise, as well, as part of a ripple effect.
(STOCK REPORT)
LISOVICZ: In the next hour of NEWSROOM, I'll tell you why Coke is betting on something other than cola.
Fred and T.J., a big story right in your back yard.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Got to keep them guessing out there. Folks, you know, aren't supposed to settle in on just cola alone, I guess.
LISOVICZ: Diversified portfolio, if you will.
WHITFIELD: That's right. All right. Thanks a lot, Susan.
HOLMES: This hour, the Coast Guard resumes operations in the Sacramento River, where two wayward whales are showing signs of distress. Well, no kidding.
The whales swam up the river last week all the way to Sacramento, then started back down on Sunday. But unfortunately, they stopped about a third of a way to San Francisco. Yesterday, officials let the animals rest after they didn't respond to clanging sounds meant to shoo them downstream.
Today's idea, massive water hoses.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GREG HURNER, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME: The fire boat is a first. We don't know whether it will be a deterrent or an attractant. And that's why we want to experiment with it. And that's why we don't have a lot of other operations going on at the same time so we can really evaluate what the fire boat brings to the operation.
And then if it -- you know, then we'll use it appropriately. If they respond to it in either way, then, we'll -- you know, we'll -- then we'll respond and use that appropriately.
And it may be something that, if the whales respond to, either as a deterrent or an attractant, that we would utilize for operations starting next week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The officials are keeping a cordon around the two whales, and they're warning holiday pleasure boaters to steer clear of the animals, or you'll face possible charges.
Next hour, we will speak to the Coast Guard.
WHITFIELD: This hour, President Bush has been at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, meeting with a number of the war wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan.
And we're about to receive some tape, some comments that he's made about the war spending supplemental bill. The president getting almost everything he wanted about additional spending through September for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He also had a chance to meet firsthand with a number of the war wounded. Just moments ago, outside of the naval medical center, he had this to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you very much.
This effort shows what can happen when people work together. We set a good bill that didn't have timetables or tell the military how to do its job. But also sent a clear signal to the Iraqis that there's expectations here in America, expectations that we expect -- about how to move forward.
I look forward to continuing to work with the prime minister and his government and in meeting those expectations.
I also an honored to be here at this place of compassion and healing on Memorial Day weekend. The weekend gives us a chance to honor those who have served this country, whether it be in this war or in previous wars.
I -- in -- in being here, I also want to honor the healers here in Bethesda. The health care here is remarkable. They're dealing with some of the, you know, very tragic injuries in this war. People come here without much hope, and they leave, in many cases, healed and ready to move on with their lives. So I thank the doctors and nurses.
I also thank the soldiers and their families who I met here. People are remarkably brave and courageous. I'm constantly amazed at the strength of character of those who wear the uniform. To be the commander in chief of such men and women is -- is really an awesome honor.
And, so to our troops and their families, may God bless you. May God continue to bless our country.
Thank you all very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: President Bush's comments at Bethesda there. And as we head into the weekend to honor military heroes, the president, while at the naval medical center there, also presented Purple Hearts to a number of the war wounded. We don't know exactly how many.
But you can tell by his tone, as well, a very somber start to the weekend of honoring this country's military heroes -- T.J.
HOLMES: It may seem to a lot of you, you just can't smoke anywhere anymore. Bars, restaurants, even outdoors in some places, you can't smoke. But you can always smoke at home. Well, maybe not! We'll have those details for you coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: New today from the search for two American soldiers missing for two weeks after an insurgent ambush killed everyone else in their patrol. U.S. troops to detain 22 people today south of Baghdad and found nearly two tons of hidden weapons and explosives.
The Army announced the identity of a previously missing soldier, the body of Private First Class Joe Anzack was pulled from the Euphrates. He had been shot. CNN's Arwa Damon reports Anzack's fellow soldiers were taking his death very personally.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty-year-old Private First Class Joseph Anzack. No longer listed as duty status: whereabouts unknown. For his fellow soldiers, conflicting emotions.
CAPT. DON JAMOLES, U.S. ARMY: Closure. It's kind of like more of a relief feeling knowing that the bodies have been recovered -- well, Anzack's body has been recovered. I'm more relieved probably more for the families just knowing that they know where their son is and that he's been recovered intact and that they can put it all to rest for them now.
DAMON: Captain Don Jamoles led Delta Company, a unit formed under his command about a year and a half ago. The kidnapped and killed soldiers were with First Platoon, one of his best.
JAMOLES: With these soldiers, they're the ones that made up the company. So we've had - we've reached milestones together so there's a little bit more camaraderie because of that. You don't expect -- you tell the guys, especially these guys who came in, the young privates, they come in at a time of war. And they know that they're going to get deployed sooner or later. And they're going to come to war.
And we've explained to them, that, hey, there will be times where we will have casualties, we will have death. And that's the fact of war. People die. DAMON: Anzack's boots were just added to these five pairs. The four Americans and one Iraqi also killed in the May 12 attack.
JAMOLES: I can't bring him back. I did promise them I would bring him home. So, if anything, we bring them home one way or the other.
DAMON: Preparations are under way for the memorial service for the soldiers lost.
PVT. DUSTIN BOYD, U.S. ARMY: It kind of hits home. You sit there and you think about a soldier that you knew. Someone you ate with and you went and did things with and joked around and played cards. And some of them you knew their families and to just sit there and clean their helmet and to know that they're gone. It just really hits home.
DAMON: In the midst of war, the battalion's men look for a moment of peace to absorb what's happened.
CAPT. JEFF BRYAN, U.S. ARMY CHAPLAIN: A lot of guys are seeing that they're coming here to the chapel to -- to just find a quiet place where they can just gather their thoughts and try to -- try to process the hurt and the thoughts.
DAMON: But the realities of war soon intrude. There are still two missing soldiers that must be found -- somehow. Arwa Damon, CNN, Yusifiyah, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And joining us later on in this program, someone from Joe Anzack's home front, coach Josh Waybright from South (ph) High School in Torrance, California, a football coach, a mentor and friend who is remembering his standout player from a town in mourning today. He'll with us shortly after 3:00 p.m. Eastern.
HOLMES: And as we mentioned a short time ago, President Bush plans to sign the new Iraq War funding bill today. It passed Congress just yesterday over the objections of many Democrats, including some presidential candidates, a couple of high-profile ones at that. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were the two most high- profile no votes. What will that vote mean for the presidential hopes?
We will bring in our senior political analyst Bill Schneider. All right, Bill, they're being criticized. Clinton and Obama by a Republican. John McCain. OK. That's understandable. He actually called it really, "the height of irresponsibility," is what he said it was. OK. That's fine. We can hear the attack ads being played in our head now for the general election. But as far as the Democratic nomination, is their vote going to hurt them one bit?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I don't think so. Because Democrats are overwhelmingly opposed to this war. And they want it to end. And according to the latest poll from the CBS News and the "New York Times," the country is increasingly anti-war. Their poll shows that opposition to the war in Iraq, pessimism about the war has reached new heights and that Americans are increasingly exasperated by this.
So, I think, for the immediate future, no, the consequences are not going to be politically very dangerous.
HOLMES: OK, if it was a close vote, let's say. And suppose Clinton or Obama, their votes are that much more critical. And it could have been a deciding vote, that if they had voted this way, the troops would not have gotten the funding, will they have gone the way they did and voted no?
SCHNEIDER: Well, we can't be sure. They insist, of course, they voted the way they voted which was no, against the war funding, as a matter of deep conviction. I think it's reasonable to say if the vote had failed, if the funds had not been approved, the political consequences might have been greater. Because then there would have been something like an emergency or crisis over war funding and there would have been probably a higher volume of criticism for those who had voted no.
As it is, the bills pass and so there was no immediate crisis.
HOLMES: All right, the criticism is a timetable. There was a compromise on the big issue of timetables. Some might call it a cave- in by the Democrats. But there is no timetable in it.
Is there enough in it, the other parts about the Iraqi government having to satisfy certain benchmarks and the president having to report back. And is there enough in there to hold off some of those primary voters, some of those Democrats.
SCHNEIDER: I'm not sure I'd say there's enough Democrats that want a timetable -- the country supports a timetable according to the poll I just cited. They have for sometime. They want the war to end. They supported the initial bill which funded the troops but opposed a deadline for withdrawal.
There is something in this -- it did force the president to accept benchmarks, something he said he wouldn't do a couple of months ago. So there is a precedent that said he will accept the funding with some conditions. It insists that the administration give reports on the progress of the troop buildup, first in July, then in September.
And a lot of Republicans are saying already that they'll hold off until September but they can't promise support beyond that. And of course Democrats are saying they intend to keep the pressure on the White House, the pressure on the Republicans throughout the summer. There's going to be more votes. This is only the beginning. And they claim they've made a start, they forced the president to accept some conditions. But for most Democrats, that's far from enough.
HOLMES: So we're just getting started with this thing here. Our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, good to see you, sir. SCHNEIDER: Thank you.
HOLMES: And you can hear from yourself from the candidates on CNN coming up in less than two weeks when we host the Democrats' debate on Sunday, June 3 from New Hampshire and the Republicans coming up just two days later.
WHITFIELD: And T.J., chaos in Killeen, Texas in the form of weather. Heavy rains overnight turned roads into rivers keeping rescue teams pretty busy pulling motorists from the rising, rushing waters just like you're seeing right here. At one point, every intersection in the city was flooded. And power lines were down. And amazingly, no one was seriously hurt. Jacqui Jeras, how does is it looking for those parades and picnics throughout the holiday weekend? Aside from Kileen, Texas. Hopefully they've dried out by now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right. We love to hear that. Thanks so much, Jacqi.
Well, take a look at this -- a pretty phenomenal sighting but one that makes you really nervous if you're close. It's a twister at sea, however. At least that's what some people are calling it. This massive water spout was spotted by CNN I-Reporter Patricia Alix in the eastern part of Singapore. Other witnesses say it spun around for about 15 minutes before finally dissipating. Incredible sight.
HOLMES: Well, here is another sight you don't see that often in public -- people smoking. You can't smoke too many places anymore. Bars, restaurants, even outdoors in some places. Especially in California, you know you can't smoke on the beaches, parks, some things like that ...
WHITFIELD: It's always a health thing.
HOLMES: But you can go home and smoke, right?
WHITFIELD: Well, that's what some folks used to think.
HOLMES: Not so much. Those details ahead in THE NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We do want to let you know about something we're keeping an eye on out of Dulles International. There is a plane right now, a United 747 jet that is circling that airport right now trying to burn off some fuel because an engine, we understand, has gone out on that plane. One out of its four engines gone out. This is a flight that was supposed to go to D.C. to Beijing. And an engine went out. It can function, it can fly with the three. But certainly a long flight. They want to make sure.
So they come back to make an emergency landing. Our Kathleen Koch is actually keeping an eye on this. Has more details for us. Kathleen, what do you have? KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Basically, this flight took off at some point earlier today, this according to FAA spokesman Laura Brown from Dulles Airport, as you mentioned, headed to Beijing, China. A very long flight, so this 747, a very large aircraft is carrying quite a bit of fuel.
Now according to Laura Brown, there are reports that the plane is dumping the fuel because it clearly doesn't want to land and make essentially what will be an emergency landing packed and loaded up with all of the fuel that they would need to fly all the way to China.
So there were reports on another network that the engine might be on fire. However, I just got off the phone with Dulles Airport operations, they said they saw no fire whatsoever in this fourth engine. And again, this aircraft is very well equipped to fly on the three engines.
But certainly you don't want to be making a trip of that length on just three engines, so out of an abundance of caution, that plane is apparently, not confirmed but dumping its fuel and will once it gets rid of enough of it, then land at Dulles Airport.
Now we're waiting for a call from United Airlines, this is United Flight 897. To give us more information on just how many passengers were onboard that aircraft. According to the configuration of this plane, it's Boeing 747-400 series. It can hold about 347 passengers. Don't know if it's fully loaded with passengers, but we'll be hearing from United on that shortly.
Back to you.
HOLMES: All right. Thank you so much, Kathleen, for those details. Again, to recap what she's just telling us here, we do know that United Flight 897 going from Washington, D.C. to Beijing. This is a 13, 14-hour plus flight. The flight took off, don't know how many people are onboard.
But one engine has gone out is the report that we're hearing, one engine out of four. Now the plane can function, can fly with three engines, designed to do just that if there is an issue. But because of the length and duration of this flight that is not something that the crew and emergency officials think will be a good idea.
So the plane is now circling the airport. We understand reports that it's trying to dump a little bit, and burn off a little fuel possibly because it's about to or going to have to make what will be, as Kathleen just said, essentially an emergency landing so you don't want - you want as little fuel as possible.
Again, no word on how many people are actually on this flight. Again, this was heading to -- to Beijing. Don't know what might have happened in flight. Don't know what -- what could have happened to this engine. Could it have just been a natural, mechanical issue that his engine went out?
We hear oftentimes of things flying some times into those engines. Who knows what kind of issue this could have been. But right now we know that no issue. It is flying OK right now. But one of the engines is out.
Again, I have to reiterate, these big jets have four engines, they are equipped to fly with three, fly just fine, to function OK with the three. And that it appears what it is doing at this time. However, because of the length of this flight, they did not want to try that. Our Miles O'Brien who certainly knows planes and flights and engines and issues inside and out on the line with us now.
Miles, the issue we're talking about with three engines, it's well equipped to fly with that. But something you want to do on a 13, 14, 15-hour flight?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN HOST (on phone): No, exactly that point, T.J. As a matter of fact, you may recall -- some of my viewers may recall, not too long ago, a few months ago, a British Airways 747 leaving Los Angeles International Airport had a similar situation to occur. They had some sort of compressor stall, that's the term for basically the engine quitting on them.
And they elected -- the crew elected to continue their flight all the way over to England. It didn't quite make it to their ultimate destination, which was London. They had to land short in Manchester because on three engines, the fuel economy is not the same and they weren't able to have enough fuel to get there.
They received a lot of criticism for pressing on with the three engines, their dispatchers there, British Airways said it was OK for them to press on. It was deemed to be -- well, they did that as a cost-saving measure. But there was some criticism that they pressed on with three engines.
The moral of that story though, is, that a 747 can go a very long way with three engines, there is plenty of power and capability. But nonetheless, the prudent thing to do is to come home.
HOLMES: All right. And the prudent thing to do there is to come home. Is the prudent thing also to burn off as much fuel as possible? What is the idea -- Give us an idea if you can, you've got a big jet, you've got four engines. How much fuel -- if this is just taking off, how much fuel is on there and how much time will they possibly need to be circling before they can feel safe that they burned off enough to make a pretty good landing?
O'BRIEN: Well, the 747 does have the capability of dumping fuel. So they don't actually have to burn off every last little ounce. The real issue on burning off fuel or dumping fuel or whatever the case may be, is that a jet -- a big jet like this, has a landing weight which - an ideal landing weight which is less than its takeoff weight. OK? Everything is built in with the notion that you're going to burn a lot of fuel and then land. If you have to land prematurely, you take off with more weight on the airplane.
And that affects the performance on the unlikely case they will have to come in and go around. If they have to, if they land and go to take off on a shortened runway at the end of the runway. And they have too much weight on the airplane. They might not have the performance to do that.
So you don't want to land a plane overweight if you can avoid it. In an emergency, you might do it anyway but in this case because it's just one out of three engines is down. You take the time. Get the airplane down to the ideal landing weight and bring it home.
HOLMES: All right. Our Miles O'Brien. Boy are we lucky to have you on stuff like this. We're keeping an eye on this plane and this situation right here. Looking at some file video, I guess, of a 747 now but I know you'll be on standby here for us. We're keeping an eye on this story. We'll get back to you soon, thanks, Miles. Thanks, buddy.
O'BRIEN: You're welcome.
WHITFIELD: And T.J., again, it's United Flight 897 that's having to dump that fuel as it makes its emergency approach for an emergency landing at Dulles International Airport. Jacqui Jeras is tracking this aircraft. How far out do we believe this aircraft to be from Dulles International Airport?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I don't have an exact mileage on it right now Fredricka, but you can see here's the plane itself. It's to the north of the airport. This little black dot that's right where Dulles is.
This will show you that it's United Airlines flight. There's the flight number, 897-040. That means that it's at about 4,000 feet. So it's flying pretty low. And this number right here, will tell you the heading, the direction it's flying. You can see it's moving on up towards the north.
Tells you that it started out at Dulles and it's expected to be arriving in Beijing. Obviously we're thinking that's not going to happen anymore. But we'll watch it and continue to see it as it moves across the area. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: So at just 4,000 feet, presumably, this wasn't too far after takeoff that it's believed this aircraft experienced this problem in order to turn around and start making its way back.
JERAS: It's supposed to continue to circle around I think, right?
WHITFIELD: Right, dumping this fuel, but at 4,000 feet for a 747, that sounds pretty alarming, doesn't it?
JERAS: Four-thousand feet? I guess you'd have to ask Miles about that? I'm not an aviation expert.
WHITFIELD: Is our Miles O'Brien still around?
HOLMES: We'll have to ask him that. Yes, he is on the ... WHITFIELD: All right. Well, Jacqui, thanks for that information, let's try to get Miles back on the line to perhaps, Miles, tell us a little bit about the concerns that need to exist here when you're talking about a 747 at 4,000 feet?
MILES: I'm a -- 747, 4,000 feet. There's nothing to worry about. They're setting up for their approach to the airport right now. I'm sure what they're doing is they're talking to the controllers. Clearing some air space for them so they can fly in a safe manner in order to get that airplane configured for landing, get the fuel dumped or burned off, the combination of both, in order to get it to that ideal weight for landing.
So I would imagine in this case, this is pretty much like something this crew has done many times in a simulator and the amount of tension would be minimal. They're just running through a checklist. Anytime there's an engine out on an airplane, there's sort of a list of things that you go through.
They are going through the checklist, getting things prepared for landing. Dulles, certainly, with the long runways and its capabilities there is an ideal place for them to go. You want to make sure you have as much runway as possible in these situations.
Because if, in fact, you are coming in, maybe you're coming in a bit little heavy, for example, you would be a situation where there would be a longer roll after the landing. So those are the kind of things that the crew is considering right now. Doing their math, making sure they're the right weight. In conjunction with the controllers.
And 4,000 feet is a good altitude for them to be vectored around to do all this.
WHITFIELD: OK. And so, Miles, what would you surmise as being told to the passengers at this point who are on the plane.
O'BRIEN: I sure they're being told not to worry a bit. I'm sure not sure - I don't know which side of the airplane it was but the passengers on the side of the airplane that saw that compressor, I'm sure, had a start, because it is, I've seen them happen before.
And flames come out of the back of the engine and it looks very dramatic. When it happens, the engine is shut down and shut down quickly and safely. Because there's all kinds of warnings that go off inside the cockpit. And as dramatic as it looks, it's not a huge deal. That engine failure is isolated to that engine.
So I'm sure they had to explain to those passengers that what you saw was not nearly as dramatic as it seems. That we have three perfectly good engines and we're just going to fly around here until we are the right configuration of landing, the right amount of weight. And unfortunately your trip to - not even sure where they're off to. Your trip will be slightly delayed.
WHITFIELD: They were off to Beijing, which would be, you know, flight 12, 13, 14, maybe 15 even hours long. So when you mention flames, Miles, I mean, clearly I'm asking you to look into the crystal ball. But I would imagine a lot of passengers are thinking, wait a minute, is this when oxygen masks would start dropping where we need to, we, as passengers, need to start doing something to prepare for emergency landing. What would they have to prepare for, if anything?
O'BRIEN: Well, there's nothing that would cause decompression or the oxygen masks to fall. Certainly 4,000 feet, even if there's a hole in the side of the airplane at 4,000 feet, there wouldn't be any decompression. Because you can breathe the air up there. The airplane is not pressurized at that point.
So it's a perfectly safe place be. I'm sure people watched a lot of movies, I'm sure a lot of things going through their head. But the fact is that the 747 is not at all in a critical place. And as I point out, a British Airways 747 flew on three engines all the way from L.A. to Manchester, England last year.
And a lot of criticism for that effort, but it proves the redundancy and the capability of this aircraft.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, maybe in this case because it was so soon after takeoff they decided we might as well be safe rather than sorry and go ahead and just turn around and try to make this approach. Miles, thanks so much. I know we're going ask you to stick around a little bit.
But I'm just going to toss it over to T.J. who's going to move on with another part of the discussion.
HOLMES: Yeah, I'm going to hand it over to Jacqui here who is keeping an eye on this flame. And this loop-to-loop we're talking about to dump some fuel, maybe to burn off some fuel. You have got an eye on exactly the path it's kind of taking around?
JERAS: Yeah. We were able to put a history track on it to show you. Here's Dulles. There you can see it took off, went south into Virginia. The whole purple line that you see, it loops around several different times here, and then comes back out to the north.
Flew just off to the east of Dulles Airport, made a turned on up to the north, moved west just a few moments ago. And now you can see it just started moving back down towards the south back towards Dulles.
So it certainly moved southward and made several circling turns and looks like now it is doing some more turning maneuvers. And it's also lowered down to 3,000 feet and maybe Miles can confirm but it depends on which direction that you are flying if you are going north or south or east or west, depending on your altitude to worry about other aircraft that may be in the area.
HOLMES: And Jacqui, can you tell me how much time, if you do know, how much time in that loop we're looking at there, how much time expired. How long would it take them to kind of make - how long have they been doing that right there? JERAS: I don't know. Dave, do you know the answer to that?
HOLMES: On that track we're looking at.
JERAS: How much time elapsed? Yeah, he's not sure. I'll check into that, though. I'll get right on it.
HOLMES: No, sorry to put you on the spot like that, Jacqui, but thank you so much for giving us an idea of exactly what they are doing, trying to burn off some fuel and maybe trying to dump some. Thank you so much, Jacqui.
JERAS: Sure.
WHITFIELD: All right, T.J. Well, usually we call upon General Don Shepperd because he's a military expert but this time we've called upon him because he's also a former commercial pilot and we want to ask you, general, you know, your expertise given we're talking about a flight was bound for Beijing. Shortly after takeoff with some engine problems and now ...
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