Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
War Turning Point?; Senator's 'Serious Sin'; Utah Wildfires; Fake Cop; Watching You; Police Impostors
Aired July 10, 2007 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: The war and the president at a crossroads. Republicans breaking ranks. A new report showing Iraqis missed the mark on every political benchmark.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're now in the fifth year of ground combat operations in Iraq and this deck of cards is coming crashing down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: President Bush hits the road with talks of a new phase in his war strategy, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And it is Tuesday, July 10th. I'm Kiran Chetry, along with John Roberts. Welcome.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you.
Well, the thing that everybody is talking about today, I mean, whether it be on the blogs or just around the newsrooms or whatever, is what happened yesterday between Wolf Blitzer and Michael Moore on "The Situation Room." I e-mailed you and said, you've got to check this out.
CHETRY: I got a curious Blackberry, you know, message yesterday from you saying, look at what's going on right now in "The Situation Room." So we want to show you. Here is just a little clip of what went on yesterday when Wolf Blitzer tried to talk with Michael Moore about his new film "Sicko." Let's look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER, "SICKO": You're the ones who are fudging the facts. You fudged the facts to the American people now for I don't think how long, about this issue, about the war. And I'm just curious, when are you going to just stand there and apologize to the American people for not bringing the truth to them that isn't sponsored by some major corporation?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Oh, there's a whole lot more to it as well and we'll be talking about that this morning. We've got Wolf coming in, Sanjay Gupta as well, who Michael Moore also went off on. CHETRY: Yes, Michael Moore -- right, he tried to take Sanjay Gupta to task because Sanjay Gupta did a fact check off "Sicko." And so we're going to hear his response to some of the criticisms that Michael Moore lobbed over to Sanjay, coming up. So you don't want to miss it. It's going to be very exciting.
ROBERTS: We turn first of all, though, to a possible new turning point in the war in Iraq in signs that July 15th, not September 15th, is the deadline for addressing what happening next. A progress report is due on the 15th. It's set to show that the Iraqis have reached few of the benchmarks set out by the United States. CNN's Barbara Starr is live now at the Pentagon.
And, Barbara, do you have any more of what we can expect in this report?
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, perhaps not very much because, as you say, all the indications are, this report coming July 15th will show that the Iraqis simply have not made the fundamental, enduring progress that the U.S. wants to see in that country. According to all indications, there will be some level of tactical, small progress in the report.
It will talk about a couple of things. It will talk about, for example, insurgents killed, weapons found, some towns now secure. But not Baghdad, not the major, fundamental progress that the U.S. wants to see. Overall, violence in Iraq is not down and that means the government and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki simply is not able to make the political reconciliation and political progress that the U.S. needs to see.
John.
ROBERTS: Barbara, yesterday White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said, hey, look, you can't expect an A in your first report. But, you know, what kind of grade would Pentagon officials give this one?
STARR: Well, it's not the first report, of course, to be clear because, of course, there have been years of reports now about Iraq. I think military commanders are growing increasingly concerned. A lot of talk, as we've all heard, about an alternative military strategy. Maybe just going back to training Iraqis, maybe just going back to fighting al Qaeda. Very tough military business.
How do you even really know who al Qaeda is? There are a lot of groups in Iraq responsible for the violence that is seen there every day. The U.S. seems to point to al Qaeda all the time. But for Defense Secretary Robert Gates, it now appears the major strategy, his major plan b, if you will, is to simply rachet down the temperature, the political temperature, about the war and then try and figure out what to do next.
John.
ROBERTS: All right. Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon this morning.
Barbara, thanks.
So what does President Bush do now? He travels to Cleveland today and is expected to talk about Iraq. We're going to ask White House Press Secretary Tony Snow if there is a change coming. He joins us later on at this hour.
At 7:00 and 8:00 Eastern, we'll talk with Senators Lamar Alexander and Olympia Snowe, Republicans at odds with the White House's current strategy.
CHETRY: A summer sex scandal is brewing in Washington. Now Republican Senator David Vitter's phone number turned up on the D.C. madam's client list. And now the conservative Republican from Louisiana is apologizing. Vitter issued a statement last night saying, "this was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible." AMERICAN MORNING's Sean Callebs is live in New Orleans this morning.
Sean, Senator Vitter, the first elected official caught up in the D.C. madam scandal.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. And he's someone who came out and said, yes, my phone number, before I was in the U.S. Senate, has been linked to the D.C. madam.
We're in front of the Charlie's stop here, a popular diner in the heart of St. Charles Street here in New Orleans. And this is what people are waking up to as they make their way either into work or as they just get up -- "Vitter on D.C. Madam List." Certainly everybody is going to be talking about that today. You heard Senator Vitter's one sentence statement. He isn't going to be talking about this much, saying it involves his faith and his family.
One person who is talking, the D.C. madam herself. CNN Radio caught up with her last night and she says she had an inkling that someone with a certain degree of notoriety was going to go public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBORAH PALFREY, D.C. MADAM: I was forewarned. I was not told who it was going to be, though. And I was just told to expect a phone call. And I got it a few hours ago. And, boy, did I get it. I had no idea who this man was prior to a few hours ago, even though I'm sure he, obviously, was a client. And he apparently has stated accordingly and stated so. But I don't remember this man. I think he used the service in 2001.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: Boy, the big question, how will this affect Vitter? He was elected in 2004. His first term to the U.S. Senate. He, theoretically, could be up for re-election in 2010, if he seeks to run again. Three years is an awful long time and voters often here in New Orleans and Louisiana have short memories. Kiran.
CHETRY: Yes. And it will be interesting to see how it does plays with his constituency.
CALLEBS: Indeed. I think that is what a lot of people are looking at. And I talked to a pollster last night, Dr. Silas Lee (ph), and he says this is not going to play well with his constituents at all. Vitter is someone who's always touted himself as a social conservative. Someone really steep in family values. And this isn't just accusations of an extra marital affair. What Lee points out is, this is being linked to someone whom you pay to have sex with. And that is not going to go over well with his constituents.
And, secondly, this is also going to lead to a lot of questions. Was this a one-time transgression or were there other instances? So it's now going to be people digging in deep to Vitter's background to see if there's anything else there.
CHETRY: You know, and, Sean, the other problem is you have Congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana indicted on corruption charges and now this scandal, distractions for a state that really needs all the help it can get right now as it pushes for more federal funding for New Orleans.
CALLEBS: Let's not forget that Mayor Ray Nagin also here actually comes out and makes comments that haunt him, as well. This state, this city, this area certainly unique in American politics. This area has a history of forgiving. But this one, I think, in talking to Lee last night, is going to stick with voters just because of who he is, a social conservative, someone who's always run on family values.
Look at his bio on his Senate web page. The very first sentence says something about, I'm here fighting for my family and the families of people here in Louisiana. The next few weeks are going to be very, very important. And let's remember, the D.C. madam case hasn't even gone to trial yet. So once this goes to court, Vitter's name is going to be linked to this constantly.
CHETRY: All right. Sean Callebs live for us in New Orleans this morning. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Coming up to seven minutes after the hour and new this morning in Pakistan. Pakistani troops stormed the red mosque just hours ago, rescuing students and killing at least 50 militants. Eight Pakistani soldiers were also killed. Around 20 children escaped. Hundreds of women and children are still believed to be inside.
China has executed its former food and drug safety chief. Zheng Xiaoyu was convicted of taking bribes back in May. The Chinese government is vowing to improve its quality controls and restore confidence in the "made in China" brand.
And nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea will reportedly start again next week. That's according to the South Korean news agency. The six-party talks were last held in March. The announcement comes a day after U.N. inspectors agreed to return to North Korea to monitor the shutdown of a nuclear reactor.
Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, it's time now to check out what else is going on this morning with our AMERICAN MORNING team of correspondents. And first we start with the 40 plus fires that are burning right now in the western part of the country. The biggest in Utah, still only 10 percent contained. Kara Finnstrom is live in the fire zone with an update for us.
Hi, Kara.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello.
Well, this sprawling wildfire has now consumed about 311,000 acres. And we're coming to you from the southeast side of this fire, which you can see burning just behind me. This is one of the areas where firefighters will be focusing a lot of their efforts today. One of their key missions, to keep this fire from jumping over the interstate, which is just to the east of us. And at some point along I-15, we're told it's about within a 1/10 of a mile of that interstate.
Also today, the switch over from state to federal management of this fire continues right now. There are about 350 firefighters out there. That number expected to grow to more like 500 firefighters.
Yesterday, we're told, much of the fire was burning on the interior of the fire, not along its edges, which, of course, is good news. Also, about 10 percent of this fire has now been contained. They did get a break from the weather yesterday and they're hoping these winds don't pick back up today.
Back to you in New York.
CHETRY: Yes, hopefully they'll get a little bit of relief from that, Kara. Thanks so much.
Now there's no relief in the heat, either, for the Northeast part of the country at least. Severe weather expert Chad Myers is live in the CNN Weather Center following for us the latest.
Triple digits once again. That's what we're looking at today.
Hi, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHETRY: Also, a disturbing story out of New England. A fake state trooper accused of assaulting a woman that he pulled over. Alina Cho following that for us right now.
Hi, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Kiran. Good morning.
And authorities say this happens all too often and that the Internet has actually made it easier for people to pose as police officers. Now the impostor in this most recent case is still on the loose. We'll tell you what happened here outside Boston and how you can avoid having the same thing happen to you, coming up, Kiran.
CHETRY: Alina, thanks so much.
John.
ROBERTS: A wrecking ball winds up doing a lot more damage than it was supposed to. A 1,500 pound steel ball snapped loose from a cable, rolled downhill right into several cars -- kind of almost like a ping-pong ball -- before finally coming to rest in somebody's trunk. How would you like to come out and see that sitting in your trunk. It happened during the demolition of a library at Allegheny College in western Pennsylvania. No one was hurt, but the wrecking ball operator was a little embarrassed about the whole thing.
CHETRY: Good thing that car was where it was and maybe the trunk was open at the time.
Well, speaking of Pennsylvania, the state now back in business. Your "Quick Hits" now. Some 24,000 state employees will return to work this morning after a one-day unpaid furlough. There was a big budget debate going on. The governor and lawmakers finally agreed to a budget Monday night and that will get Pennsylvania up and running once again.
To New York now where mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, is pushing for state approval of his congestion pricing program, as he calls it. This plan would charge fees for driving in Manhattan's most congested areas. The state needs to sign off on it before a July 16th deadline for federal funding.
Should there be more eyes in the sky over New York City? And how effective are security cameras at fighting terrorism or crime? We're going to take a look coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Fourteen minutes now after the hour. And welcome back to the most news in the morning here on CNN.
It took a staff rebellion, but National Hurricane Center Director Bill Proenza is out. Deputy Director Ed Rappaport is now filling in. Proenza angered staffers when he criticized the agency over cutbacks for satellite equipment. We'll talk with one of those staff members in our next hour of AMERICAN MORNING.
A big cleanup mission underway in Coffeyville, Kansas. A week after more than 70,000 gallons of crude oil mixed with flood water. People there still can't go home. Water samples show high levels of bacteria, more than 130 times the standard. Yesterday, they toured the devastated areas in buses. In upstate New York, a strong line of thunderstorms slammed into Albany. Heavy rain and hail caused serious damage to homes and cars there. Hurricane strength winds knocked down trees and power lines. Thirty thousand customers lost power in that storm.
Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Well, thanks, John.
Would more security cameras, like the ones they have in London, keep you safer? See for yourself. Here's CNN's Paula Newton. That's her on a random walk through central London. Police can track her every move. There we see it right now and it's a proposal that's taking place right here in New York City as well. And joining me to talk about that is Michael McCann, former chief of security for the United Nations. And, also, you're an ex-commander for the NYPD.
Thanks for being with us this morning, Michael.
MICHAEL MCCANN, FORMER U.N. SECURITY CHIEF: And thank you.
CHETRY: Now we do have cameras, especially in places like the United Nations. Many of them. How are they working? How do they work?
MCCANN: Well, they're working very well. It serves a very good purpose. And using the technology that's available, it's a more efficiently way of protecting the United Nations.
CHETRY: What are we looking to add to the cities's security?
MCCANN: Well, what we're adding is, we're adding a limited number of cameras. But the important thing is, we're tying them into the existing cameras. The 3,000 cameras or so that exist there now that are in cooperate headquarters and private securities monitoring.
CHETRY: OK. And so how does this work? I mean you get reams of information. These are cameras that are on 24/7. Who sorts through it? And how do you determine just an everyday tourist from someone who's suspicious?
MCCANN: Well, what you're doing is, you're focusing the cameras on the intelligence that's available. So if there's a particular concern for a particular area, particular building, you may have people watching those cameras on a 24-hour basis. The other cameras, you'll use them for investigations. And if there's a requirement or a need, then you can go back or look at those cameras.
CHETRY: Do you think this should have happened sooner? I mean given, after 9/11, why if this is an effective tool, haven't we had these installed sooner?
MCCANN: Well, I think the city, in particular the police department, they've been doing everybody possible and this is just a progression, this is just another step in them protecting the city and using the technology and using things that are available. And the technology is developing. It's changing as we speak. It's getting better and better.
CHETRY: Meaning you would actually be able to use computer programs to sort of scan through and flag suspicious things?
MCCANN: Well, you use the technology that's going to identify things that may be suspicious. If it's a package that's left unattended in Wall Street or the financial district, we'll focus on that package and the police can respond to determine whether it's something that was just lost or left there. With the license plate technology, if someone's on a watch list, you'll be able to identify that vehicle that's driving into the financial direct. And then just what you showed, to track that vehicle as it goes from one place to the next.
CHETRY: There are some people who are concerned about privacy issues, civil liabilities. Are these imagines archived?
MCCANN: Yes, they are. And I'm very concerned about privacy. I think the response has to be reasonable and rational and directed at the concern. The financial district is the target. New York City is the target. It's limited. It's focused on the financial district where we know that the people want to come back, and that's where they want to do the damage and that's where they want to kill people.
CHETRY: What about the everyday people who have their images and their movements tracked and then don't know where this information ends up?
MCCANN: Well, the everyday people, they're not going to have their movement tracked. They will be on the video, of course. It may be archived. But the purpose of it is to track people and to look at it from an investigative point of view if something does happen. But more importantly, that if there is information or if something's brought to the police, their attention that something happened at 4:00 in the morning, someone who was doing surveillance, someone was acting suspiciously, now they can go back and track that person.
CHETRY: All right. Useful tools. And we're getting more of them in New York. Michael McCann, former chief of security for the U.N. Thanks.
MCCANN: Thank you very much.
ROBERTS: Secret identities tops your "Quick Hits" now. Federal prosecutors are asking the court for an anonymous jury in an upcoming terror trial. Six men are accused of plotting to attack soldiers at Ft. Dix in New Jersey. Prosecutors say the nature of the case could put jurors in danger.
And for the second month in a row, the Army has fallen short of its recruiting goal, missing the target by about 1,000 recruits. The last time they missed their goal was two years ago.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, fake cops posing real problems.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PROF. ROBERT MCCRIE, JOHN JAY COLLEGE: There may be theft or there is physical abuse, even rape, from the actions of these impersonators.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Badges, uniforms, handcuffs, all easily accessible. How can you protect yourself from police impersonators, coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the most news in the morning.
Some health headlines for you now. And there is new research showing that smoking may reduce the risk of Parkinson's disease. Researchers say that long-term and current smokers show the lowest chances of developing Parkinson's.
There's a new pill with the potential to curb both smoking and drinking. Researchers tested the drug Chantix (ph) on rats. Scientists said they stopped drinking as much. I didn't know rats drank in the first place, but I guess they do. The drug, already sold to smokers, actually helped them kick the habit as well. And the new study suggests alcohol act on the same location in the brain.
Well, there's another reason to listen to your mom and eat your vegetables. A new study says teenagers who don't get the nutrients found in fruits and vegetables are more likely to have respiratory problems from coughing to wheezing, to bronchitis, even chronic asthma.
John.
ROBERTS: It's a disturbing trend. Criminals posing as police officers. Just this past weekend, near Boston, a woman was pulled over by a fake cop and sexually assaulted. But what should you do if you're pulled over by someone that you think is for real? AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho is live in Framingham, Massachusetts, this morning.
Good morning, Alina.
CHO: Hey, good morning to you, John.
As you well know, many police officers use unmarked cars. They say it actually helps them do their job better because it allows them to catch people doing things they shouldn't be doing because they don't know they're being watched. Well, the problem is, police impersonators use unmarked vehicles, too, along with fake uniforms, to fool people into thinking they're the real thing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHO, (voice over): You see the flashing lights. You hear this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. State Police. Can I get a license and registration, please.
CHO: And you automatically think police officer. This one is real, but over the weekend near Boston, a man posing as an officer, driving an unmarked car with flashing blue lights, pulled over a young woman who naturally thought the traffic stop was legitimate. It wasn't.
MAJOR MICHAEL CONCANNON, MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE: The suspect in the case approached her vehicle from the side, asked her to step to the rear of her vehicle, which she did, and at that point a sexual assault occurred.
CHO: He left her on the side of the road and fled. Similar incidents have occurred across the country. Some ending in murder.
PROF. ROBERT MCCRIE, JOHN JAY COLLEGE: Members of the public are confused. Is this person a genuine law enforcement officer or is this someone trying to exploit me or harm me in some way?
CHO: It's a federal crime to use a fake badge with the intent of impersonating a police officer. But to get one, it's as easy as going to a police supply store or one of hundreds of websites on the Internet. With the click of a mouse, badges, lights and sirens, all for the taking, for as low as $19.99 apiece.
TROOPER JOHN KELLY, MASSACHUSETTS STATE POLICE: It makes our job harder. We're all on edge now because we know that we're being watched.
CHO: And for those who have earned the badge, impostors are the worst kind of offenders.
How infuriating is this for you to know that something like this has happened?
KELLY: To every cop out there, it's just -- it's such an atrocity. It's a direct insult to the job.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: So what can you do to protect yourself? Well, if you suspect that the person pulling you over is not legitimate, there are a few things you can do. First of all, slow down, put on your hazard lights and make sure you pull over in a well-lit area, or at least a place where there's some other people around. Of course, you can call 911. Also check the uniform. Make sure everything matches. A small little tip, make sure the shoes are not brown. And, finally, John, when in doubt, always ask for photo I.D.
ROBERTS: You know, I have seen people pulled over. I haven't been pulled over for a long time, but a car driver that I was with recently did get pulled over and the police officer was quite aggressive with him. And it's the sort of thing where you do not want to disobey an officer. So, you know, how do you walk that line between trying to check it out and making sure that you don't upset this officer because, if you do, things are lying to get pretty bad pretty quickly?
CHO: Well, as you can see imagine, John, it's a delicate balance. You know, I asked that very question because, obviously, when a police officer puts the flashing lights on, your immediate reaction is to pull over right away. And so one basic tip, and this is important, is you can slow down. Make sure you slow down significantly. Turn on those hazard lights. And if it's a dark area, especially if it's at night, make sure you go to where it's lit or where there's people around.
And keep in mind, too, John, that, you know, we may only hear about this every few years or so in the media, but one expert who studies this very closely told me, for every case we hear about in the media, there are many, many more cases that go unreported.
ROBERTS: All right. Alina Cho for us this morning in Framingham, Massachusetts. Some good tips and what a crazy story.
Thank you very much, Alina.
CHETRY: Michael Moore has taken on the White House and, in his newest film, the health care industry. But last night on "The Situation Room," he took on CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, after Sanjay did a story questioning some facts in "Sicko."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL MOORE, FILMMAKER, "SICKO": You have the nightly medical report. You have something called "The Daily Dose." I watch CNN. You have it every day, "The Daily Dose," sponsored by -- fill in the blank -- and you are funded by these people day in and day out. Don't even compare that to my movie being out for a couple of weeks (INAUDIBLE) rinky dink ads for 15 seconds.
WOLF BLITZER, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Well, I would say that -- I don't know if you're familiar with . . .
MOORE: Come on. Come on, Wolf.
BLITZER: I don't know if you're -- no, no, I don't know if you're familiar with Dr. Sanjay Gupta's record, but I would stack up his record on medical issues with virtually anyone in the business.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: There you go. Well, we're going to have much more on this throughout the morning. In fact, Sanjay was in surgery yesterday when this all happened on "The Situation Room," so he missed it. But he will be here in our next hour to respond. Wolf's also going to join us at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time today to respond as well.
Very unprovoked. I mean he just launched and he went on the attack about everything, including the war in Iraq and CNN in general and then the pharmaceuticals.
ROBERTS: I've seen him do that before. That's sort of his MO. And then he backs down. I think by the end of the interview he was laughing and joking. It will be interesting to see what Wolf talked to him about after that interview, which will air tonight on "The Situation Room."
The next phase in Iraq. President Bush is hitting the road this morning to talk about the war as more Republicans press him for a change of course. Will he bend? We'll talk live to Press Secretary Tony Snow ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: And there's a shot of the sun coming up in Chicago this morning. Thank you very much to our folks at WGN for providing that shot.
It's a beautiful, beautiful day. It's going to be hot there again today, just like it has been for the past few days. Temperatures yesterday here in New York City in the mid-90s. It was pretty incredible.
CHETRY: It was just so humid, that you couldn't be outside for more than five or 10 minutes. You just felt worse than anything.
ROBERTS: Nothing like being -- nothing like being in a city like New York when it's humid.
Hey, welcome back. It's Tuesday, the 10th of July. I'm John Roberts, along with Kiran Chetry.
CHETRY: Great to see you this morning.
And you as well.
You know, there's a bit of a little tiff going on within the National Hurricane Center.
ROBERTS: A bit of a little tiff?
CHETRY: In fact -- well, you know, maybe I'm understating it.
ROBERTS: Master of understatement there.
CHETRY: But we had spoken with the former head of the National Hurricane Center, who was really candid about some things that he felt needed to change. Well, he's out. And a little bit later, we're going to be speaking to more than one of the 20 people who work there who signed a petition for this guy to lose his job.
ROBERTS: It was like "Mutiny on the Bounty".
CHETRY: It really was.
ROBERTS: It was really incredible.
CHETRY: So we're going to talk about how that can affect hurricane season, and will it. We're in the heart of it right now. And what it means to you coming up a little later.
(NEWSBREAK)
ROBERTS: Thirty-four minutes now after the hour.
And faced with growing criticism and Republican revolts, President Bush is expected to start talking about the next phase in Iraq today. We could hear from him on the subject as early as this afternoon in Cleveland.
Right now, though, we're going to hear from John Dickerson. He's the chief political correspondent for slate.com and joins me now from our Washington bureau.
John, when history is written, is this week going to be looked at as a turning point in the Iraq war?
JOHN DICKERSON, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, SLATE.COM: It's hard to say. It feels like we've had so many of these weeks.
Remember when the House Republicans went to the White House and told the president -- a small group of House Republicans told the president they couldn't bear this anymore. It really depends. I think we'll probably -- the big week still is probably in September, although as you point out, there's lots of restlessness among Republicans about the president's course in Iraq.
ROBERTS: What about -- what about this idea that it was seen that September 15th, the day that General Petraeus would report on progress or lack of it in Iraq, would be the beginning of the debate? Now it's being seen as the end of the debate, and that this interim report which will be released either later this week or on Sunday will be at the beginning of the big debate?
DICKERSON: That's right. Well, it looks like this interim report will be a disaster for the White House. The Iraqi government has met none of the goals that everybody has been looking to them to meet. And -- but what we've got here from Republicans is not an outright revolt. It's really a request. It's a kind of plea to the president to help them out here.
These Republicans who have dropped off of the president or dropped away from the president aren't doing the big defection yet. They're not joining yet with the Democrats. So it's a little move here, but not the grand one yet.
ROBERTS: Yes. I mean, Lamar Alexander is cosponsoring a piece of legislation with Ken Salazar which really follows the Iraq Study Group recommendations to get troops out of a combat mission by March of next year, but you don't expect that any of them are going to be signing on to these more stringent Democratic proposals.
DICKERSON: That's right. They're not going to limit funding, they're not going to tie the presidents hands.
Again, they're making a plea here. And there's a way you can see -- even if everybody embraced the Iraq Study Group, the White House -- in fact, they've said this out loud -- they say, well, we embrace the Iraqi Study Group, too. And so it will then get in, of course, into a debate about the specific details of withdrawal and exactly what it means to embrace the Iraq Study Group.
ROBERTS: No question, though, the president is under a lot of pressure these days.
John Dickerson, thanks very much. We'll get back to you a little bit later on.
And in just a few minutes, we're going to hear from the White House. White House press secretary Tony Snow will be coming up, and we'll also be speaking with Lamar Alexander about this and Olympia Snow, senator from Maine, coming up throughout the morning here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: An explanation in an astronaut love triangle tops our "Quick Hits" now.
In just-released police transcripts, Lisa Nowak says she drove 900 miles in a diaper to meet Colleen Shipman because it might be her only chance to talk about her relationship with Shipman's boyfriend, astronaut William Oefelein. Nowak is accused of pepper-spraying Shipman and trying to jump into her car.
During the police interview, Nowak would not stop asking to speak to Shipman.
Police in Glendale, Arizona, are looking for the parents of a little boy this morning. The child was found wandering the streets. He says his name is Christian (ph). Anyone with any information is asked to call the Glendale Police Department.
And some people in San Diego are blushing a little bit over the design for a new condo and hotel tower. The building is supposed to look like a flower in bloom, but some think that once it's erected it will look a little too much like -- well, you can see the picture for yourself.
CHETRY: All right. Let's see it.
Can we put that full screen, please? There we are.
CHETRY: Oh, that's a stretch.
ROBERTS: Over to you, Alphonse (ph).
CHETRY: No, I mean, the developer says that, you know what? You can find sex anywhere if you're really looking hard enough. But he says they may tone down the design as not to offend anybody.
Maybe they just don't need those things on the side there, whatever the heck they are. Maybe lose those and you'll be fine.
All right. No comment from John. Everyone else is laughing. I'm the only girl in the entire room.
Now to the storm inside the National Hurricane Center.
The agency's director is out. His fate sealed by a staff rebellion. And it's a shakeup that comes right smack in the middle of hurricane season.
John Zarrella is live in Miami for us following the controversy and whether or not it will affect our forecasts.
Hi, John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kiran.
Well, bottom line is it came down to confidence. The feeling among many forecasters here at the National Hurricane Center was that the public was losing confidence in their ability to accurately forecast storms.
They blamed the center director. And now, after only six months on the job, Bill Proenza was removed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Bill Proenza never sugarcoated the issues. He spoke his mind. That candor has, at least in part, cost him his job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They wanted me to be quiet about it.
ZARRELLA: Muzzle you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Essentially.
ZARRELLA: The director of the National Hurricane Center, Proenza, was talking about a satellite he felt was critical to forecasting, but was on its last legs with no replacement in the works. Proenza went public with his concerns. But many of his own senior forecasters didn't share his opinion. Last week, half the center staff signed a petition asking for Proenza to be removed, saying he didn't listen to them, he didn't seek their opinions.
LIXION AVILA, SENIOR HURRICANE SPECIALIST: We are going to make a very good damn forecast this year, with Bill or without Bill. And I think that's -- I've been very emotional on this, because I was his strongest supporter and I feel betrayed.
ZARRELLA: Proenza also publicly criticized his bosses in Washington for spending money on 200th anniversary celebrations for NOAA, the parent agency, while taking money away from hurricane research. The director had lost support at NOAA and in his own building. In an interview last Friday, Proenza told me he wasn't resigning immediately but was leaving the door open, and he said, he did not regret the way he had handled things.
BILL PROENZA, FORMER DIR., NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: When I'm asked, I've got to answer honestly and sincerely, and I feel that it is part of my responsibilities, I work for the American people.
ZARRELLA: NOAA officials tell us, "He remains a NOAA employee and is on leave." But he no longer works for the American people as director of the National Hurricane Center.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ZARRELLA: Now, Proenza has been replaced by longtime deputy director Ed Rappaport, who takes over as director on an interim basis. Rappaport, for personal reasons, did not apply for the job when it became vacant less than a year ago when Max Mayfield decided to retire -- Kiran.
CHETRY: John, thanks so much.
And also, by the way, we're going to be talking with a hurricane center forecaster, one of them who pushed to get Proenza ousted. That's coming up in our next half hour.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
CHETRY: Forty-nine minutes past the hour. Stephanie Elam is "Minding Your Business" right now.
We saw a trend of gas prices dropping, dropping, dropping, and now they're back up again.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kiran. For six weeks they were dropping, and now it looks like they may be lifting again.
I don't know if anyone is too surprised about this one because we had wondered whether or not this was going to happen. Part of the issue here, as well, it seems people are actually getting used to the higher gas prices, and so, therefore, consumption is ticking back up.
Also, the booming Asian economy, they're using more fuels to power their manufacturing industries, they're also building more vehicles there. Also, low-cost airlines are using more oil, as well. Same thing with the petrol (ph) chemical business.
Well, this is coming from the International Energy Agency, and they're saying world demand is rising faster than production. They said global oil demand will be up about an average of 2.2 percent a year, all the way up until 2012, and that's up from a forecast that they gave in February, actually.
They say they don't see OPEC countries actually pumping much more as far as excess is concerned, and non-OPEC companies also having issues, as well. Taking a look at Venezuela and Russia, which have now nationalized their gas, and that has also led to a loss of talent in the arena, as well.
So this is all adding in to why they think this is going to happen. Others are saying it's really too far out to forecast to 2012 to decide whether or not we are going to be able to produce. Or maybe there will be more oil that comes into the market, so we'll have to wait and see.
CHETRY: All right, Stephanie, thanks. See you in a few minutes.
ELAM: Sure.
CHETRY: John.
ROBERTS: A progress report on Iraq will conclude that little progress has been made. The report required by law says the Iraqi government has not met any of its targeted benchmarks for political, economic and other reforms. This, as President Bush continues to lose Republican support for the war.
So what's next?
Joining me from the White House north lawn is White House press secretary Tony Snow.
Tony, thanks very much for being with us. Good to see you.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Good to see you, John.
ROBERTS: So, Tony, a question that I've been mulling over for the last couple of days, just kind of reading the tealeaves and looking what's going on at Capitol Hill there in Washington, is this week going to mark the beginning of the end of the Iraq war?
SNOW: No. It really marks the beginning of the beginning of the surge.
What is really interesting is there is all this fevered speculation, are -- do we have -- have we reached a tipping point? Has everything changed? I've got to remind you and everybody else, John, that our forces for the surge, the last portions of those forces just got in place two weeks ago. So what Congress is going to get this week is a snapshot at the beginning of a retooled mission in Iraq.
Everybody says we want to do it a new way. We agree. It's now started.
And I've got to say, some of the preliminary signs have actually been somewhat heartening, contrary to the report. Again, the way the AP story was written, everything is all gloom and whoa. You're going to find when you see the report, some of the benchmarks have been made, some of them haven't. A little too early to judge on some. That's kind of the way it is at the beginning of an operation.
Two months from now -- and this is what Congress originally said it wanted -- they want a report back from our forces -- how are you succeeding, what's working, what isn't? What do you recommend?
In other words, benchmarks are not a device for trying to figure out how to get out of Iraq. They're a device for figuring out how to succeed in Iraq. And so I think it's going to set off an important debate.
But this is not the beginning of the end, it's the beginning of a new way.
ROBERTS: No question though, Tony, that some Republicans are getting pretty squishy on this idea of staying there without some sort of an end point.
Take a listen to what main Maine Senator Susan Collins told us yesterday morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), MAINE: What many of us are looking for is a new strategy that would not be a precipitous pullout with all of the problems that that would cause, but rather a plan to exit over the next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: So, Tony, when does the president want to pull troops out?
SNOW: The president wants to pull troops out when the commanders on the ground think it's appropriate to do so. It's not necessarily inconsistent with what Susan Collins said, we just don't have a crystal ball.
But notice what she said. She doesn't want a precipitous withdrawal because she understands, you bag out of there right now, what do you do? You create a vacuum, you empower al Qaeda, you make that region more dangerous, you make the whole world more dangerous, including right here at home for us in the United States.
So, Susan Collins, I think, reflects really a pretty big school of thought on Capitol Hill, which is, we've got to get the Iraqis up to speed, we've got to get the Americans out of the front line operation so we can be there in support. Richard Lugar himself was talking about a week ago about a long-term American commitment, but it doesn't need to be a front line commitment.
We agree with that. The whole purpose of the surge is to get us to that place. What we're saying to folks is, now that you got what you wanted, which was a new way forward, give it a little bit of a chance to work.
ROBERTS: But Tony, a lot of people, and some of them Republicans, believe that this Iraqi government is incapable of making any progress. You said that some of the goals have been met, and that will be illuminated in this report. What goals?
SNOW: I'm not -- look, I'm not going to announce what's in the report until it gets announced.
ROBERTS: But wait, wait, hold on a second, though. You told me just a second ago that some of these things, contrary to the AP report, had been met.
SNOW: Right.
ROBERTS: What's been met?
SNOW: That's exactly right. No, look, the AP simply said, all these goals have not been met and it was no more specific.
I'm not going to leak the report. Although I love you, love you, but I'm just not going to do it.
So the point is that there are a whole different series of tests and benchmarks people are looking at. And I think this is a time to be calm and try to figure out, what are we going to do to have success in Iraq that not only is going to make America proud, but more importantly, going to make America safer and make the rest of the world safer? That's the president's commitment, that's the commitment of this administration.
ROBERTS: When are we going to hear from him? There's rumors of a press conference perhaps in the next couple or three days.
SNOW: There could be.
ROBERTS: Could be? Well, what are the chances of that prior to Friday?
SNOW: Well, again, you're trying to get me to announce in advance things that have not been announced, if they should take place. How about that for being coy?
The president is going to be out speaking soon about this, and I'm going to let him decide when we make announcements about appearances. But it's important. We understand the American people want to hear more about this.
And frankly, we wanted to get more information, because a lot of times the focus on reporting is on the dire and the failed...
ROBERTS: Right.
SNOW: ... rather than on a lot of the successes that have taken place. And furthermore, they get placed in context. So people don't understand the most important question, which is, why is it important to me?
ROBERTS: Just before we go here, Tony, how much longer do you have before the dam of Republican support bursts?
SNOW: Well, see, again, I'm not sure that we're really at a point like that. Go back to Dick Lugar. That was originally portrayed as a big defection. Really, a lot of what he's talking about is perfectly consistent with the kind of scenario the president has been laying out since January.
I think what Dick Lugar is looking for is a way to lower the bipartisan temperature so that both parties can work together in the old-fashioned American tradition of having bipartisanship stop at the -- or having partisanship stop at the water's edge so that we can focus together on the business of succeeding in Iraq rather than simply trying to get out come what May.
ROBERTS: Tony Snow for us this morning from the north lawn of the White House.
Tony, always good to see you. Thanks for joining us.
SNOW: Thanks, John.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
