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American Morning
War Turning Point?; Police Impostors: How to Protect Yourself; Dell Makeover
Aired July 10, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Turning point or new phase? The war and the White House at a crossroads.
The president's new plan of attack and the fellow Republicans who may have other ideas on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: And welcome. It's Tuesday, July 10th.
I'm Kiran Chetry, along with John Roberts.
Good to see you.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you all.
Also "On Our Radar" this morning, it's -- well, you could call it "The Caine Mutiny". Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center succeeded in ousting their commander. We will speak to one forecaster who pushed to get Bill Proenza out.
Boy, he -- what, he took over in January and he's out already? And it's the first time that I can ever recall that they changed commanders in the middle of a hurricane season as well.
CHETRY: Is that a smart idea, right in the middle of hurricane season? We're going to talk about it.
Also, tracking and tracing your every move. A London-style surveillance system, as they call it. Of course, London is known for being ringed around the entire city with surveillance cameras. They're designed to detect and possibly even deter terrorists.
It's coming to New York City. Critics though are questioning the security plan's high costs, as well as some privacy issues. So we'll talk about that.
ROBERTS: We turn first this morning though to a possible new turning point in the war in Iraq. A progress report due out on Sunday is set to show that the Iraqis have reached very few of the benchmarks set out by the United States.
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow told us just a few minutes ago that this is just the beginning of the surge and to wait two months to find out how it's working. But with Republicans get pretty squishy about this whole thing, we may hear President Bush roll out his next step at a community forum today in Cleveland.
CNN's Ed Henry is live at the White House for us this morning.
Ed, what is the president going to do to try to, you know, keep the temperature down in terms of this budding Republican revolt?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, John.
When you're facing a stampede, what you try to do is get ahead of it and call it a parade, and that's likely what you're going to try to get the president doing in Cleveland today, is going to be having a town hall-style meeting, likely to get questions from the public, and he's likely to talk about Iraq. And what he wants to do is say what he said before in recent months, as Tony Snow has pointed out, which is that at some point, the president wants to get what he calls a post-surge phase where he starts bringing troops home. But he has said that many times before in theory, but the problem is the patience is running thin among Republican senators who are saying we've heard this before in general, specifically how are you going to get there?
And when you look at this report on benchmarks, where it's basically going to say most, if not all, of them are not really being met, and it's a mixed bag at best for the Iraqi government, Republicans senators are saying when can you get to that turning point, Mr. President? Because you can keep talking about it, but they're not seeing it.
And so while Tony Snow just a few moments ago was again saying give us until September, we want more time, what you're actually hearing from Republican senators like Dick Lugar is they can't wait anymore. They want the president to shift into a new phase now.
So what the president is going to talk about today is how he would like to eventually get to the new phase, what he calls the post- surge phase. But what Republican senators are saying is they want that phase to begin now. They don't want talk, they don't want to hear about sort of a new take on all of this from a message standpoint. They want a new strategy now -- John.
ROBERTS: In terms of this idea of new phase, Ed, how many new phases in this war are there going to be?
HENRY: Well, this -- you know, we've heard so many times before six more months, six more months from all sides of the debate. This finally is at a crossroads no matter what kind of rhetoric is flying around from both parties, because it has to get to an end game when you listen to Republican senators like Lugar, Domenici and others.
It's not just about the Democrats anymore saying they want to get to an end game. You're hearing people like Senator Dick Lugar say that they could see most U.S. troops being pulled out of Iraq by the middle of 2008. The White House doesn't want to quite say that yet, but for the first time you're hearing Republicans say that. The difference is Republicans like Lugar are not yet ready to endorse Democratic plans to have a fixed date and say within 90 days or 120 days you've got to start pulling out those troops. But the fact that the White House doesn't want to embrace right now is that senior Republicans are saying they want to at least get to some point where the middle of next year, troops are starting to come home.
So, yes, we've heard this before, but with Republicans finally saying they want to get to that end point, the time is finally running out for the White House -- John.
ROBERTS: Well, we'll see how much more time they give him.
Ed Henry at the White House this morning.
Thanks for asking the tough questions all morning.
Later on this hour, Republican senator Lamar Alexander will join us. He is calling for a new strategy in Iraq and is signing on to a piece of Democratic legislation.
And at 8:00 this morning Eastern, Republican senator Olympia Snowe is live. She's considering supporting an amendment to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq by springtime.
(NEWSBREAK)
ROBERTS: Six minutes after the hour, and time now to check in on some of the other big stories we're following this morning with our AMERICAN MORNING team of correspondents.
A conservative Republican senator turns up on the client list of the alleged D.C. madam.
AMERICAN MORNING'S Sean Callebs is live in New Orleans this morning.
Who he is, Sean? And what is he accused of doing? Or what is he admitted to doing?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Senator Vitter is accused -- has admitted that he had contact with the D.C. madam. We're inside the Trolley Stop, a popular diner here in the city of New Orleans, waiting for the morning faithful to come in. And it is going to be a topic of conversation.
This is how it's playing out in the headlines here. "Vitter on D.C. Madam List".
And you're right, John, he is a social conservative. And what we're hearing from pollsters is this is not going to play well with his constituents.
Vitter is someone who has always touted himself has someone who follows high, moral and ethical values. And also, as one pollster told me, he is not accused of having an extramarital affair. What he says -- what he could be linked to is someone you pay for sex. And quite often, those people can face prosecution, but, John, he could have to pay -- demand in the court of public opinion -- he could run for reelection in the year 2010.
ROBERTS: All right. Sean, thanks very much. We'll get back to you on that.
Internet reporter Jacki Schechner is also following this one.
Jacki, why is the D.C. madam putting these records online now?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Well, John, good morning.
She says she wants to protect the integrity of the information. She doesn't want there to be false accusations. So she's put some 20 records online. These are phone records that span from August of 1994 until August of 2006.
And they look like just like cell phone records, what you might imagine, just pages and pages of phone numbers. Three different companies -- Sprint, Cingular and AT&T.
She says that she thinks this is going to be a daunting task for people to go through, that you'll have to have some computer knowledge, some technical knowledge to do a phone lookup and match up the names with the numbers. Then to be able to identify some of the names that show up.
You have got to know if these are people worth knowing about, John. So it will be interesting to see what comes out.
It's interesting that there are no names attached to this. These are just cell phone numbers. So it is going to take some time to call through all of this information.
The Web site very popular. It's SpottyService (ph). So if you go online, take some time to get there. Don't be surprised if it tells you it won't connect immediately -- John.
ROBERTS: The Web site name works on two levels.
Jacki, thanks very much.
SCHECHNER: Sure.
ROBERTS: And while the heat is on David Vitter, it's going to be another hot one today in the Northeast.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Thirteen minutes after the hour now. New charges in the case of a teenage girl locked in a storage room top our "Quick Hits" now.
Adam Gault will be back in a Connecticut court today to be arraigned on charges of sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor. A teenage girl missing for nearly a year was found locked in his storage closet last month.
A court date today for a Wisconsin driver found who was found with a dead man wedged in the windshield of his car. Police say the driver hit the man and another woman but didn't call for help until six hours later. Blood alcohol tests won't be back for at least two weeks.
And New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is pushing for state approval of his congestion pricing program. The plan would charge fees for driving in Manhattan's most congested areas, very similar to what they do in London. The state needs to sign off on it though before the July 16th deadline for federal funding.
CHETRY: Well, it's a disturbing trend, criminals posing as police officers. Just this past weekend near Boston, a woman was pulled over by a guy who turned out to be a fake cop, and that guy sexually assaulted her. Suspect still on the loose.
So what should you do if you're pulled over by someone and you're wondering whether or not it's real?
AMERICAN MORNING'S Alina Cho is live in Framingham, Massachusetts, this morning with more on the story for us.
Hi, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Kiran. Good morning to you.
As you well know, many police officers use unmarked cars. They say it 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, here is the problem. Police impersonators use unmarked vehicles, too, 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: State police. 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 Web sites on the Internet. With the click of a mouse, badges, lights and sirens all for the taking for as low as $19.99 a piece.
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.
(on camera): How infuriating is it 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, a couple of things to keep in mind.
Slow down. Turn on your hazard lights and pull over in a well- lit area. Of course, you can call 911.
Also, check the police uniform. Make sure everything matches. And here is a little tip. Make sure the shoes are not brown.
And, Kiran, a final tip. When, in doubt, ask for photo I.D.
CHETRY: You know, and that's one of the things we were talking about here in the studio. It just seems like, you know, it's a good idea, but in practice, can that really work? Or will you just get in more trouble? And, you know, then be accused of resisting arrest or having more unpleasant things happen?
CHO: Well, it's a delicate balance, Kiran, as I talked about in the last hour. You know, I asked that very question. And the one key thing to keep in mind is, of course the natural -- your inclination is, when those lights go on, is to pull over immediately. But what you can do is slow down and turn on those flashers, and make sure you pull over in a well-lit area.
Of course, this is not a guarantee. But it could keep you safe.
CHETRY: All right. Alina, thanks so much.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
ROBERTS: The White House says it's too early to read anything into progress reports coming out of Iraq. I talked to White House Press Secretary Tony Snow about it earlier this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: What's really interesting is there is all this fevered speculation. 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.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: We want to bring in John Dickerson now. He is the chief political correspondent for slate.com, joins me now from our Washington bureau.
John, you had a chance to see what Tony Snow said just a little while ago. Do they have a chance of keeping Republicans from defecting in the next few weeks?
JOHN DICKERSON, CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, SLATE.COM: Well, they only need three weeks until Congress goes home. And Republicans are getting shaky.
And what they're watching -- there are those who are moving away from the president, and other Republicans are watching their colleagues and saying, sort of, how is it playing for them? So the White House is trying to embrace those Republicans who are nervous and just get through the next three weeks until the September report, and hope they can make it that far.
ROBERTS: There's another thing that's going on with the White House as well. It looks like they are heading for a constitutional confrontation with Congress. The president evoking privilege yesterday on a congressional request for testimony from Harriet Miers and the former political director Sara Taylor.
Do you think that this is heading to the courts, John? And how long could it be tied up there?
DICKERSON: Well, the way everybody is behaving it looks like it's heading to courts. It seems to be -- it has just gotten to this sort of finger-pointing and name-calling stage. So right now, it doesn't look like there is a lot of adult behavior.
But it looks -- in these cases, what happens is you get to these moments and then there is a little bit retreat. And, in fact, if the courts get involved, often they kind of force a little bit of a retreat. But if it does get involved in the courts, you can see scenarios in which this goes on well into the -- perhaps the end of the Bush administration.
ROBERTS: All right. John Dickerson for us this morning from our Washington bureau.
John, thanks.
And for more on this throughout the morning, we're going to be talking with lot of different people. In just about 10 minutes' time we will have Republican senator Lamar Alexander on. He is calling for a new strategy in Iraq.
And at 8:00, Republican senator Olympia Snowe. She's considering supporting an amendment to withdrawal U.S. troops from Iraq by springtime -- Kiran.
CHETRY: Meantime, it's 24 minutes past the hour. And Stephanie Elam is "Minding Your Business".
I have on yellow today. You have on pink. I guess if you go to Dell you can get matching computers for your outfits.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We can get matching computers, Kiran, today. It seems that Dell is trying to do a little bit of a colorful makeover here.
They used to just talk about their technical specs, and now they've decided it is cool to be hip. So, starting today, you're going to see a big campaign in magazines. It will also be on TV, for their new laptops that come in pink and green, or yellow, red. These are all of the colors.
CHETRY: They're trying to compete with Apple, right?
ELAM: Right. Well, they're partially competing with Apple. And not just that, but the other issue is that they used to be the top PC seller in the country.
They lost that position last year to Hewlett-Packard. So they are trying to do a little redo here so that they can get their sales back.
Part of that, too, is also, they signed a distribution deal earlier with Wal-Mart to sell its PCs there. But the other interesting thing that they're going to do here is that for the first time, going to have ads in lifestyle magazines.
There are the colors there. CHETRY: There you go.
ELAM: Yes, look at all the -- and actually, it's a pretty good pink and yellow, compared to what we have on.
But the ads will show up in lifestyle magazines like "GQ" and "Oprah" as well, so you will be able to see a change here in how they're going out and trying to target people to get them to really come to their products once again.
CHETRY: All right. We need the inside to work as well as the outside, too. For all computers.
ELAM: Of course.
CHETRY: Stephanie, thanks so much.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Foggy morning there and kind of cool in Boston, Massachusetts, this morning. Just 64 degrees. Some other places, it's, you know, up in the 90s when you wake up in the morning.
Our thanks to our folks at WHDH for that shot of the Mass pike this morning.
And welcome back. It's Tuesday, the 10th of July.
I'm John Roberts, along with Kiran Chetry, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
CHETRY: And we talk about those tower camera shots that we can see in various cities. Well, pretty soon will be seen everywhere, even on the streets, especially in New York City. Eye on the city, they are saying. The NYPD setting up surveillance cameras like the ones in London in the name of crime prevention and also being able to eye suspects in the war on terror.
Do cameras actually reduce crime? We're going to talk about it today.
ROBERTS: They certainly have solved crimes.
And within the last half hour, a jury in London was dismissed because it could not reach a verdict on two terror suspects. The same jury convicted four men yesterday of plotting to bomb London's transportation system in 2005. And here you can see some of that closed circuit security camera video. Prosecutors have until tomorrow to decide if they'll retry the other two defendants.
In Pakistan this morning, government 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.
CHETRY: And an apology from a senator that caught up in a Washington sex scandal. Republican David Vitter from Louisiana is the first elected official tied to alleged D.C. madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey. His phone number was found, on a list of customers; Vitter called it a, quote, "serious sin" but says that he has been forgiven by both his wife, and God.
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is back in the spotlight making his first appearance in a week yesterday and being pummeled with questions about his admitted affair with a local newscaster. Villaraigosa apologized to those he had hurt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, LOS ANGELES: I, obviously, have caused a great deal of pain to my family, to many people involved here. Some people feel let down. And I understand that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, Villaraigosa's wife of 20 years has now filed for divorce. His mistress has not spoken publicly about the affair.
ROBERTS: The largest wildfire in Utah history is only 10 percent contained right now. Low winds have helped firefighters on the line at the Milford Flat fire burning about 120 miles south of Salt Lake City. So far, more than 300,000 acres have been wiped out. More than 40 fires are burning across the West right now most of them sparked by lightning and drought conditions.
CHETRY: The storm inside of the National Hurricane Center has calmed at least for now. The NHC Director Bill Proenza is out stepping down yesterday after two dozen staffers contended that he had hurt public confidence in their ability to forecast storms.
Forecaster Wally Barnes was among those calling for his resignation. He joins us from Miami outside the National Hurricane Center.
Wally, can you hear me, this morning?
WALLY BARNES, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: I can hear you loud and clear now.
CHETRY: OK, good. Thanks for being with us. Proenza ignited this firestorm of controversy last month. One of the things he said was that a key hurricane satellite, Quikstat, I believe is what it's called, was too old and that it could be putting the accuracy of forecasts in jeopardy.
What is wrong with telling the public there could be problems within a public agency?
BARNES: I lost you there. Kiran, I had some background noise. I lost your question. Can you repeat, please? CHETRY: Sure. One of the things that he was criticized for, Bill Proenza, was he spoke publicly about some problems. I believe one of them specifically was this hurricane satellite, Quikstat, that it could be too old. And he questioned whether or not the accuracy of forecasts would be in jeopardy. Isn't that a good thing for him to speak publicly about problems within a public agency?
BARNES: Yes, it is something good to bring out the attention to Quikstat. There is definitely a particular problem with the satellite. It is already on backup mode, and we could actually lose it just about any time now. And how will that affect our forecast is the question.
The senior staff members of the Hurricane Center, at all times, were actually stating to Bill, that our losses are not going to be that critical, that we can continue issuing the good forecast without the satellite.
CHETRY: So what was the main beef? Why did you, as well as 22 of your other colleagues, sign on to this petition saying you felt he should be ousted?
BARNES: Well, there were other issues also involved. The satellite and possibly what you can call other particular issues with the staff, where he actually diverted, in the opinion of the staff, and the staff actually was very uncomfortable with the issues going out in public, were actually the science behind --
CHETRY: Wow. Unfortunately, it looks like we're having a little bit of trouble with Wally Barnes' satellite, so we will try to get back with him in a couple of minutes.
Meantime, though, severe storm damage tops our "Quick Hits". Thunderstorms blew across Oklahoma yesterday. Police Chief Terry Thompson in Warner says, quote, "a big snake-like twister tore part of a roof off of a church and ripped a house and tore a barn to pieces."
In Upstate New York, a strong line of thunderstorms slammed Albany. Heavy rain and hail causing some serious damage to homes as well as cars. Hurricane-strength winds knocked down trees and power lines. And 30,000 customers were without power.
Still ahead, war talk. President Bush hitting the road and talking about Iraq today as more Republicans push for a change of course. We're going to talk to one of them, Senator Lamar Alexander, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: We had a brief technical malfunction while we were talking to Wally Barnes, National Hurricane Center meteorologist.
Thanks for being back with us. I just want to ask you one question: There are some people who question maybe changing the head of the National Hurricane Center right in the heart of hurricane season may be -- may put things into a little bit of a tail spin and perhaps jeopardize forecasting. What do you say about that? BARNES: I wouldn't say that, because first of all, our rules are very strict in the way that our procedures follow exactly what we have to do. Everybody has the experience and the know-how, exactly what to do, and how to warn the American public and the world public, for that matter, about the threat of a hurricane or a cyclone. So the fact that our head is not there doesn't exactly mean that we are not going to do our job the best we can.
CHETRY: So changing the boss doesn't really affect what you guys do when it comes to warning us about the threat of storms?
BARNES: And in addition to, of course, we have our deputy director who is now going to be leading intermittently our actions and activities, I'm sure that we are going to be giving the best we can.
CHETRY: OK, Wally Barnes, National Hurricane Center meteorologist, thanks for being with us this morning.
BARNES: OK.
ROBERTS: It's 38 minutes after the hour.
Some Republican lawmakers are proposing a different strategy for victory in Iraq. One that is at odds with the White House. Senator Lamar Alexander is pushing a bipartisan bill that would implement a lot of the implementations of the Iraq Study Group. And he joins us now live from the Russell Rotunda on Capitol Hill.
Senator Alexander, thanks for being with us.
SEN. LAMAR ALEXANDER (R), TENNESSEE: Good morning.
ROBERTS: Let me ask you this question, to start off with, does this week mark the turning point of the war in Iraq?
ALEXANDER: It very well may, because there is an increasing -- and in a little different way than many people might suspect. I think the difference is there are a growing number of bipartisan senators, senators on both sides of the aisle, who are trying to come to a conclusion. Most of our votes have been partisan so far.
And the efforts of Senator Salazar, a Democrat of Colorado, and a number of others have created the legislation which I support, which would put the Baker-Hamilton bi-partisan recommendations into place and ask the president to draw a plan based upon that.
ROBERTS: So, what is the effect of that conclusion?
ALEXANDER: The effect would be, one, we would have a limited, but long-term role in Iraq. Second, we would begin to get out of the combat business in Iraq, and into the support, training and equipping business in a responsible way.
ROBERTS: What is the timetable for that, Senator?
ALEXANDER: Well, the Iraq Study Group said it could be about a year before we were in that new mission for our combat forces. They said that last December. So that would mean by their reckoning, about the middle of next year, but there is no fixed deadline. And it would make it all subject to unsuspected developments on the ground, which I think is the appropriate way to do it.
ROBERTS: What is your view of the current White House strategy?
ALEXANDER: Well, I think it's incomplete. I think the president would have been wiser, in January, to say to the nation here is a respected group of people, former Secretary of State Baker, representatives from the Clinton, Bush and Reagan administrations, they have looked at it for nine months. They have suggested away from here, to where we want to go into Iraq. And I accept it. And I ask the country to do that. I think he could still do that today, and I wish he would.
ROBERTS: To you, is this so-called surge working?
ALEXANDER: Well, it's hard -- I'm looking forward to General Petraeus' report in September. But the surge can be within this larger strategy of the Iraq Study Group. The surge, by itself, in my opinion, is not a strategy. A new strategy would be to say let's get out of the combat business, and in to support and equipping and training, as promptly as we honorably can.
ROBERTS: You've heard what the projections are for this interim report which is due on later on this week. It would suggest the Iraqi government has failed to meet any of the benchmarks set down by the president, when he launched the surge back in January. And then those benchmarks that were codified by Congress, just a little while ago. I mean, how much -- how big a piece of bad news is this?
ALEXANDER: Well, that's bad news. I mean, that is a piece of bad news and the other is I think we'll find that the Iraqi forces aren't developing as rapidly as we would wish. But under our legislation, the president could take that all into consideration, and lay out a plan.
What the president needs, in addition to his policy, is more bipartisan support for his policy and borrowing the Baker/Hamilton authority, and the group of 11 bipartisan senators we already are on both sides of the aisle, with the Salazar legislation, would help him do that.
ROBERTS: With this report coming out, with the report, again, saying that the Iraqi government has failed to meet those benchmarks, how long can Republicans support hold together?
ALEXANDER: Well, I, for one -- and I think most of my Republican colleagues want to do what is best for our country and support our troops. And we consistently have said no immediate withdrawal, no micromanaging of the forces. That's why I'm attracted to the Baker/Hamilton report.
It sets goals. It's very clear. It's clearly a new direction. It has bipartisan support. If the president were to put that in place, I would be very comfortable giving him support for a long-term role in Iraq, but limited, and for continuation of the surge, in order to make that long-term goal work.
ROBERTS: Senator, one quick question here. Is the president going to have to accept some sort of change?
ALEXANDER: The president needs a new strategy. Not just because that would be a better strategy, but because a strategy can't sustain itself unless it has more broad support in the country, and in the Congress than his current strategy does.
ROBERTS: All right Senator Lamar Alexander, from Tennessee, thanks very much for joining us this morning.
ALEXANDER: Thank you for inviting me.
ROBERTS: Good to see you, Sir.
Next hour, Republican Senator Olympia Snowe from Maine joins us. She is considering supporting an amendment to withdrawal U.S. troops from Iraq by in the spring. The same sort of thing that Lamar Alexander was just talking about.
CHETRY: And some health headlines now to top your "Quick Hits".
A study shows that the risks of diet heavy in meats and sweets. Chinese women who ate a more Western diet had a higher chance of getting breast cancer. The increased risk was only found in post- menopausal women.
And women like men with muscles. Those are the shocking findings of a new UCLA study, researchers say that guys with good bodies have more sex than their lesser built counterparts, because -- this is the study being quoted here, not what I'm saying -- "muscles are like feathers on a peacock, when it comes to attracting women".
ROBERTS (voice over): Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, examining the eye in the sky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no expectation of privacy when you have common areas.
ROBERTS: Cameras catching crooks, or an invasion of your privacy? We take a look at both sides next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Making the airlines pay if they bump you. Your "Quick Hits" now.
The government is taking public comments on new compensation plans. One plan triples the penalties for bumping passengers.
The price of an airline ticket is heading up. Southwest Airlines started it over the weekend, raising prices by $1 to $10 per trip depending on the flight. Southwest says that is to pay for higher fuel costs. Other airlines are now matching that increase. The old Beverly Hills home of William Randolph Hearst is now the most expensive house, ever, on the market. The house sits on more than six acres. It includes three swimming pools, 29 bedrooms, and a movie theater, even a disco. The asking price? Just $165 million.
CHETRY: You said "just"?
ROBERTS: Just.
CHETRY: Do you have that money?
ROBERTS: Just. I think if we went together, you know, we could split the house. You take one wing, I'll take the other.
CHETRY: We'd fight over the pool all of the time. All right.
Well, tonight, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) will soon be duplicated here in the U.S. Thousands of surveillance cameras keeping a close eye on busy London. The idea is to fight crime and also to track potential terrorists. CNN's Joe Johns is in Washington and our Paula Newton is in London. We begin with Paula.
Is it considered a success in London, Paula?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Most definitely. Although there certainly are some complainants from civil liberties organizations. Really, especially here, when it comes to fighting that terror threat, many people in Britain have learned just how effective those cameras can be.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON (voice over): The entire country, especially London, seems to be in a constant state of surveillance. There are more than four million cameras trained on almost every corner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You twist it, and zoom in.
NEWTON: That's one camera for every 15 people. On any given day here, you can be caught on camera more than 300 times.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Crossing Great Windmill Street, continuing on the Shasti (ph) Avenue, toward Piccadilly Circus.
NEWTON: On a random walk through central London they could track and trace my every move with a better view than most police officers walking the beat. Most recently, suspected terrorists were caught after being captured on camera. The men blamed for launching suicide attacks in London last summer showed up on more than a few CCTVs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've seen a reduction of 33 percent in street crime in the area and that is fantastic. People are crying out to have CCTV. They feel secure. They feel like wander the streets at night, that somebody is keeping an eye out for anything, wrongdoing.
NEWTON: But not so for Nigel Dawes. He was robbed last spring and the whole thing was caught on a CCTV camera outside his shop. He called police, and they said, they didn't have the time to look at the video.
NIGEL DAWES, SHOPOWNER: They can't put -- spend all this money putting these in. And then, say, well, we really haven't got the funds to review the footage.
NEWTON: But some very high-profile crimes have been solved, thanks to CCTV. And crucially, on Monday, four would-be bombers in London convicted in the July 21st conspiracy to blow up three underground trains and a bus. All were caught on tape right down to the moment of detonation, the malfunction, panic, even the manhunt that followed.
Here, one of the suspects is seen disguised as a woman in a burqa, trying to make his get-away.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: You know why it's very effective in terms of catching them after the fact. It has to be said, Kiran, that in a lot of these cases when it involves terrorists a lot of them actually like to be seen on the CCTV video. They feel it elevates their crime, gets them the recognition they want.
CHETRY: Then as we saw, at least for four of the suspects in the July 21st bombings, it actually landed them in prison as well. Paula Newton, thanks so much.
ROBERTS: The City of Baltimore began using cameras after they saw how well they were working in London. CNN's Joe Johns joins us live from Washington.
Morning to you, Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John.
We have a love/hate relationship with these security cameras. There is one right over there. It's a little hard to see across the intersection. Some people like them. Some people say they make them feel nervous. Love them or hate them, at all started in the U.K. and they are probably here to stay.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS (voice over): If London hadn't blazed the trail on security cameras, they may never have come to Baltimore. And this terrifying scene may have had an even worse ending. Let's back it up.
Here, caught on camera, you see a young man ambling in the shadows. Next, a young woman walks into the camera range, she's smoking, talking on a cell phone. Suddenly the man grabs her and drags her out of view. In scarcely two minutes, with an apparent crime in progress, the cops arrive at the scene.
LEONARD HAMM, BALTIMORE POLICE COMMISSIONER: We got there in seconds because we had been watching this guy walking around, in a suspicious manner.
JOHNS: Bad guys on candid camera. Baltimore now uses about 500 cameras. In Chicago, there are as many as 2000. Now, a plan to mount them in Manhattan.
HAMM: It's not going to go back. The threat of terrorism, the threat of gangs, the threat of violence on the street, it's not going to go back.
JOHNS: Baltimore claims a 17 percent reduction in violent crime in neighborhoods with the cameras. Though criminals are seldom caught in the act, evidence, witnesses, license plates, still help investigations.
But try to tell that to this woman who has a beauty shop on a corner where the cameras have been up for more than a year. She asked us not to show her face on TV.
(on camera): Has the crime changed at all since the camera came?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely not. No. I have been a victim of crime since I've been here, several times.
JOHNS (voice over): Some of the people we talked to on the street didn't even believe the cameras work at all.
(on camera): Do they do anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
JOHNS: Do you think -- do people believe they work?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some people probably do. I don't.
JOHNS: He should. The police were taping us, taping the neighbors. As for privacy issues, don't these people have a right not to be on camera?
HAMM: There's no expectation of privacy when you have common areas, no.
JOHNS: The street, of course, qualifies as a common area.
MAJ. DAVE ENGEL, POLICE INTELLIGENCE COMMANDER: The only thing these cameras monitor are things an officer on the street could see with their eyes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JOHNS: Some of the people we talked to out there in Baltimore, who said they don't like the cameras, said they thought they would be better off with more cops on the beat -- John.
ROBERTS: Well, you know, the cops cost so much more money, though, than putting up a few cameras. As we've seen in London, perhaps they don't necessarily prevent crime, but they certainly are good at solving crime. And maybe then, Joe, some people might think twice about committing a crime.
JOHNS: Yeah, sure, people -- maybe they will. But there is also a lot of questions about privacy, as you know. People are concerned about big brother and there is that other issue of limited government resources. You've only got so much money to go around for law enforcement -- and fighting terrorism.
And how are you going to be better off? Are you going to be better off with some police officers, or better off with more cameras? That's the debate that has gone on for a long time.
ROBERTS: I'm sure it will continue for a while. Joe Johns live for us in Washington. Joe, thanks very much.
CHETRY: Bob Barker lobbying hard in California. Your "Quick Hits" now. The former "Price Is Right" host is supporting a proposed state measure that would force pet owners to spay or neuter their cats and dogs. The senate is scheduled to consider this bill on Wednesday.
And how about the running of the cows? Doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? There is a movement, though, in Pamplona, Spain to add a female only version of the famous running of the bulls -- with cows.
Women do part in the bull run but make up a very small percentage of the runners.
Ever had a hankering to do that?
ROBERTS: I have never had a hankering to do it. The running with the cows might be right up my alley, though.
CHETRY: Exactly. A little safer. No danger of getting gored there.
Well, from pet food to children's toys, more and more products are imported from China. And now they're at the center of a recalls and warnings. So, we thought why not keep Chinese goods out of your house? Well, one family tried to it and it is easier said than done. We're going to show you on AMERICAN MORNING coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Harry Potter and the wet cement tops your "Quick Hits". No, It's not a sequel, but the three main actors in the "Harry Potter" movies left their mark in front of a famous Chinese theater in Hollywood. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint put their hand and foot, and wand prints -- how about that one? -- in the cement.
ROBERTS: "Desperately Seeking Susan" is set to be the latest move to make its way to the stage. A musical based on the old Madonna movie is set to premiere in London this fall complete with songs from Deborah Harry and Blondie.
CHETRY: And if you've gotta go, go in style. A company in England is offering prospective "diers" some fancy choice when it comes to their coffins. The company specializes in unique and unusual designs, including caskets in the shape of a guitar, and a wine cork -- and did I miss it? Was there one that had skis at the end of the casket? There's a skateboard one, too.
ROBERTS: I like the sailboat. Sailing is right up my alley.
The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
CHETRY (voice over): War talk. President Bush on the road today talking about the next phase in Iraq.
TONY SNOW, PRESS SECRETARY, WHITE HOUSE: This is not the beginning of the end. It's the beginning of a new way.
CHETRY: While a new report gives Iraqis a failing grade when it comes to benchmarks. The battle between war and politics heats up at home on this AMERICAN MORNING.
(On camera): Welcome. It's Tuesday, July 10th. I'm Kiran Chetry, along with John Roberts. Glad you're with us today.
ROBERTS: Good morning to you.
Could you live without buying goods from China? One American family sworn off buying Chinese made products an entire year and the mother of the family wrote a book about it, "A Year Without Made in China."
CHETRY: Easier said than done.
ROBERTS: Sona bon journi (ph).
CHETRY: I checked my pen today. It says made in Japan.
ROBERTS: I wonder if is there a component of it, though, that is made in China? This is what they found.
CHETRY: That's the hard part.
ROBERTS: It doesn't necessarily mean the whole thing has to be made in China. There are component parts that go into it that might be. They swore off everything. Sarah will be with us in a little while. This is an interview that we hoped to do this yesterday but we had some technical problems in New Orleans -- so we brought her here!
CHETRY: Because it's very fascinating, her story.
ROBERTS: It really is. It's a lot of fun. We will tell you how they got the idea and just how difficult it was and how ubiquitous Chinese products are in our lives.
President Bush may be ready to talk about the next step in Iraq today. He's going to be at a community forum in Cleveland. And he is expected to answer questions about his plans for U.S. troops. CNN's Ed Henry is live at the White House this morning. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
