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President Bush, Prime Minister Gordon Brown Hold Talks at Camp David; Gonzales' Defense; Windmill Battle

Aired July 30, 2007 - 09:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM, everybody. Good morning to you.
I'm Heidi Collins. Tony Harris has the day off.

Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on this Monday morning. It's July 30th.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Mr. Brown comes to Camp David. Will the new British prime minister keep his country a strong ally on Iraq?

A seemingly normal neighborhood, a disturbing secret. Exorcism in Phoenix.

And do you know where that bottled water really comes from? You might be surprised.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Shoring up a key alliance. President Bush and new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown meeting face to face this morning at Camp David.

CNN's Ed Henry is with us now live from the White House.

Ed, what are the administration's goals exactly today?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Heidi.

They obviously want to talk about a lot of issues -- trade, Darfur, Iran. But the biggest issue of all hanging over these two days of talks, of course, will Mr. Brown be a strong an ally on Iraq as his predecessor Tony Blair was?

There's anxiousness at the White House, because obviously the president doesn't need anymore headaches right now. He's already dealing with the pressure of having to show progress in Iraq in advance of this big September report from General Petraeus.

Now, the early signs have raised eyebrows. There have been leaked reports out of Britain suggesting there may be more troop pullouts from the British. There's also been the fact that Mr. Brown appointed a cabinet minister who has had some -- has been critical of the Bush administration and has also suggested that the U.S. and Britain will no longer be joined at the hip.

Mr. Brown, himself, though, has been clear about saying he prizes this alliance, and in fact this morning in "The Washington Post" he has an op-ed, Mr. Brown does, calling it a "partnership for the ages." But with the fact that Mr. Blair fell so far in popularity back in Great Britain because he was perceived as being too close to Mr. Bush, called even Bush's poodle, you have to wonder whether Mr. Brown will feel the pressure domestically to distance himself from this administration -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. So what are the chances then of the president's relationship with the new prime minister being just as chummy, if you will, as they were with the former prime minister?

HENRY: Well, the White House certainly is hopeful. And there's a good reason for it in the fact that if you think back to February of 2001, when Tony Blair first went to Camp David, a lot of us in the media were predicting that there's no way that Bush and Blair would have a strong alliance because, as you remember, Tony Blair was such a close ally of former president Bill Clinton. And here was this Texan from the other party, there's no way that he and Tony Blair will hit it off.

But instead, their chemistry was evident right away. They joked about the fact that they both used Colgate toothpaste. They also talked about serious issues. And you saw the chemistry calling each other "George" and "Tony" from that very first day in February of 2001.

That's why a lot of people have their eyes on the chemistry or lack thereof this morning a couple of hours form now, when there's a first joint press conference between Mr. Brown and Mr. Bush -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Ed. It will be interesting to watch, that's for sure. Thanks so much for that.

HENRY: Thank you.

COLLINS: And the president and prime minister speaking out this morning about their talks at Camp David. We'll have live coverage for you on that, 11:25 Eastern.

In Iraq today, violence overshadows celebrations. This scene Sunday, jubilant Iraqis pouring into the streets. Their national soccer team won the Asian Cup. But gunfire meant to celebrate the victory proved deadly. Bullets killed four people and wounded 17 others.

In central Baghdad this morning, a bomb aboard a minibus ripped through a market. At least six people killed, 28 wounded.

Also this morning, the U.S. military announcing the deaths of three more American soldiers. They were killed while fighting in Anbar province last week. That pushes the U.S. death toll in July to 72. Inside Iraq, is Washington's new strategy making progress? One prominent critic says yes. And he'll tell you why. That's going to be coming up in the NEWSROOM.

Meanwhile, though, all eyes on Wall Street. In just a few minutes, a new week of trading gets under way.

Stocks took a beating last week. The Dow dropping more than 4 percent. The S&P 500 almost 5 percent.

Part of the tumble blamed on problems in the financial and housing sectors tied to subprime lending. We have been talking a lot about that. That's where borrowers with poor credit are able to get mortgages.

Just ahead of today's opening bell, stock index futures point to a weak start. But we will be tracking it all for you, of course, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, gas prices are down. The Lundberg national survey shows a drop of more than 17 cents over the past two weeks. The average cost for a gallon of self-serve regular now, $2.88 a gallon. A bigger supply, increased imports and refinery repairs all getting the credit for that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: This morning, questions about the safety of news choppers. The concern is coming after two Phoenix news choppers crashed Friday.

All four men aboard the two craft were killed when the choppers fell to the ground in a public park. No one was on the ground at the time. And the man being chased could actually now face charges in connection with those deaths. The FAA is of course investigating.

A joint memorial service is planned tomorrow for two of the victims. Services are planned later this week for the other two.

In just a few minutes we'll go live to our Jim Acosta. He is talking about safety regulations governing news helicopter flights.

Another news crew and another chopper down. Happening just a little while ago near Dallas.

The chopper made an emergency crash landing. No serious injuries. Aboard, the pilot and two traffic reporters for Dallas news stations.

The chopper apparently lost power in Grand Prairie. That's northwest of Dallas. One of the reporters aboard says the craft made a hard landing and skidded to a stop.

A major development this hour in the government's case against NFL star Michael Vick. Happening now, a court hearing for one of Vick's co-defendants in the dog fighting case. Tony Taylor (ph) expected to plea guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors. That means he could become a star witness against Vick. We should learn more on that today.

Meanwhile, Vick supporters are rallying in his defense. They picketed outside the Georgia Dome yesterday, accusing the Falcons, the public and the media of rushing to judgment against him. Vick has entered a not guilty plea to the charges.

Green waves of Mary Jane. Millions of dollars worth of marijuana. Police on patrol, finding a treasure trove of pot farms.

Exorcism or abuse? Police say a seemingly inconspicuous setting hid a bizarre, bloody scene. A 3-year-old girl attacked.

Stirring up a wind storm of controversy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess I'm a pioneer and I've got a lot of hours in my back from it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: He's gone green, but some of his neighbors are seeing red.

From one coast to the other, water wars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think that what we're trying to do is make people aware that tap water is really wonderful water and a great bargain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Getting citizens off bottled water. It's coming up next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Want to tell you a little bit more about this situation that we are learning about. These pictures coming in to us from grand Prairie, Texas. Our affiliate there, KTXA.

This is another news chopper that has gone down. If you remember over the weekend, there was a terrible accident in Phoenix.

This one, however, we are learning more about it as we get more information in. And it happened just a little while ago, as I said, near Dallas.

The chopper apparently made a crash landing, an emergency crash landing, but as you look at that video, pretty amazing to find out, at least at this point, no serious injuries. There was a pilot and two traffic reporters from Dallas news stations on board. The chopper apparently just lost power in that area, Grand Prairie.

One of the reporters on board the helicopter made -- said that they made a hard landing and they just skidded to a stop. So, at least at this point from what we are hearing, it looks like the pilot was able to set that chopper down in those trees there.

And boy, if you can come out of that without injuries, you have done a very, very good job.

We'll continue to follow that story for you again, once again, out of Grand Prairie, Texas, this morning.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales facing allegations of lying to Congress. What he said and what Republicans are saying about it now.

Here's CNN's Ed Henry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The internal dispute in 2004 over President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program centered on data mining of information gleaned from the program. Rather than the actual eavesdropping, a former government official told CNN.

The distinction is critical, because it will be Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's defense against allegations he committed perjury.

ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: There's not been any serious disagreement about the program that the president has confirmed.

HENRY: That, despite the fact former Deputy Attorney General James Comey threatened to quit because of his concerns.

JAMES COMEY, FMR. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: I prepared a letter of resignation.

HENRY: In 2005, when the president acknowledged conducting eavesdropping without warrants, he did not admit the government was searching through data bases of information picked up by that surveillance, which is what Gonzales is hanging his defense on. If you listen to his precise words.

GONZALES: The disagreement that occurred, and the reason for the visit to the hospital center, was about other intelligence activities. It was not about the terrorist surveillance program that the president announced.

HENRY: Democrats charge this is a distinction without a difference. Because the data mining and the surveillance are both part of the broader wiretap program.

SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D), WISCONSIN: The truth is, that the attorney general, in my view, has at least lied to Congress and may have committed perjury. HENRY: One Republican insists Gonzales did nothing wrong.

SEN. ORRIN HATCH (R) UTAH: This is not really about the attorney general, this is about the Democrats. They're using him as a punching bag to get to the president.

HENRY: The White House, meanwhile, is using the threat of a potential summer terror attack to try and speed through a small package of changes to the law overseeing the surveillance program.

According to a letter obtained by CNN, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell on Friday told House and Senate leaders, "... in light of the urgency of the situation, I offer the attached significantly narrowed proposal, focused on the current urgent need of the intelligence community to provide warning of potential terror attacks."

(on camera): Democrats say they're reading the changes closely to make sure nothing controversial is being pushed through too quickly. But after months of stalled talks, Democrats say they're close to a deal that would give the White House short-term tweaks to the program. A major clash over bigger changes is coming in September.

Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Going on right now, a hearing before the FDA about the safety of a popular drug for diabetics. The drug, Avandia, it's used by eight percent of adults with Type II Diabetes. Several studies say it increases the risk of heart attack.

A panel of outside experts is testifying. The federal agency is considering whether to remove the drug from stores or require warning labels. Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline says there is no increase in heart risks compared with other diabetes drugs. About one million Americans use the drug.

A New Jersey man goes green, powering his home using a windmill. But not everyone is pleased.

Here now, CNN's Jim Acosta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In this breezy town on the New Jersey shore, when the wind is blowing, Michael Mercurio is thinking about saving money on energy.

MICHAEL MERCURIO, WINDMILL OWNER: My bill was running, for gas and electric, about $340 to $370 a month. Now I have a $9.50 bill a month.

ACOSTA: He built this 35-foot windmill in his backyard last year. Along with the solar panels on his roof, Mercurio has not only cut his energy costs, he sent power back to the local grid, especially when it's running at full speed seen here in this home video.

MERCURIO: The more power we can generate in our homes, the more free energy we have. It there for this country to use; it declares energy independence for this country.

ACOSTA: He had hopes of turning this trail blazing idea into a business. Building backyard windmills for homeowners across the country.

MERCURIO: I guess I'm a pioneer and I got a lot of hours in my back from it.

ACOSTA (on camera): Not long after wind power came to Long Beach Island, did a storm start brewing. It was the forces of nature versus the forces of -- not in my backyard.

BILL KELLY, WINDMILL OPPONENT: It's an eyesore. I think more importantly it's the noise that it makes.

MERCURIO: I believe that's false because it's no more noisy than an air conditioner.

ACOSTA: One of Mercurio's next door neighbors sued the local township, claiming the windmill exceeds height and noise ordinances.

GEORGE CAFARELLI, NEIGHBORS' ATTORNEY: Our claim against the township, they are not, or were not enforcing their own ordinances, allowing this thing to be built.

ACOSTA: The town ordered Mercurio to turn off his windmill until the matter is settled in court. A decision that environmentalists say blew them away.

SUSAN LITA LIOU, ENVIRONMENT NEW JERSEY: We want to see tests like this all over the country. We should be testing what our potential is for clean energy. Knowing Mike, I don't think he'll be deterred.

ACOSTA: They see Michael Mercurio as a modern-day Don Quixote.

MERCURIO: My answer to, not in my backyard, is, it's in my backyard and I want to keep it there.

ACOSTA: Instead of tilting at windmills, he trying to save one.

Jim Acosta, CNN, Beach Haven Terrace, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Still ahead, plants in peril. A prolonged drought leaving family farmers in dire straits. Their crops past the point of no return.

Also, satisfying a thirst for truth. PepsiCo opens the tap and reveals the source of its bottled water.

And marijuana growers in north Texas not too mellow right now. A drug task force makes some major, new find in the Dallas area.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Right under their noses. Drug enforcement agents and Dallas police found a marijuana field near DEA headquarters. It's part of new efforts to get the drug off the streets in north Texas.

The story now from Dan Ronan with our affiliate WFAA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RONAN, REPORTER, WFAA (voice over): It's another huge discovery believed to be in the $5 million range. Some $10 million worth of marijuana found and taken off the streets in just over a week.

SGT. DUDLEY NOSWORTHY, DALLAS POLICE: Any amount in close proximity to the city, I would say, yes, it's a significant amount.

RONAN: Last Saturday, police uncovered another isolated field near the Dallas-Grand Prairie line. There, police found more than 10,000 plants, $5 million worth.

A few days earlier, a smaller marijuana field was discovered near the Drug Enforcement Agency's Dallas headquarters. Some of the plants found Sunday believed to be seven feet high.

NOSWORTHY: I think it shows that they will go to any lengths in order to get their product out. Also, I believe that it's probably -- I mean, it's probably less expensive because they don't have the large trafficking miles to haul from, say, from south Texas or other parts of the world to get into Texas. And it's right here in our backyard.

RONAN: Police investigating who owns the property, and the marijuana is in a very isolated area, with hundreds of trees and no roads.

NOSWORTHY: Yes, with the terrain, it will be some challenge.

RONAN: So they'll likely to have use helicopters to take the pot out once the plants are pulled. In fact, a Dallas policeman wearing full protective gear who hiked down to the marijuana on foot was overcome by the heat and hospitalized.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Authorities say the stepped-up helicopter patrols are a big help in their search for marijuana fields in remote areas.

Not enough rain. The Mid-Atlantic's dry spell now threatening crops and the future of family farms.

CNN's Gary Nurenberg takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One look at the heat rippling over this Maryland cornfield tells you it's very hot. One look at the parched ground tells you.

MELVIN BAILE JR., MARYLAND FARMER: We're very, very, very dry.

NURENBERG (on camera): How is this year's crop?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God awful.

NURENBERG (voice-over): Buddy Hance is a farmer who is Maryland's deputy secretary of agriculture.

BUDDY HANCE, MARYLAND DEPUTY AGRICULTURE SECY: The corn crop is getting near the point of no return.

NURENBERG: The same story in parts of Virginia.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This corn is useless. It's just a total loss.

NURENBERG (on camera): At this time of year in this part of Virginia, the corn should be 12 feet tall. In this field, it's not even close.

GREG MENTZER, VIRGINIA FARMER: We haven't had a good soaking rain for 10 months to a year.

NURENBERG (voice-over): Greg Mentzer works the Terra (ph) Farm in Northern Virginia where the black angus need human help to feed.

MENTZER: The cows have survived on this grass in years past until October. But with no rain, no grass.

NURENBERG: You can see it in the brown fields of soybeans with plants that would normally be knee high. Now, only inches tall. You can see it in the creek bed.

MENTZER: This creek here is usually 15 foot wide, two feet deep the whole way.

NURENBERG: Right now it's the corn that's suffering the most.

JASON SCOTT, MARYLAND FARMER: I'd say we're looking at 50 percent yield reduction from our average.

WILLIAM LAYTON, MARYLAND FARMER: To see all of that money just drying up out there and withering is really frustrating.

NURENBERG: The answer is simple and beyond the farmer's control.

DONNELL MARING, MARYLAND FARMER: Rain. That's what we need is just rain.

NURENBERG: A lot of rain.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need a hurricane.

NURENBERG (on camera): Seems like this is a business that can break your heart year after year.

MENTZER: And it does, but it's in your heart. If it's not in your heart, then I don't know.

NURENBERG: Ever wonder why you stick with it?

MENTZER: Every day. Every day.

NURENBERG: Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Loudoun County, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Still ahead, inside Iraq. Is Washington's new strategy making progress? One prominent critic says yes. He'll tell you why.

Also, tragedy in the sky. Chopper pilots, their camera crews and the risks involved. Our report from a helicopter pad in Manhattan.

And it's a nasty job, but somebody's got to get it up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The auditoriums, movie theaters, the national zoos, the monuments, you name it. Everywhere there's gum pollution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Gross. So who are you going to call? Gumbusters, of course.

The story ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning once again, everybody.

9:30 Eastern time this Monday morning.

The alliance between the United States and Great Britain one of the world's oldest and strongest. Right now, President Bush and Britain's new prime minister are meeting at Camp David.

Gordon Brown arrived Sunday for two days of talks. It is his first visit to the United States since taking office just over one month ago.

Among the key issues, as the two men sat down together, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; Iran's nuclear threat; the fight against terror; and genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.

The president and the prime minister speaking out this morning about their talks at Camp David.

We'll have that for you live coming up live at 11:25 Eastern.

We also want to give you the latest information here regarding the case of Michael Vick.

We have just now learned that his co-defendant -- one of them anyway -- has pleaded guilty, understanding that he is going to be sentenced, apparently, on December 14th.

But we're talking about 34-year-old Tony Taylor.

Again, one of Michael Vick's co-defendants did plead guilty in Richmond -- that's where the federal courthouse is -- to federal dog fighting conspiracy charges. This is a plea agreement that he has made with prosecutors.

So we will continue to watch this one.

We're understanding that he was not really promised any specific sentence in return for his cooperation with the government, but we will learn more about that, I assume, as this story continues to develop.

Meanwhile, a car chase and the rush to report it. It's proven deadly for four men. This morning, questions about safety.

Two Phoenix news choppers collided Friday, falling to the ground in a public park. The FAA now investigating. A joint memorial service is planned tomorrow for one of the pilots and photojournalists. Services are planned later this week for the other two.

But what about safety issues and rules governing flights like these?

CNN's Jim Acosta is joining us now live from a copter above Manhattan.

Good morning to you there -- Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, this is what local TV news helicopters do every day. They provide up to the minute traffic and local news from high in the sky. And I can use my chopper cam right now just to show you what it looks like here in New York City.

We're hovering over the East River. There's the Brooklyn Bridge and there is a dramatic picture of the skyline of lower Manhattan.

but some aviation experts are starting to question whether there should be some new rules for this staple of local TV news -- the choppers.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ACOSTA (voice-over): They are the eyes in the sky, beaming back bird's eye views of breaking news. In Phoenix last Friday, these two news helicopters were hovering over a slow moving police chase.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, oh my god. Channel 15 and Channel 3 just had a midair collision. They're in a park. Oh. Oh, man.

ACOSTA: Both choppers spiraled to the ground.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard like a loud gunshot and then about two seconds after that, there was this real loud like huge bang. And then just two helicopters coming straight down.

ACOSTA: Four people, the two pilots and two photographers in each helicopter, died. Federal investigators on the scene believe the chopper on the left in this picture, for station KNXV, somehow flew into its counterpart at station KTVK.

News chopper accidents are rare, but they do happen. Three years ago in New York, a helicopter for station WNBC spun out of control and slammed into a rooftop in Brooklyn.

MARY SCHIAVO, FORMER DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION INSPECTOR GENERAL: I think it should be reviewed. There is -- it's only going to increase.

ACOSTA: Aviation expert Mary Schiavo says it may be time to require news choppers to put a co-pilot or a lookout in their cockpits to make sure they don't get too close.

SCHIAVO: And here that person, the co-pilot, would have served as a lookout, probably would have dramatically increased the safety of the operations.

ACOSTA: Because news copters typically fly at low altitudes, they don't spend much time communicating with air traffic controllers. Once they are cleared into an area, it's up to those pilots to avoid accidents by sight.

Schiavo says that's too risky.

SCHIAVO: The rule of the road in visual flight rules, the rule of the air is see and avoid.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ACOSTA: Up here in the sky, these TV news helicopter pilots insist they are playing it safe. They point out there are choppers up across the country for TV stations every day with very few mishaps. They say they spend more time covering car crashes than they do chopper crashes -- Heidi.

COLLINS: CNN's Jim Acosta live for us above Manhattan in that helicopter there.

Jim, thanks so much for that.

And another news crew and another chopper down. Happening just a little while ago near Dallas, the chopper made an emergency landing, skidding to a stop on its side. No serious injuries here, believe it or not. But aboard, the pilot and two traffic reporters for Dallas news stations.

The chopper apparently lost power in Grand Prairie, which is northwest of Dallas.

Update on Iraq.

Is the U.S. making progress?

Ken Pollack of the Brookings Institution has been a vocal critic of the administration's handling of the war. But he says an eight day visit has changed his outlook a bit.

He's joining us now from Washington.

Ken, nice to see you on the program.

KEN POLLACK, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: That's right. I mean you are a self-proclaimed critic of the way that the Bush administration has handled this war. You wrote a book about the situation in Iraq. You've shared your thoughts all over TV and some newspapers.

But yet it seems like the tune is changing a bit.

POLLACK: Right.

Well, this is the first time I've been to Iraq where I've come back, actually, a little bit more optimistic than when I went. Previous visits I've always come back more depressed, more frustrated, because things didn't seem like they were working.

And this time around, what we saw, in particular in the security sector and, to some extent, with local economics and governance is better.

COLLINS: Right.

Right.

Let's talk about those some of those points, because I really want to be able to break them down just a little bit here, if we can.

One big thing you write about is troop morale. You say it has significantly changed. In fact, I want to bring up what you wrote in the article. It says: "Morale is high. The soldiers and Marines told us they feel that they now have a superb commander in General David Petraeus. They are confident in his strategy. They see real results and they feel now they have the numbers needed to make a real difference."

This is a change from the last time you've been there, when you said they're usually angry and frustrated. POLLACK: Absolutely. In particular, the last time I was in Iraq, which was in late 2005, so about 18 months ago, I was really struck by the depth of anger and frustration from the troops, who felt like they were risking their lives, they had lost friends pursuing a strategy that they felt had absolutely no chance of success.

And it was just striking this time around how much morale seemed to have changed.

Now, that's not to say that there weren't still some soldiers and officers who we spoke to who were still angry about certain things, unhappy with different aspects.

But, overall, the change was palpable. They feel like finally they're making progress.

COLLINS: Hmm. Well you say, in fact, that something pretty spectacular has happened in just the past few months, that Iraqis are actually turning against the extremists and looking to the Americans for help. And you say specifically: "In less than six months, it's gone from the worst part of Iraq" -- we're talking about Anbar Province here, outside the Kurdish areas. "Today the Sunni sheikhs there are close to crippling al Qaeda. And just a few months ago, American Marines were fighting for every yard of Ramadi. Last week, we strolled down its streets without body armor."

Ken, what was that like?

POLLACK: It was surreal. It's amazing to be walking the streets of Anbar Province and not feeling under constant threat. But, you know, again, this is one of these where a lot of the success in war is really about being lucky. And the United States was lucky.

Al Qaeda overplayed its hands. They started ruling Anbar Province in ways that, quite frankly, the Iraqis there didn't care for -- doing things like taking away daughters of sheikhs to marry them off to their loyalists; killing local leaders; kidnapping children; doing all kinds of stuff that really turned the feelings of the local Iraqis, the Sunnis, Arabs who live in that region.

And it caused them to turn very decidedly against Al Qaeda and to reach out to the United States to help them rid themselves of Al Qaeda.

And the transformation has just been dramatic.

COLLINS: We also have been reporting here that the number of U.S. casualties, the deaths, actually, are down this month. The Iraqi civilian deaths are down.

Is that something that when you walk some of these streets in the different areas that you've been to -- because you were able to get to quite a few different places in the country -- that you can feel the affect of?

POLLACK: Absolutely. Again, you're starting -- and I want to be very careful about that. Iraqi is not fixed.

COLLINS: No.

POLLACK: Iraq is still mostly a disaster. But you're starting to see life return to parts of Iraq that were really quite dangerous and just war torn, even several months ago.

The changes are happening very quickly. And, again, it's this combination of the United States now taking a real interest in the safety and security of the Iraqis, the Iraqis reaching out to the Americans and turning against groups like al Qaeda and Jaishal Mahdi (ph) and just smarter decisions made by the American and, in some cases, Iraqi high commands.

COLLINS: What about the whole theory of whack a mole?

I think you were one of the first people to bring that up, where the Americans go in and they hold a particular area and get it under control security wise and then the insurgents or extremists just go somewhere else and start all over again.

Is that still happening?

POLLACK: By and large, no. At least not in the north center and west of the country. The south is a different question. The south is still beyond American and Iraqi government control.

But because of the surge and because, quite frankly, General Petraeus has figured this out. He understands the right answer. Remember, he's studied counter-insurgencies for a long period of time. And what he is doing is keeping American troops in place with Iraqi forces for long periods of time. And so you're really seeing the insurgents being forced into smaller and smaller areas of Iraq, areas in which increasingly you're seeing Iraqi forces starting to go after with Americans simply supporting them.

COLLINS: You do sort of sum up the whole article, op-ed, I should say, by saying that the situation in Iraq is still grave.

POLLACK: Absolutely.

COLLINS: What needs to be done?

What's the next step, in your eyes?

POLLACK: Well, there are three big areas, I think, that we need to put a lot of emphasis in. First, while the Iraqi Army is doing very well, another big change from 2005, the Iraqi police still need a lot of help. That's an important one.

The second one is there's real progress being made in local and ec -- local political and economic institutions, but a lot more needs to be done. In particular, where we saw these new EPRTs, the embedded provincial reconstruction teams, they were doing well.

But, unfortunately, only a few of them have really been fully filled out. They need to be filled out.

And then the last thing, the biggest thing, is at the national level, Iraqi national politics and the national economy remain disasters. Their political leaders -- and we saw many of the top level political leaders -- have not yet come to grips with the need to make the compromises necessary.

COLLINS: On recess, beginning this week, as well, something that we've been reporting here, too.

POLLACK: Absolutely.

COLLINS: But I do want to bring out one of the other things that you mentioned right at the very end of the article. Mentioning, of course -- and too keep it in perspective here -- you are not saying that the situation in Iraq is resolved. But you have noted some progress here. And, in fact, you do say this: "There is good -- there is enough good happening on the battlefields of Iraq today that Congress should plan on sustaining the effort at least into 2008."

Did you ever think like ago -- that like four years ago or maybe even just four weeks ago, that you, Ken Pollack, would actually be in support of seeing this thing through a little further?

POLLACK: I confess I was -- I was surprised. Even a couple of months ago, I was getting close to saying, you know what?

We just need to pull the plug on this thing, it's clearly not going to work. The administration is not going to do what's necessary to make it work.

And even when we adopted the surge and put General Petraeus in and he actually said, you know what, I'm going to do the right thing, I'm going to employ the right strategy, I was very nervous that it was much too late in the day.

And, look, it may still be. We shouldn't rule that out. This is still a work in progress and it's still early.

All that we were saying, Mike and I, was what we saw in Iraq was surprising. We were seeing much greater progress than we expected, especially in the security sector. And that holds out the possibility, the possibility, that we might be able to turn this around. And what we're saying is that the Congress ought to be willing to give this a little bit more time, but let's not write a blank check just yet.

There's still a lot of work that needs to be done and it needs to be continually reassessed.

COLLINS: Ken Pollack of the Brookings Institution.

Thanks so much. Interesting perspective here today. Appreciate it.

POLLACK: Thank you, Heidi.

COLLINS: And now we want to get a look at the weather situation all across the country. Jackie Jeras is here with us here now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Exorcism or abuse?

Police say a seemingly inconspicuous setting hid a bizarre and bloody scene. A 3-year-old girl attacked. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Bottled water is a multi-billion dollar business. But now, some big city officials are encouraging a return to the tap.

CNN's Richard Roth has that.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Love in the afternoon in New York's Central Park. A time for intimacy. A private moment between a man and a woman -- and a water bottle?

They're everywhere from boardrooms to doggy care.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good girl.

ROTH: More people clutch bottled water on the streets than iPods and Blackberries.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you open it for me, please?

ROTH: But New York and some other American cities want to get citizens off the bottle and on tap.

EMILY LLOYD, NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: I think that what we're trying to do is make people aware that tap water is really wonderful water and a great bargain.

ROTH: Across the country, San Francisco went a drop further, banning employees from using the city's money to buy bottled water when tap water is available, saving half a million dollars a year.

MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM, SAN FRANCISCO: We're not going to buy bottled water anymore and we're going to take advantage of the cleanest, purest water sources in the United States of America.

ROTH: But bottled water sales have soared, ranking second only to soft drinks. Last year, Americans spent more than $4 billion on the two largest brands.

JOHN SICHER, "BEVERAGE DIGEST": I just don't understand the point of trying to get consumers to drink less bottled water. It seems shortsighted and not a good idea to me.

ROTH: It's too soon to determine the impact from Friday's announcement by PepsiCo that it will now state more clearly that its Aquafina bottled water comes from the same public sources as tap water.

Coca-Cola says it has no plans to say the same with Dasani, which also originates from public sources.

NEWSOM: We are now exposing an underbelly truth, that is a big percentage of bottled water in this country is tap water.

ROTH: But many city residents don't like the looks of their tap water.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My tap water in my apartment looks like milk. So as you can understand, I'm not really secure drinking it.

ROTH: Can't decide?

Step up to the water bar and go for Bling H2O, a bottle of water for $55, sold in Diana Felicissimo's suburban New York cafe.

DIANA FELICISSIMO, WATER BAR OWNER: People are buying the water for gift purposes, they're buying it for health purposes, they're buying it to feel good, to look good.

ROTH: If you can't afford the bling, stick with simply H20.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It tastes good. It tastes fine. I enjoyed it.

ROTH: Richard Roth, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COLLINS: Some awful news to bring you out of Ocean City, Maryland now. According to the Associated Press, investigators have found the bodies of three children right near the home of a mother who was charged last week with killing her small infant.

Again, this is coming to us from Ocean City Police. And the Associated Press is reporting they do not know the age of these children. They were found, but police had obtained a search warrant for Christie Freeman to go inside of her home after interviewing her. And a small baby was found wrapped in a blanket inside that home.

We are going to continue to follow this story for you. But we're also learning that she was already charged, as I mentioned, last week with first degree murder, second degree murder and manslaughter.

She is going to be having a bail hearing later on today.

I'm sure we'll continue to follow that story out of Ocean City, Maryland, this morning.

Police called to a home to respond to a reported exorcism. A 3- year-old girl bloodied and screaming in pain is rescued from the scene.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Things that make you go yuck. Gum on the bottom of your shoe -- that's one of them. But from the nation's capital, there is hope. Here's CNN's Kathleen Koch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): If you think it's a gooey mess here, once gum hits the sidewalk it becomes a problem of, well, globular proportion.

DAN NESTOR, OSPREY DEEPCLEAN: Auditoriums, movie theaters, the national zoos, the monuments, you name it. Everywhere, there is gum pollution. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't really notice it unless it's stuck on me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think gum, like cigarette butts, should be thrown in the garbage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aside from being unsightly, I think it's gross. I'm sure there's germs.

KOCH: Singapore residents got so tired of close encounters with chewing gum...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I sat down, and then you've got all that stuff sticking on your pants.

KOCH: ... That for several years it was banned. Gum can be sold there now only for therapeutic purposes.

It's a monumental problem in Washington.

RONALD JONES, D.C. MAINTENANCE SERVICE: Gum left all over the sidewalks. This is probably one of the harder hit areas in the downtown area.

KOCH: But at the memorial to the world war the U.S. helped end, it's a European invention winning the battle of the bulging blobs.

NESTOR: It actually is a European technology developed in the mid-'90s by a Holland -- a company based in the Netherlands, in Holland.

KOCH: The gumbusters machine combines low pressure steam, an environmentally safe chemical and a rotating brush.

DARRELL RUCKMAN, COMPLETE BUILDING SERVICES: And as you can see, it will just pop right up there. It would typically take us, if we could get it up with a plastic scraper, a good five minutes on each one of these. It will literally take seconds now.

KOCH: It's not cheap. A typical city can spend half a million dollars a year getting up the gooey stuff.

(on camera): The gum industry, for its part, says it will keep urging consumers to chew responsibly.

CHRIS PERILLE, WRIGLEY CHEWING GUM: The only way to really eliminate the problem is to stop the littering from taking place in -- at the start.

KOCH (voice over): The problem now -- what to do about all the clean spots on the sidewalk.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Sad news this morning about talk show host Tom Snyder. The Associated Press reporting Snyder died yesterday in San Francisco after a long battle with leukemia. Snyder is perhaps best known for his smoke-filled interviews and casual style on NBC's "The Tomorrow Show". He later hosted "The Late Show With Tom Snyder" on CBS.

Tom Snyder was 71.

He's not Tony Blair. The new British prime minister is sitting down with President Bush. The White House wondering what message Gordon Brown will deliver.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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