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American Morning

Iraq Report: Judging Progress of Nuri al-Maliki; Mudslide Rescue in Minnesota

Aired August 23, 2007 - 08:00   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): Extreme weather.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would have been stuck here all afternoon if it hadn't been for the guys in the boat.

CHETRY: A double whammy of flooding and deadly heat. Entire towns under water. Homes on the edge of disaster.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My house is still here. I'm lucky.

Plus, hit parade. One, two, three, 10, 20? Thirty runs scored. Baseball's night for the record books on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Thirty runs? Wow.

CHETRY: Thirty runs. It broke records all over the place. They haven't done that since the 1800s in baseball.

How about that?

Well, it's Thursday, August 23rd. Glad you're with us this morning.

I'm Kiran Chetry.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez, sitting in for John.

Good day to be here.

CHETRY: That's right.

And we begin in Iraq. Growing doubts about how effective Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki can be in getting Iraq on the road to independence. Parts of a new national intelligence estimate are coming out today, and some of it criticizes the Maliki government's ability to control violence in Iraq.

President Bush, though, is still publicly supporting the prime minister. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Prime Minister Maliki's a good guy, a good man with a difficult job. And I support him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: CNN's Barbara Starr is live at the Pentagon with more on what we can expect from today's report.

And also, Barbara, is the president behind the scenes as supportive as what he's saying publicly about al-Maliki?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kiran, what the military commanders we've spoken to say about all this is, you go to the dance with the one who brung you, and that's pretty much where they are stuck right now with Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki. But this national intelligence estimate, according to administration officials, especially one we spoke to who has seen it, will express, does express some very serious doubts about Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. As one official said to me, doubts about his ability, his capacity to push forward with legislative reforms, something that the U.S. says is absolutely critical to long-term success in Iraq.

All of this to be discussed by the community later today when they brief reporters about some of the unclassified findings in this very classified report that has now gone to President Bush and Capitol Hill -- Kiran.

CHETRY: So, if the U.S. is essentially stuck with Prime Minister Maliki at this point, what would happen in Iraq if he was forced out of office, let's say?

STARR: Well, you know, that's a -- that's a pretty serious issue, you're absolutely right. This is a democratically-elected government by the people of Iraq. This is the person they have chosen. And now in Washington, you do begin to see the support for him eroding.

The president a little bit tentative there over the last couple of days. Some key Democrats, Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Hillary Clinton, beginning to publicly talk about replacing Maliki.

What this report is going to say, however, does say, also, is there is some security progress. And the intelligence community wants to highlight that.

They're going to say that there is progress in Al Anbar province with those Sunni leaders who have recently turned against al Qaeda. That is one of the very positive signals in the report. But also on the security front, this report is going to sound -- does sound a warning about the possibility of what they call a Tet offensive before this September report by General Petraeus.

A lot of concern about a Tet-like offensive. What they're talking about, of course, back in 1968, when Vietcong and the North Vietnamese launched coordinated attacks against the South that were very successful. That is something the administration is very worried about -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Boy, we've been invoking Vietnam a lot over the past few days.

Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us.

Thanks.

SANCHEZ: A couple of pictures we want to show you on the big wall now.

First of all, the triple-digit situation. When we say "triple digit," we're referring to the heat, still gripping parts of the country this morning.

In Nashville, for example, they're worried about the power grid. They're asking people to try and cut back on their air-conditioning after a fire at a power plant. Temperatures hitting 100 degrees for 13 days in a row. Fifty people have died in this region.

Now, what happens when it gets really hot? Well, there's the picture right there. Firefighters are dealing with this in parts of California, although they're saying in Santa Barbara and Ventura County, so far, the high humidity is starting to finally help them fight the state's second largest fire on record.

So far, it's burned an area bigger than New York City. Right now, crews say it's about 81 percent contained.

We're going to be keeping an eye on that.

And then, of course, the remnants of Hurricane Dean. The situation's really improved as far as Hurricane Dean is concerned at this point. It's been downgraded to a tropical depression -- tropical storm, then tropical depression, obviously. The main fear now is some of the flooding and some of the mudslides that can be caused in parts of central Mexico, where the terrain is much more hilly and you get some of those flashfloods.

Kiran, over to you.

CHETRY: Well, that situation getting worst for folks in the Midwest. Ohio is now seeing the most damaging flooding in more than 100 years as forecasters say a sweltering heat wave and more rain is expected.

Right now, there are flood warnings and watches in nine states across the Midwest, starting all the way west in Texas. At least 22 people were killed and thousands more waking up in shelters this morning. Entire neighborhoods under water.

The town Findlay, Ohio, especially hard hit. States of emergency have been declared in nine Ohio counties. And not far from Minneapolis, the ground has been washed away, creating a precarious situation for houses here perched on a new cliff. We talked to a homeowner who said that the ground literally started falling away within two and a half hours. And that's all it took, just two and a half hours.

And some 60 feet of ground washed into what used to be a brook. Dozens of homes have already been pushed over by the mudslides.

We got also got some incredible pictures from Jeffrey Lam (ph). He took shots of the entire town of Rushford, Minnesota, which is under water. No one was killed. One man says he narrowly survived a head-on collision with a wall of water.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM CAMPBELL, FLOOD VICTIM: No warning at all hardly. Just as soon as I had come around the corner, it seemed like within 20 feet the road was gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: And look at the cars. Dozens of them completely submerged, some of them smashed up.

Coming up, we're going to meet a couple who lost their home because of these floods. They, though, were able to make it out alive -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: You've been hearing a lot about the "Made in China" label. Under fire again this morning, though.

Two hundred and fifty thousand SpongeBob SquarePants address books and journals are now being recalled from there. It seems like another product with each day.

An Ohio-based importer says the spiral metal bindings might contain dangerous levels of lead paint, which obviously is extremely critical when it comes to children. The books were sold nationwide between June 2006 and July 2007.

Also, a new twist in the feud among New York state's top leaders. Reports this morning that a top Republican political consultant in New York State is resigning over a threatening phone call to the father of New York's Democratic governor, Eliot Spitzer.

Here's part of the call. It's recorded on an answering machine. It's rough. Listen to it.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ROGER STONE: And there's not a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) thing your phony, psycho piece of (EXPLETIVE DELETED) son can do about it. Bernie, your phony loans are about to catch up with you. You will be forced to tell the truth, and the fact that your son's a pathological liar will be known to all. (END AUDIO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Wow. The consultant is named Roger Stone. There he is.

He denies he made that call, by the way. Stone worked for New York's Republican Senate majority leader, Joseph Bruno. The Spitzer administration has been accused of using the state police to spy on Bruno.

CHETRY: All right. Well, it's time now to check in with our AMERICAN MORNING team of correspondents for some other stories new this morning.

Slumping sales have General Motors shifting its production into reverse. Ali Velshi is watching this one for us this morning.

Hi, Ali.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran.

You know, we've just been talking the last few months about profits at American automakers. And just as they've started to turn the corner after years of cutting costs, now they're hit by this housing crisis.

Now, how does it hit GM? Well, for a couple of reasons.

First of all, the American auto industry is heavily weighted towards trucks. High fuel prices have already taken a bite out of that market. Now with this weak housing market, two things are happening.

One is, people are less likely to get a home equity loan to finance a vehicle, because it's harder to do that, first of all. Secondly, the construction industry, which has been hit because of the number of homes that aren't being constructed, construction workers aren't buying these trucks anymore.

So GM is going to cut back on its overtime at six plants between now and the end of the year. Car sales in America could be down 10 percent this year by one estimate -- Kiran.

CHETRY: All right, Ali. Thanks so much.

Well, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is watching a growing health threat with the weather -- floodwaters, as well as record heat.

CNN's medical -- I'm putting your title out after I just introduced you.

Anyway, Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta has more for us this morning.

Hi, Sanjay. You know, it's a growing problem, because we're talking about more and more states where these cities are almost completely submerged in water.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, some of those images that you were just showing as well, Kiran, are pretty remarkable. Nine states affected by these floods.

And, you know, we hear about people dying. Twenty-five people have died from this.

We heard one story about a man, a 74-year-old man. He tipped over a gasoline can in his house and it caught the water vapor -- the water heater pilot light on fire. And he died of asphyxiation. So that's happening as well.

One of the biggest concerns in these sorts of flooding is actually being in your car and trying to drive around. That's how more people die than just about anything else. So that's something to avoid.

Even standing water can be quite dangerous. Obviously, swiftly moving water is obvious. You want to be careful of that.

Also, downed power lines. We talked a lot about this yesterday as well. But if the power line still has electricity going through it, it can cause electrocution. And that obviously can be a real concern as well.

And people just driving. They think, you know what? There's not much water in the road. We can go ahead and drive in this. And they're getting in accidents.

That's what we're hearing about, that's what we're seeing. And that's how people are dying as well. So some things to be mindful of.

CHETRY: Also, people want to get back to their homes. They're seeing the floodwaters recede, and they don't want to wait. But there are some inherent dangers in that as well.

GUPTA: One of the biggest ones is, don't assume that the water is safe anymore. The water is contaminated. Assume that your drinking water is contaminated.

You need to use bottled water. You could use the chlorine tablets that we talk about to try to make the water a little bit cleaner. Assume everything is contaminated, though.

Don't brush with it, don't wash your dishes with it, don't prepare food with it. And then once the cleanup begins, make sure to disinfect all those surfaces and spaces again. You don't want people getting sick days, weeks, months afterward because of contaminated water -- Kiran.

CHETRY: So, when the rain dies down, the National Weather Service now issuing actually a heat advisory for much of Ohio and other areas. So, now, on top of having to worry about the rain and the flooding, they have to also worry about protecting themselves from the heat. GUPTA: Yes. And I think I read that there's, you know, about 500 people that are essentially newly homeless as a result of this. And it's hot out there.

Obviously, exposure to the elements a big concern. We talk a lot about heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

Pay attention to your body. Try and get inside somewhere, if you can, into a public library, a shopping mall or something to get some air-conditioning. Fans alone, interestingly, won't work. They just blow hot air, re-circulate it.

And try and hydrate to the bottled water again. Try and get as much of that into you as possible.

CHETRY: All right. Thanks so much, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: You probably know that it's tough getting a home loan these days, right? Certainly if you've been watching the news you'd know it. But getting a credit card is becoming almost as hard. Why is that?

Gerri Willis has the latest on the credit crunch. It's coming up right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: And welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.

A quick check of weather around the world. And nothing good going on this morning.

We're talking about Hurricane Dean, now a tropical depression. Dean's still a monster, though, triggering mudslides in central Mexico after hitting the country a second time. Mexican authorities there say they're especially worried about mudslides for the villagers in these mountainous areas like Veracruz.

Also, seven states across the Midwest under more water this morning. And there are watches and warnings in effect for nine.

Miles of roads are filled with water in Ohio after the state's worst flooding in 100 years. Forecasters are expecting another three inches of rain across the heartland by tomorrow.

A lot of this being made worse by severe weather -- severe hot weather, as well. Triple-digit heat expected in many of these places. Advisories in effect as well for the hot weather today.

Well, if you're looking for a way to help people affected by all of the weather, impact your world. You can log on to CNN.com/impact, click on "Natural Disasters," and learn how you can be part of the solution. SANCHEZ: Torrential rains triggered a mudslide that destroyed their home, but one family escaped with their lives. The most important part, the grandparents and their 9-year-old grandson.

Lynn and Sharon Partington are joining us now from what is left of their home.

Oh, my goodness. I didn't know it was that bad. Is that what's left of your home there in Brownsville, Minnesota?

SHARON PARTINGTON, RESCUED FROM MUDSLIDE: Talk.

LYNN PARTINGTON, RESCUED FROM MUDSLIDE: You want to answer that?

S. PARTINGTON: No.

Yes, that's all that's left of our home.

SANCHEZ: Wow. You know, it's hard to talk to somebody under these conditions, but we'll do the best that we can.

S. PARTINGTON: What was it like when the water started rising, when you first realized that something like this was actually taking place, that you might actually lose your -- lose your home?

We had absolutely no warning. The water was not rising. We're, I don't know, 50 feet above the highway and above the river here. And we -- we were in our home and it had been raining, and we knew the ground was saturated.

We've had mudslides in the past. Small. I mean, nothing big. And our property has always been able to take it.

But there was no warning for this except that our neighbor called and said they had a slide that was worse than the past, that hit the back of their house. And so that gave us an idea that things were bad. But we never dreamt it was anything like this.

SANCHEZ: What we're looking at now, obviously, is the after- effect. Did it happen suddenly or was this a cumulative thing? Could you explain that to us?

L. PARTINGTON: Actually, what happened is, we had a mudslide off the top of the hill, and it was like an avalanche of rock, trees and debris from -- well, from the top of the hill all the way down. And it just blew the sides of the house out. And the roof dropped to the ground.

And looking at the house, you would wonder if anybody can possibly live or survive, but they did.

SANCHEZ: How are you guys doing?

S. PARTINGTON: With no warning.

SANCHEZ: Sharon, how are you doing? How are you guys doing? S. PARTINGTON: I'm doing a little better today. Yesterday was the first day that I saw my house, and it really took me down. But I'm a little better today. I mean, how good can you be under the circumstance?

SANCHEZ: How about your grandson? How's he doing?

S. PARTINGTON: He is fine. We did notice yesterday after being down here last night, we noticed that he has some bruising across his forehead. Just kind of a graying. And we've made an appointment for him to see his doctor this morning. Otherwise, he's fine.

SANCHEZ: And your granddad?

S. PARTINGTON: Oh, there was no granddad here. We are the grandparents.

SANCHEZ: You wonder when you look at situations like this whether you're going to be able to get out of it. I'm sure you're going to need some financial assistance as well, right? Is there going to be any? Is there going to be any?

S. PARTINGTON: We have no clue.

SANCHEZ: Well, have you talked to insurance companies? Have you gotten any sense of what you might be able to -- what someone might be able to do for you?

S. PARTINGTON: Well, we've had State Farm Insurance for what, 30 to 40 years. And we thought we were insured.

We didn't know that we were not insured for this. And they've advised us that we have no coverage for our dwelling or for any of our belongings. Not for any of the removal of the debris or anything like that.

SANCHEZ: Because it's flood, yes. They said you didn't have a flood policy and you weren't in a flood plain.

S. PARTINGTON: No.

L. PARTINGTON: Even if you had a flood policy, it still would not be covered.

SANCHEZ: Have you talked to them? Is there a chance you might be able to work this out? What are they saying?

L. PARTINGTON: We...

S. PARTINGTON: Go ahead.

L. PARTINGTON: ... had an adjuster yesterday. And he was going to take a look at it and send it in to the head office.

SANCHEZ: Wow. Well, Lynn, Sharon, we'll be checking back with you guys. Thanks for taking time to talk to us. And we're really sorry about your loss.

S. PARTINGTON: Thank you. Thank you very much.

L. PARTINGTON: Thank you very much.

SANCHEZ: All right.

CHETRY: The poor things. This is a story you're probably going to hear repeated over and over and over again, people who thought they had insurance, people who thought they were covered, and come to find out that their policies don't cover what happens specifically with the mudslides and the damage.

SANCHEZ: It sounds an awful lot like part of the Katrina story, doesn't it?

CHETRY: It sure does.

Well, we're going to keep an eye on that as well.

The economy's credit crunch woes worsen. Now they say it's tough to get a home loan and now a credit card problem as well?

Well, Gerri Willis has some tips for you ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: How about this for an unusual game? It tops your "Quick Hits" now.

Soccer fans in India have a way, a dangerous way of showing their love for the game. They got together to play while on motorcycles.

They say it's a way of promoting soccer in a country where the sport usually takes a backseat to cricket. I don't know how you kick the ball, though, when you're riding around on a motorcycle. Very creative, to say the least.

How about this? A fight breaks out on the floor of the Bolivian congress. Fists flying.

It happened -- lawmakers were debating whether four judges should face corruption charges. And as we see here, things got more than heated, to say the least. Opposition leaders said yes and those in line with President Evo Morales' government said no.

And it obviously couldn't be worked out verbally, so they started fighting. It got pretty brutal out there.

And a dramatic rescue caught on tape. This one in Argentina.

An 8-year-old boy fell through a frozen river. Witnesses say he was sliding on the ice with another boy when it broke. There you see him getting dragged out of the water. And there you see the rescuer holding on to him as they get pulled to safety.

They say that the strong current quickly dragged him under a layer of ice and out of sight. But some quick-thinking police officers were able to pull him out. There you see him get put in the back of a truck. They say the boy is doing fine today.

SANCHEZ: Wow, good for them.

Hey, you thought it was tough getting a mortgage. Even just getting a credit card today is getting even more difficult.

CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, is here to explain to us why.

So what's going on with credit cards?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Hey, good morning, Rick. Good to hear from you.

I've got to give you some news first. There's some big news in the credit crunch today.

SANCHEZ: Right.

WILLIS: Countrywide -- and that's the nation's number one mortgage company -- Countrywide is off the endangered company list. And that is because Bank of America has invested $2 billion in the company, buying some preferred stock.

Now, this is some very big news in the credit crunch, I've got to tell you. This company so big, such an important player. And this really saves their bacon, I've got to tell you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: So what can people expect to happen to their credit cards? I mean, how is this going to affect people personally?

WILLIS: Well, let's talk a little bit about, you know, the range of loans that are being affected, first of all.

Obviously, you know your mortgage loan has been affected. Credit cards are now affected. Auto loans, personal loans, home equity loans. It's all tougher to get, Rick, and you're going to pay more for it.

SANCHEZ: What -- what can you do? Is there something you can do to protect yourself or prepare yourself for this situation that seems to be coming our way?

WILLIS: Well, here's what you want to watch out for.

First of all, your interest rates are going to go higher. What's more, your credit limits are being cut, maybe as much as 50 percent. You're going to have to keep your eye out for that. They are freezing some accounts. In fact, there's no easy approvals anymore. Remember how you'd get 20 million credit card offers in the mail each year?

SANCHEZ: Yes.

WILLIS: Not anymore. And no more zero percent introductory offers. You know, you'd get a card, pay zero percent for a year, roll over your debt, get rid of it.

That's a lot tougher now.

SANCHEZ: Well, this may not be a bad thing, right? I mean, we've become kind of a credit card society. Some people are dependent on them.

WILLIS: Maybe too dependent. I think you make a good point.

And households with $9,000 in credit card debt on average, it's not a good scenario. But remember, your credit card can change the terms of the credit card -- you know, the rates and everything any time they want to.

So, if you're thinking it's never going to change, you're just plain wrong. You might want to ask to pay off the balance under the old terms.

And I've just got to say one other thing. If you're trying to get a loan right now, maybe credit card, maybe something else, think about a credit union.

You know, this is a money co-op.

SANCHEZ: Really.

WILLIS: People get together, they join together. They put their money together. They're not part of the credit crunch. It's a great place to go.

And I've got a Web site for you, CUNA.org, to see if you can join a credit union in your area.

SANCHEZ: Most people think you have to be part of whatever organization the credit union represents.

WILLIS: Not anymore. Not anymore.

SANCHEZ: It can be anybody, right?

WILLIS: That's right. It can be anybody. And they offer loan rates than a lot of the big lenders right now.

SANCHEZ: That's good advice.

Remember, you can get Gerri's helpful advice every weekend on CNN. It's called "OPEN HOUSE". It's a darn good show, and it's at 9:30 a.m.

Way to go, Gerri.

WILLIS: Thank you.

CHETRY: All right. How about this? Another story coming up that you can't miss.

In just a couple of minutes, we're taking live look right now at -- us.

No, there it is. It's the University of Maryland, my alma mater, by the way.

We're going to get yours in tomorrow. Don't worry. University of Minnesota?

SANCHEZ: I'm a Golden Gopher, by golly -- M-I-E-N-- wait.

CHETRY: Your college paid off.

SANCHEZ: ... O-T-A, Minnesota, Minnesota. Go Gophers, rah!

CHETRY: There you go. You can't say this over a shot of my alma mater. That's really...

SANCHEZ: I know, but we actually...

(CROSSTALK)

CHETRY: We used to rub the nose of the Testuto (ph) the Turtle before we went to take exams.

SANCHEZ: Because you are Terrapins.

CHETRY: That's right. We're Terrapins.

But what we're going to talk about is, what's changed since Rick and I were in college? Tuition obviously more expensive, the books, the pizza even. And now some are saying that they should actually change the drinking age, too.

It's a big debate. We're going to have it for you when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.

SANCHEZ: That, and no more dinosaurs roam the Earth.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back. It's Thursday, August 23rd. I'm Kiran Chetry.

SANCHEZ: I'm Rick Sanchez sitting in for John. Nice to be with you.

CHETRY: Glad you're with us today, as well. We've got a lot going on today including a new report out about the effectiveness of the Iraq government, that we're going to be talking about in a couple of minutes.

SANCHEZ: Mr. Al Maliki, again?

This morning we have this as well. More heavy rain expected today across the Midwest as people try to see what's left of their waterlogged homes. Have you been seeing some of these pictures? I mean, you can't help but feel bad for so many of these people, empathetic really.

On the southeastern tip of Minnesota, for example, a constant 12- hour downpour triggered deadly flash floods and mudslides. Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, I was able to talk to a couple of folks, some grandparents, as they stood in front of what was left of their home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LYNN PARTINGTON, HOME DESTROYED BY MUDSLIDE: Like an avalanche of rock, trees, debris from -- well, from the top of the hill all the way down. And it just blew the sides of the house out. And the roof dropped to the ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: The couple says that they're now having trouble getting money from their insurance company because it doesn't seem to want to cover the mudslides.

CHETRY: Some growing doubts this morning about the effectiveness of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and how he can help bring Iraq on the road to independence. There are parts of a new National Intelligence Estimate that are coming out today, and some of those parts criticize the Al-Maliki government's ability to control the violence in Iraq.

"New York Times" White House Correspondent Sheryl Gay Stolberg is in our Washington bureau and joins me this morning.

Good to see you. We heard from our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr, as well, that parts of this NIE will be critical of Al-Maliki's ability to get that government on a roll. What else can you tell us about the estimate today?

SHERYL GAY STOLBERG, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Well, the report is critical. It offers a fairly bleak assessment of the prime minister's ability to bring together the warring factions in Iraq.

But on the other side, there really are no good alternatives to Mr. Maliki. So as you heard Barbara say earlier, the Bush administration feels you've got to dance with the one that brung you. They're kind of stuck with Al-Maliki, and unless the Iraqis decide to replace him, it appears he's going to be the leader that we'll have to work with. CHETRY: So just yesterday at the VFW convention, in Kansas City, President Bush said he supported Maliki. He said he's a good guy who has a tough job. Is his response to this report today going to address any of the criticism from others in Washington, Democrats like Carl Levin and Hillary Clinton, raising doubts about Maliki?

STOLBERG: Well, the president's trying to put out the message that the fate of Maliki is up to the Iraqi people. The president's in kind of a dicey situation here. In Jordan, nine months ago, he said Maliki was the right guy for Iraq. Clearly, Maliki hasn't delivered. The progress -- political progress in Iraq has been slow.

And so the president kind of backtracked earlier this week. He expressed frustration with the Iraqi government. Now, Democrats like Hillary Clinton are calling for Maliki to step down. The president is trying to shore up this shaky government. You heard him say yesterday Maliki's a good guy, a good man, with a difficult job. I think that they want to settle things out and maybe lessen these calls for Maliki to step down.

CHETRY: All right. Sheryl Gay Stolberg, from "The New York Times", thanks for joining us this morning.

STOLBERG: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Let's bring you a couple of "Quick Hits" now. Recommendations for some changes at Virginia Tech designed to prevent another tragedy there. And internal review is now calling for more monitoring of troubled students; a system to contact everyone on campus quickly in case of emergency; and stepped up security, as well, as locks in some of the classrooms.

Sixty Mexican immigrants caught in a federal crackdown on violent street gangs are going to be sent back to Mexico. The sweep in the San Diego area is part of a nationwide operation to break up gangs with international links.

Hundreds of people fleeing their homes as floodwaters rise in the Midwest and floods forced you out of your home. Would you know what to do? Coming up, three critical steps to protect yourself, and to protect your property.

We'll be taking your medical questions after the break. Doctor Sanjay Gupta will be opening up his mailbag. That's ahead right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Rick Sanchez.

Hundreds of people in Ohio are trying to get back to their flooded homes this morning. As many as 500 people have evacuated. Would you know what to do if you suddenly had to evacuate your home, and do so in a hurry? AMERICAN MORNING's Greg Hunter has been looking into this; he's joining from Rockville Center, New York. How about it, Greg?

GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rick, this crazy weather across the country has really proven that anywhere, any time, you could be faced with a disaster. So how do you shut your house down -- in a hurry? Well, I'll show you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTER (voice over): Earthquakes in Hawaii and Peru; parts of Ohio, under water; tornadoes ripping through the Midwest; a Category 5 hurricane slams into Mexico; all have one thing in common -- people needed to evacuate and shut down their homes fast.

GLENN DERENE, "POPULAR MECHANICS": Storms are more unpredictable and can be stronger. Since you never know exactly what's coming to you, you just have to be prepared.

HUNTER: "Popular Mechanics" Glenn Derene shows us how best to protect your property.

DERENE: I think we're going to start with one of the ones that is the most dangerous.

HUNTER: A gas leak could be explosive. Knowing where and how to shut your gas off is key. But practicing shutting your gas line off is not advised, because it can throw off your meter.

DERENE: It's a quarter turn valve. It is not like a water valve. You don't need to keep twisting. One pull down and your done.

HUNTER (on camera): Gas is first, what's next?

DERENE: Power.

HUNTER: An evacuation, Derene suggests shutting off breakers one by one, so as not to damage appliances. But if you need to do it in a hurry, just flip the main breaker.

DERENE: If there's standing water in the basement when you come back, you want to make sure there's no live power going into it.

HUNTER: Last item, shut down, your water.

DERENE: You just want to make sure that your own water supply doesn't flood your house. Also, external contamination in the main water supply outside, if you have city water, could come in and contaminate your own house.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTER: Our friends at "Popular Mechanics" put together a ready bag. First thing, this bag is waterproof. Let me hit the highlights: Water, very important, you can last a long time simply with water; energy bars, good; your drugs; you have your first aid kit, that's obvious. Documents, cash, keys. Documents like car title, Social Security cards, passport, driver's license, things like that.

Also, matches always good to have. Flashlight, this is a standard flashlight. But this is a little invention that's really good, it's an LED flashlight, the batteries last a long time. It is really, really bright.

Also, this is a sleeping bag/blanket. It's real light. It folds up. You can survive the elements this way. And last but not least, everybody has seen these radios. You crank them up, you can turn them on, you can get NOAA and you can get alarms, stuff like that. But you can also charge your cell phone.

For a complete list of what you need in your ready bag and in your trunk log on to cnn.com. Back to you guys.

SANCHEZ: All right. Appreciate it. I didn't know you could charge your cell phone. I've got one of those little cranking things.

CHETRY: I do, too.

SANCHEZ: Have you ever been able to get it to work?

CHETRY: I can't get a darn station to save my life. But the flashlight works good. Exactly, I get the static station, that's about it.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, exactly.

CHETRY: All right, some good tips from Greg.

Well, every Thursday, we reach into the mailbag. Doctor Sanjay Gupta's mailbag. And he answers your medical questions.

SANCHEZ: And Doctor Sanjay Gupta is good enough to join us now.

Hey, you ready to roll, buddy?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: One of my favorite segments of the week. Let's bring it on.

SANCHEZ: First question, from a viewer in New York, has a question hypertension. "40 years old," he says, "A man, got high blood pressure, but only 147 pounds. How is this happening?" He says, "I don't smoke and I don't drink."

GUPTA: Great question. And I think I might know what's going on here. I'm not going to make a diagnosis over the television. First of all, you don't need to be overweight to have hypertension. That's an important point here. A lot of people ask about that. You don't actually have to be too heavy to have hypertension.

But there are some things to really do need to watch in your diet whether normal weight or overweight. One thing is salt, sodium intake. We talked about this, this week, guys, condiments for example, such as ketchup have a lot of salt in it. You squirt that on the food and think you're still eating healthy, but you are actually getting quite a bit of sodium. Also frozen foods, if you are eating a lot of frozen foods, especially the low-fat variety considering your weight's OK, you might be actually substituting the low fat with too much sodium. Something to think about.

We need about 500 or so milligrams a day. On average most of us get 10 to 20 times that in any given day. That's a big culprit for hypertension. Check out your sodium content is my suggestion to you.

CHETRY: We have a question from Deborah in Raleigh. She wants some advice about staying hydrated in hot weather. We know we are going to break some heat records today, possibly. It's going to get very hot.

She asks, "Is it a good idea to stay hydrated when you're outside exercising, or should you wait until you get back inside?" After you answer that one, I guess you could say what are the best things to keep you hydrated? Is it plain water or should you be looking at sports drinks?

GUPTA: Well, for most people water will be just fine. Unless you're an elite athlete, someone who is actually running long distances, you'll probably be just fine with water. Deborah, you probably should drink before and after the workout, for sure, and probably during as well. That's a good rule of thumb. Every 15, 20 minutes, if you're thirsty certainly as well.

If you don't drink, several things can happen. One is, especially in the hot weather, as Kiran, mentioned, your temperature can get out of whack, your body temperature. Also your heart rate can start to increase. I told you what to drink. One of the things to avoid drinking is caffeinated beverages. As you guys know, that can actually serve as a diuretic; make you lose more water than you want to.

SANCHEZ: Here is our last question. It comes from Donna in Georgia.

Hi, Donna from Alpharetta, by the way. You gotta love Alpharetta.

This is question that I would be asking as well, so she and I are in sync. It is so frustrating, Sanjay, nowadays to see children who never go outside because they're too busy playing video games. Then schools who don't really have a lot of activity for them.

She asks, "Is there a correlation between obesity and the lack of P.E. classes in many schools? Shouldn't we balance homework with physical activities after school?" Donna from Alpharetta.

Sorry for the editorializing, but I think that's a great question.

GUPTA: This is something that concerns you as a parent, it concerns a lot of parents out there.

Donna, first of all, a couple of things. This is something that we've really taken on at CNN. Childhood obesity is a huge concern across the nation. People think that as a result of childhood obesity this generation of children, that are growing up right now, could have a shorter lifespan than their parents. That's something that just always strikes me whenever I hear that.

There have been a lot of studies that have actually shown a relationship between lack of physical education and obesity. And about fewer than 7 percent of school districts right now have adequate P.E. programs. That's right. You heard me, fewer than 7 percent. That's remarkable.

Last year there was a commitment made by many school districts to implement wellness programs. This weekend, actually, on the show, on "House Call," we'll be talking about which school districts have actually met those challenges. And get that information to you.

SANCHEZ: Just another one as an aside that I've noticed, most cities as you go around the country have a zillion police officers, no recreation department to speak of. Parks are empty. Kids aren't there like they used to be when we were kids. So, who knows. That might have something to do with it as well.

GUPTA: We used to play till the lights came on, remember?

SANCHEZ: Yeah.

GUPTA: Now we live in a culture of fear. It is important to get that exercise no matter your age.

SANCHEZ: All right. Keep your e-mails coming, Sanjay will be here to answer them.

CHETRY: Also, don't forget, you can also catch Sanjay on his own show, "House Call", Saturday and Sunday, 8:30 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

See you, Sanjay.

GUPTA: See you, guys.

SANCHEZ: CNN "Newsroom" is just a couple of minutes away. Heidi is waiting to tell us what she's got coming up.

Heidi, what you got?

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Good morning to you guys.

That's right. Extreme weather on the "Newsroom" rundown this morning. Rain keeps falling across the Midwest. New flooding in the forecast now from Iowa to Ohio along the I-80 corridor. We'll be telling you about that.

In the South, it's the heat. Memphis headed to 103 degrees today. Louisville, you'll hit 100, some 50 deaths nationwide.

It happened again and again and again. The Texas rangers score 30 runs in a single game. That hasn't happened in -- are you ready -- 100 years. If you're a baseball fan I'm sure you already knew that. We'll tell you more about that. That's a fun story.

You'll stay up to date on any breaking news as well, right here in the "Newsroom". Top of the hour on CNN.

Back to you guys.

CHETRY: If you're an Orioles fan, you hate to hear that. Other than that, it's a neat record.

Your "Quick Hits" now, Super Bowl champ Tom Brady is a dad. It's a boy. Bridget Moynihan is Brady's ex. She had the baby yesterday, but she and Brady broke up a while back. He was there though for the birth of his first child. He missed the first 15 minutes of Patriots practice to be there. And they have not announced -- they're showing that picture, but now I think he's dating Gisele Bundchen.

SANCHEZ: Who?

CHETRY: It's the Victoria Secrets supermodel, the one that used date Leo DiCaprio. You don't follow this stuff?

SANCHEZ: I have no idea who Gisele Bundchen is.

CHETRY: If you blink you missed it. If I showed you the "Victoria's Secret" catalogue, you'd have an idea. Don't worry. I can rest assured that the case.

SANCHEZ: You got me there, bingo.

CHETRY: Well, it's a museum dedicated to -- two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. Yeah, I memorized that. The Big Mac Hall of Fame, it's opening in western Pennsylvania, not too far from where Big Mac debuted 40 years ago, 45 cents back then.

SANCHEZ: Wow.

CHETRY: And starting today the first 100 visitors to the museum -- it looks just like a McDonald's -- they're calling it a museum now? OK? They get a free Big Mac every week for the next year. Yummy.

Is the solution to the dangers of underage drinking, like drunk driving crashes, is the solution lowering the drinking age? Hey, there's two sides to this argument. Some say if you can vote, if you can marry, if you can die for your country, why can't you have a beer?

Others say the drinking age is what's keeping people safer on the roads. We'll have a debate next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back. It's College Week on AMERICAN MORNING. Today we're taking a look at a serious issue on campuses, underage drinking. It doesn't just pertain to campuses. But it's a place where the controversy has been brewing lately, because there are some lawmakers, and some movements out there, right now, gaining ground on campuses. And in some states to lower the legal drinking age to 18, saying that it could actually help the problem of underage drinking and abuse of alcohol.

Joining us now, the president of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, Glynn Birch.

Thanks for being with us.

GLYNN BIRCH, PRESIDENT, MADD: Good morning.

CHETRY: And also John McCardell he is the head of Choose Responsibility.

Good morning to you as well, John.

JOHN MCCARDELL, DIRECTOR, CHOOSE RESPONSIBILITY: Good morning. Great to be with you.

CHETRY: Let me start with you. You want the legal drinking age lowered. You want it to be 18, which would make it easier, of course, for teenagers to get alcohol because if it was legal they could buy it. How would that actually help curb the problems associated with underage drinking and drunk driving?

MCCARDELL: We need to keep in mind, first of all, that this is not really about drunk driving. Everyone is against drunk driving. And we've made enormous strides against in it the last several decades.

But that has had very little to do with the drinking age. The only way to measure the effectiveness of a law that has been on the books for 23 years and that says if you're under 21, you may not legally drink, is to ask ourselves is that law working? Are young adults under the age of 21 drinking, or are they not? By that simple standard of measurements, the law's has been an absolute failure.

Furthermore, lives lost to alcohol in places other than on the highways are going up in the 18 to 24-year-old group. More than 1,000 lives a year are lost to alcohol off the highways by 18 to 24-year- olds. We need to ask ourselves where that's happening and why.

CHETRY: Hold on. Let me get to two points. First of all, Glynn, he says that the issue of lowering the drinking age is not about drunk driving. Do you agree?

BIRCH: I disagree. It is about drunk driving. The 21 law is a vital tool in our success to eliminate drunk driving. You must have strong laws, strong enforcement. There's new technology, and then there's the public support. The public supports the 21 law because it continues to save lives.

CHETRY: Let me ask Mr. McCardell, you talk about some of the statistics, but MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, also cites statistics as well did the National Highway Safety Administration, saying that when the legal drinking age was 18, alcohol was a factor in 55 percent of all fatal crashes of young drivers. And that since then the alcohol-related traffic fatality rate has actually dropped in half. Isn't that evidence that it's working?

MCCARDELL: The downward trend began in all age groups before the age was changed, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported as recently as yesterday that over the last 10 years that number has leveled off. Besides which we need to talk about alcohol and its effects in all venues, not just on the highways. Lives lost to alcohol in dark rooms and behind closed doors where the law has forced it, are no less precious.

CHETRY: Let me ask you about this, Glynn, because some say, look, what about the argument that if you're 18 you can go to work, you can get married, you can vote. There are so many things you can do, but you can't choose yourself if you want to have a beer or a glass of wine. What about the argument that if you lower the drinking age, you cut the mystique a little and people aren't abusing it as much?

BIRCH: First of all, I think that John is misinformed. You know, we had great respect for the military. The Defense Department was in favor of the law when it was passed in 1984. There was no evidence that shows that if we allow our kids to drink at an earlier age, that it will -- they will drink responsible. The proposal is to lower the drinking age to 18, from 21. Already the medium of drinking is 13 years old.

Where do you want it to begin? Elementary school? We need to accept the responsibility with our young adults, teach them about the dangers. But more important, we need to enforce the law, the 21 law works.

CHETRY: All right, well, it's a debate that rages on. Like I said, it's gaining steam on the Internet as well, as in other places like college campuses and in other states, actually. But thanks for presenting both sides. Glynn Birch, president of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers; as well as John McCardell, head of Choose Responsibility. Thanks for being with us.

MCCARDELL: Thank you.

CHETRY: Let's take a quick break. AMERICAN MORNING will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I was 10 years old I decided I would run away from home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been on the streets from 12 till 20.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's scary living on the streets. There's so many drugs and there's violence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I sleep in an abandoned house.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was taken away from my parents when I was 10 years old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad dropped me off at a dumpster, he told me don't even think about going back home.

((BELL CLANGING)

DR. RANDY CHRISTENSEN, CRUISIN' HEALTH MOBILE: There's as many as 5,000 to 10,000 kids on the streets of Arizona. We turn our heads. We don't look at them in their eyes.

Many of the kids are truly forgotten. I'm Doctor Randy Christensen. I'm the medical director for the Cruisin' Health Mobile. We take care of kids on the streets through a medical mobile van.

Everything that would be in a regular doctor's office is on the van. All of the kids that are seen by us are seen free of charge.

Did you need anything? Did you need a new backpack?

I've never really been about the money. I went to medical school thinking that I'd be a surgeon. But everything that made me stop and think had to do with children and adolescents. I chose to come out on the streets.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dr. Christensen makes it where people actually want to come back and actually want to get help.

CHRISTENSEN: We pull up in the van and within five to 10 minutes there's 20 or 30 kids coming out of every different alley, or different street.

You get out there and you see some these kids and you talk to them and you give them a little bit of dignity and respect, and all of a sudden they open up. It is like a light bulb goes on and they want to talk and they want to tell you their story.

Here let me listen to you. I think you might have a pneumonia. Take a deep breath.

They still have that gleam of hope in their eyes. It's that hope that gives you hope.

High five. Yeah.

And at the very end, they give you a big hug and they say thank you. And that means the most to me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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