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American Morning
A Terror Attack in Downtown Jerusalem; Jalapeno Peppers Now Blamed for the Salmonella Outbreak; Tropical Storm Dolly Now Approaching Hurricane Strength; New Debate Going on in New York City Subways; John McCain Fights Back Against "The New York Times"
Aired July 22, 2008 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RUDY GIULIANI (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You sometimes argue over it's too long, it's too short. There's a paragraph or two that doesn't make sense. It's more an analysis of your composition, and your English, and does it make sense.
What that report back from the "Times" is saying is they wanted to change the content of it.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: They said they wanted it more specific. They wanted to lay out more of a plan.
(CROSSTALK)
GIULIANI: It's precisely the kind of censorship that "The New York Times" rails about. They are trying to impose on John McCain. But, you know, it's been long past that we figured out that Barack Obama is "The New York Times'" candidate.
CHETRY: All right. Well, they did endorse John McCain in the primaries.
GIULIANI: They did. But it's been all downhill since.
CHETRY: Rudy Giuliani, always great to see you. Mr. Mayor, thanks for being with us.
GIULIANI: Thank you. Thank you.
CHETRY: John?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Just crossing the top of the hour and happening right now. Barack Obama is in Amman, Jordan. The presidential candidate landed there a little more than a half an hour ago. Today, he's going to sit down for talks with Jordan's King Abdullah. He'll travel to Israel later on. Tomorrow, he's going to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
We also have breaking news out of Israel this morning. A terror attack in downtown Jerusalem. Someone drove a back hoe over several cars outside the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, before the driver was shot and killed.
Police say a civilian shot the driver first and then Israeli police. Five people were injured in that attack. A remarkably similar incident happened in Jerusalem three weeks ago. In that case, three people plus the driver were killed.
A possible break in the nationwide Salmonella outbreak. The FDA says a jalapeno pepper grown in Mexico and processed in Texas tested positive for the strain of Salmonella that has killed two people and sickened more than 1,200 since April. And it's warning consumers not to eat fresh jalapenos. The finding comes just days after the agency lifted a ban on eating fresh tomatoes which were the original suspect in the outbreak.
We're also following breaking news from the CNN weather center this morning. Tropical Storm Dolly now approaching hurricane strength, and closing in on the coast of Texas.
Jacqui Jeras joins us now with the latest track.
Good morning, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, good morning, John. Good morning, everybody. Things are going to get interesting by late this afternoon, early this evening as the tropical storm force winds arrive on the Texas Coast.
Look at how huge this storm is. It really encompasses the entire Gulf of Mexico at least with the cloud shield here. Here's the area of concern where all the strong winds are. Our 8:00 advisory coming in a little bit late.
Thank you, Brandon, our producer, bringing us the late advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Maximum sustained winds are up now. They're up to 65 miles per hour. So, we're continuing to see this gradual increase in the sustained wind speed and it's also started its turn now.
It's been moving westerly all night and now we're starting to get that west to north, westerly turn near 13 miles per hour. And so, now that we see it's bad, we do think that that likelihood of possibly getting a Texas land fall will be greater.
Here are the advisories that will remain in effect and the warnings as well. Hurricane warnings from Brownsville on up towards Port O'Connor. That means hurricane conditions are possible within the next 24 hours and are expected.
Look at the rain showers already. Starting to make their way towards the coast. We'll watch this become more numerous throughout the day. And here's an official forecast track. This is not changing at all. Strengthening up to a category one hurricane.
Some of the models bringing in a little stronger than that, but we do have pretty good confidence that this won't become a major hurricane. We think there's just not enough time and there's a little bit cooler waters as we get close to the coast. There's a big impact. The strong winds coming in later today. 4 to 8 inches of rainfall would be likely. A little bit of storm surge about 4 to 6 feet.
And also, don't forget about the threat of tornadoes and waterspouts. We get those in the right four quadrants of hurricane. So, eastern part of Texas will be most vulnerable to that.
John?
ROBERTS: And we'll be watching, of course, for evacuation orders as well. Jacqui Jeras, thanks very much.
CHETRY: Back to our breaking news out of Israel this morning. It may sound like a rerun of something that we heard earlier in the month. But another terror attack in a busy part of downtown Jerusalem.
Police say a man drove a construction vehicle over several cars. It happened outside of the King David Hotel. Five people were hurt. And it was the similar incident, as I said, that just happened three weeks ago.
Our Paula Hancock joins us now from Jerusalem with more details.
Paula?
PAULA HANCOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kiran. Well, I have a couple of updates for you from Jerusalem. Police, 11 have not been wounded. They say one seriously to moderately and 11 have -- ten others have just been slightly wounded.
Now, we are all hearing from them the identity of this man who was shot and killed driving this back hoe. A Palestinian who live in East Jerusalem. Now, of course, this comes right in the middle of two very high-profile guests here in Jerusalem.
We've just had the British Prime Minister. He's just left. And then, of course, in a matter of hours, we are expecting Barack Obama here in Jerusalem. He is scheduled to come here. And it is a chilling imitation of what we saw just three weeks ago. A similar incident.
In that particular incident, a bus and several cars were overturned. Three people were killed. In this particular incident happened just this afternoon. The driver was shot and killed by a border guard policeman and also a civilian very quickly.
Kiran?
CHETRY: All right, Paula Hancock for us in Jerusalem this morning with more on this latest attack with a construction vehicle. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Turning now to the "Most Politics in the Morning." Senator Barack Obama is in Amman, Jordan, right now. Yesterday, he met with the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
CNN is covering every angle of this trip. Our Hala Gorani is with the senator in Amman. But we begin with Suzanne Malveaux live in Washington. And, Suzanne, Rudy Giuliani pointed to one misstep in an interview in terms of missteps or political victories. How has he been doing so far, and will this help to narrow that gap in particular in American public opinion as to who would be the better commander-in- chief? Right now, John McCain has a substantial lead over Barack Obama.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure, John. Well, if anything it seems he's gained some support for his goal. At least, pulling out U.S. troops in 16 months. After meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, an Iraqi spokesman said that their government would like to see those troops out by 2010.
Obama also released a statement saying that the Iraqi leaders want what they call an aspirational timeline with a clear date. But there are some critics and some political pundits who believe that Obama perhaps crossed a line by appearing to negotiate with the Iraqis over troop levels as if he was already president.
Well, Obama's aides say that the candidate fully recognizes there's only one president at a time and that these are useful, substantive meetings.
John?
ROBERTS: So, what does he need to accomplish with the rest of this trip? You know, he's in Jordan right now. He's going to Israel. He then goes on to several European countries. And what is he looking for here? Is it to be seen as a statesman?
MALVEAUX: Well, he certainly wants to be seen as a statesman, and a lot of those pictures will work in his favor. But the first thing that he's doing this morning, he's sitting down with Jordan's King Abdullah who plays a critical role in the Middle East peace process.
And Obama really does have a delicate balancing act here, because many Arab leaders, they want to be reassured that the Palestinians are going to come out on top regarding talks with Israel. Obama's recent comments to a pro-Israeli lobbying group in the U.S. over the status of Jerusalem created some concern. Among some of those Arab allies that Obama favors Israel.
And Obama also has to try to satisfy two very important groups. Obviously, leaders abroad but also the Jewish-American lobby at home.
John?
ROBERTS: Suzanne Malveaux for us this morning in Washington. Thanks. We just want to mention that we lost the signal with Hala Gorani in Amman, Jordan, but we should get her back very shortly.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, the nation's troubled banks facing more bad earnings news. So, should you worry about your money in the bank? Personal finance editor Gerri Willis tells us how to make sure your money is safe.
The vets view --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He needs to acknowledge what's happening on the ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Obama's overseas trip through the eyes of soldiers who fought on the frontline. Jim Acosta talks to the troops. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Nine and a half minutes after the hour. Just in to CNN. Inside the New York Public Library in Bryant Park. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson speaking this morning about the markets and the housing crisis to a group of Wall Streeters.
We'll keep following that story for you this morning and give you more a little bit later on.
CHETRY: And meanwhile, Gerri Willis joins us now with more of your business news in for Ali Velshi. Some more bad earnings news from the banks. You know, a lot of people are wondering, should I pull my money out? What do I do to protect it?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: No, no, no. We'll talk about in just a second. But let's talk about Wachovia, the nation's fourth largest bank, reporting earnings within the hour here. They just reported a loss far, far bigger than expected, $1.27 a share versus 78 cents a share. That was the expectation.
This bank having big problems. They took several charges to earnings including $5.6 billion to write off loan losses to cover bad loans. In the press release, they talk about how they've had to reassign 1,000 employees to rewrite what they call pick-a-pay mortgages.
These were mortgages we talk about on CNN all the time. Mortgages that did not help folks. That, you know, put them into foreclosure. Really a tough situation for the bank as they report these earnings. They are the worst in 20 years, when you see that. Not only do they have a loss in this quarter, they had a loss in the first quarter as well. Back-to-back losses like that, first time in 20 years. So, bad news from Wachovia.
ROBERTS: Any question about solvency here? Things look like they're going to be all right.
WILLIS: They say they're in fine shape. And my guess is, they have a new CEO. They're probably throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Trying to get all the bad news out. That's what those financial executives typically do so they can show improvement in the coming quarters.
But let me get to this something that I think is critically important for folks out there. I know people are worried about their banks, but the reality is, you probably don't have to worry.
If your bank is insured by the FDIC, you have insurance coverage that you never even paid for, up to $100,000 for individual bank accounts, $200,000 with joint bank account if you have an account with your spouse or someone else.
And finally, if you have a retirement account, say an IRA or a Keogh, $250,000 worth of coverage. So, don't pull your money out. Check out how much coverage you have. Go to fdic.gov.
And then, if you want to know more, maybe you're just curious about your bank, go to bankrate.com. They actually have ratings on banks. The ones that are likely to be in the most trouble here are not the nation's fourth largest bank but actually small and regional banks probably will find more trouble than the nation's largest.
ROBERTS: It's so troubling, though, we see a bank that size in that much trouble.
WILLIS: I know.
ROBERTS: All right. Gerri, thanks so much.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
ROBERTS: Jalapeno peppers now blamed for the Salmonella outbreak. A look at how the FDA botched the investigation and left tomato farmers holding a rotten bag.
CHETRY: Subway sales job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not that all of the FBI are terrorist, or the CIA terrorist. But there are some elements in there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: A controversial imam targets commuters in what they are calling the jihad train. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Picture of the morning outside in Columbus Circle in New York. One of the things that you just can't leave behind when you're here.
A new debate going on in New York City subways. It's not the message but the messenger that's causing the controversy. New posters will try to fight negative stereotypes about Islam during the morning commute. But the man behind the idea was once a character witness for a jailed terrorist.
Mary Snow has got more on the plan to educate city commuters that could go off the rails.
Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, a group promoting Islam is trying something new. It's targeting New York's roughly 5 million daily subway riders with ads. But it's the face promoting those ads that's prompting discussion that organizers are trying to erase.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): Head scarf, Islam, these subway ads are designed to battle negative images of Islam. They aren't even put up yet, but they've already sparked this "New York Post" headline, Jihad Train.
The "Post" story focuses not so much on the message as the messenger -- an imam who's now promoting the project to spread awareness about Islam to millions of subway riders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Imagine them saying the (INAUDIBLE). Imagine them saying the word Islam. Imagine them saying the word (INAUDIBLE).
SNOW: Imam Siraj Wahhaj draws attention because he's among 170 unindicted co-conspirators in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing case. And he served as a character witness to the man convicted of being the mastermind of that bombing, Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman.
IMAM SIRAJ WAHHAJ, AL-TAQWA MOSQUE: The concept of me being a character witness for Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman is what we knew about him before the incident.
SNOW: A former U.S. prosecutor in the case says while Wahhaj was on the list of unindicted co-conspirators, he was never charged.
ANDREW MCCARTHY, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR (on the phone): I think the list is probably an interesting footnote to people. I get asked about it every couple of years when some story or another about Wahhaj comes up. But, you know, I think it's a tempest. The list is a tempest in a teapot.
SNOW: Wahhaj says while he may be a controversial figure, he was also the first Muslim to lead a prayer before a session the House of Representatives in 1991, but he admits there are things he said he regrets such as calling the FBI and the CIA terrorists.
WAHHAJ: What I would say is that, you know, not that all of the FBI are terrorism, or CIA are terrorism, but there are some elements in there. So, if you want to accuse some Muslims, OK. These Muslims did that, but don't undermine the entire faith that's really the message.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SNOW: The group behind the ads, the Islamic Circle of North America, says it welcomes the Imam's promotion of their campaign. They say he is often portrayed the same way Islam is portrayed. The ads are slated to go up in 1,000 subway cars in September to coincide with Ramadan.
John and Kiran?
CHETRY: Mary Snow for us. Thanks.
Well, a shock jock's rant about autism crosses the line. He calls kids who suffer from it brats. Now, outraged parents are fighting back, demanding stations pull the plug on his show.
The vets' view --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He needs to acknowledge what's happening on the ground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Obama's overseas trip through the eyes of soldiers who fought on the front lines. Jim Acosta talks to the troops. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the "Most Politics in the Morning." Barack Obama's overseas trip dominating the headlines. So far, the candidates have had their say. So have the pundits. But what about the veterans who are on the frontlines?
CNN's Jim Acosta sat down with some of them and got an earful.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John and Kiran, it certainly got combative here at times between these veterans I sat down with here in Washington. And they didn't hold their fire when it came to passing judgment on Barack Obama's trip to Iraq and Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice-over): Peter Granato, Brian McGough and David Bellavia have all worn the same uniform. But they are cut from a different cloth when it comes to Barack Obama's plan to end the Iraq war in 16 months if he's elected president.
STAFF SGT. DAVID BELLAVIA, U.S. ARMY (RET.): We have people that have the fortitude to see the statistics on the ground, to see the success and we have surge deniers.
ACOSTA (on camera): Is Barack Obama a surge denier?
BELLAVIA: It looks like it.
STAFF SGT. BRIAN MCGOUGH, U.S. ARMY (RET.): If we say we're winning, let us start bringing people home because we're winning.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Then there's Obama's proposal to send more troops to Afghanistan while drawing down in Iraq.
BELLAVIA: Can we bring those guys home in 16 months with their equipment, refit them, and send, what, tanks to Afghanistan? It's preposterous.
MCGOUGH: Why is it that we can send them back to Iraq within sometimes within six, seven months, and not send them to Afghanistan?
ACOSTA: As Obama's overseas trip unfolds, the veterans also see another political battle being waged over campaign images and talking points.
BELLAVIA: He needs to acknowledge what's happening on the ground.
ACOSTA (on camera): He's not doing that in your mind at this point?
BELLAVIA: Well, of course, not. What have you seen from Iraq so far and Afghanistan? Silent video. I saw him shoot some three pointers. I'm not seeing him walking the streets.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Which led Peter Granato to argue John McCain's recent trips to Iraq have also had a campaign feel.
(on camera): Are you comfortable with John McCain as your commander-in-chief?
STAFF SGT. PETER GRANATO, U.S. ARMY RESERVE (RET.): No. I don't think he's change since -- I mean, he's still arguing GOP talking points from 2006, stay the course.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: There's one thing these vets could agree on, that it's unrealistic for a President Obama or McCain to keep the troop levels where they are in Iraq and dramatically increase forces in Afghanistan. For these vets, a draw down in Iraq is not a question of if, but when.
John and Kiran?
ROBERTS: A piece there this morning from Jim Acosta.
Fight back against "The New York Times." That's what John McCain's campaign is saying after the newspaper rejects his op-ed piece. Is there a bias against the Republican candidate? We're going to hear from the left and the right on the issue.
Just moments ago, Britain announced that some of its troops will be leaving Iraq next year. This is Iraq's prime minister seems to give support for Obama's withdrawal timetable. Why that's not the message the White House and John McCain are looking for. You're watching the "Most News in the Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: 24 minutes after the hour. It's being called a major break in the investigation of a Salmonella outbreak that has sickened thousands of people across the nation. The FDA has detected a sample of the same strain on an imported jalapeno pepper.
Our Louise Schiavone brings us up to date now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOUISE SCHIAVONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Discovered, salmonella Saint Paul, not on a tomato but on an important jalapeno pepper.
VOICE OF DR. DAVID ACHESON, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION: We are asking consumers to avoid eating fresh jalapeno peppers and food products made with fresh jalapeno peppers until further notice.
SCHIAVONE: The pepper came from a farm in Mexico. FDA investigators picked it out of a supply of jalapenos in a distribution center at the border in McAllen, Texas. That's where as "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" was the first to report almost three weeks ago --
DOBBS: Disturbing evidence tonight --
SCHIAVONE: FDA inspectors decided to sample specialty pepper imports. The FDA says it is not ready to blame the Mexican farm for the bacteria.
ACHESON: Our investigation has focused on the entire production chain from the farms, the distribution centers, the packing houses and we've been testing water, soil, work surfaces, packing boxes and many other areas to determine not only where the contamination originated but how it might have spread throughout the food supply to American consumers.
SCHIAVONE: Twelve hundred fifty-one cases of salmonella Saint Paul have been recorded in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. At least 229 people were hospitalized and there were two associated deaths. As the outbreak and the investigation both continue, tomato farmers are trying to pick up the pieces.
TOM NASSIF, WESTERN GROWERS ASSOC.: We are asking for the Congress to tell us what is possible in order to reimburse those people who are so innocent in all of this and who have been so terribly damaged.
Louise Schiavone for CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Barack Obama greeted warmly in the Middle East. John McCain dissed here in the United States by one of the country's most famous newspapers. We're getting both perspectives on these topics and more.
From the right, we're joined by Joe Pags. He's a conservative radio talk show host and fills in for Glenn Beck on occasion. And from the left, liberal radio talk show host Stephanie Miller.
Good morning to both of you.
JOE PAGS, CONSERVATIVE RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Good morning.
STEPHANIE MILLER, LIBERAL RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Good Morning, John.
ROBERTS: Let's start with you, Stephanie. John McCain's substantial advantage at least in terms of public opinion over Barack Obama, in terms of who would be the better commander-in-chief. This current trip that he's on to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East and Europe, is that going to change perceptions?
MILLER: I think it may be changing as we're speaking, John, considering that al-Maliki has endorsed basically Barack Obama's plan for Iraq, as has the White House. Whether they're calling it a horizon or a timetable, whatever they're calling it. John McCain is the straggler here, I think. He is a - he is the, you know, elderly relative that you lose track of and is straggling behind. So, hopefully he can catch up.
ROBERTS: Joe, are you going to let that pass?
PAGS: (INAUDIBLE). I got to tell you something, John and Stephanie. To attack John McCain's age constantly is really just getting rude. I mean, this country why is it OK to attack this guy because he's 72 years old? Barack Obama is out here and he's like somebody who is reading a script or playing a movie role.
I'm not impressed by him flying around in a helicopter. And for the last time I checked, Nuri al-Maliki is not the guy who is going to decide my vote in November.
ROBERTS: Right. And yes, we should mention, too, Joe Pags is joining us via an Internet connection this morning.
PAGS: Right.
ROBERTS: Sounding a wee bit choppy. We apologize for that. Joe, hopefully, it's going to clear up.
Stephanie, Barack Obama said in an interview with my colleague, Terry Moran of ABC, that if he had to do it all over again, he would still oppose the surge. Now, some Democrats are perplexed about this saying that he was wrong about the surge, but he won't admit it.
MILLER: Well, you know, I'd rather someone was right about the war in the first place. We shouldn't have been in there at all in the first place and --
ROBERTS: But what about the surge? MILLER: John, how do you argue a hypothetical? How do you go back and go -- oh, if you hadn't done this or this or this --
ROBERTS: No, no, no. Stephanie, it was a very clear question. If you had it to do all over again, would you have still voted against the surge, and he said yes.
MILLER: Well, that's what I'm saying. You're arguing a hypothetical, John.
PAGS: Oh, it's not a hypothetical --
MILLER: You know, I'd rather have his judgment on this than John McCain who wants to stay in Iraq for 100 years, 1,000 years. He said it's not so important when the troops come home. When can you come home? I mean, if we won. He says we've won. We've succeeded. So, when do we get to come home?
PAGS: That entire argument is such a red herring. First of all, it's not a hypothetical. You know the surge worked. You know the surge (INAUDIBLE). Thank goodness.
Even if Barack Obama wasn't for it. To say that he wasn't for the war from beginning -- he was a state senator in Illinois. He had nothing to say about the war before it happened. At least not on an official basis. The surge did work.
There's no argument about John McCain wanted to stay for 100 if not 1,000, that's a ruse as well. Not to fight a war. Just to have a presence there like we have in South Korea or Japan or Western Europe. But let's stop that whole lie. Stephanie, knows it. All -- everybody on the left knows it. John McCain didn't want to fight a war for 1,000 years. Let's stop that garbage, OK?
ROBERTS: All right. Let me ask you, Joe, about John McCain and this op-ed in "The New York Times." "The New York Times" told him go back and try it again. Give us something that looks like a plan for Iraq and Afghanistan.
The McCain campaign is incensed about the rejection saying, quote, "This is Rick Davis. He asked supporters to counteract the liberal establishment and fight back against "The New York Times" by making an immediate contribution to the campaign."
Now, Ben Stein was on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night. He said, doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary to me. I've got done op-eds for "The New York Times" and there's a lot of back-and-forth.
PAGS: Well, I was surprised by it because what we hear is that Barack Obama what he said in his op-ed, there was no back-and-forth. So, we have to have fair play.
Look, I'm just happy, John, that it's out there. That "The New York Times" did this. I'm not surprised by it. Many people watching this morning aren't surprised by their reaction. John McCain should have every right to counteract what Barack Obama said in his op-ed. "The New York Times" is showing its true political colors -- is not a fair newspaper. It really never has been. I'm just really happy that we have bad story on this one.
ROBERTS: So, Stephanie, last word here. Did Obama get a free ride by "The New York Times" and they're applying a different standard to McCain.
MILLER: Oh, please. Joe is just whining because John McCain has to go to summer school. So what?
This is "The New York Times" that endorsed John McCain that printed every single bogus WMD claim that the Bush administration dictated to Judy Miller. This is not a liberal paper. You know they made some very good points. There is no - he addressed no points for what his strategy is or what winning means. Like I say, any parent watching those, you don't whine when you have to do a do-over.
PAGS: But the "New York Times" set policy is either accept it or don't ask for it.
ROBERTS: All right. Stephanie Miller, Joe Pags, good to see you this morning. Thanks very much, Joe. Will try to get a better connection next time. We apologize for that.
CHETRY: All right. And now, some of the top stories right now. We want to show you new pictures just coming in to us of Barack Obama in Amman, Jordan. This is new video right now of the plane landing there. He has another busy schedule today, but he's going to be in Jordan meeting with King Abdullah. Holding talks there. He's also headed to other places after Jordan, including Israel a little bit later as well. But there you see it, pictures of Barack Obama's plane, touching down in Jordan. He's going to be speaking a little bit later and then meeting with Jordan's king.
Also at the top of the half hour right now, we're watching tropical storm Dolly for you this morning. That storm churning in the Gulf of Mexico. A hurricane warning up now for parts of the Texas coast. You can see the rough surf there and the high winds. Up to eight inches of rain expected when the storm makes land fall either late tonight or early tomorrow in parts of the state of Texas could see as much as 15 inches of rain, 1,200 National Guard troops are on standby.
Former Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic facing extradition for war crimes this morning. The so-called butcher of Bosnia accused of genocide, overseeing the killing of an estimated 100,000 Croats and Muslims. Karadzic was arrested yesterday in Belgrade after 13 years on the run. He evaded capture by allegedly posing as a private doctor.
And this morning officials released this picture showing him in a long beard and glasses. His mop of gray hair is now shaved short.
And we also have some breaking news out of Israel this morning and another terror attack in downtown Jerusalem. What makes this unique is once again for the second time in three weeks, it was a construction vehicle used, a back hoe running over several cars outside of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem before the driver was shot and killed. Police say a civilian shot the driver first. Then the Israeli police did. At least five people were hurt in this attack. A similar incident happened in Jerusalem just three weeks ago as I said. In that case, three people, plus the driver, were killed.
ROBERTS: Breaking news this morning. Breaking news this morning. This just in to CNN. There's a picture of that B-22 Osprey, the tilt-rotor aircraft that carried Barack Obama, and the rest of his entourage, traveling with him from Iraq. Landing there at the airport in Amman, Jordan. He'll be in Amman for most of the day. He's going to be meeting with King Abdullah a little bit later on. The two of them will have dinner tonight as well as several other dignitaries and members of the U.S. military.
One of the big issues that obviously will be on the table for King Abdullah is Barack Obama's attitude toward Iran. Don't forget that not only does Jordan share a border with Iraq, it also shares a border with Syria. Heavy Iran influence and close ties between Syria and Tehran. So, he'll want to know about Senator Obama's approach to that. Then he'll be on his way to Israel as well. So, we'll be following all of that for you today. Keep it right here on CNN. That's a pretty incredible aircraft. That's the one that so much controversy about, but now in service in Iraq and apparently doing quite well.
And still waiting for, I guess, the senator to get off of the aircraft here.
CHETRY: Yes, that's right. You know, it's very interesting, he's also traveling with Senators Jack Reid out of Rhode Island and then Chuck Hagel out of Nebraska, one democrat and one republican. And possibly vice presidential choices. And we're going to see all of them deplane in a couple of minutes here. And as you said, it's going to be very interesting to see what the talks are like, you know, some of the neighbors of Iran threatened certainly by the nuclear ambitions, and so there will be talk about Iran no doubt while in Jordan and, of course, while in Israel as well.
ROBERTS: Right. And, again, just to mention, this is the B-22 osprey, it's a tilt-rotor aircraft, it's kind of like a hybrid between a helicopter and a plane. The rotors tilt horizontal like that so that it can vertically take off and land and then as it gets into flight, those rotors turn into a vertical position and it acts like a plane. A very interesting and again controversial aircraft. A lot of testing was done on it. But now in service in Iraq and Afghanistan as well for the Marines. And it's looking at people coming off at the back of the aircraft here.
Haven't been able to make out Senator Obama yet. Some information that he and senators Reid and Hagel might have been traveling on different aircraft. We'll find that out. But, again, he's going to be spending the day on the ground there in Jordan meeting with King Abdullah. The two of them of them will be talking about a number of issues, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Don't forget, Senator Obama said something relatively controversial not too long ago where he said that Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel -- there he is at the back of the plane.
Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel undivided which, of course, caused some consternation for the Palestinians who want to see east Jerusalem become part of the Palestinian state.
CHETRY: He looks quite rested for what has been a whirlwind trip. In fact, not long on the ground here in Amman and then we'll see him go yet again on the road. He's going to be heading to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as well. So there you see him greeting the dignitaries and those who are waiting to meet him in Amman, Jordan.
ROBERTS: Carrying his kit with him from Iraq. There it looked like he had a helmet and a flak jacket in the other hand. Obviously the gear you have to wear when you're on the ground there and not only that, but also traveling by air, you travel in helicopters and aircraft. A number of times over Iraq, and every time you go in there, you got to kit up. So, there with the safety gear.
And, again, we'll be covering this all day for you. And as well, his trip to Israel and from here he goes on to several European countries, including Germany. There had originally been a request to give a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate, which, of course, Kiran, you'll remember is the famous site for Reagan's speech in the 1980s in which he implored Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down this wall.
CHETRY: And that was denied by Angela Merkel of Germany saying that it was usually reserved for presidents and she politely demurred there.
ROBERTS: She actually went to say if and when you are elected president, you are welcome to come back and give the speech in front of the Brandenburg anytime.
CHETRY: Come on back. All right. There you see him heading inside. Barack Obama arriving in Jordan and as John said other stops along this trip, Israel, Germany, France, as well as Great Britain. So, we're going to continue to cover all the latest news for you this morning on the travels of Barack Obama.
Also coming up in the most news in the morning, there are messages of religious tolerance ready to go up in New York City's subway cars. Why, then, then, is it causing such an uproar? It's all about the man behind the message.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (voice-over): Closing in -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're ready, hopefully everybody else gets ready.
ROBERTS: Boarding up and stocking up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't want to be those people stuck in line.
ROBERTS: We're tracking Dolly as it heads for the coast. You're watching the most news in the morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to the most news in the morning. 8:40 here in New York. And we want to fast-forward to some of what we have today. Well, this is the first video coming in from Barack Obama arriving in Amman, Jordan. He's going to be meeting later today with King Abdullah. Also holding a press conference at about 10:00 in the morning before heading on to Israel.
And John McCain will be in New Hampshire today. It's a state where he won a key primary earlier this year. He'll be holding a town hall meeting and is expected to move away from Iraq. Focusing more on "Issue #1" today, the economy.
Billionaire oil man T. Boone Pickens will tell a senate subcommittee - or a committee, rather, why drilling for more oil is not the answer to the country's energy problem. He first talked about this here on AMERICAN MORNING last week. He's investing billions of his own dollars in wind power. And he also wants to be able to use natural gas to power cars. John.
ROBERTS: And at 41 minutes after the hour, let's check in with our Jacqui Jeras. She's live in the weather center in Atlanta. She's tracking the track of Dolly this morning. Talking about T. Boone Pickens and oil. There's a lot of oil platforms in the area where the hurricane or soon-to-be hurricane is. What's the outlook for the oil platforms?
JERAS: Well, hopefully not too bad, actually, John. Shell oil has already taken some precautions and evacuated a few workers off their oil platforms here. But you can see that the large majority of the big oil platforms are up here, across the east Texas coast and up towards Louisiana. The ones that have been evacuated can operate remotely, so hopefully it won't have much of an impact. If it does, it will likely be out of sea more than anything else.
This is the forecast track, all the spaghetti models and the computer models. And look at just the amazing consensus. There's a lot of agreement here, so high confidence on where this storm is going. Now, let's show you the latest satellite imagery and you can really see how the storm has been getting larger and has been really strengthening over the last 12 to 24 hours.
Winds are up to 65 miles per hour now. You get up to 74, and that's a hurricane, and we do think that that will be happening probably before the day is done. You'll be feeling the impacts of this storm throughout much of the day today, with showers and thunderstorms. But the stronger winds we think will arrive by tonight. So, looking at a hurricane making land fall probably sometime tomorrow. Maybe even to the early afternoon hours.
Elsewhere across the country today, we have concerns of showers and thundershowers in the Ohio Valley, making their way into the northeast. And the heat continues to be a big issue across parts of the south. Advisories from Memphis all the way over into the Carolinas. So, summer keeps on ripping.
ROBERTS: All right, certainly does. Jacqui, thanks for the update on Dolly. We'll keep getting back to you throughout the day.
Just sit back and let the fish make up with your feet and then you'll be ready for the beach. The salon that offers a pedicure like no other.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Oh, yes, we're all floating on this morning. 45 minutes after the hour. You probably have seen the commercials for the Ped egg, right? That is so 2008. The latest craze in foot care, flesh-eating fish! Just dip your toes in the bowl and they eat your scaly skin away! Derek McGintty of our affiliate WUSA, takes us to, well let's say, a unique salon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's like having your feet in champagne.
DEREK MCGINTTY, WUSA REPORTER: Believe it or not the friendly flesh eaters are giving these feet a pedicure one bite at a time. It isn't like sticking your foot in with jaws, right?
JOHN HO, YVONNE HAIR SALON: No. You stick four toes in there, you come out with four toes if you have four.
MCGINTTY: But you also come out without much of the callus and dead flesh you hate.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels pretty darn good.
MCGINTTY: But which these fish apparently can't get enough of. They are actually nibbling on your feet?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are actually nibbling on your feet.
MCGINTTY: Does it hurt?
HO: No. It doesn't hurt in any way. It tickle like hell, though.
MCGINTTY: John Ho traveled all the way to China to learn the art of using these tiny garoupa or doctor fish to eat the dead skin off your feet, smoother and more sanitary than a razor, these particular fish take their meals at Yvonne Hair Salon run by Ho and his wife, Alexandria.
HO: They love it. I have people coming back many, many times to try it.
MCGINTTY: Ho insists, the doctor fish have had their fill of thousands of local feet and we found more than one customer coming back to offer second and third helpings.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're starting to feel like a massage more than pedicure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's my first time, it feels great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you, guys, you weren't going to be satisfied unless I took the plunge. So here we go. Ooh!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Open your eyeballs. Ooh! Oh, man.
MCGINNTY: But as these fish go to town on my battered tootsies, you got to wonder --
MCGINTTY: Do the fish ever get full?
HO: They never get full.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And if you've got particularly bad calluses, instead of the doctor fish, they use baby piranhas.
CHETRY: That's reserved for the special treatment. That unfortunately doesn't tickle. It hurts. Would you do it?
ROBERTS: Can you imagine?
CHETRY: No, no.
ROBERTS: That's almost as crazy as eating the coffee, the jungle cat poops out. You know.
CHETRY: You had to go there. It wasn't bad enough to see flesh- eating fish. Well, our Tony Harris is weighing in on this morning. I'm sure this is at the top of your rundown in the CNN NEWSROOM. Would you do it, Tony?
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh. Yes. Well, you know what, I'm not so sure that I would do it. But Heidi is so grossed-out by the story, that you know, we're going to do around here, we're going to run it ten times.
CHETRY: We should have done a little disclaimer if you are eating your Cheerios. Stop for a second.
HARRIS: Exactly. About ten times, that's how we roll in the NEWSROOM. Good morning, everyone. Here's what we're working on in the NEWSROOM, hurricane warning, Dolly is still a tropical storm but expected to strengthen before hitting along the Texas-Mexican coast line.
Fugitive from justice now in custody, Radovan Karadzic accused of war crimes, changed his looks, his name and his line of work.
And foreclosure rip-off, homeowners couldn't keep up with the payments and now the police are struggling to keep up with the crooks.
Of course, Heidi, is with me in the NEWSROOM. We get started at the top of the hour. We're about 12 minutes away right here in the NEWSROOM. Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: Something fishy is going on with you guys this morning. We'll get to the bottom of it. Thanks, Tony.
ROBERTS: Lights and cameras following Barack Obama in Iraq. CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look at some of the lighter moments of his trip from her own personal perspective.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (voice-over): Shock jock -
MICHAEL SAVAGE, SHOCK JOCH: You know what autism is? I'll tell you what autism is in 99 percent of the cases. It's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out.
ROBERTS: The low blow from a radio host that has parents hitting back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like punch from the guy. It's heartbreaking.
ROBERTS: You're watching the most news in the morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: It's coming up now on eight minutes to the top of the hour. Talk radio host Michael Savage says 99 percent of autism cases are misdiagnosed and that those kids are just brats who haven't been taught how to behave. With 1 in 150 kids diagnosed with autism, it's not much of a surprise that parents with children with autism are furious about those comments and our Alina Cho found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN, CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even for a shock jock, it was shocking.
VOICE OF MICHAEL SAVAGE, SHOCK JOCK: Well, you know what autism is. I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out.
CHO: Media Matters, a liberal watchdog group, posted conservative radio host Michael Savage's comments on autism.
SAVAGE: What do you mean they scream and are silent? They don't have a father around to tell them don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life like a putz. Straighten up, act like a man, don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot!
CHO: Savage's words to the parents of children with autism. MARTIN SCHWARTZMAN, PARENT OF AUTISTIC CHILD: It's like a punch in the jaw. It's heartbreaking. I mean, autism is 24/7. Really the whole lives of families change in raising a child with autism.
CHO: Martin Schwartzman's 15-year-old son, Robby, is moderately autistic. When Robby's twin sister heard about Savage's comments -
ALLYSON SCHWARTZMAN, SISTER OF AUTISTIC CHILD: It was really disturbing and heartbreaking and it really hurt my feelings because I felt like my brother and every autistic child or adult in the world was being attacked.
CHO: These families want Savage fired. Or at least for advertisers to boycott his "Savage Nation" radio show.
ALEX FILOSA, PARENT OF AUTISTIC CHILD: You know, the comments that I find upsetting is the fathers are not involved. I'm a very involved father with my daughter. I'm always there for her.
CHO: Comments that may be offensive, but according to constitutional law experts, perfectly legal.
PROF. NATE PERSILY, COLUMBIA UNIV. LAW SCHOOL: The constitution protects your right to be a jerk sometimes. And this might be one of those cases where jerky speech is protected.
CHO: In a telephone interview on CNN's "Larry King Live," Savage showed no signs of backing down.
SAVAGEA: If you heard the entire show, you would have heard me addressing those comments to the misdiagnosed, false diagnosed and outright racketeers as opposed to the general category of autistic children.
CHO: Some medical experts disagree.
DR. JAY GORDON, PEDIATRICIAN: In my 30 years, taking care of children, sitting face to face with families and children, I haven't seen an over diagnosis of autism and delays. I've seen an under diagnosis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: And this outrage on the part of the families is already having an effect. CNN has learned that AFLAC Insurance Company has yanked its advertising from Savage's program, saying they found his comments about autistic children to be, "inappropriate," John, and "insensitive."
ROBERTS: But he's protesting saying this was part of a larger conversation.
CHO: Yes, saying that kids are overdiagnosed, overmedicated. But, listen, I've talked to a lot of parents with children with autism. And they say, no, that's not the case at all. In fact, one of the great things about autism awareness, just in the past couple of years, is that more kids are being diagnosed. Doctors aren't afraid of the word autism anymore and these kids are finally getting the help they need.
ROBERTS: Very oftentimes happen, the greater the level of awareness, the more people come forward.
CHO: That's right.
ROBERTS: Alina Cho, thanks very much.
CHO: You bet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY (voice-over): Postcards from Obama.
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They caught me on camera eating a strip of bacon. The press seems to think I'm an arugula eating fitness fanatic.
Jeanne Moos sends dispatches from Obama's overseas trip.
MOOS: Wish you were here.
CHETRY: You're watching the most news in the morning.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, we just showed you the video of Barack Obama landing in Amman, Jordan, and every moment on his overseas trip has been captured by the camera.
ROBERTS: But what if his wife and children aren't watching? CNN's Jeanne Moos has got some video highlights of his adventures so far in this imaginary postcard home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOOS: Dear Michelle and girls, daddy sure wishes you were here. Walking into a gym full of troops in Kuwait -- was just like walking into one of my campaign rally. One soldier even held up a China town sign. He must be from Chicago, too. I ate breakfast with the troops in Afghanistan. They caught me on camera eating a strip of bacon. The press seems to think I'm an arugula-eating fitness fanatic. Speaking of fitness, did you see me playing basketball?
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I may not make the first one. But I'll make one eventually.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE:: It is.
MOOS: Shock and awe. Wish you were here? Members of the press wish they were there. Instead, it was just a military camera crew following me around the hot spots. They even shot me washing my hands before breakfast. Their questions were sure a lot nicer than the ones I get from the regular press.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is it like eating breakfast with the troops? What is it like?
OBAMA: The food is excellent, but the company's even better.
MOOS: I know everyone's analyzing whether I look presidential.
OBAMA: Thank you very much for having me.
MOOS: Meeting with these foreign leaders. Don't you think I look the part, sitting in those tacky chairs with the gold gild? How many Afghans does it take anyway to fill up a lavender couch. When I had to face the nation, that blonde reporter asked about overcoming doubts people have about my becoming commander in chief?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:: Do you have any doubts?
OBAMA: Never.
MOOS: Now they're going to say I am talking like an elitist again. I haven't made any gaffes yet. But the "Huffington Post" pointed out somebody who did.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Particularly, given the situation on the Iraq, Pakistan border.
MOOS: Too bad Iraq and Pakistan don't share a border. Later in the week I'll be giving a speech in Berlin before adoring throngs. Sort of like JFK.
Maureen Dowd wrote about me being a ich bin ein jet-setter. Though so far I spent more time in a helicopter with General Petraeus than in military planes. Did you see my newly refurbished campaign plane? Change we can believe in. If you're change planes and we lose your luggage. So what if those snarky wait right wing blogs are promoting T-shirts making fun of my world tour, showing me as a messiah or on a flying carpet, at least I have the audacity of hoops. Love, Barack.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: It was a good shot.
ROBERTS: Maybe Michael Dukakis should have tried basketball instead of putting a helmet on him, sitting in the tank.
CHETRY: Hindsight. 20/20.
ROBERTS: There you go. Thanks so much for joining us on this AMERICAN MORNING. We will see you back again tomorrow.
CHETRY: And right now, here's CNN "NEWSROOM" with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins.
