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American Morning
Last Combat Convoy Leaves Iraq, Troops Enter Kuwait; The Beginning of Operation New Dawn; Gulf Oil Spill Four Months Later; Who's Paying for Islamic Center?; ICE on the Water; Afghan Couple Stoned to Death
Aired August 19, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Thanks for being with us on this AMERICAN MORNING. It's Thursday, August 19th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes sitting in today for John Roberts. We have been waiting for seven years to say this, the U.S. combat mission in Iraq is over. Kind of, sort of. We'll explain.
The last U.S. combat brigade pulled out of Iraq within the last 24 hours. Four thousand troops crossing over into Kuwait. They'll be back home to the U.S. within a matter of weeks. Thousands more are being asked to stay behind, however. But they're moving on to the next phase, operation new dawn.
CHETRY: He says the wounds from 9/11 haven't healed. New York's governor now reaching out to the developers of the proposed Islamic center and mosque just blocks where the twin towers came down, saying it would be a, quote, "noble gesture if they built it somewhere else." But will that happen? Will there even be a meeting on the issue. We have the latest.
HOLMES: Also, four months now after BP's disaster in the Gulf, the oil no longer flowing. The well, though, not quite dead. But we're getting an update this morning from Admiral Thad Allen about a new timeline now for killing the well. He is here in the building with us. We'll be live. He'll give us the very latest coming up in just a few minutes.
CHETRY: And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation now by going to CNN.com/amFIX.
HOLMES: And here we are now more than seven years after shock and awe, you remember that. The last U.S. combat brigade has now left Iraq. Take a look. The 4th Stryker Brigade, Second Infantry Division, 4,000 strong packing up and shipping out.
CHETRY: The 4-2 as they're called crossing the border into Kuwait in the last 24 hours. By mid-September, they'll be back in the warm embrace of America. Now the war may be ending but our mission in Iraq certainly is not. Barbara Starr standing by at the Pentagon with that part of the story.
We begin though with Arwa Damon. She is on the phone from Baghdad where we're witnessing history this morning -- Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Good morning to you both. And for many here, it most certainly is a historic and a moving moment especially for this U.S. soldiers who did finally leave the battleground for what they're hoping is going to be one last time. And with this movement out, we currently stand at around 56,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. That is still 60,000 short of the White House time frame, that they would like to see U.S. troops at 50,000 by the end of this month when whereas you've been saying we're going to be shifting from "Operation Iraqi Freedom," the war that was fought back in 2003 will be ending and we'll be entering the era of "Operation New Dawn."
Now, we've been talking to a lot of the soldiers as they've been heading out because the U.S. has been drawing down for months now. And many of them have been here on multiple deployments. They've spent more time in Iraq than they have back home with their families. And they have all had a very intense experience. They have fought tough battles there (INAUDIBLE) in the battlefield and now they have to just (INAUDIBLE).
There's a lot of relief amongst the soldiers. There's a lot of excitement as they go home. But many of them are saying that Iraq is still going to play on their mind. They're going to keep a close eye on what happens here especially because there is a certain amount of uncertainty with regards to Iraq's future and its political turmoil here right now. But most certainly, a very historic 24 hours as that last combat convey crosses to Kuwait.
CHETRY: Arwa Damon for us who's reporting from Baghdad today on the end of combat operations in Iraq officially. Thanks, Arwa.
HOLMES: Now, that's one end but there's also something else about to begin, a new operation. It's called "Operation New Dawn." It's the next phase. Our Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon for us this morning.
Barbara, good morning. It's important for people to realize, yes, this is great news. Something we've been waiting for, the last combat brigade out but there are a lot more troops still there with a big mission still.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely, T.J. It was an iconic moment in American history in the predawn hours as that convoy came back out of Iraq, crossed the border in the darkness into Kuwait. And we saw those soldiers tearing. But behind them, left in Iraq, still as Arwa pointed out, 56,000 U.S. troops. They're going to get it down to 50,000 very quickly. And those are the 50,000 troops that will remain in Iraq through the end of next year under an agreement, an arrangement agreed to between the two countries. The new mission -- training, mentoring, helping, advising -- all the things that these troops will now do to help the Iraqis. But make no mistake, they could find themselves on the receiving end of combat at any moment and they say they will be prepared for that.
You know, the statistics, though, certainly tell part of the story. Fifty-six thousand still there. The State Department, for example, plans to raise the number of contractors, security contractors, inside Iraq from about 2,700 to 7,000 or so. They will take on the security role for those in Iraq. And there has been, of course, it's important to say, as much as we can, that ultimate price paid by nearly 5,000 troops, 5,000 American families who lost their loved ones in the war in Iraq. And, of course, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis also giving their lives in this conflict -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, our Barbara Starr for us from the Pentagon this morning. Barbara, we appreciate you as always.
Coming up at 7:10 Eastern Time, we're going to be joined by retired Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt. He's the former assistant secretary of the state for political and military affairs. We need to hear his views on Iraq's future and how the end of this conflict will impact what's happening in Afghanistan.
CHETRY: Meantime, a new push for a compromise on the building of an Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero. Last night on "LARRY KING LIVE," New York Governor David Paterson says that he has reached out to the imam backing the project as well as its developers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. DAVID PATERSON (D), NEW YORK: If people put their heads together, maybe we can find a site that's away from the site now that still serves the catchment (ph) area that will be a noble gesture to those who live in the area who suffered after the attack on this country. And at the same time will probably, in many ways, change a lot of people's minds about Islam which is really a peaceful religion practiced by peace-loving people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Paterson also went on to say that a meeting had been planned for Monday but the imam is traveling in the Middle East. And the leader of the Roman Catholic church in New York City, Archbishop Timothy Dolan, is also weighing in, suggesting that he would support finding a new location for an Islamic center as well. Dolan used the example of Pope John Paul II, who in 1993 ordered Catholic nuns to move from their convent near the former Auschwitz death camp after protests from Jewish leaders.
HOLMES: And take a look at this as well. A new poll that's out, Siena survey, shows that 63 percent of registered voters in New York are against the Islamic center being built on the proposed site. At the same time, 64 percent agree that they still have the right to build it.
CHETRY: Also new this morning, a massive nationwide egg recall and it's getting bigger this morning. Some 380 million eggs now possibly contaminated with salmonella. Hundreds of people reported sick in at least three states. The salmonella strain has been traced to an Iowa farm where the eggs were produced and distributed throughout the country. We're going to be joined by our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen in the next hour, what you should look out for, and are there safe ways to eat eggs, even if they have the salmonella virus.
HOLMES: All right. And something mom and dad certainly need to listen up to now. An important warning. The Consumer Products Safety Commission voluntarily recalling the popular Zooper Tango Double strollers, as it's called. Officials say the strollers, they have a frame latch that can come undone and the stroller could collapse. There have been 185 complaints. The models affected were sold in 2007 and 2008. You need to contact the company if you have one of these. They'll give you a free repair kit.
CHETRY: Well, former -- now the former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater is a national punch line. Republicans are getting in on the joke. They have a new ad by the Republican National Committee taking in President Obama, showing Democratic lawmakers fleeing the president and his slipping approval ratings by -- yes, using Air Force One's emergency slide. Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Attention passengers, all Democrats. We're just not ready to depart D.C. and/or my national fund-raising tour to your home states. That's right. I'm coming to your hometowns.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the president's approval rating at an all- time low, a lot of Democrats don't want him anywhere near their district.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, there's been no response so far from the DNC, but I'm sure we'll hear one before the day is out.
HOLMES: Give them some credit for creativity.
CHETRY: There you go.
HOLMES: All right. Well, coming up, we have Admiral Thad Allen here in the building with us. He's going to join us live on set. He's going to tell us the latest on that damaged well. And also, he's giving us a new timeline this morning for the bottom kill, but also we're going to be asking him about the new numbers from the government that don't necessarily go along with numbers from some other surveys about just how much oil is still out there and how much of a threat it still is.
It's eight minutes past the hour. Stay right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, hello, everyone, welcome back to the Most News in the Morning at 11 minutes past the hour. Tomorrow is going to be four months since the Gulf oil spill. This morning, still waiting for BP's damaged well to be killed once and for all.
CHETRY: Yes, we may have a new timeline on that. In the meantime, there are some new questions about just how much oil is really left in the Gulf. There's some scientists strongly contradicting some of the government estimates. Joining us now is retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the national incident commander overseeing operations in the Gulf.
Welcome, Admiral.
ADMIRAL THAD ALLEN, U.S. NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: Good morning too.
HOLMES: Thank you for being here. Someone likened this once to a monster in a horror movie. They had to kill it and they had to kill it again and kill it and kill it. You're still going through that kill process. Now we have a new timeline. I know you hate timelines here, but still, you have one now for the bottom kill process, what is it?
ALLEN: Well, in the last 48 hours, we agreed to a sequence of actions that I'm going to direct BP to take, starting with flushing out the current blowout preventer, actually looking for a material that may cause us a problem and actually move, put a new blowout preventer on and then do the bottom kill. This will ensure that we can withstand any pressures and maybe generate it. If all that winds up, we should be looking somewhere the week after Labor Day.
HOLMES: So we've got the Labor Day, we could be done with that well at least? We've still got some oil to clean up, we could be done?
ALLEN: Hopefully.
HOLMES: Hopefully.
CHETRY: But meanwhile, the other procedures have worked. I mean, there is no more oil still? I mean, is that still --
ALLEN: That's correct.
CHETRY: -- the testing is still showing that there's no oil flowing. I want to ask you though about what NOAA administrator, Jane Lubchenco, said about a couple of weeks ago, giving a hopeful feeling to a lot of people by saying that a lot of the oil was gone. Nearly 75 percent of it was in some way either dispersed or cleaned up, skimmed, burned off, and that only about 25 percent was left. There have been two studies that have come out since then from university researchers, one out of Georgia and one out of Florida who really dispute those numbers saying that nearly 80 percent of the oil is not recovered and still remains a threat.
Who's right?
ALLEN: I don't want to presume some of these academic positions, but I would tell you this. Some of the assumptions that are being made by some of these other folks are not the same as the government assumptions.
Here's where I come from. First of all, we want to know what the flow rate is. And early on, as you know, there's a lot of talk, 1,000, 5,000 barrels a day, way low. We finally empanelled a government team to take a look at flow rate, and we finally settled on 53,000 barrels a day plus or minus 10 percent. If you think that's a valid estimate of flow rate, then you can say well how much total was released? It's about 4.9 million barrels.
The next question is what happened to it? There are certain things we know for certain. We produced almost 827,000 barrels that we collected and brought ashore. We know what we skimmed. We know what we burned. We know what was effective using dispersants. And then there are general academic estimates about evaporation and so forth. When you do all of that, you add it up. It leaves 26 percent. That's not a definitive statement, but that's a way to start to have a conversation about what's happening with the oil which we need to do for natural resource damage assessment. And you can take a lot of different estimates and run that formula, but that's the one that we're starting with.
HOLMES: Did you understand that a lot of people, and maybe just hearing the numbers, without somebody hearing that breakdown, to tell somebody that only 26 percent of that oil is still out there -- did you understand kind of the public going, what in the world are they talking about?
And how in the world can that be possible? It just doesn't seem logical for a lot of people.
ALLEN: Well, it can be a semantic (ph) argument. What we were saying is, you know, other than 26 percent, the rest can be accounted for some way. That 26 percent is going to end up on a beach or dealt with somehow.
CHETRY: The other question, though, when they talk about dispersing the oil, there are some scientists who argue that that doesn't necessarily mean it's gone that it's broken up into these microscopic droplets that they have been found very far down at the seabed. That they're worried -- could possibly affect future harvest, the larva of some these and some of the delicate smaller phytoplanktons, other things that are sort of the basis for the food chain.
What does the government feel in terms of, or think the best assessment long term of how much toxicity could remain because of the dispersant oil combo?
ALLEN: First of all, the statement is correct. The dispersants don't do away with the oil. What they do is they create smaller particles, allow it to biodegrade quicker so the earth can assimilate it quicker.
We understand there are issues related to dispersants, especially when it's mixed with the oil. EPA just recently completed studies where they mixed the dispersant with the oil from (INAUDIBLE) well and found no cause for concern. There are no greater toxicity. So there -- don't think there is an issue with dispersants.
Now, there's a larger issue, from a public policy standpoint, about how much we want to use in the future, and I think we ought to take a look at that, moving forward. But, right now, there's no indication that there's an increased toxicity because of the use of dispersants.
HOLMES: You are on a delayed retirement right now, if you will. Who becomes the face of this response when you're done? When will you be done? And we not see you in front of the microphone so much anymore, and a lot of people are able to turn to you, at least, with BP out there in the government.
A lot of people can look at you, at least, and they say, OK, I'll trust what he's saying. But who becomes the face and the spokesperson once you hang it up and when will that be?
ALLEN: Well, it's pretty clear when the recovery's going to be done. We got to kill the oil. There can't be any more oil on the water. There's going to be some times that oil's showed up on the beaches or in the marshes. We have to clear a way ahead of how we're going to continue to account for the oil when it does show up.
I think the two real long poles in the tent are going to be is the issuance of Secretary Mabus' report for long term recovery in the Gulf, and the creation of the structure that will implement that and who will lead that. I think when those things are known, my transition date will pretty much be apparent at that point.
HOLMES: So you're right now you're indefinite? You're still in a delayed, indefinite retirement?
ALLEN: Proud to be here.
CHETRY: Are you confident that the Gulf will fully recover from this, in terms of the fishing industry, the shrimping industry and just the way of life that they know it now, on the water?
ALLEN: Well, I think that should be the goal. I think there are so many things we don't know. We need to go through what we call a natural resource damage assessment, which is required under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which is paid for by BP. We need to understand the long term implications of hydrocarbons.
In relation to your earlier question, last week I signed an order that tries to consolidate all of the efforts for testing for hydrocarbons in the Gulf and see if we can't bring in academic institutions in the Gulf under General Pinko's (ph) coordination at NOAA and have a - not only a near term but a long term search for hydrocarbons to make we can actually answer all those questions.
CHETRY: Admiral Thad Allen, thanks for joining us this morning.
ALLEN: Thank you.
CHETRY: Glad to have you with us.
HOLMES: All right.
Well, coming up, American Airlines. They've come up with something else for you. A lot of people are not happy with the fees that they charge for their (ph) airlines, but they've come up with a new way to charge you for something that you're used to getting for free. We'll tell you what this next fee is all about.
Seventeen minutes past the hour. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty minutes past the hour right now. Time to get a check of this morning's weather headlines. Heavy rains and flooding concerns in parts of Tennessee this morning.
Rob Marciano is in the Extreme Weather Center for us. Hey, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys.
Yes. This is an area that doesn't need the flooding, considering what happened to them in May. Just north of Nashville, torrential rains over the last 24 hours, in some cases seeing eight inches of rain in just a 12-hour period. So places like Red Boiling Springs getting pounded and flash flooding happening overnight in and around just north of Nashville. And you may remember back in May, 42 counties were considered disaster areas, over $1 billion in damages and dozens of lives lost there.
All right, flood warnings and watches out right now, mostly for eastern parts of that state and over into parts of the high country of the Carolinas, one to four inches of additional rainfall potentially here during the day today. And the mid-Atlantic under the gun as well, all the way to the Delmarva and to parts of the Chesapeake as this slow-moving system continues to dump heavy, heavy amounts of rain into this area. We'll have another update on this in about 30 minutes.
T.J., Kiran, back up to you.
CHETRY: All right, Rob. Thanks.
MARCIANO: All right.
CHETRY: Well, it's another day and another annoying airline fees.
HOLMES: Of course.
CHETRY: American Airlines announcing a new express seat offer. It's for passengers who like to sit up front. It now will cost you an additional $19 to $39 each way to sit in the first few rows of coach. American says that passengers with disabilities will still get priority sitting up front for free.
HOLMES: Don't people who want to sit up front, they call them first class passengers, wouldn't they?
CHETRY: Well, this is in the front of coach, so you can hop out of the plane easier than if you're in 26-B.
HOLMES: For $19 to $39.
All right. What's next? Well, here's something. Facebook, all you Facebook folks out there, and there are a lot of you, you'll soon be able to track your friends' whereabouts on that site. The social network rolling out a new feature that allows people to use their mobile phones to let their friends know exactly where they are. But the new service also sparking some privacy concerns because one of your friends can then report your locations, so maybe more people know where you are than you'd like.
CHETRY: All right. So you're not just telling them what you had for dinner, if you're tired, when you went to bed, but now exactly where you are.
HOLMES: It's getting scary.
CHETRY: Yes, it is.
Well, you may have seen the Frito Lays new 100 percent biodegradable chip bags. Or let me put it this way, you may have heard them. They're made from plant material instead of plastic. Hold on. Let me get one here. And then (INAUDIBLE).
If you bought one, these are earth-friendly bags, by the way, but the material, just holding it, make a whole lot of noise. And they said that - people are saying, wait a minute, it was a great idea that it's, you know, 100 percent compostable, but what about the sound?
HOLMES: Oh, yes. I'm not even going out of my way to make it sound loud. If you just naturally open this bag, it sounds like that and it certainly feels different. But I don't know, is that worth the cost? Yes. It's a little loud, but, hey, you're saving -
CHETRY: Right.
HOLMES: -- Mother Earth. Isn't that good (ph)?
CHETRY: I'd say it's good for parties where you would actually pour all of this into a bowl. But can you imagine, pass the chips, honey. Pass the chips, honey. Pass the chips, honey. Honey, you've had enough. I mean, after a while, that will drive you crazy.
HOLMES: Yes. Like, right now. But there's the bag. There's the controversy, if you will, over it.
Stay with us. It's 23 minutes past the hour. A quick break on this AMERICAN MORNING. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, 26 minutes past the hour. Your top stories are just minutes away. But first, we've got an "A.M. Original" for you, something you'll only see right here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Well, for all of us, balancing life, work, homework, that's a pretty big challenge -
CHETRY: Yes.
HOLMES: -- for all of us.
CHETRY: Yes. And try that if you're an army sergeant, you have a wife and you have kids, and you're about to start your third combat tour in one of the more dangerous areas in Afghanistan.
Well, Jason Carroll is here this morning with our ongoing series, "A Soldier Story." This time, you guys are headed right to the war zone.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heading right to the war zone. We'll be heading there some time tomorrow with Sergeant Randy Shorter and the rest of his unit. And we'll be taking you guys along with us, in a way, because we're going to be chronicling his experience as we've been doing with this ongoing series.
You know, the clock is ticking to stabilize Afghanistan so U.S. troops can meet the president's goal of withdrawing next July. The success - the success of the - of units like the one Sergeant First Class Randy Shorter belongs to is key. They are part of the final surge and they're ready to go.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL (voice-over): These are moments Randy Shorter cherishes.
SHERYLL SHORTER, SGT. SHORTER'S WIFE: Go get her.
CARROLL: Relaxing at home with his wife Sheryll, daughters Melanie (ph) and Arianna and Diego.
SFC. RANDY SHORTER: At 5:00, I'm Randy. I come home. I just have to get in that mindset that now I'm a family man.
CARROLL: A family man who married his high school sweetheart soon after graduation, around the same time he joined the Army. Filipino- American, Shorter, came to the United States when he was just 5, growing up in Long Beach, California. His commitment to family and country inspiring him to join the Army.
R. SHORTER: Here we go. All was done (ph).
CARROLL: Fourteen years later, Sergeant First Class Shorter is days away from his third combat tour in Afghanistan.
CARROLL (on camera): This is your third time going. It does beg the question, do you - both of you, ever wonder are - are we -
S. SHORTER: Are we pushing it? Yes.
R. SHORTER: Yes. I feel it - I feel it every day. I - sometimes I feel like, you know, I push it too much, but this is the life I chose.
S. SHORTER: I don't want to be that spouse that has that knock at the door. Nobody ever wants that. But I know his skills as a soldier, you know, pushes me every day.
CARROLL (voice-over): Skills put to the test two years ago when a vehicle in his convoy hit a roadside bomb. Insurgents opened fire, Shorter rescued the wounded while returning fire, receiving the Silver Star for bravery.
CARROLL (on camera): What would you say is the most important lesson that you learned based on these previous tours of deployment?
R. SHORTER: Well, for me, don't take what I've experienced and seen in war and combat home with me.
CARROLL: But how - how do you not do that?
R. SHORTER: Well, I'll always live with it, but I will not - how I look at is what happened in combat happened in combat, it's happened, done - done and over with. I'll have to live and relive it every day is there something -
S. SHORTER: I've learned forcing what he's done, forcing -
R. SHORTER: Forcing to talk.
S. SHORTER: -- to talk.
R. SHORTER: And one important lesson is to talk.
S. SHORTER: He's stubborn.
R. SHORTER: I used to be ashamed.
CARROLL: You see, you're saying - see, that's interesting because you're saying I've learned -
R. SHORTER: I've learned -
CARROLL: -- not to bring it back.
R. SHORTER: -- not to bring it back.
CARROLL: And you're saying, but I've learned he's got to talk about it in some ways.
S. SHORTER: I mean, the first deployment, I never heard nothing about what he did. The second deployment, I heard way too much, you know? And this time around, it's going to be equal.
CARROLL (voice-over): Shorter's heading to a region nicknamed "Hell on Earth" by those who have served there. Paktika province in southwest Afghanistan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, men, rotate the selector switch from safe to semi. Fire when ready.
CARROLL: This unit of the 101st Airborne deployed there two years ago. The mission now: go back to finish the job, fighting insurgents while helping the Afghan people police and govern themselves. That mission starts here at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Shorter's home base where this day, they're saying good-bye in a symbolic ceremony.
(on camera): Does a ceremony like this make it even more real for you?
SGT. 1ST CLASS RANDY SHORTER, U.S. ARMY: Yes, it does. It brings reality back.
CARROLL: The reality of another dangerous year-long deployment --
UNIDENTIFID MALE: Good job.
CARROLL: -- and having to explain that to his children.
R. SHORTER: You can see the pain in their eyes. I still don't want you to go. But, you know --
S. SHORTER: They always ask, why can't somebody else do it?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And that is one of the toughest parts of this process, explaining to the children.
Again, Sergeant Shorter and the other soldiers in his unit will be leaving within the next 48 hours. We'll be there for the goodbyes. The journey over, and we'll be there on the ground in Afghanistan to get the firsthand look of what life is like for them on the ground.
Can't emphasize enough how extremely dangerous this area is in southeastern Afghanistan, the Paktika province. But, you know that this unit has been there before. Now, they're going back to the same province. So, there is at least some comfort in knowing the ground that they're heading to.
CHETRY: Now, these are forward operating bases, as you said. These are not, you know, bases where you can sort of retreat to the safety. I mean, you're out there -- you're out there with threats around you at all times.
CARROLL: Right. And, for me, you know, that's something to think about. For these guys, they take, again, some comfort in their training. That's what they fall back on. We're going to be taking a look at how that training helps them while they're there.
HOLMES: All next week for you're reporting, right?
CARROLL: Yes.
HOLMES: All right.
CHETRY: Good luck to you as well.
CARROLL: Thank you.
CHETRY: And you'll be with them for two weeks and Godspeed.
(CROSSTALK)
CHETRY: And everyone will be safe. See you soon.
CARROLL: All right.
CHETRY: Thanks, Jason.
HOLMES: All right. Thanks, Jason.
CHETRY: Thirty-two minutes past the hour -- time for a look at this morning's top stories.
The last U.S. combat brigade has left Iraq. The 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division overnight leaving, now in Kuwait before heading home to the U.S. Fifty thousand support troops will remain behind when it's all said and done, as part of the next phase of the war, the training phase, the support phase known as Operation New Dawn.
HOLMES: Also, they're still seeking a compromise. New York's governor now is reaching out to the developers of the proposed Islamic center and mosque just two blocks away from Ground Zero, saying it would be a noble gesture if they agreed to build it somewhere else.
CHETRY: General Motors is ready to go public yet again. The automaker is filing papers to sell shares of common stock. Analysts expect the initial offering to generate an estimated $10 billion to $20 billion. It means the government can start getting back the taxpayers' $50 billion bailout.
HOLMES: When you hear border security, what do you usually think? Most people usually think maybe border fences, smuggling, tunnels, manned and unmanned aircraft, things like that.
CHETRY: Yes. But with all of the focus on the desert, illegal immigrants and drug smugglers have found another way.
As Casey Wian shows us, they now have a navy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., Kiran, there's a new frontier in the battle to stop illegal traffic from crossing the U.S. border. It's right here at sea. Tighter controls on the land border have pushed illegal traffic to the ocean.
(voice-over): They're called panga boats and they're becoming the vehicle of choice for smugglers trying to evade beefed up security at the U.S./Mexico border.
MIKE CARNEY, ICE SPECIAL AGENT: It's getting more difficult for the smuggling organization to smuggle folks in, both through the ports of entry and between the ports of entry. And they see the vastness of the ocean as an opportunity.
WIAN: The boats are cheap, past and potentially dangerous, designed for fishing near shore, not the open ocean. They often carry dozens of people and hundreds of pounds of drugs from Baja California to San Diego, even 150 miles north to Los Angeles. Waters that appear tranquil can quickly turn treacherous. This year, at least three illegal immigrants have died.
LT. JAMIN STORTZ, U.S. COAST GUARD: The routes that the smugglers are using are certainly much longer and further offshore, on a small, open, construction vessels with single engines. So, from a public safety standpoint, that's incredibly dangerous.
WIAN: Panga boats usually try to evade capture under cover of darkness or fog, but some smugglers use recreational vessels to blend in with legitimate traffic.
The Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement have made stopping maritime smuggling a higher priority. They invited us on the Coast Guard cutter, Sea Otter, which is now use to apprehend drug and immigrant smugglers. This year, authorities have caught nearly seven times as many illegal immigrants along southern California's coastline as they did in 2006. Marijuana seizures have jumped more than five-fold.
The numbers are still small, compared to illegal traffic on land. But for border control agents accustomed to terra firma, it's a more complicated threat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have no infrastructure. There's no sensors, there's no fencing, there's no lights, there's no roads specifically designed for Border Patrol agents, yet we do traditionally in the same sort of mission.
WIAN: Smugglers charge $2,000 to $3,000 for a land crossing. It's twice that to cross illegally by sea. They've also learned to provide life jackets for their human cargo to avoid more serious charges and longer jail sentences if they're caught. (on camera): No matter how many resources authorities devote to stopping smuggling at sea, the reality is there's no real way to tell whether any of these boats are carrying illegal immigrants or drugs -- T.J., Kiran.
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CHETRY: Amazing. Every time, you know, you figure out a way to help prevent it --
HOLMES: They come up with something else.
CHETRY: -- they come up with something new.
HOLMES: Coming up here, a horrific story out of Afghanistan, where a young couple was stoned to death -- a public execution by the Taliban. Now, yes, this might go sound like a single, solitary, barbaric act, but it can actually tell us a whole lot more about where we are in the war in Afghanistan.
Quick break -- we'll be right break. It's 36 minutes past the hour.
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HOLMES: All right. Thirty-nine minutes past the hour now.
A barbaric act in Afghanistan, raising concerns about the Taliban's growing strength in parts of that country. Over the weekend, a young couple accused of carrying on an affair was stoned to death. The punishment is believed to be the first public stoning since the Taliban fell back in 2001.
Joining me now: Tom Malinowski, the Washington director of Human Rights Watch. He investigates cases like this and has spent significant time in Afghanistan.
Sir, thank you for being here.
If we haven't seen this since the Taliban fell in 2001, why not? And so, why are we seeing one possibly now?
TOM MALINOWSKI, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Well, we've seen in the last few months, a lot more brazen behavior by the Taliban in the parts of the country that they pretty much control -- a lot of executions of people who they see as collaborating with the United States or the Afghan government; a lot of threats, especially against women who try to go to school, who try to work.
This is the first time they've actually publicly executed somebody in front of a crowd of people like this (ph).
HOLMES: This tells you what about just how emboldened they are these days, and also, where we are in our war with the Taliban in Afghanistan?
MALINOWSKI: Well, it tells me there are a lot of parts of Afghanistan where the government is just absent. There's no government there. There's no U.S. military there. There's no formal justice system there.
And so, the Taliban can fill the vacuum. And when they do, this is what they do. They believe in doing this. And so, it's of great concern.
But this isn't all of Afghanistan. We do need to remember, you know, there are a lot of girls around Afghanistan who are going to school. There's a free press.
There has been some progress made in the last few years. And, therefore, there's a lot to be lost in Afghanistan if this is alive and spreads. HOLMES: People often think about the separation sometimes between the barbaric ways maybe of the Taliban versus the good people of Afghanistan who just want a better life. But at the same time, help people kind of understand as well, you know, the whole town by the reports, or significant portion of the town participated in this stoning. Several men gathered around, picked up stones, hundreds, and were a part of this.
Help people understand, I guess, some of the extremist elements of the Taliban and maybe some parts of the community there who's with the Taliban and believe in this type of punishment as well.
MALINOWSKI: You know, it's hard to really answer that question because we can't go there and talk to those people. It could be that there's just a lot of fear, the Taliban is the only power in town. They've got the guns. And as I've said, the government isn't there.
And so, you know, people sometimes just follow whoever is strongest in the area. If they know that the government is going to be there consistently, that we're going to be able to consistently, permanently, provide security for them, I don't think this is the way they want to live.
HOLMES: Sir, it looks like, a lot of people would say, there's going to have to be some kind of a compromise with the Taliban -- between the Taliban and the Afghan government. Now, certainly, folks in the United States and government officials would just scoff at that notion. But, what -- it might be an impossible question, it might be the wrong question -- but how much human rights, how much of that do you sacrifice for the sake of peace?
MALINOWSKI: Everybody is asking that question. And the Afghan government has said there will be negotiations with the Taliban. The U.S. government supports that ultimately because we all know that that's only way to end this war, when all is said and done.
The question is, you know, think about the stoning case up in Kunduz -- can we live with the deal in which the Taliban commander in that area who ordered the stoning becomes the mayor of that town, or the deputy governor of that province? So, the question is not whether there will be negotiations, but what the terms of the final deal will be. Will we be able to live with allowing these most abusive Taliban commanders to get positions of authority in the country?
And I think that's what needs to be ruled out. Not just because it's wrong but because I think a deal like that just won't last, it won't be sustainable. We won't get peace from a deal like that.
HOLMES: All right. Well, Tom Malinowski, it is a horrific story but an important one people need to know about, and things that are still going on there and it helps us to understand just how emboldened the Taliban might be, helps us understand where we are in this war in Afghanistan. Tom Malinowski, again, with Human Rights Watch -- sir, we appreciate your time this morning. Enjoy the rest of your day.
MALINOWSKI: Thanks. HOLMES: All right -- Kiran.
CHETRY: T.J., thanks.
It's 44 minutes pas the hour.
Still to come on the Most News in the Morning: Rob Marciano has the travel forecast. He's following some storms, flooding threats, flash flood warnings out there. He's going to fill us in all the extreme weather.
Also, who is funding the Islamic center near Ground Zero? We're going to have a fact-check coming up.
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CHETRY: Wow. We have some pretty shots there this morning. A nice boat going by the Statue of Liberty there on Liberty Island and New York Harbor. And then we got right outside of our window, the west side of Manhattan as well. Fifty-nine degrees right now. Sunny. Later, it's going up 20 degrees, 89 degrees for a high today in New York.
HOLMES: This is usually the part of the show when I came up here where I make it all about me and ask Rob Marciano if I'm going to be able to fly back to Atlanta.
CHETRY: So, don't change from that.
HOLMES: OK. I am not going to deviate. Rob, you know the deal, buddy.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, I thought maybe now that you're older and more mature, you become a little bit more selfless in your old age, but apparently not.
HOLMES: Not there yet.
MARCIANO: You look good up there, so I'm sure to be happy to keep you if needed be. But actually, it's pretty good for flights today across New York. Nothing like Lady Liberty lighten up in the morning sun as the sun comes up off the east and then rising over the Harbor. Good stuff for New York. A little sliver of tranquil weather in between two fronts, and the bottom front is really the one that's be giving the southern part of the country a big headache in the way of some rainfall.
Jersey did get some rain yesterday. Wow! We got almost 4 inches, but parts of Mississippi got almost 4 inches. Bowling Green, Kentucky got 3-1/4 and Nashville, Tennessee got 2-1/2 inches of rainfall and just outside of Nashville is where we saw the heaviest amounts of rain yesterday. And overnight, we showed you some of that video where we had some flash flooding because of the torrential downpours.
Now, most of that is moving to the eastern part of Tennessee and Kentucky, and then also getting into the Carolinas. And in some areas here, we do have flood watches that are still posted for Knoxville back to Asheville. We could see another 1 to 4 inches of rainfall from the system. Kind of a stalled frontal boundary with a decent amount of moisture coming in from the Gulf of Mexico.
All right. Hot again across parts of Texas and Arkansas. Now, this is an area that hasn't seen a ton of moisture. And some of these areas like Dallas has seen 100 degrees without the humidity, measured in the shade, 100 every day in the last month. So, they are pretty parts (ph). They could (ph) use some of the rain but don't have to get it today. 100 for a high temperature again in Dallas. It will be 93 degrees in St. Louis, 88 degrees in Chicago, and 87 degrees up there in New York City. Not too shabby. Lights out in New York should be a-okay today if you choose to travel today -- T.J., Kiran, back up to you.
HOLMES: I do choose. I will see you here shortly.
CHETRY: Don't worry. Thanks, Rob.
MARCIANO: See you, guys.
CHETRY: This morning's top stories just minutes away, including the wounds from 9/11. Many say they haven't healed yet, including New York's governor, David Paterson. He's now reaching out to the developers of the Islamic center that's planned just two blocks from ground zero. Will they make what he refers to as a noble gesture and move the location?
HOLMES: Also, Muslims are praying at one of the targets of Muslim extremists on 9/11. This is at the Pentagon. Muslims are praying there, but Jews, Christians praying there, too. We'll take you inside the chapel that rose from the destruction of 9/11.
CHETRY: Also, one of the most stressful cities in America. They may not be where you think they are. Those stories and much more at the top of the hour. Fifty minutes.
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CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. Fifty- three minutes past the hour right now. Seems like everyone has been looking for their own sound bite about the Islamic center planned near ground zero. There have been implications that it is coming from sponsors of terrorism. We're trying to cut through the noise and take a look at the fact. Randi Kaye is following "The Money" for us this morning.
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RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you believe all the hysteria about how the mosque near ground zero is going to be financed, you'd think Osama Bin Laden was writing the check. Republican New York congressman, Peter King, is demanding the mosque's imam, Feisal Abdul Rauf, be investigated to make sure there are no, quote, "unsavory connections." King on Fox news July 13th. PETER KING, (R) NEW YORK: It's important, I think, that we know the genesis, the origins of this mosque, who's behind it, where the money comes from. Even a lot of money seems to be coming in from overseas.
KAYE: Coming in from overseas? If you dial down the drama, as far as we can tell, not a single penny has come in from overseas or anywhere else for that matter. That's because no money. None has actually been raised to build the estimated $100 million Islamic center.
Listen to what the wife of the mosque imam told one New York City radio station July 15th.
VOICE OF DAISY KHAN, WIFE OF IMAM: We have not begun the capital campaign for this project as of yet. We are looking at particular bonds. We are looking at institutions. We are looking at private donors. It's going to be a mix of funding sources that will put this project together.
KAYE: Reverend Bob Chase has known Daisy Khan and Imam Rauf for about a decade. He just met with Daisy this week and tells me they still haven't started fund-raising. When it does start, he plans to help raise money for the mosque from people of all faiths here in the U.S., and yes, internationally, too. That has prompted headlines like this.
Is there any reason to believe that any of the money financing this mosque and this Islamic community center is coming from terrorists?
REV. BOB CHASE, HELPING RAISE MONEY FOR MOSQUE: I don't think there would be any possibility that there could be terrorist funding. And beyond that, what they stand for is to have a center that rejects terrorism.
KAYE: Daisy Khan has also said she's willing to show where all the money comes from. And though she made that promise more than a month ago, there are still questions. Just today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, quote, "there is a need for transparency about who is funding the effort to build this Islamic center."
KAYE (on-camera): Despite the misconception that fundraising has already started for this mosque, there is some nervousness about this. According to their own audit, as of June 30th last year, the American society for Muslim Advancement, the umbrella organization behind this project, did receive more than $575,000 from the Qatar government fund.
One expert who tracks this stuff told me most of the Muslim projects here in the U.S. are funded from outside the U.S., including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and yes, home to most of the 9/11 hijackers, Saudi Arabia.
KAYE (voice-over): Still, Reverend Chase says that should not be a red flag. CHASE: Imam Faisal is a global citizen and nowhere has anybody said that there wouldn't be international money that would ultimately support this effort. Nowhere do I think should there be that kind of prohibition.
KAYE: Clearly, not everyone agrees. And considering there's no indication a single dollar has been raised for the mosque, this part of the debate has only just begun.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
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HOLMES: All right. Just a few minutes to the top of the hour. A quick break. Your top stories are coming up. Stay here.
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