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American Morning
Wave of Iraq Violence Kills Six People; More Monsoon Rains for Pakistan, Country Needs More Aid; Trapped Miners' Long Wait; "Birdies for the Brave"; Admiral Mullen Tries to Reconnect with Americans; Craiglist Sex Ad Crackdown
Aired August 26, 2010 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Thursday morning to you. And thanks so much for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. I'm John Roberts. It's the 26th of August.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Flying by. I'm Carol Costello in for Kiran today. A lot to talk about this morning. So, let's get to it, shall we?
A violent statement to U.S. combat troops leaving Iraq. Insurgents had six people killed today. Dozens more were killed yesterday in a wave of violence. So, is this the future of Iraq? We're live in Baghdad.
ROBERTS: Alive and well for now, at least. Rescue crews in Chile are calling NASA and the Navy for advice on how to keep 33 miners trapped underground safe and sane in such close quarters. The rescue mission is likely going to take months. We'll take a closer look at the unprecedented drilling attempt that lies ahead.
COSTELLO: And with his ex-wife's tell-all interview to "People" magazine about to hit the newsstands, another mea culpa from Tiger Woods.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, GOLFER: My actions certainly led us to this decision. I wish her the best in everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: It's just painful to hear him talk now. Just painful. But we're going to tell you what else he said. You'll hear the rest of it coming up.
ROBERTS: And in contrast, in 20 minutes, we'll talk to Phil Mickelson, the number two golfer in the world, about work that he's doing with our troops.
And the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation going on right now. Just go to CNN.com/amFIX.
COSTELLO: But first, an assault on the nation of Iraq just as U.S. combat troops come out. Earlier this month, President Obama warned there is still danger on the ground and we're seeing that now. Gunmen and a roadside bomb killed six people at a checkpoint in eastern Iraq this morning.
ROBERTS: The attack, just one day after coordinated bombings took place in 13 cities yesterday. They were aimed at mostly Iraqi police and soldiers. At least 48 people died.
Our Arwa Damon is live for us in Baghdad. And, of course, Arwa, all of this raises the question that as U.S. forces come out, is Iraq going to fall apart?
ARWA ARMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you know, that's the very question that Iraqis themselves are asking, especially after the type of attacks that we saw taking place yesterday. The issue is that these attacks were so widespread, over so many cities, 13 as you mentioned there. And some of these areas were, in fact, considered to be relatively safe.
We were out yesterday evening speaking with the Iraqis, asking them how they felt following these types of attacks and really the mood amongst them was anger, frustration. There was very little hope. They were saying if the Iraqi security forces can't protect themselves, how are they going to protect us? The population here is exhausted. They are mentally and physically drained. They really want this war to come to a real end but they're just not seeing that happen yet, John.
COSTELLO: Arwa, Carol here. I just have a question. You know, American combat troops have drawn down, though we still have other troops over there. How does this affect them, this violence?
DAMON: Well, you know, the mission here is very closely defined by the security agreement between the U.S. and Iraq. And so last summer, we saw U.S. combat troops withdrawing from Iraqi cities and towns. The U.S. military has been very closely partnered with the Iraqi security forces, so they will not move into any of these areas unless the Iraqis actually ask them for backup. And while the U.S. is still currently in this combat mission status, come the end of the month, Americans are going to be moving into what is officially called a noncombat mission, a noncombat role. They'll be advise and assist units, but this doesn't mean that the war is going to be over for them or for the Iraqi people by any stretch of the imagination. Those Americans that are going to eventually be going out with their Iraqi counterparts are still going to, at the end of the day, be operating in a war zone.
COSTELLO: Arwa Damon live in Baghdad this morning, thanks.
ROBERTS: Arwa, thanks so much. We'll be talking more about this, by the way, in about 40 minutes' time when General Mark Kimmitt and General George Joulwan will be joining us here on AMERICAN MORNING.
An emotional sendoff at Fort Hood, Texas for about 200 soldiers who are now on their way to Iraq. They're the first to deploy as an advise and assist unit. But they told CNN yesterday, just because it's a new mission doesn't mean that it won't be any less dangerous. COSTELLO: And a reminder, President Obama will deliver a major address on Iraq next Tuesday night from the Oval Office. CNN special coverage begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
ROBERTS: With 20 percent of the country still underwater this morning, even more monsoon rains are drenching parts of flood-ravaged Pakistan right now. The United Nations says 800,000 people are stranded and they say more helicopters are desperately needed to reach them.
COSTELLO: Three and a half million don't have clean drinking water. And officials estimate at least four million people are now homeless.
Tapping the global resources of CNN for more, our Sanjay Gupta is on the ground in Pakistan this morning.
Sanjay, we're also hearing a warning that the Taliban could be targeted aid workers.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Yes, isn't this something? We're hearing the same thing on the ground here. We're talking about the Pakistani Taliban, Tariq Taliban, they're specially called. And according to U.S. officials, they're coming out and saying that this organization is saying they plan on conducting attacks against foreigners who are helping out with the flood relief efforts.
Now, we haven't seen any evidence of that, and it's unclear how just how significant this group is. But we heard the exact same thing coming again from U.S. officials who, you know, apparently have some knowledge of the situation. So everyone here is talking about that, and obviously a lot of the aid organizations, people who have a lot of people -- organizations have a lot of people on the ground are concerned about this. But, again, no evidence of any attacks or violence thus far.
ROBERTS: Sanjay, it's been about a month since this first started and we've seen this wave of water wash from the mountains down into the floodplains there along the banks of the Indus River. What's the greater threat now? Is it from the water itself, the threat of drowning, or is it from the threat of disease?
GUPTA: You know, the death toll is about 1,600 now. As you know, John, the vast majority of the early deaths were due to drowning. People who were simply stranded, could not be rescued and subsequently drowned.
Now it is definitely disease. And you know, we talk a lot about what people refer to as a second wave of death after natural disasters. We talked about it after the Haiti earthquake, for example. And, fortunately, a lot of times that big second wave doesn't materialize because supplies can be brought in, most notably clean, drinkable water. This is a real problem here. As you mentioned, over three million people do not have access to clean water. It has been several weeks now with that going on and with all this floodwater around, what is happening is that people are starting to drink this contaminated water.
There is significant risk of disease here. There's cholera, there's dysentery, there's typhoid, and just all the diarrheal diseases lead to significant dehydration and that's what's starting to cause the deaths now. They expect tens of thousands of cases of malaria as well, due to all the mosquitoes breeding in the water in this area. So from this part forward, it is really that. And it's just so hard, John, as people who have been in this part of the world know, it's difficult to get around in the best of circumstances. It is impossible in some of these areas now.
You know, if you take a look at the map. Just to give you a little bit of context, there's a map of Florida superimposed on the flooded areas of Pakistan. Again, a fifth of the country. It's about the same size. The entire state of Florida was flooded, under water. Roads, communities, schools, hospitals, all the infrastructure. It's impossible to get anything done.
COSTELLO: Sanjay, you have the Taliban targeting aid workers. Aid has been slow coming into Pakistan anyway. They're not exactly getting millions and millions of dollars of donations from around the world. It just sounds so hopeless.
GUPTA: You know, it's interesting being here, Carol and talking to people. One of the things that became clear is that, you know, unlike with the tsunami, for example, or with the earthquake in Haiti, there wasn't a sort of, you know, pyrotechnic, you know, single event that caused this. This has been a slow burn over the last month, as was mentioned. And I think as a result, there's a lot of people who really didn't understand or recognize just how significant this problem was. That's one reason.
In addition to the things you just mentioned, there is this underlying concern about violence. It is just very hard to get around. You know, I left, for example, Tuesday night from the East Coast, and we're still not at our final location. So simply getting in and around this country proves very, very challenging and I think that's part of the issue with aid as well.
But you know, I don't know right now how they get clean water even to a lot of these places that are completely submerged. People literally standing on their rooftops. One thing that people are talking about is using lots of water purification tablets as opposed to just trying to drop lots of, you know, bottled water or containers of water down. That may be some type of solution. But you're right. Long term, I don't know exactly how this gets fixed.
COSTELLO: Sanjay Gupta reporting live from Pakistan this morning, thanks.
To find out more about the charities you can donate to so you can help the flood victims in Pakistan, head to the "Impact Your World" section of our Web site. The address CNN.com/impact.
ROBERTS: Well, it's fair to say it's been a pretty bad month for Tiger Woods. He had his worst-ever tournament performance at the Bridgestone Invitational. His divorce was finalized on Monday and then, his ex-wife's tell-all to "People" magazine hits newsstands tomorrow. Yesterday, Tiger addressed her comments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: My actions certainly led to us this decision. And you know, I certainly made a lot of errors in my life, and that's something I have to live with.
I wish her the best in everything. You know, it's a sad time in our lives. And we're looking forward to -- in our lives and how we can help our kids the best we possibly can, and that's -- that's the most important thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: It's a big week for Tiger. The Barclay's tournament going on right now in New Jersey. Kicks off the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoff and, of course, he'd like to be there for the Ryder Cup as well.
COSTELLO: It will be interesting to see if his play improves after all of this has finally come out in the open. His now ex-wife is speaking out. And of course, she's become kind of a hero, hasn't she? People really admire her.
ROBERTS: I'll tell you, this whole thing has just got a huge ick factor to it. Once you acknowledge that there's a big elephant in the room, sometimes, you know, you take away the elephant's power. So we'll see how he plays starting today, this morning.
COSTELLO: We will see.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is reportedly in China. The exact purpose for his trip is unclear. Who knows why he's there?
China is North Korea's strongest ally. As CNN's Beijing bureau reports, he could be there to ask for supplies or maybe introduce his son and heir apparent. The communist leader was just in Beijing last May. The latest trip coincides with former President Jimmy Carter's mission to secure the release of an American serving eight years in prison in North Korea. We're going to talk much more about this in the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: In Brazil, a terrifying combination of strong winds, brushfires and a three-month long drought creating a stunning fire tornado. Sky-high flames racing across the highway in Sao Paulo, bringing traffic to a standstill. Look at that there. As quickly as it formed, it seemed, the fire tornado was gone.
Just pretty amazing when you look at those pictures. You know, the way that the heat rises so quickly and the winds swirl around it.
COSTELLO: I know. It's not often you see a fire tornado. How often does this happen? We're going to the weather center, anyway, so let's just ask Jacqui Jeras that question. A fire tornado?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Sure. We've seen it before. We've seen them here in the United States. It happens, you know. When fires develop and they become very large, they kind of create their own weather. And so you get these little --
ROBERTS: It's a fire tornado. Nothing special.
COSTELLO: I know.
ROBERTS: Not every day.
JERAS: Happens all the time.
ROBERTS: I saw one this morning on my way to work, yes.
JERAS: It's amazing they catch it on video, though, because usually nobody is close enough to that intense heat so a lot of times you don't see it.
COSTELLO: Weather geek.
ROBERTS: Did she call you a weather geek?
JERAS: Did you just call me a weather geek?
ROBERTS: She did.
COSTELLO: Oh, come on.
JERAS: It's true. I know. All right. Anyway.
Hey, you know, we do have fire danger here in the U.S. today as well. And we do have some fires that have been burning in southern California as well as in parts of Idaho. We've got red-flag warnings in effect across much of the intermountain west as a really strong tropic is going to be coming through here. And this is actually some good news because eventually that's going to sweep on through and bring an end to the heat that we've been dealing with across parts of the southwest.
Now in the east today, you've got a cold front pushing through here as well. It's not going to do a whole lot today in terms of bringing some showers, spotty showers and thundershowers across parts of the northeast. It's going to be a lot heavier in parts of the southeast. But watch for that big change in the air. It's going to be feel a lot cooler for tomorrow. It's only going to last about a day before you heat up though for the weekend.
We'll have details on the tropics. We've got Danielle and Earl to talk about in the next hour. Back to you, guys, the news geeks.
ROBERTS: And, Jacqui, you're not a geek, you're just you're passionate about what you do.
JERAS: There you go.
COSTELLO: She's a geek.
JERAS: I like that word better.
ROBERTS: She did call you a news geek, though.
JERAS: OK, I take that. I can take it.
ROBERTS: Still to come on the Most News in the Morning, the latest on the 13 men trapped in that mine in Chile. They're alive. They're well. But oh, they're going to have to hang in there for a long, long time because it could take months to reach them. How will they keep their heads about them for that long? We'll find out.
It's 13 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Sixteen minutes after the hour.
Religious statues, a crucifix, a deck of cards - things to keep the faith and pass the time sent down to 33 miners who are trapped deep underground in Chile. They have survived for 21 days now in a sweltering, cramped shelter, with very little food, but they may have to stay there for a long time. The immediate goal of rescue crews is to keep their minds and bodies from failing, since they may not see daylight until Christmas.
COSTELLO: That's just crazy. I mean, how could you keep your sanity down there? I know they're trying. You know, their families are sending them notes. And I guess they're deliberately not telling them they could be down there until December.
ROBERTS: Yes. To be down there on a 12-hour shift I think would be hard enough, let alone for 12 weeks.
COSTELLO: I hope they can't keep track of the time. But, you know, if you're wondering why it's taking so long to get these guys out of there, our Brian Todd did some investigating, and he has a pretty fascinating story.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John and Carol.
One former miner we spoke with who's now a safety expert for a miners' union, says he's never seen anything like this. Rescuers have to drill 2,300 feet down to a shelter. It's about 95 degrees Fahrenheit down there, and that's just the start of what will be enormous challenges.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): An image both chilling and uplifting, a trapped Chilean miner peers toward a camera, lowered thousands of feet into a mountain. It's here where he and 32 others have been trapped since early August. They're alive and, for the most part, healthy, for now. But it could take until Christmas to get them out.
TODD (on camera): Why is it going to take three to four months to get those guys out of there?
DENNIS O'DELL, UNITED MINE WORKERS OF AMERICA: Because of the manner in which they have to drill.
What they have to do in this case, because they don't know the conditions of the mining underground because (INAUDIBLE) already collapsed, they're going to have to drill from the top down. Normally, they would drill a small pilot hole all the way down from the top to the bottom, and then they would hook a large drill bit up and drill from the bottom up, which would allow all of the debris to land down here and then they would have equipment that would remove that.
In this case, they have to drill from the top down, which means it's going to be slow and more methodical because what they have to do, when they drill in this direction, down, they actually have to remove all the rock and debris.
TODD (voice-over): Dennis O'Dell worked in coal mines for 20 years. He's now safety director for the United Mine Workers of America. Though he's a union official, we consulted him because of his expertise on mines and safety, not for commentary on how the Chilean mine was run or what led to the August 5th cave in.
So three weeks into this operation, officials from NASA and submarine experts are being consulted.
TODD (on camera): So, NASA presumably being called in for expertise on how to sustain people in isolation for long periods of time, sub experts on the issue of claustrophobia. What do you think they're going to tell them about this situation?
O'DELL: They're going to try to prepare the rescue workers and the company folks to let the workers know how to prepare themselves to be able to stay underground for this length of time.
TODD: How are they going to keep conditions sanitary down there for that period of time?
O'DELL: They're going to have to make provisions with the holes that they drill, to send down something so that they can actually put their waste in and carry it to the outside.
TODD (voice-over): And for months, it'll be 33 people inside 538 square feet, the size of a small apartment.
TODD (on camera): How are they going to keep these 33 guys from going insane?
O'DELL: What they're going to have to do is they're going to have to actually send in, like, card games, pipe in music, have communication set up to where they can talk to folks from the outside.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: As of now, officials have not told the miners exactly how long it will take to get them out. Dennis O'Dell says that's probably the right way to go right now, because if they tell them now, he says, some of them might start to get emotionally unstable and that could affect the whole crew.
John and Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: And you have to wonder, what if that happens? What do they do down there?
ROBERTS: Yes. What -- you also have to establish sort of a, you know, leadership hierarchy as well, and apparently that's happening. You know, one of the miners may have some sort of a degree in psychology or some training in psychology or maybe a nurse, and he's emerged sort of as a, you know, provider for health care, that sort of thing.
So they'll get like a little, miniature social structure going down there, and that's the only way to survive. But, inevitably, there could be disagreements, perhaps fights. My goodness, they're going to be living together in that tiny, cramped space, 33 people.
COSTELLO: Unbelievable. It's just unbelievable.
ROBERTS: For as long as three or four more months.
COSTELLO: Well, there'll be a lot of praying above ground for them.
ROBERTS: Yes, I would think.
COSTELLO: And next on the Most News in the Morning, the latest home sales reports raising new concerns about a double-dip recession. We're "Minding Your Business".
It's 20 minutes past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning.
"Minding Your Business", another low for the housing market. The Commerce Department says new home sales fell about 12.5 percent in July. That is the lowest level on record and completely unexpected. Much of the drop can be attributed to the end of the homebuyer tax credit.
ROBERTS: Some of the eggs being shipped to your local supermarket shelves right now were produced during the height of the salmonella outbreak. But the FDA says there's no reason to worry. All of those eggs were sent to government approved facilities to be pasteurized before they could be sold.
So far the outbreak has hit 18 states, more than a half of billion eggs were recalled. COSTELLO: Well, they're calling it new insight this morning, but - well, you decide. They're calling it new insight into who's talking and texting on their cell phones the most. A year-long study by the Nielsen Company found women text and talk more than men.
ROBERTS: Yes. I knew it.
COSTELLO: Well - duh.
ROBERTS: I knew it. I knew it.
COSTELLO: Oh, who didn't know that?
Women are - African-Americans and Hispanics use their phones more than whites, and Southerners are more talkative than their Northern neighbors. And guess what else the study found, John?
ROBERTS: This is a no surprise.
COSTELLO: No. Teenagers out-text every one.
I could have told them that.
ROBERTS: I'm surprised and - and pleased to - to hear that women out- text men.
COSTELLO: You're surprised about that?
ROBERTS: Well, I am because I'm - I'm always getting accused by my sweetheart of being on my BlackBerry, so -- and I keep on insisting -
COSTELLO: That's your feminine side, John.
ROBERTS: I keep insisting - yes. I've been getting in touch with my feminine side.
I keep insisting that she does it equally as much as I do. if not more, which, of course, the notion, she, of course, dismisses.
COSTELLO: Of course, because she always wins the argument, and she should.
ROBERTS: Exactly. But now we have research to back it up. Love that - love facts. Can't argue with facts.
Coming up on the Most News in the Morning, raised in a military family, pro golfer Phil Mickelson is giving back to the military. My interview with him, coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: The PGA Tour's best will be teeing off at the Barclays Tournament in Paramus, New Jersey today. One of the main draws, of course, is going to be Phil Mickelson. Lefty is going to have another shot of overtaking Tiger Woods as the number one golfer in the world. But that's not Mickelson's only focus this weekend. Phil and his wife, Amy, started "Birdies for the Brave" back in 2003. It's a nonprofit that benefits U.S. troops and their families. They collect money for scholarships for the children of warriors who've been killed in battle or have died by suicide. Also builds homes for disabled veterans who can't afford them.
I did have an opportunity to sit down with Phil. He was aboard the USS Intrepid in an event honoring other wounded warriors who got a chance to play golf with a wounded vet himself, who only has one arm and was hitting balls off of the Intrepid with him in the Hudson River.
I asked Phil how he became involved in the charities.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL MICKELSON, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: About seven or eight years ago, I wanted to do something special. And because I wasn't serving in the Military, I still felt and my wife and I still felt that we could do something to help them.
And so this is kind of what we came up with is a way to improve the quality of life of the soldiers that do come back. We want them to know that they're appreciated.
ROBERTS (on camera): You grew up in a - in a military family. Is - is that what led you down this path when it came to giving back?
MICKELSON: Well, certainly, my father being in the military allowed me to see the responsibility that every citizen, every American has to respect and - and appreciate what the military does.
ROBERTS: So this little event that you're doing today, you're going to be squaring off with a single amputee, arm amputee, Jeff Combs, and trying to hit the target, which is about a hundred yards away and some pretty heavy wind down there in the Hudson River. How do you think you're going to do? And how - how do you he's going to fare?
MICKELSON: Well, I think he's going to fare better than expected.
ROBERTS: You were hit by an IED in Iraq?
JEFF COMBS, IRAQ WAR VETERAN: I was by -
ROBERTS: Tell me the story.
COMBS: I was hit by a pressure plate (ph) on August 31, 2006 at 11:05 in the morning. We're rolling out. Our job was MSR security. We look for IEDs and stuff like that. And we thought we found one so my driver and my vehicle commander got down, went to go find any wires. We went to go pick them up and it was buried in the sand. We hit it. Our truck got blown up in half. Actually split - split the truck in half.
I never thought I was going to lose the arm. I didn't find out until I woke up 12 hours later from being in the hospital.
ROBERTS: So what's the process been like coming back from that injury?
COMBS: I never had one bad day since losing my arm. I don't cry about it because that's not going to bring it back.
ROBERTS: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
ROBERTS: You know, this is a game that most people with two arms can't play, let alone one.
COMBS: You're right. You're right. And I've seen a lot of people with two arms that can't play the game so it's - no big deal. ROBERTS: Were you a player before the - the injury?
COMBS: I played a few times. That's about it.
ROBERTS: Now, you seem to be pretty passionate about it? Has the passion grown since then?
COMBS: A little, you know? I just -- I like it more now, because it's more of a challenge, now especially that I got one arm. I'll go, OK, I'm not supposed to do it, so I might as well just go out and try it more.
PHIL MICKELSON, THREE-TIME MASTERS WINNER: What's interesting to me is how inspiration these people are because they come back with such a positive outlook in life and still wanting to help and serve their country, to serve their fellow soldiers. And it's very inspiring because there's no negativity.
ROBERTS: So far this year, as of Monday, you had donated $24,100. Do you have a say where that money goes?
MICKELSON: Well, we do that, but we -- at the end of the year, we end up contributing a little bit more because that was just a way to kind of get a little cache or name to it. Birdies for the Brave now because of the PGA Tour involvement, and other players that are involved incorporates six charities. And so, ours that I specifically donate to would be Special Operations Warrior Fund, and Homes for Our Troops. And so, those dollars would go to those two.
Their kids, if they lose a parent after the war, they're still able to go to college and get an education.
As well as like Home for Our Troops, where we improve the quality of life of the wounded soldiers that could come home.
ROBERTS: You have said that family is the most important thing. So, do you look at your own family experience and say, yes, that's why I have to help these people?
MICKELSON: Well, I just feel that in addition to that, it's just every -- everyone's obligation to serve our country. And when I get to travel throughout the world and see the quality of life of others, it just makes me appreciate how great this country of America is.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: And, of course, you know, Phil has had his share of hardship in his family. His wife, Amy --
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, with a cancer.
ROBERTS: -- with breast cancer, seems to be doing fine though. And Phil's got his game on track. He's doing really well. Of course, that saying about Phil Mickelson is, what's Phil requesting going to do next? And he's famous for, if he gets in a bad shot position, like he's got his ball up against a tree, he'll take his club, his left- handed club, flip it over and hit it right.
Well, yesterday or Tuesday I guess, when we did this, Phil did something incredible. People wanted to see him hit a driver.
COSTELLO: I would have wanted to. Yes.
ROBERTS: He only brought wedges just to hit that target. So, somebody give him a right-handed driver. So, what will Phil do next? Take a look what Phil did.
So, he's got the right-handed driver in his hand, he flips it over, so he's going to hit it left.
COSTELLO: Oh, that is crazy.
ROBERTS: So, he's got it pointed at the ground as opposed to lying flat on the ground and watch this. Whack!
Now, the cameraman thought he was going to hit it to the target.
COSTELLO: Apparently, the photographer doesn't shot sports reel.
ROBERTS: He nailed it about 260 yards dead straight into the Hudson River. He was hitting a floater range ball, so they don't go as far as a regular ball. But look at that.
COSTELLO: I think I miss it when I hit it with the whole head of the golf club.
ROBERTS: Backyards with a right-handed driver and he hits it better than most people can when they're hitting a regular wedge.
COSTELLO: He sounds like a lovely guy.
ROBERTS: He really is very, very nice guy.
COSTELLO: It's nice to hear a story about a good golfer. No mention of Tiger Woods. That wasn't the case.
ROBERTS: That was on purpose. COSTELLO: It was. I'm sure he didn't want to talk about that.
It's 6:33 Eastern Time and that means it's time to check this morning's top stories.
A new explosion of violence in Iraq coming one day after attacks in 13 cities killed 48 people. This morning, gunmen attack a checkpoint in eastern part of the country killing four people when a local leader rushed to the scene, he and another were killed by a roadside bomb.
ROBERTS: Government documents released by a whistleblower Web site yesterday called the U.S., quote, "an exporter of terrorism." And asked how that could affect foreign relations. WikiLeaks published a three-page CIA report from February of 2010 written by the agency's, quote, "red cell think tank." The spokesperson says the papers are insignificant and told "The Washington Post" that was meant to, quote, "provoke thought and present different points of view."
COSTELLO: And it ain't over yet folks. That is the message from Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The Republican primary of her state is still limbo this morning. Right now, Joe Miller, who had Sarah Palin's support, holds just a 1,500-vote lead over Murkowski.
ROBERTS: The top military commander for the United States is on a mission to improve public relations in cities across the country.
This morning, Barbara Starr catches up with him as he tries to get Americans plugged in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: John, Carol, we're here in Chicago and then going on to Detroit and Cleveland with somebody you may not expect, President Obama's top military adviser.
(voice-over): The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, throws the first pitch at a Chicago White Sox game. We are traveling with the chairman for what he calls a conversation with the country.
(on camera): What is the conversation with the country that you want to have? What's the disconnect that worries you?
ADMIRAL MIKE MULLEN, CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: The connection I want to make is very direct with as many American people as possible.
STARR (voice-over): The chairman believes Americans are growing apart from the military.
MULLEN: There's less and less knowledge about us as a military.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good to see you, sir.
STARR: A day of connections and encounters. Suddenly, this four-star meets Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Edward Schrank.
MULLEN: I'd be very interested. And you're exactly the kind of individual that I'm trying to make sure people like this know are out there.
STARR: In Iraq, Shank knows it's a tough sell to convince one of these suits to hire him.
GUNNERY SGT. EDWARD SCHRANK, U.S. MARINE CORPS: I know that when I sit down and talk to them and they interview 10 other people, it's so much easier for them to relate to the other 10 business people, with their prior experiences when they talked about that they worked for this company or that company, and this company.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- cadets, up (INAUDIBLE)!
STARR: Mullen talks with Chicago high school junior ROTC students. Not to recruit them, but to offer encouragement to avoid gangs and drugs.
Seventeen-year-old Luis Tellez wants to make it out of his Chicago world of daily violence.
LUIS TELLEZ, JUNIOR ROTC STUDENT: You might be walking with your friends and they might think you belong to a gang, and you get beat up or shot.
STARR: Tough economic times for everyone underscores the day. Mullen stops at a chocolate chip banana plant to talk to several small business owners. If they have job openings, can they even find the veterans who need the work?
JOHN CAROL, DIANA'S BANANNAS: I wouldn't know where to look for them, wouldn't have a clue. I'd hire them in a heartbeat, but I wouldn't know where to find them.
STARR: Even with all the goodwill, Mullen knows ultimately support for the war is plummeting, leaving him with the ultimate concern.
(on camera): After nearly nine years of war, the question remains: do Americans still really care? Are they really still connected to the military?
Admiral Mullen says it's a conversation he's going to keep having -- John, Carol.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Barbara Starr for us this morning -- Barbara, thanks.
COSTELLO: Next on Most News in the Morning: violence in Iraq -- you know, talking about the military. Violence in Iraq is on the rise again. Is the U.S. military leaving too soon?
We'll talk to Retired Generals George Joulwan and Mark Kimmitt -- next.
It's 37 minutes past the hour.
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ROBERTS: Forty and a half minutes after the hour.
More bloodshed this morning in Iraq as U.S. troops pull back. Six people were killed this morning at a checkpoint. The violence coming less than a day after a deadly and coordinated show of force on Wednesday. Militants attack over a dozen downs and cities across Iraq.
In Baghdad, a car bomb caused a police station to collapse. It was a devastating attack that killed 15 people. Another 58 were wounded.
The deadly strike in the southern city Kut: at least 20 people were killed when a car bomb targeted a police station there.
These attacks make August the deadliest month for Iraqi security in two years.
So, are Iraqi forces that American troops left behind preparing for the worst now?
Joining me: Retired General George Joulwan. He is a former NATO supreme allied commander.
And, Retired Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt. General Kimmitt was the former assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs.
Great to see you this morning, gentlemen.
General Kimmitt, let me start with you. Is this what people had feared that when U.S. troops pull out, Iraq is going to fall apart?
BRIGADIER GEN. MARK KIMMITT (RET.), FMR. ASST. SECY OF STTE FOR POLITICAL-MILITARY AFFAIRS: Well, First of all, it's not going to full apart. This is probably a coordinated effort for a short period of time to take advantage of the publicity opportunity for the insurgents to say we are still an active force. But it doesn't look like it's had much effect, and I would suspect that this is just a temporary uptick in violence.
ROBERTS: General Joulwan, do you agree that this is temporary? And would agree with Admiral Mike Mullen's assessment where he said that he had confidence in Iraqi forces, saying, quote, "even in this transition, we're comfortable that Iraqi security forces can provide security"?
GEN. GEORGE JOULWAN (RET.), FMR. NATO SUPREME ALLIED COMMANDER: First of all, John, I think we should have expected this. As the drawdown of U.S. forces meet a date at the end of August, we should have expected and we did expect this sort of uptick in violence. I was on a commission that looked at the security forces three years ago in Iraq. They are on the right track. We just have to get through this.
We still have 50,000 troops in Iraq. And I think, hopefully, you're going to see the political side of Iraq get their act together, which I think is most important now.
ROBERTS: General Kimmitt, 4,417 U.S. service members killed, almost three-quarters of a trillion dollar spent in the war Iraq over the course of seven years. Are people right to ask, after all of the blood and treasure has been expended on this country, shouldn't it be in better shape than it is?
KIMMITT: Well, listen, building an army is not something that happens overnight. The Iraqi army four years ago was virtually nonexistent. And you take a look at the quality and capability of this army right now, I think there's every reason to expect that they can handle most of the security challenges. They still have a way to go. That's why 50,000 American forces remain to assist and advise.
And I fully believe that this -- this is an army that's capable of handling security challenges within its own country.
ROBERTS: You know, General Joulwan, you have expressed confidence in Iraqi security forces. But did you think that Iraq is ever going to be really stable, because we've the chaos that these insurgent groups can create, almost at will.
JOULWAN: Well, that's a challenge. But, John, it's a political challenge as well as military challenge. I believe -- the military has been part of a training program. They are making some progress. Are they there yet? No. Are they making progress? Yes.
But without a government for six months, that's inexcusable. I think there has to be political pressure put on here to get to a government formed and so that you have some leadership here in Iraq, not just on the military side, but on the political side.
ROBERTS: General Kimmitt, in terms of getting a government in place, is it possible that with U.S. combat forces pulling out of Iraq, we're now forcing the Iraqi government to come to the table? You know, we have always been there backing them up. You know, we seem to be in a situation now where they are being told, hey, you got to fly on your own, or you're going to fall down?
KIMMITT: Well, it's not just that we're saying that. That's something that the Iraqi government themselves wants. They are a free and sovereign nation. They want to have these responsibilities.
This is what comes with a parliamentary form of government. You have to form the coalition. So, it's not surprising it is taking some time. But it is -- I will agree with General Joulwan, it is taking too long to form this government. ROBERTS: And, General Joulwan, are U.S. forces going to have to go back in there? This is a question a lot of people are asking as well. And if they do have to go back in there to provide peace and security, are they going to be starting from behind where they were when they left?
JOULWAN: I don't believe so. I believe we've made a commitment, we've given the Iraqis years to get their act together politically and military and militarily. I believe they've made some progress on the military side, in training and equipping their forces. I don't see us going back in and starting at square one again.
I don't see us going back sin unless it's very severe circumstances. We only got 50,000 troops still there. Iraqis need to continue to evolve to really get their act together, particularly politically because I think the military is making progress.
ROBERTS: Let's hope they do get their act together because God forbid if we have to go back in there. Gen. George Joulwan and Gen. Mark Kimmit, great to see you this morning. Appreciate it.
JOULWAN: Thank you.
ROBERTS: All right.
BRIGADIER GEN. MARK KIMMITT (RET.): FMR. ASST. SECY OF STATE FOR POLITICAL ARMY AFFAIRS: Thank you.
ROBERTS: Carol.
COSTELLO: Forty-five minutes past the hour. Still to come on the Most News in the Morning, Jacqui Jeras in for Rob this morning. She'll have this morning's travel forecast for you.
And in ten minutes, not quite a picture perfect landing. Could have been so much worse, though, couldn't it? See what happened when this golden knight slightly missed his mark. It's 46 minutes past the hour.
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ROBERTS: This is a perfect song to play for New York this Thursday morning because the weather has just been terrible for the last four days. Sixty-six degrees and sunny right now. Later on today, warmth is back. Eighty-three degrees and lots of sunshine for the opening round at the Barclays.
COSTELLO: Oh, that's right. You we know, we always --
ROBERTS: How about golf this weekend?
COSTELLO: Maybe for you. No, I really love golf. Hi, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Do you really, now, Carol?
COSTELLO: I know. I called you a weather geek this morning. I'm being kind of mean to John. It's just in the air this morning. Sorry, John.
ROBERTS: It's in your air.
JERAS: When you get up, yes, predawn, it does that.
ROBERTS: There's a little bubble of pollution over here surrounding you.
JERAS: Bubble of pollution?
ROBERTS: It's the air you're breathing.
JERAS: Oh my goodness.
COSTELLO: OK. Hi, Jacqui. The weather is great in New York and thank you for that.
JERAS: You know, I wish I could take the credit, but just the messenger, so remember that when your weather is lousy. There might actually be an isolated shower. It's also going to be towards upstate New York and then up towards Boston because our real old front that's going to bring the better relief is isn't going to come through until a little bit later on today, but tomorrow for sure ,it's going to be the best day of the bunch.
In fact, if you can play a little hooky tomorrow, just, you know, see what you can do. It's going to be a great day. All right. The southeast not quite as great. We got clusters of thunderstorms moving across the Atlanta metro area. Heavy downpours reducing visibility and making really making it difficult to drive out there. We got a stationary front across the Gulf of Mexico and heavy rain showers across South Florida.
This is going to be primarily along the I-10 corridor and south of there. There's a little low over here into the Western Gulf, but we don't think at this time there's a chance that that's going to develop into anything. Gorgeous conditions in the nation's midsection. We got the windy, hot weather across the west and that's where heat is going to really build again today. Cooler into the northeast. And we'll watch for flip-flop as we head into the weekend.
The tropics are certainly active right now. We got hurricane Danielle, category 2 storm, and then we also have Earl which developed yesterday. This is a tropical storm. Earl concerns me a little bit more because it's expected to take more of a southerly track but not going to be impacting the land. We don't think, at least, not for the next five days, but we'll have to watch that one very closely.
All right. Our fun video of the hour, guys. Take a look at these pictures out of Spain. It was the Annual Tomatina Festival, where people literally pelt each other with tons of ripe tomatoes. Yes, this small town quadruples in size for a day as hundreds of thousands of people get together.
COSTELLO: That sounds like so much fun, doesn't it?
JERAS: Fun?
COSTELLO: Actually, if you got to pelt the person with the tomatoes that would be kind of fun.
JERAS: That would be fun. I've been in a strawberry fight before, and I'm going to say that was rather enjoyable.
COSTELLO: But strawberries don't burst the way tomatoes. Wasn't that painful?
JERAS: When they're rotten, they do.
COSTELLO: Oh, rotten strawberry.
ROBERTS: What is going on this morning between the two of you? Rotten strawberries and tomatoes. Wow.
COSTELLO: We're just kidding into the spirit of whatever that festival was.
JERAS: If I had one right now.
ROBERTS: You throw it?
JERAS: Why not?
ROBERTS: We can always give you a raspberry, right?
COSTELLO: Right, exactly.
ROBERTS: Thanks, Jacqui. We'll see you soon.
JERAS: Sure.
ROBERTS: What side of the bed did you get up on this morning?
COSTELLO: I'm going to be totally positive from here on out. That's my goal.
ROBERTS: There you go.
This morning's top stories just minutes away now including a website promised to police itself, but sex is still for sale on Craigslist. Now, a special CNN investigation has forced a new crackdown.
COSTELLO: Katrina, then and now. Five years after the storm that forever changed one of America's great cities. We're going back to show you how far we've come and how far we still need to go.
ROBERTS: And a walk for few wins. How far did one Detroit Lions fan go to inspire his team.
COSTELLO: I love this man.
ROBERTS: You won't believe it when you hear it. Those stories and more coming your way beginning at the top of the hour.
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COSTELLO: I know this is something you wonder about constantly. What do you do when your pickup truck -- this is so ridiculous. What do you do when your pickup truck won't run, but your boat will? If you're Ron Kilroe of Melrose, Massachusetts, you build yourself a car boat. And this thing is making waves around the neighborhood, let me tell you.
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RON KILROE, COMBINED PICKUP TRUCK AND BOAT: It doesn't float, so I put it on. No don't float (ph). A pickup truck in a Halloween costume, basically. I use it for everything.
All I did was to make this much like a boat as I possibly could. So, you just climb in the back at the same as you would a real boat. Everything is the same as if it was a real boat. The only thing that's different is it has the original dashboard from the truck.
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COSTELLO: And the tires. It has the tires. OK. Kilroe says he doesn't know why he's getting a lot of attention. He actually built the thing ten years ago, but I guess he just brought about out and exposed it to the public recently.
ROBERTS: It looks like these duck boats that you see travelling around streets of New York and Washington, many places like that.
COSTELLO: So, it wasn't even an original idea.
ROBERTS: But he made it unique. It's his own idea. It's different to him.
Look at this, a skydiving snag at the Texas rangers ballpark in Arlington. A member of the Golden Knights gets hung up on the flag there on the way down to the field before the game. Don't worry, though. He wasn't hung up there for too long.
COSTELLO: It could have been so much worst, though, had he just --
ROBERTS: But he managed to unclip himself from the offending (ph) parachute and lowered himself down to the scoreboard and climbed down after that.
COSTELLO: But no one will ever let him forget it. Top stories coming your way after the break.
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