Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Troops Back to Iraq; Security in Iraq; Iran: Videos of British Troops Will No Longer Be Televised; Air Travel Quality

Aired April 02, 2007 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning again, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen, sitting in for Heidi Collins today.

HARRIS: Developments keep coming in to the NEWSROOM on Monday, April 2nd.

Here's what's on the rundown.

NGUYEN: A developing story on the military stretched thin. CNN learns two units stateside have orders to return to Iraq much earlier than expected.

HARRIS: Which carrier is getting you there on time? Which one loses the most luggage? We talk to one of the numbers crunchers behind the new airline report card.

NGUYEN: Requiem for a pope. Benedict XVI remembers John Paul II on the anniversary of his death.

The making of a saint in the NEWSROOM.

All right. New details just in this morning on thousands of U.S. troops headed back to Iraq much earlier than expected.

Let's get the latest now from CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr.

What are the numbers, Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, good morning to you.

The Pentagon announcing this morning that about 9,000 troops will be rotating back to Iraq. This will be part of the effort to keep that so-called troop surge -- that's what the Pentagon calls it -- going in Iraq.

This is supposed to be fairly routine, although there's no routine about service and duty in Iraq, routine troop rotation announcement, about 9,000 troops. But reading between the lines, what we have learned is that there are some details in this rotation that really underscore how stretched thin the United States military is right now, trying to keep the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan going.

You know, units are supposed to be at home with their families, resting and recuperating for one year between combat tours. But listen to this. A unit of the 4th Infantry Division out of Texas will go back to Iraq, back into combat, 81 days short of that year at home. So they will be home just about nine months or so before they will turn around and go back into combat.

And another unit from New York, a unit of the 10th Mountain Division, they will turn around and go back 47 days short of being home.

All of this, the Pentagon says, all of the rotation announcements, will be part of the effort to keep the higher level of troops going at least through the summer. But many of these units, Betty, of course, will remain on duty in Iraq well into 2008.

All regardless, really, of what's going on Capitol Hill with all of the discussion about withdrawing troops from Iraq. The military putting the pieces into place to keep all of this going well into next year -- Betty.

NGUYEN: So, 9,000 headed back after less than a year home. All right.

Barbara Starr, thank you.

HARRIS: Death and chaos in the streets of Iraq again today. More than a hundred people dead or wounded in one attack.

A truck bomb exploded outside a police station. It happened in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. Police say at least seven people were killed there, 178 others were wounded.

And word just this morning that the death toll from last week's suicide truck bombing in Tal Afar was much higher than reported -- 152 people killed. That makes it the deadliest single attack since the start of the war.

And this from the U.S. military -- six American soldiers were killed when an improvised explosives device detonated southwest over Baghdad over the weekend. That raises the death toll of American troops to 3,253.

Senator John McCain visiting Iraq. He faced questions about his recent comments. McCain saying there are parts of Baghdad safe enough for Americans to walk around freely.

CNN's Kyra Phillips shows us what it's like to walk through one of the capital's most dangerous neighborhoods.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): This is one of the most dangerous places in Baghdad. GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, CMDR. MULTINATIONAL FORCES, IRAQ: The Dora area is one in which there has been clearly a death squad, as you heard that activity has declined dramatically since the units started the Baghdad security plan but we think they're still there and so they do have to root them out.

PHILLIPS: Rooting out al Qaeda and demolishing torture chambers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now we've got three battalions, Iraqi battalions that I've partnered with, two national police and one Iraqi Army.

PHILLIPS: The commander of all U.S. forces in Iraq, General David Petraeus Gets briefed because today, we're going there. Destruction from extremists riddles the Dora market. It's still not safe.

(on camera): You talk about the al Qaeda threat here and yet you're wearing your soft cap. Interesting message you're trying to send.

PETRAEUS: Yeah. I'm very comfortable with these guys. They have got plenty of security around here. We'll be fine. You're not wearing a Kevlar ...

PHILLIPS: Well, if you're comfortable, I'm comfortable.

PETRAEUS: Ruin your hairdo, wont it? It ruins the image.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Joking aside, because of the death squad that operates here, the area is flooded with security.

LT. SAMIR KHALEL HASSAN (through translator): People were scared of militias in here.

PHILLIPS: Iraqi Army Lieutenant Samir Khalel Hassan tells Petraeus the militias have been brutal but locals are starting to have faith.

(on camera): Does he want to take over the areas and U.S. troops go home?

(voice-over): The lieutenant tells me we're looking for the day that we take over and provide complete security here and do it on their own. Petraeus has these Iraqi forces going through a warrior leader course. They're going to need it.

PETRAEUS: The challenge, then, frankly, will be even suicide vest bombs. This is an enemy that will stop at nothing and we have seen demonstrations of that in recent days.

PHILLIPS: Another tactic insurgents are using to make life unbearable, another tactic Iraqi Lieutenant Colonel Najn Talid Mutlaf (ph) will have to fight in the battle for security.

(on camera): How does he think his men are doing? (voice-over): The colonel tells me, "We're learning how to execute raids, carry out searches and conduct patrols."

One hundred twenty shops have reopened in the Dora market. There used to be 600. We still need more security, the shop owner tells us then we'll do even better. I just opened today, just get going started getting going.

Petraeus says U.S. troops can't leave Iraq until areas like Dora are secure and self-reliant.

PETRAEUS: We can study language and culture all we want, we are never going to have the feel for it than what a lieutenant colonel like that has right here.

PHILLIPS (on camera): And lieutenant colonel, what does it mean to have General Petraeus here in this market?

(voice-over): "This market was dead in the past and we brought back life," the colonel tells me. "The general is seeing that for himself."

Bringing back life, for now, but like everything in Iraq, the question is, will it last?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Will it last? What a question.

CNN's Kyra Phillips joins us now from Baghdad.

Great to see you, Kyra.

There's been a lot of debate, as you know, surrounding Senator McCain's comments about security in Baghdad. What can you tell us about his experiences on the ground there, on the streets of Baghdad?

PHILLIPS: Well, Tony, let's just put it in perspective.

Here I went to the Dora district that is still haunted by this death squad, an al Qaeda cell working heavily in that area. A big concern for General Petraeus.

We go into this area with intense security, outer, inner, perimeter security, his personal security officer, the man that's 10 times my size next to him the entire time. He's going to take a bullet before the general is going to take it. There were helicopters, there were Humvees. It was intense.

All right. Senator John McCain goes to a market not far from the safe -- well, I shouldn't say safe -- the militarized Green Zone that's already having more issues. We'll talk about that in a minute. He rolls out with the exact same security.

The bottom line is, when you travel with the commander in charge of all U.S. forces in Iraq, that's the type of security you're going to have.

HARRIS: Yes. It makes all the sense in the world. OK.

Kyra, tell us about this security-related incident you referred to just a moment ago inside the Green Zone.

PHILLIPS: Yes. Did you notice the slip of the tongue? I wanted to say the safer area of the Green Zone.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

PHILLIPS: I can't even say that anymore, Tony.

HARRIS: You can't say that. That's true.

PHILLIPS: I can say heavily fortified Green Zone, but I cannot say the safe Green Zone.

The concern now is vest bombers. Car bombings a tremendous concern, but because of the Baghdad security plan, there has been a decrease in certain areas where the car bombs have been killing hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Iraqi civilians, and also U.S. forces.

Now the increase is in vest bombers. We saw it in the attempted assassination of the deputy prime minister of Iraq. We're seeing that in the Dora district, where I was with General Petraeus. And now two vests, not bombers, not individuals, but two suicide vests found in the heavily fortified Green Zone.

Nothing's safe.

HARRIS: Changing tactics, adaptability, we always talk about that with this enemy.

PHILLIPS: Point well made. Point well made.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

CNN's Kyra Phillips for us in Baghdad.

Kyra, thanks.

NGUYEN: Well, we are continuing to follow the money in the race for the White House. New numbers are coming in to CNN.

We have learned that Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has raised $23 million in the first quarter. Want to tell you that Rudy Giuliani has raised $15 million as well during that same time period.

On the Democratic side, two notables here. Former senator John Edwards has raised some $14 million in the first quarter. But the big winner so far is Hillary Clinton, as she has raised $26 million just in the first quarter. But then she transferred $10 million from her 2006 re-election campaign, for a total of $36 million. And, of course, we're going to be speaking with our own Bill Schneider coming up in just a few minutes to talk about all the money that's coming in to these campaigns. He's our political analyst, and he's going to be giving us some good information, some insight and perspective on all of this.

HARRIS: Well, Congressman Tom Tancredo officially joined the ranks of presidential candidates this morning. The Colorado Republican says he's raised a million dollars to finance his campaign.

Tancredo has been an outspoken critic of illegal immigration. He is expected to use the campaign to raise the profile of that issue among Republican counterparts.

So, where does Tom Tancredo stand on the issues?

Tancredo voted for the war in Iraq but now questions the president's plan to send in additional troops. He co-sponsored House legislation calling for a nationwide ban on same-sex marriages. But the issue he's been most boisterous about is immigration. Tancredo voted for the construction of a 700-mile fence on the border with Mexico and has talked of many other measures to fight illegal immigration.

NGUYEN: Well, 15 British troops caught in the middle of a diplomatic standoff. But now there may be some movement. Iranian media saying videos of what Iran calls confessions by the detained troops will no longer be televised.

CNN's Jim Boulden is live at 10 Downing Street this morning.

Jim, I want to know how this is playing out in London.

JIM BOULDEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the London -- the government here in London has condemned the use of their sailors again on television. They reiterated that they see this as a staged, managed -- and they see it as obviously forced confessions.

The Iranians say they have a confession from all 15 on camera but they won't show all 15. But they still showed all of the sailors today on television, and that's really what's upsetting the British. But we haven't heard a lot of new information out of -- out of the government. We're waiting to see what the next move is, frankly.

There's a lot of back-channel diplomacy going on. There was some -- some sort of calm remarks this weekend, there were some rather strong remarks this weekend. And we're really waiting to see what the next step is.

The British, of course, are still refusing to say that these sailors were captured 11 days ago in Iranian waters, and the Iranians are still looking for an apology, including the president of Iran over the weekend said that the British were being "arrogant" for not admitting that they were in Iranian waters and not apologizing. The British continue to say they have nothing to apologize for -- Betty. NGUYEN: Well, let me ask you this, though, because over the weekend, the Iranian president, Ahmadinejad, called the British government "arrogant," their words, for not apologizing.

So what has been the fallout from that?

BOULDEN: All we've really heard is about the video. The British government has not come out to really do a tit for tat with the president of Iran.

What they have actually said is some calm diplomatic words. We had Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, saying that everyone regrets that this has happened, that this has arisen. And the defense secretary, Des Browne, saying that all of this should be resolved through diplomatic means.

So I think you can call that sort of a calming tone over the weekend from the British, while they continue, of course, to condemn the use of any of these sailors on television -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. Jim Boulden live at 10 Downing Street for us today.

We appreciate it.

HARRIS: And still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, pictures of tranquillity before the tsunami. South Pacific islands hit by giant waves.

Stay with us here in the NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Airline quality in question. A new report ranks the airlines from worst to first. We're going to talk to one of those study authors in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: A tiny island nation in the South Pacific struck by a massive tragedy. At least 13 deaths are reported after the Solomon Islands were slammed by two powerful earthquakes and then a tsunami. As searchers comb through the rubble, the death toll is expected to rise.

These scenes that you're about to see right there tranquil, because it's video of the Solomon Islands before the quakes. An island chain with more than 200 islands and a population of more than 500,000 people. When the tsunami rolled ashore, entire villages were swallowed up by the sea. And according to reports, waves were more than 30 feet high in some areas.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: A new report out this morning finds air travel getting worse. It says delays are on the rise and so are baggage hassles.

Who rates the best and worst? Hawaiian Airlines had the fewest delays, on time more than 93 percent of the time. Atlantic Southeast Airlines rated the worst. Hawaiian Airlines also scored highest on baggage handling, while again Atlantic Southeast showed disappointing rules.

As for overall complaints, United Airlines and US Airways tied for the most, while Southwest had the fewest.

Joining us now from Washington to talk more about this, the study's co-author, Dean Headley.

Dean, thanks for your time this morning.

DEAN HEADLEY, AIRLINE QUALITY REPORT CO-AUTHOR: My pleasure.

HARRIS: Hey, I'm wondering, does size hurt you? If you -- if you're just a bigger air carrier, are you just likely to have more problems?

HEADLEY: You will have more problems by volume, but we've accounted for that within the process of the ratings system so that it's -- mostly it's a per passenger, per opportunity to do it right or wrong, so that we remove the size of the number of airplanes that they actually fly.

HARRIS: So, Dean, what's the problem here?

HEADLEY: Well, generally speaking, quality got worse for the third year in a row. And this year, it seems that baggage handling was a bigger contributor than anything else.

HARRIS: Can you explain that? Why is it -- why does it continue to be a problem for airlines when it comes to handling baggage?

HEADLEY: A variety of things. The capacity -- the use of the system is up, more people are flying now, more than they were before 9/11.

And also, we have 150,000 to 170,000 fewer employees working in the system right now. So -- and you have bags that are being checked more frequently, more of a checked volume. So you put higher volume, more travelers, fewer employees into basically a smaller system, because there's fewer airplanes, and you're going to have some bigger problems.

HARRIS: Yes, but it sounds like the fix to that is going to be an expensive one for airlines, and then you get into the question of whether or not those airlines would be profitable.

HEADLEY: Well, they could fix this if they wanted to in some ways from a profit standpoint. There are about -- many airlines are beginning to think about charging $10 for a checked bag. But if you have a checked bag at $10, and they lose it, how happy are you going to be as a consumer?

HARRIS: And that's not the expectation for air travelers, that they're going to have to now pay to check their bags. You think you get that as part of the price of your ticket.

HEADLEY: No, certainly not expected, but it's a major revenue opportunity for the airlines. It's been on like that in Europe for several months to the better part of a year. And there's an airline that's going to start that in June as part of the service.

The unbundling, if you would, of all the services, this is just the latest opportunity. Now you buy a pillow, you buy a head phone, you buy food, you buy a soft drink. The charging for the services that were once included seems to be a trend.

HARRIS: What's -- what explains the delays, passengers getting bumped from flights? Probably two different scenarios there.

HEADLEY: Well, the delays -- we look at on-time arrivals in the process, and the system is farely complex right now. And they're flying fewer airplanes, for the most part, and the hub system works, but the spoke system is beginning to take a bigger active part in transporting people. The airlines are still 75 percent on time, which is not overly bad.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

HEADLEY: Some are -- some are quite good, like Hawaiian, at like 94 percent on time. But that's the rarity. Most are around 70 to 80 percent on time.

HARRIS: And what's -- Dean, what's the advice to air travelers now based on what your report finds?

HEADLEY: Well, be proactive. You can't expect that if you have a ticket and you go to the airplane that everything is going to happen the way you plan it. You need to get your boarding pass early, check in online, have an e-mail address so that they can notify you of any changes or issues that come up. Call and make sure that your flight's on time.

Just engage much, much more in the process, because you have to.

HARRIS: Yes. Dean Headley, thanks for your time this morning.

HEADLEY: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Well, take a look at this. As the world remembers, we're going to show you pictures of the passing of Pope John Paul II.

Here's a live look. And we have a live report. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: New marching orders. Thousands of U.S. troops in the states are told to get back to Iraq early. Military moves, a developing story here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Doses fit for a child, experts say that's what's urgently needed to help HIV-infected children in poor areas of the world. A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics calls for smaller pills and three-in-one tablets. Another concern in poor regions, drugs that need to be refrigerated.

In parts of Africa right now, half of the HIV-infected kids under the age of 2 die, while in the U.S., 98 percent of children with HIV can expect a relatively normal life span.

Genetics and prostate cancer -- researchers say they've identified several genetic risk factors. The first real evidence of a genetic basis of prostate cancer. They are hoping it will shed new light on the cause of the disease and how it might be treated. Prostate cancer is one of the leading cancer killers among men. It hits African-Americans especially hard.

To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You will find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness.

The address, Betty, CNN.com/health.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.

Now back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Well, we do have new details just in this morning on U.S. troops headed back to Iraq, some earlier than expected.

The Pentagon says 9,000 troops are rotating back into Iraq. Now, a portion of those troops are headed back after less than a year at home. And it is standard practice for troops to be at home for one year before rotating back. And it's believed the early return of some of those troops points to a military stretched thin. The troops are part of President Bush's new planned security in Iraq.

So let's talk more about this with CNN military analyst Major General Don Shepperd, who joins us now live.

Are you with us, General?

MAJ. GEN. DON SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: I am, indeed, Betty.

NGUYEN: Great.

When we talk about the Pentagon sending in these troops, some of them before being home the guaranteed time of a year, what does that say about the situation on the ground, especially in light of Senator John McCain, who is just there and in a press conference yesterday saying it's not quite as bad as some of these negative media reports are saying?'

MAJOR GEN. DON SHEPPERD, U.S. AIR FORCE, RETIRED: I'm not sure it says a lot about the situation on the ground. We know what the situation is on the ground is. We're in the early stage of a buildup, a surge, if you will, of troops in Baghdad. We know its too early to draw conclusions. The levels of violence are down. But we don't know whether the insurgents are going to ground or other areas or not. What this does say, we're stretched thin on our troops throughout the military. Some of these guys are probably going back for their third rotation in Iraq and Afghanistan.

When you have 160,000 in Iraq, another 20,000 in Afghanistan, you start to run out of troops or at least the ability to do what you'd like to do, which is to give them at least a year at home to train up and get back with their families before going back again. We'll see more of this before this is over, Betty.

NGUYEN: Okay. So if the troops are stretched thin and some of them in fact leaving for Iraq a lot earlier than they expected, what will this do for morale?

SHEPPERD: You know, soldiers are going to cope, their families are going to cope. It's probably a lot tougher on the families than it is on the soldiers themselves. They're around their buddies, they are in the middle of the action, they are trying to stay alive, they are depending on each other.

But back home, the families are sitting there worried about what's going to happen to their loved ones. So it's really harder on the families. And as far as morale goes, the longer this war stretches on, the harder it's going to be on everybody. It's hard on the nation, its hard on the troops, its hard on their families. In the case of the Guard and Reserve, it's really hard on the employers. This is a tough situation.

NGUYEN: Just looking at the number, 9,000 troops, how much of a difference will that make?

SHEPPERD: Well, I don't think this is just 9,000 additional troops. It's just that 9,000 will be rotated early.

NGUYEN: Well, not all of them early, just some of them early.

SHEPPERD: Yes. These numbers are moving so fast, I'm not sure what the total number of forces is in Iraq. And it will vary from time to time as units are rotated out and rotated in early. We have to watch the numbers and see, some of them are support troops, some of them are troops that are actually going into combat. Some are probably Marines as well.

NGUYEN: Alright. Major General Don Shepperd, a CNN military analyst. Thank you for your time.

LEMON: And still to come this morning in the NEWSROOM, the money race. Candidates give us a look inside their campaign war chest. You can peek in there, too. We will talk to Bill Schneider in just a little bit. Who are the top Democrat fund-raisers? Who are the top Republican fund-raisers? And how does this compare to past election cycles? We'll check in with Bill Schneider, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, they're asking to give patients a chance. That's the stance of the British government right now in its diplomatic standoff with Iran. And there may be some movement this morning. Iranian media saying videos of what Iran calls confessions by detained British troops will no longer be televised. Iran's citing a change in British policies.

Now, those 15 British Sailors and Marines have been held since March 23rd. Iran accuses them of entering Iranian waters. But, British officials say the troops stayed in Iraqi waters and are demanding their immediate release.

LEMON: The race for the White House, the numbers that really count right now -- campaign cash, cold, hard cash. And there are some big totals to tell you about. Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign announced she raised $26 million during the first quarter of this year. She also transferred $10 million from her Senate war chest, bringing her total for the quarter to $36 million.

Former Senator John Edwards has raised more than $14 million in the first quarter and New Mexico governor, Bill Richardson's campaign said it raised $6 million.

On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani reports raising $15 million in the first three months of the year and Mitt Romney says he raised more than $20 million during the first quarter, putting the former Massachusetts governor in competition with senator Clinton. We are still waiting for announcements from other candidates. The first quarter fund-raising numbers are considered a key benchmark to gauge a candidate's viability.

Let's bring in CNN Senior Political Analyst, Bill Schneider. Bill, everyone seems to be a little bit surprised by the numbers from Mitt Romney. What about you?

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Those are very high numbers, indeed. Hillary Clinton was expected to raise high numbers and she did, a record amount of contributions in the first quarter, but Mitt Romney nearly matched her, he got over $20 million. That's a very impressive number. He's been among the top three Republicans in the polls. It clearly shows he has the standing of a front-runner in terms of campaign contributions.

We still haven't heard from John McCain who is in Iraq right now and we haven't heard from Barack Obama on the Democratic side.

LEMON: OK. So let's take a big step back then. Who are the top Republican fund-raisers overall?

SCHNEIDER: So far we know Mitt Romney, as you said, a little over $20 million in contributions. He has another $2.3 million that he's loaned himself from his own funds. Rudy Guiliani, $15 million. These are all very impressive numbers.

I should point out the largest number we've had in the past for first quarter campaign contributions the year before the election was Al Gore in 1999 reported $8.9 million. So nobody has ever broken double digits. But Romney has, Giuliani has, Hillary Clinton has and John Edwards has. That's only the ones we know so far. This will be a very expensive election.

LEMON: OK. Alright. And we're still waiting to hear from Senator McCain's campaign as well.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. McCain and Obama are two of the front runners, one in each party, who have not yet reported their figures.

LEMON: What does this say about the candidate's viability moving forward?

SCHNEIDER: Well, generally, this is a score card. We call this year the invisible primary because nobody's voting. One thing that's visible here is these numbers. People put money, of course, they're related to the poll numbers. If people see a candidate is doing well in the polls, they tend to give more money, which helps them raise more money and helps them move up in the polls. So it's all a process that's circular.

But right now, the top Democrats in the polls are Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards. And Clinton and Edwards so far are reporting double digits. The the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain. We have impressive figures right now from Mitt Romney and Giuliani, both of them in double digits. And the other impressive number, Bill Richardson, $6 million. That ain't hay. That's very close to the record that's been raised by the top candidates in the past.

LEMON: You make a good point, that ain't hay. Senior Political Analyst, Bill Schneider, for us this morning. Bill, thank you.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

NGUYEN: Congress is on spring break but all the president's men say they should be at the Capitol working on funding for Iraq. CNN's Bob Franken has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: While President Bush was saying nothing as he returned from Camp David, his designated surrogate was out staying on message, which means no matter who asks what, make the same point. White House Counselor to the President, Dan Bartlett on the Sunday talkies, slamming Congress for taking an Easter break after passing an Iraq funding bill unacceptable to the administration.

DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COUNSELOR: They go on a two-week break for their Easter recess at a time when our troops need the funding. The president thinks they ought to be here.

Or be back in Washington passing a war supplemental bill to make sure our troops in harm's way get the funding they need.

FRANKEN: When it comes to staying on message, it gets a lot trickier with members of Congress, particularly the Democrats.

SEN. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, (D) CALIFORNIA: We may have to make some changes in the allocations of the funding, but there is sufficient funding till the end of July.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I will veto it ...

FRANKEN: As for the president's veto threat ...

REP. CHARLES RANGEL, (D) NEW YORK: We have the American people. No president can ever successfully conduct a war without the support of the American people.

FRANKEN: Meanwhile, aspiring president, Senator John McCain and fellow Republicans were using the break to head to Iraq and argue that the American people are not getting a complete picture of the progress in the war.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARMED SERVICES CMTE: I'm not saying that mission is accomplished or last throws or a few dead-enders. But what we don't read about everyday and what is new since the surge began is a lot of the good news.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM, (R) ARMED SERVICES CMTE: The president will veto any bill with a deadline. He should.

FRANKEN: Everyone can agree on what happens next.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to see a little political dance coming up here that relates to a showdown.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: On a different note, was the last supper held at this spot in the Holy Land? We are trying to trace the steps of Jesus, live from Jerusalem in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: The world remembers marking the passing of Pope John Paul II. A live report ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Okay. YOUR WORLD TODAY is up next here on CNN.

NGUYEN: Yes, Jim Clancy is live with a look at what is in store. Hi there, Jim.

JIM CLANCY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, Heidi and Tony.

NGUYEN: Betty.

CLANCY: Oh, Betty, I'm sorry. Couldn't see you through the camera lens but I am going to tell you we will take you first to Iraq.

NGUYEN: That's okay. CLANCY: Now this is a period of time where everybody is counting the casualties and weighing this resurgent U.S. plan very, very carefully. There's quite a bit of controversy to talk about. John McCain, apparent John McCain supporters having a shot at our own Michael Ware (ph). He is joining us live. What do they say about him and more importantly, what does he have to say back?

Plus, we take you to the horn of Africa where the bloodiest fighting in years rocked Mogadisu. But if Washington and the region really want to stop Somalia from becoming an Al Qaeda safe haven, what has to be done to turn matters around?

Plus, it is not apples and oranges but when you see this guy and you see that logo, you have to ask yourself, what does apple plus apple really mean for your iTunes downloads? Well, there's a whole course of opinions out there. But for now, I've run out of cheap puns about music so I'm going to toss it back to you, Betty.

NGUYEN: And you should know me well after that little fender- bender in the parking lot. You're just trying to forget about that!

LEMON: That's a whole other story.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Jim.

Well, it is Holy Week, a solemn time for Christians marking the last days of Jesus, including the last supper . Our Atika Shubert has more on that from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Where did the last supper take place? The gospels describe it only as a large upper room in Jerusalem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wherever it is, it doesn't exist today.

SHUBERT: Archaeologists say the general area is confirmed but all buildings from Jesus' time no longer remain. This was built during the Crusades, but underneath, archaeologists discovered the remains of an early Christian church dating back to a little more than 100 years after the death of Jesus, indicating the holy significance of this place to the earliest Christians. Excavations confirm the customs described in the gospels of the last supper.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They would have one cup among every 10 to 20 people. And they would all share a meal after they had the cup and the bread.

SHUBERT: The last supper lives on today and the Christian tradition of Holy Communion. The re-enactment of Jesus' instructions to partake of his body and blood as symbolized by the bread and wine. It has inspired masterpieces, yet biblical scholars say many depictions aren't accurate, for example, they don't show Jesus' significant following among women. REV. JEROME MURPHY O'CONNER, BIBLICAL SCHOLAR: Areas where women fully participated. They were rubbed out of the story and only the men remain. The picture of Leonardo da Vinci's last supper, only men.

SHUBERT: This is likely not the place where Jesus shared his last meal, still, it is sacred to those pilgrims who come to remember Jesus' last days.

(on camera) Throughout the day, we've seen visitors and pilgrims coming from as far away as Nigeria, Russia, the United States, coming here to sing and pray. Even if this is not the exact room of the last supper, clearly it is still a very holy site for many people.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Jerusalem.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: And a developing story that we're following here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're actually keeping an eye on a couple of events out of Chicago this morning. In just a couple of minutes we are expecting that the Chicago Police Superintendent, Phillip Kline, will begin a news conference where he is expected to resign. That according to the Chicago Tribune.

He will certainly talk about a couple of incidents involving off- duty Chicago police officers allegedly beating people in the first case you'll recall this captured video of an off-duty police officer beating a bartender. Here it is. And then the accusations that six off-duty Chicago cops beat a group of four businessmen in a bar. We understand those officers are due in court and may be in court at this very hour. The commissioner, I'm sorry, the superintendent, obviously under fire. How will he respond?

I think we have an idea, according to the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Police Commissioner Superintendent Phillip Kline is expected to announce his resignation this morning. It is a story we'll continue to follow right here for you in the NEWSROOM.

SUSAN LISCOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL ANALYST: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. Extra, extra, read all about it. The company that owns one of the oldest newspapers in the country has been sold. Details coming up in NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Sad ending to a long search. The search teams have found the bodies two of young brothers who disappeared on an Indian reservation in northern Minnesota. The boys, who were 2 and 4 years old, went missing more than four months ago. Their bodies were found in a lake encased in ice about a half mile from their home. An investigation is under way.

NGUYEN: Well, a familiar scene in Southern California. Take a look at this. A wall of flames just racing across tinder dry brush land. Heavy smoke actually blocking the sun. This blaze near San Bernardino has scorched more than 4,000 acres. In fact we're going to break away right now and take you to a news conference that is under way today in Chicago.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SUPERINTENDENT PHIL CLINE, CHICAGO POLICE: ... guns and weapons, seizing billions of dollars worth of drugs, shutting down hundreds of open-air drug markets run by violent street gangs, and all these accomplishments while still responding to over three million 911 calls to police a year.

I can stand here and proudly say that we are no longer the homicide capital of the country. When you compare to last 3 1/2 years with the previous 3 1/2 years, we've had 600 less homicides and 8,000 less shootings. Together we have saved lives and a lot of families from grieving.

While violent crime is rising nationally, it's decreasing in Chicago. Why? Because of the hard work and dedication of the men and women of the Chicago Police Department. I cannot thank the street cops enough for what they have accomplished. Their accomplishments are our accomplishments.

In case anyone has forgotten, they are the ones who risk their lives every day to protect the citizens of this great city. During this time we also built the finest police memorial in the country, to honor the 520 police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this city. And I'm very proud of that accomplishment. I've heard many reporters talk about a blue wall or blue line.

Well, let me tell you about the blue line. There is a blue line. And it's the line that Chicago police officers walk every day to separate the criminals from the good citizens. Even though these officers have families themselves, they don a star on their chest, strap a gun on their hip and leave their families behind to walk that line. They will risk their lives to keep the criminals from harming the good citizens and their families. Not many people would be willing to go into a dark alley at 3:00 a.m. in response to a man with a gun call. Chicago cops do it every day without hesitation.

My father served the city as a fireman for 36 years, and I have served it for 37 years as a police officer. And I'm proud to say my son Matt continues the family tradition of service by also serving as a Chicago police officer. Just as I have committed to a public safety career and service to the community, I know that Matt will follow those steps of service proudly.

The time has come for me to announce my retirement as superintendent of police. I met with the mayor and informed him of my intentions. Leaving during these times of challenge makes my decision even more difficult, so I have agreed to stay on while the police board conducts a search for my successor. Mayor Daley has given me a once in a lifetime opportunity to lead the best police department in the country, and I thank him for that. I also want to thank my family, my wife Kathy (ph), who for the last 37 years has been so supportive. Thanks to the partnerships with federal law enforcement, fellow law enforcement, and the faith leaders and the community, all who have been tremendous partners in our everyday battle against gangs, guns and drugs.

NGUYEN: All right. You have been listening to the Chicago police superintendent who has announced his retirement today, although he says he'll be staying on until his replacement is announced. Now this comes amid officers on his force who have been accused of two separate barroom beatings that were captured on videotape.

HARRIS: We want to get you to CNN Radio's Lisa Goddard now. Lisa's reporting news out of the Senate now.

Lisa, I understand you're reporting that the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, and Russ Feingold are set to sponsor new legislation with regard to the funding of the Iraq war.

LISA GODDARD, CNN RADIO: That's right, Tony. This is a big chess move for the Democrats. What they're saying here in this legislation is they're setting similar timetables to that bill we saw last week, basically saying we want troops out of Iraq by March of next year.

But in this new bill, Harry Reid and Russ Feingold are saying we would stop almost all funding after that date. That's a very significant step. They're introducing this bill now, and Harry Reid is saying I'm not just introducing it. If the president vetoes the other bill -- the bill they passed last week that just sort of has more loose language on withdrawal -- if the president vetoes that, Harry Reid is saying I'm going to have a vote on this bill that would cut off funding as of March 31st, 2008. So a very significant step here...

HARRIS: Wow.

GODDARD: ... in this back and forth between the White House and Congress.

HARRIS: Most funding but not all funding. What funding would stay in place?

GODDARD: They would limit the funding to three areas, fighting al Qaeda, training Iraqis and protecting any U.S. personnel. That would probably include those working at the U.S. embassy and anyone training Iraqis. They would allow money to protect those personnel left in Iraq. But otherwise, general street patrols, dealing with militias, a lot of the main presence in Iraq, there would be no more funding under the bill that's been introduced by Harry Reid. Actually Russ Feingold authored the bill. Harry Reid is the sponsor, significantly.

HARRIS: Lisa, this is big news, so let me have you recap this once again, if you would. Talk to us about this new bill that might be introduced if the president goes through with a threatened veto.

GODDARD: They are introducing it. And the question here is, will they have a vote on it? This is more pressure that Democrats in the Senate are trying to put on the White House as the president looks at their bill from last week.

Now just to bring people up to date, the House and Senate still have to work out language between their two versions. This is that big, giant spending bill, about $120 billion, that the House and Senate have attached timetables for withdrawal to that bill. The president threatened to veto.

Well now, the Democrats are making a counter-countermove, if you want call it that, saying if you do veto that bill, we've got another bill that you'll like even less that will come up for a vote, and that bill sets similar timelines for withdrawal, but it adds teeth by cutting funding after march of next year.

CNN Radio's Lisa Goddard for us this morning. Breaking news here in the NEWSROOM.

Lisa, thank you.

NGUYEN: And the CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now.

"YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with the news happening across the globe and here at home.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com