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3 New York State Troopers Shot; Rosie O'Donnell Leaving 'The View'; House Votes on War Spending Bill Requiring Iraq Pullout

Aired April 25, 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, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming in to the NEWSROOM on this Wednesday morning, April 25th.

And here's what's on the rundown.

A suspected tornado leaving a trail of death and damage along the U.S.-Mexico border. More dangerous weather could strike the South and Midwest today.

HARRIS: Iraq war commander General David Petraeus heading to Capitol Hill today. His mission, convince Congress to give the troop buildup more time.

WHITFIELD: And exit stage left? Rosie O'Donnell set to announce her departure from "The View" this hour.

You are in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: At the top this hour, people in southwest Texas waking up and getting a good look at what used to be after a deadly tornado -- what used to be an elementary school, what used to be more than 20 homes. Now piles of mangled wires, metal and debris.

The tornado killed seven people in and around the town of Eagle Pass. Four people, including a small child, died in a single home.

There was also devastation across the border in Mexico. It is reported three people were killed there. More than 100 were hurt in all.

Let's get to Chad Myers now in the severe weather center for an update on the storm, where it is headed now, and the activity on his map for today. And there's plenty.

WHITFIELD: Yes, because you've had a few bouncing boxes. That's not good.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No. (WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: And earlier we told you about the case of a New York state trooper that was shot, and then over the hour it evolved into three New York state troopers shot.

Kaitlyn Ross of News 10 Now has this update for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLYN ROSS, NEWS 10 NOW: We are on scene here at Cemetery Road, where police have set up barricades. And it looks like only emergency vehicles are getting through.

We do have a confirmed report that two more police officers have been shot. Yesterday, Trooper Matthew Camposi (ph) was shot through his bulletproof vest. He was not injured. But today, while trying to apprehend the suspect, Travis Trim (ph), on Cemetery Road, another two troopers were shot.

Unfortunately, we do not have yet their status. But right now they are not letting anybody up.

As you can see right now, they are searching every single car. Nobody is getting through. The only people getting through are emergency vehicles.

We have seen paramedics, we've seen cops. We've also seen a ton of helicopters circling around. Unfortunately, we did see a MedEvac helicopter, which probably does confirm that there have been more injuries.

We will keep you updated as soon as we get more information on the status of Travis Trim (ph).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That out of Margaretville, New York.

So, again, three state troopers shot in the course of 24 hours. It was yesterday when the first state trooper was shot, and then police went out looking for this alleged gunman, thought they had him surrounded, and then what resulted was the shootings of two more state troopers.

So when we get any more information on that, we'll be able to bring that to you.

HARRIS: And it was breaking news last hour here in the NEWSROOM. I don't know if you are a fan of that ABC show "The View". My guess is no because you are with us here every morning in the NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: But don't say with a snarl there. I saw that lip, like, you don't like "The View," do you?

HARRIS: Yes. WHITFIELD: It competes with your hour here.

HARRIS: Yes, 9:00 until noon right here on CNN.

WHITFIELD: Sometimes people bounce back and forth.

HARRIS: But here's the thing. If you keep track of that show from a distance, Fred, comedienne Rosie O'Donnell, who made, you know, quite a splash on the show over the last year, announced just moments ago that she is leaving that program.

Let's have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSIE O'DONNELL, "THE VIEW": I have decided that we couldn't come to terms with my deal with ABC, so next year I'm not going to be on "The View".

However, I will be coming back and guest-hosting, I will be doing one-hour specials on autism and depression and stuff that I'm interested in. I'm just not going to do the everyday thing, because we couldn't -- you know, they wanted me three years, I wanted one year.

And then they were like, OK, well what if we did two? I was like -- and it just didn't work. And that's showbiz.

But it's not sad, because I loved it here, and I love you guys. And I'm not going away. I'm just not going to be here every day.

All right?

(APPLAUSE)

O'DONNELL: All right. Now Barbara wants -- go ahead, Barbara. What, honey?

BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": Well, you can say don't be sad, and we should all be upbeat. And I am sad. OK?

O'DONNELL: I'm sorry.

WALTERS: I am sad, because I induced you to come here. I knew you were only coming for one year. I hoped that it would be more than one year. We have had, to say the least, an interesting year.

O'DONNELL: We certainly have.

(LAUGHTER)

WALTERS: An exciting, fun-filled, provocative -- we have all loved it. We have all gotten together. And you will be missed very much.

(APPLAUSE) O'DONNELL: Yes. Well, you know...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Boy, didn't we have some great fun, Fred, with the whole Rosie and Donald Trump thing? Didn't we have some -- man, where are we going to go for that kind of entertainment?

WHITFIELD: Lots of folks had a lot of fun. And you know what? Their ratings -- they had some fun with their ratings, too, as a result.

HARRIS: But I'm looking at...

WHITFIELD: As controversial as she may have been, or participants on the show may have been, it really did do something for their staying power.

HARRIS: So, I'm watching Barbara Walters there as Rosie's going on.

WHITFIELD: OK. What are you reading, body language? Is that what you're telling me?

HARRIS: Well, I'm ready -- yes. And you were, too, because I know you and I know you were, too. And I know -- didn't you feel like Barbara was saying, oh, my goodness, here we go again? This show is more trouble than it's worth.

WHITFIELD: Oh my.

HARRIS: And Star and now Rosie's leaving.

WHITFIELD: So now the search for two people, right? Aren't -- doesn't that mean two spaces?

HARRIS: So there you go. There's the breaking news. And Rosie said she heard about it this morning right here in the NEWSROOM.

There you go.

WHITFIELD: Dollars for war. Deadlines to withdraw. A looming fight between Democrats and the president.

The House votes today on a war spending bill. It calls for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq. The president promises a veto.

Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash now with the political battle over the war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was an unprecedented moment -- the vice president stepped up to the Senate microphones to blast the Democratic majority leader on Iraq. RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What's most troubling about Senator Reid's comments yesterday is his defeatism. Indeed, last week, he said the war is already lost. And the timetable legislation that he is now pursuing would guarantee defeat.

BASH: Dick Cheney stood where Harry Reid usually talks to the press and accused him of inconsistent and irresponsible statements about the war. Moments later, Reid reclaimed his turf and shot right back.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: The president sends out his attack dog often. That's also known as Dick Cheney. And he was here again today, attacking not only me, but the Democratic Caucus.

BASH: That intensely personal war of words over Iraq was just part of the day's dizzying verbal volley up and down Pennsylvania Avenue over a Democratic bill to fund the war, but force troops to start coming home.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Instead of fashioning a bill I could sign, the Democratic leaders chose to further delay funding our troops and they chose to make a political statement.

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This is an ethical issue. This isn't a political issue. I respect where the president is coming from on this. I wish he would respect where we are coming from, which is a reflection of where the American people are coming from.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

WHITFIELD: Dana Bash now joining us from Capitol Hill.

So, Dana, I wonder, going into this vote, do folks feel pretty comfortable that this might be a pretty predictable outcome?

BASH: Well, House Democratic leaders hope it's going to be a predictable outcome, no question about that. And they are hoping that they are going to pass this -- the first step towards getting this Democratic plan to the president's desk, but it is going to be a nail- biter today, Fredricka, no question about it.

What Democratic leaders in the House say is that they are close. At the end of the day, they will have the 218 votes in order to send this over to the Senate for a vote tomorrow.

But the problem is that this is a compromise between Democrats in the House and the Senate. And it means that this -- it says that troops must start coming home in October, but there's more of a goal for when they -- all combat troops have to come back home, not a hard and fast deadline. And that's at the end -- about this time next year.

So, that is making some of those on the left in the House Democratic Party -- in the Democratic Party in the House, I should say, pretty uncomfortable, because they want more of a hard and fast deadline. And they say this may not go enough -- go far enough for them. But they also understand politically this is about as good as they can -- as they can get.

WHITFIELD: So, General David Petraeus will be on the Hill to answer any kinds of questions. You have to wonder whether what he has to say or what he doesn't say really will influence the vote.

BASH: Well, certainly President Bush says that is exactly why he asked the top commander in Iraq to come back to Washington, to do just that. He wants him to come here to Capitol Hill today. And he is going to do that.

He'll talk to members of the House in a classified briefing, and then go over to the Senate and try to convince them that a timetable for with drawing troops in Iraq is simply a mistake. That it would hurt him as the top commander on the ground and hurt the mission.

That's what he is going to try to convince, obviously, Democrats, mostly Democrats of. But already we are hearing, Fredricka, from Democrats that before he even comes here, that they simply don't believe him. That's actually the words that we heard from the Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid, in an interview we did with him.

But this is a big part of the political debate, because what Republicans have been pushing over and over again is that from their perspective, it is irresponsible for Democrats to be calling for a timetable for withdrawal, because they say that decision should lie with the commanders in the field. So the commander in the field is coming here today to convince Democrats it's a bad move -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Dana Bash on Capitol Hill.

Thanks so much.

BASH: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, insurgents strike again with deadly precision in Iraq. A suicide bomber detonating near an Iraqi police station in Diyala province. Four officers were killed, 16 people wounded.

In Baghdad, mortar blasts and a roadside bomb kill four civilians and wound 13.

A new U.N. report says sectarian violence continues to kill a large number of Iraqi civilians. But the U.N. says for the first time it doesn't have overall death figures from the Iraqi government. That's because the government refused to release them. It calls the U.N. report inaccurate and unbalanced.

HARRIS: The Republican race for the White House. A crowded field gets even more cramped today. The lowdown at high noon and a preview in the NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: And the top U.S. general in Iraq briefing lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Get your briefing from our general. That's live and straight ahead this hour.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jeanne Meserve in Blacksburg, Virginia. I'll have the latest on the Virginia Tech shootings coming up.

You are in the NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: And fleeing the flames. More south Georgia residents taking cover from a stubborn wildfire. An update on that straight ahead.

You're in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In Margaretville, New York, we are now able to confirm that indeed three New York state troopers have been shot. It is believed that the suspect who is accused of shooting a state trooper yesterday may be the suspect at the center of a new investigation involving two more state troopers shot. And that's because in Margaretville, New York, police have surrounded an area where they believe they have cornered this suspect, 23-year-old Travis Trim (ph), who is suspected of the shooting yesterday, and then as a result of surrounding this location where he is believed to be, two more state troopers have been shot.

We're going to continue to follow the developments out of Margaretville, New York. And soon as we get them, we'll bring them to you.

HARRIS: And more details today about the Virginia Tech massacre. About two hours from now, investigators reveal what they found out so far.

Police saying they haven't discovered any link between the gunman and any of his 32 victims. They've been examining computers, cell phone and e-mail records.

Live to our Jeanne Meserve in Blacksburg.

And Jeanne, good morning to you.

What do we expect to come out of this press briefing today?

MESERVE: Tony, state police officials tell us that we will get new information about the timeline, about what Seung-Hui Cho was doing in the days and weeks prior to the shootings. But this is still very much an active investigation, and we are unlikely to get all our questions answered.

Yesterday, for instance, there were evidence searches taking place on campus. Still, we know, investigators are coming through those cell phone and e-mail records, trying to establish some link between Cho and his victims.

We are told by those state police officials that no such link has been established to this point in time. Also, we're told they have not yet discovered anything that might be viewed as an event which set him off, which sent him in this direction.

We are also told that as of now they have not established a link between Cho and those bomb threats that came in on April 2nd and April 13th to the engineering section of that campus. Previously, investigators had thought that there might be a link there and perhaps Cho was testing the emergency response system on campus. But we are told as of now, anyway, they have not established that link.

So there's still likely to be many questions about how and why. And, in fact, given the magnitude of these crimes, there may never be really adequate answers to those questions.

Back to you.

HARRIS: Jeanne, two days of classes now. Are things getting back to normal on campus to the extent that's possible?

MESERVE: Well, as you mentioned, kids are back. Classes have resumed.

I read the student newspaper this morning. They are starting to report other kinds of news around the campus. But, as I mentioned, there was an evidence search yesterday.

Media is still here, though not in great numbers. And tonight there is a memorial service sponsored by the College of Engineering.

So, are things more normal? Certainly.

HARRIS: Sure.

MESERVE: Are they back to normal? No. That will take a very long time.

HARRIS: Absolutely.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve for us this morning.

Jeanne, thank you.

WHITFIELD: Virginia officials reviewing the state's mental health policy. The issue has taken on new urgency following that set of Virginia Tech shootings.

CNN's Drew Griffin reports now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Clearly, Seung-Hui Cho was dangerous. And according to some, it was also easy to see Cho was mentally disturbed.

MARY ZDANOWICZ, TREATMENT ADVOCACY CTR.: The experts seem to think that, yes, he had schizophrenia. GRIFFIN: Mary Zdanowicz is executive director of the Treatment Advocacy Center. Virginia is one of only a handful of states that sets the bar high for involuntarily forcing someone into treatment. Only people who are deemed an imminent danger to themselves or others can be forced to get help.

It was December of 2005 when Cho first came in contact with this system after a friend told police he might be suicidal. Cho was ordered to temporary detention, the next day, a judge ruled him mentally ill, an imminent danger to himself.

Facing involuntary commitment and a record, Cho agreed to be taken to a mental health facility for further evaluation. That is where the case ends. There is no record of any follow-up treatments.

ZDANOWICZ: You don't just let them walk out the door.

GRIFFIN: But Zdanowicz says that's exactly what the state of Virginia did.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When do we force someone against their will and say, it's in society's best interest to step in?

GRIFFIN: Virginia has been looking at how best to handle the potentially dangerous mentally ill for past six months, long before the massacre at Virginia Tech.

GRIFFIN: Today, Virginia's leading mental health experts met in Charlottesville to continue to discuss if Virginia should change its law and make it easier to force the mentally ill into treatment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The petitioner says I've had enough of this, I'm leaving, case over.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's an abuse of power, and that's...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's what we're talking about.

GRIFFIN: In Cho's case, the decisions were left up to him. We'll never know what may or may not have happened if he had been forced into treatment.

ZDANOWICZ: No, it doesn't appear that he had any awareness that he had a mental illness. He believed the delusions. He believed that he had a mission.

GRIFFIN: In essence, Virginia allows people who can't think right to think for themselves.

ZDANOWICZ: So why would he go to a psychiatrist for an evaluation? That's the problem with these illnesses is it affects a person's ability to even recognize there's something wrong with them.

GRIFFIN: Mike Allen is an advocate for the mentally ill. He fears backlash and knee-jerk reactions to the Virginia Tech massacre.

MIKE ALLEN, MENTAL HEALTH RIGHTS ADVOCATE: Would we then go through the records of every Virginian who had ever been to a doctor concerned about anxiety or depression and we will lock them up? It's simply inconsistent with the American way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Still to come this morning, her opinionated and feisty views hooked viewers, but now Rosie O. will be out of view. She's leaving ABC's morning talker.

Changes afoot in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: John McCain officially throwing his hat into the ring. The Republican senator from Arizona is formally announcing his presidential bid at noon Eastern.

It comes as no surprise. He has been campaigning for months now and informally announced his intentions nearly two months ago.

So, the 70-year-old McCain says he is the most experienced candidate running and promises a strong national defense. The former navy pilot was held as a POW in the Vietnam War. Seven years ago, he lost his party's nomination to George W. Bush.

HARRIS: So, let us remind you once again, CNN will have live coverage of John McCain's announcement. It is scheduled for 12:10 Eastern. And you can see it right here in the NEWSROOM.

WHITFIELD: And just in case you forgot, now a closer look at John McCain and where he stands on the big issues.

He opposes abortion rights, except in the cases of rape and incest, or to protect the life of the mother.

McCain voted for use of military force in Iraq. And he was an early proponent of sending additional U.S. troops to the war there.

On the topic of Social Security, McCain supports diverting some payroll taxes to private accounts. And still on the topic of money, he voted against President Bush's tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. But he now supports extending those tax cuts through 2010.

On immigration, he co-sponsored immigration reform legislation that was backed by President Bush, and he supports construction of a fence on the U.S.-Mexican border.

HARRIS: On the run, but not for long. A suspect bolts from the courtroom before the handcuffs are snapped. It was a brief escape.

We'll have the story for you in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ANNOUNCER: Breaking news, revealing developments. See for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: So here we are, bottom of the hour. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Tony Harris.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Heidi Collins.

Bad, bad weather.

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Especially in the mid section of this country. In Texas, seven deaths reported deaths now in Eagle Pass, Texas.

And I understand, Chad, the bad weather, it's not all behind us. You've got little boxes that keep popping up over your shoulder there just to kind of show some potential tornadic activity.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Rosie O'Donnell now seeing her announce her departure from the view this morning. TMZ.com broke the story. We talked with managing editor Harvey Levin a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: You broke the story. What is going on here? Is Rosie leaving? Is Rosie being forced out?

HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ.COM, MANAGING EDITOR: Well, we actually found out about it yesterday, Tony, and we know that she has said she's leaving. And this is really her decision, and that they're already looking for a replacement. We heard this yesterday and we put it up on our Web site. We confirmed it this morning. And about, I don't know, 45 minutes, an hour, after we confirmed it, we kind of smoked ABC out, and they put it up on their Web site, acknowledging our story that it's true.

They are saying, Tony, that they just couldn't come to an agreement on contractual terms, but what I'm being told is she just wanted to leave. I mean, it's purely Rosie's decision.

WHITFIELD: Hey, Harvey, this is Fredricka.

LEVIN: Hi, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. So you said she just wanted to leave. Might she be buckling to the pressure, whether it was from Donald Trump, that whole deal, to Barbara Walters constantly saying publicly, no, no, no, I want Rosie to say, but there were all these rumblings that, you know, in those private-door meetings involving Barbara in fact that she, Rosie, was just being too disruptive for the cast of the show?

LEVIN: Well, again, it was definitely, we know it was Rosie's decision. As for Rosie buckling, i know her a little and I know a lot about her. Rosie O'Donnell doesn't buckle.

WHITFIELD: That's what I'm wondering.

LEVIN: It's just not in her DNA.

WHITFIELD: It doesn't seem like it would be.

LEVIN: "The View" would kill to keep her there, because their ratings have just skyrocketed, and the show has just become relevant again when she got on it. I mean, I'm telling you, that show needed CPR, it looked like, and it just rocketed.

HARRIS: Harvey, so here we go then -- are we talking about a little contract negotiations that didn't go well, because Rosie saw the ratings, saw what was happening with the show and went back into the offices and said, you know what? We're making a ton of money on this show. I just want a bigger cut of this pie?

LEVIN: Nope. I know that sounds logical, but the deal is, Rosie has lots of options. There are lots of people who want to do a talk show with her. I mean, she is daytime ratings gold. It's as simple as that, and, you know, she just had had it. She didn't want to do it anymore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEVIN: Nice try, Tony, but nope.

WHITFIELD: As simple as that -- nope.

HARRIS: She came to the view After Meredith Vieira -- remember this -- moves on to the "Today" show and Star Jones was asked to disappear from "View." Sorry. Couldn't resist. I'll do better next time.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's change the subject a little bit, because quite a few communities in Georgia are on alert and on edge this morning, keeping an eye on massive wildfire in South Georgia. The blaze has scorched more than 50,000 acres so far.

And Casey Black of CNN affiliate JXT joins us live from Waycross right now.

So how bad is it?

CASEY BLACK, JXT REPORTER: Well, Fredricka, it's not getting any better. And let me set the scene for you a little bit.

Yesterday this blaze was about 70 percent contained, but that really changed overnight when last night this fire intensified and jumped over County Road 177, near a nearby neighborhood called Historia (ph). There, there are 70 homes, and those people had to be mandatorily evacuated. There, again, were 70 homes. So last night between midnight and 1:00 Firefighters went around, knocked on the doors and had people leave and go to a nearby shelter.

Now this morning, a lot of those residents were able to return back to their homes only to find minor damage because those firefighters were out all night trying to contain this blaze.

Now I have to tell you this fire, like I said, 70 percent contained yesterday. Not the case today. There's been a lot of dry conditions, a lot of winds, and firefighters, their biggest fear as they gear up to go out and fight this fire today, is that it's going to jump U.S. 1. They say if that happens they're really fighting a new ballgame.

Before they thought that they had it under control in the swamp. But again, if it crosses the highway, they're going to be fighting a new fire.

They say they have more than 600 firefighters from all across Florida and the United States, trying to take part to fight this fire.

At last check, 53,000 acres have burned here in Waycross, Georgia. Again, the firefighters, they're going to going out. They've been out all last night and this morning to try to get an upper hand on this blaze -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Casey, 53,000 acres, that is huge. So I would think that there are an awful lot of residents there feeling not so confident about this fire, especially the way the winds whip up and the fact that it is so dry.

BLACK: Oh, just going around and talking to a lot of the firefighters, you know, who live here in the area, and their families, they're very concerned, because the wind really has been changing. Yesterday was coming from one direction, and then this morning it was coming from the southwest and pushing it almost near the city of Waycross.

So a lot of people really don't know what to anticipate. The good news is that they're out here in full force. More than 600 firefighters really trying to do what they can to keep the upper hand on the blaze.

But on the other hand, Fredricka, it really boils down to Mother Nature, whether we're going to see any rain, and it really doesn't look like it.

WHITFIELD: Yes, wildfires are tough. They're unpredictable and it's scary.

All right, Casey Black, of WJXT, thanks so much.

HARRIS: A top U.S. general in Iraq briefing law makers on Capitol Hill. Get your briefing from our general, live ahead in the NEWSROOM. WHITFIELD: and it looks like an ordinary parking lot surveillance tape, right? Well, hold on a minute, this is actually a robbery going down in broad daylight, right there in that highlighted portion.

And guess what? They get away with serious firepower. That's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: He is calling the shots for U.S. troops in Iraq, and now he is calling on Congress not to set a timetable to bring those troops home. The top U.S. commander in Iraq and General Petraeus heads to Capitol Hill today. He will make the case the recent increase in U.S. troops is leading to progress in Iraq. The general will first brief House members from both parties behind closed doors. That'll happen just before a House vote on war funding later this afternoon. He will brief senators.

WHITFIELD: So the top U.S. commander in Iraq will be assessing the war effort for lawmakers on Capitol Hill, as Tony was explaining this afternoon. Our own assessment right now from retired Brigadier General David Grange.

All right, so, General Grange, I'm going to ask you some of the questions some of the law makers might be asking of David Petraeus later on this afternoon.

For one, how do you measure the success of whether this surge is working?

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, one of the ways to measure it, and it's not quite apparent -- in fact, it looks like it's 180 degrees out from what I'm going to say. But with the adversaries pushing back hard, in other words, as they try to increase violence...

WHITFIELD: Which is happening.

GRANGE: ... quite a lot of that is due to success of the ground forces.

WHITFIELD: Really?

GRANGE: Sure, because they don't want it to work. And so if, for instance, if there successful in one neighborhood, and another neighborhood little pieces at a time, which is what it's all about, they will push back as much as they can. And you'll see that not so much from like militia fighting, but more from the car bombings and those type of things that they can still control because they're hard to stop.

WHITFIELD: All right, so folks here at home might think, wait a minute, to convince me the surge is working would mean that that would quell the violence. You say actually it has the complete opposite effect, so we need to be looking at this surge as being very successful because of the increase in violence we're seeing on the ground there.

GRANGE: Not very successful, and I'm just saying this increase in violence is one indicator, not the indicator, just one indicator. Some of the others indicators are really just reports back from ground commanders in certain areas within Baghdad or in Anbar province saying, look, in my area that I'm responsible for, which may be just one community, one segment of the city, whatever the case may be, in fact, it is starting to work in my area, people coming out in the streets, they talk us to, giving us information on what the enemy is doing, where they are hiding improvised-explosive devices. This person is not supposed to be in this area. He's a foreign fighter. He's working with this particular militia, ex-militia leader, whatever the case may be. Those things are starting to happen. Those are indicators, as slow as they.

WHITFIELD: All right, General Petraeus is being asked for his assessment. President Bush has constantly asked for his assessment. Just last night on "Charlie Rose," President Bush had this to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: General Petraeus would tell you that it's too early to judge, because he only has got about 50 percent of the troops that he asked for in theater. As he said, I said we're going to commit 21,000 troops, additional troops, and about 50 percent of those have actually shown up in Baghdad. The Iraqis are fully staffed, and they've got their team in there, but we don't. General Petraeus said, some early signs, still dangerous, but give my chance a plan to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: All right, a couple of interesting things there. He says the Iraqis are fully staffed, yet we also understand that one of the objectives for U.S. troops is to help train the Iraqi forces. But we've been hearing constantly from the Iraqi government that perhaps their staff, Iraqi forces, are not really ready. So which is it?

GRANGE: Well, yes. I don't think they're all fully staffed because to be fully staffed and trained, fully staffed and capable is really the issue. So that may be someone holding down a position that's incompetent, that's not trained, not loyal, not committed to the cause. So I don't think we're there yet, no, not by any means.

WHITFIELD: So does it become much more complicated for the role of the U.S. forces, whether it's to increase the surge even further, whether to bring that number up to 100 percent as the president was saying? Is the expectation that the U.S. troops are there to help quell the violence, or is the expectation that the U.S. troops are there to help get the Iraqi forces up and ready?

GRANGE: Both. There's simultaneous requirements going on. You have the requirement to train Iraqi units. And some are in a very high state of readiness, very capable, and some are terrible. So they';re trying to get these Iraqi units, police and military, up to a certain level. Now that's been done yet, and that's a primary drive to do that.

But the other is, yes, on the U.S. force is to help provide a safe and secure environment so that prosperity, so that quality of life can continue. And not all the forces are there. So the good sign there is that if we're already starting to have positive things come about and we don't have 100 percent of the surge there yet, that's a great sign.

WHITFIELD: All right. So, General Grange, we're out of time. One quick question. Is this war still winnable?

GRANGE: I believe it is. And I believe that with all my heart. The problem's going to be, like many have said, we lost a couple of years here, probably. And so do we have the patience, do we have the will of the American people to hang in there another year, year and a half, which is probably about what it's going to be to show a transition if we keep this full-court press on? If we back off, it won't happen.

WHITFIELD: General David Grange, thanks so much.

GRANGE: My pleasure.

HARRIS: Guns and grub, a bad combo for some SWAT team members who stopped to get a bit to eat in Memphis.

While the officers were grabbing their barbecues, somebody grabbed their weapons. The whole thing caught on tape.

Jason Miles our affiliate WMC details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON MILES, WMC REPORTER (voice-over): Memphis police are studying video of the theft, as it was caught on tape by surveillance cameras at Interstate Barbecue on South Third. That's the suspect's SUV, parking next to the white van that the North Carolina SWAT team was carrying the weapons in.

LARRY GODWIN, MEMPHIS POLICE: Yes, I mean, I think they knew what they were doing by the way they entered the vehicle.

MILES: On the tape, you can see suspects going back and forth between the red SUV and the SWAT team's white van. Minutes later, SWAT team members come out of the restaurants and see the SUV as it drives office with their weapons.

GODWIN: Well, I mean, the fact that these weapons are in the wrong hands, we need to recover them. And we've got just about everybody I can put on it right now.

MILES: Early Tuesday morning, deputies found the suspect's SUV abandoned on Waycross Street in Millington. Officers say the SUV was stolen last week from a casino parking lot in Tunica. And right now, officers are checking the vehicle for fingerprints or other clues.

GODWIN: We are going to get these weapons off the street and we're pushing real hard. We should have something.

MILES: And police say they won't rest until the suspects are caught and the guns recovered.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Police now found one of the stolen weapons. Seven others are still missing, including fully automatic assault rifles and 12-gauge shotguns.

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WHITFIELD: A man accused of impersonating a police officer shows up for a court hearing, and then he impersonated a sprinter. Take a look, quick -- bam! We need to slow that down a couple of times, just so that you can really catch up with him. Well, it turns out all he wanted was mama!

Jamie Wilson of CNN affiliate KPTV tells us what happened.

Mama!

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE WILSON, KPTV REPORTER: Calm has been restored at the Justice Center after arraignment court took a turn no one was expecting. This is where Wayne Trent ended up after a brief court appearance down the hall. Just moments before he was facing a judge on charges of I.D. theft, criminal impersonation and having a fake police I.D.

Trent showed up with his mother, but he soon realized that he might be taken to jail. The judge set his bail at $250,000, and Trent seemed to cooperate. He even put his hands behind his back, ready to be cuffed, but then he bolted. Just one second behind him, Deputy Nicole Morrisey O'Donald (ph) chased him down while pulling out her taser. And just as Trent hit the stairs, she got him, with one barb piercing his neck and the other his arm.

WAYNE TRENT: Mom.

WILSON: Trent called for his mother as she watched the entire thing.

MARY TRENT, MOTHER OF SUSPECT: He doesn't know why he ran. Probably scared.

WILSON: With the taser while still attached, deputies escorted Trent back to court, this time in handcuffs.

M. TRENT: Scared. Yes. You would be, too, if you can't bail out.

(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: Well, if the $250,000 bail prompted the man to run, well now, he's really got problems, because the judge doubled his bail to $500,000. If you didn't understand $250,000, you understand a half-mil. Wow.

HARRIS: All right, you ready for the picture of the day?

WHITFIELD: Yes, I'm ready.

HARRIS: OK, here we go, sleeping it off with his trusty stead by his side. Police say a customer at this bank near Berlin went to get cash at a ATM and encountered this scene instead. They say the horse's owner had a little too much to drink and decided to stay the night, along with his horse, in the bank's heated foyer. A customer called police, who woke the man and sent him on his way.

WHITFIELD: I love any pet stories. That one is great.

HARRIS: That's great.

WHITFIELD: All right, we're going to do things different today, different than normal, because after the break, it is "YOUR WORLD TODAY," with news happening around the globe and here at home.

HARRIS: But when Senator John McCain takes the podium to make his formal announcement that he is running for president, we will be back with you. That's expected to happen around 10 minutes past the hour.

For now, I'm Tony Harris.

And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

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