Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Bodies of 3 Babies Found; President Bush, Prime Minister Gordon Brown Hold Talks at Camp David; O.J. Simpson's Book
Aired July 30, 2007 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: You're with CNN. I'm Heidi Collins. Tony Harris has the day off today.
Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM on this Monday, July 30th.
Here's what's on the rundown.
A grisly discovery in Maryland. A woman already charged in the killing of her infant child. We are just getting word three more bodies have been found.
Also, a co-defendant makes a deal with federal prosecutors. He could testify against Michael Vick.
And an ally on the spot. New British Prime Minister Gordon Brown meeting with President Bush this hour and speaking to the press shortly.
You'll see it live, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
New information this morning in the disturbing story, the bodies of four babies found in Ocean city, Maryland. Investigators believe they all came from one woman.
CNN's Brianna Keilar joining us now live from Washington to sort this out.
Brianna, why don't you tell us what we know at this point.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, at this point, a police information officer for Ocean City Police Department tells me there is a team in place at the resident of Christy Freeman, the woman who has been charged in connection with one of these four deaths. This team has about 30 to 35 people. They're using backhoes and shovels to see if they can find anything in her yard, but at this point police tell me they've found nothing yet.
And of course this comes on the heels of remains of four bodies of pre-term babies being found in her home and also in a motor home on her property. All of these, as you said, all of the bodies remains of these -- all of these bodies believed to be from the body of Christy Freeman.
At this point, police say they were trying to figure out exactly how they left her body. But Freeman was charged last Friday night with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter. At this point, she is either waiting for or under undergoing a bail review hearing. And as you can imagine, neighbors in her residence are just shocked by this news.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS PHELAN, NEIGHBOR: Well, Thursday I -- we woke up to go to the beach, and we saw a couple detectives, you know, walking around the property over there. And we didn't really think anything of it. You know, we just walked by.
We came back from the beach, there were a couple more police cars there, a little more activity. Pretty much hour by hour there was a little more activity going on. And then we started hearing, you know, rumors from the neighbors about what they were looking at and everything.
And, you know, we woke up and there was people there. And then by the time we got back from the bars at around 2:30 at night, it was just a circus around here. There was, you know, tons of activity. And that's when we really got a little more detail. As much as we were able to find out about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Freeman is 37 years old. She's the owner of a local cab company there in the Ocean City area. And she has four grown -- or four older children is how police characterized them. And the charges that she's facing right now, first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter, those are in relation to just one of the deaths, the death of the -- or the remains rather of the first baby that was found.
Let me just take you through the timeline here.
Police say -- they tell me that on Thursday, Freeman went to the hospital complaining of cramping and bleeding. And when a doctor examined her, they found a placenta with an attached umbilical cord.
At that point, social services got involved. Police got involved.
They went to her home there in Ocean City. They found the first body which they believed to be a recent death wrapped in a blanket in the bathroom. And after that they found two more bodies, the remains of two more pre-term infants in a trunk in the bedroom.
And then on Friday they went back with a search warrant for a Winnebago, a motor home on Freeman's property. And that is where they found the remains of the fourth pre-term baby -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Wow. It's just absolutely stunning.
Brianna, any idea -- are police sharing anything with you about her past, about a record that she may have? KEILAR: And that's what's interesting, because they say that she doesn't have a record. Now, as I mentioned before, she's the owner of a local cap company. And the police told me that you have to register with the police if you have a local cab company. So they've had contact with her, but not in any sort of criminal way.
COLLINS: Boy. All right. We know you're going to be working on this one very hard.
The very latest coming to us from our Washington, D.C., bureau and Brianna Keilar.
Brianna, thanks.
Less than two hours ago, a major development in the government's case against NFL star Michael Vick. A guilty plea from one of Vick's co-defendants in the dog fighting case.
Tony Taylor struck a deal with prosecutors and has agreed to fully cooperate. That means he could become a star witness against Vick.
Taylor is due to be sentenced in December. He says he's been promised nothing specific.
Vick supporters are rallying in his defense. They picketed outside the Georgia Dome yesterday, accusing the Atlanta Falcons, the public and the media of rushing to judgment. That message repeated last hour by Atlanta's chapter of the NAACP.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV. R.L. WHITE JR., NAACP ATLANTA BRANCH PRESIDENT: Because he has been tried through the court of public opinion, we think the NFL moved too swiftly in applying punitive measures, even before his arraignment. Sponsors moved too quickly to drop him, and many of us who have had hours of excitement because of his incredible talent have quickly turned on him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Vick has entered a not guilty plea in the case.
Shoring is up a key alliance. President Bush and new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown meeting face to face this morning at Camp David.
CNN's Ed Henry is with us now from the White House.
Ed, good morning to you.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
COLLINS: Wondering how concerned the White House might be that the new prime minister will sort of chart his own course in Iraq. HENRY: They certainly are concerned about that. And I can tell you, anticipation is building this hour for our first look at these two leaders together. The big question, of course, will their bond be as strong as the one that Mr. Bush formed with Mr. Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair, the former prime minister?
You'll remember back in 2001, at Camp David, at their first joint news conference together, Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair seemed to be jocular. At one point, Mr. Bush saying and revealing that they both shared Colgate toothpaste, that they used the same toothpaste, prompting Mr. Blair to say, "George..." -- and he called them "George," they were on a first-name basis already -- "... people are going to start to wonder how we know this kind of personal information about each other."
And you could see right immediate there in February of 2001 that they hit it off. And a lot of people though now wondering because Mr. Blair took such a beating for being so close to Mr. Bush, will Mr. Brown, as you say, chart a new course?
Some of the early signs have been troubling. There have been leaked reports in the British press that perhaps Mr. Brown will call for a drastic pullout of British troops from Iraq.
There's also been the fact that Mr. Brown appointed a cabinet minister who's been critical of the Bush administration. But for his part, Mr. Brown is denying that troop pullout story. And also today, in "The Washington Post," it has an op-ed piece in which he says this alliance is a "partnership for the ages."
You know, and White House officials also note that when you think back to 2001, a lost of us in the media were predicting there was no way that Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair would hit it off because Mr. Blair had been so close to the former Democratic president, Bill Clinton. Obviously, that turned out to be way wrong -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. That was pretty surprising, indeed.
All right. Ed Henry out in front of the White House for us this morning.
Ed, thank you.
HENRY: Thank you.
COLLINS: The president at the prime minister speaking out this morning about their talks at Camp David. We will have live coverage for you on that, coming up at 11:25 Eastern.
Another news crew and another chopper down, happening earlier this morning near Dallas. The chopper, checking rush hour traffic, made an emergency landing and skidded to a stop on its side. No serious injuries.
Aboard, the pilot and two traffic reporters for Dallas news stations. The chopper apparently lost power in Grand Prairie, northwest of Dallas. The incident comes after Friday's deadly collision of two TV news helicopters in Phoenix.
A man is dead, his 3-year-old granddaughter sent to the hospital after police in Phoenix respond to reports of an exorcism. Arriving at the home, police say they broke into a bedroom and found the grandfather choking the little girl. Relatives say he was trying to expel demons. A police spokesman says the child's naked mother was in the room, chanting something religious in nature.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. JOEL TRANTER, PHOENIX POLICE DEPT.: The adult male was applying pressure on the child's neck, squeezing the child's neck, as well as a tight body hold. The child was screaming, gasping, momentarily quiet. I would suspect because not getting -- not being able to breathe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Police used stun guns to subdue the grandfather. He stopped breathing shortly after that and officers were not able to revive him.
The little girl and her mother are hospitalized. The child is expected to recover from her physical injuries.
The FDA today considering the safety of a popular drug for diabetics. The drug, Avandia. It's used by eight percent of adults with Type 2 Diabetes.
Several studies say it increases the risk of heart attack. A panel of outside experts is testifying.
The federal agency is considering whether to remove the drug from stores or require warning labels. Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline says there is no increase in heart risk compared with other diabetes drugs. About one million Americans use the drug. .
Still ahead, inside Iraq. Is Washington's new strategy making progress? One prominent critic says yes. He'll tell you why.
Also, green waves of Mary Jane. Millions of dollars of marijuana. Police on patrol, finding a treasure trove of pot farms.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And I'm Susan Candiotti with the growing battle over the rights to that controversy O.J. book "If I Did It". I'll have a live report.
COLLINS: The president and the prime minister speaking out this morning about their talks at Camp David.
We've got live coverage, 11:25 Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A family feud over O.J. Simpson's book "If I Did It" plays out in bankruptcy court today. Live to CNN's Susan Candiotti in Miami now for the very latest.
Interesting that this is playing out in bankruptcy court, Susan.
CANDIOTTI: That's true. And it's been going on for sometime now, Heidi. And this latest chapter in this mini war pits two allies against O.J., literally against each other now.
Let's recap for you.
This involves Fred Goldman. And he recently won the rights to publish that unpublished book written by O.J. called "If I Did It". And he won this right in bankruptcy court.
Now, you'll remember that Fred Goldman, of course, is the father of Ron Goldman, who was murdered 13 years ago, along with Nicole Brown Simpson. Fred Goldman and the Browns are both owed, oh, at least $30 million in separate civil judgments against O.J. Simpson. Neither party has collected any money from him.
Well, Fred Goldman has now gone to court. And he wants to publish that book to help pay off part of that settlement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRED GOLDMAN, RON GOLDMAN'S FATHER: Whether he calls it a work of fiction or not, or nonfiction, the fact is that he murdered two people. And I'd like everybody to hear him virtually say it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Now, the sister of victim Nicole Brown Simpson, Denise Brown, is against publishing the book. Here's what she told CNN about it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENISE BROWN, NICOLE BROWN SIMPSON'S SISTER: Fred, this book should not be published. I have said this over and over and over again. It's a manual to commit murder. And it just shouldn't be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: But now Denise Brown is trying to get a piece of the book rights already awarded to Fred Goldman because she says that part of that money, if it is -- if the book is published, ought to go to the Brown estate. And two of the beneficiaries of that estate, of course, would be O.J. Simpson's children, and Nicole's children as well, of course. That would be Justin and Sydney.
So, she says if someone's going to benefit from this book if it ever gets published, those children should get part of that money. Well, now a federal bankruptcy court judge in Miami will hear argument about this afternoon in a court in Miami. And he'll try to sort things out. And you'll recall, of course, Heidi, that Fred Goldman has said that if he does publish the book that he would change the title of the book from "If I Did It" to "The Confessions of a Double Murderer".
COLLINS: Wow. As if this story needed another twist. It's just incredible.
Susan, we know that you'll be watching the developments in this one.
Thanks so much.
Right under their noses. Drug enforcement agents and Dallas police find a marijuana field near DEA headquarters. It's part of new efforts to get the drug off the streets in north Texas.
The story from Dan Ronan with affiliate WFAA.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RONAN, REPORTER, WFAA (voice over): It's another huge discovery believed to be in the $5 million range. Some $10 million worth of marijuana found and taken off the streets in just over a week.
SGT. DUDLEY NOSWORTHY, DALLAS POLICE: Any amount in close proximity to the city, I would say, yes, it's a significant amount.
RONAN: Last Saturday, police uncovered another isolated field near the Dallas-Grand Prairie line. There, police found more than 10,000 plants, $5 million worth.
A few days earlier, a smaller marijuana field was discovered near the Drug Enforcement Agency's Dallas headquarters. Some of the plants found Sunday believed to be seven feet high.
NOSWORTHY: I think it shows that they will go to any lengths in order to get their product out. Also, I believe that it's probably -- I mean, it's probably less expensive because they don't have the large trafficking miles to haul from, say, from south Texas or other parts of the world to get into Texas. And it's right here in our backyard.
RONAN: Police investigating who owns the property, and the marijuana is in a very isolated area, with hundreds of trees and no roads.
NOSWORTHY: Yes, with the terrain, it will be some challenge.
RONAN: So they'll likely to have use helicopters to take the pot out once the plants are pulled. In fact, a Dallas policeman wearing full protective gear who hiked down to the marijuana on foot was overcome by the heat and hospitalized.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Authorities say the stepped-up helicopter patrols are a big help in their search for marijuana fields in remote areas.
Inside Iraq. Is Washington's new strategy making progress? One prominent critic says yes. He'll tell you why.
The president and the prime minister speaking out this morning about their talks at Camp David. We'll have live coverage for you coming up in just a few minutes, 11:25 Eastern.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning, everybody.
I'm Betty Nguyen in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Bottled water, it is a multibillion-dollar business. But now some big city officials are encouraging a return to the tap.
CNN's Richard Roth has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Love in the afternoon in New York's Central Park. A time for intimacy, a private moment between a man and a woman. And a water bottle?
They're everywhere, from boardrooms to doggy care.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice girl.
ROTH: More people clutch bottled water on the streets than iPods and BlackBerrys.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you open it for me, please?
ROTH: But New York and some other American cities want to get citizens off the bottle and on tap.
EMILY LLOYD, NEW YORK DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: I think that what we're trying to do is make people aware that tap water is really wonderful water and a great bargain.
ROTH: Across the country, San Francisco went a drop further, banning employees from using the city's money to buy bottled water when tap water is available, saving $500,000 a year.
MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM, SAN FRANCISCO: We're not going to buy bottled water anymore, and we're going to take advantage of one of the cleanest, purest water sources in the United States of America.
ROTH: But bottled water sales have soared, ranking second only to soft drinks. Last year, Americans spent more than $4 billion on the two largest brands.
JOHN SICHER, "BEVERAGE DIGEST": I just don't understand the point of trying to get consumers to drink less bottled water. It seems shortsighted and not a good idea to me. ROTH: Too soon to determine the impact from Friday's announcement by PepsiCo that it will now state more clearly that it's Aquafina bottled water comes from the same public sources as tap water.
Coca-Cola says it has no plans to say the same with Dasani, which also originates from public sources.
NEWSOM: We are now exposing an underbelly truth. That is, a big percentage of bottled water in this country is tap water.
ROTH: But many city residents don't like the looks of their tap water.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My tap water in my apartment looks like milk. So, as you can understand, I'm not really secure drinking it.
ROTH: Can't decide? Step up to the water bar and go for bling h2o, a bottle of water for $55 sold in Diane Felicissimo's suburban New York cafe.
DIANA FELICISSIMO, WATER BAR OWNER: People buying the water for gift purposes, they're buying it for health purposes. They're buying it to feel good, to look good.
ROTH: If you can't afford the bling, stick with simply H2O.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It tastes good. It tastes fine. Enjoyed it.
ROTH: Richard Roth, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: In Iraq today, violence overshadows celebrations. This scene on Sunday, jubilant Iraqis pouring into the streets. Their national soccer team won the Asian Cup. But gunfire meant to celebrate the victory proved deadly. Bullets killed four people and wounded 17 others.
In central Baghdad this morning, a bomb aboard a minibus ripped through a market. At least six people were killed, 28 wounded.
Also this morning, the U.S. military announcing the deaths of three more American soldiers. They were killed while fighting in Anbar province last week. And that pushes the U.S. death toll in July to 72.
Update on Iraq. Is the U.S. making progress? This morning we spoke to a vocal critic of the administration's handling of the war.
Ken Pollack just returned from a visit to Iraq, and he says, to his own surprise, he sees new hope.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEN POLLACK, BROOKINGS INST.: This is the first time I've been to Iraq where I've come back actually a little bit more optimistic than when I went. Previous visits, I've always come back more depressed, more frustrated because things didn't seem like they were working. And this time around what we saw in particular, in the security sector, and, to some extent, with local economics and political governance, is better.
COLLINS: Right. Let's talk about some of those points, because I really want to break them down just a little bit here if we can.
One big thing you write about is troop morale. You say it has significantly changed. And, in fact, I want to bring up what you wrote in the article.
It says, "Morale is high. The soldiers and marines told us they feel that they now have a superb commander in General David Petraeus. They are confident in his strategy, they see real results, and they feel now they have the numbers needed to make a real difference."
This is a change from the last time you've been there, when you said they're usually angry and frustrated.
POLLACK: Absolutely. And particularly, the last time I was in Iraq, which was in late 2005, so about 18 months ago, I was really struck by the depth of anger and frustration from the troops who felt like they were risking their lives, they had lost their friends, pursuing a strategy that they felt had absolutely no chance of success. And it was just striking this time around how much morale seemed to have changed.
Now, it's not to say that there weren't still some soldiers and officers who we spoke to who were still angry about certain things, unhappy with different aspects. But overall, the change was palpable. They feel like finally they're making progress.
COLLINS: Well, you say in fact that something pretty spectacular has happened in just the past few months, that Iraqis are actually turning against the extremists and looking to the Americans for help. And you say specifically, "In less than six months, it's gone from the worse part of Iraq," -- we're talking about Anbar province here, outside the Kurdish areas -- "today the Sunni sheikhs there are close to crippling al Qaeda. Just a few months ago, American Marines were fighting for every yard of Ramadi. Last week, we strolled down its streets without body armor."
Ken, what was that like?
POLLACK: It was surreal. It's amazing to be walking the streets of Anbar province and not feeling under constant threat.
But, you know, again, this is one of these where a lot of success in war is really about being lucky. And the United States was lucky.
Al Qaeda overplayed its hands. They started ruling Anbar province in ways that quite frankly the Iraqis there didn't care for. Doing things like taking away daughters of sheikhs to marry them off to their loyalists, killing local leaders, kidnapping children. Doing all kinds of stuff that really turned the feelings of the local Iraqis, the Sunnis, Arabs who live in that region.
And it caused them to turn very decidedly against al Qaeda and to reach out to the United States to help them rid themselves of al Qaeda. And the transformation has just been dramatic.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Ken Pollack is a scholar with the Brookings Institution.
Seeking common ground. President Bush and new British Prime Minister Gordian Brown meeting face to face today to talk about issues important to both countries. You see the podiums there. They will come to those microphones very shortly.
We're watching that story for you in just a moment here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
COLLINS: And more questions this morning, about the safety of those news choppers. They come as the FAA investigates Friday's crash of two Phoenix news helicopters. All four men aboard the two craft were killed when the choppers collided and fell into a public park. The choppers covering a police car chase. The man being chased could face charges in connection with those deaths. But just how safe are news choppers chasing breaking news or checking traffic?
CNN's Jim Acosta looks at that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Reporter: I am hovering over the east river in New York City and what I'm doing at the moment is being called into question by some aviation experts, who want to know whether there should be new rules for this daily staple in local television news -- the choppers.
(voice-over): They are the eyes in the sky, beaming back bird's eye views of breaking news. From Phoenix last Friday these two news helicopters were hovering over a slow-moving police chase.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My God! Channel 15 and Channel 3 just had a midair collision. They're in the park. Oh, man.
ACOSTA: Both choppers spiraled to the ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard like a loud gunshot, and then about two seconds after that there was a real loud, like, a huge bang. And then just two helicopters coming straight down.
ACOSTA: Four people, the two pilots and two photographers in each helicopter, died. Federal investigators on the scene believe the chopper on the left for station KNXV some flew into its counterpart at station KTPK. New chopper accidents are rare, but they do happen.
Three years ago in New York, a helicopter for station WNBC spun out of control and slammed into a rooftop in Brooklyn.
MARY SCHIAVO, AVIATION EXPERT: I think it should be reviewed. It's only going continue crease.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aviation expert Mary Schiavo says it may be time for news choppers to put a lookout into their cockpit, to make suer they don't get too close.
SCHIAVO: And here that person, the co-pilot would have served as a lookout, probably would have dramatically increased the safety of the operations.
ACOSTA: Because news choppers typically fly at low altitudes, they don't spend much time communicating with air-traffic controllers. Once they're cleared into an area, it's up to those pilots to avoid accidents by sight. Schiavo says that's too risky.
SCHIAVO: The rule of the road in visual flight rules, the rule of the air, is see and avoid.
(on camera): Up here in the sky helicopter pilots insist they are playing it safe. They point out there are TV news helicopters across the country flying every day that don't have mishaps, saying they spend more time covering crashes than they do chopper crashes.
Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Stirring up a wind storm of controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess I'm a pioneer and I got a lot of hours in my back from it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: He's gone green, but some of his neighbors are seeing red.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Well, a couple of empty microphone podiums there. We have been awaiting the news conference between President Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. This will be the first time that they appear in public together, certainly after meeting at Camp David. And we know that Gordon Brown arrived on Sunday. It will be two days of talks they will be conducting here. Originally this event was supposed to be at about 11:25, so we are still waiting for them to come to the microphone. We do understand apparently some of the issues that the two of them talked about this morning, and will continue to talk about throughout the day and tomorrow, of course the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran's nuclear threat, the fight against terror and genocide in Sudan's Darfur region.
Once again, waiting for President Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to come to those microphones. We will bring it to you just as soon as it happens.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
COLLINS: A New Jersey man goes green, powering his home using a windmill, but not everybody's happy about it. Here now, CNN's Jim Acosta.
We have this story from CNN's Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In this breezy town on the New Jersey shore, when the wind is blowing, Michael Mercurio is thinking about saving money on energy.
MICHAEL MERCURIO, WINDMILL OWNER: My bill was running, for gas and electric, about $340 to $370 a month. Now I have a $9.50 bill a month.
ACOSTA: He built this 35-foot windmill in his backyard last year. Along with the solar panels on his roof, Mercurio has not only cut his energy costs, he sent power back to the local grid, especially when it's running at full speed seen here in this home video.
MERCURIO: The more power we can generate in our homes, the more free energy we have. It's there...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: All right. We'll finish that story later, hopefully. But in the meantime, we want to bring you this. We've been awaiting this news conference, of course, between President Bush and new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. They're at Camp David for two days of talks. We want to go ahead and get directly to them as they come to the microphones here now.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: Welcome. Thank you. It's good to have you here.
So everybody's wondering whether or not the prime minister and I were able to find common ground, to get along, to have a meaningful discussion. And the answer is absolutely.
You know, he probably wasn't sure what to expect from me and I, kind of, had a sense of the kind of person I'd be dealing with.
I would describe Gordon Brown as a principled man who really wants to get something done.
In other words, in my discussions with him last night, we've spent about two hours over dinner and just alone. We dismissed the rest of the delegations to the bowling alley, I think.
(LAUGHTER)
And, as Josh Bolten said, it's the Ryder Cup of bowling. I think the trophy was left in Great Britain, if I'm not mistaken.
But we had a really casual and good discussion. And we'd be glad to share -- I'll be glad to share some of the insights here.
But I -- the notion of America and Britain sharing values is very important and that we have an obligation, it seems to me, to work for freedom and justice around the world. And I found a person who shares that vision and who understands the call.
After all, we're writing the initial chapters of what I believe is a great ideological struggle between those of us who do believe in freedom and justice, in human rights and human dignity, and cold- blooded killers who will kill innocent people to achieve their objectives.
And one of the great calling that we have here in the beginning of the 21st century is to protect our own people. And so, we spend a fair amount of time making sure that our -- that our systems are properly aligned so as we can share information to protect our citizens from this, kind of, brutal group of people who really would like to see us driven from parts of the world so they can impose their ideology.
And I do congratulate the prime minister for his steady and quick response in the face of a significant threat to the homeland.
You've proved your worthiness as a leader. And I thank you for that.
We also recognize that, if you're involved with an ideological struggle, then you defeat that one ideology with a more hopeful ideology.
And that's why it's very important for us to defend and stand with these young democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I appreciate very much the British commitment in Afghanistan and Iraq. I appreciate the bravery of the soldiers. Obviously, I mourn the loss of any life.
I think it's very important for us to make it clear to those who are in harm's way that these missions will be driven not by local politics but by conditions on the ground.
Because success in Afghanistan and Iraq will be an integral part of defeating an enemy and helping people realize the great blessings of liberty, as the alternative to an ideology of darkness that spreads its murder to achieve its objectives.
We talked about the tyranny of poverty, the tyranny of lack of education. And I appreciate the prime minister's strong commitment to press forward on working together, dealing with disease, whether it be HIV/AIDS or malaria.
He's got a strong commitment to helping people realize the blessing of education.
I thank you very much for that vision.
He also understands what I know: that if we're really interested in eradicating poverty, it's important for us to be successful in the Doha round. Gordon Brown brought some interesting suggestions on the way forward. He is optimistic that we can conclude the Doha round, as am I.
And I want to thank you for strategizing as to how to get that done in a way that is beneficial for all of us.
We talked about the Holy Land. We talked about Darfur. We had a good discussion as to how to keep this world engaged in the atrocities -- I've called it a genocide -- taking place in Darfur.
And I want to thank you for your leadership on that issue.
And so we had a good, relaxed, meaningful discussion over dinner and then picked it up at breakfast.
And I'm pleased you're here.
And I'm pleased to report that this relationship will be a constructive, strategic relationship for the good of our peoples.
BUSH: Welcome.
GORDON BROWN, PRIME MINISTER OF THE U.K.: Thank you very much.
Can I say, Mr. President, it's a great honor for me to come within a few weeks of becoming prime minister of the United Kingdom here to Camp David, to have been invited by you to have the discussions that we've just concluded, and to be able to affirm and to celebrate the historic partnership of shared purpose between our two countries?
And I believe it's a partnership that's founded on more than common interests and more than just a common history. It's a partnership founded and driven forward by our shared values: what Winston Churchill, who was the first British prime minister to visit Camp David, called the joint inheritance of liberty, a belief in opportunity for all, a belief in the dignity of every human being.
And I've told President Bush that it's in Britain's national interest that with all our energies we work together to address all the great challenges that we face also together: nuclear proliferation, climate change, global poverty and prosperity, the Middle East peace process, which we've discussed, and most immediately, international terrorism.
Terrorism is not a cause; it is a crime. And it is a crime against humanity. And there should be no safe haven and no hiding place for those who practice terrorist violence or preach terrorist extremism.
Ladies and gentlemen, in Iraq we have duties to discharge and responsibilities to keep in support of the democratically elected government and in support of the explicit will of the international community, expressed most recently through U.N. Resolution 1723.
Our aim, like the United States, is step by step to move control to the Iraqi authorities, to the Iraqi government and to its security forces, as progress is made. And we've moved from combat to overwatch in three of the four provinces for which, the British, have security responsibility. We intend to move to overwatch in the fourth province, and that decision will be made on the military advice of our commanders on the ground.
Whatever happens, we will make a full statement to Parliament when it returns.
Our aim, as is the aim of the United States government, is threefold: security for the Iraqi people, political reconciliation and that the Iraqis have a stake in the future.
And I can say also that I've proposed to the Iraqi government the offer of new finance; that, for Basra and the surrounding areas where we have responsibility, that we invite the Iraqis to set up, with our support, a Basra economic development agency, so that there are jobs, businesses, the chance of prosperity and economic hope.
I strongly support President Bush's initiative -- a bold initiative -- to make early progress in the Middle East peace process.
Afghanistan is the front line against terrorism. And as we have done twice in the last year, where there are more forces needed to back up the coalition and NATO effort, they have been provided by the United Kingdom.
On Iran, we're in agreement that sanctions are working. And the next stage we ready to move toward is to toughen the sanctions with a further U.N. resolution.
Darfur is the greatest humanitarian disaster the world faces today. And I've agreed with the president that we step up our pressure to end the violence that has displaced 2 million people, made 4 million hungry and reliant on food aid, and murdered 200,000 people.
We're agreed on expediting the U.N. resolution for a joint U.N.- African Union peace force. We're agreed on encouragement for early peace talks, a call to cease violence on the ground, an end to aerial bombing of civilians, and support for economic development if this happens and further sanctions if this does not happen.
Across developing countries, 30,000 children die needlessly every day, and we support the president's path-breaking initiatives on HIV/AIDS and on malaria. And we're agreed to support a new partnership that brings together public and private sectors, faith groups and civil society to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
In a world trade agreement -- in a world trade agreement lies the difference between progress to a more open, global trading economy and a retreat into protectionism. In recent days, I've been able to talk to Chancellor Merkel, President Barroso, Prime Minister Sokrash (ph), President Lula, President Mbeki and Prime Minister Singh, as well as the trade negotiator, Pascal Lamy. And the president and I are at one in seeking an early conclusion to a trade agreement.
We agreed that contact between leaders will be stepped up so that we are ready to quickly finalize an agreement in the near future.
We also agreed on the importance of the issue of climate change, which needs to be tackled in the context of sustainable development, and in the context of energy security.
We support the framework of meetings over the coming months to address this issue and move forward the agenda agreed at this year's G-8 in Germany.
Mr. President, we have had full and frank discussions. We've had the capacity and the ability to meet yesterday evening for two hours to discuss, person to person, some of the great issues of our time.
You were kind enough also to arrange talks this morning where we continued the discussion on the issues that I've just talked about. And I'm very grateful to you for your hospitality and for the chance for our two countries, with our great shared histories, to continue to work together on these great issues.
I think we're agreed that all challenges can best be met when together the United Kingdom and the United States work in a partnership that I believe will strengthen in the years to come. And I thank you for both your invitation and for the chance to talk about these great issues.
Thank you.
BUSH: Thank you, sir.
Two questions a side.
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.
Your own military commanders suggest that in Iraq the Iraqi forces are not nearly ready to take over security for their own country and that U.S. troops will need to stay in the region for many months, if not years.
Are you prepared to pass on the fate of the war to the next president?
And, Mr. Prime Minister, if I may, what do you see as the biggest mistakes in the management of the war? And what do you propose to do to correct them?
BUSH: David Petraeus, the general on the ground, will be bringing his recommendations back to the Congress on or about September the 15th. And I think it's going to be very important for all of us to wait for him to report.
And the reason it's important is that I believe the decisions on the way forward in Iraq must be made with a military recommendation as a integral part of it. And, therefore, I don't want to prejudge what David's going to say.
I have said this is going to take a long time, just like -- in Iraq, just like the ideological struggle is going to take a long time.
And so, I look forward to David's report. And then, we'll respond accordingly.
There has been some notable progress, Anbar province being such a place, where there's bottom-up reconciliation, where people are rejecting this Al Qaida vision of the world and saying there's a better way forward.
There's still setbacks, obviously. We've got these suiciders that are trying to foment sectarian violence.
But I would ask you and the Congress to do what I'm doing, which is wait for David to come back and make his report. And I think you'll find it to be considered and based upon the evidence there on the ground.
BROWN: You asked about the difficulties we've faced, and what has happened over the last period of time.
I think the difficulties include getting political reconciliation within Iraq itself, moving forward the reconstruction and the time it has taken to do so.
But I think the one thing I'm pleased about is Iraq now building up its own security forces. It's now building up its own military and it's now building up its own police.
So we've got to a situation where there are perhaps 300,000 people who are in the Iraqi security and policing forces.
In Basra, and in the four provinces that we're dealing with, security forces have built up over the last four years now to around 30,000 people.
It's in that context where we can then achieve what we want to do, which is to pass security over to the Iraqi people themselves, to pass it over to the elected Iraqi government and, of course, to local provincial control.
And one of the encouraging things that's happened over the last few months, indeed the last year and more, is that we've been able to pass control of three of the four provinces for which we've got responsibility back to Iraqi hands.
And, of course, the issue in Basra, which is the largest province, is the point at which we can do what we want to do, which is to have local people and local army and local police in charge of the security there.
So that is the challenge that we face over this next period of time: that Iraq itself becomes more responsible for its own security, that we are able to pass control of the province both to elected politicians and to the security services, and we're able to combine that with the people of the Iraq themselves having a stake in the future.
So, yes, there have been problems. But, yes, also, when you look at the four provinces for which we've got responsibility, we can see that we're able to move control back to the Iraqi people in three, and there's a chance of being able to do that in the fourth as a result of the buildup of the security forces.
Nick?
BUSH: Still hanging around.
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: Good afternoon, Mr. President. Nick Robinson, BBC News.
(LAUGHTER)
It's very nice to be back.
BUSH: Yes, it is.
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: Mr. President, you trusted Tony Blair not, in your phrase, to cut and run from Iraq.
After your talks, do you believe you can trust Gordon Brown in the same way?
And, Prime Minister, you talked of Afghanistan being the front line in the struggle against terror, not Iraq. Do you believe that British troops in Iraq are part of the struggle against terrorism or, as many people now believe, making that harder, not easier, to win?
BROWN: Well, perhaps I should deal with the first and then pass on to you, President.
In Iraq, you're dealing with Sunni-Shia violence, you're dealing with the involvement of Iran, but you're certainly dealing with a large number of Al Qaida terrorists.
And I think I described Afghanistan as the first line in the battle against the Taliban. And, of course, the Taliban in Afghanistan is what we are dealing with in the provinces for which we've got responsibility and doing so with some success.
There is no doubt, therefore, that Al Qaida is operating in Iraq. There is no doubt that we've had to take very strong measures against them. And there is no doubt that the Iraqi security forces have got to be strong enough to be able to withstand not just the violence that has been between the Sunni and the Shia population and the Sunni insurgency, but also Al Qaida itself.
So one of the tests that the military commanders will have on the ground in the province for which we've got direct responsibility now, and before we move from combat to overwatch, is whether we are strong enough and they are strong enough to enable them to stand up against that threat.
BUSH: There's no doubt in my mind that Gordon Brown understands that failure in Iraq would be a disaster for the security of our countries, that failure in Iraq would embolden extremist movements throughout the Middle East, that failure in Iraq would basically say to, you know, people sitting on the fence around the region that Al Qaida is powerful enough to drive great countries like Great Britain and America out of Iraq before the mission is done.
He understands that violence could spill out across the region, that a country like Iran would become involved in it.
So there's no doubt in my mind he understands the stake of the struggle. And there's no doubt in my mind that he will keep me abreast of his military commanders' recommendations based upon conditions on the ground.
As he accurately noted, the Brits have been involved in four of the provinces, transfer has taken place in three of the four.
Why? Because progress was made. It's a results-oriented world, and the results were such that Great Britain was able to transfer responsibility.
That's what we want to do. We want to be in a position where we can achieve results on the ground so that we can be in a different posture.
The problem was, last fall, we weren't going to be able to transfer, because conditions on the ground were getting out of control. And so, I made the decision so send more troops in, understanding the consequences of failure if we did not do so.
In other words, I said, "I think if we don't send troops, it's more likely we'll fail and the consequences of failure would be disaster for Great Britain and the United States," something this prime minister understands.
The idea of somehow, you know, achieving results and, therefore, this is a change of attitude just simply doesn't -- I just don't agree with that.
I find him to be resolved and firm and understanding about the stakes in this series of initial struggles in this war against extremists and radicals. And the challenge for Gordon and me is to write a chapter, the first chapter in this struggle that will lead to success. And that's exactly what we're determined to do.
Rutenberg, today's your birthday? How old are you? How old are you?
QUESTION: 38.
BUSH: Huh?
BROWN: My goodness.
QUESTION: 38.
BUSH: Here you are -- amazing country, Gordon. A guy that's under 40 years old asking me and you questions. It's a beautiful sight.
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: 40's the new 30, Mr. President.
BUSH: It's a beautiful sight.
BROWN: Six of my Cabinet are under 40.
BUSH: Are they?
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: 40's the new 20.
BUSH: You must be feeling damn old, then.
BROWN: Absolutely.
(LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: Mr. President, the prime minister has referred to terrorism as, quote, "a crime" and he's referred to it in part as a law enforcement issue.
So for you, I'm wondering, does that underscore any sort of philosophical difference when your 2004 campaign took issue with somewhat similar descriptions from John Kerry?
QUESTION: And, Mr. Prime Minister, I've heard a lot about how your approach to the United States will be the same as that of your predecessor. But how will it differ?
BUSH: Look, people who kill innocent men, women and children to achieve political objectives are evil. That's what I think.
I don't think there's any need to negotiate with them. I don't think there's any need to hope that they'll change. They are cold- blooded killers. And we better, you know, be clear-eyed when we're dealing with them.
And this prime minister, right in the beginning of his office, got a taste of what it means to be in a world with these people that would come and attempt to kill innocent civilians of his country. And he handled it well.
Look, we're dealing with a variety of methodologies to deal with them. One is intelligence. One is law enforcement. And one is military. We've got to use all assets at disposal to find them and bring them to justice before they hurt our people again.
In the long run, the way to defeat these people is through a competing ideology, see.
And what's interesting about this struggle -- and this is what I was paying very careful attention to when Gordon was speaking -- is that he understand it's an ideological struggle, and he does.
As he said to me, "It's akin to the Cold War," and it is, except the difference this time is we have an enemy using asymmetrical warfare to try to affect our vision, to try to shake our will.
They'll kill innocent women and children so it gets on the TV screens so that we say, "It's not worth it," you know, "let's just back off."
The death they cause makes it -- you know, "Maybe we just ought to let them have their way." And that's the great danger facing the world in which we live. And he gets it.
Now he can answer your question -- what's the second half? I talked too long for...
QUESTION: How would your approach differ from that of your predecessor? And while we're on the subject, also...
(LAUGHTER)
BUSH: Wait a minute. You don't -- it doesn't work that way.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
BUSH: Yes, Mr. Birthday Boy is taking latitude here.
QUESTION: Do you have the same philosophy as the president in terms of terrorism, so it's two-pronged?
BROWN: Absolutely.
BUSH: What do you expect the answer to be, Rutenberg? Come on, man.
(LAUGHTER) BROWN: And let me just stress that we're in a generation-long battle against terrorism, against Al Qaida-inspired terrorism. And this is a battle for which we can give no quarter. It's a battle that's got to be fought in military, diplomatic, intelligence, security, policing and ideological terms.
And what we have to face -- groups of terrorists operating in Britain -- and other countries have seen, perhaps, in 17 countries terrorist attacks over the last few years, when we in Britain have faced 15 of our own since September of 2001, and, of course, when America, itself, faced in September 2001 and showed such bravery, resilience and courage in standing up against terrorism then, we know we are in a common struggle and we know we have to work together, and we know we've got to use all means to deal with it.
So we are at one in fighting the battle against terrorism. And that struggle is one that we will fight with determination and with resilience and right across the world.
You asked about the new government in the United Kingdom. What I would say is this.
Every generation faces new challenges. And the challenges that we face in 2007 are not the same as the challenges that we faced as a government when Tony Blair started in 1997.
Then the challenges in Britain were about stability, about employment, about public services. Then the challenges around the world were not seen at that point as the challenges against international terrorism.
Today, in 2007, we see the challenges are radically different from what they were 10 years ago.
We have the climate change challenge we've just been discussing, which wasn't one that was seen in exactly the same way a few years ago.
And that will lead to the work that we've got to do together, and involving China and India in particular, to deal with the energy issues, including issues of energy security that we face.
We have the challenge of security and terrorism.
We have the challenge that we know now in Africa, Darfur, a challenge that we've got to meet immediately to make sure that famine does not afflict millions of people in that part of Africa.
And, of course, we have the challenge that we can see now, where there are opportunities, as well as difficulties, in the Middle East peace process. And that, of course, is a challenge that Secretary of State Rice is -- I'm glad she's here today and has joined our discussions -- is going on only today to the Middle East to take up.
So the challenges are different. We will deal with them by being a government of opportunity and security for all. But the challenges, of course, are new as we face the next decade. And these are challenges that we will face, and I believe America will face, with exactly the same resilience, courage and professionalism.
QUESTION: Mr. Brown's new formulation for what we used to call the special relationship is Britain's single most important bilateral relationship. I wonder if I could ask him what precisely that means, whether it works the other way for the United States in terms of their bilateral relationships, and also, Mr. President, what you think has actually changed with the arrival of Gordon Brown instead of Tony Blair.
BUSH: Besides toothpaste?
(LAUGHTER)
You want to -- I'll start.
Look, I think any time you share values the way we share values, it makes it easy to have strategic conversations.
It makes it easy to be able to have common ground on which to deal with these problems.
You just listed off a lot of problems. I happen to view them as great opportunities to begin to put conditions in place so that the world looks fundamentally different 50 years from now.
But I would say that the relationship between Great Britain and America is our most important bilateral relationship, for a lot of reasons. Trade. Great Britain has been attacked; we've been attacked. It's caused us to lash up our intelligence services like never before. We have common interests throughout the world.
But it's an important relationship primarily because we think the same.
We believe in freedom and justice as fundamentals of life. There's no doubt in my mind that freedom is universal, that freedom is a gift to each man, woman and child on the face of the Earth, and that with freedom comes peace.
And there's no doubt in my mind those of us who live under free societies have an obligation to work together to promote it.
And the man I listened to shares that same sense of morality and that same sense of obligation: not to free others, but to create the conditions so others can realize the blessings of freedom. We can't impose freedom. But we can eliminate roadblocks to freedom and to allow free societies to develop. And it's really hard work.
There's a lot of cynics saying, "How dare they? How dare they impose U.S. or Great British values?" And what I found is a man who understands that these aren't Great British and U.S. values. These are universal values.
And so what was your question? (LAUGHTER)
Oh, it's changed? All right. He's a Scotsman, you know, kind of -- he's not the dour Scotsman that you described or the awkward Scotsman. He's actually a humorous Scotsman, the guy that we actually were able to relax and to share some thoughts.
You know, I was very interested in his family life. He's a man who suffered unspeakable tragedy, and instead of that weakening his soul, it strengthened his soul. I was impressed. And I'm confident that we'll be able to keep our relationship strong, healthy, vibrant and that there will be constant communications as we deal with these problems.
As I said, he's a problem solver. And that's what we need as partners. We've got a lot of problems we're dealing with, and we can reach solutions.
He's a glass-half-full man, not a glass-half-empty guy, you know. Some of these world leaders say, "Oh, the problems are so significant, let us -- let us retreat; let us not take them on. They're too tough."
That's not Gordon Brown. His attitude is, "I see a problem; let's work together to solve it."
And for that, I'm grateful.
BROWN: What President Bush has said is both very compassionate and it reflects the conversation we had about a whole series of issues that we can deal with together.
I think your understanding, if I may say so, of Scotland was enhanced by the fact that you went to Scotland, you told me, at the age of 14 and had to sit through a very long Presbyterian church service...
(LAUGHTER)
... in which you didn't understand a word of what the minister was actually saying.
So I think you came to a better understanding of the Scottish contribution to the United Kingdom from that.
You asked about the single most important bilateral relationship for Britain, and I think President Bush has answered that; that that is the view of the United States as well.
Call it the special relationship, call it, as Churchill did, the joint inheritance, call it, when we meet, as a form of homecoming, as President Reagan did, then you see the strength of this relationship, as I've said, is not just built on the shared problems that we have to deal with together or on the shared history, but is built, as President Bush has just said, on shared values. And these are values that he rightly says are universal. They're the belief in the dignity of the individual; the freedom and liberty that we can bring to the world; and a belief that everyone -- everyone -- should have a chance of opportunity. And I do see this relationship strengthening in the years to come, because it is the values that we believe in that I think will have most impact as we try to solve the problems that we face right across the world.
And in a sense, the battle that we are facing with international terrorism is a battle between our values, which stress the dignity of every individual, and those who would maim and murder irrespective of faith, indifferent to human life, often simply for propaganda effect, and, of course, with devastating effects, both on the communities that they claim to represent and the whole world.
So I want to stress the values that we hold in common, not in an abstract way, but in a very positive and concrete way. Because I think the more we debate these issues about how the world will be organized to face international terrorism, the more we come back to the values that unite decent, hardworking people right across the world, whatever the faith, whatever the country, whatever the continent.
And it's been a privilege to be able to have these discussions with the president about how we can deal with all these challenges by applying not just our values, but applying the strength that comes from the strong relationship that exists between our two countries.
BUSH: Good job. Thank you.
BROWN: Thank you very much.
BUSH: Glad you all are here.
You better cover up your bald head. It's getting hot out here.
(LAUGHTER)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
