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Humberto Downgraded to Tropical Storm; President Bush to Deliver Speech on Iraq; U.S. Ally Killed by Roadside Bomb in Ramadi

Aired September 13, 2007 - 11:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning once again, everybody. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM on this Thursday, the 13th of September.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Minutes ago, Humberto losing its hurricane status. The surprise storm still a potential floodmaker for Texas and Louisiana.

An important U.S. ally killed in Iraq today. This sheikh turned against al Qaeda and joined the fight with U.S. troops.

Labor Day comes in June next year. Russians get a day off work to make babies.

Population booster, in the NEWSROOM.

An unexpected hurricane downgraded to a tropical storm just minutes ago. Humberto blew up, then blew into southeastern Texas overnight. The intensity catching many forecasters and local officials by surprise.

Humberto made landfall just north of Galveston with 85-mile-an- hour winds. It could dump more than a foot of rain over isolated parts of Texas and Louisiana. Texas still saturated from one of the wettest summers on record. Louisiana under a state of emergency right now as Humberto moves through. The storm warning area includes a parish hit by Hurricane Rita two years ago.

Rob Marciano joining us now. He's been following this storm all morning long.

OK. So a tropical storm now. No longer a hurricane.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's the good news.

COLLINS: Yes, good news.

MARCIANO: Also some good news is that some areas are going to get rain needed, but that's not for the next day. So, we're in -- right now we're in a strong tropical storm. We've already seen it come ashore earlier today as a moderate Category 1 storm, a Category 1 hurricane right there. And since then it has traversed across southeast Texas, now into southwest Louisiana. And the center of which is right about there, just north of Lake Charles, and about 75 miles west-northwest of Lafayette, Louisiana, which is getting the bulk of the rain right now.

But you can already see that it's drying out through south Texas. Most of Texas is now dry. Parts of Cameron Parish and Calcasieu Parish are now dry as well, as the dry spot works its way in. But, Lafayette to Baton Rouge, up through Alexandria, in through parts of southwest Mississippi now, the rainfall beginning to infiltrate that area.

This will continue to weaken, as you would imagine, which is typical for these storms the more inland they are. So here's the forecast track now out of the National Hurricane Center.

Traversing across central parts of Louisiana, across the Mississippi and into Mississippi itself by tomorrow morning as a tropical depression. And then most of the rain shield by then will probably be in this area, in an area that probably -- that needs the rain for the most part. That's not to say there is not going to be flooding. There can be a tremendous amount of rain with any tropical system on the order of five to 10 inches, but they -- so they may have to deal with some flooding in order to get some benefit in the way of relieving some of the drought.

Here's some of your mile-per-hour wind gusts. So certainly enough to do damage. And now, the other bit of good news, Heidi, is that this watch box, the red box you see there on your screen disappearing, that's a tornado watch that has been allowed to expire by the Storm Prediction Center.

So, that is the latest on Humberto. Still a formidable storm, but conditions beginning to improve from west to east.

COLLINS: Yes. Very good. Thank you for that. Rob Marciano, we'll keep in touch with you.

And meanwhile, if you are being soaked by Humberto or know someone who is, send us an I-Report. You can go to CNN.com and click on "I-Report," or just type i-Report@CNN.com into your cell phone. You can share your photos or video with us that way. Of course your safety does come first, so be careful when you're doing this.

Meanwhile, want to get back to the situation we've been telling you about at Detroit Metro Airport. These pictures coming in from our affiliate WDIV.

If you didn't hear us earlier reporting about Northwest airlines having to shut down its terminal because of a suspicious package, we now have more information coming to us from the TSA, telling us that the canine unit actually hit on this suspicious package. The dogs are the ones who actually noticed in a delivery area of McNamara Terminal. They closed down the checkpoint and then sort of established a perimeter about 300 feet in circumference, which means that includes areas where people arrive and depart the airport. So everything's shut down, inbound traffic completely stopped. So, as we heard earlier, not quite sure how that will affect air travel in and out of Detroit, but we will continue to watch that situation for you right here on CNN.

President Bush already facing a skeptical audience in tonight's primetime address.

CNN White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano is setting the stage for us today.

Elaine, we are suspecting that we're going to hear more from the president about this possible troop drawdown, about 30,000 troops, perhaps? What else are we likely to hear?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And we should specify here we're talking about combat troops, so that number is closer to about 21,500.

But President Bush is expected to reiterate what we've heard him talk about in the past, and that includes trying to draw a connection between success in Iraq and security in the United States. The president as well is expected, according to a senior administration official, to recap some of the security gains on the ground in the Al Anbar province of Iraq.

Now, on the heels of that congressional testimony by General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, the president is expected to go through and sign off on the general's recommendations, including the notion of drawing down U.S. forces, possibly combat forces, by next July, depending on conditions on the ground. Democrats argue that that doesn't amount to a change in policy or a shift in strategy at all. They note that the surge was already slated to come to an end because of limits on troop rotations.

The White House insists though it is a change and they say that it reflects that the surge is working.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: You don't have the same country you had in 2006. You're assuming that nothing has changed. The whole -- what General Petraeus is saying is that you are able to move forces out as a result of success. Not simply -- this is not an exercise to get to a number.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, President Bush is also expected to talk about the U.S. mission in Iraq over time, transitioning to more of a partnership with the Iraqi. That's not something new, Heidi. We've heard that before. What's different now though, the Bush administration is going to be pointing to what they see as clear evidence that the strategy in Iraq is working -- Heidi.

COLLINS: And also, Elaine, talk about the bigger picture a little bit, if you would, for tonight. What really is at stake for the president?

QUIJANO: Bottom line, it's Republican support. This is a president that before Congress went on its recess saw some Republican defections. Now it appears, at least in the near term, Republicans will remain with the president. But, this is a White House that understands full well, unless there is some kind of movement at the very top levels in Baghdad when it comes to the issue of political reconciliation, that the White House could well lose the support of Republicans when it comes to the Iraq policy.

That is why we're going to hear President Bush emphasize so- called bottom-up political progress, progress at the grassroots level. The president believes that can be replicated in other areas, not just Al Anbar.

The president also believes that that can effectively lay the groundwork for national reconciliation to take place. But of course, Heidi, the president's critics say what happened in Anbar is a much different situation than the rest of Iraq. And they say that those deep sectarian divisions that exist in Iraq, no amount of U.S. forces, they say, will be able to push Iraqis together unless they want to do it themselves -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. Well, we will be watching obviously very closely here as well.

Thanks so much.

Elaine Quijano from the White House today.

And count on CNN to bring you the most comprehensive coverage of the presidential address tonight. Join the best political team on television for a special two-hour "SITUATION ROOM" beginning at 7:00 Eastern. Also watch a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE" immediately following the president's address.

That's all tonight right here on CNN.

And new developments this morning out of Iraq. A major U.S. ally lost to a roadside bombing. His death a major blow now as President Bush prepares to convince the nation political progress is being made.

CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Baghdad with all of the unfolding details about this sheikh that has been so important to the U.S. efforts there -- Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, good morning.

As you mentioned, Sheikh Sattar Abu Risha, a key, really, if not instrumental ally, in the U.S. military strategy, we've heard so much about, to divide the Sunni population in that western Al Anbar province, just a few hours ago assassinated outside his home. It was just 10 days ago the sheikh was seen with President Bush on his visit to the Al Anbar province. He was put forward, as he already has been within Iraq, as a symbol of the people in that area and elsewhere rising up against al Qaeda.

We have some new information to bring you within the past hour. We've spoken to the deputy head of the council that the sheikh headed. He has told us this attack took place within a secure zone around the sheikh's house, a presumably secure zone.

As the sheikh was going within his own -- protected not just by his own security, but by members of Iraq's police force, as he was going from his home to his farm, that is when this IED was detonated. Was it done so remotely? Was it done by someone inside that security zone? And to begin with, how did it penetrate that outer security ring?

These are all critical questions being asked right now.

It is a state of emergency right now in that western Al Anbar province. They are expecting some sort of reaction, an outpouring, essentially, one would assume, of grief, because this man really stood up and became a national voice.

It was just yesterday, Heidi, that the Arabic language Al Arabiya network aired an interview they had conducted with the sheikh. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SATTAR ABU RISHA (through translator): No to terrorism after today. No to radicalism. The only alternative is the army and the police and implementing law and order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAMAN: For a Sunni sheikh who was not directly affiliated with the government, Heidi, to say that shows how much effort, how much work had been done over the past few months.

In terms of who's behind this, the deputy head of that council says of course their top suspect, al Qaeda. For the sheikh -- for them, the sheikh is a clear target. But he also said while he doesn't think the Iraqi government had anything to do with this, that political parties have re-emerged in that area.

That suggests perhaps Sunni-on-Sunni tension. Other conspiracy theories will likely come about. But all eyes now on that investigation and how this could have happened to such a prominent figure at such a critical time -- Heidi.

COLLINS: No question about that. And the other question, too, obviously, would be, what happens next? I mean, what are the implications on the ground going to be immediately after this?

RAMAN: Yes, for the U.S. military this will be key. One of two things, in essence, could happen.

Does the population in Al Anbar province, populations elsewhere that I've been south of Baghdad, where they're trying to do this same model, divide the people against al Qaeda, do they feel emboldened against al Qaeda because of this, further anger, fury? All of that is what caused them to turn against al Qaeda to begin with. Or does it renew the fear and trickle it down to the Sunni sheikhs the U.S. military is just now talking to? Do they now have new found trepidation of joining with the U.S. military and turning against al Qaeda?

How this plays out, we won't see it in an immediate sense, but we'll have to watch it closely because it is key to the success that we've heard so much about out of the surge in U.S. forces -- Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. CNN's Aneesh Raman coming to us live from Baghdad.

Aneesh, thank you.

And we are also keeping an eye on a massive fire back here in the United States. Warren County, Missouri, to be exact.

It's at an oil company there. Smoke billowing high into the air above a warehouse at the Warrenton Oil Company. We're told more than 100 firefighters from four different counties are battling the flames. They've been warned there are items inside that could explode.

Hazardous materials crews monitoring the air quality. No injuries and no evacuations reported at this time. The blaze started before 6:00 this morning. The cause not yet known.

A young woman tortured in West Virginia. More details coming out now about a crime almost beyond comprehension.

Also, takeout, breakout. Inmates place an order and it's to go.

Ice caper escape ahead.

Plus, seismic shakedown in Indonesia. Strong earthquakes and aftershocks sparking fear all across the country.

And an Iraqi boy scarred in a devastating attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Youssif is reluctant, perhaps haunted by the pain he suffered in Baghdad's hospitals. But the little man was brave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Youssif finding hope and help in America. The long road to healing.

But first, our News Quiz now. When did the U.S. ban the use of lead paint in toys?

We'll tell you straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: We have been following Hurricane Humberto, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. But nonetheless, quite a bit of damage.

This just coming in to us now from the Houston area and our affiliate KHOU. Some live pictures.

Look at that. This is obviously a residential area, a home there. The roof just ripped right off the top of that structure. You see debris all over the ground.

Want to go ahead and bring in Rob Marciano, our meteorologist who has been following this as well.

Quite a bit of destruction here, Rob.

MARCIANO: Well, there's -- it is important to note that there have -- there's also the possibility of small tornadoes being embedded within this storm. And you know, you talk about a Category 1 storm that has winds sustained at the inner core of 85 miles an hour.

Typically, we think about winds that will bring down branches at, you know, over 50 miles an hour. We start to talk about power outages. Over 60 and 70 miles an hour, you start to talk about trees being blown down.

COLLINS: Yes.

MARCIANO: But you see that sort of roof and structural damage, it is either a shoddily-constructed building, or this could very well be, you know, one of these small tornadoes that are not always picked up either by radar, not always spotted on the ground because it's either dark or rain-wrapped. It certainly looks to be pretty...

COLLINS: Yes, because I'm just wondering, Rob, if there is any way to estimate what the wind speed might have been at this point here in Houston.

MARCIANO: It's tough to do it with this shot. I mean, even the experts that go in and do storm damage surveys and estimates, they're on the ground. And not only are they on the ground, up close and personal, but they have a guide with them of other pictures of damage to compare it to.

So to take a chopper shot and try to estimate what the damage is and what kind -- what kind of winds there were -- safe to say that winds there were easily over 60 miles an hour, regardless of what that building was made out of. And that certainly jives with...

COLLINS: OK. Yes. And then look at this, also from our affiliate KHOU in the Houston area. We are looking at a high school field, the track there. And then the -- not sure if there's a football field there, but we see lights down and crunched. I mean, look at that. Also, I think that scoreboard we saw was completely knocked off of its post as well.

MARCIANO: The higher up you go, the stronger those winds are going to get. So, some of those high school football lights and stadiums certainly are up there 100 or so feet, which will lead them to be a little bit weaker.

I'd like to get a better locator than saying Houston, Texas, because this is certainly well east of Texas, if indeed it is associated with Hurricane Humberto, as it came ashore. Certainly -- that's incredible. That looks to me more like some sort of a tornado damage. So I'll try to get -- try to get -- I'll work with our affiliate there to see exactly where this was shot.

COLLINS: Yes. We're going to do that. And I don't know if you know -- I know I do not, but we know that the nickname for this high school that we showed just a few minutes ago is the Fighting Cardinals. So if you know where the Fighting Cardinals are, Rob, then we would have a great idea of exactly where in the Houston area we would be looking at.

MARCIANO: Well, you know, the folks who are from Texas are certainly proud of their high school football.

COLLINS: Yes.

MARCIANO: So I'm guessing there is at least one or two viewers right now who are saying, "I know where the Fighting Cardinals are."

COLLINS: Yes. All right.

MARCIANO: So send us -- send us that information and we'll know exactly where this is taking -- but damage from Hurricane Humberto, be it from the storm itself or a resulting tornado, this is what these tropical systems can do. And be it a tropical storm or, in this case, a moderate hurricane, it is certainly nothing to be sneezing at.

You know, we've been kind of -- known in the past few years, Heidi, with these storms coming in, Cat 3, Cat 4, Cat 5s, and we sometimes think that a Cat 1 can't do damage. And certainly this is showing us that it can happen.

Can I read you something that's just coming down off the wires?

COLLINS: Absolutely.

MARCIANO: The discussion from the National Hurricane -- so the forecast discussion, which can often get very technical. But sometimes there is a bit of personal touch in here.

And the last line out of forecaster Franklin (ph) I found to be very interesting. He says, "To put this development in perspective, no tropical cyclone in the historical record has ever reached this intensity at a faster rate near landfall. It would be nice to know some day," he says, "why this happened."

So the forecasters at the National Hurricane Center dumbfounded by why this storm strengthened...

COLLINS: Really?

MARCIANO: ... to which it did at the rate it did, so close to landfall. And that's one of the reasons we all got caught by surprise by this. And the folks who live in southeast Texas are picking up the pieces.

And the buoys out there, you know, a lot of measurements for water temperatures. You might say, well, temperatures, maybe they're close to 90 degrees, you throw out the whole global warming argument.

COLLINS: Yes.

MARCIANO: Eighty-five degrees, 84, 85 degrees, that's not unusual for the Gulf of Mexico this time of year. So...

COLLINS: Yes. All right.

MARCIANO: It's another one of these humbling forecasting things, you know, that fascinates us. And now we're seeing the damage of it from a tropical storm.

COLLINS: Yes, that's for sure. Some of these pictures obviously the first that we're getting in from the damage.

And I think I can clarify now, too. We've done a little research here and we have heard from some people, Rob, about the video that we are seeing coming to us specifically from High Island, Texas. Also believe that that is the same location for the high school where we showed you that track and football field pretty torn up. The lights and the scoreboard down.

MARCIANO: That's where -- that's where it came on shore. That's pretty much the landfall spot down there in Jefferson County.

COLLINS: OK.

MARCIANO: Extreme southeast of Texas, right on the shore line. That's where a number of our affiliates have been reporting from that -- one of our affiliate reporters says -- filed earlier this morning where he was getting blown around pretty good by wind and rain. That's exactly where he was.

COLLINS: Yes. In fact, you know, now that you've been able to at least determine the best that we can that this is likely more than from the hurricane when it made landfall, as opposed to a possible tornado, wouldn't we see a lot more water accumulate? I'm just looking at these shots. I don't see a ton of that.

MARCIANO: Well, it's been dry there now for a good four or five hours. And now the sun has come up. And all of Texas now dry as the storm continues to exit to the east. This is probably just the eye wall damage, which when you talk about sustained winds at 85 miles an hour, that doesn't include higher gusts that could often exceed well over 100 miles an hour. And that would explain some of the damage that we're seeing now out of High Island, Texas -- Heidi.

COLLINS: OK.

All right. Rob, thanks so much. We will continue to watch these pictures.

Again, some of the first live pictures of the aftermath of what was known as Hurricane Humberto, now downgraded to a tropical storm.

We'll continue to bring those to you as we get them in.

Meanwhile, Web site spat. Fred Thompson's campaign points the finger at Mitt Romney's team over a fake Web site. Romney says, it wasn't me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A few minutes ago before the break we asked you when the U.S. banned the use of lead paint on toys. Well, it might not feel like it today, but it was actually a long time ago. The latest report out. That answer -- 1978.

China's massive toy recalls, who is to blame? That depends on who you ask.

CNN's Brian Todd explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Millions of Chinese- made toys contaminated with dangerous lead paint on American shelves. At least one child dies after swallowing lead jewelry.

Three high-profile recalls this summer alone, all involving Mattel, the world's number one toy maker. Its CEO, called before Congress, apologizes, but also blames Chinese subcontractors.

ROBERT ECKERT, CEO, MATTEL, INC.: Our systems were circumvented and our standards were violated.

TODD: But senators relay charges of a cynical corporate giant cutting corners.

SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D-IL), DEMOCRATIC WHIP: Critics would say Mattel knew what they were doing. They were looking for the cheapest places in the world to make their toys, so they found a country with the lowest wage scale, with virtually no environmental standards and very basically no safety inspection, so why should we be surprised at the outcome?

ECKERT: To me, the issue here hasn't been where these products are made or what the rules are. Have we done everything we can to insure their safety?

TODD: Robert Eckert says Mattel is doing that; now testing the paint before and after toys are produced, placing auditors on factory floors. For some recalled toys that are choking hazards, Chinese officials blame in part, the manufacturer's design flaws, which Mattel denies. Critics also charge the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which oversees toy safety, doesn't find deficient toys until they're already on American shelves. Consumer groups say that agency doesn't have the authority or the resources.

SALLY GREENBERG, CONSUMERS UNION: They have got one person testing toys, their lab is -- looks like an old college friend's dorm room.

TODD: The result of massive budget and staff cuts. Who gets the blame for that?

JOE ENOCH, CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM: It's all because the Bush administration has decreased their funding. And there is no doubt that right now the agency is at the lowest point it has ever been in its history.

TODD (on camera): A White house official told me it's far more complex than that, that the CPSC could never have enough money or personnel to inspect everything. He says the administration has increased that agency's funding every year and has created another import safety group to monitor those products as well.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Heidi Collins. Tony Harris is off today.

We are learning more about the case of a woman police say was tortured in West Virginia. Twenty-year-old Megan Williams is recovering today. Police now saying six people accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and torturing her could face more state charges, but they will not face federal hate crimes, at least for now.

The county prosecutor says Williams, an African-American, had a previous relationship with one of the accused. He did not elaborate on the type of relationship.

All of those charged are white. Also allegations Williams was forced to eat rat and dog feces and drink from a toilet. The prosecutor planning to seek maximum prison time for the kidnapping charge.

The ice man comes, the inmates go. Officials at a Tennessee jail say seven inmates escaped after asking a guard for ice, then attacking him when he brought it back. Three of the inmates have been picked up since the Tuesday night breakout. The hunt is still on for the other four. They were in jail on misdemeanors and were not considered dangerous. The guard was treated for minor injuries.

Humberto's damage. New pictures coming in to us. A live shot here coming out of KTRK, our affiliate in Fannett, Texas. The storm loses its hurricane punch and fades into a rain maker.

But, again, we are now seeing some of the damage it left behind. That forecast from the CNN Hurricane Center coming your way up next.

Close call: A wildfire in southern California. The commute for some growing a little longer now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: We are tracking Humberto right now. It was downgraded to a tropical storm less than an hour ago, but just now getting into CNN here some of the live pictures of the damage afterwards. This from our KHOU affiliate in High Island, Texas. And Rob Marciano was telling us earlier this is basically right where Hurricane Humberto came into land.

We're also getting information just a couple of minutes ago here that apparently an 80-year-old man was killed this morning. He was standing out on his deck and sort of watching Hurricane Humberto when an aluminum roof collapsed on him. So once again, this is the first death that we have heard about. Not sure if these numbers will change. But an 80-year-old man in Texas was killed. It appears to be in the Houston area, the same area we are getting some of these live pictures in. Right now looking at that satellite there, live pictures tracking this storm system. Once again, Hurricane Humberto downgraded to a tropical storm. Want to go ahead and show you the rest of these as we get them in.

Boy, quite a bit of damage. We were talking with Rob Marciano earlier who was trying to determine before we knew for sure whether or not this was a tornado-type damage or actually directly from Hurricane Humberto when it made landfall. There was a reporter from one of our affiliates there, KTRK, who was actually in the thick of it all when the hurricane came in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WAYNE DOLCEFINO, KTRK REPORTER: We think this is ground zero, Gilchrist, just between Crystal Beach and High Island. The worst wind and rain we've seen. The power is out. The only light, our floodlight shining on me as I try is to stand just off Highway 87. The wind and the rain, the rain really started to sting as it comes ashore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Meanwhile, if you are currently being soaked by Humberto or know someone who is, send us an i-Report, if you would. Just go to CNN.com and click on i-Report, or type i-Report@CNN.com into your cell phone and share your photos or video. Remember, of course, your safety does come first, so be careful if you decide to take some of those pictures for us.

More information we're getting in here in the CNN NEWSROOM. A live pictures coming our way from Cutler Bay, Florida. This is in the Miami-Dade area. We are learning not a lot of information here, but we are learning from the police department in Miami-Dade two officers are down, once again in Cutler Bay, Florida. Really just don't know any more than that. But our affiliate there, WFOR, is bringing us these live pictures. Right now you see some rescue crews and other police in the area. Have no idea what the incident was that may have led to this. Only know that two officers are down from the Miami-Dade police department.

We will continue to follow this as well, bring you more information just as soon as we get it.

A deadly rocket attack on an American Nerve Center in Iraq, fallout echoing from Washington to Tehran today. The U.S. military says a rocket that struck Camp Victory near Baghdad had links to Iran. A military spokesman says Shiite militants launched it, apparently ignoring orders to stand down by their leader, Muqtada al-Sadr. One person was killed in the attack, 11 soldiers were wounded. Washington has long accused Tehran of meddling in the war. Iran denies it.

President Bush addressing the nation tonight. His prime-time speech focusing on Iraq, specifically what his administration calls bottom-up political progress. The president will argue that progress is being made in Iraq, and now is the time to build on it. He's also expected to announce the withdrawal of some 30,000 U.S. troops by next summer. Critics say that's nothing to celebrate. They say it merely reduces troop numbers to the beginning of the year before the so- called surge.

Count on CNN to bring you the most comprehensive coverage of that presidential address tonight. Join us for a special two-hour "SITUATION ROOM" starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. We'll also bring you a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE" following the president's address. That's all tonight right here on CNN.

Raising awareness, or anxiety? Controversy around a new ad urging women to undergo genetic testing.

And an Iraqi boy scarred in a devastating attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Youssif is reluctant, perhaps haunted by the pain he suffered in Baghdad's hospitals. But the little man was brave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Youssif finding hope and help in America. The long road to healing.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: Just getting some more information in about this situation in Cutler Bay, Florida, that's Miami-Dade County. We had learned from Miami-Dade police that apparently two officers were down, but we really didn't know why.

I'm reading this now as I go here, so bear with me, but they were apparently -- the police responding to the reports of someone who had barricaded himself inside, I believe a home there. There are about 13 police units currently responding as we look at those live pictures coming in from our affiliate WFOR. So quite a few people, of course, in the area now.

But once again, two Miami-Dade police officers are down. Apparently, they were responding to some reports that had come in of someone who'd barricaded themselves inside a home in this area, Cutler Bay, Florida. And that is about all we have at this time, except for the fact that it may be an indication of the seriousness of the injuries. But still not sure on that. Two Miami-Dade fire air rescue choppers are also responding.

Getting a little bit more info in here now as well. Apparently the Florida Highway Patrol is assisting. They have been asked by the Miami-Dade police department to be on the lookout for a white Honda with a black hood. Again, it's a white Honda with a black hood that they are pursuing, possibly a Honda Civic. Not sure on that.

But once again, this coming in from our Miami bureau. And apparently the suspect in the shooting is believed to be in that car. Continuing to look at those live pictures there. And we will bring you more information again on these two officers apparently down in Cutler Bay, Florida, Miami-Dade County there.

A controversial new television ad is making headlines today. It urges women to get a genetic test to see if they are likely to get breast cancer. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Breast cancer runs in my family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My grandmother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My dad's sisters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wonder if it would be inevitable.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I found out it didn't have to be. I found out my risk through brack (ph) analysis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The ad sponsor says it has an obligation to educate women about genetic testing, but critics say the ad unnecessarily scares women. I talked with our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH COHEN, MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: If a woman were to sit down and watch this ad, she might think, oh, gosh, I'm nervous, I want to go get myself tested now, maybe I have these genes, called the bracko (ph) genes, that'll make me more likely to get breast cancer, when the reality is that a relatively small number of women have these genes.

In fact, these genes account for, or cause, only about 2 percent of all breast cancers. So people like the Connecticut attorney general are asking the question, is this fear-mongering among women?

COLLINS: But sometimes ads are pretty short. Most of the time, about 30 seconds or so, and they don't mention some of the pitfalls of genetic testing. What about those?

COHEN: Right, there are some problems with genetic testing. First of all, you'll probably be -- you'll likely be out about $3,000 because insurance often doesn't cover this kind of genetic testing and it's expensive.

And secondly, let's say you're positive. There is a possibility that you're going to have a hard time getting life or health insurance because if you're positive, it means that you have up to an 80 percent chance that you're going to get breast cancer. That's a very high risk.

COLLINS: Yes.

COHEN: And also, you have to think about -- yes, very high risk. Also, you have to think, Heidi, what am I going to do if I'm positive? If I find out that I've got a high likelihood of having breast cancer, am I going to remove my breasts, am I going to have them surgically removed? That's a huge step. Am I going to tell my sisters and have them worry about their own health circumstances? There are a lot of questions that people don't always think about before they get testing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: And Connecticut's attorney general is actually investigating the ad now to see if the company can back up its claims.

To get your daily dose of health news online, logon to our Web site, you'll find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness. The address: CNN.com/health.

"YOUR WORLD TODAY" is coming up in about ten minutes from now. Hala Gorani will be on the program today.

Hi there, Hala.

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, Heidi. Well, join Jim Clancy and myself at the top of the hour. We'll take you around the world on "YOUR WORLD TODAY," and we're going to start in Iraq, a major development. A Sunni tribal sheikh who was helping Americans combat al Qaeda assassinated. How will this affect the U.S. strategy that is hailed as a success story by President Bush and General David Petraeus?

Also, a second chance at childhood for a young Iraqi boy. We follow the story of Youssif who was horrifically burned in an attack in Baghdad. Well, he's now in the U.S. We'll speak to the doctor who will perform a surgery on him.

Also, "3:10 to Yuma," the top grossing movie at the box office this week, a conversation with one of the movie's stars on "YOUR WORLD TODAY," Russell Crowe. Why he chose the role and what his next projects are. There's a rumor he might be in the next "Star Trek." He tells us if it's true or not, so tune in for that.

COLLINS: Really? Fascinating. All right, we'll be watching all of it. Hala Gorani, thank you.

GORANI: All right.

COLLINS: Close call, a wildfire in southern California. The commute for some people growing a bit longer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: All right, here's some more video that we're getting in from the scene that we've been telling you about in Cutler Bay, Florida. If you're not familiar, it is in Miami-Dade. We had learned a moment ago that there were two officers down in this area. We now see someone on a stretcher being taken to or out of -- guys, I didn't see the very beginning of this -- of one of the choppers that was flown in, a rescue chopper, to help in this situation.

Don't want to speculate, but obviously if we know that there were two officers down, it is likely that this is one of the officers being attended to here. Do not know the nature of the injuries. Don't know much, either, about what may have happened to lead up to this.

But apparently, they were responding to reports of someone who had barricaded themselves inside their home. We just lost that picture now, but we now know that they were being loaded -- or at least one person was being loaded on to this rescue chopper. Don't know exactly where it's going, but likely some type of medical facility.

Again, we will continue to follow this story for you. Two officers down. Miami-Dade police department telling us this out of Cutler Bay, Florida. We'll watch that story and those live pictures, continue to monitor them.

A brush fire in remote southern California nearly contained now, but not before disrupting traffic. Look at those flames happening east of San Diego near Lake Elsinore. Police closed two roads as the fire got close. And fire officials also concerned the flames would threaten homes in the Ortega Mountains. Still no evacuations ordered, but the fire now 75 percent contained.

Humberto's damage, new pictures coming in. The storm loses its hurricane punch and fades into a rainmaker. The forecast from the CNN hurricane center coming up.

And, have a baby? Win valuable prizes. A Russian region makes an offer it hopes couples just can't refuse. That's coming up on "YOUR WORLD TODAY."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Quickly want to get you back to some of these live pictures that we have been watching now from our affiliate WPLG, Cutler Bay, Florida, where we've learned from the police department there, Miami-Dade police department, that two officers were down in this area. Apparently they had responded to someone who had barricaded themselves inside. These live pictures now of sirens going and police cars going very quickly, imagining that one of those officers may be inside that rescue vehicle.

We watched moments ago as another one of them, likely the other police officer, was loaded into a helicopter, an air rescue chopper, hopefully being taken to some type of medical facility. Trying to learn more about the condition and how this all went down.

But we will continue to watch that for you out of Cutler Bay, Florida, our affiliate WFOR.

Also, continue to watch some of these new pictures coming in, these live now from KTRK, our affiliate in Fannett, Texas. The aftermath, look at that, of Hurricane Humberto. Now, downgraded to a tropical storm, but this is the area -- one of the areas, where the hurricane just had come on shore. This island now, High Island, Texas, and our affiliate KHOU. You can see the massive amount of rain that came down. Looks like it might still be coming -- I can't quite tell from there, but quite a bit of rain.

We also know that there has been one death, an 80-year-old man was killed as he stood outside to watch the hurricane come ashore. We will continue to follow those numbers, any injuries and fatalities and update you there.

Meanwhile, CNN NEWSROOM continues just one hour from now, and "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe and here at home.

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