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Terror Attack Attempt "Certain"; Three U.S. Troops Killed; Big Bonuses are Back; Jackson's Doctor Ready to Surrender; Autism-Vaccine Link Retraction

Aired February 03, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. It's 9:00 a.m. in the east, 6:00 a.m. out west. We're working several developing stories for you this morning.

So are you ready for the next shoe to drop in the Michael Jackson case? His physician, Conrad Murray, expected to surrender to police at any time. We're staking it out.

And then listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't have closure. We don't have a closure and we don't have the answers as to why. Nothing else makes sense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A grieving husband searches for answers. His wife is dead and he says Toyota is to blame. It's the next ripple from the recall.

And real concerns over a fake fed. Police say a man impersonates a U.S. Marshal, breezes past the TSA workers at the airport. Oh, and he also deported a relative. Yes, this is not that typical story that you'll find easy to believe.

Well, it's been an action-packed morning in the NEWSROOM. Let's walk you through some of our coverage right now.

Homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve following a chilling development. Intelligence officials say that an attempted terror attack on the U.S. is, quote, "certain."

Reza Sayah following the deaths of three U.S. soldiers in Pakistan. The Americans part of a little-known mission to train local forces.

And Ted Rowlands is outside the courthouse in Los Angeles keeping an eye on Michael Jackson's doctor. Will Conrad Murray surrender?

Well, if it keeps a CIA director up at night, you know it's serious. If 9/11 is a distant memory for you, don't let your guard down. U.S. intelligence chiefs making no bones about it. An attempted terror attack is, quote, "certain."

Does that get your attention? Well, it got ours.

Our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve takes us to Capitol Hill now for the chilling and conclusive response.

Jeanne?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the top guns from all of the intelligence agencies were on the Hill to give their threat assessment when Senator Dianne Feinstein got to the bottom line. Asking about the likelihood of another attempted terrorist attack in the next three to six months.

The director of National Intelligence, Admiral Dennis Blair, said an attempted attack is certain. CIA director Leon Panetta, FBI director Robert Mueller, and others, all concurred.

Panetta voiced concern about al Qaeda's ability to adapt and innovate and about its affiliates in places like Yemen and Somalia. Notably, Blair led off his presentation talking about the nation's vulnerability to cyber attack, saying malicious cyber activity is occurring on an unprecedented scale with extraordinary sophistication -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jeanne Meserve, we'll follow it.

And the U.S. trying to make strides in Pakistan but it isn't easy. Today a town celebrating the re-opening of a girls school -- the U.S. helped rebuild it, by the way -- but militants wanted to tear it down again. A bomb attack there wounded some of the students and killed three U.S. soldiers.

CNN's Reza Sayah joins us now live from Islamabad.

So, Reza, were the U.S. troops the target?

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, military officials here in Pakistan say it is too early to tell. They're investigating but certainly it looks like they were the target.

Kyra, it's very rare for U.S. soldiers to be killed by militants here in Pakistan. But it did happen today. And you can be sure this is going to be a huge boost to the Pakistani Taliban here.

Let's go ahead and give you the latest details. According to the Pakistani Army, this was a convoy of several vehicles that was hit by a powerful roadside bomb. Among those killed, three American soldiers.

The U.S., of course, does not have soldiers here in Pakistan engaged in combat, but they do have soldiers here, military personnel, training Pakistani security forces, and these three soldiers were members of the U.S. Special Forces, and they were the individuals killed, according to the U.S. embassy here and the Pentagon. Two other U.S. soldiers killed as well, one Pakistani soldier killed and three school children, also part of the fatalities. That's the other tragedy in this story. The blast taking place right next to a girls' school.

Take a listen to the number of injured. According to a police official, 98 people were injured. A hospital official telling CNN 120 people were injured, 80 of them school children.

It gives you an idea of how powerful this blast was. This attack taking place in the district of Lower Dir. Again, this is very rare for U.S. soldiers to be killed by militants in Pakistan, Kyra. The last time it happened, a suicide trucking bombing, right here in Islamabad targeting the Marriott Hotel. Two military personnel killed back then.

PHILLIPS: And Reza, we should point out, that's why training is so crucial right now, U.S. troops trying to train Pakistanis to be able to weed out these terrorist attacks.

SAYAH: Yes. No question about it. In this attack is a big blow to what the Obama administration is trying to do with their new strategy. Again, they've come under a lot of criticism for focusing too much on a military strategy and being here in this region.

So what they've done is focus on economic development, and also focus on training Pakistani troops. And that's what these Special Forces were here doing, training Pakistani troops.

And also they were headed to a school that was being rebuilt. This is a school, a girls' school, that was previously destroyed by the militants and was rebuilt by humanitarian funds.

And here you have this new strategy by the Obama administration taking a huge blow with this attack this morning.

PHILLIPS: Reza Sayah live from Islamabad. Reza, thanks.

Ten Americans jailed in Haiti accused of trying to steal children. Well, in less than an hour, they've got some more answers to the questions. A judge heard from half the group yesterday asking them what they thought they were doing with 33 Haitian children.

The American missionaries say they had permission, but no papers. Oh, yes, then not all the kids were orphans. There are no charges yet. And as soon as there are any new developments, we will bring that to you live.

So remember those big, fat bonuses? Well, they're back. While your tax money bailed out AIG, now they're set to hand out $100 million in rewards. But it's not to you.

CNN's Christine Romans joins us live from New York.

You know, what gives, Christine? CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the same big pot of money we've been hearing about and the American public's been outraged about, Kyra, for over a year. Another big set of bonuses set to go out. This is all based on a 2007 contract with the AIG financial products division. The very division that wrote those insurance contracts that turned out to be so, so detrimental to the company.

We think about $100 million is due to some these employees at AIG. And AIG tells us that the staff has agreed -- much of the staff, 97 percent of the staff, has agreed to take pay cuts. Pay cuts, Kyra, to the tune of $20 million. So those are voluntary pay cuts.

And the company says that, quote, "We believe this allows us to largely put this matter behind us." That's what Mark Herr, an AIG spokesperson, says.

This is the third big installment of $435 million worth of bonuses that when they first became public late -- early last year, you'll recall, just caused a whole host of problems in controversy for this company.

The idea that the American public could pump $181 billion into this company to keep it afloat after it made such terrible -- the financial products division made such terrible decisions that the American public could pump that money in, and then people could be paid $100 million, $200 million, in the end $400 million.

It's something that just outraged people, outraged Congress. This is the third and we think final installment of all that money. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: The third and final installment. We shall see. Right?

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: We keep -- there's always a follow-up to the follow- up. All right, what about...

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: Yes?

ROMANS: Kyra, it's the bailout that doesn't go away.

PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly.

ROMANS: I mean it's the outrage that just keeps on giving. I mean it just keeps happening. It's incredible. But you're right, $100 million more.

PHILLIPS: Yes. And we still have, you know, hundreds of thousands of people without a job.

All right. Your "Romans' Numeral" for us this morning. ROMANS: And that brings me perfectly to that point. The "Romans' Numeral" is $50,303. This is a sum of money that most American families can understand because this is the median house household income for a family in this country right now.

$50,303. Compare that with $100 million divided by somewhere under 400 people and you understand why taxpayers get so upset after pumping $181 billion into a company and still knowing that there are some very big bonuses going out, for whatever reason.

Even if they're less than they're contractually obligated for. Still, people understand $50,303. That's how much the average family takes home.

PHILLIPS: Yes. That's right. It's hard to understand the billions of dollars in bonuses.

ROMANS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Christine, thanks.

ROMANS: Sure.

PHILLIPS: We've seen the grief, the tears and the tributes but we haven't even any justice. That could change any minute, though.

About seven months after Michael Jackson's death, the investigation -- the case -- gets ready for a huge step forward.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Severe Weather Center. Snow are now exiting the northeast. Another storm developing in Texas. And just getting word now of a big pile-up near Oklahoma City Interstate 44.

There's been freezing fog, almost daily the past week and some of that fog freezing to the bridges and overpasses and we have injuries reported. Twenty injuries, five of those being transported with minor injuries.

Weather is coming up. Stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, pretty much any minute now we expect to report that Michael Jackson's doctor has surrendered to authorities in L.A. Could be this hour, could be later this morning. Even into the afternoon. Regardless, Dr. Conrad Murray's ready when they're ready.

CNN's Ted Rowlands keeping an eye on the developments for us in Los Angeles.

Ted, it's been a long evening into the morning for you.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And realistically, Kyra, it could, you know, be in the next day or two. According to Dr. Murray and his legal team, they just don't know when and where they're going to surrender.

But Murray has come from Houston to be here in Los Angeles. His legal team is here in Los Angeles and they are waiting and hopefully they want to negotiate where and how this surrender takes place.

They basically do not want any images of Dr. Murray in handcuffs with police officers around him. So they're in Los Angeles to sort of prevent that. If he was in Houston, of course, they would -- after a criminal complaint they would go arrest him.

So what they're trying to set up -- and they may or may not be successful at it -- is a surrender here at the Criminal Courts Building in downtown Los Angeles which of course has a long history of high-profile trials. This is the building where, if this does go to trial, it will take place most likely.

The key here is -- is that being in place from their standpoint keeps them available and he can get here in a moment's notice. The D.A.'s office however is not saying anything about this, only saying that if there is a movement in this case, that everybody will find out at the same time by e-mail.

But clearly there are indications that after, as you mentioned, six-plus months of investigation. This is moving forward in the form of possible criminal charges against the doctor who was with Michael Jackson at the time of his death.

The doctor that treated Michael Jackson in those days and weeks prior to his death and the doctor that has admitted giving Michael Jackson propofol, that anesthesia that is normally used in a clinical setting. He gave it to him in his home.

So we are expecting maybe in the next few hours, maybe in the next few days, charges against Dr. Murray. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right, let us know when something happens. Ted Rowlands, sure appreciate it.

All right, let's head over to Rob Marciano in the Severe Weather Center. What are we talking about? Snow, snow, and more snow?

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: OK. Keep tracking it. I remember as a kid waiting for those snow days.

MARCIANO: Oh yes.

PHILLIPS: Boy. I was listening to the am/fm radio.

MARCIANO: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Hoping that they named your school.

(LAUGHTER)

MARCIANO: Exactly.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: OK. See you.

PHILLIPS: Well, caught on tape. Packing heat in a sandwich shop. Three men looking for more than a free lunch. They scared workers and they ran for their lives.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Top stories now.

Police in Milwaukee looking for three thieves caught on tape. And here's the evidence. Security cameras at the restaurant saw the whole thing. Three employees able to run, lock themselves into the freezers, and the guy with the gun, well, he looked but couldn't find them.

The three men then grabbed the cash -- in the cash registers, rather, and high-tailed it right out of there.

Congressman John Murtha in a Virginia hospital this morning in intensive care. The 77-year-old Pennsylvania Democrat had gallbladder surgery last week and now there are complications. Murtha is chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

And President Obama's old Senate seat in Illinois up for grabs. It's now down to two candidates. The friend of the president, state treasurer Alex Giannoulias -- he actually won yesterday's Democratic primary.

Then you have five-term congressman, Mark Kirk. He took the GOP primary. Voters will make their final decision in November.

And if you have kids, you probably heard it. That certain shot that could give your kids autism. Pretty scary stuff. Right? Well, hold on just a second. The people who sounded the alarm are now backing off.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? It's a debate that raged among parents and one that's divided the autism community. Now one journal that put out a paper showing an autism vaccine link is retracting it.

CNN's senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen here with all the details on this.

Wow, it's like what do you believe?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, well, I got to tell you. This isn't just "a" paper that seemed to show a link. This is kind of "the" paper. This is the paper that started off the entire debate and got people like Jenny McCarthy and others to say, wait a minute, we don't want to vaccinate our children.

So let's take a look. This gets a little complicated so I want to make sure that we all get this.

What happened was that in 1998, a -- study rather was published in "The Lancet," which is a British medical journal, that showed or it sort of indicated a link between autism and childhood vaccines. And then in 2010, "The Lancet" editors said, whoa, hold on a minute, we're retracting that study.

They said that the study wasn't done right, that there were certain issues with it and they say that they want to retract it from the public record.

PHILLIPS: Well, what has been the word from Dr. Wakefield?

COHEN: Right. Of course, Dr. Wakefield, I'm sure was sort of surprised to hear that the person who published the study is now retracting it. So we got a statement from him. And what he said is, "The allegations against me and my colleagues," meaning his co- authors, "are both unfounded and unjust. Research into that possible connection between autism and vaccines is still going on."

Now it's interesting that he names his colleagues. His co- authors actually disowned the paper -- almost all of them, disowned the paper years ago.

PHILLIPS: All right. So bottom line, does this change the debate?

COHEN: You know, I think for parents who were kind of on the fence and weren't sure quite which side to believe, now I think they might see, well, wait a minute, the people who published that original paper showing a link now are retracting it.

I think, though, for people who truly believe that there is a link between autism and vaccines, I think this won't change anything for them. They still believe there is a link. For example, we got this statement from actress and activist Jenny McCarthy. She says, "This is nothing more than a witch hunt. The evidence finding a connection between vaccines and autism continues to grow unabated."

Now, Kyra, we should adhere that pretty much every single pediatrician you could ever ask will tell you get your children vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Institute of Medicine -- I could go on and on -- all say no link between autism and vaccines. Get your kids vaccinated.

PHILLIPS: So you're going to talk more about this with a panel?

COHEN: That's right. We're going to have a panel talking about this because it has been an issue of such great concern to parents in the noon hour.

PHILLIPS: OK. Noon hour. Got it.

COHEN: That's right.

PHILLIPS: Thanks so much. All right, well, let's talk about, you know, your Toyota and getting that Toyota fixed. I mean it would be nice if that could happen. You could go on your merry little way. But you know, hold on a second because this whole gas pedal problem, well, it might just be the beginning of the story.

We'll tell you more about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Kyra Phillips.

PHILLIPS: It's only Wednesday but this has already been quite a week on Wall Street. The Dow has actually jumped by more than 100 points on both Monday and Tuesday.

Stephanie Elam at the New York Stock Exchange.

Wow.

(LAUGHTER)

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I know. And if you take into account last week, Kyra, we've kind of been all over the place.

PHILLIPS: Yes, we have.

ELAM: It's got a lot of movement...

PHILLIPS: It's like, where's the consistency?

(LAUGHTER)

ELAM: Yes. Well, if you want consistency, you don't talk to me because that's not...

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Yes, that's right. You know what? You don't go to the New York Stock Exchange numbers. You're right. OK. That's said...

ELAM: Right. That's just not what we do, especially over the last year or so. That's just not what we've done here.

But you're right. We did have on Monday an upbeat manufacturing report. And yesterday it was a solid housing report. Today we have better-than-expected jobs numbers. Of course it may not be enough to lift the markets since the Dow's already gained 230 points over the past two days.

Still just to take a look at this report that we got, payroll processing firm ADP says employers shed 22,000 jobs last month. That's a lot better than the 51,000 that were cut in December and it's the smallest decline in a year, so the labor market is in fact moving in the right direction. You take that and you compare to Toyota which is moving in the wrong direction. They're having more problems there. They had been complaining in the U.S. as well as in Japan about the breaks on the Toyota. The automaker is investigating what's going on there, but this all comes just a day after Toyota said U.S. sales fell 16 percent in January because of the massive recall and stopped production.

As for Ford, it gained market share and topped Toyota as the number two automaker in the United States. Both GM and Ford reported double-digit sales growth for January. Also, at the top of the hour, we're expecting a new report to show the service sector expanded last month.

So with all of that in mind, let's see where we are today. Are we up? Are we down? Let's see where we started here. I'm taking a look here because my computer decided to have a little bit of a meltdown, so we are already down right now by about 30 points on the Dow. We are not starting off the day in the right way, but after two days, 230 points, Kyra, we couldn't exactly be too surprised by that.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Thanks, Stephanie.

It is a tough job but someone's definitely got to do it. Defending the President's $3.8 trillion budget. You're looking at a live picture now from Capitol Hill where next hour, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is basically going to be grilled by a house committee. Then this afternoon, it will be the OMB Director, Peter Orszag. His turn to get grilled.

Yesterday, Geithner sparred with a number of members of the senate telling them that the administration will need help from both sides of the aisle to trim this deficit. I think we'll be following that for a while.

So could Toyota's troubles go beyond the pedal? We're investigating that for you today. As technical issues could be accelerating for the automaker. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration is reportedly investigating whether Toyota's failures may involve electronic throttle controls also. An agency official who wishes to remain anonymous says there is no evidence yet to support that theory.

Meanwhile, the heartbreak over the human toll of these failures is starting to surface. In Houston, a grieving husband is suing Toyota now, alleging that a faulty gas pedal led to his wife's death.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL HARRIS, FILED WRONGFUL DEATH SUIT AGAINST TOYOTA: We don't have closure. We don't have the closure, and we don't have answers as to why. Nothing else makes sense.

KENNETH MINGLEDORRF, PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY: You know, they built a death trap. They need to stop it. They're aware of it. They know it. They knew it. They need to put a stop to it. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The lawsuit names Toyota, the manufacturer of the suspect gas pedals, and the local Toyota dealer who sold the car. Michael Harris says his wife's 2009 Corolla took off and crashed into a wall that killed her on impact. The model is one of those now being recalled.

You can bet Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will be asked more questions regarding these type of Toyota troubles. LaHood goes back to Capitol Hill today talking budget with the house subcommittee, but yesterday, LaHood had this criticism for the company quote, "while Toyota is taking responsible action now, it, unfortunately, took an enormous effort to get to this point." Toyota says it took the secretary's advice very seriously and instituted the recall in the best interests of its customers.

Are you one of the millions of Toyota car owners in the U.S. right now? Got a problem with your ride or are you still brand-loyal despite all this hoopla? Either way, we care and we want to hear from you. Send us your thoughts, your opinions, critiques, or concerns to our I-report desk. All you have to do is logon and contribute, and you'll be heard. CNN's iReport.com.

I want to assure you, we will stay on top of this developing story from beginning until end. Bring you the latest details on the investigation as it enfolds and the situation as it warrants so. We'll do that right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Now, we've been focusing so much on Toyota, General Motors having its turn in the headlines now. It's cooperating with the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency as it investigates some 1,100 complaints of power steering problems with the Chevy Cobalt. A company spokesperson says it is a preliminary evaluation and this by no means a recall. A little more than 900,000 of those cars have been produced since 2005.

And a hit from Iran. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he's willing to talk, not about nukes but about three hikers held in Iran. CNN foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty live in Washington with this.

So Jill, Ahmadinejad basically saying that he would consider swapping three hikers for Iranian prisoners. So the question is, would the government even consider doing that?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Not likely, Kyra. You have to say, they've already said they're not in discussions with Iran. In fact, that's what President Ahmadinejad said. We're talking about this, but the state department says we don't know anything about that, and the White House says, they're not in any discussions about a swap, and it's not likely they do it anyway because they've already made it clear, the Americans, that those hikers, they believe, are completely innocent, that they strayed over the border, and if it is a swap for whom, then they say it's not equivalent. The people who are being held in the United States are not the same type of people as the hikers.

PHILLIPS: Okay. So, what do we know about the Iranian prisoners here in the U.S. that they want back?

DOUGHERTY: That's a little bit more of a mystery, because the Iranians say that there are 11 people being held. Now, they identify -- they gave a couple of names. One of them is a former deputy defense minister, and another one is a nuclear scientist who just kind of disappeared when he was in Saudi Arabia, and the implication is that he's in the United States, but the United States isn't confirming that.

So, 11 people, they say that they're important people and they want them back, but the state department is not confirming really any of those, perhaps one or two, but not confirming that those two people are in the United States.

PHILLIPS: Got it. We'll follow it. Jill Dougherty, thanks so much.

So what do you do when your country's in ruins? Your government's in shambles, and civilization itself seems like a luxury. Well, you take charge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN MALE: I gave myself this responsibility. If I leave, there may not be anyone else to do it."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Self-appointed mayor of a tent city in Haiti. Pretty much showing what a grassroots effort is all about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Top stories. What's good for elephants is good for donkeys, too, at least as far as President Obama's concerned. Much like the President's question and answer session last week with Republican lawmakers, a similar symposium for senate Democrats starts at the top of the hour, and of course, you'll see it live right here on CNN.

He won $17 million bucks in Florida's lottery, and authorities believe the payout may have led to his death. Police found the remains of 43-year-old Abraham Shakespeare (ph) last week buried under a concrete slab on property co-owned by 37-year-old Doris Moore (ph). Cops say that they knew where to look after she offered a witness $50,000 to move the body and take the murder rap; although Moore denies killing her million dollar benefactor.

In Miami, four people are recovering after a stage collapsed last night outside where the NFL Super Bowl will be played. Medics say that the four were taken to area hospitals by helicopter and ambulance although none of the injuries are considered life threatening. Note to self -- if this guy knocks on your door and says he is a U.S. Marshal, well, you tell him, yes, and I'm the D.A. of McDonald Land. You won't believe how far a lie in a few accessories like a fake badge, and oh, a real gun can go.

And remember that rock 'n' roll pioneer? Actually, let's be fair. A couple of them. It was on this day, 1959, that the music died. Buddy Holly died in this plane crash in Iowa. He was just 22 years old, already had a string of hits. Also on that plane -- can't forget Richie Valens, you know La Bamba. He was only 17, and also the Big Bopper, J.P. Richardson left us "Chantilly Lace.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Ten Americans jailed in Haiti accused of trying to steal children. In about 15 minutes, they've got more questions to answer. A judge heard from half the group yesterday asking them what they thought they were doing with those 33 Haitian children. The American missionaries say they had permission, but no papers. As soon as there are any developments, we definitely will bring it to you.

And you probably heard it a thousand times. If you want to get anything done, you got to do it yourself. A Haitian man is doing something remarkable by himself because his government sure as heck can't do it. He's creating an island of relative peace in a sea of chaos. CNN senior international correspondent John Vause takes us there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In this sprawling camp, one of hundreds in Port-au-Prince, signs of normalcy. Children use old bags as kites, plastic bottles become toy cars, and there are parents are taking charge.

Mostly because of this man, Jude Emile(ph), a firefighter who's become de facto mayor of this tent city organizing committees for food and water, clean-up details and security.

JUDE EMILE, CAMP MAYOR: "Because of that, everyone feels safe," he says. "Some share food if someone doesn't have something, they share." and the camp is divided into five zones. This is Barack Obamaville.

EMILE: Exactly.

VAUSE: Each day, he says, brings 100 new arrivals, like this family. He tells them where they can and cannot build.

EMILE: "I gave myself this responsibility. If I leave, there may not be anyone else to do it," he says.

As we talk, a fight breaks out in a water line. The man in the beige shirt is accused of cutting in. fists fly, so do rocks, and then Jude steps in. VAUSE (on-camera): It is estimated about 8,000 people are now living in this makeshift camp. The lucky ones have a piece of tarp. Others are living under sheets tied to pieces of wood. It's been three weeks now since the earthquake, and it is pretty obvious that this will be home for these people for quite some time.

VAUSE (voice-over): In one of those tents, there is Matiel Francois (ph). Her oldest of two daughters has a fever and Matiel (ph) is angry that Haiti's president has hardly been seen since the quake.

"He's done nothing for the country," she says. "only God can save us."

Many Haitians fear aid money will be lost through government corruption so they want the Americans to stay for years.

ROBERT PASTOR, FORMER CLINTON HAITI ADVISER: What Haitians see is an extraordinary international effort with ships and tanks and money and soldiers, and so not surprisingly, they want to turn to the one effective operation that's working, and that's not their government.

VAUSE: While there will be many years of hardship to come, the people at this camp gather at night to sing, and pray for a better tomorrow.

John Vause, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Also we're checking CNN.com for you and the News Pulse page. I love this because we don't always get a chance to see what's really interesting to you. And these stories are judged by most popular at the moment.

And this is what you're logging on to and maybe a couple of things we can talk more about later in the newscast. The number one story right now that you're clicking on to, is if you lost your house but you still have to pay. Well, there is an issue here. You think you're going to get relief, you're putting it behind you, but that actually is not necessarily the situation.

Check out the number one popular story right now on CNN.com.

Then a new contender for the world's largest yacht; that's the second-most popular story, two money stories topping the list.

And then you've got to go to this one. Jeanne Moos. Nobody does it like our Jeanne Moos. Racy photos caught on camera. A banker caught analyzing the assets of a Victoria's Secret model. Yes, you won't want to miss this one. So check it out, CNN.com, the News Pulse section. It's updated every 15 minutes. We'll keep checking it for you also. We're going to take a quick break; more from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

We're going to be talking about women in Iraq. Yes. We're talking about women training to be on the battlefield. It's a pretty revolutionary thought. And we're going to take you there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, who'd have thought: our own personal stimulus package they could be right there at the bottom of that fountain. Well, police in Memphis arrested a guy at a mall. They say he was in the fountain helping himself to the coins; about 33 bucks worth. That's a lot of wishes, you know.

And now he's probably wishing he'd just gone to the Laundromat and checked under the machines. As for the coins, they're back in the fountain.

So she thought it was really cool. The law thinks it was pretty cruel. So what do you think? Should you pierce little kittens ears, put needles through their necks and sell them online as Gothic Kitties for hundreds of dollars?

A Pennsylvania woman is on trial for animal cruelty now. In the past she claims she doesn't think there's difference between piercing a person and a cat. The vet in court says all that bling could have killed the cats.

Well, at least the goatee is real, we think. This story is just unreal in more ways than one. Authorities in San Diego say this guy, Greg Denny, went to a woman's house flashed his U.S. Marshal's badge and a gun. Told her he was deporting her. Next thing you know she's in the Philippines. There's only one problem, Mr. Denny is not a Marshal. Whoops.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just flashed a badge, have a gun and walk right through security, never was questioned. How can someone -- anybody can just do that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Exactly. That's the question. How did a bogus Marshal get through airport security? The poor woman, the subject of that do-it-yourself deportation, well, last we heard she was still in the Philippines. It's unclear how Denny even knew her.

Well, we've got a lot going on this morning; CNN news on top of all the developments. Let's go and check with our correspondents beginning with Stephanie Elam in New York -- Steph.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. Yes, we are watching out for you and your paycheck. A new report says the labor market is on the road to recovery. I'll have the latest job numbers next hour.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Another batch of snow across the mid-Atlantic with more on the way this Friday; some people in North Carolina building terrain parks to ride their snowboards. We'll have that video and the forecast in the next hour -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Will President Obama face friendly fire? Minutes from now he's due to meet with fellow Democrats for a Q and A session. We're going to carry it live.

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PHILLIPS: Let's go ahead and look at these live pictures from Capitol Hill. A lot of tough questions in the next hour for Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen; they're defending the president's Pentagon budget. Gates may also be pressed about issues concerning security.

Now yesterday if you were watching he told lawmakers the U.S. must prepare for new, quote, security challenges on the horizon.

Move over men in Iraq, women are signing up for the military service. As our Diana Magnay reports, the bottom line for these G.I. Janes is their bottom line.

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DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A splash of nail polish here, a bit of lipstick there. Iraq's G.I. Janes don't come to training without looking the part. We've had to blur their faces because of security concerns.

In 45 days, a General Samir Medi (ph) expects his new female recruits to be confident with a gun and to understand the basics of combat.

"A lot of them will work in administrative jobs," he tells me, "but a number of them will be searching women at checkpoints."

In 2008 the number of female suicide bombers spiked when extremists realized they could easily hide suicide vests under women's long flowing robes. The security forces quickly drafted in women to check where for cultural reasons men couldn't.

Most of these recruits say they're not that bothered what they end up doing as long as the monthly paycheck comes through and they can keep putting food on the table.

(on camera): There was just a question and answer session between the general and these female soldiers. One of them asked whether she could bring her son to the training and he had to decline. But it just shows you that most of the women here are really just looking for a way to feed their families, and the armed services is one of the biggest employers in Iraq.

(voice-over): Fatima's 24 and a graduate in English literature. She works in administration at the Ministry of Defense.

FATIMA, IRAQI SOLDIER: I joined -- because of the life we need to live. There is no work, no work.

MAGNAY: The Iran-Iraq war left Uma Omar (ph) a widow and she lost her son to insurgent violence. The army is the only way she can support the rest of her family.

"It used to be my son and three daughters, she says, and now also my mother who's elderly and needs support too. But then my son died in the bombings, so it's just my three daughters and mother I look after.

Now U.S. troops are leaving, extremists have stepped up their attacks against Iraq's security forces. These women are scared of broadcasting the fact they have joined the army, but fighting for your country isn't such a difficult choice to make when it's your only chance of a decent salary.

Diana Magnay, CNN, Baghdad.

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