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CIA Director to Step Down; Interview With Cloris Leachman
Aired June 03, 2004 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to LIVE FROM. I'm Kyra Phillips.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
Here's what's happening at this hour.
PHILLIPS: A personal decision, nothing more, nothing less, that's how George Tenet is describing his decision to step down as CIA director after seven years on the job. He gave an emotional speech to CIA employees today. President Bush announced Tenet's resignation earlier, calling him a strong and resolute leader.
Iraq's caretaker government gets a big boost. The nation's most influential Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Al Sistani, has given a vote of confidence. He urged the ministers to lobby the U.N. for full sovereignty and end to the U.S.-led occupation.
A levee burst flooding fields in Northern California. Officials say the water has crept to within 50 streets of the railroad tracks on Bacon Island. But trains are still running. That levee break is near pipelines that carry drinking water to the bay area.
A trip to a spa and a grocery store, those were among Laci Peterson's last known activities in that period before she vanished. That's according to the prosecution witnesses who testified at Scott Peterson's double murder trial. Peterson is accused of killing his pregnant wife and their unborn son. The defense calls the evidence flimsy and circumstantial.
George Tenet says the CIA is stronger now than it was when he became director seven years ago. Tenet explained today why he's stepping down as chief of the spy agency.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House with more.
And we certainly saw Tenet exuding a lot of compassion. We heard from President Bush before he took off for Europe, speaking very highly of him. They were good friends, weren't they?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they were, Fred.
And both the president, as well as Tenet, are denying any kind of speculation reports that the president tried to push him out or give him a signal that he should leave. We are told that the president did not find out about the resignation until Tenet actually showed him the resignation letter. That was sometime last night. The way the story unfolds from Press Secretary Scott McClellan about Air Force One on the way to Italy, he says it happened yesterday when the president was at the Air Force Academy. He was giving a speech in Colorado when Tenet called Chief of Staff Andy Card and said he wanted to talk to the president upon their return. President Bush, when he arrived back at the White House after 7:00 that evening, met with Tenet for about 45 minutes in the residence.
We're told that is the time he presented him with the resignation letter. This is the first time the president actually knew of Tenet's intentions here. He said he was leaving for personal reasons. It certainly was not a matter of being forced out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE TENET, CIA DIRECTOR: This is the most difficult decision I've ever had to make. And while Washington and the media will put many different faces on the decision, it was a personal decision and had only one basis in fact, the well-being of my wonderful family, nothing more and nothing less.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: George Tenet is the kind of public servant you like to work with. He's strong. He's resolute. He served his nation as the director for seven years. He has been a strong and able leader at the agency. He's been a -- he's been a strong leader in the war on terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: The two men are very close. They have a good working relationship, but also it is a relationship that has been tested.
George Tenet, a lightning rod for this administration, has come under a great deal of criticism for faulty intelligence leading up to 9/11, as well as prewar intelligence. There are two reports that will be coming out late in the summer, Fred, one from the 9/11 Commission, the other from the Senate, which will be highly critical of the CIA. But, again, both the White House and Tenet saying today that this is not for professional reasons, but rather personal reasons that he leaves today -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And, Suzanne, is there a feeling in the White House that this resignation will in any way be a distraction for President Bush as he embarks on D-Day celebrations throughout the weekend in Europe?
MALVEAUX: Well, it certainly could be a distraction. And certainly, in the next 24 hours, this is going to be living in this new cycle, but they hope that it won't be, that this is something that they believe that they can overcome.
But, again, it's a big question here whether or not they're going to actually try to get somebody to replace him beyond the interim, the deputy. This is not something that they want to deal with in the election season. In all likelihood, the deputy will be the one to serve out the rest of the term. WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, thanks very much -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: To Iraq now and more fighting in the southern city of Kufa. About 30 Iraqis were killed in the latest clashes with U.S. forces which took place despite a cease-fire.
CNN's Guy Raz has more, including an exclusive interview with the Army commander on the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The battle in southern Iraq has now definitively shifted from Najaf to Kufa, where U.S. forces clashed with Mahdi militia fighters early this morning, the militia loyal to the young Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
For more details on this fighting, we're now joined by General Martin Dempsey, commander of the 1st Armored Division.
General Dempsey, thanks for being with us.
After six weeks of fighting in Najaf and Kufa, what is the purpose of these engagements? What is the ultimate aim?
GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, U.S. ARMY: Well, the ultimate aim is to defeat Muqtada's militia so that it cannot intimidate the electoral process that will follow the restoration of sovereignty.
RAZ: How crucial is it to do that before the 30th of June?
DEMPSEY: Well, I think that what's really crucial before the 30th of June is that we knock it down to a level to where the emerging Iraqi security forces could handle it themselves. So I don't see 30 June as necessarily a date that we have to finish the mission by.
We may, by the way. We may finish the mission by then. But, if not, it will be that -- in fact, the militia right now is destroyed every place except in Kufa and some remnants in Najaf. And so it's well on its way.
DEMPSEY: General, what about a truce?
Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi militia regard routine patrols and zone reconnaissance as offensive procedures, as aggressive maneuvers. Why do those continue?
DEMPSEY: There is no security force, legitimate security force in Iraq right now, except the coalition forces and, where they have been established, Iraqi police and the civil defense corps.
The problem we've got here in Najaf and Kufa is that the preexisting police, the preexisting civil defense corps essentially dissolved when this militia made its appearance. So, for us to admit that we are being provocative would be to say that we would be willing to accept a void of security. There is a public order issue here. And so we are out doing routine reconnaissance patrols.
The local people, incidentally, don't disapprove of that, and we are very careful to keep our distance from the shrines. But you're right. The militia claim we're being provocative. They are not a legitimate force and so I don't buy into the idea that we can provoke an illegitimate force.
RAZ: General Dempsey, thank you very much for your time.
DEMPSEY: OK.
RAZ: As we've heard, engagements will continue over the coming weeks, until the Mahdi militia, the militia loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, is finally disarmed.
Guy Raz, CNN, Najaf in southern Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: American soldiers at war who want to quit the Army won't be allowed to do so. The Army is issuing new stop-loss and stop-movement orders. Tens of thousands of soldiers who serve in Iraq and Afghanistan will be barred from leaving the military when their volunteer commitment ends. The Army's personal chief says the service is stretched fighting two conflicts, but says that stop is not a symptom of desperation.
Critics say that keeping soldiers beyond their contractual obligation is a breach of trust.
Ordinary Iraqis are finding a new voice. The country's first independent be radio station has taken to the airwaves.
Aneesh Raman reports, the fledging network is a huge hit with Iraqis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Out of a modest building on a Baghdad side street, an American staple has come to Iraq, talk radio. The first independent all-talk radio station in the country, Radio Dijla (ph), is the brainchild of Ahmad Rikaby.
AHMAD RIKABY, FOUNDER, RADIO DIJLA: The station started in my mind many years ago. So it's a result of a dream.
RAMAN: A dream that brought Rikaby, an Iraqi born and raised abroad, to Baghdad soon after the war ended, broadcasting it first out of a tent. Hitting the airwaves just one month ago, his latest creation is proving an overnight success among an audience largely immobilized by violence, desperate to connect with each other.
RIKABY: Iraqis have many things to say. They want to complain. They want to cry. They want to shout. They want to sing.
RAMAN (on camera): But in a country where radio has an enormous audience, there is more to this station than allowing callers to vent. There is also a strong political role for it to play.
(voice-over): A day after the announcement of Iraq's interim government, callers voiced their opinions. "I don't think that the government is Iraqi; I think the Americans will rule us," says one caller. Another says, "During the first three months, we will see what they do."
Rikaby hopes that by introducing Iraqis to a new medium, he can help give them a new mind-set, a must, he says, if democracy is to survive.
RIKABY: We are still able to produce another Saddam Hussein in this country, because the mentality is still stuck in the old times. So how to face this challenge, how to stop this threat? In order to do that, you need to have free media.
RAMAN: And while Radio Dijla has yet to find a Rush Limbaugh or an Al Franken, that is sure to come, a novel style of radio in Iraq, having arrived, is now hard to imagine ever going silent.
Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: More business news coming up.
PHILLIPS: Also coming up, comedy with a legend. Legendary actress Cloris Leachman drops by on the LIVE FROM set. No doubt this will be fun.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, you're looking at live pictures now. This is a developing story that's breaking right now just in to CNN via our affiliate out of Seattle, KIRO Television.
This is Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. You can see the helo and the emergency workers actually just disembarking out of the helo there, the egress. They're actually trying to rescue two climbers that have been stranded here in Mount Rainier. We are told these are Oregon National Guard rescue team. They are trying to make contact and -- actually, I'm being told they might have just been dropped off. I don't know if indeed they have made contact with the climbers.
Now, take a look at the area. I'm going to kind of give you a feel for what the climbers had endured. They're stranded at actually 11,300 feet up from where they began. We're toll the two climbers that are stranded are firefighters. They are trained as emergency medical technicians. And when they got stranded, they called by cell phone and that's when the Oregon National Guard dispatched a helicopter with emergency crew on board to try and reach the climbers.
We're told that at least one of these -- there are two men. One of the men we are told is injured. We're not sure the nature of his injuries or the status of the other climber. But we have seen now that there have been some rescue crew personnel dispatched from the helicopter. Don't know if they've reach those climbers yet or not.
Now, this live picture coming to us via Seattle, KIRO Television. We're told that these two climbers were stranded on Liberty Ridge. That's the name of this area. And it's one of the most difficult routes, we are told, to the summit. As you know, Mount Rainier National Park is a very popular, famous place to mountain-climb. They got stranded. One was injured.
And that's when they called via cell phone and the rescue now is going forward. According to the Oregon National Guard that's carrying out this rescue mission, they were -- they dispatched two helicopters, one Chinook we're told that came out of Camp Pendleton to be used for the rescue. And this other helicopter is a Black Hawk from Salem, we are told, that brought the medics to the scene. They've already dispatched the medics there to reach the climbers.
The medics planned to board the Chinook, but once they got to Mount Rainier, they realized it was just too dangerous, so they got aboard the Black Hawk here. They're now on the mountain. We are assuming they are with the climbers. We can't definitely tell you if in that is true.
Now, we're told the weather was clear. It was 34 degrees this afternoon. It was good for a rescue attempt. But thunderstorms were expected in the afternoon. So they had to get moving quickly. The men had expected to reach the summit by mid-morning, we are told, but called for help on the cell phone. Now the rescue is in progress. It looks like the medics have come close to those climbers.
We'll update you on how the firefighters and trained emergency medical technicians who were climbing Mount Rainier will -- how the situation will pan out. As soon as we get more information, we'll keep you posted.
WHITFIELD: And, thankfully, we're noticing that a lot of climbers these days are carrying those cell phones. And that really is, you know, the key.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Or the portable radios. It's amazing. And that you still can get cell service at 11,000 feet up.
WHITFIELD: Isn't that remarkable? Remarkable.
PHILLIPS: It's amazing.
(FINANCIAL UPDATE)
PHILLIPS: Well, from the Academy Awards to the Emmys, from the silver screen to the small TV screen, one actress has been there to make us laugh for decades. And we're still laughing. You know this face. You know the lips. It's Cloris Leachman. She's paying a visit to us here on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: These are live pictures you're seeing as a rescue is actually taking place. This happened earlier this morning at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, a very popular place to climb.
As we've been getting information, we're told that two climbers have been stranded due to injuries. They're about 11,000 feet up from where they began. Now, we are told that these climbers are both firefighters. They're trained as emergency medical technicians. They were supposed to reach the summit by mid-morning today. But they called for help on a cell phone. And there were a number of attempts to get this mission going. Weather played a part in that.
But now, we are told, and I can't identify specifically if the people you are seeing here coming down the summit are indeed the climbers or medics from the rescue team -- all we can tell you is that two helicopters were dispatched. A Chinook was dispatched with Oregon National Guard medical personnel, and that helicopter was not able to get into the area.
So indeed -- or they transferred on to a Black Hawk. The medics were -- did egress from the helicopter, reached the climbers. We are following this rescue mission. We'll bring you more information as soon as we have it.
We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN")
CLORIS LEACHMAN, ACTRESS: I am Frau Blucher.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The mere mention of her name was enough to spook horses and keep fans laughing for 30 years since Mel Brooks' hilarious horror spoof "Young Frankenstein." I swear that wasn't me. I think Cloris has a little something in her throat.
Now, the mysterious Frau Blucher was played by Oscar and Emmy- winning actress Cloris Leachman, who is no mystery to millions of Americans, since she appeared in dozens of movies, plays, television shows. You know the story.
And she's in the house right now and looking just as glorious as ever.
Here, let me check the -- OK, beautiful. It's still a little wet. Did you jump out of the shower? No push-up bra.
LEACHMAN: No, no.
PHILLIPS: You didn't even need that?
LEACHMAN: No.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: OK, let's explain to viewers why you're here. "Young Frankenstein," we're still laughing 30 years later.
LEACHMAN: I know. Isn't it funny? When something is truly funny, it's funny all the time. Somebody said, I don't want to have my cake and eat it. I want to have my cake and throw it up and eat it again. That's disgusting. But when something is funny like that, it tickles you every time all over again.
PHILLIPS: We've got a little clip of "Young Frankenstein." Let's roll that really quickly, OK?
LEACHMAN: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN")
GENE WILDER, ACTOR: It was your cigar smoldering in the ashtray.
LEACHMAN: Yes!
WILDER: And it was you who left my grandfather's book out for me to find.
LEACHMAN: Yes!
WILDER: So that I would?
LEACHMAN: Yes!
WILDER: And you and Victor were...
LEACHMAN: Yes! Yes! Say it. He was my boyfriend!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: What was it like to work with Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks and all these brilliant comedians?
LEACHMAN: I was trying to find a German accent. I've never had one before and I came to the set and I think his mother helped me. Mel's mother was sitting there. I think she helped two or three people. How do you say -- I have to tell you, the one piece of direction that was so good that Mel gave to me, I mean, the one that really changed something was, as we were going up the steps, remember how Marty had the -- he was always hunched over. What hump?
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. You're talking about Marty Feldman, of course.
LEACHMAN: Skulking behind the little group as we started up the steps of the stone tower, with no arm thing to keep you from falling. And I turn around and say, stay close to the candles. The staircase can be treacherous. But Mel whispered in my ear. And so I said it this way. Stay close to the candles. The staircase can be treacherous, meaning we've lost a couple of people.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Of course.
All right, we can't forget Nurse Diesel. Come on, "High Anxiety," we can't forget these movies. They were fantastic. What happens when you're late for dinner?
LEACHMAN: No fruit cup.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: I just had to hear you say it.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Here it is.
I've got to ask you, this is a whole different type of comedy, Cloris. Does this still exist?
(CROSSTALK)
LEACHMAN: You mean "Young Frankenstein"?
PHILLIPS: No, no, no, I'm talking about your sense of humor, Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, all of you, does that still exist?
(CROSSTALK)
LEACHMAN: Well, we're still alive.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: And you're still funny.
But the younger comedians, the ones that are coming out, do you find them funny? Who do you think is funny besides yourself?
LEACHMAN: I think everybody, everybody who is funny is not, what is it like now from then? Everybody's a new personality, bringing their own little funny bone or take on life. You know, they're funny in their own way, each in his own way.
PHILLIPS: And you're working with Adam Sandler on something now, aren't you? Isn't he -- he's pretty funny.
LEACHMAN: Most wonderful -- Jim Brooks is a brilliant genius. And he wrote "Spanglish," Spanish and English put together, "Spanglish."
PHILLIPS: Of course. LEACHMAN: And Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni are married. And I'm her mother. And Adam Sandler is just the dearest, darlingest, sweetest person. You'd never guess he was so funny. He's just darling, just like an ordinary, just the way normal people are.
And but Jim Brooks, he wrote this wonderful script for "Spanglish." And he comes right in. The minute anybody says one or two words, he comes right in and he already creates a new opening. He opens the place up so that funny things can happen without telling you what to do specifically. He'll make the relationships in a different way. They start to come together from different places, just by what he'll open up for you.
PHILLIPS: All right, I'm going to tell you something. I want you to open up something for me.
Since we're running short on time, I'm going to have you toss to "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS," OK? Can you do that for me?
LEACHMAN: What do I say?
PHILLIPS: You just look right here on camera two and say -- of course, you watch her show all the time. Say, OK, we're going to camera three. Here we go. We're going to come over camera three.
LEACHMAN: That wraps up this Thursday edition of LIVE FROM. You didn't want me to say that.
PHILLIPS: No, keep going. Yes, keep going.
LEACHMAN: From wherever.
And now to take us through the next hour of political headlines is "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS."
Hello, Judy!
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Cloris Leachman, it's a first and only. Thank you very much.
(LAUGHTER)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 3, 2004 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to LIVE FROM. I'm Kyra Phillips.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
Here's what's happening at this hour.
PHILLIPS: A personal decision, nothing more, nothing less, that's how George Tenet is describing his decision to step down as CIA director after seven years on the job. He gave an emotional speech to CIA employees today. President Bush announced Tenet's resignation earlier, calling him a strong and resolute leader.
Iraq's caretaker government gets a big boost. The nation's most influential Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Al Sistani, has given a vote of confidence. He urged the ministers to lobby the U.N. for full sovereignty and end to the U.S.-led occupation.
A levee burst flooding fields in Northern California. Officials say the water has crept to within 50 streets of the railroad tracks on Bacon Island. But trains are still running. That levee break is near pipelines that carry drinking water to the bay area.
A trip to a spa and a grocery store, those were among Laci Peterson's last known activities in that period before she vanished. That's according to the prosecution witnesses who testified at Scott Peterson's double murder trial. Peterson is accused of killing his pregnant wife and their unborn son. The defense calls the evidence flimsy and circumstantial.
George Tenet says the CIA is stronger now than it was when he became director seven years ago. Tenet explained today why he's stepping down as chief of the spy agency.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House with more.
And we certainly saw Tenet exuding a lot of compassion. We heard from President Bush before he took off for Europe, speaking very highly of him. They were good friends, weren't they?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they were, Fred.
And both the president, as well as Tenet, are denying any kind of speculation reports that the president tried to push him out or give him a signal that he should leave. We are told that the president did not find out about the resignation until Tenet actually showed him the resignation letter. That was sometime last night. The way the story unfolds from Press Secretary Scott McClellan about Air Force One on the way to Italy, he says it happened yesterday when the president was at the Air Force Academy. He was giving a speech in Colorado when Tenet called Chief of Staff Andy Card and said he wanted to talk to the president upon their return. President Bush, when he arrived back at the White House after 7:00 that evening, met with Tenet for about 45 minutes in the residence.
We're told that is the time he presented him with the resignation letter. This is the first time the president actually knew of Tenet's intentions here. He said he was leaving for personal reasons. It certainly was not a matter of being forced out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE TENET, CIA DIRECTOR: This is the most difficult decision I've ever had to make. And while Washington and the media will put many different faces on the decision, it was a personal decision and had only one basis in fact, the well-being of my wonderful family, nothing more and nothing less.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: George Tenet is the kind of public servant you like to work with. He's strong. He's resolute. He served his nation as the director for seven years. He has been a strong and able leader at the agency. He's been a -- he's been a strong leader in the war on terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: The two men are very close. They have a good working relationship, but also it is a relationship that has been tested.
George Tenet, a lightning rod for this administration, has come under a great deal of criticism for faulty intelligence leading up to 9/11, as well as prewar intelligence. There are two reports that will be coming out late in the summer, Fred, one from the 9/11 Commission, the other from the Senate, which will be highly critical of the CIA. But, again, both the White House and Tenet saying today that this is not for professional reasons, but rather personal reasons that he leaves today -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: And, Suzanne, is there a feeling in the White House that this resignation will in any way be a distraction for President Bush as he embarks on D-Day celebrations throughout the weekend in Europe?
MALVEAUX: Well, it certainly could be a distraction. And certainly, in the next 24 hours, this is going to be living in this new cycle, but they hope that it won't be, that this is something that they believe that they can overcome.
But, again, it's a big question here whether or not they're going to actually try to get somebody to replace him beyond the interim, the deputy. This is not something that they want to deal with in the election season. In all likelihood, the deputy will be the one to serve out the rest of the term. WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, thanks very much -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: To Iraq now and more fighting in the southern city of Kufa. About 30 Iraqis were killed in the latest clashes with U.S. forces which took place despite a cease-fire.
CNN's Guy Raz has more, including an exclusive interview with the Army commander on the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The battle in southern Iraq has now definitively shifted from Najaf to Kufa, where U.S. forces clashed with Mahdi militia fighters early this morning, the militia loyal to the young Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
For more details on this fighting, we're now joined by General Martin Dempsey, commander of the 1st Armored Division.
General Dempsey, thanks for being with us.
After six weeks of fighting in Najaf and Kufa, what is the purpose of these engagements? What is the ultimate aim?
GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, U.S. ARMY: Well, the ultimate aim is to defeat Muqtada's militia so that it cannot intimidate the electoral process that will follow the restoration of sovereignty.
RAZ: How crucial is it to do that before the 30th of June?
DEMPSEY: Well, I think that what's really crucial before the 30th of June is that we knock it down to a level to where the emerging Iraqi security forces could handle it themselves. So I don't see 30 June as necessarily a date that we have to finish the mission by.
We may, by the way. We may finish the mission by then. But, if not, it will be that -- in fact, the militia right now is destroyed every place except in Kufa and some remnants in Najaf. And so it's well on its way.
DEMPSEY: General, what about a truce?
Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi militia regard routine patrols and zone reconnaissance as offensive procedures, as aggressive maneuvers. Why do those continue?
DEMPSEY: There is no security force, legitimate security force in Iraq right now, except the coalition forces and, where they have been established, Iraqi police and the civil defense corps.
The problem we've got here in Najaf and Kufa is that the preexisting police, the preexisting civil defense corps essentially dissolved when this militia made its appearance. So, for us to admit that we are being provocative would be to say that we would be willing to accept a void of security. There is a public order issue here. And so we are out doing routine reconnaissance patrols.
The local people, incidentally, don't disapprove of that, and we are very careful to keep our distance from the shrines. But you're right. The militia claim we're being provocative. They are not a legitimate force and so I don't buy into the idea that we can provoke an illegitimate force.
RAZ: General Dempsey, thank you very much for your time.
DEMPSEY: OK.
RAZ: As we've heard, engagements will continue over the coming weeks, until the Mahdi militia, the militia loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, is finally disarmed.
Guy Raz, CNN, Najaf in southern Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: American soldiers at war who want to quit the Army won't be allowed to do so. The Army is issuing new stop-loss and stop-movement orders. Tens of thousands of soldiers who serve in Iraq and Afghanistan will be barred from leaving the military when their volunteer commitment ends. The Army's personal chief says the service is stretched fighting two conflicts, but says that stop is not a symptom of desperation.
Critics say that keeping soldiers beyond their contractual obligation is a breach of trust.
Ordinary Iraqis are finding a new voice. The country's first independent be radio station has taken to the airwaves.
Aneesh Raman reports, the fledging network is a huge hit with Iraqis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Out of a modest building on a Baghdad side street, an American staple has come to Iraq, talk radio. The first independent all-talk radio station in the country, Radio Dijla (ph), is the brainchild of Ahmad Rikaby.
AHMAD RIKABY, FOUNDER, RADIO DIJLA: The station started in my mind many years ago. So it's a result of a dream.
RAMAN: A dream that brought Rikaby, an Iraqi born and raised abroad, to Baghdad soon after the war ended, broadcasting it first out of a tent. Hitting the airwaves just one month ago, his latest creation is proving an overnight success among an audience largely immobilized by violence, desperate to connect with each other.
RIKABY: Iraqis have many things to say. They want to complain. They want to cry. They want to shout. They want to sing.
RAMAN (on camera): But in a country where radio has an enormous audience, there is more to this station than allowing callers to vent. There is also a strong political role for it to play.
(voice-over): A day after the announcement of Iraq's interim government, callers voiced their opinions. "I don't think that the government is Iraqi; I think the Americans will rule us," says one caller. Another says, "During the first three months, we will see what they do."
Rikaby hopes that by introducing Iraqis to a new medium, he can help give them a new mind-set, a must, he says, if democracy is to survive.
RIKABY: We are still able to produce another Saddam Hussein in this country, because the mentality is still stuck in the old times. So how to face this challenge, how to stop this threat? In order to do that, you need to have free media.
RAMAN: And while Radio Dijla has yet to find a Rush Limbaugh or an Al Franken, that is sure to come, a novel style of radio in Iraq, having arrived, is now hard to imagine ever going silent.
Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: More business news coming up.
PHILLIPS: Also coming up, comedy with a legend. Legendary actress Cloris Leachman drops by on the LIVE FROM set. No doubt this will be fun.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, you're looking at live pictures now. This is a developing story that's breaking right now just in to CNN via our affiliate out of Seattle, KIRO Television.
This is Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. You can see the helo and the emergency workers actually just disembarking out of the helo there, the egress. They're actually trying to rescue two climbers that have been stranded here in Mount Rainier. We are told these are Oregon National Guard rescue team. They are trying to make contact and -- actually, I'm being told they might have just been dropped off. I don't know if indeed they have made contact with the climbers.
Now, take a look at the area. I'm going to kind of give you a feel for what the climbers had endured. They're stranded at actually 11,300 feet up from where they began. We're toll the two climbers that are stranded are firefighters. They are trained as emergency medical technicians. And when they got stranded, they called by cell phone and that's when the Oregon National Guard dispatched a helicopter with emergency crew on board to try and reach the climbers.
We're told that at least one of these -- there are two men. One of the men we are told is injured. We're not sure the nature of his injuries or the status of the other climber. But we have seen now that there have been some rescue crew personnel dispatched from the helicopter. Don't know if they've reach those climbers yet or not.
Now, this live picture coming to us via Seattle, KIRO Television. We're told that these two climbers were stranded on Liberty Ridge. That's the name of this area. And it's one of the most difficult routes, we are told, to the summit. As you know, Mount Rainier National Park is a very popular, famous place to mountain-climb. They got stranded. One was injured.
And that's when they called via cell phone and the rescue now is going forward. According to the Oregon National Guard that's carrying out this rescue mission, they were -- they dispatched two helicopters, one Chinook we're told that came out of Camp Pendleton to be used for the rescue. And this other helicopter is a Black Hawk from Salem, we are told, that brought the medics to the scene. They've already dispatched the medics there to reach the climbers.
The medics planned to board the Chinook, but once they got to Mount Rainier, they realized it was just too dangerous, so they got aboard the Black Hawk here. They're now on the mountain. We are assuming they are with the climbers. We can't definitely tell you if in that is true.
Now, we're told the weather was clear. It was 34 degrees this afternoon. It was good for a rescue attempt. But thunderstorms were expected in the afternoon. So they had to get moving quickly. The men had expected to reach the summit by mid-morning, we are told, but called for help on the cell phone. Now the rescue is in progress. It looks like the medics have come close to those climbers.
We'll update you on how the firefighters and trained emergency medical technicians who were climbing Mount Rainier will -- how the situation will pan out. As soon as we get more information, we'll keep you posted.
WHITFIELD: And, thankfully, we're noticing that a lot of climbers these days are carrying those cell phones. And that really is, you know, the key.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Or the portable radios. It's amazing. And that you still can get cell service at 11,000 feet up.
WHITFIELD: Isn't that remarkable? Remarkable.
PHILLIPS: It's amazing.
(FINANCIAL UPDATE)
PHILLIPS: Well, from the Academy Awards to the Emmys, from the silver screen to the small TV screen, one actress has been there to make us laugh for decades. And we're still laughing. You know this face. You know the lips. It's Cloris Leachman. She's paying a visit to us here on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: These are live pictures you're seeing as a rescue is actually taking place. This happened earlier this morning at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, a very popular place to climb.
As we've been getting information, we're told that two climbers have been stranded due to injuries. They're about 11,000 feet up from where they began. Now, we are told that these climbers are both firefighters. They're trained as emergency medical technicians. They were supposed to reach the summit by mid-morning today. But they called for help on a cell phone. And there were a number of attempts to get this mission going. Weather played a part in that.
But now, we are told, and I can't identify specifically if the people you are seeing here coming down the summit are indeed the climbers or medics from the rescue team -- all we can tell you is that two helicopters were dispatched. A Chinook was dispatched with Oregon National Guard medical personnel, and that helicopter was not able to get into the area.
So indeed -- or they transferred on to a Black Hawk. The medics were -- did egress from the helicopter, reached the climbers. We are following this rescue mission. We'll bring you more information as soon as we have it.
We're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN")
CLORIS LEACHMAN, ACTRESS: I am Frau Blucher.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The mere mention of her name was enough to spook horses and keep fans laughing for 30 years since Mel Brooks' hilarious horror spoof "Young Frankenstein." I swear that wasn't me. I think Cloris has a little something in her throat.
Now, the mysterious Frau Blucher was played by Oscar and Emmy- winning actress Cloris Leachman, who is no mystery to millions of Americans, since she appeared in dozens of movies, plays, television shows. You know the story.
And she's in the house right now and looking just as glorious as ever.
Here, let me check the -- OK, beautiful. It's still a little wet. Did you jump out of the shower? No push-up bra.
LEACHMAN: No, no.
PHILLIPS: You didn't even need that?
LEACHMAN: No.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: OK, let's explain to viewers why you're here. "Young Frankenstein," we're still laughing 30 years later.
LEACHMAN: I know. Isn't it funny? When something is truly funny, it's funny all the time. Somebody said, I don't want to have my cake and eat it. I want to have my cake and throw it up and eat it again. That's disgusting. But when something is funny like that, it tickles you every time all over again.
PHILLIPS: We've got a little clip of "Young Frankenstein." Let's roll that really quickly, OK?
LEACHMAN: All right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN")
GENE WILDER, ACTOR: It was your cigar smoldering in the ashtray.
LEACHMAN: Yes!
WILDER: And it was you who left my grandfather's book out for me to find.
LEACHMAN: Yes!
WILDER: So that I would?
LEACHMAN: Yes!
WILDER: And you and Victor were...
LEACHMAN: Yes! Yes! Say it. He was my boyfriend!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: What was it like to work with Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks and all these brilliant comedians?
LEACHMAN: I was trying to find a German accent. I've never had one before and I came to the set and I think his mother helped me. Mel's mother was sitting there. I think she helped two or three people. How do you say -- I have to tell you, the one piece of direction that was so good that Mel gave to me, I mean, the one that really changed something was, as we were going up the steps, remember how Marty had the -- he was always hunched over. What hump?
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. You're talking about Marty Feldman, of course.
LEACHMAN: Skulking behind the little group as we started up the steps of the stone tower, with no arm thing to keep you from falling. And I turn around and say, stay close to the candles. The staircase can be treacherous. But Mel whispered in my ear. And so I said it this way. Stay close to the candles. The staircase can be treacherous, meaning we've lost a couple of people.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Of course.
All right, we can't forget Nurse Diesel. Come on, "High Anxiety," we can't forget these movies. They were fantastic. What happens when you're late for dinner?
LEACHMAN: No fruit cup.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: I just had to hear you say it.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Here it is.
I've got to ask you, this is a whole different type of comedy, Cloris. Does this still exist?
(CROSSTALK)
LEACHMAN: You mean "Young Frankenstein"?
PHILLIPS: No, no, no, I'm talking about your sense of humor, Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, all of you, does that still exist?
(CROSSTALK)
LEACHMAN: Well, we're still alive.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: And you're still funny.
But the younger comedians, the ones that are coming out, do you find them funny? Who do you think is funny besides yourself?
LEACHMAN: I think everybody, everybody who is funny is not, what is it like now from then? Everybody's a new personality, bringing their own little funny bone or take on life. You know, they're funny in their own way, each in his own way.
PHILLIPS: And you're working with Adam Sandler on something now, aren't you? Isn't he -- he's pretty funny.
LEACHMAN: Most wonderful -- Jim Brooks is a brilliant genius. And he wrote "Spanglish," Spanish and English put together, "Spanglish."
PHILLIPS: Of course. LEACHMAN: And Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni are married. And I'm her mother. And Adam Sandler is just the dearest, darlingest, sweetest person. You'd never guess he was so funny. He's just darling, just like an ordinary, just the way normal people are.
And but Jim Brooks, he wrote this wonderful script for "Spanglish." And he comes right in. The minute anybody says one or two words, he comes right in and he already creates a new opening. He opens the place up so that funny things can happen without telling you what to do specifically. He'll make the relationships in a different way. They start to come together from different places, just by what he'll open up for you.
PHILLIPS: All right, I'm going to tell you something. I want you to open up something for me.
Since we're running short on time, I'm going to have you toss to "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS," OK? Can you do that for me?
LEACHMAN: What do I say?
PHILLIPS: You just look right here on camera two and say -- of course, you watch her show all the time. Say, OK, we're going to camera three. Here we go. We're going to come over camera three.
LEACHMAN: That wraps up this Thursday edition of LIVE FROM. You didn't want me to say that.
PHILLIPS: No, keep going. Yes, keep going.
LEACHMAN: From wherever.
And now to take us through the next hour of political headlines is "JUDY WOODRUFF'S INSIDE POLITICS."
Hello, Judy!
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Cloris Leachman, it's a first and only. Thank you very much.
(LAUGHTER)
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