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Insurgent Violence Continues; Iraq Expats Register to Vote in U.S.; Report Alleges Bush Administration Has War Plans in Iran
Aired January 17, 2005 - 13:00 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.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Absentee amid growing concern Iraq itself will not be secure enough for the upcoming election. We are live from Chicago and Baghdad.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Is America planning to attack Iran? A published report suggests the White House has a plan. We'll talk about it with one of our military analysts.
NGUYEN: Pension protest. A cut in benefits prompts thousands of seniors to take to the streets in Moscow.
HARRIS: And it is our unbelievable image of the day. Nail through the head.
NGUYEN: Ouch! Ooh!
HARRIS: What's even more amazing, this guy walked around like this for six days and lived to tell about it.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And he thought he just had a toothache.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: I'm Betty Nguyen in for Kyra Phillips. And Miles O'Brien is off today, as well. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
Thirteen days and counting. Election day in Iraq is fast approaching, dread inducing and hope inspiring, all at once.
Outside the country, thousands of expatriates are registering to vote, excited about what they call a great opportunity. But inside Iraq, a campaign to scare voters away. Insurgents trying to sabotage the election are continuing their violent quest.
CNN's Jeff Koinange joins us now live from Baghdad with the latest there.
Hi, Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Betty.
And that's right. The insurgent attacks and suicide bombings continue across Iraq on this Monday of mayhem. First to the town of Bereuts (ph). That 10 kilometers south of Baqubah in the Sunni Triangle. Insurgents drove their vehicle up to an Iraqi National Guard checkpoint, firing their automatic weapons at the soldiers, killing seven and wounding four.
Next, to the town of Beiji (ph). That's 40 kilometers north of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. There, a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle at a police checkpoint, killing seven Iraqi policemen, wounding up to 19.
And Iraqi security service aren't the only ones being attacked on this day. In the south near the city of Basra, at several schools, insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, causing extensive damage, injuring one person.
All this as Iraqis outside Iraq began to register to vote. Close to a million of them are expected to register in the coming days. Add -- add to that about 14 million eligible voters here in Iraq.
But some here are asking, how many of those will actually show up and cast their votes in that landmark election now less than two weeks away -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Jeff, election workers, as they prepare these schools for polling sites, is there any concern that insurgents will start attacking those schools in the run-up to the election?
KOINANGE: A lot of concern, Betty. In fact, the U.S. commanders here on the ground are saying they do expect these attacks, and that's why they're trying to keep these places a secret.
But insurgents obviously have informers at every level of government here. And they are learning where the schools are, where the voting centers are. And they're trying to discourage Iraqis from voting on that day.
But still, the officials here insist that election will go on, despite the concern. But, local Iraqis, normal Iraqis are asking, "Will we be able to be safe to vote on that day?" That's a question a lot of people are asking and don't seem to be getting too many answers to, Betty.
NGUYEN: And a lot of time is obviously running out and very fast.
Let's talk about the Sunni areas, security there. There's a lot of concern that many Sunnis will not be able to vote if they want to take part in these elections. What's being done to secure some polling sites in those areas?
KOINANGE: that's right, Betty. There's been four provinces out of 18 that are considered right now not safe to vote. But election officials here, and also the commanders on THE ground say by January 30, those areas will be safe.
We're talking about cities like Mosul, Ramadi, Falluja, Of course Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, and parts of Baghdad. Security is intensifying in those areas. There's been a lot of arrests of suspected insurgents. The forces here are recovering huge caches of weapons, and they're saying that by the 30th of January, these cities, these provinces, will be secure.
But it's different trying to convince Iraqis on the ground whether they'll be safe to vote on that day -- Betty.
NGUYEN: CNN's Jeff Koinange in Baghdad for us today. Thank you, Jeff -- Tony.
HARRIS: Betty, there are about a million Iraqi expatriates eligible to cast their ballots in the election. Thousands of them live right here in the U.S., and they are registering to vote, starting today.
Polling places have been set up in five cities, including Chicago. That's where we find Nancy Loo with affiliate WFLD.
I understand that we're having some problems making that connection. We'll get back to Nancy in just a couple of minutes.
Was it a mistake to send U.S. troops to Iraq? And should they come back home? Well, Americans answered those questions in a brand new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll to be released later today. CNN's "INSIDE POLITICS" will have those results at 3:30 Eastern.
NGUYEN: Now we want to go to a potential political bombshell.
In the latest issue of "The New Yorker" magazine, journalist Seymour Hersh claims the Bush administration has its eye on Iran. Hersh alleges there have been secret reconnaissance missions of possible nuclear, chemical and missile sites, aimed at potential air strikes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEYMOUR HERSH, "THE NEW YORKER": I think the important thing to understand is, Iraq is one war zone, and it's separate. Iran is another. Syria is yet another. The global war on terrorism. There's a lot of war zones and a lot of things are going to happen in the second administration. This president really believes that his mission is to make the Middle East -- change it in a way that makes the world and America safer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now Hersh claims inside sources tipped him off about those missions. But courthouse communications director Dan Bartlett says Hersh's report is, quote, "riddled with inaccuracies." He insists the U.S. is using diplomatic channels to address the issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: President Bush has set forth a diplomatic initiative that he's made very clear to the entire world. We're working with our European allies to help convince the Iranian government to not pursue weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons. We'll continue to work through the IAEA protocol to do just that.
It's critical that the entire world focus on this issue. It is a threat that we have to take seriously. And we'll will continue to work through the diplomat initiatives that he set forth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And we will be speaking with CNN's Barbara Starr in just a few minutes to get the Pentagon response to the Seymour Hersh article -- Tony.
HARRIS: And back to Chicago now and Nancy Loo. And Chicago is one of a number of cities where Iraqi Americans are registering to vote.
Nancy, what's the latest there?
NANCY LOO, WFLD CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been a steady stream of Iraqi expatriates coming in all morning long with people young and old eager to register for this unprecedented Iraqi election.
Chicago is one of five U.S. cities where an estimated one million Iraqis are expected to register for the upcoming vote. Those registered throughout this week have to return between the 28th and 30th to actually vote.
Now here in the Chicago area, people have come from as far away as Nebraska to take part in the new Iraqi democratic process. In one case, by the busload.
Heightened security surrounds the process, but the mood is jovial and hopeful.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOO: What are you thinking as process this is playing out, seeing people come in?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think -- I think this is good. It's the first time we see democracy in Iraqi history. I don't want to say whole Middle East, but you know, this is the best ever dream coming true.
LOO: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: God bless America. I'm very happy.
LOO: Is there a feeling of guilt since we're in a very safe polling place and the Iraqis, you know, may not...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My whole family actually are in Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are happy for this thing to happen. This is the first time. All those years, as long as I remember, we never have democracy like this. This is our first time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOO: Now Iraqi expats are also registering in more than a dozen other countries this week. So far many are expressing gratitude for the American sacrifices that have made this process possible.
We're live in the Chicago suburb of Skokie. I'm Nancy Loo, reporting.
HARRIS: Nancy, quick question if you can hear me. What kind of documentation are people having to provide to prove they are, in fact, Iraqis?
LOO: They have to have their birth certificates or any type of photo I.D. that shows that they lived in Iraq or were born in Iraq. They must be at least 18 years old. And so far, relatively few problems in this process.
HARRIS: OK. Nancy Loo in Chicago. Nancy, thank you.
Remembering the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Coast to coast pas, services and volunteer projects are marking the slain civil rights leader's birthday.
Right now thousands of people are taking part in a rally and march in Atlanta, Georgia, King's hometown. He would have turned 76 years old over the weekend.
Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church is ground zero for MLK Day commemorations. King was a preacher there from 1960 until his assassination in 1968, and today hundreds of people attended a 37th annual service to mark his birthday.
King's son asked the congregation to remember his father's legacy of peace as the war in Iraq continues and to remember King's message of compassion as South Asia struggles to recover from the tsunami disaster.
President Bush is also commemorating Martin Luther King Day. He'll speak at a celebration of King's life in Washington. The president's address begins at 4 p.m. Eastern, and CNN will bring it to you live.
And "NEWSNIGHT" is honoring the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in a very special way tonight. Tune in at 10 Eastern for King's "I have a dream" speech. Its will run here in its entirety right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: A sign that life goes on after the tsunami. For Indonesian fishermen, it is the simple act of getting back in the boat. We'll take there just ahead. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK LAWLER, NAIL GUN ACCIDENT VICTIM: I always considered myself lucky, you know. You don't shoot yourself in the face every day with a nail and have it not do anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Yes, is he a very lucky man? The survivor of a bizarre construction accident tells his story straight ahead.
And, later on LIVE FROM, a former marathon runner wants to get back into racing form. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces to you him and four others who want to experience a "New You Revolution."
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Want to get back to that political bombshell, potentially. The latest issue of "The New Yorker" magazine claims that the Bush administration has its eye on Iran. We want to get the Pentagon's reaction about that.
And for that we want to go to CNN's Barbara Starr, who is at the Pentagon.
Hi, there, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Betty.
Well, as you say, this article by "The New Yorker" writer Seymour Hersh creating a bit of a stir, at least here in Washington, over the last couple of days.
That article saying, according to Mr. Hersh's sources, that the Bush administration was planning military action against Iran because of its nuclear weapons program.
Of course, the White House spokesman denying that over the weekend, and now in the last few minutes, the Pentagon also issuing a statement about "The New Yorker" article. That statement coming from Lawrence Di Rita, the chief spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Because, of course, article makes a number of assertions about the U.S. military planning to conduct an operation against Iran.
Now according to the Pentagon press statement, it says that the article is, quote, "riddled with errors of fundamental fact," to the point, the press release says, that the credibility of the entire piece is, quote, "destroyed."
It also says that Mr. Hersh's sources, quote, "feed him rumor, innuendo and assertions."
Now certainly, there are a number of points that the Pentagon does not address in its statement, mainly that there have been secret directives or findings, if you will, signed by officials in the administration, allowing U.S. military special forces much more latitude in conducting operations against other countries. The statement does not address that specific fact.
But we've talked to a number of senior military officials over the last 48 hours or so. And what they have given us is every indication that there are certainly no plans by the Bush administration to conduct any operations at this time against Iran. No interest at this point in expanding military operations in the global war on terrorism.
The military, of course, reserves the right to conduct operations at the president's order, at a place and time of his choosing. But the article, for example, says that there is a plan for, quote, "maximum ground and air invasion of Iran," and a very senior official we have spoken to says that is absolutely false -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Barbara, I have to ask you. But the article goes on to say that there are plans that are not just limited to Iran. In fact 10 other countries as well are on the map, according to these plans. What does the Pentagon have to say about that?
STARR: Well, they're not going to address these things publicly country by country, of course, because they do want to preserve the cloak of secrecy that they like to have. They don't like to talk about what they may be planning to do. And they are signaling, however, very strongly that no one should expect outright military action.
But let's look at it just from a common sense point of view for a minute, Betty. The military, the intelligence community, certainly conducts reconnaissance surveillance, intelligence gathering operations, in any number of countries, on an ongoing basis, to collect information about what is perceived to be threats to the United States.
That certainly goes on in any number of countries that the U.S. has earmarked in the global war on terrorism. That's pretty much common sense.
But the notion of any broader military action would certainly be something very problematic, would be something that the military, already stretched thin in Iraq and Afghanistan, would really have to plan for. And there's no indication at this point, according to many sources that we've talked to, that any military action is imminent at this point in time -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thank you, Barbara.
And coming up in just a few minutes on LIVE FROM, we will speak with CNN military analyst Major General Don Shepperd about Hersh's report for his thoughts.
HARRIS: Survivors still grieving from the killer tsunamis know that life must go on. In Southern India, villagers who made their living on the open water are returning to the sea for the first time, thanks to the help of a generous American.
We get the story from CNN's Suhasini Haidar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUHASINI HAIDAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An impromptu celebration in a village that lost nearly everything. It seems unbelievable amidst the grief that the fishermen of Pudupattinam can dance and sing old songs. But today, they rejoice at the first signs their community may soon be back on its feet.
"Whenever I came to the shore I used to cry," he says. "I would look at the sea and wonder when my life would be normal again."
Aril Das's (ph) nephew died, his home destroyed when the tsunami struck, and most of his village's 120 boats were damaged or washed away. Their homes are now being rebuilt.
But across the state of Tamilnadu, their spirits still suffer.
(on camera) The real challenge, say local officials, is no longer to provide food, clothing and shelter for the more than 300,000 families affected by the tsunami here. It's to get them back to work and to provide for their communities in the long run.
(voice-over) Now, help has arrived from an unexpected place. Wall Street trader Andrew Krieger, along with aid group Hope Worldwide, collected enough to provide three new fiberglass boats and other essentials for this village.
ANDREW KRIEGER, TRADER/DONOR: They don't want charity. They want to be -- they want to be self-sufficient. They want to have dignity in their lives.
HAIDAR: Krieger and other donors say they're thrilled to see results of their efforts firsthand. Each kit (ph) cost more than $5,000, and they hope to generate enough money for at least 40 more.
On one of his first fishing forays since the tsunami, Das (ph) can't contain his excitement. He seems so easily to forgive the sea that has taken so much from his and his family. Das (ph) says that's because he knows his little village, once crushed by the uncertainty of the future, now has reason to hope.
Suhasini Haidar, CNN, Pudupattinam, India.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, that's got to hurt. Believe it or not, the guy with this x-ray thought he just had a toothache.
Later on LIVE FROM...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That little boy has been traumatized and hurt and nobody cares!
NGUYEN: ... heart-wrenching custody battle with a 3-year-old boy caught in the middle. It's raising questions about adoption laws and the courts.
Tomorrow on LIVE FROM, senators threatening tough questions for secretary of state nominee Condoleezza Rice at her confirmation hearings. We'll have live coverage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Unbelievable! It's the only word to describe this next story. Truly.
HARRIS: OK. You ready? All right.
NGUYEN: Ready.
HARRIS: We're going to tell it here. A Colorado man went to the doctor complaining of a simple toothache.
NGUYEN: Not so simple.
HARRIS: No, not at all. He got the surprise of his life when an x-ray revealed the real problem.
Gina Kim from CNN affiliate KUSA has the amazing story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what drugs are you allergic to?
LAWLER: None.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
GINA KIM, KUSA REPORTER (voice-over): Patrick Lawler remembers it clearly. A week ago, he accidentally hit his face with what he thought was the back of his nail gun. His lips bled a little bit, but that was it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have any dental work that's removable?
LAWLER: No.
KIM: When he got a toothache and blurry vision in his right eye, doctors prescribed ibuprofen and ice packs.
LAWLER: Six days we were icing it and taking Advil. I thought I just got hit real hard, like a punch. Way off!
KIM: When his wife finally convinced him to take an X-ray at her dental office...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.
KIM: ... they couldn't believe what they saw.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm like, what did you do with the machine? Are you making a joke? And he was like, "No, no, no. It's really a nail there." And he was like, "That's impossible. Impossible."
LAWLER: You just got a nail in your brain. It's pretty shocking.
KIM: The nail entered through his lip and lodged itself millimeters away from his right eye. It stopped just within his brain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the second one we've actually seen at this hospital where the person was injured by the nail gun and didn't actually realize the nail had been embedded in their skull.
LAWLER: Uncles, aunts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See you in a little bit.
KIM: Last night, Lawler went in for a risky six-hour surgery. This morning, he was back to his old self-again, minus the nail.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here I come. Here it is.
LAWLER: Yes, I always considered myself lucky, you know. You don't shoot yourself in the face every day with a nail and have it not do anything. And it definitely makes one think about a profession change. You know?
KIM: Lawler plans to display the nail in his living room. He'll probably go back to his construction job.
LAWLER: I'm tired and I'm sore.
KIM: But he plans to use a hammer from now on.
Gina Kim, 9 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: News across America now.
The search intensifies for a North Carolina couple accused of snatching their two children from foster care. Police say James Canter and Elisha Chambers took their 11-month-old daughter and 2- year-old son at gunpoint yesterday. The couple was last seen crossing into Tennessee. A $1,000 reward is being offered in the case. Tragedy in Colorado. A 15-year-old Texas boy has died in a skiing accident. Authorities say the boy skied into a tree at Breckenridge. He is the sixth person killed in ski or snowboarding accidents in Colorado this season.
The standoff is over and a hotel back open in Miami Beach. The renowned Fountainbleu Hotel went into lockdown this morning after a woman barricaded herself in a nearby yacht. The woman was taken into custody. Police believe she may have been homeless and entered the boat to escape the cold.
NGUYEN: This just in to CNN. We understand that a Catholic archbishop has been kidnapped in Mosul, Iraq. He is identified as 66- year-old Archbishop Basile Casmoussa of the Syrian Catholic Church.
Now, the Vatican has issued a statement on this kidnapping saying, quote, "The holy see deplores in the firmest way such a terrorist act." And they are asking that he be freed immediately.
Of course CNN is continuing to follow this story, and we will update you as soon as we get the information -- Tony.
HARRIS: Does the United States have a plan of attack in Iran? Sources are telling a reporter for "The New Yorker" that it does. We'll talk about it with our CNN military analyst, General Don Shepperd, straight ahead here on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired January 17, 2005 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Absentee amid growing concern Iraq itself will not be secure enough for the upcoming election. We are live from Chicago and Baghdad.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Is America planning to attack Iran? A published report suggests the White House has a plan. We'll talk about it with one of our military analysts.
NGUYEN: Pension protest. A cut in benefits prompts thousands of seniors to take to the streets in Moscow.
HARRIS: And it is our unbelievable image of the day. Nail through the head.
NGUYEN: Ouch! Ooh!
HARRIS: What's even more amazing, this guy walked around like this for six days and lived to tell about it.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And he thought he just had a toothache.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: I'm Betty Nguyen in for Kyra Phillips. And Miles O'Brien is off today, as well. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
Thirteen days and counting. Election day in Iraq is fast approaching, dread inducing and hope inspiring, all at once.
Outside the country, thousands of expatriates are registering to vote, excited about what they call a great opportunity. But inside Iraq, a campaign to scare voters away. Insurgents trying to sabotage the election are continuing their violent quest.
CNN's Jeff Koinange joins us now live from Baghdad with the latest there.
Hi, Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Betty.
And that's right. The insurgent attacks and suicide bombings continue across Iraq on this Monday of mayhem. First to the town of Bereuts (ph). That 10 kilometers south of Baqubah in the Sunni Triangle. Insurgents drove their vehicle up to an Iraqi National Guard checkpoint, firing their automatic weapons at the soldiers, killing seven and wounding four.
Next, to the town of Beiji (ph). That's 40 kilometers north of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown. There, a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle at a police checkpoint, killing seven Iraqi policemen, wounding up to 19.
And Iraqi security service aren't the only ones being attacked on this day. In the south near the city of Basra, at several schools, insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, causing extensive damage, injuring one person.
All this as Iraqis outside Iraq began to register to vote. Close to a million of them are expected to register in the coming days. Add -- add to that about 14 million eligible voters here in Iraq.
But some here are asking, how many of those will actually show up and cast their votes in that landmark election now less than two weeks away -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Jeff, election workers, as they prepare these schools for polling sites, is there any concern that insurgents will start attacking those schools in the run-up to the election?
KOINANGE: A lot of concern, Betty. In fact, the U.S. commanders here on the ground are saying they do expect these attacks, and that's why they're trying to keep these places a secret.
But insurgents obviously have informers at every level of government here. And they are learning where the schools are, where the voting centers are. And they're trying to discourage Iraqis from voting on that day.
But still, the officials here insist that election will go on, despite the concern. But, local Iraqis, normal Iraqis are asking, "Will we be able to be safe to vote on that day?" That's a question a lot of people are asking and don't seem to be getting too many answers to, Betty.
NGUYEN: And a lot of time is obviously running out and very fast.
Let's talk about the Sunni areas, security there. There's a lot of concern that many Sunnis will not be able to vote if they want to take part in these elections. What's being done to secure some polling sites in those areas?
KOINANGE: that's right, Betty. There's been four provinces out of 18 that are considered right now not safe to vote. But election officials here, and also the commanders on THE ground say by January 30, those areas will be safe.
We're talking about cities like Mosul, Ramadi, Falluja, Of course Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, and parts of Baghdad. Security is intensifying in those areas. There's been a lot of arrests of suspected insurgents. The forces here are recovering huge caches of weapons, and they're saying that by the 30th of January, these cities, these provinces, will be secure.
But it's different trying to convince Iraqis on the ground whether they'll be safe to vote on that day -- Betty.
NGUYEN: CNN's Jeff Koinange in Baghdad for us today. Thank you, Jeff -- Tony.
HARRIS: Betty, there are about a million Iraqi expatriates eligible to cast their ballots in the election. Thousands of them live right here in the U.S., and they are registering to vote, starting today.
Polling places have been set up in five cities, including Chicago. That's where we find Nancy Loo with affiliate WFLD.
I understand that we're having some problems making that connection. We'll get back to Nancy in just a couple of minutes.
Was it a mistake to send U.S. troops to Iraq? And should they come back home? Well, Americans answered those questions in a brand new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll to be released later today. CNN's "INSIDE POLITICS" will have those results at 3:30 Eastern.
NGUYEN: Now we want to go to a potential political bombshell.
In the latest issue of "The New Yorker" magazine, journalist Seymour Hersh claims the Bush administration has its eye on Iran. Hersh alleges there have been secret reconnaissance missions of possible nuclear, chemical and missile sites, aimed at potential air strikes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEYMOUR HERSH, "THE NEW YORKER": I think the important thing to understand is, Iraq is one war zone, and it's separate. Iran is another. Syria is yet another. The global war on terrorism. There's a lot of war zones and a lot of things are going to happen in the second administration. This president really believes that his mission is to make the Middle East -- change it in a way that makes the world and America safer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now Hersh claims inside sources tipped him off about those missions. But courthouse communications director Dan Bartlett says Hersh's report is, quote, "riddled with inaccuracies." He insists the U.S. is using diplomatic channels to address the issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: President Bush has set forth a diplomatic initiative that he's made very clear to the entire world. We're working with our European allies to help convince the Iranian government to not pursue weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons. We'll continue to work through the IAEA protocol to do just that.
It's critical that the entire world focus on this issue. It is a threat that we have to take seriously. And we'll will continue to work through the diplomat initiatives that he set forth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And we will be speaking with CNN's Barbara Starr in just a few minutes to get the Pentagon response to the Seymour Hersh article -- Tony.
HARRIS: And back to Chicago now and Nancy Loo. And Chicago is one of a number of cities where Iraqi Americans are registering to vote.
Nancy, what's the latest there?
NANCY LOO, WFLD CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been a steady stream of Iraqi expatriates coming in all morning long with people young and old eager to register for this unprecedented Iraqi election.
Chicago is one of five U.S. cities where an estimated one million Iraqis are expected to register for the upcoming vote. Those registered throughout this week have to return between the 28th and 30th to actually vote.
Now here in the Chicago area, people have come from as far away as Nebraska to take part in the new Iraqi democratic process. In one case, by the busload.
Heightened security surrounds the process, but the mood is jovial and hopeful.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LOO: What are you thinking as process this is playing out, seeing people come in?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think -- I think this is good. It's the first time we see democracy in Iraqi history. I don't want to say whole Middle East, but you know, this is the best ever dream coming true.
LOO: Yes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: God bless America. I'm very happy.
LOO: Is there a feeling of guilt since we're in a very safe polling place and the Iraqis, you know, may not...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My whole family actually are in Iraq.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are happy for this thing to happen. This is the first time. All those years, as long as I remember, we never have democracy like this. This is our first time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOO: Now Iraqi expats are also registering in more than a dozen other countries this week. So far many are expressing gratitude for the American sacrifices that have made this process possible.
We're live in the Chicago suburb of Skokie. I'm Nancy Loo, reporting.
HARRIS: Nancy, quick question if you can hear me. What kind of documentation are people having to provide to prove they are, in fact, Iraqis?
LOO: They have to have their birth certificates or any type of photo I.D. that shows that they lived in Iraq or were born in Iraq. They must be at least 18 years old. And so far, relatively few problems in this process.
HARRIS: OK. Nancy Loo in Chicago. Nancy, thank you.
Remembering the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Coast to coast pas, services and volunteer projects are marking the slain civil rights leader's birthday.
Right now thousands of people are taking part in a rally and march in Atlanta, Georgia, King's hometown. He would have turned 76 years old over the weekend.
Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church is ground zero for MLK Day commemorations. King was a preacher there from 1960 until his assassination in 1968, and today hundreds of people attended a 37th annual service to mark his birthday.
King's son asked the congregation to remember his father's legacy of peace as the war in Iraq continues and to remember King's message of compassion as South Asia struggles to recover from the tsunami disaster.
President Bush is also commemorating Martin Luther King Day. He'll speak at a celebration of King's life in Washington. The president's address begins at 4 p.m. Eastern, and CNN will bring it to you live.
And "NEWSNIGHT" is honoring the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. in a very special way tonight. Tune in at 10 Eastern for King's "I have a dream" speech. Its will run here in its entirety right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: A sign that life goes on after the tsunami. For Indonesian fishermen, it is the simple act of getting back in the boat. We'll take there just ahead. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK LAWLER, NAIL GUN ACCIDENT VICTIM: I always considered myself lucky, you know. You don't shoot yourself in the face every day with a nail and have it not do anything.
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NGUYEN: Yes, is he a very lucky man? The survivor of a bizarre construction accident tells his story straight ahead.
And, later on LIVE FROM, a former marathon runner wants to get back into racing form. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces to you him and four others who want to experience a "New You Revolution."
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NGUYEN: Want to get back to that political bombshell, potentially. The latest issue of "The New Yorker" magazine claims that the Bush administration has its eye on Iran. We want to get the Pentagon's reaction about that.
And for that we want to go to CNN's Barbara Starr, who is at the Pentagon.
Hi, there, Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Betty.
Well, as you say, this article by "The New Yorker" writer Seymour Hersh creating a bit of a stir, at least here in Washington, over the last couple of days.
That article saying, according to Mr. Hersh's sources, that the Bush administration was planning military action against Iran because of its nuclear weapons program.
Of course, the White House spokesman denying that over the weekend, and now in the last few minutes, the Pentagon also issuing a statement about "The New Yorker" article. That statement coming from Lawrence Di Rita, the chief spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Because, of course, article makes a number of assertions about the U.S. military planning to conduct an operation against Iran.
Now according to the Pentagon press statement, it says that the article is, quote, "riddled with errors of fundamental fact," to the point, the press release says, that the credibility of the entire piece is, quote, "destroyed."
It also says that Mr. Hersh's sources, quote, "feed him rumor, innuendo and assertions."
Now certainly, there are a number of points that the Pentagon does not address in its statement, mainly that there have been secret directives or findings, if you will, signed by officials in the administration, allowing U.S. military special forces much more latitude in conducting operations against other countries. The statement does not address that specific fact.
But we've talked to a number of senior military officials over the last 48 hours or so. And what they have given us is every indication that there are certainly no plans by the Bush administration to conduct any operations at this time against Iran. No interest at this point in expanding military operations in the global war on terrorism.
The military, of course, reserves the right to conduct operations at the president's order, at a place and time of his choosing. But the article, for example, says that there is a plan for, quote, "maximum ground and air invasion of Iran," and a very senior official we have spoken to says that is absolutely false -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Barbara, I have to ask you. But the article goes on to say that there are plans that are not just limited to Iran. In fact 10 other countries as well are on the map, according to these plans. What does the Pentagon have to say about that?
STARR: Well, they're not going to address these things publicly country by country, of course, because they do want to preserve the cloak of secrecy that they like to have. They don't like to talk about what they may be planning to do. And they are signaling, however, very strongly that no one should expect outright military action.
But let's look at it just from a common sense point of view for a minute, Betty. The military, the intelligence community, certainly conducts reconnaissance surveillance, intelligence gathering operations, in any number of countries, on an ongoing basis, to collect information about what is perceived to be threats to the United States.
That certainly goes on in any number of countries that the U.S. has earmarked in the global war on terrorism. That's pretty much common sense.
But the notion of any broader military action would certainly be something very problematic, would be something that the military, already stretched thin in Iraq and Afghanistan, would really have to plan for. And there's no indication at this point, according to many sources that we've talked to, that any military action is imminent at this point in time -- Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thank you, Barbara.
And coming up in just a few minutes on LIVE FROM, we will speak with CNN military analyst Major General Don Shepperd about Hersh's report for his thoughts.
HARRIS: Survivors still grieving from the killer tsunamis know that life must go on. In Southern India, villagers who made their living on the open water are returning to the sea for the first time, thanks to the help of a generous American.
We get the story from CNN's Suhasini Haidar.
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SUHASINI HAIDAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An impromptu celebration in a village that lost nearly everything. It seems unbelievable amidst the grief that the fishermen of Pudupattinam can dance and sing old songs. But today, they rejoice at the first signs their community may soon be back on its feet.
"Whenever I came to the shore I used to cry," he says. "I would look at the sea and wonder when my life would be normal again."
Aril Das's (ph) nephew died, his home destroyed when the tsunami struck, and most of his village's 120 boats were damaged or washed away. Their homes are now being rebuilt.
But across the state of Tamilnadu, their spirits still suffer.
(on camera) The real challenge, say local officials, is no longer to provide food, clothing and shelter for the more than 300,000 families affected by the tsunami here. It's to get them back to work and to provide for their communities in the long run.
(voice-over) Now, help has arrived from an unexpected place. Wall Street trader Andrew Krieger, along with aid group Hope Worldwide, collected enough to provide three new fiberglass boats and other essentials for this village.
ANDREW KRIEGER, TRADER/DONOR: They don't want charity. They want to be -- they want to be self-sufficient. They want to have dignity in their lives.
HAIDAR: Krieger and other donors say they're thrilled to see results of their efforts firsthand. Each kit (ph) cost more than $5,000, and they hope to generate enough money for at least 40 more.
On one of his first fishing forays since the tsunami, Das (ph) can't contain his excitement. He seems so easily to forgive the sea that has taken so much from his and his family. Das (ph) says that's because he knows his little village, once crushed by the uncertainty of the future, now has reason to hope.
Suhasini Haidar, CNN, Pudupattinam, India.
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NGUYEN (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM, that's got to hurt. Believe it or not, the guy with this x-ray thought he just had a toothache.
Later on LIVE FROM...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That little boy has been traumatized and hurt and nobody cares!
NGUYEN: ... heart-wrenching custody battle with a 3-year-old boy caught in the middle. It's raising questions about adoption laws and the courts.
Tomorrow on LIVE FROM, senators threatening tough questions for secretary of state nominee Condoleezza Rice at her confirmation hearings. We'll have live coverage.
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NGUYEN: Unbelievable! It's the only word to describe this next story. Truly.
HARRIS: OK. You ready? All right.
NGUYEN: Ready.
HARRIS: We're going to tell it here. A Colorado man went to the doctor complaining of a simple toothache.
NGUYEN: Not so simple.
HARRIS: No, not at all. He got the surprise of his life when an x-ray revealed the real problem.
Gina Kim from CNN affiliate KUSA has the amazing story.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And what drugs are you allergic to?
LAWLER: None.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
GINA KIM, KUSA REPORTER (voice-over): Patrick Lawler remembers it clearly. A week ago, he accidentally hit his face with what he thought was the back of his nail gun. His lips bled a little bit, but that was it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have any dental work that's removable?
LAWLER: No.
KIM: When he got a toothache and blurry vision in his right eye, doctors prescribed ibuprofen and ice packs.
LAWLER: Six days we were icing it and taking Advil. I thought I just got hit real hard, like a punch. Way off!
KIM: When his wife finally convinced him to take an X-ray at her dental office...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.
KIM: ... they couldn't believe what they saw.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm like, what did you do with the machine? Are you making a joke? And he was like, "No, no, no. It's really a nail there." And he was like, "That's impossible. Impossible."
LAWLER: You just got a nail in your brain. It's pretty shocking.
KIM: The nail entered through his lip and lodged itself millimeters away from his right eye. It stopped just within his brain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the second one we've actually seen at this hospital where the person was injured by the nail gun and didn't actually realize the nail had been embedded in their skull.
LAWLER: Uncles, aunts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: See you in a little bit.
KIM: Last night, Lawler went in for a risky six-hour surgery. This morning, he was back to his old self-again, minus the nail.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here I come. Here it is.
LAWLER: Yes, I always considered myself lucky, you know. You don't shoot yourself in the face every day with a nail and have it not do anything. And it definitely makes one think about a profession change. You know?
KIM: Lawler plans to display the nail in his living room. He'll probably go back to his construction job.
LAWLER: I'm tired and I'm sore.
KIM: But he plans to use a hammer from now on.
Gina Kim, 9 News.
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HARRIS: News across America now.
The search intensifies for a North Carolina couple accused of snatching their two children from foster care. Police say James Canter and Elisha Chambers took their 11-month-old daughter and 2- year-old son at gunpoint yesterday. The couple was last seen crossing into Tennessee. A $1,000 reward is being offered in the case. Tragedy in Colorado. A 15-year-old Texas boy has died in a skiing accident. Authorities say the boy skied into a tree at Breckenridge. He is the sixth person killed in ski or snowboarding accidents in Colorado this season.
The standoff is over and a hotel back open in Miami Beach. The renowned Fountainbleu Hotel went into lockdown this morning after a woman barricaded herself in a nearby yacht. The woman was taken into custody. Police believe she may have been homeless and entered the boat to escape the cold.
NGUYEN: This just in to CNN. We understand that a Catholic archbishop has been kidnapped in Mosul, Iraq. He is identified as 66- year-old Archbishop Basile Casmoussa of the Syrian Catholic Church.
Now, the Vatican has issued a statement on this kidnapping saying, quote, "The holy see deplores in the firmest way such a terrorist act." And they are asking that he be freed immediately.
Of course CNN is continuing to follow this story, and we will update you as soon as we get the information -- Tony.
HARRIS: Does the United States have a plan of attack in Iran? Sources are telling a reporter for "The New Yorker" that it does. We'll talk about it with our CNN military analyst, General Don Shepperd, straight ahead here on LIVE FROM.
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