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Moving Out; Iraq: The Next Chapter; Colombian Plane Crashes in Venezuela

Aired August 16, 2005 - 14:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what's in his gut? He's in his pocket right now. Watch him. Watch him.

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KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Tense times on the front lines. CNN takes you on patrol, searching for terrorists staging explosive attacks in Iraq.

Cancer questions. The same doctor from yesterday joins me again live this hour to answer more of your e-mail questions.

Toddler or terrorist? Babies barred from flying because they're showing up on no-fly lists.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

It's 9:00 p.m. in Gaza. Three hours left until a midnight deadline for Israeli settlers and protesters to pull out or face the prospect of being hauled out by soldiers. At last report, roughly half of the 9,000 Jews who lived among a million and a half Palestinians were said to be gone. Besides a potential scuffle, those who remain risk forfeiting a portion of their government compensation..

CNN's Guy Raz watching events in the largest of 21 soon-to-be vacated outposts.

Hi, Guy.

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

One can't help but feel the tension here in the Gaza settlements this evening, just hours before the formal period of evacuation begins. Now, as we speak, hundreds of Israeli soldiers and police have started to enter this settlement in large numbers, in a final bid, really, to persuade the remaining residents to voluntarily evacuate their homes.

Now, earlier in the day, there were clashes between police and demonstrators. At times those clashes became violent. A preview, perhaps, to what we can expect to see in the coming days here.

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RAZ (voice over): At first light, the gate came crashing down. Police moved into Neveh Dekalim settlement to take control.

POLICE COMMANDER ELI LEVY, NEVEH DEKALIM, GAZA: They're going to do the mission. We can't fail. We must do the mission.

RAZ: Several dozen protesters gathered at the settlement's gate, praying for redemption from an evacuation they call a catastrophe. But prayer, at least on this day, is no match for police.

(on camera): The moving vehicles are now starting to come through. Any attempts to obstruct them are being easily dealt with by police. By the end of this day, the army estimates some 60 percent of the residents of this settlement will be gone.

(voice over): Senior army officers are now inside this settlement, conferring with police, making final preparations. Brigadier General Gershon Ha-Cohen says the process won't take very long.

BRIG. GEN. GERSHON HA-COHEN, NEVEH DEKALIM, GAZA: From this midnight we will begin. We still didn't decide which settlement first. We'll make our (INAUDIBLE) situation according to the result of these two days.

RAZ: The first to be removed likely these young demonstrators. A few of them residents of these settlements, many are waging psychological war on police.

"Here in this country, your country," this woman shouts at police, "are you proud? Will you be produced in the future?"

Elsewhere in this settlement, things are strangely normal: kids swimming, people wandering the streets like any other day. Resident Yael Fogel just watches life pass by from her porch.

YAEL FOGEL, NEVEH DEKALIM RESIDENT: We're not packing. We are not leaving. We believe in staying here.

RAZ: But the Israeli government has other plans.

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RAZ: Kyra, what we expect to see in the coming 24 hours here in this settlement of Neveh Dekalim essentially will be Israeli soldiers coming in slowly. We don't expect the evacuation to begin precisely at midnight, but rather probably sometime tomorrow morning here local time -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Guy Raz. We'll follow it every minute of the way. Thank you.

A disappointment, but not a significant setback. That's how one U.S. ambassador to Iraq is describing a delay in completing the country's constitution. Iraqi leaders say that they're confident they can reach a deal by the new August -- or by August 22. That's the new deadline. But some observers are worried about further delays.

CNN's Aneesh Raman is keeping track of developments in Baghdad. He joins us now live.

Aneesh, it's been very busy for you.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has. It's been a long day. And now it will be a long week, Kyra.

It was not wholly unexpected, but it was not a good moment for the Iraqi government, nonetheless. At the 11th hour Iraqi leaders agreeing essentially that they could not agree.

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RAMAN (voice over): With only minutes to go and with Iraq's government facing a midnight deadline before it could face possible dissolution, a unanimous vote to extend the deadline to draft a constitution, by one week.

Failure rarely gets a round of applause. But this was failure to decide whether the country will be united by a central government or become two or more semi-autonomous regions with the Kurds to the north and the Shia to the south. A failure, so far, to resolve the role of Islam, the rights of women and whether Iraq will become an Islamic republic, like Shia-dominated Iran, and not the least, how to distribute Iraq's oil money. Iraq's leaders insist they are making progress.

HOSHYAR ZEBARI, IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: The leaders are making compromises. The women's rights would be protected in this new constitution. There would equality. There would be participation of women in public life, in political life.

RAMAN: The postponement dealt a blow to many, including the U.S. officials, who hoped a constitution would help bring some stability to a country bloodied daily by insurgent attacks.

MOWAFFAK AL RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: The more we get into the political process and the less the insurgency and the terrorism will have any justifiable reason behind the indiscriminate killing of the Iraqi people.

RAMAN: U.S. officials put a good face on a postponement that is failure for them as well after months of very public pressure. From the secretary of state, new confidence in the new deadline.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The new constitution will be the most important document in the history of the new Iraq. We are confident that they will complete this process and continue on the path toward elections for a permanent government at the end of the year.

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RAMAN: Now, Kyra, the overall question facing Iraq is, can these leaders do in seven days what they could not do in several weeks, bridge those fundamental divides? For the Iraqis, confidence is eroding. They want their government to begin moving forward -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Aneesh Raman. Thank you so much.

Well, two days after an air disaster in Greece, there's been another deadly jetliner crash. A Colombian plane flying from Panama to the Caribbean island of Martinique crashed today in a remote area of Venezuela. Officials believe that all 160 people on board were killed.

CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us on the phone with the latest from Bogota, Colombia.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, wreckage of that airliner which belongs to West Caribbean Airways, a McDonald Douglas MD82 wreckage of that airline, is now spread across forest-covered mountains in a remote part of western Venezuela. And rescue workers say all 160 people, including passengers and crew aboard that aircraft, are dead. The plane, in fact, plummeted from 33,000 feet, and that was shortly after aviation authorities say that the pilot radioed a control tower in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, saying that it lost power in one engine and that the other one was failing, too.

Now, according to the airline operator, West Caribbean, it was a charter flight operating between Panama City and the Caribbean island of Martinique. And the airline says that most of the passengers were tourists returning home to Martinique from Central America -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Karl Penhaul there live from Bogota. We'll continue to follow up what investigators are looking for within that crash.

Thank you so much, Karl.

Well, in Greece, the mystery deepens in the crash of a Cypriot jetliner that killed all 121 people on board. Tests conducted by coroners on the co-pilot, a flight attendant and dozens of other victims show that they were alive when that plane slammed into a mountain on Sunday. However, officials stress that they haven't determined if the crew and passengers were conscious when that plane crashed. Initially, officials speculated the victims may have been killed by sudden decompression, toxic fumes or gases.

Other news now "Around the World."

A powerful earthquake struck off Japan's Pacific coast today, injuring about 40 people. The magnitude 7.2 quake triggered a small tsunami and shook buildings and skyscrapers in Tokyo. Few homes were destroyed, thousands of people lost power. That disrupted service on the country's high-speed trains for several hours.

And it's a miserable, soggy situation in northeastern China. At least 10 people are dead and dozens more are missing after floodwaters swamped seven cities. More than 6,500 homes have been destroyed by the torrential rains and subsequent flooding.

Protecting Americans in a war zone. The Pentagon ships out new body armor, but how long will it take to get to the front lines?

How long will it take you to fly to your destination this weekend? Well, it depends on whether a major airline has a strike.

Stephen King wants your help writing his next novel. It's a real page turner. We'll tell you about it ahead on LIVE FROM.

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PHILLIPS: It's been a deadly problem for American troops in Iraq almost since the start of the war more than two years ago, not enough protective armor. Much of the attention has been on efforts to upgrade armor on Humvees and other military vehicles that are the prime targets of roadside bombings, but urgent efforts are also under way to replace body armor that's failing to protect our troops.

The latest now from CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.

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BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Pentagon is shipping improved armored vest plates to Iraq at the rate of 20,000 a month. But it could be some time before all the troops have the new gear.

The Army is adamant that soldiers and Marines already have the best armored vest protection there is. All troops in Iraq do have the current armored plates inside their vests.

COL. THOMAS SPOEHR, U.S. ARMY: What we do is we add what's called the Small Arms Protected Insert, or SAPI Plate, if you will, into a pocket in both the front, and then there's already one here in the back you'll see.

STARR: But the improved plates use new ceramics and materials for better protection against small arms fire. The Army says it's simply trying to stay a step ahead of the insurgents.

SPOEHR: We're facing a very learning and adapting enemy who adapts to our actions and takes counteractions.

STARR: Critics still believe the military could do better.

LAWRENCE KORB, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: They all have body armor, but they don't have the best. There's body armor, and then there's body armor. We're now into the third upgrade.

STARR: The Army won't say how many troops have the new gear, and says the plates are being made as fast as possible.

SPOEHR: I equate it sometimes to the heat tiles on the shuttle, because we're talking about a piece of equipment that has to meet some very high tolerances for what we expect of them.

STARR: But all of this comes as the insurgent arsenal is growing more sophisticated. U.S. troops near Mosul last week raided this suspected, clandestine insurgent chemical production site. Initial analysis shows the chemicals found were accelerants to be used in explosive devices.

(on camera): The military has taken the highly unusual step of asking the news media not to talk about exactly what type of protection these new armored plates offer. They worry if the information gets out the insurgents will simply step up their attacks once again.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

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PHILLIPS: Well, in our "American Voices" segment today, public frustration. Gallup editor-in-chief Frank Newport is in Princeton, New Jersey, with the latest on the polls.

Frank, let's talk about what folks are focusing on right now.

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GALLUP: Well, Kyra, no shortage of problems. Here are the responses to our question, "What's the most important problem facing the country today?"

You see the top five list. Iraq, one out of four Americans spontaneously say that is the biggest problem, but a lot of economic concerns, as well. You see the economy, then terrorism, then unemployment and jobs, and then oil prices. By the way, that 8 percent of Americans who say oil prices is actually no higher now than it was earlier this year. So we've seen no real spike in that at this point despite the high prices.

Satisfaction in general, mood of America, here's the key question: "Are you satisfied or not?" And Kyra, pretty dismal numbers here.

Little change. It's the bottom line that's the positive line, that's percent of Americans who are satisfied. Month after month it's staying low. Right now we've got 37 percent satisfied, but that means six out of 10 are not -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Well, let's get back to Iraq just for a second, Frank.

The protests outside President Bush's ranch in Texas, they seem to have struck a nerve with a lot of people. Should the administration be worried about a growing resentment?

NEWPORT: Well, of course they should. Fifty-four percent, mistake. That's our latest question-answer, and that's the question we asked about Vietnam and Korea as well. Sol a majority of Americans are concerned about Iraq. However, the administration perhaps can take solace in the fact that the base is very solidly behind the administration. On the left there, those are Republicans responding to that mistake question. Three-quarters say, no it was not. The Independents break even. And not shockingly, Democrats, over here, 85 percent say, yes, it was.

So a very politicized perception of Iraq at this point, as has been the case almost from the inception of war.

PHILLIPS: All right. We're still seeing signs of positive growth in the economy, except when it comes to consumer sentiment. I guess people -- well, our people just ready to believe the official economic numbers coming out of Washington.

NEWPORT: No, they're not, Kyra. And this is very fascinating.

We track this very carefully twice a month here at Gallup, and we simply can't find that Americans are responding attitudinally, saying, hey, the economy is getting better. No, they don't say that.

The bottom line is the percentage who say it's getting better. It's come up a little. But notice on the right, over half, 53 percent of Americans, still saying the U.S. economy is getting worse.

Still concern about jobs. "Is this a good time to be looking for a quality job?" See how high it was there on the left. I graphed it back at the very tail end of the dot-com boom when Americans were (INAUDIBLE) about the job market. It fell precipitously.

Now we're just back up to where we started three or four years ago. Forty-two percent of Americans, less than half, say it's a good time to be looking for a job.

So still a lot of concerns about the economy among the average American out there across this country -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Frank Newport.

Thank you so much.

Well, a party for pop star Madonna cut short by an accident that sends her to the hospital. We've got details just ahead.

Also, a doctor answers your questions about cancer. We got so many e-mails yesterday. We're going to talk about it again today. You won't want to miss it.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. For the right price, you can name a character in Stephen King's next novel. I'll tell you how next on LIVE FROM. So stay tuned.

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PHILLIPS: Texas residents still getting slammed with wet weather. Heavy rains triggered dangerous flooding in seven counties west and south of Wichita Falls today. Texas isn't the only area seeing so much water, though. Let's go to meteorologist Jacqui Jeras for more.

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KAGAN: Well, here's a novel idea. You can name a character in Stephen King's next book, and it's all for a good cause.

Susan Lisovicz has the details live from the New York Stock Exchange.

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PHILLIPS: "Now in the News," an accident or an attack? Spain's defense minister isn't ruling out hostile fire as the cause of a deadly helicopter crash in Afghanistan. The chopper crashed today near Heart, killing 17 Spanish soldiers. They are the first Spanish troops killed in Afghanistan.

More discontent in Crawford, Texas. Some of President Bush's neighbors are asking the county to prevent large protests such as this one led by this woman, Cindy Sheehan. Residents are complaining the Iraq war protesters and people supporting President Bush are blocking roads and jamming traffic.

A chance to save a few bucks cost people some bumps and bruises today. Thousands of people rushed through the gates of Richmond International Raceway to get a chance to buy a used laptop computer for 50 bucks. The mad dash left several people banged up.

There are health concerns about the widow of Martin Luther King Jr. We're told that Coretta Scott King was admitted to an Atlanta hospital today. She's said to be resting comfortably, though. No word so far on why she has been hospitalized.

Improvised explosive devices, weapons of choice by insurgents in Iraq, the homemade bombs kill or maim more than -- more U.S. troops than anything else, and they make patrolling the front lines even more deadly. Our Alex Quade is embedded with a Marine patrol whose mission is to find and destroy those IEDs.

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