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CNN Live Today

Four Men Arrested In Birmingham; Rumsfeld Meets With Iraqi Leaders and U.S. Commanders; President Bush Visits Hill and Stumps for CAFTA

Aired July 27, 2005 - 10:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Interesting story here.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Wonderful story. This is a young woman named Berhan Waldo (ph) and you'll recall she is that was a picture they showed at the concert. She walks out. Instead of having an unhappy ending, 20 years later, donations saved her life and that was sort of the point. It was a really remarkable moment. Got a big hug from Madonna. The crowd cheered. So, anyways.

MILES O'BRIEN: She was 10 minutes from death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A happy ending . . .

MILES O'BRIEN: Yes.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Yes, it was.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To our program, anyway.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: All right. Well, we're out of time. Let's go right to Fredricka Whitfield. She's in Atlanta this morning. Going to take you through the next few hours on CNN LIVE TODAY.

Hey, Fred. Good morning.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to all of you. Have a great day.

Well, here's what's happening "Now in the News."

CNN has confirmed that British police have nabbed one of the suspects in last week's failed bomb attacks. The man resembles Yasin Omar of Somali, identified as one of the four suspects. Four people were arrested in the sweep in Birmingham, including the one suspect that police had subdued with a stun gun. A live report from London straight ahead.

In Aruba, the search for missing teenager Natalee Holloway is focused on this pond. Authorities are now draining it. The pond was dry when Holloway disappeared but has since filled up with runoff from Hurricane Emily. More on the investigation coming up.

In San Diego, council woman Donna Frye and former Police Chief Jerry Sanders will face off in November in a mayoral runoff election. Frye, who owns a surf shop, is a well-known figure in local politics. She was the top vote getter in yesterday's election against 10 other candidates but she did not get enough to avoid a runoff in November. We'll get a live report from San Diego coming up at the half hour.

And sources close to New York Governor George Pataki say he will not seek a fourth term. Those sources say he revealed his intentions last night to a group of supporters during a dinner at the governor's mansion. Pataki is expected to make an official announcement at noon Eastern, including the possibility he may seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.

Hello. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta. Daryn Kagan is off today.

We begin with the London terror attacks and a new development in what Scotland Yard is heralding as a breakthrough. Predawn raids in Birmingham, about 120 miles northwest of London, have netted four people in connection with last week's failed bomb attacks and CNN now confirms that one of the suspects is one of the would-be bombers identified through surveillance cameras photographs. Let's get the latest now from Birmingham with CNN Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson.

Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, this 24-year- old Somali Yasin Hassan Omar, the police have been looking for him since they discovered his identity after releasing his photograph following the failed bombings last week. There were three other arrests here in Birmingham besides his. It is not clear who those men are. They are being held at a police station here in Birmingham. Mr. Omar has been taken to a high security police station in London for questioning. Perhaps that indicates the other three men arrested here are not central to the police investigation into those failed bombings last week.

Now Mr. Omar is known to have moved to Great Britain in 1992 and left when he was 11 years old. He is living legally in Britain. His family moved here, as I say, in 1992. Exactly what he was doing at this address here is not clear because we had known that he was living, until fairly recently at least, at an address in North London that is currently also the focus of an ongoing police investigation. Police taking substances away from that premises as well.

What unfolded in the early hours of this morning here, police arrived at the premises, Taser gunned Mr. Omar to bring him into custody. They also found a suspicious package. They brought in a bomb disposal team to deal with that. They've evacuated about 200 families from this area. Those families are still held back out of the area.

I talked to one of Mr. Omar's neighbors a little earlier and she told me that in the last two weeks she'd seen a car with four men coming and going from that house at very odd hours. The four men altogether. She thought it strange not that they were together, that four men would be living in such a small building. She thought that was very odd and she was disturbed because they'd been parking outside of her house. That had drawn her attention to their activities. The four men, she said, always together, coming and going in the same old car early in the day, late in the night.

The other residents here also say they were surprised by the raid this morning. But again, the police now saying or at least not the police but we're getting it from an informed sources close to this investigation that Mr. Yasin Hassan Omar, 24-year-old Somali, wanted for the bombings last week, is now in police detention.

WHITFIELD: Now, Nic, you talk about the neighbors who witnessed this kind of activity they thought was rather unusual. Did Scotland Yard get a tip from some of the neighbors as to why they actually came to that address to make those arrests?

ROBERTSON: You know that's not clear right now what led the police to the address. I think we can see by the very fact that they came into the that they raided the premises at about 4:30 in the morning, that clearly the night before they knew it was very likely that the person was in the building, so perhaps the police have known for a little while that they were on that they had a good lead on one of the wanted bombers.

And indeed, the head of the investigation Sir Ian Blair, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, last night seemed very confident when he was asked the question on British television, are you close to catching these men. He seemed to give the impression of some confidence, so perhaps he had an idea that this raid was coming up.

But also, it seems that the police would have performed this raid in the early hours of the morning because they were aware that these bombers are very dangerous, they have warned the public not to tackle them if they see them but to call them on the hot line. And again, it's not clear if that's what led the police to this address. But they were taking no chances using a Taser gun in bringing Mr. Omar into captivity.

Fredricka

WHITFIELD: All right. Nic Robertson in Birmingham just north of London.

Thanks so much.

Well, fighting terrorism continues to be the centerpiece of conversations in London. This morning, British Prime Minister Tony Blair met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The men vowed unity in the fight against terrorism, saying it knows no religious or national boundaries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We both agreed about how important it is that we work together to overcome this mutual threat and that we do not allow the terrorists to divide us by nation or by race or by religion. And we stand together in that fight. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Blair also praised Turkey's cooperation in the global war on terrorism. Turkey is a secular Muslim state.

Now on to "The Fight for Iraq."

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld paid a surprise visit to Baghdad earlier this morning and delivered a message to the country's government. In short, get tough and get moving. Let's get the latest now from the capital and CNN's Aneesh Raman.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, good morning.

Some strong words coming from the secretary of defense to the political leadership here in Iraq. He met today with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, as well as with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al Jaafari. But, of course, wherever the secretary goes, so follow questions about American troops here and when they might start returning home. Rumsfeld's top commander in Iraq, General George Casey, addressed that question alongside the secretary today. He gave a highly nuanced answer that began with a number of critical ifs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. GEORGE CASEY, U.S. COMMANDER IN IRAQ: We have built a readiness assessment that we've been doing now for the last several months. We have transition teams embedded with the divisions. And so when we get these reports, we know they're solidly based. And I do believe that if the political process continues to go positively and if the development of the security forces continues to go as it is going, I do believe we'll still be able to take some fairly substantial reductions after these elections in the spring and summer next year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAMAN: Now this process is hugely incumbent on any number of variables, not the least of which is security here in Iraq. En route to the country, Donald Rumsfeld spoke to reporters and previewed what he was going to say to the government specifically in its dealing with neighbors Iran and Syria.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: We continue to feel it's important for them to work with their neighbors to see that the behavior of particularly Iran and Syria improves. It has been harmful and Iraq is a big country, an important country. They live in that neighborhood. They're going to be in that neighborhood and they need to be aggressively communicating with their neighbors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAMAN: Now, Fredricka, the secretary also pushing this government to meet that deadline. Now just weeks away of August 15th by when they have to have written the country's constitution. Secretary Rumsfeld, as well as many on the ground, see that as a critical step towards any stability here in Iraq.

Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Aneesh, how are Iraqis responding to these words coming from Rumsfeld that the onus is on them?

RAMAN: Well, this is the first Iraqi government that's been directly elected by the Iraqi people. They've known from the beginning that that legitimacy gives them responsibility, both in terms of foreign relations and in terms of the innumerable domestic affairs they are now confronting. The problems, though, here are so many in number that for this government, dealing with each of them individually is near impossible. Dealing with them all at once is beyond comprehension. So this, of course, part of overall global push for Iraq to meet these deadlines. But the Iraqis say they will do so.

Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Aneesh Raman in Baghdad.

Thanks so much.

Meanwhile, a new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll shows most Americans are not confident of a U.S. victory in Iraq. According to the survey, 43 percent are confident that the U.S. will win the war, 21 percent think the U.S. can win but won't, and nearly a third of those polled think the U.S. can not win the war in Iraq.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is still trying to set a date for the president's nominee to the Supreme Court. The committee could hold confirmation hearings for John Roberts late next month. The announcement came as President Bush was paying a rare visit to Capitol Hill. CNN Congressional Correspondent Ed Henry there is.

Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Fredricka.

That's right, the president's approval ratings, as you know, are sagging a bit and so are some key pieces of his legislative agenda here on The Hill. Everything from Social Security reform to the John Bolton nomination. So he's here trying to rally the troops specifically behind the Central American Free Trade Agreement which has been stalled a bit, but also, more broadly, trying to re-energize Republicans behind various initiatives, including the John Roberts' nomination to the Supreme Court that you've mentioned, which still appears to be sailing through, moving along quickly. But it's starting to hit some speed bumps. Specifically Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy is upset that while the White House released a pile of documents, thousands of pages of documents related to Judge Roberts' time as a young lawyer in the Reagan administration, the White House thus far refusing to release documents from his time in the first Bush administration. Now you're looking also at live pictures of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this morning. That will be the very committee FBI Director Robert Mueller is testifying right now. But that's the committee, obviously, that will be handling the confirmation hearings.

And another dispute has broken out this morning. Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter this morning still playing a little hard ball, suggesting he may start these hearings, as you mentioned, at the end of August instead of after Labor Day as had been expected. That's because Democrats had been trying to move the hearings start date to mid-September. Had also been refusing to actually seal a deal on a final vote agree to a final vote by September 29th.

That's making Republicans nervous, in fact, that maybe John Roberts would not be seated on the high court in time for the first Monday in October. So Senator Specter here, as I mentioned, trying to send a shot across the Democratic bow saying that he'll start the hearings possibly in late August and disrupt senators' summer vacation. That's not sitting well with Democratic Senator Pat Leahy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. PATRICK LEAHY, (D) VERMONT: We're talking about somebody who's going to serve if confirmed to the year 2030, 2040. Spend a few days longer to make sure we do it right does not create a problem in my mind. Somebody's going to be there to the year 2030 to 2040, a few days one way or the other to make sure we get it right makes some sense to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now despite some of this sparring back and forth, Republicans still very confident that John Robert' nomination is still very much on track. They think he's going to get a lot of bipartisan support. And they also feel that despite some of the speed bumps in the president's legislative agenda, they feel that this last-minute lobbying is going to help win the final votes that they'll need, possibly as early as today to approve the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

Also, Republicans confident that they're closing in on deals over the Energy Reform Bill, as well as the Highway Bill. Obviously, members of Congress love to bring home the bacon and this Highway Bill, Fredricka, has a lot of roads and bridges all around the country.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ed Henry, thanks so much, from Capitol Hill.

Well, new developments in the search for Natalee Holloway. She's the teenager who went missing in Aruba nearly two months ago. Aruban authorities are now in the process of draining a pond. It's located near the beach where two brothers say they dropped off Holloway and a judge's son on the day she disappeared. Pumping began last night and it may take days to fully drain the pond. A lawyer for Holloway's parents says information from a new witness prompted authorities to search that pond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VINDA DE SOUSA, HOLLOWAY/TWITTY ATTORNEY: There was a witness heard by the authorities on Friday who could place who claims to have seen a gray car, which later appeared to be Deepak Kalpoe's car, with the three boys, both Deepak and Satish and Joran van der Sloot, around 3:00 in the morning. And that would be at the time that they all three claimed to have been home. Joran claims to have been home and Deepak and Satish claim to have been home as well sleeping.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, no one has been charged with Holloway's disappearance and the suspects maintain their innocence. Holloway's mother, however, has announced a reward of $1 million for the safe return of her daughter.

Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, rise and shine for space shuttle Discovery. A pleasant morning stretch to Sonny and Cher. A look at the astronauts mission for today.

And the summer is sizzling with record heat so hot that even the chimpanzees need to chill out. A look at your city's temperatures coming up.

And later, a major crisis in a tiny, West African nation where children are the victims. A look at Aids in Niger and how you can help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Triple digit temperatures, combined with high humidity, are making life miserable across much of the country. This is Washington, D.C. where pools, fountains and icy treats are some of the strategies for dealing with the summer sauna. In North Carolina, the meals on wheels folks are using their daily deliveries to check up on the elderly, making sure they have fans or air conditioning. Postal workers are also keeping tabs on their customers. And in Wichita, Kansas, chimpanzees at the zoo are getting frozen fruits to help them cool down.

Whatever it takes, Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, NASA is expected to hold a status briefing next hour. Discovery is due to dock tomorrow at the International Space Station, but the shuttle crew has plenty to do in the meantime. Got to start your day with a little music. NASA awakened them early this morning with Sunny and Cher's "I Got You Babe." A top priority today is surveying the exterior of the orbiter for any signs of damage. The crew has used a newly modified robotic arm this morning to examine the craft's outer shell. During yesterday's launch, cameras videotaped debris falling away from the underside of the orbiter. Among the recommendations from the September 11th Commission, changes in the FBI. The agency has made some progress, but is it enough?

Plus, battling life's little frustrations. Gerri Willis is here with a few tips for us.

Hi, Gerri.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Fredricka.

Well, what do you hate more, the junk mail or the junk phone calls at dinner time? We'll tell you how to fight back when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, let's face it, all of us have some daily frustrations. And if they're getting to you, don't worry. Our Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis can help us with your five tips.

Hi, Gerri.

WILLIS: Hey, Fredricka, good to see you.

WHITFIELD: Good to see you too.

WILLIS: Step number one, get unjunked. You know, if you're getting those phone calls at dinner time or maybe the letters from the post office, junk mail saying, you know, you've just won a million dollars, there's a way you can fight back. Take those cards, those prepaid postcards, and send them back because, guess what Fred, the company has to pay the postage. So you cost them a little money.

Now if you want to not have those letters anymore, sign up for dma.consumer.org's list, screening list, that will get you off those direct marketer's list. Or go to optoutprescreen.com. You can see the web address right here. That will get those credit card offers that come all the time from coming to you.

WHITFIELD: I've taken notes. I need to do that because you ought to see my mailbox every day.

All right. What about telemarketers? They're awfully persistent.

WILLIS: Well, you probably know about the Do Not Call List.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

WILLIS: You can get on that at donotcall.gov. But what you may not know is those lists don't have to get updated by the companies but once every month. So it's not like an immediate thing once you sign up for it. In fact, it can take you up to three months to get on the Do Not Call List and to have it actually have an effect on how much mail you're getting. So have some patience. But look, if you still receive a lot of junk mail, contact the FTC. They have a web site, fsc.gov. Start complaining. Because, as you know Fred, it's the squeaky wheel that gets the attention.

WHITFIELD: All right. And is there any way of breezing through those Web site registrations?

WILLIS: Yes, that's really annoying. Even if you're going on the Web site where you're not buying something, sometimes they require that you fill out a really long registration form because they want some free information on you. Well, you can fight back by going to a Web site called bugmenot.com where they have shared passwords and you'll look like you're somebody else but you don't care because it doesn't matter to you.

And you can also, if you are signing for a Web site you legitimately want to be affiliated with, you can get one of those preregistration forms from the Google's tool bar so it automatically fills it out for you and you don't have to go through that rigamarole yourself.

WHITFIELD: All right.

And what is this about canning the spam?

WILLIS: Junk e-mail. You know what I'm talking about?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

WILLIS: Hate that. How do you reduce that? Well, you can't give out your e-mail address, a, number one. Whether you're trolling around on the web, do not give it out to absolutely everyone. Sometimes people set up an extra e-mail address that they only use for serious business and that's the one you pay attention to. But be creative with your screen names. You don't want this information floating around everywhere.

WHITFIELD: Right.

And zapping the tube? It's no longer as simple as just hitting the off button on your remote control?

WILLIS: Well, have you ever been in a public place where somebody has a TV blaring, maybe a bar or, you know, you're out eating dinner and you can't hear the conversation from the people across the table because the TV is so loud.

WHITFIELD: Right.

WILLIS: You need TV Be Gone. This will turn off any TV set. And, you know, granted maybe people around you will request that it be turned on but you'll have those few seconds where you'll be in control and you won't have to listen to it.

WHITFIELD: And maybe management for the restaurant won't like you.

WILLIS: That's true. But, you know, it's a tradeoff, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And suddenly show you the way out.

All right.

Well, thanks so much, Gerri. Great tips.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

WHITFIELD: The September 11th Commission recommended changes within the agency, but is the FBI where it needs to be to fight the war on terror?

Plus, a nation on the brink of humanitarian disaster. What millions of people are now facing in Niger.

CNN LIVE TODAY will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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