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CNN Live Today

Insurgents and Police Battled In Baghdad; Airplane Crash In Peru; Final Meetings Begin On Military Base Realignment; Is Your Medicine Safe?

Aired August 24, 2005 - 10:00   ET

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


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A lot to do. You guys have a great day in New York City.
We'll go ahead and get started with a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

Smoke rises from the scene of the intense fighting that has just ended in Western Baghdad. Insurgents attacked police checkpoints with motors, rocket propelled grandes, and a car bomb. The action took place in a Sunni neighborhood. Police report at least five people dead, three civilians and two officers. Thirty-one other people were wounded.

The first demolitions began today in the West Bank. Yesterday, Israeli forces evicted the last protesters from two of the four settlements being raised there. Destruction of houses in Gaza is already underway. The Palestinians plan to build high-rise apartment buildings when the land is turned over to them.

The commission looking into U.S. military base closings is right now voting on the proposals. We are looking at a live picture now. Already this morning, the group has voted to shut three major Army bases. They are Fort McPherson in Georgia, Fort Monroe in Virginia and the U.S. Army Garrison in Michigan. President Bush could make changes when he gets the commissions final report next month.

And it's not even September but we already have the 11th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical Storm Katrina formed this morning. Its projected path puts it on a course towards Southeastern Florida. We'll get an update from the weather center in less than 15 minutes.

And good morning on this Wednesday morning. I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta.

We're going to start this hour with "The Fight For Iraq" and battles that rage this morning in the streets of Baghdad. Just about two-and-a-half hours ago, insurgents launched attacks on police checkpoints with withering firepower. Let's go to the capitol, Baghdad, and CNN's Aneesh Raman.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.

The situation now secure. Iraqi security forces going house to house looking for the insurgents who took part in the attack in Western Baghdad. The neighborhood of Jumia (ph).

The police are calling this a very sophisticated, coordinated attack. It began with mortar fire on police checkpoints, followed by at least one car bomb detonating. And then reports of upwards of 40 insurgents attacking police and their checkpoints with a variety of weapons from RPGs, rocket propelled grenades, to AK-47's, machine gunfire. An ensuing standoff that, again, we understand now has come to an end.

At least five people were killed, including among those two police officers, and 31 people wounded. Those casualty numbers, of course though, could change. It comes at a very critical time in Iraq as the country tries draft a constitution.

I spoke with Iraq's prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, just yesterday, Daryn. I asked him about the violence here and whether it has global significance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IBRAHIM AL-JAAFARI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER: We are facing and fighting against terrorism, instead of all human beings all over the world. So they have to put in their minds they have to support this because we are facing, instead of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAMAN: And this is a very precarious situation for Iraq security forces right now. We are seeing increased sophistication in insurgent attacks. Confidence as well. By this attack, the likes of which we haven't seen for some time. The insurgents really bringing the fight directly to Iraqi police.

Daryn.

KAGAN: And Aneesh, this happens in the three day gap when they're try to try to figure out those gaps that are still in the draft of the constitution.

RAMAN: Exactly. Closed door meeting still underway as the Shia/Kurd coalition tries to bring the Sunnis on board with this draft constitution. One that will mention federalism as part of the new Iraq. This is really the difficult situation. There are those who say any delay in the political process will strengthen Iraq's insurgency. But isolating the Sunnis from that same process does exactly the same as well. The Sunni do make up a majority of Iraq's domestic insurgency and that is why Iraqi leaders are so careful to try and make sure the Sunni's feel part of this process.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Aneesh Raman live from Baghdad.

Thank you, Aneesh.

In other news from Iraq, the country's deputy justice minister has escaped his second assassination attempt in two days. Iraqi police say gunmen opened fire on a convoy killing four of his bodyguards and wounding five others. In Baquba, four mortar rounds slammed into a base used by Iraq police force. At least seven people were injured in the restive city, which was also the scene of a deadly suicide bombing yesterday.

Meanwhile, Iraqi lawmakers are continuing their work on a draft of the national constitution. This is what Aneesh was mentioning here. Sunni representatives have opposed several parts of the framework of democracy and forced Iraq's parliament to delay a vote.

Also in Iraq this morning, the U.S. military awarding the distinguished service cross to Army Colonel James H. Kaufman (ph). That is the Army's second highest award for valor in combat. Kaufman was recognized for bravery in defending an Iraqi police station against heavy insurgent attack last November. It's the first time the medal has been awarded during the Iraq War.

For the second time this week, President Bush will speak in defense of the war in Iraq. He's going to address military personnel near Boise, Idaho. Then he plans to meet privately with families who have lost loved ones. His speech on the war on terror begins at about three hours from now, 1:15 Eastern. CNN will carry that live.

Meanwhile, the mother of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq will resume her peace protest outside the president's ranch in Texas. Cindy Sheehan returns to Crawford today to repeat her calls for an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. President Bush has steadfastly refused her demands to meet with him. He says a pullout would "weaken the United States."

Wind shear is being eyed as a possible cause of a deadly plane crash in Peru, as we turn to world news at five minutes past the hour. This airline split in two while making an emergency landing about 300 miles northeast of Lima. Dozens were killed but many people also managed to walk away. Journalist Claudia Cisneros is on the phone from Lima with the latest.

Claudia.

CLAUDIA CISNEROS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

Tans (ph) Airline's official has confirmed they have recovered both flight data and voice recorder boxes. They will be taking to aviation active investigation office in Washington in the following days.

They have also corrected the initial 100 number of people on board. They say now there were not 100 but 98. This is 92 passengers and six crew members. From these 98 people on board, they are confirming at least 52 survivors. And unofficial reports talk of 40 people deceased. Still not official word on the deceased by or the death toll by the airline.

As for the trouble causes you were saying. A spokesmen for Tans (ph) have pointed out this wind shear, which he described a strong cross winds. And what they believe may have happened is that the pilot attempted an emergency landing. This is about two miles just about two miles off the runway, when he was approaching the airport. And he also said the pilot did not report any engine or aircraft failure. And the reason why so many people may have survived, they say, may have been because of the muddy jungle area with trees that might have eased down the impact.

Daryn.

KAGAN: So, Claudia, does it appear that weather was a big factor here?

CISNEROS: Exactly. Apparently it had been raining and also there was this strong winds that they're talking about, as well as some of the witnesses described some smoke in the area from some kind of fire, also in the jungle, that may have been a possible cause of poor visibility for the pilot, although this happened at 3:00 in the afternoon, and there was daylight at that time. But these are the probable causes that they're looking into.

We also, Daryn, have information confirmed by Tans (ph) officials as per the foreigners that were on board this flight. They have confirmed that there were at least 16 people from outside Peru. From these 16 people, 11 are American. And from these 11 Americans, only six have been accounted for so far. These are six members of a family, the Divas (ph) family. They say that they came from New Jersey and that they were on a trip to Pucalta (ph), to this jungle area, to visit some grandparents. We know that most of the six family members have been already discharged from the hospital. They were they didn't have major injuries and so apparently they're fine. But the rest, they are not accounted for yet.

Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. We'll be checking with you. Claudia Cisneros reporting to us from Lima, Peru, on that plane crash. Thank you.

Right now, let's check on some other weather news. A tropical storm watch now blankets much of Florida's east coast and the storm weary Floridians are scrambling to stock up and hunker down. Just less than two hours ago, Tropical Storm Katrina became the 11th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. To put this a little bit in perspective for you, normally there are only two or three by this time of the year. It's expected to hit the sunshine state by Friday. But exactly where in Florida it's going to hit is the big question for people living there.

Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Let's tell you a little bit more about this new tropical system. It comes on the anniversary of one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the U.S. Hurricane Andrew formed on August 16, 1992. Over the next 10 days, Andrew hit the Bahamas, South Florida and Louisiana. Andrew came ashore in Florida as a category five hurricane. Wind gusts were clocked as high as 164 miles an hour. Total damage from the storm was estimated at more than $20 billion.

Which got us thinking about what is the most costliest hurricane to hit the U.S. We decided to do a CNN fact check. Here now are the facts.

Hurricane Andrew cost the United States more than $43 billion, when the cost is adjusted for inflation. That continues to be the nation's costliest hurricane.

Last year's hurricanes are the next most expensive but they cost far less. You'll recall Hurricane Charlie swept across the state of Florida in August, leaving about $15 billion in damage in its wake. And shortly there after, Hurricane Ivan came ashore on the Alabama coast in September as a category three storm, doing more than $14 billion worth of damage itself.

Also adjusted for inflation, the fourth and fifth costliest hurricanes were Hurricane Hugo in 1989, with the equivalent of about $12 billion in damages, and Hurricane Agnes in 1972. That storm caused about $11 billion in 2004.

We have a lot more news to get to today, including judgment day for hundreds of military bases. A federal commission is meeting right now to decide which Army, Navy and Air Force facilities to close. We'll get a live report from Washington coming up.

And later, imagine a vehicle with no gear shift and you just push a button to excel. It's the wave of the future, believe it or not, and it could bring relief to the pain at the pump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: For hundreds of military bases, judgment day draws near. A federal commission is meeting right now to decide which Army, Navy and Air Force facilities to close under a massive Pentagon realignment plan. The decisions carry a huge impact for both national security and local economies. Some facilities under the microscope include Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine and the Submarine Base in New London, Connecticut. The Naval Air Station Brunswick in Main faces sharp cuts and the possible closing of Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota has stoked a bitter political debate. Our National Correspondent David Ensor is at the Pentagon with a closer look.

David, good morning.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, as you say, this is the most dramatic reorganization proposed reorganization of the military base structure since the end of the Cold War. And at the live hearings today, the commission is looking at the Pentagon proposals to close 62 major bases, hundreds of others, for a saving the Pentagon estimates of $49 billion over many years in the future.

Now, this is not going without controversy, although they have agreed to all the proposals so far. There have been descenders. For example, on the question of whether or not to close Fort Monmouth in New Jersey, here's what one of the commissioners had to say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILIP COYLE, BRAC COMMISSIONER: Fort Monmouth provides daily support to our war fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan. Commission Skinner brought up an example, saving lives everyday. Not only should we reject program disruption during a time of war, we should reject program disruption to future army transformation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: Nonetheless, Fort Monmouth is on the chopping block along with, as you mentioned, many other major military facilities around the country. This was all devised at the Pentagon where the secretary of defense said politics were not part of the decisions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: These are all recommendations that they produced. They didn't come out of mid air. And there wasn't an ounce of politics in any aspect of it. I suspect that the commission, when all is said and done, will endorse the overwhelming majority of those recommendations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: Now, once the commission makes its decisions, which it's doing today a little bit beyond perhaps, it has until September 8th to make its proposals to the president. He has the final say.

Daryn.

KAGAN: David Ensor, thank you, at the Pentagon.

We're going to talk now about one of the bases you were talking about. One that is now confirmed to close is Monmouth, New Jersey. It has helped develop equipment now being used by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lawmakers and citizens had fought valiantly against the closure which the panel approved less than just an hour ago. Let's get the latest from the base. Reporter Tony Caputo is with our CNN affiliate News 12 New Jersey.

Tony, good morning.

TONY CAPUTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, good morning.

And I'll tell you, this affects not only the 5,300 jobs inside Ft. Monmouth, but so many businesses around the area here in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It affects the economic base of this county and the state as a whole. We're talking about millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars a year generated from Fort Monmouth.

And this impact has been something that folks have been waiting on since the BRAC Commission said back in May that it recommended closing Fort Monmouth. And today, everybody inside and those around got the word that it did not want to hear, that Fort Monmouth will indeed be closed in the near future.

Now we spoke with a couple of folks who work inside. Actually one gentleman's wife has worked inside for many years and he says a move to Aberdeen, Maryland, is negotiable depending on the money. Another gentleman I spoke with tells us that he'll retire but he thinks that most will not be willing to move down to Maryland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPUTO: There were reports that about 80 percent of those who work inside would not take a transfer to Aberdeen. Does that sound correct to you?

NICK BELLANTONI, SUPPLY SPECIALIST: Yes. Everybody I talked to pretty much agree on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAPUTO: Just like a private company, folks, when it closes down or something happens, a lot of people have to make a decision on what they're going to do next. He says that's what's happening inside with a lot of younger workers who have just recently been employed here in the past couple of years. They'll have to determine whether or not they want to make that move or if they want to stay here in New Jersey, keep their family here and try and find another line of work.

Now one final note. There is a ray of light here, if you will. A representative from Congressman Frank Pallone's office tells us that there is still an opportunity for the Fort Monmouth community to change this decision. Now that person would not get specific. However, they tell us that there are certain criteria that must be met along the line. They're hoping that that criteria is not met and that they will be able to keep Fort Monmouth open. But again, the BRAC Commission today voted to close Fort Monmouth here in Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Reporting for CNN, I'm Tony Caputo.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Tony, thank you for that local perspective on the base closing story.

We're going to talk energy ahead. Besides walking and biking, are there any other ways to get around high gas prices? Some car companies say yes. A look at their money saving proposal coming up.

And are you sure that the medicine you're taking safe for you? In the aftermath of the Vioxx trial, we help you to better understand your prescription drugs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And we have a bunch of business news for you. First, its economic news on new home sales. This just in. The Commerce Department saying that new home sales soared to a record annual rate of more than $1.4 million. That number coming in, in July.

Let's check out some other numbers now, the markets. They've been open 55 minutes. The Dow is down 8 points. It's about, no, 12 points, 11 points. And the Nasdaq also in negative territory but it is down just one-tenth of one point.

Last week's verdict against Merck in the first of potentially thousands of civil trials may leave some customers asking this, just how safe is my medicine? Ellen McGirt is senior writer for "Money" magazine. She fills in for the vacationing Gerri Willis today and she has "Top Five Tips" about your medicine chest.

Good morning. Good to see you.

ELLEN MCGIRT, "MONEY" MAGAZINE: Good morning. Thanks for having me.

KAGAN: Since this is a topic that you cover, we thought this would be a great thing to talk to you about. First of all, let's start in the doctor's office. Make sure your doctor is familiar with the drug that he or she is prescribing.

MCGIRT: You know, Daryn, the pharmaceutical industry spent $7 billion sending sales reps to doctors offices around the last year. That means that some of the information that your doctor may have about a drug has only been provided by the pharmaceutical company. You need to figure out how well they actually know this drug. Ask them, have they done other research, have they prescribed it to other patients other patients like me, my age, my weight, my gender, with my health condition. Have they done any other research? Have they talked to their peers? That way you get a sense of whether this is an experimental drug, an unfamiliar drug, and you can make a better decision if you want to take it or not.

KAGAN: A new drug isn't always a better option.

MCGIRT: Most people don't realize that just because a drug is brand-new that it's not part of an already existing class. So by asking your doctor, and the magic words are the "therapeutic equivalent," is there an older, more established drug in the same class that might give me the same benefit. There are two reasons why you should do it. One, it takes about seven years studies show before some of the unexpected bad side effects for drugs to come out in the marketplace and, two, chances are they're going to be cheaper, as much as 75 percent in some cases. So do ask.

KAGAN: Don't assume your doctor remembers every little thing about you.

MCGIRT: No. We're all busy these days and your life may have changed. Make sure that you remind your doctor if you've got food or drug allergies and everything else you're taking, including dosages. And not just prescription drugs. Don't forgot the birth control pills, don't forget the headache medicine, don't forget the vitamins and the herbs. These may be important information to make sure that you're getting the right drug that's not actually going to be toxic for you. And then do the same thing again, go through the same checklist when you take that prescription to your pharmacist. That is your second line of defense in making sure that you're not going to have a toxic reaction.

KAGAN: Make sure you understand how to take the drug.

MCGIRT: This is you're much more likely to poison yourself with a good drug than get a drug that's actually bad for you. Make sure you understand and write it down. How often do you take it? Do you take it with food? What if you're traveling and you're going to different time zones? What if you miss a dose? Should you double up? Should you just skip a dose? And also, let other people know in your household that you're taking a new drug so that they can help you monitor it.

KAGAN: And if something happens, be sure to go for help very quickly.

MCGIRT: Don't be brave. This is not a time to experiment with your help, especially if it's an unfamiliar drug or you're combating a chronic illness. Make sure that you call your doctor or your pharmacist and let other people know if something strange is happening.

KAGAN: Ellen McGirt, good to see you. Thanks. Those are some really good tips.

MCGIRT: Good. Thanks for having me.

KAGAN: Thank you.

We are looking for ways to cut back on the cost of gasoline. So coming up, we have an alternative that could equal big savings at the pump.

Plus, he preaches forgiveness and righteousness but Pat Robertson's new message isn't being taken lightly. Still to come, you're going to hear what Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has to say about Roberts.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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