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CNN Live Today

New Terror Chief?; War On The Hill; Immigration Battle; Car Crash Scams; Pool Safety

Aired June 15, 2006 - 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: That's it for Thursday here on AMERICAN MORNING. Thanks for being with us. Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center to take it away for the next few hours.
Hello, Daryn.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Miles. Hello, Soledad. You guys have a great day.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks. Likewise.

KAGAN: Plan on it. A busy day indeed. We have a lot to tell you about this hour. We begin in Baghdad.

A new face of terror. The U.S. military says this Egyptian is now in control of al Qaeda in Iraq.

A jolting morning in northern California they're calling a light earthquake rattling the bay area new Gilroy. Now hear what local officials are saying about the after effects.

And the commander in chief and the war on poverty. This hour, President Bush outlines his efforts to help impoverished nations. That's all straight ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY.

And good morning to you. I'm Daryn Kagan.

First up this hour, he is said to be the new leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. The military has just released a photograph of this man, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the man believed to have replaced Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who was killed in a U.S. air strike last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN: Do know about Ayyub al-Masri is that he is a senior al Qaeda in Iraq operative and direct associate of Zarqawi. We know he is responsible for facilitating the movement of foreign fighters from Syria through the southern Baghdad belt into Baghdad itself. We know al-Masri has been a terrorist since about 1982 beginning with his involvement in the Egyptian Islamic jihad which was led by Zawahiri.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Our Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon with more details. Barbara, when I hear this kind of announcement, I wonder, well who say this is guy is leading Iraq? It's not like they have an election or a natural line of succession.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, by all indication, it is recent intelligence and interrogations of people that they have captured in the last several days that has led the military to this conclusion, that it is this Egyptian man who is certainly attempting to be the new leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Someone who was very close to Zarqawi, who met him in those training camps in Afghanistan, who is now said to be an explosives expert responsible for bringing suicide bombers, IEDs, all of that sort of miserable business to the war in Iraq. But General Caldwell also was very cautious, noted that although they believe al-Masri is the man now in control, that there certainly is every possibility there is a power struggle going on inside that terrorist organization. Listen to General Caldwell for a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALDWELL: Al-Masri's ability to effectively exert leadership over the al Qaeda cells remains unclear and how many al Qaeda senior leadership members and Sunni terrorists may attempt to exert their influence and take charge is known at this time. We do know that he espouses in open press statements the same tactics of attacking and killing innocent civilians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: You know, Daryn, one of the things that had been such a matter of very close hold controversy over the last several days was whether or not to even put a picture out of this man. They wanted to put the information out on the one hand because they wanted U.S. troops and Iraqis to know who he was. If they captured him, they had to know who they had on their hands. But on the other hand, they were very cautious about making him into the next iconic figure. Another picture, another picture frame, another big briefing and what happens now every day, did they get him? So a lot of decisions going into this behind the scenes this morning to put this picture out.

Daryn.

KAGAN: And, Barbara, other news coming out of Iraq today. There was this discovery of this stash of documents. What can you tell us about that?

STARR: The Iraqi government had a press briefing just shortly before General Caldwell had his, unveiling what they said was the result of that treasure trove of information. Documents that they say they, the Iraqi government, believes is essentially the beginning of the end of al Qaeda in Iraq. A number of documents that they showed saying that the al Qaeda in Iraq strategy now was to try and draw partially the U.S. into a war against Iran. A lot of inside maneuvering there in these documents which the Iraqis say they are convinced themselves represents the beginning of the end of the movement of al Qaeda in Iraq. Daryn.

KAGAN: And, finally, a very unfortunate milestone the U.S. military passes now in terms of the number of troops killed in this battle?

STARR: Twenty-five hundred U.S. lives lost in the war in Iraq. Some of them, yes, killed in combat. Some of them perishing in accidents in Iraq. Vehicle accidents. Helicopter accidents. That sort of thing.

Very difficult business, Daryn. And, you know, the news media always asks the question, what does it mean? And the answer is, of course, the only appropriate answer, every one of these deaths a tragedy for their families.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon. Thank you for all that information.

Well, speaking of war and now politics, a debate playing out today on Capitol Hill. In the House, a resolution that rejects a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawals. That's a move by Republicans to put divided Democrats on the spot. Our Congressional Correspondent Andrea Koppel live from The Hill with details on that.

Andrea, good morning to you.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

That's one red flag. Another has to do with the Republicans attempt to tie the war on terror to the war in Iraq. In fact, Speaker Dennis Hastert, who is now on the floor of the House, when he kicks off the debate on this resolution, supposed to last about 10 hours, he is going to evoke the memory of the first responders to 9/11, as well as a Flight 93, the one that crashed in Pennsylvania.

Democrats are charging that this is nothing more than election- year politics. They say that they've asked for debate for free, fair, open debate for the last couple of years but they've been blocked from entering or offering any amendments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP MARTIN MEEHAN, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: I think that it's inexcusable and indefensible that at a time when we should be discussing the details of that policy, that they've come up with a political document designed for a political message and political spin and political debate at a time when our men and women are in harm's way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: But the fact is, Democrats are split on what to do about Iraq and offering an alternative, despite days of closed door debate, they haven't been able to come up with any kind of compromise. There concern, Daryn, is that Republicans, if Democrats support the resolution, are going to be able to -- or rather if they vote against it, they're going to be able to be portrayed as being soft on terrorists and as basically not having any ideas what to do on Iraq. So they're really between a rock and a hard place. And the debate is going to run all day today and it's expected to run tomorrow with a vote expected sometime on Friday.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Kind after pun there between Iraq and a hard place.

KOPPEL: I thought about that, too.

KAGAN: Yes, that's good. That's good.

That's the House side. What about the Senate side? What's happening over there?

KOPPEL: Right. This is the first time since 2003 that you've got really intense Iraq debate happening simultaneously. Democrats in the Senate also deeply divided over Iraq. We're expecting to see, perhaps as early as today, an amendment introduced by, among others, Senator John Kerry, which would call for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, that would either be wrapped up by the end of this year or the end of 2007. Democrats still behind closed door in the Senate, Daryn, trying to come up with some kind of alternative to the John Kerry proposal.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Andrea Koppel on Capitol Hill. Andrea, thank you.

To California now. They felt the earth move under their feet in northern California this morning. A magnitude 4.7 earthquake rattling the south San Francisco Bay area. Officials say no one was injured and no damage has been reported. The epicenter was eight miles northeast of Gilroy but it could be felt in San Francisco about 70 miles to the north. The U.S. Geological Survey classifies this as a light earthquake.

They're calling it Operation Return to Sender. A federal crackdown on illegal immigration. So far, more than 2,100 suspected illegal immigrants are in custody. Federal agents say they're targeting those with criminal records, gang members and those who have ignored orders to leave the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIE MYERS, IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT: America's welcome does not extend to immigrants who come here to commit crimes or who come here illegally. And I.C.E. will leave no stone unturned in finding and deporting these individuals who victimize our communities.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAGAN: So there are 55 undocumented immigrants rounded up at Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Those include a construction worker with an airport security badge. The badge gave the worker free access to the tarmac.

Troops on the border. More National Guard troops are expected to be in place along the U.S. border with Mexico today. It's part of the battle against illegal immigration. Some New Mexico guard troops are already deployed. National Correspondent Bob Franken filed this report for AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Consider this a preview of things to come.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These guys can look straight north, these guys can look northwest.

FRANKEN: One hundred eighty-eight members of New Mexico's National Guard have taken up position in the intensely hot desert to help out an often overwhelmed U.S. border patrol, even with all its high tech equipment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's an area where that (INAUDIBLE) you can't look down. So we're going to go ahead and look at that little area, too, as well.

FRANKEN: The job for the national guard is pretty simple, it's to fill in these wide, desolate gaps where the border patrol coverage is incomplete. And the rules of engagement are also simple. Except for medical emergencies, look but don't touch.

So this is a lot different for the many veterans of Iraq. Staff Sergeant William Duffer is one of several here who were called up not only for a year in Iraq but then Hurricane Katrina duty just a few months after they returned to their families. And now this.

STAFF SGT. WILLIAM DUFFER, NEW MEXICO NATIONAL GUARD: I feel a little guilty being away from them because you know it's hard on them as well as it is on you.

FRANKEN: This time it's only two weeks away and just 50 miles away from home in Las Cruses. Still, Sergeant Duffer's wife and their 10-year-old daughter say they've had enough.

DAWN DUFFER, WIFE: You don't get time to settle in, to adjust. It's always, you know, it's always something. It's hard.

JORDAN DUFFER, DAUGHTER: And I don't like it when he's away. It kind of sucks and I miss him a lot. And having him be gone for that long, when he comes back, it feels great and it feels great to see him and have him back.

FRANKEN: About 6,000 more National Guard troops will soon be sent to the border. A guard leader here says this is the jump start of Operation Jump Start.

Bob Franken, CNN, at the New Mexico-Mexico border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: You can catch more of Bob's report on CNN's "American Morning." Watch weekdays beginning at 6:00 Eastern.

President Bush, we know this, he likes to joke around with reporters. Sometimes it backfires. Ahead, when levity at the White House goes too far and why the president apologized.

And it's no accident, it's fraud. Staged crashes. They're costing money and lives. Details on how you can steer clear of this scam ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Staged crashes is part of a multibillion dollar scam. Now watch closely because Peter Viles' report could save your life. He filed it for "A.C. 360."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Miguel Perez works hard for a living, sometimes drives a truck. Almost two years ago on an L.A. freeway he did something he thought would get him fired. It started when the car ahead of him suddenly stopped.

MIGUEL PEREZ, STAGED CRASH VICTIM: He slammed on his brake and this -- and I try swerving to the right to miss him but I clipped him in the back.

VILES: Next, Perez did what anyone would do.

PEREZ: I asked the guy, why did you stop? And his answer was that he didn't want to hit the car in front of him.

VILES: And then Perez realized he would probably lose his job over the accident.

PEREZ: Usually when you hit somebody from behind, you're always at fault. What authorities later told him was that he'd been set up, victimized by a staged crash technique so common there's a name for it.

MARTIN GONZALEZ, CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE: What we call the swoop and squat. And that's probably the most dangerous because those are typically orchestrated on the freeway or your busier surface streets.

VILES: Here's a swoop and squat demonstration staged by the insurance industry in which the green car is the victim. Now let's watch in slow motion. The gray car is the swoop car. It swoops in causing the black car, the squat car, to slam on the brakes causing the green car, the victim car, to rear end it. ELEANOR BIGOLSKI, AUTO INSURANCE FRAUD DIV.: I've seen men being targeted, women being targeted, truck drivers being targeted, female truck drivers, male truck drivers. I've seen it all.

VILES: Then come the false insurance claims, usually for back and neck injuries from several passengers in the squat car.

GONZALEZ: It's all money. There's a lot of money to be made. In California alone, it's, you know, billions of dollars every year going to fraudulent claims.

VILES: The numbers are staggering. The coalition against insurance fraud estimates 14 billion a year in auto insurance fraud, much of it from staged crashes. And they can be deadly. Authorities say these were staged crashes. Long beach, California, 1997, an innocent family of three burned to death. Queens, New York, 2003, a 71-year-old grandmother crushed to death. And Lawrence, Massachusetts, 2003, this time the victim, a 64-year-old woman, was allegedly part of the fraud ring but didn't survive the wreck.

Now Miguel Perez was lucky. He wasn't injured and a whistle blower spotted the fraud in time to save his job.

PEREZ: I was stunned when she told me it was staged.

VILES: So what can you do to avoid becoming a victim? Well, first of all, don't tailgate. Keep a safe distance.

If you feel like you're being watched too closely by another driver or followed by another driver, you need to pull back and change lanes, even if that means getting off the freeway.

Peter Viles for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: You can see more of Peter's stories on Anderson Cooper's show. Watch "A.C. 360" weeknights at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific.

So you know that security fee that you pay every time you fly? Well, it turns out it may not always end up where it's supposed to go. A Homeland Security Department's inspector general reports that airlines are keeping about $14.5 million every year from that fee. That money is supposed to go to the Transportation Security Administration. The fee was tacked on to airline tickets to pay for security after 9/11. The TSA says it plans to audit the airlines to make sure they pay what they owe.

CNN security watch keeps you up to date on safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

Speaking of security, we want you and your family to be secure around the swimming pool this summer and Gerri Willis has tips on that.

Hey, Ger. GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Daryn.

The weather is warming up. But before you dip your toes in the water, you'll want to hear our "Five Tips" on pool safety. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Well, how about those markets. They've been open about 51 minutes. Looking a little bit healthier than they have lately. The Dow is up 76 points, 77 points. And the Nasdaq also moving ahead. It is up 29 points.

The temperatures are going up and those pool covers are coming off, but danger can lurk in the water. Drowning is the number one cause of accidental deaths for children under five. Our Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis joins us with her "Top Five Tips" on pool safety.

Gerri, good morning.

WILLIS: Hey, good morning, Daryn. Good to see you.

You know, tip number one here. If you want to have a safe pool, you've got to choose those alarms wisely. Pool alarms detect motion in the water so that if your child falls in, the alarms sounds. But buyer beware here. A recent study by "Consumer Reports" indicates that only two out of six alarms worked very well at all. Now the alarms either didn't pass the test or they set off false alarms, just as bad, or they were too slow. Now the people at "Consumer Reports" like the pool guard alarms. You'll definitely want to check those out because, let me tell you, you need layers of protection, not just one thing.

KAGAN: Really important here. When we talk about pools, we're not just talking about the kind that are dug up in your backyard. Inflatable pools can be dangerous too.

WILLIS: Yes, they're really popular. And a lot of people don't think about the problems with them because, you know, they're cheap, you know, the water's not that deep. What could be the problem?

I have to tell you, they cause a ton of difficulties. The number of kids who died in inflatable pools nearly doubled last year. Consumer Products Safety Commission reported these numbers and they say the pools often fall outside of local building codes that require barriers. Kids just can climb right up the sides, like you're seeing right here. When you're not using your above ground pool, make sure you remove any ladders or steps leading into that pool. And keep the thing drained. Because at the end of the day you want everybody to be safe.

KAGAN: What about fencing your backyard pool?

WILLIS: Layers of protection. A fence is key. You need a fence at least four feet high. It should have a self-closing, self-latching gate with spacing no wider than four inches so that little feet can't climb up. The fence should be no more than two inches off the ground too. Make sure the space underneath does not increase with settling or erosion so the kids could go underneath it.

KAGAN: Speaking of going underneath, what about the filtration systems or the drains. That can be a big danger as well.

WILLS: Yes. These can be a big problem. Pool filtration systems and drains are a danger zone in pools. Kids can get stuck by the sheer force of the suction. It's called entrapment. It can also happen when a child's hair or swimsuit gets tangled in the drain or on an underwater object. You have to make sure that you have drain covers and they should be domed shaped not flat because flat covers create problems, too.

Daryn.

KAGAN: And, finally, there just is no replacement for adult supervision.

WILLIS: Oh, I'm telling you, that is the key number one thing. You can't read a magazine. You don't even want to be talking on the cell phone. You want to be watching the children. About 70 percent of victims have been missing from sight for less than five minutes when they have a problem. So make sure you're watching. Make sure you have a cell phone at the pool side. Emergency phone numbers. Flotation devices like a ring buoy right around the pool.

And just one thing here. I know a lot of people feel like they can't be the hero. Maybe they're not a great swimmer. Make sure that you have a buoy there that you can throw out to the child. Throw it next to them, not on top of them, so that they can grab on and save their own lives.

And don't forget to send us our questions to 5tips@cnn.com. And if you miss anything, you can always go to the website at cnnmoney.com.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Very good.

Now this weekend, we're just days away from "Open House."

WILLIS: That's right. Saturday morning, 9:30 Eastern right here on CNN. We've got a great show coming up. We're going to talk about Nascar dads. You know, it's going to be Father's Day Sunday. Very excited about that. And we'll show you how to make big savings by making small changes in your lifestyle. We'll also talk about playing it safe on swing sets.

And, Daryn, I just want to mention, if you miss 9:30 a.m. Eastern on CNN, you can always check us out on Headlines now. We'll be showing a show at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Join us then if you missed anything on Saturday morning.

KAGAN: Very good. Thank you very much.

WILLIS: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Gerri Willis.

Well, it's the ultimate swimming pool. Later today President Bush will create the world's largest marine sanctuary. It will protect the northwestern Hawaiian islands, covering almost 140,000 square miles of largely uninhabited islands, (INAUDIBLE) Pacific waters and coral reef colonies. The ecosystem supports 7,000 species, including endangered monk seals and nesting green sea turtles.

And this just in to CNN. The U.S. Senate has just passed the supplemental spending bill. This is for the U.S. war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also for additional spending in Katrina. $94.5 billion. Almost was a unanimous vote. We'll have more on that from Capitol Hill. We'll check in with Dana Bash to see what she can tell us about that.

Meanwhile, also ahead, calendar or conditions. A high stake debate over Iraq's end game. The story's ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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