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CNN Live Today

Four Iraq Men Arrested in Kidnapping of Jill Carroll; Active Shelling Today Around Tyre, Lebanon; Israeli Security Cabinet Approves Wider Ground Operation

Aired August 09, 2006 - 10:59   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get started on our second hour together.
I'm Daryn Kagan.

We begin with a developing story out of Iraq. There, U.S. troops capture suspected kidnappers, the insurgents believed to be the ones who grabbed journalist Jill Carroll.

Our Harris Whitbeck joins us live from Baghdad with more on this development.

Harris, Hello.

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.

General William Caldwell, the spokesman for the multinational force in Baghdad, said that the four men who were detained, who are believed to be involved in the Jill Carroll kidnapping, were actually detained about a month ago. The information just came out.

He said in his press briefing today -- gave more details about how a military unit on patrol near Falluja came across a house that they had recognized from intelligence briefings they had read about the case.

This is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, SPOKESMAN, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: Troops on the ground, young Marines and sailors, paid attention to what may have been considered minor details at the time. Ultimately, the four kidnappers were detained in several intelligence-driven operations that took place between Falluja and Baghdad. Marines from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force were able to identify the location at which we believe Jill Carroll was held approximately 13 kilometers west of Falluja.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITBECK: Caldwell said that conversations with the four detainees led to information that led this military unit to go to three other houses they believe were also used to keep Jill Carroll during here 82 days of captivity -- Daryn. KAGAN: You were telling us in the last hour -- it's a little unclear right now -- which justice system they would be processed through. This happened in Iraq, but they kidnapped an American. It's the American military that takes them into custody. Where it goes forward from here, there are a lot of questions.

WHITBECK: That's right. And all we know at this point is that the U.S. military is in -- is looking at its different options it can take in terms of prosecution. But it did say -- the spokesman said that they were in conversations with their Iraqi counterparts about that.

KAGAN: Harris Whitbeck, live from Baghdad.

Thank you.

The "Christian Science Monitor" has issued a statement saying, "Like reporters everywhere, we are reassured to hear that several of those believed to have held Jill have been apprehended. The daily threat of kidnapping in Iraq remains acute for all."

We expect to hear more from the "Christian Science Monitor." They are going to either hold a news conference or make a public statement at the bottom of the hour. And we will tell you more about that as we hear it.

Meanwhile, here's what we know right now in the Middle East crisis.

Widening the war. The Israeli security cabinet votes to expand the ground offensive against Hezbollah. That means that Israel could send troops even deeper into Lebanon.

Negotiations over a U.N. resolution to end the fighting intensify. A diplomatic source says France is trying to rework parts of the proposal to overcome Arab concerns.

More attacks on both sides on day 29 of the conflict. Within the last hour, Israeli forces struck a southern suburb of Beirut. And Israeli police say that Hezbollah fired 160 rockets into northern Israel so far today.

Let's go on the other side of the border to Lebanon, to the city of Tyre, where the shelling continues.

Our Karl Penhaul has the latest from there -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, heavy shelling continues along a hilly ridge to our south and some of the villages just below that ridge. For some time now we have seen fires burning and smoke rising from those positions that have been shelled, and the bombardment that has been both by artillery, but also from the sea.

We saw some warships using their cannons to fire shells on to the land, and also from some of the warplanes. As we speak, another thunderous bang from a piece of artillery that's firing off and firing shells into one of the villages there. You can maybe make out a cloud of smoke that's coming up, some of the dust that's being kicked up from that shell, as well as from the explosive itself.

Now, talking to one Lebanese army intelligence officer, he says that he believes that Israeli commandos have been on the ground in the approaches to some of those villages there, but at every stage they were repelled by Hezbollah fighters. But what he also says he believes is this is part of an ongoing process to soften up that ridge so that Israeli ground troops can then move into that area, possibly even placing artillery guns there because the strategic significance of that ridge would be, if they could get up there and not meet too much resistance from Hezbollah fighters, then they would then be in range with their artillery guns of a long coastal plane in the city of Tyre itself -- Daryn.

KAGAN: So this is a city that is basically cut off from the rest of the country and the world?

PENHAUL: Very much so. The International Committee of the Red Cross are saying that they have been repeatedly given a red light when they requested security clearance to head off into outlying villages to take food and other aid to the needy, to those who are stranded in outlying villages. The United Nations says that it has been refused permission from the Israeli Defense Forces to run any convoys in and out of Tyre.

And the Doctors Without Borders aid group says that it is refitting a hospital, preparing for the worst. They say that they believe an Israeli ground invasion could take place, and that could even lead to street fighting on the streets of Tyre -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Karl Penhaul, live in southern Lebanon, in the city of Tyre.

Thank you.

Let's head even further south of that, across the Israeli border, and actually even further south into Jerusalem.

John Vause is here to tell us about a decision from the Israeli cabinet about future plans in terms of a ground offensive further into Lebanon -- John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, a six-hour-long security cabinet meeting today. An indication of just how serious this decision was for the Israeli government.

In the end, overwhelming support for broadening the ground offensive into southern Lebanon. Nine ministers in favor, three abstaining. None oppose.

This decision, though, is not binding. What it does do, it gives the prime minister and the defense minister the authority to send more troops into southern Lebanon, possibly all the way to the Litani River, about 13 miles north of the Israel-Lebanon border. If and when this happens is now their call. The military says it needs 30 days to clear out southern Lebanon of the Katyusha rockets and other missiles which Hezbollah has been firing from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. They may not get that 30 days, but it is another indication that this conflict could have at least another month to run.

Of course this all depends on what happens in the U.N. Security Council in coming days. But this decision by the Israeli security cabinet was against a backdrop of growing public unrest here in Israel, questioning of the tactics being used by the Israeli Defense Forces, criticism that possibly in the opening days, in the early stages of the war, that the army didn't go in quick enough, that they were hesitant, that they were too restrained.

It's also an admission that air power and artillery and the limited ground operations that we have seen so far just have not been effective in stopping, in particular, the Katyusha rockets being fired by Hezbollah -- Daryn.

KAGAN: How much of this is a questioning of the leadership of Ehud Olmert, and how much wondering is there in Israel of what if, what if Ariel Sharon was still on the scene?

VAUSE: Well, Ariel Sharon's history with Lebanon is not a good one, but he was forgiven for that by the Israeli public, being elected twice as prime minister. And certainly, Ariel Sharon, Mr. Security, the man many Israelis turned to in these kinds of crises.

But as for Ehud Olmert, what he has been doing all the way throughout this is he has said, "I will take the advice of the military establishment. I will do what the military leaders advise me to do. They'll present me with options," and he'll make the decisions out of the options which he's been presented.

So, he's kind of distanced himself from any of the implications of the success or failure of these military operations so far. And that's a long tradition. It goes all the way back to Golda Meir, during the Yom Kippur War.

She said when she was prime minister that she did not have any military experience, much like Ehud Olmert, who was a junior captain in the Israeli Defense Forces. She said at the time that she didn't have military experience, she followed the advice of her military commanders, and an inquiry, which followed. It could be that Ehud Olmert is setting himself up for a similar excuse in any inquiry following this conflict -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, then.

John Vause, live from Jerusalem.

You heard John mention the U.N. A lot of what happens, what Israel decides to do, depends on what happens at the U.N., with a vote possibly this week.

Richard Roth is watching those developments for us from the U.N. Richard, hello.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN. SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. Good morning.

The United Nations Security Council is waiting, waiting for France and the United States to work out their differences over revising that draft resolution. The Arab League ministers came here yesterday. The Security Council, instead, is dealing with West Africa. They have a whole plate of global affairs to worry about.

Yesterday the Arab League came and spoke to the same Security Council, saying that Lebanon's offer and proposal to send 15,000 government soldiers, in effect, changes the whole ball game and a timetable and sequence worked out by the United Nations Security Council resolution prepared by the United States and France.

Today, speaking of France, French president Jacques Chirac said the Lebanese concern should be taken into account, and that's stalled the progress in presenting this resolution to a potential vote. That's good news for that visiting delegation, including the deputy prime minister of Qatar.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMAD BIN JASSIM AL THANI, QATARI FOREIGN MINISTER: We need everybody to try to treat this very realistically and practically to work. It's not a matter of a resolution. A resolution could be done a long time ago. But the problem, we need a resolution which could solve the problem and not to create more problem, as I mentioned yesterday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: What we have today, this morning, Daryn, meetings. The United States ambassador, John Bolton, has already met with his French counterpart, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere. The United States envoy also now meeting with members of that Arab delegation.

This will be a day of bargaining and more discussion. No vote expected today -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. Richard Roth, at the U.N.

Thank you.

Let's take this quite a few steps back to those two Israeli soldiers who were kidnapped by Hezbollah. The trigger for this conflict now almost a month old.

The wife of one hostage says that she is fighting her own war to get her husband back.

CNN's Chris Lawrence has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She came to America seeking support and solidarity for a husband kidnapped and held captive.

KARNIT GOLDWASSER, WIFE OF KIDNAPPED ISRAELI SOLDIER: I can feel it in my heart, I know that he is still alive because we have a special communication between us.

LAWRENCE: Karnit Goldwasser has been married to Ehud for 10 months. On July 13th he was scheduled to finish his month long military service that's mandatory for most Israelis. On July 12th, he and another soldier were kidnapped by Hezbollah near the Lebanese border.

GOLDWASSER: The hardest part is to go sleep alone and to wake up alone.

LAWRENCE: Goldwasser and her family have traveled to Paris, London, Los Angeles, appealing for Ehud's release.

EHUD DANOCH, ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL: She's not going to give up.

LAWRENCE: Israeli Council General Ehud Danoch spent almost every minute with Goldwasser during her visit to Los Angeles.

Is she trying to keep the pressure on the negotiators not to accept a cease-fire without the release of the Israeli prisoners?

DANOCH: Someone decides to kidnap your child, what are you going to do? How are you going to face it? You're going to do everything to bring them back. And the government of Israel promised that they're going to do everything in their power, and they will, to bring our kidnapped soldiers safely home.

LAWRENCE: Ehud Goldwasser's kidnapping helped start this conflict. For his wife, only his return will finish it.

GOLDWASSER: The end will be only when I can be with Udi in quiet and peace, and have our dinner not in the bomb shelter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And that was our Chris Lawrence.

Now we want to get the latest on what we know about this white powder found in New York City.

Fredricka Whitfield has that -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Daryn, they are doing some preliminary testing on this white powder to find out exactly what it is. It was found in the mailroom at the New York City Police Department's headquarters.

You are looking at that tarp outside of the headquarters there, where apparently two people who may have been exposed to the powder are being tested and looked over. It's unclear when the preliminary test results would come back. It's not likely to be very immediate.

Meantime, they are still conducting tests on the white powder as well to find out exactly what it is and how it found itself in the mailroom of the New York City Police Department headquarters there in lower Manhattan -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Fred. Thank you.

Angry moments after a bitter loss at the ballot box. Coming up, what happened before a congresswoman conceded defeat?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Have a great opportunity for you. If you have ever said, "I want to report for CNN," now is your chance. CNN launches I- Report. You, the viewer, are the eyes and ears on the ground. If you capture a great picture or video on your camera or cell phone, then you send it to us.

You log on to cnn.com or punch ireport@cnn.com on your cell.

Let's take look at what I reporter Alley Keith of Cocoa, Florida, sent us. It's a picture of a fire in a 20-foot stack of pilings. It's next to a ferry in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The fire department tells us the flame scorched the side of the boat, damaging the paint.

There were no injuries, we are happy to report.

If you have a picture like Alley Keith's, then just go to cnn.com, send in an I-Report, and join the world's most powerful news team.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Some in Congress are demanding answers from oil giant BP. Much of its Alaskan pipeline is clogged with sludge and it needs to be replaced. The company is already facing a criminal investigation for an oil spill back in March. And now blistering criticism that it neglected the pipeline system for years.

Lawmakers in Washington are calling for hearings to look into BP's maintenance of its pipelines.

The Energy Department says Mexico and Saudi Arabia are ready to make up any shortfall from the BP's pipeline problems. Nonetheless, a lot of people are asking, how could this happen? The answers may not be comforting.

Here now is CNN National Correspondent Bob Franken.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The only pipeline that has any significant federal regulation is Alyeska, the huge, pressurized super highway, in effect, that gets the crude oil from energy company feeder lines at Prudhoe Bay on the state's North Slope and rushes it 800 miles to the huge tanker ships at Valdez port. And because of that regulation, Alyeska scrubs out all the residue about every two weeks.

But the feeder lines like British Petroleum's are not regulated. No maintenance plan required, no federal government oversight, until there's a leak. And critics charge BP has taken full advantage of that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They seem to have a real blind spot when it comes to just some of the maintenance that needs to be done up there.

FRANKEN: BP says it "continuously re-evaluates its inspection programs..." Since a leak revealed extensive corrosion in March, Congress has been considering legislation that would impose maintenance standards on the company's feeder lines.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said yesterday the administration is already developing new regulations, but the federal government's first priority right now is to step in and look for alternate sources of oil.

SAMUEL BODMAN, U.S. ENERGY SECRETARY: That's part of the -- we are the -- if you will, we're the counter-punchers. We respond to the needs of industry, if there are supply disruptions. This certainly qualifies as supply disruption.

FRANKEN (on camera): No one, including BP, knows how long this current disruption is going to last. The regulators are planning to try and make sure there's no next time.

Bob Franken, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And wanted to tell you about this. Bob Malone, the chairman and president of BP, will be a guest on "LIVE FROM" with Kyra Phillips later today right here on CNN. So stay tuned for that.

There are troubles in Alaska. Soaring prices at your neighborhood pump. It seems there is an ever-growing list of energy concerns. Here's one more you can put on that list: peak oil. A quick explanation of why you should care in today's "Fact Check."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Peak oil, it's the hot potato in the global energy debate. And it's potential consequences are frightening: permanent fuel shortages, decades of economic depression, millions of people without jobs, massive famine due to farm equipment idle for lack of fuel.

The term "peak oil" is attributed to Shell Oil geologist Marion King Hubbert, who, in 1956, accurately predicted that U.S. domestic oil production would peak in 1970. Simply put, peak oil is the notion that oil production reaches a peak, after which supply steadily and sharply decreases. Some experts say the production peak outside the U.S. is decades away. Others warn that doomsday threat to current lifestyle is just around the corner.

Six years ago, a study by the U.S. Geological Survey concluded that the world peak would come by 2037. Last year, the government moved the estimate to 2044. But some analysts say as the thirst for oil increases in the world's two most populous countries, China and India, the estimate may be optimistic at best. Others warn that severe economic security and political repercussions will develop long before the well runs dry.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Cyclists Floyd Landis, from champ to accused cheater. Not much to laugh about on late-night television, but you'll hear what he had to say to Jay.

And do you have a headache? We have a heads up on migraines.

That's ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Live pictures from Boston. We're expecting to hear from the "Christian Science Monitor." News coming out today that four men have been taken into custody in Iraq in connection with the kidnapping of journalist Jill Carroll, actually taken into custody about a month ago but news just breaking today. We'll hear what the "Christian Science Monitor" has to say about that just ahead.

Meanwhile, cyclist Floyd Landis powering his way through the Tour de France, but he has had trouble pedaling his defense against doming allegations. Landis went on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" last night, and the usual jokey (ph) host turned a bit serious. Leno wanted to know how Landis can deny the damming evidence of two failed drug tests.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FLOYD LANDIS, FACING DOPING ALLEGATIONS: I'll say that there is a couple possibilities of what may have happened.

JAY LENO, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": OK.

LANDIS: The tests and the people doing the test would like you to believe that the only possibility is that I intentionally took some drugs and that's why the test is that way. Now, there is always the possibility, and this argument has been used by other people -- I mean, at this point, I don't know if it's the case -- that somehow or some way I ingested something that caused this test to be that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: We'll be watching that one. Also in our "Daily Dose" today, growing evidence that your sinus headache might actually be a migraine. "The New York Times" says one study found 90 of 100 people who had self-diagnosed "sinus headaches" really were suffering from migraines. In fact, specialists say a sinus-induced headache is rare.

Migraines, of course, are more common than a headache. In addition to throbbing pain, they can cause nasal stuffiness, blurred vision, stomach upset, irritability, even depression. Researchers advise people with sinus ailments to see a neurologist for a proper diagnosis and take advantage of migraine medications.

To get your daily dose of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library, and information on diet and fitness. The address is cnn.com/health.

Well, coming up, we're going to have a chance to talk with one of our -- actually, we're actually going to be watching what happens in Boston. Once again, the "Christian Science Monitor" releasing a statement and talking about the apprehension of four men who have been accused of kidnapping journalist Jill Carroll. We'll see what they have to say.

Also, we'll take you beyond the camera lens. A CNN producer just back from Lebanon talking about being a witness to war.

Ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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