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American Morning
Two Deadly Attacks in Iraq; Super Bowl Safety; Rice's Mideast Trip
Aired February 07, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The brightest chance for Mideast peace in years, as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reaches out to the Palestinians and backs it up with cash.
Insurgents go after Iraqi security forces. A very deadly day for police in two cities.
And matching a Super Bowl record. The MVP talks with us live about his greatest game on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. Bill Hemmer's got the day off. He was at the Super Bowl. Rob Marciano is kind enough to fill in.
You were not at the Super Bowl.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: No. I'm jealous. But I'm very excited to be here. Thanks for having me.
O'BRIEN: Thank you. It's our pleasure.
Some other stories we're following this morning, the president's budget coming out in just about an hour and a half. There are some deep cuts to talk about, 150 programs falling under the ax. It's sure to set off a fire storm in Washington, D.C., today.
MARCIANO: Also, Michael Jackson seems to be trying to influence public opinion with his TV appearance over the weekend. But which way will he push them? And is he crossing the line drawn by the judge in his molestation trial? Jeffrey Toobin will be here.
O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty, did you watch the game yesterday?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: I fell asleep during the third quarter. "Hey Jude?" I mean, maybe next year we can do "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAFFERTY: How lame is that?
O'BRIEN: You know what?
CAFFERTY: And Hemmer, you owe me money. I mean, that's another lame thing. He takes Monday off after the Super Bowl?
O'BRIEN: Why? I thought we...
CAFFERTY: Yes. Well, because we had a bet and I won.
O'BRIEN: We were rooting for the Patriots, both of us.
CAFFERTY: Yes. And I had the Eagles. But I also had seven points. You see?
O'BRIEN: Oh, yes.
MARCIANO: We'll make him pay.
CAFFERTY: So...
O'BRIEN: But it's like a dollar. Don't get too worried about it. I think it's a dollar.
CAFFERTY: When you're back to New York, bring cash.
We said last week the battle lines would be drawn and the fight would be breathtaking. Well, tens of millions of dollars in advertising set to begin hitting the air today to try to influence the debate over revamping Social Security. You got big business and conservatives on one side, you got liberals and senior citizens on the other. We'll take a look at this and talk a little bit about how you're planning for your own retirement in a few minutes.
O'BRIEN: It's going to be an ugly debate, I'm predicting.
CAFFERTY: Yes, it is. It is. Remember the thing over health care with President Clinton? Same idea.
O'BRIEN: Same thing. All right, Jack. Thanks.
Two deadly attacks this morning in Iraq against police stations in Baquba and Mosul. More than two dozen people are dead, nearly as many injured. Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is live in Baghdad for us this morning.
Nic , good morning.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Those two attacks coming within an hour of each other, about 10:30 in the morning Iraqi time. A suicide bomber walked into a police recruitment center in Mosul, just outside a hospital, and detonated himself, killing 12 would-be recruits and four other -- four -- wounding four others there as well. One jihadi organization has already claimed responsibility for this attack.
We also understand, in Mosul, three mortar rounds were fired at the governor office. One of those landed in a nearby cafe, killed one person and wounded three others. But in the town of Baquba, just northeast of Baghdad, about three-quarters of an hour drive way, again police recruits were the target for an attack there. A car bomb, a large car packed with explosives, a taxi, we are told, detonated as recruits waited to get into a police station. At least 14 were killed, we're told, and perhaps as many as 16 others wounded.
This particular police station quite significant, because it is what is known as a joint command and control center, a JCC, where not only the police headquarters are located, but the police sit in the same room as the ambulance chiefs and the -- and the fire chiefs. A very important control room and operation. But really today, it seems that it those police recruits, critical in helping rebuild Iraq's security structure, that have been the targets of the insurgents today -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It seemed, Nic, as if in the wake of elections that the insurgency had actually slowed down significantly. Are you saying now and I would expect in the following days, that the insurgency is back with a vengeance?
ROBERTSON: It certainly seems to be so, though perhaps three or four days immediately after the elections where their attacks tapered off. Perhaps the really tight security, the restrictions on travel in the days around the elections, had really affected the insurgents' capacity to plan and to perpetrate attacks. But it really does seem now they're back up at an operating level.
Peaks and troughs. Days when it's high -- days when it peaks, days when it's low -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson for us this morning. Nic, thank you very much for that update -- Rob.
MARCIANO: Now it's time for a check on the headlines now. Heidi Collins joins us.
Good morning, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. Nice to see you, Rob, on the set here in New York.
MARCIANO: Nice to be here.
COLLINS: "Now in the News" this morning, President Bush is sending Congress a $2.5 trillion budget for approval. It's considered the tightest of the Bush administration. The plan increases military and international spending, but cuts aid for some 150 programs, including education and environmental protection.
The Vatican says it will keep Pope John Paul in the hospital for a few more days as a precaution. The pope gave a brief blessing from his hospital window yesterday. Vatican officials are denying reports the message was recorded beforehand. They stress the 84-year-old pontiff's health is continuing to improve. The Spanish consulate in Switzerland says its staff is OK following a hostage takeover. The standoff ended three hours after a group worked its way into the facility, wounding at least one person. Spanish state-run media is reporting a group of three intruders broke into the building in what appears to have been a robbery attempt.
And in California, proceedings put on hold in the Michael Jackson trial. The delay in jury selection said to be because of a death in the family of Jackson's lead attorney. Potential jurors will show up briefly today to get assigned numbers, but questioning is now set to take place next week. We're going to have much more on the Jackson trial throughout the show.
O'BRIEN: And throughout the next six months, I have to imagine. At least.
COLLINS: I believe so. Hold on to your hats.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
MARCIANO: Super Bowl yesterday, last night. Did you guys catch it?
COLLINS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: I caught the commercials.
COLLINS: It was nice. Went to Vegas for four days, forgot to bet on the Super Bowl.
MARCIANO: Shame on you.
COLLINS: That was dumb.
MARCIANO: Well...
O'BRIEN: We had a bet here for a buck.
COLLINS: You did?
O'BRIEN: Yes, I won a buck.
COLLINS: Wow.
O'BRIEN: That's a big buck.
MARCIANO: They didn't beat the spread. That's the problem...
COLLINS: I know.
MARCIANO: But either way you slice it, though, the New England fans are calling it a dynasty. The Patriots won their third Super Bowl in four years last night, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, 24- 21. Team members shared their fans' excitement by -- we're hesitant to sate "D" word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BRADY, PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: It's all for this. And wait till we get that Super Bowl ring and go to the White House and hopefully have a parade again. It's another championship for the city of Boston. Another championship for our great franchise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDY BRUSCHI, PATRIOTS LINEBACKER: You can talk about the Dallas Cowboys, I think it was in the '90s. You know, and they were considered a dynasty. So you want to put us in that company now? We've done something to earn the right to be put in that company, and we all feel great that we can be put in that company.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL BELICHICK, PATRIOTS HEAD COACH: You know, we're thrilled to be able to get to the top. And that's what this year was about, was about one fight against 31 other teams to try to win the Super Bowl and win that trophy. So we're happy that we did it, and, you know, I'll leave the comparisons and historical perspectives to everybody else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: New England quarterback Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes, upping his post-season record to a perfect 9-0. An Adam Vinatieri field goal was once again the winning difference for New England, which won its past two Super Bowls with a Vinatieri last- second kick.
Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch was named most valuable player with his Super Bowl record tying 11 receptions. We'll speak with him about that later in this hour.
One highlight for the Eagles, though. Receiver Terrell Owens showed no signs of trouble from his injured ankle, catching an impressive nine passes for 122 yards -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: When you consider that, he doesn't have pins in his ankle and like a little plate or something in there?
MARCIANO: He was sleeping in chambers and he got the witch doctors out. He looked pretty good there.
O'BRIEN: Yes. He looked all right. He did OK. All right, Rob. Thanks.
The teams of law enforcement agents watching over Super Bowl XXXIX were winners as well. In our CNN "Security Watch" this morning, CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us from Jacksonville, Florida, with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at security operations yesterday. Hey, Susan , good morning to you. Things went off really without a hitch, right?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They did, thank goodness, Soledad. And frankly, as expected, a lot of people would say.
But CNN was allowed inside two listening posts, one overseen by the FBI to assess possible terror threats. None was found credible. The other handling arrests and other incidents before, during and after the game. And both using the latest in technology to do the job.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): While two teams were doing battle on the gridiron, a third team was in the middle of its own game plan, using everything from satellite images of Jacksonville down to schematics of the stadium club-level ceilings. Hundreds of agents from federal, state and local agencies stood by in case of trouble. As it turns out, the biggest worry wasn't the game, but at jam-packed activities nearby, reminiscent of the park bombing at the summer Olympics in Atlanta.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If an individual, a lone wolf-type character like Eric Rudolph , per se, were to show up, the most vulnerable area is, of course, the NFL venues that are not at the Super Bowl.
CANDIOTTI: A few hours before the game began, a possible problem. Radar aboard this homeland security aircraft picked up a small plane close to penetrating a 30-mile wide no-fly zone. The plane was ordered to put down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It landed at an outlying field and it was met by investigators.
CANDIOTTI: But no threat was found. That information went straight to the man in charge of Super Bowl XXXIX security, Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford, at his command post. Perhaps his biggest get of the night was this man, Dion Rich, famous for faking his way into more than 30 Super Bowls, the Kentucky Derby and the Academy Awards. This time, he was arrested with an alleged phony ticket.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's, I believe, trying to embarrass law enforcement to show that the security is not that good.
CANDIOTTI: In section 119, a minor fan fight in the seats.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is the closest camera.
CANDIOTTI: A battery of more than 200 cameras allowed authorities to pinpoint where it happened. For the Coast Guard, no breaches to its 14-mile safety zone on the St. John's River. Yet by game's end, the sheriff was not ready to call his security team's work a success. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once we help get all these fans moved out of Jacksonville and get back to where they -- where they reside, that will be our -- that's when we're going to start celebrating this -- the end of this game.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: This morning, Sheriff Rutherford is bracing and has his eye on Jacksonville International Airport, which is bracing for its busiest day yet, as tens of thousands of Super Bowl fans weave their way through even more security as they head for home -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: That's right. The game's over, but it's not over yet, is it? All right. Susan Candiotti for us this morning. Susan, thanks.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security -- Rob.
MARCIANO: Time now for a check on the weather forecast. This is kind of strange, but we go to a familiar place to me down in Atlanta, the forecast center, and my weather colleague and buddy, Chad Myers.
Chad, what am I missing out on today?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the good news is at least there's no fog in Jacksonville like there was Thursday, Friday and into Saturday. Things look good for the folks trying to get out of there now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: All right. Chad, thanks very much.
Another major recall this morning by Ford. The auto maker is recalling nearly 360,000 Ford Focus cars because of a potential problem with rear door latches. There's concern that the rear door on model years 2000 and 2002 could open while the vehicle is in motion. Just last month, Ford recalled nearly 800,000 trucks, SUVs and minivans over a possible fire risk involving cruise control switches.
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, Michael Jackson speaking out. Did he go too far in a new TV interview? CNN legal analyst Jeff Toobin stops by to talk about that.
MARCIANO: Also, the backlash is brewing over the president's budget plan. What's the biggest obstacle -- obstacle he'll face?
O'BRIEN: Plus, the day after the biggest game of his career, how does Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch feel? We're going to ask him live ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spent part of the weekend in the Mideast meeting with top Israeli and Palestinian officials. Rice has just finished meeting, in fact, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.
CNN's Guy Raz live in Ramallah now with the very latest for us.
Hey, Guy. Good morning.
GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just left this area, oh, over about an hour ago. This is the Palestinian administrative headquarters, the Muqata, where she met with the new Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.
Now, she made two very significant announcements on her trip. One, that the United States will be appointing a special coordinator, William Ward, a retired lieutenant general, to oversee security coordination between Israelis and Palestinians.
Now, there has been a very delicate and fragile period of calm established between both sides over the past several days. William Ward will come to this region to make sure it remains that way.
And second, and perhaps more importantly, Ms. Rice announced an active U.S. re-engagement in the peace process, going so far as to make a personal commitment to come to the area as necessary as possible to make sure both of these sides continue to talk. But ultimately, this visit was about re-introductions.
Now, both sides know Condoleezza Rice very well. She has been in and out of the region many times over the past few years. But what they don't know is the extent to which the United States is prepared to actively re-engage in the process.
The Palestinian leadership wants a strong U.S. role in this process. They believe it will fail without a U.S. role. The Israelis have long preferred bilateral, direct talks with the Palestinians, as opposed to outside intervention.
But ultimately, both of these sides understand that Condoleezza Rice comes here with the weight of the White House behind her. They know she's very close with the president, and that is perhaps what differentiates her from her predecessor -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Guy Raz in Ramallah for us this morning. Guy, thank you very much for that update.
Well, President Bush sends his $2.5 trillion budget to Congress today, where it is sure to be the subject of intense debate. Among the areas targeted for potential cuts -- look at this list -- law enforcement, farming, Medicaid, environmental protection.
CNN political analyst Carlos Watson is in Washington to talk a little bit more about the Bush spending plan.
Good morning to you, Carlos.
CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Soledad. O'BRIEN: All right. So I've read part of the list. What am I missing? What else is going to be cut out in this $2.5 trillion budget?
WATSON: 150 programs are proposed for cuts. About one out of three of the proposals center around education. So that's probably the biggest area that you've left out, but also some things involving Native American tribes. The Bureau of Indian Affairs are likely to be cut as well. The areas that are being left untouched are largely the military and so-called entitlements, which include Social Security and Medicare.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about the military. For example, not in this budget is the military budget for Afghanistan and Iraq. Also, Social Security, what President Bush is proposing. Any of that math hasn't made its way into this budget.
Isn't that sort of like doing your home budget, but not factoring in your mortgage and your car payments?
WATSON: You know to use President Bush's words from a 2000 election debate, this is "fuzzy math," if you will. You're right, a number of things are left out. And even the idea that this is a tight budget and that there are 150 programs that are being cut hides the fact that there still will be a pretty big deficit, over $400 billion if this budget is ultimately accepted as it's been offered.
O'BRIEN: Before we talk about the deficit, let's talk about -- a little bit more about this particular budget. The president campaigned on the grounds that he supported a lot of the programs that are now potentially on the chopping block, right?
WATSON: He did, although I think the way he would offer it up is that, while some of the increases that he's proposed aren't as aggressive as maybe he's suggested in the past, for example, humanitarian aid to other countries -- there's a so-called millennium fund in which he's proposed $3 billion instead of $5 billion, which he said he would in the past -- he would say some in Washington would call that a cut.
It's still a big increase over where it's been, so don't call that a cut. I'm doing as much as I can in a difficult fiscal environment.
O'BRIEN: And the president has said the goal is to cut the deficit -- back to talking about the deficit -- in half by 2009. With these cuts -- I mean, if this budget goes through, as planned, which of course is a huge "if" and probably won't happen the way it's drafted right now, does this bring the deficit down by half, by 2009?
WATSON: Two quick interesting things, Soledad. The answer is probably not. Two quick interesting things on that.
One, as you said before, there are some things that are left out, including costs for Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as any changes, for example, to Social Security. Number two, when the president says he's going to cut it in half, his baseline for what "half" means is a number that's a couple of years old. And some question whether or not that's the right number. So I think there will continue to be debate about whether or not we're using the right math in the first place and whether or not some Republicans will ask if President Bush is losing his conservative fiscal credentials.
O'BRIEN: Absolutely. We'll see. Carlos Watson, as always, thanks, Carlos. Appreciate it.
WATSON: Good to see you this morning.
O'BRIEN: Thank you. Likewise.
A piece of automobile history is about to drive off into the sunset. Andy is "Minding Your Business" just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Gas prices are on the rise again. Is it going to last? Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Should we talk about gas prices or we should talk about the Super Bowl, because your team...
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, FORTUNE MAGAZINE: Mr. Eagles fan?
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
SERWER: Yes, not so good. Let's talk about gas prices.
O'BRIEN: All right. Go ahead.
SERWER: We will talk about the Super Bowl in the next half-hour.
First of all, gas prices up 6 cents over the last two weeks. Not a good sign. $1.91 a gallon nationwide average.
And the reason it's not a good sign is because usually, in January, prices fall because it's a slow driving month. And perhaps a harbinger for higher prices this summer. The low price for gas in the United States, a real surprise, $1.74 a gallon, Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage, very unusual, because usually gas prices are kind of high up there.
Another auto story this morning. GM is announcing that it is scrapping the Pontiac Bonneville. This is a kind of a shocker and disappointment to people who love this car.
It rolled out first in 1958. Of course, named after Utah's famed salt flats.
First was a convertible only. One of its competing cars was the -- got to get this right -- the Desoto Golden Adventurer. That's how long this car's been around for.
(LAUGHTER)
SERWER: They sold 100,000 as recently as '92. But last year, they only sold 29,000. So obviously time to go. And they do this from time to time.
You may remember, last April, they got rid of the whole Olds Mobile line. This is just a model of Pontiac. They're going to continue to make Pontiacs.
O'BRIEN: Kind of sad.
SERWER: It is. I always hate to see them go. But if they don't make sense, they don't make sense anymore.
O'BRIEN: If they don't make money, they don't make sense.
SERWER: Yes. That's right.
O'BRIEN: All right. Andy, thank you very much.
SERWER: You're welcome.
MARCIANO: Nice to see you, Andy. Soledad -- you guys are wonderful.
SERWER: Nice to see you, Rob.
MARCIANO: But for me, the coup de grace is coming up to...
O'BRIEN: Oh. Sucking up to Jack.
MARCIANO: Well, someone told me to suck up to Jack, that was always a good idea.
O'BRIEN: Good advice.
SERWER: Well done. Well done, Rob.
MARCIANO: The "Question of the Day" Jack.
SERWER: Look at him. He doesn't know what to do.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: He does not know what to do.
SERWER: He does not know what to do. Just go.
CAFFERTY: You keep this up, and you'll wind up here every time Hemmer goes on vacation. They'll punish you for this. (CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: The Social Security showdown gets bigger today. Groups are lining up on both sides. They'll spend millions and millions of dollars on advertising, some of which will begin airing today. I can hardly wait.
On one side, conservatives and big business. On the other side, liberals and seniors. It promises to be a bigger fight than President Clinton's proposed health care overhaul back in 1994, which was eventually defeated, but not without a big brouhaha over that.
At the center is President Bush's plan to give workers private investment accounts. An option for workers born in 1950 or before -- or later, excuse me -- to divert up to one third of their payroll taxes into private accounts.
Here's the question this morning. How are you planning for your retirement? AM@CNN.com. And we'll read some of the e-mails a little bit later.
O'BRIEN: Excellent question.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Jack.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Nice to see you, Rob.
MARCIANO: Likewise.
(LAUGHTER)
SERWER: Wow.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
SERWER: It worked, Rob. It really worked.
O'BRIEN: It worked. We've got to start working on that, Andy.
SERWER: Yes. We really do.
CAFFERTY: You guys could take a page from Rob's book.
SERWER: Take copious notes, Rob.
MARCIANO: We'll see what happens tomorrow.
O'BRIEN: Oh god.
All right. We're back in just a moment. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) O'BRIEN (voice-over): Ahead on "90-Second Pop"...
(MUSIC)
O'BRIEN: Who was the biggest winner of Super Bowl XXXIX? We're not talking about the game. We're talking about the commercials.
Plus, last year's halftime show was a skin-fest. Was this year's a snooze? Later on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired February 7, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The brightest chance for Mideast peace in years, as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reaches out to the Palestinians and backs it up with cash.
Insurgents go after Iraqi security forces. A very deadly day for police in two cities.
And matching a Super Bowl record. The MVP talks with us live about his greatest game on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. Bill Hemmer's got the day off. He was at the Super Bowl. Rob Marciano is kind enough to fill in.
You were not at the Super Bowl.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: No. I'm jealous. But I'm very excited to be here. Thanks for having me.
O'BRIEN: Thank you. It's our pleasure.
Some other stories we're following this morning, the president's budget coming out in just about an hour and a half. There are some deep cuts to talk about, 150 programs falling under the ax. It's sure to set off a fire storm in Washington, D.C., today.
MARCIANO: Also, Michael Jackson seems to be trying to influence public opinion with his TV appearance over the weekend. But which way will he push them? And is he crossing the line drawn by the judge in his molestation trial? Jeffrey Toobin will be here.
O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty, did you watch the game yesterday?
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: I fell asleep during the third quarter. "Hey Jude?" I mean, maybe next year we can do "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CAFFERTY: How lame is that?
O'BRIEN: You know what?
CAFFERTY: And Hemmer, you owe me money. I mean, that's another lame thing. He takes Monday off after the Super Bowl?
O'BRIEN: Why? I thought we...
CAFFERTY: Yes. Well, because we had a bet and I won.
O'BRIEN: We were rooting for the Patriots, both of us.
CAFFERTY: Yes. And I had the Eagles. But I also had seven points. You see?
O'BRIEN: Oh, yes.
MARCIANO: We'll make him pay.
CAFFERTY: So...
O'BRIEN: But it's like a dollar. Don't get too worried about it. I think it's a dollar.
CAFFERTY: When you're back to New York, bring cash.
We said last week the battle lines would be drawn and the fight would be breathtaking. Well, tens of millions of dollars in advertising set to begin hitting the air today to try to influence the debate over revamping Social Security. You got big business and conservatives on one side, you got liberals and senior citizens on the other. We'll take a look at this and talk a little bit about how you're planning for your own retirement in a few minutes.
O'BRIEN: It's going to be an ugly debate, I'm predicting.
CAFFERTY: Yes, it is. It is. Remember the thing over health care with President Clinton? Same idea.
O'BRIEN: Same thing. All right, Jack. Thanks.
Two deadly attacks this morning in Iraq against police stations in Baquba and Mosul. More than two dozen people are dead, nearly as many injured. Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is live in Baghdad for us this morning.
Nic , good morning.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Those two attacks coming within an hour of each other, about 10:30 in the morning Iraqi time. A suicide bomber walked into a police recruitment center in Mosul, just outside a hospital, and detonated himself, killing 12 would-be recruits and four other -- four -- wounding four others there as well. One jihadi organization has already claimed responsibility for this attack.
We also understand, in Mosul, three mortar rounds were fired at the governor office. One of those landed in a nearby cafe, killed one person and wounded three others. But in the town of Baquba, just northeast of Baghdad, about three-quarters of an hour drive way, again police recruits were the target for an attack there. A car bomb, a large car packed with explosives, a taxi, we are told, detonated as recruits waited to get into a police station. At least 14 were killed, we're told, and perhaps as many as 16 others wounded.
This particular police station quite significant, because it is what is known as a joint command and control center, a JCC, where not only the police headquarters are located, but the police sit in the same room as the ambulance chiefs and the -- and the fire chiefs. A very important control room and operation. But really today, it seems that it those police recruits, critical in helping rebuild Iraq's security structure, that have been the targets of the insurgents today -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: It seemed, Nic, as if in the wake of elections that the insurgency had actually slowed down significantly. Are you saying now and I would expect in the following days, that the insurgency is back with a vengeance?
ROBERTSON: It certainly seems to be so, though perhaps three or four days immediately after the elections where their attacks tapered off. Perhaps the really tight security, the restrictions on travel in the days around the elections, had really affected the insurgents' capacity to plan and to perpetrate attacks. But it really does seem now they're back up at an operating level.
Peaks and troughs. Days when it's high -- days when it peaks, days when it's low -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson for us this morning. Nic, thank you very much for that update -- Rob.
MARCIANO: Now it's time for a check on the headlines now. Heidi Collins joins us.
Good morning, Heidi.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. Nice to see you, Rob, on the set here in New York.
MARCIANO: Nice to be here.
COLLINS: "Now in the News" this morning, President Bush is sending Congress a $2.5 trillion budget for approval. It's considered the tightest of the Bush administration. The plan increases military and international spending, but cuts aid for some 150 programs, including education and environmental protection.
The Vatican says it will keep Pope John Paul in the hospital for a few more days as a precaution. The pope gave a brief blessing from his hospital window yesterday. Vatican officials are denying reports the message was recorded beforehand. They stress the 84-year-old pontiff's health is continuing to improve. The Spanish consulate in Switzerland says its staff is OK following a hostage takeover. The standoff ended three hours after a group worked its way into the facility, wounding at least one person. Spanish state-run media is reporting a group of three intruders broke into the building in what appears to have been a robbery attempt.
And in California, proceedings put on hold in the Michael Jackson trial. The delay in jury selection said to be because of a death in the family of Jackson's lead attorney. Potential jurors will show up briefly today to get assigned numbers, but questioning is now set to take place next week. We're going to have much more on the Jackson trial throughout the show.
O'BRIEN: And throughout the next six months, I have to imagine. At least.
COLLINS: I believe so. Hold on to your hats.
O'BRIEN: Thank you.
MARCIANO: Super Bowl yesterday, last night. Did you guys catch it?
COLLINS: Yes.
O'BRIEN: I caught the commercials.
COLLINS: It was nice. Went to Vegas for four days, forgot to bet on the Super Bowl.
MARCIANO: Shame on you.
COLLINS: That was dumb.
MARCIANO: Well...
O'BRIEN: We had a bet here for a buck.
COLLINS: You did?
O'BRIEN: Yes, I won a buck.
COLLINS: Wow.
O'BRIEN: That's a big buck.
MARCIANO: They didn't beat the spread. That's the problem...
COLLINS: I know.
MARCIANO: But either way you slice it, though, the New England fans are calling it a dynasty. The Patriots won their third Super Bowl in four years last night, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, 24- 21. Team members shared their fans' excitement by -- we're hesitant to sate "D" word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM BRADY, PATRIOTS QUARTERBACK: It's all for this. And wait till we get that Super Bowl ring and go to the White House and hopefully have a parade again. It's another championship for the city of Boston. Another championship for our great franchise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDY BRUSCHI, PATRIOTS LINEBACKER: You can talk about the Dallas Cowboys, I think it was in the '90s. You know, and they were considered a dynasty. So you want to put us in that company now? We've done something to earn the right to be put in that company, and we all feel great that we can be put in that company.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL BELICHICK, PATRIOTS HEAD COACH: You know, we're thrilled to be able to get to the top. And that's what this year was about, was about one fight against 31 other teams to try to win the Super Bowl and win that trophy. So we're happy that we did it, and, you know, I'll leave the comparisons and historical perspectives to everybody else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: New England quarterback Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes, upping his post-season record to a perfect 9-0. An Adam Vinatieri field goal was once again the winning difference for New England, which won its past two Super Bowls with a Vinatieri last- second kick.
Patriots wide receiver Deion Branch was named most valuable player with his Super Bowl record tying 11 receptions. We'll speak with him about that later in this hour.
One highlight for the Eagles, though. Receiver Terrell Owens showed no signs of trouble from his injured ankle, catching an impressive nine passes for 122 yards -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: When you consider that, he doesn't have pins in his ankle and like a little plate or something in there?
MARCIANO: He was sleeping in chambers and he got the witch doctors out. He looked pretty good there.
O'BRIEN: Yes. He looked all right. He did OK. All right, Rob. Thanks.
The teams of law enforcement agents watching over Super Bowl XXXIX were winners as well. In our CNN "Security Watch" this morning, CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us from Jacksonville, Florida, with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at security operations yesterday. Hey, Susan , good morning to you. Things went off really without a hitch, right?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They did, thank goodness, Soledad. And frankly, as expected, a lot of people would say.
But CNN was allowed inside two listening posts, one overseen by the FBI to assess possible terror threats. None was found credible. The other handling arrests and other incidents before, during and after the game. And both using the latest in technology to do the job.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): While two teams were doing battle on the gridiron, a third team was in the middle of its own game plan, using everything from satellite images of Jacksonville down to schematics of the stadium club-level ceilings. Hundreds of agents from federal, state and local agencies stood by in case of trouble. As it turns out, the biggest worry wasn't the game, but at jam-packed activities nearby, reminiscent of the park bombing at the summer Olympics in Atlanta.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If an individual, a lone wolf-type character like Eric Rudolph , per se, were to show up, the most vulnerable area is, of course, the NFL venues that are not at the Super Bowl.
CANDIOTTI: A few hours before the game began, a possible problem. Radar aboard this homeland security aircraft picked up a small plane close to penetrating a 30-mile wide no-fly zone. The plane was ordered to put down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It landed at an outlying field and it was met by investigators.
CANDIOTTI: But no threat was found. That information went straight to the man in charge of Super Bowl XXXIX security, Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford, at his command post. Perhaps his biggest get of the night was this man, Dion Rich, famous for faking his way into more than 30 Super Bowls, the Kentucky Derby and the Academy Awards. This time, he was arrested with an alleged phony ticket.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's, I believe, trying to embarrass law enforcement to show that the security is not that good.
CANDIOTTI: In section 119, a minor fan fight in the seats.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is the closest camera.
CANDIOTTI: A battery of more than 200 cameras allowed authorities to pinpoint where it happened. For the Coast Guard, no breaches to its 14-mile safety zone on the St. John's River. Yet by game's end, the sheriff was not ready to call his security team's work a success. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once we help get all these fans moved out of Jacksonville and get back to where they -- where they reside, that will be our -- that's when we're going to start celebrating this -- the end of this game.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: This morning, Sheriff Rutherford is bracing and has his eye on Jacksonville International Airport, which is bracing for its busiest day yet, as tens of thousands of Super Bowl fans weave their way through even more security as they head for home -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: That's right. The game's over, but it's not over yet, is it? All right. Susan Candiotti for us this morning. Susan, thanks.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security -- Rob.
MARCIANO: Time now for a check on the weather forecast. This is kind of strange, but we go to a familiar place to me down in Atlanta, the forecast center, and my weather colleague and buddy, Chad Myers.
Chad, what am I missing out on today?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the good news is at least there's no fog in Jacksonville like there was Thursday, Friday and into Saturday. Things look good for the folks trying to get out of there now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: All right. Chad, thanks very much.
Another major recall this morning by Ford. The auto maker is recalling nearly 360,000 Ford Focus cars because of a potential problem with rear door latches. There's concern that the rear door on model years 2000 and 2002 could open while the vehicle is in motion. Just last month, Ford recalled nearly 800,000 trucks, SUVs and minivans over a possible fire risk involving cruise control switches.
O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, Michael Jackson speaking out. Did he go too far in a new TV interview? CNN legal analyst Jeff Toobin stops by to talk about that.
MARCIANO: Also, the backlash is brewing over the president's budget plan. What's the biggest obstacle -- obstacle he'll face?
O'BRIEN: Plus, the day after the biggest game of his career, how does Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch feel? We're going to ask him live ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spent part of the weekend in the Mideast meeting with top Israeli and Palestinian officials. Rice has just finished meeting, in fact, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.
CNN's Guy Raz live in Ramallah now with the very latest for us.
Hey, Guy. Good morning.
GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just left this area, oh, over about an hour ago. This is the Palestinian administrative headquarters, the Muqata, where she met with the new Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas.
Now, she made two very significant announcements on her trip. One, that the United States will be appointing a special coordinator, William Ward, a retired lieutenant general, to oversee security coordination between Israelis and Palestinians.
Now, there has been a very delicate and fragile period of calm established between both sides over the past several days. William Ward will come to this region to make sure it remains that way.
And second, and perhaps more importantly, Ms. Rice announced an active U.S. re-engagement in the peace process, going so far as to make a personal commitment to come to the area as necessary as possible to make sure both of these sides continue to talk. But ultimately, this visit was about re-introductions.
Now, both sides know Condoleezza Rice very well. She has been in and out of the region many times over the past few years. But what they don't know is the extent to which the United States is prepared to actively re-engage in the process.
The Palestinian leadership wants a strong U.S. role in this process. They believe it will fail without a U.S. role. The Israelis have long preferred bilateral, direct talks with the Palestinians, as opposed to outside intervention.
But ultimately, both of these sides understand that Condoleezza Rice comes here with the weight of the White House behind her. They know she's very close with the president, and that is perhaps what differentiates her from her predecessor -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Guy Raz in Ramallah for us this morning. Guy, thank you very much for that update.
Well, President Bush sends his $2.5 trillion budget to Congress today, where it is sure to be the subject of intense debate. Among the areas targeted for potential cuts -- look at this list -- law enforcement, farming, Medicaid, environmental protection.
CNN political analyst Carlos Watson is in Washington to talk a little bit more about the Bush spending plan.
Good morning to you, Carlos.
CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Soledad. O'BRIEN: All right. So I've read part of the list. What am I missing? What else is going to be cut out in this $2.5 trillion budget?
WATSON: 150 programs are proposed for cuts. About one out of three of the proposals center around education. So that's probably the biggest area that you've left out, but also some things involving Native American tribes. The Bureau of Indian Affairs are likely to be cut as well. The areas that are being left untouched are largely the military and so-called entitlements, which include Social Security and Medicare.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about the military. For example, not in this budget is the military budget for Afghanistan and Iraq. Also, Social Security, what President Bush is proposing. Any of that math hasn't made its way into this budget.
Isn't that sort of like doing your home budget, but not factoring in your mortgage and your car payments?
WATSON: You know to use President Bush's words from a 2000 election debate, this is "fuzzy math," if you will. You're right, a number of things are left out. And even the idea that this is a tight budget and that there are 150 programs that are being cut hides the fact that there still will be a pretty big deficit, over $400 billion if this budget is ultimately accepted as it's been offered.
O'BRIEN: Before we talk about the deficit, let's talk about -- a little bit more about this particular budget. The president campaigned on the grounds that he supported a lot of the programs that are now potentially on the chopping block, right?
WATSON: He did, although I think the way he would offer it up is that, while some of the increases that he's proposed aren't as aggressive as maybe he's suggested in the past, for example, humanitarian aid to other countries -- there's a so-called millennium fund in which he's proposed $3 billion instead of $5 billion, which he said he would in the past -- he would say some in Washington would call that a cut.
It's still a big increase over where it's been, so don't call that a cut. I'm doing as much as I can in a difficult fiscal environment.
O'BRIEN: And the president has said the goal is to cut the deficit -- back to talking about the deficit -- in half by 2009. With these cuts -- I mean, if this budget goes through, as planned, which of course is a huge "if" and probably won't happen the way it's drafted right now, does this bring the deficit down by half, by 2009?
WATSON: Two quick interesting things, Soledad. The answer is probably not. Two quick interesting things on that.
One, as you said before, there are some things that are left out, including costs for Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as any changes, for example, to Social Security. Number two, when the president says he's going to cut it in half, his baseline for what "half" means is a number that's a couple of years old. And some question whether or not that's the right number. So I think there will continue to be debate about whether or not we're using the right math in the first place and whether or not some Republicans will ask if President Bush is losing his conservative fiscal credentials.
O'BRIEN: Absolutely. We'll see. Carlos Watson, as always, thanks, Carlos. Appreciate it.
WATSON: Good to see you this morning.
O'BRIEN: Thank you. Likewise.
A piece of automobile history is about to drive off into the sunset. Andy is "Minding Your Business" just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Gas prices are on the rise again. Is it going to last? Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Should we talk about gas prices or we should talk about the Super Bowl, because your team...
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, FORTUNE MAGAZINE: Mr. Eagles fan?
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
SERWER: Yes, not so good. Let's talk about gas prices.
O'BRIEN: All right. Go ahead.
SERWER: We will talk about the Super Bowl in the next half-hour.
First of all, gas prices up 6 cents over the last two weeks. Not a good sign. $1.91 a gallon nationwide average.
And the reason it's not a good sign is because usually, in January, prices fall because it's a slow driving month. And perhaps a harbinger for higher prices this summer. The low price for gas in the United States, a real surprise, $1.74 a gallon, Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage, very unusual, because usually gas prices are kind of high up there.
Another auto story this morning. GM is announcing that it is scrapping the Pontiac Bonneville. This is a kind of a shocker and disappointment to people who love this car.
It rolled out first in 1958. Of course, named after Utah's famed salt flats.
First was a convertible only. One of its competing cars was the -- got to get this right -- the Desoto Golden Adventurer. That's how long this car's been around for.
(LAUGHTER)
SERWER: They sold 100,000 as recently as '92. But last year, they only sold 29,000. So obviously time to go. And they do this from time to time.
You may remember, last April, they got rid of the whole Olds Mobile line. This is just a model of Pontiac. They're going to continue to make Pontiacs.
O'BRIEN: Kind of sad.
SERWER: It is. I always hate to see them go. But if they don't make sense, they don't make sense anymore.
O'BRIEN: If they don't make money, they don't make sense.
SERWER: Yes. That's right.
O'BRIEN: All right. Andy, thank you very much.
SERWER: You're welcome.
MARCIANO: Nice to see you, Andy. Soledad -- you guys are wonderful.
SERWER: Nice to see you, Rob.
MARCIANO: But for me, the coup de grace is coming up to...
O'BRIEN: Oh. Sucking up to Jack.
MARCIANO: Well, someone told me to suck up to Jack, that was always a good idea.
O'BRIEN: Good advice.
SERWER: Well done. Well done, Rob.
MARCIANO: The "Question of the Day" Jack.
SERWER: Look at him. He doesn't know what to do.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: He does not know what to do.
SERWER: He does not know what to do. Just go.
CAFFERTY: You keep this up, and you'll wind up here every time Hemmer goes on vacation. They'll punish you for this. (CROSSTALK)
CAFFERTY: The Social Security showdown gets bigger today. Groups are lining up on both sides. They'll spend millions and millions of dollars on advertising, some of which will begin airing today. I can hardly wait.
On one side, conservatives and big business. On the other side, liberals and seniors. It promises to be a bigger fight than President Clinton's proposed health care overhaul back in 1994, which was eventually defeated, but not without a big brouhaha over that.
At the center is President Bush's plan to give workers private investment accounts. An option for workers born in 1950 or before -- or later, excuse me -- to divert up to one third of their payroll taxes into private accounts.
Here's the question this morning. How are you planning for your retirement? AM@CNN.com. And we'll read some of the e-mails a little bit later.
O'BRIEN: Excellent question.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, Jack.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Nice to see you, Rob.
MARCIANO: Likewise.
(LAUGHTER)
SERWER: Wow.
O'BRIEN: Wow.
SERWER: It worked, Rob. It really worked.
O'BRIEN: It worked. We've got to start working on that, Andy.
SERWER: Yes. We really do.
CAFFERTY: You guys could take a page from Rob's book.
SERWER: Take copious notes, Rob.
MARCIANO: We'll see what happens tomorrow.
O'BRIEN: Oh god.
All right. We're back in just a moment. Stay with us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) O'BRIEN (voice-over): Ahead on "90-Second Pop"...
(MUSIC)
O'BRIEN: Who was the biggest winner of Super Bowl XXXIX? We're not talking about the game. We're talking about the commercials.
Plus, last year's halftime show was a skin-fest. Was this year's a snooze? Later on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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