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American Morning
No Strike in NYC For Now; Turning Point in Iraq
Aired December 16, 2005 - 06:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Take a look there, a messy mix of rain and ice and snow already throwing, for some people, the morning commute into a tailspin. We've got a forecast just ahead.
And counting the ballots. Voters in Iraq made their choices. What happens now? We'll take you live to Baghdad.
Plus, here in New York, some seven million commuters are waiting on any word. Will there be a transit strike? We've got a live report just ahead.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's a rainy morning here in New York City and, even though traffic isn't moving right there in that shot, things are moving. There they go as the green allows them to move on. The transit system is, in fact, running. Seven million commuters can get to work. No excuses so far.
CNN's Allan Chernoff is at Penn Station, where we think commuters are breathing a sigh of relief, except the trick here is if they go to work today, Allan, and then there's a strike called in the middle of the day, that will make for a very unhappy Friday, won't it?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Miles, we have some real New York City drama here. As you say, commuters are coming in from the outer boroughs on the trains and subways not knowing for certain whether those trains and subways will be available to take them home. And it all seems to be up the union right now.
At this moment, the leader of the union, Roger Toussaint, is meeting with his executive council, discussing a proposal from the Metropolitan Transit Authority. And we understand from a union source that the proposal on wages is a 3 percent raise for three years. So, 12 months, 12 months, 12 months, a 3 percent raise each of those 12- month periods.
And so that is the key proposal being discussed now, in addition to proposals on health benefits and pensions as well.
So, Miles, right now the ball is on the union's court.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, we should hear shortly. Thank you very much, Allan Chernoff. Keep us posted -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: The ball is in the voters' court to some degree. Let's get right to Carol. She's got an update of what's been happening in Iraq.
Good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I certainly do. Good morning to all of you.
Millions of ballots are being counted in Iraq after parliamentary elections. Election officials say it could take two weeks or more to determine the results. Turnout was said to be very high in Thursday's election. As many as 11 million people supposedly voted in the parliamentary elections. We'll have much more on this throughout the morning.
Arizona Senator John McCain has been campaigning for a new anti- torture bill. And after weeks of debate, President Bush says he will accept the measure. It's a formal ban on cruel or inhumane treatment of detainees in U.S. custody anywhere in the world. Earlier, the White House said it would veto the measure unless it left a loophole for the CIA. Congress still has to formally approve the bill.
We expect to learn more this morning about the teenager accused of killing his 14-year-old girlfriend's parents and then running off with her. Eighteen-year-old David Ludwig is scheduled to appear at a hearing on murder charges at 9:00 Eastern in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He and Kara Borden were stopped by police in Indiana after the November 13 shooting incident.
A cloning fake or just a simple misunderstanding? A South Korean scientist is now admitting he made up some evidence in a breakthrough study on stem cell research, but says he can do it again for real this time. He just needs more time. For now, the scientist has asked "The Journal Science" to withdraw his landmark article on the study.
And the self-proclaimed king of all media is expanding his empire. Shock jock Howard Stern is signing off from regular radio today. He'll be back next month on Sirius Satellite Radio with a $500 million, five-year contract. That's 100 million a year. Stern is planning to go out in style. He's hosting a parade of porn stars, comedians and actresses on the show. And then get this: He'll head to Times Square for a luncheon hosted by Martha Stewart. Yahoo.com is covering the day's events live on line.
Talking about the weather now. Parts of the Midwest are stalled. Blame it on the ice and snow. Schools closed in several areas. This is on Ohio, where fender benders were a real headache for police in Dayton, Ohio. And a wintry mix of weather in Virginia as well. Snow, sleet and rain making for dangerous driving conditions. But only up to three inches of snow in parts of the state, but sometimes that's enough to cause big trouble, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and it doesn't take a lot of ice at all, not even a quarter of an inch can cause those slick conditions.
(WEATHER REPORT) M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, Iraqi troops helped during a relatively peaceful election day yesterday. But are they ready to defend the entire country on their own? We'll take a closer look at that next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Wait until you hear this one. It seems that the most wanted man in Iraq slipped through the fingers of security officials, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, suspected of leading that terror group responsible for so many of those suicide attacks and bombings and kidnappings and beheadings. The word is he was in custody, and he was released by mistake.
It is the day after a pivotal election in Iraq, and there is every reason to believe it went as well as could be expected. Violence was kept to a minimum. Much of the security provided by Iraqi forces.
How well does this bode for the future? How soon could U.S. troops come home?
Lieutenant General Nasser Abadi is the deputy commander of Iraqi Joint Forces. He joins us now from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
General Abadi, good to have you with us. How well did Iraqi forces do yesterday?
LT. GEN. NASSER ABADI, DEP. CMDR., IRAQI JOINT FORCES: I think they did beautifully. We only had 19 incidents and 6,800 polling stations. You can make out the figures: 0.27 percent. I think they did a fantastic job.
M. O'BRIEN: Of course, the concern has always been not so much election day. It's the run-up to election and then the days subsequent to election. Are you concerned there will be another upsurge in violence in the wake of the election?
ABADI: I think the elections went smoothly because of the offensive operations that we undertook in the west. And they were very successful operations. We were able to not give the insurgents safe haven, destruct their communications and find them and kill them.
And up to now, now the people have spoken, and the democratic process will be something on our side. People will be coming forward to tell us where the insurgents are.
M. O'BRIEN: They spoke in large...
ABADI: And we'll be able to catch them.
M. O'BRIEN: They spoke in very large numbers. In some cases in the north turnout upwards of 90 percent. And that's a real turnout. That's not a mandated turnout like you'd have in the Saddam Hussein days. What does that tell you about the possibility of democracy truly taking root in your country? ABADI: I think this is the best democracy you have ever had. It's the thing that we've been dreaming about, you know, after having dictatorship turning over to a democracy. What better can you have?
M. O'BRIEN: It's certainly, really, the only democracy you've ever had. Let's talk for a moment, though, about the credibility of Iraqi forces. We've heard so many stories recently about Iraqi forces being complicit in abuses, focused on Sunnis, sort of retribution for years of the oppression of Saddam Hussein's regime. What are you doing about that? And what can you do to instill faith in the Iraqi people in the Iraqi security forces?
ABADI: I think most of our units are mixed Sunni, Shias and Kurds. And people who are with the insurgents are not liking the government that we have with the claim that our forces are giving them a bad deal. And I don't think these stories are correct.
M. O'BRIEN: You mean the abuses are not occurring, or do you think that the security forces are doing their best to stop them?
ABADI: You are talking about the insurgents or the people?
M. O'BRIEN: I'm talking about the abuses of detainees. That's what I'm talking about.
ABADI: That's an MRI (ph) issue and not a JSG (ph) issue.
M. O'BRIEN: OK. Final thought here. The big question here is, of course, the United States. When will U.S. troops be able to come home, safely turn over power to Iraqi forces? When will that be?
ABADI: Well, deeds speak louder than words. You have seen us operate in Falluja, in Talafar (ph), the west. Our troops are doing a very, very good job. And we had one battalion having its own area of operation. And now we have close to a hundred. And the unfortunate thing is that we have teeth and no tail. We need the logistic support, which we don't have, and hopefully by the end of 2006 we'll have that logistic support. And now the coalition are stuck with us until we are able to provide logistic support and firepower support.
M. O'BRIEN: A final thought here. In the news this morning, we hear of the possibility that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi actually slipped through the grasp of authorities there. How did that happen?
ABADI: That's the coalition that deals with this. It's intelligence. But from what I hear -- I asked about this -- and they had no news. It's only about the hospital and him going into a hospital and escaping from the hospital before our forces got there.
M. O'BRIEN: But what's your reaction to the fact that he was so close to being apprehended?
ABADI: Well, you've heard the story about the jackal. So, it's unfortunate.
M. O'BRIEN: Lieutenant General Nasser Abadi, deputy commander of Iraqi Joint Forces. Thank you very much -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Andy is "Minding Your Business" just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
What do you got?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Soledad, you won't believe what HealthSouth's Richard Scrushy is up to now. Plus, the Feds to Ken Lay? Stifle thyself. Stay tuned to AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JERAS: I'm Jacqui Jeras in the CNN weather center with today's "Cold and Flu Report."
One state is now reporting some local activity of influenza. That would be Nebraska. Twenty-nine states, including New York City and Puerto Rico, are reporting sporadic flu outbreaks. And everybody else, including the District of Columbia, no activity at this time. Still, the reports of influenza are well below the baseline levels.
We'll have more on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Gosh, it looks like a mess outside.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it is a mess outside.
S. O'BRIEN: But no transit strike as of yet. They are still negotiating, although they've kind of put it on hold. They haven't really said either way. We're going to bring you an update on that. We're waiting, really, to hear from...
SERWER: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: ... the union side. They said they were expecting an announcement around 6:00 a.m. We're well past that. Eastern Time, of course. So we'll see.
M. O'BRIEN: You know, it actually ratchets up their level -- leverage a little bit, because everybody is at work.
SERWER: Yes, it does.
M. O'BRIEN: Right?
SERWER: Yes, because that's right. They don't want to have a strike in the middle of the day with everyone in the city...
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: ... making it even a bigger mess.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, it's messy no matter what happens anyway. SERWER: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Lots to talk about this morning. Let's get right to the headlines. Carol has a look at that.
Good morning.
COSTELLO: I do. Good morning. Good morning to all of you.
For many Iraqis, it is a sign of pride. They're showing off ink- stained fingers, evidence they voted in Thursday's national elections. Turnout was heavier than expected. The voting had to be extended by an hour. Election officials say it could take two weeks to tally all the votes, 11 million of them, they say.
There is a showdown vote today in the U.S. Senate. Senators will vote to cut off debate on the Patriot Act. Some senate members are demanding increased privacy protection before voting to extend that act. Sixteen provisions are set to expire at the end of the month.
And hold your breath, New York and those visiting New York. They're still running. New Yorkers, I'm talking about the subways and the buses. A strike was planned on the transit union at midnight. But the union and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are still talking, at least as far as we know. Some members of the Transport Workers Union held a rally to push their demands for higher wages, better pension benefits and health care. Seven million people ride the city's transit system.
Take a look at this. It is a real homeowners' nightmare. For that matter, it's a headache for the driver as well. This is in Richland County, South Carolina. Fortunately, the family who lives in this home wasn't home. The driver of the SUV -- you've heard it before -- says his gas pedal got stuck, and he couldn't stop, and he couldn't find the brake. His car is an absolute mess. The home is a mess. But he's OK, the driver I'm talking about. And the family is OK, because they weren't home. But what a surprise they got when they got home.
Jacqui Jeras is in Atlanta. She's in the weather center with an update.
Good morning, Jacqui.
JERAS: Good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: We have a bit of breaking news to tell you about. In fact, we're just getting these pictures in. This is a gas pipeline. It has exploded in Texas. Take a look. That's a big fire. This is in a rural area west of Fort Worth, Texas. We understand at least one worker is injured. We don't know much more about this. But, of course, when we get more information, we'll pass it along to you.
So back to you guys. S. O'BRIEN: All right, Carol, thanks very much.
It looks like it's a sparsely populated area.
SERWER: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Andy, I would imagine business-wise, you've got to be thinking gas prices when you see this.
SERWER: Yes. I mean, every little bit counts, Soledad, in this kind of market condition, and that is not going to be something that traders are looking to help things out this morning. So, we're going to have to be watching that carefully.
SERWER: I want to switch over and talk a little bit about Richard Scrushy and Ken Lay. First of all, Mr. Scrushy, the colorful founder of HealthSouth, is suing the company he created. Give me back my money. He wants $70 million.
He was fired in 2003 over the $2.7 billion accounting fraud. He recently resigned from the board. But you may remember that in June he was acquitted of criminal charges. That's why he says he's due this $70 million. He still faces civil charges from the SEC and from HealthSouth shareholders.
Now, you may remember the other day that Ken Lay spoke in Houston to an assembled group of executives. And he blasted federal prosecutors. He blasted his former chief financial officer, Andy Fastow.
Well, now the feds have asked the judge in the case to impose a gag order. They've had it. They're sick of it. And they said it's prejudicing a potential jury pool. You can see how that would work. And Lay's attorneys say there is no reason for him to shut up. He wants to be able to continue to talk. No word from Jeff Skilling.
S. O'BRIEN: I would think legally his attorneys are right, right?
SERWER: I think so. You can't keep someone from talking.
S. O'BRIEN: I mean, you could give a speech.
SERWER: Right?
S. O'BRIEN: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: I mean, judges give gag orders to attorneys frequently.
SERWER: It's a little turned on its head, isn't it?
M. O'BRIEN: It's a little different. Interesting.
S. O'BRIEN: Interesting to watch. All right, Andy, thanks.
SERWER: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a CNN "Security Watch." Did the White House, in fact, authorize illegal spying on Americans here at home? We're going to take you live to Washington. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: If you want more information on any of the stories that we're talking about, you can go right to our Web site, CNN.com. We've got the very latest going on there as well.
One of the top stories is this New York City transit strike that is looming over the city today, especially as the weather continues to be just terrible. The trains are running right now; the buses, too. There was a midnight deadline for the transit workers to walk off the job. That deadline has come and gone. They're still talking sort of.
We're waiting for an update. It hasn't happened yet. It was promised an hour ago. So no new news to report, which, to some degree, is good news. There is the podium. We're going to take that live when someone comes out to talk to us.
But no news, good news at this point of the front end of the commute. The way home is a different story. We're going to follow this story throughout the day.
M. O'BRIEN: Everybody is thinking, "Should I go to work," you know? Yes, but will I get home?
S. O'BRIEN: Seven million people actually are all thinking that, because, of course, that's the number of people who commute in each and every day in the tri-state area.
Then there is this story. Did you hear this story? Did you guys hear this story? A guy opens up his car. He had left it unlocked. And there inside his car is a ring, valued, he discovers later, at $15,000. And with that ring is a note. I think we've got a picture. There is the ring right there. Look at that.
M. O'BRIEN: This is no Cracker Jack ring.
S. O'BRIEN: No. This is a beautiful diamond ring. And here's what the note said: "Merry Christmas. Thank you for leaving your car unlocked. Instead of stealing your car, I am going to give you this present. Hopefully this will land in the hands of someone you love, for my love is now gone. Merry Christmas to you."
Oh, my god, how sad.
M. O'BRIEN: It breaks your heart.
S. O'BRIEN: For the guy who left his car door unlocked and now has the ring has decided to keep it. He reported it to police. Apparently it's all on the up and up. He gets to keep the ring.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow!
S. O'BRIEN: It's kind of a weird story. It happened in western Massachusetts, by the way.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. We wish them both well. Somebody is kind of sad out there.
S. O'BRIEN: It's so sad. It's heartbreaking...
M. O'BRIEN: Somebody is kind of blue out there.
(CROSSTALK)
S. O'BRIEN: ... at this holiday season.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, let's...
S. O'BRIEN: We're getting right to the top of the hour. Should we get right to Jacqui with a look at the forecast?
M. O'BRIEN: Let's do.
S. O'BRIEN: Jacqui, good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
JERAS: More on that coming up on the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING. The next hour starts now.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Jacqui, thanks.
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