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American Morning
Deadlock in Iraq; Jill Carroll's Journey; Bod Squad
Aired April 03, 2006 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Severe storms sent people running for cover in Indianapolis. The focus changes from the Final Four tournament to outrunning a tornado. Five states hit by devastating high winds and tornadoes. And likely we haven't seen all the damage yet.
That's scary stuff there, huh?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is. It is, and it's still a lot of unsettled weather all throughout the nation. We're going to get to Chad Myers with that in just a little bit.
In the meantime, at least 14 are dead, lots of damage in the wake of tornadoes in five Midwestern southern states, the worst of it in Tennessee. Eleven dead there. Tornado watches and severe thunderstorm warnings just now ending in many places.
Authorities are awaiting first light to get a real assessment of the damage. The line of tornadoes began in Arkansas, destroying dozens of homes. Each time they touched down, fist-sized hail stones punched holes in people's roofs.
Severe weather covered Illinois from north to south. One man killed when a clothing store collapsed on him. Reports of dangerous gas leaks in the wreckage there.
Severe weather expert Chad Myers at the CNN weather center.
Still a lot of activity right now. Lots going on.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There sure is. There sure is, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Back to you -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thank you.
The United States is warning Iraq that patience is running out on forming a unity government. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice drove that message home in a surprise visit in Iraq.
CNN Correspondent Aneesh Raman is live for us in Baghdad this morning.
Hey, Aneesh. Good morning. ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Soledad. Good morning to you.
Secretary Rice now has left Iraq en route to London. She arrived yesterday, as you say, in a surprise visit, alongside British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
Both of them carrying a blunt message to Iraqi politicians: form a unity government and form it now. They met yesterday with all major political leaders, the Sunnis, the Kurds, as well as the Shia Alliance. They really see the political vacuum that has gripped this country as something that is aiding the insurgency, that is adding to uncertainty among the Iraqi people.
Secretary Rice this morning at a press conference spoke about this, what she says is the most important step Iraq faces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The next and most important step in overcoming the efforts of those who would tear them apart is to get a government of national unity, to get one quickly, and to put it to work on behalf of the problems, difficulties and challenges facing the Iraqi people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAMAN: All leaders, especially U.S. officials who are on the ground, as well as Secretary Rice, really see, Soledad, a unity government as the exclusive path towards bringing any stability to Iraq. Iraqis went to the polls last December, and still no government is yet to form -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's a tremendous problem. Aneesh, Secretary Rice and also Straw have said that they're not going to tell the Iraqis who the prime minister should be. Pretty clear, though, who they'd like.
RAMAN: Yes, and who they wouldn't. There's two issues here.
One is that there's a debate over whether Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the current Shia candidate for prime minister, is the right man for the job. But secondly, the debate over whether he's the right man is what is holding up this process.
So, whether or not you feel he's the guy that should be prime minister, essentially he's the one holding up the process. So we didn't hear any explicit names mentioned by either secretary, but they all but suggested that Ibrahim al-Jaafari should step aside because he is incapable, it seems at the moment, of forming this government, but also it seems is not bowing to mounting pressure within the country to step aside -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman for us this morning in Baghdad.
Aneesh, thanks. Other stories making news. Carol's got those. She's in the newsroom for us.
Hey, Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, have word of Iran. Iran says it has created the fastest underwater missile in the world.
Military officials appearing on Iranian state television, they call the new weapon "The Whale." It's the second major missile Iran has tested in recent days, and that's raising concerns about Iran's power in the Gulf.
Still no word on what caused a deadly explosion at a doughnut shop in Toronto, Ontario. Witnesses say they heard a loud bang just before a fire broke out in the shop's washroom. One man was killed and was described as a wall of flames.
Former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms has taken a turn for the worse. The 84-year-old Helms has been diagnosed with a condition which has symptoms similar to Alzheimer's Disease. He's been moved to a center near his home in Raleigh, North Carolina. His wife says Helms has good days and bad days but he still sees friends.
Lost luggage, late flights, complicated security, that's what you're facing if you're flying these days. A new survey being released today shows travelers are increasingly unhappy with airlines. Satisfaction at its lowest in six years.
The family of Scott Peterson maintaining his innocence. They're now offering a $250,000 reward to anyone who helps find the so-called "real killer." Peterson is on death row at San Quentin State Prison for killing his wife Laci and their unborn son.
And some bad news about Hal the wily coyote. You'll remember he was running around Central Park in New York, and New York City police officers were chasing him, and they finally caught him. Well, Hal has died.
The coyote stopped breathing as he was being tagged for release in the wild. Biologists are now trying to figure out if he died from the stress of being captured or if it was something else. So, sad news about Hal this morning -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, that is sad news. Shocking news, too. I mean, gosh, awful.
All right. Thank you, Carol.
Jill Carroll is finally back in the U.S. this morning. Coming up, we're going to take a look back at her nearly three months in captivity and her journey to freedom.
M. O'BRIEN: Also, more on the news of a possible West Wing shakeup. We'll go live to the White House. We'll see who might be sent packing. It could be somebody in that picture. Who knows? S. O'BRIEN: And most states have laws that say kids have to ride in car seats. A new reports, though, says that thousands of young children are just too big, too heavy for those car seats.
What is a parent to do? Sanjay Gupta with a look at that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Happening "In America" today, Colorado's Denver transit system, workers there, those buses won't be moving like that. Hundreds of thousands of people have to find another way to work because of a strike there. The city expecting gridlock. The last such strike in 1982 went on for a month.
Here's an all-too-familiar sight on the Hawaiian islands. It had more than 40 days of rain there, positively biblical. But over the weekend it began to clear and people actually had the chance to get out to the beach, get a little sun.
And in Connecticut, a deadly shooting on Interstate 95 yesterday. A Hells Angels motorcyclist killed after another motorist apparently opened fire on the group. Angry and distraught members gathered at the hospital. Police are looking for a green GMC SUV with Florida license plates -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Terrible news there.
Well, from hostage to home, American reporter Jill Carroll back with her family this morning after a long-awaited reunion on Sunday in Boston. And now that she's out of harm's way, Carroll is taking time to heal, but before long she's expected to start writing about her nearly three-month ordeal, held captive by Iraqi insurgents.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN (voice over): On January 7th, in one of Baghdad's most dangerous neighborhoods, Jill Carroll is on assignment for the "Christian Science Monitor." On her way to interview a Sunni Arab politician, Carroll and her translator are ambushed. The translator shot and killed, and Jill Carroll is kidnapped.
Ten days later, Al-Jazeera airs a silent 20-second videotape of Carroll. There's also a message to the United States: free the female prisoners in Iraq by January 20th or Jill Carroll will be killed.
Just hours before the deadline, Jill's mother, Mary Beth Carroll, appears on AMERICAN MORNING, making an international appeal for her daughter's release.
MARY BETH CARROLL, JILL CARROLL'S MOTHER: To her captors, I say that Jill's welfare depends upon you. And so we call upon you to ensure that Jill is returned safely home to her family, who needs her and loves her.
S. O'BRIEN: The January 20th deadline passes and no word on Jill. Days later, the U.S. releases five female Iraqi detainees but denies that has anything to do with the captors' demands.
January 30th, another videotape on Al Jazeera, Jill Carroll weeping. The audio is not clear, but according to the Arab network, she's pleading with U.S. and Iraqi officials to meet her captors' demands.
On February 9th, another videotape, this one dated days earlier and airing on a Kuwaiti television channel. Speaking in a strong voice, Jill says, "Give them whatever they want as quickly as possible. There's a very short time."
Then for nearly two months, no word. Last Wednesday, Jill's twin sister Katie makes an appeal on Al-Arabiya television.
KATIE CARROLL, JILL CARROLL'S SISTER: I am deeply worried about how she's being treated.
S. O'BRIEN: The next day, on Thursday, after 82 days in captivity, Jill Carroll is finally free. Immediately after her release, Jill says she was treated well by her captors. These comments followed by the airing of this videotape of Jill.
JILL CARROLL, FREED HOSTAGE: There are a lot of lies that come out of the American government calling the Mujahedin terrorists and other things. And I think it's important the American people hear from me the Mujahedin are only trying to defend their country.
S. O'BRIEN: But as she makes her way back to the U.S., Jill issues a statement explaining why she made the propaganda videotape. It's read by her editor at the "Christian Science Monitor."
RICHARD BERGENHEIM, EDITOR, "CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR": "They told me I would be released if I cooperated. I was living in a threatening environment under their control, and I wanted to go home alive. So I agreed."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: We're going to talk more about Jill Carroll's safe return with a former hostage, Roy Hallums. That's coming up in our 7:00 hour -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Last week we told you about White House chief of staff Andy Card. He resigned. The question is, who is next to go? We'll go live to the White House for the latest on a possible West Wing shakeup.
Plus, Andy "Minding Your Business" to tell us why you soon may have to pay more for music on your iPod.
Say it ain't so, Andy.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARON BAPTISTE, YOGA TRAINER MALE: Good job.
COSTELLO (voice over): Yoga is fun, but it also teaches children valuable life lessons. That according to Yoga trainer to the stars Baron Baptiste. It was his passion for kids that inspired him to write the book "My Daddy is a Pretzel."
BAPTISTE: I'm the daddy. I'm the pretzel.
Yoga is a wonderful tool, a wonderful process to really learn about our own bodies, to learn about our thoughts, to learn about our feelings.
COSTELLO: He says kids lead busy, stressful lives, and yoga is a great way for them to experience inner calmness.
BAPTISTE: It can teach us about how we react to stress and how we can even hold that stress in our bodies, and also a way to undo the stress, to rinse our bodies out like a sponge.
MARTHA HILL, MEGAN KELLIHER'S MOTHER: I think it's really teaching her to relax with her body and that there really is kind of a mind-body connection.
COSTELLO: And Megan's favorite part?
MEGAN KELLIHER, LEARNING YOGA: Exercise.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exercise. That's good. How about relaxing?
KELLIHER: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes?
COSTELLO: A relaxed child. Ah.
Carol Costello, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Well, here's a big problem. If you don't have a relaxed child but a heavy child, it can be almost impossible to find a car seat that fits your kid. Still to come this morning, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has some tips on how to find the right car seat for a kid of any size.
That story is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
M. O'BRIEN: That's from a Hitchcock movie?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes it was. "Que Sera Sera."
M. O'BRIEN: "Que Sera" wasn't in a Hitchcock movie.
S. O'BRIEN: It was in -- that's how they find the boy. She's playing it and he hears -- come on, man! What's wrong with you?
M. O'BRIEN: "Vertigo"? I don't know.
S. O'BRIEN: No, not "Vertigo".
M. O'BRIEN: What was that? "The Man Who Knew too Much"?
S. O'BRIEN: "The Man Who Knew too Much," that's right.
M. O'BRIEN: I just got fed that.
S. O'BRIEN: Good work. Good work.
M. O'BRIEN: I won't take credit for that.
S. O'BRIEN: I'm like, wow, good work, Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Obviously I'm not the man who knew too much.
S. O'BRIEN: But you're the man with the IFB, and that's more important.
M. O'BRIEN: Empty little head. Whatever comes in goes out the mouth. There it goes.
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Time to get a look at the top stories this morning.
Carol's got that from the newsroom.
Hello again, Carol.
COSTELLO: Just like "Broadcast News."
M. O'BRIEN: That's it, yes.
COSTELLO: That's not true at all and you know it.
Hey -- good morning, everyone.
If you play the political game, well, you knew this was coming. More White House insiders on their way out.
Sources say Press Secretary Scott McClellan may be leaving. This just days after chief of staff Andrew Card resigned.
We are also hearing Treasury secretary John Snow is out. Officials say more senior level officials are expected to leave in the coming weeks. We will take you live to the White House coming up.
The Israeli cabinet set to declare Prime Minister Ariel Sharon permanently incapacitated. That would make acting prime minister Ehud Olmert the official head of government. An Israeli newspaper reports the announcement could come early next week.
Two trials we're watching today. Enron founder Ken Lay and former CEO Jeff Skilling expected to take the stand in their own defense.
Boy, that should be interesting.
And the jury getting back to work in the Zacarias Moussaoui sentencing trial. Jurors are now deciding whether Moussaoui is eligible for the death penalty for lying about plans for the September 11th attacks.
Counting down to the crowning moments of the NCAA basketball season. It's Maryland versus Duke in tomorrow's final game of the women's tournament. Maryland topped North Carolina and Duke beat LSU in Sunday night's semifinals.
And, in men's basketball, Florida sank George Mason over the weekend. So, the Cinderella team will not be going to the ball after all. Florida, the one-point favorite in tonight's championship match, Florida against UCLA.
And we've been talking about some pretty vicious weather in the Midwest. Let's talk more about that now and head to the forecast center and Chad.
MYERS: Hi, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Boy, it's hard to keep track of all of that stuff.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Chad.
M. O'BRIEN: We're talking about -- sorry, Chad.
S. O'BRIEN: And the weather, too, which is miserable.
M. O'BRIEN: And the weather.
S. O'BRIEN: And business news as well. Andy's got that.
What are you looking at?
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": We are looking at record company executives, Soledad, reverting to their usual behavior, would you believe, greedy.
And get this: a nationwide lost and found, city by city. We'll tell you all about that coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: A look at some of the stories we're working on this morning.
Journalist Jill Carroll back in the U.S. We're live from Boston with details of her trip home.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice puts pressure on Iraq's leaders. There's word that there might be more senior level staff changes at the White House. We're live for you on the north lawn.
Former Liberian president Charles Taylor faces a war crimes tribunal.
And the developing story that we've been following all morning: deadly storms in the Midwest. We're live with the very latest.
Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
A look at business news this morning. A battle really brewing over the cost of downloading music.
I thought it was...
SERWER: Over.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: Yes. It's not over. Just when you thought it was over, they drag you back in. That's the deal here, Soledad.
There may be trouble brewing beneath the surface of the happy world of iTunes and iPods. Record companies are getting restless and some would say greedy over the iTunes "one price fits all" strategy music story.
You know, of course, if use iTunes you know that every song costs 99 cents. The record companies now, though, are forcing Apple, putting pressure on them. They say they want more, even though they get 70 cents of that 99 cents.
They want to have higher pricing for new music being released and for better-known artists. And some have even suggested they want a cut of iPod sales.
This even though there were 353 million downloads last year, legal downloads, 1.5 times the amount in '04. And 80 percent of them are in iTunes, so iTunes has the leverage.
S. O'BRIEN: They're making a mistake.
SERWER: They are.
S. O'BRIEN: Because iTunes has helped the record companies figure out how to get around all that illegal downloading, they're making money now. It's a system that works. And everyone is getting a little bit greedy I think.
SERWER: I agree. And if they charge more, people will just steal music again.
S. O'BRIEN: And what's more, Apple will think of a way around it.
SERWER: Because you don't want to go up against Steve Jobs.
S. O'BRIEN: You know, I've got to say that I agree.
SERWER: Speaking of iPods, have you lost one yet? I have. At least my family member -- my daughter, actually. I've lost one myself, too.
And more and more people, you know, instead of just giving up and throwing up their hands and going out and buying a new one, or checking out some of these boards, particularly Craig's List, which is sort of emerging as a nationwide lost and found -- you know, Craig's List is over -- over 100 cities now. And if you click on their "lost and found" buttons, you can see all of this stuff that people are posting.
Mostly it's lost stuff, not found stuff. But there is a story in the AP about a woman who actually found her iPod, people recovering stuff online.
We just were looking on the New York City lost and found board this morning, a wallet, a cell phone, an iPod, an Air Canada flight, a Blackberry. Here's something that was actually found...
S. O'BRIEN: An earring.
SERWER: Some earrings -- an earring at 53rd Street. A camera, a Winnie the Pooh in Grand Central Station. A computer.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh! That's so -- oh, you know someone needs that bad!
M. O'BRIEN: Somebody is very, very upset about that.
S. O'BRIEN: Some parent is not sleeping.
M. O'BRIEN: My Blackberry...
SERWER: . Your Blackberry -- I don't see a found Blackberry. There's another camera, a bracelet, an iPod lost.
How about this one: "Natasha Leone (ph), contact me. I found your diaries in downtown Manhattan." How about that?
M. O'BRIEN: Ooh, that's irreplaceable.
SERWER: I think that's a lie. I think that's a lie, don't you?
S. O'BRIEN: I think that's a made up one. Yes, it's very interesting. A hundred cities, too. Good work.
SERWER: Yes. S. O'BRIEN: All right, Andy. Thank you.
SERWER: Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: Getting close to the top of the hour now. Let's check with in with Chad. He's busy this morning.
Chad, good morning.
MYERS: Yes. Good morning, Miles. Really very busy.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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