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American Morning

Heat Wave and Illegal Immigration; Middle East Conflict; Mel Gibson - Anti-Semite?

Aired July 31, 2006 - 08:00   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 fallout from that tragic bombing at Qana. New hope now for a cease-fire. We are live at the scene of the attack.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Immigrants dying in the Arizona desert. The summer heat wave adding to the problems on the border.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: More record heat in the Plains again today. Look at that -- Bismarck, North Dakota, 112 degrees yesterday. Now that weather is moving to the East. The forecast coming up.

HARRIS: Women breaking the ranks with the Catholic Church. A group of wannabe priests now taking matters into their own hands.

O'BRIEN: And Mel Gibson in trouble over a traffic stop. But it's what he said afterward that's rekindling an old controversy.

Those stories and much more on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning.

Welcome, everybody.

I'm Soledad O'Brien.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris today in for Miles O'Brien.

O'BRIEN: Nice to have you helping us out.

Thank you very much.

HARRIS: Good to be with you.

O'BRIEN: Thank you.

Let's get right to our top story this morning.

Israel today firing on a Lebanese Army general's vehicle. Killed the general's aide. Israel has agreed to a two day pause in air strikes following Sunday's attack on Qana. That attack drew criticism of Israel around the world.

As for today's air strike, the Israeli Defense Force says it reserves the right to hit targets that are an immediate threat.

Let's get right to CNN's Brent Sadler.

He's in Qana this morning -- Brent, good morning.

BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

You can see behind me the building that was crumbled, collapsed on top of those Lebanese civilians. More than 60 people injured and killed as a result of that Israeli attack against the village of Qana.

Now, the Israelis are saying that they were targeting a launch by Katusha rockets from Hezbollah and no proof of that has been presented so far and certainly there's no hard evidence on the ground that we can see that there was a firing from this location.

What I can tell you, because I've been through that damaged building behind me, is that inside there I saw pillows, shredded mattresses and the area under the building in what those people lost their lives.

Now, we have heard for the past several hours that we've been here continual Israeli air activity, but no air strikes in this vicinity. We have heard the constant bombardment by Israeli gunners of Hezbollah, suspected Hezbollah positions about 10 or 15 miles from here and the continual drone of unmanned aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft that Israel sends over this location.

So in terms of the cessation of hostilities from the air, aside from the report of that attack what resulted in the death of one Lebanese soldier, an aide to a general of the 11th Brigade in South Lebanon, we've had no other confirmed reports from the United Nations -- who have observation posts throughout this area -- of air strikes. But continuing ground activity and continuing artillery bombardments here in the South -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Brent Sadler for us this morning in Qana.

Brent, thanks -- Tony.

HARRIS: And so with that no break in cross-border attacks, Israel still firing artillery and tank shells into Southern Lebanon. Now Hezbollah has fired back.

CNN's senior international correspondent Matthew Chance is live in northern Israel right now -- Matthew.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Tony, thanks very much.

And make no mistake, this is not a cease-fire. There's still a great deal of military activity taking place across the Israeli- Lebanese frontier.

Brent Sadler was describing to you earlier some of the explosions that were being reported in the south of Lebanon.

There is a ferocious artillery barrage still underway by Israeli forces at suspected Hezbollah strongholds, an artillery barrage, obviously, across this border from Israel into Lebanon.

There are also some significant ground operations, as well, with Israeli soldiers engaged in close combat, according to Israeli military officials, with Hezbollah fighters in various villages inside Lebanon, villages like Kila and Taibe and Adisa, what are described by the Israeli military as Hezbollah strongholds.

So, the military campaign is still very much going on in that direction. In the other direction, as well, there has been a response from Hezbollah over the course of this day. They've fired two rockets into the area of the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, in the north of Israel, but just two. And so that is a significant reduction on the number we've become used to over the past several weeks watching these rockets come through.

At this time of the day, what is about just past 3:00 in the afternoon here, local time, I've spoken to the police. They say that the normal rate of firing from Hezbollah into Israel has reached between 30 and 40 rockets hitting the country at this time. So at this point we've had just two, so it does seem that there is a significant reduction of Hezbollah rocket firing as a result of this -- result in this cessation of air strikes by Israel in the past 12 hours or so.

HARRIS: Matthew Chance for us in northern Israel.

Matthew, thank you.

To the diplomatic front now. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hopes to quiet protesters and critics with a new peace plan. Rice is on her way back to Washington right now. The plan she's proposing includes a permanent cease-fire and international peacekeepers.

CNN's John King is live in Jerusalem right now -- John, good morning.

JOHN KING, CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

As you noted, the Secretary on her way back. She is the one who brokered that 48 hour hiatus in the Israeli air campaign in Southern Lebanon. She viewed that as one diplomatic achievement. But now she's shooting for the big and the elusive prize -- an agreement, an international agreement on a permanent cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

In doing so, the United States is once again rejecting calls from around the world for an immediate, unconditional cessation of hostilities. Secretary Rice saying she doesn't think that works. But she thinks she can get her plan adopted by the United Nations Security Council this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I take with me an emerging consensus on what is necessary for both an urgent cease-fire and a lasting settlement. I am convinced we can achieve both this week and I am convinced that only by achieving both will the Lebanese people finally be able to control their country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, the Secretary talks of an emerging consensus. But there are some difficult choices in this plan for Lebanon. The government would have to confront Hezbollah, send its army into the South, something it has been reluctant to do for more than two years now.

For Israel, no concessions publicly demanded by Secretary Rice, but we are told Israel is prepared to swap prisoners, if you will, and also to consider giving some disputed territory back to Lebanon.

And for the United Nations Security Council, a decision to authorize an international peacekeeping force that, Tony, could well be going into hostile territory. There is no promise from Hezbollah to disarm. You could be sending 15,000 to 20,000 troops into an area where there may be a firefight or two, or something even more than that -- Tony.

HARRIS: CNN's John King for us.

John, thank you.

O'BRIEN: What reception will the secretary of state get in front of the U.N. Security Council this week?

Let's get right to CNN's senior United Nations correspondent, Richard Roth -- Richard, good morning.

RICHARD ROTH, SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Well, I guess it would depend on what she's bringing with her. The French already have a resolution of their own that's been circulated, not debated, here at the Security Council. It calls for a political settlement before there is any dispatch of international peacekeeping troops to get in between Israel and Lebanon. A lot of debating at the Security Council on Sunday. That was in reaction to the attack in Qana. The Security Council saying it was extremely distressed and shocked by what happened.

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, after the meeting, defended the United States' opposition to any call for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We don't think that simply returning to business as usual in the Middle East is a way to bring about a lasting solution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, said the world is beginning to notice that the Security Council has not taken a stand on calling for a cease-fire. Annan said he was dismayed by this. This was even before the Council issued a statement that only called for an end the violence.

Secretary-General Annan says it's time for a diplomatic solution, that nothing can be solved lobbing missiles at each other.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I don't think this is -- and, first of all, we've made it quite clear, I have made it quite clear that in this conflict, what Hezbollah did was unacceptable.

Secondly, it is also quite clear that there is no military solution to this situation. There has to be a political agreement, a political agreement that leads to disarmament of all militia, including Hezbollah; a political agreement that allows the Lebanese government to strengthen its own army, with the support of the international community and extend its authority throughout the territory.

So the agcy of stopping the fighting and getting a political agreement is underscored by the exchanges that we are having. There is no military solution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Technical talks later in the afternoon on whether any country is willing, at this point, and ready to stand up and say it's ready to contribute forces to any potential international peacekeeping intervention force -- back to you, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Richard Roth for us this morning.

Richard, thanks.

Ten minutes past the hour.

Let's get a check of the forecast with Chad -- hey, Chad, good morning again.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: The heat also hitting those trying to cross the Mexican border into the U.S. With temperatures as high as they are, the Border Patrol is bracing for what could be one of the deadliest summers on record.

Here's CNN's Kareen Wynter.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had to walk them out. Some of them were pretty bad.

BEN VIK, BORDER PATROL AGENT: We should be able to make it before the sun.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a hot, humid evening on the Arizona border with Mexico, 92 degrees. We spend a busy night with Border Patrol Agent Ben Vik. He says that's when they catch most illegal immigrants crossing the border. It's life or death for some.

VIK: I think drowning would be preferable to dying of heat in the desert.

WYNTER (on camera): It's that bad, the cases that you've seen?

VIK: Yes. We've seen cases where people have tried to -- they become demented at the end and try to bury themselves in the sand and take off all their clothes. And it's -- it's a heart-rending sight.

WYNTER: And people are walking with sometimes no water and barely shoes on their feet?

VIK: Yes, that's correct. From time to time, we've found them with -- wearing only socks out here, making the 20-odd, 25-mile hike to the freeway.

WYNTER (voice-over): A dangerous game of desert crossing. Officials say the rugged terrain and extreme conditions don't stop illegals from braving the border each year, not even in the summer, with 120 degree heat.

New technology like these federally-funded rescue beacons in the desert, are saving lives. You push a button to signal for help. The instructions written in Spanish. More immigrants are also using cell phones now to call for help.

(on camera): Is that an act of desperation? What does that tell you, that people are willing?

VIK: Oh, definitely. Right.

WYNTER: Because they're sent back home when that happens.

VIK: Generally, they're trying to avoid us. But when -- when they fall into distress, then we are the guardian angel.

WYNTER (voice-over): Agents spot this group hiding in the bushes. "We're carrying a gallon of water each for our thirst," says this man.

Another man showed us his sunburned body, saying, "It's very hot."

(on camera): Agents say this group of seven wasn't in distress. In fact, they had been walking for about three hours before they got caught. You can see over here they came with their water bottles and also foam. They used that to wrap their feet so as not to leave any footprints in the sand. (voice-over): Agents say they don't know what it will take to reduce desert deaths. Many humanitarian groups say they'll be the buffer for border crossers.

STEVE JOHNSTON, NO MORE DEATHS: The floodgates have opened here and now there are thousands of people coming through every day.

WYNTER: The organization No More Deaths sets up camp sites in the desert to help the desperate and dehydrated. Volunteers provide water, meals and medical assistance to the injured. But they don't get to everyone in time -- those who fall and pray to the sun-in their search for the American dream.

Kareen Wynter, CNN, Yuma, Arizona.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: So the U.S. Border Patrol says it could take some immigrants up to five days to cross. The temperature in Yuma is expected to hit 102 degrees today and 100 -- is this right -- 110 -- I guess it is -- next week.

O'BRIEN: Oh, brutal. Oh.

HARRIS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Awful.

Still to come this morning, we're going to talk to a journalist who was on the screen in Qana just moments after the raid by Israel and find out about what he saw when he was there.

HARRIS: And then, CBS News has obtained a video that Israel says proves Hezbollah launchers are using civilian buildings for cover.

O'BRIEN: And new this morning, a brazen kidnapping at the American-Iraqi Chamber of Commerce in Baghdad.

Those stories and much more coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Israel is promising a full investigation into the Qana tragedy. Israeli leaders say the loss of civilian life if unfortunate. But they claim much of the blame should rest with Hezbollah for the way they are supposedly fighting and hiding among civilians.

CNN's John King -- John Roberts -- has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOHN ROBERTS, SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The images are heart-wrenching -- dozens of dead, many of them children, carried from the rubble of this building in Qana, destroyed by an Israeli bomb. They are also, Israeli military officials admit, a terrible blow to public opinion in its campaign to push Hezbollah out of Southern Lebanon. Deeply sorry for what it calls a mistake, the Israeli military claims it was targeting a Hezbollah rocket launcher nearby and released infrared video of what it said was evidence Hezbollah launchers are using civilian buildings for cover.

This video is not of today's attack, nor is it from Qana. But according to the Israeli military, the circumstances from this July 22nd incident in Southern Lebanon are similar.

The black flashes on the screen are the heat signature from the missile's rocket motor. The launcher appears to be positioned behind what the military says is an apartment building, a building like the one destroyed in Qana.

Another video, this one from an aircraft gun-sight camera, shows what the Israeli military claims are Katusha launchers operating in Qana. The military says it was shot in recent days and that the white flashes are missiles aiming toward towns in northern Israel. Israeli officials insist it is a threat that must be removed.

MARK REGEV, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: But if we know there are civilians in a target area, we won't act. But we have to state the facts here. This wasn't some peaceful little community that Israel went into. Unfortunately, we had in, just in the last few days, more than 100 rocks fired from that community into Israeli cities.

Now that doesn't excuse -- we really express our regret. This is a terrible, terrible incident. But blame has to be shared around here, and primarily with Hezbollah.

ROBERTS: A third video provided to CNN by the Israeli military shows how difficult it is to target where those Katusha rockets are being fired from. The gun-sight cameras follow missile launch vehicles as they weave through the streets, running for cover in buildings and garages.

The Israeli military said the video was shot recently in Southern Lebanon, but not in Qana.

Israeli officials say they will conduct a full investigation into the Qana bombing and the civilian deaths, but they make no apology for targeting the rocket launchers and the deadly threat they pose to Israeli civilians.

John Roberts, CNN, along the Israel-Lebanon border.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, we continue to update you on what's happening in the crisis in the Middle East.

Also, Mel Gibson -- it's pretty safe to say he had a pretty bad weekend. Arrested on suspicion of DUI. The real scandal seems to be, though, what happened afterward. We'll take a closer look just ahead.

And later, we'll meet a nun-who is defying the Catholic Church. She says she's going to become a priest today. The church, of course, is not going to recognize it. So why exactly is she doing it?

We'll take a look.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Mel Gibson's newest lethal weapon may be his mouth. The actor/director reportedly unleashed an anti-Semitic tirade during a traffic stop.

CNN has not seen the police report, but a celebrity news Web site, tmz.com, reports Gibson's comments include: "(OBSCENE WORD OMITTED) Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." And then, threatening to take revenge on the officer, allegedly asking, "Are you a Jew?"

Caroline Schaeffer, senior editor of "Us Weekly" is here with us.

Caroline, fans of Mel Gibson -- put aside his critics for a moment.

CAROLINE SCHAEFFER, SENIOR EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Yes?

HARRIS: Don't they deserve more of an explanation from him as to what happened that night?

SCHAEFFER: I think his fans definitely deserve much more of an explanation, much more of an apology. And I think that this will alienate a lot of his -- even of his closest fans.

HARRIS: OK. Let's look at the a bit of the apology from Mel Gibson.

He says -- let's put it up on the screen here for a second.

"I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested and said things that I do not believe to be true and what are despicable. I apologize to anyone who I have offended."

Does he have to acknowledge what he said...

SCHAEFFER: Yes.

HARRIS: ... and then make a further apology?

SCHAEFFER: Yes, he does. I think, I mean, "The Passion of the Christ" was already, by some people, thought to be anti-Semitic.

HARRIS: Yes. SCHAEFFER: His father made some very, very, I think, you know, sensitive comments right before "The Passion of the Christ" came out.

So I think now that these comments -- now that his commits have come out, I think it makes the situation even more serious.

HARRIS: Is he done? If this turns out to be what it appears it might just be, is he done in Hollywood?

SCHAEFFER: Well, I think he does have to come forward and give a very, very serious apology. I think, you know, his career, "The Passion of the Christ" really put him back on the map. I think there had been some ill will toward him in Hollywood...

HARRIS: So you think he can apologize this away?

SCHAEFFER: No, I don't necessarily think he can apologize this away.

HARRIS: OK.

SCHAEFFER: But I think in order for him to even stay on the map, he does need to acknowledge what he did and say he's sorry.

HARRIS: How about the other side of this? What if this turns out to be true and these statements turn out to be his statements, what about Hollywood's reaction? Is this a situation where Hollywood could say, OK, you've made these statements, we get to respond and react, and our response is you are done?

SCHAEFFER: Well, I think Hollywood can react. But, also, it's his fans. They really need to turn and say we're not going to pay to see your movies, we're not going to support you as an actor or as a director. I think that really it has to be the public who is going to make that decision.

HARRIS: You know, it feels a bit like -- and still there is much to be determined here. These are all allegations. But, you know, there is a part of this where you feel like you know an actor as a person. You go to the movies, you watch the performances, you put your hard earned money down to watch these performances and this star and then you get episodes like this and you're like wow, if this turns out to be true, did I ever really know him at all?

And it reminds us that we really don't.

SCHAEFFER: That is a great question and a great point, because I think we don't really know these stars. I mean we see them on the big screen, we see them walking the red carpet. But do you really know the person behind the sort of glitz and glam? I don't think we do all the time.

HARRIS: What's the fallout on this, ultimately, do you think?

SCHAEFFER: I think ultimately his fans are really going to be alienated. I don't think you're going to see -- I mean he has a movie coming out in December that was already a hard sell. There weren't big stars attached to it. It had English subtitles. I think people are going to be, you know, not going to that movie. I think you're going to be hard-pressed to find people who are going to that movie.

HARRIS: Caroline Schaeffer, "Us Weekly," good to see you.

SCHAEFFER: Thank you.

HARRIS: Thanks for your time -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Back in a moment, we're going to have a closer look at what's happening in the Middle East. We're going to talk about the raid in Qana and talk to a journalist who was on the screen just after that attack and find out what the locals told him happened.

Also, high temperatures, high winds making for some dangerous wildfire conditions in the nation's heartland. We'll update you on the situation there.

Stay with us.

You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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