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CNN Saturday Morning News

House Rejects Any Immediate Pullout from Iraq; Violence in Baghdad; Calmer Winds Help California Wildfire Situation

Aired November 19, 2005 - 10:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News," President Bush is now in China for meetings with leaders in Beijing. Bush vows to press the issues of religious freedom and the huge trade imbalance, a record $162 billion last year alone.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an outspoken critic of the Bush administration, vows to keep American citizens stay warm this weekend. Now Citgo, a subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company, says it will offer fuel at discount rates in Boston as early as next week.

At least two deaths are reported as Tropical Storm Gamma pounds Central America. The 24th-named storm of the hurricane season is on a path to hit south Florida some time Monday, but not as a hurricane.

It is 7:00 a.m. in Ventura County, California; 10:00 a.m. in the nation's capital. It's Saturday, November 19th. Good morning, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, I'm Rob Marciano in for Tony Harris. Thanks for starting your day with us.

Here's what's ahead this hour.

They were forced out of their homes. A Southern California wildfire grows rapidly to 4,000 acres north of Los Angeles. Some residents voluntarily evacuate.

And forced out of their temporary homes. We talk with some Hurricane Katrina evacuees now facing a deadline for finding another place to live.

And it's a multimillion dollar business, if you will. Art investigator Robert Spiel (ph) on the FBI's most wanted list of stolen art.

NGUYEN: But first, Democrat John Murtha has definitely struck a nerve by taking on the White House and calling for the U.S. to pull out of Iraq as soon as feasible. He provoked this bizarre vote last night in the House of Representatives. Republicans hastily brought a resolution to the floor, calling for an immediate troop withdrawal. And as the Republicans intended, nearly everyone lined up to defeat the measure, including Murtha.

Several hours later, President Bush used a speech to U.S. troops in South Korea to scold his critics in Congress. The final outcome of the house vote, 403-3, was rivaled only by the incendiary rhetoric on the house floor. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), ARMED SERVICES CMTE: Nobody can complain now that they've been duped and therefore that this is not a real question or a solid question or an important question to answer. So we're going to let every member answer that, and I hope that the message that goes back to our troops in Iraq -- and I know that the message that will go back to our troops in Iraq -- is that we do not support a precipitous pull-out from Iraq. And that will do more to restore their morale than anything else this Congress can do.

REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: When I introduced this resolution, I didn't introduce this as a partisan resolution. I go by Arlington Cemetery every day. And the vice president, he criticizes Democrats. Let me tell you, those grave stones don't say Democrat or Republican, they say American!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now, President Bush is in Beijing for the next leg of his Asian trip. Even with everything else on his itinerary, clearly, he felt the need to respond to the events back in Washington.

CNN's Dana Bash has our report from South Korea.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The president stood before U.S. troops here at Osan Air Base in South Korea and focused not on the threat they're here to stand watch over, that's North Korea, but instead the ongoing war in Iraq.

(voice-over) Mr. Bush used his appearance in a sea of camouflage to engage in the debate raging back in Washington over the U.S. troop presence in the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq and the president's policy there. He said he will never accept anything less than a complete victory and quoted a U.S. military commander in Iraq, saying setting deadline for withdrawal would be a, quote, "recipe for disaster."

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So long as I'm the commander in chief, our strategy in Iraq will be driven by the sober judgment of our military commanders on the ground. We will fight the terrorists in Iraq. We will stay in the fight until we have achieved the brave -- the victory that our brave troops have fought for.

BASH: That was added to Mr. Bush's speech in order to respond to a call from Congressman John Murtha, a hawkish and influential Democrat who says forces in Iraq should come home in six months.

Before coming here, Mr. Bush closed a two-day summit in Busan, South Korea, with 20 other world leaders, pledging initiatives to combat the bird flu, including building a region register of experts and promising to hold a simulation exercise to test preparedness of the epidemic.

Dana Bash, CNN, Osan Air Base, South Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: OK. Now it is your turn to weigh in. All morning long, we've been asking you, do you think last night's House vote was a show of support for the troops or a political stunt? You can e-mail us your thoughts, weekends@CNN.com. And we're going to share some of those responses a little bit later this hour -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Well, Betty, amid the flurry of words, the Pentagon has come up with a tentative withdrawal plan from Iraq. The proposal envisions say pulling out brigade-size units. Now brigade, if you don't know, is about 2,000 troops. The plan was drawn up by generals and submitted to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld for consideration. If there are no obstacles, troops could begin leaving Iraq early next year under this proposal.

Now while the debate rages in the U.S., the reality inside Iraq is daily car bombings and suicide attacks. Today is no exception.

CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Baghdad with the latest -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rob, and Baghdad no exception to what's going on in the rest of Iraq. At about 10:30 this morning in a busy market in the southeast side of the city, a bomb went of. That killed 11 people, wounded 20 others. An hour and a half later, again in a relatively crowded area in the center of Baghdad, a bomb detonated, apparently targeting an Iraqi police patrol passing through the area. It wound four of the Iraqi policemen, but killed one civilian and wounded six others.

Meanwhile, in a bloody attack yesterday, the bodies of some of the 90 people killed close to the Iranian border in a double suicide attack on two mosques in the town of Khanaqin, they were buried today. U.S. troops southwest of Baghdad close to town of Fallujah also concluded a search for caches of weapons. They discovered during those searches 20,000 rounds of ammunition, 400 mortars and about 200 rockets. That in a rural area just outside the town of Fallujah -- Rob.

MARCIANO: There's a lot of political chatter here about pulling out the troops. You're there on the ground. Any signs of any early pullouts by U.S. troops?

ROBERTSON: What we can see here, Rob -- and this is based on what we've seen from different inbeds we've had over the last month or so and talking with Iraqi commanders. You can see -- begin to see a gradual drawdown or preparations for a draw-down.

I was talking to an Iraqi commander just north of Baghdad. The base he was on, he was getting more space on that base from his troops. The battalion of U.S. troops there, he said, was going draw- down to about a platoon size, down from about 5,700, down to perhaps less than a hundred U.S. troops. In that region, he was anticipating a similar scaledown of U.S. troops.

So from the Iraqi perspective, from their interaction with U.S. troops, they can see a drawdown of numbers in some areas. But this is only happening in places where the Iraqi army or Iraqi security forces are ready to step in and take over security -- Rob.

MARCIANO: You know, political shockwaves over here as well from this week's prison abuse stories. Is there any fallout over there in Iraq from that?

ROBERTSON: Still going on. In fact, we heard today from the U.N. commissioner on human rights, Louise Arbour. She's called for an international investigation, perhaps feeling that the political situation is not good, or at least is perhaps is not going to provide a transparent investigation. Of course, the government here has formed a committee, says it will investigate.

And I think the U.N.'s representative on human rights, her feelings and thoughts on this, to have an international investigation, are mirrored particularly in the Sunni community here. They want an international investigation. They don't trust the government at the moment. It's being a very divisive issue. You'll listen to some of the statements coming from political leaders now. And of course, we're only just a month away from critical elections here. Quite inflammatory, quite divisive statements that this time -- Rob.

MARCIANO: Nic, thank you very much for your report this morning. That's Nic Robertson in baghdad.

Meanwhile, the White House has yet another headache. Former Defense Policy Chief Douglas Feith now under investigation. The Pentagon is looking into allegations concerning an office run by the former top defense official. At issue is whether Feith's office engaged in illegal or inappropriate intelligence activities in urging the invasion of Iraq.

NGUYEN: Well, it is hard to believe looking at these pictures that red-hot flames in California have missed all of the homes in its path. Northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County, the fierce Santa Ana winds that fanned flames yesterday had died down enough that this morning, the National Weather Service canceled a weather advisory.

CNN's Ted Rowlands has been with fire crews as they battle these wildfires. And he was there as they realized that the worst was over.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We're in an area of the city of Ventura in California and they have been successful to this point in protecting these homes. There was an out-structure, an out-building that was lost, but otherwise, no major structures have been lost.

You can see that firefighters are actually in each one of these driveways, trying to protect these homes. About an hour and a half ago, the fire ripped through this area and came within feet of a number of these homes. People had been gathering their stuff throughout the day, getting ready to possibly evacuate and then sure enough, word came in for them to leave.

Firefighters had been using resources in the air and on the ground, as you might imagine. A lot of air drops. And that has made the difference here. For the most part, these people breathing a sigh of relief in this specific neighborhood. This is sort of scattered around in this general area. If you look across the canyon, there are more homes over there that are potentially in danger.

But at this point, the good news to report is that these folks who had to leave here about two hours ago not knowing if they'd be back to find their homes, they should be all right. Because most of the fuel has been burned up here, and it is unlikely that their homes are now going to be in danger.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: At this hour, California firefighters say they have 15 percent of the wildfires contained.

MARCIANO: In Colorado, police are searching for a missing 6- year-old girl. Aarone Thompson's father says she ran away Monday during a snow storm, but investigators say they believe the girl may have been killed more than a year ago. Police called the girl's father and his live-in girlfriend persons of interest in the disappearance.

And in California, first a pledge, now money. The atheist who lost his battle to stop the pledge of allegiance from being recited in public schools now wants the phrase "In God We Trust" removed from coins and bills. Michael Newdow is suing the federal government, claiming the motto is unconstitutional, it's an endorsement of religion.

And best known as the fighting gladiator on film, actor Russell Crowe was in New York in court on Friday. Crowe pleaded guilty to a third degree assault stemming from an incident when he threw a phone at a hotel clerk. The judge told Crowe to be good for a year and all will be well.

NGUYEN: Be good for a year, eh? OK.

Well, it happened to O.J. Simpson. Now it has happened again. Acquitted of killing his wife, actor Robert Blake now held responsible for her death. We have those details coming up.

MARCIANO: And have you seen this painting? What about this one? If so, the FBI wants to talk to you. Tracking down the priciest paintings in the world. That's coming up later.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And we are tracking the 24th named storm of this busy tropical season. Tropical Storm Gamma right here, just about to bear down on the Yucatan, but how will it affect south Florida and when it will come into the area of the United States? I'll have the answer to that, plus a look at the U.S. forecast, including Detroit. Waking up to some cold temperatures this morning in Michigan. It will feel like it's 37 degrees today due to the wind chill so bundle up if you're heading out and about in the Midwest today.

Stay tuned. We've more to come on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: And welcome back. Our top stories this morning.

An uproar in the House of Representatives over Iraq. Republicans try to force Democrats to take a stand on the immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Democrats called the move a stunt. It was overwhelmingly defeated.

In Iraq itself, there was more carnage in Baghdad. Two separate car bombings in the Iraqi capital killed 12 civilians and wounded 20 others. The first went off in a Baghdad marketplace, the other blast targeted a police patrol.

And out west in the U.S., calmer winds are helping firefighters battle a blaze in California's Ventura County. That's just north of L.A. The blaze has charred 4,000 acres. At one point, the flames approached about 200 homes, prompting a voluntary evacuation.

NGUYEN: Well, actor Robert Blake will have to cough up a lot of money. The jury in his civil trial says he is liable in the death of his wife Bonny Lee Bakley. Blake was acquitted in a criminal trial last March, as you recall.

CNN's Sibila Vargas has details now from Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Robert Blake has spent a lifetime as an actor, but he wasn't able to win over one audience, a group of civil jurors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the majority of us felt that Mr. Blake was guilty.

VARGAS: By a vote of 10-2, jurors found Blake liable in the death of his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, and ordered him to pay $30 million to her children in damages. Jurors said the actor's testimony, in his own defense, was pivotal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a group, we believe that Mr. Blake was probably his worst enemy on the stand.

VARGAS: The verdict came eight months after Blake was acquitted in his criminal trial. But, unlike the criminal case, where the burden of proof was beyond a reasonable doubt, in the civil trial, it only took a preponderance of the evidence.

ERIC DUBIN, PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY: It is a good day for justice. VARGAS: Blake has consistently maintained he found his wife dead in their car in May 2001, after they had dinner at a Los Angeles area restaurant. He said she was shot while he went back inside the restaurant to retrieve a gun.

Jurors in his civil trial weren't required to determine exactly how Blake was responsible for his wife's death, just that he was. Whether Blake can pay the civil damages is uncertain. Last March, after his acquittal on murder charges, he described himself as penniless.

ROBERT BLAKE, ACTOR: I'm broke. Right now, I couldn't buy spats for a hummingbird.

VARGAS: The lawyer for Bakley's family expects Blake to pay up.

DUBIN: Oh, yes, I will take a check, cashier's check or cash. I will leave it at whatever he wants to do, but, hopefully, not in quarters.

VARGAS: Legal experts believe it's unlikely that Bonny Lee Bakley's four children will ever collect the full amount.

Sibila Vargas, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: You may remember a similar outcome. It happened to O.J. Simpson in 1995. The former NFL star was acquitted on criminal charges for murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend. However, two years later, like actor Robert Blake, Simpson was found responsible for the deaths in a civil case and was ordered to pay more than $33 million in damages. In a recent interview, Simpson commented, "How can anyone be found guilty (sic) of a murder and then be found responsible for it in any way, shape or form?"

NGUYEN: OK. Well, meteorologist Bonnie Schneider has your weekend weather. That is coming up. Including another -- yes, another tropical storm, Rob.

MARCIANO: If you have HBO, you may know this guy. It's Ali G. He's a riot to his fans, that's for sure, but one country doesn't find this comedian funny at all. And now they're planning to do something about it. We'll tell you about it when we go global.

NGUYEN: Yes, he kind of pushes the limits every now and then.

Take a look at this. Yes, we know Thanksgiving is not until next week, but they have lined the straights of Silver Spring, Maryland, to watch a Thanksgiving parade there. There's going to be all kinds of floats including, though, some people on the ground. The Washington Redskins Marching Band, along with the Greater Overbrook Mumurs (ph) Band from Philadelphia.

Listen to the Native Americans here as they come through the parade. We're going to take a listen as we take you to break. We'll be back in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Good morning, Detroit. Look at that shot. Cobalt blue skies, just a little bit of smog, just a little bit of haze.

NGUYEN: Oh, it's beautiful.

MARCIANO: My brother lives in Detroit.

NGUYEN: Yes?

MARCIANO: I bet you didn't know that.

NGUYEN: You want to say good morning to him?

MARCIANO: Good morning, Larry. He's a hot-shot pilot. He likes me to salute him when I talk to him.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MARCIANO: Let's check on some of the other stories making news around the world.

NGUYEN: Listen to this. Prince Albert of Monaco ascends the throne in a day of celebration and ceremony.

Shannon Cook at our international desk has all of the information on that. Hi, Shannon.

SHANNON COOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Hey, Betty, and good morning to you and Rob. You may remember Prince Albert automatically took over following the death of his father Prince Rainier in April. Today in Monaco, Prince Albert officially assumes the throne. In ceremonies, the prince was presented with a royal standard-bearing, his emblem, which basically marks the symbolic transfer of power.

Royalty from Britain, Sweden and Denmark were among those in attendance. So now that the ceremonial aspects of the day are away, Prince Albert is going to head off and relax at a soccer game. Apparently he's a devout soccer fan. Who knew?

Now to Pakistan, where international donors are meeting to raise money for the victims of South Asia's earthquake. They have pledged nearly $5.5 billion. That surpasses the amount that U.N. Chief Kofi Annan and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf were hoping for. The U.S. more than doubled its pledge, by the way. Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless by the earthquake when it struck last month, killing more than 73,000 people.

Now moving on to something which I guess you could say is lighter. Betty and Rob, are you familiar with Ali G, "The Ali G Show"?

NGUYEN: Yes. He's full of antics, though. That Ali G does just about everything.

MARCIANO: Yes, Betty was just -- she was just doing her little (INAUDIBLE) shot.

NGUYEN: I was not.

COOK: Did she get the click right? You got to get the click happening.

Well, anyway, listen. Ali G, who is a -- for those who don't know, he's a personality created by a British comedian called Sacha Baron Cohen. Now, Kazakhstan, the nation Kazakhstan, is upset with Sacha Baron Cohen. because one of Cohen's characters, Bora, is actually a Kazakhstani journalist. And Kazakhstan's foreign ministry is unhappy with the way he portrays Kazakhstani.

And you know, you guys have seen this show. You've probably seen this skit. He pretty much makes out that Kazakhstan is full of drunks and people do very strange things to animals. He's kind of grodey, he's kind of disgusting.

NGUYEN: Oh, my goodness. Rob over here is cracking up. But this is serious, Rob. Did the ministry take any action?

COOK: No, not yet. More -- they basically have told him they want him to tone down the derogatory sort of comments about Kazakhstan. And these comments came after Cohen hosted the MTV Europe Awards in Lisbon, Portugal. And I don't know, they seemed to really discover him for the first time during that.

NGUYEN: Well, you know, he's a comedian.

MARCIANO: Yes, I feel for the people, but, you know, in comedy, somebody always gets a little zing a little bit.

COOK: He makes you squirm, though. He's a squirmy guy.

NGUYEN: Pushes those limits. All right, thank you, Shannon.

MARCIANO: Thanks, Shannon.

COOK: Thank you.

MARCIANO: Up next, thousands still have no place to call home and are living in hotels after Hurricane Katrina roared ashore. Now victims of the storm are told they have to pay up or get out. We'll talk to one of those families in just a minute.

NGUYEN: You don't want to forget about our e-mail question this morning. Do you think last night's House vote was a show of support for the troops or a political stunt? We're going share some of your responses a little bit later, but send them in right now, weekends@CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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