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CNN Saturday Morning News
Rumsfeld Speaks To Mosul Troops; FBI Monitoring Muslim-Related Sites For Weapon Materials Without Warrants; Claims FBI Has Also Been Conducting Surveillance On Activist Groups And Members; Heating Homes This Winter May Be Difficult
Aired December 24, 2005 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And we're getting new video from Iraq this morning where defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld is meeting with troops in Mosul. He spoke within the last 30 minutes or so. We'll have the latest on what he had to say from the CNN Center in Atlanta.
I'm Tony Harris. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, 9:00 Eastern, 8:00 a.m. in the west and 4:00 p.m. -- is that right? No 8:00 along the Gulf Coast and 4:00 p.m. in Iraq. More on Secretary Rumsfeld's tour with the troops. First a look at what else is happening in the news right now.
The city of Bethlehem celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. City officials hope a 10-month cease-fire between Israelis and Palestinians will help the turnout for Christmas observances. Choirs will soon be in Manger Square leading up to midnight mass in the Church of the Nativity.
Combine Christmas Eve and a Saturday and this should be one busy day for retailers. Stores hope to lure last-minute shoppers looking for bargains. But experts say Christmas Eve deals rarely bring out big numbers of shoppers.
Meanwhile, the U.S. airports and highways will be full of holiday travels. Those going by air should expect plenty of beefed up security and despite relatively high gas prices, AAA says more than 50 million Americans will hit the road for holiday travels. The big easy slides back into a more familiar timeframe to party. All night long, curfews nut place after hurricane Katrina have now been lifted from parts of New Orleans including the famed Bourbon Street. Parts of the crescent city, though, still remain off limits and uninhabitable.
Well, just 30 minutes ago Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld spoke to American troops in Iraq during his visit to Mosul, Rumsfeld talked about the important job of U.S. soldiers and freeing Iraqis. CNN's Aneesh Raman has the latest on Rumsfeld's trip from Baghdad. Aneesh good morning.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, good morning to you. As you say, secretary of defense Rumsfeld in the northern city of Mosul a short time ago serving an early Christmas Eve dinner to the troops there, here during the holidays to boost morale. The secretary clearly and visibly enjoying the trip as well. As you mentioned he spoke to the troops, if not to the U.S. as well and he said that the stated goal of this mission remains absolute victory. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We will win this war. It's a test of wills and let there be no doubt that is what it is. It is not a competition between big armies, big navies or a big air forces. Generations before you have persevered and prevailed and they, too, were engaged in a test of wills.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAMAN: Now, Tony, the secretary spent the night in the Iraqi capital. Here he met with U.S. troops with top military commanders detailing how to better secure intelligence on the insurgency. Last evening he dined with Iraq's political leadership as they seek to form a government by early next year.
Now of course the headline of this troop came yesterday when Secretary Rumsfeld announced that heading into next year the number of battalions of U.S. troops in Iraq would drop from 17 to 15. That means some 7,000 U.S. troops would not be coming here, 3,500 of them staying in the U.s. A critical amount in Kuwait.
It also means that the number of troops in Iraq will for the first time drop below the baseline we've seen this year of 138,000. The secretary also said that both he and the president will look at conditions as we head into next year for further troop reduction. That is wholly dependent on both the success of Iraq's security force. The Pentagon says there are some 216,000 trained and equipped Iraqi security forces right now, but only one battalion is ready and able to conduct independent operation.
Also dependent on the political landscape here. How quickly this government forms next year, how representative it is of the Iraqi population and how effective it is of securing this country on its own -- Tony.
HARRIS: Aneesh Raman for us in Baghdad. Aneesh thank you.
The FBI is monitoring dozens of mosques, homes and businesses in the United States where there are suspicious radiation level associated with making dirty bombs. CNN has confirmed with government sources that at least 100 Muslim-related sites in Washington, New York, Chicago and several other cities have been under surveillance since 2002 without a warrant.
The FBI is not confirming nor denying the programs existence the agencies assistant director "The FBI does not target any group based on ethnicity, political or religious belief. At same time, when intelligence information suggests a threat to public safety, particularly involving weapons of mass destruction, investigators will know where the intelligence information takes them." The head of the counsel on American-Islamic relations says the program is a disturbing development.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NIHAD AWAD, COUNCIL ON AMER. ISLAMIC RELATIONS: We would like to see evidence or even, you know, a small piece of evidence that causes the government to be content. It has no link to 9/11, has no link to terrorism. This is the link that you have and it's the prerogative.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Several sources have said a program is considered legal even though there are no warrants because the testing is done outside of the sites such as in parking lots. Muslim groups are not alone. There are claims the FBI has also been conducting surveillance on some activist groups and its members. For example, groups known for their work on the environment or animal rights. CNN's Brian Todd has that report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): John Posicanto wasn't shocked to learn the government was paying attention to him. As executive director of the environmental activist group Greenpeace, Posicanto led countless anti-administration protests and been arrested for civil disobedience. He was surprised to see FBI documents with information about the political leanings of a relative.
PAT D'AMURO, FMR. FBI ASST DIRECTOR IN CHARGE: The absurd thing is there's the FBI in this time when we want them to be going after terrorists and there they are spending their time and their research dollars going after Greenpeace.
TODD: Greenpeace and the group Ethical Treatment of Animals or PETA are under scrutiny by FBI counter terrorism units and have been targeted for surveillance. That's according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which obtained FBI documents in a lawsuit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The FBI has placed confidential informants inside organizations including PETA and Greenpeace.
TODD: ACLU officials aren't sure if other methods like wiretaps were used. Contacted by CNN, the FBI issued a statement saying, quote, "The FBI does not investigate any public interest or advocacy group based on the group's lawful activities or political beliefs." The bureau and one of its former top counter terror officials told us why they would investigate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There needs to be a threat of a crime, a threat of violence and a threat of loss of property. There have been numerous domestic groups that have been involved in that type of activity. That would cause the FBI to conduct an investigation.
TODD: One of the documents says, quote, "PETA is known to hire interns from Asia and other locations for the sole purpose of criminal acts." Contacted by CNN, an attorney for PETA says its members may engage in civil disobedience, but he has no way of knowing if any of them also associate with other activist groups known to use violence. The attorney says PETA is a completely lawful organization and he calls the FBI's action outrageous. A top Greenpeace official says the only time that group runs a foul of the law is when it holds protests that might involve minor trespassing.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: A new Gallup Poll shows a change in the president's approval ratings. When asked how Mr. Bush is handling his job as president, 43 percent of Americans gave him the thumbs up, but the majority, 53 percent gave him a thumb down. Still, it's about bounce from November, which showed only a 38 percent approval rating. These polls have a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.
Other stories making headlines across America for you this morning include four arrests made in a New Mexico explosives theft. Nearly 400 pounds of explosives were lifted from an unguarded depot south of Albuquerque last weekend. Taken into federal custody are four men, two of which are brothers. Federal agents are yet to disclose a possible motive, but discount the possibility of terrorism.
Sixty nine years old Walter man have you heard this story? Spent more than a year in jail without ever seeing a lawyer. So when a public defender heard his plight. He got out the same day. The man was jail toward contempt of court when he couldn't pay a housing fee for his son who was in juvenile detention. In the end, the man served twice the maximum amount of time he would have would he have been convicted. A sheriff's department spokesman says the man was not lost in the system.
And in Detroit, it is a she said/she said case of a barroom brawl involving the wife of Congressman John Conyers. Monica Conyers confirms she and Rebecca Muse came to blows Tuesday night during a birthday celebration. Mrs. Conyers claimed she was defending herself. Ms. Muse appeared on Detroit television sporting a black eye says Conyers attacked her without provocation. Both women filed police reports. Detroit police have yet to comment on the female fist a cuffs.
Keeping warm this winter without burning stacks of cash, coming up, tips to reduce your home heating costs right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING and we say hello to Bonnie Schneider.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Welcome back everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Here's a look at the top shore stories this morning.
There's apparently been more domestic spying without warrants. Sources tell CNN the FBI has been monitoring Muslim mosques, homes and businesses in the U.S. The surveillance is aimed at detecting whether the sites hold radioactive material to use in a dirty bomb, which can spread deadly radiation.
Donald Rumsfeld serves his countrymen in Iraq this morning. He stopped for comments and breakfast and this is a picture. He is also seen here pining a soldier with the bronze star for saving an Iraqi child who had fallen into a flooded basement on Election Day. Very good.
And if you're driving to grandma's house, you'll have a lot of company on the road. AAA says more than 63 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles to spend time with family and friends. Nearly 9 million of them will fly.
Bonnie Schneider is back here with another check of the nation's weather and pockets of the country, great weather conditions.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Well could this be the season of discontent? People especially those in the Northeast are worried this winter, they're trying to figure out if they can afford to heat their homes. Some are cutting back on medicine while others including businesses worry there could be heating oil shortages.
The big chill is the cover story of this week's "U.S. News and World Report" and joining us now is senior writer Marianne Lavelle from Philadelphia; and from Atlanta, Georgia, power energy consultant Erik Jordan. And thank you both for being here.
Marianne, let's start with you. How bad in general terms and then we'll get more specific. How bad a situation are we potentially looking at here? We've had the early onset of winter and some very cold temperatures. We see a warm up today and over the last couple of days, but give us the general lay of the land here.
MARIANNE LAVELLE, SR. WRITER, "U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT": Well, what we're looking at is home heating bills of about $1,000 this winter if you use natural gas and that's up 40 percent over last year. If you use home heating oil, the bill will be about $1500 and that's up 20 percent. So it's going to be real sticker shock to a lot of people when those bills come in January of this year.
HARRIS: OK, so are we talking about a situation where potentially people will have to make a decision about heating their homes as opposed to maybe is it a heat or eat decision facing some families potentially?
LAVELLE: I'm afraid for some people that is the case. I mean, for many of us it's a burden. For others of us it's a real crisis and there are surveys that show that people do things like stretch out their prescription medication in order to pay these heating bills because you just have to heat your home.
It's not like gasoline where you can drive less or take the metro and do other things. You really -- it's not a discretionary thing. You have to heat your homes this winter and it really is a burden for a lot of people and there isn't much help coming from the government. HARRIS: We'll get to that in just a moment. But under -- Marianne under the best circumstances, there's this delicate balance between supply and demand, but talk to us about the impact of hurricanes Rita and Katrina in this equation.
LAVELLE: Well, you're absolutely right. Those hurricanes knocked out about 25 percent of production, and that production will be offline for most of the winter as they try to repair the infrastructure down there, but this -- these hurricanes hit at a time where we in the United States were using almost all of the natural gas we could, plus much more.
We were importing it from Trinidad and Egypt just to meet demand for industry, for electricity for all of the uses and, of course, over 50 percent of U.S. homes use natural gas. So we're in a really, really tight supply and demand situation and those hurricanes put us over the edge.
HARRIS: The Federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, that's the arm of a government that should help and how much help can some of these states and individuals in these states kind of expect this year?
LAVELLE: Well, unfortunately, the average payment is about $300. When you're looking at a $1,500 winter home heating bill, that doesn't go very far. The funding for that program has not increased since 1981 and it has to be said that Congress went home for Christmas vacation without doing anything about it.
They actually had a proposal out there this week. It was linked by the Republican leadership to the Arctic drilling, drilling for oil in the Arctic, both of them were wiped out and so we're looking at a winter without any additional funding for these homes going into January.
HARRIS: OK, Marianne stand by for just a second. We want to bring Erik Jordan on this conversation. Eric, we need some nuts and bolts, practical advice for folks who are going to try to weather this winter and keep some money in their pockets and just not burn it all in heating their homes. So give us some ideas here, some tips.
ERIK JORDAN, ENERGY CONSULTANT, GEORGIA POWER: On the large scale as far as making sure your home is actually warm, on the large scale you would just want to make sure that you have sufficient attic insulation which would actually be r30 attic insulation, about 15 inches of insulation if you don't have the backs of attic insulation. Also make sure that your --
HARRIS: And that's something you can do post-construction, right? That's something you can do now.
JORDAN: Exactly.
HARRIS: Blow it in now.
JORDAN: Exactly. Another area that you would actually check on is make sure that your heating and cooling system is sufficient as far as changing your filters out on a regular basis. That would help you out. The last area that you actually want to make sure that you're doing or make sure it's up to par would be your windows. Make sure you have sufficient windows. Any of the caulking around your windows. Make sure if you don't have single pane windows, make sure you have storm windows on top of that. If you want to improve on that.
HARRIS: Erik when I was growing up we used to put plastic. Do folks still do that?
JORDAN: They still do and it actually helps. You want to have a barrier between the outside and the inside of your home as far as infiltration coming in from the outside.
HARRIS: One last point, digital thermostats to make sure that you're getting the absolute right and correct reading?
JORDAN: Exactly. If you're not in a position to get a digital thermostat, make sure you get someone from a heating and cooling dealer to come and calibrate the manual thermostat that you have. That would help out a lot.
HARRIS: That's what you have to do.
JORDAN: Exactly.
HARRIS: Marianne, that's great information, great piece that you wrote for the magazine this week. Thank you so much for coming in. A Merry Christmas to you and Erik, to you as well. Thank you for that sort of nuts and bolts on it.
JORDAN: Thank you.
HARRIS: Erik, appreciate it. Thank you.
We're making a list and we're checking it twice, maybe more than twice. Erik is anyway. We're going to tell you who's been naughty and who's been nice. Good guy right here. More to come as CNN SATURDAY MORNING rolls along after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Here we go our e-mail question of the morning. Christmas Eve, what's your fondest Christmas memory?
Frank writes, "Oh, this is great. My greatest Christmas was returning home from heavy combat in Korea in 1950 on Christmas morning. Although I was injured and on crutches from severe frostbite, you can imagine the unexpected surprise of my family and the excitement within myself that Christmas morning." Thank you Frank.
This from Eunice who writes "Perhaps this is my best Christmas having received a phone call from Ms. Carlene Barthe of the city of New Orleans Mayor's Office to tell me that several thousand new toys have safely arrived from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. Don't ever lose your faith in mankind." Eunice, thank you.
Once again, the e-mail question, your fondest Christmas memory, WEEKENDS@CNN.com.
Well, you know, Santa is all-knowing. Certainly knows if you've been bad or good, so do we and the Gallup Poll. Seventy-two percent put Paris Hilton at the top of the naughtiest celebrities list. Last year's naughty celeb, Britney Spears, comes in second.
Respondents were split on Martha Stewart and Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's home-wrecking relationship, but folks don't seem to hold that against them. But way up there on the nice list are Pitt's ex, Jennifer Aniston and Oprah Winfrey. Anyone who gives away cars on the talk show can't be bad.
Coming up on "OPEN HOUSE" for all the procrastinators out there Gerri Willis will show you how to get everything done before Christmas today.
And next hour, sounds of the season with Jim Brickman. We'll tell you why he's joined forces with the Walt Disney Studios and he shares with us all his gift of music. That is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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