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CNN Live Sunday

Debate over President Bush's Choice for CIA Director; Rescue Crews Continue Dig for Trapped Miners in Australia; Brush Fires in Florida

Aired May 07, 2006 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: CIA in turmoil, concern from Capitol Hill over the president's reported pick to lead the embattled intelligence agency.
A story of courage in any language. We'll tell you why American troops have nicknamed this Iraqi soldier, "Rambo."

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said to me, "Mom, sometimes I don't feel like I have a dad because he works so much."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A workaholic dad gets the message from his son.

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after this check of the headlines.

Violence across Iraq. In Karbala, a suicide car bomb kills at least five people and injures 18 others. And in Baghdad, two car bombs kill nine in addition to 43 bodies being found around the city by police.

Ten American soldiers killed in a chopper crash in Afghanistan were from Fort Drum in New York. Friday's crash was the deadliest for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. In a year, the helicopter went down in a remote area 40 miles from a U.S. military base.

Bird flu could hit the U.S. in months. That's what health and human services secretary Michael Leavitt told CNN's Wolf Blitzer today. Leavitt also said the U.S. is, quote, "under prepared to deal with a flu pandemic."

Tough talk from Iran. The hard-lined parliament threatens to pull the country out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That move comes a day before the U.N. Security Council considers punitive measures against Iran.

And only a few feet of rock separates rescuers from two trapped gold miners in Australia. An earthquake trapped them in a steel cage 13 days ago. A third miner was killed but the survivors are getting food and water through a plastic pipe. We start tonight with a CNN Security Watch. President Bush is expected to nominate a new CIA director as early as tomorrow and some members of Congress are not happy with the reported front runner. Let's go now to Washington and CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Fredricka. That's right, senior administration officials tell CNN that President Bush has settled on Air Force General Michael Hayden as his choice for CIA director and that an announcement is planned for tomorrow.

Now already word of a possible Hayden nomination is sparking criticism and debate here in Washington. And a key member of the president's own party is among the most vocal. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee is raising questions about having a military person lead a civilian agency. While he thinks General Hayden is talented, he says the general, quote, "the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETE HOEKSTRA (R-MI), CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I think putting a military person in charge of the CIA, our premier civilian intelligence gathering agency, is exactly the wrong signal to send today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: But the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said today on CNN's "LATE EDITION," he believes that issue can be remedied very easily.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R-KS), CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: You can solve that pretty quickly by simply resigning in terms of his post of being a general. And also putting in some deputies there that I think people would agree with that have a strong civilian background and it would help the situation with the CIA as they transform and continue to transformation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now those reactions some say reflect a debate that is shaping up behind the scenes about who is in charge and who should be in charge of the nation's intelligence, John Negroponte, the nation's intelligence chief or Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Meantime, General Hayden could face a grilling when it comes to Senate confirmation hearings over the warrantless wiretap program. Hayden was of course director at the National Security Agency when that program was implemented.

And Democrats made clear today they continue to have concerns about the program and about Hayden defending it. But the White House certainly has not shied away from this issue, even calling it a terrorist surveillance program.

National security, of course, has traditionally been a strong suit for this White House. And officials here believe they have the public support on this. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano at the White House, thank you so much.

So who is General Michael Hayden? CNN's Sumi Das takes a closer look at the general and what he would bring to the CIA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As former director of the National Security Agency and current number two for national intelligence director John Negroponte, Air Force General Michael Hayden is no stranger to the CIA.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: General Hayden is a down to earth guy. He grew up in working class circumstances in Pittsburgh, went to Duquesne University, worked his way up in the military, has held positions at all levels.

DAS: Former interim CIA Director John McLaughlin has known Hayden for six years.

MCLAUGHLIN: One of the CIA's core missions of course is supporting our military forces. It's the core mission of any intelligence agency and General Hayden has vast experience at doing that and also as an NSA director, he has had plenty of contact with human intelligence as well.

DAS: But the very experience that qualifies Hayden to head the agency could create obstacles during any confirmation process. Hayden has faithfully defended the NSA's domestic wiretapping program conducted without warrants calling it successful.

GEN. MICHAEL HAYDEN, DEP. DIR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Had this program been in effect prior to 9/11, it is my professional judgment that we would have detected some of the 9/11 al Qaeda operatives in the United States.

DAS: At least one Democratic senator says he would vigorously question the general's endorsement of the intercepts during any confirmation hearings.

Senate Intelligence Committee member Russ Feingold said he is concerned by Hayden's potential nomination. Quote, "General Hayden directed and subsequently defended the president's illegal wiretapping program. Neither he nor the rest of the administration informed the congressional intelligence committees about this program as is required by law."

CAROLINE FREDRICKSON, ACLU: It's going to be under a huge amount of scrutiny. It's going to be under a microscope basically.

DAS: Also likely to resurface, past intelligence mistakes, such as untranslated intercepts pertaining to 9/11.

HAYDEN: In the hours just prior to the attacks, NSA did obtain two pieces of information suggesting that individuals with terrorist connections believed something significant would happen on September 11th.

DAS: The intercepts were translated September 12th. Hayden said timely translation of all the information collected by the government was impossible.

(on-camera): Both parties may be motivated to avoid a drawn out and contentious confirmation process. Many agree it's a dangerous time for the nation's central intelligence agency to have no leader at its helm. Sumi Das, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Coming up, a former homeland security insider gives us his take on the CIA and he delivers an unnerving assessment of the security measures being taken in this country since 9/11. And remember to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

A few feet of rock. That's what separates two trapped gold miners from freedom. Rescue crews have already dug through tons of rocks. This has been going on now for 13 days in Australia and that's where we find reporter Hugh Williams, who joins us on the phone. So Hugh, where are we now in this rescue mission?

HUGH WILLIAMS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on phone): Hi, Fredricka. Well it's become abundantly clear that the escape tunnel method designed by the rescue team here to dig through the solid rock, while it might be the safest, it is also definitely the slowest. And the hand-drilling operation is incredibly difficult work.

Teams of three specialist miners are basically working with drills and low-impact explosives to inch their way up into the cavity which holds the two trapped miners. Todd Russell and Brant Webb, who like you said, have been in their 13th day now, have also been asked to pitch in and do some preparations.

They have been given materials through a small access tube that they've had for the last two weeks almost. They have been given materials to pack gaps around the cavity, the fallen rock which holds them inside the small cage. Basically in preparation for when the rescue teams break through. But really, the mine officials here won't give any time frame when a break through will happen.

WHITFIELD: And so these rescuers are pretty confident that as of now, that the two miners are doing as best they can under these circumstances?

WILLIAMS: Well essentially that's the key here. The reason why there's no urgency to break through to them is that they are alive. While it might not be comfortable in that very small cage and you know being deep underground, they are eating, they are breathing, they are sleeping.

They are in constant communication with paramedics and mine officials. And their safety, their psychological well-being is being monitored extremely closely. And you know, with those two guys in relative comfort, there is no urgency to break through to them it causes any safety issues. I mean, they really want them out of there in one piece.

WHITFIELD: Hugh Williams reporting from Beaconsville, Australia. Thanks so much for that update.

And now in this country, this just in. You're looking at live pictures right now out of Volusia County, where brush fires are underway in New Smyrna Beach. Firefighters are on the scene and apparently a lot of these fires are concentrated west of I-95 and just north of the State Road 44. Our Jacqui Jeras is in the Weather Center, and we know Jacqui, it's been very, very hot throughout many parts of Florida. Has it been particularly dry as well?

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: And now almost five years after 9/11, are we any safer from another terror attack? A former homeland security official says America is still very vulnerable. He'll be joining us with his take on that and the changes taking place at the CIA.

And all work and no play makes Jack or Jill a workaholic? Sound familiar to you? Balancing life and work later on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, it seems as though everybody loves springtime but everyone hates allergies. Well if you do hate allergies, you're not going to have a happy day in parts of Utah where pollen is very high at this time. However, if you happen to be up in big sky country or even in central or south Texas, the air is pretty clean. So you'll be breathing easy. That is a look at today's allergy report.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Continuing now our CNN security watch and more on the turmoil at the CIA. Joining us now, homeland security's first inspector general Clark Kent Ervin, now a CNN security analyst and author of a new book "Open Target: Where America Is Vulnerable to Attack." He joins us now from Washington. Good to see you, Clark.

CLARK KENT ERVIN, FORMER DHS INSPECTOR GENERAL: Great to see you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And I'll ask you about the book in a moment but first I want to ask you about what's going on at the CIA. General Hayden, who currently works under national intelligence director John Negroponte, is he a natural choice for CIA director? ERVIN: Well he's a natural choice in the sense that he's an insider and he's a seasoned intelligence professional who is well known and generally well respected on Capitol Hill on both sides of the aisle.

I'm not sure that he's the ideal pick though. As you noted earlier in the segment, there are concerns about his coming from the military. The 800-pound gorilla in the intelligence community remains the Defense Department.

It controls the lion's share of the intelligence agencies. And the best in fighter in government is Secretary Rumsfeld. I don't think simply taking his uniform off or retiring from the military is enough. It's not as if the people at the CIA are idiots. They will remember that he was a military man.

WHITFIELD: Are you suggesting it's better to look outside and bring someone within? Because we're just now shuffling some of the same players?

ERVIN: That's what I would have done. Furthermore, of course, he comes from having been most immediately, the deputy director in the Office of National Intelligence. And of course the concern is that the CIA has been emasculated and denuded and enfeebled as a result of this reorganization of the intelligence community, the creation of this organization and indeed the DNI is creating a mini CIA.

So we tend to do this in our country. Rather than taking the government we have and making it work, we create still new organizations with new mandates and I'm very concerned that the CIA, which had been the premier intelligence agency in the country, is now a shadow of its former self and it's certainly no longer central in the intelligence community.

WHITFIELD: Is this an agency that is in trouble on a very large scale, not just because you have a recent turmoil that involves three different directors in four years, but perhaps in part because it was absorbed into one big umbrella of national intelligence?

ERVIN: I think that's right.

I think it's clear in retrospect that the reorganization of the intelligence community was ill advised. And as I say, making CIA a bit player now -- a relative bit player in the intelligence community was ill advised.

I am hopeful that going forward some progress is made in reforming the intelligence community. But creating this new director of national intelligence I think was not the way to go.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well this week, just shifting gears a little bit, this week there was legislation that was approved, $7.4 billion in spending on new port security inspections, nuclear weapons screening. Some of the things that you criticize in your book or talking about some real gaping holes in your book "Open Target: Where America is Vulnerable to Attack." Is it encouraging at all that there is such legislation that talks about this kind of spending given the criticism in your book?

ERVIN: It is somewhat encouraging. Certainly we need more money for port security, no question about that. And further, we need more inspections. No question about that.

But I was disappointed by the fact the House voted down 100 percent inspection of incoming cargo containers for radiation. You know, in the port of Hong Kong, the world's busiest port as we sit here today, they are doing 100 percent inspections for radiation. If the port of Hong Kong can do it, we here in the United States can. And we just lack the political will to do so. The question is, can we do it, will we do it before a terror attack takes place by means of a weapons of mass destruction smuggled into one of our ports?

WHITFIELD: And you talk about the vulnerabilities in this book. At the same time, do you concern yourself with your book being a how- to guide for anyone who's up to no good to see where are the vulnerabilities of this country?

ERVIN: I think that's a very good question, Fredricka. And I struggled with that as I wrote the book. But my answer to that is, the terrorists know everything that's contained in that book.

It's the American people who don't. I'm quite confident that if the American people read it and learn just how vulnerable we are and just how little has been done since 9/11 by our government to protect ourselves, that they'll put pressure on our leaders in the Congress, in the administration, the Department of Homeland Security to take common sense steps, like 100 percent cargo inspection, that would make us significantly safer.

WHITFIELD: All right, Clark Kent Ervin, our CNN security analyst as well as the author of a book, "Open Target: Where America is Vulnerable to Attack." Thanks so much.

ERVIN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And remember to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

And we're following a developing story out of Florida. Brush fires burning right now in one northern beach town. We'll get the latest on that.

Also, he's an Iraqi soldier trying to overcome injuries. His story and the comments of Americans who served with him later on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Updating a developing story now. A brush fire burning in Florida this hour. It's happening in New Smyrna Beach in the northern part of the state, just south of Daytona Beach. Lots of smoke, some flames are visible there and several helicopters are flying overhead dumping water on the flames. No word yet however how big the fire is. We are told no homes or structures are in immediate danger from the flames. But you're looking at the operations there trying to pick up some water for the eminent water drop.

Let's check in with CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the Weather Center with more on the conditions there. And it certainly looks a little windy, which is never very good when you're trying to fight fires.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well should a man in uniform be in charge of the CIA? You'll hear what congressional leaders are saying. Also, an Iraqi soldier is in the U.S. getting treatment for war wounds. We'll tell you how he ended up here.

And if you're wireless handheld device goes everywhere you do or you find it difficult to leave your office cubicle, you may be a workaholic. Help is on the way and we'll have details.

Before the break, what to do if you get bumped from an oversold flight. Our Gerri Willis has some important tips for travelers. Here is "Gerri's Take."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just when you thought your middle seat couldn't get any smaller, last month airplanes were more full than they've ever been. And with the busy summer travel season right around the corner, your odds of getting bumped from a flight just took off.

Here's what you can do if that happens. First off, get a statement of your rights. The airline must provide one if you are forced to give up your seat. Now if an airline offers you a voucher for a free trip as compensation, hold up. Make sure you weigh all your options like getting back your money. Once you accept the voucher you won't be able to negotiate any further. You should ask for cash if you arrive more than one hour past your scheduled time.

Now for flights within the U.S., you'll be able to get the one- way fare you pay up to $200. Now if you land two or more hours past your scheduled time, you could get up to more than $400 for a domestic flight. The bottom line here, the time you are bumped take the cash and skip the voucher. This way you have control over who you are flying with on your next trip.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Now in the news towering smoke and flames from a Florida brush fire. Flames are moving closer to homes in New Smyrna Beach. At this hour helicopters are battling the fire from above while fire crews battle the blaze on the ground. Some area residents in the area are being asked to evacuate as a precaution and Interstate 95 is closed in both directions at the exit closest to those flames.

A U.S. marine has been killed in Iraq's Anbar Province. The soldier is among more than a dozen people killed in the latest violence. At least 14 Iraqis were killed in three separate car bombings.

A New York congressman and relatives of 9/11 victims are calling for tighter U.S. immigration controls. Representative Peter King and the others are backing a bill that would increase penalties on illegal immigrants. They oppose any plans that could give immigrants amnesty.

The last American survivor of the Titanic has died. A funeral home in Massachusetts says Lillian Gertrude Espland died at her home. She was 99. Espland was five when the Titanic struck an iceberg in the Atlantic and sank in 1912. Four of her family members died in the tragedy.

And now the changing face of the CIA. The White House is expected to nominate a new CIA director as early as tomorrow. Senior administration sources tell CNN it will be Air Force General Michael Hayden. He's the current senior deputy to the National Intelligence director and the former director of the National Security Agency. General Hayden's support of the NSA's wiretapping program and his military status are making some lawmakers nervous.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's meeting here with government officials but he was greeted at the airport --

ROBERTS: A man who says he was one of the best briefers that they have ever had on intelligence. A man who has been described by people on both sides of the aisle probably know more about intelligence than anybody else but some real concern about somebody from the military heading up the CIA.

You can solve that pretty quickly by simply resigning in terms of his post of being a general and also putting in some deputies there that I think people would agree with that have a strong civilian background and it would help the situation with the CIA as they transform and continue to transformation.

REP. JANE HARMON, (D) CALIFORNIA: It will send a bad signal to CIA employees in the field who are worried about a DOD takeover. A second is that he has a technical background. Doesn't have experience building the clandestine service which is what the CIA needs to transition into. The third thing is, that it's not clear he will be independent of this White House. I think he made a big mistake in going to the national press club a few months back and defending the legality of the president's NSA program.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: If confirmed General Hayden would replace Porter Goss who resigned abruptly on Friday. The U.N.'s top humanitarian official is pressing for aid workers to be given better access to Sudan's trouble Darfur region. Jan Egeland arrived in Sudan Sunday today for meetings with government officials and rebel leaders. It is his first visit to Sudan since a peace agreement was signed by the government and the main rebel group. Our Nic Robertson is in Darfur.

ROBERTSON: This is the camp that they come to -- the camp with a population here has doubled in the last six months. Indeed Egeland says in the last month or so tens of thousands of displaced people have been arriving. These people here arrived about 12 days ago. They have with them all their possessions. They are living if I can lift up that blanket here quite literally under the tree. The thorn tree and the blanket is their home. They have under here, under the bed all their possessions. A few pots, a kettle and I talked to this lady a few minutes ago. I said do you have enough food for your family. She told me she had ten children to care for.

We're really not getting enough food. If we go over here as far as you can see in this direction these new internally displaced people. The people forced out of a local village a few days ago have turned up. None of them have proper shelter. They are all living under trees. Several families here camped out under this tree. They say they walked four days to get here. They don't have any materials for shelter they say. Just living out in the open. Egeland said he has a real problem in this camp. Security isn't good enough to deliver food aid for these people. So when he talked to them and they said when are we going to get food? He told them he didn't know.

Part of the problem he says is the international community has been asked for $1.5 billion for the whole of Sudan for the aid effort here. He said so far this year they have only received about half a billion dollars. He also said that the security in this particular camp isn't good enough. He said the 150 African Union Peacekeepers here aren't enough to provide security for the 120,000 people. The ladies who we talked to over here a little while ago said just last night two people were killed, not far away. The security they say is one of their biggest concerns. Food is one of their biggest concerns. But Egeland describes the situation as bad as if not worse when he visited here in 2004. Why? Because the security situation is worse. Why? Because they can't feed all the people that are showing up here.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Sudan.

WHITFIELD: And more now on a developing story out of Florida. Where brush fires are taking place in Volusia County. Conditions are quite combustible. It's dry, hot, and now these brush fires are threatening some residences in the New Smyrna Beach area. Shannon Lewis is a spokes person for New Smyrna Beach she is on the phone with us now and Shannon how serious is it?

SHANNON LEWIS, SPOKESPERSON, NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL (via telephone): Right now we have a wild fire that's just over 100 acres and that's estimated. It did begin on the west side of I-95 earlier today. And has spotted over to the east side and has put it close to residential property, however we have no structures that have been damaged and no injuries but we have issued mandatory evacuations in that area as a precaution airy measure.

WHITFIELD: How difficult has it been conveying these mandatory evacuations?

LEWIS: Well fortunately residents have become accustomed to calling citizen information lines during emergencies and we have had some recent brush fires over the past few days.

WHITFIELD: How many people are we talking about?

LEWIS: We don't have exact numbers of the residents right now. It's an area where we probably have about 100 to 150 people.

WHITFIELD: OK. This being a very dry season and there have been brush fires popping up throughout many parts of Florida. What do you believe the cause of this blaze might be?

LEWIS: It's too early for us to know what the cause is. We have all of the crews in the field trying to gain control of the fire. And we'll be investigating the cause of the fire once the initial suppression is complete.

WHITFIELD: We're also told that there is a portion of I-95 near your area near New Smyrna Beach that has been closed to traffic in both directions. What do you know about that?

LEWIS: That's correct. Northbound and southbound Interstate 95 is closed from Port Orange to New Smyrna Beach.

WHITFIELD: How does that impact your mandatory evacuations then?

LEWIS: It will not impact our evacuations, all the evacuations are on the east side of 95 and there are alternative routes for them to follow. We do have law enforcement on scene assisting those residents.

WHITFIELD: All right. Shannon Lewis spokesperson for New Smyrna Beach thanks so much and good luck to you.

LEWIS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well have you found the right balance between work and family?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said to me, mom, sometimes I don't feel like I have a dad, because he works so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Workaholic dad gets the message from his son. What to do when work becomes an obsession. That is coming up.

But first, a new view for athletes. Daniel Sieberg shows us more in this edition of "New Frontier." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Optometry Professor Dr. Allen Reichow has designed innovative lenses for sports that have athletes seeing red.

DR. ALAN REICHOW, NIKE VISION CONSULTANT: They are a contact lens with a performance-enhancing tint integrated throughout the whole lens. It filters 50 percent of the light. We designed this to make the ball of the object moving pop out. So the tint is everywhere. We have no pressure points. No sweat builds up on the lens. These lenses were designed specifically for on the field performance, whether it's competition or practice. They were not designed or developed for driving a car.

SIEBERG: The product is a collaboration of Nike and Bausch & Lomb. Nearly 5,000 eye care practicers in the U.S. carry it and you do need a prescription.

REICHOW: Many of the top athletes around the world in a variety of sports.

BRIAN ROBERTS, BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Just dims everything and took the glow away. I couldn't even believe you could make something that would help that much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: In Florida, mandatory evacuations because of what you're about to see in this live shot. Brush fires you can see just in the distance there on the right. Brush fires that have now led to the closing of I-95 north and south between Orange and New Smyrna Beach. No structural damage has been reported there.

Well what are the best and worst things about being president? A weekly newspaper in Germany asks President Bush. The president said of the many great moments he's had, number one, is when he caught a seven and a half pound perch in a lake on his ranch. Mr. Bush says his worst moments were on 9/11 when planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and in a field in Pennsylvania.

Well if you're watching us from the office today and you really don't have to be working on weekends maybe this next report is for you. CNN's Dan Simon looks at workaholics in this report from "PAULA ZAHN NOW."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Adjusted copy is in.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There may be no busier guy in Hollywood than Rob Silverstein the executive producer of "Access Hollywood."

On this day there is big celebrity news. There are reports Britney Spears is pregnant, again. Silverstein knows it's not life and death kind of stuff.

ROB SILVERSTEIN, ACCESS HOLLYWOOD: We understand where we fit in the grand scheme of things.

SIMON: Still heading up a daily entertainment TV show require as 24/7 mentality.

SILVERSTEIN: I get up at about 4:50 every morning. I check the Blackberry before like 4:51. I do 50 push-ups that's just to get going that's when the day starts.

SIMON: But Silverstein is somehow able to keep it all in check. Striking the right balance between work and family. A wife and four kids.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man on first.

SIMON: Thanks to some self imposed rules.

SILVERSTEIN: I will never have the Blackberry at the table. I don't take cell phone calls during the dinner.

SIMON: But not everyone can successfully manage the juggle. Work can become such an obsession that it becomes a real addiction like drugs and alcohol. The damage can be just as severe. Bob is what you call a true workaholic. As the owner of a successful real estate and mortgage business, he's not just someone who works a gazillion hours always checking the PDA. See what make as real workaholic are statements like this when Bob talks about his 11-year-old son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're not close and so I -- we're -- we don't have a strained relationship but he's much close to his mother than he is to me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He said to me, mom, sometimes I don't feel like I have dad because he works so much.

SIMON: There were other signs like the time when wife Corrine woke up at 4:00 in the morning and discovered Bob wasn't there. Some might be suspicious their man is cheating but not her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well I knew that he was at the office.

SIMON: He was. Late, late work sessions were common. He says he felt more at home at the office.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love business and my mind is always thinking about business stuff.

SIMON: His family life in crises, few friends to speak of. Bob's life in disarray. This kind of work compulsion is fueling that growing international support group called that's right, Workaholics Anonymous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi my name is Doug, I'm a workaholic. SIMON: This meeting in Portland, Oregon, where workaholics confess their addiction to work. Like Bob the members ask they not use their last names and also cover their faces.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm completely unbalanced. All I want to do is work.

SIMON: Sandy says owning her own retail store caused an unhealthy addiction to make money and succeed.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would stay and do things that somebody could have done the next day but I felt like I had to do them. That my -- I felt like I had to work enough to justify and to earn some timed sleep at night when I got home. I never thought that I could just leave work and be with my family.

SIMON: It's a 12-step program much like Alcoholics Anonymous and gaining more attention due to increasing demands at the workplace.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really upset people.

SIMON: Michael says being a workaholic almost killed him and others literally because he was a danger behind the wheel speeding to get from place to place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I still speed a lot and tell people off and you know and just not in a flow when I drive. It affects hundreds of people in a trip.

SIMON: Psychologist Debra Condren says there is usually a hidden reason why people become workaholics.

DEBRA CONDREN, PSYCHOLOGIST: Are you working so hard because you have a fear you're going to lose the job? Are you working so hard because you are avoiding a marriage that's in trouble?

SIMON: Bob is now getting counseling and starting his own Workaholics Anonymous group in San Diego after his wife threatened to walkout.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A friend of mine said to me, why are you bringing this chaos into your life?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She meant business and it scared the dickens out of me the thought of losing my family, not having a relationship, the love of my wife and children and my boys.

SIMON: He says things are slowly getting better. The late night work sessions are less frequent but it's tough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The office is not the best place in the world for me to be but that's where I found myself most comfortable and have a hard time leaving.

SIMON: As for Hollywood television producer Rob Silverstein, news flash he just got word at his kid's baseball game that Rosie O'Donnell is take over at "The View."

SILVERSTEIN: Just on the Blackberry. That's why you need the Blackberry.

SIMON: But now it's time to concentrate on the game.

SILVERSTEIN: I'm on the phone.

SIMON: Well at least for the most part.

SILVERSTEIN: Yeah, I know all about it.

SIMON: Dan Simon, CNN, Los Angeles.

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WHITFIELD: That story comes to us from "PAULA ZAHN NOW." Make sure to join Paula weeknights at 8:00 p.m. Eastern and 5:00 Pacific and we'll be right back.

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WHITFIELD: This developing story in Florida. Brush fires have led to the mandatory evacuation of a number of homes in that area as well as a closure of parts of I-95 near New Smyrna Beach but no structural damage has been reported as yet. Firefighters are battling the flames on the ground and from the air.

A story of courage in any country and in any language. A 28-year- old captain in the Iraqi army shot and paralyzed in Iraq is now here in the U.S. on a long road to recovery. He is here because of the gratitude of some U.S. soldiers who believe he's a special kind of hero. Brianna Keilar filed this report of the Captain Furat (ph) "AMERICAN MORNING."

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BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This Iraqi army officer wears a steel bracelet with six names carved into it. One captain and five soldiers, he says. They are his fallen comrades but this man known only as Captain Furat (ph), his real name withheld to protect his family lives with another constant reminder of the war in Iraq. On Christmas Day insurgents ambushed him shooting him 12 times. One bullet struck his spine. Leaving the man American soldiers nicknamed Rambo paralyzed from the waist down.

But Furat (ph) says his injury is nothing compared to the big cause of freeing his country from the terrorists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was our brother.

KEILAR: The lieutenant colonel Roger Cloutier commanded the U.S. Army Battalion attached to the Iraqi battalion Furat (ph) led.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wherever the enemy fire was most intense. Wherever it was most dangerous you would find Captain Furat (ph). The Iraqi army had the lead for operations in our area. Any time he -- a building needed to be cleared or there was a very dangerous area they had to go into, you'd find the Captain Furat (ph) up front leading his soldiers never wavering.

KEILAR: After he was wounded Furat (ph) was treated for two months in Iraq and then at the urging of the officers brought to the United States for more comprehensive care at Atlanta's renowned Sheppard's Spinal Center at no charge. Now after two months there Furat (ph) is learning to live with his disabilities. Though concerned about the growth of terrorism in Iraq he refuses to let go of his dream. That peace will come to his country sooner rather than later.

Brianna Keilar, CNN, Atlanta.

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WHITFIELD: The doctors say Captain Furat (ph) is making progress in his recovery but still requires nursing around the clock.

And that story comes to us from "AMERICAN MORNING." Make sure to join Soledad and Miles weekday morning bright and early, 6:00 a.m. Eastern.

Straight ahead in our next hour. We're continuing to follow a developing story out of Florida. Brush fires burning in one beach town. We'll have the very latest.

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