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CNN Live Sunday
Bush Prepares for Address on Immigration; Danger in Indonesia; Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Baghdad; Monday Deadline for Medicare Plan
Aired May 14, 2006 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The battle over border security reaches fever pitch. Now President Bush prepares to make his case in prime time. We're live from the White House. Also, on alert for eruption. A killer volcano could blow its top any time. We're on the scene with the latest.
And this Mother's Day, you'll meet two widows of 9/11 on a mission of mercy in Afghanistan. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY, I'm Brianna Keilar in for Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after this check of the headlines.
Springtime flooding in Massachusetts. Parts of two towns have been evacuated and a state of emergency is now in effect to activate the National Guard. More later from Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Weather Center.
Two U.S. soldiers died today in a roadside bombing near Baghdad. The military says the two were killed just after dark, but no other details were provided. Meantime, a pair of suicide bombers killed 14 people today near the Baghdad airport.
An American teenager has died from wounds he received in a suicide bomb attack last month in Tel Aviv, Israel. The burial for 16-year-old Daniel Wultz is tomorrow in Florida. Wultz is the 11th person to die from the April 17th bombing. Fifty more were wounded.
There's not much time left for seniors who haven't elected for the new Medicare prescription drug coverage. The deadline is tomorrow and an estimated six million eligible people have yet to sign up. Go to Medicare.gov to get started.
First this hour, illegal immigration. As President Bush prepares his primetime address tomorrow night, he's expected to announce his plan of sending National Guard troops to better secure the U.S./Mexican border. The idea, raising calls today for utmost caution. Here's CNN's White House correspondent Elaine Quijano with the very latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By laying out his views Monday night, President Bush hopes to nudge the House and Senate closer together towards an agreement on comprehensive immigration legislation. That means possibly offering conservative Republicans in the House something they've long called for, tougher border security measures. Senior Bush aides say the president is considering an enhanced role for the National Guard in securing the U.S. border with Mexico.
STEPHEN HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: It's not about militarization of the border. It's about assisting the civilian border patrol in doing their job, providing intelligence, providing support, logistics support and training in these sorts of things.
QUIJANO: But already the idea is sparking debate.
SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: I am concerned that we have so overstretched our military, overstretched especially our National Guard, that I'm not sure what capacity they would have. That's not the role of the National Guard.
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), VERMONT: The National Guard and Reserve, and we're stretching them pretty thin now. Are we going to make border patrol out of them?
QUIJANO: A senior Bush aide says any decision made will not affect military operations overseas or hurricane preparations. At the same time, President Bush is showing no signs of backing away from his support for a temporary guest worker program. The Senate is poised to move ahead on a bill that includes such a provision but conservatives remain adamantly opposed to the idea, calling it amnesty. The Bush administration rejects that label, saying the program would mean illegal immigrants who want U.S. citizenship would have to earn it.
HADLEY: There are things they will need to do, requirements they will have to meet. And they will have to go to the back of the line, not at the front of the line to reflect those who have proceeded in the lawful way.
QUIJANO: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who supports bringing in the National Guard as a short-term solution, believes Congress can reach a compromise.
SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: Yes, I am absolutely convinced. Right now this discussion has matured over the last four- to-five months. But now people realize unless you in some way manage the magnet which attracts people to this country, no matter how tall that wall is, people are going to continue to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: Now the White House calls this crunch time. And a senior administration official acknowledges for the president to help bring about a compromise, it's going to be a, quote, "heavy lift." Brianna?
KEILAR: Elaine Quijano reporting from the White House -- thanks, Elaine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): After nationwide rallies, Monday's focus moves back to Washington. CNN will have extensive coverage of the story, beginning with "AMERICAN MORNING." Ed Lavandera will be on the border in El Paso, Texas. Bob Franken reports from Ohio, where one county is taking a hard-line stance against illegals.
Live reports throughout the day from Capitol Hill as lawmakers resume debate on immigration reform. And we'll be pushing towards the president's Oval Office address. Evening coverage gets started with a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM" at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Then find out what Lou Dobbs has to say on the subject, followed by "LARRY KING LIVE." At 10 p.m. Eastern, join Anderson Cooper live from Chicago. Stay with CNN all day Monday for "Immigration Nation" coverage on T.V., CNN.com and CNN.com's Pipeline.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The vice president's name has surfaced again in the probe into the outing of a U.S. intelligence operative. Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has introduced handwritten notes from Dick Cheney in the perjury case against Lewis Libby, Cheney's former chief of staff. The writing, scribbled on a newspaper column, suggest Cheney knew that Valerie Plame was employed by the CIA. In his court filing, the special prosecutor further asserts that the notes show Cheney was involved in the matter before the agent's alleged unmasking by his then chief of staff.
The president's national security adviser is defending the Bush administration's intelligence gathering efforts. Stephen Hadley would not confirm or deny the week's report that the government has collected the phone records of millions of Americans, but he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that the government has not violated the public's privacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HADLEY: The Supreme Court has held that calling records, information, phone numbers called, date, duration of call, is not protected by privacy. And there are lawful ways under a variety of statutes and procedures by which this information can be shared with the federal government. So this is not a privacy issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The phone calls controversy is sure to come up in the confirmation hearings for CIA director nominee Michael Hayden. His hearings get started Thursday on Capitol Hill.
Indonesia on red alert. Geologists there expect a major eruption from the rumbling Mount Merapi at any moment. But despite the imminent danger, some are not heeding the call for mandatory evacuations. CNN's Stan Grant has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN BEIJING CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mount Merapi, the fiery mountain, is rumbling. Thick, hot smoke billowing from its crater are warning to the tens of thousands living in its deadly shadow.
Authorities have raised the alert to code red. It could erupt at any time. Four and a half thousand people on the island of Java have been evacuated. That number could rise to as many as 22,000. The old, the young, carrying whatever they can, worried about their future.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I am bored here but I cannot go back to my home because the authorities told us that the volcano is becoming dangerous.
GRANT: Some are refusing to move, clinging to the hope the volcano will not erupt. Others already hoping to return home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (though translator): Our animals are abandoned back in our village. My husband is head of the milk cooperative, so he has to return home.
GRANT: The local Javanese are no strangers to Mount Merapi's fury. The 3,000-meter nearly 10,000-feet high volcano has erupted before. The last time in 1994, 60 people dead, 1,300 killed in 1930. It is the known as the most menacing of volcanoes in the Pacific's so called ring of fire, a series of fault lines stretching from the western hemisphere through Japan and onto southeast Asia.
The fear is that a dome of lava on the mountain's surface could collapse. Hot clouds of ash, rock and volcanic gas could then be propelled down the mountain at hundreds of miles an hour.
(on camera): Even from where I'm standing here at night, you can see fire coming from the core of this volcano. Now for the locals, once year, they actually make offerings to the mountain. They take jewelry, even live animals to the crater. Now that's to try to appease the volcano. Now all they can do is look on and hope that it stays calm. Stan Grant, CNN, Jakarta, Indonesia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Time now to go global with headlines from around the world. Brazil authorities say a well-organized prison gang is behind a series of deadly attacks on jails that has left 52 people dead, 35 of whom were security personnel. Prison officials say the assaults are the response to the planned transfer of gang members to a maximum- security lockup.
Indonesia health officials now fear the possibility of human-to- human transmission of the deadly bird flu. A family of five died this week in Sumatra all from the deadly H5N1 strain of the virus. In all, 25 Indonesians have died from bird flu.
In London, it was Prince Harry on parade today. The 21-year-old newly commissioned army officer joined the ranks of his new regiment for the 82nd annual military parade. The prince appropriately wearing a dashing hat and suit, a British tradition that pre-dates World War I.
And it's been quite a month for the Kennedy family. When we return, the latest close call for the senior senator from Massachusetts. Plus, drenched and already soggy northeast takes another battering by Mother Nature. The latest on the region ahead.
And next, bloody Sunday. Iraq is once again awash in violence, but how are today's killings different than those in the past? We'll take a closer look. You're watching CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: OK folks, this is just for decoration. But don't you hate when you actually have to use these things because you're sneezing and you're rubbing your eyes? Well if you happen to live in places like say parts of northern California, back over into the Central Plains or even in portions of Georgia, you get a lot of pollen in the air, so you will be using these things. However, Northern Plains or even into central Florida or parts of central and south Texas, it won't be an issue. That's your allergy report.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: In news across America, quite a scare for Senator Ted Kennedy. A spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Democrat says a plane that was carrying Kennedy to Cape Cod was hit by lightning yesterday. The Cessna aircraft lost all electrical power, including communications and the pilot had to fly the plane manually. The flight was diverted to Connecticut where it landed safely.
An emotional Mother's Day at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, A ceremony was held honoring mothers whose children served in the military. Some lost their children in battle and others have sons and daughters serving right now. The mothers were given roses and cards which they left at the base of the wall.
Another Mother's Day demonstration, this one in front of the White House. An anti-war vigil led by several celebrities, including actress Susan Sarandon and Cindy Sheehan, who lost her son in Iraq. Protesters called for an immediate end to the war and warned against any military attack on Iran.
Now to Iraq, two U.S. soldiers have been killed in a bombing east of Baghdad. Insurgent attacks also targeted civilians, Iraqi police, and British forces. Reporting from Baghdad, CNN's Ryan Chilcote.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iraq is again, awash in violence. Attacks around the country killing dozens, wounding dozens more. Iraqi civilians making up the bulk of the victims. At least 14 were killed in this attack alone on the road to Baghdad's airport. Once considered Iraq's most dangerous highway, it has recently been relatively peaceful, but not anymore.
(on camera): And the conflict is reaching into new geography. Mostly quiet southern Iraq has been heating up. A roadside bomb killed two members of the British military, another was wounded.
(voice-over): There were sectarian attacks, too. No one died in the bombing of this Shiite shrine or any of the other five shrines demolished in a 24-hour period, but they are certain the heightened sectarian tensions already are running close to the boiling point.
Iraq is still reeling from an attack on one of Shia Islam's most important mosque last February. Ever since, more Iraqis are thought to have been killed based on their religious sect than in insurgent attacks.
And there are new problems on the political front. The man the world is looking to halt the violence by forming a unity government, missed a self-imposed deadline for doing that this week. Prime Minister-designate Nouri al-Maliki has another week to meet a constitutional deadline, but appears far from making progress towards that aim.
A small number of Iraqi politicians have pulled out of talks to form the government. Others are threatening the same. In the past, political impasse has been blamed for fanning the flames of both the insurgency and sectarian strife. No one is hoping it will come to that again. Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: It's time to sign up. Do all of the different Medicare plans and forms have you or maybe your parent or grandparent confused? We'll tell you how and where you can get the help you need.
Also, immigrant backlash. We'll take you to the front lines of one immigration battle in California. And later, bionic bird. How Hollywood helped this little guy get a second chance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Corporal Mario Delgado (ph) stationed in Al Asad, Iraq. I want to wish my mom Lydia (ph) in Tustin, California a happy Mother's Day. I want to thank you for praying for us out here and keeping us on your mind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is hospital man Russell (ph) stationed at Al Asad, Iraq. I would like to wish my mom a happy Mother's Day and Union City, California, I love you and I miss you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Lance Corporal Vialto (ph) from Al Asad, Iraq, wishing my mom Maria Ayalal (ph) from Van Nuys, California a happiest Mother's Day. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you doing, mom? This is Corporal Parker (ph) out here in Doha, Qatar. Giving a shout out over there in Victorville, California. I want to say a happy Mother's Day, I love you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Private Garcia (ph), coming from Al Asad, Iraq. Sending a shout out to my wife in California. Happy Mother's Day, baby. I'll talk to you later, I love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: A reminder for some of the nation's seniors and also those of you related to them. Tomorrow is the signing deadline for the Medicare prescription drug benefit plan. And if you're still undecided on which plan to choose, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt has some advice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL LEAVITT, HHS SECRETARY: It's just three easy steps. The first would be to simply get your drugs and to put them on a table in front of you. The pill bottles have important information. The second thing would be to get your Medicare card. If you have your pill bottles and your Medicare card, you'll have all the information you need. And then simply dial 1-800-Medicare, 1-800-Medicare. I just checked a few minutes ago. Our response times are very good right now, less than a couple of minutes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Still, many seniors are concerned they won't choose the best plan for their medical needs or wallet and they're turning for advice to the people who fill their prescriptions, their pharmacists.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the pharmacist. Can I help you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here it is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There it is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they don't put any color on it.
STACIA BROCK, WALGREENS PHARMACIST: You have the Medicare advantage. We've definitely had a major boost in seniors coming in that have waited until the very last minute to decide what plan they want to be on. Mainly it's the seniors that do not have family or close friends in the area that have helped them pick a plan and they just feel completely lost. It's been much more chaotic the past few weeks than over the past year. You don't have the information of where your medications fit for that one, because it's a much more complicated plan. BARNEY KANE, SENIOR CITIZEN: You know, older people who really aren't, don't have all of their marbles, fewer than I have, it's very hard.
BROCK: For your generics it would be a $5 co-pay. For the brands, it would be a $28 co-pay. And then for the other price categories, it would be either $55 or 25 percent of the cost.
They haven't dealt with this their whole life and all of a sudden they have to pick plans and coverage and they're limited to what they can get and what pharmacy they can go to, and they don't want that. They want to be able to go about their same plan the way they always have.
And so it's very confusing and it's very difficult and there's a lot of frustration. But luckily a lot of them are very happy with the coverage that they're getting and the help that we provide. It's been great to really clear up a lot of that confusion for them.
I put in three medications into the system and it shows the individual plan and the contact information for that plan as far as the name, e-mail address and telephone number. It also shows the number of medications that are covered, like this one covers all three. But for example, this one only covers two of three. So it shows you just in general, how many of your medications are covered.
As far as signing up for Medicare itself, we can't do that here. They can do that, they can call 1-800-Medicare and sign up right over the phone or online. So if you pay nothing per month and have no deductible and your generics are $3, I'd say you're pretty well off where you are.
KANE: Terrific, may I kiss you?
BROCK: Sure.
KANE: My wife will appreciate the fact that women still find me attractive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: State of emergency, the Coast Guard is rolling out to help some rain-logged New Englanders. Is there any relief in sight? And on the front lines of the immigration battle, how one man is trying to put immigrants out of work. And later, get your toes on the nose. It's time to hang 10. The title of Surf City, USA goes to -- stay with us and find out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The housing market has been slowing down in parts of the country for some time now, and some lenders are going to extreme measures to attract new mortgages. There's a 10-year mortgage, a 15-year mortgage and the most common, the 30-year. But now you can actually get a 50-year adjustable mortgage. It's available in California right now, but buyer beware. Building home equity is going to take you much longer than if you had a conventional 30-year loan.
And since these loans are adjustable, monthly payments could rise after an initial fixed period. And the number of cash-out refinance has surged, the highest level in more than 15 years in the first quarter. Home owners are pulling money out of their mortgages to pay down other debts with higher interest rates.
And the Fed did it again this week, raising interest rates once again. It's now more expensive to borrow money on everything from adjustable-rate mortgages to car loans. Though most analysts say that's it for now, no more rate hikes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Checking the headlines now, Indonesia's Mt. Merapi could blow at any time. It's already venting smoke and lava. Villagers are being urged to get out of harm's way and thousands have. Merapi has been rumbling for a month and scientists say a major eruption may be eminent.
Bombings are having a deadly impact in Iraq this weekend. Two U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb east of Baghdad today. Elsewhere around the capital, suicide attacks claimed 32 lives. One of the biggest near a checkpoint at the Baghdad International Airport.
Deciding the fates of Enron's former chiefs. Closing arguments begin tomorrow in the fraud and conspiracy case against Enron founder Ken Lay and his former CEO Jeffrey Skilling. Jurors are expected to listen to a dozen hours of persuasive arguments from both sides before deliberations begin.
Laura Bush says she doesn't believe Americans are losing faith in her husband. The first lady discredits recent opinion polls showing Mr. Bush's job approval rating tanking. She says as she travels the country, people tell her they have confidence in the president.
Roads that look like rivers, that's the scene across New England today, after torrential rains and widespread flooding. The governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire have declared states of emergency and more rain today could make matters even worse.
Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is tracking the system from the CNN Weather Center. Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Brianna, the rain is still coming down across the tri-state area where we're very concerned across eastern Massachusetts, southeastern parts of New Hampshire and southern parts of Maine, kind of in this area here along the I-95 corridor, some of the heaviest rainfall has come. This will continue into tomorrow morning and another round of rain is going to come, it will be less steady but we're still going to get some hit and miss showers and thunderstorms that could add an additional one to three inches of rainfall on top of what you already have.
We'll zoom into some of the areas where some of the heaviest rain is coming in off the Atlantic. So an ample moisture supply, where the rainfall amounts have been hefty and this has been going on really since Friday night where some of the heavier amounts have been into New Hampshire, some heavy rain around Concord right now and to the north of Rochester by the way about 100 people have been evacuated near the town of Milton, a concern of dam failure there and there are dozens and dozens of rivers with our forecast could-to-go out of their banks. These are all of the watches and warnings in place. In the dark green those are the flood warnings and into lighter green areas that where is flooding conditions are going to be possible. The watch is in effect until tomorrow morning, but it's very likely that is going to be extended. Why? How much rain have we seen? Here are some of the most impressive totals I could find.
Cape Neddick, Maine had more than 10 inches. Nearly ten in Andover, Massachusetts into South Weare, NH more than 6 inches and East Boston had about 6:34.
Here is our forecast rainfall over the next 24 hours in these reds and yellow that you are seeing right here, that's potentially another 1 to 3 inches of rainfall and you can see rain into the Ohio Valley and also into the Appalachians. That's going to be your next round moving in by late tomorrow and into tomorrow night.
On top of all this, Brianna, we've got severe weather to talk about. We've got watches in effect across the mid-Atlantic and also across the Gulf Coast. We're going to talk more about that in detail coming up in the next half hour.
KEILAR: Unfortunately, not very much good news there for the east coast.
JERAS: Not a lot.
KEILAR: Thanks Jacqui for that.
The city of San Bernardino, California, may become the next immigration battleground. Tomorrow the city council will consider a citizen's initiative it would impose some of the most stringent restrictions on illegal immigrants in the country. CNN's Jen Rogers has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (Voice over): This was the scene outside a southern California Home Depot on Friday, day laborers waiting for work and Joseph Turner plotting to put them out of business.
JOSEPH TURNER, ANTI-IMMIGRATION ACTIVIST: I want them all deported. I want them deported out of my country. ROGERS: With Washington still trying to find a solution, Turner an anti illegal immigration activist wrote his own initiative for San Bernardino, a city just east of Los Angeles, almost half of its population of 200,000 is Hispanic.
TURNER: I cannot control federal policy or anything to do with deportation but I can mitigate the harmful effects of illegal immigration at the local level by attacking the policies and practices that aid and abet illegal immigration.
ROGERS: Among his provision the proposed ordinance prohibits landlords from renting to illegal immigrants, ban taxpayer funded day labor centers, requires day laborers to prove residency and even calls for the confiscation of cars belonging to people hiring an illegal day laborer.
Taking advantage of an unusual provision in the city charter the politically savvy aide to a state legislator figured out he only needed to collect 2,216 signatures to put the measure before the city council. When San Bernardino city council members meet in here Monday afternoon, everyone is expecting a contentious meeting, with one of two outcomes, either the initiative is enacted immediately, or it's passed along to voters to decide. Immigration rights groups believe the initiative will be defeated at the ballot box, calling it racist, unconstitutional and an opportunistic measure from a well-connected political operative.
ARMANDO NAVARRO, IMMIGRANT RIGHTS ACTIVIST: He has the opportunity for national notoriety. This is an opportunity to be somebody at the national level because he thinks this is going to be a benchmark that can spread throughout this country and we'll make sure that it doesn't.
ROGERS: Despite cries of discrimination, council member Chas Kelley says he wants to pass the initiative immediately.
CHAS KELLEY, SAN BERNARDINO COUNCILMAN: This is not about being a racist. This is about doing what's right and being fair.
ROGERS: But the ordinance will face tough questions from other council members concerned about the high cost of enforcing it and the city's role in the immigration crisis.
DENNIS BAXTER, SAN BERNARDINO COUNCILMAN: For us to say Washington isn't going to do their job so we'll do it, too, what next? Are we going to start building borders around San Bernardino?
ROGERS: If the council does not approve the measure Monday a special election must be held between 90 to 135 days.
Jen Roger, CNN, San Bernardino, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: After nationwide rallies Monday's focus moves back to Washington. CNN will have extensive coverage of the story, beginning with "AMERICAN MORNING." Ed Lavandera will be on the border in El Paso, Texas. Bob Franken reports from Ohio, where one county is taking a hard-line stance against illegals. Live reports throughout the day from Capitol Hill, as lawmakers resume debate on immigration reform, and we'll be pushing towards the president's oval office address. Evening coverage gets started with a special edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM" at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Then find out what Lou Dobbs has to say on the subject. Followed by "LARRY KING LIVE" at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, join Anderson Cooper live from Chicago. Stay with CNN, all day Monday, for immigration nation coverage on TV, CNN.com, and CNN.com's Pipeline.
Now in case you missed it, let's check some of the highlights from the Sunday morning talk shows on all of them, the controversy over the government's monitoring of American's phone calls was a key topic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: It's a very interesting conversation that we're having across the United States about this right now, because if the intelligence activities had not been authorized by the president within the law, as they are, and we had a terrorist attack, people would, the question would be the opposite, why haven't you been trying to track Al Qaeda or links to Al Qaeda in the United States
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: Technology has probably gone beyond the status of our existing laws, and this administration has a pattern of excess. Rather than come to us and tell us how to amend the law to provide for them being able to do what they want to do, is they go ahead and just go ahead without any congressional oversight.
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Just look at the specifics of what they're doing, if it is totally legal. The real problem is the Bush administration refuses to come up front and explain it in advance. If you go to the American people and say, we're in a long war with people that want to kill millions of us. Your government has to have an ability to track these people down.
REP. JANE HARMAN (D-CA), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: I think the administration is breaking the law. It's legal rationale that it offers, I think it's extremely shaky, to this White House; the constitution starts with article two, which is the power of the executive. They skip over article one totally that is the legislature and article three is the court.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: It was the starting point for the war on terror. Straight ahead, two reports from Afghanistan and first on the front lines with U.S. troops as they continue their fight against the Taliban.
Then from New York's ground zero to Kabul, two women who lost their husbands in the 9/11 attacks, now on a mission of mercy.
Among the most popular story this is hour on CNN.com, breaking the color barrier. Harold Robinson, the first black scholarship athlete has died at his home in New Jersey. Robinson was 76 years old.
Number one on line this hour an Oregon teen gets 12 years for trying to kill two classmates using rat poison.
The title of "Surf City USA" goes to, congratulations, Huntington Beach, California. After a long rivalry with Santa Cruz the title was officially awarded to Huntington Beach on Friday. Click on CNN.com for details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: A brutal four-hour gun battle breaks out in Afghanistan between suspected Taliban militants and police. The fight began after police surrounded a small village in the Kandahar Province after getting a tip that Taliban members were there. Four police officers and as many as 11 militants were killed.
U.S. forces drove the Taliban from power nearly five years ago. But as ITV's Bill Neely reports, the Taliban is still a force to be reckoned with.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire!
BILL NEELY, ITV CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A nighttime attack by American troops. Rockets have just hit their base. They hit back. The war against an enemy once beaten is raging again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire!
NEELY: The Taliban in the mountains are back on the offensive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
NEELY: It's a round the clock war, special forces, thousands of troops, the casualties mounting. Another ten Americans killed in the nighttime crash of a helicopter like this one at the weekend. Night and day, U.S. helicopters scour the mountains where the Taliban are based, where the Soviet army was once defeated, where I went with today's occupiers on combat missions to rid Afghanistan of its new militants.
They move armored and fast to avoid attacks, but the attacks are mounting. These troops ambushed a dozen times. Here, not long ago, these U.S. troops surprised one of three groups of heavily armed men who they believe were about to launch an attack and that's becoming more and more common. The Americans have the heavy armor. The Taliban know the land.
LT. COL. PAUL FITZPATRICK, U.S. ARMY: The position up there, over watching, they could see them moving around, so we were hitting all around them, and they just disappeared after, we don't know if we killed them, we didn't find any bodies over there. NEELY: The shooting and the casualties are mounting. Two dozen Americans killed in combat missions so far this year. And this is their enemy, the same Taliban that's targeting British troops in Southern Afghanistan. The coalition drove the Taliban government from power five years ago, but these men never went away, and some of their weapons aren't just powerful, they're brand new. These pictures were filmed within the last year. We bought them on DVD in a market in Pakistan. They fight the Americans in a propaganda war, too. The U.S. and Britain are throwing everything at this fight -- jets, apache attack helicopters. Britain has eight in the south and between the more than 20,000 men, but their enemy, the Taliban and Al Qaeda, are also prepared for a long and costly war. This country is far from won yet.
Bill Neely, ITV News in eastern Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: As you know, it's Mother's Day today. Two American women are in Kabul, meeting with Afghan war widows. Patty Quigley and Susan Retik were both pregnant when their husbands were killed on September 11th. Now they created a foundation to help other widows around the world affected by terrorism and war. They staged a charity bike ride from New York to Boston to help raise funds. CNN's Fredricka Whitfield caught up with them in Kabul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): the last time we spoke, you all were commissioning a bike ride from New York to Boston as a fundraiser and now your efforts to reach out to so many others has taken you all the way to Kabul, Afghanistan. Why?
SUSAN RETIK, 9/11 WIDOW: We just arrived today, so we're still on a bit of a learning curve here, but it's -- the city is definitely a little bit more modern than I had anticipated, but everyone's been very friendly and we're anxiously looking forward to visiting the women that we're helping to support, and we're really anxious to hear their stories and make sure that when we do make grants, that it's going to the best programs, helping the most people.
PATRICIA QUIGLEY, 9/11 WIDOW: One of the things that was very important to us when we started beyond the 11th was making the connection with the widows in Afghanistan and this, for sure, brings us to that point of our mission, and that's making the connection personally. There's no way that we can go back to the United States and raise funds for these women without having more passion, than coming here and seeing them and being part of their lives for a day or two.
WHITFIELD: And so Patricia, do you think the women, we're talking about 30,000 to 40,000 women in Kabul alone, who are widowed because their husbands had, for the most part, died in wars that have torn that country apart for more than 20 years now. Do you think they have a clear understanding as to why you're reaching out to them? QUIGLEY: Yes, absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind that they understand from a mother's standpoint, from a human being standpoint, and from a woman's standpoint, that what Susan and I have set out to do, and all the people with Care International and the people of the United States that have helped us to this point, there's no doubt in my mind that they know and understand exactly what we want for them, and that's hope.
RETIK: As you know our husbands were killed September 11th. When we've given grants we don't necessarily expect the program directors to share that information, but they generally tend to, and the responses that we've heard, the feedback that we've heard is that the widows, the women have, feel a special connection with us, the way I think we do with them.
QUIGLEY: And on this particular trip, you know, Care International went completely out of their way to make this a safe, touching experience for us.
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KEILAR: You can find out more about the important work these women are doing at their foundation's Web site, beyondthe11th.org.
How much is that doggie on the Web site? Buying pets online, some of those puppies come with problems. The consumer warning coming up.
But first, don't call him a lame duck. There's a happy ending for this little bird and he has a popular movie to thank. We'll explain.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm PFC Rosso (ph) in Iraq. I'd like to wish my sister Athina Rosso (ph) a Happy Mother's Day. She's in Stockton, California. I love you, Athina and I will see you when I come home on leave. .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Jason Gentile (ph) coming to you from Iraq, I want to say hello to my grandmother and my mother. I want to say Happy Mother's Day. I love you guys and I'll be home soon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Lieutenant Colonel Justin Speegli (ph) from Kabul, Afghanistan. I'd like to give a shout out to my mom, Joanne Speegli (ph) in California. Happy Mother's Day mom. Can't wait to see you when I get back home in two months.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anna Jarvis is credited with founding Mother's Day in honor of her mother who died in early May 1905. But it wasn't until 1914 when President Wilson signed a joint resolution making the second Sunday of May the official Mother's Day holiday. Check out more facts in this timeline, this gallery highlights some traditional Mother's Day gifts from flowers, gems, to hand made gifts that include the ultimate pampering, breakfast in bed. Also view a few snapshots from some of our readers and their mothers and find out how to send us your own pictures.
Plus we've compiled a list of past and present TV moms. Pick your favorites and rank them in our poll.
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KEILAR: Bill Cosby may be best known for his acting and comedy but he is also famous for his pointed opinions on a number of issues, and he expressed some of those views today in an extremely receptive crowd. Graduates at Spellman College in Atlanta. He was the keynote speaker at their commencement and our Tony Harris sat down with Cosby for an in depth one on one interview.
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BILL COSBY, ACTOR/COMEDIAN: I'm looking at these graduates, and what I'm going to tell them essentially is, this is not your grandmother's world. It's a whole different place.
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KEILAR: You can catch the rest of Tony's interview on "CNN SUNDAY NIGHT" at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
We're confident the story from New Zealand is one that will make you smile. A kiwi bird with one less leg than usual to stand on is blazing a new trail. CNN Anna Hoven has more.
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ANNA HOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With some special assistance, this kiwi bird's days of hopping on one leg may be over. Tahi, a flightless kiwi who lost his leg in a trap would have a difficult time surviving in the wild on one leg. But now with the help of a special effects company credited with some big name films such as "Lord of the Rings" Tahi again has a chance to strut his stuff. Tahi has been outfitted with a state-of-the-art prosthetic leg.
PETER ALLEN, WELLINGTON ARTIFICIAL LIMB CTR: I spent a few hours looking at the videos to figure out how a bird walks.
HOVEN: Although still in the testing phase, Tahi's leg made from stainless steel and carbon fiber is a leap from the wooden prosthetics used on other kiwis.
GERRY WHITHOUSE-TEDD, WELLINGTON ZOO: If it works for him, then there is a very real future for this with other birds, and there are quite a few about in the same position as Tahi.
HOVEN: As for Tahi he can now resume his normal day-to-day activities on sure footing.
Anna Hoven, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Who would have thought?
A check of the headlines is coming up. But first, ice on the decline in our "Changing Earth" report.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After having analyzed data collected between 1950 and 2004 on nine sea bird species the research suggests the declining quantity of sea ice has caused a reduction in krill and other animals in early spring. Since this is the major food source for sea birds they arrive later and breed later when food is more scarce. Sea birds that breed in eastern Antarctica arrive nine days later and lay their eggs two days later than they did more than 50 years ago.
In turn in the western side of Antarctica, changes have not been noticed significantly. What is more, feeding habits have remained the same ever since. Earlier, I spoke with Dr. Coriad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He indicated that his research on the western Antarctica did not observe significant changes in bird egg laying.
Global warming or not, there are still fundamental scientific uncertainties that will be us for decades. What are the potential adverse and beneficial effects? Those answers will come with time, and maybe a little too late.
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