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Report: Baghdad's Showing Limited Progress; Media Follows Parents of Missing Girl; McLaren Slapped With Massive Fine, Points Stripped

Aired September 14, 2007 - 12:00   ET

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

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Under a different spotlight. The parents of a missing British girl become the center of endless speculation.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Under fire over a full- page advertisement. A prominent U.S. newspaper denying it cut a deal with a liberal anti-war group.

GORANI: And a pint-sized perspective. Are American drivers ready to downsize? The smart car gears up for a U.S. debut.

CLANCY: And...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX, AFRICAN GREY PARROT: Banana.

IRENE PEPPERBERG, SCIENTIST: Right. Good boy. Right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: He redefined the phrase "bird brain". The death of a famous African Grey parrot reopens a debate.

GORANI: Hello, everyone. It is noon in Cambridge, Massachusetts, 5:00 p.m. in Rothley, England.

Hello and welcome. Our report is broadcast around the globe.

I'm Hala Gorani.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy.

And this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

GORANI: We will have all those stories in just a moment. But we begin in Washington, D.C.

One day after President George Bush told the American people that the troop surge in Iraq is working, a new White House assessment shows "satisfactory progress" on only half of the benchmarks established for the Iraqi government. Still, the president says, the U.S. needs more time to complete the mission.

White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano joins us now with more. Elaine, half the benchmarks show satisfactory progress. The other half don't.

Is there anything new in this benchmark report?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No, but what's interesting to note here, Hala, is that last night, of course, was all about the president highlighting the positive taking place in Iraq -- the security gains, the progress at the local political levels in some parts of Iraq. Well, today, of course, on the heels of that address to the nation last night, now the bad news.

The White House's own report outlining, as you say, these 18 benchmarks and the assessment that nine of them of them there is satisfactory progress, according to the White House. Seven of them, according to the White House' report, rated unsatisfactory. And the Bush administration saying that on two of these, the conditions don't exist yet to be able to really evaluate them.

Now, for several days we really have been hearing the Bush administration clearly downplaying the significance of some of these benchmarks, saying that the progress that's taking place on the ground in Iraq can't be measured by just these benchmarks alone. In a written statement, in fact, released with this report, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said, "We continue to work with the Iraqis to establish the strategic environment in which security and meaningful reconciliation can develop and take root in ways not easily measured by these benchmarks."

And Tony Snow echoed that sentiment earlier today on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It's a report card that we've got to bring home for Congress. As you know, it's sort of a fractional look at what goes on in Iraq. It is certainly not the sum and substance of everything going on, but there's some benchmarks Congress wanted to meet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, what's important to note here, Hala, is the standard. It's not a letter grade or a pass/fail grade that the White House used to evaluate each of these benchmarks, but rather, asking the question about every one of these benchmarks. Are these goals tracking towards satisfactory accomplishment in the near term? Again, not whether or not each individual benchmark has been met.

The bottom line, Hala, the president's critics are going to take a look at that report. They'll take a look at the standard, at the criteria, and conclude that the president's surge strategy in Iraq so far has failed to lead to the kind of national political reconciliation, they say, is urgently needed -- Hala.

GORANI: And those who support him will probably use that same report to say that success is being achieved. Now, the president is in Quantico right now. What is he doing there?

QUIJANO: That's right. It's the Marine Corps base at Quantico, Virginia, nearby. And he's actually having lunch and is due this hour to make a statement to reporters who are traveling with him.

This really is, of course, a follow-on to last night's speech. And he's not the only one out trying to reinforce the message. Vice President Dick Cheney, in fact, earlier this morning in Michigan at the Gerald Ford Museum, trying to push forward the message that even though the administration believes that there is a lot of tough work still ahead, they also believe that gains have been made as a result of this -- of the surge strategy -- Hala.

GORANI: Thank you.

Elaine Quijano at the White House.

And we will be carrying right here on CNN live the remarks of the president in Quantico -- Jim.

CLANCY: Her political future unclear, the charges against her unresolved. Nonetheless, former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto is coming out of exile on October the 8th -- or 18th, I should say, to be exact.

She was accused of corruption during her two tenures in office and says she is not sure whether she'll have to face those charges when she goes back. Bhutto's been in talks with President Pervez Musharraf about a power-sharing arrangement. Nothing concrete yet announced. This morning she told CNN International Pakistan needs her leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENAZIR BHUTTO, FORMER PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER: We've lost control of our tribal areas. And in our largest province of Balochistan there's an insurgency.

Our military is on civil duty and it's being thinly stretched. Yesterday there were several officers who were killed by a suicide bomber.

I believe that democracy can undermine the forces of terrorism by addressing the needs of the people. And so my commitment to democracy today is for the sake of freedom. But it's also to save my country from the threat of the Taliban, who could actually undermine the very existence of Pakistan, if they are allowed to grow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: All right. Now, she obviously in a mood to challenge the man described as the most important ally in the war on terror, General Pervez Musharraf. Bhutto's announcement comes just days after another Musharraf rival tried to return from exile. Another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was refused entry as soon as he landed in Pakistan.

GORANI: Well, the former American football star O.J. Simpson may be in hot water in Las Vegas. Police there say Simpson has been questioned in connection with an alleged theft at the Palace Station Casino. The Associated Press says the incident involved sports memorabilia. Simpson was acquitted in the 1995 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Well, now for the latest on the disappearance of little Madeleine McCann, a 4-year-old British girl who just vanished from a hotel in Portugal. Her parents who returned to Britain a bit earlier this week have been named as suspects.

A spokesman for the McCanns confirms they're now in London visiting with some lawyers. The case has generated enormous interest from London to Portugal. There is so much speculation on what could have happened.

Emily Chang takes a look at the media furor that this story is generating.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EMILY CHANG, REPORTER (voice over): A family friend taking the twins on a walk is enough to set off a media frenzy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's ridiculous, isn't it? But this is how the media works.

CHANG: Kate McCann left about 15 minutes later to collect the twins and bring them home. Portuguese journalist Sandra Felgueiras has been covering Madeleine's disappearance since day one. First in Praia da Luz, now here in Rothley.

SANDRA FELGUEIRAS, RTP JOURNALIST: Everyone wants to have the biggest story, wants to have the -- the answer for the question, where is Madeleine? What happened to Madeleine?

CHANG: There are also teams from Spain, France, Germany, the U.S., and more.

PEDRO NIEMBRO, ANTENA 3: Right now, we are working more on suspicions, more on what people say and less on facts. So, that's really hard for us. It's really hard for to us get facts right now.

CHANG (on camera): Many journalists will admit there's really nothing happening here right now, but that doesn't mean they're going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, many say no matter what happens or doesn't happen, they're posted here indefinitely.

NEIL WELCH, PRESS ASSOCIATION: There's so many things that could happen at the moment. A lot of journalists are waiting around so if something does happen, they're the first there. I think as the time goes on, it will be less likely there will be developments in the story, and that's when people will start to leave. CHANG (voice over): And so journalists continue to scramble after every car that pulls in and out of the McCann home and wonder who delivered the latest bouquet of flowers, hoping it means something new.

FELGUEIRAS: We won't leak the story. Madeleine's case wants to stop being a top story in Portugal, not for now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Our correspondent Emily Chang joins us now live from Rothley.

Emily, certainly the parents of Madeleine McCann in the spotlight, but how many hard questions are being asked of Portuguese police? A lot of people think they blew this case. They were offered help by British authorities and turned it down.

CHANG: Well, there's just certainly a lot of speculation surrounding this case from London to Portugal and around the world. Just today, some of the British tabloids reporting some very remarkable headlines here in "The Daily Mail" that Maddy was killed by sleeping tablets. Also reporting that Kate McCann confessed in her diaries to having trouble controlling her hyperactive -- "hyperactive children".

Now, note, none of these headlines have been independently verified by CNN. But it just goes to show the level of interest in this case.

Everybody wants to know what happened to Madeleine. But the reality is, we don't know. We don't know whether Madeleine is dead or alive.

There is no body. And Portuguese police, as you said, are not talking. But the media is still reporting and we just don't know what the headline is going to be tomorrow -- Jim.

CLANCY: All right. Emily Chang there live from Rothley.

Thank you -- Hala.

GORANI: Well, because of similarities to the Madeleine McCann case, a film that was due out in November has been definitely -- indefinitely delayed in the U.K. It's actor Ben Affleck's directorial debut.

The film called "Gone Baby Gone" tells the tale of a 4-year-old girl who's kidnapped from her bed after her parents leave her by herself. The movie was shot last year, of course, before Madeleine went missing.

Earlier this week at a French film festival, Affleck said the potential loss of box office sales wasn't important compared to the McCanns' real-life matter of life and death. CLANCY: An American football team that has enjoyed a great deal of glory in recent years is about to pay the price for cheating. The NFL, the National Football League, punishing the New England Patriots for using a video camera to spy on opposing coaches.

Friday, the team was fined $250,000 and will forfeit their first- round draft pick next year if the Patriots do make the playoffs. Head coach Bill Belichick was slapped with a $500,000 fine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BELICHICK, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS HEAD COACH: I know there's a lot of interest here on the -- you know, the situation, the decision last night. But as I stated, that it's over and we're moving on. And right now all my energy and focus and attention is on the San Diego Chargers and that game Sunday night.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: Well, a video assistance, as he was called for the Patriots, caught stealing the opposing team's signals, videotaping them during last Sunday's game.

GORANI: From one sports scandal to another, this one involves even bigger bucks and the jet set. Formula One authorities are set to name names and reveal details about why they slapped a $100 million fine on leading racing team McLaren. A lot of money involved here. A lot of sponsorship money.

Phil Black joins us now from London with the latest on this scandal -- Phil.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hala, yes, first we learned the penalty, $100 million, plus the loss of all construction points for the McLaren team. Now we know perhaps the thinking behind it. The sports governing body has published its decision and the reasons for it in this document, some 14 pages that details a lot of the evidence they heard at a hearing in Paris yesterday that led to this decision.

Crucially in that evidence, are mentions of e-mails, e-mails between three key people within the McLaren camp. We heard something of this in the lead-up to the hearing.

They are involved between McLaren's chief designer, the man who is said to have obtained 780 secret pages of documents, technical information regarding the Ferrari team, the team's test driver, Pedro De La Rosa, and its driver, Fernando Alonso. Now, within these e-mail exchanges, they discuss very technical, specific details of the Ferrari car -- the braking systems, the gas used in the tires, the weight distribution, very specific information. They also express the intent and the enthusiasm to test out some of this information and see how it works.

Now, McLaren says that none of those tests were ever conducted. Its argument is the information, in fact, never went beyond any of those three individuals.

But the governing body said, well, that's pretty unlikely. And it believes that even if tests were conducted, McLaren was at an advantage because the decisions it was making in regards to its own system were done so with that inside knowledge of the Ferrari team -- Hala.

GORANI: A scandal in that sport that involves, as we said, Phil Black, big bucks. Thanks very much.

Phil Black reporting live from London.

And as we were saying when this news broke, this involves the constructor's race, not the driver's championship. So the drivers of the McLaren team can still compete. So...

CLANCY: Right, which is good. It's good for them.

GORANI: Which is good for the team, definitely. It could have been worse for that McLaren team.

CLANCY: It's going to be expensive for the team.

GORANI: Definitely.

CLANCY: Let's move on to a different level.

We're going to take a short break, but when we come back, the controversy over that now infamous MoveOn.org ad.

GORANI: Coming up, we'll see why critics of the ad that attacked General Petraeus are now taking aim at the paper that published it.

CLANCY: Also ahead, they're hip, they're smart, and, well, they're pretty small. Are Americans ready to accept a pipsqueak as king of the road?

GORANI: And he was famous for his one-liners and made "bird brain" a term of respect. Now researchers are mourning the loss of our beloved feathered friend.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International.

Residents of Indonesia might well be asking when is this going to end? Authorities called off yet another tsunami alert that was issued after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4. It rattled the southwestern coast of Sumatra very early today.

It is the same area that has been hit by a -- was hit by a magnitude 8.4 quake on Wednesday. Several major aftershocks, including this latest one, are keeping jittery residents from going back into their homes. There are no reports of casualties or damage in this latest tremor.

Now, if you have any pictures of the aftermath of the quakes, why don't you send along your photos and the video? How's life going there? Share it with the rest of the world.

Go to CNN.com and click on the "I-Report" logo.

CLANCY: Now, stories don't get much more ironic or sad than this. A top American chef has been diagnosed with cancer of the tongue. In fact, the cancer is so advanced that the chef could lose his sense of taste and possibly, of course, even his life.

CNN's Keith Oppenheim has this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Grant Achatz is carefully snipping cedar leaves, the aromatic cover of a new dish that I was the first to try.

GRANT ACHATZ, CHEF: The idea is that the mushrooms on top of the beef are mingling with the flavors of the cedar. So...

OPPENHEIM (on camera): That's really fantastic.

ACHATZ: Good.

OPPENHEIM (voice over): Achatz is the head chef at Alinea, a Chicago restaurant ranked number one in the nation last year by "Gourmet" magazine. Just 33 years old, he's become famous for menus that blend exotic tastes and textures.

ACHATZ: Everything I see, everything I hear, everything I touch, I relate to food.

OPPENHEIM: But his talent and his life could be in jeopardy. Achatz has stage four cancer. It began with pain on his tongue. At first, it didn't seem like a big deal.

ACHATZ: Then it got really bad.

OPPENHEIM (on camera): Like how bad?

ACHATZ: Well, to the point where it was affecting my speech to a great degree and I was not being able to eat solid foods. And it became a big problem.

OPPENHEIM (voice over): The cancer spread to more than half his tongue. Most doctors recommended surgery to survive at the cost of potentially losing his palette.

DR. EVERETT VOKES, ONCOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: There would have been some taste, but clearly a major compromise in how he would have been able to taste, talk and swallow.

OPPENHEIM: At the University of Chicago, Dr. Everett Vokes prescribed a different plan. First, reduce the tumor with chemotherapy and radiation, then consider surgery if cancer remains.

For Grant Achatz, saving his tongue seemed like the only course.

ACHATZ: You're dealing with your tongue, your pallet.

OPPENHEIM (on camera): Which were you more worried about, your career or your life?

ACHATZ: Career, easily, yes. Because like I said before, I never thought I was going to die.

OPPENHEIM (voice over): The truth is Grant Achatz doesn't know if he'll beat this cancer, but so far it hasn't taken his sense of humor.

ACHATZ: I mean, look around. Half my staff has shaved heads. So I'm going to fit right in.

OPPENHEIM: And it hasn't slowed his determination to be one of the world's top chefs.

Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: OK. All right. Keith Oppenheim there with that story.

And we wish the chef the best of luck in his recovery.

Now, there is a lot of controversy in the United States concerning one full-page ad in "The New York Times" that criticizes General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in the United States.

"General Petraeus or General Betray Us?" This ad was paid for by the left-leaning organization MoveOn.org.

Well, the former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, has been very critical of it. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I don't think should happen in political discourse is the kind of character assassination that MoveOn.org participated in calling him "General Betray Us," that "The New York Times" gave them a discount to do, and that Hillary Clinton followed up on with these attacks on his integrity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: Well, you heard there the U.S. Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani talking about that MoveOn.org's full-page ad in "The New York Times". Now, MoveOn, as we mentioned, is an advocacy group which is left-leaning, and its ad blasted U.S. General David Petraeus, questioning his testimony on Iraq, even attacking his character. Now another paper's reporting that The Times gave MoveOn a discount of more than $100,000. The Times says, hold everything, there's a very valid explanation.

Let's bring in Howard Kurtz to help us sort this all out of "The Washington Post".

Howard, thanks for being with us.

Did they get a discount? They paid about $65,000 for the full- page Petraeus ad. Is that a discount?

HOWARD KURTZ, "THE WASHINGTON POST": It's a completely bogus issue that was started by Rupert Murdoch's "New York Post". I mean, yes, it is true that a full-page ad in "The New York Times" can cost as much as $180,000. But $65,000 is the rate that The Times routinely offers to advocacy groups that don't insist on certain placement or that the ad run on a certain day.

And the reason I know this is true is that none other than Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, has just bought a full-page ad to press his views very similar to what we just heard there for the sum of $65,000 from "The New York Times".

GORANI: All right. So this isn't unusual. Advocacy groups, whether they are left-leaning or right-leaning get that kind of rate in a paper like "The New York Times"?

KURTZ: You know, look, I'm not going to defend for a second this personal attack on Petraeus that MoveOn has mounted. And it has been an absolute godsend to Republicans like Giuliani and others who are beating up on the group and trying to make it sound like not just that the Democrats condone these kind of attacks, but that "The New York Times" does.

Well, there's a certain thing called freedom of expression, and "The New York Times" tells me that its executives did not review the content of this MoveOn ad when the deal was made. Conservative groups, liberal groups, all kinds of people that are not publishing something libelous can take out space. They buy the space -- it's called advertising -- in "The New York Times".

So I don't think -- I think it's perfectly fair to attack MoveOn. Almost no Democrats are defending that particulars ad. But I don't think it is fair to try to say that "The New York Times" had some kind of agenda in doing that.

GORANI: Sure.

Howard, I just -- we've got 10 seconds. But, you know, a lot of people say, why in the U.S. don't newspapers just come out and admit to their political sympathies? Like in the U.K., "The Guardian" is left-leaning, "The Independent" is left-leaning. And maybe The Times is right-leaning.

Why doesn't that happen here? KURTZ: The editorial pages certainly do that. "The New York Times" page, liberal against the war, but the news coverage is not. It tries to be fair with some problems. Just like all newspapers try to be fair.

A very different political culture here in the media as opposed to in Europe and other places around the world.

GORANI: OK.

As always, Howard Kurtz, thanks so much for being with us on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

A break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

CLANCY: Hello, everyone, and welcome back. Whether you're joining us from anywhere around the globe, or right here in the United States , you are with YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Jim Clancy.

GORANI: I'm Hala Gorani. And here are some of the top stories we're following this hour:

A new White House assessment shows the Iraqi government made, quote, "satisfactory progress" on only half the benchmarks established. During a national televised speech Thursday night, President Bush said he's pressuring Baghdad to step up efforts for political progress.

CLANCY: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto says she's going to return home next month after eight years of self- imposed exile. Bhutto, of course, had been accused of corruption during her two tenures in office. And says it's unclear whether she will have to face those charges when she does go back.

GORANI: The parents of a four-year-old British girl have become the center of a media frenzy and endless speculation over their daughter's disappearance. Kate and Gerry McCann, who have been named suspects, are in London visiting with lawyers. Madeleine went missing in May, while the family was vacationing in Portugal.

CLANCY: Pakistani soldiers have been battling Islamic militants in the troubled boarder area with Afghanistan now for months, years, really. The army says as many as 90 militants were now killed in three days of heavy fighting in north and south Waziristan.

Meantime Afghan and U.S. troops raiding the hideout of a Taliban commander they say is linked to the July abduction of 23 South Korean church volunteers. Reports carried on the wire services say six militants were killed, but the Taliban commander managed to escape that raid.

GORANI: Now, U.S. troops have become accustomed to fighting and living in the unforgiving terrain of Afghanistan. And at one remote base, they've learned to make do with very little. They're also learning to deal with the constant danger that comes with their specific location. Nic Robertson is in Afghanistan and filed this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): So remote everything comes by air. Flavored drinks, a rare luxury, sodas unheard of, everything is prioritized, limiting the number of troops sustainable here.

LT. COL. CHRIS KOLENDA, U.S. ARMY: We call food class one. Fuel class three.

ROBERTSON (on camera): Less important?

KOLENDA: Yes, sir. We have ammo class five. Class four, reconstruction stuff. To get those items up to us takes a lot of air assets.

ROBERTSON: Mountains dominate forward-operating base, FOB, Keating in Kandesh (ph), northeastern Afghanistan, and dictate not just a frugal, but a dangerous life for the soldiers here.

KOLENDA: We have received small-arms range inside this compound as well as indirect fires, the rockets.

ROBERTSON (on camera): Mortars?

KOLENDA: Yes, sir. We've had soldiers injured and killed on this FOB.

ROBERTSON: Inside the secure wall?

KOLENDA: Actually inside what we call our perimeter. The HESCOs (ph) themselves.

ROBERTSON: And the insurgents are firing quite literally from these rocks that are right over us here.

KOLENDA: Yes, sir. This is what we call our north face. As you can see, it's very severe terrain.

ROBERTSON (voice over): Attacks from every direction began ratcheting up mid-August, almost daily at times.

KOLENDA: We jokingly refer to this as the fishbowl because, once again, 360 degrees we are visible.

ROBERTSON (on camera): As soldiers improve the base's defenses, they're building trenches like those used in the First and Second World War. The trenches run between the buildings so when they do come under attack from insurgents on the high ground, they can move around the base safely to get between their different firing positions. (Voice over): I visited another base farther south, in Naray (ph) where there are more troops and more reconstruction of schools, health clinics, electricity supplies and attacks are far less frequent.

KOLENDA: The Naray (ph) District is a very, very good news story. This district is much more contested, and it's going to take more time.

ROBERTSON (on camera): How much?

I don't know. It's really up to the people.

ROBERTSON (voice over): Elders here have been swayed by U.S. reconstruction money, ending hostility.

"When Americans came here, they brought peace and security," Goal Zaire (ph), a district sub-governor explains. "They help us. And before we didn't know that. When we see they are helping us, we have a lot of interest in them."

Back at FOB-Keating they say they are beginning to win over some local elders. But to speed up the process, they need to stop their convoys being ambushed.

KOLENDA: In this terrain if you -- if you can secure the high ground, you will own that terrain.

ROBERTSON (on camera): And you won't get ambushed?

KOLENDA: It lessens -- it is less likely. If you're higher, you can obviously observe.

ROBERTSON (voice over): And to do that, they need more troops, which means more supplies, which means more helicopters. But it would make them safer.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Forward Operating Base Keating, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Well, we're getting some intelligence reports in. If you live in Europe, a lot of speculation, Apple's new iPhone, just reduced in price a little bit in the United States, is set to go across the Atlantic to a store near you soon. The notoriously secretive Apple is holding a press conference on Tuesday in London.

But we're -- we're hearing that word on the street that Apple is launching the iPhone in Europe, shouldn't be much of a surprise. What's right around the corner? Well, the holiday shopping season, of course.

Now, the German government says an unusual claim is being made on the Internet. A claim of responsibility by an Islamic militant group for a foiled bomb plot that authorities said targeted American facilities in Germany. Three alleged plotters have been arrested. One of them is a Turk in origin. Frederik Pleitgen has reaction from Germany's large Turkish community.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When Imam Mustafa leads Friday prayers at the Turkish Sheiklic (ph) Mosque in Berlin, he said it's the people his words don't reach who are the problem.

"There are almost no Islamist militants in the Turkish community in Germany. Maybe one or two crazy people we don't have any influence over," he says.

People like Aden Yoomas (ph), the 29-year-old Turk was one of those arrested last week for alleged planning massive bomb attacks targeting especially Americans in Germany, spawned by hatred of the United States. Yoomas (ph), and several others believed to be involved are a small but dangerous group of radical Islamist Turks in Germany. Turks are by far the largest migrant group in German, a group that is generally moderate. German authorities list fewer than 100 Turkish Islamists as dangerous.

(On camera): Experts say the potential for violent Islamism among Turks in Germany is tiny. But they also say it could be growing, especially among teenagers and young adults.

(Voice over): As in many other European countries, it's the second and third generation migrants German politicians are worried about. People the government in Berlin says have trouble integrating into German society.

"We do have the situation where many of them know only rudimentary Germen and about 40 percent have no job qualifications, and that's where we have to do more so that changes," Maria Berman (ph) says.

Several Turkish Islamist groups have a strong foothold in Germany. Authorities list more than 32,000 Turks as members of an Islamic organizations. While none of them openly call for violence, a terrorism expert Udo Ulfkotte says many foster animosity toward Western culture.

UDO ULFKOTTE, TERRORISM EXPERT: This is a climate for terrorism. This is a climate that we should prevent and we don't do that. We just I say, just the violent terrorism we don't want to have that. We don't look inside our communities, where is it coming -- where it is coming out.

PLEITGEN: In his prayer, Imam Mustafa sent out a message of peace to those in his community. While he says he knows he can't stop those who resort to terrorism, he also says they have no place among Turks living in Germany.

Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE) GORANI: All right, we are keeping our eye right now on a news conference by the Las Vegas police. They will be coming to that podium in just a matter of minutes, and we will carry part of that news conference live.

They are investigating an alleged burglary at the Palace Station Casino. Now, what makes this interesting is that the former football star, O.J. Simpson has been questioned in connection with the alleged theft. O.J. Simpson, of course, well has been a center of tabloid stories since he was cleared of murdering his wife and her friend about 12, 13 years ago -- his ex-wife. Jim.

CLANCY: All right, we're going to take you live to Quantico, Virginia and U.S. President George W. Bush is coming out to talk. Let's listen to what he has to say. U.S. Marines are the people he's talking to.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our general officers and sergeants who train young lieutenants, I had a chance to speak to some of the lieutenants. First of all, my first impression is, it's an amazing country where people volunteer in the face of danger. A lot of these lieutenant, Marine lieutenants fully understand the nature of the world in which we live. And they are willing to serve.

They are willing to serve to protect and defend this country. And they are willing to serve to help shape the conditions so the world is more peaceful. I told them about my speech last night. I told them that I'd listened very carefully to the recommendations of the military, in particular General Petraeus. And that the plan I announced was that we're making enough -- based upon the fact that we're making enough success in Iraq that we can begin bringing some troops home.

And that I told the American people last night that we've got what's called return on success. I also told them that our commanders will have the flexibility and the troops needed to achieve the mission, which is an ally in this war on terror, and a stable country that can self-govern, a democracy, in the heart of the Middle East.

I made it clear that the sacrifices that they and their families were going to make were necessary for the short term and long-term security of the country. That we'd rather than defeat the enemy overseas than have to face them here. And we fully understand, or I fully understand, if we were to be driven out of Iraq, that the Middle East could be in chaos, and chaos would embolden Sunni extremists like Al Qaeda and chaos would embolden Iran. And that it's in our interests that we help Iraq succeed.

It's not only in our interests, but also in the Iraqis' interest. I made it clear to them that there's a lot of courage in Iraq. These Iraqis are in the fight. But I also made it clear to them that we expect the Iraqi government to enhance national reconciliation through the passage of law. I told them that I was able to give this speech because of the progress being made.

I hope the American people listened very carefully to what our commanders and Ambassador Crocker had to say. They're there. They understand the progress that's being made.

I also made it clear that now's the chance for us to come together as a nation. That some of us who believe security was paramount, we're on opposite sides of a debate where people just say we simply need to bring our troops home. Well, now we've got security in the right direction and we are bringing our troops home.

I call upon the United States Congress, listen very carefully to what General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker reported, and support the troop levels that these two men think are necessary to achieve our objective. I also expect the Congress to support our men and women in uniform, and their families, and those who have worn the uniform.

And so, it's a great honor to be out here to speak with an incredible group of men and women. It's my honor to be their commander in chief. Thank you for your time.

CLANCY: All right. U.S. President George W. Bush there visiting the Quantico Marine Base saying he had talked with U.S. service members, praising them for their commitment, praising their families for the sacrifice that he knows that they're making, and saying that he hopes the message that was delivered to Congress, up on Capitol Hill, by both General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, is going to be listened to carefully by the American public, saying, we're getting some return on the success in Iraq.

All right, we're going to take a short break here. The question, is it possible to talk to the animals?

GORANI: Well, one bird proved that you could. Coming up, Alex is gone, but his work lives on. A look back at the parrot that revolutionized research into animals and language. Stay with us. You don't want to miss this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEX, GREY PARROT: Banana.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right, good boy. Right. What's it called?

ALEX: Shower.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

ALEX: Jungle gym.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jungle gym.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CLANCY: Now, to the story of the famous feathered friend. Alex, the African gray parrot, has passed on now. The talking bird gained worldwide fame. He learned more than 100 words, something like that. He knew colors. He knew some shapes and he knew some numbers. His language abilities surprised the scientific community. And really paved the way in animal language research. The most advancements were seen about birds.

Dr. Irene Pepperberg worked with Alex for most of his life, some 30 years. She joins us now from Cambridge, Massachusetts.

And we're sorry about your loss.

DR. IRENE PEPPERBERG, HARVARD & BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY: Thank you so much.

CLANCY: What did Alex really bring that was so different? What made him so special?

PEPPERBERG: He broke all of our preconceived notions about bird brain. I think that was the most important thing that he did.

CLANCY: You know, some people say he's still just memorized the words and it was still just his environment. The way perhaps you asked him to say something that made him rely. What do you think?

PEPPERBERG: No. People would come in, you know, all of those camera shots, reporters would come in and take credit cards out of their pockets and say what shape or what color. And he would respond. We did a lot of studies to show that he really understood the vocalizations.

For example, I could show him two objects and ask him what's here? How many? What color bigger? What matter bigger? What matter smaller? What's the same? What's different? And he had to process all those different questions to be able to answer appropriately.

And, of course, I wasn't the only one. As I said, people would come in and, you know, just show things to him and he would do it perfectly so ...

CLANCY: Now, in reality people did work with him an incredible amount of time, because if you weren't working with him every day, somebody else was.

PEPPERBERG: That's right. He had interactions. And it wasn't always testing and training. He had interactions with people 8 hours to 12 hours a day. So, they would ask him where he wanted to go, or what he wanted to do. Or he would ask them questions, you know, what color? What shape? What matter? It's the way you would train and work with, and I put training in little quotes. It was the way he would interact with a toddler.

CLANCY: Doctor Pepperberg, you know, obviously Alex was an incredibly brainy parrot, but it seemed like he was also a friend.

Can you -- can you hear me, Irene?

PEPPERBERG: Yes, i can.

CLANCY: Was he really a friend to you, too? Did that intelligence go over into personality?

PEPPERBERG: We were very, very close colleagues. I mean, one of the things that was so difficult was making sure that I separated my emotions, from my research abilities with him. And so I refer to him as my really, really close colleague. I mean, after 30 years. Think about working with a colleague for 30 years. That's the kind of relationship that we had.

CLANCY: A lot of people that never knew him, this has been the most e-mailed story all week on "The New York Times" Web site, I think. And -- certainly one of them. And you've gotten thousands of e- mails, haven't you?

PEPPERBERG: That's correct. We set up a separate little Yahoo! group, and there's something like 1,400 hits just on that. And that does not include the number of e-mails that came to myself, to my lab manager, and to other people in the laboratory.

CLANCY: All right. Irene Pepperberg, I want to thank you for coming in with us and sharing a little bit of your knowledge of your friend, Alex, who has passed on again. We're sorry.

PEPPERBERG: Thank you so much.

CLANCY: We've got to take a short break. We'll be back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: After multiple delays, Japan's space agency has launched its lunar probe, SELENE.

GORANI: Officials say that this is the biggest moon mission since the U.S. Apollo flights.

CLANCY: Scientists planning to use the data gathered by the orbiter to try to study the origin and evolution of the moon.

GORANI: The program had repeatedly been shelved because of monetary and technical setbacks as well.

Now, a U.S. foundation is sponsoring its own space race to send a probe to the moon with this huge reward to boot. The X-Prize Foundation and Internet giant Google announced a contest for inventors to create their own robotic spacecraft. The competition is open for private teams only. The team's probe that reaches the moon first and sends back video images to prove it, will win $20 million. They have some time. The competition ends in 2012.

CLANCY: All right. GORANI: All right. I think that's it for this hour. Thanks for watching. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY. A lot more ahead after a break. I'm Hala Gorani.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. Stay with CNN.

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