Aiding Al Qaeda?; Iraqi Crackdown on Insurgents; Attitudes on Iraq
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: So glad he's making time to come talk to us. You guys have a great day in New York City.</s>BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: You too, Daryn. Bye.</s>KAGAN: We'll get started by taking a look at what's happening "Now in the News." President Bush has a news conference scheduled in 45 minutes in the White House Rose Garden. The president is expected to talk about the economy, as well as his Social Security and energy plans. Mr. Bush will also take questions. We'll carry, of course, the president's remarks live 10:45 a.m. Eastern. The Pentagon is scheduled to release information today on proposed base closings. Lawmakers have asked to see e-mail, memos and spreadsheets that led to the recommendations. Meanwhile, members of the panel that will vote on the recommendations are getting an earful. They'll visit the Groton Submarine Base in Connecticut, which is scheduled for closure. A Russian oil tycoon and his business partner have been sentenced to nine years in prison. Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his associate were convicted of tax evasion and other crimes. Supporters of the oil magnate say the trial was politically motivated. And organizers of a Live 8 concert in 1985 are back with plans for another global event. It will be called Live 8. Five concerts will be held on July 2nd. The concerts are timed for the G-8 Summit in Scotland and are aimed to raise awareness of poverty in developing countries. By the way, we're going to have Bono along in a little bit to talk about issues in Africa, specifically in connection to that concert. Good morning, everyone. I'm Daryn Kagan. Just within the past hour, the White House deciding and announcing President Bush is holding a news conference this morning. It's scheduled to get underway in about 45 minutes. Our National Correspondent Bob Franken is at the White House this morning to preview the Rose Garden event. Good morning.</s>BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. And since we're told repeatedly by this White House that the president doesn't pay attention to polls. The timing of this news conference could not have anything to do with the fact that the president is down in the polls. The latest CNN/"USA Today" poll, for instance, shows his approval rating now at 46 percent, with a plus or minus of three points. And on the question of whether people agree with the president on issues that matter, the yes vote on that one is 40 percent, 57 percent the no. That's a plus or minus of 4.5 points. And it couldn't be because of a drumbeat of media reports recently that the president is losing his touch just a little bit, even use the "lame duck" word because we're told repeatedly that the president doesn't pay attention to media reports. Instead, it's pointed out that President Bush has been doing this about once a month. And this is the end of May, so it was time for him to do his May news conference, which will be held, as you pointed out, in about 40 to 45 minutes in the Rose Garden. We were also told, as you pointed out, that he's going to focus on a push for the energy bill. He's also going to talk about his belief that the economy is showing strong revivals. He's going to push for Congress to act with his budget with all the cuts that he is proposing. And the Central America Free Trade Organization, he's going to make a push for Congress to act on that. And also talk about Social Security reform. He'll get questions on a variety of issues, including probably the questions about his poll numbers and whether he's lost his touch. Daryn.</s>KAGAN: All right. Bob Franken at the White House. Thank you. CNN will carry President Bush's news conference live. It is scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m. Eastern, 7:45 a.m. Pacific. At this hour, two American citizens appear in federal court. They are accused of plotting to help al Qaeda in its so-called holy war. One man is a physician and facing a judge in Florida. The other, a self-described martial arts experts making his first appearance in New York. Our Mary Snow is outside the Federal Courthouse in Manhattan to tell us more -- Mary.</s>MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning. And both of these men are said to be friends for 20 years. Prosecutors say they both shared a loyalty to Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. Charged Rafiq Sabir. He was scheduled to be in court this hour in Courtpeers (ph), Florida. He is a doctor. Prosecutors say that he was set to travel to Saudi Arabia in a criminal complaint. It alleges that he intended to treat wounded members of the jihad there. Tarik Shah was also arrested and charged. He is scheduled to appear here at Federal Court in New York sometime this morning. A federal complaint alleges that he intended to provide martial arts training to al Qaeda members for hand-to-hand combat. This complaint also alleging that he inspected a warehouse on Long Island as a possible training site. The complaint alleges that on May 20th, both of these men met with an undercover FBI agent, who was posing as a recruiter for al Qaeda. And it alleges, in a taped conversation, both of them pledged their loyalty to Osama bin Laden. They were both arrested over the weekend. Yesterday, New York's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, saying that in cases like this, you can't take any chances.</s>MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: They clearly have said that they wanted to destroy our way of life and hurt the people of America. And if that's your definition of terrorism, I guess that certainly qualifies. How serious it was, whether it's just two misguided people who were -- or whether they really had infrastructure, whether they really had ties to al Qaeda, that we'll have to see as the investigation goes forward.</s>SNOW: And a number of calls to both their family and attorneys went unanswered. Again, both men scheduled to appear for the first time in court this morning -- one in Florida, another here in New York. Prosecutors say if convicted of this one charge of conspiracy to aid terrorists, the penalty is up to 15 years in prison and $250,000 fine -- Daryn.</s>KAGAN: Mary Snow in New York City. Thank you. Concerns about terror forced a diversion of a weekend Korean air flight that was bound for San Francisco. The plane was rerouted to Japan as it neared U.S. airspace after American authorities discovered a passenger's name was on the federal no-fly list. The airline revealed the diversion just this morning. U.S. authorities questioned the man upon the plane's arrival in Japan, determined he was not the terrorism suspect. Be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security. Now to the fight for Iraq. The CIA says it's studying a newly released audio taped message. This one is described as being from one of America's most wanted terrorists to another. On that tape, a man identifying himself as Abu Musab al Zarqawi is addressing Osama bin Laden. The voice says he suffered only a minor wound in combat and continues his insurgent campaign in Iraq. The tape offers no specifics on the alleged injury. It's being analyzed to determine if it is authentic. At least nine people are dead this morning in two separate crashes. Four Americans are among the dead in the crash of a U.S. plane near the Iraq/Iran border. The fifth victim was an Iraqi taking part in a joint training mission. The cause of the crash is under investigation. And there's no official cause yet determined in this morning's crash of an Italian helicopter in Southeastern Iraq. All four service members aboard were killed. The wreckage was found about 13 miles south-southeast of Nasiriya. Meanwhile U.S. and Iraqi officials say they are seeing signs of success in the major anti-insurgent offensive that's been called Operation Lightening. Among the signs, hundreds of arrests. Our Jane Arraf is in Baghdad with the latest.</s>JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Increased checkpoints have sprung up across Baghdad as Operation Lightning gets underway. The chief U.S. military official in charge of that operation, Major General William Webster, commanding general of the 3rd infantry division, says that this operation, proceeded by one launched by U.S. forces, is aimed particularly at cracking down on car bombs, car bomb factories, and those cells that are putting them together. He tells us that his forces and Iraqi forces have captured 600 suspected insurgents in the last two weeks. Among those, he says, are 40 foreign fighters. All of this aimed at what has been a spike in attacks, particularly car bombs.</s>MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM WEBSTER, COMDR., 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION: We wish we could have done it sooner, but this is when we're able to get it accomplished and we're going after it.</s>ARRAF: Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al Jaafari has said part of the expected outcome of this, as well as cracking down on insurgents and limiting the attacks on Baghdad, will be that insurgents may move outside Baghdad into other areas. Iraqi officials say other similar operations are expected in other cities in the coming weeks. Jane Arraf, CNN, reporting from Camp Liberty in Baghdad.</s>KAGAN: Vice President Dick Cheney says the reported wounding of al-Zarqawi and the greater role of Iraqi forces shows the insurgency in Iraq, according to Mr. Cheney, is in its last throes. In fact, Mr. Cheney predicts the fighting will end before the Bush administration completes its second term in about three and a half years. Here now some of that interview that aired last night on CNN's "Larry King Live."</s>DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, we're making major progress there. We've got a new government stood up now. They had elections -- free elections, really, for the first time in centuries, in January of this year. They're going to be writing the constitution this summer. That will lead to elections under that constitution later this year, and there will be a brand-new government in place, duly elected under a newly written constitution by the end of the year.</s>KAGAN: Join Larry King tonight when his guests are former President Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific right here on CNN. Well, Mr. Cheney's confidence is seeming at odds with most Americans. Polls showing, as the U.S. death toll has climbed, public support has waned. Here is CNN's Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider.</s>BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): More than 1,600 Americans have been killed in Iraq. One-hundred-thirty-nine in the war two years ago. Even more since the January 30th elections in Iraq. Americans were encouraged by those elections.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own liberty as they showed the world last Sunday.</s>SCHNEIDER: Iraq was getting a new government. The end was in sight. But the news since January has been discouraging.</s>SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: That makes at least eight bombings since Sunday and at least 46 deaths.</s>SCHNEIDER: Just after the elections in early February, most Americans thought things were going well for the U.S. in Iraq. By early May, the public's mood had soured, not just because of the losses as one analyst predicted before the war.</s>STEVE KULL, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: The critical question in Americans' mind is not whether there are body bags or not, but whether the operation that -- the military operation in question makes sense to them and whether they think it's succeeding or not.</s>SCHNEIDER: The military says it's succeeding.</s>GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: They keep going after what we in the military call these centers of gravity. They're not successful.</s>SCHNEIDER: Critics say there's no plan.</s>REP. STENY HOYER, (D) MARYLAND: And they fail to articulate a success strategy in Iraq.</s>SCHNEIDER: The president begs to differ.</s>BUSH: And our strategy is clear. We will train Iraqi forces so they can take the fight to the enemy and defend their own country.</s>SCHNEIDER: The public appears to be losing confidence in that strategy. In early February, Americans were split over President Bush's handling of Iraq. By late May, the public's assessment had turned negative. What seems to be affecting public opinion are local news reports, which give the losses a face.</s>UNKNOWN MALE: Gore (ph) was doing security work when the helicopter in which he was a passenger was shot down near Baghdad.</s>SCHNEIDER: And a family.</s>UNKNOWN MALE: We miss you, Jason (ph).</s>SCHNEIDER: Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.</s>KAGAN: Two teenagers who were looking for something to do. Well, they've got something now. They're behind bars. Still to come, accused of a chilling crime because they were bored. Plus, a copycat crane climber. Try saying that 10 times fast. He didn't hold out very long. A cigarette saved the day here. We'll tell you how. Details straight ahead. And later, it was the '80s version of Woodstock Live 8. Now a big rock concert is coming back for an encore. That story a little later on CNN LIVE TODAY.