Dozens of Insurgents Killed in Kufa as U.S. Troops Strike Back; Scott Peterson's Lawyer Makes Stunning Promise to Jury
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Dozens of insurgents killed in Kufa as U.S. troops strike back. The next Americans to join the fight may stay in it longer than they thought. Scott Peterson's lawyer makes a stunning promise to the jury, saying he has critical evidence about the baby his client is accused of killing. And no let up in spring's assault. Powerful winds knocking over trees and trucks and even a train. Those stories all ahead on this</s>AMERICAN MORNING. ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.</s>BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: And on the 3rd of June, she returns.</s>O'BRIEN: Oh, well, you missed me, huh?</s>HEMMER: Tons.</s>O'BRIEN: Well, you could have come to my house to help me move. But you didn't. But thanks for that.</s>HEMMER: No, I did not. How you doing? OK?</s>O'BRIEN: Doing great.</s>HEMMER: Welcome back. Great to have you here. A lot of headlines to talk about today. President Bush leading a very busy week of international diplomacy in which he'll focus largely on Iraq. He's meeting with Australia's prime minister this morning, then flying off to Europe. We'll also tell you about the latest orders from the Pentagon today that could effect thousands and thousands of U.S. troops. All that coming up here.</s>O'BRIEN: Also this morning we're talking to the man who turned down the Iraq presidency, Adnan Pachachi. We're going to ask him what really happened when the new government of Iraq was chosen, and why he's decided to remain on the sidelines.</s>HEMMER: Also this hour, another Iraqi politician, Ahmed Chalabi, accused of telling Iran the U.S. cracked its secret intelligence code. We'll talk to Senator Joseph Biden live this morning about how damaging this might be in the fallout that may come after it.</s>O'BRIEN: Jack Cafferty, did you miss me?</s>JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Morning, skinny, how you doing?</s>O'BRIEN: Oh, well.</s>CAFFERTY: You weren't moving. I assume you supervised the move. You weren't, like, carrying end tables and stuff around, were you?</s>O'BRIEN: I didn't carry furniture, but, you know, come on.</s>CAFFERTY: Yes.</s>O'BRIEN: I opened boxes. I did stuff.</s>HEMMER: She was sitting on the couch and then pointed and telling Brad where to do everything.</s>O'BRIEN: Brad was traveling; Brad did zero.</s>CAFFERTY: Put this over there, put this over there.</s>O'BRIEN: Brad did nothing.</s>CAFFERTY: I don't like it over there, put it over here. Yes, I've been there.</s>O'BRIEN: Wait a minute; I changed my mind.</s>CAFFERTY: Yes, I've done those. Remember about a month ago, President Bush said he would not be attending his daughter's college graduations because he didn't want to create security problems? He's given three college commencement speeches in the last three weeks on three different college campuses. Where presumably they had presidential security in place. We're going to take a look at something he said at one of them yesterday in a few minutes.</s>HEMMER: And note the states where they take place: Louisiana, Colorado -- no cinches for this election.</s>CAFFERTY: How do you say I'm not going to my daughter's college graduations and then go around the country giving commencement speeches on college campuses?</s>O'BRIEN: Use that excuse -- that you're going. Oh, I can't go honey.</s>CAFFERTY: You will be there.</s>HEMMER: Let's start in Iraq this morning; that's our first stop today. U.S. troops have been battling insurgents in the area of Kufa. Officials telling CNN that an estimated 30 Iraqis were killed in the fighting. Four U.S. troops also injured as a result. The U.S. attack directed against those believed to be responsible for firing more than 50 mortars into a U.S. base yesterday. Meanwhile they'll be some extended stays in the military for an unknown number of U.S. soldiers. That's because of an announcement yesterday of an expansion of what's called a "stop loss order." To define this and describe it for us, here's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Good morning there Barbara.</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill. Well, what will happen now is soldiers tagged to deploy to either Afghanistan or Iraq will not be able to retire or leave military service if they are within 90 days of being sent overseas. This is an expansion, a bit of an existing Army effort, but is now Army-wide, a signal of how desperate and concerned the Army is about holding on to the people it has. Now once these deployments are done, soldiers who thought they might be leaving could wind up spending about 18 months longer than they expected in the U.S. military. That's when you add in the 90 days before deployment, the one-year deployment and the 90 days after deployment. The heavy reliance on the National Guard and Reserves is also getting a great deal of concern. A stunning revelation on Capitol Hill yesterday that recruiting into the Air National Guard is now down more than 20 percent.</s>GEN. PETER PACE, VICE CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: We need to be very attentive to the way that we're using, especially, our Guard and Reserve. We need to ensure that when we ask these great Americans to put their lives on hold and serve their country that the mission we are giving them is a valid mission, that we are up front with them as far as when we are going to call them to active duty, how long we are going to keep them on active duty.</s>STARR: Now, what the Army says is if they did not do this, they did not expand this effort, Army wide, every time a unit deployed now to Afghanistan or Iraq, a division, they would have to find about 4,000 new soldiers. That may be very tough to do, so people basically will be kept in place, and this whole program will be kept in place for the foreseeable future -- Bill.</s>HEMMER: Barbara on another topic, the FBI is talking, some sort of investigation happening at the Pentagon. What's happening there Barbara?</s>STARR: Confusion at the moment, Bill, I must tell you. We've talked to sources this morning. There is word from other government agencies that Pentagon officials are likely to be questioned regarding the FBI investigation into Ahmed Chalabi, that Iraqi former opposition leader, head of the Iraq National Congress about whether or not he got information, classified information, from some Bush administration official and perhaps leaked it to his own advantage. Perhaps there are allegations that he gave information, sensitive information, to the Iranians. Now, that word comes from other government agencies. Their explanation of what the FBI is looking into. We've spoken to a senior official here this morning who says at this point there is no expectation that any senior Pentagon officials are going to be either questioned or polygraphed by the FBI. He emphasizes that at this time -- Bill.</s>HEMMER: The questions remain. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon -- Soledad.</s>O'BRIEN: In a letter to the FBI and the attorney general's office, Ahmed Chalabi's lawyers say flatly that Dr. Chalabi denies all the charges which have been anonymously leaked. "We therefore demand that they cease forthwith and that you order investigation into the identity of the government sources who disclosed said investigation to the media." Even when the Iraqi National Congress leader enjoyed support in Washington, Senator Joe Biden wasn't singing his praises. The Delaware Democrat is the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and joins us this morning right here in New York. Nice to see you in person as opposed to the double box that we usually do. What's your reaction to these charges against Chalabi? You just heard the statement that his lawyers say. They basically say out and out it's just not true.</s>SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D) DELAWARE: Well, I don't know for a fact, because I've not seen the investigative report; I've not seen what the CIA said, but I don't find Mr. Chalabi as you've implied -- I haven't for six years found him a very trustworthy guy.</s>O'BRIEN: No love lost between the two of you.</s>BIDEN: Well, it's not personal. I just didn't find him reliable. Even when -- during the Clinton administration he was around. He became the darling of I think the secretary of defense and the vice-president and others. I think he gave inaccurate information during the war. He wasn't very reliable. And I find it fascinating that he -- he -- a non-American citizen demands that there be certain things that happen here. We've been too close to him for too long. We're paying him $300 to $400,000 a month for a long, long time and I have been warning and saying privately and publicly that this is not the horse to ride and...</s>O'BRIEN: But he continues to have supporters here in the U.S. Richard Perle, in fact, said recently that if things played out as they appear to have been laid out that he called an intelligence operative to tip them off that the Americans had the code, that same intelligence officer got on that same exact line to talk about highly sensitive information. Isn't that -- I think the word Richard Perle used was utterly laughable. What do you think about that?</s>BIDEN: Well, I have great respect for Richard Perle. He and I have disagreed over Mr. Chalabi personally and privately for the last six years or so. Again, I don't know the specifics of the charge. I don't know whether they're true or not true. I do know that the State Department and the CIA have for a long, long time not trusted Mr. Chalabi, believed the information he has been providing, has been useful only what has been used for Mr. Chalabi's own political purposes and not very useful beyond that. So I'm reluctant to say what I don't know. I'm giving you honestly my assessment of Mr. Chalabi overall.</s>O'BRIEN: But giving your assemement of how big of a problem this is. I mean, it's been described as a major security breach. What does that mean, exactly?</s>BIDEN: It is a major security breach meaning that -- here's what it means -- up to now we've been able to allegedly have access to communications from those elements within Iran, the clerical leadership, the Supreme Council, that has an interest very different than ours in the region, the same outfit that snuffed out the democracy movement within Iran recently, essentially disbanded the modulists, their Parliament. And it's a very useful thing particularly to know what activity is going on inside of Iraq because with the Shiia community in Iran and the Shiia community in Iraq, one Arab one not Arab nonetheless to have been close ties a lot of people in the Shiia community have been in hiding and or out of Saddam's way in Iraq. I mean, in Iran. So there's a lot of talk about who's on who's team and there's going to be an incredible fight even if we get it right in Iraq among the competing factions within Iraq for leadership and it's obviously very much in the interest of Iran to see things turn out in a way that they find most favorable which is most likely not to be in our interest so that's -- that's to me the single greatest concern. Being able to access that interchange between Iranians and Iraqis who are plotting the outcome of Iraq.</s>O'BRIEN: A huge problem then. Senator Joe Biden, nice to see you. Thanks as always.</s>BIDEN: Thank you very much. Happy to be here.</s>HEMMER: About ten minutes past the hour. Police in L.A. say they have found no evidence to support child abuse allegations in the 1980s against Michael Jackson. Detectives now concluding a two-month investigation into those claims and have decided that no charges will be sought. Those charges were debunked after hours of interviews with the person making the claims. All this separate now from the child molestation matter against Jackson in the county of Santa Barbara. He may be a cad but he's not a killer. That is how the attorney Mark Geragos now describes his client. Scott Peterson now on trial for allegedly murdering his wife and unborn child. Yesterday the defense attorney delivered an opening statement that was all about offense. Up early this morning in Redwood City, California, here's Ted Rowlands. Good morning there Ted.</s>TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. Yes, you're right. The jury got a much different view of the evidence in this case from Scott Peterson's lawyer, Mark Geragos who essentially said yes, Scott Peterson cheated on his wife but no, he did not kill her.</s>ROWLANDS: Mark Geragos told the jury that Scott Peterson was a cheating husband but was, quote, "stone cold innocent." Geragos used his two and a half hour long opening statement to respond to prosecution evidence painting Peterson as a murderer. Geragos showed autopsy photos of Laci and the baby, saying the evidence will show the child was alive past December 23rd. Prosecutors said that tape around the baby's neck had no significance but Geragos claimed it proves the baby had been born and somebody else handled it.</s>AMBER FREY: He was unmarried.</s>ROWLANDS: On mistress Amber Frey, Geragos said yes, he was a cheating husband but Peterson was simply keeping her at bay with his dozens of emotional phone calls, which police recorded. Using a map of the Peterson's neighborhood, Geragos said he'll prove at least three witnesses saw Laci Peterson walking the family dog the morning she was reported missing and another witness he says will come forward saying that he saw Laci Peterson being pulled into a van by two people. At one point, Geragos slammed on a stack of forensic reports saying investigators searched and tested every inch of Peterson's home and business but in his words as the reports his the table they found zip, nothing. As for Peterson's altered appearance when he was arrested, Geragos said it was to hide from the relentless media.</s>JACKIE PETERSON, MOTHER OF SCOTT PETERSON: I'm a fan.</s>ROWLANDS: After Geragos' opening statement, Scott Peterson's mother expressed her gratitude for what she says was a true depiction of the facts.</s>PETERSON: We knew the truth. It was nice to hear it publicly.</s>ROWLANDS (on camera): The first witness in the case took the stand yesterday afternoon, the Peterson maid, up on the stand for a very short amount of time. It is expected that the prosecution will continue to bring up people that lived in that neighborhood and were there on December 23rd or 4th when Peterson reported his wife missing. Testimony begins again here at 9:00. This trial is expected to last another five months -- Bill.</s>HEMMER: Five months and counting. Ted Rowlands thanks live there in California. Thirteen minutes past the hour. Time for a check of the other headlines. Heidi Collins across the room here, starting with Iraq and good morning.</s>HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to both of you guys. Soledad, welcome back to you as well.</s>O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.</s>COLLINS: And good morning to you, everybody. Thirteen minutes past the hour now. Here's what's happening in other news. Renewed fighting in the Iraqi holy city of Kufa. The U.S. military says some 30 insurgents have now been killed. An American team of about 100 soldiers and 15 tanks rolled into the city. Military officials say the operation was aimed at finding those Iraqi fighters responsible for mortar attacks on the U.S. base. Four American troops were slightly injured in the firefight. A meeting with Australia's Prime Minister John Howard is on the agenda for President Bush this morning before he heads off on a trip to Europe. The president's four-day European visit begins in Rome, where he'll meet with Italy's prime minister and Pope John Paul II. Mr. Bush will then attend a D-Day ceremony in Normandy before heading to the G-8 Summit. CNN will have live coverage of the president's joint news conference with Australia's prime minister at 9:50 a.m. Eastern this morning. Two missing propane delivery trucks aren't missing any more. FBI officials say the trucks held more than 5,000 gallons of propane and were still full when they were found. The trucks had been abandoned. They were found parked together yesterday alongside a state highway. The incident had sparked fears that the stolen trucks might be linked to a possible terror attack. A massive wildfire burning in northern Florida still raging this morning. It has blackened about 5,000 acres so far in the Hampton area. Yesterday rain did help calm the blaze enough to let about 500 people evacuate from their homes -- let them come back in, that is. No injuries have been reported. And airport passengers in Britain experiencing some flight delays after a computer failure shut down air traffic controls temporarily. British airport authority spokesman said departures from London's Heathrow airport were delayed for about two hours, but now all systems are back up and running. Not something you want to hear -- ATC computers failing.</s>HEMMER: Boy, isn't that the truth? Some of these lines at Hartsfield over the weekend -- I think it was on Monday -- my gosh, those people.</s>COLLINS: Those lines were three hours. Lovely.</s>HEMMER: You don't forget those, do you?</s>COLLINS: I do not. I was traumatized.</s>HEMMER: Thank you, Heidi. Amid the continuing violence in Iraq, the country's new interim government now working toward winning the confidence of ordinary Iraqis. As that transition moves forward, the man who was widely believed to be the U.S. choice for president is not even in Baghdad. The former Iraqi Governing Council member, Adnan Pachachi, joins us today from United Arab Emirates and we appreciate your time, certainly, to be with us on AMERICAN MORNING. Why did you take your name off the list to be nominated this week as president?</s>ADNAN PACHACHI, FORMER IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL MEMBER: Thank you, I'm glad to be here. Well, I was offered the job, and after thinking I decided not to accept it. Because I felt that the -- although I enjoyed the majority opinion in the extensive consultations that were undertaken by Lakhdar Brahimi, and it's on the basis of these consultations when he found out that the majority favored me over everybody else. Because of this consultations, he came to ask me to take the presidency. I declined because I thought that -- yes -- because there were some elements in the Iraqi political class who are against me and I thought that the president, although his post is ceremonial to some extent, should be a unifying factor and not a divisive factor. And the fact -- you know, the presidency was supposed to be given to a Sunni Arab. And the people who opposed me were the, had nothing, had no right to interfere in this choice, who were mostly the Shiia members of the Council and some of the Kurds.</s>HEMMER: I apologize about the interruption there a short time ago. Substantial delay on this satellite to our viewers at home. Try and clarify this. It's been reported that you were seen as the guy the U.S. wanted. And if the Iraqis saw you as that guy you would not be accepted as the leader. Is there truth to that, sir?</s>PACHACHI: No, the United States not once -- not once offered me this job. Not once recommended me for this job. The country is the truth. According to Jaral Salabani (ph) and Masood Balzani (ph), the two Kurdish leaders, the -- that's what they told me in front of witnesses, that the United -- the authority, the Coalition Authority came to them and said that they recommend selection of Ghazi al-Yawer to be president and when they asked them about me, they said no he's not interested, he may go as ambassador in Washington. So if there is any -- any recommendation for anybody it was for Ghazi al-Yawer and this can be verified from the two Kurdish leaders.</s>HEMMER: Another question here that many in this country are wondering. They're wondering how long before the U.S. troops come home for good and many people in your own country back in Iraq are wondering when the U.S. troops will leave? How long do you want the U.S. military to stay in Iraq?</s>PACHACHI: Well, the thing is this. The reason why we want this multi-national force in Iraq for the time being is because our own military and police and civil defense forces are not adequate to meet the challenge of terrorism. And therefore we need external help. So I would say that the presence of foreign troops in Iraq will be dependent on the speed with which we are able to organize the police and civil defense and security forces to be able to adequately confront these dangers.</s>HEMMER: Just a short answer -- is that a year, is that 18 months, is that two years and I apologize for talking over you. Again, the satellite delay is terrific here.</s>PACHACHI: Well, I tell you. Of course it's difficult to foresee how this situation is going to develop, but according to the former minister of defense in Iraq, who has been working on creating a special task force to deal with the security problem, he said perhaps it is not a matter of years but a matter of months. We have to wait and see how well and how quickly the Iraqi forces are organized.</s>HEMMER: Adnan Pachachi, our guest from the United Arab Emirates. Thank you for your time today. Hope to talk to you again very soon. Now Soledad.</s>O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about the weather. Thousands went without power last night after severe storms tore across the state of Oklahoma. Winds with speeds of more than 80 miles an hour sheared glass windows right off the side of a high rise in downtown Tulsa. 1300 workers were evacuated from that building. One woman died during the storms when her car was actually blown right off a highway.</s>O'BRIEN: Coming up; this morning, President Bush talking with his lawyer lately. We'll tell you what that's all about.</s>HEMMER: Also in a moment, summer is almost here and a day at the amusement park sounds like a whole lot of fun. Better make sure the rides are safe for the whole family. Part Four of our weeklong series, "Surviving That Summer" coming up in a moment here.