[John Roberts, Cnn Anchor:] And good morning to you, and thanks for joining us. It's Monday, the 9th of July. I'm John Roberts, along with Kiran Chetry.
[Kiran Chetry, Cnn Anchor:] Good to see you this morning.
[Chetry:] And is there a war over the war within the White House? This morning's "New York Times" is reporting that there is a growing debate on troop pullback in Iraq as the Senate takes up a military spending discussion yet again today. CNN Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash is live on Capitol Hill. And, you know, if you want to look at it this way, they're falling like dominoes when it comes to GOP senators showing support for the ongoing effort, the so-called troop surge in Iraq.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] That's right, Kiran. And the White House knows full well that GOP frustration when it comes to Iraq is going to spill out into open on the Senate floor this week. And not only that, Republicans and Democrats, but especially obviously we're focused on Republicans here, they're going to be coming back from a week at home, July 4th recess, hearing first hand from frustrated constituents. And they're also coming back to a debate on the Senate floor and an interim report that they're expecting to get from the White House, something that Republicans actually came up with and decided to mandate on whether or not the Iraqi government is making progress. But the reality is, even though this was mandated just about six weeks ago or so, no Republicans that you talk to really publicly or privately, actually, expect this report to show much progress when it comes to the Iraqi government. And more and more, as you alluded to, over the past couple of weeks we have heard from significant Republican players in the Senate saying forget about benchmarks, it's time for the White House to come up with an exit strategy.
[Chetry:] You know, the interesting thing as we are waiting for this September, mid-September report from General Petraeus about it, when you talk to some of the generals that are on the ground and I know CNN did over the weekend they're saying things like, we just finally got our "surge" up and running and we are having an impact. So why the growing impatience?
[Bash:] Public opinion. I think it's as basic as that, Kiran. You're right, the generals, and publicly, at least, from the president himself, you have heard more and more calls over the past couple of weeks for patience. But what is interesting about the "New York Times" report you alluded to, Kiran, suggesting that there is a debate inside the White House about whether or not there should be an exit strategy, essentially, a plan to get out, is, when you talk to these Republicans who have come out recently and said enough is enough, Republicans like Richard Lugar of Indiana, and even George Voinovich of Ohio, what they have said is that they're not necessarily ready to vote to have a timeline or a deadline for troop withdrawal, or even to cut off funding. What they've been trying to do and have done so publicly now is get the White House to come up with a plan. And that appears not to be a cynic, but that appears to be what the White House is trying to do by getting this reported to "The New York Times," sending a signal to Republicans here, we get it, we're coming up with some kind of plan, trying essentially to stop the revolt from getting even from growing even more this coming week. It might not be enough Kiran.
[Chetry:] Dana Bash on Capitol Hill for us today. Thank you. And what is the way forward? In just a couple of minutes, we're going to be speaking with Maine senator Susan Collins about the issue of Iraq John.
[Roberts:] Major fires roaring across the country this morning. Fourteen states from Alaska to Florida are being hit, but none worse than Utah. This is what is looks like to dive into an inferno. A police officer in Milford Flat, Utah, caught these images with his patrol car's dash cam. Let's get to our Kara Finnstrom. She's in Cove Fort, Utah, this morning. How is it looking there, Kara?
[Kara Finnstrom, Cnn Correspondent:] Calm this morning, but this is already the largest wildfire in the state's history, and it is continuing to burn, largely uncontrolled. Containment right now at zero percent, 283,000 acres charred. The hope is that, though, we can kind of put a spin on this today. That's because the containment of this fire and the fighting of it has up until now been under state authorities. Well, today that's going to switch over to federal authorities. And they're going to bring in much more resources. We're going to go from about a hundred firefighters on the front line battling this to about 500. They're also going to bring in more air tankers and other resources to really try and get this under control. It was started with a lightning strike, but it really spread quickly because of the dry conditions out here, because of the wind gusts. And today we do have another red flag warning in effect. So those conditions will continue. And the hope is that, as folks get out here, more support that they can get this under control. One structure destroyed so far. That was a home. And a number of out structures, a gift shop. But not a lot of destruction as you might expect with this kind of acreage to homes, and that is largely because it's been in wilderness areas. There is concern about the wildlife out here because this land has really been parched and now really just devoid of the food that this wildlife feeds on. So, again, John, the hope here today, to really start brining this back under control.
[Roberts:] Let's hope they get a little bit of luck there. Kara Finnstrom for us in Cove Fort, Utah. Kara, thanks. Checking some other stories new this morning.
[Chetry:] Well, it's time to check in on some of our other big stories with our team of AMERICAN MORNING correspondents. The extreme heat leading to fears of power outages. Our Jim Acosta has more for us today. But actually, we're seeing Greg Hunter. There is Jim right in the heart of Times Square. Almost triple digits possibly today in New York City. How does it feel now?
[Jim Acosta, Cnn Correspondent:] Kiran, not too bad right now. It will be getting hot. Temperatures are rising in the Northeast, but the region's power companies seem to be saying everything is cool, that places like New York's Times Square will have all the power that they need. They insist there will be no blackouts, the lights will not go out on Broadway Kiran.
[Chetry:] All right. That's good news for sure. Jim, we'll check back in with you a little later. Thanks so much. Also, the great outdoors not so great if you don't know how to keep you and your family safe. Our Greg Hunter is live for us in Chicago right now with a look at some of the summer dangers. And you did survive. You purified your own water, you drank it, and you're still up to talk to us now.
[Greg Hunter, Cnn Correspondent:] I did, Kiran. You know, when you're out in the wilderness, it is very unpredictable, from the weather, to the animals, to the terrain. And you have to be prepared for anything. I'm going to tell you what you should have in the old backpack, and also what to look out for later in this hour Kiran.
[Chetry:] All right, Greg. We look forward to it. Thanks. There's also a new theory about what leads to violent crime. Is there a connection between lead paint and future criminals? Well, Elizabeth Cohen is in Atlanta following the latest on that story. Hi, Elizabeth.
[Elizabeth Cohen, Cnn Medical Correspondent:] Hi, Kiran. Kiran, we all know that politicians love to take credit for declining crime rates. But there's a theory out there that says maybe it's not them, maybe it's the fact that there's less lead in our environment, less lead in gasoline, less lead in household paint. Well, when we come back I'm going to talk about what is the link between lead and the criminal mind.
[Chetry:] Very interesting. We look forward to it. Elizabeth, thank you.