[Miles O'brien, Cnn Anchor:] A massive wall of dust sweeping across Phoenix. Conditions are ripe for another one today. We'll explain.
[Soledad O'brien, Cnn Anchor:] Kimberly Dozier is finally on her way home. The injured reporter left Germany just a couple of hours ago. She should be back in the U.S. later tonight. We'll update you on her condition.
[Carol Costello, Cnn Anchor:] Charles Manson was there, Scott Peterson is there. I'm Carol Costello. We'll take you on a rare trip behind bars at San Quentin.
[S. O'brien:] Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
[M. O'brien:] And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us. We begin in California and a special election that might have some special implications for the balance of power in Washington. If so, it might be good news for the majority party in Congress, or maybe it won't. A Republican will hold on to the California House seat vacated by imprisoned former congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Brian Bilbray says his victory sends a message to the rest of the country. CNN's John King with more on that message live now from Delmar, California. Hello, John.
[King:] Good morning to you, Miles. That message might not make folks at the Bush White House all that happy, especially given what the president is doing today. He's out traveling the country, trying to strike a compromise deal on education, trying to make on immigration, excuse me and trying to make the case that the American people see things his way, not the way House conservatives do. But Brian Bilbray came back in this race last night. He won this seat here, California's 50th district. He will hold the seat in Republican hands. I interviewed him as the results were coming in last night, and Brian Bilbray says this, he says he turned it around when he became very tough on immigration, promising the people in this district that if he goes to Washington, he will campaign against the president's guest worker program. Brian Bilbray calls that amnesty, he says it is the secret of his success, and he says other Republicans across the country should copy him.
[Brian Bilbray , California Congressional Candidate:] The president proposing amnesty was absolutely a big problem. And, in fact, it wasn't until I was able to highlight the fact that I did not agree with my friends in the Senate or my friend in the White House on amnesty that we really saw the polls start supporting me strongly.
[King:] So make no mistake about it, Republicans are happy to hold this seat, but it is a seat they should have held. They have a 15 point voting advantage here in the 50th district, so Republicans will hold this seat. The president will be happy with that, and yet he will face pressure from this candidate and others on immigration Miles.
[M. O'brien:] Well, that's apt to change the complexion of the compromise talks between the Senate and the House as they try to figure how to come together on the two wildly divergent bills on immigration.
[King:] It is more and more likely, Republican strategists say, that there will be no deal at all unless the Senate and the president give up. They say any guest worker program that gives those illegal immigrants citizenship at the end of that guest worker program is a non-starter and that Brian Bilbray's victory is certainly to reinforce that with conservatives who are already in no mood to compromise.
[M. O'brien:] John, give us a sense of how Democrats will try to spin this one.
[King:] They'll spin this, Miles, as a moral victory, because their candidate, Francine Busby, came relatively close. The results are still being counted in a few more precincts, but it's 49-45. That is very good for a Democrat in an overwhelmingly Republican district. She ran on the Democratic theme of culture of corruption, running as much against Duke Cunningham, who is in prison, than her opponent, Brian Bilbray. She said last night that she still thinks even in defeat there's a national message here.
[Francine Busby , California Congressional Candidate:] I truly believe people in this district have risen above partisanship, they've risen above our differences, because we're sending a message, all of us, that we need a government that works for us, not for special interests. And people are actually fed up with the direction that we're going in. And I think this is a message that will resonate across the country.
[King:] That will be the Democratic message today, that they believe they can take this culture of corruption theme elsewhere. But, Miles, let's be honest and Democrats can see this point. There aren't any other districts in the country where the former Republican congressman is in jail. Busby herself called this ground zero in the debate over the culture of corruption. Close calls and moral victories will not make Nancy Pelosi speaker next January Miles.
[M. O'brien:] Good points. John King in Delmar, California. Picturesque, I might add, this morning. Thank you very much. Other important races now, other important places. In Alabama, Republican Governor Bob Riley easily beat his controversial opponent. He was facing former state Supreme Court chief justice Roy Moore. Remember him? He's the man who caused a stir by refusing to remove that Ten Commandments display from a courthouse. Riley faces Democratic Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley in the November election. In New Jersey, there will be a familiar name on the ballot in the fall. Tom Kean, Jr. won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate. He'll face incumbent Democrat Robert Menendez in November. Kean's father was governor of New Jersey for most of the 1980s. In Iowa, Secretary of State Chet Culver will be the Democratic contender for governor. He'll take on Republican Congressman Jim Nussle, who is leaving the national House seat. They're vying to replace outgoing Democrat Tom Vilsack. And in Montana, controversial Republican Senator Conrad Burns turned back the challenge of three other Republicans. Ethics questions likely to follow him through his re-election bid. Burns took money from lobbyist Jack Abramoff, convicted of bribery Soledad.
[S. O'brien:] The Senate debate on same-sex marriages is winding down right now. They're expected to vote on the constitutional amendment in just about an hour. It's widely expected to fail. CNN's Dana Bash live for us on Capitol Hill. Dana, good morning.
[Dana Bash, Cnn Congressional Correspondent:] Good morning, Soledad. And you're exactly right, the Senate is coming in to session as we speak. They are going to vote very shortly, but the big question is, why, then, are they taking this vote if they knew from the very beginning, proponents of banning gay marriage, that this was never going to get the two-thirds majority needed to amend the Constitution? Well, one of the reasons they give, Republicans, that is, is they need to at least bring national awareness to this issue. And one way to do that is to have a debate on the floor of the United States Senate. We did see that this week.
[Sen. Rick Santorum , Pennsylvania:] If marriage is not about one man and one woman for the purpose of a relationship of which to have children and continue the society, then if it's about two women or two men, why not two women and three men? Why not whatever arrangement? If gender doesn't matter anymore, why does number matter? What's the significance?
[Sen. Frank Lautenberg , New Jersey:] Once the federal government starts regulating marriage, what's next? What's going to stop Congress from acting as the morality police and prohibit people from getting married unless they pledge to have children? Or unless they pledge to restrict the number of children they have. What is this to do to stop this body from outlawing divorce?
[Bash:] Now, despite the fact the Senate will come nowhere near that two-thirds majority in about an hour when they vote, you will likely see supporters claiming victory because they expect to get about 51 votes. For the first time, a majority of the Senate voting in favor of a federal ban on same-sex marriage. And they say this is about a long-term policy goal and momentum Soledad.
[S. O'brien:] So then both sides theoretically can claim victory in this, right, Dana? I mean, Democrats can say it didn't pass, and the GOP can say, well, 51, the highest number we've ever seen. Who really wins, do you think, in this?
[Bash:] Well, that's an open question, and it's a very good one. You know, Republican leaders here, we have been talking about this for some time now. They're very concerned about the fact that conservatives are unhappy with their leadership here on a number of issues. On social issues, they feel like they went out and voted for Republicans in control of Washington. And they have sort of turned their backs on them on key issues that they care about, like same-sex marriage. On the fiscal side, issues like repealing the estate tax. So that is why you're seeing the Senate talk take up those issues this week. But on the other hand, you talk to some Republican strategists, Soledad, and they say, you know what? We don't really think specifically issues like gay marriage is really a turnout issue. It's sort of a misconception that this does help bring Republicans, specifically conservatives, to the polls. So it will be interesting to see what happens in 2006, if this really does achieve the goal that some Republicans hope it will.
[S. O'brien:] Yes, that will be interesting to see if many people think that. All right. Dana, thanks. The anticipated drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq doesn't seem to be happening just yet. About 3,500 troops stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany, are going to Kuwait. Those soldiers were supposed to go last month. That deployment was put on hold. CNN's Kathleen Koch is live for us at the Pentagon this morning. Hey, Kathleen. Good morning.
[Kathleen Koch, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Soledad. And the key in all of this has been stability on the ground. That's what folks here at the Pentagon, U.S. Military commanders in Iraq, have said would really be key in the drawdown. And obviously that hasn't been happening. So we're seeing in the coming weeks, we're told, roughly 3,700 troops that could begin rotating into Iraq. These are members of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, and we're told that the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, signed the orders just last week to begin funding this troop movement Soledad.
[S. O'brien:] Let me ask you a couple of questions. Where does the investigation into what happened at Haditha stand? Where does the investigation into what happened Hamdaniya stand?
[Koch:] With Haditha, what we're hearing from U.S. military officials here at the Pentagon is that that investigation, a longer, more complicated investigation into the deaths of 24 civilians, that is not going to be completed for another six to eight weeks. And that's the criminal investigation. The investigation into a possible cover-up could wrap up sooner. Then when it comes to Hamdaniya, that investigation perhaps about a week. Obviously, this is of great concern to members of Congress. One of them who is calling for hearings into these investigations was asked yesterday what affect he thinks that these incidents are having on troops in Iraq.
[Sen. John Warner , Armed Services Committee Chairman:] Now, as to how that impacts remains to the seen. But I do hope that at such time that further facts are made public. People will keep in mind the magnificent performance of nearly one million men and women in the United States armed forces who have rotated in and out of the AORs of Iraq and Afghanistan.
[Koch:] Senator Warner is asking that Major General Eldon Bargewell, who's looking into whether or not there was a cover-up of the Haditha incident, that he come and speak to his committee and testify about what he's found Soledad.
[S. O'brien:] Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon for us. Kathleen, thanks.
[Koch:] You bet.
[S. O'brien:] Italy is preparing to get out of Iraq altogether. The Italian prime minister says that his country is going to pull all troops out of Iraq by the end of the year. Currently, there are about 2,700 Italian troops based just outside of Baghdad. Sixteen hundred of them could leave as early as this month Miles.
[M. O'brien:] President Bush in the middle of a push for immigration reform. This morning he's in Omaha to visit a center that helps immigrants. CNN White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano is there. She joins us live. Good morning, Elaine.
[Elaine Quijano, Cnn White House Correspondent:] Good morning to you, Miles. And President Bush is in the middle of a two-day, three-state push to try to sell skeptical members of Congress on his immigration plan.
[Quijano:] President Bush chose the only U.S. Border Patrol academy in the country to deliver his latest pitch on comprehensive immigration reform. With the House and Senate bills remaining far apart, Mr. Bush suggested both sides in the emotional debate share basic beliefs.
[George W. Bush, President Of The United States:] And while the differences grab the headlines, the similarities and approaches are striking. We all agree we need to control our borders. There's a common agreement that the federal government has a responsibility to control the borders.
[Quijano:] To emphasize that part of his message, the president chose as his backdrop this facility in Artesia, New Mexico, where America's future Border Patrol agents receive training in everything from checkpoint operations to immigration law. Mr. Bush also oversaw the swearing in of their new boss, Ralph Basham, former Secret Service director and now the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. By highlighting their work, Mr. Bush hopes to sway skeptical House Republicans who have long called for tougher border security measures and want that dealt with before tackling other aspects of immigration reform. Yet, the president remains convinced that a temporary guest worker program and a path to what he calls earned citizenship are vital to reforming immigration laws. Critics call that path amnesty, but during a second stop in Laredo, Texas, the president took issue with his critics.
[Bush:] Amnesty is something nobody is for in America. I'm not for it. But in order to frighten people, you just say the word "amnesty".
[Quijano:] And at this hour here in Omaha, the president is visiting a Catholic Charities center in Omaha where he's highlighting another aspect of his immigration policy, and that is assimilation. We expect to hear the president talk about that when he makes remarks just about 40 minutes from now here at the Metropolitan Community College in Omaha Miles.
[M. O'brien:] Elaine Quijano. Thank you very much Soledad.
[S. O'brien:] Kimberly Dozier, CBS reporter who was injured, is airborne right now. She's headed back to the U.S. a few hours ago. In Germany, she'd been hospitalized. Dozier was moved then on to a U.S. military transport plane. She was seriously wounded, you'll remember, in a car bombing last week in Baghdad that killed four people. Dozier is being flown to Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. Also happening "In America" this morning, another steroid scandal may be brewing in Major League Baseball. Federal investigators searching the home of Arizona Diamondbacks reliever Jason Grimsley yesterday. According to court documents, Grimsley was embroiled in the scandal that began as part of the bay area BALCO probe. In the past, Grimsley has admitted, allegedly, to taking illegal performance- enhancing drugs. Investigators in Los Angeles are going to try to determine what caused a hydraulics program problem, rather, that forced an American Airlines jet to make an emergency landing. The flight from San Antonio touched down safely on Tuesday afternoon in L.A. There were no injuries reported. The jet, though, had to be towed to the gate once it landed. Late last night in eastern Tennessee, authorities arrested Jerry "Buck" Inman. He's a convicted sex offender who earlier in the day was charged with sexually assaulting and killing 20-year-old Clemson University student Tiffany Souers. Souers' body was found on May 26th in her off-campus apartment. A Tennessee man is recovering after spending more than a day stuck in the mud up to his waist. The man was hunting squirrels in a muddy water bank north of Memphis when his legs got stuck. He was finally spot bide a passing fisherman. Police say he's exhausted but otherwise he's just fine. A big mess there. People in Phoenix cleaning up this morning from a big old wall of dust. The storm made driving conditions difficult. Look at the pictures. You can imagine that. It stopped flights, in fact, at Sky Harbor International Airport.
[M. O'brien:] Time now for the forecast. Rob Marciano, I was reading the forecast a little while ago, Rob, and they say the conditions actually are I know you're on the other side of the country now, but the conditions are actually ripe there today for more dust storms?
[S. O'brien:] Thanks.
[M. O'brien:] Thank you very much.
[S. O'brien:] Hold on to your wheels. We've got a list, and really a surprising leader of this year's most stolen cars. A dubious list, you might say.
[M. O'brien:] Dubious indeed. And we'll let you guess, is it that vehicle there? Is it that one? Is it that one? Anyway and then a new warning about canned tuna. "Consumer Reports" says pregnant women should steer clear of it. Now, this contradicts the Food and Drug Administration's recommendation. So what are you going to do?
[S. O'brien:] We'll tell you.
[M. O'brien:] Yes.
[S. O'brien:] And if you think you're paying a lot more for gas, well, this might make you feel better. That's nothing compared to what they're paying in California, unless, of course, you live in California. Well, now the attorney general there wants some answers. We'll talk to him just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.