Power Shift; White House Summit, Take 2; Iraq Death Toll; Strategy Shift?; LAPD Violent Arrest
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: True blue. Democrats take Virginia, the Senate and the House for total control of Congress. What now from the new party in power.</s>SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And how about lunch with the president? Senate's new leaders are coming to the White House today. Can they make a deal?</s>M. O'BRIEN: Total recall. Millions of bottles of store-brand acetaminophen pulled from shelves. We'll tell you why and what you should look for.</s>S. O'BRIEN: And caught on tape, a violent arrest. The LAPD is under fire again and the FBI is now on the case. Those stories and much more ahead on this</s>AMERICAN MORNING. M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. It's Friday, November 10th. I'm Miles O'Brien.</s>S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. Thank you for being with us.</s>M. O'BRIEN: Politics at the top of the news again this morning. The Democrats' clean sweep of Congress apparently prompting a big change in the Republican leadership. The chairman of the Republican National Committee leaving his post. GOP sources telling CNN Ken Mehlman will not seek another term come January. Democrats will now control the Senate with a razor thin 51 to 49 majority. That's official now that James Webb has won Virginia's Senate race. And at the White House today, another power lunch. President Bush will break bread with the presumptive Senate majority leader Harry Reid. On Capitol Hill, many Republicans a little shell-shocked this morning. The clean sweep is now official. Senator George Allen throwing in the towel, turning the Virginia seat in the Senate from red to blue. Here's the breakdown. Officially, 49 Democrats in the new Senate and then there are two independents who will caucus with them, giving them the majority. Republicans feeling blue in more ways than one as CNN's Andrea Koppel explains.</s>ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Twelve long years. That's how long Democrats have waited to regain control of Congress. And if you thought House Democrats were surprised when they learned they won on Tuesday, Senate Democrats were stunned. As one Democrat told me, it was completely unexpected. And Republicans were equally shocked. One GOP leadership aide told me he hadn't mentally prepared himself for such a possibility. And that it took him a day before he brought the sharp objects back into his office. Now while Republicans were still digging out from underneath this political earthquake, Democrats were getting ready to lead the Congress, running everything from A to Z, from deciding what bills get to the floor of the House and Senate, to what committee assignments they'll be, even what office space will be assigned. Andrea Koppel, CNN, Capitol Hill.</s>M. O'BRIEN: Defeated Rhode Island Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee is thinking about bolting the GOP. Chafee says he hasn't made any decisions about where his place is. Reporters asked him if that means he's pondering a party switch. His response, that's fair. Chafee is the most liberal Republican in the Senate. He did not vote for George Bush and he was the only GOP senator not to vote for the war in Iraq. And Chafee playing a pivotal role in another big setback for the White House. He is joining Democrats balking the nomination of U.N. Ambassador John Bolton. President Bush appointed Bolton to serve temporarily at the U.N. more than a year ago. That appointment will expire at the end of this term of Congress. The president had hoped to get Bolton permanently installed before the new lawmakers are sworn in, but Democrats and Senator Chafee say they will block that move. Soledad.</s>S. O'BRIEN: Senator Harry Reid of Nevada is the next Democratic leader to have a date at the White House today. He and the other new Senate leaders are having lunch with President Bush, who's extending invitations and challenges to the new congressional power players. We get more this morning from CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.</s>SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The question is, how long this honeymoon will last. Today President Bush will meet with Senator Harry Reid, as well as Dick Durbin, of course, to congratulate them, but to try to come up with an agenda. Something to get done in the next couple of years. Yesterday the president met with the anticipated incoming House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, having lunch. Pelosi saying they had chocolates, as well as pastas. The White House counselors to the president say it was time for Mr. Bush to eat crow. The president appeared with his cabinet, offering an olive branch to Democrats, but he also sent a very clear signal to Republicans to try to push through controversial legislation before the Democrats take over. Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.</s>S. O'BRIEN: Some strong words this morning from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She says this week's election results will not change America's commitments to Iraq. Secretary Rice told a reporter for a newspaper in Singapore that "Iraq has to be successful for America to be secure." And she says the Bush administration is open to new ideas in Iraq, but that U.S. troops will not leave until they've achieved their goals there. In Iraq, there is a new estimate this morning on the violence there. The Associated Press quotes a new survey from the Iraqi health ministry that 150,000 civilians have died over the past three years. Let's get to CNN's Arwa Damon. She's in Baghdad for us this morning. Good morning, Arwa.</s>ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. And it is actually quite rare that we hear the ministry of health releasing this kind of a figure. There have been varying reports about the civilian death toll here. Estimates ranging as low as 50,000, as high as 600,000. And it is incredibly difficult to actually get an accurate number on how many civilians have died in the violence here for the last three plus years. When you speak with hospital officials, often time you will get one estimate, a different estimate from the Iraqi police, a different estimate from other government agencies. In fact, the government agencies that are tracking the death toll here function with very little efficiency when it comes to the specifics of how many civilians have died in this country. And oftentimes, as we have seen in the past, Soledad, the true civilian death toll is not apparent until many years after a war has ended.</s>S. O'BRIEN: Also there's some bad news to talk about on this eve of Veteran's Day, an announcement from the U.S. military. What can you tell us about that?</s>DAMON: That's right, Soledad. The U.S. military announced the death of another three servicemen here in Iraq. A Marine was killed in al Anbar Province, that volatile province west of Baghdad, and two more soldiers were killed in Baghdad itself. This makes October's total, a we are just 10 days into October, a total of 24 U.S. soldiers that have died here in Iraq. And this follows one of the deadliest months for U.S. troops, 105 troops were killed in October. Many people will be remembering them on Veteran's Day. Soledad.</s>S. O'BRIEN: Yes. And I think you mean November, but, yes, either way you put it, it's terrible, terrible news. Arwa Damon for us this morning. Thank you, Arwa. She's in Baghdad. This weekend, CNN Presents "Combat Hospital." It's an extraordinary hour inside a combat support hospital in Baghdad where literally every second counts, where every moment could bring disaster. CNN Presents "Combat Hospital" airs this Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. With Donald Rumsfeld out, or on the way out, and Robert Gates on the way in as the next secretary of defense, what's going to happen next in Iraq? CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has more this morning on the options and what the new strategy might look like.</s>JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Now that he's a short timer, even outgoing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld admits the current strategy in Iraq is not working.</s>DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It has not been going well enough or fast enough.</s>MCINTYRE: In an exchange with students at Kansas State University, Rumsfeld urged perseverance and resolve as adjustments to the strategy are made by the man nominated to replace him. Former CIA director, Robert Gates, who is one of 10 members of the bipartisan Iraq study group charged with finding a way out of Iraq. The options include stay the course, which is already seen as failing, strategic redeployment, pulling the troops back perhaps as far as Kuwait. Under that option, advocated by Representative John Murtha and other Democrats, overall troop levels would stay the same. But many troops would be pulled off the front lines to be used as a quick reaction force only if Iraqis got in trouble. Other possibilities, more U.S. troops which U.S. commanders say won't help in the long term, and partition along sectarian lines, something the White House has labeled a non-starter. So the most likely options appear to be a phased withdrawal under a carefully planned time line to force the Iraqis to take responsible for their own security.</s>LAWRENCE KORB, CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS: I think, basically, unless we start a phase withdrawal, the Iraqis will never make the political compromises necessary to create an Iraq that's worth fighting and dying for.</s>MCINTYRE: Another likely proposal is engaging Iraq's neighbors, Iran and Syria. An option vigorously oppose by hardliners.</s>FRANK GAFFNEY, CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY: Will we be negotiating with enemies like the regime in Iran in the hopes that they'll somehow help us solve the problem they're creating in no small measure in Iraq. And I think that's going to be a mistake, potentially very strategic and long-standing dimensions.</s>MCINTYRE: Also taking the long view is lame duck Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld, who insists America is on the right side of history.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you were going to give yourself a letter grade for your performance as secretary of defense, what grade would that be?</s>RUMSFELD: Oh, I'd let history worry about that.</s>MCINTYRE: Senate confirmation hearings for Robert Gates are on the fast track set for early December. And the recommendations of the Iraq study group are expected shortly therefore. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.</s>S. O'BRIEN: President Bush told Democratic leaders that he was open to new ideas on Iraq and a former Democratic senator and presidential candidate, formally, has one. George McGovern says he's going to recommend a strategy to get U.S. troops out of Iraq by June. He says he's going to meet with more than 60 members of Congress next week. McGovern, of course, was a leading opponent of the Vietnam War and ran for president back in 1972. He lost to Richard Nixon. Later this hour on AMERICAN MORNING, we're going to be talking to General Peter Pace. He is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We'll talk about the Pentagon changes and how they affect what's going to happen next in Iraq, this morning. Miles.</s>M. O'BRIEN: Happening this morning. You better check your medicine cabinet. A big recall of store- brand acetaminophen. Eleven million bottles of the pain reliever being recalled because they may contain metal fragments. The pills were sold under store brands by more than 120 major retailers, including Wal-Mart and CVS. President Bush lifts a ban on training troops from 21 countries. Half of them from Latin American and Caribbean (ph) countries as well. The move comes after leftist victories in Latin American elections, most recently the comeback of Daniel Ortega, the Sandinista in Nicaragua. The U.S. hopes the training will forge new links with countries in the region. In Mexico City, same-sex civil unions legalize. Protesters demonstrated noisily as lawmakers there voted for the measure. The move paves the way for same-sex unions in the city of more than 8 million early next year. The law stopped short of allowing full marriage or adoption of children. Mexico is the world's second largest Roman Catholic nation. And another victory for gay rights activists. This one in Massachusetts. Lawmakers voted to delay a decision on whether to back a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages. That means it is likely the proposed amendment will likely die. Massachusetts is the only U.S. state where same-sex marriage is currently legal. A former aerospace engineer pleads not guilty to selling U.S. military secrets to China. Prosecutors say 62-year-old Nosher Gawadia (ph) gave China information to help develop hard to detect cruise missiles. He also faces charges of offering to sell classified stealth technology to foreign business, people in Israel, Germany and Switzerland. If convicted of the most serious charges, Gawadia could face the death penalty.</s>S. O'BRIEN: And the FBI is now investigating a violent arrest by the Los Angeles Police Department. It was caught on tape. The tape shows officers restraining a suspect and then repeatedly punching him in the face. Marti Johnson has more this morning from our Los Angeles affiliate KTLA.</s>MARTI JOHNSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The pictures are shocking. Two LAPD officer on top of a suspect pinned on the ground. One with his knee on the man's neck, punching his face. Arlen Pachecko (ph) shot the video on August 11th and says the suspect didn't have a chance.</s>ARLEN PACHECKO: They had him pinned to the ground and this gentleman is screaming "I can't breathe" while the officer is beating him in the face.</s>JOHNSON: The suspect, identified as 23-year-old William Cardenes. Wanted on a felony warrant, he was treated at a local hospital and charged with two count of felony resisting arrest. But the actions of the Hollywood division officers involved, Alexander Schlegel on the left, and Patrick Farrell on the right, are now being investigated on their own.</s>WILLIAM BRATTON, LOS ANGELES POLICE CHIEF: There's no denying that the video is disturbing, but as to whether the actions of the officer were appropriate in light of what he was experiencing, the totality of circumstances, that's what the investigation will hopefully determine.</s>JOHNSON: LAPD is under a federal consent order monitoring allegations of police brutality because of past problems. Bratton says Schlegel and Farrell filed the required report listing a level two, non-life threatening use of force. After seeing the tape, their supervisor pulled them from field duty and upgraded the use of force, but that's not enough according to Cardenes' attorney.</s>KWAKU DUREN, CARDENAS' ATTORNEY: He was brutally assaulted. And his human rights, not just civil rights, his human right were being violated.</s>JOHNSON: Duren will file civil charges on his client's behalf, but one judge has already seen the video and ruled the officer's actions part of a fight, refusing to drop charges against Cardenas. An LAPD source told me the suspect is a known gang member, a 10 percenter, so-called because he's among the most violent of L.A. criminals with a record that includes both attempted murder and concealed weapons' charges.</s>S. O'BRIEN: That was Marti Johnson from our affiliate KTLA reporting. Miles.</s>M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, those deadly floods in Washington state. Residents finding out just how long it could take to assess the damage there. Plus, a huge settlement in a deadly oil refinery explosion in Texas. Andy's "Minding Your Business." That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.