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CNN Connie Chung Tonight

Expert Recommends Packing Key Supplies in a Bag for Ready Use

Aired February 13, 2003 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CONNIE CHUNG, HOST: Good evening. I'm Connie Chung.
Tonight, Americans brace for the worst. The latest on security at home.

Plus, a stunning verdict in the Clara Harris trial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, the jury, find the defendant, Clara L. Harris, guilty of murder.

ANNOUNCER: Clara Harris, guilty of murder in the death of her husband, under the wheels of her Mercedes. Tonight, why the jury of nine women and three men made the guilty verdict.

Multiple threats. Bin laden. Iraq. North Korea. Tonight, America on edge. Living in a time of high anxiety. How Americans are dealing with the new normal.

Robert Chambers, the so-called preppy killer, served 15 years, and now will be a free man within hours.

ROBERT CHAMBERS, CONVICTED KILLER: Nothing I can do or say will ever bring her back, but I am sorry.

ANNOUNCER: The family of his victim is outraged.

And our person of the day, blazing a trail on the hardwood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

This is CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT. From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, Connie Chung.

CHUNG: Good evening.

Tonight, Clara Harris is guilty. The question now is, will she pay for it with her freedom? Or will she walk free on probation?

The 45-year-old mother of twins was convicted of murder for driving over her cheating husband in July.

CNN investigative correspondent Art Harris was in the Houston courtroom today for the verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ART HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Only an hour after Clara Harris hurried up the steps into a Houston courthouse today, a jury of nine women and three men came back with its verdict.

The trial judge read the result.

JUDGE CAROL DAVIES, HARRIS COUNTY: We, the jury, find the defendant, Clara L. Harris, guilty of murder as charged in the indictment. And that is signed by the presiding juror.

HARRIS: Her defense attorney appeared to hold on to Clara for support. The jury said she used her $70,000 Mercedes as a deadly weapon when she caught her cheating husband with another woman at a local hotel, where the Harris' honeymooned on Valentine's Day 11 years ago.

As the judge polled the jury, a tear ran down the cheek of Clara Harris. And she squeezed her eyes shut. She could face up to life in prison.

Then came the first witness called in the sentencing phase, her stepdaughter Lindsay Harris. She was in the Mercedes when her father was killed.

"I never got to say goodbye," said Lindsay. When Lindsay testified, she still had scars from later slitting her wrists, two suicide attempts, after Clara ran down her father.

Clara Harris began sobbing and said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Lindsay."

Over a decade, both Clara, a dentist, and David Harris, an orthodontist, built lucrative careers and moved into a Houston mansion. Twin sons came along.

The defense portrayed their idyllic life as a backdrop to the betrayal Clara said she felt on learning of her husband's affair with his receptionist. Then finding them at the hotel last July 24.

She told the jury she did not mean to hurt him and didn't remember hitting him. But a private eye's videotape showed the speeding Mercedes.

The jury deliberated almost eight hours over two days.

After the verdict, a source close to the defense team told CNN the jury had apparently ignored Clara's plight. The broken marriage. The mistress. Her state of mind.

At least two jurors appeared tearful.

The defense is asking the jury to let Clara go free on probation. Its first witness, the father of the victim, retired school principal Gerald Harris. He said, "I forgave her as a member of my family. I would not turn away from her." The jury will resume deliberations tomorrow to decide Clara Harris' sentence.

At the end of the day, Clara Harris took off her jewelry, her watch, her earrings, and was led away to spend her first night in jail, as she awaits her fate.

(on camera) Anything from probation to life in prison could be decided by the end of Valentine's Day, Clara Harris' first wedding anniversary without her husband.

Art Harris, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHUNG: Also in court today was Cindy Garza, a reporter for Houston station KPRC-TV.

Cindy, I was watching as the verdict was being read. But it didn't appear as if Clara Harris had any reaction.

CINDY GARZA, KPRC-TV: She didn't at all, Connie. In fact, I almost thought she looked shocked. She didn't cry, she didn't say anything, in fact her attorneys leaned on her in disbelief, it seemed like, and she just looked stun. I mean, she just sat there emotionless.

Other people in the jury -- I mean, other people in the courtroom showed a lot of emotion, but she did not.

CHUNG: And her stepdaughter Lindsay was there, was she not? And she was the one who had such damaging testimony. How did she react?

GARZA: She -- in fact, Connie, that's interesting, because before the jury read the verdict she almost was mumbling something. It appeared like she was saying a prayer.

And then after the verdict was read by the judge, she hugged her parents and she cried. She seemed relieved.

CHUNG: And what about David Harris' parents, who have been so supportive of Clara Harris?

GARZA: The father -- his father was in the jury -- was in the courtroom, along with relatives of hers and the in-laws and all their friends. They all were stunned. They all embraced one another. They were very sad. They cried.

But the judge ordered everyone, before court started this morning, that she was not going to tolerate any outbursts in the courtroom. So everyone kept whatever they were feeling to themselves.

But it was clear that they were very upset. They had tears streaming down their faces. But of course, they could not have any outbursts in the courtroom. CHUNG: Now I understand the sentencing phase started. And there was some incredibly dramatic moments when Lindsay was testifying in the sentencing phase. And she had said that she had tried to commit suicide two times?

GARZA: She did. In fact, this is really -- had an impact on Lindsay. She watched her father die.

So now she says that she's on medication for depression. She is being treated for that. Her grades have fallen from As and Bs to Cs, Ds, Fs. She quit cheerleading, which was one of her passions. She is basically saying that she doesn't have anything to live for.

She also testified today, and I don't know if you recall this, but in testimony Clara Harris said that before she killed her husband, she called the nanny and told the nanny to throw all of David Harris' clothes away in the dumpster.

Well, after she killed her husband, Lindsay went home, she took all of his clothes out of the dumpster, she took them to her bedroom, and she said she wanted to feel closer to her father. A father that she never was able to say goodbye to. It was very, very sad.

CHUNG: Cindy, was there a visible shock in the courtroom when Lindsay said she tried to commit suicide two times?

GARZA: Yes. At that point, Clara Harris broke down. She broke down in tears. The judge was upset. She excused all of the jurors.

And once the jurors were excused, Clara Harris broke down even more and started telling Lindsay, "Lindsay, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Lindsay, baby."

And the judge said, "I'm not going to have any of that, you're not supposed to be talking to her. I will not tolerate any outbursts in this courtroom." And she instructed the attorney and Clara Harris that if she did not control her outbursts, that she would not be allowed in that courtroom.

And to which George Parnham replied, "Judge, I'm sorry, I can't control this woman, she just got convicted of murder."

The judge said, "I'm sorry, I don't care, I will not tolerate that in my courtroom."

CHUNG: All right. Cindy Garza, thank you.

Joining us once again on this stunning trial, our legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

Jeffrey, I'll bet you weren't surprised at the verdict. But were you surprised at how quickly it came back?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I was very surprised at the speed of the verdict. You know, we spent time talking about what a difficult case this was. That there were powerful arguments on each side.

The jury had absolutely no trouble with this case. They completely dismissed the defense argument. They didn't buy Clara Harris' testimony herself. They wanted this case over with in a hurry. And they convicted her of the most serious offense in front of them.

CHUNG: What do you think the defense did wrong?

TOOBIN: You know, I'm not sure. There really wasn't much that they could have done otherwise.

Obviously, the big issue, always, is do you put the defendant on the stand? They put the defendant on the stand. And I think they had to do that, given the facts of this case.

You know, I think the facts were really bad. She ran over him three times. You know, most people who run over someone three times are going to get convicted of murder.

CHUNG: All right. Let's look at the sentencing possibilities. Because it's so fascinating.

TOOBIN: It's very complicated.

CHUNG: Even though she's been found guilty, and you'd think, well, life in prison. Not so.

TOOBIN: Far from it. In fact, just to try to simplify it, there are basically three possibilities.

One is if the jury comes back with a sentence of ten years or less, and recommends probation, she could really get probation. She might get six months in prison, but that could be it.

Second, if she gets a specific jail time, ten years, say, she'll have to serve half before she's eligible for parole.

Then there's the question which we've talked about before of sudden passion.

CHUNG: Right.

TOOBIN: If the jury finds that this was a crime of sudden passion, the range changes from two to 20 years. It drops down.

CHUNG: Just two years? Only two years?

TOOBIN: At a minimum, yes.

So at this moment, Clara Harris has lost this trial, but she still has a chance of getting a very low or even nonexistent sentence. Incredible.

CHUNG: It really -- And it's only because the -- in Texas, the jury determines the sentence? TOOBIN: Very unusual system, that the -- A, it's unusual because the jury has such a big role. And B, because the range is so wide. She could also get life in prison. We don't know at this point.

CHUNG: The jury will continue to hear testimony regarding the sentencing?

TOOBIN: The big testimony likely to come is Clara Harris herself. She is likely to come to the jury again and beg for mercy, in effect.

It didn't work in the guilt phase. I don't know if it will work in the penalty phase.

CHUNG: Do you think it will take the jury long? I mean, they're very, very fast.

TOOBIN: Well, I certainly don't think so. The usual rule is the penalty phase jury deliberations are shorter than guilt. Here, I would expect the same thing.

So I would expect a verdict the same day that this goes to the trial. Or goes to the jury.

CHUNG: All right. Jeffrey Toobin, thank you.

Still ahead, when would the U.S. launch its strike against Iraq? And how long would American soldiers be there? Stay with us.

ANNOUNCER: Next, biological, chemical and radiological terror threats. Are Americans getting the right information quickly enough? CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHUNG: If you listen to all the official reports, it's hard to know where the greatest threat to America lies these days. The number of potentially explosive hot spots seems to be multiplying.

There is North Korea, where Premier Kim Jong-Il is refusing to end his nuclear weapons program and which U.S. officials are again saying has an untested missile system that's capable of launching conventional missiles as far away as the western United States.

There is Iraq. War with Saddam Hussein's country could be imminent. U.S. officials are calling tomorrow's report by chief weapons inspector Hans Blix a moment of truth.

The chief nuclear inspector said today only 100 percent cooperation by the Iraqis could prevent a U.S. invasion.

And in case anyone's forgotten, U.S. officials warn that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda might strike today or tomorrow to coincide with the end of the Muslim Hajj.

All of which has Americans on edge. Calls are up at police terror hotlines. Police in New York and Washington have had to close bridges and tunnels for short periods of time in the past couple of days, checking out suspicious packages.

Talk of chemical, biological, and radioactive attacks has Americans on edge. It's an understatement.

Judith Miller reports for the "New York Times" on the Middle East and on terror and she joins us tonight.

Actually, Judith, I can't imagine that we really are talking about what we're talking about. It's frightening.

JUDITH MILLER, NEW YORK TIMES: It takes some getting used to.

CHUNG: It does. And I think some people are quite oblivious, as if nothing's going to happen, and some people are terribly panic stricken.

There's this controversy over duct tape and plastic sheeting. What would that protect us from? And how?

MILLER: Well, there hasn't obviously been a lot of testing of the duct tape and plastic sheeting hypothesis. Because fortunately, our nation hasn't been exposed to this kind of dramatic biological, chemical or radiological nuclear attack.

But the studies that have been done suggest that it couldn't hurt, and that it might actually be of some value.

I think the issue is, what would we be attacked with? And how long would it take you to tape up your house to at least one room, to make it kind of safer than it would be before?

The problem with the biological attack is that normally, one wouldn't know that one was under attack because germs normally don't have an odor, you can't see them. So it wouldn't do you any good to tape up your house if you don't know that an attack is ongoing.

I think most people think that taping up a room, a safe room in your house, a secure room, would be most valuable if we were actually being attacked with a radiological, nuclear, or a chemical weapon.

CHUNG: What does the duct tape and plastic sheeting not protect us from?

MILLER: Well...

CHUNG: Biological?

MILLER: Biological agents if they're already in the room. The problem once again is knowing that you're under attack.

Now what the government has recently done here in New York and starting to do in other major cities, is to use the air quality control monitors that are all over the country to begin to sniff for the presence of germs and biological agents. That's why listening to the radio and to the television, watching the television, would be very important in the event of an actual attack. Because you would need to know what is being used against us.

CHUNG: Judy, how will the terrorists, if they do indeed attack us, how will they get these biological and chemical weapons to our shores?

MILLER: Well, this is also, Connie, a source of great debate.

No one is really certain. We know that al Qaeda was experimenting with basic chemicals and we believe some biological agents. We don't know that they ever perfected the ability to disseminate these agents.

The government is watching very closely things like crop dusters that could be used to fly over a city or an area and distribute these substances.

And we know, however, that there are other ways of doing it. Someone wandering around the subway with an aerosol canister.

Though these days, an alert like the one we've had would suggest that if ordinary New Yorkers were watching this, they might be a little suspicious and might contact the police. That's the advantage of these warnings. It makes people a little alert to unusual developments.

In a city like New York, that might not normally be considered unusual. But given the climate now, people are just more on guard, more suspicious, and that's why we have these alerts. Because actually, we don't know very much about what al Qaeda may actually be planning or able to do. I wish we knew more.

CHUNG: We've heard a lot of talk about dirty bombs. What is a dirty bomb, and how would it affect us?

MILLER: A dirty bomb is kind of a nuclear weapon manque, that is it's less than a nuclear bomb. It wouldn't have the mushroom cloud. It would be an explosive that would distribute radiological substance around the city.

Now while it might not kill very many people, the effects of the radiation could be quite severe.

CHUNG: They are?

MILLER: It could contaminate an area for a very long time.

CHUNG: What are the effects?

MILLER: Well, you would have radiation sickness, you would have contaminated areas, and in an instance like that, going underground or to a safe facility, that is, a secure facility where you don't have exposure to that substance and those rays, would be very important.

Duct tape, for example, might be very useful in such a situation.

CHUNG: All right. Finally, Judy, you've done so much reporting on this and what the government knows.

Do you think that the state and federal governments are prepared for a biological or chemical attack so that they can inform us?

MILLER: I think they are a good deal more prepared than they were a year ago or two years ago before September 11. But are we prepared enough? No.

Are we prepared as the Bush Administration had wanted us to be? No.

In part because some $3.5 billion of money that the administration had requested, that was supposed to help train first responders, you know, local police and fire people, never got appropriated by the Congress last year. It was kind of bogged down in congressional squabbling.

And as a result, a lot of this money never reached the communities and the cities that really needed it. And a lot of the training that was supposed to go on never took place.

CHUNG: That's a grim note to end on. But I thank you, Judith Miller, for being with us.

MILLER: It's my pleasure, Connie.

CHUNG: All right. In a moment, we're going to look at some steps that are officially and unofficially recommended in the event of an attack.

But first, tonight's look at the world in 60 has some more reminders of why Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today said this may be, quote, "the most dangerous security environment the world has known."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(voice-over) Iraq is denying its missile program breaches United Nations resolutions. An Iraqi missile has been found to fly 24 miles farther than the 93-mile limit set by the U.N. This would be enough to hit Kuwait. But Iraq says it does not have the means to attack Israel.

Amid the heightened security at Britain's airports, police made two arrests at Heathrow Airport and at Gatwick. A Venezuelan man was arrested for allegedly carrying a live grenade.

The U.S. says it will not call for U.N. sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program. This after CIA director George Tenet stated publicly that North Korea has a missile that could reach the west coast of the U.S.

A Congressional report released today details how Enron manipulated its tax and accounting records. Among other findings, the failed energy giant did not pay income taxes between 1996 and 1999.

ANNOUNCER: Next, duct tape, potassium iodide pills and gas masks. What you really need to know to protect yourself from a terror attack. CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT returns in a moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHUNG: With the Department of Homeland Security maintaining the nation's terror alert level at orange or high, some hardware stores are reporting runs on emergency supplies.

Joining us is Ben Venzke, CEO of Intelcenter, which specializes in terrorism and national security issues.

Thank you, Ben, for being with us again.

BEN VENZKE, CEO INTELCENTER: Good to be here, Connie.

CHUNG: I understand what you recommend and others do, as well, is put together a go-bag. What is in the go-bag?

VENZKE: Exactly. In the event that you need to evacuate, you want to, without having to think, have all the key essentials.

You want to have an address book or key phone numbers in case you need to reach people.

You want to have a passport, any key documentation. Driver's license, other things like that.

And then you'll have key medications that you may need. Any prescription drugs that you need to take within a short period of time.

Have batteries and a flashlight. Have a radio so that you can get instructions and information and spare batteries for that, as well.

As well as cash, because there very could be a situation where you can't get to an ATM. So you might not be able to use credit cards. You need some kind of method of payment.

And have a map. You generally know the area where you live, but if you're evacuating you need to get to -- you need to have instructions on how to get to the rendezvous point where you're going to meet other family members or other people.

And a cell phone, some way to communicate with each other. So that if there's an explosion, you can talk to other people.

CHUNG: Even if the airways may be clogged?

VENZKE: That's a very important point. You want to try and use the cell phone... CHUNG: That happened on 9/11.

VENZKE: Exactly. As we saw during 9/11, cell phones didn't work because everyone was trying to use them at the same time.

And that's why it's key that you have some kind of rendezvous point for your family members so that even if you can't talk to each other, you all know where you're going to meet up and where you're going to be.

CHUNG: OK. Did you mention everything here? You've got a flashlight, radio. Yes, that's it.

But what are you supposed to do? Carry this around with you night and day?

VENZKE: Well, that's the key thing. When you put your go-bag together, it's very easy. When you're at home, you want to have it by the door.

I would recommend at times, when possible, when say, we're at a heightened state of alert like we are for the next couple days now, if you have a car and you go to the office, that's something that you might want to have with you in your car. Because if there is a terrorist attack you might not be able to get back home. And that way you can leave straight from work.

It's a little more difficult and people in New York City, where you're not driving, you're taking the subway. So you want to try to work out some kind of compromise so that you're ready even if you're at work or at another location.

CHUNG: Which means taking it to work?

VENZKE: In general, take it to work when we're at a heightened state of alert. Otherwise, you want to have it ready either in your car or at home.

CHUNG: OK. Another big important tip, I'm told, is to have a family plan. And honestly, I don't really know what you mean. Because if, for instance, my son is at school, my husband's at work, and I'm at work, what are we supposed to do?

VENZKE: The family plan is critical. More important than buying anything, more important than duct tape and plastic.

What you want to do, in essence, is stop yourself at various points in the day, say what would I do right now if there's an attack? Are you going to have the key phone numbers? Do you know how to reach your significant others?

And like we just discussed, you might not be able to reach them. Cell phones might not work. So what you want to do...

CHUNG: I know you said go meet somewhere outside the city.

VENZKE: Exactly.

CHUNG: At Aunt Bertha's or whatever, right?

VENZKE: You want to have some location outside of the city that you can all get to and meet there.

CHUNG: Yes, but how do you get there, you know? You don't know how you're going to get there, do?

VENZKE: That's the critical thing. Because some people might have cars, and some might not. None of this is perfect.

But for instance, if your children are in school and there's an emergency, and you cannot get them out, which in most cases you won't be able to because the school will lock down, your children are going to know that their parents have gone to this house. This relative's. And they're going to have the phone numbers so they can call there and they have a way of getting in touch with you. And they'll know where you are, which will reduce anxiety.

CHUNG: I see. OK. Quickly, the gas mask. We've seen the traditional ones. And you're telling us not to buy them?

VENZKE: Right. You want to stay away from the military masks because they have to be properly fitted. You need the right filters.

This is the Quick 2000. It's what is used by the senators and the congressmen on Capitol Hill, as well as other federal agencies. It comes in a small pouch, like we see here, and when you open it up it's going to look exactly like that.

It will protect you from chemical, biological and radiological agents for a couple hours. It's designed to allow you to escape from an area where there's contaminants. It's simple. It doesn't require any maintenance.

And, right now, it's one of the few products that's been tested by the government and is good to use.

CHUNG: All right, Ben, I thank you so much for being with us. I think all your information is quite valuable. Thank you.

VENZKE: Thank you very much, Connie.

CHUNG: All right.

When we come back: a milestone for the Pentagon, as thousands more U.S. soldiers say goodbye to loved ones and prepare to go to war. And we'll look into the military options. When might there be a war?

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHUNG: The Pentagon today met its deployment goal for the U.S. Central Command, the region that includes Iraq. The recent military buildup has now put about 160,000 U.S. troops in and around the Persian Gulf, including soldiers of the Army National Guard, like these, who shipped out from Pennsylvania this week and Georgia just today.

The government is also shipping out more than 38,000 reservists in the biggest reserves call-up since September 11. At a hearing today on whether to raise the Pentagon's budget 4 percent to $380 billion, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was asked how long U.S. troops will be in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The United States simply has to be willing to stay there as long as is necessary to see that that is done, but not one day longer. We have no interest in other people's land or territory. We have no interest in other people's oil, as some articles seem to suggest. So, exactly how long it would be and what it would look like would vary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHUNG: Now, the military budget does not include the war on terror or the war with Iraq. With U.S. officials calling tomorrow's report to the U.N. a moment of truth, we wanted to get a sense of how quickly a U.S. invasion could follow that moment.

So joining us new from Chicago is CNN military analyst Major General David Grange.

Thank you, General Grange, for being with us.

RETIRED MAJ. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: My pleasure.

CHUNG: Based on the sources that you have spoken with and based on your judgment, do you think we'll be at war with Iraq very soon, next week, next month? What's your judgment?

GRANGE: If it's a deliberate planning, I believe it will be around March. The weather, the terrain, the situation is advantageous to U.S. and coalition forces to attack then.

But it could be tomorrow. The enemy has a vote. And the enemy could do something that would cause us to have to attack early: take inspectors as hostage, fire a Scud missile. Something could go wrong, a terrorist attack, the connectivity between terrorists and Saddam that we can prove. So, something could kick it off early.

And what's key is, the forces in place can now have a limited capability, but it will expand as the month goes on.

CHUNG: Is the U.S. military ready?

GRANGE: The U.S. military in the region now is ready. You're never 100 percent ready, because there's always something you have not had time to do. New intelligence comes in, in something you have to plan and train against that you had not prepared for before, because you didn't have that information.

So, it's a continuous thing. Even when you're deployed to the region, preparing for hostilities, training and preparedness never ends.

CHUNG: And how long would this war last?

GRANGE: I think the fighting aspects, if we go to war again with Iraq, would be two to three weeks. But the key thing is the transition then to the security and reconstruction phase of Iraq after hostilities or the major hostilities end.

CHUNG: General Grange, is there a possibility that we might go to war against Iraq and North Korea, knowing that North Korea has the ability to send a missile to our West Coast, although it's been untested?

GRANGE: That possibility always exists. And, hopefully, that would not happen, to have these two wars, if they did occur, simultaneously.

It's better to do one before the other. If we were forced to do that, our nation would have to take on probably one of them before the other. The other would end up being what's known as a holding action. In other words, we could destroy one's army and occupy that country. The other would have to be a holding action, destroying forces, but not occupying until a later date.

CHUNG: Do you believe that the United States would go to war against Iraq and North Korea?

GRANGE: If the conditions presented themselves and we had to, the United States of America has that capability. And I think North Korea knows that and is cognizant of that fact, that that could happen. I mean, we would have no choice because of treaties with allies in that region.

CHUNG: Well, what conditions are you talking about?

GRANGE: If, in fact, North Korea fired a missile into Seoul or into Japan or instigated hostilities, we would have to react to that.

CHUNG: All right.

Today, Secretary Rumsfeld did not rule out the possibility of using nuclear weapons. However, I think the concern on Capitol Hill is that the United States might be lowering the threshold for use of nuclear weapons. Do you think that that's a possibility?

GRANGE: It's always a possibility and it has to be in your toolbox of options for any nation that has that capability, if you're threatened or the response that you would have to take is beyond conventional capabilities.

But I think it would be farfetched to see the United States of America having to do that. I think it would only happen if, let's say, North Korea in fact did it. Then we would probably respond. But, again, that's such a political issue, to use a nuclear weapon, just the name itself, that it would be -- it's very hard for me to imagine doing that unless it was really dire circumstances.

CHUNG: All right, General Grange, I thank you so much for being with us.

GRANGE: Thank you.

CHUNG: Still ahead: He was sent to jail for a disturbing murder. The next chapter is about to begin.

Stay with us.

ANNOUNCER: After 15 years in prison, the so-called preppie murderer is about to walk free. What really happened that night in Central Park?

CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT continues in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHUNG: Tomorrow, the man at the center of one of the most notorious murder cases of the 1980s walks free. His killing of an 18- year-old woman, along with the lies he told about her afterwards and his mockery of her death, made the so-called preppie murderer infamous nationwide.

CNN's Jason Carroll takes us back 15 years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It came to be known as the preppie murder. And it symbolized the downside of the decadence of the 1980s.

It involved sex, violence, young, attractive, privileged characters. The victim: 18-year-old Jennifer Levin, a college-bound prep school graduate. The killer: 19-year-old Robert Chambers, a prep school partier with a history of drug abuse and a burglary conviction.

(on camera): The two met at a party and became friends. In August of 1986, they came here, to Dorian's, a bar on the Upper East Side. And later that night, they were seen leaving together.

The following morning, a bicyclist found Levin's partially nude body here in Central Park, right over by that tree. She had been strangled to death.

(voice-over): An autopsy revealed Levin fought desperately for her life. During a taped confession, Chambers admitted killing her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT CHAMBERS, CONVICTED OF MANSLAUGHTER: And I just leaned and up grabbed her like this around the neck and I just yanked her. I shook her and there was nothing. And I got really scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Chambers, who was 6 foot, 4 inches, 200 pounds, claimed it was self-defense against the 5 foot, 4 inches, 130-pound Levin, during rough sex gone awry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAMBERS: She molested me in the park. She hit me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How could she molest you?

CHAMBERS: You're talking about, what, girls cannot

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're telling me she's raping you in the park?

CHAMBERS: She's having her way with me without my consent, with my hands behind my bark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: He was charged with murder, but pled guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAMBERS: Nothing I can do or say will ever bring her back, but I am sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Levin's family never believed he was sorry. Then a tabloid show called "A Current Affair" obtained a home video of Chambers making a joke about killing a doll at a party. It was shot just a few weeks before his trial and it confirmed the Levins' doubts and drew public outrage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAMBERS: My name is -- oops. I think I killed her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: The tape wasn't broadcast until after Chambers was sentenced to 15 years in prison. That time passed too quickly for Levin's family.

ELLEN LEVIN, MOTHER OF JENNIFER: It seemed so far away at the time. And when your child is killed by somebody else, I don't think anything seems like justice.

CARROLL: Chambers' troubles continued in prison: 27 offenses for drugs and violence. Levin's mother fears Chambers will continue the pattern.

LEVIN: If he can't behave himself in prison, what's going to happen on the streets?

CARROLL: He's now 36. Jennifer Levin would have been 34.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHUNG: Today, Chambers released a statement in which he said saying he's sorry for the grief he caused Levin's family. He said -- quote -- "There has not been a day since Jennifer Levin's death that I have not regretted my actions on that day."

Joining us now is Linda Wolfe. She was in the courtroom throughout the case and is the author of "Wasted: The Preppie Murder."

Thank you so much for being with us tonight.

LINDA WOLFE, AUTHOR, "WASTED: THE PREPPIE MURDER": Thank you, Connie.

CHUNG: You just heard what Robert Chambers said in a statement. Do you believe that he's sorry and remorseful?

WOLFE: Well, I'm sure he's sorry that he had to spend 15 years in prison. I don't know if he's truly remorseful. I think he probably still thinks of himself as the victim in this case. He feels victimized all the time.

CHUNG: Well, why is that? Because I know you met with him several times. What gave you that impression?

WOLFE: I have that impression not so much from my encounters with him, but from what people have said who visited him while he's been in prison. He feels that he was the victim of the media, the victim of the Levin family. He still was repeating his story that it was an accidental death fairly recently.

CHUNG: Just this week, I happened to run into the foreperson, a woman who was the foreman of that particular jury. And she said to me, with tears in her eyes: Please remember Jennifer Levin. I don't want anyone to forget Jennifer Levin.

Jennifer Levin was someone whose reputation was dragged through the mud at this trial.

WOLFE: Yes.

It was dragged through the mud largely because of Robert's confession. Robert was talking about how they'd had rough sex in the park and he'd been the victim. She'd tied his hands behind his back. He had a whole fanciful story about what had been done to him. And from that point on, everything about Jennifer's life was examined and reexamined. They kept looking into her history. And she was the victim. It was bizarre.

CHUNG: And her family has continued, actually, to this day, to say, of course, that he should not be getting out of prison.

WOLFE: Well, that's what -- they had to settle for this, because there was -- there would have been a hung jury. The jury was out for nine days. There were rumors that they simply couldn't reach any agreement.

And I think, finally, when the possibility of a plea came up, the plea to manslaughter, I think, at that point, the family was willing to take it, because they didn't want to face the horrible prospect of going through this whole trial and the agony and the exposure all over again. Of course, now it's 15 years later. And it may seem like a very short sentence to them.

CHUNG: Can you remember Jennifer Levin for us? Who was she?

WOLFE: She was a very vivacious, lively, outspoken young woman. She had lots of friends. She was about to go off to college, I think about a day or two after this happened to her. She would have been a very dynamic woman, I think.

CHUNG: What about Robert Chambers' future? Do you have any thoughts, any insight?

WOLFE: Well, I think it's going to be a very difficult life for him, particularly if he remains in the same city that he was in, in New York, and the same circle that he was in, because he's memorable. I don't think he's changed his appearance. And there's still a lot of anger toward him. The public still remembers him quite well. And I think it's going to be hard for him.

CHUNG: Is it your feeling that this is someone who might commit a crime again?

WOLFE: Oh.

CHUNG: I know. That's a tough one.

WOLFE: That's a hard one. I don't know.

I, like everybody else, know that he was not a very good prisoner, that he violated a lot of rules while he was in prison. I think there were something like 27 infractions of the rules. He is a person who pretty much likes to go his own way. Who knows? I don't know. It's a mystery. And, of course, the media will be on him. They'll be watching, as they always did.

CHUNG: Linda Wolfe, I thank you so much for being with us.

WOLFE: Thank you, Connie.

CHUNG: All right.

Coming up: We might be an important step closer to knowing the cause of what happened to the space shuttle Columbia.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHUNG: Investigators today said the space shuttle Columbia almost certainly suffered a fatal breach, which allowed the superheated air coursing around the shuttle on its reentry into the left wing's interior and possibly the wheel compartment. What remains a mystery is the nature of that breach and how it could have occurred.

And now on to tonight's "Snapshot," which begins with a reminder that Senator John Kerry's recent battle with cancer is hardly unique.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHUNG (voice-over): Television evangelist Pat Robertson is battling prostate cancer. He made that announcement on his "700 Club" television program and says he will undergo surgery next week. Doctors say it appears the cancer has not spread.

Take note, smokers. You might be priced out of the habit. According to "The Washington Post," a federal health commission on smoking recommends raising the federal tax by a whopping $2 a pack.

Actor Sean Penn is suing movie producer Stephen Bing. Penn says Bing dropped him from a film project because of his vocal opposition to possible war in Iraq.

Can you hear me now? Not if you're Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in his castle-like home. According to the "Los Angeles Times," the tech mogul is moving out because he can't get a digital cell phone signal.

Believe it or not, you may have learned your kissing posture in your mother's womb. A study says most kissers tilt to their right, as babies do before birth.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Ahead: our "Person of the Day," blazing a trail on the hardwood.

CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT continues in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHUNG: Teresa Phillips tonight will become the first woman to coach a men's Division I college basketball team. Phillips is athletics director at Tennessee State. She's just filling in tonight, after the regular coach was suspended for a single game as punishment after some of his Tennessee State Tigers got into a brawl at a game on Monday.

Phillips says she doesn't see it as history. She says what will really make history is when a woman is actually hired for the position and given the chance to build her team up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERESA PHILLIPS, TENNESSEE STATE: If this opens people's minds about it, if it makes some of those great women coaches who are out there recognize or realize or risk putting their name in hats and actually pursue jobs on the men's side, if it does that, then that's going to be great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHUNG: I agree.

It's a goal that, along with tonight's step, however small, makes Teresa Phillips today's "Person of the Day."

And, by the way, Teresa will be our guest tomorrow to talk about tonight's game and all the media attention that it drew.

Also tomorrow: Colin Powell called it the moment of truth. Hans Blix delivers his report to the U.N. How will the world react? And will the U.S. go to war?

Right now, on "LARRY KING LIVE," Laci Peterson's family talks about the search and the questions they have for her husband.

Thank you so much for joining us. And for all of us at CNN, good night and we'll see you tomorrow.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





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Aired February 13, 2003 - 20:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CONNIE CHUNG, HOST: Good evening. I'm Connie Chung.
Tonight, Americans brace for the worst. The latest on security at home.

Plus, a stunning verdict in the Clara Harris trial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We, the jury, find the defendant, Clara L. Harris, guilty of murder.

ANNOUNCER: Clara Harris, guilty of murder in the death of her husband, under the wheels of her Mercedes. Tonight, why the jury of nine women and three men made the guilty verdict.

Multiple threats. Bin laden. Iraq. North Korea. Tonight, America on edge. Living in a time of high anxiety. How Americans are dealing with the new normal.

Robert Chambers, the so-called preppy killer, served 15 years, and now will be a free man within hours.

ROBERT CHAMBERS, CONVICTED KILLER: Nothing I can do or say will ever bring her back, but I am sorry.

ANNOUNCER: The family of his victim is outraged.

And our person of the day, blazing a trail on the hardwood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

This is CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT. From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, Connie Chung.

CHUNG: Good evening.

Tonight, Clara Harris is guilty. The question now is, will she pay for it with her freedom? Or will she walk free on probation?

The 45-year-old mother of twins was convicted of murder for driving over her cheating husband in July.

CNN investigative correspondent Art Harris was in the Houston courtroom today for the verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ART HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Only an hour after Clara Harris hurried up the steps into a Houston courthouse today, a jury of nine women and three men came back with its verdict.

The trial judge read the result.

JUDGE CAROL DAVIES, HARRIS COUNTY: We, the jury, find the defendant, Clara L. Harris, guilty of murder as charged in the indictment. And that is signed by the presiding juror.

HARRIS: Her defense attorney appeared to hold on to Clara for support. The jury said she used her $70,000 Mercedes as a deadly weapon when she caught her cheating husband with another woman at a local hotel, where the Harris' honeymooned on Valentine's Day 11 years ago.

As the judge polled the jury, a tear ran down the cheek of Clara Harris. And she squeezed her eyes shut. She could face up to life in prison.

Then came the first witness called in the sentencing phase, her stepdaughter Lindsay Harris. She was in the Mercedes when her father was killed.

"I never got to say goodbye," said Lindsay. When Lindsay testified, she still had scars from later slitting her wrists, two suicide attempts, after Clara ran down her father.

Clara Harris began sobbing and said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Lindsay."

Over a decade, both Clara, a dentist, and David Harris, an orthodontist, built lucrative careers and moved into a Houston mansion. Twin sons came along.

The defense portrayed their idyllic life as a backdrop to the betrayal Clara said she felt on learning of her husband's affair with his receptionist. Then finding them at the hotel last July 24.

She told the jury she did not mean to hurt him and didn't remember hitting him. But a private eye's videotape showed the speeding Mercedes.

The jury deliberated almost eight hours over two days.

After the verdict, a source close to the defense team told CNN the jury had apparently ignored Clara's plight. The broken marriage. The mistress. Her state of mind.

At least two jurors appeared tearful.

The defense is asking the jury to let Clara go free on probation. Its first witness, the father of the victim, retired school principal Gerald Harris. He said, "I forgave her as a member of my family. I would not turn away from her." The jury will resume deliberations tomorrow to decide Clara Harris' sentence.

At the end of the day, Clara Harris took off her jewelry, her watch, her earrings, and was led away to spend her first night in jail, as she awaits her fate.

(on camera) Anything from probation to life in prison could be decided by the end of Valentine's Day, Clara Harris' first wedding anniversary without her husband.

Art Harris, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHUNG: Also in court today was Cindy Garza, a reporter for Houston station KPRC-TV.

Cindy, I was watching as the verdict was being read. But it didn't appear as if Clara Harris had any reaction.

CINDY GARZA, KPRC-TV: She didn't at all, Connie. In fact, I almost thought she looked shocked. She didn't cry, she didn't say anything, in fact her attorneys leaned on her in disbelief, it seemed like, and she just looked stun. I mean, she just sat there emotionless.

Other people in the jury -- I mean, other people in the courtroom showed a lot of emotion, but she did not.

CHUNG: And her stepdaughter Lindsay was there, was she not? And she was the one who had such damaging testimony. How did she react?

GARZA: She -- in fact, Connie, that's interesting, because before the jury read the verdict she almost was mumbling something. It appeared like she was saying a prayer.

And then after the verdict was read by the judge, she hugged her parents and she cried. She seemed relieved.

CHUNG: And what about David Harris' parents, who have been so supportive of Clara Harris?

GARZA: The father -- his father was in the jury -- was in the courtroom, along with relatives of hers and the in-laws and all their friends. They all were stunned. They all embraced one another. They were very sad. They cried.

But the judge ordered everyone, before court started this morning, that she was not going to tolerate any outbursts in the courtroom. So everyone kept whatever they were feeling to themselves.

But it was clear that they were very upset. They had tears streaming down their faces. But of course, they could not have any outbursts in the courtroom. CHUNG: Now I understand the sentencing phase started. And there was some incredibly dramatic moments when Lindsay was testifying in the sentencing phase. And she had said that she had tried to commit suicide two times?

GARZA: She did. In fact, this is really -- had an impact on Lindsay. She watched her father die.

So now she says that she's on medication for depression. She is being treated for that. Her grades have fallen from As and Bs to Cs, Ds, Fs. She quit cheerleading, which was one of her passions. She is basically saying that she doesn't have anything to live for.

She also testified today, and I don't know if you recall this, but in testimony Clara Harris said that before she killed her husband, she called the nanny and told the nanny to throw all of David Harris' clothes away in the dumpster.

Well, after she killed her husband, Lindsay went home, she took all of his clothes out of the dumpster, she took them to her bedroom, and she said she wanted to feel closer to her father. A father that she never was able to say goodbye to. It was very, very sad.

CHUNG: Cindy, was there a visible shock in the courtroom when Lindsay said she tried to commit suicide two times?

GARZA: Yes. At that point, Clara Harris broke down. She broke down in tears. The judge was upset. She excused all of the jurors.

And once the jurors were excused, Clara Harris broke down even more and started telling Lindsay, "Lindsay, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Lindsay, baby."

And the judge said, "I'm not going to have any of that, you're not supposed to be talking to her. I will not tolerate any outbursts in this courtroom." And she instructed the attorney and Clara Harris that if she did not control her outbursts, that she would not be allowed in that courtroom.

And to which George Parnham replied, "Judge, I'm sorry, I can't control this woman, she just got convicted of murder."

The judge said, "I'm sorry, I don't care, I will not tolerate that in my courtroom."

CHUNG: All right. Cindy Garza, thank you.

Joining us once again on this stunning trial, our legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.

Jeffrey, I'll bet you weren't surprised at the verdict. But were you surprised at how quickly it came back?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I was very surprised at the speed of the verdict. You know, we spent time talking about what a difficult case this was. That there were powerful arguments on each side.

The jury had absolutely no trouble with this case. They completely dismissed the defense argument. They didn't buy Clara Harris' testimony herself. They wanted this case over with in a hurry. And they convicted her of the most serious offense in front of them.

CHUNG: What do you think the defense did wrong?

TOOBIN: You know, I'm not sure. There really wasn't much that they could have done otherwise.

Obviously, the big issue, always, is do you put the defendant on the stand? They put the defendant on the stand. And I think they had to do that, given the facts of this case.

You know, I think the facts were really bad. She ran over him three times. You know, most people who run over someone three times are going to get convicted of murder.

CHUNG: All right. Let's look at the sentencing possibilities. Because it's so fascinating.

TOOBIN: It's very complicated.

CHUNG: Even though she's been found guilty, and you'd think, well, life in prison. Not so.

TOOBIN: Far from it. In fact, just to try to simplify it, there are basically three possibilities.

One is if the jury comes back with a sentence of ten years or less, and recommends probation, she could really get probation. She might get six months in prison, but that could be it.

Second, if she gets a specific jail time, ten years, say, she'll have to serve half before she's eligible for parole.

Then there's the question which we've talked about before of sudden passion.

CHUNG: Right.

TOOBIN: If the jury finds that this was a crime of sudden passion, the range changes from two to 20 years. It drops down.

CHUNG: Just two years? Only two years?

TOOBIN: At a minimum, yes.

So at this moment, Clara Harris has lost this trial, but she still has a chance of getting a very low or even nonexistent sentence. Incredible.

CHUNG: It really -- And it's only because the -- in Texas, the jury determines the sentence? TOOBIN: Very unusual system, that the -- A, it's unusual because the jury has such a big role. And B, because the range is so wide. She could also get life in prison. We don't know at this point.

CHUNG: The jury will continue to hear testimony regarding the sentencing?

TOOBIN: The big testimony likely to come is Clara Harris herself. She is likely to come to the jury again and beg for mercy, in effect.

It didn't work in the guilt phase. I don't know if it will work in the penalty phase.

CHUNG: Do you think it will take the jury long? I mean, they're very, very fast.

TOOBIN: Well, I certainly don't think so. The usual rule is the penalty phase jury deliberations are shorter than guilt. Here, I would expect the same thing.

So I would expect a verdict the same day that this goes to the trial. Or goes to the jury.

CHUNG: All right. Jeffrey Toobin, thank you.

Still ahead, when would the U.S. launch its strike against Iraq? And how long would American soldiers be there? Stay with us.

ANNOUNCER: Next, biological, chemical and radiological terror threats. Are Americans getting the right information quickly enough? CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHUNG: If you listen to all the official reports, it's hard to know where the greatest threat to America lies these days. The number of potentially explosive hot spots seems to be multiplying.

There is North Korea, where Premier Kim Jong-Il is refusing to end his nuclear weapons program and which U.S. officials are again saying has an untested missile system that's capable of launching conventional missiles as far away as the western United States.

There is Iraq. War with Saddam Hussein's country could be imminent. U.S. officials are calling tomorrow's report by chief weapons inspector Hans Blix a moment of truth.

The chief nuclear inspector said today only 100 percent cooperation by the Iraqis could prevent a U.S. invasion.

And in case anyone's forgotten, U.S. officials warn that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda might strike today or tomorrow to coincide with the end of the Muslim Hajj.

All of which has Americans on edge. Calls are up at police terror hotlines. Police in New York and Washington have had to close bridges and tunnels for short periods of time in the past couple of days, checking out suspicious packages.

Talk of chemical, biological, and radioactive attacks has Americans on edge. It's an understatement.

Judith Miller reports for the "New York Times" on the Middle East and on terror and she joins us tonight.

Actually, Judith, I can't imagine that we really are talking about what we're talking about. It's frightening.

JUDITH MILLER, NEW YORK TIMES: It takes some getting used to.

CHUNG: It does. And I think some people are quite oblivious, as if nothing's going to happen, and some people are terribly panic stricken.

There's this controversy over duct tape and plastic sheeting. What would that protect us from? And how?

MILLER: Well, there hasn't obviously been a lot of testing of the duct tape and plastic sheeting hypothesis. Because fortunately, our nation hasn't been exposed to this kind of dramatic biological, chemical or radiological nuclear attack.

But the studies that have been done suggest that it couldn't hurt, and that it might actually be of some value.

I think the issue is, what would we be attacked with? And how long would it take you to tape up your house to at least one room, to make it kind of safer than it would be before?

The problem with the biological attack is that normally, one wouldn't know that one was under attack because germs normally don't have an odor, you can't see them. So it wouldn't do you any good to tape up your house if you don't know that an attack is ongoing.

I think most people think that taping up a room, a safe room in your house, a secure room, would be most valuable if we were actually being attacked with a radiological, nuclear, or a chemical weapon.

CHUNG: What does the duct tape and plastic sheeting not protect us from?

MILLER: Well...

CHUNG: Biological?

MILLER: Biological agents if they're already in the room. The problem once again is knowing that you're under attack.

Now what the government has recently done here in New York and starting to do in other major cities, is to use the air quality control monitors that are all over the country to begin to sniff for the presence of germs and biological agents. That's why listening to the radio and to the television, watching the television, would be very important in the event of an actual attack. Because you would need to know what is being used against us.

CHUNG: Judy, how will the terrorists, if they do indeed attack us, how will they get these biological and chemical weapons to our shores?

MILLER: Well, this is also, Connie, a source of great debate.

No one is really certain. We know that al Qaeda was experimenting with basic chemicals and we believe some biological agents. We don't know that they ever perfected the ability to disseminate these agents.

The government is watching very closely things like crop dusters that could be used to fly over a city or an area and distribute these substances.

And we know, however, that there are other ways of doing it. Someone wandering around the subway with an aerosol canister.

Though these days, an alert like the one we've had would suggest that if ordinary New Yorkers were watching this, they might be a little suspicious and might contact the police. That's the advantage of these warnings. It makes people a little alert to unusual developments.

In a city like New York, that might not normally be considered unusual. But given the climate now, people are just more on guard, more suspicious, and that's why we have these alerts. Because actually, we don't know very much about what al Qaeda may actually be planning or able to do. I wish we knew more.

CHUNG: We've heard a lot of talk about dirty bombs. What is a dirty bomb, and how would it affect us?

MILLER: A dirty bomb is kind of a nuclear weapon manque, that is it's less than a nuclear bomb. It wouldn't have the mushroom cloud. It would be an explosive that would distribute radiological substance around the city.

Now while it might not kill very many people, the effects of the radiation could be quite severe.

CHUNG: They are?

MILLER: It could contaminate an area for a very long time.

CHUNG: What are the effects?

MILLER: Well, you would have radiation sickness, you would have contaminated areas, and in an instance like that, going underground or to a safe facility, that is, a secure facility where you don't have exposure to that substance and those rays, would be very important.

Duct tape, for example, might be very useful in such a situation.

CHUNG: All right. Finally, Judy, you've done so much reporting on this and what the government knows.

Do you think that the state and federal governments are prepared for a biological or chemical attack so that they can inform us?

MILLER: I think they are a good deal more prepared than they were a year ago or two years ago before September 11. But are we prepared enough? No.

Are we prepared as the Bush Administration had wanted us to be? No.

In part because some $3.5 billion of money that the administration had requested, that was supposed to help train first responders, you know, local police and fire people, never got appropriated by the Congress last year. It was kind of bogged down in congressional squabbling.

And as a result, a lot of this money never reached the communities and the cities that really needed it. And a lot of the training that was supposed to go on never took place.

CHUNG: That's a grim note to end on. But I thank you, Judith Miller, for being with us.

MILLER: It's my pleasure, Connie.

CHUNG: All right. In a moment, we're going to look at some steps that are officially and unofficially recommended in the event of an attack.

But first, tonight's look at the world in 60 has some more reminders of why Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today said this may be, quote, "the most dangerous security environment the world has known."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(voice-over) Iraq is denying its missile program breaches United Nations resolutions. An Iraqi missile has been found to fly 24 miles farther than the 93-mile limit set by the U.N. This would be enough to hit Kuwait. But Iraq says it does not have the means to attack Israel.

Amid the heightened security at Britain's airports, police made two arrests at Heathrow Airport and at Gatwick. A Venezuelan man was arrested for allegedly carrying a live grenade.

The U.S. says it will not call for U.N. sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program. This after CIA director George Tenet stated publicly that North Korea has a missile that could reach the west coast of the U.S.

A Congressional report released today details how Enron manipulated its tax and accounting records. Among other findings, the failed energy giant did not pay income taxes between 1996 and 1999.

ANNOUNCER: Next, duct tape, potassium iodide pills and gas masks. What you really need to know to protect yourself from a terror attack. CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT returns in a moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHUNG: With the Department of Homeland Security maintaining the nation's terror alert level at orange or high, some hardware stores are reporting runs on emergency supplies.

Joining us is Ben Venzke, CEO of Intelcenter, which specializes in terrorism and national security issues.

Thank you, Ben, for being with us again.

BEN VENZKE, CEO INTELCENTER: Good to be here, Connie.

CHUNG: I understand what you recommend and others do, as well, is put together a go-bag. What is in the go-bag?

VENZKE: Exactly. In the event that you need to evacuate, you want to, without having to think, have all the key essentials.

You want to have an address book or key phone numbers in case you need to reach people.

You want to have a passport, any key documentation. Driver's license, other things like that.

And then you'll have key medications that you may need. Any prescription drugs that you need to take within a short period of time.

Have batteries and a flashlight. Have a radio so that you can get instructions and information and spare batteries for that, as well.

As well as cash, because there very could be a situation where you can't get to an ATM. So you might not be able to use credit cards. You need some kind of method of payment.

And have a map. You generally know the area where you live, but if you're evacuating you need to get to -- you need to have instructions on how to get to the rendezvous point where you're going to meet other family members or other people.

And a cell phone, some way to communicate with each other. So that if there's an explosion, you can talk to other people.

CHUNG: Even if the airways may be clogged?

VENZKE: That's a very important point. You want to try and use the cell phone... CHUNG: That happened on 9/11.

VENZKE: Exactly. As we saw during 9/11, cell phones didn't work because everyone was trying to use them at the same time.

And that's why it's key that you have some kind of rendezvous point for your family members so that even if you can't talk to each other, you all know where you're going to meet up and where you're going to be.

CHUNG: OK. Did you mention everything here? You've got a flashlight, radio. Yes, that's it.

But what are you supposed to do? Carry this around with you night and day?

VENZKE: Well, that's the key thing. When you put your go-bag together, it's very easy. When you're at home, you want to have it by the door.

I would recommend at times, when possible, when say, we're at a heightened state of alert like we are for the next couple days now, if you have a car and you go to the office, that's something that you might want to have with you in your car. Because if there is a terrorist attack you might not be able to get back home. And that way you can leave straight from work.

It's a little more difficult and people in New York City, where you're not driving, you're taking the subway. So you want to try to work out some kind of compromise so that you're ready even if you're at work or at another location.

CHUNG: Which means taking it to work?

VENZKE: In general, take it to work when we're at a heightened state of alert. Otherwise, you want to have it ready either in your car or at home.

CHUNG: OK. Another big important tip, I'm told, is to have a family plan. And honestly, I don't really know what you mean. Because if, for instance, my son is at school, my husband's at work, and I'm at work, what are we supposed to do?

VENZKE: The family plan is critical. More important than buying anything, more important than duct tape and plastic.

What you want to do, in essence, is stop yourself at various points in the day, say what would I do right now if there's an attack? Are you going to have the key phone numbers? Do you know how to reach your significant others?

And like we just discussed, you might not be able to reach them. Cell phones might not work. So what you want to do...

CHUNG: I know you said go meet somewhere outside the city.

VENZKE: Exactly.

CHUNG: At Aunt Bertha's or whatever, right?

VENZKE: You want to have some location outside of the city that you can all get to and meet there.

CHUNG: Yes, but how do you get there, you know? You don't know how you're going to get there, do?

VENZKE: That's the critical thing. Because some people might have cars, and some might not. None of this is perfect.

But for instance, if your children are in school and there's an emergency, and you cannot get them out, which in most cases you won't be able to because the school will lock down, your children are going to know that their parents have gone to this house. This relative's. And they're going to have the phone numbers so they can call there and they have a way of getting in touch with you. And they'll know where you are, which will reduce anxiety.

CHUNG: I see. OK. Quickly, the gas mask. We've seen the traditional ones. And you're telling us not to buy them?

VENZKE: Right. You want to stay away from the military masks because they have to be properly fitted. You need the right filters.

This is the Quick 2000. It's what is used by the senators and the congressmen on Capitol Hill, as well as other federal agencies. It comes in a small pouch, like we see here, and when you open it up it's going to look exactly like that.

It will protect you from chemical, biological and radiological agents for a couple hours. It's designed to allow you to escape from an area where there's contaminants. It's simple. It doesn't require any maintenance.

And, right now, it's one of the few products that's been tested by the government and is good to use.

CHUNG: All right, Ben, I thank you so much for being with us. I think all your information is quite valuable. Thank you.

VENZKE: Thank you very much, Connie.

CHUNG: All right.

When we come back: a milestone for the Pentagon, as thousands more U.S. soldiers say goodbye to loved ones and prepare to go to war. And we'll look into the military options. When might there be a war?

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHUNG: The Pentagon today met its deployment goal for the U.S. Central Command, the region that includes Iraq. The recent military buildup has now put about 160,000 U.S. troops in and around the Persian Gulf, including soldiers of the Army National Guard, like these, who shipped out from Pennsylvania this week and Georgia just today.

The government is also shipping out more than 38,000 reservists in the biggest reserves call-up since September 11. At a hearing today on whether to raise the Pentagon's budget 4 percent to $380 billion, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was asked how long U.S. troops will be in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The United States simply has to be willing to stay there as long as is necessary to see that that is done, but not one day longer. We have no interest in other people's land or territory. We have no interest in other people's oil, as some articles seem to suggest. So, exactly how long it would be and what it would look like would vary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHUNG: Now, the military budget does not include the war on terror or the war with Iraq. With U.S. officials calling tomorrow's report to the U.N. a moment of truth, we wanted to get a sense of how quickly a U.S. invasion could follow that moment.

So joining us new from Chicago is CNN military analyst Major General David Grange.

Thank you, General Grange, for being with us.

RETIRED MAJ. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: My pleasure.

CHUNG: Based on the sources that you have spoken with and based on your judgment, do you think we'll be at war with Iraq very soon, next week, next month? What's your judgment?

GRANGE: If it's a deliberate planning, I believe it will be around March. The weather, the terrain, the situation is advantageous to U.S. and coalition forces to attack then.

But it could be tomorrow. The enemy has a vote. And the enemy could do something that would cause us to have to attack early: take inspectors as hostage, fire a Scud missile. Something could go wrong, a terrorist attack, the connectivity between terrorists and Saddam that we can prove. So, something could kick it off early.

And what's key is, the forces in place can now have a limited capability, but it will expand as the month goes on.

CHUNG: Is the U.S. military ready?

GRANGE: The U.S. military in the region now is ready. You're never 100 percent ready, because there's always something you have not had time to do. New intelligence comes in, in something you have to plan and train against that you had not prepared for before, because you didn't have that information.

So, it's a continuous thing. Even when you're deployed to the region, preparing for hostilities, training and preparedness never ends.

CHUNG: And how long would this war last?

GRANGE: I think the fighting aspects, if we go to war again with Iraq, would be two to three weeks. But the key thing is the transition then to the security and reconstruction phase of Iraq after hostilities or the major hostilities end.

CHUNG: General Grange, is there a possibility that we might go to war against Iraq and North Korea, knowing that North Korea has the ability to send a missile to our West Coast, although it's been untested?

GRANGE: That possibility always exists. And, hopefully, that would not happen, to have these two wars, if they did occur, simultaneously.

It's better to do one before the other. If we were forced to do that, our nation would have to take on probably one of them before the other. The other would end up being what's known as a holding action. In other words, we could destroy one's army and occupy that country. The other would have to be a holding action, destroying forces, but not occupying until a later date.

CHUNG: Do you believe that the United States would go to war against Iraq and North Korea?

GRANGE: If the conditions presented themselves and we had to, the United States of America has that capability. And I think North Korea knows that and is cognizant of that fact, that that could happen. I mean, we would have no choice because of treaties with allies in that region.

CHUNG: Well, what conditions are you talking about?

GRANGE: If, in fact, North Korea fired a missile into Seoul or into Japan or instigated hostilities, we would have to react to that.

CHUNG: All right.

Today, Secretary Rumsfeld did not rule out the possibility of using nuclear weapons. However, I think the concern on Capitol Hill is that the United States might be lowering the threshold for use of nuclear weapons. Do you think that that's a possibility?

GRANGE: It's always a possibility and it has to be in your toolbox of options for any nation that has that capability, if you're threatened or the response that you would have to take is beyond conventional capabilities.

But I think it would be farfetched to see the United States of America having to do that. I think it would only happen if, let's say, North Korea in fact did it. Then we would probably respond. But, again, that's such a political issue, to use a nuclear weapon, just the name itself, that it would be -- it's very hard for me to imagine doing that unless it was really dire circumstances.

CHUNG: All right, General Grange, I thank you so much for being with us.

GRANGE: Thank you.

CHUNG: Still ahead: He was sent to jail for a disturbing murder. The next chapter is about to begin.

Stay with us.

ANNOUNCER: After 15 years in prison, the so-called preppie murderer is about to walk free. What really happened that night in Central Park?

CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT continues in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHUNG: Tomorrow, the man at the center of one of the most notorious murder cases of the 1980s walks free. His killing of an 18- year-old woman, along with the lies he told about her afterwards and his mockery of her death, made the so-called preppie murderer infamous nationwide.

CNN's Jason Carroll takes us back 15 years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It came to be known as the preppie murder. And it symbolized the downside of the decadence of the 1980s.

It involved sex, violence, young, attractive, privileged characters. The victim: 18-year-old Jennifer Levin, a college-bound prep school graduate. The killer: 19-year-old Robert Chambers, a prep school partier with a history of drug abuse and a burglary conviction.

(on camera): The two met at a party and became friends. In August of 1986, they came here, to Dorian's, a bar on the Upper East Side. And later that night, they were seen leaving together.

The following morning, a bicyclist found Levin's partially nude body here in Central Park, right over by that tree. She had been strangled to death.

(voice-over): An autopsy revealed Levin fought desperately for her life. During a taped confession, Chambers admitted killing her.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT CHAMBERS, CONVICTED OF MANSLAUGHTER: And I just leaned and up grabbed her like this around the neck and I just yanked her. I shook her and there was nothing. And I got really scared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Chambers, who was 6 foot, 4 inches, 200 pounds, claimed it was self-defense against the 5 foot, 4 inches, 130-pound Levin, during rough sex gone awry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAMBERS: She molested me in the park. She hit me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How could she molest you?

CHAMBERS: You're talking about, what, girls cannot

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're telling me she's raping you in the park?

CHAMBERS: She's having her way with me without my consent, with my hands behind my bark.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: He was charged with murder, but pled guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAMBERS: Nothing I can do or say will ever bring her back, but I am sorry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: Levin's family never believed he was sorry. Then a tabloid show called "A Current Affair" obtained a home video of Chambers making a joke about killing a doll at a party. It was shot just a few weeks before his trial and it confirmed the Levins' doubts and drew public outrage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAMBERS: My name is -- oops. I think I killed her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: The tape wasn't broadcast until after Chambers was sentenced to 15 years in prison. That time passed too quickly for Levin's family.

ELLEN LEVIN, MOTHER OF JENNIFER: It seemed so far away at the time. And when your child is killed by somebody else, I don't think anything seems like justice.

CARROLL: Chambers' troubles continued in prison: 27 offenses for drugs and violence. Levin's mother fears Chambers will continue the pattern.

LEVIN: If he can't behave himself in prison, what's going to happen on the streets?

CARROLL: He's now 36. Jennifer Levin would have been 34.

Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHUNG: Today, Chambers released a statement in which he said saying he's sorry for the grief he caused Levin's family. He said -- quote -- "There has not been a day since Jennifer Levin's death that I have not regretted my actions on that day."

Joining us now is Linda Wolfe. She was in the courtroom throughout the case and is the author of "Wasted: The Preppie Murder."

Thank you so much for being with us tonight.

LINDA WOLFE, AUTHOR, "WASTED: THE PREPPIE MURDER": Thank you, Connie.

CHUNG: You just heard what Robert Chambers said in a statement. Do you believe that he's sorry and remorseful?

WOLFE: Well, I'm sure he's sorry that he had to spend 15 years in prison. I don't know if he's truly remorseful. I think he probably still thinks of himself as the victim in this case. He feels victimized all the time.

CHUNG: Well, why is that? Because I know you met with him several times. What gave you that impression?

WOLFE: I have that impression not so much from my encounters with him, but from what people have said who visited him while he's been in prison. He feels that he was the victim of the media, the victim of the Levin family. He still was repeating his story that it was an accidental death fairly recently.

CHUNG: Just this week, I happened to run into the foreperson, a woman who was the foreman of that particular jury. And she said to me, with tears in her eyes: Please remember Jennifer Levin. I don't want anyone to forget Jennifer Levin.

Jennifer Levin was someone whose reputation was dragged through the mud at this trial.

WOLFE: Yes.

It was dragged through the mud largely because of Robert's confession. Robert was talking about how they'd had rough sex in the park and he'd been the victim. She'd tied his hands behind his back. He had a whole fanciful story about what had been done to him. And from that point on, everything about Jennifer's life was examined and reexamined. They kept looking into her history. And she was the victim. It was bizarre.

CHUNG: And her family has continued, actually, to this day, to say, of course, that he should not be getting out of prison.

WOLFE: Well, that's what -- they had to settle for this, because there was -- there would have been a hung jury. The jury was out for nine days. There were rumors that they simply couldn't reach any agreement.

And I think, finally, when the possibility of a plea came up, the plea to manslaughter, I think, at that point, the family was willing to take it, because they didn't want to face the horrible prospect of going through this whole trial and the agony and the exposure all over again. Of course, now it's 15 years later. And it may seem like a very short sentence to them.

CHUNG: Can you remember Jennifer Levin for us? Who was she?

WOLFE: She was a very vivacious, lively, outspoken young woman. She had lots of friends. She was about to go off to college, I think about a day or two after this happened to her. She would have been a very dynamic woman, I think.

CHUNG: What about Robert Chambers' future? Do you have any thoughts, any insight?

WOLFE: Well, I think it's going to be a very difficult life for him, particularly if he remains in the same city that he was in, in New York, and the same circle that he was in, because he's memorable. I don't think he's changed his appearance. And there's still a lot of anger toward him. The public still remembers him quite well. And I think it's going to be hard for him.

CHUNG: Is it your feeling that this is someone who might commit a crime again?

WOLFE: Oh.

CHUNG: I know. That's a tough one.

WOLFE: That's a hard one. I don't know.

I, like everybody else, know that he was not a very good prisoner, that he violated a lot of rules while he was in prison. I think there were something like 27 infractions of the rules. He is a person who pretty much likes to go his own way. Who knows? I don't know. It's a mystery. And, of course, the media will be on him. They'll be watching, as they always did.

CHUNG: Linda Wolfe, I thank you so much for being with us.

WOLFE: Thank you, Connie.

CHUNG: All right.

Coming up: We might be an important step closer to knowing the cause of what happened to the space shuttle Columbia.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHUNG: Investigators today said the space shuttle Columbia almost certainly suffered a fatal breach, which allowed the superheated air coursing around the shuttle on its reentry into the left wing's interior and possibly the wheel compartment. What remains a mystery is the nature of that breach and how it could have occurred.

And now on to tonight's "Snapshot," which begins with a reminder that Senator John Kerry's recent battle with cancer is hardly unique.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHUNG (voice-over): Television evangelist Pat Robertson is battling prostate cancer. He made that announcement on his "700 Club" television program and says he will undergo surgery next week. Doctors say it appears the cancer has not spread.

Take note, smokers. You might be priced out of the habit. According to "The Washington Post," a federal health commission on smoking recommends raising the federal tax by a whopping $2 a pack.

Actor Sean Penn is suing movie producer Stephen Bing. Penn says Bing dropped him from a film project because of his vocal opposition to possible war in Iraq.

Can you hear me now? Not if you're Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in his castle-like home. According to the "Los Angeles Times," the tech mogul is moving out because he can't get a digital cell phone signal.

Believe it or not, you may have learned your kissing posture in your mother's womb. A study says most kissers tilt to their right, as babies do before birth.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Ahead: our "Person of the Day," blazing a trail on the hardwood.

CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT continues in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHUNG: Teresa Phillips tonight will become the first woman to coach a men's Division I college basketball team. Phillips is athletics director at Tennessee State. She's just filling in tonight, after the regular coach was suspended for a single game as punishment after some of his Tennessee State Tigers got into a brawl at a game on Monday.

Phillips says she doesn't see it as history. She says what will really make history is when a woman is actually hired for the position and given the chance to build her team up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TERESA PHILLIPS, TENNESSEE STATE: If this opens people's minds about it, if it makes some of those great women coaches who are out there recognize or realize or risk putting their name in hats and actually pursue jobs on the men's side, if it does that, then that's going to be great.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHUNG: I agree.

It's a goal that, along with tonight's step, however small, makes Teresa Phillips today's "Person of the Day."

And, by the way, Teresa will be our guest tomorrow to talk about tonight's game and all the media attention that it drew.

Also tomorrow: Colin Powell called it the moment of truth. Hans Blix delivers his report to the U.N. How will the world react? And will the U.S. go to war?

Right now, on "LARRY KING LIVE," Laci Peterson's family talks about the search and the questions they have for her husband.

Thank you so much for joining us. And for all of us at CNN, good night and we'll see you tomorrow.

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