Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
McConnell Looks Back on Life, Legacy of Ronald Reagan; Latest Developments in Abu Ghraib Prisoner Abuse Scandal
Aired June 10, 2004 - 08:00 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Images from Washington that will be seen for generations from Nancy Reagan, who was closer to her husband than anyone. To the ordinary Americans who now wait day and night to say farewell to Ronald Reagan.
Also this hour, lawyers for Martha Stewart demand a new trial after a prosecution witness is charged with lying in her case.
And the floodwaters rising in Minnesota, where more rain won't help anything. All those stories this morning on AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
HEMMER: Good morning once again, everyone, live here in our nation's capital. It continues at this hour and will continue all day today and into the night. Thousands of Americans paying their final respects to the 40th president, Ronald Reagan, as his body lies in state here in the U.S. Capitol.
As for the culmination of funeral services tomorrow, Mr. Reagan's funeral service will be held at the National Cathedral. President Bush, his father, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher among many of those offering their eulogies.
After the funeral, another brief ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base and before the former president's body is placed on board a government plane, it is flown back to California one final time.
The Reagan family and invited guests will then hold a private funeral service at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley before the former president is finally laid to rest. That should happen around 9:00 Eastern Time on Friday evening for the sunset service there in California.
More stories throughout the day here -- Soledad, we know at least 30,000 have paid their respects. The number much higher at this point, only because the estimate was given out about two hours ago.
We have coverage throughout the morning here in Washington -- good morning to you back in New York City.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you, Bill.
Thanks.
Some of the other stories that are making headlines this morning, more surprise developments in the Scott Peterson murder trial, as another member of Laci Peterson's extended family takes the stand. The man says that Scott Peterson told him a story other than the one about a fishing trip after Laci disappeared.
Jeff Toobin is going to join us in just a moment with more on that.
Also this morning, meet the anarchists. There aren't as many of them at this year's G-8 summit as in years past, but they are just as passionate about what they believe in and what they don't believe. We've got a story on this just ahead.
Mr. Cafferty with us, as well -- hello.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Obviously not, they don't have to work I guess, right?
O'BRIEN: You know, it's good to have a lot of time off if you're going to be a protester.
CAFFERTY: I guess so.
Coming up in the Cafferty File, Anna Nicole Smith talking about having intimate experiences with a ghost. And there's a new sport involving squirrels that's all the rage on some college campuses around the country.
O'BRIEN: Do they hurt them?
CAFFERTY: Hmmm?
O'BRIEN: Do they hurt them or are they...
CAFFERTY: Do the squirrels?
O'BRIEN: No. Do the college students hurt them?
CAFFERTY: Hurt -- do the students hurt the squirrels? I don't know. I'm not sure. I don't know the answer to that question.
O'BRIEN: A good tease.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: All right, thanks, Jack.
Let's head out to Bill in Washington, D.C. once again -- good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: Soledad, good morning.
Again, a remarkable scene really on Constitution Avenue last night, right around six, seven o'clock local time. There were at least 15 to 20 people deed on the side of the road and many small children, too, under the ages of 12 and less. And it seemed like just about everyone had a disposable camera in their hands. And as the caisson rolled up Constitution Avenue toward the Capitol Building, everyone fell in silence. And after the casket passed, everyone applauded, as this ripple of applause went through the crowd.
It was quite a scene and quite a moment, as so many Americans came out last night, turning around and walking away in their own silence after the casket had concluded its mission and its journey to Capitol Hill.
One man waiting inside when that casket arrived, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, our guest here now in Washington.
Senator, good morning to you and thank you for your time.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY WHIP: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: Last night, what was that feeling like?
MCCONNELL: Well, for those of us who were foot soldiers in the Reagan revolution 24 years ago, it was extraordinarily gratifying to see the most important conservative president in American history get this kind of reception, not only in California, where it might be expected, but here in the nation's capital.
The numbers of people coming out, the adulation expressed for former President Reagan is really quite gratifying.
HEMMER: Take me back to your home state, Louisville, Kentucky, 1984. He came to your city to make a speech.
What happened?
MCCONNELL: Well, they didn't think I had much of a chance in that election and they had not paid a whole lot of attention to us. This was the night that President Reagan had a poor performance in the debate with Walter Mondale.
HEMMER: It was the same night?
MCCONNELL: The night that people were saying, well, this guy's too old, he won't be able to make it through another term. So it was not one of his finest performances. It was a rally set you at a hotel right after the debate and all we'd been able to do is to get one little line in his -- on his cue card to recognize my campaign for the Senate. There I was standing stiffly next to Nancy Reagan, who was clearly in a very bad mood, because she knew he had not done well. And then he proceeded with his cue cards and he said, "And we certainly want my good friend, Mitch O'Donnell, elected to the Senate."
Nobody cared, you know?
HEMMER: Did you think you were doomed at that point. MCCONNELL: He laughed about it. We all laughed about it. The guy was clearly Teflon. He rarely flubbed his lines. But even when he did, it made no difference and everybody just laughed. And this was classic Reagan.
HEMMER: What do you think he would think now? His body is lying in state here in the Capitol Building, one of only 10 presidents in the history of this country to do that. At one time he said "that big white dome," referring to the Capitol Building, "bulging with new tax revenues." And here he is lying in state there.
MCCONNELL: Well, he had a big impact on this federal government and this is a fitting place for him to be viewed by the public, right in the Capitol. He made an enormous change in the way we operate around here.
HEMMER: It is said that your own governor, Ernie Fletcher, last night, flying in here to the services, caused a bit of a disturbance here with the security situation about 4:30 yesterday afternoon.
Have you talked to him about that at all?
MCCONNELL: I haven't, but all is well that ends well. One thing we learned is we can all get out of the Capitol pretty darned fast.
HEMMER: A good trial run, huh?
MCCONNELL: Yes.
HEMMER: Fortunately, in the end, there was no cause for alarm.
MCCONNELL: No. No cause for alarm.
HEMMER: As his plane violated air space here.
MCCONNELL: Yes.
HEMMER: But it sent a ripple through here, no doubt.
MCCONNELL: Well, it was a good exercise and it was just a mistake. And we were all relieved that things were OK.
HEMMER: Can I call you Senator O'Donnell for a day?
MCCONNELL: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Thank you.
Good to see you.
MCCONNELL: Good to see you.
HEMMER: Mitch McConnell, Republican senator from Kentucky.
MCCONNELL: Thank you.
Thank you.
HEMMER: As we continue our coverage here, Soledad, we want to make another reminder, tomorrow morning, 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, is when our special coverage will continue here from Washington, leading up to the National Cathedral funeral service for the late 40th president. We'll be here to watch it -- back to you now in New York City.
O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.
U.S. troops refused to help out Iraqi police in Najaf today. Rebels of the Mahdi Army, led by Muqtada al-Sadr, attacked a police station today, killing two officers. When the police chief asked for help, the American commander refused. A senior officer said: "He's got to learn to deal with it on his own."
U.S. troops and al-Sadr's forces are working under a peace agreement that Iraqi police will patrol Najaf.
There's also a new development today in the prisoner abuse scandal involving the commander of U.S. forces there.
Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon for us this morning with more on that -- Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Well, indeed, a very interesting development. Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the head of all U.S. forces in Iraq, has asked to be removed from any role in the investigation into prison abuse of detainees in Iraq. And his request is likely to be granted, we are told.
Now, all of this, his request to be removed, has been set in motion by the fact that investigators want to also talk to General Sanchez. They want to talk to him about any possibility of questionable policies or practices in gathering intelligence, in interrogating detainees. But the problem would be this may poise a conflict, because General Sanchez ordered the investigation and he would be part of it and then also be the one who would review what the investigators find.
So to take away any possibility of a conflict of interest, now they will put another general in charge. What we must emphasize, of course, we are told, the Pentagon says all of this was expected. General Sanchez himself had said he expected to be questioned, that this would be part of an effort to make sure all of this is a full, fair investigation that goes right to the top of the chain of command.
Now, a last point. All of this about questionable intelligence practices, that report is taking just a little bit longer than expected. Officials confirming now that some soldiers who had declined to talk to them initially have now agreed to talk and are giving them new and additional information -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: So, Barbara, obviously the investigators want to talk to some of the higher-ups now. There have been seven soldiers at this point who have been implicated.
Are the expectations that actually that number of soldiers who may have had a role in the abuse is going to go much higher?
STARR: Not known at this point. But what we are told repeatedly is the Army's criminal investigation command is continuing to question a lot of people. They are looking at every -- everyone who was involved in the prison at that time, especially focusing on people who were staffing the interrogation and intelligence center at Abu Ghraib Prison.
A number of people, military intelligence officers, were known to be there at the time. They are talking to them about what they saw, what they knew and what types of interrogation practices they might have ordered. So all of this now, Soledad, very far from being over -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Yes, we seem to say that a lot, don't we, Barbara?
Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon this morning.
Thanks.
Legal news now.
Attorneys for Martha Stewart will be in court today trying for a second time to have her conviction thrown out. This latest attempt comes after a key government witness in the Stewart case was accused of perjure himself.
CNN's senior legal analyst, Jeff Toobin, joins us to talk about that. Also, we'll chat a little bit about Scott Peterson, because we've got a couple of trials going on.
Let's start, though, by talking about Martha Stewart. This is going back to that ink expert who maybe wasn't such an expert after all, when he was testifying. When we talked earlier, you said that she was actually acquitted on those parts of the charges.
So why does this look as if the judge might be paying more attention to this one?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, the one sign that we've got is remember, Martha was supposed to be sentenced next week, June 17th. The judge has moved it back to July 8, which suggests she's taking this seriously, even more seriously than the first motion for a new trial, which involved the possible misconduct by a juror.
O'BRIEN: Why do you think that would be considered less serious, a juror who lies on the questionnaire to get on the jury and then this is the same guy we saw do interview after interview after interview after the verdict. Why would that be taken less seriously than this ink expert, who honestly seems to have more of a role in Bacanovic's trial than in Martha Stewart's part of the trial?
TOOBIN: Right. Judges are very wary of examining jurors' conduct, of sort of putting them under the microscope, because that opens up a can of worms that they really don't want to do. So unless a juror seems to have an axe to grind against a particular defendant and lied in order to get her, they tend to want to steer away from juror misconduct.
This other situation involving the witness, Larry Stewart, is really incredibly unusual, where you have a government witness charged with perjury before the defendant is even sentenced. That's extremely unusual. You're right, the actual document that she's -- that he is accused of lying about, this worksheet that had the words "at 60" written on it, is much more relevant to Bacanovic's case. But the defense will argue that it's related to the conspiracy counts against both of them and it's something that the judge is going to have to take seriously.
O'BRIEN: This is now pushed back to July. Let's talk a little bit about Scott Peterson's case.
TOOBIN: Right.
O'BRIEN: We heard more from family members -- and I guess family we're sort of using in quotes, because these are sort of cousins and...
TOOBIN: Distant.
O'BRIEN: ... distant cousins here. One relative of Laci's said that he got a totally different story from Scott Peterson about what he was planning to do the day that Laci actually disappeared.
TOOBIN: Right. As probably most people who are following the case know, Scott Peterson, in fact, went to the Berkeley Marina to fish on Christmas Eve, and that, of course, is very near where Laci's body was found. He told this relative that he was playing golf. And that's the first time that it appears he's been caught in an absolute false statement about his alibi. That could be significant. Again, the trial very much has focused in the last few days on Scott's behavior during the period Laci was missing and the allegedly suspicious behavior he exhibited.
O'BRIEN: The same person said that Scott was more upset when he burned a piece of chicken on the grill than he was about his wife's disappearance, something like that.
I mean what kind of actual legal credibility does a statement like that hold?
TOOBIN: You know, that's demeanor evidence and I think the jury may well discount that, since Laci's family is obviously very angry at Scott. You know, those sort of soft characterizations of, oh, he seemed weird or he seemed insensitive, that's probably less significant. But a false statement about his alibi, that could be more significant.
O'BRIEN: How about telling Laci's sister that he was actually hoping for infertility when they were discussing her being pregnant? TOOBIN: Again, you know, further evidence that he's a cad, he's a jerk.
O'BRIEN: But not necessarily of murder.
TOOBIN: Evidence of murder, harder to say.
O'BRIEN: All right, well, we'll continue to follow the case.
TOOBIN: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Every day it's -- I mean I think it's interesting. But they really haven't gotten to the heart and soul of the case yet, have they?
TOOBIN: Well, this may be the heart and soul of the case. That may be the problem for the prosecution.
O'BRIEN: Interesting.
Jeff Toobin, as always, thanks.
TOOBIN: OK.
O'BRIEN: It is just about -- what time do you have here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 8:15.
O'BRIEN: 8:15 past -- 15 minutes past the hour.
Time to take a look at some of the other stories making news with Heidi Collins -- Heidi, good morning again.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Soledad.
It is 8:15, everybody.
A senior Pakistan general is safe after an apparent assassination attempt. A convoy carrying the general was attacked overnight in Karachi. A small explosion went off after the gunfight and a large bomb was defused near the site of the shooting. At least 11 people were killed in the attack. There has been no claim of responsibility as of yet.
Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi may be tied to a plot to destabilize Saudi Arabia. That's according to the "New York Times." Qaddafi reportedly approved an operation to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. The plot was leaked by two detainees. American, British and Saudi officials are investigating now. A White House official says if evidence is found, American policy toward Libya would be affected. Qaddafi's son calls the accusations "nonsense."
Two interesting auctions in New York City today. First, fans of Katherine Hepburn will get a glimpse into her personal life as Sotheby's sells her love notes from Howard Hughes and photographs and souvenirs from her many movies. And more than 500 pieces of memorabilia from the Titanic will be sold today at Guernsey's Auction House. The wooden folding deck chair from the ship could sell for up to $60,000.
And here's one for the record books. Somebody's head is hurting this morning. A Russian man stood on his hands and walked down 787 steps. Nikolai Novikov stood on his hands, as you see here, and he carefully climbed down the marble steps at the historic Ukraine Hotel in Moscow. This former circus performer joked that this was just a warm-up to a climb he might do down the Eiffel Tower. I'm not sure how many steps there are on that thing, but it's pretty steep, I know that.
O'BRIEN: Yes, yes, yes. Show us going upward. That's much tougher, right, Heidi?
COLLINS: Right. Much tougher.
O'BRIEN: All right, Heidi, thanks.
Well, some flooded parts of southern Minnesota can expect more rain today. Newly formed lakes now cover farmland and that threatens to add mudslides to -- that have already forced road closings and muck filled basements. The Minnesota River above flood stage in some places and it is expected that it will continue to rise until Saturday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Time to check in with Jack for the Question of the Day -- hello, again.
CAFFERTY: Hi, Soledad.
Thousands of people lining the streets of Washington for hours yesterday in that searing heat and high humidity to catch a glimpse of former President Reagan's casket. Two hundred thousand people expected to pay their respects to the late president by seven o'clock tomorrow morning. This is according to Capitol police.
Out in California, 100,000 plus filed through the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. Some of those people waited in line for as long as seven hours.
So we thought we'd ask this morning, who would you wait in line hours to see?
Carol writes from Houston: "In 1976, I was a 19-year-old in college and cast my first vote for Ronald Reagan in the Republican primary. I would vote for him two more times. I daresay that I can't think of anyone else that I would wait in line for that long."
Greg writes from Superior, Wisconsin: "The hottest band in the world, Kiss. They're the only people I would stand in line for hours to see, and I have, several times."
Edward writes this: "Wouldn't we all wait for many hours to enjoy passing by the body of Osama bin Laden?"
And Susan in Oklahoma City: "I'm sure the people standing in line for so long to view Reagan's casket are doing it for much loftier reasons than I did when I waited in my car in the drive thru of the first Krispy Kreme to open in Oklahoma City."
Am@cnn.com.
Yes, Susan, they are loftier reasons, I think. That's a good point.
O'BRIEN: Kiss and Krispy Kreme...
CAFFERTY: And Krispy...
O'BRIEN: ... so far outside of the president.
CAFFERTY: Hey, you know, different strokes for different folks, you know?
O'BRIEN: Ah, you know what? Exactly. I hear you.
CAFFERTY: Whatever floats your boat.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks.
CAFFERTY: Yup.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, we're going to take you back live to Washington, D.C. as thousands file past the casket of President Ronald Reagan. And the death of Reagan has focused new attention on the fight against Alzheimer's Disease. We'll take a look at some of the latest efforts in that front.
Those stories ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: President Bush heads back to Washington later today to pay his respects to Ronald Reagan after finishing up his meetings at the G-8 summit. Yesterday, Mr. Bush welcomed the newly named interim president of Iraq. He is among a group of Middle East leaders invited to discuss prospects for political reform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Having visited with you, having talked to you and having listened to you, I have got great faith in the future of your country, because you believe in the hopes and aspirations of the Iraqi people.
GHAZI AL-YAWER, IRAQI INTERIM PRESIDENT: We are determined to have a free, democratic, federal Iraq, a country that is a source of stability to the Middle East, which is very important for the rest of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Interim Iraqi President Ghazi Al-Yawer said that the government is working to ensure that "sacrifices of the Iraqis, as well as our friends in the coalition, will not be to no avail."
Meanwhile, near the summit, a short-lived protest by about 200 people made for a few tense moments.
National correspondent Gary Tuchman has more on this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Political disorder and confusion, one of the dictionary definitions of anarchy and the scene here for part of the day. Some 200 protesters, many who call themselves anarchists, faced off with riot police...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We welcome the day you're on the side you're supposed to be on.
TUCHMAN: ... across the bridge leading to where G-8 world leaders are meeting.
One of those anarchists is the 18-year-old woman with the video camera. "Kelli (ph)," who does not want her last name used, says anarchists are misunderstood.
"KELLI": I mean who has the weapons here? The government. Who has the (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED) batons? The government. And they're a police state.
TUCHMAN: The Texas native has traveled the country, participating in often tense protests. She does not believe it's simplistic to have the philosophy that personal respect can replace government.
(on camera): Is there anything about this that scares you, participating in these kinds of demonstrations?
"KELLI": No. I'm not, I'm not scared. I mean I'd rather be doing -- I'd rather die for what I believe in than die working in a meat factory or, you know, somewhere else where I can waste my life for something I don't believe in or agree with.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): A deal is negotiated to let demonstrators walk a bit farther than originally permitted. The riot police, armed with batons and pepper ball guns, did not have to use them.
CAPT. LARRY BRUCE, BRUNSWICK POLICE DEPARTMENT: Our police officers are very well trained. They're professional, and you saw that today.
TUCHMAN: And Kelli and her fellow anarchists then left, but are still ready for another day. Gary Tuchman, CNN, Brunswick, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: About half of the protesters were allowed to walk across the street to the bridge entrance, then return to the other side of that street.
Let's head on out to Bill Hemmer now in Washington, D.C. -- Bill, good morning again.
HEMMER: Hey, Soledad, thanks for that.
Talking to a lot of people who have already viewed the casket here in Washington, in the Capitol Building, hearing words like "somber," "historic" and "quiet."
We'll talk to some of the people who are now emerging from the Capitol Building, as our coverage continues, live in Washington in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 10, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Images from Washington that will be seen for generations from Nancy Reagan, who was closer to her husband than anyone. To the ordinary Americans who now wait day and night to say farewell to Ronald Reagan.
Also this hour, lawyers for Martha Stewart demand a new trial after a prosecution witness is charged with lying in her case.
And the floodwaters rising in Minnesota, where more rain won't help anything. All those stories this morning on AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: This is a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
HEMMER: Good morning once again, everyone, live here in our nation's capital. It continues at this hour and will continue all day today and into the night. Thousands of Americans paying their final respects to the 40th president, Ronald Reagan, as his body lies in state here in the U.S. Capitol.
As for the culmination of funeral services tomorrow, Mr. Reagan's funeral service will be held at the National Cathedral. President Bush, his father, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher among many of those offering their eulogies.
After the funeral, another brief ceremony at Andrews Air Force Base and before the former president's body is placed on board a government plane, it is flown back to California one final time.
The Reagan family and invited guests will then hold a private funeral service at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley before the former president is finally laid to rest. That should happen around 9:00 Eastern Time on Friday evening for the sunset service there in California.
More stories throughout the day here -- Soledad, we know at least 30,000 have paid their respects. The number much higher at this point, only because the estimate was given out about two hours ago.
We have coverage throughout the morning here in Washington -- good morning to you back in New York City.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you, Bill.
Thanks.
Some of the other stories that are making headlines this morning, more surprise developments in the Scott Peterson murder trial, as another member of Laci Peterson's extended family takes the stand. The man says that Scott Peterson told him a story other than the one about a fishing trip after Laci disappeared.
Jeff Toobin is going to join us in just a moment with more on that.
Also this morning, meet the anarchists. There aren't as many of them at this year's G-8 summit as in years past, but they are just as passionate about what they believe in and what they don't believe. We've got a story on this just ahead.
Mr. Cafferty with us, as well -- hello.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Obviously not, they don't have to work I guess, right?
O'BRIEN: You know, it's good to have a lot of time off if you're going to be a protester.
CAFFERTY: I guess so.
Coming up in the Cafferty File, Anna Nicole Smith talking about having intimate experiences with a ghost. And there's a new sport involving squirrels that's all the rage on some college campuses around the country.
O'BRIEN: Do they hurt them?
CAFFERTY: Hmmm?
O'BRIEN: Do they hurt them or are they...
CAFFERTY: Do the squirrels?
O'BRIEN: No. Do the college students hurt them?
CAFFERTY: Hurt -- do the students hurt the squirrels? I don't know. I'm not sure. I don't know the answer to that question.
O'BRIEN: A good tease.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: All right, thanks, Jack.
Let's head out to Bill in Washington, D.C. once again -- good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: Soledad, good morning.
Again, a remarkable scene really on Constitution Avenue last night, right around six, seven o'clock local time. There were at least 15 to 20 people deed on the side of the road and many small children, too, under the ages of 12 and less. And it seemed like just about everyone had a disposable camera in their hands. And as the caisson rolled up Constitution Avenue toward the Capitol Building, everyone fell in silence. And after the casket passed, everyone applauded, as this ripple of applause went through the crowd.
It was quite a scene and quite a moment, as so many Americans came out last night, turning around and walking away in their own silence after the casket had concluded its mission and its journey to Capitol Hill.
One man waiting inside when that casket arrived, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, our guest here now in Washington.
Senator, good morning to you and thank you for your time.
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), SENATE MAJORITY WHIP: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: Last night, what was that feeling like?
MCCONNELL: Well, for those of us who were foot soldiers in the Reagan revolution 24 years ago, it was extraordinarily gratifying to see the most important conservative president in American history get this kind of reception, not only in California, where it might be expected, but here in the nation's capital.
The numbers of people coming out, the adulation expressed for former President Reagan is really quite gratifying.
HEMMER: Take me back to your home state, Louisville, Kentucky, 1984. He came to your city to make a speech.
What happened?
MCCONNELL: Well, they didn't think I had much of a chance in that election and they had not paid a whole lot of attention to us. This was the night that President Reagan had a poor performance in the debate with Walter Mondale.
HEMMER: It was the same night?
MCCONNELL: The night that people were saying, well, this guy's too old, he won't be able to make it through another term. So it was not one of his finest performances. It was a rally set you at a hotel right after the debate and all we'd been able to do is to get one little line in his -- on his cue card to recognize my campaign for the Senate. There I was standing stiffly next to Nancy Reagan, who was clearly in a very bad mood, because she knew he had not done well. And then he proceeded with his cue cards and he said, "And we certainly want my good friend, Mitch O'Donnell, elected to the Senate."
Nobody cared, you know?
HEMMER: Did you think you were doomed at that point. MCCONNELL: He laughed about it. We all laughed about it. The guy was clearly Teflon. He rarely flubbed his lines. But even when he did, it made no difference and everybody just laughed. And this was classic Reagan.
HEMMER: What do you think he would think now? His body is lying in state here in the Capitol Building, one of only 10 presidents in the history of this country to do that. At one time he said "that big white dome," referring to the Capitol Building, "bulging with new tax revenues." And here he is lying in state there.
MCCONNELL: Well, he had a big impact on this federal government and this is a fitting place for him to be viewed by the public, right in the Capitol. He made an enormous change in the way we operate around here.
HEMMER: It is said that your own governor, Ernie Fletcher, last night, flying in here to the services, caused a bit of a disturbance here with the security situation about 4:30 yesterday afternoon.
Have you talked to him about that at all?
MCCONNELL: I haven't, but all is well that ends well. One thing we learned is we can all get out of the Capitol pretty darned fast.
HEMMER: A good trial run, huh?
MCCONNELL: Yes.
HEMMER: Fortunately, in the end, there was no cause for alarm.
MCCONNELL: No. No cause for alarm.
HEMMER: As his plane violated air space here.
MCCONNELL: Yes.
HEMMER: But it sent a ripple through here, no doubt.
MCCONNELL: Well, it was a good exercise and it was just a mistake. And we were all relieved that things were OK.
HEMMER: Can I call you Senator O'Donnell for a day?
MCCONNELL: Thank you, Bill.
HEMMER: Thank you.
Good to see you.
MCCONNELL: Good to see you.
HEMMER: Mitch McConnell, Republican senator from Kentucky.
MCCONNELL: Thank you.
Thank you.
HEMMER: As we continue our coverage here, Soledad, we want to make another reminder, tomorrow morning, 10:00 a.m. Eastern time, is when our special coverage will continue here from Washington, leading up to the National Cathedral funeral service for the late 40th president. We'll be here to watch it -- back to you now in New York City.
O'BRIEN: All right, Bill, thanks.
U.S. troops refused to help out Iraqi police in Najaf today. Rebels of the Mahdi Army, led by Muqtada al-Sadr, attacked a police station today, killing two officers. When the police chief asked for help, the American commander refused. A senior officer said: "He's got to learn to deal with it on his own."
U.S. troops and al-Sadr's forces are working under a peace agreement that Iraqi police will patrol Najaf.
There's also a new development today in the prisoner abuse scandal involving the commander of U.S. forces there.
Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon for us this morning with more on that -- Barbara, good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Well, indeed, a very interesting development. Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, the head of all U.S. forces in Iraq, has asked to be removed from any role in the investigation into prison abuse of detainees in Iraq. And his request is likely to be granted, we are told.
Now, all of this, his request to be removed, has been set in motion by the fact that investigators want to also talk to General Sanchez. They want to talk to him about any possibility of questionable policies or practices in gathering intelligence, in interrogating detainees. But the problem would be this may poise a conflict, because General Sanchez ordered the investigation and he would be part of it and then also be the one who would review what the investigators find.
So to take away any possibility of a conflict of interest, now they will put another general in charge. What we must emphasize, of course, we are told, the Pentagon says all of this was expected. General Sanchez himself had said he expected to be questioned, that this would be part of an effort to make sure all of this is a full, fair investigation that goes right to the top of the chain of command.
Now, a last point. All of this about questionable intelligence practices, that report is taking just a little bit longer than expected. Officials confirming now that some soldiers who had declined to talk to them initially have now agreed to talk and are giving them new and additional information -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: So, Barbara, obviously the investigators want to talk to some of the higher-ups now. There have been seven soldiers at this point who have been implicated.
Are the expectations that actually that number of soldiers who may have had a role in the abuse is going to go much higher?
STARR: Not known at this point. But what we are told repeatedly is the Army's criminal investigation command is continuing to question a lot of people. They are looking at every -- everyone who was involved in the prison at that time, especially focusing on people who were staffing the interrogation and intelligence center at Abu Ghraib Prison.
A number of people, military intelligence officers, were known to be there at the time. They are talking to them about what they saw, what they knew and what types of interrogation practices they might have ordered. So all of this now, Soledad, very far from being over -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Yes, we seem to say that a lot, don't we, Barbara?
Barbara Starr for us at the Pentagon this morning.
Thanks.
Legal news now.
Attorneys for Martha Stewart will be in court today trying for a second time to have her conviction thrown out. This latest attempt comes after a key government witness in the Stewart case was accused of perjure himself.
CNN's senior legal analyst, Jeff Toobin, joins us to talk about that. Also, we'll chat a little bit about Scott Peterson, because we've got a couple of trials going on.
Let's start, though, by talking about Martha Stewart. This is going back to that ink expert who maybe wasn't such an expert after all, when he was testifying. When we talked earlier, you said that she was actually acquitted on those parts of the charges.
So why does this look as if the judge might be paying more attention to this one?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, the one sign that we've got is remember, Martha was supposed to be sentenced next week, June 17th. The judge has moved it back to July 8, which suggests she's taking this seriously, even more seriously than the first motion for a new trial, which involved the possible misconduct by a juror.
O'BRIEN: Why do you think that would be considered less serious, a juror who lies on the questionnaire to get on the jury and then this is the same guy we saw do interview after interview after interview after the verdict. Why would that be taken less seriously than this ink expert, who honestly seems to have more of a role in Bacanovic's trial than in Martha Stewart's part of the trial?
TOOBIN: Right. Judges are very wary of examining jurors' conduct, of sort of putting them under the microscope, because that opens up a can of worms that they really don't want to do. So unless a juror seems to have an axe to grind against a particular defendant and lied in order to get her, they tend to want to steer away from juror misconduct.
This other situation involving the witness, Larry Stewart, is really incredibly unusual, where you have a government witness charged with perjury before the defendant is even sentenced. That's extremely unusual. You're right, the actual document that she's -- that he is accused of lying about, this worksheet that had the words "at 60" written on it, is much more relevant to Bacanovic's case. But the defense will argue that it's related to the conspiracy counts against both of them and it's something that the judge is going to have to take seriously.
O'BRIEN: This is now pushed back to July. Let's talk a little bit about Scott Peterson's case.
TOOBIN: Right.
O'BRIEN: We heard more from family members -- and I guess family we're sort of using in quotes, because these are sort of cousins and...
TOOBIN: Distant.
O'BRIEN: ... distant cousins here. One relative of Laci's said that he got a totally different story from Scott Peterson about what he was planning to do the day that Laci actually disappeared.
TOOBIN: Right. As probably most people who are following the case know, Scott Peterson, in fact, went to the Berkeley Marina to fish on Christmas Eve, and that, of course, is very near where Laci's body was found. He told this relative that he was playing golf. And that's the first time that it appears he's been caught in an absolute false statement about his alibi. That could be significant. Again, the trial very much has focused in the last few days on Scott's behavior during the period Laci was missing and the allegedly suspicious behavior he exhibited.
O'BRIEN: The same person said that Scott was more upset when he burned a piece of chicken on the grill than he was about his wife's disappearance, something like that.
I mean what kind of actual legal credibility does a statement like that hold?
TOOBIN: You know, that's demeanor evidence and I think the jury may well discount that, since Laci's family is obviously very angry at Scott. You know, those sort of soft characterizations of, oh, he seemed weird or he seemed insensitive, that's probably less significant. But a false statement about his alibi, that could be more significant.
O'BRIEN: How about telling Laci's sister that he was actually hoping for infertility when they were discussing her being pregnant? TOOBIN: Again, you know, further evidence that he's a cad, he's a jerk.
O'BRIEN: But not necessarily of murder.
TOOBIN: Evidence of murder, harder to say.
O'BRIEN: All right, well, we'll continue to follow the case.
TOOBIN: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Every day it's -- I mean I think it's interesting. But they really haven't gotten to the heart and soul of the case yet, have they?
TOOBIN: Well, this may be the heart and soul of the case. That may be the problem for the prosecution.
O'BRIEN: Interesting.
Jeff Toobin, as always, thanks.
TOOBIN: OK.
O'BRIEN: It is just about -- what time do you have here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 8:15.
O'BRIEN: 8:15 past -- 15 minutes past the hour.
Time to take a look at some of the other stories making news with Heidi Collins -- Heidi, good morning again.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, Soledad.
It is 8:15, everybody.
A senior Pakistan general is safe after an apparent assassination attempt. A convoy carrying the general was attacked overnight in Karachi. A small explosion went off after the gunfight and a large bomb was defused near the site of the shooting. At least 11 people were killed in the attack. There has been no claim of responsibility as of yet.
Libyan leader Moammar Qaddafi may be tied to a plot to destabilize Saudi Arabia. That's according to the "New York Times." Qaddafi reportedly approved an operation to assassinate Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. The plot was leaked by two detainees. American, British and Saudi officials are investigating now. A White House official says if evidence is found, American policy toward Libya would be affected. Qaddafi's son calls the accusations "nonsense."
Two interesting auctions in New York City today. First, fans of Katherine Hepburn will get a glimpse into her personal life as Sotheby's sells her love notes from Howard Hughes and photographs and souvenirs from her many movies. And more than 500 pieces of memorabilia from the Titanic will be sold today at Guernsey's Auction House. The wooden folding deck chair from the ship could sell for up to $60,000.
And here's one for the record books. Somebody's head is hurting this morning. A Russian man stood on his hands and walked down 787 steps. Nikolai Novikov stood on his hands, as you see here, and he carefully climbed down the marble steps at the historic Ukraine Hotel in Moscow. This former circus performer joked that this was just a warm-up to a climb he might do down the Eiffel Tower. I'm not sure how many steps there are on that thing, but it's pretty steep, I know that.
O'BRIEN: Yes, yes, yes. Show us going upward. That's much tougher, right, Heidi?
COLLINS: Right. Much tougher.
O'BRIEN: All right, Heidi, thanks.
Well, some flooded parts of southern Minnesota can expect more rain today. Newly formed lakes now cover farmland and that threatens to add mudslides to -- that have already forced road closings and muck filled basements. The Minnesota River above flood stage in some places and it is expected that it will continue to rise until Saturday.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Time to check in with Jack for the Question of the Day -- hello, again.
CAFFERTY: Hi, Soledad.
Thousands of people lining the streets of Washington for hours yesterday in that searing heat and high humidity to catch a glimpse of former President Reagan's casket. Two hundred thousand people expected to pay their respects to the late president by seven o'clock tomorrow morning. This is according to Capitol police.
Out in California, 100,000 plus filed through the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. Some of those people waited in line for as long as seven hours.
So we thought we'd ask this morning, who would you wait in line hours to see?
Carol writes from Houston: "In 1976, I was a 19-year-old in college and cast my first vote for Ronald Reagan in the Republican primary. I would vote for him two more times. I daresay that I can't think of anyone else that I would wait in line for that long."
Greg writes from Superior, Wisconsin: "The hottest band in the world, Kiss. They're the only people I would stand in line for hours to see, and I have, several times."
Edward writes this: "Wouldn't we all wait for many hours to enjoy passing by the body of Osama bin Laden?"
And Susan in Oklahoma City: "I'm sure the people standing in line for so long to view Reagan's casket are doing it for much loftier reasons than I did when I waited in my car in the drive thru of the first Krispy Kreme to open in Oklahoma City."
Am@cnn.com.
Yes, Susan, they are loftier reasons, I think. That's a good point.
O'BRIEN: Kiss and Krispy Kreme...
CAFFERTY: And Krispy...
O'BRIEN: ... so far outside of the president.
CAFFERTY: Hey, you know, different strokes for different folks, you know?
O'BRIEN: Ah, you know what? Exactly. I hear you.
CAFFERTY: Whatever floats your boat.
O'BRIEN: All right, Jack, thanks.
CAFFERTY: Yup.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, we're going to take you back live to Washington, D.C. as thousands file past the casket of President Ronald Reagan. And the death of Reagan has focused new attention on the fight against Alzheimer's Disease. We'll take a look at some of the latest efforts in that front.
Those stories ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: President Bush heads back to Washington later today to pay his respects to Ronald Reagan after finishing up his meetings at the G-8 summit. Yesterday, Mr. Bush welcomed the newly named interim president of Iraq. He is among a group of Middle East leaders invited to discuss prospects for political reform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Having visited with you, having talked to you and having listened to you, I have got great faith in the future of your country, because you believe in the hopes and aspirations of the Iraqi people.
GHAZI AL-YAWER, IRAQI INTERIM PRESIDENT: We are determined to have a free, democratic, federal Iraq, a country that is a source of stability to the Middle East, which is very important for the rest of the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Interim Iraqi President Ghazi Al-Yawer said that the government is working to ensure that "sacrifices of the Iraqis, as well as our friends in the coalition, will not be to no avail."
Meanwhile, near the summit, a short-lived protest by about 200 people made for a few tense moments.
National correspondent Gary Tuchman has more on this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Political disorder and confusion, one of the dictionary definitions of anarchy and the scene here for part of the day. Some 200 protesters, many who call themselves anarchists, faced off with riot police...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We welcome the day you're on the side you're supposed to be on.
TUCHMAN: ... across the bridge leading to where G-8 world leaders are meeting.
One of those anarchists is the 18-year-old woman with the video camera. "Kelli (ph)," who does not want her last name used, says anarchists are misunderstood.
"KELLI": I mean who has the weapons here? The government. Who has the (OBSCENE WORD OMITTED) batons? The government. And they're a police state.
TUCHMAN: The Texas native has traveled the country, participating in often tense protests. She does not believe it's simplistic to have the philosophy that personal respect can replace government.
(on camera): Is there anything about this that scares you, participating in these kinds of demonstrations?
"KELLI": No. I'm not, I'm not scared. I mean I'd rather be doing -- I'd rather die for what I believe in than die working in a meat factory or, you know, somewhere else where I can waste my life for something I don't believe in or agree with.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): A deal is negotiated to let demonstrators walk a bit farther than originally permitted. The riot police, armed with batons and pepper ball guns, did not have to use them.
CAPT. LARRY BRUCE, BRUNSWICK POLICE DEPARTMENT: Our police officers are very well trained. They're professional, and you saw that today.
TUCHMAN: And Kelli and her fellow anarchists then left, but are still ready for another day. Gary Tuchman, CNN, Brunswick, Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: About half of the protesters were allowed to walk across the street to the bridge entrance, then return to the other side of that street.
Let's head on out to Bill Hemmer now in Washington, D.C. -- Bill, good morning again.
HEMMER: Hey, Soledad, thanks for that.
Talking to a lot of people who have already viewed the casket here in Washington, in the Capitol Building, hearing words like "somber," "historic" and "quiet."
We'll talk to some of the people who are now emerging from the Capitol Building, as our coverage continues, live in Washington in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
