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CNN Live At Daybreak
Former Top CIA Official Discusses Threat From Al Qaeda; Pay Cuts Agreed to by Pilots at U.S. Airways
Aired October 22, 2004 - 06:00 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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin.
Right now in the news, court martial proceedings are going on at this hour in Baghdad for two U.S. soldiers accused in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Sergeant Javal Davis and Specialist Charles Graner are accused of abusing Iraqi detainees.
Secretary of State Colin Powell is acknowledging the U.S. does not know how far North Korea's nuclear program has progressed. Powell leaves today for meetings with officials in Japan, China and South Korea.
The case of a severely brain damaged Florida woman faces another milestone today. A judge is due to rule on a new trial requested by the parents of Terri Schiavo to have her husband removed as guardian. The woman's husband wants her feeding tube removed.
And it will be the St. Louis Cardinals against the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. The Cards beat the Houston Astros 5-2 for the National League championship -- Orelon, the weekend is just around the corner. The World Series starts tomorrow.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it is.
Where is game one? Where is that now?
LIN: Fenway, isn't it Fenway?
SIDNEY: It's at Fenway?
LIN: Yes, the first two days.
SIDNEY: Oh, OK, well, you're going to see a pretty good forecast, I think. I don't think you're going to have a problem.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: Well, there are just 11 more days remaining until Election Day and time is running out for the candidates to get their swing state campaigning in. But they're still giving it their best shot.
Democrat John Kerry hit the campaign trail today in Milwaukee, where he's going to be courting women voters in a speech at the University of Wisconsin. And then it's cross country to Reno for a rally at the University of Nevada today. He heads -- or he actually heads to Colorado and is going to end his day there.
In the meantime, John Kerry campaigned yesterday in Columbus, Ohio. He accused President Bush of turning his back on research that he says could result in better lives for Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to help cure disease by investing in science itself and in new technologies. We're not going to stand in the way of the future. We're not going to set up ideological barricades in front of the future. We're going to lift President Bush's ban on federal funding for stem cell research. We're going to go forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Now, President Bush travels to battleground states today, as well. This morning, he's got a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. And then it's on to Ohio and Florida. One day, three states that have a total of 68 electoral votes.
Back at the White House, the president put the spotlight on immigration reform. In an interview with a Spanish language television station, President Bush said he supports offering temporary legal status to undocumented immigrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People are coming here to work and so long as they're coming to work in jobs that Americans will not do, I believe there ought to be a guest worker program. There ought to be a legitimacy. There ought to be a card that allows any willing worker and any willing employer to come together.
And this would be good for America. It will help take the pressure off our borders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: And there is yet another man running for president. Ralph Nader wants to be part of the process in Pennsylvania. So he asked the U.S. Supreme Court to force the state to put him back on their ballot. State judges removed Nader's name after thousands of signatures on his nominating papers were found to be fraudulent. The high court asked Pennsylvania officials to respond by this afternoon.
Now to the battleground state of Ohio.
CNN's Paula Zahn hosted a town hall meeting of undecided voters in Greene County to see what's on their minds. Many had concerns about Iraq and its role in the war on terror. Representatives from the Bush and Kerry camps were in the hot seat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda are the threat, but al Qaeda isn't specifically the only problem. There are other threats out there, the same mind set, the same mentality, the same hatred for this country. Saddam was one of those people. He harbored terrorists. He paid them. He trained them. He met with al Qaeda operatives. He was a threat, a substantial threat. I feel we should be in Iraq. I feel we should attack terrorism globally. We can't stop that fight.
PAULA ZAHN, HOST: All right, General Clark, I should point out the 9/11 Commission report says that there was no operational contact between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. Your view of this question?
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (D), KERRY-EDWARDS CAMPAIGN: The war in Iraq was a distraction. I looked at all the intelligence that I could get my hands on. I was the guy running the bombing for northern Iraq up until the summer of 2000. I worked against Saddam Hussein while I was in the Joint Staff starting in 1994. He was what we called a tier two threat. He was a problem, but he wasn't the kind of imminent threat that al Qaeda was.
By taking us into Iraq, the president distracted America and distracted our armed forces from the real war against al Qaeda around the world. He failed to capture Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Well, some voters said neither Bush nor Kerry has been specific enough about how to get out of Iraq and how to restore the peace.
The House and the Senate may be moving closer to a compromise on sweeping intelligence reform legislation. CNN has learned that House Republicans have offered to drop a provision that would allow someone to be deported without going before a judge. A Senate response to the offer could come today. But there is still a divide over the specific powers that will be given to the new national intelligence director.
Now, the intelligence community has been under fire over the failures of 9/11 and the information on Iraq. But one former CIA chief has come out to defend the agency.
CNN national security correspondent David Ensor has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He has hung up his cloak and dagger, and now the CIA's longtime spymaster is speaking out, defending his beleaguered agency and warning that there could be major terrorism in the U.S. around the election.
JAMES PAVITT, FORMER CIA DEPUTY DIRECTOR: I think the prospects of that are very high. They're going to come get us again. Now whether it's going to be in the next two weeks before the election, I can't predict. Frankly, I don't think anyone can predict. But I do believe the threat is as genuine today as it was when I left CIA in early August of this year.
ENSOR (on camera): Was there evidence at that time to suggest a particular interest in attacking the United States prior to the election?
PAVITT: Absolutely. Absolutely. I think there was both chatter about that and I think there was some information that suggested they would come at us against targets which were important -- New York City, Washington, D.C., other major capitals.
ENSOR: Does the United States have spies inside the senior leadership of al Qaeda?
PAVITT: I'm not going to comment on a question that could simply make collecting intelligence more difficult.
ENSOR: Johnny Walker Lindh, an American, got into the Taliban, and he got into -- he claims -- a meeting where Osama bin Laden was present. If he could do that, why couldn't the CIA do that?
PAVITT: The honest answer is we did have people like that. But what we didn't have was someone who sat next to Osama bin Laden and knew exactly what he was going to do.
ENSOR (voice-over): Pavitt reacted sharply to reports some administration officials have complained the intelligence the troops got from the CIA before the war was overly optimistic. He decried leaks of intelligence reports suggesting the opposite, that the president was warned in advance how tough Iraq could be.
(on camera): Is there bad blood at this point between the White House and Langley?
PAVITT: Well, there's a lot of the blame game right now and I don't think it's good for our nation. I don't think it's good for intelligence. I don't think it's good for policy. And if it were up to me, I would find some way to stop it.
ENSOR (voice-over): Asked why he decided to come out of the shadows for this interview, Pavitt said there is hardly anyone speaking out for the CIA, which has taken a battering over 9/11 and Iraq. He wants to speak up, he says, for America's unsung heroes.
David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LIN: News across America now this morning.
The Boston Police Department is apologizing for the death of a 21-year-old Red Sox fan. Victoria Snelgrove was hit in the face by a pepper spray canister fired by police. They were trying to break up crowds gathered outside Fenway Park to celebrate the Red Sox victory over the Yankees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RICK SNELGROVE, VICTIM'S FATHER: What happened to her should not happen to any American citizen going to any type of game, no matter what. She loved the Red Sox. She went in to celebrate with friends. She was a bystander. She was out of the way, but she still got shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: An investigation has begun into how the young woman was killed by what was supposed to be a non-lethal weapon.
And rescue teams will be back out this morning, looking for two hikers missing in Sequoia National Park in California. The two are just the latest to be caught by a surprise blizzard in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Twenty-three people have been brought down out of the mountains just in the past few days.
And remember the pregnant woman who was arrested after talking too loudly on her cell phone at a Washington area train station? Disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges have been dropped against Sakinha Aaron. Prosecutors say a trial is not in the best use of their resources. Aaron says she is still considering a false arrest suit.
And caught in the crossfire of the West Bank -- how the life of a 12-year-old boy was forever changed by an Israeli missile.
Plus, months into the trial there is still little information about Laci Peterson's death. We're going to talk to someone who knows what the defense is up to.
And later, history, politics and baseball -- we're going to look at how they've overlapped in the past and what we can expect this year.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
LIN: Time now for a little "Business Buzz."
Hoping to keep the airline in flight, pilots at U.S. Airways agreed to pay cuts.
Carrie Lee has the story.
She's at the Nasdaq market site in Times Square -- good morning, Carrie.
Is that going to be enough?
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll see, Carol.
Pilots for now giving $300 million in annual wage and benefit concessions. And this is the first major labor group at U.S. Airways to accept permanent cuts. Remember, US Airways made its second bankruptcy protection filing in two years back on September 12. Without these cuts, US Airways said it could cease operating by mid- February.
The pilots voted 58 percent in favor of the contract, a wider margin than some analysts had been expecting. The pay cut is going to be 18 percent a year, a total of $1.8 billion in savings for the airline through 2010. The new contract, among other things, is sharply going to reduce US Airways' contribution to the pilots' retirement plan and eliminate health care benefits for pilots after they retire. Health care a very sticky issue for a lot of companies.
Turning to stocks, one name we're watching today, Microsoft. The stock was actually losing some ground, down about 2 1/2 percent in the after hours session after reporting profits for its recent quarter. Not that the bottom line was so bad. Profits rose 12 percent year over year. But they're giving sales guidance, Carol, for this current quarter that's weaker than some analysts have been expecting. So Microsoft losing some ground. And, in fact, technology futures across-the-board looking pretty weak for today's session.
Stocks across-the-board looking pretty flat right now.
Back to you.
LIN: All right, thanks, Carrie.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's now 15 past the hour.
And here's what's all new this morning.
A Maryland company is providing an extra one million doses of the nasal spray flu vaccine to help with the shortage of flu shots. However, the nasal spray is only approved for healthy people ages five to 49.
And rescue efforts are going on right now at the scene of that mine explosion in central China. Several more bodies have been recovered, bringing the death toll to at least 62. A gas explosion tore through the mine two days ago. Another 90 people are still believed to be trapped deeper in the mine.
In money, profits are up at Microsoft. We were just hearing about that from Carrie Lee. The company reports $2.9 billion in earnings for the last quarter. That's a $0.27 per share jump. But the profits were still lower than what Wall Street had expected.
And in culture, the last beam has been put into place for a new skyscraper at ground zero. The building will replace Seven World Trade Center, which was one of the seven buildings destroyed in the 9/11 attacks.
In sports, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 5-2 to advance to the World Series. The Cards will meet the Boston Red Sox for game one tomorrow night -- Orelon.
SIDNEY: Yes.
LIN: Anything like World Series weather? Is there any such thing?
SIDNEY: Well, I think the weather is going to be good for these two games. There may be a chance of some showers with the second game. But Saturday's game, I think, will be fine.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: Well, Scott Peterson's attorneys have wrapped up their first week of defense testimony.
Let's sort out some of those details in our "Coffey Talk" segment with legal analyst Kendall Coffey, who joins me from Miami -- good morning, Kendall.
KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Carol.
LIN: Let's talk concrete. The defense was trying to explain, now that it's taken over, or at least is allowed to present its side of the case, trying to explain some missing concrete. The prosecution alleges Scott Peterson made five concrete anchors. A lot of that concrete unaccounted for right now.
COFFEY: Yes. It was a mixed week for the defense, because I think they had a little bit of luck in responding to the prosecution's expert, who said that the 80 pounds of missing cement, which is pretty critical in the minds of, perhaps, some jurors, could not have been used in Scott Peterson's driveway, according to the prosecution expert, because he said the composition of that was different from the concrete found in Scott Peterson's driveway.
Meanwhile, this week earlier, the driveway explanation was maybe repaired some as a defense expert testified that the concrete materials in the driveway did, in fact, match the cement anchor. The prosecution responded saying maybe the samples were contaminated. But I think at least to some extent the defense has overcome the prosecution's point on the issue of the missing concrete.
LIN: Kendall, how do juries typically respond to this kind of minutiae?
COFFEY: Well, I don't think in a murder case that they necessarily say well, it's hard to say who's right, we're going to find a reasonable doubt. I think in a murder case, because it's so gripping, so compelling, they're going to use a lot of common sense. And it may be that they just decide if there isn't a clear signal on this that it's not that important an issue and focus on other parts of the case.
LIN: So how does common sense come into play with the defense attorney's theory that Laci Peterson and her unborn child were kidnapped by devil worshippers who killed Laci, carved out her child and dumped the bodies in the Bay?
COFFEY: I think that's a tough sell. And while the defense has done a very skillful job, Carol, of raising a lot of questions about different parts of the prosecution's case, one of the things they're trying to do is come up with their own explanation of how the murder could have happened, if, in fact, Laci Peterson was murdered by someone else. And so far they're struggling with that. They're focusing on time of death, when was Laci Peterson, when was Conner actually killed. But they don't have a clear theory yet as to how this could have been done if it wasn't a murder perpetrated by Scott Peterson.
LIN: Well, the defense had a fertility expert on the stand this past Thursday to testify that he believes that Conner was born somewhere around December 29, which is about a week after Laci Peterson disappeared. That is critical, that timetable, to Mark Geragos' theory that devil worshippers or kidnappers took Laci.
COFFEY: The timetable is critical. But it's not clear how much this defense expert really helped the cause of Scott Peterson because under cross-examination, it really looked like he was being pretty speculative in how he reconstructed what he thought was the time line for Laci Peterson's pregnancy. He assumed a particular day that she took a home pregnancy test. He made assumptions that she then immediately told her friend and made assumptions, frankly, about conversations that Laci Peterson would or wouldn't have had at a baby shower the day before.
LIN: Right.
COFFEY: I don't think the jury was hugely impressed with that expert's testimony.
LIN: Yes, that defense witness, it's not often that a defense witness, or any witness, actually asks for a break during cross- examination -- like give me a break -- during cross-examination.
We'll see what happens this coming week.
Thanks, Kendall.
COFFEY: Hey, thanks, Carol.
LIN: You have a great weekend.
In the meantime, we've got a child's tale of survival as he pays the price for a conflict he's barely old enough to understand. We're going to have that story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: You know, too often it's the children who suffer most during war. But we rarely hear the details of just how much they must endure. Well, this morning, we have a very powerful story about a little boy whose life has been ripped apart by a misguided missile.
CNN's Guy Raz reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been two years since Muhammad Zkayer set foot in school.
MUHAMMAD AMIN RAHMAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The kids make fun of me. I don't want to go to school.
RAZ: He's just 12 years old, but behind his intense gaze is the wisdom of a child who's lived far beyond his years. For most of the past two, Muhammad has been in and out of hospitals, ever since April 5, 2002,m the day the car he was sitting in was hit by an Israeli missile.
The Israeli Army won't discuss it on camera, but at the time, the Army said the incident was a mistake.
M. RAHMAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I was in my father's car. One missile came close to me and the other one came at me. My father took me out of the car, took me to the hospital and for seven months I don't know what happened.
AMIN RAHMAN, VICTIM'S FATHER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): He was shouting, "Daddy, put out the fire! Put out the fire!," even though he was not on fire anymore. But his body was still intensely hot.
RAZ (on camera): By the time Muhammad's father arrived here to the burning car, 85 percent of his son's body was burned. When he arrived in hospital, the doctors declared Muhammad clinically dead.
(voice-over): Barely alive, the boy was eventually brought to Hadassah Hospital in Israel, where doctors saved his life over a period of five months. Just six months ago, Muhammad started walking again. He now works at his father's mini market.
Amin isn't just Muhammad's father, but his nurse.
A. RAHMAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Once he was able to live without a respirator, Hadassah Hospital discharged him, even though they have the best medical center in the region.
RAZ: Amin has already sold his land to pay for his son's treatment in Egypt and Jordan. But he says Israel is responsible for his son's condition and Israel should pay Hadassah Hospital for the cost of reconstructive surgery.
After an inquiry from CNN, Hadassah released this statement: "The cost of Muhammad's medical care amounted to $125,000, a sum for which Hadassah has yet to find a source to cover the expense. Further to CNN's inquiry, Hadassah will seek to cover half the cost of ensuing treatment and hospitalization."
Amin says he appreciates the gesture, but doesn't know where he'll find the rest of the money. He's now seeking compensation from the Israeli government, but Israeli legal hurdles make it almost impossible for Palestinians to win such cases. Muhammad says he'd like to meet the soldier who fired the missile that took away his face.
M. RAHMAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I will ask him, "Why did you do this to me? What did I do to deserve this? How have I involved in all of this?"
RAZ: Amin has recently started to gently break the news to Muhammad that his fingers will never grow back.
M. RAHMAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I want to go back to the way I was two years ago. I want to live like everyone else. That's all I want, to be cured like everyone else.
RAZ: Guy Raz, CNN, Hebron, in the West Bank.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LIN: A very different battle on the campaign trail here in the United States. We've got some new polls and new faces on the campaign trail and a look at the complicated ballot options California voters will face on Election Day. We're going to have all of that for you.
Plus, after 86 years of losing, can the Red Sox turn their luck around? I'm going to talk to an expert, actually, a baseball historian.
Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Good morning.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin.
Now in the news, the threat from insurgents in Iraq is bigger and better financed than U.S. officials originally thought. The "New York Times" reports today that intelligence reports say up to 20,000 fighters could be working against the U.S.
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Aired October 22, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin.
Right now in the news, court martial proceedings are going on at this hour in Baghdad for two U.S. soldiers accused in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Sergeant Javal Davis and Specialist Charles Graner are accused of abusing Iraqi detainees.
Secretary of State Colin Powell is acknowledging the U.S. does not know how far North Korea's nuclear program has progressed. Powell leaves today for meetings with officials in Japan, China and South Korea.
The case of a severely brain damaged Florida woman faces another milestone today. A judge is due to rule on a new trial requested by the parents of Terri Schiavo to have her husband removed as guardian. The woman's husband wants her feeding tube removed.
And it will be the St. Louis Cardinals against the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. The Cards beat the Houston Astros 5-2 for the National League championship -- Orelon, the weekend is just around the corner. The World Series starts tomorrow.
ORELON SIDNEY, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it is.
Where is game one? Where is that now?
LIN: Fenway, isn't it Fenway?
SIDNEY: It's at Fenway?
LIN: Yes, the first two days.
SIDNEY: Oh, OK, well, you're going to see a pretty good forecast, I think. I don't think you're going to have a problem.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: Well, there are just 11 more days remaining until Election Day and time is running out for the candidates to get their swing state campaigning in. But they're still giving it their best shot.
Democrat John Kerry hit the campaign trail today in Milwaukee, where he's going to be courting women voters in a speech at the University of Wisconsin. And then it's cross country to Reno for a rally at the University of Nevada today. He heads -- or he actually heads to Colorado and is going to end his day there.
In the meantime, John Kerry campaigned yesterday in Columbus, Ohio. He accused President Bush of turning his back on research that he says could result in better lives for Americans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're going to help cure disease by investing in science itself and in new technologies. We're not going to stand in the way of the future. We're not going to set up ideological barricades in front of the future. We're going to lift President Bush's ban on federal funding for stem cell research. We're going to go forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Now, President Bush travels to battleground states today, as well. This morning, he's got a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. And then it's on to Ohio and Florida. One day, three states that have a total of 68 electoral votes.
Back at the White House, the president put the spotlight on immigration reform. In an interview with a Spanish language television station, President Bush said he supports offering temporary legal status to undocumented immigrants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People are coming here to work and so long as they're coming to work in jobs that Americans will not do, I believe there ought to be a guest worker program. There ought to be a legitimacy. There ought to be a card that allows any willing worker and any willing employer to come together.
And this would be good for America. It will help take the pressure off our borders.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: And there is yet another man running for president. Ralph Nader wants to be part of the process in Pennsylvania. So he asked the U.S. Supreme Court to force the state to put him back on their ballot. State judges removed Nader's name after thousands of signatures on his nominating papers were found to be fraudulent. The high court asked Pennsylvania officials to respond by this afternoon.
Now to the battleground state of Ohio.
CNN's Paula Zahn hosted a town hall meeting of undecided voters in Greene County to see what's on their minds. Many had concerns about Iraq and its role in the war on terror. Representatives from the Bush and Kerry camps were in the hot seat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda are the threat, but al Qaeda isn't specifically the only problem. There are other threats out there, the same mind set, the same mentality, the same hatred for this country. Saddam was one of those people. He harbored terrorists. He paid them. He trained them. He met with al Qaeda operatives. He was a threat, a substantial threat. I feel we should be in Iraq. I feel we should attack terrorism globally. We can't stop that fight.
PAULA ZAHN, HOST: All right, General Clark, I should point out the 9/11 Commission report says that there was no operational contact between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. Your view of this question?
GEN. WESLEY CLARK (D), KERRY-EDWARDS CAMPAIGN: The war in Iraq was a distraction. I looked at all the intelligence that I could get my hands on. I was the guy running the bombing for northern Iraq up until the summer of 2000. I worked against Saddam Hussein while I was in the Joint Staff starting in 1994. He was what we called a tier two threat. He was a problem, but he wasn't the kind of imminent threat that al Qaeda was.
By taking us into Iraq, the president distracted America and distracted our armed forces from the real war against al Qaeda around the world. He failed to capture Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Well, some voters said neither Bush nor Kerry has been specific enough about how to get out of Iraq and how to restore the peace.
The House and the Senate may be moving closer to a compromise on sweeping intelligence reform legislation. CNN has learned that House Republicans have offered to drop a provision that would allow someone to be deported without going before a judge. A Senate response to the offer could come today. But there is still a divide over the specific powers that will be given to the new national intelligence director.
Now, the intelligence community has been under fire over the failures of 9/11 and the information on Iraq. But one former CIA chief has come out to defend the agency.
CNN national security correspondent David Ensor has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He has hung up his cloak and dagger, and now the CIA's longtime spymaster is speaking out, defending his beleaguered agency and warning that there could be major terrorism in the U.S. around the election.
JAMES PAVITT, FORMER CIA DEPUTY DIRECTOR: I think the prospects of that are very high. They're going to come get us again. Now whether it's going to be in the next two weeks before the election, I can't predict. Frankly, I don't think anyone can predict. But I do believe the threat is as genuine today as it was when I left CIA in early August of this year.
ENSOR (on camera): Was there evidence at that time to suggest a particular interest in attacking the United States prior to the election?
PAVITT: Absolutely. Absolutely. I think there was both chatter about that and I think there was some information that suggested they would come at us against targets which were important -- New York City, Washington, D.C., other major capitals.
ENSOR: Does the United States have spies inside the senior leadership of al Qaeda?
PAVITT: I'm not going to comment on a question that could simply make collecting intelligence more difficult.
ENSOR: Johnny Walker Lindh, an American, got into the Taliban, and he got into -- he claims -- a meeting where Osama bin Laden was present. If he could do that, why couldn't the CIA do that?
PAVITT: The honest answer is we did have people like that. But what we didn't have was someone who sat next to Osama bin Laden and knew exactly what he was going to do.
ENSOR (voice-over): Pavitt reacted sharply to reports some administration officials have complained the intelligence the troops got from the CIA before the war was overly optimistic. He decried leaks of intelligence reports suggesting the opposite, that the president was warned in advance how tough Iraq could be.
(on camera): Is there bad blood at this point between the White House and Langley?
PAVITT: Well, there's a lot of the blame game right now and I don't think it's good for our nation. I don't think it's good for intelligence. I don't think it's good for policy. And if it were up to me, I would find some way to stop it.
ENSOR (voice-over): Asked why he decided to come out of the shadows for this interview, Pavitt said there is hardly anyone speaking out for the CIA, which has taken a battering over 9/11 and Iraq. He wants to speak up, he says, for America's unsung heroes.
David Ensor, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LIN: News across America now this morning.
The Boston Police Department is apologizing for the death of a 21-year-old Red Sox fan. Victoria Snelgrove was hit in the face by a pepper spray canister fired by police. They were trying to break up crowds gathered outside Fenway Park to celebrate the Red Sox victory over the Yankees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RICK SNELGROVE, VICTIM'S FATHER: What happened to her should not happen to any American citizen going to any type of game, no matter what. She loved the Red Sox. She went in to celebrate with friends. She was a bystander. She was out of the way, but she still got shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: An investigation has begun into how the young woman was killed by what was supposed to be a non-lethal weapon.
And rescue teams will be back out this morning, looking for two hikers missing in Sequoia National Park in California. The two are just the latest to be caught by a surprise blizzard in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Twenty-three people have been brought down out of the mountains just in the past few days.
And remember the pregnant woman who was arrested after talking too loudly on her cell phone at a Washington area train station? Disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges have been dropped against Sakinha Aaron. Prosecutors say a trial is not in the best use of their resources. Aaron says she is still considering a false arrest suit.
And caught in the crossfire of the West Bank -- how the life of a 12-year-old boy was forever changed by an Israeli missile.
Plus, months into the trial there is still little information about Laci Peterson's death. We're going to talk to someone who knows what the defense is up to.
And later, history, politics and baseball -- we're going to look at how they've overlapped in the past and what we can expect this year.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
LIN: Time now for a little "Business Buzz."
Hoping to keep the airline in flight, pilots at U.S. Airways agreed to pay cuts.
Carrie Lee has the story.
She's at the Nasdaq market site in Times Square -- good morning, Carrie.
Is that going to be enough?
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we'll see, Carol.
Pilots for now giving $300 million in annual wage and benefit concessions. And this is the first major labor group at U.S. Airways to accept permanent cuts. Remember, US Airways made its second bankruptcy protection filing in two years back on September 12. Without these cuts, US Airways said it could cease operating by mid- February.
The pilots voted 58 percent in favor of the contract, a wider margin than some analysts had been expecting. The pay cut is going to be 18 percent a year, a total of $1.8 billion in savings for the airline through 2010. The new contract, among other things, is sharply going to reduce US Airways' contribution to the pilots' retirement plan and eliminate health care benefits for pilots after they retire. Health care a very sticky issue for a lot of companies.
Turning to stocks, one name we're watching today, Microsoft. The stock was actually losing some ground, down about 2 1/2 percent in the after hours session after reporting profits for its recent quarter. Not that the bottom line was so bad. Profits rose 12 percent year over year. But they're giving sales guidance, Carol, for this current quarter that's weaker than some analysts have been expecting. So Microsoft losing some ground. And, in fact, technology futures across-the-board looking pretty weak for today's session.
Stocks across-the-board looking pretty flat right now.
Back to you.
LIN: All right, thanks, Carrie.
Your news, money, weather and sports.
It's now 15 past the hour.
And here's what's all new this morning.
A Maryland company is providing an extra one million doses of the nasal spray flu vaccine to help with the shortage of flu shots. However, the nasal spray is only approved for healthy people ages five to 49.
And rescue efforts are going on right now at the scene of that mine explosion in central China. Several more bodies have been recovered, bringing the death toll to at least 62. A gas explosion tore through the mine two days ago. Another 90 people are still believed to be trapped deeper in the mine.
In money, profits are up at Microsoft. We were just hearing about that from Carrie Lee. The company reports $2.9 billion in earnings for the last quarter. That's a $0.27 per share jump. But the profits were still lower than what Wall Street had expected.
And in culture, the last beam has been put into place for a new skyscraper at ground zero. The building will replace Seven World Trade Center, which was one of the seven buildings destroyed in the 9/11 attacks.
In sports, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros 5-2 to advance to the World Series. The Cards will meet the Boston Red Sox for game one tomorrow night -- Orelon.
SIDNEY: Yes.
LIN: Anything like World Series weather? Is there any such thing?
SIDNEY: Well, I think the weather is going to be good for these two games. There may be a chance of some showers with the second game. But Saturday's game, I think, will be fine.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: Well, Scott Peterson's attorneys have wrapped up their first week of defense testimony.
Let's sort out some of those details in our "Coffey Talk" segment with legal analyst Kendall Coffey, who joins me from Miami -- good morning, Kendall.
KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, good morning, Carol.
LIN: Let's talk concrete. The defense was trying to explain, now that it's taken over, or at least is allowed to present its side of the case, trying to explain some missing concrete. The prosecution alleges Scott Peterson made five concrete anchors. A lot of that concrete unaccounted for right now.
COFFEY: Yes. It was a mixed week for the defense, because I think they had a little bit of luck in responding to the prosecution's expert, who said that the 80 pounds of missing cement, which is pretty critical in the minds of, perhaps, some jurors, could not have been used in Scott Peterson's driveway, according to the prosecution expert, because he said the composition of that was different from the concrete found in Scott Peterson's driveway.
Meanwhile, this week earlier, the driveway explanation was maybe repaired some as a defense expert testified that the concrete materials in the driveway did, in fact, match the cement anchor. The prosecution responded saying maybe the samples were contaminated. But I think at least to some extent the defense has overcome the prosecution's point on the issue of the missing concrete.
LIN: Kendall, how do juries typically respond to this kind of minutiae?
COFFEY: Well, I don't think in a murder case that they necessarily say well, it's hard to say who's right, we're going to find a reasonable doubt. I think in a murder case, because it's so gripping, so compelling, they're going to use a lot of common sense. And it may be that they just decide if there isn't a clear signal on this that it's not that important an issue and focus on other parts of the case.
LIN: So how does common sense come into play with the defense attorney's theory that Laci Peterson and her unborn child were kidnapped by devil worshippers who killed Laci, carved out her child and dumped the bodies in the Bay?
COFFEY: I think that's a tough sell. And while the defense has done a very skillful job, Carol, of raising a lot of questions about different parts of the prosecution's case, one of the things they're trying to do is come up with their own explanation of how the murder could have happened, if, in fact, Laci Peterson was murdered by someone else. And so far they're struggling with that. They're focusing on time of death, when was Laci Peterson, when was Conner actually killed. But they don't have a clear theory yet as to how this could have been done if it wasn't a murder perpetrated by Scott Peterson.
LIN: Well, the defense had a fertility expert on the stand this past Thursday to testify that he believes that Conner was born somewhere around December 29, which is about a week after Laci Peterson disappeared. That is critical, that timetable, to Mark Geragos' theory that devil worshippers or kidnappers took Laci.
COFFEY: The timetable is critical. But it's not clear how much this defense expert really helped the cause of Scott Peterson because under cross-examination, it really looked like he was being pretty speculative in how he reconstructed what he thought was the time line for Laci Peterson's pregnancy. He assumed a particular day that she took a home pregnancy test. He made assumptions that she then immediately told her friend and made assumptions, frankly, about conversations that Laci Peterson would or wouldn't have had at a baby shower the day before.
LIN: Right.
COFFEY: I don't think the jury was hugely impressed with that expert's testimony.
LIN: Yes, that defense witness, it's not often that a defense witness, or any witness, actually asks for a break during cross- examination -- like give me a break -- during cross-examination.
We'll see what happens this coming week.
Thanks, Kendall.
COFFEY: Hey, thanks, Carol.
LIN: You have a great weekend.
In the meantime, we've got a child's tale of survival as he pays the price for a conflict he's barely old enough to understand. We're going to have that story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: You know, too often it's the children who suffer most during war. But we rarely hear the details of just how much they must endure. Well, this morning, we have a very powerful story about a little boy whose life has been ripped apart by a misguided missile.
CNN's Guy Raz reports.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been two years since Muhammad Zkayer set foot in school.
MUHAMMAD AMIN RAHMAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The kids make fun of me. I don't want to go to school.
RAZ: He's just 12 years old, but behind his intense gaze is the wisdom of a child who's lived far beyond his years. For most of the past two, Muhammad has been in and out of hospitals, ever since April 5, 2002,m the day the car he was sitting in was hit by an Israeli missile.
The Israeli Army won't discuss it on camera, but at the time, the Army said the incident was a mistake.
M. RAHMAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I was in my father's car. One missile came close to me and the other one came at me. My father took me out of the car, took me to the hospital and for seven months I don't know what happened.
AMIN RAHMAN, VICTIM'S FATHER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): He was shouting, "Daddy, put out the fire! Put out the fire!," even though he was not on fire anymore. But his body was still intensely hot.
RAZ (on camera): By the time Muhammad's father arrived here to the burning car, 85 percent of his son's body was burned. When he arrived in hospital, the doctors declared Muhammad clinically dead.
(voice-over): Barely alive, the boy was eventually brought to Hadassah Hospital in Israel, where doctors saved his life over a period of five months. Just six months ago, Muhammad started walking again. He now works at his father's mini market.
Amin isn't just Muhammad's father, but his nurse.
A. RAHMAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Once he was able to live without a respirator, Hadassah Hospital discharged him, even though they have the best medical center in the region.
RAZ: Amin has already sold his land to pay for his son's treatment in Egypt and Jordan. But he says Israel is responsible for his son's condition and Israel should pay Hadassah Hospital for the cost of reconstructive surgery.
After an inquiry from CNN, Hadassah released this statement: "The cost of Muhammad's medical care amounted to $125,000, a sum for which Hadassah has yet to find a source to cover the expense. Further to CNN's inquiry, Hadassah will seek to cover half the cost of ensuing treatment and hospitalization."
Amin says he appreciates the gesture, but doesn't know where he'll find the rest of the money. He's now seeking compensation from the Israeli government, but Israeli legal hurdles make it almost impossible for Palestinians to win such cases. Muhammad says he'd like to meet the soldier who fired the missile that took away his face.
M. RAHMAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I will ask him, "Why did you do this to me? What did I do to deserve this? How have I involved in all of this?"
RAZ: Amin has recently started to gently break the news to Muhammad that his fingers will never grow back.
M. RAHMAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I want to go back to the way I was two years ago. I want to live like everyone else. That's all I want, to be cured like everyone else.
RAZ: Guy Raz, CNN, Hebron, in the West Bank.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LIN: A very different battle on the campaign trail here in the United States. We've got some new polls and new faces on the campaign trail and a look at the complicated ballot options California voters will face on Election Day. We're going to have all of that for you.
Plus, after 86 years of losing, can the Red Sox turn their luck around? I'm going to talk to an expert, actually, a baseball historian.
Stay right there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Good morning.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin.
Now in the news, the threat from insurgents in Iraq is bigger and better financed than U.S. officials originally thought. The "New York Times" reports today that intelligence reports say up to 20,000 fighters could be working against the U.S.
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