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CNN Live Sunday
More Details Surface on BTK Killer
Aired February 27, 2005 - 11:00 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.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It is 11:00 on the east coast, 8:00 in Los Angeles where they have rolled out the red carpet for the Academy Awards. A lot of excitement there. Welcome. I'm Andrea Koppel at CNN's global headquarters. Ahead this hour, who is this man suspected of killing at least 10 people in the Wichita, Kansas area? We're going to get details from a journalist who has followed this case every twist and turn for more than 30 years.
Replacing gays in the military. It costs more than you think. One congressman wants the U.S. to rethink its policies. And what would the movies be without chariot races and fights and chases down mountains? Some people want the academy to consider that the next time it's handing out awards. We're going to have those stories straight ahead for you, but first, a look at the headlines.
Turnover another card, Saddam Hussein's half brother and former personal adviser has been nabbed by joint coalition and Iraqi forces. Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan al Tikriti was number 36 on the U.S. military's list of most wanted Iraqis. We're going to have details on his arrest coming up about five minutes from now.
Pope John Paul II surprises crowds gathered in Rome today, appearing in his hospital window just as a traditional Sunday blessing was conducted at St. Peter's Square. The pontiff has been hospitalized since Thursday, and for now, is unable to speak due it a tracheotomy.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon calls Friday's bombing outside a Tel Aviv nightclub an immediate test for the Palestinian authority. Israel claims the attack was ordered by Islamic jihad interests in Syria. Sharon says the Palestinian authority must take vigorous action against Islamic jihad.
And torrential rains hinder the search for a 9-year-old girl in central Florida last seen Wednesday night. Police have released an emotional 911 tape. Jessica Lunsford's grandmother is heard sobbing as she reports the child's disappearance.
Our top story this hour, we are learning more today, why police in Wichita, Kansas, are convinced that Dennis Rader might be the elusive serial killer whose grizzly calling card boasted BTK, bind, torture, kill. Police plan to file 10 counts against Rader in connection with the brutal murders that have haunted the area for more than 30 years. Larry Hatteberg who is an anchor now with affiliate station KAKE has been following this story since the first bodies were found. He joins us live from Wichita. Larry, nice to see you. LARRY HATTEBERG, KAKE ANCHOR: And good morning, Andrea.
KOPPEL: Larry, we want to cover a lot of ground here, but first I'd like to get at what KAKE has broken and so far I believe none of your competitors, including CNN have matched this and that is the fact that your sources are telling you that the killer, that Dennis Rader's own daughter turned him in. What can you tell us about that?
HATTEBERG: That's not exactly correct, Andrea. What we know for sure is that it was her DNA that helped police and the FBI lead them to her father. We do not believe at this point that she actually turned him in. We believe, and we haven't nailed down exactly how it happened, but anyway, she gave some DNA to either the FBI or the Wichita police department, a strand of that DNA, what they call the family strand, apparently hit. And once that happened, police believe that -- and that helped police lead them to her father. Now, we do believe that they already had her father under surveillance and under investigation prior to this. How they got her DNA, we're still a little unclear about that. We're still working that part of the story. But they did get her DNA and that did help police nail it down.
KOPPEL: So, Larry, you all have gotten a hold of, I believe, some surveillance videos is that correct from Home Depot or you've heard about it? What can you tell us about that surveillance video in which I believe Dennis Rader is seen dropping off a package?
HATTEBERG: No. We do not have that surveillance video. We have heard that there is surveillance video, but I must tell you, Andrea, this morning, following yesterday's news conference, there are a number of stories that have not yet been proven that may or may not be accurate. That is one of the stories that's going around, but it has not been verified by this news agency yet. We have heard, as many people have heard, that he may have been seen under surveillance in one of the Home Depot stores. That's not been verified. We do not know that for sure.
KOPPEL: Then, let's talk about what you can tell us. You live in Wichita. You've been there for over 30 years since this story first developed in 1974. Dennis Rader was a municipal compliance officer who was known to thousands of people in the community. What can you tell us about him?
HATTEBERG: I can tell you that people, some people thought he was a nice guy. Other people thought he was not a nice guy. I talked to the person who nominated him to be president of his Lutheran church and he was president of that Lutheran church. They described him as a worker bee, somebody, if there was something to be done in the church, he was there to do it. He would pass the collection plate. He would run the sound system. He would do whatever there was that needed to be done. But as you talked to people in the Park City area, some people liked him, some people thought he was just a regular guy. Other people had a very different view of him. They saw him as a very different guy. He would write citations on people for maybe their grass is too tall or they have barking dogs or whatever the situation was and a lot of people didn't like him at all. They felt that there was another side to him, but as we're finding out, there were two sides to him.
KOPPEL: Well, certainly, at this point...
HATTEBERG: ...a very, very dark side.
KOPPEL: At this point, he's a suspect even though he's been arrested. He hasn't yet to have his day in court, but certainly there must be a tremendous sense of relief for many people in Wichita to know that the police do have somebody under arrest. I want to thank you, Larry Hatteberg for joining us from Wichita.
HATTEBERG: Happy to do it.
KOPPEL: Grief, release and continued outrage are just some of the emotions that are being expressed by the families of victims following Rader's arrest. Jeff Davis' mother died at the hands of the BTK killer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF DAVIS, VICTIM'S SON: It's going to take a while to reconcile the fact that my mom spent her last few minutes on this earth at the hands of the lowest form of social sewage on the ladder of evolution and it's hard to accept that that's what she last saw when -- before she died.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Prosecutors say the death penalty won't apply to any BTK crime because it was reinstated in 1994. That was three years after the last known death attributed to the killer. That fact infuriates many of the families.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLIE OTERO, BTK VICTIM'S RELATIVE: I myself believe, an eye for an eye. And I think that he deserves the death penalty for what he did to my family and to the other women. And then once again, here we go the legal matters of prior to 1994, no death penalty stuff like that. The law's the law, I understand that. But what's the difference? The guy killed the people in '94. He can be put to sleep, but the guy who killed somebody in 1993 can't? I mean, there's no justice there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: A lot of raw emotions. The killings began in 1974 with the deaths of Joseph Otero, has wife and their two children. Tomorrow night, CNN's Aaron Brown is going to take an in-depth look inside the BTK investigation. NEWSNIGHT's special edition of catching BTK will air at 10:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
Coming up, the deck of card dwindles, number 36 on the U.S. military's most wanted Iraqi list has been captured. Who is he? We're going to have a live report coming up. Plus, don't ask, don't tell. Is this really an effective policy for the military that wants to recruit soldiers right now? We're going to take a look ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOPPEL: As we told you at the top of this show, a big name get is in custody today in Iraq. The half brother and personal adviser to Saddam Hussein is now under arrest. He's accused of financing insurgents in the post-Saddam Iraq. We get the latest now from CNN's Nic Robertson in Baghdad. So, Nic, where did they find him?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're not telling us, Andrea. All they're telling us at the moment is that it was a joint operation between Iraqi and U.S. forces. Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan al Tikriti, Saddam Hussein's half brother, the six of diamonds on that notorious deck of 55 most wanted, the deck of cards, number 36 on that list, the first on that list to be captured in over a year.
We do know that there was $1 million bounty on his head, not clear if anyone has collected the money for that reward. But the Iraqi government saying that he has not only been helping plan the insurgent operations recently, but that he's been involved in those operations, the government also saying that they believe is responsible for the killing and torture of Iraqis under Saddam Hussein's regime.
He was ahead of Iraqi intelligence when Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait in 1990. He went on to become the director general of Iraqi security during the '90s, fell out of favor with Saddam Hussein. spent four years under house arrest before becoming a presidential adviser. The Iraqi government saying this is a very important get for them. Andrea?
KOPPEL: OK, Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thanks for that.
It has been nearly two years since the war in Iraq began. The U.S. military is having a harder time finding recruits and is also extending troop deployments. That's gotten some folks thinking, maybe it is time to revisit the Pentagon's bans on the gay's military. CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE McINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 1997, Steve Boeckels was a West Point cadet with a secret he couldn't even admit to himself.
STEVE BOECKELS, FMR ARMY 1ST LT: I didn't feel like I was gay at the time even though I've always been gay. I was basically in denial with my own sexuality.
McINTYRE: At his graduation, he shook hands with the president whose don't ask, don't tell policy was supposed to make it easier for soldiers like him to serve. Now Boeckels, a former cavalry scout platoon leader, is out of the closet and consequently out of uniform. BOECKELS: With this policy story, it's clear (INAUDIBLE) that you're basically keeping people out that are more than willing to serve and put their lives on the line.
McINTYRE: Gay rights advocates and their supporters in Congress say with the military struggling to meet recruiting and retention goals, it's time to revisit the 1993 compromise that requires gays and lesbians to keep their sexual orientation secret if they want to stay in the U.S. military. A just-released government accountability office study estimates the Pentagon has spent roughly $200 million over the last decade to recruit and train more than 10,000 replacements for homosexuals who were booted out.
The report also notes that at the same time, the U.S. military's paying bonus to fill critically short jobs such as translators, it's discharging hundreds of people, many with the same needed skills. President Clinton was forced to abandon his campaign promise to end discrimination against gays in the military by a Congress swayed by the argument, the ban was need to maintain good order and discipline.
PETER SPRIGG, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: People serving in the military have the right to be free of the fear that they are in the barracks or in the fox hole with somebody of the same sex who may be viewing them as a sexual object.
McINTYRE: But in recent years, in both Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. troops have served alongside allies who permit gays to serve, including Britain, Australia, Italy and Spain. Britain lifted its ban on gays five years ago and now the Royal Navy has begun actively encouraging them to list.
BOECKELS: Absolutely. It's not just myself. I think that America's ready for it.
McINTYRE: Next week, Massachusetts Congressman Marty Meehan, who commissioned the GAO report, will introduce a bill to repeal the ban. But with Congress even more conservative now than was in 1993, the prospects of passage are uncertain at best. Jamie McIntyre, CNN the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL: And something a little lighter, the rush and thrill of the movies. You know it's the stuntmen and women who keep us on the edge of our seats and now they're lobbying to get Oscar recognition. And the big question of the night ahead, just who will take home the Oscar? Sibila Vargas joins us live with a preview. I hope you ate your Wheaties, Sibila?
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I've eaten my Wheaties. I'm all good. The red carpet has been rolled out here at the Oscars but Andrea, it's another awards show that's making the headlines. I'll tell you why when CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KOPPEL: In case you didn't know it, it is all about Oscar today, even on RELIABLE SOURCES and for more on that, Howie Kurtz is in Washington with a preview. I'm just guessing, Howie, that you're not going to be talking about the fashions?
HOWARD KURTZ, CNN ANCHOR, RELIABLE SOURCES: Well, we might surprise you, Andrea. Ready for the Oscars? The media are happy to help with a whole lot of hype. Why do all of these movie stars need so much fawning attention anyway? We will hit the red carpet and go behind the scenes of the Hollywood publicity machine. Also the legacy of the infamous Hunter Thompson, significant or self indulgent? Plus Jose Canseco, his book and the blame game, why he says the press, the press is responsible for all his troubles. It's all ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.
KOPPEL: It'll be interested to hear how he explains that. Thanks, Howard.
KURTZ: Thank you.
KOPPEL: And it is time now for a check of national weather. For that we turn to CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano and I guess Rob, everyone wants to know, is it going to rain on the red carpet?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's been dry for a couple of days, looks like it'll be dry tonight through that festivity there and then tomorrow maybe a little bit of rain. The rain today across California is going to be across northern California where they haven't seen nearly as much. So that's good news. So snow's across parts of Wisconsin today, maybe three to six inches in that area. Rain to snow in Chicago, dry air across the northeast. And rain with wind, maybe some thunderstorms that could produce tornados.
And we have a tornado watch box until 6:00 p.m. across much of central Florida today, so it's been a fairly dry winter across Florida today, pretty much a washout and some of the storms that develop could become severe. So we'll keep an eye on that. Most of the rain has been south of I-85. This we expect to creep a little bit farther to the north as this storm system continues to develop, 37, Chicago, 48 degrees in St. Louis. It'll be 54 degrees in Dallas. Watch how this system develops as it heads off the Florida coastline overnight tonight and throughout the day tomorrow. It hugs the Carolina coastline, mostly rain across the immediate shoreline. But the track now looks like it's going to be south of the major metropolitan areas. What that does is it keeps the cold air to the north and it means that now tomorrow afternoon, especially, Philadelphia and New York and Boston will likely see all snow for the most part and several inches at that. So we'll watch this storm system as it develops but the red carpet should remain dry. Andrea, back to you.
KOPPEL: All right. Good news, thanks, Rob.
It was another emotional acceptance speech by actress Halle Berry, this time taking home the Razzie award for her performance in "Cat Woman."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALLE BERRY: Thank you so much. I never in my life thought I'd be up here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Nice to know she's got a sense of humor. Berry surprised the crowd by showing up to accept her dishonor. The box office bomb also took prizes for the worst film direction and screenplay categories at the 25th annual awards.
The glamour, glitz, the gold. Hollywood's brightest are going to turn out for tonight's 77th annual Academy Awards, but there was another spirited award show in the spotlight last night in Hollywood. CNN's entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas is live from LA and the red carpet with more on the independent spirit awards. Were there any surprise, Sibila?
VARGAS: Well, the big surprise, perhaps. I don't know if it was really a surprise but "Sideways" the big winner, clean sweep right there, all the way through, nabbed six awards, best feature, best director Alexander Payne, best screenplay, best male lead for Paul Giammati, who by the way is not nominated for an Oscar. A lot of people don't quite understand how that happened because he did such an exceptional job but anyway, he did get the nomination and he did get the award last night, best supporting actress Thomas Haden Church and best supporting actress Virginia Madsen, very good day for them, very good night and here is what the stars had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS HADEN CHURCH, "SIDEWAYS": You see a lot of people that you kind of clawed your way up with, and it's an honor to be recognized by the independent film community.
VIRGINIA MADSEN, "SIDEWAYS": I know how hard it is to get your movie made, and I know how hard it is to get anyone to even see it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: A lot of people did see that film and especially the critics who absolutely loved it. It was a critical gem. Virginia Madsen, I got a chance to speak to her many, many times and she's just so thrilled, she also nominated today. This has really changed her life. In fact she's going to be filming with Harrison Ford in the near future. So things are really changing for her.
Somebody else that should be celebrating today is Mr. Zach Braff from "Scrubs," NBC's "Scrubs." This man wrote, directed and produced Garden State. He got the best feature film. A got a chance to speak to Zach in Maui last year and he told me that he did this script in three months, so really just shows how talented he is. Andrea?
KOPPEL: Well, listen, have fun tonight. I know it's a really exciting night and I guess the other word would be, lots of caffeine, Sibila. VARGAS: Will do.
KOPPEL: Good luck.
VARGAS: Thanks.
KOPPEL: And the Oscar for best stunt person goes to? Well, the women and men who take the bumps and bruises for stars are still waiting to hear that. Some people want their own Academy Award category, but will they get it? CNN's Donna Tetreault reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONNA TETREAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine "Ben Hur" without the famous chariot race. And there's no way to pull off a James Bond film without an action-packed chase sequence. They're the kinds of scenes that have you sitting at the edge of your seat. But without stuntmen, you can forget about the rush.
SCOTT WAUGH, PRESIDENT, STUNTS UNLIMITED: The studios and executives are all willing and use our work to market their films. If you look at all the trailers, 80 percent of a trailer's our work. Yet we don't get recognized by the academy.
TETREAULT: Scott Waugh has been a stuntman for 20 years. He was a stunt double for Sean Penn in the movie "U-Turn" and it's Scott, not Andy Garcia in "Desperate Measures" jumping through this window and hanging on for dear life. But there's never been an Oscar for stuntmen and this year is no different. And the academy's response is, the subject of an award for stunt people has come up several times in the past decade and a half and has been rejected by the board each time.
And even though Oscar won't support it, for the first time in history, the Screen Actors Guild is now in support of a category for best stunt coordinator. For Waugh this a huge jump forward but the Oscar remains elusive.
WAUGH: We have supposedly fooling the audience for 80 years about what we do because everyone is supposed to be under the illusion that only the actors are doing these stunts. And unfortunately I think we fooled the academy for this long as well.
Donna Tetreault for CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL: And on CNN tonight, it is all about the Academy Awards. Join CNN's Sibila Vargas and Karyn Bryant live from the red carpet. CNN's Hollywood gold rush starts tonight at 7:00 Eastern.
And that is it for CNN LIVE SUNDAY. We've got a live RELIABLE SOURCES up next and at noon Eastern on LATE EDITION, Senator Arlen Specter sits down with Wolf Blitzer. And at 2:00 Eastern, PEOPLE IN THE NEWS profiles Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, remember the Razzie awards. Another check of the top stories is next right after this 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 February 27, 2005 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. It is 11:00 on the east coast, 8:00 in Los Angeles where they have rolled out the red carpet for the Academy Awards. A lot of excitement there. Welcome. I'm Andrea Koppel at CNN's global headquarters. Ahead this hour, who is this man suspected of killing at least 10 people in the Wichita, Kansas area? We're going to get details from a journalist who has followed this case every twist and turn for more than 30 years.
Replacing gays in the military. It costs more than you think. One congressman wants the U.S. to rethink its policies. And what would the movies be without chariot races and fights and chases down mountains? Some people want the academy to consider that the next time it's handing out awards. We're going to have those stories straight ahead for you, but first, a look at the headlines.
Turnover another card, Saddam Hussein's half brother and former personal adviser has been nabbed by joint coalition and Iraqi forces. Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan al Tikriti was number 36 on the U.S. military's list of most wanted Iraqis. We're going to have details on his arrest coming up about five minutes from now.
Pope John Paul II surprises crowds gathered in Rome today, appearing in his hospital window just as a traditional Sunday blessing was conducted at St. Peter's Square. The pontiff has been hospitalized since Thursday, and for now, is unable to speak due it a tracheotomy.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon calls Friday's bombing outside a Tel Aviv nightclub an immediate test for the Palestinian authority. Israel claims the attack was ordered by Islamic jihad interests in Syria. Sharon says the Palestinian authority must take vigorous action against Islamic jihad.
And torrential rains hinder the search for a 9-year-old girl in central Florida last seen Wednesday night. Police have released an emotional 911 tape. Jessica Lunsford's grandmother is heard sobbing as she reports the child's disappearance.
Our top story this hour, we are learning more today, why police in Wichita, Kansas, are convinced that Dennis Rader might be the elusive serial killer whose grizzly calling card boasted BTK, bind, torture, kill. Police plan to file 10 counts against Rader in connection with the brutal murders that have haunted the area for more than 30 years. Larry Hatteberg who is an anchor now with affiliate station KAKE has been following this story since the first bodies were found. He joins us live from Wichita. Larry, nice to see you. LARRY HATTEBERG, KAKE ANCHOR: And good morning, Andrea.
KOPPEL: Larry, we want to cover a lot of ground here, but first I'd like to get at what KAKE has broken and so far I believe none of your competitors, including CNN have matched this and that is the fact that your sources are telling you that the killer, that Dennis Rader's own daughter turned him in. What can you tell us about that?
HATTEBERG: That's not exactly correct, Andrea. What we know for sure is that it was her DNA that helped police and the FBI lead them to her father. We do not believe at this point that she actually turned him in. We believe, and we haven't nailed down exactly how it happened, but anyway, she gave some DNA to either the FBI or the Wichita police department, a strand of that DNA, what they call the family strand, apparently hit. And once that happened, police believe that -- and that helped police lead them to her father. Now, we do believe that they already had her father under surveillance and under investigation prior to this. How they got her DNA, we're still a little unclear about that. We're still working that part of the story. But they did get her DNA and that did help police nail it down.
KOPPEL: So, Larry, you all have gotten a hold of, I believe, some surveillance videos is that correct from Home Depot or you've heard about it? What can you tell us about that surveillance video in which I believe Dennis Rader is seen dropping off a package?
HATTEBERG: No. We do not have that surveillance video. We have heard that there is surveillance video, but I must tell you, Andrea, this morning, following yesterday's news conference, there are a number of stories that have not yet been proven that may or may not be accurate. That is one of the stories that's going around, but it has not been verified by this news agency yet. We have heard, as many people have heard, that he may have been seen under surveillance in one of the Home Depot stores. That's not been verified. We do not know that for sure.
KOPPEL: Then, let's talk about what you can tell us. You live in Wichita. You've been there for over 30 years since this story first developed in 1974. Dennis Rader was a municipal compliance officer who was known to thousands of people in the community. What can you tell us about him?
HATTEBERG: I can tell you that people, some people thought he was a nice guy. Other people thought he was not a nice guy. I talked to the person who nominated him to be president of his Lutheran church and he was president of that Lutheran church. They described him as a worker bee, somebody, if there was something to be done in the church, he was there to do it. He would pass the collection plate. He would run the sound system. He would do whatever there was that needed to be done. But as you talked to people in the Park City area, some people liked him, some people thought he was just a regular guy. Other people had a very different view of him. They saw him as a very different guy. He would write citations on people for maybe their grass is too tall or they have barking dogs or whatever the situation was and a lot of people didn't like him at all. They felt that there was another side to him, but as we're finding out, there were two sides to him.
KOPPEL: Well, certainly, at this point...
HATTEBERG: ...a very, very dark side.
KOPPEL: At this point, he's a suspect even though he's been arrested. He hasn't yet to have his day in court, but certainly there must be a tremendous sense of relief for many people in Wichita to know that the police do have somebody under arrest. I want to thank you, Larry Hatteberg for joining us from Wichita.
HATTEBERG: Happy to do it.
KOPPEL: Grief, release and continued outrage are just some of the emotions that are being expressed by the families of victims following Rader's arrest. Jeff Davis' mother died at the hands of the BTK killer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF DAVIS, VICTIM'S SON: It's going to take a while to reconcile the fact that my mom spent her last few minutes on this earth at the hands of the lowest form of social sewage on the ladder of evolution and it's hard to accept that that's what she last saw when -- before she died.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Prosecutors say the death penalty won't apply to any BTK crime because it was reinstated in 1994. That was three years after the last known death attributed to the killer. That fact infuriates many of the families.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLIE OTERO, BTK VICTIM'S RELATIVE: I myself believe, an eye for an eye. And I think that he deserves the death penalty for what he did to my family and to the other women. And then once again, here we go the legal matters of prior to 1994, no death penalty stuff like that. The law's the law, I understand that. But what's the difference? The guy killed the people in '94. He can be put to sleep, but the guy who killed somebody in 1993 can't? I mean, there's no justice there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: A lot of raw emotions. The killings began in 1974 with the deaths of Joseph Otero, has wife and their two children. Tomorrow night, CNN's Aaron Brown is going to take an in-depth look inside the BTK investigation. NEWSNIGHT's special edition of catching BTK will air at 10:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
Coming up, the deck of card dwindles, number 36 on the U.S. military's most wanted Iraqi list has been captured. Who is he? We're going to have a live report coming up. Plus, don't ask, don't tell. Is this really an effective policy for the military that wants to recruit soldiers right now? We're going to take a look ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KOPPEL: As we told you at the top of this show, a big name get is in custody today in Iraq. The half brother and personal adviser to Saddam Hussein is now under arrest. He's accused of financing insurgents in the post-Saddam Iraq. We get the latest now from CNN's Nic Robertson in Baghdad. So, Nic, where did they find him?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're not telling us, Andrea. All they're telling us at the moment is that it was a joint operation between Iraqi and U.S. forces. Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hassan al Tikriti, Saddam Hussein's half brother, the six of diamonds on that notorious deck of 55 most wanted, the deck of cards, number 36 on that list, the first on that list to be captured in over a year.
We do know that there was $1 million bounty on his head, not clear if anyone has collected the money for that reward. But the Iraqi government saying that he has not only been helping plan the insurgent operations recently, but that he's been involved in those operations, the government also saying that they believe is responsible for the killing and torture of Iraqis under Saddam Hussein's regime.
He was ahead of Iraqi intelligence when Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait in 1990. He went on to become the director general of Iraqi security during the '90s, fell out of favor with Saddam Hussein. spent four years under house arrest before becoming a presidential adviser. The Iraqi government saying this is a very important get for them. Andrea?
KOPPEL: OK, Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thanks for that.
It has been nearly two years since the war in Iraq began. The U.S. military is having a harder time finding recruits and is also extending troop deployments. That's gotten some folks thinking, maybe it is time to revisit the Pentagon's bans on the gay's military. CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE McINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 1997, Steve Boeckels was a West Point cadet with a secret he couldn't even admit to himself.
STEVE BOECKELS, FMR ARMY 1ST LT: I didn't feel like I was gay at the time even though I've always been gay. I was basically in denial with my own sexuality.
McINTYRE: At his graduation, he shook hands with the president whose don't ask, don't tell policy was supposed to make it easier for soldiers like him to serve. Now Boeckels, a former cavalry scout platoon leader, is out of the closet and consequently out of uniform. BOECKELS: With this policy story, it's clear (INAUDIBLE) that you're basically keeping people out that are more than willing to serve and put their lives on the line.
McINTYRE: Gay rights advocates and their supporters in Congress say with the military struggling to meet recruiting and retention goals, it's time to revisit the 1993 compromise that requires gays and lesbians to keep their sexual orientation secret if they want to stay in the U.S. military. A just-released government accountability office study estimates the Pentagon has spent roughly $200 million over the last decade to recruit and train more than 10,000 replacements for homosexuals who were booted out.
The report also notes that at the same time, the U.S. military's paying bonus to fill critically short jobs such as translators, it's discharging hundreds of people, many with the same needed skills. President Clinton was forced to abandon his campaign promise to end discrimination against gays in the military by a Congress swayed by the argument, the ban was need to maintain good order and discipline.
PETER SPRIGG, FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: People serving in the military have the right to be free of the fear that they are in the barracks or in the fox hole with somebody of the same sex who may be viewing them as a sexual object.
McINTYRE: But in recent years, in both Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. troops have served alongside allies who permit gays to serve, including Britain, Australia, Italy and Spain. Britain lifted its ban on gays five years ago and now the Royal Navy has begun actively encouraging them to list.
BOECKELS: Absolutely. It's not just myself. I think that America's ready for it.
McINTYRE: Next week, Massachusetts Congressman Marty Meehan, who commissioned the GAO report, will introduce a bill to repeal the ban. But with Congress even more conservative now than was in 1993, the prospects of passage are uncertain at best. Jamie McIntyre, CNN the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL: And something a little lighter, the rush and thrill of the movies. You know it's the stuntmen and women who keep us on the edge of our seats and now they're lobbying to get Oscar recognition. And the big question of the night ahead, just who will take home the Oscar? Sibila Vargas joins us live with a preview. I hope you ate your Wheaties, Sibila?
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I've eaten my Wheaties. I'm all good. The red carpet has been rolled out here at the Oscars but Andrea, it's another awards show that's making the headlines. I'll tell you why when CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KOPPEL: In case you didn't know it, it is all about Oscar today, even on RELIABLE SOURCES and for more on that, Howie Kurtz is in Washington with a preview. I'm just guessing, Howie, that you're not going to be talking about the fashions?
HOWARD KURTZ, CNN ANCHOR, RELIABLE SOURCES: Well, we might surprise you, Andrea. Ready for the Oscars? The media are happy to help with a whole lot of hype. Why do all of these movie stars need so much fawning attention anyway? We will hit the red carpet and go behind the scenes of the Hollywood publicity machine. Also the legacy of the infamous Hunter Thompson, significant or self indulgent? Plus Jose Canseco, his book and the blame game, why he says the press, the press is responsible for all his troubles. It's all ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.
KOPPEL: It'll be interested to hear how he explains that. Thanks, Howard.
KURTZ: Thank you.
KOPPEL: And it is time now for a check of national weather. For that we turn to CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano and I guess Rob, everyone wants to know, is it going to rain on the red carpet?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's been dry for a couple of days, looks like it'll be dry tonight through that festivity there and then tomorrow maybe a little bit of rain. The rain today across California is going to be across northern California where they haven't seen nearly as much. So that's good news. So snow's across parts of Wisconsin today, maybe three to six inches in that area. Rain to snow in Chicago, dry air across the northeast. And rain with wind, maybe some thunderstorms that could produce tornados.
And we have a tornado watch box until 6:00 p.m. across much of central Florida today, so it's been a fairly dry winter across Florida today, pretty much a washout and some of the storms that develop could become severe. So we'll keep an eye on that. Most of the rain has been south of I-85. This we expect to creep a little bit farther to the north as this storm system continues to develop, 37, Chicago, 48 degrees in St. Louis. It'll be 54 degrees in Dallas. Watch how this system develops as it heads off the Florida coastline overnight tonight and throughout the day tomorrow. It hugs the Carolina coastline, mostly rain across the immediate shoreline. But the track now looks like it's going to be south of the major metropolitan areas. What that does is it keeps the cold air to the north and it means that now tomorrow afternoon, especially, Philadelphia and New York and Boston will likely see all snow for the most part and several inches at that. So we'll watch this storm system as it develops but the red carpet should remain dry. Andrea, back to you.
KOPPEL: All right. Good news, thanks, Rob.
It was another emotional acceptance speech by actress Halle Berry, this time taking home the Razzie award for her performance in "Cat Woman."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HALLE BERRY: Thank you so much. I never in my life thought I'd be up here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Nice to know she's got a sense of humor. Berry surprised the crowd by showing up to accept her dishonor. The box office bomb also took prizes for the worst film direction and screenplay categories at the 25th annual awards.
The glamour, glitz, the gold. Hollywood's brightest are going to turn out for tonight's 77th annual Academy Awards, but there was another spirited award show in the spotlight last night in Hollywood. CNN's entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas is live from LA and the red carpet with more on the independent spirit awards. Were there any surprise, Sibila?
VARGAS: Well, the big surprise, perhaps. I don't know if it was really a surprise but "Sideways" the big winner, clean sweep right there, all the way through, nabbed six awards, best feature, best director Alexander Payne, best screenplay, best male lead for Paul Giammati, who by the way is not nominated for an Oscar. A lot of people don't quite understand how that happened because he did such an exceptional job but anyway, he did get the nomination and he did get the award last night, best supporting actress Thomas Haden Church and best supporting actress Virginia Madsen, very good day for them, very good night and here is what the stars had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS HADEN CHURCH, "SIDEWAYS": You see a lot of people that you kind of clawed your way up with, and it's an honor to be recognized by the independent film community.
VIRGINIA MADSEN, "SIDEWAYS": I know how hard it is to get your movie made, and I know how hard it is to get anyone to even see it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: A lot of people did see that film and especially the critics who absolutely loved it. It was a critical gem. Virginia Madsen, I got a chance to speak to her many, many times and she's just so thrilled, she also nominated today. This has really changed her life. In fact she's going to be filming with Harrison Ford in the near future. So things are really changing for her.
Somebody else that should be celebrating today is Mr. Zach Braff from "Scrubs," NBC's "Scrubs." This man wrote, directed and produced Garden State. He got the best feature film. A got a chance to speak to Zach in Maui last year and he told me that he did this script in three months, so really just shows how talented he is. Andrea?
KOPPEL: Well, listen, have fun tonight. I know it's a really exciting night and I guess the other word would be, lots of caffeine, Sibila. VARGAS: Will do.
KOPPEL: Good luck.
VARGAS: Thanks.
KOPPEL: And the Oscar for best stunt person goes to? Well, the women and men who take the bumps and bruises for stars are still waiting to hear that. Some people want their own Academy Award category, but will they get it? CNN's Donna Tetreault reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONNA TETREAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagine "Ben Hur" without the famous chariot race. And there's no way to pull off a James Bond film without an action-packed chase sequence. They're the kinds of scenes that have you sitting at the edge of your seat. But without stuntmen, you can forget about the rush.
SCOTT WAUGH, PRESIDENT, STUNTS UNLIMITED: The studios and executives are all willing and use our work to market their films. If you look at all the trailers, 80 percent of a trailer's our work. Yet we don't get recognized by the academy.
TETREAULT: Scott Waugh has been a stuntman for 20 years. He was a stunt double for Sean Penn in the movie "U-Turn" and it's Scott, not Andy Garcia in "Desperate Measures" jumping through this window and hanging on for dear life. But there's never been an Oscar for stuntmen and this year is no different. And the academy's response is, the subject of an award for stunt people has come up several times in the past decade and a half and has been rejected by the board each time.
And even though Oscar won't support it, for the first time in history, the Screen Actors Guild is now in support of a category for best stunt coordinator. For Waugh this a huge jump forward but the Oscar remains elusive.
WAUGH: We have supposedly fooling the audience for 80 years about what we do because everyone is supposed to be under the illusion that only the actors are doing these stunts. And unfortunately I think we fooled the academy for this long as well.
Donna Tetreault for CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL: And on CNN tonight, it is all about the Academy Awards. Join CNN's Sibila Vargas and Karyn Bryant live from the red carpet. CNN's Hollywood gold rush starts tonight at 7:00 Eastern.
And that is it for CNN LIVE SUNDAY. We've got a live RELIABLE SOURCES up next and at noon Eastern on LATE EDITION, Senator Arlen Specter sits down with Wolf Blitzer. And at 2:00 Eastern, PEOPLE IN THE NEWS profiles Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, remember the Razzie awards. Another check of the top stories is next right after this 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
