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CNN Live Today
Judge's Family Murdered; Dangerous Duty; Political Roundup
Aired March 02, 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.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And here is a look at what's happening right "Now in the News."
GOP lawmakers say final action on Social Security may not be possible this year. Republican leaders say they stand behind the president's reform plan, and they still hope for a vote sometime this year. But they've got much more to do try and build support with the public, where the support seems to be waning.
Also, new information about identity theft problems at ChoicePoint, the company that keeps a database on nearly every U.S. consumer. The "Los Angeles Times" says that the recent security breech was not the first. The paper says that two people pleaded guilty to a similar incident. That was back in 2002.
A judge says that he sees no evidence that juror misconduct influenced the so-called Zoloft defense trial. A juror has told a bartender -- or did tell a bartender during proceedings that he was planning to vote guilty in the case just the night before the verdict, in fact. The jury rejected a teenager's claim that Zoloft drove him to kill his grandparents and voted to convict him of murder, indeed.
President Bush is focusing on job training this morning. We've been showing you these pictures from time to time. He's taking part in a reform at a community college in Maryland that began just the last hour. Later today, Mr. Bush attends a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring Jackie Robinson, and appears with the world champion Boston Red Sox to boot.
First hour fast. It's 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. in the West Coast. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Rick Sanchez.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
First this hour to Chicago. The FBI is following several leads this morning after a federal judge's husband and elderly mother were murdered. A suspicious car, a broken window, the judge's caller I.D., Chicago newspapers report that those are the clues that could possibly lead police to white supremacists out for revenge.
Our Sean Callebs is following the investigation in Chicago.
Sean, hello.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Indeed, a number of items the Chicago Police, who are really heading up this investigation, as well as the FBI and U.S. Marshal Service also following. A big police presence in the north Chicago neighborhood of the Lefkows.
As you mentioned, on Monday evening, Judge Joan Lefkow returned to her home around 5:30 Chicago time. At that time, she found the bodies of her mother and her 64-year-old husband, Michael, in the basement of their home. They had been shot in the head execution style. Now, the U.S. Marshal Service is right now providing security for the judge, as well as her surviving family members.
Now, a couple of items that we are working on. Yesterday, CNN heard that there was a report of a suspicious car parked in the neighborhood of the Lefkows. We approached a couple of church workers nearby. They were uncomfortable, simply didn't want to talk about this.
It wasn't as though they were nervous or skittish. They were just very tight-lipped and didn't want to talk about the report that that suspicious vehicle had been parked near the home of the Lefkows.
Also, the broken window. We know that authorities were going through the trash outside their house for a number of hours, trying to glean any kind of information that they possibly could have. And, of course, they're very eager to find out if any kind of fingerprints on the windows, on the window pane, the window sill, could possibly lead to some suspects.
Another item widely reported in Chicago this morning, apparently a number of suspicious phone calls coming to the Lefkows home on Sunday night. Caller I.D. apparently showing that those phone calls were coming from inside a penitentiary.
Apparently at one time, Judge Lefkow answered the phone and there was nothing on the other end. She simply heard silence -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So there's two stories here. There's the who done it and there's also the victims, Judge Lefkow's husband and mother, elderly mother, both very vulnerable people. Mrs. Lefkow -- Mrs. Humphrey being elderly, but her husband recently undergoing surgery.
CALLEBS: Exactly. Her husband, the 64-year-old, undergoing surgery on his Achilles tendon. So he was walking with the aid of crutches. And her mother, in her 80s, got actually got around by using two canes. So these were two people who were extremely vulnerable.
Now, one item that of course authorities are looking at, the possibility that white supremacists could be involved in this. Specifically 33-year-old Matthew Hale.
Hale right now is awaiting sentencing next month for trying to hire an undercover FBI informant to kill the judge. Judge Lefkow was the presiding judge in a copyright infringement case that went against Hale, ruling that he could no longer use the name World Church of the Creator because an Oregon-based group with no affiliation to Hale whatsoever was already using that name, Daryn, and had copyrighted it.
KAGAN: But interestingly enough, the original ruling, that the judge went in Matthew Hale's favor and was just enforcing an appeals court that reversed her own order.
CALLEBS: Exactly. And they are looking at a number of other cases that the judge was presiding over as well. She had a very active docket. Also, her husband was an attorney and had a very full case load as well. Authorities are looking at that as well.
They say they are look at the possibility that a hate group could be connected to this brutal double killing, but they don't want to close any door, saying the investigation is going on. We spoke with the FBI, the Chicago Police this morning. They're basically -- told us that the information they gave out yesterday, that it is early in the investigation, they are looking for any leads, and asking the public for any help in this as well.
We also talked to a church, St. Luke's Episcopal, in Evanston, Illinois, that the couple was very active in. It is a very difficult time for those church members, Daryn. They said that the couple was very active in the church, especially Michael. He was involved with the refugee program, he served as an usher on a number of occasions.
Simply devastated in this area -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Understandable. Sean Callebs, live in Chicago, thank you.
SANCHEZ: Look who's here, Mike Brooks, our CNN law enforcement analyst, good enough to join us.
Let's start with Hale, said to be a neo-Nazi. Obviously, one would immediately think he might have something to do with it. But even though he still hasn't been sentenced, he was in jail, wasn't he?
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: He is in a correctional facility that Sean Callebs was just speaking about. He's in the Metropolitan Correctional Facility in downtown Chicago. It's a federal facility, and apparently on the caller I.D. of the -- in the judge's home they went back and there were a number of calls that came from phones there at that correctional facility.
SANCHEZ: But those phones are tapped, right? I mean, obviously, people -- they know who he's calling. He wouldn't be -- I guess what I'm saying is, he wouldn't be naive enough to do it while he's being watched?
BROOKS: Exactly. And above each phone there's usually a sign in all correctional facilities that say that basically these are being monitored.
There's no expectation of privacy in jail. The only time when you have privacy is when you're speaking with your attorney and also dealing with written communications when you are sending it to your attorney or receiving mail from your attorney. SANCHEZ: So if he had anything to do with this -- and I'm sure police are investigating this -- it would be something that had to have been conspiratorially planned prior to his entering that jail.
BROOKS: True, or it could be a follower of his who is in jail. Or, god forbid, a Bureau of Prisons worker that is in there that may be helping.
We don't know yet. They're investigating that. There's also cameras. So they should be able to link the time from the cameras and the time that the calls were received, put them together and find out who was making those calls.
SANCHEZ: Did the police do a good enough job, Mike, or do they in general patrolling or securing people when there's a threat against them? If I was to call the police, or someone like yourself, and say, "I'm concerned for my" -- how good a job can you actually do to stop something like this from happening?
BROOKS: Well, dealing with a federal judge specifically, it's the United States Marshal Service. They have the judicial security division that actually goes out, does threat assessments. They were actually protecting this judge when Hale...
SANCHEZ: Protecting the judge, but how about the family?
BROOKS: The family, they will protect the house, OK, and the judge. If there's a threat directly against the family, then it will also extend to the family and to the U.S. attorney that's handling the case.
But she did have protection at one time. Apparently, they felt there was no further threat. They pulled the person off.
In fact, the U.S. Marshal Service put out a statement just yesterday, late yesterday that said, "Should the murders be linked to Judge Lefkow's role as a jurist it would be the first time that family members of a United States federal judge had been murdered."
SANCHEZ: You know, this is extremely important, I would imagine, because this is a judge, a federal judge. If someone can get away with doing this to a federal judge, it really cuts right into the justice system's own vulnerability, doesn't it?
BROOKS: It really does. But you go back and you look at the history of the United States Marshal Service, in its 215-year history, there's never been a judge killed or wounded in the courthouse or on the bench. You know, there have been two other families that have been injured of two federal judges, both by packages dealing with a bomb, but no one has ever been killed.
SANCHEZ: There's going to be a whole lot of heat on this case. They're going to be going after this 100 percent.
BROOKS: Absolutely. Chicago Police, FBI and U.S. Marshal Service, they're on it 24/7 right now. SANCHEZ: Mike Brooks, thank you.
BROOKS: Thank you, Rick.
KAGAN: We have new violence this morning to report from Iraq. A judge for the tribunal that will hear the case against Saddam Hussein and other regime members was gunned down in Baghdad today. His son was also killed. In a separate attack, a second judge was severely wounded in a drive-by shooting.
And two car bombs targeted Iraqi security forces today, killing 13 people. One attack happened near an army recruiting center. It was attacked twice in 2004. The other car bomb hit a military convoy in southern Baghdad.
The job of Iraqi policeman is dangerous and it's deadly. Why would anybody want to be a constant target? Our Jane Arraf spent some time with a young police officer to answer that question.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Stormy, as he's known to his friends, is 26 and has one of the most dangerous jobs in Iraq. He's a police detective.
On this day, he's escorting a suspected insurgent captured in a raid by U.S. forces.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stormy, have your guys line up over here.
ARRAF: The suspects are being taken to a downtown police station where Iraqi police will question them. U.S. forces blindfold prisoners, Iraqi police use bags so they won't see where they're held and won't recognize the police officers.
At the police station, Stormy asks the detainees their name and where they work. Many of the cases he works on involve bombs like this one. This bomb injured three policemen and was detonated by remote control as the police patrol went by. Back at the station, detectives try to see whether the timer fits a pattern of other homemade bombs.
Stormy has been married for just two months. But most nights, he sleeps at the police station. His life is his work.
"STORMY", IRAQI POLICE DETECTIVE: She worry about me. You know, my job is dangerous. But she call me all time. But she know I serve my country.
ARRAF: I asked Stormy how many policemen he knows who have been killed.
STORMY: In a week or in a month? Actually, we lose every week.
ARRAF: He says six of his close police friends have died. Stormy always wanted to be a police officer. He had two years of army college and a year of police college, most of it under Saddam Hussein. Now he works for the new Iraqi government, risking his life for about $250 a month. He covers his face only on raids and says he knows that insurgents are waiting for an opportunity to kill him.
STORMY: I'm not afraid, but I must be careful. Like I -- like two months, I didn't two to the market. I can't -- walking, you know, not like normal life. Like before, I can't visit my friends.
ARRAF: Policemen are among the insurgents' biggest targets. A bullet from an AK-47 shattered the back window of this police vehicle. Like all of the police cars, unarmored.
STORMY: We need good trucks. Not like this.
ARRAF: In the back of his truck there's still pools of blood from two gunmen the police killed a few days ago and took to the morgue. They clean the trucks on Fridays, he says.
(on camera): This is a very strange life that you have.
STORMY: Don't worry, I -- yes, strange life.
ARRAF (voice-over): Stormy says he knows police officers who have quit because they're worried their families will be threatened or killed.
STORMY: We still work, we still defend, we still fight. And we hope to make some peace here. That's what we try to do. We want all the families safe. We want the people to feel better when they see us.
ARRAF: As they get more police officers and make more arrests, he says he's confident they'll win the fight against the insurgents.
Jane Arraf, CNN, Baquba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Now we bring you some news about your security and questions about whether terrorists linked to Madrid train bombings had designs on New York as well. A Spanish newspaper, "El Mundo," says that after the Madrid bombings last March police found a hand-written drawing and some computer information about New York's Grand Central Station. This was during a raid back then.
But a Spanish police source is now raising questions about that report. This police source says the drawings may not have been exactly of Grand Central Station. And the source said the computer information was not considered relevant by Spanish police at the time. A U.S. embassy official in Madrid confirms that the U.S. received the information in December but would not comment on the importance of it.
CNN "Security Watch" keeping you up to date on all matters like this as they come in for your safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security. KAGAN: The Bush administration is increasing the pressure on Syria. What tougher language from the White House toward Syria could mean.
SANCHEZ: The U.S. Supreme Court is taking up a controversial Ten Commandments case today. What Americans think about this whole issue, that's coming up.
KAGAN: And the best-dressed list is out. Some of your favorite stars and one CNN anchor are on it. Who are they? Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: A divisive issue involving government and religion is before the U.S. Supreme Court today. Last hour, the court began hearing arguments on whether displays of the Ten Commandments on government property are unconstitutional.
Two cases, one from Texas, one from Kentucky. At issue is whether the displays violate the First Amendment. A former Alabama chief justice who fought his own Ten Commandments, that battle in Alabama in his courtroom weighs in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROY MOORE, FMR. ALABAMA CHIEF JUSTICE: The court has been off the path of the First Amendment. They started to say anything about god had to be excluded from public life. And certainly, this contradicts the history, the logic, and meaning of the First Amendment.
Without the acknowledgement of this specific god, there would be no First Amendment. Because the freedom of conscience, the right to believe what you want, comes from this god.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Critics say the Ten Commandments displays amount to a government endorsement of a certain religion. The Supreme Court is expected to rule by late June.
Most Americans would support a display of the Ten Commandments on the grounds of their state capitol. That's according to a CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll. Here's a look at the numbers for you.
Fifty-six percent of those surveyed said the display would be appropriate. Twenty percent said it would be inappropriate. Twenty- four percent said it really doesn't matter.
SANCHEZ: Here's one of the key questions. What affect is this type of decision that Daryn was just talking about going to have on politics? There are those who say it will weigh mightily. As a matter of fact, not just this decision, but, you know, others as well. Assisted suicide, medical marijuana, property rights and the Ten Commandments, all with an evangelical twinge to them.
Joining us now to talk more about this, CNN political analyst Carlos Watson, who is in Mount View, California.
It sounds pretty out there, Carlos.
CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, Rick. Not as pretty as our hometown, Miami, but it's pretty good.
SANCHEZ: That's right. Miami guys on. What's the significance of these cases, and how do you see it developing politically?
WATSON: A couple of interesting thoughts. Clearly, gay marriage, which was largely a court issue, impacted the political scene pretty heavily in '03 and '04. This is not an election year, so we may not see as great an impact from the court. But as you said, there are a number of issues, particularly on the conservative right, that are likely to rally energy, political energy, and you'll likely see that ultimately make a difference when it comes to any openings on the Supreme Court.
If, indeed, we have one or more openings, expect the right to think about this as yet another litmus test, particularly the Ten Commandments case, and look at some of the justices currently on the court behave, as well as some of the potential responses of other would-be candidates. The other...
SANCHEZ: Is this Ten Commandments case -- by way, we're following this right now. We might even be expecting some news. We have some pictures that we've been sharing with our viewers from time to time from just outside the Supreme Court building, Carlos. But is this one that's more apt to galvanize than others because it's so directly tied to -- well, the bible?
WATSON: It could. And everybody can relate to that in one way or another. As you may have mentioned before, you see Ten Commandments statutes, or representations, if you will, in the Supreme Court. You see them in all sorts of different parts of the public square. So this is one that people will feel.
One case, Rick, or one issue that will come before the courts that could have a big political impact that not a lot of people are following are some of these redistricting cases. You know, normally, every 10 years, state legislatures usually tent to carve up which member of Congress will represent what area. But instead of waiting every 10 years, a number of states are trying to do that in between.
The courts are going to deal with that. And if the courts essentially say it's OK to move forward, you could see there be some upheaval in Congress. Some members who thought they had safe seats for another four or five years may actually have to run again even sooner in a competitive situation.
SANCHEZ: Just to be clear, it's not to say the Democrats haven't done this in the past when they were in control, but the ones who seem to be interested in doing this right now is the GOP, correct?
WATSON: Well, the GOP started out and was very successful with what they did in Texas. Since then, you've seen Georgia take a look at it. You're now hearing rumors about New York and Illinois.
So the reality is that one state started it, but now you're likely to see a number of states jump into it. And it will be interesting to see what role the courts play, if any, in either stopping this or essentially saying go forward. And again, that could have a big political impact in terms of who are the decisionmakers in Washington.
SANCHEZ: You sent us some notes on something call new media players in politics. What are you getting at here?
WATSON: Well, you know, over the last year, year and a half, Rick, we've been talking about the blogs as a new, big political player in terms of the media. I think there's a new one collectively to think about. And it's the arts and culture magazines, like "Vanity Fair," like "Vogue," like "O" magazine.
Individually in the past they've had a political magazine. But now as a collective group, you see three things happen.
Number one, you see magazines like the "New Yorker" bring up new issues and put them on the political discussion table, like Abu Ghraib. Number two, you see that these magazines like "Vanity Fair" and even "Vogue," that had the Bush twins, as you'll recall, on the cover, or "Vanity Fair" had Arnold, they're very important in terms of burnishing someone's political image. Everybody wants to be not a politician, but a political celebrity.
And then last but not least, start to watch "O" magazine. Just like she's done with books. where she put the spotlight on existing books and they become more popular, you're starting to see them talk about political issues like spousal abuse or breast cancer, and you may see her readers, which number 10 million -- circulation is three million -- you may see them get more energized and "O" ultimately will become an important political tool.
SANCHEZ: Carlos Watson, the guy who only hangs out in Florida or California. What a life. Good to talk to you, my friend.
WATSON: Good to see you.
SANCHEZ: We're going to be right back. Let's take a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: It is time for us to take you online and find out which stories at CNN.com are getting the most attention from those of you at home who are clicking. Veronica De La Cruz is joining us now from the cnn.com desk to let us know.
Got some good stuff today?
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Some good stuff. Some very interesting stuff, let's say.
SANCHEZ: All right. Shoot.
DE LA CRUZ: Very interesting. First of all, to find them, you want to go to our main page and click on the icon "Most Popular" on the right-hand side of your screen. Or you can type in CNN.com/mostpopular.
First of all, our number one story comes to us off the waters Nantucket. This 22-pound lobster named Bubba will not be boiled, steamed, grilled, or baked tonight. Twenty-two pounds, you guys.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
DE LA CRUZ: Instead, this creature, who could almost be 100 years old, they're estimating, will be saved. Now, to get an idea of just how big -- exactly -- yeah. Now, to get an idea of how big Bubba is, let's look at this picture.
Take a look at Bubba, and then take a look at the lobster on the other side of him. Now, that's an average size lobster.
SANCHEZ: That's a crawfish.
DE LA CRUZ: Exactly. Sitting next to Bubba, he look like a crawfish. And there have actually been offers to buy Bubba. Twenty- two pounds of lobster meat would mean that in today's market he would retail for about $350.
SANCHEZ: And we'll throw in the butter.
DE LA CRUZ: But, lucky for him, his life's going to be spared. He will probably spend the rest of it in a museum aquarium. And I don't know what's worse actually. So poor Bubba.
And Rick, another hot story, this one on the Web, coming to us from London. In almost 200 years, the esteemed Oxford Union Debate Society has heard the wisdom of Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa, and now they will hear from Mr. Ron Jeremy. Yes, Ron Jeremy, that is the same Ron Jeremy who starred in 1,700 adult films, including "Bang Along with Ron" -- and I'm not going to ask you guys if you've seen it.
A spokesman from the university says he's 99 percent sure that Jeremy will be the first porn star ever to speak at Oxford.
SANCHEZ: Well that will certainly lighten the mood amongst that stuffy crowd, won't it?
DE LA CRUZ: Exactly. Just a few example of -- examples -- see, I'm falling apart. A few examples of what's happening on the Web right now.
SANCHEZ: Listen, Ron Jeremy and a 22-pound lobster, all in one breath.
DE LA CRUZ: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: You did well. Thank you very much.
DE LA CRUZ: Bye-bye.
KAGAN: There's a really bad connection you can make between those two. Being a lady, I'm not going to do it.
I'm going to turn to another lady, Jacqui Jeras.
SANCHEZ: Yes, because you'd have to answer all the mail afterwards.
KAGAN: And my mother.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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Aired March 2, 2005 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And here is a look at what's happening right "Now in the News."
GOP lawmakers say final action on Social Security may not be possible this year. Republican leaders say they stand behind the president's reform plan, and they still hope for a vote sometime this year. But they've got much more to do try and build support with the public, where the support seems to be waning.
Also, new information about identity theft problems at ChoicePoint, the company that keeps a database on nearly every U.S. consumer. The "Los Angeles Times" says that the recent security breech was not the first. The paper says that two people pleaded guilty to a similar incident. That was back in 2002.
A judge says that he sees no evidence that juror misconduct influenced the so-called Zoloft defense trial. A juror has told a bartender -- or did tell a bartender during proceedings that he was planning to vote guilty in the case just the night before the verdict, in fact. The jury rejected a teenager's claim that Zoloft drove him to kill his grandparents and voted to convict him of murder, indeed.
President Bush is focusing on job training this morning. We've been showing you these pictures from time to time. He's taking part in a reform at a community college in Maryland that began just the last hour. Later today, Mr. Bush attends a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring Jackie Robinson, and appears with the world champion Boston Red Sox to boot.
First hour fast. It's 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. in the West Coast. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Rick Sanchez.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
First this hour to Chicago. The FBI is following several leads this morning after a federal judge's husband and elderly mother were murdered. A suspicious car, a broken window, the judge's caller I.D., Chicago newspapers report that those are the clues that could possibly lead police to white supremacists out for revenge.
Our Sean Callebs is following the investigation in Chicago.
Sean, hello.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Indeed, a number of items the Chicago Police, who are really heading up this investigation, as well as the FBI and U.S. Marshal Service also following. A big police presence in the north Chicago neighborhood of the Lefkows.
As you mentioned, on Monday evening, Judge Joan Lefkow returned to her home around 5:30 Chicago time. At that time, she found the bodies of her mother and her 64-year-old husband, Michael, in the basement of their home. They had been shot in the head execution style. Now, the U.S. Marshal Service is right now providing security for the judge, as well as her surviving family members.
Now, a couple of items that we are working on. Yesterday, CNN heard that there was a report of a suspicious car parked in the neighborhood of the Lefkows. We approached a couple of church workers nearby. They were uncomfortable, simply didn't want to talk about this.
It wasn't as though they were nervous or skittish. They were just very tight-lipped and didn't want to talk about the report that that suspicious vehicle had been parked near the home of the Lefkows.
Also, the broken window. We know that authorities were going through the trash outside their house for a number of hours, trying to glean any kind of information that they possibly could have. And, of course, they're very eager to find out if any kind of fingerprints on the windows, on the window pane, the window sill, could possibly lead to some suspects.
Another item widely reported in Chicago this morning, apparently a number of suspicious phone calls coming to the Lefkows home on Sunday night. Caller I.D. apparently showing that those phone calls were coming from inside a penitentiary.
Apparently at one time, Judge Lefkow answered the phone and there was nothing on the other end. She simply heard silence -- Daryn.
KAGAN: So there's two stories here. There's the who done it and there's also the victims, Judge Lefkow's husband and mother, elderly mother, both very vulnerable people. Mrs. Lefkow -- Mrs. Humphrey being elderly, but her husband recently undergoing surgery.
CALLEBS: Exactly. Her husband, the 64-year-old, undergoing surgery on his Achilles tendon. So he was walking with the aid of crutches. And her mother, in her 80s, got actually got around by using two canes. So these were two people who were extremely vulnerable.
Now, one item that of course authorities are looking at, the possibility that white supremacists could be involved in this. Specifically 33-year-old Matthew Hale.
Hale right now is awaiting sentencing next month for trying to hire an undercover FBI informant to kill the judge. Judge Lefkow was the presiding judge in a copyright infringement case that went against Hale, ruling that he could no longer use the name World Church of the Creator because an Oregon-based group with no affiliation to Hale whatsoever was already using that name, Daryn, and had copyrighted it.
KAGAN: But interestingly enough, the original ruling, that the judge went in Matthew Hale's favor and was just enforcing an appeals court that reversed her own order.
CALLEBS: Exactly. And they are looking at a number of other cases that the judge was presiding over as well. She had a very active docket. Also, her husband was an attorney and had a very full case load as well. Authorities are looking at that as well.
They say they are look at the possibility that a hate group could be connected to this brutal double killing, but they don't want to close any door, saying the investigation is going on. We spoke with the FBI, the Chicago Police this morning. They're basically -- told us that the information they gave out yesterday, that it is early in the investigation, they are looking for any leads, and asking the public for any help in this as well.
We also talked to a church, St. Luke's Episcopal, in Evanston, Illinois, that the couple was very active in. It is a very difficult time for those church members, Daryn. They said that the couple was very active in the church, especially Michael. He was involved with the refugee program, he served as an usher on a number of occasions.
Simply devastated in this area -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Understandable. Sean Callebs, live in Chicago, thank you.
SANCHEZ: Look who's here, Mike Brooks, our CNN law enforcement analyst, good enough to join us.
Let's start with Hale, said to be a neo-Nazi. Obviously, one would immediately think he might have something to do with it. But even though he still hasn't been sentenced, he was in jail, wasn't he?
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: He is in a correctional facility that Sean Callebs was just speaking about. He's in the Metropolitan Correctional Facility in downtown Chicago. It's a federal facility, and apparently on the caller I.D. of the -- in the judge's home they went back and there were a number of calls that came from phones there at that correctional facility.
SANCHEZ: But those phones are tapped, right? I mean, obviously, people -- they know who he's calling. He wouldn't be -- I guess what I'm saying is, he wouldn't be naive enough to do it while he's being watched?
BROOKS: Exactly. And above each phone there's usually a sign in all correctional facilities that say that basically these are being monitored.
There's no expectation of privacy in jail. The only time when you have privacy is when you're speaking with your attorney and also dealing with written communications when you are sending it to your attorney or receiving mail from your attorney. SANCHEZ: So if he had anything to do with this -- and I'm sure police are investigating this -- it would be something that had to have been conspiratorially planned prior to his entering that jail.
BROOKS: True, or it could be a follower of his who is in jail. Or, god forbid, a Bureau of Prisons worker that is in there that may be helping.
We don't know yet. They're investigating that. There's also cameras. So they should be able to link the time from the cameras and the time that the calls were received, put them together and find out who was making those calls.
SANCHEZ: Did the police do a good enough job, Mike, or do they in general patrolling or securing people when there's a threat against them? If I was to call the police, or someone like yourself, and say, "I'm concerned for my" -- how good a job can you actually do to stop something like this from happening?
BROOKS: Well, dealing with a federal judge specifically, it's the United States Marshal Service. They have the judicial security division that actually goes out, does threat assessments. They were actually protecting this judge when Hale...
SANCHEZ: Protecting the judge, but how about the family?
BROOKS: The family, they will protect the house, OK, and the judge. If there's a threat directly against the family, then it will also extend to the family and to the U.S. attorney that's handling the case.
But she did have protection at one time. Apparently, they felt there was no further threat. They pulled the person off.
In fact, the U.S. Marshal Service put out a statement just yesterday, late yesterday that said, "Should the murders be linked to Judge Lefkow's role as a jurist it would be the first time that family members of a United States federal judge had been murdered."
SANCHEZ: You know, this is extremely important, I would imagine, because this is a judge, a federal judge. If someone can get away with doing this to a federal judge, it really cuts right into the justice system's own vulnerability, doesn't it?
BROOKS: It really does. But you go back and you look at the history of the United States Marshal Service, in its 215-year history, there's never been a judge killed or wounded in the courthouse or on the bench. You know, there have been two other families that have been injured of two federal judges, both by packages dealing with a bomb, but no one has ever been killed.
SANCHEZ: There's going to be a whole lot of heat on this case. They're going to be going after this 100 percent.
BROOKS: Absolutely. Chicago Police, FBI and U.S. Marshal Service, they're on it 24/7 right now. SANCHEZ: Mike Brooks, thank you.
BROOKS: Thank you, Rick.
KAGAN: We have new violence this morning to report from Iraq. A judge for the tribunal that will hear the case against Saddam Hussein and other regime members was gunned down in Baghdad today. His son was also killed. In a separate attack, a second judge was severely wounded in a drive-by shooting.
And two car bombs targeted Iraqi security forces today, killing 13 people. One attack happened near an army recruiting center. It was attacked twice in 2004. The other car bomb hit a military convoy in southern Baghdad.
The job of Iraqi policeman is dangerous and it's deadly. Why would anybody want to be a constant target? Our Jane Arraf spent some time with a young police officer to answer that question.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Stormy, as he's known to his friends, is 26 and has one of the most dangerous jobs in Iraq. He's a police detective.
On this day, he's escorting a suspected insurgent captured in a raid by U.S. forces.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stormy, have your guys line up over here.
ARRAF: The suspects are being taken to a downtown police station where Iraqi police will question them. U.S. forces blindfold prisoners, Iraqi police use bags so they won't see where they're held and won't recognize the police officers.
At the police station, Stormy asks the detainees their name and where they work. Many of the cases he works on involve bombs like this one. This bomb injured three policemen and was detonated by remote control as the police patrol went by. Back at the station, detectives try to see whether the timer fits a pattern of other homemade bombs.
Stormy has been married for just two months. But most nights, he sleeps at the police station. His life is his work.
"STORMY", IRAQI POLICE DETECTIVE: She worry about me. You know, my job is dangerous. But she call me all time. But she know I serve my country.
ARRAF: I asked Stormy how many policemen he knows who have been killed.
STORMY: In a week or in a month? Actually, we lose every week.
ARRAF: He says six of his close police friends have died. Stormy always wanted to be a police officer. He had two years of army college and a year of police college, most of it under Saddam Hussein. Now he works for the new Iraqi government, risking his life for about $250 a month. He covers his face only on raids and says he knows that insurgents are waiting for an opportunity to kill him.
STORMY: I'm not afraid, but I must be careful. Like I -- like two months, I didn't two to the market. I can't -- walking, you know, not like normal life. Like before, I can't visit my friends.
ARRAF: Policemen are among the insurgents' biggest targets. A bullet from an AK-47 shattered the back window of this police vehicle. Like all of the police cars, unarmored.
STORMY: We need good trucks. Not like this.
ARRAF: In the back of his truck there's still pools of blood from two gunmen the police killed a few days ago and took to the morgue. They clean the trucks on Fridays, he says.
(on camera): This is a very strange life that you have.
STORMY: Don't worry, I -- yes, strange life.
ARRAF (voice-over): Stormy says he knows police officers who have quit because they're worried their families will be threatened or killed.
STORMY: We still work, we still defend, we still fight. And we hope to make some peace here. That's what we try to do. We want all the families safe. We want the people to feel better when they see us.
ARRAF: As they get more police officers and make more arrests, he says he's confident they'll win the fight against the insurgents.
Jane Arraf, CNN, Baquba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Now we bring you some news about your security and questions about whether terrorists linked to Madrid train bombings had designs on New York as well. A Spanish newspaper, "El Mundo," says that after the Madrid bombings last March police found a hand-written drawing and some computer information about New York's Grand Central Station. This was during a raid back then.
But a Spanish police source is now raising questions about that report. This police source says the drawings may not have been exactly of Grand Central Station. And the source said the computer information was not considered relevant by Spanish police at the time. A U.S. embassy official in Madrid confirms that the U.S. received the information in December but would not comment on the importance of it.
CNN "Security Watch" keeping you up to date on all matters like this as they come in for your safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security. KAGAN: The Bush administration is increasing the pressure on Syria. What tougher language from the White House toward Syria could mean.
SANCHEZ: The U.S. Supreme Court is taking up a controversial Ten Commandments case today. What Americans think about this whole issue, that's coming up.
KAGAN: And the best-dressed list is out. Some of your favorite stars and one CNN anchor are on it. Who are they? Coming up.
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KAGAN: A divisive issue involving government and religion is before the U.S. Supreme Court today. Last hour, the court began hearing arguments on whether displays of the Ten Commandments on government property are unconstitutional.
Two cases, one from Texas, one from Kentucky. At issue is whether the displays violate the First Amendment. A former Alabama chief justice who fought his own Ten Commandments, that battle in Alabama in his courtroom weighs in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROY MOORE, FMR. ALABAMA CHIEF JUSTICE: The court has been off the path of the First Amendment. They started to say anything about god had to be excluded from public life. And certainly, this contradicts the history, the logic, and meaning of the First Amendment.
Without the acknowledgement of this specific god, there would be no First Amendment. Because the freedom of conscience, the right to believe what you want, comes from this god.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Critics say the Ten Commandments displays amount to a government endorsement of a certain religion. The Supreme Court is expected to rule by late June.
Most Americans would support a display of the Ten Commandments on the grounds of their state capitol. That's according to a CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll. Here's a look at the numbers for you.
Fifty-six percent of those surveyed said the display would be appropriate. Twenty percent said it would be inappropriate. Twenty- four percent said it really doesn't matter.
SANCHEZ: Here's one of the key questions. What affect is this type of decision that Daryn was just talking about going to have on politics? There are those who say it will weigh mightily. As a matter of fact, not just this decision, but, you know, others as well. Assisted suicide, medical marijuana, property rights and the Ten Commandments, all with an evangelical twinge to them.
Joining us now to talk more about this, CNN political analyst Carlos Watson, who is in Mount View, California.
It sounds pretty out there, Carlos.
CARLOS WATSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Hey, Rick. Not as pretty as our hometown, Miami, but it's pretty good.
SANCHEZ: That's right. Miami guys on. What's the significance of these cases, and how do you see it developing politically?
WATSON: A couple of interesting thoughts. Clearly, gay marriage, which was largely a court issue, impacted the political scene pretty heavily in '03 and '04. This is not an election year, so we may not see as great an impact from the court. But as you said, there are a number of issues, particularly on the conservative right, that are likely to rally energy, political energy, and you'll likely see that ultimately make a difference when it comes to any openings on the Supreme Court.
If, indeed, we have one or more openings, expect the right to think about this as yet another litmus test, particularly the Ten Commandments case, and look at some of the justices currently on the court behave, as well as some of the potential responses of other would-be candidates. The other...
SANCHEZ: Is this Ten Commandments case -- by way, we're following this right now. We might even be expecting some news. We have some pictures that we've been sharing with our viewers from time to time from just outside the Supreme Court building, Carlos. But is this one that's more apt to galvanize than others because it's so directly tied to -- well, the bible?
WATSON: It could. And everybody can relate to that in one way or another. As you may have mentioned before, you see Ten Commandments statutes, or representations, if you will, in the Supreme Court. You see them in all sorts of different parts of the public square. So this is one that people will feel.
One case, Rick, or one issue that will come before the courts that could have a big political impact that not a lot of people are following are some of these redistricting cases. You know, normally, every 10 years, state legislatures usually tent to carve up which member of Congress will represent what area. But instead of waiting every 10 years, a number of states are trying to do that in between.
The courts are going to deal with that. And if the courts essentially say it's OK to move forward, you could see there be some upheaval in Congress. Some members who thought they had safe seats for another four or five years may actually have to run again even sooner in a competitive situation.
SANCHEZ: Just to be clear, it's not to say the Democrats haven't done this in the past when they were in control, but the ones who seem to be interested in doing this right now is the GOP, correct?
WATSON: Well, the GOP started out and was very successful with what they did in Texas. Since then, you've seen Georgia take a look at it. You're now hearing rumors about New York and Illinois.
So the reality is that one state started it, but now you're likely to see a number of states jump into it. And it will be interesting to see what role the courts play, if any, in either stopping this or essentially saying go forward. And again, that could have a big political impact in terms of who are the decisionmakers in Washington.
SANCHEZ: You sent us some notes on something call new media players in politics. What are you getting at here?
WATSON: Well, you know, over the last year, year and a half, Rick, we've been talking about the blogs as a new, big political player in terms of the media. I think there's a new one collectively to think about. And it's the arts and culture magazines, like "Vanity Fair," like "Vogue," like "O" magazine.
Individually in the past they've had a political magazine. But now as a collective group, you see three things happen.
Number one, you see magazines like the "New Yorker" bring up new issues and put them on the political discussion table, like Abu Ghraib. Number two, you see that these magazines like "Vanity Fair" and even "Vogue," that had the Bush twins, as you'll recall, on the cover, or "Vanity Fair" had Arnold, they're very important in terms of burnishing someone's political image. Everybody wants to be not a politician, but a political celebrity.
And then last but not least, start to watch "O" magazine. Just like she's done with books. where she put the spotlight on existing books and they become more popular, you're starting to see them talk about political issues like spousal abuse or breast cancer, and you may see her readers, which number 10 million -- circulation is three million -- you may see them get more energized and "O" ultimately will become an important political tool.
SANCHEZ: Carlos Watson, the guy who only hangs out in Florida or California. What a life. Good to talk to you, my friend.
WATSON: Good to see you.
SANCHEZ: We're going to be right back. Let's take a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: It is time for us to take you online and find out which stories at CNN.com are getting the most attention from those of you at home who are clicking. Veronica De La Cruz is joining us now from the cnn.com desk to let us know.
Got some good stuff today?
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Some good stuff. Some very interesting stuff, let's say.
SANCHEZ: All right. Shoot.
DE LA CRUZ: Very interesting. First of all, to find them, you want to go to our main page and click on the icon "Most Popular" on the right-hand side of your screen. Or you can type in CNN.com/mostpopular.
First of all, our number one story comes to us off the waters Nantucket. This 22-pound lobster named Bubba will not be boiled, steamed, grilled, or baked tonight. Twenty-two pounds, you guys.
SANCHEZ: Wow.
DE LA CRUZ: Instead, this creature, who could almost be 100 years old, they're estimating, will be saved. Now, to get an idea of just how big -- exactly -- yeah. Now, to get an idea of how big Bubba is, let's look at this picture.
Take a look at Bubba, and then take a look at the lobster on the other side of him. Now, that's an average size lobster.
SANCHEZ: That's a crawfish.
DE LA CRUZ: Exactly. Sitting next to Bubba, he look like a crawfish. And there have actually been offers to buy Bubba. Twenty- two pounds of lobster meat would mean that in today's market he would retail for about $350.
SANCHEZ: And we'll throw in the butter.
DE LA CRUZ: But, lucky for him, his life's going to be spared. He will probably spend the rest of it in a museum aquarium. And I don't know what's worse actually. So poor Bubba.
And Rick, another hot story, this one on the Web, coming to us from London. In almost 200 years, the esteemed Oxford Union Debate Society has heard the wisdom of Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa, and now they will hear from Mr. Ron Jeremy. Yes, Ron Jeremy, that is the same Ron Jeremy who starred in 1,700 adult films, including "Bang Along with Ron" -- and I'm not going to ask you guys if you've seen it.
A spokesman from the university says he's 99 percent sure that Jeremy will be the first porn star ever to speak at Oxford.
SANCHEZ: Well that will certainly lighten the mood amongst that stuffy crowd, won't it?
DE LA CRUZ: Exactly. Just a few example of -- examples -- see, I'm falling apart. A few examples of what's happening on the Web right now.
SANCHEZ: Listen, Ron Jeremy and a 22-pound lobster, all in one breath.
DE LA CRUZ: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: You did well. Thank you very much.
DE LA CRUZ: Bye-bye.
KAGAN: There's a really bad connection you can make between those two. Being a lady, I'm not going to do it.
I'm going to turn to another lady, Jacqui Jeras.
SANCHEZ: Yes, because you'd have to answer all the mail afterwards.
KAGAN: And my mother.
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