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CNN Live Today
Grenade Near President Bush was Live; Steroids & Sports; Trumping the World Trade Center
Aired May 18, 2005 - 10:30 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Beyond politics to a story of personal tragedy. Just about 90 minutes ago, we heard from Joan Humphrey Lefkow. You might remember she was the federal judge whose husband and mother were killed in her Chicago home. The killer later committed suicide, was an angry litigant who had earlier appeared before the judge. Lefkow testified before a Senate committee on the safety of judges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE JOAN LEFKOW, U.S. DISTRICT COURT: I understand Congress can't eradicate all violence against judges, nor are we exempt from this madness in the shadows of modern life.
But as I replay in my mind the events that lead to our tragedy, I believe that several things might have prevented it, and could have prevent it from happening to even one more of our judges.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Bart Ross, by the way, confessed to the murders in the suicide note he left behind.
Let's go ahead and take a look at what's happening now in the news.
The FBI faces a legal challenge today. The American Civil Liberties Union is joining forces with activist and anti-war groups to demand access to FBI records. Specifically the groups want to know about the agency's monitoring surveillance and infiltration of political and religious organizations.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson is in Mexico today. He is there to meet with Vicente Fox, the president. Mr Fox angered African- Americans and the U.S. government with a comment that he made last week. He said, Mexicans take jobs not even blacks would want in the U.S. Mr. Fox has apologized for that remark.
Negotiators from North and South Korea have agree to extend nuclear talks one more day. Pyongyang has maintained his refusals to rejoin the stalled six-nation talks on its nuclear program. It's the first time in nearly a year that the neighboring nations have met.
An Italian flight bound for Boston was diverted to Maine yesterday. We first told you about this live during our hour here. A passenger's name was discovered on the government's no-fly list. The date of birth matched as well. The Al Italia flight landed without any incident in Bangor, Maine, and the passenger and his luggage was removed. The FBI later said the man was not a terrorist suspect.
And we have this developing story out of Texas. A helicopter has crashed in Harris County. That is near Lake Houston. "The Houston Chronicle." "The Houston Chronicle" reported that at least two people were onboard that chopper. No word on injuries, but medical helicopters were dispatched to the scene.
There are new unsettling details about that hand grenade that was discovered near President Bush last week in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Turns out it was not a dummy grenade after all, as was first reported. It was live, and it could have exploded.
Our Ed Henry is following this developing story. He joins us live from the White House.
Ed, good morning.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
A lot of questions because the White House had originally said the president's life was never in danger. The FBI and other officials now saying in fact it was. This morning, to give you an idea of the serious of the situation and how the White House is trying to monitor it, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan just told reporters that last night, the president got a full briefing on the situation and what is happening, what the investigation is finding at this point, and got a second briefing this morning from the FBI director himself, as well as the president's homeland security director.
I asked Scott McClellan whether or not the president has lost confidence in the Secret Service? Scott McClellan said absolutely not. But it's clear the White House is monitoring this investigation very closely. And here's what this investigation is finding so far: The Georgian interior minister is confirming to CNN that in fact, as you mentioned, this was a live grenade that could have exploded, and an FBI agent on the ground in Georgia had also announced that the grenade was tossed in the direction of the stage and landed within 100 feet of the podium. This FBI official, Brian Parmen (ph), said it was live device that failed to function due to a light strike on the blasting cap.
Now this FBI official also said the agency considers this act to be a, quote, "threat against the health and welfare of both the president of the United States and president of Georgia, as well as the people gathered in Freedom Square." Some estimates put the crowd at about 200,000 people at the speech President Bush delivered in Georgia on may 10th.
Now it's important to note CNN had several correspondents, producers and photographers on the scene. None of those people saw anything suspicious, nothing out of the ordinary, no commotion, and it's also a big mystery why Georgian officials never alerted U.S. officials until hours after the president left the country there was any kind of situation. Also, I want to caution and note as well, that the president, when he was on stage, was standing behind bulletproof glass. So even if there was a threat to his life, he was standing behind bulletproof glass, so it's unclear at this point how much damage it really could have done.
Also, Scott McClellan getting questions this morning, very tough questions, whether or not the president will now have to re-evaluate his travel around the world. So far, the White House not commenting on that. Again, saying they're monitoring this.
Also, final note, the FBI has now put off a reward, because they do not know who actually tossed this grenade. It's basically the equivalent of about 10,000 U.S. dollars, a reward out there to try to find out who was responsible for this act -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Ed Henry at the White House. Ed, you should see my list of Ed Henry questions for the day. It's very long. Unfortunately, our time very short this hour. We'll bring you back next hour. I'll get to my questions. Very good.
There is a lot happening in Washington today. They're also looking at the steroid policy of major league sports. We'll have our Bob Franken along to tell us more about that.
Let's look at the markets. They have been open just over an hour, looking kind of strong today. The Dow is up 87 points. The Nasdaq is in positive territory as well. Nasdaq up 10.
Much more news ahead, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And we're getting news from the TV news world, CBS announcing that the program "60 Minutes Wednesday" will be canceled. Of course you'll remember "60 Minutes Wednesday" was the program that broadcast the story that purported to bring up new questions about President Bush's service during the Vietnam era, his National Guard service. They later backed off that report, and then said they could no longer vouch for the documents that led to the story. CBS chairman Les Moonves saying that Canceling "60 Minutes Wednesday" is not about the controversy, rather about the low ratings on the program. So once again, "60 Minutes Wednesday" no longer a part of the CBS lineup.
Back to Capitol Hill now. Steroids in sports. Should pro sports leagues in the U.S. be subject to the same kind of drug testing rules used in Olympics? That's the focus of a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill right now. The commissioners of Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NBA and Major League Soccer are expected to testify today an tomorrow.
Our Bob Franken joins us now with the latest. Bob, good morning
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Daryn, it is a special form of torture for anybody who testifies before a congressional committee, that before that testimony is given, he or she has to listen to each of the members. Right now, we're hearing from Representative Bass of New Hampshire, Republican from New Hampshire, making his opening statement.
Each of the members particularly likes to when there are television cameras, because of course that's publicity. And there are cameras there today. We're covering the story. Its' been a big one for quite a while now. The issue of steroids in sports. The subcommittee chairman Cliff Stearns has come up with legislation which is extremely strong.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): Baseball. Football. Hockey. Basketball. Politics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One in 45 high school students reported steroid use.
FRANKEN: The subcommittee chairman, Republican Cliff Stearns, knowing that steroid use is a strong issue, will hold a hearing today, where the head honchos of most organized professional sports might be expected to squirm over Stearns' one-size-fits-all legislation.
REP. CLIFF STEARNS (R), FLORIDA: We need to take the bill that I have and use it as a starter.
FRANKEN: A start to negotiations that would create a policy to prohibit performance-enhancing drugs. And it's quite a muscular start.
As written, it would require random testing for each and every athlete at least once a year with a two-year suspension for the first violation, lifetime suspension the second time.
Prior to this appearance, baseball Commissioner Bud Selig says he's favorably disposed. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has already testified he is unfavorably disposed. As we've already seen, some in professional sports would love to dispose of the issue.
MARK MCGWIRE, FORMER MLB PLAYER: Well, sir, I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm here to talk about the positive and not the negative.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: And once the members of Congress finish with their opening statements, we'll get to the panels. The first one includes representatives from baseball, including Commissioner Selig and then the National Hockey League and out of this, Daryn, might come, at some point, some meaningful legislation.
KAGAN: Well, that meaningful legislation, Bob, they're talking about making the Olympics the standard, right?
FRANKEN: Well, they are. The irony, they say, is that these people who are at the very pinnacle of sports are not held to the standards that amateur athletes are, in spite of the fact that they are endangering their health, they're undermining the credibility of their games and, of course, becoming very bad role models for a whole generation of teenagers.
KAGAN: Bob Franken on Capitol Hill. Bob, thank you.
Donald Trump has his own design for lower Manhattan and he's getting ready to unveil it. We're going to take you there live with our Jason Carroll, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Donald Trump would probably have two words if the Freedom Tower designer brought him the plans: "You're fired." Trump has called the building plans for the World Trade Center site terrible architecture. And when you're a developer like Donald Trump and you don't like the blueprints, well, you come up with plan of your own. And that's exactly what Trump has done.
Our Jason Carroll is here to tell us more about that. Jason, good morning.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, Daryn.
As we said, Donald Trump never really liked the Freedom Tower design, so what he did was he came up with his own design. In fact, he called the Freedom Tower design a quote, "egghead design." He said it just didn't look very good. So as you said, what do you do if you're a celebrity developer and you have lots and lots of money? As you said, you come up with your own design.
Here it is. Wants you to take a look at it. He has unveiled it for us today. He's about to step out at any moment. It is two towers, 1,474 feet, slightly taller than the original twin towers at 110 stories. These are 111 stories. Trump's critics, though, question how realistic his design is. It appears as if the two towers there would be rebuilt on the original footprints of the old towers. Of course, the 9/11 families say that that is sacred ground, that that ground should be preserved.
The building process, as you know, Daryn, is pretty much already under way at Ground Zero. It will be coming -- you know, that, if Trump's design was accepted, he'd be coming in midstream. He'd also have to raise billions upon billions of dollars to get this built. Trump, who has developed all kinds of real estate developments and projects, but he's mainly known for casinos. Also, some of his critics say that because he is more of a casino man, he is not the right person to be rebuilding at Ground Zero.
Trump, as I said a little earlier, has been very critical of the rebuilding process. The original design for the Freedom Tower, done by Daniel Liebeskin (ph), chosen during an international design competition, was refined by another architect, which was hired by the developer down at Ground Zero. That design was modified again because of security concerns raised by the New York City Police Department.
Governor Pataki, who has been charged with overseeing this entire process, says that he will have the modified design ready to unveil next month. There are some who say that Pataki is somewhat vulnerable because of all this and perhaps that's a reason why Trump at this point is moving in. It's no secret -- just a little back story here -- that Trump has been very sort of angry with the governor because the governor has been supporting plans to support Indian casinos in the Catskills, which would compete with Trump's casinos in Atlantic City.
So a lot of people speculating why Trump is doing this, why he's coming into the -- try to play into this at this late stage of the game. We're about to find out as Trump comes out and tells us what is behind his plan -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, we look forward to hearing that. Meanwhile, the Donald is running a little bit late to his own party there. So we're going to take -- we're going to step away, do a little bit more news and Jason, we'll get back to you.
CARROLL: All right.
KAGAN: Thank you.
It was a star-studded night in country music. Hear who stole the show at last night's Country Music Awards in just a few minutes. Let's just say, a good week for Kenny Chesney. You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And there is Donald Trump, talking about the kind of projects he would like to see at the site of the World Trade Center. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
DONALD TRUMP, DEVELOPER: ... 40 Wall Street is now, again, the tallest building in downtown Manhattan. It was superseded, obviously, by the World Trade Center. I want 40 Wall Street to no longer be the tallest building in downtown, but I want it to be superseded by a taller, stronger, more beautiful version of the World Trade Center. Not Freedom Tower, where the only good thing about the building, from an architectural standpoint, is the name, Freedom Tower.
If we rebuild the World Trade Center in the form of a skeleton, Freedom Tower, the terrorists win. Simply put, the terrorists win. It's that bad. From an architectural standpoint, from every standpoint. If you read the newspapers, all of the newspapers, "The Wall Street Journal" did an editorial endorsing this. "The New York Post" has been amazing in its endorsement of this. So many others have endorsed this. It's very, very important to this city. It's very, very important to freedom. Very important. We put the model up.
Since the model was put up, people have walked by. Many of the people start crying, openly crying, in Trump Tower. And one of the things we're probably, or possibly going to do, is tomorrow night, so the whole country can see it, tomorrow night, put the model on the stage of the live broadcast of "The Apprentice." And I think we're going to do that, because what we need is support to build a bigger, better version of two buildings and more.
KAGAN: So we've been listening to Donald Trump in New York City. He's pretty blunt there. He does not like the current design plans to rebuild at the site of the World Trade Center. He says it look likes a skeleton. The only good part of it, he says, is Freedom Tower, which is the name. But he said if you go ahead and put the building that looks like a skeleton, he says, the terrorists win. He has put his own money into proposing a different model that would build on that site.
(STOCK MARKET report)
KAGAN: Let's check the time, 10:53 on the East Coast, 7:53 on the West Coast. Stay with us for a quick check of your morning, forecast. Plus, Britney and her husband take turns on Dave Letterman's top-10 list. We'll have highlights, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Pop princess Britney Spears is pregnant, you know that. As a gift, one TV comedian recently gave her diapers, and on the diapers it says, "Oops, I did it again." It seems everyone has a joke or two about this anxiously awaited child of Britney Spears and her husband Kevin Federline. Even the expecting couple get the joke. They are going on talk shows to hype their hype their reality show, which is called "Chaotic." He is one revealing reason, they say, you should watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRITNEY SPEARS, ENTERTAINER: In the season finale, you'll find out Dave is the father of my baby.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: That would be news indeed. The show is "Chaotic." It airs on the UPN Network.
Other entertainment news. It appears Kenny Chesney is the favorite country music favorite of fans everywhere. Eight days after marrying actress Renee Zellweger, Chesney was chosen as entertainer of the year at last night's country music awards. Chesney focused his acceptance speech on the fans, not his new wife, who missed the event, by the way. She's shooting a new film. Chesney edged out singer Tim McGraw. But McGraw wasn't entirely left out. He won for top single and song for his hit, "Live Like You Were Dying." Excellent choices all the way around.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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Aired May 18, 2005 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Beyond politics to a story of personal tragedy. Just about 90 minutes ago, we heard from Joan Humphrey Lefkow. You might remember she was the federal judge whose husband and mother were killed in her Chicago home. The killer later committed suicide, was an angry litigant who had earlier appeared before the judge. Lefkow testified before a Senate committee on the safety of judges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE JOAN LEFKOW, U.S. DISTRICT COURT: I understand Congress can't eradicate all violence against judges, nor are we exempt from this madness in the shadows of modern life.
But as I replay in my mind the events that lead to our tragedy, I believe that several things might have prevented it, and could have prevent it from happening to even one more of our judges.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Bart Ross, by the way, confessed to the murders in the suicide note he left behind.
Let's go ahead and take a look at what's happening now in the news.
The FBI faces a legal challenge today. The American Civil Liberties Union is joining forces with activist and anti-war groups to demand access to FBI records. Specifically the groups want to know about the agency's monitoring surveillance and infiltration of political and religious organizations.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson is in Mexico today. He is there to meet with Vicente Fox, the president. Mr Fox angered African- Americans and the U.S. government with a comment that he made last week. He said, Mexicans take jobs not even blacks would want in the U.S. Mr. Fox has apologized for that remark.
Negotiators from North and South Korea have agree to extend nuclear talks one more day. Pyongyang has maintained his refusals to rejoin the stalled six-nation talks on its nuclear program. It's the first time in nearly a year that the neighboring nations have met.
An Italian flight bound for Boston was diverted to Maine yesterday. We first told you about this live during our hour here. A passenger's name was discovered on the government's no-fly list. The date of birth matched as well. The Al Italia flight landed without any incident in Bangor, Maine, and the passenger and his luggage was removed. The FBI later said the man was not a terrorist suspect.
And we have this developing story out of Texas. A helicopter has crashed in Harris County. That is near Lake Houston. "The Houston Chronicle." "The Houston Chronicle" reported that at least two people were onboard that chopper. No word on injuries, but medical helicopters were dispatched to the scene.
There are new unsettling details about that hand grenade that was discovered near President Bush last week in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Turns out it was not a dummy grenade after all, as was first reported. It was live, and it could have exploded.
Our Ed Henry is following this developing story. He joins us live from the White House.
Ed, good morning.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
A lot of questions because the White House had originally said the president's life was never in danger. The FBI and other officials now saying in fact it was. This morning, to give you an idea of the serious of the situation and how the White House is trying to monitor it, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan just told reporters that last night, the president got a full briefing on the situation and what is happening, what the investigation is finding at this point, and got a second briefing this morning from the FBI director himself, as well as the president's homeland security director.
I asked Scott McClellan whether or not the president has lost confidence in the Secret Service? Scott McClellan said absolutely not. But it's clear the White House is monitoring this investigation very closely. And here's what this investigation is finding so far: The Georgian interior minister is confirming to CNN that in fact, as you mentioned, this was a live grenade that could have exploded, and an FBI agent on the ground in Georgia had also announced that the grenade was tossed in the direction of the stage and landed within 100 feet of the podium. This FBI official, Brian Parmen (ph), said it was live device that failed to function due to a light strike on the blasting cap.
Now this FBI official also said the agency considers this act to be a, quote, "threat against the health and welfare of both the president of the United States and president of Georgia, as well as the people gathered in Freedom Square." Some estimates put the crowd at about 200,000 people at the speech President Bush delivered in Georgia on may 10th.
Now it's important to note CNN had several correspondents, producers and photographers on the scene. None of those people saw anything suspicious, nothing out of the ordinary, no commotion, and it's also a big mystery why Georgian officials never alerted U.S. officials until hours after the president left the country there was any kind of situation. Also, I want to caution and note as well, that the president, when he was on stage, was standing behind bulletproof glass. So even if there was a threat to his life, he was standing behind bulletproof glass, so it's unclear at this point how much damage it really could have done.
Also, Scott McClellan getting questions this morning, very tough questions, whether or not the president will now have to re-evaluate his travel around the world. So far, the White House not commenting on that. Again, saying they're monitoring this.
Also, final note, the FBI has now put off a reward, because they do not know who actually tossed this grenade. It's basically the equivalent of about 10,000 U.S. dollars, a reward out there to try to find out who was responsible for this act -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Ed Henry at the White House. Ed, you should see my list of Ed Henry questions for the day. It's very long. Unfortunately, our time very short this hour. We'll bring you back next hour. I'll get to my questions. Very good.
There is a lot happening in Washington today. They're also looking at the steroid policy of major league sports. We'll have our Bob Franken along to tell us more about that.
Let's look at the markets. They have been open just over an hour, looking kind of strong today. The Dow is up 87 points. The Nasdaq is in positive territory as well. Nasdaq up 10.
Much more news ahead, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And we're getting news from the TV news world, CBS announcing that the program "60 Minutes Wednesday" will be canceled. Of course you'll remember "60 Minutes Wednesday" was the program that broadcast the story that purported to bring up new questions about President Bush's service during the Vietnam era, his National Guard service. They later backed off that report, and then said they could no longer vouch for the documents that led to the story. CBS chairman Les Moonves saying that Canceling "60 Minutes Wednesday" is not about the controversy, rather about the low ratings on the program. So once again, "60 Minutes Wednesday" no longer a part of the CBS lineup.
Back to Capitol Hill now. Steroids in sports. Should pro sports leagues in the U.S. be subject to the same kind of drug testing rules used in Olympics? That's the focus of a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill right now. The commissioners of Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NBA and Major League Soccer are expected to testify today an tomorrow.
Our Bob Franken joins us now with the latest. Bob, good morning
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And, Daryn, it is a special form of torture for anybody who testifies before a congressional committee, that before that testimony is given, he or she has to listen to each of the members. Right now, we're hearing from Representative Bass of New Hampshire, Republican from New Hampshire, making his opening statement.
Each of the members particularly likes to when there are television cameras, because of course that's publicity. And there are cameras there today. We're covering the story. Its' been a big one for quite a while now. The issue of steroids in sports. The subcommittee chairman Cliff Stearns has come up with legislation which is extremely strong.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): Baseball. Football. Hockey. Basketball. Politics.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One in 45 high school students reported steroid use.
FRANKEN: The subcommittee chairman, Republican Cliff Stearns, knowing that steroid use is a strong issue, will hold a hearing today, where the head honchos of most organized professional sports might be expected to squirm over Stearns' one-size-fits-all legislation.
REP. CLIFF STEARNS (R), FLORIDA: We need to take the bill that I have and use it as a starter.
FRANKEN: A start to negotiations that would create a policy to prohibit performance-enhancing drugs. And it's quite a muscular start.
As written, it would require random testing for each and every athlete at least once a year with a two-year suspension for the first violation, lifetime suspension the second time.
Prior to this appearance, baseball Commissioner Bud Selig says he's favorably disposed. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has already testified he is unfavorably disposed. As we've already seen, some in professional sports would love to dispose of the issue.
MARK MCGWIRE, FORMER MLB PLAYER: Well, sir, I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm here to talk about the positive and not the negative.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: And once the members of Congress finish with their opening statements, we'll get to the panels. The first one includes representatives from baseball, including Commissioner Selig and then the National Hockey League and out of this, Daryn, might come, at some point, some meaningful legislation.
KAGAN: Well, that meaningful legislation, Bob, they're talking about making the Olympics the standard, right?
FRANKEN: Well, they are. The irony, they say, is that these people who are at the very pinnacle of sports are not held to the standards that amateur athletes are, in spite of the fact that they are endangering their health, they're undermining the credibility of their games and, of course, becoming very bad role models for a whole generation of teenagers.
KAGAN: Bob Franken on Capitol Hill. Bob, thank you.
Donald Trump has his own design for lower Manhattan and he's getting ready to unveil it. We're going to take you there live with our Jason Carroll, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Donald Trump would probably have two words if the Freedom Tower designer brought him the plans: "You're fired." Trump has called the building plans for the World Trade Center site terrible architecture. And when you're a developer like Donald Trump and you don't like the blueprints, well, you come up with plan of your own. And that's exactly what Trump has done.
Our Jason Carroll is here to tell us more about that. Jason, good morning.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, Daryn.
As we said, Donald Trump never really liked the Freedom Tower design, so what he did was he came up with his own design. In fact, he called the Freedom Tower design a quote, "egghead design." He said it just didn't look very good. So as you said, what do you do if you're a celebrity developer and you have lots and lots of money? As you said, you come up with your own design.
Here it is. Wants you to take a look at it. He has unveiled it for us today. He's about to step out at any moment. It is two towers, 1,474 feet, slightly taller than the original twin towers at 110 stories. These are 111 stories. Trump's critics, though, question how realistic his design is. It appears as if the two towers there would be rebuilt on the original footprints of the old towers. Of course, the 9/11 families say that that is sacred ground, that that ground should be preserved.
The building process, as you know, Daryn, is pretty much already under way at Ground Zero. It will be coming -- you know, that, if Trump's design was accepted, he'd be coming in midstream. He'd also have to raise billions upon billions of dollars to get this built. Trump, who has developed all kinds of real estate developments and projects, but he's mainly known for casinos. Also, some of his critics say that because he is more of a casino man, he is not the right person to be rebuilding at Ground Zero.
Trump, as I said a little earlier, has been very critical of the rebuilding process. The original design for the Freedom Tower, done by Daniel Liebeskin (ph), chosen during an international design competition, was refined by another architect, which was hired by the developer down at Ground Zero. That design was modified again because of security concerns raised by the New York City Police Department.
Governor Pataki, who has been charged with overseeing this entire process, says that he will have the modified design ready to unveil next month. There are some who say that Pataki is somewhat vulnerable because of all this and perhaps that's a reason why Trump at this point is moving in. It's no secret -- just a little back story here -- that Trump has been very sort of angry with the governor because the governor has been supporting plans to support Indian casinos in the Catskills, which would compete with Trump's casinos in Atlantic City.
So a lot of people speculating why Trump is doing this, why he's coming into the -- try to play into this at this late stage of the game. We're about to find out as Trump comes out and tells us what is behind his plan -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, we look forward to hearing that. Meanwhile, the Donald is running a little bit late to his own party there. So we're going to take -- we're going to step away, do a little bit more news and Jason, we'll get back to you.
CARROLL: All right.
KAGAN: Thank you.
It was a star-studded night in country music. Hear who stole the show at last night's Country Music Awards in just a few minutes. Let's just say, a good week for Kenny Chesney. You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And there is Donald Trump, talking about the kind of projects he would like to see at the site of the World Trade Center. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
DONALD TRUMP, DEVELOPER: ... 40 Wall Street is now, again, the tallest building in downtown Manhattan. It was superseded, obviously, by the World Trade Center. I want 40 Wall Street to no longer be the tallest building in downtown, but I want it to be superseded by a taller, stronger, more beautiful version of the World Trade Center. Not Freedom Tower, where the only good thing about the building, from an architectural standpoint, is the name, Freedom Tower.
If we rebuild the World Trade Center in the form of a skeleton, Freedom Tower, the terrorists win. Simply put, the terrorists win. It's that bad. From an architectural standpoint, from every standpoint. If you read the newspapers, all of the newspapers, "The Wall Street Journal" did an editorial endorsing this. "The New York Post" has been amazing in its endorsement of this. So many others have endorsed this. It's very, very important to this city. It's very, very important to freedom. Very important. We put the model up.
Since the model was put up, people have walked by. Many of the people start crying, openly crying, in Trump Tower. And one of the things we're probably, or possibly going to do, is tomorrow night, so the whole country can see it, tomorrow night, put the model on the stage of the live broadcast of "The Apprentice." And I think we're going to do that, because what we need is support to build a bigger, better version of two buildings and more.
KAGAN: So we've been listening to Donald Trump in New York City. He's pretty blunt there. He does not like the current design plans to rebuild at the site of the World Trade Center. He says it look likes a skeleton. The only good part of it, he says, is Freedom Tower, which is the name. But he said if you go ahead and put the building that looks like a skeleton, he says, the terrorists win. He has put his own money into proposing a different model that would build on that site.
(STOCK MARKET report)
KAGAN: Let's check the time, 10:53 on the East Coast, 7:53 on the West Coast. Stay with us for a quick check of your morning, forecast. Plus, Britney and her husband take turns on Dave Letterman's top-10 list. We'll have highlights, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Pop princess Britney Spears is pregnant, you know that. As a gift, one TV comedian recently gave her diapers, and on the diapers it says, "Oops, I did it again." It seems everyone has a joke or two about this anxiously awaited child of Britney Spears and her husband Kevin Federline. Even the expecting couple get the joke. They are going on talk shows to hype their hype their reality show, which is called "Chaotic." He is one revealing reason, they say, you should watch.
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BRITNEY SPEARS, ENTERTAINER: In the season finale, you'll find out Dave is the father of my baby.
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KAGAN: That would be news indeed. The show is "Chaotic." It airs on the UPN Network.
Other entertainment news. It appears Kenny Chesney is the favorite country music favorite of fans everywhere. Eight days after marrying actress Renee Zellweger, Chesney was chosen as entertainer of the year at last night's country music awards. Chesney focused his acceptance speech on the fans, not his new wife, who missed the event, by the way. She's shooting a new film. Chesney edged out singer Tim McGraw. But McGraw wasn't entirely left out. He won for top single and song for his hit, "Live Like You Were Dying." Excellent choices all the way around.
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