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American Morning

Flooded Out; Full Tape Released; Rove Testifies

Aired October 14, 2005 - 08:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Eight straight days of rain in the Northeast. And in so many places rivers simply cannot hold it. Flooding across the region is expected to get worse. A severe weather forecast is straight ahead.
Violent images of a police beating in New Orleans. For the first time, the complete tape is being seen. We're going to look at what one more minute of the footage reveals.

And moments ago, presidential adviser Karl Rove arriving in court for his fourth grand jury appearance. This time the stakes could be much higher. We'll tell you why on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. You know, on occasion a picture says it all. And that one, the shot of Central Park really does as well, because that's the scene we have seen for the last eight days.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's soggy out there. And as bad as that looks, we're going to take you to a place where things are much more severe.

Residents of New Jersey, in particular this morning, very nervous as this rain continues. Much of the state remains under a flood warning. CNN's Chris Huntington live in Lincoln Park, New Jersey.

Chris, how bad is it there?

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the good news is, it is not raining right now. And in fact the forecast for this immediate area is no rain today. But let's put things in perspective.

I'm standing right next to Midwood Road (ph). This might look like a placid river or stream behind me. This is actually a road down to a neighborhood. The water right here obviously gets increasingly deep as I walk out into it.

A police car just came by. We're not exactly sure what he was up to, but he drove about a car length in there and then immediately backed out as the water was basically up over his hood. Down by that house there, the water is nearly six-feet deep.

Yesterday we were here, and rescue crews were pulling people out of this neighborhood. This is a neighborhood that is a low-lying area. It is frequently flooded. The rescue crews say from this neighborhood alone they pulled about 15 people in the entire Lincoln Park Township. They rescued about 40 people.

The local authorities have called for or predicted that the rivers in this particular area would reach -- or the floodwaters would crest, would reach full peak at about 10:00 a.m. By our very imprecise measurements, the situation is stable. We have not seen a noticeable increase this morning.

The river -- the waters here are higher, indeed, than they were last night, but they do not appear to be rising any further. Now, of course this is a situation that takes a couple of days to develop because of runoff further north from here, out in the mountains. And indeed, there is a little bit more rain expected to the north of here.

Throughout this area of central and slightly northern New Jersey, you have areas of wide flooding. A slight difference this morning than what we saw last night, where some of the -- some additional roads, low-lying roads that were flooded and had roadblocks. We're now told by local police that those roadblocks are up.

Traffic seems to be moving more smoothly. The locals here are a stubborn and hardboiled lot. They've been through this a lot. They do say that the flooding this time not as bad as what they saw last April, and not as bad as the benchmark flood in this area in 1984, when, from where I'm standing, the water would have been at least another four feet higher.

Miles, back to you.

M. O'BRIEN: Chris Huntington. Thanks a lot.

Let's get right to Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: The Associated Press has released the complete unedited video of three New Orleans police officers beating a 64-year- old man while they were arresting him.

CNN's Dan Simon has a report now on the new contents of that tape.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The entire videotape shot by the agency's photographer runs five minutes. The extended footage shows a little more of what happened at the beginning of the incident. We see a woman try to communicate something to the officers, before she is shooed away by the mounted policeman. This appears to be the woman Davis has publicly asked to come forward to corroborate his story.

After the officers strike Robert Davis, the new tape shows the FBI agents watching the struggle for at least 15 seconds before they assist in the eventual takedown.

Moments later, according to one law enforcement trainer who watched the tape at CNN's request, it appears the officers are working against one another. One holding Davis in what's called a leg lock; the other, sitting on his back, effectively pulling and pushing Davis in opposite directions.

And listen carefully, this could be significant in court. You can hear the 64-year old yell, "If you allow me to turn over, I will." It also appears one of the officers delivers a kick to Davis. Bear in mind, he is already on the ground restrained. Later, a witness can be heard, saying, "Did you get that on film? He surrendered to them." They then hit him in the back of the head, and that's when he started to fight.

As the drama continues to unfold, it's clear at least two additional officers -- state policemen from Louisiana and New York are also at the scene. It's not clear in what capacity. Then, this chilling cry, apparently from Davis.

ROBERT DAVIS, VICTIM: Oh, God. Almighty God.

SIMON: At the very end of the complete tape, there are a few more seconds of the handcuffing of Relief Worker Calvin Riles (ph), who told CNN he wanted to report the alleged brutal treatment of Davis, but was told to mind his own business.

(on camera): Because the case against the officers was filed in municipal court, legal experts tell me that any trial would be handled by a judge and not a jury.

Dan Simon, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Davis pleaded not guilty to charges of public intoxication and resisting arrest. The three suspended police officers have pleaded not guilty to battery charges -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Karl Rove with visit number four to the grand jury trying to look into that CIA leak situation. Did the White House purposely leak the name of a CIA operative in order to undercut the arguments of an administration opponent?

CNN's Bob Franken is at the courthouse, where he has been a lot of late with more on this.

Why visit number four, Bob?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it was interesting. There's a cat and mouse game that oftentimes goes on at this building, where people who are entering don't want to be seen by the cameras. And Karl Rove found a new entrance, and as we saw, he wasn't successful of not being shot as he went in. Once he was inside, of course, he was stepping into familiar territory.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): The grand jury room has become Karl Rove's home away from the White House. The president's longtime chief political adviser will now have to handle a fourth appearance.

Rove had volunteered to return if needed, and the prosecutor has taken him up on it. But this time, Rove's lawyer says there's no assurance the Deputy White House chief of staff will not be indicted.

Karl Rove comes back after "TIME" magazine's Matt Cooper testified under threat of jail time. Cooper told the grand jury that Rove had been one of his sources in the days before undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame was identified in the press. Plame is the wife of Joe Wilson, who had publicly questioned administration claims about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction.

Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, according to sources, wants to reconcile Rove's testimony and Cooper's. As usual, the White House refuses to comment.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We will be glad to talk about it once it's over, but until that time, what we're going to do is let the special prosecutor complete his work.

FRANKEN: The grand jury is almost out of time. Fitzgerald can ask for an extension or decide what indictments, if any, he'll seek.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: And Patrick Fitzgerald is also in the building. When he makes these decisions, Miles, he'll be making them with the benefit of Karl Rove's testimony four times -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Four times. All right. Thank you very much, Bob Franken.

Let's just remind viewers that the deadline for this grand jury, October 28. But we don't know. It could be extended, right?

FRANKEN: It could be extended, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much. We'll check back with you later -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, the administration was also caught rehearsing an event that was sported to appear sort of spontaneous. On Thursday, AMERICAN MORNING brought you President Bush, this shot here -- remember this -- in a live conference. It was billed as a conversation with U.S. troops in Tikrit. But let's take a look behind the scenes before the chat with the president took place. A videotape showing the troops being coached by a Pentagon official.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALLISON BARBER, DEP. ASST. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Here's what you have to be prepared for, Captain Kennedy. Is that the president is going to ask you some questions, and he may ask all six of them, he may ask three of them, he might have such a great time talking to you, he might come up with some new questions. So what we want to be prepared for is...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

BARBER: ... to not -- not stutter. So if there's a question that the president comes up with that we haven't drilled through today, then I'm expecting the microphone to go right back to you, Captain Kennedy, and you to handle it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: The White House says the rehearsal was due to the "technological challenges" of the teleconference.

Other stories making news this morning, especially out of Iraq, which is where saw those troops before.

Let's get right to Carol for those.

Good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, that's where I begin this morning.

They're getting ready for that historic vote in Iraq. These are new pictures this morning of armed troops patrolling in Basra, trying to keep order. Millions are expected at the polls tomorrow. The referendum will pave the way for permanent leadership in Iraq.

Hope dwindling now of finding any more survivors from the earthquake in Pakistan. Word is authorities are officially calling off the rescue operation and moving into relief and recovery mode. At least 23,000 people were killed in Saturday's quake. Some 2.5 million are homeless and in need of aid.

Nine people in Turkey have tested for possible cases of bird flu. CNN Turk confirms the nine people were given blood tests and released. This as officials confirm a lethal strain of the avian flu was found in Turkish poultry. Another case is suspected in Romania. European officials are holding an emergency meeting today.

And you thought your leftovers were old. Researchers in northwestern China have found a 4,000-year-old bowl of noodles at an archaeological site. The noodles are believed to be the oldest prepared food ever found intact. And it does suggest that the Chinese may have invented the starchy delicacy much to the Italians' dismay because, you know, spaghetti -- you know what I'm talking about.

M. O'BRIEN: Yet another Chinese triumph, gunpowder and noodles.

COSTELLO: I only thought Twinkies lasted that long.

S. O'BRIEN: I know, exactly.

M. O'BRIEN: Did they invent Twinkie, too? My god. They were really ahead of their time.

S. O'BRIEN: Four thousand years ago.

M. O'BRIEN: So smart.

S. O'BRIEN: It's all true. It's incredible.

Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, much more on that referendum out of Iraq. We're going to take a look at why many Iraqis outside of Baghdad aren't even paying attention to it.

M. O'BRIEN: Also, the latest on the efforts to get those Katrina evacuees out of the shelters. This is supposed to be a deadline, wasn't it, today?

S. O'BRIEN: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Today? Not happening.

S. O'BRIEN: Also later, our "Extra Effort" segment, how some people are trading art for health care. We'll take a look at that ahead as we continue right here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

As we've been telling you all morning, there will be voting tomorrow, Saturday, in Baghdad on that draft constitution. You could see, though, we have some pictures of the voting that's already happening in some selected areas in advance.

Like any vote, turnout is going to be a major issue. But not like any vote, violence is also a big question mark.

Let's get right to CNN Senior Baghdad Correspondent Jane Arraf. She's currently on leave from CNN to work as a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations here in New York.

It's nice to have you back.

JANE ARRAF, FELLOW, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: It's great to be back.

S. O'BRIEN: Nice to see you, as Miles said, out of your Kevlar for a change, and reporting from Baghdad.

Let's talk a little bit about this -- this vote. Truly, it's momentous. I mean, it's a huge deal. ARRAF: It is a huge deal. It's not the only deal, though. That's the thing to remember.

I mean, when you look at Iraqis and what they care about, the first thing is not the constitution. It's about whether they can get up and go to work in the morning, send their kids to school, and not be blown up.

Now, it will take place. And it will be a milestone, the same way that the elections in January were. But it's not going to be a make-or-break things in terms of security.

S. O'BRIEN: So people aren't buzzing about it inside and outside of Baghdad, you know, sort of as we would here, talk about inside the loop and outside the loop in Washington, D.C.? The general populous is sort of like, eh?

ARRAF: It's a bit like it is in Washington, D.C., inside the beltway Baghdad style, in terms of this is something that's very political and talked about widely in political circles. I mean, when you think of a constitution, it's basically, what do they want their country to be?

And most people haven't seen the constitution. Most people aren't focusing on it. Getting out and voting is an amazing thing, as we saw in the January elections. And to some extent, it's more that they're going out and doing it rather than what it actually means.

S. O'BRIEN: So all the people who, even if they haven't seen it, will still be at the polls, you think?

ARRAF: A lot of people will be at the polls because their political leaders, particularly the Shias, particularly the Kurds, are telling them to go out and vote. That doesn't meant they've seen the constitution or they understand it or they know what it means.

S. O'BRIEN: At the end of day, it's not about numbers, it's about percentages that turn out for the vote. What are the best estimates about how -- what percentage of the people will turn out, and which kinds of people will turn out?

ARRAF: Well, the big thing that everyone's looking at, of course, is whether the Sunnis are going to turn out. And in some of the places we were during the last elections there were literally only a handful of people who came out to vote in some of the more volatile areas.

In one of the provinces, there were fewer than 2 percent of Sunnis who came out to vote. So it's expected to be a bit bigger.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I was going to say, that's going to change. But aren't there concerns that the Sunnis are going to turn out to vote maybe in bigger numbers and maybe against this constitution?

ARRAF: Likely, some of them will turn out against the constitution. But mostly the protest will be in boycotting the vote. And it's expected to pass anyway. So that is not a major concern anymore.

S. O'BRIEN: So it looks like it's going to pass.

ARRAF: It does.

S. O'BRIEN: Many people will link this constitution to the violence almost in the same breath, as if passing the constitution the next day means, you know, why hasn't the violence stopped? And obviously that's not the case. But what about long term? The constitution passes, will there be a diminishment in the violence, do you think, long term?

ARRAF: Long term, I think if you get everything right -- and we're talking not just the constitution, but about getting the Iraqi forces back up to speed, about getting jobs out there -- it's a lot of things that have to come together. And if the constitution passes, it's a wonderful thing. But it delays a lot of the problems, a lot of the big questions about what sort of Iraq will it be. And it doesn't mean that the violence is going to diminish.

S. O'BRIEN: So it's a piece of the puzzle. And everybody wants the puzzle. They don't want just the piece of it.

What about the role of U.S. troops? If the constitution passes, long term and short term, doesn't that quicken U.S. troops getting out of Iraq?

ARRAF: One would like to think so, but probably no, because, basically, it won't really have much of an affect on the violence unless the whole political picture comes together with getting Iraqi security forces back up.

Now, politicians are going to say, look, this is an amazing thing. Some of them are going to say troops can leave now. That's not the case. There are vast areas of the country where there's still violence going on, and only U.S. troops there.

S. O'BRIEN: So I can't read if you're hopeful or not hopeful. I mean...

ARRAF: That's the thing about Iraq, it's so complicated. I am hopeful still because just from covering the last elections you cannot see families going out to vote, taking their children and saying, look, we're voting, and not be a little bit hopeful. And going out to vote tomorrow is going to require tremendous courage, and that is something there is no shortage of in Iraq. Iraqis are incredibly courageous despite all that, and that's where the optimism and the hope comes from, I think.

S. O'BRIEN: And also, I guess, sort of the lack of hope in that you're still dealing with all the violence that you have to have courage to go out and vote.

ARRAF: Absolutely.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. All right. Jane Arraf, nice to see you in person.

ARRAF: It's great to see you.

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you.

ARRAF: Take care.

S. O'BRIEN: Have fun with your fellowship.

ARRAF: Thanks.

S. O'BRIEN: I know it's a lot of work, too. So we hope you enjoy it.

ARRAF: Thanks a lot.

S. O'BRIEN: CNN is going to, of course, have complete coverage of this historic referendum tomorrow. It all starts on "CNN SATURDAY MORNING." Live reports from Iraq throughout the morning and the day -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: And Jane, you're coming back, right?

ARRAF: Yes. I'm coming back at 12:30.

M. O'BRIEN: No, no, no. I mean...

S. O'BRIEN: We meant to CNN.

M. O'BRIEN: For good. You're coming back, right?

S. O'BRIEN: And the answer is yes.

M. O'BRIEN: I want to get that on the record. We miss you.

S. O'BRIEN: We've just loaned her out. We've loaned her out only.

M. O'BRIEN: OK. I just wanted to make sure.

ARRAF: Can't stay away from Iraq.

M. O'BRIEN: We missed her very much. Yes, well, that's -- I understand that.

Still to come on our program, "Extra Effort" time. Jane Arraf made us think of "Extra Effort," as a matter of fact, because she always does it when she's in the field.

Today, dancing for health care. If you can't afford a doctor, why not go in and dance a little bit and then you get an appointment? That's sort of how it works on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: You know, this is a city filled with starving artists. Just about every waiter you talk to is struggling to become an actor. And for many of them, dancers in particular, they don't necessarily have the money to make ends meet, and certainly pay for health insurance.

Well, "Extra Effort" time. AMERICAN MORNING's Kelly Wallace looks at a creative program that's helping the artists stay healthy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Tucked inside this cramped apartment in Harlem, two of New York City's newest struggling artists, Ofelia Loret De Mola and Enrique Guzman Torres, husband and wife dance artists from Mexico. Here's a sample of their work. It's experimental, and it doesn't quite pay the bills.

OFELIA LORET DE MOLA, DANCER: It's a juggling act living in New York.

WALLACE: There's rent, food, studio costs, and one piece of equipment no artist can do without, their body, which in Ofelia and Enrique's case is uninsured.

LORET DE MOLA: It could be anything from a finger, to a neck, to a shoulder displacement.

WALLACE: No health care. It's like adding insult to injury.

LORET DE MOLA: I do feel as if I am in the lowest class as an artist when it comes to affording medical care.

WALLACE: This day's performance is going to change that. At Woodhull Medical Center in Brooklyn, Ofelia and Enrique are literally dancing for better health, exchanging artistic skills for medical services. It's a pilot project called Artist Access launched in May by Woodhull's medical director, Dr. Edward Fishkin.

DR. EDWARD FISHKIN, WOODHULL HOSPTITAL, MEDICAL DIRECTOR: We offer artists an opportunity to get health care, and also at a very affordable price. And at the same time, entertain patients who are in the hospital who may be dealing with pain and difficult diagnoses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First time here on the screen (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, indeed.

WALLACE: Trombonist Terry Greene struggles with an inconsistent cash flow. With this new program he can get a low-cost check-up.

TERRY GREENE, TROMBONIST: It's just as good as getting cash back. I mean, you're getting an opportunity to have treatment.

WALLACE: The performance turned in otherwise dull hospital lobby into a vibrant theater. Older patients, younger ones, doctors, nurses all enjoyed the show.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Beautiful. Amazing. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was almost more natural and more true. I feel like that, after all, we're artists.

WALLACE: Hospitals in Chicago and San Francisco have expressed interest in starting similar programs so more artists like Ofelia and Enrique can keep doing what they love while staying healthy along the way.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: That's what I call a win-win.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. That's a good...

M. O'BRIEN: Nice.

S. O'BRIEN: What could we do to get free health care?

M. O'BRIEN: I have no talent whatsoever. That's why I'm here.

S. O'BRIEN: I will personally deliver the newscast to you.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, I bet that will be a thrill, huh?

(LAUGHTER)

S. O'BRIEN: Good for them. That's nice.

M. O'BRIEN: All right.

Let's move on, shall we?

Coming up in the program, more on Katrina. Thousands of evacuees have moved on, and they are probably going to stay. And what we're hearing from a lot of these cities from the mayors is not a very good tale.

We talked to the Baton Rouge mayor yesterday. He's like, show me the money.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, they...

M. O'BRIEN: He's gotten zero from FEMA.

S. O'BRIEN: ... would like FEMA to help them out a little bit more. We're going to talk about that just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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