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American Morning
Saddam Hussein on Trial; Crooked Congressman
Aired November 29, 2005 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, I'm Miles O'Brien.
The first big winter storm of the season hits with deadly force, much of the Great Plains at a standstill this morning. And the storms are headed east. The forecast is ahead.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Soledad O'Brien.
A California congressman calls it quits after admitting he took millions of dollars in bribes. Prosecutors say more people could be charged in the case. We've got the latest in the investigation.
M. O'BRIEN: And say it isn't so. More signs of trouble in the housing market. Is the bubble that much closer to bursting?
All that on this AMERICAN MORNING.
S. O'BRIEN: Good morning, welcome, everybody.
You sure hope the housing bubble doesn't burst. We've been really talking about that for a while.
M. O'BRIEN: The Miles O'Brien theory of real estate, you buy, things tank, and so it goes.
S. O'BRIEN: It happens.
M. O'BRIEN: And so it goes.
S. O'BRIEN: Then, as we head through the winter weather, too, things tanking certainly. Gosh, it's been bad.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, all throughout the country. It's nice here, but I guess we've got trouble headed our way.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, we certainly do.
The big story of course today is the weather. Heavy snow warnings are in effect out west. A foot or more is now expected. And while a powerful winter storm that walloped the Plains is moving east, Jacqui Jeras has an update from the CNN Center.
Hey, Jacqui, good morning to you.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey.
S. O'BRIEN: Where is it all headed now? (WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Jacqui, thanks for the update.
M. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Jacqui.
S. O'BRIEN: Appreciate it.
President on the road again today.
Carol Costello has that.
M. O'BRIEN: Talk about Iraq.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Hello -- Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq and more.
Good morning. Good morning to all of you.
President Bush heads to the border today. He'll leave Phoenix in the next hour for El Paso, Texas where a tour of the U.S.-Mexican border is planned. He'll talk about beefing up security along the border, including adding more high-tech surveillance. President also pushing his guest worker visa plan. And of course, as you know, that plan has drawn criticism from some in Congress.
The Supreme Court is in session and we could see some decisions coming out this week. Among them, a ruling regarding Oregon's assisted suicide law. The court also hears arguments tomorrow on an abortion issue. That would be New Hampshire's law requiring parents be notified 48 hours before an abortion can be performed on a female, or a woman, a young woman under the age of 18.
We could learn more today about the legal philosophy of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. The questionnaire he filled out for the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to be released. You might remember when former nominee Harriet Miers filled out her questionnaire the Republican judiciary chair pretty much gave her a flunking grade. In fact, he asked her to resubmit it.
And Canada, after months of political wrangling and a corruption scandal, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin got a no confidence vote in the House of Commons. That means a new election possibly in January. A date could be set as early as today.
Monday Night Football, in case you missed it, Indianapolis wins again. That is 11 in a row.
M. O'BRIEN: I thought you were a Lions fan?
COSTELLO: I am a Lions. And, by the way, the Lions, they fired Coach Mariucci.
M. O'BRIEN: They did.
S. O'BRIEN: You predicted that one.
COSTELLO: I did.
S. O'BRIEN: We were talking about that the other day.
COSTELLO: We're like, yes. But, yes, Mariucci is gone, but the Colts are on quite a streak.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I remember when he was in San Francisco, they loved him, but then didn't.
COSTELLO: He was -- well, we loved him at first, too, and then the team was losing and losing.
S. O'BRIEN: That's the way it goes, isn't it,...
COSTELLO: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: ... in that business?
COSTELLO: It is.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Carol, thanks.
Let's turn to Iraq now and talk a little bit about the issue of security where the ongoing violence is now holding up the trial of Saddam Hussein.
Aneesh Raman is live for us in Baghdad this morning.
Aneesh, good morning to you. We know the trial resumes in a week. What else is happening?
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Soledad, good morning to you.
The trial is set to start again on Monday. The delay, though, came really as a surprise to everyone who was watching, and it sets a dangerous precedent by this Iraqi High Tribunal. The adjournment was because one of the co-defendants of Saddam Hussein, whose lawyer had been killed in the interim period between the October 19 first session and yesterday, rejected the court-appointed defense attorney. And that suggests that any time a defense attorney is killed, that defendant has the right, essentially, to hold up the court by one week.
Now it also hits home the very difficult balancing act that this court faces, trying to appease a world audience that is looking at this court, trying to make sure it is legitimate, deferring to the defense. But also it's in a country where the Iraqi populace is very keen on this trial moving as quickly as possible.
Ramsey Clark, the former U.S. Attorney General, who is now an official adviser to Saddam Hussein's defense team, spoke yesterday to CNN about the difficult situation on the ground for this court.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAMSEY CLARK, FMR. U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: It's an extremely difficult case to assure fairness in because the passions in the country are at you know fever pitch. And it'll take effort at every turn by the court and everyone participating to be fair and to show that you are being fair for it to have any chance for a fair trial. I don't think of a more difficult situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAMAN: Now this adjournment, Soledad, does not address the overall security situation, the one that left two of the defense attorneys killed, that uncovered a plot against one of the judges involved in this whole trial. And so the defense, who wanted a three- month delay, could again petition for that next Monday -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman in Baghdad for us.
Aneesh, thanks a lot.
M. O'BRIEN: Now to Washington and the sudden resignation of Republican Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham who now admits taking more than $2 million in bribes. Prosecutors say more people may be charged.
CNN congressional correspondent Ed Henry with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Randy "Duke" Cunningham pled guilty to accepting bribes and evading taxes and then dramatically announced his resignation from Congress.
REP. RANDY "DUKE" CUNNINGHAM (R-CA), ADMITS TAKING BRIBES: I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions, most importantly, the trust of my friends and family.
HENRY: Considered a hero for his service as a Navy fighter pilot, Cunningham shot down five MIGs in the Vietnam War. His exploits inspiring the movie "Top Gun." Two years ago, the California Republican sold this house in San Diego for the inflated price of $1.6 million to Mitchell Wade, president of a small defense firm. Wade then sold the house for a loss of $700,000 as payback for the congressman backing his bid for millions in military contracts.
CAROL LAM, U.S. ATTORNEY: An egregious pattern of bribes that included a defense contractor paying hundreds of thousands of dollars more for Mr. Cunningham's home than its true value warranted. Mr. Cunningham asking the defense contractor who purchased his home to then pay the capital gains tax on that home, which the contractor did.
HENRY: Federal prosecutors said the congressman also got a yacht, a Rolls Royce, jewelry and antique furniture. Cunningham used the proceeds from the first house to buy this sprawling $2.5 million mansion, a serious upgrade for a congressman making about $160,000 a year. Back in the summer, the congressman vehemently denied wrongdoing.
CUNNINGHAM: I did not profit improperly from the sale of my home.
HENRY: But now this former war hero is trying to come clean.
CUNNINGHAM: In my life, I have had great joy, and great sorrow and now I know great shame. I learned in Vietnam that the true measure of a man is how he responds to adversity. I can't undo what I've done, but I can atone.
HENRY (on camera): Duke Cunningham will likely do that atonement behind bars. He now faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of $350,000.
Ed Henry, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: House Democrats are responding to the Cunningham resignation. In a written statement, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the case is -- and we quote her now -- "just the latest example of the culture of corruption that pervades the Republican-controlled Congress" -- end of quote.
S. O'BRIEN: We're going to talk to Bill Schneider a little bit about that coming up this morning.
Still ahead, emergency laws still in effect in France after the riots there. Are things getting any better? Christiane Amanpour gets to the bottom of that speaking exclusively with the French prime minister this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Also, have to say it again I guess, is the bubble ready to burst? We'll look at a downturn in home sales.
S. O'BRIEN: And Mike Wallace, a legend in TV journalism, now he's telling us his story. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: We're going to run out of songs fast at this rate. It must be Tuesday, but we're saying good-bye "Ruby Tuesday."
M. O'BRIEN: Is -- I think so. Is there a Wednesday song?
S. O'BRIEN: It's only a few minutes past the hour.
M. O'BRIEN: Is there a Wednesday song?
S. O'BRIEN: It's kind of a Wednesday...
M. O'BRIEN: Wednesday, Wednesday. S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: No, that's not it, that's Monday, right? I don't know.
S. O'BRIEN: There's got to be a Wednesday song.
M. O'BRIEN: We're going to find one, because Jerry (ph) finds these things.
S. O'BRIEN: Even a bad one, we're going to put it on.
M. O'BRIEN: He does.
All right, let's get some news in.
S. O'BRIEN: Absolutely.
The president, of course, taking his message on the road once again. Carol's got an update of what we're going to hear from the president today.
Good morning.
COSTELLO: Pretty much the same message, Soledad.
Good morning to all of you.
President Bush is vowing to beef up security at borders and help immigration. President is wrapping up a swing through the southwest. He's set to visit El Paso, Texas to check out border security operations, and then he'll head to a fund raiser in Colorado.
France takes steps today into dealing with rioters that caused so much turmoil earlier this month. The National Assembly votes on the anti-terrorism law. France's interior minister says the law gives police more power. It also calls for more video surveillance and a closer checking of government records. Our Christiane Amanpour will have much more on this just ahead.
Remember those suit-wearing vandals who trashed two liquor stores in California last week? They were caught on surveillance video at one of the stores. Well, it seems they have now been identified. Police say they know who they are and they are coming after them. Investigators were looking into the incidents as possible hate crimes because the stores' owners are of Middle Eastern descent.
And Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's friendship may be over, but thank goodness their show isn't. "The Simple Life 4" is heading to the E! Entertainment Television Network. Fox ditched the show back in October. The new episodes will have Paris and Nicole competing against each other in household duties. It's sort of a "Trading Spouses," but I don't think they'll ever be together on the show. If you're really, really interested, the show is set to air in the spring. And if you are driving near Chicago this morning, please try to avoid parts of Interstate 90 and 94. Workers are cleaning up a huge water main break. Northbound lanes are covered by up to four feet of water. Crews hope to have the roadway cleared later this -- can you believe that -- Jacqui?
JERAS: You know temperature 34 degrees right now in Chicago, by the way, so.
COSTELLO: So some of that water is freezing, well, not yet.
JERAS: Not yet.
COSTELLO: A couple of degrees.
JERAS: Yes, it could have been worse, actually, just a few degrees lower.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COSTELLO: Nasty day today.
Thank you, Jacqui.
Back over to you guys.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.
M. O'BRIEN: Real estate, is the bubble going to burst?
S. O'BRIEN: No.
M. O'BRIEN: Carrie Lee wearing black. Is that pre-mourning? Are you mourning my condo?
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just a coincidence. Just a coincidence.
S. O'BRIEN: You know he moved, right, so you understand all the stress and drama emanating from Miles right now.
LEE: First-hand experience here. We knew this was going to happen at some point. National Association of Realtors now saying...
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, right after I bought, that's it.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, that's when.
LEE: You could have done worse. You could have done worse. Definitely not at the bottom, but they say the housing boom has probably ended. Pretty strong words here. We knew this was going to happen sooner or later. The numbers to back this up, sales of existing homes in October came in weaker than expected, down 2.7 percent from the prior reading. Home inventory levels at their highest level in nearly 20 years. Now this doesn't mean things drop off a cliff, of course. In fact, the NAR is expecting what they call a soft landing. They do expect further cooling in the coming months. But consider mortgage rates have been rising now for 10 weeks running. Home prices still rising, but at a slower pace than before. So it looks like the peak has definitely passed us. And we did see home prices and everything else going for five years running.
The broader question, what does this mean for the economy because we know that the low mortgage rates and all of these things have helped fuel consumer spending. Today we'll get a look at new home sales at 10:00 a.m. Eastern, so that could give us some direction.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Rates are still pretty low.
LEE: They are still pretty low. The 30-year fixed, the most popular, just at about 6.5 percent. So historically certainly very low, but you know when it comes to paying those monthly mortgages, even a small percentage...
S. O'BRIEN: You know when it comes to paying...
LEE: ... makes a difference in someone's budget.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it does. Yes, it does.
S. O'BRIEN: He's got such sticker shock moving here from Atlanta.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Lucky me.
(CROSSTALK)
LEE: Yes, well, of course, from Atlanta to New York.
S. O'BRIEN: You can sell now. She said a soft landing.
M. O'BRIEN: Good, that's great, thank you. I don't have to worry about capital gain.
LEE: Yes, for an apartment well over a million dollars now, so there you go, in this city.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks.
LEE: OK.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, can you guess what's living in these nests right here? What the heck is that?
M. O'BRIEN: Rats. What is that?
S. O'BRIEN: Could be something that you have living in your home right now. M. O'BRIEN: What is that?
S. O'BRIEN: I hope it's nothing creepy. We're going to reveal the mystery when AMERICAN MORNING returns in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: What?
(CROSSTALK)
M. O'BRIEN: Still trying to get this Cyber Monday thing. You buying this Cyber Monday thing?
S. O'BRIEN: I buy it.
COSTELLO: Stop. Get off that already.
M. O'BRIEN: Here's the thing. Here's the thing, there's this site (ph) -- this piece in "The Journal" today, they're saying Cyber Monday went strong and they think it's because everybody was talking about it on the morning programs. In other words,...
S. O'BRIEN: It's hype that worked -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: ... we created...
S. O'BRIEN: Right. Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: So get over it, right?
COSTELLO: Like we don't talk about Black Friday and like increase the hype.
M. O'BRIEN: I know. I know.
COSTELLO: OK, time for "Morning Coffee."
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: The segment.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, let's do "Morning Coffee."
S. O'BRIEN: Let's drink up.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: That's right, you guys drink up because these are the stories that really caught our attention this morning.
It's called the eradication program, as in what some call gassing parakeets. You heard right, gassing parakeets.
M. O'BRIEN: No.
COSTELLO: And your tax dollars are apparently paying for it. Take a look at the Monk Parakeet. There's the Monk Parakeet.
M. O'BRIEN: Cute as he can be.
COSTELLO: Oddly, thousands of them inhabit the great state of Connecticut.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: They build these humongous nests, sometimes on top of utility poles. See how big the nests are. And according to the utility company in Connecticut, and some neighbors, they are a fire hazard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have high voltage electric equipment up there, so we have to be very careful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had a fire one time because of the nests. So I know that something had to be done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: You noticed she said fire one time. Nobody knows how many fires these birds have actually caused, maybe two, I don't know. So anyway, the birds are going to be turned over to the government for disposal. Talk about the U.S. Department of Agricultural, and that's quite literally. Those birds that are not destroyed will not end up in your local pet store. Instead, they will be used for research. There is...
M. O'BRIEN: Wait a minute.
S. O'BRIEN: Wow, that's a horrible story on all fronts.
COSTELLO: Isn't it?
M. O'BRIEN: First of all, so many questions.
COSTELLO: It is. And there's going to be a big meeting in the state legislature today on this topic.
M. O'BRIEN: Are they indigenous to Connecticut?
COSTELLO: No. No.
M. O'BRIEN: Or was this like somebody that got away from a cage and you know?
COSTELLO: It was 30 years ago there was some accident and a crate overturned...
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... and a Monk Parakeet escaped and the rest is history, as they say.
S. O'BRIEN: Wow!
COSTELLO: They're like rabbits.
M. O'BRIEN: And they taste just like chicken, too.
COSTELLO: Anyway, stop it, because this story really made me mad, actually. It's like they're going to gas these poor parakeets.
S. O'BRIEN: So unnecessary.
M. O'BRIEN: Sorry.
COSTELLO: Isn't there another way?
Anyway, let's get on to this one,...
M. O'BRIEN: Sorry.
COSTELLO: ... because this is another amazing story. It's amazing how attached people can get to their favorite football team. Here's an example. This man ran onto the field during the Philadelphia Eagles game on Sunday. Usually it's just a drunk guy acting crazy.
S. O'BRIEN: What's he got in his hand?
COSTELLO: Well, Soledad, he had a purpose. He was spreading the ashes of his dead mother.
S. O'BRIEN: No. No.
M. O'BRIEN: My gosh. It's kind of touching.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS NOTEBOOM, ARRESTED FOR TRESPASSING: I know that the last ample ashes I had are laying on that field and they'll never be taken away and she'll always be part of Lincoln Financial Field and the Eagles. I just felt it was right to do it on the field and suffer the consequences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: That was Chris Noteboom. He was arrested for defiant trespassing. He spent the night in jail. And afterward he said the worst part was that he was locked in there with a Packers fan.
Now what is it about...
M. O'BRIEN: What would dear mother say?
COSTELLO: Well she's happy now in heaven with her ashes spread on the field.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow.
COSTELLO: Hey, I wouldn't mind them being spread in Detroit on the field. I understand that perfectly.
What is it about Tampa, Florida I ask you? Earlier this month, two Carolina Panthers cheerleaders were arrested after a brawl in a nightclub bathroom. Actually, they were doing more than that in the bathroom stall. Anyway, yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Brawl -- quote/unquote -- "brawl."
COSTELLO: Yes. Well now this, police arrested a pair of nude dancers outside the Tampa Bay football stadium. It seems the women were giving lap dances in a motorhome parked nearby. So while the tailgaters were getting ready for the Bears and the Buccaneers, they were getting entertained by a couple of bunnies.
M. O'BRIEN: Kind of gives new meaning to the term tailgating, does it?
S. O'BRIEN: Wow.
COSTELLO: I like that one, Soledad. That was good.
S. O'BRIEN: Moving on. Wow, I just I can't recover.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come, you'll meet a man who would never say that on television, Mike Wallace of "60 Minutes" fame. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. What a pretty shot there.
M. O'BRIEN: It is pretty. It's a very mild day.
S. O'BRIEN: That's so gorgeous. It's a nice day. It's going to be a nice day here at least whether it's...
M. O'BRIEN: But the rest of the country...
S. O'BRIEN: Top story this morning is bad.
COSTELLO: Stinks, really stinks.
M. O'BRIEN: Man. Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Really, really bad.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about this congressman from California, because it's just unbelievable he was...
S. O'BRIEN: Duke.
COSTELLO: ... taking bribes. But he was... M. O'BRIEN: What were you thinking, Duke?
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