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American Morning

Stanley 'Tookie' Williams Put To Death; President Bush Moving on to Medicare Today

Aired December 13, 2005 - 07:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Soledad O'Brien. Emotional reaction in California to one of the most controversial executions in years. Stanley "Tookie" Williams put to death this morning. We'll take you live to San Quentin.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Miles O'Brien. President Bush moving on to Medicare today, but is his message on Iraq taking hold among Americans? We have some numbers for you, and we're live at the White House.

S. O'BRIEN: And thousands of people still waiting for shelter more than three months after Hurricane Katrina. We'll take a look at the trailer troubles just ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning. Welcome, everybody, as we start our hour here. Let's get to our top story here. Stanley "Tookie" Williams put to death just about four hours ago. It is the most closely watched capital punishment case i recent memory.

Kareen Wynter live for us in San Quentin in California.

Kareen, good morning.

What was the reaction there?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning to you.

A lot of disappointment on the part of protesters who lined the prison outside the gates here. According to witnesses, they describe a chilling account of what happened inside that chamber. The fact that Williams chatted a bit with the staff inside the execution room and seemed to be taking in every moment of his final minutes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE LOPEZ, EXECUTION WITNESS: He did, while they were tapping his veins, lift his head several times to look around at people. He seemed, for the most part, to be looking over to a section where there appeared to be some of his supporters. At one point, he looked directly over at us. It was hard to see if he was just looking at the press in general, or anybody in particular.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: Even after his death, some of his staunchest supporters vowed to prove his innocence. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA BECNEL, WILLIAMS SUPPORTER: We are not going to forget what they did tonight to Stanley "Tookie" Williams, and we are not going to stop in our effort to obtain justice for Stanley "Tookie" Williams, and we are going to prove his innocence. And when we do, we are going to show that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is, in fact, himself a cold-blooded murder.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: Soledad, some strong words there you just heard for the governor. In addition to trying to prove his innocence, his supporters, Williams' supporters, want to continue his legacy by reaching out to troubled youth -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Kareen, what happens now? I mean, here's a guy who spent more than half of his life in prison. What do they do with the body?

WYNTER: Right. There are some guidelines that are in place. The state will be taking his body to a funeral home. And according to Tookie's will, well, he wants his body turned over to his very close friend, Barbara Becnel.

S. O'BRIEN: Kareen Wynter for us this morning. Kareen, thanks for the update.

In just a little bit, we're going to talk to the stepmother of one of Williams' victims. She was there for the execution this morning and broke down at sobs at one point. We'll talk to her just ahead -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Two Iraq now. In preparations for Thursday's history-making parliamentary elections, interestingly enough, new polls show Iraqis appear to be more optimistic about the future of their country than many Americans appear to be.

Aneesh Raman in Baghdad.

Aneesh, what else do those numbers have to say?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Miles, good morning.

As you mentioned, voting under way today for Iraqi expatriates in some 15 countries outside of Iraq yesterday. We saw early voting by soldiers, by those in the hospital, also by detainees who weren't convicted. All of this a buildup to Thursday's vote. You mentioned a poll conducted by a number of media organizations, including ABC News and "Time" magazine. Overall, they said seven out of 10 Iraqis are optimistic about their future.

They also asked more specific questions, first, about the government they're now electing. The question was, do you have confidence that elections will create a stable Iraqi government? The answer to that, a great deal, said 42 percent, 34 percent said quite a lot, and then you see there 14 percent, not very much, 5 percent, none. They also were asked about the system of government. The country, of course, it was just removed from a tyrannical dictatorship. They were asked, which of these systems would be best for Iraq. Fifty-seven percent said democracy. Twenty-six percent said dictatorship. Fourteen percent said an Islamic state.

Now, when we talk about polling in Iraq, there are obvious caveats, huge security concerns. Some 1,700 Iraqis polled for these questions.

But when you talk about that optimism, it might be surprising. You have to keep in mind, though, in the Kurdish north and the Shia south, things are relatively quiet. The areas of concern have always been and continue to be four provinces, Baghdad, Al Anbar, Salahadeen (ph) and Niniba (ph), Where 85 percent of the attacks take place. So it's unlikely you would find seven out of 10 Iraqis in Baghdad, let's say, who are voicing optimism, and it is why so much effort is being placed on those four provinces -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, with all that in mind, and it's difficult to make sweeping generalizations as a result, what do the numbers tell you? What is your general sense as well, Aneesh, about how people are feeling about the U.S. presence there, now on the 1,000th day since the war in Iraq began?

RAMAN: Well, it's interesting. Essentially Iraqis want the U.S. military to be invisible. A good number of them see the U.S. military as necessary in terms of stability, essentially what could be preventing civil war. And if they were to leave, the militias would essentially take control of the country.

They did in this poll, though, asked a question, do you support or oppose presence of coalition forces in Iraq? Twenty-two percent said the they supported it; 65 percent of Iraqis say they oppose it.

Now, Iraqis all will say that they do not want foreign troops here longer than necessary, a good number of them saying as soon as possible foreign troops should leave. In fact, its government might come out next year with a timetable for withdrawal, something that might help the Bush administration, because the Iraqis will be calling for it, rather than the American public -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman, thank you very much.

CNN has some special coverage of this turning point in Iraq. "ANDERSON COOPER 360" is the program, live all week. You can see it tonight, 10:00 Eastern Time.

Just two days to go before the Iraqi elections, President Bush still trying to turn around American public opinion on the war.

Dana Bash live at the White House with more on that.

Dana, good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles. And the president already is hailing those elections as a remarkable transformation for a country that has not seen a true democracy ever.

But the most noteworthy part of an appearance in Philadelphia yesterday was not in his prepared remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 38 minutes, the president mixed optimism with realism, casting the Iraqi elections as a first, but critical step that could allow some U.S. troops to come home.

At what appeared to be the end, a sip of water and a surprise.

BUSH: I thought I might answer some questions.

QUESTION: I would like to know why you and others in your administration invoke 9/11 as justification for the invasion of Iraq.

BUSH: Yes.

QUESTION: ...when no respected journalist or other Middle Eastern experts confirm that such a link existed?

BASH: To that, an unapologetic president said the attacks taught him to ignore no threats.

BUSH: And I made a tough decision. And knowing what I know today, I would make the decision again.

BASH: This was the third of four speeches designed to boost support for the war and for the president. A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shows the president's approval rating is now 42 percent, up four points since last month. And how he's handling in Iraq in particular is up slightly as well, from 35 percent last month to 39 percent now.

Taking questions was a new twist, an answer to critics, even within his own party, who say Mr. Bush can appear arrogant, insulated and unwilling to face tough questions about the war. Asked about Iraqi deaths, Mr. Bush cited what aides later called an unofficial number.

BUSH: I would say 30,000, more or less, have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis.

BASH: Unsolicited, he added the U.S. casualty figure he is criticized for avoiding.

BUSH: We have lost about 2,140 of our own troops in Iraq.

BASH: The president said he came to Philadelphia to speak about democracy in Iraq because it's the first place of the U.S. Constitution.

REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: I believe we need a change in direction.

BASH: Five blocks away, hawkish Pennsylvania Democrat John Murtha repeated his "bring the troops home" message, which helped escalate the Iraq political debate. And Democrats in Washington called the president's rhetoric wishy-washy, lacking clarity.

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D), MICHIGAN: We must tell the Iraqis that we have done our part. We have done more than our part. Now it's up to you to get your political house in order.

BASH: The increased Democratic criticism adds to the delicate balance facing Mr. Bush, both to raise expectations, predicting Iraqi elections will be reported as a Mideast turning point, but also to lower them for anyone who might think this week's votes means U.S. troops are no longer necessary.

BUSH: This week, elections won't be perfect, and a successful vote is not the end of the process.

BASH: Mr. Bush acknowledged the major concern in this week's election is Sunni reaction. Though the administration pushed hard for greater Sunni participation, disappointment in the results could cause a backlash for support for the insurgency runs highest.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: On that 30,000 figure, the president cited answering a question about how many Iraqis had been killed, it sounded official, especially since the White House insists that Q&A session was unscripted, and the president had it ready. And that is the first time we've heard that figure from the White House. But later, Miles, the White House scrambled to clarify that that actually is something that is not official. The White House and the administration doesn't keep that figure. In fact, the president got it from news reports.

M. O'BRIEN: Interesting. It's funny, the president famously says he doesn't read the newspapers. That's interesting he would say that.

BASH: He definitely reads the newspapers. We can assure you of that.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, thank you very much, Dana Bash -- Soledad.

BASH: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Katrina evacuees staying in hotels have a little more time to find a place to live. A federal judge in New Orleans is adding another month to FEMA's deadline, making the deadline now February 7th.

CNN Gulf coast correspondent Susan Roesgen is in new Orleans This morning.

Susan, good morning to you. I guess a little bit of relief, but maybe we should emphasize a little bit and not much more than that, right?

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A little bit, Soledad, and for some people, a long way away. That's the big question down here, what is the holdup of getting those FEMA trailers. Give folks a trailer and they can start to rebuild.

We found one couple in St. Bernard Parish here, near New Orleans, who have waited so long that finally decided to buy a tent and set it up inside their living room. They're gutting the house, they want to work on their house, they don't want to leave, they don't stay any longer in a hotel, so they decided to put a tent up in the living room.

Now there are mobile homes and trailers available. In Arkansas, more than 5,000 FEMA mobile homes are sitting empty, unused. FEMA up there in Arkansas say those mobile homes will be delivered following proper procedures. And in St. Bernard Parrish, less than ten minutes where those folks are living in a tent, are about 1,400 travel trailers, but these are privately owned, they were ordered from a contractor, and they can't be delivered until FEMA agrees to pay for them.

So, Soledad, housing is the big issue here, and a lot of people are waiting for housing and can't get it.

S. O'BRIEN: OK, so you have a bunch of trailers that are just sitting there waiting to be paid for. You have a bunch of people who need a place to live and would be happy to move into one of those trailers. Is FEMA going to pay for those trailers? Why are they not paying for those trailers?

ROESGEN: Well, you know, that's the thing that nobody knows, that's the $64,000 dollar question. The emergency management chief in St. Bernard Parish says he calls FEMA three and four times a day. He talks to a FEMA representative right there in the parish, and he either gets a vague answer, or he gets, it's coming, it's coming, we're working on it.

I talked to the private contractor who brought down all those trailers from Florida. He said, you know, I got a lot of money tied up here sitting on this lot, and I haven't been paid, and the trailers won't sit here forever. So it's a really sticky situation, and a lot of people would just love to go up and pull one of those trailers out and bring them home.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, my goodness. And imagine if, in fact, he gets so fed up, the owner of all these trailers, he just pulls them out. I mean, to have trailers there, unused, no one can get into them who needs them, and then they pull out. That would be ridiculous.

Susan Roesgen with an update on the situation. Susan, thank you for that update. Ahead this morning, we're going to talk with the parish president in St. Bernard Parish, Henry Jr. Rodriguez, talk a little bit more about this FEMA conundrum and the trailer problems as well.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, we'll talk live to the vice president's wife, Dick Cheney's wife, Lynne. Most Americans don't think the White House has a victory plan for Iraq. We have some numbers on that. We'll ask her about that.

S. O'BRIEN: Also, our special series on post-traumatic stress disorder continues. Many troops say they're not getting treatment they need when they come home from the war. What's the military doing to help them?

M. O'BRIEN: And next, we'll speak with the stepmother of one of Tookie Williams victims. She was there for the execution, and we'll get her reaction ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: All right, we've had three Vioxx trials now, 1-1-1, I guess you could say. Mistrial out of Houston, Texas. Been reading a little bit about this, this morning, and a lot of attorneys are weighing in on this one. They say this is one that should have been an easy victory for Merck, right?

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Yes, I think because it wasn't , it may not be 1-1-1. It may be one victory and two losses, Miles, and here's why. A federal judge yesterday in Texas declared a mistrial in the first federal case against Merck over use of its painkiller Vioxx. The jurors were simply deadlocked, and the reason why this may not be good news for Merck, instead of it just being a draw, is that the gentleman who used this drug used it only for a month, which suggests that at least one of the jurors is convinced that even short-time use of Vioxx is potentially fatal. So that's not good news, number-one. And number two, the jurors were not able to use the fact that "The New England Journal of Medicine" story the other day that we reported, which suggested that Merck covered up evidence of problems with Vioxx in trials, that was not also used in deliberations.

So if you weigh in those two factors, this is not such good news for the drugmaker.

M. O'BRIEN: Right, so the plaintiffs have another piece of ammunition going forward.

M. O'BRIEN: I would think so.

M. O'BRIEN: And if this is retried, presumably, that "New England Journal" fact would be entered into the whole mix. There was only one holdout, right? There was an 8-1 decision by the jury?

SERWER: yes, although that's unclear, again, because the deliberations are a tricky business. So I think that's probably correct.

But again, Wall Street, in particular, not happy here. The stock was down 2 1/2 percent. The stock is tumbling, so I think that means they think more trouble ahead. Certainly 6,400 cases is not a good thing.

M. O'BRIEN: It's a long road ahead, isn't it?

SERWER: That's right.

M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, thank you very much -- Soledad.

SERWER: You're welcome.

M. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, the Golden Globe Awards, traditionally considered a good weather report for the Oscars, it's also one of the biggest nights of the year in Hollywood. The Golden Globe nominations for movies and TV come out in just about an hour.

And CNN's Sibila Vargas has a preview for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One powerful primate, an exotic foreign tradition and a tragedy of Olympic proportions. And so begins the predictions for the 63rd Annual Golden Globes.

TOM O'NEIL, THEENVELOPE.COM: There are Two slam dunks shoo-ins for nominations, Spielberg's movie "Munich."

The early buzz on "Memoirs of a Geisha" is fantastic.

VARGAS: Besides "Munich," "Geisha" and "King Kong," there's Ron Howard's "Cinderella Man," George Clooney's "Good Night and Good Luck," "Crash" from Oscar-winner Paul Hagan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: We know it could be like this, just like this, always.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: And the much-hyped and early critics' favorite "Brokeback Mountain" by acclaimed director Ang Lee.

ANG LEE, DIRECTOR: It's the kind of movie that sink in with the audience. The movie has a magic.

VARGAS: For best musical and comedy, possible contenders include Newline's raunchy laugher "Wedding Crashers," Steve Martin's "Shop Girl," big-screen versions of Broadway hits "Rent," and "The Producers," as well as the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line.

Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix are considered favorites for performance nominations, as is Phillip Seymuor Hoffman for "Capote," David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow in "Good Night and Good Luck," Ziyi Zang (ph) from "Geisha," Heath Ledger for "Brokeback" and Keira Knightley for "Pride and Prejudice." Recent Emmy-winner Felicity Huffman is considered a likely nominee for her gender-bending role in the film "Transamerica." And for playing Lynette on ABC's "Desperate Housewives."

O'NEIL: This is an example of a veteran actress taking a big chance on an arty role, and it pays off superbly.

VARGAS: Other TV favorites include F/X's plastic-surgery drama "Nip/Tuck," ABC's hit "Lost," HBO's freshman series "Rome," as well as its veteran comedy "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and the final season of critical favorite "Arrested Development."

Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: We're going to take you live to L.A. for the Golden Globe nominations, 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, 5:30 on the West Coast.

A short break. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Stanley "Tookie" Williams is no more. The gangbanger and murderer who later evolved into an author of children's book and a Nobel Prize nominee died by lethal injection not long after midnight Pacific Time.

Among the witnesses, Lora Owens, whose stepson Albert was killed by Williams in 1979. She joins us on a morning where she is tired and emotional. And I just got to ask you, what's going through your mind this morning?

LORA OWENS, STEPMOTHER OF VICTIM: I'm glad that it's finally finished, Miles. I'm glad that now we can say that the court system has worked and justice has been served. Albert and his father can now rest.

M. O'BRIEN: Is there a sense of relief? I assume it's not satisfaction. You don't get satisfaction out of something like this, but do you feel that much different this morning than you did yesterday morning?

OWENS: I think perhaps a little bit of relief, knowing that now we can put this behind us, that it has been achieved, and now we can just look forward.

M. O'BRIEN: As we look at your stepson Albert Owens, who was killed in 1979, execution style, working in a 7-Eleven, all this talk about Tookie Williams, there is much more talk about the victims. And I know that's difficult for the family members who are left behind.

OWENS: Quite difficult. Actually, the reason I came out and started talking was because people said it doesn't matter what he did years ago, and it does matter. It matters a lot. Not only to us, and to Albert or the Yang family, but other victims, too. There are a lot of victims out there we need to remember.

M. O'BRIEN: When just after it happened, Barbara Becnel, his coauthor and friend, Tookie Williams coauthor and friend, stood up and said the state of California has just killed an innocent man, and there were others who did that. What was that like when you saw that unfold?

OWENS: I'd like to respect Barbara Becnel's love for that man. She loved him. I'll just leave it there.

M. O'BRIEN: You were visibly shaken, though, when that happened. Was it that moment that crystallized it all for you?

OWENS: I didn't take that lightly. It was not an easy thing to do. But it's what I felt like I had to do, and it's done.

M. O'BRIEN: There are -- this became a cause celeb, and I know that upset you in many fronts. Jesse Jackson was there, and he was among those who was trying to save Tookie Williams' life. Let's listen to him for just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. JESSE JACKSON, RAINBOW-PUSH COALITION: I feel pained by the governor's decision to choose revenge over redemption, and to use Tookie Williams as a trophy in this flawed system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Revenge, a trophy, what do you say to that?

OWENS: I'm sorry he feels that way. You know, I was so proud that the governor didn't make it a political decision, that he took the evidence, and that's how he made the decision, over the evidence. I'm sorry that Jackson feels that way, but I think he's badly mistaken.

M. O'BRIEN: What if Tookie Williams had apologized, had owned up to what he did and had apologized, would you have felt differently? Would you have supported clemency?

OWENS: No, you see apologizing, asking forgiveness, that's right in atonement. It doesn't get you out of a just punishment. He had the just punishment.

M. O'BRIEN: Lora, did you have a chance to think about your stepson through all of this, this morning? And have you thought that this is where he wanted you to be?

OWENS: I felt like that's where they wanted me to be. I thought both of Albert and my husband. And I felt like I was doing what they would of expected me to do, what my husband asked me to do, And i've done it. Now I just want to get on. M. O'BRIEN: All right, we wish you well on that.

OWENS: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Lora Owens is the stepmother of victim Albert Owens. We thank you very much for being with us on a difficult morning.

OWENS: Thanks for having me.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up, Lynne Cheney will join us live. We'll ask her about the war in Iraq, and what the White House is doing to reassure Americans. Also, her husband's reportedly diminished role in the White House. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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