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American Morning

Saddam Lashes Out at Bush; New York City Transit Strike: Day Three; Manhunt in Florida for Escaped Rapist

Aired December 22, 2005 - 06:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning. Welcome, everyone. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: And I'm Rick Sanchez, in for Miles.

O'BRIEN: Miles has the week off. Rick has been helping us out.

Some new signs this morning, is it back to the bargaining table in the New York transit strike? We're live with the very latest on it.

SANCHEZ: More drama in the courtroom. Saddam Hussein, again, accusing his captures of beating him, calling President Bush, directly, a liar. We'll tell you what he's talking about. We'll take you to Baghdad.

O'BRIEN: A last-minute deal keeps the Patriot Act alive, for now. But will the president accept the compromise? Lawmakers also facing off over the controversial issue of oil drilling in Alaska, delivering a bitter defeat to one of the toughest members of the Senate.

SANCHEZ: Also, police are fanning out across Florida to find an accused serial rapist who used his bed sheets to escape from jail.

O'BRIEN: Those stories all ahead this morning. Welcome everybody.

Let's begin though with overnight developments in the New York City transit strike. The key players, all the folks who could really end the strike, at least they're all in the same building right now. Let's get right to Allan Chernoff. He's live for us at the Brooklyn Bridge, which is one of the main ways to get into Manhattan.

Allan, good morning to you. What's the main sticking point in bringing everybody back to the table?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT, AMERICAN MORNING: Well, let's be sure to say that we don't know that people are back at the table. At the moment it appears that we still have a war of words, even though the main players may be at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, where negotiations had been taking place.

But the key issue here is pensions. Roger Toussaint, the head of the Transport Workers Union, has said that the strike would end if the Metropolitan Transit Authority were willing to take the issue of pensions off of the table.

The MTA has been demanding that workers increase their contribution for their pensions, up to 6 percent of their pay, and the union has said they don't want to do that.

Well, the head of the MTA, in response to the comment from Roger Toussaint, said that is an outrageous demand. We're not taking pensions off the table and Governor Pataki, of New York, has said, look, end the strike, then we'll get back to negotiations.

So at the moment, it looks like we still have that war of words, a real stalemate, and as a result New Yorkers are still lining up like this to get onto the Brooklyn Bridge. We've had this line since before 5 o'clock in the morning, and all of these cars have to have at least four occupants to get into Manhattan. That is a requirement between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m., here in New York -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: It's going to be another day where it's a big mess. Just like yesterday and the day before. Allan Chernoff for us, this morning.

Allan, thanks.

Rick.

SANCHEZ: Taking you to Iraq now. A surprise visit by Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair. He's in the southern city of Basra, giving British troops a little boost of morale before Christmas.

He also going to be talking about security and last week's parliamentary election with British and U.S. officials. Britain has 8,000 troops in the country. All based, by the way, in southern Iraq.

As for Saddam Hussein, back in court, portraying himself as a victim again, and taking on the Bush administration directly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SADDAM HUSSEIN, FORMER IRAQI PRESIDENT (through translator): The White House lies once more. The number one liar in the world. They said in Iraq there is chemicals and a relationship to terrorism and then they announced later that we couldn't find any of that in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Aneesh Raman has been following the story. He's in the courthouse. He's joining us now by phone. One of the first times we've heard Saddam Hussein addressing this directly, Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Rick. Good morning.

He did so in the midst of a court session. It was supposed to have two more witnesses testifying, they did. We're now in recess. It's unclear whether we will reconvene to have the court adjourn or if there are further witnesses to be heard from.

But as you say, in this session, as in all the others, there are more statements being made than there are questions being asked of the witnesses who are testifying. Now, the prosecution say it has been very vehement in telling the judge that this trial needs to be kept on track, that the only statements that should be made are those relevant to the case and relevant to the witness at hand.

Instead, we've seen Saddam, we've seen his half brother, and the other defendants embark on long speeches, a sound bite of which you just played, saying that the White House has lied. It is the first lie, because it said Iraq has chemical weapons.

He said that the prosecution has been lying. He lashed out, as well, on the court as a whole. So, it is part of this process that we're seeing. Saddam playing to a community outside of that courtroom, who are watching and listening to his words -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: He's talking about everything but the charges he's accused of, it seems like, Aneesh?

RAMAN: Exactly, and we're seeing that from the other defendants. His half brother Barazan Hassan al Tikriti stood up and embarked on a long speech, talking about the censorship of the video. The fact that the prosecution, the judge, as well as court officials, have the ability to cut video, cut audio for what they deem are security purposes.

But, again, long speeches from him; that sparked a very dramatic moment. One of the courtroom clerks -- or sorry, one of the guards, evidently, said an insult, according to the defense lawyers, about the defendant. The defense lawyers all stood up, threatened to walk out. Then the defendant stood up, Saddam Hussein, his half brother, as well as Tahayatsen Ramadan (ph), the former vice president. And Saddam Hussein essentially said at the end of that stand off, you need to have this guard removed. And the judge concurred and the guard was taken out of the courtroom. So, again, we're seeing this battle for control, as well as the battle to get the legal proceedings going, Rick.

SANCHEZ: Sounds wild and you'll be monitoring it for us, Aneesh Raman, there in the courthouse in Baghdad. We'll be checking back.

Soledad, over to you.

O'BRIEN: All right. Let's talk about Congress. Still some last-minute details to take care of before Christmas after a flurry of deal-making in the Senate. On Wednesday Senators extended the Patriot Act for six months even though Republican leaders wanted to make it permanent. The move will give the Bush administration time to answer questions about civil liberty concerns.

Republicans also pushed through a $40-billion budget bill, with a tie-breaking vote from the vice president, Dick Cheney. Both bills must still get approval in the House, though many representatives are already home for the holidays. And no drilling for oil in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge, at least for now. Democrats were able to shut down a measure opening the Arctic Wildlife Reserve to oil exploration. Senator Ted Stevens, who has pushed hard for the drilling, says he is disappointed in his colleagues.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TED STEVENS (R), ALASKA: This has been the saddest day of my life. It is a day I don't want to remember and I'm sorry to see it come to an end. Because I am drawing a line now, with a lot of people I've worked with before. I really am. I really am.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: With the business in Congress largely finished, President Bush will leave for Camp David later this afternoon. Coming up, in the next hour, we're going to get a congressional wrap-up from CNN Political Analyst Ron Brownstein.

Rick.

SANCHEZ: Taking you to Florida, now, where police are searching again for this morning an accused serial rapist, who used a rope made of bed sheets to escape from jail.

Reynaldo Rapalo is suspected of seven attacks on girls and women ranging from 11-years old to 79. Christopher King is in Miami, he has the details for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTOPHER KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The big question is, just how did he get out? Police say Reynaldo Rapalo escaped from his jail cell at a maximum security wing of a facility just outside Miami.

Now, Rapalo is accused of raping seven victims. Police say he escaped by tying together bed sheets and repelling down to the street. And now the law enforcement community is outraged.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're all so angry. This is a person that avoided police and justice, did not want to face his victims. Did not want to be held accountable for his vicious and violent crimes.

KING: Rapalo was arrested back in 2003. He had been awaiting trial. Authorities believe he crawled out through an air duct to get outside. And now they've launched a massive manhunt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking at our staff right now to see, if in fact, some one has failed their job or if we need to take other measures.

KING: Police say another man tried to escape with Rapalo, but he broke his leg and now he is in custody. But Rapalo is still on the loose. Police say he's 5'4", 140 pounds, he was last seen wearing all black. They believe he is carrying a weapon. And they say he's very dangerous. Christopher King, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Eight minutes past the hour, time to get a first look at the forecast.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, we're watching these overnight developments in the New York City transit strike. Court threats of more fines and even jail time to break this walk out. We're going to be live for the very latest.

SANCHEZ: Also, some big discounts for last-minute holiday shoppers. We're going to tell you where you can find them.

O'BRIEN: Oh, that's good news. And new screening rules take affect today at the airport. We're going to tell you what you need to know to get right through security. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Those are our Christmas lights.

(LAUGHTER)

We wish! Those are lights of cars on the GWB, the George Washington Bridge, this morning. Folks trying to make it into the city. It was worse, I thought, yesterday than it was the day before. And my guess it is going to be even worse today, as this transit strike drags on.

More on that, in just a moment. First, though, a look at some of the stories making news today. Kelly has that.

Good morning, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NEWS ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning to you. And hello, everyone.

Well, if you were headed to the airport this morning, expect to get a more thorough pat down going through security. That's because new screening procedures kick in today. There will be more random- passengers searches, but you can now bring along small scissors and tools with you on your flight. And we'll see how the new screening is going in the next hour when we talk with our Kathleen Koch, at Reagan National Airport.

Investigators looking into that crash of that seaplane off Miami Beach are disappointed. That is because they found the cockpit voice recorder from the wreckage of the plane, but it is unreadable, so it is essentially useless. Investigators, however, did find a crack in the plane's right wing. The plane's operators have now voluntarily grounded all four of the planes in that fleet for testing. Twenty people were killed in Monday's crash. In New Orleans, now, were two police officers have been fired for a French Quarter arrest all caught on video tape. And you probably remember seeing this; 64-year-old Robert Davis being beaten by officers. This incident took place back in October. Police said Davis was drunk but he has denied that.

The two fired officers, and a third, were charged with battery in the incident and are now awaiting trail. And because the officers are white and Davis is black, a federal civil rights investigation has been launched.

In Los Angeles, firefighters burn warehouse containing 50 pounds of unstable dynamite. The dynamite was destroyed. And we had showed you some of these live pictures yesterday, when it was happening. Part of Interstate 405 was closed during the fire. And about 50 people nearby were evacuated. Four people have been arrested in connection with the explosives. Officials say the dynamite, not connected to terrorism.

And a man swimming in the waters off Maui got an unwelcome surprise. Twenty-nine-year-old Jonathan Janan (ph) was swimming alone when a shark bit him. He lost one of his fingers and part of another before getting away. Janan (ph) says the shark let him go when he hit him in the nose with his other hand. It is believed to have been a 10- to 12-foot tiger shark. Janan is now said to be doing well.

Bonnie Schneider now, at the CNN Center with an update.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

SANCHEZ: You know, for a lot of the retailers this is like the time of the year. Sometimes, you know more than 80 percent of their business comes. So, here three days before Christmas and there may be a big reward for people who waited to do that last-minute shopping, because they're trying to draw them in, right?

CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: And do you fall into that category?

(LAUGHTER)

Yeah, discounts. And we all know it's down to the wire. And the procrastinators could be winning out this year. You know, you're out there. A couple of big retailers discounting things at the last minute.

A couple of examples, here, Saks Fifth Avenue taking 40 percent of already reduced prices. So a total savings of 60 percent, pretty good.

Lord Taylor taking 25 to 40 percent off already discounted items. And Sears -- or, J.C. Penney, excuse me -- has recently mailed out $10 certificates to some of its customers.

Now, some analysts say this is really masking the real issue, here, that there aren't too many must-have hot items. One exception, though, the Microsoft Xbox 360, you may have heard about that. People having a tough time --

O'BRIEN: You can't get them.

LEE: Finding those. Exactly, exactly.

O'BRIEN: Have you heard Miles going on and on about the efforts to get his --

LEE: He's trying to get one?

O'BRIEN: The 360, yeah.

SANCHEZ: I think he's succeeded, right?

O'BRIEN: I think the last we heard was they sent him a notice saying that the delivery wasn't going to be on time.

LEE: Hopefully, the kids aren't watching this program right now.

O'BRIEN: Oh, they're on vacation. I'm sure they're not.

SANCHEZ: Don't give away the invasion plans, huh?

LEE: Exactly, exactly. But VISA saying so far this year, last Friday was the best day for VISA cards. Overall shopping up 3 to 4 percent over last year. Here's a look at the chart, you can see, $5.2 billion. So, so far a pretty good season, but a lot could happen in the next few days.

O'BRIEN: Hopefully a lot happens in the next few days.

LEE: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: Carrie Lee with our financial update. Thanks, Carrie.

LEE: OK, sure.

SANCHEZ: Thanks.

O'BRIEN: Let's get right back to Kelly with a look at what's coming up on "Morning Coffee" this morning.

WALLACE: Coming up, ahead, Soledad. Imagine this, being spied on in your car on every road, in every town. It's a new program in the works and we'll tell you where. The details just head, here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Frustrating burning, too. Because these are people in their vehicles trying to get from Brooklyn to New York City, this morning. Trying to get over the Brooklyn Bridge and the transit strike is on for a third day, meaning it's slow going today.

SANCHEZ: They're not even moving! Did you see that?! O'BRIEN: I'm sorry. It's not going!

SANCHEZ: They were just -- it's a parking lot that we were just showing.

WALLACE: I was just thinking that someone might be listening to that music in their car. They're thinking, I'm not in the holiday spirit. Not at all.

O'BRIEN: Not even a little.

"Morning Coffee" this morning.

WALLACE: "Morning Coffee": Right. My first time doing this.

O'BRIEN: Well, welcome. Take it away.

WALLACE: All right. Well, this one is likely to get some folks riled up, because it really is a fact of Big Brother watching.

But we're talking about in Britain, not here in the United States. The country has a new system in place that will eventually let authorities watch every car, on every road, in every town. It is the first of its kind national car monitoring system incorporating thousands of cameras that will take pictures of license plates. Those will then be fed into a giant central database and kept on file for at least two years.

Police say they'll check the license numbers against lists of stolen or suspect vehicles -- but they also may use the information to make sure each car has the proper registration and insurance. So, if you didn't pay your insurance, if you didn't register your car, it is another way.

SANCHEZ: Well, why not you're out there in public, right? I mean, you're rights pretty much end once you leave your house.

WALLACE: I know. I know, but don't you think --

SANCHEZ: As far as privacy is concerned?

WALLACE: Don't you think some people might be worried in terms of this information, what's going on in your car?

O'BRIEN: On a database for two years when you haven't done anything yet?

WALLACE: Right.

O'BRIEN: We'll be watching you guys.

SANCHEZ: Did I say something wrong here?

(LAUGHTER)

WALLACE: OK, this is my favorite story of the day, because New Jersey -- everyone picks on New Jersey. You know? Everyone always says if you live in New Jersey --

O'BRIEN: What exit?

WALLACE: What exit? Well, the state's trying to improve it's image. It is coming up with a new state slogan. But perhaps they left out some of the best suggestions. Voters have five to choose from, right now. And they are: New Jersey, expect the unexpected. Come see for yourself. The real deal. The best kept secret.

And I like this one: And love at first sight. Well, that's the one the acting-governor, Richard Cody (ph) says he's voting for.

Here are some of our other favorites that didn't quite make the final five. New Jersey: Great view of Lady Liberty's backside. And this one, so sad, New Jersey: It always smells like this?

O'BRIEN: Oh, that's so cruel.

SANCHEZ: You know what it should be?

WALLACE: What?

SANCHEZ: It ain't what you think it is.

O'BRIEN: Actually there was another -- there was a choice.

SANCHEZ: Yeah, because --

O'BRIEN: Governor Cody, I thought this was a brilliant idea, because the slogan they had for New Jersey? What is it? It is something like, come give us a chance, or something?

WALLACE: Right. I like, it ain't what you think it is. That's a great idea, because that --

SANCHEZ: No. It's a beautiful state.

WALLACE: It's beautiful. And everyone always --

SANCHEZ: Mountains, waterfalls --

O'BRIEN: Everyone always --

WALLACE: OK, parts of course, the New Jersey Turnpike. You know?

OK. Final story. And this one, shows lottery lawsuits are not just confined to here in the United States. Get this: A Canadian agreed to share some of his lottery winnings with his ex-wife -- but she wants much more. And this one could get a little ugly, too.

She claims he waited a year to claim his $30-million prize so he could finalize their divorce first. But, get this, he says their so- called sexual arraignment had lapsed long before he bought that winning ticket. And then, to make it even more bizarre, he's agreeing to pay her legal bills so she can keep fighting him in court for half of the money.

She's also seeking payment, since she's had a bad back an can't work. Her husband says her former job, an exotic dancer.

O'BRIEN: Oh, there's so much more going on here, than just the lottery!

WALLACE: There is so much in this story.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: A reality TV show.

WALLACE: I love it.

O'BRIEN: All right. Kelly, thanks.

WALLACE: Sure.

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, one mother's clever idea to get her family to clean up after themselves. We'll give you a little hint. It involves selling stuff on Ebay. We're back in just a moment with more AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: It is day three, and there may be some movement this morning, in the New York City transit strike. We're going to bring you the very latest in just a moment.

Saddam speaks out in court. The defiant dictator lashing out against his accusers and the U.S.

And have you seen this? This little baby penguin. Zookeepers believe he's been kidnapped and they only have days to live. We've got that story ahead.

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