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CNN Live Today
Doctors Say Ariel Sharon Showing Slight Signs of Improvement; Andrea Yates Pleads Not Guilty
Aired January 09, 2006 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Doctors say that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is showing slight signs of improvement today. He is also breathing on his own, but remains in serious condition.
Our correspondent Fionnuala Sweeney joins us live. She's in Jerusalem with the latest -- Fionnuala.
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Daryn, about an hour ago, the doctors at the Hadassah Medical Center here in Jerusalem came out and spoke to reporters and said that Ariel Sharon had continued breathing on his own, spontaneously as it were, following the reduction in the dosage of the sedative that he has been receiving over the last five days. They also said that he responded to pain stimuli when they tried to encourage that, he moved his right arm and his right leg slightly. They are quite encouraged by this, but it's obviously very, very early days, and they emphasize that his condition remains serious but stable.
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DR. SHLOMO MOR-YOSEF, HADASSAH HOSPITAL DIR.: (through translator): The prime minister is still, of course, in the neurosurgical intensive care unit. As you know, since this morning, the prime minister began to breathe spontaneously. He's still connected to the ventilator, but he is breathing on his own. During the morning, we gradually reduced the anesthesia that the prime minister is receiving. The prime minister is still under sedation at this time, but at a lower dosage than in the morning hours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SWEENEY: Now, the doctors will continue to reduce that dosage over the next few days, and what they'll be looking for is continued movement of his bodily parts. And then at some point he might be able to open his eyes. They do stress, however, it is a very delicate situation. It could be a couple of days yet before we know of any cognitive damage that the prime minister may have suffered. But for now, it seems really rather a remarkable recovery, given that the 77- year-old prime minister has had three major operations over the past few days -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Fionnuala Sweeney, live from Jerusalem, thank you. You'll be monitoring the prime minister's condition.
(NEWSBREAK) KAGAN: Coming up, information on how you can help children with spina bifida, children like baby Noor. And CNN's live coverage of the Samuel Alito confirmation hearings begins at the top of the hour.
First, though, a look at tips for financial success in 2006. Let's check in with Veronica De La Cruz at the cnn.com desk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): If you have yet to put anything down on paper when it comes to New Year's resolutions, CNNmoney.com has 33 moves to help you find success in 2006. Be thankful for that roof over your head. Lock in a fixed-rate mortgage if yours is now adjustable. And find ways to try and lower your heating bill. Put your money to work in the stock market. Blue- chip growth stocks are a bargain right now, and may go higher.
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Logon to CNNmoney.com/succeed for ways to have a prosperous 2006. For the dot.comdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And this just in to CNN. Andrea Yates will once again stand trial for the murder of her children. She had a pretrial hearing today. That trial is set to start on March 20th. And she entered, once again, a not guilty plea by reason of insanity. We have on the phone with us right now George Parnham, he is Andrea Yates' defense attorney.
George, hello.
GEORGE PARNHAM, ANDREA YATES' ATTY.: Hello. How are you?
KAGAN: I'm doing OK. Tell me about the decision to once again enter the same plea that you had at the last trial.
PARNHAM: Sure. That really wasn't a decision. It's always been our contention that mental health issues drove Andrea to do the incomprehensible, and that is to take the lives of her children. We've never wavered in that stance, and that's supported by just a plethora of medical information, and the state has agreed that she was, then and is today a severely mentally ill individual. The whole issue is whether or not she knew what she was doing was wrong.
KAGAN: Right, which is the sticking point there in Texas. So she's been in jail since 2002. The capital murder convictions were overturned last year, late last year, because of a witness testimony that was ruled as somebody was lying there on the stand.
I know it's been your long-term goal to get Andrea the best psychiatric care... PARNHAM: Correct.
KAGAN: ... that you can.
PARNHAM: That's correct.
KAGAN: And it seemed like as soon as -- at the time, when those convictions were overturned, there seemed to be some amount of goodwill -- maybe I was reading something into that at the time -- that everyone involved kind of agreed another trial really wasn't going to serve the interests of everybody. So how did we get to this point?
PARNHAM: Well, yes, that's a good read. I had made, once the case was overturned, an effort nevertheless, a number of months, to have her placed in a mental health facility. We call it in the state of Texas a rusk, a state mental hospital, for an indeterminate period of time, years if necessary. And I thought we were on board with that. But that proverbial crack opened up one more time and this little situation fell through it.
However, that is not to say we will not, once again, go back to the drawing board and see if we can grab something that will address the non-negotiable issues of mental health care for Andrea and for generations of women in the future that suffer from mental illness.
KAGAN: Prosecutors, from wire reports, seem to be saying that they would be open to a plea deal. But for that, you have to have a guilty plea, that she has to be willing to do that. Do you see that as a possibility down the road, in terms of what you're trying to achieve here, if it can get Andrea Yates in the kind of situation that's best for her?
PARNHAM: Yes. There are ways to -- words of art, if you will. We'll never enter a plea of guilty. But that doesn't mean to say there aren't other types of pleas that could be entered, accepted by the state and to achieve what we consider to be the ultimate result in addressing the mental health issues that are -- that no one denies are here.
KAGAN: For instance, like nolo contendere.
PARNHAM: That's always within the realm of possibility. I can't get into plea conditions...
KAGAN: OK.
PARNHAM: But, you know, something could be created here. Let's have a little elasticity in our statutes and our laws and words that can match the spirit of what we're trying to do, and that is to address these mental health issues.
Daryn, I -- I can't close without making the following observation. You know, children need to have one person that they trust and love the most in this world to take care of them as free from mental illness as possible. That's what Andrea's kids' legacy can be.
And we want to make certain that these children have not died in vain. They are victims of a mentally ill mother, and we've just got to progress to the next level in this country if we're ever able to address these issues and make future generations safe.
KAGAN: And to those that say -- when you use words like elasticity and mention the five children -- those five children will never come back. They have lost their lives...
PARNHAM: That's right.
KAGAN: ... and are the ultimate victims at the hands of their mother. The most horrific crime.
PARNHAM: That is so absolutely correct. And their legacy, Andrea loves them so much -- their legacy should be, as I told her today, you know, people come and go in this world. And take the horrible circumstances of June 20th, 2001, and think about how your children can make a difference in the lives of others in the future. And the children of those moms. And that's what we're after.
KAGAN: George, thank you. George Parnham, Andrea Yates' defense attorney, talking to once again.
PARNHAM: Thank you, Daryn.
KAGAN: Yes, thank you. And we'll be following the story. Once again, trial set to begin at this point on March 20th.
We'll take a break. We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: In today's "Daily Dose," Baby Noor is out of surgery and in recovery at this hour here in Atlanta. You might remember, she's the 3-month-old Iraqi child suffering with severe spina bifida. And that means her spinal cord didn't completely close before birth. Baby Noor was brought to the U.S. last weekend for treatment. Doctors say the child is doing well after today's operation, but she will need more surgeries.
Last hour, we talked with Dr. Tim Brei, a developmental pediatrician who also has spina bifida. He says many people suffering with the illness are leading good lives.
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DR. TIM BREI, SPINA BIFIDA ASSOCIATION: I like to think that perhaps I can be an example to individuals that I meet and to the families that I help care for. But certainly, across the country, there are many individuals with spina bifida who are adults leading productive lives, who are married, who are having children of their own, who are in many profession -- teachers, jobs and ownership, job owners, lawyers, teachers. The full gamut is available to individuals with spina bifida. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: The Spina Bifida Association estimates that 70,000 people in the U.S. are currently living with spina bifida. You can donate by calling 1-800-621-3141. There's also more information on the Web site, sbaa.org.
If you need to be away from your television set today, you can still you keep up with Baby Noor's progress online. We have coverage all day long on CNN Pipeline, including a live briefing from Baby Noor's doctors. That's this afternoon at 4:30 Eastern. Just log on to our Web site at CNN.com/pipeline.
And we're checking on business next. And then, live coverage of the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee, Samuel Alito.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: And we're watching a breaking news situation in midtown Manhattan in New York City, a partial building collapse. We understand it's an apartment building, and that one person was trapped inside, and they have now been able to get that person out.
Once again, watching a partial -- you've got a better picture of it there, a partial building collapse of an apartment building in midtown Manhattan.
More information as that becomes available.
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KAGAN: We're going to wrap up a little bit early here. I'm Daryn Kagan. We're going to send you into THE SITUATION ROOM with Wolf Blitzer next. He has special coverage of the Samuel Alito confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill.
Have a great day.
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