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CNN Live Today
Too Old to Die?; Pakistan Protests; Golden Globes Preview
Aired January 16, 2006 - 11:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, he has less than 16 hours to live, unless the U.S. Supreme Court steps in. A California inmate says he is too old and too sick to die. He argues that his execution would be cruel and unusual.
CNN correspondent Dan Simon takes a look at that case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barring a last minute reprieve, early Tuesday morning, Clarence Ray Allen will go to California's death chamber, and at 76, become the oldest inmate ever executed in the Golden State, one of the oldest ever put to death in the United States.
Because of his age, death penalty opponents are employing an unusual strategy to try and save his life.
ANNETTE CARNEGIE, ALLEN'S ATTORNEY: He is functionally and legally blind. He's hard of hearing. He cannot walk.
SIMON: And that, according to his lawyer Annette Carnegie, is reason enough to spare Allen's life. An execution in this instance, she argues, would amount to a cruel and unusual punishment, which the Constitution forbids.
CARNEGIE: The lack of medical care, the degradation, the 23 years that he has been on death row, are punishment enough.
SIMON: This is Clarence Ray Allen in his younger days: A wealthy businessman who owned his own airplane. But Allen also had a violent streak. He was convicted in the murder of his son's girlfriend after she helped turn him in following a robbery. The sentence, life in prison. There was no death penalty then.
Allen may have been in prison, but his murderous ways continued. In 1980, he ordered the executions of several witnesses to the murder he was already serving time for. By then, the U.S. Supreme Court and California had reinstated the death penalty, and Allen's new home was death row at San Quentin prison.
Mark Klaas is a victims advocate, whose young daughter was murdered. He's unmoved by Allen's arguments for staying alive.
MARK KLAAS, VICTIM'S ADVOCATE: He should have been executed long ago. He wasn't. He should be executed now. SIMON: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger shares that sentiment, denying Allen's plea for clemency. The governor said, quote: "The passage of time does not excuse Allen from the jury's punishment." Unless last minute appeals succeed, Clarence Ray Allen will be put to death midnight Tuesday, just one day after his 76th birthday.
Dan Simon, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: By the way, Allen would not be the oldest inmate executed in the U.S. since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. That distinction belongs to 77-year-old John Nixon. He was put to death in Mississippi just last month. Thirty-eight 38 states have the death penalty, with more than 3,300 inmates on death row across the country. The oldest is a 90-year-old man in Arizona. No execution date has been set for him.
To South Florida now, two teenage boys accused in vicious attacks on homeless men are now in police custody. Authorities say the suspects turned themselves in yesterday. A surveillance video which contained some disturbing images helped police track the boys down. Now on this tape, one of the victims, who apparently had been sleeping on a bench, was severely beaten with what appeared to be baseball bats. In another attack, another victim was killed. The two teens are identified as 17-year-old Thomas Daugherty and 18-year-old Brian Hooks. Police say they'll face murder and aggravated battery charges. They're also suspects in the third beating case that is still under investigation.
Funeral services are still pending for a Florida eighth-grader who was shot to death at his middle school by a SWAT team member. In Friday's incident, 15-year-old Christopher Penley was shot after police say he aimed a weapon at the officer. And we followed this story very carefully as it was unfolding on Friday morning. The weapon was thought to be a nine-millimeter handgun. Turned out it was just a modified pellet gun. Penley died yesterday from his injuries. The family's lawyer says the boy's father is extremely angry that police ignored his plea to speak with his son during the standoff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK NATION, PENLEY FAMILY ATTY.: He does know that if Christopher was still alive, and if he was allowed in that school, he would have been able to talk him out of it. Sean, his brother, also said let me go talk to him. Let me talk to him, and he will put it down, and he'll come out. And he was not allowed to do that, either.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Florida law enforcement authorities are now investigating the shooting.
To world news now. Islamic groups today promising more anti- American protests over a U.S. airstrike in Pakistan. The intended target was al Qaeda's second in command, but Pakistani officials say the victims were innocent civilians.
Details now from Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Rubble. When new reports in Pakistani newspapers say Al Qaeda's number two, Ayman Al Zawahiri, was expected for dinner when a CIA-initiated missile attack tried to kill him. The man so often seen next to Osama bin Laden appeared for a few hours at least to have finally been cornered. But CNN intelligence sources and villagers denies Zawahiri or any outsiders were present.
QAZI HUSSAIN, OPPOSITION LEADER (through translator): Foreigners and outsiders are not here, nor among the recovered or dead.
ROBERTSON: Eighteen people were killed, including women and children, angering not just this tribal region, but the whole country, threatening the war on terror.
From rain-drenched durtalis (ph), where tribes are more powerful than government, to the wide, well-ordered affluent boulevards of the nation's capital, Islamabad, the cost of the apparent intelligence mistake is being paid. One of the U.S.' staunchest allies on the world on terror, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, is being told to step down.
FAROOQ SATTAR, PAKISTANI POL. LEADER: The government of Pakistan should resign because they have failed to protect their territory and protect their citizens from the unjustified attack from the American forces.
ROBERTSON: Outrage has been so strong, Musharraf's allies are, for the first time in years, joining forces with the opposition.
Musharraf has been through this before. Most notably, announcing his support for the U.S. after September 11th, but he is politically weaker now, and that means catching Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri may be getting harder.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Time is running out for all of those who are engaged in this, and they must very seriously address the lapses and the weaknesses in the intelligence.
ROBERTSON: In the war on terror, improving intelligence is proving one of the hardest battles to win.
Nic Robertson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(NEWSBREAK)
From doctors in training to adultering housewives to gay cowboys. Boy, they got it all. Wouldn't be the Golden Globes without them. Hollywood guru, awards expert Tom O'Neil joins me live with some surprises and races to watch tonight.
But first, are you hunting for a job in 2006? Then you have to check out the best companies to work for. Here's Melissa Long at the dot-com desk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA LONG, CNN.COM CORRESPONDENT: If you've resolved to land a new job in the new year, start your search by checking out some of the top places to work at CNNmoney.com. "Fortune" magazine has compiled its annual list of 100 best companies to work for. Included in the list for 2006, a store dedicated to organization, a consulting group in New England and a privately owned grocery chain in upstate New York.
Also check out this state-by-state breakdown of top companies. California ranks number one, with the most businesses on the best places to work list. And if the extras are a big factor, check this section on unique and often unusual perks. Timberland offers employees a $3,000 subsidy to buy a hybrid vehicle. And Smuckers, the century-old jam company, says it will cover 100 percent reimbursement for tuition. You can find it all at CNNmoney.com/bestcompanies.
For the dot-com desk, I'm Melissa Long.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: The stars are coming out tonight. The 61st annual Golden Globe Awards. The awards honor achievement in both film and television. The ceremony takes place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Making final touches there. And we'll have a wrap-up of the Golden Globe winners tomorrow.
Today, though, time for some predictions. Joining us from Los Angeles, our winner is Tom O'Neil.
Tom, either you've been up very late, and we're catching last night's 'do, or you're getting ready early.
TOM O'NEIL, SENIOR EDITOR, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Yes, I leave the studio here to go over to the Beverly Hilton. Here's -- Daryn, you're a woman of great class and taste, as your viewers know.
KAGAN: Well, thank you.
O'NEIL: Do you think Joan Rivers will approve?
KAGAN: She has got to, because I got to tell you, you're looking hot.
O'NEIL: All right, great.
KAGAN: And you send her to me if she gives you any trouble. Let's -- we love having you on around these award shows because you understand them better than anybody, and that's why you have theenvelope.com and goldderby.com, why people turn to you.
So let's go to some of the surprises or predictions. Best drama picture tonight. What are you predicting?
O'NEIL: Well, of course, it's all about "Brokeback Mountain." We give it three-to-one odds at theenvelope.com to win best picture. "Good Night and Good Luck" has a lot of strength, but the question is beyond this category, what else can "Brokeback" take?
KAGAN; And as we move on, best director. Now you're saying this is where it gets kind of interesting. I checked out "Good Night and Good Luck" over the weekend so I'm feeling more educated about this prediction of yours.
And we are putting up the nominations on the screen as we talk about these different categories. So people see that there's big names. Peter Jackson, Woody Allen. George Clooney you think is the favorite. Ang Lee is in there as well and Steven Spielberg.
O'NEIL: Most people think Ang Lee is the favorite because he's the director of "Brokeback," of course, but this is the category to watch tonight.
KAGAN: Why is that?
O'NEIL: Because if George Clooney wins -- and frankly, Daryn, they always go for the celebrity in the directing. Even last year, Clint Eastwood won best director when "The Aviator" swept all the other awards. If they go the celebrity route here, we could see "Good Night and Good Luck" take off, and all of a sudden we have a very different Oscar race. If "Brokeback" wins here and wins screenplay, it may be, you know, safe home all the way to the Oscars.
KAGAN: And very good moment for some education here. Remind us who the voting pool is. Fewer than 100 people deciding the Golden Globes.
O'NEIL: Right. It's only about 80-some members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. But these guys, you've got to give them some credit. They survive as freelancers in a tough showbiz town and they're on the lookout for the hot new thing to report back in Cairo and Buenos Aires for their newspapers. So they tend to go for the new, fresh faces.
KAGAN: And one thing they do, they split the category. There's drama and then there's comedy/musical as well. You say in the best comedy/musical, we're going to see the biggest upset of the night.
O'NEIL: Yes, that's why I think the jaw dropper happens after Clooney, which will be the biggest one. This category is supposed to go to "Walk the Line." It will probably almost certainly win best actor for Joaquin Phoenix and actress for Reese Witherspoon.
But I think this is where we're going to see the upset for "Pride and Prejudice." Because the one thing the Globes do that the Oscars don't do is they like to mix it up. And I think this is where they take the left turn and go for the movie that's -- I don't know if you saw this, Daryn. It's such a good movie. It -- you love it with your heart.
KAGAN: They also had television awards. And I had a chance to talk with Mark Cherry, creator of "Desperate Housewives," one of the most popular series last year. This is what he had to tell me about how things have definitely changed in his life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: As much as I enjoy your show, I really love your own personal story. And you talk about downturns. But basically before "Desperate Housewives" hit, you couldn't get arrested in Hollywood.
MARC CHERRY, CREATOR, "DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES": I literally couldn't get arrested. No, I went for three years without a job, without a single interview for a job. And then my agent embezzled $79,000 from me. She went to jail.
KAGAN: God bless her.
CHERRY: I became broke. Yes, God bless her. I went broke, I had to borrow money from my mom. And during the last half of that, I had this little script that I'd written, trying to kind of pull myself out of my down time. And no one would buy it. And I thought it was so good and I could not understand why no one would do a soap opera about these four desperate, weird women.
And finally, you know, Steve McPherson, who is president of Touchstone Television, read it and he said I get this, I think it's great and I'm going to give it a shot. And that was the first moment like a ray of light burst through the clouds. So I became a very, very lucky guy right after that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Lucky and talented. So will tonight Marc Cherry and his "Desperate Housewives" be desperate or lucky?
O'NEIL: Oh, I think they're going to be lucky. They won last year for best comedy series and for best actress with Teri Hatcher. The question is, which housewife will they go for tonight? I think it's either going to be Marcia Cross or Felicity Huffman. I kind of hope it's Marcia, I'm a fan there.
But by the way, Daryn, did you know that he once wrote a TV show about four other dames called "The Golden Girls."
KAGAN: "The Golden Girls." Absolutely. So he's been doing OK. Just a little stretch in between.
Tom, once again, you look fantastic.
O'NEIL: Thanks a lot. Hey, I'll be on with Joan and Melissa later between 6:00 and 6:30 Eastern Time, so tune in.
KAGAN: TV Guide Channel.
O'NEIL: That's right.
KAGAN: We will look for you. And you're going to come back with us tomorrow morning?
O'NEIL: Yep.
KAGAN: OK. Well, we'll see how your predictions did. Tom O'Neil, thank you.
O'NEIL: Thanks Daryn.
KAGAN: There is new information about treatment for an allergy that affects a lot of Americans. It's getting kind of dark in here. If you and your kids suffer from peanut allergy, this is a story you will not want to miss. We're also going to check on business news next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: When I come in here to B-control, all these monitors behind me aren't just for show; they allow us to monitor a lot of different events taking place, including one that's live right now. Right there, this is what's taking place at Ebenezer Baptist Church, not too far from where we are here in Atlanta, downtown Atlanta. These are ceremonies going on for Martin Luther King Day, the national holiday commemorating the civil rights leader of Martin Luther King Jr. We want to take a closer look at how the holiday came about. Here now are the facts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Congressman John Conyers of Michigan was the first to introduce legislation for a federal holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. That was in 1968, only four days after King was assassinated.
Congress didn't pass legislation creating a national holiday until 1983. Ronald Reagan was the president who signed it in to law. The first national observance was three years later on January 20th, 1986.
Some states at first resisted the holiday. It wasn't until 2000, that Utah recognized MLK Day by its name, renaming its own "Human Rights Day." And South Carolina was last to make MLK Day a paid holiday for state employees.
Until then, employees could choose between that day, or one of three Confederate-related holidays. Even though the holiday is observed the third Monday of every January, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s actual birthday was January 15th.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(MARKET REPORT) (WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan.
International news is coming up next. Stay tuned for "YOUR WORLD TODAY." Jim Clancy and Zain Verjee will be along, and then I'll be back here with the latest headlines from the U.S. in about 20 minutes. I'll see you then.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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