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American Morning

Militant Group Hamas Claims Victory in Palestinian Elections; Crash Kills Seven Children

Aired January 26, 2006 - 08:00   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.

A stunning development to tell you about in the Middle East this morning. The militant group Hamas claims victory in the Palestinian elections. What will that do to the peace process? We're live in the West Bank with the very latest.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Miles O'Brien.

A hostage walks a few feet for a Camel, giving police the break they needed. Hostages free and safe, suspect's wearing cuffs, facing charges. We'll take you there for the latest.

S. O'BRIEN: And a horrible crash kills seven children. Police want to know exactly how it happened. We've got a live report just ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning.

Welcome, everybody.

M. O'BRIEN: Good to have you with us.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's get to it.

Starting overseas, grave questions now about peace in the Middle East this morning. The group that seems to have won the Palestinian elections, Hamas, has vowed to destroy Israel. Israel says it's not planning to talk to Hamas and President Bush says he's not going to deal with Hamas either.

The White House reaction from Elaine Quijano this morning -- Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.

Well, the White House certainly is keeping a close eye on the developments unfolding in the Middle East. It was, of course, this time last year, during President Bush's State of the Union address that he outlined one of his major foreign policy goals. That was helping to spread and support democracies worldwide, including the Middle East.

Therein, though, lies the dilemma for the United States. If Hamas, which the U.S. has labeled a terrorist organization, does become part of the Palestinian government, as part of this democratic process, the Bush administration, which is carrying out a war on terrorists, is certainly going to be in an awkward position.

Now, although the results are not official yet, President Bush is commenting on Hamas. In an interview published in today's "Wall Street Journal," the president said: "A political party, in order to be viable, is one that professes peace, in my judgment, in order that it will keep the peace."

He went on to say: "And so you're getting a sense of how I'm going to deal with Hamas if they end up in positions of responsibility. And the answer is not until you renounce your desire to destroy Israel will we deal with you."

So for now, Soledad, the White House watching and waiting to see what happens. But this certainly representing a major complication for President Bush's vision of a two state solution, of an Israel and a Palestine living side-by-side in peace -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: A huge complication and many, many questions, too.

Elaine Quijano at the White House.

Thanks, Elaine.

In just a few minutes, we're going to talk with former Senator George Mitchell, obviously somebody who's been in the middle of peace negotiations in the Middle East. We'll talk to him about this latest development -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, I guess you could say it was a dog day night at a bank in central California. But before dawn broke, it was over with a trick and without a drop of blood spilled.

A tense drama unfolded in Exeter. That's about 40 miles southeast of Fresno. That's where we find Peter Viles early this morning -- good morning, Peter.

PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

We can laugh about it now, but it was pretty tense overnight. It started at 5:00 last night. This gunman took eight people hostage at a Bank of America branch here. Over the course of the night, he released five of those hostages and two escaped. So he was down to one hostage this morning.

And then caught on tape by our own CNN cameraman, Jim Castell (ph), here's what happened. And I think we can see it now. The SWAT team goes in and takes out the last hostage and then shortly after that goes in and takes, without any shots fired, goes in and takes the hostage taker himself.

Now, how did this all happen? Essentially, they tricked the guy who was holding hostages. He had asked for some cigarettes. They brought the cigarettes to the door and left them at the door of the bank and stepped back and said to him, in negotiations, someone's got to come get the cigarettes.

He's got a choice now -- does he get them himself or does he send the hostage out?

Earlier, Miles, you had talked to a representative at the sheriff's department about what happened next.

Here's a portion of that interview from earlier today on AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. CHRIS DOUGLASS, EXETER SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: The cigarettes were placed at the doorway and when the vic -- the hostage did come to the doorway in order to obtain the cigarettes, the situation did present itself to where the hostage could be removed from the building and the suspect could be detained.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VILES: The old cigarettes in the doorway trick, Miles, and he fell for it. So he was taken in with no shots fired and none of these eight hostages, as we understand it, were injured in any way or harmed in any way. And the guy who is accused of doing this, who -- everybody saw him do it -- Jess Martinez, 47, of Asalia (ph), which is about 20 miles away from here, is in custody about a block in front of me.

We expect to learn later today, Miles, what he'll be charged with.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, clearly he missed a few movies I've seen, Peter Viles.

Thank you very much -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: A devastating crash in northern Florida to tell you about. Seven children killed when a tractor trailer slammed into their car. The tractor trailer was moving at full speed. More kids were seriously hurt when the car then rolled into the school bus.

It happened on Wednesday afternoon in Lake Butler, 60 miles southwest of Jacksonville.

Let's get right to Rusty Dornin.

She's live at the Union County High School, where two family members who were killed attended the school -- hey, Rusty, good morning.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Soledad, two of the girls, one of whom was driving that car, 15-year-olds, they were freshmen here at the high school. The school busses have been arriving, the students have been arriving. They're expecting grief counselors to be here today, because this is a very close-knit community. This is rural northern Florida. A lot of people knew these girls. A lot of people knew all of the students involved in this accident.

Now, Barbara Mann was the mother of the adopted children killed in the accident and she also had a devastating blow overnight when her father died.

She did speak to a local affiliate, WJXT. We have the interview. It is not easy to hear or see, but let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BARBARA MANN, MOTHER OF VICTIMS: And we lost my daddy tonight. My dad died of a massive heart attack tonight over all of this. I should (UNINTELLIGIBLE) he lost all of them. Seven of his grandkids died today. Seven grandkids.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: It's just too much for this family.

MANN: Yes. I can't deal with it.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Sorry.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

DORNIN: I don't think anyone really can comprehend that kind of loss being suffered by Barbara Mann. As I said, again, Soledad, the community is really rallying around here to help the other students -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, how awful. And she says the grandfather lost all seven of his grandchildren, which means she's lost every one of her children then.

Oh, that's awful.

Let's talk for a moment about the investigation, Rusty, if we can.

What exactly happened? I mean the girl we know is an underage driver, but that doesn't seem to have played a role in this crash, did it?

DORNIN: No. No, they were parked right behind the school bus. It was stopped, unloading the children. Law enforcement officials tell us that apparently the truck, which they're estimating was traveling anywhere from 50 to 60 miles an hour, did not even brake before striking the vehicles. There are no skid marks before the crash. There is evidence after the crash that he tried to steer out of it, but there are no skid marks so far.

He's in the hospital. He's undergoing medical treatment. They're a little touchy about talking with him when that's going on. But they want to know, you know, was there a medical condition? Was there a mechanical failure? Was there some kind of distraction that went on for this man not to brake at all?

It was a clear day on a straight road when this tragedy happened -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh my god, at 60 miles an hour slams into a car full of children. I mean, oh, that's a horrible story.

Rusty, thank you for updating us.

That's very tough to watch.

We're also going to get an update this morning on the investigation from the Florida Highway Patrol. That's coming up in our next half hour. And, also, the school superintendent will talk to us about how the kids may have been affected by the crash and the loss, of course, of some of their classmates, as well.

Other news to get to, as well.

Carol has got that -- good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

Good morning to all of you.

Five more Iraqi women held prisoner in Iraq have been released by the U.S. military. Their release could affect the fate of abducted American journalist Jill Carroll because her captors are demanding the release of all female prisoners. After the release this morning, four female prisoners remain in U.S. custody. A deputy Iraqi justice minister tells CNN those four may be released at a later date.

A Maryland mother who let her children ride in the trunk of her car faces sentencing today. Lanora Lucas is due in a Frederick, Maryland courtroom just about now. This is a police dashboard camera. It shows Lucas being stopped last summer. And soon you'll see her son, a friend and Lucas' daughter get out of the trunk. She says they wanted to play in there while she drove around. She was convicted of reckless endangerment. The prosecutor says he will seek probation.

Randy McCloy, Jr. the sole survivor of the Sago Mine disaster in West Virginia is out of a coma. Doctors for Randy McCloy say he can respond to simple commands and follow movements with his eyes. McCloy still cannot speak, though. The 26-year-old was the only one of 13 men to survive the disaster. He remains in fair condition at a Morgantown hospital.

And First Lady Laura Bush is on the road today. She's returning to the Gulf Coast, where she'll visit three schools, one in New Orleans, another in Chalmette and the third in Kiln, Mississippi. Some of the students are working in trailers because of damage to their school buildings.

In the meantime, it looks like a large number of you approve of how the first lady is handling her job. A CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll finds her with an 82 percent approval rating. Eighty-two percent. Only 13 percent say they disapprove. And that should make the president a little bit jealous, don't you think? An 82 percent approval rating. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Weathermen can't even get 82 percent of the forecasts right. I mean, you know, I'm hoping for 50- 50.

COSTELLO: You're at 50-50, right.

MYERS: That's right.

Hey, good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, we're going to talk more about these stunning developments in the Middle East. Celebrations after a big Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections.

Will the U.S. work for Mideast peace with what it calls terrorists?

M. O'BRIEN: Also, a face to face interview. The first ever face transplant recipient offers exclusive details to a magazine. We'll have details for you. And we'll clear up some confusion about the woman and the controversial surgery.

S. O'BRIEN: And then later, a verdict in the murder of a pedophile and former priest. The suspected killer learns his fate and shares some chilling words afterward.

Those stories all ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Back to the startling outcome to the Palestinian elections. Supporters of Hamas are celebrating today. The militant group is claiming that it won 70 or more seats in the 132-member Palestinian parliament, clearly a majority. It's not official yet, but election officials estimate that almost 78 percent of the eligible voters cast ballots on Wednesday. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia is stepping down. He says he's going to make way for the new government.

Hamas has said it wants Israel wiped off the map.

All this not boding well for any peace talks.

Let's get right to former Senator George Mitchell.

He was, of course, a Mideast envoy in the Clinton administration.

He's in our Washington bureau this morning.

Good morning.

Nice to see you, sir. Thanks for talking with us, as always.

GEORGE MITCHELL, FORMER SENATE MAJORITY LEADER, FORMER MIDDLE EAST ENVOY: Thanks for having me.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's begin with, really, the latest development this morning, which is the vacuum, the leadership vacuum, as Ahmed Qureia has decided to step down.

How much of a problem is this?

MITCHELL: There'll be a substantial period of uncertainty now on both sides. So I think not much is going to happen to move the peace process forward for some months.

As you know, the Israelis are having an election, due to the incapacity of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in late March. And then the Palestinians, I think, will take quite a bit of time to organize a government and to decide how best to proceed.

So I think uncertainty into an already uncertain situation.

S. O'BRIEN: And uncertainty on both sides, really.

MITCHELL: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: When you say quite a bit of time, how much time do you think?

MITCHELL: Well, I think it's got to be several months. It's very unlikely that the United States or the European Union or other major international entities will deal directly with Hamas if it controls the government and if it adheres to the policies and positions that it's taken in the past.

So the question is will they moderate over time. That's happened in other places. There's not much of a history of it in the Middle East. But they're going to have to do it, or I don't think they'll have anybody to deal with.

S. O'BRIEN: So when we hear Scott McClellan say, on behalf of the administration, they're not going to deal with Hamas, that poses some problems.

First, let's listen to what exactly Scott said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: Our views on Hamas are very clear. We have stated our views. Those views are unchanged. We do not deal with Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organization. Under current circumstances, I don't see any change in that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: So what kind of options does this leave? I mean he's very clear, they're not going to deal with Hamas. Hamas is now leading -- I mean they rule the party.

MITCHELL: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: What's going to happen?

MITCHELL: Well, one of the problems is, of course, you have to be careful what you wish for. One of President Bush's major initiatives, and an appropriate one, has been to extend democracy throughout the Middle East. This was an open election, by all accounts, relatively free and fair, a large turnout. And they won in a democratic election.

Now, of course, we don't like the result of the election. I think it's unlikely that the administration will change its position because it's not just the U.S. that's taking this position, it's a lot of others, as well. And I think it's the appropriate position. I don't think Hamas can say we're going to keep our army, we're going to continue this campaign of violence on the one hand and we want to talk with you in government on the other.

That's an incompatible position. And so I think the hope is that they will moderate over time and begin a process of resuming negotiations.

S. O'BRIEN: When you say moderate over time, do you mean in actions or do you mean Hamas essentially has to get out and renounce some of its past positions, and that's enough?

MITCHELL: I think they will have to renounce some of their past positions. That, of course, happened to the Palestine Liberation Organization, now exemplified or represented by the Fatah Party in the recent election. It's happened in other parts of the world. As I said, there isn't much history of it in the Middle East. But it is possible that the responsibilities of government will lead them to recognize that they can't pursue this dual path. You can't have the ballot and the bullet in your hands at the same time. And they're going to have to do it, or I think they will be isolated for a long time to come.

S. O'BRIEN: The Bush administration said U.S. aid will be cut if Hamas gets a large percentage of the v. And I don't think anybody predicted just how large a percentage Hamas would get when we were talking about this yesterday.

What kind of a -- could that have a backlash, do you think, if they now take back aid from the United States?

MITCHELL: Well, I think it clearly will there. But I don't think that the United States is the principal financier of the Palestinians in any event. There will be other places to get financial support that they'll look for across the Arab world and other parts of the Muslim world.

But I think it's going to be very difficult for them. I read an article yesterday in which one of their posters said the worst thing we -- the last thing we want is to actually win the election, because then we have the responsibility of governing.

Sometimes that does lead people to take responsible positions. In other examples, it does not, as we're seeing right now in Iran. It only leads to more and more extreme statements.

So we won't know what's going to happen there.

But in my view, not much is going to happen good for the Palestinians unless and until Hamas renounces violence and takes a serious and responsible role in governance and negotiation.

S. O'BRIEN: Not much on the peace front.

Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell joining us this morning.

Thank you, as always.

MITCHELL: Thanks, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, some new details on the world's first ever face transplant patient, including, for the first time ever in this country, pictures of the patient and the donor before the surgery.

Then later, that horrible bus accident in Florida. Seven children killed. Just how did it happen?

We'll get the very latest on the investigation ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Two months now since that dramatic face transplant surgery in France. Still a lot of questions about the patient and the procedure. We know a dog mauled the face of 38-year-old Isabelle Dinoire and that her face, nose and lips were restored in the operation.

Beyond that, there's been a swirl of rumors. Has she been bar hopping, riding a bike? Is she chain smoking? And just in general, how stable is she?

Answers are in "People" magazine, on newsstands, hitting those newsstands tomorrow.

Patrick Rogers is a senior editor for the magazine and he's here to talk about your scoop, an American scoop, at least.

Good to have you with us, Patrick.

PATRICK ROGERS, SENIOR EDITOR, "PEOPLE": Good morning.

M. O'BRIEN: Generally speaking, how is she doing?

ROGERS: Physically, the operation seems to be going pretty well at this point. But emotionally she tell us that this is a tough road. She's got a long road ahead of her. The biggest problem is isolation. She's in this hospital room. She's not allowed to leave except for very brief trips out into the real world. And she wants to be home.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, brief trips out into the real world, hence the rumors.

ROGERS: Right. At least two trips.

M. O'BRIEN: Tell me what we know about what she's doing.

First of all, the smoking thing came up.

ROGERS: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: The first thing she wanted to do with her new lips was put a cigarette between them.

ROGERS: Right. The doctors made her stop smoking for about six months before and after the surgery. But she is smoking again. She tells us she's smoking incessantly, so she's a chain smoker. It's not a good idea physically when you have, you know, a wound like this to heal, and maybe a little bit a sign of the desperation she's in there.

M. O'BRIEN: As we see these exclusive pictures there, what is your sense of how successful this surgery was?

It looks like it went pretty well.

ROGERS: The surgery looks...

M. O'BRIEN: Hard to say?

ROGERS: The surgery looks good. The results were presented to a conference of plastic surgeons here in the States earlier this month. And by and large even rivals of this team in France are saying so far so good. She's got sensation back in her lips, they think, from MRIs. And she's able to eat without dribbling. She's able to -- she's putting on some weight, because she lost a lot of weight during the operation.

M. O'BRIEN: What about all this stuff about bar hopping and bicycle riding?

tell me about that.

ROGERS: The bar hopping rumor is not true, she says. She did make two trips outside of the hospital with a psychiatrist in hand. She's able to walk down the street without people looking at her and pointing at her, although she does have hundreds of stitches on her face and two big scars at least.

But, as for riding a bicycle, she says she has an exercise bicycle in her room but she has yet to get on it. As for going to a bar, no way, although she has had a few glasses of red wine.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. The underlying question here was how stable was she in the first place.

ROGERS: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: Was it a drug overdose that led her to be unconscious and thus mauled by the dog, and, thus, was she a perfect candidate for this kind of surgery?

ROGERS: Right. Bearing reports, she and her doctor insist that she just fell asleep in her apartment and was mauled by her dog. Members of her family have told her no -- told us, no, she took sleeping pills. But her story is I just feel asleep.

M. O'BRIEN: Was it a suicide attempt, do you think?

ROGERS: I can't say. She says no, so.

M. O'BRIEN: OK.

All right, do you think -- I mean based on what you've seen and the reporting from your reporter there, does she have the emotional stamina to get through all of this?

ROGERS: I think she's very resilient. Just talking to her, the reporter said she's a woman with a lot of energy, with a lot of spirit. I think it's just a very long -- a long recovery ahead. And, also, that she's afraid of the press. She knows that the world is watching her. So there's a lot of pressure on her.

But I get the sense that she is a resilient woman.

M. O'BRIEN: An interesting thing, when we take all this stuff aside as to what you said earlier about plastic surgeons looking at this and commending it, do you think this is the beginning of something that will become more common?

ROGERS: Oh absolutely. Absolutely. I think if this patient makes it, we're going to see a lot more of this. And even if she doesn't, I think other doctors will try different approaches, perhaps more cautious approaches, picking a candidate who they know to be more stable.

But I think face transplant surgery, we are going to see more and more of it.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, it's "People" magazine.

It hits the newsstands tomorrow. It answers a lot of questions we've all had about her. So check it out.

And we appreciate your dropping by.

Patrick Rogers, senior editor of the magazine.

ROGERS: Thank you very much.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad. S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a pretty shocking security scare at an airport in Milwaukee. Police reportedly find a grenade in a flight attendant's carry-on luggage.

We've got details on that story just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come -- you know, it's hard when you -- that interview we saw with the mother of some of those children...

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, and that car crash in Gainesville...

M. O'BRIEN: Seven kids...

S. O'BRIEN: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: All one family. Was it one household? There's a lot of confusion? Cousins...

S. O'BRIEN: Well, there's adopted children and then a cousin, as well.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: So six of the kids were all related by adoption. And then there was a cousin, also, by blood.

M. O'BRIEN: Just stopping, minding their own, business doing what you should do.

S. O'BRIEN: Very close.

M. O'BRIEN: Stopping behind a school bus. Rammed by this semi- trailer. We're going to talk to...

S. O'BRIEN: They said 60 miles an hour he might have been going.

M. O'BRIEN: The guy must have fallen asleep. That's all I can think of. That's one of the questions we'll ask. The Florida Highway Patrol superintendent will be among our guests; the superintendent of the school there, as well. Two of the girls freshmen at the high school. Obviously grief counselors will be there today. It's a horrific follow-up to a terrible day yesterday in northern Florida.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: You're watching AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning.

Welcome back, everybody.

Lots to get to this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: Carol is looking at things in the Middle East. It is just a stunner there -- Carol.

COSTELLO: It is a stunner, Miles.

Good morning to you.

We're following developing news out of the Middle East. The Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas has claimed a landslide victory in the Palestinian elections. Hamas estimates it has won 80 of the 132 seats in the legislative council. The Fatah-led Palestinian Authority cabinet is now stepping down so the Hamas Party can form a new government.

Israel's acting prime minister says he will not negotiate with Hamas. Hamas has said it wants the destruction of Israel.

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