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CNN Live Today
Record-Breaking Snowstorm Hits Northeast; Failure of Initiative After Hurricane Katrina; Videotape Shows British Soldiers Beating Iraqs
Aired February 13, 2006 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's the first step toward making fuel for electricity or possibly atomic bombs. Earlier this month, Iran said it would restart the enrichment program. That threat came after the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency reported Iran to the Security Council.
The Saddam Hussein trial is in recess until tomorrow. But before today's adjournment, boy, oh boy, there was something familiar and something new. Hussein shouted insults at the judge and President Bush. Later, prosecutors brought in members of Hussein's regime to testify against him. We're going to head live to Baghdad for details later this hour.
British military police today announced one arrest in the videotape beating case. The tape apparently shows British troops in Southern Iraq beating young Iraqi women. A London newspaper, "The News of the World," says that a whistle blower gave them the tape. The paper say the incident happened in 2004. We'll have a full report later this hour on that as well.
An hour's long standoff in suburban Chicago ended early this morning with the capture of two escaped inmates. These inmates had been holed up inside of an apartment with a woman and her children. The woman and children were released unharmed. The two inmates were the last of a group of six captured after escaping from Cook County Jail on Saturday night.
This hour in Sarasota, Florida, as we look at live pictures from a courthouse. A sentencing hearing is about to get underway for Joseph Smith. A jury has recommended that he die for the kidnaping, rape and death of the 11-year-old Sarasota girl. Carlie Brucia's abduction was taped by a surveillance camera two years ago and played a key role in Smith's conviction last November.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN, your severe weather headquarters.
KAGAN: And let's get started looking at the snow. This morning's arrival of a New York -- of a new workweek, actually, has been even more dreaded than usual. A weekend snowstorm dumped a record amount of snow on New York and it snarled traffic both on the roads and at the airport. The storm blanketed the east coast from North Carolina to Maine and buried Connecticut under more than two and a half feet of snow. We have our correspondents slogging their way through the story. Allan Chernoff is one of those in the field. He is sifting through the data. We also have our CNN Severe Weather Expert Chad Myers.
Allan, you're colder. Oh, actually, you're indoors, but still, we're go ahead and start with you at LaGuardia International Airport. Good morning.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Daryn, I have a pretty easy assignment this morning over at LaGuardia Airport and service is beginning to get back to normal. About an hour and a half ago an American Airlines flight to Charlotte took off and that the first American flight in a day and a half out of LaGuardia. So it certainly has been a long time in coming to recover from this storm.
Still as I speak, plows are outside trying to clear away some of the gate areas so that jet ways can be moved in to get people on and off the aircraft. We had more than 25 inches of snow here at LaGuardia Airport. So it's just been a mammoth task to first clear the runways and then the gate areas.
Many people were stuck here overnight. The airport itself put up 176 cots. All of them occupied overnight and many people slept on those. Some people slept on seats. Some people even slept on their luggage.
But the worst nightmare story of all, we heard earlier this morning from two people who said that they were on a flight yesterday evening leaving JFK Airport for Tampa. They said that they sat on the plane for eight hours then came back to the terminal, flight never took off and they took a taxi this morning up to LaGuardia and they're planning to take a flight from LaGuardia later today to Tampa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRITT SHIRLEY, STRANDED TRAVELER: We left at 3:00 yesterday afternoon and haven't slept since then. We've either been sitting on a subway, a shuttle bus, an airport, or in an airplane. Or a taxi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHERNOFF: A lot of very tired people stumbling around this airport right now. My advice, if you want to go to New York, wait another day because things are still not back to normal.
Daryn.
KAGAN: And how long are they predicting for it to get back to normal?
CHERNOFF: They're certainly hoping for it to be back to normal later today. And just watching the boards here, the arrivals, departures, it's much improved right now from about four hours ago when virtually everything on the board was canceled. Now a lot of the flights are scheduled to depart and we've even had more flights arriving.
KAGAN: Allan Chernoff live at LaGuardia, thank you. Let's move north now. As much as 22 inches of snow fell across parts of Massachusetts. Dozens of school districts have canceled classes today but there have been no major power outages reported.
Our chief national correspondent John King has the view from the coastal town of Chatham, near Boston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A spectacularly beautiful morning after the blizzard here in Chatham, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, and pretty much across the region. Some power outages, but officials say they believe most of this state, and especially this part here on Cape Cod, escaped any major damages. Snow accumulations in some areas up to about 18 inches. More than a foot fell here on Cape Cod.
The big problem, the big concern yesterday was coastal flooding, not just the snowfall. We were here during the height of this storm over on the fish pier to my right. And, in fact, at high tide, water was surging over the pier and the boats were bouncing about in the water. But the flooding was not as bad as some had feared.
Much the same situation on the other side of town. At one point they thought they might have to close the main raid through because of coastal flooding. We saw the waters coming up but they never did reach the roadside.
The plows were out all day. There are drifts around town. Considerable snow accumulation.
But it is a beautifully sunny day today. The school is closed but spectacular weather. And they say this weather should last throughout the week making the cleanup much easier.
The big reason they think they escaped significant damage here is the difference of the snow. Usually New England get as very wet, heavy snow. They thought that would bring down the power lines, especially with the combination of the high guesting winds we had all day yesterday.
But as you can see, this snow, while it's beginning to pack, is still quite powdery. So while it was swirling in the winds yesterday making a spectacular whiteout conditions, it did not bring down power lines here on Cape Cod or across most of this region. So officials believe in the aftermath of this storm some more cleanup to do but mostly just spectacular beauty here on Cape Cod and across the region.
John King, CNN, in Chatham, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Let's see if John King's forecasting skills match up with what Chad says.
(WEATHER REPORT) KAGAN: Other weather news. The weather is also being blamed for a massive pileup on a Michigan highway. Eight-six cars and trucks were knotted up in a chain reaction crash in Muskegon County. More than two dozen people were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries. Officials say black ice and lake effect snow created the white-out conditions. A two-mile stretch of highway was closed for several hours. We'll work on getting you pictures of the actually crash.
Stay with CNN LIVE TODAY for continuing coverage of the storm's aftermath. We'll have the latest from runways to the roadways. And you can visit a special section of our Web site for the photos, forecast and the latest news. The address is cnn.com/winter. Good slug there.
We are getting an early look at a report on the federal government's response, or lack of it, to Hurricane Katrina. President Bush and former FEMA Head Michael Brown aren't the only ones or the only officials being blamed for the failures. Plenty of blame to go around up and down the political ladder. A live report is just ahead.
Also, oops, Vice President Cheney takes aim and shoots one of his hunting partners. We'll check in on the patient and get reaction from the White House.
And then there is this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You were mean to me my whole life, so you deserve the same thing that you did to me the rest of your life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: A young man who was malnourished almost to the point of death confronts the adoptive mother who mistreated him. More of his powerful and painful words at his sentencing ahead this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: In Washington, D.C. right now, several families who have lost relatives in mining accidents are telling their stories on Capitol Hill today. Today's forum is being billed as an effort to ensure that the voices of the miners and miner's families are heard. Fourteen deaths from two separate mining accidents in West Virginia last month have renewed interest in federal safety standards. Two died in the Aracoma Mine accident on January 21st. Twelve miners lost their lives at the Sago Mine on January 24. Also testifying today, families of 13 miners who died in the 2001 Brookwood accident in Alabama.
It was a hunting trip gone wrong. Texas Attorney Harry Whittington is recovering at a Texas hospital today after being shot by Vice President Dick Cheney. They were on a quail hunt this weekend. Police say it was just an accident and the hospital assures Whittington is on the mend and will be released early this week. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER BANKO, CHRISTUS SPOHN HOSPITAL: It was a fairly common hunting injury that we experience here in South Texas at our trauma center. He was basically peppered by a shotgun, and so he's got some shotgun spray to the face, neck, and upper torso.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Vice President Cheney did visit Whittington over the weekend in the hospital.
Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us outside the White House with the latest from there.
Suzanne, what's the White House saying about the vice president's weekend?
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, we're learning new details about the weekend and just how all of this unfolded. We understand that the president was informed about this accident on Saturday shortly after it happened by Chief of Staff Andy Card, as well as his adviser, Karl Rove. And then he received updates on Sunday.
The question, I guess, from McClellan and in to the vice president's office that really has been pressed this morning is just really how quickly the White House press corps was informed of this situation. We know that it happened about 5:30 on Sunday evening, but it really wasn't -- rather Saturday evening, but it wasn't until Sunday about 3:30 or so when the White House press corps was getting some of those details.
I just talked to Lea Anne McBride. She is the spokesman for the vice president's office. I spoke with her yesterday, as well. She did give us some of the general information on Sunday evening. But the way she explained it, is that the first priority was taking care of Whittington to make sure he was OK.
And then they deferred the, I guess, the information, those details, to the ranch owner, Katharine Armstrong, who they say felt more comfortable with the local media, that she picked up the phone, called the local paper and started talking about it and that Lea Anne McBride, after that, decided that she would go ahead and alert the national media. So, of course, Daryn, there's a bit of attention and perhaps a little bit of push back this morning on trying to figure out why it was that the vice president's office did not inform the White House press corps about this accidental shooting a little bit sooner.
Daryn.
KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Suzanne, thank you.
In other news today, there are new developments in the story of a teenager who married a woman more than twice his age. Yes, it seemed congratulations are in order. We have the details in our look at stories making news coast to coast ahead this hour.
Also, Mardi Gras underway in New Orleans. And despite all they've been through, people there aren't going to miss the party. But this parade carried a message to bureaucrats.
And here's a message for those of you thinking about popping the question. You know, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. You might want to check in with our romance editor, Gerri Willis. Who knew?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, you've got to do what you've got to do, Daryn.
KAGAN: And you're doing a good job.
WILLIS: We're asking the all import question, what do women want? and we've got some great answers. "Five Tips" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's go ahead and check the market. They've been open about 50 minutes. Kind of a slow start on this Monday morning. The Dow is up a little bit. Up 11 points. And that 11 is what the Nasdaq is down. It is down 11.
All right. This one is for you guys in the audience. We are here for you. This is for those of you thinking about giving the ultimate Valentine's Day gift tomorrow. Before you put your money down on that engagement ring, we have some dos and don'ts about popping the question.
Our personal finance editor Gerri Willis joins us with today's "Top Five Tips."
Gerri, good morning.
WILLIS: Hey, Daryn. Good morning.
KAGAN: A happy early Valentine's Day to you.
WILLIS: Exactly. Exactly. Here from the romance desk.
KAGAN: Yes.
WILLIS: You know, men and women seem to have very different views when it comes to proposing, so we talked to some New Yorkers who had plenty of advice when it comes to popping the question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIS: What do women want?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They want a good story. Because the second you get engaged, don't focus on the ring so much. Get that later. But it's just having a great story.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Something intimate, but something romantic that might involve close or immediate members of the family, like your parents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't do it when your mother is close by.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Make a little event out of it. Take, you know, plan a dinner or, you know, ask the parents, get down on the knee. Do the whole romantic thing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Super Bowl. Terrible idea. Don't propose on Super Bowl. It's just a bad idea.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: An engagement should be based on some principles rather than, you know, how they do it or where they do it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unless you're both completely naked, don't propose in the bedroom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it is about popping the question, but a lot of times it's that work that you put into to just communicate how much you love each other and how you want to spend the rest of your life together.
WILLIS: But if you still haven't found that special someone, not to worry, you're not alone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly. I haven't found the right person. So if you're out there, here's my number. And I promise I will not propose on Valentine's Day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIS: All right. So clearly men and women look at this pretty differently out there. But if you want to get the yes answer, here's what you need to do. First of all, test the waters. You've got to make sure that you know the answer to the question before you pop it. And let me tell you, we women send all kinds of signals. You've got to learn how to read them. But don't make some kind of elaborate to do if you don't know what the answer to the question is.
KAGAN: Yes, you should probably know.
Now a lot of pressure on the guys to be creative. What if they can't really think of that amazing way to do it?
WILLIS: Well, you know, look. I mean, at the end of the day, you've got to remember, it's not all about you. So if you're thinking of putting the proposal on the jumbotron, think again. Women don't want that. They think that's a bad idea. You've got to think about what she likes and what she's into. Maybe a little bit about how you met. That's going to get you to the right kind of proposal that will make her feel like maybe she should say yes.
KAGAN: All right. Let's get to the real thing. The story's good, but what about the ring?
WILLIS: Oh, well the ring really matters. You know, I mean, come on, 66 percent of women say diamond size is more important than quality. Clearly size matters. And don't be giving this ring out to anybody like the maitre d to give out. That's a bad idea. Keep it in your pocket. Make sure you don't put it into food. You've got to really think carefully when you're making this proposal.
KAGAN: And, finally, keep it a secret so that she doesn't find out ahead of time?
WILLIS: Yes, you know what, don't tell the friends of your intended because, like as not, they are going to leak it in some subtle way to your intended. You want it to be a surprise because, after all, this is a very special time and you probably put a lot of time and thought into making the right proposal.
Daryn.
KAGAN: And hopefully if you're doing it tomorrow, you probably thought about it a little bit before our little "Top Five Tips" segment.
WILLIS: Exactly.
KAGAN: We can only hope.
Well, good luck to all those guys out there that are going to be popping the question.
And, Gerri, happy Valentine's to you.
WILLIS: Thank you very much. You too, Daryn.
KAGAN: Thank you.
Let's go ahead and take a look at other stories making news coast to coast today.
In suburban Chicago, all six of those escaped inmates are back in custody this morning. The final two fugitives gave themselves up early this morning after holding up in an apartment with a woman and her children. Authorities say no one was hurt. Police say Eric Bernard and Tyrone Everhart broke out with four other inmates from Cook County Jail late Saturday.
And an update now on a controversial case in Georgia. Thirty- seven-year-old Lisa Clark, who is accused of child molestation after marrying her 15-year-old husband, has reportedly given birth to the couple's child. Reports say Clark gave birth to a baby boy Saturday night in a hospital in northeast Georgia. She was arrested again last week for allegedly communicating with her husband, violating terms of her initial release from jail.
In California, at least two people are dead after a small plane crashed into a house on Sunday. Witnesses say the plane may have been performing stunts at the time that it went down. The FAA says they'll begin a full investigation and remove the bodies of the two people from the wreckage today. No word yet if anyone was inside the home at the time of the impact. There are new details in the rash of church fires in Alabama. Investigators say all 10 fires have been ruled arsons and they believe two young men may be responsible. Authorities are still searching for a dark SUV that was spotted at some of the other scenes.
Digging out from the record snow fall on the northeast. Chad has the latest on that and when it might all melt away.
Also ahead, addressing the failures of the federal government before and during Hurricane Katrina. A new investigation is widening the net when it comes to who is responsible.
And confronting the adoptive mother who nearly killed him. A young man shares his tales of horror.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We are coming up on the half hour. I'm Daryn Kagan. Here's a look at what's happening right "Now in the News."
Live pictures now from Sarasota, Florida, where a sentencing hearing is underway this hour for Joseph Smith. He is the Florida man convicted of kidnaping, raping a strangling an 11-year-old Sarasota girl. Carlie Brucia's abduction was taped by a surveillance camera two years ago and played a key role in Smith's conviction last November. The jury has recommended that he be executed.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is in Morocco, the last of his three nation tour of North Africa. Rumsfeld visited Tunisia and Algeria over the weekend in an effort to build alliances in the Muslim world. Morocco is consider a key ally in the region in the war on terror.
Dick Cheney's hunting companion is said to be doing just fine this morning, two days after the vice president accidentally shot him. Hospital officials say he was peppered in the face and chest with bird shot pellets. Seventy-eight-year-old Harry Whittington says he won't comment on the incident out of respect for the vice president. The men were hunting quail on a south Texas ranch.
What failed and who is to blame in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? It is a major focus in Washington today. We are getting an early look at a scathing House report. It's called Failure of Initiative and it counts 90 failures at every level of government. When it comes to naming names, Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff is clearly taking heat.
Our homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve joins us with details on that.
Jeanne, hello.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
This draft report from the House committee investigating Katrina says at every level, corporate, individual, philanthropic and governmental, we failed to meet the challenge that was Katrina. But the most severe criticism is at government, government at every level.
In part, the report read this is way. "It remains difficult to understand how government could respond so ineffectively to a disaster that was anticipated for years, and for which specific dire warnings had been issued for days. This crisis was not only predictable, it was predicted."
And then it lays out some of the specifics. Amongst them, information was handled badly. Officials were late to understand the dire situation in New Orleans. Specifically, it says that the White House failed to deconflict varying assessments of the damage, discounting information that later proved to be correct.
It says that critical elements of the national response plan were executed late, ineffectively or in some cases, not at all. And that delayed the dispatch of federal resources. And it goes on; as you said, 90 recommendations in all in this draft report.
But even more critical is a minority report that was put out. It is calling for the removal of Michael Chertoff from office because it says he was so ineffective in his job. A spokesman for the secretary says this morning that although there was problems with the response to Hurricane Katrina, it is outrageous to suggest that the secretary was not doing his job -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Well, there was finger pointing at Secretary Chertoff on Friday when we were listening to former FEMA Director Michael Brown and his scathing testimony on Capitol Hill. What -- any response to that testimony today, Jeanne?
MESERVE: Yes, yes. One of the things that Brown was saying that in some instances, he did not report through Secretary Chertoff. He thought that was, quote, "a waste of time." He said he went directly to White House officials.
Today, a Homeland Security spokesman is saying that Brown was engaged in what he called, and I quote, "willful insubordination." He says that explains, in part, why Secretary Chertoff didn't have a better grasp on what was happening in the Gulf Coast. The fault, they say, is with Michael Brown and his failure to communicate directly with the secretary and the rest of the department -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And the finger pointing continues as we look forward to the these reports coming out throughout the week. Jeanne, thank you. Jeanne Meserve.
And getting under way right now, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs continues its own investigation to the response to Hurricane Katrina. This is where Michael Brown testified on Friday that Jeanne Meserve was just talking about.
Today's hearing examines the widespread abuse of federal emergency cash assistance programs. Up $900,000 aid applicants received money based on false information. We'll continue to monitor the hearings and bring you any new developments. About 12,000 hurricane evacuees still living in hotels on FEMA money are hoping for a reprieve. Lawyers have filed a temporary restraining order, trying to stop today's scheduled evictions. Authorization codes handed out to extend last month's deadline have expired. FEMA says nearly 10,500 families currently in hotels and motels have received money to help them find long-term housing or help repair their damaged homes. CNN will bring you updates on this story as they develop.
Demolition New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward is scheduled to begin this week. The first wave of targets targets nearly 118 homes in the ward. The demolition has been on hold since December, when residents sued the city, saying they had not been given any proper warning.
Coming up in the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY, I'll have a chance to talk with Oliver Thomas, president of the New Orleans City Council. He'll talk about the demolition plans for part of the city and the federally-funded hotel deadline facing Katrina evacuees.
Folks across the Northeast and Mid Atlantic region are digging out of this mess. The raging Nor'easter dumped more than two feet of snow in some areas, and piled on a record of nearly 27 inches in New York's Central Park. Electrical outages, road closings and grounded flights mean power and road crews and the airlines will have to have the work cut out for them today if they try to clean up.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Stay with CNN LIVE TODAY for continuing coverage of the storm's aftermath. In the next hour, we'll have the latest from the runways to the roadways with live reports from New York and D.C. If you're away from your television, the latest click is just a mouse away, and the latest news just a mouse away, as well. You can visit a special section of our Web site for the photos, forecast and latest news. The address is CNN.com/winter.
The release of a videotaped beating in Iraq leads to one arrest. Don't miss the latest on the story.
Plus, a screaming Saddam Hussein returns to court in a robe. All the details just ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Raised voices and more chaos in the courtroom. The Saddam Hussein trial resumed with angry exchanges today. But following the fireworks, the trial moved into a new phase.
CNN's Aneesh Raman joins us. He is live in Baghdad with the latest developments. Aneesh, hello.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.
Tense moments at the start of today's trial proceedings. Saddam Hussein forced into court. He donned a traditional dishdasha. Usually he's wearing a suit. He began by screaming at the chief, saying "long live Iraq, long live Iraq." He called the chief judge a criminal, an agent of America, and as he's done for before, saved some of his contempt for President Bush.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SADDAM HUSSEIN, DESPOSED IRAQI PRESIDENT (through translator): Down with the traitor. Down with the traitors. Down with Bush. Long live the nation. Long live the nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAMAN: Now, Saddam's half brother Barzan Hasan Al Tikriti, the former head of intelligence here, he's one of the most animated defendants. Today instead of wearing his traditional dishdasha and turban, he entered in his pajamas. He screamed at the judge, at one point showed his defiance by sitting on the floor, his back to the judge, facing those of us in the media gallery, glaring at each of us intensely.
The court, though, pushed ahead. The new chief judge intent on making sure these proceedings don't get stalled by the defendants. Their defense lawyers are barred from the proceedings right now, boycotting them outside the country.
We did enter a new phase. The end of the complainant phase, victim statements, the beginning of witnesses that directly tie Saddam and his seven co-defendants to the crimes at hand. We heard today from two members of Saddam's former regime, his former chief of staff and an official in the intelligence service. Both of them say they are testifying against their will. No bombshell testimony.
We did see document, though, that the court says is an execution order signed by Saddam. So the court's set to resume tomorrow, Daryn. More witnesses and likely Saddam set to try to steal the spotlight again -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And you'll be watching that. Aneesh, meanwhile, what about the latest round of violence in Baghdad?
RAMAN: Yes, suicide bomber detonating in Baghdad this morning outside of a bank. Conflicting reports on the casualties. Iraqi police say six people were killed, some 41 others wounded. The U.S. military, though, says 15 people were killed, 30 others wounded.
The suicide bomber detonating as people were lining to get pay from the ministry of trade or to get compensation because of a shortage in the country's food ration program. Just an hour earlier, Daryn, the minister of electricity survived an attack. His convoy hit by a roadside bomb. He is unharmed -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Aneesh Raman live in Baghdad. Aneesh, thank you.
And now to an incident that is sparking outrage in southern Iraq. British military police today announce the arrest of one man in a videotaped beating case. The tape was released by a London newspaper. It shows British troops beating young Iraqi women.
CNN's Paula Newton has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The video, said to have been shot two years ago, begins as rioters are running away. But in pursuit, British soldiers. The tape then cuts to at least four Iraqi teenagers being dragged out of sight and into a scene of brutality.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes, oh, yes. You're going to get it.
NEWTON: The disturbing blow-by-blow narration of the cameraman is chilling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, yes. Naughty little boys. Yes, yes, yes!
NEWTON: As the boys endure repeated blows and beg for mercy, again. , the mocking voice of the unidentified cameraman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop, please. Don't hurt me!
NEWTON: Witnessing the entire scene, several other British soldiers who walk by and do nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You little (BLEEP), die!
NEWTON: The beatings seem to go on even as the boys are subdued. One is kicked in the genitals, while another seems to have passed out. The British Ministry of Defense had no choice but to respond quickly.
BRIG. MARTIN RUTLEDGE, CHIEF OF STAFF, THE ADJUTANT-GEN: The images in this video amount to very serious allegations. They're extremely disturbing and are the subject of an urgent royal military police investigation.
NEWTON: That was echoed by a visibly shaken Prime Minister Tony Blair, now in South Africa.
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We take seriously any allegations of mistreatment, and those will be investigated very fully indeed.
NEWTON: The video was released by the British newspaper "The News of the World." Editors they say they received the video from a whistleblower whom they refuse to identify, but they insist they've done all they can to authenticate it.
STUART KUTTNER, "NEWS OF THE WORLD": We went to exhaustive lengths TO -- you know, to be absolutely sure they are genuine, authentic. The footage, you know, is absolutely sound.
NEWTON: The newspaper claims the video was shot in Basra by a corporal in the British army, where most of the 8,000 British soldiers in Iraq are based. Iraqis who have seen the video have reacted with disgust and demand that foreign troops withdraw.
"Iraqis are asking for the removal of British forces," he says, the removal of the invaders."
The video is also playing prominently on Arab television networks like Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera, along with photos from the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal.
(on camera): No matter how quickly this investigation proceeds, no matter what it finds or any punishment that's handed out, the damage here is already done. The war remains deeply unpopular in Britain and this will only complicate the government's objectives in Iraq.
Paula Newton, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: A draft report from the United Nations concludes some U.S. treatment of Guantanamo detainees amounts to torture. Today's "Los Angeles Times" reports on the findings. Among the conclusions, U.S. treatment violates the prisoners' rights to physical and mental health. The investigators say the actions that constitute torture including force feeding of hunger strikers, certain interrogation techniques and excessive violence used in transporting prisoners. The report was compile by five U.N. envoys over a period of 18 months. It urges the U.S. to close the military prison in Cuba and bring the detainees to trial on U.S. soil.
Let's go live now to the White House. President Bush is presenting some medals of science and technology. We'll continue to watch that for you, and we'll bring you the latest on that.
Still ahead, a tragic story of abuse in New Jersey. A young man starved by his adoptive mother faces her in court. What he had to say, ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Heartbreaking story now. For a lot of children from broken homes, a foster family is a refuge. That's where they first learn of love and grow. But Bruce Jackson's foster home was a place of perversity. He told a New Jersey courtroom how he and his brothers were starved, beaten and refused medical care.
Carol Lin has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRUCE JACKSON, CHILD ABUSE VICTIM: You were mean to me my whole life. So you deserve the same thing that you did to me the rest of your life.
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a packed courtroom in New Jersey, Bruce Jackson confronts his adoptive mother, who starved and abused him and his younger brothers for years. JACKSON: You wouldn't let us eat as much as the other kids got. And you weren't going to take us out like the other kids.
LIN: Bruce is now 21 and weighs 140 pounds. Two years ago, when he was found scavenging among garbage, he weighed barely 40 pounds. Even now, he's just 5'3".
Vanessa Jackson struck a plea deal with the prosecutors, admitting to one charge of child endangerment. She was sentenced to the maximum seven years in jail.
For Bruce Jackson, that is not enough.
JACKSON: Ms. Jackson, you verbally, emotionally, and physically abused me. You know that this was wrong. That's why you pleaded guilty.
LIN: Bruce told the court how he'd not been allowed to bathe and had been fed on dried grits and pancake batter. As some in the courtroom wept, Bruce's brothers also told of their horrific treatment in videotaped statements.
Their new adoptive parents told how at first they had to be hospitalized because their stomachs were so small. The case focused attention on New Jersey's child welfare system, but the judge told Vanessa Jackson that the shortcomings of the system were no excuse for her cruelty.
The more telling verdict was a look; Bruce Jackson's look at the woman he had come to loathe.
Carol Lin, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Under the plea deal, Vanessa Jackson could actually be paroled in less than two years.
What's the latest word on Wall Street? We are live from the New York City Stock Exchange after the break.
Plus, checking the time. It's 9:52 in New Orleans. Residents there, they gearing up for a festive Mardi Gras season. The first of many parades has already happened. We'll have the highlights and more, still ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY.
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KAGAN: To New Orleans now, they are gearing up for Mardi Gras, but residents are also still trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina, and they're making light of the politicians bureaucracy and chaotic relief effort with a satirical parade through the French Quarter.
Davis Brister of our affiliate WDSU has that story. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DAVIS BRISTER, WDSU CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's here, the first sounds from Mardi Gras 2006. For the thousands of people attending the Krewe du Vieux parade, nothing has sounded this sweet in quite a while.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am so happy to see everybody out. This is my old neighborhood and I love it.
BRISTER: As usual, the central attractions were creative, taking on everything storm related. The parade's theme was "C'est la Vie." It took shots at Governor Blanco to Mayor Nagin to the Army Corps of Engineers, putting its own spin on the levee failures. For a couple of hours, anyway, the creativity worked. The people who have gone through so much and were watching could forget about it all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But once you get out here into the flavor of our people, it's all gone again. It makes it all worthwhile.
BRISTER: Cold weather couldn't stop the crowd from enjoying themselves, and neither could FEMA. Many even gave the Krewe du Vieux FEMA reps a warm welcome. They all got a good laugh at a plea to France's president to buy New Orleans back.
But it was more than just bands and floats and beads this year. It was a chance to put the past where it belongs, to remove all those negatives that came with Katrina.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's something different to do besides picking up trash, you know? It's something new.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
KAGAN: And that report from Davis Brister with our affiliate WDSU in New Orleans. With weeks of parades and parties before Mardi Gras Day on February 28, New Orleans still needs sponsors to help cover the cost of its first post-Katrina celebration.
Mardi Gras, though, is really the least of the concerns for many New Orleans residents. Many evacuees about to lose the federally-paid hotel rooms. And demolition is on the way in the Ninth Ward. New Orleans council president joins us with his reaction to these events.
Plus, a soldier forced to pay for the body armor that went missing after he was wounded. Ahead, he shares his story. The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.
Let's go ahead and take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
This tape of British military police say they have made one arrest in this videotaped beating case in Iraq. The tape was obtained by a London newspaper. It appears to show British soldiers beating young Iraqi prisoners with their fists and batons. The paper, "The News of the World," says the video was filmed in Southern Iraq about two years ago.
A Texas lawyer is recovering in Corpus Christi in a hospital after being shot by Vice President Dick Cheney during a hunting trip. Authorities say Cheney accidentally pelted Harry Whittington with bird shot. Whittington's daughter says her father is very, very lucky. Cheney is now back in Washington.
At least two deaths are reported in the crash of a small plane in Northern California. Authorities say the single-engine aircraft appeared to be performing a stunt when the pilot lost control. The plane crashed into a home near Sacramento.
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