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American Morning
Chertoff Under Fire; Harry Whittington, Shot by Vice President Cheney, in Stable Condition; Continued Cartoon Outrage
Aired February 15, 2006 - 08:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Miles O'Brien.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Zain Verjee, in for Soledad.
O'BRIEN: A rough day ahead for Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. He'll face off with senators over FEMA's failures before, during and after Katrina. We're live in Washington with a preview.
A turn for the worst by the man -- for the man shot by the president -- vice president -- jeez. A lead pellet sends him back into intensive care.
And when will the vice president speak? So far, he has been mum about the accident. We'll delve into that as well live from the White House.
Jailbreak or political commentary? A guard fesses up to his role in a Chicago-area escape. But why did he do it?
VERJEE: A public service ad for American hostage Jill Carroll. Can a televised plea move Iraqis to help? We're live in Baghdad.
And cartoon protests turn more violent. Why a demonstrator is now targeting American icons. A live report ahead here on AMERICAN MORNING.
O'BRIEN: It's a safe bet the Homeland Security secretary is not looking forward to today. In just a few hours, Michael Chertoff will be appearing before a Senate committee investigating governmental failures in and around Hurricane Katrina. Meantime, another congressional committee scheduled to release a report today that points to Chertoff's role in the mess.
Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve live now in our Washington bureau with more.
Good morning, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
The report from the House Select Committee examining Katrina and obtained by CNN looks at everything from communications to evacuation, from FEMA to the military, from medical care to logistics. And it concludes that up and down the line, leaders failed to lead. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE (voice over): The House report coming out later today paints a scathing picture of the government's response to Katrina. The report says, "We are left scratching our heads at the range of inefficiency and ineffectiveness that characterized government behavior right before and after this storm, but passivity did the most damage."
Investigators fault Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff for not moving quickly enough to activate emergency response plans. The report says Chertoff performed his duties during Katrina, late, ineffectively, or not at all.
On Monday, the secretary accepted responsibility for what went wrong.
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: As the secretary of Homeland Security, I'm accountable.
MESERVE: Today's report also lays blame elsewhere, saying, quote, "Despite adequate warning 56 hours before landfall, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Nagin delayed ordering a mandatory evacuation in New Orleans until 19 hours before landfall. Evacuations in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish were either declared late or not at all, a failure that lead to preventable deaths, great suffering and further delays in relief."
But, today, much of the focus will be on Secretary Chertoff, and whether he's fit to lead homeland security.
For now, the White House is standing behind him.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Secretary Chertoff is doing a great job at the Homeland Security Department.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MESERVE: A spokesman for Chertoff says the secretary is looking forward to the hearing today and the chance to, as a spokesman put it, set the record straight.
Back to you, Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. Jeanne Meserve in Washington.
Thank you.
This morning's Senate hearing is scheduled to begin at 11:15 Eastern. We'll of course be following it for you here on CNN -- Zain.
VERJEE: Miles, the Texas attorney accidentally shot by the vice president is back in intensive care this morning. Doctors are saying that Harry Whittington suffered a minor heart attack.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is live in Corpus Christi, Texas, where Whittington is being treated.
Ed, what's the prognosis this morning?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, doctors here in Corpus Christi say that they expect Harry Whittington to live a normal life after all of this is over. But after they had discovered yesterday morning that one of the BBs, one of the dozens of BBs inside his body had migrated toward the heart and actually lodged itself in his heart, causing an irregular heartbeat, doctors say because of that he needs constant around-the-clock attention for at least the next seven days.
They discovered this yesterday after Harry Whittington had woken up Tuesday morning with an irregular heartbeat. And they discovered that in fact he had suffered what they describe as a minor heart attack. But right now they say there is only one BB that they are concerned about that is inside of his body, lodged in his heart. Other than that, right now there are no plans to take it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETER BANKO, HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR: There is no plans to do surgery to remove that birdshot. It's fixed in the heart at this point in time. However, it will require that we monitor Mr. Whittington for up to another seven days in the hospital to make sure no more birdshot moves into vital organs, as well as that piece of birdshot doesn't move anywhere else in the heart.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Now, after learning of this news yesterday afternoon, the vice president did call Harry Whittington and wished -- wished him well again. We expect another update on Mr. Whittington's condition at 1:00 Eastern Time today -- Zain.
VERJEE: Ed Lavandera reporting.
Thanks, Ed -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Iraq's state-run television is running public service announcements this morning in an attempt to free American hostage Jill Carroll. Carroll was abducted in Baghdad, has been a hostage for almost a month and a half now.
Let's go live to Baghdad now, Aneesh Raman.
Aneesh, tell us about these public service announcements and what impact they may be having.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, good morning.
It's a unique appeal, a direct emotional appeal to those holding Jill Carroll. It is the first time I can recall we've seen something like this for a Western hostage in the public service announcements.
There is one that's about a minute, another that's a minute and a half. It hits on the point that Jill Carroll was here because she loved Iraq, she was here to tell the story of the Iraqi people.
An Iraqi woman is heard from. She calls on the hostage-takers to look on Jill Carroll as if she were their sister or wife, to see if they could hold her if they had that image in their mind.
Also, Jill Carroll's mother is seen making a statement translated into Arabic. The hope, of course, is that those holding Jill Carroll might see it. There is no way to know. But also, that any Iraqi who has any information as to her whereabouts, suspicions as to where she is being held captive, will come forward.
It's been some time since her abduction. There has been unprecedented levels of support in Iraq for her release. But Iraqis, of course, have a lot to contend with on a daily basis. So the hope is that this message will once again remind them that Jill Carroll is still out there -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Can you tell us a little bit, Aneesh, as to whose idea this was and how it got on TV?
RAMAN: Yes. It really stemmed from the "Christian Science Monitor," from their office here in Iraq. They've been keen to make sure no one forgets the cause and the plight of Jill Carroll, and so they put this together, images from Iraqis, from Jill Carroll, from her mother as well, and they contacted the station.
I went to the station this morning, spoke to the general manager. He said, "Of course we would air it. This is about humanity. Anything we can do to try to save an innocent life."
So it really is a desperate attempt to try and save her life given that now a deadline looms of February 26, set by those holding her, an attempt by the "Christian Science Monitor" to keep Jill Carroll in the minds of the Iraqis and the entire world -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman in Baghdad.
Thank you -- Zain.
VERJEE: Miles, it's just not about the cartoons anymore. Deadly violence again today in Pakistan. But this time the Danish aren't the only targets.
CNN's David Clinch has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CLINCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A third day of violent protests in Pakistan against the portrayal of the Prophet Mohammed in Danish cartoons. Now the crowds appear to be lashing out at any Western target.
President Bush, as well as the Danish prime minister, portrayed as dogs. American, as well as Danish flags, burned. A KFC restaurant destroyed. The crowds also destroyed Norwegian and Korean businesses, and the violent clashes left at least three people dead, including a young boy.
Paramilitary forces rushing to quell the riots, using tear gas and batons.
The Pakistani government has promised to deal with the protests with an iron hand. But the anger over the cartoons that many Muslims consider blasphemous now appears with a more general demand from traditionalists in Pakistan to fight back at what they see as the increasing Western influence in the region.
The site of bottles of Pepsi being tossed to the ground amidst the gunfire, rioters storming into shops selling CDs and DVDs and then burning the American flag in the street. All leave no doubt that this cartoon controversy has now moved well beyond cause for a boycott of Danish goods.
All of this may have eliminated much of the goodwill built up over the past few months by American efforts to help after the devastating earthquake in Pakistan late last year.
David Clinch, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: Let's get a check of the headlines now and go over to Carol Costello.
Carol, hi.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Zain.
Good morning to all of you.
The focus expected to be on the Middle East as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice goes before lawmakers. Secretary Rice is scheduled to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee less than one hour from now. The last time she went before Congress was in October.
There will likely be questions about the Hamas win in the Palestinian elections and Iran's nuclear program.
President Bush has domestic issues on his plate today. The president will be in Ohio talking about health care. He's going to highlight his plan for expanding health savings accounts. Some Democrats have been highly critical of the president's proposal.
A man in Florida is expected to face some serious caress charges for running a sophisticated marijuana operation underneath his house. Police found this secret passageway in the man's master bedroom. It leads to an underground complex in -- right in that tunnel, 850 pot plants. The estimated street value, nearly $1 million.
And you may think your pooch is the best of them all, but officially the top dog award goes to Rufus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Best in show at the 130th annual Westminster Dog Show is the colored Bull Terrier.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Rufus!
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Rufus is one happy dog. He's the first colored Bull Terrier to win the Westminster Dog Show. The judge praised his egg- shaped noggin but the real award was the sirloin dinner he got last night.
Not just bones, Zain, but the entire sirloin.
VERJEE: Good for Rufus.
Let's check the weather forecast now with Bonnie Schneider over at CNN Center -- Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, we are looking at some very cold conditions across much of the northern tier of the country.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Bonnie Schneider.
Coming up, the so-called morning after pill -- at Wal-Mart? We'll look at what could be a big controversy for the nation's biggest retailer.
That was the Zain pronunciation there.
VERJEE: Controversy.
O'BRIEN: Very nice.
VERJEE: Thank you, darling.
O'BRIEN: Yes. Welcome. Welcome to America.
VERJEE: Also, the Zacarias Moussaoui terror trial gets under way again, but Moussaoui won't be there to see it, at least for now. We'll tell you why.
O'BRIEN: And we'll tell you about that jailbreak in Chicago. Was it an inside job with political motivations? It's quite an interesting tale ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: So, six guys break out of jail in Chicago. And they're caught. Story over. Right? Not so fast here.
This story involves the possibility of dirty guards and an even dirtier political battle.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SYLVESTER BAKER, CANDIDATE, COOK COUNTY SHERIFF: I think there was some possible corruption involved in that, yes. I believe that someone -- that they had -- they had help.
O'BRIEN (voice over): They are the six inmates who escaped from Chicago's Cook County jail over the weekend. After a massive manhunt, they were all captured. But now a surprising new twist. A jail guard is joining them behind bars.
Thirty-six-year-old Darren Gator (ph) charged with seven felony counts. Apparently, he admitted he helped the inmates escape. But why did he do it?
An official close to the case says Gator (ph) wanted to embarrass the current sheriff and help another candidate, his former supervisor at the jail, Richard Remus. Remus says it doesn't make sense.
RICHARD REMUS, CANDIDATE, COOK COUNTY SHERIFF: Here he would sacrifice his family, his career and everything else to help Richard Remus? I just find that totally ludicrous.
O'BRIEN: But was Gator (ph) a lone wolf? Maybe not. Five other guards are now suspended while the investigation continues.
And there is another twist. The current sheriff's hand-picked candidate, Tom Dart, fending off charges they knew about the plot but botched an attempt to thwart it. It's the latest in a series of mishaps at the jail.
TOM DART, COOK COUNTY SHERIFF CHIEF OF STAFF: Our office has aggressively tried to stamp out any of the problems here and have told anybody and everybody about some of the problems. There has been nothing other than complete objectivity on our part.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: The attorney for the suspended deputy says someone is looking for a scapegoat.
"Chicago Tribune" reporter David Heinzman has been all over this story. He's a busy guy.
Thanks for spending a little time with us, David.
Let's talk about this tip that was apparently ignored or botched or whatever. Supposedly, if they had listened there was about a seven-hour advanced warning of the jailbreak.
DAVID HEINZMAN, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE" Yes, that's right. The -- one of the men who escaped is Michael McIntosh. And his mother's boyfriend ended up in a Chicago hospital on Saturday after a fight at the home and told police that he knew of an escape planned, and that Michael McIntosh had actually smuggled a knife into the jail. And the Chicago Police Department talked about the tip, and then in a couple of hours passed it directly to the jail. And the jail -- the ranking officer at the jail passed it into the cell tier where these men who escaped were, passed it to a sergeant in there. And that sergeant is one of the people who is now suspended.
But we don't know what happened to the tip after that. We don't know if they took any action, if they tried to find this knife. And that's what the county is at this point is saying is under investigation. But that's a huge question out there.
O'BRIEN: But a big question for the investigation is, what did the sergeant do with that information? If he's suspended, he is at least under somewhat of focus of suspicion at this point.
HEINZMAN: Yes, that's right. I think any -- there were several guards who they believe at least had some knowledge of what was going on, if they weren't -- they weren't directly involved. And those people have been suspended.
So, the other part of that -- what happened to that tip is that Sunday, once these guys were all out and there was a huge fugitive hunt to find them, investigators may not have known about the tip at that point. And then when they started bringing guards in to question them, there is a question about whether prosecutors and investigators knew about that tip at that point when they were asking guards whether they were involved.
So, some of the people involved in the investigation didn't find out about the tip until yesterday. So there is a big question about how the sheriff's office handled that tip.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about the whole political implications here. The current sheriff is retiring. He has a hand- picked candidate.
HEINZMAN: Right.
O'BRIEN: This other candidate, Mr. Remus, is apparently favored by at least one of the guards, Darren Gator (ph) the one who is actually facing charges so far.
You get the sense that it's probably a little more pervasive, it's not a lone wolf operation here. You have to ask the question if Mr. Remus is in any way complicit in all of this.
HEINZMAN: Yes, and we have no idea. Richard Remus says absolutely not. And as your earlier report said, you know, he makes the point that it would be crazy.
But Darren Gator (ph) was a member of the SORT team, and Richard Remus is a former supervisor of the SORT team. And that's like a special, sort of elite group of guards in the jail.
And there was a scandal a few years back with allegations that the SORT team had conducted a bunch of beatings inside the jail. And that led to a grand jury investigation, lawsuits that Richard Remus eventually left the jail. But a lot of people are very loyal to him, and what Gator (ph) has said is that he would like to see Remus running the jail because he would have a better understanding of the working conditions and it would be a better situation for guards to working in the Cook County jail, which is one of the largest, roughest correctional institutions in the country.
O'BRIEN: And it sounds like one of the worst run. Is that accurate to say?
HEINZMAN: Well, it's been a very bad year. We had a man named Rudy -- Randy Rencher break out of the jail last June, and was on the lam for four months. And finally just surrendered in Ohio.
And then, February 1, a group of inmates smuggled a loaded revolver in to the jail and then shot each other with it in what investigators tell us was a plan to sue the jail.
And then on Friday, another guy named Warren Mathis (ph) slipped out of the jail in a laundry truck. He was captured a day later.
But security at the jail has been a ridiculously large issue over the last year because of these escapes. And the escape Saturday night was from the toughest maximum security wing of the jail, and Mathis (ph) also on Friday escaped from a maximum security wing of the jail. So that does raise pretty huge questions about how the jail is being run.
O'BRIEN: I should say. I don't think we've heard the last of this.
David Heinzman, we'll probably have you back. Thank you for your time.
HEINZMAN: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: He's with the "Chicago Tribune." They're working on this story of what's going on at the Cook County jail.
Coming up, how will the VP's hunting accident in Texas affect his legacy? We'll take a look at that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Tulane University Hospital reopened to great fanfare Tuesday. But as Sean Callebs reports, the emergency medical situation in that city is still critical.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, patients come in...
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Emergency medical treatment in the New Orleans Convention Center not days after Katrina, not weeks after the storm punished the city, but today. And what passes for an emergency room for the city's poor. Dr. Peter Deblieux is the ER director.
DR. PETER DEBLIEUX, EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE UNIT: Did I ever picture myself working in a tent? Certainly at some point in time in my career I did, but I just didn't think it would be this country.
CALLEBS: Doctors say the street parties of Mardi Gras traditionally spike ER treatment by at least 30 percent, and 911 calls go up fivefold. Deblieux says he is not looking forward to the added business.
O'BRIEN: When people say, what quality of health care are people getting in this city right now, what can you tell them?
DEBLIEUX: I would tell you this: that if you were new to our city and you had a complicated medical illness, regardless of your ability to pay, I would tell you this is not your best place to be. You are taking your life in your hands right now being in the city.
CALLEBS (voice over): For five months, the staff has been operating in musty tents, now treating close to 5,000 patients a month. Chiefly, the doctor says, New Orleans' working poor.
About a mile and a half away, a sparkling new emergency room. Tulane University Hospital reopened after five months and $90 million worth of renovations.
Only 63 of 250 beds are open. It will take some of the burden off this staff. But it doesn't make the job any more palatable.
DEBLIEUX: It's disturbing because, you know, after a while you kind of think, is anybody listening? Is anybody paying attention? Do they -- you know, nobody would expect to treat other people in this country like this.
CALLEBS: Right now, Deblieux says there is no level one trauma center open in New Orleans, meaning instead of a seriously injured victim reaching the operating room in minutes, in some cases it can take two hours.
MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: New Orleans is back!
CALLEBS: Nine of 16 area hospitals closed after Katrina. Tulane is the first to have reopened, but only partially. But the round-the- clock staff at the city's makeshift emergency room says right now they're a little too busy to celebrate.
Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Coming up, Wal-Mart sells just about everything under the sun. But the so-called morning after pill? Andy is "Minding Your Business" on that front and other matters.
And more on that Cheney hunting accident. Beltway insiders all know this. You know it, too. Mr. Cheney likes to keep information close to the vest. But did he? Did his staff shoot him in the foot this time?
Ahead, we'll talk about how Cheney does business with someone who knows.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VERJEE: Still to come here on AMERICAN MORNING, new pictures have surfaced showing the apparent abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison just outside of Baghdad by U.S. troops. These are from the old collection back in 2003, if you will.
Barbara Starr will bring us a live report.
O'BRIEN: And stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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