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American Morning

Bush Makes Unannounced Stop to Afghanistan; FEMA Still Under Fire Six Months After Katrina; Court to Rule on Lionel Tate's Murder Indictment

Aired March 01, 2006 - 07:00   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. Welcome, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien. President Bush makes a surprise stop overnight in Afghanistan. Next stop is India. Already, thousands of protesters are awaiting his arrival.
Another deadly attack in Baghdad. At least two dozen people are dead in a second straight day of extreme violence. We'll tell you about that.

Good morning, Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.

Live from Pass Christian, Mississippi, I'm Miles O'Brien. This town of 6,500 people still reeling, still trying to catch their breath in the wake of Katrina some six months later. We'll bring you up to date and we'll tell you about life inside the tent city here, they call "the Village."

And hurricane season, it's really not that far off. June 1st is the official beginning of it. Should be another bad one, if forecasters are right. We will check in with the new head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. We'll see if they're ready this time around, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome, Miles.

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

S. O'BRIEN: How is it looking where you are?

M. O'BRIEN: It's a beautiful morning, as a matter of fact. We've had great weather. It was a beautiful Mardi Gras yesterday in New Orleans. We will bring you up to date on how things are going in the wake of Hurricane Katrina six months later, still a lot of issues here. That's coming up shortly.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Miles. Let's get to a developing story from this vantage point. President Bush opening a four-day trip with an unannounced stop in Afghanistan. Under very heavy security he met with President Hamid Karzai just a short while ago. In fact, the two ended a news conference.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is live for us in New Delhi, which is the president's next stop. Hey, Suzanne, good morning to you.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, Soledad. It was a surprise to all of us. Of course we didn't even get the details about the trip until the president landed because it was all embargoed, very tight security, very tight-lipped about all of this. But a critically important trip for the president, his first to Afghanistan. The Afghan President Hamid Karzai, of course, looking at the security situation in his country deteriorating. President Bush trying to reassure them that of course the international coalition backs them. At the same time, defense officials want to draw down U.S. troops. And all of this in the home where the Taliban and al Qaeda once operated freely before September 11th, where Osama bin Laden, of course, operated the September 11th attacks and his terrorist attacks, and that is where President Bush was confronted why it is that the United States has not been able to capture him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: Slowly, but surely, we're bringing the people to justice. And the world is better for it as a result of our steady progress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now, President Bush downplaying Osama bin Laden specifically, saying that, of course, it's not a matter of if, but when, that he will be captured, along with other al Qaeda members.

Soledad, the president, of course, comes here next to New Delhi, India. That's where he's going to be talking about trade, military operations and of course an energy partnership, energy partnership dealing with nuclear energy that may or may not happen on this particular trip. The president also trying to downplay expectations that that will actually come to fruition.

All of this in the backdrop, of course, of protests that we've already seen on the streets in central New Delhi, up to a hundred thousand, mainly Muslim protesters, of course, who say that the president should not be here, chanting death to Bush. They do not approve of policies, specifically dealing with the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Strangely enough, this is a place in a country where his popularity is even stronger than in the United States. That not saying too much considering it's about 33 percent now -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow. Some of those crowd sizes look pretty amazing.

Suzanne Malveaux in New Delhi, which is where the president is headed. Suzanne, thanks.

Another story that we are following out of Iraq this morning, several deadly bombings today. The deadliest near a movie theater, has left 23 dead, 58 more injured. It's in that same area where a bomb on Tuesday killed four people. Since the bombing of a Shiite holy shrine in Samarra just a week ago today, more than 350 people have been killed in Baghdad alone. And in Baghdad's highly secured Green Zone, Saddam is back in court at this hour. More documents introduced that prosecutors say link him to the deaths of over 140 Shiites back in early '80s.

Let's get right to CNN's Aneesh Raman. He joins us by phone from the courthouse.

Hey, Aneesh, good morning to you again.

What exactly is happening now?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning.

Court got back into session just a few moments ago from a lunch recess. The just about to now read some witness statements. It comes, as you say, after two days where a number of documents were presented, death certificates, execution orders signed by Saddam Hussein and other co-defendants. One memo talked of how to execute a group of teenagers secretly, because they were below, at that point, the government's execution age.

Now Saddam for the past two days has been quiet. He has been subdued. It could very well be because of these documents. This has definitively changed the tone of the courtroom. It is much more somber in there. The defendants are paying close attention to the documents. These are the first real link between them and the crimes against humanity that these men are charged with.

Earlier, Saddam spoke to the situation outside of the courtroom. In a lengthy speech, he dealt with the prosecution who he says is bias, but also called upon unity among the Iraqi people. He says our interest as Iraqis is to be united, religious nationalities, creeds; we should be one, united, he said, against the invasion.

But he did at the start reference the strife that is taking place outside of this courtroom.

But a much different Saddam in court over the past few days, confronted really with the first hard evidence that he is has direct involvement in the crimes he is charged with -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: It's interesting to hear that the tone is changing significantly in this trial.

Aneesh, what do you think is up next?

RAMAN: Well, essentially, we're reaching the halfway point in this trial. The court after they read these witness statements could very well adjourn for a lengthy period, perhaps even a month, as they write what's called a formal charging document. We've been going through the discovery phase. The court has been finding out what took place, the complainant testimonies, the documents. They will then present the facts as they know it. The defendants, when it reconvenes, will enter guilty or not guilty pleas. And then begins what we know is the trial process. The prosecution presents its case, the defense its case, and then the sentencing.

So we're reaching five months almost past the start of this trial, or the midway point. That's where we think we're headed at the end of today's session, Soledad.

Five months halfway, and still a long way to go.

Aneesh Raman joining us by the phone from Baghdad this morning, inside the Green Zone.

Aneesh, thanks. We'll check back in with you in a little bit.

Meanwhile, let's get back to Miles. He is in Pass Christian in Mississippi, as we've been telling you.

Good morning, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning, Soledad.

I'm here along the tents in the place they call "the Village." Come on along with me here. As you can see, these are military-style tents. I'm going to try to be a little bit quiet, because some people are still sleeping here.

But if you look down here -- take a look down low, Walter -- they're built up off the ground and they have wooden floors. And in some cases, we have three or four families or people inside. In many cases, these tents are housing volunteers.

One of the big stories coming out of Pass Christian is how crucial the role of volunteers has been. There is a wonderful kitchen here they're calling the "Katrina kitchen," which is completely staffed by volunteers. The person in charge of this tent city, even though it has FEMA funding and so forth, is a volunteer. So what you're seeing here is a combination of efforts to try to get people back on their feet.

Here's the real concern. As you look at these departments coming down here, this looks like a military barracks. The real concern is what happens on march 15th. These tents slated to be folded up, and this entire village is supposed to cease to exist. The problem is, where do these people go?

Once again, this is that trailer story. In the state of Mississippi, there are about 70,000 housing units gone in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. About half that number of trailers so far. So there is a trailer shortfall, if you will.

And we have a lot of questions for the people here, a lot of the people here have really no place to go. We're going to talk to a mother and daughter later in this program. Up until the point they moved into one of the departments here, they were living in their car. They think unless they can get some sort of trailer together for them, they're going to go right back to their car, or perhaps there will be an extension for this tent city built by the Navy Seabees. But we will check in with them in a little bit.

Pass Christian is a place that in many respects things have not changed, Soledad. I know we've seen this time and again, but people are in such limbo, whether it's waiting for trailers or waiting for FEMA, but, more importantly for a lot of homeowners here, it's been very difficult for them to get their insurance companies to settle up, and it's that old conundrum, was it flood damage or was it wind damage? Well, this was a very powerful category-four, category-three type storm that came right over here. And a lot of homeowners would tell you no matter what you say about it, there had to be a lot of wind with that.

But once again, that limbo that they're in is the most difficult thing six months later. We'll be back in and check in with one of the families once they get up in just a little bit.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Miles, a moment ago, was just talking about that limbo. A lot of that by limbo comes from questions, as he mentioned, from insurance companies. Some of that limbo also coming from questions for FEMA. The acting director of FEMA is going to join us up next. His agency has admitted lots of mistakes after Hurricane Katrina. So we're going to see if they feel ready for the next big storm.

Also, Lionel Tate, remember him? The youngest person ever sentenced to life in prison? Then a court set him free. Well, that freedom could be taken away again. We'll tell you why coming up later on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Six months after Hurricane Katrina, to be perfectly frank, the anger toward FEMA has not subsided in the Gulf Coast, and questions about the agency's future role as a federal first responder.

David Paulison is the acting director of FEMA. He joins us from Washington.

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

DAVID PAULISON, ACTING FEMA DIRECTOR: Good morning.

S. O'BRIEN: You know, when we were in New Orleans the other day, the estimate that I got was that with hurricane season just three months away, more or less, levees are only 35 to 40 percent ready. Are the levees going to be prepared, brought to pre-Katrina levels in time for the start of the next hurricane season?

PAULISON: Well, according to the Corps of Engineers, the answer is yes. Our meetings with them where -- we meet with them on a regular basis -- is telling us the levees will be ready and will be at pre-Katrina levels. S. O'BRIEN: And what about the communities that clearly are not ready? I mean, six months in, as you well know, there are lots of communities where absolutely nothing has been done. What are they supposed to be doing while they wait for the next big storm to hit?

PAULISON: Well, you know, you're absolutely right. Those neighborhoods have been absolutely just totally devastated. This is not something that's going to come back in just a few months. We're talking about years before a lot of these communities are going to be back where they need to be.

What these people need to do is make sure they pay attention when hurricane season comes. We have a lot of people in mobile homes. Over 90,000 families are in travel trailers and mobile homes, and those have to be evacuated even in a category-one storm, so we're working with the state and working with the city to make sure that we have adequate evacuation plans in place.

S. O'BRIEN: I was talking to the sheriff of St. Bernard Parish yesterday, in fact, and he said, picture this -- category one storm, you've got your FEMA travel trailer. It took you X number of months to get it. This is the only thing you own. Everybody is going to be hitching that travel trailer to the back of their truck as they try to evacuate. I mean, you can visualize and predict just what a logistical mess that could be.

PAULISON: And you're absolutely right. This is -- that's why we have to make sure that everyone's prepared, that we have a good evacuation plan in place, that we're working with the Department of Transportation, working with the cities, working with the state, to make sure that we have a good plan in place so that doesn't happen.

We saw what happened in Houston when they evacuated for Hurricane Rita. That was the right thing to do and the right decision to make, but the streets were clogged and people were sitting in traffic for hours and hours. So we need to make sure we have a plan is in place so that doesn't happen.

S. O'BRIEN: We're looking at pictures of basically traffic, people sitting -- this is during Hurricane Rita. And now imagine each and every one of those vehicles with a FEMA travel trailer attached to the back. What has been done to change that?

PAULISON: Again, it's just having the right plans in place, making sure that we reverse the lanes when we have to. A whole series of things have to come into place.

And also, you know, we're probably have to do the evacuation much earlier than in a normal hurricane, because of the number of people that are going to have to evacuate.

S. O'BRIEN: The sheriff of St. Bernard Parish asked me a question about what we really talked about, law enforcement. He said, you know, in my parish there is no actual structure for me to house my deputies should another disaster come through. I mean, where are we going to go if we're supposed to stay and be the first responders on the scene? And I'm sure his story is similar to lot of other parishes that have been devastated. What do you tell them?

PAULISON: Well, again, the evacuations and the housing is really a local issue, but we're going to work with them. We do have to find a place for them to be stay. They need to be fairly close, but yet out of harm's way. And those are the types of planning that has to take place between now and hurricane season.

S. O'BRIEN: I say this with great respect, but I hear you use the word plan, plan, plan, plan a lot, but I don't hear the plan. I mean, are these things you feel confident over the next three months are going to be resolved? Because that's all the time you have.

PAULISON: And that's all we're going to have to do. And, again, this is not really a federal issue, but we can't walk away from it, so it has to be a combination of the federal government, the state, and the locals all working together to come up with a plan.

And yes, we are working on plans. We have -- we've put Chairman Powell down there from the White House to oversee the long-term recovery. I have Gil Jamieson, just been appointed to handle recovery fees (ph) for FEMA, and he reports directly to me, to make sure that these plans are in place and we do start working on them and start making those happen. It is very important.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, clearly. I agree with you on that.

Do you think FEMA would be better if it was an independent agency? As you well know, Mike Brown has said that if word came in that the levee had cracked because a terrorist had blown it up, that there would of been so much response and so many resources sent to the region; because it was a natural disaster, kind of went over everybody's head. That's his theory.

PAULISON: Yes, well, I'm not sure I agree with that. All I can tell you is since I've been running FEMA, I've gotten a tremendous amount of support and intention from not only the secretary and the deputy secretary, but the president himself. So I can tell you that what FEMA has gotten out of Homeland Security since I've been here has been absolutely phenomenal.

S. O'BRIEN: Terrific. Well, maybe that means change for the better for FEMA.

David Paulison, of course, is the acting director of FEMA.

Nice to see you, sir. Thank you for talking with us. We sure appreciate it.

PAULISON: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, we're going to take a look at television's effect on children. There's some new information that, believe it or not, could challenge conventional wisdom about that.

Plus, Howard Stern says his old bosses are carrying out a vendetta against him. Andy is going to explain as he "Minds Your Business" just ahead.

And "The Da Vinci Code," all about a big biblical secret. Now the book's author is accused of keeping kind of a big secret of his own. We'll explain that story, too. That's just ahead.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MARKET REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Happy birthday, guys! Howard Stern's former bosses, I was going to say upset, but I think I'm going to say stinking mad. And they're going to take him to court, thinking about it at least.

Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" this morning.

Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: I put my mic on, if that's OK.

Sorry about that, crew.

S. O'BRIEN: I'll fix your little cable there.

SERWER: Thank you for helping me out.

'V' is for vendetta, Soledad, at least that's what Howard Stern is saying this morning about CBS Radio, which is suing him for a reported $500 million. Don't you love it. That's the amount of his contract, of course. Convenient.

S. O'BRIEN: I was going to say, hmm, that sounds familiar.

SERWER: Yes. And basically what CBS is saying is that Howard was illegally promoting his Sirius Satellite Radio show while still under contract and still on the air at CBS. And he was doing so to reap a higher compensation package. Remember, the more people who came on Sirius, the more he would get paid? So they were saying he was doing that while he was at CBS. They're also saying he took some audio tapes, and so he's saying this is nothing but a personal vendetta by CBS chief Les Moonves.

Newsflash to Les Moonves, let it go, let it go. All you're doing is promoting Howard Stern more and more, and Howard Stern is saying that CBS' show with David Lee Roth is not doing so well. I think that's probably the case.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, move on.

SERWER: So just let it go.

S. O'BRIEN: You're not going to get the $500 million.

SERWER: No, because he would never actually say "Sirius Satellite Radio" on the show. He'd say mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm. S. O'BRIEN: Right, I remember he used to joke about it.

SERWER: Right, that whole thing.

I want to talk about the markets quickly yesterday. A downer for investors, the Dow off triple digits. You can see here, what was going on, home sales down, consumer confidence noun down. And then there's Google, Soledad, a TMI moment -- too much information. The CFO saying how growth was slowing. You're not supposed to be that frank, although what's wrong with being frank on Wall Street? Come on.

S. O'BRIEN: He'll learn!

SERWER: Yes, he will. Just be quiet. It was down 27 points, or 7 percent.

Soledad, do you buy me cupcakes when Google goes down and crosses, thresholds the other way?

S. O'BRIEN: The truth is we don't do that, but I'd be willing to discuss that. We all want cupcakes on the set.

SERWER: Yes, that's true, we can work something out.

S. O'BRIEN: Even for sad moments.

SERWER: Now best two months that the Dow has had since 1998. We just finished two months of trading, so that's a little upside there. Futures up nicely this morning.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, thank you very much.

SERWER: You're welcome.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right back to Miles. He's in Mississippi for us this morning.

Hey, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Soledad.

Coming up, we're going to take you inside one of the tents here the place they call "the Village." We'll meet the Sullivans, mother and daughter. Before they got to the tent, they were living in their car. Come March 15th, as they fold up the tents as is now predicted, they might be right back in that vehicle. We'll talk to them about life here in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: A beautiful shot this morning of Columbus Circle. Welcome back to a split edition of AMERICAN MORNING. Six months after Hurricane Katrina, much of the Gulf region still has a very long way to go before they'll recover. One city we're taking a look at this morning is Pass Christian in Mississippi, and that's where we find Miles this morning.

Hey, Miles, good morning.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning, Soledad.

The train is coming through here. There's one that comes through here just about every hour, blaring its horn. Imagine I guess they get used to it after awhile, but that's what life is like here in the place they call "the Village." About 80 evacuees from Katrina are in here. Several other volunteers trying to help out in this general vicinity are living here as well.

In just a few moments, we're going to you inside one of these tents, and you'll meet the Sullivans, and we'll talk about what life is like for them there.

In the meantime, in Pass Christian, there is an attempt to get back to some level of normalcy, but it's going to be a very long road.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN (voice-over): At Trinity Church in Pass Christian, they're still standing, and singing and celebrating together. On the last Sunday of carnival season, there was even a waft of joy in the air.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So stick around, have a bite to eat, and then go on down to the parade.

M. O'BRIEN: It was time for this battered beach town's Mardi Gras parade. It was short, but sweet. And another small sign the Pass will be back again.

REV. CHRIS COLBY, TRINITY CHURCH: Hey, Ed, good morning. You in the house.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not in, but we have windows and doors now. That's a big step.

COLBY: It is.

M. O'BRIEN: Pastor Chris Colby is fond of calling his church the plywood cathedral. And that, too, is an improvement.

COLBY: When I got back on the 1st of September, it was just the frame and the roof and about two-thirds of the floor.

M. O'BRIEN: Katrina took no prisoners when it swept over this town of 6,500 near Gulfport. Of 2,000 homes, 1,200 were destroyed. In many cases, swept off their foundations.

LIZ HANSON, KATRINA SURVIVOR: You see this was my backyard.

M. O'BRIEN: This is all that's left of Liz Hanson's home. The place where she raised her children. There was practically nothing left. It was five months before she shed a tear. What finally brought you to tears?

HANSON: I guess just letting go. Just accepted it.

M. O'BRIEN: The tears came like a torrent, wouldn't go away for weeks, and then they were gone and suddenly the air was cleared.

HANSON: I'm at a stage where I'm happy to be alive. And just ready to go with whatever comes my way, you know?

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

HANSON: I just -- you can't take it with you. I just want to live my life and be happy.

GWENDOLYN CANON, KATRINA SURVIVOR: The water came on the porch up to the doorstep right here.

M. O'BRIEN: For her good friend, artist Gwendolyn Canon, the story has a different twist.

CANON: This is what it looked like. Here's a painting I did.

M. O'BRIEN: Her home and her work are intact, but the fabric of her life in the past is in tatters.

CANON: Everything has changed. There's not one thing or one hair on anybody that's been here that isn't changed. Everything has changed. Completely.

M. O'BRIEN: Or has it? The Mardi Gras parade rolled past the plywood cathedral as always this year and sparked some glimmers of optimism.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are slow to come back, but I think it will eventually get back to the way it was.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: It's going to take a while before that happens, though. Let's take you inside. Here's one of the tents here. About 80 of them. And these are the Sullivans.

Good morning, Sullivans. How is life going? That's Jessica and that's Carla, the mom. Mother and daughter.

How is life treating you so far, Jessica?

JESSICA SULLIVAN, CARLA SULLIVAN'S DAUGHTER: It's OK. It's kind of weird living here with all different people. But, I mean, they're really nice here.

M. O'BRIEN: Not a lot of privacy, right?

SULLIVAN: No, not really.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

You lived in Pass Christian. What happened to your house or apartment or whatever?

CARLA SULLIVAN, TENT VILLAGE RESIDENT: Well, we just moved back and were staying with friends and it pretty much got tore up.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

So prior to these tents being built, erected, I should say, you were living in your car.

CARLA SULLIVAN: Off and on in other people's houses and right before here, yes, in my car.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

Now we're told that the tents can stay, but the infrastructure that's here, the showers and the toilets and the electricity, that is all going to end on March 15th.

CARLA SULLIVAN: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: What does that leave you? What are your options at that point?

CARLA SULLIVAN: Well if we don't get a FEMA camper by then, back in my car.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

What kind of response have you gotten so far from the federal government as you try to get a camper?

CARLA SULLIVAN: Well, you know, it's kind of hard. I mean there's a lot of people that have waited longer and don't even have a car to sleep in, you know. So, I mean, can't really complain. But, you know, it just takes a lot of time I guess.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, I was just -- the train comes by every hour and all . . .

CARLA SULLIVAN: It's pretty noisy.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Give us a sense of what a day is like here.

CARLA SULLIVAN: I mean, it's all right. Three good meals a day. I can tell you that. And the beds are pretty comfortable. And you've got a roof over your head and we have showers and, you know, so I mean, it's OK. A lot of the people are friendly. Made a lot of friends. And people that run the place, Andy and Ben, and then, they've been really great.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

CARLA SULLIVAN: They've been real great. M. O'BRIEN: A lot of volunteers helping out here.

CARLA SULLIVAN: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: What about your friends? Have they all scattered? And are you still in contact with people?

JESSICA SULLIVAN: I've found some of my friends, but a lot of them went to other states and are at other schools. But some of them popped back up and show back up at my house to see how everything was.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

What about work? Are you able to find work one way or another? I see there's a lot of work to be done here (INAUDIBLE).

JESSICA SULLIVAN: I was flagging traffic for a while over in Louisiana. But they always shut it down or we don't have enough people or we got too many or the road's not busy enough for a flagger. So it's kind of hard.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. How about you? Have you found some work here?

CARLA SULLIVAN: It was the same. I was doing the same cleanup but they say the crews, you might work for a week or something, they shut it down, and then you go to another crew and work a little while and they shut it down for one reason or another. And it's not very dependable.

M. O'BRIEN: What's it like six months later being in this kind of a limbo?

CARLA SULLIVAN: It's still difficult but, you know, what can do you?

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Sullivans, and we wish you well. I hope it works out well for you. I hope you get that travel trailer that you're hoping for. Next step toward getting back to normal.

CARLA SULLIVAN: Yes, just a place to call our own. You know, something steady.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, something steady. Carla and Jessica Sullivan, good luck. Thanks for letting us intrude on what little privacy you have here in the village.

Let's get some headlines in and go to Carol in New York.

Hello, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.

And good morning to all of you.

New attacks in Baghdad to tell you about, one week since a deadly bombing at a mosque that nearly pushed the country to the brink of a civil war. At least 26 people killed today in bombings across the capital. One of the biggest, a car bomb attack in eastern Baghdad.

Meantime, Saddam Hussein is back in court. Prosecutors are showing more evidence today linking him directly to 140 murders in 1982.

President Bush says he's happy with the progress in Afghanistan. The president is in Kabul on a quick stopover before heading to India and Pakistan. Tens of thousands of protesters are already taking to the streets in India. They're demonstrating against U.S. policies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We could hear more this morning about a deal involving U.S. ports and a Dubai-based company. In about two hours, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is set to go before lawmakers. He's officially expected to discuss his department's budget, but will likely be asked questions about that ports agreement.

If you think TV is rotting your child's brain, think again. Two economists at the University of Chicago say there is no negative effect from watching educational television. At least not on test scores. In fact, the children who watched TV actually showed a slight advantage. The study has been submitted for further review. And remember, we're talking about educational television.

And talk about putting your neck on the line. A man from Maine is selling his neck, yes, selling his neck on eBay. He wanted to bring in some extra income for his family. The winning bid, $5,000 from a Los Angeles-based web hosting company. And, yes, that tattoo they're putting on his neck to advertise that company, it is, indeed, permanent, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ooh and it looked like it hurt to get it put there.

COSTELLO: It hurts to get a tattoo. It's a little needle going in many, many times.

S. O'BRIEN: He made some bucks off it.

All right, Carol, thank you very much.

Let's tell you the story of a young man who got a second chance. Couldn't stay out of trouble, though, with the law. Now Lionel Tate, you'll remember his name, he, of course, made national headlines when he killed a young playmate. He's facing prison time once again. CNN's John Zarrella is following this story for us live from Ft. Lauderdale in Florida.

Hey, John, good morning.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Soledad.

Well, you're absolutely right, Lionel Tate made history and headlines worldwide after his conviction for killing his playmate. That conviction was later overturned on a technicality. But things have not gone well for Lionel Tate since he has been out on probation. Today, in this courthouse behind me, he faces a violation of probation hearing that could send Lionel Tate back to prison for the rest of his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA, (voice over): At 14 years old, Lionel Tate was the youngest person ever sentenced to life without parole. Tate was convicted in 2001 of killing his playmate. His attorneys argued it was an accident. That he was imitating wrestling moves he'd seen on TV when six-year-old Tiffany Uenick died.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now can you show me how she hit, as best as you can remember.

LIONEL TATE: It was like -- like she hit like this.

ZARRELLA: The little girl's mother never believed it.

DEWEESE UENICK, VICTIM'S MOTHER: This was not child's play. This was not rough-housing. This was a brutal murder.

ZARRELLA: But a little more than two years ago, an appeals court overturned his conviction because Tate had never received a competency hearing. He was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge and was released.

JUDGE JOEL LAZARUS, BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA: You are Lionel Tate. You are entering this plea freely and voluntarily, is that correct?

TATE: Yes, sir.

ZARRELLA: But after his release, Tate couldn't stay out of trouble. He was arrested for carrying a knife in a park. Investigators say he also took his mother's gun, she's a highway patrol officer, and shot into the air. Then last May.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, (through translator): I came to deliver pizzas and they pointed a gun at me.

ZARRELLA: A pizza delivery man identified Tate as the person who held a gun to his head and robbed him. Tate has been in jail since, facing probation violation charges that could send him back to prison for life. A December hearing on those charges was delayed after Tate wrote a letter to the judge saying he'd been hearing voices.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Asking me for a competency evaluation because he is, "hearing voices and I want to kill myself."

ZARRELLA: Tate was ruled competent to face the charges after two psychologists testified he was faking it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: Now this hearing could last a day, perhaps longer, Soledad. And it is entirely up to the judge on how much time he gives to Lionel Tate back in prison if he determines that, in fact, Tate has violated his parole.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: John Zarrella for us this morning with an update on a case that we really feel like we've been watching that for years and years, isn't it? John, thanks for the update.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's get a look at the weather this morning. Chad Myers is at the CNN Center. He's got the weather update for us.

Hey, Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Andy's "Minding Your Business" just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

What do you have coming up for us?

SERWER: Soledad, we're going to talk about Northwest Airlines. More troubles in the skies. Could it shut down?

Plus, Starbucks importing coffee from what country?

Stay tuned for that coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: OK, pop culture or American history? Which one do you know more about? Here's kind of an interesting survey. A telephone poll of a thousand people found that 20 percent can name all five main members of the "Simpson" family. That's the animated series, obviously. About the same number could name all three judges on "American Idol." No surprise there. But what about naming the five freedoms of the first amendment? Anybody? Any takers?

Andy Serwer?

SERWER: Yes, that's kind of tough. That's an apple and an orange.

S. O'BRIEN: Give me the five.

SERWER: Let's see, religion, press, life, liberty, and happiness?

S. O'BRIEN: And speech, assembly. Petition the government.

SERWER: Speech, assembly. Oh, petitioning the government. How could I forget?

S. O'BRIEN: In fact, you did better than most.

SERWER: Wow. S. O'BRIEN: Only one person out of that thousand was able to name all five freedoms offered under the first amendment. OK, so that sounds a little bit sad, although it's kind of a tough -- that's kind of tough quiz.

SERWER: That is hard.

S. O'BRIEN: But one out of every five people surveyed also thought that you're right to own a pet is in the Constitution.

SERWER: I knew that wasn't true.

S. O'BRIEN: You are constitutionally guaranteed to own a pet.

SERWER: Even a ferret.

S. O'BRIEN: Any pet.

SERWER: No. It's wrong.

S. O'BRIEN: It's a quiz. But they can name all three "American Idol" judges.

SERWER: I can do that. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, man, you rock.

SERWER: All right. Good.

S. O'BRIEN: All right. Moving on. A big deadline for Northwest Airlines.

SERWER: Yes. And this sort of crept up on us because, you know, we've kind of thought some of the airline problems seemed to be over with United Airlines and U.S. Airlines coming out of bankruptcy. But remember, Delta and Northwest are still in Chapter 11. And, in fact, the Northwest pilots just voted yesterday to authorize a strike, 92 percent of them voted, 4,800 pilots there. This, if the company imposes pay cut and work rule changes.

And listen to this. I mean this really -- I had no idea this was going on. If they don't get a ruling on these pay cuts and work rule changes today, they could go on strike. And, of course, a pilots' strike is potentially a death nail for an airline. So we really need to watch that story and we will be.

Another thing I want to talk about, Starbucks, the coffee giant, of course. And they have coffee from 26 countries now they import into the United States all over . . .

S. O'BRIEN: And they put the ads all over their stores and talk about the people who sell them the coffee.

SERWER: Right.

S. O'BRIEN: And the symbiotic relations that they have that they're doing.

SERWER: And the good they're doing. I'm sure some of it is good and we all like to drink their coffee, or at least many of us do. People who don't call it starburnt.

Now they're getting their coffee from the African nation of Rwanda, which is surprising because, of course, that country was devastated in the civil war in 1994 and still hasn't really recovered. But apparently there has been aid groups from the United States, including the United States government, that's helped farmers grow high-end coffee and so, you know, this is a positive. They're able to export this crop and apparently it's pretty good coffee. And so I've got to try a cup.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, and Rwanda certainly has its fair share of huge human rights problems and a million others as well. So maybe it will be helpful to the economy.

SERWER: And they used to grow coffee there a lot but, again, the civil war just wiped it all out. So maybe they're back a bit.

S. O'BRIEN: Interesting. I'll have to try it.

Andy, thank you.

SERWER: You're welcome.

S. O'BRIEN: Have you heard about this controversy over the best seller, "The Da Vinci Code"?

SERWER: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Everybody read that. The controversy though this time is not about religion. We're going to tell you why Dan Brown, the book's author, is now being sued.

And then later, a case that everybody's watching, probably for the wrong reasons. Former playmate goes before the Supreme Court.

SERWER: Hello.

S. O'BRIEN: We're going to take a look at why Anna Nicole Smith could have a lasting impact on our nation's legal system and it's not what you think.

SERWER: Wow. Wow.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right back to Miles. He's in Mississippi this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad, we are at a place called The Village. It is morning. It is time to wash up. And this is the scene here. This is a semitrailer and this is where these people are living amid military-style tent compound. We're going to be talking with the head of the National Hurricane Center. Imagine what it's going to be like during hurricane season when people are living in places like this. We'll get a forecast of the season ahead coming up. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: All right. You probably read "The Da Vinci Code" by now. But now the novel about this big secret in the Bible has its own little secret. But did Dan Brown, the author, steal from another book when he wrote the best seller? AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho takes a look for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): At the center of this well publicized case, author Dan Brown's blockbuster novel "The Da Vinci Code." The book has sold 40 million copies. Sony bought the movie rights and cast Tom Hanks as the star.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "The Da Vinci Code": Witness the biggest cover-up in human history.

CHO: The lawsuit, filed in London, alleged Brown didn't plagiarize but stole ideas from an earlier book, a work of non-fiction called "The Holy Blood and the Holly Grail." Both make the case that Jesus married Mary Magdelene, had a child, and that the lineage continues today.

The authors of "Holy Blood" say Brown used their book as the source in writing his own. Brown says he just used it as a reference. Random House, which published both books, said in a statement, the case is without merit. CNN's legal analyst says, ideas, especially ones that have been around for centuries, cannot be copy righted.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST: You know there's an old saying in literature, good poets borrow, great poets steal. And if we wanted to create litigation every time authors used the ideas of others, not only would we be swamping the courts, we'd be stifling creativity.

CHO: The two books are not identical. "Holy Blood" contends the Crucifixion was faked. "The Da Vinci Code" does not. "Holy Blood" never mentions Leonardo Da Vinci. In Brown's novel, Da Vinci's famous painting, The Last Supper, is his basis for his theory that Jesus was married.

The trial will resumes next week, giving the judge enough time to read both books. Author Brown is also expected to take the stand.

Despite talk that the courtroom drama could delay the opening of the movie "The Da Vinci Code," Sony says it is proceeding with plans for a May 19th worldwide release. Those who are watching the case say all of this publicity can only be good for sales of movie tickets and both books.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a look at our top stories.

President Bush makes a surprise visit to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, thousands of protesters are out there protesting the president's upcoming visit to India.

Saddam Hussein back in court.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is set to testify about the controversial ports deal today.

And Anna Nicole Smith goes to Washington. How the former playmate's Supreme Court case could impact lawsuits nationwide.

Those stories are all ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Hello. I'm Miles O'Brien live from Pass Christian, Mississippi.

We're in a place called The Village. This is a military-style compound. Housing right now about 80 evacuees from Hurricane Katrina, as well as several volunteers. We're going to tell you about the volunteers in a little bit.

But I just want to show you what a morning is like here. About 80 tents. Many of them either raised up off the ground and, in many cases, they are actually paneled on the inside. They're fairly substantial tents.

But take a look at what life is like here. There's the laundry room right in there. We were just in the shower trailer. Check out all the washing machines there.

But come on this way, Walter. I'll just show people what's going on. This is what morning is like. You have some comforts here but you can forget about privacy in a place like this. This is people just waking up and brushing their teeth. The men's trailer there. And it's another morning at The Village.

And the question we all have as we look at these trailers, as you think about the travel trailers that -- there about 36,000 of those in the state of Mississippi. The question is, with another hurricane season coming, what's going to happen? How are those evacuations going to go? We're going to ask the head of the National Hurricane Center, Max Mayfield, about that after a break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: President Bush begins his four-day tour with a surprise stop in Afghanistan as growing violence in the country is causing concerns. We'll take a look at how the military is trying to gain the upper hand. It's a story you'll only see on CNN.

Protesters in India are ready for the president's stop there today. A second day of deadly car bomb attacks to tell you about out of Baghdad. Two dozen people dead.

And Saddam Hussein keeping quite in court. Instead it's his accusers who are doing all the talking.

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