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American Morning
Saddam Hussein on Trial; Desperate Search; Texas Wildfires
Aired March 15, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Morning. Welcome, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien.
Swept away in Hawaii. A dam breaks in Kauai, one dead, seven missing, more flooding expected. We're live on the story.
S. O'BRIEN: Well the problem is not water but spreading wildfires now causing big problems in Texas. Parts of the state are on high alert this morning. We've got the very latest on this story.
M. O'BRIEN: The Enron whistle-blower takes the stand. When Sherron Watkins speaks this time, she won't be ignored.
And there's this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had gotten out of bed and I was cooking. I don't even like eggs, and I was cooking eggs and bacon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: Sleep cooking and eating? Are sleeping pills the cause?
S. O'BRIEN: Plus, no big secret that some men refuse to ask for directions, even when they are really, really lost. Well take a guess...
M. O'BRIEN: What's a matter with that?
S. O'BRIEN: Take a guess, how many hours, how much time would you guess is lost by men being lost on the road? You're not going to believe this number. I think it's very high.
M. O'BRIEN: It's time well spent, put it that way.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get right to our top story this morning. On a very serious note, Baghdad, and what's expected to be a very big day in the trial of Saddam Hussein. The former dictator himself is scheduled to take the stand today.
Hussein and his co-defendants are charged in the killings of 148 Shiites in the village of Dujail back in 1982. Saddam Hussein says there was a failed assassination attempt against him in that village. If he is convicted, the defendant could face -- all the defendants overall could face execution by hanging.
Senior international correspondent Nic Robertson has been following this trial from inside the courtroom for us. He's on the phone this morning.
Hey, Nic, good morning.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Saddam Hussein hasn't been in the courtroom yet. He could appear this afternoon.
His half-brother, Barzan Hassan al-Tikriti, was in the dock today. He was the head of intelligence at the time of the Dujail attack. And his defense strategy today appeared to be entirely to deny that he had any responsibility or any role. He said that this, the case, after the attempted assassination on Saddam Hussein was not handled by intelligence but handled by security.
He said that other people had given evidence against him have lied. He spoke for about two hours when being interviewed by the judge. The judge, on many occasions, had to direct him to focus his responses to the issue of Dujail.
After that, Barzan Hassan al-Tikriti faced questioning for about an hour and a quarter by one of the main prosecutors. He asked him repeatedly about signatures on letters. Barzan Hassan al-Tikriti denied they were his signatures. All these letters and memorandums seemed to involve the Dujail case.
In fact, Mr. Barzan Hassan al-Tikriti has made his defense today entirely based on that he wasn't involved, that any signature that appears to involve him was a fabricated signature, any evidence against him has been lies and fabrication -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: So, Nic, have you heard what the prosecution's strategy is when Saddam Hussein takes the stand?
ROBERTSON: So far we haven't. But what we are seeing, and if Saddam Hussein's half-brother's questioning by the prosecution is anything to go by, they do have a number of documents that have signatures. And there does seem to be very rigorous examination and questioning of the defendants.
So I think we can expect Saddam Hussein to go through the same process. The judge will likely tell Saddam Hussein this is his day in court. He can -- he will have the opportunity to speak about all the issues relevant to the case that he wants to speak about.
And after the judge has questioned Saddam Hussein, then the prosecution will begin. It could be quite a lengthy process. Over three and a -- almost three-and-a-half hours with Barzan Hassan al- Tikriti so far today -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson joining us by phone this morning. Nic, thank you very much -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: In Hawaii this hour there is a search underway for seven people missing in the wake of a dam break. A killer 50-foot wave from a burst dam on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, one person killed, at least two homes swept away.
Joining us on the phone now from Honolulu, Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander DesaRae Janszen.
Commander, good to have you with us. Bring us up to date on the search, please.
LT. CMDR. DESARAE JANSZEN, U.S. COAST GUARD: Good morning, Miles.
It is 1:00 in the morning here in Hawaii, and we have a 65 Dolphin helicopter from Coast Guard Station Barbers Point searching with night vision goggles. It's very difficult search conditions out there. The debris field is long and muddy and murky and it's also raining.
M. O'BRIEN: And that rain, of course, must make you concerned about possibly other dams breaking. Are there other places you're watching right now on the island that might cause problems later?
JANSZEN: We sure are. There is another dam called the Morita Reservoir that is also spilling over at this time. Our Civil Defense is keeping a good look on it. And the Coast Guard, we're also monitoring it from the air, trying to make sure that we know as soon as possible. So it looks like that dam will also break.
M. O'BRIEN: Have any evacuations been ordered?
JANSZEN: At this time there haven't been any evacuations ordered by the Coast Guard, but State Civil Defense is on scene, and they're doing a great job running the case from there.
M. O'BRIEN: Was there any advanced warning that these earthen levees might give way?
JANSZEN: Miles, as far as the Coast Guard is concerned, there wasn't any advanced notice. The Department of Land and Natural Resources was keeping their eye on these dams. They are very old. They are over 100 years old. And it was -- we've been receiving a lot of rain out here in Kauai. And it was probably just about time for them to go.
M. O'BRIEN: What's the search strategy now?
JANSZEN: Well, we are -- we still have our 65 helicopters in the air. We also have 110-foot cutter from Honolulu there and some auxiliary vessels. But an interesting development is we are taking over a canine team in the morning, at 5:00 this morning. They are going to be helping look for survivors on the ground. And we're also going to be doing a first-light search with our C-136 wing aircraft. M. O'BRIEN: All right. Well, keep us posted. Thank you for taking this time, Lieutenant Commander DesaRae Janszen with the United States Coast Guard in Honolulu.
Workers will go back into the Sago Mine today in West Virginia for the first time since that explosion in January. Twelve workers died. Forty-one hours wait -- excuse me -- they waited 41 hours in vain for a rescue. The company now says the blast was set off by a lightning strike, as we have been telling you pretty much all along here.
One worker survived, as you know. Randal McCloy made his first home -- visit home Tuesday. A three-hour visit with a home cooked meal. He is walking with assistance and talking, but he is not able to hold a normal conversation just yet -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: That's some good news on that front, isn't it?
Let's talk about the dangerous fire conditions out there in Texas today. High winds could add to the record destruction in the northern panhandle. At least 11 people have been killed in those wildfires since Sunday. Nearly 2,000 people evacuated.
Ed Lavandera is watching preparations today in Borger, Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Firefighters and emergency officials are on high alert again today in the Texas panhandle. Weather conditions are ripe for another possible intense breakout of wildfires. The conditions very similar to what was seen here on Sunday, high winds, low humidity, which triggered wildfires that consumed almost 700,000 acres of land.
So emergency officials have requested for more fire fighting help from the surrounding states. And also state officials say they are bringing in air support to drop water on hot spots.
And here in Hutchinson County, where we are, emergency officials have also recruited volunteers to stand guard with binoculars to alert them to wildfires as soon as they break out.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Borger, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Time to get the latest forecast from Chad. He's at the CNN Weather Center this morning.
Chad, wow, you know those pictures, and we've seen them now for a couple of days, I just can't get over them.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: To see that massive landscape just orange. MYERS: Yes. I mean did you hear the official, what he actually said, his wording? He said we want you to use binoculars so you can see the fires when they break out.
S. O'BRIEN: Right.
MYERS: Because, really, they know today is going to be an ugly day with winds gusting over 35 miles per hour, at times, 45 miles per hour. The threshold for a wildland fire really getting out of control is right around 25, because at that point the sparks can fly far enough that the crew that's fighting the fire where it is can't keep up with the sparks as they fly.
And all the winds so far this morning are blowing out of the south. They even will get a little westerly component later on today. And at 20 miles per hour in the morning, you can double that easily for the afternoon when the winds do pick up.
There is the wind. There is the big yellow area. Even Oklahoma and Kansas, eastern Colorado and New Mexico, you guys are in it today as well, so you need to keep up your guard.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Those are some amazing numbers.
MYERS: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Chad.
President Bush making a second pitch for his troubled prescription drug plan today. He heads to an assisted living facility in suburban Maryland. He told seniors yesterday in upstate New York the new Medicare drug benefit is a good deal. We'll have more on this in just a few moments.
If you use the search engine Google, listen up, Google will be ordered by a federal court to turn over information from its users' searches to the government. They want the information to find out how easily children can be exposed to pornography on the Web. Google had been fighting that request.
And how does $5 a gallon sound for you at your next fill up? It could be if a Texas oilman gets his way. T. Boone Pickens told an Oklahoma Civic Club the price of gasoline should be doubled to five bucks a gallon and that that would make people use less gas, understandably. He says worldwide supply will not be able to keep up with demand. And Mr. Pickens, of course, can afford $5 a gallon.
S. O'BRIEN: And a whole bunch of other people cannot.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, you know her, she blew the whistle on her former bosses at Enron. Now Sherron Watkins is set to face them down in court. We'll bring you that story. Plus, remember this guy, J-Mac? What a beautiful basket. Well, he captured our hearts with his performance on the court. He's also captured the attention of the president. We'll tell you what happened there.
M. O'BRIEN: But first, need some help waking up this morning? We'll tell you how you can get a free cup of gourmet coffee. The crews just woke up. Everybody is like, where? That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: You know we get free coffee here all morning.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, we do.
M. O'BRIEN: Every day.
S. O'BRIEN: Courtesy of CNN. Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: You will wake up at 3:00 in the morning. Actually get free coffee all day.
S. O'BRIEN: I can get it for you.
M. O'BRIEN: Twenty-four by seven. It's delicious, too, just delicious. But there is such a thing.
S. O'BRIEN: Free coffee. No free lunch.
M. O'BRIEN: Apparently today.
S. O'BRIEN: But free coffee today.
M. O'BRIEN: There it is, Starbucks. You know think about all the times you spent $4.50 for a grande latte.
S. O'BRIEN: A lot.
M. O'BRIEN: This is payback day, because you're going to get a free one. Seventy-five hundred Starbucks around the country, including that one we show in CNN Center time and again, have been offering up a free cup of Joe for you today.
S. O'BRIEN: From 10:00 until 12:00 noon. So they cut it off at 12:00 noon.
M. O'BRIEN: I assume that's local time, because if it was 10:00 a.m. until Noon Eastern,...
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, no, local time.
M. O'BRIEN: ... that would be awful early Pacific.
S. O'BRIEN: That's right.
M. O'BRIEN: You know, so, yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Some people have said interesting timing with McDonald's rollout of their high-end coffee, huh?
M. O'BRIEN: You remember we did that taste test, too?
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: We didn't include Starbucks because we felt that was a different price point.
S. O'BRIEN: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: But I guess Starbucks feeling they need to get in the fray here. Of course on that taste test, the winner...
S. O'BRIEN: Was B.K.
M. O'BRIEN: ... Burger King. Burger King coffee. Who knew?
S. O'BRIEN: It was quite good. Who knew?
M. O'BRIEN: Carol Costello was one of the people who picked B, right, Burger King? Didn't you go for that?
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hi. No, I picked McDonald's.
M. O'BRIEN: You did?
COSTELLO: I was the only one.
M. O'BRIEN: You were the only one.
COSTELLO: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Dare to be different.
COSTELLO: That's right. That's me, always a rebel.
Hey, good morning, everyone.
Some Democrats plan to push for more funding for port security. Lawmakers of the House have outlined a measure boosting money for cargo inspections and other security measures. They'll try to attach it to the $91 billion spending bill that pays for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and rebuilding efforts in the Gulf.
Robert F. Kennedy's killer is up for parole. Sirhan Sirhan is serving a life sentence for the 1968 shooting of RFK. His possible parole could be a conflict of interest for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He's married to Kennedy's niece, Maria Shriver. If the board recommends parole, the final decision would go to Governor Schwarzenegger.
Work set to resume this morning at the Sago Mine in West Virginia. It's been more than two months since an explosion there killed 12 workers. An internal investigation blamed lightning. Government investigators have yet to release their findings.
In the meantime, the lone survivor, Randy McCloy, was able to leave a rehabilitation center for his very first visit home. He ate a home cooked meal, and of course his family surrounded him.
Andrea Yates' ex-husband is getting remarried. Remember he stood by her after she drowned their five children back in 2001? Well, Rusty is moving on. He says he's engaged to a woman he met in church. The two are set to wed this weekend, just two days before Andrea Yates' retrial. Rusty Yates told The Associated Press that his former wife is aware and wishes him the best.
And Mike Wallace says he is stepping down as a regular on "60 Minutes." The veteran newsman has been with the show since it started in 1968. Wallace will turn 88 years old in May. Says his age is the main reason for the change. He says the time has come, I'd rather go this way than be shoved.
He's a feisty 88, though, -- Chad.
MYERS: Eighty-eight and still working.
COSTELLO: Can you believe that?
MYERS: Come on.
COSTELLO: I want to retire, what, next year.
MYERS: Come on, it's time to get that rocking chair, man. I want it next year.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, thank you very much.
If you're a video game fan, bad news, so sorry, you're going to have to wait a little bit longer.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm a little skeptical on this one.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What, for Sony?
S. O'BRIEN: Really?
M. O'BRIEN: Well it just so happens it's going to be coming out right in time for the Christmas buying season.
S. O'BRIEN: So you think this is just PR?
LEE: You think there's a ploy?
M. O'BRIEN: I'm grassy knolling again. Yes, you think?
LEE: I don't know.
M. O'BRIEN: I don't know. What do you think? LEE: Well we're talking...
S. O'BRIEN: He's such a conspirator theorist. So it's not a delay, it's really a promo?
LEE: The story behind the story.
M. O'BRIEN: It's going to be dropped in by black helicopters in November. That's it.
LEE: No, no, no. We're talking about Sony PlayStation 3. It's going to be delayed. We were hoping it was going to come out. The company hoping it was going to come out this spring. Well now they're saying it won't come out until November because of delays in finalizing its next generation disc technology. It's called Blue-Ray. It's used for Sony DVD players as well.
Well what this really does, Miles, is gives the Microsoft Xbox 350 more of a jump.
S. O'BRIEN: Miles.
LEE: We know that came out a few months ago. So it's giving Microsoft more of a lead-time. So I don't think this is a strategy on Sony's part.
S. O'BRIEN: She's not buying your conspiracy theory.
LEE: Also, Nintendo's Revolution expected out later this year. But bottom line, this is a big moneymaker for Sony as well. And so not good on the bottom line for that company, so.
M. O'BRIEN: I think it's dialing up the hype just a little bit. That's my take on it, but.
S. O'BRIEN: What's wrong with you?
LEE: All right. Well, that's the Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: So lots of PR. On the other hand, you're behind the curve on all your competitors.
LEE: There you go. There you go.
S. O'BRIEN: That's a good strategy.
M. O'BRIEN: Admittedly, we pulled the trigger on the Xbox, so maybe I'm case in point, but otherwise, by the way. Go on.
LEE: All right. Ahead of the curve driving, get it, the transition?
M. O'BRIEN: Excellent. Excellent.
LEE: BMW...
S. O'BRIEN: It was excellent.
LEE: Thank you.
BMW out with a hydrogen fueled car by the year 2010. This is going to be for the hot Seven Series model BMW. Now first these cars are going to run on gasoline and hydrogen so people don't get stuck if they're looking for a hydrogen fueling station. But eventually...
S. O'BRIEN: And where would those be again?
LEE: I know, exactly, I can't think of one.
M. O'BRIEN: Those would come in on "20/20," so.
LEE: Can't think of one, exactly.
S. O'BRIEN: I don't remember passing that on the Sawmills (ph).
LEE: I don't know. I live in New York, I don't have a car, I don't worry about these things. But the long-term goal for BMW is to have hydrogen motors in all of their cars. By the way, 2004 Paris Auto Show, they had a prototype, the H2R. Take a look at this beauty. This is just a dream car.
S. O'BRIEN: Where will I put the kids?
LEE: Yes, I know. No word on the cost for any of these things. I think we can assume they're all going to be very expensive.
S. O'BRIEN: A lot. The Seven Series is a beautiful car, though.
LEE: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: They were thinking of renaming it the Hindenburg. Bad idea, though. Marketing apparently thought not so good, yes. Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Even they're groaning. Even in the control room they're like, enough, Miles.
LEE: Like I think I need some more coffee.
(CROSSTALK)
S. O'BRIEN: Carrie, thank you very much.
LEE: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's get back to Carol with a look at what's coming up in "Morning Coffee" this morning.
Hello.
COSTELLO: I've got some good stuff this morning. It may be Miller quitting time. Yes, Bode Miller questioning his future on the U.S. ski team. He might quit. But it's not because he didn't win any Olympic medals. No, it's because of all of that hate mail he's now getting.
Stay with us for a cup of Joe next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Time for "Morning Coffee." Welcome back, everybody. Good morning.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about Bode Miller, shall we?
S. O'BRIEN: Shall we?
COSTELLO: I know what you're thinking.
M. O'BRIEN: Why?
COSTELLO: I know, but we must, because...
M. O'BRIEN: I'm kind of over Bode. He's so last week or last month.
COSTELLO: He is so last week, and you're not kidding about that,...
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: ... because he's so last, whatever.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. All right.
COSTELLO: Yes. Bode Miller is now getting hate mail. Going into the Olympics, many thought Miller would win five medals, but of course he got none. You remember that. Fans blamed his late-night partying and his bad attitude. Now they are writing to him saying he is a disgrace to his country, his team and his coaches. They also say he is the most hated Olympic athlete ever and should not be allowed to go back.
How does Bode Miller feel about this? He doesn't care. It just illustrates how he feels about the Olympics. He says the Olympics bring out the worst in people and this proves it.
M. O'BRIEN: Here's what bothers me, there is somebody -- some great skier, I don't know who it is, who could have been on the team, who would have skied his heart out in that event, and he was not there. That's a shame.
COSTELLO: And who would not have been drinking and making out with women at night.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, exactly.
COSTELLO: You're probably right about that.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
COSTELLO: Guess what, 9 out of 10 New York cabbies are born outside of the United States. It's a shock, isn't it?
S. O'BRIEN: Duh!
COSTELLO: I know.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: Any who, that is contained in New York's latest edition of "The New York Taxicab Fact Book." Actually more Americans should take note, because you can make a pretty darned good living being a cabbie. On a good day, if you're polite to the customers and you work a 12-hour shift, you could pick up 150 bucks a day.
M. O'BRIEN: That's net.
COSTELLO: Net.
S. O'BRIEN: That's good money.
COSTELLO: Yes, pretty good.
S. O'BRIEN: Lots of money.
M. O'BRIEN: Say, get off at 10:00, I could get -- well I could pick up a cab.
S. O'BRIEN: You could...
M. O'BRIEN: Could be good.
S. O'BRIEN: No, that -- the -- you know that's not when the cabs don't start at 10:00. You can't get a...
M. O'BRIEN: You can't do it then?
S. O'BRIEN: There are shifts.
COSTELLO: Yes, well.
M. O'BRIEN: Really, you can't just...
S. O'BRIEN: Three thirty you head back to the depot and start your cab.
COSTELLO: Keep your day job, you'll be fine.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: OK.
COSTELLO: Let's talk about men and directions. You know what we're talking about, -- Mr. Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Feeling the heat already here.
COSTELLO: I could hear the arguments in his car now. Anyway, man's stubborn inability to stop and ask for directions, even though he is helplessly lost, according to a British study, male drivers waste six million hours a year. Six million hours a year...
S. O'BRIEN: I think they're low.
COSTELLO: ... driving around aimlessly telling their wives I know where I'm going.
S. O'BRIEN: We are not lost. We are not lost.
M. O'BRIEN: Well part of the problem is they're on the wrong side of the road. They're confused there, for one thing.
COSTELLO: OK, well allow me to go on with my statistics.
M. O'BRIEN: Please, onward, onward.
COSTELLO: Men are lost an average of 20 minutes before asking, 10 of which --...
M. O'BRIEN: Temporarily misplaced...
COSTELLO: ... 10 of which...
M. O'BRIEN: ... I should say.
COSTELLO: ... are wasted arguing with their wives about whether to stop and ask.
M. O'BRIEN: Here's the thing, it is not wasted...
COSTELLO: Here's the thing.
S. O'BRIEN: You know what, when someone starts with here is the thing, it's like capitulating, yes. Guilty as charged is what he's trying to say.
M. O'BRIEN: It is not a waste of time, because it's all about reinforcing our manhood.
COSTELLO: Really?
M. O'BRIEN: So that is well-earned time. If we were to surrender to that,...
S. O'BRIEN: You need to reinforce your manhood?
M. O'BRIEN: ... -- if we were to surrender to that, we would be...
S. O'BRIEN: OK. Whatever.
M. O'BRIEN: ... capitulating our manhood.
COSTELLO: You've dug quite a big hole (ph),... M. O'BRIEN: Goodbye. Got to go now.
COSTELLO: ... and I'm going to leave now.
M. O'BRIEN: Bye. All right.
S. O'BRIEN: Lots to talk about this morning, including a look at our top stories.
Carol, thank you very much.
A very tough sell for President Bush, how he is going to win over senior citizens who say the new Medicare plan is way too confusing.
Later this morning, late night funnyman Jay Leno goes too far. Why he's saying he's sorry. We'll tell you about that just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: President Bush out selling his Medicare program at a senior center today. We're live at the center to see what Medicare users think about all of this.
Enron's whistle-blower taking the stand today, squaring off against the bosses she once warned.
Sleeping pill users finding out they're getting out of bed, sleepwalking their way to the kitchen and cooking up some eggs. We'll explain that.
And now there's word that drinking beer is good for you.
S. O'BRIEN: Finally, a study we can use.
M. O'BRIEN: I just -- finally some news to warm the cockles of your heart.
S. O'BRIEN: Good, it's about time. We had to make it to Wednesday for that.
Welcome.
M. O'BRIEN: It's a great day in America.
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.
Those stories ahead this morning.
First, though, let's get right to Carol. She's in the newsroom with the updates on our top stories.
Hello.
COSTELLO: Hello, and just in time for St. Patrick's Day and the green beer.
Good morning, everyone.
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