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American Morning
Connecticut Murder Mystery; Coming Home to New Orleans; Central Europe Flooding
Aired April 05, 2006 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Police searching for clues in the killing of a man who stole millions from people in Manhattan, but it may all be a matter of revenge.
Coming home to New Orleans. Some residents literally have to fight their way back to their front doors.
And a blessed event times two. Well, make that three. No, oh, there's one more. That's four.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a joke. You're kidding me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: A little surprise for a new mother who got more than the twins she bargained for.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, I'm going to guess, miscounting on that one.
M. O'BRIEN: You know, they have sonograms, right? I mean, isn't there all kinds of technology available?
S. O'BRIEN: They have move around a lot.
M. O'BRIEN: They move around.
S. O'BRIEN: You never know.
M. O'BRIEN: They're so squirmy.
S. O'BRIEN: You don't know until you know is what I always say.
M. O'BRIEN: It makes you appreciate the fact you just had twins, doesn't it? Could have been...
S. O'BRIEN: Could have been eight or nine.
M. O'BRIEN: ... a litter.
(LAUGHTER)
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. All right.
Well, let's get some headlines in. Carol is back down in the newsroom, having run down from coffee. And she's there with that -- hello.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: A litter? You are in so much trouble.
M. O'BRIEN: I know.
S. O'BRIEN: I was going to wait until we cut away to kill him.
COSTELLO: Good. I'll let you do that.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you.
COSTELLO: I'll get to headlines now.
Good morning to all of you.
Saddam Hussein defiant under cross-examination. The trial went into recess just moments ago, but during proceedings Hussein called the court illegitimate. His microphone was cut off twice. He also refused to give a sample of his handwriting.
Also, for the first time, Hussein has been charged with genocide. So a second trial will begin next month -- could, I should say.
Awaiting extradition. A homeland security officer under arrest in a child sex sting. Brian Doyle is the deputy press secretary for homeland security. He's charged with using a computer so seduce who he thought to be a 14-year-old girl. The child was actually an undercover detective in Florida. As we said, Doyle will likely be extradited to Florida later today.
High-level talks in France one day after a massive demonstration. Unions and student groups keep pressure on lawmakers to revoke a new jobs law. It makes it easier to hire and fire young workers.
Tuesday's marchers were mostly peaceful, except for some violent outbursts in Paris. Police using teargas and rubber pellets to subdue the crowd. Nearly 400 people have been placed under arrest.
More and more families are apparently making an effort to sit down to dinner. A new study suggests that the number of 12 to 17- year-olds who ate dinner with their families jumped about 10 percent in 1988. In the past, studies have shown kids who eat dinner regularly with their families are less likely to get involved with drugs and alcohol.
OK, let's get to this prehistoric Butterball turkey, as Miles calls it. A new species of dinosaur fossils of a claw and foot discovered in southern Utah. Scientists now say it's from a bird-like dinosaur that resembled a turkey.
The creature apparently roamed the area from Canada to New Mexico about 75 million years ago. Scientists say it was about seven feet tall -- take a look at that thing -- had a beak, claws and bright feathers. They're calling it the bird-like god of the western desert, and apparently it was quite fast. It could run 25 miles per hour.
S. O'BRIEN: Wow.
COSTELLO: Yes. So not many creatures feasted on it, apparently, unless they could run really fast.
M. O'BRIEN: They didn't feast on it because it was the ugliest thing they ever saw. Did you see that picture?
S. O'BRIEN: That's an artist's rendering. That's not necessarily...
M. O'BRIEN: Well...
COSTELLO: It's not like a modern-day turkey is a thing of beauty.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, this is true. Very good point. And, of course, they are, you know...
S. O'BRIEN: It looks like one of those games where they put pieces of different animals together and they just kind of glob it together and there it is.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: I don't know if it really looked like that.
All right, Carol. Thank you.
Have you heard the story, this murder mystery that's taken place in Connecticut? First, there was one brother, he was poisoned by a toxic milkshake. It was whipped up by his own wife. Now, two and a half years later, police in one of Connecticut's wealthiest communities are investigating another brother's violent death.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN (voice over): Police in Greenwich, Connecticut, have been combing the estate of Andrew Kissel for clues to his murder. Kissel's body was discovered Monday morning by workers from a moving company. Police say his hands and feet were bound, and he'd been stabbed several times.
CHIEF JAMES WALTERS, GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT, POLICE: The manner and the way in which this was carried out gives us a level of comfort in stating that it was Mr. Kissel that was the intended victim.
S. O'BRIEN: Andrew Kissel was 46 years old. His life in the middle of a meltdown. He was scheduled to plead guilty this week in federal court to real estate fraud charges. He faced a separate criminal indictment in New York, along with fraud-related civil suits. And his wife was divorcing him. The movers were there to clear him out of the Greenwich mansion he shared with his wife and two children.
Kissel's death comes on the heels of another family tragedy, one that also made headlines. In a case known as the "milkshake murder," Kissel's brother, Robert, an investment banker, was murdered in Hong Kong in November of 2003.
Robert Kissel's wife was convicted of drugging her husband with a milkshake laced with sedatives, then beating him to death. She's now serving a life sentence.
In the upscale Connecticut community where Andrew Kissel lived, his murder is the talk of the town.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm surprised, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't get to have a lot of murders that happen here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's so close to home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's very tragic. He has beautiful kids.
S. O'BRIEN: Police in Greenwich say Kissel's death is not a reason for other residents to fear for their safety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was not a random act, that we do believe that Mr. Kissel was the intentional target of this assault, and that there is not someone out there in the community who may be randomly selecting residences to break into.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Andrew Kissel was wearing an electronic ankle monitor, part of the federal charges against him. Federal authorities have now joined the investigation into this very bizarre case -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's check the forecast. Chad Myers in the weather center.
Hello, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, more on that child sex sting that nabbed a top homeland security official. We'll ask the sheriff in Florida how this case came to be.
S. O'BRIEN: Also, Congressman Cynthia McKinney is going to join us live. We're going to talk about her run-in with the Capitol Hill Police and why she's saying she's a victim of racism.
M. O'BRIEN: And in New Orleans, tempers flare outside a housing complex. We'll look at why folks were just fighting to get back home, inside their homes.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Happening "In America" today, Rhode Island, a very close call. Take a look. It happened in a Providence parking garage.
A van broke through a guardrail and stopped with the front wheels dangling in the air, six stories up. The driver went to the hospital with neck pain, and investigators are looking to see if there's something wrong with the van.
Day three of Denver's transit strike. So far, the governor refusing to intervene. The transit union had asked him to send the dispute to binding arbitration. The governor says he blames the union for poor decisions. Informal talks are going to continue today.
And Fats Domino is back home. Can't stay, though. At least not yet.
The music legend returned to New Orleans's Ninth Ward to see his heavily-damaged home. Reconstruction is now under way which his friends say is going to take about three months. Fats says he plans to perform at the New Orleans Jazz Fest in May.
Well, Fats Domino not alone in wanting to come home. But some of New Orleans's less famous residents have had to fight their way back in.
More now from Jonathan Betz of our affiliate WWL in New Orleans.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do we want?
JONATHAN BETZ, REPORTER, WWL (voice over): Tensions clashed at the gates of a public housing complex.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want justice!
BETZ: Former residents overran police to storm the St. Bernard development trying to get back to their homes. But police pushed back, saying the buildings weren't safe.
GLORIA IRVING, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: I'm 70 years old. I want to come home. If I've got to die, let me die in New Orleans.
BETZ: Officers eventually gave in and let all residents inside, including Chantel Young.
CHANTEL YOUNG, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: Can't wait to get home.
BETZ: Now living in Baton Rouge, she returned to her old home to found looters had gotten there first.
YOUNG: Look at my room. I never lived like this before. I could cry when I look at this place. This place looks horrible.
BETZ: She, like many, want the St. Bernard housing development reopened. It's been the only home Rose Guy (ph) has ever known.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is where I love and this is the only place I want to be.
BETZ: The housing authority says most buildings are badly damaged and contaminated. It's not clear when or if they'll come back on line.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, we're focusing on our least damaged developments right now, trying to get those open to get those residents back.
BETZ: Critics see the hurricane as an opportunity clean up the city's public housing, a place, some say, that allowed many residents to abuse taxpayer money.
ALPHONSO JACKSON, HUD SECRETARY: I think anyone who is physically capable should get a job.
BETZ: The U.S. housing secretary made it clear much of the city's public housing should be redeveloped into newer mixed-income neighborhoods, like the River Garden. But activists say those neighborhoods shut out too many of the poor and are years down the road.
BILL QUIGLEY, HOUSING ACTIVIST: And the government ought to welcome them home rather than put up fences to keep them out.
BETZ: Because for many this is a home they're willing to fight for.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: That report came to us from Jonathan Betz of New Orleans affiliate WWL. And those chain-link fences that you saw at the housing complex, those went up just about two weeks ago. Before that, the families were allowed to visit and pick up their belongings, too.
Ahead this morning, the question, was Congressman Cynthia McKinney the victim of racial profiling? Congresswoman McKinney joins us live. And we talked to the chief of the Capitol Hill Police this morning.
Plus, a big surprise for a new mom, times four. Her very special delivery ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
S. O'BRIEN: Happy birthday to them.
Welcome back, everybody. Let's get right to our top story -- stories, I should say. Carol's got those in the newsroom.
Hey, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning, Soledad.
And good morning to all of you.
Saddam Hussein back in court one day after being charged with genocide. Judges got their first chance to cross-examine the former Iraqi leader. But Hussein dodged questions, calling the court illegitimate and accusing Iraq's interior minister of killing and torturing thousands of people himself. The court is now in recess.
Women seem to be winning the battle of the bulge. A new study suggests obesity levels among adult women are leveling off, but the scale is tipping the other way for men and children. It seems they are getting heavier than ever.
A federal jury gets the case today of two former detectives accused of being hit men for the mob. These are pictures of Louis Epolito (ph) and his former partner, Steven Caracoppa (ph). They're linked to eight killings in the late 1980s while working for the New York Police Department. If convicted, they could face life in prison.
And what people recovering from Katrina and Rita do not want to hear, the hurricane season just two months away now, and there's going to be a lot of action. Seventeen storms are expected this year, nine of which will become hurricanes. And five will reach at least Category 3 strength.
And why am I talking about this? Let's head to the expert, Chad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad. Thank you.
MYERS: Sure.
S. O'BRIEN: Throughout central Europe, rain and melting snow are causing some dangerous flooding. A critical situation for many of Europe's oldest cities.
Here's Berlin Bureau Chief Chris Burns for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS BURNS, CNN BERLIN BUREAU CHIEF (voice over): The heavy rain and melting snows left a path of destruction across much of central Europe.
In southern Austria, hundreds of residents were evacuated from at least three towns Monday and Tuesday, when flood control dams burst. Hundreds of troops, rescue workers and volunteers pitched in to help the evacuees and lay sandbags. Helicopters joined in the effort.
In southeastern Germany, Dresden had barely recovered from the 2002 floods. Hundreds have again been forced to flee as the River Elbe burst its banks. Work crews were sandbagging to limit damage.
Other German towns hit included Golis (ph), Tilnis (ph), Shivin (ph), Pilnach (ph), Belin (ph), Hatan (ph) and Badschow (ph). In Bavaria, an elderly man was swept away by raging waters of the River Brendt (ph).
The Czech Republic was hit even harder. Authorities declared a state of emergency across half the country, with more than a half- dozen flood-related deaths.
In Usti Nalaban (ph), 1,500 people forced to evacuate were kept in temporary shelters. Hundreds of homes were flooded in south Bohemia. A young Czech boy was still missing after floodwaters carried him away near the German border. And the death toll could still climb.
Although the waters are subsiding in many areas, forecasters warn flooding will persist through the end of the week with more rain predicted.
Chris Burns, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: A mess.
Business news is just ahead this morning.
What you got for us?
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": Soledad, big question. Did Alan Greenspan blow it?
Plus, be afraid. Donald Trump wants to lend you money. We'll explain coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Well, having twins can be a handful, and I say that from a little bit of experience. But imagine how many hands it's going to take when a mother gives birth to not just one set of twins, but two sets of identical twins.
Todd Jurkowski of affiliate WKMG has our story from Orlando, Florida, this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) TODD JURKOWSKI, REPORTER, WKMG (voice over): Boy, oh, boy, and girl and girl. Anthony Ewing and his wife Elisa certainly have their hands full now.
ELISA EWING, MOTHER OF QUADRUPLETS: The doctors said, "You're having twins." And I said, "Yeah, I knew it." And then she said, "Wait a minute, one of them split. Your having triplets."
And I was processing that on the table, going, "Oh.," when she said, "No, wait a minute, both of them." I sat up and said, "This is a joke. You're kidding me."
And she said, "No, I'm sorry, you're having quadruplets." I laid back down and I just started crying.
JURKOWSKI: Doctors at Ford Hospital (ph) marveled at the prospect of the once-in-a-life-time not just quadruplets, but two sets of identical twins.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was a really amazing experience to go through.
JURKOWSKI (on camera): It's estimated that 90 percent of quadruplets of the result of fertility treatments, and that proves true in this case. The Ewings tried for about two years with fertility drugs before they got what they wanted, and then some.
ANTHONY EWING, FATHER OF QUADRUPLETS: It was a culture shock. We weren't expecting four. We didn't know what to do with four. And just living it day by day.
JURKOWSKI (voice over): They had almost 34 weeks to prepare, a surprisingly long pregnancy for quads, which explains why they're doing so well.
E. EWING: Hello.
JURKOWSKI: The last one to be held is Preston Riley (ph), the runt of the litter, doctors call him. But ironically, he's also the one doing the best.
DR. TOM WISWELL, NEONATOLOGIST: And that thank toughens them up. And so, not uncommonly, when they come out they'll do the best.
JURKOWSKI: The bigger of the twin boys, Hunter Pierce (ph), will not be able to pull the "I'm older than you" card. The boys were born at the exact same time. The girls, Alexandria Morgan (ph) and Gabrielle Madison (ph), came one minute earlier. And together, the fantastic four left their footprints in the record books.
Reporting in Orlando, Todd Jurkowski.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, my god!
SERWER: Wow. That's a lot.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, my god!
SERWER: That's a lot of stuff going on there, right?
S. O'BRIEN: Look at all those people helping her. She's got clearly her mom and her dad.
SERWER: She deserves it.
S. O'BRIEN: And then the doctor and nurse got another baby.
SERWER: She needs it.
S. O'BRIEN: Never going to sleep again.
SERWER: And you know. You know some of it.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, and I -- you know, I only got two.
SERWER: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: In addition to the other two.
M. O'BRIEN: In addition to the other two.
(CROSSTALK)
M. O'BRIEN: You've got four under five. I still think you're in the same general league.
S. O'BRIEN: So not like four under four days. Totally different ballgame.
SERWER: That's true.
S. O'BRIEN: Business news this morning. What you got?
SERWER: Soledad, how difficult is it to read the tealeaves of the economy? Apparently, it's actually more challenging than you might think.
Newly released transcripts from the Federal Reserve in the summer of 2000 show that Alan Greenspan and company underestimated how much the economy was cooling off. In fact, they were still concerned about the economy overheating, rather than slowing. And, of course, at that point, you know, the economy was sort of poised to fall off a cliff.
According to the transcripts, Alan Greenspan said, "There is nothing terribly significant going on in the economy right now, excluding the energy sector." You know, and then in March and November of '01, the economy went into a recession.
Of course, you know, hindsight is 20/20 here. And I think...
S. O'BRIEN: Especially in economic news. SERWER: Right. And overall, he did a fabulous job, I think it's actually safe to say. He did a very good job. But...
M. O'BRIEN: Now that he's out, I suppose we'll be seeing more little insights like this.
SERWER: Revisionist history.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: Yes. And there's only so much of it we'll do. OK?
M. O'BRIEN: Trump.
SERWER: Yes, let's talk about another character in the world of business.
Donald Trump, you know, a lot of talk about the housing bubble and signs of it really approaching and the end of the housing boom. This really may be a sign, because Donald Trump...
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, please. Please!
SERWER: ... is getting into -- well, when Donald Trump is getting into the mortgage business, you know, you might want to head for the hills.
(CROSSTALK)
SERWER: Anyway, he's formally announcing today Trump Mortgage. He's been in this business quietly since November. I think he wanted to see if it was going to work. Apparently, it is working.
He's in nine states, including New York, California, Florida and Colorado. Some say he's getting into the business just as it's peaking to sort of get his fingers into some distressed real estate. He says he wants to put the suit and tie back in the mortgage business. And apparently, this was not...
M. O'BRIEN: Not to mention the hairpiece.
SERWER: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's get that in there, too.
SERWER: And apparently, this was brought to him by some young entrepreneur, sort of a la "The Apprentice." So it's kind of an interesting -- an interesting story. But he says his brand has never been stronger.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, we'll see.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, yes, exactly.
M. O'BRIEN: We'll see about that.
S. O'BRIEN: Easy to say now. We'll see in a few more years.
All right. Weird but true. Under the category "weird but true."
SERWER: A little bit.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
M. O'BRIEN: You've got a strong brand, too, Andy.
SERWER: Oh, well not as strong as you guys.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, we can be getting Serwer mortgages soon.
SERWER: Oh, I don't know about that.
S. O'BRIEN: Can I borrow some money?
SERWER: OK, if you pay it back.
M. O'BRIEN: Top of the hour now. Let's look at some top stories we're working on. OK?
A homeland security official arrested in a child porn sting.
Prosecutors get their first chance to cross-examine Saddam Hussein.
The Senate gears up for a vote on immigration.
Delta pilots push the airline one step closer to a strike.
And keeping a cautious eye on the Red River in South Dakota. Homeowners hoping the floodwaters have reached their peak there.
First, let's check the forecast. Chad Myers with that.
Hello, Chad.
MYERS: Good morning, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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