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American Morning

Duke Rape Investigation; Life or Death for Moussaoui?; Battle Over Immigration Reform; Severe Weather

Aired April 06, 2006 - 08:59   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. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Miles O'Brien.

Severe weather expected for middle America today -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Miles, look at the size of this thing, all the way from Salt Lake City, back and around through Chicago, down to Dallas. Severe weather right through the middle of the country. A high risk of tornadoes today. We'll get to that in a little bit.

S. O'BRIEN: New developments this morning in the Duke University rape investigation. The coach quits, the team's season is canceled and police uncover a disturbing e-mail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD BRODHEAD, PRESIDENT, DUKE UNIVERSITY: When I read it, I was sickened. I found it repulsive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: That's Duke's president there speaking out. We've got much more on this story just ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: The Capitol scuffle that involved Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney heads to a grand jury now. Is it still really much ado about a hairdo, as she claims?

S. O'BRIEN: And two new illegal immigrant raids just as the Senate gets ready to begin its battle over who gets to live in this country.

M. O'BRIEN: And a health alert for more than 30 million Americans wearing contact lenses.

We'll have that for you ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

S. O'BRIEN: Today could be the day when members of the Duke University lacrosse team learn if they are cleared or if they are implicated in a rape investigation. DNA tests are due back as early as today, and even without criminal charges there have been already serious consequences.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) S. O'BRIEN (voice over): Fallout form rape allegations involving members of the Duke University lacrosse team is now costing the coach his job and the team its season. On Wednesday, the school canceled the rest of this year's lacrosse schedule and coach Mike Pressler, 16 seasons at the helm of Duke's lacrosse squad, submitted his resignation.

Duke's president says it was the right thing to do.

BRODHEAD: I think everybody has recognized it that it was just really unlikely that this person could continue in any effective way.

S. O'BRIEN: And some students on campus agreed the coach had to go.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess the coach of the team, he has a responsibility as a whole for the team and their actions whether he condones them or not. So I think it was the right thing to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Under the circumstances, I can't say that I blame him.

S. O'BRIEN: One of Coach Pressler's players, 19-year-old Ryan McFadyen, was suspended from school.

According to court documents, on the same night a young woman claimed she was raped by three lacrosse players at an off-campus party, McFadyen allegedly sent this e-mail. It reads, "Tomorrow night, after tonight's show, I've decided to have some strippers over. However, there will be no nudity. I plan on killing the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) as soon as they walk in and proceeding to cut their skin off."

BRODHEAD: When I read it, I was sickened. I found it repulsive. That's all I could say.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: The school has also launched several investigations, including a group that's looking into "a culture of bad behavior involving the team," also the faculty's response to the rape allegation, and a look at how Duke educates students in the values of personal responsibility.

M. O'BRIEN: Phase two of the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui begins in about an hour. Expect powerful testimony today about 9/11 as prosecutors make their case for the death penalty.

Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena live now from the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia.

Good morning, Kelli.

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

You know, emotion is going to matter just as much as the evidence in this critical phase of the trial. Prosecutors are going to try to prove how tens of thousands of lives were shattered on September 11th.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA (voice over): Rudy Giuliani, the mayor who led New York through the September 11th terrorist attacks, is expected to be among the first witnesses when the Zacarias Moussaoui trial resumes. Prosecutors want to show the jurors how the attacks disrupted the functions of New York's government and economy.

Giuliani knew many of the firefighters and police officers killed while trying to save others. Among them, Terry Hatton (ph), a fire captain married to a long-time Giuliani aide.

The impact of nearly 3,000 deaths that day is the prosecution's prime evidence for the death penalty.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't open the windows unless we break them.

FDNY: OK. Just sit tight. All right. Just sit tight. We're on the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Please hurry.

ARENA: Panicked phone calls from victims to 911 emergency operators will be played for the jury, several calls from passengers and flight attendants on the four hijacked planes, and the cockpit voice recorder from Flight 93 which went down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers tried to take back the plane.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We can't even get up to business class right now because nobody can breathe.

ARENA: Some 40 relatives of attack victims will testify over the next week.

The jury has already decided Moussaoui's lies to federal agents who arrested him a month before 9/11 helped the terror plot succeed. To persuade jurors to impose death, prosecutors must show Moussaoui acted in a heinous, cruel and depraved manner with substantial planning and premeditation and that he shows no remorse.

The defense team plans to introduce evidence of Moussaoui's troubled past and witnesses to question his mental health. Psychiatrists were in the court carefully watching Moussaoui testify.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARENA: The trial is set to begin at 9:30 this morning. We expect this phase of the trial to last just about two weeks.

Back to you, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Kelli Arena in Alexandria.

Thank you very much. Stay tuned to CNN for the most reliable news about your security -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: A showdown is coming today in the battle over immigration reform.

CNN Congressional Correspondent Andrea Koppel is live on Capitol Hill for us this morning.

Hey, Andrea. Good morning to you.

Let's talk a little bit about this attempt, I guess, I should say, at compromise, this time from Republicans.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Soledad. This was agreed to late last night, or I should say it was put to the floor by the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist, late last night.

This is a compromise that they were trying to work out almost all day long yesterday. This is a compromise put forward by senators Mel Martinez and Chuck Hagel which really tries to bridge the deep divide that exists right now within the Republican Party on immigration reform legislation. And the way that it would work is really to set up three tiers, three groupings, if you will, of those 11 to 12 million immigrants based on the number of years they've lived in the U.S.

Those who have been here less than two years, or since January of 2004, would have to leave the country. They'd have to return to their home countries. Those who have been here between two and five years would have to leave temporarily, apply for a visa, which I'm told would happen fairly quickly, the approval process, and then would return under a temporary worker program. Those who have been in the country more than five years would really be allowed to stay, but there would be a path to citizenship that they'd have to meet.

Senator Bill Frist appeared on AMERICAN MORNING just a short time ago and he explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: It is more likely that people who have been here, who have been working five or six years here, who have been here for 10 years, are more likely to be assimilated. They still have to go through a probationary period for 11 years before they are eligible for citizenship and have to meet criteria that are laid out in the bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOPPEL: Now, the criteria they'd have to meet are the same requirements that exist in legislation that's going to be voted on shortly on the floor of the Senate and will likely be defeated. This is known as the McCain-Kennedy Amendment. In -- among those requirements, immigrants would have to be here -- would have to pay back taxes. Basically, they'd have to pay a fine of $2,000. They'd have to work in the United States for at least six years. They'd have to learn English. They'd have to undergo background checks, proving that they don't have any kind of a record or any kind of problems with the law. And then they'd have to pay back taxes.

Really what they're trying to do here, Soledad, is to address the primary concern of critics that this is not amnesty. They say that this would be various requirements that they'd have to meet. If they didn't meet them, presumably, they'd be kicked out of the country -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, it's being put forth as a compromise. We'll see if it actually is one.

Thanks very much. Appreciate it, Andrea.

Time to get a look at some of the top stories making news. Carol's got that from the newsroom.

Hey, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

Good morning to all of you.

This just in out of New York. Two Long Island railroad trains have crashed into one another. Officials say eastbound services from Penn Station and Flatbush Avenue now on hold. Taking a live look at these pictures right now.

Westbound service into the city has not been affected. We don't have word on any injuries, but you can be sure it's kind of a mess for commuters in New York City right now.

A top al Qaeda member in Iraq now in custody. The suspect, Muhammed Ubaydi, also known as Abu Ayman, was caught in March. He's considered a close aide to militant leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and suspected of carrying out attacks on U.S. military forces.

The death toll rising in that bombing in Najaf, Iraq. That's where the most powerful Shiite cleric lives, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. The car bomb blew up near a shrine there less than three hours ago. At least 10 people were killed, 40 others injured.

President Bush heading to Charlotte, North Carolina. You can see live pictures from Andrews Air Force Base right now. He's on his way, obviously. The president due to give a speech on the global war on terror. Of course we'll be following the speech and we'll keep you posted.

And Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney says it's much ado about a hairdo, but will a grand jury feel the same way? Jurors being asked to decide if the Georgia Democrat should face charges after a run-in with an officer on Capitol Hill. Former congressman and CNN political contributor J.C. Watts spoke with us a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.C. WATTS, FMR. REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN: It's very unfortunate that this has been elevated to a grand jury investigation. And my advice would be to Congresswoman McKinney, you know, just let it go. You know, let's move on, because it's going to be a very tough case for her to win this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: A little too late for that. The grand jury is set to begin hearing the evidence this morning.

That's a look at the headlines.

Back to you, Miles.

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

Let's get a forecast in. Chad Myers at CNN Center. And lots brewing right now, quite literally.

MYERS: Yes, literally, right.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Well, we are -- we are listening closely.

S. O'BRIEN: That's a scary graphic.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

MYERS: Oh, I'll get rid of it.

M. O'BRIEN: No. Tell it like it is, Chad.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. We can take it.

M. O'BRIEN: I think you're getting some overtime today, I'm afraid.

MYERS: Yes, maybe a little.

M. O'BRIEN: All right.

By the way, you have any questions for me, Chad?

MYERS: Are you two married?

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, we're married. But not to each other.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes we are. Finally, we've decided to come forward with it.

MYERS: That comes over the Internet -- the e-mail every day. M. O'BRIEN: I wonder why.

MYERS: Maybe because you're the Bickersons?

(LAUGHTER)

M. O'BRIEN: Anyway, we have a little segment we call "Ask Miles" on the Miles cam, 10:30 Eastern.

S. O'BRIEN: What's the weirdest thing you've been asked?

M. O'BRIEN: The weirdest thing?

S. O'BRIEN: Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: There was -- there was a question about whether the moon landing was a hoax.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh.

M. O'BRIEN: That was in the out there category. That was in the black helicopter helm.

S. O'BRIEN: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: Come back to us now. But there is a whole body of thought out there on that.

Anyway, AM@CNN.com is the place to send your e-mails. The place to hear the responses is at CNN.com/pipeline.

Pipeline, for my money -- of course, I get it for free -- but for my money, it's the best service out there. It allows you to see all the things we have here at CNN that we put into our broadcasts.

S. O'BRIEN: Even if you didn't get it for free.

M. O'BRIEN: Even if I didn't -- I absolutely would be a subscriber. Absolutely. I say that without hesitation. It's fantastic.

So join us there 10:30 Eastern Time. In the meantime, send us a question or two, weird or otherwise. We'll take them.

Coming up, more on the severe weather expected in the Midwest. We will talk to a tornado expert. We'll find out how to protect yourself if severe weather heads your way.

S. O'BRIEN: We're also going to talk this morning to the author of a new biography of first lady Laura Bush. He learned some surprising things about her, including her influence on White House policy.

M. O'BRIEN: And a health alert for millions of Americans who wear contact lenses. A rare infection that could lead to blindness. We'll tell you what the symptoms are. We'll tell you how to avoid it ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: It's already been a wild season for tornadoes, and it's kind of early in the tornado season. There may be some factors that are at work here which are making this a particularly difficult tornado season.

Just this past weekend, we told you about 68 tornadoes, 26 tornado fatalities on Sunday. The totals for the year, 355 tornado reports and 38 deaths, and it's only early April.

So what's going on? What's the big picture here?

Meteorologist Dan McCarthy joining us now from the Government Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Chad Myers in the weather center as well. And we're going to bat it around here.

First of all, before we get to Dan -- Dan, I want to just run through a graphic. You can find this on NOAA's National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center. You can go there yourself, just Google it.

Take a look. This is for January 13th, and the blue dots indicate wind, the red dots are tornado, the green dots in between. That's hail events. Hail usually is linked to tornadoes.

Let's scroll through this very quickly and you'll see what's been going on here.

First of all, January is not what you would call tornado time. January 13th, look at all of those -- look at all that tremendous wind and hail and those reports of tornadoes in this area on March 9th.

Let's move ahead, Brian (ph).

March 11th, another band. Once again, you know, in the middle of the country is where these things tend to form.

Look at March 12th. Look at all those tornadoes there. That's a -- that's a very busy day. The green, once again, being hail.

March 13th, the next day, they moved in that direction. And as we scroll on, March 19th, then we can show you what happened just this past week.

As you take a look, here's March 30th. Once again, green is hail, blue is wind, red are tornadoes. And finally, we'll give you what happened on Sunday.

Look at that. That's just a huge cluster of storms and activity.

Dan, big picture here, warmer winter in general. Is that kind of the fuel that is causing this right now?

DAN MCCARTHY, NOAA STORM PREDICTION CENTER: I think so. I think when we went through the abnormally warm winter across the south and central plains back into the southwest, that actually extended down into the western parts of the Gulf of Mexico. And when you do that and you don't get cold fronts that move across the Gulf of Mexico, then the skin temperature of the water does not decrease or does not cool off.

So what we have is a very steamy Gulf of Mexico right now. And when you get a southerly flow into the plains, that brings the dew points and the moisture into that area, and that's what fuels the thunderstorms.

M. O'BRIEN: OK. So are we seeing something here that might ultimately be linked, big picture, to climate change?

MCCARTHY: I don't think so. I think what we're looking at here is something that's very trendy.

I mean, if you want to go through climate change and things like that, you have to go through a hundred years, at least, of some kind of observation to link that together. Tornadoes are very random. Seasons change as far as tornado season is concerned from year to year.

In 2002, we only had 942 tornadoes. That was the first time we were below a thousand before 1990. And then, when we get to 2004, we had over 1,800 tornadoes, three of them occurring with the hurricane season.

So, I'm not sure there's a real link yet with global warming, but we do see this trend from time to time.

M. O'BRIEN: Chad?

MYERS: Dan, I've got a map behind me. And I'll show it to the people here.

With this high risk of severe weather in the plains today, moderate risks surrounding it, I was reading some of the words that you put on the graphics today about the potential for severe weather. Three to four-inch hail possible today with some of these more violent thunderstorms, also a large threat of tornadoes today, correct?

MCCARTHY: Yes, it is. And I think when you look at that high and moderate risk, Chad, those are the areas where people need to prepare now.

That means you need to know where to go in case of a tornado warning is issued for your county or the county to your west. You need to have bottled water in your safe place, in your shelter, whether it's your basement or interior closet, or something like that. A bicycle helmet is excellent to protect your head from flying debris or having a mattress ready so that if you need to take cover, you can protect yourself from harm and from fatality.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Final thought here. I always like to get this across. Dan, if you live in this area and you don't have a weather radio, you're really taking chances, aren't you?

MCCARTHY: I think so. A weather radio is about as close as you're going to get to somebody knocking on your door and telling you a tornado is coming. Other than that, you are going to have to depend on your broadcast meteorologist in your local area to tell you what's up to date. And you really need to do that when we issue the tornado watch in coordination with the weather forecast across these areas, because the tornado watch means we are favorable for conditions and those conditions can turn at any time.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Dan McCarthy and Chad Myers, thank you both.

And folks, if you're in that part of the world, jeez, take those watches and certainly those warnings seriously, please.

MYERS: Miles?

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, sir?

MYERS: Yes -- www.spc.noaa.gov, everything you ever wanted to do know and more.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Good words there -- spc.noaa.gov.

Thanks, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

M. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Dan -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Still ahead this morning, a rare infection is on the rise in people who wear contact lenses. If it's left untreated, you can go blind. We'll tell you about the symptoms and what you can do to prevent it just ahead.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: In this morning's "House Call," a health alert for more than 30 million Americans who wear contract lenses: the spread of a rare fungal infection that attacks the eyes and could be linked to contacts. If left untreated, you could go blind.

Joining us this morning, Dr. Sandra Belmont is an ophthalmologist at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Wow, that's quite a title there.

Nice to see you. Thank you for -- this is scary stuff, because it's very serious consequences if you ignore this infection.

DR. SANDRA BELMONT, OPHTHALMOLOGIST: This is true. This is fusarium keratitis, which is a fungal infection of the cornea. It's mostly found in tropical climates, in Florida. In the past three months only, 21 cases have been reported, where usually in one year that would be the number.

S. O'BRIEN: It doesn't spread person to person, I've read.

BELMONT: Right.

S. O'BRIEN: So why the increase?

BELMONT: So this is not to panic the public that are contact lens wearers, you know, 30 million people, but to make them aware, a wakeup call as to how they take care of their contact lenses. No one knows exactly why there's this increase, but we do think it's associated with the nonchalant attitude of patients wearing contact lenses.

S. O'BRIEN: So meaning that people are not using basic generally good hygiene when they're wearing contacts.

BELMONT: This is correct. They need to wash their hands, make sure you use a lint-free cloth. Do not use your solution over again if it's expired. Make sure you get new solution.

An important point is also, make sure that you throw your contact lens cases away every three months. Do not keep them.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's talk a little bit about the symptoms, how someone knows if, in fact, they have this fungus or maybe pink eye or something else.

BELMONT: Right.

S. O'BRIEN: You say the symptoms are this: blurry vision, pain or redness, sensitivity to light, eye discharge.

Not really specific. I mean, any time you have some kind of eye infection it sounds like that.

BELMONT: This is true. Those symptoms are common, but if they persist, if you take your lenses out, wash them properly, take care of them, and then reinsert them and the symptoms are lingering, you need to see your ophthalmologist at soon as possible.

S. O'BRIEN: What's your treatment? I mean, let's say you have this fungus or you think you have this fungus. What's your ophthalmologist going to do?

BELMONT: A prompt diagnosis and treatment with eye drops is definitely necessary.

S. O'BRIEN: So it's easy to treat?

BELMONT: It's not easy to treat or diagnose. So as soon as you have symptoms that persist, get to an eye doctor, have it examined and diagnosed and treated with the eye drops, because it can be visually threatening. You can actually lose your eyesight and need a corneal transplant.

S. O'BRIEN: And how many cases -- and I know it's rare, but how many cases...

BELMONT: It's rare.

S. O'BRIEN: ... or what percentage have people needed -- you know, who lost their eyesight, gone blind?

BELMONT: Well, infectious keratitis of any type is about one in 500 in contact lens wearers. And the reason I tell patients to think about laser vision if they are a candidate is because it's only one in 5,000 in lasik patients.

So...

S. O'BRIEN: So that's the numbers who are likely going to have some kind of a problem.

BELMONT: Some type of a problem, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: More likely with the contact lenses than with lasik.

BELMONT: Yes, much more common with contact lens wearers than with lasik patients. So, contact lens wearers need to really listen up and make sure that they take good care of how they're maintaining their contact lenses. Never put a contact lens under water, never put it in your mouth to wash and put it your eye, which happens.

I've had patients...

S. O'BRIEN: I was going to say, I know people who do that all the time.

BELMONT: They do. They do. They just are nonchalant with the way they take care of it.

They sleep with their lenses. They don't listen to the guidelines for how long a lens is good. And they really need to now think about that because there is this potential out there to lose your eyesight.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, it's awful. Dr. Sandra Belmont joining us this morning.

Thank you so much.

BELMONT: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Appreciate your time.

BELMONT: Thank you very much.

S. O'BRIEN: A new biography is going to take a look at the intimate life of first lady Laura Bush. Coming up, we're going to talk to the author about that and find out what surprised him the very most about the first lady.

That's ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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