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American Morning

Chilling Words in Moussaoui Trial; FEMA Waste; Immigration Nation

Aired April 11, 2006 - 06:29   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's check the morning's top stories for you.
A DNA mismatch. Attorneys for Duke University lacrosse players say DNA tests show no match to any of those players. Forty-six were tested. A woman claims she was sexually assaulted by three members of the team.

Another emotional day expected in the Zacarias Moussaoui trial. More family members of 9/11 victims expected to take the stand. Prosecutors yesterday also played phone calls from people trapped inside the World Trade Center.

A Senate subcommittee finding FEMA failed financially in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Testimony showing the federal government overspent by millions of dollars for everything from debris -- debris cleanup to trailers to blue tarps that cost as much as a whole new roof -- should have cost.

Good morning. I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us this morning.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. Welcome back, everybody.

There is testimony in the life-or-death phase of Zacarias Moussaoui's trial. It turns today to the attacks on the Pentagon and the crash of United Flight 93. Very emotional testimony in Monday's court session to tell you about.

CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena has more from the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: The jury will continue to hear some heart-wrenching testimony from victim family members. They heard from 15 witnesses yesterday. All of them had one just horrible story after another.

We also heard some audiotapes from 911 emergency calls, one from a victim who was in the -- on the highest floor of the World Trade Center screaming for help. The last thing we heard on that tape was his agonizing scream as the tower actually collapsed.

We heard from a grandfather who lost his son and his 2-and-a- half-year-old granddaughter, the youngest victim on September 11th. We even heard from one victim who managed to escape badly burned all over his body, never to live life the same as he did before that fateful day.

All through this testimony, Zacarias Moussaoui was in the courtroom. He was silent throughout much of it, although every time he left he, as usual, would scream something like, "God curse America!"

The judge let the jury leave early, figuring that it was just way too emotional a day for the jury. And she did warn the prosecution that if the testimony was too emotional, that could be grounds for an appeal later on. That didn't stop, though, the prosecution from bringing one witness after another that just had some of the saddest tales that anyone could listen to on any given day.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Alexandria, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: You'll want to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: President Bush rejecting reports there are contingency plans for a nuclear strike against Iran's nuclear program. The president addressing a group of grad students in Washington yesterday. He calls published reports about contingency plans for strikes against Iran wild speculation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know here in Washington, you know, prevention means force. It doesn't mean force, necessarily. In this case, it means diplomacy. What you're reading is wild speculation which is -- it's kind of a -- you know, it happens quite frequently here in the nation's capital.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Still, the president made it clear he does not want Iran to have nuclear weapons or the ability to make them.

Charges have been dropped against the man whose beating at the hands of New Orleans Police was caught on tape. You remember the tape, of course. It happened October 8th.

Robert Davis faced resisting arrest, public intoxication and battery charges. Two of the officers face felony battery charges now. There's also an ongoing federal civil rights investigation.

New Orleans voters scattered to other places are coming back to Louisiana to vote. All this week, people will make their way back, many in bus caravans, to vote for mayor. Many are putting themselves through this because they believe the next mayor is key to rebuilding New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBRA JOSEPH, LIVING IN HOUSTON: ... that will be able to heal the city and provide quality leadership for the city. That's very important to me. And so I have to vote so I can put that person in office, at least have a part in putting that person in office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Election day is April 22nd. There are satellite centers in Lake Charles, Shreveport, New Orleans and seven other cities all around Louisiana -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Here's your tax dollars at work, or maybe it's being overworked. New charges now about costly mistakes in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. "Costly" is really the operative word here.

CNN's Sean Callebs has the story for us from New Orleans.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In New Orleans, congressional leaders once again had FEMA on the hot seat. This time, a committee looking at the way recovery contracts were awarded in the days, weeks and months after Katrina. Specifically, the way some contracts were subcontracted out over and over and over again.

Congressional leaders say there's no question FEMA dramatically overpaid for many items, including the blue tarp that covers so many roofs in Louisiana, the debris removal, and, of course, trailers. Congressional members say if there is a silver lining in all this, take it as a lesson learned. They know the U.S. will get hit again with a punishing hurricane. They say there is no reason for taxpayers to get hit again with government waste.

Sean Callebs, CNN, in New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Some other stories happening "In America" right now.

As many as 11 people recovering from their visit to a West Virginia doctor's office. Take a look in these pictures. They were hurt when this minivan crashed right into the waiting room.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've never seen nothing like this before in my life, never.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounded like a bomb go off. When I looked up, there's a van sitting in my waiting room.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: The driver was also hurt, and he was actually on his way to an appointment at that same doctor's office.

Here's a good question for you. What was John Smith thinking? Take a look at this guy. That's Johnny Smith.

He came to court last week in Miami. A corrections officer noticed, hey, there's something funny about his shoes. It seems that they were filled with drugs.

He's in court. He's accused of having cocaine and marijuana in his shoes. He was in court for marijuana possession and resisting arrest. There's a new set of charges being prepared for Mr. Smith.

And a huge debate in Washington. A Maryland school superintendent is granting students credit for attending immigration demonstrations. Students are required to put in 60 hours of community service to graduate. Some critics say the rallies are political statements, they're not community service -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Illegal immigrants are emerging from the shadows, quite literally. Hundreds of thousands of pro-immigration protesters demonstrated all across the country yesterday. Thousands marching past the White House and on to the National Mall.

More than 100,000 marched in New York City. More rallied in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Dallas, all the way to Garden City, Kansas.

Polls suggest most of you are opposed to the criminalization of illegal immigrants, but the nation, just like Congress, it is still divided over this issue.

CNN's Dan Simon was at one protest. This one in Phoenix, Arizona.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An incredible display of unity on the streets of Phoenix. As many as 200,000 people took to the streets to support the plight of illegal aliens.

This was a peaceful demonstration. We saw no incidents of violence. But we did see a lot of American flags. Interestingly, organizers told folks, don't bring the Mexican flags because they thought they would be perceived as a divisive symbol.

You wouldn't know it by looking at the crowd today, but there is a large number of folks here in Arizona who take the opposite view. There was a recent poll conducted, and it asked folks, "What do you consider to be the most important issue confronting you and your families?" And the number one issue on that list, illegal immigration. That was ahead of taxes, that was ahead of terrorism.

Dan Simon, CNN, Phoenix, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: I was in Phoenix, Arizona, right before -- the day before this protest was taking place. And people there, it's all they were talking about. It's a huge, huge issue there.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. We're going to talk to Bill Schneider a little bit later, how Arizona has really become quite the pivotal state when it comes to this discussion.

S. O'BRIEN: Ground zero. I mean, pretty much ground zero.

M. O'BRIEN: In Oakland, California, a cold case.

S. O'BRIEN: In fact, take a look at this: a three-foot wide hole in the ground made by a block of ice that fell from the sky.

M. O'BRIEN: Cold case. You get it? A cold case.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, I get it.

M. O'BRIEN: And this is at a park in Oakland. No one was hurt, but people say it sounded like a rocket when an explosion hit or something.

S. O'BRIEN: Where did it come from? Oh, I guess it wasn't from a passenger jet toilet. That was going to be my guess.

M. O'BRIEN: Those are usually blue ice.

S. O'BRIEN: But they think it might have been buildup in the wheel of the jet. They're just not sure. That's odd.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. If you see blue ice, stay away.

S. O'BRIEN: Luckily it didn't hit anybody or go right through somebody's roof. That would have been very, very dangerous.

What do you think it was?

M. O'BRIEN: All kinds of chicken little scenarios there.

S. O'BRIEN: Chad, what do you think it was?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I think it was the Martians and they sent this lunar lander down. And they crashed...

S. O'BRIEN: Chad, you know, here I am getting the real weather perspective.

M. O'BRIEN: It was a Martian impactor. They were crashing it in purposely to kick up some dust to see if there's any water here.

MYERS: To see if there's any intelligent life here.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, don't even get me started on the intelligence.

M. O'BRIEN: There's nothing here.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, you two. You stop.

What's the weather like?

(WEATHER REPORT)

MYERS: Back to you guys.

S. O'BRIEN: Sounds nice.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, rubber bullets and tear gas. Protesters demanding democracy in Nepal. We'll have their story straight ahead.

S. O'BRIEN: We're also going to tell you about what some say is a new threat to Air Force One, the president's plane.

First, though, a look at what else is making news on this Tuesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

The stars came out to pay tribute to the late Dana Reeve. A big list of celebrities attended the memorial service on Monday. It was held in New York City.

Former hockey all-star Mark Messier was there. Alec Baldwin was there. Lance Armstrong, Barbara Walters, a long list of celebrities who came out to pay tribute.

Dana Reeve, you'll recall, died of lung cancer on March 6th, a year and a half after the death of her husband, actor Christopher Reeve.

M. O'BRIEN: Some stories making headlines around the world this morning, including a razor-thin margin in Italy's election.

Nepal searching the homes of pro-democracy protesters.

We begin in Israel and the end of an era. Ariel Sharon's leadership officially over.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm John Vause in Jerusalem, where the Israeli government has declared Ariel Sharon permanently incapacitated, officially ending his time in office. Sharon suffered a major stroke on January 4 and has not recovered from a medically- induced coma. His condition has not changed, serious but stable.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: I'm Alessio Vinci reporting from Rome. Political drama unfolds in Italy with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi disputing his opponent, declaring victory before all ballots are counted. The expatriate vote, including the one in the U.S., will determine the outcome of this election.

It's a situation very similar to the one in the U.S. in the year 2000. Mr. Berlusconi is demanding a recount, and he's saying his opponent has no reason to celebrate yet. SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Satinder Bindra in New Delhi. The protests against the king of Nepal are continuing. Ten thousand people marched through the resort town of Pokhara, hurling stones at police who fired back at them.

In the capital, Katmandu, police once again imposed a curfew. But demonstrators are threatening to continue with their agitation until Nepal's king, who assumed direct political control of the country last year, restores democracy.

In the meantime, the United States is describing the king's seizure of power as an "abject failure." It wants him to restore democracy and begin talks with Nepal's political parties.

M. O'BRIEN: You can read more about all those stories, a full slate of news, at CNN.com -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, if you use a credit card to shop, there's a new way to spend less time in checkout. Andy's "Minding Your Business." He's got that story for us.

Plus, Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot his hunting partner back in February. You'll recall that story. Word now it wasn't the first time that the vice president and guns didn't quite mix.

We've got that story ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Since the 2004 elections, Democrats have been struggling to decide what role religion should play in politics. Former president Bill Clinton spoke at a fund-raiser last night, telling Democrats that their moral values were more in line with the bible than those values of Republicans. He poked some fun at himself with the religious theme, too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A minister, a Pentecostal minister who is a friend of mine in Louisiana confessed that he voted for the re-election of the president. As a matter of fact, he said he wanted to make a confession to me, and I thought that was pretty good having a Pentecostal preacher confess to the world's most famous sinner. So I listened to what he had to say.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: The former president's wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, and 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry have both recently criticized immigration proposals as being anti-Christian.

M. O'BRIEN: The battle over immigration making headlines, as we're telling you. Businesses starting to feel the pinch of this national debate. Yesterday was a work day. Hundreds of thousands of hard-working immigrants on the streets not at work.

Carol Costello with a look at that, along with other issues in the morning papers.

Good morning, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Miles. Do you like my paper central?

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, that's good. It's very well organized, ready to go.

COSTELLO: All my newspapers -- I wish I could say I did it, but I didn't.

Anyway, we're mentioning this because as you said, pretty much every headline in every paper across America except the tabloids dealt with these pro-immigration rallies. And in "The Wall Street Journal", kind of a fresh angle to this, because, you're right, a bunch of businesses appeared to take a hit as is immigrants hit the streets.

I'm going to read you an excerpt from "The Wall Street Journal" in an article inside.

It says, "Meat packing plants in the Midwest and hotels and other businesses in the South were crippled by absenteeism. Chicken company Tyson Foods tried to play down the missing, with a spokesman saying, 'Fewer than 10 of the more than 100 facilities were closed for the day.'"

Now, in other words, Tyson was forced to close 10 factories because of these marches.

And you know they're calling for this nationwide boycott on May 1st, so immigrants, illegal immigrants walk off the job. So this could be a sign of things to come.

An interesting survey in the "USA Today." This is a "USA Today"- Gallup poll, and it's on immigration, and it shows just what a tough and conflicted thing this is for Americans.

They asked the question: "Illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay in the United States and become citizens" -- 63 percent said yes. "The United States should make illegal immigration a crime" -- 61 percent said yes. "It should be a crime for U.S. citizens to assist known illegal immigrants" -- 52 percent say yes. "Illegal immigrants should be deported" -- only 18 percent said yes to that.

Another interesting -- and I hate to bring this up because I know we've heard a lot about it. But it's about Dick Cheney and the hunting accident.

It's in "USA Today." I just had to. I'll just read you excerpts. "Years before Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a lawyer during a Texas quail hunt, Cheney himself was on the receiving end of an errant shotgun blast. Carlsbad Mayor Bob Forrest said he doesn't know for certain if he or his twin brother Dick Forrest fired the shot during the hunting trip in the late 1990s. It accidentally pelted Cheney, who was then chief executive at Halliburton Company."

"Cheney wasn't hurt, but he was miffed," Forrest told The Journal. He said, "You guys watch where you're shooting." He was very offended.

And as you know, Cheney, during a February 11th hunting trip in Texas, he accidentally peppered lawyer Harry Whittington in the torso, neck and face with up to 200 shotgun pellets.

No comment from Cheney's office. But I just thought I'd pass that along just so you could be irritated this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: So he was getting even? Is that what it was?

COSTELLO: I don't think that is what he did.

M. O'BRIEN: No, the overall karma bank or something. All right.

COSTELLO: It was just weird that he was a victim of being shot himself during a hunting accident.

S. O'BRIEN: I liked that he was offended by it. I'm offended by being shot.

M. O'BRIEN: One good pepper deserves another.

(CROSSTALK)

S. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Carol.

M. O'BRIEN: Hello, Andy Serwer.

ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": I'd be a little more than offended if I got shot.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, exactly.

M. O'BRIEN: If I peppered you, would you be mad at me?

SERWER: I'd be ticked. There's no question about it.

M. O'BRIEN: OK. OK.

SERWER: Just for the record.

OK. Some business news coming up.

Why is Visa saying don't sign on the dotted line?

And how is one company using NASCAR and Troy Aikman to sell TVs? We'll get to all that coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

A look now at some of the stories we're working on for you this morning.

The DNA test results are back. We'll tell you what it means for the Duke University lacrosse team.

More heart-wrenching testimony in the Zacarias Moussaoui trial.

Mass murder indictments in the Madrid train bombings.

Then a look at how the immigration issue could impact November's midterm elections.

And we'll tell you why NASA plans to crash one of its space vehicles. A closer look at the smashing mission ahead.

Stay with us.

First though, put away the pen. You're not going to need it, in some cases.

Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business."

We're talking about Visa, right?

SERWER: We're talking about Visa, Soledad.

You can charge to your heart's content and you don't have to sign on the dotted line anymore, at least for purchases under $25. Visa now saying it will waive the signature requirement for purchases of under 25 bucks.

There have been a few retailers that had this program, like Starbucks, but they're now rolling it out to 17 merchant categories. That will be a whole bunch of them. MasterCard and Amex have similar programs as well.

S. O'BRIEN: So, if someone steals your card, they're not verifying the signature, you're responsible for the first $50.

SERWER: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Is that going to be void? I mean, why should I pay $50 if they're not even checking the signature if someone steals my card? Do I sound like someone who had her purse stolen?

SERWER: It just sounds like -- it's just the way of the world.

S. O'BRIEN: I need an attorney.

SERWER: I'm telling you that. It's just the way of the world. That's what's going on here.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, that doesn't sound right.

SERWER: I mean, well, the reason is because when people steal cards, they don't use it to go to the drugstore and buy a box of Dristan. They use it to go to Circuit City and buy themselves a TV. OK? That's what's going on here.

M. O'BRIEN: And there you need a signature.

S. O'BRIEN: You have a point.

SERWER: Right. And there you need a signature.

S. O'BRIEN: We'll take it.

M. O'BRIEN: If they want to do fingerprints or iris scans or some, you know...

(CROSSTALK)

S. O'BRIEN: Wait in line at the CVS for your iris scan? The lines will be out the door.

M. O'BRIEN: OK. Never mind.

SERWER: This is a big -- this is a big business.

(CROSSTALK)

SERWER: Seven hundred and fifty billion dollars a year in transactions of $25 or less. So it's big.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow.

SERWER: It's going to speed things up. I think it's a good thing. But that's just me.

M. O'BRIEN: OK.

SERWER: Now, speaking of TVs, how about this one? Texas Instruments is sponsoring a race car for NASCAR. And they're using and putting on their DLP technology, painting car number 96.

It's a little bit unlikely because high definition TVs go for several thousand dollars. So you'd think, well, is that really the right audience there at NASCAR? Well, yes, it is.

First of all, a lot of people who watch NASCAR have a lot of money.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes.

SERWER: And second of all, new surveys show that half the people who buy high def TVs have incomes of less than $50,000 a year. That would be a whole bunch of their money going to a high definition TV, wouldn't it? About 4 percent of your annual salary.

M. O'BRIEN: Worth every penny, though.

SERWER: Worth every penny. But better to see Miles and Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, I bet that would be great.

M. O'BRIEN: No, you don't want to see us in high definition. But -- but that race.

SERWER: That race.

This is a hall of fame racing is the team, which is Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman, and they're sporting a little DLP thing there on their shirts, as well. So it's all coming together. Texas Instruments, Troy Aikman, high def TV, NASCAR.

What a beautiful country.

S. O'BRIEN: I think NASCAR in high def would be awesome.

SERWER: I think it would, too.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, absolutely.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, really?

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: It's great?

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, unbelievable.

SERWER: Miles jumps right out of his seat when that car goes around the turn, doesn't he?

M. O'BRIEN: And I've got the surround sound going on.

S. O'BRIEN: Really?

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, my gosh.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, I bet it is.

M. O'BRIEN: It really is. It's very exciting.

SERWER: He doesn't answer phone calls on the weekends.

M. O'BRIEN: No, no, no. Don't be calling me. Don't be calling me. Got the 12-pack, watching the NASCAR.

SERWER: Excellent.

S. O'BRIEN: God bless you.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. As we approach the top of the hour, let's check the forecast one more time.

Chad Myers, you're a high def kind of guy, aren't you?

MYERS: I do watch NASCAR in high definition, I'm sorry.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's pretty cool.

MYERS: But you know what? You know what? Wal-Mart has this high definition TV now. It's 592 bucks.

SERWER: That's a cheaper one.

M. O'BRIEN: We know what you can do. Just go to Wal-Mart on the weekend and watch it for free. You know.

MYERS: Excuse me, I'm going to take a look at your lawn chairs.

M. O'BRIEN: If you don't mind, I'm just going to sit here for a little while.

MYERS: It's been done at Circuit City.

SERWER: Every weekend it's done.

(LAUGHTER)

(WEATHER REPORT)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jason Carroll in Durham, North Carolina, where DNA test results show no match between Duke lacrosse players and a woman accusing them of rape.

I'll have that story coming up.

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