Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Mike Brown Out Again; Case of the Phantom Sextuplets

Aired April 13, 2006 - 07:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Mike Brown out again. An uproar near Louisiana Parish's plan to employ the former FEMA chief ends in the consulting gig going before it starts.
And mudslides hitting northern California. Persistent rains send several families looking for another place to live.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Some parents upset over a shocking way to keep their kids in line, zapping them with jolts of juice.

And the case of the phantom sextuplets. One couple in trouble now for faking a big birth. That story is ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. A top U.N. official in Iran this morning on what could be mission impossible. Mohamed ElBaradei today is trying to persuade Tehran to halt the enrichment of uranium. Iran's president is refusing to do that.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is considering sanctions as the next step in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

Let's get right to CNN's Elaine Quijano. She's at the White House.

Hey, Elaine, good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.

Well, officials here are emphasizing that it is not just the United States that is voicing concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions, but in fact the international community. And the U.S. is saying that Iran is moving in the wrong direction.

Now Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the world cannot let that continue, that it is time for the United Nations Security Council to do something about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECY. OF STATE: We are consulting with our allies about what the next steps need to be. But there's no doubt in my mind that if the Iranians continue down this course, there has to be some course of action by the Security Council.

(END VIDEO CLIP) QUIJANO: Now at the same time White House officials are very mindful of the message to the Iranian people themselves. They say this is not a question of Iran's right to nuclear civilian technology, but rather, they say, the international community's concern that Iran not get its hands on a nuclear weapon -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Elaine, the secretary went on to talk about sort of the next steps that the U.S. could take. Specifically what was she talking about?

QUIJANO: Well, senior officials say some of the next steps could include a travel ban on Iranian officials, also the freezing of assets of the regime. And on that latter point, a U.N. resolution would require that all 185 U.N. member countries take part, something that the United States is already doing -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Elaine Quijano is at the White House for us this morning. Elaine, thanks.

In just the last hour, we spoke on the phone with Shirzad Bozorgmehr. He one of the few Western journalists who is in Tehran. Here's his report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, JOURNALIST: Well, President Ahmadinejad stand has been, and still is, that Iran is not going to retreat on this issue of nuclear programming, and he believes that this is more of an energy and technological issue, rather than a weapons issue, which the West keeps insisting it's a weapons issue. He says it is not; it is a matter of achieving new advanced technology to help Iran generate more electricity, and also to be on the forefront of technological advancements.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: That was a report from Tehran this morning -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: The lawyers defending al Qaeda operative Zacarias Moussaoui will try to spare his life today by telling a jury he is too insane to be executed. They have a very tough act to follow. Prosecutors laid out an emotionally devastating portrayal of the violence of the 9/11 attacks, attacks which they have already proven Moussaoui knew full well about, and he could have prevented.

Here's Jeanne Meserve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The defense begins its case today. We expect Moussaoui to testify. We also expect testimony about his mental health.

The defense has said it believes he is suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. We'll also hear about his difficult childhood in France, and why he was susceptible to recruitment by al Qaeda. Richard Reid, the so-called shoe bomber, has been subpoenaed by the defense. Moussaoui testified that he and Reid were supposed to fly a fifth plane into the White House. It's unclear at this point in time as to whether Reid will actually appear in court.

All of this to capture the prosecution case, which rested yesterday. It featured emotional victim-impact testimony, phone calls, and also yesterday the playing of the cockpit voice recorder from flight number 93. You heard the hijackers taking over the cockpit. You heard the crew pleading for their lives and losing them. You also heard the passengers rising in revolt and trying to retake the cockpit. The hijackers deciding to fly the plane into the ground. One of them chanting as they did so, "Allah is the greatest." It packed a big emotional wallop, and experts say the defense has its job cut out for it.

Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Alexandria, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, first he was in, then he was out. It turns out he's out for good now. Former FEMA director Mike Brown is not going to take that job that Saint Bernard Parish was thinking about offering him after all.

Let's get right to Carol Costello. She's in the newsroom for us.

Hey, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You know, parish councilman Junior Rodriguez thought it would be a great idea to bring Michael Brown to Saint Bernard Parish, because the feeling there is that FEMA is not moving fast enough to help anyone in Saint Bernard Parish. About 129 people died there during Katrina, 13 feet of water, 26,000 homes destroyed. And the thought was Michael Brown knew the ins and outs of FEMA, and he could give them good advice as a paid consultant get FEMA moving finally.

Well, Michael Brown was all set to make his case before the parish council, and then he starting hearing about all the controversial comments from council members like this one. This is from Mark Madary. He said, "It would be like me asking Michael Jackson to run a child care center. I thought the FEMA response during his tenure and since his tenure has not helped Saint Bernard, and I felt we were left by ourselves stranded. For us to bring him in now, the perception would kill us."

So Michael Brown appeared on "THE SITUATION ROOM" yesterday, and he said because of the controversy he will no longer be asking for any kind of job in Saint Bernard Parish. He is not even going to go pitch his case. He is willing to offer free advice now, but he will not be hired as a paid consultant. So, I guess the story is over -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Sounds like it is. But you know how these things go. It's never over until it's over. All right, Carol, thanks.

Speaking of New Orleans, there are some new rebuilding rules to tell you about. FEMA says that reconstructed homes are going to have to be raised at least three feet off the ground in order to qualify for flood insurance. New flood maps for the area are now dictating that move -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Massive mudslides sending families scrambling across northern California once again today. Take a look at this house, came crashing down in Monte Rio, California. The saturated ground gave way beneath it. Mudslides in other areas closed roads and forced the evacuation of several other homes. Rescue crews still working near San Fernando and Mill Valley to find a man who is believed to be buried under a wall of mud there. Those crews plan to tear down of what's left of his house today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Well, here's kind of a nice story. A small town opens up its hearts and its wallet to a couple because they have sextuplets. Little problem, though -- no babies. We'll tell you why cops think the couple pulled off the hoax.

M. O'BRIEN: Missed-tuplets.

Also, you slow down and stop when you see this, right? Red flashing lights, the school bus. You might be stunned. There's a school bus going by. He should know. We'll tell you about this coming up in just a bit.

S. O'BRIEN: Also we'll tell you about kids in one school being shocked with electricity to control their behavior. One mother's fight to stop that, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Attorneys for former White House aide Lewis Scooter Libby crying foul. They say federal prosecutors are withholding information they need to defend Dick Cheney's former chief of staff as he faces charges related to that CIA leak investigation.

AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken live in Washington with more on that.

Bob, what's the strategy here as they have these -- this debate over discovery?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATL. CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a debate being carried out. The most recent motion filed by Libby's lawyers late last night. He is trying to get his hands on thousands of classified documents so he can show that this was not an effort to discredit Joseph Wilson by giving the identity of his CIA wife, Valerie Plame, to the media. It was not an effort that was only in the vice president's office. As a matter of fact, in his brief itself he says a notion that it involves only Mr. Libby and the office of the vice president is a fairy tale. Well, that's pretty colorful language, but what he is trying to do now is say that there are any number of people involved. The list of witnesses that he's going to call includes the former Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, the former CIA director George Tenet and the Deputy White House Chief of Staff Karl Rove, who by the way, Miles, is still facing a possible indictment by the special prosecutor Fitzgerald. So this is a thickening plot.

M. O'BRIEN: Thickening and broadening. Is it possible there could be other charges that could result out of all of this?

FRANKEN: Well, the other charges, of course, could go in just about any direction.

One of the things that he wanted to do, Libby wanted to do, is to correct the impression that had been left by the prosecution last week that he was acting at the behest of the president and the vice president. Very interesting wording in a footnote here. He says that contrary to what had been said, "Mr. Libby does not contend he was instructed to make disclosures concerning Ms. Wilson by President Bush, Vice President Cheney or anybody else." Note, very artful wording here. He is not denying that he did so, only that he is not making that legal claim -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Interesting. That puts it in a little different light, doesn't it?

FRANKEN: It does indeed. And of course there are two things involved here. One, there is the legal. He is facing quite serious charges. But there's also the whole political and reputation matter that becomes a part of just about any high-profile Washington case.

M. O'BRIEN: Bob Franken in Washington, thank you -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up, we're going to tell you the story of a Missouri couple that pretty much pulled the wool over everybody's eyes. They said they had sextuplets. It was all a hoax apparently. We'll tell you why they did it.

And later, U.S. carmakers make bold moves to survive amid fierce competition. Can the plans really work? We'll look at that just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Some Duke University lacrosse players have hired Bob Bennett, the same lawyer who defended former President Bill Clinton, because of concerns about what's happened to the reputations of players accused of rape. Meanwhile, the case is dividing the town of Durham, North Carolina.

Let's get right to Jason Carroll. He has our story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Durham's district attorney, Mike Nifong, found himself in the hot seat, under fire from two candidates running for his seat. Both strongly criticized Nifong for his handling of the case involving Duke University's lacrosse team and a young black woman who says she was raped by three white players, and the fallout that has affected the community as a result.

FREDA BLACK, DURHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, DISTRICT ATTORNEY CANDIDATE: Durham has been portrayed in a negative light nationally. This case was mishandled from its inception.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One minute.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One minute, please.

BLACK: When the cameras leave, who will pick up the pieces?

MICHAEL NIFONG, DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA, DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Does anybody really think this community is fragile and ready to break? Is that what you're seeing here? That's not what I'm seeing. I'm seeing a committee -- pardon me -- a community that came together initially to support a young lady who was the victim of a brutal assault.

CARROLL: The candidates accused Nifong of saying too much publicly about the case too soon, faulting him for making early promises of arrest, a stinging criticism after DNA test results showed no match between any of the players and the alleged victim.

KEITH BISHOP, DURHAM COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, DISTRICT ATTORNEY CANDIDATE: If you didn't have the correct information, you should have sat back and be silent and wait until you knew that you had enough information to guarantee a community that you would make arrests.

BLACK: It's my belief that premature information that is either leaked or told to the public can jeopardize a case.

NIFONG: And there was also pressure put on me to do nothing, to say, well, you know, her profession was not really the most honorable in the world, and we really don't have the strongest case in the world, if there's no DNA, so let's forget about it. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's not doing your job. If I did that, then you should vote against me.

CARROLL: There are also accusations the timing of the case is politically motivated. If Nifong completes his investigation this week, he could present it to the grand jury when they meet next Monday. If he does not, the next scheduled meeting is in two weeks, just one day before elections for district attorney.

BLACK: Perhaps he thought that he landed a case that would save his prosecutorial career.

CARROLL (on camera): Nifong's challengers charge, so much has been said about the case, they worry defense attorneys will ask for a change of venue if there is a trial. They also say, despite all the negative publicity, Durham's residents deserve to sit on that jury. But at least one defense attorney tells CNN, he will ask for a change of venue, saying he does not believe he can find a fair set of jurors in Durham.

Jason Carroll, CNN, Durham, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Well, I guess you could say it's been a hard day's night financially for Michael Jackson. He's working like a dog, though, to try to fix things. We'll explain with Andy Serwer in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MARKET REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Did you guys hear this bizarre story out of Missouri? A couple claims to have sextuplets they cannot afford. So after asking for help, there's still one thing that's missing -- the kids.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has our story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sarah and Kris Everson are bold -- well, make that very bold. When they moved to Grain Valley, Missouri, a few months ago, they started asking for help to care for six newborn babies, and they weren't shy about what they wanted. Gary Bradley was one of the many people trying to organize help for the couple.

GARY BRADLEY, GRAIN VALLEY CITY ADMINISTRATOR: They needed new transportation because they have a truck. They needed a new house. They needed a washer and dryer to handle the clothes for six kids. Cribs, all of those types of things.

LAVANDERA: The Everson's said they needed all of those supplies and money to help care for the sextuplets who would soon be coming home from the hospital, but after weeks and weeks of baby talk, the babies themselves were nowhere to be seen.

CHIEF AARON AMBROSE, GRAIN VALLEY MISSOURI POLICE: That was the big question, why are they holding back the babies? You know, why hasn't anybody seen these babies? Well, apparently some people said they had seen them. I find that very interesting. I don't know what babies they were looking at.

LAVANDERA: Gary Bradley says they had an excuse for that.

BRADLEY: They indicated that there was a gag order in place by a judge to protect the lives of the children. And that they had a relative who threatened to kill the children, and I just found that part very hard to believe.

LAVANDERA: Then Sarah and Kris posed for this picture in the local newspaper holding six tiny sweaters. Again, the babies were not available for pictures. Even the town newspaper had fallen for the story.

(on-camera): When the Eversons' picture and story hit the front page of the local newspaper, they became the talk of the town. But it also resurrected a shady past. It turns out, according to police and some local residents, that Sarah Everson has a history of faking pregnancies.

PASTOR BOB SPRADLING, MAYWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH: When I heard about it, I thought, well, she's up to it again.

LAVANDERA (voice over): Pastor Bob Spradling wasn't surprised to see Sarah Everson in this situation. Five years ago, Everson told him a similar story. Church members helped with food and other donations, but the babies never came. The pastor says she claimed to have miscarried, but he says she was never actually pregnant.

SPRADLING: It is odd, and I think that's why people help because it is so out of the norm, you think, well, it's got to be true because who could make this up?

LAVANDERA: Grain Valley Police say the Eversons have admitted they made up the story and could face felony charges of stealing by deceit. Late today, the couple issued an apology.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to ask to be absolutely clear, there were no babies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

LAVANDERA: Kris and Sarah Everson left the police station in a truck big enough to hold this family of two.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Grain Valley, Missouri.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: That first aired on PAULA ZAHN NOW. And you can watch Paula weeknights at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

Coming up in our next hour, we're going to talk to Grain Valley's police chief Aaron Ambrose, and also a former coworker of Sarah Everson.

Those blinking lights on school buses mean slow down, get ready to stop, but you'd be stunned to know just how many drivers don't do that, don't stop, and are putting your kids at risk every morning. We've got that story just ahead.

And one school's controversial punishment. Kids literally being electroshock into good behavior. We'll tell you about one mom's battle to try to stop it. Those stories all ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com