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American Morning

Iran Nuclear Threat; Activist Shot; Shocking School; Around The World; Minding Your Business; School Bus Safety

Aired April 13, 2006 - 07:30   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Top stories time.
The defense takes over in the trial of al Qaeda operative Zacarias Moussaoui. His lawyers fighting to have his life spared. You might see him on the stand today.

A vocal and very controversial crusader for African-American causes is in critical condition this morning in a Cincinnati hospital. Michael Bailey shot right near city hall. A suspect under arrest. Had a restraining order to stay away from Bailey.

And someone who bought a Powerball lottery ticket in Missouri is not showing up for work today. He's a whole lot richer -- she a whole lot richer this morning. One ticket matched all six lottery numbers worth a cool $224 million.

I'd still come to work.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I wouldn't.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad your with us.

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

Let's get right to our top story this morning and we're talking about Iran. It says it's not going to give up its nuclear program, going ahead with enriching uranium. World leaders now must decide just how to respond. Let's get right now to our Senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth.

Hey, Richard, good morning.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the International Atomic Energy Agency leader, is in Tehran this morning and he's hoping to get Tehran's cooperation to suspend uranium enrichment per the request of the United Nation's Security Council and to get Iran back to the discussion phase, instead of increasing fears around the world about the components of Iran's nuclear program. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says, in light of Iran's announcement the other day about joining the nuclear club, the U.N. Security Council must weigh tougher action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I do think that the Security Council will need to take into consideration this move by Iran and that it will be time, when it reconvenes on this case, for strong steps to make certain that we maintain the credibility of the international community on this issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Rice's U.S. ambassador, John Bolton, here at the U.N. yesterday made clear Washington is ready with a strong resolution against Tehran here in the Security Council, but that may come only after Mohamed ElBaradei of the nuclear watchdog agency completes his report later in the month.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Richard, let me ask you a question about China apparently sending an envoy now to Iran. What could that mean?

ROTH: This means that China is getting more concerned. Even though China opposes sanctions on Iran, the sending of an envoy to Tehran and Russia means China may see what's happening and fears a U.S./British/French effort to get tough with sanctions on Iran.

S. O'BRIEN: Richard Roth for us this morning. Richard, thank.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: A sell-described general in a controversial group called the Black Fist speaks before the Cincinnati city council and then moments later is shot as he leaves the building. Michael Bailey in critical condition this morning. Carol Costello watching it for us in the newsroom.

Carol, good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Michael Bailey, better known in Cincinnati at least as Kabaka Oba. He does leads that community activist group called the Black Fist. It's described in "The Cincinnati Enquirer" this morning as a militant group.

Now he often speaks in front of city council. He was inside city council chambers yesterday. He spoke to city council. And as he went outside to get into his car, city council members heard this. Listen.

You could hear the gunshots ringing out there. Councilman Cecil Thomas described it this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CECIL THOMAS, CINCINNATI COUNCILMAN: I heard a scream from outside or it appeared that it was coming from outside, let's say that. And I knew then what it was. I knew it was gunshots.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: He did know it was gunshots. In fact, they stopped the meeting at that point and many council members ran outside to the street where they saw Kabaka Oba lying on the street. He'd been shot several times in the leg, the arm and the chest.

This is a picture of him, Kabaka Oba. They do have a suspect in custody. His name is Howard Beatty. Apparently he was waiting for Oba outside. This is according to police. And news reports say that the shooter yelled yee-haw and seemed to be having fun as he shot Oba.

Well it turns out Oba had a restraining order against Beatty because Beatty was supposed to stay 500 feet or more away from him. They've been having this long-running feud. Beatty turned himself into police. He remains in custody. Oba remains in the hospital in critical condition this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, Oba's rhetoric in the past has been extremely controversial and has upset a lot of people, hasn't it?

COSTELLO: And so has the suspect, Beatty.

M. O'BRIEN: OK. Interesting. Carol Costello, thank you.

Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Two teens who attend a school for behavioral disorders in Massachusetts are missing. School officials say they think the girls ran away. The school itself, though, is somewhat controversial. It is the only school to use mild electric shock to control behavior.

CNN's Randi Kaye has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Antoine Nicholson's (ph) school looks more like Disneyland than a place for kids with special needs. There are pinball machines and cartoon characters, wax figures and art work punctuated with cornflower blues and vivid pinks. Why then would Antoine's mother, Evelyn Nicholson, be fighting like mad to get him out of this place?

EVELYN NICHOLSON, MOTHER: He would call me up crying and say you've got to get me out of here. I can't take this.

KAYE: Because along with the perks at this center for troubled children come the punishments. The Judge Rotenberg Center claims to be the only one in the country using electric shot aversion therapy. They call it the graduated electronic decelerater (ph), the G.E.D., and half their students go to school each day tethered to electrodes housed in a fanny pack.

Really bad pain on a scale of one to 10, what would you say? Ten is really bad.

KAREEM ANDERSON, PATIENT: Like seven. KAYE: Now she's suing her New York school district for sending Antoine out of state so they could, in her words, torture and abuse him for engaging in aggressive, unfocused behavior. Dr. Matthew Israel has been under fire from parents and doctors and psychiatrists since he invented the electric shock device 16 years ago.

DR MATTHEW ISRAEL, FOUNDER, JUDGE ROTENBERG CENTER: Children who otherwise might blind (ph) themselves have been able to stop that behaviors and become -- in much more normal life.

KAYE: These parents say their kids are the worst of the worst. Head-bankers and biters, obsessive compulsive, out of control. A danger to themselves and others. That the G.E.D., which is only administered with court and parental approval, saved their children's lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My daughter was punching herself constantly like that in her eyes.

KAYE: When Antoine first arrived at the center, Dr. Israel says he acted out constantly. Mouthing off got him a reprimand. Physical aggression was punished with a zap. Dr. Israel says after many zaps that number dropped to near zero.

Your mom told us that you told her it was very painful. Is that true?

ANDERSON: It was painful.

KAYE: A student can wear up to five electrodes strapped to their arms and their legs. I strapped one here to my arm just to see how powerful the shock is. It's delivered with a remote control.

Ow. Oh, man. That hurts.

What long-term harm or good prolonged treatment would have on a mentally handicapped teenager like Antoine is anyone's guess. His mother has ordered the treatment stopped.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Canton, Massachusetts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's check back on the weather now.

Chad, the producers would like to install that on me.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, no way, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: No?

MYERS: Oh, but that -- I mean did you see her face when that . . .

M. O'BRIEN: No, it would just -- it would stop me from continuing past time. MYERS: I mean not quite the Rick Sanchez shock that I saw him get with that thing but . . .

M. O'BRIEN: You had to go there, didn't you?

MYERS: Woo. Man, I just saw her face and it was like lit up. It was like, ooh, that does seem to good.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer is here.

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning.

ANDY SERWER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning.

SERWER: Less gum for elf to eat.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, God, that scene. That's a funny scene there.

SERWER: That was a great scene.

OK, some business news. With all the inroads made by Asian automakers this decade, what exactly are Ford, Chrysler and GM doing to fight back? We'll take a look coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Taking a look at some of the major stories that are happening around the world right now. Concern about stability in Italy while election there's are being contested and European leaders seek a resolution to the conflict with Iran. Let's begin in London today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Robin Oakley reporting from London. European nations have almost universally condemned Iran's uranium enrichment as a step in the wrong direction. They're watching anxiously to see if Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, on his visit to Tehran can persuade the Iranians to reverse that step. Britain, France and Germany will discuss Iran in Moscow next week with Russia and China. If Iran doesn't suspend its program by the U.N. target date of April 28th, they're ready to back sanctions.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I am Alessio Vinci reporting from Rome. Political limbo continues in Italy with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi hinting at vote irregularities and refusing to concede defeat until some 40,000 ballots are being rechecked. His opponent meanwhile, (INAUDIBLE) coalition leader Romano Prodi says provisional results giving him a narrow victory would stand. A court is to decide by the end of next week but Italy will not have a new prime minister until the end of next month. Until then, Mr. Berlusconi remains prime minister in a caretaker role.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer is here. He drove his brand new S-class Mercedes into work today.

S. O'BRIEN: You wish. You wish.

SERWER: I'm still working on the money end of that transaction.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, details.

S. O'BRIEN: Always that.

SERWER: It really is.

M. O'BRIEN: Don't get hung up on these things.

S. O'BRIEN: The sticking point.

SERWER: Wow. Those -- you know, all the good cars were over $100,000. You know, I mean . . .

M. O'BRIEN: What's up with that? What is up with that?

SERWER: Well, you know, it's a bad thing.

Anyway, we were down at the auto show of course yesterday and decided to check in a little bit and try to understand exactly how GM, Ford and Chrysler were fighting back against foreign competitors. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SERWER, (voice over): Will these new Saturn models be enough for General Motors to overtake more than two decades of relentless foreign competition? The company is banking on it.

JILL LAJDZIAK, GENERAL MANAGER, SATURN: If anyone needed proof that GM is willing to fighting back, well here it is, the revitalized Saturn.

SERWER: Why such defiance? A tidal wave of imports has obliterated the dominance of the big three automakers, GM, Ford and Chrysler. Last month, industry figures showed GM, Ford and Chrysler continued to lose their share of the U.S. market, accounting for close to 57 percent of all U.S. car sales. Asian rivals, meanwhile, continue to rise capturing more than 38 percent. It's a constant game of catch-up for domestic automakers.

CSABA CSERE, CAR AND DRIVER MAGAZINE: For a long time, the U.S. makers were sort of slaves to their manufacturing operation and they built what their plants wanted to produce as opposed to really building what the customers wanted to buy.

SERWER: GM and Ford have launched an all-out effort to cut costs with buyouts, layoffs and plant closings with thousands of jobs lost at both companies in just the past six months. One critic says domestic car makers are slow to predict buying trends, like the fact that rising gas prices are slowing the sales of SUVs and propelling hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius. Perhaps it's a moment of truth for the big three.

CSERE: At this point, it doesn't get any easier. It just stays hard and GM and Ford have to make very hard decisions and have to make very good decisions because they don't have a lot more opportunities to get this right.

SERWER: And to be a dominant player in this year's version of car wars.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SERWER: You know what's interesting to me is, looking at some of those ultra cool concept cars we were talking about yesterday. And so often they don't make them. They don't even get close to making cars like that. But those are the cars they should be making, cars that really catch peoples eyes. I remember Rick Wagoner, the CEO of GM, it was unclear whether he was making this Camaro that was the hit of the Detroit auto show. Well, we're not sure. It was the hit of the show. Make the car. That's what people want. Really intriguing, compelling vehicles.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, don't you think what this involves is a change of mindset. Because the thinking for so long in Detroit has been big, big, big. And as a result, I think they kind of watered down their brands. And if they think more niche, you're going to see more edgy- type designs.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, but isn't there sort of the basic tenant of business, like you've got to sell a lot of them to make money? And if you do niche, then you probably aren't going to sell a lot of them?

SERWER: I think that's right. I mean because of the way they have their business models set up at the giant factories, hybrids were the buzz of the show. And, you know, they're behind the ball on that one big time.

M. O'BRIEN: But nevertheless, these companies are going to have to think about somehow doing business smaller.

SERWER: They have to get smaller. Yes, they do. Yes.

M. O'BRIEN: They're going to have to. All right, thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Andy, thanks.

M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer.

SERWER: OK.

S. O'BRIEN: As you all know, movie star Tom Cruise is no fan of psychiatry. He's kind of on his soapbox once again. What he's saying now, though, is angering some doctors. We'll tell you about that.

Then this story, flashing lights on school buses means slow down, get ready to stop, obviously. But how many driver's zoom right by anyway? We'll tell you that scary news for parents up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Seems like basic drivers ed. When you see flashing red lights on a school bus, you're supposed to stop your car, right? Well, on tonight's "Paula Zahn Now, "you might be shocked to learn just how many people completely ignore that. CNN's Greg Hunter spent a day with a school bus driver.

Kind of a scary preview, isn't it?

GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a scary preview because it happens 50,000 times a day in New York state alone. That is somebody passing a stopped school bus with lights flashing. And if you multiply that out across the country, well it's millions of people a year taking a terrible chance with your child.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTER (voice-over): Hank Drum (ph) has been a school bus driver in Long Island, New York, for eight years. We wanted to see what bus driver's encounter on a typical day. So we wired Hank's bus with cameras and rode with local police who follow buses to catch violators.

HANK DRUM: A lot of traffic on this highway.

HUNTER: When a bus has amber lights flashing, that means slow down. Once the lights turn red, traffic is required to stop. Some driver's did just that, stopping well in front of the bus. Others hit the brakes just in time.

But watch what happened here. Instead of slowing down, this SUV went right by the bus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I stopped you because you passed a school bus there.

HUNTER: In New York, the penalties for illegally passing are stiff. Five points on a driver's license, a $250 fine and up to 30 days in jail.

Did you see the school bus lights flashing?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did see it, but the lights were yellow, so I thought it was safe to still keep proceeding.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you see a soccer ball roll in front of your car, what do you do? You immediately hit the brakes. Now, why can't we develop that same kind of reaction around a school bus.

HUNTER: Did you know that when you pass a stopped school bus you could like hit a kid and kill him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I really did not -- I really, really did not mean to do anything. I swear to God.

HUNTER: Yes. Do you know how serious that is?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I do.

HUNTER: The officer gave her a ticket as she tearfully apologized. This driver should have known better. It turns out she's a teacher.

But our day was just beginning. In the afternoon, as the bus unloaded a child, we saw this white car turn right any way. Behind the wheel, another apologetic driver.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a retired elementary school principal. That's the -- absolutely the -- if I saw someone do that in front of my school, I would chase them down myself.

HUNTER: But it kept happening. On this busy road, another school bus passed the bus, along with seven other vehicles in both directions. Too many for the officer to safely pull over. And then there was this car that blew right past the stop arm.

DRUM: That was one of the most blatant ones that I've seen in eight years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTER: Tonight you'll meet some parents who lost their children by driver's who illegally passed buses, including a hit-and-run driver killed a first grader in St. Louis just a few months ago.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, that's so brutal.

HUNTER: It's so sad.

S. O'BRIEN: Are there stiff penalties as well when you injure a child or kill a child? I mean, in passing -- I mean you see, obviously, just passing the bus gives you a stiff penalty.

HUNTER: This is going to be outrageous. You're going to meet a father tonight whose kid got killed in North Carolina in 1999 and the woman who hit his kid walked away with 100 hours of community service. Killed his child and got community service. And so the penalties are not that stiff. In some cases judges let them off.

S. O'BRIEN: So surprising. When you think, you know, if you're just passing a school bus, which is serious, you're getting five points and a big old fine, you could go to jail.

HUNTER: It's five points, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: I mean that -- you know, that's serious. And then if you kill a child, not so much. HUNTER: Well it's -- judges let them off. They're like, oh, you have to live with this for the rest of your life. This happened in New York state a year ago and that person got off scott-free. In North Carolina they made it a law, if you hit a child by illegally passing a bus, that's a felony and you will see jail time. But that's not the case all across the country. We'll talk about that tonight on "Paula Zahn Now."

S. O'BRIEN: All right. Looking forward to that. Greg, thank you very much. Appreciate it. "Paula Zahn Now," of course, airs at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: In a moment, the top stories, including the defense gets its turn in the Zacarias Moussaoui trial.

A number of senior officers are calling for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign.

A Missouri couple apologizing for lying about having sextuplet.

And then a 49-year-old woman dies on a popular ride or after riding a popular ride, I should say, at Walt Disney World.

And the power of Tom Cruise. Back on his soapbox again. Why some say his campaign against psychiatry is working. But is anybody really listening to him? Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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