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American Morning

Tensions Spark Between U.S. and Israel Following Qana Airstrike; Aryan Brotherhood Leaders Convicted of Murder Behind Prison Bars; L.A. Sheriff's Department Accused of a Cover-Up in Gibson's DUI Arrest

Aired July 31, 2006 - 09:30   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, welcome everybody, I'm Soledad O'Brien.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: I've had fun this morning.

O'BRIEN: It's been nice having you.

HARRIS: Oh there's still more time. I'm sorry. A little premature.

O'BRIEN: It's a long show.

HARRIS: Good morning everyone, I'm Tony Harris in for Miles. Carol Costello is here with a look at the morning headlines. Good morning Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you guys. Good morning to all of you. Israel now apologizing for another deadly air strike this morning after promising a 48-hour cease-fire. War planes hit a vehicle carrying Lebanese army soldiers and the aide to a general was killed. The incident took place outside the southern Lebanese city of Tyre. Israel says it thought a senior Hezbollah militant was inside. The attacks come one day after the tragic Qana bombings that killed dozens of Lebanese civilians, many of them children.

NATO is facing a new military challenge today in Afghanistan. The alliance assumed command from the U.S.-led coalition today in the volatile southern region as part of an effort to stop increasing Taliban violence. The mission is considered the most dangerous and challenging in NATO's 57-year history.

Mexico's leftist presidential candidate is asking for help from hundreds of thousands of his supporters. Andre Lopez Obrador wants them to set up blockades in Mexico City until a disputed presidential election is decided. Obrador finished slightly behind his conservative opponent in the July election. He says a vote by vote recount will expose fraud.

Back here at home, eight people were shot early this morning at a Pittsburgh nightclub. About 400 people were in the Touch nightclub when witnesses say chaos broke out and someone opened fire. Three people critically hurt, one person being questioned by police. British Prime Minister Tony Blair will meet with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in Long Beach, California, later today. The governor and Mr. Blair expected to announce their joint collaboration on a project to fight global warming. It's the prime minister's third day in California. He's there partly to promote British trade. He'll find good weather there today. 79 degrees in Long Beach, California, this afternoon.

HARRIS: That's better than last week and the week before, that's for sure.

COSTELLO: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: Thanks Carol. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice believes the comprehensive settlement to the Middle East crisis can be reached this week. She's headed back to Washington from the region as the diplomatic focus now shifts to the United Nations. Let's get right to CNN's senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth. Hey Richard, good morning.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad. A lot of different emotions and feelings in the diplomatic community. Condoleezza Rice saying she wants a U.N. resolution. They are waiting here to see the details of a U.S. proposal. There's already a French resolution that's been circulated with differing elements in it. All of this following a very intense Sunday gathering here at the United Nations.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH (voice-over): The Security Council came rushing in hours after the Qana attack. Lebanon was furious.

NOUAD MAHMOUD, LEBANESE REP. TO U.N.: This is a time for action not talk.

ROTH: Israel said it was sorry but also blamed Hezbollah for using homes like the one that was struck as a launching pad.

DAN GILLERMAN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: When you sleep with a missile sometimes you don't wake up.

ROTH: The U.N. Secretary-General condemned the Qana bombing of civilians but in frank language for the top diplomat, sounded fed up with the Security Council.

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I am deeply dismayed that my earlier calls for cessation of such hostilities, the immediate cessation of hostilities were not heeded.

ROTH: But after hours of negotiating the United States again rejected language which would have demanded Israel stop its offensive as part of an overall halt in the fighting. The Security Council's statement did express shock and distress over Qana, warned of the threat of escalation of violence and settled on -- JEAN-MARC DE LA SABLIERE, FRENCH AMB. TO U.N.: Calls for an end to violence and underscores the urgency of securing a lasting permanent and sustainable cease-fire.

ROTH: Despite attempts by Qatar, the lone Arab country on the council to toughen the text, the U.S. said a quick fix cease-fire was not helpful.

JOHN BOLTON, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: We don't think simply returning to business as usual in the Middle East is a way to bring about a lasting solution.

ROTH: Lebanon said it would have liked a stronger response but accepted more involvement by the Security Council.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROTH: And Russia and France are pleased that the Security Council got more engaged, though Russia today again is still upset the council has been unable to issue a clarion call for cease-fire. Soledad?

O'BRIEN: Richard Roth, U.N. for us this morning. Richard thanks. Tony?

HARRIS: And Soledad, President Bush is in Florida this morning. We're expecting to hear his comments on the current peace plan for the Middle East in about 30 minutes from now. CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry is in Miami for us. Ed, good morning.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Tony. You know it's just about 100 days until the midterm elections. So the president is coming to the Port of Miami here in the next hour in order to deliver a speech about the economy. One of the domestic issues he hopes Republicans focus on in the months leading up to the November elections, but try as you might the president cannot change the subject from all these global hot spots, especially Lebanon.

In fact, we're told the president at the top of this economic speech will deliver remarks about the latest violence in the Mideast, that he will be focusing the way forward. But that way forward not clear given all the international outrage about the Israeli air strike on Qana. Before leaving the White House yesterday to come here to Miami the president called it a tragedy but stops short once again of calling for an immediate cease-fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The United States is resolved to work with members of the United Nations Security Council to develop a resolution that will enable the region to have a sustainable peace, a peace that lasts, a peace that will enable mothers and fathers to raise their children in a hopeful world. May God bless those who lost their lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HENRY: Now the president spoke yesterday no less than three times with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice by telephone as she wrapped up her second diplomatic mission to the Mideast. As you know, John King reporting she's headed back now to Washington. And when the president arrives back at the White House early this evening, he will be getting a briefing directly from the Secretary of State about the latest on this U.N. resolution. Tony?

HARRIS: And Ed, what's the president doing right now?

HENRY: Right this hour he's at the National Hurricane Center here in Miami. As you know, we're coming up on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and as the current hurricane season gets ready to really kick in to high gear, the president wants to try to reassure Americans that this time the federal government will be prepared, Tony.

HARRIS: White House correspondent Ed Henry for us. Ed, thank you.

And we will bring you those remarks from the president live. We're expecting him to head to the microphones in about 30 minutes. That's at 10:10 a.m. eastern time.

O'BRIEN: Happening in America this morning, a funeral will be held in Seattle today for the woman who died in a shooting rampage at the Jewish Federation, five other people were wounded on Friday. The suspect, Navid Haq is being held on $50 million bail. He told authorities he is angry about the war in Iraq and U.S. military cooperation with Israel.

Florida police are investigating a string of hate crimes in the North Miami Beach area, swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti were spray painted on two synagogues and two Jewish stores on Saturday night. There have been no arrests in that case.

Very close call at a gas station in southern California to show you. Take a look at this. Man just got in the car, suddenly out of nowhere -- no one -- yeah, there you go, look at that. Smashing the car. The car burst into flames. You could see the people - the guy who hit him runs out and then goes around the other side. There he is, opening up, getting a woman out of the other side of the car. Everybody escapes though, nobody was hurt. Real good news.

Boy George hitting the streets of New York City. Boy George is hitting the streets of New York City!

HARRIS: Wait, wait a minute, what are you talking about here?

O'BRIEN: Yes, I'm talking about the 80's icon, Boy George! He's been ordered to pick up trash in Chinatown and some of the regions around there beginning on August 14th. Community service for him. He called police with a bogus burglary report in March. Cops found a little cocaine. It all turned into picking up trash in Chinatown in mid August. The sun got in the way of some fun at a scout jamboree in Maryland. 12 people were taken to the hospital because of the heat and high temperatures. Another 40 people reported feeling sick. The event attracted more than a thousand folks.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Still to come, the water cooler story everyone is talking about. Mel Gibson, his arrest and the rumors about what really happened afterward. Did he get star treatment? Did he use anti-Semitic language? We've got the story. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A blow to one of the most notorious prison gangs in the country. The top kingpins of the Aryan Brotherhood convicted of murder from inside prison bars. CNN's Chris Lawrence reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was evidence like this videotaped beating that convinced a federal jury, four members of the Aryan Brotherhood found guilty. Witnesses say when the verdicts were read the four defendants did not show any reaction and most jurors looked down or away from them. The leaders of the white supremacist gang were accused of orchestrating 32 murders and attempted murders sometimes by hanging or strangulation.

GREGORY JESSNER, FORMER ASST. U.S. ATTORNEY: More than half of them involved stabbing with a prison-made knife of some sort, you know fashioned out of metal found in the prison.

LAWRENCE: Convicted killers and gang members appeared as witnesses. They testified that the Brotherhood hatched murder plots to kill black inmates and other rivals. Their testimony also described how the gang sent messages using invisible ink made from urine.

JOHN MCDONALD, REPORTER, "ORANGE CO. REGISTER": Murders and crimes that allegedly were masterminded by people who were in maximum security with almost no contact with each other.

LAWRENCE: Defense attorneys said the men were forced to join the gang to survive and that testimony against them was paid for with prison privileges. Barry Mills and his top lieutenant Tyler Bingham were called the masterminds. Both now face the death penalty for ordering or committing murders as part of the racketeering conspiracy.

(on camera): This case targeted the entire Aryan Brotherhood. Half of the 40 people arrested pleaded guilty and more are going to trial later this year, making this one of the largest death penalty cases in American history.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: And the two masterminds of the Brotherhood Mills and Bingham face the death penalty. Sentencing is set to begin in about two weeks.

O'BRIEN: CNN LIVE TODAY is coming up next. Hey Daryn, good morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning Soledad. President Bush will speak on the Middle East crisis. His comments coming up live in the next hour. He is under new pressure to stop the fighting as horrific images of an Israeli attack inflame world opinion.

Also there's this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going in the direction you pointed, it's not precise. It goes where it wants to go. I mean that's the thing. It's going to come after your children. It's going to hit that school. It's going to plop down in the middle of the market.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The missile that can't shoot straight. We focus on Hezbollah's weapon of choice the old soviet inspired Katyusha rocket.

And at home the heat is on, St. Louis, Memphis, Omaha. They will all broil today and lookout, those 100 degree temperatures headed for big cities in the east. Tony Harris is going to keep his shirt on, though, in New York City.

HARRIS: Well yeah, there you go.

O'BRIEN: Isn't that a big regret for women everywhere?

HARRIS: And you know it's true. Daryn, thanks.

KAGAN: Stay cool.

O'BRIEN: I've been having fun with you all day. He cracks me up.

HARRIS: Silly, that's what it is. Thanks, Daryn.

O'BRIEN: Thanks Daryn.

KAGAN: You're welcome.

HARRIS: Up next, Andy is "Minding Your Business."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Did Mel Gibson get star treatment from the sheriff's department in Los Angeles when he was arrested on Friday on suspicion of driving under the influence?

CNN's Brooke Anderson has details of his arrest, Gibson's apology, the alleged cover-up. Oh my goodness, do tell all.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh my goodness is right Soledad. This is really a shocking story. And not really because Gibson was arrested on suspicion of DUI but because of what he allegedly did and said when he was arrested. There are reports he spewed anti-Semitic slurs. Now we have those alleged comments and why the sheriff's department is being accused of preferential treatment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Reverberations from Gibson's arrest are spreading through Los Angeles. Now the L.A. County Sheriff's Department is embroiled in reports they gave Gibson preferential treatment after he was arrested early Friday morning in Malibu, California, on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The entertainment news website tmz.com reports authorities altered the arresting deputy's hand-written report, allegedly removing offensive comments Gibson made when he was arrested. TMZ alleges Gibson spewed obscenities and hurled sexist and anti-Semitic statements including, "F*****g Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."

Gibson then, according to TMZ, turned to the deputy and asked, "Are you a Jew?" Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will neither confirm nor deny the reports of Gibson's alleged statements, but told CNN the arrest occurred "without incident," clarifying what that means, "Every time somebody is arrested, something out of the ordinary happens, but guns don't always have to be drawn. Without incident means without force."

He went on to say, "There has been no cover-up by the sheriff's department. Nothing has been sanitized. The job of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department is not to focus on what he said or didn't say, but to establish his blood alcohol level and concentrate on the facts."

Mike Gennaco, who heads the independent group of attorneys who monitor sheriffs' department investigations, told CNN they are looking into the allegations of misconduct but said it's not unusual for there to be numerous versions of a report. "There certainly could be legitimate reasons for sending a report back and changing it. That happens all the time."

CNN hasn't seen the official report, but has requested a copy under the California Public Records Act. Gibson released a lengthy statement through his publicist Saturday, calling his behavior belligerent and saying, "I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable. I apologize to anyone who I have offended. I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry."

The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement Sunday, saying Gibson's apology was, "Unremorseful and insufficient." They went on to say, "It does not go to the essence of his bigotry and his anti- Semitism." The ADL is responding to reports that Gibson allegedly made anti-Semitic remarks, allegations Gibson did not directly address in his statement.

Gibson's publicist, Allen Nierob, told CNN on Sunday he would not comment on whether Gibson had entered an alcohol rehabilitation program, nor would he address whether Gibson made anti-Semitic remarks during his arrest. He said Gibson's statement speaks for itself.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Now the TMZ report also says that Gibson made a comment about a female deputy's breasts and there are allegations that Gibson told the arresting deputy that he owns Malibu and will spend all of his money to get even. Now, Soledad, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department told me that when they present their report to the district attorney nothing will be left out, that it will contain everything "lock, stock and barrel."

O'BRIEN: Right, but isn't the argument that the comments are irrelevant when you're talking from the sheriff's department perspective. In other words, what did he get on his breathalyzer as opposed to what he said, right?

ANDERSON: Well that's what the sheriff's department told me. Lock stock and barrel, they said that their job is not to look at what he did or didn't say but to operate on the fact. In fact his blood alcohol level was .12 and the legal limit in California is .08.

O'BRIEN: Interesting to see what we will be hearing next not just on the breathalyzer reading but on the other stuff, too. Brooke Anderson for us. Thanks, Brooke -- Tony.

HARRIS: The Godfather of soul, that's a transition for you. Looking to raise a little cash but first we're going to check the markets. Andy is here, "Minding Your Business." Andy, good morning.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: Good morning, Tony. All kinds of good stuff to get to. First of all the market has been as hot as the weather in New York City. Let's see what we've got going on here. Cooling off a little bit this morning though. The Dow is down 26 points.

Yes, getting on to James Brown and other news here. James Brown has a brand new bag and Ashlee Simpson has a brand new nose. And they're both spelling controversy for these two stars. Let's talk about JB first of all. He is suing the financier who sold his music catalog to investors for $26 million in 1999. This is one of these so-called Boiee (ph) bond deals, where a musical artist sells the future revenue streams of his music, in this case "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You," "I Feel Good", in exchange for cash up front.

Now Brown is 73 years old, can you believe it, the hardest working man in show business is 73 years old, wants them back and he's got to raise $20 million or so to get it back. Interestingly, this catalog, the bonds were sold to Toto to TIAA Cref (ph) which is the retired teacher's pension fund, back in 1999. So all you retired teachers out there part of your pension money is coming from the royalties of "Hot Pants."

HARRIS: Hey!

SERWER: I'm so glad you're doing that and not me. Because you sound better.

HARRIS: I just wanted to make sure it was off camera. I wanted it to be a little sound effect. Was that okay?

SERWER: That was great.

HARRIS: All right.

SERWER: Hot pants.

O'BRIEN: Moving on to Ashlee...

SERWER: Moving on to Ashlee. Ashlee Simpson was on the July cover of "Marie Claire" magazine extolling that -- appreciating one's own body the way it is.

HARRIS: Yes.

SERWER: The naturalness of it all. And then she went out and got a nose job.

HARRIS: Nice.

SERWER: And the readers found out about this and were furious. They wrote back in the hundreds to the magazine's editor saying what a lot of malarkey this is. And in fact the new editor, Joanna Coles, agreed and she expanded the letter's section, printed all kinds of them and wrote in her own notes saying that she was dazed and confused by it.

Fun story in the "New York Times" and it's all about marketing, marketing, marketing and that's kind of what makes the world go around in certain quarters of Manhattan right?

HARRIS: There you go. You said it.

SERWER: That's what we've got.

HARRIS: Very good. Thank you, sir.

O'BRIEN: Andy, thank you. Short break. Back in a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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