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Congressman Tom Reynolds' Chief of Staff Resigns Amid Questions About GOP Handling of Foley Scandal; Iraq National Police Brigade Pulled off Streets; Amish School Tragedy

Aired October 04, 2006 - 14:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Kyra Phillips and Don Lemon.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Mark Foley may be out of circulation, but his D.C. office and everything in it could soon be under federal scrutiny.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, the Justice Department is asking the House of Representatives to secure Foley's workplace. It's a new development in the scandal surrounding the ex-congressman.

A senior Justice Department official tells CNN the request was made in a letter to a House lawyer. It said Foley's office items may be needed in a future criminal probe.

For his part, Foley's lawyer says the ex-congressman was molested by a clergyman as a teen, but he says Foley isn't making excuses for sending lurid computer messages to teenage pages, and he insists that's as far as it went.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID ROTH, FOLEY'S ATTORNEY: There was absolutely never any inappropriate sexual contact with any minor. He has acknowledged full responsibility for the inappropriate e-mails and inappropriate IMs. There never has been any sexual contact with a minor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Now, Foley was an altar boy. Here's a picture of him. He is Roman Catholic, but his lawyer won't be more specific about the alleged abuse or the abuser. Foley is now in rehab for what he says is alcoholism and emotional problems.

PHILLIPS: This coming into the NEWSROOM. A top GOP staff reportedly fired for his role in this page scandal.

Carol Lin working all the details on this story.

What do you know, Carol?

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra, his name is Kirk Fordham, and he issued a statement today. He is the chief of staff of Congressman Tom Reynolds, who is in charge of getting the GOP majority re-elected in the House. According to his chief of staff, Kirk Fordham said today, "I have resigned from Congressman Tom Reynolds' office. It is clear Democrats are intent on making me a political issue in my boss's race, and I will not let them do so."

Here's why, Kyra.

According to ABC News, they are claiming that Kirk Fordham actually -- when he found out that ABC News' investigative unit had copies of the instant messages that Congressman Foley allegedly sent to an underage page, he went to Brian Ross, ABC News' Brian Ross, and he said, do not air, do not publish these instant messages. And if you don't do so, then I will give you -- I will make sure that Congressman Foley will give you the exclusive interview after he resigns.

That accordingly was the deal on the table. Now, the allegation is that he made that deal to try to save face for the GOP. But according to Kirk Fordham, he said that, "I did so as a friend of my former boss, not as a Congressman Reynolds chief of staff. I reached out to the Foley family as any good friend would because I was worried about their emotional well-being."

Kyra, he claims that the motives were not political to try to hide those instant messages, but that he was trying to spare Congressman Mark Foley's elderly parents and his sister the public humiliation.

So, that debate continues as to how much of this was politically motivated, who was behind trying to keep the story under wraps. But now a casualty here outside of Congressman Foley's resignation that the chief of staff of the congressman who's in charge of trying to get the GOP majority preserved in the House this election season, he has resigned.

PHILLIPS: And Carol, just to point out, as you were talking about that we actually showed videotape of first lady Laura Bush there with Congressman Tom Reynolds. We just want to point out that she is out there today supporting him and rallying -- rallying the crowds there.

LIN: That's right.

PHILLIPS: That coming to us from one of our affiliates.

LIN: Thanks for pointing that out, Kyra. Yes, he's running for re-election in western New York. So this appearance by Mrs. Bush obviously planned in advance to show her support for this man who is a point person for the GOP and trying to preserve that House majority that could be in jeopardy because of this scandal.

PHILLIPS: Carol, thanks.

LEMON: Many more developments on this story. No excuses, says Mark Foley's lawyer, but more unpleasant admissions -- make that assertions, I should say, in the wake of the sleazy Internet message scandal that drove Foley from Congress last Friday.

Here's CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The attorney for a disgraced former congressman tells reporters that disturbing incidents in his client's past may have contributed to the behavior that ruined his career.

ROTH: Mark has asked that you be told that between the ages of 13 and 15 he was molested by a clergyman. Mark will address this issue further upon his release from treatment.

TODD: Along with that, David Roth says Mark Foley accepts responsibility for inappropriate e-mails and instant messages with young men, blaming alcoholism and mental illness, but says Foley denies ever having sexual contact with a minor.

Roth also says Foley is a gay man. This follows other surprises about Mark Foley's alleged contacts with former pages. According to "ABC News," Foley had Internet sex with a former page just before going to vote on the House floor in 2003. ABC says its transcripts of those exchanges were provided by former pages.

(on camera): A different former House page tells CNN he was warned early on about Mark Foley. Mark Beck-Heyman didn't want to go on camera. He says those first warnings about Foley were general in nature. And he says it wasn't long in that summer of 1995 before Foley introduced himself and got friendly.

(voice-over): Foley asked the page -- quote -- "want to go out for some ice cream?" Beck-Heyman says he turned that down because he was working and says Foley later told him they should get together in San Diego the following summer. Beck-Heyman says they never did.

Beck-Heyman was a Republican then, but is now a Democrat. Beck- Heyman says he didn't think much about Foley's approaches to him at the time, but they seem more significant in retrospect.

CNN contacted several other former pages to ask if they got any warning about Foley or other congressman. Some said they heard gossip, but...

SAMUEL BURKE, FORMER CONGRESSIONAL PAGE: They never said stay away from this congressman, never.

KARA FRANK, FORMER CONGRESSIONAL PAGE: He was very nice to us. I mean, again, I never got that creepy feeling from him or anything and I never heard any stories. So to hear this, I mean, it's just very shocking.

TODD: Another former page tells CNN, "A supervisor mentioned Foley was a bit odd or flaky and did not connote by tone or otherwise that he should be avoided."

A senior federal law enforcement official tells CNN FBI agents are trying to track down former pages to question them about Foley and to make sure the electronic communications attributed to him are authentic.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And Brian Todd is part of the best political team on television. Watch his reports on "THE SITUATION ROOM" this afternoon at 4:00 Eastern, with the primetime edition at 7:00 Eastern.

Now, the chief of staff for Republican congressman Tom Reynolds -- more coverage on that -- Kirk Fordham, has reportedly resigned today for his role in handling the congressional page scandal. We'll have more on that in this broadcast and, of course, tonight in "THE SITUATION ROOM".

As the blood flows and the deaths climb in Iraq, a tacit admission that police may be part of the problem. An entire national police brigade has been pulled off the streets amid charges of possible complicity with Shiite death squads.

CNN's Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, is standing by with details.

Barbara, what is the U.S. military saying about all of this?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, it was, in fact, the U.S. military, the chief military spokesman in Baghdad earlier today that announced this move, quite extraordinary. An Iraqi police brigade -- that's upwards of 1,000 policemen -- taken off the streets in Baghdad. Basically given the boot.

It has been determined, he said, that this brigade may have been involved in criminal wrongdoing, in backings -- backing militias and death squads, and standing by while some of this violence has unfolded in Baghdad over the last many weeks. It was General Bill Caldwell, the U.S. military spokesman, who spoke about this earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: The government of Iraq had lost trust and confidence in the 8th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division's ability to serve the public due to their poof performance and alleged criminal wrongdoings. And therefore, they have been pulled off line and will go through retraining before they'll be re-certified and allowed to, again, conduct activities as police forces for the government of Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: But, Don, this is much more than retraining or re- certification, indeed. This police unit, this Iraqi police unit, will now be criminally investigated for any complicity in some of the death squad and militia activity in Baghdad.

This is a real sign of a desperate need by the Maliki government in Baghdad and the U.S. military to crack down and try and get a handle on this simply raging sectarian violence that is unending in Iraq at this point -- Don.

LEMON: Barbara, I want to get to the escalating levels of violence, but I want to talk real quickly -- doesn't hat pose a problem for funding? We can't fund a government or police force that's causing these problems, can we?

STARR: Well, this is part of the issue right now, of course. The U.S. is probably the major financial backer of some of this emerging Iraqi security force in -- in the country, and they certainly do want to make sure that this security force is as -- upholds the Iraqi law, if you will. So this is going to continue to be a significant issue.

Behind the scenes, one of the continuing messages that the Bush administration is giving the Iraqi government is to get their House in order, to get these Iraqi security forces in shape, out on the streets, and completely loyal to the new Iraqi government. It is very problematic at the moment that that is going to happen.

One of the signs, Don, of how difficult, how tragic all of this is, of course, General Caldwell announcing that in the last 96 hours or so 18 U.S. troops have lost their lives in Iraq; IED attacks and suicide car bomb attacks now again reaching all-time highs. Just how tough the problem is some of these statistics show.

LEMON: Yes, very tough. Thank you very much.

Barbara Starr reporting.

PHILLIPS: From critical condition to serious, the status today of one young victim of that baffling and deadly rampage at a schoolhouse in Amish country. The tight-knit community, Amish and otherwise, remains in deep shock and mourning.

Let's get the latest now from CNN Senior Correspondent Allan Chernoff. He's there in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania -- Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, it's true, people both inside and outside of the Amish community are struggling to deal with this horrific tragedy. In fact, I just came from speaking with the deputy coroner for the county here, and she herself can't seem to erase the images that she saw Monday morning of the gruesome attack at the schoolhouse. Blood splattered all over the place, a 7-year-old girl with nearly 20 bullet holes throughout her body.

The coroner mentioned that there was a sign in the schoolhouse saying "Visitors bring joy to our schools." She reflected on the horrible irony of that sign and talked about the children saying they're so trusting, just so open.

Of course, this community had been so open, still is, but nonetheless, a horrific tragedy on Monday. Charles Roberts, police say, went into the schoolhouse, shot 10 girls who were standing right by the blackboard execution style.

Police wondered what the motive might have been after their investigation. They say they believe that the motive was really a secret he was holding inside of himself for 20 years.

He confessed to his wife just minutes before opening fire on the children, saying that he had molested two relatives 20 years ago when he was 12 years old and that he had dreams again of molesting young children. And the police believe that he may have intended to, in fact, to molest those young girls before the police arrived, and he began shooting very rapidly -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You know, we've talked about how committed this community is spiritually, religiously. As a matter of fact, I want to pause for a minute and just look behind you.

I don't know, I'm trying to see what's happening behind you. She came up so close to you. It looks like amid all of this, they are working and continuing their philosophy of working on the farms and moving forward, yes?

CHERNOFF: Oh, absolutely, Kyra. What just passed was a teenage girl with two horses, basically going through the field. And it looks like they're just cutting some of the hay over here.

You see this throughout the Amish country here, the men and the women working the fields wherever they may be. And this is -- this is seen throughout the Amish country here. A very tight-knit community. And they, of course, are struggling to hold on to their belief that whatever happens is god's will.

PHILLIPS: Which led me to my next question. I mean, this is a community that very much believes in forgiveness. This has got to be, boy, quite a spiritual task right now.

CHERNOFF: I mean, it's simply unbelievable for someone not part of the community. It's just so, so incredible to hear. But those that we've spoken with who have actually met with the families of the victims say that they are talking about forgiveness even as they prepare their little girls for burial.

They are telling the other children you cannot believe that there is evil in another person, that you simply need to forgive and accept whatever happens as god's will. It's really just almost otherworldly.

PHILLIPS: Allan Chernoff, thank you.

LEMON: And as part of our focus on school safety, we want to hear from you.

PHILLIPS: Do you have concerns about your child's school security? Well, you can e-mail us. The address is cnnnewsroom@cnn.com. We'll read some of your responses throughout the afternoon.

LEMON: And coming up, the desperate search for hope and healthcare in Africa.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This medicine here has to take care of the entire community for the next three months. And this -- look at this rickety wooden bench. This is where they do surgery. Here is where they deliver babies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on a dire health care crisis facing thousands of people.

That story straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

And much more on the new developments in the Foley fallout. In just a few minutes, we're going to talk about his past, the present turmoil on the Hill, and the future of the GOP leadership. That's all straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, public disclosures about personal demons. We're hearing a lot about Mark Foley's past amid the present scandal surrounding the ex-congressman.

Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley busy at work on a documentary.

I thank you for coming to us, Candy. And, of course, when I have you, news always breaks.

I'm just getting this statement via e-mail and I printed it out with regard to Kirk Fordham issuing this statement. This is coming through Thomas Reynolds' office, Candy.

"I resigned today from Congressman Tom Reynolds' office. It is clear the Democrats are intent on making me a political issue in my boss's race, and I will not let them do so."

He went on and he said he wanted to clarify a few things. "When I sought to help Congressman Foley and his family when his shocking secrets were being revealed, I did so as a friend of my former boss, not as Congressman Reynolds' chief of staff."

What do you make of this?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I make of it that Republicans are in deep trouble, and particularly in the leadership, like Reynolds, who was -- who is not only in a tough race himself -- and, by the way, Laura Bush was up there trying to help Reynolds out today -- but clearly Reynolds is one of those in the crosshairs of Democrats. He is heading up and has headed up the campaign committee to try and help other Republicans win.

What happened here is that Fordham is not only -- or was not only chief of staff for Reynolds, he was also the former chief of staff for Foley. So the crosscurrent here was that Fordham, apparently, last week, went to Foley, counseled him on resigning, reached out to Foley's family knowing that this was going to come as a shock. And, of course, what happened was, that up in New York, this became quite a thing because they said, look, he tried to impede the investigation which, as you know, in this statement, Fordham says I did not.

PHILLIPS: All right. And of course we're learning a lot more about Foley. His lawyer dropped a number of bombshells.

Foley was molested by a clergyman. Foley is gay. We already knew that Foley dropped out of the Senate race in 2004 when questions came up about his sexuality. He said that topic was private.

So why come forward now?

CROWLEY: I suspect since it really doesn't help on the political scene and, in fact, hurts Republicans, because it just gave the story more life, I suspect this is a legal thing, that his lawyer would come out -- I mean, perhaps they are looking down the road towards some sort of charges.

I mean, are these mitigating circumstances? I don't know. But it certainly doesn't help politically. It may help in some way to make Foley a more sympathetic character, should he have to face a judge or a jury at some point.

And let me just ask you about the fact that his lawyer came forward and said he was gay. In no way, shape or form -- and we've all been talking about this -- do we ever want to say that just because you're gay, you are a pedophile. Just want to make that perfectly clear. But let's talk about being gay on Capitol Hill. We've heard everything from it's closeted, it's protected, it's ignored, especially if you're a Republican, where you are supposed to pretty much believe -- or be against, rather, gay marriage.

When will politicians ever truly be able to be who they are and not hide?

CROWLEY: When voters and the major forces in the parties accept, if they ever will, a gay lifestyle and they can live openly.

Look, there have been plenty of people on Capitol Hill who have openly lived a gay lifestyle. You're right, it is particularly difficult for Republicans, in that one of the power bases in the Republican Party are conservative Christians, many of whom condemn a gay lifestyle. So that -- that makes it hard, it puts them in a tough position.

But there have been openly gay Republicans. There have been openly gay Democrats. It is just tough as long as society has not come to some sort of consensus about the issue.

PHILLIPS: Well, Dennis Hastert, that's the next thing that we're wondering what the heck is going to happen to him when it comes down to it. Is he the only one that should be held accountable here?

CROWLEY: Oh, I think Republicans have even made it clear that anybody who either, A, tried to cover up, or B, didn't act appropriately in the Foley matter ought to be held accountable. There's certainly more than Hastert that knew about this, although, as you know, some of those Republicans have sort of said, well, you know what? That was Hastert's deal -- I mean, I thought it was taken care of.

So, I mean, look, if they're looking for a head to roll, that's the biggest head that Republicans have on Capitol Hill. But what we're finding over the course of the past couple of days is that Republicans don't have a lot of good choices here.

If Denny Hastert steps down -- and he keeps saying I'm not going to do it -- we are also hearing Dana Bash on Capitol Hill, Andrea Koppel on Capitol Hill, and calls I have made that, you know, Republicans understand if Denny Hastert comes out and says, well, you know, I'm really sorry and I'll step down, that is a whole -- I mean, five weeks before an election, you can see those campaign commercials from the Democrats. You know, they even had to get rid of their leadership they're so bad at leading.

So, you know, I think you'll see more of what you're seeing, which is Republicans saying, well, I really like Denny Hastert and, you know, so I think he should stay, but if anybody has done anything wrong, they ought to go. So, you know, they're playing it across the fence.

PHILLIPS: More yet to come. Candy Crowley, thanks so much.

CROWLEY: Sure.

LEMON: And House Speaker Dennis Hastert is not by -- is by no means the first speaker of the House to be caught up in controversy, but career-endangering scandal is surprisingly a recent tradition.

Here's what we found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): It's the most powerful position in the House of Representatives. Created by the Constitution, the speaker is second in line behind the vice president to succeed the president.

Over its long history, only three speakers have resigned. And only two of those under a cloud of controversy.

One of the giants of the 19th century political arena, Republican Henry Clay of Kentucky was elected speaker twice and resigned twice.

The first speaker forced from office by scandal was democrat James Wright of Texas. Wright stepped down in 1989 over ethics allegations regarding a book deal.

The spearhead of the move against Wright was a young Republican, Newt Gingrich of Georgia. Following the Republicans' historic 52-seat gain of the House in 1994, Gingrich was elected speaker. Ironically, Gingrich became entangled in his own ethics controversy that led to a House reprimand in 1997 and a $300,000 fine. With his popularity plunging in the polls and with Republicans faring poorly in midterm elections, Gingrich abruptly resigned in 1998.

Republicans turned to Bob Livingston to succeed Gingrich. But before he could assume the post, scandal raised its head once again. During a House impeachment debate on President Clinton, Livingston suddenly announced his resignation from the House because of revelations of an extramarital affair.

And who did the Republicans turn to next? Dennis Hastert, who, in June, became the longest-serving Republican speaker in history.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, coming up, the desperate search for hope and healthcare in Africa. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on a dire healthcare crisis facing thousands.

That story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A new forecast out today that's giving some homeowners reason to fret.

PHILLIPS: Susan Lisovicz live at the New York Stock Exchange with all the details.

Susan, how bad is it?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's not that bad I suppose, when you consider what we've seen for the last five years, which was nothing short of a buying binge. But a new study shows the housing cooldown will get worse before it gets better. Moodyseconomy.com predicts that housing prices will fall in 133 of the nation's metropolitan areas.

Overall, the firm forecasts the median sale price for an existing home will fall more than three and a half percent in 2007, and that would be first annual decline -- that is for the whole year -- the Great Depression nearly 80 years ago. But it comes, remember, after five consecutive years of record sales, thanks to those very low mortgage rates. So there had to be some balancing, I suppose, of sorts -- Kyra and Don.

PHILLIPS: All right. How are all the numbers looking meanwhile?

(MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right, Susan. Thanks so much. Let's go straight to Carol Lin now. She's working a developing story for us in the Newsroom --Carol.

LIN: Kyra, Don, this just crossed the Associated Press. The FBI searching two spinach packaging plants for evidence in the nationwide e. coli outbreak. This is in the -- well, it's basically the Green Belt in northern California. This is where much of our vegetables come from.

So this is a fast developing story. And as soon as we get more details, we'll let you know.

PHILLIPS: Sounds good, Carol. Thanks so much.

LEMON: So much more here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Has the Mark Foley scandal brought about another casualty on Capitol Hill? Let's get the latest with Congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel.

Andrea, we just got the press release from Tom R. Reynolds' office. What is going on?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Let me just grab my Blackberry, because this statement was issued by Kirk Fordham, who sent around an e-mail to reporters, basically explaining why he was going to basically resign from his position as the chief of staff to Tom Reynolds, who is not only the New York Republican who is in a very tight race up there in Buffalo, but he is also heading up the campaign for the Republicans to keep control of the House.

This is the first head to roll in this Foley scandal fallout. And what he says in his statement as his reason for resigning is that "it's clear," he says, "that the Democrats are intent on making me a political issue in my boss's race, and I will not let them do so."

He said he wants to clarify a few things. He said he used to be Congressman Foley's chief of staff a number of years back. He said that when he sought to help Congressman Foley, this is in the immediate fallout of this case, he did so as a friend of his former boss, not as Congressman Reynolds' chief of staff. He said that he reached out to Foley's family as any good friend would because "I was worried about their emotional well-being."

Now, the footnote to this, Don, is that "ABC News's" Brian Reynolds, the correspondent who broke this story last week, went on "LARRY KING LIVE" last night and said that it was in fact Kirk Fordham who tried to basically get him not to get him to run with the story last week in exchange for an exclusive on the fact that Foley was going to be resigning.

So there is a back story to this. Obviously, this is a surprise. I spoke to one Republican leadership aide, who said that this wasn't something that they were expecting, and that Reynolds did not ask Fordham to resign, and did not seek him to make this move.

LEMON: Yes, he said he reached out as a friend. And again, as you said, he was worried about his emotional well-being. But he said like so many, he feels betrayed as well, he says, in this message.

KOPPEL: Well, I think that there have been a lot of emotions swirling. Kirk Fordham is himself someone who is out of the closet. He's somebody who has had his name basically brought through the mud as far as he's concerned. And this was beginning to affect Tom Reynolds' campaign.

It's something that is coming up at every campaign event. We know that there have been various -- there have been a lot of angry constituents, not just in Buffalo, but across the country. And so this was something that was playing into and had the potential to impact Congressman Reynolds' re-election campaign as well as campaigns across the country.

And we know that Republicans -- all that Democrats need, rather, is 15 seats to regain control of the House, and we're less than five weeks out from these midterm elections, Don.

LEMON: Andrea, you know we're running out of time. I don't have much time here, they're wrapping me here. But what I want to tell you is you said that he was out of the closet. We talked to Candy Crowley about that just a short time ago. She talked about the challenges of being -- leading a gay lifestyle on Capitol Hill. And there were folks there who are gay and who are out, but it poses a special challenge, especially if you're part of the Republican party.

KOPPEL: Well, I think it's a challenge in many walks of life in the United States. It's just a reality. And I think that certainly there are a constituency of gay Republicans, they're known as the Log Cabin Republicans. And I think that it depends upon your personality as to whether or not it's an issue for you.

I think that, certainly for Congressman Foley, it was an issue because he had been in the closet all these many years and only came out through his attorney yesterday.

LEMON: All right.

Andrea Koppel, thank you very much.

PHILLIPS: Straight to the Newsroom again. Carol Lin working a number of details on a couple of developing stories for us -- Carol.

LIN: Right now we're going to take you to Chalmette, Louisiana, where the couple who owned the infamous nursing room St. Rita's in St. Bernard Parish have pleaded not guilty to 35 counts of negligent homicide. They did this before a grand jury. Sal and Mabel Mangano, who owned the nursing home, have always said that the reason why they chose not to evacuate that facility is because they were worried that the evacuation would simply be too much for their frail and elderly patients. Well, inside that grand jury hearing and witnessing this not guilty plea, just some of the victims' families, Kyra. A woman named Barbara Tarabon (ph) told us she had two relatives inside that nursing home: one who managed to survive because she clung for her life to an air mattress, and another one who drowned inside.

So this hearing -- this case is going to continue in December, but we thought we would bring you, as quickly as we could, the not guilty plea to 35 counts of negligent homicide.

PHILLIPS: Appreciate it, Carol. Thanks.

Well, no one likes to think about attacks on schools, but police have to. Recently, first responders in south Florida tried to simulate what would happen if a gunman got into a Miami high school.

Reporter Sharron Melton of CNN affiliate WSVN was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SHARRON MELTON, WSVN REPORTER (voice-over): Looking at this picture, it appears to be a typical day at Booker T. Washington High School in Miami. But today is anything but.

(SIRENS)

MELTON: The school is being used as a staging area for a very important danger drill.

SHERIFF KEN JENNE, BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA: The simulated event is an active shooter in the school that has been roaming and has placed explosive devices in the school.

MELTON: Thanks to a grant, our emergency response teams are able to hone their skills.

JENNE: What we want to do is make sure this is an exercise, make sure everyone knows their roles and their responsibilities.

MELTON: The drill staged like a Hollywood production, with a SWAT team scrambling and police setting up roadblocks. They even made arrests and tried to calm inconsolable parents fearing the worst.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need my kid!

JENNE: We've been preparing for these incidents, you know, way back, you know, since after the Columbine situation.

MELTON: The purpose, to get everyone, including the people closest to our kids, during such a crisis.

JENNE: Not only the principal, the assistant principal and teachers, all the way down to cafeteria employees. I mean, they know exactly that if there is a code red -- and it could either a threat, you know, inside the school, it could be a threat immediately in front of the school. That's going to call for the school to go on lockdown for safety reasons.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Once again, that was Sharron Melton of our Miami affiliate WSVN.

LEMON: And do you have concerns about your child's school security?

Well, we asked you to e-mail us.

PHILLIPS: Here's what a few of you had to say. Bonnie from Michigan writes that, "What I see at local schools is not right or good. Locally, they are chain-locking the doors. This is turning our schools into fire traps. Remember, they want to keep intruders out, not trap children in. It's more likely that they will have a fire in the building then an intruder."

LEMON: And Maggie from Florida says, "I have very high concerns for my 6-year-old and all students at her school. They have full access to the outer areas of the school, and the general public has full access into school grounds."

PHILLIPS: Misty from Oklahoma: "Our children are overstressed and there's no end to the added pressures that we're putting on them through legislation and policies and other expectations. I believe this is one of the biggest of many causes of the rise of school shootings in our nation, and I see no end in sight."

LEMON: And Linda from Nashville writes, "I am concerned that too much media attention on school violence will increase fear among the general public and provide a platform for more individuals with issues to get attention."

Forced to confront a brutal reality, forced into the spotlight that they actively avoid. Coming up next in the NEWSROOM, how the Amish are coping and the people are determined to help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A battle for survival. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan crossing into Chad. And they aren't the only ones converging on camps there.

CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on a dire situation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nearly a quarter million people have fled Darfur for their lives. Most have ended up here, across the border in eastern Chad. What they probably didn't know was they were seeking refuge in a country with the worst health care system in Africa, probably the world. Ironically, they moved from a horrible situation to a hopeless situation. LAURA PEREZ, UNICEF: The health care system in Chad here, it's very bad. Less than 10 percent of the population in eastern Chad has access to health care. Less than 10 percent. That's hardly anything.

GUPTA: Thirty-one-year-old Muhammed Jarad Ali (ph) is a nurse. There are no doctors in this area.

This medicine here has to take care of the entire community for the next three months. And this. Look at this rickety wooden bench. This is where they do surgery. Here is where they deliver babies. No electricity.

Just this month, they got a solar panel to power a refrigerator for vaccines. Only 1 percent have access to functioning bathrooms. A fifth of all babies never reach five years old. The average eastern Chadian can expect to live to only 44 years.

In fact, I found this stunning. People from Chad are constantly coming to refugee camps, not because they're fleeing brutal attacks, but because they're fleeing brutal lives. They believe life as a refugee would actually be better, and it usually is, at least when it comes to health care.

(on camera): Compare the birthing room to Chad in this room. You can see right away the equipment quality is better. You also have a midwife her. You have a doctor standing by, as well. And you have lots of equipment, important equipment to actually be able to deliver babies. And remember, we're in the middle of a refugee camp.

Then there was that pharmacy at the Chad Hospital. Just a few medications for lots of people for three months. Compare it to here. All sorts of different medications for infections, you have steroids. You have medications to treat diabetes, even Valium. And remember, this is a refugee camp and all of this medication is for free.

PEREZ: In the refugee camps, there are services that are provided, minimum services for health care. So there is a nutritional center, there's a health center, there's a therapeutic feeding center. There are also other minimum services that are provided, such as food and water and sanitation.

GUPTA: Part of the reason the health care situation in Chad is so bad is for a simple reason: lack of water. This is where they tried to dig a well. They struck out. They tried twice more around here, each time no luck. So bad is the situation, they're actually forced to drink that disgusting water from the riverbed.

And this is the water that we're talking about here. Take a look. This is a clear bottle. This is what it looks like. This is what they're forced to drink. And if the riverbed's dry, they actually dig into this and get puddles of water which they drink as well. That is part of the reason that it's so hard to take care of people here in Chad.

(voice-over): The attention of the world is now focused on Darfur. But remember, for much of Chad, this has been a longstanding way of life.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Goz Beida, Chad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And CNN talked with Chad's ambassador to the United Nations. He says his country has taken in more than 250,000 refugees, and its medical and humanitarian resources are spent. He says Chad welcomes the help of international agencies, not only for the refugees, but for its own citizens who are also suffering.

Africa's misery, the world's shame. CNN's Anderson Cooper is reporting live from Africa all week. Tonight he's in the Congo. He'll be joined by Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Africa correspondent Jeff Koinange for special reports. That's all this week at 10:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, entertainment news with A.J. Hammer of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." Hey, A.J.

A.J. HAMMER, CNN HOST: Hey there, Kyra.

Madonna and child? Yes, it could be once again. And shocking, more woes for Paris Hilton. All that and more when CNN NEWSROOM continues.

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LEMON: Straight to the NEWSROOM now and Carol Lin with a developing story for us -- Carol?

LIN: That's right, Don. Just want to follow up on that report that two growers in the Salinas Valley are being investigated -- being searched right now in connection to that e. Coli contamination. CNN has learned that the FBI and the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations, executed two search warrants today on two different growers, Growers Express in Salinas, California, and also Natural Selection Foods in San Juan Batista, California.

Natural Selection also having previously been identified as being tied to this e. Coli outbreak. The quote here from the statement of the U.S. attorney is that we are investigating allegations that certain spinach growers and distributors may not have taken all the necessary or appropriate steps to ensure that their spinach was safe before they placed it into interstate commerce.

So apparently according to the "San Francisco Chronicle's" Web site, employees are being asked to get away from their stations, to stand down while investigators go in to look for some quality assurance documents. That's what's happening right now in Salinas, California, Don.

LEMON: All right, thank you very much, Carol.

PHILLIPS: Madonna in Africa on a mission to help orphans, and teaching by example. That's one of the stories entertainment news today, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" A.J. Hammer joins me from New York with more -- A.J.?

HAMMER: Kyra, it does look like Madonna's taken a page out of the Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt handbook this time around. The pop legend arrived in the tiny country of Malawi today to help fund an orphan center and to adopt an African child.

The "Associated Press" is reporting that Madonna is visiting to help AIDS orphans in impoverished southern African countries. Malawi's secretary to the minister for gender and child welfare says the pop icon is also planning on adopting a child and launching six projects to help underprivileged children during her stay.

Now back in August, Madonna told "Time" magazine that she wanted to raise at least $3 million bucks for programs to support AIDS orphans. CNN contacted Madonna's publicist. The only thing that she would confirm is that Madonna is building an orphanage in Malawi.

And what would our entertainment report be this afternoon without another Paris Hilton story? This one involves what appears to be a shoving match. It happened last night late into the night at a Hollywood hot spot called Hyde. Now according to the police reports that were filed with the Los Angeles Police Department this morning, Paris Hilton and former "Dancing With the Stars" contestant Shanna Moakler got into it in the early morning hours.

Moakler says she was attacked by Hilton's ex-boyfriend Stavros Niarchos. The 31-year-old says that Niarchos bent her wrists, poured a drink on her and then shoved her down some stairs. But Hilton says that she was struck by Moakler shortly after arriving at the nightclub. Hilton's publicist says Moakler walked up to Hilton and used the most vile language and then struck Hilton in the jaw with her fist.

Both filed battery reports. No arrests were made, but the LAPD says it will interview witnesses to see if indeed a crime has occurred. Maybe there's just a crime about talking about it.

There's a lot of buzz about the upcoming film about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. The biopic is simply called "Bobby" and it already boasts an all-star cast. In it, director Emilio Estevez. He's putting it together. Actors Sharon Stone, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Fishburne, Lindsay Lohan and now added to that list, an A-list singer. R&B legend Mary J. Blige is going to sing the title track to the film. Blige's song will be produced by Grammy-winning music producer Brian Michael Cox. The flick's going to focus on the 22 people who were at the Ambassador Hotel the day Kennedy was fatally shot.

Now, coming up tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," to catch a predator. How some of T.V.'s biggest stars and shows are joining in on the fight to stop online sex predators. You'll get the story on T.V.'s most provocative entertainment news show. That's "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." We'll see you at 11:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN "Headline Prime."

PHILLIPS: Thanks, A.J.

LEMON: Good intentions, wrong child. A baby-sitter's worst nightmare, and the parents weren't too happy either. Details ahead in the NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Forced to confront a brutal reality and forced into the spotlight they actively avoid. Coming up in the NEWSROOM, we're going to hear from a member of that community in Lancaster County for the first time right here on CNN.

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