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Reading Between the Lines on Iraq; Afghan War; New Jersey's Highest Court Set to Rule on Same-Sex Marriage; Chavez Pushing for Venezuela to Join Security Council

Aired October 25, 2006 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Reading between the lines on Iraq. What Bush administration officials say, what they don't say, and what it all means.
CNN's Brian Todd has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What's the political dirty word on Iraq these days? Apparently not "timetable".

ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMB. TO IRAQ: Success in Iraq is possible and can be achieved on a realistic timetable.

TODD: he ambassador's boss hasn't been an admirer of the word, at least as it applied to U.S. troop withdrawals.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The debate in Washington is to whether or not we set an artificial timetable for withdrawal. That's what it's about in Washington, D.C., and the answer is absolutely not.

TODD: That was three months ago. Since then, hundreds of Iraqi civilian deaths, the fifth highest monthly death toll among U.S. servicemen, and plummeting poll numbers on Iraq have moved the president more drastically away from another phrase. Over the summer it was...

BUSH: We will stay the course. We will win in Iraq so long as we stay the course.

TODD: But just two weeks ago it began to shift.

BUSH: The characterization of you know let's stay the course is about a quarter right.

TODD: This week the president's press secretary nudges it even further away.

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: And what you have is not stay the course, but in fact, a study in constant motion by the administration and by the Iraqi government.

TODD: Analysts say this is classic political tactic when a leader is aiming for a dramatic shift in policy and needs to test it with the public.

JOHN SIDES, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: What would they like to avoid is the president making a direct statement that appears to be the exact opposite of something he said a month ago. And so one way to avoid that is to have the president say subtler things and then to let statements that are a little bit more direct come from people like Khalilzad and Tony Snow, who are surrogates of the president.

TODD: But even that's politically treacherous analysts say after calls from prominent Democrats for phased withdrawals from Iraq were consistently met with this.

BUSH: They say date certain is when to get out before the job's done. That's cut and run.

Their policy is pretty clear to me. It's cut and run.

TODD (on camera): Analysts say we could see this delicate balancing act all the way up to the midterm election and beyond, but they say this shift in language may not be enough to shift large numbers of voters away from their positions on the biggest issue on this election by far.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Like Iraq, the war in Afghanistan is far from over. Taliban attacks are on the rise and more American troops are being killed by weapons that are the hallmark of the Iraq war: roadside bombs and suicide attacks.

CNN's Jennifer Eccleston is with U.S. troops in eastern Afghanistan. She joins us now by phone -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Kyra. We're in southeastern Afghanistan, Paktia Province, with straddles the Pakistani border. And to underscore the point that you were making, the Taliban is still alive and well in this area and also in southern parts of Afghanistan, in Helmand and Kandahar province.

Our base that we are stationed at just came under fire, and they returned fire. Troops were roused and going out and seeing exactly what the menace was. And it really underscores the point that they've been making here, that the war on terror continues, and that despite the fact that operations are shifting from one province to another, they're still traying to rout the Taliban who have reemerged in some areas, trying to get them out of the cities.

And the team that we're with specifically here in Paktia Province are the provincial reconstruction team. And while they're not out actively engaging Taliban every day, they do come under sporadic fire.

And these guys are here to actually improve the infrastructure in this -- this incredibly impoverished region, to make life a little better so the people who are here won't actually find any reason to welcome the Taliban in these areas. But as you can see from -- as we can see from some of the -- the incident that happened a short while ago, they are still around -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And Jennifer, what's your sense on how the Taliban continues to get its support? There's been talk that it's the opium trade, that that hasn't gotten any better, the war on drugs. Do you think that's the main source of income?

ECCLESTON: It's definitely been bandied about here. U.S. officials, coalition officials and most definitely Afghan officials -- I mean, you know that opium production was up 49 percent this year alone. They do believe that some of the revenues from that has been funneled into the Taliban.

They also believe there is quite a bit of outside -- outside funding for a reconstituted Taliban. One of -- the provincial governor of the Paktia Province today in a very heated exchange told me in no uncertain terms that he knows that the Taliban is being aided and abetted across the border in Pakistan, that they are being rearmed, and they're also getting money from that area. And that there's very little control on this vast border with the provinces, the tribal areas in Pakistan that are unruly and basically outside the jurisdiction of the government in Islamabad.

So it is -- it is definitely poppy production, what they're saying, but also outside -- outside funding as well -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jennifer Eccleston embedded with troops in Afghanistan.

Thanks.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: One is a big-name talk show host, the other is a famous actor admired for his courage in fighting Parkinson's Disease. Michael J. Fox entered the political debate this week by taping a campaign ad from Missouri -- a Missouri Senate candidate, and that appearance sparked a backlash from radio host Rush Limbaugh. In the ad, Fox endorses Democrat Claire McCaskill, and he highlights her support for stem cell research, which he says will help people like him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR: They say all politics is local, but that's not always the case. What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans. Americans like me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Limbaugh takes issue with Fox and what he says in the ad. Limbaugh says some of Fox's claims about McCaskill's opponent, Jim Talent, are false. He also accused Fox of exploiting his illness for political purposes.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: This is really shameless, folks. This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox. Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting -- one of the two.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Limbaugh later said he was apologizing "... if I am wrong in characterizing his behavior on this commercial as an act."

Ethics and the elections. Just two weeks before Election Day, House Speaker Dennis Hastert testified before the House Ethics Committee. The focus, of course, the Mark Foley investigation.

Some lawmakers and aides say Hastert was told about Foley's contact with House pages earlier than he's letting on. Hastert talked with reporters after his testimony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DENNIS HASTERT (R-IL), HOUSE SPEAKER: I thank the committee for prompt action, for moving forward on this committee, on this inquiry. They did so.

I answered all the questions they asked to the best of my ability. I also said that they needed to move quickly to get to the bottom of this issue, including who knew about the sexually explicit messages and when they knew about it. So they needed to make sure that they asked all the questions of everybody.

Thank you very much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Mark Foley, who resigned last month, has claimed he was molested by a priest years ago. Just this morning, another former altar boy alleged abuse by the same priest, Father Anthony Mercieca.

Highly anticipated, certainly emotional. New Jersey's highest court gets set to rule on same-sex marriages.

CNN's Carol Costello is joining us from New York.

Carol, this case could be a stepping stone for whichever side wins.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN COLLINS: Oh, you're right about that. Why is this case being so closely watched? Because it's more likely to pass in New Jersey. And that has everything to do with the way that the state constitution is written.

Many, of course, disagree with that. In any case, the showdown will end at 3:00.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO (voice over): Episcopal pastors Mark Harris and Denis Winslow have performed so many weddings between them, they've lost count. But the one wedding they dream of attending is their own.

DENIS WINSLOW, PLAINTIFF: We see it as a civil right that we're denied even though we pay first-class taxes. We're treated like second-class citizens.

COSTELLO: A lawsuit filed in New Jersey bears Harris' last name, along with six other gay and lesbian couples, all seeking the right to marry. Their attorneys say New Jersey's constitution guarantees liberty and equality and should grant them the right to marry, even though two lower courts have said that's a decision for the New Jersey legislature.

DAVID BUCKEL, ATTORNEY: Marriage, as everyone knows, is this vast network of both responsibilities and rights which bring more shelter to a family.

COSTELLO: The issue of whether gays can marry has roiled American politics for more than a decade. Voters in eight states will decide November 7th whether to amend their state constitutions to ban gays from marrying. Four challenges in four states seek the right to marry.

The issue became all the more heated when Massachusetts became the first and only state to grant marriage rights to gays and lesbians. Six other states followed by granting them most marriage rights but calling them civil unions or domestic partnerships. But the political tide has mostly run in the other direction. Forty-five states and the federal government have adopted laws banning gays from marrying.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Now, keep in mind the Supreme Court in New Jersey could rule one of three ways. It could say yes to gay marriage, and it could say no to gay marriage, or it could grant all of the rights of a married couple to gay couples and not issue them a marriage license, which, of course, in essence is a civil union.

We will see what happens at 3:00 p.m. Eastern today.

LEMON: We certainly will. It seems like we've gone through this a number of times, so we'll see.

Thank you very much.

Carol Costello.

PHILLIPS: The Federal Reserve has been leaving interest rates alone. The feds meetings today. Will it give borrowers a break? We're going to find out on the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: OK. We're being told minutes, possibly seconds away.

What's up with interest rates? If you're carrying some debt -- and who isn't -- you're probably crossing your fingers that the Federal Reserve doesn't rate interest rates today.

So, what are the odds? For that, we bring in Ali Velshi and Susan Lisovicz, both in New York.

Susan, let's start with you. You were saying, hey, if the Fed pauses on interest rates, well, does it necessarily mean everything's OK with the economy or not?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Fed, by pausing, is indicating that basically -- and we just got the -- we just got the decision right now, Kyra, so I'm just going to jump-start it...

PHILLIPS: Go for it.

LISOVICZ: ... and give it. The Federal Reserve, as expected, has left its key interest rate unchanged at 5.25 percent, the third straight time the Fed has held rates steady following a more than two- year campaign of 17 straight quarter-point rate increases. And perhaps the biggest piece of news here is that in its accompanying statement, the Fed has said that inflation pressures are likely to lessen.

So, basically what the Fed is saying there, it's getting to this neutral -- very desired neutral rate, not only by interest rates alone -- it's neither stepping on the gas to stimulate the economy by lowering interest rates, or stepping on the brakes by -- by raising interest rates to slow down the economy. It's getting to the -- to the point where the -- the risks between inflation and slowdown, economic slowdown, are evenly matched. And that's basically not too hot, not too cold, just right, as Goldilocks might say.

PHILLIPS: And Ali, you've been talking a lot about home prices, how that all plays into this.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is the -- we just found out that for the first time in 11 years, a home will be worth less this year than it was last year. Now, that's a major change, because until now, even though some areas have seen house prices decline, there's been a general feeling that across the country, on a national average, home prices will still be stable, maybe even worth a little bit more.

At the beginning of the year we thought 6 or 7 percent more. We are now seeing home prices that will actually be less at the end of the year than before. That is major, because that is the area where most Americans have found their wealth. It's the thing that's made most Americans feel wealthy.

That means the economy is slowing down, that -- that housing market is slowing down. The Fed can't now be in the business of raising interest rates.

In fact, as Susan alluded to, we're now -- the market is now looking toward the Fed decreasing interest rates. And if you look at how the market has performed just on this news, it's gone up a few points. It was down about 30 points before the announcement. Now it's saying, all right, you know what? The Fed seems to get that with oil prices a little higher, above 60 bucks a barrel now, with home prices starting to slow down, we can't start -- we can't start crushing this economy. We can't start slowing it down too much.

LISOVICZ: And, you know, let me jump in there. I mean, it's kind of ironic, though, isn't it, Ali? Because the housing market was really the one factor of the economy that really kept us going in the dark days after 9/11, when...

VELSHI: That's right.

LISOVICZ: ... when the overall economy really did start to speed up. The Fed raised rates for two years, and now, you know, economists are talking about possibly a rate cut next year to help out the housing market, because it's slowing down so dramatically.

The most recent evidence of that we got today with the sales of pre-owned homes, which is by far the biggest part of the housing market, fell for the sixth straight month. And you talked about housing prices falling so dramatically. So, it comes full circle.

VELSHI: You know what the danger is -- the danger of this thing, Susan and Kyra, is that the Fed has two jobs. One is it has to maintain growth in the economy so that, you know, there are jobs and people make more money every year. And it has to control inflation.

Well, now you've got -- the Fed is saying very clearly in its statement that there are signs of inflation, and we know that oil price is going up or high oil prices at $60, it's still considered high. That feeds its way into things.

So we're paying more for things, there is inflation. But we see that some things are starting to slow down.

So this is that balancing act that's very hard for the Fed to figure out how to manage this. At the stock market you can see folks like it when the Fed doesn't increase interest rates. It means it's easier to borrow, it's easier to expand your business and to grow.

Individuals like it because it's easier to get loans and they're cheaper. And, you know, people are saying, it's cheap to take the money. Take it and spend it, and that's what Americans do.

Right now we're in that middle ground. So it remains to be seen. Things are pretty good, but those home prices, that's the thing that's made us feel rich for years. That's starting to go away.

PHILLIPS: All right. The Fed leaves interest rates unchanged. Bottom line for right now.

Ali Velshi, Susan Lisovicz, thanks, guys. We'll talk again in a little bit. LEMON: One candidate calls herself "Grandma," another calls himself "Kinky". We're not in Kansas anymore. We'll be talking about Texas next in the NEWSROOM.

And doing her part. The more popular Bush tries to drum up support for Republican candidates. The first lady on the campaign trail.

That's ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to the newsroom. Fredricka Whitfield working details on a developing story out Arizona.

Fred, what do you have?

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Out of Phoenix, particularly. This is pretty alarming.

Taking place at V.A. medical center there in downtown Phoenix, where apparently a suspicious device has been found. And it has now led to the evacuation of about 300 people at that medical center.

You're looking at aerial pictures that have been supplied by KPHO, our affiliate there.

A bomb robot has been sent in to assess this device which was found in a life-support unit. It's unclear exactly what this device is, but it's suspicious enough for bomb squad officials -- and you see one emergency official there outside the hospital -- to respond seriously, with 300 people evacuated, and an additional 60 patients that were near that life-support unit have been taken to another wing of this V.A. medical center which is at 7th Street and Indian School Road in downtown Phoenix.

When we get any more information on this, Kyra, we'll be able to bring that to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Fred. We're keeping our eyes on it. Thanks.

LEMON: Let's talk politics now, and the first lady. The first lady is first in popularity among top Bush administration figures. So it's no surprise she's hitting the campaign trail, hoping her good ratings translate into votes for Republicans. Laura Bush is stumping for candidates in Minnesota and Indiana today.

So, how popular is Mrs. Bush? In a CNN poll last month, 68 percent of those surveyed thought of her favorably. By contrast, fewer than half gave the president a favorable rating, though he's still doing better than Vice President Cheney.

Texas has a reputation for colorful politics and politicians. This year is no exception. CNN National Correspondent Bob Franken is deep in the heart of Texas in San Antonio, and he joins us now live. Hey there, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Don.

Along with the CNN Election Express, we are keeping our eyes on a campaign, the governor's race, which has got lots and lots of personality.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN (voice-over): Musician, satirical writer, comedian Kinky Friedman has gotten a huge amount of attention with what he calls his "why the hell not" campaign. But he's under 10 percent in most polls, fourth, way behind the leader.

KINKY FRIEDMAN (I), TEXAS GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: You know I've always had a good opinion of Rick Perry and I think he's always had a bad opinion of me, and perhaps we've both been mistaken.

FRANKEN: That would be Governor Rick Perry who is about as opposite a personality from Friedman as you might find.

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: And Texans understand that anger is not an agenda for the future.

FRANKEN: Why would he be angry, he's leading, but with under 40 percent of these polls, and that's because this is one crowded race.

At 20 percent, Democrat Chris Bell, the former congressman who filed the first ethics complaint against Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay, now former Congressman DeLay. In the only debate of this campaign, he made sure that Democrats did not forget.

CHRIS BELL (D), TEXAS GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: When I was a member of the United States Congress, I stood up to Tom DeLay because it was the right thing to do and because it was important for our future.

FRANKEN: And then there's grandma in third place.

CAROL KEETON STRAYHORN (I), TEXAS GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

FRANKEN: Carol Keeton Strayhorn is the state controller. She's running as one-tough grandma and as a Republican turned Independent.

STRAYHORN: We've got to set aside partisan politics, listen to the people and do what's right.

FRANKEN: President Bush is expected to appear at a rally for Governor Perry, even though some worry that Perry's biggest threat is dissatisfaction with Republicans. There's also talk of former President Clinton coming to Texas for the Democrat Bell.

As for Kinky Friedman, Jesse Ventura is a big supporter, the professional wrestler who became one-term Minnesota governor, with every indication that Kinky will remain a no-term governor.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: So, here you have a race unlike most of them, where character is a big issue. In this one, the big issue is the cast of characters -- Don.

LEMON: Yes, and how do you vote against a grandmother? Come on. You don't want to do that.

You know what I want to know? You said the polls indicated that incumbent Governor Perry does not have a clear majority. Does not have a clear majority. How difficult has it been for him to lead with those numbers?

FRANKEN: Well, this is not the first time in Texas that they've had this. By the way, just to clear up anybody who might be wondering, no, there is not a runoff here. This has happened before. The last time it happened, Governor Ann Richards won with less than a full majority.

LEMON: All right. Bob Franken reporting for us.

Thank you very much.

And, of course, Bob Franken, in San Antonio, part of the best political team on television. Stay with CNN for complete coverage of the November 7th elections just 13 days from today.

And tonight at 7:00 Eastern, Lou Dobbs hosts a town hall from San Antonio, Texas, dealing with illegal immigration. "Broken Borders" is something you'll only see right here on CNN.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, President Bush, well, he faced reporters once again. And once again, the number one topic was the war in Iraq.

What the president said about who's winning and what the U.S. must do to achieve victory, straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The war in Iraq once again the main topic of a presidential news conference, but the one today comes at a crucial time, just 13 days before the midterm elections. Mr. Bush spoke strongly about winning the war, but acknowledged that many Americans are not satisfied with the way the war is going.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I know many Americans are not satisfied with the situation in Iraq. I'm not satisfied either. And that is why we're taking new steps to help secure Baghdad and constantly adjusting our tactics across the country to meet the changing threat.

We're pressing Iraq's leaders to take bold measures to save their country. We're making it clear that America's patience is not unlimited. Yet we also understand the difficult challenges Iraq's leaders face. And we will not put more pressure on the Iraqi government than it can bear.

I will send more troops to Iraq if General Casey says I need more troops in Iraq to achieve victory. And that's the way I've been running this war. I have great faith in General Casey. I have great faith in Ambassador Khalilzad. I trust our commanders on the ground to give the best advice about how to achieve victory.

I want to remind you, victory is a government that can sustain itself -- a country that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself and serves as an ally in the war on terror.

You know, we've got people dancing in the end zone here in Washington, D.C. They've got them measuring their drapes, going over to the Capitol and saying, my new office looks beautiful. I think I'm going to have this size drape there, this color. But the American people are going to decide, and they're going to decide this race based upon who best to protect the American people and who best to keep the taxes low.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And in a departure from the routine, Mr. Bush spoke directly about U.S. casualties in Iraq, noting that 93 American troops have died there this month, the highest number since October of last year.

PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to the newsroom once again, Fredricka Whitfield working details on another developing story -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Well, this will get your heart going. It's frightening enough to be in a hospital, then to find out when you're at the V.A. Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, that somehow a suspicious device has been located in the life-support unit, so much so that they evacuate 300 people in addition to moving about 60 patients to another wing.

Emergency response crews come in, a robot that detects bombs moves in. They detonate this suspicious device. We still don't know if it was, indeed, a dangerous device that was located there in the life-support unit. We do know that the detonation was successful. No reports of any injuries. But a whole lot of folks who were, at least for a moment, pretty frightened, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Fred, thanks.

LEMON: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez caused a sensation with his fiery speech last month to the United Nations. And even after his exit from the stage, he's still making his presence felt at the U.N. He wants Venezuela to join the 15-member Security Council, but he's having trouble rounding up votes.

Let's join our senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth -- Richard. RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, Venezuela may not gets its way and get that seat it wants so desperately on the prestigious U.N. Security Council, but it also looks like it will be able to block the U.S. from getting its candidate, Guatemala, to be elected to that seat that's in question.

We've had three days of voting over a week and a half, 35 rounds inside the General Assembly. They're going to resume voting shortly, but there's been a deadlock. They can't be separated. Guatemala's had about 25 or 30 more votes than Venezuela, but neither country has been able to win the required two-thirds level of the country's presence inside the General Assembly.

The Latin American/Caribbean group met a short time ago. It's still a process going on. No candidate, no compromise third country, has been agreed to yet. The foreign ministers of Venezuela and Guatemala meet tomorrow.

Of course, Venezuelan leader Chavez spoke inside the General Assembly chamber in September, calling President Bush the devil, "the smell of sulfur in the room." It probably had some impact. It hasn't given Venezuela the Security Council seat. But still, there's a hard- core group of 70 countries that is not willing to budge and compromise inside with Guatemala to elect that country, which is smaller than Venezuela, less oil rich and has never even sat on the Security Council.

So we're still in this process. It's wild and wacky here. A lot of people are frustrated that it's been allowed to tie up the General Assembly and others still think that it should go forward until a winner is decided. But we expect some type of development or compromise, I think, in a matter of days -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Richard Roth from the U.N. Thank you very much, sir.

PHILLIPS: Well, kidnapped then set free. Palestinian gunmen have released an Associated Press photographer more than 12 hours after they abducted him. Four gunmen snatched Emilio Morenatti, who is from Spain, as he left his apartment Tuesday morning. Nobody claimed responsibility for the abduction. The kidnapping was denounced by top Palestinian officials, as well as the Spanish government, as a matter of fact. But Morenatti was released unharmed.

Now it's been a year this week since riots tore across France. Anger among ethnic minorities over unemployment and poverty triggered the unrest. And a report from the French government agency says it's still better to be named Elaine than Mohammed when looking for work. Jobless rates in minority communities are often twice the nationwide level. The French prime minister says that jobs are a top priority, but the "Le Gario" (ph) newspaper quotes an intelligence report as saying that the conditions that led to last year's riots have not changed.

LEMON: In our CNN "Security Watch," a shocking discovery in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Police searching the home of a suspected drug dealer apparently found classified information from the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The Associated Press reports that the documents have been traced to a contract employee at that lab. Now, the lab's director confirms that officials are looking into the possible security breach. The Los Alamos lab has a history of high-profile security problems.

PHILLIPS: Well, message from a killer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If only I could bend back the hands on that ageless clock and change the past, but alas, I am not the keeper of time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's trying to make a name for himself. He wants to be a poet or something, or a philosopher. He's just an idiot, that's all.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A mother seeks closure today. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: At 6:00 tonight, an execution in Florida. Twelve years after pleading guilty, Danny Rolling is scheduled to be put to death. Now, his three-day crime spree near the University of Florida sent the campus into a panic. That was back in 1990. Five young people were stabbed to death, three of them sexually assaulted. One was decapitated. All the victims inexplicably posed by the killer in their apartment.

For one victim's family, the tragedy was compounded by yet another murder and what might be a second trip to Florida's death chamber.

CNN's national correspondent Susan Candiotti reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Why does it help you to put together these scrapbooks?

ADA LARSON, MOTHER OF VICTIM: It seems like I always have to have a project that involves Sonya.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Ada Larson takes comfort in remembering a daughter frozen in time.

A. LARSON: I have her picture at 18, and she'll be forever 18 for me.

CANDIOTTI: Had she lived, Sonya Larson would be 34 today. Her mother still wears her daughter's high school ring. A. LARSON: It just warms my heart. It's just a little symbol of Sonya.

CANDIOTTI: The University of Florida freshman was the first of drifter Danny Rolling's five victims. Ada Larson will watch Dan Rolling's execution by lethal injection.

A. LARSON: It will be very humanely done, in contrast to the way he killed our loved ones.

CANDIOTTI: Larson was in court the day Rolling pleaded guilty.

(on camera): I've often wondered what you thought when he said, quote, "There's much I'd like to say, your honor...

DANNY ROLLING, CONVICTED MURDER, ON DEATH ROW: ...if only I could bend back the hands on that ageless clock and change the past, but alas, I am not the keeper of time.

A. LARSON: He was trying to make a name for himself. He wants to be a poet or something or philosopher. He's just an idiot, that's all.

CANDIOTTI: Can you ever forgive him?

LARSON: What I think about that is the people that need to forgive him are unavailable. They are dead.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Ada Larson's heartache goes well beyond her daughter's murder. Since then, her husband died of cancer and her son Jim lost his wife Karla, murdered in a carjacking. Her killer also sits on Florida's death row. Jim Larson is now raising their daughter Jessica alone. He'll be with his mother to see his sister's killer put to death.

(on camera): And then will you say, we have one more to go?

JIM LARSON, BROTHER OF VICTIM: Yeah, well, that's the shame of that. We still have something else to do. But, you know, we'll take care of that in time.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): But first comes Rolling. Ada Larson knows what she'll say to her daughter when the execution is over.

A. LARSON: I'll talk to her and say it's done, honey. He got what he deserved, and I'll see you soon.

CANDIOTTI: Susan Candiotti, CNN, Orlando.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: An Ohio college tests its elevators after a freshman is crushed by one, and several failed safety tests. Andy Polakowski was killed after trying to squeeze into a crowded dormitory elevator last Friday at Ohio State. He couldn't get all the way in or out before the elevator started to move. The school has tested 29 elevators since then, and shut down six after they failed standard brake tests. OSU plans to test all high-rise elevators on campus by this Friday and all others by next week.

PHILLIPS: All right, let's take a look at some live pictures out of Ft. Carson, Colorado. Army troops returning home -- actually, this is taped turnaround, I apologize, from KKTV out of Ft. Carson, Colorado. These are members of the 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and members of the 947th Engineer Battalion. Soldiers worked with Iraqi security forces, providing training and support. They also helped the rebuilding efforts there in Iraq. Home, happy, glad to be there in Colorado Springs.

LEMON: Families are very happy, and they are, too. Some nice pictures there.

Straight ahead, entertainment news with A.J. Hammer of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." A.J., what's up?

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Well, listen to this, Don. Madonna is blaming the media over her adoption controversy. And a woman caught in the middle of a messy celebrity divorce speaks out to us. That's coming up next here in the NEWSROOM.

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LEMON: And, of course, that music means it's entertainment news time. Madonna gets an audience with the queen of all media to tell her side of the African adoption mess, proving again that if you got a story to tell, you know who. There's only one person you go to, and you want her listening, and that is Oprah.

"SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" A.J. Hammer joins us from New York with all the details. Hey, A.J.

HAMMER: Hey there, Don. Yes, I took a look at that Oprah show, which is going to be broadcast across the country a bit later today, and I can't show you any clips from it right now, but I got to tell you, it was a pretty interesting half hour of television that Madonna appeared on the "Oprah Winfrey Show."

Oprah spent the first half hour of her show basically letting Madonna describe the process of the adoption to, as Madonna put it, set the record straight. And in her record, the adoption is completely legit. She's actually shocked to learn that there has been any controversy over it. She says she rescued this particular child after seeing his brief appearance in a documentary, and that his father understood exactly what was happening.

She dismissed the idea that she circumvented the adoption laws and actually took a child from a man who didn't know exactly what he was agreeing to. That idea, she says, is just a media creation. And as far as using her celebrity to speed things up, something a lot of people have accused her of, well, she said it actually would have been nice because of how slow the process is over there. But it didn't happen. No use of celebrity in this case.

She blames the worldwide media for terrorizing the boy's father and, in essence, creating this scandal by getting him to make contradictory statements. Madonna, she also said that the media is doing a great disservice to orphans, because it discourages others from adopting, a point that I can certainly agree with Madonna on.

LEMON: Yes, that's right. We got to take a look at it here in Chicago, where she's originally -- her show originally comes from. It airs at 9:00 in the morning. So you get to see it there. What I noticed is Madonna's eyelashes look like butterflies.

HAMMER: Yes, they do.

LEMON: Did you see that? It's like, what is that? All right, so listen, I want to ask you about, is it tonight or last night you had an interesting guest on, talking about the newest celebrity divorce?

HAMMER: Yes, this took place last night on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." This whole shocking case of the Sara Evans divorce. And last night the person I was speaking was Alison Clinton. That's the woman who was publicly accused of being a homewrecker by country star Sara Evans, who's had to bail out of "Dancing with the Stars," one of the most popular shows in America.

Evans right now, as you may have heard, is in the midst of a nasty public divorce. And she's claimed that her husband had an affair with Clinton, who was their former nanny. Now, Clinton said that she and Evans were best friends and denied the affair. I gave Evans -- I gave Clinton the chance to speak directly with Evans last night on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALISON CLINTON, EVANS' FORMER NANNY: Sara, if you are watching, I do want you to know that, through all of this, I still love you and I still love Craig, and I definitely love those children. And I want you all to know that I'm praying for you, and I'm pulling for you. And I just -- I have come out and put my name out so I can clear myself, and I want you to come out and retract my name and make a public apology.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Alison went on to tell me that this whole experience with someone who was her best friend, I mean, Sara Evans was her matron of honor in her wedding. Before this whole story blew up, they were as close as could be. And the whole thing's been quite surreal for her, the nanny.

Well, coming up tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT", we're going to be talking about the battle between Madonna and the media, and asking the question, who's really at fault here? We've got the heated debate tonight on T.V.'s most provocative entertainment news show, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT", which is on at 11:00 p.m. Eastern on "CNN HEADLINE PRIME".

And you know, Madonna has mentioned before that she doesn't read newspapers and she doesn't watch television. So she had no idea that this whole controversy was going on until she returned home to London.

LEMON: Well, then how can she blame it on the media?

HAMMER: Well, she's saying that the media was at fault in the way they were reporting the story, particularly the uproar they created over what her motivation was.

LEMON: OK. All right. A.J., thank you very much. We'll see you later on tonight.

Well, sure, it's not the first celebrity divorce to hit the headlines, it's just the juiciest in recent memory. But Heather Mills is fed up with the rumor mills. The soon to be Mrs. -- ex-Mrs. McCartney says she'll sue the British tabloids over statements she claims or calls, quote, "false, damaging and immensely upsetting". The lawyer says that Mills has been vilified in the media and stalked by photographers. A quick online check of today's London tabs, well, it doesn't seem to indicate they are slacking off the story, not much at all.

PHILLIPS: Well, straight ahead, will New Jersey join Massachusetts in letting gays take a trip down the aisle? Supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage anxiously await a state court ruling with national implications. We'll which examine the case here in the NEWSROOM.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And CNN.com is your source for breast cancer information. Well, there are many risk factors for breast cancer that we can't control, such as age, genes and environment. Did you know there are things you can do now to reduce your risks?

According to the Mayo Clinic, eating healthy foods and exercising regularly are the easiest ways to decrease your risk. The clinic also says you should avoid pesticide exposure and unnecessary antibiotics.

Also check out the gallery of the faces of breast cancer. It includes stories from high-profile women, such as Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, actress Suzanne Somers and singer Sheryl Crow on how they fought the cancer battle. And you can send us your own stories about breast cancer and how you are fighting the battle on "CNN Exchange".

For more information, including breast cancer warning signs and treatments, check out CNN.com/breast cancer.

For the .Com Desk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

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PHILLIPS: Holy cow. Make that holy sea cow.

Yes, this hunk of hunk of floating mammal apparently got it in his or her head it must see Graceland. Why else would a manatee leave the Gulf of Mexico and swim an estimated 750 miles up the mighty Mississippi all the way to Memphis? It could be the barbecue. Federal wildlife officials say that they hope to return the little critter to Florida as soon as possible.

LEMON: And Alfred Hitchcock's birds have nothing on this sucker.

PHILLIPS: Check it out.

LEMON: They call it the terror bird. Terror bird. Researchers have found a new fossil of the extinct giant, the largest known bird skull ever. Its public debut comes in the journal "Nature". Scientists say -- check this out -- it tells them a lot more about the evolution of terror birds. Their skulls were about the size of a horse's. For comparison, here's one right next to that of a condor.

The flightless birds were big enough to pick up dog-size animals in their beaks. And at ten feet tall, the biggest would have loomed maniacally over humans. That is one big bird. Holy schmolly.

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