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Cheney Clarifies Torture Comments; Brutal Storm About to Hit Northeast
Aired October 28, 2006 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Did he choose his words wisely? Today, the vice president sets the record straight on his comments regarding the use of torture.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want me to tell you about the first time I did it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: And they want 20 million single women to do it, too.
Plus, no let up in southern California's raging wildfires. A fallen firefighter's mother takes on the suspected arsonist.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I truly believe you didn't think things were going to turn out the way they did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: And a brutal storm makes its way to the northeast. Will you be left in the dark? You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Welcome to the NEWSROOM, your connection to the world, the Web, what's happening right now. I'm Carol Lin. You've been busy today, so let's get you plugged in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNNE CHENEY: On top of that mole hill there, a mighty mountain. This is complete distortion. He didn't say anything of the kind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Color a scolded Lynne Cheney as in Mrs. Vice President Dick Cheney, letting CNN have over questions about what her husband does or doesn't approve of in interrogating prisoners. The full story in about one minute.
And reports of his death greatly exaggerated. That is from Cuban President Fidel Castro on a recorded statement broadcast tonight from Havana. It was Castro's first address to his nation since July, when he underwent intestinal surgery.
A long distance link-up, President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki chatting by video conference today for about an hour. They talked military training, security, reconciliation. Both men's offices described the meeting as very positive.
And concealed bombs, hidden guns. They all got by security screeners last week at one of the busiest airports in the nation. Undercover security agents held 22 security tests at Newark Airport. The screeners failed all but two. This quote from an airport spokesman, "We can do better."
Fall is fire season on the West coast. And this one is deadly. Four firefighters killed, another critically hurt. They were battling this 40,000 acre blaze east of Fresno, California. It's still burning. And relatives of one dead firefighter are remembering their last contact with him.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But I'm very fortunate because the night before this happened, Jason was on the computer. And my daughter said, do you want to say something to him because I don't use the computer. And I said, "Tell him I love him and I miss him so much."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: He is one of the winningest, most colorful, and most revered coaches in NBA history. Boston Celtics legend Red Auerbach died this evening near Washington, D.C. He led the Celtics to nine championships, eight of them in a row. Red Auerbach was 89 years old.
A one-time world heavyweight champion is dead. Trevor Berbick, he fought some of greats, beating Muhammad Ali back in 1981 and losing his belt to a then unknown named Mike Tyson. Berbick was killed in Jamaica. The details are still unclear.
And you can't stop time, but you can, well, spin it back an hour. Fix your clocks tonight before you turn in. It is the end of Daylight Savings Time. And those of you in Eastern Indiana are falling back for the first time ever. Welcome aboard, Hoosiers.
And now it's your turn to be choose the news. Is there a particular story that you want to hear more about? E-mail us your questions at weekends@CNN.com and we're going to get you the answer within the hour.
In the meantime, it was an interview with the radio station in North Dakota, but the comments captured a much wider audience. Vice President Dick Cheney sparked a political storm this week. The issue, the U.S. treatment of terror suspects. Critics say he basically endorsed water boarding, a controversial interrogation technique. It usually involves strapping a person down, and covering the face with a towel or rag, and then pouring water over his face. It gives suspects the sensation they're drowning. Critics, including human rights groups, consider water boarding a form of torture. Well, the Bush administration has long denied it supports the use of water boarding. And Dick Cheney says his comments were distorted.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIN (voice-over): The vice president never actually used the words 'water boarding'.
HOST: Would you agree a dunk in the water is a no-brainer if it can save lives?
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, it's a no-brainer for me, but I -- for a while there, I was criticized as being the vice president for torture. We don't torture.
LIN: The interviewer called it dunking. But critics like Amnesty International claim Cheney's response amounts to an endorsement of torture.
The vice president responded to his critics. "I didn't say anything about water boarding," he said. "Those were all his comments. He didn't even use that phrase."
Cheney often says that the administration should have flexibility when dealing with terror suspects. He also argues that the U.S. should use the most aggressive interrogation methods for the most dangerous prisoners.
"I don't talk about techniques, and I wouldn't," he said. "I have said the interrogation program for a select number of detainees is very important."
Some Republican lawmakers, led by Senator John McCain, are against the use of water boarding. And just last month, Congress passed a law which bans certain interrogation techniques. But the law lets the president decide whether some techniques are legal.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This country doesn't torture. We're not going to torture. We will interrogate people we pick up off of the battlefield to determine whether or not they've got information that would be helpful to protect the country.
LIN: The administration refuses to say which techniques it believes are allowed under the new law. Dick Cheney's wife, Lynne, comes to her husband's defense as well. On "THE SITUATION ROOM WITH WOLF BLITZER", Mrs. Cheney was quick to answer her husband's critics.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNNE CHENEY, DICK CHENEY'S WIFE: That is a mighty house you're building on top of that mole hill there, a mighty mountain. This is a complete distortion. He didn't say anything of the kind.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Because of the dunking of the -- you know, using the water and the dunking. CHENEY: Well, you know, I understand your point. It's kind of the point of a lot of people right now to try to distort the administration's position. And if you really want to talk about that, I watched the program on CNN last night, which I thought it's your 2006 voter program, which I thought was a terrible distortion of both the president and the vice president's position on many issues.
It seemed almost straight out of Democratic talking points, using phrases like 'domestic surveillance', when it is not domestic surveillance that anyone has talked about or ever done. It's surveillance of terrorists. It's people who have al Qaeda connections calling in to the United States. So I think we're in a season of distortion. And this is just one more.
BLITZER: But there have been some cases where innocent people have been picked up, interrogated, held for long periods of time, then simply said never mind, let go. They're let go.
CHENEY: Well, are you sure these people are innocent?
BLITZER: They're walking free right now. Nobody's arrested him.
CHENEY: You made a point last night of a man who had a bookstore in London, where radical Islamists gathered, who was in Afghanistan when the Taliban were there, who went to Pakistan. You know, I think that you might be a little careful before you declare this as a person with clean hands.
BLITZER: You're referring to the CNN "Broken Government" session.
CHENEY: I certainly am.
BLITZER: This is the one that John King reported on last night.
CHENEY: Well, you know, right there, right there, Wolf, "Broken Government." Now what kind of stance is that? Here we are, we're a country where we have been mightily challenged over the past six years. We've been through 9/11. We've been through Katrina. The president and the vice president inherited a recession.
We're a country where the economy's healthy. That's not broken. This government has acted very well. We've had tax cuts that are responsible for our healthy economy.
We're a country that was attacked five years ago. We haven't been attacked since. What this government has done is effective. That's not "Broken Government."
So you know, I shouldn't let media bias surprise me, but I worked at CNN once. I watched your program last night.
BLITZER: You worked with (INAUDIBLE).
CHENEY: And I was -- I was troubled. BLITZER: All right. Well, that was probably the purpose to get people to think, to get people to discuss these issues, because for a lot of conservatives...
CHENEY: Well, all right, all right, Wolf, I'm here to talk about my book, but if you want to talk about distortion.
BLITZER: We'll talk about your book.
CHENEY: Right, but what is CNN doing running terrorist tape of terrorists shooting Americans? I mean, I thought Duncan Hunter asked you a very good question and you didn't answer it. Do you want us to win?
BLITZER: The answer of course is we want the United States to win. We are Americans. There's no doubt about that.
CHENEY: Then why...
BLITZER: Do you think we want terrorists to win? But there's a...
CHENEY: Why are you running terrorist propaganda?
BLITZER: With all due respect, this is not terrorist propaganda.
CHENEY: Oh, that's bull.
BLITZER: This is reporting the news, which is what we do. We're not partisan.
CHENEY: Where did you get the film?
BLITZER: We got the film -- look, this is an issue that has been widely discussed. This is an issue that we reported on extensively. We made no apologies for showing that. That was a carefully considered decision why we did that. And I think -- and I think...
CHENEY: Well, I think it's shocking.
BLITZER: ...if you're a serious journalist, you want to report the news. Sometimes the news is good, sometimes it isn't so good.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Now Lynne Cheney is also an author. This weekend, she denied writing explicit sex scenes in a book back in the '80s. Hear her take at the bottom of the hour.
And now we want to hear from you. Tonight's last call, what do you think of Vice President Dick Cheney's comments on torture? Give us a call at 1-800-807-2620. And we're going to air some of your responses later this hour.
Well, newly poor in New Orleans.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'd like to think that if we do everything right, this won't happen to us. I'm sorry, folks, you're wrong because most of our patients did everything right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Recovery after Hurricane Katrina. Why so many are no better off.
And travel disrupted. Power knocked out. Will high winds and pounding rain let up in the Northeast? Our Jacqui Jeras joins us with the latest.
And the Grand Old Party not looking so grand. How even conservatives say the right went wrong.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Here's what you've been clicking on the most at CNN.com. Our most popular videos. A Georgia man hits the lottery the very day he loses his job at auto plant. OK, it's not millions, but his landing is a bit softer.
How much is that diploma worth? Well, we've got the results of a survey that shows how college and no college affect average salaries.
And make no mistake, this man is out of his mind. CNN tried to have a serious conversation with Borat. Guess what? It didn't go very well. See the whole interview and the rest of today's news as well at CNN.com.
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LIN: Controversy and the Dixie Chicks, nothing new there. But now this -- two networks say they have been sucked into a publicity stunt. It's over an ad promoting a documentary about the Chicks' feud with President Bush. Both networks refused to air the ads. So the band's publicist complained the ads were rejected simply because they were critical of President.
Now you may remember, the Dixie Chicks were severely criticized for speaking out against Bush after 9/11.
But the Dixie Chicks aren't the only ones that are criticizing the president. All he has to do is look inside his own party. It wasn't that long ago that the Republican party seemed unstoppable. So how did the right go so wrong? Here's CNN's Jeff Greenfield.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The bill I signed today authorizes $400 million. This legislation will authorize $200 million per year. There's no doubt we've increased our budgets.
JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The biggest increase in discretionary domestic spending of any administration since LBJ.
BUSH: Our government is finally bringing prescription drug coverage to the seniors of America.
GREENFIELD: The biggest new entitlement, the prescription drug program, since Medicaid.
BUSH: In order to fight and win the war, it requires an expenditure of money.
GREENFIELD: A war in Iraq premised on a foreign policy that aimed to bring democracy to every corner of the globe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's investigation going on by the Justice Department.
GREENFIELD: And embraced by Congressional Republicans of the very behavior.
BUSH: I don't know him.
GREENFIELD: Trading legislative favors for campaign cash and personal enrichment that outraged conservatives when Democrats were in control.
REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: I believe that as a movement, that we have veered off course into the dangerous and unchartered waters of big government Republicanism.
GREENFIELD: Mike Pence is far from alone. In recent months, conservatives have penned a stack of books accusing Bush and Congressional Republicans of abandoning the conservative cause. And a growing number of conservatives have been asking out loud, whatever happened to the core conservative notion proclaimed by Ronald Reagan in his first inaugural.
RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Government not the solution to our problem -- government is the problem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Jeff Greenfield is part of the best political team on television. For more "America Votes 2006," just log on to CNN.com/ticker.
Now fire families and frustration trying to contain the blaze and find the arsonist. We're live in California, next.
Then later, single, sex, and party politics, an eye opening way to core the powerful demographic later this hour.
And don't forget tonight's last call. What do you think of Vice President Dick Cheney's comments on torture? Give us a call now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't let the remorse eat you alive. Come forward. There are people who can help you deal with the grief and remorse that you must be feeling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: A grieving mother appeals to the man believed to have deliberately started the wildfire that killed her son. Jason McKay and three of the fellow firefighters died Thursday in a raging blaze that has already devoured 40,000 acres.
The fire is a killer to be sure. Dozens of homes are gone as well. And two towns near Palm Springs are deserted tonight, evacuated.
Let's head to Beaumont, California and bring in Lisa Siegel from our Los Angeles affiliate KCAL. Lisa, is there any chance that these firefighters are going to get a handle on this thing anytime soon?
LISA SIEGEL, KCAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It's a good question. Right now, the Esperanza fire is 40 percent contained, but it continues to do a lot of damage. Lives lost, property gone.
Right now, we are getting our first look at the charred hillsides. And some people are coming home to find out there's nothing left.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LISA SIEGEL, KCAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A teacup, some broken china. It's all that's left of what used to be Donna and Robert Raymond's home.
DONNA RAYMOND, VICTIM: It's been a lot. My dad helped us build it. And so it has a lot of memories.
SIEGEL: Sixteen years' worth. And the Raymonds are not alone. In the Twin Pines and Poppitt (ph) Flats area, home after home burned to the ground.
ROBERT RAYMOND, HOMEOWNER: It's kind of surreal here. It's kind of like walking on the moon as far as looking around. The -- it's more devastating than I thought it would be. I kind of thought we would have a foundation, but even the foundation's no good.
SIEGEL: The Esperanza fire that has charred thousands of acres has taken the lives of four firefighters. A fifth is still fighting to survive. And even with their loss, the Raymonds are thinking of the firefighters who tried to save their home.
D. RAYMOND: I was so glad that they got out, because there wasn't anything they were going to be able to do.
SIEGEL: So the Raymonds sift through the pieces, one by one, remembering back over the years. And now, even in the rubble, they're looking toward their future.
D. RAYMOND: We'll be able to rebuild and, you know, replace things. That's all -- we have memories. We have really good memories. So you can't take that away.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIEGEL: Walking around the burned out areas, we didn't just see homes destroyed. We also saw animals dead in the street, wildlife that obviously tried to escape the fire, but couldn't. I'm Lisa Siegel live in Riverside County. Now back to you.
LIN: All right, Lisa, we're already seeing the winds behind you even at nighttime still blowing. That's been a big problem out there, hasn't it?
SIEGEL: Absolutely. The winds are still blowing. Firefighters are still on the line. Again, four firefighters lost their lives in this fire. One is still fighting to survive. So there's a lot on the line here. And homeowners are right now just starting to assess the damage.
LIN: All right, Lisa Siegel standing by on the fire lines out there in Beaumont, California.
Now on the other side of the country, a brutal storm. Thousands of people are without power tonight. And air travel has been an absolute mess. And it doesn't look much better for tomorrow either.
CNN's meteorologist Jackie Jeras has been working this story. Jacqui, how bad is it?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Unbelievable wind reports today, Carol. That's been the biggest problem. You've got the rain that goes along with it. And we've had a little bit of flooding, but look at some of these numbers that we have here.
LIN: Wow.
JERAS: Yes, 92 miles-per-hour.
LIN: 92-miles per hour?
JERAS: Can you believe it? That was in Mount Mansfield, Vermont. That's like a Category One hurricane right there. Of course, it's in a gust. So it wasn't a sustained wind. But still, can cause some considerable damage. That's why thousands of people still left without power tonight.
There are about a quarter of a million people in New York City without power at one point this afternoon. Boston area people without power, as well as into the Rhode Island area. And this is going to be ongoing. This is day one of the storm system.
Let's go ahead and show you where that storm system is here for tonight. And we still have some rain coming down. Now one of the big things I want you to take notice here with this system is that the cold air is pulling in on the backside. Up ahead of it, the leading edge, this is where all of the moisture's going to be. And so, this will be our greatest concern for some of that flooding.
As that cold air builds in, we're seeing a little bit of a rain to snow transition. State College still holding with some of that rain. But you can see, we're trying to get some snow going back behind it. Most of it is relatively light right now.
Here's where the heavy rain is, from Bangor up I-95. Mostly in northern Maine, where we could see an additional one to two inches on top of what you already have. And it's really northern parts of New England that will be dealing with the brunt of this storm.
Flash flood watches and warnings remain in effect across much of the northeastern corridor. And we possibly even have a fatality to report now in New Hampshire because of flooding waters. A kayaker went out in that high water. This is stuff you guys want to stay out of, folks. And those rivers are going to continue to rise yet for another day.
Now the wind advisories extend across a lot of real estate. They have been canceled now way out here in the Chicagoland area. But still, into parts of Michigan and to the Cleveland area and Ohio, much of upstate New York and into the northeastern corridor. This includes you in New York City. High wind warnings into Boston.
Winds have calmed down a little bit into the 20s and teens. But look out on the Cape. Still looking at 29 miles per hour. Sustained winds. Winds will stay gusty into the Northeast for tomorrow, but the rain and snow beginning to die down, except for the lake-effect conditions. And the winds in the Southwest, some good news there that they are beginning to lighten. We'll see some onshore flow tomorrow, which means more humidity in the air. So conditions will improve across much of the southwest -- Carol?
LIN: All right, thanks very much, Jacqui. You know, we've been talking a lot about that interview that Wolf Blitzer did with the wife of the vice president, Dick Cheney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
L. CHENEY: Jim Webb is full of baloney. I have never written anything sexually explicit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Yes, Lynne Cheney caught up in a bitter Senate campaign out of Virginia. More of this conversation on the other side of the break.
Plus, bringing in the votes through sex. Do single women and politics mix? Find out later in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: The headlines tonight and tomorrow. Airport security not so secure in New Jersey. Screeners at New Jersey's Newark International Airport missed hidden bombs and guns during a round of security tests. In fact, federal agents say they failed 20 out of 22 tests. And at least one expert believes security screeners at other airports are just as bad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES SLEPIAN, AVIATION SECURITY EXPERT: Nationally, we need to turn on a much greater effort for training the screeners in the airports across the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Fidel Castro makes his first appearance in more than a month. The Cuban leader appeared on Cuban television tonight and says he's on the mend. Castro called reports of his death ridiculous and insulting. The 83-year-old temporarily ceded power to his brother in July after intestinal surgery.
Ten days until the election. And President Bush hits the campaign trail. Today's stop, an Airforce base in Charleston, South Carolina. It was the perfect audience for his toughest subject -- defending the war in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: See, this is a different kind of war. And make no mistake about it. If the United States of America were to leave before the job is done, the enemy will follow us here. And that is why we will support our military. And that is why we'll fight in Iraq. And that is why we will win in Iraq.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: The First Lady is trying to drum up support for the GOP as well. She was back in upstate New York today. It's her second visit in three weeks. She's trying to sway voters in several hotly contested congressional races.
Well, one week after they appeared on "The CNN Newsroom," well, Republican candidate Bob Corker and Democratic incumbent Harold Ford squared off in their final debate. It was expected to be pretty heated, but the moderator kept the candidates on track. The results of the race could determine which party controls the Senate next year. There's been a huge flat this week over a controversial attack ad against Ford.
And in Oklahoma City, a canine police officer faces an unusual situation. An armed robber runs out of a store with a wad of cash. A chase ensues on foot. And the officer and his dog search for the suspect. They are attacked by a pitbull. The officer had, well, frankly little choice. He shot and killed the dog.
All right, it's -- now it's your turn to choose the news. You know, just 30 minutes ago, we asked you to send us your questions regarding stories you haven't seen covered in the media.
Ted writes from the Midwest. He wants an update on the use of voting machines. Well, Ted, there have been problems around the country, most recently in Maryland. State election officials say they weren't even aware that the Diebold Company had replaced components in several thousand Maryland voting machines last year. "The Washington Post" and "The Baltimore Sun" report the screens on the machines were freezing. The votes weren't being lost apparently though, but the machines were confusing voters and election workers.
All right, thanks very much for your e-mail there. Now earlier, we showed you Lynne Cheney's defense of her husband on "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer". And Wolf asked her about a bitter Senate race going on in Virginia. The candidates are now debating the content of novels, including some that were written by Lynne Cheney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: So the Democrats are now complaining bitterly in this Virginia race, George Allen, using novels, novels that Jim Webb, his Democratic challenger, has written in which there are sexual references. And they're making a big deal out of this. I want you to listen to what Jim Webb said today in responding to this very sharp attack from George Allen.
CHENEY: Now do you promise, Wolf, that we're going to talk about my book?
BLITZER: I do promise.
CHENEY: Because this seems to me a mighty...
BLITZER: I want you to respond.
CHENEY: ...around the merry go round.
BLITZER: This is in the news today. And your name has come up. So that's why we're talking about this. But listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES WEBB (D), U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: There's nothing that's been in any of my novels that in my view that hasn't been either illuminating the surroundings or defining a character or moving a plot. I'm a serious writer. I mean, we can go and read Lynne Cheney's lesbian love scenes if you want to, you know, get graphic on stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHENEY: You know, Jim Webb is full of baloney. I have never written anything sexually explicit. His novels are full of sexually explicit references to incest, sexually explicit references well, you know, I just want my grandchildren to turn on the television set. This morning, Imus was reading from the novels. And it's triple X- rated.
BLITZER: Here's what the Democratic party put out today, the Democratic Congressional Senatorial Campaign Committee. "Lynne Cheney's book featured brothels and attempted rape. In 1991, Vice President Dick Cheney's wife, Lynne, wrote a book called "Sisters", which featured a lesbian love affair, brothels, and attempted rapes."
CHENEY: You know...
BLITZER: "In 1988, Lynne Cheney wrote about a Republican vice president who dies of a heart attack while having sex with his mistress. Is that true?
CHENEY: Nothing explicit. And actually, that is full of lies. It's not -- it's just -- it's absolutely not true.
BLITZER: But you did write a book entitled "Sisters."
CHENEY: I did write a book entitled "Sisters."
BLITZER: It did have lesbian characters.
CHENEY: This -- no, not necessarily. This description is a lie. I'll stand on that.
BLITZER: There's nothing in there about rapes or brothels?
CHENEY: Wolf, Wolf, Wolf, could we talk about a children's book for a minute?
BLITZER: We can talk about the children's book.
CHENEY: I think our segment is like 15 minutes long. We're in ten minutes. So...
BLITZER: I just wanted to clarify what's in the news today.
CHENEY: Sex, lies, and distortion, that's what it is.
BLITZER: This is an opportunity for you to explain on these sensitive issues.
CHENEY: Wolf, I have nothing to explain. Jim Webb has a lot to explain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Wow. Now again, that was only a portion of Wolf's interview with Lynne Cheney. To watch the entire conversation, just log on to CNN.com and look under "Sex, Torture, and Children's Books."
All right, they were once solidly middle class, but now newly poor in New Orleans. Katrina survivors struggling to rebuild their lives more than a year after the storm.
CNN's Gulf Coast correspondent Susan Roesgen reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than a year ago, they had houses, jobs, and health insurance. Now they line up by the hundreds to see the doctor and nurse at one of the few outpatient clinics in New Orleans, one of the very few where the health care is free.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's probably a good part of that numbness.
ROESGEN: Nurse Dorothy Davison says most of the patients are people she calls newly made poor -- solidly middle class before Katrina. Now they're like schoolteacher Darlene Hutchison, learning what it's like to have to ask for help.
DARLENE HUTCHISON, OPERATION BLESSING PATIENT: At first, it was a little hard, but I understood I needed to come above, you know, rise above that and understand that what was the primary objective was to get the family taken care of.
ROESGEN: Since Katrina, the state of Louisiana estimates that about 125,000 people in the New Orleans area alone don't have health insurance. Even if they did, in some areas, fewer than a third of the doctors have come back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, we'll keep you here and get your sugar down.
ROESGEN: Dr. Dale Betterton, Dorothy's husband, is the clinic's only full-time doctor, seeing patients who have gone months without medicine.
DALE BETTERTON, CLINIC PHYSICIAN: In the real world, a patient like this would go to the emergency room, be at least observed, probably admitted overnight to a hospital. And that's not feasible and really not possible in New Orleans at this time.
ROESGEN: The clinic is funded by a religious charity called Operation Blessing and the Salvation Army, but it need more doctors and more resources.
DOROTHY DAVISON, CLINIC DIRECTOR: No vaccine. No flu vaccine.
ROESGEN: The state health department said it wouldn't spare the vaccine.
DAVISON: This could happen anywhere in the United States. And I think that's what America's missing is we'd like to think that if we do everything right, this won't happen to us. I'm sorry, folks, you're wrong, because most of our patients did everything right.
ROESGEN: More than a year after Katrina, some are still trying to heal a broken city.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Something else that's struggling -- tourism. New Orleans has been working overtime trying to get tourists back. Well, this weekend, a little black magic seemed in order. The annual Voodoo Musical Festival is in full force this weekend. It was moved to Memphis, Tennessee last year in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are just one of the many groups playing tonight.
A bit of sports when we come back. We'll remember the man who brought the Boston Celtics into the spotlight.
And the Cardinals made World Series history last night. Tomorrow, the team helps its host city make history, too. You're in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Across America, look at all those babies! Five sets of twins, one hospital. They arrived in one 15-hour period. Everyone's healthy. And this nursery is suddenly the busiest place in Greenville, South Carolina.
St. Louis is a party town tonight, one night after their Cardinals took the World Series title before a hometown crowd. Well, here's the hangover. Fans left a mess for Saturday's street cleaners. Tomorrow is parade day for the triumphant Cardinals. The biggest party in St. Louis history winds through the city beginning at 2:00 p.m. Central.
And live pictures of Lady Liberty still looking good after 120 years on Ellis Island. The statue, a gift of from the people of France, was officially dedicated on this date in 1886. The shot, a little shaky because of high winds there in the area.
And don't say we didn't nag you to fall back tonight. It's the end of Daylight's Saving Time. Fix your clocks before 2:00 a.m. or else you're going to be early by one hour for everything tomorrow. That means turn your clocks back one hour before you go to bed. So enjoy the extra sleep.
Girl talk at the ballot box.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want me to tell you about the first time I did it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the best time is in the fall.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like to do it in the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When was it? What year?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's kind of personal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I told everybody. I had such a big mouth about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Move over soccer moms, the "Sex and the City" voters are turning heads this election. The stories straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want me to tell you about the first time I did it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the best time is in the fall.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like to do it in the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When was it? What year?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's kind of personal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I told everybody. I had such a big mouth about it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It made me feel free.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's cool.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pretty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sexy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've made a good choice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of a sudden, I felt liberated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You got all that energy flowing inside. And you go in and commit. It's a beautiful thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: A pretty sexy ad considering it's about politics. Some grassroots groups are pulling out all of the stops to lure women to the voting booths, particularly unmarried women. Why? Well, because 20 million single women didn't vote in the 2004 election. That is the largest group of nonvoters.
What's keeping them away from the polls? Well in a moment, you're going to hear my interview with actress Tyne Daly, who appears in the ads and the head of the group who's producing them.
First, here's Dana Bash. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Maryanne Randazzo is 27-years old. She has never voted before and won't this year either.
MARYANNE RANDAZZO, WAITRESS: I don't feel like it's going to change my life.
BASH: She's just too busy working at her father's pizza parlor in suburban Philadelphia.
RANDAZZO: Just because I'm stuck in this place. I work six days a week, 60 hours plus. So I just -- because I really don't have time.
BASH: And politics turns her off, especially the negative campaign ads.
RANDAZZO: Yes, it bores me. I flip the channels to be honest with you.
BASH: Marianne is one of the jaw-dropping 20 million unmarried women who did not vote in 2004. Now a nonpartisan group is hoping these ads will get their attention.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want me to tell you about the first time I did it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the best time is in the fall.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like to do it in the morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's cool. Pretty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sexy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a beautiful thing.
PAGE GARDNER, WOMEN'S VOICES, WOMEN VOTE: Even though 20 million did not vote, 27 million did. So they are a potent political force. And they are the fastest growing demographic we have in this country.
BASH: In 2004, they were dubbed "Sex and the City" voters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So which district do you vote in?
CARRIE: Whichever one is near Barney's.
BASH: But most single women are nothing like Carrie Bradshaw.
GARDNER: Half of them make $30,000 or less. 36 percent move every two years. So it's -- they have very difficult lives.
BASH: Nonpartisan, grassroots groups are working to get out the single female vote, going door to door with information.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So November 2nd... UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, November 7th.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm probably not a good candidate for this...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're the perfect candidate.
BASH: Phone banking, targeting unmarried women.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're just calling the women to make sure they do go out and vote.
BASH: The biggest beneficiaries would likely be Democrats if more single females did vote.
ANNA GREENBERG, POLLSTER: Most likely to say the country is country is going in the wrong direction. They hate the war in Iraq. They feel like the economy has not helped them over the last five or six years. So I think you could expect unmarried women, if they vote, to vote pretty Democratic.
BASH: Back at the pizza parlor, Maryanne says she would vote Democrat because of the war and...
RANDAZZO: Health insurance -- I know I have -- I'm on my own. Health insurance is so expensive for just a single female.
BASH: But she's not even registered to vote. And the deadline has passed. Maybe next time.
Dana Bash, CNN, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Tyne Daly is one of the actresses who appears in a longer version of the get out the vote for women.
TYNE DALY: The first man I had a crush on, it wasn't my dad. It was John F. Kennedy. And I really wanted to do it for him.
LIN: Well, earlier, I spoke with Tyne from New York. And you know her, of course, from "Cagney & Lacy" and her latest role in "Judging Amy." I also spoke with the founder of the group which produced the ads, Womens' Voices, Page Gardner.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Part of the appeal for me is that there's a little bit of a mystery. You don't quite know what these famous women are talking about. And then bam, sex appeal. The ad has that sex appeal, but Rush Limbaugh, the famous talk show host, attacked these ads.
And I'm going read you a quote as to what he had to say. He said, "So this is how these liberals think that they're going to get single women to vote -- sex. Now I want to ask you, is this clever or is this demeaning? It may work, who knows. It tells me they're not interested in women voting issues."
Page, what's your reaction to that?
GARDNER: These ads are very motivational. They tell you that voting is important. They tell you that you have an enormous impact. You will have an enormous impact on the agenda of this country. And they make voting seem like something that's not an eat your peas, you know, task, but something that makes you feel good about yourself.
LIN: Yes. Well, what do women care about? What's going to get them, these single women voters to the polls? What are the issues?
GARDNER: The issues are really having wages that they can earn, that they can support their families. Minimum wage is a very important issue to them. Health care is very important to them. Making it accessible and affordable. And finally, education is also important.
But the number one issue probably for these women right now is the war.
DALY: I think that women, as a group, still don't realize their full citizenship in this country on a number of issues. And I'm still oh, idealistic enough to think that the vote makes a difference.
LIN: And...
DALY: One's own vote makes a difference.
LIN: You shared that with your granddaughter, didn't you?
DALY: I did. I took my granddaughter, as I took all three of with my daughters from time to time, to the voting place with me, even when they couldn't vote, just to see what the process is like, to see the volunteers, to see that it's local, to see that you have privacy in a booth and can make any decision you want to once you're in there. All of that is part of the privilege of being a citizen in a free country.
LIN: You know what? That's better than an ad, the role model that they have. Tyne Daly, a pleasure to have you. Page, a pleasure.
DALY: Thank you.
LIN: Page Gardner, Womens Voices, Womens Vote.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: We're going to look back at an NBA legend when the NEWSROOM returns in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: The Boston Celtics and Red Auerbach, two names that will forever be linked. The man responsible for a legendary eight-year championship streak died today. He was 89. You know, it's hard to encapsulate such a full and celebrated career in a short report. But CNN's Larry Smith gives it a try.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Imagining the Boston Celtics without Red Auerbach is like trying to picture Mount Rushmore without George Washington. For nearly half a century, Auerbach's fiery temper, shrewd basketball sense, and ever presence cigar smoke wove their way through Boston, creating the most storied franchise in basketball history.
Arnold Red Auerbach became Boston's head coach in 1950 and ruled the Celtics with an iron fist. Said Bill Russell, "Auerbach cannot stand the thought of losing. If you don't play to win, Auerbach has no place for you."
That passion for winning got results. When Auerbach left the Boston's bench in 1966, he was the NBA's all-time winningest coach.
But Auerbach was more than just a master strategist and motivator. He was the architect of the Celtics' dynasty. In 1956, he treated established stars Ed McCallley and Cliff Hagen to St. Louis. For a first round draft pick, he used to select Bill Russell. With Russell at center, Boston won 11 titles over the next 13 seasons.
After a down period in the early 1970s, then general manager Auerbach restructured the team, and two more titles followed in 1974 and in 1976.
In the '80s, Boston would win three more championships after Auerbach assembled one of the greatest front courts of all time in Larry Byrd, Kevin McHail, and Robert Parrish.
Auerbach was also instrumental in breaking the color barrier in the NBA. On his watch, the Celtics became the first NBA team with a black player when they signed Chuck Cooper in 1950. Boston was also the first team to start five black players. And the first with a black head coach when Auerbach named Russell to take his place in 1966.
But Auerbach's enduring legacy may be summed up in two words, Celtic pride. He established a commitment to winning and a tradition of excellence that permeate the franchise to this day and continue to be the standard other sports teams strive to achieve.
Red Auerbach, he was the Boston Celtics.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Once again, Larry Smith reporting.
Well, and earlier in the newscast, we asked you and you answered. Choose the news. E.P.B. wants an update on the unrest at Gallaudet University. OK, here is what we know right now. These pictures were taken yesterday when Gallaudet students again marched on and off campus. They're trying to force the resignation of incoming school president Jane Fernandes. The entire Gallaudet student body is deaf or hearing impaired. And they say Fernandes is not the woman to represent them.
Since early October, students have marched to the U.S. Capitol. And many have been arrested. Some are hunger striking. And today, day 16 of the dispute, students formed a human wall and marched across the Gallaudet campus. It's a stalemate with no end in sight. Thanks for writing in.
Now before we leave you tonight, a reminder to adjust your clocks. Daylight's Saving Time begins in three hours in the Eastern U.S. That means turn your clock back one hour before you go to sleep.
And now, your responses to our last call question. What do you think of Vice President Dick Cheney's comments on torture? Here's what you had to say.
CALLER: I think Vice President Cheney is exactly right. And I admire him and the Bush government for standing against terrorists. And he's a very intelligent man. And I wish half the world would just listen.
CALLER: I think no matter how much Mrs. Cheney tries to put a spin on what her husband said, he is her husband. This stand by your man thing doesn't help Americans when they're faced with these problems.
CALLER: I think that the vice president wants us to be able to torture and not call it torture. It's as simple as that. And it's not the American way.
CALLER: I thought that he didn't really answer the question. And that he's in favor of water boarding when you get right down to it.
CALLER: Cheney's comments on torture is exactly right. We should defend our country in every way we can. I don't agree with hurting people or destroying people, but interrogation is one thing. If you create a crime or do a crime, you have to pay for it.
CALLER: I think that this administration, including Cheney and Bush, have been involved in more than just torture. This is the worst administration in the history of America.
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