Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Muslims Greet Pope in Turkey; No Sign of Downed Pilot in Iraq; U.S. Military Says No Civil War in Iraq; Bush Attends NATO Summit

Aired November 28, 2006 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CO-HOST: And I'm Don Lemon.

When faiths collide. The pope's controversial visit to Turkey. Can he help bridge the divide between Islam and Christianity?

PHILLIPS: Did police get it wrong? An 88-year-old woman shot and killed in her home. Cops say it was a drug harbor, but an informant has a different story.

LEMON: Oh, there you go. The movie is hot. Some say that Bond is hotter. CNN's Jeanne Moos and the Daniel Craig naysayers eat their words on this one.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, he has crossed hundreds of miles, but can he cross a religious divide? In Turkey, under heavy guard, Pope Benedict XVI on his first trip to a Muslim nation, just two months after a speech that outraged Muslims around the world.

The pope is finding protest in Turkey even as he looks for reconciliation. Here's what he said after meeting with Turkey's top Islamic cleric.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE BENEDICT XVI, LEADER OF CATHOLIC CHURCH: I pray that it may be a sign of our joint commission between Christians and Muslims and an encouragement to persevere along this path in respect and friendship. May we come to know one another better, strengthening the bonds of affection between us and our common wish to live together in harmony, peace and mutual trust.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: CNN's bringing you all day coverage of the pope's trip, capped off by a special "ANDERSON COOPER 360", "When Faiths Collide". It's live from Turkey at 10 p.m. Eastern.

And right now, Anderson's talking with people on the streets, and they certainly have a lot to say. He joins us now live via broadband from Istanbul.

Hi, Anderson.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Don.

The pope is working hard to try to bridge the gap that obviously exists between Christians and Muslims and working hard to overcome some of the resentment that he has faced since making those -- those very controversial remarks some two months ago in relation to Islam and violence.

He struck a conciliatory tone upon his arrival in Ankara today, talking about the need for brotherhood and the need for dialogue. Let's listen to some of what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE BENEDICT XVI: We are called to work together so as to help society to open itself to the transcendent, giving almighty God his rightful place. The best way for this is by an authentic dialogue between Christians and Muslims, based on truths and truth and inspired by a sincere wish to know one another better, respecting differences and recognizing what we have in common.

This will lead to our respect for the responsible choices that each person makes, especially those pertaining to fundamental values and to personal religious convictions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COOPER: And Don, he was greeted upon arrival in Ankara, Turkey, by the prime minister. That was a change in the prime minister's schedule. They talked about 20 minutes.

And we're learning that the Vatican has indicated a change -- what seems to be a change in position. When Pope Benedict was Cardinal Ratzinger, he had spoken out against the admission of Turkey into the European Union. It would be the first Muslim nation to a part of the E.U.

The Vatican now seems to be indicating they would look favorably upon Turkey's efforts to enter the E.U. That is something that's going to play very well here in Turkey. It is a major issue here at this point. Talks are sort of stalled on that. A lot of Turks were wondering what the pope would say about it. It's something of a surprise for a lot of people here on the streets.

We're also going to be hearing a lot from the pope in the coming days about religious freedom, it's anticipated. The idea of reciprocity. And the pope's going to be meeting in the coming days with orthodox Christian leaders, and that's the real purpose of his visit here, Don.

LEMON: Hey, Anderson, talk to us real quick. You've been pictures and reading a lot about the protests that have been happening there since the pope's arrival.

COOPER: Yes, you know, pretty small, actually. I mean, the biggest protest was on Sunday. It was run by an Islamist party here in Turkey, in Istanbul, a local party. They'd been talking about having hundreds of thousands -- hundreds of thousands of people on the streets. I noticed there were probably about 20,000 or so, a much smaller turnout.

The pictures may look impressive. They were sort of highly orchestrated. But the actual numbers were much smaller than certainly the Islamist party had been talking about.

A lot of Turks, you know, they pride themselves on hospitality. This is a secular government, a separation between religion and Islam here. Even though it's 99 percent Muslim, it is a moderate form of Islam. And they're really trying to welcome the pope as much as possible and put forward this notion of tolerance. And that's what we're seeing. Some small demonstrations here and there, but overall, a pretty quiet reception for this pontiff.

LEMON: All right, Anderson Cooper live via broadband, thank you so much for your reports. We look forward to them later on tonight.

It's called "When Faiths Collide", a special edition of "A.C. 360". Anderson Cooper is live in Turkey with the full report on the first day of Pope Benedict's visit to -- and Muslim reaction. That's at 10 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

PHILLIPS: Still no sign of a U.S. pilot whose jet crashed yesterday in Iraq. Troops who converged on that site found insurgents had beat them to it.

CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon with more -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the U.S. military's opened an investigation about what caused that F-16CJ to crash yesterday about 1:30 in the afternoon while conducting a close air support mission about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad.

The F-16 was flying a low-level strafing mission in support of U.S. troops on the ground, who were locked in a fierce battle with insurgents in this part of the Al Anbar province when the jet crashed.

The U.S. military does not believe at this point that the jet was shot down, and it believes that the pilot most likely crashed and perished with the plane. But it doesn't know that for sure, because by the time it was able to get to the crash site several hours later, the pilot's body was missing.

The U.S. military in Baghdad today did say that the scene was observed overhead by a number of other aircraft.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. STEPHEN HOOG, U.S. MILITARY: Immediately after the crash, we had both additional fighters overhead, as well as intelligence and surveillance assets. Those assets did observe insurgents in the vicinity of the crash site. And that's one of the reasons that they conducted ongoing operations, to make the crash site safe for ongoing investigations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Again, General William Caldwell, the chief spokesman in Baghdad, telling CNN that it took several hours for the U.S. military to get to the crash site.

Pictures of the crash site broadcast by the Al Jazeera television network that appeared to show what might have been the pilot's body in a parachute. And the U.S. military says it has no sign that the parachute deployed, no signal from the emergency beacon that would have gone off. That's what leads them to believe that the pilot may have died.

But, again, until they're able to confirm that and figure out what happened to him, they're going to list him officially as duty status whereabouts unknown or missing. And they are conducting an extensive search of the area, try to put a -- bring some resolution to what happened with this pilot -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jamie, just for a moment, maybe you can explain to our viewers, in a cast (ph) mission, why these pilots are asked to take on a strafing mission, and that when they fly low, they can suffer from target -- target fixation. And sometimes it's just too late to pull up and get out. I think a lot of people don't understand the technicalities behind strafing.

MCINTYRE: Well, you know, a lot of times these F-16s have been used for, you know, bombing missions from high altitude where they're dropping a satellite-guided bomb from 30,000 feet. That's relatively risk free.

But what we're seeing here is these pilots were engaged, you know, in a down and dirty mission, where they are very close to the ground. A lot of things can happen. The so-called golden BB. A single bullet from a gun, if it hits a single-engine plane in the right spot, can cause the engine to malfunction. If you have some sort of a malfunction at that altitude, very little time to recover.

And, as you said, you can sometimes become disoriented, if you're flying that close to the ground, or performing an evasive maneuver, and simply fly into the ground.

One Iraqi witness said that they thought the plane was flying erratically before it sort of nose-dived into the ground. But we really won't know what happened in this crash until the investigation is able to sort of piece all the parts together.

PHILLIPS: Jamie McIntyre, live from the Pentagon, thanks, Jamie.

LEMON: Still no civil war, just unacceptable levels of violence that will probably get even worse. The U.S. military's view in the wake of a horrifying series of attacks and counterattacks in Baghdad. Nonetheless, a spokesman cites gains against al Qaeda in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN: We have now killed or captured over 7,000 al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists. More than 30 senior level al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists have been captured or killed since July alone.

Among these terrorists are many who are closely connected to the senior leadership of al Qaeda in Iraq. Through their debriefings, these terrorists have provided us some unique insights into al Qaeda's agenda of death and division.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Joining us now from Baghdad, CNN's Michael Ware.

Why is the Army hesitant to call the situation in Iraq a civil war, Michael?

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, because that's a clear admission of strategic failure on the part of not only the administration but the U.S. military.

To countenance the thought that the American invasion and subsequent occupation, rather than having rose petal laid democracy rise up from the ashes of Saddam's tyranny, instead to actually unleash a civil war and a sectarian divide of the like unknown before the American presence in this country, is a clear statement they're not willing to make.

As we saw today, in the press briefing by the U.S. military here in Baghdad, General Caldwell dodged around even defining, in general terms, what the military here would consider civil war, not regarding Iraq. He wouldn't even give the definition of civil war. And one suspects that perhaps it's within his briefing that he's not even meant to use the term -- Don.

LEMON: All right, CNN's Michael Ware, live for us in Baghdad. Thank you so much for that.

PHILLIPS: Well, setting the stage for a high-stakes meeting on Iraq, President Bush is in Europe for a NATO summit focusing mostly on Afghanistan, but he's also looking forward to his next stop and a sit- down with Iraqi's prime minister.

CNN's Robin Oakley joins us now from Riga, Latvia, where Mr. Bush gave a pep talk today on freedom.

Hey, Robin.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he did, indeed, Kyra. And as you say, this is a very important NATO summit that he's here for. It's a transformation summit. It's supposed to define the role of the 26-nation alliance for the next 10 to 15 years.

But everywhere that Mr. Bush goes, the subject of Iraq comes clanking along behind him like a bunch of tin cans tied to the back of Air Force One. And he cannot get away from that subject, wherever he goes.

Today, a lot of people are watching as much the talks he's going to have later this week with Nuri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, in Jordan. And Mr. Bush, in the course of his pep talk, did give us a clear idea of what his priorities will be in those talks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tomorrow, I'm going to travel to Jordan, where I will meet with the prime minister of Iraq. We will discuss the situation on the ground in his country; our ongoing efforts to transfer more responsibility to the Iraqi security forces; and the responsibility of other nations in the region to support the security and stability of Iraq.

We'll continue to be flexible. And we'll make the changes necessary to succeed. But there's one thing I'm not going to do. I'm not going to pull our troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OAKLEY: We got one other clue as to the content of those talks, in Estonia earlier today, when Mr. Bush said that he would be asking Mr. Maliki what were his ideas for ending the wave of sectarian violence, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, a lot of significance about having this summit in this region.

OAKLEY: Indeed, yes, because Latvia, here on the Russian doorstep, highly significant. The Baltic nations, fairly new members of NATO, very much reassured by their NATO membership.

Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the president of Latvia, here today, recalling in the last few days, the days when Soviet tanks rolled into Riga and, really, emblazoning the cause of freedom here.

It is an area of some sensitivity with Russia, although Russia now has dealings with NATO and joint exercises. And it's going to get even more sensitive, because Russia doesn't like NATO encouraging Georgia and Ukraine, as it's continuing to do here in Riga, to become members of NATO in future. Russia sees them as very much in her sphere of influence, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Robin Oakley, live from Riga, Latvia.

LEMON: Here's a question facing Atlanta police. Was it the right house or not? Police defend a drug bust that left an elderly woman dead. But now an informant narcs on them. We are on the case.

PHILLIPS: Was it tough love that got too tough? Eight employees at a Florida boot camp now face manslaughter charges in the death of a 14-year-old boy. A live report from the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: When faiths collide. We've been talking about it all throughout the day. Of course, the pope in Turkey.

And joining me now, a leading voice in the Catholic Church in America, Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, former president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, joining me here today on set about the pope's trip.

Good to see you again.

ARCHBISHOP WILTON GREGORY, FORMER PRESIDENT, U.S. CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Always nice to have you.

GREGORY: Good to be with you again.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about how the pope has approached Muslim extremism. How do you think -- what do you think of how he's handled it thus far?

GREGORY: Obviously, it's an extraordinarily sensitive issue but one of equal importance. And he's determined. He's determined to advance the conversation, because it's necessary for the promotion of peace in our society and in our world. He's -- he's resolute. And I don't expect that he will shy from the task, because he sees it as critically important.

PHILLIPS: Why is he doing this? Why is he stepping out, reaching out? This is a bold move.

GREGORY: Yes. Well, the trip to Turkey was really organized over a year ago. And it was at the invitation of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. Obviously, events in the past year have shifted focus and highlighted certain dimensions the trip that may not have been primary when it was first established. But it's certainly of incredible importance.

PHILLIPS: When someone within the church comes to you -- well, maybe I should ask you this. Have you had a lot of people come to you and want to talk to you about the Muslim religion, about Muslim extremism? Have they been asking questions? Have they been inquiring about this? And even what the pope has done and said? And how do you counsel?

GREGORY: Well, certainly, there is much interest in the conversation with Islam. Simply because we, in the United States, are living with many more Muslim sisters and brothers in almost every large area, heavily populated area in our country. So it's an important conversation that we need to take as Americans.

But on an international level, we need to pursue it, because the peaceful coexistence and the collaboration between nations involves the world of Islam.

And I've had the opportunity to speak with people, in our own archdiocese, about the significance of our coming to know more about Islam and hopefully the Islamic world coming to know more about us as Catholics, as Christians. The promotion of this dialogue is not something that we can avoid.

PHILLIPS: The pope meeting with a number of religious leaders. Let's take a listen to what he had to say today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE BENEDICT XVI: Pope Gregory in 1076 spoke of the particular charities that Christians and Muslims owe to another because, he said, because we believe in one God, albeit in a different manner, and because we praise him and worship him every day as the creator and ruler of the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Interesting. He says it's the same God, one God, but we all worship that God in a different manner. Do you believe that Muslims and Christians have the same God?

GREGORY: I believe that there is one God, and that Islam Christianity and Judaism are all expressions of the great Abrahamic religions of the world, the monotheistic religions of the world.

So I believe that there is much that we can pursue together, respecting the diversity of our religious traditions, heritages and customs.

PHILLIPS: We were thinking about this yesterday, actually talking about this yesterday and talking about it today. The fact that when Pope John Paul almost lost his life, almost assassinated by a Turkish man.

Isn't it interesting, all these years later, after the comments that this pope made about the Muslim religion, he's in Turkey. Is there fear for his life? Are people thinking about history and what happened with that assassination attempt on Pope John Paul?

GREGORY: Well, certainly, there's heightened precautions because we live in a violent world. I mean, and high-profile individuals are often seen as potential targets.

I don't believe that the Holy See has linked this trip to the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II. That was the work of an individual. And the work of interreligious dialogue has to be the work of people like Pope Benedict XVI, as it was for John Paul II, simply because they are the bridge builders. It falls to them.

That's what pontiff means. It means "someone who builds bridges." And, as John Paul II before him, Benedict, now, takes that as a very serious responsibility.

PHILLIPS: Another serious subject -- I'm just going to step away for a moment. I've been wanting to ask you about this, because we've been reporting on this story. And that is the Catholic Church and condoms.

This Friday is World AIDS Day. And I want to get the description right so I explain this right.

GREGORY: Right.

PHILLIPS: That the Holy Father now in his hands has this 200- page report from his counselor of pastoral health, which I find very interesting. We didn't realize the pope actually has a health minister. Is that the way...

GREGORY: Yes, yes.

PHILLIPS: OK, I want to ask you about that in a second. And they're talking about dealing with contraception, specifically condom use in the age of AIDS. And there's a decision now about allowing condom use in certain situations, in order to prevent the spread of the disease. This is pretty progressive, just talking about the use of condoms.

GREGORY: It certainly is. And it's a conversation that has to take place in light of the fact that we are dealing with a pandemic.

It is contextualized, however, to look at the issue of those married couples where one of the partners is HIV positive, while the other is not. How can they engage in conjugal affection without risking the infection of the other partner? That -- that really is the context in which this study is being pursued.

So it is -- it is an attempt to address the needs of married couples who must live with the infection of one of the partners and yet enjoy the marital affection that belonged to married couples.

PHILLIPS: So in no way could this ever lead to a discussion about birth control or the acceptance of some types of birth control?

GREGORY: you know, I think it's a very focused and contextualized conversation.

PHILLIPS: OK.

GREGORY: And no doubt, there will be people who will say, well, this is the beginning of a larger conversation.

PHILLIPS: Right. The talk is already starting.

GREGORY: But certainly the report that the Holy Father has, and the ongoing conversation at the Holy See, is very focused, very narrow.

PHILLIPS: Archbishop Wilton Gregory, always great to have you here. Thank you.

GREGORY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, "When Faiths Collide," a special edition of "A.C. 360". Anderson Cooper is live in Turkey with a full report on the first day of Pope Benedict's visit and Muslim reaction. That's at 10 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

LEMON: Their son is dead, killed by police on his wedding day. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg meets with the grieving parents. What they said coming up next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, Microsoft's answer to the iPod made its debut two weeks ago. Remember, we were talking about that? And now the holiday shopping season is in full swing.

Let's go to Susan Lisovicz to find out how it's selling.

What was it called, a Woo? I forget the name of it already.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's the Wii, the Nintendo Wii. Maybe that's why you're thinking of it.

LEMON: Yes.

LISOVICZ: It's the Zune.

LEMON: The Zune.

LISOVICZ: Yes, that's the gaming consoles. But this one is the mp3 player, the Zune.

Welcome back, Don.

Critics say the Zune is a boondoggle. It cracked Amazon's top 10 electronics list for several days, right after its release on November 14. But then it dropped off. At that hour, the Zune is all the way down to number 91, behind such items as a digital indoor antenna, and two-year service plan for personal electronics. Ouch!

Various versions and colors of the iPod, meanwhile, take seven of the top 10 spots, Don.

LEMON: 91?

LISOVICZ: 91, yeah. There's 100 spots. Yeah.

LEMON: That's not good. You think of it, how many iPods are sold.

LISOVICZ: I didn't count them. There are dozens of iPods that are before 91, let me put it that way.

LEMON: Absolutely. Apple has had five years in its lead among mp3 players so what can Microsoft reasonably expect from all this?

LISOVICZ: Five years is an eternity in this industry. Microsoft has acknowledged it would take enormous effort to overcome Apple's iPod. But some analysts say the Zune won't even come close.

"The Wall Street Journal" says Microsoft is more likely to take market share from other digital media players. Microsoft, itself, says it doesn't expect to profit from the Zune, right away. Fortunately, Microsoft has very deep pockets and can afford to take a loss for the time being. That's why it also got in the video game business. It's taking -- it's not making any profits there either.

The Zune is not compatible with Apple's iTune store. That is not good. It has a shorter battery life, to an equivalent iPod. Also not good. But it does have the ability to share music with other users for three-plays, and that's something the iPod doesn't have. That's a sale -- certainly something it can market.

Apple shares are surging right now, 1.5 percent, after an upgrade from UBS today because of solid sales for new iPod Shuffles and certain Nanos.

The overall picture, not good. Stocks have been easing in and out of positive territory. Right now, they're on the down side. This, of course, coming after the worst one-day sell-off in four months. We have lots of economic reports today, as well as comments from the Fed chief Ben Bernanke. It seems the central bank may not be quite ready to cut interest rates in the near term.

Ben Bernanke, this afternoon, warning core inflation rates remains, in his words, "uncomfortably high", but with energy prices now stabilizing, he says overall inflation pressures should be easing. Still that will depend on several factors, including labor costs. He also sees more moderate growth ahead, even though, in the short term, a bit of a slowdown is likely.

Taking a quick look at what's going on. The Dow, down 19 points. The Nasdaq is down 0.25 percent. That's latest from Wall Street. In the next hour, YouTube goes mobile. I'll have details. Don and Kyra, back to you.

LEMON: Thanks, Susan.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Well, neither safe nor sound. Police in Missouri say the deadly fire at a group home is grounds for an criminal investigation. Disturbing questions, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It was supposed to be a haven for the elderly and mentally ill. But investigators are now treating the ruins of a southwest Missouri group home as a crime scene. A fire broke out at the Anderson Guest House early yesterday killing 10 people and injuring two dozen. The home had fire alarms, but no sprinklers. Investigators aren't ruling out an accidental cause, but they also want to know whether the fire was linked to a smaller blaze at the same place two days earlier.

LEMON: The death shook and eventually ended Florida's military style boot camps; 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson died in January, one day after he collapsed during an exercise drill. Now, eight people are charged with manslaughter. CNN's National Correspondent Susan Candiotti is on the story. She joins us now from Broward County, via broadband -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT, CNN NEWSROOM: Hi, Don.

Yes, today, denying that he bowed to any outside pressure, a special prosecutor today filed aggravated manslaughter charges in the first degree against seven guards and one female nurse. All who worked at that boot camp. And all, he said, are involved in the death of Martin Anderson.

We all, by now have seen that video time and again, what happened on January the 5th, as cameras rolled. As Martin Anderson collapsed that first day at his camp during an exercise drill. After that, investigators say, these guards and -- as the nurse watched -- use various means of force to try to get Anderson to get up again. They poked him. They prodded him. They hit him. They kneed him. And used pressure points for more than 20 minutes. Finally, they forced smelling salts up his nose.

And the second autopsy revealed that he died of, quote, "suffocation due to the actions of the guards", end quote. A first autopsy had ruled that the boy had died of natural causes and complications of sickle cell trait.

Florida's governor, following a public outcry from the family and from various lawmakers, appointed a special prosecutor. Today, Florida's governor, Jeb Bush, weighed in on these charges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JEB BUSH, FLORIDA: It appears that seven guards and one nurse will be arrested for aggravated manslaughter on a child, which is a first degree felony. If there's convictions, and the sentence can be up to 30 years.

We'll obviously follow the developments of this case closely and hope, at the end of the day, that justice will be served. We also hope that when the process is completed, that the Martin Lee Anderson's family will have the answers to the questions that they legitimately have, and my thoughts and prayers continue to be with them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: CNN also spoke with one of the defense attorneys for one of the guards, Guard Lieutenant Charles Helms. The lawyer had this to say, quote, "I am not surprised at all. It's pretty clear that the outside prosecutors succumbed to the pressure from the governor. No doubt. It was clear from the beginning what the governor wanted, aggravated manslaughter," he added, "requires them to prove gross and flagrant negligence. It's a heavy burden for them to prove."

Now, Don, no trial date has yet been set in this case. And the parents of Martin Lee Anderson are expected to talk to the news media this afternoon, at a news conference from Tallahassee, Florida -- Don. LEMON: Susan, you kind of answered my next question. But is there anything beyond this that we can expect from this case to come out?

CANDIOTTI: Well, certainly, today, the defendants in this case, now, will be allowed to turn themselves in. That is what is happening now. And when this eventually does go to trial, I think it's fair to say that in the end this will wind up being a battle of the coroners, one expert against another. And who will the jury believe? We will see.

LEMON: Susan Candiotti, thank you so much.

PHILLIPS: A new twist in a drug raid that left a grandmother dead here in Atlanta. A man says that he's a police informant and he tells reporters that police told him to lie about the Johnston case. Eighty-eight-year-old Kathryn Johnston (ph) wounded three police officers, who burst into her home last week. They had a no-knock warrant, based on a tip that a drug -- or that drugs were being purchased at that address. The FBI's investigating. Police have put the eight-member narcotics team involved in the case on paid leave. Here's what the purported tipster told CNN affiliate WAGA.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Had you ever, in your years an as an informant for Atlanta police department, had you ever made a buy at 933 Neil Street?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Had you ever as your years as an informant for APD ever even been to 933 Neil Street?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. I'm telling ya'll this story. I never went to that house. I'm telling them, I never went to the house. The police can't say I went to the house.

CHIEF RICHARD PENNINGTON, ATLANTA POLICE: According to the informant, after we brought that informant in and interviewed that informant, he told us he had no knowledge of going into that house and purchasing drugs. That's what he told us. I don't know if he went in or not. We don't know if he's telling the truth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A civil rights division of the U.S. Justice Department is also reviewing the case now.

LEMON: Now to New York, where the New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg met today with the family of the man shot dead by police on his wedding day. The hour-long meeting took place in the family's church in Queens.

Bloomberg spoke with the fiancee and father of Sean Bell, on whom police opened fire early Saturday, as he and two friends left his bachelor party. It's the second straight day Bloomberg has reached out to an angry community.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK: In this morning's dialogue, I think, it was open and honest and blunt, just the way it should be. Commissioner Kelly and I want to be sure that the community has all the information that we have.

The people have an opportunity to express their concerns, and that they know that we are fully committed to a thorough and fair investigation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And the five officers involved in this case are on paid administrative leave.

PHILLIPS: Washington, Idaho, Utah, all getting a jump on winter. Drop the shovel, stick around. NEWSROOM is knee-deep in snow reports, we got it all for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Oh, it's that time of year again. Let it snow. Or depending on your preference, let it stop. Snow and ice causing all kinds of problems in western Washington State. Power is cut off to thousands, highways are treacherous, dozens of schools are closed.

And no, we're not covering sports. This is still a weather story. Check this out. In Seattle, the Seahawks had to deal with the driving snow during their Monday night match-up with the Green Bay Packers, another team that has lots of experience with frozen tundra. Look at that.

PHILLIPS: Well, the same storm dumped snow across southwestern Idaho. It left one to three inches in the mountains before moving on, dumping snow as it went. It is much the same in Utah, where heavy snow warnings will remain stay in effect until tomorrow. Some places could see more than a foot.

Let's get the big picture from Rob Marciano in the CNN Weather Center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: Peril from a painkiller. The FDA issues a new warning about a drug prescribed to millions of people. What you need to know about methadone, next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It can ease pain and help kick heroin addiction. Methadone has been a God send to millions, but now the FDA is warning it can also be a killer. Let's get the details from CNN's Judy Fortin.

JUDY FORTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, CNN NEWSROOM: Well, you know, Don, you say the word "methadone" and people automatically think of heroin addiction. But it's also being used as a painkiller, widely used as a painkiller, in fact, for severe, chronic pain.

The FDA has issued a warning to doctors telling them to prescribe methadone very carefully. Keep a close eye on patients, they say, especially those who are converting from another opiate and thoroughly instruct patients how to take the painkiller, not taking more without first checking with your doctor. That's always a good warning for drugs, in the first place.

LEMON: So, why are they so concerned, the FDA?

FORTIN: They're concerned that people may be overdosing. Here's what's happening. They say too much methadone can cause shallow breathing and dangerous changes in the heartbeat that patients might not even feel. The FDA says it is changing the label for the drug, marketed under the name Dolophine, and also the generic brand to reflect new dosing information.

In 2004, methadone was blamed for more than 3,200 unintentional poisoning deaths in the U.S.; that was up from 623 back in 1999. The FDA warns that methadone only provides relief for 4 to 8 hours, but can linger in the body for up to 59 hours. That can lead patients take more of the drug before it has been eliminated from their body, in fact, creating toxic levels of methadone for some of these patients.

LEMON: So this is about the people who are taking it, but also for the people who are prescribing it. What are doctors saying about these new concerns.

FORTIN: Well, I talked to a couple of doctors, who say it is entirely appropriate what the FDA is doing. In fact, the director of a pain medication clinic, in Washington, D.C., told me that the new labeling should really be a wake-up call for physicians, and patients, to be very careful when they use these types of drugs.

LEMON: As usual, very good information. Thank you, Judy Fortin.

FORTIN: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: A powerful drug linked to the risk of heart attack and strokes in adults is now being looked at for children as young as two. CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta explains why the FDA would even consider Celebrex for kids.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN AMERICAN MORNING (on camera): Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis can be notoriously difficult to treat. That's why there is some excitement, potentially, about Celebrex being a new drug in the armamentarium to treat it.

Pfizer, the company that actually makes the drug, Celebrex, conducted a clinical trial, looking specifically at the safety and effectiveness of Celebrex compared to some of the other drugs that are more commonly prescribed for arthritis such as Naprosyn or Aleve. They found it is just as safe and effective as some of those other medications.

They're not planning on marketing it at this time, but they did release this statement specifically, Pfizer did, saying they want to make these data available to physicians and patients. They're not limiting ongoing discussions with the FDA to a formal indication and open to any label changes that the agency thinks will best benefit this patient population."

What's interesting, is it comes only in the pill form right now and the clinical trial Celebrex was actually given in a liquid form, which is easier for children. It is not available that way to the mass public right now, but it could become that way if, in fact, approved by the FDA.

A lot of people hear about Celebrex, and they immediately think about the side effects. It has been a medication that's been around since 1998. More side effects have been found, including some of these, increased risk for cardiovascular risks, serious stomach bleeding, liver damage and serious kidney problems, as well.

Many may ask, well, why consider approving this medication for children? A couple of reasons. One is that all anti-inflammatories now carry these same risks and the same warnings about these risks. Also, as far as the cardiovascular risks, though, that may be something more contained to the adult population. Children may not be as susceptible to those heart risks.

And finally, because this is such a difficult disease to treat, notoriously difficult, adding another medication could offer a lot of hope to children and to parents of children out there of children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

There are going to be some ongoing hearings about this. The FDA is going to have hearings tomorrow, Wednesday, to decide whether or they will recommend approval for this. We'll certainly keep you posted on all those details as they become available. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. Doctor Sanjay Gupta, thank you very much.

The curfew is lifted, but the streets remain empty. Ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, Shia versus Sunni in Iraq, but it's fear that's winning.

PHILLIPS: Plus, his remarks offended millions of people, now the pope travels to Turkey, preaching brotherhood among Muslims and Christians. We're live in Turkey.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com