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Hillary Clinton Dominates Political Talks; Oklahoma Residents Live Without Electricity; Did Sports-Related Head Injury Lead to Suicide of Former NFL Player?; Bill Richardson Joins Race for '08
Aired January 21, 2007 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The big buzz, a traffic jam on the road to the White House with one candidate dominating the discussions. Reaction and political predictions live this hour. Lights out, snow, ice, and still no power. Thousands of Oklahoma residents living without electricity for more than a week now. How are they handling the wicked weather?
And heavy hitter. Did tough tackles lead to the suicide of a former NFL player. A closer look at the dangers of sports-related head injuries.
Hello and welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after this check of the headlines.
Now in the news, one of the deadliest days yet for American troops in Iraq, 25 were killed yesterday including 12 who died when their Blackhawk helicopter crashed.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson joins the race. Richardson announced on his Web site today that he's setting up a presidential exploratory committee. The former congressman was also a cabinet member in the Clinton administration. After being postponed for a day due to lingering differences, talks between the Palestinian Authority president and the exiled leader of Hamas finally went ahead. Mahmoud Abbas and Khalid Mashal were to discuss Palestinian infighting and the possibility of a unity government.
Four missing children are the subject of an Amber Alert in Indiana. Jerry White is suspected of kidnapping his children and their mother. The kids are between the ages of one and nine. The eldest, Jaylan, suffers from severe asthma, requiring treatment every few hours.
First this hour, the race that won't wait. Two full years before the next inauguration, another Democratic hopeful has joined the campaign for president. The newest to enter the crush, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. The former globe-trotting diplomat nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize. After yesterday's announcement by Hillary Rodham Clinton and the entry of Barack Obama, Richardson acknowledged he's probably not the favorite.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: I know I am not the favorite in this race. As an underdog and governor of a small western state, I will not have the money that other candidates will have. However, I believe these serious times demand serious people who have real world experience in solving the challenges we face. I humbly believe I'm the best equipped candidate to meet these challenges.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The former U.N. ambassador was born in Pasadena to an American father and a Mexican mother and spent part of his youth in Mexico City. He had been the first Hispanic American ever elected president -- if he were to be elected, he would become the first Hispanic American elected.
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton starts campaigning in earnest next weekend with a trip to Iowa. A short time ago, the former first lady made an appearance in her adopted state of New York. Live with that story, let's go to CNN's Mary Snow -- Mary?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Fredricka, this is the first public appearance that Senator Clinton made since yesterday after declaring "I'm in," in her words, in the presidential race for 2008.
This event just ended a short time ago and it had been a planned event here in New York to deal with health care issues. But of course the room was packed with reporters from around the world. And of course, all the questions were focused on Senator Clinton's 2008 race for the White House, on why she wants to be president. She said she feels that she's concerned about the future of the country. And asked about what led her to this decision, here's what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I concluded that based on the work of my lifetime and my experience and my understanding of what our country has to confront in order to continue to make opportunity available to all of our citizens here and to restore our leadership and respect for America around the world, that I would be able to do that, to bring our country together, to meet those tough challenges. And therefore I decided I would contest for the primary and I'm looking forward to it. It will be a great contest with a lot of talented people, and I am very confident. I'm in, I'm in to win and that's when I intend to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: And Fredricka, Senator Clinton was asked about the role her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea Clinton would play in this race. She says they are her greatest support system, her greatest advisers and they will continue to do that.
Now here's this event today. This was an introduction for legislation she plans to introduce to provide health care for all children. She said her goal eventually is universal health care. That, of course, was her big issue while she was first lady, an issue that really never got off the ground but one that she continues to make an issue as she goes forward -- Fredricka? WHITFIELD: All right, Mary Snow, thanks so much.
Senator Clinton's announcement of her presidential aspirations is dominating the political discussions all weekend long. Our Gary Nurenberg brings us a taste of the broadcast buzz.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From someone who did run...
SEN. TED KENNEDY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Senator Clinton is in a very strong position for the nomination.
NURENBERG: ... To someone who plans to run...
SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: Oh, I think she's incredibly formidable and has got to be the front-runner.
NURENBERG: ... To an old adversary who says he may run...
NEWT GINGRICH, FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: Six out of 10 chance or better of being the Democratic nominee.
CLINTON: I'm forming a presidential exploratory committee.
NURENBERG: Hillary Clinton's declaration dominates the country's political discussion, overshadowing the weekend announcements of two other candidates who were asked how they will compete against her star power.
SEN. SAM BROWNBACK, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: On ideas and issues and that's what I love about campaigning, is it's a competition of ideas and issues.
RICHARDSON: Governors have good records in being elected presidents because we balance budgets, we deal with health care, with education.
NURENBERG (on camera): But as candidates were asked their reaction to Senator Clinton, one Republican said her announcement is a reaction to someone else.
GINGRICH: I think it is a tribute to Barack Obama, that his popularity has grown so rapidly, that I suspect it forced her to move a couple of months earlier than she planned to.
NURENBERG (voice-over): What is it like to run against Senator Clinton? We asked her 2000 opponent for New York Senate seat.
RICK LAZIO, FORMER NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN: You can expect that she will raise all the money that she needs to raise. She's a very disciplined campaigner. She's a very cautious campaigner. She will be well briefed. She has got, as they say, battle tested, disciplined, very tough campaign operatives that she will surround herself with. NURENBERG: But Lazio says she lost one plus.
LAZIO: She had the advantage in 2000 that Barack Obama may have in 2008, which is a limited record which to scrutinize.
NURENBERG: Some Democrats asked if they will endorse Clinton ducked.
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: This is democracy at work. I'm so excited about the possibility of having all of these choices.
NURENBERG: And so early. When John Kennedy announced for president in 1960, it was only 10 months before the election. This campaign will be more than twice as long. Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So what do all of these new additions mean for the 2008 race? CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien take a look beginning at 6:00 a.m. Eastern tomorrow and this note. The first presidential debates will be April 4th and 5th right here on CNN, your election 2008 campaign headquarters.
One of the deadliest days for U.S. troops in Iraq, 25 killed yesterday. And today, the first of thousands more American soldiers are on their way to Baghdad. CNN's Arwa Damon has details on the deaths and the deployment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Over two dozen U.S. servicemen died in Iraq on Saturday. The deadliest incident, a helicopter crash happening northeast of the capital, Baghdad. All 12 troops on board died in that incident. Eight of them were passengers, four of them crewmembers.
A senior military official telling CNN that initial indications are that the helicopter crashed due to enemy gunfire. The investigation is, however, still ongoing. The area where the crash took place, just south of the provincial capital of Baquba, is known to be a Sunni insurgent stronghold.
And in the southern city of Karbala, five U.S. soldiers died during a firefight at the provincial joint coordination center. They were meeting there with Iraqi security forces and Iraqi officials to discuss security for the upcoming religious holiday when the compound came under attack with indirect fire, grenades and small arms fire.
And in the volatile Al Anbar Province, just west of the capital, Baghdad, four U.S. soldiers and one Marine died, according to the U.S. military, for wounds sustained due to enemy gunfire.
In the capital, Baghdad, some developments on the political front. The political bloc loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al- Sadr announcing that it will be ending its nearly two-month-long boycott of the government. The Iraqi government trying to deal with Muqtada al-Sadr politically, also trying to deal with the issue of his Mehdi militia, blamed for much of the sectarian violence here.
Meanwhile, troops from the 82nd Airborne have begun to arrive. Their main mission will be to hold areas of the capital that have already been cleared, an effort to bring down the sectarian violence which saw in 24 hours, 29 unidentified bodies throughout the capital.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Iraq is just one of the topics President Bush will be covering in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. And CNN is the place to be. Our primetime coverage begins with a special two- hour edition of "THE SITUATION ROOM," followed immediately by the speech and response.
Then at 10:30 Eastern, Anderson Cooper is live in D.C. with immediate worldwide reaction. Plus, don't miss a special midnight edition of "LARRY KING LIVE." The best political team of television has the night and the news covered. It all begins Tuesday at seven eastern.
Well, it's just one year until New Hampshire voters have judgment on those running for the presidency. What are Granite State voters saying about the candidates today? We will have a live report.
Plus, winter woes, forecast for the week ahead. And did a history of hard tackles lead to suicide for former NFL player Andre Waters. A former football player joins us to talk about it. You're in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Four children are the subject of an Amber Alert in Indiana today. Police are searching for the children and their mother. Jerry White is suspected of kidnapping his four children. Elkhart police think he took the children and the mother after breaking into her house. He's also suspected of critically shooting a man in the house. The children are between the ages of nine years and 16-months-old. There are concerns about the 9-year-old who is a severe asthmatic. But his ventilator was found at the house. Chicago police and the FBI are helping in this investigation.
Now to the still unfolding case of the missing boys in Missouri who are back with family. It turns out police talked to one of the missing boys nearly a year after he disappeared. Kirkwood, Missouri, police say an officer talked to Shawn Hornbeck while he was taking a report on a stolen bike.
The police report shows the officer also talked to kidnapping suspect Michael Devlin, who said he was Shawn's father. Hornbeck disappeared in 2002 and was found just over a week ago along with Ben Ownby, a teenager who had been missing for four days.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN, your severe weather headquarters.
WHITFIELD: So they're bracing themselves in the southwest again today. In New Mexico, they are expecting snow today and tomorrow. As much as 10 inches in some places. Officials say they are ready to open shelters if needed. And some of the people in Oklahoma have been without electricity for over a week now. In 19 minutes, we will take a closer look at what it is like for people there the without power.
Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras where we have been saying it is not over yet. Folks are going to have to endure these frigid temperatures for still a little bit longer.
(WEATHER REPORT)
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I've got a great picture to cheer you up here with all this snow. Somebody who actually likes the snow. That's Spook, the name of the dog. This was sent to us from Mark Sanders from Chulia (ph), Texas, just south of Amarillo there in the panhandle. They picked up about four-to-six inches of snowfall yesterday and apparently the dog loves it. The world is one big snack when you can eat snow like that.
WHITFIELD: Spook looks right at home on that picnic table. All right, thanks a lot, Jacqui.
This just in out of Milwaukee. Apparently the Mitchell International Airport closed for about 30 minutes after a Northwest Airlines flight skidded off the runway after aborting its flight. I know it's difficult to see because these are the kinds of conditions that are being reported there near the airport out of Milwaukee. Whiteout conditions, very snowy, very dangerous. Apparently about 100 people were onboard this Northwest flight which was bound for Detroit. No one was reported to have been injured. That's the good news.
Meantime, he loved the game. But did football play a role in Andre Waters' suicide? Up next in the NEWSROOM, we'll look at the potential dangers of sports-related head injuries.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Andre Waters' NFL career had spanned 12 seasons. A long time safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, he was a well-known heavy hitter. But he was also on the receiving end of heavy hits himself. Waters once told a reporter he had stopped counting his concussions after number 15. Later, severe depression set in, leading to suicide. Heartbroken and confused friends and family are still looking for answers. And one medical expert has pointed to brain damage that Waters may have suffered in his career.
Joining us for a discussion on this whole matter, Dr. David Hovda, director of the Brain Injury Research Center at UCLA. Good to see you. And Chris Nowinski, former professional wrestler, former college football player and now author of the book "Head Games." Good to see you as well.
Well Chris, let me begin with you because you were convinced upon learning of Andre Waters' suicide, depression and his 15-plus concussions that his situation is not an anomaly, that it exemplifies how dangerous the sport of football is. And it is why you convinced Waters' family to allow a neuropathologist to further examine his brain. Why were you so convinced that there's a link between all of this?
CHRIS NOWINSKI, AUTHOR: Well there was a similar case in 2005 of a 45-year-old ex-NFL player committing suicide and similar tests were done on his brain and he was discovered to have it as well. There's overwhelming research connecting multiple head injuries and depression. I just thought that it would be worthwhile to do this testing on Andre to see if it played a role. Obviously, the value it is bringing to this situation and awareness of this problem is terrific.
WHITFIELD: And in the research you did and that you recruited others to do, was it also the finding that perhaps these concussions or head injuries of people who play football may have started well before they get to any professional level or even college level?
NOWINSKI: Certainly. The problem in young people that concussions are far worse for young people. And so I wrote "Head Games" primarily for high school athletes and youth athletes. But when you get to the NFL level after many, many years of trauma, it can really -- in Andre's case, be problematic at the age of 45 as it was for him.
WHITFIELD: So Dr. Hovda, is it plausible that concussions endured during sports like football, maybe even boxing, and perhaps even wrestling and other contact sports, that perhaps long-term dangers are being either overlooked or kind of underrepresented?
DR. DAVID HOVDA, UCLA BRAIN INJURY RESEARCH CENTER: I think probably underrepresented is a better scenario of how to describe it. We certainly haven't known what to look for for many, many years. Only recently are we starting to start to look at the long-term effects of people that have had repeated, mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions in any sport, and even in just minor traffic accidents.
WHITFIELD: And so researchers who are looking at Waters' brain felt like they were also able to see not just a pattern of concussions that perhaps there was this incredible progression of aging of his brain, that he had the brain of, say, an 80-year-old who was already showing signs of Alzheimer's. Does that sound reasonable to you and perhaps even typical?
HOVDA: Yes. It is not surprising to me. In severe traumatic brain injury, oftentimes you will have a lot of atrophy, being that tissue of the brain will start to die away and you will start to age quicker from a radiographic point of view.
It look like the brain gets smaller and smaller due to this atrophy. When you have repeated concussions, if a concussion occurs during the time when the brain is still vulnerable, you can sustain what would be comparable to a more severe type of an injury. And with those repeated insults one could have a case where -- I'm not surprised you would have atrophy of the brain.
WHITFIELD: So now hearing this, I think a lot of folks, particularly a lot of parents, maybe of kids who were learning how to play the game at a very early age, we are seeing kids four, five, six, playing football -- should a parent be thinking or having second thoughts about allowing their child to be involved in this contact sport like football?
HOVDA: Well, in my profession, what we see is there is a risk but there are so many good things about children and young people participating in the sports. There is a risk of head injury and mild traumatic brain injury. And I think the smarter we are about recognizing it and treating it and notifying parents of the situation, the better we are. No children respond much differently to conscussions than adults. And we're just beginning to understand now.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, doctor. And Chris, real quick, last word, what are you hoping the lesson is that people walk away with this is?
NOWINSKI: Well most athletes don't even know what a concussion is and what the damage can cause. So educating every athlete from the youth level up is the biggest battle we have to start today.
WHITFIELD: Chris Nowinski and Dr. David Hovda, thanks so much for your time.
HOVDA: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And now that the NFL has issued a statement as it connects to the research involving Waters. Quote, "Whatever its cause, Andre Waters' suicide is a tragic incident and our hearts go out to his family. The subject of concussions is complex. We are devoting substantial resources to independent medical research of current and retired players. Strict enforcement of enhanced player safety rules, development an testing of better equipment, and comprehensive medical management of this injury. This work over the past decade has contributed significantly to the understanding of concussions and the advancement of player safety. We will continue with all of these initiatives and maintain our focus on player health and safety."
That statement coming from the NFL.
Now for those who want to be president, New Hampshire, it is a key hurdle state. We will have a live report from the Granite State straight ahead. Plus in Oklahoma, thousands have been living without power for more than a week now thanks to a very nasty wintry wallop. We will find out how they are coping.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: In the news, an especially deadly weekend for U.S. service members in Iraq. Five troops were killed in Iraq's western Anbar Providence bringing the number of American troops killed in Iraq on Saturday to 25. It is the third deadliest day for U.S. forces since the Iraq war began.
New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson wants to be the first Hispanic president of the United States. Today the 59-year-old former energy secretary announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee. Richardson joins an already crowded field with seven other Democratic candidates vying for the party's nomination.
The day after announcing her intentions for the presidency, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton makes her first public appearance. Two hours ago, the former first lady made a previously scheduled event in New York City calling for an expansion of the Empire State' health insurance program for children.
You can tell by the flurry of exploratory committee announcements that there's a presidential election just around the bend. For New Hampshire voters, check your calendar. We are exactly one year away from the nation's first presidential primary. CNN's Bob Franken joins us live from Manchester. And Bob already some folks are making some face time in the granite state.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh yes. They have been doing it for several months. This weekend we had two of the presidential wannabes from the Democratic Party. Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack was here, on Saturday Chris Dodd the Connecticut Senator was here. But they have been coming in and out. Interestingly the one person who hasn't been here yet is Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. She has not been here very much since she was the first -- running to be the first lady in 1992 with candidate Bill Clinton.
In any case, New Hampshire still is the imperative stop along with Iowa. The primary is scheduled for exactly a year from tomorrow. However, there is some dissatisfaction in the state because the Democratic Party has been prodding more primaries into the same area. So it is not beyond the realm of possibility, we are told, that the secretary of state here may decide to move the primary back a little bit. If necessary, back into this year. But assuming for the moment that doesn't happen and doesn't move, you are right, a year from tomorrow, the primary is going to be held. It will be a whole boatload of candidates.
WHITFIELD: All right. Meantime, Bob, yesterday you told me folks there were kind of lukewarm to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton mentioning her exploratory committee and same reaction about Sam Brownback. What about Governor Richardson? Are folks saying anything about his announcement?
FRANKEN: What they are saying -- well, to be perfectly honest about it, he doesn't have the name recognition that Hillary Rodham Clinton does. When I say lukewarm, what I really am saying is it is old hat here. Just about every candidate gets to meet seemingly almost every resident of the state. That was what the people here say is so up unique about the primaries. So to them, in New Hampshire, you can probably encapsulate it by saying another day, another candidate.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right. Bob Franken, in Manchester. Thanks so much. .
It is a real winter mess out there. Particularly in the Midwest and Oklahoma thousands are shivering and hoping it is sooner as opposed to later when it comes to restoring their electricity. Some are going on eight days now without power in Mother Nature's deep freeze. CNN's Reggie Aqui is live in McAlester, Oklahoma. It must be getting warmer because every day you are shedding yet one more layer of clothing. What's going on here?
REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I wondered if you would notice that.
WHITFIELD: Yes, I did.
AQUI: Yes. Also, you notice something else. Look, no ice behind me. That's definitely a good sign. These folks here with the power company are trying to get a new pole in because the pole fell down. They are really wrapping up their work Fredricka this afternoon. Because most of the people here in McAlester and actually state wide now have their power back on.
Now, today when we actually were eating breakfast we met a woman who really had an interesting story to tell. What we found out from her is this ice storm didn't just affect people's lives. It also severely affected their livelihood. When the lights finally came back on today in Southeast Oklahoma --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any more creamer?
AQUI: Wendy Singleton couldn't get back to work fast enough. For ten days this waitress waited.
WENDY SINGLETON, MCALESTER, OKLAHOMA: No power, no water. No work.
AQUI: Like most of McAlester the Denny's Restaurant where she works, didn't have dependable power because of last week's huge ice storm. Today the ice is gone. In many cases, so is the money.
SINGLETON: It means we are really broke and the car payment and everything is way behind.
AQUI: She laughs but there is nothing funny about what this mother of three now faces at home. Her savings depleted.
SINGLETON: Right now what I have made today, which is about $30.
AQUI: That's it?
SINGLETON: That's it.
AQUI: As Wendy Singleton works for her kids, David Robinson works for an extended family. The business owner bought 15 generators for people still without power. Today he delivers gasoline to keep those houses warm. DAVID ROBINSON, MCALESTER BUSINESS OWNER: We have really been devastated. I think you can drive around this entire town and see there's not a treetop left.
SINGLETON: Nora. You want me to take this out?
AQUI: Back at the restaurant, Wendy Singleton welcomes the breakfast crowd.
SINGLETON: I'm happy today because I'm at work but still sad because, you know -- few things we can buy. It is going to take a while to make enough money to catch back up.
AQUI: Now that the cold snap is over, she's working to unfreeze her assets. You can see these crews again trying to wrap up things here. These folks are from Texarkana. At one time there were actually 2,000 people from in and out of state trying to get this whole state back up power wise. Today there are about 30,000 people still statewide without power. These folks are slowly trying to get back to normal.
WHITFIELD: Sounds good. I think folks are encouraged just by seeing your outerwear. No longer a hat, no longer a heavy coat, all good signs. All right.
AQUI: Much more comfortable.
WHITFIELD: Thanks Reggi.
And we will stay on this story. I will speak for an Oklahoma emergency management official next hour.
This just in now, a better view of Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport. Remember, just moments go I told you they had to close the airport because of these whiteout conditions. Well, this is now what they are dealing with there. And it is why a Northwest flight, which was bound for Detroit, had to abort, take off and then skidded off the runway. No reports of injuries. That's the good news. That was Flight 1726. And when we get an update about when this airport might reopen, and what they are going to do with all the passengers who are right now stranded there. We will be able to bring that to you.
In other news across America. A shocking incident on a Continental Air Lines flight headed from Houston to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The pilot became seriously ill after take off. The co-pilot had to make an emergency landing at a nearby airport. Shortly after that, the pilot was pronounced dead. No details have been released. The airline says the pilot apparently died of natural causes.
In Minneapolis, the seemingly impossible, a man loses his balance and crashes through the 17th floor window of a high-rise hotel. He plummets 16 floors. He lands on a roof overhang. And he survives. Police say the man suffered some internal injuries and broken bones. Considering the fall, officers call him one lucky guy. Former P.O.W. Jessica Lynch is relishing a new role, motherhood. Lynch gave birth to a baby girl at a West Virginia Hospital. She named the baby Dakota Ann Robinson in honor of a fallen comrade whose middle name was Ann. Lynch was captured by insurgents in 2003 and then rescued in a dramatic nighttime mission.
Find out how surveillance videotape led police to a murder suspect.
And CNN's Warrior One it went on the auction block and bam, sold. Find out who made the winning bid, straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A confession in the murder of Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. Police arrested the teenage suspect yesterday after receiving a tip from his father. More from CNN's Paula Hancock.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAULA HANCOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This was the moment Turkish police arrested the main suspect I the murder of Turkish Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. Teenager Ogun Samast was caught at the bus station in the Black Sea City of Samson. Halfway between Istanbul and his hometown where he's thought to have been headed. Istanbul's governor says this gun and white hat were found in his possession. Police acted on a tip Saturday night after Samast's father identified him from these widely publicized pictures taken from surveillance video at the scene of the murder.
The prime minister said he was delighted it only took 32 hours to find the suspect. Hrant Dink had been gunned down outside his newspapers office on Friday. Many Turks believe he was targeted. His articles saying the killing of hundreds of thousands of Armenians during World War I was genocide. The Turkish government maintains both Muslim Turks and Christian Armenians were killed in what they characterize as a Civil War.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Translator): Yes the struggle concerning genocide is a very important one and is a universal responsibility. But freedom of expression is also a human right.
HANCOCK: Dink knew he had nationalist enemies. In his articles he wrote about receiving death threats. Those that knew him said it wasn't enough to make him leave Turkey.
ANDREW FINKEL, FRIEND OF DINK: He was too confident to be worried about things like that. He had a sense of invulnerability, which, I think, sadly didn't prove to be accurate.
HANCOCK: Journalist Ragip Duran worked with Dink and has no doubt that this was a political killing. An assassination to silence a voice of dissent.
RAGIP DURAN, TURKISH JOURNALIST: They want to make what they call a state nation with only one fact, one language, and one thought which is more or less fascism.
HANCOCK: Mourners continue to congregate the spot Dink was killed surrounded by pictures of the journalist. The funeral itself will take place on Tuesday afternoon. It is expected that many thousands of people will congregate here first in the morning before making a march to the church.
Paula Hancock, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Time now to go global with headlines from around the world. A magnitude 7.3 earthquakes struck of Indonesia raising local fears of a tsunami. But there was no sign of a big wave. Authorities now say the danger has passed.
Environmentalists are keeping a close eye on the southwestern coast of England. This crippled freighter has lost dozens of containers overboard and the oil is leaking. It was intentionally run aground after being damaged in storms last week.
So many in the movie industry have gathered in Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. Coming up next we will talk to the stars and the director of the romantic comedy "Broken English." I hope they are as giggly when we come out of the break as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to go on a date.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is a theory that you should go out with guys that ask you out. Even if you know you don't like them in that way. For practice.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's the saddest thing I think I have ever heard.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: A scene from the new romantic comedy "Broken English." It premiered yesterday at the Sundance Film Festival; the film has been described in so many ways as edgy, quirky, sexy, and funny. Joining me is a star Parker Posey and the director extraordinaire, Zoe Cassavetes. Good to see both of you. Congratulations. I know you guys are so thrilled and excited about this flick and its primer yesterday. Zoe, particularly you, since this is your first baby.
ZOE CASSAVETES, DIRECTOR, "BROKEN ENGLISH:" Yes. It's fantastic to be here and be in a place where people love to watch movies and appreciate movies. And we had a great response. I'm really proud of the film and proud of Parker and everybody involved. I'm so happy to be here.
WHITFIELD: It is so great. This romantic comedy revolves around this character Nora played by you, Parker. What did you like about this character, Parker? Was there anything you identified with?
PARKER POSEY, ACTRESS, "BROKEN ENGLISH:" Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Completely. When I met Zoe, we talked for probably eight hours straight about love and relationships. And just issues. You know, there's a certain part in a woman's life where you start to question yourself and start to see your part in the relationships and why they are not working. And what the real issue is. And so this is kind of what -- it is like my issue movie. I have all my dysfunctions like laid out in a comedic way and sometimes it is sad and funny.
Sometimes it is funny and smart. And it is not that cute. You know. Zoe didn't want any cute kind of acting. She was like -- don't do any of that cute stuff. It is grounded and pain. And her own heartache. To bring that into this character and have people kind of come along and feel with her as well as laugh was a lot of fun.
WHITFIELD: That's great. Zoe, tell me how nerve-racking or maybe how relieved -- what a relief it was when during the premiere 0perhaps people laughed when you were hoping they would laugh or, you know, cringe or --
CASSAVETES: Exactly.
WHITFIELD: Really identify with just all those opportune moments.
CASSAVETES: Yes. I think the first thing I was worried about was having like the sound work and the picture work and then we had a really large audience yesterday. As soon as we got our first laugh, I was like oh, thank god. But yes, we got a lot of laughs. I also felt like the journey of the movie, people were really feeling the journey of the movie. I was -- I was really pleased. Not just women but men really related to it.
POSEY: So -- good last night we were having dinner. We had some of our guy friends saying how much they related to Nora. That was really -- that was great.
Everyone has heartache.
CASSAVETES: Sometimes you think women have it more than men. But men have it, too.
POSEY: That's true.
WHITFIELD: Fantastic. Well congratulations on "Broken English." I'm sure the energy is contagious at Sundance. Thanks so much and congratulations.
CASSAVETES: Thank you.
POSEY: Thank you. WHITFIELD: From Hollywood to reality. From the war in Iraq, all the way to the auction block. That reality. The remarkable story of Warrior One's million-dollar ride coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So CNN's Warrior One worth its weight in gold? Not quite. Our tricked out Hummer that was once driven all over Iraq covering the war was sold at auction. You won't believe the winning bid. Here's CNN's John Roberts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is up for sale, 100 percent of the proceeds.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It had to be a record sale price for a Hummer. Particularly one beaten and battered in war. But CNN's Warrior One reached an astonishing price of $1 million plus another $250,000 in a straight donation before the gavel came down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sold at a million plus $250,000. [ applause ]
ROBERTS: The Hummer was CNN's platform during the invasion of Iraq. Carrying a crew of four from Kuwait to Baghdad. Coming under fire in a battle near Baghdad University. Cameraman Scott McWhinnie remembers it well.
SCOTT MCWHINNIE, CNN VIDEOGRAPHER: We heard the ting-tings of bullets. We were being fired at.
ROBERTS: On the way to the stage, one more battle when the massive v-8 engine flooded and caught fire. High octane and anxiety, turned out to be nothing serious. Particularly after the action it saw in Iraq. War in auctions it seems are hell. It was the crew who called the Hummer home during the invasion who came up with the idea to rebuild it from the ground up on the overhaul television show and donate the proceeds to charity. The beneficiary, Fisher House, which has built 38, homes on military bases near VA hospitals to accommodate the families of servicemen and women needing medical care.
KEN FISHER, PRESIDENT, FISHER HOUSE: The need is growing every day. And with our programs as such, we are going to be building 21 houses in the next four years. So something like this is just going to be very, very important to the program and to the ongoing commitment that we made to these families.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is so unique. It is one of a kind.
ROBERTS: For Dave Liniger, who started Remax Realty and heads up his own organization-serving veterans, the whole concept was irresistible.
DAVE LINIGER, FOUNDER, RE MAX REALTY: The cause is fabulous obviously. The vehicle is so much prettier in person than it looks on TV or looked in the catalog.
ROBERTS: How high are you willing to go?
LINIGER: I'm not going to tell you that. We will definitely bid on it.
ROBERTS: And bid he did. Though it looked like he was about to swoon at one point. All the way up to a cool million. Liniger says he plans to tour the Hummer across the nation. Raising more money for veterans. This old war horse, retirement is a long way off.
John Roberts, CNN, Scottsdale, Arizona.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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