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Astronaut Accused of Bizarre Kidnapping Plot; Mitt Romney to Make Official Announcement Regarding Run for Presidency; Outlaw in Power in Iraq?; Military Wife Counsels Soldiers' Spouses

Aired February 06, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Ngyuen, filling in for Kyra Phillips today.

There are some serious charges facing a NASA astronaut at the center of what is truly a bizarre story. Did Lisa Nowak plan to kidnap and kill a romantic rival?

LEMON: Plus, hiding in plain sight. A convicted bomber sits in Iraq's parliament, out of reach of prosecutors.

NGUYEN: And it may be warmer at the North Pole, believe it or not, today than in your own hometown. You'll want to grab a mug of the hottest chocolate you can find and stay tuned for the forecast, because you're in the NEWSROOM.

She soared above the Earth in a space shuttle last summer, but today astronaut Lisa Nowak is sitting in a Florida jail, accused of a bizarre kidnapping plot.

CNN's Kyung Lah joins me now from Orlando with the latest on this story.

Kyung, this is something that a lot of people were talking about, and still many more just scratching their heads over it.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of people scratching their heads over this, Betty, you're absolutely right, because no one really knows exactly what may have motivated her to take such extreme measures.

What we can tell you is that she was about to bond out. According to court officials, she was about to be released when Orlando police said, not so fast. They want to tack on a fourth charge. This charge being attempted first-degree murder. She will be in front of a judge in about two hours, again, as she was earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAH (voice over): Astronaut Lisa Nowak stood in a jail jumpsuit, listening to the charges filed against her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it does indicate a very well thought out plan to kidnap and perhaps injure the victim. LAH: Initially, it appeared Nowak would get out on bail, but then the Orlando Police Department said it was adding a charge of attempted first-degree murder, forcing authorities to keep the astronaut in custody, even after the defense attorney pointed out Nowak's clean history.

DONALD LYKKEBAK, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: We have somebody here who is 43 years of age, has an exemplary record of commitment through her career and to this country.

LAH: The police report says Nowak had some form of a relationship with fellow astronaut Bill Oefelein and went to Orlando to confront an apparent romantic rival, Colleen Shipman. According to the police report, the astronaut drove 900 miles from Houston to Orlando wearing diapers to avoid bathroom stops. Police say Nowak pepper-sprayed Shipman inside her car in the parking lot of the Orlando airport.

Shipman got away and called for help. Officers found Nowak with a trench coat, wig, BB pistol, steel mallet, folding knife, large garbage bags and rubber tubing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAH: Now, according to court documents, as far as the victim, Colleen Shipman, she did file a restraining order against Lisa Nowak. That restraining order was filed yesterday. And again, in just about two hours, we are expecting to see Lisa Nowak, the NASA astronaut, again in front of a judge here in -- here in Orange County -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, Kyung, I'm looking at the restraining order right now. We have a copy of that. I assume this was filed after the attempted, alleged, attempted murder attack?

LAH: It was filed yesterday. We don't know the exact timing of it, but it certainly does appear to be filed after the alleged incident.

NGUYEN: All right. There are so many questions surrounding this case. And, of course, we're going to delve more into it throughout the hour. But in the meantime, we thank you for your report.

LEMON: All right. Time now for some more developing news. Let's head back over to the breaking news desk.

T.J., what do you have for us now? Is this Romney again?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, we're just talking Romney here.

Need to let people know -- they know the name probably by now, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. He is going to be entering the race.

No surprise. He's been talking about that for quite some time. But now we're going to make the more official announcement, I guess. These things get kind of confusing, but he had already set up an exploratory committee, this Republican, to run for president. Now, next week, on the 13th, he will be making an official announcement to formally announce his bid for the presidency. So I guess just another step in this progression.

Now, he is among 10 Republicans now who have either formed an exploratory committee or who have officially said, yes, we are in -- in this race. Among them, Mayor Giuliani, who we just saw the other day, say he's getting into the race.

Now, this is how some of the recent polls stack up when you throw Romney into this mix with some of these other Republicans. Registered Republicans tell us here in the CNN poll that they would like to -- yes, 34 percent would like to see him run, 36 percent say no, 30 percent just don't know, because a lot of folks just don't know him right now.

The other poll, we don't have the graphic for you, but he actually came in fourth, Mitt Romney, with seven percent, behind Giuliani, McCain, and Newt Gingrich, actually, when Republicans -- when they were asked who they would vote for and like to see run for president. So just wanted to bring you that. A lot of names. A lot of exploratory committees, a lot of announcements.

A lot of stuff going on.

LEMON: A lot of polls.

HOLMES: And polls.

LEMON: And that poll you had, 36, 34 -- and with the margin of error, it's dead even, should he run, should he not.

HOLMES: It's (INAUDIBLE). I'm getting in to the race.

LEMON: OK. We'll get T-shirts made. Thank you, T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Thanks, Don.

LEMON: Well, sentenced to death in Kuwait, elected to office in Iraq. Jamal Jafaar Mohammed is a member of a ruling coalition in Iraq's parliament. He's also, according to the U.S. military, a terrorist, a spy, and an outlaw.

Let's get more from CNN's Michael Ware. He's in Baghdad for us -- Michael.

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Don, Jamal Jafaar Mohammed was elected to the Iraqi parliament in the 2005 ballot that was sponsored by the U.S. mission here. Little did they know at the time that Jamal Jafaar Mohammed was involved in the car bombing of a U.S. embassy in Kuwait in 1983. U.S. military intelligence says, in fact, he was one of the masterminds of that plot.

A Kuwaiti court sentenced him -- convicted him in absentia, and sentenced him to death for his role in the U.S. Embassy bombing, and the French Embassy bombing, and attacks on other facilities. He later showed up leading an Iraqi element of the Iranian armed forces, and we now find him in the Iraqi parliament enjoying immunity from prosecution.

U.S. military intelligence has now gone to the Iraqi government and said, we have material that shows he's a conduit for weapons and political influence, is an agent for Iran, and is assisting Shia insurgents attacking U.S. forces.

LEMON: Michael Ware in Baghdad.

Thank you so much for that.

NGUYEN: Well, busted pipes, packed shelters, wind-chill advisories from the Dakotas all the way to Maine. And in many places it is beyond bone-chilling.

CNN's Keith Oppenheim is in the city where it's always windy and sometimes snowy. A lot today. Chicago, of course.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It may sound a little strange, but it's actually getting a little bit warmer in downtown Chicago. I have my handy portable thermometer here, and it's about 6, 7 degrees, which is 6, 7 degrees warmer than it was early this morning when the temperatures were hovering at zero with a wind-chill.

Take a look at where I am. This is the Michigan Avenue Bridge, on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, and people are braving the conditions. And that's for good reason, because you have to bundle up.

The Cook County medical examiner has told us that there have been three deaths as a result of the cold weather here in the last few days. And the city is trying to function. As we look as bus traffic goes behind me, the city is still trying to make it. This, despite the fact that there have been -- there has been the coldest stretch of weather in the city of Chicago since 1996. The coldest and longest in the last 11 years.

Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And I think the culprit for all of this is an Alberta clipper, but I'm not an expert, but our Jacqui Jeras certainly is.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: And when weather becomes the news, you can become a CNN correspondent. If you see severe weather happening, send us an I- Report. Go to CNN.com and click on "I-Report," or type ireport@cnn.com into your cell phone and share your photos and your video, and we'll show off a few of your pictures a little bit later on right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. NGUYEN: We were talking about this with Jacqui, bundling up against the cold. Well, if you don't protect yourself, you could be in some big trouble. Dr. Sanjay Gupta on the dangers of frigid weather, that's in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Move over Dr. Phil. When there's an issue for a military family, it's "Dear Vicki" to the rescue. Dear Vicki, ahead in the NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: You're good.

LEMON: Practical advice. When your spouse is in Iraq, "Dear Vicki." We'll talk to her coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Cold weather, we know it's dangerous, even deadly. So how do you protect yourself?

With me now, CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

The first thing we want to know, Sanjay, is how do you know the signs of frostbite?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it can be hard. And people talk a lot about frostnip, for example, but frostbite is something different. It's actually when your skin starts to get numb. A couple of things to keep in mind.

You might get that sort of pins and needles sensation ahead of time. But then, when your -- you stop feeling your fingers or your toes, that's a sign that you are probably developing early frostbite.

Also, the skin itself is going to look waxy, it's going to look White, and it's going to feel hard. The skin is actually going to feel hard, as opposed to frost nip, when it's actually just still a little soft. Those are some of the early signs. Obviously, if it progresses, the frostbite can get much worse, affecting not only the skin, but some of the fat and the muscle underneath it as well.

NGUYEN: OK. So you need to get inside right away, get out of that cold. And you don't want to stick your hands immediately in warm water, because that's not going to feel too good either.

GUPTA: Yes. You know, it's interesting about that. A lot of people talk about these old wives' tales, rubbing snow, for example, on your fingers. Not a good idea.

Putting your hands in hot water not a good idea either, because you're not going to feel it and you could actually burn yourself because your hands are numb. First, just try to warm up your hands, just wrap something around it or literally stick your hands underneath somewhere warm. And then you can slowly immerse your hands in warm water.

But, a lot of cases of frostbite you do need to seek medical attention. So don't sort of put off getting medical attention by trying to rewarm yourself.

NGUYEN: And when it comes to the human body, how cold is just simply too cold?

GUPTA: Well, you know, that's a good question. A lot of people ask that. And, you know, when you are talking specifically about frostbite, the National Weather Service actually puts out this -- this graphic talking specifically about various temperatures and adding in the wind-chill.

And they say, for example, air temperature minus 10 degrees, wind speed 30 miles an hour, you get frostbite in about 10 minutes. So people who are watching that may -- you know, the parts of your body that we're talking about are the exposed parts. You nose, most likely, your cheeks.

You've got to make sure that you either cover those up or watch the clock. Make sure you're not getting frostbite. If you start to get any of those pins and needles sort of sensation, make sure you get inside.

NGUYEN: Some good advice there. We appreciate it, Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Thank you, as always.

GUPTA: Thank you. Sure.

LEMON: Well, she is a woman of letters. Military families send them, and Miss Vicki tries to find the answers for them -- straight ahead, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Messy love triangles, well, they are nothing new. But three military careers are on the line over this one. Astronauts, diapers, even peppers pray? The NEWSROOM has got the latest on the story everybody is talking about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Yesterday of it was Giuliani. Today it's Romney. Who knows who it will be tomorrow, T.J.

HOLMES: Tomorrow, and then the day after that, and then the day after that, then the day after that. But, yes, presidential politics. We have somebody else entering the race, somebody who is already in the race.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney says he will now officially, formally announce his bid for the presidency. And he will do this on February 13th, next week, in his home state of Michigan.

You know the name. You know the face maybe here because he's been talked about in the race a lot and has talked about it himself, about getting into the race. And yes, he had, in fact, formed an exploratory committee already which would allow him, of course, and the other candidates to formally raise the funds and do the things they need to do legally to collect money for a possible bid. But now he's going to make his bid official and announce, yes, he is going forward with his bid for the presidency.

There are some 10 Republicans right now who have either formed an exploratory committee or who have officially entered the race. We put a poll to some of those registered Republicans to ask them who their choice would be and Romney, in that poll we can show you here, finished fourth behind Giuliani, behind Senator John McCain, and also behind Newt Gingrich.

This poll here is a vote, those same registered Republicans who just asked here, would you like to see him run? And 34 percent you see there say yes, 36 percent say no, but so many others aren't sure, and that may be because a lot of people don't know him just yet. A lot of people who follow politics, of course, certainly will know his name.

But just want to let you know one more making it officially official that he is officially going to be an official candidate for the Republican nomination, Don, if you can follow all of that.

LEMON: That made perfect sense.

HOLMES: Yes.

LEMON: Thank you so much.

HOLMES: But he's in.

LEMON: All right. Good.

NGUYEN: Well, speaking of him, he was America's mayor -- this is another "him" -- in the weeks and months after 9/11. But can Rudy Giuliani be America's president? The polls just love him, but CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley reports many in Giuliani's own party don't.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RUDY GIULIANI (R), FMR. NEW YORK MAYOR: And Iowa. Iowa can get a little cold.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani has submitted a statement of his presidential candidacy to the Federal Election Commission, which sounds like more than it is.

GIULIANI: And today we just took another step toward -- toward running -- running for president. I mean, it's not...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this a giant step?

GIULIANI: It's a big step. I don't know about giant step.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. Good to see you.

GIULIANI: How are you? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rudy for president.

CROWLEY: But the big -- make that the giant -- question about Giuliani is not, is he running? It's can he win? Can he even get to first base past the Republican primary?

The in-your-face, take-no-prisoners 9/11 mayor of New York runs first in nationwide polls of Republicans.

SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: The American people view him as a strong leader, but some of his positions on issues that obviously are going to come out, social issues, are going to be a problem for him with a critical base within the Republican primary.

CROWLEY: The problems are as follows: The twice divorced Giuliani is for gun licensing, abortion rights, and gay unions, which in the Republican Party means you talk about something else.

GIULIANI: My record is a record of cutting taxes, reducing the size of government, significantly reducing crime, turning around welfare from welfare to work by hundreds of thousands of people. Essentially what I think people would describe as a conservative governing record.

CROWLEY: The problem is the base of the Republican Party is social conservatives. They are among the right of center Republicans most likely to vote in the primaries. They are against abortion, gay civil unions, and gun control.

(on camera): So, no way, no how?

TERRY JEFFREY, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, HUMAN EVENTS: No, I do not believe that Rudy Giuliani can get the Republican nomination. And if by -- and if by some outside shot he actually gets it, which I don't believe would happen, he is the kind of Republican candidate who would, in fact, ignite a third party run by someone who I think could take away a significant chunk of the Republican Party base.

CROWLEY: Conservative critics think once Republicans learn of Giuliani's stand on the issues, his poll popularity will drop. Camp Giuliani thinks once Republicans got their heads handed to them in last year's elections, it opened the way for a new kind of Republican presidential candidate, which certainly he would be.

Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Candy.

Move over Dr. Phil. When there's an issue for a military family, it's "Dear Vicki" to the rescue in some ways. Ahead in the NEWSROOM, practical advice when your spouse is in Iraq and you are stationed at home.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Ngyuen, filling in for Kyra Phillips today.

Love triangles rarely end well. But the one reportedly involving a NASA astronaut may set a new bar for messy. Apart from multiple criminal charges, are there other legal issues ahead for Lisa Nowak?

Our legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, will join us live to talk about it.

You're in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Bottom of the hour and we have a developing story for you. T.J. Holmes in the newsroom.

What do you have for us, T.J.?

HOLMES: Well, do you remember that scare...

LEMON: Oh, yes.

HOLMES: ... the guerilla campaign in Boston. Everybody remembers this. It pretty much shut the city down for these devices that were advertising. It's a guerilla campaign for a show on Cartoon Network.

Well, it turns out that one of the suspects who was arrested, one of the guys who planted those -- those advertising little gadgets that scared everybody, he actually videotaped a police bomb squad removing one of those devices and didn't say anything, did not let them know that it was harmless.

This is 27-year-old Peter Berdovsky, who was one of the two who had been criminally charged with placing those devices around the city that caused that big scare. Well, he got a call from a friend that said there was some kind of bomb scare close to where he lived.

Peter Berdovsky went down with his video camera and started taping it. He realized that sure enough, it was one of those things, one of those devices that he and another friend had been hired to place, and he did not say anything to the authorities, did not go to the bomb squad and say, "Hey, guys, this is what it is. It's not -- it's harmless. It's not dangerous."

He didn't do anything. He just kept taping it. Well, his lawyer now said that, "Hey, that he didn't do anything wrong. This is what he does for a living, pretty much. He takes his camera, he shoots things. He videotapes things." He says he didn't do anything wrong.

Now, don't know what kind of a bearing that might have on his case. Again, he and his friend Shawn Stevens (ph), who you see there in court together, have both been criminally charged in this case with planting those devices as part of an advertising campaign for the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" cartoon. They have been criminally charged with disorderly conduct, for placing a hoax device and a couple of other charges. But now it turns out this is just kind of a strange twist here that, in fact, he went down. He knew what was going on. It was clear to him that this had caused a stir all across the city; videotaped bomb squad trying to disarm this thing and remove it, make sure it was safe, didn't say anything about it.

So that's the new information there. Don't know, again, what kind of a bearing that might have on his criminal case. But his attorney says that he did not do anything wrong here.

LEMON: Yes, and not surprising, considering their actions following when they just wanted to talk about hair and what have you...

HOLMES: Yes, still trying to figure that one out.

LEMON: We'll see what happens next.

Thank you.

HOLMES: All right, Don.

NGUYEN: Well, it is not only the arctic blast that's keeping Jacqui Jeras busy in the CNN Weather Center. What do you have now, Jacqui?

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: So, imagine if your spouse or son or even daughter had to leave home for months at a time and go to one of the most dangerous places on the planet. Some men and women in the U.S. military have been sent for two or three deployments in Iraq. And while the homecomings are joyous, there is a lot of heartache and strain for the families. Who can they turn to for help?

Well, many turn to the woman known as the "Dear Abby" of the military. There she is, Vicki Johnson. She writes an advice column for military families and is a military wife herself. And she joins us live.

Thanks for being with us, Miss Vicki.

VICK JOHNSON, MILITARY "DEAR ABBY": Thank you so much.

NGUYEN: Well, first of all, you have got some -- what, 500 letters in the past year and a half. Talk to me about how you got started in becoming the military version of "Dear Abby"?

JOHNSON: Well, actually it started really simple, just sitting around talking with co-workers, trying to see how we could possibly reach out and touch more people globally is really how the idea sort of came. So initially some of my colleagues and I wanted to just try to do more outreach. So I called the "Ft. Campbell Courier" to see if they could actually help us with that endeavor. And in my speaking to the editor, Kelli Bland, she immediately said, "Well, why don't we just do a column called 'Ask Miss Vicki'?" NGUYEN: Well, you are a clinical social worker. You do have a lot of experience. Your husband's been in the military for 20 years. You've had to take care of your three sons. Talk to me about the experiences that you've been through. And who do you turn to for advice?

JOHNSON: Well, you know what? I really had to learn how to practice what I preach. I really encourage people, just like I do, to have a complete wellness plan that includes the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. So, again, you know, eat right, exercise. That really acts to help alleviate depression. I have a lot of great friends and family members who really, truly love me and my family. And that's what really keeps me going.

NGUYEN: Well, before we get to your letters -- and some of them are really great -- I want to talk to you about what you've experienced, again, having to raise your children while your husband is away. Also, I understand you found out you had thyroid cancer when your husband was deployed. Tell me about that.

JOHNSON: Yes. Well, I did. Well, just briefly, I -- like January 06, I just continually kept having laryngitis, kept coughing up a lot of phlegm. And I would go to the doctor and get antibiotics and then it would occur again in the next two or three weeks. And finally I went and had a full physical because it was about time, anyway and the doctor felt a large nodule on my throat and sent me to radiology. I got that done, fine needle aspiration. And actually, the doctor who did that for me was my neighbor, who was the chief of radiology at the time, Pat Bennett (ph).

NGUYEN: How hard was it for you since your husband was away?

JOHNSON: You know what? It was tough. I'm not going to say it was an easy time. But, again, I just had to look deep within and keep focusing on what had got me through tougher times previously.

NGUYEN: Well, there are a lot of people out there, especially in the military, who face tough times. I want to get to some of your letters. The first on says, "Hello, Miss Vicki. I found out that my husband started cheating on me while overseas. I do not know what to do, but I still love him so much."

This "Wife Seeking Peace of Mind", what kind of advice did you give her?

JOHNSON: Well, you know what? I told her it's a tough time for both of them, so really not to make any rash decisions like, don't leave the home, don't file for divorce yet. You know, it could just be circumstantial right now, so just try to stay the course. Generally, you know, a lot of soldiers report, both male and female, that they get "Dear John" letters while they are deployed. So I really try to discourage people from doing that because, if you think about it, their comrades are depending upon them to be their best, to be fit, to be emotionally fit. They have to have someone's back while trying to stay safe themselves. So if you can imagine someone getting a "Dear John" letter, who's fighting for his country, I mean, that could be devastating for a unit.

NGUYEN: Here's another letter that was sent to you saying, "Ever since my wife returned from Iraq, she's been having nightmares, waking up with sweats, even screaming and yelling. She won't eat and she's losing weight."

And this husband just really didn't know what to do.

JOHNSON: No. In a situation like that, I definitely encourage them to go and see a primary care physician. They really need to get immediately, you know, some type of medical evaluation. Now, initially, I would say it sounds like combat stress to me.

NGUYEN: You know, a lot of times these families, especially when the husbands or the wives come home, the other spouse is there just so excited to see them. They've been waiting all this time, you know, anticipating this moment. So this is an interesting "Dear Miss Vicki" one. It says, "I've noticed that most wives try to do extra special things to impress their husbands when they return. My wife gained more than 55 pounds."

JOHNSON: Yes.

NGUYEN: What do you say to that? I mean, how do you tackle that?

JOHNSON: Well, you know what? It's expectations. We really have to keep our expectations real in our relationships. And that even goes for our girlfriends that we have, all of our platonic friendships and our marriages, as well.

Now, obviously, maybe she experienced a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety, and eating was the way she coped during that deployment. So I encouraged him to actually offer more support to her.

NGUYEN: Just very quickly, what does your husband think about you answering all of these letters?

JOHNSON: Well, you know what? Sometimes he'll tell me, "Well, I think you were a little too hard on that person or you should have been a little bit more harder on this person."

NGUYEN: Really?

JOHNSON: He's very supportive.

NGUYEN: You know, you better watch out, Miss Vicki, because he may write in one day and just surprise you.

JOHNSON: That would be great.

NGUYEN: Well, it's wonderful talking to you. And it's great to hear the advice that you're giving to those seeking your help.

Miss Vicki, we appreciate it.

JOHNSON: Thank you so much.

LEMON: Well astronauts are highly trained, painstakingly selected and widely admired.

That would explain the shock surrounding allegations that one of them drove 900 miles wearing diapers to try to kidnap, or worse, a romantic rival. Joining me now to talk about the strange case of Lisa Marie Nowak is David Waters, space correspondent for Central Florida News 13. I understand she has another court appearance scheduled probably around 4:00 Eastern. What is that all about?

DAVID WATERS, SPACE CORRESPONDENT, CENTRAL FLORIDA NEWS 13: Well Don, in an hour and a half, astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak is scheduled to make another appearance here at the Orange County Jail, now charged with attempted first-degree murder. She's an active astronaut who flew last year on the July 4th launch of space shuttle Discovery. She's now charged by Orlando police with first-degree attempted murder.

All of this stems from an incident where she drove from Houston all the way to Orlando International Airport, arriving yesterday morning. She went there, she said, to confront somebody else, another woman who was involved with shuttle pilot Bill Oefelein. He's the pilot who flew NASA's last space shuttle.

Well it seems that this astronaut Lisa Nowak wanted to confront this woman about her relationship and she brought a lot of things with her that concerned police immediately. Let me run through a list. A steel mallet, a folding knife, a BB gun, pepper spray, garbage bags, gloves.

And police say they were immediately concerned. They say originally that they were concerned that she was going to kidnap this person, but after looking at all the evidence, they believe that astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak was going to murder this woman.

We should mention the victim works at Patrick Air Force Base just down the road from Kennedy Space Center where the space shuttles launch from -- Don?

LEMON: All right David Waters, space correspondent for Central News 13 in Orlando. Thank you.

NGUYEN: A Miami crime writer says he has cracked a notorious cold case. But what do the cops and the victim's now famous father have to say about it? Ahead in the NEWSROOM, did Jeffrey Dahmer will Adam Walsh?

LEMON: And a British tabloid posts a video showing that a British soldier was killed in a friendly fire attack by U.S. fighter jets in Iraq. The reaction straight ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Eastman Kodak is a late comer to the digital game, but it has a new plan that could save money for photo buffs. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with all the details on this. Hmm, saving money? I like the sound of that, Susan.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

LEMON: Well, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, entertainment news with Sibila Vargas. Sibila, what do you have for us today?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well family, fame and firearms has gotten one actor posting $50,000 bond, and his children talking out against him. I'll fill you in ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A pregnant woman's frantic call to 911; the latest twist in the case of a famous actor, his sons and a nasty fight about which no one agrees.

Entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas has the latest on the Ryan O'Neal case. Strange.

VARGAS: You said it. Nobody agrees on this one. This tale is starting to sound like an award-winning movie plot. And it's unfortunately the real thing. Early Saturday morning actor Ryan O'Neal was arrested for alleged assault in his Malibu home. The actor came home from an evening out to find his 42 year-old son Griffin at his place and a fight broke out.

Now, this is where the stories begin to differ. Ryan told the "Los Angeles Times" he was protecting himself against his enraged son, who was, in his words, "wildly swinging a fireplace poker."

O'Neal said the son aimed for his head and he ducked and that Griffin allegedly hit his own pregnant girlfriend, identified as 22 year-old Joanne Berry (ph), who then called 911.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, what's wrong?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got hit by something. I can't see. Help me. Help me.

I'm in a lot of pain...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... come down...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's Malibu, California. I see light.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. We're already on the way out there.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

VARGAS: The battle continued and the 65 year-old said he became nervous and went to his room to get his gun. Griffin started to follow him up the stairs to follow him and that when Ryan fired a warning shot into the banister. At that moment Griffin fled.

Now, according to a friend who was with the senior O'Neal that night and arrived at the home shortly after the incident, Griffin attacked his younger brother, 22 year-old Redmond, by smashing an ashtray over his head and Ryan was trying to protect Redmond from his older brother. But his estranged daughter, actress Tatum O'Neal, who was not there, told "Entertainment Tonight" said that Griffin was trying to protect Redmond and not the other way around.

Now, the father and son have had a history of violence. Back in 1983, the elder O'Neal knocked out two of his son's teeth. No charges were filed at that time. Griffin was also -- had clashes with the law. In 1986 Griffin was given an 18 day jail sentence for failing to complete 400 hours of community service when he was found guilty of reckless boating that killed Gian-Carlo Coppola, the son of director Francis Ford Coppola. And in 1989 Griffin pleaded no contest to drunken driving. And in 1992 he avoided a possible three-year jail term by pleading no contest to charges he shot at his estranged girlfriend's unoccupied car.

Ryan O'Neal, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in "Love Story", was booked and released on a $50,000 bond.

So I don't know if you got all of that, but this is just a very strange case and it's -- I guess it's going to continue.

LEMON: I certainly got that. It's just a mess, you know, all of the way around.

All right, what's coming up tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT", Sibila?

VARGAS: Well, tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT", why in the world does Paris Hilton keep letting herself get videotaped and photographed doing the most outrageous, embarrassing things, from making racial slurs to posing nude? A revealing look at what makes Paris tick on TV's most provocative entertainment news show, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT", 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on "HEADLINE PRIME".

Back to you.

LEMON: Why is that? I certainly hope you guys get to the bottom of that.

VARGAS: We'll try.

LEMON: Can't wait to see.

Thank you.

See you then.

NGUYEN: Well, we're going to check out some of your cold weather iReports -- you have to see these -- from all across the country. That's up next here in the NEWSROOM. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Frigid temperatures, icy rivers means a few extra headaches, shall we say, for ferry captains.

Reporter Phil Grimshaw of "News 12, New Jersey" looks at the obstacles lurking in Sandy Hook Bay.

PHIL GRIMSHAW, NEWS 12, NJ CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's supposedly an easier way to get to and from New York City, but not today. Let's look at some video from our chopper earlier today.

Now, as you can see, the freezing temperatures were making for just an awful commute in the water earlier this morning. Now, SeaStreet, the company which provides the ferries, tells me they have canceled 10 departures, all leaving from New York City.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GRIMSHAW: How bad is it?

KERRI PEARCE, MANAGER, SEASTREET: Pretty bad. Pretty bad. The ice on the back of the boats is slowing the boats down. We're trying -- the crews are working right now to get the ice chipped off the back of the boats so we can do a pretty on-time service this evening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIMSHAW: Now, SeaStreet tells me they hope to be up and running by the 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00 hours, which, of course, is the busiest time for commuters coming home in the middle of rush hour from New York City back to New Jersey.

In Atlantic Highlands, Phil Grimshaw, CNN.

LEMON: Well, how cold is it? Try four degrees below zero in Chicago, right after the Bears' big Super Bowl -- it wouldn't be nice to say defeat, but win -- Super Bowl defeat.

iReporter Suzanne Velonis sent us a photo of herself outside of a bar where she had gone to watch the game and, also, to warm up.

Turn the clock ahead to this morning in Indiana, Pennsylvania -- is that right, Indiana, Pennsylvania? The thermometer reads zero there, but iReporter Eric Kruttschnitt says with the wind chill, it was -20. Look at that. The cold air is creating this winter scene right there.

And check out Sir Charlz of Tazmania (ph). Ireporter Doreen Tubergen of Hamilton, Michigan, sent us this photo of the family pet. It's a Corgi peeking out of the snow piled high on the picnic table. Isn't he cute?

NGUYEN: Yes, he's cute. A little cold, I imagine.

LEMON: A little chilly. He's probably loving it though, as long as he can run back.

NGUYEN: Run back inside, that is.

LEMON: We want you to keep those iReports coming, right?

NGUYEN: It's great stuff. Send them in. Next hour, we'll have a little bit more as well. And speaking of that next hour, it starts right now.

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