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Accused Astronaut Lisa Nowak Lands in Houston; U.S. Helicopter Down in Iraq

Aired February 07, 2007 - 09:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

For the next three hours, watch events as they come in to the NEWSROOM live on Wednesday, the 7th of February.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Astronaut grounded. Lisa Nowak arriving home in Houston just minutes from now. We'll have live coverage and questions, how an alleged triangle led to an attempted murder charge.

HARRIS: Questionable recruiting. Troops in Iraq may not know, but the soldier fighting next to them could be a convicted criminal.

COLLINS: Size matters. Two hundred journalists taking a spin on the world's biggest plane. Our Richard Quest on board. He's landing this hour in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: All right. We are just getting word here in to CNN that Lisa Nowak's plane has landed at Bush Intercontinental Airport. That is in Houston. We expect that she will deplane on to the tarmac, that she won't, in fact, walk through the concourse.

Our Ed Lavandera is on the scene.

Ed, what are you seeing at this time?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Tony.

Well, we're here inside the terminal in Bush Intercontinental Airport, and the plane literally just pulling up to the gate here. And the extension from the gate is extending on to the plane as we speak.

There's two Houston police cars down on the tarmac and a lot of security here from Continental Airlines and that sort of thing. And so we expect -- we do not expect a la John Karr or the Runaway Bride type situation here in the terminal of the airport. We expect she will be taken down the ladder, in to the car, and whisked away from the airport here, away from hundreds of reporters and a gathering crowd of travelers who are just now starting to figure out what exactly is going on here at the airport as word is spreading through the terminal here in Houston to just exactly who is arriving.

HARRIS: So, Ed, she's getting -- is the information clear on this? Is she getting a bit of a police escort? And do we know where she is being taken?

LAVANDERA: We don't know where she's being taken. And I can only assume at this point -- we haven't heard any official word from people here at airport, but clearly security folks trying to control the situation as the crowd gets even bigger here by the gate where she is arriving. So we assume that the police cars here are just to control the situation a little bit better so it doesn't get completely chaotic and out of hand.

So that's where we're at right now.

HARRIS: OK. And Ed, give us a sense, if you would, of the reaction to this story there in that amazing flight community there, the Johnson Space Center there in Houston, what has been the reaction? What are you seeing in the morning papers as to the reporting on this story?

LAVANDERA: Well, you know, I think it's a rather delicate situation for people here in the city of Houston. There's -- obviously NASA and the space program has always been a source of great pride for this city. It's something that is looked on admiringly by virtually everyone here in the community.

So, for a scandal, if you will, of this magnitude to kind of rock the NASA community and many of the people here in the Houston area who follow it, is also -- you know, is kind of a delicate situation. But I think ultimately, kind of given the reaction that I've seen from talking to people here in the terminal, it is also something that in a weird sort of way they are completely fascinated by and have clearly been paying great attention to over the last day or two.

HARRIS: So, Ed, just to be clear, very little possibility that we will get a new picture of Lisa Nowak deplaning this morning?

LAVANDERA: I'm not exactly sure what you can see, Tony, but we have live pictures that we were trying to pump out to you guys. I don't know if you guys can see it. It's not the best quality picture in the world, but it's the best we can do here from the tarmac.

HARRIS: Yes.

LAVANDERA: So we are anticipating -- I've heard rumbling that she's toward the back of the plane. So if you can bear with us a few minutes...

HARRIS: Absolutely.

LAVANDERA: ... people are already starting to come off. We anticipate we will be able to get a shot of her coming off down the staircase.

If you're looking at the shot, just underneath the arm that extends there toward the plane you can see a group of people gathered. There's a police car in the bottom right-hand portion of the screen. And just beyond that is kind of hidden. There's a ladder that goes up to the plane.

So we anticipate that that's where she will be brought down there.

HARRIS: I see.

LAVANDERA: At the other end of the arm there are a number of security folks who are waiting for her. So, here in just a few minutes, as the plane continues to empty, we anticipate that you will see Lisa Nowak shortly.

HARRIS: Ed, appreciate it. We will -- we will monitor that picture. And it is as you describe it.

Ed Lavandera for us in Houston at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

COLLINS: Her flight status, grounded. Her fate, though, still up in the air. An astronaut charged with attempted murder in an alleged love triangle.

As we are saying, we are watching this plane in Houston -- arriving in Houston from Orlando. We're going to keep an eye on this, as you can see here.

Lisa Nowak's bizarre space odyssey, though, has left family and friends shocked and puzzled.

National Correspondent Susan Candiotti is joining us now live from Orlando.

Susan, what did you learn from the friends and family?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I haven't personally had a chance to talk to them yet, but my colleagues who have, have said that of course they're shocked by what happened. Many of the people who have known her for quite some time, including former high school classmates, have said this certainly isn't the person they know. That she's very sharp, very caring, they said, and went down an incredible career.

They're very proud of her. So they're watching this with as much wonderment as anyone else is.

I know when I was coming here to town yesterday and flew in, people were standing and staring at television monitors as CNN was reporting this story. So clearly, this has captured everyone's attention.

One of the questions I have is, of course, the kind of family reaction she will have when she flies back home to Houston. Will she be met by her children? Will she be seeing them? Will she be also seen by her husband?

They separated just a few weeks ago. Remember, she was married and has been married, rather, for 19 years.

So a lot of upheaval clearly in this family, a family who calls Lisa Nowak a caring and dedicated mother.

COLLINS: Yes. It sounds very tragic to hear the whole story in its entirety.

Susan, let me ask you this. We know that originally Lisa Nowak had posted the $15,500 bond. That was prior to that fourth charge that was added on yesterday, the charge of attempted first-degree murder. That meant another $10,000 bond. Now she has been freed on that.

Any new court dates? What's the very latest in the proceedings?

CANDIOTTI: Nothing has been set yet here in Orlando on those attempted murder and kidnapping charges. She does face the possibility of that February 20th hearing on a restraining order that Colleen Shipman -- that is the woman she apparently considered to be her love rival -- that is scheduled in court. But, of course, it seems to be a moot point, because the judge in the case has already ordered Lisa Nowak to steer clear of Colleen Shipman to the extent that the judge even mentioned that she shouldn't even consider sending flowers to Shipman if she wanted to, for example, apologize.

COLLINS: Right. We haven't heard much about Navy commander Bill Oefelein. How does he fit into the picture, if at all, as far as any type of charges or further criminal proceedings that could take place later?

CANDIOTTI: Well, of course he's a fellow astronaut. And it's unclear what will happen to him next, although he is on leave now. And he happens to be here in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center.

Now, there is a possibility of military charges against him. For example, charges of adultery that can -- that he can face. But we have yet to see what's going to happen on that yet. It could be -- it could be that they might see where these criminal charges go involving Nowak, perhaps because -- before the military, the Navy might decide to press any criminal charges against him -- or military charges against him.

COLLINS: Right. We will have to wait to see on that.

What about Colleen Shipman? Where is she now?

CANDIOTTI: Well, she's employed at Patrick Air Force Base, and also apparently has another job at a local helicopter company. So it's unknown right now, is she back at work today, has she also taken some time off given what she has been through? We just don't know yet, but that's certainly one of the things we will be following this day.

COLLINS: An Air Force captain there at Patrick Air Force Base.

All right. Susan Candiotti, thanks so much for the update on all of this. Appreciate it.

HARRIS: And quickly, let's get you back to CNN's Ed Lavandera. He is at Bush Intercontinental Airport. That is in Houston, Texas.

Ed, what's the latest from your vantage point?

LAVANDERA: Well, I think a good number of people have already emptied now from the airplane here that Lisa Nowak is on. And so we're still kind of waiting here, and the crowd around the terminal here around the window looking out at the plane continues to get much bigger. And, you know, definitely some bizarre fascination with what is going on here this morning at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

And so, Tony, the probably in the next couple of minutes we'll probably have the shot of Lisa Nowak arriving here at the airport. As far as we know, she's still on the plane. We haven't seen her yet.

HARRIS: Hey, Ed, is there going to be an opportunity, do you think, to talk to some of the passengers, some of her co-passengers, to maybe ascertain some thoughts about her state of mind, her demeanor on this flight?

LAVANDERA: Well, obviously, you know, we'll try to dip in here in the next few minutes.

HARRIS: Yes.

LAVANDERA: We've kind of been focused on getting this moment here for you, but...

HARRIS: Sure.

LAVANDERA: ... you know, we'll definitely get a chance to see that.

Some of the people (INAUDIBLE) walking off kind of come off walking -- apparently there was a television crew from one of the local stations here in Houston that was aboard the plane. And, you know, as you watch people kind of come off the airplane, people, you know, with smiles on their face. You know, I guess it's not every day that, you know, people take a flight like this where there's such a bizarre interest in it.

HARRIS: And Ed, if you would, explain to us -- because we see the picture that you provided for us. It moves, it breaks up a little bit. Explain the folks watching this how we're able to provide this pictures that they're looking at.

LAVANDERA: Well, obviously, you know, when you're in the terminal of an airport these days, it's not a place where we can bring in the normal gear and equipment that we need to work with.

HARRIS: Yes.

LAVANDERA: So we're rather trimmed down here, and we're basically using a laptop computer, a cable, and a small video camera. So I obviously apologize to the viewers for shaking this up.

HARRIS: No, no, no. It's good.

LAVANDERA: But, you know, considering, you know, that given the security at airports these days, this is pretty much all that you can get through and be able to work with. So, in this particular situation, it's rather amazing.

In fact, people have kind of been walking by and seeing the small amount of equipment that is necessary to get a live shot. A lot of people have been quite amazed by it.

HARRIS: And we see a lot more activity now. What is your vantage point? Are you just simply standing by -- we're seeing a lot of movement now -- are you just standing by a window looking down on to this scene?

LAVANDERA: Right. Actually, they're moving around quite a bit, actually.

There's two vantage points on one side. We have one camera which is -- I'm standing behind -- at this point, right behind the camera, from the vantage point that you're seeing. I've been kind of moving back and forth at the terminal trying to gauge, you know, people's reaction to what's going on.

And just on the other side of that arm, you can see a much clearer shot, which we have our other camera at, and you will be able to see those pictures later on today. And that's probably when you'll be able to see the best picture of Lisa Nowak walking off the tarmac.

In fact, I'm making my way back over there now because I anticipate the photographers are getting ready. So I anticipate here in just a few seconds I can be able to tell you if she's walking out of the -- walking off the airplane.

HARRIS: So let me just ask this question, because when I see all of this attention focussed on one area, it seems like a perfect setup for a diversion. How do we know -- who have we contacted to get the information that she is going to deplane on to the tarmac and make her way to that waiting police car there at the lower right of the screen? How do we -- how do we know that this is going to happen this way, Ed?

LAVANDERA: Well, there are a number of security officials from Continental Airlines that are here at the airport, there's a good number of them that are standing inside that arm that extends out to the airplane, sitting there at the end. Obviously, you know, they're not saying much, but, you know, we've gotten kind of the wink and a nod from folks who have been working here that this is exactly what's going on.

HARRIS: Yes. OK. All right.

So let's just keep that picture up to the extent we can this morning, and we will continue to follow that. And Ed, stay close, all right? LAVANDERA: I'll be here.

HARRIS: All right. CNN's Ed Lavandera...

LAVANDERA: Actually, you know what?

HARRIS: Yes. Ed?

LAVANDERA: Actually, I'm starting to see some -- I'm looking down. Here she comes. She's about to walk out of the -- out of the arm of the airplane right now.

She has her head covered with a jacket, and she is with her friend from NASA. She's walking down the stairs as we -- as we speak.

So you'll be able to see her in that picture here shortly making her way toward the cars. You can see that right about now actually.

HARRIS: We see the activity, that's for sure.

LAVANDERA: There you go. So, once again, she has...

HARRIS: So describe it as you see it, Ed.

LAVANDERA: Has her head covered, getting into the police car. Sorry, I have to go back to the window.

Yes, she has her head covered with a jacket, getting into the back of the police car. And she should be leaving here rather shortly.

And people now wondering why they stood around for something so short. But, you know, that's the way it is.

HARRIS: Yes, we can hear the chuckles in the background. Yes.

LAVANDERA: So that's about it. I think the car has already left, but let me get closer to the window and I can tell you.

HARRIS: That's it, yes, just pulling away.

LAVANDERA: Yes. Two police cars speeding off, and that was about it. Things are getting back to normal here.

HARRIS: OK. So, Ed, we will -- we will allow you to take a couple moments and talk to some of her co-passengers here as we see other police cars sort of following now to find out what it was like to fly with her and perhaps get some clues as to demeanor and state of mind.

Ed Lavandera for us at Bush Intercontinental Airport there in Houston.

Lisa Nowak's flight arriving shortly -- just a short time ago, and she has now entered a police car and is off to her next location. We know not where at this point. Lisa Nowak is, as you know, facing a host of charges this morning, including attempted murder. We will discuss the charges with senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin. That is coming up at the bottom of the hour right here in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Another U.S. helicopter down in Iraq this morning. The fifth crash there in just over two weeks.

We want to go live now to CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.

Barbara, good morning to you.

We don't know why this latest crash happened yet, do we?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Heidi. Way too soon to say.

Military officials are confirming, however, that a Sea Knight helicopter went down northwest of Baghdad, about 20 miles northwest. They are unable to confirm how many people were on board, but a quick reaction team making its way to that crash site, trying to see exactly what happened.

Too soon to say whether it was enemy fire or some sort of mechanical failure. But a military official telling CNN that they do believe there was enemy action in the area at the time.

This is a matter, even though it's not confirmed what brought this helicopter down, a matter of great concern to the U.S. military. This would now be the fifth helicopter down in just over two weeks, and just yesterday the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifying on Capitol Hill, talked about his concern about all of these helicopter incidents.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: I do not know whether or not it is the law of averages that caught up with us or if there's been a change in tactics, techniques and procedures on the part of enemy, which is what the investigation will do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: General Pace noting that there are investigations into all of these incidents, but the four that have already occurred, basically the U.S. military does believe they were all brought down by enemy fire. Different places in Iraq, different circumstances, different methods of shoot-downs but, nonetheless, a matter of great concern. The military looking at how it might change its own tactics for flying helicopters over the war zone -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, the chairman there responding to questioning from Senator Joe Lieberman, where Lieberman brings up that point, exactly, Barbara, saying that, you know, maybe the enemy forces have actually achieved some higher level of capability with shoulder-fired missiles. Being that we don't know exactly how those helicopters have been brought down, is it not fair to say, though, that because there have been so many similar incidents in such a short amount of time that the investigation may channel its way in that direction?

STARR: Well, they certainly are going to look at all possibilities. It seems that all of the incidents are very different.

The question one can only suppose is, are the insurgents gaining new tactics, new capability in being able to bring down U.S. helicopters, or are they simply emboldened, do they feel that they can take these shots from the ground and not be caught? And so this is a matter of major concern at the moment -- Heidi.

COLLINS: It seems amazing, doesn't it, that they're not getting caught?

All right. Well, we will continue to follow this one, of course.

Barbara Starr coming to us live from the Pentagon this morning.

Barbara, thank you.

Bullets, bombs and bodies. Another difficult of grisly violence erupting across Iraq. A mortar attack on a village outside Baghdad has left three children dead and a dozen people wounded. They are among a series of attacks targeting civilians, government employees, and Iraqi security forces.

Last night in northern Iraq, Mosul police said they found two bodies that had been dumped. Both victims were apparently shot to death.

The nation's top defense officials back on the defense. The focus, Iraq. Live to Capitol Hill coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: An astronaut flies home to Houston with legal baggage. Lisa Nowak's flight arriving just moments ago. What kind of legal jeopardy is she in?

We will discuss that in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Possible problems with the pill. Are certain contraceptives putting your life in danger?

Dr. Sanjay Gupta makes a "House Call" in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Reaching recruiting goals. Is the military bending the rules, letting dangerous criminals into the military?

That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Astronaut Lisa Nowak's plane arrived in Houston from Orlando a short time ago. And as expected, she deplaned to the tarmac and was whisked away in a police car -- her destination unknown -- and to a very unclear future. Hopefully she is on her way to spend some time with friends, family, loved ones right now.

It's a story we will continue to follow here in the NEWSROOM.

New worries today about the birth control pill. A consumer group says some contraceptives has a potentially deadly side-effect and should be banned.

CNN Chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta here now with details.

Sanjay, this isn't the first time that we've heard these concern or warnings about birth control pill and blood clots. But now they're saying they should be banned all together? Or at least this particular one?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This particular one, the third generation birth control pills they're talking about here. And you're right, we have heard some of these concerns before.

There are three generations. The first generation of birth control pills was in the '60s. They had another formulation with had lower dose of hormones. That was the second generation.

Now, the third generation contains, among other substances, a substance known as desogestrel, and that's what Public Citizen has its eye on, specifically stating that it doubles the likelihood of someone developing a blood clot. There are about nine pills out there right now that actually have this substance. You can see the list there. There's three manufacturers that make it as well.

You're absolutely right, Heidi, there have been studies since 1995, as we investigated this a bit, talking about this specifically increased risk of blood clots. And the FDA says they actually had a public message and warnings on all birth control pills talking about this increased risk of blood clots.

We talked to two of the three manufacturers yesterday specifically about what they thought about this, this new petition by Public Citizen. This is what they said.

"The labeling that accompanies the company's oral contraceptive products provides all the necessary warnings and precautions for the appropriate use of the products." That's Barr Pharmaceuticals.

And also from Ortho Women's Health & Urology, "When used as labeled, ORTHO-CEPT is a safe and effective birth control choice."

Th audit for prescriptions, Heidi, said that 7.5 million of these prescriptions were filled last year.

COLLINS: Yes. So why are they still prescribing them?

In the same question -- sorry to barrage you -- but what exactly happens to the body when you take the birth control pill and it leads to, I guess, thickening of the blood or some type of clot? GUPTA: That's right. Well, with regards to the first question, when this pill first came out, this disogestrel, the belief was it would actually lower the risk of blood clots. It's interesting sort of history in the drug development.

COLLINS: Wow.

GUPTA: It didn't pan out to be true. In fact, the blood clot risk increased. That's the first thing. But for some women, they still find it to be a better pill, better regulating cycles, more effective.

Now, as far as estrogen and its association with blood clots, that's been known for some time.

COLLINS: Right.

GUPTA: It does cause a cascade of events within the body that makes clots more likely to form. And as you well know, I mean, these blood clots in your legs can be deadly because they can travel to your lungs, they can cause pulmonary embolism, and that can be a real problem.

COLLINS: Yes. They're not fun, either one of those, that's for sure.

So if you are taking this pill, though, what signs do you look for? I mean, are you constantly, you know, just having to monitor your body because you might get a blood clot at any moment? I mean, I don't want to scare people here.

GUPTA: Yes, and I don't want to scare people either. And keep in mind the absolute numbers are very small.

We're still talking about a .1 percent increase versus .2 percent increase. So it's very unlikely for anybody taking these pills to actually develop these blood clots. But there are some things to look for.

In your legs, for example, you can have pain, you can have swelling and tenderness. You can have redness in your legs. Again, things that you know, Heidi. These sorts of things are indicative of a blood clot in the leg. Could be, anyway.

Get it checked out by a doctor, especially if you're a smoker or have some sort of family history.

COLLINS: And don't do what I did. Don't self-medicate and keep on taking that ibuprofen or anti-inflammatories and think that you can make this muscle pain go away.

GUPTA: No.

COLLINS: It might not be...

GUPTA: But you're so smart. You can figure things out. COLLINS: Oh, sure. Sure. Right.

GUPTA: Yes, seeing your doctor, you're right, is absolutely important in that case.

COLLINS: So how do women, though, when they are making these choices about birth control, how do they figure out which one is the best for them? Is that only done -- I mean, it's got to be with your doctor.

GUPTA: It is with your doctor. And a lot of times it's a trial and error type thing.

There are lots of different options out there that don't have desogestrel. For example, the patch, which we've done a lot of reporting on as well.

But again, if you're someone who is concerned about blood clots because of some history or some smoking or something in your family history, that may not be the best option for you. The numbers are still very small, but as you said, talk to you doctor about it.

COLLINS: Heredity, smoking and birth control pills, not a good combination.

GUPTA: That can be a problem, exactly.

COLLINS: All right. OK. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much for the information.

GUPTA: Thank you. All right.

HARRIS: Houston, she has some big legal problems. An astronaut accused of attempted murder in an alleged love triangle arriving back in Houston just minutes ago.

We discuss the charges with senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin in the NEWSROOM.

And we are "Minding Your Business" this morning. Stephanie Elam is in for Ali Velshi, and she is here with a preview.

Stephanie, good morning.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

That's right, Steve Jobs wants the music industry to share. And I'll tell you exactly what he means.

That's coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A grounded astronaut lands in Houston. Lisa Nowak's arrival just a short time ago marks an end to her bizarre space odyssey. She is accused of trying to kill a romantic rival in what police say was a love triangle. NASA has grounded Nowak and placed her on 30-day leave.

This is some video coming in here. You saw her come off of that plane live here on CNN NEWSROOM.

Police say Nowak drove from Houston to Orlando, where she accosted Air Force captain Colleen Shipman. You see Shipman there. They say Nowak believed Shipman was her rival for the affections of astronaut William Oefelein.

HARRIS: She is free on bond but facing an attempted murder charge.

Joining us from New York to talk about the charges against astronaut Lisa Nowak, our senior legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: Tony, Tony, what in the world are they putting in the Tang there? My goodness.

HARRIS: Nice opening salvo, Jeffrey. Good morning to you.

TOOBIN: Good morning, Tony.

HARRIS: I have to ask you, we have a military component to this as well, but I'm curious as to who gets the first crack at this case? Are we talking about the state of Florida or the military?

TOOBIN: This will almost certainly be entirely in the civilian courts. This is a matter that took place in Orlando at the airport, not on military property. It's not related to any military duties. I think this is going to stay in the civilian court.

HARRIS: Jeffrey, let's run through some of the things found with Nowak, a new steel mallet, a new folding knife, with a four-inch blade, three to four feet of rubber tubing, several large plastic garbage bags. You know, there's the wig and there's the overcoat.

TOOBIN: Don't forget the key fact that everyone's talking about, the diapers.

HARRIS: Diapers. Folks are having way too much fun with that.

TOOBIN: Right.

HARRIS: Does this list say attempted murder to you?

TOOBIN: This is really interesting, what took place yesterday, because when Nowak was first charged in the morning, she was not charged with attempted murder. She was charge with several felony counts, but not attempted murder. And the judge set a relatively low bail of $15,000.

The prosecutors weren't happy with that. They knew she was getting out so they went back to the judge with the attempted murder charge in the afternoon. And the judge still said I'm going to let her out. He raised the bail a little bit. Frankly, the attempted murder count seems pretty tenuous to me. When they decide which charges they're ultimately going to file and, you know, see her tried on something, attempted murder really does look like a stretch.

HARRIS: Whoa!

TOOBIN: Because, look, all she did was spray her with pepper spray. But, you know, merely having that stuff in the car, it's going to be tough to tie that to an attempted murder.

HARRIS: What is she doing with a knife? I want to make sure she actually listens when I'm talking to her? I mean, look, she was found with information on how to get to Colleen Shipman's home. Shipman filed a restraining order this month -- this month.

TOOBIN: Yes, these are --

HARRIS: Does this not add up to a serious, serious threat here?

TOOBIN: These are very good arguments for a restraining order, they're very good arguments for keeping her under tight supervision on bail. But whether -- you know, attempted murder is an attempt to kill someone. You know, owning objects that can be used for an attempted murder are -- you know, is not the crime.

But, Tony, look, this is very early in the investigation. I don't know what the facts are. I don't know what kind of admissions she made to other people. Maybe she said to someone, look, I'm going to kill that woman. That would be very helpful to the prosecution.

HARRIS: E-mails, phone records, right?

TOOBIN: E-mails, phone records, but maybe she said, look, I'm afraid this person is going to kill me. That would be good for her. There's a lot we don't know. That's why people have to do an investigation.

HARRIS: There is a chance here, it seems, correct me if I'm wrong here, but the worm turn as bit, once we get some sense of what comes out of an interview with Colleen Shipman. What kinds of threats had she been subjected to?

TOOBIN: Absolutely. And you know, in the application for the restraining order yesterday, you've got some sense of whether -- of the fact that this had been a continuing threat. She had no doubt in her mind who it was who was chasing her around the airport in the middle of the night because, she said, there had been some sort of continuing pattern of harassment.

What, you know -- the man at the center of the love triangle, alleged love triangle, what does he know? What kind of contact was there, among the three of them? This is the stuff that the prosecutors and the police are going to have to try to sort out.

HARRIS: So, Jeffrey, maybe you hinted at a bit of the defense strategy. Look, this is an over-charge, attempted murder, first degree murder -- that's an over-charge. If she were going to kill Colleen Shipman she would have brought a gun. That is clear cut, incontrovertible. But look, she had tubing, this, that and the other. Come on, this is an over-charge.

TOOBIN: It's an over-charge. And just to preview what I would expect the defense would be. This is a matter that belongs in the mental health system not in the criminal justice system. This is a woman who, as we all now know, led this remarkable life. You don't become an astronaut unless you're a pretty remarkable person. She's married, she has three kids. She's led an entirely blameless existence.

Something appears to have happened to lead to this bizarre behavior. Her lawyers will undoubtedly argue this is something that needs to be dealt with through treatment, through some sort of medical intervention, rather than locking her up.

(CROSS TALK)

And the prosecutors are going to say, look, you know, we are concerned about protecting people and if you are driving halfway across the country, you know, with knives, with BB guns, we are going to take that seriously, and that's for the criminal justice system.

HARRIS: And one final question, does that life narrative that you just described make her a sympathetic figure in the court of public opinion, and to a potential jury pool?

TOOBIN: Well, you know, it is very hard to know because at one level -- this is why the facts that come out are going to have to tell us a lot more than we know now. Because I think all of us have this morbid, curious fascination with this story.

But who she is, why she did it, what the relationships were certainly, I think, everybody is going to say to themselves, quite appropriately, look, you have to protect the Captain Shipmans of the world. You can't have people running around the country with guns and knives. But as to the larger facts, relating to the circumstances of the relationship, boy, I certainly don't know enough to make up my mind. And I hope other people don't as well.

HARRIS: Jeffrey, great to see you.

TOOBIN: OK, Tony.

HARRIS: Have a great day.

COLLINS: All right. Crash site in Iraq, another helicopter. We've already talked about it a little bit here this morning. Another reason now for concern. A closer look coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Money down the drain, FEMA admits to a big mistake with Katrina relief dollars. What can they do about it now? That story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(BELL CLANGING)

COLLINS: Just a couple minutes ago the opening bell for our Wednesday, at the New York Stock Exchange. Yesterday the Dow Jones industrial average rose 5 points, or so, and ended at 12,660. We'll be watching this one for you.

Big business headline, might be something you like, Tony. You can watch videos that either you rent or bought over the Internet directly on your television. They're going to be launching this today on Amazon.com and TiVo, is testing this service to see if they can make it happen.

HARRIS: I like it so far.

COLLINS: We're watching all of that. More TV for you. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Prosecutors in the Scooter Libby trial are expected to wrap things up today. NBC's Tim Russert is their last planned witness. Russert will be questioned about a phone conversation he had with Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff.

Libby told a grand jury Russert revealed Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. Russert is expected to deny that claim. Libby is charged with perjury and obstruction of justice. The defense is expected to kick off its case tomorrow.

HARRIS: Heidi, why can't you play your iTune songs on other music players? Inquiring minds want to know. Steve Jobs says it's not his fault. Stephanie Elam is here for Ali Velshi, "Minding Your Business" this morning.

So Stephanie, look, when I have the songs from the iStore on the computer and, you know, I've got a couple systems here. A couple of these little gadgets that I can play these songs on.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Right.

HARRIS: But I can't put the songs that I purchased from iTune on any other gadget, other than the iPod. What's going on here?

ELAM: That's exactly it. And all along everyone has thought this is about Apple, or let's say Microsoft and Zune. But they're saying it's about these companies not wanting to share so that you have to go back in and buy that music from them.

HARRIS: Yes!

ELAM: Well, Steve Jobs has something to say about that. And he's saying that's not exactly the case. The reason being here is because this anti-piracy software that the music industry requires to be put on it, on the songs that they sell. They're saying it's the real reason. Because if you did, let's say you have an iPod and you decide you want to get a Microsoft Zune, you have to rebuy all of those digital songs you had purchased off of that website.

So, obviously, this is causing a problem here. But he says, it's really not stopping piracy so much as they would like to say. Because think about it. We all have CDs and you can take your CDs to as many computers as you want to. And as many people can take that and that hasn't really eaten into the overall profits for the music industry.

He's saying if they allow them to do exactly what they do with digital music, and digital players, the same way they do CDs, and CD players, it will have just as much of an affect there. Because it's really, right now, the piracy laws are really only affecting a small number of devices overall.

HARRIS: But Stephanie, what he really is doing, Steve Jobs is kicking this thing down the road. This is a can he's kicking down the road. And he's saying, look, it's not my fault if it's going to be changed it needs to be the music industry.

ELAM: Yeah, he's say it's the music industry. But just think about this. This way I think that -- in his mind -- more people have access to whatever kind of music they want. They can get it from wherever. And so he's saying probably if someone does say they want Microsoft Zune, then they can probably still go and get the music from iTunes, if there's a song in particular that they have, that they want. In the long run it's better for Apple as well.

HARRIS: All right, Stephanie Elam "Minding Your Business" this morning. Stephanie, thank you.

ELAM: Thank you.

COLLINS: Blinding snow, brutal cold, parts of the country still dealing with a blast of frigid air. Oh, that looks painful. The latest on the winter weather, in the NEWSROOM.

Up, up and away, Airbus, airborne for the first time with reporters. Richard Quest on board the behemoth. We'll hear from him in the NEWSROOM

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The big chill loosens its grips on part of the Northern Plains and Northeast, but in places it is still brutally cold. This snowy scene near Buffalo, New York, the wave of Arctic air picked up moisture as it swept across the Great Lakes, creating lake- effect squalls. They've dumped three to four feet of snow now this week on parts of New York state.

And, right now, the brutal cold has swept into the Mid-Atlantic states; West Virginia shivering through some of its coldest temperatures in 10 years. Nearly a dozen deaths in the Plains and Northeast are blamed on the frigid weather.

Boy, those pictures are just, I mean, painful, aren't they? Chad Myers joining us now to talk more about this.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Money down the drain. FEMA admits to a big mistake with Katrina relief dollars. What can they do about it now? Talk about that ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And continuing coverage of our top story, a bizarre space odyssey ends where it began; a grounded astronaut back in Houston. The latest on the alleged love triangle, and a charge of attempted first degree murder in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Amazing pictures, Heidi. A massive fire in Knoxville, Tennessee. Look at this. A late-night warehouse fire now flaring up again, we understand, engulfing a neighboring building. One fire captain said it was an unbelievable scene.

Nearby apartments were evacuated when the blaze began, but those people are being allowed back home now. No reports of injuries so far. One of the building's walls actually collapsed on top of a fire truck.

We understand that the fire -- you can see it here from these live pictures -- for the most part, looks like firefighters now have it under control. We'll keep an eye on it.

COLLINS: No money-back guarantee. And admission, now, that millions of dollars intended for Hurricane Katrina relief went to the wrong people. CNN Gulf Coast Correspondent Susan Roesgen has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The water came up to about the ceiling on the first floor, a little bit lower than that.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Before Hurricane Katrina Becka Harris loved living in this big New Orleans house with two other grad students. But when the flood wiped out their belongings, Becka turned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help. She said FEMA turned her away.

BECKA HARRIS, KATRINA VICTIM: It was exhausting. They kept saying the same things, giving us the runaround. Telling us the same things. We were turning in all the paperwork they possibly could, and they just kept denying me. So I just kind of gave up. After a while, it was like, oh, well, forget it.

ROESGEN: While Becka struggled without federal help, FEMA officials now admit that the agency gave away at least $350 million to households that shouldn't have gotten the money. To people like illegal immigrants, and people who gave false addresses. FEMA is demanding that those people give the money back.

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, who is in Washington this week, trying to squeeze more money from FEMA, says she doesn't know how FEMA will be able to do that. GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO (D), LOUISIANA: If they do I hope they reinvest it in our recovery.

ROESGEN: Keeping them honest, we asked FEMA for a response. They declined an on-camera interview. But FEMA's Acting Director of Recovery David Garrett, did tell us that FEMA did "not go through the normal checks and balances" in order to get money to victims quickly after Katrina and that FEMA felt that the benefit of getting assistance to people who need it "outweighed giving money to people who didn't deserve it."

Garrett also says FEMA now has an "identity verification process" that wasn't complete right after Katrina. But Becka Harris isn't happy to learn that while tens of thousands of people who weren't eligible for federal help, got some, she didn't get anything.

HARRIS: Just did not have the assistance really hurt. You know? It's just very upsetting.

ROESGEN: She hopes that in the next disaster people who deserve help will get it while people who don't, won't.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: This news just in to us. We want to make sure that we cover it appropriately here. Another U.S. helicopter down in Iraq, in the northwest part of Baghdad. The U.S. military confirm that for us.

This is new video that we are looking at now. You see on the bottom of your screen there. Apparently an Islamist website is claiming responsibility for the U.S. chopper going down in Iraq.

Once again, this is the fifth crash now there in just about two weeks' time. This that you're looking at in particular is a CH-46. It's called a See-Night (ph) Helicopter. Very familiar -- or similar, I should say, to the CH-47, the Chinook. I'm sure you heard us talk about that aircraft quite a bit.

So, we want to continue to follow this story and what it could mean for the fighting in Baghdad, and in and around Iraq.

HARRIS: And still to come this morning, astronaut Lisa Nowak in Houston this morning. How a space hero landed in court accused of attempted murder. We are follow this story in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Up, up and away, Airbus airborne for the first time with reporters on board. Our Richard Quest is there. We're going to be hearing from him coming up in the NEWSROOM

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A plane that can carry more than 800 passengers, it's no flight of fantasy. Richard Quest is taking a ride on the Airbus Super Jumbo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RICHARD QUEST, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The Airbus A380, Super Jumbo, and for journalists who have been covering this plane for years, today is a special event. It's our first chance to experience the plane up in the air.

A short, flight media, that will take us from southern France down over the Pyrenees and southern Spain. Just two hours long, but it will give us a chance to experience what passengers in the future will get to enjoy with this giant aircraft.

Initially, when it goes into service in October of this year there will just be 550 passengers on board, but the plane is built and can carry over 800 passengers. For Airbus, the jury is still firmly out as to whether this will ever be a commercial success. More than 160 have been sold but numerous delays, cost overruns and billions of dollars of losses means it will be many years before it becomes profitable.

Then there's question of restructuring Airbus, itself. The company could become involved in a nasty dispute with its workers over the next few months. All that will be put aside for today, for people like myself are our only experience will be what it's like up in the air. Richard Quest, CNN, Toulouse, with the Super Jumbo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.

HARRIS: I'm Tony Harris. Spend the second hour in the NEWSROOM with us this morning and stay informed.

Here's what's on the run down. Last flight for now, a grounded astronaut is home in Houston; she's brought along legal troubles from an alleged love triangle gone bad.

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