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U.S. Supreme Court Throws out $79.5 Million Tobacco Verdict; Mt. Hood Climbers Rescued; JetBlue Up and Running

Aired February 20, 2007 - 11:00   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're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Heidi Collins today.

HARRIS: Developments keep coming in to the NEWSROOM on this Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, the 20th of February.

Here's what's on the rundown.

NGUYEN: She kicked the umbilical cord at 22 weeks. Can you believe it? Now tiny Amillia gets read to go home, the baby believed to be the youngest surviving preemie ever. We're going to talk live with this little wonder's doctor.

HARRIS: Plausible, predictable, preventable. Correspondent David Mattingly with a scary report. It will bring you to the edge of disaster.

NGUYEN: And New Orleans moving forward after the Katrina calamity. The city celebrating Mardi Gras with a big party.

It is Fat Tuesday in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And at the top this morning, a couple of stories. We want to bring in our T.J. Holmes in the newsroom.

T.J., we get started this morning with the Supreme Court making a decision about an hour ago to throw out a huge award. And this is all about tort reform, an issue that is kicked around a lot in this country. And the Supreme Court weighing in on that subject.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Weighing in, in a major way.

HARRIS: Yes.

HOLMES: And this is one that could have an effect for really a long time to come. This is a big one that a lot of big companies have been waiting on to see how the court rules.

But what has happened here is the U.S. Supreme Court has thrown a $79.5 million punitive damage award that was against the Philip Morris tobacco company. This was a case brought by the widow of a man in Oregon who died of smoking-related illness after he smoked some 40 years and even three packs a day on average.

But the jury there in Oregon had awarded him $79.5 million. The courts there went back and forth on appeal, so it headed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court now throws out this punitive damage award.

So now really -- this reality challenges now the power of some juries to impose those large punitive awards against tobacco companies and other well-strapped companies, if you will, that we've seen over the years. So this really could change things in the country after this -- really a momentous ruling here -- Tony.

HARRIS: And then, T.J., there's the other story that we're following out of the U.S. Court of Appeals there in Washington, D.C. And this is all about the right of habeas corpus. This is -- as it pertains to Guantanamo Bay detainees, and it is that ability to go into court, to get your day in court, and to ask the question, why am I being held?

HOLMES: Yes, getting a day in U.S. court.

HARRIS: Yes.

HOLMES: Well, this appeals court says you will not -- you do not have the right to be heard in U.S. courts.

This is a victory here for the Bush administration and President Bush, who really had to push for this and signed last year his Military Commission Act, which essentially set up a system to prosecute the terrorism suspects who are being held there at Guantanamo Bay. A lot of those detainees brought -- have brought those lawsuits you were just talking about, saying that, we have a right to our day in court.

Well, this ruling here by this appeals court says, no, do you not have the right to challenge your detention in U.S. courts. So after some back and forth and lawsuits here, Tony, the only place left for this really to go is the U.S. Supreme Court. So we will wait and see. It's pretty much a given that it will head to the U.S. Supreme Court now.

HARRIS: And that is a question. And by this ruling, detainees at Guantanamo Bay do not get the opportunity to challenge their detention to ask the basic question, why am I being held? And I think you're right, T.J., right to the Supreme Court from here.

HOLMES: Yes.

HARRIS: T.J. Holmes in the newsroom for us.

T.J., thanks.

HOLMES: All right, Tony.

NGUYEN: Well, finally, they are warm, they are dry. Best of all, they are safe. Search teams braved a blizzard to reach three stranded climbers and their dog.

CNN's Chris Lawrence is braving the cold himself at Mt. Hood. And he joins us live this morning.

Chris, I want to know, how big of a role did the dog play in keeping those climbers from freezing?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, rescuers say the dog played a pretty big role. That dog, Velvet by name, about 4 years old, a black Lab mix. Velvet has a very thick coat. So when they were huddled up here on the mountain, you know, with the wind blowing and that bitter cold, when Velvet laid across them, it really helped keep them a lot warmer than they would have been without the dog there.

Some of the climbers say when they were coming up the mountain, they would let Velvet just kind of go up ahead and walk up ahead and look -- and she'd look back every now and then, but pretty much just kind of went off on her own. But then when the weather turned bad and they started to come down the mountain, that's when they tied Velvet up to the rope thinking that would keep her safer. But when the lead climber fell over that ledge and started to tumble, it dragged a second climber and then a third climber, and then it also dragged Velvet down with them.

At the time it looked, but now some of the rescuers are saying, you know, it's a good thing that the dog was with them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB ALEXANDER, PORTLAND MOUNTAIN RESCUE: People do all sorts of activities with their -- with their pets. I'm just not -- I think it probably depends on the animal. The dog was very well behaved, under control, and I'm sure it was kind of nice to have its hot body to pass around.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: Rescuers say another very big advantage that these climbers had is that they had an electronic transmitter that allowed rescuers to exactly pinpoint where they were. You know, when the wind and the cold are this bad, you just can only stay outside for so long. And by having that transmitter, the rescuers were able to come right in and find out exactly where they were and get to them before they had to stay out here too long -- Betty.

NGUYEN: I tell you what, that is man's best friend.

But I do understand that one of the climbers was injured. What do you know about those injuries?

LAWRENCE: Yes, one of the women did have a minor head injury, she did go to the hospital. But again, it wasn't anything life- threatening.

All three of these climbers walked down the mountain with the rescue teams. So, you know, even she was able to walk down the mountain of her own power.

NGUYEN: Well, I hope Velvet gets a big treat after this.

HARRIS: Yes.

NGUYEN: Because she definitely deserves it.

Chris, you stay warm. Take care.

HARRIS: Winning back passengers. JetBlue taking steps to rebuild its reputation. Its image battered by last week's storm that paralyzed the budget airline. Hundreds of passengers stranded for hours and hours on planes.

Today, JetBlue says it will be 100 percent up and running. We'll see.

CNN's Allan Chernoff joins us from JFK in New York.

And Allan, JetBlue's embattled CEO, what is he saying about the situation this morning?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Well, the situation here is normal. But the chief executive officer, he is still in major damage control mode. He is issuing major mea culpas. There is up on YouTube a video from him, on the company's Web site, as well, and he did appear on "AMERICAN MORNING" earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID NEELEMAN, CEO, JETBLUE: I think that we had -- we had a certain weakness, and that was putting crews back together with airplanes. And we have a solution for that.

It was something that, you know, failed us on that particular instance. We have a solution for it. Instead of firing people, I'm want to add to our management.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: JetBlue is going to become more like other airlines. They are not only going to beef up their management, they're going to train lots of employees who now work in offices to be able to come to the airport in the event of a crisis. But JetBlue clearly acknowledging they need to have a bigger staff, they need to be able to contact their pilots, their flight attendants, if they do get stranded because of weather incident.

The company also today announcing a bill of rights, and among those rights, the right to get paid if you are sitting on a plane stuck. If you've arrived but you're still on the tarmac, 30 minutes wait, you'll get $25 towards a new ticket, all the way to getting a free round trip. If you're actually on the tarmac waiting to take off, if you're stuck on the plane for five hours, JetBlue is saying you will get a free round trip.

Of course, if you're stuck on a plane for five hours, that may not be adequate compensation -- Tony.

HARRIS: You have -- that's my point. You've got it.

I have to ask you, Allan, what are passengers saying about JetBlue this morning?

CHERNOFF: Well, as you can see behind me, it's really like the calm after the storm. I mean, this place was complete chaos last Wednesday and into Thursday, Friday. It's been crazy here.

Now it's finally calm. The passengers are mostly happy. Most of them telling us, "Yes, I hope to have a good experience today. And I expect to continue flying JetBlue."

But keep in mind, these are not the people who were stuck on those airplanes. Most of these people actually did buy their tickets well in advance. And let's have a listen to one of those passengers we spoke with a little while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been flying JetBlue for seven years now. And I've loved it up until this point with all the cancellations. But I think I'll still continue to fly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: One other issue to consider. Even though a lot of the passengers are happy this morning, well, there are other people who are not so happy. They are still waiting to get their bags from JetBlue, lost for several days. And JetBlue is promising they will be delivering those bags by the end of business today.

Hopefully that will happen -- Tony.

HARRIS: And reimburse me the money I spent buying new items, new clothes while I'm waiting for my bags. Let's add that to the customer bill of rights there.

Allan Chernoff for us at JFK airport.

Allan, thank you.

NGUYEN: Don't get Tony started. I tell you.

HARRIS: Don't, please.

NGUYEN: Well, we do have a new development on the intelligence front to tell you about. Admiral Mike McConnell was sworn in just a short time ago as the country's new director of national intelligence. President Bush was on hand at that ceremony in Washington. You see it here.

McConnell has actually been on the job since last week, when he took the oath of office. The retired vice admiral now heads all 16 of the nation's spy agencies. He succeeds John Negroponte, who is now deputy secretary of state.

HARRIS: An explosion and then poisonous fumes fill the streets of an Iraqi city. The deadly attack one of several today across Iraq. A government official says a bomb on board a tank carrying chlorine gas caused the tanker to explode. The incident outside a restaurant in Taji, just north of Baghdad. The official says at least six people were killed and more than 100 others were injured by the blast or sickened by the fumes.

In Baghdad, more bloodshed. Two car bombings have killed more than a dozen people. And at a funeral service, at least five other people were killed by a suicide bomber wearing a vest packed with explosives. Also, police say they found at least 20 bodies across the Iraqi capital today.

Iran appears to be making some new moves to raise its military presence in the Persian Gulf. That assessment from military officials. Those officials tell CNN that on at least two days last week, Iranian patrol boats crossed into Iraqi waters at the northern end of the Gulf. They stayed for several minutes before they were told to leave by Iraqi security forces.

The officials say the Iranian boats did not approach oil terminals in the area. And they say so far, the United States does not consider the Iranian moves aggressive or provocative.

NGUYEN: Let's talk some politics now. Could it be a change of tune for John McCain? When defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld resigned last November, Senator McCain said Rumsfeld deserved respect and gratitude for his service. Well, now on the campaign trail, McCain's opinion, a bit deflated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I think Donald Rumsfeld will go down in history as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: McCain said Rumsfeld failed by not putting enough troops on the ground in Iraq. McCain told an audience of South Carolina seniors the U.S. can still succeed in Iraq. He says it will take, though, more troops and a new strategy.

HARRIS: Preparing for the worst. From ballparks to your own back yard, if disaster strikes, are you ready? A look at what makes us vulnerable and how to fix it, ahead in the NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Also, heart disease, a man's disease? Well, the risk could get greater, especially for ladies. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the NEWSROOM with what women need to know.

HARRIS: And oh, baby. Look at this. She was barely -- wow, just tiny.

NGUYEN: Tiny. Look at the pen next to her. That gives you perspective.

NGUYEN: There you go. Chances of survival for this preemie, near zero.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was so tiny. She was just all ribs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I was prepared for the worst and prepared to break bad news to the mother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But we weighed her and she was just 10 ounces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Four months and three pounds later, baby Amillia, record setter -- in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: This just in to CNN. We are getting word that there is a missing girl in Florida.

T.J. Holmes is following this.

T.J., I understand that she may be in danger.

HOLMES: Yes, that's what police are saying in this alert, that they believe the child is in danger. However, we're not getting very many details on exactly how they came to that conclusion.

But there you're seeing her, 11-year-old Ninotschka Pablos. Disappeared last night near her Orlando home. According to police, she left her home around 8:00 last night, just heading right up the street to get ice cream, and she hasn't been seen since.

Her mother, her family, her friends say this is not characteristic of her at all. She does not do this.

Family, friends, everybody she knows, other friends have been contacted. She hasn't spent the night or do anything like that, so all of her friends don't know where she is. But kind of just a strange situation.

An 11-year-old you're seeing there, about five foot tall, 85 pounds, female. She was last seen wearing a white jacket, a white tank top, and also dark jeans. But, again, a strange thing here.

She just went out for ice cream. It's something that they're reporting, affiliates are reporting, that she did all the time. Family and friends say this is something she did this all the time, made a quick little walk up the street to grab ice cream and would come right back. But left at about 8:00 last night, and has not been seen since. Her mom finally called police at around midnight last night and now the search is on for her. But yes, in fact, Florida authorities are saying they consider her to be -- is believed to be in danger.

Haven't gotten details on why they claim to that conclusion or exactly what they think might have -- may have happened to her. But certainly of concern any time a child goes missing like this.

So we're keeping on eye on this, trying to get more details about the -- possibly what the police know about the incident or whatever it may have been surrounding her disappearance -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. T.J. Holmes, thank you for that. That's one parent's nightmare.

Here's another nightmare scenario.

Since 9/11, many of us wore about them, but would we be prepared if disaster strikes?

CNN's David Mattingly takes a look at this -- in a special series of reports that you've been doing.

And he joins us to talk about it.

It is frightening to think about some of the things that you're about to tell us.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Betty. And we're taking a look at disasters that haven't happened yet. But these are catastrophes that experts and public officials say they fear most. And they want to know why we're not taking quicker steps to make sure they don't happen.

One scenario we looked at is in the city of Philadelphia. It begins with a terrorists, a refinery, and a baseball game.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY (voice over): This is the scenario, a summer afternoon in Philadelphia, the parking lot still filling up with fans streaming into the stadium for a Phillies home game. The beer cold, the air warm, the ballpark fills with anticipation as the players take the field.

(on camera): But as the first pitch rockets toward home plate, none of the 45,000 inside has any idea of the terrible turn their lives are about to take. That's because terrorists not far away are moving forward on a plot to turn this stadium into both a spectacular political statement and a mass grave.

(voice over): It took years of planning to get to this point. The radicals have been quietly and legally acquiring licenses and jobs that give them the means to launch an act of terror so horrifying, it could be worse than the attacks of 9/11. And this is how it begins. Two trucks wind their way through the streets of South Philly, but strangely, their destination isn't the stadium. It's the sprawling oil refinery just two miles away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY: And what follows is a loss of life that is greater than what we saw on 9/11. But as we'll explore tonight, Betty, while these are predictable, they are also preventable.

NGUYEN: Well, of all these scenarios that you looked at, were they all the result of a terrorist attack?

MATTINGLY: Some are the result of terrorism. Some are the result of natural disasters. But all of them have that element of neglect, the idea that maybe we should have done something more by now to prevent them from happening.

NGUYEN: Give us another glimpse, just another idea of some of these scenarios that you're talking about.

MATTINGLY: We literally went from coast to coast. We started with floods in Sacramento, we ended with fires in Boston and all points in between.

NGUYEN: So anything in this, though -- I mean, we're talking about a lot of different areas that could be under attack, that could cause a lot of casualties. Anything truly surprise you out of it all?

MATTINGLY: One thing really surprising was how many people actually live on the edge of disaster. We're talking hundreds of thousands of people, depending on where you live and what sort of circumstances you might be in right now.

NGUYEN: And you really don't think about it unless you're thinking...

MATTINGLY: You don't want to think about it.

NGUYEN: ... in the mindset of someone who is wanting to do harm.

MATTINGLY: That's right. Right.

NGUYEN: All right. Very good stuff. Looking forward to that.

Thank you, David.

MATTINGLY: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 -- what has the nation learned from all of this? See more of David Mattingly's special report, "Edge of Disaster." That's on "ANDERSON COOPER 360" at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.

Well, it is an incredible story of survival from the world's tiniest record holder. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was speechless. I really was.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was not supposed to happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm in a state of shock right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: A small girl beating big odds. Right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Just an amazing story for you now.

NGUYEN: Oh, man.

HARRIS: How about this? It is about one of the world's tiniest fighters.

NGUYEN: You have got to see this little girl. A baby weighing just ounces at birth back in October, but going home soon.

Laurie Jennings reports. She is with Miami affiliate WPLG.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, baby. How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's truly amazing. That's why I've named her "Queen Bee".

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And how much do you weigh today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three pounds and 10 ounces.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, she is our little princess in the unit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her lungs are a little premature still, but besides that she's fine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's truly a miracle.

LAURIE JENNINGS, REPORTER, WPLG (voice over): Sonja and Eddie Taylor's baby girl has earned a lot of nicknames over her four months in intensive care...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There you go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go, baby.

JENNINGS: ... "Queen Bee," "Princess," "Miracle." But none more perfect than her given name, Amillia. SONJA TAYLOR, MOTHER: We were looking through the Internet, and it meant fighter, resilient.

JENNINGS: And Amillia had to be a fighter to beat some incredible odds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Survival of babies that are less than 22 weeks of gestation is close to zero, if not zero.

JENNINGS: The medical standard is not to even resuscitate the 22-weeker. So when Sonja knew she was going into early labor last October at just 19 weeks, she fibbed a little about her baby's age. Doctors worked to hold off the birth, but nine days later they had no choice but an emergency C-section, thinking they were delivering a 23- weeker.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was so tiny. She was just all ribs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I was prepared for the worst and prepared to break the news to the mother.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But we weighed her and she was just 10 ounces.

JENNINGS: Still in shock at her size, neonatologist Dr. Pukhet Tanidate (ph) took a chance. He inserted a feeding tube and Amillia took to it in the first try, perked right up. He knew then this baby, just slightly bigger than a pen, was something special.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was literally just a little -- a Coke can under sterile drapes.

JENNINGS: Pediatric surgeon Dr. Holly Neville (ph) was called in immediately to repair Amillia's left ear and much of her scalp that was torn during delivery and left hanging. Normally such young gel- like skin couldn't even accept stitches or being handled at all. But somehow, Amillia's skin was mature beyond her young age, and that's a big part of what protected her.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had never seen such a small baby.

JENNINGS: It was months later when doctors verified Amillia's true age with her parents' fertility specialist and discovered this now perfect healthy baby was born at exactly 21 weeks and 6 days, a world record.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was speechless. I really was. This is not supposed to even happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm still shocked right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Science has proven us wrong, for when you look at such a small miracle, you almost have to believe there's something else, you know. There's a higher power that allows us to do what we do.

JENNINGS (on camera): Eddie, what do you want to let the doctors and nurses know?

EDDIE TAYLOR, FATHER: They did a super job. I owe them big thanks.

You're a little miracle.

She's going to change medicine.

S. TAYLOR: Yes, she is. And I knew that I wanted her to have a chance. And I just knew in my heart that she was going to make it.

JENNINGS (voice over): Laurie Jennings, Local 10 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Miracle is right. Let's get more on this little thing from Dr. William Smalling from Baptist Children's Hospital in Miami. He joins us by phone.

Now, I understand Amillia was planning on going home today, but there's been a bit of a setback.

Talk to us about that.

DR. WILLIAM SMALLING, BAPTIST CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: Well, we found out that Amillia had a slightly lower white blood cell count than usual. Everything is fine in terms of her clinical exam, but we usually screen them once a week, just to make sure everything is going well in their blood counts, and it was on the lower side this morning.

So we're just observing her for another two days. So she should probably go home Wednesday or Thursday. Just a precaution.

NGUYEN: Well, that is good news. Yes, absolutely. Something as precious as a child, you definitely want to be absolutely sure, especially after all that she has been through.

We're looking at pictures of Amillia, just a little bit bigger than the size of a pen. Her feet, you know, have been compared to Gummi Bears, they're so tiny.

When you saw this baby, there weren't even statistics on babies being born this early. What did you think to do? How did you know what to do?

SMALLING: Well, to be honest, we didn't know what to do. We didn't have any normal values to compare even vital signs to. But based on our experience -- and we did the best that we could, and I have to say that a lot of it has to do with just Amillia's resiliency, and I think a higher power's intervention.

NGUYEN: Talk to us about why she was born so premature.

SMALLING: Well, her mother went into preterm labor. It was probably induced by an infection. She had chorioamnionitis. She also had premature rupture of her membranes. So all of those factors played in to her coming in to this world unexpected.

NGUYEN: And boy has she survived. She is a fighter. But I do understand that monitoring Amillia was a 24-hour job and something just about everyone at the hospital took part in.

SMALLING: Well, these babies are critical, and they require an entire team of management. We have excellent nurses, excellent respiratory therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists. There's an entire team involved in caring for these babies, and they require so much intensive monitoring and intervention. But Amillia really surprised us all by having really very little complications for her size.

NGUYEN: Yes. That's another thing. As we're looking at her, a more recent picture of her, she is just so precious and so beautiful. Is she going to have any long-term health problems because of being born so premature?

SMALLING: Well, we don't know that, because, again, she's a pioneer. So we just have to wait and see. But the only thing we can say, based on her physical exam now and all of her medical workup, there's no reason she shouldn't have a bright future. There seems to be no long-lasting devastating effects of what she went through.

NGUYEN: That is so good to hear. And remind us, once again, how big is she now?

SMALLING: She is 26 inches now and about 4 1/2 pounds.

NGUYEN: Precious little miracle as they're calling her.

Dr. William Smalling, neonatologist at Baptist Children's Hospital, we thank you for your time and all that you've done to keep Amellia alive and healthy.

SMALLING: Thank you very much.

NGUYEN: Isn't just that amazing, Tony?

HARRIS: That is.

ANNOUNCER: News as it develops as only CNN can bring it to you. See for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen, sitting in for Heidi Collins today.

HARRIS: Amazing story. Great interview.

NGUYEN: Yes, he's great.

HARRIS: Let's tell this JetBlue story. JetBlue attempting to win back the hearts and minds of its passengers. That, of course, is the plan. See it unfold here in the NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Also, rescued from Mt. Hood. Three climbers safe and sound and their little dog, too. But how will their experience impact future climbers? Find out in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And let there be light, just no light bulbs.

NGUYEN: How's that going to happen.

HARRIS: Yes. Australia moving to ban the bulb. Well, how will they see?

NGUYEN: I have no idea.

HARRIS: Find out in the NEWSROOM.

NGUYEN: Candles?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

HARRIS: King Rex and his crew passing through the streets of New Orleans. That can only mean one thing, Betty.

NGUYEN: Fat Tuesday.

HARRIS: Mardi Gras! And for the residents of New Orleans it is a welcome distraction from destruction.

CNN Gulf Coast correspondent Susan Roesgen is live in New Orleans right now.

Susan, I wanted to join us this hour with beads, but Betty's being stingy. She won't give me any of the beads. She is saying I have to do something. And I offered up the podcast, but apparently that's not enough.

NGUYEN: That's not enough, buddy.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Listen, you don't have to do anything here except beg. And you can see how crowded it's gotten now, Tony. The crowds are coming right up against the floats, holding out their arms, saying throw me something, mister. They're throwing beads. They're gently handles those wonderfully coveted coconuts. This is Zulu, the traditional African-American parading organization, that was really formed as a group of some of the old line, wealthier, blue-bled carnival crews. They have both black and white riders, both men and women. But the only requirement is they all must be in black-face. This is one of the favorite parades in this city. And Even after Katrina here, the parades must go on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN (voice-over): Cookie Miller looks forward to Mardi Gras all year. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My family was always into it. I don't think i've missed five in my lifetime, and I'm over 50.

ROESGEN: After Hurricane Katrina his family left New Orleans, but they always come back for carnival, camping out on their favorite corner for days to get the best view of the parades.

Stacie Merritt is a rider on a float. Each riders buys boxes of things to throw to the crowds, and spends hours getting ready.

And if you don't live here, the effort may seem strange in a city where so much serious work still needs to be done. Stacie is still waiting to move back home.

STACIE MERRITT, FLOAT RIDER: If we can get away from all that. I know it doesn't make any sense to people away from here, but locals understand. If you can just get away from that for a few seconds, it does a lot of good.

ROESGEN: While many neighborhoods are struggling, the publisher of the local magazine on Mardi Gras says the carnival spirit is alive and well.

ARTHUR HARDY, MARDI GRAS HISTORIAN: It's amazing that Mardi Gras has recovered much more quickly than the general recovery of the area. And I think it's because private industry, citizens run Mardi Gras. There's no government involved, really. And, you know, people can do whatever they want to do without having to wait for any kind of outside help or interference.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: And the end result is magic. After the parades tonight, Tony, the party moves into Bourbon Street, and then right at the stroke of midnight, the New Orleans police on horseback will escort everybody back home -- Tony.

HARRIS: Well, Susan, you're going to have to dub in your on- cameras, because we can't hear a thing you're saying, it's just so loud down there. But it's all right. It's fun. It's fun.

Great to see you, Susie.

It looks like she having a great time, doesn't it?

NGUYEN: Oh, absolutely, Mardi Gras.

HARRIS: It is, it is.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: We do have some breaking news to tell you about. We understand that three Americans have been kidnapped in the West Bank.

Let's go to CNN's T.J. Holmes with the latest on this -- T.J. T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Betty, these are three American women is the word we're getting from Palestinian sources, that have been kidnapped in the west bank town of Nablus. Don't know who the three women are, don't have names on them. But according to Palestinian officials, the three women were last seen in the West Bank, near a refugee camp, actually taking pictures. Don't know, or haven't gotten word whether or not these were journalists or what these three American women might have been doing there, what their business was there. But no more information than this right now, and no claim of responsibility that we know of.

We have seen several incidents in past, where journalists even, and even several foreigners have been taken hostage in the West Bank. And what strangely enough happens that just really we've come to expect, just hours later even, literally hours later, in so many of these cases, the foreigners, or journalists are released unharmed. Certainly hope that can be the case here as well.

But again, three American women have been abducted in the west bank town of Nablus, trying to get more information about who these three women are, three American women. And this is certainly a story we're going to be all over with interest.

And, again, Betty, seen this plenty of times before. Hope this ends up like so many other cases, where people are taken hostage there, foreigners, and released, negotiations start immediately and they're released a short time later, so I hope this can be the case here.

NGUYEN: Hopefully that's the case. Yes, absolutely. T.J., thank you for that.

HARRIS: And it certainly a story that "YOUR WORLD TODAY" will be covering, starting at the top of the hour, about 17 hours from now.

Let's get a preview. Hala Gorani is standing by for us.

Hala, Good morning.

HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Tony. Good morning, Betty.

Indeed, we're going to be following that story, the three American women kidnapped in the West Bank town of Nablus.

We're also going to be taking you to the Persian gulf. New video showing Iranian patrol boats crossing into Iraqi waters in the Persian Gulf. We'll tell what you what military officials say they might have been doing there.

Also in the U.K., jurors have seen today what some are calling very shocking video, a man wearing a burka accused of plotting terror attacks in London back in July of 2005. We will take you outside the courthouse.

Also, we have many international travelers watching "YOUR WORLD TODAY," as well as U.S. travelers. Off the back of that story on JetBlue issuing a passenger bill of rights, we are going to be asking our viewers around the world and in America, should there be an airline industry-wide bill of rights? We're going to have those answers in "YOUR WORLD TODAY" at the top of the hour. Join Jim Clancy and myself in just about 15 minutes.

Back to you guys.

NGUYEN: That is a good question.

HARRIS: Good luck with that. I'm trying to get more than peanuts and a Coke on a flight.

Hala Gorani, we'll see you at the top of the hour.

NGUYEN: Also coming up, James Brown and his family's burial battle. Something is up that may finally answer the question, when and where will the Godfather of Soul rest in peace? We have that story, in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The final resting place for the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, well, Brown died Christmas Day. The woman who says she is Brown's widow tells CNN's Larry King an agreement has finally been reached on his burial, and she says the details could be worked out any day now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMI RAI BROWN, JAMES BROWN'S COMPANION: I know what James wanted, and that's what I'm fighting for.

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: What does he want?

BROWN: James want to be buried on the property, and he wants to be buried in the ground.

NGUYEN: Where the house is.

BROWN: Our home. We had always planned to turn it into a museum. That was never -- that was something James and I talked about.

NGUYEN: He wants something like Presley?

BROWN: Yes, absolutely, absolutely. And James and I talked about this day for many years. And we knew everything that was going to happen, even down to the horrible things that have happened. He knew it was going to happen. But he wants to be in the ground and he wants 37 psalms up on top of the biggest rock he can find. Fret not thyself of evildoers. He said it in every interview he ever did. And that's what he wants on top of his grave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Also at stake, control of Brown's estate. Tomi Rae Brown says it is worth more than $100 million.

And tonight, who gets custody of Anna Nicole's Body, and who will win custody of her baby girl? That's tonight, 9:00 Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: And you're back in the NEWSROOM an hour from now. Don Lemon here now with a preview.

Hey, Don.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Nice beads.

HARRIS: Thank you.

LEMON: Happy fat Tuesday. Throw me something mister, huh. It would be fun to be down there. A lot of fun. We're having fun here.

But some serious stuff happening. We're following the breaking story you just reported of three American women kidnapped in the Mideast. Our reporters in the region are investigating, and we hope to bring you more details on that in the NEWSROOM at 1:00.

Also, is making up hard to do? JetBlue comes up with a plan to compensate disgruntled passengers after last week's snow-related fiasco. Is it enough? Does Congress need to step in with its own passenger bill of rights? We'll give the viewers a chance to weigh in. All that, all the day's top stories straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM 1:00 p.m. Eastern, right here. We'll see you then.

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: Another day it. All right, thank you, Don. See you soon.

HARRIS: Well, CNN NEWSROOM does continue one hour from now.

"YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe and here at home.

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