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Lewis 'Scooter' Libby Found Guilty; Neglected Vets; Indonesia Earthquake

Aired March 06, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.

Guilty verdict in the CIA leak case. Vice President Dick Cheney's top aide convicted of lying and obstructing justice. What will it mean for the White House?

PHILLIPS: Critical condition. President Bush calls the situation at Walter Reed hospital unacceptable. Does he have the cure for the problem?

LEMON: Three hundred fifty-five million dollars inspiring big dreams and long lines in a dozen states. Do you have better chance of dating a supermodel or hitting -- than hitting tonight's jackpot? Well, we've calculated the odds for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Lying, perjury, obstructing justice, guilty, guilty, guilty. The jury speaks finally, and it's not what Scooter Libby wanted to here.

As you know if you've been with us in the NEWSROOM, the former top aide to Vice President Cheney has just been convicted of most, but not all of the charges against him, charges arising from what he said to the feds about what he said or didn't say to journalists about former CIA operative Valerie Plame. If you tried to follow all that, you know why it took 10 days to get these verdicts. The defense maintains the verdicts won't be the final word.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TED WELLS, LIBBY'S LEAD ATTORNEY: We believe, as we said at the time of his indictment, that he is totally innocent, totally innocent, and that he did not do anything wrong. Ad we intend to keep fighting to establish his innocence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: CNN's Brian Todd is at his post at the D.C. federal courthouse.

Hey, Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. As you mentioned, this is a devastating verdict against the former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney. Lewis "Scooter" Libby being found guilty on four out of the five counts of obstruction of justice, perjury, and guilty on one count of making false statements.

The jury essentially coming to the conclusion that Mr. Libby purposely misled investigators about his conversations with reporters and others about the covert CIA identity of Valerie Plame-Wilson. She, the wife of a prominent administration critic, Joe Wilson.

This jury took a little less than two weeks to deliberate this, a little less than 10 days of deliberation time. A very methodical jury coming to this conclusion just this morning. Shortly after that, the defense attorney, the lead defense attorney for Mr. Libby, Ted Wells, came out and addressed reporters, telling them just how let down the defense team is at this verdict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WELLS: We are very disappointed in the verdict of the jurors. This jury deliberated for approximately 10 days. Despite our disappointment in the jurors' verdict, we believe in the American justice system and we believe in the jury system. We intend to file a motion for a new trial, and if that is denied, we will appeal the conviction, and we have every confidence that ultimately Mr. Libby will be vindicated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Someone who is certainly feeling vindicated at this hour is the prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, who was criticized fairly heavily for bringing this case in the first place. He walks away with a guilty verdict on, as we mentioned, four out of the five counts against the defendant. He also came out shortly after this verdict was read and addressed reporters.

Here is what Patrick Fitzgerald had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK FITZGERALD, SPECIAL PROSECUTOR: We are gratified by the jury's verdict today. The jury worked very long and hard and deliberated at some length over the charges and returned a verdict of guilty on four of the counts. The jury was obviously convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant had lied and obstructed justice in a serious matter.

The results are actually sad. It's sad that we had a situation where a high-level official, a person who worked in the office of the vice president, obstructed justice and lied under oath. We wish that had not happened, but it did.

And I want to thank the colleagues and investigators behind me who worked hard to make sure that we brought that to light and brought it to court and proved it beyond a reasonable doubt. And we're gratified by the jury's verdict and thankful for their service. (END VIDEO CLIP)

TODD: Sentencing is set for June 5th in this case. Mr. Libby could get up to 25 years in prison. It is expected that he will not get nearly that time. There also is the possibility of a presidential pardon from President Bush shortly before he leaves office.

My colleague, Brianna Keilar, was in the courtroom when the verdict was read, has some very good detail about the reaction from Mr. Libby and his wife -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, twice as the counts were read, the foreperson obviously going down one through five. Twice Mr. Libby blinked somewhat emphatically. You could see that he was somewhat shaken, certainly affected by it. He wasn't necessarily overly emotional, though.

William Jeffers and Ted Wells, for the defense, patted him on the shoulder, tried to comfort him a little bit, but again, he wasn't overly emotional, although it did stand in contrast to how he's been, Brian. As you know, throughout much of the trial he's smiled at times, but he hasn't -- he certainly hasn't shaken his head or shown too much negative emotion.

And today when you watched him walk into the courtroom before that verdict was read, from the time he entered that door, he had a smile on his face, a very relaxed gait. But where we did see the emotion was with his wife Harriet Grant. And I know you're not particularly surprised by this, because we have seen a little of this throughout the trial.

She got teary-eyed as she talked to -- she went up to the defense attorneys after the jury had left. And she hugged all of them. And as she hugged Ted Wells, you know, she was a little teary-eyed. She gave him a kiss. She even said, "I love you."

I mean, she was clearly very much affected, especially as she's very shaken by the fact that her husband could be going to jail and she doesn't know for how long.

TODD: Very -- very telling reaction there.

Also, a juror came out -- Denis Collins came out and talked about how the jurors were not high-fiving each other, they were taking this very seriously. They did feel some sympathy for Mr. Libby, but in the end they simply just did not believe his account of whether he misled investigators or not -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Brian and Brianna, thanks so much.

LEMON: Well, and you better believe the White House had a close eye on this trial and some crossed fingers.

CNN's Kathleen Koch is there.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, this was certainly not the outcome, the verdict that the White House wanted to see. They have been carefully watching these proceedings since the grand jury was first impaneled back in January of 2004 to look in to whether or not there were any violations.

Deputy press secretary Dana Perino today described how President Bush got the news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA PERINO, DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY: The president was informed by -- he was in the Oval Office. He saw the verdict read on television. Chief of staff Josh Bolten and counselor Dan Bartlett were with him.

He said that he respected the jury's verdict, that he was saddened for Scooter Libby and his family, and that the White House direction from here on out -- and I know that there's going to be a lot of disappointment with this, but there is an ongoing criminal proceeding. Scooter Libby's attorneys just announced that they are going to ask for a new trial, and that they are going to -- failing that, that they would appeal the verdict. And so our principled stand of not commenting on an ongoing legal investigation is going to continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: So obviously the White House saying it was not going to have anything further to say in this case. There were questions certainly from reporters about whether or not President Bush would indeed pardoning Scooter Libby if he failed in his motion to get a new trial and if he failed in his appeal. And Dana Perino said at this point -- she said, "I am aware of no such request for a pardon. There is a process for such a request and I don't think that speculating on something hypothetical..." that she would not comment on a hypothetical situation.

And at this point she, also, Perino said that the president had not spoken to Vice President Cheney about the results from the jury about this verdict. She was also asked whether or not anyone here at the White House had spoken to Scooter Libby. And she said, no, as far as she knows, they have not.

Back to you, Don.

LEMON: All right. Kathleen Koch, thank you so much.

KOCH: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Well, as scandals go, the Libby case is a long way from Watergate, but that's not to say many Democrats aren't gratified by the verdict, and willing to say so.

Our Dana Bash is listening on Capitol Hill.

Dana, what are they saying?

DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, we got statements from the Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate within minutes of the verdict. They had these well-prepared and generally what they are trying to make -- the case that they're trying to make is this is not about Scooter Libby, this is about the president of the United States, the vice president of the United States, and more specifically, the bad case for war that they made during the run-up to war, and the problems that they had as WMD were not found and as, in the words of the Democrats, they were trying to cover it up.

Listen to the statement from the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi. "The trial provided a troubling picture of the inner workings of the Bush administration. The testimony unmistakably revealed at the highest levels of the Bush administration a callous disregard in handling sensitive national security information and a disposition to smear the critics of the war in Iraq."

Now, that is from the House speaker.

The other interesting, sort of strategy by Democrats is you heard Dana Perino saying that there are no requests for any pardons yet of Scooter Libby. Well, Democrats are not waiting for that. They are trying to pivot politically immediately and try to put the onus on the president for this whole issue of the pardon.

That was the subject of the Democratic National Committee chairman statement, as well as the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid. He said, "Lewis Libby has been convicted of perjury, but his trial revealed deeper truths about Vice President Cheney's role in the sordid affair. Now President Bush must pledge not to pardon Libby for his criminal conduct."

So you see there Democrats are trying to make the case immediately that they do not want the president to pardon Scooter Libby, and trying to get him -- to force him essentially to pledge that he won't -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Dana Bash, live from the Hill, thanks so much.

And you can get more on the CIA leak investigation verdict online at CNN.com. Just watch reaction to today's verdict, see the key players, and view a timeline of the major events in that case.

Get more at CNN.com.

LEMON: The nation's top Army hospital, wounded war veterans are making it their last battleground. The scandal, charges, the testimony, you'll see it all right here in the NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Bitter enemies for generations coming together to try to forge ties. History in the making for the U.S. and North Korea right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Police say he's one of the men who gave marijuana to kids in this shocking video. Now the suspect is speaking out. And you won't believe what he has to say. That's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: War may be hell, but the veterans healthcare system isn't supposed to be. Today another congressional committee is fighting mad over the nightmarish bureaucracy that's said to face legions of wounded vets and the appalling conditions that have long faced many vets at Walter Reed Army Hospital. The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee says care for the troops transcends disagreements on the war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CARL LEVIN (D-MI), ARMED SERVICES CHAIRMAN: How can we as a nation ask our young men and women to serve, and when they're wounded while serving put them in a position where they are scared to death that we will not take proper care of them and their families? Surely we must change such a system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: The Arm's chief of staff says nobody is more frustrated by the bureaucratic morass than he. Quoting General Peter Schoomaker, "It's like running in hip boots in a swamp."

LEMON: Walter Reed may have given the problem a name, but the battles facing sick or wounded troops and their families aren't confined to mold and vermin at one converted hotel.

Here's CNN's Alina Cho.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Army Major Chuck Ziegenfuss might be on a second tour of duty in Iraq were it not for the injuries he suffered in an IED attack in 2005.

MAJOR CHUCK ZIEGENFUSS, U.S. ARMY: Both of my hands and forearms up to my biceps were injured. My right leg was -- the skin and the flesh underneath it were completely blown off from the inseam and right above me knee, here all the way to my hip.

CHO: He woke up four days later at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he says the care he received was first rate. The problem, he says Walter Reed was dirty.

ZIEGENFUSS: After we complained several times to get somebody to just come in and run a mop on the floor, my mom took a towel from the bathroom and got it wet and drug it back and forth across the floor.

CHO: Ziegenfuss was so fed up, he says he filed two formal complaints. Walter Reed was not available for comment.

Today, the 34-year-old is still recovering. When he's not with his wife and two children, he works at the ROTC. Steve Kraft also served in Iraq. His problems are not physical, but mental.

STEPHEN KRAFT, IRAQ WAR VETERAN: I was a hair-trigger temper. You know, I can't be around people. I don't want to be around people.

CHO: The 34-year-old was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder a year ago, but says the care he needed was not readily available at New York area veterans hospitals. Kraft says he had to wait months for an appointment with a psychiatrist.

KRAFT: You start to self-medicate and you find yourself in a bar, you find yourself doing drugs, you lash out.

CHO: One hospital where Kraft sought treatment told CNN it could not comment on his case, citing privacy laws. At this Manhattan veterans hospital, director John Donellan promises no one will be turned away.

JOHN DONELLAN, NEW YORK VETERANS HOSPITAL: If the veteran cannot get the care here, we will make it available to them, even if we have to go outside, if we have to go to one of the other hospitals in our network. We'll make the care available.

CHO: Kraft says he finally found a therapist at a veterans hospital two hours away, a sacrifice he says returning vets should not have to make.

KRAFT: Don't appoint a committee to do a review and figure out what happened and, you know, three years down the line fix it. No. Fix it now.

CHO: Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: An American mother and daughter at the center of a mystery in Moscow. A Russian news agency reports they're in moderately serious condition at a hospital after being poisoned by thallium. The women were in Moscow for a relative's wedding when they became ill last month. Thallium is the poison that doctors first thought killed a former Russian spy last year, but they later blamed another substance for his death.

(INAUDIBLE) KGB used thallium against some of its enemies during the Cold War, and it's easy to see why it would be a clandestine weapon of choice. Thallium is colorless and odorless, and it's deadly in tiny doses.

LEMON: The Pacific's ring of fire strikes again. At least 70 people were killed when earthquake-prone Indonesia suffered a strong quake and a big aftershock early today. Now, the quake was centered on the island of Sumatra, much of which is still trying to recover from the 2004 tsunami disaster.

CNN's Kathy Quiano reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHY QUIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When the quake struck, everyone, the sick and the able, rushed out of this hospital in west Sumatra. Nurses pushed patients out on stretchers and wheelchairs to safer ground. Many remained outdoors for hours. Powerful aftershocks followed the 6.3-strong tremor.

Terrified residents tried to flee to higher ground, fearing a tsunami would follow. The city of Padang, on the southwest coast of Sumatra, is one of the few cities in Indonesia with a tsunami warning system. But this quake, centered a few miles inland, did not trigger a tsunami.

After the initial panic, the damage became apparent. Hundreds of houses and shops were flattened or badly damaged. The injured, many with broken bones, were brought to hospitals. More victims are expected to be found in the hardest-hit areas just outside the capital, Padang.

Kathy Quiano, CNN, Jakarta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: On the move in Afghanistan. NATO troops in a major offensive. What they're doing and what they're up against straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Plus, police say he's one of the men who gave marijuana to kids in this shocking video. Now the suspect is speaking out. You won't believe what he has to say.

That's coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips.

Higher and higher. Take a look at the Big Board. Will the rally and the stock market hold? Susan Lisovicz following the excitement on Wall Street. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: But first, it was a long time coming. And for Lewis "Scooter" Libby, it was not worth waiting for. A string of guilty verdicts in the trial that tall many Americans more than they ever wanted to know about politicians' dealings with the media and with federal investigators.

Now, the former top aide to Vice President Cheney could face years in prison for lying, perjury and obstructing the probe into the outing of former CIA operative Valerie Plame. On one count he was acquitted. His lawyers plan to ask for a new trial. Lewis Libby never took the stand at his trial, but plenty of other people did. Our Brian Todd looks back at the past five weeks. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice-over): Prosecutors presented nine witnesses, current and former senior government and CIA officials, and three prominent journalists, all directly contradicting Lewis Scooter Libby's account of his conversations about CIA officer Valerie Plame. She is married to Joseph Wilson, a harsh critic of the Bush administration's handling of intelligence regarding Iraq. In July 2003, he wrote a critical op ed piece.

JEFFREY JACOBOVITZ, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The evidence has showed is how essentially panic-stricken the White House was over this editorial by Joseph Wilson, and how they were trying to discredit his testimony.

TODD: Special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald took the unusual step of playing audio tapes of Libby's entire grand jury testimony for the jury, including one exchange where he recounts what NBC's Tim Russert supposedly asked him.

LEWIS LIBBY: Did you know his wife worked for the CIA?

PATRICK FITZGERALD, SPECIAL COUNSEL: And you said?

LIBBY: No, I don't know that.

FITZGERALD: And his response?

LIBBY: Yes, all the -- something like yes, yes all the reporters know it.

TODD: Russert testified he couldn't have said that, because he didn't know who that person was until several days later. Libby is not charged with leaking Plame's name for the reporters, but lying to the grand jury about his conversations regarding her.

The defense calls the case circumstantial and tried to poke holes in the credibility of prosecution witnesses like former "New York Times" reporter Judith Miller. Defense lawyers also tried to make the point of how much was on Libby's plate. He was the Vice President's Chief of Staff as well as his National Security Adviser.

Their contention -- if Libby forget details of the conversations in question, chalk it up to his critical national security workload and a bad memory. Libby's lawyers surprised many by not having him take the stand in his own defense and not calling Vice President Dick Cheney to testify as was widely expected. Both men would have probably faced blistering cross-examination by prosecutors.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Again, the verdict, guilty on four counts of perjury, lying to the FBI and obstruction of justice. Not guilty on a separate count of lying. PHILLIPS: A holy pilgrimage rather turns into hell on earth for Shiite pilgrims. Scores of people are dead or wounded after the attack in the city of Hilla just south of Baghdad. Here's CNN's Jennifer Eccleston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two suicide bombers detonated their explosive belts among a large crowd of Shia pilgrims in Hilla, south of Baghdad, as they were making their way to the holy city of Karbala to mark the end of the ashura. Now, initial police reports put the number of dead at 93 with 147 pilgrims wounded.

This follows a wave of attacks in and around Baghdad, where 28 pilgrims were killed in various bombings and shootings. The ashura remembers the death of an imam who is revered by Shia Muslims. It is an event that is observed every year, and given the large crowd, it has been a popular target for insurgent attacks in the past.

And also the U.S. military announced that nine U.S. soldiers were killed in two separate bombings north of Baghdad on Monday. Both incidents involved roadside bombs. It is the highest death toll since the launch of Baghdad's new security push.

Jennifer Eccleston, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Nine American soldiers killed in Iraq this day alone, that makes it the deadliest day for the U.S. forces in a month. Six of them were killed in a roadside bombing attack in Salah ad Din province, just north of Baghdad. The other three died in another roadside bombing in Diyala province. That brings the U.S. military death toll in Iraq to 3,184, nearly 23,800 troops have been wounded.

LEMON: The Taliban's promising to launch a big offensive in Afghanistan, but right now it's NATO that's on the offensive. CNN's Nic Robertson is in Kandahar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The operation is Operation Achilles that involves some five and a half thousand troops. It is NATO's largest operation inside Afghanistan so far. They describe it as a major operation, they also describe it as their own NATO's own spring offensive, an offensive to get ahead of the expected Taliban offensive that will take place in northern Helmand, in the south of Afghanistan.

It will involve American, British, Dutch, Danish and other NATO member countries involved in this operation that will focus on a dam, a strategically important dam, the Kajaki dam. This dam is part of a reconstruction project. There's a high Taliban presence in the area. This means that so far the reconstruction is not progressing as the Afghan officials and the NATO would like to see it progress. They hope by focusing this Operation Achilles in this particular area they can bring enough stability to enable this dam project which is reconstruction and rehabilitation of a hydroelectric power plant to bring electricity to more people in the area.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Kandahar, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: What were they thinking? Investigators are shocked and so is anyone who's seen the video. Police say it shows two Texas men lighting marijuana cigarettes and encouraging two small children to smoke them. Both men have been charged with injury to a child. One of them is the kids' uncle. He says the media has just blown the whole story out of proportion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've seen it on TV, it's embarrassment, make you just look, make something small, well, it's nothing small because it's kids, and giving kids weed, but still, y'all are making it just over -- overexaggerating the whole thing. Y'all taking it too far. Them kids are going to smoke sooner or later, you know?

So, it's going to eventually happen, whether I was to do it or -- I mean, I ain't saying I'm the first to just here, smoke this blunt. You know what I'm saying? This ain't nothing to be famous for. I'm telling you, man, it's just some -- I was high and it was just something that happened that wasn't supposed to happen. That's all I can tell you in this interview, and that's how I'm going to keep telling y'all that I'm sorry for what happened and I'm sorry for the pain that I caused to my sister and family.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Those children are now in foster care and appear to be healthy. Their mother told police she was asleep when that video was shot.

LEMON: A tragic crash or a deliberate act? Federal aviation investigators are looking at possible mechanical problems, but Indiana state police say there are indications the pilot intentionally slammed into this Bedford home. Eric Johnson and his passenger, his 8-year- old daughter Emily, were all killed. Inside the house but not hurt was his former mother-in-law. His ex-wife had reported the child missing less than an hour before that crash.

Coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM, new details in the case of a jilted astronaut. That's straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Exactly one week ago, the Dow Industrials took their cue from overseas markets and tumbled 416 points. And once again today, financial markets here in the U.S. are following the trend from Asia. Let's hope they're good trends. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

PHILLIPS: Well straight ahead, entertainment news with Brooke Anderson of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." Brooke, what's on tap?

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Kyra. Well, Britney Spears, she's in rehab, so K-Fed reportedly took the kids to Vegas. And a popular rap star is accused of assault and hit with a lawsuit. Those stories and more, straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: And Brooke, more on our top story. He was behind the scenes at the White House. Now he could find himself behind bars. Lewis Scooter Libby, guilty, reaction is pouring into this breaking story. We'll have much more straight ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, forget Sin City for Kevin Federline. Las Vegas was kid city this past weekend. With that and the rest of the showbiz scoop, we're joined by Brooke Anderson of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." Hey, Brooke.

ANDERSON: Hey there, Kyra. You know, Britney Spears may have spent the weekend in rehab, but that didn't stop soon to be ex-husband Kevin Federline from heading to Vegas, kids in tow. Federline hit the strip Saturday night for a long-planned, paid appearance at the Mirage Hotel and Casino.

This according to "People" magazine, who also reports that Federline was accompanied by his two sons, 18-month-old Sean Preston and 6-month-old Jayden James. Federline's mom and brother, along with the children's nanny and two bodyguards reportedly also made that trip.

Now Federline has been caring for the two children since Spears entered a Malibu rehab facility following a very public head shaving indent. The two of them currently have a temporary joint custody agreement.

Well, it wasn't Vegas, but rather a stop at a Hollywood hot spot that appears to have landed Sean Diddy Combs a day in court. A lawsuit has been filed against the rap star by Gerard Rechnitzer, who claims Combs punched, then pushed him and then pushed his girlfriend. This outside a popular L.A. nightclub last week. The suit alleges Diddy became heated when Rechnitzer interrupted a conversation between Diddy and Rechnitzer's girlfriend.

The suit then claims Combs attacked him, shoving him into a parked car and then accosting his girlfriend. An attorney for Combs called the lawsuit, quote, "a flat-out lie" and said the case is completely baseless. While no court date has been set, police are investigating the incident. Kyra, the suit seeks, of course, unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

PHILLIPS: All right, now I hear singer Fabian also has been having a pretty rough time lately. Isn't that one of your favorites, Don? We're trying to figure out who Fabian is, I'm sorry. Does that show how old we are? ANDERSON: Back in the '50s and '60s...

LEMON: ... Oh, that Fabian.

PHILLIPS: Oh, that Fabian. Thank you, we thought it was some new hot thing that was out.

ANDERSON: All right, we're talking Fabian here. Yes, he's had some pretty bad luck recently. Get this, the 64-year-old former teen idol escaped serious injury not once, but twice this past weekend. The first incident occurred Friday night near Palm Desert when a car side sideswiped the vehicle the singer was traveling in, forcing it to roll several times. Fabian, along with his daughter and manager, were all taken to the hospital where they were treated for minor injuries.

Now, despite this accident, Fabian agreed to continue with the scheduled concert on Saturday night, but that's where he fell off the stage and suffered a scrape to his chin that required emergency room attention. Afterwards Fabian said he had plenty of guardian angels looking out for him over the weekend and then he's looking forward to his upcoming appearances.

And speaking of upcoming appearances, coming up tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," is Kevin Federline turning out to be the hero in the whole Britney Spears mess? Tonight, how the once unthinkable may be happening. Has everyone been plain wrong about K-Fed?

Plus "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT's" fascinating one on one with Federline. That's on TV's most provocative entertainment news show, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, 11 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on headline prime. A.J. Hammer and I hope to see you then.

PHILLIPS: All right, Brooke. We'll be watching, thanks.

LEMON: The changing of politicians' voices, adopting accents in order to capture the crowd. We'll take a look and listen as only our Jeanne Moos can. You don't want to miss that one. Straight ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

NICOLE LAPIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For the second year in a row, consumer reports pick for the best cars are vehicles produced by Japanese companies. You can get the complete list at CNNmoney.com. For the many vehicles consumer reports tested this year only those scoring at or near the top of their categories are considered top picks. In the budget, sub-compact car categories are Honda fit took high marks in fuel efficiency in its class, and it scored very well in reliability and passenger protection. The Honda Civic and the Accord won in the small and mid price sedan categories for their fuel economy, and great crash test results. The Infiniti M-35 is going to cost you more than 40 grand at that, but the luxury sedan got the highest marks in consumer report testing of any sedan. Toyota's Rav 4 earned top marks for small SUV category for its safety. The Toyota Prius is the top green car with a fuel economy of 44 miles per gallon.

You can get the complete list at CNNmoney.com/auto. At the .COM DESK, I am Nicole Lapin. LEMON: Well, just imagine, look at this. Imagine that was your pet, a dog out for a stroll, goes for a swim in an icy lake, but can't make it back to shore. Oh. And its owner can't reach him. There was a 911 call to the Denver fire department. One dive team member swims through the chunk of ice and grabs the dog. The other pulls them to shore. Talk about a tail-wagging rescue. Look at him. He's all excited. Good news. That ended very nicely. Chilly, frigid, icy, any way you slice it, it is bitterly cold in the northeast. Rob Marciano, what's going on? I guess the answer is winter, right?

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: You rember that tragic bus accident on Friday, where four baseball players, the bus driver and his wife were killed. Those baseball players from Bluffton University. Just moments ago one of our affiliates was able to catch up with one of surviving baseball players from his bedside in the hospital. Take a listen.

KYLE KING, BUS CRASH SURVIVIOR: And I walked out of the bus through the windshield and I turned and all traffic stopped and I'm down on the bottom, but we actually fell 30 feet from the top down to the bottom, and I was able to overcome it.

PHILLIPS: That's Kyle King, one of the survivors of that bus accident. We do have a crew there following the updates and the investigation to that accident. We'll bring you more as we get it.

CNN NEWSROOM continues at the top of the hour, right now.

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