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Gays In The Military; Prosecutor Purge?; Screeners Screened; On The Mend; Heckler-In-Chief; Halliburton's Move; Americans Still Oppose Bush Iraq Policy
Aired March 13, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the NEWSROOM.
At the top this hour, outrageous, insensitive, disrespectful. That's some of the reaction to Joint Chiefs Chairman Peter Pace's comment that homosexuality is immoral. Pace also told "The Chicago Tribune" newspaper that gays should not be allowed to openly serve in the military. Let's get more from CNN's Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
And, Barbara, often times people hear the headlines and don't actually get an opportunity to hear or read and some sense of totality of what the general had to say. So why don't you brief us on what the general actually said.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, this was an interview that General Pace gave yesterday to "The Chicago Tribune." And indeed there is an audio recording of precisely what he said. He was asked his personal opinion about whether the ban on gays openly serving in the U.S. military should stand. Here's what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN: I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts. So the don't ask don't tell allows an individual to serve the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: But that still is a statement that is drawing an awful lot of criticism this morning from the gay and lesbian community. There's a group here in Washington called the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. They represent people who want to serve in the U.S. military. And they put out a scathing statement saying, "General Pace's comments are outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful to the 65,000 lesbian and gay troops now serving in our armed forces." That statement from them.
Of course, there are many gay and lesbian people that serve very honorably in the U.S. military. But the don't ask don't tell policy was put into place by Congress about 14 years ago, saying that a person who was openly gay could not serve in the military because it was detrimental to good order and discipline. General Pace now saying, in his view, homosexual acts are immoral.
Tony.
HARRIS: Barbara, in listening to that quote from the general himself, it sounds like the general was very measured, very thoughtful in his response to the question. I'm wondering if he is having any second thoughts about his comments and might, in fact, apologize?
STARR: Well, as we understand it from his senior staff this morning, we've spoken to a couple members of his senior staff, he does not intend to apologize. What he is focusing on is that he was asked his personal view. And he characterized all of this saying it was part of his upbringing. That was a word that he used. But the question may linger because he was giving an interview as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and yet offered his personal opinion. So a bit of a mixed signal here. We'll see how it plays out, Tony.
HARRIS: Yes. Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr for us this morning.
Barbara, thank you.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, a target of growing Democratic anger this morning. The firing of U.S. attorneys prompting them to launch an investigation. Now Gonzales' chief aide who handled the dismissals, Kyle Sampson, has resigned. It's just the latest controversy stroking Democratic calls for Gonzales to step down. Details now from CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Some senior Democrats say justice would be better served if Alberto Gonzales resigned as attorney general.
SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's got some real problems here. There's very little credibility in the Justice Department right now.
ARENA: The rumblings of discontent go all the way back to memos crafted while Gonzales was White House counsel. Memos that some say condone torture. Then, controversies over civil liberties, from secret wiretaps to charges of abuse under The Patriot Act.
But it's the allegation that Gonzales fired eight U.S. attorneys for not doing the administration's bidding that has the Democratic leadership all riled up. Gonzales has repeatedly denied political motivations.
ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: I want to reassure the American people that we in no way have made decisions to politicize these offices.
ARENA: His supporters say it wouldn't be possible anyway.
RICHARD CULLEN, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Every single U.S. attorney's office is run and manned by career professionals who do not care one wit who is in power in the White House.
ARENA: Still, many Democrats aren't buying it. They see a pattern of political behavior under Gonzales and his predecessor, John Ashcroft, citing a study that shows U.S. attorneys have been targeting Democrats more than Republicans. The study shows that between 2001 and 2006 79 percent of investigation or indictments of public officials were directed against Democrats. Just 18 percent against Republicans.
JOHN CRAGAN, STUDY COAUTHOR: Our research can't prove motive. You know, our research doesn't get inside of Attorney General Gonzales' head. But the statistics point out that it's pretty likely that this was intentional.
ARENA: For its part, the Justice Department completely dismisses the study, saying there's no evidence it was conducted according to academic or scientific standards.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: And I want to get this out to you straight away. CNN has now confirmed that indeed Gonzales' chief aide, Kyle Sampson, has resigned. We will have Kelli Arena joining us in just a few minutes to tell us more about that situation and keep you posted.
Meanwhile, President Bush in Mexico and in the middle of a political mine field. This morning, he's meeting with Mexico's newly- elected president. Felipe Calderon says the U.S. has much to do, much more to ease the tensions between the two countries. Topping the list of thorny issues, drug trafficking and illegal immigration. President Calderon is adamantly opposed to Washington's plans of building a fence along the border.
A road paved with promise, littered with broken dreams. It leads to the United States. Go along with Mexican immigrants on their journey in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Surprise inspections going on at Florida airports this week. This time the people who usually do searches are getting pat downs themselves. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is in Tampa with the story.
Jeanne, good morning.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
The Transportation Security Administration has dispatched additional personnel to five airports in Florida and Puerto Rico to give additional scrutiny to workers who work in secure areas of airports. Those workers are subject now to random searches and bag checks. In addition, canine teams are checking out vehicles going into secure areas. And security personnel are going aboard some aircraft to check and make sure that nothing has been hidden on board before passengers board. The TSA says it's going to be moving these teams unannounced within these airports and eventually to other airports in an effort to find workers who are engaged in illegal or prohibited activity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EARL MORRIS, TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION: I think you're going to find bad apples in any corporation or any form of government or anywhere in the world for that matter. I mean you can't have 100 percent of anything anywhere and that's why we continually move our people to ensure that if there are those who have any intention of doing harm, that we have a high likelihood of apprehending them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: The timing and positioning of these teams was triggered in part by an arrest. An arrest of Thomas Anthony Munoz (ph). He allegedly used his airport employee ID to smuggle 14 weapons and marijuana into the secure part of Orlando's airport and then on to an aircraft. He was arrested when that plane landed in Puerto Rico. Since then, three others have been taken into custody. To be perfectly frank, the TSA and airports cannot possibly screen daily the 800,000 or so employees who do have access to secure areas every day, but they are hoping that this random enforcement action will have a deterrent effect.
Tony, back to you.
HARRIS: Jeanne Meserve for us this morning.
Jeanne, thank you.
And, as always, we invite you to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
COLLINS: A nursing home fire in North Carolina kills one resident, 19 others are injured. The fire broke out in Mocksville, North Carolina. It happened just after 10:00 last night, while most residents were likely sleeping. Of the 19 injured, officials say four are in critical condition. Authorities also say two police officers were treated for smoke inhalation. The cause of the fire still under investigation.
His crime, so abominable it makes your stomach sick. Today convicted child killer John Couey faces the sentencing phase of his trial. It will determine whether Couey will get life in prison or the death penalty. A Florida jury found Couey guilty last week of abducting, raping and murdering nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford two years ago. She was buried alive. Defense lawyers say Couey is mentally retarded and they recommend a life sentence. A judge will ultimately decide Couey's fate.
In Georgia, a search for a missing boy believed to have been abducted. This is six-year-old Christopher Michael Barrois Jr. He was last seen Thursday near his home in Glenn County mobile home park. Search crews have checked dumpsters, wells and isolated stretches of the area. Police believe he was abducted but say they have no leads. HARRIS: Remembering the victims of this month's deadly bus crash here in Atlanta. At a memorial service in Ohio, members of the Bluffton University baseball team lit candles in honor of their five teammates killed in the crash. The bus driver and his wife also died. The teams bus plunged off an overpass and landed on its side on the highway below. Emergency workers from Atlanta also attended the memorial service.
Home from the hospital and talking about his ordeal, Bluffton University baseball player Kyle King. Reporter Blake Chenault with affiliate WOIO caught King's homecoming in Ohio yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLAKE CHENAULT, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Battered, broken, but certainly not beaten. Kyle King was wheeled in to the Akron-Canton Airport today, nearly two weeks after surviving that deadly bus accident in Atlanta that involved baseball players from Bluffton University.
KYLE KING, BLUFFTON UNIVERSITY BASEBALL PLAYER: My injuries are a broken back.
CHENAULT: That's right. The young man's back is broken, but doctors say the prognosis for recovery is good because his spinal cord remained intact.
KING: I'm expected full recovery from everything. I'll be able - there are no limitations.
CHENAULT: The 20-year-old King's right hand, heavily wrapped, was also severely damaged. The hand is on his throwing arm, but right now he's looking forward to getting back to his old routine.
KING: I just need to get back to school and get with my teammates and go from there. That's my biggest obstacle.
CHENAULT: The King family, gracious to everybody for their support.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just thank you to everyone for your support. The prayers that have gone out. People everywhere have just been fantastic and the community here, back home in Dover, and Atlanta, the doctors, everyone in Atlanta, the community was just fantastic with us. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: The team's coach and another player are still in a hospital in Atlanta.
COLLINS: A tour of taunts. While President Bush visits Latin America, a rival leader takes a shadow tour in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Stay or go? What should the U.S. do next in Iraq? New poll results ahead in the NEWSROOM. COLLINS: From Iraq to Liberia, the human side of war through the eyes of women. We'll talk with a filmmaker who's seen it all, the heartbreak, the struggle and the strength, coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Emergency inspections following a dramatic emergency landing. Let's take a look at this together. A passenger plane circled western Japan for hours with its front landing wheels stuck. Sparks flew -- you'll see it here in a second here -- as the Nippon Airways jet landed on its rear wheels. Its nose touching the ground here in a second -- there. Sixty people on board. They weren't hurt. Folks watched this drama play out on national television. And this is the latest in a string of mishaps involving this particular aircraft, the Canadian made Bombadier. The government has ordered emergency inspections for all Bombadiers in use in Japan.
COLLINS: Two leaders each with South American tours. One's mocking, the other's staying silent. CNN's Tom Foreman has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): As protesters swirl around President Bush's South American tour, the undisputed heckler-in-chief is Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, on his own shadow tour of taunts, he is shouting out loud.
HUGO CHAVEZ, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT: Gringo, go home.
FOREMAN: And nothing makes Chavez happier, says Michael Shifter, who has studied him a lot.
MICHAEL SHIFTER, INTER-AMERICAN DIALOGUE: That's what he's about. That's what drives him, motivates him. He's got a lot of money and he doesn't like the United States. Particularly doesn't like the Bush administration. And he just got re-elected for another six-year term. So he's got the bit in his teeth. He's feeling very confident and so he's pounding away.
FOREMAN: Many Americans first noticed the pounding when Chavez stood at the United Nations podium last fall and called President Bush the devil. "It smells of sulfur still," he said. Since then, he's missed few chances to show his disdain, whether standing by the sick bed of America's old foe, Fidel Castro, calling President Bush a political skeleton, or running TV ads in America that portray the United States as a virtual welfare nation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mommy, I'm cold.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had to drag an iron cot from the basement to the kitchen so I could sleep by the oven.
FOREMAN: Ostensively the ads just promote the fact that oil-rich Venezuela is getting cheap heating fuel to low-income Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help is on the way. Heating oil at 40 percent off from our friends in Venezuela and Citgo.
FOREMAN: But the political pitch is unmistakable. Mr. Chavez is selling himself as the leader of the poor, no matter what nationality. Sometimes donating much more money to his Latin American neighbors than the United States has sent.
President Bush is not saying anything about President Chavez. At least not by name. Maybe that's because Venezuela is still a relatively small player in the international scene, or maybe it's because it is the fourth largest supplier of oil for the United States.
Whatever the reason, Mr. Bush is keeping quiet, even as Mr. Chavez keeps up the heckling.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: A road pave with promise, littered with broken dreams. It leads to the United States. Go along with Mexican migrants on their journey in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: A move to the Middle East causing concern in Congress's Halliburton switch aimed at escaping taxes. That question, answers in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Checking the big board now. It's 10:21 East Coast Time. So it's been open for almost an hour. And we've got the Dow down about 59, resting at 12,258. The Nasdaq also down about nine points. We'll continue to watch this one for you. Check in with our fabulous business correspondent Susan Lisovicz in just a little bit.
HARRIS: There you go. Can't say that enough.
Halliburton's decision to open a corporate headquarters in Dubai -- we told you about this yesterday -- is raising all kinds of concerns on Capitol Hill. CNN's Brian Todd reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): American taxpayers are spending billions of dollars for Halliburton to provide logistics for the military in Iraq. Now is the company once headed by Dick Cheney trying to avoid U.S. taxes by moving its headquarters and current CEO to Dubai? That's what the chairman of the House Government Reform Committee is asking. Henry Waxman's been looking into Halliburton's dealings since the war began.
REP. HENRY WAXMAN, (D) GOVERNMENT REFORM & OVERSIGHT CHAIRMAN: We're looking very carefully at this move and what it may mean for national security, fro American taxpayers, for dealing with countries where we have a ban on trade. And I've asked my investigative staff to find out the answers to these questions, what it's going to mean with this move of Halliburton to Dubai.
TODD: Waxman may hold hearings into Halliburton's move. And Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, who calls it an insult to U.S. soldier and taxpayer, will likely address it in a hearing next week. We asked an industry analyst about the tax question.
TOM WALLIN, ENERGY INTELLIGENCE: There's little or no tax for operating in Dubai. Also, there's a very light regulatory regime for business. So it's probably going to be beneficial from a tax perspective. But, you know, the fact is that Halliburton is going to remain a U.S. Registered company. It is going to continue to have significant operations in the U.S. So it's not going to be able to completely avoid its tax obligations by doing this.
TODD: But Waxman's concerns also branch into national security.
WAXMAN: They're so intimately involved in the logistics with our military. They know everything about our military and where they're positioned and all of that. What does it mean if they become a Dubai corporation, a foreign corporation?
TODD: Halliburton responds to that and other questions in an e- mail from a spokeswoman. "Halliburton is, and will remain, a U.S. corporation, incorporated in Delaware, with its principle executive office in Houston, Texas. As such," the spokeswoman says, "we anticipate absolutely no tax benefits from this decision." Halliburton has said it's making this move to help its growing business in the Middle East.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: All right.
HARRIS: We were -- well
COLLINS: We were discussing some fabulous video that we'll show you in just a little while.
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: Maybe. We'll share it with you, too, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm ready. It's something about a whale?
COLLINS: In the meantime we want to hear about -- it is.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes, it is.
COLLINS: How did you know?
HARRIS: Trying to figure out how to play it and when.
MYERS: I have ESPN (ph), too, don't you worry about a thing. HARRIS: There you go.
COLLINS: Love that.
How about some fabulous weather?
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Hey, you know what, we spoke to Sue. And the whale video that we are going to be show you does not have a happy ending, but we're going to show it a little bit later on, all right.
HARRIS: Are we still going to show it?
COLLINS: I think so. We're going to (INAUDIBLE).
MYERS: Can we show the happy part?
HARRIS: Yes.
COLLINS: I wish.
HARRIS: Exactly.
All right.
COLLINS: All right, Chad, thank you.
HARRIS: Thanks, Chad.
They asked, so he told. The nation's top man in uniform angers gays with his description of homosexuality. Hear it here in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Stay or go. What should the U.S. do next in Iraq? New poll results ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: From Iraq to Liberia. The human side of war through the eyes of women. We will talk with a filmmaker who has seen it all. The heartbreak and the struggle and then the strength. That's coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Top brass, big controversy. Joint Chief's Chairman Peter Pace has no plans to apologize for his comment that homosexuality is immoral. That according to his senior staff. Pace told "The Chicago Tribune" that, in his view, homosexuality is akin to adultery. He says both are behaviors that are prosecuted in the military. For that reason, Pace says he believes in the policy of don't ask don't tell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CHAIRMAN: I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral. And that we should not condone immoral acts. So the don't ask don't tell allows an individual to serve the country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: An advocacy group that represents gays dismissed from the military is denouncing Pace's comments calling them quote outrageous, insensitive and disrespectful.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Leave Iraq sooner rather than later. That's what most Americans say in a new CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll. CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider live from Washington this morning. Good to see you, Bill. First of all, how big a shift do these new numbers represent here?
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Americans are still opposed to President Bush's policy of increasing the number of American troops in Iraq. We just asked people, do you favor or oppose President Bush's plan to send more troops into Iraq? As you can see here, 37 percent favor that policy, 59 percent opposed. That's a pretty solid majority, but it's slightly less intense opposition than we found back in January when President Bush first announced the policy. It was 66 percent opposed.
What's happened is the troops are -- some of them have gotten there; many are on their way. Americans are always inclined to support troops that are on a mission. And the president has been pleading with Americans and the vice president to give his plan a chance to work. So while Americans are still opposed to this policy, the opposition is a little bit less intense than it was two months ago.
HARRIS: Bill, one more quick one for you. Some interesting numbers also out on the Republican candidates for '08. (INAUDIBLE) those numbers.
SCHNEIDER: Rudy Giuliani is still at the top of the field. He's got 34 percent support among Republicans but the interesting number there is John McCain has dropped to 18 percent. We've been polling Republicans every month now for the last six months. That's the lowest level of support for John McCain that we have seen. One reason, of course, is that McCain is the most clearly identified with President Bush's policy of a troop build-up in Iraq. Most Republicans support it. They know that that policy is very controversial. Rudy Giuliani has been doing very well in the Republican race. He is 9/11, just as much as John McCain is the Iraq policy. And McCain has been having problems. A lot of Republicans don't agree with Giuliani on issues like -- not same-sex marriage but gay rights and abortion rights. Nevertheless they continue to support him in pretty sizable numbers.
HARRIS: There he is. CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider from Washington for us this morning. Bill, appreciate it, thank you.
SCHNEIDER: OK.
COLLINS: War beyond the bullets and bombs. There are countless stories to be told about the human side of battle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROSHINI THINAKARAN, FILMMAKER: I've been in countries devastated by war researching. This is a story we're telling, war and conflict seen through the eyes of women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: That's Roshini Thinakaran, a filmmaker behind the new documentary "Women at the Forefront." She's traveled to several war zones, Iraq, Afghanistan, Liberia, Sudan and more to highlight the daily struggles and sacrifice and accomplishments of women. She's joining me now from Washington to talk all about it. Roshini, thanks so much for being with us today. It's fascinating work that you've been able to do. I do wonder, though, where you first got the idea to do this type of documentary.
THINAKARAN: I first got the idea in Iraq. I lived there for about 14 months and for 10 of those months I was living in various cities around Baghdad. So speaking with Iraqi women and finding out about their lives, I felt like these were stories that everyone could relate to because these are stories of survival and facing enormous challenges and actually overcoming those challenges.
COLLINS: Tell us more specifically about the women in Iraq. What are some of their experiences that you witnessed or they at least told you about?
THINAKARAN: I was there in 2004 so I wasn't as dangerous as it is now. So I was able to travel around to the different universities, (INAUDIBLE) University and Baghdad University and I spoke with a lot of students. And I was very surprised at how progressive Iraqi women were. There are a number of female students at the universities and they were studying everything from medicine to teaching to politics. And they are very optimistic about their country. And then I also met a lot of mothers who were the sole providers for their families. And also, you know, I met a lot of women who were illiterate and worked as housekeepers. They were working for us, actually. And they were -- I was very surprised at how well they knew English. They were very intelligent women.
COLLINS: Sure. I found interesting something that you wrote, where it says here that I had to go on with my life, travel, go to work and so forth, even though we were in a war. What did the women tell you about -- just everyday things that they needed to do while this war was going on around them?
THINAKARAN: Right. You had women who had to take their kids to school. They had to go to the grocery store. They had to go to work. And there's a war going on but you have to continue on with their lives -- with your life. And I think that's what was the most powerful message that I got because I could relate as well. I was living in a war zone and, you know, even though it was dangerous, you still had to go on. And I think it's that sense of survival that really was compelling to me. COLLINS: Are there comparisons to be made between the Iraqi women and the women of Afghanistan?
THINAKARAN: I think yes, because you find the women are very strong and very resilient. I think Afghan women were more oppressed. They had less freedom. So I felt Iraqi women were a little bit more progressive. But in terms of strength and resilience, yes, there were similarities.
COLLINS: Let's talk about Liberia for a moment. I know that you were there when the first female president was elected, which is very interesting. And, also, you met some women who were responsible for making it a crime to commit rape. Tell us more about the plight of women there. It's amazing that rape was not considered a crime at any time in the country.
THINAKARAN: Right. You can find that in a lot of Africa and in many countries in Africa. But in Liberia, rape was not a crime until 2005 where a lot of women got together. The Liberian women's lawyers association and they passed legislation making rape a felony for the first time. And I think that had a lot to do with a woman being elected as president. You find that when women are involved politically, they propose a lot of laws that benefit women and actually acknowledge the basic rights of women, which were not done before.
COLLINS: Sure. What do you hope will come from this documentary?
THINAKARAN: Well, I really hope it sparks interest in women living in this country, to get more involved. And also I really hope at the end of this project, I can build some schools in these countries because I think education is extremely important. Especially, you know, you talk to the women in these countries and the one thing that they say besides having security is I really want an education for the children of my country.
COLLINS: Absolutely.
THINAKARAN: Yeah. And I think that's just very important.
COLLINS: Well, it's wonderful talking with you. I can't wait to see the story. Once again, "Women at the Forefront" is the name of the documentary. Roshini Thinakaran, thanks so much for your time today.
THINAKARAN: Thanks so much.
HARRIS: Still to come, a growing fire storm over fired Federal prosecutors. Were they dismissed for political reasons and did the White House play a role? Details in the NEWSROOM.
She's got 88 years under her belt and 100 pounds in her hands. Pumped up senior, do that in the NEWSROOM.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. Parent company of Comedy Central and MTV is going after YouTube, the Web site that gives its content lots of word wild exposure. I'll have details about a high-stakes lawsuit when the NEWSROOM continues. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Nobody wants to be on her list. A woman accused of pimping to Washington's powerful shares her little black book, in the NEWSROOM.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are you pounding the pavement look for a new job? After you finish giving your resume a once over, you might want to do the same thing with your credit report. It will tell if you've been paying your bills on time or if you're living under a huge pile of debt. Some employers will want to know that information. They don't want staffers with bad credit reports handling sensitive documents or money. So says Clifton O'Neal (ph) of credit agency TransUnion. O'Neal says if you have a bad report and you know it ahead of time, you can prepare to explain yourself.
Bankrate.com's Greg McBride (ph) points out you might not get fired from having a bad report, but you also might not get hired. You can get a free report once a year at annualcreditreport.com and that's something you definitely can't know soon enough. Stephanie Elam, CNN, New York.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know it is never too late to get shape. Whew! Glad to hear that. Check out the form of 88-year-old Adura Quinby (ph). She holds the world record in her age group for dead lifting 100 pounds. She started weight lifting when she was, get this, 78. Quinby says the gym work helps her stay positive and keeps her feeling young. I like it.
COLLINS: Put us to shame.
YouTube is under fire for copyright infringement again, but this could be the biggest challenge yet. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with details on all of this. Hi Susan.
LISOVICZ: Hi Heidi, big news because this is one of the biggest content providers in the world and it's a big price tag. It's a billion dollars coming from the media giant Viacom. It's suing YouTube and Google. The problem is YouTube has allegedly allowed users to post clips of Viacom shows online without authorization. Viacom is claiming copyright infringement and wants those clips removed. Viacom maintains that under copyright law, YouTube must remove the content that it doesn't hold the rights to if it receives a complaint from the owner. It was about a month ago that Viacom demanded the removal of its content from the YouTube site. In a statement, Viacom said YouTube is a significant for-profit organization that has built a lucrative business out of exploiting the devotion of fans to its creative works in order to enrich itself. Fighting words, Heidi. COLLINS: I was just going to say. So what's the problem? Why doesn't YouTube just take down the Viacom clips? Sounds easy enough.
LISOVICZ: Exactly. Well, the problem here is that they apparently have been talking about it behind the scenes. Viacom apparently just got tired of waiting. The negotiations have been unproductive according to Viacom. It claims that YouTube's infringement is intentional. Viacom clips, you know, it should be said are some of YouTube's most popular. This is a company that owns MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, think of all those "Daily Show" with Jon Stewart that is all over youtube.
There's also Paramount Pictures. Viacom also owns that. YouTube has worked out agreements with other networks like CBS and NBC. But Viacom said 160,000 of its unauthorized clips are on YouTube and they've been viewed more than a billion times. Shares of Viacom are up more than 1 percent. Google, the parent company of YouTube, is down about 1 percent.
Overall picture, pretty down. We've got more trouble on the sub- prime mortgage sectors worrying investors. New Century Financial hit with a grand jury subpoena, the subject of an SEC probe. Now the New York Stock Exchange moving to de-list that stock. There you see the big board. The Dow is down half a percent. The Nasdaq is down half a percent. The S&P 500 is down nearly half a percent. You get the picture. That's the latest from Wall Street Heidi and Tony. Back to you.
COLLINS: Susan, thank you.
Washington has had its share of sex scandals, but this one could be big. A woman accused of running a prostitution ring says she's ready to name names.
HARRIS: Oh, boy.
COLLINS: Things are heating up, ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Planning on buying a special wine for that special someone? How do you know it isn't fake? We will tell you in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Taste it.
A new fight for "Rocky" star Sylvester Stallone, this time in court in Australia. The charge and the potential penalty coming up in the NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: Well, as you know, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has been the target of growing Democratic anger this morning over the firing of U.S. attorneys. Let's listen now to Senator Chuck Schumer of New York.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D) NEW YORK: -- the symbol of the eagle holding the arrows above every Justice Department office throughout the land. It stands for fair, unbiased, nonpolitical justice being rendered. And yet, that has been called into question by a series of blunders, missteps and abuse of power in the Justice Department.
This weekend I called for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to step down. Today's staff resignation does not take heat off the attorney general. In fact, it raises the temperature. Kyle Sampson will not become the next Scooter Libby, the next fall guy. Either Attorney General Gonzales knew what his chief of staff was doing -- that's a pretty severe indictment -- or he didn't, which means he doesn't have the foggiest idea of what's going on in the Justice Department.
We now have direct evidence that Attorney General Gonzales was carrying out the political wishes of the president in at least some of these firings. A startling amount of information about the White House's role has emerged in the past few days. Attorney General Gonzales chief of staff withheld information on the White House's role in the Justice Department in terms of who was preparing to testify to Congress. Attorney Gonzales' chief of staff may well have obstructed justice.
Political operatives and elected officials in New Mexico complained about one U.S. attorney's failure to indict Democrats quickly enough. Those complaints were passed on to Karl Rove and to the president himself. The president weighed in with Attorney General Gonzales and within weeks, that U.S. attorney, David Iglesias, was fired. Indeed, today's reports make clear that Mr. Iglesias was not on the hit list until October just when he was staving off inappropriate pressure tactics. So if he wasn't on the list when the list was made up, and then you get the phone calls from the White House and from legislators and then he's added to the list? What conclusion other than political interference can one come to?
It's now increasingly clear that only bad actors in this case -- sorry, it is now increasingly clear that the only bad actors in this case were top officials in the White House and the Justice Department, not -- not the U.S. attorneys, fine public servants who were fired. Attorney General Gonzales has either forgotten the oath he took to uphold the constitution or just doesn't understand that his duty to protect the law is greater than his duty to protect the president.
He's a nice man. You meet the attorney general and you say, he is not one of these sort of, you know, political warriors. But there's too much at stake here. And to have somebody who is going to let this happen or be part of it happening is just no longer -- we can't countenance it any longer. U.S. attorneys have always been above politics and this administration has blatantly manipulated the U.S. attorney system to serve its political needs. Years from now when someone's indicted and they claim political interference, it's going to have new truth, even if that person was justifiably indicted, new resonance. That's the problem here. And we've been fed one story after another.
That's why Senator Feinstein and I are so upset, as all of us on the Judiciary Committee are, Chairman Leahy on down. Here are some of the falsehoods we have been told that are now unraveling. First, we were told that the seven of the eight U.S. attorneys were fired for performance reasons and now turns out this was a falsehood as the glowing performance evaluations attest. Second, we were told by the attorney general that he would, quote, never ever make a change for political reasons. It now turns out that this was a falsehood. As all the evidence makes clear that this purge was based purely on politics, to punish --
HARRIS: You're listening to New York Senator Chuck Schumer turning up the heat on U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The allegation in this briefing is that Senator Schumer has evidence that Kyle Sampson, Attorney General Gonzales' chief of staff was acting on behalf of the attorney general in carrying out fire orders for eight Federal prosecutors, orders from the White House, from the president. So we are continuing to follow this story. We will talk to -- get some White House reaction from Ed Henry who is in Mexico with the president. White House spokesman Tony Snow is there as well and we will also be checking in with our Justice correspondent Kelli Arena at the top of the hour.
COLLINS: President Bush south of the border with fences to mend. Immigration, topic one at a summit with Mexico's new leader. Yucatan statesmanship in the NEWSROOM.
JUDY FORTIN (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT: Women prepare for swimsuit season might want to keep this in mind. New research finds low carb diets like Atkins have the most significant results. In a comparison of four diets women who cut out breads, pastas and other foods high in carbohydrates for 12 months experienced greater weight loss, lower blood pressure and better blood sugar levels.
And a different study says reducing calories might help people live longer. Researchers say eating less reduces the amount of damage that normally occurs in our body's cells, DNA and proteins as we age. This ultimately could help you live longer. But more research needs to be done on the long-term effects of low calorie and low carb diets.
And a new concern for parents. Baby girls weighing less than 5 1/2 pounds may be more likely to experience depression as teens. A recent study found almost 25 percent of girls born with low birth weights developed depression. That's compared to less than 4 percent of the babies born at normal weights. Judy Fortin, CNN.
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