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DEA Announces Record Maritime Cocaine Seizure; Going Green on the Ski Slopes; Chicago Police Officer Caught on Tape Beating a Young Bartender; Three-Way Tie Between Winners on "Jeopardy"
Aired March 21, 2007 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Kyra Phillips.
The White House slams talk of subpoenas, as Congress asserts its right to issue them. It's bound to get uglier, as two branches of government tangle over the firings of eight federal prosecutors. Will the judiciary be called in to referee?
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And a check of the Big Board on Wall Street now, less than an hour before the closing bell, and there's a big rally. We are going to check in with Susan Lisovicz here in a little bit. But you can see there, Dow industrials up 174 and climbing. It's just been going straight up there, and Dow standing at 12464.
LEMON: We will give you all the details on that live coming up shortly.
Let's talk about lawmakers. They are one step closer to forcing top White House aides to go on record about the firing of eight federal prosecutors. A House panel today approved subpoenas for President Bush's political adviser Karl Rove and other key figures. Lawmakers want to find out what they know about a purge that Democrats call politically motivated.
President Bush vows to fight any attempts to force his aides to testify.
Earlier today, Ed Henry was in the thick of a contentious White House briefing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: These are not actually interviews. That's your word. The senators, like Senator Leahy, say they want testimony, testimony that there is a transcript.
This is not an interview. You want it to be an interview, but it's up to the Congress. They're the ones investigating. And they say they want testimony, not interviews.
(CROSSTALK)
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Ed, what we're doing is, we're trying to be accommodating to Congress by offering them extraordinary insight into a deliberative process.
You also know that everybody who goes there -- the president expects everybody who talks to Congress to tell the truth, and so does the law. And they know that it would be illegal not to tell them the truth.
So, the question you have got to ask yourself is, is this pressure on transcripts and everything, is this really something where somebody thinks that there's going to be a fact that they're not going to receive? The answer's no.
The question is whether you're trying to create a political spectacle, rather than simply the basis of getting at the truth. This, I think, is an important and crucial distinction, because, again, I'm not sure -- well, I think we can say with confidence that they're going to get every fact they need to find out what's going on.
HENRY: Are you afraid that they will be able to go through and find inconsistencies in testimony, if there's a transcript?
SNOW: No.
(CROSSTALK)
SNOW: No. They will be able to do it.
HENRY: OK. You keep saying the Justice Department -- their response, in these e-mails, the 3,000 pages, was unprecedented, was very responsive.
Why, then, is there this gap from mid-November to about December 4, right before the actual firings? Why is there a gap in e-mails?
SNOW: I don't know. Why don't you ask them?
HENRY: Well, you're the White House. The Justice Department serves under you.
SNOW: I know, but I'm not going to be the fact witness on Justice.
HENRY: But you're the one representing that this has been very responsive. Now that there's a gap, you say go to the...
(CROSSTALK)
SNOW: And I have been led to believe that there's a good response for it, but I'm going to let you ask them because they're going to have the answer.
HENRY: There's one e-mail from November 15 that says -- from Mr. Sampson to Harriet Miers, I believe -- "Who will determine whether this requires the president's attention?"
SNOW: Right.
HENRY: And then there's a gap in e-mails. Was there any -- do you think, perhaps, any e-mails about the president in there?
And did the president have to sign off on this?
Because the question was raised...
SNOW: The president has no recollection of this ever being raised with him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to vote tomorrow on its own set of subpoenas.
Now, one of the fired prosecutors wrote about his ordeal in "The New York Times" today. David Iglesias, former U.S. attorney in New Mexico, vividly remembers two phone calls he got just before the election last November.
One came from Congresswoman Heather Wilson asking about a corruption case involving local Democrats. Now, the second call, he says, came from another powerful New Mexico Republican senator, Pete Domenici.
"I received a call from Senator Domenici at my home," Iglesias writes. "The senator wanted to know whether I was going to file corruption charges, the cases Ms. Wilson had been asking about before November. When I told him that I didn't think so, he said, 'I am very sorry to hear that, and the line went dead."
KEILAR: Not grams, not kilos, but tons of cocaine confiscated at sea.
It's a record haul. And CNN's Kathleen Koch joins us live with the story.
Hi, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Brianna.
This was an enormous seizure. That's simply the only way to describe it, some 42,000 pounds -- that's more than 21 tons of cocaine -- packed inside two large containers on the deck of a Panamanian freighter. Now, we're talking the type of containers you would see hooked to the back of an 18-wheeler.
A Coast Guard C-130 patrol aircraft Saturday night spotted the Gatun (ph) 20 miles off the coast of Panama. A 20-member Coast Guard team got the consent of the Panamanian government to board the freighter, and found the drugs, believe it or not, in the first two containers they opened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAREN TANDY, DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION ADMINISTRATOR: Although most traffickers conceal their drug poisons in the loads of legitimate cargo or in compartments, this organization did none of that. They simply loaded bales of cocaine, as you have seen on the screen here. They simply loaded these bales of cocaine on to -- into cargo containers on the top of the deck of this freighter. They were hiding in plain sight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Three Panamanian citizens were taken to shore to face charges in their country in this case, while 11 Mexican citizens on board the vessel were taken into custody. They will be arriving in Tampa, Florida, today to face charges in connection with the case.
It's believed that the drugs were en route to Mexico. And, according to officials, the 42,000 pounds of cocaine had a street value of at least $600 million.
Now, before this weekend, the largest Coast Guard seizure was 30,000 pounds. That was taken in 2004 from a ship of unknown origin called the Lina Maria. So, this new seizure blows that one right out of the water -- back to you, Brianna.
KEILAR: That is just amazing, that it was in the first two containers that they opened there, Kathleen.
KOCH: Incredible.
KEILAR: Thank you.
KOCH: Mm-hmm.
KEILAR: Kathleen Koch...
KOCH: You bet.
KEILAR: ... live for us from Washington.
LEMON: All right, let's go straight to the breaking news desk.
Fredricka Whitfield working on details on two developing stories.
Fred, what do you have?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Let's begin with the one in Atlanta -- another trial delay for accused Atlanta courthouse gunman Brian Nichols.
Jury selection was to begin next week, but the judge in the case said he has no choice but to delay the case another five to five-and- a-half months because of problems funding Nichols' defense, as well as funding for other defendants in capital cases. The money would come from Indigent Capital Defense Fund. And, apparently, those funds are depleted already in the early part of this year. So, as to avoid appeal on the grounds that perhaps he didn't have the proper defense, the judge decided to go ahead and delay this until the first week -- or second week of September. Jury selection will begin September 10.
Then, in the other case, Don, this taking place out of San Antonio, Texas, we talked earlier about someone being rescued from a trench out of Ohio. Well, this time, a rescue effort is under way in San Antonio, Texas, very similar circumstances.
In this case, workers were helping to build a new housing development. They were working on a new sewer main when, apparently, two of the workers fell in. One of the workers was rescued. And now efforts are under way to get the other worker, who apparently is in knee-deep gravel. And efforts are under way to try to free him and get him whatever kind of medical care he might need after that accident -- that taking place in San Antonio.
LEMON: OK. So, we had the trench rescue yesterday, which was in Pennsylvania. We had one today in Ohio...
WHITFIELD: Yes.
LEMON: ... and then also in New Mexico.
WHITFIELD: It seems to be the thing -- and, thankfully no, serious injuries as of yet.
LEMON: All right. We will check back with you, certainly. Thank you so much, Fredricka.
KEILAR: And another developing story: two British sailors killed on board a nuclear-powered submarine in the Arctic.
Let's go now to the Pentagon, where Barbara Starr has the latest -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Brianna, tragedy and rescue at the top of the world in the middle of the night involving both the British Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy.
This was about midnight. This is file tape actually of the site from a couple of days ago. At midnight, the British submarine HMS Tireless experienced a small collision on board 200 miles north of Alaska, near the Arctic Circle. This was an explosion in an oxygen- generating system.
Sadly, two Royal Navy sailors were killed in this accident, but one sailor was badly injured. How to get him to safety? The submarine surfaced. It came through the ice and -- at this ice camp that both the U.K. and the U.S. military were operating at, and they transferred the injured British sailor to a small series of aircraft from this ice camp that you see here on to eventually an Alaskan Air National Guard C-130, which has now taken this sailor to a U.S. military hospital in Anchorage for treatment -- all of this taking place literally at the top of the world, Brianna, in the middle of the night -- of the night -- a joint rescue between the U.S. and the British military -- Brianna.
KEILAR: And, Barbara, there's always a concern with a nuclear- powered sub. Is there any cause for worry here? Do we know?
STARR: Well, to be clear, a few minutes ago, in fact, as you say, the Royal Navy issued a statement saying this was a nuclear- powered submarine. They checked out all the systems. There was no leakage, no damage there. The submarine is perfectly fine.
This was an oxygen-generating system in one of the escape hatches. It's one of those emergency systems that provides oxygen if the sailors are moving into an escape hatch, if there was an accident, some sort of explosion there -- two sailors killed there, and then injured this U.K. Royal Navy sailor, the U.S. Navy assisting in his rescue at the Arctic -- Brianna.
KEILAR: All right. Well, that, at least, is good news.
And let's go to another -- thank you, Barbara Starr, at the Pentagon for us.
Let's go to another story we have been watching. Let's go to Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange.
Big rally. I mean, we're just watching the numbers skyrocket here.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is a huge response to what we talked about in the last hour, Brianna. You know, we knew what the Fed was going to do. It was going to hold rates steady at 5.25 percent.
Look at this rally, the -- the Nasdaq, the S&P 500. And the Dow is just points away from being in the black for the year. Why is that? Well, the fed acknowledged some of the problems we have been talking about a lot in the last month.
That is that the housing -- the housing situation, that it is a concern. Of course, the Fed didn't say it so bluntly. It said that there's adjustments in the housing sector, and that they're ongoing. It also acknowledged more directly that inflation remains a problem, and that, in fact, that it's concerned that inflation will fail to moderate as expected.
Generally, Wall Street doesn't like to hear that that is such a big problem , and the Fed might, in fact, raise rates. But one thing the Fed didn't say -- and that is why, perhaps, we're seeing this explosive rally, is that it didn't use this expression that it's been using for nearly two years now, an expression that says, an additional firming may be needed. That means more rate hikes in the future.
Investors don't want it. They're worried about the housing sector, how it could spill into the broader economy, and that, in fact, it could actually drag the economy into recession. And there is hope there that the Fed's next move would, this year, when it does decide to make a change, that, it will, in fact, cut rates, which means that money will be cheaper for you and I, for corporate America, and that, in fact, it will spur growth.
So, you're seeing a huge rally, and, in fact, a three-peat at this point on Wall Street. We have nice gains all week -- back to you, Brianna.
KEILAR: All right. I guess that just goes to show, Susan, it really is all in the fine print there.
LISOVICZ: You got it.
KEILAR: Susan Lisovicz, live for us at the New York Stock Exchange, thanks.
LEMON: You should probably pay attention to this next story. It's one of the most interesting of the day.
Prosecutors in Chicago are charging an off-duty police officer with beating a female bartender. The whole thing was captured on videotape.
Our Keith Oppenheim is in Chicago with an update for us.
Keith, what do you have?
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don.
Well, the incident that you're about to see was caught on tape by surveillance cameras at a Chicago bar about a month ago. And it is brutal.
Before we roll the tape, let me just set up a couple of facts. The bartender in this case is a woman by the name of Carolina (ph). She asked that we not use her last name. In fact, she didn't even it. And Carolina (ph) is working alone at a bar called Jesse's Short Stop. And an off-duty Chicago police officer by the name of Anthony Abbate is giving her a hard time.
At one point, he comes around to the bar, and she has to push him away, because he's out of control and drunk. But then he comes back. And let's look at that part of the tape.
Carolina (ph) stops serving him. And, because he doesn't have the money to pay -- you can see that she's in the middle of the bar, and he's the guy wearing a plaid shirt, and he's about to come around to her. She doesn't serve him, because he doesn't have money to pay. He's more drunk. He brings a chair. She tries to push him away, as you can see there.
Then he gets more out of control. And you're about to see, he's going to push her down. Awful. And then he starts to hit her repeatedly.
We learned today that officer Abbate is a 13-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department. He was first arrested by Chicago Police for misdemeanor assault. But the state's attorney office up the charges to aggravated assault, a felony. He is 6'1'', 250 pounds. She is 5'4'', only 115 pounds. But she is obviously pretty tough.
You can see that she gets up right after all that incident and tells him to go away, which is essentially what he does. He's mad. He throws a garbage can there, puts on his hat. Then he walks out of the bar.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Oh, my...
(CROSSTALK)
OPPENHEIM: And then Chicago Police will come later.
Yes, it's rough, rough tape. Chicago Police, Don, released a statement today. And they said was that officer Tony Abbate has been relieved of police powers, and that a recommendation of termination is expected at the end of an internal investigation.
And one more thing: We learned from prosecutors today that they're also looking at the possibility that someone came into the bar later, essentially, according to prosecutors, possibly threatening Carolina (ph), the victim, telling her to shut up. The prosecutors don't say -- don't seem to know who that someone was, but they are indicating that it's possible that someone, and possibly the officer himself, could be charged with intimidation and obstruction of justice -- back to you.
LEMON: Man, oh, man. Just watching that, Keith, is hard.
You know, I'm not sure of the circumstances. I wasn't there. But it's surprising. There seemed to be three or four guys in the bar, and no one helped out that young lady. And she's tiny.
OPPENHEIM: That's true. There is a guy on the side of the frame who gets on a cell phone. But, according to Carolina (ph), he was afraid of this guy.
LEMON: Yes.
OPPENHEIM: In fact, she told me that this guy was kind of play- punching another guy in the bar, but she said it really wasn't play- punching, that he was being very aggressive. And, again, she didn't know that he was an off-duty cop.
LEMON: Yes.
OPPENHEIM: And she found out later.
LEMON: Yes. And these guys may have been scared. If he is acting that way, who knows? Like I said, I wasn't there, but it's just surprising that nobody stepped in.
We want to reiterate -- Keith, thank you so much for that report -- but that young lady is going to be OK, after being checked out. KEILAR: Four days, three nights alone in the wilderness. Could you survive? Ahead in the NEWSROOM: more on the 12-year-old Boy Scout who did.
LEMON: Well, lots of us love -- we love Chinese food, but it doesn't like us so much. Ahead in the NEWSROOM: How can something with so -- this many calories leave you hungry just about an hour later, or shorter?
Details in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: It's 19 past the hour, and here are a few of the stories that we're working on here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
First up: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales supported by the president. But Democrats want to hear from his former chief of staff. A House panel approves the use of a subpoena for Kyle Sampson, if it's needed to force him to talk under oath about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.
Combining two passions, environmentalism and politics, former Vice President Al Gore is on Capitol Hill today testifying about global warming before House and Senate panels.
And, in Ohio, a construction worker stuck up to his waist in mud is free. The man was rescued about two hours after the trench he was working in collapsed. He's been airlifted to a hospital, and no word yet on his condition.
LEMON: All right. She's best known for being Paul McCartney's soon-to-be-ex-wife. And she may be second best known for having an artificial leg.
Well, "Dancing With the Stars" competitor -- competitor Heather Mills talked to Larry King last night about the show. And, instead of harping on her so-called handicap, well, she's hoping to have a little fun with it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "LARRY KING LIVE")
HEATHER MILLS, "DANCING WITH THE STARS" CONTESTANT: I'm doing a little trick with Jonathan that will surprise people next week when we do the mamba.
LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": A trick?
MILLS: Yes.
KING: Doing the mambo?
MILLS: Yes. And I -- and they could come off then. There is a chance. But it won't hurt me It will just hurt Jonathan. And he's happy with that risk.
KING: How do you react about Internet sites taking wagers on it coming off?
MILLS: I think it's funny. You know, I have always -- you know how I have been about my leg. I wouldn't pop it off like I did on here to show you how great it looks. It's about having a sense of humor, you know?
KING: Sure.
Did it ever fall off crossing the street?
MILLS: Yes. Once I crossed zebra crossing, and it was a really, really hot day, and it started to slip. And I took a step, and it just kind of fell. And this poor guy on his moped just saw this leg that looked really real lying in the front of the road, and me hopping after it, trying to pick it up and hop out of the way.
And I went into this woman's boutique with my leg under my arm, and I said, "Can I use your changing room to pop my leg back on?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: That's why we love Larry, right? Because he asks the questions...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Did it ever fall off crossing the street?
KEILAR: ... we want to ask, but we don't. We're too polite to ask.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: I know.
And you know what? They said these Web sites are taking wagers, you know? And some people are asking the question, do you think the leg is going to come off as part of the show's publicity? Because, you know, 22 million viewers that premiere got. And, so, she's having fun with it. The show is.
So, I think people are going to start asking if the leg is going to come off, and when. She said if it is -- I think during the mambo or something?
KEILAR: That's right.
(CROSSTALK)
KEILAR: She -- she said a certain dance. All right.
LEMON: Yes.
KEILAR: We will stay tuned. LEMON: Good for her, though, for having such a great sense of humor.
KEILAR: Certainly, yes.
All right, well, going green on the slopes -- and we're not talking about the bunny run for beginners. We are going to explain straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
LEMON: That Larry.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Al Gore's appearance today on Capitol Hill again raised questions about his political ambitions.
As Gore left a House hearing to get ready for his appearance before a Senate committee, he insisted again that his only commitment is to environmental causes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Are you...
(CROSSTALK)
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm running to the Senate.
(CROSSTALK)
GORE: I'm running to the Senate side to do testimony over there.
(CROSSTALK)
KOPPEL: Are you ruling out of the possibility of running?
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: ... willing to listen to the other side?
(CROSSTALK)
GORE: Pardon me?
KOPPEL: Are you ruling out the possibility of throwing your hat in the ring?
GORE: You know, I have no plans to run for president again.
I don't intend to, and I don't expect to. And I -- I did enjoy listening to the other side. And I thought a lot of them on both sides made some great points today.
And I -- as I said several times, I think that bipartisanship is one of the real goals that we need to shoot for in getting a solution to this climate crisis.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: So, there was nothing to your not wanting to listen to Republicans (OFF-MIKE)
GORE: I don't know what -- I don't know you're referring to there.
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
(CROSSTALK)
GORE: I can't right now. Sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Andrea Koppel on it. She went right there...
KEILAR: Yes.
LEMON: ... right there and asked the question.
Well, he may say he's not running, but some Democrats don't want to hear it. Gore's trails -- only -- he trails Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in the most recent CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll of Democratic hopefuls.
KEILAR: And Al Gore pushed global warming back into the spotlight today with his testimony on Capitol Hill.
But the issue, it goes beyond Washington. Some popular ski slopes are going green.
CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano joins us now with a new environmental report card for Colorado resorts.
Did they pass there, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A lot of them did. And it's not just Colorado. It seems to be a growing trend among a lot of ski resorts, Brianna.
Today, the first official day of spring, and if you like to snow ride, being on a snowboard or a ski, and you don't like cold weather, well, this time of year is good skiing. The problem, though, is, whether it's global warming or not, springlike weather is coming earlier every year.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO (voice-over): Most scientists agree global warming is making winter shorter.
PROFESSOR JIM WHITE, PROFESSOR OF GEOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: We can already see that the ski season is starting later and ending earlier in the Colorado Rockies.
MARCIANO: And ski resort operators are worried.
RUSTY GREGORY, CEO, MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN: Clearly, I'm very concerned about the warming trend.
MARCIANO: Not only do warmer temperatures mean less snow, but also fewer opportunities to make snow. Ski resorts are feeling the heat from the warming trend faster than other industries. And they're more willing to do something about it.
GREGORY: In this country, and in the ski resort industry, particularly, we need to understand the limits of the carrying capacity of our ecosystem.
I'm not saying this because it's popular green-washing. It's a fact. And we need to stick within those limits. And our environmental friends will help us stay within those limits, I guarantee you.
MARCIANO: Autumn Bernstein from the Ski Area Citizens Coalition explains how.
AUTUMN BERNSTEIN, SKI AREA CITIZENS COALITION: Every ski resort gets a afraid from A through F. And it's based on a point system, just like your high school math class.
MARCIANO: Aspen Mountain Ski Resort Leads the group's list of most environmentally friendly resorts.
The coalition rates ski resorts in the Western United States. Doing things like using renewable energy improves a resort's grade. And nearly all Colorado ski areas buy wind credits. Steamboat Springs recently installed a ski lift partially powered by solar energy credits.
And resorts like Mount Bachelor in Oregon use biofuels in their buses and snowcats.
Aside from using fossil fuels, environmental blunders include:
BERNSTEIN: Cutting down old-growth trees, polluting rivers and lakes, or damaging endangered species habitat are definite no-nos as far as the ski area scorecard is concerned.
MARCIANO: Some say the coalition unfairly penalizes for any type of development. But pressure from environmental groups seems to be working.
And, with temperatures on the rise, going green is a way for the ski industry to do its part in the battle against global warming.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MARCIANO: So, they're doing their part, ski industry, a little bit with their backs against the wall, no doubt. How can you do your part? Well, it's as easy as changing a light bulb, one of these compact fluorescent light bulbs. It's estimated that, if everybody changes one of these light bulbs in their homes, it could take anywhere from 800,000 to up to a million cars off the road. And, in the long run, it will save you some energy -- Brianna, back to you.
KEILAR: All right, that's amazing.
Rob Marciano, thanks for that report. You bet.
LEMON: And we continue -- more on that Chicago bar beating we showed you at the top of the hour. The bartender is speaking. We will hear what she says about the man caught on tape attacking her.
We will also have this. The Bluffton University baseball field is quiet now, after that deadly bus crash. We will tell you when players and fans will return.
That's straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Kyra Phillips. Well, the Fed holds steady and Wall Street likes the news. Triple-digit gains on the Dow as the trading day heads into the homestretch. Thirty minutes to the closing bell. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: But first, prosecutors in Chicago are charging an off- duty police officer with beating a female bartender. The whole thing was captured on videotape. And our Keith Oppenheim is in Chicago with an update on this.
Keith, it's just an outrageous story.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It really is, Don. And caught on tape by surveillance cameras at a Chicago bar about a month ago. And before we roll what is really the worst part of the tape, and it is tough stuff, we should say that the bartender is a 24- year-old woman named Carolina (ph). She did not give us her last name. And there's an off-duty police officer by the name of Anthony Abbate.
She is working as a bartender at a Chicago bar caused Jesse's Shortstop. He comes in and he gives her a hard time. At one point he comes around to the bar to the -- where she is, and she has to push him away and he does leave. But then he comes back and that's the part of the tape we should look at right now.
Carolina, you can see, is going to be in the center of the screen. She's walking with blonde hair. He's in plaid and he starts to come around. And you're going to see that he's going to bring a chair with him.
She said that she wasn't serving him because he didn't have money to pay and he was getting more out of control. As you can see there, she's trying to push him away and then he really gets going after her. He hits the side of the bar there, throws her to the floor, and then he really starts to punch her, punch her repeatedly.
We learned that Officer Abbate is a 13-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, never suspended before. And he was first arrested by Chicago Police for misdemeanor assault but the state's attorney's office upped those charges to aggravated assault, a felony.
This is pretty awful as he continues. But she is resilient. Keep in mind, he's 6'1", 250 pounds. She is just 5'4", 115 pounds, and she's able to walk away from all of that. You know, as you can probably see, there are people on the sidelines just kind of watching him just go after her.
But as we were told by Carolina, they were afraid of him. We talked to her earlier. And she described what the experiences were like.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAROLINA, BARTENDER: Mentally, I don't feel good. I think that -- I get like flashes that I see this guy in my house or I got the feeling that he's going to come to my house and again beat me up or do something more. You never know. And then, well, physically only my head and back is hurting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OPPENHEIM: Clearly, she is -- she has been traumatized by this and she was telling me, Don, that she has pretty bad headaches from all of the punches that she received.
Chicago Police released a statement. And they said that Officer Tony Abbate has been relieved of police hours and that a recommendation of termination is expected at the end of an internal investigation -- Don.
LEMON: All right. And, Keith, before you go, let's see, he's being held on $70,000 bond it says, a Cook County state's attorney's office charged him with aggravated battery. And then you said he is being -- they're going to consider firing him -- or asking to fire him. Will there be criminal charges, do we know, in this because of this video?
OPPENHEIM: Well, yes, these are criminal charges that you're referring to, that's right. This is in criminal court. But there may also be civil action. The gentleman you saw in that sound bite who was sitting next to Carolina is Terry Ecel (ph), that's her attorney. And he said that there will be a civil suit against the police officer within a couple of weeks and possibly against the Chicago Police Department, as well. LEMON: Yes. That's -- I meant civil, that's what I'm talking about, from the family. Sorry, I got it mixed up there. Keith, it's just -- I'm just shocked watching that videotape. It's just amazing. Everyone here in the NEWSROOM.
Thank you so much for that. And we want to tell our viewers that more from Keith's interview will be the bartender -- with the bartender tonight on "ANDERSON COOPER 360" at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
KEILAR: Let's go now to some new sound coming from the Hill. This is a heated exchange be between Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat from California, Senator James Inhofe, Republican from Oklahoma. This came during former Vice President Al Gore's testimony on the Hill about global warming.
Apparently, this heated exchange started because Senator Inhofe wanted shorter answers from Gore. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JAMES INHOFE (R), OKLAHOMA: I mention this in my opening statement about their criticizing you for some of your -- being too alarmist and hurting your own cause. Now I'll ask you to respond in writing for that one because that would be a very long response, I'm afraid.
Now, it seems that...
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: Well, I would like to respond...
INHOFE: ... everybody...
GORE: May I respond?
INHOFE: Global warming in the media joined the chorus...
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D), CALIFORNIA: Excuse me, Senator Inhofe, we'll freeze the time for a minute. I'm just trying to make.
INHOFE: Oh yes, take your time. We're freezing the time.
BOXER: No, no. We're freezing the time just for a minute. I want to talk to you a minute, please.
(LAUGHTER)
BOXER: Would you agree to let the vice president answer your questions? And then if you want an extra few minutes at the end, I'm happy to give it to you. But we're not going to get anywhere.
INHOFE: Why don't we do this...
BOXER: We're asking...
INHOFE: Why don't we do this, at the end, you can have as much time as you want to answer all of the questions. BOXER: No, that isn't the rule of -- you're not making the rules. You used to when you did this. You don't do this anymore. Elections have consequences.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERING & APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Wow. All right. That was quite an exchange. And you know, we were expecting something from Senator James Inhofe. He is a critic of global warming. In fact, he once said that global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetuated on the American people. So certainly, we were expecting something from him. We thought maybe it might be with him and former senator -- former Vice President Al Gore. But it ended up between him and Senator Barbara Boxer. She really got a stinger in there, I will say.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Good for her.
KEILAR: All right. And coming up, four days, three nights alone in the wilderness, could you survive? Ahead in the NEWSROOM, we're going to have more on that 12-year-old Boy Scout who did.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Keep playing ball. That's what Bluffton University players have decided. Just weeks after five of their teammates were killed when their bus plunged off a highway overpass in Atlanta. They were on their way to a tournament in Florida. The surviving players plan to wear all-black uniforms for the rest of the season to honor the five. Adding they wouldn't be taking to the field again if the families of the five weren't behind them.
KEILAR: Drinking out of a creek and sleeping in trees. That's what Michael Auberry did to survive during the days and the fairly cold nights that he spent lost and alone in the North Carolina woods. The 12-year-old Boy Scout was found yesterday. He was dazed, weak and dehydrated and it was a dog rescue team that found him.
He had left the Troop's campsite Saturday afternoon with his mess kit and two jackets. His father says Michael was homesick because his best buddies couldn't make the trip and apparently planned to hitch a ride once he got to the road but instead, he got lost.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENT AUBERRY, MICHAEL'S FATHER: He said that he heard the helicopters and he saw or heard people yelling for him and he yelled back. But they didn't hear him. He also said that he thought he heard people and he would try to investigate and he would find out it was the river or the creek.
And if you were out there, the creek is in places very loud and you really can't hear left or right on your side.
He said he wanted to thank people for their prayers, thank people who went out to look for him. And he wants to thank Gandalf, especially, the dog we understand found him, although he knew that Gandalf did eat the peanut butter crackers that he gave him.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Michael spent the night in the hospital and his father says when his son is back on his feet, they're going to have a little chat about hitchhiking. Now let's go back to that dog, Gandalf. He is undoubtedly one of Michael Auberry's best friends now. He spotted the boy before anyone did, catching his scent in the air.
Misha Marshall, the rescuer at the end of Gandalf's leash, told CNN's Miles O'Brien what happened next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MISHA MARSHALL, DOG TEAM SEARCHER: Gandalf was working up ahead of us, and Michael turned out to be upwind of us. So Gandalf picked up his scent and kind of worked us into where Michael was. We came around a bend and he was about 50 yards to our left up a fairly steep incline.
O'BRIEN: Well, when Gandalf picks up on a scent, what does he do? Does he start barking, does he run after? What -- or did you have him on a leash? How do you do that?
MARSHALL: Their body language changes. They will turn their head in the direction that they're catching the scent. So, he looked left about three times, so I knew he was interested in something. So that kind of puts you on alert. And after that he kind of took us in, so...
O'BRIEN: Misha, you're an accountant by day, you do this as a volunteer. So do -- many of those people in the woods were volunteers. Why do you do it?
MARSHALL: Absolutely. We do it for what happened yesterday. We train quite a bit. All the people out there helped find Michael. I was just one part of it. And, you know, I can't express how much search and rescue volunteers help. And that's what -- we go out there with a positive attitude that we're going to find the person we're looking for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Gandalf is just one of the specially-trained canines with the South Carolina Search and Rescue Dog Association. Now because they scan the air for human scent, they're able to take a more direct route. So they don't have to follow any trail and as you can imagine that makes it pretty interesting, to say the least, for the people who are holding their leashes. And Gandalf, of course, the name of the wizard in "Lord of the Rings." So a little magic that was worked there yesterday, I think.
LEMON: Yes. He's a cutie.
KEILAR: Yes.
LEMON: Well, what do you know? It turns out great minds do think alike. Ahead in the NEWSROOM, going head to head and ending up in a dead heat.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: And we have to phrase this next story in the form of a question. What is one of the most talked about moments in recent game show history? Here's your answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEX TREBEK, HOST, "JEOPARDY": Scott, did you get "Bonnie Parker"? You did. What did you risk? A-ha! Twenty-six hundred, $16,000! The first time ever a three-way tie! Enjoy the weekend, you'll be back...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Three-way tie. One in 25 million, that is the odds. I got a chance to quiz the three guys who made "Jeopardy" history. And here's how it went.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Scott, I heard you did that on purpose. Explain that to us.
SCOTT WEISS, "JEOPARDY" WINNER: Well, I saw that at the end of "Double Jeopardy" that Anders (ph) and Jamey each had $8,000. And I thought, wow, you know, they were probably going to bet everything. And if they had 16,000, I had $16,000, that would be the first three- way tie ever. And that would be just extremely cool. So I just said, oh, let's try for that. And I bet that and spent a little time looking at the monitor thinking, what have I just done?
(LAUGHTER)
WEISS: But it was just a great moment. And I'm just pleased to be able to share it with Anders and Jamey.
LEMON: So it sounds like you're glad you did it.
WEISS: I'm extremely glad I did it.
LEMON: Yes. And you know, I found it very interesting -- well, before I go on, are you guys glad he did it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I am. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very glad he did it.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Why is that? For obvious reasons, I know. But why are you glad he did it?
JAMEY KIRBY, "JEOPARDY" WINNER: Well, it's neat to be a part of the whole situation, I would say, but the big thing for me was I just got to play again. I mean, if he doesn't do that, I don't get to play a second game. And I wanted to play a second game. I enjoy playing.
LEMON: Yes. I imagine the money is good but probably being on the show is just as much fun as having all of that money.
WEISS: Absolutely.
ANDERS MARTINSON, "JEOPARDY" WINNER: Yes, being on the show was a thrill. And it has been great to develop the friendships with Jamey and Scott and their wives.
LEMON: You guys have developed a friendship. Because they actually taped the shows back in December. So you have known for a while. And you can't share with anybody. So do you call each other up and go, oh my gosh, can you believe this? Do you only talk amongst yourselves?
WEISS: We sent a lot of e-mails back and forth amongst the three of us talking about it.
LEMON: How do you keep that a secret? I don't think that I could.
WEISS: Well, no one has to...
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: All of you talk at the same time. Go ahead, whoever wants to, you know, three-way tie...
(CROSSTALK)
KIRBY: I don't know that I thought that it was going to be as big as it has turned out. And obviously from my perspective, it was kind of a -- it was a gift to me, because I was obviously going to bet $8,000. So I mean, that's from Scott. And it's kind of his deal. But it's easier to keep it, you know, quiet just because there are few people. My wife was out there. There are few people you can talk to. Obviously, I can e-mail Anders and Scott and chat about it. So keeping it a secret from the others is like, they're going to be surprised. And you have got that -- it's sort of like Christmas, I don't tell people what they're getting on Christmas before they open their presents.
MARTINSON: It's more the fun to keep the secret.
LEMON: Go ahead, Anders, what were you saying?
MARTINSON: Well, it's kind of fun to keep the secret after all and watch the people in your office and different people in your family just begging and begging and begging. And you get to keep the secret until the big day.
LEMON: Now one person you kept the secret from, which I find very interesting, Anders, is that you have a stepson who is in Iraq. Do you know -- does he know that you went on the show?
MARTINSON: He should know by now. We e-mailed him as soon as the show aired in San Francisco, which would have been about 8:00 in the morning Saturday Baghdad time. We sent him an e-mail. And he hasn't responded yet, but we figure he knows by now.
LEMON: One in 25 million. That's the chances of having a three- way tie on "Jeopardy" and one smart person realized that and made this whole moment possible. Scott Weiss, Jamey Kirby, and Anders Martinson, we certainly appreciate you joining us today. Congratulations and good luck to all of you.
WEISS: Thank you very much.
MARTINSON: Thank you, it's my pleasure.
KIRBY: Thank you. And thank you, again, Scott.
WEISS: OK. You're welcome.
MARTINSON: Thank you, Scott.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: It's like "The Brady Bunch." Did you see that? We were all looking at each other.
KEILAR: That was, I liked that.
LEMON: They were amazing guys, very, very nice. And we do have to tell you that one of the three-way champs is still winning. He's still winning on "Jeopardy." Yes, Jamey Kirby's fourth game of "Jeopardy" airs today.
KEILAR: I could never keep that secret. I mean, I do tell people what I'm getting them for Christmas. That's how bad I am.
LEMON: Guess what, I can't tell you, but guess what, it's time to check in with Wolf Blitzer standing by to tell us what's happening a little bit later on in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Hi, Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, guys. Thanks very much. There are some major new developments in the potentially historic showdown under way right now between the Congress and President Bush. A House panel approving subpoenas for top White House aides or the firing of federal prosecutors. Will the Senate follow suit? I'll talk about it with Democratic Judiciary Committee member, Senator Chuck Schumer.
Also, Iraqi insurgents are now using children in suicide bombings. What can the U.S. military do to counter this horrifying new tactic? I'll speak with a top U.S. military commander.
And there are new developments unfolding in that very public war of words between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Rush Limbaugh. The California governor goes on Limbaugh's radio program. So did they call a truce? All that coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
Back to you guys.
LEMON: All right. Wolf, thank you. Look forward to it.
KEILAR: And the closing bell and a wrap of the action on Wall Street straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Don Lemon there singing along. Prepare to be struck by some incredible new images of our Sun. They were captured by telescopes aboard the spacecraft Hinode, a joint project of NASA and some international space agencies. The mission has brought in lots of new observations about the Sun and solar phenomena. For example, it found that the Sun's magnetic field is much more turbulent than anyone knew. Hinode, by the way, means "sunrise" in Japanese.
LEMON: Always amazing to see those pictures. Just great, great photographs.
KEILAR: It really is, and we learn a new word along with that.
LEMON: Yes. Hinode.
KEILAR: That's right.
LEMON: And the meaning of it.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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