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Britain Demands Release of Its Troops by Iran; Envirnomentally Friendly Winter Vacation Resort; Poisoned Pet Food; Indiana Flooding; Health Care Forum; Pageant Winners' Troubles
Aired March 24, 2007 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And presidential candidate John Edwards gets personal in Las Vegas about his family problems there this week. You're in the NEWSROOM where the news unfolds live this Saturday, March 24th I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
And something new we're watching right now, you're looking at central Indiana, which is now dealing with some serious flooding taking place there in Hamilton County, that's the picture that you're seeing right now. Many homes and businesses in this rural community of this area in Hamilton County are being threatened.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Meantime, something of another level of crisis, a diplomatic crisis over Iran's capture of British sailors. As the U.N. Security Council moves ahead with plans to punish Iran for its nuclear ambitions, a vote on new sanctions is set to begin in one hour, and it will go on without a word from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as he had originally planned. Diplomatic tensions are brewing over that expected vote and over those 15 British sailors and marines held captive in Tehran. Our Middle East correspondent Aneesh Raman is live from Tehran with the latest. First let's begin, Aneesh, with the expected U.N. sanctions vote, how seriously or not is the Iranian government taking it?
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the expectation here is that we will see, perhaps, a unanimous vote on another round of sanctions. The last one came last year. The question, of course is, will these sanctions be tough enough to get Iran to suspend its nuclear program? The short answer on the ground is no. These sanctions that they're voting on today will ban all arms exports from Iran, they also concentrate on businesses that deal with Iran's nuclear program as well as lengthening the list of individuals that have assets freezes and travel bans, but it doesn't seem like it will be enough. Certainly it will show a clear message of unity on the Security Council, that it wants Iran to stop its nuclear program. But as that pressure has built, we have seen Iran's resolve to pursue that program build as well. The increased pressure we've seen over the past few weeks from Russia, many of the hardliners within this country say that's further reason for Iran to be self-sufficient, to enrich its on uranium as it's now able to do. So we aren't expecting any dramatic change in Iranian policy after these sanctions. In fact, perhaps only more defiance. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: In the meantime, the other issue that is being dealt with there in Iran, the fact that these British soldiers are being held, the Iranian government is saying these British soldiers and one marine have actually admitted to being in Iranian waters.
RAMAN: Yeah we spent all day yesterday. The incident occurred Friday morning local time, without much information. We've been getting repeated updates from Iranian officials now. Today at least they've said that the 15 British military personnel have been moved to Tehran. They will now spend a second night in Iranian custody. No word on when they will be released. Also a top Iranian military official said all of them confessed to traveling into Iranian waters illegally an act that Iran calls blatant aggression. They had rejected Britain's explanation. The British government vehemently maintains that its military personnel were in Iraqi, not Iranian waters. And just to remind our viewers where this took place yesterday, it's in a water way that the Iraqis call Shatt al Arab, that the Iranian's call Arbanroud. It has been a disputed territorial claim to waterway for centuries. It is a main reason Iran and Saddam's Iraq went to war for eight years in the early 1980s. So all of that tension has now met with the current situation that Iran deals with the tensions it has with the world. Pressure, of course, is on Iran to release these military officers. But Iran maintains they illegally crossed into Iranian waters, they are being questioned. And again, no word on when they will be released. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, Aneesh Raman, thanks so much from Tehran.
We're also now going to hear from a journalist who happened to be on this British ship when these sailors, as well as the marine were taken into custody by Iran. They happened to be on rafts that come from this ship. Journalist Terry Judd is on the phone with us now. Terry is now joining us from Bahrain. So what's your take on exactly what happened? Were you witness to everything that unfolded?
TERRI JUDD, BAHRAIN: I was on the ship at the time and obviously the marines and the sailors were on small, inflatable boats further out towards the Iranian area. I'll take it that they went out. They were inspecting a ship compliantly and according to U.N. rules. They reboarded their inflatable rafts and were, from what could be seen, though information is sketchy at the moment, were surrounded by Iranian Republican guards called navy vessels and taken out the Shatt al Arab waterway.
WHITFIELD: So Terri, what is your understanding as to why the sailors and marine were on the rafts and what they were pursuing or looking for and how they got into this?
JUDD: Well, that entire area, around the area, some major oil platforms which pump out Iraq's crude oil. They're obviously vital to the country's assets. After a suicide bombing back in 2004, a coalition maritime effort was put out to protect those oil platforms, it's a joint British -- led by the British, but joint effort with the Americans and the Australians to protect the area and they obviously patrol it. The marines and the sailors go out with boarding teams and in not rafts but inflatable speed boats and board vessels in the area just to check who's operating a lot of perfectly legal merchants and fishermen and as well as quite a booming smuggling industry going up to Basra.
WHITFIELD: So Terri while you embed, did you ever hear the sailors or marines talk about the kind of sensitivities that they were aware of, given that something like this happened in 2004 when some British sailors were taken into Iranian custody for the same kinds of accusations?
JUDD: Well, I think they're permanently aware of the sensitivity of the area they're in and they're constantly briefed. They're also very aware that they're operating very close to the Iranian waterway, but as far as they're concerned, they have a clear guideline as to where that is. As your correspondent said, this is a permanently disputed border, and they frequently see Iranian Republican guards, vessels in the area. But up until now, the treatment between the two, Britain forces and the Iranians has remained polite and businesslike where predominantly they keep to their own hatches.
WHITFIELD: Journalist Terri Judd reporting to us from Bahrain, was onboard the British vessel the HMS Cornwall when this took place, when these British sailors and marines were taken after they left the Cornwall and onto rubber rafts and were seized by Iranian authorities. Thanks so much Terri for your report.
Meantime, British officials insist their forces did not breach Iran's territorial waters. And diplomats are busy today to trying to secure their release. Our Robin Oakley is following that effort from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR (voice-over): A diplomatic war of words continues over the 15 British sailors and royal marines seized by Iranian authorities as they conducted anti- smuggling patrol duties in the Persian Gulf, under United Nations authority. British commanders insist the men operated strictly within Iraqi waters. Iranian authorities insist the men had strayed into Iranian territorial waters.
The Iranian public was told the British sailors had committed a blatant violation of Iranian sovereignty and had been arrested by border guards for investigation. The incident was just outside the Shatt al Arab waterway in the northern Gulf. Britain says its troops were in Iraqi waters, but this water has previously been disputed by Iran. The British say at 10:30 local time Friday, two British inflatable boats boarded a merchant ship. As they were leaving, they were surrounded by Iranian governments and escorted into Iranian waters. It was, says the British commander, an episode without violence.
COMMODORE NICK LAMBERT, BRITISH NAVAL COMMANDER: There was no fighting, there was no engagement with weapons, anything like that. It was entirely peaceful. We've been assured from the scant communications we've had with the Iranians at the (INAUDIBLE) that the 15 people are safely in their hands.
OAKLEY: Western diplomats hope the episode was simply a mistake arising from a period of increased tension.
SIR RICHARD DALTON, FMR. UK AMBASSADOR TO IRAN: It's not surprising that Iranian forces should wish to be alert. The trouble is, they have undertaken an entirely unjustified act, presumably in the name of national defense, but crossing into waters where they apparently do not belong. It's therefore, quite right that the British government should call for the urgent and safe release of these people
OAKLEY: Iranian news agencies reported the seized men had been arrested and taken to Tehran to explain what were called their aggressive actions. An Iranian military official claimed they confessed to straying into Iranian waters. Britain's diplomats in Tehran who insist the men never strayed outside Iraqi waters, say they've had no access to the men and are warning they must not be treated like a group seized in 2004. On that occasion in a propaganda move, the prisoners were paraded blind folded on Iranian television. Diplomats wonder if wider motives were involved this time.
DR. MEHRAD KHONSARI, FORMER IRANIAN DIPLOMAT: I think the Iranians are anxious to flex their muscles and to act tough without in essence jeopardizing their position and allowing the matter to get out of hand.
OAKLEY: The British sailors were taken the day before the U.N. Security Council vote on extending sanctions against the Iranian regime to persuade it to suspend its uranium enrichment program. A program which the west fears is designed to lead onto nuclear weapons, in which Iran says is for strictly peaceful energy purposes.
(on camera): For those seeking their immediate release, the fear is that the captured sailors and marines are the victims not of military, but of political maneuvers. Robin Oakley, CNN, London.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And here in the states, huge concern about our pets and their poisoned pet food. How to better protect your four-legged family member? We'll answer some of your questions.
Repressive government? No jobs, out of control inflation, seem like a recipe for disaster, right? Well that's Zimbabwe. We'll take a look straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
And Democratic presidential candidates talk healthcare, but for John Edwards, the subject is more than just talk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Happening right now, flooding in central Indiana. You're looking at a number of businesses that are taking on a lot of water. The river Rose is cresting. It also means there's a lot of water in the backyards and in homes in Hamilton and Madison counties. All this taking place northeast of Indianapolis. We're watching.
Also we're watching a vote on additional sanctions against Iran coming up shortly at the U.N. The new resolution comes after U.N. nuclear experts couldn't verify Iran's uranium enrichment program was strictly peaceful.
And in Las Vegas right now, major Democratic presidential candidates are talking healthcare reform. John Edwards took a moment to recognize his wife Elizabeth, who was sitting in the front row. She found out in recent days that her cancer has returned and is inoperable. Two live reports straight ahead.
And many pet owners are understandably very nervous today after rat poison has been found in recalled pet food that's been blamed for the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs. The question on everyone's mind, how did it get there? CNN's Mary Snow has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How did rat poison wind up in pet food? That is still uncertain. But investigators in New York say what they do know is that they found a toxin called aminopterin in samples of pet food suspected of being tainted. The toxin is not a legal pesticide in the U.S. Doctors say it can be found in some forms of cancer treatments.
PATRICK HOOKER, N.Y. STATE AGRICULATURE COMMISSIONER: This is one step in a long process that will lead all of us to know what has happened.
SNOW: The CEO of Menu Foods, the company that recalled over 90 brands of dog and cat food, says he's both relieved and happy investigators found the problem during what he called an unprecedented search.
PAUL HENDERSON, CEO, MENU FOODS: Our hearts go out to the thousands of pet owners across Canada and the United States for their losses and their worries.
SNOW: But the CEO says he is at a loss to explain where the toxin came from. And he says the company will test raw products to trace the origin. Veterinarian Dr. Ann Hohenhouse says knowing that rat poison is involved can help prevent animals from dying if they are suffering kidney failure.
DR. ANN HOHENHAUS, N.Y. ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER: What sounds to me like you're giving fluids intravenously or maybe by other means is going to be key to trying to prevent or fix this problem.
SNOW: But she adds there are a new set of worries.
HOHENHAUS: We don't know what the long-term effects are on their kidney function, and only time is going to answer that question.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: That was Mary Snow reporting and for a complete list of the recalled products, go to menufoods.com The pet food scare is hitting home for people living all across the country. Shock has turned to grief in some circles, and now they're struggling to cope with the loss of a beloved pet.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Denise Tracy of Milford says her cat Fluffy is among them. She euthanized her 11-year-old family pet last Thursday.
DENISE TRACY, LOST HER CAT: It's just horrific. I wouldn't even keep rat poisoning in my house in the furthest corner of the basement. To think that I was feeding it to my pet, I feel like I was punched in the stomach
: And she's not alone. Here at the Angel Animal Medical Center three cats were put down in two weeks, all with the same kidney failure issues.
TRACY: Watching her suffer and putting her down, it's really hard to erase those memories.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anita Bacci holds two of her Yorkshire terriers, Vinny and Bella.
ANITA BACCI, LOST TWO DOGS: They mean everything. They are our family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So Bacci was concerned when several weeks ago, another dog, 13-year-old Savannah, became gravely ill. The dog had to be put to sleep. Two weeks later, the family's fourth dog, 14- year-old Lacey, met the same fate. Bacci suspects tainted dog food is to blame.
BACCI: It looked like healthy food to me and I thought the dogs would enjoy it because it did have a gravy in it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 4-year-old Vinnie also showed symptoms. He's on antibiotics and expected to recover. Bacci says recovering from her loss will take a while longer.
BACCI: My husband and my two kids, we were all totally devastated over this. It was such a senseless, horrible death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In his Linwood store, About Pets, Nolyn Boday is very selective about the pet food he sells, emphasizing what he calls health-oriented products. He thinks this case has the potential to radically change the landscape of the pet food business in the U.S.
NOLYN BODAY, OWNER, "ABOUT PETS": But I think the general American public is going to be a lot more informed and a lot more aware of how pet food is made, where it's coming from. And I'm hoping that as the information gets out there, we realize we need to change what we've been doing because it doesn't work.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: We continue to watch that story, and we continue to watch the flooding taking place in central Indiana. More of that in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: While folks in Washington argue about global warming, ski resort owners on the front lines of the issue are being forced to take action. Whether the warming is natural or manmade, there is no argument that winters are getting warmer and ski slopes are certainly feeling the heat. Rob Marciano describes how the shortage of white, fluffy stuff is prompting a lot of resorts to go green.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Most scientists agree global warming is making winter shorter.
PROF. JIM WHITE, UNIV. 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, MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN CEO: 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 caring capacity of our ecosystem. I'm not saying this because it's popular green washing, it's a fact. 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 grade 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. Ski Boat Springs recently installed a ski lift, partially powered by solar energy credits. And resorts like Mount Batchelor in Oregon use bio fuels in their buses and snow cats. Aside from using fossil fuels, environmental blunders include --
BERNSTEIN: Cutting down old growth trees, polluting rivers and lakes or damaging endangered species habitats 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. Rob Marciano, CNN reporting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Flooding in central Indiana. You're looking at aerial shots right now. These areas in central Indiana, just northeast of Indianapolis, are experiencing a lot of flooding as a result of days of rain. Hamilton County is one of the areas being hard hit as the river Rose is cresting. Many homes and businesses are being threatened by high water. David Bice is with the Hamilton County Emergency Services, he's on the phone with us now. How hard hit is Hamilton County?
DAVID BICE, HAMILTON CO., IND. EMERGENCY SERVICES: We've had some areas around the rivers and some of the larger creeks and had numerous road closures within the county. We've had at least one road that has been washed out underneath the water there. So we're urging residents if they come to a sign that says road closed or high water, please just turn around because you never know, the road could be gone beneath it. So far we haven't had any repots of any injuries or deaths related to the flooding. So we're just continuing to hand out sandbags for residents that need them.
WHITFIELD: Tell me a little bit about Hamilton County, rural, farm community?
BICE: Actually the north part of Hamilton County is more rural. The southern half of Hamilton County is urban.
WHITFIELD: And this kind of flooding, did this come as a surprise or were most folks expecting this after the kind of rain that you've been experiencing?
BICE: Oh, no, we get flooding quite a bit. Especially the residents that live along the river, they know when it reaches a certain level, whatever level that may be -- some have stakes out in their front yard and they know when the water reaches that, that they need to take action. So they are familiar with what is happening and stuff and it's happened a few times before in the past.
WHITFIELD: Ok, and I've covered a lot of flooding just like this, even though folks who live on the river banks expect flooding, sometimes they get caught by surprise. Many times local authorities have to rescue them via canoe, boat or sometimes try and airlift them out from their roof tops. Are you doing anything like that?
BICE: No, so far we haven't had to do that with any of our residents here in Hamilton County.
WHITFIELD: Ok and what's the word you're trying to get out to residents there to make sure they stay out of harm's way? BICE: Just, like I said, if they're driving along a road and they see that it's closed due to flooding, just please take the extra time, turn around and find an alternate route.
WHITFIELD: What's your expectation about when this water might recede?
BICE: The National Weather Service is saying it's going to crest tomorrow morning at 8:00. You know, that could change. You know, if we get more rain or right now it's nice and sunny out. But should we get any significant rainfall that could affect it. They're telling us if we get some light rain, that it shouldn't affect it much. So they're predicting it right now for it to be 8:00 tomorrow morning.
WHITFIELD: All right. David Bice, thanks so much talking over this new video that we're just now receiving from Hamilton County, one of the two hard-hit counties there in central Indiana. You're seeing a lot of high water around a lot of homes there and even some of the farms that you saw in the earlier shots. But thankfully, as David Bice just told us with Hamilton County Emergency Services, no reported injuries or anything more serious than that. That's good news. We'll continue to watch it.
Meantime, healthcare, a constant front-burner issue with voters. Democrats who want to win the White House are offering their prescriptions for reform. Live in Las Vegas coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Welcome back. The U.N. Security Council today considers new sanctions against Iran. Iran has repeatedly defied U.N. calls to suspend its uranium enrichment program.
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards told voters in Nevada that he's in the race for the duration. Edwards appeared at a health forum with his wife Elizabeth. The couple announced this week that her breast cancer has returned.
Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. I'm Frederica Whitfield.
Health care, a big issue for Democrats who hope to win the White House. Right now most of the party's presidential contenders are in Las Vegas for a health care forum. CNN's Sumi Das is there -- Sumi.
SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks very much, Fredricka. Well, today was the first public campaign appearance for Senator and Mrs. Edwards since they made the announcement just 48 hours ago that Mrs. Edwards' cancer has returned.
Now Elizabeth Edwards was present at today's presidential forum on health care. She was very visible, sitting in the first row of a side section just off the stage. But she did not speak, however. Her battle with cancer was acknowledged several times throughout the event. And each time it was met with strong applause. Of course, as you know, there has been a strong outpouring of support in the past two days since the revelation was made by Mr. and Mrs. Edwards. And one of the first things that John Edwards did after he took to the stage today was express gratitude for that outpouring of support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a great privilege for me to be here. Let me say first, a personal thank you to all of you and to people who have been to kind and so generous over the last few days, including, by the way, my fellow candidates who will be here today.
And I'm very proud to have my wife Elizabeth here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAS: John Edwards did say that he is definitely in the race for the duration. After he was finished on stage, he was greeted by his wife. As he walked off stage, there was a quick kiss, a quick embrace and also a quick wave to the crowds and the cameras. And then they flitted back stage. I was told by an Edwards aide last night that they would not be talking to reporters, and that is exactly what happened.
But the campaigning continues. Both Mr. and Mrs. Edwards have events on Monday -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Sumi Das, thanks so much, from Las Vegas. Let's talk more about this forum and what was said or promised or what was heard. Our senior political analysts Bill Schneider is in Washington with more on that.
Was this the kind of forum where these candidates wanted to make some promises or really was this kind of a more docile exchange between those who are expressing their concerns about the health industry and these candidates who want to listen?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, they were presenting their positions to an audience of interested professionals, union members who work in the health care field. Interestingly, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Nevada is having an early Democratic caucus. It was given waiver to do so by the Democratic Party. So Look what's happening. The candidates are all showing up in Nevada. That's what happens when the calendar changes.
This is an issue of serious concern to unions, to health care workers and to all Americans. It has moved up on the scale voters' concern and interests since 1994 when the Clinton health care plan just crashed and burned.
WHITFIELD: And speaking of which then, Hillary Clinton there in attendance as well. Did she expound any further, or was it expected that she might then talk a little more about the health care, I guess, failures, particularly that was something she tried to lead as first lady and what perhaps might be different this time as a presidential candidate?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, well, she did talk about the failure of her health care plan and what she learned as a result. And I was interested to hear her talk because I think she got it exactly right. She said that Americans are, by and large, satisfied with their health care and with their health insurance, what they're concerned about is really two things: losing what they have because they can't afford it and other people who are totally uninsured and really have no resources at all. They want everyone covered.
What they were concerned about back in 1994 was that the government was going to take away something they were satisfied with. She got that message very clearly and said that's not the way we were going to approach it. That was a false scare back in 1994. We're not going to allow that to happen again. But we are just as resolute as were then, she said, in getting something done to making progress towards universal health care.
WHITFIELD: And Bill, just as Sumi was underscoring in her report, that really taking center stage at this forum, candidate John Edwards there with his wife Elizabeth, days after revealing that she is facing a return of cancer that is inoperable. While there may be a lot of support that they've received over the past couple of days, he thanked everyone for that, at the same time when you talk about financial support, is it likely that there might be groups or individuals who can do that, might be reticent, namely because of the health scare that that family is now facing?
SCHNEIDER: That's a big question, and we simply don't know the answer. We will see if his financing, if the contributions begin to fall off. We don't know. But he tried to address that directly at the forum today when he said I am definitely in the race for the duration, which was a way of reassuring supporters and contributors that his wife's health problems are not going to hinder him from running for president. He's determined to go the distance, for the duration. It was really a message to his supporters and contributors, don't give up on me. I'm in this race to stay.
WHITFIELD: OK. And we're looking at the video that we're running, you know, kind of a montage of images. The candidates who are speaking, two of the people we didn't talk about, Bill Richardson, as well as Barack Obama. Very much on the radar, did their points particularly hit home with any of those members in the audience?
SCHNEIDER: I think Barack Obama talked about some of the special problems that minorities have with health care because they are disproportionately represented among the uninsured. Bill Richardson, of course, a Latino; Barack Obama, an African-American. And their communities are hit very hard by the insurance crisis. And they talked about that.
Richardson, of course, the governor of New Mexico, has had to deal with it very directly as a governor and talked about his experiences in that respect. But the candidate who has the most ambitious far-reaching health care plan now is John Edwards. He has, of course, a lot of experience with the health care system. He made specific reference that his wife has had resources, he was a senator, and she has had resources because he's very wealthy that others do not have. But he talked about their experience with the health care system. He has the most far-reaching and ambitious plan, and one for which he is willing to talk about raising taxes, something other candidates are reluctant to deal with.
WHITFIELD: Well, I know a lot of voters are just happy to hear that these candidates have all been assembled to talk about something that is really important to every American in this country. Bill Schneider, thanks so much.
SCHNEIDER: OK.
WHITFIELD: So when someone gets fired, it's not usually surrounded by national controversy, right? Well, Alberto Gonzales, well, he's in some hot water over the dismissal of some federal prosecutors. Our legal experts weigh in next in the NEWSROOM.
And there's a new Miss USA. You can bet that pageant officials hope her reign will be uneventful, scandal-free.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So the attorney general may be contradicting, well, the attorney general. Newly released documents detail an hour-long November meeting about the fired prosecutors and, yes, Alberto Gonzales was there. Square with Gonzales' statement last week, quote: "I was not involved in any discussions." A Justice spokeswoman sees no inconsistency. Rather, she says Gonzales was stressing he was not involved in the details of the firings.
Well, the case of the fired federal prosecutors, political intrigue, and lots of legal issues. In fact, our legal experts can hardly wait to plunge in once again on this topic. Avery Friedman is here with me in Atlanta but so far away in the NEWSROOM. He is a civil rights and law professor. And Richard Herman joins us from New York where he is a criminal defense attorney and law professor.
And, Richard, I haven't seen you come to Atlanta yet. What's going on? Why are you holding back on us?
RICHARD HERMAN, LAW PROFESSOR: Well, Avery snuck down there, didn't even tell me...
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
AVERY FRIEDMAN, LAW PROFESSOR: It's home court advantage, man, here it is.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's begin, you guys, you know, last week we talked about this case. And we said -- and I think all of us were in unison that Alberto Gonzales was either going to be fired or resign under pressure this week. It didn't happen. He is holding his ground. So is the White House. So if he were to testify in this hearing on Capitol Hill, what is expected that he could actually say, Avery?
FRIEDMAN: Well, it's going to be really something to see because we have now four inconsistent stories, Fredricka. What we have is a situation where he can't explain what's going on. Yet, the White House is going to fight the attorney general's appearance before the Congress.
But what the big news is, is that this Thursday, his former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, is going to testify. And we're going to find out a lot more about what's going on. And at that point we're going to determine whether or not we're going to see the remainder or the end of this attorney general.
WHITFIELD: Interesting, Richard?
HERMAN: Fred, here's the situation here. Whether the president had the right to fire these U.S. attorneys, he absolutely did. He could do it basically for any reason other than to hinder an ongoing investigation, which there is no proof...
WHITFIELD: It is what they all said, it's a privilege to serve.
HERMAN: Right.
WHITFIELD: They are really -- it is not a constitutional rights issue even.
HERMAN: No. And there's no proof that he had any bad intent by doing this. So that issue is over with. The issue is...
WHITFIELD: So then why is this a problem?
HERMAN: Because Mr. Gonzales, apparently in that March 13th conference, told people -- misrepresented what he did, his involvement and the White House's involvement in this firing, which we find out on November 27th he absolutely sat in a meeting with his top senior aides.
He, in fact, signed off on the termination letters and then that document was sent to Harriet Miers at the White House. They had to wait for her signature. And then in December the firing took place.
WHITFIELD: All right. So, Avery, now you've got Harriet Miers, you've got Karl Rove facing subpoenas. They must testify whether this be a -- you know, kind of secret meeting, perhaps there won't be any transcription. Maybe there will be, et cetera. Is it as simple as saying, I don't recall, I don't remember, I plead the Fifth?
FRIEDMAN: Well, they may say that, but I think there are a couple of steps before we get to that point, Fredricka. The attorney general is taking the position that there is executive privilege. Well, guess what? There is no executive privilege, and there's no privilege because there's no evidence that the president actually was involved in the controversy. Yes, there was correspondence between his aides, certainly Rove's office and the attorney general's office. But the bottom line is the president made clear, if you want to fight, you're going to have to head to court. The truth is that is exactly what the president doesn't want because the state of the law in America today is that he's going to lose that argument and these people will be required to appear.
WHITFIELD: So do we think that this case potentially is going there? Because, I mean, I'm just -- I'm hearing lots of different arguments here. If the White House or if the attorney general, it is at their discretion to say, you know, we want to get rid of these federal prosecutors, bring in some new ones, they don't really have any constitutional rights to hold their jobs, it's OK to let them go, then if Capitol Hill isn't happy with what they're hearing, what next? I mean, it's not like these prosecutors are going to be rehired, right?
: Right. But...
WHITFIELD: It's not like they can sue for losing their jobs, right?
FRIEDMAN: It's more than that. It's more than that. It is absolutely correct that the president can get rid of these U.S. attorneys. No one has talked about the fact that the provision he's using came into existence last year and it came out of the Patriot Act where if there's a terrorist attack and there's no u.s. attorney, the president could jump into that.
Well, the Congress took care of that this week and said those days are over. It's now going to be decided by federal judges and that's how that issue is going to be resolved. On the showdown, we're not going to know until Thursday's testimony.
HERMAN: The interesting thing, Fred, is, if they decline to adhere to the -- if subpoenas are issued by Congress, under executive privilege, and it's determined there is no executive privilege, and they still don't come, then the U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia will have to bring contempt proceedings against them.
That's never going to happen. There's going to be a resolution here. There is going to be testimony given. And I think this whole thing is going to blow over. This is partisan politics.
WHITFIELD: Wait, it's going to blow over, what?
HERMAN: It's going to blow over. I don't know that Gonzales is going to get terminated on this.
WHITFIELD: Really?
FRIEDMAN: I don't know. Watch for Arlen Specter being a key player in this, this coming week.
WHITFIELD: Oh, interesting. Lots to watch. Something tells me we're going to be talking about this again next weekend. Richard and Avery, thanks so much, always good to see you. Next time, Richard, get a flight, man. Get down here.
HERMAN: I'm coming down. I want to sit next to you -- when I come, I want to sit next to you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: Yes, I'm very disappointed that Avery and I are just...
(CROSSTALK)
FRIEDMAN: Yes, I don't know what the deal is here. I should have been next to you, Fred.
HERMAN: Hey, listen, one of our producers, Sasha Wallach (ph), is leaving us. She's been with us for years.
FRIEDMAN: Yes, she's heading to INTERNATIONAL.
WHITFIELD: I know, we are sad.
(CROSSTALK)
HERMAN: Avery and I love her. And we thank her for everything.
FRIEDMAN: Absolutely right.
WHITFIELD: I love her too. She'll still be in the building, I get to still see here every now and then. She's just in a different division. All right, guys, thanks so much. Good to see you.
Has Donald Trump's beauty pageant overcome a year of controversy? (INAUDIBLE) has been tumultuous for Miss America (INAUDIBLE). The latest on this year's winner straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, just in case you missed it, we wanted to show you the new Miss USA, now wearing the tiara this morning. That was the tense moment last night. And then come the tears. Rachel Smith, Miss Tennessee. The pageant marks the end of the tumultuous reign of Tara Conner. She nearly lost her crown and ended up in rehab. She follows up in the footsteps in a long line of beauty queens behaving badly, they say.
Here's CNN's Brooke Anderson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Miss USA 2007 is Tennessee!
BROOK ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the beginning of a new chapter for both 21-year-old Rachel Smith from Clarksville, Tennessee, as well as for the contest organizers who have crowned her.
DONALD TRUMP, PAGEANT CO-OWNER: This has been a very difficult time for the Miss USA Pageant.
ANDERSON: Smith is stepping into some, well, very publicized shoes.
TARA CONNER, MISS USA 2006: We all have personal demons that we have to face at some point.
ANDERSON: Tattoos, body piercings, all-night partying and admitted underage drinking and cocaine use, last year's winner, Tara Conner, offered pageant organizers a different kind of beauty queen until she got caught.
CONNER: I want to apologize to my family if I've put any disgrace upon you.
ANDERSON: Nine months into her reign, a tearful Conner received a very public slap on the wrist from pageant owner Donald Trump who promptly sent her to rehab but let her keep her title.
CONNER: I loved it. I was like the grade A rehab student, it was sweet.
ANDERSON: Having a less than sweet time was Miss Nevada, Katie Rees, she was stripped of her crown after several topless and compromising photos surfaced on the Internet.
KATIE REES, FORMER MISS NEVADA USA: So many of us just don't realize how our actions, even one night of poor judgment, can affect the rest of our lives.
ANDERSON: Then there was Miss New Jersey, Ashley Harder, who resigned after violating pageant rules by becoming pregnant. While Mothers Against Drunk Driving publicly severed ties with Miss Teen USA, Katie Blair, for alleged underage drinking while partying with Conner.
CONNER: It was crazy, because when I got out, there was all of this controversy and not only my own but everyone else's, and I was thinking, jeez-louise, what's going on?
ANDERSON (on camera): Wracked with all the scandalous twists and turns usually save for a daytime soap opera, pageant organizers this year are hoping for a year a little less controversial.
PAULA SHUGART, PAGEANT PRESIDENT: I'm looking forward to a calmer year, probably.
CONNER: I want to see what the new girl has to offer to this title. I think it is going to be great.
TRUMP: The only advice I can do is just really tell them that it's not going to be easy, you really become a major public figure and everybody's watching every step. So just be very careful.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Brooke Anderson, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Coming up, a preview of the United Nations vote on Iran. That's straight ahead. Richard Roth is there live in New York. And then CNN Special Investigations Unit presents a look at "Iraqi Death Squads," the Iraq you don't see. Can the sectarian gunmen be stopped?
And at 4:00 p.m. Eastern, the latest on the flooding in Indianapolis -- or near Indianapolis, just northeast of there. That and more when the NEWSROOM returns at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.
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