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Results of Anna Nicole Smith Autopsy Due Next Hour; Army Releasing Repot on Aftermath of Pat Tillman's Death; Iran Holding 15 British Sailors and Marines
Aired March 26, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins. Good morning to you, everybody.
Watch events come in to the NEWSROOM live. Here's what's on the rundown for this Monday, March 26th.
Autopsy answers expected next hour after weeks of waiting. Anna Nicole Smith's official cause of death being is released.
HARRIS: Still waiting for word on 15 detained sailors and marines. Iran now under more pressure to release them.
COLLINS: And defending their decision. John and Elizabeth Edwards talk about continuing his White House run after her latest cancer diagnosis.
It's all in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And at the top this hour, let's take you now to Norristown, Pennsylvania. Several people, we understand, are injured after an accident involving a SEPTA train in Montgomery County this morning. A number of ambulances, as you will see here shortly, on the scene.
A short time ago, we watched one person and then a second person being placed into an ambulance. It appears a high-speed trolley that terminates at the Norristown, PA., station overshot the station and rammed into one of those rubber bumpers at the end of the station. At least eight people are being treated for bumps and bruises. None of the injuries described as serious, and the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Unclear as to when service resumes on this line. We will keep an eye on it for you.
COLLINS: Answers in the Anna Nicole case. Next hour, autopsy results are due to be announced. It's been six weeks since the former "Playboy" playmate was found unconscious in her Florida hotel room. Initial results only added to the mystery -- no serious injuries, and some inflammation to her heart. Let's get the latest now on this developing story. CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti is in Ft. Lauderdale now.
Susan, any word on what the medical examiner might say?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Not yet, Heidi, but today we will finally learn how Anna Nicole Smith died.
The stage is set for the Broward County medical examiner. Let me show you what the situation looks like outside the medical examiner's office here.
Dr. Joshua Perper is trying to hold a news conference at about 10:30 this morning. Law enforcement sources tell us no evidence of a crime has been uncovered. The question then becomes, for example, among other questions, what kind of drugs was Anna Nicole Smith taking at the time of her death?
The medical examiner has known for a few weeks now, he has said, how Anna Nicole Smith died, but he withheld that information because he received new evidence. New evidence that included her own computers and diary, and he wanted to examine that to see whether anything he might have found in that changed his mind.
Now, we want to remind everyone that it was February 8th when Anna Nicole Smith was found dead in her hotel room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, on the Seminole Indian reservation. She was taken to the hospital. She was unable to be revived. And then after that, there were weeks and weeks of controversy over who would get custody of her body.
Ultimately, it was given to a guardian representing her baby, Dannielynn. Finally, she was flown to the Bahamas, where she was buried next to her son, Daniel, who died of a lethal combination of drugs himself at the age of 20.
And now we are back in Florida waiting to find out ultimately how Anna Nicole Smith died. Heidi, we'll find out about 10:30 this morning.
COLLINS: All right. An hour and a half from now.
Susan Candiotti, thank you.
HARRIS: Just days into spring, strong thunderstorms rolled across parts of the country, cleanup now getting under way after more than a dozen tornadoes swept along the New Mexico-Texas state line. The twisters destroyed homes and businesses and injured several people. New Mexico governor Bill Richardson got a firsthand look at some of the damage.
This funnel cloud spotted in the sky over Lubbock, Texas. There was no word on whether it touched down or caused any damage.
Spring rains causing problems in Indiana, but the worst appears to be over. This scene in Hamilton County, north of Indianapolis. Heavy rains sent floodwaters across several roads in the region. Homeowners -- man, look at that. Homeowners also piled up sandbags as the water rose today. The floodwaters are expected to recede.
Let's check in now with Chad Myers for an update on the situation.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Demands from London, defiance from Tehran. Britain and Iran trying to hammer out a negotiation, a deal, over 15 sailors and British marines held.
Republicans and Democrats are at odds over a measure.
Well, where do we want to go here?
Let's back it up to the top. All right.
Let's do this, the battle over the war in Iraq -- my apologies -- that's the focus in the Senate today. Lawmakers expected to begin debate on a war spending bill that calls for a pullout of U.S. troops by March of next year. Republicans and Democrats are at odds over the measure.
Last week, the House passed a different version of the bill. It sets an August 31, 2008 deadline to withdrawal from Iraq. It is binding. The Senate's deadline is not. President Bush has promised to veto any measure setting a timetable to bring the troops home.
Pat Tillman, former football star and Army Ranger, killed in a friendly fire incident. Today, we're expecting a new reporting in the case. Higher-ups reportedly expected to be held accountable for mistakes made in the aftermath of Tillman's death.
Here's National Correspondent Bob Franken.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Pat Tillman was a national symbol of unselfish patriotism when he turned away from his highly lucrative NFL stardom to join the Army Rangers. Today, the handling of his death has become to his family and friends a story of military ineptitude and deceit.
We are now aware that U.S. officials knew almost right away what took five weeks for Pat Tillman's family to find out, that their son was killed by friendly fire in a remote area of Afghanistan. Before the truth came out, the president had paid tribute to Tillman.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The loss of Army Corporal Pat Tillman last week in Afghanistan brought home the sorrow that comes home with every loss and reminds us of the character of the men and women who serve on our behalf.
FRANKEN: At a memorial service 11 days after the incident, the Army repeated the claim that Tillman had been gunned down in a conventional ambush. Why it took so long for the truth to come out and who bears responsibility is the subject of Defense Department reports due out today. They will reportedly place blame on several high-ranking officers. But according to The Associated Press, they will rule out a conspiracy.
Congressman Mike Honda, a Democrat of San Jose, California, where Tillman was raised, was one of the members who pushed for these reports, but he's angry at the way they've been leaked.
REP. MIKE HONDA (D), CALIFORNIA: And this has happened at every juncture when a report is ready to be released, that it seems to be leaked out before the family gets to know. And that's -- I think it's very irritating to them, too.
FRANKEN: Tillman's father, Pat Sr., said he had no intention of commenting until he had been briefed later today.
Bob Franken, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Demands from London, defiance from Tehran. Britain and Iran now locked in a tense standoff over Iran's seizure of 15 British sailors and marines.
CNN's Robin Oakley is following the developments in the British capital.
Robin, what's the latest now from the British government?
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, the fate of the 14 British sailors and marines, 14 males and one woman, remains locked in a diplomatic standoff between Britain and Iran. Britain is absolutely insistent that these men were carrying out a legitimate anti-smuggling patrol, and they were doing so in Iraqi waters, something that has been confirmed today by Iraq's foreign minister. But the Iranians say no, they had strayed into Iranian waters, it was a violation of their sovereignty.
And Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian foreign minister, has suggested that the 15 Britains could, in fact, face charges in an Iranian court. That is still being considered.
Meanwhile, British officials are trying to get consular access to the 15 British sailors and marines, and trying to find out their whereabouts. The British ambassador in Tehran had another meeting with officials there this morning.
Still, they don't know their whereabouts, they don't know whether they're going to be charged. But Britain is insistent that they were not in Iranian waters -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Robin, maybe I'm simplifying it too much, but would it not be possible just to look at the coordinates of where the vessel was at the time, the longitude, the latitude of its positioning, and determine whether or not it was Iraqi or Iranian waters? OAKLEY: Well, even British commanders in the area say that the precise question of these boundaries at sea in territorial waters have always been difficult to resolve. There was a dispute in the past back in 2004. Eight British marines were held by the Iranians on a similar charge.
The Iranians say that the British, who they're holding, have confessed to being in Iranian waters and they say that their GPS equipment confirmed that they were. The British are absolutely adamant that that is not so.
It is very difficult to see how this kind of thing gets resolved, but the British are trying to keep it at a level of a technical dispute about territorial waters. They don't want the whole thing to become a conflagration -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Understood. All right.
Robin Oakley, live for us from London this morning.
Robin, thanks.
And the United Nations tightening the screws on Iran over its nuclear program now. The Security Council voting to impose a second round of sanctions on Tehran for its failure to suspend its enrichment of uranium.
The vote, unanimous. In Tehran, an immediate rejection of the sanctions. And Iranian leaders announced a partial suspension of cooperation with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency.
The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of carrying out a secret nuclear weapons program. Iran says the program is strictly peaceful.
HARRIS: An assassination attempt on a high-ranking Iraqi official. Was it an inside job? New details coming up in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Also, to protect and to serve, but in Chicago, police now are under fire in two beating incidents, allegedly involving off- duty officers. Both attacks caught on tape.
We've got the story coming up in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And you are looking at one lucky man. Over the falls without a barrel, rescue at Niagara. You will see it here in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: And Anna Nicole Smith, she lived in the spotlight and died in a mystery. Answers expected this morning.
Details in the NEWSROOM.
You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: In Chicago, word this morning that off-duty police officers are accused again in a barroom beating. We told you about this incident last week. It was caught on surveillance tape. Just like this latest one, both are now under investigation.
Our Keith Oppenheim has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Chicago police officials confirm they are investigating allegations that six off-duty cops beat four men at a bar in an upscale area of Chicago. Attorneys for the victims say their clients were attacked last December, that one man suffered broken ribs, and another man need reconstructive surgery on his face. It was a beating, they say, that was captured by surveillance cameras.
You may remember last week we reported about another incident caught on tape.
KAROLINA OBRYCKA, BARTENDER: There's one hit.
OPPENHEIM: This woman, Karolina Obrycka, came forward, saying she, too, was beaten by an off-duty police officer last month when she refused to serve him any more alcohol. That officer, Anthony Abbate, is now facing charges of felony aggravated battery. In the video, he punches her repeatedly.
Karolina gets up, despite multiple hits to her head, back and ribs. As bystanders keep a distance, Officer Abbate walks away.
(on camera): Karolina, what is your reaction that the person who beat you is a police officer?
OBRYCKA: I would like police to serve and protect, not to beat up people.
OPPENHEIM (voice over): In both cases, the police department is now investigating the actions of their officers caught on tape.
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Chicago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: George Washington used it, Richard Nixon, too. What about President Bush?
Presidents, executive privilege, and politics, ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Sniffing out trouble. Man's best friend, the latest tool in the war on terror.
Details ahead in the NEWSROOM.
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Roger. HARRIS: Hi, Stephanie.
COLLINS: You're on the air.
HARRIS: Good morning. Thumbs up.
ELAM: Oh. So many people talking to me.
Well, I'm going to tell you a little bit about automakers and how they're gearing up for their big meeting with Bush today.
That's coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The White House lawn is turning into a parking lot today. Top U.S. automakers are meeting with President Bush and showcasing their new fuel-efficient cars. But one big name won't be there.
Stephanie Elam, a big name in her own right, is with us "Minding Your Business" this morning, in for Ali Velshi.
Stephanie, good to see you.
What about Toyota? Where is Toyota in all of this?
ELAM: Well, Tony, that's the thing. Toyota now is the number two carmaker here in the U.S. You would think they'd be a part of this. Well, it seems that they're still not a part of the machine when it comes to the U.S. automakers, still sort of viewed as an outsider even though they are so large now.
So that may be the main reason we're not seeing them there, although Toyota has been making inroads and getting into Washington and making some -- some friends there. But it's a slow process. And to its credit, Toyota says it's understanding it's a special dance that it needs to orchestrate and become part of. So that's your reason there.
HARRIS: I got you. All right. So what about -- what are we going to see today? Who's going to be on hand? I guess we're talking about the CEOs. And what's likely to be at the top of the discussion agenda?
ELAM: Well, the main thing here is about getting our dependence on oil, foreign oil in particular, off the map.
HARRIS: Yes.
ELAM: That's what we're looking for here. That's what President Bush really wants to talk about.
So we're talking about GM, Ford and Chrysler meeting President Bush at the White House today. And they're saying that what Bush wants is to cut gas consumption by about 20 percent over 10 years, and obviously there's a big push for vehicles that can use flex-fuel. And that would be blends of gas and ethanol. So now, in fact, automakers are actually pledging that they'll have two million flex-fuel vehicles a year by 2010, and they say half of those could run on alternative fuels by 2012.
Now, but here's the big question, Tony, whether or not there's enough ethanol to go around.
HARRIS: Yes. Can you -- can you get access to it? Love the cars, love the designs, love the possibilities, love the idea of reducing our dependence on foreign oil. But can we get this blend? Can we get this ethanol?
ELAM: Right. And also, ethanol is not exactly cheap right now. And ethanol obviously made off of corn.
Well, these blends are 85 percent ethanol, and then 15 percent of gas. The problem is, only less than one percent of the gas stations across the U.S. actually offer this blend called E-85.
HARRIS: Well, it's not practical.
ELAM: So that's not really going to help us. It's not going to help us right now.
HARRIS: Yes. So, are we actually going to see one of these -- one of these cars on the lawn today?
ELAM: On the south lawn today? Indeed, you will.
HARRIS: Really?
ELAM: All three of the automakers have brought their cars. In fact, I can tell you what they are.
The GM has the E-85 Chevy Impala. Ford will have a concept car with a plug-in hydrogen fuel cell. And Chrysler will have its Jeep there, and this one will be a biodiesel blend fuel that it runs off of.
HARRIS: Well, that's...
ELAM: So that's why you're seeing the parking lot theme for the White House today.
HARRIS: Well, that's kind of cool. Can't wait to see that.
Stephanie Elam "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Stephanie, great to see you. Thank you.
ELAM: Take care.
COLLINS: What former killed former "Playboy" Playmate and tabloid star Anna Nicole Smith? Autopsy results out this morning. That, and the investigation into her son's death. We'll have it ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: A diplomatic standoff getting nastier. Fifteen British sailors and marines seized on a disputed waterway. Now Britain steps up pressure on Iran to release its troops.
The latest in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: An assassination attempt on a high-ranking Iraqi official. Was it an inside job?
New details coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Among our top stories this hour, Anna Nicole Smith. Autopsy results due out this morning.
CNN's Rusty Dornin tells us it could shed light in the probe into her son's death as well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's been the tabloid topic for weeks -- exactly how did Anna Nicole Smith really die? Dr. Joshua Perper said he knew the answer more than a week ago but wanted to wait to talk to police investigators. Finally, Monday, there will be answers about her autopsy results.
Answers are also what Bahamian authorities are seeking in the death of Smith's son, Daniel, last year. Reportedly, 20-year-old Daniel Smith died from an overdose of two antidepressants, combined with methadone. It happened here at Doctors Hospital in Nassau. He came to celebrate the birth of his baby sister and died during the night in his mother's hospital room.
Tuesday, the inquest into Daniel Smith's death will begin. Chief magistrate Roger Gomez will preside. The sudden death during such a festive occasion, he says, made Bahamian officials want to investigate.
ROGER GOMEZ, BAHAMAIAN CHIEF MAGISTRATE: On the fact that he came to see his newly-born sister, and for him to just suddenly dropped down dead, that raises a lot of questions.
DORNIN: Questions will be asked of 40 witnesses over the next few weeks here, including hospital workers, friends of the young man, police from the U.S., and one person who they definitely want to talk to -- Howard Stern.
(on camera): How important is it for you to talk to Howard Stern, and why?
GOMEZ: Oh, he'd be a very key witness, because he is the only surviving person who was in that room when Daniel died. Anna Nicole, unfortunately, has died, we were looking forward to hearing her evidence, but unfortunately we don't it anymore because she has died. And her death has really increased the amount of interest in this case.
DORNIN (voice over): One thing that will be talked about are these photos, allegedly methadone found in Anna Nicole Smith's refrigerator after she died. Family and friends say the drug was planted, but because her son died of an overdose there will be questions asked at the inquest.
Seven jurors will hear testimony and come up with a verdict. That verdict will be passed on to the Bahamian attorney general.
GOMEZ: They can decide if it was just an accident, her death, as was suggested by the pathologist from the U.S. who Anna Nicole had hired. Or they may decide that something else may have happened, but they must have evidence to support that.
DORNIN (on camera): You mean criminally?
GOMEZ: Yes, something criminally.
DORNIN: Bahamian investigators last year said they did not suspect foul play in Daniel Smith's death. The chief magistrate, however, told us that he can't say whether foul play was involved. The inquest is expected to take three to four weeks.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, Nassau, the Bahamas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins and Tony Harris.
HARRIS: Good morning.
COLLINS: It's --
HARRIS: Hi.
COLLINS: Hi.
HARRIS: Are we going the whole hi, and I'm Heidi and --
COLLINS: We were going. But they know who we are. I hope. Hi, everybody, I'm Heidi.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: T. Harris right here. Good morning, everybody.
You're looking at the folks from -- oh, you know, the folks who are behind the Starwood resorts, those cool destinations where you can go and enjoy some time away from life and the worries of day to day, the grind. Well, those folks are sounding the bell this morning. Actually, pushing the button that sounds the bell, let's be honest about it. The Dow starts the business week at 12,481, that is after closing up 19 points. And we are following -- have we heard a bell yet? OK.
We are following all the day's business news with Susan Lisovicz, right here in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: On now to the future of Northern Ireland. It's taking shape and taking a step back in a landmark meeting held earlier today. The bottom line, an agreement between pro-British leader Ian Paisley and pro-Irish rival Jerry Adams. They agree to delay the formation of a power-sharing government. The 1998 accord has set today as the deadline. Now May 8th will be the official start of what the men call, quote, "a new era of politics".
HARRIS: Demands from London, defiance from Tehran. Britain and Iran now locked in a tense standoff over Iran's seizure of 15 British sailors and marines. Iran says the British troops illegally crossed into Iranian waters, near La Shot Al Arabe (ph), a disputed waterway at the northern end of the Persian Gulf. Britain says its troops were clearly in Iraqi waters and is demanding their release. Right now the British troops are apparently being held in Tehran.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY BLAIR, PRIME MINISTER OF BRITIAN: This is a very serious situation, and there is no doubt at all that these people were taken from the boat in Iraqi water. It simply is not true that they went into Iranian territorial waters. And I hope the Iranian government understands how fundamental an issue this is for us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Iraq is backing Britain's claim that the British sailors and marines were in Iraqi waters, when they were seized.
The United Nations tightening the screws on Iran over its nuclear program. The Security Council voting to impose a second round of sanctions on Tehran for its failure to suspend its enrichment of uranium, the vote unanimous.
In Tehran, an immediate rejection of the sanctions. And Iranian leaders announced a partial suspension of cooperation with the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency. The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of carrying out a secret nuclear weapons program. Iran says the program is strictly peaceful.
COLLINS: Word that five more Americans have been killed in Iraq. The military says four Task Force Lightning soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol in Diyala Province yesterday.
Another soldier was killed in a blast northwest of Baghdad, and in the southern city of Basra, a military spokesman says one British soldier was wounded when a bomb hit his patrol.
Meanwhile, officials report attacks in and around Baghdad have killed several people.
And new details this morning in the assassination attempt on one of Iraq's deputy prime ministers. Iraqi officials believe it was part of an inside job. CNN's Kyra Phillips joining us now from Baghdad with more on this.
Kyra, who is exactly being implicated in this attack?
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: As you know, Heidi, we were the first to report that it was more than likely an inside job because of how the suicide bomber got into that compound, knew exactly when the deputy prime minister was going to be there. In addition to a car bomb that also went off inside -- close to that compound.
We actually have a name now. Our sources confirming that this was indeed the bodyguard that worked with the deputy prime minister, Wahab al Delami (ph). The first time we're getting this name now.
You know, there were a couple pieces of information that we received from our sources at the scene. It could have been a cook, it could have been a bodyguard, an adviser. Now it looks like it is coming forward. They have the name of this bodyguard who was working for the deputy prime minister for only four months. And apparently could be linked to Al Qaeda.
There's this ongoing bat that will's happening in the deputy prime minister's home -- his district region, rather -- between Al Qaeda and the Sunni party. And now an organization linked to Al Qaeda is claiming responsibility for what happened here.
Also, the AP is reporting that possibly this bodyguard may be a distant relative, so that adds into the new information that we're reporting today. You'll remember the destruction, the suicide bomber went off inside that compound, the deputy prime minister was going through his afternoon prayer. Fridays are prayer days.
There's a curfew from 11:00 a.m. To 3:00 p.m., so he knew exactly when he was going to be here. Meanwhile, Heidi, we are still not 100 percent sure about the condition of the deputy prime minister. He was taken into the green zone, into the combat hospital there. We were told he was undergoing surgery, but we have not been able to confirm his condition 100 percent.
COLLINS: All right. Kyra, I wonder if there's any chance that you've seen, on the ground there, any changes in the security situation since that attack on Friday.
PHILLIPS: Well, definitely around the deputy prime minister's compound, even the day that it happened, because they believe the bodyguard was involved in this assassination attempt. The security -- they were -- all the guards were in shock. They didn't know what to do. They didn't know whether they should stay there, who they could trust, what might happen next.
So, now, we tried to actually go over into the compound and even had a bit of an incident with some of the new security guards there, guns up, right on our car because they didn't recognize our car. So, they did beef up security specifically around his compound, concerned that something might happen again.
Meanwhile, though, this is throughout Iraq, and throughout Baghdad, the security plan is pushing forward, trying to become better, trying to make the streets safer. You're seeing a beef-up -- not necessarily throughout the area -- but definitely around his compound.
COLLINS: That's at the heart of a lot of these issues, the trust factor, that you mentioned, I'm sure. Kyra Phillips, coming to us live from Baghdad this morning. Kyra, thanks.
HARRIS: We can certainly talk about a little severe weather over the weekend, Chad. Tornadoes along the New Mexico/Texas state line, floodwaters in Indiana. Just a wild weather weekend.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Standing firm and staying together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH EDWARDS, WIFE OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JOHN EDWARDS: I don't look sickly, I don't feel sickly. And, you know, I'm as ready as any person can be for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Elizabeth Edwards facing reporters and facing the future. Her thoughts about her husband's decision to stay the course on the campaign trail is ahead in the NEWSROOM.
Gorge Washington used it, Richard Nixon, too. What about President Bush? Presidents, executive privilege, and politics ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Elizabeth Edwards in Cleveland today making her first public comments since announcing that her cancer has returned. She's expected to talk about her battle with the disease during a speech this afternoon. On CBS's "60 Minutes" she and her husband, John Edwards, defended their decision to press forward with his presidential campaign.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
E. EDWARDS: You know, you're really have two choices here. I mean, either you push forward with the things that you were doing yesterday, or you start dying. That seems to me your only two choices.
If I had given up everything that my life was about, first of all, I'd let cancer win before it needed to. You know, maybe eventually it will win. But I let it been before it needed to, and I just basically start dying. I don't want to do that. I want to live. And I want to do the work that -- I want next year to look like last year, and the year after that, and the year after that. And the only way to do that is to say I'm going to keep on with my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Elizabeth Edwards' cancer has spread to her bones. Doctors have described the condition as incurable, but treatable.
COLLINS: The firing of federal prosecutors, Congress wants the president's aides to testify under oath. The president says, no. The question of executive privilege and just what is executive privilege? CNN's Gary Nurenberg explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Bush says forcing presidential aides to testify before Congress could limit his ability to get frank advice.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm worried about precedents that would make it difficult for somebody to walk into the Oval Office and say, Mr. President, here's what's on my mind.
NURENBERG: Although there is no specific grant of executive privilege in the Constitution, George Washington refused a House request for documents in 1796.
RICHARD M. NIXON, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I must, and I shall oppose, any efforts to destroy this principle.
NURENBERG: It wasn't until 1974, in rejecting Richard Nixon's claim that executive privilege allowed him to keep secret the Watergate tapes, that the Supreme Court found an implicit, loosely defined privilege.
JOHN DEAN, FMR. NIXON COUNSEL: I began by telling the president that there was a cancer growing on the presidency.
NURENBERG: John Dean was Nixon White House counsel who testified before the Senate Watergate Committee and has written about executive privilege.
DEAN: It is pretty much what a president says in his mood that morning when he wakes up, and decides how he feels about his aides testifying.
BETH NOLAN, FMR. CLINTON WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: I testified as counsel to the president a couple times.
NURENBERG: Beth Nolan is among nearly four dozen Clinton aides who testified before congressional or judicial investigators.
NOLAN: I do think it crossed the line.
NURENBERG: The Bush administration didn't like the trend.
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There's been a constant, steady erosion of the prerogatives and the power in the Oval Office, the continual encroachment by Congress.
NURENBERG: So the administration citing constitutional obligation began to assert the privilege.
ANDREWS CARD, FMR. WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: That oath calls for him to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. And there is no conditional clause to it.
NURENBERG (on camera): Despite absolutist claims, at both the White House and on Capitol Hill, historically it's been compromise that resolves the disputes.
NOLAN: I think the current give-and-take case by case is exactly what the framers of our Constitution had in mind.
NURENBERG: We could find out as early as this week if anyone gives. Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Sniffing out trouble. Man's best friend, the latest tool in the war on terror. Details coming up in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: The Anna Nicole Smith autopsy report due out at 10:30 Eastern this morning. We'll break it down with forensic pathologist Bruce Levy right here in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: A new approach to catching deadbeat parents courtesy of the pizza delivery guy? That story in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: You're looking at one lucky man. Over the falls without a barrel. Rescue at Niagara. You'll see it here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Less than one hour from now, new insights into the death of Anna Nicole Smith. It has been six weeks since the death of the former "Playboy" Playmate. She was found unconscious in her hotel room in south Florida. The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is located on tribal land, so the Seminole Police Department is investigating the case.
Her death came five months after her 20-year-old son died at her bedside. Both deaths have fuelled wild speculation. Tomorrow, an inquest is to get underway into Daniel Smith's death.
COLLINS: You've seen missing kids on milk cartons. Now a bold new move to catch deadbeat parents. Order a pizza in southwest Ohio and you might see one of these, wanted posters showing the faces of parents accused of not paying child support.
The child enforcement worker who came up with the idea tells CNN "American Morning" it has led to one arrest.
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CYNTHIA BROWN, CHILD ENFORCEMENT WORKER: It was actually the first day that this whole process aired. And someone called in with a tip. Said, I know exactly where this person is, this is where he's at. I'm 150 percent sure. We turned that tip over to the sheriff's department, and they went and picked up this individual within one day.
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COLLINS: The posters started showing up on pizza boxes in a suburb of Cincinnati in August.
HARRIS: When you think Niagara Falls, you probably think happy honeymooners, tranquil beauty, but immigration officials say one man thought the spot was a good one to cross over from Canada. Things didn't really go according to plan. Roger Peterson of CTV has our story.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): The 42-year-old man was taken to the hospital after a harrowing night on the water. Officials say he got into the river near the top right of your screen, about a kilometer from the rushing waters of Niagara Falls. As he stepped onto a block of ice, it broke off, and he was taken away by the current. But this dam stood in his way.
In the control tower above it, a worker jumped into action. On duty this morning Peter Larson. He credits a quick-thinking colleague with saving the day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When he raised the gates, what he had done was limit the current into the structure. So that would prevent him from going through the open gates here right at the dam.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The water slowed from its usual pace of about 500 cubic feet per second, and the Niagara Falls Fire Department sent out two boats to rescue the man not far from the dam. He was treated, but also arrested. Police say he was trying to sneak into the United States. His identity hasn't been released.
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HARRIS: So, Canadian immigration authorities have charged the man with trying to enter the U.S. illegally.
COLLINS: You already know to catch us weekday mornings from 9:00 a.m. until noon Eastern, but did you know you can take us with new anywhere on your iPod? CNN NEWSROOM Podcast available 24/7 right on your iPod.
HARRIS: A diplomatic standoff getting nastier; 15 British sailors and marines seized on a disputed waterway. Now Britain steps up pressure on Iran to release its troops. The latest in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Now it the Senate's turn. Debate ready to begin on a bill that calls for a pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq. Details ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: A gruesome killing and a barbecue grill. What police say links the two. The details coming up in the NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: And Anna Nicole Smith lived in the spotlight and died in a mystery. Answers expected this morning. Details in the NEWSROOM.
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VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN DOT.COM DESK: Four years after the start of the Iraq war, we look at the children. Health officials say the war is taking a heavy toll on Iraqi children living with the daily violence. Many of these children witness their own parents, relatives, and friends being abducted or killed. With thousands forced from their homes, due to the war, many children are also out of school.
And a survey from the World Health Organization says one in 10 children are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. This slide show chronicles the lives of some Iraqi children in the last two years of the war, most familiar with the constant presence of the U.S. military.
And listen to this interactive video showing kids play a war game. It's a chilling reminder of how they are affected by the relentless violence. You'll find it online at cnn.com/iraq. For the Dot.com Desk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.
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COLLINS: Spring rain is causing problems in Indiana, but the worst appears to be over. This scene, though, in Hamilton County, north of Indianapolis, heavy rain sent floodwaters across several roads in the region. Home owners also piled up sandbags as the water rose. Today, the floodwaters are expected to recede. Meteorologist Chad Myers with the look at the weather picture for the entire nation coming up here in the NEWSROOM.
When weather becomes the news, count on CNN to bring it to you first. You can also play a role if you see severe weather happening in your area. Send us an I-Report. Go to cnn.com and click on I-Report or just type I-Report at cnn.com, into your cell phone. Be safe doing this, but you can share your photos or video with us.
HARRIS: Hey, look, forget the high-tech approach to battling terrorism, a program called Pups for Peace in Israel is teaching some California police officers how to sniff out threats. CNN's Sumi Das has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Call it, mission unusual. In February, Rich Faulk, and seven other California law enforcement officers headed for Israel. Their task? Spend two months with legendary bomb dog trainers, Pups for Peace, and learn how to use this. Perhaps the most sophisticated explosive detection weapon available.
YORAM DOCTORI, PUPS FOR PEACE: The dogs are very effective. They can sniff odors, a million times better than any other human beings or any machine.
DAS: The dogs are widely used in Israel, which has been on the front line of terrorist bombings for decades.
CHRIS BERTELLI, CA. OFFICE HOMELAND SECURITY: Unfortunately for them, they've had too much experience encountering suicide attacks and IED attacks. And with the relationship that our law enforcement has developed with some of their security services, we're really able to discuss a lot of their tactics and their strategies.
DAS: Rich Faulk is starting to pick up his new partner's language.
RICH FAULK, CALIFORNIA LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER: Hebrew's getting better every day. You know the first couple of times, when I said something to Rocco, he kind of looked at me and said, Heh? What are you saying?
So, I'm getting the "kaleptol" (ph) for good dog. And "lashaev" (ph) for sit, and "kapace" (ph) for search. I'm getting all of those commands down, you know?
DAS: So man and dog are learning to detect explosive materials, many not yet prevalent in the U.S. Here, they're drilling at a train station. In California, they'll scour trains to ports, all forms of transportation, dogs sniffing for trouble.
FAULK: I've got to learn Rocco, and his traits, and when he does, what we call a change of behavior, when he identifies an odor, to be able to read him and he's got to be able to read me.
DAS: Pups for Peace says its dogs have stopped numerous attacks, but citing security reasons, details are scarce.
DOCTORI, PUPS FOR PEACE: We're sharing the same values of freedom and democracy, and unfortunately we're sharing the same enemies. That's why I think it is important to share the information.
DAS: The $400,000 plus bill for this dog training is footed by California's Homeland Security grant.
BERTELLI: We're hoping that we can outfit them with the best training the world has to offer encountering tomorrow's terrorist attacks today.
DAS: Man's best friend, the latest tool in the war on terror. Sumi Das, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Good morning, everyone. I'm Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Here's what's on the run down this hour. A mystery revealed, Anna Nicole Smith autopsy results. Delayed for weeks, released this hour.
COLLINS: Setting a timetable for troop withdrawal. The house had its say on Iraq today. The Senate ...
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