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Tornadoes Wreak Havoc in West; Former Chief of Staff Pins Blame for Attorney Firings on Gonzales; Standoff Over Detained British Sailors Intensifies

Aired March 29, 2007 - 13:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CO-HOST: Terrifying and deadly, dozens of tornadoes, 65 at last count, tearing through one town after another. Some striking with little or no warning, killing at least four people.
A line of storms overnight stretched from South Dakota to Texas. One twister as wide as two football fields carved up one Colorado community.

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CO-HOST: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Kyra Phillips is on assignment in Iraq.

The legendary Tuskegee Airmen honored today in the nation's capital. We'll bring you the ceremony live as it happens.

Meantime, more storms, more tornadoes possible today, and we understand that's not all. Rob Marciano is in the severe weather center -- Rob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's hope, indeed. Thanks a lot, Rob -- Don.

LEMON: Holly is a town of little more than 1,000 people, and today those people are coming face to face with the horror and heartache of what happened last night.

Rhonda Scholting is there for us. And Rhonda, you had a chance to roam around a little bit of this area today. How bad is the devastation and how are the people dealing with it?

RHONDA SCHOLTING, CORRESPONDENT: Well, you can just take a look behind me, Don, and see really how bad it is here. This is Highland Street in Holly, Colorado, at least what's left of Highland Street.

Back here, part of a house is totally missing and behind it, there were houses there at one point in time but no longer.

Across the street here, you can see how the tornado kind of skipped over this house right here, just mainly sort of the windows blown out, some of the roof gone. As we move down the street here a little bit further, we can see that people are starting to pack up really what belongings they do have left, and surprisingly, there are quite a few things that they're able to carry away here. In this U-Haul trailer right here, the Rushton (ph) family is packing up the things. You can see some cooking supplies in there and some blankets.

There's actually over here, Carl (ph), if you can pan over here, there's a pair of shoes sitting there that somehow managed to escape the tornado.

The couple that lives in this house was actually upstairs in separate rooms when the husband heard a noise he thought was a freight train. That's typical what you hear when a tornado comes, and he and the wife headed for the basement as quickly as they could. They said they were only there about five seconds when the tornado actually hit.

And right next door to them, this house mostly gone. And an elderly woman lived there, 76 years old. Her family is here cleaning up today. They say that they came here last night and actually had to dig her out from underneath the rubble. She was in the kitchen standing in front of the pantry when the tornado came through. They had to pull a refrigerator off her. She has several broken ribs and broken shoulder bones, we're told, and, in fact, is in a hospital in Pueblo this afternoon.

Now, for all these people here today, a lot of these are family members that have come out to help out, people here. Some are friends. A very small community, as you said. And everyone is pretty much pulled out trying to help folks kind of pick up and see what's left.

One of those folks here, Linda White (ph). She is a family member of the folks -- the couple that was in the basement.

And, Linda (ph), when you first came here today, what did you think about this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it before. I couldn't believe that there was as many people that made it out without being seriously injured or, you know, that they even made it out alive. It's amazing. From looking at the trees and the homes and everything, it's just a miracle that as many people survived as they did.

SCHOLTING: And when you look at your sister and brother-in-law's house, you're here to kind of help them clean up a little bit. Are you surprised at some of the things that were actually left behind all in one piece?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was a ton of stuff that we were able to salvage and pack up in boxes. And I mean a lot of things that you wouldn't think would make it. It was amazing to see all the stuff that we could actually...

LEMON: Rhonda and Linda, we're going to have to get back to you. We're going to go to a press conference now. Thank you both. We're going to go to a press conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at Memorial Hospital where those -- some of those victims were taken from these tornadoes. Let's listen in.

ANDREW BERSON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF TRAUMA, MEMORIAL HEALTH SYSTEM: A-N-D-R-E-W B-E-R-S-O-N. I'm the assistant director of trauma at Memorial Health System. I was also one of the two trauma surgeons that was caring for both Rosemarie and Gustavo last night when they arrived.

The -- I'll start with Gustavo first. Gustavo arrived by helicopter. He was evaluated, found eventually to have fairly straightforward injuries. No life-threatening injuries have been identified at this time. He, in fact, at this point is currently doing well enough that he's been transferred out of our trauma ICU to our trauma step-down unit.

He is wide awake. He has suffered some minor -- relatively minor injuries, and we expect him to make a full recovery without any long- term consequences.

Again, as Dr. Grab (ph) stated, that's from a purely physical standpoint, not necessarily emotional standpoint.

In regards to Rosemarie, Rosemarie is a 28-year-old female that we received by helicopter at approximately 2330 hours last night. We were told that she was found in a tree at the scene. She was initially treated in Lamar and then flown in.

We have our helicopter crew that was on scene. They weren't the ones that brought Marie to us, but they can give some more details about the scene.

When she arrived, she was critically ill, unstable, was taken directly from our trauma resuscitation room in the emergency department to the operating room.

In the operating room, over the course of approximately four hours of effort, she was found to have multiple systemic injuries, both within her abdomen as well as her thoracic cavity, her chest cavity. Despite, again, about four hours' worth of work, we were not able to get Rosemarie to the point where she was able to survive her injuries.

We were able to get her stabilized well enough that we returned her to our trauma intensive care unit so she could be with her family, and she died this morning at approximately 5:35 with her family at her bedside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know there's questions. So if you want to talk to the doctor, now is a good time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What were the ages of the people that you brought here?

BERSON: The -- both of the adults were 28 years old. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the child is 3.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty-eight or 29?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty-eight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She just turned 29.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Were these three patients the only ones that you saw here or were you treating other patients and what sort of injuries?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These were the only three we received from the scene. We had obviously other patients that were being cared for simultaneously in our emergency department as it goes on every night, but these were the only three that we received from the tornado incident.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the name of the third victim? I see we have Gustavo, Rosemarie, and what's the third?

LEMON: All right. You're listening to a press conference at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They got three victims from these deadly tornadoes there, two adults and one child.

Sadly, one of the adults, a 29-year-old woman who was blown into a tree, the doctor there saying that she had really severe injuries when she came into the hospital, and they were not able, unfortunately, to get her back in a good enough shape to survive. He's saying that she died at 5:35, which would be Mountain Time, this morning with her family by her side.

The 3-year-old little girl, he says, is doing well, and then a 28-year-old male named Gustavo also doing well. But sadly the 29- year-old woman died from her injuries there, one of the people who was blown into a tree during these violent and deadly tornadoes.

Of course, we'll have much more on the severe weather, this story especially, coming up right here in the CNN NEWSROOM throughout the afternoon -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: In the nation's capital, more trouble today for U.S. Attorney General Gonzales. His former chief of staff says Gonzales approved the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.

Kyle Sampson testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. For starters, he says Gonzales was wrong when Gonzales denied being involved in deciding which prosecutors should go.

CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena has been following today's hearing.

Kelli, did they find a smoking gun? KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, what they found was more inconsistencies, which is really what just drives these lawmakers crazy. And you're right, Kyle Sampson says, and here's the headline, the attorney general was wrong when he said that he was not involved in discussions about the firings of those eight U.S. attorneys. Sampson says that Gonzales was involved in the process from early 2005.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYLE SAMPSON, FORMER GONZALES CHIEF OF STAFF: He and I had discussions about it during the thinking phase of the process. Then after the sort of more final phase of the process in the fall of 2006 began, we discussed it. He asked me to make sure that the process was appropriate, that I was consulting with the deputy attorney general and others in developing the list. And then ultimately he approved both the list and the notion of going forward and asking for these resignations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: Sampson says Gonzales attended a meeting on the firings on November 27. That's just ten days before they were carried out.

Now, in all fairness after making his initial statement, the attorney general did admit that he signed off on the list, but his exact role here has been very murky.

Sampson also says that Gonzales was wrong when he said that other justice officials had not been fully briefed about the firings before appearing before Congress.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMPSON: I shared information with anyone who wanted it. I was very open and collaborative in the process.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARENA: All of this not -- not setting a good stage for when the attorney general actually comes to testify.

Now Sampson insists, though, on the good news front, at least for justice, the prosecutors, he says, were fired for legitimate reasons, that those reasons include not carrying out the administration's priorities, which he says some people could see as political but which he says are not improper. That's because he argues U.S. attorneys are political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the president -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kelli Arena. Thanks so much for that update out of Washington -- Don.

LEMON: I want to get you to Washington now where a live event is happening, a very nice event. This is an event to honor some men who really made a sacrifice for our country. Today, the president -- there he is with the speaker of the house, Nancy Pelosi. They traveled to Capitol Hill today for -- they're giving Congressional Gold Medals to -- Congressional Gold Medal ceremony to members of the Tuskegee Airmen. Six members, as a matter of fact, will get those honors today. Very nice ceremony about to get under way there.

The president is going to make some remarks, and Nancy Pelosi, as well. And a whole group of officials, including Senator Byrd and what have you. So a lot of folks there, dignitaries, on Capitol Hill today. We'll get to the ceremony live once it happens for you, as well, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

In the meantime, a deal turns into no deal. Iran puts the release of captured British soldier Faye Turney on hold and blames Britain for talking too tough. The latest in the stalemate is just ahead.

LEMON: And searching for victims, cleaning up what's left of shattered homes and lives. Killer tornadoes pummel the plains. An update in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Iran and Great Britain both say they want to avoid confrontation, but so far, all they've accomplished is a six-day standoff. Iran today backed off what it says were plans to release the only woman among 15 British sailors and marines captured by Iranian forces.

Meantime, diplomatic efforts are increasing, from the Persian Gulf to the United States.

And our European political editor, Robin Oakley, is following developments for us in London -- Robin.

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Don, the main thing that's been happening here in London today is that the row has gone rumbling on about the parading of the captives on Iranian TV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OAKLEY (voice-over): She's the public face of a continuing diplomatic crisis. Faye Turney, mother of a 3-year-old daughter, was shown by an Iranian state TV channel, confessing in circumstances that CNN cannot verify, that British sailors and marines had entered Iranian waters, a confession apparently supplemented by an equally unverified letter home.

She had nice things to say, too, about her captors.

FAYE TURNEY, DETAINED BRITISH SAILOR: Obviously, we trespassed into their waters. They were very friendly, very hospitable, very thoughtful, nice people.

OAKLEY: British ministers suggested the confession was obtained under pressure. Independent experts think they're right.

JAMES THOMPSON, PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR: These are not full and free confessions. The voice is very monotone. The marvelous things the lady is saying about how kindly they're -- she's being treated is not really likely to be believed by her. So it is a traditional controlled -- a false confession made under duress.

OAKLEY: Young Iranians, though not very many of them, paraded outside Tehran's foreign minister, shouting "Death to Britain" and carrying placards demanding the trial and punishment of the British sailors, adding to the strained situation.

THOMPSON: It's likely they're under psychological pressure. They're being threatened with long imprisonment and being told that they have to make public confessions and apologies while saying that they're well treated.

OAKLEY: But while the psychological pressure is on the captives, there was growing international pressure on the Iranian leadership.

In London cabinet ministers were briefed by Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett that Britain was not seeking a confrontation but did want to underline Iran's isolation until the sailors were released.

In Paris, the Iranian ambassador was summoned to the French foreign ministry to be told the seized sailors must be released. And in Brussels, the E.U.'s international policy chief said that must be done swiftly.

JAVIER SOLANA, E.U. FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: That is very important, very important to be done, promptly, immediately, because it is well known we want to have good relations with Iran. And this does not help that type of relationship that we want to have with Iran.

OAKLEY: Britain is hoping, too, for U.N. Security Council support.

Iran's response, a warning that Leading Seawoman Turney, who they'd said would be released on Wednesday or Thursday, will remain in captivity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Britain's leaders are mistaken in their calculations. We were going to free the female British sailor, but if we observe such bullying and inappropriate behaviors, we will not free her.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OAKLEY: Iran, which has been producing its own GPS evidence today, is still insistent that the British sailors strayed into their territorial waters and that Britain must apologize.

The British say the evidence they've produced confirms that they were strictly in Iraqi waters. Both sides say they don't really want to intensify the row, but until somebody changes their position, it's very difficult to see how it can be resolved. And in the meantime, the 15 British sailors and marines stay in Iranian hands, Don.

LEMON: Stay in Iranian hands, but then their images projected on Iranian television. What's the reaction to that on the street in Britain?

OAKLEY: It has been a furious reaction to that, particularly because it was the one woman among the 15, Faye Turney, who was, as it were, picked upon by the Iranians in the eyes of the British public and certainly, the eyes of the British media. And they believe under duress, forced to make the confession that they had strayed into Iranian waters.

It's not gone down well at street level. That is intensifying the pressure on the British government to be seen to be doing something, whereas the British government feels instinctively that the quieter this is played through diplomatic channels, probably the better the chance of getting the captives back. So it's a very difficult political tightrope for them to walk now, Don.

LEMON: All right. Robin Oakley in London. Thank you so much for your report, Robin.

WHITFIELD: So all of this is playing out as Middle East leaders gather in Saudi Arabia for an Arab League summit. The U.N. secretary- general discussed the sailors today with Iran's foreign minister outside meetings in Riyadh. Our Aneesh Raman is there.

So Aneesh, yesterday when we spoke with you, it seemed imminent that the Iranians would be releasing the only female British sailor. But nothing happened. What went wrong and what more can be told about that?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a day has made a huge difference in terms of the decision being made by Iran's government.

As you mentioned, yesterday the Iranian foreign minister suggested to a number of journalists, including myself, that Faye Turney, the sole woman among the British military personnel in Iranian custody, could be released as early as yesterday, if not today.

Late in the day yesterday he backed away from those comments. And today we've been told by Iranian officials that release has been suspended in reaction to increasing pressure from the British government.

We also saw earlier on Iranian state-run television new images of the British military personnel out in that Shat al-Arab Waterway. The Iranians say six, five times prior to the incursion on Friday, British military personnel passed illegally into Iranian waters. That's what prompted Friday seizure of the British military personnel.

They also say that, essentially, this investigation will push forward.

Now, they showed maps on Iranian television, showcasing exactly where the ship was taken in terms of the personnel by Iran's revolutionary guard. They showed their own GPS coordinates, responding at some level to Britain evidence that was presented yesterday that Britain said showed the opposite thing, that their military personnel were in Iraqi, not Iranian waters.

In short, what we've seen, really, from the Iranian point of view is a desire to start for this to be resolved between Tehran and London diplomatically.

But what's really changed things is the U.N. entering, international pressure. And Iran, it seems, will not back down, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so now perhaps also steeping the pot, you have the king of Saudi Arabia, who is host to the summit, who had some rather curt and pretty frank words about the U.S. and the Bush administration's plan in Iraq. Elaborate on that.

RAMAN: Yes, the Saudi king, a longtime friend of President Bush, the Saudi kingdom, a close ally of America in the Middle East. So it came as a surprise, it seems, to the State Department that yesterday Saudi's King Abdullah said this about the war in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING ABDULLAH, SAUDI ARABIA (through translator): And in our beloved Iraq, the bloods among brothers are shed in the shadow of the illegitimate foreign occupation, and the repulsive sectarianism threatens civil war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAMAN: Now, what really caused a stir is the use of the word "illegitimate occupation." Occupation is a word that's often used by the insurgents within Iraq. The State Department is seeking clarification.

The Saudis have been pushed by Washington to step up their activity in terms of Middle Eastern policy to try and counter Iran's growing influence and replace the decreasing influence of the United States. But in doing so the Saudis have had to bolster up their Arab credentials and at some level push back on their relationship with Washington -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Aneesh Raman, thanks so much.

LEMON: Seeking the whole truth and finding many shades of gray. Ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, we'll ask former deputy attorney general Bruce Fein what he thinks of the current controversy over the fired U.S. attorneys.

WHITFIELD: Plus, a patch promising to increase women's sex drive will soon be available in England. So why it's off limits in America. The story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So high gas prices have prompted a growing number of consumers to consider alternative fuels, and that may push beef prices higher in the process. What's that all about?

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with more on that connection -- Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred.

Well, it's a domino effect. More and more people are turning to fuel efficient hybrid cars, so demand for ethanol has spiked and so has the price of corn. Corn is selling for nearly $4 a bushel. That may not sound like a lot, but it is double the price from just two years ago.

Corn is the main ingredient in ethanol, the bio fuel President Bush hopes we will start to use as we wean ourselves away from imported oil.

But the effect goes beyond that. It's also hurting the $70 billion cattle industry. A spike in corn prices could translate into more expensive beef and pork, because it's costing a lot more to feed those animals. So many analysts are drawing a direct line from the demand for ethanol fuel to higher prices at the grocery store -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Wow. So by how much might prices go up at the grocery store?

LISOVICZ: Well, you know, we really don't know yet. I mean, the hybrids are really in their infancy. Some analysts say beef prices, however, could rise to record high levels. This is good news, of course, for farmers. They're betting on a surge in demand for corn.

Tomorrow the government will release the key report that's likely to show at least an 11 percent jump in the amount of acres devoted to corn this year. Could be the biggest crop since the mid-1940s.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: And more now on the Britons being held in Iran. Our Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, CNN has just learned from a senior U.S. military official that when this incident unfolded, there were U.S. military forces nearby that did try to get involved in a very small way. What we have learned is that there was a U.S. Navy patrol craft and a U.S. Navy helicopter in the region. When the British lost communications with their team that was taken by the Iranians, the U.S. Navy boat, the U.S. Navy helicopter were called in by the British to try and help to re-establish communications, to try and find that boarding party that very quickly everyone learned had been taken by the Iranians.

The U.S. Navy assets were not able -- the crew onboard the boat and the crew onboard the U.S. Navy helicopter were not able to re- establish communications, but this is the first information we have that any U.S. forces were nearby enough to even be called in on this matter when it unfolded a few days ago.

Now, what we also have learned is that eventually radio communications in some fashion were established. There was a British helicopter flying overhead. The British were continuing to try and call their people on their radios on board that little rib boat or zodiac-type boat, that we have now seen in the video coming out of Iran.

At some point, Fredricka, what we have learned is there was some level of broken communications re-established. What it is believed is it was an Iranian voice on the radio that came back with broken communications, saying these words as far as we know, "no harm, taken to a safe place." This was an indication apparently back to the British that their people were not in imminent danger being taken to a safe place. Those are the words that came in these broken communications, so more details now coming out every day -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And those are pretty fascinating details, indeed. Barbara Starr, thanks so much, from the Pentagon -- Don.

LEMON: Cleaning up, and sadly, Fredricka, dealing with the loss of life specifically in Colorado Springs, where several people died from this tornado that hit that area. The hospital there held a press conference just a short time ago to talk about the conditions of the people brought there, and several of the relatives of the victims spoke out.

Here's what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OSCAR PUGA, BROTHER OF TORNADO VICTIM: My mom said all she heard was a loud noise, and they live to some railroad tracks, and she thought it was the train and looked out. It wasn't that, heard a bigger noise and heard some windows breaking, and so she grabbed my nephew and went into a walk-in closet and stayed right there until it had passed through and it broke all her windows.

QUESTION: Did you talk about anything after (INAUDIBLE)...

PUGA: She ran out. She -- some guy stopped by and asked if she was OK. And she told him to go check on my brother. She took off and when she got to where his house was supposed to be, it wasn't there. And she just screamed and screamed, and then finally found him, and had found that, you know, he was holding on to my niece, and they were still looking for Rosemary.

VICTORIA ROSALES, NIECE KILLED IN TORNADO: He did say there was no warning at all towards anything coming.

QUESTION: And what were you told about where they found Rosemary?

ROSALES: In a tree. It took like maybe -- from what they said it was, like, a couple hours before they were even able to get to her.

QUESTION: The home got flipped I guess or sort of tossed around by the storm?

PUGA: It's totally gone.

ROSALES: It's gone, and the semi was just flipped over, too, and it had like 2600 pounds, and that was flipped over.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) truck driver?

ROSALES: Yes.

QUESTION: Was Rosemary conscious?

ROSALES: She only responded once, and then after that they couldn't get any response from her.

QUESTION: Tell us about her, if you would.

ROSALES: About Rosemary?

QUESTION: Yes. What was she like?

ROSALES: Rosemary was family, all about her family. She always took care of her kids. She always took care of her husband. That was always her main priority. And even when I heard about this, it was -- I didn't think it was nothing like this. That's for sure. You know, I thought it was just a big scare, but I kind of was just joking about it. She's probably in the kitchen cooking, you know. That's exactly what Gus said. They're in the kitchen, and Nolia (ph) was sleeping in the front room. All they heard was this big ugly noise, and they didn't have no time to run. He just went and grabbed them both, and that's when it came and it just threw them, and Rosemary got separated from them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Wow. Well, you're listening to -- that was a press conference from relatives of a young woman, 29 years old. The tornado threw her and her daughter into a tree. Hospital officials say the daughter is doing well, but sadly Rosemary, who's 29 years old, just turned 29, died obviously brought into the hospital with critical condition -- in critical condition.

There was another victim, a 28-year-old male who is doing well but you're listening to the relatives of Rosemary there, just a really sad situation all around. Rosemary died in Colorado Springs.

And then two other people, a couple was killed in Oklahoma when their house blew apart. That was in Beaver County, Oklahoma. We're going to continue to follow this. As a matter of fact, we're going to talk to a storm chaser who captured some video of this storm coming up very shortly in the CNN NEWSROOM. Just an awful, awful story.

Let's move on and go to Washington, D.C. now. Dramatic testimony on Capitol Hill. The former chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says Gonzales approved the decision to fire eight U.S. prosecutors. Now, that contradicts statements by Gonzales.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYLE SAMPSON, FORMER GONZALES CHIEF OF STAFF: I don't think the attorney general's statement that he was not involved in any discussions about U.S. attorney removals is accurate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is what, is accurate?

SAMPSON: I don't think it's accurate. I think he's recently clarified it, but I remember discussing with him this process of asking certain U.S. attorneys to resign and I believe that he was present at the meeting on November 27th.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So he was involved in discussions contrary to the statement he made at his news conference on March 13th?

SAMPSON: I believe -- yes, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Bruce Fein is a constitutional attorney and a former associate deputy attorney general during the Reagan administration and he joins us now from Capitol Hill.

You heard the testimony. You heard that exchange right there. Any smoking gun in all of this for you?

BRUCE FEIN, CHAIRMAN, AMERICAN FREEDOM AGENDA: Well, I don't think it's a smoking gun in the Nixon sense of the tapes but certainly it adds additional fuel to the insistence that the attorney general resign because he's not been open and truthful in its broadest sense to Congress in explaining his involvement and the involvement of the White House in the discharge of United States attorneys and their replacements, in particular, one by Karl Rove's deputy in which there was incomplete information given as to Karl Rove's involvement here.

And we have to understand that in evaluating the attorney general, the Department of Justice is different than other departments because it's the steward of the rule of law, which means it must like Caesar's wife, be above suspicion and you create that appearance by being open and forthright to Congress and the public when it comes to U.S. attorneys, because they have such enormous power to investigate and to harass for partisan purposes.

They could investigate, for example, voting fraud or government corruption in a way that's tilted and skewed in favor of one party and against another.

LEMON: And Attorney Fein, let me ask you this, you have said obviously, all along that you think that Alberto Gonzales should resign. Anything that changes your mind in this, or does this testimony -- what you're hearing today confirm this more so?

FEIN: Well, I think it fortifies the understanding that he has not been truthful and strong in explaining why and his own involvement in the discharge of these United States attorneys.

LEMON: So, recently with him trying to clarify his involvement and what he knew and when about the firings, do you feel satisfied with what you've heard so far?

FEIN: No, I think it reminds me again of the Nixon Watergate days when you had new explanations every other day. Remember Ron Ziegler's new statements are not operative and we now have an attorney general whose explanations might be called dynamic rather tan static. No changing by the day. That's not the kind of understanding and confidence you need in order for the Department of Justice to function.

Truth is the coin of the realm between the department and Congress and that coin has been sorely tarnished.

LEMON: There have been several people in Washington, high- profile people and those on the Senate Judiciary Committee, specifically Patrick Leahy who is saying that Sampson is the fall guy in all of this. Do you agree with that?

FEIN: Well, it certainly looks like it's much resembling Ollie North during the Iran contra (ph) hearing. Here's the subordinate who responds to higher-ups when it comes to such important decisions as hiring and firing of United States attorneys and he seems the one who has to resign even though he is clearly the one not responsible for those decisions and the higher-ups are staying in office and seeking protection under executive privilege or otherwise.

LEMON: All right, Bruce Fein, a constitution attorney and a former associate deputy attorney general during the Reagan administration, we thank you for joining us in the CNN NEWSROOM.

FEIN: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: A patch promising to increase women's sex drive will soon be available in England but why not in America? That story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

LEMON: But first a deadline to file taxes is just around the corner. And for those Americans who live or work abroad, there are some important details to keep in mind.

CNN's Jennifer Westhoven has more in this week's "Tax Time Made Easier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: May Smith from New York City asks, "I've been living overseas for the last ten months. What's the process for filing taxes when working out of the country?" Well, all American citizens who live and work abroad must file their taxes every year, so sorry, May, you are on the hook. Now, the deadline to pay your taxes is the same, April 17th this year. But since you're abroad, you do get an automatic two-month extension for the paperwork.

Now, when you do file include a letter explaining that you live outside the country so the IRS knows you get that extension. The extension again only for the paperwork so if you owe money it's due on April 17th and if you miss that deadline you're going to get hit with interest charges.

Now, some of your foreign wages might not be taxable. There's two ways to qualify for that, one, the bona fide residence test. That's if you live overseas for a full calendar year or there's the physical present test. In that case, you have to be out of the country for 330 days in a 12-month period. If you qualify for that, you won't have to pay taxes on up to about $82,000 of the money you make abroad.

For "Tax Time Made Easier," I'm Jennifer Westhoven.

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LEMON: And we encourage you, go ahead. Send in your tax questions to taxes@CNN.com and tune in to the NEWSROOM on Tuesdays and Thursdays for "Tax Time Made Easier" with Jennifer Westhoven. The CNN NEWSROOM continues in just a moment.

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WHITFIELD: So how about this, a patch designed to boost women's sex lives? Why are you laughing?

LEMON: I'm not laughing.

WHITFIELD: I heard you laughing. OK, well, it's about to hit the market in England but it will not be available for your friends here in the U.S., Don. Many are asking why. Well, you started laughing. Guy's got to know.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien reports. The government said it's a matter of safety.

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SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): Imagine a patch for women meant to give a boost of testosterone and a lift to your sex life. It's called Intrinsa, and it's designed for post menopausal women like Roslyn Washington. She participated in a U.S. trial on the Intrinsa patch and says it helped.

ROSLYN WASHINGTON, TESTED TESTOSTERONE PATCH: There was a noticeable increase in, you know, my sexual desire. Just physically and mentally, I just felt great.

O'BRIEN: But right now, Intrinsa is only available overseas.

Back in 2004, an FDA advisory panel rejected it, said there wasn't enough long-term safety data. The panel raised concerns that giving post menopausal women certain kinds of hormones, including testosterone, could lead to higher rates of heart disease and cancer. And because Intrinsa is designed to help patients with sexual problems, the FDA was concerned about other women using it to enhance their sex lives when they may not need the drug.

But researchers who worked on the Intrinsa patch say what's most important is how a woman feels.

DR. JIM SIMON, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIV. MED. CTR.: In the studies, it's very clear that women using the testosterone patches felt sexier, felt better about their sexual life, felt better about themselves in general, and about their relationships.

O'BRIEN: According to the maker of the patch, Procter & Gamble, the FDA wanted further testing.

So, while marketing plans are on hold here in the U.S., the Intrinsa patch is now available in Germany and France. And as soon as next week, prescriptions could be issued in the U.K. for the patch through the government-run health system.

Soledad O'Brien, CNN reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Let's talk now about smoking and sick leave. A study in Sweden finds smokers take an average of almost eight more sick days a year than workers who have never smoked. The study looked at the records of more than 12,000 workers aged 16 to 65. Smokers, Fredricka, took an average of 34 sick days a year. Sweden's sick leave rates are among the highest in Europe anyway. So there you go, now you know.

WHITFIELD: Europeans traditionally do smoke a lot more than our American counterparts here.

LEMON: Look at this terrible video here. Survivors always say it sounded like a freight train. So imagine a freight train 600 feet wide. That's just one of several tornadoes, details on a deadly night straight ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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LEMON: All right. This just in to the CNN NEWSROOM, word coming out of Iran and also Britain, a second letter, this is according to the Iranian news agency has been sent to the British parliament from Faye Turney. She's one of 15 British sailors being held by Iran.

Now, the letter is addressed to parliament and it says it is time to get our troops, meaning Britain out of Iraq. Now, that is being reported by the Iranian News Agency, a second letter sent to the British parliament reportedly from Faye Turney, one of 15 British sailors being held by Iran saying it is time to get our troops out of Iraq referring to Britain.

Now, we're going to be talking to one of our correspondents in London coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM and we'll keep you updated on all of the developments when it comes to this story -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Meantime, something else we're watching very closely here in the States, survivors always say it sounded like a freight train. So imagine a freight train 600 feet wide and that's just one of several tornadoes. Details on the deadly night straight ahead.

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LEMON: There you go. A night of humor in a city that could use a few laughs. That's an understatement, right?

Some of the nation's most prominent people poke fun at themselves and one another. There's the president right there. It was the annual Radio and TV Correspondents Conference in Washington.

Starting at the top, President Bush joked about his administration's decision to fire eight federal prosecutors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You in the press certainly have had a lot to report lately. Take the current controversy. I have to admit, we really blew the way we let those attorneys go. You know, you botched it when people sympathize with lawyers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Mr. Bush's top political adviser also jumped into the act, if you want to call it that. Literally with both feet.

WHITFIELD: Arms flailing?

LEMON: Oh yes. Just take a look.

WHITFIELD: He's got rhythm.

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