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Suicide Bomber Kills 8 in Iraqi Parliament Building; 'Chasing Life'

Aired April 12, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips, on assignment in Iraq.

A life spent walking on eggshells? The defense paints one picture, the prosecution quite another in the murder trial of a preacher's wife.

We are live in Tennessee.

LEMON: Usually described as heavily fortified. Well, not so today. A deadly blast in the Green Zone. Now the hunt for those responsible.

We are live from Baghdad.

WHITFIELD: And al Qaeda in Ohio? Terror charges today. An alleged international plot to kill tourists and wreak havoc on three continents.

You are in the NEWSROOM.

A bomber struck the heart of the already troubled Iraqi government today. Right in the middle of an interview, caught on videotape, a massive explosion within the walls of one of the most secure buildings in the country.

A suicide attacker carried a bomb past layers of security into the Iraqi parliament building. Eight people are dead. At least two of them elected members of parliament.

Let's go straight to CNN's Arwa Damon, who is in Baghdad.

Arwa, still no explanations for how this person could have gotten through?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, that really is the question that is on what is on everyone's mind. How could such an attack take place?

At this point, no specific information coming from the U.S. military or from the Iraqis as to how such a penetration or violation of the security that is around that building was able to happen. But what is known is that a suicide bomber somehow managed to get through multiple checkpoints manned by the U.S. military, by Iraqi security forces, and by private western companies to carry out this attack inside the convention center right outside of parliament.

The attack taking place in the cafeteria, happening right as parliament members had ended today's session and were gathering there. The images that are coming out really depicting the panic and the chaos that was felt inside that building at that time.

Remember, up until now, in Baghdad terms, this was an area that was relatively secure. It is an area that is often frequented by members not only of the Iraqi government, but of the media, and a number of other organizations. And again, it is an area where people could have this relative sense of security. And the insurgency, through this attack, by proving it can carry out such a sophisticated and audacious attack is once again proving to the Iraqi people that there is really nowhere that anyone is safe here -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy. And so, Arwa, let's talk about those Iraqi people living and working outside of that Green Zone. How are they reaction to what has taken place in what was supposed to be a safe place?

DAMON: Well, Fredricka, reaction has really been mixed. And I say that in the sense that some Iraqis were still shocked but not surprised that such an attack was able to take place. Some of them were expressing really sorrow and frustration.

We had been hearing over the last few days from some Iraqis a slight and very really rare sense of optimism that perhaps with the new crackdown in Baghdad, the country might be turning a corner. Their hopes following today's attacks in what the insurgency was able to show the Iraq people, that it can still continue to strike, has really dampened that hope.

It has, according to one woman -- she was telling us earlier that in her perspective, if the government was powerless to protect itself, how is it ever to be expected to even be able to protect its own people. Other Iraqis saying that they were not necessarily surprised, that they were expecting such an attack to eventually take place, and this just furthered the notion that it was, in fact, a weak government that again was unable to protect itself -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Arwa Damon in Baghdad.

Thanks so much.

Well, these words from president: "We stand with the Iraqi government." He said that after this violence erupted in Baghdad today. He says the bombing shows the depths of the insurgents' determination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: First of all, I strongly condemn the action. It reminds us, though, that there is an enemy willing to bomb innocent people and a symbol of democracy. In other words, the assembly is a place where people have come to represent the 12 million people who voted. And there is a type of person that will walk in that building and kill innocent life. And that is the same type of person that is willing to come and kill innocent Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Well, others are reacting too. We will speak live with the Iraqi ambassador to the United States straight ahead.

LEMON: And take a look at this. We want to get you back live to Dawson, Texas, which is about 65 miles south of Dallas.

It's pretty wide here, but what they're doing -- you see the water. There's a mud hole there, and there's a horse that's stuck in that mud hole. And they are trying to rescue that horse.

This is a -- look at the video. There we go. The horse had been out in the field, and we are told it was there overnight.

This animal obviously is exhausted. What they are trying to do is they're using a backhoe, as you can see there, to pull the horse up. The horse called Champ. So we hope the horse is certainly a champ and pulls through this one.

But trying to remove buckets of mud. Neighbors and volunteers are doing that because, again, the horse is exhausted and stuck in the mud there. So there's fears, you know, that the horse might perish or may die from exhaustion. So we certainly hope that doesn't happen.

But anyway, we're going to have more on this. We certainly hope Champ is OK and he pulls through, or she, like a champ in all of this. And we're going to continue to follow this story for you, of course.

And we're are all rooting for champ in this situation.

In the meantime, we will move on and talk about U.S. troops in Iraq, and those gearing up to go -- dealing with the news today that they will be gone longer than initially thought. A three-month extension for all active duty soldiers announced yesterday by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The Senate Armed Services chairman is worried about all the impact on all the volunteer forces.

Republican Senator John Warner recalled his days as Navy secretary when he called the all-volunteer force extraordinarily successful. He went on, "I feel strongly that we must carefully monitor the possible risk to the system that these extensions may generate."

Well, families throughout the U.S. are coming to grips with the announcement of extended tours of duties for military personnel. And CNN wants to hear from you. We are looking for pictures of your family and friends serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Share your stories by going to cnn.com/exchange. WHITFIELD: Now in U.S. custody, a man believed to be a friend to al Qaeda and facing terrorism charges. Believe it or not, it's all right here on American soil.

In Columbus, Ohio, the FBI says 43-year-old Christopher Paul (ph) provided material support to al Qaeda and was planning to take part in several attacks in the U.S. and overseas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM HUNT, U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE: Mr. Paul (ph) was arrested yesterday here in Columbus without incident. He is appearing this morning before a U.S. magistrate judge for his initial appearance.

He has counsel. And we are not going to comment any further on the course of the criminal process which will take place. These are accusations in the indictment. Mr. Paul (ph) is certainly entitled to a fair and an impartial trial here in the U.S. District Court in Columbus.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Federal authorities say they have been watching Christopher Paul (ph) since as far back as the late 1980s, and that he helped train and equip groups intending to attack tourist resorts in Europe.

LEMON: Well, was it a fight over the family finances or abuse that drove Mary Winkler to shoot her minister husband? Both theories have been put forth by attorneys in their opening statements in her murder trial. Now, Winkler has admitted shooting her husband the morning of March 2006, and then fleeing with the couple's three young daughters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALT FREEMAN, ASST. DISTRICT ATTORNEY: The proof will be that Mary Winkler was not such a victim. She took the checks, all right, and she took several of them. And she deposited them in banks.

And it was the bank's fault, obviously, but some of these were credited to her account. But she was not a victim, the state's proof will be, because unlike a real victim, she didn't follow forward (ph). She didn't wire him back money. She just took the phony checks and put them in the bank.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Winkler's attorney described what he said to outsiders appeared to be a marriage made in heaven, but in reality was "a living hell."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE FARESE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: We will show you proof that he would destroy objects that she loved. He would isolate her from her family. And he would abuse her not just verbally, not just emotionally, and not just physically. In other ways too.

And that this was constant. And she lived a life where she walked on eggshells.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A jury of 12 women and four men, four of them alternates, is hearing the case. Attorneys expect the trial to last about five days.

WHITFIELD: As of today, he's off cable TV and he's headed for a two-week radio suspension. But Don Imus says the time for apologizing is over. Last night, MSNBC canceled his TV simulcast and critics say CBS should pull the plug permanently on the Imus radio show.

Today, Imus addressed the fallout from his racial insult targeting the Rutgers women's basketball team.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DON IMUS, RADIO HOST: As you all know, MSNBC, yielding to enormous pressure, which I do understand, canceled the simulcast of this program. And so we move on. Somebody was talking to me about the outrageous level of hypocrisy on everybody who knows better, and I said, "Well, you know, I shouldn't have said it." Then somebody else said, "Well, you got caught in a slow news cycle," and I said, "Sometimes it doesn't snow on Christmas."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Imus also said he's not doing what he called some talk show tour, and he mentioned his plan meeting with the Rutgers players, which is still expected soon. The president of NBC News says his network's decision to drop the Imus TV simulcast came largely from feedback he heard from NBC employees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE CAPUS, NBC NEWS PRESIDENT: Those voices within NBC were louder than anything else. And we place a tremendous value on the integrity of this organization.

At the end of the day, we have nothing but our reputation. And if you sacrifice that, then what have you gained? What's the purpose of going on if you have sacrificed your reputation along the way?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Several major sponsors have pulled their ads from the Imus show. Meanwhile, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and presidential hopeful Barack Obama are all calling on CBS to fire Don Imus.

LEMON: Iraq's struggling democracy is struck in the heart. How will it respond after today's fatal parliament attack? We'll talk with an Iraqi ambassador next in the CNN NEWSROOM. WHITFIELD: And globe trotting to find the fountain of youth. Aren't we all doing that? Researchers head to blue zones to unlock the secret of a long and healthy life. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Back now live to Dawson, Texas.

Look at that. Good news. There is Champ.

Champ made it out of that hole like a Champ. Champ had been stuck in that hole for we believe overnight.

A backhoe they used, and also neighbors and volunteers using buckets to try and get the mud from champ's belly and legs. So Champ there now in Dawson, Texas, about 65 miles south of Dallas, standing on her own feet.

Somebody -- this is the actual rescue. New video. And she looks a little upset. Maybe she's happy that she has now been rescued.

But there you go. The good news in this picture, that Champ has been rescued. But if you're an animal lover, this was quite disturbing, so you can rest easy now. And Champ is going to be taken care of there in Dawson, Texas.

So we are going to update this if it warrants it throughout our broadcast.

There's Champ live. We can't get enough of those pictures.

It is 16 past the hour, and here are three of the stories we are working on for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A suicide bombing kills eight inside the Iraqi parliament building. We'll talk live with the Iraqi ambassador to the United States in just a few minutes.

A crime that shocked a Tennessee town. A trial begins for a preacher's wife accused of gunning down her husband.

And Congress holds a hearing on the pet food recall. Senators want to know if enough is being done to protect our pets from tainted foods.

Well, yesterday, Dr. Sanjay Gupta made fun of me, but all week long our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is reporting on decisions we make every day that may add or subtract healthy years from our lives. It is the focus of his new book. It's called "Chasing Life," along with a special this weekend on CNN.

Now, today he takes a look at what you call longevity hot spots, areas around the globe where people live remarkably long and healthy lives.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, families are close. Hard work is the norm, and there's no such thing as retirement.

Take this man, Evincio (ph). He's 80 and still wakes at 4:30 every morning to work on this ranch.

DAN BUETTNER, FOUNDER, QUEST NETWORK, INC.: This 80-year-old has the vigor of a 40-year old.

GUPTA: Dan Buettner and his research team have found Evincio (ph) and other men here 60 and older are four times as likely to reach 100, as compared to their counterparts in the United States or Europe. Buettner travels to longevity hot spots around the globe. He calls them blue zones.

BUETTNER: Because most of longevity is dictated by our lifestyle, as opposed to our genes, we believe that by going to these blue zones and methodically looking at what these people do, we can distill out a de facto formula for longevity.

GUPTA: Costa Ricans on the Nicoya Peninsula eat a healthy diet. Plenty of vegetables and fruits, like papaya and citrus fruits. The tortillas they eat are made using a special process that takes the husk off the corn and puts more calcium into it, helping to keep bones strong into old age.

Buettner's team has also studied why people live so long in Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; and Loma Linda, California. Buettner says the blue zones offer a recipe for healthy living that could add eight good years to your life. And he offers this advice...

BUETTNER: Eat a plant-based diet, mostly plants. Number two, regular low-intensity exercise. And then number three, invest in family and friends.

GUPTA: Buettner hopes the blue zones will ultimately teach people how to extend their golden years.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well, there you go. Very valuable information.

Tomorrow, our series continues with a look at the controversial human growth hormone, a drug originally designed to help short children grow. But now many aging boomers seem to think it is a fountain of youth.

Dr. Gupta takes a closer look. And you can catch Dr. Gupta's hour-long CNN special, "Chasing Life," this Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.

And you know what? If you want to win an autographed copy of Dr. Gupta -- I should say Sanjay's book, go to cnn.com/chasinglife.

And I think water -- living in a place, Fredricka, where there's lots of water, I think that helps prolong your life. Don't you think?

WHITFIELD: I like that idea. I do.

LEMON: The blue zone they call it.

WHITFIELD: Sign me up. My passport is ready.

LEMON: All right. See you in a bit.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks.

Well, the accusations stuck for more than a year, but not in everyone's mind. Next in the NEWSROOM standing by, their young man on the Duke lacrosse team.

A woman choking, a caller pleading for help from the 911 operator.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DISPATCHER: Can you do the Heimlich maneuver?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. Ma'am, I don't know what that is.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: But then what happened next may leave you outraged.

Details straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: So, parents, check your bathroom cabinets. Johnson & Johnson is recalling four million bottles of this. The new Listerine agent Cool Blue Plaque-Detecting Rinse, it works by turning plaque blue in your mouth.

Well, it's mostly used by kids, but the recall affects the Glacier Mint and the Bubble Blast flavors. The company said the tests showed bacteria contamination. So, if you have got it, you need to throw it away.

Fifty-two billion dollars, that's a lot of money, right? Well, it's not enough for Warren Buffett to hold his spot as the world's second richest man.

Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us who has taken his place?

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: It is the bottom of the hour. We begin with this story. Three former members of the Duke lacrosse team try to put the past behind them, as public scrutiny shifts to a North Carolina district attorney. Mike Nifong is back at work today. Tomorrow he'll face the North Carolina state bar, and ask that ethics charges against him be dismissed. Through his attorney, the Durham D.A. says he supports dropping the charges against the three former Duke University students. The North Carolina attorney general will release a report next week outlining inconsistencies in the Duke case, and says there's no evidence that an attack even occurred.

Well, today on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" a defense attorney said it's time to move on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE CHESHIRE, ATTY. FOR DAVE EVANS: One of the ways that they get beyond it was with the generous and thorough investigation of the attorney general and his announcement. But the other thing, as Bill Cotter has said, and he's so right, is these three young men are wonderful young men. They're very bright. They're diligent. They're disciplined. They have a lot of character. And they will prove who they are when they have that chance now that this cloud is over them.

So will they ever get past it? No. Will people not know that they were charged with this? I mean, they will know that. But these young men are going to do great. They are going to do wonderful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, that's where the 28-year-old woman who accused the young men of rape. Authorities say she will not be charged, and that she may actually believe all the stories she told.

Well, one of the former Duke players calls their ordeal a 395-day nightmare that is finally over.

CNN's Alina Cho visited one community that lived through the nightmare with the three young men.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A year ago, Collin Finnerty was a lank, 19-year old teenager facing rape and kidnapping charges and it showed. Now the ordeal is over, the transformation remarkable. Finnerty, now 20, looks and talks like a man who has seen adversity and overcome it.

COLLIN FINNERTY, CLEARED OF CHARGES: I now understand in a way that I never did before that family and friends is what matters most.

CHO: Especially back home in tony Garden City, New York where neighbor and family friend Amhed Bendary watched the news with his 10- year-old son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe these three individuals are innocent.

AHMED BENDARY, FINNERTY'S NEIGHBOR: Yes! Yes, indeed. Finally. It was always guilty without even knowing the truth and it was just very painful. Knowing that he's innocent and I believed all along he was innocent.

CHO: Finnerty's neighbors, even those who didn't know him, rallied behind the boy next door.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel awful that the family had to go through something like that.

CHO: In the center of town, lacrosse is part of the culture. Robert Klepper is a restaurant owner where the Finnerty's are regulars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's great for them. Innocent, he was innocent from day one, innocent all the way through and finally they're vindicated.

CHO: Finnerty attended Chaminade High School. He played lacrosse there and recently started coaching. The home team, like everyone else around here, is showing support.

Getting back in the game, seems like what he wants. He just wants to forget this, put it behind them.

CHO: Neighbors say this is cause for celebration. When Collin and his family return from North Carolina, Bendary will be waiting.

BENDARY: I'm going to give him a big hug. I can't wait to see him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And now a chilling 911 call and an emergency supervisor refused to give a cold shoulder to a dying woman. You need to hear this for yourself.

The story from reporter Anna Tataris. She is with CNN affiliate Bay News 9 in Tampa, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA TATARIS, BAY NEWS 9 REPORTER (voice-over): It was a frantic 911 call from this Landau (ph) Lakes home. Chris Cooper needed the help of dispatchers to save his girlfriend, 37-year-old Nancy McGee (ph), who was choking on a piece of steak. But the dispatcher on the other end of the line wasn't trained to give him emergency medical instructions.

The dispatcher doesn't answer his repeated question of how to perform the Heimlich.

We requested public documents that showed the dispatcher repeatedly asked for the assistance of her supervisor, David Cook, who is allegedly chatting on his phone at a desk nearby and didn't want to help the frantic caller. After minutes he got on the line, but then turned around and gave the call back over to the original dispatcher.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was a horrible death.

TATARIS: We spoke with McGee's pastor.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My reaction is when you call 911, you are most always in a panic or you wouldn't be calling 911. And if you are calling 911 in a panic, they should help you.

TATARIS: Records also show supervisor David Cook had notes in his file about previously sleeping on the job. He has since taken early retirement, and now another supervisor who was in the room is also under investigation.

But what makes this story even worse is supervisor David Cook allegedly commented to his colleagues about this call saying, "I guess she bit off more than she could chew."

(on camera): We weren't able to reach David Cook for a comment, but we did reach the Pasco County supervisor of personnel. She would not go to camera to talk about this story. We also contacted the Pasco County administrator, and he did not call us back.

On scene in Pasco County, Anna Tataris, Bay News 9.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(NEWSBREAK)

WHITFIELD: Overseas a suicide bomber claims at least eight victims. But was Iraq's democracy the real target? We'll talk with Iraq's U.S. ambassador about the significance of an attack inside the Green Zone.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Eight people killed. At least 20 people wounded and with the echos of suicide explosion still ringing, the realization that there really is no safe place in the city of Baghdad today.

That's how it happened. A bomber somehow managed to penetrate security and gain access to the Iraqi parliament building while lawmakers were in session. Among the fatalities, two Iraqi lawmakers, a Sunni and a Shite. Joining me now from Washington, the Iraqi ambassador to the United States, Samir Sumaidaie.

Mr. Ambassador, so glad you could be with us. So if the green zone isn't safe, then clearly no one can feel safe anywhere in that country, would you agree?

SAMIR SUMAIDAIE, IRAQI AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Well, I agree that security is a very big challenge for us. But I think we should take the broader picture here. These terrorists are determined, extremely determined to assure the world that this security plan has failed.

WHITFIELD: But at the same time winning the point, are they making the point and winning that point?

SUMAIDAIE: They are making the point, yes. Winning the point, no. One thing I can assure you, Fredericka, these people can kill. They can mame. They can wreak havoc, but they will not succeed. They will fail. Today the speaker of our parliament announced that tomorrow morning, which is going to be Friday, usually a holiday, there will be a session of parliament conducted just to defy the terrorists. To tell them they will not succeed. Iraqis will not be cowed by the terrorists.

WHITFIELD: So in the meantime, while that session is to take place, no one can ignore the fact that someone or some people penetrated those six security checks in order to get into that parliament building. So, as Iraqi forces are reevaluating the security, the perimeter of that building. Does this mean now that parliament or even other members of the Iraqi government are asking for the U.S. or any other body who's capable to help better secure that perimeter of the green zone?

SUMAIDAIE: We will continue to work on security. It's impossible to achieve 100 percent security in any area. But the point here is that the terrorist's ability to terrorize neighborhoods is diminishing. They are resorting to spectacular operations. This one today in Baghdad in parliament and the one that demolished the historical bridge in Baghdad. I think that we can expect some more attacks which are aimed to get maximum media exposure. Their control over neighborhoods, as I said, is weakening

WHITFIELD: Really? So you say terrorizing these neighborhoods by these terrorists is diminishing, which seems hard to believe when you see a string of attacks taking place. Even the bridge attack today, where ten people were killed. That certainly is an a neighborhood where people live and try to go about their business. It seems as though every week we are talking about large numbers of Iraqi citizens, Sunni or Shia who are being killed by dozens in their neighborhood this their places that are supposed to be their comfort zones, their places of residence.

SUMAIDAIE: When you look at it like that, yes. But, in fact, six months ago, we had armed guns running around the streets in cars with their weapons visible, arresting people or abducting people and murdering them in the streets. We don't have that now. We have much better control over armed guns anywhere in Baghdad. And this is improving all the time. But, as I said, the terrorists have concentrated on car bombs and suicide bombers. Suicide bombers are extremely hard to stop. By the time they get where they get, I mean today the situation in parliament is rather exceptional. But usually they go into market areas where there are crowds and explode themselves. And the same with booby-trapped cars. Cars ladened with explosives, they could be everywhere. That's harder to stop.

WHITFIELD: Iraqi Ambassador to the U.S. Samir Sumaidaie, thank you very much. I had so many more questions but we are running out of time. So hopefully we will have you back again.

SUMAIDAIE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Thank you very much.

LEMON: Several planes told to wait while the air traffic controller takes a bathroom break. I guess when you got to go, you jsut got to go. But who's watching the radar? Straight ahead we will tell in you the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SABILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm Sabila Vargas in Hollywood with your entertainment report. Did Sanjaya Molakar finally get voted off American Idol? Or did another hopeful get the boot? We will have the answer when NEWSROOM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: She has been in the bottom three for weeks. And last night proved no different from one leggy idol contestant. CNN Entertainment Correspondent Sabila Vargas joins us with who left and who may be next to go. Is it Sanjaya?

VARGAS: I will keep you in suspense for that.

It was definitely cut down night on American Idol. And the big question, of course, who would be the lucky one to make it to the final seven?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN SEACREST, AMERICAN IDOL HOST: Phil, buddy, you are safe. Haley heads home tonight on American Idol.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: That's right. Haley Scarnato's comet blazed out last night. The 24-year-old San Antonio native was known for her short skirts and long legs. Judge Simon Cowell thought she was using her sex appeal as a tactic to stay in the competition. Little Stacey and Chris Richardson were also in the bottom three. Voting was high with more than 35 million calls and text messages coming in. Sanjaya still in the game, Don, nailing the competition's Latin theme, which featured guest singing coach Jennifer Lopez. You know you love him.

LEMON: Oh, whatever.

VARGAS: Maybe not.

LEMON: As my mom said in a phone call to me, Sanjaya is on my last half nerve.

Anyway, you are talking about J-Lo. Speaking of J-Lo, her husband, Marc Anthony, was in the spotlight this week as well. VARGAS: The singer my have a tax tip for you, Don. Make sure you stay on top of things. The singer agreed to pay $2.5 million in back taxes because he failed to file returns for five years. The Manhattan DA says he won't prosecute because a professional accountant prepared Anthony's tax returns and Anthony apparently thought they had been filed and any back taxes that had been paid as well. Something like that. But he thought it was all taken care of.

LEMON: We got it. We understood. He thought it was all taken care of.

VARGAS: That's it.

LEMON: And you will be reporting on it tonight of course as well. We will get the full sense of what's going on.

So Sibila, there's a big federal report released this morning detailing how violent entertainment is marketed to children. What's the big headline coming out of that?

VARGAS: The Federal Trade Commission looked at marketing for music, video games and movies and is recommending that the entertainment industry put tougher restriction on how they advertise violent material on TV shows and web sites with a sizable underage audience. They also want ratings info to be more prominent on the packaging of video games and DVDs. When it comes to music labeling, the typical explicit content, that isn't going to cut it anymore. They want it to include why it's explicit. The report goes to Congress today. The FTC says it will work with the industry to ensure parents have the info to make decisions about what's appropriate for their children.

LEMON: And Sibila, when I heard this this morning, it was really sad. I remember this guy, several cameo roles, but one, he was the butler I think on "Soap." Really amazing voice. Some sad news to report, right?

VARGAS: Absolutely. Roscoe Brown, he was famous for his deep voice and his rich voice, he's died after a long battle with cancer. He was 81 years old. Brown put that dignified voice in bearing to work in a career that spanned TV, film and Broadway. He narrated the 1995 hit "Babe" and had memorable appearances on "All in the Family", "Soap", like you said Don, and the "Cosby Show."

Tonight, on "Showbiz Tonight", the anger over Imus, did the radio shock jock really deserve to get fired by NBC or was the punishment for his racially charged comments way too harsh? The heated debate on TV's most provocative entertainment news show "Showbiz Tonight," 11:00 p.m. Eastern on Headline Prime. Back to you.

LEMON: Certainly has been a heated debate. Thank you, Sabila. We will see you tonight.

WHITFIELD: Several planes told to wait while the air traffic controller takes a bathroom break. Guess when you got to go, you got to go, but who is watching the radar while you've got to go? That's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN DOT COM DESK: With tax day just around the corner, some of you may be scrambling to file at the very last minute. You can log on to CNNmoney.com for last minute tax tips. The web site has a special tax page for advice from top financial experts.

If you decide to e-file this year, CNN's Jerry Lewis explains how to do so safely and securely. If you want to hire someone to prepare your taxes, here's some help on picking the right professional. The list of tax friendly places ranks income, sales and property taxes across the country. The number one tax friendly state, Alaska. You can find out where your state ranks in tax burden.

And be sure to check out these tips for avoiding tax scams. The IRS does not send unsolicited e-mails to communicate with tax payers, so ignore any e-mail asking for personal information. Remember, taxes are due on Tuesday, April 17th this year, giving you a couple extra days to crunch those numbers. You can put your financial worries aside and visit CNN money.com/taxes. And Veronica De La Cruz for the dot com desk.

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