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Idaho police find two men, dead, inside church after standoff; shooter killed two policemen, one civilian in early morning battle
Aired May 20, 2007 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: In the middle of a gun battle against Al Qaeda, but this isn't Iraq.
Another weekend of wildfires, coast-to-coast. We've got a roundup of all of the hot spots.
Plus this --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I said, well, I am going to have to buy it. And he's joking around, oh that's probably the big winner, then. I'm sure I'll hear about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Well, the last ticket turned out to be the lucky ticket and mom with a mountain of debt ends up a millionaire.
Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And you're in the NEWSROOM.
A state of shock today in a college town in Idaho after a night of deadly gunfire. It happened in the town of Moscow, population 20,000, along the border with Washington State. By the time it was all over this morning, at least three people were dead, including the gunmen and an officer shot at the scene. From CNN affiliate KREM, here's reporter Kara Kostinich.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARA KOSTINICH, REPORTER, KREM (voice over): The Moscow assistant police chief tells us that one of those wounded officers has died. We're told that officer Lee Newel (ph) was dead on arrival to the hospital this morning.
He has been with the Moscow police department since 2001. He leaves behind a wife and three grown children. We're told that he's the first officer to be killed in the line of duty with the Moscow police department.
Now the sheriff's deputy wounded, also, is in serious condition. We're told that his name is Brandon Jordan and he's with the Laytah (ph) County Sheriff's Department. And that civilian that was also wounded, he is also in serious condition.
Now, police tell us they found two men dead inside of the Presbyterian church near Moscow. They believe one of those men is the gunman. His identity, nor motive has been released. In Moscow, Idaho, I'm Kara Kostinich.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Eight years a cop in New York City, and Officer Raphael Lora had never fired a gun in the line of duty. Well, today, he's under investigation after the latest shooting death involving the NYPD. With the story, live from New York now is CNN's Mary Snow.
Mary, what happened?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, this is -- for the second time in six months, the use of deadly force by the New York City Police Department is under investigation.
This latest incident involved an off-duty police officer who shot the driver of a mini van. Police say the off-duty officer confronted him because the driver had slammed into a parked car and left the scene. Now police say the officer fired five shots hitting the driver once in the lower back.
Police say the man kept driving two more blocks before running up on a sidewalk and his car went up in flames.
Now family members of the deceased man, 41-year-old Firmin Arzu, gathered in the Bronx where the shooting occurred. They were joined by the National Action Network, that's ground founded by the Reverend Al Sharpton, who say the use of force was uncalled for.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIRSTEN FOY, NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK: He lost his life as a result of an impromptu, impetuous -- and in our estimation -- unnecessary action by an off-duty police officer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: Now the Patrolman's Benevolent Association, which is providing a lawyer for Officer Rafael Laura, said in a statement, "there must be a thorough investigation," and added, quote, "Those who make snap judgments without all of the facts, do not serve the best interest of the city, or those involved in the incident."
Now the NYPD has Officer Lora, saying that he is put on desk duty. He's been on the force since 1999 and he's never fired on anyone in the line of duty. He's been placed on desk duty while the Bronx district attorney and police department investigate.
The use of deadly force by the NYPD is under intense scrutiny since back in November, five officers fired 50 shots on a car of three unarmed men, killing one just hours before his wedding.
WHITFIELD: So, Mary, Officer Lora, was he alone, or was there a partner with him, another eyewitness? SNOW: He was alone, because he lives in the area where this happened. And police and witnesses describe that he heard this accident, and came out of his house. And police also say the gun that he used in this shooting was not the gun that he uses on duty.
WHITFIELD: Interesting. All right, Mary Snow, thanks so much from New York.
Onto Iraq now, where it's been a deadly couple of days for U.S. troops; 15 U.S. soldiers have been killed since Friday. Today the military announced seven more soldier deaths. They were killed on Saturday. A roadside bombed claimed six of them and their Iraqi interpreter in western Baghdad.
One U.S. soldier was killed and two others wounded when an explosive device blew up in Diwaniyah. These soldiers were involved in the search for the missing U.S. troops.
So far, this month alone, 71 U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq. And since the war began, 3,422 U.S. service members have lost their lives. More now from CNN's Hugh Riminton.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUGH RIMINTON, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Friday and Saturday, two dreadful days for U.S. forces in Iraq. The worst of the incidents on Saturday. Six soldiers being killed along with their Iraqi interpreter when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device, an IED -- as the military calls them, a roadside bomb in common language -- blowing up, killing six, plus their interpreter in the suburbs of western Baghdad.
Also at much the same time, another IED hitting a sustainment unit -- these are the people who bring the food, the gasoline, the other items to U.S. troops -- killing one soldier. That was about 100 miles, about 150 kilometers to the south of Baghdad.
All of that had followed on Friday, another dreadful day, seven soldiers killed in a variety of incidents, including one in Diyala Province, to the northeast of Baghdad. Three people killed in a single unit. Once again, an IED, a roadside bomb, the biggest single cause of death for U.S. troops here in Iraq. Hugh Riminton, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The military says it has tracked down and killed the ringleader of an insurgent attack against U.S. troops. It happened back in January in Karbala. One of the U.S. soldiers was killed on the spot, four others were kidnapped, and later killed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, MULTI-NAT'L. FORCE-IRAQ: Back on January 20th down in Karbala, in the governor's compound there, we had a terrorist group come in there, dressed, disguised as American soldiers, driving American vehicles, speaking English to gain entry way in there.
And they came into one of the buildings where we were working with our Iraqi counterparts, helping them with their pilgrimage. And they abducted, kidnapped, literally four American soldiers. They killed one on the site. Kidnapped four others. Fled out of the compound with them and then murdered all four of them.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR, LATE EDITION: And the gentleman -- there was a gentleman killed today, is that correct?
CALDWELL: That's right. We've been pursuing this guy relentlessly. You know, anybody who kidnaps an American soldier and murders them, we're going to continue to hunt down. And that's exactly what we'll be doing with this guy, Sahar (ph) Al-Dulaymi. We found him, finally, Friday morning. Went in on a precision operation to capture him and pursuing engagement that had occurred, he was killed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Well, there's been no let-up in the search for three U.S. missing soldiers in Iraq. Round-the-clock patrol south of Baghdad are searching for any sign of the missing soldiers. Today the military began draining a canal after farmers gave them a possible tip. The military is operating on the assumption, at least two of the missing soldiers are still alive.
Remember preschool when you learn to read sentences, like, "See Spot run? Well, things have changed over the years. Some youngsters nowadays can probably read it in Mandarin Chinese. It's not your father's preschool anymore. The story in about six minutes here in the NEWSROOM.
Plus, a new wildfire in California.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, critical fire, weather conditions across parts of the southwest. We'll check in on the forecast also for the fires in the Southeast and flooding going on in parts of the country. Your weather forecast is coming up, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks, Jacqui.
Also, double luck for this single mom in Ohio. How finding 10 bucks in a parking lot changed her life. You don't want to miss this story. It's 15 minutes from now. You're in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Battling flames from coast-to-coast. Wildfires are scorching nearly every corner of the nation. A blaze along the Florida-Georgia line is about 80 percent contained.
Weather conditions could cause problems, though, today. And officials are warning residents, who've just returned to their homes there in Florida and Georgia to keep their bags packed, just in case they have to evacuate again. Meantime, firefighters in New Jersey have managed to get a 17,000-acre forest fire almost under completely under control. The blaze has damaged or destroyed several homes there.
And a fire that threatened homes in two Arizona forests is expected to be fully contained by Tuesday. They evacuated residents are being allowed to return home.
Just look at this wildfire near California's Los Padres National Forest. It has forced more than 3,000 campers to flee. Firefighters have about half of the blaze under control. And the cause there is still under investigation.
Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras. Boy, a lot of wildfires all across the country, and this seems like it's been going on for, at least within the last month.
JERAS: Yeah, you know, they kind of said it, the fire officials said in California, said that basically fire season never ended last year. Technically in the Los Padres Forest area it began this past week. So we're expecting conditions to get worse here. And 3,000 campers, that's a lot of people out there camping. And you're going need permits now for campfires as well. If you have plans in the future, make sure that you have those.
Now critical fire weather conditions here across parts of Nevada, and into Utah, also into the northwestern parts of Arizona. We've got a cold front pushing through here. So the winds are very strong and gusty and very dry conditions coming in, back behind it.
And there you can see where the showers and thunderstorms are. They've moved ahead across the Four Corners region; and a lot of lightning associated with these. So we'll be watching for the potential of more fires beginning here.
Looking at westerly winds, though, over in the Los Padres National Forest, so very dry conditions. Very low relative humidity. It could be worse, not critical, but certainly not great.
We'll go ahead and show you what's happening across parts are of the Southeast. Dry conditions again today in south Georgia and northern Florida, where the fires continue here. Red flag warnings are in effect for much of the state of Florida and Georgia.
All the rain has been down here in the southern parts of Florida, the last 24 hours. We had some heavy hail last evening in Hialeah. And also some very heavy flooding into the Miami area. Look at these pictures. This is in extreme northeastern parts of the county, near Miami Beach. Five to seven inches of rain fell in a short period of time really early this morning.
Still at this hour, an urban flood advisory is in effect through Miami-Dade county. It will take a little while for that water to recede, and could see some more showers and thunder showers in the forecast there. We also have some heavy rain showers going on across parts of the Northeast. If you have flight plans this afternoon, or evening, make sure you call ahead. Because we've got some hefty delays here. We'll talk more about that in about an hour -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jacqui, look forward to that. And perhaps as a mother of two, you can relate this next story.
So, you played your baby Mozart. You taught your toddler how to count and introduced your three-year-old to the charms of "Harry Potter" and there's still a chance that you are underperforming, as a parent. So have you signed up your kid for Mandarin yet? Here's CNN's Jim Acosta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDITH CARLSON, MOTHER OF MANDARIN CHINESE STUDENT: OK, inside we go.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When Judith and Jon Carlson drop off their daughter Victoria at this New Jersey preschool, they expect their three-year-old to learn more than finger painting.
Say hello, or make that, ni hou, to Mandarin Chinese, the latest in language immersion programs across the country. Even at the preschool level, children like Victoria can pick up Mandarin so quickly, it startles their parents.
Even when they start using it at home.
JUDITH CARLSON: I think, one day from school, they were singing "Old McDonald" and you know, today's her birthday, so she started singing happy birthday.
JON CARLSON, FATHER OF MANDARIN CHINESE STUDENT: In Chinese.
JUDITH CARLSON: All in Chinese.
JON CARLSON: Old McDonald in Chinese.
JUDITH CARLSON: Yes.
SHARON HUANG, FOUNDER, BILINGUAL BUDS: The kids take to it wonderfully.
ACOSTA: Sharon Huang founded the Mandarin program, Bilingual Buds in the basement of this church last year. It's so popular, she's moving the school to a larger building in the fall. Wong says by learning the official language of an economic superpower, her students gain a competitive advantage.
HUANG: When you look around at what is happening around the world, I think it's the really forward thinking parents that are understanding that Mandarin is going to be the most important language of our children's generation.
Ma-ma-ma-ma.
ACOSTA: And as this reporter found out, Mandarin is one of the toughest languages to learn. The same word can have different meanings, depending on how you pronounce it.
(on camera): If I say ma, what is that? I just said what?
HUANG: Say it again?
ACOSTA: I don't know if I got any of them right.
(LAUGHTER)
ACOSTA (voice over): Since the State Department designated Mandarin a critical language in public education, enrollment figures have skyrocketed.
In Connecticut, the number of students taking Mandarin has grown from 300 to 3,000 in just two years. Many of the teachers come courtesy of the Chinese government.
MARY ANN HANSEN, CONNECTICUT DEPT. OF EDUCATION: Well, this is an exchange program. And, not only are we learning a great deal from the Mandarin teachers who are in Connecticut, from China, but I think they're learning a lot about our system from us.
ACOSTA: If Victoria and her classmates have their way, the language barrier, between America and China, will soon be a great wall, no more. Jim Acosta, CNN, Livingston, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, how about this? A single mom down on her luck, she finds some, finally, luck at just the right time. A lovely lottery story coming up in the NEWSROOM.
And what's the deal with those wrong-way whales? More on the efforts to lure them back into the deep water. Plus an interview from a whale expert. This is CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: We begin in central Pennsylvania for "News Across America" today, where investigators are trying to figure out why a bus careened off of interstate 80 early this morning; 31 passengers were hurt. Two were killed in this single-vehicle accident. A nine-mile stretch of the interstate reopened late this morning.
In South Carolina, the search for a missing officer leads lawman to a freshly-dug grave off of Interstate 26. The 67-year-old state Constable Robert Bailey has been missing since Monday; some 50 miles from where the shallow grave was discovered. The unearthed body has not yet been identified.
From Arkansas, the United States mint unveils a new silver dollar commemorating the 50th anniversary of the desegregation at Little Rock's Central High School. Six of the so-called Little Rock nine, the first black students to integrate the school, were on hand for yesterday's celebration.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH ECKFORD, LITTLE ROCK NINE: Well, I'm really, really surprised. Surprised at the design that was finally used. I think that it represents all of the children of the Civil Rights Movement.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: A New Orleans' first in the post-Katrina era. Fat's Domino made his first public performance last night before a sold-out crowd. The 79-year-old hopes his next return is to his Ninth Ward home, presently under renovation from that monstrous storm.
Well, thousands of Californians are flocking to the Port of Sacramento to witness the whale watch this weekend. The two logistically lost mammals, presumed to be a mother and her calf, have been dubbed Delta and Dawn. On that note, scientists say they'll revisit playing whale sounds for the two humpbacks tomorrow and hopes it will entice them to go back to the ocean.
Where else but America can a working single mom, waist deep in debt find a $10 bill and parlay that into the payout of a lifetime? From CNN affiliate WKYC, reporter Paul Thomas introduces us to one unlikely millionaire.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL THOMAS, REPORTER, WKYC (voice over): It landed right there in front of Kristina Schneider's feet -- her new life.
KRISTINA SCHNEIDER, LOTTERY WINNER: It's $10 from heaven I found yesterday.
THOMAS: OK, $10, big deal, right?
SCHNEIDER: In you go.
THOMAS: But for this single mother, who was down to her last $1 until pay day, yeah, it was a big deal. Still Kristina went back into the gas station, where she bought a cup of coffee, and asked if anybody had lost some money.
SCHNEIDER: No, why? I said, never mind. So I just put it in my pocket. Said, thank you, God, I needed that and --
THOMAS: Her good fortune was about to become her great fortune. That is, if she could make it into her job on Friday as a gas station cashier in North Canton.
SCHNEIDER: I was so tired this morning, I almost just laid back down and went back to sleep.
THOMAS: Early Friday morning, a regular customer stopped by. He bought some $10 Magnificent Millions lottery tickets, but he left a single $10 ticket on the roll. Christina tried to sell it to him.
SCHNEIDER: You know, just joking around. I said, you know it's lottery law, you get that last one on the roll, you have to buy that one, too. And he goes, nah, I didn't bring enough money today.
And I said, well, I'm going to have to buy it. He's joking around. Oh, that's probably the big winner, then. I am sure I will hear about it. So I bought it. And it was!
THOMAS: Hands shaking, she took a blurry picture of the winning ticket with her cell phone.
SCHNEIDER: Do you have the tickets?
THOMAS: Friday night, she celebrated by going to the movies.
SCHNEIDER: I'm splurging, yeah. I'm getting a large popcorn.
(LAUGHTER)
THOMAS: In Summit County, Paul Thomas, Channel 3 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, well that is indeed Lady Luck.
Well, not that guy right there. How long can he hold onto his job? Maybe a lot of bad luck coming his way. The going gets tougher day by day for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, as prominent Republicans speak out today. The twists and turns straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. Happening right now:
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(GUNFIRE)
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WHITFIELD: Lebanon, possibly the latest battleground in the fight against Al Qaeda. Fierce battles broke out earlier today after government forces raided a building near the city of Tripoli. Militants from a group reportedly linked to Al Qaeda opened fire; 22 Lebanese soldiers, and at least 10 militants, were killed in the clashes that followed.
We'll get more on this from CNN's Josh Levs a little later on in this hour.
Meantime in Iraq, U.S. troops are draining a canal, digging up graves, and going house to house in the dogged search for three of their own. The three soldiers have been missing for more than a week now, after an ambush that killed four American troops and an Iraqi colleague.
The plea three U.S. soldiers who disappeared more than a week ago, after that ambush aren't the only Americans missing in Iraq. The U.S. military says more than 20 U.S. servicemen and civilians are officially listed as missing. CNN's Hugh Riminton reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HUGH RIMINTON, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When news broke of the three U.S. soldiers seized south of Baghdad, it stabbed at the heart of Entifadh Qanbar.
ENTIFADH QANBAR, UNCLE OF MISSING U.S. SOLDIER: I sat there for an hour, alone, memorizing like a flashback of what happened to us.
RIMINTON: Entifadh's nephew was the last U.S. soldier kidnapped in Iraq. Sergeant Achmed al Tai (ph) was seized last October. There has been just one 10-second glimpse of him since on an insurgent website.
For the family of Scott Speicher (ph), there has been even less. The longest standing American on the missing list in Iraq he was a Navy pilot shot down in the '91 Gulf War. Clues and rumors kept hope alive. When Saddam Hussein was toppled, CNN found MSS, Speicher's (ph) initials carved into the wall of a prison where others spoke of an American captive.
But there, the trail ran out.
Sergeant Matt Maupin was seized by insurgents early in this war.
KEITH MAUPIN, FATHER OF MISSING SOLDIER: We've never given up hope that Matt's alive and that they will find him. We keep pushing issues that they're not going to leave him in Iraq like they did those guys in Vietnam.
(on camera): Not just soldiers, but journalists, aid workers, contractors, even a tourist have been taken hostage in Iraq. Iraqis have been kidnapped themselves in their thousands, usually for quick ransom.
(Voice over): But Americans are the highest prize, according to the man who set up the U.S. embassy's Hostage Working Group.
DAN O'SHEA, FMR. U.S. HOSTAGE NEGOTIATOR: The danger level for and American, without question is the highest.
RIMINTON: Dan O'Shea has worked on hundreds of cases in Iraq. The toughest are always with Al Qaeda, or its associates.
O'SHEA: I mean, these people, they don't negotiate. That's what we have to understand. The option for these soldiers is what, you know, is the option generally for Americans that we're going to rescue you.
RIMINTON: Entifadh Qanbar still believes his nephew's American uniform is his strongest asset.
QANBAR: In a strange way, maybe it is positive, because he became valuable, and becoming valuable, you will keep your life, but you never know.
RIMINTON: Hugh Riminton, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: He has defended the invasion, and plans a visit to Iraq ...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a strong way, maybe it was positive because he became valuable and becoming valuable, you keep your life. But you never know.
RIMINTON: Hugh Riminton, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT, IN THE NEWSROOM: He has defended the invasion and plans to visit to Iraq to see for himself. But there are reports that the incoming British prime minister is set to do a u-turn on Iraq. In fact be he's already being pressured to do so, at least by hecklers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON BROWN: The never -- they never allowed me to be -- we'll deal with all of the questions later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Gordon Brown will succeed Tony Blair after Mr. Blair steps down June 27th. Mr. Blair has been a firm U.S. ally on Iraq. He repeated just last week that he has no regrets about the invasion but according to Britain's Sunday telegraph, President Bush, quote, has been briefed by White House officials to expect an announcement on British troop withdrawals from Mr. Brown during his first 100 days in power. It would be designed to boost the new prime minister's popularity in the opinion polls, end quote.
President Bush, meanwhile, is focusing on Afghanistan today. The head of NATO, is visiting Mr. Bush's Texas ranch. The main talking point, the future of the alliances commitment to the Afghanistan campaign. Live now from Crawford Texas, CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano. Elaine. ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, to you, Fredricka. Well first of all in the "Telegraph" story the White House is really knocking that down. One official saying to me this morning that he didn't think there was any base for that report. Also when I asked, has President Bush been warned to expect Gordon Brown to announce some sort of British troop pullout soon? This official said he hadn't heard anything of this sort.
Meantime this afternoon, as you mentioned, President Bush is welcoming the secretary general of NATO to his ranch. And really this invitation, a rare one, to Texas signaling just how important this relationship is. Right now, there are there some 37,000 NATO forces deployed in Afghanistan and the secretary-general's meeting comes amid a resurgence of Taliban violence, an increase in violence there. The picture's really being further complicated, Fredricka, by civilian casualties, and an outcry in Afghanistan over mounting civilian deaths.
President Hamid Karzai, in fact, has recently spoken out publicly about those civilian casualties in his country and the White House saying, that really is a priority for the Bush administration as well. Meantime, the talks here in Texas are going to be taking place today and tomorrow. Also attending besides the two leaders of course, President Bush's top aids, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano in Crawford, thanks so much.
Meantime, President Bush is getting verbally blasted by one of his predecessors. In an interview with an Arkansas newspaper, former President Jimmy Carter calls the Bush administration, quote, the worst in history when it comes to international relations. Carter criticizes President Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq, his Middle East policies and his environmental record. Carter says, quote "The overt reversal of America's basic values as expressed by previous administrations, including those of George H. W. Bush and Ronald Regan and Richard Nixon and others, has been the most disturbing to me." Those words from former President Carter.
The White House fired back today, saying Carter's comments were unfortunate and reckless and calling the former president, quote, increasingly irrelevant.
The top Republican on the Senate judiciary committee predicts Attorney General Alberto Gonzales may resign within days. Senator Arlen Specter says a sizable number of Republican Senators will join Democrats in voting against Gonzales in a no-confidence vote expected this week. Specter predicts Gonzales will step down, instead of facing that kind of political embarrassment. A no-confidence vote is just symbolic, but it could put more pressure on Gonzales to step down.
So how did the Gonzales' controversy escalate to this point? Here's CNN's Joe Johns. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): First there was the warrant less wiretapping, and then the justifications for what some called torture. Then the firings of United States attorneys. A Calderon of controversies surrounding Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, leading his critics to ask, why is he still in office?
RALPH NEAS, PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY: Alberto Gonzales has dishonored himself, his office in the Department of Justice and he has to go.
JOHNS: Ralph Neas of the Liberal Interest Group, People for the American Way, wants Gonzales to resign or be fired. Saying, there's a basis for even tougher measures than no-confidence votes on the hill.
NEAS: There's probably legal grounds for something far more serious though than a vote of no confidence.
JOHNS: Like what?
NEAS: Like bipartisan censor or even impeachment.
JOHNS: But he doesn't think Congress has the will to go that far.
JAMES COMEY, FMR. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: That night was probably the most difficult night of my professional life.
JOHNS: The thing that stirred up the hornet's nest, again, was former Justice Department Official James Comey, who told of a race through Washington to the hospital bedside of the seriously ill, then- attorney general, John Ashcroft. Gonzales and White House chief of staff Andrew Card were trying to get justice to certify that the domestic spying program was legal. Comey and Ashcroft said it wasn't, and refused to sign off.
COMEY: I was concerned that, given how ill I knew the attorney general was, that there might be an effort to ask him to overrule me when he was in no condition to do that.
JOHNS: Conservative legal analyst Bruce Fein who served in two Republican administrations says this is an ugly set of facts for Gonzales and Card.
BRUCE FEIN, FMR. DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: And it looks like they are trying to put together a paper trail, if you will, that will justify four years of illegalities of taking American's privacy without any court orders and violating the law without any possible good-faith defense.
JOHNS: That law is the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which in part protects Americans from spying. Former Republican Congressman and prosecutor Bob Barr.
BOB BARR, (ROGERS:) FORMER CONGRESSMAN: All of these shenanigans and goings-on to try and work around this are really ways to evade the law. They've been breaking the law in this case. It seems to me very clear.
JOHNS: Card has declined comment. Gonzales has said the administration was within its rights.
ALBERTO GONZALES, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: This program from inception has been carefully reviewed by lawyers throughout the administration and we believe the president does have legal authorities to authorize this program.
JOHNS: So back to the original question, why is Gonzales still in office? It's pretty simple.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: He's going to continue. We have faith in him.
JIM VANDEHEI, POLITICO.COM: Loyalty. This is a president who values loyalty, and the president really wants Gonzales to stay. But even for Bush, loyalty has its limits.
JOHNS: Limits that apparently have not been reached. Not yet, anyway. Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: After a raid on a building in Lebanon, government troops and militants take their battle to the streets.
Ahead in THE NEWSROOM, a look at the deadly clashes with a militant group reportedly linked to al Qaeda.
And after a more rocket attacks on Israel, more Israeli air strikes in Gaza and more civilian casualties. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Deadly gun battles on the streets of northern Lebanon today. Lebanese troops faced off against rebels linked to al Qaeda near a Palestinian refugee camp. Lebanese army officials reportedly 32 people dead include 23 Lebanese soldiers. The bloodshed prompted Syria to close at least two border crossings into Lebanon. The country is in its worst political crises since the Lebanese civil war. Tension is so high between the western-backed government and pro-Syrian opposition groups.
This latest bloodshed is seen as another blow to stability in that region. If Lebanon dissolves into chaos, what ripple effect it could have across the region? Joshua Levs has been researching a lot of this, to give us an idea of what this all means.
JOSHUA LEVS, CNN CENTER: Yeah, that's the idea. If you listen to this as a morsel, then all you are hearing is that yet another country is fighting al Qaeda militants but if you listen to what Lebanon is saying. They're accusing Syria of being involved here. What's actually going on is the power struggle for a critical U.S. ally. What I want to do here is talk you through the steps leading up to today. Why they would think that, and this story, just like way too many other stories out of the Middle East, begins in the aftermath of a bomb.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS (voice over): February 14th, 2005, 23 people killed in a Beirut bombing, including the clear target, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a top critic of Syria's military presence in Lebanon. The hundreds of thousand of Lebanonese call for the ouster of the Syrian army, whose troops have originally had come as peacekeepers during Lebanon's civil war years earlier.
Under increasing pressure, Syria pulls out. A preliminary United Nations' investigation later that year, finds evidence indicating Syrian involvement. Syrian denies it. Summer 2006, Israel's war with the Shiite militant group, Hezbollah in south Lebanon leaves Lebanese factions jockeying for power. As Hezbollah members pull out of the cabinet. Hariri's son accuses Hezbollah and its supporters in Syria of trying to block an investigation.
SAAD HARIRI, OPPOSITION LEADER: They try to create a little bit of uncertainty in Lebanon.
LEVS: Hezbollah and Syria denies such an effort.
IBRAHIM MOUSSAWI, HEZBOLLAH: I can accuse you of anything but you have to bring (INAUDIBLE) over the authenticity, the validity of your accusations.
IMAD MOUSTAPHA, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S: We do not interfere in the purely Lebanese domestic issues.
LEVS: The government is in cries and it reaches no agreement about a tribunal from the assassination. This month, Lebanese Prime Minister Seniora, a U.S. ally asks the U.N. to set up an international tribunal. The U.S. along with France and Britain creates a draft resolution to do so.
SEAN MCCORMACK, STATE DEPT. SPOKESMAN: We believe that it is important to move forward with the tribunal.
LEVS: Hezbollah insists it does not oppose the idea of a tribunal, but their group warns that an international agency, like the U.N., should not interfere. Now this. Lebanese forces battle Islamic militants linked to al Qaeda. Lebanon insists the militants get orders from Syria but Syria has repeatedly denied fomenting violence.
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LEVS: So you can look at this in that context and you can see really that the future of Lebanon at this point is actually a lot, Fred. It's a lot like the future of that tribunal that they're asking for. It's just up in the air.
WHITFIELD: So what is at stake for the U.S.? LEVS: Yeah, well, remember this is a critical U.S. ally. Right now, probably more than ever, the United States really needs its allies in the Middle East. The government of Lebanon under Seniora has been technically an ally despite the fact that there are differences certainly over the U.S. position of the war last year. The fact is for what Seniora's government is an ally of the United States. Therefore the U.S. is definitely pressuring on that side and working on that side. And the more pressure, the more strength that Hezbollah gets, the more power Hezbollah gets. The government, the worst position it is for the U.S. in a time that it needs leverage in the Middle East.
WHITFIELD: And already a power struggle between Hezbollah and Senior's government.
LEVS: And it's growing and growing. And you can see that play out in everything that happens, whether it turns out that Syria was involved here or not, the fact that they go straight and say, hey, this was Syria, just reminds you that's what's going to in Lebanon. That's what it is about here that struggle for power in Lebanon.
WHITFIELD: All right. Josh Levs, thanks so much.
LEVS: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: Time now to go global with headlines from around the world. Israel is stepping up air strikes against militants in Gaza. Prime minister Ehud Omert says they're targeting Hamas rebel and they'll keep it up until rebel rockets stop falling on Israel's border cities.
Some expensive news in the war on terror according to "The New York Times" the U.S. is paying Pakistan about $1 billion a year to fight terrorists. The Pakistan's president has slashed patrols in North Waziristan a hotbed for al Qaeda.
Meanwhile, the "Los Angeles Times" says renewed efforts declined to Osma Bin Laden yielded no new leads. The CIA did discover a troubling trend, how ever; money from Iraq is funding al Qaeda in Pakistan.
David Hicks is back home in Australia. The convicted al Qaeda supporter was transferred to a maximum-security prison in his hometown of Adalay (ph). Hicks spent more than five years behind bars at Guantanamo Bay. He is the first terror suspect convicted by the U.S. military tribunal in Cuba.
Flag-waving protesters filled the streets of Turkey again today. It's the latest in what have been nationwide protests against the pro- Islamic government. Many demonstrators worry that the upcoming government elections should change Turkey's long-standing secular political policy.
Out in Florida in this country, the humpback dance continues. Straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM, scientists are still struggling to get two injured whales back out to the deeper waters. Straight ahead, we're joined by an expert from our next-door neighbor, the Georgia Aquarium.
And forget funny bunny. What we have here is a hopped up hair and one scared snake. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense does it?
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JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Weather Center with today's "Allergy Reports." Well if you suffer from hay fever and other allergens in the air you have got some problems today across parts of the inter mountain west and into the Great Basin, very high for you. In Salt Lake City also some high pollen counts, into Oklahoma City on up into Boston and into Portland. Maine if you have allergies from Bizmark to Des Moines doing pretty good. Have a great weekend.
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WHITFIELD: The port of Sacramento is center stage for a whale of a drama this weekend. A humpback mother and her calf affectionately named Delta and Dawn are far from home some 90 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Scientists hope to lure them out to sea tomorrow while playing more whale sounds. So what are these whales up against now that they're so far away from natural habitat? Dennis Christen is on the phone with us, he the assistant manager at the Georgia Aquarium. Glad you could with us. Don't whales like this need to reach certain depths for certain amount of time and certainly don't they need to be in salt water? And that given the case, then, what's the fate of these whales?
DENNIS CHRISTEN, GEORGIA AQUARIUM (via telephone): Well, it's definitely not normal for these species of whale to be up in this fresh water up this far up the river. They need to be in salt water. And that's the goal over the next several days hopefully, to return them back to the Pacific.
WHITFIELD: How long could humpback whales be in fresh water?
CHRISTEN: I don't know that anybody really knows the answer to that, it's definitely not an issue in the immediate future for them to be in fresh water, it is more of an issue is the fact they're not adequate prey for them in this environment.
WHITFIELD: Right, so the issue of food. What do they eat? Or can they sustain, or are we seeing that they're sustaining themselves without eating anything?
CHRISTEN: Well it's unlikely that they're sustaining themselves. They should be on their way migrating north to their feeding grounds off the northern California coast or upwards towards the Gulf of Alaska so they're at the end of their winter fasting period. So their blubber stocks are probably at their lowest point now.
WHITFIELD: So Dennis, what's your best guess as to what kind of human intervention could possibly come into play to try to move these two humpback whales some 90 miles before they could get back on track and migrate? CHRISTEN: Definitely quite a task ahead of them. There are some good people over there working on this very diligently. And they're trying certain things that have worked in the past. And the vocalizations don't work, and then they will have to kind of up the ante a little bit and move onto plan b.
WHITFIELD: Even if they use a convoy of boats or something like that, to try to force these whales in the right direction, is there any precedence that something like that could actually work?
CHRISTEN: Actually the technique that involves using kind of an acoustic net or hurting the animals way flotilla boats is actually based off of Japanese hunting practice. So it definitely has precedence with other species and it's likely to affect their behavior if it's done in a decent fashion.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, hopefully not make them more fearful or do something terrible. Dennis Christen with the Georgia Aquarium, thank you so much for your time and we'll be watching and hope for the best for these whales this week.
CHRISTEN: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well, how about this, another animal-type story. Ever seen a rabbit did a mongoose impression? There is a first time for everything. Coming up, a rabbit that wasn't going to be some snake's lunch no, no. In fact, it looks like he's avenging snake-eating rabbit everywhere.
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WHITFIELD: The crash of the Hindenburg, it is certainly some of the most dramatic news footage ever recorded. This month marks the 70th anniversary of that fateful day. And what a difference the years have made the Hindenburg relied on highly flammable hydrogen to get off of the ground. Now hydrogen is being touted as a clean-burning environmentally friendly fuel of the future.
In suburban Minneapolis, the FBI has a very bizarre bank robbery investigation on its hands. In this incident, the suspect never drew a gun, or even showed up to pull the heist. Rather, the suspect hired out some helpers who unknowingly carried out the caper themselves. From CNN affiliate KARE, here is reporter Carla Holt.
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CARLA HOLT, KARE: The bizarre bank robbery actually began with the morning phone call to the bank. Police say a man told bank workers he was sending them a package a gift for good service. And police say he made another phone call, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He sounded fairly normal.
HOLT: Also this morning, the suspect called a local limo company. He wanted a limo, he said, to take his brother to prom. But that limo soon got redirected to the Wells Fargo Bank, which in the meantime had received an unusual package. Turns out, police say the suspect sent the bank flowers and a box. Police say the suspect then called the bank at around noon and told a worker to open the package. The worker realized she could be looking at a bomb.
PAUL MCCABE, FBI: I'd had a circuit board and two large bags filled with some sort of substance.
HOLT: Police say the suspect ordered the worker to fill a bag with money and bring it to where Abdul was waiting outside.
ABDUL, LIMO DRIVER: I'm thinking, it's the clothes that this older brother is going to get changed into. So I didn't know that there was a whole bag full of cash.
HOLT: Abdul says he then followed the suspect's directions to a nearby a fire station, where the suspect picked up the cash and Abdul picked up something might be awry.
ABDUL: And when his plan changed again, I thought that this is really way bizarre.
HOLT: Soon enough, Abdul realized he's he'd been a pond in one elaborate plot.
ABDUL: I got scared because what if he had done something when I handed him the money?
HOLT: But even amid the fear there is at least a little admiration.
ABDUL: He should go write a book. And he'd make a lot more money. That way -- as creative as he is.
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WHITFIELD: And on a much more lighter note, earlier this weekend, we showed you video of this angrier tortoise who took out his rage on a very confused cat. Today we have got this, as whaskely rabbit. A killer rabbit in hot pursuit of a snake. Roll the videotape. There you go. This strange video is making the rounds on youtube, of course. The bunny keeps badgering the snake, despite its stripes. And believe it or not, the rabbit eventually scares the snake right you want tree. So take that.
Straight ahead this hour border battle. Lawmakers gear up for a big fight on Capitol Hill over immigration reform. The grassy knoll, a lone gunman who really killed JFK? We have new information that could finally put the conspiracy theories to rest.
And he's back. Filmmaker Michael Moore. Love him or hate him, he is a hit in Cannes.
And we've got a look at his controversial new movie "Sicko."
Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield, and you're in THE NEWSROOM.
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