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Georgia Attorney General Plans to Appeal Ruling in Genarlow Wilson Case; Terror Suspect Ruling; Immigration Bill; Church Accuses Sony of Desecration of Cathedral

Aired June 11, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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


T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes in the CNN Center in Atlanta.
Don Lemon is on assignment.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kyra Phillips. The judge giveth, the Georgia attorney general taketh away.

HOLMES: Yes. No quick release for Genarlow Wilson, even though a judge calls his 10-year prison term for one act of teen sex a grave miscarriage of justice.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

HOLMES: Elation, then anger. A judge here in Georgia declares null and void the 10-year sentence handed Genarlow Wilson for consensual teen sex. He orders Wilson released. But the state attorney general has other ideas.

CNN's Rick Sanchez joins us now from the office of Wilson's attorney.

Hello again, Rick.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And what a day, T.J., it has been here. It began with Genarlow Wilson's mother and Genarlow Wilson's attorney waiting for this ruling from this judge from a superior court here in Georgia, essentially waiting to see if, in fact, they would be granted what they would be asking for, saying this is cruel and unusual punishment for Genarlow to have to spend 10 years in prison for what was essentially consensual sex between two teenagers.

They waited. There was anticipation. There was anxiety. In fact, I'm going to let you see for yourself what happened as the ruling came down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

B.J. BERNSTEIN, ATTORNEY: We win!

SANCHEZ: Yes. He's out?

Read us what it says. Can you read it to us?

BERNSTEIN: Habeas Corpus is granted.

SANCHEZ: The sentence is void. That means he's cleared. That means he's cleared.

(APPLAUSE)

SANCHEZ: B.J., explain to us what this means, if you could.

BERNSTEIN: The order -- the order. He's released. He's released.

SANCHEZ: So the judge is saying...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Now we had to talk to Juanessa Bennett. She's the mother of Genarlow Wilson. She was there.

We have an exclusive interview with her that took place just as this ruling was being handed down. Remember, she has struggled with the courts, with the attorneys, struggled with the Georgia legislature to try and see if they would make some kind of exception for her son.

None of that worked. Finally, she was convinced today she had reached what she had prayed for.

Here's her reaction.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Because essentially he's being held, what, unconstitutionally?

BERNSTEIN: Unconstitutional.

OK. Make a copy. Make a copy.

SANCHEZ: This is the order from Judge Thomas Wilson.

BERNSTEIN: Judge Thomas Wilson.

SANCHEZ: How do you feel as his mother? How long -- how long has this been for you?

JUANESSA BENNETT, GENARLOW WILSON'S MOTHER: In January it was three years.

BERNSTEIN: Get copies. Copies.

BENNETT: Three and a half years.

SANCHEZ: There must be just incredible relief for you right now. Do you feel -- explain to us in the best words that you can why you feel what this judge has done is the right thing for your son.

BENNETT: Because it is the right thing. SANCHEZ: Why?

BENNETT: Because he didn't deserve to have the sexual predator status on top of him.

SANCHEZ: Your son is not a sexual predator.

BENNETT: No.

SANCHEZ: Your son you believe did not deserve to go to prison for 10 years.

BENNETT: No.

SANCHEZ: Why did they make him go through this?

BENNETT: I don't even know.

SANCHEZ: What do you say to Judge Thomas Wilson, who has made this decision?

BENNETT: He has got a lot of heart. And god bless him.

SANCHEZ: You are grateful.

BENNETT: I am.

SANCHEZ: What are you going to say to your son with you finally see him?

BENNETT: I don't even know right now.

BERNSTEIN: Let's go tell him.

SANCHEZ: How happy are you?

BENNETT: Lord, I'm happy.

SANCHEZ: Congratulations.

BERNSTEIN: Come on.

SANCHEZ: Congratulations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Editorial boards from "The New York Times" on down have been asking for this decision that it seemed the judge was able to hand down today. So has former president Jimmy Carter. Even Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, one time threatening to boycott the state of Georgia because of the Genarlow decision.

And it seemed like everything was falling in place and all they needed now was for the attorney general of the state of Georgia to sign off on this and say it's been a long battle, he's been in prison for almost two and a half years, we will let it go, we will not appeal. That is not the decision that the attorney general of the state of Georgia made.

He handed down a decision, sent a memo that was received here by fax by attorney B.J. Bernstein. Here now, here reaction to shortly after receiving it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNSTEIN: The attorney general of the state of Georgia has just filed a notice of appeal of this opinion. That puts a stop to what's been happening, the joyous news this morning. It is extremely, extremely disturbing that the attorney general would take this action now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: So, it seems like the court battle is not over yet. We don't have the specifics as to why the attorney general is asking to appeal this decision, only that he is at this point.

We should know this: there is still a possibility that the attorneys here, B.J. Bernstein, can argue to judges that Genarlow Wilson should be set free while this appeal is being heard. We don't know if that decision will come today or in the next couple days, or if a judge will, in fact, grant that to Genarlow Wilson. That's what they're hoping for, and we'll be following it to let you know as this case continues to progress.

T.J., back to you.

HOLMES: Rick Sanchez for us. Rick all over this case.

We appreciate it.

PHILLIPS: Well, he's a suspected terrorist and he's labeled an enemy combatant, but he could soon be a free man. An appeals court says the Bush administration cannot hold Ali al-Marri indefinitely without charging him. The ruling applies to one man, but it's a blow to the administration's anti-terror strategies.

Let's bring in Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve for more -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

The Justice Department has not yet reacted to the ruling, which, as you say, was a setback for the Bush administration. In short, the ruling says that a person held as an enemy combatant in the U.S. has a right to a hearing in a civilian U.S. court.

This case resolved around Ali Al-Marri, a citizen of Qatar accused of being an al Qaeda sleeper agent and held as an enemy combatant in a North Carolina -- excuse me, South Carolina military brink. The appeals court panel said, "The president lacks power to order the military to seize and indefinitely detain al-Marri. We have found no authority for holding that the evidence offered by the government affords a basis for treating al-marri as an enemy combatant, or as anything other than a civilian."

Al-Marri's lawyer, Jonathan Hafetz of the Brennan Center for Justice, called it a landmark ruling that "rejects the president's position that he can treat the world as a battlefield and detain individuals in this country without charge or trial."

Once again, a big blow to the administration.

PHILLIPS: Was it a unanimous decision?

MESERVE: No, it wasn't. It was split on 2-1. The dissenting justice -- judge, rather, by the name of Henry Hudson said, "The type of stealth warrior used by al Qaeda to perpetuate terrorist acts against the United States," that's how he described al-Marri in his dissenting opinion.

PHILLIPS: Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve.

Thanks, Jeanne.

MESERVE: You bet.

PHILLIPS: The White House says it's a waste of time, but Senate Democrats say it's time to put themselves and Republicans on record about Alberto Gonzales. They're pushing a no-confidence resolution against the attorney general. The vote is purely symbolic, but Democrats note that several key Republicans have also called for Gonzales to go.

The resolution is just one sentence. It states, "It is the sentence of the Senate that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales no longer holds the confidence of the Senate and the American people."

HOLMES: Up the steps and into Air Force One, and back to the D.C. grind. President Bush on his way home today, where the wounded immigration bill is waiting. The issue followed him all the way to Bulgaria and a joint news conference today with that country's president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The political process sometimes isn't pretty to look at. There's two steps forward, one step back.

We made two steps forward on immigration, we took a step back, and now I'm going to work with those who are focused on getting an immigration bill done and start taking some steps forward again. I believe we can get it done.

I'll see you at the bill signing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: "I'll see you at the bill signing." Bill Schneider, senior political analyst, that sounds like a pretty confident president to me, at least. Now, has he still got some funds left in that account that he had that political capital in? Can he get this thing done?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: He had a lot of political capital after 9/11. I'm afraid he spent it all in Iraq. And right now it's just about depleted. And the immigration vote was a real test to that, and he didn't pass it.

The president is not going to have enough clout to get this done by saying I want this bill, I'm in favor of it, as he's done. He was overseas when the bill came up for a vote. He let a couple of cabinet members try to argue the administration's position.

This was not a real test. The president's got to be there, he's got to twist arms, he's got to reach out to members of his own party. Democrats are not going to carry the water for president on the immigration bill.

He's got to get his Republican Party in line, and he can only do that as he's doing this week, by going to Congress, meeting with the members, putting some pressure on them. And then we'll see if he has the clout to make this thing happen.

HOLMES: OK. We've been talking about it. We've heard it said, the "lame duck". When is he truly in that phase of being a lame duck?

Is this it? If he can't get the immigration bill done, that's obvious now he's a lame duck?

SCHNEIDER: Well, that's a pretty clear indication. He still has veto power, of course, and he used that against the Democrats' war funding bill with a timeline. He can do that any time. But the question is, does he have clout to persuade members of Congress to do what he wants them to do?

And on the immigration bill, he didn't. Even members of his own party turned against him. In the Senate, the vote was 38-7 against the president -- to 9 or 7, but it was a pretty heavy vote against the president's position on immigration reform.

Look, his approval rating right now averages just 32 percent in five recent polls. A president who doesn't even have the support of a third of the American people is going to have a hard time even persuading members of his own party that they should stand with him because they make the calculation, I could support the president and take an unpopular position, and if I do, I'm going to have to contend with these very angry voices that say no amnesty.

Those people are going to be there a long time. This president's only going to be there about a year and a half longer.

HOLMES: All right. We shall see what happens.

Senior political analyst Bill Schneider. Always good to see you, sir.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

PHILLIPS: TMI for terrorists? Does the Internet make it easier for would-be attackers to scope out their targets?

We're going to take a closer look.

HOLMES: And don't drop that hammer. Some astronauts are about to do some repair work.

PHILLIPS: Sacred ground for more than a thousand years. Now Manchester Cathedral has become the virtual setting for an ultra violent video game. The Church of England cries sacrilege and takes aim at Sony Entertainment.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

PHILLIPS: Violent video games have spawned plenty of outrage over the years, but this might be a first. The Church of England is accusing Sony of desecration over the role of a centuries-old cathedral and how it plays out in a new Playstation offering.

CNN's Phil Black joins me now from London with the outrage.

Hey, Phil.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

Sony says it did not see this coming. The Anglican Church is disgusted by a Playstation game partly set in a cathedral, and it is demanding Sony respond to its concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLACK (voice over): Manchester Cathedral, more than 500 years old, a site of prayer, worship, and gun battles to save humankind. This is how Manchester Cathedral features in the top-selling Sony Playstation game "Resistance: Fall of Man".

The year is 1951, and invaders from another planet are sweeping across Europe. In one scene, the player must wipe out an alien infestation inside the cathedral.

The Anglican Church is very angry.

REV. ROGERS GOVENDER, DEAN OF MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL: It can only be described as virtual desecration. We are shocked to see a place of worship, prayer, learning and heritage being presented to the youth of today as a location where guns can be found. BLACK: Manchester has a gun problem, with thousands of crimes involving firearms reported in the last two years. Dari McKie (ph) was shot dead in Manchester. His mother says this game cuts too close to life in her city.

PATSY MCKIE, MOTHERS AGAINST VIOLENCE: They're actually on the streets here living out these games. That's what's happening. We are actually living out -- we are part of these games.

It's real for us here, you know. I mean, there's lots of young men who have been shot and killed.

BLACK: The Anglican Church has issued a list of demands to Sony. It wants the game withdrawn from sale. It wants Sony to apologize for not asking the cathedral for its permission. And it wants Sony to make a substantial donation to groups working against Manchester's gun culture.

GOVENDER: The global manufacturer, Sony, to recreate the interior of any religious building such as a mosque, synagogue, or, in this case, a cathedral, with photorealistic quality, and then encourage people to have gun battles in the building, is beyond belief.

BLACK: "Resistance: Fall of Man" is developed for Sony's Playstation by the U.S. company Insomniac Games. So how did they capture the building's interior so accurately? Well, you only have to go to the cathedral's Web site to take a highly detailed virtual tour. It's suspiciously similar.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACK: Sony hasn't replied to that list of demands just yet, but giving into them could prove very expensive -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk more about Sony and its response. What do you think? Will it bow down to the church and the pressure from the church?

BLACK: Difficult to say at this stage. Sony has been taken by surprise by all this. It says it is very sorry, it didn't mean to offend anyone, that certainly wasn't its intention. And it believes that it had all the necessary permission to continue and go ahead with this game.

But the church says it's not really about that. This is a moral issue -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Phil Black, we'll follow it. Thanks.

HOLMES: Atlantis astronauts get ready to pop the hatch and go for a space stroll. And our Miles O'Brien has the latest on that and NASA's focus on the shuttle's thermal blankets. Will that need a repair job as well?

PHILLIPS: Does Google Earth aid terrorism? Some worry technologies making it easy for would-be attackers.

Should that mean roadblocks on the information superhighway? We'll talk about it straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A Trinidad judge denied bail today for three of the suspects accused of plotting a terror attack at JFK airport. The three are accused of plotting to explode fuel tanks and a pipeline at the New York airport and are fighting extradition. A fourth suspect is in custody in the U.S.

HOLMES: The suspects in that alleged terror plot at JFK airport reportedly used online tools like Google Earth. That's prompting criticism from some who think new technology is helping potential terrorists.

Our Internet correspondent, Jacki Schechner, is with us now in D.C. with some details.

Hello to you, Jacki.

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Hi, T.J. How are you?

Let's take a tour of JFK airport just to give you an example on Google Earth what you can see.

If you fly around on Google Earth, you can get close enough to see planes, to see control towers, terminals, all sorts of information through satellite imagery. And you can imagine how valuable this could possibly be to somebody who had some bad intentions.

Now, of course in the indictment against those four terror suspects, it said that at one point they did try to get their hands on some Google Earth imagery to supplement their own surveillance. So this has led people to renew their sense of concern over the availability of this satellite imagery on programs like Google Earth.

Specifically, Assemblyman Mike Genaris (ph) has come out and asking the federal government and Google to do more to limit the satellite imagery. He wants sensitive locations to be blurred out.

Now, I spoke with him a little bit earlier today, and he says to me that he appreciates that Google Earth is a nice tool and a good product, but he doesn't think that it should provide a potential blueprint for terror targets. And as for the fact that this satellite imagery is widely available online, he says the fact that Google Earth basically categorizes it makes it so easily accessible, that people can search this anonymously.

If people had to go out on their own and purchase it, it would then leave some sort of trace for authorities to find. So, he's not happy with the fact this is all being compiled, and he'd like the Google Earth and the federal government to do something about it.

HOLMES: And you said he wants some things blurred out. Would like to go back and have things blurred out.

Is Google taking any steps on their own and have blurred anything out already, or is everything there?

SCHECHNER: Yes. T.J., you know, there are some sites online that are already blurred out.

For example, the vice president's house is blurred out on both Google Earth and Microsoft Live Search, which is Microsoft's version of this sort of program. But then after that, it gets a little bit arbitrary.

For example, there's a power plant in Ohio that's blurred out on Google Earth, but that same power plant is fully visible on Microsoft Live Search.

Turn it the other way around. The White House you can see boxed out on Microsoft's Live Search, but you can see it in full detail there on Google Earth. Now, we've spoke to Microsoft, and for their part, they say they do blur out some sensitive locations on a case-by- case basis.

HOLMES: Does Google understand the concerns? Are they trying to cooperate with folks? Or what is their defense?

SCHECHNER: Well, they do very much understand the concerns here, but they do point out that a lot of this satellite imagery, most of it, is in the public domain. It's provided to them by government agencies, by smaller agencies, and it's really, they say, primarily up to those agencies to decide what is too sensitive to provide to them.

They say that they do work with the federal government and security officials, and if there is something that is deemed too sensitive or dangerous, they have no problem blurring it out. But they point out that this is widely available in the public domain already.

HOLMES: All right. Our Jacki Schechner on top of this story for us.

Jacki, thank you so much.

SCHECHNER: Any time, T.J.

PHILLIPS: He's America's mayor, and he's running as the candidate who's tough on terrorism. But what does Rudy Giuliani's record on terror show?

That's straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, want to pass along from over here word we're just getting from Miami International Airport, where a flight from -- a British Airways flight has just landed, and right now all the passengers are being held on board because one passenger is sick. Apparently, there is one woman -- a picture we're seeing here -- a woman on that plane, a passenger who is apparently coughing up blood, also has diarrhea and is severely ill, violently ill on that plane.

And the CDC is going to show up there and assess that situation before people on that plane are allowed to get off. Right now the Miami-Dade police and fire are holding people on that plane, not allowing anyone to get off until they assess the situation and try to understand what is wrong with this one particular passenger.

Again, this is Flight 207, British Airways Flight 207, coming from London's Heathrow, landing in Miami, with one sick passenger on board. Of course, don't know about the standard procedure in something like this, but certainly aware that the CDC would want to take extra precautions, certainly after we saw not too long ago the whole TB scare with the passenger flying transatlantic -- a couple flights, exposing others possibly to a severe case of TB he has.

So, right now certainly want to make sure they're taking all the precautions necessary. We'll stay on top of that story. Again, one passenger, just one passenger, we know of sick, diarrhea, kind of violently ill, coughing up blood. The CDC does want to take a look and make sure everything's okay before all those passengers are allowed off that plane. We're keeping an eye on it and bringing you updates as we get them.

PHILLIPS: The levees, the crime, the scars and the red tape. Nearly two years after hurricane Katrina, New Orleans is still a wounded city. You won't believe what slipped through the bureaucratic cracks.

Anderson Cooper is there live to get to the bottom of it. He joins us now from the phone from New Orleans, prior to his show this evening. Cooper, tell us what you are talking about?

ANDERSON COOPER, "AC 360" HOST: Well, we come back down to New Orleans, you know, we come -- this is probably our 20th trip down here to do programs. We're looking at a bunch of things tonight, in particular, a warehouse that has about 100 bodies, 50 of which are still unidentified from the storm, the other 50 just simply have not been picked up by family members who have been contacted. So, you know, it's surprising a lot of people that there could still be 50 people still unidentified who were found after the storm. That's one of the stories we'll be doing tonight.

Also taking a look at the levees. You know, there's a lot of concern in the city. There was a lot of talk right after Katrina, from politicians talking about building levees bigger and better and stronger. We're going to take a hard look at how strong the levees are right now and whether they really will be able to withstand a storm and how powerful a storm they might be able to withstand.

And of course, we'll look at the rebuilding of the city, how individuals are doing it and what a difference the church groups down here have been making.

So, sort of an all-around look at -- a status report, if you will, of where New Orleans is right now.

PHILLIPS: And Anderson, what's your sense about the amount of people that have come back to the city since Katrina hit? Because there's been a lot of discrepancy on the numbers, a lot of people saying no, everyone -- the majority of people have come back, they're investing in the city, they're working in the city and then you talk to a lot of locals that say no, actually a tremendous amount of people have decided not to come back because they don't trust the mayor, they don't trust the governor and they don't feel comfortable.

COOPER: Well, certainly the population numbers are far below what they were prior to the storm. Unfortunately, the crime numbers are, you know, right back up there to what they were prior to the storm. So, you know, that is certainly inhibiting some people from coming back. There's a lot of concern in the city over crime and safety. You know, the French quarter, areas like that, where most tourists go, are safe. In fact, the French quarter is cleaner than it's ever been before. The city is really trying to make an effort to spruce it up. But for a lot of people, the long promised road home, you know, it hasn't materialized. The funds have not been delivered, and there's a lot of confusion over where they can rebuild, where they can get the money. It has certainly not gone as well as anyone would have liked it to have.

PHILLIPS: Anderson Cooper, thanks for calling in.

Now, tonight at 10:00 eastern, Anderson gets to the bottom of the bureaucratic mess, live from New Orleans 10:00 eastern time.

HOLMES: Two-hundred twenty miles above earth, astronauts gearing up for a big work day hit a snag. Four spinning gyroscopes that keep the international space station in the right position became overloaded. They're working now, but the glitch could cause a delay in this hour's scheduled space walk to install a 35,000-pound segment on the international space station. Meanwhile, back on the ground, NASA is deciding whether a peeled back piece of thermal blanket on the shuttle needs to be repaired. That would mean another space walk. CNN's Space Correspondent, Miles O'Brien is keeping track of all this stuff. They certainly sound busy.

Is this any cause for concern? Sounds like a lot going on, and I guess a lot can go wrong when you are talking about space travel.

MILES O'BRIEN, SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Let's not forget what we're talking about here. This is a craft traveling around at 1,750 miles an hour, 220 miles above us. And you know, we just take it for granted when we take a picture like this you're about to see, live from the airlock, lower part right of your screen, one of our space walkers, Jim Rothey (ph), you see has his helmet on, in the final stages of the countdown. Excuse me. The checklist that they all go through before they head out for a 6 1/2-hour space walk. There you see one of his crew mates there helping him out in that process. And he and fellow spacewalker Danny Olivas (ph) will go out, and if everything goes well, take essentially the shipping material, the shipping containers, all the restraints and everything, out of this. This is a brand-new truss for the international space station which has some solar wings which will spread out 210 feet maximum wingspan if all goes well. Three-hundred and sixty-six million dollar device. It is all but attached right now to the international space station, and their job, the spacewalker's job, is to go out there, and in addition to taking the restraints off, plugging it all in.

Now, before they do that, though, there is a key test that they have to get through, and that is the retraction of another solar array that would be in the way of these solar arrays once they get deployed. It seems simple, like closing a shade or folding a map, but it didn't go so well last time. In December, the crew was doing almost an identical mission, kind of the mirror image of this mission. Look what happened as they tried to retract the solar arrays to get out of the way. Things got rather bolloxed up. I think that's a technical term, bolloxed. What happened was there were a series of cables in there and the grommet kind of caught them. Each time it tried to fold it got bunched up and out of alignment. Eventually astronauts had to go out there and do some effort on their own to try to safely guide that solo ray back in into its housing. Spacewalker Bob Beamer -- excuse me -- Bob Crewbeam, they call him Beamer, had a special tool wrapped in insulating tape. It is, after all, an electrical array, and one by one he made sure those grommets didn't catch on that wire.

Now, here's an interesting thing here, in the process of doing this, take a look at his gloves there. Look what happened to one of his gloves. Right there is a fairly significant tear. That's not a good thing. You want to watch out for tears on space suits while you're walking in space.

Now, let's talk about that tear. Speaking of tears, tears in the thermal blanket. First of all, thermal blanket material, T.J., is like this, it's made of silica and woven glass. That's a little piece of it. Not from this one, though. I wouldn't have taken it away, don't worry. And it's located here. Wherever there is a thermal blanket among the cooler places on the shuttle as it comes in. The hot places are where there is black, so that's good news. And this tear, if you look at it, is not very big. It's about four inches by about six inches right there on that spot. Here we go. Six inches by four. And there's a little -- beneath it, some carbon. This is a carbon piece, this so-called owns pod that it sits on.

Now, the question is as they come in, will it become any bigger, will the aerodynamic forces which caused the tear in the first place cause it to rip open a little further, and how much damage might the heat, about 600 degrees, cause to the graphite surface of that? Now, they have a lot of history with this. There's been a lot of damage in that part of the orbiters over the course of the program. As a matter of fact, the first shuttle mission, back in '81, they didn't have the blankets, they had tiles. Look what happened when they got to space. There were 16 tiles in that very same spot that were missing. Now, they didn't have any way to fix it back then at all. They came back, had a happy landing. So, the lesson there is that at least in that case, and in some other instances in the program, there's been damage in that location, and it hasn't been anything too critical.

That said, the mission management team, the mission managers are looking at the possibility of having these space walkers -- they're going to be out there doing other work anyway -- going over and perhaps tucking in that blanket before they head back to earth. T.J.?

HOLMES: So, you know what, being an astronaut not what it used to be. A lot more work these days.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Live pictures there, by the way. That's the truss, it's all connected. They're waiting for the astronauts to connect all the cables now.

HOLMES: Alright, Miles O'Brien, what would we do without you? Our space correspondent. Thank you so much, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Alright. Your welcome.

PHILLIPS: Another update for you about that British Airways flight 207 from London's Heathrow International Airport just landing right here at Miami International Airport with a female passenger who was sick, coughing up blood. Miami-Dade police and fire, even the CDC, are now on the scene. We are being told that patient has been quarantined. This just coming in to us now.

Also an airport spokesperson tells us that the passengers have all been allowed to deplane, a total of 337 passengers and crew have now been able to get off this aircraft. They're not allowing -- they hadn't allowed passengers to deplane until the CDC got there to sort of assess the situation. Now they've been able to get off the plane and that patient immediately has been quarantined. Not quite sure what's going on, but obviously with that scare over tuberculosis just a couple of weeks ago, you can just imagine passengers, the airlines' concerns about anybody with that type of sickness coming in from overseas. We'll follow it and let you know as we get more detail.

Meanwhile, straight ahead, Paris Hilton trundled back to jail. She talks about her future in a jailhouse phone call. That story just keeps on giving, doesn't it? We just can't seem to get enough.

HOLMES: You know you want more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Praying for rain. Goodness knows Georgia could use a few inches. State leaders hope today's prayer day will do the trick. Much of the peach state is under severe drought with water restrictions in almost every county, right now. Too much rain for some, too little for others. Will it ever even out? Hey, Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: We want to turn back to that developing story about a British Airways passenger coming in from London's Heathrow to Miami, sick on that flight, coughing up blood. We have the British Airways spokesperson on the line with us, John Lampl. Sir thank you for your time. What can you tell us about this patient and what happened?

JOHN LAMPL, BRITISH AIRWAYS SPOKESMAN: I can't tell you too much about the patient other than she was exhibiting symptoms of being very ill. But after initial examination by CDC physicians at Miami, it was determined that all the passengers could be permitted to get off the airplane. The crew will be allowed, once she has disembarked, once this passenger has been disembarked, and the passenger will be taken by ambulance to a local hospital in Miami. That's really all I know. I don't have any identification other than apparently the worry, I guess the concern or the worry about it being some sort of a contagious situation is off now, that there is no worry, and like I said, passengers were permitted to disembark the aircraft.

HOLMES: Did I hear you right that the passenger was still on the plane is your understanding?

LAMPL: I think doctors are with the passenger and they're going to remove the passenger to a local hospital.

HOLMES: And do you know if this passenger was displaying signs of illness during this entire flight or something that developed during the flight?

LAMPL: I have no information on that at all. The only thing we knew is that we were told that there was a passenger and after the aircraft had arrived we were told that there was an ill passenger on board. Medical assistance was called and the person will be taken to a local hospital but that it does not interfere with the normal operation of the aircraft being turned around or the passenger disembarking.

HOLMES: All right. John Lampl with British Airways. We appreciate you giving us some time here. Word is that, yes, passengers have been allowed to get off that flight.

LAMPL: No emergency.

HOLMES: No emergency. Again, that's the word from John Lampl, The British Airways spokesperson, that everyone has been allowed to get off that plane, some 300-plus passengers. We understand that that passenger, the one that was sick, is going to be quarantined was the word we got. The CDC is on the scene taking care of the situation, but as far as they're concerned, nobody is contagious. So, we will stay all over this story and bring you the updates as we get them.

SIBILA VARGAS, ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. A couple famous Tony's made an appearance last night on television and they both had us on the edge of our seats. The details when CNN NEWSROOM continues.

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HOLMES: Now, once again, keeping you updated on this situation in Miami where there was a sick passenger on board a plane from London to Miami International Airport. She was coughing up blood, appeared to be fairly ill. But the CDC on the scene now saying it was G.I. illness is what it's being described as, gastrointestinal illness, nothing that was contagious, certainly something that can be violent and nasty to deal with, and not pretty on a plane full of people. It's something they wanted to check out, certainly in light of the last few weeks we saw with the case of the TB patient who flew on a couple transatlantic flights, not taking any chances, didn't know what was wrong. But again, she's coughing up blood, appeared to be pretty violently ill. She was checked out and is now headed to a hospital we understand. All passengers were allowed to get off that plane when it was determined this passenger, this female passenger had nothing contagious or a threat to anyone else. But again, that is the word. G.I. illness. Gastrointestinal issues and that patient is being checked out. That is the update we have for you now. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: This ought to be an interesting segue way. Paris Hilton. She's in jail, then she's out of jail, and now she's back in and getting lots of visitors. Entertainment Correspondent Sibila Vargas joins me now with all the drama.

VARGAS: That's right. Let's see. She is still in jail, though right? Things change in a moment's notice.

PHILLIPS: A little special thing here, a little special thing there, you know.

VARGAS: Exactly. Well, she's still in jail. That's what I can tell you right now. Last week she was released on home arrest on Thursday, and then on Friday the judge ordered her back to the pokey. Yesterday, she had a couple of visitors, her sister, Nicky, and her ex-boyfriend Stavaros Narcos (ph) stopped in. And, oddly she also talked to Barbara Walters who shared this on "The View" this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA WALTERS, "THE VIEW": I used to act dumb. It was an act. And that act is no longer cute. It is not who I am, nor do I want to be that person for the young girls who is looked up to me. She said, I'm 26 years old now, and it is a different time. She said, I have become much more spiritual. God has given me this new chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: We'll have more details on the Paris saga tonight on "Showbiz Tonight." Should we feel sorry for her? Paris speaks out for the first time since being locked up. But has she really changed or is that just a big PR stunt? We will find out on "Showbiz Tonight."

PHILLIPS: Alright. I got to -- we'll just move on to something with a little more depth. Tony Soprano and the Tony awards. Broadway honored it's best last night, right?

VARGAS: Right. Well, let's talk about bada-bing because it didn't end with a bada-bang last night. I'm not sure if you got to see it, my heart was racing but basically we have to decide ourselves if Tony lives or dies.

In the final episode, Tony was sitting at a diner, with his family, eying strangers who is seemed poised to kill him. One guy who looked like a hit-man entered the restroom and it looked like as if he might come out to kill Tony. The suspense buildup, again, was enormous, but then screen went to black and about five seconds later, that was that. James Gandolfini and the rest of the cast enjoyed one last scene together when they watched the finale at the special red carpet screening at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The Emmy-award winning show debuted on HBO in 1999.

PHILLIPS: Alright. Now let's talk Tony awards.

VARGAS: Alright. The coast of Utopia. Tom Stoppard's sweeping examination of 19th century Russian intellectuals dominated the ceremony, winning seven prizes. Spring Awakening, a pounding post rock musical of teenage sexual anxiety took home eight awards, including best musical. Former Frasier star, David Hyde Pierce, didn't expect to win for playing a theater loving detective in the musical Curtains. Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID HYDE PIERCE, TONY WINNER: The first words ever spoke on a Broadway stage were, "I'm sorry, we're going to have to ask you to leave."

And I'm sitting here tonight and I'm reminded of Raoul's amazing performance and my dear friend Michael Server's (ph) and Gavin who tap-dances on the ceiling and Jonathan who has so much talent that I have to go take a nap. And I think, oh yes, they're going to call my name and they are going to say David Hyde Pierce, I'm sorry, we're going to have to ask you to leave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VARGAS: But they didn't. Gray Gardens also proved lucky for two women who play the mother and daughter in this musical about eccentric relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, they both took home awards.

But again, tonight, your special subject, I know it's your favorite subject, Kyra, Paris Hilton tonight on "Showbiz Tonight."

PHILLIPS: Oh, I know. I just -- thanks, Sibila.

T.J., help me out.

HOLMES: Kyra, she's changed her ways and found God. What else do you want from the woman? Give Paris a break, please. Alright.

He's America's mayor and he's running as the candidate who is tough on terrorism. But, what does Rudy Giuliani's record on terror actually show? That's ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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HOLMES: A horrific scene in Wisconsin. Six people, including twin infant boys shot to death. A 2-year-old girl shot in the chest badly wounded. It happened yesterday in the town of Delavan. Among the dead also a 19-year-old mother of the three children, her ex- husband, her sister and a family friend. The county prosecutor calls it a domestic dispute. Police aren't looking for a suspect, indicating the shooter is among the dead.

PHILLIPS: Before you get the grill out, check out the label on your ground beef. It might be part of a recall. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that nearly six million pounds of ground beef might be contaminated with e. Coli. It was sold in 11 western states at a dozen grocery chains. The distributor, United Food Group, says the meat in question has sell-by dates between April 6th and April 20th. The meat has been blamed for an e. Coli outbreak that has left at least 14 people sick. The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes sitting in today for Don Lemon.

The joy was overwhelming, intoxicating. It was also brief. The state appeal means no quick release for the young Georgia sex offender who a judge ruled does not belong in prison.

PHILLIPS: We're also watching the comings and goings on space shuttle Atlantis. Space walkers are set to add on the international space station. Miles O'Brien joins us live. And you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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