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Senate Committee Subpoenas Wiretapping Documents; Central Texas Flooding; Lake Tahoe Fire; House Report Criticizes Iraqi Forces

Aired June 27, 2007 - 14:01   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: If Tahoe had the rain and Texas had, well, less rain, both would be happy.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Instead, the Angora wildfire is still menacing lives and property, and so are Texas-sized floods.

I'm Kyra Phillips in the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: First this hour, they sidestepped warrants. Now comes subpoenas.

The White House, Vice President Cheney's office and two other government agencies are being ordered by the Senate Judiciary committee to turn over documents related to warrant-less eavesdropping.

Our Kathleen Koch is standing by at the White House with more.

Kathleen, what do you know?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, what happened, Kyra, basically is these subpoenas went out. Now, the White House cannot confirm yet that they have actually received their subpoena, but they have very little to say about it at this point.

Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino did issue a very short statement saying, "We're aware of the committee's action and will respond appropriately. It's unfortunate that congressional Democrats continue to choose the route of confrontation."

Now, that is a reference to the fact that it was just two weeks ago that the very same committee subpoenaed former White House counsel Harriet Miers and former political director Sarah Taylor. Now, up to this point, the White House does insist that it has turned over all the documents that lawmakers have sought in this six-month investigation into the firings of the eight federal prosecutors, but the White House has balked when it comes to allowing testimony of top White House officials or former officials.

Now, at this point, it's unclear how they're going to respond when it comes to these documents, whether or not they will turn them over. And it's important to point out that despite Perino's reference to Democrats choosing this path of confrontation, that the vote to issue these subpoenas was not a partisan vote. It was bipartisan, a vote of 13-3. Republicans like Senator Arlen Specter signed onto it.

So clearly the Judiciary Committee here is flexing its muscles. And in a statement that came out from Senator Charles Schumer, they say that they're interested in looking now at the warrant-less wiretapping program for this reason. He says, "After learned from Jim Comey" -- and that is -- excuse me -- deputy attorney general in his testimony last month before Congress -- "about the late-night hospital visit to John Ashcroft's bedside, it was even more imperative that we find out the who, what, how and why surrounding the wiretapping of Americans without warrants. We hope the White House doesn't stonewall on this issue that's vitally important to what America is all about."

So, very complicated, but again, Congress -- this Judiciary Committee really flexing its muscles on this one.

PHILLIPS: All right. Kathleen Koch at the White House.

Appreciate it.

KOCH: You bet.

LEMON: And the situation is terrible in Texas and Oklahoma with all the rain and flooding car tops, rooftops, even treetops. People in central Texas are scrambling to safety wherever they can, wherever flash floods can't reach them.

Reporter Amy Hadley from our affiliate News 8 Austin is in Marble Falls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMY HADLEY, REPORTER, NEWS 8 AUSTIN: They've had 32 rescues overnight here in Marble Falls in 14 different locations, and they're thinking we might have to do more. This is a look at Backbone Creek, which empties into Lake Marble Falls. And when we arrived here about three hours ago, take a look at this telephone pole that was downed by the water.

That was completely under water. We could not see that and this road. We just had to trust people that there was a road here because we couldn't see this.

So, the park is starting to come to life as people come down here, take a look at the damage. Everybody's got their camera out.

We have a family here that -- you saw a pretty incredible sight, although your House is OK, right?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. My house weathered the -- weathered the storm but not the neighborhood.

HADLEY: Yes, tell me about what you saw.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: About two blocks from my house, we have a house that's on fire, and apparently it started last night by a lightning strike. And I guess the fire department came out and did what they could, but we ran out of water. So, the house continues to burn.

HADLEY: Is it still burning right now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is still burning. The fire department is just going to let it burn to the ground.

HADLEY: And you live on the top of the hill, so just from the drainage you saw some damage in your driveway?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My driveway and computer room, you know, just, I guess, typical weather. You know, I don't know what else to do.

HADLEY: Do you have water at your house?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Oh, no. Nobody has water. The entire city of Marble Falls has no water.

HADLEY: The water intake system is down. I understand that they have some trucks bringing bottled water in to deliver to the grocery stores to make sure people at least have water to drink.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, they're gone, and they have been gone for quite a while.

HADLEY: So that's going to be a while before those new supplies are replenished, but they are on the way, is what we've heard from the city of Marble Falls.

Now, take a look over here on the other side of the park. You can get an idea of more damage.

Pieces of the road washed out. And we passed a number of places where there was just chasms in the road that were cut out by water. So you can kind of get an idea right over here of how strong that water is to just carve holes in some of the roads here in Marble Falls.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, near Lake Tahoe, the winds are picking up again. And firefighters worry that they'll breathe new life into a blaze that's already destroyed more than 175 homes. Many more homes are now in danger.

CNN's Kara Finnstrom is standing by with the latest. She's in Meyers, California.

Kara, tell us what the latest is with regard to fighting these fires.

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now we are hearing some helicopters circle above, and the firefighters tell us that they believe these are the helicopters that are surveying the damage. We've got California's and Nevada's governor both looking at what's going on here and getting an up-close look today.

What they're looking at here on the ground are some of the neighborhoods that are hit hardest. You can see what's left of one of these houses behind me. But the fear today is that when the winds pick up, this fire can move into all new neighborhoods.

We have some pictures to share with you that we did take late yesterday when the winds did pick up. And south Lake Tahoe, some neighborhoods there were affected. Mandatory evacuations were under way.

What happened was the fire that firefighters had hoped to have contained, actually some embers from that got picked up and blew over the fire line, igniting several hot spots. Now, firefighters believe they now have those hot spots under control, and they're working very feverishly in what they call possibly the calm before this afternoon's storm to try and extinguish any remaining hot spots in any of these neighborhoods that have already been impacted. But they tell us they're going to be on standby, Kyra, that they expect the worst of this to be at 1:00 this afternoon. That's when they will be in high gear.

PHILLIPS: Kara Finnstrom, thanks so much.

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(NEWSBREAK)

PHILLIPS: If the U.S. were to stand down in Iraq right now, could Iraqis step up? Not likely, says a House panel in a just- released report, despite everything the U.S. has done and all the money it's spent. The report says that Iraqi forces are still in bad shape and the Pentagon isn't holding them accountable.

Let's get straight to Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr for more -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kyra.

Well, you know, we all remember that phrase we heard for so long, "As the Iraqis stand up, the U.S. forces will stand down." That's not a phrase you're hearing very much of lately, and that, of course, is not what's happening, because there are more U.S. forces perhaps than ever before in Iraq.

Now, this report from the House Armed Services Committee takes a look at why that's happening, the status of the Iraqi security forces that are supposed to be in charge. And it's a pretty grim picture.

Let's just look at a couple of points this report makes.

It notes, for example, that the United States has spent $19 billion to date on training and equipping Iraqi security forces. How many? Three hundred and fifty thousand so far said to be trained and equipped.

But how good are they? Can they really take charge? Can they really do the job? The report says that's a very mixed picture right now.

Earlier today, there was a press conference on Capitol Hill, where all of this was unveiled, and one of the co-chairman spoke about it in detail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MARTY MEEHAN (D), MASSACHUSETTS: The situation that is very concerning for all of us. You know, we all have different views about what we ought to be doing in Iraq and how we meet the challenge that we face. But I think it lays out very clearly the difficulty with actually getting Iraqi security forces so they're trained and independent. And the police situation is even worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: You know, Kyra, we've heard many top U.S. commanders in recent days underscore some of this, express their concerns that Iraqi security forces simply aren't ready to take over. They may not be fully ready, according to some commanders, for another two years.

And the report also notes that some Iraqi security forces continue to be involved in that sectarian violence. So, it's, to say the least, a mixed picture at the moment -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon.

Thank you.

LEMON: They're illegal and they're dangerous. Did steroids have anything to do with the death of Chris Benoit? It's something investigators are looking into. We'll talk with an investigative reporter about pro wrestlers and anabolic steroids.

PHILLIPS: First, though, a civil union, then a baby, and then they split up. Now a complicated custody and visitation case.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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(NEWSBREAK)

LEMON: Well, we know that breaking up is never easy to do, but when it's a gay couple with children, the rights of the non-biological parent are often ignored. Often, but not always. A court ruling following a bitter custody battle in Vermont could change the legal landscape.

CNN's Alina Cho explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Samuel David Cheney and his smiling grandparents. Missing from the picture, his two moms, Mary Cheney and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, are raising the baby together.

In Virginia, Mary is Samuel's only legal parent because she is his biological mother. Heather has no legal parenting rights. But they may be able to change that thanks to a recent court case affecting gay couples who marry in Massachusetts or get civil unions or domestic partnerships in six other states.

The case involves Janet Jenkins and Lisa Miller, who moved from Virginia to Vermont to enter into a civil union. They had Isabella in 2002.

LISA MILLER, BIOLOGICAL MOTHER: I am Isabella's mom. I did conceive her. I birthed her. I'm raising her.

CHO: But when Janet and Lisa split up, Lisa took the baby back to Virginia, where civil unions aren't recognized.

JANET JENKINS, MOTHER SEEKING VISITATION: This would not be happening if this was a heterosexual marriage with a divorce and custody.

CHO: Janet sued, and after three years of court battles, a judge in Vermont awarded Janet the right to see Isabella, ruling gay couples who join in civil unions in Vermont should get equal custody rights over their children, just like heterosexuals.

JON DAVIDSON, LAMBDA LEGAL DEFENSE FUND: The court was willing to treat children born to a couple in a civil union in the same way as children born to people who are married.

RENA LINDEVALDSEN, LISA MILLER'S ATTORNEY: What you have now is Vermont declaring, we've set policy on what a family is and the rest of the country has to listen to it, no matter what your state laws say.

CHO: Making babies like these part of a new kind of family in a new legal landscape.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well, since last month's court ruling, Janet, the non- biological mother who won visitation rights, has seen baby Isabella twice. Now, the child will continue living with the biological mom, Lisa, in Virginia, but Janet, who lives in Vermont, will get custody every other weekend and alternating holidays.

The court also ruled that Janet and Lisa's civil union will be dissolved. That will take effect officially in 90 days.

PHILLIPS: Well, one door closes, another opens. Tony Blair barely clears the front gate at 10 Downing Street before he's got a new job to do.

We'll have more details straight ahead from CNN NEWSROOM.

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

LEMON: And, I'm Don Lemon. World Wrestling Entertainment strongly denounces suggestions that illegal steroid use could be involved in the Chris Benoit tragedy.

PHILLIPS: But, investigator reporter for "Sports Illustrated," says he's been looking into an alleged steroid distribution ring for more than a year, and Benoit's name came up before this weekends apparent murder suicide. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: But, first, happening right now, the results of more than a foot and a half of rain pounding parts of central Texas since midnight. People are scrambling for high ground anywhere they can find it. The tops of cars, roofs, even trees. They were caught in the storm and some were caught off guard.

The National Guard is out in force helping to rescue people, but the wind and the rain were so bad earlier that some helicopters had to turn back. Joining us now on the phone the Mayor of Marble Falls, Texas, Raymond Whitman. Tell me, what's the latest on your community, sir?

VOICE OF MAYOR RAYMOND WHITMAN, MARBLE FALLS, TEXAS: Well, at the moment, it has stopped raining and the skies are -- it's lightening up a little bit, but they're predicting another six to eight inches tonight. At the current time, everything appears to be under control. The water is running down. We still do not have water in the city. We've lost our water plant, and we're currently working on that.

LEMON: Yes. So, no one -- man, I guess it's just really -- just wreaking havoc on your city there. So you said you're expecting six to eight inches of rain. Already the ground is soaked. That's not going to help matters. That's actually going to make it a lot worse for you.

WHITMAN: Yes, sir. Like I said, depending on how fast it falls, it could be a repeat of what we've already seen. If it rains, you know, a couple of inches an hour, we should be okay.

LEMON: Yes. What are you doing with all the people whose homes were flooded? Have you set up shelters for them? Is there anywhere for them to go?

WHITMAN: Yes. We have shelters at each of the schools, and the Red Cross and the Salvation Army are here. They're providing meals for all of the people who had to evacuate.

LEMON: Mr. Mayor, where were you when the flooding started? And tell us what happened and what you did.

WHITMAN: I got a phone call at around 2:10 this morning that the water was coming up, it was coming up fairly quickly. I went ahead and got dressed and went to City Hall. I arrived there at a little before 3:00. We began -- we had set up our emergency management operation, and by that point, our emergency staff had begun evacuating people, and we had people that already were stranded in vehicles and in trees and on rooftops and we were trying to get them out.

LEMON: Yes, that's what I'm wondering, what you were seeing when it comes -- you know, in terms of that. Also, are you getting any idea of injuries or people who have not been accounted for in your community?

WHITMAN: At this point, we -- there are no known fatalities. We do not even have any injuries at this point. However, we do have a large number of vehicles that we are finding in the creeks, and we are trying to match up owners to those vehicles to make sure that if there are any missing persons we know about it.

LEMON: Is your community prone to flooding? Have you ever had flooding this bad?

WHITMAN: Not that I can remember. Of course, we live on a major river and we have several large creeks, so, you know, flooding is always an issue. I don't ever remember having 19 and a half inches in less than eight hours.

LEMON: It's just amazing. All right.

WHITMAN: It is amazing.

LEMON: We certainly wish you well, and especially with six to eight inches, as you predicted. Ray Whitman, the Mayor of Marble Falls. We certainly thank you for joining us. We're going to check in with Bonnie Schneider, our meteorologist, in just a bit to talk about those rain totals and what those folks can expect. The floods haven't stopped our i-reporters though.

Take a look at the video from Silver Amos in -- that's in Fort Worth, Texas. Streets are turning into rivers making even a daily walk to the mailbox dangerous. Look at all that water. Parts of Oklahoma also swamped. These pictures are courtesy of Katy Hawkins, from Walters. What used to be a creek quickly turned into a raging river overflowing into a roadway there.

PHILLIPS: It could be weeks before investigators learn the toxicology results on pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and young son. The discovery of anabolic steroids and what one officer called a lot of prescription medication in the family's home, just outside Atlanta, has raised speculation that drugs may have played a role in their death. Police say that Benoit strangled his wife sometime Friday and sometime Saturday they say he suffocated his son, then hanged himself on a weight machine in his basement gym. There's been a long -- there have been long whispers that -- steroid use, rather, is a fact of life in pro wrestling.

On today's "AMERICAN MORNING," a former pro wrestler told CNN's John Roberts that steroids can wreak havoc on a user's mind and body.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEL WILKES, FORMER PRO WRESTLER: Your body is getting an extra source of testosterone and that's what makes us men, men. That's what makes us aggressive. That's what makes us big, strong. As an athlete, that's what you want, and in a business like pro wrestling where physique is so important, steroids play an important role in that physique.

So therefore, as a result of extra steroids and extra testosterone that's being pumped into your body, you do experience moments of rage, uncontrollable rage. You know that it's a possibility. You can feel it coming on but there's nothing you can do about it. The next thing you know, a minor argument's gone into a full-fledged rage where you've got your hand around somebody's neck, you're in a fight, you're doing things you wouldn't normally do.

Or it can go the other way, when guys are coming off steroids after they've been on for a long period of time, a lot of guys develop or -- you know, experience tremendous depression.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: The World Wrestling Entertainment disputes the idea that steroids played a role in the Benoit case. On its Web site, the WWE says the Benoit death suggests deliberation, not sudden rage. It also states that Chris Benoit passed a drug test back in April.

Now we'll have more on the issues of steroids in sports and professional wrestling later in the newsroom. Lois Fernando Llosa, Senior Investigative Reporter for "Sports Illustrated" will join us live. He's been investigating a Florida pharmacy, that's at the center of a nationwide probe into the sale of illegal steroids and that can be connected to Chris Benoit.

LEMON: Roadside bomb, the view inside of a humvee. The cameraman lives to tell his story. You'll hear from him straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Man, oh, man. They're shaken but they're alive. Some jarring video out of Iraq. These U.S. soldiers were traveling in southern Baghdad when their humvee was hit by an IED, an improvised explosive device.

One of the soldiers was behind the camera. He spoke to CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING.:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SPEC. RANDALL TOWNSEND, U.S. ARMY: We were traveling into the Arab Jabor (ph) area and, as we got outside of (INAUDIBLE), we came across the IED. When the IED hit, it just took a second of instinct for all of our training to come back to us and the driver started calling out IED, IED.

The passenger on the other side was calling it up to headquarters, just letting them know what happened. And a cloud of smoke came through the humvee, kind of like a heavy pollen and we realized we were all OK and we just sprang into action after that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, Townsend says insurgents have been making their homemade bombs bigger and more powerful.

PHILLIPS: Changing of the guard in Britain, the Tony Blair era is officially over. After a decade in office, the British prime minister officially tendered his resignation to Queen Elizabeth today. Blair was the second-longest serving British prime minister in a century, but he's been under heavy fire in recent years for his support of the Iraq war. Even on his last day in office, he refused to back down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: What is important to, to emphasize is that even as we try to deal with this new situation in Iraq, that is about terrorism visited in very substantial part by outside elements on the country, we should never forget the hundreds of thousands of people who died in Iraq under Saddam, including those who died through the use of chemical weapons, nor indeed the 1,000,000 casualties of the Iran/Iraq war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, as expected, the queen immediately invited Blair's Treasury Chief, Gordon Brown, to be the new prime minister. Mr. Brown promised a new government with new priorities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I will try my utmost. This is my promise to all of the people of Britain. And now, let the work of change begin. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: As for Blair, he won't be fading away. He's been named an envoy for the so-called Middle East Quartet, that's the effort by the U.S., the European Union and the U.N. in Russia to broker Mid-East peace. LEMON: And as prime minister, Tony Blair was a good friend to America. His critics say too good, especially when it came to the Iraq war.

CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour takes a look at the Blair legacy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): His unwavering loyalty to President George W. Bush is what caused his collapse at home.

BLAIR: I decided we should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our oldest ally.

AMANPOUR: After 10 years as the prime minister of Great Britain, in the end, Tony Blair's legacy may come down to this: his decision to stand by the United States and its war in Iraq.

BLAIR: A new dawn has broken, has it not?

AMANPOUR: The Blair era began with such promise, when after 18 years of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, he won back 10 Downing Street from the Conservative Tory Party. At 43, he was the youngest British prime minister in nearly 200 years. And with his landslide victory came new labor, a new optimism, and a new image for cool Britannia.

BLAIR: This is our historic opportunity. If we blow this opportunity, we blow our place in history.

AMANPOUR: Blair quickly forged a fast friendship with then-U.S. President Bill Clinton. They had much in common: moderate in their politics, charismatic speakers, both had made their parties electable and both were committed to changing the world. Together, they worked hard to hammer out a peace agreement for Northern Ireland, the first real chance of peace after 30 years of bloody fighting between Catholics and Protestants. A year later, they both turned to Kosovo, sending U.S. and British jets to lead a successful NATO campaign to bomb Serb forces intent on eliminating the country's majority Muslim population.

Blair's humanitarian interventions made him even more popular at home. In 2000, he sent British troops to Sierra Leone, stabilizing that small nation after one of Africa's most vicious civil wars. And along with Live Aid concerts, alerting the world to Africa's desperate poverty, Tony Blair pushed the subject to the top of the G-8 International Summit agenda.

BLAIR: There's a strong moral reason, because there are thousands of children dying every day from preventable diseases. There are millions of people who have died in circumstances that were preventable in Africa over the past few years through conflict, through famine, through disease. AMANPOUR: But it was something of a surprise when Tony Blair became an even better friend to Bill Clinton's successor, George W. Bush. A friendship that grew even stronger after the horror of September 11th.

(on camera): Yesterday, the president of the United States said we are at war, war has been declared on us. Are you prepared to say that war has been declared and that there is a state of war?

BLAIR: Yes. Whatever the technical or legal issues about the declaration of war, the fact is we are at war with terrorism. And the hard part starts when we actually take the action.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): The hard part actually started later, when President Bush expanded the war on terror from Afghanistan into Iraq, with the hunt for weapons of mass destruction. And still, Prime Minister Blair continued to back Bush.

BLAIR: The evidence that Saddam has developed these types of weapons is there over 12 years.

AMANPOUR: But those weapons were not there. Four years on, the war and the bloodshed continue. And Blair, who did win three elections, had to step down because of a friendship that cost him dearly. It cost him his job, his credibility, the support of the people who swept him into office 10 years ago, a fact that was clearly not lost on the prime minister as he prepared to say good-bye.

BLAIR: I give my thanks to you, the British people, for the times that I've succeeded and my apologies to you for the times I've fallen short.

AMANPOUR (on camera): Tony Blair leaves office to take up a new role as special envoy to the Middle East peace process. But what's certain is that his legacy as a leader will forever be marred by an unpopular war and the sense here that he gave away Britain's support, but got nothing back in return.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, they dug her up 100 years ago, and now thanks to a single tooth, they've finally figured out who the heck she is. CSI Cairo, next in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" HOST: I'm A.J. Hammer in New York.

Paris Hilton will be live on "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight, but we're going to have a preview of exactly what you can expect to hear during that interview. That's coming up next in the NEWSROOM.

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PHILLIPS: Alright. "Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer here to give us all the entertainment news. A.J., why don't we talk about one of the queens of controversy, not the one who just got out of prison, though. Maybe we could move on to something else.

A.J. HAMMER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Really? You don't want to talk about our favorite hotel heiress?

PHILLIPS: I like how you said our favorite hotel heiress.

HAMMER: Yes, yes. Well, I'll get to her in a moment. So, let's talk about the person you must be talking about, Rosie O'Donnell. OK, some pictures on O'Donnell's blog showing her 4-year-old daughter dressed in an army outfit have stirred up a small firestorm.

Take a look at this, that's a bandoleer over her shoulder. She's 4 years old. Some people are pretty angry that O'Donnell, who is an outspoken advocate for gun control would actually let a little girl wear a belt full of toy bullets. Of course, a lot of people look at this picture and see a normal little kid playing soldier.

Well, it just goes to show you that it doesn't take a whole lot for O'Donnell to stir up a little controversy, even among the fans that read her blog, and a lot of fans do. The site has been updated so, Kyra, if you happen to log on now, those pictures have been moved down and you'll be treated to a little letter about tonight's upcoming "Larry King Live" interview with Paris Hilton.

PHILLIPS: Oh, imagine that. Alright, lets go back to Rosie for just a second. What does she think of this interview?

HAMMER: The one with Paris Hilton? Well, I think Rosie O'Donnell would rather go to the movies. You'll have to read her blog to see.

Now, if you're like a lot of people, planning a movie out, it very well may "Live Free or Die Hard" on your agenda because it opens today. Bruce Willis bringing detective John McClain back to the big screen. This is the fourth installment of the Die Hard series. You know, it's been almost 20 years since Willis first took on the role of this wise-cracking cop who always just seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, you know?

The movie does try to stick to its '80s roots by going with big stunts instead of computer graphics. The reviews have been pretty positive, it is after all, the summer of sequels, so expectations for this particular sequel are pretty high.

And Kyra, I should point out that our film reviewer, on "Showbiz Tonight," "People" magazine's, Leah Rosen, says it is a whole lot of fun. So, it's good that we finally have a good action film at the theaters.

PHILLIPS: OK. Speaking of action, go ahead. You got to talk about her. We've been talking about her for weeks.

HAMMER: We've been talking about her for months! For weeks.

PHILLIPS: There you go, throw her in for another day.

HAMMER: Of course the news today is that Paris Hilton is the one doing the talking. Paris Hilton is detailing her prison struggles in the current issue of "People" magazine. This story will be on newsstands Friday. You can read Paris's descriptions of how traumatized she was during her first few nights in prison.

I don't care who you are, it's got to be a pretty scary thing. She talked about how supportive some other inmates were to her during her first sleepless nights there and she called those inmates really sweet.

Of course, tonight, you can turn on CNN and watch Paris speaking exclusively with Larry King for a whole hour. It's her first post- jail TV interview. After last week's controversy about Paris getting paid for interviews, it is important to note she is not receiving any payments from either CNN or "People" magazine. That interview will run the entire hour, from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. eastern.

And then after that interview is over, "Showbiz Tonight" will be the only entertainment show on television that will be live with the first reaction and analysis. A lot of people are wondering will Paris be able to convince everyone, she's actually changed and learned her lesson? Do not miss this live SPECIAL REPORT on TV's most provocative entertainment news show. We will look forward to you joining us at 11:00 p.m. eastern and pacific tonight on Headline Prime.

I should also point out, Kyra, the gentleman who did the interview for "People" magazine, and has a lot of insight on that article not out until Friday, he's going to be joining us as well tonight.

PHILLIPS: OK, and I don't want to put you on the spot, but stay with me for a minute because you might know something about her, A.J. and also you have fantastic fashion.

We're getting word that Liz Claiborne has passed away. You know, the founder of all the -- well, I could say the women's business suits that were really big in the '70s and '80s, still Liz Claiborne is a household name. We're just getting word that she has passed away. You'll probably be talking about her legacy as well.

HAMMER: Yes. Certainly a ubiquitous designer, this is the first I'm hearing of it, Kyra. And certainly somebody who has transcended virtually every facet of fashion, getting into perfumes and other arenas as well. So, that's -- it's heartbreaking news. She was such a pioneer for a lot of reasons in the industry.

PHILLIPS: Alright, this coming across the A.P. wires. A.J. Hammer, thanks so much.

HAMMER: You got it.

PHILLIPS: Alright. Don?

LEMON: Kyra, a fire line doesn't hold. A thousand homes and other buildings now in jeopardy.

It's happening near Lake Tahoe and we're standing by for a live news conference from California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. That's straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A single tooth and a DNA sample, that's all scientists needed to identify the mummy of one of Egypt's new female pharaohs. Queen Hatshepsut ruled Egypt in the 15th century B.C. You might call her, mummy dearest.

She stole the throne from a young stepson, Thutmose III, dressed like a man and wore a false beard. Her mummy was discovered more than a century ago in the Valley of the Kings. All traces of her disappeared after her death, some believe that was her stepson's revenge. There you go. The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts now.

PHILLPS: Hello everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips in the CNN center in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.

California's governor feels the heat and smells the smoke of a wind-fed wildfire in the Tahoe Basin.

PHILLIPS: If only he could borrow some of the water that's swamping parts of Texas. Would you believe 19 inches of rain in 24 hours? Big numbers, scary pictures, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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