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Richard Jewell Dies; No Charges Filed Against Medical Professionals in Post-Katrina Deaths

Aired August 29, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's the top of the hour. And we're updating you now on a story just getting into CNN: Richard Jewell found dead in his north Georgia home, the Olympic security guard once a person of interest in the 1996 Summer Games bombing, but later cleared in that. You will remember Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty to that bombing in 2005 is now serving life in prison for that and other attacks.
But we're just getting word Richard Jewell, the security guard that worked the Centennial Olympic Park Summer Games, found dead in his home, apparently had been suffering from diabetes. Just getting word from the coroner that an autopsy is under way. We will try and find out the cause of death. At this point, no foul play suspected.

Other top stories, pleaded guilty and paid a fine. But the biggest penalties for Idaho Senator Larry Craig may lie ahead. Craig, as you know, was arrested in a police sting in a Minneapolis airport men's room back in June. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct, hoping, he says, the whole thing would just go away. It didn't.

Now top Senate Republicans are calling on the Ethics Committee to investigate. And just a little while ago, a White House spokesperson called on Craig and Senate leaders to address the issue. He said -- -- quote -- "We are disappointed at what is going on."

Craig said yesterday he did nothing wrong and called his guilty plea mistake. He also blasted "The Idaho Statesman" newspaper for digging into his personal life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. LARRY CRAIG (R), IDAHO: I was not involved in any inappropriate conduct at the Minneapolis Airport or anywhere else, I chose to plead guilty to a lesser charge, in hopes of making it go away. I did not seek any counsel, either from an attorney, staff, friends, or family. That was a mistake, and I deeply regret it.

Let me be clear: I am not gay. I never have been gay.

Still, without a shred of truth or evidence to the contrary, "The Statesman" has engaged in this witch-hunt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Craig is in his term as senator and up for reelection next year. He hasn't said whether he's going to run or not.

Larry Craig has apologized to the people of Idaho, but it's not clear that they're in a forgiving mood.

For much of the day, listeners to radio station KBOI in Boise have been weighing in on Craig's arrest and sentencing. Here's some of they had to say.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know the Republican Party is not real happy with this. They don't want this cloud over -- with the upcoming elections. They don't want this cloud over it, kind of like the Foley case. The '06 elections wasn't about Iraq. It was about scandal. And they see the same thing repeating here. So, I think in the end, the Republicans are going to put a lot of pressure on him to resign even though I don't think he should. I think he should stick it out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Craig has been wandering closer and closer to the middle for me for about the last six years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is the thing that kind of tipped me over. I would love to see him go. I would like to see him go right now as opposed to when the election comes back up, because I don't want it to be -- I don't want to have to vote for a Democrat.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Craig plans to wait until next month to announce whether he will run for reelection or not.

And, if you would like to read the full arrest report, you can just go to CNN.com. It has all the details there, as that report was filed. See it now at CNN.com.

Well, bells rang all along the Gulf Coast today remembering the 1,836 people who died after Hurricane Katrina roared ashore two years ago today. There were moments of silence, tributes, even protests from people frustrated with the lack of progress in some areas. President Bush visited the region for the 15th time since the storm. He acknowledges the problems and promises better days ahead.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are still obstacles. And there's still work to be done. But there's been a lot of progress made. And that is what people have got to understand. And I have come to this site, what we call ground zero -- this is where the worst of the storm hit -- to be able to show the American people that through their generosity, this infrastructure has been rebuilt.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Well, the floods are long gone in New Orleans, but not all of the devastation, nor the frustration, especially with city leaders, who are accused of not doing enough to rebuild.

Our special correspondent Soledad O'Brien joins us now from the Crescent City, where it's a big soggy today. How ironic.

But nothing like two years ago, right, Soledad?

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Exactly. You know, though, the weather is clearing up, and that's going to be important for this big rally that they have planned. It's called a Day of Presence and Remembrance. And the organizers are hopeful that they will get their message across.

The message is this. They're calling for a national outcry. They want a day of outrage, a day of protest, prayer, and possibility, they say. They're also calling to redirect tax dollars from war and create a Marshall Plan that would help restore New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

So, this big rally, you can see the folks starting to come out. In a half-an-hour, it's supposed to get under way. There was a downpour here, but it really stopped, at least the heavy rains, people started coming out. And you can see the bandstand behind us. For a while, when there was lightning, everybody was off of that, clearly. But now they're back and so I think that they probably will make their opening time and they might have a decent crowd show up, some big names expected, Angie Stone and Lynn Whitfield and Michael Eric Dyson.

We have also seen the disgraced Congressman William Jefferson here just a moment ago with his wife. As you well known, Kyra, he's under indictment, easily won reelection, though, but he has been at some of the events as well today.

Now, earlier, there was this groundbreaking for the Katrina memorial. And, you know, you played a little bit of that bell- ringing. It was so remarkable to be there, because it just sounded like almost this low-level chirping of crickets in a field. It just was so quiet and peaceful to commemorate, of course, when the levees were breached, which led to the destruction of the city. It went on for two minutes. And before and after there were speeches and music.

One of the -- really, I thought one of the best speakers of the day was Lieutenant General Russel Honore, who is such a tremendous speaker. And what he said I think a lot of people agreed with. Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIEUTENANT GENERAL RUSSEL HONORE, COMMANDER, FIRST U.S. ARMY: You had a choice and you have come back home. This notion of rebuild and recovery is one that will require a lot of teamwork. And as we look to the future, let us remember the lessons of Katrina and say to ourselves, never again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: There are lots of people who would say, listen, what this city needs is some kind of commitment, real commitment, real money for the levee system, also some kind of plan for fighting crime, a way to bring back the middle class, so, frankly, Kyra, that they can provide the tax base and help rebuild this city. There are not enough houses and homes for people right now. And rents are incredibly high.

So if you have a small business, it's really hard to get a skilled worker in your business, because they have no place to live. It's this very sort of strange and unfortunate catch-22. And the progress has been frustratingly slow for people and they're very unhappy about it. But they're here, again, for this Day of Remembrance. And since the skies have cleared a little, we will see how that goes off today.

PHILLIPS: And we're remembering all of that as well, the good and the bad, and continuing just to lift up those that have come back to that city.

Soledad O'Brien, thanks so much.

And, if you're looking for a way to make a difference for those victims of Katrina still suffering, the same individuals that Soledad has been talking about, impact your world by logging on to CNN.com/impact. Learn how you can become a part of the solution.

I want to take you back now to New Jersey, where we're continuing to follow that rescue effort for a construction worker who is trapped in this ditch. These are pictures that were brought in to us by our affiliate WABC, Woodbridge, New Jersey.

I'm told now these are live pictures that we have now from News 12 New Jersey. Rescue efforts under way. Apparently this worker that got trapped is breathing, is conscious. A number of rescue workers down in that ditch trying to figure out how to bring him up. Apparently, he's trapped about five or six feet down. They have got a ladder down in there. They have been shoveling and trying to work their way around him.

We will continue to update you and let you know the condition of that worker as soon as they bring him out.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

PHILLIPS: And if you're just tuning in, we got word just a short time ago Richard Jewel was found dead in his north Georgia home.

You will remember the Centennial Olympic Park security guard, once a person of interest in the 1996 Summer Games bombing. He was later cleared. You will remember that Eric Robert Rudolph pleaded guilty to that bombing and is now serving life in prison for it and other attacks. We're now told Richard Jewell found dead in his home. His wife found him this morning. Apparently he had been having a lot of medical problems, including diabetes. He had lost a couple of toes. They had been amputated in the past few months. We are going to continue to follow the cause of death. According to the coroner, who is going to be doing the autopsy, he had had medical problems, but he is not -- he is coming forward saying no suspicion of foul play at this point. Richard Jewell found dead in his home this morning.

Two years ago, Emmett Everett was a patient at New Orleans Memorial Mission Hospital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARRIE EVERETT, VICTIM'S WIFE: He said, everything is fine. I love you. Talk to you later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: But Carrie Everett never spoke with her husband again. He was one of the nine patients who died after Hurricane Katrina hit. CNN's Drew Griffin has more on a case that some still call homicide -- his investigation right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Three fourteen Eastern time. Here's some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Rescue workers trying to free a construction worker in Woodbridge, New Jersey, right now. Police say the man was digging a trench when it collapsed on him. Apparently he's breathing and conscious.

Pittsburgh area police are hunting for an 18-year-old. He's accused of stabbing his 11-year-old twin half-brothers. One of the twins is dead, the other seriously hurt. There's no word on motive, but police say the suspect may have emotional problems.

And wildfires are spreading in central Idaho; 1,400 homes are being evacuated near the resort town of Ketchum.

Two years ago this week, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans with devastating fury. For nine patients inside one of the city's most respected hospitals, this would be their last week alive. It was one of the stories of Katrina that was hard to believe, allegations that medical professionals killed patients instead of getting them to safety. Those accused denied it, including Dr. Anna Pou.

Now CNN has learned the search for the truth may have ended inside a New Orleans grand jury room.

Here's investigative correspondent Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Just before Katrina struck New Orleans, Carrie Everett got a call from her wheelchair-bound husband Emmett. The 61-year-old, 380-pound man was recovering from an infection but upbeat because he had just been moved to the biggest hospital in the city, Memorial Medical Center.

(on camera): How did he sound?

CARRIE EVERETT, VICTIM'S WIFE: To me, his old self. He wasn't complaining of hurting or nothing.

He said, I'm in Memorial, I'm on the seventh floor. He gave me the room number, the telephone number.

He said, Everything is fine. I love you. Talk to you later.

GRIFFIN (voice over): But within hours after family members were forced to leave Memorial Hospital in a chaotic final evacuation, Emmett Everett and eight other patients would all be dead. And expert reports obtained by CNN through a public records request say all of them were deliberately killed.

DR. ART CAPLAN, MEDICAL EXPERT: The evidence in this case for going forward to a trial is absolutely overwhelming.

GRIFFIN: Dr. Art Caplan, one of this country's leading experts on medical ethics, was one of five medical experts hired by the state to review toxicology and autopsy reports. Like the other experts, he believes all nine patients are homicide victims.

(on camera): How were they killed and why did all of them die together? For two years, CNN has been trying to get the answer to that lingering mystery. Now records have been released showing five renowned experts say there is no mystery. Their answer is right here in these scientific reports -- all the patients were homicide victims.

(voice over): And like the other experts, Caplan does not believe a grand jury ever saw his reports, and certainly never got to hear him or his colleagues talk about their conclusions.

CAPLAN: I was never called to the grand jury. As far as I know, the grand jury never saw my report.

GRIFFIN: And that's apparently fine with New Orleans district attorney Eddie Jordan, who says simply the case is closed and no one will be charged in these homicides.

CNN wanted to ask District Attorney Jordan why, but he refused our request to be interviewed. Instead, he sent this statement. It's inappropriate to disclose what the grand jury did or did not consider, he says. The Orleans Parish grand jury concluded that there was insufficient evidence to indict Dr. Pou on any violations of criminal law.

CNN first broke this story of suspicious deaths at Memorial two years ago, when this doctor said doctors and nurses openly discussed euthanizing patients because they would be difficult to evacuate. A year later, Attorney General Charles Foti announced he was charging Dr. Anna Pou and two nurses, Lori Budo and Cheri Landry, with second- degree murder in the deaths of four patients.

Foti said all four died from drug overdoses of the painkiller morphine and the sedative Versed.

CHARLES FOTI, LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Either one of them can kill you, but when you use both of them together it becomes a lethal cocktail and guarantees they're going to die.

GRIFFIN: But by Louisiana law, the case had to be turned over to New Orleans district attorney Eddie Jordan, along with all the evidence that the five experts had that Attorney General Foti thought was irrefutable. A grand jury was convened and then -- and then nothing. The charges against the nurses were dropped after they were granted immunity in exchange for their testimony. The grand jury then last month decided not to indict Dr. Pou or anyone else.

The case, according to District Attorney Eddie Jordan, is closed. But should it be? When we come back, find out what five leading forensic experts say about the evidence they reviewed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: CNN's special coverage of the Katrina anniversary is also online. Check out CNN.com for I-Reports of rebuilding, 360 panoramic views of New Orleans, and much more. Just go to CNN.com/Katrina -- more on Drew's investigation from the NEWSROOM in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Back now to our investigative report from New Orleans.

To recap, nine patients inside one of the city's most respected hospitals died after Hurricane Katrina hammered the city. Soon after came allegations that medical professionals killed patients, instead of getting them out.

Once again, here's investigative correspondent Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN (voice-over): New Orleans district attorney Eddie Jordan said a grand jury decided not to indict anyone in the deaths of the Memorial Hospital patients, but others think he is closing the books before justice has been served. Look at the near identical findings of five medical experts hired in the case.

Dr. Michael Baden, forensic pathologist, concludes, the immediate cause of eight of the deaths was acute morphine and Versed poisoning and of one death was acute morphine poisoning; and that the manner of death for each is homicide.

Dr. James Young, former chief coroner of Canada's Province of Ontario, The manner of death in all nine of these cases is homicide.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht, The cause of death, acute combined drug toxicity. The manner of death would be classified as homicide.

And Dr. Frank Brescia, a specialist in end of life care, concluded, The manner of death obligates the legal process to consider them as homicides

Remember, not one of the experts appeared before the grand jury investigating this case.

DR. Brescia says Emmett Everett's case is the most troubling.

DR. FRANK BRESCIA, ONCOLOGIST: But he was -- seemed to be fine. In fact, he -- in the notes, he's stable, he's eating, he's comfortable, he's not febrile. And he's dead.

GRIFFIN: The Louisiana attorney general who made the initial arrests worries the homicides will remain unsolved.

Kris Wartelle is his spokeswoman.

KRIS WARTELLE, LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE: Nine people died, according to one of the experts, in a three-hour period. One of the experts called that beyond coincidence. People -- the loved ones here want to know what happened to their family members.

GRIFFIN: Attorneys for the two nurses say the grand jury's actions speaks for itself and the medical experts opinions are irrelevant.

In a lengthy written statement to CNN, Dr. Pou's lawyer denied that the combination of morphine and Versed is a lethal cocktail. In addition, Rick Simmons said Pou's own experts said it was well known among scientists that blood levels of morphine are greatly increased in patients who have been dead for many days.

However, in an interview with "Newsweek," Dr. Pou said she did give the patients drugs, and, "If in doing so it hastened their deaths," she told Newsweek, "then that's what happened. But this was not, 'I'm going to go to the seventh floor and murder some people. ' We're here to help patients."

Pou's attorney is now in court, along with the hospital's former owner, Tenet Healthcare, and a number of other attorneys, trying to have all the records sealed so they never become public. If that happens, the victims' families may never know the truth.

CNN is in court now fighting to get all the records released.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right, you're -- so CNN fighting to get all these records released.

GRIFFIN: Today.

PHILLIPS: OK, still, today.

GRIFFIN: Right.

PHILLIPS: So, if indeed that happens, what kind of details could you find out?

GRIFFIN: There are -- just from the hospital's owner alone, Tenet Hospital, there are some 30,000 pages of documents that have been sent in for this -- this attorney general investigation. We don't know quite what's in there. But we have all the medical records, all the toxicology reports, all the witness statements that could shed light on exactly what happened in that hospital on that last day when they all evacuated. That's what we're talking about.

PHILLIPS: So, is Dr. Anna Pou and these other two nurses, is this completely over? Are they absolutely cleared?

GRIFFIN: According to Eddie Jordan, the district attorney of New Orleans, it is. And while he's district attorney, that appears to be the case.

Another district attorney could come in and reopen this case, surely. The U.S. attorney could step in and file some charges, though he has told us he has no plans to do that. So, the case is not exactly over. It could be reopened. But for New Orleans' justice system today, I think this case is completely over.

PHILLIPS: Well, it will be interesting to see if CNN gets those documents. It will be even more interesting to see you going through 30,000 pages of documents to do the follow-up.

Drew Griffin, thanks a lot.

GRIFFIN: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're just getting word in. Apparently, our John King sat down for on interview with Senator John McCain, and John McCain now calling for the resignation of Senator Larry Craig amid this sex scandal.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe that he -- that he pled guilty, and he had the opportunity to plead innocent. So, I think he should resign.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And suppose he comes back to Washington and says, I want to serve?

McCain Well, that's -- that will be a decision that he will make, and, most importantly, the people of the state of Idaho.

But my opinion is that, when you plead guilty to a crime, then you shouldn't serve. And that's not a moral stand. That's not a holier-than-thou. It's just a factual situation. I don't try to judge people. But, in this case, it's clear that it was disgraceful. (END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Senator John McCain, you heard it right there, calling for the resignation of Senator Larry Craig amid the sex scandal that just broke within the past 48 hours.

Our John King sat down for an exclusive interview with John McCain. You will see more and the entire interview in its -- or the interview in its entirety, rather, coming up in THE SITUATION ROOM, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Well, straight ahead, a racist rant pops up on YouTube. Big deal, you say? What if one of the ranters is a cop? Coming up, a troubling collision between freedom of speech and a career in public service.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Our own John King was able to land an exclusive interview with Senator John McCain. Apparently the senator calling for the resignation of Senator Larry Craig, asking him to step down since this -- sex scandal broke within the past 48 hours.

Here's just a piece of that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I believe that he that he -- that he pled guilty and he had the opportunity to plead innocent. So I think he should resign.

JOHN KING, CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And suppose he comes back to Washington and says I want to serve?

MCCAIN: Well, that's -- that will be a decision that he will make and, most importantly, the people of the State of Idaho.

But my opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime, then you shouldn't serve. And that's not a moral stand. That's not a holier than thou. It's just a factual situation. I don't try to judge people. But in this case, it's clear that it was disgraceful.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

PHILLIPS: That exclusive interview in its entirety on "THE SITUATION ROOM" at 4:00 p.m. with Wolf Blitzer, as our John King sits down for that one-on-one interview with the senator.

Well, the White House says it's disappointed over that scandal surrounding Larry Craig. And as you know, Craig already has pleaded guilty and been sentenced on charges related his arrest in a police sex stings targeting airport men's rooms. The rumors surrounding Craig's personal life are not new.

In fact, "The Idaho Statesman" was investigating allegations about Craig at the time of his arrest. The senator has accused the paper of conducting a witch-hunt.

Reporter Dan Popkey tells me his paper had been gathering evidence for months.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN POPKEY, REPORTER, "IDAHO STATESMAN": We have no hard evidence, no photographs, no audio recordings, no, you know, e-mails.

What we have are the accounts of three men who we -- have been described there -- their stories in Monday's paper, or rather Tuesday's paper.

And the first of those says that he had sex in the Union Station restroom in Washington, D.C. with the senator, probably in 2004. He's a very credible guy.

PHILLIPS: Tell me why you believe him.

POPKEY: We played an audio...

PHILLIPS: Tell me why you believe that source...

POPKEY: Well...

PHILLIPS: ...because he didn't want you to use his name and didn't want to give up any personal...

POPKEY: That's right.

PHILLIPS: OK.

So why do you believe him?

POPKEY: Well, I mean believe may be a little bit too strong a word. I mean I find him to be credible. And I just want to go back to May 14th and this -- and the interview with the senator.

We weren't willing, at that point, to use this anonymous source, who didn't, you know, we -- obviously his anonymity erodes his credibility as a source. We weren't ready to pit this anonymous source against the senator's denial. I mean it just -- it didn't work as a story for us.

But, again, when the senator pleads guilty, that changes it. And I'll go back to why we thought -- why I found the anonymous source to be credible.

He may have been mistaken. I do not want to rule that out. I don't think we can rule that out. I think he clearly believes he had sex with the senator. I talked to him. I met with him face-to-face in his home. I checked out his background. He is well traveled in Republican circles. He says he recognized the senator and I believe that he was a person, because of his associations, who would have recognized the senator. He says he went home and verified with a photograph on the Web site that it was the senator that he'd had sex with.

But we don't have any pictures. It's his word against the senator's.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

PHILLIPS: Craig paid a $575 fine and was given a suspended 10-day jail sentence and a year of unsupervised probation.

Memorials and mourning, progress and frustration -- it's two years to the day since Hurricane Katrina crashed into the Gulf Coast in what FEMA calls the most catastrophic national disaster in U.S. history.

The scene was beyond belief -- 80 percent of New Orleans flooded, homes demolished, thousands of people stranded without food or drinkable water.

By the time the waters receded all along the Gulf Coast, more than 1,800 people were dead.

Two years ago today, the eyes of the world were on New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina was smashing and flooding that city.

Today, CNN's Susan Roesgen is in Jackson Square, in the French quarter.

And I know it means a lot for you to be there, Susan, because this is the place where you've lived and worked for years.

SUSAN ROESGEN, GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Many years, Kyra.

And it's nice to be back here in Jackson Square, a part of the city -- a very small part of the city that was relatively unscathed by what happened here two years ago.

I'm here because here in Jackson Square tonight there's going to be a silent candlelight vigil. And that will be the last public memorial to mark the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the second anniversary of this city's survival.

This morning, the city rang bells at exactly 9:38 a.m. . That is the same time the levees breached, flooding this city two years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: You can beat us up for this and that. You can talk about we should be much further than we are. But the bottom line is this city was totally devastated and many people lost their lives. And the measure of a city or any city is about its people. And our people are coming back, ladies and gentlemen. We're 300,000 strong and growing every day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: President Bush was here today, Kyra, visiting a school. And his message was the federal government has not forgotten New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF "THE UNITED STATES: A lot of people down here probably wondered whether or not those of us in the federal government not from Louisiana would pay attention to Louisiana or Mississippi. In other words, it's one thing to come and give a speech in Jackson Square. It's another thing to be paying attention to whether or not progress is being made.

And I hope people understand we do. We're still paying attention. We understand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: And, Kyra, one more thing about the federal responsibility for what happened after Hurricane Katrina. Today is not only the Katrina anniversary. It's also the last day for homeowners to file suit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for those levee breaches.

I called the Corps yesterday. As of yesterday afternoon, Kyra, 326,000 homeowners have filed suit against the federal government, demanding that the federal government do something. It's the federal government's responsibility, they say, to make sure that those levees were safe, and they were not safe two years ago -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Susan Roesgen live from New Orleans.

Great to see you.

Well, when chaos reigned in New Orleans, he showed up. When the hurricane left the city lawless and leaderless, there he was -- tall, loud, no nonsense.

Lieutenant General Russel Honore took charge of that city in crisis and he got people out. He also got food in. And he did it his way.

Well, that was then and this is now.

I spoke to General Honore just a short time ago about what he remembers most from that time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, U.S. ARMY: I could almost stand on the edge of the Superdome and hear the people in there -- their cries for us to get them out of there as soon as they could. And those thoughts still come back. And hopefully this will never happen again.

PHILLIPS: Do you -- did you ever think that you were going to be in for that big of a mission?

I mean you train men and women to go to war and here you were in an area that looked a lot worse than a lot of battlefields. HONORE: Well, we don't get to pick our missions, as you know. And when we -- we joined a great team here on the ground in New Orleans, of the first responders and the National Guard.

And working with the other federal departments, FEMA and the other team, everybody wanted to get the job done. So it was a cooperative effort, with everyone pulling resources together to get the people out of the city.

But I think your observations are good, when you asked are you prepared, ever prepared?

You'll know when you get to it, but I hope we came here with the -- to project the confidence and the capability to help get the job done. And that's what we tried to do.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

PHILLIPS: And he did it.

General Honore also toured still uninhabited parts of New Orleans yesterday with President Bush and, of course, gave the president his opinion.

CNN's special coverage of the Katrina anniversary continues all day.

At 7:00 Eastern, a preview of "Children of the Storm" with director Spike Lee.

Then at 8:00 p.m. life after Katrina through the eyes of the children of the storm. And at 10:00 Eastern, "A.C. 360" live in New Orleans with a look at recovery efforts two years later.

Also straight ahead, a slow response to devastating wildfires -- anger swells in Greece. We'll tell you about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, this just in.

More political leaders asking for the resignation of Senator Larry Craig.

Just moments ago, we told you about an exclusive interview that our John King has with Senator John McCain. You're going to see that coming up in "THE SIT ROOM" at 4:00 p.m. He is asking for the resignation of Senator Craig.

Now we're getting word that Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman is asking for the resignation of Senator Larry Craig.

As you know, the arrest in that men's bathroom happened in Minnesota, in the Minneapolis airport.

Now coming forward, Senator Norman Coleman joining the ranks of Senator John McCain in asking for the resignation of Senator Larry Craig.

Moving on now to lower temperatures and calmer winds, still, too little too late for thousands of people left homeless by wildfires in Southern Greece. Firefighters finally have the upper hand. But many folks fear that the flames will rekindle.

Here's our own Frederick Pleitgen.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

FREDERICK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Vassili Mitros' services are in big demand these days. He digs graves. Here, at this cemetery in Artemida, the village with the single highest death toll from the wildfires still raging in Greece. Twenty-eight people from here have lost their lives.

"How can one feel? Anyone who has a soul has to be moved by this tragedy," he says.

And this grave moves even a man who has been digging graves for years. Four children will be laid to rest here. They died in their mother's arms, trapped by a fire front. She was trying to drive to safety when the flames cut off the road. The family ran, but it was too late.

Charred pieces of clothing tell the gruesome story of what happened next. With nowhere to go, the mother sat down, locked her children in her arms and waited.

Several other people also died here, including three firefighters.

"The people thought they would be safe by the fire truck," the mayor tells me. "But the flames just overwhelmed them and they tried to escape up this hill."

(on camera): But there was no escaping the flames. And just to give you an idea of how terrible the situation was, take a look inside this car. The flames were hot enough to melt the steel and even the glass from the windshield.

(voice-over): Artemida has become a symbol of a disaster that has gripped this nation and horrified the world.

Assimo Bouropoulou has lived here all her life. Her house still stands, but several storage shacks fell prey to the flames. Still, she says, she considers herself lucky.

"If only the people hadn't died," she says. "The houses don't matter. We will live and rebuild them."

A terrible irony. Authorities say had the woman and her four children stayed in her house, they would have lived. It remained virtually untouched by the flames. Her husband will lay her and his children to rest here, on the Artemida Cemetery, where Vassili Mitros digs yet another grave. Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Artemida, Greece.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

PHILLIPS: A racist rant pops up on YouTube.

Big deal, you say?

Well, if one of the ranters is a cop.

Coming up, a troubling collision between freedom and speech and a career in public service.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We want to take you live to New Jersey right now. A pretty dramatic rescue underway. We've been following this for the past hour-and-a-half.

Live pictures coming to us from our affiliate WABC out of New York.

This is actually Woodbridge, New Jersey.

Apparently, a construction worker fell into this trench while working at this construction site and got trapped about five to six feet down. Rescue workers and fellow co-workers there on the site have been digging ever since, for a couple of hours now, trying to figure out how to get him out safely and effectively. Apparently, he's breathing, he is conscious.

We're following this right now. He's about to be lifted out on this stretcher.

We'll bring that to you live as soon as it happens.

And here's just the latest example of how posting stuff on the Internet can get you in a bit of trouble.

A police officer in Columbus, Ohio has been reassigned because of an anti-Jewish video on YouTube.

Maureen Kocot of CNN affiliate WBNS has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SUSAN PURTEE: We're going to investigate that -- to see if the Jews are the problem in the United States.

MAUREEN KOCOT, WBNS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lawyers for the Columbus police are now reviewing a series of homemade Internet videos by the pair calling themselves The Patriot Dames.

In the videos, the women essentially blame the Jewish community for the social problems in America. PURTEE: They helped the blacks for a long time. They helped the blacks get really messed up, destroyed their neighborhoods, destroyed their culture, gave them a new rap industry culture, gave them a new Ebonics culture.

KOCOT: The sisters sum up their views in four words.

Rabbi Howard Apothaker says he's especially disturbed by the videos because the woman on the left is a Columbus Police Officer Susan Purtee.

Rabbi Apothaker says he's all for freedom of speech...

RABBI HOWARD APOTHAKER, TEMPLE BETH SHALOM: Having said that, I think that also she needs to show now, actively as opposed to passively that she doesn't hold those same views as -- within the performance of her duties as a Columbus police officer.

PURTEE: When Hitler tried to get rid of them, though, the country wanted them.

KOCOT: We tried to talk to Officer Purtee about the controversial videos, but the 15-year veteran drove right by. Purtee's sister, the woman on the right, told 10 TV via telephone the videos have nothing to do with the job.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That neither of us identify ourselves as police officers or anything else, for that matter. That's because our occupations have no bearing on our views.

KOCOT: And the president of the police union says Officer Purtee's badge shouldn't interfere with her freedom of expression.

JIM GILBERT, FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE: She's not represented herself in the video that I saw as a police officer, as an FOP member. It's just her personal opinion. You may not agree with it, I may not agree it, but the fact is, is that, you know, people do have a right to say what they want.

KOCOT: But criminal defense lawyers argue now that Purtee has expressed her views so publicly, the videos are legal ammunition to persecute her credibility on the witness stand.

SAM SHAMANSKY, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: So every time you can establish that a police officer has a built in bias or prejudice, then you have a leg up that you would normally never dream of having in a million years.

KOCOT: The Columbus Division of Police admits the Internet videos could damage Officer Purtee's credibility. The Division's legal bureau is reviewing the videos to decide whether Purtee violated any department rules or policies.

Maureen Kocot, 10 TV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: And Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman is also calling that video offensive.

More news breaking now on the fate of Senator Larry Craig. We are getting word now from our correspondents there on the Hill, apparently the senator stepping down temporarily from various committees that he is a part of. Not stepping down from the Senate at this point. But we're getting word that he will be temporarily stepping down from his committee posts. That includes the Veterans Affairs, Environmental and Public Works, the Appropriations Committee, also, Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Wolf Blitzer is standing by for more at 4:00 p.m. In "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Wolf, a lot breaking and developing right now. This news about the committees in addition to John King's exclusive interview with Senator John McCain asking for the senator to step down.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": And Norm Coleman, as you reported, another Republican from Minnesota, where this incident occurred, also urging the Republican senator from Idaho to resign right away. We're going to show you more of John's interview with John McCain. McCain, as you know, taking a very tough stance on Larry Craig's scandal, getting a -- sending a tough message to his fellow senator.

The scandal also becoming the target of jokes among late night comics. But for Republicans, it's no laughing matter. Carol Costello taking a closer look at some of the rough moments this summer for some Republicans.

And we're also talking to Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Chris Dodd. He just picked up a key endorsement today. We're going to ask him about Larry Craig, the situation in Iraq and what he needs to do to become a frontrunner among the Democratic presidential candidates.

And Soledad O'Brien had a chance to sit down with the filmmaker Spike Lee in New Orleans. He's made a documentary on the Katrina disaster two years after that hurricane. We'll talk about that, some of his shocking discoveries.

All of that, Kyra, coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

PHILLIPS: All right, Wolf.

Thanks so much.

We'll be watching at 4:00 p.m.

Meanwhile, we've got Capitol Hill correspondent Dana Bash on the phone from Boise, Idaho.

She's the one bringing us the news about Senator Larry Craig temporarily stepping down from these committee posts -- Dana, what more can you tell us? DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, CNN has learned that the entire Senate Republican leadership, according to a statement they just put out, requested from Larry Craig that he step down from his committee assignments.

This is really a huge development, Kyra, because this is the senator's fellow Republicans in Washington trying to make it very clear to him that if he is going to stay in the Senate, he's essentially not going to have any power. Because, aside from the votes that senators cast on the Senate floor, sitting on committees and what they do in their business in committees is really critical.

One of the committees that he sits on, for example, is the Appropriations Subcommittee. Appropriations the committee that's -- that's something that helps bring home the bacon to the -- to the senator's state in Idaho.

(INAUDIBLE) subcommittee (INAUDIBLE) on Veterans Affairs. That is something that is important to him.

Energy and Natural Resources is a huge issue. And Public Lands -- that's another committee he sat on. A huge issue for the State of Idaho.

So this is a big development when it comes to the political -- the potential political future of Senator Larry Craig.

PHILLIPS: And, of course, we're wondering if this is just the precursor to stepping down from the Senate.

But as our Dana Bash, our Capitol correspondent reporting for us right there. Apparently the senator from Idaho temporarily stepping down from his four committee posts.

We're going to have more with this developing news. Also, the closing bell and a wrap of the action on Wall Street straight ahead.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: While she walked the earth, she earned the nickname, queen of mean. But even from beyond the grave, Leona Helmsley has managed to deliver one last gotcha.

Today's "New York Post" says it all -- Helmsley's will sets up a $12 million trust fund for her pampered pooch. That's right.

Meantime, two of Helmsley's grandkids get just $5 million each, and only if they visit their father's grave at least once a year. But here's the real shiv. Two other grandkids get butkus from Helmsley's huge estate for "reasons that are known to them."

The closing bell is about to ring.

Our Susan Lisovicz joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange.

And apparently, Susan, her driver only got about $100,000. Allegedly only $100,000.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To drive...

PHILLIPS: But imagine the...

LISOVICZ: ...the queen around midtown Manhattan.

PHILLIPS: Imagine the book, though, that he could write. I mean he could make -- he could make he could probably make millions off a book.

LISOVICZ: And those books may yet come. And that secret may be revealed, Kyra. It would be something we talk about.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

LISOVICZ: We'll see you tomorrow, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: That sounds good, Susan.

Thanks so much.

Now let's go straight to Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks, Kyra.

Happening now, breaking news we're following in the scandal surrounding Senator Larry Craig.

Republican Senators now beginning to call for him to resign. Among them, the GOP presidential candidate John McCain saying that Craig's arrest in a men's room was disgraceful. He says Craig must resign. Our candid one-on-one interview with John McCain. That's coming up.

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