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Officer & Suspect Killed; Humberto Hammers Texas; Iraq Report Card; Madeleine Media Frenzy; Gerri's Mail Bag

Aired September 14, 2007 - 10:00   ET

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

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's anybody of any age.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Parents of teenagers say they believe the new law will be helpful.

LORRAINE RUMLEY, PARENT: It does give some teeth to, you know, parents's rules. You know, we'd like to believe they listen to us and, you know, think, you know, we know everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And with the new law, California joins 15 other states and the nation's capital in banning electronic devices for teenage drivers.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm T.J. Holmes. Stay informed all day right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here is what we have on the rundown.

President Bush faces the nation and in a couple of hours he faces the troops, selling Iraq strategy and the draw down plan.

NGUYEN: Miami police got their suspect, but they don't have a motive. Four officers dead -- I should say shot, in the meantime, and one of them is dead. We'll have that story.

HOLMES: Also, lots of cleaning up to do on the Texas coast, but Humberto's a welcomed rainmaker in the parch southeast this Friday, September the 14th. Did I get that right?

NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE).

HOLMES: Well, unfolding this hour, O.J. Simpson questioned by police about an incident at a Las Vegas casino. CNN affiliate KVBC reports the case involves a robbery. The incident happened at a palace station casino last night. No arrests have been made, but the incident still under investigation. The Associated Press reports Simpson has been released. AP also reports the break-in involved sports memorabilia. Police are expected to release a statement shortly.

NGUYEN: Well, there are new developments in that fatal shooting of a Miami-Dade police officer. The suspected gunman is dead following a massive manhunt and a gun battle with police. CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us now from Miami.

And as far as we know, four officers have been shot, one was killed in this, correct, Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And, of course, what we want to know today, Betty, is, did he have a death wish? Is that what this was all about for suspected cop killer Shawn Labeet. Why did he go head-to-head with cops? Did he figure that if he was caught, after being caught by police and arrested and convicted that he would face death row anyway?

It's one of many questions in this case. Police cornered Labeet at a condo complex last night following a 12-hour manhunt after he allegedly gunned down four police officers, killing one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR CARLOS ALVAREZ, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Shortly before midnight, we found the subject, Shawn Sherwin Labeet. We found him in an apartment complex in 305 Southwest 85th Avenue in Pembroke Pines, Haring Point (ph). Following investigative leads, we located him there, confronted him and there was an exchange of gunfire and the subject was shot and killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: The officer who was killed was on the force for just a few years. He is survived by his wife and two young children. Of the survivors, one female police officer is expected to recover from her injuries, but one of her legged was shattered. The other two officers are expected to recover from minor injuries.

But, of course, again, we come down to motive. Why? Why did Shawn Labeet do it? This is one of many questions police have yet to answer.

Back to you, Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, Susan, let me ask you this. Maybe you can provide some clues. Does he have any prior history? What do we know about him?

CANDIOTTI: Well, he didn't have much of a police record. Two misdemeanor arrests. One for trespassing. One for disorderly intoxication. And he did have a 2002 outstanding warrant for aggravated assault. But other than that, police want to know who is this guy, how did he get a hold of his weapons, including an AK-47. So they have a lot of work ahead of them.

NGUYEN: They sure do. Susan Candiotti joining us live from Miami today.

Thank you, Susan.

HOLMES: Southeast Texas facing a massive cleanup job this morning. Homes ripped to pieces after Hurricane Humberto snuck up on the state intensifying at a blistering pace before hitting coastal towns with 85 mile-an-hour winds. Also torrential rain.

At least one death is being blamed on the storm. Thousands of people are still without power and officials say repairs may take up to four days for some of those folks. From Texas, Humberto moved east knocking out power and flooding streets in Louisiana.

NGUYEN: So where is Humberto right now? Let's check in now with CNN's Reynolds Wolf in the CNN weather center.

What do you know, Reynolds?

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: And one of those spots kind of dealing with some of that damage, as we're seeing there, one spot, our Sean Callebs in another place, High Island, Texas, is where he is.

Sean, how are things there for folks in High Island?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a very small area. About 500 people live here. But this is where the eye of the storm passed over. And really it was kind of a -- a dublet (ph) short. It hurt this community a number of ways.

If you look behind me, this is the home that belongs to 69-year- old Connie Payton. And she was actually in this house when the hurricane came ashore. But the biggest problem for all these folks here, they simply had no warning.

We talked to Miss Payton yesterday. She said she went to sleep around 10:00 because she knew there were some winds offshore. They thought they'd be somewhere around oh say 50, 60 miles an hour. Nothing this house hasn't withstood before.

But around 1:00 her time, the roof went flying off. It blew over this way. And you can see parts of the tin up in the trees over there in the distance. So that, obviously, a huge problem.

The neighbors just came out a while ago, people walking around surveying the damage, and they said they had to come in and get Miss Payton and her husband out of this debris at the height of the storm. So clearly some very, very trying, very difficult moments for people living in this area.

But one thing we are hearing from folks is that they're so glad that no injuries in this area. But there's a lot of significant damage to homes in an around this area. We heard Reynolds talk about the rain. The 14 or so inches of rain simply falling on this area. Lot of streets, lot of areas flooded yesterday.

You might wonder why it's called High Island. Well, relatively speaking, it is high. It's about 25 to 37 feet above sea level. So a storm surge, not a big problem. So again, people in this area lucky. We know there are more than 100,000 people who have lost power during this storm. And it is going to be some time before power is restored. If you drive around the streets you can hear generators going off, we can hear chain saws as people try and remove the debris. Miss Payton was out here yesterday with her family and she told us what it was like when that storm came ripping through.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONNIE PAYTON, STORM SURVIVOR: I was sitting there when I heard the roof go. I didn't know if all of it had gone or what, but I knew some had, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: She's been through a lot living here, only a couple blocks from the Gulf of Mexico. And, T.J., when I was talking to her, she just had this serene look on her face. And I said, how can you be here the day after a storm like this and be so content? Be able to handle this? And she said, you know what, I feel truly blessed that I wasn't injured and that her husband wasn't injured. So certainly those are people finding the silver lining in something that did this to something they've lived in for so many years.

HOLMES: That's a good point she makes and keeping things in perspective. Sean Callebs there on High Island there for us.

Sean, we appreciate you.

And, folks, if you are feeling the effects of Humberto, you can send us an i-Report. It's easy. Go to cnn.com, click on i-Report. Or you can type in ireport@cnn.com into your cell phone, share your photos, share your video with us. But please do remember, keep your safety in mind. Avoid any dangerous situations.

Well, we've got another story here. A horrible turn to take now. A plea deal in the shocking death of a three-year-old girl in Kansas City, Missouri. Erica Green's mother pleaded guilty now to second degree murder. This is a case you will remember for its shocking elements. The child's decapitated remains were found in a city park back in 2001. She was known as Precious Doe as her body remained unidentified for four years. Michelle Johnson admits watching her husband kick the girl in the head and says she helped hide the body. As part of her plea, Johnson has agreed to testify against her husband.

NGUYEN: Well now we want to talk about a football crime and its punishment. The New England Patriots will pay the price for breaking NFL rules. Coach Bill Belichick fined $500,000 and the team ordered to pay $250,000 for videotaping the New York Jets's sideline signals in Sunday's game. Now if the Patriots reach the playoffs, they will have to forfeit next year's first round draft pick. If the team doesn't make it in the post season, it will lose its second and third round draft choices.

HOLMES: Well, he addressed the nation last night. Today President Bush speaks to troops. The latest on withdrawals in Iraq.

NGUYEN: And they are the lost souls of the war. Iraq's unclaimed dead and the men who give those bodies a decent burial.

HOLMES: Also, the media moves in, if there's no movement on the story. The case of a missing child still in the news.

NGUYEN: Also, do you need a little help getting around?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look like it's a cool, little neat gadget.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you could probably find a parking spot just about anywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want to buy one immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Buy one immediately. It's the smart car and we are giving you a sneak peek.

HOLMES: Yes, that's hot.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, welcome back, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Check this out. A couple of mascots with some anger management issues. The game, the fight's supposed to be on the field. We'll tell you about this sideline rumble. That's just ahead. And whatever that was. Stay here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, the president's speaking. Now we're going to hear from Congress. Just hour after President Bush told the nation there's progress in Iraq, lawmakers get an Iraq report card from the White House. And here's CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano joining us live with the latest on this report card. What are we expecting to hear?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Betty, this is the benchmark report to Congress right here. And as expected, it lays out that the Bush administration sees progress when it comes to nine of the 18 benchmarks that was laid out for the Iraqis. Seven of the benchmarks are rated unsatisfactory for progress. And on two of them, the White House says that the benchmarks can't be assessed at this time.

Now for days administration officials have been clearly trying to downplay the significance of these goals for the Iraqis, saying that these measurements don't take into account the larger picture, the broader view here of progress that might be taking place outside of the benchmarks. That, in fact, was the argument made by White House Press Secretary Tony Snow earlier today on AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It's a report card that we've got to bring home for Congress. As you know, it's sort of a fraction, a look at what goes on in Iraq. It is certainly not the sum and substance of everything going on. But there's some benchmarks Congress wanted to meet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now later in a written statement Snow went on to say, "while key national legislation has not yet passed, the objectives of such laws are in some ways already being achieved." He's talking about, for instance, oil revenues starting to be distributed.

But what's important to note here about this report, Betty, is the standard. This is the standard that the Bush administration is using to evaluate each of these benchmarks. Not with a pass/fail grade. Not with an a, b, c or d grade. But rather whether or not each was "tracking towards satisfactory accomplishment in the near term."

So it's not whether each of these goals has been met or not met, but whether or not it's perhaps expected to be met. That is something, of course, that the critics of the president will, no doubt, take a look at and say it is just more evidence of why the president's strategy, they say, in Iraq is not working.

Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, today the president's headed to Quantico speaking with Marines. So what do you expect we're going to hear from him?

QUIJANO: Well, he's going to make a statement to the pool reporters after the lunch that he has with the Marines at Quantico. And really this is following, of course, on the heels of his remarks yesterday in that primetime address to the nation. He's going to be talking about the U.S. mission in Iraq and how he hopes it will transition over time more of a partnership with the Iraqis.

But this is something, of course, we have heard in some respects before. The White House argues what's different now is that no longer are these troops necessarily going to be taking the lead in the future, they hope, when it comes to securing the population, that that can eventually be turned over to the Iraqis themselves. But you can expect the president to make some brief, sort of off-the-cuff remarks is what we are hearing from Bush aides today.

Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. We will be watching very closely.

Elaine Quijano joining us live from the White House.

Thank you, Elaine.

Here's a closer look at those numbers on the U.S. troops in Iraq. Last night President Bush announced some 5,700 Americans will be home by Christmas. Now they are among more than 21,000 U.S. troops expected to be withdrawn within next July. Some 130,000 American forces will remain in Iraq. And the president has offered no specific plan beyond that except to say the U.S. will remain in Iraq after he leaves office.

HOLMES: Little girl lost. Parents suspected. All of it in the media spotlight. CNN's Emily Chang reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): A family friend taking the twins on a walk is enough to set off a media frenzy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's ridiculous, isn't it? But this is how media works.

CHANG: Kate McCann left about 15 minutes later to collect the twins and bring them home. Portuguese journalist Sandra Felgueiras has been covering Madeleine's disappearance since day one. First in Praia da Luz, now here in Rothley.

SANDRA FELGUEIRAS, JOURNALIST: Everyone wants to have the biggest story, wants to have the answer for the question, where is Madeleine, what happened to Madeleine?

CHANG: There are also teams from Spain, France, Germany, the U.S. and more.

PEDRO NIEMBRO, JOURNALIST: Right now we are working more on suspicions, more on what people say and less on facts. So that's really hard for us. It's really hard for us to get facts right now.

CHANG: Many journalists will admit there's really nothing happening here right now. But that doesn't mean they're going anywhere any time soon. In fact, many say, no matter what happens, or doesn't happen, they're posted here indefinitely.

NEIL WELCH, PRESS ASSOCIATION: There's so many things that could happen at the moment. A lot of the journalists are waiting around so if something does happen, they're the first there. I think as the time goes on, it will be less likely there will be developments in this story and that's when people start to leave.

CHANG: And so journalists continue to scramble after every car that pulls in and out of the McCann home and wonder who delivered the latest bouquet of flowers, hoping it means something new.

we want to leave the story. Madeleine's case wants to stop being a top story. Enough for now. McCann home and wonder who delivered the latest bouquet of flowers, hoping it means something new.

FELGUEIRAS: We won't leave the story. Madeleine's case won't stop being a top story in Portugal. Not for now.

CHANG: Emily Chang, CNN, in Rothley, England. (END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Home buying and foreclosure. You ask and our Gerri Willis answers in her "Top Tips."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. Let's check out the numbers today on Wall Street. The Dow down 16 points already. The Nasdaq down as well. Just four points. We're going to see how this day turns out. It's still early on in trading, but we will be watching very closely.

HOLMES: Well, home buying and foreclosures. Those are the viewer questions today. And here to answer them, CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now first we've gotten a ton of e-mail from viewers asking about websites if you want to work from home. Get out your pencils. We're going to go through them again for you. Now if you're interested in a call center job, check out alpineaccess.com, liveops.com and repsforrent.com. If you think you'd enjoy working as a virtual assistant where you may arrange schedules or plan events, you'll want to check out staffcentrix.com and the International Virtual Assistants Association at ivaa.org. Good luck.

Now on to some more questions. This one comes from Grace in South Carolina. She asks, "is it safe to buy a house in foreclosure and if so, how do you go about it?"

Well, first off, buying a foreclosed property isn't easy or safe. There are some serious drawbacks to investing in this type of property. For example, the tenant may still be in the property or you may not be able to see the condition of the property. And there can be liens against the house that you may inherit as the new owner.

So, first, brush up on the laws in your state by going to the county clerk's office. To find out what properties are available, check out the listings in your local paper. You can also do some research online. Yahoo! has just launched a site for foreclosed property. There are also websites that list foreclosed properties like foreclosure.net and realestatetrack.com (ph).

On to the next question. Here is an e-mail from Christine in Louisiana. She asks, "if my spouse has good credit and I have bad credit, how do we approach buying a home?"

Well, if can you qualify for a loan based on just your husband's income, you'll get the best mortgage rate possible. But if you need both incomes to qualify for the loan, you'd be best off doing some quick fixes to your own credit first.

For example, check for errors by getting a free copy of your report at annualcreditreport.com. Make sure you contest any errors. And don't forget the negative information older than seven years should not count against you. And, of course, if you missed anything, check out our website at cnnmoney.com/toptips. And if you have a question you'd like us to answer, send us an e-mail to toptips@cnn.com. We love hearing from you.

NGUYEN: Well, they are picking up in Texas today, the parched southeast welcoming Humberto's downpours. We're going to go live to the CNN hurricane center in just minutes.

HOLMES: And, uh-oh, O.J. Simpson and police? Together again? No white Bronco involved here, but we have some more evidence that what happens in Vegas does not necessarily stay in Vegas. Stay tuned to the story.

NGUYEN: And change on the ground, change in the tone. A look at how developments in Iraq have shaped President Bush's war message.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, hello there, everybody. Don't adjust your calenders. It is in fact Friday. Not Saturday morning, where we would normally be. We even have Reynolds here with us as well.

NGUYEN: The whole weekend morning team.

HOLMES: The whole team. But we're actually here hanging out for Tony and Heidi. I'm T.J. Holmes. Good to see you.

NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.

Well this warning out of the White House. A high-stakes progress report on the Iraq War. Now the bottom line, only meager progress made toward political and military goals. And the report issued mere hours after President Bush vowed to bring U.S. troops home. In that primetime speech though, he said he'd follow recommendations from his top commander in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He has recommended that we not replace about 2,200 Marines scheduled to leave Anbar province later this month. In addition, he says it will soon be possible to bring home an Army combat brigade for a total force reduction of 5,700 troops by Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: And today President Bush is visiting troops at the Marine base in Quantico, Virginia.

HOLMES: And as the war has evolved in Iraq, so has the president's message.

CNN's Joe Johns takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what President Bush said just days after the war began.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, MARCH 23, 2003)

BUSH: All I know is we have got a game plan, a strategy to free the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein and rid his country of weapons of mass destruction, and we're on plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: And we all remember that "Mission Accomplished" moment two months later aboard the aircraft carrier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, MAY 1, 2003)

BUSH: Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Then, two years later, it was 2005. The war was dragging on, and no weapons of mass destruction had been found. The word for the president was still victory.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, NOVEMBER 30, 2005)

BUSH: And we will never accept anything less than complete victory.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, DECEMBER 7, 2005)

BUSH: We will complete our mission in Iraq and leave behind a democracy that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: The president remained on message, the same victory message, until last year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, OCTOBER 25, 2006)

BUSH: Our mission is to help the elected government in Iraq defeat common enemies, to bring peace and stability to Iraq, and make our nation more secure. Our goals are unchanging. We are flexible in our methods to achieving those goals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: But, by this year, the message had started to morph, that unchanging goal, victory and democracy, replaced by a reduction of sectarian violence. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, MAY 2, 2007)

BUSH: Either we will succeed or we won't succeed. And the definition of success, as I described, is, you know, sectarian violence down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: And, then, less than two months later, that was replaced by yet another way to view what the U.S. is doing in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JUNE 28, 2007)

BUSH: It's a new mission. And David Petraeus is in Iraq carrying it out. Its goal is to help the Iraqis make progress toward reconciliation, to build a free nation that respects the rights of its people, upholds the rule of law, and is an ally against the extremists in this war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: Obviously, there are a lot of reasons for the way the president's statements have changed over time. And one of the biggest reasons of all is that the situation on the ground has changed, from the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to insurgency to civil war.

Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: So on a very different topic, O.J. Simpson questioned by police about an incident in a Las Vegas casino. CNN affiliate KVDC (ph) reports the case involves a robbery, and the incident took place at the Palace Station casino last night. Now, no arrests have been made and the incident is still under investigation, but police are expected to release a statement a little bit later.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: Well, another earthquake hitting Indonesia this morning, triggering another tsunami alert and further frightening residents. This latest quake a 6.4, marking a third day of extensive seismic activity. Thirteen people are dead, dozens more injured. Many homes, hospitals, government buildings destroyed, and experts warn this may be the run-up to the big one. Many people fear a repeat of the massive 2004 earthquake-induced tsunami. That killed 230,000 people in the region.

NGUYEN: Undercover on the streets of Afghanistan. Lifting the veil on life in post-Taliban Afghanistan. We have that story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

LEMON: This looks like a little toy. But it actually gets you around. It's Europe's smartcar, and it is coming to the U.S.

CNN's Maggie Lake gives it a test drive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAGGIE LAKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They've been zipping around Europe for years. Now the ultra-compact smartcar is getting its U.S. closeup.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like a cool, little neat gadget.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think you could probably find a parking spot just about anywhere.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just wanted to buy one, immediately.

LAKE: Not so fast. The smartcars don't hit U.S. show rooms until January, but the company has rolled out a cross-country road show to give consumer a sneak peek. It even had the courage to go to Wall Street, where big wigs ride in chauffeured limos rather than tiny two-seaters.

Can a culture that prides itself on big houses and jumbo sport- utility vehicles really fall for a car roughly the size of a golf cart?

The smartcar, manufactured by the German automaker Daimler is, after all, less than nine feet long. The Toyota Camry, the best- selling sedan in the United States, is almost twice the size. Even the Mini Cooper is major compared to the smartcar. The biggest hurdle may be concerns about safety.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're a little too small I think for this country. And I think people are going to think they're kind of flimsy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know that I'd want to be on the FDR at 60 miles an hour and have a cab run into me.

LAKE: Smartcar executives insist this car has state of the art safety features, including front and side air bags and a sturdy steel frame.

So we decided to see for ourselves whether this car was pass muster in some of the toughest traffic around.

(on camera): I'm going to try to make a left.

LAKE (voice-over): With the head of Smartcar USA, Dave Schembri, as copilot, we hit the streets of New York, and quickly found the smartcar stops traffic and turns heads.

(on camera): You like it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's nice. Oh, yes.

LAKE: It's zippy.

Oh, this is fabulous.

(voice-over): Though SUVs still dominate, Americans have been downsizing. One of every five cars sold in the U.S. in May was a compact. Schembri thinks smartcars are the next logical step.

DAVE SCHEMBRI, CEO, SMARTCAR USA: America's never been more ready for a car like this. Concerned about urban congestion, environmental concerns, price of gas is at a level now where it's really becoming an economic hardship for a lot of people.

LAKE: Car experts agree.

BRADLEY RUBIN, AUTO ANALYST FOR BNP PARIBAS: It couldn't have come at a better time, and it has the best chance of being successful, coming in a market like this. If it's going to succeed, this is the best opportunity it has, coming now.

LAKE: It's a David and Goliath story for our auto age, soon to play out on American streets.

Maggie Lake, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And coming up tomorrow morning on CNN Saturday, he's a little boy who just wants to smile. He was badly burned and disfigured in Iraq, and is now in the U.S. preparing for surgery. So many people have offered help and now he is getting the medical attention that he needs.

HOLMES: Also, we'll be talking about this, this weekend -- the NFL says New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is a cheater, and the league is punishing him bigtime. We're following all those details, as well as other scandals, unfortunately, that are happening in professional sports.

NGUYEN: And this weekend, while you are relaxing at home, find out which companies want you to actually work from home. Too bad it's not CNN. We'd be at home. But instead we will be here.

CNN SATURDAY and SUNDAY MORNING beginning tomorrow at 7:00 Eastern.

HOLMES: Well, we've got a sideline smackdown to tell you about. The mascots involved in a melee, and it looks like the duck is getting the best of it. Find out why the fur and the feathers were flying during a college football game.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, you already know how to catch us weekday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to noon Eastern. But did you know that you could take us with you anywhere on your iPod?

HOLMES: Really?

NGUYEN: Yes, you can. Today, T.J., it's us two. The CNN NEWSROOM podcast available 24/7 right on your iPod. Don't miss it.

HOLMES: When families don't come forward. They're the ones who make sure Baghdad's dead have a proper burial. Some of these images in this report may be a bit disturbing to you.

Here now, CNN's Michael Ware, a story you will not forget.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the bodies of Baghdad's unclaimed dead, collected from the morgues, the streets and even the city sewers. They are the men, the women and the children no one ever came for. Without names, without family to mourn them, these are the lost souls of the war, buried in the desert sands in the holy city of Najaf.

Only these men are here to mark their passing, strangers, volunteers compelled by conscience to help. It is they who restore humanity to the anonymous, tending to them as though they were family. And that's just how their leader wants it.

"When I enter the morgue," says Sheikh Jamal Al-Sudani Sadr City, "I don't see these human beings as Christians, Shia or Sunni, because I see them in death, embracing each other, naked, hugging, piled one on the other. I look to them as human beings. It was my duty to bury them so their sanctity will not be violated again after the violation of their killing."

On this morning, the men load into cars and a bus for the nearly 150-mile journey to Najaf while the dead, more than 90, are carried in refrigerated trucks. When they arrive, the volunteers prepare the plastic sheets and cotton shrouds to wrap the dead and do what they can to repel the touch and odor of death.

Sheikh Jamal says his mind goes blank and he loses all feeling like he's in another world. "I only think about one thing, that one day I will face the same fate as these people have faced. And will there be someone to take care of me and bury me, too?"

The bodies are ceremonially washed with earth and wrapped. Each one numbered, photographed, and listed on a computer database. And in graves dug by hand, the bodies are laid side by side, two to a grave. It's a grim necessity. Too many bodies for each to have its own grave.

"We've been doing this for 20 years under Saddam, but the numbers have increased, as have the difficulties, because now it's as if the streets are flowing with blood."

The sheikh and his volunteers don't need military or congressional reports to tell them of progress in Iraq, for they bear witness. Under Saddam, they buried up to 40 people a month. After the invasion, that rose to 250, says Sheikh Jamal. And in the worst times of the war, they've buried as many as 2,000 in a month.

Today, the numbers of unclaimed bodies are back in the low hundreds. Still, Sheikh Jamal says he has lost all hope. "Now you see Iraqis' houses, meant to be a family's safest place, and they've become like graves for the families because any minute, any second, they're ready to die by explosion, air strikes or car bombs. And no man and no government, American nor Iraqi, can fix it," he laments, "Because now, that will take a miracle."

Michael Ware, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, this man killed in a shootout with police. Miami investigators say he was looking for a fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had a mind-set for surviving and being involved in a very dangerous confrontation, perhaps with law enforcement. Yes, he had body armor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Four officers shot, one killed. Miami police are now searching for a motive this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Patriots coach, head coach Bill Belichick talking at a press conference here, nobody wants to talk about football right now, want to talk about the huge fine he just got, punishment for being caught cheating. We'll listen in. He's taking a few questions.

(JOINED IN PRGRESS)

BILL BELICHICK, HEAD COACH, NEW ENG. PATRIOTS: ...it already happened. So right now, we're focusing on what's in front of us, and that's the charges. We're moving on.

QUESTION: To put any rumors to rest, would you care to comment on people suggesting this has happened in the past, does it taint your record of the past ...

BELICHICK: All my focus is on the San Diego Chargers. Just working to get ready for that team. Everything is -- the commissioner's ruled.

QUESTION: Able to pay half a million dollars in installments or do you have to pay it up front?

BELICHICK: Just thinking about the Chargers.

QUESTION: With the Chargers in mind, just mention for this statement that, if all (INAUDIBLE), is that going to impact the team's preparation today? BELICHICK: No, we're going to -- put our -- try and do the best we can, get ready the next -- you know, we got Friday, Saturday and all day Sunday. Going to do all we can to be ready, put our best effort out there. That's me and everybody involved in the game for this team. So, that's what we're doing.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Bill, why didn't the statement apologize (ph)?

BELICHICK: It's -- we're moving on -- San Diego, that's ...

QUESTION: How can you focus as you move on with this sort of ...

BELICHICK: My focus is on the Chargers. I understand there's an interest out there, I understand that their are a lot of stories, but everything is in the past. It's been decided, it's over with and we're heading to San Diego.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) do you figure you win games, everything else gets forgotten?

BELICHICK: There's nothing you can do about the past, so.

QUESTION: You feel the punishment was appropriate?

BELICHICK: Doesn't make any difference.

QUESTION: Has this affected your ability to prepare this week at all?

BELICHICK: By points (ph), it's taken a little time out of it. But you know, we'll be ready. We'll do what we normally do. We'll do what we do today and Saturday and Sunday. And you know, we know we're going to have to be our best against San Diego. They're good in all three phases of the game. Excuse me. And that's where we need to be.

QUESTION: What do you say to fans who stood by the team and now want to hear from you, just tell them to just change ...

BELICHICK: I think I've addressed it. And right now, it's time to address the Chargers. And I think that's what's the most important thing for our football team is to address the San Diego Chargers. And that's what we're going to do.

QUESTION: Has it been a challenging week, then ...

HOLMES: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots fined $500,000, the organization fined another $250,000 after they were caught cheating, videotaping the signals of the New York Jets last week during that game. This has thrown into question so many things about this dynasty he has built that is the New England Patriots.

But you hear him in his press conference, of course all the reporters want to talk about is that fine, that punishment and that cheating. All he says he wants to talk about is the San Diego Chargers who they are playing on Sunday. You certainly can imagine he's going to continue with this exercise here for quite some time because that is all the reporters want to talk about ...

NGUYEN: And all he is saying ...

HOLMES: ...is this big fine.

NGUYEN: ...is, getting ready for the game.

HOLMES: Getting ready for the Chargers. So you can bet that there won't even be a camera phone on the sidelines coming up on Sunday. Everybody's going to be looking real close this weekend at that game.

But Bill Belichick not much to say, but we just wanted to bring you some of what he did have to say on the cheating allegations.

NGUYEN: Well, you are with CNN and you are informed.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes, we're sitting in today for Tony and Heidi.

NGUYEN: There are new developments coming into the CNN NEWSROOM on this Friday, the 14th of September. Here's what's on the rundown for you.

One-time murder defendant O.J. Simpson questioned by police again. So, what went down in a Las Vegas casino?

HOLMES: Also, we're going to talk about this a little more as we just saw from Bill Belichick there, the head coach, live, as you just heard, not saying a whole lot, but saying a little something. Getting a whole lot of questions. The NFL's New England Patriots, the team fined for spying on an opponent.

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