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Pakistan in Crisis; Northeast Braces for Noel; Tricky Space Walk; Hate Crime Protest in West Virginia
Aired November 03, 2007 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: It is Saturday, November 3rd and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, hi everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen. We do have a lot happening right now.
HOLMES: In the northeast, folks bracing for Noel. The tropical storm lashing the coast right now. We are live with the latest.
NGUYEN: Also, a dangerous mission, some tricky repairs and a risky space walk. We have a live update on the shuttle astronauts.
HOLMES: And do you recognize this little girl? Police hoping a sketch can help them solve the mystery of baby Grace.
NGUYEN: First up, a major political crisis is unfolding at this hour in Pakistan. A key U.S. ally in the war on terror and President Pervez Musharaff has declared a state of emergency and suspended the constitution after the Pakistani Supreme Court said that order is unconstitutional. Then the chief justice was just removed.
CNN State Department correspondent Zain Verjee is traveling with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who is in Turkey. She joins us now. A lot of new developments, Zain. Break it down for us.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT (on phone): Betty, Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, has essentially declared marshal law. That means that he is now the army chief and the only one in charge.
As you mentioned, the constitution has been suspended. We're hearing that the Pakistani army is now entering Islamabad. That is the capital. And is likely also to enter other major cities in Pakistan. T.V. channels have been taken off the air. We are hearing that Musharraf will address the nation in just a few hours.
Now we spoke to a senior Pakistani official who says that the reason that President Musharraf is making this move is essentially because of the law and order situation saying that it's getting out of hand and he had to do this. But the Supreme Court was to make a decision on whether or not Musharraf could stay on as president. So many have said that they may have ruled that he can't. So what this move does is that it allows Musharraf to keep his job and stay in power. Betty?
NGUYEN: OK, so let's broaden this out for a minute. Is this a blow at all to the U.S.?
VERJEE: It is, it is a blow to the U.S. because they have been saying don't do it, do not declare a state of emergency. The U.S. has been pushing for free and fair elections either to happen at the end of this we are or early next year. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told us on the way over here that the U.S. has had constant contact with the Pakistani leadership and has always supported the moderates in Pakistan.
They supported you'll remember the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan, really to try and show a Democratic face to Pakistan. And what this does, it jeopardizes the transition to democracy that the U.S. has really been pushing for.
The last time there was speculation that this could happen, Secretary Rice had called President Musharraf a couple of times to warn him against it and he backed off the idea days later. But it seems as though this time he is determined to do it. Betty?
NGUYEN: Yes, it does. All right, CNN's Zain Verjee joining us by phone today. Thank you, Zain.
HOLMES: Got another weekend here with serious weather worries, east, west and south of the border to tell you about. What used to be Hurricane Noel has been downgraded, but still could cause some serious problems for New England. With wildfires still burning in southern California, forecasters are worried stronger winds will fan the flame. And more rain expected in Mexico, where floods have already forced thousands of people out of their homes.
We want to get started though with the remnants of Hurricane Noel, now in the Atlantic Ocean off the East Coast. We've got an i- Report here to show you, some video. You can see how this thing has produced gusty winds, choppy water around the North Carolina area, along with some power outages we can now report. But the real trouble could come within regions of New England. And CNN's Jim Acosta is in Chatham, Massachusetts. He is reporting there for us. There he is all covered up and bundle up as he should be. Are things getting worse since we saw you earlier this morning?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey T.J., yes. Things are definitely picking up out here. I could tell just in the last couple of hours that the winds have picked up and no, I'm not hamming it up.
The wind just sort of knocked me off my footing there for just a moment. Noel is expected to give this area sort of a glancing blow later today, not a direct hit. The storm is expected to stay about 100 miles off the coast of Cape Cod. But the winds from the storm will be quite serious, somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 miles-per- hour is what they are thinking right now, those gusts will be blowing through here at that rate.
That is something that this area has not seen in some time. There was a Nor'easter back in April that actually cut a path through the barrier beach behind me. So they are very concerned about some of the houses on that barrier beach on the other side of this body of water that's behind me.
They are expecting downed trees here tonight. They are expecting some pretty widespread power outages. And just as a precautionary measure, they've opened up shelters across this area of Cape Cod because they know this is going to get very serious. In addition to that, I can tell you that the Coast Guard has been warning a lot of these commercial fishing vessels out here to make sure they get to the nearest port because that is a major industry out here. And this storm has changed hour by hour, day by day.
And there were thinkings up here that perhaps this storm wouldn't be that serious. As we have all known over the last 24 hours, Noel has definitely taken a turn for the worse. So people are definitely hunkering down, staying inside and playing it safe for the time being because this is going to be a nasty, cold, wet day across a lot of New England today. T.J.?
HOLMES: All right, Jim Acosta for us from Chatham, Massachusetts. Jim, keep your footing out there, thanks.
NGUYEN: All right, let's give you a look at some of the destruction that Noel caused this week when it pushed through the Caribbean. Look at that. The storm killed at least 48 people in Haiti and left thousand homeless, destruction in Port-au-Prince. Now other parts of Haiti suffered too as you see from this i-Report picture. So far, Noel is the deadliest storm in the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season.
HOLMES: Reynolds Wolf has been a busy man. Our whole weather team has been busy lately. A lot of weather stories, major stories and still keeping an eye on Noel and this - what is it, Betty? It's an E.T. you were calling it earlier.
NGUYEN: An extra tropical storm.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: All right, so when the weather becomes news, you can count on CNN to bring it to you first. And if you see severe weather happening in your area, send us an i-Report. All you have to do is go to CNN.com and click on i-Report or you can type ireport@CNN.com into your cell phone and share your photos or video.
HOLMES: Now to California where there is another weather concern. Wildfires could be flaring up again. The fear right now, conditions are ripe for the return of the Santa Ana winds. The governor telling state agencies to be ready to move if fires erupt.
Well of course, a lot of us have been moved by what we've seen in some of these weather stories, especially in California. You can do something about it. You can help out those victims of the California wildfires through our "impact your world" initiative. Go to CNN.com/impact to see how you can help.
NGUYEN: We are also keeping tabs on an active volcano in Indonesia today. It is on the densely populated island of Java and scientists say the mountain is erupting right now. Let me give you some video, a little bit earlier today, just before that eruption began.
Thousands of panicked residents have fled the area and right now the mount is cloaked in fog. So scientists can't get a good look at what is going on. But we of course will continue to monitor the story and stay with CNN for the latest.
HOLMES: Also following serious flooding in Mexico. The flooding is so severe, entire towns are under water. One person reported dead. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes. Forecasters predict more rain in the days ahead. Mexico's president is calling it one of the country's worst natural disasters ever.
NGUYEN: Well police do need your help solving a mystery. Take a look at this. Do you recognize this girl? Police are calling her baby Grace. But the question is, who is she?
HOLMES: Also, check this out, ouch, an X-ray. Nobody really wants to see a soldier stabbed in the head. But there is an amazing survival story behind the picture. That's coming up here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Haunting question this morning for authorities in Texas. Do you recognize this little girl? Composite police sketches we have of a two or 3-year-old child that police are calling baby Grace. The child's body was found in a large plastic container in an uninhabited island near Galveston, Texas. Police now are trying to find out who she was. A short time ago, we spoke with a representative from the Galveston County sheriff's department.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. RAY TUTTOILMONDO, GALVESTON CO. SHERIFF'S OFFICE: She is more to us than just a case number, more than just an unidentified body. She is very much a human being. She is someone's child, someone's grandchild, someone's cousin, someone's best friend. To us, that's the most important part about this case. But in looking at this box that she was found in, this is not a way for her to end her life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: If you have any information that could help out in this case, you're asked to call the Galveston County sheriff's office at the number you see there on the left. Two numbers, one is a local area code there, 409-766-2222. Also, 1-866-248-8477.
NGUYEN: They say it's a hate crime. In less than an hour, protestors will be marching in Charleston, West Virginia. And what they're trying to do is get prosecutors to file hate crime charges against six white men accused of raping and torturing a black woman in this mobile home. CNN's Kathleen Koch is in Charleston and she joins us live. When it comes to hate crimes, by getting this on the list of charges, what could that possibly do in relation to time in jail?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually, Betty, already the charges that they are facing, the six suspects in the case, the most severe penalty is life in prison for a couple of them who are charged with kidnapping.
But this rally, obviously, the focus of it is the Megan Williams case. But organizers want to draw attention to racism and hate crimes across the board.
Now with me here today is one of the - the organizer I should say of the rally, Malik Shabazz, founder of Black Lawyers for Justice. He is also one of the attorneys for the Williams family. Talk to me, if you would a little bit, Mr. Shabazz, about why you believe what happened to Megan Williams, again, held for at least a week, allegedly tortured, sexually assaulted in a mobile home some 50 miles from here, why do you believe that constitutes a hate crime?
MALIK SHABAZZ, ATTORNEY: Because we know when we hear of these hideous acts that you have described, and every time they were cutting her, beating her as it has been reported in the police reports or stabbing her or sodomizing her, that they were using the "N" word. And so we have overt evidence of a racial motive, that this was racially motivated and 95 percent of the people in the city agree that this is a hate crime.
KOCH: What do you say to the local prosecutor Brian Abraham? He says it's going to be difficult, first of all, to prove because Williams had a pre-existing social relationship with one of the suspects, Bobby Brewster.
SHABAZZ: There is nothing in the law that says a pre-existing relationship would prevent it from being a hate crime. The prosecutors here are conservative. And they must have the fortitude to stand up for the dignity of our people. Hate crime charges would add time. It would add insurance in case some of the other charges don't go through.
And so our people are feeling that with the rise of nooses being hung around America, that with the horrendous acts, this is one of the worst hate crimes we feel in U.S. history, that for hate crimes not to be charged on a state and federal level, is an absolute insult to the dignity of our people.
KOCH: Now again for federal hate crimes, there is an even higher bar. You have to prove the complete intent of harm was racially motivated and also that the person was involved in some federally protective activity like voting. Again, that is a very high bar.
SHABAZZ: Well, we've debated the U.S. attorney here and the state attorney general. We are saying is that her constitutional rights were violated. The problem is not the law. The problem is the conservative prosecutors in the U.S. Department of Justice civil rights division who are failing to protect blacks against terrorism.
The U.S. Department of Justice when they are going after so- called terrorists abroad, they stretch the law, almost even violate the constitution to prosecute those claims. But when it comes to prosecuting claims against us, they simply have their hands tied because they are right-wing conservatives.
KOCH: Mr. Shabazz, we are going to be hearing more from you today. He'll be speaking at the rally as it goes on. And again after the rally here, the demonstrators will be marching to the federal courthouse again to press for hate crimes charges in the Megan Williams case. Back to you, Betty.
NGUYEN: All right, Kathleen Koch joining us live -- thank you, Kathleen.
HOLMES: A 25-year-old teacher accused of running away with a 13-year-old boy was arrested hours ago in Mexico. You are looking at Kelsey Peterson who is a sixth grade teacher in Nebraska. Police say she disappeared with the boy after police began investigating whether the pair had an intimate relationship. The boy has been turned over to his family. The teacher faces charges of transporting a minor for sexual activity.
NGUYEN: In suburban Chicago, the disappearance of a policeman's wife has raised suspicions. Divers have been searching a pond near the couple's home. Police sergeant Drew Peterson says his wife probably ran away with another man, but his wife's family disputes that. Peterson has been married before. His previous wife drowned in the bathtub just months after she and Peterson were divorced.
HOLMES: All right, buggers on the menu. You might want to change the menu, check the fridge. Right now folks, we've got a recall to tell you about. Cargill Meat Solutions issued a meat recall for a million pounds of ground beef products. They may be contaminated with potentially deadly e. Coli bacteria. They carry a variety of brand names, but most have the notation EST-9400 inside the USDA inspection mark. All the products carry expiration dates that have already passed.
NGUYEN: Speaking of danger, the space walk was a little risky today happening right now up in space.
HOLMES: Miles O'Brien keeping a close eye on this mission. Have we got any progress to report?
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think so, T.J. Take a look at this live picture from space. A wounded wing might be repaired. They are deploying it ever so slowly now. We'll tell you how they did on this extremely risky space walk, still underway, when NEWSROOM continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right, so a very delicate procedure happening right now outside the International Space Station. Two astronauts on a space walk on a difficult and dangerous mission, one that's never been done before. Let's take you straight now to CNN space correspondent Miles O'Brien.
And what's so interesting Miles is we looked at it a little bit earlier and you could definitely you see the tear and the picture that we just saw right before the break looked very different.
O'BRIEN: Yeah, so far, so good. Take a look at this. These are live pictures coming from space. And what's happening is ever so slowly they are adding - got the wrong thing there. They are adding some tension to those solar arrays.
And what happened was, back on Tuesday when they first did this, they couldn't see very well because of some sun coming through. And some of the guide wires, which you can see here through here, got hung up. And these things fold like a pleated shade would. They got hung up and caused the tear.
There you see it, you can see it very clearly, coming out. That's a good sign, so far so good on all of this. Take a look at the damage that was the focus of the attention today, 2.5 feet in length. It's hard to get a sense of scale when you're looking at it like that, without somebody nearby.
But that in and of itself, the solar array worked fine and generated enough juice, but could not be rendered stiff enough to have structural integrity.
Take a look at this live picture if we could, real quickly. I want you this so we can get a sense of the size of this thing. That right up there at the end of that robot arm is Scott Parazynski. He's done all the heavy lifting, or I guess in space it wouldn't be heavy lifting. But he's been doing all the stitching and sewing here today, getting that solar array patched and ready to be deployed properly so it could be used to generate power for the space station.
As we say, so far so good. Take a look at what he was doing throughout the approaching six hours now on this space walk. As he installed -- they were calling them cuff links. But I guess another way to think it is like a butterfly bandage on a wound. And using some insulated tools, I should point out because there are 300 watts of juice flowing through these solar rays and no on/off switch. He cuts the cables. There was a big snarl of cables there.
And then went through where that tear was and put in some reinforcing kind of cuff link things with wires and little batons on each end that they fashioned over the past few days.
And all of that seemed to go pretty well. So we are in the process now of watching as they slowly, but surely, deploy the solar ray.
Look at that amazing picture as he worked at the end of the space station robot arm plus the extension which is the extended arm that comes onboard the shuttle, giving him about 75 feet of reach. Scott Parazynski, Betty, is 6'2" and his nickname is either too tall or long bow because he has a very long reach. And today they needed every inch of his reach just to get out there because the robot arm was fully extended and he was just getting to the work site. NGUYEN: Well, it's just really incredible what he's been able to do. But let me ask you this. Is this just a band-aid to the problem? Can this solar array stay out there and do its job with the patchwork that they've done?
O'BRIEN: Yes. It's not going to be as pretty as they hope, but it will work just fine. And that repair will be there for as long as that solar array and as long as that station is there.
It doesn't in any way ever so slightly hinders the amount of production of solar power on there. But not anything appreciable. So yes, now that it's patched and assuming they're able to get in its final position, fully extended position, then it can rotate, track the sun and generate the electricity that they anticipate. As we say, it has a little war wound, but nevertheless is no worse for the wear.
NGUYEN: And so far so good. It has been really pretty remarkable to watch this all morning long. Especially he is on the end of that. Can you just imagine -- not only being out in space, but being on the very tip of that extended arm. What a feat.
O'BRIEN: You would think it would give you some vertigo.
NGUYEN: In the least.
O'BRIEN: I have heard some astronauts talk about that. Sometimes they get that sensation of falling. But Parazynski is highly trained, veteran space walker. He's done this without a hitch so far.
NGUYEN: So far, so good. Thank you, Miles. We appreciate it.
O'BRIEN: You're welcome.
HOLMES: Well a breakthrough just hours ago in the Ford labor talks. Looks like Ford workers will be staying on the assembly lines instead of walking on the picket lines. United Auto Workers Union says it reached a tentative agreement with Ford early this morning. About 60,000 union members still have to sign off on this deal.
NGUYEN: And the final scene has not been written just yet, but contract talks are not going well for writers of your favorite T.V. shows.
And OK, here is a story. If writers and producers can't agree on a new contract by tomorrow, the Writers Union says its members will walk out. And if the writers do walk, it would be the first strike in 20 years. Can you say reruns? That's what you might be watching.
HOLMES: Well folks, you can sleep in for an hour, extra hour tomorrow. Daylight saving time ends at 2:00 a.m. So be sure to turn your clocks back one hour before you go to bed tonight. The change comes one week later this year. Congress passed a bill in 2005 giving us three extra days of daylight saving time in the spring and an extra week in the fall in an effort to save energy. Has it worked?
NGUYEN: Not so sure looking at my bills.
HOLMES: So yes, don't forget to do that before you go to bed tonight.
NGUYEN: Although I will take the extra hour. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney on a roll in Iowa. What's his secret to success? Well our Bill Schneider goes one-on-one with him.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Are kids being misused for politics in Washington? We've got the White House and the first lady weighing in on this. But President Bush himself has the record for us to take a look at. I'm Josh Levs and we're going to do that coming up in just a few minutes. T.J.?
HOLMES: All right, thank you, Mr. Reality.
Also, look at this. You see what's going on here? This is real. It's not a joke. The victim in this X-ray still alive today. Survivor story here you do not want to miss. You saw that right, folks. Stick around for this one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Let's get you a quick update on our top stories. A key U.S. ally is in crisis. Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has suspended his country's constitution and declared a state of emergency. Pakistan's Supreme Court quickly declared those moves unconstitutional, but the government says the Supreme Court's chief justice has now been removed. So a lot of development -- we'll stay on top of all of them.
HOLMES: Also, the remnants of Hurricane Noel heading for New England. Boaters being warned to return to port. Cape Cod residents are being warned to expect heavy rain.
NGUYEN: And a powerful Indonesian volcano has erupted. Thousands have been forced to flee their homes in central Java.
HOLMES: This just into CNN. A runner died a short time ago during marathon Olympic trials in New York City. His name is Ryan Shay. He died during the marathon trials, collapsing about five and a half miles into the race. This is a 28-year-old young man. We're checking into the story, bringing you more on it as soon as we get it. But again, a young man by the name of Ryan Shay dead during Olympic trials.
Mitt Romney making things interesting, heating things up a bit in the presidential race with some attack ads. Our Bill Schneider is in Iowa this morning, the place to be these days. Well Romney is a popular guy actually. Good morning to you, sir.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, T.J. Well, Mitt Romney is doing very well here in Iowa. I wondered, why is that? I asked some Iowans and I asked Mitt Romney on our Election Express Bus when I interviewed him in Marshalltown, Iowa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SCHNEIDER (voice over): Why is Mitt Romney doing so well in Iowa? There's an obvious answer. He spent a lot of time and money here.
How much is he willing to spend?
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: That's a close-kept secret, as you can imagine, between my wife and myself. We have a limit as to what we think is the right amount, or less.
SCHNEIDER: Is there some message or issue that's resonating with Iowa voters? He says it's his theme of strength.
ROMNEY: Well, I believe the people in Iowa have connected well with my message of strengthening this country.
SCHNEIDER: But why would Iowa voters see Romney as a candidate who offers strength? We asked this seasoned observer.
DAVID YEPSEN, "THE DES MOINES REGISTER": Mitt Romney's support in Iowa is not based on an issue. It is based on his personal qualities, his executive experience, his experience as a businessman.
SCHNEIDER: Romney talks about his background all the time.
ROMNEY: I think it makes sense to have somebody leading the country who actually knows about business.
SCHNEIDER: His background is featured in his new TV ad.
ROMNEY: I have spent my life running things. I've learned how to run a business, I've learned how to run a state. I ran the Olympics...
SCHNEIDER: He uses his background to convey a message: I am not a typical politician.
ROMNEY: I think it's helpful to have something more in the mold that I think the founders had in mind, which is people would come to Washington from normal walks of life.
SCHNEIDER: He uses his background to draw sharp contrast with the Democratic frontrunner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, ROMNEY CAMPAIGN AD)
ROMNEY: She hasn't run a corner store. She hasn't run a state. She hasn't run a city.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
ROMNEY: She has never run anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(END VIDEOTAPE) SCHNEIDER: Romney's success as a businessman also conveys a image of competence, which a lot of voters feel is missing from this White House, after the experiences of Iraq and Hurricane Katrina - T.J.?
HOLMES: All right Bill, we heard that ad there from Romney talking about Hillary Clinton, that she hasn't run a thing. What is she up to? First, I don't think she is responding to that. But if she Is, please tell us. But also, what is she up to in Iowa? What is her week going to be like?
SCHNEIDER: Well, she is going to be here in Iowa this week. I believe our Candy Crowley will be here to interview her. Iowa is a state that's crucially important for her because it's the one state in the country where she is not way ahead of the other Democrats.
It is really a dead heat between Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama here in Iowa, where of course it's a caucus, so it's not a primary dominated by party activists.
So passion and organization mean a lot here. If she wins Iowa, she is well on her way to the nomination. If she doesn't win Iowa, it could be a real race. So Hillary Clinton is fending off some serious challenges right here.
HOLMES: I know we have a lot of passion ourselves at CNN for politics. And organization as well with the CNN Election Express. Always good to see that bus back there. Enjoy, Bill, thank you so much. We'll see you again soon.
More on tap on the CNN Election Express. Democratic presidential hopeful Senator Joe Biden visits the bus this weekend. Our senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is going to be talking to him. And we'll bring you that tomorrow in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Remember the next CNN presidential debate is just days away. Coming up November 15th, CNN's Wolf Blitzer will host a Democratic debate in Las Vegas. It gets started at 8:00 Eastern. You don't want to miss that.
We are also less than a month now from the CNN/YouTube Republican debate. As of today, all eight GOP presidential hopefuls are confirmed on board. They'll be in St. Petersburg November 28th with CNN's Anderson Cooper answering online questions submitted by you.
Do you want to ask a question? All you have to do is go to YouTube.com/RepublicanDebate. Turn on the camera, mike yourself up and ask away. You saw how it worked with the Democrats. Expect more fireworks on November 28th.
Well are President Bush's opponents unfairly using children to score political points or is it just politics as usual?
HOLMES: Our own Josh Levs, Mr. Reality himself, keeping things real for us joins with us some of these answers. Good morning to you, sir. LEVS: Good morning, you guys. That one things I love about Saturdays. We kind of get to take a step back for a sec and look at some of these holes along the way that we might have missed.
And one thing that's going on in Washington big time right now is this use of children, because there's this whole fight about the children's health initiative. It's heath insurance for kids out there.
We've been telling you a little bit about it, but now the White House has accused some of President Bush's opponents of unfairly using images of children when putting forth their stamp. So what we are doing for you now is taking a look at President Bush's record, sometimes using children to make his political points.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS (voice-over): In the now-daily battle over the state children's health insurance program, Democrats accused the president of
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MAJORITY LEADER: Opposing health insurance for 10 million children.
LEVS: Democrats had 12-year-old Graeme Frost tell his heart- breaking tale followed by a plea to the White House.
GRAEME FROST, CHILD: I just hope the president will listen to my story to help other kids to be as lucky as me.
LEVS: As Democrats ratchet up their campaign over the bill Bush vetoed, White House spokesman Tony Fratto complained the Democrats are "exploiting the image of children."
White House spokesman Dana Perino accused the Dems of demagoguery, a charge the first lady repeated.
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: It's just a perfect issue to demagogue.
LEVS: Demagogue, to obscure and distort with emotionalism or prejudice, something often done in politics particularly when it involves children.
Though sometimes as Democrats say here, citing children is about reminding the country what's at stake. Either way, the president has his own record of citing children in controversial issues like the troop buildup in Iraq.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Failure in Iraq would have serious consequences for the security of your children and your grandchildren. So I made the decision rather than pulling out of the capital, to send more troops in the capital.
LEVS: Or renewing the No Child Left Behind Act.
BUSH: Through this law, our nation has made an historic commitment to America's children and we have a moral obligation to keep that commitment.
LEVS: Or rejecting efforts to ease restrictions on funding embryonic stem cell research.
BUSH: We should not use public money to support the further destruction of human life.
LEVS: The truth is, children have been used plenty to make political points object both sides. Who could forget the 12-year-old at the 2004 Democratic National Convention?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When our vice president had a disagreement with the Democratic senator, he used a really bad word.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: Everybody loves that clip. Well, this is an internal political reality. Politicians, they do it. They use kids to tug at the heart strings of voters. But when we've got one side accusing the other side of demagoguing, that's when it's time for us to take a step back and look at some recent history.
NGUYEN: Well and you know, it's been going on for years. Take a look at history. Remember that daisy ad?
LEVS: Right, yes. And we have the video ad. The daisy ad going all the way back to 1964, the most famous use of a child in a political message probably ever in U.S. political history. You see this girl picked the flower, then all of the sudden there's this nuclear explosion.
This is 1964 from President Lyndon Johnson against Barry Goldwater, extremely divisive, sending a tough message there. And people still talk about it to this day. Believe it or not, that ad, Betty, aired once, ever in 1964 back in the days when everybody was watching the same thing on T.V. So everybody knew about it.
Imagine a political ad airing once and having that much of a message. But that is just a sign and a reminder that every era, every presidential administration, you always have that kind of thing going on.
NGUYEN: Not exactly like that, but yeah, got you. Thank you.
LEVS: Thanks, Betty.
HOLMES: President Bush today working to seal the confirmation of the man he wants for attorney general, Michael Mukasey. The president describes the former judge as a man of character. His nomination has been in dispute, because Mukasey refuses to say whether he considers water boarding torture. The interrogation technique that simulates drowning is widely viewed as torture. Now, two Democratic senators have agreed to back Mukasey. That pretty much assures he will be confirmed.
NGUYEN: Condoleezza Rice on a diplomatic mission this hour, trying to persuade Turkey not to attack Iraq. She is at a meeting in Istanbul on Iraq's future. Turkey is threatening an all-out assault against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. Rebel raids into Turkey have killed 40 people over the past month.
HOLMES: There's been a lot of weather to talk about across the country. Extreme weather and Reynolds Wolf been a busy man this morning. Good morning to you again, sir.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: All right, here's the shock of the morning. Check this out. Soldier stabbed in the head. Look at that X-ray. And he actually lives to talk about it. His story straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: But first, when it comes to an economically friendly home, less is more. Gerri Willis explains in this week's Greenhouse report.
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MAYA DRAISIN, WIRED MAGAZINE: A lot of people think of Wired as about being gadget hungry. And that is a piece of it for sure, but when you're thinking green, we really thought less is more.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN ANCHOR: Wired is teaming up with Living Homes and architect Ray Havey (ph) to design a 4,000 square foot greenhouse in Brentwood, California.
STEVE GLENN, CEO, LIVING HOMES: We are using factory production to build our homes better, quicker, cheaper with A smaller ecological foot print than a similarly constructed site-built home.
WILLIS: Green products are everywhere: glass to reduce the need for lighting. LED lighting uses one tenth the power of incandescent and lasts 10-to-15 years, but unlike bulbs, they're dimmable and have no mercury issues.
GLENN: The wood is reclaimed redwood. It's actually in its third use. It was part of a bridge, part of a ceiling I think in military barracks once upon a time.
WILLIS: If you can't afford the hefty $4 million price tag or the pricy appliances within, at least drop by to get some ideas. That's this week's Greenhouse.
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HOLMES: Here now are some of the most popular stores on CNN.com. First, marshal law, big story this morning, happening in Pakistan. Faced with increasing violence and unrest, President Pervez Musharraf has just declared a state of emergency. Pakistan's constitution has also been suspended.
Another popular story, authorities hope composite sketches might help them identify a child whose body stuffed in a large plastic storage box washed ashore this week in Texas.
Also, popular story, the pop princess Britney Spears, big spender, it appears. Court papers shows Spears spends lavishly on clothes and entertainment. Now we know just how much.
NGUYEN: OK, how much is it?
HOLMES: She makes more than $700,000 a month, OK? So she's got the change to spend. OK, but she spends more than $102,000 a month to keep herself entertained.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, that's not too bad if you are making $700,000.
HOLMES: $100,000?
NGUYEN: She's got to look good in the public eye and sometimes that works, and many times for her it doesn't.
HOLMES: Only you would defend spending $100,000 to make yourself happy. But she also has to pay $35,000 a month to her ex-husband for child and spousal support. We were talking about jobs that are stress-free. He's got a pretty good one.
NGUYEN: Not really aspiring to be that, but you know, no comment from T.J.
Let's get to this story. This is one that is really going to shock you. A soldier wounded in battle. Take a look. That's not the picture. Wait until you see the X-ray though. There you go.
HOLMES: That tells part of the story. We will hear the rest of the story from the soldier who survived this vicious attack.
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NGUYEN: All right, a soldier stabbed in the head in Iraq. You have to see this X-ray right there. OK, here is the incredible story how military surgeons actually saved his life, pulling a nine-inch knife out of his skull. But first though, we want to give you a warning, some of the images obviously are disturbing. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen reports.
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ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If there are average days in Iraq, July 2nd of this year started out as one for the 118th military police company. Sergeant Dan Powers led his squad of 13 men to the scene of yet another explosion on the streets of Baghdad. They finished questioning the Iraqi police and were walking back to their trucks when all of a sudden --
SGY. DAN POWERS, U.S. ARMY: It was like, bam. It was really loud. I had blood all over my armor.
COHEN: At first, Powers thought he was shot. It was no bullet. It was there, a nine-inch knife had gone halfway through his head. Another MP wrestled down the attacker and Powers kept doing his job. So you have a knife sticking out of your head and you are watching this guy who stabbed you?
POWERS: I had my m-4.
COHEN: So you've got a knife sticking out of your head, and you've got your guy aimed at this prisoner.
Powers said he had no idea he had a knife in his head until his buddies pointed on it out. After bandaging the wound, they whisked him to the Green Zone and then rushed him by helicopter to a state-of- the-art military hospital 50 miles north of Baghdad. They called ahead warning, a stabbing victim was on the way.
LT. COL. RICHARD TEFF, NEUROSURGEON: We had no idea it was going to be such a big, shiny German knife.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our nurse said he was on his way down.
COHEN: Lieutenant Colonel Richard Teff was one of the neurosurgeons in the operating room. And you're getting a first-hand look. Here is Powers just as he arrived in the O.R. Amazingly, he chatted with his doctors.
POWERS: I'm just very lucky to be alive. I know what happened.
COHEN: But an X-ray revealed his situation was really quite dire. The knife had miraculously just missed his brain, settling in his sinus cavity. But the tip of the knife nicked his carotid artery. And it was like a finger in a dike, remove it and he could bleed to death. The surgeon's only option was to slowly pull the knife out and see what happened.
TEFF: We just prayed and pulled it out and frankly I was a little surprised. I didn't think it was going to bleed the way it did. But when it started bleeding, we had to act quickly.
COHEN: Powers lost 40 percent of the blood in his body.
TEFF: That was the moment when they called it a heart attack moment, when I was concerned he might die right there on the table in front of us.
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NGUYEN: We are still trying to recover just from those images of the knife sticking out of his head. Well Powers said that he feels fine and he owes his life to so many people. His attacker by the way was tried and convicted in Iraq. That story will get you awake.
HOLMES: Can you imagine? He was just sitting there talking like he didn't feel a thing. NGUYEN: It's amazing that he survived that. And the pictures, they're so telling.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: It gives me a headache.
HOLMES: I'm glad we waited and didn't show that during the earlier breakfast hour.
WHITFIELD: It gives you something to chat about, doesn't it? I've got this huge table in front of me, I can't get to you.
NGUYEN: This guy has a knife in his head and you are complaining about a table?
WHITFIELD: I know, I know. I am not complaining. I can empathize with his pain to a degree. Glad he's OK, right? OK.
Well, we've got a lot straight ahead. Hello, guys this lovely Saturday. Of course, we're going to continue on the search for answers on what's going on in Pakistan. State of emergency, what does this mean for the U.S. relations with Pakistan? Our greatest ally in the war on terror. We are going to have John McLaughlin with us. He's a CNN national security analyst and also once a big cheese over at the CIA. He's going to delve into what this really means, how concerned we need to be.
And then our Miles O'Brien is going to take us to space to try to understand this. It's considered to be a very risky and dangerous space walk that will be taking place. It's a repair that is imperative. Miles O'Brien will break it down for us.
All that straight ahead.
NGUYEN: It was quite remarkable watching them do some of that today on the space walk.
WHITFIELD: I know, that's right, you already had a taste of it.
NGUYEN: Just a little bit, but it's not over yet. So we're looking forward to seeing what Miles says. Thank you, Fred.
HOLMES: Thank you, Fredricka. Interrogation or torture? Which is it? Water boarding, a subject of a hot debate right now. We'll let you decide next in the NEWSROOM.
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HOLMES: A highly debated interrogation method could derail the president's pick for the top job in the Justice Department.
NGUYEN: And all the debate is over water boarding. And what this has done, it has led journalists to actually have themselves water boarded.
HOLMES: Not these two, though. CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a serious look at reporters, protestors and amateurs using themselves in demonstrations.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's one thing to see an animation of water boarding and another to see the real thing. Sounds like the Bush administration's nominee for attorney general hasn't seen a demo.
MICHAEL MUKASEY, ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE: I don't know what's involved in the technique, if water boarding is torture, torture is not constitutional.
MOOS: It depends what the definition of water boarding is, but this reporter didn't define it, he demonstrated it, on himself.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you have to say? What do you have to say? MOOS: Kaj Larsen is a reporter for Current TV, Al Gore's outfit. He used to be special ops and once had to undergo water boarding as part of military training, but this time he paid other professional interrogators.
KAJ LARSEN, REPORTER: I weaseled him down to $800.
MOOS: To waterboard him so folks could decide if it amounts to torture.
LARSEN: It start to create the sensation of drowning.
MOOS: They stuffed a rag into Larsen's mouth. They began pouring and then the shaking began.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's getting ready to say something.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can end this now, just talk.
MOOS: Larsen's producer actually ended it telling the interrogators to stop after 24 minutes. Normally a person breaks after two or three.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You OK?
LARSEN: Oh, that sucked.
MOOS: Current TV says Larsen was the first to do a serious demonstration of water boarding over a year ago.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only place he can breathe is through his nose and we're going to fill that with water.
MOOS: FOX News reporter, Steve Harrigan, also water boarded himself. They placed cellophane over his mouth and poured water in his nose.
Anti-war demonstrators have taken the demonstrating water boarding and posting their protests on You Tube. Even a few amateurs have tried it at home, timing themselves to see how long they can last.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 11.9. MOOS: Not smart. Do it wrong and experts say water boarding can kill you. And then there's this instructional water boarding tape supposedly leaked from the military.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Step two, blindfold your subject.
MOOS: Turns it's a parity. They recommend splashing water generously.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This will overall aid in the overall drowning look and feel.
MOOS: For the good old days when water boarding meant riding a board on water. Now, that's constitutional, Mr. Attorney general nominee. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: The length that some people go to.
HOLMES: And with that, CNN NEWSROOM continues.
WHITFIELD: I loved watching your expressions. You both were like, what?
NGUYEN: Exactly.
WHITFIELD: In fact, that reminds me, we have a segment coming up later on in this hour, stories that kind of evoke that response. Kind of what, what were they thinking? We've got that coming up. You'll have to stay tuned for that. But it has nothing to do with water boarding. Instead it has something to do with breast milk.
NGUYEN: Oh, lovely.
WHITFIELD: I know, well, you'll have to watch. You guys have a great day.
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