Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
O.J.'s Probable Cause Hearing Continues; American Jailed in Italy on Murder Charges; Peterson Case Update
Aired November 09, 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: Benazir Bhutto couldn't go to the protest, so the protest came to her -- sort of. Emergency rule hits home for the former Pakistani prime minister and key opponent of Pakistan's president.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It should have been a adventure of a lifetime. Instead, it is a murder mystery. An American student in Italy suspected in her roommate's grisly killing. We get the eye- popping details from Alessio Vinci this hour.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: Benazir Bhutto's call for a mass rally in the city of Rawalpindi fell short of expectations. The crowds were small. The police turnout was overwhelming, and Bhutto herself was in lockdown in her own home.
Dan Rivers walked the streets for this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They had vowed to confront the authorities, and confront them, they did, stones hurled at police lines, tear gas fired back.
Although these clashes in Rawalpindi looked fierce, it appears there were far fewer supporters of Benazir Bhutto than expected, a few hundred at most, not the tens of thousands hoped for by the former prime minister.
Much of the center of the city was in lockdown, lines of riot police ready for action. It's unclear if her supporters were intimidated or she couldn't muster the report she wished for.
We watched as one Pakistan Peoples Party's supporter approached the police. They talk for a while, the crowd kept well back behind police barricades. Then this. The man chants Benazir Bhutto's name and is suddenly set upon, officers showing little restraint as they march him away.
SAUD AZIZ, PAKISTANI POLICE: We have arrested about 65 people today.
RIVERS: Sixty-five?
AZIZ: Approximately.
RIVERS: And how many police deployed?
AZIZ: About 8,500 policemen, but all over the district.
RIVERS: The security forces are very well-prepared here. This is a line of riot police stopping people getting into the center of Rawalpindi. You can see down there barricades have been put up. And beyond, there are a crowd. There had been clashes here earlier on. At the moment, things are calm, but the authorities have a very tight grip on the city.
(voice-over): In many places, the normally bustling streets of Rawalpindi were deserted. These scenes will be a bitter blow to Benazir Bhutto and her supporters.
CHAUDHARY KHURAM, PPP ACTIVIST: We will come back tomorrow, and we will come and (INAUDIBLE) about 50 to 60 people. But, unfortunately, we are not able to come collectively.
RIVERS: This was supposed to be the day Benazir's supporters brought General Musharraf to his knees. In the end, it is the army and general who remain firmly in control of this country.
Dan Rivers, CNN, Rawalpindi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Now to Illinois, where the search for Stacy Peterson has led authorities to refocus attention on her husband and the wife that he had before her.
The family of Kathleen Savio says that "America's Most Wanted" -- says to them, rather, that authorities intend to exhume her body. Her family has long suspected that she did not drown accidentally in the bathtub, as the coroner's office had ruled. Prosecutors reopened an investigation into Savio's after learning of Peterson's disappearance.
LEMON: We showed you those incredible pictures coming from New Jersey just on the other side of the river from New York.
Fredricka Whitfield working on that developing story for us -- Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right.
And let's take another look, because the fire is still burning. These are the most recent pictures we're getting in from a CNN I- Reporter, Liliane Vitale. She actually shot these images from her 27th-floor apartment window.
And, here, you see the billowing smoke. She believes that this exact location is somewhere near the 62nd and Jackson Avenue areas. According to fire officials, at least one building is engulfed by flames. It started out in one building, but then traveled to a nearby building in a crowded downtown section of West New York, New Jersey.
It's unclear exactly how this fire may have started, however. And it's also unclear whether that building, the primary building, was occupied by anyone when this fire took place.
Now, because of the low cloud cover and because of the weather in the area, they have been unable to get up in the air any kind of first-responders or even news choppers to get in the air to get a closer view of what's going on.
But the fire is being fought from the ground. And, here, you see kind of the panoramic view that our I-Reporter, Liliane Vitale, was able to show, and then there just kind of giving perspective of the kinds of dark plumes of smoke there in the air after looking at that whole panoramic view. Pretty remarkable blaze under way -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Fred, thank you very much for that.
PHILLIPS: The coroner has ruled on the death of Carol Gotbaum. She is the New York woman who flew into a rage at the Phoenix Airport, was handcuffed and shackled, then died alone in a holding cell.
We're going to get the details now from CNN's Alina Cho.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The headline from the medical examiner's report is that Carol Gotbaum's death was ruled an accident and there was both alcohol and antidepressants in her system when she died.
Now, the cause of death was certified as asphyxia by hanging. That supports the argument by Phoenix police that Carol Gotbaum may have strangled herself while trying to escape from her handcuffs. Now, police also say the M.E.'s report is consistent with their argument that officers acted appropriately and that there was no misconduct.
Now, Carol Gotbaum, you will recall, was on her way to an alcohol rehab center in Tucson back on September 28, six weeks ago, when she missed her connection in Phoenix, flew into a rage, and was ultimately arrested for disorderly conduct.
Now, officers put her into a holding cell alone. Several minutes later, when police did not hear her screaming anymore, they went in to check on her and found her unconscious. Now, family members have suggested something different, that police mishandled the situation.
In fact, the Gotbaum family is conducting its own investigation, hired an independent pathologist, who has just gotten access to Gotbaum's key organs. So ultimately there could be another version, another story of how Carol Gotbaum died. And that could either strengthen or weaken the family's argument as they try to decide whether to pursue a lawsuit against the Phoenix Police Department.
Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: All right. Let's get you back now to Las Vegas. These are pictures of just moments ago in Las Vegas.
It's day two of O.J. Simpson's probable cause hearing, which resumed a couple of hours ago in Vegas. Prosecutors are trying to show ample evidence to try Simpson and two other defendants on armed robbery charges.
And let's go now to the ground. CNN's Dan Simon is there. He's been there throughout this story, this hearing here.
Where are we at this point during the hearing? Have they taken a little recess or a break, or is it still going on?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're in a lunch break right now, Don. And clearly what the defense is trying to do, already trying to plant the seeds of reasonable doubt.
And they did a pretty good job handling Thomas Riccio. He's a prosecution witness, of course, but Riccio testified today. It was his cross-examination. And he helped out the defense on two levels, first of all, by talking about these items.
From Riccio's point of view, it was clear that these items had in fact been stolen from O.J. Simpson. How did he know? Because he had a conversation with the guy named Al Beardsley. Beardsley is one of two sports memorabilia collectors who gathered in that Las Vegas hotel room ostensibly for the purpose of selling these items.
Well, according to Riccio, Beardsley told him that these items had been stolen from O.J. Simpson. Riccio also helped out the defense as far as the gun issue is concerned, which is a critical component to this case. Riccio says it's quite possible when O.J. Simpson went into that hotel room and they had that confrontation, it's possible that O.J. Simpson never saw any guns.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You believe there is a good chance that O.J. Simpson did not see any guns, correct?
THOMAS RICCIO, RECORDED AUDIO OF SIMPSON'S ALLEGED CRIME: There's a chance. I don't know if I can say good or not. There is a chance, though. He was in front of the gun.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, good was your word. It wasn't our word.
RICCIO: There's a chance. I'm not going to make odds on it. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: So obviously the defense trying to raise the reasonable doubt issue even before this gets to trial. Obviously, this is a preliminary hearing, but you have got a huge jury pool out there watching. And perhaps this could influence them if in fact the case does get to trial -- Don.
LEMON: OK. Can we expect a decision? And how is it going to come forward from the judge?
SIMON: Well, you still have several more witnesses to testify. They're going to wrap obviously sometime today. Then they're going to resume on Tuesday, so you have a few more witnesses.
Once all the testimony is concluded, then the judge is going to make a decision. But I wouldn't expect a decision until probably Wednesday or even Thursday of next week, Don.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much for that, Dan.
PHILLIPS: It's an international murder mystery, a British university student brutally killed in Italy, her American roommate held, but not charged. We will break down the case with our Alessio Vinci.
LEMON: Europe braces for the worst. A powerful storm rolls through. Is it as bad as everyone feared? We will track the threat.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Three twelve Eastern time right now. Here's a few of the stories that we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Day two of the O.J. Simpson's preliminary hearing. One witness characterized the confrontation between Simpson and some sports memorabilia dealers as a military-style invasion.
In Arizona, a medical examiner says Carol Gotbaum accidentally strangled herself. Gotbaum died in police custody at the Phoenix Airport after being arrested for disorderly conduct.
And the man who shot Alabama Governor George Wallace in 1972 has been released from prison. Arthur Bremer served 35 years of a 53-year sentence for trying to assassinate Wallace, then a presidential candidate. Wallace was paralyzed below his waist for the rest of his life.
LEMON: A college student from Seattle is being held in the grisly murder of her housemate in Italy. Her name is Amanda Knox. Her Italian boyfriend is being held, too, along with a Congolese bar owner, whom Knox now accuses of murder.
CNN's Rome bureau chief, Alessio Vinci, joins us here in Atlanta with the very latest on this.
So, tell us exactly what happened.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Don, a week ago, a British student was found dead in her room with her throat slit.
LEMON: Right.
VINCI: And her roommate, Amanda Knox, is among three suspects. They believe that the -- police believe that her account of what happened is inconsistent.
She's contradicted herself, saying first she was not in the house, then said, I was in the house, but I was hearing the screaming. I couldn't intervene. I put my hands on my ears. I didn't want to deal with it.
So, her accounts have been quite inconsistent, and her boyfriend is also involved as well.
LEMON: OK. So, then why -- if they're saying they didn't do it, why are they suspects, she and her boyfriend, then?
VINCI: Because there is evidence against them.
LEMON: OK.
VINCI: First of all, their accounts, they don't match. Also, they found a knife in the possession of the boyfriend that appears to be the knife with which the murder was committed.
And they also found some footprints that also match the sneakers belonging to the boyfriend. And most importantly just that their stories don't match.
LEMON: OK. Story doesn't match, and there's some circumstantial evidence, that is what you're saying.
VINCI: Correct. Correct.
LEMON: Talk about the Italian media covering this, because I don't know the difference between -- I'm sure there is a difference between American media, Italian media. How are they covering it? And I'm sure this is a big deal. Why so?
VINCI: It's a big deal in Italy, and it's a big deal in Britain, of course. And the media in Britain especially is very aggressive. They painted a sort of less than flattering image of this Amanda Knox.
She had -- or she has a blog on MyFace, and where she's sort of written about sex and drug and murder and stuff like that. She's calling herself -- or someone called her Foxy Knoxy. So all that adds of course to the fuel to a perfect murder story, if you want. And the media are going wild with it, so much, in fact, that the Italian prosecutors are trying to put a restraint on that and to keep things a little bit under control.
LEMON: Yes. It all seems very odd. Alessio Vinci, our Rome bureau chief, thank you very much. Keep us updated.
(CROSSTALK)
VINCI: All right. I will.
PHILLIPS: In a coma for six hours after swallowing a toy tainted with the date rape drug, a mother tells her son's shocking story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: With just a month-and-a-half to go until Christmas, fears about toy safety are back on everyone's mind, the latest scare, Aqua Dots. It's a popular toy contaminated with the same chemical in date rape drugs.
At least two American children have been hospitalized. One was a 20-month-old boy.
On CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," his mother and his doctor talked about what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "AMERICAN MORNING")
SHELBY ESSES, SON SURVIVED AQUA DOT SCARE: He was playing in his sister's bedroom and she is the one with the Aqua Dots. They were up out of his reach and he climbed to get them and got them down and ate some and came stumbling out into the living room and kind of was weaving around and fell down and his dad went to pick him up and he was completely limp.
Then he started throwing up so we knew we had to get him in the hospital and we put him in the car. And on the way to the base clinic, we live on Little Rock Air Force Base, he passed out.
DR. MATT JAEGER, TREATED ESSES CHILD: in the beginning, we were very confused because we knew he had ingested the little beads because, as he even once he got to our hospital, after he was transported by our helicopters, he was already throwing up, continuing to throw up these beads so with we knew they were definitely in his system.
But we didn't have any idea what the components of these beads were, so we actually continued, in addition to thinking about what could these Aqua Dots have done to him, we continued to look for other sources or other types of more common ingestions.
But it was quite a while until before we figured it out. He actually got better at our hospital before we had a firm diagnosis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, as you can see, the boy recovered. As a matter of fact, he was taking snacks there from his mom right there during live television. (LAUGHTER)
LEMON: So cute.
PHILLIPS: But scientists say that the chemical found in Aqua Dots can cause unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma, even death. And they're urging parents who still have that toy just to get rid of it.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Well, the government's anti-terror no-fly list contains tens of thousands of names, maybe yours, but that doesn't make you a terrorist. Even if all those names were legit, they're shared by lots of innocent people, including the ones you're about to meet.
Here's CNN justice correspondent Kelli Arena.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Traveling is a nightmare for the Thompson family.
JOHN THOMPSON, COLORADO BUSINESSMAN: Every time I fly, I go through additional security screening. And it takes minimum of -- it's about 20 minutes now. Before, it was about an hour -- even longer in some circumstances.
ARENA: John Thompson shares a name with an IRA terrorist on the government's no-fly list. So does his father, John Thompson, and his 16-year-old son, John Thompson.
J. THOMPSON: Ten years old was the first time he got yanked out of the line and actually had additional screening done. And it was pretty traumatizing for him.
JOHN THOMPSON III, SON OF JOHN THOMPSON: Yes.
ARENA: The no-fly list has about 40,000 names on it -- including aliases. It's part of a much larger and growing terrorist watch list managed by the FBI's top secret terror screening center. The government says in the last eight month, 16,000 people have applied to get their names cleared off the no-fly list. Only about half have been successful. But even then, officials can't guarantee that they won't get hassled at the airport.
KATHLEEN KRANINGER, HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT: We cannot promise that an individual that goes through the redress process will never be secondary screened again.
ARENA: Apparently they can't even guarantee a response at all. Thompson says he's been trying for five years. He filled out all the necessary forms and sent relevant documents, but still hasn't heard a thing.
Lawmakers want more accountability.
REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS), HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: If the people lose faith, the watch list will go the way of the color-coded terror alerts and become fodder for late night comedians rather than reassurance that the United States government is protecting its people.
ARENA (on camera): Right now, airlines are in charge of matching passenger names against the no-fly list. And the government says, once it takes over that job, which is expected next year, misidentification shouldn't be an issue.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: The business world is not fun and games, but in more and more companies, it is at least sometimes fun and games.
In today's "Fit Nation," Dr. Gupta investigates a health trend employees can really get into.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Balloon races, broom races and guessing games, sounds more like summer camp than a meeting at ING Direct, an online financial services company. The reason? Happier, more productive employees.
JOY ZABEN, ING DIRECT: We think about our employees as more than just in their work environment, their entire -- their stress level, their health. This got them up and moving around.
GUPTA: Many corporations want employees to step away from their cubicles and enjoy themselves. One way is to make them laugh.
David Raymond organizes seminars on workplace fun. He says it creates camaraderie and keeps workers active.
DAVID RAYMOND, THE FUN DEPARTMENT: We want to make sure it's appropriate and easy for everybody to participate, but we also want some of the things to be physically challenging.
GUPTA: Employees feel more energetic.
CORRINE LASTER, ING DIRECT EMPLOYEE: Having fun activities allows you to have a better frame of mind when you're working.
GUPTA: And there could be real health benefits as well. Research shows laughter can help blood flow, preventing diseases such as hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, and strokes.
DR. MICHAEL MILLER, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL CENTER: When we have a good laugh or we feel very relaxed, it in a way helps us to rejuvenate.
GUPTA: It also reduces stress, shown to be a primary factor when it comes to weight gain and heart problems.
Other ways to encourage happy workers? Well, Google provides activities like volleyball and scooters on the job. Other companies even allow pets in the office, all aimed at keeping employees relaxed and more productive.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Europe braces for the worst, as a powerful storm rolls through. Is it as bad as everyone feared? We will track the threat.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: We have some breaking news coming out of Illinois. We told you about Stacy Peterson. She has been missing since October 28th. This is literally just coming off the wires here. Let me grab this.
According to our affiliates there -- it's from WBBM -- they are reporting that Drew Peterson, that Chicago Sergeant Drew Peterson has now been named a suspect in the case.
Also getting word that state police just announced that -- made that announcement, according to our affiliate. And they are saying that state police -- Illinois State Police just named Sergeant Drew Peterson a suspect in the case against his wife, Stacy Peterson, 23 years old, some 30 years his senior. It's his fourth wife. He is from Bolingbrook, Illinois police officer -- a police sergeant. He is 53- years-old.
She has been missing, again, since October 28th. She is the mother of two young children and the adoptive mother of two of Drew Peterson's other sons.
There's also some developments in this case that happened regarding one of his earlier wives -- his third wife, Kathleen Savio. We're hearing that the coroner will exhume that body. Her death in a bathtub had been ruled an accidental drowning, but now there's some question about that, so they're exhuming that body to look into it. We heard from "America's Most Wanted" just a short time ago. And we're now hearing that Chicago media reporting that Drew Peterson now named a suspect in this case of his 23-year-old missing wife. She has been missing since Sunday, October 28th.
We're efforting more on this very, very bizarre story. We'll bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: And overseas, there's breaking developments from Pakistan. Within the past hour or so, the government withdrew a house arrest order for opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Her plans to lead a major anti-rally were dashed today when police barricaded her home. She spoke to her supporters by megaphone with police looking on. Government opponents did turn out in smaller numbers than planned and they clashed with police in several cities around the country. Bhutto's party says more than 5,000 of its members were rounded up.
The crisis in Pakistan is far from simple. The government has close ties to the U.S. and it also is a close ally in the war on terror. And the opposition, for its part, is hardly united. Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, shared his thoughts on CNN's American morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "AMERICAN MORNING")
JOHN BOLTON, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO U.N.: I think it's important people understand this is not a choice between democracy and Benazir Bhutto on one side and martial law and Pervez Musharraf on the other.
This is a choice right now between secure command and control over Pakistan's nuclear weapons arsenal on the one hand and chaos on the other. If we have chaos, we could have a radical Islamist regime in charge of those weapons.
JOHN ROBERTS, CO-ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING": You know, the people that we've seen Musharraf arresting are not Islamic radicals. They're attorneys. They're lawyers, judges.
BOLTON: I think part of the problem is that we don't have a very good idea of what the situation is. I think, unfortunately, we have contributed to it. And this is one of these things where events can spiral out of control. And if they do that and those nuclear weapons fall into the hands of terrorists, we're all in much worst shape.
ROBERTS: Is Benazir Bhutto the savior of Pakistan that she and her supporters would like to portray her as?
I mean here's a person who was kicked out of office twice for corruption.
BOLTON: Right. You know, just because she's a Harvard graduate doesn't mean she's the salvation for Pakistan. Her administration was, sadly, no better than most other civilian administrations in Pakistan. That's why they call the military the steel skeleton there. We may not like it, but it's a fact of life in that country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the White House today repeated calls for President Musharraf to cancel the state of emergency.
Today's showdown outside the home of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto did make for some tense and dramatic moments.
Our Zain Verjee was there from start to finish.
Here's a behind-the scenes look at how she covered the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing outside Benazir Bhutto's house. There's a major stalemate on. She's trying to get out of the house and go to Rawalpindi, where she wants to hold a rally. But they're not allowing anybody through. Right now what's going on is that her supporters are out here. They're chanting "Down with Musharraf! Up with Benazir! We want (INAUDIBLE)!"
There is barbed wire that surrounds the house. There are blocks of cement (INAUDIBLE). There are cars and a major -- a big bus, actually, is stopping -- preventing her jeep from coming out.
(VIDEO OF PROTEST)
VERJEE: Some of her party supporters inside are trying to negotiate with police. They're trying to rip apart the barbed wire and get -- get her out to this meeting. But it's heavy security here. They just brought in more reinforcements. Many security forces are here with guns -- AK-47s.
So this is a little bit of a tenuous situation. It doesn't really seem as though she's going to be able to break out, because there are hundreds of security guards here, heavily armed. And so it seems as though she's staging this situation. But it doesn't seem as though she's going to be able to get out.
We've been seeing a lot of her supporters here. They're out on the streets. Many of them have been dragged away and arrested.
(VIDEO OF PROTEST)
VERJEE: We're actually on the side street. This is one of the streets she's been trying to drive out of but there's a barrier there. There are heavily armed guards with AK-47s. Reinforcements have just come in.
So the situation is precarious. We're not quite sure what will happen. But more armed guards went beyond the barrier and toward the house and where she and her supporters are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: While the eyes of the world were on Pakistan, something remarkable took place in Myanmar, also known as Burma. Just weeks after that nation's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, the movement's figurehead was allowed to meet with top officials of her National League for Democracy. It doesn't sound like much, but Aung San Suu Kyi has been under continuous house arrest since May, 2003. The military rulers say 10 people were killed in the September protests. The protests led by Myanmar's reverent Buddhist monks. The others say the real toll is much higher. Thousands, monks included, were rounded up and jailed.
PHILLIPS: And just a few moments ago, we told you about D.C. fire and emergency officials. They were responding to some type of train derailment in Southeast Washington. We're getting more information now. This is what we can tell you. At least five freight cars are in the water. This is from a CSX train. We are expecting to talk to Tony Dorsey with the D.C. Fire Department in just a second. We're getting him linked up on the phone right now.
We're told so far no injuries reported. I'm told we have -- or I'm told, rather, we have Tony Dorsey on the phone with us now.
Tony, can you tell us, first of all, are there any -- we've got word there weren't any injuries reported. But I'm seeing that there are five freight cars in the water.
Any individuals in those freight cars?
TONY DORSEY, WASHINGTON FIRE DEPARTMENT: You know, the good news is that there are no reported injuries at this particular time. We have a large contingent of D.C. Fire and EMS personnel on the scene. We've also got a couple of our fire boats nearby. They've checked out the scene. And we've been in touch with CSX Railway and we are under the impression at this particular time that there are no reported injuries.
PHILLIPS: All right. That's good news.
What happened, Tony?
Can you give us the details on where this train was coming from and how it derailed?
DORSEY: Well, I don't have particular details about the train itself. You'll have to get that information from CSX themselves. All I know at this particular time is that the train was crossing over a railroad bridge above the Anacostia River and for some reason several of the rail cars derailed. They came off the track. We know that at least five to seven rail cars actually were involved in the derailment. Several of them went into the water. And, like I said, the good news is that no -- there are no reported injuries from the scene right now.
PHILLIPS: Now, just to be safe, are there any divers in the water?
DORSEY: No. I don't think that we have any divers in the water at this particular time. We've been in contact with CSX. They've been very helpful in passing along information to us about the makeup of the rail car itself and the train and who was there, who was involved and so forth. So we -- we are not getting any indications at all that any -- any persons are in any jeopardy whatsoever. We were told very early that there were no life safety issues. So that means that we don't believe at this particular time that anybody was injured.
PHILLIPS: Are you actually on the scene, Tony?
DORSEY: No. Actually I'm back here at D.C. Fire Unit's headquarters. (INAUDIBLE)
PHILLIPS: So you can hear all the radios?
DORSEY: Yes. But I've got the information coming in. We do have Alan Etter and the battalion fire chief (INAUDIBLE) cross wise from our office. Both of them are responding to the scene right now. And they'll be fielding -- fielding questions from reporters once reporters arrive on the scene.
PHILLIPS: All right.
So, Tony, just to clarify, when you talked to CSX, did they tell you there were no passengers on that train?
I mean did they give specifics about that actual train and the people on board -- who was on board?
DORSEY: Yes. In fact, one of the very first things you do when you respond to a situation like this is you try to figure out whether there are any life safety issues. And we determined very quickly by communicating with everyone that we could -- and certainly CSX was one of the people that -- one of the agencies that we wanted to contact very quickly. We made a determination that based on not only information from CSX, but from our own on scene visuals, that there were no life safety issues.
So at this particular time we're not getting any indication that there is anybody in any danger or that anybody was hurt as a result of this derailment.
PHILLIPS: Tony, I'm getting some information coming to me that possibly this was a bridge collapse.
Are you hearing that on the radios there -- the EMS radios?
DORSEY: Well, no. The cause -- the cause of that -- the derailment is still -- it still has not been determined, at least as far as I understand. We have not been given any real information about what caused the derailment. We're responding to the scene, you know, as an emergency situation, trying to assess exactly whether or not there were any injuries and so forth.
So, no, we have not been given any direct information, as far as I know, at this particular time, of the cause of the derailment -- whether the bridge was the cause or whatever.
PHILLIPS: All right.
Tony Dorsey, D.C. Fire Department.
Tony, we sure appreciate it.
Thanks.
If you're just tuning in, we're following this story out of Southeast Washington. Apparently a train was on an overpass, a bridge, over the Anacostia River. We're not quite sure -- we can't confirm yet if, indeed, there was a bridge collapse or not. But we can tell you that five freight cars are in the water there in the river. And we're just trying to confirm -- you heard from Tony Dorsey at D.C. Fire there -- no injuries at this point reported. And he can't confirm there was a bridge collapse, but we're trying to piece all this together as we're getting information from the scene there.
We'll continue to update you on this developing story.
LEMON: Absolutely.
Tidal surges, violent winds, countries on alert. That's quite a storm in Europe, Reynolds Wolf.
Countries on alert?
Wow!
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: A former top cop enters a plea on federal corruption charges. We're going to tell you why that could cause headaches for a presidential frontrunner.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right, this just in to CNN. It was a 53-40 vote. We know about that. Michael Mukasey sworn in as the attorney general. But here's what's new about this. In a private ceremony -- Michael Mukasey was formally sworn in at a ceremony in Washington -- to Washington, I should say, from his home in New York. He flew from Washington from his home in New York and a short time later, arrived at his new Justice Department office, where the oath was administered in private by assistant attorney general for administration, Lee Lofthus. So it just happened moments ago. Of course, there's been some controversy around this. He is taking over for Alberto Gonzales.
There's going to be a public ceremony at the White House sometime next week. But he has been officially sworn in, in a private ceremony just moments ago.
PHILLIPS: You may have heard that former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin has been named chairman of Citigroup. But you probably don't know Rubin's passion outside the boardroom.
That's the topic of today's Life After Work.
Here's CNN's Ali Velshi.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Bronx, Southeast Washington, D.C. The Mississippi Delta -- all stark images of poverty and a sharp contrast to the life of a former U.S. treasury secretary. But Robert Rubin made one trip to the Bronx that completely changed his perspective.
ROBERT RUBIN, CHAIRMAN, LISC: I was astounded. Because what I saw in the South Bronx, which, in a sense, was the arch symbol of urban decay at one time, was block after block after block after block after block of renovated housing. There was the beginning of new business activity. It was the creation of a real community. And so I said, well how did this happen?
And that's when I heard about LISC.
VELSHI: LISC is the Local Initiative Support Corporation. It's a non-profit organization that helps community groups fund projects to redevelop rundown neighborhoods.
RUBIN: I left Treasury in July of 1999. And Michael Rubinger of LISC came to me and said our chairman is going to step down, we'd like you to be chairman. And that was the first thing -- the first thing that I did. And the reason I did it was I think that these problems of the inner cities and of the distressed rural areas are a critical issue for our country -- socially, morally, but also very much economically.
VELSHI: Rubin is still active in the for-profit world. He was recently named chairman of the board for financial giant Citigroup, as they search for a new CEO. But the work with LISC remains important.
RUBIN: I think that the best way to get a sense of how important this is, is to go on a little tour of project sites. You get a sense of, really, how great these accomplishments have been.
VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN, New York.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Once a top cop, now a defendant. Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik pleaded not guilty today to federal corruption charges. If he's convicted, he could face up to 142 years in prison.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BERNARD KERIK, FORMER NYPD COMMISSIONER: I'm not going to talk about the case itself. I just want to say that I'm disappointed that the government has brought forward this case. It's an extremely difficult time for me and my family. My life has been marked by challenge -- whether it was growing up, being a cop, Rikers Island, the New York City Police Department or the worst challenge. Until this time, my challenges during and after 9/11.
This is a battle I'm going to fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the judge set bail at half a million dollars. Kerik's indictment could cause problems for Republican presidential candidate, Rudy Giuliani, who was New York's mayor when Kerik was police commissioner. Giuliani admits it was a mistake to back Kerik's nomination back in 2004 for homeland security chief.
LEMON: Honey, that's not him. Grandpa picks up the wrong boy at school.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: This is the wrong kid. You've got the wrong kid.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Confusion at home.
(LAUGHTER)
LEMON: Big worry at another. We'll clear it all up for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: He might need glasses, I don't know. But it may be time for one Florida grandfather to get reacquainted with his grandson.
Reporter Jennifer Bower of affiliate WJXT in Jacksonville finds sitcom like complications in a real life story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNIFER BOWER, CNN AFFILIATE CORRESPONDENT, WJXT (voice-over): Four-year-old Zacari is hanging out at home -- the right home.
ZACARI BRADY, WENT HOME WITH WRONG MAN: I went to his house.
BOWER: After school on Tuesday, Zacari became part of a kid mix- up. A grandpa came to Long Branch Elementary to get his grandson, but wound up taking Zacari by mistake.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They don't have the same name. They don't even look alike.
BOWER: They apparently did to a 77-year-old grandpa, who put Zacari on his bike and rode home.
BRADY: We were riding a bicycle. And he had to pick me up and put me in the middle.
LATOIA GILLIS, ZACARI'S MOTHER: All the way from Long Branch, all the way to Main Street on a bicycle, with a man who I think they say was 77 years old?
BOWER: Zacari tells us when they got to the man's house, it was his wife who realized there was a kid mix-up.
BRADY: She said the wrong kid, you've got the wrong kid.
BOWER: Back at the school, Zacari's aunt had come to pick him up. So you can imagine the panic she felt when her 4-year-old nephew wasn't there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE, ZACARI'S AUNT: I was thinking the worst. I was crying. I was shaking.
BOWER: Luckily, the man was on his way back to the school and Zacari was safe. But now, his family wants to make sure this never happens again.
GILLIS: I just want, you know, the school -- I just want it to be a wake-up call. I'm very lucky to have my son back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Aw, they got the wrong kid.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: No, he said "keeeed." LEMON: He got the wrong kid.
PHILLIPS: You got the wrong kid.
LEMON: Grandpa should have known. Hey, dude, you got the wrong kid.
All right, well, since the incident, all pre-K teachers -- all of them are required now to check the I.D. Of anyone picking up the students, not only at the school, but across the district and probably not on a bicycle.
(LAUGHTER).
PHILLIPS: What are you doing picking up your kid on a bicycle?
LEMON: A bicycle.
PHILLIPS: That's a whole another story.
LEMON: You got the wrong keeeed, man.
PHILLIPS: All right brace yourself. The holiday season is right around the corner, as you know. A sure sign greeted New Yorkers this morning. You know, this. It's the giant Rockefeller Center Christmas tree -- 84 feet tall, 48 feet round -- the Grand Norway spruce was found in the backyard of a home in Shelton, Connecticut. The lights go on the night of November 28th.
LEMON: Ah, it's beautiful.
But is that green?
You've got to cut the tree down. It depends on how you get rid of it, I guess. All right. All right.
Who needs (INAUDIBLE)?
PHILLIPS: Don, it's the holidays.
LEMON: OK.
PHILLIPS: COMM.
LEMON: All right.
Who needs Superman when you've got this guy and Damian?
Guy and Damian.
PHILLIPS: Guy and Damian.
LEMON: Guy and Damian. When a van flipped over on a Phoenix road and pinned a child to the ground -- wow! -- the two cousins came to a recent crew. They lifted two tons worth of the vehicle, while a third person pulled the boy to safety.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First, I thought I was going to have to actually pull out a dead child. And I was like no, God, please don't let this happen. They were like, "Help. Help us. Help us."
Well, we helped them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was the most amazing act of kindness I've seen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: There were four other kids in the van when it flipped. The doors were jammed shut, so the heroes had to break the windows and pull the kids to safety.
And you hear the closing bell. It's ringing right now on Wall Street.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
