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American Morning
High Hopes in Annapolis; Washington Redskins Star Safety Sean Taylor Dies
Aired November 27, 2007 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: High hopes in Annapolis this morning. What the talks mean for the region and for U.S. troops in Iraq?
Plus, face-off. Experience, health care, negative campaigning. Top advisers to Clinton and Obama's campaigns swing it out on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And welcome. It's Tuesday, November 27th. I'm Kiran Chetry.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rob Marciano filling in today for John Roberts.
Lots of action today both on Wall Street, out of the NFL as well.
CHETRY: Yes, the breaking news this morning that we found out just two hours ago that Washington Redskins star safety Sean Taylor died. He was shot in the leg at his home in Miami early yesterday. A family friend telling us this morning the blood loss was just too great and that Taylor never regained consciousness.
Our Alina Cho is following the latest this morning from the national update desk on this sad story -- Alina?
CHO: That's right, Kiran. And as you mentioned, we did get the news just as we were going on the air this morning. CNN has now confirmed that Washington Redskins star safety Sean Taylor has died after undergoing six hours of surgery last night.
Now, within the past hour or so, we did receive some video of family members grieving outside that Miami hospital. The Washington Redskins released a short statement as well saying the team has been notified of Taylor's death and earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, we spoke with Taylor's former attorney and friend, Richard Sharpstein.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD SHARPSTEIN, TAYLOR'S FMR. ATTY.: He had lost a massive amount of blood from the gunshot wound to his thigh, which had severed his femoral artery, and they were worried that he might not make it, and that if he did, that he might have permanent brain damage because of the oxygen loss to the brain and he never regained consciousness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Now, all of this began early Monday morning. The 24-year- old was air-lifted to a Miami hospital after being shot in the thigh near a major artery. He did lose significant amounts of blood. Police say Taylor's girlfriend called 911 just before 2:00 a.m. saying someone broke into their home. Taylor apparently tried to defend himself using a machete or some other knife and was ultimately shot.
Now his attorney told us that police are investigating whether that incident is somehow connected to another recent break-in at the home on November 18th. Police are now looking for what they call an unnamed suspect, the gunman.
Now, teammates and coaches had said that had been troubled in recent year but they really saw a change in him that coincided with the birth of his daughter who is now 18 months old. His attorney says he had been with his girlfriend for seven years since high school. His girlfriend and baby were at the home at the time Taylor was shot, but thankfully they were not injured.
Taylor had missed the last two Redskins games because of knee problems, but he really was at the height of his career, a tie for the lead in the NFC with five interceptions. He had been with the Redskins for four seasons, Kiran, and was a first-round draft pick in the 2004.
His attorney calls this a senseless tragic death, a huge loss for the NFL, and an unimaginable news really for his family. There were some small signs of hope he might recover last night, but doctors ultimately were not able to save him.
CHETRY: Alina, thank you. We're also going to be speaking Sharpstein -- with Richard Sharpstein, Sean Taylor's former attorney, again in just a few minutes. Richard had a chance to speak with Sean's family earlier today as well.
Brace yourself. It's going to another wild ride on Wall Street. The Dow officially in a correction, that means off 10 percent from the high after hitting a record high a little more than a month ago.
Some Asian markets suffered big losses overnight. The Dow futures are up right now, though, about 80 points with just over an hour to go until the opening bell -- Rob?
MARCIANO: Kiran, delegates from Israel and across the Arab world are in Annapolis, Maryland right now for the Mideast peace conference.
We have it covered from Maryland to the Middle East. Aneesh Raman is in Tehran, Suzanne Malveaux is at the White House. We begin now with State correspondent Zain Verjee in Annapolis, Maryland. Let's begin with you, Zain. Good morning. Give us the perspective from the State Department.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Rob. This is the first fully fledged Middle East peace talk since 2000, since Camp David. No one was even sure, Rob, that this was actually going to happen right until the last minute.
Today, more than 40 countries, delegates and individuals and organizations around the world will come here to Annapolis at the U.S. Naval Academy. The U.S. is hoping that this is going to launch a real peace process.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE (voice over): U.S. is serving up Mideast diplomacy after keeping a low profile for seven years.
BUSH: I restate my personal commitment on behalf of the United States to all those in the Middle East who wish to live in freedom and peace. We stand with you at the Annapolis conference and beyond.
VERJEE: The goal -- a push for a final peace deal ending in a Palestinian state by the end of next year. So what's the payoff for the U.S.? It wants to counter the growing threat of Iran which backs militants in the region and the U.S. needs Arabs on board.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think there is a degree of urgency. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iranians, the region is really not in the hands right now of the peacemakers.
VERJEE: Also the U.S. wants Arab leaders, especially Saudi Arabia, to help make peace in Iraq. A more stable Iraq means U.S. troops can get out faster and a more stable region means gas prices won't hurt so much at the pump. All this means President Bush is going to have to get personally involved and stay committed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the president isn't willing to be tough, on both sides, then he might as well pack it up.
VERJEE: Students at Cairo University in Egypt are among some in the Arab world who don't see the U.S. as an honest broker and say it's on Israeli's side. Some on the Arab street add that this conference is simply to bolster the U.S. image and isn't about Arab rights.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: And just a reminder of how hard it is here between both sides always in these sorts of discussions and future negotiations, Israelis and Palestinians are still at this very moment trying to hammer out the details of a joint statement that they want to put forward at this conference.
The differences are over, things like the timeline, who's going to monitor the situation on the ground. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says that she hopes they'll be able to bridge it. This conference, though, is her baby.
MARCIANO: Zain, the White House has kind of been tempering their expectations from this. How optimistic is Miss Rice and the State Department that we might get something concrete out of this conference?
VERJEE: Well, Secretary Rice has said that the concrete thing out of this conference that the United States wants to see is that it's really a launching pad for future peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. She set a very ambitious goal, saying that before the administration leaves office, they want to see peace between Israelis and Palestinians and a Palestinian state.
That's something that has eluded multiple U.S. presidents. So it remains to be seen whether that can actually happen. It's a good thing, though, that this process is beginning to start off the seven years of the U.S. not really being fully behind in a significant way in negotiations like this.
But it's going to be hard to know until down the road, until the day after, the weeks after Annapolis, as to whether there's really been a success and that traction with talks has really happened -- Rob?
MARCIANO: We will certainly be watching in a hopeful manner.
Zain Verjee, live for us on the Mideast peace conference. Thanks, Zain -- Kiran?
CHETRY: Other headlines this morning. Chaos on the streets of a Paris suburb. For the second night in a row, police firing tear gas and rubber bullets at rioters armed with Molotov cocktails. It all started Sunday when two teenagers died in a motorcycle accident involving a police car. Police say at least 77 officers have been injured.
And a new concern in Southern California. A new fire watch issued for the area around Malibu. Forecasters say the Santa Ana winds could return creating critical fire, weather conditions throughout -- tonight until tomorrow. Right now, the wildfire that started Saturday is 97 percent contained.
The wife of millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett is asking a probate court in Illinois to declare her husband legally dead. Peggy Fossett says that while the family still grieves after nearly three months, quote, "We must accept that Steve did not survive when his plane disappeared over the Nevada desert." The court petition says Fossett's estate is worth tens of millions of dollars. His plane was never found.
MARCIANO: Kiran, the federal government is pushing to get children vaccinated for the flu. The head of the CDC told us that flu shots are not only safe but recommended and that there should be enough supplies this year.
We talked with her earlier on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERBERDING: I'm always respectful of something can go wrong in flu season but this year, we have the most doses ever. We have even more than we did last year and we're very confident that anyone who wants a shot or a vaccine is going to be able to get it this year. So it's not too late. Please do it now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: One note, if you are allergic to eggs, doctors say you should not get the flu shot.
And Republican candidates for president will take the stage tomorrow night to answer your questions in the CNN/YouTube debate. That's tomorrow night starting at 8:00 Eastern live from St. Petersburg, Florida, right here on CNN -- Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, Jacqui Jeras is in our weather update desk tracking extreme weather, high winds in the Great Lakes region this morning. Hi, Jacqui.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Kiran, a new report out of Britain says higher levels of testosterone in men can protect them from deadly heart attacks or strokes. In this survey, 25 percent of men with the highest levels of testosterone had a 41 percent lower risk of dying. However, it was only for testosterone that occurred naturally. Researchers still warn against rushing out to buy supplements.
CHETRY: How can you tell how much testosterone you have naturally?
MARCIANO: Well, it clearly it's emanating from this side of the desk. No idea.
CHETRY: Now you're in the clear. Congratulations.
MARCIANO: Yes. Thank you. All right.
CHETRY: Stop right there.
MARCIANO: On to other health news. Vice President Dick Cheney will be back at his desk today after doctors shocked his heart to correct an irregular beat. White House doctors detected the problem yesterday when the vice president complained of a lingering cough from a cold.
He's had a history of heart trouble including four heart attacks.
Elizabeth Cohen is live for us at the medical update desk to talk more about Vice President Cheney's medical condition. Good morning, Elizabeth.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rob. The Vice President Cheney is in good company. Nearly three million Americans have the diagnosis that he has of atrial fibrillation. And it's where the two small upper chambers of the heart quiver instead of beating properly and many times people don't even know that it's happening. For example, here, we were told that it was only discovered in the vice president because he went to the doctor because he had a cough and a cold.
So what doctors did in the procedure is that they put him under sedation for a just a little bit of time -- a minute or two -- that's what a cardiologist told me. And they gave an electric shot to put it back into the right rhythm. Now, obviously, this won't necessary work long-term. Long-term, long-term," doctors often prescribed drugs to treat atrial fibrillation and people usually do quite well on that treatment -- Rob?
MARCIANO: You know, when you're talking about shocking somebody's heart, to me that sounds pretty serious. Just how serious is this?
COHEN: It's always serious when you have this condition, especially if you have the heart history that the vice president has. However, as I said, it is quite treatable. But let's talk a bit about the vice president's heart history because it is quite lengthy. The vice president has had four heart attacks in 1978, 1984, 1988, and 2000, and he had a heart cord bypass surgery in 1988. He had a cardiac defibrillator put in in 2001 and then replaced in 2007.
Interesting, this defibrillator -- it wouldn't prevent the kind of thing that happened to him recently. And he was hospitalized for a blood clot in 2007. Now it's interesting. We -- talk to a spoke person for the American Hardest Association who said that the biggest concern in this situation is that the atrial fibrillation is going to cause a stroke. However, he said since the vice president was on a blood thinner already that this is a little bit less of a concern.
But still, they're going to, obviously, give him some kind of treatment to try to make sure this doesn't happen again.
MARCIANO: Could this cough or lingering cold and cough have triggered this defib or fibrillation?
COHEN: We asked the doctor that and he said if it was just a cough or cold, then most likely it probably wouldn't trigger it. Maybe something big like pneumonia would. But he said that sometimes people think they have a cough or cold when actually what they have is atrial fibrillation. And the reason why is that they can feel kind of similar.
Sometimes when people have atrial fibrillation, or a-fib for short, they feel a shortness of breath. They have some trouble breathing. They feel kind of a flopping in their chest. They feel kind of weak and don't want to do much, sort of, like you feel when you have a cold. And so sometimes the two of them can look pretty similar.
MARCIANO: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, our medical correspondent from Atlanta. Thanks for your insights, Elizabeth.
COHEN: Thanks.
MARCIANO: Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, the Democratic frontrunners are getting down and dirty. The major war of words burning yet again. But does this mean that the rest of the race will be planted firmly in the mud? But we're talking about it with officials from the Clinton and Obama campaigns. They'll be joining us ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Oh, yes, "Girls Rock Their Boys." Well, that's a sad day as well. The man who belted out the heavy metal anthem has died. Police say Kevin Dubrow, the lead singer in the '80s metal band quiet riot, was found in his Las Vegas home on Sunday. Investigators say nothing appears to be suspicious and there will be an autopsy. He was 52 years old.
A former model who killed three people in her failed suicide attempt has been sentenced to eight years in prison. Twenty-five- year-old Jeanette Sliwinski gave a tearful apology to the victims' families in court yesterday in Illinois. She was found guilty of causing a high-speed crash in an apartment attempt -- apparent attempt to kill herself. Instead three rock musicians in another car died and she broke an ankle.
Case closed -- to the public that is. A court has ruled that the L.A. Department of Children and Families can't review documents in Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's custody battle over fears that someone could leak them to the media. Reporters were booted less than 15 minutes after yesterday's hearing began. Britney and K-Fed were there for the decision.
CHETRY: Well, the attacks are heating up between the leading Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama going at it over everything from their health care plans to fundraising money to who's history is the best preparation for president.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But I think that I bring unique experience -- 35 years of experience -- including the eight years in the White House, where I was very actively involved in issues both here at home and around the world.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If she wants to tout her experience by having visited countries, that's fine. I don't think that Madeleine Albright would think that Hillary Clinton was the face of foreign policy during the Clinton administration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: So is the race for the White House turning into an all- out slug fest? Joining me now the communications director for Barack Obama's campaign, Robert Gibbs. Good to see you, Robert.
ROBERT GIBBS, COMM. DIRECTOR, OBAMA CAMPAIGN: Good morning.
CHETRY: As well as senior Clinton campaign adviser Ann Lewis. And great to see you as well.
ANN LEWIS, SR. ADVISER, CLINTON CAMPAIGN: Good morning. CHETRY: Now, Ann, just a couple of weeks ago, Senator Clinton had said that she wasn't interested in attacking opponents. She said, "I'm interested in attacking the problems of America and turning up the heat on Republicans."
However, since then, we have seen her go after Senator Obama in particular. Is the campaign ramping up some of the criticisms of her opponent because of his gains in Iowa according to the most recent polling?
LEWIS: I think the debate has moved. I wish this were debate about policy only. We would be happy to have a debate about who's got the best health care plan. Senator Clinton's got a plan that is actually universal health care. Senator Obama does not, although he told CNN just a few weeks ago that he did.
Senator Obama's plan leaves 15 million Americans out. Now he says that's just a handful. We don't think that's just a handful. We think universal health care is the way to go. So, we think these are important distinctions and we think the public ought to know about them.
CHETRY: Robert, I'm going to let you clear up where your candidate stands on health care. But first, Obama also promising to avoid negative campaigning, in fact, running at the beginning of the campaign about a new day in politics, yet he also is going after the president about her tenure as first lady and her health care plan.
GIBBS: Right.
CHETRY: Why the apparent change?
GIBBS: Well. Kiran, I don't -- I'm not sure you got any answer to Ann's question. I think the country is wondering why just two weeks ago, in front of 9,000 Iowans, she said she wasn't going to attack Democrats and nine days later she was.
Let's be honest about health care. The Clinton campaign and Hillary Clinton put out a plan that requires every American to buy health insurance. The problem with health care in this country is not that people don't want it, it's that people can't afford it.
The curious thing that the Clinton campaign and Hillary Clinton seem to be doing is they're playing a game of political dodge ball. Maybe Ann can clear it up for the national public right now. What's the mandate? How do we enforce it, Ann? How do you -- how are you going to require people to buy health insurance?
Are you going to send them a bill at the end of every month for a thousand-dollar premium? You're going to send them a $12,000 bill at the end of the year? They're going to garnish their wages and quit their jobs?
LEWIS: I'll be happy to answer that if you could give me a minute.
CHETRY: Go ahead. Go ahead. Why don't you go ahead (INAUDIBLE) with that.
LEWIS: I'll be happy to answer that. We're going to carry out the mandate very much the way Senator Obama suggest carrying out the mandate and his plan, which is only for children. We think, just as you have a mandate in your plan for children, we think that mandate should be for everybody.
GIBBS: No, I think the mandate for children is much different.
LEWIS: No, it means there's limitation and I do think it's somewhat odd that even a Republican governor like Arnold Schwarzenegger includes a mandate in his health care plan because every independent expert...
GIBBS: Right.
LEWIS: ...on how you get to universal health care says, if you want to lower costs, if you truly want to include everybody, which ought to be our goal, it's going to have to include a mandate. Otherwise, those 15 million or more people who remain uninsured, they go on, they go to emergency rooms, they incur health care costs, and there's a hidden premium, a hidden tax on the rest of us.
CHETRY: Bobby...
LEWIS: Everybody needs to be in the pool.
GIBBS: You know, Kiran, let me give you an example. I think the best example is just one state south of here in Massachusetts -- I'm in New Hampshire right now -- where they have a mandate for their health care plan and more than half the people at the deadline haven't signed up for new health insurance. In fact, 1 in 5 insured were exempted because of costs.
Again, Kiran, the problem with health insurance in this country is not that Americans don't want it. Forty-seven million Americans want it. They don't want to get sick, they don't want to have their families go bankrupt.
CHETRY: OK. Let's move on.
GIBBS: But they way to do it isn't to require them to do it. It's to bring down the costs. That's why Senator Obama's plan is the most aggressive in driving down cause of anybody in this race.
LEWIS: New lecture. We have a lot about lowering costs.
CHETRY: All right. Let's move on. Ann, I wanted to get these thoughts on this latest, this ugly fallout yesterday. Chosen in the head-to-head match-up between Hillary Clinton and a top GOP candidate that Hillary would lose against every one of them and that Obama would win.
Do you feel like you're losing ground when you take...
LEWIS: Not at all. That is one poll, and in fact, I've got many more that show Hillary winning. There is a Gallup poll that came out yesterday that shows her winning against all these Republicans. We have state-by-state polls that show her carrying key targeted states like New Mexico, as an example, where she carries it against Republicans.
Senator Obama does not. There's a poll that came out yesterday or I think this weekend that showed her winning in Kentucky. Senator Obama does not. There're a variety of polls out there. But here's the key. One of these candidates has had 16 years of experience standing up to the Republican attack machine, fighting back and beating them every time. That is Hillary Clinton and she is going to do it again.
CHETRY: All right. We're out of time. But quickly, I just want to ask you, Robert, would there be ever a chance of seeing a Clinton/Obama ticket?
GIBBS: Well, I think Senator Obama will decide who his vice president is going to be after he wins the nomination and I'm sure Senator Clinton will be somebody that he considers to be vice president.
CHETRY: Ann?
LEWIS: Let's see how this primary season goes on, but I'm feeling very good about Hillary Clinton's chances and how well she's going to do. She's just got to go out there and talk to voters about her plan and for a change.
CHETRY: OK. Ann Lewis, as well as Robert Gibbs, thanks for joining us this morning. Both of you.
GIBBS: Thank you.
LEWIS: Thank you.
MARCIANO: Lifting the veil to reveal a wanted terrorist. Why Iraqi soldiers objected to this bride and groom. Check it out. We'll have that story coming up on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
ANNOUNCER: AMERICAN MORNING brought to you by...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: All right. Well, this is our "Hot Shot" today and the guy who sent it described it as a cool dip. Actually, that seems like the understatement of the year, doesn't it?
MARCIANO: Cool and crazy. Good luck with you.
CHETRY: This was sent to us from Peter Bartley(ph) of Hamden, Maine. He says he went on a trip to Quebec a few years back. He says the air temperature was minus 25 degrees? Outside, and this was a spa where you would go to the sauna and then you would dive into this little pond, I guess you could probably--or really a square carved out of the ice. He said that it was so cold his feet stuck to the ice when he got out. He says that it really cleaned out his pores and he did it three times.
MARCIANO: Oh, it sounds like a spa we should all go to.
CHETRY: Oh, wow.
MARCIANO: Yes, Rob the man.
CHETRY: Now brave men, Pete. If you have a hot shot or cold shot, send it to us, the address AMHOTSHOT@CNN.com. Include your name where you're from and a little bit about the picture or video and please make sure the image is yours.
MARCIANO: And we are begging for more viewer interaction. Time for this morning's "Quick Vote" question. This one's about your money. The Dow, off 10 percent, of it's record high. And is a credit and housing crunch. The value--God, the hits just keeps on coming. So this morning we are asking you: do you think we will be in a recession next year? Cast your vote at CNN.com/am. Right, 85 percent say yes, we're goinna be in a recession. Fifteen percent say no. This is not a scientific poll.
This is not a scientific poll. Wall Street traders will be optimistic than our viewers. We'll tally the votes throughout the morning -- Kiran?
CHETRY: By the way, Dow futures up today so there is a tiny bright spot.
MARCIANO: Yes. A little optimism.
CHETRY: All right. Well, an elderly man went for brain surgery only to have doctors operate on the wrong side of his head. It's not the first time this has happened. Not the second at this hospital. That story and today's headlines when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROB MARCIANO, CNN, ANCHOR: Welcome back. We continue to cover the breaking news of the death of a NFL star this most morning. It's Tuesday, November 27th. John Roberts is off. I'm Rob Marciano.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN, ANCHOR: And i'm Kiran Chetry.
And we start with the breaking news. Word of the death of Washington Red Skin star defensive safety Sean Taylor. He was shot in the leg at his Miami home early yesterday morning, dying from those injuries at a hospital. Joining us now live from Miami is Taylor's former attorney and his friend and friend of the family, Richard Sharpstein. Richard, thanks for being with us.
RICHARD SHARPSTEIN, FORMER ATTORNEY OF SEAN TAYLOR: Good morning. It's a real tough morning here. CHETRY: I can imagine. Boy, the devastating news that we got just about 2 1/2 hours ago that Sean did, indeed, lose his fight after being shot with a bullet that hit his upper thigh and I guess severing that artery.
SHARPSTEIN: Yes.
CHETRY: Can you talk a little bit more about how his family is doing today?
SHARPSTEIN: Well, his family is devastated. I got an early morning call from his dad Pete Taylor who is the police chief here in this Florida city. They were just overwrought with grief and sorrow. We went through a very long day yesterday at the hospital. The doctors were very guarded, but pessimistic about their prognosis. He had been shot in the upper thigh. His femoral artery had bled out at the scene. He never regained consciousness. There was a brief moment where a nurse felt him squeeze her hand but that was false hope. He never regained consciousness and never was responsive to anyone.
CHETRY: Witnesses to the crime, with his 18-month-old baby, of course, was in the room at the time but you also said his longtime girlfriend, his girlfriend of seven years, has she been able to give any information to police about who may be behind this?
SHARPSTEIN: She gave a debriefing to police as to what she remembered. She was basically hiding under the covers. Sean was awakened with his girlfriend and 18-month-old baby. Noises, thumps in the living room. They got up. He locked the bedroom door. Before he could do anything, the bedroom door was kicked in and two shots were fired. One hit him in the leg and one went into the wall. When Jackie, his girlfriend finally got out, they had cleared pretty early. She doesn't know if there was more than one. She heard loud noises. He was on the floor, nonresponsive, bleeding out, and chest heaving, eyes rolled back. He was pretty much gone from that point on.
The fire rescue got to him. They did what they could. Luckily, we have the Ryder Trauma Center here at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Helicopter arrived almost immediately and flew him but it was 20 minutes, half an hour and he had bled a lot and the doctors were saying that is what caused his death.
CHETRY: You know, there are some curious circumstances that took place in the weeks prior. In fact, eight days before, according to police records, someone had broken into Taylor's home. They say that person didn't seem to have taken anything but rifled through drawers and a safe in the bedroom. Do you know anything else regarding that incident or what police have been able to determine?
SHARPSTEIN: No one knows yet and the police are investigating whether it's related. It's a strange coincidence. They did not rifle through the bedroom in that case and the bedroom was the one place they came into here. When Jackie tried to use the phone, apparently the phone lines were cut which is another strange circumstance. So there is no telling whether this was intentional or random violence. Just completely tragic and unnecessary violence. CHETRY: You know, I mean, obviously, they're going to dig into Sean Taylor's past to see if there is anyone that wanted to harm him. What about this June 2005 incident? He was arrested, apparently on charges of waving a gun at people he believed were stealing his car. He ended up pleading no contest to that, but these people then tried to sue him, as I understand it and there was a shooting that still remains unsolved that took place after that incident?
SHARPSTEIN: I represented, along with my wife Janice, Sean in that case. When we took over, we turned the tables on that case. Sean was originally charged with aggravated assault. These individuals said he pointed a gun at them. They had stolen his ATVs. He got in a fisticuffs but no guns. When he returned to the friend's house, the friend's house and his car were shot up. Eventually the state attorney that was on the case turned out he was personally interested in the case. We got him removed from the case. And the new state attorney let Sean essentially a plea of convenience to a misdemeanor, battery withhold no adjudication. He spoke to ten schools. That was a very rewarding experience and gave ten $1,000 donations.
CHETRY: Richard, I ask about that though because as police look at all of the possibilities of the suspects, could there be ongoing grudge in this situation? Because that suit apparently was still pending, the civil suit that these people tried to file and they never solved the shooting that you were referring to with these 15 shots that were peppered at Taylor's car back in 2005.
SHARPSTEIN: All true. They never really investigated the shooting because the original prosecutor was more interested in prosecuting Sean. There's still a lot of open ends to that. Ryan Hill is still suing him. He was the individual that was the so-called victim in that case. He is a brazen individual who has a record, and he and his friends that were the witnesses are dangerous. They were armed at times. They've been convicted of various and sundry burglaries and thefts, so the police are investigating those leads as well.
CHETRY: All right. As you said, just a few moments ago, I just want to make sure that they found the phone lines cut in Taylor's home as his long time girlfriend was attempting to call 911 after that shooting?
SHARPSTEIN: Yes, exactly. I just want everyone to know this is a thorough tragedy, as well as be being a star football player, my wife Janice and I have known Sean since high school. He was given an opportunity to play at a prep school here. He was loved. He was quiet. He was shy. He was kind of someone that shunned the limelight and he was a credit to his community. People loved him and he will be long missed by many, many people, not just his fans, but the family and friends that knew him well.
CHETRY: Understandably. There will be a lot of mourning today for sure. Richard Sharpstein, Sean Taylor's friend and former attorney, thank you for speaking with us on this very difficult morning. CHETRY: You're welcome. And again, we do just want to say at least according to police right now, the suspect in this case is unknown and they are following all of these leads that we had talked about this morning.
MARCIANO: New this morning, another wild ride on Wall Street. Dow Jones futures are up right now, but yesterday, they were down over 200 points. Some Asian markets also suffered big losses overnight. Yesterday's slump officially sent stocks into what is called a correction phase and is forcing many families to make some big money decisions on everything from their holiday budgets to their retirement funds.
Also, new this morning, the delegates from nearly 50 countries meet in the next few hours in Annapolis, Maryland for Middle East talks, including Israel, Syria and Saudi Arabia. President Bush met separately with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian authority to talk about the difficult compromises ahead. The White House has released excerpts from the President's speech later today. He is expected to say Palestinians and Israelis each understand that helping the other to realize their aspirations is the key to realizing their own. And both require an independent democratic viable Palestinian state.
A deadly bus shooting in Iraq. Four bank workers dead. The U.S. military is now trying to find out if U.S. troops opened fire. An Iraqi interior ministry official told CNN a man and three women died when the U.S. military fired on their mini bus. Military spokesman says it is looking into that report.
And after seeing it with their own eyes, two republican senators are threatening to pull political and financial support from Iraq's government. Senators Lindsey Graham and Saxby Chambliss warned the Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki that more progress needs to be made to stop sectarian violence and bring Iraq together. Both senators visited Iraq over Thanksgiving.
CHETRY: Well, a shooting at a Georgia mall, frightening shoppers. A gunman tried to rob a security guard who is servicing an ATM. It was in the mall at Douglasville, that's near Atlanta. Both men fired their guns creating panic among shoppers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DIANA SHASTA, MALL WORKER: Mass confusion. Just everybody picking up, running for their lives. Grabbing their babies. The terror on people's faces in the food court with their little children was horrible. Everybody started running, trying to evacuate. When I ran, I didn't run standing up, I ran crouched down.
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CHETRY: Wow. An unbelievable scene there. The guard ended up being shot in the leg. He will be OK. The gunman was shot in the face and the chest and needed emergency surgery but is expected to survive. Doctors make a major medical mistake operating on the wrong side of a man's head and this is the third time they've done it. It happened at the Rhode Island Hospital. The latest was Friday with an 82-year-old patient. He is fine, but another patient died in August. The hospital is now facing a $50,000 fine by the state. The hospital says it is giving nurses more power to make sure that procedures are followed.
And the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is giving $100 million to fight polio. The Rotary Foundation pledged to match that donation through fund-raising during the next three years. The money will be used for immunization projects in Nigeria, India and Pakistan, Afghanistan. Those were the last four countries where polio is still a problem.
MARCIANO: Well, Iraqi soldiers say they arrested a wanted terrorist in a wedding dress. Take a look. He was trying to get by a checkpoint outside Baghdad along with the groom and their wedding party. I have seen prettier brides. Yes, you got to do the whole part. The troop searched the car and found out that they were both wanted men. Very pretty.
And when you love to have been a fly in the wall for this one - President Bush and Vice President Al Gore chatting it up in the Oval Office. Gore was invited to the White House, along with some other Nobel laureates. He said the chat lasted about 45 minutes. It was about global warming and that the president was, "gracious."
CHETRY: Yes, I would like to be a fly in the wall, since you asked. Well, President Bush also taking on Russia. The President criticizing authorities for forcibly breaking up protests over the weekend, including the arrest of former chest champion, Gary Kasparov. Kasparov led the rally against President Vladimir Putin just eight days before elections.
And former speaker of the House Dennis Hastert getting a taste of life outside of public service this morning. The Illinois republican congressman officially resigned yesterday clearing the way for a special election to fill the rest of his term. Hastert served 21 years and held the speaker position longer than any other republican.
A Connecticut company being sued over its English only policy for employees. Some Spanish-speaking workers are claiming discrimination. AMERICAN MORNING'S legal analyst Sunny Hostin joins us to weigh in when AMERICAN MORNING comes back.
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CHETRY: Wow, you just heard one of the spectators saying it's beautiful and it certainly was. This was the lighting of the Lincoln Center Christmas tree in central New York. That's where the cultural capital, the upper west side. It takes the place of having to get the pesky stands on the bottom. You know, if you just divert the fountain. It was gorgeous last night. Thousands came out to see that the 18th annual tree light ceremony. The tree, by the way, is a 50 foot Colorado, and thousands came out to see it is. It's a 50-foot Colorado Spruce. See, it is different than the Rockefeller Center. It's a little wider it seems. By the way, that is the same tree, its sister was lit up last year at Lincoln Center but it was great. We live not far from there so we took the little one to the festivities. The weather didn't cooperate, Rob. It was spritzing the whole time.
MARCIANO: Could you tell it was the same family as last year's tree?
CHETRY: I didn't know they were related.
MARCIANO: Showing the whole family. And you know, what a spirit is that?
CHETRY: And it takes a year to grow this things. But it was really a gorgeous sight out there with that tree.
MARCIANO: Beautiful.
CHETRY: Jacqui Jeras joins us now. She is tracking extreme weather. High winds in the northeast. The only thing bad thing about being so close to the Christmas tree lighting by the way is while you're trying to go to bed for the morning show they are playing the tuba all night long, but it was beautiful out there.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN, METEOROLOGIST: It was beautiful. Today, not so beautiful. You look out your window, you say not too bad out there, it's starting to clear up, the sunshine is starting to come out, but temperatures are going to be steady to be falling throughout the day and winds just gusting behind that front. Already 22-mile- per-hour winds gusting in New York City. You go farther up to the north and the winds are going to be stronger because you're closer to the low. I checked this out in Boston. The winds sustained in the teens but could get as strong as maybe 30 miles per hour or so so be aware of that. Not the best of day.
Talking about extreme wind, guys. Check this out across the Great Lakes, look at Copper Harbor, 53-mile-per-hour winds, gusts as strong as 63. We have a real tight gradient between our low pressure system moving into plains and bringing the snow showers and high up to the north. It's only going to be, maybe a three-hour window or so where the winds will be so extreme and then we will watch for the improving conditions. We've also had some extreme weather across parts of the west. Our strong storm system moving into the plains bringing high winds especially in the higher elevations across the Colorado Rockies where winds could gust 7,000 feet or so, Rob, maybe up to about 80 miles per hour. Wow!
MARCIANO: That will take a few tree limbs down, for sure.
JERAS: Yes, just a few.
MARCIANO: All right, Jacqui. Good to see you.
Well, a company's rules say its employees must only speak English when they are on the job. That's not sitting well with a group of Spanish-speaking workers who are taking a Connecticut machine shop, GC Industries, to court. They came the English-only policy is discriminatory and have filed a federal lawsuit. Well, AMERICAN MORNING, legal analyst, Sunny Hostin goes to work again to talk about this. Do these workers have a case, Sunny?
SUNNY HOSTIN, AMERICAN MORNING, LEGAL ANALYST: They do have a case. And I follow these cases very closely because, as you know, I'm from Puerto Rico and Spanish is my first language. And I always think that being bilingual is a wonderful thing. In the United States certainly, English-only rules that apply all the time are presumptively invalid. They are against title 7 discriminatory but there is an exception, you can have the rule if you have a business necessity. A legitimate business necessity such as speaking to customers that only speak English, speaking to a supervisor that only speaks English, that sort of thing, safety reasons. But in this case, 80 percent of the workers spoke Spanish. And so it's...
MARCIANO: OK. So even though they are saying, it's really for safety reasons, you could argue that it would be safe if we all spoke Spanish?
HOSTIN: Well, certainly. They're calling it the common language policy but with that employee, the common language really was Spanish and in terms of safety, if you yell fire to a group of people that whose first language is Spanish, I think it would be more safe if it's spoken in their native tongue. And so I think they have a very strong case in this sense.
MARCIANO: Well, you can sue me if you like but I require that this interview be conducted in English only.
HOSTIN: No problem, no problem.
MARCIANO: One quick note. You know, with all of the immigration that's going on, the immigration debate. Some republican lawmakers want to not allow this to happen, meaning they won't allow employers to say you can only speak English. Do you think that's going to happen?
HOSTIN: I don't think that's going to happen. The Hispanic caucus has been very active in this sense. This is rule that has been a lot, that been around the past 30 years. It comes out of the Civil Acts Rights of 1964. So I think it's still going to be the law and it certainly is the law now and I think will remain the law, even though you see what the immigration debate is really sort of a hot button topic.
MARCIANO: We'll see how that lawsuit unveils. Muchos gracias.
HOSTIN: De nada. De nada.
MARCIANO: Hasta manana. It's the best I can do.
All right, let's check in now with the CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away. Heidi Collins at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Buenos dias, Senorita.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN, ANCHOR: Now we're in Spanish. Hayayay.
I can do this in Swedish but that would be more painful for everyone. All right. Coming up on the NEWSROOM rundown this Tuesday morning. As you probably know by now, Miami-Dade Police are searching for the man who shot and killed NFL star Sean Taylor. We have a man who helped guide Taylor's career with the Redskins, we'll talk with him in the NEWSROOM.
And President Bush opens the Middle East Peace Summit at the U.S. Naval Academy. 43 countries attending. We'll have live coverage. Plus, he did what he had to do to save his life. A farmer's arm stuck in a corn picker. He cuts it off. Stay informed in the NEWSROOM. We'll be up, top of the hour, right here on CNN. Rob.
MARCIANO: Heidi Collins not speaking Swedish and we appreciate that. Well, it's a beautiful night. Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: It is. We'll see you in ten minutes. Kiran.
MARCIANO: OK.
CHETRY: Two Hollywood stunt men were in the hospital after suffering burns in an accident on the set of Adam Sandler's latest movie. Well two Hollywood stuntmen are in the hospital after suffering burns in an accident on the set of Adam Sandler's latest movie. One is in serious, but in stable condition. The other in stable condition at a burn center in Sherman Oaks. Sandler reportedly visited them in the hospital last night.
Something was missing on "Monday night football." We're not talking about offense, although I think that was missing, too. Why the NFL decided to play ball without the national anthem, next on AMERICAN MORNING.
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MARCIANO: Well, if you missed the Monday night football game last night, it was a sloppy one for sure. And the Pittsburgh Steelers, well they won it in a route, 3-0. An old fashioned-mud bowl at Heinz field in Pittsburgh. A 24-yard field goal, I should say, with 17 seconds left kept the Miami Dolphins from their imperfect 0-11 season. Actually, they imperfect. They lost. Crews put down a new layer of sod on Saturday and it looked like a swamp during warm-up when Lightning chase the players off the field. It was the lowest scoring game in the NFL since 1993. What a mess but that was an ugly game. That's for sure.
It got off to a bad start. The NFL apparently decided to skip the national anthem. According to the Steelers, the league wanted to start the game as soon as possible after a weather delay. It would have taken a few more minutes to set up mikes at mid field and there were no players introductions either. Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. More NFL controversy. For a minute, a grandmother is facing possible jail time over her love of the Denver Broncos. Why? Because every time the Broncos scored, Jeri Priest toots a horn. Maybe it wouldn't be as big as a problem if she was a Stealers or Dolphin fan since there isn't much scoring but that's the sound you hear. Not every time they score, I heard that she does it once for every point. So you could imagine how that could get a little annoyed. The giant contraptions actually six car horns, hooked up to a single car battery. There it is. Her husband made it for her more than 30 years ago. Well, one neighbor finally had enough and called the cops.
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JERI PRIEST, CHARGED FOR BLOWING BRONCOS HORN: Our weed eater makes more noise. Larry says I talk louder than the horn talks so go figure. I don't know.
CHETRY: Well, at least she has a sense of humor about the whole thing. I wonder if her neighbor do. Her neighbor though says he will drop the disorderly conduct charges if she keeps the horn in her backyard! She faces six months in jail and a $500 fine. Hope that we could hear it one more time. Such a pleasant sound.
MARCIANO: It's a good way to wake up! Good morning, everybody.
CHETRY: Well, here's a quick look at what CNN NEWSROOM is working on for the top of the hour.
COLLINS: See these stories in the "CNN NEWSROOM."
Well, here's a quick look at what CNN NEWSROOM is working on for the top of the hour.
Washington redskins player Sean Taylor dies from a gunshot wound. Now the search for his killer.
President Bush opens 43-nation middle east peace summit today.
Vice President Cheney going back to the office today. Doctors correct an irregular heartbeat. See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM. Washington Red Skins player, Sean Taylor dies from a gun shot wound. Now, the search for his killer. President Bush opens the 43-nation Middle East Peace Summit today. Vice President Cheney going back to the office today. Doctors correct an irregular heartbeat. Riots rocked Paris. A talk show marriage proposal and in a murder charge. NEWSROOM, top of the hour on CNN.
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CHETRY: Final check right now. The morning's Quick Vote question, we asked, do you think there will be a recession by next year and 83 percent of you, whopping majority saying yes. 17 percent saying no. To all of you who voted, thank you and let's hope not. Don't be so optimistic.
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