Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
NFL Star Sean Taylor Dies Overnight; Giving Peace A Chance
Aired November 27, 2007 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Talking peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: This morning in Annapolis, 50 countries, one ambitious idea. What peace talks mean at home and for American troops in Iraq.
Market correction. New territory for the Dow. What it means for the days and months ahead.
Plus, rain delay. Record-low score and no national anthem? A wild and wet Monday night mess on this AMERICAN MORNING.
And welcome to Tuesday, November 27th. Glad you're with us. I'm Kiran Chetry.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rob Marciano, filling in today for John Roberts. We have a busy day filled with international news, the money market as well, and sad news out of Miami this morning.
CHETRY: That's right. And that sad news is that one of NFL's star, defensive players, just moments ago we got word that Sean Taylor, Redskins safety, who was shot yesterday in his Miami home, has died.
Alina Cho is at the national update desk with the very latest on this developing story.
Hi, Alina.
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Kiran. The Associated Press, our affiliates WSPN and WTTG are among those reporting this morning that Washington Redskins star safety Sean Taylor has indeed died. Taylor was air-lifted to a Miami hospital after being shot in the upper leg near a critical artery.
Now, all of this happened early Monday morning. Police say Taylor's girlfriend called 911 just before 2:00 a.m., saying that someone broke into their house. Taylor apparently tried to defend himself with a machete and was ultimately shot.
Now, police are investigating whether this break-in had something to do or was connected to another break-in, in the house on November 18th. Now, teammates and coaches had said that Taylor had been troubled in recent years but that things changed dramatically for him and that came with the birth of his daughter in May of last year.
But, you know, he had underwent surgery for six hours last night, Kiran. There were some small signs of hope. He had apparently pressed the finger of a doctor, had even made a facial expression, according to some, but ultimately doctors were not able to save him.
Again, the headline being that Redskins star safety Sean Taylor has died, according to the Associated Press and our affiliates in Miami. CNN is working to get independent confirmation of this and, of course, we'll bring you the very latest as soon as we do.
CHETRY: And Alina, I totally understood this is still developing, we're still getting details. But is there any motive or any suspect, or police saying anything about the investigation?
CHO: Only, Kiran, that they are searching for a, quote, unquote, "unnamed suspect," but nothing further than that. Again, remember, this was -- all started Monday morning, very early, about 1:45 in the morning when Taylor's girlfriend apparently called 911 saying that somebody had broken into the home. Taylor apparently used a machete or some sort of a knife to defend himself, according to his attorney, who spoke to CNN, and ultimately was shot in the upper leg near an artery.
A lot of people were wondering how could that be so serious, but it was near a critical artery and he lost a lot of blood. He had several blood transfusions overnight, six hours of surgery, and ultimately doctors were not able to save him.
CHETRY: A really tragic news for the NFL this morning and for his family and friends.
CHO: It certainly is.
CHETRY: Alina, following this all morning for us, thank you.
CHO: You bet.
MARCIANO: And troubling news for your money. Even with holiday shoppers dropping millions in stores across the country, there's growing fear the economy could be falling fast.
Yesterday's 200-point plus drop on Wall Street sent some major Asian indexes in the same direction. But the roller coaster ride could continue today with futures actually looking up, at least right now.
And a big deal to tell you about happened overnight. A Middle Eastern government finds a large stake in America's biggest bank. Abu Dabi will be one of Citicorps's big biggest investors.
Let's get right to Ali Velshi now with an update at the -- from the business update desk. Lots to talk about this morning, Ali? What do you want to start with?
ALI VELSHI, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rob, for those of you who don't invest for a living but do invest for your retirement, you're going to want to pay close attention to everything that's going on today because you're going to hear it being talked about and you should know what it means.
The Dow and S&P 500 are now officially in a correction and that means that they are down 10 percent from their all-time highs. Both of those indices hit their records on October 9th. We're now off 10 percent. Now, a correction is a technical term. A 20 percent drop in markets is defined as a bear market, so this is half way to a bear market.
Some investors take a correction as a signal that markets are really bad and are likely to get worse. Others use it as a buying opportunity. Now, for your purposes, you may have investments in your 401(k) that trade like the Dow or the S&P. They might be called index funds or exchange-traded funds, ETFs. They might have names like diamonds or spiders. Check that today.
Your investments in the stocks in the Dow are now up just a little more than 2 percent for the year. The S&P 500 is now negative. It's diversified -- it's more diversified than the Dow -- it's actually negative for the year. The question now is, what happens after this? Is this a turnaround point for the market?
Well, there's one good point this morning. You just mentioned it, Rob. There's some positive news about Citigroup. I'll be telling you about that later this hour. But that has Dow futures up more than 100 points right now.
We're going to get a lot of news this morning. I'll keep you updated but today might be decision time for you and your investments. It's a good day to get back into it and take a look at what's going on -- Rob?
MARCIANO: Definitely it looks like it's going to be volatile...
VELSHI: Yes.
MARCIANO: ...once again.
VELSHI: Yes.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Ali.
VELSHI: OK.
CHETRY: Delegates from nearly 50 countries, including Israel and the Arab world, are in Annapolis, Maryland right now. The ultimate goal: peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Right now, though, it's sparking protest by thousands of Hamas supporters who don't want these talks to happen.
These are live pictures coming in from Gaza this morning. The talks will also impact the U.S.'s efforts in Iraq. We'll be -- have it covered from Maryland to the Middle East.
CNN's Aneesh Rahman is inside of Iraq and Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House. We start with Suzanne and more about what we're expecting to hear from the president today as these talks get under way -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kiran. We expect President Bush, obviously, to set the tone and tenor of these discussions to make the case here that the Israelis, the Palestinians, the United States, the international community that now is the right time to establish Middle East peace, to try to establish Israel beside a two-state solution, a Palestinian state living in peace, but also, want to listen carefully.
The president is going to talk about a common threat that he sees, radical Islamists, those who are represented by what he considers terrorist organizations, the threat of Hamas, as well as Iran. They really want to try to build and bolster that coalition to counter the kind of threats that the Bush administration sees that is opposed from Iran.
Also equally important is what you're not going to hear from the president. He is not going to outline details on some of those sticking points that have really held up both sides, as well as the United States. That, of course, being the status of Jerusalem, as well as the -- what happens to the Palestinian refugees when they want to come back to Israel -- Kiran?
CHETRY: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House for us ahead of this conference today. Thank you -- Rob?
MARCIANO: Kiran, new this morning. Violence and mayhem on the streets of a Paris suburb for the second night in a row. Police find tear gas and rubber bullets and rioters armed with Molotov cocktails. The violence triggered after two teenagers died in a motorcycle accident involving a police car. Police say at least 77 officers have been injured.
And a rescue effort at the mine explosion in southern Ecuador. We're hearing at least one person is dead, about 40 people hurt, and up to 60 missing and possibly trapped. Earlier reports say a short circuit may have triggered that explosion.
And a new concern and -- a new fire watch issued this morning in Malibu, California. Forecasters say the Santa Ana winds could return, creating critical fire weather conditions tonight through tomorrow. Right now, the wildfire that started on Saturday is 97 percent contained after it destroyed 53 homes.
And 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 has never been found -- Kiran? CHETRY: Vice President Cheney is expected back at work this morning after doctors delivered an electric shock to his heart to restore its rhythm. White House doctors detected an irregular heartbeat yesterday morning when the vice president complained of a cough that was lingering after a cold. He's had a history of heart trouble, including four previous heart attacks.
Well, this morning, a new skirmish between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The Clinton camp accusing Obama of using his political action committee to direct donations to politicians in the early primary states. The Obama campaign denies it, saying it gave money to Democrats in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina, but because they were facing tough re-election fights.
On the Republican side, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee fighting over Ronald Reagan. Huckabee says Romney is changing his tune about the Reagan legacy to get votes. Romney denies it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mitt's changed his position. He's been all over the board, but my conservativism has been consistent. When he was pro-abortion, I was still pro-life and always have been. When he was for gun control, I was against it. When he was against the Bush tax cuts, I was for them. When he was against Ronald Reagan's legacy and said he wasn't part of that Bush- Reagan thing, I was a part of that Bush-Reagan thing, and when Mitt was saying that he was OK with the same-sex relationships and will do more for same-sex couples than Teddy Kennedy, I was taking the completely different position.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I must admit that I find the vision and the direction that Ronald Reagan laid out for this country to be very powerful and very compelling.
And I'll tell you, Ronald Reagan would have never raised taxes like Mike Huckabee did. Ronald Reagan would have never said, "Let's give tuition breaks to illegals," like Mike Huckabee did. Ronald Reagan would have never stood by and pushed for a budget that more than doubled during his term as president. Mike Huckabee, as a matter of fact, has a very different record than Ronald Reagan, and I'm pretty proud that my record stands up quite well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: This back and forth comes as a new ABC News-"Washington Post" poll shows Huckabee behind Romney by just 4 percent in Iowa. It's a statistical dead heat.
The Republican candidates for president are going to be taking the stage tomorrow night to answer your questions in the CNN/YouTube debate tomorrow, starting at 8:00 Eastern live from St. Petersburg, Florida right here on CNN -- Rob?
MARCIANO: Kiran, time now to check in with our team of AMERICAN MORNING correspondents for other stories making news this morning. Well, there's a fight over a teddy bear. That school kids named him Muhammad, well, now it's an international incident.
Emily Chang has this from the world news update desk in London. Good morning, Emily.
EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Well, this teacher faces up to six months in jail in Sudan, 40 lashes or a fine. Her name is Gillian Gibbons. She's 54 years old from Liverpool.
It started with what seemed like an innocent project. She asked her 7-year-old students to name a class teddy bear. They picked the same Muhammad, that's also the name of Islam's prophet and it's also the most popular name in the country.
But on Sunday police stormed the school and detained her under a law that deals with the insult of faith. Now, Gibbons moved Khartoum just a few months ago to teach. Here's what some of her former colleagues in England have to say about her.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK WIDDOWSON, FORMER COLLEAGUE: I think she's doing this out of all innocence. All I know is that Jill wouldn't go out of her way to offend anybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's a very adventurous woman, you know, she just likes to do things by the norm. And she's always been a fabulous traveler. She will just travel anymore and really immerse herself into different cultures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANG: Now the school has been closed in fear of retaliation. We're told people are crowding around the police station, where she's being held. The school's director says he's worried for her safety. Officials from the British embassy had visited her in custody. They say she hasn't been charged yet and they are working with local authorities -- Rob?
MARCIANO: My goodness, all with naming a teddy bear.
Emily Chang, thanks very much, Emily -- Kiran, back over to you.
CHETRY: Well, tragic news in the world of football this morning. More now on the death of Sean Taylor. Word just coming in within the past few minutes that the star defensive player, a safety for the Washington Redskins, has died from his injuries. He was shot yesterday in his Miami home.
Richard Sharpstein, a family friend of Sean Taylor and Taylor's former attorney, joins us by phone this morning.
Richard, thanks for being with us. I know this is certainly a difficult time for friends of Sean Taylor, as well as his family. What can you tell us about the turn for the worse that Sean took overnight?
RICHARD SHARPSTEIN, TAYLOR'S FORMER ATTORNEY: Well, yesterday when he was brought in to the Ryder Trauma Center, the doctors were very guarded about their prognosis. 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 if he did, that he might have permanent brain damage because of the oxygen loss to the brain, and he never regained consciousness, and expired early this morning.
CHETRY: There were some hope of people, after they had heard that this happened, had been closely following his condition and there was some word yesterday that things were looking up in that he was able to, I guess, press the finger of one of the doctors. Is that true or did he take a turn after that?
SHARPSTEIN: Well, I was at the hospital all day and into the night. Right before I left last night about 8:00, he did supposedly squeeze a nurse's hand. I wasn't there, but obviously, that was either some kind of response or muscle reaction, and not any sign for the better.
He never -- he was shot. He was unconscious when the fire rescue people arrived. He never regained consciousness, and he -- it's a senseless, tragic death that was so unnecessary. Another example of the incessant violence in, not only our community, but the country now.
CHETRY: It is so tragic, to say the least. He, as I understand it, had a young child, a little daughter?
SHARPSTEIN: Yes, yes. His 18-month-old daughter, and his girlfriend, were in the bedroom that was burst into. Luckily, they were not injured at all, but as you know, for any young family, it's a huge and tragic loss for a father, and he'd been with his girlfriend for seven years since high school.
I've known the young man since high school. He was a phenomenal, humble, understated, talented young man.
CHETRY: College star with the University of Miami. Now, he bought this home in Palmetto Bay, just south of Miami, a couple of years ago. Do we know anything about the circumstances that police are looking into now about how this home invasion took place?
SHARPSTEIN: Well, it was early morning and they heard noise, Sean and his girlfriend heard noise in the living room and they responded. Sean got to the bedroom door, locked it at first, tried to get a small machete that he keeps under the bed to defend himself, but the door was burst into.
Two shots were fired. One hit him in the leg and one into the wall. He went down immediately. The -- and I say people fled. We don't know yet because Jackie, his girlfriend, was under the covers and didn't come out until she heard them clear. Now, there are some circumstances that the police are investigating, the same house, his house, was burglarized two weeks earlier. It was some items were taken. It's unclear, and there's been talk about whether or not it's kitchen knife or some kind of knife was left on the bed, whether this is a -- was a purposeful action on -- in taking Sean's life or in shooting him, or whether it was a burglary gone awry, the police are still investigating those circumstances.
CHETRY: I got you. And what about the reaction coming from his family or any of his teammates? Have you had a chance to touch base with anybody about this tragedy?
SHARPSTEIN: No. I got a call this morning about an hour ago from his father, Pete Taylor, who is the police chief and has been the police chief of Florida City for many years. I've known him for 25 years. He was overwrought with grief and called me to tell me that Sean was with God and he thanked me for the help I had given the family and things of that nature.
But he was -- they're just overcome at this particular point at the loss of a son and a father, and a friend, and incredible person.
CHETRY: Just such a tragedy, as you put it, just so senseless, this young life snuffed out for no apparent reason. I know that you were his friend as well, so our condolences with you, too, Richard Sharpstein, a former attorney and family friend of Sean Taylor. Thanks for joining us this morning.
MARCIANO: I remember when he was a fifth pick overall back in 2004, man, he was something coming out of school.
Well, company rules say employees must only speak English while on the job. But now that policy has a Connecticut machine shop facing a discrimination suit. We're going to tell you about that coming up.
Also, over-the-counter paternity tests. Where are they being sold and will the results stand up in court? Our legal analyst Sunny Hostin weighs in, that's also ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Following the latest now on that tragic news that just came in to us about 15 minutes ago that Washington Redskins star safety Sean Taylor has died, died from gunshot -- from a gunshot wound to the leg yesterday during an attack at his home.
Taylor's former attorney, Richard Sharpstein, says that the blood loss was too great and that Sean Taylor never regained consciousness from the time that he was shot at his home, transported to the hospital, underwent surgery and multiple transfusions, but it was not enough.
He was shot yesterday in an apparent robbery attempt at his home. His girlfriend of seven years, as well as their 18-month-old daughter also present, neither one injured. Sharpstein says that Taylor was trying to defend both of them when he was shot.
We're going to continue to follow more. We're going to probably get some reaction from the Washington Redskins players and team a little bit later and maybe, perhaps, more details on this police investigation that is now under way in the death of this young man, star NFL player Sean Taylor -- Rob?
MARCIANO: Kiran, well, move over Maury, Jerry as a matter of fact as well. Now you can find out who's your daddy -- or the daddy at least -- just by walking into a Rite Aid pharmacy. They're selling paternity tests made by Identigene. It's only available in California, Oregon and Washington.
You can send in cheek swabs from the baby and the alleged father, and three to five days later, you'll have an answer. But will it stand the legal test?
Well, AMERICAN MORNING legal analyst Sunny Hostin joins us now to talk about this a little bit more.
First of all, let's backtrack a little bit. How do paternity tests happen in the legal world, court orders that kind of thing?
SUNNY HOSTIN, AMERICAN MORNING LEGAL ANALYST: Sure. Well, it usually is court-ordered. Typically you have some sort of, you know, custody battle, you have divorce proceedings, and someone says -- or a man may say, "I'm not the daddy," and the court will order it.
And so you have the court order, you have a chain of custody. Everyone knows who touched what and it holds up in court. This is very different, but I have to say I loved watching while I was pregnant sort of the who's-your-daddy-Maury Povich thing and it's going to put him out of business because people really are curious.
MARCIANO: Right.
HOSTIN: By all accounts, 2,000 paternity tests are ordered over the Internet. So...
MARCIANO: Oh, good.
HOSTIN: Two thousand monthly from this company, and so now we're going to see a lot of activity here, but it really, I don't think, is going to hold up in court.
MARCIANO: You don't think so? Because, I mean, it seems like, you know, this sort of thing should be done under the supervision of a doctor in a hospital that sort of thing so.
HOSTIN: Absolutely. There's too much room for tampering...
MARCIANO: Right. Right.
HOSTIN: ...in terms of who's the daddy. I mean what if someone else takes the swab? What if it's not this child? How do you prove that it hasn't been contaminated? How do you prove that it's accurate?
MARCIANO: Well, judging from what you're saying, maybe Maury and Jerry having more to work with now.
HOSTIN: I think they have more to work with.
MARCIANO: Well, what about liability? What if, you know, people start using this stuff, Rite Aid and other pharmacies, Identigene, are they liable down the road for an inaccurate test?
HOSTIN: Well, you know, I always say -- I say here and everywhere you can sue anyone for anything. But I think if the results are incorrect, if there's a chain of custody problem, you may see someone suing Rite Aid, someone suing the paternity test company. And so Maury's going to have even more to do in the months to come and the years to come.
MARCIANO: It will be interesting. It only cost 29 bucks plus the laboratory.
HOSTIN: And a reporter bought it for 20 bucks.
MARCIANO: Oh, you can even get it on sale.
HOSTIN: It's put on sale now.
MARCIANO: Clip your coupons.
All right, Sunny Hostin, thank very much for that good advice.
HOSTIN: Thank you.
MARCIANO: Kiran, back over to you.
CHETRY: Well, on alert for a new terror tape, your "Quick Hits" now. A new message from Osama bin Laden expected to come within minutes or hours, a banner on a radical Islamic Web site says the message will be directed at Europeans. Bin Laden's last message came by way of audiotape last month.
An elderly man goes in for brain surgery, only to have doctors operate on the wrong side of his head and this is not the first time it's happened or even the second. What the fallout is from these medical errors. That story ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Welcome back. Time for a sports update. A Monday night football game to remember. A downpour made it a mud bowl in Pittsburgh against the hapless Dolphins.
The game was delayed because of lightning but once it got started, nobody could score. Finally, a field goal with 17 seconds left put the Steelers ahead, winning 3-0, the lowest-scoring NFL game since 1993. The Steelers had to put new sod down over the weekend at Heinz Field. And the Dolphins remain winless, 0-7. Boy, that definitely shows mom that you played. Well, that elite game got off to a bad start when 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 the rain delay. It would have taken a few more minutes to set up the mikes at the midfield mark. There were no player introductions either.
Well, here's a look now at a story coming up that you can't miss. Well, first of all before we get into that, what do you think about that, the national anthem not being played?
CHETRY: I think it should be played. I mean they should play the national anthem.
MARCIANO: Yes, but they sat through that big delay, all that rain, and all -- you know, maybe let it slide once. I mean I'm all for it. We can sing it later if you like. Anyway...
CHETRY: Sure thing, I mean, I'll crack windows and mirrors, but you go for it.
MARCIANO: That sounds good. All right, our other NFL news only on a sadder note. That's something we've been talking about more, is Sean Taylor's death.
CHETRY: This is terrible and senselessly tragic as we heard from his family friend a few moments ago. Sean Taylor shot in the leg yesterday after people broke into his home. Well, he passed away about 30 minutes ago. We got that confirmation. We're going to hear from his friends and family. That story plus the headlines when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news this morning on one of NFL's star defensive players. It's Tuesday, November 27th. I'm Rob Marciano in for John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. And we got word 30 minutes ago that Sean Taylor, The Washington Redskins Safety who was shot yesterday in the early hours of the morning in his Miami home has died. Alina Cho is at the national update desk now with the latest details on how he eventually passed away from this gunshot wound.
Alina?
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kiran. CNN has received independent confirmation that Washington Redskins star safety Sean Taylor has died after undergoing six hours of grueling surgery last night. We are still waiting for reaction from the team, keeping in mind that we just got word about 30 minutes ago, but moments ago, we did speak with Taylor's attorney and friend, Richard Sharpstein.
RICHARD SHARPSTEIN, SEAN TAYLOR'S FORMER ATTORNEY: 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 if he did, that he might have permanent brain damage, because of the oxygen loss to the brain, and he never regained consciousness.
CHO: Now, all of this began early Monday morning. Taylor was air-lifted to a Miami hospital, after being shot in the upper leg, near a critical artery. Police say Taylor's girlfriend called 911, just before 2:00 a.m., saying that someone had broken into their house. Taylor apparently tried to defend himself, using a machete or some other sort of knife and was ultimately shot. Now his attorney told us that police are investigating whether that incident was connected to another recent break-in at the home. A kitchen knife may have been left on the bed during that home invasion, and police are now looking for what they call an unnamed suspect.
Now, teammates and coaches had said that Taylor was troubled in recent years but that things had changed dramatically really 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, but during the home invasion, the girlfriend and the baby were actually in the bedroom at the time, but were thankfully not injured.
Now, Kiran, as you know, there were some small signs of hope overnight. His attorney says that Taylor may have pressed the finger of a nurse on command, may have even shown some sort of facial expression. Doctors ultimately were not able to save him. He lost significant amounts of blood. Again, the headline being NFL star Sean Taylor has died, getting word just about 30 minutes ago. We are still waiting for reaction from the Washington Redskins and we will be watching the story, Kiran, throughout the morning.
CHETRY: Alina, absolutely, thank you.
Meanwhile, also new this morning, hoping for a rebound on Wall Street. Dow futures up after overseas markets slumped overnight. It all followed the Dow's 200-plus point loss yesterday. Hong Kong shares were down more than 1.5 percent in large part to the sub prime lending crisis in the U.S. Stocks here at home are now off 10 percent from an all-time high.
And a deadly bus shooting in Iraq. Four bank workers killed. The U.S. military is now trying to figure out if its troops opened fire. An Iraqi interior ministry official telling CNN that a man and three women died when the U.S. military fired on their mini bus. A military spokesman said is looking into that report.
MARCIANO: Imagine going in for brain surgery and doctors operate on the wrong side of your head. Well, it happened not once, not twice, but three times at a Rhode Island Hospital. The latest was Friday, with an 82-year-old patient. He's fine, but another patient died in august. The hospital's director of health said quote, "Improvements made in the operating room haven't been extended to the rest of the hospital." Rhode Island Hospital is now facing a $50,000 fine by the state.
And a Connecticut machine shop GC Industries, is being sued over its policy requiring employees to speak English during work hours. Five men, legal immigrants from Guatemala and Mexico, have filed a lawsuit, claiming discrimination by national origin. One of the plaintiffs says he was laid off after being warned not to speak Spanish on the job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRES MORAN, SUING FOR DISCRIMINATION: The Spanish people that work there, we went and started talking to the managers that why did they do that? For what reason? That we felt like we were being discriminated because we weren't doing anything bad. I mean, they told us that it was a private company and they could do basically whatever they want.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: Moran says the company told them the reason behind the English-only policy was safety. The five men are seeking $100,000 each plus damages.
CHETRY: Delegates from Israel and across the Arab world are in Annapolis, Maryland, for Mid-East peace talks. The presence of those diplomats speaks volumes even before the talks get under way. Right now, the conference is sparking protests though in Gaza by thousands of Hamas supporters who are opposed to the talks. That's a live look right now. We also have it covered from Maryland all the way to the Middle East. Aneesh Rahman (ph) is live in Tehran. Suzanne Malveaux live at the White House for us and State Department correspondent Zain Verjee is in Annapolis.
Begin with Zain. Zain, if you could connect the dots for us and tell us, you know, where they're looking to go with the talks today, and what type of impact it could have on U.S. foreign policy and our U.S. troops in Iraq.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, this is the first fully pledge Middle East peace talks since 2000. Up until the very last minute, no one was even sure it would actually happen. But today, more than 40 countries will come to the U.S. Naval Academy, and the U.S. is hoping to launch a real peace process.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: The U.S. is serving up Mid-East diplomacy, after keeping a low profile for seven years.
GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: 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. AARON DAVID MILLER, WOODROW WILSON CENTER: I think there is a degree of urgency. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iranians. The region is really not in the hands right now of the peace 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.
MILLER: 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 Israel'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 difficult things always are between the two sides. The Israeli and Palestinians are still at this late date trying to hammer out a joint statement. There are differences over things like a timetable and who is going to monitor what on the ground and how. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says that she's hopeful that they'll be able to bridge that gap.
Kiran?
CHETRY: All right, we'll see as it gets started in just a few hours. Zain Verjee in Annapolis for us, thank you.
Rob?
MARCIANO: Kiran, Middle East news of a different sort. Iraqi soldiers say they arrested a wanted terrorist in a wedding dress. Take a look. He was trying to get by a security checkpoint outside of Baghdad, along with the groom and their wedding party. Troops searched the car and found out they were both wanted men.
Still ahead, nearly 5,000 video questions were submitted ahead of CNN/YouTube debate tomorrow night. We'll take a look at what people are asking, that's coming up when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. Right now, we want to let you know about a sad and developing story this morning. The death of an NFL defensive star, Washington Redskins Sean Taylor. He was shot yesterday in his home in what appears to be some sort of robbery attempt. And we got word about 40 minutes ago that he has died from the gunshot wound. He was shot in the upper leg. They say it hit the femoral artery in his thigh, that the blood loss was just too great and he passed away at the hospital. We are getting reaction this morning from his family and friends. We're going to have an update for you on this tragic story today, coming up at the top of the hour. Rob?
MARCIANO: The Malibu wildfires are getting under control. The Santa Ana winds have died down at least for now. But there's more action now west. Jacqui Jeras joins us from the CNN severe weather center with more on that. HI, Jacqui.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Time now for the GOP candidates into the hot seat. Democrats have their turn with our YouTube debate. Now the republicans have their try tomorrow night. Veronica De La Cruz is here.
CHETRY: Hey, Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, guys.
CHETRY: You know, a ton of submissions we've gotten, right?
DE LA CRUZ: A ton of submission and a short up tick on Sunday which means that our YouTubers, procrastinators. There was 750 on Sunday alone. And there about 5,000 submissions total now. Nearly 2,000 more at least on the last YouTube debate with the Democrats. So, you know, it's definitely catching on.
MARCIANO: How do you -- do you know how to do this? How you actually submit one of these questions?
CHETRY: Oh, heck no. I mean, it's probably not that hard, but to figure out how to be able to get the camera.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, cell phone camera, you upload it. It's all there online and, you know, pretty laborious process. Our CNN political unit has taken a lot of time to waddle down the nearly 5,000 to about 40. Those questions run the gamut when it comes to hot topics. Some are funny obviously, some are sad, and some are definitely serious. In some ways, our political director says that having to go through these videos, watching hundreds of them really give you a sense of what's on people's minds, so take a look. That is what we've gotten.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do you stand on the terminally ill patient's right to die? If a national position assisted suicide law were passed, would you sign it in?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George W. Bush and his administration are suffering from all-time lows in approval ratings. How will you as a Republican candidate distance yourself from the president and his administration in order to appeal to the mainstream voter?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you be willing to extend all the health care coverage that you get in the United States Senate, the House of Representatives, and the president, would you be willing to extend that coverage to all Americans?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This question is for Fred Thompson. You've made it clear you don't believe in humans causing global warming. Al Gore won the Nobel peace price for fighting against global warming. Does this mean you don't believe in peace?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: And you might remember Billiam snowman there. Mitt Romney was angry that he was featured in the first debate with the Democrats saying I think that the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman. So, Billiam has actually responded to the Mitt Romney's question. We're going to see if that makes sense at the debate, tomorrow night.
MARCIANO: Frosty chiming in there.
DE LA CRUZ: He's Billiam the snowman.
CHETRY: The interesting thing is if the candidates wanted to, they could technically sit down and watch every single question. Right.
DE LA CRUZ: So this should be a home run for most, I would say. You know, they know the questions ahead of time, wouldn't you think?
MARCIANO: Well, the first YouTube debate was very successful.
DE LA CRUZ: Right. Right, so tomorrow night, you can watch yourself, tomorrow night CNN is going to go on for about two hours. You can also log on to our political page, cnnpolitics.com. You can also head to YouTube and you can watch some of those potential questions yourself, even see if you can answer some of them.
CHETRY: Play along at home. Thanks, Veronica.
Well, she survived sabotage and went on to win the Miss Puerto Rico title, going on to Miss Universe. We're going to have much more on the amazing victory by the new Miss Puerto Rico, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Ten minutes before the hour now. And if you're just joining us, here's a look at what's making headline this morning.
There's sad news to report to you about the NFL star defensive player Sean Taylor. The 24-year-old Washington Redskins safety. He was shot yesterday in Miami in his Miami home in an apparent robbery. He's died. Doctors worked to save Taylor but family and friends say he lost too much blood and died this morning.
Dow futures are actually up today, after a huge 200-point-plus sell off yesterday. That sent overseas markets into a slump. Hong Kong shares down more than 1.5 percent. Thanks in a large part to the sub-prime lending crisis in the U.S. Stocks here at home are now off 10 percent from their all-time high.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, this is a story that just made us all shake our heads when we heard it yesterday. It really sounds almost like a plot to a "Bee Movie." A beauty queen won a pageant over the weekend even though her makeup and clothes were sabotaged with pepper spray. This really happened. Ingrid Marie Rivera. She swelled up. Was covered in hives at Puerto Rico's Miss Universe competition but still managed to take home the tiara. Our Lola Ogunnaike joins us now with more on this. And you know, what more do we know today about who was behind this dirty tricks?
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, police were brought in yesterday to investigate this. Pageant officials are saying that it was an inside job. And you know, she walked into this competition the front-runner, and there were rumors swirling all around that she had rigged this event. Some of her competitors were upset that she had so much experience. She was Miss World 2005 Caribbean. So, they thought she had a leg up on them so maybe someone decided that they would even the playing field by sabotaging her makeup and her clothing.
CHETRY: Wow. So, she spoke out yesterday for the first time about this. How did she describe what it felt like when she realized that this had happened to her?
OGUNNAIKE: Well, you know, she remained composed on stage the entire time. She was breaking out in hives, she was covering herself in ice packs back stage. She remained composed. But yesterday, she was teary throughout the press conference and she says that half way through, am I a masochist? Why am I continuing to participate in this? I should just quit. But then she said she (INAUDIBLE) her faith in God and she believed that God was behind her victory.
CHETRY: Well, you really have to have an iron will to take part in these things. I mean, this is the extreme but the competition fierce as we know but gets nasty at this beauty pageant.
OGUNNAIKE: Yes. I mean, you thought it's usually you know, some sort of candidness, maybe, you know, a missing eye liner here, a missing mascara but nothing like this. I mean, this is really unprecedented and again, you know, the police are taking this very seriously. She now has around the clock protection. They're worried that this could go off the catwalk, the pageant catwalk. So, they're watching out for this girl.
CHETRY: Are they confident they're going to find out who was behind it?
OGUNNAIKE: Well, they're going to do their best. I mean, they're not playing around with this. They really want to get to the bottom of this. Because, this sort of thing, should not be happening at a beauty pageant, for God sakes.
CHETRY: It really does have all of the makings of a Hollywood movie though. I tell, Lola, "Miss Congeniality 3." Lola, great to see you. Thanks
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you.
CHETRY: Rob?
MARCIANO: Kiran, still ahead. Reeling from a devastating loss. We're following breaking news this morning on the death of Washington Redskins Safety Sean Taylor. We're now hearing from his friends. That's coming up when AMERICAN MORNING returns. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, it's time for the morning's quick vote question. It's about your money. The Dow tanked yesterday, it is now 10 percent off its high. That is considered technically a correction in the market. Seems almost every day we're hearing ominous economic reports that threat on it eat away at even more of our 401(k)s or our investments and then there's the housing crisis as well as the credit crunch and the value of our dollar that seems to keep on sinking.
So we're asking this morning, do you think that we are headed for a recession, that we will be in a recession sometime next year? Yes or no? Cast your vote at cnn.com/am. We're going to get the first tally of those votes a little later in the hour.
MARCIANO: Ali Velshi.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Such grim news. What is up with you people? A grim question.
MARCIANO: Come brighten it all. What's your opinion? Are we into a recession?
VELSHI: A recession. It really is a downturn in economic growth. Doesn't mean things are tight. Doesn't mean things are tough. It actually means economic growth is going the wrong direction. We haven't seen that yet but the other people say a recession is when you feel like there's a recession and you stop spending and then you cause a recession. So, I'd be very interested in seeing what folks say about that. I do have good news, for once.
MARCIANO: Come on, bring it.
VELSHI: The market. The futures are up right now, more than 80 points on news that the government, the investment arm of the government of Abu Dabi has invested $7.5 billion in Citigroup, which will give it a shareholding of under 5 percent. Just under 5 percent. No management control, no decision-making abilities, no seats on the board but it is going to help Citigroup out of its big problem. Just so you remember, because it's very hard to keep track of what all these banks have been doing lately. Here's a list of some of the things that had been going on at Citigroup, other than the fact its CEO was pushed out recently.
The shares hit a five-year low yesterday down 45 percent since January. Its sub-prime losses have already been $6.5 billion and they say there could be another $11 billion. So, we could get to $17 billion or more. So, the good news here is that has really pulled the market up, because the Gulf States have money. They have on a bit of a tear in terms of investing in western countries.
CHETRY: Is that a show of confidence, though, by putting that $7 billion in?
VELSHI: Sure.
CHETRY: Or have they made the change they need to make within Citibank to make that work?
VELSHI: Even though they don't have a board seat and management control, there's definitely some sense. When you own 5 percent of a major company, you're going to have some say in how it wraps up and how it gets a little more, you know, how it gets a little tighter so you should see. Investors are thinking this is good news for Citigroup.
MARCIANO: We are going to be back with more stuff, but I think the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.
CHETRY: Breaking news. NFL star Sean Taylor dies overnight, gunned down at his home, unable to recover.
Giving peace a chance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: We've come together this week because we share a common goal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: The new push this morning in Annapolis. What it means for American troops in Iraq.
Plus, have it your way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your one greatest strength?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Your questions to the candidates. While Myth and Rudy slug it out off stage on this AMERICAN MORNING. And welcome. A busy news day on this Tuesday, November 27th, I'm Kiran Chetry.
MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano filling in today for John Roberts. Good morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
