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Candidates Try to Sway New Hampshire Voters; Nevada Town Flooded when Dam Cracks; Iranian Boats Confront U.S. Warships; Police Search for Missing Hiker's Body

Aired January 07, 2008 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: New Hampshire may look peaceful, but it's a political battleground the day before the name first presidential primary. The best political team on TV is there. CNN's Suzanne Malveaux covering the Democrats, Mary Snow covering the Republicans, and everyone's keeping an eye on the independents, not to mention the still undecided voters.
Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Don is off. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Suzanne, let's start with you. Barack Obama trying to keep Hillary Clinton on the ropes after he wins in the Iowa caucuses. New poll numbers show that he might be succeeding.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right. This is really an amazing race, a very exciting race. You see that Obama's surging ahead, ahead of Hillary Clinton. There's been a lot of activity on her side to try to catch up, becoming much, much more aggressive.

I'm actually here at an Edwards event. This is kind of crashing a house party, if you will. There's going to be a group of families, neighbors, gathering in what is part of a 36-hour event, a marathon that John Edwards says that he is going to kick it off until midnight or so, trying to garner as much as support as possible to get those young voters, those independents out to the primary.

But I also had a chance just yesterday to catch up with Senator Hillary Clinton. It is obvious here that she is taking on her opponent, Barack Obama, very forcefully. There are a couple of things that she is talking about. First of all, she's trying to talk up her own experience while downplaying his.

Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, it is significant that if someone is going to rail about lobbyists and claim that, you know, they are above all of this kind of special interest influence, that the fact that Senator Obama's chairman here in New Hampshire is a lobbyist is a relevant piece of information.

If someone is going claim that, by their very words, they're making change, then if those words say, "I'm going to vote against the Patriot Act," but when they go to the Senate they vote for it, or if those words say, "I'm against the war in Iraq and I'll never vote for funding," and then when they go to the Senate they vote for $300 billion worth of funding, I think it's time for people to say, "Well, wait a minute. Let's get real here."

There is a big difference between talking and acting, between rhetoric and reality.

MALVEAUX: Why do you think -- why do you think it's relevant that -- that he's a lobbyist, because his own campaign says that they think that that's an act of desperation on your part, on your campaign, because it had never come up before.

CLINTON: Well, there's a time for things to come up, when people know about them and when the contrasts are being drawn, when voters are paying attention.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And Kyra, that's really what it's all; about voters are paying attention. That is why you're hearing the distinctions that are being made.

I should let you know, as well, the Obama camp saying that that particular chairman, that aide, is not a lobbyist for the federal government or for Obama himself and, therefore, he has been vetted. So they take issue with Hillary Clinton on that point.

But what is obvious here is that they are trying to make these distinctions, not only when it comes to whether or not there are inconsistencies on the positions -- that is what Hillary Clinton is saying -- but also on the issue as well.

She talks about her health care plan, their different types of health care plans that each one of these candidates has mapped out. That is something voters are paying very close attention to.

The bottom line here, we really don't know how this is going to come out, but they are paying attention. They are watching. They are attending events. And voter turnout is going to be critical; it's going to be key for tomorrow.

PHILLIPS: All right. We're all paying attention, too. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much.

And among New Hampshire Republicans, polls suggest that John McCain and Mitt Romney are fighting for the lead. The rest of the pack, well, fighting for the scraps.

Mary Snow's in Manchester.

Mary, it's a real panic -- well, manic/panic Monday, I guess, in the Granite State.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a real nail biter, Kyra. And you know, our latest CNN poll showed that about 25 percent of the Republican primary voters questioned said they hadn't even decided yet. So these candidates are -- have their schedules stacked, trying to reach these undecided voters.

Senator John McCain, as you mentioned, now leading the pack. He is trying to play up his experience as he goes around the state. Kyra, he won here in 2000. He got a lot of help from independents. He's also trying to sway independent voters onto his side.

Another issue he's been playing up, he said he was a lone voice in supporting the surge. And he's reminding voters here that he was -- he feel his was right, and he's telling people he needs their vote.

Mitt Romney, also stacking his schedule. He is really hoping that he will win but is playing down expectations, as he has slipped, really, and suffered that setback in Iowa.

His theme has been one that he's been harping on in recent days. He's trying to portray himself as the Washington outsider, trying to use the theme of change and has named Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee, his rival, on the campaign trial, trying to persuade voters that he is the candidate who can provide change.

But he has so much at stake here. He has outspent all his Republican rivals and spent so much time in this state. But he is talking today about going forward, if he does not win, saying if he comes in a strong second, he feels that would be satisfactory.

Mike Huckabee is now really vying for third place with Rudy Giuliani. Mike Huckabee saying today that, if he comes in third or fourth place -- never really had a strong showing here, but after his Iowa victory, he's hoping to just stay alive. He is campaigning in the state.

And Rudy Giuliani has pretty much -- he is campaigning here today, but his strategy has largely written New Hampshire off. He's counting on Florida later in January and Super Tuesday in other big states. So his strategy has been unconventional. That's certainly being put to the test -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Mary Snow there in Manchester. Mary, thanks.

And tomorrow, we're going to talk with New Hampshire's Democratic governor, John Lynch. He'll join me. We'll ask him about the primary and why his state should come first in the process of choosing presidents. Governor John Lynch, tomorrow 1 Eastern right here on CNN.

And remember, CNN.com is the place to check out if you want even more from the candidates. Watch the final speeches before the New Hampshire primary. Campaign events, rallies, streaming all day, all night on CNN.com.

And a tragic end to a weekend ski trip in Telluride. Eight people killed when their charter bus went off a slick highway, rolled over just outside the town of Mexican Hat, Utah. That's in the Four Corners region. Twenty people were hurt. They were rushed to hospitals in Arizona, Colorado and Utah. No word yet on what caused that accident.

From record snow to record high temperatures, a strange January. Wouldn't you say, Chad?

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: All right. Chad, appreciate. We'll talk again.

Well, they found bloody clothes, her credit card, her dog. But where is Meredith Emerson, the missing hikers? As searchers look for her body, authorities wonder whether her fate is just the latest handiwork of her alleged kidnapper.

Plus, lethal injection: is it a painful and unconstitutional way to die? You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, at last count, almost 300 homes in the Nevada town of Fernley were damp, flooded or something in between after a levee break in a nearby canal. Our Susan Roesgen is there.

Susan, what happened?

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, what's happened is that this subdivision has become an ice-skating rink. At least 100 people are still not back in their homes.

And I found out just a few minutes ago from the city manager of Fernley that, of the 21,000 who live here, only one, just one, had flood insurance. Nobody knew how much they were going to need it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN (voice-over): This was the only way out for a few desperate people in Fernley, Nevada. In this small town near Reno, people woke up to find water all around their homes, and in some cases, inside.

Yvonne Kalari (ph) showed us where her family jumped out the bedroom window when the water rushed in.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Freezing cold water, starting to snow.

ROESGEN: The family made it as far as the pickup in the driveway, but it was submerged before they could move. And the water was coming from a mile away.

The culprit was a 50-foot gash in an irrigation canal, and no one knows yet how it happened.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a typical Friday night, Saturday morning in sleepy Fernley, and this is what happened.

ROESGEN: The flooding covered about one square mile, several feet deep in some places, just inches in others. But the force of it tore away pavement and affected as many as 400 homes.

GOV. JIM GIBBONS, NEVADA: Nevada is the state that needs water, but we don't need it all at once.

ROESGEN: Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons is promising state and federal help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heartbreaking. I just feel like crying right now, you know, for all of these things. We've been married 45 years and I collected, we collected all this stuff, you know, for all the years that we've been married. And now, it's all destroyed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: That was Nancy Maddox (ph). She lives here in this subdivision. Kyra, a lot of people must feel like crying today. They are hoping that FEMA will make an assessment here and get the federal government to declare this a federal emergency, this particular county, just one county, because they say they really need that federal help -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Susan Roesgen, appreciate it. We'll follow all reports coming from you out of Nevada there.

Also, bloody evidence found in a Dumpster, and the hunt for a missing hiker turns into a search for her body now. Might be a break in the case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: High drama in the Strait of Hormuz. Five Iranian boats threaten three U.S. ships in international waters. One even radioed that the U.S. ship would soon explode.

CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has been digging in for all the details on yesterday's confrontation.

And what do you know, Jamie?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the Pentagon is really perplexed about this whole confrontation between five small Iranian boats and three U.S. warships that were proceeding on routine transit of the Strait of Hormuz from the south to north into the Persian Gulf, when at about 8 a.m. Sunday morning they were confronted by these five, small, fast attack boats operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.

Now these are ships that are sort of outside the regular chain of command of the Iranian navy. They operate on their own. They took very hostile and aggressive action, swarming the U.S. warships, at one point getting in front of them and dropping white boxes out the back of one of the small boats, forcing the U.S. ships to take evasive maneuvers.

And it wasn't until one of the ships was ready to fire on the Iranian boats that they -- they took off. It's not clear if they were given a warning that the U.S. ships were about to fire before they left.

But before that happened, there was a radio transition monitored by one of the ships that said, quote, "I'm coming at you. You will blow up in a couple of minutes."

Now the Navy can't confirm exactly where that transmission came from but clearly, very hostile and provocative behavior.

Here's what Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said in a statement just a short time ago: "This aggressive and hostile behavior by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is cause for real concern. It is perplexing why five small Iranian boats would confront three U.S. warships operating in international water. Such efforts are dangerous and could have quick escalated into something much more. We see it as further evidence that Iran is unpredictable and remains a threat."

Again, these small boats were operated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, not the regular Iranian navy. And they are more provocative and more unpredictable. You may recall, they were involved in the capture of those British seamen last year.

What the U.S. thinks is going on here? Well, they're not exactly sure. The Pentagon thinks that maybe the Iranians were testing the U.S. ships to see what kind of response they would get.

I can tell you this, Kyra. They didn't get closer than about 200 meters or so. That's about the length of two football fields. If they had gotten closer in a more provocative way, they probably wouldn't have been here today, because the U.S. would have opened fire on those ships, if it looked like they were a real threat to the ships. And of course, ship's commanders have absolute authority to protect themselves from small boats that could harbor suicide bombers.

But again, they're still puzzling through the pieces of what actually happened and what the motivations were.

PHILLIPS: Well, no surprise that Iran was taunting the U.S. military. We've seen it before. Jamie McIntyre will track it. Thanks.

And lots to report now in the case of a missing hiker in the north Georgia mountains. The man arrested in the disappearance of Meredith Emerson goes to court next hour.

Bloody evidence, as we've told you, has turned up on Friday, as did Emerson's dog, 50 miles from where Emerson was last seen. And investigators from two states are comparing notes to determine whether 61-year-old Gary Hilton is linked to other crimes.

Rusty Dornin has been following the investigation.

A lot to talk about. Where do you want to begin?

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, just this afternoon, about in an hour, Gary Michael Hilton will be going court for kidnapping with the intent to commit bodily harm. That was after they discovered these bloody clothes in a Dumpster, her -- Meredith Emerson's I.D. The 24-year-old girl that was seen, witnesses say, talking to Hilton on the trail on New Year's Day.

Well, what is going to be happening later this afternoon, as well, is that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is going to be talking to North Carolina investigators about John and Irene Bryant. This was a North Carolina couple who disappeared last October.

Now, they did find, apparently, Irene Bryant's body, bludgeoned to death. They have never found the man's body yet. Also, they got ATM pictures.

The reason this whole thing came up was in Tennessee a man using their ATM card showed up, and you can see him. He's got a yellow jacket on. Now, witnesses say that Hilton was wearing some kind of yellow jacket when he was talking to Emerson on the trail. And authorities dismissed this whole connection last Friday, saying they had no idea whether it was related.

Now they're saying they are going up this afternoon to have a meeting with North Carolina and U.S. Forest Service investigators to see if there's some kind of connection.

Meantime, let's hear -- we want to hear something from her father, who spoke to reporters for the very first time, Dave Emerson, about his daughter. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE EMERSON, FATHER OF MEREDITH EMERSON: I'd first like to thank all the people involved in the search for our daughter, Meredith. The amount of effort from professionals and volunteers who donated their time and services have -- has been overwhelming. This is just a reflection of how much Meredith loves others and how much Meredith is loved.

We are thankful that Ella as been found, but Meredith is still out there. I appeal to everyone to search their hearts and memories for anything they can remember and do to help us find Meredith and return her home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Now remember, this is now no longer a search and rescue mission but a recovery effort. They are looking for her body.

But I just spoke, before I came up on the set, with her best friend and her roommate, Julia Karrenbauer, who still says she holds out some slim hope that somewhere...

PHILLIPS: She's alive. DORNIN: ... she may be alive. Now she told me that she is unable to go back to their apartment at this point. She really just cannot go in, and apparently her parents have come into town, as well. And the whole family and the friends that have all joined in this effort are really having a tough time with this.

PHILLIPS: What more do we know about 61-year-old Gary Hilton? His past, did he have a job? Was he working? What kind of record did he have?

DORNIN: Well, his -- we know very little, really. I mean, he does have a record. Apparently, he was accused and convicted of marijuana possession and theft by taking.

Also, the first charges they booked him on were abandoning possessions on federal property, on national park property, which a little unclear exactly what that did mean.

We do also know he had two vans. Now they have recovered one, but it is unclear whether they have recovered the second van. He had two white vans. So we're trying to get in to talk to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to see if they actually found this other van and if that has any evidence that can relate to this case.

PHILLIPS: Well, I know you're working the story all day for us. Keep us updated. Thanks, Rusty.

And something new for you from our friends at CNN.com, through TV. True TV, actually. We've teamed up to bring you the best crime and justice coverage available anywhere. You can click on, check it out, at CNN.com/crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I grabbed my handgun, and I proceeded right to the back, because as soon as I saw a shadow, I was going to -- I was going to go ahead and start shooting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, you might react the same way if this happened at your house. We're going to show you more security cam video that will send chills up your spine.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: One-twenty-five Eastern Time right now. Here are some of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Eight people now confirmed dead in southeast Utah after a tour bus taking them on a ski trip ran off a wet highway and rolled over last night. Twenty others were injured.

And a much happier turn of events in neighboring Colorado: six snowmobilers have found alive after vanishing Friday in the snowy southern mountains. The Strait of Hormuz, scene of what the U.S. military calls a significant confrontation with Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats. The military says the Iranian boats harassed and provoked three U.S. Navy ships. An Iranian official tells the state-run news agency it was nothing serious.

The first five trading days of the year often predict the year as a whole. It's called the January Effect. And so far in 2008, well, the outlook is pretty ominous.

Susan Lisovicz on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange with the latest.

Tell us more, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the good news is that on day four, although it has been, Kyra, a wobbly session, right now, at least at the moment, we are looking at a rally.

And you are right, the January Effect is considered an early warning system. And warning is the proper word to use, because it has been a rough start.

What we're seeing so far this rally, no way, no shape, no form, is going to make up for what we saw last week. The Dow industrials lost 464 points in the first three trading days of the year. That's half of its gains for the year. The NASDAQ suffered its biggest one- day loss since the markets reopened after 9/11.

And in fact, for the Dow Industrials, the worst three-day stretch, according to Barron's, since 1932, when the U.S. economy was in the throes of recession.

One reason why it may be so uncertain today is nothing's really going on. We don't have any major economic reports. We do start to get corporate earnings tomorrow. Alcoa, a Dow 30 company, the world's biggest maker of aluminum, used in everything from soda cans to jet planes, is going to be reporting its earnings. A little bit of the concern in advance of that. It's the worst performing Dow 30, Alcoa is, right now. It's shares are down 5 percent.

Fortunately, the Dow itself is still on the plus side, up about 48 points right now. The NASDAQ is up ten points.

We're also going to be hearing from some officials, including Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve this week. And you better believe there are a lot of questions about what the Fed's going to do, either at the next meeting or perhaps in advance of it, because between the jobs report and the manufacturing report and oil at its all-time highs last week, it's been -- it's been a pretty rough last few days, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, yes. We've been talking about those higher oil prices, also the weak labor market that led to the latest market drops. We've been talking about it for days. What's the latest on those fronts today? LISOVICZ: Well, actually, oil has made a big move down -- imagine that -- today. Oil prices right now down $2.66 a barrel. But it's still, overall, at $95.22. So, that's still pretty close to $100 a barrel. It's uncomfortably high for just about everybody outside of OPEC.

In terms of the jobs market, you know, everybody's talking about, you know, companies cutting back. Not only jobs itself, but hours. Very interesting story in the "Wall Street Journal" today, saying a lot of companies want to hang on to their skilled employees but on the other hand have to cut back the hours, because they see slowing demand. It mentions Hyundai, the big auto manufacturer, and also Pella in windows. And that's obviously a trend that we'll continue to monitor.

And that's another reason why corporate earnings are so important, because not only do they give us numbers for last quarter, but they tell us what they're seeing in terms of customer demand, pricing and jobs. So it's just another indication of where the economy is. And of course, we're on top of it all.

I'll be talking to you in the next hour about a Mack (ph) attack that has nothing to do with burgers -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK. Whole other story. We'll see you in a little bit. Thanks, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: The Supreme Court weighing the supreme punishment. Arguments are heard today on the constitutionality of lethal injection.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: 1:32 Eastern Time, I'm Kyra Phillips. The CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Let's get straight to T.J. Holmes at our national assignment desk for a look at what stories everybody is working on in the CNN NEWSROOM. Hey T.J.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR : Yes, working on a little bit of everything over here. Everybody is working. Of course, this is the area where they're monitoring hundreds of affiliates we've got going on around the countries. Our assignment editors, even though, obviously, a couple of our assignment editors, Kyra, are on lunch break right now.

But we still got plenty of others here working all the affiliates around the country. Now a couple of the stories that we'll just give you an example of what's going on. We'll start in out southeastern Utah. A sad story here. A bus accident that happened out there, this is a charter bus, we now know that eight people were killed in this accident.

You are looking at still pictures that came to us from the highway patrol of that accident. That is a manginged mess, some 50 people were on this bus. They were going back home from a ski trip in Utah. The bus was going around the curve on the road, left the road, tumbled over several times.

We understand that the roof of that bus ripped off and several people were actually ejected. But we know that eight were killed, 19 injured. But look at the mangled mess there. Again, these pictures coming to us from the highway patrol there. That's one story, certainly, let me keep an eye on all day over here at the desk.

Also, this story, a more upbeat story. Snowmobilers, been missing since Friday, found alive. This was six of them. A couple of families going out on their snowmobiles for a good time. Well there was heavy snow, they got in a bit of trouble. Apparently got turned around, got a little lost, got into a little trouble.

So people had been looking for them since Friday. And of course, some of the bad weather hindered the search. Well, the six were able to call from a train station, a snowbound train station that they found. Got into the building, picked up the phone and said, "Hey, we're lost, you understand? You've been looking for us, but we're okay. We're cold, we're hungry, but otherwise we are all right." So a good story we can report weather-related there as well.

Then a final weather-related story, a sad one as well. Traffic- related this time. This is the mangled mess from Madison, Wisconsin. 100 cars involved in crashes along this strip of highway. I-3990, as it's called there

Two people were killed, but 100 vehicles, involved 150 people involved, another 50 people had to be taken to hospitals. But the roads were wet, they were not icy, you understand.

And what the thing was is that it was just foggy. People could not see. So, of course, you can't see one accident happening in front of you. Then the next person behind you can't see that accident happen, and it just happens over and over in a kind of trickle effect.

But those are just some of the stories they're keeping an eye on at the national desk. Kyra, as they keep bringing that stuff to us, I'll keep bringing it to you and everybody else.

PHILLIPS: Sounds good. We'll talk again. Thanks, T.J.

All the good news for a Texas homeowner. Her security cameras work really well. The bad news? The creepy images that were captured.

Reporter Monika Diaz of CNN affiliate, WFAA has the story out of Dallas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: On the front door, on the back door, on the side of the house and then at my very back garage.

MONIKA DIAZ, WFAA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cameras keeping an eye on every corner of this house on Bentwood Street in Glenn Heights. CARRIE SHANNON, VICTIM: That's it.

DIAZ: Carrie, in tears as she watches the video her security system recorded.

SHANNON: They had to go put their gloves on now.

DIAZ: She was home alone as four young men tried to kick in her door at 04:35, Sunday morning.

SHANNON: I immediately jumped up.

DIAZ: She got out of bed, called police with her cell phone, with one hand. And in the other --

SHANNON: I grabbed my handgun, and I proceeded right to the back because as soon as I saw a shadow I was going to go ahead and start shooting.

DIAZ: After several kicks the men gave up and took off.

SHANNON: I just want to be safe here in my own home, that's all I want.

DIAZ: Signs of the attempted home invasion are everywhere. The fence door's lock is broken, and the cameras didn't miss a beat. It even caught one of the men cutting the phone line. Shannon gave the video to the cops, and she hopes it leads to justice.

SHANNON: I hope you go to jail. Because you need to leave people alone.

DIAZ (on camera): Shannon believes this incident may be connected to another burglary that happened almost three weeks ago. In that case, four men stormed into her house through the front door.

DIAZ (voice-over): She is tired of living in fear.

SHANNON: It's just a hard-working woman trying to live, trying to support her son, trying to support herself. I'm just trying to live a better life.

DIAZ: But don't let the tears fool you. She has already invested in more protection.

SHANNON: I'm not scared to use it.

DIAZ: Just in case they come back.

SHANNON: So when they hit that door, this is what I'm going to hit them with.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, anyone who messes with Shannon could be taking has life into their own hands. Texas laws say she doesn't need a permit to buy or carry a rifle or shotgun, nor does she need a license. Restrictions do exist, thought, for people convicted of certain crimes. And Texans do need permits to carry handguns.

And something new for you from our friends at CNN.com and truetv. We've teamed up to bring you the best crime and justice coverage available anywhere. Click on, check it out: CNN.com/crime.

The Supreme Court weighing the supreme punishment. Arguments are heard today on the constitutionality of lethal injection.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A capital punishment case today on Capitol Hill, the supreme court heard arguments on lethal injection, specifically whether the most commonly used drug cocktail subjects prisoners to inhumane deaths.

Two Kentucky inmates claim the drugs violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. The inmates are pushing for a single drug injection instead of the cocktail. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen looks at the multi-drug method and some problems it's already presented.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSEPH CLARK, INMATE: I'm not scared, I'm not nervous. I get emotional sometime. But that's about it.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 2006, when Joseph Clark was executed by lethal injection for murdering two people in Ohio, something went wrong. He was supposed to be under anesthesia, but then --

PAUL KOSTYU, JOURNALIST: He raised himself, and he's strapped in on this execution chamber with straps across his chest, across his legs, and shouted five times, "It don't work, it don't work!"

COHEN: Executioners drew the curtain so no one could watch.

KOSTYU: I think people realized pretty quickly that there was a problem.

COHEN: Witnesses heard groans, and then silence. Instead of the normal 15 minutes or so, the process of putting Clark to death took nearly an hour and a half.

Here's how lethal injection is supposed to work: officials move the prisoner into the execution chamber, secure him on the table and put an intravenous line into his arm. They inject a series of three drugs into the i.v. First, Sodium Thiopental, which is supposed to make the inmate unconscious in 90 seconds, so the execution will be painless and the prisoner wont be aware of what's going on. Next pancuronium bromide, which paralyzes the prisoner's muscles collapsing the lungs and diaphragm.

Last, potassium chloride which stops the heart. When a heart monitor flatlines, the prisoner is pronounced dead. No one knows how often lethal injections are botched and don't work the way they're supposed to. But a recent study says it may be more often than previously thought.

DR. LEONIDAS KONIARIS, UNIV. OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: It's not resulting in a rapid painless death for the condemned.

COHEN: This is the man who invented lethal injections 25 years ago, Dr. Jay Chapman. While working for the state of Oklahoma, he developed the lethal three-drug cocktail that's now the standard in execution chambers across the country. But now, even he thinks it need to be reconsidered.

DR. JAY CHAPMAN, DEVELOPED LETHAL INJECTION METHOD: There are many problems that can arise. Given the concerns that people are raising with the protocol that is -- has been in existence that it should be re-examined.

COHEN: One major problem,  lethal injection is a multi-step procedure that requires real know-how.

CHAPMAN: Certainly you have to have some skills to do it.

COHEN: Executioners who are often not medical professionals, sometimes have a hard time finding veins and mixing drugs. In one botched execution in Florida, in 2006, the lead executioner later told an investigative panel, he had had no medical training and no qualifications.

It took the condemned man, Angel Diaz twice as long as normal to die. Dr. Chapman a death penalty supporter says maybe it's time to bring back an older method.

CHAPMAN: The simplest thing I know is the guillotine and I'm not opposed to bringing it back. It's absolute, if the person's head is cut off, that's the end of it.

COHEN: Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Window of hope in Kenya today. Rival parties step away from the brink in hopes of stopping rampant killing.

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PHILLIPS: Word coming in now that two F-18s have crashed off the carrier, the USS Harry Truman. Jamie McIntyre working the details right now for us. Jamie, do we know if they were on launch or recovery?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well we're not sure. It appears to be routine nighttime operations in the Persian Gulf off the carrier Harry S. Truman. Two F-18s crashed. One was a one-seat model, the other one was a two-seat model, so there were three crew altogether. All of the pilots have been recovered. They were apparently able to eject from their aircraft before they went down. And again, we don't know what happened in this incident which happened just over an hour ago, apparently.

But the most likely cause, when you have two planes, a crash at the same time, is that they somehow encountered each other in the air, either clipped a wing or tried to avoid each other or something like that. We don't know at this point. I will say, however, there's no indication that any sort of hostile fire, and this does not appear to be in any way related to yesterday's incident in which those U.S. warships were swarmed by five Iranian boats.

They were not, for instance, scrambling to respond to that or anything. This was a routine operation, nighttime, off the U.S. aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in the Persian Gulf. Again, all of the pilot and crew have been recovered and the two planes were lost, an F-18E and F-18F. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll follow the details with you, Jamie. Thanks so much. Good news is, those guys got to eject. Appreciated it.

Encouraging news out of Kenya now. With a U.S. envoy feverishly working to calm post-election violence, Kenya's president has invited the country's opposition leader to talks this Friday. Earlier, the opposition canceled planned nationwide rallies in an apparent effort to discourage further chaos.

The government now says the violence has claimed nearly 500 lives. It appears to have slowed since Saturday, but reports of death still are coming in from the countryside. CNN's Zain Verjee, a native of Kenya, has an up close look at what has been happening.

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ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You can see some of the destruction in the post election violence there in the petrol station. We're just actually heading to an area where people have just left their homes and they've gathered there for security.

They're just afraid they'll be targeted by neighbors or another tribe. So they're out there in the open and they're waiting for food to be given to them. The police leer having a difficult time controlling the crowds. There's a major lineup out here.

People are lining up for flour, we call it umli (ph) here, and it makes the staple food in Kenya know as Ugali and you mix it with water. So hundreds of people here have left their homes. They're too afraid to stay there because they're afraid they'll be targeted because of their tribe. So the situation here is difficult. It's tense.

Aid agencies that we've talked to say that they're having difficulties getting people food around the country. People have gathered here in the open, simply for their safety. They're too afraid to stay in their homes because they're affray afraid they'll be targeted from people from another tribe.

So, neighbors don't trust neighbors and that's a really shocking thing for a country like Kenya. You can see, everyone's belongings are here with them, a bed, stools, blankets, these carry oil for cooking. And we wanted to go to an area in Magari (ph) where we spoke to a couple of people whose lives have been destroyed. We are a beacon of stability in this region.

I've grown up interacting with the different ethnic groups here (inaudible). And they have co-existed with each other. So to come home and see displaced people a real sense of hatred, an ethnic cleansings in parts of the country because we couldn't get the election right.

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PHILLIPS: And Zain, we'll talk more about that personal connection you have, being from this area. But let's start, you mentioned the tensions there's in Kenya and why we're seeing this type of violence and displaced families. Give us a little more detail.

VERJEE: Well it all comes down to the election that was held on the 27th of December. Basically, the opposition is accusing the government of rigging, of cheating, of stealing the election. The thing about this one, though, was that, a, it was so close, and, b, it was split along tribal lines.

So the election confrontation has spilled over now into an ethnic confrontation and that's really what's triggered all of the violence here. The international community is telling both sides to talk. The top U.S. diplomat for Africa Jendayi Frazier is here telling both sides to talk. She's had some success.

They've agreed to do that and to have a degree of international mediation by the president of Ghana, John Kufuor who is expected here tomorrow night. Kyra?

PHILLIPS: Why has it been so hard to get aid to the people, specifically the food aid?

VERJEE: Well, you've got as many as 250,000 people that have been displaced here in Kenya, many facing starvation. I talked to some of the aid agencies who have said basically they firstly have difficulty in getting access to all of these people. They need to get trucks to deliver the food to them wherever they are.

But the truck transportation system, the drivers are saying we need security to take us these places so it's delaying the whole thing. Another reason they gave us, Kyra, was that -- they said they can take food to the slums but they could be robbed, if they give them to the people who need it they could be robbed. That's another major issue.

Also a lot of the people here who need the aid are moving because they're of a particular ethnic tribe. By the time the agencies get food, they have moved. Kyra? PHILLIPS: Now, this is where you're from. This is your home. Have you ever seen anything like this? And what's your family talking about around the dinner table? What's this like for you? Give me some personal insight.

VERJEE: Well, I was talking to my mom and dad who live here yesterday, as well as some other people who I know, friends, that I've known for a long time. And for all of us, Kyra, it is really heartbreaking and shocking to see this. I have never seen such ethnic hatred in this country. The atmosphere is really poisoned.

The different tribes, and Kyra, there are about 40 of them in the country have lived side by side, relatively peacefully. There have been flash points over things like water and cattle grazing, but it has never been like this when neighbors are turning on neighbors. So, it's really upsetting to see.

Also, Kenya has been a really stable country, a beacon of stability in Africa, a shining star. And we all feel pretty bad that it's been tainted because the Democratic process really had been taking off. Kenya was seen as a model for Democratic and political progress. So, this has really set us back.

I was just saying how weird it was to someone to talk about thing likes internally displaced people, international mediators, safe corridors in a country like Kenya. So, we all feel pretty upset and hope the leaders can show leadership and solve this.

PHILLIPS: Well, we'll keep in touch. Zain Verjee, great job. Really appreciate your hard work all morning and all day, and all night. Appreciate it a lot.

The other story that we've been talking about is in -- out of Tehran, Iran. We're getting new developments now on that incident between the Iranian sailors and those U.S. Navy ships that are out there in the Persian Gulf. A bit of a confrontation. Iran is playing it down. The U.S. saying it was a little more intense. Shirzad Bozorgmehr is our producer out of Tehran, joins us on the phone right now.

Give us a sense for what the talk is like there in Tehran. We've got the side here from the U.S., Shirzad.

SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, CNN PRODUCER: Well, there isn't much to say about this incident except for two short statements by Iranian officials. Mostly because the government is shut down today and it will be also tomorrow, due to heavy snow in the capital. But what we know so far is that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has denied that it had any of its ships had any confrontation with the United States or any aggression was committed by Iranian ships on the U.S. ships.

And the foreign ministry said that -- it virtually played it down by saying that incidents like this occur often and after the two ships identified each other, they went their own ways. So, they're trying to portray it as a small incident that happens often. But the United States seems to be taking it more seriously. They're calling it a significant incident in the Persian Gulf. But we just have to wait and see for more statements from the Iranian side now -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Do you feel there is a sense of tension there? Obviously, Iranian's know -- the Iranian government knows that there are a number of U.S. Navy ships that have been patrolling those waters just outside Iran, keeping an eye on Iran, of course a lot of concern about the nuclear activity. Do people there recognize, though, that there is a presence and they're sort of standing by, monitoring what's going on?

BOZORGMEHR: They're not standing by monitoring it, but they are concerned. They would have been much more concerned had those reports from the spy agency of the United States hadn't come out as they did recently. Since that report was made public, the Iranian public has kind of -- their mind has been eased a little bit regarding any confrontation with the United States. So, the timing is kind of fortunate because if it was before that, then things would have probably taken a different turn.

PHILLIPS: Shirzad Bozorgmehr, our producer there in Tehran, Iran.

Shirzad, thank you.

The Roger Clemens PR blitz, first a video, now an interview. And later today, a news conference. We're going to tell you what the major leaguer is saying about his alleged use of steroids.

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PHILLIPS: Baseball all-star Roger Clemens has filed a defamation suit against the man who told investigators he injected Clemens with steroids. Clemens' suit was filed last night against Brian McNamee, he is the former trainer who testified in the Mitchell probe into major league steroid use. Clemens is pursuing a PR blitz aimed at saving his reputation. It included an appearance last night on "60 Minutes."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROGER CLEMENS, ALL-STAR PITCHER: If he's putting that stuff in my body, if what he's saying, which is totally false, if he's doing that to me, I should have a third ear coming out of my forehead, I should be pulling tractors with my teeth.

MIKE WALLACE, 60 MINUTES CORRESPONDENT: Why didn't you speak to George Mitchell's investigators?

CLEMENS: I listened to my counsel. I was advised not to. A lot of the players didn't go down and talk to him.

WALLACE: Yes, I know.

CLEMENS: But, if I would have known what this man, Brian McNamee, would have said in this report, I would have been down there in a heartbeat to take care of it. But I understand that as a public person you're going to take some shots. The higher you get up on the flagpole, the more your butt shows, I understand all that. But I'm tired of answering to them. That's probably why I will not ever play again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Later today Clemens is to hold a news conference for the first time since the Mitchell Report was published.

Fed up in New Hampshire.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This whole political process this year is so long and started so early that I'm already sick of it.

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PHILLIPS: We're going to tell you about some folks experiencing campaign overload, even before the first primary voting begins.

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