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Battle Over Anna Nicole Smith's Body; Iraq Rape Allegations; 'Fight Back Friday'
Aired February 23, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Heidi Collins today.
HARRIS: For the next three hours, watch events come in to the NEWSROOM live on this Friday, February 23rd.
Here's what's on the rundown.
WHITFIELD: Anna Nicole Smith -- a judge rules on one issue, but the model's mother and lovers back in court this morning. The bickering continues.
HARRIS: Analyzing Barack Obama. Young, to be sure. What about experience? Is now the right time to run for president? Our guests explore that and other questions.
WHITFIELD: And costly cell phone contracts, car repair ripoffs, home repair shams. What about you, the customer? Oh, yeah. And then there's the customers' rights.
It's "Fight Back Friday" all this morning in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And at the top this hour, just when you thought it was over, yet another twist in the battle over the custody of Anna Nicole Smith's body. Here mother is expected to file an appeal, and an emergency DNA hearing is scheduled this morning.
Our Susan Candiotti rounds up all the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): To call this a courtroom drama is an understatement. And in the starring role, Broward County district judge Larry Seidlin, crying at times as he issued his ruling, a day early, on who gets to bury Anna Nicole Smith. His decision, the legal guardian of Smith's 5-month-old daughter.
JUDGE LARRY SEIDLIN, BROWARD COUNTY: Richard Milstein, Esquire, as the guardian ad litem for Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, is awarded custody of the remains of Anna Nicole Smith. CANDIOTTI: Seidlin passed over the other claimants, Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, and Smith's long-time companion, Howard K. Stern. But in releasing the body, the judge made his wishes tearfully clear.
SEIDLIN: I want her buried with her son in the Bahamas. I want them to be together.
CANDIOTTI: After the hearing, an unprecedented show of unity from Stern, Larry Birkhead, Smith's former boyfriend, who, like Stern, also claims to be Dannielynn's father, and Smith's mother, all agreeing they want Smith laid to rest next to her son, Daniel, who died suddenly last September.
HOWARD K. STERN, SMITH'S COMPANION: I just want to say that I'm very grateful that Anna Nicole's wishes are going to be carried out.
LARRY BIRKHEAD, SMITH'S FMR. BOYFRIEND: We all loved Anna. And it's in her best interest to come together and get this thing worked out for her best interests and lay her to rest.
CANDIOTTI: But just minutes later, another twist revealed by the Broward County medical examiner.
DR. JOSHUA PERPER, BROWARD COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER: At this time I have a court order, but the court order is under appeal.
CANDIOTTI: Attorneys for Smith's mother tell CNN they filed the appeal. But the medical examiner is predicting it will quickly be dismissed and that within days he'll accompany Smith's body to the Bahamas at the judge's request.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Susan Candiotti joins us now live from Fort Lauderdale.
Susan, good morning to you.
CANDIOTTI: Good morning.
HARRIS: I have to say, this case really has given us some extraordinary insight into the people who say they loved Anna Nicole Smith.
CANDIOTTI: That's right, including a judge who didn't even know her. We saw a judge crying. I mean, I have never seen that before, Tony.
And then you have the other players in this, the estranged mother who testified that she knew nothing about the sale of a home video while she was visiting her grandson's grave in the Bahamas. Then you have the ex-boyfriend, the ex-boyfriend who said he tried to stop Howard K. Stern from giving Anna Nicole smith drugs while she was in the hospital and pregnant, and apparently he didn't tell anyone in authority about it. And then you have this so-called clown video, the video that you're seeing now. It was shot by Howard K. Stern. That's why you can't see him. He's behind the camera, and he is shooting Anna Nicole Smith, her face painted like a clown.
She is clearly out of it. She is pregnant, and he's asking her, "Have you eaten a mushroom?" And then he says on tape, "I'm only joking."
And, you know, Tony, with so much animosity among all these people, you have to really wonder whether they will truly ever be able to come together with the child's best interest at stake, with so much money at stake as well.
HARRIS: Susan, that sums it up, that says it all.
I have to ask you, there are a couple of proceedings today. Which one are you following in Fort Lauderdale?
CANDIOTTI: Behind me inside this courthouse is the one that starts around 10:00 Eastern Time. This is before a family court judge.
And he is being asked by Larry Birkhead's lawyers to order that DNA samples be taken from Dannielynn, either in the Bahamas, or that the child be brought here. As you know, this is part of his ongoing paternity suit in an effort to try to prove that he is the biological father of Dannielynn.
So, you've got hearings here, hearings in the Bahamas, and a hearing up in West Palm Beach as well on another appeal.
HARRIS: Wow.
CNN's Susan Candiotti following it all for us.
Susan, appreciate it. Thank you.
And in just a few minutes, we will talk with a member of Virgie Arthur's legal team about this twist in strategy and why Anna Nicole Smith's mother just can't seem to let go.
WHITFIELD: Word of more U.S. deaths in Iraq. Just out this morning, the U.S. military says three American soldiers died during a combat mission in Iraq's volatile Anbar Province. In a separate incidence south of Baghdad, the military says one U.S. soldier was killed and three others wounded when their Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb.
And in the capital, a gruesome discovery. Police say they found 14 bodies, most showing signs of torture. At least three people were found shot to death in the northern city of Mosul.
HARRIS: One hundred years behind bars, that's the sentence for a U.S. soldier convicted of raping a young Iraqi girl. Sergeant Paul Cortez pled guilty in the rape and murder of a 14-year-old and the killing of her parents and sister. This was the scene last year.
While Cortez' sentence is 100 years, he could get out on parole in 10 years. It is part of his plea agreement. Cortez agreed to cooperate in cases pending against other soldiers. One soldier from Cortez' unit has already been sentenced to life in prison for his role in the incident.
WHITFIELD: This morning, now concerns about more sectarian violence in Iraq. At issue, allegations of rape involving Iraq's Shiite-dominated security forces. The allegations come from two Sunni women, and now al Qaeda's leader in Iraq apparently vowing revenge.
CNN's Carol Costello reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They have become the last pawns in the ugly war between Sunnis and Shiites. Two Iraqi women have come forward with very public claims they were raped.
The first allegation came Monday, when a Sunni Muslim woman appeared on Al-Jazeera TV and declared three Iraqi police officers raped her. The Shiite-led Iraqi government was quick to react.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki calling her allegations fabricated propaganda aimed at obstructing law enforcement. What some say is Maliki's rush to judgment sparked protest in support of the alleged victim, heightening tensions between Sunnis and Shiites and causing concern in the United States about Maliki's leadership.
Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher.
REP. ELLEN TAUSCHER (D), CALIFORNIA: Well, it's kind of shocking. If you can imagine having the head of state in any other country speaking about what should be a local criminal manner -- he should not be involved in this other than as the head of state to demand that the rule of law and the kind of due process that this woman should have should be followed by the local jurisdiction.
COSTELLO: Iraqi newspapers are closely following the story. It's being debated on Arab TV. Some commentators challenging the U.S. military doctors who treated the alleged victim to release her medical records.
CALDWELL: She was released with her medical records. What she does with those is her own decision. But nothing out of the multinational force would be released from us.
COSTELLO: So far, U.S. officials are staying out of it. But now another Sunni woman has come forward, this time accusing Iraqi soldiers. Her story, again on tape and very public.
And while four Iraqi soldiers were arrested on this complaint, some U.S. lawmakers say there have been other victims of such abuse in Iraq who are keeping silent.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: As word comes of a pullout of British troops from Iraq, new reports of more British soldiers bound for Afghanistan. This morning, the BBC reports British defense secretary Les Brown will unveil the new deployment early next week. According to "The Guardian" newspaper, 1,000 extra troops will join the 5,000 British soldiers already there.
WHITFIELD: Our Rob Marciano in the weather center.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Well, remember those JetBlue passengers who were stuck on the runway last week for hours? Still upset, still angry, a lot of folks really mad. Well, could an airline bill of rights, an actual law passed by Congress, help avoid future travel nightmares like that one?
We'll take a closer look in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: From clothes to cars, people are doing their shopping online. But how can you protect yourself from cyber fraud?
Tips on this "Fight Back Friday" in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: And home cheap home? Could it be? Buying a house or repairing one can certainly cost you, especially if you hire a crook to do the job.
HARRIS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: "Fight Back Friday" with Gerri Willis in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: No help, no service, no deal. Consumers learn how to fight back. You can, too.
"Fight Back Friday," in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Will former "Playboy" Playmate Anna Nicole Smith's body ever rest in peace? Her mother expecting to appeal to the judge's recommendation that Smith be buried in the Bahamas next to her son.
Well, with us now outside the courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is Don Clark, an investigative strategist on Virgie Arthur's legal team. Virgie Arthur being the mother of Anna Nicole Smith.
Good to see you, Don.
DON CLARK, STRATEGIST, ARTHUR'S LEGAL TEAM: Good morning to you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, usually we're talking about missing persons cases and other unsolved crimes. So now we're talking about your involvement with Virgie Arthur's appeal, or at least her version of events all surrounding her daughter, Anna Nicole Smith.
What exactly are you being asked to do?
CLARK: Well, you know, we felt from the beginning -- the whole team felt from the beginning that we should have been -- our petition should have been granted, that she should have been the one to get the child. So now the only other course of action left is to -- an appeal has been filed so that we can try to work again to see if this can be overturned. But the reality, Fredricka, is that time is not necessarily on our side, because it could very well be that the body will be moved before all of this takes place.
WHITFIELD: Because the appeal hasn't been filed yet, it's in the process of being filed. And we already heard from the chief medical examiner, who called into the courtroom earlier this week, who said the body is quickly deteriorating, somebody make a decision soon, at least if it comes down to viewing.
So, given that in mind, then why would Anna Nicole's mother want to hold things up any further by filing this appeal?
CLARK: Well, I think so. I think that the team has agreed that, yes, we do want to try to force this and see if this thing can be overturned, because there's so many other plans of action and courses of action that's going to take place down the road that we have to go on record. I know that the attorneys will say that they have to go on record and get the appeal filed to try to see if they can stop this.
WHITFIELD: So, on what grounds is the appeal being made?
CLARK: Well, in sitting there with the lawyers, we find out that they think clearly that the law states that the mother, Virgie Arthur, was the next of kin. And they will tell us very plainly that for a child to be able to get -- to be able to take custody or to be -- to play in this mix, that the child has to be over 18 years of age.
Of course, this kid is not over 18 years of age. So therefore, it should have been the mother to be the next of kin. And they think that the law states that clearly.
WHITFIELD: So why is Ms. Arthur so hard-pressed on Anna Nicole being buried in Texas, as opposed to the argument that she would be buried right next to her son in the Bahamas?
CLARK: Well, you know, Anna Nicole is a Texas resident. Her whole family is down in Texas.
And her wishes were -- she never said she wanted to be buried in the Bahamas. What she said is she said she wanted to be buried next to him. And that could have easily been handled, because his body could have been moved to Texas where the family...
WHITFIELD: So are you suggesting that that...
CLARK: There's really no...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Are you suggesting that that might be a next step if, say, Virgie Arthur is able to win her appeal, get custody of the body, that actually the grandson, Daniel's body, would be moved from the Bahamas and also relocated to Texas?
CLARK: I can tell you right now, that, yes, that is the intent. And that is exactly what would take place. If she were to take -- get custody of that body, then the idea is to bring everybody to Texas. And yes, that is what would take place.
WHITFIELD: All right. Don Clark, former special agent in charge with the FBI, and now working as well with the legal team there representing Virgie Arthur there in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Always good to see you. Thanks so much.
HARRIS: Here's a question for you. Were important issues overshadowed by what many call courtroom craziness in the Anna Nicole Smith case?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's hard not to be judgmental about the judge...
SEIDLIN: It's what...
MOOS: ... when he starts to choke up even before he gets to his ruling.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Judge Seidlin taking charge and making his mark. CNN's Jeanne Moos judging the judge, in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: And sure, electricity will zap you, but this power bill has way too many digits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: $24,200,700,002 -- billion.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Billion.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Billion..
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Unreal. Do you think she means billion when she says it? Shocking electric bill in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And it is "Fight Back Friday." Ali Velshi here with a preview. Ali, good morning.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, sir.
It's not that the bills for your cell phone are $22 billion, but billing errors on cell phone bills, in fact, are the single biggest complaint that consumers in America have.
Stay with us. I'm going to have more to how you fight back to the cell phone companies, if you stay in the NEWSROOM and wait for it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Ali Velshi helping us fight back against lousy cell phone service.
WHITFIELD: Don't like that.
HARRIS: Ali, help us out here. I think we all have a couple of complaints we'd like to lodge with you, and then with the appropriate parties here.
VELSHI: Yes -- 230 million cell phone users in the United States, so the Better Business Bureau says that complaints about cell phones topped their list of all industries. And where do those complaints lie? They're about billing, they're about, you know, reception dead zones, dropped calls, and they're about the terms of the contract.
I want to tell you about billing and what do you do about billing.
HARRIS: Great.
VELSHI: Obviously, that's the one that frustrates us most. We've got errors on the bill or things we don't understand, or fees and surcharges.
So, when you call up, you obviously have to give a lot of information up. And before you get into your litany of complaints, make sure that the person you are talking to has the authority, or at least has the ability to deal with concerns in the area that you're dealing with. Because often, my frustration is that I get somebody on the line, I sort of vent about what I'm supposed to be doing, and then they transfer me to somebody else.
HARRIS: Well, wait a minute. Wait. Wait. Ali, don't they prompt you to where you need to go?
VELSHI: Well, yes. You know, that's, by the way, aside from cell phones, one of American people's biggest concerns...
HARRIS: Yes, you're right.
VELSHI: ... that the prompts don't work and you end up with somebody, you know, who doesn't know what they're talking about or can't help you.
HARRIS: That's right.
VELSHI: So then you want to make sure that, before you escalate -- before you -- you know, before you get into a debate with them, you escalate the concern. You -- if you're not dealing with a person who can help you, or you're not dealing with someone who seems willing to help you, get to someone who is.
The trap I fall into is I -- I want the person I'm talking to really know how mad or frustrated I am. If they're not the person who's going to deal with it, get to a supervisor. There's been one complaint, Tony, that people tend to shuffle you between customer service reps with the same level of authority.
HARRIS: Got you.
VELSHI: You need to ask for a supervisor. You need to ask for somebody who can fix your concern.
The one thing that might get their attention, because it is so expensive for cell phone companies to lose and then try and get new customers...
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: ... is if they think you're going to leave them.
HARRIS: Right. Right.
VELSHI: If you're locked into a contract, you can't leave them without paying a penalty. But if you...
HARRIS: So that's the ultimate bottom line.
VELSHI: Right. That's what they want.
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: They want your monthly fees.
And finally, if you're not getting any satisfaction with this, do complain. You can complain to the FCC.
I know that doesn't sound very enticing to people, but the FCC is the only agency that the cell phone companies -- it's the only federal agency and regulatory agency that they have to report to. So the FCC can aggregate all these concerns.
They can say, hey, you know, there seems to be an issue with this area, and do something about it. But it is the one place you can and should lodge your complaint, because otherwise, you're just, you know, yelling its out into the ether, like I spend my time doing.
HARRIS: Yes. And, OK, so, all of the complaints that you might have about the billing, the confusing -- confusing billing... VELSHI: Yes.
HARRIS: ... and then even the issue with dropped calls, take the same approach, get to that supervisor, get to the person who can really help you?
VELSHI: Yes. And the dropped calls is an area where you might even have a good leg to stand on for getting out of your contract, because the contract is an agreement to exchange things. You're exchanging money for service, and if that service isn't coming to you, you might want to consider that.
There are also some Web sites available where you can sort of see whether your area is one that, you know, gets good reception from a particular carrier.
HARRIS: Right.
VELSHI: Because it is word of mouth. Right? You want to ask people, I live up in this part of town. What cell phone area works -- what cell phone provider works well there?
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: Even in a place like Manhattan, they don't all work well all over the place consistently.
HARRIS: Right. Right. OK.
But I love that. The bottom line on this, A -- there are two, I guess -- first, try to get to the person who is going to help you.
VELSHI: Yes.
HARRIS: And ultimately, hey, look, I'm not happy, I'll leave.
VELSHI: Yes. And you know what? If they're going to say you've got a cancellation fee to leave, well, at some point your contract is going to come to an end. And if you continually make the point that you are going to leave, you know, in some points, if you six or eight months in your contract, it may be worth paying that fee.
HARRIS: There you go.
VELSHI: But remember, the trap -- it sounds obvious, but the trap I fall into is I'm quite prepared to debate and I'm not effective at escalating and saying do something.
And by the way, out there, e-mail us at CNN if you don't get that satisfaction.
I've got to say, Tony, it's probably one of the biggest area of complaints we get from our own viewers.
HARRIS: Outstanding.
VELSHI: E-mail us. We'll collect this information and we'll talk to the companies.
HARRIS: Great. Great.
Ali, thanks for helping us...
VELSHI: All right, buddy.
HARRIS: ... fight back this Friday.
WHITFIELD: A flight from Texas to New Jersey -- so why is the plane just sitting in Kentucky? Trip trouble in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And from clothes to cars, people are doing their shopping online. But how can you protect yourself from cyber fraud? Tips on this "Fight Back Friday" in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So, Tony, what better way to get a lesson on how business runs?
(BELL CLANGING)
Wall Street, than to actually visit it yourself, and have the honors to actually do the ringing of the bell. You see right there in that shot, these are students and one of the professors of Marymount University out of Virginia. A Catholic university, out of Arlington, Virginia. And they had the honors this morning.
Yesterday, the Dow closed at 12686, 52 points down. Hopefully today, things will look up.
HARRIS: Yes, yes. And we will check all the business news with Susan Lisovicz throughout the morning here in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Good idea.
HARRIS: Fred, I'm going to need your help on this.
WHITFIELD: OK.
HARRIS: Keep me honest, here. Two proceedings in Florida, this morning.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
HARRIS: All surrounding Anna Nicole Smith. OK?
WHITFIELD: Right.
HARRIS: In Fort Lauderdale, the picture you see now, there is -- in just a couple of moments, a DNA hearing. This is in response to a motion filed by Larry Birkhead, one of three or four men, who claim to be the father of Smith's baby girl. This is a motion asking for an emergency hearing to be held, to request that a DNA sample be taken from the baby girl, Dannielynn. That is the seen there in Fort Lauderdale.
There is another whole separate hearing going on in West Palm, where Virgie Arthur --
WHITFIELD: North of there.
HARRIS: OK. Is filing an appeal to have yesterday's decision overturned. That was a decision deciding who would get custody, gain custody of Anna Nicole Smith's body for burial.
WHITFIELD: Right.
HARRIS: We are following both of these proceedings, one in Fort Lauderdale, the shot you see now and another in West Palm. We will update you on all of this throughout the morning.
WHITFIELD: Right. And we just talked to a member of Virgie's legal team, who said she wants the body to be moved to Texas. That's why she's holding her ground and appealing this decision.
HARRIS: We'll follow it all for you here in the NEWSROOM.
Let's get you to Rob Marciano, once again, severe weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Want to get you to Betty, now in the NEWSROOM. Betty's following developments surrounding a very bad accident in Ohio that has shut down a major interstate -- Betty.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: It's a good thing you're not headed to work right now. But the folks who are, it will take some time.
Take a look at this video out of Cincinnati. This is Interstate- 75. You can see there, a gravel truck has overturned. It is back, right side up, right now, but it lost its load all over the freeway here on I-75. They're trying to get this mess cleaned up.
When this shot winds out a little bit, you will see that the shutdown in the northbound lanes -- here's some video of that -- has really caused quite a traffic backup. The good thing, though, is this is not going into Cincinnati, it is northbound out of the city. So hopefully all those folks headed into town will get to where they're going.
Nonetheless, it is a huge traffic backup, gravel truck overturned and causing quite a mess on I-75 and in Cincinnati. Tony, that's the latest from there.
HARRIS: Appreciate it, Betty. Thank you.
Some midnight drama for 120 plus American Airlines passengers bound for New Jersey just hours ago, smoke inside the cockpit and cabin prompted an emergency landing of an American Airlines flight in Louisville, Kentucky. Four people treated for smoke inhalation. It is suspected an electrical problem caused the smoke. Passengers say despite the delay diverting the flight was the right thing to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN RONAN, PASSENGER: It could have (UNINTELLIGIBLE). They were very professional. They told everybody what the situation was, kept us informed and landed. And here we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Affected passengers were back on their way this morning.
WHITFIELD: Regrets from JetBlue. But from Congress, recriminations, maybe even retribution. Will anything change for airline passengers stranded by weather or scheduling? CNN's Randi Kaye takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Kate Hanni and her family bought four seats on American Airlines flight 1348 from San Francisco to Dallas last December. Final destination, Alabama. It was meant to be fun, but bad weather diverted the flight to Austin, where it sat for hours. Hanni says tarmac rage kicked in.
KATE HANNI, STRANDED PASSENGER: We were begging them to take us to a gate, or to send buses out and get us off the plane.
KAYE: Conditions onboard, Hanni recalls, became intolerable.
HANNI: We had no toilet facilitates that are usable, we had one package of pretzels in 13 hours, and water from the sinks to drink.
KAYE: American Airlines says the plane was restocked with water and snacks and the toilets did not overflow. Not in dispute, passengers waited on the plane for more than eight hours.
HANNI: I heard the pilots begging for gates and summarily being told, no. You can't have a gate.
KAYE: The airport was overflowing with other diverted flights. In the end, it took Hanni and her family 57 hours to get to Mobile. She argues a passenger bill of rights would have changed everything.
In less than two months, more than 12,000 people have signed a petition on her blog demanding one. Even if Congress passes a bill of rights, critics say it won't change anything. The reason, weather.
JOE BRANCATELLI, WWW.JOESENTME.COM: The airlines will drive a 747 through the loophole and everything that was wrong was weather's fault. Nothing you mandated in the law will actually happen.
KAYE: What would have happened in 1999 when Northwest passengers were stuck on planes in Detroit for eight and a half hours, or this past December when 5,000 stranded travelers spent two days at Denver airport? What about JetBlue's mess last week?
(On camera): Would a bill of rights really accomplish anything?
BRANCATELLI: They have no rights at all. Oddly, a pilot has more power than a policeman, and prosecutor and judge put together. He is the absolute lord of that tube.
KAYE: So, what exactly are your rights? We checked the Department of Transportation's website, where most major carriers list their contracts of carriage, a fancy name for customer service policy. While most promise to make a reasonable effort to meet passenger's needs, not one of the airlines listed actually limits in writing the number of hours passengers can be made to wait.
(Voice over): After its problems in December, American says it won't keep passengers on the tarmac more than four hours. That's not mentioned in the carrier's contract. Senator Barbara Boxer is proposing a three hour limit. JetBlue's CEO, who just introduced the airlines own bill of rights doesn't want Congress mandating one.
DAVID NEELEMAN, CEO, JETBLUE: Three hours and one minute, the pilot comes on and says, we're ready to go, all systems are go, we would have had you at your destination in two hours but Congress has mandated we take you back to the gate and cancel the flight. That would be a travesty and I hope they don't do that.
KAYE: Kate Hanni says something has to change. For her 57 hour ordeal, she got four flight vouchers worth $500 each. She would gladly have traded them for a trip back to the gate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Online shopping, it is quick, easy and convenient. When we give up our credit card numbers, are we putting ourselves at risk for fraud? You can fight back and protect yourselves. Joining me now with some tips is Internet Security Consultant Gary Morse.
Gary, great to see you this morning.
GARY MORSE, RAZORPOINT SECURITY TECHNOLOGIES: Hi. How are you?
HARRIS: Gary, we want this to be easy, breezy. We do not want to be concerned with whether or not we're setting ourselves up for fraud. So, how do I know that the sites that I am shopping from are safe and secure?
MORSE: Unfortunately, the short answer to that is -- you don't.
HARRIS: I didn't want to hear that.
MORSE: I'll tell you some ways you can check.
HARRIS: OK.
MORSE: For instance, if you're checking out of a website, you're buying books, you're buying clothing, flowers, what have you, filling out that form to put in your credit card number and shipping address and all that. You want to make sure there's a lock in the browser. The lock, depending on the browser you're using, will appear in the upper right, or bottom right corner of your browser. That usually indicates there is a secure connection between your computer and the website.
HARRIS: So, hang on a second, when I log on to one of these sites and am going to do some shopping, I should also see a lock somewhere on the browser?
MORSE: Yes.
HARRIS: OK.
MORSE: In addition to that, when you're filling out your information, putting in your credit card number in there? Leave off the last four digits, or put in four zeros as the last four digits of your credit card, something that's purposely wrong.
HARRIS: Why would you do that?
MORSE: If it's a fictitious site that's just looking to collect data, to steal identities. They will collect whatever you type in. If it's a legitimate site, it will take the information, check it with the merchant, or check it with your bank to make sure the card is correct. And you put the wrong thing in there, so it's not going to be correct, it will kick you back an error and say please try again. This is isn't the right number. A fraudulent site isn't going to make that check.
HARRIS: Oh, I like that. I like that.
MORSE: So, you can leave off the last four digits. Change the last four digits, put the wrong expiration date, something you know is going to be wrong.
HARRIS: Got you.
Do I want to give permission, in effect, give permission to the site to hang on to, to hold on to my information, my credit card information. It makes it's easier when I return to that site to buy something else. But I'm not all together sure that is the smartest and safest thing to do?
MORSE: Correct. It's there on a lot of sites for convenience. You have to remember that with security, if it's easy for you, it's easy for everybody. So, what you don't want to have happen is -- you've done all the things to protect yourself, and get your credit statements, and a copy of your credit report to make sure you're secure, nothing fraudulent is going on. But now, by leaving your credit information with these sites, in some ways you are going on blind faith that they're doing the right thing in keeping your data secure.
HARRIS: Exactly.
MORSE: We've seen just this year alone, we're hitting records in the number of identities and credit cards numbers that have been stolen already, from sites that are keeping this information.
HARRIS: Yes. Hey, Gary, have you put together a little show and tell for us this morning?
MORSE: One of the other things people ask is, OK, do I need a different password for all the online shopping sites? The answer is, of course. You wouldn't use one key for your house and car and safe deposit box, have different things.
Then the complaint comes how can I possibly remember them? Because rules of thumb from security experts are you want to choose good, or strong passwords. A strong password is something that can't be guessed, or can't be cracked with some hacking tools that we have.
HARRIS: Yes, that's good.
MORSE: Rules of thumb generally are you want to use upper and lowercase letters, you want to use numbers and you want to use symbols in your password.
HARRIS: OK.
MORSE: But for general folks, that's hard to remember. I want to show you a way to create unique passwords for all your sites and you don't have to remember them.
HARRIS: So, this is a -- say it again. You can remember it, it's unique. All right. Show us, Gary.
MORSE: Basically, what you want to remember on a computer keyboard is a pattern on the keyboard. Let's say I will start up here on the upper left of the keyboard, type 1QA, then move over and go 2 WS, and Shift 1QA. Right? So, I just did a little pattern right here.
But the password that came out is 1 lower case q, lowercase a, lowercase w lowercase s, exclamation point, capital Q, capital A. You could never remember that, normally, but I just showed you a pattern. Where you don't have to remember the password, just remember where it starts.
And for different sites, all you have to do is choose a two or three letter identifier. So, for Amazon.com it's this password, plus AMZ. For your CNN e-mail it might be CNN, or CNE. For eBay, EBY, et cetera.
HARRIS: I gotcha.
MORSE: So, now I don't have to remember anything. Just start where the pattern is, put a three letter identifier, either before or after the password, you have unique pass words for everything, you have to remember nothing, and you're secure.
HARRIS: Gary, tremendous. Tremendous. Thanks for your help this morning helping all of us fight back.
MORSE: Sure. HARRIS: Gary, appreciate it. Thanks for your time.
MORSE: Thanks.
HARRIS: Fed-up consumers, fighting back, our focus this Friday, still ahead; getting poor customer service? What should you do? CNN's Allan Chernoff will tackle that.
Also, ahead, shoddy work on your house? We've done the homework on who you can complain and get better results. CNN's Gerri Willis will have details. That is all coming up in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: And sure, electricity will zap you, but this power bill has way too many digits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 24 billion, 200 million, 700,000 and 2 dollars. Billion! Billion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And she means it, billion, billion, shocking electric bills in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We still don't know who fathered Anna Nicole Smith's baby girl, but an emergency hearing is expected to begin shortly in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Larry Birkhead, would-be daddy, and an ex- boyfriend of Smith's, is asking that a DNA sample to be taken from Dannielynn.
Our Susan Candiotti -- live pictures now -- joins us from outside the Broward County Courthouse, Susan Candiotti. OK, it's all yours, Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, Tony. Let's pick it up from there.
Just over my shoulder, we'll take a little walk over here. This is the Broward County Courthouse where we have been reporting to you from, all week long. Inside this building on the eighth floor, we have a number of parties represented, and we'll show to you, some of them arriving just a short time ago.
We have Larry Birkhead, he's behind this hearing today, that is the ex-boyfriend of Anna Nicole Smith, claims he is the biological father of Dannielynn, that is Anna Nicole Smith's daughter, who is five months old and in the Bahamas.
Quite a scene when he arrived. The media covering him practically with their microphones and their cameras, trying to ask him questions. This is all about him trying to get a family court judge, not a probate judge, but a family court judge to order that a DNA sample be taken of Dannielynn -- he claims that is his daughter -- from her, either in the Bahamas and given to his experts here to have it tested. Or have her brought to Florida, it's a short trip here to have that DNA sample taken from her here.
So, this family court judge, it will be up to him to decide whether he wants to enter that fray. Of course, he does have a dog in this hunt, because after all you have a guardian who is in control of Dannielynn even though she's in the Bahamas. Back to you.
HARRIS: Wow. Let's leave it there for now. Susan Candiotti in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Susan, as always, thanks.
WHITFIELD: It is bizarre. Maybe some say surreal, and it is entertaining. Well, would she have had it any other way? CNN's Jeanne Moos explores that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's hard not to be judgmental about the judge.
JUDGE LARRY SEIDLIN, CIRCUIT COURT, FLORIDA: It's what -- ah!
MOOS: When he starts to choke up even before he gets to his ruling.
SEIDLIN: I hope when it's read we keep our cool.
MOOS: But the one who lost his cool was Judge Seidlin. Who let out a groan as he started to read the ruling. Anna Nicole's boyfriend and mother buried their heads as the judge spoke of burying Anna Nicole.
SEIDLIN: I want her buried with her son. I want them to be together.
(SOBBING)
MOOS: It's tough enough to lose control but worse to know that your loss of composure will be the media's gain, destined to be shown over and over.
JEFF TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I feel like I should apologize for being the only person who wasn't crying.
MOOS: Some refer to Judge Seidlin as Judge Larry, intimating he wanted to be the next Judge Judy.
JUDGE JUDY: Sit down, next to your mother!
MOOS: The entertainment website, TMZ, even reported he once compiled an audition tape. We have no idea if that's true, but his folksy comments?
SEIDLIN: This is life. We all come with some broken suitcases.
MOOS: Earn him headlines like, "Nutso Judge". SEIDLIN: I was a former taxi driver.
MOOS: From the Bronx, drove a taxi working his way through school, became famous at the Anna Nicole hearing for nicknaming attorneys after where they were from.
SEIDLIN: Texas, this testimony doesn't help you. California, you will do the speaking.
You two are very fine, my Florida ones.
MOOS: The attorney nicknamed Texas caused a flap when he fainted just hours before the ruling.
SEIDLIN: What do you need as a diabetic right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Orange juice.
SEIDLIN: Here's my credit card.
MOOS: The witness ended up fishing a protein bar out of her purse and it was handed over to Texas, the diabetic. After all the pithy the quotes.
SEIDLIN: Don't test me anymore. Don't test me. I've been tested by the best. Find out who the father is. There's enough baloney here.
MOOS: After a video presentation of a pregnant Anna Nicole stoned on something, the judge finally got to his ruling and choked, drumming his fingers, as he tried to regain his composure.
SEIDLIN: I hope to God you guys give the kid the right shot.
MOOS: The judge empathized with Anna Nicole.
SEIDLIN: She had to live all her years under this kind of exposure. I just get a week and a half of it and it's ready to flatten me down.
MOOS: There's nothing the unblinking eye of the courtroom camera likes better than eyes blinking back tears. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Home cheap home. No way. Buying a house or repairing one can cost you, especially if you hire a crook to do the job. "Fight Back Friday", with Gerri Willis, in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Life after work for a tennis star retiring at the tender age of 19. World travel, a lavish lifestyle, well, not quite. Ali Velshi has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ANDREA YEAGER, RETIRED, TENNIS PRO: When you think of retirement, you don't think of retirement at 19.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Andrea Yeager was a teenage tennis phenomenon, today, she is sister Andrea Yeager, a Dominican Anglican nun.
After breaking onto the Woman's Tour at the age of 14, Yeager became the number two ranked woman player, in the world, before her career was derailed by a series of shoulder surgeries.
It was an off court experience that sent Yeager on her current path.
YEAGER: The first time I visited a hospital for kids was when I was 15. I had no reason to go in other than I felt like I've had such a great life, and great childhood, I want to bring something. I did. That changed my life forever.
VELSHI: At 41, Sister Andrea works to brighten the lives of kids with cancer. Their laughter replaces the cheers of fans she grew up with. That suits her just fine.
YEAGER: I've had such an enormously successful professional tennis career. I don't think I was supposed to play one moment more, I don't think I was supposed to play one match more.
VELSHI: Instead of serving up life lessons from her years as a top athlete, Sister Andrea says she's the one learning now.
YEAGER: They're hoping to wake up in the morning and hoping to get their pain and suffering eased. So, when I look at these kids and any kids we helped over the decades, they appreciate life every single day.
(LAUGHTER)
Give me a high-five!
VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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