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Contempt Citations Against One Current and One Former Presidential Adviser; Floods, Fire & Heat in England; Obama vs. Clinton
Aired July 25, 2007 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: A Texas-sized firestorm. Gas tanks explode at a depot in Dallas. Flaming debris falls like rain on the fringe of downtown.
We'll get your report from the scene.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And good health may be its own reward, but good health habits can pay off in other ways, starting with your insurance premiums.
We're going to get to the bottom line on this controversial plan.
Hello, everyone.
I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: Well, one witness compared the sound to artillery, but that was a different kind of fire. Blazing explosions at an industrial gas company in Dallas sent three people to the hospital this morning. Police evacuated a half-mile area as firefighters moved in. EPA responders are on their way to help monitor the air quality right now. And Dallas' fire chief says the situation is still very serious.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF EDDIE BURNS, DALLAS FIRE DEPT.: There were two victims were transported we believe with minor injuries. At this point in time, once we do an assessment of the facility, we will start trying to put the fire out and do a primary and secondary search to make sure everyone is accounted for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, I-Reporter Marek Ryciak lives just a few blocks from the blast site. He was able to get some great photos from his friend's balcony. Marek told as that he heard the explosions, the windows rattling, and initially thought it was some nearby construction. But when he looked out the window he saw all that black smoke, so he grabbed his camera and he started snapping.
Now we have the pics.
LEMON: The bad blood between President Bush and congressional Democrats is turning into a high-stakes legal standoff. Earlier today, a House committee voted to issue contempt of Congress citations against one current and former presidential adviser. The panel's chairman says Congress has an obligation to enforce its subpoenas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JOHN CONYERS (D), JUDICIARY CHAIRMAN: ... process where our subpoenas can be readily ignored, where a witness under a duly- authorized subpoena doesn't even have to bother to show up, where privilege can be asserted on the thinnest basis, and in the broadest possible manner, then we've already lost. We won't be able to get anybody in front of this committee or any other.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: This feud goes back to last year's firings of eight U.S. attorneys.
Our White House correspondent Ed Henry is on the case for us.
And Ed, what's the White House saying here?
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello, Don.
It's quite interesting. This, of course, all coming because of the president invoking executive privilege, refusing testimony, and turning over documents in that U.S. attorney case. White House spokesman Tony Snow called -- basically insisted the White House wants to cooperate with this investigation and charged that Democrats are not really interested in a search for the truth, that they're just hell bent on confrontation.
But I can tell you, Snow himself seemed ready for confrontation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: In our view, this is pathetic. What you have right now is partisanship on Capitol Hill that quite often boils down to insults, insinuations, inquisitions, and investigations, rather than pursuing the normal business of trying to pass major pieces of legislation such as appropriations bills and trying to work in such a way as to demonstrate to the American people that Congress and the White House can work together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Now, as signs of cooperation, Snow cited the fact that the White House has turned over more than 8,000 pages of documents in the U.S. attorney matter. Of course, most of those document are from the Justice Department, not White House documents that might shed light on this whole case. Snow also cited as cooperation the White House sending Attorney General Alberto Gonzales up to the Hill to testify, even though, as you know, his testimony has not necessarily shed light on the matter, instead adding more confusion in the eyes of even Republicans like Arlen Specter, not just Democrats.
What's next in all of this, the full House is expected to vote on contempt as early as next week, but it's very murky as to what would happen next. The White House officials have said there's legal precedent for them to basically not appoint any sort of prosecutor to do anything with these contempt charges. Democrats insist they should move forward on it.
But the bottom line is the Justice Department will decide all of that. And let's remember, it's the Bush Justice Department that will decide it, although Tony Snow said the White House wouldn't necessarily be involved. It's the Bush Justice Department that will end up deciding this -- Don.
LEMON: White House Correspondent Ed Henry.
Thank you, sir.
HENRY: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: What a mess. Floodwaters dry up and this is what's left. After fierce storms in southern Arizona late Monday, more storms are expected, and forecasters just aren't sure when or where they'll hit.
It's been extremely humid for weeks now in Arizona. Only now has the National Weather Service declared monsoon season officially under way.
Storm clouds are gathering over a number of states, not just there.
Chad Myers keeping an eye on the sky for us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: Well, from one deadly extreme to the other, rising floodwaters in Britain, rising temperatures across central and southern Europe. Thousands of people are evacuating both regions.
More from CNN's Phil Black.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The extreme moods of European weather, as more of England is affected by flooding. A heat wave is fueling dozens of fires in Italy, Greece and the Balkans, and brutal temperatures often above 40 Celsius or 140 degrees Fahrenheit have led to the death of more than 500 people, mostly elderly, across central and southern Europe.
Authorities in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria report people collapsing in the streets, and deaths from conditions aggravated by the heat. As the moment (ph) has climbed, governments advise their citizens to stay inside, conserve electricity and drink lots of water.
Some chose to frolic in it.
Beyond the cities, crop losses are said to be severe. The heat, lightning strikes and arson are being blamed for forest fires from Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Greece and Italy.
Thousands of people, many of them tourists, have been forced to leave the worst-hit areas. Also being evacuated for very different reasons, hundreds of people in central England.
The floods have left more than 300,000 people without clean running water, and still more are being affected. The swollen River Thames has now flooded parts of the university town of Oxford.
A week of simultaneous flooding and scorching temperatures that has left experts divided on the cause. A freak weather event, or a symptom of broader climate change.
Phil Black, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Britain's new prime minister gets a first-hand look at the flood damage. Gordon Brown toured some of the hardest-hit areas a few hours ago thanking some of the rescuers who have been evacuating people trapped by the floodwaters. Insurers estimate the disaster could cost $6 billion.
PHILLIPS: Well, get healthy or else. That's how some critics are describing a new health insurance plan.
UnitedHealthcare is rolling out a new group coverage plan that sets high deductibles, then reduces those payments for policyholders who don't smoke, aren't overweight and have normal cholesterol and blood pressure. It says the program offers financial incentives for healthy behavior. Critics point out that people who don't get results could end up paying thousands more.
Now, a lot of you have been e-mailing your thoughts about this.
LEMON: Sunny -- that's the name -- Sunny sees both sides of this plan. "The great thing," Sunny says, "is that those of us who don't drink or smoke won't be paying as much as those who choose an unhealthy lifestyle. The downside is the penalties will just be another way for the companies to increase their profits."
PHILLIPS: And then Al wrote this. He said "Reward-based insurance is another sample of predatory insurance price gouging. A fine example is excluding a person from the discount who has high cholesterol due to genetic causes rather than an unhealthy lifestyle."
LEMON: And Cecil writes, "I'm a diabetic. There is no cure for diabetes. I will have to take medicine and insulin for the rest of my life. How can I be treated fairly in this plan? It is beyond reason."
PHILLIPS: So, how do you feel? You can e-mail us at cnnnewsroom@cnn.com. We'll read some more e-mails throughout the next couple hours.
LEMON: A difference of opinion offers a Democratic frontrunner some room for political maneuvering. Candy Crowley explains that.
PHILLIPS: Plus, taking crime-watching to a new level. He logged on at work, saw his own home being burglarized.
LEMON: And every move she makes. Beyonce is used to walking the red carpet, but not tumbling on it. Well, thanks to YouTube, she'll never forget it. She will never forget it.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Well, to the average voter, it may seem like much ado about nothing, but a comment by Senator Barack Obama in Monday night's CNN/YouTube debate, well, it has provoked Obama's first real dust-up with Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
Here's our senior political correspondent, Candy Crowley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I admire and like very much Barack.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Now in interviews with Iowa's "Quad-City Times," she is calling Barack Obama irresponsible and naive.
CLINTON: Senator Obama gave an answer which I think he's regretting today.
CROWLEY: He's accusing her of fabricating a controversy.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's irresponsible and naive to authorize (INAUDIBLE) 160,000 young American men and women into Iraq apparently without knowing how they were going to get out.
CROWLEY: It began with a debate question -- would Obama meet with the leaders of hostile nations like Iran and Cuba in the first year of his presidency?
OBAMA: I would, and the reason is this: that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them, which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration, is ridiculous.
CROWLEY: It was just the sort of opening camp Clinton was looking for, and she fired.
CLINTON: I think it is not that you promise a meeting at that high a level before you know what the intentions are. I don't want to be used for propaganda purposes. I don't want to make a situation even worse.
CROWLEY: Team Clinton was so excited about the moment, they made former secretary of state Madeleine Albright available to tell reporters that Clinton's answer was "perfect, a sophisticated nuanced view." In a memo titled "Strength & Experience," they said Obama "committed to presidential level meetings with some of the world's worst dictators without precondition..."
Pushing back, in a memo titled "Obama Wins Debate and Commander in Chief Test," the Obama folks said Clinton's debate comments were at odds with a previous statement, when she said it was a mistake for President Bush to say he won't talk with bad people. "The American people choose straight talk over Washington double speak," the memo read, "and they know that change must be more than a slogan."
With that, the Clinton people put out the rest of the quote in which Clinton talked of diplomatic discussions, not necessarily presidential meetings. The Obama people pointed out that in a CNN dial test of debate watchers, Obama's answer scored high on the charts. But camp Clinton thinks Obama stepped in it and is trying to spin his way out.
Phew. What's this all about?
(on camera): It is a super struggle for control of the post- debate spin in a campaign season that has heated up far earlier than any before it. It's getting testy out there.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Charleston, South Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: We're going to do this all again in September. You don't want to miss that. CNN/YouTube hosts the Republicans in a live debate on September 17th in St. Petersburg, Florida.
PHILLIPS: 2:16 Eastern Time. Here are three of the stories we're working on right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
At least three people are hurt in a series of explosion near downtown Dallas. Canisters containing acetylene and propane gas exploded at a distribution depot, and flaming debris sparked a number of small fires.
The Transportation Security Administration warns that terrorists may be conducting dry runs to test security at U.S. airports. An internal memo says its screeners have found non-explosive items packaged so they could have been stand-ins for actual bombs.
And congressional investigators are looking into President Bush's 2004 remarks about the death of Corporal Pat Tillman. Tillman was a pro-football player killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. House members want to know how much the president really knew when he spoke about it.
LEMON: A quiet Connecticut town shaken by a deadly home invasion. The latest on the case coming up in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, police in Atlanta are looking for the killer of a 9-year-old girl. She was shot to death a couple of hours ago in an apartment complex. Reportedly, she was inside and the shot came from the outside. The girl apparently wasn't the intended victim.
Two known criminals have Connecticut's parole board reviewing its own policy today. Steven Hayes on the right and Joshua Komisarjevsky on the left, parolees accused of 20 burglaries over the years, and soon they're expected to be charged with murder.
The two are accused of a botched home invasion in Cheshire, Connecticut, that left a mother and her two daughters dead. Police say the suspects set the family's home on fire and stole their car and used it as a battering ram against police cruisers. That's right after they allegedly drove one hostage to a bank and forced her to take out money.
The lone survivor, a prominent, well-respected doctor, remains in the hospital. Friends say physically he'll be OK; emotionally, he's devastated.
We'll have more on all this at the half hour.
LEMON: We're learning more today about those five people killed on a sightseeing aerial tour of Alaska on Tuesday. Their small one- engine plane went down in the mountainous region south of Juneau near Ketchikan.
No one survived. Two couples were on board, one from Massachusetts. The other from Florida.
The pilot was 56 years old and made his living taking cruise ship passengers on sightseeing day trips. Now, this one was at Misty Fjord National Monument, and we're told the pilot sent a distress signal before the plane crashed.
Could the solution to a cold case be in the cards? Investigators in Florida hope so.
They're distributing two series of playing cards to prison inmates. The cards will feature pictures of missing people or murder victims. The idea is to get the convicts to talk to one another about the unsolved crimes. Police say they hope this turns up information leading to arrests.
PHILLIPS: Well, a new proposal would put the tobacco industry under greater scrutiny, and the nation's number one tobacco company is one of those supporting the measure.
Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange to explain it to us.
(BUSINESS REPORT) LEMON: Icepacks filled with clay, a cell phone charger taped to a hunk of processed cheese. Security concerns after strange stuff starts showing up in checked and carry-on bags.
PHILLIPS: Wall Street's got the jitters. Why is the housing market taking much of the blame?
CNN's Gerri Willis elaborates on the connection straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.
So, what do you make of this -- processed cheese taped to a cell phone battery, ice picks stuffed with clay?
PHILLIPS: Weird items have recently turned up in the TSA searches of checked and carry-on bags. Could they signal a dry run for a terror attack?
You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: On their own, they're innocent enough -- a block of cheese and an electrical switch. In another case, a battery and some clay. But put them together, wrap them in tape, and try to get them through airport security, and suddenly those items look suspicious. It happened four times recently at four different U.S. airports.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim is on the story in Milwaukee.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The TSA bulletin was meant for law enforcement and it had an alarmist tone. It read, "A Surge in recent suspicious incidents at U.S. airports may indicate terrorists are conducting pre-attack security probes and dry runs similar to dress rehearsals."
The memo cited four confiscations at four airports dating back to last fall, and in each case suggesting what was found may have been meant to resemble a bomb.
September 16th, Baltimore. Agents find a checked bag with a block of cheese connected to a cell phone charger.
November 8th, Houston. Inside a passenger's checked bag, a plastic bag with a 9-volt battery, wires and a block of clay.
June 4th, Milwaukee. A carry-on bag contains a wire coil around an electrical switch, three tubes and two blocks of cheese.
And July 5th, San Diego. A checked bag contains duct tape around two icepacks filled with clay.
Mark Vehslage of Dallas says it doesn't bother him.
MARK VEHSLAGE, AIRLINE TRAVELER: No, it doesn't surprise me. I mean, I don't necessarily worry about it an inordinate amount of time. I'm going to do what I'm going to do, and I just pray and trust god's going to protect me.
OPPENHEIM: The bulletin went on to say some incidents led the TSA to evacuate terminals, but ultimately the investigation had not linked passengers carrying these items with terrorist organizations. It read, "However, most passengers' explanations for carrying the suspicious items were questionable and some investigations are still ongoing."
(on camera): In response to news reports about this bulletin, TSA officials down played the possibility of any imminent danger. They said this bulletin is similar to 90 unclassified memos that have been sent out to law enforcement during the last six months and that there is no specific or credible threat to the homeland. Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Milwaukee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, the housing sector has a a shaky foundation. As we saw yesterday, when a mortgage giant's woes sent the Dow dropping. Right now, the markets, Dow Industrials, up 17 points. CNN's Gerri Willis is here. She's monitoring the board and also the housing market. It had a big impact on the market, hasn't it?
GERRI WILIS, CNN HOST: It has had a huge impact. Yesterday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Kyra, dropped 226 points. Now, that's largely because Countrywide Financial announced a big drop in profit. Now, Countrywide is the nation's biggest mortgage learn, so if it's having problems, that's a bad sign for the mortgage industry, even worse, Countrywide says delinquencies and foreclosures are spreading into the prime lending market. That means that even people who have good credit are struggling to pay their mortgage which are loans to folks with less than perfect credit.
It's not surprising to the experts that subprime borrowers are having problems but the fact that the contagion is spreading to prime borrowers is not good news and has surprised people yesterday. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: What's the big housing news today?
WILLIS: Well, the National Association of Realtors came out with its monthly report about housing numbers. It said home sales fell to a more than four-year low in June. June is typically a hot home buying month. Now the report also said sales prices were up slightly by 0.3 percent, that's three tenths of a percent, since last year, $230,100. It said housing inventory fell, which is good news, but economists are saying those don't really indicate what's happening in the market, that the news, well, it is largely negative.
PHILLIPS: Well, what does this mean for home owners, Gerri? WILLIS: Countrywide's chairman said the housing market won't recover until at least 2009. So, people who want to sell their homes, they could be facing hard times. And for home buyers, it's a good time to look. And even though mortgage rates have gone up a little recently, they're still pretty low historically, so don't be afraid to get into the market.
Of course, it's going to be harder to get a mortgage because Countrywide and other lenders are tightening their standards, trying to stop these foreclosures. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Gerri Willis, thanks so much. And you can catch Gerri on OPEN HOUSE of course this Saturday, 9:30 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN.
LEMON: A police beating caught on tape in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Today a now former New Orleans police officer is now in the clear. WWL reporter Scott Satchfield has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no comment.
SCOTT SATCHFIELD, WWL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Walking out of the courtroom an innocent man, former NOPD officer Robert Evangelist (ph) wasn't interested in talking.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Once again, I have no comment.
SATCHFIELD: But his attorney Franz Zibilich says justice was served.
FRANZ ZIBILICH, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I feel that he believes that everyone's been shooting at him for the last two years since the storm, and when we finally got his day in court, the vindication came. I mean, he's very pleased.
SATCHFIELD: Evangelist and two other NOPD officers were accused of beating Robert Davis in the French Quarter in October 2005. While the incident was caught on tape by the Associated Press, a judge in the case says Davis could have avoided the situation but instead resisted arrest. The judge also criticized the district attorney's office, suggesting prosecutors went after the wrong people. He said Davis' injuries were a result of force use by FBI agents and not the NOPD officers.
ZIBILICH: As the judge said and pointed out, the FBI came into the fracas and they are the ones that caused the injuries. And I'm not saying what they did was wrong.
SATCHFIELD: Robert Davis, who has spoken out before on this case, left the courthouse quickly without commenting. While Robert Evangelist wouldn't speak about any possible plans to get back into law enforcement, NOPD union representative Michael Glasser says the outcome of the case proves the former officer did not wrong. MICHAEL GLASSER, NOPD UNION REPRESENTATIVE: Well, I think the judge came to the only conclusion he could, you know, the state put on their witness and their evidence and their witnesses contradicted one another, including Mr. Davis, they contradicted themselves, they contradicted the videotape, they contradicted previous statements. It was the only conclusion the judge could reach.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: That Scott Satchfield from WWL our affiliate. Two other police officers were accused in the case. Charges were dropped against one of them. The other killed himself last month.
PHILLIPS: A New Orleans doctor cleared of criminal charges is speaking out. A grand jury refused to indict Dr. Anna Pou who was accused of killing nine patients in the chaotic days after Hurricane Katrina. Pou has previously said she gave the patients medicine to ease their pain but never tried to kill them. She says the decision to clear her name is a blessing but not a cause for celebration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ANNA POU, ACQUITTED OF EUTHANASIA: Today's events are not a triumph but a moment of remembrance for those who lost their lives during the storm. And a tribute to all of those who stayed at their post and served people most in need.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Pou still faces civil lawsuits from the families of patient who is died.
LEMON: A Florida burglar unwittingly draws an audience thanks to his victim's web cam. Will his next appearance be at the Orange County Jail? Say cheese. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: A California man is off to jail for a brutal attack on a TV reporter caught on tape. You might remember this. There's the video. The guy in the brown jacket is Assad Suleiman. He went after the reporter when asked about his alleged involvement in a real estate scam. Now Suleiman will do a year in jail. His wife is ordered to perform -- remember that screaming -- community service for hitting that photographer.
PHILLIPS: Well, a security system to protect against robbers for a Florida man worked so well, he watched a burglar in his home from a Web cam at his office. Reporter Jeff Deal with our affiliate WFTV explains what happened next.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF DEAL, WFTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These pictures show the man who used a hammer to break a window and burglarize this east Orange County home. Thomas knows because he watched the burglar when it happened earlier this month through his new sophisticated surveillance system.
THOMAS ARLINE, HOME BURGLARIZED: I'd seen him outside, then and I made the decision and called 911.
DEAL: But Thomas wasn't in the next room watching the burglary on closed-circuit TV.
ARLINE: I watched him across the Internet on my camera system.
DEAL: That's right. He was miles away in his downtown Orlando office, the cameras in his house sending the images out to his own Web site. The computer network engineer got an e-mail alert from the motion sensor cameras. Then he logged in and watched.
ARLINE: During this whole thing, I kind of got a little crowd behind me of the guys in the office, you know, wow, yeah, he does look like he's -- he got the laptop, yes.
DEAL: The suspect shown in the video was still able to get away with $2,000 worth of personal belongings before sheriff's deputies arrived, but Thomas says at least now he'll always know when someone is breaking in and maybe next time they won't get away so quickly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: That was Jeff Deal with our Florida affiliate WFTV. The homeowner says the suspect got away with about $2,000 worth of stuff before the police even arrived.
LEMON: Chad Myers keeping an eye on severe weather for us. Chad, you said earlier 28 states, more than half the states, going to get some rain today?
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: Chad Myers, good afternoon. Have you ever been to the Marmot Dam in Oregon Sandy River?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No. I have some pictures, though.
LEMON: We'll take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Two, one ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: You can say good good-bye to it. A second dam is removed. See that? Next sum e salmon in that river and steelhead fish will have the full run of the river for the first time in almost 100 years. Pretty amazing stuff, huh? PHILLIPS: We have a follow-up on that case of the dry cleaners, and remember this, the $54 million lawsuit over these pants? The owners of the dry cleaning business are getting help with their legal bills. A fund-raiser was held last night. The defendants in that highly mocked lawsuit billed by a local judge over a pair of the lost pants. The judge lost his case but left the dry cleaners with $100,000 in expenses, $64,000 was raised last night and organizers say pledges are still pouring in.
LEMON: China under attack from tainted products. Now the country hopes to improve its image before the world focus at the 2008 Olympics. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a special report from Beijing coming up.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, I'm Sibila Vargas in Hollywood. Lindsay Lohan isn't the only star whose behavior is causing headlines. I'll tell you why some are accusing Britney Spears of scandalous behavior. Up next in THE NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: One star falls apart, another falls down, and then, of course, there is Lindsay Lohan. We're talking entertainment news with CNN entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas. Sibila, haven't seen you in a while. How you doing? Welcome back. Where were you?
VARGAS: I'm doing good. Well, you know, I was busying doing a lot of stuff.
LEMON: Hanging out.
VARGAS: Yeah.
LEMON: What's going on with these crazy stars?
VARGAS: A day after Lindsay Lohan was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of cocaine, she says she's innocent. The denial came in form of an e-mail to "Access Hollywood" where she said, "I am innocent, did not do dugs, they're not mine. I was almost hit by my assistant Tarin's mom. I appreciate everyone giving me my privacy." It's a denial that doesn't explain just why she was driving a car with a suspended license and failed a breathalyzer for the second time this year.
There isn't a lot of sympathy for Lindsay, either. Madam Tousseau has put out prison stripes on her wax figure and since she had to miss her scheduled appearance on the tonight show with Jay Leno, well, he brought in Rob Schneider to fill in. Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY LENO, TALK SHOW HOST: So, what was your greatest role, do you think, up to this point?
ROB SCHNEIDER, COMEDIAN: Well, I've been a-in a lot of films for my young age. I kind of like "Herbie Fully Loaded."
LENO: OK.
SCHNEIDER: Herbie was the car. I was fully loaded.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VARGAS: Well, on a serious note, both of Lindsay's parents have made a statement expressing their concern about their daughter's well- being, and it's worth remembering that for all the time she's been in the public eye, Lindsay is still only 21 years old, Don.
LEMON: Yeah. She is very young. And of course we wish her well regardless of the circumstance. But you have to admit, that "Tonight Show" thing was really funny.
VARGAS: Yeah, I'm trying really hard.
LEMON: I know. He took the thing off his leg and it was actually a flask.
VARGAS: Yeah. It was pretty hysterical.
LEMON: Always humorous. So there is another star falling apart. What's going on with Britney Spears? Is this that "OK Magazine" thing?
VARGAS: Yeah. It looks like the pop star had a disastrous photo shoot with them and they are telling the whole story in their newest issue. According to the magazine, Spears showed up late, acted like a diva and exhibited erratic behavior while making repeated trips to the bathroom. She ruined a designer dress by wiping her fingers on it after eating chicken for lunch.
They then said her dog then ruined a Zack Posen (ph) gown when it demonstrated that it wasn't properly housetrained. Then to top it off they say she ran off with a bundle of clothes and jewelry without conducting the shoot or the interview. "OK" says the cost of the clothes and jewelry was more than $21,000. We should note that "OK" magazine isn't known for these stories. They routinely pay celebrities to get access to them and are regarded as one of the most celebrity friendly magazines out there.
They say they are publicizing the story so that Britney can realize she needs some help.
LEMON: Yeah. They weren't even going to run it because they thought they would make her look bad. Oh well, I guess they're doing it now.
Two stars falling apart and another one just falling down. Poor Beyonce. What happened last night?
VARGAS: Yeah, but you know, she's sang it. She's like, "I'm a survivor." And she is. Let's just say that ...
LEMON: She's also clumsy.
VARGAS: What?
LEMON: A little clumsy. I'm kidding.
VARGAS: It's happened actually more than once, but, you know, superstars, they have their problems, too, right? Beyonce Knowles, there she is taking a spill during a concert in Orlando, Florida, last night. This video is the only reason we're talking about the story. One of her fans posted it on YouTube despite the singer's stage plea to please not do it. Her record label released a statement today saying the hem of her coat caught onto her shoe and sent her sprawling and that does look like a pretty nasty fall.
But the reason we love Beyonce, again, is that she got back up and kept on going. Maybe a life lesson for the other two stars that we're talking about.
Speaking about them, tonight on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Girls Gone Wild." Will Lindsay Lohan go to jail? Could Britney Spears lose her kids after a shocking magazine photo shoot meltdown? Tough questions tackled on TV's most provocative entertainment news show, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT,"11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. And I did that just for you, the provocative. I know you always want me to always sell it.
LEMON: Most provocative. And you know what, we were laughing but we're glad Beyonce is okay. But when you see that -- if she was hurt, we wouldn't be laughing, right.
VARGAS: That's so true.
LEMON: Thank you, Sibila. We'll be tuning into that. Always good to see you.
VARGAS: Nice to see you too.
LEMON: Stars and stripes, actress Lindsay Lohan isn't the only one dealing with the long arm of the law. CNN's Jeanne Moos takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just another day in the life of Lindsay Lohan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was arrested for driving under the influence ...
MOOS: Not to be confused with her influence on teens.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I looked up to her so much and it just breaks my heart.
MOOS: First, just the facts, ma'am.
LT. ALEX PADILLA, PIO, SANTA MONICA POLICE: She was chasing after another car. The other car was being driven by the mother of her personal assistant.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lindsay!
MOOS: That personal assistant had just quit. Her mom was picking her up.
PADILLA: The mother was afraid. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, so she called the police.
Regarding a verbal argument that was occurring in the parking lot.
MOOS: Not only was Lindsay allegedly DUI ...
PADILLA: While in the jail, officers found in her possession a small amount of cocaine.
MOOS: And before you can say, "This just in," Madam Trousseau's Wax Museum had dressed Lindsay in prison stripes and alerted the press.
How do you think she looks in stripes?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fat.
MOOS: Horizontal stripes do that to you.
Just a month ago, it was wax Paris Hilton's turn to wear stripes.
(on camera): Do you have a large supply in case they all get in trouble at the same time?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, we do not.
MOOS (voice-over): But something was missing.
She's wearing this thing that's supposed to detect whether she drinks. And though wax Lindsay wasn't wearing it, the real Lindsay when police arrested her, and so have various news anchors demonstrated the device.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you drink any amount of alcohol, it seeps through your skin.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't wear your skinny jeans with this.
MOOS: At least in her mug shot Lindsay doesn't look as bad as say, James Brown or Nick Nolte. Even in our celeb-saturated world, there are still those who can't pick her out of a lineup of celebs gone wild.
(on camera): Do you think this is Lindsay Lohan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so. And I'm just a tourist, you know. MOOS: And that's just Nicole Ritchie. In the wake of her latest alleged DUI, Lindsay canceled an appearance on "The Tonight Show." replacing her, comedian Rob Schneider dressed to look like Lindsay.
LENO: Is that one of those alcohol monitors?
SCHNEIDER: Let's see what we got here, baby.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just don't like her. I think she represents women badly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's so cute in "Parent Trap."
ANNOUNCER: And introducing Lindsay Lohan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now she's in rehab. Again.
MOOS: An occurrence so common it's become a hit song.
But Lindsay said yes, yes, yes, again. Little girls are still holding her hand. Madam Tousseau's hasn't put a drink in it yet. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, he didn't play long, but David Beckham's first game as a U.S. player set a ratings record for ESPN. Almost 1.5 million people watched the exhibition game between Becks' L.A. Galaxy and England's Chelsea soccer club, the most ever for a major league soccer broadcast in America. Beckham played just 16 minutes because of an ankle injury.
Well, China has taken some big hits far string of tainted products, and the timing couldn't be worse. With the 2008 Beijing Olympics fast approaching. CNN's chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in China and takes a closer look at what's being done.
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SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: China promises athletes in next year's Olympics Games in Beijing that they will receive food that is safe and also free of anything that could cause a positive test for a banned substance.
(voice-over): The pledge comes after a smorgasbord of food safety problems here. From farm-raised fish and seafood contaminated with unapproved antibiotics and anti-fungals, to pigs force-fed wastewater just before slaughter. Chinese authorities say they've shut down 180 food processing plants.
To show how serious Chinese are taking these problems, China even executed the former director of its Food and Drug Agency for approving bogus and deadly drugs in exchange for money.
(on camera): China's officials concede that their food and drug safety procedures need help. In fact, their Health Ministry is urging better coordination. They recognize the reputation of this growing country and booming economy is on the line. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: To catch a terrorist she posed as an operative online on the hunt for other terrorists. Now her life is in danger.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, if you see or hear anything suspicious, report it to authorities. How many times have we heard that since 2001? But what if the suspicious person is innocent and sues the person who fingered him? It's not a far-fetched scenario, but it soon may be. Lawsuit immunity for citizen vigilance is a key part of the wide ranging homeland security bill that finally seems stet to clear Congress. The measure centers on the 9/11 commission's recommendations with a special focus on air and sea cargo.
LEMON: Citizen vigilance is one thing. Trolling the Internet in the dead of night to uncover terror plots is another. But that's the calling of a former judge in Montana. And CNN's Kelli Arena brings us her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As her neighbors sleep, Shannen Rossmiller slips into a dark world.
SHANNEN ROSSMILLER, TERROR SLEUTH: I have four undercover identities that I'm using.
ARENA: By day, a Montana mother of three, by night, a stealthy hunter. This former judge uses the Internet to stalk real and potential terrorists by posing as one of them.
ROSSMILLER: Whether they want to look for jihadi training, whether they want to provide funding, whether they want to form a cell, I mean, there's all kinds of opportunities. Those are the things you pay attention to.
ARENA: She also does it on her own time and her own dime. When she finds someone she believes is dangerous, she alerts the FBI. Earlier this month, one of those people, Michael Reynolds was convicted of helping blow up U.S. oil installations.
ROSSMILLER: One of my objectives was to find out - he says he has a plan, what are the targets?
ARENA: She also help send national guardsman Ryan Anderson to prison for attempted espionage. When she testified in her trial her cover was blown.
ROSSMILLER: The pressure is immense and the stress is almost unbearable at times. ARENA: The FBI won't talk about the relationship, only that it appreciates the information. Rossmiller says that she's helped in more than 200 terrorism cases around the world. It started because she was curious.
ROSSMILLER: It was just the result of having gone through 9/11 like everyone else and wanting to have an understanding of why what happened happened.
ARENA: She's been threatened and packs a gun. But says she's not ready to give it up. It can make for anxious days, but the night hunt, she says, is worth it.
ROSSMILLER: I don't think in fairness I ...
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