Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Deputy's Killing Spree; Imus Comeback?; Oral Roberts University Lawsuit; Carving Up Iraq; Gerri's Top Tips
Aired October 08, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): And it was less than 20 years ago the former prime minister, Li Tang (ph), was quoted as saying, "mentally retarded people give birth to idiots."
YIN YIN NWE, UNICEF: Neglect and discrimination are still quite prevalent. People tend to be ashamed of children with disabilities. They tend to hide them away.
VAUSE: While there is still a long, long way to go, at least now a few, like Chin Chow Hon (ph) can find dignity and respect through achievement, no matter how small. It's a start.
John Vause, CNN, Shanghai.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown now.
Mourning in the Midwest. An off duty sheriff's deputy crashes a party and opens fire. Six young people killed. Today, a small community asks why.
October extremes. Heat and humidity appear to be the blame for the deaths of two long distance runners.
And Oral Roberts University money. Lavish trips, home remodeling, even a soda machine for his kids? Televangelist Richard Roberts accused today.
Monday, October 8th. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Barely old enough to vote. He was given a badge and a gun. Police say this 20-year-old sheriff's deputy unleashed a deadly rampage. Six young partygoers dead. CNN's Susan Roesgen has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): In this house, at a late night high school party, a young sheriff's deputy, barely out of high school himself, 20-year-old Tyler Peterson, shot and killed six people. Then he ran. Dozens of fellow officers hunted for him. And after a few hours of searching, took him down. CHIEF JOHN DENNEE, CRANDON POLICE: The subject was located by law enforcement officers. The subject is deceased and there's no longer a threat to the public.
ROESGEN: The police won't say what caused Deputy Peterson to become a killer. But friends of the victim say one of the dead was Peterson's ex-girlfriend. All the victims were current or former students at the high school where he was also a graduate.
RICHARD PETERS, SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT: This is the kind of scenario that I think every small town in the USA says, this could never happen here.
ROESGEN: Now, parents, like Jenny Stahl, are in shock.
JENNY STAHL, MOTHER OF VICTIM: I haven't seen her yet. So in the back of my mind I think (ph) maybe they made a mistake and my daughter's somewhere just hiding out, waiting for everything to be safe to come out.
ROESGEN: Jenny's daughter, 14-year-old Lindsey Stahl (ph), was apparently Deputy Peterson's youngest victim.
STAHL: I just can't believe this. You know, she's only 14 -- she'll be 15 next month. She's just starting to live. And the sad thing is who killed her. You know, a cop. He's supposed to be -- cops are supposed to always protect you, I thought, you know, and it's one who took my daughter and how many other people's lives.
ROESGEN: A shooting that has left this small town of just 2,000 people stunned.
Susan Roesgen, CNN, Crandon, Wisconsin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Let's take a closer look now at Tyler Peterson. Just 20 years old. He worked full time as a Forest County deputy sheriff. He also worked part time as a police officer with the Crandon Police Department. He was off duty at the time of the killings. Because Peterson worked in local law enforcement, the State Department of Criminal Investigation will handle the probe.
Stay with us. Just a few minutes from now, Susan Roesgen will be joining us live from Crandon and have reaction from the small community there just dazed by this latest violence.
A sensational kidnapping and sexual abuse case in court this morning in Missouri. Michael Devlin, accused of abusing two boys. The former pizza parlor manager expected to plead guilty today to charges of kidnapping and sexual assaulting 13-year-old Ben Ownby. Ownby's uncle is relieved the child will not have to testify.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LOYD BAILIE, BEN OWNBY'S UNCLE: It will be the best thing for my nephew. He won't have to relive this thing in court. You know, have to go back and revisit all of the things that no child should have to be put through.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Devlin is expected in court again tomorrow. He is expected to plead guilty to holding the other boy, Shawn Hornbeck, for more than four years. In all, Devlin faces some 80 charges. Several of them carry a life sentence.
Chaos in Chicago. The city's marathon canceled halfway through. Dozens of runners collapsed in unusually hot and humid weather. One runner died. He's 35-year-old Chad Schiber. A veteran police officer and father of three. His autopsy is scheduled for this morning. Three other runners in critical condition right now. The heat soared to a record 87 degrees. Some frustrated runners said there wasn't enough water or power drinks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KENNEDY, MARATHON RUNNER: This is the hottest race I've ever run in.
DAN SKRZYPCZYNSKI, MARATHON RUNNER: It's been hot, but if they had enough fluids out here, there wouldn't have been any problem.
THOMAS KENNEDY, FIREFIGHTER: This is probably one of the hottest marathons that I've ever seen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And a similar story in the nation's capital. Another race, another death. It happened at the Army's annual ten-mile run. The runner's name not yet released. What we do know is that he was not a member of the military. Officials say he collapsed just 200 yards from the finish line.
CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is joining us now.
They are just awful stories. People just not prepared, I guess, for the heat.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Meanwhile, a New York taxi jumps the curb and three people hit on a sidewalk in Manhattan. TV station WABC says one of its news chopper pilots was killed in the crash. It's believed his wife is one of those injured. And a seven-year-old by also in the hospital this morning. No word on charges. Police are still investigating the accident.
Don Imus may be prime for a comeback just months after his over the top comments got him kicked off the air. CNN's Jim Acosta takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON IMUS, FORMER RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: That's some rough girls from Rutgers.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): It was only last spring when Don Imus's verbal assault on the Rutger's women's basketball team ignited a fire storm.
IMUS: That's some nappy-headed hoes there.
ACOSTA: That quickly engulfed his career. Within days after his on air slur, he had been shamed by the women of Rutgers.
VIVIAN STRINGER, RUTGERS BASKETBALL COACH: We have all been physically, mentally and emotionally spent. So hurt by the remarks that we're uttered by Mr. Imus.
ACOSTA: And slam dunked by the Reverend Al Sharpton.
REV. AL SHARPTON, CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATE: Do you think it's funny to call people nappy-headed hoes?
IMUS: No, I don't.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Imus must go.
ACOSTA: Under mounting pressure, both MSNBC and CBS Radio plug the plug on the I-man, ending a 30-year run. Or so it seemed. "The Washington Post" and "The New York Times" are reporting Citadel Broadcasting is on the verge of a deal with Imus for a morning broadcast on WABC Radio in New York. A program that may be syndicated to over 200 stations across the country.
SHARPTON: Even if he's coming back, he's having to tip toe back and he's going to have to watch every step of the way.
ACOSTA: If Imus is back, that means his old nemesis, Sharpton, will be listening.
SHARPTON: We will monitor it. We will see if safeguards are in place to make sure he does not use racism, sexist language as his way of drawing an audience.
ACOSTA: Over at Rutgers University, some students are willing to give Imus a second chance too.
IAN EVANS, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY: I think that was a good suspension for him and I think he's sincere about it. And so I think he should be allowed to come back now.
JOANA AHN, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY: It was pretty harsh for him to say, but I think people should get over it by now.
ACOSTA: On one of his final broadcasts, Imus declared he is capable of cleaning up his act.
IMUS: I'm sorry I did that. I'm embarrassed that I did that. I did a bad thing. But I'm a good person. And that will change.
ACOSTA: Now he just has to prove it.
Another question is whether Imus will succeed in finding a TV outlet for his radio show. At 67 years old, Don Imus, it appears, doesn't do retirement.
Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: A party ends in a blood bath. Police say the shooter was one of their own. Today a Wisconsin town asks why.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That someone could do that, just go crazy and shoot a bunch of people is just -- I can't even imagine it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: A live report from Crandon, Wisconsin, ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And did he dip into school funds to fund a Caribbean getaway and home remodeling jobs. That's one allegation against a president of Oral Roberts University. The investigation and denial. You'll get both in the NEWSROOM.
Plus, a draw down of British troops in Iraq. Is it just around the corner? An announcement from Britain's prime minister this morning.
You are watching CNN and you are in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins.
Up in flames. A church and a historic school building near and dear to the hearts of two communities gutted. We'll tell you what happened.
And partitioning Iraq. The idea getting support in Iraq, but sparking protests in Iraq.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A cloud of suspicion hanging over Oral Roberts University this morning. The school's president accused in a spending scandal. The story now from CNN's John Roberts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RICHARD ROBERTS, PRESIDENT, ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY: We live in a litigious society. Anyone can get mad and file a lawsuit against another person, whether they have a legitimate case or not.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Oral Roberts University president, Richard Roberts, denies a slew of scandalous allegations. Three former professors have filed a lawsuit against Roberts and the school. They claim they were fired for reporting the school's alleged illegal involvement in the Tulsa mayor's race. The professors also claim Richard Roberts and his wife Lindsay used school money to remodel their home 11 times in 14 years, that they used the university jet to send their daughter on a senior trip to the Bahamas at a cost of almost $30,000 and that they awarded non-academic scholarships to their kids' friends.
JOHN SWAILS, FORMER ORU PROFESSOR: We took it to our superiors and we found out that it was taken all the way up to the administrative chain. And even though -- and we discovered later that nothing was being done to make it right.
J. ROBERTS: And there's more. The suit also alleges Mrs. Roberts spent over $39,000 on clothing an that she frequently ran up more than $800 monthly cell phone bills and sent hundreds of text messages in the middle of the night to underage males.
CALEB TRUJILLO, FORMER ORU STUDENT: My friends here and the students here deserve to know the truth from the administration and from the Roberts family about where their tuition money goes and what it's spent on.
J. ROBERTS: The university's executive board is conducting a "full and thorough investigation." Roberts addressed the lawsuit this past week in chapel.
R. ROBERTS: It is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion. Make no mistake about it, this suit is about money.
J. ROBERTS: The professors have since amended their lawsuit to add claims of liable, slander and defamation. No word on how much money the professors are seeking in damages.
John Roberts, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: University President Roberts has added in a written statement, he pays for his family's personal expenses out of his own pocket.
Troop levels in Iraq, not the U.S., but British troops. A big announcement expected this morning from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He addresses parliament. The British leader said last week 1,000 British troops would be home by the end of the year. That statement made on a visit to Baghdad. And the prime minister has caught some flack for it. Critics saying he did it for a political advantage. He responded today. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I have to go to Iraq and to Baghdad and Basra before I made my statement in the House of Commons. I think the criticism of me today might have been that I had not had the chance to hear from the troops on the ground, to hear from our military commanders, to meet Prime Minister Maliki, to meet the vice president, to meet the ministers for finance, for trade and for the economy to discuss not just a troop movement, but also to discuss economic reconstruction in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: We are going to be live from London this hour after the British prime minister makes his statement. Those pictures coming to us also live from the House of Commons. We'll follow that story for you.
Meanwhile, carving up Iraq. The U.S. Senate is calling for stronger, regional rule, but that idea may not be sitting well in Iraq. CNN's Alessio Vinci has a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): From Iraqi television broadcasting Friday sermons, to newspapers headlines, Iraqis are reacting to the U.S. resolution proposing the partitioning of their country along ethnic and religious lines.
SAMIR ABED, 35-YEARS OLD SHOPKEEPER, (through translator): It will not work. It will increase sectarian violence and will not serve the Iraqi people's interests at all.
VINCI: The non-binding resolution proposes to divide Iraq into three separate regions, Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni. Chanting Sunnis and Shiites are all brothers, a few hundred Iraqi display their rare unity on Baghdad's dangerous streets.
KALEEL AL-ZUBAIDY, PROTESTER: We need Iraqi -- union Iraqi. We need federal for all cities -- Iraqi cities. Not Sunni, Shiite, Kurdish.
VINCI: Sensing Iraqi anger, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad issued this statement saying, "our goal in Iraq remains the same: a united, democratic, federal Iraq that can govern, defend and sustain itself." It's a message that hasn't made it into the streets of Baghdad.
HOSHYAR ZEBARI, IRAQI FOREIGN MINISTER: This has created a great deal of confusion and a great deal of criticism from Iraqis, from Arab countries, from Iran.
VINCI: The resolution touched a sensitive nerve in Iraqi/U.S. relations. With more than 160,000 U.S. troops here, Iraqis often feel they are not in control of their own affairs.
ALI AL-DABBAGH, IRAQI GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: And those people who are sitting in their officers in Washington, they should understand that Iraq (INAUDIBLE), got dignity. This dignity should be respected.
VINCI: What the debate is really about is what political system will run Iraq in the future. A powerful central government or a more decentralized structure with most powers controlled by regional authorities.
Next year, Iraqis are expected to vote in a referendum that will determine these unresolved issues. And whatever the outcome, they want to make sure that they are the ones that will decide, without outside interference.
Alessio Vinci, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Working with mouse genes in an effort to cure diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Three researchers named Nobel Prize winners.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.
Protect yourself from credit discrimination. We'll tell you how. That's next on TOP TIPS in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Want to take a moment to check out the big board now. We're looking at the Dow Industrial averages. It looks like down about 12 points or so, resting at 14,053. Nasdaq, though, we hear, is up about three points. So we'll continue to watch those numbers for you, bring you all the latest business stories in just a few minutes.
Applying for credit. What questions will you face? What questions are off limits? Here to help you guard against discrimination, CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis.
Gerri, sometimes some of these credit applications can be kind of intimidating.
WILLIS: Well, they can be intimidated, but you are protected. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act is in place to make sure all consumers get an equal chance to get credit. Now this law protects you anywhere you're given credit, like a bank or even a department store. However, this law does not ensure that all consumers who apply for credit get it. Factors like income are considerations for credit worthiness.
COLLINS: All right. Well, what about more on those rules regarding specifically income? I mean, what rules apply to the creditors themselves?
WILLIS: Well, there are questions that they just can't ask you. They can't ask you your gender, race, national origin, whether you're widowed or divorced and if you plan on having children,. That's taboo too. And also whether you receive alimony or child support.
Heidi.
COLLINS: That's interesting because, you know, you get to kind of talking to these people sometimes. I mean granted a lot of times it's on paper and you chat and, I mean, maybe you talk about your kids and who knows, I mean, you've got to be careful what you say it sounds like.
WILLIS: That's right.
COLLINS: In fact, what happens, though, if you are rejected for a loan? Do you have to go back and look at all this and make sure that none of those inappropriate questions were asked?
WILLIS: Well, you have the right to know why your application was rejected, but you have to ask within 60 days. Your creditor then must give you a notice with specific reasons. And here are some acceptable reasons for a rejection. Like they can say your income was too low or you haven't been employed long enough. But, hey, if they tell you that you didn't meet minimum standards, well that's unacceptable because it's too general.
COLLINS: Yes. Got it. What can you do, though, if you are rejected? I mean are there organization out there that can help you find out if, in fact, you were a victim?
WILLS: Well, you bet. Yes, there are definitely places to go. Contact the FTC's consumer response center. That's the first stop. If your complaint concerns a nationally-chartered bank, contact the comptroller of the currency. If your complaint concerns a state- chartered bank, get in touch with the consumer affairs division of the FDIC. And, hey, if that's all too confusing for you, go to the civil rights division of the Department of Justice. They have an obligation to look at your claim as well.
And, as always, if you have a question, send it to us at toptips@cnn.com. We answer them right here every Friday and we love hearing from you.
COLLINS: We do. All right. CNN's personal finance editor Gerri Willis.
Gerri, thank you.
WILLIS: Thank you. Good to see you.
COLLINS: You, too.
ROESGEN: Why did a sheriff's deputy shoot and kill six people in a small town in Wisconsin? I'm Susan Roesgen, live in Crandon, Wisconsin. And I'll have the very latest coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.
COLLINS: Intense heat and humidity for October. Runners collapse during long-distance races. Two people die. We'll have the very latest.
And African-American student shopping for the right school, but the setting for this college fair triggering mixed emotions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins. Tony Harris has the day off.
Our top story this hour, Crandon, Wisconsin. High school classes canceled this morning. The town waking up to a nightmare. A 20-year- old sheriff's deputy on a murderous rampage. Six young people killed. CNN's Susan Roesgen is in Crandon now this morning. Susan, any new information?
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, just a little bit has been coming out this morning. For one thing we know it was the actual S.W.A.T. Team, the S.W.A.T. Team of the Crandon Police Department that shot and killed deputy Tyler Peterson. The irony of that is that he was not only a full-time deputy for the sheriff's department he was a part-time police officer here.
So, his fellow officers on the Crandon Police Department had to shoot and kill him yesterday. Now, behind me, I don't know if you can see it, Heidi, but behind me at the high school now the flag is flying at half staff. As you mentioned, the classes are canceled not only today, but perhaps for the rest of this week. According to the superintendent, who told me almost all the students knew the victim.
And, in fact, at least two of the victims' parents are teachers at this school. And one of the victim's grandparents is on staff at this school. That's how small this community is. Also, Heidi, I want to point out that there's going to be counseling for the family members and friends of these victims. Counseling by a local pastor who also happens to be the assistant coroner here in Crandon, Wisconsin.
So you got to remember, this is a town of about 2,000 people. Everybody seems to know everybody. And last night I spoke to Jenny Stahl, the mother of Lindsey Stahl, one at victims. I was actually Heidi, surprised that she was able to speak to us, but she wanted to tell us about her daughter and also wanted to tell us how angry she was at Deputy Tyler Peterson for killing her daughter.
(BEGIN CLIP)
JENNY STAHL, MOTHER OF VICTIM: I just can't believe this. You know, she's -- she'll be 15 next month. She's just starting to live. And the sad thing is who killed her. You know, a cop, he's supposed to be -- cops are supposed to always protect you I thought. You know? And, it's one who took my daughter and how many other people's lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Now, Heidi, just one person survived that shooting at the party. Just one. Critically wounded. We will hopefully get more information from that person when law enforcement is able to interview him. We were told that there was going to be a news conference by law enforcement here at the high school at noon local time. It turns out now that law enforcement is going to make us wait until they give us more information, but the superintendent of the high school will be speaking here at noon. So, we may have more information for you as the day goes on, Heidi.
COLLINS: Okay, yes, we were just going to remind our viewers quickly that that news conference is coming, but we will wait to hear more from you, Susan, regarding whether or not that is going to take place at one. It sounds like they're going to wake wait longer, as Susan Roesgen just said, to get more information before holding a formal news conference from Crandon, Wisconsin. Susan Roesgen, thanks so much for that.
Chaos in Chicago to talk about this morning. The city's marathon canceled halfway through. Dozens of runners collapse in unusually hot and humid weather. One runner died. He is 35-year-old Chad Shriver, a veteran police officer and father of three. His autopsy is scheduled for this morning. Three other runners in critical condition right now.
The heat soared to a record 87 degrees. Some frustrated runners said there just wasn't enough water or power drinks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KENNEDY, MARATHON RUNNER: This is the hottest race I've ever run in.
THOMAS KENNEDY, FIREFIGHTER: It's been hot, but if they had enough fluids out here it wouldn't have been any problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is probably one of the hottest marathons that I've seen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: In a similar story in the Nation's Capital, another race, another death. It happened at the Army's annual ten-mile run, and the runner's name has not been released. What we do know is he was not a member of the military. Officials say he collapsed just 200 yards from the finish line.
Reynolds Wolf is with us this morning to talk more about these extreme temperatures. Kind of seems like humidity seemed to be a major issue in these two stories.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You're right, Heidi. Humidity was such a big part of the equation when you came to yesterday's awful, scenario. You had the temperatures that were soaring into the 80s, 90s in many locations. Nearly 20 degrees above normal in most spots.
But then, when you pile on the humidity, it makes temperatures like yesterday's high in Chicago of 87 degrees feel like it's into the low to even some mid 90s which is just unbearable if you happen to be out there and you're not prepared to deal with the extreme heat. (WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: All right, Reynolds, thanks so much. We'll check back a little bit later on.
A raging late night fire destroys church in South Carolina. It got so bad firefighters from five departments were called to battle the fire. Witnesses said thick black smoke and flames could be seen from miles away. Still no word this morning on the cause of that fire.
And take a look at this. An historic school building destroyed in a fire yesterday in East St. Louis, Illinois. The school has closed and the building was vacant. But it used to be an elementary school once on the historic registry. Attended by generations of family members. The city had hoped to turn the building into apartments and a recreation center.
African-American students prepare for college. A new program in the Nation's Capital, but with recent events an ironic set for a college fair. CNN's Fredricka Whitfield has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tiffany Dunston is any college's dream. A hard-working high school senior who is second in her class, a star in the basketball team, and anxious about the next step, college.
TIFFANY DUNSTON, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: I'm kind of nervous because you're going to start over as a freshman and I'm going to feel inferior again like when I went to high school.
WHITFIELD: So Tiffany is scouting schools at a college fair run by a program that's helping fund the education for 250 Washington area African-American students.
EUGENE ROBINSON, WASHINGTON METRO SCHOLARS BD: Washington Metropolitan Scholars provides college access, and in some cases supplemental funding. For low-income minority students from the Washington area.
WHITFIELD: Finding the right fit is crucial. A message being made clear at this fair hosted at Gallaudet University. An event scheduled long before last week's shocking incident here where a black high school student said other students held him against his will, drew swastikas and wrote KKK on him with a marker. A lot should be learned from this says the chairman of Washington Metropolitan Scholars.
ROBINSON: It's a reminder that diversity is something we have to keep working on. It's a process. It's not something you arrive at and then say, oh, well, we're done with that. You have to keep working at it.
DUNSTON: I felt like kind of scared to go to college but you can't really do that because all of that stuff can happen at any college.
WANDA SMITH, MOTHER OF COLLEGE APPLICANT: Racism is somewhat epidemic in this -- in our society, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to slap them in the face on a day to day basis, but they have to be aware of it.
WHITFIELD: So, Tiffany is, and she's not allowing any display of racial intolerance to side track her pursuit of getting into college and earning a degree.
DUNSTON: There's going to be more opportunities in life, you can go forward, moving on saying that you got your bachelor's degree maybe your masters degree, and you just feel you have a vibe (ph), that you can tell others that, wow, I finished college.
WHITFIELD: Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: I want to quickly take you now live to the House of Commons and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown speaking on British troops and Iraq. Let's listen in for just a moment.
GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And our allies and subject, of course, to conditions on the ground, we plan from next spring to reduce force numbers in southern Iraq to a figure of 2,500. The first stage begins now with the Iraqis already assuming security responsibility. We expect to establish provincial Iraqi court in Basra province in the next two months, as already announced by the prime minister of Iraq.
Move to the first stage of overwatch. Reduce numbers in southern Iraq from at the start of September 5,500 to 4,500 immediately after provincial Iraqi control, and then to 4,000. And then in the second stage of overwatch from the spring and guided as always by advice of military commanders reduce to around 2,500 troops with a further decision about the next phase made then.
And, in both stages of overwatch around 500 logistics and support personnel will be based outside Iraq but elsewhere in the region. At all times therefore achieving our long-term aim of handing over security to the Iraqi armed forces and police, honoring our obligations to the Iraqi people and their security, ensuring the safety of our forces.
I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the work of our civilian and locally employed staff in Iraq. Many of them have worked in extremely difficult circumstances, exposing themselves and their families to danger.
And I'm pleased therefore to announce today a new policy which move more fully recognizes the contribution made by our local Iraqi staff who work for our armed forces and civilian missions in what we know are uniquely difficult circumstances.
So existing staff who have been employed by us for more than 12 months and have completed their work will be able to apply for a package of financial payments to aid resettlement in Iraq or elsewhere in the region, or, in agreed circumstances, for admission to the U.K. And professional staff, including interpreters and translators, with a similar length of service, who have left our employ since the beginning of 2005 will also be able to apply for assistance. We will make a further written...
COLLINS: We've been listening in for just a few moments there to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown talking about the British troop drawdown that we reported to you a little bit earlier today, and also several weeks ago. So not too much of a surprise there.
But to give you a bit more detail, it looks like in southern Iraq, Basra in particular, those troop numbers are going to be reduced to 2,500 British troops, and then a further decision will be made on what to do with them sometime in the spring.
Also want to give you background now on British armed forces around Basra. It is Iraq's second largest city. British troops swept into Basra on March 21, 2003, after the U.S.-led invasion. They withdrew from their base in central Basra last month and moved to an airbase outside the city. It is last of four provinces for which Britain was responsible.
British troop numbers already have been reduced from about 5,500 to about 5,250.
If you would like to see more of what the British prime minister is saying you can always go to CNN.com.
Still ahead this morning, conflicting reports about the continuing crackdown of Myanmar. Allegations of armed monks. And government troops arresting children.
Also, protecting Iraq's critical oil supposed lies. The Iraqi navy will soon be on its own, protecting the important resource. But is the navy up to the task?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Want to make sure you know about the CNN podcast. Every day after the show we record some pretty cool stories for you. You might want to check them out. You can download them right to your iPod, CNN.com/podcast. So we'll see you then on the podcast.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
COLLINS: Three scientists, one big prize. Today two Americans and one British researcher named winners of the Nobel Prize for medicine. They're honored for making strides in the fight against cancer, diabetes, heart disease and cystic fibrosis. The trio has been manipulating mouse genes. Their work has helped researcher target genes that cause the illnesses.
They died doing their jobs -- fighting a fire. Now autopsy results fuel disbelief. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cahill's (ph) blood alcohol level was .27, more than three times the legal limit. And that Payne had traces of cocaine in his system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: High on the job? Boston investigates booze and drugs at the firehouse.
Manhattan nightmare -- a cab out of control up on a sidewalk. Police looking into this fatal crash.
And, not in my backyard. Protests against the private security contractor Blackwater, not in Iraq -- but Southern California.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: More arrests in Myanmar. Government authorities there saying a number of pro-democracy demonstrators were taken into custody in a new round of arrests. The government also says it has seized dozens of weapons in several Buddhist monasteries. Those include knives, slingshots and a single bullet. Activists say police are not only arresting protesters, but their families and children as well.
The Iraqi navy in charge. Soon it will begin guarding the country's most valuable resource, success or failure likely to be noticed all around the world.
Here now CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): A million barrels of Iraqi oil flow through this terminal every day. More than 90 percent of Iraq's gross domestic product protected by its tiny navy.
(on camera): The security of this al Basra oil terminal and a nearby smaller facility, underpin not only the economy of Iraq and the ability of country to fund its rebuilding, but the stability of global markets. A successful attack here could send oil prices rocketing.
(voice-over): Yet the four-year-old 1,000-man navy is short on resources.
LT DOMINIC KILBANE, BRITISH NAVY: The money is there, the will is there, but unfortunately at the moment, the supply chain lets us down slightly. It's very hard to outsource parts and spares for the vessels.
ROBERTSON: And without improvement, the implications are serious.
CMDR STEVE STACY, U.S. NAVY: Well, it impacts the situation because, if you don't have the logistics to support operations, then operations grind to a halt.
ROBERTSON: Right now, British and American warships help the fledgling Iraqi force maintain security around the terminals. But in a few months, the Iraqi navy will be taking over sole responsibility for securing the smaller terminal and the country's main sea trade route.
KILBANE: We're expecting to in the next few months just hand over control of the perimeter defense to the Iraqi marines (INAUDIBLE), which is the (INAUDIBLE) oil terminal, and also we're expecting to hand over, in the next few months, the security of the Port Abdullah (ph) all the way to the Iraqi navy.
ROBERTSON: A short trip aboard one of the Iraqi navy's five Predator boats spotlighted maintenance problems. One of the engines caught fire, not uncommon, according to crew members. Of their 24 fast aluminum rib boats, only 10 are working, the others cannibalized for spares. Coalition commanders say new boats are on order. And as training pays off under their mentoring, the Iraqis are becoming increasingly proficient.
STACY: We will not allow them to fail. We will ensure that we are there alongside them to ensure that, yes, they are protecting the infrastructure of Iraq. In fact, they're securing the future of Iraq.
ROBERTSON: The stakes are high. Failure here would impact world oil markets with inevitable repercussions for the global economy.
Nic Robertson, CNN, on the al Basra oil terminal in the Persian Gulf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Withdrawal from Iraq -- about half of the British troops there coming home soon.
And he carried a badge, a firearm and apparently a grudge. Did a lover's triangle set this young deputy off on a deadly rampage?
Plus, two races, two deaths, and dozens of runners sickened by the heat and humidity.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
