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Will White House Reverse Stand on Taxes?; Three Americans Arrested in Iran; White House Spokesman Says Raising Taxes on Middle Class Wouldn't Make Sense; Obama Signs New G.I. Bill
Aired August 03, 2009 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Kyra Phillips. Kyra, it's all yours.
KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: Thanks, T.J.
More cash for clunkers? Or will the Senate tinker with the rebate program that's had cars flying off dealer lots? It could all come to a screeching halt, and fast.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was horrifying. I never would have thought in a million years that I would have the emotional reaction that I did.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): A doting mom, a family blog. Kids for sale, or not, on the Internet? We're pushing forward on an outrage you'll have to see to believe.
JOE WASILEWSKI, REPTILE EXPERT: One down.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
WASILEWSKI: A hundred thousand more.
ZARRELLA: A hundred thousand to go.
PHILLIPS: And the Everglades have a Burmese python problem, but now the pythons have a problem too. Not our John Zarrella but the other guy. And you're going to meet him this hour.
Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Well, the deficit is soaring. The economy's sputtering. Health care may be expending and taxes may be rising, and not just on the rich. We're awaiting the White House media briefing right now and the fallout from two Sunday talk-show appearances by two administration officials. Both suggested broad-based tax hikes may be needed to cut the deficit and bankroll health reforms.
Here's Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TIM GEITHNER, TREASURY SECRETARY: People have to understand we have to bring those deficits down, and it's going to -- it's going to be difficult, hard for us to do. And the path to that is through health-care reform, but that's necessary but not sufficient. We're going to do some other things too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So revenues are on the table, as well?
GEITHNER: Again, we're not at the point yet where we're going to make a judgment about what it's going to take, but the important thing...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But you're not ruling it out. You can't rule it out.
GEITHNER: I think that what the country needs to do is understand we're going to have to do what it takes. We're going to do what's necessary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: But here's the problem. The message that President Obama delivered on a daily basis when he was candidate Obama was this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Under my plan, tax rates will actually be less than they were under Ronald Reagan. If you make less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increase one single dime.
If you make less than a quarter million dollars a year, you will not see one -- your taxes increase one single dime: not your payroll taxes, not your income taxes, not your capital gains taxes, nothing.
If you make under $250,000, you will not see your taxes increase by a single dime. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax. Not your capital gains tax, no tax.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Let's bring in CNN White House correspondent Dan Lothian.
Dan, how is the White House responding? I mean, I'm now having flashbacks, seeing President Bush...
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know.
PHILLIPS: ... and "no new taxes, read my lips." Here we go again.
LOTHIAN: That was 1988, when he made that at the Republican National Convention. He had to back down from that, because he needed the money for -- to pull down the deficit. Well, White House really not moving this story forward in terms of trying to clarify what it was what those two top money men had to say yesterday.
But one interesting point, Kyra, is that over the last couple of weeks, Robert Gibbs, the spokesman here at the White House, has been holding these gaggles, sort of a background briefing early in the morning, a chance for reporters to really hit them on whatever the big story is of the day.
Today that was canceled. So it's kind of interesting. Perhaps the White House is still trying to figure out what the message is. I mean, clearly, what this appears to be is that they're throwing up some trial balloons, but perhaps there's a fundamental shift here for this administration. That's something that we'll be pressing very hard at in the briefing coming up within the hour, we hope.
PHILLIPS: OK. We'll be waiting for it. We're looking at a live picture of it right now, Dan. As soon as it begins, and of course they start talking taxes, we'll take it. Dan Lothian, thanks so much.
LOTHIAN: OK.
PHILLIPS: Broke, yesterday, but broken? By all accounts cash for clunkers is a runaway hit. A billion dollars in government rebates fueling an estimated quarter million new car sales in a single week.
But as we've been reporting, the funds are running out, if they haven't already, and the House passed a $2 billion extension on Friday. But now it's up to the Senate, and the push back is already under way.
Some senators want to include fuel-efficient used cars. Others question where the extra money will come from, or the rush to spend it.
No such qualms from the car makers. Ford reports its first monthly sales jump in almost two years and says that clunker cash is the reason for that.
U.S. officials are having a tough time getting information about three Americans now being held in Iran. The fact that there's no diplomatic ties between the two countries isn't helping matters either. Iran's state-run media report that the three were arrested Friday for allegedly crossing the border illegally from Iraq's northern Kurdistan region.
CNN's Susan Candiotti has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kurdish officials have identified the three Americans being detained as Joshua Fattal, seen here on his Facebook page, as well as Shane Bauer and Sara Shourd, both appearing on Internet Web sites. They'd been staying at a hotel before setting out for a scenic area for a hike in the mountains near Ahmed Awa in Iraq. Despite warnings to be careful, they apparently strayed into Iranian territory across an unmarked natural border with northern Iraq.
A friend who stayed behind at the hotel because he was ill said he last heard from them Friday. They called to tell him they were surrounded by Iranian soldiers during their hike.
Fattal's mother, who lives in Pennsylvania, confirms their captivity but is declining requests for on-camera interviews. She spoke with CNN Radio by phone.
LAURA FATTAL, MOTHER OF JOSHUA: My husband and I are eager for the best welfare and conditions for our son Josh and for the other two companions he's with. And that is our only concern: his welfare and the best conditions for him.
CHRIS FORAKER, FRIEND OF JOSH FATTAL: Josh is a very curious person. And he is interested in the world, wants to -- wants to eat the world whole.
FATTAL: Friends say the three have spent time or lived in Western Europe and the Mideast and are seasoned travelers.
Sarah Shourd appears on a Web site that mentions her travels. She's also named on Shane Bauer's Web site. He's a photographer. The American hiker Sean Meckfessel, who stayed behind because he was ill, is now at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, according to his grandmother. Meckfessel is a graduate student at the University of Washington.
The State Department says it has asked the Swiss consulate in Iran to try to make contact with the detained Americans, because the U.S. itself has no diplomatic relations with Iran.
(on camera) It's a very sensitive situation, especially given the strained relations between the U.S. and Iran.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: All right. Joining us now from Baghdad with more on this story, CNN's Arwa Damon.
Arwa, a lot of people are asking why the heck would anyone want to hike in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region. But you and I both know it's pretty beautiful there.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Kyra. It's actually quite stunning. And I'm sure it is strange for a lot of people to hear that American tourists would have even come to Iraq, given that it is constantly in the headlines because of the war that has been waging here for the last six years.
But as you mentioned, Northern Iraq, the Kurdish north is completely different. It's absolutely beautiful, and it's relatively safe. It hasn't been plagued by the levels of violence that we saw ravage the rest of the country. It's booming economically. It's a very attractive place for foreign investment.
And you have these beautiful mountain ranges. You've got, specifically in the area where these three Americans went, you've got waterfalls. I mean, it's a beautiful spot. So it might seem a little strange, but it's not that bizarre, especially when you take into consideration that these three Americans were considered to be something of, you know, the type of traveler that isn't afraid to wander into strange and different places.
PHILLIPS: Well, do we know now, since Susan Candiotti filed her report, if the Swiss embassy in Tehran has reached out to the Iranians?
DAMON: Well, they have. In the State Department says that Swiss diplomats did meet with officials in Tehran but that they received surprisingly little information.
In fact, the Iranian officials they met with said that they hadn't even heard about this report, this incident, which is very disconcerting given that it is Iranian press TV that reported that the three had been detained.
There are, of course, ongoing efforts to try to secure even more information, but everyone seems to be coming up against these road blocks. Even Kurdish officials in the north have been trying to reach out to the Iranian consulate up there, and they're receiving very little information, as well. So it's pretty disturbing -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And just knowing that area, for the most part, it's secure; it's safe. But still, you are so close to a war-torn area with terrorists and a lot of violence taking place. If you are to hike in that area, are you warned about this, and do you take things with you: for example, weapons or any type of special radios in case something does happen?
DAMON: Well, look, Kyra, when we travel up there, we do take a number of security precautions. We are very aware that, even though it is safe, as you mentioned, it is very close to Iraq, and there are extremist elements that do operate up in that area. The last time we actually went up there, though, we did run into a number of tourists who didn't really have this with them.
These three, as far as we're aware, were not warned about any sort of terrorists, but they were warned by the local police in this tourist area to watch out because of the proximity that they were in to Iran, saying, "Look, you're American. You're not Iraqi, and these are very tense times." So...
PHILLIPS: Well, we'll follow the story. Arwa Damon, thanks so much.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got what he wanted and needed today. Iran's supreme leader formally endorsed Ahmadinejad for a second term. But there was a hitch. The ceremony, aimed at showing unity, was boycotted by prominent critics of June's disputed presidential elections.
Among those staying away, two former presidents and the two defeated pro-reform candidates. The endorsement by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei clears the way for Ahmadinejad to take the oath of office Wednesday.
Killed in action, then reported missing, then captured, then missing again. Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher's status changed so many times in 18 years, his family's piece of mind changing with it. Well, they finally have answers now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Maybe mom's little angel is leading a double life, got the family fooled. Maybe he really is an orphan living in Cameroon, up for sale, just like the Internet posting said. Or maybe your family photos are not your own when they go online.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Doing right by veterans and their families in a post- 9/11 world. That's what the new, improved G.I. bill aims to do. It kicked in on Saturday.
So what's different? Well, this version covers tuition at public universities for some active soldiers, and if you have three years of active duty since 9/11, you can get four years of tuition plus a monthly stipend. Troops with at least ten years of active duty can transfer the benefit to a spouse or child.
Guardsmen and -women and reservists with at least three years active duty in the last seven years can get the full tuition package, also.
The president, V.P. and head of Veterans Affairs celebrated the new bill with young veterans today at George Mason University.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: With this policy, we are letting those who have borne the heaviest burden lead us into the 21st century. And so today, we honor the service of an extraordinary generation and look to America that they will help build tomorrow. The post-9/11 G.I. Bill, we can give our veterans the chance to live their dreams and...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, the V.A. expects to pay out about $78 billion over the next ten years. Next hour, we're talking to the senator who introduced the new bill: Jim Webb from Virginia.
Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher, the first American shot down in the Gulf War in 1991, one of the last to come home. Well, his remains have now been identified, probably one of a number of stories we're expecting Robert Gibbs at the White House to address as we take the briefing live now.
ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Today's previously- scheduled event to honor NASCAR champion was -- had to be rescheduled, because the race yesterday was rained out. That event will now be August 19 here at the White House.
Second announcement is the Senate Democrats will come down to the White House tomorrow and have lunch here with the president, all of them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) press?
GIBBS: Unclear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're all invited?
GIBBS: You didn't get your invite?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
GIBBS: To continue to talk about the priorities that they have, to talk about what has been accomplished in the first six and a half months of the administration, and to talk about our progress.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
GIBBS: No. No. And it's the president's birthday, and Chuck E. Cheese was booked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got it.
GIBBS: Good. That didn't actually cause you to laugh, though. I like -- who laughs. Who celebrated a birthday a few weeks ago at Chuck E. Cheese? No, no, I was joking about that.
Take us away, Phil.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks, Robert. The president has been pretty clear. He wants to cut the deficit in half within a decade. He wants a health-care overhaul that's deficit neutral and during the campaign promised no tax increase on the middle class. Is there a point where you just say two out of three of these ain't bad? And can you get everything done, all three of these done?
GIBBS: The president is committed to doing those things. The president was clear in the campaign about that.
I think in some ways those goals overlap. We're not going to make progress on the deficit without dealing with health care. So some of those goals actually work in tandem.
I don't think we're going to get the deficit under -- begin to get the deficit under better control until we get the economy moving again. In order to get -- lay the new foundation the president, strongly believes that health-care reform is important. The president was clear during the campaign about his commitment on not raising taxes on middle-class families. I don't think any economist would believe that, in the environment that we're in, raising taxes on middle-class families would make any sense, in the president's words.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why didn't Secretary Geithner and Dr. Summers say that they would not raise taxes on those families?
GIBBS: I haven't -- I did not watch the shows; I read some of the transcripts. I think they allowed themselves to get into a little bit of a hypothetical back and forth.
I will say this, and I think this is important for all of us to understand, and we've talked about this issue, and throughout the time that we've been here. We do have big structural deficit that's are going to have to be dealt with in order to meet the president's commitment of cutting this deficit in half and getting us back on a path toward fiscal responsibility. That, there's no question about.
And I think what they both talked about was, one, we're not going to have -- we're not going to be able to sustain any sort of economic recovery unless or until we do have a path toward fiscal responsibility. But they also said that that shouldn't be done as a way of burdening middle-class families.
So I think -- I think the president's commitment on this is clear. We have a lot of big challenges. We're already looking at ways to cut wasteful spending. As part of health-care reform, the president's identified half a trillion dollars in spending that he thinks can be cut. We worked, just in the past two weeks, on a bipartisan basis to look at a program like the F-22 and cut some of that wasteful spending out of the budget, as well.
Yes, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If Iran doesn't agree to talk to the United States, is the United -- is the U.S. discussing with its allies the possibility of steep sanctions, such as sanctions on gasoline and other refined petroleum products?
GIBBS: As you know, the P-5 plus one have an outstanding invitation for the Iranians to come to the table. The president strongly believes that we should -- and many of our allies believe that we should not allow the Iranians to acquire a nuclear weapon. That invitation has not been responded to.
As you've heard the president discuss recently, we will evaluate, as part of the G-8 process, where we are on that engagement in September. But I don't want to get into discussions amongst allies with -- or hypotheticals as we get toward those dates.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you say you're not going to allow, what do you mean by that? (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
GIBBS: We think -- we think it's important to do what has to be done in order to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Like what?
GIBBS: Well, a host of things, including, I think beginning by engaging directly with them so that they can live up to their own responsibilities in not pursuing that -- that technology.
Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In terms of what Geithner and Summers had to say yesterday, it really wasn't too much of a hypothetical back and forth. It was about the -- do they think it's possible to do deficit reduction, but that's not a -- that's...
GIBBS: We can quibble about whether the word "possible"...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not what the word hypothetical. Is it possible to do everything the president wants to do without increasing revenues on the middle class?
GIBBS: Right. And I want to just state again clearly here that the president has made a very clear commitment to not raise taxes on middle-class families.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If economists, including the president's own economists, don't necessarily think that it's possible to do so without raising taxes on the middle class, how is that dealing candidly with the American people?
GIBBS: Well, again, Jake, there are a series of things that have to be done. I think you'll actually hear an announcement from treasury later this afternoon about how much money has to be borrowed, versus what they thought was going to have to be borrowed and would have to be borrowed as a result of financial stabilization.
In terms of cutting the amount of money that's needed, again, I think the president has been clear on this. The first thing that we can do, the most important thing that we can do right now is get our economy growing again.
We know that the deficit -- part of the reason that the deficit is up right now is that the economy has slowed down so much that tax revenues -- because this is what happens in an economic slowdown -- have regressed a lot. I think the president -- obviously, we're going to have to make some decisions down the road on some of the president's legislative priorities and some of the things Congress wants to do, to evaluate how we move back towards -- on a path towards fiscal sustainability.
Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So did Geithner and Summers go off script, or were they sort of testing the temperature out there of what something like this...?
GIBBS: I don't know. I -- I know the president has been clear about his commitment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So there's no -- there's no real scenario there, as the administration sees it, where middle-class taxpayers might be hit with a hike? There's no scenario right now...
GIBBS: The president has been clear, very clear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could I make that even a little more precise. The president, as you well know, is not just middle class, but he's been very precise about it. No family...
GIBBS: Let me be -- let me be precise. The president's clear commitment is not to raise taxes on those making less than $250,000 a year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any implication anybody drew from Geithner and Summers yesterday to the contrary is flatly wrong?
GIBBS: I think -- I think the president has been clear. I think you heard him reiterate not recent -- not -- not that long ago, right outside this room in the Rose Garden.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can understand what people took what they said yesterday as Geithner and Summers trying to open the door a little bit.
GIBBS: Well, I hope -- I hope you'll take my reiteration as a clear commitment, as an up (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They -- the door is closed? They did not open the door?
GIBBS: I am reiterating the president's clear commitment in the clearest terms possible, that he's not raising taxes on those that make less than $250,000 a year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you speak to him about the fact that they did raise this little bit of a...
GIBBS: We talked about a number of economic issues this morning in the Oval Office as part of the daily briefing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So is everybody going to be on message now, that absolutely no taxes for families...
GIBBS: Obviously, everybody's going to be on message may be a bar that's too high for me to -- to leap over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But that's the goal, everybody's...
GIBBS: The goal is to get the economy -- the goal is to get our government back on...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... any family making less than...
GIBBS: The goal is to get our government on a path toward fiscal sustainability, to lay the long-term foundation for economic growth.
And let's also -- one point that I forgot that I think is important in this. Within the very first month of the president taking office, 95 percent of Americans received a tax cut. That's everybody in the middle class. OK.
The president ran because, for eight long years, the middle class had borne the brunt of bad economic policies. Right? Even when jobs were being created, even when you saw positive economic growth, for the very first time in our history, you actually saw wages for the middle class decline. That's one of reasons that led the president of the United States to want to run for president of the United States: to protect the middle class; to cut their taxes, which he did; and to make sure that their voices were heard in the economic policy-making of this country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The door is not open even a millimeter.
GIBBS: I hope you'll take seriously what I said.
CHUCK TODD, NBC NEWS: Do you have an update from Senator Baucus on, if you're going to get a bill out of the finance committee?
GIBBS: I don't.
TODD: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
GIBBS: Sometime probably last week. I don't think there were any calls over the weekend.
TODD: Over the weekend...
GIBBS: Not that I know of.
TODD: Can you explain, did you feel like Friday's GDP now -- it seems like every time there's a reported number, then there's a revised number, you know, something that lately has been revised downward.
Do you guys worry that the GDP number, which you guys jumped on as a positive step forward, do you have any reason to believe it could get revised downward?
GIBBS: You know, obviously, one of the things that was done, one of the things that was released on Friday were revisions based on newer economic modeling back decades. I could ask if we assume -- I certainly don't believe at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) number...
GIBBS: I think so, but plus, you know, look, obviously the number is not more than a weekend old. So I know they feel confident in that. Obviously, the one thing that we do know now that we didn't have as clear a handle on that you see in these economic revisions is the shear depth of what -- of what we were facing economically, the -- you know, the growth, the positive growth you saw in the second quarter of 2008 was revised down sharply.
The first quarter of 2008 went from a period of supposed economic growth to economic contraction. The depth of the third quarter in 2008 began to show you just how deep a recession we were in and continue to be.
I think we take heart, take some heart from the numbers, obviously, on Friday, that showed, one, that the recovery plan, we think, is having an impact, cushioning the economic downturn that we saw, saving and creating jobs. Understanding with this caveat: we'll get new jobs figures on Friday, and, you know, I think -- I don't think there's anybody that -- that doesn't believe that we're going to see several hundred thousand more jobs lost in this economy.
TODD: This confusion on the tax thing, this is something that Summers and Geithner got caught up in hypothetical questions or is it just a media interpretation?
GIBBS: I think a confluence of some of that stuff, sure -- Mark.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Robert, is the administration looking at Fort Leavenworth as a possible site for detainees from Gitmo?
GIBBS: Well, I don't know the degree to which they've gotten into specific sighting. And certainly, no final decisions of any sort have been made. We, I think, made progress on dealing with a number of the issues that the executive order -- that needed to be dealt with as part of the executive order in reviewing the case files and in deciding who can and should be transferred. But no final decisions on any of that have been made.
PHILLIPS: Bottom line, what we were waiting to hear is what Robert Gibbs had to say about taxes. Taxes may be rising, as we heard after a couple interviews over the weekend on the Sunday talk show, specifically from Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. And as taxes may be rising, we're talking about not just on the rich.
During those interviews over the weekend, the talk was about these broad-based tax hikes may be needed to cut the deficit and bankroll health reforms, something that candidate Obama said that he would not do. And now all of a sudden, we're having this talk about tax hikes, and as you know, it's getting Americans pretty worried about that.
We're going to be following that throughout the day, of course, from the Hill to the White House. Meanwhile, we'll have more from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Michael Jackson's mom making out OK today in court as a judge rules on custody and estate issues.
CNN's Ted Rowlands, live at the L.A. courthouse with the latest.
What do we know now, Ted? TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, a busy morning so far. Katherine Jackson has been awarded permanent custody of the three children with a hearing pending in October, sort of a status hearing. But the judge said yes to her being in control of these children and indeed the guardian of these children.
A little bit of a wrinkle though. At the beginning of this hearing Dr. Arnold Klein, remember him? He's that dermatologist. His lawyer stepped up and said that he wanted a role in the children's life. That Arnold Klein, Dr. Arnie Klein. The judge said on what basis, they had a sidebar meeting and came back and the judge, said, no, you don't have standing here and moved on. But, a surprise request there for yet another person to get involved in these children's lives. That seems to be set as far as the children.
Now it's on to the estate. The judge took a break about half an hour ago, and said, you attorneys go and try to hash this out so that I don't have to make decisions basically. They have just concluded their meetings and now they're just getting underway again answering questions about the estate. Katherine Jackson wants a little larger role in it, saying that she's been kept in the dark. The attorneys talked to each other.
We'll see what the judge has to say and what they've come up with. But on the table Katherine Jackson's role, as far as the estate itself, which has been valued anywhere between $100 million and now upwards to $500 billion by the players involved -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll track it. Ted Rowlands, thanks.
O.J. Simpson's lawyer is in court today in Nevada, trying to get him out of prison. The attorney is asking a state Supreme Court panel to set bond while Simpson's conviction is appealed. No decision is expected today. Simpson is serving up to 33 years for kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon. All from the infamous confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers a just couple of years ago.
Straight ahead -- killed in action, then reported missing, then captured, then missing again. Captain Michael Scott Speicher's status changed so many times in 18 years, his family's peace of mind changing with it. Now finally they've got answers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Captain Michael Scott Speicher, the first American shot down in the Gulf War in 1991, one of the last to come home. His remains now identified. Speicher's family getting some answers after more than 18 years of grief, false leads and false hopes, fears and rumors.
Just imagine the rollercoaster hearing he was dead, then missing, then captured, maybe in an Iraqi prison scribbling his initials on a wall, then missing again.
Here's Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Captain Scott Speicher's children were toddlers the day he disappeared. Now his remains are coming home to college students. A nearly 20 year mystery. Was he captured? Tortured? All of this time the answer was buried in the Iraqi sand and solved by a single tip.
MIRIAM NOVELLY, HIGH SCHOOL CLASSMATE: It's a bittersweet ending. I mean, it's great that we have finally accomplished an ending. But it is bittersweet.
LAWRENCE: Last month an Iraqi citizen told American troops about the crash site. When the Marines arrived, another Iraqi said he was there when veterans found Captain Speicher already dead and buried his body. Searching the site, U.S. troops found multiple skeletal fragments and bones. And when Military investigators compared Captain Speicher's dental records with the recovered jaw bone, it was him.
SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: The whole family is so grateful that the Navy stayed on this.
LAWRENCE: But the Military made mistakes starting hours after Speicher was shot down when the Pentagon declared him dead.
DICK CHENEY, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The total U.S. losses are one aircraft and one individual.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Pentagon identified the United States Navy pilot as apparently the first U.S. serviceman missing in action in the Persian Gulf War.
LAWRENCE: Some in the Military thought Speicher had ejected and might still be alive. In 1994, they proposed a secret mission to survey the crash site. But according to senior officials in the room, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General John Shalikashvili scrubbed the plan and said, quote, "I do not want to have to write the parents and tell them their son or daughter died looking for old bones."
In 2001, the Pentagon changed his status to missing in action. And there were accusations he was being held captive by Saddam Hussein. After the invasion of Iraq, some thought they found Speicher's initials were scratched into the walls of an Iraqi prison. And investigators even excavated a grave site in Baghdad. But it was not him.
Now the vigils can end but one fact remains.
NELSON: We walked away from a downed pilot. It was done by mistakenly declaring him dead and then they didn't go and search for him. And that was a mistake and that is very important that we never repeat that mistake again.
LAWRENCE (on camera): Captain Speicher's family says they appreciate all of the troops who never gave up and kept searching all these years. But they have to be wondering, is there any chance he survived the crash and would an immediate search and rescue have made any difference?
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Stunning development in a story we've been following since June. The Navy says that a petty officer charged with the murder of a fellow sailor has committed suicide at Camp Pendleton. A Navy spokesperson says that Jonathan Campos asphyxiated himself Friday by stuffing toilet paper in his mouth.
Campos was charged with the June shooting death of Seaman August Provost. Provost was gay and his family says he complained of being harassed about his sexuality just days before his death. The Navy has no record of a harassment record. Campos faced an investigative hearing in Military court in the coming weeks before he took his life.
A really rough time this morning for folks aboard a Continental flight from Rio de Janeiro to Houston. The plane veered off course for an emergency landing after sudden severe turbulence injured 26 people. Flight 128 touched down in Miami before dawn with ambulances and stretchers standing by. Even an airline catering truck was pressed into service bringing passengers down on the elevated lift. At least four people aboard were seriously hurt. We're talking passengers flying up and hitting the ceiling, getting knocked unconscious by flying debris.
It's just a really emotional, really terrifying experience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) so bad --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You were so scared?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So scared. All the people so scared. All the people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you hurt -- of have any injuries? What happened to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many, many, people. Many people injuries. Many people.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what were you doing at that time? When the plane dipped down where were you? You were sitting, standing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sitting. I'm sitting. But this -- I don't know. I don't understand (INAUDIBLE). Just (INAUDIBLE) the airplane -- I am so (INAUDIBLE). Sorry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, straight ahead -- imagine a mom's surprise when she finds out the to toddler playing on the floor, the one who just finished his string peas is up for sale as an African orphan. Hello? How does that happen?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Just when researchers thought that they were well informed about HIV, they discover a new strain of the virus that causes AIDS. All three previously known strains came from chimpanzees. But this latest one, apparently derived from gorillas. It was found in a 62 year-old woman from the African nation of Cameroon, now living in Paris. She doesn't have AIDS and researchers say the indications are that she contracted the virus from another human.
The GI Bill -- new and improved for post 9/11 warriors. As the president said, they've borne the heaviest burden. We're going to meet one of heroes who's putting that new bill to work.
And atheist camp, we're taking you there.
Creepy, creepy story out of Massachusetts. But it could have happened anywhere. A mom finds out that her child is up for sale as an African orphan. But, how could that be? He's sitting right there on the floor playing with his toys for Pete's sake. Well, here's the answer: The internet and a scam that sucked in pictures from the family blog.
Sean Kelly from WCVB reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN KELLY, WCVP REPORTER (voice-over): 7-month-old Jacob Brennan was busy tasting toys when his mother Jenni got a suspicious e-mail.
JENNI BRENNAN, MOTHER: Out of the blue some girl e-mailed us and said, I think you should know that someone is Jake's picture in an adoption scam.
KELLY: It sounded hard to believe. Brennan did some investigating and found this ad on Craigslist, about a cute baby boy available for adoption, but no picture. So Brennan e-mailed the listed yahoo address and got this in her inbox.
BRENNAN: Well, the picture he sends you is a picture of Jake. It was horrifying. I never would have thought in a million years that I would have the emotional reaction that I did.
KELLY: The e-mail claimed her son in Canadian-born and living in orphanage in Cameroon, the republic next to Nigeria.
BRENNAN: I got really angry. Incredibly angry.
KELLY: But Brennan decided to play along in search of more clues. She discovered if you hold the curser over Jacob's picture it shows the address for her family's blog.
BRENNAN: I know other people had access to it but I never thought anyone who really want to.
KELLY: The scam unraveled through an elaborate correspondence. Brennan called authorities when the person asked for $300 just to start the application process.
BRENNAN: Even though he's not being harmed, I think in a way he's been sort of violated.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Once again, that's from Sean Kelly, from WCVB our affiliate. Well, violated is a good word. Creepy works, too. So, how the heck does it happen? It kind of makes you think twice about putting those cute family pictures out there.
Let's go ahead and talk to Christine Durst. She's the head of Staffcentric in Washington, and an expert in virtual safety.
You know, Christine, if you've got a family blog or web site, is there any way to prevent your pictures from being used like this.
CHRISTINE DURST, CEO, STAFFCENTRIC: (via telephone): Kyra, there are some things people can do. They should check their blog application provider to see if they do have an option to restrict access to only specific individuals. Blogger.com, for example, very popular because it's free, does allow people who have blogs there to restrict access to only those individuals they approve. And that's always a good idea for family blogs.
PHILLIPS: So if you're starting a family blog today, what's the number one thing that you should keep in mind or maybe your first step?
Would it be just that?
DURST: It would be exactly that. Looking for one that does give you that option to customize so that you can restrict access.
PHILLIPS: Now, are there specific safety options these should look for in a blogging or web site service?
DURST: You know, it's really difficult in terms of people taking pictures off of your web site. As you've seen, I'm sure, it happens. People steal pictures and they paste them on to other web sites. We see it happen all the time on personal web sites as well as business web sites.
Again, the most important thing that you can do is make sure that if you do have a site, that you restrict the access. Most sites do -- most blog sites do have that customization. Use it.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's interesting that you bring that up because I had no idea until one of my producers came over to me and said, Christine ran your name and sure enough, my picture came up on this Argentinean web site -- this Clinico Online and I guess I'm telling folks hey, we got great consultants for anxiety, stomach disorders, sleep problems, which OK, they should use my picture for all that.
But on a serious note, how did you find this and how do I prevent my picture from getting on something like this? Is there a web site where I can do a search and then find out where everything is?
DURST: There is. We actually -- to find your picture, Kyra, used a site called tin eye, T-I-N-E-Y-E.com. It's really interesting. It's like the Google of images, if you will. Google is great for searching text. Tineye does exactly that for images.
All you have to do is paste in, browse for your picture, upload it, or you can paste in the URL where you already have it uploaded, and it will search the internet looking for other occurrences of that photograph or that image online. And that's precisely how we found your picture in Argentina.
So in terms of protecting it, again, keep it behind a firewall. Only let people who are allowed in. In your case, that's difficult to do. It's not a family blog where they found your image so a site like Tineye can help you figure out if there's been abuse or misuse.
PHILLIPS: Wow. And once again that's T-I-N-E-Y-E, tineye.com.
And finally, Christine, before I let you go, just one more time, let's reiterate what to not include on your web site.
DURST: Very important, especially if you have children. Don't include your physical address. Don't include your phone number. Don't include the names of the schools that your children are attending. And in that same vein, don't include pictures of your children wearing geographically identifiable attire.
If you've already told people you live in Kentucky, for example, you don't want to include pictures of your children wearing the name of their school on the T-shirt because that will give somebody who has ill intentions exactly what they need to find your child.
PHILLIPS: Christine Durst, always great advice coming from you.
Sure appreciate you calling in.
DURST: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead -- pythons don't belong in the Everglades. And our John Zarrella really doesn't, either. So why the heck has he been searching for a big snake tale? Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: It's a story that we told you about on the very first day of the hunt. Hit men creeping through the Everglades in the dark of night, stalking eco invaders who've thrown the natural balance out of whack.
Well, now our John Zarrella goes out on patrol with one of Florida's python hunters. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Joe Wasilewski drives along a narrow stretch of road that bisects Florida's Everglades. Night is coming on quickly. He's looking for snakes, one in particular.
JOE WASILEWSKI, TRAPS BURMESE PYTHONS FOR FLORIDA: The next 10 miles seems to be the hot spot for Burmese pythons.
ZARRELLA: Wasilewski, a reptile expert, is one of a handful of men sanctioned by the state to hunt down and rid the glades of pythons, an extraordinary move in response to what scientists believe is a rapidly growing threat to the delicate ecosystem.
WASILEWSKI: It's a large predator. And they're eating, basically everything in sight. That's the problem.
ZARRELLA: Twenty years ago, there were none here, today, perhaps 100,000. No one is quite sure.
Night is the best time to catch these non-venomous snakes. That's when they're on the move.
Wasilewski spots something. He jumps from the truck, runs to it.
WASILEWSKI: This is not a python, it's a banded water snake.
ZARRELLA (on camera): Banded water snake?
WASILEWSKI: Yes. You want to pick him up?
ZARRELLA: Do I?
WASILEWSKI: He'll bite you.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): An hour driving back and forth across the roads, still no pythons, at least not alive. There's a dead one, and several more small snakes. A baby alligator, too.
WASILEWSKI: Oh, man. And he got hit by a car.
ZARRELLA: Two hours into our hunt, suddenly Wasilewski is on it. He sees one.
WASILEWSKI: Yes, baby. Look at the size of this one.
ZARRELLA: Skillfully, he grabs it behind the head. It's instantly coils around his arm. Wasilewski will lock the snake in a crate and take it to the national park biologists to be studied and destroyed.
But first, we've got to untangle it from his arm.
WASILEWSKI: And this isn't a big one.
ZARRELLA (on camera): This is a good 10 feet.
WASILEWSKI: No, at least 12.
ZARRELLA: Wasilewski doesn't get paid. It's voluntary. While he knows they've got to be eliminated, he's got a soft spot for the reptile.
WASILEWSKI: And guess what? It's not this snake's fault. He didn't mean to be here.
ZARRELLA: Some are believed to have gotten here when reptile breeding facilities near the Everglades were destroyed during hurricane Andrew.
WASILEWSKI: Why don't you take this side?
ZARRELLA (on camera): You take that side. You take the head and I've got the back end.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Others from pet owners who disposed of them when they got too big. They can grow up to 200 pounds.
But this one is no longer a problem.
WASILEWSKI: One down.
ZARRELLA: Yes, hey!
WASILEWSKI: 100,000 more --
ZARRELLA: 100,000 more to go.
John Zarrella, CNN, the Florida Everglades.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: All right. John Zarrella is crazy.
All right, after seeing that story, it did remind us of how we had an interview recently with another python tracker who demonstrated his snake nabbing technique. You can actually relive every scale- tingling moment at my blog at CNN.com/kyra.
