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Rankled Republicans Blast Steele; Wyclef Jean for President
Aired August 06, 2010 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news now on a broken economy: this morning we have new evidence of just how feeble the recovery is and how many Americans have nothing to show for it. The nation's unemployment rate has remained flat at a disheartening 9.5 percent. Just last month 60,000 jobs vanished.
The news is bad, but not quite as bad as we all expected. This economy has proven that no jobs are safe, but new legislation may be able to save a lot of teachers, cops, and public workers. The senate has passed a bill that would keep 300,000 of those jobs from disappearing across the country.
And if the house passes it next week, as expected, the funding could reduce layoffs in many school districts before classes return from summer break. The measure would cost $26 billion and be paid through spending cuts and higher taxes on some businesses.
Michael Steele, the Republican who has had a bad habit of putting his foot in the Grand Old Party's mouth. He addresses his fellow Republicans in the next hour or so. Hopefully he won't say things that he'll have to explain or clarify later.
Remember this one?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL STEELE, RNC CHAIRMAN: Keep in mind, again, for our federal candidates, this was a war of Obama's choosing. This is not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, that drew criticism from his own party, and then how about this one?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: What kind of health care do you have?
STEELE: I have private - I have health care through the RNC.
PHILLIPS: What type of health insurance do you have? Do you get that through the RNC?
STEELE: Yes, through my employer. PHILLIPS: What company is it?
STEELE: Blue cross/Blue shield, I believe.
PHILLIPS: All right. Chairman Michael Steele.
STEELE: Or maybe not. I'm not -
PHILLIPS: Not sure?
STEELE: I think it's Blue Cross, Blue Shield.
PHILLIPS: You must not have gone to the doctor lately. You're in good shape.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And here is another of Steele's greatest hits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEELE: First off, the government doesn't create jobs. Let's get this notion out of our heads that the government creates jobs. Not in the history of mankind has the government ever created a job. Small business owners do, small enterprises do, not the government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And last but not least, this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEELE: I don't need (INAUDIBLE) feeling bad for my opponent because of their life circumstances or their condition and shortchanging me and my opportunity to get fair treatment under the law. That's crazy nonsense. Empathetic. I'll give you empathy. Empathize right on your behind. Crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk to Mark Preston about this, shall we? So, Mark, with all these gaffes, how is it that he's still RNC chair?
MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, you know something, Kyra, the short answer is it's just very difficult to remove a chairman from this position. Plus, we're so close to the midterm collections. We're just three months away.
Look, Republicans right now are trying to focus all of their efforts on taking back the House of Representatives, perhaps taking back the Senate, trying to win more governor's seats. When you play a greatest hits like you just did, it is very frustrating to Republicans, but you just can't get him out of his office, out of his seat.
PHILLIPS: Is anyone having to apologize for him?
PRESTON: Well, I mean, look, again going back to the greatest hits that you just played, Republicans are very frustrated that when they're back home campaigning in their districts, when these party chairmen are talking to local reporters about these great efforts that Republicans have to take back Congress, they're being asked questions like this, and they don't want to be asked questions like this.
So, yes, they are being asked. It's very frustrating for them right now, but Kyra, what they're trying to do is just trying to brush it aside. And really the mantra right now is three more months. Lets get through the midterm elections. We'll figure out what happens afterwards.
PHILLIPS: So, Mark, who are his strong and vocal supporters right now? I mean, who would come on my show today and say, I love Michael Steele?
PRESTON: Well, I'm sure his wife would come on and say I love Michael Steele. No question about that.
PHILLIPS: I would sure hope so.
PRESTON: He does have a band of supporters who really whenever something pops up, you know, they will come on and they'll call us proactively and talk about all the good things he's done. Look, under his stewardship of the Republican National Committee, Republicans took back the Massachusetts Senate seat held by Ted Kennedy of all people, the late Senator Kennedy.
They also won the governorships of Virginia and New Jersey. So his backers will come out and say he's done very good things electorally. It's when you see these gaffes though, Kyra, you know, that's really frustrating to them.
PHILLIPS: And then you've got the tea party. The tea party influence, this has been a huge challenge to Republicans. What's the strategy there?
PRESTON: Well, you know, Kyra, the tea party is fascinating to me because it's - as if it really sprung out of nowhere. In fact, the tea party has been around, you know, since the beginning of time. It's just that we now have a name for it. You know, I talked to Republicans all across the country about this, about this whole tea party movement. How do you bring it into the party?
It's a very delicate dance they need to do, Kyra, because the fact is what makes the tea party so interesting is that the tea party likes to be decentralized. They don't want to be part of the establishment. At the same time they're very conservative.
And for Republicans to make big gains in November, they're going to need tea party support. So they want them to come in. They just don't want to embrace them too strong, so to speak.
PHILLIPS: Well, we'll see what happens. Mark Preston, you're there. We'll look forward to talking to you afterwards. Mark, thanks.
Now, Michael Steele's speech begins at 11:30 Eastern time. We will carry that live and have reaction and analysis of his comments throughout the day.
One of President Obama's top economic advisers is stepping down. Christina Romer was a big supporter of two of the president's most costly initiatives. The controversial stimulus plan and his health care reform. Romer's resignation takes effect early month. She'll turn to her teaching job at the University of California-Berkeley.
It's day 109 of the gulf oil disaster and this could well be the beginning of the end. Crews have wrapped up their static kill operation and the cement that they poured into that ruptured well is now hardening. But the work is not over. Crews will continue to drill two relief wells.
Once they reach the pipeline within the next week or two, they will pump more cement in through the bottom. The bottom kill operation will serve as an insurance policy. But even then the disaster will be far from resolved. One federal officials warns that tar balls could wash ashore for years to come.
Let's go ahead and take a closer look at the bottom kill procedure. One of the relief wells is just 100 feet from intersecting the pipeline. It would bore not only into the pipe but through it to the other side. That would allow the cement to pour into the pipeline and then fill up the void around it. That way the whole pipeline would be encased and much less likely to ever rupture again.
A story that's generated international outrage. An Iranian woman faces possible stoning, but now an offer of survival from thousands of miles away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's sift through our morning passport. An incredibly grisly murder plot in Brazil involving one of the country's most popular soccer players. Bruno Souza, his wife and alleged mistress and six others are charged with the murder of Souza's ex-girlfriend who was reportedly trying to prove his paternity of a Souza's child before she disappeared in June. Her body has never been found. Souza denies any involvement, but his 17-year-old cousin says he witnessed the murder and the remains being fed to the dogs to conceal the killing.
It's official, Grammy winning hip-hop star Wyclef Jean has formally submitted his paperwork to run for president of Haiti. He announced his candidacy for the first time on CNN's "Larry King Live." Wolf Blitzer was filling in for Larry last night. Let's listen to part of that conversation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: What qualifies you to be president of Haiti? WYCLEF JEAN, HAITI PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, what qualifies me to be president of Haiti, when I looked at the past 200 years with what our people have suffered, Wolf, political instability, coup after coup d'etats. I feel that me running brings a neutral situation, meaning that Wyclef Jean can sit with any political party, have a conversation. I'm coming in neutral.
I think 200 years we have suffered the exact same thing and what I'm saying is when you vote for Wyclef Jean, you're basically trying something new. I represent the voice of the youth, which is 50, over 50 percent of the population.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Jean was born in Haiti but he left the country as a child and grew up in Brooklyn. He's been active to raising money and awareness to a number of problems facing Haiti including earthquake relief through his charity Yele Haiti Foundation.
Mexico's Supreme Court has rules that a Mexico City law legalizing same-sex marriage is constitutional. However, the high court decision does not affect jurisdictions in the rest of the country. Mexico City's law also allows same-sex couples to adopt children. The constitutionality of that part of the law will be decided next week. 320 same-sex couples have wed in the Mexican capital.
Cool, calm, and talking to a killer. A police dispatcher tries to end a massacre using only words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, you're going to make the troopers and the people come in and catch you? You're not going to surrender yourself?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I guess - I guess maybe I'll surrender. No, they can come get me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we wouldn't want to do it like that, Omar. You know, it's already been a bad enough scene here this morning. We want you to relax.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm relaxed though, I'm done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want any more, you know, people to lose their life here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to kill nobody else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The killer, Omar Thornton, would claim only one more life, his own. We'll look at the remarkable job done by that dispatcher who answered the call.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Word from Iran is the high court will decide within a week if a woman convicted of adultery will be stoned to death. She and her son were allowed to see each other for 10 whole minutes yesterday. He says his mother would accept Brazil's offer of asylum if it happens.
CNN's Ivan Watson has been following developments in this story from Turkey. He joins us from Istanbul. You know, you talked to her attorney, so what's the latest, Ivan?
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is one of the very strange things about this case is that one of the defense attorneys who helped attract a lot of international attention to the case of this woman facing death penalty by stoning in recent weeks fled Iran because he says he's afraid of being thrown in prison for the work that he did. He fled here to Turkey smuggling himself across the border and ended up in a detention center for illegal immigrants here for six days here in Istanbul.
Now, just hours ago he was released from that detention center, and before he'd even had time to go to his hotel room and take a shower, European diplomats swept into the scene and swept him into a car and have taken him into diplomatic protective custody right now. Turkish government officials say it is likely he will be granted asylum in a western country, possibly a European country, within a matter of days.
They're treating this with some degree of urgency. Normally political refugees, that process can take some two years. Now, this man, the attorney, Mohammad Mossad Fayed (ph) is a prominent human rights lawyer in Iran. He had to make some very difficult decisions here. In part because his wife, he says, has been arrested by Iranian authorities without charge and is being kept in solitary confinement. He says the Iranian government is using her as a hostage to try to get him to cooperate with the Iranians.
So in addition to that, he says his daughter has been left behind. Presumably with relatives when he decided to flee the country. He's very worried - as it now appears he is on the verge of being taken to a third world country for his own safety. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And Ivan, we should probably point out we can still hear you fine, Ivan. We're having a little bit of an issue. There you go. You're back. We have a little issue with your connection there. But I think it's important to point out a lot of people are seeing - the majority of people are seeing this story and asking, you know, how could something this outrageous happen? And we should point out even why you're reporting from Islamabad and not Iran. This is a brutal regime that has - sorry, you're in Istanbul, lays down certain rules that, of course, we all see back here in the states have been incredibly abusive and unfair.
WATSON: Well, the point that Mr. Mustafayi (ph) has made, he has been working within the Iranian judicial system for years, defending people on death row in Iran. Mostly defending juveniles who are facing the death penalty, and he says he's managed to save some of them from the death penalty. Some of them have in the end have been executed.
So this woman, Sakineh Ashtiani, a 42-year-old mother of two, sentenced to death by stoning for being convicted of adultery, she is just one of the many cases that he's been working in. He says in this case the rule of law has been overturned, especially with the detention of his wife who he says no charges have been brought against her and that she is just being used as leverage, as a hostage as he has said against him, to get him to cooperate, and that is why he went into hiding and now refuses to work within the framework of the Iranian legal system.
And another final point to bring out here, Kyra, I have spoken with a number of Iranian dissidents here in Turkey. This is the first stop on an underground railroad for critics of the government who have gotten in trouble, for them to escape to. These are journalists, these are members of the opposition parties who supported opposition candidates for president, and they come here terrified, having to drop everything back at home to escape the country and to escape the Iranian security forces. Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Ivan Watson, live from Istanbul. Ivan, thanks.
Let's check top stories now. No change in the jobless rate. It stayed at 9.5 percent for July. The government lost jobs, mostly laid off census workers. Private sector actually added positions.
Admiral Thad Allen calling the completion of static kill a significant milestone. BP has finished pouring cement down the broken well on the way to permanently sealing it.
The Justice Department has indicted 14 people on charges of helping terrorists in Somalia. Two of the accused, these Minnesota women acting as cherry solicitors to fund the group. And then this kid, you just saw from Alabama otherwise known as the leader of this group.
War took his legs, but U.S. Army veteran Dale Baity still stands tall. Not so much for what he does behind the drum kit, but his beat for helping other vets. We're going to show you how he's making his mark.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: An accused terrorist is due to appear in a Brooklyn courtroom today. Adis Medunjanin faces arraignment for an alleged plot to bomb New York's subway system. An attorney for the 25-year- old Bosnian says he will plead not guilty. The suspect linked to a New York City subway bomb plot will be in federal court in Brooklyn. The other two suspects linked to the plot have already pleaded guilty and are cooperating with authorities. All three were arrested in January. The military says give me back my files. The Pentagon is demanding WikiLeaks turn over all the documents it has on the war in Afghanistan and delete any copies. Top military brass have warned the massive leak will have a significant impact on troops and allies.
Private First Class Bradley Manning is the primary focus of the leak investigation. He served as an intelligence analyst in Iraq. Private Manning has not been charged, but he is locked up in solitary confinement at Quantico, Virginia, in connection with a separate leak case.
Cool, calm, and talking to a killer. A police dispatcher tries to end a massacre using only words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, you're going to make the troopers and the people come in and catch you? You're not going to surrender yourself?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I guess, I guess maybe I'll surrender. No. They can come and get me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We wouldn't want to do it like that, Omar. You know, it's already been a bad enough scene here this morning. We want you to relax.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm relaxed. I'm done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want any more people to lose their life here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 'm not going to kill nobody else.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The killer, Omar Thornton, would claim only one more life, his own. We'll look at the remarkable job done by a dispatcher who answered the call.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
PHILLIPS: And what does make them so fine? Could be that crimson clad wardrobe. A new multicultural study out of the University of Rochester actually shows red is no longer just a sexy color for women. Women around the world say they found men pictured wearing red are more sexually attractive.
The study suggests that women consider men in red as higher in status and according to the study's lead author it's that perception that leads to that sexual attraction. Guess we should have wore red today, Jacqui. I don't see it, dudes in red? Come on.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I know. It's like we were saying we like black. Black is a little more sophisticated.
PHILLIPS: Chocolate brown.
Red has always been the color of red. The red shakra is the love shakra. Anyway, well, you look great in, what is that? Peach?
JERAS: Thanks. Peach, pinky, coral, call it what you will.
We have serious weather news thought to talk about today. Heating things up so to speak with the red in the heat but also some storms. Let's talk a little bit about what happened late last night and yesterday afternoon in the Washington, D.C., area where severe storms rumbled through, downing trees on top of houses, on top of cars, blocking roadways, and causing power outages to thousands of people.
Thankfully no serious injuries, but this was quite widespread. In fact, the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia, says that this was worse for his city than snowmageddon. Very significant there. There was more than 300 reports, by the way, of wind damage. Take a look at this scatter from the mid-Atlantic states through the Appalachians and across parts of the deep south.
Now, the good thing we can tell you about this is that at least it provided a little bit of relief from this heat. It has been brutal, and that cold front has been sinking down to the south. So really the northeast, the midwest, even parts of the midsouth are seeing temperatures today about five to 10 degrees cooler where you have been, but the heat advisories holding strong here from Dallas, up towards Oklahoma City and stretching over towards the Charleston area.
I want to show you a quick I-report that we have here. This is from John Ellis, and he took this picture from inside of his car in Lexington, Tennessee, yesterday. The car thermometer which, you know, probably not the most accurate, saying 122 degrees. He says his car was closed up for an hour. So that's a good reminder, don't leave anything in the car. Don't leave your children in there, don't leave your pets in there. It's very dangerous.
In fact, I saw a meteorologist recently who actually baked cookies in his car and they cooked, believe it or not. It was so brutal.
Big picture for today, this is our big focus. This is our story today in the southeast, not just the heat but the threat of thunderstorms. Could become severe later today across parts of Georgia and into the Carolinas. Gorgeous across the northeast. We'll try to end it on a nice note, Kyra. The temperatures are going to be in the 80s for you. New York City to Chicago, but of course, it's going to heat back up again, early next week.
PHILLIPS: All right. Jacqui, thanks. A gun toting killer on the loose. All hope turns to a policeman. He's armed only with words.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't want any more people to lose their life here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not going to kill nobody else.
JEAN: Okay.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: The killer kept his promise. The dispatcher did his job and more. We're going to talk to a trained negotiator on just how grueling that challenge can be.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Now, the deed is done. Now, the search for an explanation begins. We're trying to find out why a Connecticut man snapped Tuesday, went on a shooting rampage at work and killed eight people before he took his own life.
Before the shootings police say that Omar Thornton's bosses at the beer distributor busted him. Showed him security video that actually featured Thornton stealing the beer. He basically was forced to quit. That's when police say he got out his gun and unleashed hell claiming that his employers were racists. That's a claim that they deny.
So how can we know so much detail? Well, it's because Omar Thornton tells us. Police say he stopped killing and actually called 911 before he took the final shot.
Listen to the cold, calculating voice of the killer and the steady calm of the dispatcher on the other end of the line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Police.
OMAR THORNTON, ALLEGED WORKPLACE SHOOTER: Is this 911?
911 OPERATOR: Yes, can I help you?
THORNTON: This is Omar Thornton, the shooter over in Manchester.
911 OPERATOR: Where are you, sir?
THORNTON: I'm in the building. (INAUDIBLE)
911 OPERATOR: Yes, I understand that.
THORNTON: They treat me bad over here, treat all black employees bad over here, too, so I took it into my own hands and handled the problem. I wish I could have got more of the people.
911 OPERATOR: Yes. Are you armed, sir? Do you have a weapon with you?
THORNTON: Oh, yes, I'm armed.
911 OPERATOR: How many guns do you have with you?
THORNTON: I have one now. One out in the factory there.
911 OPERATOR: Okay, sir --
THORNTON: I'm not going to kill nobody else, though.
911 OPERATOR: Yes. We're going to have to have you surrender yourself somehow here and not make the situation any worse. Do you know what I mean?
THORNTON: These cops are going to kill me.
911 OPERATOR: No, we're not. We just have to get you to relax --
THORNTON: I'm relaxed, calmed down.
911 OPERATOR: Have to have you turn yourself over.
THORNTON: (INAUDIBLE). S.W.A.T. team just rolled by again. They know where I'm at, but I don't know (INAUDIBLE) These people here are crazy, they treat me bad from the start here. Racist company. I'm the only black delivery guy they got here. They treat me bad over here all the time --
911 OPERATOR: It's a horrible situation, I understand that.
THORNTON: I'm already calmed down. I'm not going to kill nobody else. I can tell my story to you.
911 OPERATOR: Okay. Then you're going to help me get you out of the building, okay?
THORNTON: All right. I'm good. Don't worry about it. I don't need nobody talking about getting me out.
911 OPERATOR: Where in the building are you?
THORNTON: I'm not going to tell you that. When they find me, that's when everything will be over.
911 OPERATOR: Yes. Just where are you located? Are you up in the offices?
THORNTON: When they find me, everything will be all right. (EXPLETIVE DELETED) Manchester, it's a racist place.
911 OPERATOR: What time did you get there today? THORNTON: About 7:00.
911 OPERATOR: Yes?
THORNTON: Yes.
911 OPERATOR: This morning?
THORNTON: About 7:00 a.m., yes. Told me to come early today.
911 OPERATOR: What type of weapon do you have?
THORNTON: I got a Ruger SR-9.
911 OPERATOR: SR-9?
THORNTON: Automatic, yes.
911 OPERATOR: Is it a rifle?
THORNTON: No, no. Pistol. (INAUDIBLE) are my favorites.
911 OPERATOR: Now, you're doing to make the troopers and the people come in and catch you? You're not going to surrender yourself?
THORNTON: Well, I guess maybe I'll surrender. No. They can come and get me. Have them come and get me.
911 OPERATOR: We wouldn't want to do it like that, Omar. You know, it's already been a bad enough scene here this morning. We want you to relax.
THORNTON: I'm relaxed. I'm down.
911 OPERATOR: We don't want any more, you know, people to lose their life there.
THORNTON: I'm not going to kill nobody else.
911 OPERATOR: Okay.
THORNTON: I'm not going to (INAUDIBLE). Anyway.
911 OPERATOR: How much ammunition do you have with you?
THORNTON: (INAUDIBLE)
911 OPERATOR: What's that?
THORNTON: (INAUIDBLE) Enough to take care of business. (INAUDIBLE)
911 OPERATOR: Omar?
THORNTON: Yes.
911 OPERATOR: I really want you to help me stop this situation, okay?
THORNTON: Okay.
911 OPERATOR: If you work with me, we'll get this to stop, okay? Omar. Omar. Omar.
(END AUDIOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Wow. One thing that really struck us about that whole exchange is the dispatcher's words were as calming as the killer's words were chilling.
We'll talk more about it with Howard Robertson. He's a former S.W.A.T. commander in New Orleans. That's where he's joining us live. I guess first of all, Howard, the fact that the dispatcher was so calm and he was trying to deescalate the whole situation, he might have saved more lives, right?
HOWARD ROBERTSON, FORMER S.W.A.T. COMMANDER: Absolutely, Kyra. Throughout the whole conversation, the dispatcher just trying to keep Omar calm where he doesn't escalate and go back and cause other deaths.
PHILLIPS: Let me ask you, he answered the phone, "State Police," and then the killer said is this 911? He said yes. So, does that automatically mean that this dispatcher is an active state policeman?
ROBERTSON: Not necessarily. But it tells Omar that he's speaking to somebody in authority, and if you listen to the tape, what he wanted to do was -- he had already made up his mind he was going to kill himself. But he wanted people to know why he did what he did.
So, he wanted to speak to somebody in authority and explain to them his reasonings. Not that those reasonings were correct. I mean -- but his reasonings, and it's usually -- it's unusual that somebody would do that. Most of the time they will just kill themselves, but he wanted to make sure that everyone knew why he did what he did.
PHILLIPS: Now, how did you know that he was going to take his own life? Is it because he said to the dispatcher, "When they find me, everything will be all right"? In other words, does that mean, "When they find me, I'm going to be dead."
ROBERTSON: There were several clues. Like when he said, "I'm going to have to take care of business. They'll have to send dogs in to find me. Tell my family" -- usually once they say tell my family, that's a good-bye. They're ready to die at that point.
You could tell that he thought the police were going to kill him. And that he did not want that. He didn't want the police to kill him. So, his other option was to take his own life.
And you could hear that through what he was saying. What the dispatcher did really great was, from my perspective, from a S.W.A.T. team commander's perspective was, if you listen to it, he found all the tactical information that was necessary. That one of the guns had already been dropped outside. That Omar only had one handgun. That he had approximately 17 rounds in the handgun.
Omar said that he wasn't going to shoot anyone else. That he was calm, that the dispatcher kept him calm, and that he was remaining calm.
This is giving all kind of tactical information and allowing the S.W.A.T. team to get there and prepare to make their move and also at the same time, you know, to start evacuating people that are shot because he's saying he's not going to shoot anymore. It gives them that time to start reacting right away.
PHILLIPS: And is it key for the dispatcher, Howard, to keep the gunman on the phone, try to keep him relaxed, to also keep him distracted? Because if he's got him on the phone, he's got him distracted in a conversation. That allows the S.W.A.T. team to come in and catch this guy by surprise, right?
ROBERTSON: It does, but the most important that the dispatcher did was -- if you notice he kept calling the guy by his first name, Omar. You want to build that rapport where he starts talking to you and starts telling you things about himself. You want to feel that comfort level where he will talk to you.
Once he said, "Tell my family that I'm going," the dispatcher attempted to keep him on the phone, but you notice that he hung up. That's where they kind of lost contact. The main thing is that personal contact.
PHILLIPS: I'll tell what you, this dispatcher did a fantastic job. Howard, always love to get your insight. Appreciate your time.
ROBERTSON: Thank you very much.
PHILLIPS: You bet.
A seriously injured Army vet still marching to the beat of helping fellow troops. You're about to meet one incredible young man making his mark by not just pounding on the drums, but a few nails along the way, too.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: August 7th, 1782, George Washington established the Purple Heart, a badge of military merit declaring, quote, "Let it be known that he who wears the military order of the Purple Heart has given of his blood in the defense of his homeland and shall forever be revered by his fellow countryman."
Now I'd like to introduce you to one such man who not only wears that Purple Heart badge of honor, but Sergeant Dale Beatty lives it. In 2004, at the age of 26, Dale's vehicle hit a land mine in northern Iraq and at that moment, Dale's life was about to change forever.
I met Dale when we were partnered together in the Fisher House Golf Tournament. Fisher House provides free lodging for military families receiving treatment for war injuries. And it was then that Dale told me about his charity, Purple Heart Homes. Vets helping vets from every war, from building awareness to building ramps.
CNN photojournalist Jay McMichaels shows us how Dale Beatty is "Making His Mark."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DALE BEATTY, U.S. ARMY VETERAN & CEO OF PURPLE HEART HOMES: I'm Staff Sergeant Dale Beatty, retired from North Carolina. Playing drums in my band today, Southern Fried. Hopefully we're going to rock these other bands off the stage.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BEATTY: A big part of getting back to living is doing therapy. I had to start playing drums again because I had done that before.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
BEATTY: Purple Heart Homes is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded by John (INAUDIBLE) and myself. We are 100 percent veteran owned and operated. We're both combat wounded veterans.
Today, we're out here for a Vietnam veteran, Kevin Smith, who is looking at some decreased mobility in the near future due to injuries received in the line of duty.
KEVIN SMITH, VIETNAM VETERAN: I have had 14 surgeries on my right knee with three total knee replacements. I have had eight operations on my elbow with two total elbow replacements. I have had three back operations with steel plates and rods put in my back.
BEATTY: And what we're doing here is building him an accessible ramp and a nice deck where he can get into his house. Coming down from his driveway, he has steps with no handrails, and he's looking at probably being in a wheelchair very soon.
SMITH: I mean, it's difficult for me to even do yard work.
PAUL COCKERHAM, U.S. MARINE VETERAN: When I heard about the project, I asked if anybody had volunteered for the landscaping. The answer was no, so I volunteered. I believe in the mission of Purple Heart Homes, and I just wanted to be a part of it. I'm hoping Purple Heart Homes can gain a foothold and spring good to the wounded veterans.
BEATTY: This is probably about I'd say 60 hours of volunteer labor to get us to this point. Why don't I make it rough on you, give you that one.
BEATTY: This will be done today or tomorrow and hopefully we can move inside Mr. Smith's house where he has even greater need for accessibility with his bathroom. This is my office right here. Steve Jobs would like that, wouldn't he?
But most of our calls are really not veterans looking for something to be done for them but veterans that want to say, "Hey, I want to contribute my time or effort or my business specialty to what you guys are doing."
SMITH: Dale Beatty is a true hero, and to see the sacrifices that he's made for our country and then turn around and say thank you and to help other people that are not as fortunate as some, it's overwhelming.
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PHILLIPS: Now, Dale Beatty joins us live from Charlotte, North Carolina. Good to see you, Dale.
BEATTY: God to see you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Let's talk a little about - before we talk a little bit about your organization -- your connection to these Korean vets, these Vietnam vets -- because when we first met, you talked more about them, and then you talked a lot about the guys in Iraq and the guys coming back from Afghanistan.
What is it about the connection you have with these guys? What brings you and these guys together from -- because you're from totally different wars, totally different generations?
BEATTY: Well, first of all, it's really a strong relationship with the military and my family. I have Korean, Vietnam, World War II veterans in my family, and even some from world war I and before. So, it's really important to me that my children respect that generation of veterans, and we call them the Greatest Generation, World War II.
So, it's just important for me. It's what our country has been established on. It's the people who went overseas and fought and came back and built this country to what it is today.
PHILLIPS: And can I ask you what you've learned from those family members and what you've learned from those older vets so when you went over to Iraq, did you remember what they had taught you, told you? What stuck in your heart and your mind as a young soldier?
BEATTY: Really as a young soldier I didn't think about those older guys until I actually went to war. And dealing with what I had to deal with, I look back to what my grandfather dealt with in World War II, and some of the things he told me we never even came close to the hardship he endured. So I guess, really, some of the stories he told me when my guys would start whining in Iraq, I'd say, "Look, my grandpa was gone for four years and he never came home, and here we have Internet. We have nothing to complain about." That's the main thing I learned is not to complain. From those guys.
PHILLIPS: That's what's interesting. I mean, you lost both your legs when that land mine hit your vehicle. Yet you say you have no reason to complain.
BEATTY: Well, there's always somebody worse, and even from the people getting hurt like this for hundreds of years, defending for the same values, defending the freedoms of this nation. You know, here on American soil and overseas. So, it's a no-brainer.
PHILLIPS: Tell me what you need, because we want to get the word out right now about Purple Heart Homes, and we're going to put up the web site Purple Heart Homes North Carolina. It's phhnc.org.
Tell me what you need. I know you need financial support to keep this going. Do you need volunteers? And also, as we do ask for people to contribute and help build your fund, we saw what you were doing for one Vietnam vet, building that handicapped ramp so he can get in and out ever his house easily and get around his house easily. But tell us what this money will go towards and why you need more support, Dale.
BEATTY: Well, we need more support because we're just -- I believe we just really scratched the surface with what the project you saw with Kevin Smith. We have eight more candidates, and not all of them are meeting our criteria for us to help them. So, really if people want to contribute to us in general they can go to our Web site and make a donation. That would be great. Or they can e-mail us if they're local here and tell us how they want to support, be it through their business that they have or just volunteer labor. That's really what we need.
And also really I want for people -- what I need from people is to really think about how much the private sector can do for these veterans who are still out there from Vietnam. The government can't do everything, and that's why we created Purple Heart Homes because the private sector and the local communities can take better care of people that are next door and in their own backyards than somebody from 600 miles away.
PHILLIPS: Amen.
BEATTY: So, we really need people to step up and even if they're not helping Purple Heart Homes, go shake a veteran's hand and tell them thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, I tell you what. It was always an honor to shake your hand, not just because you beat me on the golf course, and I was very impressed but you're a remarkable human being, Dale.
BEATTY: Thanks, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Also Southern Pride (sic), your band, maybe somebody -- a record producer will spot you guys out and you can cut a CD and put that money toward the organization.
BEATTY: And that would be great, too.
PHILLIPS: That would be a double whammy. You're a heck of a drummer. Dale Beatty, great to see you. Have a fabulous weekend.
BEATTY: Thank you, Kyra. You too.
PHILLIPS: All right. Quick break. We'll be right back.
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PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. Admiral Thad Allen calling the completion of static kill "a significant milestone." BP has finished pouring cement down the broken well on the way to permanently stealing it.
If you have tickets today on an Amtrak train going south from Washington, you will have to change your plans. A CSX coal train has derailed in Quantico, Virginia, blocking all tracks. That's caused Amtrak to cancel all or parts of services.
The Justice Department has indicted 14 people on charges of helping terrorists in Somalia. Two of the accused, these Minnesota women acting as charity solicitors to fund the group.
And let's go ahead and buckle up and hit the road. These are some stories from "Cross Country" right now.
First stop, Louisville, Kentucky. A jury there found a local woman guilty of extortion. Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino said Karen Sypher (ph) had demanded millions of dollars to keep their one-night stand a secret. The jury agreed. She faces up to 26 years in prison.
And we're saying in the world of academia in lawsuit that claims discrimination. A professor at Trocaire College in Buffalo says he was fired because of his sexual orientation. He's straight. His colleagues and competitors -- gay. He says that made him the odd man out, so to speak, and it resulted in discrimination and ultimately dismissal. State board says there's enough evidence to investigate.
Just when you thought the Lockerbie bomber's release couldn't be more infuriating, a new twist comes out in the "Wall Street Journal." A new twist of the knife in the backs of the victims' loved ones.
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PHILLIPS: Here is more proof that the Lockerbie bomber should never have been released in the first place. That he should have left prison in a body bag. That Scotland's justice minister blew it. This new twist is a total outrage, and breaks my heart for the victims' families yet again.
Remember Scotland let Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi go to Libya last year to die because a doctor said he was at death's door? Remember this hero's welcome that he got. Well, it turns out al-Megrahi was nowhere near death's door. As a matter of fact, he could have lived ten more years. One of the few times people were rooting for the cancer to win.
Now, sources tell "The Wall Street Journal" that Scotland's justice minister, Kenny McCaskill, went with one doctor's opinion and granted the compassionate release.
Could this story get any more infuriating? Seems that the minister didn't follow one of the most basic rules for patients, to get a second opinion. So, as a result, a mass killer who was supposed to be dead and in the ground months ago is living the good life in Libya with his family.
Just imagine what the victims' families in the U.S. and the UK would give for just one more day, one more hour even, with the loved ones whose lives were lost. The lives that this terrorist stole. How many more times can their hearts even break?
Yet the compassion that totally backfired. Tell me what you think about this. Share your thoughts at CNN.com/kyra.
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PHILLIPS: It's time to lift up a service member who has made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq or Afghanistan. It's called "Home and Away," and we're going to tell you how you can be a part of it in a minute. But right now we want to honor Staff Sergeant John Reiner of Lakeland, Florida. He was killed in a roadside bomb attack in Kandahar province in February.
Sergeant Joshua Lackey, a former classmate, wrote us to tell us about John. He called him a great teacher and a real leader and said John gave up -- gave up a normal life to serve his country and never looked back. John ends by saying, "Rest in peace, brother. I will carry on this fight against terror, oppression, and tyranny all in your name."
Whether you're a fellow soldier or a family member, we want your memories. Go to CNN.com/homeandaway. Type in your service member's name in the upper right-hand search field and pull up the profile. Send us your thoughts and your pictures, and we'll keep the flame alive.
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That does it for us. We hope you have a great weekend. Tony Harris actually has the day off, and our Jim Acosta is in for Tony today. Good to see you, Jim!
JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Good to see you, too, Kyra. I wish I could hang with you a little longer, but I'll take it from here. That's right.
