Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Saturday

President Bush Issues Blunt Warning to Iran; First Phase of Gaza Withdrawal Begins; September 11 Audio Tapes Released

Aired August 13, 2005 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Could there still be a terrorist in the United States as dangerous as Muhammad Atta? That question answered in our national security segment today.
Americans weigh in on gas prices. How high is too high?

And former Ku Klux Klansman Edgar Ray Killen gets bond while appealing his manslaughter conviction. We'll talk about that in our legal segment today.

Welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Those stories in a moment, but first, here are the other headlines now in the news.

Tropical Storm Irene is just shy of hurricane strength, moving toward the U.S. East Coast. The forecasters don't expect Irene to pose a threat to the region. They say the storm could take a gradual turn tomorrow, keeping it well away from the mainland.

Get used to it. Gas prices aren't likely to come down any time soon. The price of crude oil hit another all time high yesterday, just under $67 a barrel. And in a new poll by the Associated Press and AOL, two thirds of American drivers say they expect rising fuel costs will cause them personal financial hardships in the coming months. A live report from Los Angeles coming up next.

Not quite back to normal, but moving in that direction today after a two day labor strike at London's Heathrow Airport, British Airways has now resumed most of its flights. This after more than 110,000 BA passengers were grounded during peak summer vacation season and an airline spokeswoman says it will take several more days before all is back on track.

President Bush has issued a blunt warning to Iran and he says all options are on the table if Iran doesn't halt its nuclear program. CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash joins us now from Crawford, Texas and, Dana, is there something new we're hearing from the president?

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.

Well, it's actually pretty standard whether it's Iran or even North Korea, for example, for the president in terms of policy and in terms of rhetoric but to make it very clear all options are on the table very much referring to military action when dealing with countries when he's trying to get them to do things like stop their nuclear program. It's a way Bush officials believe to make diplomatic efforts have some teeth, have some power behind them.

But given the delicate stage with Iran right now, the kind of in your face move they made in the past week to unseal a nuclear facility, what Mr. Bush said in an interview with Israeli TV is noteworthy particularly a reminder of the fact that he has used military action in recent past.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: My latest information is that the Iranians refuse to comply with the demands of the free world which is do not in any way, shape or form have a program that could yield to a nuclear weapon. All options are on the table.

The use of force is the last option for any president and, you know, we have used force in the recent past to secure our country. It's a difficult -- it's difficult for the commander in chief to put kids in harm's way. Nevertheless, I have been willing to do so as last resort in order to secure the country and to provide the opportunity for people to live in free societies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, the way that diplomacy has worked so far is that the European countries, three European countries including Germany have been trying to negotiate with Iran. The U.S. has been supporting that. Today, the German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, whom you see there who is in a tough re-election fight back in Germany sort of tried to make it - it seemed made reference to what Mr. Bush said, saying let's take military options off the table. We have seen that they are no good.

Well, Fredricka, the president is certainly still backing negotiations at this point. Where we are right now is that the International Atomic Energy Agency is trying to get Iran to basically reseal the nuclear facility that they unsealed this past week.

And at this point, we're trying -- they're trying to figure out, they're trying to sort of game out what the next move is. The U.S., the Bush administration has made very clear that ultimately, if they don't get very far, right here, that they are very supportive of taking this to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions against Iran.

Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And the president, Dana, has been very critical, of course, of the UN in the past. But this go around, they're saying they're willing to wait for the UN's assessment on Iran before taking any further action?

BASH: Right. Of course, the U.S. is not a part of the European negotiations, direct negotiations with Iran but the U.S. is a member of the so-called IAEA and they are the ones trying to sort of negotiate with Iran in terms of the nuclear facility trying to get that seal back on. But you're right, at this point, despite what Mr. Bush said, saying no military action is off the table. They are still very much supporting diplomatic efforts at this time, again, perhaps looking to the UN.

WHITFIELD: All right, Dana Bash in Crawford, Texas. Thank you.

BASH: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: On Tuesday, Iranian students are planning to form a human chain around a nuclear facility in the central part of that country. A spokesman says the demonstration will highlight Iran's right to make and use peaceful nuclear technology. Iran resumed uranium conversion at the facility a few days ago. The man in charge of training Iraq's security forces calls Iraq an extraordinarily tough environment. General David Petraeus is wrapping up his own mission there. In an exclusive interview with CNN's Jane Arraf, Petraeus says Iraq is going to need continued support from the United States.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LTG DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. ARMY: I think that the key for Iraq pretty obviously is that everyone needs to continue to work together. All the way from the senior leaders on down. They've got to continue to make way together. More and more and more, it is Iraqi leaders who are taking this forward. Perhaps last year, you could say well, we owe them this or we need to provide more of that to them. And we've now done quite a good deal of that.

There's much more we need to do. We've rebuilt some $2 billion worth of Iraqi security force infrastructure, there's a lot more we need to do and we will. We do need to provide them still more equipment and that will continue. Certainly more training. There's another 15 battalions or so that are in training right now and that generation will continue. We have to help them establish their logistics and their sustainment in the combat service support, as it's called, capabilities.

Even the national depot and warehousing and all the rest, get their air force up. The navy is already doing quite well by the way. So again, a lot more that has to be done but increasingly, then, as they have the battalions, the brigades, the divisions and so forth, it's going to be Iraqi leaders again at the top levels, in the ministries and so forth that will then take this forward, provide that leadership for all Iraqis, provide the proper direction, ensure that the policies and processes are established and followed and that they're fair and equitable.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And Petraeus will become the commander of the Combined Armed Center in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas and he will be replaced by army General Martin Dempsey, the former commander of the First Armored Division in Iraq.

New today in Iraq, a suicide car bomb exploded in southern Baghdad killing one Iraqi civilian. It was targeting a U.S. military convoy. And in Baghdad's Sadr City, an oil ministry employee was killed in a drive-by shooting and a roadside bomb wounded five Iraqi police officers.

Despite the continued violence in Iraq, the country's leaders are sounding a note of optimism as they put the finishing touches on a new constitution. The deadline for the document is Monday. But the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani says it may be finished by tomorrow. Iraqi voters will get their say on the constitution in a referendum planned for mid October and if it passes, Iraqis will vote for a permanent government at the end of the year.

In the Middle East, some Jewish settlers in Gaza now have little time to get out as Israel's disengagement plan officially begins. The pullback starts in Gaza and then moves on to include several settlements in the West Bank and while Israelis are packing up and leaving, Palestinians are celebrating. CNN's Ben Wedeman is with us now from Gaza City. Ben?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka. The air among the Palestinians, it really is one of celebration, yesterday evening in a fisherman's harbor at Gaza City, thousands of Palestinians came out for an official celebration where they certainly made it clear as far as they're concerned, that the Israelis pulled out from the Gaza Strip is a victory and when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas showed up, he was given a hero's welcome but as this is going on in the Palestinian side, the Israeli settlers are packing up. It's a much grimmer mood. Some of the settlers saying they will do their best to resist the Israeli army and the police efforts to get them to leave their houses so there are more than 40,000 Israeli policemen and soldiers on hand for this effort.

And another concern as the -- rather, the clock ticks down to the pullout is, of course, the role of the Islamic militant organization Hamas. Hamas has quietly told the Palestinian Authority that they don't plan to disrupt the pullout but not everyone has complete confidence in those pledges and we heard today in a live press conference from the leadership of Hamas in the Gaza Strip that as far as they're concerned, the armed struggle, as they call it, against Israel will continue regardless of whether they stay or go.

Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And Ben, as for the pullout, why is it that many of these properties if not all of them are going to be bulldozed and then secondly, when the Palestinians do move in to those properties, once habitated by the settlers, there will they be able to afford to rebuild?

WEDEMAN: Well, our understanding is as far as the Palestinian Authority goes, it's a kind of housing Israeli settlers live in simply isn't appropriate for the Palestinians. By and large, they live in villas or separate houses, Palestinians, this is very crowded part of the world. What they're thinking about, the Palestinian Authority is demolishing all those -- actual the Israelis have agreed to demolish the housing that exists in the Jewish settlements and to build high rise apartments. Now, there's some disagreement over who actually owns the land in those Jewish -- in those Jewish settlements and that could be a point of contention among the Palestinians.

But our understanding is that with the exception of a few buildings it could possibly be used in schools and government facilities, all those houses are simply going to be destroyed. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Interesting. Ben Wedeman, in Gaza City, thank you.

I bet you're feeling the pinch at the pump. Gas prices are high. What if they go higher? this hour, we're going live to a gas station in Los Angeles.

And weather has been causing problems across the u.s. Just look at what this tornado did. We'll tell you more.

Plus lost and found. If you ever lose your wallet, an introduction to a person you would hope would find it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Gas prices are at record highs across the nation this weekend. The national average stands at $2.41 a gallon for regular unleaded. Is it hitting America in the pocketbook? A poll from the Associated Press and AOL says yes. Nearly 2/3 say high pump prices are going to cause them financial problems.

Our correspondent Dan Simon joins us now from the highway haven of Los Angeles and Dan, are Californians ready to park their cars? Doubt it.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's a tall order for folks here in Southern California who are so dependent on getting in their vehicles. Let me show what's going on here, Fredricka. $2.81 for regular gas at this shell station. $3.01 for medium and $3.11 for premium. Unbelievable. $0.40 above the national average. What's going on here? Why is the price of gas so high? It's a tough question. Well, as you mentioned, crude oil has skyrocketed. Nearly $67 for a barrel of oil. That's the highest it's been in 22 years. Why is crude oil so expensive? A variety of factors. Instability in the Middle East and you have refinery outages all over the country. And not helping any matters is the peak of summer vacation. Take a look.

PAUL GONZALES, AAA PRICE ANALYST (video clip): This is the peak of the summer driving season, we're smack dab in the middle of it and people are out there driving. They're enjoying the summer. We have a high demand for gas. There has been a few problems with refineries around the country. Now, if you took them individually, no big deal but you put them all together and it's a supply shortage so when you have a precarious supply and ever increasing demand, that's a recipe for price increases and that's what we're experiencing.

SIMON: Officials say there could be a little bit of relief after the Labor Day weekend but in terms of drastic price decreases, don't expect it for a while. The Department of Energy saying it is going to be above $2 a gallon for probably most of next year. How are drivers handling all this? Well, not very well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know when.

SIMON: $41 for a fill up, that hurts, doesn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, that really hurts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think prices are excruciatingly high right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's got to change. Everybody's driving habits with this much of a jump, that's a huge chunk of your budget.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIMON: Well, bad here in California, bad across the nation, but the worst I've seen it so far is in Hawaii where some communities there experiencing $2.91 a gallon for regular gas, Fredricka.

WHITIFIELD: It's always among the highest, isn't it?

SIMON: Yeah, Hawaii. Absolutely, they have to get it over there. It's tough. You got to put it on the ships.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. All right, Dan Simon, thanks so much.

Two years ago tomorrow on a sizzling day, power blew out in parts of the eastern U.S. Before it was over, it was the biggest blackout in the United States history. Well, protections are in place to avert a repeat. CNN's Kathleen is at the Potomac Edison power plant that powers the nation's capital.

Kathleen?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, officials tell us that it may be simply luck that we haven't had a major blackout because this has been a hot, hot summer, for example, right now in Washington, DC, it's 100 degrees and temperatures like this around the country have sent demand soaring. In fact, the week of July 17th saw the highest nationwide electricity usage ever in U.S. history. Then the weeks that followed were a close third and second.

As to that burning question whether or not there could be a blackout like that one that plunged 50 million people into darkness, top energy officials will not rule it out.

DAVID GARMAN, UNDERSECRETARY OF ENERGY (video clip): We could have another blackout. Very little has fundamentally changed since the 2003 blackout. There are some new provisions in an energy bill that will be very, very important for reducing the scope, the duration and the frequency of blackouts but we still have an electricity grid that is fundamentally the same as the one we had two years ago. KOCH: And that is to say a grid that is aging. Over the past two years, there's been really very little investment in new transmission or in generating capacity though there have been some operational testing, operational improvements, there's been more testing of the power grid, more training for those who operate it. And also, better coordination so most experts say that even if there were to be a blackout, it would most likely be restricted just to one area instead of cascading from state to state and across the national borders as it did in 2003, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Kathleen Koch, thanks so much,. In the small town of Wright, Wyoming, two people were killed and a dozen others injured when a tornado flattened part of a trailer park. The twister struck with little warning yesterday afternoon. The high winds flattened about 40 to 50 mobile homes.

Yet another western state, Idaho, wildfires are still on the march this weekend, almost a dozen fires are now burning across Idaho. The total jumped earlier this week after lightning storms sparked a series of new blazes. One of the biggest fires in north central Idaho is burning near dozens of homes.

In Arizona, as storm clouds continue to build, fear of more flash floods this weekend. Floodwaters caused serious problems in the Phoenix area earlier in the week in the community of Camp Creek, a seven-year-old girl was swept to her death.

In New Jersey, some frightening moments for golfers and spectators at the PGA Championship. A limb sheared off a tree next to the fourth green and fell to the ground injuring a spectator and two television workers. The limb fell moments after Tiger Woods played his approach shot on the hole.

You know what they always say -- but what if? It were this much milk? And it was a kiss that not only defined a decade but a generation. How it has withstood the test of time. Straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA: News from across America now -- talk about spilled milk. It was all over the road when a milk truck crashed in New Mexico yesterday. Authorities closed both lanes of Interstate 25 but fortunately, no one was hurt.

Former President Jimmy Carter went cruising on the nation's most heavily armed nuclear submarine. The vessel is named for the former commander in chief, it's the USS Jimmy Carter. Carter served on a sub during his time in the navy.

And there's a frog invasion in the Montana town that goes by the name Big Sandy. Watch your step. Recent rains have turned the town green in more ways than one. Oh, gosh. Is he trying to step on him? Some of the locals consider the invaders a nuisance. Others seem to think they're just plain old cute.

And speaking of green, a kid who found a wallet stuffed with thousands of dollars in cash was honored this weekend in Hermosa Beach, California. Twelve-year-old Jeffrey Little received a commendation for turning in the wallet to police. Guess what? The wallet was lost by a man on his way to Las Vegas and it had $19,000 in it. $19,900 to be exact.

Border issues. What has led Governor Bill Richardson to declare a state of emergency in New Mexico? That's coming up. Plus this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, we in the United States have not done a very good job in intelligence gathering, in developing agents who speak Arabic.

WHITFIELD: Are terrorists living among us? It's part of today's security watch when CNN LIVE SATURDAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITIFIELD: Now in the news, violence flared in Baghdad today as political leaders met to try to hammer out a new constitution. An Iraqi soldier was shot dead and a civilian was killed in a bombing.

President Bush isn't ruling out military force to halt Iran's nuclear program. Just this week, Iran resumed work with uranium at one facility after rejecting incentives from Europe to stop, President Bush tells Israeli television that force is the last option but it is an option nonetheless. And Cuban President Fidel Castro turns 79 today. The world's longest ruling leader has been in power now for 47 years. State-run newspapers splashed news of the big event across their front pages.

People in New York and across the nation are reliving some of the horrors of the 9/11 attacks. CNN's Mary Snow reports on the audio tapes released yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): September 11th from the voices of firefighters. 8:46 a.m., tower one of the World Trade Center is hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The World Trade Center tower number one is on fire.

SNOW: A radio call from battalion one, two blocks from the Twin Towers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell all units - it could be a terrorist act.

SNOW: At times, bursts of activity on the radio. At other times, lapses of silence. There were calls for every available ambulance and every off-duty firefighter to come to the scene. Other times, there is chaos and desperate pleas for help like this man whose identity is unknown.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can anybody hear me? I'm a civilian. I'm trapped inside one of the fire trucks underneath the collapse that just happened. I can't breathe much longer. Save me. I'm in the cab of your truck.

SNOW: Victims' families and others who pushed to make the transmissions public say while the tapes are painful, they are necessary to find out exactly what happened that day.

CAPT. AL FUENTES, RETIRED NY FIREFIGHTER: I just listened to a couple of videos, a couple of audio tapes, and probably it was the hardest time since 9/11. I listened to my men, I listened to my friends. But I have to tell you and I've always felt that was our finest day as firefighters.

SNOW: But 343 firefighters died that day and questions remain about whether more would have survived if they were warned the towers might fall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The north tower is leaning north. All operations are being moved north of the tower. They're afraid of another collapse.

SNOW: But that message didn't get to everyone due to problems with radio transmissions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Urgent, urgent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody get out, we had a collapse of the second tower. Everybody is running from there.

SNOW: Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Several controversial provisions of the PATRIOT Act expire this fall. Both houses of Congress have passed renewals but key differences must still be worked out among the House and Senate version. Federal agents say they need the PATRIOT Act to fight an enemy who hides in plain sight. Justice correspondent Kelli Arena takes a look in this CNN security watch report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Reporter: it was here in Florida in a variety of small towns that September 11th hijacker Muhammad Atta rubbed shoulders with his American neighbors. He apparently didn't do much to raise suspicion and lived among us in virtual anonymity. Could there still be terrorists as dangerous as Atta living here? The answer, according to law enforcement experts is yes.

PAT D'AMURO, GIULIANI SECURITY AND SAFETY: We know there are home grown individuals here in this country that have the potential of causing damage to our national security.

ARENA: D'Amuro should know, he was a senior counterterrorism official with the FBI Until a short time ago. Our sources tell us there are at least 1,000 people under FBI surveillance at any given time that investigators believe could pose a threat. They're in big cities and small, all across the country in places like Phoenix and Falls Church, Virginia. The FBI has tapped their phones or is looking at their email or they are physically being watched.

(on camera): In some cases, investigators are hoping that the surveillance will lead to more information. In other cases, if there is a reason to charge someone, they will.

(voice-over): Take, for example, the story out of Lodi, California. FBI agents admitted to surveilling individuals there for three years before arrests were made. Agents allege some of those taken into custody were planning to set up a terror training camp.

KEITH SLOTTER, FBI: We believe through our investigation that various individuals connected to al-Qaeda have been operating in the Lodi area in various capacities including individuals who have received terrorist training abroad with the specific intent to initiate a terrorist attack in the United States.

ARENA: Individuals come to the attention of investigators through a variety of ways.

D'AMURO: Telephone numbers. Internet communications, email communications, chat rooms, anonymous phone calls, source information, cooperating witness information, actual leads coming out of conducting other investigations.

ARENA: But what has officials even more worried are the people they don't know about.

ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: Finding them is the top priority of the FBI but it is also one of the most difficult challenges. The very nature of a covert operative trained not to raise suspicion and to appear benign is what makes their detection so difficult.

ARENA: It's important to point out that officials say there is no intelligence to suggest there are al-Qaeda cells here waiting to strike. And none of the individuals taken into custody over the past few years has been caught in the middle of a terror plot. You may remember the group of men arrested in Lackawana, New York for attending al-Qaeda camps. Some government critics refer to them as terrorist wannabes. The feds didn't see it that way.

PETER AHEARN, FBI: When you have a group of individuals that are in contact with known terrorists that makes it very dangerous.

ARENA: The FBI has been pretty aggressive taking suspicious people in on immigration violations if no other charge can be brought. But law enforcement leaders say there is still much more to do both on a federal and local level. John Timoney is Miami's police chief.

CHIEF JOHN TIMONEY, MIAMI POLICE: Unfortunately, we in the United States have not done a very good job of intelligence gathering, in developing agents who speak Arabic and other languages or bringing, if you will, Arabic Americans into federal and local law enforcement.

ARENA: The FBI acknowledges it has too few Arabic speaking agents. But it has tried to foster closer ties with the Arab community. Mike Mason, who heads up the FBI's Washington field office regularly meets with Arab leaders.

MIKE MASON, WASHINGTON FIELD OFFICE: If people come to this country intent to do harm, typically those people will try to embed themselves in a community with which they're familiar with, the customs, the culture, the religion.

ARENA: But as we learned from the first London bombing, sometimes terrorists hide their plans from even their closest family and friends. So what, then, is the bottom line?

D'AMURO: This is not something that has a quick solution, an easy answer. It's going to be something that's going to be with us for sometime to come. And the country has to realize that.

ARENA: And al-Qeda remains as committed as ever. Recently threatening the U.S. with an attack even worse than we saw on September 11th. Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: One other security note, five weeks after the London bombings, the U.S. is lowering the threat level for the nation's subways, rail lines and other mass transit. The alert goes down a notch from orange to yellow or elevated. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says state and local officials should still, however, be vigilant.

CNN is the place to turn for the latest information on your security and safety around the clock.

New Mexico's governor has declared a state of emergency along his state's border with Mexico. Governor Bill Richardson says there's an urgent need to deal with border crimes. Richardson says there's a 54 mile stretch of border that's particularly out of hand. Richardson says he takes this step reluctantly but must do so to protect the people he represents. He notes he is the nation's only Hispanic governor and says New Mexico is a state that's been very good to legal migrants.

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON, (D) NM (video clip): It has practical benefits. We have 180 mile of border with Chihuahua, Mexico, New Mexico does and the situation is out of hand. I declared a state of emergency basically to free up close to a million and a half dollars that will be used for law enforcement, overtime pay, equipment, mainly because the federal government and the Congress are doing nothing and in New Mexico, we've got border smuggling of people, we've got smuggling of drugs, we've got kidnappings, murders, we've got cattle destruction and there's very little response from the border patrol. They're doing a good job but they don't have the resources.

WHITFIELD: In reaction, Mexico has released a statement saying this -

"It is important to point out that the government of Mexico has been working consistently along the entire border, together with the governments of the federal border entities in dealing with various problems linked to criminal activities."

This week's Tennessee jail escape case captured national attention. Now, we'll tell you how the two fugitives plan to make their case to stay in Ohio.

Plus, was he guilty after all? Our legal eagles take a look at some jurors who say they think they made a mistake in the verdict.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Two fugitives captured this week in Columbus, Ohio, plan to fight extradition. George and Jennifer Hyatte face first- degree murder charges in Tennessee. CNN's Alina Cho has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): George Hyatte was combative in court on Friday. The 34-year-old ex-fugitive who now faces first degree murder charges in Tennessee initially was ready to waive extradition. Then after exchanging words with his court- appointed lawyer, Hyatte changed his mind.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want to speak ...

GEORGE HYATTE, CAPTURED FUGITIVE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You do not want to waive extradition or not?

CHO: Moments earlier, his wife Jennifer Hyatte, remaining silent in court, expressed through her lawyer she wants to fight extradition.

JOHN SPROAT, ATTORNEY FOR JENNIFER HYATTE: We have to take every avenue we can to protect our client as fully as possible.

CHO: What that means is the State of Tennessee must prove this Jennifer Hyatte and her husband George, the ones who appeared in court in Columbus, Ohio, are the same people who allegedly shot and killed a corrections officer during an escape from a Tennessee courthouse on Tuesday. What that means is for now, the Hyattes will remain in an Ohio jail.

SPROAT: They wanted to be together and please remember they're innocent until proven guilty.

CHO (on camera): George and Jennifer Hyatte will remain in a county jail here in Columbus, Ohio, until their next court appearance. That will take place in a month. Alina Cho, CNN, Columbus, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right. Here to take on this week's legal challenges are our favorite legal eagles, Avery Friedman and Richard Herman. Good to see you, gentlemen.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, LAW PROFESSOR: How are you?

WHITIFIELD: I'm doing pretty good.

FRIEDMAN: Good.

WHITFIELD: So Avery, in your state, you know, these folks want to remain in Ohio. And part of their argument is they think that because of their appearance changes, that, I guess, Tennessee would have to prove that this really is indeed the same couple. Is it as simple as that? Or is there something about Ohio vs. Tennessee in the prosecutorial, you know, avenue that they might want to stay in Ohio?

FRIEDMAN: Oh, they want to stay in Ohio and you know what? It's not going to happen. The governor of Tennessee has already called our governor and a warrant will be issued and even though the report said there will be a hearing in a month, there will not be. There will probably be an extradition hearing coming up in about a week because Tennessee is going to be able to establish with very little difficulty that Jennifer and George Hyatte were the people that indeed were -- they were involved in this matter so the extradition is going to be granted. It's not going to be a month and I understand. If I were a defense lawyer, I'm not but if you were, i would raise these issues because delay is the friend of a criminal defendant.

FRIEDMAN: Richard, both now apparently are likely to face murder charges. Why when one allegedly pulled the trigger? Why would both be facing first-degree murder charges?

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Fredricka, there's a phrase that's used often to describe their future. It is "forget about it." These two are going down on not only murder but the murder of a police officer and that brings the death penalty, Tennessee has the death penalty, they're going to go for it. When the gentleman, the gentleman, I use that loosely shouted to his wife "shoot him" that's a direct order. She shot him. He's an aider and abettor. This was so premeditated to the point where they had an escape vehicle a mile away down the road, it's so premeditated and if you're a proponent of the death penalty, this is your classic death penalty case. I haven't seen one that deserves it more than this one.

WHITFIELD: So Avery, you agree with that, shoot him, that is tantamount to pulling the trigger also?

FRIEDMAN: This is very troubling. I can't understand with a guy like George Hyatte who has made five prison escape attempts and, you know what? Has succeeded in two. How they couldn't expect that something like this was going to happen. It may very well be -- very well may meet the premeditation standard but the fact is Richard is exactly right. The fact was that this was planned, George said shoot him, that's exactly what she did and now there's a dead law enforcement officer.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's move to another case, this one in Mississippi. The case of Edgar Ray Killen who was convicted after so many years, nearly 40 years and now apparently during his appeal the judge said, ok, free on bond. Richard, is he escaping altogether essentially his sentence? Because here he is 80 years old, the appellate process sometimes takes years, might he live and die without ever really serving time for a crime he was convicted of?

HERMAN: He might, Fred, but the judge's hands were tied on this. He even said that in his decision. The circuit court judge Marcus Gordon reviewed the Supreme Court of Mississippi cases on this issue and once he makes a determination that Killen is not a flight risk and he's not a danger to the community, he has no choice but to give him bond pending his appeal. Now, the family hasn't posted that $600,000 yet the last I heard but he really had no choice and he related that in his decision. He's bound by Supreme Court of Mississippi cases on this.

WHITFIELD: Wow, Richard, it's that easy because he's not a flight risk and you're convicted of murder?

HERMAN: Well, it's not easy but I mean, he's out pending the appeal process. I mean, he's 80 years old. He's stuck in a wheelchair. He's not a danger to the community. The crime was committed over 40 years ago. I mean, there are issues ...

FRIEDMAN: He is a danger to the community. The truth is the attorney general is going to appeal this to the Mississippi Supreme Court. There are two standards that Judge Gordon had to use and I know he didn't want to grant bond but the fact is that there is evidence, I mean this guy didn't commit those homicides as a lone wolf. He was with other people. He remains a risk. In terms of flight, he remains a danger to the community. I think the attorney general may have a shot of reversing Judge Gordon's determination that this guy should be out on bond.

WHITFIELD: Quickly and let's revisit your all's favorite case, the Michael Jackson case. We have two jurors who say oops, we're not so sure about the verdict that we rendered. This certainly has to bode well if it ends up being a civil case, right, Avery?

FRIEDMAN: I don't see the civil case. I mean this ...

WHITFIELD: Then it doesn't matter. Doesn't matter ...

FRIEDMAN: It doesn't matter. I mean, what we have here is two individuals who have a book deal. They have the same agent, by the way, working together and now saying after they deliberated that we think that Michael Jackson was guilty. What you know? This is the worst of what people do. The truth is they knew that whatever their sentiments were based on the evidence, they should have -- that should have governed this matter and now they're doing an about face. Let me tell you, even the least skeptical person in the world has to really wonder what these two folks are up to.

WHITFIELD: I have a feeling that, Richard is very skeptical because he's shaking his head.

HERMAN: Well, it's pathetic. The two of them are absolutely pathetic and we shouldn't even give them the time of day on national television for this. They are the worst, lowest form. They swore to take a jury oath and here they are, looking to make money off this trial. They had their rights. They had the opportunity to give their verdict and they said not guilty. It's over. This is pathetic. It's a transparent display to make money!

FRIEDMAN: You know what? He has his -- Richard has said it's abomination. I expect that once a week and he hasn't said that yet.

HERMAN: That's Aruba. Aruba's an abomination.

WHITFIELD: Thank you so much. Richard Herman and Avery Friedman, always good to see you guys.

FRIEDMAN: Nice to see you. Take care.

WHITFIELD: Well, it was one short encounter.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Did you think it was a romantic kiss or you just thought get this guy off me?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I didn't think that. In a time like that you kiss everybody.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Short encounter but a memorable one. How a kiss that defined the day has stood the test of time.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Tomorrow marks 60 years since VJ Day, the Allied victory over Japan and the end of World War II. A piece of that day lives on in the kiss. Our Jeanne Moos a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOOS: Sure there have been a lot of memorable kisses, Al and Tipper, Madonna and Britney, Lady and the Tramp. Not to mention Spiderman having his mask peeled, hanging upside down. But when it comes to lingering kisses, these two have been lip locked for 60 years. Frozen in this photo that appeared in "Life" magazine.

Did you think it was a romantic kiss or you just thought get this guy off me?

EDITH SHANE, KISSED ON VJ DAY: Well, I didn't think that. At a time like that, you kiss everybody.

MOOS: VJ Day, August 14, 1945, victory over Japan. It's become a tradition to commemorate the date by bringing a J. Sewer Johnson (ph) sculpture of the kiss.

Watch where you're putting your hands!

To the exact spot in Times Square where it happened. Who better to unveil it than the nurse believed to be the one grabbed by a sailor she'd never met.

He really bent you back.

SHANE: Yeah.

MOOS: Did you have any back damage or vertebrae injury or anything?

SHANE: No.

MOOS: Edith Shane is now 87. She was 27 back then when both the Japanese and she surrendered unconditionally.

What was the actual best kiss you remember in your life?

SHANE: I've had a lot of better kisses.

MOOS: Edith likes to laugh and she likes men. You have three boyfriend? Now? You still kiss like this? As for the sailor, his identity is murkier at the moment, a Rhode Island man named George Mendonsa (ph) has the edge. Others claim it's them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course, I was drinking and celebrating and raising hell with everybody else.

MOOS: George's case was boosted by Mitsubishi researchers at the MERL Lab and they did 3-d imaging of George's face and then de-aged it and seemed to get a pretty good match with the sailor's photo taken by Alfred Eisenstadt. In movies, guys who grab women and kiss them tend to get slapped. Maureen O'Hara fractured her wrist slapping John Wayne.

The kiss has ended up on a stamp. It's been parodied on "the Daily Show" and on this don't ask, don't kiss and tell "New Yorker" cover.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kiss me like that!

MOOS: These two celebrated their 20th anniversary by imitating a 60-year-old kiss.

Can I have you back? How do we do this?

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, stay with CNN. At the top of the hour, CNN 25, the top sports characters, an in-depth look at the legends that defined the sports in the past 25 years. At 4:00 on CNN LIVE SATURDAY, an exclusive interview with Lieutenant General David Petraeus. Jane Arraf talked to him today in his only interview before leaving Iraq.

And at 5:00, PEOPLE IN THE NEWS looks at the new additions in Angelina's life. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com