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CNN Live Saturday

Cruise Liner Defends Against Modern Day Pirates; Texas Death Row Inmate Walks Out Front Door, Escapes

Aired November 05, 2005 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour, terror on the high seas. Modern day pirates try to overtake a luxury cruise liner. Hear what the captain did, next.
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Instead of going back to death row, a murder convict gets out of jail by walking out the front door. What are authorities doing to get him back? I'm Keith Oppenheim in Houston. I'll have a live report about that in just a moment.

WHITFIELD: And then, living better and longer? Could our neighbors in the east know the secret? Hello, and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All of that and more after this check of the headlines.

It's another tense night in France. Police are bracing for more violence after the worst wave of arson overnight since the rioting began 10 days ago.

The country's prime minister met with his cabinet today and the U.S. and British governments are warning travelers to avoid those areas.

President Bush continues his visit to South America, he's heading to Brazil after attending the two day Summit of the Americas in Argentina. Its main focus was on trade issues. The summit was marred, however, by violent anti-U.S. protests.

And two people aboard a small plane were killed today when it crashed just after takeoff. It happened at Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas. Officials say the plane came down at a very sharp angle and tumbled about 300 feet. Federal officials are looking into it.

Keeping you informed. CNN. The most trusted name in news.

Up first this hour, it's not something too many luxury cruise line passengers worry about, pirates. Well, this morning, along the coastline the United Nations calls one of the most dangerous in the world, pirates surfaced with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades.

Witnesses tell us it was a harrowing adventure.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): The Seabourn Spirit was sailing from Alexandria, Egypt, to Mombasa, Kenya on a routine pleasure cruise. Early Saturday about 70 miles off the coast of Somalia Seabourn's president says at least two small pirate boats raced toward the ship guns blazing. A passenger explained what happens next.

MIKE ROGERS, PASSENGER: The captain tried to run one of the boats over but they were small boats, about 25 feet long. Each one had four or five people and he said he was going to do anything to stop them from getting onboard.

WHITFIELD: The president of the cruise line spoke about the incident with CNN.

DEBORAH NATANSOHN, There was a rocket propelled grenade and, as well as machine guns. But our captain did a terrific job of taking responsive action. The occupants of those boats, who were armed, did not succeed in boarding our ship, and eventually turned away.

WHITFIELD: A violent attack on a cruise liner is rare, but piracy is not. The Indian Ocean off the African coast is the most dangerous. Maritime officials in London report more than two dozen pirate attacks off Somalia since March, including two attacks on ships used by the World Food Program.

Just days ago the United Nations lamented that piracy had jeopardized emergency food shipments to half million people in the region. This time, however, the pirates failed. Spirit eventually outran the pirates and no one on board was hurt.

Spirit is now headed to the Seychelles Islands.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (on camera): Deborah Natansohn is president of Seabourn Cruise Lines, I spoke with her earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATANSOHN (on phone): The passengers and crew doing very well. They are steaming on their way to the beautiful Seychelles Islands. And naturally they were a bit shaken but the incident but I think they're pretty much back in the cruising mode at this point.

WHITFIELD: So, the United Nations had apparently put out a warning last week this sort of thing just might happen. So knowing that, why is your cruise line in that area?

NATANSOHN: Well, this is a highly unusual incident. We don't know of any other time where a cruise ship has been attacked by pirates.

WHITFIELD: Is it unusual? We talk about two dozen such piracy acts along the coast there, just since March?

NATANSOHN: Rarely to cruise ships, they generally tend to go after tankers and freighters that have very small number of crew on board. We do know, of course, that the Indian Ocean is an area that we have to be more alert, and we were traveling through the area in a high state of alert.

WHITFIELD: So what do you suppose the pirates were after, specifically?

NATANSOHN: We don't know who they were and who's responsible. I would imagine that they were after money and jewelry and goods, but we really have no idea.

WHITFIELD: So your crew apparently had a plan in place that they activated. So they were well aware of the propensity of this kind of possibility, right?

NATANSOHN: Well, we train for all kinds of emergencies on board cruise ships so we are prepared for any incidents and most people know that cruising is one of the safest way of travel and one of the reasons is because we're prepared for most emergencies.

WHITFIELD: Will your cruise line continue to cruise this area?

NATANSOHN: We're obviously evaluating the situation now and we'll take that decision at a later point.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And most of the passengers onboard are believed to be American or European.

Back in this country the manhunt for an escaped convicted killer now in its third day. Charles Victor Thompson was able to walk out of a Texas jail this week. The breakout has left authorities red faced and many terrified they might be his next target. CNN's Keith Oppenheim joins us now from Houston, Keith?

OPPENHEIM: Hi, Fredericka. The manhunt for Charles Victor Thompson is on as police agencies throughout the region are following tips to get this man back behind bars. He is considered quite dangerous.

He was convicted in 1998 of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Denise Hayslip as well as her boyfriend, Darren Cain, and he was brought back from death row from state prison to this jail because an appeals court had given him another re-sentencing hearing, and, in fact, weeks ago, a court, a jury ruled that he was, once again, to be condemned to die.

But last Thursday, he was, according to police here, he smuggled civilian clothes from his jail cell into an attorney/inmate meeting room, and it is in that room he met with a lawyer in the afternoon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. JOHN MARTIN, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF: He got out of his inmate jumpsuit and the orange clothing they commonly wear, changed into civilian clothing. He was handcuffed in the attorney booth and was able to get out of the hand cuffs. We do not know if he had a key or if he just slipped the cuffs off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OPPENHEIM: And from the attorney inmate room he was able to go into his new clothes into a security checkpoint and poses as an investigator for the attorney general's office and is actually taken by staff inside the jail from a secure area to a lobby, and from that point he is able to walk out the door. Police agencies here now say that they are following some credible leads, even possible sightings, but so far, they have not found Charles Victor Thompson.

Fredricka, back to you.

WHITFIELD: So they've got at least two investigation under way now. Not only the investigation of where this escaped convict is, but how in the world he was able to slip through under radar like, this get the attorney general's office I.D.?

OPPENHEIM: Exactly. In the short term, the much more important one finding him and getting him back in custody. In the long term, the important one is finding out what the security problem is in this jail.

The facility is just three years old, there has never been an escape since last Thursday and they admit that there were many mistakes made. Not just one person fouled up here. At the same time, they're trying to find out whether or not he might have had help on the inside. So far officials here say there's no evidence to that, but they are trying to see if that's the case.

WHITFIELD: Keith Oppenheim in Houston. Thank you.

Target insurgents, Operation Steel Curtain, the major offensive under way year Iraq's Syrian border. This is an exclusive look at one of the biggest in a series of assaults against insurgents in the vast Anbar province. U.S. marines, soldiers and sailors and Iraqi forces are all taking part. Much of the action is taking place in the city of Husayba. Lieutenant Colonel Dale Alford with the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines spoke about it earlier on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LTC DALE ALFORD, 3RD BATTALION, 6TH MARINES (on phone): We successfully set forth to clear up the city along with the Iraq army, they're fighting alongside us, and it's dark now here, so we've begun to move and been successful up to this point.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And colonel, would you describe the action from earlier in the days, are we talking about urban fighting? House-to-house fighting? How would you describe if?

ALFORD: Sir, it's been 100 percent urban fighting. We are in a city with lots of buildings and streets are very narrow, and the marines are moving from house-to-house.

HARRIS: Give us a sense what you've been up against, you have been able to locate and disarm a lot of the improvised explosive devices? ALFORD: Yes, we had, these - a few vehicle borne IEDs that we destroyed. We had insurgents holed up in both schools and mosques to clean up the different groups from eight to 12 in their size.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That was a conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Dale Alford.

As Iraqi and American troops fight together, it means they're dying together. And for the families left behind, their graves become sacred ground, but for one Iraqi widow the journey to her husband's final resting place is unbearably far. CNN's Aneesh Raman has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In life, 34 year old Ali Abbas inspired hope, a low ranking pilot under Saddam, Abbas became a captain in the new Iraqi army. A brother in arms with U.S. forces here.

HIYAM ABBAS, WIDOW (through translator): He was a very kind man, he never did anything wrong. He was the spirit of this house, he was the soul of this house.

RAMAN: This house now consumed with grief. On May 30th, Abbas, along with four Americans was flying on patrol north of Baghdad. The plane crashed. All on board were killed. Their deaths classified as non-hostile.

ABBAS: His commander called saying it was serious. They started to tell me stages. If you want me to describe how I received the news, up to now, I cannot believe it.

RAMAN: In August, the remains of all five crew members were buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Abbas the first Iraqi and only the 63rd foreign national to be interred there. Full military honors. A single casket for the remains of five men, indistinguishable in death.

A poignant in picture in shared toll the war has taken on American and Iraqi families alike.

(on camera): But since his burial Ali's family had to confront a difficult reality, at this time of Eid, when Muslims often honor and remember the dead, Hiyam is struggling with the distance between her and her husband's grave.

(voice-over): Unable to afford frequent trips back and forth to visit Ali, Hiyam now wants to move to the U.S.

ABBAS: I want to be near my husband, I want a good education for my children, I don't think I'm asking for a difficult thing, I'm not asking for millions of dollars, I wrote to the Americans, but nobody answered. RAMAN: An Iraqi who became an American hero. A wife who in grief can only look to the stars to be with her husband. One named in his honor.

ABBAS: He had had a dream of going to America, during the burial, I said to myself, maybe God gave him what he wanted.

RAMAN: And now his family is waiting to follow Ali.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

WHITFIELD: And in Pakistan, the heart breaking faces of the earthquake victims. It's been one month of misery and hopelessness. Their story straight ahead.

Plus the rioting continues in France and it's getting bigger. We get a live update from Paris.

Plus, the secret to living longer, Dr. Bill Lloyd explains this hour on CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: French police are bracing for another night of violence. The past nine nights, rioters have torched vehicles and buildings in Paris and 20 other communities. Now, the American embassy is warning U.S. tourists to avoid the Paris suburbs. France's prime minister is looking for a way to end the rioting as well. Our Chris Burns is in Paris with more.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Efforts to end more than a week of rioting not only in the outskirts of Paris but also across the country in more than two dozen cities. A march in the area where it all began. Thousands of people joined religious leaders in taking to the streets and saying they've had enough with all of this rioting.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMED BUZINI, DEMOSTRATOR (through translator): Everything that's been happening these days, we're tired. The flames, the smoke, the burning tires, the stolen cars, we're fed up with it all. This must come to an end.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: In the violence overnight, some 900 cars were torched across country, that according to police. Some 250 people were also arrested or detained. The government has tried to take a hard line against the rioting but also offering some kind of support for those areas that are very hard hit by high unemployment. That's where the rioting has come from, the areas where there are immigrant families, very, very poor.

Unemployment is over 50 percent among many of those youth. But also meetings today between the government and community leaders and religious leaders. Daniel Bubaker (ph) who is the imam of the Paris mosque the chief religious leader in France meeting with officials, and talking about how they need more dialogue between authorities and those communities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICOLAS SARKOZY, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): The government is unanimous about the fact we need to be firm about violence and the destruction of public goods where people are in need. On this point of view, we will still apply extremely strong action. On the other side, once the crisis is over, once calm has been restored, everybody must understand that there's also a feeling of injustice in certain areas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: It was indeed some of the interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy's comments in recent weeks, talking about wanting to clean up what he called the scum in those areas where there has been crime and some of that rioting. That has angered even further many youth in these areas, this is where the government is seeking a soft power approach, trying to talk to community leaders who in turn will be talking to people and youth on the streets to try to stop this rioting.

But also firm hand saying that they will continue arresting those who are causing this violence. Chris Burns, CNN, Paris.

WHITFIELD: Winter is coming to the northern hemisphere and perhaps nowhere is that prospect more terrifying than in the South Asian earthquake zone. There, hundreds of thousands of people left homeless by last month's quake are about to face a fierce winter with no shelter at all. As Stan Grant reports, the coming snowfall could make an already tragic situation even worse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It has been the month of the long cold night. Of the tears of children, of hunger and fear, and the whispers of mothers who hold their babies so close.

From face to face, night after night, our camera has searched for signs of hope. We want to see it, to believe in it, but the belief is ours alone. Ask Nuzia (ph), alone with four children, her husband dead, she knows a far more brutal truth.

"There is no hope in my life," she tells me, "there is no future. How will I raise my children? How will I find shelter?"

Night follows day and turns to day again. The lines of the hungry and homeless only seem to grow longer. The eyes urgent, searching, desperate. Little boys on the missions of men to feed what remains of their families.

One by one they're checked off the list. They leave with rice, some tea, sugar, cast-off clothes and the knowledge that it will not be enough. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He lives here from here about five miles and he'll go by foot and come back after two days.

GRANT: It has been four weeks now since the earth tore apart beneath these people. A month on and the broken landscape mirrors the broken lives, the crushed buildings not merely rubble, they're tombs. Bodies trapped under here, not yet retrieved.

Merchants trade where the dead lay. Locals read now of the misery they have lived. Haunted by the memory of the moment the quake hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We saw some dead bodies, after one day, second day, third day, we are searching only dead bodies.

GRANT: Yes, the relief is coming. We have traveled with airlifts high into the mountains, but it is too slow and it is not enough. Money pledged has not been delivered. Where there are millions of dollars, billions are needed. And relief agencies are losing the fight.

Nature will soon deliver its next assault. Snow will fall, the poor and homeless will be at its mercy. Thousands more will die.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Particularly two or three months are very much dangerous because snowfall is coming, and weather is very cold.

GRANT: It has been a month of misery told in the faces of the people of the quake. We have looked on the twisted bodies into the eyes of the dying. Everywhere, the shuddering cries of mothers mourning their dead, and reminder that it could so easily be us.

A little boy catches my eye, he could be my own son, same dark eyes, dark hair and brown skin. And a smile that comes from somewhere pain cannot touch, and it breaks my heart. Stan Grant, CNN, Pakistan- controlled Kashmir.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: News from across America now -- law enforcement authorities in Fulton County, New York say an upstate funeral home was doubling as a crack house. Officials say suspects tossed illegal narcotics into caskets when police swooped in Thursday night. Seventeen people were arrested including the home's owners. State officials were looking into complaints concerning the quality of care that the home.

The message speaks for itself at least not at Abercrombie & Fitch at least not anymore. Responding to complaints, the store is removing t-shirts that read, quote, I had a nightmare was a brunette and, quote, "who needs brains when you have these?" Women's groups found the shirts offensive.

And makers of adult entertainment say Apple's new video playing iPod could take pornography out of the home into the public. One such venture reports half a million downloads in 24 hours of video features geared toward handheld video players.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla toured New Orleans on Friday and witnessed some of the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. The royal couple's visit was a brief one, but local officials were thankful and are hopeful that their visit will keep attention focused on Mew Orleans' plight. Today, Charles and Camilla are being received in Northern California.

CNN's Kareen Wynter has the story from Marin County outside San Francisco. And a lot of people are learning a little bit more about the prince, particularly about his very organic habits?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Fredrcika. You mentioned this visit being a brief one. Well, it sure drew out crowd here, people still lingering and Prince Charles, he is an organic farmer, started his own food company back in 1992. So this is a deep issue for him, but anyway, he and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla arrived in style in a motorcade and waved briefly to the crowd before heading inside the farmer's market.

And I can tell you, it was slight and up close, a very personal experience with some of the vendors there and we heard Camilla talking to some of the vendors, sampling some of the food. She had some apples and ate some soup and tried some of the natural products, there because it's not only a vegetable market but there are also some other things they sell in terms of wool and lotions, natural products.

And even asked to purchase one of these containers and was told absolutely not, it's on the house. Take whatever you need. Prince Charles had some soup. He was interacting as well. So many people here say for them this is really their first look at a royal couple up close majority of people here, and they say couple was absolutely down to earth. That Camilla looked great. She was wearing a tailored black suit and some people were commenting about her purse, so very, very well received here.

We want to take you back out live because after heading into the farmer's market, Fredricka, well, they went across street inside this saloon here and sampled some of the beer. Had a few sips, didn't drink the whole thing. And I can tell you I was speaking to one of them managers in there right now, they are absolutely amazed that they even walked into their establishment and they said the glasses are still sitting to the side, I saw them, they don't know what they're going to do with them.

Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Kareen, talk about stiff upper lip. We're looking at the video and seems like a lot of the supporters who had come out to see the royals are all smiles but neither the prince nor Camilla seemed to be breaking a smile even when testing out some of the food and the products. Did they have a good time?

WYNTER: They really did. They enjoyed themselves. They were smiling, they were laughing, shaking hands and when you stop and think of it, Fredricka, this is a royal couple. This is royalty we're talking about here, but they didn't mind that up close and personal experience, as I mentioned in the community while they received them quite warmly.

A lot of people really don't know about Prince Charles and his new wife. And that's why they said they came out. You know, in addition to the fact that this is a farming community, but they said they just really wanted to get a glimpse of them, see what they were all about, and they did.

And so it was another thing to see people standing on cars taking pictures of them, giggling toward the end showing, you know, basically their trophies here, the pictures of the royal couple. So they had a great time and now they've moved on to an organic farm about 15 minutes from here. So, the tour for today not quite wrapped up.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, I'm glad you're convincing us of that because they sure do seem, oh, so serious. All right, Kareen Wynter, in San Francisco -- in Marin County that is. Thank you so much.

Here are the latest developments now. Operation Steel Curtain is going after insurgents along Iraq's Syrian border. U.S. and Iraqi troops have encountered sporadic resistance in the city of Husaybah. U.S. military officials say dozens of insurgents have been killed and at least three U.S. marines received minor wounds.

Armed pirates tried to attack a luxury cruise liner with more than 300 people on board, including both the passengers and the crew. It took place off dangerous waters off the coast of Somalia. The captain of the Seabourn Spirit managed to outrun the pirates who were in two small boats. The company is now evaluating whether to offer future cruises to that

French police are using new tactics to deal with more than a week of rioting. They're for chasing arsonists with a helicopter. Overnight rioters burned 900 vehicles in what police are calling the worst wave of arson yet. The violence was seen as a by product of long, simmering range in many immigrant communities where unemployment is high.

A strained relationship. Why Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez calls President Bush Mr. Danger.

Also ahead, want to live a little longer? Secrets from cultures around the world, what to do and avoid. Dr. Lloyd is here with a few answers and guidance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: President Bush is on his way to Brazil after leaving the two day Summit of the Americas in Argentina. The summit is continuing hours past schedule. At issue is a trade deal that Mr. Bush believes would be key to reviving economic growth in the region.

CNN White House correspondent Dana Bash reports persuading leaders to support plan is just one of the many challenges facing the president at the moment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A day after a small band of angry demonstrators turned into rioters only anger on the streets is coming from the local residents of the seaside Argentine town, out surveying the shattered storefront windows and the damage from a burned out bank.

That two hours of violence was in a confined area, but just blocks from where President Bush and other world leaders were meeting. Demonstrations, whether violent or peaceful, have been only one of the distraction for a president watching his already low public approval back home sink in some surveys to new lows.

The president still refuses to answer reporters' questions about a host of issues relating to one top aide indicted and another, Karl Rove, still in legal limbo stemming from an investigation into an outed covert agent.

However, Mr. Bush is now taking steps to make sure this doesn't happen again. He ordered all staff next week to take an ethics seminar. And those with security clearance to attend mandatory refresher classes.

A memo sent last week says the president wants all staff to, quote, "adhere to the spirit as well as the letter of all rules." Going on to say, "those obligations include strict compliance with the procedures for handling classified or otherwise protected information."

The president has been side stepping calls to fire Rove who sources say did discuss classified information with reporters. The release of the memo is a White House move to show Mr. Bush may not be willing to talk about an open investigation but still takes leaking secret information seriously.

It is also yet another example of how hard it is for Mr. Bush to escape his political troubles no matter how far from home he is.

Dana Bash, CNN, Mar Del Plata, Argentina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Bitter relations between President Bush and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez go much deeper than trade and economics. And Mr. Chavez hasn't been afraid to voice his discontent which is evidenced in the nickname he's coined for the president. CNN's Lucia Newman reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In private, but especially in public, Venezuela's fiery leftist leader can't stop warning the world about Mr. Danger, alias George W. Bush. HUGO CHAVEZ, PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA (through translator): Danger, danger, says the dangerous one. And they say we're the danger.

NEWMAN: Whether it is Havana, with his alter-ego, Fidel Castro. Or at home, Hugo Chavez is always on the defensive and the offensive when it comes to the United States, which he refers to as "the Empire." The word evil is implicit.

In August, President Chavez even took part in a mock anti-empire trial that put President Bush on the stand.

CHAVEZ (through translator): So today, Mr. President, members of the court means passing judgment on Mr. Danger, which means passing judgment on U.S. imperialism.

NEWMAN: The White House sees Chavez as a bad influence a best, a threat to regional stability, a populist, flattened leader who uses his nation's vast oil wealth as a revolutionary weapon to counter U.S. influence in the hemisphere.

For this, Chavez makes no apologies. But insists his recent purchase of 100,000 Russian-made assault rifles is purely for defensive purposes, since he claims, President Bush insults him, wants him dead and has plans for invading Venezuela.

(on camera): You say the White House treats you without respect, but you too, every time you refer to the United States, you talk about the empire, the world's most terrorist government. It has to be a two-way street.

CHAVEZ (through translator): Each one of the statements of mine are in response to the imperial aggression. I'm telling the truth when I say the coup attempt against me, against Venezuela which took place just a few meters from here and which cost so many lives, that coup attempt was planned in Washington, Lucia. We have proof.

NEWMAN: The government denies it.

CHAVEZ (through translator): They can deny it all they want. We have evidence: videos, files, witnesses.

NEWMAN (voice-over): U.S. officials dismiss it all.

PAT ROBERTSON, 700 CLUB: If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war.

NEWMAN: Although comments like these from a close Bush ally don't help.

Whether real or imagined, Chavez is using the imperial threat card to his advantage to rally support for what he calls a socialist alternative for the millennium.

(on camera): Considering how unpopular the U.S. president is in Latin America, Chavez's message does have some resonance. So, the question is who is the bigger throw the who?

Lucia Newman, CNN, Mar Del Plata, Argentina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, is Hugo Chavez a real threat to the region? And would it be to President Bush's advantage to try to mend fences with the Venezuelan leader? Joining me with some insight is Mark Weisbrot. He is codirector of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. Good to see you, Mark.

MARK WEISBROT, CENTER FOR ECONOMIC AND POLICY RESEARCH: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, we're focusing on Chavez in part because, here he was attending the summit, would leave the summit and then actually lead a protest against Bush outside, which is quite remarkable, don't you think?

In addition to the fact it almost seems like this is a page out of a 007 movie with Chavez calling Bush Mr. Danger. What's with this bad blood?

WEISBROT: Well, a lot of what President Chavez said was true. The State Department actually conducted an internal investigation after the coup in April of 2002, and found that the United States government did fund people and organizations that were involved in the coup.

Furthermore, last year, there were CIA documents declassified that showed that our government had advanced knowledge of the coup, knew when it was going to happen, and in fact, it had briefed the White House and State Department officials at the highest level about the coup.

And then when the coup happened, both the State Department and the White House pretended that it wasn't a coup at all and tried to convince the world that it was not a coup, and further more both the Spanish and Mexican government officials told the "New York Times" that our government tried to convince them to recognize the coup government.

WHITFIELD:: So, it sounds like you're saying this goes beyond the two men not getting along, but we're talking about two countries that are taking this approach who do not see eye-to-eye as a whole?

WEISBROT: Well, I think it's two governments. In Washington there's this Monty Python attitude. You know, let's not argue about who killed who. But I think in Venezuela and Latin America, when the United States actually is involved in the overthrow of a Democratically elected government it's considered a very serious offense.

WHITFIELD: So you do broaden this out to most of Latin America, that much of South America feels the way Hugo Chavez does about Bush or this administration or this country? WEISBROT: Well, there's no question that, you know, President Bush is about as popular in Latin America right now as Fidel Castro is among the Miami Cuban community.

WHITFIELD: So then what's the potential of Bush trying to mend fences, or is that just a ridiculous notion altogether?

WEISBROT: No, I think he could. I mean, the first thing they have to do is recognize what's happened. I think a lot of the protest you see there is result of enormous economic failure. You've had 25 years there with very little growth.

This decade -- the first half of this decades, it's grown about one percent in terms of income per person. The last 20 years has been 9 percent. Compare that to 82 percent for the 20 previous years. And you can see this is the worst economic failure in modern Latin American history.

WHITFIELD: So now Bush about to be in Brazil and then Panama before heading to the U.S., you think it's going to be a similar reception when he gets to those places?

WEISBROT: Well, I don't think that they're necessarily be the same kinds of protests. Argentina was a particularly aggrieved victim of these policies that people see as really advocated by the United States government.

But you will see, I think, the same kind of discontent. This is a region that has voted, you know, in elections now in the last six, seven years in Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Venezuela -- and in all of these elections, you've have presidents that won on their opposition to the economic reforms that the United States has promoted and continues to promote, and that have clearly, by any objective measure, failed terribly.

WHITFIELD:: All right. Very interesting. Mark Weisbrot. Sorry, we're out of time. But enjoyed the conversation. Co-director of the center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. Thanks so much.

Living longer, some cultures say they know how to do it, but do their practices really work for everyone? Dr. Bill Lloyd is here with details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In our "Living Well" segment, the secrets to a long life. Scientists examine the effects of aging on three cultures in California, Italy and Japan. They're findings suggest that you can add a healthy decade with a few lifestyle changes.

Dr. Bill Lloyd joins us now from Sacramento, California with more on the study. Good to see you, Dr. Lloyd.

DR. BILL LLOYD, UC DAVIS: Hi, Fredricka. WHITFIELD: And there are some real common denominators, aren't there? Because it's one thing to live longer, but you don't want to live longer and feel rotten about it. So these common denominators include everything from diet to staying active and even faith, right?

LLOYD: And all of these choice are positive in nature, Fredricka. You know, in America, we tend to think of health and wellness as a form of defile. If you want to live longer stop doing this, don't do that. But in this study by the National Institute of Aging which appears in this month's "National Geographic" they talk about positive steps that these different cultures take.

And there are some that are common to all three of them. And like you mentioned, have a tobacco free, relatively stress free life that's family centered. People shouldn't live alone, they should stay active and stay social. That they should have a diet like you mentioned, loaded with fruits and vegetables and plenty of whole grains.

WHITFIELD: And when we talk about staying active for a lot of older people that really makes them nervous, because we talk about the heightened increase, the possibility of injury. So give some folks some ideas. What do we mean when we say stay active? It doesn't talk about lifting weights does it?

LLOYD: Certainly. No lifting weights. No mountain biking, but getting up and around, not spending all day sitting on the sofa watching TV. Daily chores, gardening, picking up new habits. And when you do it, Start those new habits with a partner. Living alone is not healthy. And if your family is not nearby, make new friends. And in each of these three different cultures, these people enjoyed an added ten years to average life expectancy because they stayed surrounded by other people who kept them active without having to go jogging.

WHITFIELD: And you talked about some suggestions on diet because diet is really the foundation of a lot of the secrets here for these various cultures that are explored in the magazine. But we are talking about real cultural diet choices. Everything from flat bread, reducing heart disease in Sardinia, red wine, lots of fruits and vegetables. So, what do you do if this is not a part of your culture in growing up?

LLOYD: Well, you're exactly right. The people who transfer from one culture to the other don't take with them the lessons that their society has learned. And the examples you gave were great ones. In Japan for example, they like small portions. And, of course, we know now you're healthier enjoying four or five small meals during the day rather than loading it up with several very large feasts.

So, I guess, you ought to keep in contact with your grandparents and find out what works for them.

WHITFIELD: And you can't overlook the value of the genes.

LLOYD: Well, you're exactly right. And some people say, ah, it's just good luck. You happen to be in a family line that lives longer. Not true. They went back to these three different cultures in Italy, Japan and in Lomalinda, California. And then people who transplated away, who migrated away from those communities and adapted new lifestyles and new eating and lifestyle habits. They didn't live nearly as long as the families who remained back in their original communities.

WHITFIELD: Wow. All interesting stuff. And we're all inspired. Thank you very much, Dr. Bill Lloyd.

LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.

WHITFIELD: All right.

And Carol Lin is here with a preview of what's to come. And you're going to explore on this verty topic, too, right?

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. Also, we're going to be exploring more on a man who was scheduled to die -- or at least was convicted to die, the Texas death row escapee. I'm going to be talking with a former FBI lead investigator about how something like this could happen. How does this guy walk out of the county jail? They had four opportunities to stop him and the whole system apparently broke down. This mans is on the loose and people are fearing for their lives out there.

WHITFIELD: And there are a lot of folks who are real red faced about -- where the holes were in the system.

LIN: You're right.

That's coming up in the next hour.

And then at 6:00, I'm going to be talking with the president of Seabourn Cruises. I know that you spoke with her as well. I want to ask her about exactly did the crew do to fend off these pirates? I mean they were shooting grenades and they had rocket launchers and small arms fire at this luxury cruise liner. What did the crew do? And what were these guys after anyway? I mean, maybe they would rob the passengers? Were they going to hijack the ship?

WHITFIELD: I know. All of those things were possibilities. But she didn't seem to reall know.

LIN: And we're also hoping that people send their photos, because I know there are pictures out there that people were taking during this whole thing. I'm sure that wasn't part of the cruise package.

WHITFIELD: All right, Carol. We'll be watching.

The aftermath of Katrina, the storm left lots of trash but where are people taking it? And could it potentially cause other environmental disasters? Details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Finally this hour, the great cleanout. In post Katrina New orleans, the first step in starting is to dump all the old belongings rendered useless by the floods. But where? Here's CNN's Jonathan Freed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the eastern edge of New Orleans, this road not only leads to the city's main dump for Hurricane Katrina waste, the road itself has become a dump site. It's lined with piles of garbage, everything from boxes labeled biohazard to office materials to discarded appliances.

DARRYL MALEK-WILEY, SIERRA CLUB: Whoever did this, it's illegal. They shouldn't have done it. There are fines and fees set up to make sure we don't have this type of illegal dumping.

FREED: Environmentalists like Darryl Malek-Wiley are fuming. His group, the Sierra Club, says it's watched junk piling up daily right next to wetlands. He believes people have become desperate to dump their Katrina trash.

(on camera): It aprt of your concern that a climate -- that a bad type of dumping has grown out of the storm?

MALEK-WILEY: I think that it's -- yes, there is been a bad feeling of dumping anyplace. We've got so much waste, just get it out of my yard.

FREED (voice-over): The Sierra Club wants to know what authorities are going to do about it?

Environmentalists are concerned about the dump down the road. The old Gentilly Landfill, a growing mountain of New Orleans hurricane debris.

The Louisiana Environmental Action Network has sued the state which oversees the city owned site alleging among other things that old Gentilly, which hadn't been used for decades isn't up to code. The group is worried toxins could seep into ground water and the nearby intercoastal water way because it claims the site doesn't have a liner.

CHUCK CARR BROWN, LA. DEPT. OF ENVIRO. QUALITY: We've got 20 years worth of ground water that hasn't shown any problems from anything that may be escaping into our ground water system.

FREED: Chuck Carr Brown with the states department of Enviromental Quality insists old Gentilly has a protective liner, compacted clay, two to three feet thick. And he says the state is extending a levee around the site to keep it contained. Brown says only nontoxic construction and demolition debris is allowed to be dumped here. He says tower monitors who inspect every truck are just part of the safeguards.

BROWN: If you get past all these guys here in the tower, then there are monitors at dump site. And we're going to pull it out and make sure it's disposed of properly. So, we're not -- no, we're not and never have relaxed any environmental standards.

FREED: As for the junk by the side of the road, the state says there is only so much they can do about that, since much of it is on private property.

Jonathan Freed, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And straight ahead, did three terror suspects now in British custody have planned for attacking the U.S.? Those answers in the next hour. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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