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CNN Live Saturday
Roof Collapses in Poland, Trapping Many; Palestinians React Violently to Hamas Victory in Election; Katrina Evacuees Face an Ominous Deadline
Aired January 28, 2006 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: We are monitoring a developing story in the Mid-East this hour. An angry division among Palestinians. The challenge ahead for the United States, how to deal with Hamas? A group the U.S. considers a terrorist organization. Plus, a chance encounter in a convenience store and a Good Samaritan, who police say, saved a young girl.
And then the Sundance Film Festival known for raising a few eyebrows. I will talk to one of the directors of one of those films who urges people to smoke. Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Suzanne Malveaux in for Fredricka Whitfield. All of that and more after this check of the headlines.
A frantic search for survivors on a frigid night in southern Poland. A snow-covered roof collapsed on an exposition hall with hundreds of people inside. Polish television broadcast pictures a rescue workers pulling people out. We'll get the latest from a POLSAT correspondent in just a moment.
An Amtrak train derails in Washington State. The Empire Builder left the tracks near Spokane, but remained upright. It was en route from Portland to Chicago. Officials say there were four minor injuries.
And Iran comes to the rescue of the frozen Republic of Georgia. Georgia officials say, Iranian natural gas is expected to start arriving tomorrow to relieve a Russian supply shortage. Georgia accuses Moscow of holding back supplies on purpose as punishment for Georgia's being friendly toward the West. Moscow says the problems are technical.
And we begin with a frantic search effort in southern Poland. What started as a busy weekend at an exhibition hall has ended with death and destruction. The snow-covered roof a complex gave way possibly trapping hundreds of people inside. On the phone now from Warsaw POLSAT correspondent Hannah Smoktunowicz. Thank you very much, Hannah, for joining us, of course.
What is the update? What can you tell us about those injured and perhaps even those who have died?
HANNAH SMOKTUNOWICZ, POLSAT CORRESPONDENT (on phone): Hi, Suzanne. Well it has been now confirmed that there are indeed 12 casualties. Police are also saying they are receiving calls from people trapped inside. Are calling from their mobile phones saying that there are bodies lying around them. There are also over 80 people that have been taken to hospitals. Some of them seriously injured. Others in critical condition.
What we know now is that there are probably around 100 people still trapped in the building. But of course police officials are extremely cautious about giving out any numbers when it comes to those trapped inside. I mean, the firefighters say might have been as many as 700 people in the exhibition hall when the roof collapsed. But probably a great deal of them managed to escape on their own. So what we have now is an optimistic estimate of about 100 people still inside. And as you said the rescue teams are struggling to get into those traps. Meter by meter, step by step. They're making their way in and trying to reach them now as we speak.
MALVEAUX: And Hannah, according to people that you have spoken to, how are they actually doing that, meter by meter, step by step, going in trying to get those people who remain in such a desperate situation.
SMOKTUNOWICZ: Well, it is a painstaking operation because they're still working on stabilizing the whole construction. As you know, the roof collapsed. There are heavy steel beams scattered all over the place. And they still need to be stabilized in order to make sure that some further damage doesn't occur. I know are there people coming in with dogs and searching for survivors. And it's really going to take many, many more hours.
Their optimistic estimate, again, that they will go on until tomorrow morning. Then they will go on searching for survivors, and this is a really hard operation because as you know, we've had -- we're in the middle of a really harsh winter attack. With heavy snowfall. And snowfall is what probably caused this accident. Because there was so much snow on the roof.
And with freezing temperature, it's only about five degrees Fahrenheit here right now. So the major concern is now to really speed the whole thing up because speed and time can be a matter of life and death at this point.
Hannah Smoktunowicz. Thank you very much for those details, of course, and we'll be getting back to you if there are any further developments.
Now to turmoil in the Middle East. It is another day of violence in the West Bank in Gaza, after elections that stunned Palestinians and the world. As the victors prepare it set a government, anger and concern grow. CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Gaza with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Ramallah, they took to the roof to the Palestinian parliament. In Nablus, their guns did the talking and in Gaza, for the second day running, several thousand Fatah rank and file strutted through the street, venting rage at their own leaders and the militant Islamic group now set to take over the Palestinian Authority.
"Hamas are spies," they chant. Gunmen and gun boys unwilling to cede power and admit defeat. "We want to keep control of parliament," this gunman tells me. "Like a military coup d'etat," I ask? "Yes," he answers.
"Treason, treason," shouts this woman.
(on camera): After a fair and free election, the Palestinians are now having to deal with the very messy aftermath. With many armed and potentially dangerous men not accepting the results of the election.
(voice-over): Senior Fatah officials say they're confident they can reign their men in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've had problems before. We were able to deal with them and we were able to protect the democratic process and allow a peaceful change of government through the democratic process.
WEDEMAN: But if these are the men who are supposed to offer that protection, the Fatah-dominated security services, the so-called democratic process may be in peril. Rather than trying to restore law and order, they're protesting as well.
I asked one of their leaders Nabil Tamuz (ph), if he conceded that Hamas had won the election. "It's a status quo we won't accept," he responds. Having lost at the ballot box, Fatah militants are taking their battle back the streets and show no sign of backing down. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now, Hamas has made news before, but little is known about the new leaders of the group Washington is calling a terrorist organization. And of course that could change soon. CNN's Tom Foreman reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here is why the surprise victory of Hamas matters to America even if many Americans don't know it. It matters because through repeated pledges and suicide bombings, Hamas has shown that it is dead serious about annihilating Israel, a longtime U.S. ally in a region that supplies much of America's oil.
GEORGE W. BUSH, U.S. PRESIDENT: I don't see how you can be a partner in peace if you advocate the destruction of a country as part of your platform.
FOREMAN: It matters because this is the Middle Eastern flash point. And the latest country in the region where radical anti-American elements are on the rise. And it matters because the United States has pledged to support democracy everywhere. But now a democratic vote has produced a government that some fear will be a tailor-made base for worldwide terrorism.
MATT HORN, AMERICAN JEWISH CONGRESS: They are a terrorist organizations. So it's clear that unless they change, they will more than harbor terrorists. They will give them safe haven. FOREMAN (on camera): Do you think there is any kind of roadmap for peace left in the Middle East now?
HORN: No. Regrettably, I think -- that everybody's off the map.
FOREMAN (on camera): Hamas was started in the 1960s, largely to do religious and charitable work for Palestinians. For years, the group labored in the political shadow of Yasser Arafat's better known Palestine Liberation Organization. But Hamas grew more visible as it became more militant. In the 1990s launching a long string of bombings targeted Israeli soldiers and citizens.
Violence earned condemnation from some at home and many abroad. But also admirers, Middle East analysts say as Arafat's old PLO descended into disorder and scandal, Hamas appeared increasingly reliable and effective even to Palestinians who want peace with Israel.
TAMARA WITTES, SABAN CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST POLICY: It is also a social welfare organization that runs schools, health clinics, provides subsidies to widows and orphans throughout the West Bank in Gaza.
FOREMAN: And it's been very good at this.
WITTES: It's been extremely good at that and parlayed that into a lot of public support.
FOREMAN: So why does this all matter to Americans? Analysts say, it's simple -- Hamas is now in a position to affect more than ever before how much influence the United States has in the Middle East. Which still provides much of the energy that makes America run. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And President Bush says the U.S. will not deal with Hamas. And his administration will review U.S. aid to the Palestinians if Hamas leads a new government as expected.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The aid packages won't go forward. That's their decision to make. But we won't be providing help to a government that wants to destroy our ally and friend. I don't see how you can be a partner in peace if you don't renounce violent aims.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Former President Jimmy Carter was among the international observers of the Palestinian elections. He will join CNN's Wolf Blitzer on LATE EDITION to talk about this Middle East politics. That's tomorrow morning at 11:00 Eastern.
More talks are scheduled next week over Iran's nuclear ambitions. An Iranian official will meet with European Union members Monday. Tehran, meanwhile, is stepping up its rhetoric in the dispute with the military leaders saying Iran will launch medium-range missiles if attacked over its nuclear program. The U.S. and the Europeans suspect that Iran is trying to build a nuclear bomb. But Iran says its activities are solely for peaceful purposes. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw says Tehran must prove that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: The problem is one Iran's making, not anybody else. And what we have said, they have to provide objective guarantees. That their nuclear capability is solely for civil nuclear power purposes. We're trying to help them. The Russians are trying to help them. In the background. But with direct incentives, so is the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: A Christian aid group says its encourage by these new images of four western workers kidnapped in Iraq. The video which aired today on the Arab television network al Jazeera shows aid workers who were captured in November. Said their captors are providing one last chance to meet a demand to free all Iraqi prisoners. Or the four would be killed. The video was dated January 21st but CNN cannot confirm when it was shot.
Coming up, we'll show you how NASA marked the anniversary of the Challenger tragedy today at Kennedy Space Center.
And later, a new look at remarkable fury of Hurricane Katrina.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: It's day of mourning after reflection, 20 years after the space shuttle Challenger disaster. The crew of seven was remembered in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery today at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. CNN's John Zarrella covered the launch at Kennedy. He returned today and filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here at the Kennedy Space Center visitor's complex, completion of a memorial that lasted about an hour and a half of the Challenger crew. The Challenger 7.
(voice-over): The culmination of this memorial event, the laying of a wreath by June Scobee Rogers at the base of the astronaut memorial on which 24 names of astronauts are inscribed. Of course, it was 20 years ago today that the crew of Challenger headed out to the launch pad on a glorious morning, cold, 36 degrees. Challenger lifting off at 11:38 a.m. on a mission cut so drastically short. Just 73 seconds before the explosion of the shuttle Challenger.
Today during this ceremony, June Scobee Rogers talked about the risks that she and her husband often talked about.
JUNE SCOBEE ROGERS, HUSBAND OF DEAD ASTRONAUT: Without risk, there's no discovery, there's no new knowledge, there's no bold adventure. All of which help the human soul to soar. And the greatest risk is to take no risk. For the progress of our nation depends on the growth, fueling the engine of the economy for our nation. Moving forward as pioneers into the next frontier.
ZARRELLA (on camera): The Challenger mission was, of course, supposed to be one of NASA's crowning jewels. It was the teacher in space mission. Christa McAuliffe was going to teach two lessons in space. Of course, that never happened. Today we mark the anniversary of the Challenger accident. Next week it will be three years since the Columbia crew perished in that accident. John Zarrella reporting from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And this program note, this weekend, CNN PRESENTS the real story of Challenger" astronaut and teacher Christa McAuliffe. For the first time, her family reveals the private pain behind the public tragedy. Tune in tonight at 8:00 Eastern for CNN PRESENTS: "Christa McAuliffe: Reach for the Stars." And coming up, find out how a Georgia woman's instincts save a three-year-old girl from a life of alleged abuse. Just ahead, we'll speak with the district attorney in charge of prosecuting the couple arrested in the case.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: An innocent man is set free after spending more than half his life behind bars. 45-year-old Alan Crotzer was freed through DNA testing in Tampa, Florida this week. He spent last 24 years in prison for an armed robbery and rapes he did not commit. Earlier on CNN, Crotzer said he isn't bitter, just grateful that he is finally free.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALAN CROTZER, WRONGLY CONVICTED: I always did believe and hope I would get out but I didn't than for sure. I thought I would die for some time, true. But to hear the judge speak the words and telling me I'm a free man, for a person to have that kind of power, and the relief, I was overjoyed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And here's a story about intuition and how it may have helped save a child. The unidentified three-year-old is in Alabama State custody and two adults are being held on charges. Officials say the girl is severely traumatized and yet it might have been worse. But for the stranger who followed that voice in her head that insisted she act. CNN's Rick Sanchez reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Take a look at this surveillance video taken inside a store in south Alabama. You see the little girl in the middle the picture? Is there anything about her over the couple that she's with that strikes you as odd or suspicious? This Atlanta woman who was in that same store says, yes. TRACIE DEAN, GOOD SAMARITAN: It was very clear to me that something was wrong. I've seen that look before, that blank look that there's something missing. I call it -- I consider it like they're missing love.
SANCHEZ: Call it a hunch or intuition, but the little girl, Tracie thought, seemed to want to get away. But just couldn't express it. She was with an older man who was encouraging Tracie to get out of the store but there was something about the little girl who seemed to want to cling to Tracie.
DEAN: And I got back it my car and I said, oh my God, she was trying to come with me.
SANCHEZ: Tracie did something else when she got in her car to drive away. She jotted the man's license tag and called 911. And got a call back, telling her all was fine. Just a man with his granddaughter is what she recalls the 911 operator saying.
DEAN: She said oh, it all checked out. I said OK, you know, sorry. But when I hung up I thought, hmm, you know, that's not right.
SANCHEZ: Back at her home outside Atlanta, Tracie immediately got on her computer and began checking websites that lists missing children. She also called police in Alabama to check if they had any new information. Then she called a store to see if they had some type of surveillance video.
(on camera): Did you ever experience something you simply could not get out of your mind? For Tracie, it got so bad, a full five days after returning home here to Decatur, Georgia, she decided she would act. She got back in her car and headed back to alabama.
(voice-over): Back to the store. Where she had come across the sad little girl. There she went inside and approached the woman behind the counter.
DEAN: We told her what happened. We showed her picture. Immediately she said, i know exactly who are talking about.
SANCHEZ: Police arrived and soon she got the response that seemed to prove her intuition right. This is what she was told by police after they found the little girl and the couple she was with.
DEAN: He goes, Tracie, girl, you were right on. He says something's not right here. He says I don't know what's going to happen yet but name this guy gave us we feel is a false name and that guy's a wanted sex offender.
SHERIFF TRACY HAWSEY, CONECUH COUNTY: We ran some checks and found out that the gentleman by the name of Jack Wiley had an arson warrant that was active from California.
SANCHEZ: Then the bombshell.
HAWSEY: Mr. Wiley had been having sex with the three-year-old girl. SANCHEZ: Tracie's hunch was on target. The woman on the videotape told police a sordid tale of sexual abuse involving the little girl. And because of it, Jack Wiley, the man on the videotape is being held by Alabama authorities on a $3 million bond and charged with two counts of first degree rape. As for the woman, Glenna Faye Marshall, she says she's the little girl's mother. She's been charged with child abuse. And her bond is set at $2 million.
TOMMY CHAPMAN, CONECUH COUNTY D.A.: It's hard to believe that a mother could be involved in letting that happen to her child. But based on the physical evidence how could she not know it's going on. If she knew what was going on, then what was she doing?
SANCHEZ: Police say the pair lived on the road traveling to stock car events where they sold trinkets. And police say, they've admitted to sexual encounters with other children. A lot of other people would say, why did you keep going, when you have so many road blocks?
DEAN: My heart. I told my sister over and over. I kept telling her, when my heart tells me to let this go, I'm going to let it go.
SANCHEZ: Tracie says something told her she was little girl's only chance. She may have been right. Rick Sanchez, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: An amazing story. We want to follow-up on this. But before we do, we should mention that a 17-year-old boy also is being held in protective custody. Authorities believe he also was sexually abused by the 58-year-old Jack Wiley. Now joining us by telephone from Gulf Shores, Alabama, the Conecuh County district attorney Tommy Chapman. Thank you very much for being with us. Obviously a very difficult story here. What are the charges that are being presented?
CHAPMAN (on phone): Well, Mr. Wiley right now has been charged with two counts of rape in the first degree involving his little girl. He's also been charged with sodomy in the first degree involving this young boy and Ms. Cavender or Ms. Wiley, whatever name she goes by has been charged with two counts of child abuse involving each child.
MALVEAUX: And what is your office doing now to prepare this case?
CHAPMAN: Well, we're doing a lot of different things. One, we're checking out their story. We're trying to get birth certificates on these children. We've asked a court order to get DNA testing just to be sure that the mother's telling the truth. This is her children. And we're trying to track them across the country. We're getting calls right now all across the country from people that have seen them or who have come in contact with them.
MALVEAUX: And do you feel like you have substantial enough evidence that the point, to perhaps put him away?
CHAPMAN: I do. I really do. We have -- the female, the woman that says that she is the mother, she is cooperating with us. And that's why it's so important that we verify much of what she says. And we have a pretty strong case involving the physical evidence involving the little girl in that we've had her examined by a specialist in - a pediatric physician that specializes in these types of case and we've got some pretty horrible physical evidence.
MALVEAUX: And obviously someone that young cannot necessarily tell you what has happened but obviously you say do you have physical evidence. What is being done now for those children in custody?
CHAPMAN: Right now they're in the custody of the Department of Human Resources who have placed them in foster care. Beyond that, we're going to arrange for psychiatric help for them and hope to try to alleviate much of the trauma that they've gone through. And only time will tell whether we can do that or not.
MALVEAUX: How likely does it seem that the charges will come from different states? And do we know if there are more victims?
CHAPMAN: I just don't know the answer to that. But I know what we're relying on in that regard is really what this woman is telling us. And whether or not anybody else will come forward around the country who's been abused by this man or this woman, your guess is as good as mine. If they have been abused, I wish they would come forward so we could bring them to justice.
MALVEAUX: And what do you make of this woman's story? I mean it was pure intuition that she came forward. She was just so steadfast in her determination to bring this forward. How rare is that? How common?
CHAPMAN: Well, you know, it's not as common as you might think it is. I wish there were more people could that be as diligent as she has been. And we all need to be aware of what's going on around us at all times. I referred to her as angel on earth. And I truly believe that she saved this young girl's life.
MALVEAUX: Mr. Chapman, thank you very much for your time. Good luck your case.
CHAPMAN: Thank you so much. Appreciate it.
MALVEAUX: Other stories across America. Authorities in Central Florida bused a prostitution ring and take two sisters, ages 11 and 12 into protective custody. Investigators say they arrested their stepfather Friday. Also in custody are these three men and one other suspect. The sisters were allegedly used as prostitutes for the last year.
Ford is vowing to appeal a $29 million verdict stemming from a harrowing rollover accident. Yesterday a Texas jury awarded the damages to a 22-year-old woman left partially paralyzed when a tire on her SUV blew apart. Firestone tires already settled its part of the case.
And Michelle Kwan is Olympic-bound. The 25-year-old figure skater sealed her position on the U.S. Olympic team last night after convincing judges that she's recovered from a groin injury. Kwan was given a medical bye to the games but she still had to prove that she is healthy enough to compete.
And coming up, you'll hear what man who wrote the book on U.S. mistakes in Vietnam has to say about the U.S. military's current effort in Iraq. You may be surprised.
And Samuel Alito moves closer to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. What will the years ahead look like with Justice Alito on the bench?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Here are the latest developments. Rescuers in Southern Poland are trying to reach people trapped after the roof collapsed at an exhibition hall. Police say at least 12 were killed. Hundreds were in the building. Officials say heavy snow caused the collapse.
At least four people were injured when an Amtrak train derailed near Spokane, Washington. Amtrak officials say the train was en route from Portland, Oregon, to Chicago when it went off the tracks. Authorities say a broken rail might have caused the accident.
A warning from Iran, a military leader in the country's Revolutionary Guard says Iran will respond with missiles if attacked. Tensions have heightened between Iran and the west over Tehran's nuclear program.
More anger and violence today in the Middle East. Hundreds of people surrounded Palestinian government buildings in the West Bank and Gaza to protest the victory of Hamas in this week's elections. Supporters and members of Fatah, which has headed the Palestinian government for years, are denouncing the win. And they're angry over corruption and failures inside their own party.
Meanwhile, a Hamas leader is urging the international community not to cut off aid to Palestinians in the wake of the victory. Washington considers Hamas a terrorist organization.
Here now, a look at Iraq through the eyes of an expert who studied U.S. failures in Vietnam. With Vietnam as a measuring stick, he says the Iraq war is going pretty well. Here's our senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For a decade now, up and coming military officers have studied how during the Vietnam War some senior military leaders abdicated their responsibility by not speaking out. Required reading, the 1997 book "Dereliction of Duty," by a bright young West Point graduate, H.R. McMaster.
Now an Army colonel, McMaster has his own truth to tell. The war in Iraq, he says, at least in his little corner of it, is going better than a lot of people think. COL. H.R. MCMASTER, COMMANDER, 3RD ARMORED CAV. REGT.: The most tangible thing we can see is that people are happy. Hope is rekindled. Children rush to our soldiers, people spontaneously express their gratitude to us and the Iraqi army.
MCINTYRE: Colonel McMaster is the commander of the Army's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment which is responsible for Western Nineveh province, including Tal Afar, which was an insurgent stronghold until U.S. and Iraqi troops cleaned it up last year.
MCMASTER: I mean, the enemy now, they're pretty much -- they're skulking around like rats, you know, at night, through the water (ph) systems and so forth in the city. They can't be seen because it is -- it is them who are afraid.
MCINTYRE: Far from a broken force, McMaster insists his soldiers, now wrapping up their second tour in Iraq, are energized by the progress they see daily.
MCMASTER: Our soldiers ought to be exhausted now, but -- but they're not. I mean, it seems like we're gaining energy every day because we see the difference we are making in real people's lives.
MCINTYRE: It's not the picture of Iraq that most Americans believe, but McMaster, who literally wrote the book on speaking truth to power, insists it's more accurate than the unrelenting violence would seem to indicate.
MCMASTER: I wish we could communicate more clearly is the relationships we develop with people. We have made lifetime friends among the good Iraqi people. There are people in the neighborhoods who are living, who are naming their children after our soldiers. You know? I know people don't see that.
MCINTYRE: But as his troops prepare to leave, McMaster says victory is still uncertain.
MCMASTER: But certainly it's a fragile victory. I mean this is a brutal and determined enemy who wants to get back into the city. Who wants to continue it brutalize these people.
MCINTYRE: Jamie McIntyre, CNN the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: President Bush is calling on the U.S. Senate to vote on Samuel Alito. Democrats, Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, both of Massachusetts, are gauging support for a possible filibuster. Absent that, a Senate vote scheduled for Tuesday would likely place the 55- year-old judge on the U.S. Supreme Court.
CNN's Bruce Morton takes a look at some of those cases where Alito could make a difference.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRUCE MORTON, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Assuming he's confirmed, Samuel Alito will help decide some big cases his first term on the court. I talked with Charles Lane, who covers the court for "The Washington Post."
CHARLES LANE, "WASHINGTON POST": There's a very big one involving the military tribunals in Guantanamo, whether those are constitutional or not. There's the Texas redistricting plan that was so bitterly fought over in Texas. That argument is coming up in March.
MORTON: Two cases the court may take up, can the U.S. government declare American citizens enemy combatants and hold them indefinitely without charging them with a crime?
And the federal ban on a late-term abortion technique critics refer to as partial-birth abortion. Alito would help decide whether to hear those cases. Will he move the court to the right? Probably, but how far?
LANE: It would be a mistake to say he is to the extreme right of the court, that is to say in the camp of Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. He's indicated in some of his answers that he is at variance with their approach in some regards.
So, you know, I don't think there's much mystery that President Bush, a conservative president, has picked a conservative judge. And I think in a number of areas, he will move the court to the right.
MORTON (on camera): What about those cases the court heard argued this past fall? Alito won't be able to vote on them. He wasn't there. Sandra Day O'Connor can't vote. She won't be on the court anymore. If the other eight justices come to a majority, 5-3, 6-2, whatever, those will stand. If it's a 4-4 tie, the court will probably order the case reargued this coming fall with Alito on the court.
Bruce Morton, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Coming up, a remarkable look at Hurricane Katrina's fury. Find out who shot this unbelievable video.
And the name a film is "Thank You for Smoking." We'll talk to the director about his Sundance Film Festival experience.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: An important deadline looms for hurricane evacuees. People who are staying in FEMA-paid hotel rooms have until Monday to call FEMA and get a special authorization code that will extend their stay for at least one week. The phone number is 1-800-621-FEMA. As of Thursday, about 60 percent of evacuees had contacted FEMA.
And we also have a remarkable inside look at Hurricane Katrina to share with you. A shrimp boat captain and his crew witnessed Katrina's wrath firsthand. As the storm barrelled into Louisiana's coast, not only did they ride out Katrina's 120 mile per hour winds, they managed to capture it on video.
CNN's Sean Callebs has the story you saw first on "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Never before seen pictures of Hurricane Katrina's fury. It's the way Kent Frelich and his crew of three saw it, riding out the hurricane aboard a shrimp boat in southeast Louisiana, near the town of Empire.
The full fury of Katrina hit in the wee hours, about the time the 39-year-old remembered he had a video camera on board.
KENT FRELICH, BOAT CAPTAIN: And this is debris coming down the canal. It's kind of hard to see in the dark, but you can see big pieces of debris coming down the canal as the water's coming in.
CALLEBS (voice-over): So at this point, these are people losing their homes?
FRELICH: Oh yes.
CALLEBS: Others that night were moored near Frelich, including a small boat that he saw sink. He thought the two men on board had surely drowned, until daylight.
FRELICH: This is when we realized they were alive. Right here. There -- that's them. They were on that boat and they made their way up to the top of the ice machine and that's where they spent the storm.
CALLEBS: Then, exhausted and covered in diesel fuel, the two swam and crawled toward Frelich's boat.
FRELICH: These are the guys making their way back to the boat. They were on that ice machine, and he's just in debris -- that's debris that's piled up against the boat.
CALLEBS: Both men survived. Later, a different rescue operation.
FRELICH: And this is -- that's a dog on top of my forklift. He made it.
CALLEBS: The dog is now called Empire.
About an hour later, calm from the eye of the storm gave way to strong westerly winds.
FRELICH: You can hear the ropes cracking actually in the background. See the waves coming in?
CALLEBS: But the crew knew they'd weathered the storm.
FRELICH: We had then been the worst and we knew we had it made at this point.
CALLEBS: Hours later, when the rain stopped, the crew couldn't believe the widespread devastation. At this point, they were running on adrenaline. Awake for nearly 40 hours. Frelich knew he had a great story, a videotape; but most importantly, he was still alive.
Sean Callebs, CNN, in Plaquemines Paris, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Those are amazing.
MALVEAUX: That's an incredible story and, of course, I know you have a lot incredible stories at your show coming up at 5:00. Carol Lin, what do you have going?
LIN: Well, all of day's news, of course, but there's a story that struck me because I didn't think that infertile couples might go this far. Our Randi Kaye has discovered that there's a black market for infertility drugs, drugs that insurance companies do not cover. So we're going to show the length that people are going to go to in order to have a baby.
And then I'm going to be talking with someone about, well, why does an insurance company cover Viagra, for example, but not fertility drugs for women? And whose choice is it, employer or insurance company? And you might be surprised at the answer.
MALVEAUX: Very interesting.
LIN: 6:00, Were going to be following up on the two alleged child abuse cases. This couple arrested and apparently we have an eyewitness that I'm going to be talking to who actually was one of the people who called police and said you've got to get down here because we think something funny is going on. So it's a bit a rescue story.
MALVEAUX: And it was all intuition, basing it on intuition.
LIN: Something about the child's behavior or some dynamic that was going on in the store so, you know, don't you wonder what you would do if you were in that situation?
MALVEAUX: Absolutely. You wonder if you would be clued into those details to even know and she was so persistent. That was the amazing part of the story as well.
LIN: You bet. Lots to cover.
MALVEAUX: So, thank you Carol Lin. Absolutely.
The awards are being presented tonight at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Several films go against the grain, but one is drawing a lot of attention. It's a comedy that focuses on cigarettes.
Jason Reitman directed "Thank You For Smoking." He joins us live from Park City. Thanks so much for being with us here. What prompted you to take on smoking as an issue?
JASON REITMAN, DIR., "THANK YOU FOR SMOKING": You know, I read the book "Thank You For Smoking" by Christopher Buckley, and I just fell in love with it. It was the first thing I'd ever read that I just felt I needed to make into a movie.
MALVEAUX: Let's go ahead and take a real quick look at part of a clip from this. It's a comedy and this is one those sections.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I speak on behalf of cigarettes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mommy says cigarettes kill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now is your mommy a doctor?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, she doesn't exactly sound like an credible expert, now does she?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Tell us what is the theme of the movie? What is this about?
REITMAN: Well, it's about Nick Naylor (ph), the head spokesman for big tobacco and it follows his journeys across America as he spins on behalf of cigarettes and tries to be a better father for his 12- year-old son.
MALVEAUX: And what kind of feedback you are getting from your film?
REITMAN: Well, it depends on from who. From the Sundance audience, it's been fantastic. I haven't been able it talk to anyone in the tobacco world yet.
MALVEAUX: What are they saying about the film?
REITMAN: At Sundance it's just been a terrific response. The audiences here are amazing. They've been laughing and clapping and the actors are getting great reactions. I'm very proud.
MALVEAUX: And it's all satirical. We actually got a chance to take quite a bit of a look at that, but did you ever have any concerns that perhaps you're making light of real health concerns, people who actually do have issues with cigarettes?
REITMAN: No. I think the film is very honest about the health aspects of cigarettes. It's a film about personal responsibility and a film about parenting. I think the message of the film is that hopefully if you raise your children right, when they turn 18 and they're able to smoke, they will make the right decision. That is not to spoke.
MALVEAUX: And what was it like to have pulled this group of actors together for this film? It is really quite an amazing cast.
REITMAN: Yes. To be honest, I just saw the film again this morning with an audience. I looked at the opening credits and I couldn't believe it was my own film. You know, as soon as we got Aaron Eckhart, who's really an actor's actor, everyone else jumped on board. I think there's a lot of fans of the book too.
MALVEAUX: And what do you hope is the message coming out of your film?
REITMAN: Well, it's as I said. I hope -- well, first of all I hope people have a good time. You know, at the end the day, it's entertainment. And I hope people get a good laugh but if there is a message, I hope that it is a film about taking personal responsibility for your actions and about being a better parent.
MALVEAUX: Jason Reitman, thank you very much. And, of course, this evening should be a big one for you.
REITMAN: Oh, yes, thank you very much. I hope so. Thank you for having me.
MALVEAUX: OK, thanks again.
It is speed dating without the small talk. Ahead, CNN's Jeanne Moos shows us how eye gazing could your ticket it a love connection.
Plus, Janet Reno gets a little -- respect. That's ahead on CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Well, she came to fame as attorney general of the United States, now Janet Reno could become popular as a karaoke diva. Reno tried her voice at a Miami fund-raiser this week, singing Aretha Franklin's "RESPECT."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANET RENO, FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL (singing): R-e-s-p-e-c-t find out what it means to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: She still gets respect. Reno so battling Parkinson's disease but still making public appearances. Proceeds from the fund raiser benefited the Human Services Coalition.
And it is often said that the eyes are the window to the soul. One New York dating service is hoping that looking into another person's eyes might help you find true love quickly. CNN's Jeanne Moos has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It may look like couples having a bad night with nothing to say. But, hey, their eyes are doing the talking.
MICHAEL ELLSBERG, EYEGAZINGPARTNERS.COM: People ask me, are you allowed to blink. Yes.
MOOS: They call it eye gazing. You spend three minutes gazing into a stranger's eyes. And then you switch partners.
ELLSBERG: It is going to be really weird for about 30 seconds.
MOOS: Michael Ellsberg dreamed up eye gazing because he was sick of dating conversations that goes like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you work here in the city?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I work here in the city.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where do you live now?
MOOS: Eye gazing is supposed to be a deeper connection. Think of it as a cross between speed dating ...
ELLSBERG: Rotate!
MOOS: ... and the staremaster competition ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stare.
MOOS: ... where contestants try not to blink for as long as 18 minutes while eyes tear and noses run. Maybe you would want to run rather than gaze into a stranger's eyes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beautiful.
MOOS: But that didn't deter nearly 70 singles from showing up for what was only the second eye gazing party ever.
(on camera): You don't seem like a guy that would be quiet for three minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a New York City tour guide. I talk for a living. It is kind of nice to meet a whole series of beautiful women and not have to say a word.
MOOS (voice-over): First, everyone mingled over drinks, then there were eye gazing tips.
ELLSBERG: Take both of your eyes and look at one of your partner's eyes.
MOOS: My first guy was a blinker. The tour guide couldn't resist making faces. His partner suppressed a smile and ended up practically cross eyed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Troublemaker.
MOOS: By my fifth guy, I was thinking if the eyes are the windows to the soul, I need blinds. And by the eighth guy -- it is exhausting, though, isn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it is.
MOOS: Sorry, there were no stories of love at first gaze. Still ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought it was pretty good. You know, I probably connected with like three out of ten.
MOOS (on camera): Did you guys gaze or you didn't gaze?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We did, we gazed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we gazed.
MOOS: How did you do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought we had a good gaze.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know what? The music makes a big difference.
MOOS (voice-over): A song like this would be far too obvious.
(MUSIC)
MOOS: But apparently it wasn't heaven to be touched.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I kind of was a little standoffish about that, because I wasn't really feeling it. It was a little awkward.
MOOS: The first rule of eye gazing, forget hand/eye coordination,
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Have it see if that works. It is still much more ahead on CNN. Carol Lin is up next with more of CNN LIVE SATURDAY after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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