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CNN Live Saturday
President Bush Expected to Announce Replacement for Outgoing CIA Director on Monday; Strong Storms Hit Texas Causing Damage; Australian Miners Trapped Underground for 12 Days; 2nd Autopsy In Boot Camp Death Says Teen Died from Suffocation, Not Natural Causes; Man Turns to Grease to Fuel his Vehicle
Aired May 06, 2006 - 22:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: But first the hour's headline. President Bush has reportedly chosen Air Force General Michael Hayden to head up the CIA. Outgoing director Porter Goss is still tight lipped about why he's stepping down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Would you tell us why you're quitting?
PORTER GOSS, OUTGOING CIA DIRECTOR: I think that got pegged pretty well yesterday, thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Goss was on the job a little less than 20 months.
And we're keeping a close eye on a developing story out of Australia. Rescuers are trying to reach two gold miners who have been trapped underground for 12 days. More on this story in about 15 minutes.
A top U.S. counterterrorism official says Osama bin Laden is probably in Pakistan, not Afghanistan. But U.S. officials don't exactly know where.
That is the gleeful reaction in Basra. But it is subdued there tonight with a curfew now in effect in the southern Iraqi city. Earlier today, a British helicopter crashed, sparking a showdown between responding soldiers and Basra residents. While we don't know how many British soldiers died in the crash, we do know that four Iraqis were killed and 29 others injured during the fighting.
A lockdown as a hostage standoff enters its eighth hour at Sacramento's California state prison. Authorities are trying to negotiate with a 41-year-old inmate. He reportedly took a female staffer hostage.
A new survey says the rising price of gas is affecting American lifestyles. According to the latest "Associated Press" polls, seven out of 10 Americans say that they're changing their driving habits to cope with the price of hikes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Democrats want to jump start America's stalled energy strategy.
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LIN: That's Washington senator Maria Cantwell. She and other democrats, well they want congress to cut the recent tax breaks given to big oil companies. And they're calling for new laws to protect consumers from price gouging at the pumps.
And post time at Louisville's Churchill Downs is just moments away. The 132 running of the fabled Kentucky Derby has a field of 20 horses. But Barbaro, well, is one of two undefeated hopefuls. That horse is a five to one favorite.
We had to catch you up with those headlines but let's go now to our top story. No secrets here. Big changes are coming at the CIA. Porter Goss, as you heard, is going out and abruptly resigning as CIA director just yesterday. So who's coming in?
CNN has learned that the likely candidate will be Air Force General Michael Hayden. And we'll have more on him in just a moment. But first, White House correspondent Elaine Quijano brings us up to date, she joins us live right now.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you Carol. That's right, a little over 24 hours after that announcement there's already word of a likely successor for that position. But Porter Goss himself is still not talking about why he decided to leave.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: One day after he resigned as head of the CIA, Porter Goss told CNN the reasons behind his decision would remain, quote, "Just one of those mysteries."
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Would you tell us why you're quitting?
GOSS: I think that that got pegged pretty well yesterday, thank you.
QUIJANO: The White House isn't remaining quiet, trying to knock down published reports that President Bush lost confidence in Goss almost from the beginning. While the president made no mention of that during a commencement address at Oklahoma State University --
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We see the spirit of service in the members of the class of 2006.
QUIJANO: Aboard Air Force One, Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino called the no confidence report, quote, "Categorically untrue." Saying the president felt Goss kept the focus on winning the war on terror and played a pivotal role in transforming the CIA. So what happened? As CNN reported Friday, intelligence sources say Goss had sharp policy differences with the man he reports to, John Negroponte, the director of National Intelligence. The sources say the differences stemmed from plans to move staff from the CIA to other intelligence agencies.
After the announcement the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, republican Pat Roberts, offered measured praise for Goss's tenure saying Goss, "Made some significant improvements at the CIA, but I think even he would say they still have some way to go." Senior administration officials say that President Bush has settled on Air Force General Michael Hayden as his choice for CIA director. And they say an announcement is planned for Monday.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: If General Hayden is the choice he would be a very good one. He's an experienced intelligence professional. He is very good with situations that require innovation. And he is a person who has a clear vision of where he wants to go. And, therefore, I think a very good leader.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: Now, as for Porter Goss in a statement released after the announcement, Goss said that he would stay on over the next few weeks to help with the transition. Carol?
LIN: All right. Thanks very much Elaine for that.
We want to get more now into this new potential nominee. He may not be a familiar face to you right now, but you're going to learn a lot more about him in the days ahead. Now as you've heard, the president is reportedly nominating Michael Hayden as the next CIA chief. Hayden's a longtime Washington insider. But as our Sumi Das reports, that could work against him.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As former director of the National Security Agency and current number two for National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, Air Force General Michael Hayden is no stranger to the CIA.
MCLAUGHLIN: General Hayden is a down-to-earth guy. He grew up in working class circumstances in Pittsburgh, went to Duquesne(PH) University. Worked his way up in the military. Has held positions at all levels.
DAS: Former interim CIA Director John McLaughlin has known Hayden for six years.
MCLAUGHLIN: One of the CIA's core missions of course is supporting our military forces. It's the core mission of any intelligence agency. And General Hayden has vast experience at doing that. And also as an NSA director, he has had plenty of contact with human intelligence as well.
DAS: But the very experience that qualifies Hayden to head the agency could create obstacles during any confirmation process. Hayden has faithfully defended the NSA's domestic wiretapping program conducted without warrants, calling it successful. GEN. MICHAEL HAYDEN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Had this program been in effect prior to 9/11, it is my professional judgment that we would have detected some of the 9/11 Al Qaeda operatives in the United States and we would have identified them as such.
DAS: At least one democratic senator says he would vigorously question the general's endorsement of the intercepts during any confirmation hearings. Senate Intelligence Committee member Russ Feingold said he found Hayden's potential nomination troubling. "General Hayden directed and subsequently defended the president's illegal wiretapping program. Neither he nor the rest of the administration informed the congressional intelligence committees about this program, as is required by law." Also likely to resurface, past intelligence mistakes such as untranslated intercepts pertaining to 9/11.
HAYDEN: In the hours just prior to the attacks, NSA did obtain two pieces of information suggesting that individuals with terrorist connections believed something significant would happen on September 11th.
DAS: The intercepts were translated September 12th. Hayden said timely translation of all the information collected by the government was impossible. Both parties may be motivated to avoid a drawn-out and contentious confirmation process. Many agree it's a dangerous time for the nation's central intelligence agency to have no leader at its helm. Sumi Das, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well we want to tell you so much more, so we're checking in on the blogs and see what the buzz is there. For example, left- leaning political blogs are keeping a close watch on the Porter Goss resignation. And there's plenty of chatter at Americablog.com about why Goss is stepping down.
Now over on the right, conservative bloggers like Michelle Malkin are playing up a different story. Congressman Patrick Kennedy's late night car accident on Capitol Hill. Now the speculation there, that we still don't know all the facts about Kennedy's one-car mishap.
Congressman Kennedy by the way entered treatment for drug addiction last night at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He said yesterday that he can't remember crashing his car into a capitol security barrier early Thursday morning. He also said he'd taken medications for nausea and something to help him sleep shortly before the accident. Kennedy has insisted that alcohol was not a factor in the crash. He also said the accident had convinced him to resume treatment for a past addiction to prescription drugs. More to come.
In the meantime, coming up, everything is bigger in Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Oh, man, that's a big tornado! That is a big tornado! LIN: Boy, it definitely caught our eye. A twister tears through the lone star state. And it's all caught on camera.
Working on cars for most of my life. I didn't think it would work.
LIN: Tired of feeling the pinch at the pump? How about using grease to fuel your car? Believe it or not, it's happening.
Show a picture on the cover of the rolling stone.
LIN: Yep, and "Rolling Stone" rolls out its 1,000th cover. The price? $1 million. You're watching CNN SATURDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHANON COOK, CNN ANCHOR: Hello I'm Shanon Cook. Coming up in world headlines they're not mining for gold, they're mining for lives in Australia. Details on a tense rescue mission when we return.
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LIN: All right. Let's get a quick check with what's popular with surfers at cnn.com. An accident at a high rise construction site today killed three workers in South Florida. They were pouring concrete on the 27th floor when a crane collapsed.
And it looks like something you might see on mars and for good reason. Students are testing an experimental space suit for the use on mars in the desolate Badlands region of North Dakota.
Right back here on earth, a theoretical physicist has put science to work in the quest for soccer goals. He studied 50 years of memorable games to determine the area that's hardest for goalies to cover. His conclusion, aim for the top corners. You can check out all of these stories and more on cnn.com.
Look at that tornado, people.
LIN: Wow, look at that. Shell shocked in Texas. A possible tornado tore through the state yesterday. But that wasn't the worst of it. Brutal winds and huge hail caused major damage. More now from CNN's Fredricka Whitfield.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
Oh, man, that's a big tornado! That is a big tornado!
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Making a bee line through east Texas Friday, the National Weather Service counted 17 reports of funnel clouds. Storm chasers recorded this one near Klondike.
Oh, it's beautiful.
WHITFIELD: While there are no reports of serious damage or injuries from tornadoes, straight line winds are being blamed for ripping roofs off homes and businesses, overturning trucks and trailers, snapping power lines and toppling trees. This Coca-Cola plant in Waco may have been the hardest hit. Along with the twisters and high winds came hail stones, shattering glass, even denting metal. In Seminole, Texas, hail stones ranged from quarter size to golf ball size. Lubbock's hail was sizable, too. And in the parts of Texas hardest hit by the storms, the clean-up will also be significant. Fredericka Whitfield, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: We want to take you now to Australia, where rescuers are inching closer to two trapped miners. Shanon Cook has been monitoring that story and joins us now with more details. Shanon what's going on right now?
COOK: Hey Carol. Well they were hoping that the two miners trapped underground would have been able to see the sunrise this morning. But for rescuers getting to them is taking much longer than expected. It's currently about 8:15 a.m. local time there. Now the two men have spent 12 nights underground, 12 nights in a collapsed mine in Beaconsfield, Tasmania.
Now rescue workers are madly digging through the last 10 feet of a rescue tunnel but they're finding that last slab of solid rock separating them from the miners to be extremely challenging to cut through. It could take them a few more hours to break through. Now the two trapped men are Brant Webb and Todd Russell. They became trapped April 25th after an earthquake caused rocks to fall in the mine. One of their colleagues was actually killed. The two men are trapped nearly half a mile underground and they're sheltered in a tiny little cage that's hemmed in by rocks and rubble. You can see an animation of that there. Now rescue workers were able to drill a tiny hole to get food and water to the miners and some other supplies. And they dug a rescue tunnel, which is where they're still digging now.
And Carol the rescue workers are having to use hand tools to dig through that final 10 feet of solid rock because they had to abandon using drilling equipment for fear it would cause vibrations and perhaps more of the mine to collapse.
LIN: Yeah, but we're hearing stories about how these guys are able to communicate and talk with the rescuers. And they're making jokes about getting fast food and what they want to do when they get rescued.
COOK: Yeah they're quite upbeat. One of them actually wants to skip by McDonald's on the way to the hospital when they get out or Mackeys as they call it in Australia, to pick up some fast food. They're very upbeat, they're in very, very high spirits, which is pretty amazing considering the confined space they're in. They also have an iPod. The rescue workers were able to put one through this little tube that they made. So they are able to listen to some music.
LIN: That's got to be a relief. 12 days in a mine. Thanks very much Shanon. We're going to be watching this throughout the night and as soon as that rescue happens, we are going to bring it to you.
In the meantime, one side is calling for justice. The other is afraid of a witch hunt. Two very different reactions after a second autopsy on a Florida boy who died at a state boot camp. The new examination found that Martin Anderson was suffocated by camp guards. The first autopsy said he had died of natural causes. CNN's Susan Candiotti reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This time, Martin Anderson's death is being blamed on guards at the boot camp forcing smelling salts up his nose. In a written statement, a second medical examiner appointed by the governor to investigate, calls Anderson's death suffocation due to the actions of the guards. The teenager's family claimed vindication and accused the original medical examiner of wrongdoing.
GINA JONES, ANDERSON'S MOTHER: So the truth is out now. My baby was murdered in a boot camp and he tried to cover it up.
CANDIOTTI: The teen collapsed in January during an exercise drill on his first day at the Panama City boot camp. Anderson's family immediately raised questions. So did Florida lawmakers, calling the guards' actions abuse. The boy's body was exhumed. The governor got involved. And so did the Justice Department. Investigating whether excessive force was used. Governor Bush said, "I am disturbed by the findings and consider the actions of the Bay County Boot Camp guards deplorable."
The second medical examiner asked NASA to enhance the video for his review. This is a less clear copy released after CNN and "The Miami Herald" sued the state of Florida to obtain it. Here Anderson's head appears to be pulled back, his mouth covered, while guards put ammonia capsules up the teenager's nostrils. The second medical examiner says that cut off the 14-year-old's oxygen. A boot camp incident report obtained by CNN says the capsules were used five times. The same report calls the repeated blows control techniques to make recruits comply with orders.
The latest autopsy agrees with the first, that the pounding was not fatal. The blows left several bruises but he was not beaten to death. Both autopsies also agree that Anderson had sickle cell trait. But the original medical examiner continues to insist Anderson did not suffocate. Dr. Charles Siebert says there was no increase in carbon dioxide levels, a key basis for suffocation.
DR. CHARLES SIEBERT, BAY COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINER: My findings are backed up by science and I'm comfortable with my findings and I'm going to stand by them.
CANDIOTTI: Dr. Siebert found the teenager died of natural causes when physical stress prompted his cells to change form and hemorrhage. Siebert denies any cover-up. One of the guards' lawyers called the investigation a witch hunt. WAYLON GRAHAM, ATTORNEY FOR LT. CHARLES HELMS: It's pretty apparent to me that the governor is bending over backwards to please the vocal crowd that's fussing. And I'm very concerned about the governor putting pressure on all of these individuals to reach a result that would please the victim's family.
CANDIOTTI: The same lawyer claims the nurse told the guards the boy was just faking his stress and told them to use smelling salts. A criminal investigation is still going on. Some guards predict they will be charged. If so, a trial could be a battle of the coroners. Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. Up next, forget gas. How about grease to fill your tank? Believe it or not, it can be done.
Also ahead, keeping an eye on your child's online activities. It means you'll need to learn a new language. Well I've got an expert and she's going to get you a primer on leetspeak.
And later this hour, the story of a young soldier killed in Iraq made all the more tragic by a secret he kept from his mother.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: The squeeze is still on at the nation's gas pumps. For example, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded now is $2.92. So how are Americans responding? Well, we took a look at a new poll. As percent think the price hike will cause them financial problems sometime in the next six months. 66 percent have cut back on driving. The same amount have turned down air conditioning and heat in their homes. And about 40 percent are thinking about getting a fuel efficient car. And nearly half have changed their vacation plans.
If it costs you way too much to fill up that tank, grease is the new word. Our Christopher King has found a guy who is saving thousands of dollars because his truck runs on left over vegetable oil.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTOPHER KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jonathan Pratt is burning fat as he drives. He's not using an expensive diet pill and no, he's not doing aerobics behind the wheel. Pratt is driving a grease truck powered primarily by vegetable oil. That's right, fatty, calorie laden grease, left over from the kitchens of the three restaurants he owns in New York's northern suburbs.
Why would anybody want to own a grease car?
JONATHAN PRATT, GREASE TRUCK OWNER: I was driving a lot and I was driving a big, comfy, very expensive pickup truck that got about eight to nine miles per gallon. My wife noticed that I was spending about $800 a month on fuel.
KING: A business partner at the time gave Pratt a book "From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank, The Complete Guide on Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel." Laugh if you want but Pratt says with gasoline prices skyrocketing veggie power is helping him save a bushel of money.
PRATT: The first year we saved about close to $6,000. And it's been that way since about two years now.
KING: Pratt forked over about $800 for the conversion kit and a thousand for his friend, auto mechanic Wally Little to install it.
WALLY LITTLE, GARAGE OWNER: I thought he was crazy. Naturally working on cars for most of my life, I didn't think it would work.
KING: Little says he's outfitted as many as 200 vehicles with the dual diesel veggie system and now Little is a convert.
LITTLE: I see that I get more mileage. You can go just as far and it burns cleaner.
KING: He's powering his own truck with greased lightning. Bio fuel supporters say vegetable oil burns more cleaner than gasoline, so it's better for the environment and it's cheaper. All you have to do is find a restaurant or deli that wants to get rid of its kitchen grease.
Now believe it or not, the same oil used to cook these French fries is the very same oil many people are using to power their cars and trucks, of course, minus the salt and ketchup. But grease cars and trucks are not for everyone. Veggie oil only works with diesel engines. Then you have to filter the oil. And once you pour it into the fuel tank, you have to heat the vegetable oil so it won't clog. Pratt says the inconvenience is minor compared to the money he's saving and the good he's doing for the environment. Christopher King for CNN, Yorktown Heights, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Coming up in five minutes, you think you know who your kids are talking to online. Well, think again. An eye-opening lesson in online child predators.
Plus, do you speak leet? Well chances are your teenager does. So we're going to help you stay one step ahead. Decoding the new computer slang known as leetspeak. And can every school go completely sugar free in a single day? The principal of the only sugarless school in the country tells us how it can be done. Stay right there.
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