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CNN Live At Daybreak
Israeli Airstrike Kills Hamas Leader Sheikh Yassin; Opening Statements Today in Terry Nichols Trial
Aired March 22, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Terry Nichols goes on trial this morning. He's already serving a life sentence as a conspirator in the Oklahoma City bombings. If convicted on state charges, he could be put to death.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:15 Eastern.
The gates of hell are open -- those words from the Mideast militant group, Hamas, after Israel kills its leader in a missile attack. And now Hamas is vowing revenge. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was the spiritual head of Hamas, the man behind the philosophy of a group considered by the United States to be terrorists.
Let's go to Chris Burns live on the phone in Gaza City, where it's very difficult to get into Gaza.
Have you been able to do that yet -- Chris?
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, exactly. It's so hard that we're not quite there yet. We're still stuck at the Erez border crossing between Israel and Gaza.
Israeli authorities once again had closed the crossing because just moments after we heard what sounded like the thud of a mortar that landed nearby, that's what we think it was anyway, and it came about an hour or so after another explosion here that Hamas said that they fired a Qassam rocket at an area where there's an Israeli border post.
So, it's very, very tense here. They are allowing a trickle of journalists through. We're hoping to get through in the next few minutes.
But at the scene in Gaza City, the funeral procession is going on, angry crowds, tens of thousands of people angry at how Israeli helicopters could strike at a 67-year-old quadriplegic man in his wheelchair as the leader, the spiritual leader, of the Hamas militant group. And so, outrage among the Palestinians. Of course, the Israelis are saying that this man is responsible for countless suicide bombings that killed hundreds of Israelis.
So, the tense -- the sense of tension here is quite palpable.
We also saw smoke rising from Gaza City, where people were lighting bonfires in anger against this attack -- Carol. COSTELLO: Chris, I wanted to ask you, too, about these vows of revenge, not only against the Israelis, but vows of revenge also coming out against the United States. Can you expound?
BURNS: It's quite expectable after this strike that not only would the Israelis be blamed, but also the United States for supporting Israel and actually providing the helicopters and some of the weapons that were used against the Palestinians.
So, yes, that anger and rage happens every time there is an Israeli incursion inside the territories, or one of these so-called targeted killings or assassinations of militant leaders that has been stepped up. Both of those, the raids and the targeted attacks have been stepped up now about a week since the dual suicide bombing in the southern port of Ashdod that killed 10 Israelis.
And so, the Israeli government has said that they have redoubled their efforts to go after the militants, even though they had planned to pull out of this Gaza strip in perhaps as early as sometime in the next few months. They still say they want to strike at the militants even if they have pulled out.
So, the war goes on, and we see a rise in of language on both sides here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Chris Burns reporting live from near Gaza City this morning.
Tough accusations aimed right at President Bush. His former anti-terror advisor accuses the president of ignoring warnings about al Qaeda before 9/11. Richard Clarke has a book coming out. It's called "Against all Enemies." And it is highly critical of the Bush administration. Clarke is also set to testify this week before the independent commission investigating 9/11.
This is what Clarke said on "60 Minutes":
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD CLARKE, FORMER COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISOR: The president -- we were in the Situation Room complex. The president dragged me into a room with a couple of other people, shut the door, and said I want you to find whether Iraq did this. And he never said make it up. But the entire conversation left me in absolutely no doubt that George Bush wanted me to come back with a report that said Iraq did this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Clarke asked what Osama bin Laden had been saying for years; that America wants to invade an oil-rich Arab country and occupy it. And he said -- Richard Clarke says the president seemed to have accommodated him by invading Iraq.
The White House is dismissing Clarke's allegations. Here's communications director Dan Bartlett.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN BARLETT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I think everybody in America would expect in 24 hours after one of the worst attacks on our country that the president of the United States was asking his counterterrorism officials, tell me everything. Tell me any possible link to this attack. I wan to know everything. I want to know about Iraq. I want to know about other affiliates or regimes that may somehow be implicated in 9/11. Because he was going through a decision-making process in which he wanted to understand all of the information available, so he could make the best decision on a military operation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And you can hear more from Clarke Tuesday on "AMERICAN MORNING." Of course, "AMERICAN MORNING" begins at 7:00 Eastern.
Before that, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice will respond to Richard Clarke's charges on "AMERICAN MORNING." That will happen today, and that will start in the next hour.
Terry Nichols is already serving a federal life sentence for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing. Well, today he goes on trial in state court on 161 murder counts.
CNN's Eric Philips is in Oklahoma this morning.
Good morning -- Eric.
ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, good morning to you.
Terry Nichols will arrive here at the courthouse in McAlester, Oklahoma, between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. local time. Many people are wondering what will happen in this trial; some saying that it's a waste of time, but others saying the resources will be well spent to see Terry Nichols put to death if, in fact, that happens.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILIPS (voice-over): It happened nine years ago, but for some visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial, it's like the bombing happened just yesterday, especially for Oklahomans.
When you think of it, when you read something, when you hear something, it's the way your heart feels and you tear.
PHILIPS: One hundred sixty-eight people were killed in the April 19, 1995 bombing, but during his federal trial in 1997, Terry Nichols was sentenced to life in prison for just eight deaths -- those of the eight federal agents who died in the blast.
Now, Nichols is being held in this Oklahoma state prison, waiting to stand trial in nearby McAlister for the other 161 deaths, including one unborn child.
Roy Sells' (ph) wife, Lee (ph), was among the victims. He's still not at peace.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until he dies, I think my feeling will not change until he dies for their deaths.
PHILIPS: Prosecutors are pressing for Nichols to get in his state trial what he didn't get in the federal one: death. Some believe retrying Nichols at the state level is a waste.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can only whip a dead horse for so long. And as an Oklahoman, I don't know what purpose we're serving.
PHILIPS: Others say it's worth the spent resources to see justice served.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is the best way to put it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILIPS: Defense attorneys are hoping what saved Terry Nichols' life during his federal trial will be the same thing that saves his life during his state trial. That is the fact that he was not with co-conspirator Timothy McVeigh the day the bomb went off -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks for that. Eric Philips reporting live from Oklahoma this morning.
In other headlines across America, a deadly crash involving a medical helicopter. It happened about 40 miles southeast of Odessa, Texas. Four people, including a 3-month-old patient, were killed in the crash. The baby's mother had brought the infant across the border from Mexico for medical treatment. In addition to the child, the mother, a paramedic and the pilot were killed.
In Washington State, a lesbian Methodist pastor says she hopes to return as a minister in her church. Reverend Karen Domin (ph) was acquitted over the weekend of violating a church ban on ordaining self-avowed, practicing homosexuals.
All right, all of you demolition lovers take a look at this. This is Philadelphia's Veteran Stadium, one massive pile of rubble this morning. The former home to the Phillies and Eagles was imploded to make way for a parking lot. It took about 3,000 pounds of explosives and only 60 seconds to bring it all down, to bring all of that concrete and steel down.
You know, a lot of people described that place as a pit, but there were some emotional memories coming out of that stadium.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I wonder if this...
COSTELLO: I mean, I have some of my own. I just wanted to share it with you. I went to a Browns-Eagles game there, and, you know, the Browns fans dress up, you know, in the dog noses and everything. And I watched as an Eagles fan pounded the living daylights out of a man dressed up like a dog. MYERS: Really?
COSTELLO: That was my beautiful memory from that stadium.
MYERS: Well, I know the players are not too upset that that field is gone. You know, the fans, I think, are a little upset that the building itself is gone, but, boy, the turf in that field was sometimes just...
COSTELLO: Well, it was dangerous, wasn't it?
MYERS: ... really hard to play on. Yes, so they finally got it -- I wonder if this is going to show up in some movie somewhere with -- I don't know -- with Bruce Willis and somebody else, and Bruce is running across. You'll be able to see him running down there. There he is. He's running right there. And he's, you know...
COSTELLO: With computer generation, you could probably do a lot of cool things with that.
MYERS: Exactly. Whenever they blow up a building in Las Vegas, it always shows up on some movie somewhere.
(WEATHER BREAK)
COSTELLO: Coming up on DAYBREAK, planning for a momentous occasion?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is possibly the final chance to acknowledge what they've done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Honoring the veterans of D-Day, but this year it won't be so easy.
And more on the attacks that took the life of a Hamas leader today. I'll talk to the woman who represents Israel's defense forces on this violent day.
And what restaurant chain cuts back on the all-you-can-eat deals? We'll tell you why.
And see how this little piggy ran all the way to the finish line. There she goes.
This is DAYBREAK for March 22.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's 6:14 Eastern time. Time to take a quick look at the top stories.
Let's take you live to Gaza City for just a second to see what's happening there. You can see the tens of thousands of people in the street as vows for revenge for Israeli missile attack in Gaza go on. Of course, that attack killed Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
The Oklahoma state murder trial of Terry Nichols gets under way today. Nichols is charged with 161 counts of murder stemming from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
And President Bush's former counterterrorism advisor, Richard Clarke, accuses the president of ignoring early warnings about al Qaeda. Clarke is scheduled to appear before the 9/11 commission on Wednesday.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:30 Eastern.
Time for a little business buzz now. The "Fortune" 500 list is out, and a familiar name is right at the top.
Carrie Lee joins us live from the Nasdaq Marketsite to tell us who it is.
Good morning.
CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS: Once again, Carol, it is Wal- Mart topping the "Fortune" 500 list of the world's largest companies for three years in a row - - the nation's largest companies. Wal-Mart is actually one of only three companies ever to top this prestigious list. No. 2 went to Exxon/Mobil. No. 3: General Motors.
Rounding out the top 10 also in this list: Ford Motor, General Electric, Chevron-Texaco.
The magazine said the top 10 took in a record $7.5 trillion in revenue, $445.5 billion worth of profit, helped by very low interest rates, the Bush administration tax cuts. I'm sure the weak dollar helped some of these companies as well.
Of the 39 industries tracked by the magazine, "Fortune" said 34 of those industries saw year-over-year profit growth in 2003. The petroleum industry is doing especially well because of high oil prices. Those seeing profit weakness included telecom service providers and pharmaceuticals. So, interesting when you look at this by sectors.
I also want to give you the latest on Darden Restaurants' Red Lobster chain. They're going to cut back on the all-you-can-eat promotion. They generated customer (AUDIO GAP) crab promotion went awry when diners loaded up. And now the company is going to be probably moving to a once-a-year strategy.
All you can eat, Carol, it looks people did just that. So, it backfired a little bit. So, when you see it, grab it, because they're not going to be doing them as frequently.
Back to you. COSTELLO: All right, Carrie Lee live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.
Coming up on DAYBREAK, the war on terror. How much progress did Pakistani troops make over the weekend in the mountains?
And reuniting the veterans of another war. It's not so easy anymore to mark the date they all remember.
And our DAYBREAK "Photo of the Day." Hmmm, what is it? We'll have the answer for you right after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Assassination or targeted terror killing? Sheikh Ahmed Yassin is dead, killed in an Israeli military strike in Gaza. He was the spiritual leader of the terrorist group, Hamas.
Let's head live to Jerusalem now and Ruth Yaron, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Defense Forces.
Good morning.
RUTH YARON, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESWOMAN: Good morning.
COSTELLO: What effect will Yassin's death have on your war on terror?
YARON: For us, Ahmed Yassin was no spiritual and was no leader. He was the chief terrorist and mastermind for evil. This is the man who has sent human bombs into the streets of Jerusalem, of Saladeed (ph), killing and maiming dozens and hundreds of Israeli children and families.
Now, for us, to stop Sheikh Ahmed Yassin from his initial plans to send even more terrorists into our streets was crucial, and that's where the action this morning taken by the Israeli air force was a lifesaving action, for the lives of the Israelis that he was planning to kill were saved this morning.
COSTELLO: The Palestinians, though, are calling this death an assassination. Even the British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, is condemning it. Let's listen to what he had to say a little bit earlier this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: It is very difficult for all countries fighting terrorism to take a measured response in the face of the kind of outrageous terrorism which Israel has suffered. All of us understand that. But a measure of restraint is required. And I don't believe that Israel will benefit from the fact that this morning an 80-year-old in a wheelchair has been the target of their assassinations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Why, in your eyes, is he wrong?
YARON: Under the guise of a religious leader and a paraplegic old man was a man that made a career in the terror industry. This is the man who perfected the art of death by sending human bombs into streets, into restaurants, into schools and killing children. This is what this man was doing. We should not be fooled by the appearances, and we should remember that terrorists strike wherever they can and at each and every time.
For us Israelis, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was really the embodiment of terror and of the suffering that we have suffered in the past three years. And we know fully well that even these days he was planning to send more such human bombs into our streets.
Now, the big question is: How do we fight terrorism? What kind of answer we as a democratic open society do have in light of people who would spare nothing, including the life of their own, in order to kill as many Israelis as possible?
COSTELLO: But there is...
YARON: The answer this morning is one of the possible answers.
COSTELLO: But there is a sense out there that this will only stir up things more; that this will invite more attacks, more violent attacks, not just in Israel, but elsewhere.
YARON: You know, the very fact that you did not hear about many more suicide bombings materializing in Israel is because our security forces were able to thwart those terrorist acts. It's not because they caught or they stopped trying. And therefore, the fact that there is seemingly silence, this is a very fake silence. This is not really what's happening. They keep on trying, and thank god that most of the time we are able to foil it.
Now, what goes on now in the streets of Gaza and the terrible revenge cries that we keep hearing from Palestinian leaders and from Palestinian speakers, this goes on due to the incitement on Palestinian television, and I expect the Palestinian responsible leadership to say something totally different. I expect them to say stop terrorism, let's go back to the negotiating table, let's find a solution by negotiating...
COSTELLO: Well, in fact, some of them are, if I may interrupt for a second.
YARON: ... not by terrorism.
COSTELLO: The chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat, also came out with a statement earlier this morning. Let's hear what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAEB EREKAT, CHIEF PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: Why don't we see any real attempts to re-engage in terms of ending the occupation or of implementing the road map? I'm afraid that things are slipping outside our fingers like sand. I'm afraid that things are going (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And there must be a direct international intervention, and we call upon the Quartis (ph) Committee once again to immediately provide (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on the ground if we want to talk about any sanity or any break of this vicious cycle out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: What about the road map? Is it dead?
YARON: Well, it's not dead, and we have to look at those, too, as separate issues during the question of the road map and with the question of the commitment of the Israeli government, this government as well as the government before that, to find a political solution and to find a political settlement to this situation.
But there is one thing that we cannot accept, and nor should any other democratic government, and this is terrorism threatening our lives. This is what it's all about. This is the war against terror. This has nothing to do with the type of settlements that should be here in the region. If we want to negotiate any type of political settlement we need to do this at the negotiating table. The terrorism has no right to exist, and no democratic country can accept that. I think that we can all agree at least on that.
COSTELLO: Ruth Yaron from the Israeli Defense Forces, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.
As the conflict in Iraq extends into its second year, we begin to remember just one day that changed the world forever. Now, with the 60th anniversary of D-Day fast approaching, veterans are unhappy with the way it's being remembered.
Jim Boulden reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tony Colgan was 20 when he crossed the English Channel heading for Gold Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944.
TONY COLGAN, D-DAY VETERAN: As we got close, I thought there's no way you can survive this day.
BOULDEN: Tony's busy helping to get some 50 veterans and family members to France for the 60th anniversary of D-Day.
COLGAN: He's agreed to actually have his photograph done.
BOULDEN: One of his headaches: getting all the paperwork to French authorities in time. Increased security means veterans need a special photo I.D. British veterans say it's a burden, but they're happy the increased security means their queen can attend. But some are unhappy she will be joined by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
COLGAN: I'd like the Germans there, but what we resent is the fact that he was invited and we weren't asked if we would like him to come.
BOULDEN (on camera): Some of the veterans who can no longer make the trip to Normandy will come to here to Portsmouth. It's from this southern English port that many of the troops left on the morning of D-Day.
(voice-over): Portsmouth will honor its local heroes.
ANDREW WHITMARSH, MILITARY HISTORIAN: I think we're all very aware that this could be the last one where significant numbers of are veterans coming. And it's possibly the final chance to acknowledge what they've done and to see large groups of them together.
COLGAN: I picked it in England, and I lost it in Berlin.
BOULDEN: Tony Colgan will go back one more time, but many of his friends who wanted to have died.
COLGAN: It's sad really to see them all go, and they are going -- two funerals a couple of weeks ago, two this coming week.
BOULDEN: D-day was the turning point of World War II, changing these men forever. Now they want to gather perhaps one last time to reflect and to remember.
Jim Boulden, CNN, Portsmouth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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Opening Statements Today in Terry Nichols Trial>
Aired March 22, 2004 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Terry Nichols goes on trial this morning. He's already serving a life sentence as a conspirator in the Oklahoma City bombings. If convicted on state charges, he could be put to death.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:15 Eastern.
The gates of hell are open -- those words from the Mideast militant group, Hamas, after Israel kills its leader in a missile attack. And now Hamas is vowing revenge. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was the spiritual head of Hamas, the man behind the philosophy of a group considered by the United States to be terrorists.
Let's go to Chris Burns live on the phone in Gaza City, where it's very difficult to get into Gaza.
Have you been able to do that yet -- Chris?
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, exactly. It's so hard that we're not quite there yet. We're still stuck at the Erez border crossing between Israel and Gaza.
Israeli authorities once again had closed the crossing because just moments after we heard what sounded like the thud of a mortar that landed nearby, that's what we think it was anyway, and it came about an hour or so after another explosion here that Hamas said that they fired a Qassam rocket at an area where there's an Israeli border post.
So, it's very, very tense here. They are allowing a trickle of journalists through. We're hoping to get through in the next few minutes.
But at the scene in Gaza City, the funeral procession is going on, angry crowds, tens of thousands of people angry at how Israeli helicopters could strike at a 67-year-old quadriplegic man in his wheelchair as the leader, the spiritual leader, of the Hamas militant group. And so, outrage among the Palestinians. Of course, the Israelis are saying that this man is responsible for countless suicide bombings that killed hundreds of Israelis.
So, the tense -- the sense of tension here is quite palpable.
We also saw smoke rising from Gaza City, where people were lighting bonfires in anger against this attack -- Carol. COSTELLO: Chris, I wanted to ask you, too, about these vows of revenge, not only against the Israelis, but vows of revenge also coming out against the United States. Can you expound?
BURNS: It's quite expectable after this strike that not only would the Israelis be blamed, but also the United States for supporting Israel and actually providing the helicopters and some of the weapons that were used against the Palestinians.
So, yes, that anger and rage happens every time there is an Israeli incursion inside the territories, or one of these so-called targeted killings or assassinations of militant leaders that has been stepped up. Both of those, the raids and the targeted attacks have been stepped up now about a week since the dual suicide bombing in the southern port of Ashdod that killed 10 Israelis.
And so, the Israeli government has said that they have redoubled their efforts to go after the militants, even though they had planned to pull out of this Gaza strip in perhaps as early as sometime in the next few months. They still say they want to strike at the militants even if they have pulled out.
So, the war goes on, and we see a rise in of language on both sides here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Chris Burns reporting live from near Gaza City this morning.
Tough accusations aimed right at President Bush. His former anti-terror advisor accuses the president of ignoring warnings about al Qaeda before 9/11. Richard Clarke has a book coming out. It's called "Against all Enemies." And it is highly critical of the Bush administration. Clarke is also set to testify this week before the independent commission investigating 9/11.
This is what Clarke said on "60 Minutes":
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD CLARKE, FORMER COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISOR: The president -- we were in the Situation Room complex. The president dragged me into a room with a couple of other people, shut the door, and said I want you to find whether Iraq did this. And he never said make it up. But the entire conversation left me in absolutely no doubt that George Bush wanted me to come back with a report that said Iraq did this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Clarke asked what Osama bin Laden had been saying for years; that America wants to invade an oil-rich Arab country and occupy it. And he said -- Richard Clarke says the president seemed to have accommodated him by invading Iraq.
The White House is dismissing Clarke's allegations. Here's communications director Dan Bartlett.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN BARLETT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: I think everybody in America would expect in 24 hours after one of the worst attacks on our country that the president of the United States was asking his counterterrorism officials, tell me everything. Tell me any possible link to this attack. I wan to know everything. I want to know about Iraq. I want to know about other affiliates or regimes that may somehow be implicated in 9/11. Because he was going through a decision-making process in which he wanted to understand all of the information available, so he could make the best decision on a military operation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And you can hear more from Clarke Tuesday on "AMERICAN MORNING." Of course, "AMERICAN MORNING" begins at 7:00 Eastern.
Before that, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice will respond to Richard Clarke's charges on "AMERICAN MORNING." That will happen today, and that will start in the next hour.
Terry Nichols is already serving a federal life sentence for his role in the Oklahoma City bombing. Well, today he goes on trial in state court on 161 murder counts.
CNN's Eric Philips is in Oklahoma this morning.
Good morning -- Eric.
ERIC PHILIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, good morning to you.
Terry Nichols will arrive here at the courthouse in McAlester, Oklahoma, between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. local time. Many people are wondering what will happen in this trial; some saying that it's a waste of time, but others saying the resources will be well spent to see Terry Nichols put to death if, in fact, that happens.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILIPS (voice-over): It happened nine years ago, but for some visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial, it's like the bombing happened just yesterday, especially for Oklahomans.
When you think of it, when you read something, when you hear something, it's the way your heart feels and you tear.
PHILIPS: One hundred sixty-eight people were killed in the April 19, 1995 bombing, but during his federal trial in 1997, Terry Nichols was sentenced to life in prison for just eight deaths -- those of the eight federal agents who died in the blast.
Now, Nichols is being held in this Oklahoma state prison, waiting to stand trial in nearby McAlister for the other 161 deaths, including one unborn child.
Roy Sells' (ph) wife, Lee (ph), was among the victims. He's still not at peace.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Until he dies, I think my feeling will not change until he dies for their deaths.
PHILIPS: Prosecutors are pressing for Nichols to get in his state trial what he didn't get in the federal one: death. Some believe retrying Nichols at the state level is a waste.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can only whip a dead horse for so long. And as an Oklahoman, I don't know what purpose we're serving.
PHILIPS: Others say it's worth the spent resources to see justice served.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is the best way to put it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILIPS: Defense attorneys are hoping what saved Terry Nichols' life during his federal trial will be the same thing that saves his life during his state trial. That is the fact that he was not with co-conspirator Timothy McVeigh the day the bomb went off -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks for that. Eric Philips reporting live from Oklahoma this morning.
In other headlines across America, a deadly crash involving a medical helicopter. It happened about 40 miles southeast of Odessa, Texas. Four people, including a 3-month-old patient, were killed in the crash. The baby's mother had brought the infant across the border from Mexico for medical treatment. In addition to the child, the mother, a paramedic and the pilot were killed.
In Washington State, a lesbian Methodist pastor says she hopes to return as a minister in her church. Reverend Karen Domin (ph) was acquitted over the weekend of violating a church ban on ordaining self-avowed, practicing homosexuals.
All right, all of you demolition lovers take a look at this. This is Philadelphia's Veteran Stadium, one massive pile of rubble this morning. The former home to the Phillies and Eagles was imploded to make way for a parking lot. It took about 3,000 pounds of explosives and only 60 seconds to bring it all down, to bring all of that concrete and steel down.
You know, a lot of people described that place as a pit, but there were some emotional memories coming out of that stadium.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I wonder if this...
COSTELLO: I mean, I have some of my own. I just wanted to share it with you. I went to a Browns-Eagles game there, and, you know, the Browns fans dress up, you know, in the dog noses and everything. And I watched as an Eagles fan pounded the living daylights out of a man dressed up like a dog. MYERS: Really?
COSTELLO: That was my beautiful memory from that stadium.
MYERS: Well, I know the players are not too upset that that field is gone. You know, the fans, I think, are a little upset that the building itself is gone, but, boy, the turf in that field was sometimes just...
COSTELLO: Well, it was dangerous, wasn't it?
MYERS: ... really hard to play on. Yes, so they finally got it -- I wonder if this is going to show up in some movie somewhere with -- I don't know -- with Bruce Willis and somebody else, and Bruce is running across. You'll be able to see him running down there. There he is. He's running right there. And he's, you know...
COSTELLO: With computer generation, you could probably do a lot of cool things with that.
MYERS: Exactly. Whenever they blow up a building in Las Vegas, it always shows up on some movie somewhere.
(WEATHER BREAK)
COSTELLO: Coming up on DAYBREAK, planning for a momentous occasion?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is possibly the final chance to acknowledge what they've done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Honoring the veterans of D-Day, but this year it won't be so easy.
And more on the attacks that took the life of a Hamas leader today. I'll talk to the woman who represents Israel's defense forces on this violent day.
And what restaurant chain cuts back on the all-you-can-eat deals? We'll tell you why.
And see how this little piggy ran all the way to the finish line. There she goes.
This is DAYBREAK for March 22.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It's 6:14 Eastern time. Time to take a quick look at the top stories.
Let's take you live to Gaza City for just a second to see what's happening there. You can see the tens of thousands of people in the street as vows for revenge for Israeli missile attack in Gaza go on. Of course, that attack killed Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
The Oklahoma state murder trial of Terry Nichols gets under way today. Nichols is charged with 161 counts of murder stemming from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
And President Bush's former counterterrorism advisor, Richard Clarke, accuses the president of ignoring early warnings about al Qaeda. Clarke is scheduled to appear before the 9/11 commission on Wednesday.
We update our top stories every 15 minutes. The next update comes your way at 6:30 Eastern.
Time for a little business buzz now. The "Fortune" 500 list is out, and a familiar name is right at the top.
Carrie Lee joins us live from the Nasdaq Marketsite to tell us who it is.
Good morning.
CARRIE LEE, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS: Once again, Carol, it is Wal- Mart topping the "Fortune" 500 list of the world's largest companies for three years in a row - - the nation's largest companies. Wal-Mart is actually one of only three companies ever to top this prestigious list. No. 2 went to Exxon/Mobil. No. 3: General Motors.
Rounding out the top 10 also in this list: Ford Motor, General Electric, Chevron-Texaco.
The magazine said the top 10 took in a record $7.5 trillion in revenue, $445.5 billion worth of profit, helped by very low interest rates, the Bush administration tax cuts. I'm sure the weak dollar helped some of these companies as well.
Of the 39 industries tracked by the magazine, "Fortune" said 34 of those industries saw year-over-year profit growth in 2003. The petroleum industry is doing especially well because of high oil prices. Those seeing profit weakness included telecom service providers and pharmaceuticals. So, interesting when you look at this by sectors.
I also want to give you the latest on Darden Restaurants' Red Lobster chain. They're going to cut back on the all-you-can-eat promotion. They generated customer (AUDIO GAP) crab promotion went awry when diners loaded up. And now the company is going to be probably moving to a once-a-year strategy.
All you can eat, Carol, it looks people did just that. So, it backfired a little bit. So, when you see it, grab it, because they're not going to be doing them as frequently.
Back to you. COSTELLO: All right, Carrie Lee live from the Nasdaq Marketsite.
Coming up on DAYBREAK, the war on terror. How much progress did Pakistani troops make over the weekend in the mountains?
And reuniting the veterans of another war. It's not so easy anymore to mark the date they all remember.
And our DAYBREAK "Photo of the Day." Hmmm, what is it? We'll have the answer for you right after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Assassination or targeted terror killing? Sheikh Ahmed Yassin is dead, killed in an Israeli military strike in Gaza. He was the spiritual leader of the terrorist group, Hamas.
Let's head live to Jerusalem now and Ruth Yaron, a spokeswoman for the Israeli Defense Forces.
Good morning.
RUTH YARON, ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESWOMAN: Good morning.
COSTELLO: What effect will Yassin's death have on your war on terror?
YARON: For us, Ahmed Yassin was no spiritual and was no leader. He was the chief terrorist and mastermind for evil. This is the man who has sent human bombs into the streets of Jerusalem, of Saladeed (ph), killing and maiming dozens and hundreds of Israeli children and families.
Now, for us, to stop Sheikh Ahmed Yassin from his initial plans to send even more terrorists into our streets was crucial, and that's where the action this morning taken by the Israeli air force was a lifesaving action, for the lives of the Israelis that he was planning to kill were saved this morning.
COSTELLO: The Palestinians, though, are calling this death an assassination. Even the British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, is condemning it. Let's listen to what he had to say a little bit earlier this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACK STRAW, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: It is very difficult for all countries fighting terrorism to take a measured response in the face of the kind of outrageous terrorism which Israel has suffered. All of us understand that. But a measure of restraint is required. And I don't believe that Israel will benefit from the fact that this morning an 80-year-old in a wheelchair has been the target of their assassinations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Why, in your eyes, is he wrong?
YARON: Under the guise of a religious leader and a paraplegic old man was a man that made a career in the terror industry. This is the man who perfected the art of death by sending human bombs into streets, into restaurants, into schools and killing children. This is what this man was doing. We should not be fooled by the appearances, and we should remember that terrorists strike wherever they can and at each and every time.
For us Israelis, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was really the embodiment of terror and of the suffering that we have suffered in the past three years. And we know fully well that even these days he was planning to send more such human bombs into our streets.
Now, the big question is: How do we fight terrorism? What kind of answer we as a democratic open society do have in light of people who would spare nothing, including the life of their own, in order to kill as many Israelis as possible?
COSTELLO: But there is...
YARON: The answer this morning is one of the possible answers.
COSTELLO: But there is a sense out there that this will only stir up things more; that this will invite more attacks, more violent attacks, not just in Israel, but elsewhere.
YARON: You know, the very fact that you did not hear about many more suicide bombings materializing in Israel is because our security forces were able to thwart those terrorist acts. It's not because they caught or they stopped trying. And therefore, the fact that there is seemingly silence, this is a very fake silence. This is not really what's happening. They keep on trying, and thank god that most of the time we are able to foil it.
Now, what goes on now in the streets of Gaza and the terrible revenge cries that we keep hearing from Palestinian leaders and from Palestinian speakers, this goes on due to the incitement on Palestinian television, and I expect the Palestinian responsible leadership to say something totally different. I expect them to say stop terrorism, let's go back to the negotiating table, let's find a solution by negotiating...
COSTELLO: Well, in fact, some of them are, if I may interrupt for a second.
YARON: ... not by terrorism.
COSTELLO: The chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erakat, also came out with a statement earlier this morning. Let's hear what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAEB EREKAT, CHIEF PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR: Why don't we see any real attempts to re-engage in terms of ending the occupation or of implementing the road map? I'm afraid that things are slipping outside our fingers like sand. I'm afraid that things are going (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And there must be a direct international intervention, and we call upon the Quartis (ph) Committee once again to immediately provide (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on the ground if we want to talk about any sanity or any break of this vicious cycle out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: What about the road map? Is it dead?
YARON: Well, it's not dead, and we have to look at those, too, as separate issues during the question of the road map and with the question of the commitment of the Israeli government, this government as well as the government before that, to find a political solution and to find a political settlement to this situation.
But there is one thing that we cannot accept, and nor should any other democratic government, and this is terrorism threatening our lives. This is what it's all about. This is the war against terror. This has nothing to do with the type of settlements that should be here in the region. If we want to negotiate any type of political settlement we need to do this at the negotiating table. The terrorism has no right to exist, and no democratic country can accept that. I think that we can all agree at least on that.
COSTELLO: Ruth Yaron from the Israeli Defense Forces, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning.
As the conflict in Iraq extends into its second year, we begin to remember just one day that changed the world forever. Now, with the 60th anniversary of D-Day fast approaching, veterans are unhappy with the way it's being remembered.
Jim Boulden reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tony Colgan was 20 when he crossed the English Channel heading for Gold Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944.
TONY COLGAN, D-DAY VETERAN: As we got close, I thought there's no way you can survive this day.
BOULDEN: Tony's busy helping to get some 50 veterans and family members to France for the 60th anniversary of D-Day.
COLGAN: He's agreed to actually have his photograph done.
BOULDEN: One of his headaches: getting all the paperwork to French authorities in time. Increased security means veterans need a special photo I.D. British veterans say it's a burden, but they're happy the increased security means their queen can attend. But some are unhappy she will be joined by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
COLGAN: I'd like the Germans there, but what we resent is the fact that he was invited and we weren't asked if we would like him to come.
BOULDEN (on camera): Some of the veterans who can no longer make the trip to Normandy will come to here to Portsmouth. It's from this southern English port that many of the troops left on the morning of D-Day.
(voice-over): Portsmouth will honor its local heroes.
ANDREW WHITMARSH, MILITARY HISTORIAN: I think we're all very aware that this could be the last one where significant numbers of are veterans coming. And it's possibly the final chance to acknowledge what they've done and to see large groups of them together.
COLGAN: I picked it in England, and I lost it in Berlin.
BOULDEN: Tony Colgan will go back one more time, but many of his friends who wanted to have died.
COLGAN: It's sad really to see them all go, and they are going -- two funerals a couple of weeks ago, two this coming week.
BOULDEN: D-day was the turning point of World War II, changing these men forever. Now they want to gather perhaps one last time to reflect and to remember.
Jim Boulden, CNN, Portsmouth.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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Opening Statements Today in Terry Nichols Trial>
