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Tenet to Resign From CIA

Aired June 03, 2004 - 13:30   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: CIA Director George Tenet stepping down after seven years as the nation's top spy. President Bush says Tenet is leaving for personal reasons. The agency has been under fire for intelligence failures relate to alleged weapon of mass destruction in Iraq and of the September 11 terror a tacks.
Mourning in Britain for a royal in-law. The mother of the late Princess Diana died this morning at her home in Scotland. Frances Shand Kidd had reportedly been deteriorating in health since her daughter's death in 1997.

I before E except after C. The final rounds of the 77th Annual National Spelling Bee are under way in Washington. Spellers must not be more than 15 years old. And by the end of the day, one of them will have earned the top prize, including $17,000 in cash.

Back to our top story now, the resignation of CIA Director George Tenet. Tenet is calling it quit after seven tumultuous years citing personal reasons. He'll be leaving in July.

Joining us now to analyze what or who's next, Ron Kessler. He had unprecedented access to the CIA for his book, "CIA at War: Inside the Secret Campaign Against Terror." Good to see you, Ron.

RON KESSLER, "CIA AT WAR: INSIDE THE SECRET CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERROR": Good to be with you.

PHILLIPS: Let's lay out the mistakes. Let's, more importantly, lay out what he did well while in the CIA. He definitely turned the CIA around and did a lot for human intelligence.

KESSLER: Exactly. He understood that you can't find out what bin Laden is doing by having satellites over head, which is what John Deutch's approach was when he was director.

He also understood that you have to take risk. And that was another thing that was a problem with the CIA before he took over. It was very risk-averse.

He also, finally, understood that bin Laden was, in fact, the greatest threat to the United States, which he said publicly, beginning in 1997.

You had these mistakes. But keep in mind that even Saddam Hussein's generals thought that they were supposed to use chemical weapons during the recent war. So it's very hard to get behind something like that.

PHILLIPS: Now, you point out -- back to the good for a moment here -- you point out the intelligence with regard to Osama bin Laden. And looking at what has happened now with regard to 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, did the president at that time listen to his CIA director when it came down to Osama bin Laden? Was this someone who was taken seriously with regard to the threat of terrorism?

KESSLER: No. I don't think any of the presidents took Tenet quite as seriously as, obviously, they should have in retrospect. I don't think any of us understood the threat, even though we knew that we were being attacked. It did require 9/11 to wake everybody up.

But the important thing is that things did change at that point. Bush recognized, even before 9/11, that he needed to meet with his CIA director every single morning, which he did as soon as he became president, whereas President Clinton almost never met with his CIA director.

That makes an big difference in terms of supplying support, increasing pressure on the agency and focusing things.

PHILLIPS: With regard to 9/11 and where does the blame lie, a lot of talk about this, this gap between the CIA, the FBI. I guess among all intelligence agencies. Yet FBI Director Robert Mueller coming forward just a few moments ago saying this was an individual that worked hard to bridge that gap. Do you agree with that?

KESSLER: Yes. In fact, Tenet and Mueller have dinner with their wives every three weeks. That gives you some indication of how things have changed.

The real problem -- certainly lack of communication was a problem. But the real problem was simply getting the information in the first place. Even if you knew all these things, connected all the dots, there still was not the information about these plots.

And to do that, you have to cultivate sources. It takes years, it takes money, it takes patience, it certainly requires risk. And that's what Tenet instilled in the agency.

PHILLIPS: If you were to pick out one main issue that led, I guess, to the demise -- I don't know if that's the proper word -- would it be weapons of mass destruction and the lack thereof?

KESSLER: You know, we in the newspaper business and media think that everything revolves around what's in the papers. The fact is, when it comes to the Bush administration, all Bush cares about is whether the person is doing a good job. And Tenet was doing a good job. The people on the inside, within the agency, within the fight of the war on terror, understood that he was doing the superb job as Bush said.

The truth is that his son, George Tenet's son, is a senior in high school next year. They have to pay for college. His wife, Stephanie, has been agitating about the incredible hours. And that's really what's behind his resignation.

PHILLIPS: Ron, real quickly, before we go, I've asked you is this going to be a man that is going to be hard to replace. And you did remind me, a good point to make with regard to daily business, "Buzzy" Kraft.

KESSLER: Yes, the real person who keeps the trains running on time at the CIA is the executive director, A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard, who's a very colorful character. He's a former head of an investigation banking firm. He didn't need a job. He had about $80 million. And he's also a black belt in karate.

He's the guy who's going to keep it going. John McLaughlin is more of an analyst. He's going to be taking over from Tenet. But very respected analyst.

But in terms of the day to day operation, "Buzzy" Krongard is their secret weapon.

PHILLIPS: Ron Kessler, always good insight. Thanks so very much.

KESSLER: Thank you.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well two women, possibly more, killed. This after a sex offender is released from prison on a technicality. How this sort of thing happens, and what you can do to protect yourself, coming up.

PHILLIPS: On the flip side of crime, your murder charges for a man who had an unusual alibi. TV saved lives, as LIVE FROM... continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Details are emerging a grizzly killing spree in Syracuse, New York. The suspect now in custody has previous convictions for several violent crimes. In January, he was released after serving 12 years for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl. Now investigators say he may be responsible for a string of murders.

Here's Lala Walsh (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LALA WALSH (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Syracuse police don't know how many people Nicholas Wiley may have killed.

CHIEF DENNIS DUVAL, SYRACUSE POLICE: We know there's two victims. There's a strong possibility there could be additional ones.

WALSH: Detectives are studying reports about missing people, and checking Wiley's apartment complex.

DUVAL: This position is based upon, obviously, our interview with Mr. Wiley, as based on the information that was gleaned during those interviews.

WALSH: We don't know exactly what wily may have told investigators about other victims, but court documents show he allegedly admitted to killing two people, including a 31-year-old Lodi Thompson (ph).

DUVAL: They lived right next door to each others, one apartment away. And obviously we believe through our investigation that, obviously, Mr. Wiley knew our victim.

WALSH: Detectives say Wiley admitted to killing Thompson last Tuesday or Wednesday, by tying her up and cutting her throat. That's the same way Wiley told police he killed another woman several days or weeks earlier. Her body was found yesterday in a dumpster.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That was Lala Walsh reporting from Syracuse, New York. More on the investigation and to know how to keep yourself safe in your own neighborhood, Mike Brooks is joining us now to talk a little bit more about this.

You talked to Syracuse police. The latest on this, they think this investigation may broaden.

MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They do. I just spoke with a sergeant from the major crimes unit there, and he said from the interviews they've had with him, that he's intimating there are other bodies. He said right now they're going through all the missing persons cases that they have in Syracuse, and they're also looking to see if there are other bodies that they can find right now. But he said it is early in the investigation, but they do believe that he's good for more than just these two.

WHITFIELD: Now the interesting thing about him is investigators are saying that he did check in, he was doing supposedly all the right things while out and, you know, living in his own apartment, but apparently they didn't have a tight leech on him. What's the problem with that? How closely are they supposed to watch him?

BROOKS: Well, the tightest leash they on him, he has to check in every 90 days with the police. He has to go in physically and say, here I am, here's where I live now.

Now the police also told me that he has moved three times since he got out of jail in January, but he stayed within the city of Syracuse. I asked him if they go out and talk to the people in the neighborhood and say, hey, you have a level-three sex offender living there. He said, if someone that lives near a school, or somewhere where there's children, they would do that, but there's so many level- three sex offenders in Syracuse, it would be tough to go out and let every neighborhood know that they do have a sexual predator living in their neighborhood.

WHITFIELD: But ordinarily, there are some routes in which people can take, there are federal guideline, some states adhere to them, where people can find out who are living in their neighborhood.

BROOKS: That's right. There are. Just about every state has some kind of sex offender registry program. Most of the states have it online. You can two to FBI.gov and their crimes against children section, and it will tell you which states have it, which states don't. Some of the ones that they say do not have a Web site, some of them actually do.

So it's best if there's any questions at all, whether you're a coach of a little league team, if you're involved in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, I know it sounds kinds of harsh to say, you know, don't trust anyone, but you're there to protect your children, you're there to take care of your family. If you have any questions at all, check these Web sites, or contact the local police in your jurisdiction.

WHITFIELD: Have these methods proven to be effective and helpful?

BROOKS: They have. You know, they say that Syracuse does not let the neighborhood know. I know of one case in Minneapolis, in a small town just outside of Minneapolis, where they actually sent around by mail a flyer with a person's picture, and it says, this person is moving into your neighborhood, and it gave the exact address where he was going to live. But then, he apparently decided not to live in that neighborhood, so they sent another mailing out, that said plans have changed, disregard, he's not moving into this particular neighborhood. But, again, that's a very, very small locale that has a small number of people. But when you have a large city, like Syracuse or other large cities, you know, on the East Coast or West Coast, it's tough to go to each neighborhood and say, hey, you have a sexual predator living in your community.

WHITFIELD: And finally, and quickly, you're mentioning to me that the state of New York does have a proposal on deck to try to deal with special cases like this, this Nicholas Wiley.

BROOKS: They do. Nicholas Wiley, I talked to Lyle Hartog (ph). He's from there state criminal justice services division, and he said that he apparently had done his time, his 12 years, there was no more probation, no more parole, and they let him out. But there's a new House bill -- it's a bill S5556 -- that deals specifically with civil commitment of sexually violent predators, where they will go back to see if there are any mental abnormalities before they let someone out on the street, and then if they decide, if the court decides that there is, and the Division of Mental Health decides that there is, they can civilly commit this person for a longer term to actually get this person more help, and keep them from being on the street, like Wiley was.

WHITFIELD: OK, that's potentially later, but we know for now, this Web site that is available to everybody, where do we find it?

BROOKS: You can go to FBI.gov, and it has all the ones for most of the states. Some states will be listed, and it says no, they don't have one, but you can check with your state board of corrections, your state board of parole, and they will tell you where to go, or call your local police, call your local FBI office, crimes against children unit, and they'll direct you for your location, where you live, where to go to get this information.

WHITFIELD: Mike Brooks, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

BROOKS: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: The HBO show "Curb Your Enthusiasm" revolves around comedy writer Larry David finding himself in pretty far-fetched situations. But here's one even he couldn't make up. It turns out that the show helped provide a real life happy ending for a man accused of murder. For the man involved, comedy it was not.

Jim Nash of CNN affiliate KTLA reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUAN CATALAN, CLEARED OF MURDER CHARGES: It wasn't until a few days later, sitting in jail, that my girlfriend reminded me that I was at the game. So after she told me that, it just all came back to me.

JIM NASH, KTLA REPORTER: It's 9:09. Larry David is walking down the aisle with Juan right six feet behind him. This video proves that Juan Catalan was at Dodgers Stadium the night of May 12th, 2003, with his daughter and cousin.

At almost exactly the same time, 16-year-old Martha Pueblo was shot to death in Sun Valley, 20 miles away. Catalan was in jail 5 1/2 months, facing a possible death penalty for the girl's murder, when his attorney, Todd Melnek (ph), found this shot in the outtakes for an episode of the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," starring Larry David.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Hey, I see you got a ticket.

LARRY DAVID, ACTOR: Yes, the seats really stink though. I'm sitting all the way up there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NASH: In this episode, David attends a Dodgers game, and in this shot, not used in the show, David walks past Juan Catalan in the stands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's Juan. And I ask you, does that look like a man ready to commit a cold-blooded murder?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Juan Catalan had been sitting at home, watching the Dodger game, without being on video and using a cell phone and all that, he would more than likely be on death row today.

NASH: Catalan's girlfriend, Alma Oseguera, remembered that Juan had been at the game with their daughter, Melissa. ALMA OSEGUERA, CATALAN'S GIRLFRIEND: I'm like, Juan, wait a minute, wasn't that that day that the girl was killed, weren't you at a Dodger game?

NASH: She found the tickets. Catalan's attorney took them to police. He says they ignored him, and cell phone records, as evidence. But once a judge saw the HBO tape, Catalan's case was dismissed and he was set free.

CATALAN: It's amazing. It's more like a miracle, the way I look at it, because to be there at that point in time, to be on HBO video, and together with my cell phone records, I mean, it came together -- it was beautiful, like a puzzle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, back now to a messy situation in northern California, about 50 miles south of Sacramento, where a levee has broken, causing a true mess out there. You're seeing a road that some of the motorists have been able to pass. We're looking at some tape shot before apparently part of that roadway was washed away because of torrents of water, torrents of water that have now flooded farm fields that ordinarily supply drinking water. The levee breaking just about 50 miles south of Sacramento. More on that when we get it.

Remember the Kool and the Gang hit "Ladies Night?" Well, in New Jersey, they may not want to play that tune any more. That story coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: You know Vicky's talking to her mom on the phone there? We're not supposed to tell.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: All right, it's the last call for ladies night in New Jersey, we are told.

WHITFIELD: People are aghast, I'm sure. Well, it isn't just Jersey girls affected by the new law cutting off ladies nights promotions.

PHILLIPS: Claudia Gomez of affiliate WTXF reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLAUDIA GOMEZ, WTXF CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This may be the future for all bars in New Jersey. Women and men paying the same cover price at the door and same the price every night the week. In other words, no ladies night discounts for women.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it stinks.

DAVID GILLESPIE, COMPLAINANT: Yes, some of them all right going to get mad and then some of them -- wake up, guy, start to think. Think with your head. That's why you have a brain.

GOMEZ: David Gillespie is the man to thank, or to blame. Six years ago, he filed suit after he went to the Coastline Bar and Restaurant for a meal on what turned out to be ladies night. He got fed up when he had to pay a $5 cover while women got in free.

GILLESPIE: There's a lot of women out that -- they want equal rights. Well I figure equal rights shouldn't stop at from 9:00 to 5:00, it should be 24/7.

So if we want equal rights, then let's play by those rules.

GOMEZ: The director of New Jersey's Division on Civil Rights agreed.

FRANK VESPA-PAPALEO, N.J. DIV. ON CIVIL RIGHTS: A ladies night event violates New Jersey's law against discrimination insofar as it treats men and women differently. No different than if the bar treated whites and black differently.

GOMEZ: But the Coastline's owner says that was never his intent. He says it's designed to get men and women talking.

CHRIS MOUTOS, RESTAURANT OWNER: Obviously, the promotion works because guys, in order to meet girls, they go up to a girl and say, Here's $3, could you get me a beer. And by the way, get one for yourself.

GOMEZ: For now, equal rights will prevail at bars in New Jersey. But it certainly won't end the battle of the sexes.

David Gillespie, take cover.

LINDA STOKES, PATRON: I think if he had a girlfriend and he came and he only had to pay half price for her drinks, he'd be happy with that. But obviously, maybe nobody want to go out with him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(MARKET UPDATE)

PHILLIPS: Coming up in the second hour of LIVE FROM..., more on today's blockbuster story, the resignation of CIA Director George Tenet. We expect some tape of Tenet's remarks to his CIA colleagues today. We'll bring that to you. And of course the latest reaction.

WHITFIELD: And you may think of her as Nurse Diesel or Phyllis or Frau Blucher.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Hey, well she's come up and we'll have her for you, right here on LIVE FROM... Cloris Leachman.

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


Aired June 3, 2004 - 13:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: CIA Director George Tenet stepping down after seven years as the nation's top spy. President Bush says Tenet is leaving for personal reasons. The agency has been under fire for intelligence failures relate to alleged weapon of mass destruction in Iraq and of the September 11 terror a tacks.
Mourning in Britain for a royal in-law. The mother of the late Princess Diana died this morning at her home in Scotland. Frances Shand Kidd had reportedly been deteriorating in health since her daughter's death in 1997.

I before E except after C. The final rounds of the 77th Annual National Spelling Bee are under way in Washington. Spellers must not be more than 15 years old. And by the end of the day, one of them will have earned the top prize, including $17,000 in cash.

Back to our top story now, the resignation of CIA Director George Tenet. Tenet is calling it quit after seven tumultuous years citing personal reasons. He'll be leaving in July.

Joining us now to analyze what or who's next, Ron Kessler. He had unprecedented access to the CIA for his book, "CIA at War: Inside the Secret Campaign Against Terror." Good to see you, Ron.

RON KESSLER, "CIA AT WAR: INSIDE THE SECRET CAMPAIGN AGAINST TERROR": Good to be with you.

PHILLIPS: Let's lay out the mistakes. Let's, more importantly, lay out what he did well while in the CIA. He definitely turned the CIA around and did a lot for human intelligence.

KESSLER: Exactly. He understood that you can't find out what bin Laden is doing by having satellites over head, which is what John Deutch's approach was when he was director.

He also understood that you have to take risk. And that was another thing that was a problem with the CIA before he took over. It was very risk-averse.

He also, finally, understood that bin Laden was, in fact, the greatest threat to the United States, which he said publicly, beginning in 1997.

You had these mistakes. But keep in mind that even Saddam Hussein's generals thought that they were supposed to use chemical weapons during the recent war. So it's very hard to get behind something like that.

PHILLIPS: Now, you point out -- back to the good for a moment here -- you point out the intelligence with regard to Osama bin Laden. And looking at what has happened now with regard to 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, did the president at that time listen to his CIA director when it came down to Osama bin Laden? Was this someone who was taken seriously with regard to the threat of terrorism?

KESSLER: No. I don't think any of the presidents took Tenet quite as seriously as, obviously, they should have in retrospect. I don't think any of us understood the threat, even though we knew that we were being attacked. It did require 9/11 to wake everybody up.

But the important thing is that things did change at that point. Bush recognized, even before 9/11, that he needed to meet with his CIA director every single morning, which he did as soon as he became president, whereas President Clinton almost never met with his CIA director.

That makes an big difference in terms of supplying support, increasing pressure on the agency and focusing things.

PHILLIPS: With regard to 9/11 and where does the blame lie, a lot of talk about this, this gap between the CIA, the FBI. I guess among all intelligence agencies. Yet FBI Director Robert Mueller coming forward just a few moments ago saying this was an individual that worked hard to bridge that gap. Do you agree with that?

KESSLER: Yes. In fact, Tenet and Mueller have dinner with their wives every three weeks. That gives you some indication of how things have changed.

The real problem -- certainly lack of communication was a problem. But the real problem was simply getting the information in the first place. Even if you knew all these things, connected all the dots, there still was not the information about these plots.

And to do that, you have to cultivate sources. It takes years, it takes money, it takes patience, it certainly requires risk. And that's what Tenet instilled in the agency.

PHILLIPS: If you were to pick out one main issue that led, I guess, to the demise -- I don't know if that's the proper word -- would it be weapons of mass destruction and the lack thereof?

KESSLER: You know, we in the newspaper business and media think that everything revolves around what's in the papers. The fact is, when it comes to the Bush administration, all Bush cares about is whether the person is doing a good job. And Tenet was doing a good job. The people on the inside, within the agency, within the fight of the war on terror, understood that he was doing the superb job as Bush said.

The truth is that his son, George Tenet's son, is a senior in high school next year. They have to pay for college. His wife, Stephanie, has been agitating about the incredible hours. And that's really what's behind his resignation.

PHILLIPS: Ron, real quickly, before we go, I've asked you is this going to be a man that is going to be hard to replace. And you did remind me, a good point to make with regard to daily business, "Buzzy" Kraft.

KESSLER: Yes, the real person who keeps the trains running on time at the CIA is the executive director, A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard, who's a very colorful character. He's a former head of an investigation banking firm. He didn't need a job. He had about $80 million. And he's also a black belt in karate.

He's the guy who's going to keep it going. John McLaughlin is more of an analyst. He's going to be taking over from Tenet. But very respected analyst.

But in terms of the day to day operation, "Buzzy" Krongard is their secret weapon.

PHILLIPS: Ron Kessler, always good insight. Thanks so very much.

KESSLER: Thank you.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well two women, possibly more, killed. This after a sex offender is released from prison on a technicality. How this sort of thing happens, and what you can do to protect yourself, coming up.

PHILLIPS: On the flip side of crime, your murder charges for a man who had an unusual alibi. TV saved lives, as LIVE FROM... continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Details are emerging a grizzly killing spree in Syracuse, New York. The suspect now in custody has previous convictions for several violent crimes. In January, he was released after serving 12 years for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl. Now investigators say he may be responsible for a string of murders.

Here's Lala Walsh (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LALA WALSH (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Syracuse police don't know how many people Nicholas Wiley may have killed.

CHIEF DENNIS DUVAL, SYRACUSE POLICE: We know there's two victims. There's a strong possibility there could be additional ones.

WALSH: Detectives are studying reports about missing people, and checking Wiley's apartment complex.

DUVAL: This position is based upon, obviously, our interview with Mr. Wiley, as based on the information that was gleaned during those interviews.

WALSH: We don't know exactly what wily may have told investigators about other victims, but court documents show he allegedly admitted to killing two people, including a 31-year-old Lodi Thompson (ph).

DUVAL: They lived right next door to each others, one apartment away. And obviously we believe through our investigation that, obviously, Mr. Wiley knew our victim.

WALSH: Detectives say Wiley admitted to killing Thompson last Tuesday or Wednesday, by tying her up and cutting her throat. That's the same way Wiley told police he killed another woman several days or weeks earlier. Her body was found yesterday in a dumpster.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: That was Lala Walsh reporting from Syracuse, New York. More on the investigation and to know how to keep yourself safe in your own neighborhood, Mike Brooks is joining us now to talk a little bit more about this.

You talked to Syracuse police. The latest on this, they think this investigation may broaden.

MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They do. I just spoke with a sergeant from the major crimes unit there, and he said from the interviews they've had with him, that he's intimating there are other bodies. He said right now they're going through all the missing persons cases that they have in Syracuse, and they're also looking to see if there are other bodies that they can find right now. But he said it is early in the investigation, but they do believe that he's good for more than just these two.

WHITFIELD: Now the interesting thing about him is investigators are saying that he did check in, he was doing supposedly all the right things while out and, you know, living in his own apartment, but apparently they didn't have a tight leech on him. What's the problem with that? How closely are they supposed to watch him?

BROOKS: Well, the tightest leash they on him, he has to check in every 90 days with the police. He has to go in physically and say, here I am, here's where I live now.

Now the police also told me that he has moved three times since he got out of jail in January, but he stayed within the city of Syracuse. I asked him if they go out and talk to the people in the neighborhood and say, hey, you have a level-three sex offender living there. He said, if someone that lives near a school, or somewhere where there's children, they would do that, but there's so many level- three sex offenders in Syracuse, it would be tough to go out and let every neighborhood know that they do have a sexual predator living in their neighborhood.

WHITFIELD: But ordinarily, there are some routes in which people can take, there are federal guideline, some states adhere to them, where people can find out who are living in their neighborhood.

BROOKS: That's right. There are. Just about every state has some kind of sex offender registry program. Most of the states have it online. You can two to FBI.gov and their crimes against children section, and it will tell you which states have it, which states don't. Some of the ones that they say do not have a Web site, some of them actually do.

So it's best if there's any questions at all, whether you're a coach of a little league team, if you're involved in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, I know it sounds kinds of harsh to say, you know, don't trust anyone, but you're there to protect your children, you're there to take care of your family. If you have any questions at all, check these Web sites, or contact the local police in your jurisdiction.

WHITFIELD: Have these methods proven to be effective and helpful?

BROOKS: They have. You know, they say that Syracuse does not let the neighborhood know. I know of one case in Minneapolis, in a small town just outside of Minneapolis, where they actually sent around by mail a flyer with a person's picture, and it says, this person is moving into your neighborhood, and it gave the exact address where he was going to live. But then, he apparently decided not to live in that neighborhood, so they sent another mailing out, that said plans have changed, disregard, he's not moving into this particular neighborhood. But, again, that's a very, very small locale that has a small number of people. But when you have a large city, like Syracuse or other large cities, you know, on the East Coast or West Coast, it's tough to go to each neighborhood and say, hey, you have a sexual predator living in your community.

WHITFIELD: And finally, and quickly, you're mentioning to me that the state of New York does have a proposal on deck to try to deal with special cases like this, this Nicholas Wiley.

BROOKS: They do. Nicholas Wiley, I talked to Lyle Hartog (ph). He's from there state criminal justice services division, and he said that he apparently had done his time, his 12 years, there was no more probation, no more parole, and they let him out. But there's a new House bill -- it's a bill S5556 -- that deals specifically with civil commitment of sexually violent predators, where they will go back to see if there are any mental abnormalities before they let someone out on the street, and then if they decide, if the court decides that there is, and the Division of Mental Health decides that there is, they can civilly commit this person for a longer term to actually get this person more help, and keep them from being on the street, like Wiley was.

WHITFIELD: OK, that's potentially later, but we know for now, this Web site that is available to everybody, where do we find it?

BROOKS: You can go to FBI.gov, and it has all the ones for most of the states. Some states will be listed, and it says no, they don't have one, but you can check with your state board of corrections, your state board of parole, and they will tell you where to go, or call your local police, call your local FBI office, crimes against children unit, and they'll direct you for your location, where you live, where to go to get this information.

WHITFIELD: Mike Brooks, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

BROOKS: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: The HBO show "Curb Your Enthusiasm" revolves around comedy writer Larry David finding himself in pretty far-fetched situations. But here's one even he couldn't make up. It turns out that the show helped provide a real life happy ending for a man accused of murder. For the man involved, comedy it was not.

Jim Nash of CNN affiliate KTLA reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JUAN CATALAN, CLEARED OF MURDER CHARGES: It wasn't until a few days later, sitting in jail, that my girlfriend reminded me that I was at the game. So after she told me that, it just all came back to me.

JIM NASH, KTLA REPORTER: It's 9:09. Larry David is walking down the aisle with Juan right six feet behind him. This video proves that Juan Catalan was at Dodgers Stadium the night of May 12th, 2003, with his daughter and cousin.

At almost exactly the same time, 16-year-old Martha Pueblo was shot to death in Sun Valley, 20 miles away. Catalan was in jail 5 1/2 months, facing a possible death penalty for the girl's murder, when his attorney, Todd Melnek (ph), found this shot in the outtakes for an episode of the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," starring Larry David.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Hey, I see you got a ticket.

LARRY DAVID, ACTOR: Yes, the seats really stink though. I'm sitting all the way up there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NASH: In this episode, David attends a Dodgers game, and in this shot, not used in the show, David walks past Juan Catalan in the stands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here's Juan. And I ask you, does that look like a man ready to commit a cold-blooded murder?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If Juan Catalan had been sitting at home, watching the Dodger game, without being on video and using a cell phone and all that, he would more than likely be on death row today.

NASH: Catalan's girlfriend, Alma Oseguera, remembered that Juan had been at the game with their daughter, Melissa. ALMA OSEGUERA, CATALAN'S GIRLFRIEND: I'm like, Juan, wait a minute, wasn't that that day that the girl was killed, weren't you at a Dodger game?

NASH: She found the tickets. Catalan's attorney took them to police. He says they ignored him, and cell phone records, as evidence. But once a judge saw the HBO tape, Catalan's case was dismissed and he was set free.

CATALAN: It's amazing. It's more like a miracle, the way I look at it, because to be there at that point in time, to be on HBO video, and together with my cell phone records, I mean, it came together -- it was beautiful, like a puzzle.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, back now to a messy situation in northern California, about 50 miles south of Sacramento, where a levee has broken, causing a true mess out there. You're seeing a road that some of the motorists have been able to pass. We're looking at some tape shot before apparently part of that roadway was washed away because of torrents of water, torrents of water that have now flooded farm fields that ordinarily supply drinking water. The levee breaking just about 50 miles south of Sacramento. More on that when we get it.

Remember the Kool and the Gang hit "Ladies Night?" Well, in New Jersey, they may not want to play that tune any more. That story coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: You know Vicky's talking to her mom on the phone there? We're not supposed to tell.

(CROSSTALK)

PHILLIPS: All right, it's the last call for ladies night in New Jersey, we are told.

WHITFIELD: People are aghast, I'm sure. Well, it isn't just Jersey girls affected by the new law cutting off ladies nights promotions.

PHILLIPS: Claudia Gomez of affiliate WTXF reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLAUDIA GOMEZ, WTXF CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This may be the future for all bars in New Jersey. Women and men paying the same cover price at the door and same the price every night the week. In other words, no ladies night discounts for women.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it stinks.

DAVID GILLESPIE, COMPLAINANT: Yes, some of them all right going to get mad and then some of them -- wake up, guy, start to think. Think with your head. That's why you have a brain.

GOMEZ: David Gillespie is the man to thank, or to blame. Six years ago, he filed suit after he went to the Coastline Bar and Restaurant for a meal on what turned out to be ladies night. He got fed up when he had to pay a $5 cover while women got in free.

GILLESPIE: There's a lot of women out that -- they want equal rights. Well I figure equal rights shouldn't stop at from 9:00 to 5:00, it should be 24/7.

So if we want equal rights, then let's play by those rules.

GOMEZ: The director of New Jersey's Division on Civil Rights agreed.

FRANK VESPA-PAPALEO, N.J. DIV. ON CIVIL RIGHTS: A ladies night event violates New Jersey's law against discrimination insofar as it treats men and women differently. No different than if the bar treated whites and black differently.

GOMEZ: But the Coastline's owner says that was never his intent. He says it's designed to get men and women talking.

CHRIS MOUTOS, RESTAURANT OWNER: Obviously, the promotion works because guys, in order to meet girls, they go up to a girl and say, Here's $3, could you get me a beer. And by the way, get one for yourself.

GOMEZ: For now, equal rights will prevail at bars in New Jersey. But it certainly won't end the battle of the sexes.

David Gillespie, take cover.

LINDA STOKES, PATRON: I think if he had a girlfriend and he came and he only had to pay half price for her drinks, he'd be happy with that. But obviously, maybe nobody want to go out with him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(MARKET UPDATE)

PHILLIPS: Coming up in the second hour of LIVE FROM..., more on today's blockbuster story, the resignation of CIA Director George Tenet. We expect some tape of Tenet's remarks to his CIA colleagues today. We'll bring that to you. And of course the latest reaction.

WHITFIELD: And you may think of her as Nurse Diesel or Phyllis or Frau Blucher.

(CROSSTALK)

WHITFIELD: Hey, well she's come up and we'll have her for you, right here on LIVE FROM... Cloris Leachman.

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