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Pols & Pundits Ponder Tenet Resignation; Fighting Continues in Kufa
Aired June 04, 2004 - 12:58 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.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He told me he was resigning for personal reasons. I told him I'm sorry he's leaving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Seven-year itch or White House shove? America's top spy CIA Director George Tenet resigns.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm David Mattingly in Redwood City, California, for the first full day of testimony in the Scott Peterson double murder trial. I'll have that story.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: TV outtakes turn into the perfect alibi. Now a man accused of murder cannot "curb his enthusiasm" for a cable comedy show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, some of them are going to get mad and then some of them, wake up, guys, start to think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Last call for ladies' night? A legal challenge for the barroom gimmick.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Philips. Miles is off today.
WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield. CNN's LIVE FROM... starts right now.
After weathering storms over 9/11 and Iraq, CIA Director George Tenet's long and troubled tenure is coming to an end. The White House announced today the director will leave the spy agency next month. Tenet cited personal reasons. We have a lot of ground to cover on this story. Let's with CNN national security correspondent David Ensor in Washington -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, George Tenet's last day at work will be July 11. It will be exactly seven years of service as director of Central Intelligence, the second-longest serving director under -- in a period of tumultuous change and ferment and of problems in the intelligence community.
He has been buffeted by charges of intelligence failures over 9/11 and over Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. But he's also presided over a massive reconstruction of the intelligence community to face the new post-9/11 threats. And he has successfully speeded through a war in Afghanistan that brought the Taliban government down very, very quickly.
He's been a trusted adviser of President George Bush and of President Bill Clinton. A remarkable straddling there of Democratic and Republican administrations. But now he has said that for personal reasons, he wants to leave office. He is tired. This is high pressure job.
And so clearly personal reasons are part of the story, but clearly also, this president -- Tenet would not be offering his resignation if this president had not already discussed it, agreed that he could go and that this was the right time -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: David, discussed it, is there any way of knowing whether indeed the White House actually encouraged him to resign at this point, as opposed to at least staying through Election Day?
ENSOR: Not unless they say so, and it's probably going to be one of the more closely held secrets as to what the two Georges said to each other on this subject. But clearly George Tenet has said to me and others that this is a high pressure job, he couldn't do it for that much longer. He was looking for a dignified exit, if you will. He wanted to get back into the private sector. So he was ready to go and has said so in the past. And really, the timing was something that presumably the president and the director of Central Intelligence worked out together -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: George Tenet submitted this resignation last night. We heard from the White House today. Is there any possibility we might hear from George Tenet himself today?
ENSOR: Yes, we will. I understand that he spoke to the staff, the employees, of the Central Intelligence Agency not too long ago in the great bubble of an auditorium that they have there on the campus of the CIA. And we understand that at least some part of that, remarks may be available publicly soon -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. We'll be looking for that. David Ensor, thanks very much -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, President Bush has adamantly stood by Tenet in the past, and now he says he's sorry that he's leaving. The president is following this from Air Force One. Let's go to White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux for more -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, as David had mentioned, this really wasn't terribly a surprise to the White House. Tenet has tried to resign in the past, before the Iraq war. There were indications that he certainly was not interested in the job for the next administration, be it Democratic or Republican. President Bush and Tenet are two very close leaders. They talk every day in his daily intelligence briefings. Tenet, as you know, he is well-liked and respected. He is a Greek-American from Queens, a straight-shooter and a tough guy. These are the kinds of qualities that President Bush has always appreciated in him.
But of course, as you know, Tenet has also been a lightning rod for this administration and has certainly tested Mr. Bush's loyalty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: George Tenet is the kind of public servant you'd like to work with. He's strong. He's resolute. He served the nation as director for seven years. He has been a strong and able leader at the agency. He has been a strong leader in the war on terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, as you know, he was a hold-over from the Clinton administration. He was held over essentially because of his valuable plan, the Middle East initiative, the Tenet plan, and he has served in this capacity for about seven years or so.
And of course, also a very controversial reign. It was just in Bob Woodward's book, he said that he thought the weapons of mass destruction, in Iraq's case, Saddam Hussein was a slam dunk case. And a lot has been made about the timing of this announcement. Two important facts, that is in July and later in the summer, there are a few reports that we expect to come out, one from a Senate report, as well as one from the 9/11 Commission, both of them expected to be quite critical of pre-war intelligence and also of intelligence leading up to September 11 -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Suzanne Malveaux, LIVE FROM... the White House, thank you.
WHITFIELD: House Speaker Dennis Hastert says history will be the ultimate judge of Tenet's time at the CIA. Let's go to CNN's Joe Johns on Capitol Hill where there is mixed reaction already. And we heard from Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein earlier, Joe. And she says this resignation may possibly make the U.S. a little bit more vulnerable. What are other representatives on the Hill saying?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A whole variety, as you might expect, of different reaction, Fredricka. This was apparently a very closely held secret. Neither Democrats nor Republican, many of them here on Capitol Hill, knew about it. They expressed surprise over the timing, of course, of the Tenet announcement that has already been mentioned.
Now while this is a period while the intelligence committee in the Senate is working to declassify its report on pre-war intelligence, working with various federal agencies to try to make that report public. And the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee who are working on declassifying that report issued a statement just a little while ago that says, in part: "While Tenet steps down during a period of controversy over events leading up to the attacks of September 11, and the quality of intelligence prior to the Iraq war, we should not lose sight a simple truth. George Tenet has served country with honor and distinction during difficult and demanding times."
Now, some House members are also speaking out on this. We caught up with a couple of them on camera today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: I think there are many more people who are responsible for the mess that the Bush administration have gotten us into. But if Mr. Tenet thinks there should be a change of leadership at the CIA for whatever reason, including, you know, taking one for the administration, then so be it. But I think that the responsibility goes far beyond George Tenet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARK FOLEY (R), FLORIDA: I don't know if he was forced out. I can't tell. I know that there were some disagreements. And I know there were some times when they were less than happy with the results tendered by the agency itself. Mr. Tenet is the head of the agency and he has to take responsibility for things that go on during his watch and I think he's made an appropriate step forward today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Now, one of the things that very interesting about this, as I said at the top, very many members of both the Democratic and Republican parties have said they didn't know about this, with the notable exception of Congressman Porter Goss of Florida, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He said Tenet gave him a call. He called him an honorable man. He said that Tenet did at least let him know that he was stepping down.
Porter Goss, interestingly enough, is one of those people whose name certainly gets mentioned as a possible successor to Tenet. He said that decision, of course, is up to the president.
Fredricka, back to you.
WHITFIELD: And, Joe, how about any suspicion on the Hill as to whether Tenet's resignation is to any way connected to the stepped up intelligence now of the leaks involving Ahmed Chalabi and consequently to Iran?
JOHNS: Well, that question continues to be asked, what about Chalabi, what about the allegations that someone apparently gave Chalabi certain information that he may have passed on to Iran? But that is something so far the members of Congress we've spoken to have not wanted to touch.
They've again and again tried to stay away from that because, number one, it's under investigation, number two, any of that information presumably would be classified. So it's something people will speculate about, but we don't have any hard information right now.
WHITFIELD: All right. Joe Johns on Capitol Hill, thanks very much -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Live pictures now of FBI Director Robert Mueller. We are being told that he will make some comments with regard to the resignation of CIA Director George Tenet. You're looking at live pictures right now within the House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing. It's a hearing talking actually about intelligence. As soon as Robert Mueller steps to the mic, starts talking about Tenet, we will dip in and take that live.
So what's it going to take to restore faith in America's intelligence community? Back to Washington now. CNN military intelligence analyst Ken Robinson for a look at what is next for the CIA.
Ken, through your career, especially within the military, you've dealt a lot with the CIA, a lot with intelligence. As we go into an election year now, are you surprised that this happened?
KEN ROBINSON, CNN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: It doesn't -- it's not surprising that he would choose to leave prior to election for several reasons. One, clearly articulated by David Ensor, national security correspondent earlier. It's just that how grueling it is to be both the director of an agency, the CIA, and the director of the Central Intelligence service, be in charge of all of the intelligence community. And I don't think that it helps -- it hurts politically, because now he's no longer a lightning rod of discussion if George Bush is looked at for just selecting a new director.
PHILLIPS: So for the time being, is it the deputy director of the CIA that steps in, John McLaughlin? And if so, let's talk about him and what he does now until a permanent replacement is made.
ROBINSON: John McLaughlin is a highly respected intelligence professional. And there's continuity of operations involved with all of our departments and agencies. And I don't believe the CIA will miss a beat. It doesn't make sense, as I was saying, politically, for them to try to replace and name someone new, so that we go into the issue of Senate confirmation and all of the arguments that go into WMD and what we knew and when we knew it, in terms of 9/11 report, which is not due to be out until after the presidential election.
PHILLIPS: So Ken, how does this all go down? How does it shake out with regard to finding a permanent replacement?
ROBINSON: I don't think -- personally, I don't believe that they're going to try to find a replacement before the election. I think that John McLaughlin will be the caretaker for the CIA and the community and the process of electing the next president will move forward. And then depending on who wins, they'll name someone new. I would be surprised if they chose a Senate confirmation process at this time in an election year.
PHILLIPS: Well, I know you've been talking to all your sources within the Pentagon. We'll talk to you next hour of what intel folks, specifically those in the CIA, want to see in a new director. Ken Robinson, thank you.
ROBINSON: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, did a convicted sex offender become a serial killer? Police investigate after two bodies are found in his apartment building months after his release from prison.
Witness for the prosecution. Day two of testimony in the Scott Peterson murder trial, a live report straight ahead.
Over a barrel. Will a decision made today by leading oil producing countries lead to lower pump prices for you? We'll shake it all out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: To Iraq now and more fighting in the southern city of Kufa, about 30 Iraqis were killed in the latest clashes with U.S. forces which took place despite a cease-fire. CNN's Guy Raz has more, including an exclusive interview with the Army commander on the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The battle in southern Iraq has now definitively shifted from Najaf to Kufa, where U.S. forces clashed with Mehdi militia fighters early this morning, the militia loyal to the young Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. For more details on those fighting, we're now joined by General Martin Dempsey, commander of the 1st Armored Division.
General Dempsey, thanks for being with us. Six weeks of fighting in Najaf and Kufa, what is the purpose of these engagements, what is the ultimate aim?
GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, U.S. ARMY: Well, the ultimate aim is to defeat the -- Muqtada's militia so that it cannot intimidate the electoral process that will follow the restoration of sovereignty.
RAZ: How crucial is it to do that before the thirtieth of June?
DEMPSEY: Well, I think that what's really crucial before the thirtieth of June is that we knock it down to a level to where the emerging Iraqi security forces could handle it themselves. So I don't see 30 June as necessarily a date that we have to finish the mission by.
We may, by the way. We may finish the mission by then. But if not, it will be -- in fact, the militia right now is destroyed every place except in Kufa and some remnants in Najaf. And so it's well on its way.
RAZ: General, what about a truce? Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mehdi militia regard routine patrols and zone reconnaissance as offensive procedures, as aggressive maneuvers. Why do those continue? DEMPSEY: There is no legitimate security force in Iraq right now except the coalition forces, and where they have been established, Iraqi police and the civil defense corps. The problem we've got here in Najaf and Kufa is that the pre-existing police, the pre-existing civil defense corps essentially dissolved when this militia made its appearance.
So for us to admit that we are being provocative would be to say that we would be willing to accept the void of security. I mean, there is a public order issue here. And so we are out doing routine reconnaissance patrols.
The local people, incidentally, don't disapprove of that. And we are very careful to keep our distance from the shrines. But you're right, the militia claim we're being provocative. They are not a legitimate force and so I don't buy into the idea that we can provoke an illegitimate force.
RAZ: General Dempsey, thank you very much for your time.
DEMPSEY: OK.
RAZ: As we've heard, engagements will continue over the coming weeks, until the Mehdi militia, the militia loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, is finally disarmed.
Guy Raz, CNN, Najaf, in southern Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The first full day of testimony is getting under way in the double murder trial of Scott Peterson. Yesterday, defense attorney Mark Geragos described his client as "stone-cold innocent" in opening remarks.
CNN's David Mattingly is covering the trial for us in Redwood City, California -- David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, you're right, this is the first full day of testimony. And so far, we're hearing from the people who last saw Laci Peterson alive on December 23, the day before she was reported missing. We have heard from three witnesses so far, in particular two at a day spa where Laci went on December 23.
Both of those people testified that Laci Peterson was wearing a white shirt and black capri pants and that she claimed that she was feeling very tired that day. Very small bits of information that may be important later as prosecutors try to challenge Scott Peterson's story, that Scott Peterson last saw his wife on December 24 wearing similar clothes, and that she was feeling well enough to walk the family dog. Also, if you remember, Laci's body was later recovered in tan pants, not the black pants that everyone claims to have seen her in on the twenty-third.
Now something interesting came up in cross examination. The owner of the day spa, under cross examination, said that unlike a lot of her customers at the day spa, Laci Peterson never complained about her husband Scott. And under redirection from the prosecution, that same witness also said that Laci never said that Scott Peterson was having an affair -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: David Mattingly, LIVE FROM... Redwood City. Thank you -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Kyra, we want to show you some incredible pictures coming out of Northern California, about 50 miles south of Sacramento. This is what happens when a 300-foot portion of a levee breaks. This taking place in Stockton, California, and taking with it there a road or highway. We don't know yet if any motorists or pedestrians in any way were involved in this. But apparently now this water is now coming out and flooding farm fields near pipelines that carry drinking water.
We want to go now to Washington, D.C., to the Capitol Hill there, where FBI Director Mueller is now talking. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: ... and make a couple of points. I've come to learn that George, during his tenure as head of the CIA has transformed that agency, both by way of recruiting and hiring and training. He is an individual who I've come to learn is respected not only by those within Washington, but also major leaders around the world.
In my experience, in working with him, he has sought at every turn to bridge the gap between the CIA and FBI. And he has always been concerned about one thing and one goal and one goal only, and that is the safety of the American public. And it's due to his efforts that our agencies work so closely together now so that we're better able to predict the threats against the United States.
And I say that I believe that he is one of the true leaders, certainly, in the intelligence field but beyond that. And his loss, I know, will be sorely felt with his colleagues at the CIA. His loss will be felt by the American public. It will be felt by us at the FBI, we've known to have learned to work so closely with him. It will be a loss to me personally.
We have developed a tremendous relationship over the last two- and-a-half years. So thank you for the opportunity to comment upon the fact that he is going off to other opportunities. And I want to also thank you for the opportunity to discuss the FBI's vision to enhance its intelligence...
WHITFIELD: All right, you're listening there to FBI Director Robert Mueller talk about the tenure, the seven-year tenure as director of the CIA, George Tenet, as he now resigns. His last day on the job will be July 11.
Now you don't need X-rays now to tell that more and more Americans are obese, including children. In fact this afternoon, Arkansas will report on the nation's first wide state-wide obesity screening of public schoolchildren.
CNN's senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more on the growing problem of metabolic syndrome and what the future medical dangers it poses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: When you typically think of heart disease, you think of adults. In fact, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of both men and women. But that was before we had 20 percent of our nation's children being obese. Heart disease can be even a bigger player later on down the road.
According to the NIH, 20 percent of the nation's children are now obese. What are going to be the long-term consequences? Well, people trying to figure that out by way of something known as the metabolic syndrome.
First all what is metabolic syndrome? There are five characteristics, take a look: obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, and low HDL, that's the good cholesterol. Now if a child has three of those five symptoms, they have the metabolic syndrome.
What are the consequences of this? Well, that was a subject of a study done in the New England Journal of Medicine where they actually looked at 439 children. They found the adolescents as well moderately obese, they found 39 percent of them had the syndrome. But if you're severely obese, one in two are going to have this metabolic syndrome.
The bottom line here is that when you talk about a lot of these diseases, including heart disease, stroke and diabetes, you talk about a cumulative risk. Meaning, if you develop diabetes at age 50 and you're now age 60, you've had 10 years of diabetes. But what if you develop diabetes at age 10? By the time you're 60, you've had 50 years of diabetes, and that can be a real problem of cumulative risk in terms of heart disease, strokes and other problems as well.
The bottom line messages are the same, but it may be time for children who are severely obese to start getting checked by theirs doctors earlier, looking for diabetes, looking at their blood pressure, perhaps their cholesterol as well. And certainly families all need to get together on this, a family affair, if you will. Diet and exercise are going to be the answers. People really need to pay attention for the long term.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a TV outtake saves a man from death row.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's amazing. It's more like a miracle, the way I look at it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: A lawyer's made-for-TV defense clears his client on a murder charge.
And ladies night versus equal rights. A New Jersey man goes to court for equal treatment at the bar.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, a decision at the plate at Yankee Stadium, or at the concession stand. Crunch n' Munch has been benched and Crackerjack is back in the snacking lineup. The Billy Martin of ballpark treats was fired by the front office after its maker Frito- Lay, started packaging the candy-coated popcorn peanuts and a prize in bags. They said it was too messy. Well, they started selling Crunch n' Munch instead. But Yankee fans immediately cried foul. After all, the song doesn't say "buy me some peanut and Crunch n' Munch," hello. So Crackerjack is back and all is right in the baseball world.
WHITFIELD: A sex offender out of jail on a technicality moves into an apartment building, then police find bodies of two women there. A cautionary tale that got us thinking how this can happen. Find out how to know who is living in your neighborhood. More of LIVE FROM... right after this.
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Aired June 4, 2004 - 12:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He told me he was resigning for personal reasons. I told him I'm sorry he's leaving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Seven-year itch or White House shove? America's top spy CIA Director George Tenet resigns.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And I'm David Mattingly in Redwood City, California, for the first full day of testimony in the Scott Peterson double murder trial. I'll have that story.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: TV outtakes turn into the perfect alibi. Now a man accused of murder cannot "curb his enthusiasm" for a cable comedy show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, some of them are going to get mad and then some of them, wake up, guys, start to think.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Last call for ladies' night? A legal challenge for the barroom gimmick.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, hello, everyone, I'm Kyra Philips. Miles is off today.
WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield. CNN's LIVE FROM... starts right now.
After weathering storms over 9/11 and Iraq, CIA Director George Tenet's long and troubled tenure is coming to an end. The White House announced today the director will leave the spy agency next month. Tenet cited personal reasons. We have a lot of ground to cover on this story. Let's with CNN national security correspondent David Ensor in Washington -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, George Tenet's last day at work will be July 11. It will be exactly seven years of service as director of Central Intelligence, the second-longest serving director under -- in a period of tumultuous change and ferment and of problems in the intelligence community.
He has been buffeted by charges of intelligence failures over 9/11 and over Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. But he's also presided over a massive reconstruction of the intelligence community to face the new post-9/11 threats. And he has successfully speeded through a war in Afghanistan that brought the Taliban government down very, very quickly.
He's been a trusted adviser of President George Bush and of President Bill Clinton. A remarkable straddling there of Democratic and Republican administrations. But now he has said that for personal reasons, he wants to leave office. He is tired. This is high pressure job.
And so clearly personal reasons are part of the story, but clearly also, this president -- Tenet would not be offering his resignation if this president had not already discussed it, agreed that he could go and that this was the right time -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: David, discussed it, is there any way of knowing whether indeed the White House actually encouraged him to resign at this point, as opposed to at least staying through Election Day?
ENSOR: Not unless they say so, and it's probably going to be one of the more closely held secrets as to what the two Georges said to each other on this subject. But clearly George Tenet has said to me and others that this is a high pressure job, he couldn't do it for that much longer. He was looking for a dignified exit, if you will. He wanted to get back into the private sector. So he was ready to go and has said so in the past. And really, the timing was something that presumably the president and the director of Central Intelligence worked out together -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: George Tenet submitted this resignation last night. We heard from the White House today. Is there any possibility we might hear from George Tenet himself today?
ENSOR: Yes, we will. I understand that he spoke to the staff, the employees, of the Central Intelligence Agency not too long ago in the great bubble of an auditorium that they have there on the campus of the CIA. And we understand that at least some part of that, remarks may be available publicly soon -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. We'll be looking for that. David Ensor, thanks very much -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, President Bush has adamantly stood by Tenet in the past, and now he says he's sorry that he's leaving. The president is following this from Air Force One. Let's go to White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux for more -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, as David had mentioned, this really wasn't terribly a surprise to the White House. Tenet has tried to resign in the past, before the Iraq war. There were indications that he certainly was not interested in the job for the next administration, be it Democratic or Republican. President Bush and Tenet are two very close leaders. They talk every day in his daily intelligence briefings. Tenet, as you know, he is well-liked and respected. He is a Greek-American from Queens, a straight-shooter and a tough guy. These are the kinds of qualities that President Bush has always appreciated in him.
But of course, as you know, Tenet has also been a lightning rod for this administration and has certainly tested Mr. Bush's loyalty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: George Tenet is the kind of public servant you'd like to work with. He's strong. He's resolute. He served the nation as director for seven years. He has been a strong and able leader at the agency. He has been a strong leader in the war on terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, as you know, he was a hold-over from the Clinton administration. He was held over essentially because of his valuable plan, the Middle East initiative, the Tenet plan, and he has served in this capacity for about seven years or so.
And of course, also a very controversial reign. It was just in Bob Woodward's book, he said that he thought the weapons of mass destruction, in Iraq's case, Saddam Hussein was a slam dunk case. And a lot has been made about the timing of this announcement. Two important facts, that is in July and later in the summer, there are a few reports that we expect to come out, one from a Senate report, as well as one from the 9/11 Commission, both of them expected to be quite critical of pre-war intelligence and also of intelligence leading up to September 11 -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Suzanne Malveaux, LIVE FROM... the White House, thank you.
WHITFIELD: House Speaker Dennis Hastert says history will be the ultimate judge of Tenet's time at the CIA. Let's go to CNN's Joe Johns on Capitol Hill where there is mixed reaction already. And we heard from Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein earlier, Joe. And she says this resignation may possibly make the U.S. a little bit more vulnerable. What are other representatives on the Hill saying?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A whole variety, as you might expect, of different reaction, Fredricka. This was apparently a very closely held secret. Neither Democrats nor Republican, many of them here on Capitol Hill, knew about it. They expressed surprise over the timing, of course, of the Tenet announcement that has already been mentioned.
Now while this is a period while the intelligence committee in the Senate is working to declassify its report on pre-war intelligence, working with various federal agencies to try to make that report public. And the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee who are working on declassifying that report issued a statement just a little while ago that says, in part: "While Tenet steps down during a period of controversy over events leading up to the attacks of September 11, and the quality of intelligence prior to the Iraq war, we should not lose sight a simple truth. George Tenet has served country with honor and distinction during difficult and demanding times."
Now, some House members are also speaking out on this. We caught up with a couple of them on camera today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: I think there are many more people who are responsible for the mess that the Bush administration have gotten us into. But if Mr. Tenet thinks there should be a change of leadership at the CIA for whatever reason, including, you know, taking one for the administration, then so be it. But I think that the responsibility goes far beyond George Tenet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MARK FOLEY (R), FLORIDA: I don't know if he was forced out. I can't tell. I know that there were some disagreements. And I know there were some times when they were less than happy with the results tendered by the agency itself. Mr. Tenet is the head of the agency and he has to take responsibility for things that go on during his watch and I think he's made an appropriate step forward today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Now, one of the things that very interesting about this, as I said at the top, very many members of both the Democratic and Republican parties have said they didn't know about this, with the notable exception of Congressman Porter Goss of Florida, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He said Tenet gave him a call. He called him an honorable man. He said that Tenet did at least let him know that he was stepping down.
Porter Goss, interestingly enough, is one of those people whose name certainly gets mentioned as a possible successor to Tenet. He said that decision, of course, is up to the president.
Fredricka, back to you.
WHITFIELD: And, Joe, how about any suspicion on the Hill as to whether Tenet's resignation is to any way connected to the stepped up intelligence now of the leaks involving Ahmed Chalabi and consequently to Iran?
JOHNS: Well, that question continues to be asked, what about Chalabi, what about the allegations that someone apparently gave Chalabi certain information that he may have passed on to Iran? But that is something so far the members of Congress we've spoken to have not wanted to touch.
They've again and again tried to stay away from that because, number one, it's under investigation, number two, any of that information presumably would be classified. So it's something people will speculate about, but we don't have any hard information right now.
WHITFIELD: All right. Joe Johns on Capitol Hill, thanks very much -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Live pictures now of FBI Director Robert Mueller. We are being told that he will make some comments with regard to the resignation of CIA Director George Tenet. You're looking at live pictures right now within the House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing. It's a hearing talking actually about intelligence. As soon as Robert Mueller steps to the mic, starts talking about Tenet, we will dip in and take that live.
So what's it going to take to restore faith in America's intelligence community? Back to Washington now. CNN military intelligence analyst Ken Robinson for a look at what is next for the CIA.
Ken, through your career, especially within the military, you've dealt a lot with the CIA, a lot with intelligence. As we go into an election year now, are you surprised that this happened?
KEN ROBINSON, CNN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE ANALYST: It doesn't -- it's not surprising that he would choose to leave prior to election for several reasons. One, clearly articulated by David Ensor, national security correspondent earlier. It's just that how grueling it is to be both the director of an agency, the CIA, and the director of the Central Intelligence service, be in charge of all of the intelligence community. And I don't think that it helps -- it hurts politically, because now he's no longer a lightning rod of discussion if George Bush is looked at for just selecting a new director.
PHILLIPS: So for the time being, is it the deputy director of the CIA that steps in, John McLaughlin? And if so, let's talk about him and what he does now until a permanent replacement is made.
ROBINSON: John McLaughlin is a highly respected intelligence professional. And there's continuity of operations involved with all of our departments and agencies. And I don't believe the CIA will miss a beat. It doesn't make sense, as I was saying, politically, for them to try to replace and name someone new, so that we go into the issue of Senate confirmation and all of the arguments that go into WMD and what we knew and when we knew it, in terms of 9/11 report, which is not due to be out until after the presidential election.
PHILLIPS: So Ken, how does this all go down? How does it shake out with regard to finding a permanent replacement?
ROBINSON: I don't think -- personally, I don't believe that they're going to try to find a replacement before the election. I think that John McLaughlin will be the caretaker for the CIA and the community and the process of electing the next president will move forward. And then depending on who wins, they'll name someone new. I would be surprised if they chose a Senate confirmation process at this time in an election year.
PHILLIPS: Well, I know you've been talking to all your sources within the Pentagon. We'll talk to you next hour of what intel folks, specifically those in the CIA, want to see in a new director. Ken Robinson, thank you.
ROBINSON: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, did a convicted sex offender become a serial killer? Police investigate after two bodies are found in his apartment building months after his release from prison.
Witness for the prosecution. Day two of testimony in the Scott Peterson murder trial, a live report straight ahead.
Over a barrel. Will a decision made today by leading oil producing countries lead to lower pump prices for you? We'll shake it all out.
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WHITFIELD: To Iraq now and more fighting in the southern city of Kufa, about 30 Iraqis were killed in the latest clashes with U.S. forces which took place despite a cease-fire. CNN's Guy Raz has more, including an exclusive interview with the Army commander on the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The battle in southern Iraq has now definitively shifted from Najaf to Kufa, where U.S. forces clashed with Mehdi militia fighters early this morning, the militia loyal to the young Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. For more details on those fighting, we're now joined by General Martin Dempsey, commander of the 1st Armored Division.
General Dempsey, thanks for being with us. Six weeks of fighting in Najaf and Kufa, what is the purpose of these engagements, what is the ultimate aim?
GEN. MARTIN DEMPSEY, U.S. ARMY: Well, the ultimate aim is to defeat the -- Muqtada's militia so that it cannot intimidate the electoral process that will follow the restoration of sovereignty.
RAZ: How crucial is it to do that before the thirtieth of June?
DEMPSEY: Well, I think that what's really crucial before the thirtieth of June is that we knock it down to a level to where the emerging Iraqi security forces could handle it themselves. So I don't see 30 June as necessarily a date that we have to finish the mission by.
We may, by the way. We may finish the mission by then. But if not, it will be -- in fact, the militia right now is destroyed every place except in Kufa and some remnants in Najaf. And so it's well on its way.
RAZ: General, what about a truce? Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mehdi militia regard routine patrols and zone reconnaissance as offensive procedures, as aggressive maneuvers. Why do those continue? DEMPSEY: There is no legitimate security force in Iraq right now except the coalition forces, and where they have been established, Iraqi police and the civil defense corps. The problem we've got here in Najaf and Kufa is that the pre-existing police, the pre-existing civil defense corps essentially dissolved when this militia made its appearance.
So for us to admit that we are being provocative would be to say that we would be willing to accept the void of security. I mean, there is a public order issue here. And so we are out doing routine reconnaissance patrols.
The local people, incidentally, don't disapprove of that. And we are very careful to keep our distance from the shrines. But you're right, the militia claim we're being provocative. They are not a legitimate force and so I don't buy into the idea that we can provoke an illegitimate force.
RAZ: General Dempsey, thank you very much for your time.
DEMPSEY: OK.
RAZ: As we've heard, engagements will continue over the coming weeks, until the Mehdi militia, the militia loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, is finally disarmed.
Guy Raz, CNN, Najaf, in southern Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: The first full day of testimony is getting under way in the double murder trial of Scott Peterson. Yesterday, defense attorney Mark Geragos described his client as "stone-cold innocent" in opening remarks.
CNN's David Mattingly is covering the trial for us in Redwood City, California -- David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, you're right, this is the first full day of testimony. And so far, we're hearing from the people who last saw Laci Peterson alive on December 23, the day before she was reported missing. We have heard from three witnesses so far, in particular two at a day spa where Laci went on December 23.
Both of those people testified that Laci Peterson was wearing a white shirt and black capri pants and that she claimed that she was feeling very tired that day. Very small bits of information that may be important later as prosecutors try to challenge Scott Peterson's story, that Scott Peterson last saw his wife on December 24 wearing similar clothes, and that she was feeling well enough to walk the family dog. Also, if you remember, Laci's body was later recovered in tan pants, not the black pants that everyone claims to have seen her in on the twenty-third.
Now something interesting came up in cross examination. The owner of the day spa, under cross examination, said that unlike a lot of her customers at the day spa, Laci Peterson never complained about her husband Scott. And under redirection from the prosecution, that same witness also said that Laci never said that Scott Peterson was having an affair -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: David Mattingly, LIVE FROM... Redwood City. Thank you -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Kyra, we want to show you some incredible pictures coming out of Northern California, about 50 miles south of Sacramento. This is what happens when a 300-foot portion of a levee breaks. This taking place in Stockton, California, and taking with it there a road or highway. We don't know yet if any motorists or pedestrians in any way were involved in this. But apparently now this water is now coming out and flooding farm fields near pipelines that carry drinking water.
We want to go now to Washington, D.C., to the Capitol Hill there, where FBI Director Mueller is now talking. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: ... and make a couple of points. I've come to learn that George, during his tenure as head of the CIA has transformed that agency, both by way of recruiting and hiring and training. He is an individual who I've come to learn is respected not only by those within Washington, but also major leaders around the world.
In my experience, in working with him, he has sought at every turn to bridge the gap between the CIA and FBI. And he has always been concerned about one thing and one goal and one goal only, and that is the safety of the American public. And it's due to his efforts that our agencies work so closely together now so that we're better able to predict the threats against the United States.
And I say that I believe that he is one of the true leaders, certainly, in the intelligence field but beyond that. And his loss, I know, will be sorely felt with his colleagues at the CIA. His loss will be felt by the American public. It will be felt by us at the FBI, we've known to have learned to work so closely with him. It will be a loss to me personally.
We have developed a tremendous relationship over the last two- and-a-half years. So thank you for the opportunity to comment upon the fact that he is going off to other opportunities. And I want to also thank you for the opportunity to discuss the FBI's vision to enhance its intelligence...
WHITFIELD: All right, you're listening there to FBI Director Robert Mueller talk about the tenure, the seven-year tenure as director of the CIA, George Tenet, as he now resigns. His last day on the job will be July 11.
Now you don't need X-rays now to tell that more and more Americans are obese, including children. In fact this afternoon, Arkansas will report on the nation's first wide state-wide obesity screening of public schoolchildren.
CNN's senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more on the growing problem of metabolic syndrome and what the future medical dangers it poses.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: When you typically think of heart disease, you think of adults. In fact, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of both men and women. But that was before we had 20 percent of our nation's children being obese. Heart disease can be even a bigger player later on down the road.
According to the NIH, 20 percent of the nation's children are now obese. What are going to be the long-term consequences? Well, people trying to figure that out by way of something known as the metabolic syndrome.
First all what is metabolic syndrome? There are five characteristics, take a look: obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, and low HDL, that's the good cholesterol. Now if a child has three of those five symptoms, they have the metabolic syndrome.
What are the consequences of this? Well, that was a subject of a study done in the New England Journal of Medicine where they actually looked at 439 children. They found the adolescents as well moderately obese, they found 39 percent of them had the syndrome. But if you're severely obese, one in two are going to have this metabolic syndrome.
The bottom line here is that when you talk about a lot of these diseases, including heart disease, stroke and diabetes, you talk about a cumulative risk. Meaning, if you develop diabetes at age 50 and you're now age 60, you've had 10 years of diabetes. But what if you develop diabetes at age 10? By the time you're 60, you've had 50 years of diabetes, and that can be a real problem of cumulative risk in terms of heart disease, strokes and other problems as well.
The bottom line messages are the same, but it may be time for children who are severely obese to start getting checked by theirs doctors earlier, looking for diabetes, looking at their blood pressure, perhaps their cholesterol as well. And certainly families all need to get together on this, a family affair, if you will. Diet and exercise are going to be the answers. People really need to pay attention for the long term.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a TV outtake saves a man from death row.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's amazing. It's more like a miracle, the way I look at it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: A lawyer's made-for-TV defense clears his client on a murder charge.
And ladies night versus equal rights. A New Jersey man goes to court for equal treatment at the bar.
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PHILLIPS: Well, a decision at the plate at Yankee Stadium, or at the concession stand. Crunch n' Munch has been benched and Crackerjack is back in the snacking lineup. The Billy Martin of ballpark treats was fired by the front office after its maker Frito- Lay, started packaging the candy-coated popcorn peanuts and a prize in bags. They said it was too messy. Well, they started selling Crunch n' Munch instead. But Yankee fans immediately cried foul. After all, the song doesn't say "buy me some peanut and Crunch n' Munch," hello. So Crackerjack is back and all is right in the baseball world.
WHITFIELD: A sex offender out of jail on a technicality moves into an apartment building, then police find bodies of two women there. A cautionary tale that got us thinking how this can happen. Find out how to know who is living in your neighborhood. More of LIVE FROM... right after this.
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