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Two Major Storms Near Landfall; President Bush in Southwest
Aired August 11, 2004 - 15:00 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Two major storms out of the tropics are moving toward landfall. This is what Hurricane Charley looks like from space, specifically, the International Space Station, 250 miles above us. Thanks to the team in Houston for sending us that. We appreciate it.
It centered south of Jamaica and heading toward Cuba. Tropical Storm Bonnie is moving toward the Florida Panhandle, a shot from the same location, International Space Station. Once again, thanks. We have a weather update just ahead.
In Eagle, Colorado, the prosecutor in the sexual assault case against basketball star Kobe Bryant wants some more time to prepare. Jury selection for the trial is set for August 27. CNN's Gary Tuchman tells us in five minutes what is behind the state's filing.
U.S. and Iraqi forces planning a major assault to end a weeklong battle against insurgents in Najaf. And in Fallujah, American warplanes bombed a group of insurgents after U.S. Marines on the ground came under fire.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Back to now why NASA provided those pictures. Two tropical storms are packing heavy winds. One of them is officially now a hurricane. And they're both taking aim at Florida. Bonnie and Charley could mean double trouble over the next couple of days.
Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is tracking those storms.
And is it Charley that is the hurricane?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Charley is the hurricane now and packing winds about 75 miles per hour.
We're not all that far away from Hurricane strength, though, with Bonnie either. We have seen some significant strengthening with Bonnie over the last six hours, packing winds of 65 miles per hour. So we only have to bump it up nine more to get a hurricane. And I think some more strengthening can be expected over the next 12 hours- plus. So we may see a small Category 1 hurricane making landfall. It's still a possibility. A little iffy, but, hey, what's a couple miles per hour between friends, right?
All right, the forecast track continuing to move up to the north and to the east. It's accelerating a little bit in forward speed, so it's starting to move a little faster towards the coastline. The forecast track, though, and the timing still the same. We still think tomorrow morning, probably late morning, just off to the west of Panama City, we are going to see some heavy rain. We have some flood watches is in effect already, because we have a cold front which has been digging down through the area.
So your ground is already very saturated. And on top of that, We think Bonnie is going to be bringing in another four to six inches of rainfall. Now, tropical storm warnings are in effect from the Alabama-Florida border, extending over to the mouth of the Suwannee River. And a hurricane watch is in effect as well, because it's possible that this may be upgraded to a hurricane later.
Now, there are hurricane watches in effect across the Florida Keys, from Craig Key, extending to the Dry Tortugas and mandatory evacuations for visitors and nonresidents from mile marker 72 on southward, also hurricane watches in effect across much from western Cuba and the Isle of Youth. And this is because of Charley. And Charley is the one that is a hurricane now. And it's honing in on Jamaica.
It looks like, I think, the eye is going to be missing Jamaica. But tropical storm force winds should be moving across the island throughout the evening hours for today. This is the forecast track we're expecting here now, with Charley moving across Cuba throughout the day on Thursday , back over the water on Friday in the overnight early morning hours and then early Friday morning likely making some landfall.
And this is still a pretty big strike zone here, because a lot can happen between now and then. We're still talking two days away before this could be making landfall. But I think my best prediction, somewhere in area, we think, on Friday morning. And Charley I think is going to be a much stronger storm, something more to worry about.
And this part of the country, too -- we were talking about flooding -- very, very saturated, 15 inches above where you should be in Tampa since June 1 -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Jacqui -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: President Bush taking his campaign today to a pair of Southwestern battleground states.
Suzanne Malveaux, traveling with the president, she joins us now with an update.
Hello, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.
President Bush is expected to arrive here very shortly in New Mexico. This is a critical state for a Bush win. As you know, back in 2000, he lost by less than 400 votes. The president is traveling from Florida. Bush aides believe he's traveling with perhaps his strongest weapon. That is former Republican rival, Senator John McCain, the war hero who is now traveling with the president, campaigning with him, to tell the American people that he supports the Iraq war, that he supports the war policy.
But the recent polls show that the president is losing some ground when it comes to Americans' confidence in handling this war, that that gap is closing with Kerry. There is some concern there. Bush aides recognize that the one thing he has to do is strike a balance between portraying himself as the tough war president, the one will protect the American people, but also somebody who can be sensitive to American sacrifice.
There is a new ad that they put out today that is expected to do -- or they hope to do just that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, BUSH-CHENEY CAMPAIGN AD)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I approve this message.
My most solemn duty is to lead our nation to protect ourselves. I can't imagine the great agony of a mom or dad having to make the decision about which child to pick up first on September the 11th. We cannot hesitate. We cannot yield. We must do everything in our power to bring an enemy to justice before they hurt us again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, the Kerry camp is calling this a desperate attempt to change the subject, not take the responsibility of the aftermath of Iraq war, not to take responsibility of the real issues that Americans voters care about, they say, health care and jobs.
I talked to Senator John McCain yesterday, asked him -- there are a lot of difference that he has with the president regarding some policies, HMO', tax cuts, as well as even stem cell research. He assures us that he has put all of those differences behind, that he says that he's backing the president because he believes it's so important to succeed in this war on terror -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux in Albuquerque, thanks very much.
President Bush and his wife, Laura, will join Larry King for an exclusive interview Thursday night on the program entitled "LARRY KING LIVE." That's tomorrow night, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. Don't miss it.
WHITFIELD: Well, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is trying to appeal to seniors today by campaigning in the battleground state of Nevada, where polls show the race is neck and neck. Speaking to a group of senior citizens in Henderson a short time ago, Kerry promised to bring down the cost of precipitation drugs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I call on the president to do what he should have done in the first place. I call on the president to get out of the way of Americans being able to import drugs from Canada at a lower price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Southern California is the next stop on Kerry's Believe in America Tour crossing 21 states.
O'BRIEN: As Dick Vitale would put it, the Kobe Bryant prosecutors have called a T.O. , a time-out. After a slew of bad news for them jeopardizing their case, they're seeking a delay in the start of Bryant's trial for alleged sexual assault.
CNN's Gary Tuchman has been covering this case all along. He's down in the Florida Panhandle on storm watch, but joins with us now with the latest on Kobe Bryant instead.
Read the tea leaves for us there, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first tea leave, Miles, storm comes tomorrow. Kobe is the big story today.
And here is what the tea leaves tell us, that the prosecutors are in a lot of trouble with their case. For months, they have argued they wanted to speed it up, so this woman has this trial very quickly. Now they are saying in court papers filed that they want a delay, a continuance, an indefinite delay. You don't have to read between the lines to know that the prosecutors have problems with their case. They have said so themselves in court following the release of transcripts from a closed door hearing released to the new media that talked about this woman's alleged sexual history in the week she was with Kobe Bryant.
Prosecutors say in their motion to the judge that this is very unfair because they did not have their own experts testifying during that hearing. And they say -- quote -- "There is an absence of balance in the information released. And that could affect the jurors who are being summoned to the court on August 27." And, therefore, they don't think they could have a fair trial at this time.
Now, is this the beginning of an exit strategy in this criminal case? It is possible. Just yesterday, the woman's personal attorneys filed a civil lawsuit against Kobe Bryant. They're asking for an unspecified amount of the Los Angeles Lakers star's money in a federal court in Denver. Also, those same attorneys told us last week there was a possibility this woman would not go forward with the case no matter what the prosecution did.
So that's why we have to keep our eye on what happens. The judge, we have been sitting with Terry Ruckriegle for almost a year now. We know that it is very likely he will not be happy with learning, just 2 1/2 weeks before the trial, that the prosecution wants to delay it. He stated months ago he did not want to set a trial date until everyone was sure that would be the date. He did not want to change it.
But it's very possible that Ruckriegle will say, you either start the trial on the August 27 or you don't have the trial at all -- Miles, back to you.
O'BRIEN: I suppose that is where you will be on Monday as well, Gary Tuchman. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
A cool head prevails in a moment of panic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I came over here, he was choking and he was like -- and his eyes were all watery.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: What happened next made this guy a hero. The rest of the story ahead on LIVE FROM.
A rare sight in the nation's capital. These tigers have Washington by the tail.
And reporter Mike Wallace rides downtown in the back of the car, but does not find paradise by the dashboard lights. That's kind of a Dennis Miller-type reference there. More on the meatloaf mess ahead on LIVE FROM.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right, some of those commercials can wait. Let's go right now to California. Gloria Allred, the attorney representing Amber Frey, who has been on stand in Peterson case, she is talking to reporters once again. Let's listen.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY FOR AMBER FREY: ... Scott: "For your birthday?" Amber: "Yes." Scott: "I'll have come up with something good."
Obviously, he is planning something for her birthday, which is in February. Scott says that though they have not been together long, he feels the loving, the energy, and it's only growing. Scott talks about a future together. Scott: "I could care for you. We could care for each other and raise Iana (ph)." Scott: "We could fulfill each other." Scott: "We could fulfill each other and forever."
Scott says he is not thinking about having another child. And I find this exchange very interesting. Amber: "Do you still feel adamant about not having another child?" Scott: "I wouldn't say adamant, but it is just not my thought currently."
That is a particularly interesting quote, because we knew that when Laci disappeared, she was currently pregnant with his child and yet he says in that January phone call, within days of her disappearance, "I wouldn't say adamant, but it is just not my thought currently." That's about having another child. Scott says that he is going to Guadalajara on the 28th of January and that he will return on the 2nd of February. He states that he will see her between the time that he returns from Europe on the 25th of January and when he leaves on the 28th of January.
Scott tells Amber that She is wonderful -- quote -- "You have good self-esteem and it is difficult to find in people. And it makes you incredibly appealing and sexy to me" -- end quote. Scott says that Amber should have confidence that their relationship will grow. Scott -- quote -- "Our relationship, it will grow. Have confidence in that" -- end quote.
So, for the defense, who may choose to try to minimize the relationship and suggest that he was not hoping or planning for a future with her, I think that Scott's words on the tapes speak for themselves. One other phone call...
O'BRIEN: That's Gloria Allred, who represents Amber Frey, who is continuing her testimony in the Scott Peterson murder trial in California. It's the lunchtime break there she's just recounting some of the testimony and some of the indications that were played on recordings of telephone calls and so forth for reporters during the lunchtime break.
And we are of course following that trial closely for you. Back with more in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(FINANCIAL UPDATE)
WHITFIELD: All right, well, an investigator reporter usually asks a lot of questions, right?
O'BRIEN: It's his job.
WHITFIELD: Well, apparently, it backfired, kind of.
Ahead, the saga of "60 Minutes"' Mike Wallace, some really great meatloaf and not so amused police officers, sort of police officers.
O'BRIEN: Back in the car.
WHITFIELD: Back in the car.
O'BRIEN: And all dressed up and ready for one more award, Andre 3000 of OutKast fame has one more reason to be happy here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, let's check a little entertainment headlines, shall we?
Andre Benjamin, Andre 300 from the hip-hop group OutKast picks up kudos for his sartorial resplendence. "Esquire" magazine calls the hit maker the world's best-dressed man. Go figure. O'BRIEN: I'm sorry. What are they on? What are they on?
WHITFIELD: I don't know. I'm not -- and that is the getup? Is that what they based it on?
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: OK, well, anyway, and animal rights group PETA, they have already tapped him as the 2004 world's sexiest vegetarian. So there.
O'BRIEN: Well, that could be indisputable. I don't know.
WHITFIELD: All right, now, here's something that may shake things up. NBA forward Rick Fox is making a clean break from the West Coast, traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Boston Celtics now last week.
Well, Fox apparently has now filed for divorce from Vanessa Williams. And she was living on the East Coast. So go figure. I don't get it now. All right, so no reason for his split from the singer, Radio Shack pitch woman and former Miss America for now.
And a design company is getting criticism for a save Mary-Kate T- shirt. Mary-Kate Olsen recently got out of rehab for an eating disorder. And some fan sites say that the image on the T-shirt is grotesque. And I can't quite make it out. Is it nasty?
O'BRIEN: Well, it shows ribs, but it's probably not too far off the mark, given what she's been through, I suppose. But, nonetheless...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: She might not appreciate that.
O'BRIEN: Maybe not.
WHITFIELD: And that's apparently what her fans are saying.
Well, the company says it will give 20 percent of the profits from the shirts to the National Eating Disorders Association.
O'BRIEN: Well, there you go. There you go.
WHITFIELD: So that's the happy medium they've reached.
O'BRIEN: Maybe the Olsens are a little upset that the revenues are not headed their way, perhaps.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: All right, "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace has made a career out of being a take-no-prisoners kind of journalists. Apparently, New York's Taxi and Limousine Commission does take prisoners. They arrested Wallace last night for disorderly conduct, saying he got a little too involved while they questioned his limo driver.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Back in the car.
O'BRIEN: He said, back in the car, the TLC guy. He said, back in the car.
Anyway, it happened while Wallace was at a Manhattan restaurant picking up some meatloaf to go. Now, Wallace picks up the story and we find out what happened to the meatloaf.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: That's what I want to know.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE WALLACE, "60 MINUTES": About 25 times a year, I leave the office, get into a Skyline car, go over to Luke's. I call ahead of time saying make me some meat loaf or a hanger stake or something. I'll get there, we'll spend five minutes, we double park. I get the meat loaf, and I go home.
The driver is a good guy. He had driven me over there. We had a little conversation. I said, I'm going right back, get my meatloaf and come back out. And they said something about double parking, and then they said -- and then they said, get back in the car. I just asked a couple of questions.
QUESTION: Is this as ridiculous as it sounds, double parking
(CROSSTALK)
WALLACE: It is really as ridiculous as it sounds. But when I got home, the driver had dropped the meatloaf here. They let him go. And so when I got home, he had dropped the meatloaf. I put it in the microwave.
QUESTION: This time, it was over a meatloaf stop.
(LAUGHTER)
WALLACE: I don't mean to laugh about it. I can understand that they felt that I was doing something wrong. But, come on. Let's be civilized about it. And besides, they also said something about my lunging toward one of them.
QUESTION: Did you?
WALLACE: I find it difficult to lunge into bed.
(LAUGHTER)
WALLACE: Let alone at a couple of cops who were angry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: All right, now, people close to the incident say the 86-year-old Wallace didn't do anything to merit being cuffed and carried away, collared, as they say in the local parlance.
At Luke's Bar and Grill, where meatloaf and mashed potatoes are in fact on the menu, restaurant manager Luigi Militello -- great name, Luigi -- says parking inspectors manhandled his customers. Actually, they were TLC guys.
He's on the phone with us now.
Mr. Militello, good to have you with us.
LUIGI MILITELLO, RESTAURANT MANAGER: Thank you for having me.
O'BRIEN: First of all, we want to get the menu on right away. This is Luke's Place. And if you're going to go there, don't bring your Visa card because you don't expect any cards at all, right?
MILITELLO: That's correct.
O'BRIEN: Dead presidents only.
And let's scroll down. For people who think New York is always wildly overinflated for prices, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, $10.95. That's a good bargain for the Upper East Side, wouldn't you say?
WHITFIELD: That's very good.
(CROSSTALK)
MILITELLO: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: I'll take at least one order.
O'BRIEN: So this is what lures Mr. Wallace there some 25 sometimes a year. And I'm curious what you saw unfold last night. Was it a misunderstanding or were these guys kind of aggressive?
MILITELLO: Well, after he had picked up his food go, which happened to be the meatloaf, he was departing. When he went outside, he noticed two TLC inspectors just questioning his driver. He was double-parked, I'm sure just basic credentials.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Well, wait a minute. Double parked in New York, if you tried to give people tickets for that, that's kind of ridiculous. That's not enough of an offense, is it?
(CROSSTALK)
MILITELLO: That's what it was.
O'BRIEN: Yes. OK, double parking. MILITELLO: And then Mr. Wallace approached and probably just asked what was all going on. And it was proceeded by some extremely unfortunate circumstances.
O'BRIEN: All right, now, I know -- and we don't have too much time -- and I know he's a very good customer of yours. So I know you are going to want to support him. But do you think that -- was Mr. Wallace a little aggressive with these guys? Did he deserve to get arrested?
MILITELLO: None whatsoever. And he did not deserve to get arrested.
O'BRIEN: Why not?
MILITELLO: Under no circumstance. He didn't do anything out of line that I witnessed.
O'BRIEN: All right. And there's nothing in your meatloaf that makes people a little crazy or aggressive, right?
MILITELLO: Not that I know of.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: OK.
WHITFIELD: He hadn't eaten it yet either.
O'BRIEN: Yes. That's right. He hadn't had it.
And can you share the recipe with us or is that a secret?
MILITELLO: That is a secret. You come on in and I'll be more than glad to serve you one.
O'BRIEN: I'm going to take you up on that offer. I'm going to be up in New York in a couple weeks. I'm going to come see you, Luigi.
MILITELLO: Any time.
O'BRIEN: Luigi Militello, who is the manager at Luke's there, where a little piece of meatloaf caused a little bit of trouble for a very famous journalist. Free Mike Wallace.
WHITFIELD: Isn't that something?
O'BRIEN: All right.
WHITFIELD: But at least Mike eventually got the meatloaf. He had to microwave it.
O'BRIEN: He did, in the microwave. He got his meal.
(CROSSTALK) O'BRIEN: All right, that wraps up this Wednesday edition of LIVE FROM. I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you joined us.
WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
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 August 11, 2004 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Two major storms out of the tropics are moving toward landfall. This is what Hurricane Charley looks like from space, specifically, the International Space Station, 250 miles above us. Thanks to the team in Houston for sending us that. We appreciate it.
It centered south of Jamaica and heading toward Cuba. Tropical Storm Bonnie is moving toward the Florida Panhandle, a shot from the same location, International Space Station. Once again, thanks. We have a weather update just ahead.
In Eagle, Colorado, the prosecutor in the sexual assault case against basketball star Kobe Bryant wants some more time to prepare. Jury selection for the trial is set for August 27. CNN's Gary Tuchman tells us in five minutes what is behind the state's filing.
U.S. and Iraqi forces planning a major assault to end a weeklong battle against insurgents in Najaf. And in Fallujah, American warplanes bombed a group of insurgents after U.S. Marines on the ground came under fire.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Back to now why NASA provided those pictures. Two tropical storms are packing heavy winds. One of them is officially now a hurricane. And they're both taking aim at Florida. Bonnie and Charley could mean double trouble over the next couple of days.
Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is tracking those storms.
And is it Charley that is the hurricane?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Charley is the hurricane now and packing winds about 75 miles per hour.
We're not all that far away from Hurricane strength, though, with Bonnie either. We have seen some significant strengthening with Bonnie over the last six hours, packing winds of 65 miles per hour. So we only have to bump it up nine more to get a hurricane. And I think some more strengthening can be expected over the next 12 hours- plus. So we may see a small Category 1 hurricane making landfall. It's still a possibility. A little iffy, but, hey, what's a couple miles per hour between friends, right?
All right, the forecast track continuing to move up to the north and to the east. It's accelerating a little bit in forward speed, so it's starting to move a little faster towards the coastline. The forecast track, though, and the timing still the same. We still think tomorrow morning, probably late morning, just off to the west of Panama City, we are going to see some heavy rain. We have some flood watches is in effect already, because we have a cold front which has been digging down through the area.
So your ground is already very saturated. And on top of that, We think Bonnie is going to be bringing in another four to six inches of rainfall. Now, tropical storm warnings are in effect from the Alabama-Florida border, extending over to the mouth of the Suwannee River. And a hurricane watch is in effect as well, because it's possible that this may be upgraded to a hurricane later.
Now, there are hurricane watches in effect across the Florida Keys, from Craig Key, extending to the Dry Tortugas and mandatory evacuations for visitors and nonresidents from mile marker 72 on southward, also hurricane watches in effect across much from western Cuba and the Isle of Youth. And this is because of Charley. And Charley is the one that is a hurricane now. And it's honing in on Jamaica.
It looks like, I think, the eye is going to be missing Jamaica. But tropical storm force winds should be moving across the island throughout the evening hours for today. This is the forecast track we're expecting here now, with Charley moving across Cuba throughout the day on Thursday , back over the water on Friday in the overnight early morning hours and then early Friday morning likely making some landfall.
And this is still a pretty big strike zone here, because a lot can happen between now and then. We're still talking two days away before this could be making landfall. But I think my best prediction, somewhere in area, we think, on Friday morning. And Charley I think is going to be a much stronger storm, something more to worry about.
And this part of the country, too -- we were talking about flooding -- very, very saturated, 15 inches above where you should be in Tampa since June 1 -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Jacqui -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: President Bush taking his campaign today to a pair of Southwestern battleground states.
Suzanne Malveaux, traveling with the president, she joins us now with an update.
Hello, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.
President Bush is expected to arrive here very shortly in New Mexico. This is a critical state for a Bush win. As you know, back in 2000, he lost by less than 400 votes. The president is traveling from Florida. Bush aides believe he's traveling with perhaps his strongest weapon. That is former Republican rival, Senator John McCain, the war hero who is now traveling with the president, campaigning with him, to tell the American people that he supports the Iraq war, that he supports the war policy.
But the recent polls show that the president is losing some ground when it comes to Americans' confidence in handling this war, that that gap is closing with Kerry. There is some concern there. Bush aides recognize that the one thing he has to do is strike a balance between portraying himself as the tough war president, the one will protect the American people, but also somebody who can be sensitive to American sacrifice.
There is a new ad that they put out today that is expected to do -- or they hope to do just that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, BUSH-CHENEY CAMPAIGN AD)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I approve this message.
My most solemn duty is to lead our nation to protect ourselves. I can't imagine the great agony of a mom or dad having to make the decision about which child to pick up first on September the 11th. We cannot hesitate. We cannot yield. We must do everything in our power to bring an enemy to justice before they hurt us again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Now, the Kerry camp is calling this a desperate attempt to change the subject, not take the responsibility of the aftermath of Iraq war, not to take responsibility of the real issues that Americans voters care about, they say, health care and jobs.
I talked to Senator John McCain yesterday, asked him -- there are a lot of difference that he has with the president regarding some policies, HMO', tax cuts, as well as even stem cell research. He assures us that he has put all of those differences behind, that he says that he's backing the president because he believes it's so important to succeed in this war on terror -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Suzanne Malveaux in Albuquerque, thanks very much.
President Bush and his wife, Laura, will join Larry King for an exclusive interview Thursday night on the program entitled "LARRY KING LIVE." That's tomorrow night, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN. Don't miss it.
WHITFIELD: Well, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is trying to appeal to seniors today by campaigning in the battleground state of Nevada, where polls show the race is neck and neck. Speaking to a group of senior citizens in Henderson a short time ago, Kerry promised to bring down the cost of precipitation drugs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I call on the president to do what he should have done in the first place. I call on the president to get out of the way of Americans being able to import drugs from Canada at a lower price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Southern California is the next stop on Kerry's Believe in America Tour crossing 21 states.
O'BRIEN: As Dick Vitale would put it, the Kobe Bryant prosecutors have called a T.O. , a time-out. After a slew of bad news for them jeopardizing their case, they're seeking a delay in the start of Bryant's trial for alleged sexual assault.
CNN's Gary Tuchman has been covering this case all along. He's down in the Florida Panhandle on storm watch, but joins with us now with the latest on Kobe Bryant instead.
Read the tea leaves for us there, Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first tea leave, Miles, storm comes tomorrow. Kobe is the big story today.
And here is what the tea leaves tell us, that the prosecutors are in a lot of trouble with their case. For months, they have argued they wanted to speed it up, so this woman has this trial very quickly. Now they are saying in court papers filed that they want a delay, a continuance, an indefinite delay. You don't have to read between the lines to know that the prosecutors have problems with their case. They have said so themselves in court following the release of transcripts from a closed door hearing released to the new media that talked about this woman's alleged sexual history in the week she was with Kobe Bryant.
Prosecutors say in their motion to the judge that this is very unfair because they did not have their own experts testifying during that hearing. And they say -- quote -- "There is an absence of balance in the information released. And that could affect the jurors who are being summoned to the court on August 27." And, therefore, they don't think they could have a fair trial at this time.
Now, is this the beginning of an exit strategy in this criminal case? It is possible. Just yesterday, the woman's personal attorneys filed a civil lawsuit against Kobe Bryant. They're asking for an unspecified amount of the Los Angeles Lakers star's money in a federal court in Denver. Also, those same attorneys told us last week there was a possibility this woman would not go forward with the case no matter what the prosecution did.
So that's why we have to keep our eye on what happens. The judge, we have been sitting with Terry Ruckriegle for almost a year now. We know that it is very likely he will not be happy with learning, just 2 1/2 weeks before the trial, that the prosecution wants to delay it. He stated months ago he did not want to set a trial date until everyone was sure that would be the date. He did not want to change it.
But it's very possible that Ruckriegle will say, you either start the trial on the August 27 or you don't have the trial at all -- Miles, back to you.
O'BRIEN: I suppose that is where you will be on Monday as well, Gary Tuchman. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.
A cool head prevails in a moment of panic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I came over here, he was choking and he was like -- and his eyes were all watery.
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O'BRIEN: What happened next made this guy a hero. The rest of the story ahead on LIVE FROM.
A rare sight in the nation's capital. These tigers have Washington by the tail.
And reporter Mike Wallace rides downtown in the back of the car, but does not find paradise by the dashboard lights. That's kind of a Dennis Miller-type reference there. More on the meatloaf mess ahead on LIVE FROM.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right, some of those commercials can wait. Let's go right now to California. Gloria Allred, the attorney representing Amber Frey, who has been on stand in Peterson case, she is talking to reporters once again. Let's listen.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
GLORIA ALLRED, ATTORNEY FOR AMBER FREY: ... Scott: "For your birthday?" Amber: "Yes." Scott: "I'll have come up with something good."
Obviously, he is planning something for her birthday, which is in February. Scott says that though they have not been together long, he feels the loving, the energy, and it's only growing. Scott talks about a future together. Scott: "I could care for you. We could care for each other and raise Iana (ph)." Scott: "We could fulfill each other." Scott: "We could fulfill each other and forever."
Scott says he is not thinking about having another child. And I find this exchange very interesting. Amber: "Do you still feel adamant about not having another child?" Scott: "I wouldn't say adamant, but it is just not my thought currently."
That is a particularly interesting quote, because we knew that when Laci disappeared, she was currently pregnant with his child and yet he says in that January phone call, within days of her disappearance, "I wouldn't say adamant, but it is just not my thought currently." That's about having another child. Scott says that he is going to Guadalajara on the 28th of January and that he will return on the 2nd of February. He states that he will see her between the time that he returns from Europe on the 25th of January and when he leaves on the 28th of January.
Scott tells Amber that She is wonderful -- quote -- "You have good self-esteem and it is difficult to find in people. And it makes you incredibly appealing and sexy to me" -- end quote. Scott says that Amber should have confidence that their relationship will grow. Scott -- quote -- "Our relationship, it will grow. Have confidence in that" -- end quote.
So, for the defense, who may choose to try to minimize the relationship and suggest that he was not hoping or planning for a future with her, I think that Scott's words on the tapes speak for themselves. One other phone call...
O'BRIEN: That's Gloria Allred, who represents Amber Frey, who is continuing her testimony in the Scott Peterson murder trial in California. It's the lunchtime break there she's just recounting some of the testimony and some of the indications that were played on recordings of telephone calls and so forth for reporters during the lunchtime break.
And we are of course following that trial closely for you. Back with more in a moment.
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(FINANCIAL UPDATE)
WHITFIELD: All right, well, an investigator reporter usually asks a lot of questions, right?
O'BRIEN: It's his job.
WHITFIELD: Well, apparently, it backfired, kind of.
Ahead, the saga of "60 Minutes"' Mike Wallace, some really great meatloaf and not so amused police officers, sort of police officers.
O'BRIEN: Back in the car.
WHITFIELD: Back in the car.
O'BRIEN: And all dressed up and ready for one more award, Andre 3000 of OutKast fame has one more reason to be happy here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, let's check a little entertainment headlines, shall we?
Andre Benjamin, Andre 300 from the hip-hop group OutKast picks up kudos for his sartorial resplendence. "Esquire" magazine calls the hit maker the world's best-dressed man. Go figure. O'BRIEN: I'm sorry. What are they on? What are they on?
WHITFIELD: I don't know. I'm not -- and that is the getup? Is that what they based it on?
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: OK, well, anyway, and animal rights group PETA, they have already tapped him as the 2004 world's sexiest vegetarian. So there.
O'BRIEN: Well, that could be indisputable. I don't know.
WHITFIELD: All right, now, here's something that may shake things up. NBA forward Rick Fox is making a clean break from the West Coast, traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Boston Celtics now last week.
Well, Fox apparently has now filed for divorce from Vanessa Williams. And she was living on the East Coast. So go figure. I don't get it now. All right, so no reason for his split from the singer, Radio Shack pitch woman and former Miss America for now.
And a design company is getting criticism for a save Mary-Kate T- shirt. Mary-Kate Olsen recently got out of rehab for an eating disorder. And some fan sites say that the image on the T-shirt is grotesque. And I can't quite make it out. Is it nasty?
O'BRIEN: Well, it shows ribs, but it's probably not too far off the mark, given what she's been through, I suppose. But, nonetheless...
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: She might not appreciate that.
O'BRIEN: Maybe not.
WHITFIELD: And that's apparently what her fans are saying.
Well, the company says it will give 20 percent of the profits from the shirts to the National Eating Disorders Association.
O'BRIEN: Well, there you go. There you go.
WHITFIELD: So that's the happy medium they've reached.
O'BRIEN: Maybe the Olsens are a little upset that the revenues are not headed their way, perhaps.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: All right, "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace has made a career out of being a take-no-prisoners kind of journalists. Apparently, New York's Taxi and Limousine Commission does take prisoners. They arrested Wallace last night for disorderly conduct, saying he got a little too involved while they questioned his limo driver.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Back in the car.
O'BRIEN: He said, back in the car, the TLC guy. He said, back in the car.
Anyway, it happened while Wallace was at a Manhattan restaurant picking up some meatloaf to go. Now, Wallace picks up the story and we find out what happened to the meatloaf.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: That's what I want to know.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE WALLACE, "60 MINUTES": About 25 times a year, I leave the office, get into a Skyline car, go over to Luke's. I call ahead of time saying make me some meat loaf or a hanger stake or something. I'll get there, we'll spend five minutes, we double park. I get the meat loaf, and I go home.
The driver is a good guy. He had driven me over there. We had a little conversation. I said, I'm going right back, get my meatloaf and come back out. And they said something about double parking, and then they said -- and then they said, get back in the car. I just asked a couple of questions.
QUESTION: Is this as ridiculous as it sounds, double parking
(CROSSTALK)
WALLACE: It is really as ridiculous as it sounds. But when I got home, the driver had dropped the meatloaf here. They let him go. And so when I got home, he had dropped the meatloaf. I put it in the microwave.
QUESTION: This time, it was over a meatloaf stop.
(LAUGHTER)
WALLACE: I don't mean to laugh about it. I can understand that they felt that I was doing something wrong. But, come on. Let's be civilized about it. And besides, they also said something about my lunging toward one of them.
QUESTION: Did you?
WALLACE: I find it difficult to lunge into bed.
(LAUGHTER)
WALLACE: Let alone at a couple of cops who were angry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: All right, now, people close to the incident say the 86-year-old Wallace didn't do anything to merit being cuffed and carried away, collared, as they say in the local parlance.
At Luke's Bar and Grill, where meatloaf and mashed potatoes are in fact on the menu, restaurant manager Luigi Militello -- great name, Luigi -- says parking inspectors manhandled his customers. Actually, they were TLC guys.
He's on the phone with us now.
Mr. Militello, good to have you with us.
LUIGI MILITELLO, RESTAURANT MANAGER: Thank you for having me.
O'BRIEN: First of all, we want to get the menu on right away. This is Luke's Place. And if you're going to go there, don't bring your Visa card because you don't expect any cards at all, right?
MILITELLO: That's correct.
O'BRIEN: Dead presidents only.
And let's scroll down. For people who think New York is always wildly overinflated for prices, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, $10.95. That's a good bargain for the Upper East Side, wouldn't you say?
WHITFIELD: That's very good.
(CROSSTALK)
MILITELLO: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: I'll take at least one order.
O'BRIEN: So this is what lures Mr. Wallace there some 25 sometimes a year. And I'm curious what you saw unfold last night. Was it a misunderstanding or were these guys kind of aggressive?
MILITELLO: Well, after he had picked up his food go, which happened to be the meatloaf, he was departing. When he went outside, he noticed two TLC inspectors just questioning his driver. He was double-parked, I'm sure just basic credentials.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Well, wait a minute. Double parked in New York, if you tried to give people tickets for that, that's kind of ridiculous. That's not enough of an offense, is it?
(CROSSTALK)
MILITELLO: That's what it was.
O'BRIEN: Yes. OK, double parking. MILITELLO: And then Mr. Wallace approached and probably just asked what was all going on. And it was proceeded by some extremely unfortunate circumstances.
O'BRIEN: All right, now, I know -- and we don't have too much time -- and I know he's a very good customer of yours. So I know you are going to want to support him. But do you think that -- was Mr. Wallace a little aggressive with these guys? Did he deserve to get arrested?
MILITELLO: None whatsoever. And he did not deserve to get arrested.
O'BRIEN: Why not?
MILITELLO: Under no circumstance. He didn't do anything out of line that I witnessed.
O'BRIEN: All right. And there's nothing in your meatloaf that makes people a little crazy or aggressive, right?
MILITELLO: Not that I know of.
(LAUGHTER)
O'BRIEN: OK.
WHITFIELD: He hadn't eaten it yet either.
O'BRIEN: Yes. That's right. He hadn't had it.
And can you share the recipe with us or is that a secret?
MILITELLO: That is a secret. You come on in and I'll be more than glad to serve you one.
O'BRIEN: I'm going to take you up on that offer. I'm going to be up in New York in a couple weeks. I'm going to come see you, Luigi.
MILITELLO: Any time.
O'BRIEN: Luigi Militello, who is the manager at Luke's there, where a little piece of meatloaf caused a little bit of trouble for a very famous journalist. Free Mike Wallace.
WHITFIELD: Isn't that something?
O'BRIEN: All right.
WHITFIELD: But at least Mike eventually got the meatloaf. He had to microwave it.
O'BRIEN: He did, in the microwave. He got his meal.
(CROSSTALK) O'BRIEN: All right, that wraps up this Wednesday edition of LIVE FROM. I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you joined us.
WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
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