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Scott Peterson Jury Deliberates Sentence; EPA Chief Nominated as Next HHS Secretary; Biometrics Wave of the Future; NASA Head Resigns; A View of Tokyo

Aired December 13, 2004 - 14:00   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.


SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: About more of the cabinet shakeup and President Bush's decision, his first pick for homeland security in the debacle behind it.
BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: Kofi Annan's son makes his first statement about his role in the oil for food scandal. You'll hear it only on CNN.

MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: And his inspiring life story is about to get the Hollywood treatment. You'll meet the real Coach Carter later this hour.

From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm the real Miles O'Brien.

NGUYEN: And I'm the real Betty Nguyen, in for Kyra Phillips. Thank you for joining us. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

O'BRIEN: Up first this hour, back at work and making a life or death decision. The jury in the Scott Peterson trial resumed deliberations today to choose his sentence for killing his wife and unborn son.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is at the courthouse, Redwood City, California -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are still deliberating, Miles, but we have just learned that they asked for seven pieces of evidence from the guilt phase of the trial.

A couple of pieces of that evidence are sealed, but we so know they asked for aerial photographs of the bay and the shoreline where Laci Peterson's body and that have her unborn son washed ashore a year and a half ago.

They've been deliberating for 11 hours. That's three -- about three hours longer or almost four hours longer than they did in their deliberations to convict Scott Peterson of first-degree murder.

So we don't know why they requested the photos, what -- you know, majority is in the deliberations whether it's those seeking death penalty or life in prison without parole.

So looks like they're back to work. They'll be breaking for lunch in probably about 45 minutes. And that's all we have at this point -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: And of course, it seems kind of odd on the face of it. Of course, we're not in the middle of all this, that they would be asking for evidence which would take you back to the verdict decision. Can you read the tealeaves on this one at all?

DORNIN: It's very difficult to read. Some of the legal analysts here believe that perhaps the people in favor of the death penalty are showing these pictures of, you know, this is where he went fishing, this is where her body washed up.

Those are the legal analysts, of course, who are saying that they -- perhaps it is the death penalty, those favoring the death penalty that are seeking some of this evidence. But at this point, we just don't know.

O'BRIEN: All right, Rusty Dornin, we will be watching it, obviously, very closely. Thank you very much -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Questions, apologies and criticism all abound today as President Bush scrambles to find a new candidate to head homeland security. Meanwhile, he's made his pick to fill the other remaining vacancy in his cabinet.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us now with all those details.

Hi there, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Well, hello, Betty.

Here's how it's shaking out. You've got 15 cabinet members, nine resignations, six that have decided to stay on. And of course, President Bush announcing the nominees for all except for one. That is for homeland security.

Today the focus was on health and human services secretary, to replace Secretary Tommy Thompson. The president's pick, at the Roosevelt Room, he announced Michael Leavitt, administrator of EPA. He also served as a three-term governor of Utah, President Bush saying that he very much shares the administration's values and is up for the challenge.

But of course, as you know, the debacle, of course, and the controversy is over his initial pick, Bernie Kerik, the former New York police commissioner, as his Homeland Security Department secretary.

Over the weekend Kerik disclosing that he was dropping out of that because of the information that a nanny he had employed was a legal immigrant.

Now the White House today, of course, saying they did not get that information until late in the vetting process, that Kerik came only afterwards, after the announcement was made about further details saying that in fact, he did have a nanny problem. But today the White House was very adamant, Scott McClellan saying that, look, they don't believe that he lied, that it was truly a mistake. The president wishes him well, and they'd like to move on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We were moving forward with the nomination process when this issue was brought to our attention by Commissioner Kerik, and it was decision to withdraw his name from consideration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now one individual who actually brought Kerik to President Bush's attention and pushed for his nomination. That is former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani.

There's been a lot of rumblings over whether or not this has had any impact on his relationship with President Bush. Again, the White House saying that they did not believe that that was the case. Giuliani had apologized.

And it was just last night we saw the two together at the White House Christmas party, at a concert. Then later Scott McClellan said the two shared the presidential limo back to the White House. They shared a Christmas -- a holiday dinner, that there was no such strain or tension on the two, that they are simply looking forward.

NGUYEN: Suzanne, let's talk about the short list of replacements for Kerik. A lot of names have been tossed around, including Joe Lieberman. Would he even be interested in the job?

MALVEAUX: Well, according to Democratic sources, they say that he has expressed some interest. It's very interesting to see whether or not the president is going to extend his hand to a Democrat. Certainly is a good opportunity to do this. A lot of speculation around it.

What was interesting, however, is that Mike Leavitt was one of the people on the list for a possible consideration for that particular appointment. He is off the list now.

And of course, Joe Lieberman, as well as Asa Hutchinson of homeland security and Fran Townsend of homeland security, all of them in the running for that particular slot.

NGUYEN: And when will an announcement be made?

MALVEAUX: Well, the president is hoping before Christmas. That is his goal, to look at all those candidates and to make that announcement. But we're just going to have to wait and see.

NGUYEN: All right. The waiting game. Suzanne Malveaux, thank you.

And the failed Kerik nomination will be the focus of CNN's INSIDE POLITICS. What happened during the vetting process? That is coming up at 3:30 Eastern right here on CNN.

O'BRIEN: "Security Watch" segment now. Biometrics has arrived. It's no longer just the stuff of James Bond thrillers. It's now widely used to confirm your identity. Some worry, though, that it could provide false comfort.

Our tech correspondent, Daniel Sieberg, looks at the pros and the cons.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From fingerprints to voice recognition...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am who I say I am.

SIEBERG: Iris scans to hand geometry, biometric measurements are used to gain access to offices, to get driver's licenses, even to pay for groceries. What about homeland security?

PROF. LISA NELSON, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH: In addition to verifying a name or verifying an address or verifying a birthday or Social Security number, biometric can potentially add another layer of verification.

SIEBERG: Outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has been a supporter.

TOM RIDGE, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: We launched U.S. Visit, a program that uses biometrics to expedite the processing of foreign travelers and stop known or suspected terrorists at our borders.

SIEBERG: At five U.S. airports, some frequent flyers bypass lines by becoming registered travelers. A fingerprint or iris scan confirms their identity, and security can spend more time screening higher risk passengers.

But critics caution that high tech tools can sometimes provide a false sense of safety.

LEE TIEN, ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION: So one of the things that's really important to remember about biometrics is that it's not a complete security solution in any sense. You have to have information about the people to decide whether or not they're a threat.

The 9/11 hijackers, several of them flew under their true names. And those names were checked. The problem was that we didn't know that those people were dangerous.

SIEBERG: Researchers say the uniqueness of a fingerprint or a facial scan helps to screen for multiple identities.

LARRY HORNAK, DIRECTOR, I.D. TECH RESEARCH: When someone enrolls in a system, and whether it be for border security, whether driver's licenses, that's the opportunity for that -- that organization to say, OK, is this person, for example, already in the system as someone else.

SIEBERG: But experts like Hornak caution against the use of any high tech tools without proper legal and privacy safeguards.

HORNAK: To really go off and just design a biometric system which is some fantastic technological solution and totally ignoring the other side is really a recipe for disaster.

SIEBERG: Any use of biometrics is a balancing act to help identify the bad guys without fingering the innocent.

Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about our security -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Stories across America now.

An 80-year-old diver in the Florida Keys is back home safe after spending 18 hours stranded at sea. The spear fisherman was alone Saturday when his boat lost anchor and drifted away. He hung on to a floating buoy in the cold rough waters until a relative found him yesterday.

It's an ill wind that blows down the governor's Christmas tree. High gusts in St. Paul, Minnesota, toppled a 35-foot Christmas tree in the front yard of the governor's mansion over the weekend.

And a wounded U.S. Marine is back home with his wife in California after making an incredible sacrifice in Iraq. Listen to this.

Doctors told Lance Corporal David Battle they'd have to cut off his wedding ring to save his finger. Now, Battle ordered them to save the ring and amputate his finger instead.

Tragically, the ring became lost in all the chaos. That just pains me, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Yes. You know what? I would have forsaken the ring. But that's just me.

All right. Who will be the next leader of America's space program? We'll get to the bottom of who's going to the top of NASA straight ahead.

They are suffering so much, but help is on the way. And so is their story.

And Hollywood loves the story of the high school coach who used tough love to make his students more than just good basketball players. You'll meet the man whose life is coming to the silver screen when LIVE FROM continues.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right. It's official now. Apparently about hour ago, the administrator of NASA, Sean O'Keefe, made it official, tendering his resignation, stepping down after a wild three-year ride.

He resigned and now there are words he plans to become the chancellor at Louisiana State University. Louisiana is his home state.

O'Keefe's face and name became known to the nation, of course, during the shuttle Columbia disaster, just shy of two years ago. With more on O'Keefe's resignation and what lies ahead for NASA, we turn now to Keith Cowing of NASAWatch.com, joining us live now from Washington.

Keith, good to have you with us.

KEITH COWING, NASAWATCH.COM: Nice to be here.

O'BRIEN: All right. You've been inside NASA and outside NASA. Do your best to rate the O'Keefe years.

Not exactly what it was intended. He went in there with a charter to sort of clean the books up and ended up being something else entirely.

COWING: When he came in, it was actually after quite an exaggerated process of trying to find somebody to replace the previous NASA administrator.

And given the state of the agency at the time -- projects were grossly over budget, morale was low, space probes were crashing into planets -- it was difficult to find somebody. So they turned to Mr. Fix It, Sean O'Keefe, and brought him in.

And during the ensuing year or so, his focus was really on putting financial frugality and self-restraint on what the agency was doing.

Then after about a year, suddenly we had the Columbia accident and suddenly was thrust into an arena which I don't think anybody expected.

O'BRIEN: Yes. I mean, he came to NASA, as we look at some of the pictures from Columbia, when everything changed for him. And that was about a year into his tenure. But he came to NASA from the Office of Management and Budget. His background is very much inside beltway management of bureaucracies, management of money. And that was really the goal there, was to have him straighten that out and then perhaps move on.

Obviously, when Columbia happened, he felt compelled to stay.

COWING: Well, it was -- Yes, I mean, that was part of it. And of course, he was in charge of the agency and, as he said, it happened on his watch. And he's -- he's a public servant. That's what he does in life, even though he's taught a number of years. That's kind of what he's about.

So I don't think anybody was surprised that he rose to the occasion and did as well as many people think he did.

O'BRIEN: Over the years you, in your role, have been very critical of NASA and its management. And I'm wondering what your thoughts are on how Sean O'Keefe, specifically, before we talk about his entire tenure, specifically handled events immediately after Columbia.

COWING: I think a lot of people are glad that he was the administrator at that time, not the person who was there before, Dan Golden. And I think...

O'BRIEN: Why is that? What was it about his tenure?

COWING: I don't think -- a lot -- a lot of people just felt that Mr. Golden would not have reacted well to this, that it would have been a lot of blame and aspersion.

And people were already under a lot of stress, because of the fact that he had been cheering for budget cuts year after year. And a lot of people at the agency really didn't feel that Mr. Golden particularly cared about them.

And that's one thing I've never heard anybody say about Sean O'Keefe, that he's not a, as I said, people person. And he let his emotions and concerns just appear right on the screen right after the accident.

O'BRIEN: Of course, he had -- he had a big advantage that Dan Golden would not have had in the sense that he could say, "Look, I'm an outsider here. All of this did not happen on my watch."

And so it afforded him a certain amount of latitude to deal with the problem that others would not.

COWING: Well, you know, yes, but he never really did that. He never looked back and blamed the other guy.

I think one thing about O'Keefe that a lot of people resonated with is the fact that, in many ways, he was just another guy, even though he's, you know, like you said, a consummate politician and inside the beltway sort of manager. His reaction to a lot of this was extremely honest and simple. And I think that helped the agency, you know, climb out of that problem and move on to where it is now.

O'BRIEN: All right. As you look forward here at some names coming to the surface, and one near the top of the list is a general who was until recently in charge of missile defense for the Bush administration, General Ron Kadish as a possible successor to Sean O'Keefe.

I wonder if General Kadish, if in fact that comes to be, how well that will be received in the sense that there will be a lot of talk about the militarism, putting -- putting the military into space and what the implications of that are.

COWING: Well, first of all, it's at times like this, and we just went through this three years ago, that you know, a line from "Casablanca" comes to mind, that the usual suspects are rounded up.

And there's a list floating around and some names are on it because a lot of congressmen are talking about it. And other people have lobbied around to get their own name on this list. And it changes from day to day.

Kadish's name appeared early on, and of course, he retired recently and he was head of the Missile Defense Agency. But the notion that having a person with a military background coming to NASA somehow denotes the militarization of the agency is not only wrong but throughout the agency's history, there's always been an overlap with military personnel, career types coming to the agency.

Right now several of the associate administrators, are -- think Admiral Steinel (ph), for example -- is former military. Mike Gostelnick (ph) and the list goes on. So...

O'BRIEN: Well, it's interesting. It's interesting, because there will be that criticism. And yet, this next person, Charlie Bolden, who is a Marine general and yet former astronaut, is widely viewed as somebody who would be a very popular choice.

COWING: Charlie -- Charlie Bolden, I have to tell you, I had one incident with him when I worked at NASA. I was...

O'BRIEN: By the way, he's screen right here just so you know. Go ahead.

COWING: OK. Ten, 15 years ago, I was down at the Johnson Space Center in the Building 4, looking for somebody, and I needed an envelope to mail something.

And I didn't know who he was at the time. And here's an astronaut. And he stopped what he was doing and helped me find an envelope and mail stuff off and completely selfless. And I've heard nothing but positive things about the gentleman.

And a lot of people were very disappointed when he was nominated to be deputy administrator three years back and, due to issues with his retirement and so forth, had to have his name withdrawn.

So I think within the agency, he would be a very popular choice. Whether he's selected as administrator or deputy administrator, that's the issue. And that comes from who it is they actually decide to put at the top and what sort of skill mix is needed to augment that person's ability to manage the agency.

O'BRIEN: Keith Cowing, the chairman, chief executive officer and the man who makes it work at NASAWatch.com. Thanks for your time. We appreciate it.

COWING: My pleasure.

O'BRIEN: All right -- Betty.

NGUYEN: He's implicated in the oil for food scandal, but he hasn't gone public till now. The story of Kofi Annan's son, only on CNN.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rhonda Schaffler at the New York Stock Exchange. Two of the biggest carmakers are putting their rivalries aside and teaming up. I'll tell you what they're working on when LIVE FROM comes right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: This week, CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" takes us to the economic and cultural center of Japan. We're talking about Tokyo. Bill Hemmer is co-hosting live from Japan's capital city and he gives us a tour of Tokyo now that you may have seen recently in the movies.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING" (voice-over): Tokyo, population 10 million. The heart, soul and capital city of this great Asian country.

(on camera) You might recognize a few stops along the road. We're in Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's economic hubs. This is where they shot the opening scene in the film "Lost in Translation." A jetlagged Bill Murray waking up in Japan's neon skyline. We felt the same way after our own 14-hour our flight here.

Later in the movie and a bit further down the road, Scarlett Johansson takes a lonely walk in a sea of people and a few electronic elephants. That's the screen up there, more than 10 stories tall.

And this is perhaps Tokyo's most popular intersection. This is shown as Shibuya, perhaps Japan's version of Times Square. Twenty minutes east of here is where we have set up home base for the week, Roppongi Hills.

Roppongi Hills is a lively city within a city that just opened up 18 months ago. And like so much of Tokyo, this place can draw a crowd. In its first year more than 25 million came here to see the holiday lights and shop in its world-class stores. There is so much in Tokyo, and we're just getting started.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And you can join "AMERICAN MORNING" live from Tokyo. The U.S. ambassador to Japan, Howard Baker, joins Bill to talk about diplomacy between the two countries. Don't miss "AMERICAN MORNING: LIVE FROM JAPAN," tomorrow morning at 7 Eastern on CNN.

O'BRIEN: Well, two of Detroit's biggest auto companies teaming up to work on new technology. Rhonda Schaffler joins us from the New York Stock Exchange with details on this.

Rhonda, I feel like I haven't seen you in so long. It really is good to see you.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's nice to see you.

O'BRIEN: I mean, I watch you from afar, what I mean.

SCHAFFLER: I watched you afar in the mornings as well, Miles. It's good to see you back there in the afternoons.

O'BRIEN: Good to see you.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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Aired December 13, 2004 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: About more of the cabinet shakeup and President Bush's decision, his first pick for homeland security in the debacle behind it.
BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: Kofi Annan's son makes his first statement about his role in the oil for food scandal. You'll hear it only on CNN.

MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: And his inspiring life story is about to get the Hollywood treatment. You'll meet the real Coach Carter later this hour.

From the CNN center in Atlanta, I'm the real Miles O'Brien.

NGUYEN: And I'm the real Betty Nguyen, in for Kyra Phillips. Thank you for joining us. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

O'BRIEN: Up first this hour, back at work and making a life or death decision. The jury in the Scott Peterson trial resumed deliberations today to choose his sentence for killing his wife and unborn son.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is at the courthouse, Redwood City, California -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they are still deliberating, Miles, but we have just learned that they asked for seven pieces of evidence from the guilt phase of the trial.

A couple of pieces of that evidence are sealed, but we so know they asked for aerial photographs of the bay and the shoreline where Laci Peterson's body and that have her unborn son washed ashore a year and a half ago.

They've been deliberating for 11 hours. That's three -- about three hours longer or almost four hours longer than they did in their deliberations to convict Scott Peterson of first-degree murder.

So we don't know why they requested the photos, what -- you know, majority is in the deliberations whether it's those seeking death penalty or life in prison without parole.

So looks like they're back to work. They'll be breaking for lunch in probably about 45 minutes. And that's all we have at this point -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: And of course, it seems kind of odd on the face of it. Of course, we're not in the middle of all this, that they would be asking for evidence which would take you back to the verdict decision. Can you read the tealeaves on this one at all?

DORNIN: It's very difficult to read. Some of the legal analysts here believe that perhaps the people in favor of the death penalty are showing these pictures of, you know, this is where he went fishing, this is where her body washed up.

Those are the legal analysts, of course, who are saying that they -- perhaps it is the death penalty, those favoring the death penalty that are seeking some of this evidence. But at this point, we just don't know.

O'BRIEN: All right, Rusty Dornin, we will be watching it, obviously, very closely. Thank you very much -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Questions, apologies and criticism all abound today as President Bush scrambles to find a new candidate to head homeland security. Meanwhile, he's made his pick to fill the other remaining vacancy in his cabinet.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us now with all those details.

Hi there, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Well, hello, Betty.

Here's how it's shaking out. You've got 15 cabinet members, nine resignations, six that have decided to stay on. And of course, President Bush announcing the nominees for all except for one. That is for homeland security.

Today the focus was on health and human services secretary, to replace Secretary Tommy Thompson. The president's pick, at the Roosevelt Room, he announced Michael Leavitt, administrator of EPA. He also served as a three-term governor of Utah, President Bush saying that he very much shares the administration's values and is up for the challenge.

But of course, as you know, the debacle, of course, and the controversy is over his initial pick, Bernie Kerik, the former New York police commissioner, as his Homeland Security Department secretary.

Over the weekend Kerik disclosing that he was dropping out of that because of the information that a nanny he had employed was a legal immigrant.

Now the White House today, of course, saying they did not get that information until late in the vetting process, that Kerik came only afterwards, after the announcement was made about further details saying that in fact, he did have a nanny problem. But today the White House was very adamant, Scott McClellan saying that, look, they don't believe that he lied, that it was truly a mistake. The president wishes him well, and they'd like to move on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We were moving forward with the nomination process when this issue was brought to our attention by Commissioner Kerik, and it was decision to withdraw his name from consideration.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now one individual who actually brought Kerik to President Bush's attention and pushed for his nomination. That is former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani.

There's been a lot of rumblings over whether or not this has had any impact on his relationship with President Bush. Again, the White House saying that they did not believe that that was the case. Giuliani had apologized.

And it was just last night we saw the two together at the White House Christmas party, at a concert. Then later Scott McClellan said the two shared the presidential limo back to the White House. They shared a Christmas -- a holiday dinner, that there was no such strain or tension on the two, that they are simply looking forward.

NGUYEN: Suzanne, let's talk about the short list of replacements for Kerik. A lot of names have been tossed around, including Joe Lieberman. Would he even be interested in the job?

MALVEAUX: Well, according to Democratic sources, they say that he has expressed some interest. It's very interesting to see whether or not the president is going to extend his hand to a Democrat. Certainly is a good opportunity to do this. A lot of speculation around it.

What was interesting, however, is that Mike Leavitt was one of the people on the list for a possible consideration for that particular appointment. He is off the list now.

And of course, Joe Lieberman, as well as Asa Hutchinson of homeland security and Fran Townsend of homeland security, all of them in the running for that particular slot.

NGUYEN: And when will an announcement be made?

MALVEAUX: Well, the president is hoping before Christmas. That is his goal, to look at all those candidates and to make that announcement. But we're just going to have to wait and see.

NGUYEN: All right. The waiting game. Suzanne Malveaux, thank you.

And the failed Kerik nomination will be the focus of CNN's INSIDE POLITICS. What happened during the vetting process? That is coming up at 3:30 Eastern right here on CNN.

O'BRIEN: "Security Watch" segment now. Biometrics has arrived. It's no longer just the stuff of James Bond thrillers. It's now widely used to confirm your identity. Some worry, though, that it could provide false comfort.

Our tech correspondent, Daniel Sieberg, looks at the pros and the cons.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From fingerprints to voice recognition...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am who I say I am.

SIEBERG: Iris scans to hand geometry, biometric measurements are used to gain access to offices, to get driver's licenses, even to pay for groceries. What about homeland security?

PROF. LISA NELSON, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH: In addition to verifying a name or verifying an address or verifying a birthday or Social Security number, biometric can potentially add another layer of verification.

SIEBERG: Outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has been a supporter.

TOM RIDGE, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: We launched U.S. Visit, a program that uses biometrics to expedite the processing of foreign travelers and stop known or suspected terrorists at our borders.

SIEBERG: At five U.S. airports, some frequent flyers bypass lines by becoming registered travelers. A fingerprint or iris scan confirms their identity, and security can spend more time screening higher risk passengers.

But critics caution that high tech tools can sometimes provide a false sense of safety.

LEE TIEN, ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION: So one of the things that's really important to remember about biometrics is that it's not a complete security solution in any sense. You have to have information about the people to decide whether or not they're a threat.

The 9/11 hijackers, several of them flew under their true names. And those names were checked. The problem was that we didn't know that those people were dangerous.

SIEBERG: Researchers say the uniqueness of a fingerprint or a facial scan helps to screen for multiple identities.

LARRY HORNAK, DIRECTOR, I.D. TECH RESEARCH: When someone enrolls in a system, and whether it be for border security, whether driver's licenses, that's the opportunity for that -- that organization to say, OK, is this person, for example, already in the system as someone else.

SIEBERG: But experts like Hornak caution against the use of any high tech tools without proper legal and privacy safeguards.

HORNAK: To really go off and just design a biometric system which is some fantastic technological solution and totally ignoring the other side is really a recipe for disaster.

SIEBERG: Any use of biometrics is a balancing act to help identify the bad guys without fingering the innocent.

Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about our security -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Stories across America now.

An 80-year-old diver in the Florida Keys is back home safe after spending 18 hours stranded at sea. The spear fisherman was alone Saturday when his boat lost anchor and drifted away. He hung on to a floating buoy in the cold rough waters until a relative found him yesterday.

It's an ill wind that blows down the governor's Christmas tree. High gusts in St. Paul, Minnesota, toppled a 35-foot Christmas tree in the front yard of the governor's mansion over the weekend.

And a wounded U.S. Marine is back home with his wife in California after making an incredible sacrifice in Iraq. Listen to this.

Doctors told Lance Corporal David Battle they'd have to cut off his wedding ring to save his finger. Now, Battle ordered them to save the ring and amputate his finger instead.

Tragically, the ring became lost in all the chaos. That just pains me, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Yes. You know what? I would have forsaken the ring. But that's just me.

All right. Who will be the next leader of America's space program? We'll get to the bottom of who's going to the top of NASA straight ahead.

They are suffering so much, but help is on the way. And so is their story.

And Hollywood loves the story of the high school coach who used tough love to make his students more than just good basketball players. You'll meet the man whose life is coming to the silver screen when LIVE FROM continues.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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O'BRIEN: All right. It's official now. Apparently about hour ago, the administrator of NASA, Sean O'Keefe, made it official, tendering his resignation, stepping down after a wild three-year ride.

He resigned and now there are words he plans to become the chancellor at Louisiana State University. Louisiana is his home state.

O'Keefe's face and name became known to the nation, of course, during the shuttle Columbia disaster, just shy of two years ago. With more on O'Keefe's resignation and what lies ahead for NASA, we turn now to Keith Cowing of NASAWatch.com, joining us live now from Washington.

Keith, good to have you with us.

KEITH COWING, NASAWATCH.COM: Nice to be here.

O'BRIEN: All right. You've been inside NASA and outside NASA. Do your best to rate the O'Keefe years.

Not exactly what it was intended. He went in there with a charter to sort of clean the books up and ended up being something else entirely.

COWING: When he came in, it was actually after quite an exaggerated process of trying to find somebody to replace the previous NASA administrator.

And given the state of the agency at the time -- projects were grossly over budget, morale was low, space probes were crashing into planets -- it was difficult to find somebody. So they turned to Mr. Fix It, Sean O'Keefe, and brought him in.

And during the ensuing year or so, his focus was really on putting financial frugality and self-restraint on what the agency was doing.

Then after about a year, suddenly we had the Columbia accident and suddenly was thrust into an arena which I don't think anybody expected.

O'BRIEN: Yes. I mean, he came to NASA, as we look at some of the pictures from Columbia, when everything changed for him. And that was about a year into his tenure. But he came to NASA from the Office of Management and Budget. His background is very much inside beltway management of bureaucracies, management of money. And that was really the goal there, was to have him straighten that out and then perhaps move on.

Obviously, when Columbia happened, he felt compelled to stay.

COWING: Well, it was -- Yes, I mean, that was part of it. And of course, he was in charge of the agency and, as he said, it happened on his watch. And he's -- he's a public servant. That's what he does in life, even though he's taught a number of years. That's kind of what he's about.

So I don't think anybody was surprised that he rose to the occasion and did as well as many people think he did.

O'BRIEN: Over the years you, in your role, have been very critical of NASA and its management. And I'm wondering what your thoughts are on how Sean O'Keefe, specifically, before we talk about his entire tenure, specifically handled events immediately after Columbia.

COWING: I think a lot of people are glad that he was the administrator at that time, not the person who was there before, Dan Golden. And I think...

O'BRIEN: Why is that? What was it about his tenure?

COWING: I don't think -- a lot -- a lot of people just felt that Mr. Golden would not have reacted well to this, that it would have been a lot of blame and aspersion.

And people were already under a lot of stress, because of the fact that he had been cheering for budget cuts year after year. And a lot of people at the agency really didn't feel that Mr. Golden particularly cared about them.

And that's one thing I've never heard anybody say about Sean O'Keefe, that he's not a, as I said, people person. And he let his emotions and concerns just appear right on the screen right after the accident.

O'BRIEN: Of course, he had -- he had a big advantage that Dan Golden would not have had in the sense that he could say, "Look, I'm an outsider here. All of this did not happen on my watch."

And so it afforded him a certain amount of latitude to deal with the problem that others would not.

COWING: Well, you know, yes, but he never really did that. He never looked back and blamed the other guy.

I think one thing about O'Keefe that a lot of people resonated with is the fact that, in many ways, he was just another guy, even though he's, you know, like you said, a consummate politician and inside the beltway sort of manager. His reaction to a lot of this was extremely honest and simple. And I think that helped the agency, you know, climb out of that problem and move on to where it is now.

O'BRIEN: All right. As you look forward here at some names coming to the surface, and one near the top of the list is a general who was until recently in charge of missile defense for the Bush administration, General Ron Kadish as a possible successor to Sean O'Keefe.

I wonder if General Kadish, if in fact that comes to be, how well that will be received in the sense that there will be a lot of talk about the militarism, putting -- putting the military into space and what the implications of that are.

COWING: Well, first of all, it's at times like this, and we just went through this three years ago, that you know, a line from "Casablanca" comes to mind, that the usual suspects are rounded up.

And there's a list floating around and some names are on it because a lot of congressmen are talking about it. And other people have lobbied around to get their own name on this list. And it changes from day to day.

Kadish's name appeared early on, and of course, he retired recently and he was head of the Missile Defense Agency. But the notion that having a person with a military background coming to NASA somehow denotes the militarization of the agency is not only wrong but throughout the agency's history, there's always been an overlap with military personnel, career types coming to the agency.

Right now several of the associate administrators, are -- think Admiral Steinel (ph), for example -- is former military. Mike Gostelnick (ph) and the list goes on. So...

O'BRIEN: Well, it's interesting. It's interesting, because there will be that criticism. And yet, this next person, Charlie Bolden, who is a Marine general and yet former astronaut, is widely viewed as somebody who would be a very popular choice.

COWING: Charlie -- Charlie Bolden, I have to tell you, I had one incident with him when I worked at NASA. I was...

O'BRIEN: By the way, he's screen right here just so you know. Go ahead.

COWING: OK. Ten, 15 years ago, I was down at the Johnson Space Center in the Building 4, looking for somebody, and I needed an envelope to mail something.

And I didn't know who he was at the time. And here's an astronaut. And he stopped what he was doing and helped me find an envelope and mail stuff off and completely selfless. And I've heard nothing but positive things about the gentleman.

And a lot of people were very disappointed when he was nominated to be deputy administrator three years back and, due to issues with his retirement and so forth, had to have his name withdrawn.

So I think within the agency, he would be a very popular choice. Whether he's selected as administrator or deputy administrator, that's the issue. And that comes from who it is they actually decide to put at the top and what sort of skill mix is needed to augment that person's ability to manage the agency.

O'BRIEN: Keith Cowing, the chairman, chief executive officer and the man who makes it work at NASAWatch.com. Thanks for your time. We appreciate it.

COWING: My pleasure.

O'BRIEN: All right -- Betty.

NGUYEN: He's implicated in the oil for food scandal, but he hasn't gone public till now. The story of Kofi Annan's son, only on CNN.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rhonda Schaffler at the New York Stock Exchange. Two of the biggest carmakers are putting their rivalries aside and teaming up. I'll tell you what they're working on when LIVE FROM comes right back.

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NGUYEN: This week, CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" takes us to the economic and cultural center of Japan. We're talking about Tokyo. Bill Hemmer is co-hosting live from Japan's capital city and he gives us a tour of Tokyo now that you may have seen recently in the movies.

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BILL HEMMER, CO-HOST, "AMERICAN MORNING" (voice-over): Tokyo, population 10 million. The heart, soul and capital city of this great Asian country.

(on camera) You might recognize a few stops along the road. We're in Shinjuku, one of Tokyo's economic hubs. This is where they shot the opening scene in the film "Lost in Translation." A jetlagged Bill Murray waking up in Japan's neon skyline. We felt the same way after our own 14-hour our flight here.

Later in the movie and a bit further down the road, Scarlett Johansson takes a lonely walk in a sea of people and a few electronic elephants. That's the screen up there, more than 10 stories tall.

And this is perhaps Tokyo's most popular intersection. This is shown as Shibuya, perhaps Japan's version of Times Square. Twenty minutes east of here is where we have set up home base for the week, Roppongi Hills.

Roppongi Hills is a lively city within a city that just opened up 18 months ago. And like so much of Tokyo, this place can draw a crowd. In its first year more than 25 million came here to see the holiday lights and shop in its world-class stores. There is so much in Tokyo, and we're just getting started.

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NGUYEN: And you can join "AMERICAN MORNING" live from Tokyo. The U.S. ambassador to Japan, Howard Baker, joins Bill to talk about diplomacy between the two countries. Don't miss "AMERICAN MORNING: LIVE FROM JAPAN," tomorrow morning at 7 Eastern on CNN.

O'BRIEN: Well, two of Detroit's biggest auto companies teaming up to work on new technology. Rhonda Schaffler joins us from the New York Stock Exchange with details on this.

Rhonda, I feel like I haven't seen you in so long. It really is good to see you.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's nice to see you.

O'BRIEN: I mean, I watch you from afar, what I mean.

SCHAFFLER: I watched you afar in the mornings as well, Miles. It's good to see you back there in the afternoons.

O'BRIEN: Good to see you.

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