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Rescue Crews Continue Searching for Mudslide Victims; U.S. Calls of Search for WMD; U.S. Military Provides Election Info to Iraqis; Defense Witnesses in Prison Scandal Trial Prevented from Testifying; Student Pilot Survives Crash in Orlando, Instructor Killed
Aired January 12, 2005 - 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Searching for survivors, holding out hope for life in the midst of a deadly mudslide. We are live from a California town coping with a terrible disaster.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CO-HOST: Coming up empty. The search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq comes to a quiet end. We're live from the Pentagon.
O'BRIEN: A crash landing caught on tape. An engine problem leads to an emergency at a Florida golf course. And there you see the results.
WHITFIELD: Bling-bling for the bell ringer? Was it a kettle donation, an incredible act of generosity, or a mistake?
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Kyra Phillips.
O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now.
WHITFIELD: We begin this hour in the grim gray area between rescue and recovery.
Two days after that terrible mudslide in southern California, a 30-foot mound of earth sits atop the ruins of 15 homes, and 10 people, at a minimum, are dead. The focus now is on several other people who are still believed buried and who may conceivably still be alive.
CNN's Sean Callebs has the latest from La Conchita.
And we're talking about maybe 10 who are unaccounted for and possibly buried beneath that rubble?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. That is what the latest word from the authorities here. They believe there are at least 10 people remain buried under the tremendous amount of dirt and debris on the hillside behind me. You can see the scarring up in that mountain where the area just came pouring down.
Some residents actually believe there are more, but authorities are sticking with that number, 10. As you mentioned, also 10 fatalities. Right after the accident, 10 people were immediately pulled from the mountain. At least two of those remain in critical condition.
Fredricka, also, Governor Schwarzenegger arrived here just about 45 minutes ago. He toured this area in a helicopter, got a very close-up look at that mountain and the area where the debris just came pouring down.
Shortly after that, he had a chance to get out, go into a command center, meet with some of the fire authorities and other emergency crews here.
Then he made his way to that 30-foot high mound of debris where crews have been working around the clock. As he went up that way, many stopped what they were doing to watch the governor.
When asked what he thought of the area, he said simply, "devastating." But the governor also said he believed that people should be able to live in coastal areas like this if they want.
There has been a certain degree of concern, because this mountain has collapsed before, wiping out nine homes back in 1995. At that time, many La Conchita residents chose to move out of this region. But many others chose to stay.
There's no shortage of tragic stories in all of this, Fredricka, as crews continue to maintain, this is a search and rescue operation.
Today, early in the morning, four victims were pulled from the debris, a mother and her three children. The husband and father was able to escape, because he had stepped out for just a moment to go and get ice cream. He is said to be simply devastated.
There are scores of crew members up there working, many on their hands and knees doing what they can. They have been using highly sensitive microphones in the hopes of hearing even the faintest sound underneath all of that mud.
But Fredricka, remember, this accident happened nearly 48 hours ago. The people here know they are running out of time.
WHITFIELD: All right. Sean Callebs from La Conchita, California, thanks so much.
Topanga Canyon is no longer caught between a rock and a hard place. The rock being this 25-foot boulder that slid off a bluff at the height of the California deluge.
They couldn't lift it. They couldn't roll it, so road crews decided to make molehills out of their mini mountain with some modest controlled explosions.
And the sprawling storm that caused so much misery in the Golden State has now claimed more than a dozen homes in Utah. Extremely heavy rains and melting snow have overwhelmed dams and left one small town surrounded by water. One death is being blamed on the Utah floods so far.
And in the wake of those rains and snows and mudslides and tsunamis and hurricanes, all of this, a CNN special, "EXTREME WEATHER," an hour-long look at the many recent examples of the awesome power of nature. That's at 10 p.m. Eastern tonight, 7 Pacific right here on CNN.
O'BRIEN: The U.S. has stopped looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. WMDs the -- were the administration's main reasons for going to war.
CNN's Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon with more on all this -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Miles.
Well, nothing really new or surprising here, but it is a little more official. Indeed, the Bush administration has called a halt to the physical searches, if you will, for weapons of mass destruction inside Iraq.
The Iraq Survey Group, the group of military, government, intelligence and civilian contractor officials that have been looking for so many months now, have stopped their searches in Iraq. They say they have nowhere else to look, no new leads.
What they will do, however, is write their final report. They will continue to look at the documents they have collected. They say if they find any new leads, they will something back and look then.
But the conclusion pretty much appears to be the same. Two years after President Bush ordered the U.S. to war in Iraq in an effort to stop what he said was Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction programs, there simply is no evidence, according to government officials, that Saddam Hussein had stockpiles of active WMD or had programs under way at the time of the invasion. The intelligence simply didn't pan out.
So you might ask yourself, what are those 1,700 members of the Iraq survey grew doing now? Well, Pentagon officials tell us that they have, indeed, over the last many weeks, as it has been well known, shifted their priorities.
Their top priority now, working the intelligence problem on the counterinsurgency in Iraq. That now the top priority for the Iraq survey group -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. So in other words, that whole unit is sort of redeployed, then, essentially?
STARR: They are now functioning mainly as a group looking at intelligence for the counterinsurgency. When you think about it, the insurgency is the weapon of mass destruction in Iraq, responsible for so much misery, for the death -- deaths of so many American servicemen and Iraqis in that country. So they are really trying to focus on that at this time. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you very much.
Almost two years after the invasion, Iraqis are now preparing to vote in those elections January 30, or are they?
CNN's Chris Lawrence is embedded with the 503rd Infantry in Ramadi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. Marine Major P.K. Ewing spends his days on the streets of Ramadi, fighting a battle guns can't win.
MAJ. P.K. EWING, U.S. MARINE CORPS: It is a public relations war. It is a matter of perceptions.
LAWRENCE: His enemies are the insurgents who scrawled on this school, "Prime minister Allawi is an American agent." And...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Mujahideen wins.
LAWRENCE: It's a war to win hearts and minds ahead of the election, complicated by Osama bin Laden, who warned Iraqis that anyone who votes would be considered an infidel.
U.S. troops are trying to promote the election and win over the Iraqi people.
(on camera) American officers say they have at least one big advantage over Osama bin Laden.
(voice-over) The soldiers work with the Iraqis face to face, day in and day out. But outside Baghdad, the Americans have a hard time getting the message across.
EWING: Some people hide from us because they don't understand what we're doing here. There's a lot of confusing messages out there.
LAWRENCE: Major Ewing's mission: to clear up that confusion with Iraqis like Aman Buvarak (ph). He's highly educated, has a big family, and runs a local glass factory, the kind of man who would seem to have a stake in the election.
EWING: Make sure -- ask him that he knows who's running and that he's free to make a choice.
LAWRENCE: Buvarak (ph) knows he can vote, but can't name a single candidate or coalition. And American officers say there's a reason for that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When Saddam was in power, there was all kinds of propaganda.
LAWRENCE: The Iraqis got used to it. But the streets have been too dangerous for today's candidates to campaign. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The general consensus we're getting is that the incoming government hasn't put out a propaganda campaign to let everybody know. So it's pretty much people are going to show up, and it's going to be like, "All right, there's this guy and this guy. I don't know either one of them. But I'm going to vote for this guy."
LAWRENCE: If they vote at all. This man doesn't know anyone in Ramadi who plans to do so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We don't have anybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just in Baghdad, maybe.
LAWRENCE: He thinks the election is only for those who live in the capital.
And whether potential voters like these in Ramadi or elsewhere in Iraq ever make it to the polls could come down to a last-minute propaganda blitz, something Saddam Hussein could ironically appreciate.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Ramadi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Today a U.S. military jury is getting to see a different side of Charles Graner. He's the soldier a detainee described as the primary torturer at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us from Fort Hood -- Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.
Of course, Specialist Charles Graner, no doubt, wanted to have a strong start out of the gate as he began his defense. But first he had to cross over some powerful legal roadblocks.
Before the proceedings even began, so much of what you're about to hear was never heard by the jury. It happened during a proceeding before today's proceedings started.
And all about a man by the name of Thomas Archambault. His web site says he trains instructors in the use of force. The defense wanted to use him to say that some of the methods that Graner used at Abu Ghraib were not abuse, but were accepted techniques.
For example, Archambault -- this man -- found no problem with Graner putting a leash on the prisoner, because he said in this case the prisoner did not appear to be being pulled out of the cell, but instead crawled out on his own.
Now, as for the now famous naked human pyramid, Archambault called it a discretionary control technique and therefore OK under the circumstances.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS ARCHAMBAULT, DEFENSE EXPERT: My primary concern is was any injuries occur -- did any injuries occur from this? In my opinion, no. There was a very safe method.
Based on the circumstances he was faced in, based on all the adversities that he is confronted with, it was a very difficult task for him to do. You know, was it in inappropriate to take pictures and that? Probably so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: But the military judge would have none of it. He ruled that both techniques are not authorized and do not appear in any kind of military manual.
Therefore, he did not allow the witness to testify about those techniques, but said he might be able to come back later, if and only if Graner takes the stand.
Now, the prosecutors were also able to turn around another defense witness who testified that Graner was generally praised for his work. Turned it around by saying that this witness testified that Graner was also known for, quote, "pushing the limits," and, quote, "wanting to do his own thing" -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Susan, what is the likelihood of Graner actually taking the stand?
CANDIOTTI: Well, all along, his attorney has said that he wants him to take the stand. Graner himself wants to testify in his own defense, as well. But no final decision has been made.
WHITFIELD: All right. Susan Candiotti, thanks so much -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Let's get back to California now.
We've been telling you about that terrible mudslide in Ventura County in the wake of all that deluge of rain that California has endured because of that wild weather pattern.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had an opportunity to view the mudslide from the air and on the ground just a little while ago. After he landed, he spoke with reporters.
Here's some tape of that, just a few moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: (NO AUDIO)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Well, I've got to be honest with you, we don't run tape anymore. It's actually off a computer. And as you can probably relate with, computers freeze up every now and again, and that's what happened. Apparently, that was a tape.
In any case, we apologize for the technical problems. As soon as we work them out, we'll bring you Arnold Schwarzenegger and his impressions after having seen that mudslide from the air.
Well, it was a nightmare scenario for two people aboard a small plane. Engine trouble and then an emergency landing after that, after the engine quit. Witnesses describe what happened, just ahead on LIVE FROM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It may not be making sounds or anything like that, but we know it's there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: What's being done to protect America's oil fields from a terror attack? "CNN Security Watch," ahead on LIVE FROM.
And a little bit of cell phone caution for you. British health officials suggest parents should tell their young children, Connery, to hang up.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Dan Rather is stepping up to the plate, rallying staffers at CBS.
The veteran anchorman says he's mindful of a report criticizing CBS for his "60 Minutes" segment on President Bush's National Guard record that cost four people their jobs there.
In a memo to his colleagues, he wrote this: "My strongest reaction is of sadness and concern for those individuals whom I know and with whom I have worked. It would be a shame if we let this matter, troubling as it is, obscure their dedication and good work over the years. I have been here through good times and not so good times. I have seen us overcome adversity before. I am convinced we can do so again. Lest anyone have any doubt, I have read the report. I take it seriously, and I shall keep its lessons well in mind."
WHITFIELD: News across America now.
Progress, but no power. In the remote Alaskan village of Kaktovik, a helicopter dropped off a power crew, but conditions are so bad there at the airport, where the wind chill is -- get this -- 70 below, the equipment they need to restore electricity is being shipped overland.
NASA rarely intentionally crashes anything, but its Deep Impact spacecraft set off on a suicide mission just minutes ago from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will cruise space for six months before colliding into the core of a comet. The mission should give NASA new insights into structure and composition of comets.
O'BRIEN: A dramatic moment caught on tape. A pleasure flight in a private plane, not so pleasurable at all. It was a fatal crash on the edge of a golf course in Orlando, Florida.
Erik von Ancken from our affiliate WKMG in Orlando has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIK VON ANCKEN, WKMG REPORTER (voice-over): The pilot is losing oil pressure fast, so he looks for a safe place to land, but he's running out of room and altitude. The crash, stopped by a power pole.
Watch again. You can see the wings dipping, first to the left, then to the right. The right wing actually drags along the ground, then gets clipped by the power line, and wham! You see the sparks.
TOM STEWART, WITNESS: I saw a flash of light. I thought it was somebody got struck by lightning or a car wreck. Because it just was -- oh, I'm sorry. It was just bam!
VON ANCKEN: And like lightning, witnesses ran over and pulled out the student pilot, Steve Schieber.
STEWART: It was smoldering, and we saw the gas dripping out. And that was -- you know, we were -- you know, it's what you do when you have to do what you have to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Making sure the other gentleman that was in the cockpit, trying to get him out, wasn't hitting any of the power lines because there were power lines around him.
VON ANCKEN: The instructor, Don Lawlor, was still stuck inside. He could barely move.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I started talking to him about music, just anything to keep him alert, I guess.
VON ANCKEN: Firefighters tell us Lawlor died in surgery at the hospital.
And the owner of the plane tells us both men on board knew what they were doing. They were certified and competent, and so was the plane.
JIM GRADY, PLANE OWNER: It's all done by FAA standards. We have an A.I. on staff. That's an airplane inspector.
VON ANCKEN: Firefighters say the pilot tried to put down the plane on the Dubsdread Golf Course, because he knew he couldn't make it to Orlando Executive Airport.
He missed the golf course, but look again closely. He also missed the SUV driving down the road and the houses on the other side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He did an excellent job. This could have been a catastrophe. It could have been in a house. It could have been into a building. It could have been on the side of the road.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: That was Erik von Ancken of our Orlando affiliate, WKMG. The survivor is in fair concern condition, or so reports say.
One idea for reducing small plane crashes and fatalities is to put parachutes on the planes. You heard me right. The airplanes would wear parachutes instead of the people inside. There you see it.
WHITFIELD: Neat.
O'BRIEN: In our next hour, we'll talk with someone who will explain why this notion isn't as crazy as it may sound. As a matter of fact, he is walking on the right side of the dirt because of a parachute just like this. We'll tell you that story in a little bit.
WHITFIELD: I look forward to that one.
O'BRIEN: All right. Arnold Schwarzenegger in California. Having toured the area, as we tried to show you a few moments ago with technical difficulties. I think we have them squared away.
Let's listen to the governor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHWARZENEGGER: The mudslides here have obviously devastated this area. Ten people have lost their lives, and many people have been injured and are still missing. There are also nearly two dozen homes that have been destroyed or damaged.
Hundreds of people, many federal, state and local agencies, have been working very hard together to coordinate and manage this crisis and to prevent further harm to the people that live here.
I want to especially thank the brave firefighters and other public safety professionals that have done an extraordinary job here in these last 48 hours. They have thrown everything that they have into this rescue effort.
They have been working around the clock, and they've been using state of the art equipment in order to find survivors. So far, they have rescued 10 people.
Something else that I want to say is, is that Californians quickly lend a hand in the time of crisis. It's extraordinary the way people have come together here. From the moment the mudslides hit, people rushed to the aid of their neighbors, helping each other escape the danger, and trying to find survivors.
As we continue this rescue and recovery effort, we also strengthen the partnership and the assistance between the federal, state and local government and explore every resource available for the people affected by this tragedy.
In the past few days, we have seen the power of nature cause damage and despair. But we will match that power with our own resolve, and we will come together as Californians and as neighbors.
So thank you very much. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Remarkable set of circumstances. Ten dead, 10 found alive, and still 10 more unaccounted for?
O'BRIEN: And the prospect that somewhere in the wreckage of those 15 houses, beneath 30 feet of mud, there could be people alive is just...
WHITFIELD: Hopefully in an air pocket.
O'BRIEN: At once kind of heartening, but also horrifying at the same time.
WHITFIELD: Yes. It really is.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Well, California isn't the only state hard hit by too much rain these days.
O'BRIEN: This next video from Utah shows just how forceful the floods are. A home gone like that.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
O'BRIEN: Wow! We'll take you live to St. George, Utah, where they're trying to clean up a mess.
WHITFIELD: And wildfires down under. The flames are so fierce, people are literally jumping into the water to get away. That's straight ahead.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. Oreos and Kool-Aid are no longer on the kids' menu, at least when it comes to advertising. I'll tell you about Kraft's new approach, coming up on LIVE FROM, right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, news around the world now.
Fleeing for their lives in southern Australia. A wildfire chased these people, quote, "like a greyhound" into the water. Isn't that something?
The fire has burned more than 350,000 acres of grass and farmland. It killed at least nine people.
Fierce winter storms spread destruction across the U.K. Heavy rains and hurricane force winds battered parts of England, Scotland and Ireland. At least three people are dead and thousands without power.
And a warning for parents now. Britain's radiation watchdog says cell phones could pose a risk to children 8 and younger. The panel acknowledges that there's no hard proof cell phones are dangerous, but the British advisory panel says parents should hold off on giving them to little kids as a precaution.
O'BRIEN: You know, we just had a little discussion about this. There's...
WHITFIELD: Eight years and younger to have a cell phone? I don't get it.
O'BRIEN: A lot of profit. The 10-year-old in my house, "Daddy, I want the cell phone." Why?
WHITFIELD: Simple, no.
O'BRIEN: Then I talked to parents who have, you know, long distances to go to pick up kids and where's the kid and all this stuff.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And it does become a bit of a safety issue. And so...
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.
O'BRIEN: And then, of course, the kid uses it to call their friends.
WHITFIELD: These kids just want too much too soon. That's what I think.
O'BRIEN: These kids these days. Barefoot to school in the snow, uphill both ways. All that stuff.
WHITFIELD: Walk the walk. All that good stuff. We digress.
O'BRIEN: Your kids won't be seeing as many ads for Oreos, Chips Ahoy and Kool-Aid as they did before. Kraft Foods is cutting back. Yet another thing from our childhood that goes by the boards, right?
WHITFIELD: That's right. Susan Lisovicz has more on that. At least today, she's our snack food correspondent.
(STOCK REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired January 12, 2005 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Searching for survivors, holding out hope for life in the midst of a deadly mudslide. We are live from a California town coping with a terrible disaster.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CO-HOST: Coming up empty. The search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq comes to a quiet end. We're live from the Pentagon.
O'BRIEN: A crash landing caught on tape. An engine problem leads to an emergency at a Florida golf course. And there you see the results.
WHITFIELD: Bling-bling for the bell ringer? Was it a kettle donation, an incredible act of generosity, or a mistake?
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Kyra Phillips.
O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now.
WHITFIELD: We begin this hour in the grim gray area between rescue and recovery.
Two days after that terrible mudslide in southern California, a 30-foot mound of earth sits atop the ruins of 15 homes, and 10 people, at a minimum, are dead. The focus now is on several other people who are still believed buried and who may conceivably still be alive.
CNN's Sean Callebs has the latest from La Conchita.
And we're talking about maybe 10 who are unaccounted for and possibly buried beneath that rubble?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. That is what the latest word from the authorities here. They believe there are at least 10 people remain buried under the tremendous amount of dirt and debris on the hillside behind me. You can see the scarring up in that mountain where the area just came pouring down.
Some residents actually believe there are more, but authorities are sticking with that number, 10. As you mentioned, also 10 fatalities. Right after the accident, 10 people were immediately pulled from the mountain. At least two of those remain in critical condition.
Fredricka, also, Governor Schwarzenegger arrived here just about 45 minutes ago. He toured this area in a helicopter, got a very close-up look at that mountain and the area where the debris just came pouring down.
Shortly after that, he had a chance to get out, go into a command center, meet with some of the fire authorities and other emergency crews here.
Then he made his way to that 30-foot high mound of debris where crews have been working around the clock. As he went up that way, many stopped what they were doing to watch the governor.
When asked what he thought of the area, he said simply, "devastating." But the governor also said he believed that people should be able to live in coastal areas like this if they want.
There has been a certain degree of concern, because this mountain has collapsed before, wiping out nine homes back in 1995. At that time, many La Conchita residents chose to move out of this region. But many others chose to stay.
There's no shortage of tragic stories in all of this, Fredricka, as crews continue to maintain, this is a search and rescue operation.
Today, early in the morning, four victims were pulled from the debris, a mother and her three children. The husband and father was able to escape, because he had stepped out for just a moment to go and get ice cream. He is said to be simply devastated.
There are scores of crew members up there working, many on their hands and knees doing what they can. They have been using highly sensitive microphones in the hopes of hearing even the faintest sound underneath all of that mud.
But Fredricka, remember, this accident happened nearly 48 hours ago. The people here know they are running out of time.
WHITFIELD: All right. Sean Callebs from La Conchita, California, thanks so much.
Topanga Canyon is no longer caught between a rock and a hard place. The rock being this 25-foot boulder that slid off a bluff at the height of the California deluge.
They couldn't lift it. They couldn't roll it, so road crews decided to make molehills out of their mini mountain with some modest controlled explosions.
And the sprawling storm that caused so much misery in the Golden State has now claimed more than a dozen homes in Utah. Extremely heavy rains and melting snow have overwhelmed dams and left one small town surrounded by water. One death is being blamed on the Utah floods so far.
And in the wake of those rains and snows and mudslides and tsunamis and hurricanes, all of this, a CNN special, "EXTREME WEATHER," an hour-long look at the many recent examples of the awesome power of nature. That's at 10 p.m. Eastern tonight, 7 Pacific right here on CNN.
O'BRIEN: The U.S. has stopped looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. WMDs the -- were the administration's main reasons for going to war.
CNN's Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon with more on all this -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Miles.
Well, nothing really new or surprising here, but it is a little more official. Indeed, the Bush administration has called a halt to the physical searches, if you will, for weapons of mass destruction inside Iraq.
The Iraq Survey Group, the group of military, government, intelligence and civilian contractor officials that have been looking for so many months now, have stopped their searches in Iraq. They say they have nowhere else to look, no new leads.
What they will do, however, is write their final report. They will continue to look at the documents they have collected. They say if they find any new leads, they will something back and look then.
But the conclusion pretty much appears to be the same. Two years after President Bush ordered the U.S. to war in Iraq in an effort to stop what he said was Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction programs, there simply is no evidence, according to government officials, that Saddam Hussein had stockpiles of active WMD or had programs under way at the time of the invasion. The intelligence simply didn't pan out.
So you might ask yourself, what are those 1,700 members of the Iraq survey grew doing now? Well, Pentagon officials tell us that they have, indeed, over the last many weeks, as it has been well known, shifted their priorities.
Their top priority now, working the intelligence problem on the counterinsurgency in Iraq. That now the top priority for the Iraq survey group -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right. So in other words, that whole unit is sort of redeployed, then, essentially?
STARR: They are now functioning mainly as a group looking at intelligence for the counterinsurgency. When you think about it, the insurgency is the weapon of mass destruction in Iraq, responsible for so much misery, for the death -- deaths of so many American servicemen and Iraqis in that country. So they are really trying to focus on that at this time. O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, thank you very much.
Almost two years after the invasion, Iraqis are now preparing to vote in those elections January 30, or are they?
CNN's Chris Lawrence is embedded with the 503rd Infantry in Ramadi.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. Marine Major P.K. Ewing spends his days on the streets of Ramadi, fighting a battle guns can't win.
MAJ. P.K. EWING, U.S. MARINE CORPS: It is a public relations war. It is a matter of perceptions.
LAWRENCE: His enemies are the insurgents who scrawled on this school, "Prime minister Allawi is an American agent." And...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Mujahideen wins.
LAWRENCE: It's a war to win hearts and minds ahead of the election, complicated by Osama bin Laden, who warned Iraqis that anyone who votes would be considered an infidel.
U.S. troops are trying to promote the election and win over the Iraqi people.
(on camera) American officers say they have at least one big advantage over Osama bin Laden.
(voice-over) The soldiers work with the Iraqis face to face, day in and day out. But outside Baghdad, the Americans have a hard time getting the message across.
EWING: Some people hide from us because they don't understand what we're doing here. There's a lot of confusing messages out there.
LAWRENCE: Major Ewing's mission: to clear up that confusion with Iraqis like Aman Buvarak (ph). He's highly educated, has a big family, and runs a local glass factory, the kind of man who would seem to have a stake in the election.
EWING: Make sure -- ask him that he knows who's running and that he's free to make a choice.
LAWRENCE: Buvarak (ph) knows he can vote, but can't name a single candidate or coalition. And American officers say there's a reason for that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When Saddam was in power, there was all kinds of propaganda.
LAWRENCE: The Iraqis got used to it. But the streets have been too dangerous for today's candidates to campaign. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The general consensus we're getting is that the incoming government hasn't put out a propaganda campaign to let everybody know. So it's pretty much people are going to show up, and it's going to be like, "All right, there's this guy and this guy. I don't know either one of them. But I'm going to vote for this guy."
LAWRENCE: If they vote at all. This man doesn't know anyone in Ramadi who plans to do so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. We don't have anybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (speaking foreign language)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just in Baghdad, maybe.
LAWRENCE: He thinks the election is only for those who live in the capital.
And whether potential voters like these in Ramadi or elsewhere in Iraq ever make it to the polls could come down to a last-minute propaganda blitz, something Saddam Hussein could ironically appreciate.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Ramadi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Today a U.S. military jury is getting to see a different side of Charles Graner. He's the soldier a detainee described as the primary torturer at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
CNN's Susan Candiotti joins us from Fort Hood -- Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka.
Of course, Specialist Charles Graner, no doubt, wanted to have a strong start out of the gate as he began his defense. But first he had to cross over some powerful legal roadblocks.
Before the proceedings even began, so much of what you're about to hear was never heard by the jury. It happened during a proceeding before today's proceedings started.
And all about a man by the name of Thomas Archambault. His web site says he trains instructors in the use of force. The defense wanted to use him to say that some of the methods that Graner used at Abu Ghraib were not abuse, but were accepted techniques.
For example, Archambault -- this man -- found no problem with Graner putting a leash on the prisoner, because he said in this case the prisoner did not appear to be being pulled out of the cell, but instead crawled out on his own.
Now, as for the now famous naked human pyramid, Archambault called it a discretionary control technique and therefore OK under the circumstances.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS ARCHAMBAULT, DEFENSE EXPERT: My primary concern is was any injuries occur -- did any injuries occur from this? In my opinion, no. There was a very safe method.
Based on the circumstances he was faced in, based on all the adversities that he is confronted with, it was a very difficult task for him to do. You know, was it in inappropriate to take pictures and that? Probably so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: But the military judge would have none of it. He ruled that both techniques are not authorized and do not appear in any kind of military manual.
Therefore, he did not allow the witness to testify about those techniques, but said he might be able to come back later, if and only if Graner takes the stand.
Now, the prosecutors were also able to turn around another defense witness who testified that Graner was generally praised for his work. Turned it around by saying that this witness testified that Graner was also known for, quote, "pushing the limits," and, quote, "wanting to do his own thing" -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Susan, what is the likelihood of Graner actually taking the stand?
CANDIOTTI: Well, all along, his attorney has said that he wants him to take the stand. Graner himself wants to testify in his own defense, as well. But no final decision has been made.
WHITFIELD: All right. Susan Candiotti, thanks so much -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Let's get back to California now.
We've been telling you about that terrible mudslide in Ventura County in the wake of all that deluge of rain that California has endured because of that wild weather pattern.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had an opportunity to view the mudslide from the air and on the ground just a little while ago. After he landed, he spoke with reporters.
Here's some tape of that, just a few moments ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER (R), CALIFORNIA: (NO AUDIO)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Well, I've got to be honest with you, we don't run tape anymore. It's actually off a computer. And as you can probably relate with, computers freeze up every now and again, and that's what happened. Apparently, that was a tape.
In any case, we apologize for the technical problems. As soon as we work them out, we'll bring you Arnold Schwarzenegger and his impressions after having seen that mudslide from the air.
Well, it was a nightmare scenario for two people aboard a small plane. Engine trouble and then an emergency landing after that, after the engine quit. Witnesses describe what happened, just ahead on LIVE FROM.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It may not be making sounds or anything like that, but we know it's there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: What's being done to protect America's oil fields from a terror attack? "CNN Security Watch," ahead on LIVE FROM.
And a little bit of cell phone caution for you. British health officials suggest parents should tell their young children, Connery, to hang up.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
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O'BRIEN: Dan Rather is stepping up to the plate, rallying staffers at CBS.
The veteran anchorman says he's mindful of a report criticizing CBS for his "60 Minutes" segment on President Bush's National Guard record that cost four people their jobs there.
In a memo to his colleagues, he wrote this: "My strongest reaction is of sadness and concern for those individuals whom I know and with whom I have worked. It would be a shame if we let this matter, troubling as it is, obscure their dedication and good work over the years. I have been here through good times and not so good times. I have seen us overcome adversity before. I am convinced we can do so again. Lest anyone have any doubt, I have read the report. I take it seriously, and I shall keep its lessons well in mind."
WHITFIELD: News across America now.
Progress, but no power. In the remote Alaskan village of Kaktovik, a helicopter dropped off a power crew, but conditions are so bad there at the airport, where the wind chill is -- get this -- 70 below, the equipment they need to restore electricity is being shipped overland.
NASA rarely intentionally crashes anything, but its Deep Impact spacecraft set off on a suicide mission just minutes ago from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will cruise space for six months before colliding into the core of a comet. The mission should give NASA new insights into structure and composition of comets.
O'BRIEN: A dramatic moment caught on tape. A pleasure flight in a private plane, not so pleasurable at all. It was a fatal crash on the edge of a golf course in Orlando, Florida.
Erik von Ancken from our affiliate WKMG in Orlando has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIK VON ANCKEN, WKMG REPORTER (voice-over): The pilot is losing oil pressure fast, so he looks for a safe place to land, but he's running out of room and altitude. The crash, stopped by a power pole.
Watch again. You can see the wings dipping, first to the left, then to the right. The right wing actually drags along the ground, then gets clipped by the power line, and wham! You see the sparks.
TOM STEWART, WITNESS: I saw a flash of light. I thought it was somebody got struck by lightning or a car wreck. Because it just was -- oh, I'm sorry. It was just bam!
VON ANCKEN: And like lightning, witnesses ran over and pulled out the student pilot, Steve Schieber.
STEWART: It was smoldering, and we saw the gas dripping out. And that was -- you know, we were -- you know, it's what you do when you have to do what you have to do.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Making sure the other gentleman that was in the cockpit, trying to get him out, wasn't hitting any of the power lines because there were power lines around him.
VON ANCKEN: The instructor, Don Lawlor, was still stuck inside. He could barely move.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I started talking to him about music, just anything to keep him alert, I guess.
VON ANCKEN: Firefighters tell us Lawlor died in surgery at the hospital.
And the owner of the plane tells us both men on board knew what they were doing. They were certified and competent, and so was the plane.
JIM GRADY, PLANE OWNER: It's all done by FAA standards. We have an A.I. on staff. That's an airplane inspector.
VON ANCKEN: Firefighters say the pilot tried to put down the plane on the Dubsdread Golf Course, because he knew he couldn't make it to Orlando Executive Airport.
He missed the golf course, but look again closely. He also missed the SUV driving down the road and the houses on the other side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He did an excellent job. This could have been a catastrophe. It could have been in a house. It could have been into a building. It could have been on the side of the road.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: That was Erik von Ancken of our Orlando affiliate, WKMG. The survivor is in fair concern condition, or so reports say.
One idea for reducing small plane crashes and fatalities is to put parachutes on the planes. You heard me right. The airplanes would wear parachutes instead of the people inside. There you see it.
WHITFIELD: Neat.
O'BRIEN: In our next hour, we'll talk with someone who will explain why this notion isn't as crazy as it may sound. As a matter of fact, he is walking on the right side of the dirt because of a parachute just like this. We'll tell you that story in a little bit.
WHITFIELD: I look forward to that one.
O'BRIEN: All right. Arnold Schwarzenegger in California. Having toured the area, as we tried to show you a few moments ago with technical difficulties. I think we have them squared away.
Let's listen to the governor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHWARZENEGGER: The mudslides here have obviously devastated this area. Ten people have lost their lives, and many people have been injured and are still missing. There are also nearly two dozen homes that have been destroyed or damaged.
Hundreds of people, many federal, state and local agencies, have been working very hard together to coordinate and manage this crisis and to prevent further harm to the people that live here.
I want to especially thank the brave firefighters and other public safety professionals that have done an extraordinary job here in these last 48 hours. They have thrown everything that they have into this rescue effort.
They have been working around the clock, and they've been using state of the art equipment in order to find survivors. So far, they have rescued 10 people.
Something else that I want to say is, is that Californians quickly lend a hand in the time of crisis. It's extraordinary the way people have come together here. From the moment the mudslides hit, people rushed to the aid of their neighbors, helping each other escape the danger, and trying to find survivors.
As we continue this rescue and recovery effort, we also strengthen the partnership and the assistance between the federal, state and local government and explore every resource available for the people affected by this tragedy.
In the past few days, we have seen the power of nature cause damage and despair. But we will match that power with our own resolve, and we will come together as Californians and as neighbors.
So thank you very much. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Remarkable set of circumstances. Ten dead, 10 found alive, and still 10 more unaccounted for?
O'BRIEN: And the prospect that somewhere in the wreckage of those 15 houses, beneath 30 feet of mud, there could be people alive is just...
WHITFIELD: Hopefully in an air pocket.
O'BRIEN: At once kind of heartening, but also horrifying at the same time.
WHITFIELD: Yes. It really is.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Well, California isn't the only state hard hit by too much rain these days.
O'BRIEN: This next video from Utah shows just how forceful the floods are. A home gone like that.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness.
O'BRIEN: Wow! We'll take you live to St. George, Utah, where they're trying to clean up a mess.
WHITFIELD: And wildfires down under. The flames are so fierce, people are literally jumping into the water to get away. That's straight ahead.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. Oreos and Kool-Aid are no longer on the kids' menu, at least when it comes to advertising. I'll tell you about Kraft's new approach, coming up on LIVE FROM, right after this break.
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WHITFIELD: Well, news around the world now.
Fleeing for their lives in southern Australia. A wildfire chased these people, quote, "like a greyhound" into the water. Isn't that something?
The fire has burned more than 350,000 acres of grass and farmland. It killed at least nine people.
Fierce winter storms spread destruction across the U.K. Heavy rains and hurricane force winds battered parts of England, Scotland and Ireland. At least three people are dead and thousands without power.
And a warning for parents now. Britain's radiation watchdog says cell phones could pose a risk to children 8 and younger. The panel acknowledges that there's no hard proof cell phones are dangerous, but the British advisory panel says parents should hold off on giving them to little kids as a precaution.
O'BRIEN: You know, we just had a little discussion about this. There's...
WHITFIELD: Eight years and younger to have a cell phone? I don't get it.
O'BRIEN: A lot of profit. The 10-year-old in my house, "Daddy, I want the cell phone." Why?
WHITFIELD: Simple, no.
O'BRIEN: Then I talked to parents who have, you know, long distances to go to pick up kids and where's the kid and all this stuff.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And it does become a bit of a safety issue. And so...
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.
O'BRIEN: And then, of course, the kid uses it to call their friends.
WHITFIELD: These kids just want too much too soon. That's what I think.
O'BRIEN: These kids these days. Barefoot to school in the snow, uphill both ways. All that stuff.
WHITFIELD: Walk the walk. All that good stuff. We digress.
O'BRIEN: Your kids won't be seeing as many ads for Oreos, Chips Ahoy and Kool-Aid as they did before. Kraft Foods is cutting back. Yet another thing from our childhood that goes by the boards, right?
WHITFIELD: That's right. Susan Lisovicz has more on that. At least today, she's our snack food correspondent.
(STOCK REPORT)
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