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Manhattan Explosions; Runaway Bride; 'Nurse-In' on the Hill
Aired May 05, 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, CNN ANCHOR: Well, who planted a couple of bombs outside a New York City building? Investigators now questioning a United Nations employee.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A runaway bride may say "I do" to a deal with the city that spent hours and thousands of dollars looking for her. We're live on that story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHAPELLE CORBY, DEFENDANT: I swear, by God as my witness, I did not know marijuana was in my bag.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Well, is this woman guilty of drug trafficking or simply not locking her bags? The answer to that question could mean life or death for her.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
Mayhem in Manhattan or was it just mischief? Either way, first responders, top officials and all manner of authorities in between are taking this morning's explosions outside a midtown high-rise very seriously. As we heard in our previous hour, they're questioning a Dutch national who works at the U.N. and who should know a thing or two about weapons.
CNN's Jason Carroll has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A U.N. official confirms that a Dutch national who works for the United Nations Weapons Inspections Agency is the man who is being questioned by police. He's been questioned for the past several hours. Even so, at this point police say so far no one has claimed responsibility for what happened.
Let's quickly recap what happened out here at 51st and 3rd on Manhattan's east side.
It was early this morning investigators found two improvised explosive devices hidden in a planter in front of the building which happens to house the British Consulate, among other offices. The police commissioner called them "relatively unsophisticated."
COMM. RAYMOND KELLY, NY POLICE: NYPD bomb squad, in conjunction with the FBI and our awesome explosion experts, believe that the devices were novelty grenades filled with black powder and then detonated possibly by using a fuse that was ignited by hand. No timing device appears to have been employed. We believe that the two devices are similar but not identical.
CARROLL: The British consul general says he sees no connection between the explosions and the elections taking place in the U.K. today. In fact, he says, once allowed back inside, for his office it will be back to business as usual.
PHILIP THOMAS, BRITISH CONSUL GENERAL: Well, clearly this is election day in Britain. So they are keen to get on with their work. We have a party here this evening to follow the results of the election. And we'll want to carry on with that.
CARROLL: Investigators will be reviewing the security cameras that were located at the building, as well as security cameras from neighboring buildings to see if there's any way they can get some clues from those. But at this point, New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg says there were no threats or phone calls made before the incident and there were no threats or phone calls made after the incident.
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.
O'BRIEN: Across the pond, it is election day in Britain, or as Tony Blair might like to think of it, labor day. The Labor Party that has ruled the U.K. under Blair since 1997 seems likely to keep control of parliament, though potentially with a less commanding margin.
The sitting prime minister saw his standing plummet on his lockstep support for the war in Iraq. But the opposition conservative party is even less popular, especially on the economy. At stake are 646 seats in the House of Commons.
PHILLIPS: In Iraq, the insurgents strike again with at least 23 people killed in the latest wave of bombings and ambushes. And one of the worst attacks. A suicide bomber blew himself up at an army recruitment center in Baghdad, killing 13 soldiers and wounding 20 other people. Ambushes on Iraqi police vehicles in east Baghdad killed nine officers.
A U.S. Marine has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the killing of three unarmed Iraqis at a Falluja mosque last year. And that incident was captured on video. And a warning her. Some of these pictures are very graphic. Investigators say that the Marine corporal acted in self-defense and that his actions were consistent with the rules of engagement. Marines say small arms and grenades had been fired from that mosque the previous day.
O'BRIEN: It's been four years since her headless body was found, but today police identified the child that they only referred to as "Precious Doe" for so long. She was Erica Michelle Maria Green, and she died days away from her fourth birthday. Police have charged her mother in the slaying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRY RILEY, KANSAS CITY COUNCILMAN: We cannot believe that someone can do this to a child. And for the last four years, every time I walk -- drive by that area, I just continue to think, "Lord, when are you going to provide some closure to us?" And today we have that closure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Police say Erica's mother, Michelle Johnson, confessed to being involved in her death. According to the probable cause statement, she told police she saw her husband kick the child in the head, the girl was unresponsive for two days before she died.
PHILLIPS: Well, the bride who ran away days before her wedding is not running away from her responsibilities now, at least according to her lawyer, who says Jennifer Wilbanks is now ready to "make amends."
Our Carol Lin is in Gainesville, Georgia, where we expect to hear from Wilbanks' lawyer and her pastor later today -- Carol.
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra. At 4:00 this afternoon, we expect to hear from the lawyer, we expect to hear from the church pastor. But in terms of what amends will be made, we still have to see whether there is a deal on the table.
A couple of hours ago I spoke with the mayor of Duluth, Shirley Lasseter. She said that she would be willing to consider some community service in order to pay back some $40,000 to $60,000 of the cost of getting the police out and the volunteer efforts to search for this woman. But still no word on whether criminal charges will be filed.
The district attorney is still investigating the facts of the case. But it's interesting that the mayor of Duluth is saying that community service may be able to compensate the city there for some of the expense of the search because at least it shows that they're willing to try to come to some resolution there.
Now, we have already heard from Jennifer Wilbanks' attorney, who describes her client as being in such an emotional state right now that she is unable to speak publicly. And, in fact, Kyra, that she can't even finish sentences, she's completely collapses into tears. But the mayor of Duluth says, look, an apology, a public apology from Jennifer Wilbanks will go a very long way. Her constituents are waiting to hear from this woman.
So we will hear more at 4:00 this afternoon, perhaps more about whether there is a deal to compensate the city of Duluth, maybe more on criminal charges, and maybe something, at least a statement from Jennifer Wilbanks, something that she has been able to articulate in her own words about her experience -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll wait for it. Carol Lin, thank you -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Actor Russell Crowe is demanding that the government intervene while anti-drug activists in Indonesia are calling for an Australian woman's death. We will have details on the surfing holiday that turned into a hellish nightmare just ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every morning when he wakes up, he's trying to figure out a way that the conservatives can win and that the Democrats lose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a look at the personality behind the political power.
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They come from North Carolina and New Jersey, women from all over the country, a nurse-in on Capitol Hill I'm Kimberly Osias. Details when LIVE FROM rolls on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, just ahead of the Mother's Day weekend, women are gathering on Capitol Hill for a nurse-in. What does that mean? Well, the event is meant to promote legislation that would protect moms who breastfeed.
CNN's Kimberly Osias live from Capitol Hill with all the details -- Kim.
OSIAS: Hello, Kyra.
Well, Representative Carolyn Maloney, the Democratic congresswoman who is proposing this legislation, in fact proposing it for the third time, is at the podium behind me. She says, of course, being before Mother' Day, it is the perfect time to introduce this legislation. In fact, what it does is it enhances women's rights, in particular a woman's right to breastfeed both in the workplace and out in public as well.
The bill is called the Breastfeeding Promotion Act. And specifically, what it does, among other things, is it provides a tax break for businesses. Businesses that would actually provide a lactation area, a private area, a private room for these women to go to instead of going to a bathroom that could be unsanitary. It also asks and calls for universal standards for breast pumps and provides a tax break for mothers that use that equipment.
And speaking about mothers, here with me now is Lisa Fawcett, who drove an awfully long way.
Lisa, I know you came here from North Carolina. You are the mother of five, including little Gardner (ph) here. What made you decide to feel so compelled to come here?
LISA FAWCETT, MOTHER OF FIVE: Well, you know, I think that anything that is going to promote breastfeeding for all of our children is just -- is just wonderful.
OSIAS: Now, you, of course, have had some experiences of discrimination, which many of these women say often goes unnoticed and unreported. What happened to you?
FAWCETT: My family physician told me I wasn't allowed to nurse my baby in his waiting room.
OSIAS: And what -- what happened? What did he...
FAWCETT: We wrote a letter, asked for an apology, and we got a letter from his attorney telling us that we misinterpreted the law and that I didn't have the right to breastfeed wherever I felt like it. So, about 50 of us gathered together and held a nurse-in, and I found a new physician.
OSIAS: I imagine. I imagine. But, I mean, this is really important to get the issue out there.
FAWCETT: It is.
OSIAS: And many women say that it is unreported because of the stigma attached -- attached in public. Some people feel kind of squeamish about it.
FAWCETT: Right. Right. Which is -- which is really unfortunate, because we are just feeding our babies. And nobody seems to be real squeamish about the magazines and the beer ads on TV.
OSIAS: Thank you very much.
FAWCETT: Thank you.
OSIAS: Lisa Fawcett one of the many women here. The congresswoman feels that hopefully three times is a charm, hoping to get it actually out of committee and to the House floor this session -- Kyra, Miles.
PHILLIPS: All right. Kimberly Osias, thank you so much.
O'BRIEN: An Australian woman's vacation to paradise has turned into a months-long trip to a Bali prison. Schapelle Corby is accused of drug smuggling but insists she was set up. And now she faces life imprisonment or even death.
CNN's Atika Shubert with her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Schapelle Corby wanted a holiday, so the 27-year-old Australian beauty school student packed a surf bag, and with her brother and two friends headed to the island of Bali in Indonesia. Her mother snapped this happy photo just before she boarded the flight.
Corby got as far as Bali's airport, that's where her nightmare began. Police arrested her after finding roughly nine pounds of marijuana in her surf bag. Indonesia has stiff penalties for drug smuggling, death penalty or life imprisonment.
CORBY: I swear, by god as my witness, I did not know marijuana was in my bag.
SHUBERT: Corby says she experimented with drugs as a kid but does not now use drugs. She insists the drugs were planted in Australia without her knowledge. Corby says by a smuggling network, proving it is another matter.
Under Bali law, the drugs are considered hers unless Corby proves somebody else put them there. Corby's lawyers say it is an open secret that Australian drug rings hide contraband in the unlocked bags of travelers.
The defense's star witness is an Australian facing sexual assault charges at home. He testified to overhearing whispered conversations about a smuggling plot while in an Australian prison.
Indonesia has no jury system, and the final decision rests with these three judges. They seemed less than impressed with the defense witness. Nor are they happy with her repeated fainting spells in court. An Indonesian doctor said she was under extreme stress, but the judges warned Corby not to fake illness, provoking an angry response from family members.
The trial has become a media circus, cameras and microphones posted around the court. Indonesian anti-drug campaigners loudly demand her execution one day, while Australian supporters staunchly insist upon her innocence the next.
Corby's case struck a sympathetic cord in Australia. Web sites have sprung up in her defense, selling "Free Schapelle" T-shirts. Even actor Russell Crowe called into a local radio show demanding government intervention.
RUSSELL CROWE, ACTOR: When there is such doubt, how we can, as a country, stand by and let a young lady, as an Australian, rot away in a foreign prison, that is ridiculous.
SHUBERT: But Corby must prove her innocence to Indonesia's courts. A burden that has taken its toll. CORBY: I believe seven months, which I have already been in prison, is severe enough punishment for not putting locks on my bag. And my heart and my family's has been painfully burdened by all these accusations and rumors about me. I don't know how long I can survive it here.
SHUBERT: Prosecutors asked for life imprisonment, sparing Corby the death penalty. Her family says a life in a Bali prison is no life at all. Something she may contemplate awaiting a verdict.
Atika Shubert, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, he's described as a cross between a concierge and Mafia don.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He will feed you, he will fund you. But in the end he will destroy you if you don't play ball with him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Inside the political world of a House majority leader, Tom DeLay, just ahead on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: All right. Let's take the latest now in the ethics probe into House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Two Republicans on the House Ethics Committee recused themselves from the investigation. Representatives Lamar Smith of Texas, Tom Cole of Oklahoma, say their presence on the panel could pose a potential conflict of interest. Both contributed to DeLay's legal defense fund.
DeLay is at the center of a swirling controversy concerning payments for overseas trips. But as our Candy Crowley reports, the majority leader is no stranger to controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After 10 years in the U.S. House, Tom DeLay had earned some seniority.
REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: These members have worked very, very hard.
CROWLEY: Learned the ways of the Hill and shown a spot on aptitude for the practice of politics. He had been elected secretary of the Republican Conference, but DeLay was looking to trade up. It was 1994.
REP. DAVID DREIER (R), CALIFORNIA: In his first campaign for whip, the Republican women in Houston would send to each of the budding campaigns of Republican candidates around the country big boxes. And in it had pencils and papers and home-baked cookies.
So a candidate for Congress who would be out knocking on doors, meeting with supporters, talking about issues, debating his or her opponent, would come back to the headquarters and they would say, this guy Tom DeLay just sent home-baked cookies from Texas.
CROWLEY: The cookies got their attention. The cash, from DeLay's political funds to dozens of congressional wannabes, won seats and loyalty.
When the House opened for business in 1995, Republicans were in charge for the first time in four decades. And Tom DeLay, supported by many a grateful freshman, was elected Republican whip, the person responsible for rounding up votes. He was very good at it.
BOB BARR, (R) FMR. GEORGIA CONGRESSMAN: He's worked for each member to get elected and to be re-elected. That is something that members don't forget or forget at their own peril.
CROWLEY: Supporters say they've never even heard him raise his voice, that DeLay would not be where he is if a blunt instrument were his only tool.
BILL PAXON (R), FMR. NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN: He was the kind of person who would always reach out to help, help with your political needs, your congressional needs, your personal needs. He is one of the most caring men of integrity and warmth and sincerity that I've known in my 30 years in Republican politics.
CROWLEY: He was once described as a cross between a concierge and a Mafia don.
CHARLIE STENHOLM (D), FMR. TEXAS CONGRESSMAN: If anyone within his own party disagrees with him, they find an opponent waiting in the wings in the next primary, they find a threat to reduce the amount of funding available to them.
CROWLEY: He was eight years the whip, three now as majority leader. They call him "The Hammer."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every morning when he wakes up, he's trying to figure out a way that the conservatives can win and that the Democrats lose.
CROWLEY: The Hammer can pound money out of donors.
DELAY: $8,100. Never trust a politician.
CROWLEY: His unofficial network of allies and former staffers so vast and successful, it is called DeLay Inc.
BEVERLY CARTER, PUB. FORT BEND SOUTHWEST STAR: Tom is like a shark. You know how a shark has to keep swimming or he dies, Tom has to keep raising money or he dies. That's how he has consolidated his power in the Republican Party by raising money and giving it to other candidates. DELAY: We ready?
CROWLEY: The hammer can pound votes out of Republicans, appealing to party loyalty, calling in chips.
ERIK SMITH, FMR. DEM. CONGRESSIONAL AIDE: He always knows exactly what pressure points to hit on people. It is a rare thing to happen that a member of Congress will vote yes and then couple of minutes vote no. He gets it done all the time. And it is really stunning. And it speaks to his power.
CROWLEY: But even as they line up behind him, Republicans worry DeLay's world view may bite them in the rear. The problem with DeLay, said one colleague, is he thinks the entire country is Sugarland, Texas.
After the death of Terri Schiavo, DeLay seemed to threaten judges when he said, "the time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior."
DELAY: We will look at an arrogant, out of control, unaccountable judiciary that thumb their nose at Congress and the president.
CROWLEY: DeLay may have hurt his party with his unartful, some say menacing, performance in the Schiavo case. He took back of some of what he said about judges, explaining he pops off when he's upset. In the end, he is the puzzle wrapped inside an enigma. He is a loner in a people job, a Washington insider trying to leave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's never become part of the culture of Washington. For instance, he never spends a weekend in Washington, D.C., so has not become part of the social fabric of Washington, D.C.
CROWLEY: A devoted grandfather, father and husband who does not speak to his mother or siblings, a brass-knuckles politico, called "funny boy" by the children of one friend, plays with the children of another.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The coat's off, the tie's pulled down, he's on the floor, playing with the kids and the dogs.
CROWLEY: But, on the other floor, his reputation has the warmth of a tarantula.
LOU DUBOSE, AUTHOR "THE HAMMER": He will feed you. He will fund you, but in the end, he will destroy you if you don't play ball with him.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: With all due respect, talk about an odd couple.
CROWLEY: But, he has teamed up with Hillary Clinton on a foster care bill. He's a foster father himself and gets huge props across the political spectrum as a powerful advocate for abused children. DELAY: These children, many of them have been severely abused and neglected, have been taken from their home. They have issues that they have to deal with.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reading of the gospel...
CROWLEY: He is a born-again Christian, warned by the House Ethics Committee more than any current member of Congress. He has loyal colleagues and salivating critics, and they agree to this...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, that's the thing about DeLay, is he always wins.
CROWLEY: Tom DeLay wields great power with no apology, few boundaries, and nobody takes odds against him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And that's our Candy Crowley reporting.
Now, a new CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll found 82 percent of Americans believe it's a very serious or moderately serious ethical matter for a member of Congress to accept a trip paid for by a lobbyist.
O'BRIEN: Up next, Pope Benedict XVI on a road trip. His first excursion outside Rome since becoming pope. We'll show you.
PHILLIPS: And let's check in on the markets real quickly. Live picture from the New York Stock Exchange. Dow Jones Industrials down about 58 points.
We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired May 5, 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, CNN ANCHOR: Well, who planted a couple of bombs outside a New York City building? Investigators now questioning a United Nations employee.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A runaway bride may say "I do" to a deal with the city that spent hours and thousands of dollars looking for her. We're live on that story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHAPELLE CORBY, DEFENDANT: I swear, by God as my witness, I did not know marijuana was in my bag.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Well, is this woman guilty of drug trafficking or simply not locking her bags? The answer to that question could mean life or death for her.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
Mayhem in Manhattan or was it just mischief? Either way, first responders, top officials and all manner of authorities in between are taking this morning's explosions outside a midtown high-rise very seriously. As we heard in our previous hour, they're questioning a Dutch national who works at the U.N. and who should know a thing or two about weapons.
CNN's Jason Carroll has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A U.N. official confirms that a Dutch national who works for the United Nations Weapons Inspections Agency is the man who is being questioned by police. He's been questioned for the past several hours. Even so, at this point police say so far no one has claimed responsibility for what happened.
Let's quickly recap what happened out here at 51st and 3rd on Manhattan's east side.
It was early this morning investigators found two improvised explosive devices hidden in a planter in front of the building which happens to house the British Consulate, among other offices. The police commissioner called them "relatively unsophisticated."
COMM. RAYMOND KELLY, NY POLICE: NYPD bomb squad, in conjunction with the FBI and our awesome explosion experts, believe that the devices were novelty grenades filled with black powder and then detonated possibly by using a fuse that was ignited by hand. No timing device appears to have been employed. We believe that the two devices are similar but not identical.
CARROLL: The British consul general says he sees no connection between the explosions and the elections taking place in the U.K. today. In fact, he says, once allowed back inside, for his office it will be back to business as usual.
PHILIP THOMAS, BRITISH CONSUL GENERAL: Well, clearly this is election day in Britain. So they are keen to get on with their work. We have a party here this evening to follow the results of the election. And we'll want to carry on with that.
CARROLL: Investigators will be reviewing the security cameras that were located at the building, as well as security cameras from neighboring buildings to see if there's any way they can get some clues from those. But at this point, New York City's Mayor Michael Bloomberg says there were no threats or phone calls made before the incident and there were no threats or phone calls made after the incident.
Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.
O'BRIEN: Across the pond, it is election day in Britain, or as Tony Blair might like to think of it, labor day. The Labor Party that has ruled the U.K. under Blair since 1997 seems likely to keep control of parliament, though potentially with a less commanding margin.
The sitting prime minister saw his standing plummet on his lockstep support for the war in Iraq. But the opposition conservative party is even less popular, especially on the economy. At stake are 646 seats in the House of Commons.
PHILLIPS: In Iraq, the insurgents strike again with at least 23 people killed in the latest wave of bombings and ambushes. And one of the worst attacks. A suicide bomber blew himself up at an army recruitment center in Baghdad, killing 13 soldiers and wounding 20 other people. Ambushes on Iraqi police vehicles in east Baghdad killed nine officers.
A U.S. Marine has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the killing of three unarmed Iraqis at a Falluja mosque last year. And that incident was captured on video. And a warning her. Some of these pictures are very graphic. Investigators say that the Marine corporal acted in self-defense and that his actions were consistent with the rules of engagement. Marines say small arms and grenades had been fired from that mosque the previous day.
O'BRIEN: It's been four years since her headless body was found, but today police identified the child that they only referred to as "Precious Doe" for so long. She was Erica Michelle Maria Green, and she died days away from her fourth birthday. Police have charged her mother in the slaying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRY RILEY, KANSAS CITY COUNCILMAN: We cannot believe that someone can do this to a child. And for the last four years, every time I walk -- drive by that area, I just continue to think, "Lord, when are you going to provide some closure to us?" And today we have that closure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Police say Erica's mother, Michelle Johnson, confessed to being involved in her death. According to the probable cause statement, she told police she saw her husband kick the child in the head, the girl was unresponsive for two days before she died.
PHILLIPS: Well, the bride who ran away days before her wedding is not running away from her responsibilities now, at least according to her lawyer, who says Jennifer Wilbanks is now ready to "make amends."
Our Carol Lin is in Gainesville, Georgia, where we expect to hear from Wilbanks' lawyer and her pastor later today -- Carol.
CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra. At 4:00 this afternoon, we expect to hear from the lawyer, we expect to hear from the church pastor. But in terms of what amends will be made, we still have to see whether there is a deal on the table.
A couple of hours ago I spoke with the mayor of Duluth, Shirley Lasseter. She said that she would be willing to consider some community service in order to pay back some $40,000 to $60,000 of the cost of getting the police out and the volunteer efforts to search for this woman. But still no word on whether criminal charges will be filed.
The district attorney is still investigating the facts of the case. But it's interesting that the mayor of Duluth is saying that community service may be able to compensate the city there for some of the expense of the search because at least it shows that they're willing to try to come to some resolution there.
Now, we have already heard from Jennifer Wilbanks' attorney, who describes her client as being in such an emotional state right now that she is unable to speak publicly. And, in fact, Kyra, that she can't even finish sentences, she's completely collapses into tears. But the mayor of Duluth says, look, an apology, a public apology from Jennifer Wilbanks will go a very long way. Her constituents are waiting to hear from this woman.
So we will hear more at 4:00 this afternoon, perhaps more about whether there is a deal to compensate the city of Duluth, maybe more on criminal charges, and maybe something, at least a statement from Jennifer Wilbanks, something that she has been able to articulate in her own words about her experience -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll wait for it. Carol Lin, thank you -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Actor Russell Crowe is demanding that the government intervene while anti-drug activists in Indonesia are calling for an Australian woman's death. We will have details on the surfing holiday that turned into a hellish nightmare just ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every morning when he wakes up, he's trying to figure out a way that the conservatives can win and that the Democrats lose.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a look at the personality behind the political power.
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They come from North Carolina and New Jersey, women from all over the country, a nurse-in on Capitol Hill I'm Kimberly Osias. Details when LIVE FROM rolls on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, just ahead of the Mother's Day weekend, women are gathering on Capitol Hill for a nurse-in. What does that mean? Well, the event is meant to promote legislation that would protect moms who breastfeed.
CNN's Kimberly Osias live from Capitol Hill with all the details -- Kim.
OSIAS: Hello, Kyra.
Well, Representative Carolyn Maloney, the Democratic congresswoman who is proposing this legislation, in fact proposing it for the third time, is at the podium behind me. She says, of course, being before Mother' Day, it is the perfect time to introduce this legislation. In fact, what it does is it enhances women's rights, in particular a woman's right to breastfeed both in the workplace and out in public as well.
The bill is called the Breastfeeding Promotion Act. And specifically, what it does, among other things, is it provides a tax break for businesses. Businesses that would actually provide a lactation area, a private area, a private room for these women to go to instead of going to a bathroom that could be unsanitary. It also asks and calls for universal standards for breast pumps and provides a tax break for mothers that use that equipment.
And speaking about mothers, here with me now is Lisa Fawcett, who drove an awfully long way.
Lisa, I know you came here from North Carolina. You are the mother of five, including little Gardner (ph) here. What made you decide to feel so compelled to come here?
LISA FAWCETT, MOTHER OF FIVE: Well, you know, I think that anything that is going to promote breastfeeding for all of our children is just -- is just wonderful.
OSIAS: Now, you, of course, have had some experiences of discrimination, which many of these women say often goes unnoticed and unreported. What happened to you?
FAWCETT: My family physician told me I wasn't allowed to nurse my baby in his waiting room.
OSIAS: And what -- what happened? What did he...
FAWCETT: We wrote a letter, asked for an apology, and we got a letter from his attorney telling us that we misinterpreted the law and that I didn't have the right to breastfeed wherever I felt like it. So, about 50 of us gathered together and held a nurse-in, and I found a new physician.
OSIAS: I imagine. I imagine. But, I mean, this is really important to get the issue out there.
FAWCETT: It is.
OSIAS: And many women say that it is unreported because of the stigma attached -- attached in public. Some people feel kind of squeamish about it.
FAWCETT: Right. Right. Which is -- which is really unfortunate, because we are just feeding our babies. And nobody seems to be real squeamish about the magazines and the beer ads on TV.
OSIAS: Thank you very much.
FAWCETT: Thank you.
OSIAS: Lisa Fawcett one of the many women here. The congresswoman feels that hopefully three times is a charm, hoping to get it actually out of committee and to the House floor this session -- Kyra, Miles.
PHILLIPS: All right. Kimberly Osias, thank you so much.
O'BRIEN: An Australian woman's vacation to paradise has turned into a months-long trip to a Bali prison. Schapelle Corby is accused of drug smuggling but insists she was set up. And now she faces life imprisonment or even death.
CNN's Atika Shubert with her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Schapelle Corby wanted a holiday, so the 27-year-old Australian beauty school student packed a surf bag, and with her brother and two friends headed to the island of Bali in Indonesia. Her mother snapped this happy photo just before she boarded the flight.
Corby got as far as Bali's airport, that's where her nightmare began. Police arrested her after finding roughly nine pounds of marijuana in her surf bag. Indonesia has stiff penalties for drug smuggling, death penalty or life imprisonment.
CORBY: I swear, by god as my witness, I did not know marijuana was in my bag.
SHUBERT: Corby says she experimented with drugs as a kid but does not now use drugs. She insists the drugs were planted in Australia without her knowledge. Corby says by a smuggling network, proving it is another matter.
Under Bali law, the drugs are considered hers unless Corby proves somebody else put them there. Corby's lawyers say it is an open secret that Australian drug rings hide contraband in the unlocked bags of travelers.
The defense's star witness is an Australian facing sexual assault charges at home. He testified to overhearing whispered conversations about a smuggling plot while in an Australian prison.
Indonesia has no jury system, and the final decision rests with these three judges. They seemed less than impressed with the defense witness. Nor are they happy with her repeated fainting spells in court. An Indonesian doctor said she was under extreme stress, but the judges warned Corby not to fake illness, provoking an angry response from family members.
The trial has become a media circus, cameras and microphones posted around the court. Indonesian anti-drug campaigners loudly demand her execution one day, while Australian supporters staunchly insist upon her innocence the next.
Corby's case struck a sympathetic cord in Australia. Web sites have sprung up in her defense, selling "Free Schapelle" T-shirts. Even actor Russell Crowe called into a local radio show demanding government intervention.
RUSSELL CROWE, ACTOR: When there is such doubt, how we can, as a country, stand by and let a young lady, as an Australian, rot away in a foreign prison, that is ridiculous.
SHUBERT: But Corby must prove her innocence to Indonesia's courts. A burden that has taken its toll. CORBY: I believe seven months, which I have already been in prison, is severe enough punishment for not putting locks on my bag. And my heart and my family's has been painfully burdened by all these accusations and rumors about me. I don't know how long I can survive it here.
SHUBERT: Prosecutors asked for life imprisonment, sparing Corby the death penalty. Her family says a life in a Bali prison is no life at all. Something she may contemplate awaiting a verdict.
Atika Shubert, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, he's described as a cross between a concierge and Mafia don.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He will feed you, he will fund you. But in the end he will destroy you if you don't play ball with him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Inside the political world of a House majority leader, Tom DeLay, just ahead on LIVE FROM.
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O'BRIEN: All right. Let's take the latest now in the ethics probe into House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Two Republicans on the House Ethics Committee recused themselves from the investigation. Representatives Lamar Smith of Texas, Tom Cole of Oklahoma, say their presence on the panel could pose a potential conflict of interest. Both contributed to DeLay's legal defense fund.
DeLay is at the center of a swirling controversy concerning payments for overseas trips. But as our Candy Crowley reports, the majority leader is no stranger to controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After 10 years in the U.S. House, Tom DeLay had earned some seniority.
REP. TOM DELAY (R-TX), MAJORITY LEADER: These members have worked very, very hard.
CROWLEY: Learned the ways of the Hill and shown a spot on aptitude for the practice of politics. He had been elected secretary of the Republican Conference, but DeLay was looking to trade up. It was 1994.
REP. DAVID DREIER (R), CALIFORNIA: In his first campaign for whip, the Republican women in Houston would send to each of the budding campaigns of Republican candidates around the country big boxes. And in it had pencils and papers and home-baked cookies.
So a candidate for Congress who would be out knocking on doors, meeting with supporters, talking about issues, debating his or her opponent, would come back to the headquarters and they would say, this guy Tom DeLay just sent home-baked cookies from Texas.
CROWLEY: The cookies got their attention. The cash, from DeLay's political funds to dozens of congressional wannabes, won seats and loyalty.
When the House opened for business in 1995, Republicans were in charge for the first time in four decades. And Tom DeLay, supported by many a grateful freshman, was elected Republican whip, the person responsible for rounding up votes. He was very good at it.
BOB BARR, (R) FMR. GEORGIA CONGRESSMAN: He's worked for each member to get elected and to be re-elected. That is something that members don't forget or forget at their own peril.
CROWLEY: Supporters say they've never even heard him raise his voice, that DeLay would not be where he is if a blunt instrument were his only tool.
BILL PAXON (R), FMR. NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN: He was the kind of person who would always reach out to help, help with your political needs, your congressional needs, your personal needs. He is one of the most caring men of integrity and warmth and sincerity that I've known in my 30 years in Republican politics.
CROWLEY: He was once described as a cross between a concierge and a Mafia don.
CHARLIE STENHOLM (D), FMR. TEXAS CONGRESSMAN: If anyone within his own party disagrees with him, they find an opponent waiting in the wings in the next primary, they find a threat to reduce the amount of funding available to them.
CROWLEY: He was eight years the whip, three now as majority leader. They call him "The Hammer."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every morning when he wakes up, he's trying to figure out a way that the conservatives can win and that the Democrats lose.
CROWLEY: The Hammer can pound money out of donors.
DELAY: $8,100. Never trust a politician.
CROWLEY: His unofficial network of allies and former staffers so vast and successful, it is called DeLay Inc.
BEVERLY CARTER, PUB. FORT BEND SOUTHWEST STAR: Tom is like a shark. You know how a shark has to keep swimming or he dies, Tom has to keep raising money or he dies. That's how he has consolidated his power in the Republican Party by raising money and giving it to other candidates. DELAY: We ready?
CROWLEY: The hammer can pound votes out of Republicans, appealing to party loyalty, calling in chips.
ERIK SMITH, FMR. DEM. CONGRESSIONAL AIDE: He always knows exactly what pressure points to hit on people. It is a rare thing to happen that a member of Congress will vote yes and then couple of minutes vote no. He gets it done all the time. And it is really stunning. And it speaks to his power.
CROWLEY: But even as they line up behind him, Republicans worry DeLay's world view may bite them in the rear. The problem with DeLay, said one colleague, is he thinks the entire country is Sugarland, Texas.
After the death of Terri Schiavo, DeLay seemed to threaten judges when he said, "the time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior."
DELAY: We will look at an arrogant, out of control, unaccountable judiciary that thumb their nose at Congress and the president.
CROWLEY: DeLay may have hurt his party with his unartful, some say menacing, performance in the Schiavo case. He took back of some of what he said about judges, explaining he pops off when he's upset. In the end, he is the puzzle wrapped inside an enigma. He is a loner in a people job, a Washington insider trying to leave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's never become part of the culture of Washington. For instance, he never spends a weekend in Washington, D.C., so has not become part of the social fabric of Washington, D.C.
CROWLEY: A devoted grandfather, father and husband who does not speak to his mother or siblings, a brass-knuckles politico, called "funny boy" by the children of one friend, plays with the children of another.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The coat's off, the tie's pulled down, he's on the floor, playing with the kids and the dogs.
CROWLEY: But, on the other floor, his reputation has the warmth of a tarantula.
LOU DUBOSE, AUTHOR "THE HAMMER": He will feed you. He will fund you, but in the end, he will destroy you if you don't play ball with him.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: With all due respect, talk about an odd couple.
CROWLEY: But, he has teamed up with Hillary Clinton on a foster care bill. He's a foster father himself and gets huge props across the political spectrum as a powerful advocate for abused children. DELAY: These children, many of them have been severely abused and neglected, have been taken from their home. They have issues that they have to deal with.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The reading of the gospel...
CROWLEY: He is a born-again Christian, warned by the House Ethics Committee more than any current member of Congress. He has loyal colleagues and salivating critics, and they agree to this...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, that's the thing about DeLay, is he always wins.
CROWLEY: Tom DeLay wields great power with no apology, few boundaries, and nobody takes odds against him.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And that's our Candy Crowley reporting.
Now, a new CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll found 82 percent of Americans believe it's a very serious or moderately serious ethical matter for a member of Congress to accept a trip paid for by a lobbyist.
O'BRIEN: Up next, Pope Benedict XVI on a road trip. His first excursion outside Rome since becoming pope. We'll show you.
PHILLIPS: And let's check in on the markets real quickly. Live picture from the New York Stock Exchange. Dow Jones Industrials down about 58 points.
We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM after this.
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