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Senate Debates Judicial Nominees; Director of National Intelligence Sworn In; Police Search for Person of Interest in Idaho Murders
Aired May 18, 2005 - 13:00 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: A judge whose husband and mother were found shot and killed speaks out about protection.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MOGUL: In a nutshell, Freedom Tower should not be allowed to be built.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Trump's trade center. The Donald says he has a better plan for rebuilding from Ground Zero.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
Armageddon, it's not. But you may not know that from the rhetoric flying around the floor of the U.S. Senate: nuclear option, mutual assured destruction and pending crisis. Political brinksmanship, it's more like.
Majority Leader Bill Frist following through on his vow to force a confrontation over judicial nominations that have been stymied by Democrats for years. The so-called nuclear option would be a vote to outlaw filibusters, thus clearing the way for Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and several others to win confirmation. But minority Democrats lose their ultimate procedural weapon.
CNN's Joe Johns is watching from a relatively safe distance on the Hill.
Hi, Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. You are right. This is some extremely tough and bitter rhetoric we heard on the floor of the United States Senate this morning. No way to tell, of course, whether it's going to continue throughout this debating, which could go into next week, of course. Some of that rhetoric, of course, coming from both Democrats and Republicans.
You see right now, Senator Charles Schumer of New York on the floor, talking about judicial nominations. Earlier today, the Republican majority leader, Bill Frist, speaking of votes to cut off debates on judicial nominations, used some strong language and was called on it not long after that by Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, a Democrat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: The issue is that we have leadership-led, partisan filibusters that have obstructed not one nominee but two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, in a routine way. The issue is not cloture votes, per se; it's the partisan, leadership-led use of cloture vote to kill, to defeat, to assassinate these nominees. And that's the difference.
SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: When words are expressed during the course of the debate that those of us who oppose these nominees are setting out "to kill, to defeat or to assassinate" those nominees, those words should be taken from this record. Those words are inappropriate. Those words go too far.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: The issue here, of course, the bottom line issue, is whether the filibuster ought to be used on judicial nominations. Democrats say it's their right. Republicans say there should be a simple majority, up or down vote.
A couple other notes. Democrats have threatened to slow down Senate business if the Republicans actually go through and succeed in getting rid of the filibuster on judicial nominations.
We did get a taste of that earlier today, when Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid announced he will not allow hearings in the United States Senate to go forward after the Senate has gone into session. That is, of course, his right. That suggests, certainly, that Democrats are on the leading edge now of what we have been referring to as the nuclear option.
That meaning, of course, that they will slow things down in the United States Senate if Republicans go forward with this plan to try to get rid of the filibuster and judges.
Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: And Joe Johns, just real quickly, you've been talking so much about the filibuster and the back and forth between Republicans and Democrats that when it comes down to it, a lot of people are saying, why is this going on? Ultimately, we're talking about the possibility of a new U.S. Supreme Court judge.
JOHNS: Absolutely. We are talking about the possibility of a new U.S. Supreme Court judge. Then that could come very soon.
Republicans would very much like to clear the decks to make it easier to get through a Supreme Court nominee, if it comes to that. Also, as you know, judges, appellate court judges, have tremendous power to affect the relationship between the government and individual citizens. So there's that too. This is a very high-stakes ball game on Capitol Hill, and that's why Democrats and Republicans are going at it so hot and heavy -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Joe Johns, live from the Hill, thanks -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Real, not fake. Thrown, not planted. A threat against the health and welfare of the president of the United States and the president of Georgia. So says the U.S. embassy and the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, where President Bush gave a rousing speech on democracy a week ago, as you will recall.
It's referring to a hand grenade whose appearance in the crowd was first reported hours after the event by Georgian officials, who said it was a training device that could not have exploded.
To the contrary, the embassy says it was only a malfunction that prevented the grenade from going off within 100 feet of both heads of state. The FBI is, of course, investigating.
America's first director of national intelligence just moments away from raising his hand, swearing an oath, and starting a job whose duties still aren't crystal clear.
CNN's David Ensor is covering John Negroponte day from our D.C. bureau -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, he's actually already started work. He's already been involved in briefing the president, the -- the morning briefings that the president gets from his top intelligence officials. John Negroponte is already involved in that.
He and his top deputy, Michael Hayden, General Michael Hayden, four-star Air Force general, have already named several of their top deputies in this new structure that's been put in place under the intelligence reform law.
And -- there's Hayden at a hearing, as you can see. They have already sent out a memo to CIA station chiefs around the world, telling them that, when there's business that has to do with the whole intelligence committee and not just the CIA, that business should be reported to Negroponte and Hayden. So they're already trying to show that they are -- they are hitting the ground running.
They are looking for new quarters at the moment. The offices are just near the White House in an office building there. They're going to be moving temporarily, though, to Bowling Air Force Base (ph), and they're looking for new quarters.
And meantime, a watch center has been set up at the national counterterrorism center where people are on 24/7. This is a sort a mockup of what it looks like inside that building. People are on there 24/7, keeping Negroponte and Hayden informed of any crises or intelligence matters that they need to know about.
So this team, although they're swearing in today, Miles, has already tried to hit the ground running.
O'BRIEN: David, that operation center looks right out of Hollywood. Let's talk about reality here for a moment. When a cable like that ends up at CIA station chiefs all over the world, that's got to ruffle feathers.
ENSOR: Well, yes, this is a big adjustment for them to make. They're accustomed to having a director of central intelligence. Porter Goss is in that job as CIA director, who they report to. They're accustomed to the CIA running the show on intelligence. Now they no longer do. The CIA is just another one of the 15 agencies. And they're just going to have to get used to that. But they'll be some adjustments involved, no question about it.
O'BRIEN: All right, to say the least. David Ensor, watching it for us. We'll get that swearing in ceremony for you as it happens.
U.S. forces in Iraq now believe terror kingpin Abu Musab al- Zarqawi himself lit the fuse behind this month's barrage of car bombs in and around Baghdad.
A senior official telling CNN there are signs of a recent meeting in Syria where al Zarqawi, or a stand in, gave the order for a change in tactics. Many of those bombings killed innocent Iraqis, which a brand-new audio recording attributed to al-Zarqawi defends.
A track posted on several Islamic Web sites says the shedding of Muslim blood is allowed if it averts, and we quote now, "the greater evil of disrupting Jihad."
The tape's authenticity cannot be absolutely confirmed.
CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay with CNN day and night for the latest.
PHILLIPS: And this just in to CNN right now, a story that we're watching for you. Live pictures from Fort Lee, New Jersey. A three alarm fire that, we're told, more than 30 stories in this residential building, possibly condominiums, possibly apartments. It's not far from the George Washington Bridge.
We can tell you right now it appears to be under control. Firefighters working that right now, not sure if there's anybody inside those particular apartments that they're working.
We'll keep you posted on what happens. These pictures, courtesy of our affiliate WABC.
Joan Humphrey Lefkow's personal 9/11. The federal judge whose husband and mother were shot to death, apparently by a deranged former plaintiff. Well, she's pleading with Congress to bolster protection of judges and judges' families.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JUDGE JOAN HUMPHREY LEFKOW, U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE: It is easy enough to blame the service for problems. But the truth is that the Congress has never treated the U.S. Marshal Service as it has for example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, giving it the respect and resources that it needs to do -- fulfill the tremendous responsibilities that it has.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And stay with LIVE FROM. Our guest in just a few minutes is a man with plenty of firsthand experience with those U.S. marshals. A former federal judge also concerned with how that marshal budget is spent.
O'BRIEN: All right. Now, great concern in Coeur D'Alene, that would be an understatement from the sheriff in what usually is a quiet corner of Idaho, where today three people are victims of very brutal homicides.
Two children are missing. An Amber Alert is still in effect for 9-year-old Dillon Groene and his 8-year-old sister, Shasta, whose mother, Brenda, is among those killed in the family's home. Horrific story.
Police also want to find an apparent family friend that they're calling a person of interest. He is Robert Roy Lutner from the nearby community of Hayden.
CNN's Sean Callebs has the latest from Coeur D'Alene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Kootenai County sheriff's office says they are looking for someone they term a person of interest who may have information about the grisly crimes committed here on the outskirts of the town of Coeur D'Alene.
His name is Robert Roy Lutner. He is 33 years old. Authorities say at this point he is not a suspect, but apparently someone who was at the home around the time frame when these crimes were apparently committed.
He is said to be driving an old-style pickup truck, either a 1975 silver Ford or a 1990 Toyota. He is from this area, has family in the Boise area, about 400 miles from here.
Now, authorities were called to the home not terribly far behind us, sometime around 6 in the evening on Monday night. At that time, they found three bodies, that of Brenda Groene. She is 40. Her 13- year-old son Slade and Mark McKenzie, said to be Brenda's boyfriend.
It was sometime later, about six hours later, when authorities determined that two children were missing. A national Amber Alert has been issued. The FBI has been called in to assist in this.
They are looking for Dillon Groene. He is 9 years old. He's about 4 feet tall, weighs 60 pounds, has a blonde crew cut and blue eyes. And his sister Shasta. She is 8, a very slight child, about 40 pounds, under 4 feet tall, long, auburn hair and hazel eyes.
We talked with members of the school district here. They said these were two children who were very bright and authorities are doing all they can to find them at this hour.
The sheriff tells us the crimes were grisly, but will not say exactly how the three were killed. He says autopsies are being performed, and they hope to have information later on today.
All eyes really on this person called a person of interest. His name is Robert Roy Lutner, once again. He is 33, said to be driving an old model pickup truck.
That's the very latest.
Sean Callebs, CNN, in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: A shorter leash on sex offenders? Well, some in Congress want to set federal standards for the cumbersome process of tracking ex-cons who may pose lingering threats to their communities.
A bill introduced by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch and Florida Representative Mark Foley would force two-time sex crime convicts to wear electronic monitors for life. It would also make the use of the Internet to further the cause of child molestation a federal offense.
A well known ally says it's high time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": I try to hunt these people down on my show. I am sick of watching them get caught and looking at their rap sheets, 20, 30 arrests.
The man that was arrested for Jessica Lunsford's murder, that is accused of murdering that beautiful 9-year-old girl, served only two years of a 10-year sentence for molesting a child. He had 22 arrests.
The system doesn't work for children in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: This New Jersey hometown of Megan Kanka has two words for sex offenders who want to settle there: move on. The Hamilton Township council voted to bar convicted molesters from living within half a mile of schools, parks or anywhere else children congregate. And since there are roughly 30 schools and 40 parks in Hamilton Township, that doesn't leave a lot of real estate.
Megan Kanka, you may recall, was raped and killed in 1994 by a convicted and released molester who lived just across the street. Her case gave rise to Megan's Law, requiring public notification of sex offender's whereabouts.
Well, we're not finished with the subject just yet. Samantha Runnion, you may recall, a 3-year-old girl kidnapped and killed three years ago. Well, she'll speak to Samantha -- we're going to speak, rather, to Samantha's mother about what to do about sex offenders. That's next hour right here on LIVE FROM.
O'BRIEN: Billionaire businessman Donald Trump moves from "The Apprentice" to the architect. Ahead on LIVE FROM, why the reality TV star and real estate developer is trying to change plans for Ground Zero.
And Toyota recalls nearly 800,000 vehicles. And we'll show you which models are affected. That is ahead on LIVE FROM.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Live pictures now. This is the courtyard of the new executive office building across the street from the White House. The president of the United States has just sworn in the first director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, and his deputy, Lieutenant General Michael Hayden.
Let's listen.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I appreciate Senator Ted Stevens, Senate president pro tem, joining us today, along with Senator Jay Rockefeller. Thank you both for being here.
I want to thank Congressman Peter Hoekstra, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, along with Congresswoman Jane Harman, ranking member. Thank you both for coming.
I appreciate Chuck Robb, co-chairman of the WMD Commission, for joining us today. I want to thank members of the intelligence community who have joined us. Thank the rest of you for coming, too.
Ambassador Negroponte's position is one of the newest in the government and one of the most demanding. Our nation is at war. And John is making sure that those who defend America have the information we need to make the right decisions. He's ensuring our intelligence agencies work as a single unified enterprise. And he's serving as my principal intelligence adviser.
These are vital and urgent responsibilities. And John has what it takes to fulfill them all.
In his distinguished career, John has represented America in eight nations on three continents. He served every president since Dwight Eisenhower. Over the past four years, I've come to know John's wisdom, intellect and integrity. I've relied on his candid judgment to help solve complicated problems. I have witnessed his unique ability to bring people together, most recently in his historic achievements as ambassador to a free Iraq.
I'm grateful to John for answering his nation's call. I thank his family for joining us today.
John is fortunate to count on the experienced and capable deputy in General Mike Hayden. General Hayden understands the intelligence community from the ground up. He has a long record of wise and effective reform.
Mike also has a clear understanding of our enemies in the war on terror. He'll be a superb deputy to Ambassador Negroponte. I thank Mike for his willingness to serve, and I'm glad to see his family, as well.
As John Negroponte and Mike Hayden carry out their new duties, they're relying on the thousands of dedicated professionals working in our intelligence community. These men and women serve America with a wide variety of talents and expertise. They all report to work every day with the same goal, to protect our fellow citizens from harm.
Intelligence officers work in secret and often at great risk to their lives. Their vigilance and bravery are vital to America's security. And on behalf of all Americans, I thank them and their families for their service in the cause of freedom.
As director of national intelligence, John is taking action to help all who serve in the intelligence community to do their jobs more effectively. He has assembled a strong leadership team that reflects a wide range of skills and intelligence experience.
He's visited a number of intelligence agencies. He's listened to experts in a variety of fields, and he's made reforms in the daily intelligence briefing. John recognizes and values the contributions of all who collect and analyze intelligence. He will assure that they have access to the tools and information their missions demand.
In the days ahead, Ambassador Negroponte and General Hayden will continue the structural reforms of our intelligence community that began after September 11, 2001. We've now implemented the vast majority of the 9/11 commission's recommendations, through executive orders and the intelligence reform bill I signed last December.
My administration is also reviewing all the recommendations made by the Silverman/Robb Commission on weapons of mass destruction. We have already begun to implement a number of their recommendations. We will continue to evaluate and act on the commission's useful blueprint to improve the quality and quantity of intelligence we collect and to be able to analyze that information more thoroughly.
John Negroponte will also ensure the sharing of information among agencies and establish common standards for the intelligence community's personnel.
I have confidence in John Negroponte and Mike Hayden to carry out these vital missions. Well integrated, effective intelligence efforts are America's first line of defense against the threats of the 21st Century.
I thank the Congress for creating the director of national intelligence position and for swiftly confirming two talented, dedicated Americans to lead our intelligence community. I look forward to working with this team to improve our intelligence capabilities and to use those capabilities to win the war on terror.
Congratulations to both men. May God bless you and your families, and may God continue to bless our country.
JOHN NEGROPONTE, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Members of the cabinet who are here today, members of the Congress, to my own family, dear friends and colleagues, especially my new colleagues in the intelligence community.
I've always felt that the greatest honor that could be bestowed on me by my country is the opportunity to serve it. I felt this way as a junior Foreign Service officer. I feel this way today as the director of national intelligence.
I can truthfully say that I've never really wanted to do anything else, whether I was stationed in Vietnam, in Greece, in Iraq, in Mexico, or here in Washington. Why? Because the United States represents freedom. The United States represents peace, and the United States represents opportunity. What greater privilege could any American enjoy than to pursue a career representing a great nation based on values such as these?
As parents, Diana and I want our five children to have as much freedom, peace and opportunity as we ourselves have had. We know every other American parent feels the same way.
So I view the position of director of national intelligence as a challenge, yes, but I'm grateful to you, Mr. President, for asking me to accept it. In so doing, I am reassured by the fact that I will be supported by tens of thousands of patriotic professionals in the intelligence community who have dedicated their lives, often at great personal risk, to the defense of our country and all that it stands for.
I want to thank each and every one of you for being here today. Thank you very much.
BUSH: Good job, John. Perfect. Thanks, Mike.
O'BRIEN: The first director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, addressing the crowd there in the courtyard at the new executive office building on a sun-drenched day, being sworn in. His deputy, being hand-shaked by the president just now, Lieutenant General Michael Hayden.
Let's roll some tape. We'll show you the swearing in, which we didn't get on the air a little bit earlier. We were in a break. Fairly straightforward, as the oath was administered there. And John Negroponte is a thoroughbred when it comes to public service, foreign service. Phillips Exeter, Yale, undergrad, Harvard Law, born in London in 1939, grew up in England, Switzerland and New York. Was in the Foreign Service from 1960 to 1977. Speaks Greek, Spanish, French, Vietnamese, as well as English. And most recently was, of course, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
And now has to create a new role, a role that oversees a huge, expensive, far-flung intelligence operations, with 15 distinct intelligence-gathering agencies. A big job lies ahead for him -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Donald Trump has formally unveiled his plans to trump the Freedom Tower with his own design for rebuilding the former site of the World Trade Center.
CNN's Jason Carroll with more on the big idea.
Hi, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kyra.
You know, Donald Trump, always the showman, was no different today. He was not happy with the design of the Freedom Tower, was not happy with the rebuilding process. He says the time has come, Kyra, to throw it all out, to get rid of that design, to get rid of the memorial design.
So what did he do? He came up with own design, in a way. You can take a look at it right there. That is his plan for Ground Zero. In a nutshell, he wants to rebuild the Twin Towers except making them a little taller, at least 111 stories. The Twin Towers were 110.
But more importantly, Trump says the design is more emblematic of strength and of freedom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: A very good friend of mine gave me an analogy. Said, "Donald, if something happened to the Statue of Liberty, you wouldn't rebuild it as something other than the Statue of Liberty. You'd rebuild it as the Statue of Liberty."
And it's the same thing we have here. We want to rebuild the World Trade Center, as the World Trade Center, but better, a little bit taller, a lot stronger, just plain better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Trump called the design that you're seeing there, the one designed by the architect Daniel Liebeskind, the Freedom Tower, a skeleton rising in the sky.
Architect Liebeskind was the one who was chosen during an international design competition. Liebeskind's design was modified by another architect, hired by the site's developer, Larry Silverstein. That design, Kyra, was then modified again, after the New York City Police Department raised security concerns about the position of the building.
Now we're waiting for Governor Pataki to reveal the latest design. That should happen sometime next month. Trump says the developer, Silverstein, should be able to foot the cost of his design, which he says should be cheaper, but the developer said today in a statement he supports the Freedom Tower plan, not Trump's.
So Trump, at this point, is calling for the public to contact the governor, Pataki, saying that they support his design. But a little bit of a reality check here. If Trump doesn't have the developer's backing and most likely not the governor's backing, his critics say the likelihood that his design there that you saw in terms of it becoming a reality, very much a long shot -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: I thought you were going to say becoming a reality show, and I was getting very nervous to hear that, Jason.
CARROLL: No.
PHILLIPS: So -- so then what's the next step? I remember you, when you did the coverage before about all the plans and all the designs. And there were so many people making decisions and voting for what they wanted. How does this play out now?
CARROLL: Well, the next step, we wait to hear from the governor. We reached out to him to hear what he has to say about Trump's plan.
But basically, things are moving forward. Next month, the governor is going to reveal the modified, refined plan for the Freedom Tower. And then things are going to progress from there in terms of the memorial and everything else.
But, you know, Trump says don't count him out. But again, his critics are saying at this point, it's just not very likely -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Jason Carroll, live from New York, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 18, 2005 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CO-HOST: A judge whose husband and mother were found shot and killed speaks out about protection.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MOGUL: In a nutshell, Freedom Tower should not be allowed to be built.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Trump's trade center. The Donald says he has a better plan for rebuilding from Ground Zero.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
Armageddon, it's not. But you may not know that from the rhetoric flying around the floor of the U.S. Senate: nuclear option, mutual assured destruction and pending crisis. Political brinksmanship, it's more like.
Majority Leader Bill Frist following through on his vow to force a confrontation over judicial nominations that have been stymied by Democrats for years. The so-called nuclear option would be a vote to outlaw filibusters, thus clearing the way for Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and several others to win confirmation. But minority Democrats lose their ultimate procedural weapon.
CNN's Joe Johns is watching from a relatively safe distance on the Hill.
Hi, Joe.
JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. You are right. This is some extremely tough and bitter rhetoric we heard on the floor of the United States Senate this morning. No way to tell, of course, whether it's going to continue throughout this debating, which could go into next week, of course. Some of that rhetoric, of course, coming from both Democrats and Republicans.
You see right now, Senator Charles Schumer of New York on the floor, talking about judicial nominations. Earlier today, the Republican majority leader, Bill Frist, speaking of votes to cut off debates on judicial nominations, used some strong language and was called on it not long after that by Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, a Democrat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BILL FRIST (R-TN), MAJORITY LEADER: The issue is that we have leadership-led, partisan filibusters that have obstructed not one nominee but two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, in a routine way. The issue is not cloture votes, per se; it's the partisan, leadership-led use of cloture vote to kill, to defeat, to assassinate these nominees. And that's the difference.
SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D), ILLINOIS: When words are expressed during the course of the debate that those of us who oppose these nominees are setting out "to kill, to defeat or to assassinate" those nominees, those words should be taken from this record. Those words are inappropriate. Those words go too far.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: The issue here, of course, the bottom line issue, is whether the filibuster ought to be used on judicial nominations. Democrats say it's their right. Republicans say there should be a simple majority, up or down vote.
A couple other notes. Democrats have threatened to slow down Senate business if the Republicans actually go through and succeed in getting rid of the filibuster on judicial nominations.
We did get a taste of that earlier today, when Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid announced he will not allow hearings in the United States Senate to go forward after the Senate has gone into session. That is, of course, his right. That suggests, certainly, that Democrats are on the leading edge now of what we have been referring to as the nuclear option.
That meaning, of course, that they will slow things down in the United States Senate if Republicans go forward with this plan to try to get rid of the filibuster and judges.
Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: And Joe Johns, just real quickly, you've been talking so much about the filibuster and the back and forth between Republicans and Democrats that when it comes down to it, a lot of people are saying, why is this going on? Ultimately, we're talking about the possibility of a new U.S. Supreme Court judge.
JOHNS: Absolutely. We are talking about the possibility of a new U.S. Supreme Court judge. Then that could come very soon.
Republicans would very much like to clear the decks to make it easier to get through a Supreme Court nominee, if it comes to that. Also, as you know, judges, appellate court judges, have tremendous power to affect the relationship between the government and individual citizens. So there's that too. This is a very high-stakes ball game on Capitol Hill, and that's why Democrats and Republicans are going at it so hot and heavy -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Joe Johns, live from the Hill, thanks -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Real, not fake. Thrown, not planted. A threat against the health and welfare of the president of the United States and the president of Georgia. So says the U.S. embassy and the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, where President Bush gave a rousing speech on democracy a week ago, as you will recall.
It's referring to a hand grenade whose appearance in the crowd was first reported hours after the event by Georgian officials, who said it was a training device that could not have exploded.
To the contrary, the embassy says it was only a malfunction that prevented the grenade from going off within 100 feet of both heads of state. The FBI is, of course, investigating.
America's first director of national intelligence just moments away from raising his hand, swearing an oath, and starting a job whose duties still aren't crystal clear.
CNN's David Ensor is covering John Negroponte day from our D.C. bureau -- David.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, he's actually already started work. He's already been involved in briefing the president, the -- the morning briefings that the president gets from his top intelligence officials. John Negroponte is already involved in that.
He and his top deputy, Michael Hayden, General Michael Hayden, four-star Air Force general, have already named several of their top deputies in this new structure that's been put in place under the intelligence reform law.
And -- there's Hayden at a hearing, as you can see. They have already sent out a memo to CIA station chiefs around the world, telling them that, when there's business that has to do with the whole intelligence committee and not just the CIA, that business should be reported to Negroponte and Hayden. So they're already trying to show that they are -- they are hitting the ground running.
They are looking for new quarters at the moment. The offices are just near the White House in an office building there. They're going to be moving temporarily, though, to Bowling Air Force Base (ph), and they're looking for new quarters.
And meantime, a watch center has been set up at the national counterterrorism center where people are on 24/7. This is a sort a mockup of what it looks like inside that building. People are on there 24/7, keeping Negroponte and Hayden informed of any crises or intelligence matters that they need to know about.
So this team, although they're swearing in today, Miles, has already tried to hit the ground running.
O'BRIEN: David, that operation center looks right out of Hollywood. Let's talk about reality here for a moment. When a cable like that ends up at CIA station chiefs all over the world, that's got to ruffle feathers.
ENSOR: Well, yes, this is a big adjustment for them to make. They're accustomed to having a director of central intelligence. Porter Goss is in that job as CIA director, who they report to. They're accustomed to the CIA running the show on intelligence. Now they no longer do. The CIA is just another one of the 15 agencies. And they're just going to have to get used to that. But they'll be some adjustments involved, no question about it.
O'BRIEN: All right, to say the least. David Ensor, watching it for us. We'll get that swearing in ceremony for you as it happens.
U.S. forces in Iraq now believe terror kingpin Abu Musab al- Zarqawi himself lit the fuse behind this month's barrage of car bombs in and around Baghdad.
A senior official telling CNN there are signs of a recent meeting in Syria where al Zarqawi, or a stand in, gave the order for a change in tactics. Many of those bombings killed innocent Iraqis, which a brand-new audio recording attributed to al-Zarqawi defends.
A track posted on several Islamic Web sites says the shedding of Muslim blood is allowed if it averts, and we quote now, "the greater evil of disrupting Jihad."
The tape's authenticity cannot be absolutely confirmed.
CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay with CNN day and night for the latest.
PHILLIPS: And this just in to CNN right now, a story that we're watching for you. Live pictures from Fort Lee, New Jersey. A three alarm fire that, we're told, more than 30 stories in this residential building, possibly condominiums, possibly apartments. It's not far from the George Washington Bridge.
We can tell you right now it appears to be under control. Firefighters working that right now, not sure if there's anybody inside those particular apartments that they're working.
We'll keep you posted on what happens. These pictures, courtesy of our affiliate WABC.
Joan Humphrey Lefkow's personal 9/11. The federal judge whose husband and mother were shot to death, apparently by a deranged former plaintiff. Well, she's pleading with Congress to bolster protection of judges and judges' families.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JUDGE JOAN HUMPHREY LEFKOW, U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE: It is easy enough to blame the service for problems. But the truth is that the Congress has never treated the U.S. Marshal Service as it has for example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, giving it the respect and resources that it needs to do -- fulfill the tremendous responsibilities that it has.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And stay with LIVE FROM. Our guest in just a few minutes is a man with plenty of firsthand experience with those U.S. marshals. A former federal judge also concerned with how that marshal budget is spent.
O'BRIEN: All right. Now, great concern in Coeur D'Alene, that would be an understatement from the sheriff in what usually is a quiet corner of Idaho, where today three people are victims of very brutal homicides.
Two children are missing. An Amber Alert is still in effect for 9-year-old Dillon Groene and his 8-year-old sister, Shasta, whose mother, Brenda, is among those killed in the family's home. Horrific story.
Police also want to find an apparent family friend that they're calling a person of interest. He is Robert Roy Lutner from the nearby community of Hayden.
CNN's Sean Callebs has the latest from Coeur D'Alene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Kootenai County sheriff's office says they are looking for someone they term a person of interest who may have information about the grisly crimes committed here on the outskirts of the town of Coeur D'Alene.
His name is Robert Roy Lutner. He is 33 years old. Authorities say at this point he is not a suspect, but apparently someone who was at the home around the time frame when these crimes were apparently committed.
He is said to be driving an old-style pickup truck, either a 1975 silver Ford or a 1990 Toyota. He is from this area, has family in the Boise area, about 400 miles from here.
Now, authorities were called to the home not terribly far behind us, sometime around 6 in the evening on Monday night. At that time, they found three bodies, that of Brenda Groene. She is 40. Her 13- year-old son Slade and Mark McKenzie, said to be Brenda's boyfriend.
It was sometime later, about six hours later, when authorities determined that two children were missing. A national Amber Alert has been issued. The FBI has been called in to assist in this.
They are looking for Dillon Groene. He is 9 years old. He's about 4 feet tall, weighs 60 pounds, has a blonde crew cut and blue eyes. And his sister Shasta. She is 8, a very slight child, about 40 pounds, under 4 feet tall, long, auburn hair and hazel eyes.
We talked with members of the school district here. They said these were two children who were very bright and authorities are doing all they can to find them at this hour.
The sheriff tells us the crimes were grisly, but will not say exactly how the three were killed. He says autopsies are being performed, and they hope to have information later on today.
All eyes really on this person called a person of interest. His name is Robert Roy Lutner, once again. He is 33, said to be driving an old model pickup truck.
That's the very latest.
Sean Callebs, CNN, in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: A shorter leash on sex offenders? Well, some in Congress want to set federal standards for the cumbersome process of tracking ex-cons who may pose lingering threats to their communities.
A bill introduced by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch and Florida Representative Mark Foley would force two-time sex crime convicts to wear electronic monitors for life. It would also make the use of the Internet to further the cause of child molestation a federal offense.
A well known ally says it's high time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN WALSH, HOST, "AMERICA'S MOST WANTED": I try to hunt these people down on my show. I am sick of watching them get caught and looking at their rap sheets, 20, 30 arrests.
The man that was arrested for Jessica Lunsford's murder, that is accused of murdering that beautiful 9-year-old girl, served only two years of a 10-year sentence for molesting a child. He had 22 arrests.
The system doesn't work for children in this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: This New Jersey hometown of Megan Kanka has two words for sex offenders who want to settle there: move on. The Hamilton Township council voted to bar convicted molesters from living within half a mile of schools, parks or anywhere else children congregate. And since there are roughly 30 schools and 40 parks in Hamilton Township, that doesn't leave a lot of real estate.
Megan Kanka, you may recall, was raped and killed in 1994 by a convicted and released molester who lived just across the street. Her case gave rise to Megan's Law, requiring public notification of sex offender's whereabouts.
Well, we're not finished with the subject just yet. Samantha Runnion, you may recall, a 3-year-old girl kidnapped and killed three years ago. Well, she'll speak to Samantha -- we're going to speak, rather, to Samantha's mother about what to do about sex offenders. That's next hour right here on LIVE FROM.
O'BRIEN: Billionaire businessman Donald Trump moves from "The Apprentice" to the architect. Ahead on LIVE FROM, why the reality TV star and real estate developer is trying to change plans for Ground Zero.
And Toyota recalls nearly 800,000 vehicles. And we'll show you which models are affected. That is ahead on LIVE FROM.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Live pictures now. This is the courtyard of the new executive office building across the street from the White House. The president of the United States has just sworn in the first director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, and his deputy, Lieutenant General Michael Hayden.
Let's listen.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I appreciate Senator Ted Stevens, Senate president pro tem, joining us today, along with Senator Jay Rockefeller. Thank you both for being here.
I want to thank Congressman Peter Hoekstra, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, along with Congresswoman Jane Harman, ranking member. Thank you both for coming.
I appreciate Chuck Robb, co-chairman of the WMD Commission, for joining us today. I want to thank members of the intelligence community who have joined us. Thank the rest of you for coming, too.
Ambassador Negroponte's position is one of the newest in the government and one of the most demanding. Our nation is at war. And John is making sure that those who defend America have the information we need to make the right decisions. He's ensuring our intelligence agencies work as a single unified enterprise. And he's serving as my principal intelligence adviser.
These are vital and urgent responsibilities. And John has what it takes to fulfill them all.
In his distinguished career, John has represented America in eight nations on three continents. He served every president since Dwight Eisenhower. Over the past four years, I've come to know John's wisdom, intellect and integrity. I've relied on his candid judgment to help solve complicated problems. I have witnessed his unique ability to bring people together, most recently in his historic achievements as ambassador to a free Iraq.
I'm grateful to John for answering his nation's call. I thank his family for joining us today.
John is fortunate to count on the experienced and capable deputy in General Mike Hayden. General Hayden understands the intelligence community from the ground up. He has a long record of wise and effective reform.
Mike also has a clear understanding of our enemies in the war on terror. He'll be a superb deputy to Ambassador Negroponte. I thank Mike for his willingness to serve, and I'm glad to see his family, as well.
As John Negroponte and Mike Hayden carry out their new duties, they're relying on the thousands of dedicated professionals working in our intelligence community. These men and women serve America with a wide variety of talents and expertise. They all report to work every day with the same goal, to protect our fellow citizens from harm.
Intelligence officers work in secret and often at great risk to their lives. Their vigilance and bravery are vital to America's security. And on behalf of all Americans, I thank them and their families for their service in the cause of freedom.
As director of national intelligence, John is taking action to help all who serve in the intelligence community to do their jobs more effectively. He has assembled a strong leadership team that reflects a wide range of skills and intelligence experience.
He's visited a number of intelligence agencies. He's listened to experts in a variety of fields, and he's made reforms in the daily intelligence briefing. John recognizes and values the contributions of all who collect and analyze intelligence. He will assure that they have access to the tools and information their missions demand.
In the days ahead, Ambassador Negroponte and General Hayden will continue the structural reforms of our intelligence community that began after September 11, 2001. We've now implemented the vast majority of the 9/11 commission's recommendations, through executive orders and the intelligence reform bill I signed last December.
My administration is also reviewing all the recommendations made by the Silverman/Robb Commission on weapons of mass destruction. We have already begun to implement a number of their recommendations. We will continue to evaluate and act on the commission's useful blueprint to improve the quality and quantity of intelligence we collect and to be able to analyze that information more thoroughly.
John Negroponte will also ensure the sharing of information among agencies and establish common standards for the intelligence community's personnel.
I have confidence in John Negroponte and Mike Hayden to carry out these vital missions. Well integrated, effective intelligence efforts are America's first line of defense against the threats of the 21st Century.
I thank the Congress for creating the director of national intelligence position and for swiftly confirming two talented, dedicated Americans to lead our intelligence community. I look forward to working with this team to improve our intelligence capabilities and to use those capabilities to win the war on terror.
Congratulations to both men. May God bless you and your families, and may God continue to bless our country.
JOHN NEGROPONTE, NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DIRECTOR: Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. Members of the cabinet who are here today, members of the Congress, to my own family, dear friends and colleagues, especially my new colleagues in the intelligence community.
I've always felt that the greatest honor that could be bestowed on me by my country is the opportunity to serve it. I felt this way as a junior Foreign Service officer. I feel this way today as the director of national intelligence.
I can truthfully say that I've never really wanted to do anything else, whether I was stationed in Vietnam, in Greece, in Iraq, in Mexico, or here in Washington. Why? Because the United States represents freedom. The United States represents peace, and the United States represents opportunity. What greater privilege could any American enjoy than to pursue a career representing a great nation based on values such as these?
As parents, Diana and I want our five children to have as much freedom, peace and opportunity as we ourselves have had. We know every other American parent feels the same way.
So I view the position of director of national intelligence as a challenge, yes, but I'm grateful to you, Mr. President, for asking me to accept it. In so doing, I am reassured by the fact that I will be supported by tens of thousands of patriotic professionals in the intelligence community who have dedicated their lives, often at great personal risk, to the defense of our country and all that it stands for.
I want to thank each and every one of you for being here today. Thank you very much.
BUSH: Good job, John. Perfect. Thanks, Mike.
O'BRIEN: The first director of national intelligence, John Negroponte, addressing the crowd there in the courtyard at the new executive office building on a sun-drenched day, being sworn in. His deputy, being hand-shaked by the president just now, Lieutenant General Michael Hayden.
Let's roll some tape. We'll show you the swearing in, which we didn't get on the air a little bit earlier. We were in a break. Fairly straightforward, as the oath was administered there. And John Negroponte is a thoroughbred when it comes to public service, foreign service. Phillips Exeter, Yale, undergrad, Harvard Law, born in London in 1939, grew up in England, Switzerland and New York. Was in the Foreign Service from 1960 to 1977. Speaks Greek, Spanish, French, Vietnamese, as well as English. And most recently was, of course, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
And now has to create a new role, a role that oversees a huge, expensive, far-flung intelligence operations, with 15 distinct intelligence-gathering agencies. A big job lies ahead for him -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Donald Trump has formally unveiled his plans to trump the Freedom Tower with his own design for rebuilding the former site of the World Trade Center.
CNN's Jason Carroll with more on the big idea.
Hi, Jason.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Kyra.
You know, Donald Trump, always the showman, was no different today. He was not happy with the design of the Freedom Tower, was not happy with the rebuilding process. He says the time has come, Kyra, to throw it all out, to get rid of that design, to get rid of the memorial design.
So what did he do? He came up with own design, in a way. You can take a look at it right there. That is his plan for Ground Zero. In a nutshell, he wants to rebuild the Twin Towers except making them a little taller, at least 111 stories. The Twin Towers were 110.
But more importantly, Trump says the design is more emblematic of strength and of freedom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: A very good friend of mine gave me an analogy. Said, "Donald, if something happened to the Statue of Liberty, you wouldn't rebuild it as something other than the Statue of Liberty. You'd rebuild it as the Statue of Liberty."
And it's the same thing we have here. We want to rebuild the World Trade Center, as the World Trade Center, but better, a little bit taller, a lot stronger, just plain better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CARROLL: Trump called the design that you're seeing there, the one designed by the architect Daniel Liebeskind, the Freedom Tower, a skeleton rising in the sky.
Architect Liebeskind was the one who was chosen during an international design competition. Liebeskind's design was modified by another architect, hired by the site's developer, Larry Silverstein. That design, Kyra, was then modified again, after the New York City Police Department raised security concerns about the position of the building.
Now we're waiting for Governor Pataki to reveal the latest design. That should happen sometime next month. Trump says the developer, Silverstein, should be able to foot the cost of his design, which he says should be cheaper, but the developer said today in a statement he supports the Freedom Tower plan, not Trump's.
So Trump, at this point, is calling for the public to contact the governor, Pataki, saying that they support his design. But a little bit of a reality check here. If Trump doesn't have the developer's backing and most likely not the governor's backing, his critics say the likelihood that his design there that you saw in terms of it becoming a reality, very much a long shot -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: I thought you were going to say becoming a reality show, and I was getting very nervous to hear that, Jason.
CARROLL: No.
PHILLIPS: So -- so then what's the next step? I remember you, when you did the coverage before about all the plans and all the designs. And there were so many people making decisions and voting for what they wanted. How does this play out now?
CARROLL: Well, the next step, we wait to hear from the governor. We reached out to him to hear what he has to say about Trump's plan.
But basically, things are moving forward. Next month, the governor is going to reveal the modified, refined plan for the Freedom Tower. And then things are going to progress from there in terms of the memorial and everything else.
But, you know, Trump says don't count him out. But again, his critics are saying at this point, it's just not very likely -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Jason Carroll, live from New York, thanks so much.
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