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Rehnquist Staying; Hard Lessons

Aired July 15, 2005 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Palestinian sources say a series of coordinated airstrikes in Gaza and the West Bank have killed seven Hamas militants. The Israeli army says it was targeting militants, but did not confirm any deaths. The army says two people were wounded when Palestinian militants fired three rockets into southern Israel in response.
A plea bargain today in the steroids scandal that implicated some of the biggest names in sports. Attorneys for Victor Conte, founder of the San Francisco sports drug co-op BALCO, says he will plead guilty to conspiracy and money laundering charges, and spend four months in prison. Conte is accused of providing steroids to top athletes, including Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi.

And Harry Potter fans, are you counting the hours until the release of the long-awaited sixth book in the series? "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" hits shelves at midnight, and many bookstores are staying open late to accommodate fans who can't wait until morning. In the next hour, we will go live to London for a look at all the fuss.

Rumors, they have been flying for weeks: Chief Justice William Rehnquist is retiring. No, no, he's staying. All right, forget the speculation. We now have an answer from the man himself. William Rehnquist says he is staying put.

CNN national correspondent Bob Franken has the details and a look at where things go from here.

Hi, Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATL. CORRESPONDENT: And we've reported every single one.

NGUYEN: Yes, we have.

FRANKEN: Rumors and speculation, yes. Well, we're told that one of the reasons that the chief justice, who isn't necessarily a very public man, one of the reasons that he wanted to put out that statement is he was getting sick and tired of the cameras, including ours, that were showing him leaving, as we did this morning, even after the announcement, leaving his house as he came here to the court to continue, as he says he is going to continue. As you can see, he was in a wheelchair. He was taken to his limousine and then brought to the court, where he is busy at work, at last we heard, and where he intends to continue to be. He put out the statement saying, "I want to put to rest the speculation and unfounded rumors of my imminent retirement. I am not about to announce my retirement. I will continue to perform my duties as chief justice as long as my health permits. So, when the court convenes in October, unless there's still another change, the chief will be the same chief, but of course, they're hoping that there's going to be a different person in place to replace Sandra Day O'Connor. She said she'll stay as long as necessary, but now comes a very big fight, no question about it. There's going to be a fight over whomever the president nominates, which he hasn't really come up with a timetable for that. But already, Democrats and Republicans are positioning themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL FRIST (R), MAJORITY LEADER: In that debate, I do want to continue to encourage my colleagues to place principle before partisan politics and to place results before rhetoric. We owe it to the American people to conduct this process, this nomination process, which involves the major institutions of our government.

SEN. HARRY REID (D), MINORITY LEADER: I think everyone should just cool the rhetoric here and see what is going to happen. The ball is in the president's court. And as has been indicated, a significant number of names were discussed with him. We didn't discuss anyone with him in a negative tone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And, Betty, if you believe they're going to cool the rhetoric, well, we'll try some others out on you at some other time.

NGUYEN: No, I don't believe that for a moment. But I do have this question for you, with just one vacancy, now that we know there's just one so far, does that increase the pressure on President Bush to fill that vacancy with someone who maybe is more conservative?

FRANKEN: Well, it's going to put the pressure on to come up with some sort of consensus candidate. There was some hope among some of the people who mapping this out that with two to fill, he could do some wheeling and dealing. One was considered more, quote, moderate, and one that was more pleasing to some of the hard line conservatives. Now there's just going to be one, and it's going to be sort of a situation, where no matter what he does, somebody is going to be unhappy. Fact of the matter is, there's going to be probably be a lot of unhappy people in Washington, but after all, that's a lot of what we're about -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, that often happens on a daily basis.

Bob Franken, thank you.

A California Congressman is calling it quits in the face of a growing covers over his relationship with a defense contractor. Congressman Randy Cunningham says he won't seek a ninth term next year, but will finish his current term. Cunningham, who sits on a powerful Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, is under federal investigation over his financial dealings with a defense contractor. Cunningham says he may have shown poor judgment, but did nothing illegal or dishonorable.

Fifty-four people dead, hundreds injured, and London is still reeling. But even though authorities weren't able to prevent the deadly terror bombings this time, their investigation has a leg up, thanks to experience and tactics gained over years of bloody conflict with Irish militant groups.

CNN's David Ensor takes a look at how the hard lessons learned during the troubles are helping Britain deal with today's terror.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STELLA RIMINGTON, COUNTERTERRORISM EXPERT: Your failures are there for everyone there to see in the form of broken glass and bodies on the pavement. Your successes are never seen.

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Counterterrorism experts like Dame Stella Rimington, former head of Britain's MI-5, says there is no way to prevent every bombing or terrorist attack, but countries like Britain have been fighting terrorism for decades. There are tactics that work, and ones that don't.

Belfast, Northern Ireland:

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This has been the scene of absolutely violence and mayhem.

ENSOR: The heart of the oldest and bloodiest struggle against terrorism in Europe.

STEPHEN WHITE, POLICE OFFICER: We've had firebombs, rocket- propelled grenades, surface-to-air missiles.

ENSOR: A struggle between Catholics and Protestants over the future of Ireland. A decades-long clash between those willing to use violence and terror, and those sent to stop them, police officers like Stephen White.

WHITE: Good boy. Good dog.

ENSOR: His knowledge of terrorism is broad. He's trained police around the world and he now heads the European Union's training program for Iraqi police.

(on camera): What works against terrorism?

WHITE: Well, I certainly know what doesn't work, (INAUDIBLE) crude, knee-jerk reactions to terrorism do not work in the long term.

ENSOR (voice-over): White believes every terror outburst is unique, and requires a custom-made response. Knocking down doors with troops as the U.S. has done in Iraq is seldom as effective as making arrests with well-trained, local cops. (on camera): What did you do as an IRA terrorist?

SEAN O'CALLAGHAN, FMR. IRA OPERATIVE: I murdered a detective inspector.

ENSOR (voice-over): Sean O'Callaghan was one of the top IRA operatives that men like Stephen White were trying to stop.

CALLAGHAN: Shootings involving policemen and soldiers, lot of hijacking of cars and vehicles, a lot of robberies of banks and post --I mean, hundreds and hundreds of things.

ENSOR: O'Callaghan eventually grew disgusted with the IRA and became an informer. He couldn't agree more with his former adversary about what works. When Northern Irish cops took over from the British army --

O'CALLAGHAN: From that period onwards, you can see consistent evidence of the IRA campaign being slowly contained. The police in Northern Ireland, they knew the buttons to press, they knew the kind of people they were dealing with, they knew the history.

ENSOR: Police tactics are not the only method the British has used. Their long struggle with violent terrorism caused them to accept tradeoffs that many Americans may not be able to swallow. More security for less freedom.

Mike Balron (ph) is the assistant commissioner of the city of London police.

MIKE BALRON: How are we doing?

ENSOR: His force is charged with guarding Britain's economic heart, which was the IRA's target the early 1990s.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is a bomb at (INAUDIBLE). This is not a hoax.

ENSOR: The first step, make London's financial hub easier to defend. Over 100 streets leading into the city were reduced to what is now less than 20.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See if we can zoom in on it.

ENSOR: New technologies were deployed, especially closed-circuit TV cameras, used first in Belfast, cameras that soon became omnipresent as government and business bought them by the thousands.

(on camera): Walking along this street or any street in the city of London, one thing is almost certain: You're on camera. A person living and work here can expect to be filmed here thousands of times a day, either by police or by privately run surveillance cameras. An independent closed circuit operator's group estimates that Britain has at least half a million live cameras. That's one for every 120 people.

RIMINGTON: Most people understand that these things are there to help to protect them against serious threats.

ENSOR: Dame Stella Rimington was the director of MI-5, Britain's domestic intelligence agency, which fights terrorism by spying on Briton's far more extensively than the FBI does in the U.S.

(on camera): Where do you say the line is drawn in this country in that age-old debate between how much security you have and how much liberty you are allowed?

RIMINGTON: Yes, I think the line is moving. More of us have liberties being intruded on as the government takes responsibility for trying to look after us.

ENSOR (voice-over): In the age of Al Qaeda, it is moving again. Now, Britain's prime minister is talking about national I.D. cards. He recently pushed through a law allowing some suspected terrorists to be put under house arrest. Britain's intrusive but firm defense against terrorism, plus the carrots and sticks used in Northern Ireland -- none of this worked overnight, but decades of patient effort have made a difference.

Buildings are going up. Investment is moving in. People who would once have been silent are refusing to be pushed around by the IRA or Protestant thugs. But what worked with the IRA may not work with a new breed of terrorists.

RIMINGTON: In the days of the IRA, we were dealing with terrorists who wanted to get away with their own lives. Nowadays, we're dealing with terrorists who are prepared to kill themselves.

ENSOR: The tacts may cause Britain to once again move that line between freedom and security.

David Ensor, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: This just into CNN. We are learning that NASA has decided not to launch Shuttle Discovery into space on Sunday. There was some speculation that it would take place on Sunday. We are learning that at the very earliest, that launch will take place late next week. As you recall, NASA had to scrub the launch of Discovery on Wednesday, after there was a problem with a fuel tank sensor. But again, NASA has decided that it will not launch Shuttle Discovery on Sunday. At the earliest, it will happen sometime late next week and we, of course, will be there when it happens.

Well, can video games actually be good for some kids? After the break, the results of one study that says it could help children on the mend.

DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Don Riddell, reporting live from the British Open in St. Andrews in Scotland on an emotional day for the great Jack Nicklaus. Not bad one for the world number one, Tiger Woods. More on that when LIVE FROM returns in just a moment. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Now to Scotland and the often wind-swept links at St. Andrews. But today, the sun was shining for Tiger Woods, even as it was setting on the career of another legendary player.

CNN sportscaster Don Riddell joins us now with more. Hi, Don.

RIDDELL: Hi, thank you very much.

You know, for the last or so, the world number one, Tiger Woods, has provided really the sideshow here at St. Andrews as the golfing world said goodbye to the great Jack Nicklaus. And he bade farewell to them. Nicklaus was actually hoping to make the cut here and actually end his golfing major career on Sunday, but it wasn't to be. He missed the cut by three strokes in the end. But there were very, very emotional scenes on the Swilcan Bridge and then on the 18th green, where he sunk a birdie to end his major golfing career with a score of three over par. It was really a terrific moment.

Nicklaus is here with his entire family, his wife, Barbara. She was very emotional. All his sons, as well. And they were telling me when I spent some time with them out on the course that he has been very emotional this week. People weren't sure whether Jack would be or not, but apparently he has been. He has found it almost difficult to focus on his golf here this week. But he's a professional. He shot a decent round today. It wasn't good enough in the end. And at the end, he actually said well, perhaps it was a good thing that he didn't make the cut.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACK NICKLAUS, FINAL MAJOR APPEARANCE: As I was coming down the last couple holes and, as nice as the people were, I'm sitting there saying, you know, I don't really think I want to make the cut. People were giving me so much that, you know, I wanted to be part of it and enjoy it and then not have to come back and do that again. I mean, obviously, I was trying to make the cut. I mean, I would never not try to do that. But they were so wonderful. It was just a very, very special time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIDDELL: That, by the way, is the first and last time you'll ever hear Nicklaus saying that he didn't want to make the cut. Anyway, his tournament is over and we can focus now on Tiger Woods, who's had a pretty decent day, although I suspect maybe a little disappointing by his standards. He's finished at 11 under. He had a really good round today. Five under for the day, shooting a 67. And he is out in front.

So, I think, unless there's a late charge by any surprise golfer, we can expect Tiger to be teeing off in the last pairing in the third round on Saturday. We'll wait and see who's there with him. But, all in all, a pretty good day for Tiger. He's led from day one and, of course, many are wondering if he can repeat his sensational feat of five years ago here at St. Andrews in 2000, where he absolutely blew the field away, winning by a monstrous eight strokes and setting a tournament record of 19 under par. So many expectations that Tiger can do that again tomorrow. We'll wait and see. But he's in pretty good shape.

NGUYEN: Yes, Tiger's the one to watch. And as for Nicklaus, hey, you know, cut or no cut, his legend still lives on. Don, thank you.

Meanwhile, Michelle Wie fans are left saying maybe next time. The 15-year-old phenom lost out today in the quarter finals of the U.S. amateur public links. She has focused on the men's public links because the winner is traditionally invited to play at the Masters, something no woman has ever done. The high school junior was bested by Clay Ogden, a college junior at Brigham Young University. He remained unruffled, despite several hundred Michelle Wie fans who cheered her every shot.

And checking today's health headlines, a U.S. federal appeals court overturns a ban on Canadian cattle. Imports were banned more than two years ago after a cow in Alberta tested positive for mad cow disease. The decision overturned a Montana judge who recently blocked the move, calling it bad for the U.S. beef industry and for U.S. consumers. No word from the USDA on how soon shipments might resume.

Could memory loss seen in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease be reversed? A new study seems to suggest that a mutant protein poisons brain cells, and that blocking its production could allow cells to recover. Researchers working with mice and mazes say when they switched off the gene that made that protein, the mice recovered from some of the memory and performed better.

And could there be a therapeutic jackpot to playing video games? A British researcher believes the degree of attention needed to play such games can distract patients undergoing chemotherapy or other painful treatments. They may also improve dexterity for people with spinal cord, severe burns, or degenerative diseases like muscular dystrophy.

And don't forget that we have a doctor in the house, even on the weekends. Watch CNN Saturday and Sunday mornings at 8:30 Eastern for all the latest medical news on "HOUSE CALL WITH DR. SANJAY GUPTA."

Will a major player in the tech industry be sending tens of thousands of workers to the unemployment line? That story when we check business headlines next.

And coming up in the second hour of LIVE FROM, we will head back to England for an update on today's top story, the detainment of a biochemist, why he was being sought in connection with the London terror attacks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Coming up in our second hour of LIVE FROM, Cameron Diaz heads to court over topless photos. And we will head to London where "Harry Potter" fans are just hours away from getting their hands on the newest installment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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