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Tool Against Terror?

Aired December 06, 2005 - 13:30   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to go straight to Betty Nguyen, working some developing stories in the newsroom.
What you got, Betty.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra. We've got a couple of things that we're working.

First up, an Amber Alert has been issued for a Middletown, Ohio, toddler. Now police say the child's babysitter took this little boy, 18-month-old, you see him right there, Marcus Richmond, last night. And they accuse 39-year-old Tammy Johnson of taking the boy. And they believe she is traveling with her 40-year-old husband Louis (ph) Johnson. Now police say some of the boy's mother's identification is also missing, so it is also believed that Tammy Johnson may try to pass her off as the little boy's mother.

Now I want to give you a description, I know we put the picture up, but the little boy has black hair, brown eyes, and he was last seen -- there he is right there -- wearing a red sleeper. And police say the Johnsons may be driving a maroon 1993 Chevy truck with Ohio tags DDJ-9066. It's important to note that police believe this couple, along with the baby, may be headed to Florida, because of the Johnson's family ties in that area. And we are working this story.

CNN's John Zarrella will be up shortly to talk about the investigation down there in Florida for this couple that you see right there.

Also this other story that we're working on, a crash, a helicopter crash. A U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jet crashed off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida today. Now the status of the pilot is not known. But witnesses told rescuers that a parachute was seen. The Harrier Jump Jet -- you're seeing pictures of it right now -- is a single seat fighter that uses jet propulsion to take off vertically. It take off kind of like a helicopter. It takes of vertically and lands vertically. It's a British-made plane. You see it right there, the AV-8B Harrier jet. And the plane was based at the Marine Corps air station at Cherry Point, North Carolina. It was on a routine training mission when this crash occurred. That happened about 9:20 Eastern this morning, some 20 miles off the coast of St. Augustine, right outside of Jacksonville, Florida.

But a little bit of hope here. Witnesses say they saw a parachute. Hopefully the pilot did survive this crash. But at this point, that pilot not been recovered just as of yet.

And of course we're going to follow both of these stories, Kyra, and bring you the latest just as soon as we get it.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll keep tabs on both. Thanks, Betty.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, for Condoleezza Rice, another day of tough questions about the U.S. position on torturing terror suspects. As she has since the start of her European tour, the secretary of state remains adamant the U.S. does not condone torture.

But there was a surprising twist to the issue today in Germany. The new German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that the U.S. has admitted making a mistake in the case of a German national who says he was wrongly jailed and tortured by the CIA. He is suing the spy agency. We'll have more on his case in just a moment. All that U.S. officials are saying that two officials don't discuss that case in detail.

But this is what Rice had to say about U.S. policy on torture.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECY. OF STATE: The United States does not condone torture. It is against U.S. law to be involved in torture, or conspiracy to commit torture. And it is also against U.S. international obligations. And the president has made it very clear that U.S. personnel will operate within U.S. law and within our international obligations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, rice is now in Romania, a country identified as an likely site for a secret detention facility run by the CIA. Romania denies it, but European governments have expressed outrage over reports of prisons in Eastern Europe where terror suspects allegedly have been tortured.

More now on the German national who is suing the CIA for allegedly torturing him in a lawsuit filed in Washington today.

Khalid Almisari (ph) says that he was arrested by the CIA, who mistakenly identified him as an associate of the September 11th hijackers. He says he was abducted while trying to enter Macedonia for a vacation and was flown to Afghanistan. He says he was held there for five months and subjected to torture and other cruel, inhumane treatment. The suit named as the main defendant former CIA director George Tenet.

Well, it's a word that many of you may not have heard, "rendition." Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls it a vital tool in combating transnational terrorism. But what is rendition? And why is it so controversial?

Our Brian Todd explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Often inconspicuous, sometimes characterized as shadowy, the practice of rendition now very publicly defended.

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Renditions take terrorists out of action and save lives.

TODD: They also create a great deal of debate, which is why Condoleezza Rice is clarifying the policy with European allies. Rendition essentially means picking up a suspected terrorist in one country and whisking that person to the country of his or her origin for questioning by agents of that country, avoiding formal extradition.

Who does the picking up? Terrorism experts, including a former CIA officer and a former U.S. military intelligence officer, say in the case of the U.S., it usually involves American intelligence operatives working with agents from the country where the suspect is apprehended and agents from the country where he's being taken. They say the governments taking part don't always publicly acknowledge their roles. But most often, these are U.S. allies in the war on terror, including the Europeans.

REUEL MARC GERECHT, FMR. CIA OFFICER: The notion that the agency engaged in any type of rendition in a Western European country without the coordination support of its internal security service and the approval of the prime minister's office is unthinkable.

TODD: Reuel Gerecht says the practice of rendition started during the Clinton administration. And the use of rendition encompasses another controversy in the war on terror.

RICE: The United States has not transported anyone and will not transport anyone to a country when we believe he will be tortured.

TODD: When Rice and President Bush make those declarations, say intelligence experts, it's a bit like, don't ask, don't tell. And any government's definition of torture may be vastly different from those of human rights groups.

TOM MALINOWSKI, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: My impression is that they are interpreting torture as something that leaves physical scars on a person. So if you subject someone to water torture, or a mock execution, or you threaten to bury them alive, that's not torture because it doesn't leave bumps and bruises.

TODD (on camera): Rendition also sparks debate purely from an intelligence standpoint. Some former intelligence officials say it's been valuable for gathering information in the post-9/11 climate. But one former CIA officer says when an intelligence agency renders a suspect over to another country it loses control of that asset and the information is limited.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) The U.S. embassy in the Philippines shut its door to the public today after police warned of possible suicide attacks. A statement on the embassy Web site says that the move was taken after receiving plausible threat information. The head of the Manila police bomb squad says U.S. officials requested help in searching the embassy compound last night after receiving a threat to blow up the building. According to the police, the threat was sent in a cell phone text message by someone named "Evita." The embassy closing coincided with the arrival of John Negroponte in Manila. As you know, he's the director of national intelligence in the Bush administration. The Philippines, also as you know, is home to the Al Qaeda-linked group Abu Sayyaf, branded by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.

A devastating scene just south of Tehran today. At least 116 people were killed when an Iranian military transport plane clipped an apartment building and crashed. Most of the dead were aboard the plane, which was carrying more than 90 people. The C-130 plane was try to make an emergency landing at a nearby airport when it went down. That crash spark caused an explosion on the fourth floor of the 10th-story apartment building. That building and other around it had to be evacuated.

PHILLIPS: Sharing their frustrations and the pain, hurricane Katrina survivors testifying right now on Capitol Hill. Live pictures. We have all the news you want this afternoon. Stay with us, we'll bring it to you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Straight to Capitol Hill. We're listening to victim of Katrina as they testify about what's what.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We live this on a daily basis, okay. They can and have gotten away with criminal act. I live across the street from a police substation. And a lot of the crimes that are being blamed on citizens were actually committed by police and other city officials.

`I watched the police go into the substation with all kind of stolen goods. I watched the police in the Escalades. I watched the police do a lot that we got blamed for.

I was living at the time in a three-bedroom apartment and, thank God for that. Because even though I have six children, 11 grandchildren, the amount of people that was in my house during the storm was 22. Because I could not refuse anybody of shelter, okay.

We were packed in like sardines. During this time, my 22-year- old daughter had a 3-month-old baby. This child cried constantly. Because she was uncomfortable. She can't stand being hot. I had a pregnant 22-year-old that is in labor as I speak. You know, I'm praying for her and her baby, okay?

I am the grandmother of 11 children. To watch my grandchildren walking and falling in this filth was too much to take, okay. I am now living in College Station, Texas, where I've started a new life. The most wonderful place on earth, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm not going back to New Orleans, at least not now. However, we won't be missed, because we're not wanted there anyway. I know this and everyone above the age of 18 should know it.

Believe me, our problems didn't start with Katrina. Katrina was more of a blessing than anything because she gave us the opportunity to get out. Last Thursday, I went back to New Orleans to see what could be saved. I was shocked to see how people were living and being treated.

In fact, I have a list of name and numbers that I'm willing to give to anybody in here, who's interested. They're not getting the resources or other services that we are, okay. And I really think somebody should check into it.

When I was in New Orleans on one of the jobs, I was a career development specialist. I was used to telling people out to go to work, used to helping people get bills paid.

When I got to my house in New Orleans, 4:30 Thursday morning, I was locked out. Before the day was over, my 20-year-old was locked up. You understand, never been in jail a day in her life. She tried explaining to the police what was going on. They locked her up anyway. Because, you know, one thing we know about New Orleans, it's a money city, you know.

They wouldn't care if you had something to eat, a place to stay, just give me your money. Okay. And so, like I said, when I got there, my locks was changed. I've had other family members to go home, find eviction notices.

Other folks to go home and their stuff is on the street. Those people have to pay back rent for when the storm hit for houses that they weren't even in. I think it's really sad, okay.

PHILLIPS: You can see they're furious and they're frustrated. A number of Katrina victims on the hill today, testify to lawmakers about their problems and what they need and the support that they need right now.

A number of people that will be coming up to the mic, a number of panels, we'll continue to follow these community leaders and these citizens of New Orleans as they come forward and tell these lawmakers what's happening, of course, in their city and around the Gulf Coast.

Also, former President Clinton and former President Bush senior will be on "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight, talking about aid -- sorry, it's tomorrow night -- talking about aid for Katrina victim. As you know, the two former presidents were assigned to tsunami relief. Once Katrina hit, the two former presidents took on an effort to raise money to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

They'll be on "LARRY KING LIVE" tomorrow night. Also, if you've got questions, if you're from the Gulf area, if you're from New Orleans, or even parts of Mississippi that got hit real hard, this is your chance to ask Vice Admiral Thad Allen a question.

He's going to be with us live in the 3:00 p.m. eastern hour. So e-mail us at livefrom@CNN.com. We'll try to get your questions answered by the man in charge there on the ground.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Back to Betty Nguyen. More on that Amber Alert she's working on -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Yes, just minutes ago, Kyra, we told you about 18-month- old Marcos Richmond. An Amber Alert was issued for him. There was the belief that his baby-sitter may have taken him.

Well, we have learned that the child has been found. There is some question about whether he may have been taken to Florida as well. So we're going to bring up CNN's John Zarrella right now to get some information on exactly -- was this child found in Ohio or Florida -- John?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty, certainly, good news to report on Marcos Richmond there, found in Ohio, within the past 30 minutes. Authorities there say they have found the 18-month-old child in good health. There do not appear to be any problems.

There are also two adults in custody. We do not know at this point in time whether the two adults that are in custody are the baby- sitter, Tammy Johnston, and her boyfriend, Louis Johnston. They were believed, at least authorities thought, to have taken the little boy, Tammy being the baby-sitter and thought yesterday to have taken the little boy, and that's what triggered the Amber Alert.

Florida became tied in when a police officer in Fort Pierce early this morning spotted a vehicle -- a Chevy pickup truck -- that matched the description -- well, he saw some people inside who seemed suspicious. At that point, the police officer went back, he ran the tag number. In Florida, on the Florida database, it turned up nothing.

Then he ran the tag number, an Ohio tag, on the Ohio database and, sure enough, it turned up that this car was wanted and the people wanted in connection with this disappearance and that they got a hit on that tag. So that's what tied Florida in.

So we don't know who was in that car or whether that car is still believed to contain suspects involved in this case. But the important thing is that we know that this 18-month-old boy is, police say, safe in Middleton, Ohio, and that two people are in custody -- Betty.

NYUGEN: The good news is, the little boy is safe. Thank you so much, John, for clarifying the Florida connection and, again, reiterating the fact that the boy has been found -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Thanks so much, John and Betty.

Want to take you back now to Capitol Hill where residents from New Orleans are continuing to testify right now before lawmakers on the conditions that they're dealing with in New Orleans and elsewhere on the Gulf coast. Let's listen in.

LEAH HODGES, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: They should have moved in and moved people out first. They should not have allowed the worst of the worst to happen and New Orleans was basically turned into a mass grave and then try to move in and clean up the aftermath.

There were so many people who were murdered by the military and the police for trying to survive, labelled as criminals and were murdered. And I saw on CNN where the politicians said that they would not count all of the bodies. They would not count the bodies who were murdered by police and military personnel.

Well, they should count the bodies. These bodies, a lot of them voted, their families voted. They paid taxes. They're human beings. They deserve to be counted. I mean, if we don't count all these bodies and -- what are we talking? A mass grave somewhere? A mass burning somewhere? These bodies should be accounted for.

In my neighborhood, in the Bywater area, it was one of the first areas where I heard of floating bodies, where I tutored and mentored young people and where we had barbecues and we got along like families. We looked after each other on a daily basis. A lot of my neighbors are unaccounted for. A lot of my neighbors are dead. I saw the first living person in my neighborhood roughly about a month ago.

But I want to speak a little more in detail about the concentration camp situations. The military, after having told us there was nothing they could do for us -- and the local police -- and there was no help for us, over the radio, we heard that they had designated so-called evacuation points. And my brother and my niece's fiance set out to find these evacuation points.

And they stayed gone a very long time and we were very worried about them. And when they returned, they said that they had been detained on the Gretna Bridge and they had been turned around and were not allowed to pass through that area in order to locate evacuation camps, evacuation points. Our situation was one such that ...

PHILLIPS: A number of Katrina victims speaking before lawmakers today. From evacuees to community leaders, the list goes on. They're coming up in front of these lawmaker, even the members from the National Black Chamber of Commerce, in parts of -- in New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf coast.

We're just going to continue to listen in and see what they have to say, bring you bits and pieces live. We're going to have more of course on the survivor stories and news concerning New Orleans right after the break.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Five years after leaving the White House, the powerhouse couple of Bill and Hillary Clinton are still in the spotlight. And in the brass knuckle world of politics, they're working hand-in-hand with some unlikely, high- profile public figures, making the two candidates for "Time" magazine's person of the year.

PRISCILLA PAINTON, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, TIME: I think they're symbols of a yearning for this country for reaching out to the other side the aisle. President Clinton himself was allied with former President Bush in an effort to raise money both for the tsunami and for Katrina and, you know, essentially going around the world with your old enemy is a powerful symbol.

Hillary, has from the beginning, formed alliances with Republican senators across the aisle. She's even collaborated with Newt Gingrich, of all people, the man who almost took down the Clinton presidency, on healthcare.

So they basically stand for the two politicians who have gone out of their way to signal, you know, let's bury our hatchets and start working on the business of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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