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Gerald Ford Improving; Kidnap Death Threat; Struggle to Survive in Pakistan; Wiretap Fallout Plagues Bush Administration

Aired January 18, 2006 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour of LIVE FROM starts now.
At the top of the hour we're talking about former president Gerald Ford. And when will he be coming home? He's in a California hospital being treated for pneumonia.

CNN's Dan Simon is outside the hospital in Rancho Mirage.

What are you hearing, Dan?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Kyra.

We're waiting for an update on the former president's condition. The latest that we heard is that he is responding well to the antibiotics that he's been getting here at the hospital.

We know that Mrs. Ford, along with two of the former president's children, have been here at the hospital. We also spoke to the former president's pastor, and we asked him what Mr. Ford would want people to know as he lies here in the hospital.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. ROBERT CERTAIN, ST. MARGARET'S EPISCOPAL: That he loves his country, that he loves the people of this country. And he -- I'm sure he covets their prayers for his and Betty's continued health and vigor. And they can be assured that everybody in this country has his prayers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Mr. Ford has been attending the Saint Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert for many years there. He actually has his own pew. It is clearly labeled.

That's where the former president sits every time he goes to church. And we're told that he still goes regularly. And according to the pastor, the president is still mentally and physically sound. He does have this brush with pneumonia, but we're told that he's doing well, and Kyra, we hope to have an update for you in the next couple of minutes.

Back to you. PHILLIPS: Well, and you think about it, 92 years old, and here's a man on a regular basis playing golf and going for a swim.

SIMON: Yes. You know, everyone we've talked to said, for a 92- year-old man, he is in excellent health. Of course he has had some problems in recent years, the well publicized event in 2000 where he suffered two minor strokes, but he bounced back quickly.

Then a couple years ago he was out here playing golf. And it gets pretty hot here in the desert. And he suffered a dizzy spell and was brought to the hospital. But hopefully he'll bounce back quickly again with this bout of pneumonia -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Dan Simon, we'll wait for the update. Thanks.

A family of a journalist kidnapped in Iraq is appealing to her abductors to show mercy. Kidnappers are threatening to kill Jill Carroll. She is a freelance reporter for the "Christian Science Monitor" who was abducted 11 days ago.

The Arab language network Al-Jazeera obtained this video of here. And the kidnappers are demanding the U.S. free all female Iraqi prisoners within 72 hours.

Carroll's family has released a statement saying, "Jill is an innocent journalist and we respectfully ask that you please show her mercy and allow her to return home to her mother, sister and family. Jill is the kind of person whose love for Iraq and the Iraqi people are evident in her articles."

"She's been welcomed into the homes of many Iraqis and shown every courtesy. From that experience she understands the hardships and suffering that the Iraqi people face every day. Jill is a friend and sister to many Iraqis and has been dedicated to bringing the truth of the Iraq war to the world. We appeal for the speedy and safe return of our beloved daughter and sister."

Carroll was on assignment for the "Christian Science Monitor" when she was abducted. The paper's Washington bureau chief, David Cook, spoke to CNN just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID COOK, "CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR": ... in an article about going to Iraq because she felt she could do more good there than she could in the United States. This is a very committed, honorable, sensitive, decent person. And again, we ask that she be returned to her family, not murdered for these acts of kindness and truth-telling.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Carroll has been reporting from the Middle East for three years. We expect to hear more from the "Christian Science Monitor" in the 3:00 hour.

Hungry, freezing and ill, that's how thousands of people in Pakistan are spending the winter in an area devastated by last year's powerful quake. For many people survival is a day-to-day struggle.

ITN's Dan Rivers is there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, REPORTER, ITV NEWS (voice over): The children of Moori Patan have survived another night. Their bedding is damp. Their tents freezing. Their shoes are wet through.

(on camera): Well, it's about 7:00 in the morning on our second day here. And as you can see, the children are just beginning to come out of these tents.

It was freezing enough for us in all this warm clothing and in a sleeping bag overnight. I can't imagine what it was like for these children in this flimsy cotton tent with only a couple of blankets to keep them warm.

(voice over): Their day starts with a walk to the village spring. They wash in icy water.

Ten-year-old Nassim (ph) helps her 4-year-old sister, Tairu (ph). Nassim (ph) has had to grow up fast. Their mother died in the earthquake.

They take breakfast in one of the few-standing houses. Tea and biscuits is all that's on offer.

(on camera): Ask any of them, have any of them got a cough? I hear someone coughing.

(voice over): As I chat to the children, it's obvious many are suffering illnesses because of the total lack of medical supplies.

(on camera): This is little Raman (ph), who is just 2 years old. And you can see he has a really nasty eye infection. He can't see out of either eye. He's got a bit of a chest cough as well. Now, if this eye infection that he's had for five days isn't treated, he could end up going blind.

(voice over): Sadik (ph) is 8. He seems healthy until he removes his hat. He has scabies. Like the eye infection, it's easily treated if only he could get to a doctor.

Lacking the proper protection against the biting cold, the children are run down and succumbing to infections. A pathetic and depressing situation.

Everywhere the sound of coughing children. They survived the earthquake but can they really survive living like this?

Night brings with it bitter cold. I go back to my tent wondering how on earth these children will endure months more of this.

Tiny hands trying to stay warm. Their feet numb with cold. Infant minds asking why this winter is so bleak. Dan Rivers, ITV News, Pakistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, you can see how appalling that situation is. And many charitable groups are trying to remedy as best they can.

If you want to help, you can check out charitynavigator.org. It is a great Web site. Right there on their home page, you will find a link to a listing of groups helping victims of the Pakistan earthquake. You can click on that and you will get a listing of charities that are raising funds specifically for that region.

A human rights watchdog group is accusing the Bush administration of violating basic human rights in the name of fighting terrorism. Human Rights Watch says that the U.S. is using what it calls illegal tactics in its interrogations of suspected terrorists. That group also claims that torture has been a deliberate part of the administration's strategy in the war on terror.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KENNETH ROTH, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: The global defense of human rights was profoundly compromised over the last year by the Bush administration's policy-level decisions to flout some of the most basic human rights norms out of a misguided sense that that's the best way to fight against terrorism.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Let's get to CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux.

Suzanne, does the White House have anything to say about this report?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, they certainly do. I mean, this is a scathing report.

They talk about Abu Ghraib, they talk about Afghanistan, Iraq, as well as Guantanamo Bay, all of these different examples of what they say the administration's policy in promoting torture.

Now, White House spokesman Scott McClellan was asked about this. Strangely enough, he said he had not read this report. He was going on news reports about the Human Rights Watch annual summary here, saying that he took issue with it. He was dismissing it. He essentially said that he believed that these conclusions were politically motivated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It appears that the report is based more on a political agenda than on facts. The United States of America does more than any country in the world to advance freedom and promote human rights. Our focus should be on those who are denying people human dignity and who are violating human rights.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And one of the things he says when he talks about politically motivated, he makes a point to say this organization in the past has been critical of the U.S. policy when it comes to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Iraq war. That is why he believes that they have emphasized some of these things come to the wrong conclusions -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Susanne, the president also missing -- or meeting, rather, with victims of the Saddam Hussein regime. What happened there? What was the purpose of the meeting?

MALVEAUX: Well, the purpose of the meeting, U.S. officials say, of course, was to illustrate the atrocities of Saddam Hussein, but also the progress, and meeting with a group, about a dozen or so, they say Victims of Saddam Hussein who met with the president earlier today.

Asked about the timing of this -- because it was supposed to initially coincide with Saddam Hussein's trial resuming -- that has been since postponed, as you know, because the chief justice has resigned. So they are trying to figure all that out.

But also asked whether or not it was meant to coincide really with this damaging report here to try to counter some of the criticism, they said, no, it was not a coordinated effort. But clearly, what it does bring up is that the administration still has a challenge when it comes to credibility in human rights.

PHILLIPS: Suzanne Malveaux live from the White House.

Thanks, Suzanne.

Human Rights Watch also concludes that conditions deteriorated significantly last year inside Iraq. The group notes a rise in attacks by insurgents, abductions of the Iraqis, and the deaths of Iraqi civilians.

Also today, a United Nations report notes the disturbing trend of children being used by Iraqi insurgents. The U.N. report mentioned several suicide bombings allegedly carried out by boys between the ages of 10 and 13.

She's only two years old, living with her father in suburban Atlanta. Happy, playful, but now she's got the attention of homeland security.

We'll tell you why when LIVE FROM returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Some loved her, others called her friend, most didn't know her at all. But they all gathered this morning to say good-bye to a 7-year-old girl allegedly beaten to death by her stepfather. The crowd attending Nixzmary Brown's funeral filed the church -- filled the church, rather, and spilled onto the street. Inside, a priest assured mourners the girl is now beyond the touch of evil.

Brooklyn's district attorney says that Brown, who weighed only 36 pounds, died from a blow to her head and was covered in marks and bruises. Today the agency charged with overseeing her care since May of last year is expected to announce major personnel changes as a result of her death.

An estimated 20 million illegal immigrants live in the United States. One of them is a 2-year-old girl living outside Atlanta. LIVE FROM viewers might remember meeting her on this show back in December. Well, now the child is facing deportation, caught between the black and white of the law and the shades of gray life it can bring.

Here's the update now from CNN's Rick Sanchez.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): She's only 2. Here with her father and attorney, she can't possibly understand why she's in court in Atlanta.

Little Anett Maldonado's story happens at the emotional epicenter of immigration policy in this country. It would be crushing for anyone, yet it all came to rest squarely on Anett's fragile shoulders.

EDGAR MALDONADO, ANETT'S FATHER: My little baby is innocent, because that's like -- she can't -- she can hardly speak.

SANCHEZ: Twenty years ago Anett's father Edgar Maldonado arrived with his parents from Guatemala. Edgar would become a legal U.S. resident, play high school football, graduate, and start a construction business in suburban Atlanta. A few years ago, a new business venture meant he also had to spend time in Honduras.

(on camera): Edgar Maldonado was living in two places, here in Austell, Georgia, and also in Central America. It is there he was starting a new business. And it is there he met the woman who would become his wife.

(voice over): Soon Anett was born. And for her father, business was booming in Georgia. So he stopped the Honduras business and planned to bring his wife and daughter to join him in Georgia.

(on camera): Your plan was to have your wife come here legally.

MALDONADO: Legally, with my daughter. She flies here, flies with my daughter like normal, like it would normally be.

SANCHEZ (voice over): But Edgar says his wife grew impatient a year ago. She was caught with Anett illegally crossing the border into Texas.

(on camera): You had nothing to do with that?

MALDONADO: I had nothing to do with that.

SANCHEZ (voice over): Maldonado says a customs agent called him to say they had his wife and daughter, but then gave him a peculiar choice. Though his wife had to go back, the officer handed him his daughter.

(on camera): The immigration official said you can take your daughter?

MALDONADO: You know what? It sounds so harsh, but all they did is say, "Here."

SANCHEZ (voice over): Anett Maldonado ended up in immigration court because she was here illegally. Her lawyer agrees, but attorney Robert Beer argues she is an innocent and asks, can't the law be tempered with mercy?

ROBERT BEER, MALDONADO'S ATTORNEY: What sweat is it off the United States government to have this little girl stay? She's not a criminal. She's not the one that decided to break the law.

SANCHEZ: The judge says the law is clear. And he had no choice but to order Anett be deported within 120 days. After repeated requests from CNN, no one from the Department of Homeland Security would go on camera. But a DHS spokesperson emphasized Anett was here illegally and the case was clear-cut, nothing out of the ordinary.

Anett's lawyer questions the government's priorities, wondering why the government is going after a 2-year-old while ignoring hundreds of illegal aliens in Atlanta-area jails.

BEER: It embarrasses me as a native-born American that the government would do this. It makes no sense to me.

SANCHEZ: So Anett could not possibly understand how she finds herself in the middle of a black and white, if not heartless policy, could not understand why she will have to leave this spring before her father has a chance to legally bring her mother, his wife, home to Georgia.

(on camera): You've become very attached to her?

MALDONADO: In such a great way.

SANCHEZ (voice over): Rick Sanchez, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Let's take you straight to a live event right now. You will see Democratic Leader Harry Reid addressing reporters, a number of other leading Democrats behind him talking about lobby reform.

Let's listen in. (JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: ... Joe Lieberman. We will put these people up against Santorum and DeLay any day of the week when we talk about ethics and morality.

Now, what does this mean to the average American? What it means is that the lobbyists get everything and the people at home are charged $40 to fill their tank up with gas. Oil companies this year in America made 100 -- last year -- $100 billion, $100 billion.

What it means to Americans is, because of this culture of corruption, health care is not available to 46 million American Americans. We can't pass something as simple as the Patients Bill of Rights because this administration, this Republican Congress, is so interested in taking care of their pals that work for the pharmaceuticals, the insurance industry, the HMOs, managed care, the American public.

What do they get? A Medicare bill driven by this administration that has today the poorest of the poor standing in the streets begging for medical care.

PHILLIPS: Minority Leader Harry Reid speaking out with a number of other Democrats about lobbying reform.

Ed Henry, not wasting any time blasting Republicans, specifically the Republican Congress, for being more worried about making a profit and shmoozing there on the Hill, versus dealing with things like health care and other policy issues.

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) midterm elections, but also, it's getting personal.

Right before we took that live, we heard Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid calling out by name, which is something they rarely do in the Senate, but calling out by name Republican Senator Rick Santorum, who has now been appointed by Republican leaders to help clean up the lobbying community.

He's been accused of having some cozy relationships with lobbyists himself. So Reid quipped that it's "like putting Brown back in charge of FEMA" having Santorum in charge of lobbying reform.

Now, Santorum's camp, he's in a tight re-election battle back in Pennsylvania. They have been insisting, in fact, throughout his career up here, he has been -- dating back to his days in the House, when he helped clean up the House bank scandal, has been involved in congressional reform.

But you hear the back and forth between both parties. It's clearly a lot of politics being played and a lot of people in the reform community, frankly, outside of Congress, saying that, without real enforcement mechanisms, they are really not going to get a lot of these lawmakers to live by the rules. They can create all the rules they want, but they need lawmakers to actually follow the rules, lawmakers in both parties.

And they also need to do something about campaign finance. As we discussed in the last hour, you are hearing some people in the reform community in both parties saying, wait a second, how is it that you can ban a $50 steak from going from a lobbyist to a lawmaker because that might corrupt them, but this same lawmaker from the same lobbyist can take a $500, a $1,000 campaign check? How will they not be corrupted there?

So this is not the last we heard of it. There is a stampede, as you said in the last hour, for reform. But I think there's going to be a push also to make sure this is meaningful reform and not just a lot of talk -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ed Henry. We'll continue to follow all the talk. Thanks so much.

HENRY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Coming up on LIVE FROM, let it go already. Scientists study revenge and whether men or women get a bigger kick out of it. The answer straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We all know revenge is sweet, but it turns out it's even sweeter in the minds of men than in women.

Scientists at University College London wired up both men and women for brain scans and then had them watch others suffering pain. If they liked the person, both men and women demonstrated actively in areas of the brain linked to empathy. If they didn't like the person suffering pain, women showed a diminished empathetic response, but men had a reaction in the reward areas of the brain.

Scans were followed by questionnaires, and the men admitted to having a much higher desire for revenge and enjoyed seeing unfair, unlikable people to be punished.

You've been warned.

It's not a good day to be heavily invested in technology stocks. Susan Lisovicz live from the New York Stock Exchange to tell us about the latest sell-off.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Straight to Fredricka Whitfield now. I understand we got updated information on the condition of former President Gerald Ford.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: That's right. Dan Simon is in Nero -- is in Rancho Mirage, California. And earlier, Dan, we had reported that the former president might be well enough to be released from the hospital soon. What's the hospital saying now?

SIMON: Well, this has become a daily exercise with the former president's press people giving us these releases, telling us what's going on. But basically, it's the status quo, that possibly the former president could be released from the hospital sometime tomorrow.

One of the things this press release says is he is quote, "sitting in a chair, reading his newspapers, and we continue to anticipate a Thursday discharge."

Now Fredricka, as you know, the former president is being treated here for pneumonia. He got to the hospital on Saturday. He's been getting antibiotics. And it's not uncommon for people in this condition to be in the hospital for several days, especially when somebody is 92 years of age like Mr. Ford. But the latest that we're hearing is that he could be released from the hospital sometime tomorrow -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And for a 92-year-old man, he really has seemed like he is in great condition. What about his family members? Who is there at the hospital, perhaps also awaiting news as to when he might be released?

SIMON: Well, we're told that Mrs. Ford has been here to the hospital, along with two of his children, Susan and Steven (ph). And, you know, whenever he comes to the hospital, we're told that friends and relatives and other folks will sometimes come see him in the hospital. But we're hoping that he'll be able to go home tomorrow -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And I'm sure they are, too. All right, Dan Simon, thanks so much from Rancho Mirage.

SIMON: You bet.

WHITFIELD: All right, Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Fred, thanks.

And finally the mystery over the whereabouts of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il had been solved. Speculation in the last week had put the reclusive Kim in China or possibly Russia, but officials had refused to confirm the trip. Well, today both Chinese and North Korean officials did just that. Kim was in China and is now back home. On his trip, he had a one-on-one meeting with china's president and pledged to help restart international talks aimed at getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

Police sources tell British media they were aware of a possible plot to kidnap the 5-year-old son of Prime Minister Tony Blair. However, police are not convinced that the group allegedly behind the plot, which has a history of breaching British security, could carry it off. Officials say no attempted kidnapping took place and there have been no arrests. Still, there is concern among many people that something could happen. CNN's Paula Newton reports from London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It is the most chilling of plots, one that allegedly targeted the most innocent of lives.

To the horror of his parents, Leo Blair, the youngest son of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Sherry, was to be kidnapped by a father's rights group. As farfetched as it sounds, the threats were apparently taken seriously by Scotland Yard.

The group, calling itself Fathers for Justice, has proven it can and will outsmart security when it wants to. Against all odds, a Batman activist scaled Buckingham Palace in 2004. And in another stunt, persistent protesters sprayed a purple flower bomb on Tony Blair.

These are determined fathers fighting for custody rights. But the founder of the group insists he knows nothing of the plot. His group, he says, hijacked by a lunatic fringe.

MATT O'CONNOR, "FATHERS FOR JUSTICE": People on the periphery of our organization (INAUDIBLE) kidnapping a 5-year-old boy. I can't think of anything more poorly or anything more traumatic for Tony Blair's family or his son. And you know, we condemn it unreservedly.

NEWTON: As for protocol and security, no one at Scotland Yard or the prime minister's office has confirmed the story. But they are not denying it either. Most troubling, there have been no arrests.

"The Sun" newspaper broke the story and claims the plot was in its early planning stages before it was foiled by Scotland Yard's special terror unit. It's unclear these extremists would have ever had the opportunity to get anywhere near Leo Blair.

GRAHAM DUDMAN, MANAGING EDITOR, "THE SUN": And for what would be probably one of the most sensational publicity stunts ever. There was no intention to actually harm him. I suspect what would have happened if they'd gone through with it and actually tried to physically take him away, they would have stood a real risk of being shot dead on the spot.

NEWTON: The newspaper claims security has been reviewed for the entire Blair family and the would-be kidnappers are allegedly still under surveillance.

(on camera): Security here is not what it is for the sons and daughters of U.S. presidents. Blair's older children come and go from 10 Downing Street with a lot of freedom. But security services around the world are constantly reassessing. It will become much more difficult for political families to lead a normal life and not become exposed targets for extremists.

Paula Newton, CNN, London. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: More on the data mining by the NSA and the lawsuit filing by the ACLU and CCR -- not Creedence Clearwater Revival -- the Center for Constitutional Rights, a legal group that strongly suspects its clients and maybe its lawyers have been the subjects of warrantless government eavesdropping.

The White House says that's a legal and valuable weapon in the war on terror. The plaintiffs and many others say it is an unconstitutional power grab. In that camp, Banafsheh Akhlaghi, an Iranian-American attorney who has represented hundreds of Muslim and Arab terror suspects since 9/11. She joins me from San Francisco. And on the other side, Frank Gaffney, former assistant secretary of defense, now president and CEO of the Center for Security Policy. He's in Washington. Great to have you both.

Banafsheh, let's start with you. 9/11 happened, your phones started ringing off the hook on a weekly basis. Why?

BANAFSHEH AKHLAGHI, ATTORNEY: Well, these were individuals who were from the targeted nations, the 24 targeted nations that the U.S. government had placed on the list. And they were either born in the countries -- in those countries and had come to the United States and had been living here either on a Visa at a green card -- holding a green card, a legal permanent residency card, or were U.S. citizens.

And they were being targeted on various questions of loyalty, in some instances for national security clearance charges. They were being questioned on their visas, whether or not the visas were still valid. They were questioning -- questions were on various grounds. Mostly in the aspect of investigations towards this domain of national security.

PHILLIPS: And you've told me about a number of cases that you've been working on from a Delta Airlines pilot that is from Iran and now all of a sudden has people allegedly harassing him about his background. You told me about another couple from Iran that was on the Golden Gate Bridge, someone thought they looked suspicious, the next thing you knew the FBI showed up at their doorstep.

Give me another example of a common case that you've been dealing with that you feel has been very unfair.

AKHLAGHI: Well, the most common recently, Kyra, have been individuals who are U.S. citizens who are being contacted by the FBI, and those individuals find their ways to our office for representation. I personally have contacted the agents myself, have asked for the interviews to be scheduled because the client has requested to speak to the FBI in -- with my representation, in our presence.

And the FBI have either not returned the phone call or have now said to us, when they've been aware of the introduction of representation, that they no longer want to pursue the investigation. And in cases where we have had the interview scheduled, we have had instances where the interviews were then canceled without any reason.

PHILLIPS: Frank...

FRANK GAFFNEY, CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY: ... how do you respond to this?

PHILLIPS: Well, Kyra, I'd start by reminding people the context in which we're discussing this. We are at war, and we are at war with people, many of them from countries abroad, that adhere to an ideology -- I call it Islamofascism. Some of whom have also got adherence in this country, even American citizens.

This makes the job of protecting an open and free society like ours very difficult, very challenging. And I think what the FBI is doing, what the National Security Agency has been doing, what the president has been doing, to try to use the resources at our disposal in a prioritized way is a sensible effort to try to protect this country and its people in the face of determined effort by those -- some abroad and perhaps some here -- who may wish to do us harm.

PHILLIPS: So Frank, how do you prioritize, though? Because I think that nobody will argue the fact that, you know, the government has to do what it has to do to protect us from another 9/11. But when you hear about these specific cases -- say, a couple just cases that Banafsheh has mentioned, just clients she's represented, where the FBI allegedly just shows up at the doorstep, or that these certain families are harassed because maybe someone makes a phone call.

How do you -- and even the FBI, in "The New York Times," a story came forward saying the FBI felt overwhelmed by what the NSA was wanting the institution to do. How do you prioritize where you're really going after somebody that is a threat versus just going after somebody because of their passport, their last name, their family heritage?

GAFFNEY: Well, frankly, that's maybe one of the ways you do it. You do what I call triage. Some people call it profiling, but I think it's much closer to what they use in emergency medical care, which is to say, try to figure out how to use limited resources in a way that makes the most sense in terms of saving the most lives.

And that's, I think, what you do, whether it's countries of origin, whether it's the particular location in which people are living, whether it's a community that they have interacted with, a mosque.

You know, something on the order of 80 percent of the mosques in this country are said to have their financing from Saudi Arabia, a country that is usually described as a friend of ours, but that is actually promoting much of the jihadist Islamofascist ideology I'm talking about.

This requires using judgment and doing it in a rigorous and disciplined way. And I think that's what our government is trying to do. And some people may feel inconvenienced. Some people may feel they shouldn't have been questioned, but I think overall the country is more secure because this kind of triage is being pursued within available resources. It may be the resources aren't adequate, but I think it is a sensible thing to be doing given our circumstances.

PHILLIPS: Banafsheh, how many cases have you taken on, how many individuals have been cleared out of that number of cases, and how many of those individuals have definitely been tied to terrorism?

AKHLAGHI: Zero cases have been tied to terrorism. We have represented, consulted or advised close to 900 individuals, and the majority of those individuals, because of the location of the office, are here in the Northern California region and some throughout the country.

None of them have been tied to terrorism. They have come through the office, and this -- you know, it's beyond just an inconvenience. That's the one point that I really want to make. Their lives have been turned upside down.

You know, the family that you had mentioned, the family who had come here to San Francisco and were taking family portraits and family photo shots on a holiday on the Golden Gate Bridge, that mother who resides in Los Angeles is now undergoing post-traumatic stress syndrome because of the three hours of ongoing interview and investigation by the FBI, and they didn't stop there.

They continued to contact the family after when they knew that there was really nothing but just a family holiday. It's beyond just an inconvenience. It's turned these individuals' lives upside down.

And the point that's really important to make is when these individuals have sought to come forward and speak to the investigators -- the Joint Terrorism Task Force agents, or the FBI agents -- why are they not allowing then these individuals who are being pursued to come forward and speak to them with an attorney present?

Why is that now become an issue of not moving forward on those investigations if those investigations, in fact, were so crucial to go forward and knock on their doors and enter their workplaces and, you know, bring them under scrutiny?

GAFFNEY: Can I get a word in here?

PHILLIPS: Yes, can you answer that, Frank?

GAFFNEY: Well, of course I can't answer the specific questions in any of these cases, but I will tell you that the inconvenience -- and I must say I'm struck that we're dealing with post-traumatic stress for being interviewed for several hours, but I would say that whatever the discomfort might be for these individuals, it pales by comparison to what might be afflicted on our country, perhaps San Francisco, perhaps other communities in this country, if we in fact fail to connect the dots again as we did prior to 9/11. So look, I think we have to make these judgment calls. We entrust the doing of it on a day-to-day basis to individuals who have that responsibility and the FBI and local law enforcement and the intelligence community. They are challenged by the reality that this is an open society that is very vulnerable, and I think you are going to find this kind of bumping and grinding.

It is regrettable, but it is a lot better than having further attacks taking place which may be perpetrated by one of these 900 clients, maybe not. But I'd like to make sure that none of her clients have any difficulty passing muster with the FBI.

But we've got to keep looking for these folks because there's ample reason to believe they are present in this country and positioning themselves to attack.

PHILLIPS: Frank Gaffney and Banafsheh Akhlaghi, I appreciate both of your opinions and time on this. Thank you very much.

GAFFNEY: Thank you.

AKHLAGHI: Thank you very much.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a dream car, now a dream come true. The owner of this stolen Corvette gets his prized possession back after almost 40 years. It's a pretty incredible story. The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM right after this.

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PHILLIPS: The end of an era is upon us. News today the traditional Winchester rifle, the so-called "gun that won the west" has come to the end of the line, the production line that is. Winchester's plant in New Haven, Connecticut will close at the end of March, effectively ending production of the American classic.

The name Winchester will live on, but only on new, higher-end weapons made overseas. Since we can't expect comment from any real pioneers or the actors who toted the famous guns in classic films like "Winchester 73," we'll quote the AP quoting firearms historian Ned Schwing. "It would be like Chevrolet going out of business. Winchester is an American legend whether you are a gun person or not."

Strong winds out of the west, not helping fire conditions, though. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras has the forecast in the CNN Weather Center. Hey, Jacqui.

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PHILLIPS: Entertainment news is straight ahead. A.J. Hammer of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" here with a preview. Great to see you, A.J.

A.J. HAMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Nice to see you as well, Kyra. We've all heard of making contributions for charity, of course. Well William Shatner gave of himself in, shall we say, a very unusual way this week for a very good cause. We're going to tell you what he did when LIVE FROM continues.

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PHILLIPS: For 26-year-old Alan Poster it was his dream car, a blue 1968 Corvette, just the medicine for the New York guitar salesman who had just gone through a divorce. A couple months later, Poster's vette was stolen. His reaction? "Probably the only car I've ever really loved."

Well a new job took Poster to California and thanks to an extraordinary turn of events, nearly 40 years later, he was reunited with his car yesterday. Poster is a little grayer. His vette is now a little more silver.

The vette was recovered just days before it was to be shipped to a buyer in Sweden. It was flagged during a routine customs check, a New York detective tracked down Poster after a long-shot search through thousands of crime reports. As you can imagine, Poster can't believe his luck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN POSTER, OWNER OF STOLEN CAR: First I thought it was a joke, and then I believed it was real. And then I got calls from the CHP, and I got calls from Homeland Security, and I believed it was true. And I got it back. I still can't believe it. It is amazing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Listen to this. Poster paid $6,000 for that car. Today a '68 vette in mint condition goes anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 dollars.

Well talk about a self-sacrifice, a Hollywood star gives until it hurts and the man credited with hot buttered soul (ph) goes on to much of a role (ph). You'll see him later on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" on CNN's "Headline News" with -- it's Hammertime right now, A.J. Hammer here with a look -- how many times, OK, has that been thrown with you? I just want to know, maybe millions?

HAMMER: Well, all I'll tell you, Kyra, is you only get to pull it out once. You just used it, so you wouldn't be able to do it ever again.

PHILLIPS: No more.

HAMMER: Hope you enjoyed it. Well William Shatner, we all know, saved the galaxy countless times as Captain Kirk in "Star Trek." This time he's doing some good by selling his kidney stone. That's right, Shatner sold it for $25,000 to goldenpalace.com, the online casino which is known for its collection of oddities.

The proceeds are going to go to the charity Habitat for Humanity, which is doing some great work right now in the South. For "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" I asked Shatner why he was willing to pass the stone on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM SHATNER, ACTOR (voice-over): I did it because I was able to raise some money for a great charity, Habitat for Humanity. They are building homes for the homeless all over the country, but especially in the South where there's so much need. And, you know, I'd used the stone for awhile, I didn't need it any longer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: I definitely never heard of that happening before. Well Isaac Hayes is in a Memphis hospital. The 63-year-old soul singer was admitted for exhaustion. His long-time songwriting partner David Porter says a demanding concert tour took its toll, and that Hayes was just plain overworked. According to Porter, Hayes is now doing much better.

Former '70s teen idol Leif Garrett is being held without bail after an arrest on an L.A. subway platform. Police found narcotics on him after they arrested him for not having a ticket. The 44-year-old actor has not been charged and is scheduled to appear in court today. Garrett is being held without bail because he violated the terms of his probation. He pleaded guilty back in March to attempted possession of cocaine-based narcotics. No good news for Leif Garrett.

PHILLIPS: All right, let's get back to -- boy, Leif Garrett. I'm thinking of "Tiger Beat," you know, how he was always in the center. Do you remember those magazines? My goodness, I feel so old.

HAMMER: You are a fan, weren't you?

PHILLIPS: All right, I have to admit it, I liked the long hair. You know -- Kristy McNichol, didn't he do something with her, right?

HAMMER: Back some time ago, yes.

PHILLIPS: Yes, a long time ago. All right, back to Shatner, just for a second, as we look at Garrett, of course, in his styling bandana. But Shatner is such a piece of work. Knowing you, you probably gave him a little something.

HAMMER: Yes, well I actually wanted to find out if -- because apparently they have raised $25,000, which was a piece of the house. The cast of "Boston Public" had raised another $20,000. So they've raised about half the money to build an entire house.

And I wanted to find out if he was going to be auctioning off any other body parts. That didn't happen apparently, but I did suggest to him that we all know now charity is just a kidney stone's throw away. And to that he responded, Kyra, "We are bill-ding houses for charity." Bill Shatner, of course.

PHILLIPS: I bet you two had your own little sitcom idea going there. All right, what else is coming up tonight?

HAMMER: Well tonight, we're going to be talking about Oprah and the honeymoon cruise ship mystery. You may remember, Oprah Winfrey gets the wife of the man who mysteriously vanished on the honeymoon to open up. We're going to have all the late-breaking details on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," which you can catch at 7:00 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern, on "Headline Prime." And we've got to do something about that picture.

PHILLIPS: It's not so bad, come on. All right, we'll rework it. We know the stop dogs, you can get another photo shoot, that will be easy. A.J. Hammer, thanks.

HAMMER: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, we're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.

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