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NASA Launches Space Probe to Pluto; CIA Convinced Voice on Audiotape is Osama bin Laden; American Hostage in Iraq
Aired January 19, 2006 - 13:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We think it's going to happen. Seconds away. There's the riveting pictures. Miles O'Brien, watching every second of that rocket, going to be headed to Pluto.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: About 25 seconds away now, Kyra. This is the New Horizons rocket.
Bear in mind, there is a spacecraft at the top there that weighs about a thousand pounds. Inside, 24 pounds of plutonium which will power it on its way to Pluto. A 10-year voyage.
Let's listen.
GEORGE DILLER, NASA PUBLIC AFFAIRS INFORMATION SPECIALIST: Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. We have ignition and liftoff of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft on a decade-long voyage to visit the planet Pluto and then beyond.
T plus 15 seconds, everything continues to look good as the Atlas V vehicle climbs away from Florida's east coast. The five solid rocket strap-on boosters are burning just fine, sending the New Horizons spacecraft on its way to the very edge of our solar system.
T plus 35 seconds. T plus 40 seconds.
O'BRIEN: Kyra, we're listening to the voice of George Diller. He is a NASA public affairs officer who is giving us a little bit of play by play there.
As you see, the 1.2 million pound Atlas rocket, certainly the weight of the world on the shoulders of the scientific team there as they launched it, especially with that plutonium on board.
The first 40 seconds were considered the most of concern for a problem which would have potentially released radioactive debris on the Florida coast. By now it is long over the Atlantic Ocean, and thus even if something bad happened now, it would not pose a threat to any people.
So the critical part of the launch from that perspective is over. Of course, the long, arduous mission to Pluto lies ahead.
And what you're seeing right now, though, Kyra, is acceleration toward the fastest speeds ever obtained by a human-made object. And there you see those boosters coming off, five of them. It always reminds me of, you know, when you're driving on the highway and you see somebody toss a cigarette outside of the window. And there off with the cigarettes and the...
PHILLIPS: The boosters -- a lot more fire on the end of a booster there.
O'BRIEN: You can say that, but that rocket is giving up the butts there, on its way toward a very fast journey to Pluto which will still take 10 years.
PHILLIPS: Ten years, right -- 10 years.
O'BRIEN: Because we're talking three billion miles. Billions and billions of miles in order to get there.
PHILLIPS: And when it gets there, the purpose being -- what do those at NASA hope to achieve?
O'BRIEN: Well, here's the thing...
PHILLIPS: And you wonder, too, those that are involved now, Miles, will they be there 10 years from now? They might be retired, sitting back, looking for you to tell them what happened.
O'BRIEN: Exactly. By that time, we may have discovered several other bodies of the same classification of Pluto, Pluto may no longer be considered a planet, which is -- there's a lot of discussion in the astronomical circles about that. In other words, it launches to a planet and arrives at a glorified asteroid.
In any case, what's very interesting, I think, about this -- we talked about this yesterday, or whatever day it was, the day before yesterday. They have basically 36 hours in which to perform the main science at Pluto. It's a fly-by mission.
There's not enough rocket fuel for on board for it to slow down and orbit Pluto. And so they -- you know, imagine if they forget to take the lens cap off during that 36 hours. I say that in a symbolic way. But the fact is, everything has to be just right. After a 10- year period -- you see the additional boosters coming off now.
PHILLIPS: Who is operating all the cameras? How does that all work? Kind of explain the technical part, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Well, these tracking cameras are -- there are multiple cameras all along the coast of Florida. And some of them are actually operated kind of by hand with almost like a gun site (ph) type of thing.
Imagine a -- you know, belly gunner in an old B-29 and the way they kind of had a turret, that kind of thing. And then some of them track by infrared and other visual cues sort of automatically. Especially as they get farther down range, as they say, it gets harder and harder for a human being to hold that steady.
And, of course, they're all gyroscopically stabilized and so forth. So you get a steady image. Because you can imagine, you know, it's hard enough -- imagine, you k now, those guys who shot golf tournaments, how hard that is. Imagine doing this as this thing heads toward space.
Tell you what, now that we're going to the animation, I have -- I have a quick analogy to help people understand how far away Pluto is.
I don't know if we're ready with that, Scott. Can you get that Google map scenario up and we can show you?
OK. Let's zoom down. We're going to zoom down on Central Park here, Kyra. And you may ask, what does Central Park have to do with this?
Stay with me on this.
PHILLIPS: I'm with you.
O'BRIEN: There's Central Park right in the middle of your picture.
Now, stay with me on this, Kyra. Let's assume for a moment that this little red dot here is the sun, OK?
PHILLIPS: OK.
O'BRIEN: Where would you think in that picture earth would be roughly?
PHILLIPS: I don't -- I have no idea.
O'BRIEN: You don't know. About a football field away. Earth would be right there.
PHILLIPS: OK.
O'BRIEN: Now, now that you know that, OK, you can barely see the difference there, right? Now that you know that, where would Pluto be?
PHILLIPS: Off the map, off the chart.
O'BRIEN: It would be -- Pluto would be over here, OK? Two miles away.
So here is, you know, the distance from Earth to Pluto, three billion miles is the difference between a football field and two miles of Central Park, and that is why we're talking about a 10-year ride to Pluto.
So I would be happy to come back and give you daily reports on how New Horizons is doing over the next 10 years, but I'm not sure...
PHILLIPS: We never know how long our contracts are going to last, right?
O'BRIEN: Well, that's true.
PHILLIPS: Let's hope we're still around 10 years from now. O'BRIEN: Maybe we should just re-up now because we want to be ready for the Pluto arrival.
PHILLIPS: Ask for a 10-year deal.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: That would be an out of space type of deal.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Anyway, all right, Miles, we'll keep our eyes on it, of course. So far, so good.
The rocket is off and running. Hopefully find out more about Pluto in the next 10 years to come.
Thanks, Miles.
O'BRIEN: All right.
PHILLIPS: Well, we want to move on and talk about our top story of the day, and that of course is Osama bin Laden, publicly silent for more than a year, purportedly silent no more. A man claiming to be the leader of al Qaeda warns in an audiotape surfacing today on Al- Jazeera that plans are under way for new attacks on America.
The speaker mentions U.S. opinion polls indicating most Americans want U.S. troops out of Iraq. He also refers to terror bombings in Europe, a possible sign the tape was made after last summer's bombings in London.
Here's an excerpt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I would also like to say that the war against America and its allies will not be confined to Iraq. Iraq has become a magnet for attracting and training talented fighters. The Mujahidin were able to overcome all security measures in European countries, and you saw their operation in major European capitals.
As for similar operations taking place in America, it's only a matter of time. They're in the planning stages, and you will see them in the heart of your land as soon as the planning is complete.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Let's bring in CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen. He is the author of the new book "The Osama bin Laden I know." He joins us now live from Washington.
We've been talking so much about this all morning, Peter. Listening to just this audiotape, slowly but surely we're getting clearance to more and more on the air. Anything that has come to mind for you right now that we haven't talked about within the past couple of hours with regard to authenticity, meaning, whereabouts of Osama bin Laden?
Peter, I apologize, we don't -- we've got to track your audio.
Scotty (ph), do you think we've got that fixed?
There -- all right.
Peter, we're going to keep working the audio. I apologize.
PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: No problem.
PHILLIPS: All right, there we go.
Peter, can you hear me now?
BERGEN: Yes, I can.
PHILLIPS: There we go. I apologize.
Go ahead. Start from the beginning.
BERGEN: Well, you know, I think the single most important about this tape is it indicates that Osama bin Laden is alive, and -- because of a reference to a story that appeared in "The Daily Mirror," a London tabloid back in December of 2005 about an alleged meeting -- a meeting between President Bush and Tony Blair, the British prime minister, in which it's alleged that the president made some comment about attacking Al-Jazeera's headquarters.
Now, that allegation is being completely denied by the U.S. government. The Bush administration calling that story ridiculous. Al-Jazeera is pursuing that story, filing a Freedom of Information Act in Britain to see if it can find out more, if indeed this conversation ever took place.
But the fact that that story is referred to in the full transcript of bin Laden's comments means that this tape was made really very relatively recently, and I think not only does it indicate that bin Laden is alive, but also that he was alive as of several weeks ago.
PHILLIPS: So let's talk about -- we've been talking over and over about the fact that he's calling for a truce. Gary Bernsen (ph), you probably heard the interview, former CIA agent, said that he thinks this because he's getting pinned down, he's getting weaker, he's trying to stall.
What do you think?
BERGEN: Well, I mean, that may be part of it. But also, in Islamic jurisprudence -- and bin Laden is a very religious person -- you're supposed to offer your enemies truces before you attack them. And we saw that he did that in the spring of 2004. He offered a truce to Europeans nations willing to pull out of Iraq. That truce expired in July of 2004. Almost exactly a year later, we saw an attack -- four attacks in London that killed 56 people, including the suicide attackers.
So, in that case, it wasn't a sign of weakness when he offered the truce. It turned out to be a sign of strength.
In this case, you know, is it a sign of weakness, is it a sign of strength? I mean, I think we can safely say that the al Qaeda organization has suffered some real losses, particularly after the Friday attack which was aimed at Ayman al-Zawahiri in northwest Pakistan. Didn't get Ayman al-Zawahiri, but it appears to have killed a number of perhaps senior members of al Qaeda during that attack. And perhaps this tape is a response to that, to show that al Qaeda is still capable of announcing its presence, providing strategic guidance to the people who follow bin Laden's plans.
PHILLIPS: Bin Laden talks about upcoming strikes on the U.S. Do you think that's true? Do you think that should be taken seriously? From what you just said, it sounds like that we should.
BERGEN: Well, I mean, bin Laden has had a habit of telling us what we're going do, and rarely have our enemies warned us so often of exactly their plans. But I think in the case of attacking the United States, al Qaeda's ability to attack the United States is quite constrained by the fact that the American-Muslim community has rejected the al Qaeda ideology.
I don't believe there are all sorts of American sleep cells willing to strike. There's only one case that I can point to right now of a really serious terrorist plot in the United States in Modesto, California, where there's allegations that a group of people that got radicalized in prison were going to attack American synagogues in California and U.S. military bases in California.
But that's sort of the exception that proves the rule. What we're seeing is, in Europe, real cases of terrorism and a much more radicalized group of people. Indeed, we're seeing Europeans volunteering to fight in Iraq, and European Muslims. And we certainly are not seeing that obviously in the United States.
PHILLIPS: Peter, stay with me.
David Ensor with us now. I understand we're getting some new information on the audiotape.
David, what do you know?
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra. I've just spoken to a CIA official who tells me that following a technical analysis of the tape, CIA officials are now convinced it is indeed the voice of Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader who -- whose responsible for the attacks of 9/11. So they're confident after technical analysis, comparing his voice obviously with other tapes, and using translators at the CIA who have listened to his voice for years, they are now confident and ready to say that is the voice of Osama bin Laden on that tape released today.
PHILLIPS: Well, David, stay with us for a minute.
Peter, now hearing this, you have -- and do you still believe -- I know you've said it in the past. Do you still believe that Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan, somewhere in Pakistan? And if you still believe that, and now we're hearing that indeed this tape is believed to be authentic, what needs to be done, what can be done to further the hunt for Osama bin Laden?
And do we need more from Pakistani? Do we need more with Pakistan and the U.S. together? After interviewing the foreign minister in Pakistan, there seems to still be a lot of controversy and misunderstanding about should U.S. military be working with Pakistani forces and vice-versa and the sharing of intelligence?
BERGEN: Well, I mean the U.S. military can't -- is not supposed to be in Pakistan. It's a very sensitive political issue for the Pakistani government.
The border that you just showed on the screen between Pakistan and Afghanistan is 1,500 miles along. If bin Laden is somewhere along that border, that's the distance between Washington and Denver. That's a long piece of property. Even if U.S. Military could be looking in that area, it's...
PHILLIPS: It's a heck of a lot of troops that would be needed, Peter, to cover every ounce of that border.
BERGEN: A great number. A great number. And the Pakistani government have introduced tens of thousands of troops into the tribal areas for the first time over the past couple of years, areas that they previously did not really have much of a military presence in.
But I don't think -- you know, what the U.S. does have in that area, I'm sure, is CIA assets. We saw the attack on Friday which was aimed at the al Qaeda members. That information surely being developed by CIA assets on the ground, whether those are Americans or Pakistanis.
What more can we do? Well, more of that kind of information, I think.
We've seen that something like more than half a dozen senior members of al Qaeda have been captured or killed in Pakistan. We may -- it appears that one of them, Abu -- who went by the unfortunately alias of Abu Khabab, who ran their weapons of mass destruction program, may well have been killed in the strike on Friday.
So there has been quite a lot of progress made. The Pakistani government certainly feel that they are doing everything they can. If I was a Pakistani official, I would be saying, look, hundreds of our guys have been killed in this fight. We've taken them on, you k now, in the tribal areas. We've arrested as many as practicable, but there are limits as to what we can do. After all, you know, a substantial U.S. military presence in Pakistan would be basically politically impossible for General Musharraf, the Pakistani leader, to countenance. And so that isn't going to happen.
PHILLIPS: David Ensor, real quickly -- Peter Bergen, thank you very much.
But David Ensor, I want to ask you real quickly, since you're talking with your CIA sources, what do the CIA agents do now? Where do they go from here now that they have come forward and said this tape is authentic?
ENSOR: Well, CIA officers are obviously pursuing bin Laden very actively. You've seen in the last six weeks or so, they've gone on the offensive against al Qaeda in northwest Pakistan. There have been at least three strikes that we're aware of against targets that they thought were al Qaeda leadership. You'll see more of that, likely.
We're also hearing, by the way, Kyra, from counterterrorism officials this hour that they believe the tape was probably recorded, as one put it, in the December time frame. That fits, of course, with what we've been saying on the air, that it had to be after November 22 when that news story came out about the alleged comments from Mr. Bush to Mr. Blair.
So, they're now saying they believe December was when this tape was recorded -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. David Ensor, I know you're continually talking to your sources. Keep us updated. Thank you so much.
And the White House also issued a quick response to what may be a new bin Laden threat.
Joining us with that, CNN National Correspondent Bob Franken.
Well, Bob, we've heard now David Ensor just in the past few minutes through his sources, confirming the CIA does think this is authentic. What does this mean for the White House now?
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, probably not much. They've been operating on the premise that that was so.
There was some discussion about the fact that the president was not told until the end of his speech that this tape had been released. And the White House responds, it's certainly not the first time that we've seen a new tape from Osama bin Laden.
But it's an interesting response in that the United States is saying that this should not be a cause for despair. What it is, is really is an indicator that the -- Osama bin Laden and his followers are a bit desperate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The al Qaeda leader and other terrorists are on the run. They're under a lot of pressure.
We do not negotiate with terrorists. We put them out of business. The terrorists started this war. And the president made it clear that we will end it at a time and place of our choosing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: And what's interesting, Kyra, is that this is really a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it does raise the anxiety level in the United States as evidenced by all the coverage we and everybody else giving it. But it also reinforces the arguments made by the administration that the terror threat means that such matters as the surveillance, the domestic surveillance, should not be controversial, that it shows that the administration must -- administration must have such policies in place to combat the still present Osama bin Laden.
PHILLIPS: All right. Now, while we were listening to Scott McClellan take questions from reporters like you, Bob, we were also monitoring Vice President Dick Cheney as he was speaking in New York. I believe it was the Manhattan -- what was -- policy -- Research and Policy, right?
FRANKEN: Right.
PHILLIPS: Did anybody ask about...
FRANKEN: The Manhattan Institute.
PHILLIPS: Thank you. Did anyone ask about the tape? And did he respond to it?
FRANKEN: Yes, and yes. Again, it's another reinforcement of that point that the administration says that the presence of Osama bin Laden is evidence that this is an ever-present danger and that the administration has to pursue its aggressive policies, the controversy is, in fact, misplaced.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It seems more than obvious to say that our nation is still at risk of attack. Yet, as we get farther away from September 11, some in Washington are yielding to the temptation to downplay the threat, to back away from the business at hand. That mindset may be comforting, but it is dangerous.
We're all grateful this nation has gone for more than four years without another 9/11. Obviously, no one can guarantee that we won't be hit again. But our nation has been protected by more than luck. It is no accident that we haven't been hit in more than four years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: The critics make the point that, while that could be the case, they're also saying that it is no accident that Osama bin Laden is still at large. Those critics will say that it is the result of intelligence that has not altogether worked -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Bob Franken live from the White House.
Thanks, Bob.
The news keeps coming, we'll keep bringing it to you.
More LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: And we're getting word from our homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, that according to her sources, the alert status, U.S. terror threat level -- the alert status will not be raised in response to Osama bin Laden's audiotape.
If you're just tuning in, David Ensor was able to find out through his CIA sources that, indeed, the tape we have been listening to, the audiotape is Osama bin Laden. And he does make comments on that tape about future plans to attack U.S. targets.
At this point right now, we are being told through homeland security sources that the threat level has not been raised at this point. We'll continue to stay on top of that.
Meanwhile, we're talking about time may be running short for an American hostage in Iraq. Captors holding journalist Jill Carroll say that they'll kill her unless the U.S. releases all of its female Iraqi detainees by early tomorrow. U.S. officials, as always, insist they don't negotiate with terrorists.
In an exclusive appearance on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," Mary Beth Carroll appealed for her daughter's release.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARY BETH CARROLL, JILL CARROLL'S MOTHER: They've picked the wrong person. If they're looking for somebody who is an enemy of Iraq, Jill is just the opposite. And her Iraqi friends can attest to that.
And I think she was a wonderful ambassador, is a wonderful ambassador to the United States for the Iraqi -- and the Iraqi people. She knows that we love her and we support her. She knows that we can be strong for her. And we know that she's a strong woman and that her strength of character and her mind will get her through this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Carroll is urging her daughter's captors to find a way to contact the family.
Jill Carroll knew about the risk of reporting in Iraq, but colleagues say she believes in what she's doing.
CNN's Soledad O'Brien has her profile. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID COOK, "CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR": she's an innocent journalist. It would seem to be wrong to murder someone who devoted much of her young life to explaining the problems that Iraq faces.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With the deadline from kidnappers fast approaching, officials at the "Christian Science Monitor" say they're working tirelessly for Jill Carroll's release. The 28-year-old reporter was on assignment for the Boston- based newspaper when she was abdicated on a Baghdad street on January 7th.
COOK: Jill wrote that the reason she would risk her safety and report from a war zone was out of concern "for the stability of the Middle East and the countless lives at stake."
S. O'BRIEN: Jill Carroll is a Michigan native, growing up in an Ann Arbor, and an avid swimmer. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1999 and speaks Arabic. She's been reporting from the Middle East for the past three years.
JACKIE SPINNER, "WASHINGTON POST": She's a very warm person, very gregarious, embraces life, didn't let the violence stop her from finding moments of happiness in Iraq. And she's just very committed to being a foreign correspondent and to the Iraq story.
S. O'BRIEN: Muslim groups in and outside of Iraq have called for Carroll's release. A friend and fellow journalist told Larry King that speaks volumes.
SPINNER: They pointed out that her stories walk the line. They show Iraqis in states of crises, which would be important for anyone who wanted to highlight what the occupation has done. And, you know, Jill's just one of those reporters who loved the Iraq story and loves Iraq and wanted to be there more than any other place in the world.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Meanwhile, the carnage continues in Iraq. Near- simultaneous bombings today on a busy street in central Baghdad. One was a car bomb, the other a suicide bomber.
At least 15 people killed, 46 wounded. Officials say the car bomb targeted an Iraqi police patrol. It was followed almost immediately by an explosion in a crowded coffee shop. At least three police officers are among the dead.
Fraudulent, partly, but remarkable, nonetheless, and legitimate overall. International monitors weigh in on last month's voting in Iraq, noting ballot box-stuffing, tally sheet-tampering, violence intimidation and hundreds of other irregularities. Still, the monitors commend Iraq for running a pretty smooth election, relatively speaking, under harsh circumstances. And the results, they say, stand. A teenage terrorist blew himself up in Israel today and wounded at least 10 people. Witnesses say the bomber was wearing a backpack when he entered a Tel Aviv sandwich shop. He went to the back of the shop where the bomb exploded.
Islamic Jihad claims responsibility. Palestinian political leaders condemn the bombing as an attempt to sabotage elections set for next week.
Israel called on the Palestinians to try harder to combat terrorism.
The government demands information from Google on what its customers have been, well, Googling. Details ahead.
The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you.
More LIVE FROM after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: President Bush keeping his eye on the Gulf Coast. Earlier this afternoon, he met at the White House with a group called Foundations on Gulf Coast Recovery, looking at ways to rebuild communities devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We expect to have tape of the president's remarks within the hour. You'll hear them when we do.
A picture may paint a thousand words, but a sketch could fetch millions of dollars at an upcoming auction. Not just any doodle, mind you, but one put down on paper by a guy named Michelangelo. And it can be yours if the price is right.
CNN's Delia Gallagher has a sneak preview in a story you'll see only on LIVE FROM.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was the pope's painter and architect, the artist of the Sistine Chapel, the designer of St. Peter's Dome in the Vatican.
He was Michelangelo Buonarroti and the work he completed in the 1500s made him one of the most cherished artists in history. In Florence, he carved David out of solid marble.
WILLIAM O'REILLY, CHRISTIE'S: He is fundamentally the Renaissance man. He was a fabulous draftsman, but he was also a great sculptor, famous for the David; great painter, both easel paintings for frescoes.
GALLAGHER: Frescoes like the Sistine Chapel ceiling the Creation. Like Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo also completed hundreds of drawings, but incredibly he burned most of them in what experts say may have been an attempt to keep his designs from being stolen. O'REILLY: He was just worried they were so close to his inspiration that he didn't want someone else to see them.
GALLAGHER: Michelangelo's surviving drawings can be seen in museums. Just a handful are known to in private hands. This male torso is one of them and it's for sale. Christie's Auction House expect it to sell for $3 to $4 million.
O'REILLY: He draws a male figure as though it was an anatomical model, so you can see where the bones go and where the muscles join onto each other.
GALLAGHER: This drawing stayed in Michelangelo's family home until the 1800s, until a British family bought it. In the 1970s, the current owner acquired it.
(on camera): This can be sort of, you know, easily hung in a house and kept in good condition. It doesn't require sort of specific, you know, air quality kind of...
O'REILLY: I mean, you have to be a little bit careful because it's one of the great relics of the Renaissance. But -- and as long as you don't hang it directly next to a window in a full sunlight, there's absolutely no reason why you can't hang it on the wall and admire it.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Admire it if you can afford it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher joins us now.
All right, Delia, how do you know that these pieces are authentic -- because he never signed anything, right?
GALLAGHER: That's right. That's a good question. Of course, Michelangelo didn't sign anything, but there are ways for the experts to ascertain that it is indeed a real Michelangelo.
One of the ways, of course, is what they call providence, where it comes from. And this particular drawing, they know, has been in the house -- in Michelangelo's family home through the 1800s, and from then it's only passed onto two other families before this current collector. So they're able to sort of trace where it's come from. That's part of the way they trace authenticity.
The other way, of course, is as the expert mentioned, this is the hand of Michelangelo. He told us yesterday -- he said nobody else could have done it. So when have you that expert eye, you can look at some of these sketches and tell by the technique and by the strokes who might have done it.
PHILLIPS: So why didn't he sign anything? And why did he burn a lot of his drawings? GALLAGHER: Well, the burning question -- the burning question is why, you know, anybody would request that things be burned. Michelangelo lived a very long life. Towards the end of his life, he did request that some of his drawings be burned and he burnt them throughout his own life.
And one of the reasons that people think may have been is because he didn't want them to be stolen. That was something that happened, especially amongst artists, kind of stealing ideas. And perhaps even today artists can relate to that. So for his sketches and things like that, he didn't want his ideas to be stolen. That's only a hypothesis, of course. Nobody really knows the real reason why he wanted them to be burned.
PHILLIPS: Well, if you wanted to try and get a little real insight into his life, you can visit his home in Florence, right? And I'm not even going to attempt -- well, I'll attempt how to say it. Casa Buonarroti? Am I saying it right?
GALLAGHER: Yes, Buonarroti, that's it.
PHILLIPS: Buonarroti, I got to get the emphasis there.
GALLAGHER: That's his last name and that's one of the places -- well, now, the interesting thing about this auction at Christie's, Kyra, is that you don't even have to go to Florence to see some of these things. Of course, there are lots of Michelangelo's works throughout the United States as well.
But Christie's, for this weekend, is opening this particular drawing to the public and it's a drawing, of course, that would only be seen in private collections. You wouldn't have a chance to see it otherwise. And I didn't realize that Christie's does that. When they get a particular piece of work that's interesting, that passes generally from one private collection to another, they open it up for the period of time that they have. So if you're lucky enough to be in New York this weekend, you can go and see it.
PHILLIPS: Delia, interesting, cool stuff. Thank you so much.
GALLAGHER: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, he hasn't had it for five years and frankly, he doubts that he missed it. He is Bill Clinton and the five years are up today. We'll tell you what it is when LIVE FROM continues after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: And the word is officially out now from the White House. This is coming to us from the office of the press secretary. President George W. Bush has announced his intention to nominate Vice Admiral Thad Allen to be the commandant of the United States Coast Guard.
As you know, Vice Admiral Allen currently serves as chief of the staff for the United States Coast Guard and served as the principal federal official overseeing Hurricane Katrina response and recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region. He worked side by side, as you know, with General Russel Honore. We're a big fan of Admiral Allen's here on LIVE FROM and we look forward to interviewing him about his new mission as the head of the United States Coast Guard.
Now come the verdicts. A week after Samuel Alito underwent a grilling by a sharply split Senate Judiciary Committee, Democratic senators are passing judgment on the circuit judge's nomination to the highest court in the land.
Just a few hours ago, ranking committee member Patrick Leahy said he will be voting no.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), VERMONT: ... extraordinary era of governmental intrusions into the lives of ordinary Americans, which has been left to the Supreme Court to restore balance, it's difficult to have confidence in a nominee who will not serve as an effective check on his patron or the government he spent his legal practice representing.
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PHILLIPS: Committee Democrat Democrats Dick Durbin and Ted Kennedy also announced their opposition to Alito today. Still no sign, however, that Alito won't have the votes that he needs to be confirmed.
The longest independent counsel investigation in U.S. history has finally ended with a blast at the Clinton administration. Prosecutor David Barrett spent more than $20 million and more than a decade looking into allegations surrounding former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros and payments he made to a former mistress. Cisneros pleaded guilty in 1999 to a misdemeanor charge of lying to investigators. Later, he was pardoned by President Clinton.
The 746-page report, out today, accuses the Clinton Justice Department of giving Cisneros special consideration. But one of the justice officials involved calls the investigation embarrassingly incompetent.
And we are waiting for the president of the United States, we are being told, to step up to the microphone. He will be talking about -- is it recovery efforts? Recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina. As you know, the president's father, along with the former President Clinton, had been working on a massive campaign to rebuild the Gulf Coast. We now want to listen to the president.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... not only Don Powell and myself and Laura, but also members of the compassion community here in America. We've got charities from all across the country, foundations from all across the country who have come to listen to the needs of the good people in the Mississippi and Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region. We -- Don and I talked about the commitment of the federal government. We've committed $85 billion thus far, but we also made it very clear that we're going to need the help -- the continued help, I might add -- of America's charities and foundation.
Part of making sure the money is spent well is to hear from the local folks about what is needed. How can we help? How best can the money be spent? And that's exactly what we've done today.
We're going to make sure that federal money is spent wisely and local money and charitable money is spent wisely as well, all aimed at making sure the folks in Louisiana and Mississippi get back on their feet, and this vital region of our country is up and running again.
There's no doubt in my mind that out of this incredible devastation will come a better tomorrow. And again, I want to thank all the people who have taken time out of your busy schedules to come and show your interests and represent your foundations and let the good folks know in that troubled part of the world that their voices of despair and concern are being heard all around the country. So thank you all for coming. I appreciate it very much.
PHILLIPS: The president of the United States there before the EEOC talking to a number of people in charge of the foundations raising money to help rebuild the Gulf Coast. He says he wants to continue to support those foundations to raise money for those that need help to rebuild. And he wants to make sure that money is being spent wisely.
Let's get to Fredricka Whitfield in the news room working a developing story for us right now. Fred, what do you have?
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we know that former President Gerald Ford still in the hospital, but possibly not for long. Let's check in with our Dan Simon who is outside the hospital there in Rancho Mirage, California -- Dan.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, the president is still battling pneumonia here at the Eisenhower Medical Center. We just got this press release and it basically says that doctors at this time are evaluating the former president and are trying to determine whether or not he's strong enough to go home.
But according to this press release which we were literally just handed a few minutes ago, they say that Mr. Ford is improving daily and they're optimistic at least that he should be able to go home perhaps some time today.
But as you know, he was brought here to the hospital on Saturday with a case of pneumonia, he's been getting antibiotics intravenously. He's had some visitor. We know that his wife Betty has been here along with two of his children. And the president is continuing to get better and hopefully he'll be discharged perhaps again some time today -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And, Dan, is the plan that the doctors there at the hospital might have a press conference to make any sort of formal announcements or will it come in the form of a written statement?
SIMON: It will come in the form of a written statement, an I actually asked the P.R. people here at the hospital, you know, if a doctor might be willing to come down and give some comments, but the Ford family has requested that that not happen. We are told that they are very private people and wish it to remain so -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Wanting to keep it as private as possible for a former president. All right, thanks so much, Dan Simon. Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right, Fred, we'll keep checking in with you and the condition on the former president.
Well, before the news about President Ford, we were talking about the longest independent counsel investigation in U.S. history. It's finally ended after an investigation lasting more than a decade. The final report from independent counsel David Barrett comes with a hefty price tag, but that should come as little surprise. Here's a short rundown of other independent counsel cases an how they panned out.
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WHITFIELD (voice-over): In two decades of independent counsels, 20 counsels were appointed. Thirteen of the inquiries ended with no charges filed. The others resulted in 41 guilty pleas, 21 convictions and eight acquittals. The total price tag by 1999 was estimated to be $165 million.
The idea started in the aftermath of Watergate, but the Independent Counsel Act wasn't passed by Congress until 1978. The first independent counsel was appointed in 1979 to investigate drug use allegations against President Carter's chief of staff, Hamilton Jordan. The office spent about $182,000 and ended after six months with no charges filed.
Six years later, independent counsel Lawrence Walsh started one of the most memorable investigations and the costliest. Walsh spent about $48 million between 1986 and 1994 investigating the Iran Contra affair. His work resulted in 11 convictions, but Walsh was criticized for how long it took and how much it cost.
Probably the most famous independent counsel investigation was Ken Starr's unwieldy Whitewater probe. Starr achieved a few convictions and President Clinton was impeached, but the president was ultimately acquitted in a Senate trial.
The Independent Counsel Act expired shortly after that in 1999. Congress decided not to renew it for several reasons: the cost and controversies among them.
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PHILLIPS: And straight ahead, entertainment news with A.J. Hammer of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." A.J., what's on tap? A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" HOST: Well, Kyra, just in case you were a little concerned, just in case you were a little eager and anxious to find out, it is official for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt -- a name change that is. We're going to have all the details when LIVE FROM continues.
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PHILLIPS: Well, we're guessing even the truest bluest supporters of the Clinton administration haven't noticed this is the fifth anniversary of Bill Clinton's last full day in office. LIVE FROM takes note because Clinton's license to practice law in his home state of Arkansas was suspended for five years, on January 19th, 2001, for Clinton's having lied under oath about his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky.
Well the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct won't say whether the former president is asking to have his license reinstated, but a spokesperson for Clinton says he has plenty to do already.
What's in a name if your parents are Brangelina? And there's no flap between the red-hot "American Idol" and one of its previous winners anymore. A.J. Hammer joins us live from New York with today's entertainment news and a little preview of CNN Headline News' "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." Hey, A.J.
HAMMER: Hey, Kyra. I was a little concerned that you weren't going to have your dose of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt news, so let me get right to this, because it just happened hours ago when a Los Angeles County court approved a petition for a name change for the adopted children of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
A superior court judge in Santa Monica has granted the request for Brad Pitt's name to be legally added to Jolie's children, Maddox Chivan and Zahara Marley. Now the children's last name, instead of being just Jolie will be Jolie-Pitt, to reflect Pitt's status as their adoptive father. The actors filed for the motion last December. The couple wasn't present during the proceedings today, but they were represented by their lawyers.
And don't ask "Desperate Housewives" Marcia Cross. That's because Cross says she doesn't know a thing. When she was on Headline News "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," last night, the actress said she didn't know any of the details about the direction of the hit show. She says the cast often get the scripts at the very last minute, which really prevents them from knowing too many details of all the twists and turns of the show. It also forces them to have to study up real fast.
And Kyra, no big surprise, they actually -- should wouldn't divulge exactly how heavily guarded the scripts are, and exactly what they go through to keep them under lock and key. But she says it's pretty tight, as you would imagine it would be.
PHILLIPS: Do you watch the show? HAMMER: I got to admit I watch the show. And another interesting thing we learned from Marcia last night -- you watch the show, I'm certain.
PHILLIPS: Yes, I do. Well, I have to watch that and then "Grey's Anatomy."
HAMMER: Well you see that there's this storyline developing of her being an alcoholic. That was something she actually told us she had some input into from way back in the first season. So it's actually, the actors are involved in where the show is going, which I was surprised to hear.
PHILLIPS: Interesting. I mean, did she talk about -- did she get deep into the subject of alcoholism or is there a message behind this?
HAMMER: Well I think what we're seeing, and she said she started planting the fact that her character liked to enjoy an occasional glass of wine early in the show. But she said Bree, her character, Bree Van De Kamp, going through some pretty tough times right now. So it's kind of making sense that she's turning to alcohol. We'll see how it all unfolds.
PHILLIPS: All right, meanwhile, "American Idol." Boy, that just continues to unfold with the drama. And the drama, and even more drama. What's up with Simon, causing trouble again, isn't he?
HAMMER: Well, Simon's causing trouble for Kelly Clarkson, actually. And there are some people who got involved. The show just went on the air this week. It's only been on twice.
Now, you may recall that "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" first broke the news just the other night that "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson and the show are on good terms again. She actually has been accused of refusing to let the show use her songs. Kelly's camp released this statement saying Kelly Clarkson was happy to hear her song "Since U Been Gone" on "Idol" last night.
As far as she is concerned, there is no conflict between her and T.V. show. She intended all along to license additional material to the show and will do so when asked within reason.
And you may recall those twins on "American Idol." They were on the show on Tuesday night. Both could really carry a tune, but they're really in trouble now. Terrell and Derrell Brittenum have been charged with forgery and theft, both charged with forgery, theft and deception and financial identity fraud over the purchase of a 2005 Dodge Magnum last June.
The brothers allegedly used another man's identity to buy the car in Georgia. FOX, not discussing the boys or their status on the show. We'll be all over that story on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," all of the "Idol" controversies.
And to be fair to Kelly Clarkson, I was on the phone with Nigel Lythgoe, who's the show's producer, Kyra. I spoke with him last week, and he said Kelly may not even be aware of this. This may be a lawyer thing, an agent thing, all caught up in the paperwork. So Kelly is catching the flack from Simon for not letting the show use her songs, but it may not be her at all.
PHILLIPS: All right, we'll be watching you for all the scoop. Thanks, A.J.
HAMMER: We'll see you tonight, 7:00 and 11:00 Eastern.
PHILLIPS: All right, great. Beautiful mystery of the animal kingdom or sign of the end times? Meet four creatures that have no business feeling the way they do about each other. Hey, as LIVE FROM's favorite mom says, you can't help who you fall in love with -- show the fantasy, right after this.
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PHILLIPS: Looks like something more than governing has been going on in West Virginia's state capital. Investigators in Charleston found tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment allegedly used to pirate C.D.'s and videos in a basement office. They also found computer hacking software, along with hundreds of blank DVDs, C.D.'s and jacket covers. They found hard drives containing dozens of full-length movies and thousands of MP3 music files. And there's evidence state credit cards were used to buy some of that gear.
Google is saying no to the government's search for information about its users. Susan Lisovicz, live from the New York Stock Exchange with the story about privacy rights porn.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, very provocative, isn't it, Kyra?
PHILLIPS: It's always something.
LISOVICZ: Google says it will vigorously fight a government demand for information on what its customers have been Googling. The government wants the companies closely-guarded database as a part of its plan to revive a Internet children protection law struck down two years ago by the Supreme Court on the grounds of free speech.
That law would have inquired adults to register before they see pornographic material. The Feds are asking for a range of material, including a million random Web addresses and records of all Google searches from any one-week period. Google says the government's demand violates the privacy rights of its users and would reveal company trade secrets.
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LISOVICZ: Stay tuned. LIVE FROM will be right back.
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