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Another Delay in Saddam Hussein Trial; Interview With Detroit City Councilwoman Martha Reeves; Dog-Friendly Workplaces; Investigating Ford's Rear-End Crash Fires
Aired January 24, 2006 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Almost the top of the hour right now.
We are talking about the fallout from a U.S. airstrike in Pakistan, Samuel Alito one step away from the Supreme Court, and big concerns at the White House, red-letter talking points at a briefing which ended just moments ago.
Our Elaine Quijano is there to sort it all out for us.
Hey, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Kyra.
A number of issues covered in this briefing today, the -- a very busy day here at the White House. The president earlier met with the Pakistani prime minister -- of course, the war on terror a big part of that discussion -- also, though, the briefing that just wrapped up a short time ago, some questions about Hurricane Katrina, specifically questions about a memo, apparently, from the Department of Homeland Security, in the hours before Katrina hit, warning of the possibility of levees being breached, in the event of a Category 4 or a larger storm.
Well, just a short time ago, Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, was asked about that. And here, in part -- here is part of what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: All levels of government dropped the ball, to an extent, the federal, state and local. The president accepts responsibility for the federal response efforts. Now, there are also a lot of good things going on and important work being done to save lives.
The Coast Guard is a great example. They were working around the clock to lift people off of their rooftops and take them to safety. And we can't discount all of that.
But what we have got to do is make sure that we learned the lessons and that we apply those lessons to future response efforts. And that's exactly what we are doing.
We're also working with congressional committees. They're moving forward on hearings and looking at these issues. And the comprehensive review that we have undertaken is nearing completion, and we will be talking more about it soon.
QUESTION: Is it fair to say...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: And that comprehensive review that Scott mentioned, Kyra, is being headed up by the president's Homeland Security adviser, Franc Townsend.
It has now been, of course, four months since Hurricane Katrina hit -- no word from the White House on a time frame on when that review might be complete -- but the White House essentially choosing not to comment on the specific report about this Homeland Security report apparently given to the White House in the hours before Hurricane Katrina hit -- Scott McClellan saying earlier today that he doesn't want to do any kind of play-by-play. This certainly will all be a part of the lessons-learned review -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Elaine Quijano, live from the White House, thanks.
Another no-show in the trial of Saddam Hussein, not the former dictator this time or a lawyer or judge, but several key witnesses -- their absence forcing yet another delay and fueling criticism that the trial has fallen into chaos.
Earlier, I spoke with CNN's Aneesh Raman about the fallout.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, good afternoon.
Four hours after the court was set to convene this morning, a spokesman for the Iraqi high tribunal came down to the media gallery, where we were all sequestered, and issued a short statement that said the court would not meet today, would not meet until Sunday.
Why? Because there weren't any witnesses to testify. They could not come to court. Some, the spokesman said, were out of the country because of the hajj pilgrimage.
Now, there are any number of issues with that statement. First, the hajj pilgrimage ended nearly two weeks ago. Second, why did the court not know these witnesses couldn't come before today? And third, why did it take four hours for this issue to be resolved this morning?
No answers from the court on any of those questions, but Saddam's defense team answered them all by saying essentially that statement was a lie. They were privy to more of what happened in the courthouse today. They say that there was an argument among the five-judge panel, which now includes two new judges, about how this trial should proceed.
So clearly, more legal chaos in this first trial of Saddam Hussein -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Aneesh, two questions for you quickly. Looking at what has happened to the makeup of this court, from attorneys being assassinated, to the chief judge stepping down, critics saying he wasn't tough enough, Saddam Hussein was taking too much control in the courtroom. Other judges in the tribunal being shifted. What's going on and how do we know that the judge now that has been appointed chief judge is the one that can finally move this court forward without any more problems or distractions?
RAMAN: Well, we hope to have an early answer today by seeing how the new chief judge went about conducting the -- the issues of the court. He's in the mid-60s. He's from -- he's a Kurd from the town of Halabja, where in 1988 Saddam had some 5,000 people killed with sarin and V.X. gas.
But now again, we have to wait until Sunday. We have to see him in practice and see whether he brings more control to this court than, as you mentioned, his predecessor, Rizgar Mohammed Amin, who was criticized heavily for allowing Saddam Hussein to speak too much at will and for the court to essentially veer off track often.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And let's get straight to Betty Nguyen now, working a developing story in the newsroom -- Betty.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's son, Kojo, is back in the spotlight -- at issues, money and a mystery car.
Let's go now live to CNN's Richard Roth at the U.N. with the latest on this mystery.
What have you unraveled so far, Richard?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Betty, remember when Kofi Annan, the secretary-general of the United Nations, lost his temper a couple of weeks ago?
Well, it all involved really a car, not a matter of high diplomacy, a car, a Mercedes, similar to the one we're going to show you, a model -- this similar model -- that Kofi Annan's son Kojo bought and then brought into Ghana in Africa, avoiding $14,000 in import duties, because he said it was really for his father.
And Annan was first questioned about this by "Times of London" reporter James Bone, and it annoyed Annan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES BONE, "THE TIMES OF LONDON": Just a comment on the Mercedes before I ask my question.
The Volcker report says that the Mercedes was bought in your name, so as the owner of the car, can you tell us what happened to it and where it is now? I would like to ask you particularly...
ANNAN: I think you are being very cheeky here. BONE: Well, let me -- sir, let me ask my question.
ANNAN: No, hold on. Hold on.
(CROSSTALK)
BONE: If I may ask my question.
ANNAN: Listen, listen, James Bone.
You have been behaving like an overgrown schoolboy in this room for many, many months and years. You are an embarrassment to your colleagues and to your profession. Please, stop misbehaving, and, please, let's move on to a more serious...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: Now, an outside investigation said that the father, Kofi Annan, did nothing wrong and was not linked to the car in any way.
What's news today is that the son, Kojo Annan, is now paying back the $14,000 to Ghana. But he's not paying the Mercedes back $6,000, because he traded in on his father's name to get a break on the car. The lawyer for Kojo Annan is saying Mercedes doesn't need the money.
The U.N. is hoping this sort of takes away the mystery of the car. However, they're insisting that the father was never really responsible in any way and -- quote -- Kojo Annan, Betty, obviously misled his father.
NGUYEN: All right, so part of it is being reimbursed, but the diplomatic discount is not. So, I have to ask you, at this point, with all of this reimbursement that is going on, are there any fines for these duties that were not paid on time in the first place?
ROTH: I don't know about the fines.
Now it looks like, according to the lawyer -- he's being quoted as saying the car has been in a -- quote -- "bad accident," is not really being used in Ghana by Kojo Annan.
NGUYEN: Wow. The story just keeps going, doesn't it, Richard?
All right, Richard Roth at the U.N., thank you for that update -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Betty, thanks so much.
Well, Israel's acting prime minister is acting today on a number of fronts. In his first major policy speech since stipping (ph) in -- stepping in, rather, for Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert called Israel's pullout from Gaza and parts of the West Bank a turning point.
Now he says Israel needs permanent and secure borders. He's insisting on the implementation of the U.S.-backed road map peace plan, which requires Palestinians to stop violence. And he is urging Palestinians not to pick militants when they vote on a new parliament tomorrow.
Deadly explosions in southern Iran in a city that the Iranian president had planned to visit. At least six people were killed and dozens hurt in Ahvaz, where bombs tore through a bank and a government building. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was supposed to speak there today, but his office says that he canceled last night because bad weather was expected.
Ahvaz has a history of violence involving Iran's Arab minority, but, so far, there are no claims of responsibility for today's attacks.
Canada's prime minister-elect wants a warmer relationship with Washington and, apparently, vice versa. The Washington is congratulating Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party for winning national elections and ending 12 years of Liberal Party rule. Canada's Liberals have angered Washington in recent years, criticizing the Bush administration on several fronts.
Outgoing Prime Minister Paul Martin says he's also stepping down as leader of his party. The new government does not have a parliamentary majority.
Three vehicles with a deadly flaw. A life-saving repair is readily available, but most owners, even some dealers, don't even know about it. An investigative report you will only see on CNN -- when LIVE FROM returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
PHILLIPS: Well, she has been performing since the 1950s, but now Motown icon Martha Reeves has a new gig. The lead singer of Martha and the Vandellas is hanging out with another group, the Detroit City Council. She was elected in November and took office just this month.
What's it like to go from dancing in the street to voting on an ordinance? Let's find out.
Martha Reeves joins me now live from Detroit.
Good to see you, Councilwoman.
MARTHA REEVES, DETROIT CITY COUNCILWOMAN: Well, thank you. Thank you so much.
PHILLIPS: Is that...
REEVES: And I will always dance in the street.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Is that bringing back good memories, looking back at that video -- or that film, I should say?
REEVES: Yes.
But I -- but I continue to dance in the street as we speak.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Yes, you do.
REEVES: I'm going to always dance in the street. It's not -- it's something that I'm not going to put in the past. I'm going to continue to dance in the street.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Well, let me tell you -- let me ask, I mean, how did you -- by the way, as we were looking at...
REEVES: Yes.
PHILLIPS: ... at this film, I mean, look at your guns. My goodness, you still have those strong arms. Is that, you know...
REEVES: Yes. And I can still dance, too.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: You still got the moves, don't you?
REEVES: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
REEVES: You notice that high platform I'm on? I'm scared to death.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Well, speaking of platform, let's talk about the platform that you ran on for City Council -- a lot of talk, more money for firefighters, police officers, right?
REEVES: Yes, yes.
I'm going to be a spokesman for the public schools. Right now, we have a -- a situation with our schools and the lighting. People are asked to bring their children home at this time. The City Council is going to make sure that we go in and check out the schools and make sure that they get the proper care...
PHILLIPS: Tell...
REEVES: ... for our youngsters.
PHILLIPS: Well, tell me why this is close to your heart. I mean, I know that you -- you grew up in Detroit. You used to sing in your grandfather's church, as young as 3 years old...
REEVES: Yes.
PHILLIPS: ... right?
REEVES: That's right. My...
(CROSSTALK)
REEVES: With my two older brothers, Benny (ph) and Thomas (ph), yes.
PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh. So, you went to the schools. You know what it was like years ago. Tell me why this is close to your heart and -- and what Detroit needs.
REEVES: Well, I'm a product of public schools.
I went from elementary school, teaching from Emily Wagstaff, to proper training, operatic training, with Abraham Silver in high school, at Northeastern High School. And I went on to the Motown University and learned a lot of things from some wonderful people.
And I would like to just let people know that you can make it, your dream. You know, youngsters in school, public schools especially, can have their dreams come true. All they have to do apply themselves and get as much education as they can.
I represent the Motown Records. And, also, I have gone, for the last 20 years, to different schools and did their career days. And now I'm on an -- in an official capacity, where I'm able to actually make changes and help make decisions with our City Council members.
We have a wonderful president, Kenneth Cockrel. And our pro tem, Monica Conyers, is -- is doing a wonderful job. Sheila Cockrel is wonderful. JoAnn Watson, Barbara-Rose Collins is teaching me quite a bit. There's Brenda Jones and Kwame Kenyatta.
And I think, together, we make a wonderful, powerful team.
PHILLIPS: Well, you have also, growing up there through the years, had to deal with the crime and -- and had to deal with a murder rate that Detroit is dealing with. So, tell me what you're going do for those police officers and those firefighters that have been struggling with regard to a good budget.
REEVES: Well, we're actually asking that most of the firefighters and policemen are resident -- be residents of the city, so that they are easier to call and easier to get to the jobs that are provided for them in our emergency situations.
We're also asking that they purchase this -- a tank. There's a tank that's needed in the city to help us with policemen under siege or situations that can't be handled in -- you know, by squad cars.
We're also doing a neighborhood search trying to find out just where the crime is and to get rid of some of the -- drug abuse that is happening in this city, drug use. We also have a committee of men who just got together. And it's sort of a private thing. So, I'm maybe speaking out of -- out of turn or prematurely.
But there are some men in the city who are going to take -- take personal action, to some of their personal time, and volunteer to help with the crime and help defend some of our neighborhoods and some of our children.
PHILLIPS: Well, you are also defending great people like Berry Gordy and Aretha Franklin as well, talking about just the musical heritage there in Detroit.
Let's start with Berry Gordy. This is the man who discovered you, gave you that shot. You sang right there in the studios, Motown Studios, in Detroit. You want to actually rename something after him. Is that right?
REEVES: Yes. I would like to change General Motors Boulevard, which is a secondary name for -- which is a street, Westbound Boulevard, and change the name, so that the Motown Museum at 2648 is easier to -- to find.
This is where Berry Gordy lived and turned his house into a studio and discovered over 30 acts in the city. And we're famous all over the world. How famous do you have to be before a city recognizes you? And I would love to have some statues and plaques of not just the Motown people, but wouldn't it be wonderful to one day see a throne with our queen, Aretha, sitting on it, with a crown on her head? Because she certainly is the queen of the world, as far as our Gospel and soul music is concerned.
PHILLIPS: Yes, what's the deal with that? Why hasn't there been a statue for Aretha Franklin?
Lubbock, Texas, has Buddy Holly. For goodness' sake, Detroit should have Aretha Franklin.
REEVES: Amen.
(LAUGHTER)
REEVES: There's a statue of Eddie Kendricks in Birmingham, Alabama. But there should be something here in -- in this city, famous as all of us are. Stevie Wonder -- give Stevie Wonder a statue. He's wonderful and one of the wonders of the world. There's no one any more talented than Stevie Wonder.
PHILLIPS: Well, what about Martha Reeves and the Vandellas? Come on. That could be another little a side statue next to Aretha and Stevie.
REEVES: Well, we -- yes. We're going dance in the street and make sure that we have dance parties. We used to have dance parties here. We used to have amateur shows where our talent was discovered. We all came from amateur shows.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
REEVES: And I intend to have one next month.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: You...
(CROSSTALK)
REEVES: ... town.
PHILLIPS: You mean you -- you...
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: You actually -- you performed in the streets back in...
REEVES: Yes.
PHILLIPS: What -- what -- what year would you say that was?
REEVES: We started in '59...
PHILLIPS: OK.
REEVES: ... singing at Northeastern Park, right outside. And -- and our school is torn down now, so we don't have that park anymore.
We -- we started singing in the 20 Grand, at the Graystone. These places are now all defunct. They are no longer in existence.
PHILLIPS: You have got to bring back...
REEVES: So, we will create some new places.
PHILLIPS: ... those dance parties. Yes.
REEVES: That's right.
(CROSSTALK)
REEVES: We will create some new places.
PHILLIPS: There -- and new talent.
(LAUGHTER)
REEVES: Yes, and new talent.
PHILLIPS: Absolutely.
REEVES: Detroit is full of talent.
PHILLIPS: Isn't that the truth?
I want to ask you...
(CROSSTALK)
REEVES: ... full of talented people.
PHILLIPS: No doubt. No doubt.
And -- and I -- I want to -- I want to talk more about the music in a minute and -- and, of course, the Vandellas. But I just -- I got to ask you about Ford. This has been our lead story, of course, for -- for a couple of days.
No doubt this has got to be tough for -- for workers there in Detroit. Are you talking, is the council talking about job training, trying to help these folks that have worked in these plants for so many years, and aren't quite sure what to do now?
REEVES: We are -- we're -- introduced today at our council meeting an entrepreneurship that's going to start a lot of people into new businesses here in the city, small business, I think will make us get, you know, the comeback that we really need economically.
However, there are a lot of things that we can do to -- to create new industry. And we are working on that. We're going to take care of the people who are being laid off. And Ford used to lead the industry. And I'm sure they will make a comeback.
PHILLIPS: You are still touring, aren't you?
REEVES: Well, it's a good thing to have faith. And I do have faith in our city.
I see a the lot of new developments all over. People are talking destruction, but I see improvements and remodeling done all over the city. And -- and we're looking for some wonderful, wonderful results from our Super Bowl. And a lot of people are going to be here. And we are going to change the face of the city.
PHILLIPS: That's right. you were talking about...
REEVES: It's wonderful...
PHILLIPS: You...
REEVES: ... to see the development.
PHILLIPS: Well, you're talking about developments and the tourists coming in. I was talking about going on tour.
You are actually handling your political business in the city, but you're also still singing. How are you doing both?
REEVES: It's easy to do. I don't work on weekends with the City Council. And that's when I usually go and do performances.
PHILLIPS: So, basically...
REEVES: As a matter of fact, we just... PHILLIPS: ... you're working seven days a week?
(LAUGHTER)
REEVES: Yes.
And -- and I have the energy and -- and the drive to do it. And I'm just thanking God. You know, so, I'm inspired. I was inspired by my pastor, Dellen Rettman (ph). He preached the Jabez prayer. And I started reciting four -- you know, four things every day, bless me, indeed, increase my boundaries, keep your hand on me, and keep me from evilness, not to any harm.
So, it cleaned me up. I stopped smoking in 2003. I mean, a lot of wonderful things have happened. And I have just got energy. I don't know where it's coming from. It seems like I got old enough to have a second career.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: You know, I...
REEVES: You don't -- you know, you don't get older. You get better now.
PHILLIPS: Well, I...
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: You know, no doubt. And I could see you sitting there at the City Council, doing the prayer of Jabez, pulling everybody together, humming -- humming a few tunes, and talking about what you have to -- need to do for...
REEVES: No, no, no, no, no, no.
No, they're pulling me together.
(LAUGHTER)
REEVES: I -- I have got some wonderful colleagues. And they're showing me the route. I'm not a politician. But I think I will make a good one in a couple of years.
PHILLIPS: You're not a politician? What do you mean by that?
REEVES: No. I'm not a politician. There are a lot of things that I need to learn about the -- the jurisdictions and bureaucracy and a lot of other things.
My main reason for being on the City Council is to be the voice of the public. While I was campaigning, a lot of elders, a lot of the people in the senior citizens homes and retirement homes were saying they don't think they have a voice in the city. They don't think their needs are being answered. There are property owners here who are actually leaving the city because they can't get satisfaction with our safety departments and with our law departments.
There are a lawsuits that we settled that are just unnecessary, because we can answer their problems a little sooner. And that's one of the main reasons why. I'm a property own. I'm a taxpayer. I'm a concerned citizen.
And I expect to have some changes made for my benefit, as well as other citizens of Detroit.
PHILLIPS: Well, Councilwoman...
REEVES: There's -- there's got to be some -- got to be some compassion put back into the city and the City Council. And I think I can help do that.
PHILLIPS: Well, you -- you know that city. And you now have many voices, from the voice of Motown, to the voice of Detroit.
REEVES: And I stayed here.
(LAUGHTER)
REEVES: I didn't move. I stayed right here.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: We can't wait to follow your career once again, a totally new career.
Martha Reeves, thank you so much for your time.
REEVES: Thank you, Kyra. Thank you so much. God bless your heart.
PHILLIPS: All right.
Well, we just heard from Martha Reeves, a Detroit council member. But we couldn't end the segment without hearing more from Martha Reeves, the diva of Motown.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Is a mutiny brewing on the Queen Mary 2? Well, some passengers are threatening a sit-in.
Last week, the world's largest and most expensive cruise liner bumped into the side of a shipping channel, damaging one of four motors in Florida. That didn't stop the New York-to-Long Beach cruise, but it did slow it down. And three ports of call were cut from the itinerary.
Passengers are being offered 50 percent refunds, but some say they won't get off the ship unless they get more. That may change when they reach their next port, Rio de Janeiro. A short, but unforgettable journey in Florida. This Continental Airlines jet was getting ready to leave Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when a passenger wanted to get off, really, really wanted to get off. The man yelled and banged on the windows and even the cockpit door. And, then, says a fellow passenger, things got ugly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL SIGLER, BITTEN BY AIRPLANE PASSENGER: Well, I guess the captain depressurized the plane. Then, the man went nuts. He was kicking all the door. He beat the flight attendant up pretty well. I had grabbed him by the shoulder and by the shirt. His shirt ripped. A couple other passengers were holding his arm. I grabbed his head, and I grabbed his neck, and he started snapping at me with his teeth. He just said he wanted to get off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, police say the man opened a door, jumped from the moving plane, and ran toward the terminal. Deputies had to zap him with a stun gun to arrest him. He faces a variety of charges, including criminal mischief.
There's bring-your-daughter-to-work day, but how about bring- your-pooch-to-work day? It could happen. Dog-friendly workplaces are on the rise.
Susan Lisovicz has that story live from the New York Stock Exchange.
I don't think it will happen in our newsroom or at the New York Stock Exchange, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's funny, Kyra.
There are actually a lot of dogs here, but it's the world we live in now. They're attack dogs and bomb sniffers. So, we see dogs on a daily basis, but they're actually on the payroll.
In the meantime, a new survey finds they would be -- people would be willing to work more hours for less pay if they could work with their dogs. The poll was conducted by the online dog forum Dogster and the job search engine Simply Hired.
A third of those surveyed said they would go so far as to take a 5 percent pay cut if their dog could accompany them to the office. If you want your pooch lying at your feet while you work, consider moving to California.
The survey found more dog-friendly companies there than any other state, Amazon and Google among the well-known companies named as dog- friendly by the survey. And the Web site for Burton Snowboards in Vermont says dogs are among its most valued employees.
Turning to the markets, well, we're talking about bulls, not dogs. Stocks are modestly higher. Right now, the Dow industrials are up 25 points, or about a quarter of a percent. The Nasdaq is adding just about 1 percent. In other news, Donald Trump doesn't want anyone questioning his fortune.
The real estate mogul and TV star is suing Warner Books and the author of a new book titled "TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald." The suit seeks $5 billion in damages for what Trump claims are defamatory statements. The author of the book claims that Trump exaggerated his wealth. Time Warner is the parent company of both Warner Books and CNN.
Join me at the end of the hour for the closing bell and the complete wrapup of the trading day.
LIVE FROM continues after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Ford calls it the way forward, but for tens of thousands of workers, it's a big step back. Many people face an uncertain fortune in light of Ford's decision to cut up to 30,000 jobs and close 14 plants in North America. So what now?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BLACK, BEING LAID OFF BY FORD: We have yet to find out what Ford might be offering us. I hear that they could be offering us four years of school. And that would be a good opportunity to go and get another career if they would help us out that way. So I'm kind of leaning towards that if that opportunity arises.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Ford's chairman says that the cuts are painful but necessary. Ford's North American operation lost $1.6 billion last year.
Amid those economic troubles, new questions about three of Ford's most popular cars. They are the only American made cars whose fuel tanks are located behind the rear axles. In an award-winning documentary three years ago, CNN's Susan Candiotti reported on dangers that rear-end fuel tanks fires had posed for police cars with similar tank locations.
After the death of a dozen officers, Ford made changes, but only to those used by law enforcement. It could have done the same to millions of civilian cars for a little more than $100 a car, but didn't. Susan Candiotti brings us an investigation you'll only see this investigation on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRENDA HOWELL, DAUGHTERS KILLED IN CAR FIRE : They had a glow about them. They were beautiful.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Three sisters, all young, two of them new mothers, left in a limousine for a rock concert at Greensboro, North Carolina. They never got home.
Caught in a traffic jam, their limo was rammed from behind by a pickup truck going well over the speed limit.
JAMES CANADY, LIMOUSINE DRIVER: I saw flames shooting past my window, and I said, oh my God, we're on fire.
CANDIOTTI: Limo Driver James Canady had to kick his door open.
CANADY: The whole vehicle was on fire. As soon as I jumped out of the car, I heard one of the ladies scream, oh my God. And that's all I heard. And that was it.
CANDIOTTI: The sisters were trapped in the back. The fire too fierce for anyone to reach them.
CANADY: You could see the fire just like gasoline just keep blowing up.
CANDIOTTI: The medical examiner ruled all three sisters burned to death, even though only one was injured by the crash impact. Yet, the fire might have been avoided. Why? Ford, which designed their vehicle, already had made fixes around the gas tanks in its police cars. The stretch limo was a Lincoln Town Car. As in Canady's own Town Car, you can see where the fuel tank sticks up in the trunk.
(on camera): Only three American automobiles, all made by Ford, the Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Mercury Marquis, still have their gas tanks this far back behind the rear axle, in the trunk area, touching off a safety debate that started long before the sisters died.
(voice-over): Since the early '90s, at least a dozen police officers, among them, this Arizona highway patrolman, were burned to death when the Crown Victoria cruisers were hit from behind and the gas tanks went up in flames.
Three years ago, under pressure by several police departments --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've shielded some components that are mounted on the axle.
CANDIOTTI: Ford made safety changes to put rubber and plastic shields on sharp parts around the tank in the patrol cars. They're now standard equipment when the police cars come off the assembly line.
Watch this. A cop car crash in Chicago. This is a success story. The shields worked. The officer lived. Look again. Since the changes to vehicles like this, no one has burned to death because of a puncture in a police car with the new gas tank shields.
Yet, back in 2002, when Ford was asked if everyday drivers would get the same protection, Ford said their cars were already safe.
This at a news conference announcing the shields for police. SUSAN CISCHKE, FORD VICE PRESIDENT FOR SAFETY: It's not necessary for the civilians because they don't use their vehicles like the police do.
CANDIOTTI: The explanation. Police cars are stopped alongside the road and thus exposed to onrushing traffic far more often than the rest of us.
CISCHKE: If there's anybody that feels that they use their vehicle like the police, we can make the kit available to them at their cost, but we don't think it's necessary.
CANDIOTTI: So Ford never notified its car owners they could ask for the shields at a cost of only $100 or so if they went to their dealers.
Ricky and Brenda Howell's daughters died one year after that Ford decision.
RICKY HOWELL, DAUGHTERS KILLED IN CAR FIRE: They're set in steel, just like a patrol car sitting in traffic.
CANDIOTTI: Under oath this past fall, Ford acknowledged the limo's gas tank was pierced by a bolt that would have been covered if the limo had the rubber shields.
B. HOWELL: They could fix the cars. They just didn't see why it needed to be done. I mean, and in our case it proves it did need to be done.
CANDIOTTI: Last fall, Ford offered limousine makers the shields without charge. No such offer, though, was made for the regular car models. Ford says its cars, some three million of these Crown Vic, Town Car and Mercury Marquis models already meet all the highest federal safety standards in 50 mile an hour crash tests like this.
In 2002 the Federal Highway Safety Agency did find in fatal crashes from all angles these Ford vehicles did have a lower rate of fire than other sedans in general. But in fires in rear-end crashes only, it said Ford did not fare as well as similar sized GM models.
Ford blamed the sisters deaths in North Carolina on the pickup driver who was drunk and is now in prison. Even so, Ford did decide to settle with the victims' families last week before trial. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Ford went to trial last spring in another Town Car crash and lost in a big way. This fire killed an elderly man whose regular Lincoln sedan was hit from behind at 60 miles an hour in a traffic backup on a bypass east of St. Louis.
Lawyer Brad Lakin cut a Town Car open to show the jury what happened.
BRADLEY LAKIN, VICTIM'S LAWYER: Right here is the fuel tank, which is right here behind what they call the deep well trunk. CANDIOTTI: Lakin said the crash hurled a large wrench in that trunk trough the gas tank.
LAKIN: There's a very thin, as you can see, back wall to the trunk and this padding and that's the only protection in terms of any items coming through and actually puncturing the fuel tank itself.
CANDIOTTI: The driver, John Jablonski (ph), died from burns in a hospital the next night. His widow, Dora, survived the fire at a terrible price. The jury was shown this video of her, now in a nursing home.
EDWARD FRIEDEL, JURY FOREMAN: Her ears were pretty well gone, her nose, and it took a lot of courage for her to come into the courtroom, because the first words out of her mouth was that she knows she looks hideous.
CANDIOTTI: Back when Ford offered police the shields, it also came up with a special trunk pack to store objects that could puncture a gas tank. As for everyday drivers, again Ford sent them no information.
FRIEDEL: I felt that Ford could have prevented most all of this with a 37-cent stamp.
CANDIOTTI: As in the North Carolina fire, Ford said the other driver was at fault. She was ticketed for failure to slow down before the crash.
Edward Friedel, a delivery driver, became the jury foreman. He said when the jury went out, at first it was slow going. Then --
FRIEDEL: One juror just blurted out, does anybody feel that Ford did something wrong? And that's when unanimously everybody said, yes, they withheld the truth.
CANDIOTTI: The verdict against Ford, almost $44 million in damages for Mrs. Jablonski. Ford is appealing, arguing it did not get a fair trial. The company declined to be interviewed on camera for this story.
But last fall, again under oath, Ford's top safety official did say nothing has changed in her thinking. She still does not recommend the police car safety fixes for the everyday driver.
R. HOWELL: She don't know the pain we feel right now. This could have been prevented and we know that.
CANDIOTTI: Susan Candiotti, CNN, Greensboro, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: CNN called half a dozen Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers in major cities to find out whether we could buy the fuel tank shield kit and have it installed. Only three of the six dealers knew what we were talking about. We purchased a kit from a dealer on Long Island, paying $117.56 plus the cost of an hour's labor. More now from CNN's Anderson Cooper and Susan Candiotti.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Susan Candiotti joins me again. Susan, I understand that many of these rear-end crashes do happen at high speeds, well over the limit and Ford says that any car's fuel tank might fail in some of these high-force impacts, regardless of where the tank is located. Is that true?
CANDIOTTI: Sure. Let me get to that in just a second here. First, I want to give you a quick look at the trunk itself. We took out padding so you could get a better look at it, it's behind the rear axle as you pointed out. This is the fuel tank right there and it's right behind the back seat.
Anderson, you asked about the high speed crashes. I do want to correctly point out to you, you have to remember two or three things about this. First of all, for years, the Federal Highway Safety Agency only required a car's gas tank hold up under a 35 miles an hour impact. Now, that standard has gone up to 50 miles an hour.
But when Ford designed these shields for police cars, Ford tested them at 75 miles an hour. And the company says the tanks remained intact. So the shields do work for the cop cars, even in some of the worst crash scenarios, all the more reason one would think to share with the rest of us.
COOPER: So for whoever might want to get one of these kits, does Ford have a Web site? Is there an 800 number? How do you get them?
CANDIOTTI: Well, Ford does have one site, www.customeraskford.com, where you can type in any kind of troubleshooting question and that is manned by real people 24 hours a day. If your dealer doesn't know about this, then I would suggest that you start there.
COOPER: We called six dealers, three of them didn't know what we were talking about. Susan Candiotti, thanks very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: You'll get a fresh per respective on the day's top stories from Anderson Cooper. Join "AC 360" weeknights, 10:00 p.m. Eastern.
He has no time for formality. He's the new president of Bolivia and the man who sparked a bit of a fashion trend just by being himself. It's right here on LIVE FROM next.
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PHILLIPS: More survivors and more bodies from a mountain of rubble in Nairobi, Kenya. At least 12 people are known dead, dozens still unaccounted for, in the aftermath of yesterday's collapse of a building that had been under construction. Authorities suspect shoddy workmanship, not, at the moment, foul play. A government spokesperson says they police are looking for the building's owner and contractor while teams from the U.S., Britain and Israel look for victims.
New questions today about how prepared the federal government should have been for Hurricane Katrina. FEMA and the Bush administration said no one anticipated the levee failure in New Orleans, but an e-mail sent to the White House situation room hours before Katrina hit tells a different story.
It contained a report from the Department of Homeland Security and it predicted that a category three storm would overwhelm the city, doing just what Katrina did, breaching levees, flooding whole parishes, leaving part of a major city under water for weeks.
A Senate panel investigating the government's response to Katrina blasted the Bush administration today. Senators contend the simulated storm called Hurricane Pam provided quote, explicit notice of the catastrophic impact Katrina would have.
It started as a routine morning at a suburban Washington day care center and ended with a child being shot. Police say an eight-year- old boy accidentally wounded a seven-year-old girl with a gun that he brought in his backpack.
They say he was playing with the weapon when it went off. The girl was shot in the arm and is expected to recover. Neighbors of the day care center say it's popular with parents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARON WILLIAMS, NEIGHBOR: I looked out window, but I didn't see anything. My sister called, she's like what's going on over there? I looked out my window, there was like seven cop cars in front. I turned on the news and that's when I heard the story.
CHARLENE PEARSALL, NEIGHBOR: A lot of people even in this neighborhood take their children to that particular day care, so I've never heard anything bad about this particular day care, so it's a shock. It's really is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Police are trying to find out how the boy got his hands on that gun. No one else was hurt.
All according to script on Capitol Hill. If you've been watching CNN, you know the Senate Judiciary Committee approved Samuel Alito's Supreme Court nomination on a party line vote. A full Senate vote could come as early as Friday. In the eyes of Senate Republicans, Alito is one of the most qualified nominees ever. Democrats see him swinging the court to the right.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. PATRICK LEAHY, (D-VT) JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: This is a nomination that I fear threatens the fundamental rights and liberties of all Americans now and in generations to come. The president is in the midst of a radical realignment of the powers of the government and its intrusiveness, its intrusiveness into the private lives of Americans. I believe this nomination is part of that plan.
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Your statements about Roe as settled law were very, very similar to what Chief Justice Roberts had to say. Chief Justice Roberts said Roe was settled and beyond, but he left room for stare decisis and precedents to be changed. And so did Judge Alito, as I think any nominee must.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: If confirmed as expected Alito would replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Coming up on LIVE FROM, a light lunch turns into a legal tangle for a Pennsylvania woman. We'll have more on the case of the tossed salad. Believe me, heads will roll. We're back in a minute.
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PHILLIPS: Well, forget the coat and tie. Sweaters are in in Bolivia, from peasants to the president. Here's Evo Morales at his inauguration on Sunday in a long, dark sweater. That's the vice president in the suit and tie.
But it's another Morales sweater that's getting all the attention, and as CNN's Lucia Newman tells us, the new head of state doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Bolivians elected left wing union leader Eva Morales, an Aymara Indian, to the presidency, people took notice. But when he went on a worldwide tour this month to seek support for his brand of socialism, the fashion police, not the politicians, went ballistic.
January 4, Comrade Morales greets the porter before Spanish President Jose Luis Zapataro as he enters Moncloa Palace wearing a striped sweater, the same sweater he wore later to meet Spain's king.
January 8. Here he is in China wearing the same sweater with the President Hu Jintao, again throwing protocol to the wind.
And here he is back in Bolivia on the eve of his inauguration, wearing the same maroon, blue and white striped sweater in an interview with CNN.
What's with the sweater, I ask.
PRES. EVO MORALES, BOLIVIA (through translator): I don't understand it, so much formality and protocol. It's not part of our culture. I always wear a jacket and sweater in Europe or here with peasant communities. This sweater was given to me by someone who knew it was cold in Europe, so I grabbed when I was packing because I couldn't find my favorite one.
NEWMAN: Now the striped sweater, or chumpa (ph) as it's called here, has become a national phenomena. At the Punta Blanco clothing factory, workers spin hundreds of replicas of the tri-colored garment, which has become a symbol of national pride, according to factory owner Raul Valda.
RAUL VALDA, FACTORY OWNER: It's a symbol that shows people should be genuine in the way they dress. People don't need to wear a tie or a tuxedo to attend ceremonies. They need to dress like who they are.
NEWMAN (on camera): In the case of Morales, a former leader of cocoa leaf farmers from humble origins, a man who sees no reason to wear a coat and tie, not even for his inauguration.
Lucia Newman, CNN, La Paz, Bolivia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, the best dressed man, standing by in Washington. Tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour, Wolf. How about a sweater like that?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, I'll do that one of these days, Kyra, thanks very much.
PHILLIPS: OK, thank you. We're all waiting.
BLITZER: Thank you, Kyra.
Coming up at the top of the hour, the government warned about devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina before it hit. So why was the response so slow? We're taking a closer look.
Also Harry Belafonte unscripted. He calls President Bush the world's greatest terrorist and compares the Department of Homeland Security to the Gestapo. He's not apologizing for any of that. My full interview with Harry Belafonte, plus the White House response.
Plus this during our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour here in "THE SITUATION ROOM," DNA justice. A man walks free after 24 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. How did the system get it so wrong for so long? We're going to speak with him live.
And remaking Kobe Bryant. Find out how the fallen star is bouncing back from rape charges. All that coming up, Kyra, right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."
PHILLIPS: We'll be watching. Thanks, Wolf.
Well, here's a puzzler for all those legal minds out there. Should there be a law against tossing salad? What if you tossed that salad out of your car? Let us consider lettuce and one Dawn Higgins of Easton, Pennsylvania. Higgins was ticketed for littering in a Wal- Mart parking lot after throwing part of her fast food salad from her car window.
Higgins says she figured lettuce comes from the ground, therefore it can go back into the ground. Now the state wants her to part with a different kind of green. She's been fined $173.50 after failing to show for a court date. Higgins has now filed an appeal and says she'll bring along a salad to show the judge.
Coming up on LIVE FROM, the dinner date that turned into a beautiful friendship. What are the chances? The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you. More odd news on LIVE FROM.
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PHILLIPS: New video in of a bus crash we've been following. Betty Nguyen with more in the newsroom -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Yes, Kyra, you have to check out this video. We're going to show it right now. This is surveillance video inside the bus. Their is a Miami-Dade transit bus. It looks like a normal day, people sitting there waiting to get to the next stop. But that is a dump truck smashed head on into this bus.
Look at this. People start flying to the floors. They're being moved and tossed around in the bus. A kid is crying there. And this crash was a head-on collision by a dump truck. The good news is that the dump truck was not carrying a full load. The bad news, 22 people were injured, 17 had to be rushed to a hospital.
An investigation is under way. At this point, though, it doesn't appear that drugs or alcohol were involved that collision. But nonetheless, not the kind of way anyone wants to start their Monday morning -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Yes, that's pretty scary. All right, thanks, Betty.
Well, now something for all of you avid LIVE FROM viewers and animal lovers everywhere. Last week we told you about an unlikely pair of buddies at a Tokyo zoo. But in case you thought we had somehow faked the photo, we now have video of the Felix and Oscar of fauna. Och Han (ph), the rat snake, first met Gohan Chen (ph), the hamster, as a potential meal. The two hit it off and now they're friends.
They're still pals, even though the snake is happily consuming other rodent meals. They're also the toast of Tokyo, drawing huge crowds who believe they symbolize love between enemies. Animal experts can't explain it and warn, hey, don't try this at home, you'll probably lose your rodent.
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