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Two Federal Air Marshals Accused in Drug Smuggling Case; Saddam Hussein Disruptive in Court
Aired February 13, 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: From the downhill to the half-pipe, it's standing room only for winter sports fans. Many locals, though, can take it or leave it in Torino. Their first love is soccer. That has sparked a whole new competition.
CNN's Alessio Vinci is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): The city of Torino is sparing no effort in making the Olympics an unforgettable show.
Awards ceremonies include fireworks and concerts.
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
VINCI: And residents are warming up to the whole extravaganza.
It's the downhill ski race that catches the imagination of little Mateo (ph). But, for all the glitz and glamour, when it comes to choosing between the Olympics and a decisive soccer game pitting home team Juventus against neighboring rivals Inter Milan, no one hesitates.
Forget soccer, pleads Giorgio Rocca, Italy's best hope for a gold in the slalom.
(LAUGHTER)
VINCI: The real game is Rocca-Ligety, he insisted, referring to his upcoming race against rival U.S. ski champion Ted Ligety.
No way, say these soccer fans watching the game in a packed Torino bar, which, only hours earlier, was half-empty, when the Olympics were on.
"Juventus is Juventus," he says. "If I had to choose between a gold medal and winning this soccer game, well, I would definitely pick the game."
(on camera): What do you prefer following, the Olympics or soccer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tonight, soccer.
VINCI: Why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tomorrow, Olympia.
(LAUGHTER)
VINCI: Olympics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
VINCI: Most people here agree that hosting the Olympics is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but soccer, they say, is in their DNA. In fact, it is in the soul of this entire nation. So, the Games, if anything, just offer a welcome distraction.
Alessio Vinci, CNN, Torino.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Top of the hour now -- new criticism for the White House from 11 house Republicans.
A select committee is about to release a report. It calls the governmental response to Hurricane Katrina a failure of leadership. It says Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff acted, in the panel's words, late, ineffectively, or not at all.
Even before the report is released officially, Chertoff is launching a counteroffensive. Speaking in Arlington, Virginia, he accused critics of trying to drive a wedge between concerns about terrorism and concerns about natural disasters.
CNN's homeland security correspondent, Jeanne Meserve, has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Michael Chertoff took responsibility for the Katrina response, saying it was unacceptable, and saying it had provoked much soul-searching. But he rejected criticism from, amongst others, Michael Brown, the former head of FEMA, that his department was so concentrated on terrorism, that it wasn't ready for a natural disaster.
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I unequivocally and strongly reject this attempt to drive a wedge between our concerns about terrorism and our concerns about natural disasters. That kind of wedge makes no sense, and it does a disservice to all of you here, who are working very hard to protect against any kind of disaster of whatever cause.
MESERVE: Mr. Chertoff chose to look forward in his remarks, rather than backwards, saying that certain lessons from Katrina and Rita already are being implemented. He talked about the need to improve logistics, need to improve communications, need to improve claims-processing within his department. He did not respond directly to Mr. Brown's comments on Friday that he would circumvent Mr. Chertoff when he had a problem and go directly to the White House. However, Mr. Chertoff did say today there is no place for a lone ranger in emergency response.
Neither did Mr. Chertoff respond directly to reports from the House committee investigating Katrina. The majority report says that he performed his responsibilities late, or ineffectually, or not at all. The minority report suggests that Mr. Chertoff should be removed from his job.
Although he did not comment directly, his spokesman said today that any suggestion that Mr. Chertoff was not doing his job was -- quote -- "outrageous."
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Alexandria, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: It is believed Katrina's total losses will top $20 billion -- or $60 billion. That's almost twice what insurance companies paid after 9/11. But many claims aren't being paid at all, among them, Mississippi Senator and former Senator Majority Leader Trent Lott.
CNN's Sean Callebs reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Of all the Katrina victims, he has the highest profile. This was early September, the first time Senator Trent Lott saw his property after the devastating storm.
SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MISSISSIPPI: You can't help but shed a few tears. This is -- this is where our home was.
CALLEBS: His $750,000 beachfront home in Pascagoula, Mississippi, simply wiped out.
LOTT: The first floor was probably about 12 or 14 feet above sea level. But, when you get hit with a 20-foot wall of water, not many places can withstand that kind of an erosion.
CALLEBS: Like so many in this region, Lott lost everything here. Like so many, he is frustrated with his insurance company, in this case, State Farm. Unlike so many, Lott is a power broker and is suing.
Lott hired his brother-in-law, Dickie Scruggs. Scruggs made his name and a fortune winning legal battles against big tobacco and the asbestos industry. Pascagoula City Manager Kay Kell has known Lott 15 years, and says, go get 'em.
KAY KELL, PASCAGOULA, MISSISSIPPI, CITY MANAGER: That's Trent. That's how he got where he is. He's very strong. If he thinks it's the right thing to do, he will fight it all the way. So, we're -- we are proud of him. And we're glad to have him.
CALLEBS: Lott is fed up, because State Farm said the storm surge floodwaters destroyed the 150-year-old home that stood here, not Katrina's punishing winds. Homeowners insurance doesn't cover damage from floods, only from wind.
Lott had federal flood insurance. It pays a maximum of $250,000, not enough to rebuild.
(on camera): Lott has said, this is home, and says he plans on rebuilding. He's powerful, and he's influential. And State Farm says it can empathize with the Mississippi senator.
(voice-over): But State Farm wants the lawsuit dismissed, saying: "We handle each claim on its own merits. And we pay what we owe, based on our contract with the policyholder."
It's been the same story all over the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast -- homeowners unable to rebuild because their insurance doesn't cover flooding and the argument over whether wind caused any of the damage.
Pete Floyd has lived a block from Lott for about 20 years. Floyd says he had flood insurance and got about $130,000, but got only $5,500 from his homeowners policy, so, he understands insurance rage.
PETE FLOYD, NEIGHBOR OF MISSISSIPPI SENATOR TRENT LOTT: I mean, Trent got on the news and said, I think there's going to be hell to pay if you all don't do something.
CALLEBS: That's exactly what he said.
LOTT: The people of the area that have been damaged by Hurricane Katrina cannot wait any longer. And I expect this to be done momentarily. And, if it's not, there's going to be hell to pay this day.
CALLEBS: Lott says the insurance company is trying to dodge its responsibilities. And while it's unclear whether there will be hell to pay, State Farm says, it doesn't have to pay Lott.
Sean Callebs, CNN, Pascagoula, Mississippi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN, your severe weather headquarters.
PHILLIPS: Plenty for kids to play in, plenty fun for grownups to shovel and drive through and complain about it -- a day after the first blizzard of 2006, millions of people across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states are overjoyed or overstressed, and road crews are overworked, facing two feet of snow or even more -- not even counting drifts.
Hundreds of thousands of kids got a snow day, after the storm shut down schools, roads and airports. One stranded traveler at New York's La Guardia airport says, "I never want to see snow again."
But are we going to see it anyway?
Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras at the CNN Weather Center.
Jacqui, what do you think?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Kyra.
Well, the Northeast is looking pretty good throughout much of the rest of the week, though we are watching a storm system we are expecting to develop across parts of the Rockies and affecting the Midwest for Thursday and Friday. So, stay tuned for more details on that.
In the meantime, we think things are going to be back to normal across the Northeast by tomorrow -- in fact, a real dramatic improvement here, in terms of the wind. Of course, the snow is already out of there -- and only two airports reporting delays still, Newark and La Guardia, less than an hour on their ground -- ground- delay program.
So, that's a lot better than what we were doing, even just a couple of hours ago. There are some scattered snow showers into the Northeast, but not the areas that were hit so hard with the nor'easter -- looking at snowfall across the Great Lakes, predominantly. There are some very cold temperatures into place.
So, if you are cleaning up, make sure you really bundle up today, and come inside and take some breaks, when you are shovelling that snow, because two feet of snow, yes, that can be very heavy and very stressful on your body, to shovel all that up.
Twenty degrees in Boston is your wind chill. Nineteen in Portland right now -- as we take a look at some snowfall totals for Massachusetts this hour, everybody well over a foot there -- Worcester, 16.9 -- and Cambridge, the top number there, at 18.2 inches.
Now, a lot of snow is going to start to be melting by tomorrow, as the temperatures get above the freezing mark. High pressure, which is settling into the region today, moves offshore by tomorrow.
What that means is, it's going to be driving in the southerly wind here, and starting to warm things up, after possible record lows in the morning tomorrow across Florida. We will watch those temperatures to rise throughout the day -- forecast, highs still going to be in the 30s for Boston, New York City, into Philadelphia.
But we are warming up into the 40s across the Mid-Atlantic states. And look at those 50s back into the Southeast. And, as we head into Wednesday, warmer still -- look at that, 40s and 50s across the Northeastern quarter.
So, this big, fast pack of winter came in hard and fast. And it's pulling out just as quickly -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right, Jacqui Jeras. Thank you so much.
Well, we have been saying that that storm was one for the books. Here's the facts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): The 26.9 inches of snow measured in Central Park is the highest amount ever recorded in a 24-hour period since record-keeping began in 1869.
The next highest amount was 26.4 inches, which fell in December, 1947. Another number could also be added to the record books for this weekend's snowstorm. New York City officials estimate that removing snow from the city costs about $1 million per inch. That would equal nearly $27 million per cleanup.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Just getting word about two air marshals arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine.
Our Kelli Arena with a developing story in Washington.
Kelli, what do you know?
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, two federal air marshals allegedly agreed to use their official positions to bypass airport security at Bush Inter -- Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
They were going to smuggle 15 kilograms of cocaine on board a flight to Las Vegas. And, according to a criminal complaint, the two men, in return, were supposed to get $15,000 in up-front money, with a promise more to come.
Now, Shawn Ray Nguyen and Burlie Sholar are both from Houston, Texas. They were arrested on Thursday. They are expected to make their initial appearance at court this hour. The government wants to detain both of them without bond.
CNN was unable to reach representative -- representatives for either man. And a spokesman for the air marshals tells us that the allegations are being taken very seriously and that their job status is pending. Both men have been employed as air marshals, Kyra, since 2002.
PHILLIPS: All right, so they haven't been on the job very long. Have they been in trouble ever before? Do we know?
ARENA: Not that we know of.
PHILLIPS: OK. So, is there a concern, now that this has come to light, that there might be other air marshals -- marshals involved with the same type of activity? ARENA: Well, you know, it's always a concern, when you have federal employees that can get through security gates, like regular citizens can't. So, screening is -- is done very carefully.
This looks very much like an isolated case, Kyra. No one that I have spoken to suggests that -- that this is, you know, permeating the entire system.
PHILLIPS: All right, Kelli Arena, thanks so much.
ARENA: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: Houses of worship, isolated, vulnerable and targeted, apparently by a pair of inseparable arsonists -- investigators looking into 10 Alabama church fires says one suspect may have been hurt in one of the blazes. Both may have been temporary trapped in one of the earlier churches that they torched.
Another went up in flames over the weekend in Beaverton. Witnesses and behaviorists are giving investigators leads and a possible profile of the fire-setters. Investigators are looking for two young white men believed to be bosom buddies.
Saddam Hussein in a huff -- and wait until you see what his half- brother wore, as they went back to court, against their will, against the judge, against the whole proceeding.
LIVE FROM captures the chaos after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Cursing the judge and calling him a criminal, just another day in court for Saddam Hussein -- the toppled Iraqi leader entered the courtroom today, shouting "Down with Bush" and "Long live Iraq."
Hussein continued with his rant. And, if his antics weren't enough, and half-brother and co-defendant came to court in what he called his pajamas -- all this apparently to test the legitimacy of the court. Is it working?
Talking me to -- joining me to talk more about that, Michael Scharf,, professor of law at Case Western Reserve University.
Michael, I have got to tell you what.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Every time this happens, every time they walk into the courtroom, we just sit here wondering, what's going to -- going to happen next. I mean, is this trial making any progress at all? Or is it just one scene of drama after another?
MICHAEL SCHARF, PROFESSOR, CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY: Well, Kyra, it's political theater at its finest. But behind the political theater, the judge is pushing on with the case. And, today, in fact, they read five witness testimony into the record. They had one of the insiders testify. Something else went wrong. The insider refused to actually confront Saddam Hussein.
But they are about to enter the stage of the trial where all of the insiders, the people that worked for Saddam Hussein, are going to talk about what really happened in the town of Dujail.
PHILLIPS: All right, let's take a listen to Saddam -- one exchange that Saddam had with the judge, and how the judge responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROUF ABDEL-RAHMAN, CHIEF JUDGE: You don't have the right to sit in this chair, because you ignore the law. I'm trying you under the law.
SADDAM HUSSEIN, FORMER IRAQI PRESIDENT: This is American law. You are a servant of America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you repeat the question? One minute.
ABDEL-RAHMAN: Be quiet. Be quiet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: All right. It seems like at least the new chief judge is somewhat trying to contain him. But, still, could he order someone to come in and gag him or -- or sit him down, or look over him, or make him sit in his seat?
SCHARF: You know, this exact same thing happened in a U.S. court just two weeks ago, in the case of Zacarias Moussaoui.
And what happened with the al Qaeda terrorist who is on trial in the United States is, the judge sent him out, said, you cannot be in my courtroom if you are going to act disruptively. This judge has tried that last week, but, then, everybody complained that, without Saddam Hussein in the courtroom, it was a show trial without the star attraction.
So, there are other things he's able to do. He may bring him in again against his will, maybe put him in a glass booth. We may be seeing him watch the trial from his jail cell through a closed-circuit television in a split-screen, so we can see his reactions.
But the key is, the judge realizes, they need Saddam in court, for the legitimacy of the tribunal, to be telecast to the people.
PHILLIPS: But can it be legitimate, when Saddam Hussein behaves like this, and, obviously, makes headlines, and -- and shouts out what he said today about, you know, that he's a -- the judge is just a -- a puppet of America, you know, etcetera, etcetera?
I mean, obviously, we are going to be talking about it. And everybody's paying attention to this. And that doesn't help the credibility.
SCHARF: No.
And what we're learning is that war crimes trials involving former leaders who are bound and determined to disrupt the proceedings are an extremely difficult challenge for the judges. And everything the judge tries to do, Saddam counters. He's really a genius at trying to disrupt the trial.
Now, does that mean that the tribunal is not legitimate? Does that mean that he's succeeding? Well, maybe in the eyes of the press and the public. But, at the end of the day, it's most important to see what the evidence is that comes in. And a mountain of evidence is being brought in against Saddam Hussein.
PHILLIPS: You said that, probably, we are not going to see any more big-name trial lawyers. Ramsey Clark probably isn't going to come back. Why is that, and -- and what do you mean, also, by high- profile trial lawyers?
SCHARF: Well, that's a good point.
Last week, Ramsey Clark and the other defense lawyers decided to boycott the trial. They said, we're leaving. And the judge says, you can't do that. You are disrupting my proceedings. You don't leave until I tell you to leave. And, if you insist on leaving, you are actually fired. You will forfeit your right to represent your clients.
And so, in fact, they did leave. And, immediately, the judge appointed a new defense team made up of public defenders who are willing to play by the rules. That's why, without these lawyers in the courtroom, things have been going much more smoothly. But, then again, Ramsey Clark is outside the courthouse today, saying it's not a fair trial. They are not letting me see my client.
And the judge explained today very carefully, he is no longer your client, and the new defense lawyers have been meeting with Saddam Hussein.
PHILLIPS: OK. Now, Saddam Hussein's half-brother, he was an adviser to him. He's one of the defendants, the one that apparently showed up in his pajamas. Can you force these guys to get dressed?
SCHARF: Well, it's not like they were hauled out of bed. They were told, we're going to the courtroom. And they refuse to get dressed. They decided to show up the way they did.
Again, it's political theater. They want to make it look like they were literally pulled out of their bed kicking and screaming, which wasn't at all the case.
No, how do -- you can try to force them to get dressed. You can try to force them to sit quietly in the courtroom. But, ultimately, everything you try to do, Saddam and these other wily defendants have a counter up their sleeve. PHILLIPS: And you are advising this tribunal. So, what are you saying to members of this tribunal now, as you watch this and as you listen to this? What are you telling them their next step should be, if this were to happen again?
SCHARF: Well, we're looking at the Milosevic case. And, of course, it's the fourth anniversary of the first day of the Milosevic trial yesterday.
And we are saying, look, we have got to -- to employ the lessons that were learned from the Milosevic case. We have got to keep the trial moving forward. It can't last four years, like in the Milosevic case. We have got to maintain the appearance of justice.
Judge, you have been accused now of being somebody who had been tried in absentia. You have got to explain to the people of Iraq and to the world that that was 30 years ago, that you were a judge for Saddam Hussein under his regime, and that, because of that, you don't have any bias one way or the other.
And, Judge, you have got to main -- control of your courtroom. Whatever Saddam Hussein does, you have got to be able to counter. You got have to be flexible. You can't look too heavy-handed, but you can't let things get out of control.
You know what? It's a lot for any human being to be able to do.
PHILLIPS: Michael Scharf, thanks so much.
SCHARF: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Private grief at a public forum -- less than a month- and-a-half after the Sago Coal Mine disaster, family members traveled to Capitol Hill to talk about the dead miners and how they died. They were joined by the families of miners killed in the 2001 mine disaster in Alabama.
And, at the times, the memories were pretty overwhelming.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMBER HELMS, DAUGHTER OF SAGO COAL MINE DISASTER VICTIM: My dad was more than just a -- a dad to me. He was my best friend. He was my leader, my companion. Sorry. He had my whole heart wrapped around his little finger. If I never got married, and if I just lived with him the rest of my life, I would be the happiest person in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, one of the most emotional moments came in a previously undisclosed letter from one of the men killed at the Sago Mine.
George Hamner wrote to his wife and daughter. He says -- quote -- "I'm still OK at 2:40 p.m. I don't know what is going on between here and outside. We don't hear any attempts at drilling or rescue. The section is full of smoke and fumes, so we can't escape. We are alive at this time. And I just want you and Sara to know that I love you both, and always have.
He added -- quoting again -- "Be strong. And I hope no one else has to show you this note. I'm in no pain, but don't know how long the air will last. Tell everyone, I'm thinking of them, especially Billy, Marion, Will, Bill and Peg. I love you all."
When the rescuers finally arrived, George Hamner was one of the 12 men found dead.
He made you ask, is it safe to go back in the water? We are going to remember author Peter Benchley ahead on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: He's the man who made you scared to go in the water. But he also worked just as hard for shark conservation.
Peter Benchley, author, journalist, speechwriter, environmental activist, has died of a disease that causes scarring of the lungs. Benchley's "Jaws," published in 1974, stayed on the "New York Times" best-seller list for 45 weeks. It terrified beachgoers, and then it terrified moviegoers. The movie version ushered in the modern Hollywood blockbuster. Peter Benchley was 65 years old.
His body of work goes far beyond that killer shark. And Benchley's own story is a page-turner in its own right.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Who knew "Jaws" has a real-life inspiration?
Peter Benchley said he got the idea from a 1964 news story about a two-ton great white shark caught off of Long Island. Benchley didn't get around to actually writing the novel until several years later. But the idea was so well received that, before it even went to the press, the book had earned more than $1 million in movie and paperback rights.
Before "Jaws," Benchley reported for "The Washington Post" and "Newsweek." He even wrote speeches for President Lyndon Johnson.
After "Jaws," Benchley dove in completely to writing about the sea. He wrote several novels. A number of them were made into movies, "The Deep," "The Island," and "The Beast," which was about a giant squid.
Benchley said that he was nearly bitten by a shark a few times himself. But the only sea creatures which ever actually injured him were jellyfish and sea urchins.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: This Valentine's Day, many couples may be planning to take the plunge and get married. While the emotional payoff is obvious, we thought we would look into the economic impact as well.
That's where Susan Lisovicz comes in.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: She joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange.
Susan, do we have a Valentine tomorrow?
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: Or do I not talk about that?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: My commitment is going out to dinner tomorrow night.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: All right.
LISOVICZ: That's as far as it goes.
PHILLIPS: That's good.
LISOVICZ: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
LISOVICZ: And while we're talking about the economics of love, Godiva chocolate, Kyra, is ringing the closing bell today, in advance of a very lucrative holiday for chocolate-makers everywhere.
But it looks like getting married is a good return after all. That's the conclusion of a study by an Ohio State University researcher. According to his review of over 9,000 baby boomers, married folks accumulated net worths that were 93 percent higher than single or divorced individuals.
And married people also tend to experience average wealth increases of 16 percent annually. Of course, two can live cheaper than one.
Another word of caution -- divorced folks saw their wealth levels diminish by 77 percent. So, obviously, marriage is a much better investment, if it comes with a lifetime guarantee. And that's tricky.
Now, if you are tying the knot this year, chances are, you are going to be spending a big chunk of money. A study from Conde Nast Bridal Group says, the average cost of a wedding has doubled since 1990. It now stands, the average, at nearly $28,000 for the wedding.
The study also found nearly every wedding expense has gone up more than 20 percent since 2002, and that only about one-third of the bride's parents actually foot the bill -- a lot of brides and grooms doing that knew. Turning to the markets, well, the bulls aren't feeling the love today -- the Dow industrials down 47 points, or about a half-a-percent -- the Nasdaq, meanwhile, down more than 1 percent.
And that is the latest from Wall Street.
Join me later this hour for the closing bell, live from the New York Stock Exchange.
We are back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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