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Election Day Approaches in Uganda; Security Scare at Houston Airport
Aired February 22, 2006 - 14:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, tomorrow is election day if you're in Uganda. The African nation's current president is a former rebel who seized power 20 years ago. Running against him? His former doctor, who has been charged with treason, and jailed off and on since announcing his candidacy.
Here's CNN's Jeff Koinange.
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JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He's the man who has dared to challenge a 20-year status quo: 49-year-old Dr. Kiiza Besigye, the retired army colonel and the former personal physician to the man he's looking to unseat, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
And if that's not enough drama, consider this soap opera scenario: Museveni was once romantically linked to this woman, Winnie Byanyima, who now just happens to be married to Besigye. All this has made for a bizarre campaign season filled with intrigue, innuendoes, and insults.
Topping it all is the fact that Besigye's been spending most of his campaign time ducking in and out of courtrooms. He stands accused of a laundry list of charges, ranging from treason to rape, but says he's innocent, that this is his former friend's way of clinging onto power by any means.
DR. KIIZA BESIGYE, FORUM FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE: Any win by him would be a win on the background of an unfree and an unfair election. And certainly he has demonstrated amply enough that he's not committed to democracy.
KOINANGE: This is the picture many here have been accustomed to seeing of Besigye, handcuffed and surrounded by armed policemen. Now his supporters are using it as a symbol of defiance during his campaign rallies, taunting the government to dare to arrest them all.
(on camera): Dr. Besigye says he's determined to run his former friend, and now political foe, President Museveni, out of office, insisting, among other things, that after 20 years in office, Museveni is way past his sell-by date.
(voice-over): The former army colonel knows a good fight when he sees one, and nothing, he says, is going to stop him from keeping his date with destiny.
BESIGYE: There's a cumulative effect of the mistakes and people get tired of the same thing. You know, there is monotony, there is lack of new initiatives, and that is -- we are exempt. There is a decadence that sets in with Obote staying in power, believing that whatever the presidency wants will be done, no longer sensitive to the feelings of the people.
KOINANGE: The campaign has turned ugly in the run-up to Thursday's vote, each side trading abuses in an election that seems more a contest between two individuals than two ideologies.
"We prefer the colonel to remove the old man, because after 20 years, he's ruled us for too long," she says.
Still, some analysts agree, enough is enough.
JOAQUIM BUWEMBO, MANAGING DIR., DAILY MONITOR: Some people want change for the sake of change, but I think the base of this invincible Museveni have gone.
KOINANGE: This is the country's first multi-party election since independence in 1962. Some polls actually show Besigye leading with days to go before the poll. Whether Ugandans are ready for a change of guard at the top or whether they're going to stand by their man of 20 years is, for many here, too close to call.
Jeff Koinange, CNN, Kampala (ph), Uganda.
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WHITFIELD: Well, here's something that's pretty alarming. Two families who have always been close learn of a secret pact between their kids, and they learn it the hard way.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It won't happen again, because there won't be no more guns. He's lost his gun privileges, that's for sure.
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WHITFIELD: Well, let's hope so. LIVE FROM has the accidental shooting and the cohort's cover-up you won't believe, straight ahead.
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WHITFIELD: Well, in the movie "A Christmas Story," Ralphie's mom refuses to consider his request for a B.B. gun, warning "you'll shoot your eye out." Well, after seeing this next story, parents with the same point of view will have new ammo to bolster that argument.
But all's well that ends well in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Cynthia Williams has more from our affiliate WSMV.
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CYNTHIA WILLIAMS, WSMV REPORTER (voice-over): Dusty Rowland and his best friend Edward Patton (ph) were enjoying last weekend together when the fun took a dangerous turn.
DUSTY ROWLAND, INVOLVED IN SHOOTING ACCIDENT: And then we shot out the window and it ricocheted back and hit E.J. on the side.
WILLIAMS: According to Dusty, the two boys were target shooting when a bullet from his parents' .22 rifle struck Edward in his side.
TIFFANY ROWLAND, MOTHER: (INAUDIBLE) and we're just really sorry and, you know, we learned our lesson, and our prayers are with E.J. and Karen and anything they need, they've got it.
WILLIAMS: To make bad matters worse, the two boys didn't see much blood, so they agreed to keep the accident a secret from their parents.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both of them were scared to death, and we tried to tell them anytime something like that happens, always tell it. No matter how much trouble you think you're going to get in, tell it.
WILLIAMS: It wasn't until the next morning when E.J., as he's called, got out bed with back pains that he said something to an adult. Even then, he kept a pact of silence until the doctor saw the bullet on an X-ray.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the doctor's oh, no, no, no. You have a .22 bullet inside of him. You know, me and Mom were like -- just freaked.
WILLIAMS: Vanderbilt's doctors removed the bullet and Edward's mother says the prognosis for the 12-year-old, as well as the years long relationship between the two families, is good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, I feel so sorry for Tiffany. That's my girl, you know, Rydner Walkin (ph). You know, me and Craig, we grew up together, went to school together. E.J. and Justin went to school together. You know, they're great friends.
WILLIAMS: As for Dusty, days spent hunting on his parent's farm over, at least for now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It won't happen again, because there won't be no more guns. He's lost his gun privileges, that's for sure.
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WHITFIELD: Wow, that's a remarkable story.
All right, well, for some breaking news, let's go to Carol Lin, who's in the newsroom -- Carol. CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred, apparently there was a security breach at the Houston International Airport. This is what we know right now from Roger Smith, who is with the City of Houston Aviation. They are saying that a slim woman in tight jeans, dark hair with highlights and blue sweater, went around a security check checkpoint. As a result, the interterminal train was shut down and several large overhead doors were shut down as well.
Now, according to Roger Smith, he said that they may have a person already in custody. But obviously, a big scare when somebody goes up to a security checkpoint, Fred, and just walks right around it and takes off.
WHITFIELD: That's right. And does that mean now that they have grounded a number of those flights, not just the Terminal B being shut down but grounded flights?
LIN: Yes, we don't have that information quite just yet, but Fred, we've covered enough security breaches to know that once that happens, everything shuts down.
WHITFIELD: Right.
LIN: They've got to check all the terminals, they've got to make sure that they find this person, to make sure that they didn't board with a weapon or otherwise.
WHITFIELD: OK.
LIN: We'll find out for you.
WHITFIELD: All right, very good. Carol Lin, thanks so much, in the newsroom with that.
Well straight ahead, entertainment news with A.J. Hammer of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." A.J., what is on tap?
A.J. HAMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Fredricka, you're fired, and so is my cameraman.
WHITFIELD: What?
HAMMER: We may have to deal with that after the program, but we're dealing today with the battle over "The Apprentice." What's got Donald Trump and Martha Stewart so fired up? I'll have that and deal with my cameraman when LIVE FROM continues.
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WHITFIELD: Some breaking news out of New York. Let's head over to Allan Chernoff. What's going on, Allan?
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, in about seven minutes, Mayor Bloomberg will be making an announcement to reassure the public, but there is an incident involving anthrax in New York City. Apparently -- we have this according to a senior federal law enforcement official that a drummer has anthrax-like symptoms, and has been hospitalized.
Apparently the story is that this drummer received these symptoms through the skins on his drums. It's a naturally occurring substance, anthrax, and as a result this person is hospitalized, but the mayor is expected to announce in just a few minutes that this is nothing for people to worry about, that this is not related to any terrorist activity whatsoever.
But the mayor will be giving further details in just a few minutes at 3:00 Eastern time. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, we'll be looking for that, thanks so much, Allan Chernoff. Let's go back to the newsroom with Carol Lin with an update on the situation in Houston. Carol? All right, well we'll try to get back with her in a moment. We're going to take a short break. More of LIVE FROM when we come right back.
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WHITFIELD: Let's get an update now on that situation, the alleged security breach in Houston. Carol Lin's in the newsroom.
LIN: Well Fred, the Terminal B, at least Terminal B, has been shut down at the Houston International Airport. What happened was there's a report of a woman -- and this is her description, who bypassed security. She's a slim woman in tight jeans, dark hair with highlights and a blue sweater. She went around a security checkpoint.
As a result of that, as you can see, look on the right-hand side if the screen -- those are all the people who are now backed up because planes are not taking off from Terminal B. We are on the phone with the airport right now. We're trying to get a spokesperson or someone in charge of security to talk about what's going to happen next.
There is a report, according to Roger Smith, with the City of Houston Aviation that that person may have apprehended, but we're trying to confirm that information.
In the meantime, hundreds, thousands of people now having to wait for their flight to take off until they find this woman who bypassed security.
WHITFIELD: All right, what a mess that is. Thanks so much, Carol. We'll check back with you.
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