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Shiite Attacks Target Sunnis in Iraq; Hurricane Katrina Lessons; Port Deal Causes Political Firestorm
Aired February 23, 2006 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, officially it's not civil war, but Iraq may be the closest to it since the U.S. invasion almost three years ago. The bombing of a major Shiite mosque yesterday triggered widespread attacks against Sunnis and their shrines. Attacks continued today, scores of people killed, more than 100 Sunni mosques damaged or destroyed.
CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Baghdad with the very latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iraq on high alert tonight following Wednesday's attack on one of the most revered Shia mosques in the city of Samarra. All security personnel who were on leave called back to duty, curfews extended in the capital and in other cities across the country.
This is reprisal attacks that have continued against the Sunni minority. In the capital alone, 50 Sunnis were killed, some 50 Sunni mosques came under attack, five of them destroyed.
What followed as well taking place in the political arena, the country's largest Sunni bloc withdrawing from talks over forming a unity government, suspending those talks, they say, because the government has not condemned the reprisal attacks against the Sunni minority despite the fact that it condemned the attacks on the Shia mosque.
Meantime, the U.S. military says that on Wednesday, seven U.S. soldiers were killed in two separate attack. Both attacks coming after a roadside bomb detonated while the soldiers were on patrol.
Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The Sunni-Shiite violence calls for a quick review of these two schools of Islam and how this tension came to be. Here are the facts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OCTAVIA NASR, CNN ARAB AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): About one in every five people on the planet consider themselves Muslim. That's about $1.2 billion. But there are many divisions in the Muslim community, the largest being between Shiites and Sunnis. The majority of the world's Muslim population follows the Sunni branch, only about 15 percent follow the Shiite branch. But in some countries, the concentration of Shiites is larger. These nations are Bahrain, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Iran and Iraq.
Shiites historically believe that religious authority has been handed down from Prophet Mohammed through bloodlines. When you hear the terms "iman" and "ayatollah"...
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, today the White House issued an urgent call to action to all levels of government involved in disaster response. In a report detailing failures related to Hurricane Katrina, the administration identified 11 specific problems it wants fixed by the first of June, the start of hurricane season. One of the president's top advisers says the old way of doing things just won't cut it anymore.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANCIS TOWNSEND, HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: The one thing that the government tends to be best at is red tape. But what we know is, when we're fighting a deadly hurricane or a terrorist threat, red tape can no longer be tolerated or accepted. So we need to rewrite the National Response Plan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Some officials are calling for wholesale changes at FEMA, which has taken the brunt of the blame for governmental failures.
Joining us here, a former regional head of FEMA, John Copenhaver. He headed the agency's Atlanta office during the Clinton administration and worked under James Lee Witt when he was head of FEMA.
Good to see you, John.
JOHN COPENHAVER, FMR. REGIONAL HEAD OF FEMA: Good to be here.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, we heard from Ms. Townsend. She says eliminate the red tape, and that's what this plan does.
Do you agree?
COPENHAVER: I think that eliminating red tape is always a good thing, but it's a whole lot easier said than done. And what's interesting to me is the way that they position this as the old way of doing things won't work.
Well, there's the new old way and the old old way. And if you look at the new old way, which is pre-Katrina, yes, true, that obviously is not going to work. But maybe you could look back a little bit beyond that at the way that FEMA ran when back when it was an independent cabinet label agency under James Lee Witt and President Clinton. And we did a lot of things right back then.
WHITFIELD: Is that part of the problem, that it was an independent agency at that point, as opposed to now being consolidated under homeland security as a whole? Is that where some of the problems began?
COPENHAVER: Some of the problems began there. It's really a question of structure and leadership. And if you have good structure and bad leadership or bad structure and good leadership, either way you're going to have problems. You need good structure and good leadership.
WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk about some of these points of progress that are being outlined in the report.
Ms. Townsend is saying the improvements, suggested improvements, include response as a better communication, like use of satellite phone; better coordinated relief missions; there will be a one-stop assistance process.
How much of an improvement are these things, for example, or have we seen these before, perhaps they were eliminated, or did they just never exist?
COPENHAVER: Well, many of them did exist. And they went by the wayside, for whatever reason that may be. They went by the wayside during the past few years. And it's a good idea to do many of these things again.
Some of the things we need to stop and think about, such as the prepositioning of a joint field office, that could be problematic if we don't exactly know where the hurricane is going to go. And they say that that's the kind of thing that you would do if you had warning of disaster. And pretty typically hurricanes are the only disasters we get warning about.
But some of the other things that they talk about I think pretty clearly were good things to do back six years ago and are still good things to do.
WHITFIELD: This is a plan to be put in place, if that's a recommendation, that will help the hurricanes or natural disasters of the future. This is not a plan being put in place to help any of those evacuees or victims of Hurricane Katrina, right?
COPENHAVER: That's true. And...
WHITFIELD: So if I'm a Hurricane Katrina evacuee, and either I'm homeless or I'm living in a trailer, or I'm staying at a hotel, is this going to further infuriate me?
COPENHAVER: It's likely to. You didn't hear anything today that would make your life any better. It's recommendation for how we need to improve before the next hurricane season starts, but we've still got an awful lot of work to do to help the people that were victims of Katrina. WHITFIELD: What were some of the things you were hoping to hear that should be -- based on your surmising, you know, in this report?
COPENHAVER: Well, I want there to be some kind of a group that takes a look at all the options. What I have not yet heard to any significant extent is the option of looking at the way that FEMA used to work, you know, back a number of years ago. Looking at the need for experienced emergency managers such as James Lee Witt. We've talked about that, but I haven't seen that really fundamentally incorporated anywhere.
And also looking at questions of structure. We need good leadership and we need good structure. And we need to do away with a lot of the bureaucracy that comes from having FEMA be a part of the Department of Homeland Security.
WHITFIELD: Should -- are you advocating that there should be some consulting even, you know, with those who are involved with FEMA now, with FEMAs of the past, or would that just get a little too political because you're dealing with different administrations and people might never do that in Washington?
COPENHAVER: Well, I think -- I don't even know that it needs to be consulting. There are a lot of people that care very deeply about this nation's emergency management system and who would jump at the chance to have their opinions be heard. And I think that just bringing together people that are acknowledged to be experts in this field and asking them for their help and their thoughts and their analysis would be a good start.
WHITFIELD: How concerned or worried are you about June 1? Hurricane season beginning again. Now, that's aside from everything else, all the other kind of natural disasters that could take place in this year...
COPENHAVER: Right.
WHITFIELD: ... from, you know, tornadoes, et cetera. But when we talk about hurricane season, how concerned are you that FEMA will be there and be equipped to help people when the time comes again?
COPENHAVER: I'm very concerned. Honestly, FEMA has been through so much and has taken so many hard knocks. It still has a lot of very good experienced people there. I mean, people that have been there, done that, that have been through disasters, that under the basics of emergency management. But in many instances, if you put those people under leadership that doesn't understand emergency management, then the results aren't going to change a whole lot.
WHITFIELD: John Copenhaver, thanks so much. Formerly of FEMA. Good to see you here in Atlanta.
COPENHAVER: Thank you. I appreciate it, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, almost a half year since Hurricane Katrina, thousands of victims are still waiting for insurers to pay up. Coming up on LIVE FROM, we'll talk with a woman who spent more than a month waiting for a key to her temporary home.
And making waves on Capitol Hill. The growing controversy over the Dubai Ports deal sparked debate at a Senate briefing today. Critics say the administration made a mistake when it OK'd a deal allowing a company from the United Arab Emirates to take over operations at six major U.S. ports.
Democrat Hillary Clinton says the administration did not require enough safeguards against the possibility of terrorist infiltration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: The administration did not require Dubai Ports to keep copies of business records on U.S. soil where they would be subject to court orders. It did not require the company to designate an American citizen to accommodate U.S. government requests. If 9/11 was a failure of imagination and Katrina was a failure of initiative, this process is a failure of judgment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: A Defense Department spokesman argued that rejecting the deal could cause problems for the United States in the war on terror.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORDON ENGLAND, DEPUTY DEFENSE SECRETARY: In this war, this very long war, it is very important that we strengthen the bonds of friendship and security with our friends and allies around the world, and especially with our friends and allies in the Arab world. So it is important that we treat our friends and allies equally and fairly around the world and without discrimination, otherwise it will be harmful in this war. The terrorists want us, they want our nation to become distrustful, they want us to become paranoid and isolationists. And my view is we cannot allow this to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Among the factors in play for the Bush administration as it fights for the Dubai deal is U.S. military ties with the United Arab Emirates.
CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Pentagon stepped into the political firestorm over a deal to allow a United Arab Emirates company to manage six U.S. seaports. Officials stress the UAE is an ally in the war on terror.
GEN. PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: The military's relationship with the United Arab Emirates is superb. They've got great seaports. SEN. JOHN WARNER (R-VA), CHAIRMAN, ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: We're engaged in a war on terrorism. The UAE is a vital -- I repeat, vital -- ally for purposes of our naval operations, for purposes of our air operations, and we've got to treat them fairly and objectively.
STARR: The U.S. military's relationship dates back decades.
In the late 1990s, the U.S. sold the UAE 80 F-16s in a $6.5 billion deal seen as a centerpiece in the bilateral relationship. The UAE provides the U.S. with political and military support for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, overflight rights and support for U.S. Air Force refueling surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, docking and naval support for U.S. warships at the Port of Jebel Ali and Fujara (ph). Jebel Ali is the only location in the Persian Gulf where U.S. Navy aircraft carriers dock pier side.
Analysts say the U.S. relationship with the UAE is so strong it will survive this latest controversy.
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We could not make much progress on terrorism without the cooperation of countries in the Persian Gulf. And among those countries, the UAE has been consistently one of the most helpful.
STARR: But even at the Pentagon the deal caught senior leaders by surprise.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I should add that I wasn't aware of this until this weekend, as I think was the case with Pete.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: And Fredricka, Pentagon officials say they expect this department's procedures to be reviewed so in the future when hot button issues arise, Secretary Rumsfeld will know about them -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Barbara Starr.
Thanks so much.
Well, your Olympic update is coming up. And grace combined with athleticism brought her gold. Her hair even more fame. Dorothy Hamill talks about life after the gold.
LIVE FROM brings that to you straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, time to go to the newsroom and check in with Carol Lin with a developing story -- Carol.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This one out of Roseburg, Oregon, Fred. A gunman opened fire at 7:45 this morning on a 16-year-old student. Now, according to eye witnesses, one named David Smith, who witnessed the capture, actually, of the gunman said that the suspect had a revolver with a long barrel. And according to a local cable news station out there, the gunman is another 16-year-old, possibly even a student.
Now, in terms of what happened next, the school went into a lockdown and all the students were sent home. As far as the condition of the 16-year-old who was shot, he was shot three times, was operated on, and is said to be doing well.
Fred, no motive so far or description of the young suspect, no other details about his identity is being revealed right now. But obviously a very frightening situation. There was even an elementary school nearby who was in a lockdown just as a precaution because of this incident.
WHITFIELD: Wow. All right. We'll check back with you as we get more developments. Thanks so much, Carol
Well, more trouble for the U.S. Naval Academy. CNN has learned an investigation is under way into a new allegation of sexual assault. A Navy official tells CNN the accused is a member of the Navy football team.
In an unrelated case, the team's quarterback has been charged with rape. Midshipman First Class Lamar Owens is accused of assaulting a female midshipman in a campus dorm last month.
And medical teams are conducting more tests on an apartment building in New York City. It's the home of the city's first known anthrax patient in more than four years.
Health officials believe the man picked up the anthrax bacteria from raw animal skins he recently brought back from Africa. He's still being hospitalized in he's in stable condition. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg assured New Yorkers yesterday that everyone involved believes the infection is an isolated incident and there is no cause for alarm, he says.
Coming up, still learning from Hurricane Katrina and making preparations for hurricane season 2006, not that far away.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: London is laid to waste, and the locals are quite happy to see it happen. Oh, you thought I meant the real London? No, it was the city -- this city constructed entirely of cookies. Or, as they like to say across the pond, biscuits.
It took the artist a week, five assistants and more than 72,000 individual goodies to pull it all together. And in the end, London Bridge came falling down, bite by bite. And everyone, including the artist, enjoyed the debris, or as the Brits like to say, debris. And now for a lesson in how not to handle criticism.
Paris restaurant La Tour D'Argent was humiliated after the Michelin tourist guide knocked off a star off its rating. It became a one-star establishment on a three-star scale because Michelin said readers complained the food wasn't as good as it used to be. But in a nation known for culinary competition, you might be surprised how the eatery handled this decision.
It told Michelin to take its guide and shove it. And as the French say, D'Argent doesn't want to be in it anymore.
Well, many people get TiVo or other DVR devices so they can avoid watching ads during their favorite shows. But at least one company is trying to outsmart the technology.
Susan Lisovicz has the story live from the New York Stock Exchange.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: In 97 days, the hurricane season begins. Will the nation be ready?
CNN's Tom Foreman explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): By the time hurricanes hit American shores again, FEMA will be improved and ready to respond. That's the promise from Acting Director David Paulison.
DAVID PAULISON, FEMA ACTING DIRECTOR: FEMA has lost the confidence of a lot of people in this country, and we have to prove that we can do it.
FOREMAN: FEMA says it's working on dozens of reforms. During Katrina, police, firefighters and the Coast Guard had radios that did not work with each other, and cell phones were out, hindering rescues. FEMA says it has new equipment, similar to the gear on this military truck that will link radio systems and provide cell service, even when the phone towers are down.
PAULISON: We will have the ability to get realtime accurate information. We'll know when things go wrong. We'll know exactly when the dikes give away and whatever could happen.
FOREMAN (on camera): You'll know where it's going on, too.
PAULISON: And where it's going on, too.
FOREMAN (voice-over): FEMA is replacing millions of prepackaged military meals, water, rescue equipment, too. The agency is reviewing its supply chain to figure out why some trucks ended up stranded, lost or in the wrong place.
After Katrina, FEMA phone and computer help lines were clogged, so capacity is being doubled to let 200,000 disaster victims register for help each day.
PAULISON: I think that's the important thing, that we're not just sitting back and saying, oh, it's not going to happen again. Well, by golly, it darn well may happen again, and we better be ready.
FOREMAN: Local emergency managers say the federal government is cutting $13 million of their readiness funding, so they're not convinced FEMA is remade yet.
MIKE SELVES, INTL. ASSN. OF EMERGENCY MANAGERS: I'm not sure. I heard the proposals that have been made. I don't know that FEMA is any different, not in any substantive way that we've seen, than it was last August.
FOREMAN: And there is Michael Chertoff. The embattled secretary of homeland security was overseeing FEMA last hurricane season. He still is. Morrie Goodman is a former FEMA official.
(on camera): Do you think the people in FEMA will follow Michael Chertoff?
MORRIE GOODMAN, FORMER FEMA OFFICIAL: What do you mean by follow him? You mean follow his lead?
FOREMAN: Trust him as a leader.
GOODMAN: I think the people at FEMA are very bewildered about who's the captain of the ship and where's this ship headed.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Paulison disagrees, but understands the doubt.
(on camera): Why should the American public believe you when you say FEMA will be ready?
PAULISON: That's a difficult question. I don't know that I would expect them to believe me. The proof is going to be in the pudding.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And almost a half a year later, legions of victims of Hurricane Katrina say they're still awaiting insurance checks. Many home owners say they want to rebuild, but their insurers aren't helping as they had promised.
This the living room of a New Orleans resident, Ann Eckert, before Katrina hit. And take a look now. This is after the storm. The levees broke and sent water flooding into her home. Notice the mud on the floor and the mold that's creeping up on those once pristine walls. Well, she's having quite a hard time getting insurance to pay for the damage.
Ann joins us now from New Orleans. Good to see you, Ann.
ANN ECKERT, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: Hi.
WHITFIELD: Well, at least in your case, you've actually had some dialogue with your insurance company, because there are a lot of folks who talk about the frustration of not getting returned calls, no sign of an adjuster, et cetera. The difference here is you've been in touch with your insurance company, but they see the damage a little differently than you do, right?
ECKERT: Well, you know, 145 days. It's 145 days and I still can't get a check from them. So we wait to fix our house.
WHITFIELD: So when you hear today the White House report and the kinds of improvements that the federal government says it's committed to do so that the machine is working a little bit more smoothly come the next hurricane season -- they talk about improving communication between the local and the federal branches of government, and they talk about streamlining registration. Does any of that stuff mean anything to you?
ECKERT: Well, sure. I mean, you know, of course Katrina was the worst disaster. And so, you know, they say that no one can prepare for this. Well, someone's got to, because there is the chance that did will happen again. And so, you know, people who pay their taxes on time and commit to the community need to be able to feel like the government is going to take care of them when a catastrophe like this happens. And so if they need to make more -- you know, prepare more to help more, then that's what they should do.
WHITFIELD: What were some of the questions you were hoping would be answered for you today upon the release of this White House report?
ECKERT: Well, my main question and my -- basically my only question is what about the levees? You know, is enough going to be done to fix the levees? Because, you know, if you see my house, it's all water damage, there was no wind damage. My house was not hit by Katrina, my house was hit by the levees breaching.
So, you know, am I stupid to come back to New Orleans because we don't have a good levee system? No, this my home. I want the government to let me know that my taxes are going to something that is going to make me feel safe in house. And should that be? Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: And so when you hear the government talk about we want to eliminate the red tape that was apparent post-Katrina -- talk about red tape. Here you finally got a trailer. So many other families are still waiting for one. You did finally get a trailer or mobile home, right, but then you couldn't even get into it for over a month. Is that right? ECKERT: Right. Thirty-seven days. Yes. And, you know, I thought I was prepared. I called in September, yes, I want a trailer. I have no idea what's happening. I, you know, rented a house in Lafayette on the spot. I put my kids in school on the spot. But the one thing I do know is I want it go back to New Orleans. So yes, do I want a trailer? Yes, I want a trailer.
Once I found out the kids' schools were opening up, you know, I'd given them three months. Please get me a trailer by January 5th. Well, the trailer was put on my property December 7th and they could not produce a key for it until January 15.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh.
ECKERT: I think that is -- you know, I think enough people were in the city of New Orleans, dealing with trailers that someone could have produced a key for me to move into it rather than make me find alternate arrangements for my family of four. And you know, just to make sure that my kids can be enrolled in school where they should be.
WHITFIELD: And so now, with less than four months to go, hurricane season about to begin again. How worried or how hopeful are you that this experience, this hurricane season, just might be very different as a result of any new proposed changes or lessons learned? .
ECKERT: Well, I hope so. You know, if ever a lesson were to be learned, here's the proper venue for it. So let's hope that, you know, the Senate hearings and all that were with the intention of making it better, not just pointing the finger. So, you know, let's hope that FEMA will be more prepared this next time, and people will be able to be helped sooner, and you know, get their lives back together. Because let me tell you, it has been a rough 145 days.
WHITFIELD: I bet it's felt like at least that and double, hasn't it, at times?
ECKERT: Oh, you know, I live my life day to day. It's a roller coaster. And one day, I think everything is going to work out, and the next day, you know, I have 25 things to deal with. I couldn't have done this interview yesterday because I was trying -- you know, I had so many things that need...
WHITFIELD: Yes, juggling so much.
ECKERT: ... addressing. It's instantaneously and it all revolves around getting myself back to my house, which is where I want to be.
WHITFIELD: All right, well, Ann Eckert, a resident of New Orleans. Thanks so much. And you say you are going to continue to be a resident there, no matter what it takes. And best of luck to you and your family so that you can finally get together and perhaps rebuild and restore some semblance to your life.
ECKERT: Thank you. Always a New Orleanian, what can I say? WHITFIELD: All right. A die-hard all the way. Thanks so much, Ann.
Well, in the days after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans police got a steady stream of flak after some cops abandoned their post. In reality, most were out risking their own lives to help save others.
CNN's Sean Callebs spoke with two officers about some of what they went through.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Katrina hit, New Orleans' police officers raced to the lower Ninth Ward. Sgt. Todd Morrell and others, crossing a low bridge to get there.
TODD MORRELL, SERGEANT, NEW ORLEANS POLICE: The thing I just remember about coming over the crest of the bridge was just seeing just the rooftop of all the houses and, you know, green water.
CALLEBS: He said this was at least four days before military troops arrived. At this point, it was just a few cops, a chainsaw and two boats.
MORRELL: What we would do is we would idle down a street in a boat. We would then kill the engine on the boat so we could listen for people screaming.
CALLEBS: People trapped in 15 feet of flood water. At the same time, about a mile away, Fifth District Officer Carolyn Dalton found herself in Bywater Hospital with waters rising.
CAROLYN DALTON, OFFICER, NEW ORLEANS POLICE: Of course, I mean, we were scared. We was in the mid of chaos, something we had never experienced before in our lives. Yet, instinct kicked in and it's survival at this point, you know. I'm going to survive this.
CALLEBS: Dalton's fellow officers fanned out. They had to siphon gas. The hospital's generators were running out of fuel. That could mean death for patients on life support.
Back in the lower Ninth Ward, Sgt. Morrell was trying to get frightened residents into a small boat.
MORRELL: Originally, we tried to bring the boats directly to the house, and to load people onto our boats. Well, both boats almost got capsized.
CALLEBS: Here's Morrell at work, trying to calm the traumatized.
MORRELL: We actually had to put on our dive gear. We'd have to jump in the water, swim to the house, calm everybody down and then bring the boat in to get them afterwards.
CALLEBS: Back at the hospital with Dalton, the situation was dire. Generators failed. She and others manually ventilated patients and frantically tried to find another facility to help them.
DALTON: After three hours, I pumped, I pumped -- me and my fellow officers, we'd pump. I saved somebody's life. You know, I wasn't able to save everybody's life and a lot of people died, but I was able to save one person's life and I think that was my finest point.
CALLEBS: Morrell was credited with saving hundreds of people over a period of days. But that didn't get nearly as much attention as other officers, accused of running away or looting.
MORRELL: Nobody ever gave us any credit, you know, for the amount of people that we saved.
CALLEBS: Today, finally, some recognition. The New Orleans Police Department honored all officers who stayed and worked through the worst of times. Today, Morrell says he's closer to his family, dedicated to training to keep his edge, and goes nowhere without the chainsaw that freed so many people.
Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And just like a movie, a band of robbers makes off with more than $70 million in stolen cash. You won't believe how they pulled it all off. We have details and a report from London coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well it seems like one of those stories that belongs in a movie script, a complicated and well-planned robbery with fake police cars, commando tactics and a staggering amount of money. Word today that British police have arrested a man and a woman in connection with the crime. We're awaiting details right now. Well in the meantime, here's CNN Paula Newton on how it all went down.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was big, it was bold and it worked. What could be Britain's biggest money grab went off without a hitch inside this unassuming building about 30 miles south of London. Even police admit they're stumped.
ADRIAN LEPPARD, ASST CHIEF CONSTABLE, KENT POLICE: This a meticulously planned operation. It has taken weeks, if not months of planning. A lot of people would have been involved, a lot of people on the periphery will know that something's going on.
NEWTON: The details read like a Hollywood script. The target, a cash warehouse, the victims, the warehouse manager and his family. As he is leaving work, he is duped by two men posing as police. He's handcuffed and joined by his wife and eight-year-old boy. All are held at gunpoint, told they will die if they don't cooperate. Then back at the warehouse, 14 security staff are overpowered by six masked gunmen. And as much as $75 million is loaded onto this transport truck. It hasn't been seen since.
LEPPARD: This is a terrifying crime committed by professional and organized gangsters.
NEWTON (on camera): This bank robbery went to the very top. Technically the money belonged to the Bank of England and although it will be reimbursed for every penny, many are wondering how anyone could have gotten away with this.
(voice-over): The trail has gone cold. It's been almost two days and there is little information about what amounts to more than two tons of cash bills.
JEFFERY ROBINSON, AUTHOR: When you're talking about robberies of this size in the $70 million range, you're talking about major, major planning, major military operation-style assault on the money. You have to know it's there, you have to know how to get in, you have to know how to get out. But most importantly, you have to know what to do with it once you get out.
NEWTON: And that could be the thieves undoing. They'll have to unload most of their loot overseas and the sum is so large, the stakes so high, police hope this is how the thieves will be caught. The reward is unprecedented, more than $3 million. Police are inviting criminals themselves to come forward and snitch on one of the most sensational robberies in Britain's history.
Paula Newton, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well time for our hair-brained criminal segment and a couple of bad guys thwarted by simple physics. To New Mexico we go. This is not Kris Kringle folks, this is Rudy Lopez. He tried to break into an Albuquerque home through the chimney yesterday. Do I have to tell you he got stuck? Well he told arresting officers he was cleaning the inside of the fireplace.
Same deal, different place, firefighters busted up this fireplace to rescue a wannabe crook at a Virginia construction site. Police say the guy was stuck in the chimney for more than 12 hours, so long, get this, he actually fell asleep and was heard snoring.
Well coming up on LIVE FROM, the high school athlete who got into the zone and no one who saw what happened is likely to ever forget it.
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WHITFIELD: Well, stories like this one tend to happen solely in the movies, right? Well, we can assure you this is for real. It happened at a high school basketball game in upstate New York. Mike Catalana reports. They'll talk about this one for years.
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MIKE CATALANA, WHAM REPORTER (voice-over): Jason Mcelwein was at practice today doing what he does every day; as a student assistant, he helps out the team. But all that changed on Wednesday night.
That's when coach Jim Johnson decided to give Jason his shot to suit up and play.
JASON MCELWAIN, GREECE ATHENA H.S. SR.: He says -- this is your senior present -- this is your last chance to ever get out on the floor as an actually basketball player for that night.
CATALANA: Jason or J-Mac, as he is known, is medically diagnosed as a highly functioning autistic. He's also loved by his teammates and fellow students. That's why they came to the game with his face on signs. And when he entered the game, they went crazy.
JIM JOHNSON, HEAD COACH: My emotions started running wild. I actually sat down, and I started to tear up, and I was like, oh, my God, this is happening.
CATALANA: Jason got in the game, took a pass and took a shot. He missed badly.
JOHNSON: His first possession, he gets the ball. He shoots an airball. He misses like by six feet, and I put my hands on my head, and I'm like, please, Lord, just get him a basket.
CATALANA: One minute later, he got his hoop, a three-pointer that set the gym on fire.
MCELWAIN: I was very excited. The team was excited. Everybody else is excited.
CATALANA: But J-Mac wasn't done. He kept shooting and kept hitting, another three and another three.
MCELWAIN: I was on fire. I was hotter than a pistol.
CATALANA: When he was done, he had hit a team record-tying six three-pointers. The crowd stormed the court and put Jason on their shoulders.
RANDY HUTTO, ATHLETIC DIR.: It was one of those special moments that as an athletic director, if I retire today, this would be the one thing that I talked about forever.
CATALANA: Jason's playing career is done, but his celebrity continues at school.
MCELWAIN: Everybody -- I was late to every single class. Everybody was saying congratulations.
(on camera): So you got a superstar on your team now.
LEVAR GOFF, SR. CAPTAIN: yes, he's like a celebrity in school. He's loving every bit of it, too. You see him smiling all the time.
In Rochester, New York, this is Mike Catalana reporting.
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WHITFIELD: J-Mac is now Mac Daddy.
All right, let's talk a little Olympic news. The U.S. adds to its medal count in a sport that combines snowboarding and slalom. Rosey Fletcher had the lead after the first run, but her board came out from under her on the second. She held on for the bronze in the parallel giant slalom.
American speedskater Shani Davis apparently is done. A U.S. team leader says Davis has pulled out of tomorrow's 10,000 meter race. No reason given yet. Davis won the gold in the 1,000 meters and the silver in the 1,500.
And Sasha Cohen hopes to break a pattern of coming up short in her free skate. After skipping practice yesterday, she was back on the ice for her final warmup today. She has an ever so slight lead over world champion Irina Slutskaya after Tuesday's short program.
Can it be 30 years since a shy teenager from Connecticut won the gold and the hearts of millions? Her trademarks: the skating spin, dubbed the "Hamill Camel," and a hairstyle that was a sensation all its own.
CNN's Kelly Wallace caught up with the timeless Dorothy Hamill.
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KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She still has it. Grace, speed, and oh, yes, traces of that hairstyle, which was the rave back in 1976.
(on camera): What did you think when girls all across the United States wanted to have the Dorothy Hamill?
DOROTHY HAMILL, 1976 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: That horrible haircut!
WALLACE: It wasn't horrible! I didn't have it, but I loved it.
HAMILL: Lucky you.
WALLACE: No!
(voice-over): Thirty years ago, Hamill was just 19, a shy kid from Connecticut who, by winning Olympic gold, suddenly became America's sweetheart.
WALLACE (on camera): That shot, you know, where they're putting the gold medal around your neck. What's going on through your mind?
HAMILL: Oh, my gosh, there's so many emotions. I remember thinking oh, my gosh, I did it, and I wanted to look at the medal and see what it actually looked like.
WALLACE (voice-over): Millions of little girls around the country wanted to be just like her, including OK, full disclosure here, this reporter.
HAMILL: Is this your little scrapbook?
WALLACE (on camera): My little scrapbook!
HAMILL: Oh, my gosh.
WALLACE: Look at you!
HAMILL: Isn't that scary? You got a real autograph. That's not the forged one.
WALLACE: I got the real. And you say "To Kelly, thank you for the lovely flowers."
(voice-over): Our interview turned into a walk down memory lane, recalling the good times and the toughest.
(on camera): This is Ice Capades. I think this is when your first show -- and you're getting ready to perform in Madison Square Garden.
HAMILL: Yes. Oh, my gosh. I was not prepared to handle any of that. That's a time I would never want again. I was just painfully shy. That's one of the reasons I took up skating, because I didn't have to talk to anybody. And all of a sudden everybody wanted five minutes and I didn't get to practice, and I was so unprepared.
WALLACE (voice-over): Hard to believe she's nearly 50 now, a twice divorced single mother with a 17-year-old daughter, who still skates five days a week and travels around the country, performing in the ice show "Broadway on Ice." But now she's also on the other side of the rink.
HAMILL: You guys are hot.
WALLACE: She's a judge on Fox's new show "Skating With Celebrities."
So how does she size up the Olympic competition?
HAMILL: I'll tell you, we got some great girls.
WALLACE (on camera): I know...
HAMILL: Emily Hughes.
WALLACE: Tell me about the great girls, the great young women.
(voice-over): Cohen, Meissner, Hughes. But she says don't count out Slutskaya of Russia.
(on camera): Twenty-seven, too.
HAMILL: Yes! I know.
WALLACE: So, you go!
HAMILL: For the old people, right?
WALLACE: Exactly, the old ones.
HAMILL: Twenty-seven.
WALLACE: The older ones are at it.
(voice-over): The sport has changed so much, she says, with new scoring and greater media attention, that she's glad she's not a 19- year-old competitor again. But oh, how she loves it, just as much as she did as a little girl, dreaming of gold.
HAMILL: It's the freedom, I love the edges. I love the lean, I love the -- you know, the wind at my face. I love interpreting the music. It's just something that, you know, gets right to my core.
WALLACE: An idol 30 years ago, an icon now.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, State College, Pennsylvania.
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WHITFIELD: Still so graceful and so beautiful. The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you. The big stories of the day when LIVE FROM returns.
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