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Three People Taken Into Custody In Connection With Bank Heist In England Released, Some Money Has Been Recovered; Dubai Ports World Agrees To Postpone Its Takeover Of U.S. Seaports; Curfew In Iraq Has Stopped Widespread Shiite-Sunni Bloodshed, But There Are Still Fears Of Civil War; Small Group Protests At Soldiers' Funerals; Kenneth Pollack Interview; Parallels Between 9/11 And Hurricane Katrina Response; Volunteering For Katrina Victims; Celebrity Sex Tapes; Wrong Way Driver; Thwarted Attempt To Attack Saudi Arabian Oil Refinery

Aired February 24, 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: For a developing story let's check in with Tony Harris, who's in the newsroom -- Tony.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Fred. Good to see you.

The three people who were taken into custody in connection with that huge bank heist in a southern England town have been released. The heist happened on Wednesday. They have been released. We're still trying to determine whether or not it was on bail. We just learned that in a press conference.

CNN's Jim Boulden has more on the scene for us.

And Jim, what can you tell us/ What did you learn from that news conference?

OK. We're still trying to get Jim Boulden up.

The officials are saying, Fred, that the robbers made off with as much as $46 million.

Let's check in again now with Jim Boulden, who's with us.

Jim, what can you tell us? What did we learn from the press briefing?

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tony, I hope you can hear me. What we've learned is a couple of significant events.

Three people who were arrested on Thursday have been released on bail. It means that most likely those three people are not significant in the investigation.

But more importantly, a van found about six, seven hours ago in Ashford, another town here in southeast Kent, they found a significant amount of cash that they believe is connected to this -- to this robbery. They don't know how much cash. They won't tell us how much cash is in that van, but the important thing is that this amount of money could be quite significant. We know that something upwards to get at $87 million worth of British pounds were stolen on that Wednesday morning raid, that daring armed robbery raid. And this money has been found in a van, and it is most likely linked to this robbery, which means that the robbers have left some of the money behind and it means that the police now have a very significant clue.

HARRIS: OK. So, Jim, once again, so the people who were initially arrested have been released, and the thinking now is that they are not significant to this investigation, correct?

BOULDEN: That's correct. I mean, when they were -- when they were arrested, it was obvious they weren't part of the actual gang because two of them arrested under suspicion of conspiracy to commit -- to commit a robbery. The other one was arrested because she was depositing a large amount of cash in a bank near here and that was suspicious. People just don't deposit 6,000 to 7,000 pounds worth of cash when it comes to that.

But, Tony, we can hear now from Adrian Leppard. He is the assistant commissioner of the police here in Kent, and he explains exactly more details about this development.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADRIAN LEPPARD, KENT, ENGLAND, POLICE: Firstly, just to confirm, the three people who have all been interviewed during the course of today have now all been released on police bail whilst we continue our investigations.

Now, I did try and give an indication earlier today about the fast-moving pace of this investigation. I would like to confirm this evening that we have recovered another vehicle and we are linking that with the investigation at this stage.

I'm very grateful to the members of the public who made a call to us to indicate the suspicion of a white transit van that we have now recovered from the Ashford International Hotel at Maston (ph) during the course of this afternoon.

Now, the significance is we have found cash in that van. I'm as keen to you -- as you to know exactly how much cash, but we just do not know at this stage.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOULDEN: Now, Tony, what's interesting here is that members of the public did call in. The insurance company involved with the cash deposit company that was hit by these robbers is offering a two million pound reward. That's something like $3 million, a huge amount of money for this -- for this country. And the police say they have gotten at least 400 phone calls relating to this. So maybe somebody out there will be getting this money.

The police are asking other criminals. They say other criminals must have known a heist like this was on the cards, and they want those criminals to cash in on that $3 million reward.

HARRIS: Well, Jim, we know you'll keep watching it for us. And we'll watch it as well.

Jim Boulden for us, reporting on a significant find, some of the cash presumably tied to this heist.

Jim, we'll be back with you a little bit later.

Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. It's a fascinating story all the way around.

Thanks a lot, Tony and Jim.

A suicide mission in the Persian Gulf. Details are still few, and everything we know is from the Saudi government. But we're told at least two cars loaded with explosives and a still unknown number of people tried to attack a large oil refinery near Dammam.

After a shootout with guards, the attacks detonated themselves far from the refinery itself. CNN is working to confirm this evidence independently.

A concession from Dubai, but is it enough? Dubai Ports World has agreed to postpone its controversial management takeover at six U.S. seaports. That gives the Bush administration more time to try to convince Congress the takeover poses no homeland security risk.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan says the delay is helpful, but some critics aren't so sure. There is no word on how long the postponement will be, and Democratic senator Robert Menendez says the offer isn't worth the paper its written on.

With more on the Dubai Ports controversy, let's go to CNN Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve. She and some colleagues sat down today with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

And what did he say, Jeanne?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, Michael Chertoff says he is completely on board with the plan for a UAE company to take over operations at six U.S. ports, although he was not involved in the decision. Chertoff says he learned of the matter only in the last few weeks.

Chertoff says because the deal gives the U.S. unprecedented assurances about security, the U.S. will have what he called complete visibility into UAE operations here. He said the U.S. would be monitoring port operations, and if the U.S. Coast Guard or Customs and Border Protection is unhappy or uncomfortable with how something is being run, "forget the letter, forget the agreement," what they are going to do is say, time out, stop. He added, half jokingly, "Since the Coast Guard and Customs has guns and boats and stuff, they are going to prevail. I mean, let's get real here." That a quote from Michael Chertoff.

Chertoff categorically denies that a UAE contribution for Katrina relief had anything to do with the deal. He called that suggestion illogical, a denial of facts. He noted that Dubai Ports World had bought a British company, two foreign firms involved. So he said it is not even the tail wagging a dog, it is the a tail of a cat and a dog. No connection -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, Jeanne, did Michael Chertoff say anything about the White House report on Katrina that was released yesterday?

MESERVE: He indicated that he was embracing that report. He said he's particularly concerned about a hurricane hits areas that haven't yet recovered from Katrina or Rita. He said he'll be talking with governors and mayors in the coming weeks to go over their preparedness and response plans to determine if there are gaps. And if there are, how those gaps can be filled.

Chertoff refused to spell out one thing that's in that report. It talks about the military possibly coming in to lead a response in some incidents. Chertoff indicated, we'll know it when we see it. It would have to be an event even more catastrophic than Katrina -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeanne Meserve in Washington.

Thank you.

MESERVE: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Well, President Bush says he is expecting the coming days in Iraq to be rather intense. Speaking to the American Legion in Washington today, the president discussed this week's mosque bombing and the violent aftermath. He blamed insurgents and said the motivation is clear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Because they can't beat us on the battlefield. They just cannot defeat the United States military. And so they're trying to break our will with stunning acts of violence. The terrorists do not understand America.

They're not going shake our will. We will stay in the hunt. We will never give in. And we will prevail.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The president called this week's mosque attack an affront to people of faith throughout the world. An entire nation holding its breath. A curfew in Iraq appears to have stopped for now widespread Shiite-Sunni bloodshed. But what hasn't diminished, the fear of full-blown civil war.

CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Baghdad with the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A daytime curfew that was set in place in Baghdad and two other neighboring provinces has brought about a pause, a welcome pause in the sectarian violence that has been on the rise since Wednesday morning's attack on that holy Shia shrine. No major incidents to report of. A new nighttime curfew will soon come into place.

We do have CNN video, though, of Sadr City, a neighborhood of Baghdad where followers of the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr can be seen patrolling the streets in violation of the curfew that was in place. They are armed, they have set up checkpoints.

It is a window into one of the biggest issues that confronts Iraq, these militias that are operating essentially in lands unto themselves. Iraqi security forces rarely go into these areas. And the Shia leaders, Muqtada al-Sadr, in addition, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the Shia spiritual leader of the country, have said if the government security forces cannot protect the Shia sites, cannot protect the Shia people, they will do it themselves.

It's a big reason Iraqi security forces are themselves trying to get a handle on this situation, preventing the militias from taking over any security responsibilities which would further divide the population here.

Protests continued as well in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Thousands pored on to the streets in defiance of the attacks. Also, calls by Basra local officials for unity, saying that the country should not and could not be dragged into a civil war.

We have also heard today from Abdul Azziz Hakim, the head of (INAUDIBLE), the head of the Shia religious alliance. It is the backbone of the current government. He has called for unity as well.

These are important calls by Shia leaders, continued calls by the government for Iraqis to stay calm, to not resort to violence. This after a few days of sectarian strife that left at least 132 people killed, a number of Sunni reprisal attacks. The country now in a desperate situation trying to remain in control and putting Iraqi security forces out on the streets and surrounding the mosques in the capital.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: "Everything went according to plan." That's according to surgeons here in Atlanta who say Baby Noor was in and out of the hospital within a matter of hours today. They operated on her left foot and ankle to correct a deformity caused by spina bifida.

The Iraqi infant who was brought to Atlanta for treatment at the urging of U.S. soldiers will be in a cast for about three weeks. And while the surgery is considered a success, doctors still don't expect her to be able to walk.

A soldier's funeral is interrupted by insults.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are a hell-bound minister of Satan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: What is going on here? This story when LIVE FROM continues right here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A small group is travelling to soldiers' funerals across the country, but not to honor the dead.

CNN's Ed Lavandera report from a Minnesota town where a soldier's funeral.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... Anoka, that you are a hell-bound minister of Satan.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Shirley Phelps and a small group of religious protesters came out swinging at the mayor of Anoka, Minnesota, the small town mourning the death of 23-year-old Corporal Andrew Kemple.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God hates you. And you're going to go to hell for what you're doing.

LAVANDERA: That was just the beginning of an hour-long verbal assault on the family and friends of Corporal Kemple, who had come to this church to honor the life of an Army soldier killed in Iraq.

LISA MURPHY, FRIEND OF KEMPLE FAMILY: She's grieving over the loss of her child, their only son. You know, they should not have to deal with -- with -- with crazy people like this. It's just -- it -- it is beyond reason. I -- I can't even think of words to describe what -- if -- if it was my child, I would -- I would go nuts. I would probably attack this person.

LAVANDERA: Phelps and her family have made a name for themselves protesting what they call the acceptance of homosexual culture in America. They say soldiers who die fighting for a country that supports homosexuality should not be honored.

Shirley Phelps says she has protested at more than 100 military funerals. (on camera): You have no qualms coming here on a day where a family and...

(CROSSTALK)

LAVANDERA: Excuse me -- where people here are mourning the loss of a loved one, and you have no qualms about showing up here on this particular day?

SHIRLEY PHELPS-ROPER, PROTESTER: They failed him. They failed to teach him what the lord, his God, required of him, and sent him to hell, cut off before his life got started.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Phelps is unmoved, even when Corporal Kemple's mother comes over and asks her to leave. She unleashes another religious tirade.

PHELPS-ROPER: You made that child the tormented child he was, because you taught him that God was a liar.

LAVANDERA: Kemple's mother fires back, calling Phelps' behavior disgusting. Then, another relative tries again to reason with Phelps, saying, this isn't the time or place for such a protest.

PHELPS-ROPER: He went to hell for her sins. It is not too late for you -- your eyes, hardened your heart.

LAVANDERA: She discovers arguing is pointless.

(on camera): The Phelps protesters might be small in number, but they're generating a great deal of anger. They vow to continue showing up at military funerals across the country.

So, now more than a dozen state governments are already debating legislation that would restrict these types of demonstrations at funerals.

JOHN LUTSCH, PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS (singing): O say, can you see...

LAVANDERA: One of these protests caught the attention of John Lutsch. He promises to drown out Phelps' message with songs of support for military families. Lutsch is with a group called the Patriot Riders. They promise to show up wherever military families feel threatened by these protests.

LUTSCH: This is about having empathy for the family and -- and expressing -- expressing your patriot -- patriotism. And that is -- it is a moving thing for me. I get a little choked up about it.

LAVANDERA: Lutsch finds it horrifying that a family must confront these protesters, when they're struggling with a personal and private tragedy. They want families who lose soldiers in Iraq to know they won't be alone if this protest comes to them.

LUTSCH: That's the good part of this whole thing, you know, that there are people that are willing to come out here, stand out here, sing off key...

(LAUGHTER)

LUTSCH: ... and do our best to comfort the family.

LAVANDERA: Today, they just hope Corporal Andrew Kemple's family found the sound of their voices to be much sweeter than the sound of Shirley Phelps' rage.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Anoka, Minnesota.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Honoring an Oscar-winning a actress.

The news keeps coming. We'll bring it to you right here on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Maybe it's because all of the producers on LIVE FROM live in her adopted hometown of Decatur, Georgia, but today we remember a woman many of you may never have heard of.

Edna Lewis was a chef almost all of her 89 years. She died last week surrounded by friends of family.

The granddaughter of slaves, Lewis made a name for herself with cookbooks such as "The Gift of Southern Cooking" and "The Taste of Southern Cooking."

We especially like this entry from that book, "An Early Spring Dinner After Sheep Shearing." "The Taste of County Cooking," that is.

Times like those are mostly gone, but we can still taste them thanks to Edna Lewis.

And we all know Scarlett O'Hara kept returning to Tara. But the woman who put up with a lot of her nonsense is bound for many other destinations.

The late Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American woman to win an Oscar, is being honored with a stamp. McDaniel's stamp is the latest in the commemorative series dedicated to black heritage. When the actress was criticized for playing servant roles, McDaniel was known to quip, "I would rather play a maid than be one."

Well, it is high noon for the company behind the addictive BlackBerry device. The patent battle was back in court today.

Susan Lisovicz has the latest on that story live from the New York Stock Exchange.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: It's a persistent question these days, why are Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis fighting and killing each other? The bombings of a major Shiite mosque this week may have been the spark, the but the conflict is anything but new.

Here's CNN Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHANTING)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The differences go back centuries, all the way back to the death of Islam's founder, the Prophet Mohammed, in the year 632.

At that time, Muslims could not agree over who should lead the faith. The Shia faction believed Mohammed's successor should be from his family, but the majority of Muslims, the Sunni, felt leadership could come from outside Mohammed's lineage. And that's where the divide began.

Over time, the Shia minority, about a fifth of the worldwide Muslim population, came to identify themselves as the permanent opposition to the Sunni majority. And today, throughout the Middle East, the relationship between the two sects has been strained, at best.

Other factors have made Iraq different from the rest of the Muslim world.

It's one of only four countries with a Shia majority. Shia Muslims, who live mostly in the south, make up about 60 percent of the population. About 30 percent of Iraq is Sunni.

But they were the country's rulers under Saddam Hussein. And their oppression of the Shia majority just added to the hatred.

Today, with Saddam Hussein in jail and on trial, and with the oppressed Shia now in power, some members of the Sunni minority have resorted to violence, leading the insurgency against U.S. forces and other Iraqis.

Trying to keep these factions from dividing Iraq in the post- Hussein era hasn't been easy. And now, in the aftermath of the shrine bombings, whether are wondering whether a unified Iraq can every be a reality.

Anderson Cooper, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The intensity of Shiite-Sunni violence in Iraq appears to have caught many, including the Bush administration, by surprise. But the president today seemed to brush aside fear of civil war, saying he remains optimistic about the Iraqi people sorting out their problems. Ken Pollack is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. He joins us from the Saban Center at Brookings. Good to see you, Ken.

KENNETH POLLACK, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Thanks, Fredricka. Good to be here.

WHITFIELD: Well, do you think that a civil war is eminent given what has transpired?

POLLACK: Well, I think we need to be careful about that question. You certainly have low-level internecine and conflict going on in Iraq. And, frankly, Fredricka, this has been going on for 12 or 18 months. You can make the argument that that's the start of civil war right there.

The more important point though is that it's still at a low enough level that it's possible to imagine how you could turn it back. In other words, we haven't yet reached the point of no return. And I think that's the key issue.

WHITFIELD: Well, what do you suppose is at root of the problem? You can look and say perhaps history has dictated this, but perhaps we also can look at the recent power struggles as they form a new government.

And under all of that people don't have the basic necessities since this war again, right -- electricity, power, water, security -- any of those things. Do you think those things have helped to percolate things to this level?

POLLACK: Absolutely, Fredricka. I think you've put your finger on it. I think it's a real mistake to simply say oh, these are groups of people who have hated each other forever. The fact of the matter is that Shia and Sunni have actually lived together much better than say, Catholics and Protestants did in Europe for most of the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th centuries.

And in Iraq, you have huge numbers of mixed marriages, highly integrated neighborhoods. Most Shia and Sunnis live together fine. The problem is exactly what you're talking about. On April 9th, 2003, the United States created a power vacuum in Iraq.

And we've seen these kind of power vacuums before. It's exactly like what happened Yugoslavia after Tito's death. It's similar to what we've seen in Lebanon and Congo and elsewhere. Inside these power vacuums, people don't have security. They don't know who to trust.

There are always extremist groups who want to use violence. And when these extremist groups start using violence, it drives the average person, who really just wants safety and a good job and clean water -- it drives them to seek refuge with their own extremists.

WHITFIELD: So it's not necessarily just the top level people involved here. But, you know, in terms of trying to figure out how to get to the root of this problem or try to solve the problem, it really means looking at the bottom and working your way up in terms of all of the problems that ordinary Iraqis are dealing with.

POLLACK: Exactly. And I think that's one of the mistakes that we have made so far in Iraq is that, you know, it is a lot easier to focus on the top of the pyramid. You know who those people are. You can sit down, you can meet with them.

But what we have seen from these kind of reconstruction, these nation building exercises over the past 20, 30 years is when they work, they work from the ground up.

And what we really need to be focusing a great deal more attention -- and there's certainly some within the Bush administration and some within the U.S. military who understand this and are trying to move in this direction.

We need to start by providing basic safety and security for the Iraqis. That's what they're complaining about. Read the newspaper articles. That's their biggest complaint right now.

And then once we have created secure environments, provide them with jobs and electricity and water, and when you have got that kind of a situation in place, now you can start to think about building a political system and building a new economic system.

WHITFIELD: And you did an extensive report recently, and your recommendation is that 2006 -- this is the year to really make things happen or else, there really is no point of return.

POLLACK: That's right. Right, I was the lead author of a group of nonpartisan experts. We looked at this. We issued a 142-page report, and what we focused on in particular was exactly this point, that the Iraqis have really been frustrated.

It's been almost three years since the fall of Baghdad and they really expected to have a much better life than they do now. And the problem we have is if the U.S. and the new Iraqi government don't start to delivery this year, I think you're going to see increasing numbers of Iraqis just souring on the whole process and saying the Americans, the Iraqi government, they can't do it, so maybe somebody like Muqtada al-Sadr can.

WHITFIELD: And what does this mean for all of these recent efforts to form this new government involving Sunni, Shiites, and Kurds, all that on the back burner now?

POLLACK: Well, certainly -- no, I don't think you can ever put that on the back burner. It's certainly the case that that needs to go forward, although it's obviously going to be even harder now.

I think the bigger issue is that we can't let formation of the national unity government stand in the way of many of these other basic reforms. We need to be providing the Iraqis with security and jobs and clean water and electricity now. And we can't just assume that some Iraqi national unity government, whenever that comes into existence, that it will do it. Because, frankly, even if that comes about -- and we all have to hope that it will -- they're going to still have a tremendous amount of difficulty providing those things because they don't have the resources to do so. Only the U.S. does.

WHITFIELD: Ken Pollack at the Saban Center at Brookings, thank you so much.

POLLACK: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Are there parallels between the government's response to Hurricane Katrina and another national disaster? Comparing 9/11 to what happened after Katrina -- that is straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A story just in to CNN. Let's check in with Tony Harris in the news room.

HARRIS: Hey, Fred, it's taken awhile, and there's been a lot of drama connected to this, but a jury pool has been selected to hear the penalty phase of the Zacarias Moussaoui trial. Moussaoui, as you know, is the only person publicly charged in the United States with connection with the 9/11 attacks. He pleaded guilty to terrorism conspiracy last year.

So where do we go from here? Well, starting on March 6th that pool of 86 people will be whittled down to 12 jurors and six alternates. And, Fred, the choice for this jury is pretty simple and clear cut. It's life in prison or death. Back to you.

WHITFIELD: Tony, thank you so much.

Meantime, the White House released its report this week on the bungled government response to Hurricane Katrina. It turns out there are some very surprising parallels to the report by the 9/11 Commission. CNN's Brian Todd has combed through both, and here's what he found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two calamities, two massive bureaucratic failures and now word that two major lessons from 9/11 were not followed in the response to Hurricane Katrina. Lesson one, the need for one agency or one leader to take charge during a disaster.

The White House Katrina report says, quote, "The entire federal response structure should be reporting through one unified command, using the same terminology." Rewind 19 months. This recommendation in the 9/11 Commission report: "When multiple agencies or multiple jurisdictions are involved, they should adopt a unified command."

RICHARD FALKENRATH, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: There has not been universal adoption of this template, and in the heat of the moment during a crisis sometimes agencies come in and just do their own thing in the way that they're able to do most quickly.

TODD: Lesson two, communications. From the Katrina report, quote, "Updated communications guidance must also emphasize the ability of emergency responders and private security officials to share information."

From the 9/11 report, "... compatible and adequate communications among public safety organizations at the local, state and federal levels remains an important problem."

Translation, on 9/11 many first responder were not on the same radio frequency and it slowed down rescue operations. During Katrina, some first responders still weren't on the same frequencies. Some had no communications at all.

FRANCES TOWNSEND, W.H. HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: We will develop a more comprehensive national emergency communication system that ensures survivability, operability, and inter-operability.

TODD: Despite the assurances, a 9/11 commissioner is outraged.

TIM ROEMER, 9/11 COMMISSIONER: When we send people to Iraq, we give them the equipment to communicate because we know they are going to be attacked. We don't give our same first responders the opportunity to communicate whether they get hit by terrorists or a level four hurricane.

TODD (on-camera): One homeland security experts says that remains a federal and local problem. There's still no federal standard he says for so-called inter-operable communications, and it's to state and local governments to buy all of that compatible equipment. Some have done that. Some have not.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Elizabeth Taylor is joining the effort to help people in New Orleans. She recently donated a mobile medical unit to the city's AIDS task force. Taylor of course is a long time activist for people with AIDS. The unit is about the size of a recreational vehicle. It's said to be worth several hundred thousand dollars.

And straight ahead, entertainment news with A.J. Hammer of "Showbiz Tonight."

A.J., what's on tap?

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Hey Fred. Happy Friday to you.

Well, today I have got a "Showbiz Tonight" special report on celebrity sex videos. It seems that more and more just keep turning up all the time but why is it that there are so many out there? I will have that and more when LIVE FROM returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's been almost six months since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. And while many help with monetary contributions, others contributed their own blood, sweat and tears.

Joining us now with his story is CNN.com's John Helton.

Hi, John. So tell us your story.

JOHN HELTON, CNN.COM: I was a part of a group of Habitat for Humanity volunteers that went down to southern Louisiana, a little past New Orleans, about 50 miles past New Orleans, and built homes for people who lost theirs to Katrina and in some cases Rita.

DE LA CRUZ: What kind of work did you guys do?

HELTON: We built houses to the point of getting a roof on them, new houses on concrete slabs. They subcontract a lot of the finishing stuff, but some have built houses. One guy was a builder. Others had never done that kind of work before but everyone made a contribution.

DE LA CRUZ: So if you wanted to participate -- I know you have carpentry skills. Do you need to have these kinds of skills?

HELTON: No, carrying skills, holding skills. I mean, there are so many things that people can do. We -- the first night made lunches for each other for the next day. They need help, you know, just carrying things to the different houses. And, you know, some people learn things while they were there. They had some carpentry skills by the time they left.

DE LA CRUZ: Do you have plans to go back?

HELTON: Yes, I want to go back and see the end of the -- the finished product when the whole subdivision is built. And, you know, there's years worth of work down there, so there will be other opportunities to volunteer again. Everyone should.

DE LA CRUZ: All right John. Well, thank you so much for your efforts and for sharing your story.

And if you would like to read more about John's experience online, you can do so at CNN.com/Katrina.

For the dot come desk, I am Veronica De La Cruz.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Interesting song for a story like this. Kid Rock has persuaded a Detroit judge to prevent an Internet company from distributing a sex tape. The video is said to have been mad after a show in Miami. It reportedly shows Kid Rock and former Creed singer Scott Stapp along with four women. A.J. Hammer host of Headline News Prime's "Showbiz Tonight" has more on what happens when celebrities get caught on tape.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER (voice-over): Kid Rock is a rock star, and he apparently does not want to be known as a porn star. That's why kid, also known as Robert Ritchie is going to court to stop a California company from promoting this sex video "Showbiz Tonight" obtained.

It features Kid and former Creed lead-singer Scott Stapp romping with four women after a concert in Miami in 1999. There's stuff on it we can't show you, and Kid Rock wants to make sure it's never seen again.

HARVEY LEVIN, TMZ. COM: Kid Rock is saying I may be a rock star but I also have a right of privacy.

HAMMER: It's an argument you often hear from steamed stars who sue after finding themselves in steamy sex tapes that are made public.

Movie star Colin Farrell is suing ex-girlfriend, former "Playboy" model, Nicole Narain for allegedly planning to market this homemade sex tape.

Former Limp Bizkit lead-singer Fred Durst sued 10 web site operators for $70 million after they allegedly showed a stolen home video of him frolicking with an ex-girlfriend.

But do these stars have a case? "Showbiz Tonight" got all the juicy details from legal expert Harvey Levin at TMZ.com.

LEVIN: Anybody in a situation like Colin Farrell is in or Kid Rock is in, they have a good argument to the extent that people are peddling that tape specifically because it's Kid Rock, because it's, you know, another star. They are selling the tapes because these stars are marketable and generally you need permission in order to do it whether there is a privacy right or not.

HAMMER: Kid Rock says he did not give that permission. His attorney says the sex tape was stolen property.

But "Showbiz Tonight" talked to the attorney for Worldwide Red Light District, which posted the video on its web site, but pulled it last week. The attorney tells us it is not stolen. He says they got the video legally from a, quote, "rightful owner," and that Red Light had every right to show it.

RAY TAMADDON, RED LIGHT VIDEO ATTORNEY: We are talking about a newsworthy item here. We are talking about two very public figures, rock stars, that the public has an interest and the right to know about their activities.

HAMMER: TMZ's Levin doesn't take that argument will fly in court. LEVIN: Celebrities have a certain measure of privacy, not as much as a private person, but when something is done in private, behind closed doors that doesn't mean because they're celebrities they can't expect that it will remain behind closed doors. There is a right of privacy in this country, and celebrities have some of that.

HAMMER: Sure, stars often win these lawsuits. Remember the Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee sex tape? They successfully sued a company that marketed the tape, which the new ex-couple says was stole.

But then there is the question, why do stars keep making these sex tapes when the videos somehow keep leaking out into the public domain? Is it all worth the headache?

"Showbiz Tonight" asked a true sex expert, Ian Kerner, who wrote the popular books, "She Comes First" and "He Comes Next."

IAN KERNER, AUTHOR, SEX THERAPIST: Being in the moment, passion, desire, I think always overwhelms logic. You know, maybe there's also a publicity component to this. I mean, we live in a society where Jenna Jameson is writing books called "How to make Love like a Porn Star." She is starting her own fashion line.

I mean, porn is really becoming very, very mainstream. And I think the more acceptable porn becomes, the less taboo it is, the more we are willing to exploit our own sexuality for publicity.

HAMMER: And when you're talking sex tapes and publicity, you have to talk about Paris Hilton. The 2003 sex tape featuring her and then boyfriend Rick Solomon mysteriously surfaced right before the premiere of her reality show, "The Simple Life." The rest is pop culture history.

LEVIN: I don't the sex tape hurt Paris Hilton any. In fact, I think it really catapulted her into this level of stardom. For other stars who are trying to be a little bit more mainstream and respectable, you know, I think it might not help them at all. Maybe it would hurt them. I think it is very star specific. But Paris Hilton, it was a bonanza for her.

HAMMER: Still celebrities often complain about the loss of privacy that happens with stardom. And Kerner says videotaping your love making sessions does not help that problem.

KERNER: When you make a sex tape, whether it's in the present or the future, you risk the possibility that it is going to get out and somebody is going to get hurt. And, you know, I think when you're a public celebrity, I think you have more of an obligation to protect your privacy from these sorts of incidents.

HAMMER: So maybe a good way for stars to keep their private lives private is to keep the cameras off in the bedroom.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HAMMER: Well, no surprise Kid Rock hopes to get a permanent injunction barring the sale or promotion of the sex video. When "Showbiz Tonight" contacted his record label, they said no comment.

Now coming up tonight on "Showbiz Tonight," we get into the Friday and the weekend. A good looking and successful man wakes up on a train with his memory completely wiped out. Well, now there's a shocking documentary about his story, but in a world of "A Million Little Pieces" is this all just a big hoax? Answers to this controversial, unforgettable and unbelievable story on "Showbiz Tonight."

We get under way at 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN Headline Prime.

Fred, have an excellent weekend.

WHITFIELD: You too A.J. Thanks so much. We'll be watching.

Well, she remembers her trip, and it was quite the trip, about 14 miles or so. But why is this news? Because she went the wrong way on the highway. There she is. Nose to nose. We'll explain, more on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: An elderly driver in North Carolina says she certainly didn't mean any harm. We can laugh about it now because thank goodness, she didn't cause any.

CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on a perilous cruise down the freeway.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): There's a right way and a wrong way to drive on an interstate. This is the wrong way. You're looking at the dashboard camera on the police car that eventually stopped the wrong way roadster.

No wonder 911 got flooded with 70 calls.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, there's a car going the wrong way on I-40.

MOOS: The wrong way like salmon swimming upstream, like the poodle who survived a romp on a New York expressway, like Gene Hackman chasing bad guys in "The French Connection."

But a cop behind a wheel this wasn't.

MARGARET RILEY, WRONG WAY DRIVER: I got on the wrong side, and I kept going on. I don't know how I did that. I have no idea.

MOOS: For 14 miles she did it. Eighty-year-old Margaret Riley drove her 1984 Crown Victoria the wrong way in the fast lane near Raleigh, North Carolina. RILEY: Busy, busy, busy. They were blowing the horn.

MOOS: Margaret says she didn't realize she was going the wrong way until a deputy's car met her head on. She did manage to back up onto the shoulder.

RILEY: And I said, well, I am so sorry. I said I have got a doctor's appointment and I'm running late, and I'm sorry.

MOOS: They didn't give her a ticket, but her driver's license is being reevaluated. How did other drivers evaluate things?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's probably senile like got Alzheimer's disease because she is driving the completely wrong way on the highway.

RILEY: I know I am 80 years old, but I know I am not crazy.

MOOS: At least she remembered to put on her turn signal.

Jeanne Moos, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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