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Dubai Port Deal Fallout; NASA Hoping to Explore Mars With Reconnaissance Orbiter

Aired March 10, 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: I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the Fulton County Courthouse.
A judge, a court reporter, a sheriff's deputy killed after a shooting rampage one year ago. It rocked this city and triggered the biggest manhunt in Georgia history. Brian Nichols is now behind bars, as family members of his victims hold a special memorial here today.

One of most courageous individuals during that time was Sergeant Hoyt Teasley. He was the sheriff's deputy that was shot and killed right here near this courthouse. He was actually chasing Brian Nichols through the stairwell, came out this door.

As the police reports show, as witnesses say, Brian Nichols came down the stairwell, (AUDIO GAP) those doors. Teasley was right behind him. Brian Nichols made his way right over here into the middle of the street, Teasley behind him the whole time.

Brian Nichols, as he is running, pulls out one of the guns that he had taken from inside the courthouse, open fires on Teasley. Just one shot, one lucky shot, when Teasley was standing right over here, getting ready to go for Brian Nichols, drops here, and dies instantly.

Of course, his friends came, tried to save his life. It has affected not only his little girls and his friends, everybody that he worked with here, but his widow, Deborah Teasley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH TEASLEY, WIDOW OF SERGEANT HOYT TEASLEY: And this is the area where I come and I pray with him. And I just feel closer with him. I -- setting this up and displaying all his medals and awards.

PHILLIPS (on camera): Is that his badge?

TEASLEY: Yes, that is his badge here.

PHILLIPS: I noticed the medal right here. Was that given to you -- was it the killed-in-the-line-of-duty medal? Is that right?

TEASLEY: Yes. So, everything, I decided just to keep, because I didn't want to put it in a box.

PHILLIPS: I don't blame you.

TEASLEY: Especially looking at this picture right there, I just -- that make me cry sometimes, because, you know, it's unbelievable, just can't believe it, just believe it, that it happened that day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That's the first time Deborah Teasley has ever let anybody inside her home. We were very lucky to spend a couple days with her.

And what you were looking was an armoire where she has kept everything of her husband, special pictures, his medals, his badge, his deputy's cap, even the flag from his military funeral. He also served in the military.

And right next to it, she has this beautiful treasure chest with all these cards and letters that strangers have sent to her. They just put "Deborah Teasley, Atlanta, Georgia," and, believe it or not, those notes and letters came to her home.

So, coming up at the half-hour, we are going to more in-depth. You are going to meet the Teasley family, his two daughters that are remaining, extremely strong, even on the honor roll, Carol. And we are also going to go more in-depth and talk with Claudia Barnes, the widow of Judge Rowland Barnes. You will remember, that was the judge that was presiding over this rape trial, the first one that Brian Nichols opened fired on.

We are going to take a trip to her lake home, where she and Rowland used to spend special times. It's actually the last place they spent the weekend, before he was murdered. And you are also going to meet Cynthia Hall, the deputy that Brian Nichols overpowered in the holding cell, the holding cell right here in this courthouse, before everything unraveled. That will be coming up in just a little while.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra, how is Cynthia Hall doing?

PHILLIPS: Wow. That's a great question.

Not well at all. She has had severe brain damage. She doesn't speak like she used to speak. She doesn't think the way she used to think. And her attorney has been very guarded with her and has not allowed her to talk publicly at all.

The only thing that you will see is a taped interview that he controlled. He asked the questions. We did talk to her off camera. She was willing to do the interview, but her lawyer thought it was a much -- a smarter idea for him to have control of that, because he's not quite sure how she's going to answer the questions. It's a delicate situation.

LIN: Well, Kyra, looking forward to all of that. Thank you.

Just want to remind everybody, tune into Kyra's report Saturday and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. Tune in to the -- the special two-hour edition of "CNN PRESENTS: 26 Hours of Terror." Kyra is going to bring you the untold story of the Fulton County Courthouse shooting spree and how the dramatic events unfolded that day, exclusive interviews, and what suspect Brian Nichols faces come this October.

All right, Texas police on the hunt for a murder suspect -- a Dallas SWAT team surrounded the home of 19-year-old Rolando Serna this morning. They evacuated the area, teargassed the house, went inside, but it appears their man had somehow given them the slip. This is in the White Rock Lake area of Dallas. Police want Serna in connection with the shooting death of a Dallas man in October.

And another mistrial for reputed mob boss John "Junior" Gotti -- for the first time -- or the second time, rather, in six months, a jury has declared itself deadlocked on racketeering charges against Gotti, the son of late Gambino family crime boss John Gotti.

The jury, which began deliberations Wednesday, well, today declared that further deliberations would be fruitless. And the judge responded by dismissing the panel. Among other things, Gotti was accused of ordering a pair of attacks on Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, who hosts a New York radio talk show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CURTIS SLIWA, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: He summons his son, who was running the family in his absence, says, you shot that guy up. So, they tried it with the baseball bats, busted me up. Didn't work.

So, then he summoned him, because I ratcheted it up, started talking even more about the Gottis and Gambinos. He said, look, you silence him. And that's when they put the plot together, in which I ended up in the cab, getting shot multiple times, and diving out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Wow.

Well, prosecutors say they won't give up. They vowed immediately to put Gotti on trial for a third time.

The teachings of the church trump state law for the Catholic Charities of Boston. Pointing to a "dilemma we cannot resolve," the group plans to stop providing adoption services in Massachusetts. Now, a news release doesn't specifically mention the state law legalizing gay marriage, but the law require adoption agencies to consider gay and lesbian couples as parents.

Well, a show of solidarity by immigrants in Chicago today -- thousands of marchers hit the city streets. They say they're trying to shape the debate in Washington over illegal immigration. Busloads of immigrants from Mexico, Poland, Ireland, gathered for the two-mile march.

Congress is considering two very different immigration bills. One focuses mainly on tighter enforcement, but the other would offer new legal rights to undocumented workers.

The Dubai debate has now overshadowed the crucial military and economic ties that link the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates. CNN's Brian Todd reports, the demise of the ports deal could have unintended consequences for U.S. interests.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A warning of possible fallout from the port fight.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I think we have missed a opportunity.

TODD: CNN national security adviser John McLaughlin, a former deputy CIA director, says American politicians focused too much on the UAE's pre-9/11 terrorist ties, and undervalued the Emirates' role since September 11 in catching terrorists, cracking down on weapons trafficking, and money-laundering.

Now:

MCLAUGHLIN: I think the UAE will continue to be a good intelligence partner, but there's a risk here, a chance, that they will lose a lot of their enthusiasm for cooperating as closely with us as they have in the past.

TODD: Militarily, U.S. officials consistently hit home one point. The Emirates, specifically their port facilities in Dubai, are critical to U.S. operations in Iraq an Afghanistan.

CAPTAIN THOMAS GOODWIN, U.S. NAVY: On a daily basis there is at least one U.S. ship in a port in the UAE, and oftentimes more than that.

GENERAL PETER PACE, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: The United Arab Emirates' location and capacity will be critical to our ability to succeed.

TODD: Now one former U.S. defense secretary tells CNN, the ruling family may not kick American ships out of port, but may, in his words, rethink their level of participation.

In business, the UAE is a huge American partner. Emirates Airline has placed a multibillion-dollar order for Boeing jets, but also buys planes from European-based Airbus.

Now:

RICHARD ABOULAFIA, TEAL GROUP: It's easy to see a scenario where this poisons commercial relations between the Emirates and the U.S., and that could directly impact Boeing's prospects to sell aircraft to the Emirates.

TODD (on camera): A Boeing official tells CNN his company is getting no signals from the UAE that business will be affected by the ports development.

But experts say what's important are the signals going in the other direction, that, in business, the military, and intelligence, the U.S. needs to send a message that it has a critical partner in the Arab world, one that will be there through thick and thin. That message, they fear, may, at the very least, become diluted.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, relief in Congress, maybe, but concern at the White House.

CNN's Elaine Quijano standing by over there.

Elaine, how is the White House spinning this deal that just crashed?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello to you, Carol.

We obviously heard from President Bush today. And he said that he was satisfied, his administration was satisfied that, had the DPW -- World -- deal actually gone through that, in fact, he believes security at those American ports in question would not have been undermined.

Now, at the same time, we heard the president earlier today at the National Newspaper Association meeting, where he gave some remarks, acknowledge, really, the harsh political reality, that, in fact, members of Congress, members of his own party were vehemently opposed this deal.

Now, we also, interestingly, heard President Bush talk about what he said were sort of the larger, global implications about the ports controversy, the president saying he was troubled -- he is troubled by that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm concerned about a broader message this issue could send to our friends and allies around the world, particularly in the Middle East. In order to win the war on terror, we have got to strengthen our relationships and friendships with moderate Arab countries in the Middle East.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the president went on to say that the United Arab Emirates is a critical ally, a key ally, a -- and a committed ally, he said, in the war on terrorism, that the UAE is, in fact, a key partner for the U.S. military in that critical part of the world.

He noted, in fact, that, outside the United States, Dubai actually services more American military ships than any other country in the world. He also noted that the UAE is continuing to share intelligence with the United States in the hunt for terrorists.

And he basically said that he is committed, Carol, to strengthening the ties between the UAE and the United States. Obviously, in the wake of this, perhaps a lot more reassurances -- reassurances will have to be given, but the president sending the message he believed that -- that this deal, in fact, would have still kept American ports safe -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Elaine Quijano, live at the White House, with the latest from there.

Well, scientists find another sign that we might not be alone in the universe. Miles O'Brien returns to LIVE FROM in just a moment with details of the discovery of water in the far reaches of the solar system.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: A mission to Mars and water on one of Saturn's moons -- it's a big day on Earth for scientists exploring the final frontier.

For more details, we are going to call on a friend of LIVE FROM. He anchors "AMERICAN MORNING" now, but he's also CNN's space correspondent, Miles O'Brien, who has got more on what is going on out there -- Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Miss you guys, definitely.

LIN: Yes.

O'BRIEN: It's good to be back.

Yes. NASA is hoping it's poetry in motion for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Homing in on the red planet now much faster than a speeding bullet, after a 300-mile journey to our celestial neighbor.

There it is, Mars. This is a Hubble image. It is so intriguing to scientists, because it has so many similarities to our planet. You see, of course, on the top, the poles, which, of course, have some water ice and some dry ice in them.

The question is, where is the liquid water on this planet? It once was very warm and wet. Now it is cold and dry. And this spacecraft is part of an effort to try to answer some big questions about that. If you know where the water went or is, you know a little something about possibility of life on Mars.

This is what is going to happen in just about an hour's time. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will come in toward the atmosphere of Mars, fire some retrorockets to slow itself down a little bit. And, then, if all goes well, while it's on the backside of Mars, in other words, out of radio contact from the folks at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena -- and, boy, will they be holding their breath during that period of time -- after that retrorocket firing, partially behind the shadow of the planet, it should be in position to begin a long process of getting its orbit just right for science. There you see it, as it comes on in, firing those rockets, and then gets behind the planet. Everybody holds their breath at this point and hopes, shortly thereafter, they will get a signal from the spacecraft.

You know, the statistics, Carol, on this are not very good. Only one in three Mars missions succeed. They call it the Bermuda Triangle of planets. It's very difficult to get a spaceship properly in orbit, or, for that matter, on the ground.

Take a look at what's going to happen in the coming months, assuming all goes well in the next hour or so. They call this aerobraking. They will refine the orbit by having the spacecraft dip, ever so slowly, into the drag of the atmosphere. That will slow it down. Each pass, it will slow down a little bit, get a little tighter orbit.

And, by November, it will be in the desired orbit, about 150 miles above the surface. And off to the scientific races it goes. It has about six big instruments on it, a telescope that is the largest telescope to go to another planet, a huge surveying-type camera, and all kinds of equipment to learn about the weather of Mars, because, if you learn about the weather, you will understand a little bit about where the water might have gone.

Now, remember, last time -- well, back, I should say, in December of '99, we learned a hard lesson about how these things can go wrong. You may recall -- actually, in October of '99 -- the Mars Climate Orbiter, similar kind of spacecraft on its way to Mars, they got confused. Two teams got confused between the metric system and the English system, and it created, more or less, a crater in Mars.

So, we will be holding our breath on this one.

(LAUGHTER)

LIN: OK. Thanks, Miles. Thanks, Miles, for the preview.

O'BRIEN: All right.

LIN: Well, a quick check of the weather next.

The news keeps coming, and we are going to bring it to you -- more LIVE FROM.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR (voice-over): You can get federal tax credits for making your home more energy efficient, installing items like insulation, energy-efficient windows, and upgraded heating and cooling systems can save you as much as $500 this April 15.

To learn more, go to EnergyStar.gov, and click on "Tax Credits." And, remember, these improvements may also qualify you for state tax rebates or incentives from your local utility company, so, be sure to contact your state's energy office as well. Of course, an energy- efficient home means lower energy bills over time. And your house will be that much more valuable when it comes time to sell.

I'm Gerri Willis with your energy tip.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Boy, take a look out West. It's getting kind of late in the year for this much snow in the hills near San Francisco. Also, heavy overnight snowfall near Bakersfield forced police to stop highway traffic. About 75 cars were stuck until morning.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

LIN: Let's check in CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf.

Reynolds, good for skiers, but I don't know about drivers.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely.

You know, it -- it always is funny how weather means different things for different people.

LIN: Yes.

WOLF: For the people who have to go out there and shovel, it's a bit of a pain. And for those who have to drive, it's also a headache. But for those who are doing some skiing and snowboarding, conditions couldn't be better for you.

It's an interesting weather day. We have got one storm system that is now beginning to move off the Eastern Seaboard. Meanwhile, back out to the west, we have got that storm system that has been bringing that -- that snowfall to parts of the West and also, at the same, has it been bringing a little bit of rainfall in some places that desperately, desperately need the rainfall.

Here's the big weather maker. We have got this area of low pressure that's bringing that snowfall to parts of the Rockies. That cold air that is also funneling in, another low that is coming in from the Gulf of Alaska, it's all one big weather machine that at this time is bringing some scattered showers along the California coast, up near -- let's see, Redding, southward to San Francisco, near the Bay area. Up in the highlands, they're getting some showers, and as you make your way down to San Luis Obispo, back over to Los Angeles.

Even in Diego, they're seeing some showers. One place that desperately needs it, seriously needs the rainfall, has been back in Phoenix. And from Phoenix over to Flagstaff, we are seeing a little bit begin to fall as we speak.

And as we take a look at some of our computer estimates, over the next 24 hours, that rain is going to begin to pile up. In fact, take a look right behind me. By the time we get to, say, later on, I'm seeing one, two, three, possibly that's total, rain total, could be falling Phoenix within the next 24 hours. And, again it could not be there at a better time -- back to you.

(CROSSTALK)

LIN: Yes. I heard that the cactus were actually wilting.

(CROSSTALK)

LIN: ... joke.

WOLF: Oh, yes. Is has been 143 days without any rainfall, and it now it is going to all going to change this weekend.

LIN: That's pretty dry.

WOLF: You bet.

LIN: All right. Thanks, Reynolds.

Well, a bit of a tussle at a California hospital Monday night.

Get this. Nurses noticed a surgeon who they thought had medicated himself a bit too much. Dr. Federico Castro-Moure is suspended from Highland Hospital today and may faces charges. He allegedly insisted on operating, even though witnesses say he had been drinking.

The doc threw a fit, and then wrote his own prescription for trouble, when he allegedly took a swing at deputies who tried to calm things down. The patient underwent surgery the next day and is doing fine.

Well, one of the victims calls it the scariest day of her life. She and a friend, both pregnant, were driving to a baby fair near Detroit, when the driver of another vehicle began ramming their SUV, and trying to push it into traffic.

Here's a part of their frantic 911 call to police.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is going on?

911 OPERATOR: He's moving our car.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now he's blowing kisses at u. s

911 OPERATOR: Now he's what?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's blowing kisses at us.

911 OPERATOR: Yes, he's pushing their car.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

911 OPERATOR: Ma'am, what's going on?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's pushing our car.

911 OPERATOR: OK, I understand.

Oh, my God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do we do? What do we do? 911 OPERATOR: Stay in the car. How hard is he pushing you? Is he...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Really hard.

911 OPERATOR: ... moving you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

911 OPERATOR: OK. You guys can't drive away from him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop!

911 OPERATOR: OK, I'm getting help as fast as I can, ma'am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.

911 OPERATOR: OK, I understand...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nicole, I can't hear.

911 OPERATOR: Tell Nicole the police are there.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The police are here. The police are here. They're here! They're here!

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LIN: Oh, my God.

Coming up -- by the way, the women are fine, and so are their unborn babies. Oh, my gosh.

All right, coming up, one year after the Atlanta courthouse shooting, the survivors, the families, and the victims, and the young woman we all came to know, Ashley Smith, where are they now? Kyra Phillips with a CNN exclusive.

The news keeps coming. And we are going to bring it to you -- more LIVE FROM next.

But first, our weekly series, "Life After Work."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMY HILLIARD, COMFORT CAKE CREATOR: Yes. Looking good, ladies. Looking good.

JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The pound cake was always the star attraction at Amy Hilliard's Thanksgiving dinner.

HILLIARD: At one point, I said, if one more person tells me I should put this on the market, I'm going to do it. I'm a marketer. That's what I do.

WESTHOVEN: Amy, a Harvard MBA, quit her marketing job and started Comfort Cake.

HILLIARD: I envisioned having a big company right from the start. I was a single mother. I had two children, and I have two children that I'm putting through college.

WESTHOVEN: Amy couldn't get a bank loan, so she risked it at all. She sold her house to start up her new business.

HILLIARD: I will make this work somehow, is my attitude, because I had some instances where I could have just said, this is too tough. Our very first customer that came on board was United Airlines.

I got some samples to them through a friend of mine, and they liked them. And they called me up, and they said, you know, we really like your -- your cake. And I was so excited, I'm like, great, I can get you some more samples. And they're like, no, we want to buy 500,000 slices.

WESTHOVEN: Seven years later, there are 16 kinds of Comfort Cake on sale in stores and on the Internet.

HILLIARD: The sky is the limit. Why not? I mean, we started from nothing. And I look at people who started from nothing, and I say, if they can do it, I can do it. If Mrs. Fields can do it, I can do it. If Howard Schultz of Starbucks can do it, I can do it.

We can make our product and ship it overseas, and there is a lot of markets where people like sweet goods. Who is to say we can't have Comfort Cake in China? Why not?

WESTHOVEN: Jennifer Westhoven, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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