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Duke Divided Over Alleged Rape; Katie Couric Headed to CBS News; President Bush Continues Call For Immigration Reform
Aired April 05, 2006 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Some call it a case of privilege and prejudice. A university and a divided community are awaiting DNA test results for members of Duke's lacrosse team -- at the center of the case, an African-American dancer and the white athletes accused of raping her.
CNN's Jason Carroll reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is anger and hurt at North Carolina Central University, where students held a vigil for one of their fellow students who they believe was a victim of rape and a hate crime.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We come here today to represent against domestic violence.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: All rapists must go!
CARROLL: The demonstrations continue here, too, at Duke University -- students from both schools protesting in support of a young black woman, an NCCU student and an exotic dancer, who says three Duke lacrosse players, all white, raped her, and shouted racial slurs, after hiring her and a friend to work at a party for the team.
The woman's father, who didn't want to be identified or talk specifics about his daughter's case, says he's grateful to many.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just thank everybody at the school for the support.
CARROLL: He spoke briefly about his daughter's condition.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's hanging in there. And she's doing OK.
CARROLL (on camera): She's hanging in there, doing OK.
The DNA results are not in. And no one has been charged. But, already, the allegations have had a major impact on Durham by raising longstanding suspicions here about racism and the belief that there are two separate worlds operating here side by side, the predominantly white, privileged world of Duke University, and the black, economically depressed area surrounding it.
(voice-over): Students at NCCU say the case shows how people from both worlds are treated differently.
DENNIS SCOTT, STUDENT, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY: If it was a flip-flopped world, let's say one of -- one of our athletic teams had did something to someone on, you know, their team, I think it -- the results and turnout would have been completely different.
DAVIDA SACKEY, STUDENT, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY: I think they will be punished, but not as severely as it would be if they were black.
CARROLL: The debate has even divided Duke administrators, pitting one of the school's English professors against the university's provost.
HOUSTON BAKER JR., PROFESSOR, DUKE UNIVERSITY: There is a culture of white, elite, violent, drunken privilege. I don't think this is unknown at Yale. I don't this is unknown at Cornell. I don't think it's unknown at Duke University.
CARROLL: Professor Houston Baker Jr. says, the university should have had a tougher response to the lacrosse team. He wrote an open letter to administrators, saying, "There can be no confidence in an administration that believes suspending a lacrosse season and removing pictures of Duke lacrosse players from a Web page is a dutifully moral response."
The provost shot back with his own letter saying, "I cannot tell you how disappointed, saddened and appalled I was to receive this letter from you." He called Baker's letter an act of prejudgment.
Joe Cheshire, an attorney representing one of the players, says, the men have been vilified, mainly by the district attorney, who he says is playing to people's fears.
JOSEPH CHESHIRE, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: The prosecutor has gone so far past his ethical duty, and in -- in -- in -- as I said before, in pandering to the racial aspects of the community, the class aspects of the community, the gender aspects of the community.
CARROLL: Cheshire says there may have been drinking violations that night at the lacrosse house, but nothing else.
CHESHIRE: It wasn't racially motivated. It wasn't a rape. It wasn't a gang rape. It wasn't a rape. It was no sexual assault. And, so, that is untrue.
CARROLL: And Cheshire says, despite what critics say, the team should not be penalized for remaining silent.
A mother of one of the lacrosse players, who didn't want her name used, says, some of them do want to talk, but have been advised not to by their lawyers. She says: "We're proud to be associated with these boys and this team. I can't wait for all this to be over. It's a horribly painful time for the players" -- and for many of the students at Duke, who are experiencing increased tension between themselves and the surrounding community. Police had to increase patrols after a threat of a drive-by shooting at the lacrosse home. Duke students of different races say they debate the issue pretty much the same way they traditionally socialize on campus -- separately.
(on camera): Is there a lot of interaction between people of different ethnicities at this school? Do you see that? Or are people kind of -- you're shaking your head. What -- no?
ASHLEY ARTIS, STUDENT, DUKE UNIVERSITY: No. You see some cases of integrated groups of friends. But, for the most part, the campus and the students are very self-segregated.
CHARLES DEL DOTTO, STUDENT, DUKE UNIVERSITY: I think it will be a long time before the racial tensions within the university and between the university and the surrounding Durham community will be -- will be in any way really significantly eased.
CARROLL (voice-over): For now, that may be one of the few points people of all walks of life here can agree on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And, Fredricka, today, there was this development.
A judge today unsealed a warrant which shows Durham police have a threatening e-mail sent by one of the lacrosse players the same night of the alleged attack.
It read: "Tomorrow night, after tonight's show, I decided to have some strippers over to edens 2c. All are welcome. However, there will be no nudity. I plan on killing the bitches as soon as they walk in and proceeding to cut their skin off while "blank" in my Duke-issue spandex."
That e-mail was sent by Ryan McFadyen. He's 19. And it was sent about half-an-hour after the alleged rape victim called police. The players' attorney responded to us in a statement, saying, "While the language of the e-mail is vile, the e-mail itself is perfectly consistent with the boy's unequivocal assertion that no sexual assault took place that evening" -- again, that e-mail from Ryan McFadyen-- Ryan's attorney.
He also wanted to point out, at this time, that no charges have been filed against any of the players. He wanted to make that clear as well. But this development, Fredricka, is surely going to add even more tension to this community, where they're already dealing with a number of issues.
WHITFIELD: Well...
CARROLL: Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, if anything, Jason, that e-mail adds one more layer of confusion in this very complex case already. CARROLL: It certainly might, to some. I think the defense attorneys are really going to look at this and say something like, look, this guy, obviously, after a night where he may have been drinking, may have sent an e-mail like this out, but possibly didn't mean any harm by it, while still acknowledging the -- the vile language that was used in it.
But I -- but, obviously, the district attorney in this particular case is really going to be looking at this. And you can be sure that this is going to show up in -- in some way, shape or form when those DNA test results come out some time next week.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jason Carroll, thank you so much for that update.
Well, police departments all over the country set up child sex stings and wait for predators to take the bait. The latest one has netted a sus -- a shocking suspect, rather. He's a spokesman for the Homeland Security Department and now on unpaid leave and in jail.
CNN Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve is on that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: (voice- over): Brian Doyle, deputy press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, has confessed to trying to seduce what he thought was a 14-year-old girl on the Internet, according to the Polk County, Florida, sheriff.
The girl was actually an undercover detective. The sheriff says Doyle had been trying to persuade the girl to get a webcam, so he could see nude, live pictures of her. And that played a part in his arrest at his Maryland home last night.
GRADY JUDD, POLK COUNTY, FLORIDA, SHERIFF: He was obsessed with this 14-year-old having a webcam and sending photographs of herself. So, we told him yesterday at work that we had a webcam; mom wasn't going to be home.
And he said: Well, that's great. I will rush home about 7:00 p.m.
At 7:45, when we knocked on his front door, he was chatting with our undercover detectives on the computer. He was shocked, to say the least.
MESERVE: Doyle's conversations with the so-called girl allegedly began on March 12. And the sheriff says Doyle immediately identified himself and his position, sending the girl a photo of himself wearing his Department of Homeland Security I.D. and giving him his office and government-issued cell phone numbers.
Doyle allegedly sent the decoy pornographic video clips and held conversations that the sheriff calls hard-core, perverse, explicit. The sheriff believes Doyle was grooming the girl for a sexual encounter.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And, in Delaware, a teacher is in jail, a community in shock, and details are emerging from a rape case involving a 13- year-old boy.
David Henry of our affiliate WPVI has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm disgusted. That's disgusting to me.
DAVID HENRY, WPVI REPORTER (voice over): Police say Rachel Holt wined and dined her alleged victim and even let him drive her car. The affair came to light when his father called police yesterday, alarmed by frequent phone calls from Holt to his son.
The sex allegedly happened here, at Holt's condo in North Wilmington last week. The boy spent several nights here, after telling his father he was staying with a relative. And they had company.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL SCOTT MCLAREN, NEW CASTLE COUNTY, DELAWARE, POLICE DEPARTMENT: On at least one occasion, Holt allowed the victim's 12-year-old friend to watch them have sex. She's also accused of providing alcohol to the two youths.
HENRY: A court document indicates that Holt confessed when she was confronted by police at her condo. She allegedly admitted to having sex with the boy 28 times last week.
Holt is unmarried and lives alone. The school district says she has been a good teacher up until now. Holt has taught at five schools in the Wilmington area since 1997. Police say the investigation continues and there may be more victims. Parents are numb-struck by the news.
TAMMY DOWNES, PARENT: You want to protect your children the best way you can. And something like this, it's -- it's out of your hands. And it's very scary.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And that was David Henry of our Philadelphia affiliate, WPVI.
Sex criminals -- repeat sex criminals, who prey upon the most innocent of victims., do they deserve the death penalty? They're hashing out that very question in the South Carolina Statehouse today. Opponents say it's a punishment that doesn't fit the crime. South Carolina's governor disagrees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) GOV. MARK SANFORD (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Most Americans would say, in terms of just plain common sense, that there are certain crimes wherein the death penalty does fit, that it -- that it can make a difference, in terms of people's behavior. And, more to the point, it fits the crime. And this is one of those crimes that we think it certainly fits.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: State lawmakers on both sides of the debate are using a recent child sex case in South Carolina to illustrate their cases.
Kenneth Hinson faces kidnapping and rape charges for sexually assaulting two teenage girls. He did time in the 1990s for raping an 11-year-old girl.
And, if she is on TV, it must be morning, right? Well, true, but not for much longer. Katie Couric is saying goodbye to "The Today Show." Find out where you will see her next -- coming up on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Perhaps you have heard Katie Couric is swapping breakfast time for the dinner hour. The popular co-host of "The Today Show" is leaving NBC in May. And she will make history when she takes over the anchor chair at the "CBS Evening News" this fall.
A.J. Hammer of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" joins us live from New York with more grisly details -- A.J.
A.J. HAMMER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, after "The Today Show" rapid wrapped up today at Rockefeller Center, Katie Couric's colleagues raised a glass of champagne to salute her, not simply in recognition of the fact that today marks 15 years for Couric as co-anchor of "The Today Show," but, as you said, on the official news of her impending departure from network television's number-one morning show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE TODAY SHOW")
KATIE COURIC, CO-HOST, "THE TODAY SHOW": Sometimes, I think change is a good thing. Although it may be terrifying to get out of your comfort zone, it's also very exciting to start a new chapter in your life. So, for now, it's not goodbye, at least not yet, but a heartfelt thank you for 15 great years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Katie Couric clearly emotional this morning on "The Today Show."
And let me break it down for you. She's going to basically ride out her NBC contract. That wraps up at the end of May. So, we can expect a month long of goodbyes in May, as Matt Lauer alluded to this morning. In September, she will begin a multi-year deal with CBS. It puts her in the anchor chair for "The CBS Evening News With Katie Couric," as it will be called. It names her as the managing editor of the broadcast.
And it has her as a contributor to the venerable "60 Minutes" program, as well as anchoring prime-time specials for CBS. So, if people are basically thinking she's going to be getting a lot more sleep with this job, not having to wake up so early, that's probably not the case. She just will get to sleep a bit later.
And, Fredricka, as you mentioned, she's going to make history, because she's the first female anchor who is going to fly solo on a nightly newscast, CBS obviously hoping for a big payoff with this.
WHITFIELD: That's right.
Now, what about a lot of the fans? You know, you have had a chance to take the pulse outside of the CBS studios earlier today.
HAMMER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Are a lot of fans saying something already?
HAMMER: The fans have things to say, obviously, a lot of mixed emotions. But, instead of hearing it from me, let's see what the fans had to say just outside of "The Today Show" studios in Rockefeller Center this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm so sad that she's leaving. I -- I -- it won't be the same without her.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were really surprised. I was just -- you know, I didn't think this would happen. We were touring the studios yesterday. And we were were just very surprised by that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought she was just great. She was very -- a very happy, down-to-earth person. And I think that's why a lot of viewers probably actually latched on to her and -- and liked her so well. And she's just going to be really, really hard to replace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: There have been a lot of mixed reactions from the industry as well, a lot of people saying maybe she doesn't have the chops that it takes in hard news to be there on "The CBS Evening News."
But the fact is, the face of news, as we both know, Fredricka, has changed quite a bit over the time -- over the time that Katie has been sitting on that couch with Matt Lauer.
WHITFIELD: Yes. For those who are doubtful, she has got chops, I think. I think she can handle it.
Well, what about replacements? You know, can anyone else really handle what she leaves behind?
HAMMER: Well, everybody has been tossing around the name of Meredith Vieira. That secret was kept as well -- kept -- kept about as well as the secret of Katie Couric going over to CBS.
Meredith Vieira, of course, from "The View" and from "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" But she was a reporter on "60 Minutes." She's an Emmy Award-winning journalist. She's been the front-runner.
It's still buzzing around that they're close to putting a deal together. It's just a question of coming to terms, I think, at this point.
If not her, Campbell Brown, perhaps -- you know her as the anchor of the weekend "Today Show," and Natalie Morales, another news reader for NBC. And, of course, Ann Curry, who we see on "The Today Show" every day, her name also tossed in the ring. It will be interesting to see how quickly they come forward with their announcements. But I know they're really after Meredith. And that deal is on the table.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, we will be turning to you for the insight.
Thanks so much...
HAMMER: All right.
WHITFIELD: ... A.J. Hammer.
So, it's a central question in the immigration debate, what to do with the millions of illegal immigrants already in the U.S. President Bush says he has the answer, as he prods the Senate to move faster on immigration reform. Before leaving the White House this morning, Mr. Bush called for a comprehensive bill, one with a guest-worker program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A bill that will help us secure our borders, a bill that will cause the people in the interior of this country to recognize and enforce the law, and a bill that will include a guest worker provision that will enable us to more secure the border, will recognize that there are people here working hard for jobs Americans won't do, and a guest-worker provision that is not amnesty.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Well, there is a showdown looming in the Senate over one proposal. It would let illegal immigrants apply for residency, if they pay fines and back taxes, learn English, and work six years.
Conservative critics say that amounts to amnesty.
Well, let's go straight to Capitol Hill right now and congressional correspondent Andrea Koppel.
And, Andrea, where do things stand right now in the immigration fight overall?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: There is a flurry of activity behind the scenes here in the Capitol, Fredricka.
This morning, just to give you a sense as to how the day is progressing, there was a big meeting in the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist's office with key Republicans involved in trying to broker some sort of compromise, especially to try to get more Republicans on board. As the day progressed, we have seen -- in fact, just as I was coming over here to talk with you, I ran into the Senate minority leader, Harry Reid, and the deputy -- the -- the whip, Dick Durbin, who were just emerging from Bill Frist's office.
So, in other words, Democrats are now getting involved in talks. We're going to go back, I believe, to the Senate -- OK. Well, let's not.
So, you have got Democrats that are getting involved in this -- in the negotiations now, which some might see as a sign of progress. As things stand right now, Republicans are still fuming about a couple of procedural moves that the Democrats made -- made late yesterday, one of which had to do with a move to try to force a test vote on an immigration bill that came out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. This was a bipartisan bill that came out.
And the other move that infuriated Republicans was, basically, the Democrats are blocking any attempt of Republicans to introduce their amendments, not just to introduce them, but to debate them on the floor.
Let's listen to what one Republican was saying earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R), TEXAS: But I just want to make it clear where the fault lies. And that blame should be squarely placed at the feet of the Democratic leader, who has denied us an opportunity to have a vote on these commonsense amendments.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Senator Reid, the minority leader, and Bill Frist, the majority leader, are right now on the floor of the Senate.
This story is changing by the minute. In fact, Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, who is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said during one of these kind of movements back and forth from -- from Frist's office, he said that -- he said you -- you -- this is a pressure cooker, and you can't make sausage in a pressure cooker.
Clearly, it is a messy process right now -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Andrea Koppel, thanks so much for keeping tabs on that. Well, is there a higher power watching over the immigration debate? Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony is celebrating a special mass this afternoon, right now, to urge solidarity with illegal immigrants. He's asking his diocese to observe a day of prayer and fasting. Mahony has criticized legislation that would make it a crime to help needy illegal immigrants. The cardinal has told parishes to disobey such a law if it's passed.
Well, pigging out in the halls of Congress straight ahead -- a watchdog group unveils its list of wasteful government spending...
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: ... snorts and all -- the dirty details on the so- called pork barrel projects next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: So, members of Congress like to rail against wasteful government spending known as pork, but we have noticed that critics rarely complain when the pork is headed to their own state or district.
Ali Velshi is in New York. He has some of the worst examples of pork-barrel spending in the current budget.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I -- I feel bad for the pigs.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: You know? I went and got my own pork here.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: You feel so bad that you got...
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: ... the props...
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Nice.
VELSHI: Because we don't waste here at CNN.
WHITFIELD: Large packet there.
VELSHI: That's all I could buy.
WHITFIELD: Uh-huh.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: You have got to see some of these things. We -- we picked out some -- some -- some doozies from the list of things that have been identified as -- as pork, things that go into people's districts, both federal and at the state level.
And we just wanted to show you some of the interesting things people spend on.
The absolute top of my list, the favorite, is the Waterfree Urinal Conservation Initiative.
WHITFIELD: Huh.
VELSHI: Now, before we make too much fun of this...
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: ... this is actually...
WHITFIELD: Pictures and all.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: ... a trend that is -- that's catching on, the -- the idea that they waste less water. There's a building in Philadelphia that is trying to do this, too.
But, anyway, this is $1 million in Michigan. Representative -- Representative Vernon Ehlers requested a specific earmark toward, you know, getting water-free urinals.
WHITFIELD: A lot of money down the drain, so to speak.
VELSHI: Yes. Now, they -- you see, there might be an offset to that, because they might actually save money.
But the -- this -- that, I can still get. I don't get the next one, which is a -- a portion of $13.5 million -- we don't know exactly how much -- which was asked for by the House for the International Fund for Ireland. This is to do something at the World Toilet Summit in Ireland.
WHITFIELD: To think that there is a World Toilet Summit...
VELSHI: I did not know. And I...
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: I need to look into that.
WHITFIELD: That's a new one on me.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: I -- I don't even know. Like, I -- that's kind of interesting.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: Now, as you know, there have been a lot of developments in toilets over the last number of years. They flush better. They use less water. So, who knows? Maybe there's something good about that. The one that I...
WHITFIELD: Yes. There's a real science to it, I guess.
VELSHI: The -- the one that I couldn't figure out, Fred...
WHITFIELD: Yes?
VELSHI: ... was $500,000 requested by a -- a Democrat from North Carolina, a state Democrat, for a teapot museum.
WHITFIELD: Huh.
VELSHI: Now, I wanted to go down and get a teapot from -- from Williams-Sonoma that's in the building.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: My producer, Todd Bonan (ph), went down. And he came back and he said, they don't have anything less than 60 bucks.
WHITFIELD: Oh.
VELSHI: So, I guess teapots are fancy and should be in a museum.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Yes. You don't want just any ordinary teapot. Whether...
VELSHI: No. No.
WHITFIELD: ... you are a tea drinker or not, it at least looks good.
VELSHI: Yes.
Now, and, you know, we know that teapots go back hundreds of years. And, so, maybe, it's some kind of fancy teapots.
Now, here's one -- and I kind of -- like, this -- this now goes into the world of art, but about a half-a-million dollars for a glass museum, or at least a portion of a half-a-million dollars, in the state of Washington, in Tacoma, Senator Patty Murray behind that one -- some renovations. I don't think they're building a whole museum for that.
But here's the one that I really like. And it's the -- the proverbial bridge to nowhere...
WHITFIELD: Uh-huh.
VELSHI: ... for $5,880,000. Now, let me tell you the story...
WHITFIELD: Going to be a lot of flak over that one.
VELSHI: ... behind this one.
VELSHI: Yes. This is -- this is -- this is the bridge to nowhere.
This is in -- in Missouri for the construction of a bridge and an interchange to maintain safety and prevent congestion in the town of 50,000 people. The report quotes one resident, who says, about this bridge to nowhere: "They claim they're building this interchange to cut down congestion. There is no congestion. This is a deserted area in a small town."
WHITFIELD: Huh. So, what else would be the reason, then?
VELSHI: Yes, I -- I -- I don't know. I -- I mean, there are some people who think, I suppose, if there's pork to be had, you might as well take your bit of pork and get it into your district.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: And...
VELSHI: Lots of stuff out there.
WHITFIELD: And spend the money somehow and just...
VELSHI: Well, you know, there are people who believe that, if you don't spend the money that you are allocated or that you could get, you just won't get it next time, because they will associate you as -- as not much of a spender.
You see, I went and bought this cheap stuff. I went and bought the bacon.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: The bargain.
VELSHI: If I had gone down and got the teapot...
WHITFIELD: The bargain...
(CROSSTALK)
VELSHI: ... I could -- I could say that, you know, there are reasons for me to -- to spend.
(LAUGHTER)
VELSHI: I got to tell you one other thing, Fred. You know -- you know our...
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: What is that? VELSHI: You know our good friend Tom Foreman?
WHITFIELD: Yes.
VELSHI: Well, Tom just e-mailed me to say that there's something wrong with my graphic of the -- the teapot museum.
WHITFIELD: Oh.
VELSHI: He said it's a kettle, not a teapot...
WHITFIELD: Oh.
VELSHI: ... and that I must be upsetting all our tea-viewing...
WHITFIELD: OK.
VELSHI: ... people.
Thanks, Tom.
WHITFIELD: Get the teapot and the kettle right. We will fix that graphic.
VELSHI: We will be sure to -- to do that, because I don't want to be -- I mean, that is called -- that's the pot calling the teapot black.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: That's right.
All right, Ali, thanks so much.
VELSHI: See you in half-an-hour.
WHITFIELD: OK.
Well, now an update on this. A Georgia woman's claim of free speech really will be free after all. You may remember this story. Suburban Atlanta police ticketed this woman for her anti-Bush bumper sticker. The officers said it was obscene. The woman said it was free speech. Well, a judge dismissed the case and the $100 ticket to boot. The Georgia law against lewd decals was ruled unconstitutional years ago.
Well, he lost his loved ones and his limbs, but gained a wealth of inspiration. He has seen the worst that war has to offer through a child's eyes, but his paintbrush tells a much brighter story. We'll visit with him coming up on LIVE FROM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: The names of the dead, they filled a Baghdad courtroom today as prosecutors squared off with Saddam Hussein. CNN's Aneesh Raman has the latest from the war crimes trial. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH CNN, CNN BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: Saddam Hussein, for the first time, cross-examined by the prosecution in this, his first trial. At times, the testimony was tedious, prosecutors putting forth document by document, having Saddam verify his signature. At one point, he said the documents were all those that bore his signature, and others, he said that they looked inauthentic.
At other times, though, today, it was incredibly somber. Prosecutors named and showed photos of at least 20 children that they allege were executed by Saddam Hussein's regime after the failed assassination attempt on the former dictator in July 1982. Saddam stood in court and said he never would have condoned the execution of an Iraqi child.
But perhaps the most heated moment came when one of Saddam's lawyers was forcibly removed. It came after she took out large photos of the prisoner abuse that was suffered by Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in 2004 at the hands of U.S. troops. She says she took out the photos because earlier, the prosecutor had put forth video showing Saddam Hussein speaking of executing traitors, but the video was dated in the late '70s, before anything that is involved in the case at hand took place.
The court is set to resume tomorrow. We expect to hear from another defendant, not Saddam Hussein, who is being brought back for further testimony. This as the trial now reaches its final stages.
Aneesh Raman reporting from Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Iraq's prime minister is not budging. There are calls for Ibrahim al Jaafari to step aside, to break a deadlock over forming Iraq's new government. But al Jaafari says he won't give up his bid for a second term. He tells a British newspaper he is staying on to, quote, "protect democracy." But Sunni and Kurdish lawmakers reject al Jaafari. He won the nomination of Shiite lawmakers who dominate the current government.
He captured the world's attention and sympathy after losing his arms and his family in Iraq. Now, the boy who almost died during the U.S.-led invasion is helping others like him by using his feet.
ITN's Emma Murphy has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
EMMA MURPHY, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They are vibrant, positive images of life through a child's eyes. And yet, these are the work of a child who has seen and endured more suffering than many adults. For these with watercolors were painted by Ali Abbas when, after losing his arms, he discovered he could use his feet to paint instead. Ali was just 12 when his home in Iraq was hit during a bombing raid which killed his parents and 13 other families members. He suffered dreadful burns and was taken from Iraq to Kuwait for treatment. That saved his life, and he was moved to the UK to be fitted with prosthetic limbs. Now age 15, his art has helped him cope.
ALI ABBAS, ARTIST: My sister was quite good at art, but not me. And the first time, it was quite difficult, but not anymore. Not because -- I know how to use my feet now.
MURPHY: Ali's work is on display, along with that of other Iraqi artists. It will be sold to raise money for the Ali Fund, which helps children who lost their limbs during the Iraq war.
ABBAS: Just like to help people -- injured people. They need help. Just like to help them. Sometimes I read a book and see -- and I like the character on -- I draw him and sometimes just made up things, yes.
MURPHY: For much of his work, it's clear the culture of his homeland is still of huge importance to Ali. But, he insists, his future isn't in the art world. His ambition is still the same as it was when he was a young boy, to be a footballer.
Emma Murphy, ITV News.
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WHITFIELD: Well, he was a war hero who refused to carry a gun, and a grateful nation paid tribute to his heroism and sacrifice. Several hundred people attended a graveside service for Desmond Doss this week in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Doss had been awarded the medal of honor for his service in World War II. Doss was a conscientious objector and refused to carry a gun when he was in the Army. Working in a medical unit on Okinawa, Private Doss was wounded several times while making sure dozens of fellow soldiers received care. Desmond Doss died last month at the age of 87.
And we now honor the fallen heroes who have given their lives in the war in Iraq. We want to bring you some of the stories behind the sacrifices.
Her aunt says Army First Lieutenant Jaime Campbell was the kind of kid every parent dreamed of. She made straight As in school and she was the rodeo queen of Washington state. She died on January 7th of this year when her Blackhawk helicopter crashed near Tal Afar. Campbell's husband, Sam, is a captain in the Army and was also serving in Iraq when she was killed. That's Jaime Campbell.
Marine Corporal Matthew D. Conley wife was eight months pregnant when he was killed near Ramadi six weeks ago. The roadside bomb took his life less than a month before he was scheduled to leave Iraq and head home to Alabama. Last month Conley's wife, Nicole, gave birth to their daughter, Katherine Madison Conley (ph). Navy Hospital corpsman, Third Class Christopher Thompson was asked how he was able to insert an I.V. with bullets and bombs flying all around him. He said, when you've got somebody dying, you've got to do what you can do. Thompson was killed by an improvised explosive device in Anbar province last October.
These are just three of the 2,343 men and women who have died in the war in Iraq.
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WHITFIELD: Well, we all had heroes when we were growing up, right? Names like Washington, Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. come to mind. But what about kids today? Are there any heroes out there in the age of the Internet and the XBox?
Dennis Denenberg thinks so. And he's a co-author of "50 American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet." He joins me now from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Good to see you.
DENNIS DENENBERG, AUTHOR: Thank you. Nice to be here, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: So what got this started?
DENENBERG: Well, I work with future elementary teachers during my career as a professor. And just observing in classrooms, I noticed that we never have pictures of real heroes for kids to look at. And that's really what started the quest in 1989. I wrote a little article called "De-Alf the Classroom," get Alf, the animated figure, out of the classroom and get pictures of real heroes in the classroom. And that has led me to 35 states to talk about heroes in this book.
WHITFIELD: Well, you know, a lot of kids these days are looking at Hollywood stars or perhaps even athletes as inspiration. You're really telling them through your book to say, you know what, dig a little bit deeper. Let's look back into the annals of history and find some inspiration there. So you came up with quite a few names and then you tried to whittle it down. What was the criteria?
DENENBERG: The criteria was to try to show kids that heroes are in every field of human endeavor. They're in the arts. They're in sports. But they're also in medicine. They are in science. They are in journalism. They're in the political realm.
We also wanted kids to realize that heroes aren't just men anymore, that both genders are heroic. And, also, that heroism knows no ethnic or racial boundaries. So we wanted to show kids that really anybody can aspire and become a hero.
WHITFIELD: Here are some of the names that you've included in your book. You've got Harriet Tubman, Walt Disney, I.M. Pay (ph), a famous architect, which some people may not recognize by name right off the bat, Christopher Reeve, Matthew Henson, another. Why did you choose these individuals? And it really is an incredible range. Everyone from being an explorer to an educator, abolitionist, et cetera.
DENENBERG: Well, we wanted kids to appreciate any kind of positive contribution that you can make in any field. Christopher Reeve, for example, went from being a celebrity to being a real hero in terms of fighting for a cause when he suffered that tragedy. We say in the book he went from Superman with a capital S to being a super man. A lot of the heroes in our book challenge kids to think then of what can they do in their life that might imitate some of these heroes.
WHITFIELD: And that really is the whole point. But what is it, you know, with kids today? Do you kind of feel like they're not digging deep and they're not delving into it? They're really looking for kind of that instant gratification, you know, celebrity status or something for inspiration?
DENENBERG: I think, Fredricka, part of it is they simply haven't been exposed to these wonderful people. Once they learn about an Elizabeth Blackwell, you know, the young female, who after 28 rejections didn't give up and became the first American woman to become a doctor. I know of students who have been particularly inspired by that story alone.
So I think it's a case of we need, as adults, to help kids find these heroes. Once they hear the stories, they're inspired by them. They're motivated by them. Kids are lost today in a fantasy world in many ways. The cartoon fantasies as young kids and then as you mentioned the pop culture and the super-rich athletes. So it's our job to help them find the Jonas Salks of the world, the John Mures (ph), appreciate the nature that is around us.
WHITFIELD: And while you've been applauded for a lot of the people that you've selected, you've also heard of a little criticism that you received too by a couple of the folks, Robert E. Lee, for one, even Jimmy Carter.
DENENBERG: Right.
WHITFIELD: Why -- you know, how do you respond to some of the folks who say, we don't like your list?
DENENBERG: The topic of heroes ends up being a very personal matter. You know, John Kennedy might be a hero to you but not to me. So it's ultimately a personal judgment. What we present we hope are criteria that -- and a story that helps persuade our readers that there's justification of why we selected those individuals.
WHITFIELD: So you're just trying to say, hey here's a spring board for, you know, getting the wheels in motion, thinking about some folks. You may like a few of our suggestions. You might not like some of the others, but the bottom line is, you know, find some inspiration, find someone that perhaps you can, you know, model your life or hopes or dreams after? DENENBERG: Right. Right. Exactly right. And, by the way, we love to hear from both kids and adults, who they think should be in the book and hopefully in our sequel.
WHITFIELD: Oh, and really quick, we have got a great photograph of one of your inspirations. You were applauding your eighth grade teacher, right, as being someone that you looked up to.
DENENBERG: Yes, Mr. Hildebrand (ph) made me fall in love with Thomas Jefferson and it's because of him that I went to William & Mary. And I reunited with Mr. Hildebrand who is 87 years young. And it's been a wonderful story. People have heroes in their lives and part of our message is connect with those heroes in your own life.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's so great. I wish I could reconnect with one of my favorite teacher heroes, Kathy Sezic (ph), if you're out there try to look me up or I'll try to look you up.
DENENBERG: Excellent.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, Dennis Denenberg, thanks so much. And the book is "American Heroes Every Kid Should Meet."
DENENBERG: Thank you so much.
WHITFIELD: Very cool. All right. Thanks so much, Dennis.
Well, no one knows where she went. No one knows where she's been, but an Indiana family does know one thing, after nearly five years -- how could you resist those precious eyes? -- they are finally happy to see Gidget. A story that will warm any pet owner's heart when LIVE FROM continues.
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WHITFIELD: Well, now a word of encouragement to everyone who has a missing pet out there. Never give up.
Here's Robert Borrelli from CNN affiliate WNDU in South Bend, Indiana.
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HOLLY WEBB, DOG OWNER: So we were used to her wandering, never wandering too far away. She always came back home, no problem. But that day she didn't come back.
ROBERT BORRELLI, WNDU REPORTER (voice-over): The family searched, placed a newspaper ad, and thought the worst -- 8.5-year-old Gidget had been inherited from Holly's late mother-in-law.
H. WEBB: We thought maybe she got hurt or something. But nobody called or, you know, anything like that.
BORRELLI: That is until last Tuesday. H. WEBB: We have your dog down here. And we go, we don't have a dog. You know, at that point we just didn't have a dog anymore. And they go, you don't have a dog named Gidget? And I go, Gidget? Gidget? That was almost five years ago.
TROY WEBB, DOG OWNER: When I saw her, it was like seeing a ghost.
BORRELLI: But there she was, their little Lhasa Apso, dirty and matted, but healthy.
H. WEBB: It matted so much it was pulling her toenails apart. Her toenails were about three inches long.
BORRELLI: Animal control traced Gidget back to the Webbs using the vet tags.
H. WEBB: Same collar, same tags I put on her eight years ago.
BORRELLI: Gidget had been missing four years and seven months, but she soon got used to the new home, even Shalimar, the cat, her new playmate. Gidget who's now 12 or 13 years old obviously moves slower today, but that's OK with the Webbs.
T. WEBB: If she just wants to be a lap dog, that's fine with me, too.
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WHITFIELD: I don't know. Gidget looks pretty good there. That was Robert Borrelli of CNN affiliate WNDU.
Well, a pit bull doesn't exactly conjure up cute and cuddly images, does it? Unless you watch this. Ramona is lovingly taking care of three orphaned kittens in Boston. The 3-year-old pit bull cleans them, snuggles them, and watches over them while they sleep. The kittens apparently now think Ramona is their mom. Call it a blended, furry family.
Well, time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer. He's standing by in THE SITUATION ROOM to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour -- Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Fred.
Coming up, we're following several stories. Pigging out on Capitol Hill. We'll find out how a lot of our hard-earned tax dollars are really being spent. You won't believe some of the pet projects members of Congress are spending our money on.
Plus, President Bush's dwindling political power. Does he have the muscle left to push through his priorities?
Also, Hillary Clinton getting support from the right. Find out which conservative icon says she's a political phenomenon who might easily become president. And Cynthia McKinney's Capitol Hill scuffle. We have more on that, the police now telling their side of the story, what happened.
That and lots more coming up right here at the top of the hour -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right, Wolf, we'll look forward to that.
And we'll have more of LIVE FROM right after this.
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WHITFIELD: We'd like to say that CNN is very proud to announce that we just won our 10th Peabody Award for our coverage of Hurricane Katrina. The judges wrote, quote, "no other national 24 hour news service provided more essential, up-to-the-minute information for viewers, listeners, and online users. CNN's continuous live coverage became a go-to channel for the most current news about Katrina and its effects," end quote.
But our commitment and dedication to those affected by Hurricane Katrina does not stop there. We will continue to provide essential reporting on the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast.
And here comes the closing bell. And that means it's also time for CNN's Ali Velshi.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, do you use an Apple, or like, a PC?
WHITFIELD: I stick with PC. But, you know, my husband has an Apple in the house whoa, it's too confusing for me.
VELSHI: Yes, well now you never have to use them, because a lot of people don't use them because they're used to the way the PCs work. You know, when you start learning how to use an Apple, it's kind of like learning Chinese.
Apple announced today that they're going to have -- their new computers are going to have software allowing you to run PC programs and, Fred, it sent that stock up about 10 percent today on that news. So that's driving markets. Good to talk to you. We will see you tomorrow.
WHITFIELD: All right, indeed.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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