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Russian Officials Identify a Number of Suspected Terrorists Possibly Involved with Downing Jetliner; Imam Ali Mosque No Longer an Armed Camp
Aired August 27, 2004 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN center. Good morning. And let's take a look at the stories now in the news.
Russia's top intelligence agency confirmed that terrorism is the suspected cause of at least one of Tuesday's airline crashes; traces of explosives in the wreckage of a Siberian Airlines flight. Investigators are still analyzing the wreckage of the other airliner that crashed a few minutes earlier hundreds of miles away.
In Iraq, the streets of Najaf are quiet at this hour. Much of the city, though, is in ruins. Earlier today, Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani brokered a dramatic peace deal. It stopped weeks of fighting between U.S.-backed Iraqi forces and rebel fighters loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al Sadr.
The White House says later today President Bush will implement some of the intelligence reforms recommended by the 9/11 Commission. Signing the executive orders will create the office of a National Intelligence Director; give the CIA director greater powers, and foster more sharing of intelligence among U.S. spy agencies. We'll have a live report from the White House in a few minutes.
Jury selection is beginning in the Kobe Bryant case. Hundreds of potential jurors are arriving for the selection process. The presiding judge in the case has not ruled on prosecution claims that DNA evidence was contaminated. The defense claims the DNA taken from Bryant's accuser shows she had sex with someone other than the NBA star.
Russian officials say they have identified a number of suspected terrorists possibly involved with the downing of a jetliner. Two Russian airliners crashed within minutes of each other Tuesday night, killing a total of 89 people. Searchers at the site of the second crash near the site have found traces of explosives. Crews are still looking through the wreckage of the first crash site, which was south of Moscow.
For the latest developments in the investigation, we turn to CNN's Paula Hancocks who is in Moscow.
Paula, hello.
PAUL HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. Well, the Federal Security Services investigation has turned to terrorism for at least one of the two plane crashes from Tuesday night. They say they have found traces of explosives in the wreckage of one of the flights, the flight that was on the way to the Black Sea resort of Sochi. That's where President Vladimir Putin was on holiday at the time. Forty-four people died on -- sorry, 46 people died on that particular flight.
Investigators say they're still coming to the wreckage of the other plane to see if they can find anything similar. But they say they have identified a number of suspects that they would want to talk to in relation to this terrorist act. They also say that on the flight on its way to the Black Sea resort of Sochi, they have one body that has been unclaimed. Relatives have been down at the crash site on their way to the crash site to reclaim their loved ones. They say one body is left. It's of a woman thought to be of Chechen descent. They want to talk to her relatives.
Also on the other flight, the Interfax News Agency is reporting that another woman of Chechen descent bought a ticket for that flight just one hour before the flight took off. And investigators certainly want to talk to her relatives as well.
So, now this investigation has changed somewhat. The black boxes don't look like they'll be giving us any information. Officials say that it looks like they were either not working, or they had stopped working just before the airlines came down.
So that's the latest from Moscow -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And what can you tell us about this explosive they think they found in traces of one of the crashes?
HANCOCKS: Well, initial reports that we're getting from the security services is in fact it's hexogen. Now, this is an explosive used fairly extensively in Russia over the last five years, most notably in 1999, when there were some apartment building bombings mostly in Moscow. Around 300 people died in those particular attacks. And those had been blamed on Chechen separatists. So the attacks that had been used -- but that had been using hexogen in the past by Russian officials, had been blamed on Chechen separatists -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Paula Hancocks in Moscow, thank you.
All is quiet in Najaf this hour. The Imam Ali Mosque is no longer an armed camp. Our John Vause joins us with the latest from Baghdad.
John, hello.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. For the first time in 22 days, we can report that all is quiet in Najaf. Loud speakers around the Imam Ali Mosque have broadcast an announcement on behalf of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr, calling on his Mehdi militia to lay down their arms and leave the shrine. The courtyard of the Imam Ali Mosque and also the mosque itself are now deserted. U.S. forces too, have begun to pull back with Humvees replacing tanks around the compound. And earlier today, thousands of pilgrims marched to the shrine to celebrate the to the end to the fighting, after a deal was brokered by the Grand Ayatollah al Sistani. He returned in Najaf yesterday, and within hours held a face-to-face meeting with Muqtada al Sadr. Now, part of that peace deal negotiated by Sistani, sees Iraqi police take control of mosque security. Also the Iraqi government has agreed to repair buildings, which had been badly damaged after three weeks of fighting.
But it was a deadly day leading up to this peace deal. The Iraqi Health Ministry says 110 people were killed, 500 wounded in Najaf and neighboring Kufa in the last 24 hours.
It remains to be seen, though, Daryn, what will happen in the days and weeks ahead. The last cease-fire in Najaf last just six weeks. And there are reports that members of the Mehdi militia, just a few members, have been leaving the mosque still carrying their weapons. And a spokesperson for al Sadr says, "Well, the Mehdi militia has been disarmed, it has not been disbanded." As for Muqtada al Sadr and his loyal fighters, they have received an amnesty. And according to the Iraqi interim government they're free to go wherever they want -- Daryn.
KAGAN: John Vause reporting live from Baghdad, thank you.
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi calls the killing of an Italian hostage in Iraq an inhumane act that brings back the Dark Ages. Al Jazeera is reporting that a group calling itself the Islamic Army killed journalist Enzo Baldoni because Italy would not withdraw its troops from Iraq. Berlusconi vow his country will remain active in the war against terrorism.
Back here in the U.S., for the first time President Bush is publicly acknowledging that he initially underestimated the impact of the insurgency in Iraq. In an interview in today's "New York Times," the president says he made, quote, "a miscalculation of what conditions would be in post-war Iraq." But Mr. Bush does go on to say U.S. forces are adjusting to conditions in places like Najaf.
Let's go live to the White House. That is where administration officials, last hour, said President Bush will implement intelligence reforms proposed by the 9/11 Commission.
Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux just out of what they call the, "Daily Gaggle," updating reporters.
Good morning.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. We have learned that President Bush is going to sign those executive orders implementing at least some of the recommendations from the 9/11 Committee. We do not expect the president is going to come out and make a special announcement or ceremony. It's going to happen quietly, although there will be background briefings on some of the details later this afternoon. Essentially what this does is it formally puts into motion some of those steps that the president endorsed back on August 2. Now, while the White House has been negotiating with Congress on creating a new powerful National Intelligence Director, in the meantime what they will implement right away is establishing a National Counter Terrorism Center that would be run by that director.
Also, they would give the CIA director greater interim powers, including operating all 15 intelligence agencies. And finally, they would establish guidelines to create better sharing of information between these spy agencies.
Now all of this comes, of course, as the president really gears up for the Republican National Convention. He yesterday, was traveled to New Mexico. That is where he was with one of the Republican rock stars, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Today he's going be heading to Florida.
Of course, good news for the Bush campaign. The latest poll coming out. The CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll showing that likely voters' choice for president, President Bush ahead 50 percent. Kerry to 47 percent. Also when asked, the stronger and more decisive leader of voters chose Bush by 54 percent to Kerry's 34 percent. Now, this is all about, Daryn, the central theme of the campaign is that the president believes he is the better candidate to protect the American people. Of course, this signing today of these executive orders is meant to support that case as well -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And my question for you, Suzanne, is about the signing of those executive orders. What does it do for other proposals out there, like Senator Pat Roberts and his proposal to break up the CIA and create an even more powerful National Intelligence Director? What does it do to those proposals?
MALVEAUX: It doesn't really do anything to the other proposal at this time. Essentially what it does is that it gives greater -- greater power to the director of the CIA. Essentially that he will be handling the other 15 spy agencies as well. What it does is that it gives him interim power until they at least figure out whether it's budget authority, personnel, all those type of matters, figure that out with Congress with the National Intelligence Director.
The other proposals are still on the back burner, those are other things that are still being negotiated and worked out.
KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Suzanne, thank you.
Classified sections of an Army report on abuses at Abu Ghraib prison are highly critical of the former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. "The New York times," says it obtained the classified sections from a senior Defense Department official. The passengers from the Fay Report suggest that Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez approved the use of severe interrogation practices. Those practices were intended only for Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan detainees.
Further, "The Times' report Sanchez revised that policy weeks later, confusing interrogators so much that they violated the Geneva Conventions. One Abu Ghraib interrogator told CNN's Paula Zahn he never did that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMAN KROL, INTERROGATOR: Milt intelligence have their rules of engagement for interrogations. And every interrogation that I did, I stayed within those boundaries. I never went out of the boundaries during interrogation. Now, what happened here was obviously directed by MPs. I would assume that.
PAULA ZAHN, HOST, "PAULA ZAHN NOW" (on camera): And of course, the accusation by Ken Davis is that you and your colleague, Mr. Cruz, were directing the activities here.
KROL: He's wrong, of course.
ZAHN: Why is it, do you think, then in the conclusion of both of these reports that came out this week, that both of them come down pretty hard on military intelligence officers? And you've got attorneys out there representing the seven soldiers who have been charged so far, basically pointing at you guys.
KROL: That's probably their only line of defense; one assumes to blame everything on military intelligence. They have no other defense to base it on. I mean what else can they say?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Krol says that he wasn't directing or taking part in the abuse. But because he didn't report it, he expects to be charged in the scandal.
Jury selection begins today in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case. Hundreds of potential jurors are expected. We'll be live in Eagle, Colorado.
And years of silence about an alleged rape. The woman accusing William Kennedy Smith explains why she is talking now.
Later, get lost, literally in our preview of the fall television shows.
This is CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's take a look at what is on the docket today in our "Legal Briefs."
Seventeen hundred people who sued the operator of a Georgia crematory have agreed to an $80 million settlement. Ray Brent Marsh was sued after the remains of 334 bodies were found strewn around his property. Marsh had failed to cremate them. He faces criminal charges and a trial in October. William Kennedy Smith says the new rape allegation against him by a former assistant are outrageous. Audra Soulias says she was sexually assaulted by Smith five years ago at his Chicago home. She has filed a civil suit seeking $50,000 in damages.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUDRA SOULIAS, SMITH'S ACCUSER: On January 16, 1999, my innocence was involuntarily taken from me, in a manner by someone who I trusted and respected. It was taken in a violent act that will haunt me until the day I die. In fact, I would not have come forward had I not been re-contacted by the individual who sexually assaulted me after several years of silence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: In 1991, a jury in West Palm Beach Florida acquitted Smith of sexual assault and battery on a woman that he met in a nightclub.
Jury selection gets under way next hour in Eagle, Colorado. After 14 months of hearings, the sexual assault trial of NBA star Kobe Bryant is set to begin.
Our Chris Lawrence is live in Eagle.
Chris, good morning.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Things are definitely picking up here this morning. And we're expecting about 450 potential jurors to arrive throughout the day. The first group has already started to arrive. You can take a look behind me. The Eagle police are out in force. They're directing the potential jurors where to go in the courthouse. They have to report in the first group within the next 45 minutes. And there will be three other groups staggered throughout the morning and the afternoon.
Now, once they get inside, the potential jurors will be sworn in. They'll answer about 82 written questions, and then go home. Over the weekend, the attorneys will review those questionnaires and many of those people will be excluded based on their answers.
Next week, Kobe Bryant is expected back in court. And we may well see his accuser as well. Potential jurors will then be questioned about their feelings on publicity, celebrity, the race of both the defendant and his accuser. Prosecutors will be looking for people who tend to believe women over men, feminists, or those who identify with victims.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG SILVERMAN, FMR. DEPUTY D.A., DENVER: As for the defense, they would love L.A. Lakers fans. They would like people of color particularly African-Americans, although that latter category is unlikely in Eagle, Colorado.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Now, you can figure about 40 people will come out of that individual questioning. And at that point, the attorneys on both sides can begin making their challenges to exclude certain jurors. Opening arguments are still scheduled to begin right after Labor Day -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Chris, I think there's a lot of people surprised that this is still going forward given that the civil lawsuit has already been filed, that that was going to mess up the criminal case.
LAWRENCE: There are a number of feelings on that. There were feelings that came out when the civil suit was first filed that perhaps the accuser was wavering. But there are other people who feel like her story was just not able to get out because of the gag order. And now with the civil suit filed, her civil attorneys can now speak out on her behalf and sort of balance out some of the negative information that's come out about her over the last six months or so.
KAGAN: Chris Lawrence in Eagle, Colorado. Chris, thank you.
Abandoned in Africa. More on the story of the woman who allegedly left her adopted children in Nigeria.
And living well in retirement, but what if you're too far in the red? We have advice for our seniors out there. Gerri Willis is here with that.
Hi, Ger.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Daryn, good to see you. What kind of debt traps do seniors fall into? We'll explore it when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: That four-letter word of debt, D-E-B-T, can be a drag on anyone, especially though, for older Americans who are living on a fixed income. CNN/FN personal finance editor Gerri Willis has some ideas to make money go further in today's "Top Five Tips."
Gerri, good morning.
WILLIS: Hey, Daryn. Good to see you. My first tip today; don't be cash -- house rich and cash poor. Eighty percent of seniors own their own homes, it has a median value of $123,000, but they can't tap that money because it's in the mortgage.
So, one thing to think about, getting a reverse mortgage to help you get your hands on the money early without even selling the house. You can get a check every -- one big check or a check every month, whichever you prefer. And then after you've died, then your heirs will sell the house to pay off the loan. It's really pretty easy to do. And it's one way to get your hands on that money early -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Now, credit cards can be a problem for people of all ages.
WILLIS: Yes. You know, surprising here that seniors have a lot of credit card debt, an average of about $4,000. Doubling, really, in the last few years. Pretty big number and very surprising.
I want to make sure that people understand out there that retirement age may be close at hand, but you may not have the money to actually retire. If you're making up the difference on credit cards, it can be a very big problem.
KAGAN: Big problem for a lot of seniors trying to cover...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SALLY HURME, AARP LAWYER: The less opportunity you have to save. And we need savings in whatever we'll get with Social Security, or pension, or other investments. So reducing your debt before you get into retirement is going to be probably the wisest thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIS: And so the big problem here, you've got to adjust to that new lifestyle. Before you even think of retiring, you should figure out exactly how much money you're going to need in retirement. Check out one of the online calculators, aarp.org has a great one -- Daryn.
KAGAN: A big hit in many wallets and pocket books for seniors is drug costs.
WILLIS: Yes, they've been escalating out of control here. And your Medicare drug card may not be doing the job. So a couple of things to think about here. Discounted drugs, generic drugs, more and more drugs coming onto generic lists now. You need to check that out in the next few years. Celexa, Zoloft, Zocor, all of those will be far, for cheaper, 30 percent to 60 percent less for people who use them.
Another thing here, Daryn, long-term care insurance. This is insurance you buy in your late 50s or early 60s to take care of you in a nursing home. Maybe have at-home nursing home care. Now, the premiums have been going up. But if you shop around, this may be a good thing for you, if you don't want to have to tap your house to pay for care.
KAGAN: Seniors have to keep in mind that retirement will probably last a long time. They're going to live a long time, hopefully.
WILLIS: That's right. And you want to strike the right balance. Make sure you've got the right asset allocation out there in your retirement savings. A lot of people, Daryn, are just way too conservative. They have too much money in bonds, so they're not making the kind of money they need for a multi-decade retirement. So check it out, make sure you've got the right asset allocation and you're not being too conservative. KAGAN: And finally, retirement -- actually, we already struck the right balance. Talking about seniors and retirement. And keeping in mind that as we said, it's going to last a long time.
WILLIS: You bet. You want to break that fixed income trap. A lot of people out there, they're really not ready for retirement, even though they're at the age when you normally retire. One option a lot of people are taking right now, seniors in particular, is continuing to work maybe a minimum of a few hours a week.
Now, we used to worry about people not being able to get jobs as seniors in the marketplace. But here's the reality, Daryn, employers love the reliability of seniors. The fact that they have a lot of experience in the marketplace. So it might make sense to work a couple of more hours a week. People are healthier now in retirement. And really have the wherewithal to do it. It adds a few dollars and you don't have to worry about being on a fixed income.
KAGAN: Gerri Willis, we don't have to worry because we have you along for the ride.
WILLIS: You're so nice.
KAGAN: You have a great weekend. We'll see you next week.
WILLIS: You too.
KAGAN: We're looking at the run up to the Republican National Convention straight ahead. We are live from Madison Square Garden with your complete preview of what to expect. There you are, literally rolling out the red carpet there.
And later...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Look over there.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Is that the middle of the Hollywood sign?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: That is the 'Ollywoo sign.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: One of America's favorite "Friends" is back and he's in Hollywood. Stay with us to see what Joey is up to now.
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Aired August 27, 2004 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN center. Good morning. And let's take a look at the stories now in the news.
Russia's top intelligence agency confirmed that terrorism is the suspected cause of at least one of Tuesday's airline crashes; traces of explosives in the wreckage of a Siberian Airlines flight. Investigators are still analyzing the wreckage of the other airliner that crashed a few minutes earlier hundreds of miles away.
In Iraq, the streets of Najaf are quiet at this hour. Much of the city, though, is in ruins. Earlier today, Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani brokered a dramatic peace deal. It stopped weeks of fighting between U.S.-backed Iraqi forces and rebel fighters loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al Sadr.
The White House says later today President Bush will implement some of the intelligence reforms recommended by the 9/11 Commission. Signing the executive orders will create the office of a National Intelligence Director; give the CIA director greater powers, and foster more sharing of intelligence among U.S. spy agencies. We'll have a live report from the White House in a few minutes.
Jury selection is beginning in the Kobe Bryant case. Hundreds of potential jurors are arriving for the selection process. The presiding judge in the case has not ruled on prosecution claims that DNA evidence was contaminated. The defense claims the DNA taken from Bryant's accuser shows she had sex with someone other than the NBA star.
Russian officials say they have identified a number of suspected terrorists possibly involved with the downing of a jetliner. Two Russian airliners crashed within minutes of each other Tuesday night, killing a total of 89 people. Searchers at the site of the second crash near the site have found traces of explosives. Crews are still looking through the wreckage of the first crash site, which was south of Moscow.
For the latest developments in the investigation, we turn to CNN's Paula Hancocks who is in Moscow.
Paula, hello.
PAUL HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. Well, the Federal Security Services investigation has turned to terrorism for at least one of the two plane crashes from Tuesday night. They say they have found traces of explosives in the wreckage of one of the flights, the flight that was on the way to the Black Sea resort of Sochi. That's where President Vladimir Putin was on holiday at the time. Forty-four people died on -- sorry, 46 people died on that particular flight.
Investigators say they're still coming to the wreckage of the other plane to see if they can find anything similar. But they say they have identified a number of suspects that they would want to talk to in relation to this terrorist act. They also say that on the flight on its way to the Black Sea resort of Sochi, they have one body that has been unclaimed. Relatives have been down at the crash site on their way to the crash site to reclaim their loved ones. They say one body is left. It's of a woman thought to be of Chechen descent. They want to talk to her relatives.
Also on the other flight, the Interfax News Agency is reporting that another woman of Chechen descent bought a ticket for that flight just one hour before the flight took off. And investigators certainly want to talk to her relatives as well.
So, now this investigation has changed somewhat. The black boxes don't look like they'll be giving us any information. Officials say that it looks like they were either not working, or they had stopped working just before the airlines came down.
So that's the latest from Moscow -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And what can you tell us about this explosive they think they found in traces of one of the crashes?
HANCOCKS: Well, initial reports that we're getting from the security services is in fact it's hexogen. Now, this is an explosive used fairly extensively in Russia over the last five years, most notably in 1999, when there were some apartment building bombings mostly in Moscow. Around 300 people died in those particular attacks. And those had been blamed on Chechen separatists. So the attacks that had been used -- but that had been using hexogen in the past by Russian officials, had been blamed on Chechen separatists -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Paula Hancocks in Moscow, thank you.
All is quiet in Najaf this hour. The Imam Ali Mosque is no longer an armed camp. Our John Vause joins us with the latest from Baghdad.
John, hello.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn. For the first time in 22 days, we can report that all is quiet in Najaf. Loud speakers around the Imam Ali Mosque have broadcast an announcement on behalf of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al Sadr, calling on his Mehdi militia to lay down their arms and leave the shrine. The courtyard of the Imam Ali Mosque and also the mosque itself are now deserted. U.S. forces too, have begun to pull back with Humvees replacing tanks around the compound. And earlier today, thousands of pilgrims marched to the shrine to celebrate the to the end to the fighting, after a deal was brokered by the Grand Ayatollah al Sistani. He returned in Najaf yesterday, and within hours held a face-to-face meeting with Muqtada al Sadr. Now, part of that peace deal negotiated by Sistani, sees Iraqi police take control of mosque security. Also the Iraqi government has agreed to repair buildings, which had been badly damaged after three weeks of fighting.
But it was a deadly day leading up to this peace deal. The Iraqi Health Ministry says 110 people were killed, 500 wounded in Najaf and neighboring Kufa in the last 24 hours.
It remains to be seen, though, Daryn, what will happen in the days and weeks ahead. The last cease-fire in Najaf last just six weeks. And there are reports that members of the Mehdi militia, just a few members, have been leaving the mosque still carrying their weapons. And a spokesperson for al Sadr says, "Well, the Mehdi militia has been disarmed, it has not been disbanded." As for Muqtada al Sadr and his loyal fighters, they have received an amnesty. And according to the Iraqi interim government they're free to go wherever they want -- Daryn.
KAGAN: John Vause reporting live from Baghdad, thank you.
Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi calls the killing of an Italian hostage in Iraq an inhumane act that brings back the Dark Ages. Al Jazeera is reporting that a group calling itself the Islamic Army killed journalist Enzo Baldoni because Italy would not withdraw its troops from Iraq. Berlusconi vow his country will remain active in the war against terrorism.
Back here in the U.S., for the first time President Bush is publicly acknowledging that he initially underestimated the impact of the insurgency in Iraq. In an interview in today's "New York Times," the president says he made, quote, "a miscalculation of what conditions would be in post-war Iraq." But Mr. Bush does go on to say U.S. forces are adjusting to conditions in places like Najaf.
Let's go live to the White House. That is where administration officials, last hour, said President Bush will implement intelligence reforms proposed by the 9/11 Commission.
Our White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux just out of what they call the, "Daily Gaggle," updating reporters.
Good morning.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. We have learned that President Bush is going to sign those executive orders implementing at least some of the recommendations from the 9/11 Committee. We do not expect the president is going to come out and make a special announcement or ceremony. It's going to happen quietly, although there will be background briefings on some of the details later this afternoon. Essentially what this does is it formally puts into motion some of those steps that the president endorsed back on August 2. Now, while the White House has been negotiating with Congress on creating a new powerful National Intelligence Director, in the meantime what they will implement right away is establishing a National Counter Terrorism Center that would be run by that director.
Also, they would give the CIA director greater interim powers, including operating all 15 intelligence agencies. And finally, they would establish guidelines to create better sharing of information between these spy agencies.
Now all of this comes, of course, as the president really gears up for the Republican National Convention. He yesterday, was traveled to New Mexico. That is where he was with one of the Republican rock stars, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Today he's going be heading to Florida.
Of course, good news for the Bush campaign. The latest poll coming out. The CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll showing that likely voters' choice for president, President Bush ahead 50 percent. Kerry to 47 percent. Also when asked, the stronger and more decisive leader of voters chose Bush by 54 percent to Kerry's 34 percent. Now, this is all about, Daryn, the central theme of the campaign is that the president believes he is the better candidate to protect the American people. Of course, this signing today of these executive orders is meant to support that case as well -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And my question for you, Suzanne, is about the signing of those executive orders. What does it do for other proposals out there, like Senator Pat Roberts and his proposal to break up the CIA and create an even more powerful National Intelligence Director? What does it do to those proposals?
MALVEAUX: It doesn't really do anything to the other proposal at this time. Essentially what it does is that it gives greater -- greater power to the director of the CIA. Essentially that he will be handling the other 15 spy agencies as well. What it does is that it gives him interim power until they at least figure out whether it's budget authority, personnel, all those type of matters, figure that out with Congress with the National Intelligence Director.
The other proposals are still on the back burner, those are other things that are still being negotiated and worked out.
KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Suzanne, thank you.
Classified sections of an Army report on abuses at Abu Ghraib prison are highly critical of the former commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. "The New York times," says it obtained the classified sections from a senior Defense Department official. The passengers from the Fay Report suggest that Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez approved the use of severe interrogation practices. Those practices were intended only for Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan detainees.
Further, "The Times' report Sanchez revised that policy weeks later, confusing interrogators so much that they violated the Geneva Conventions. One Abu Ghraib interrogator told CNN's Paula Zahn he never did that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMAN KROL, INTERROGATOR: Milt intelligence have their rules of engagement for interrogations. And every interrogation that I did, I stayed within those boundaries. I never went out of the boundaries during interrogation. Now, what happened here was obviously directed by MPs. I would assume that.
PAULA ZAHN, HOST, "PAULA ZAHN NOW" (on camera): And of course, the accusation by Ken Davis is that you and your colleague, Mr. Cruz, were directing the activities here.
KROL: He's wrong, of course.
ZAHN: Why is it, do you think, then in the conclusion of both of these reports that came out this week, that both of them come down pretty hard on military intelligence officers? And you've got attorneys out there representing the seven soldiers who have been charged so far, basically pointing at you guys.
KROL: That's probably their only line of defense; one assumes to blame everything on military intelligence. They have no other defense to base it on. I mean what else can they say?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Krol says that he wasn't directing or taking part in the abuse. But because he didn't report it, he expects to be charged in the scandal.
Jury selection begins today in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case. Hundreds of potential jurors are expected. We'll be live in Eagle, Colorado.
And years of silence about an alleged rape. The woman accusing William Kennedy Smith explains why she is talking now.
Later, get lost, literally in our preview of the fall television shows.
This is CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's take a look at what is on the docket today in our "Legal Briefs."
Seventeen hundred people who sued the operator of a Georgia crematory have agreed to an $80 million settlement. Ray Brent Marsh was sued after the remains of 334 bodies were found strewn around his property. Marsh had failed to cremate them. He faces criminal charges and a trial in October. William Kennedy Smith says the new rape allegation against him by a former assistant are outrageous. Audra Soulias says she was sexually assaulted by Smith five years ago at his Chicago home. She has filed a civil suit seeking $50,000 in damages.
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AUDRA SOULIAS, SMITH'S ACCUSER: On January 16, 1999, my innocence was involuntarily taken from me, in a manner by someone who I trusted and respected. It was taken in a violent act that will haunt me until the day I die. In fact, I would not have come forward had I not been re-contacted by the individual who sexually assaulted me after several years of silence.
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KAGAN: In 1991, a jury in West Palm Beach Florida acquitted Smith of sexual assault and battery on a woman that he met in a nightclub.
Jury selection gets under way next hour in Eagle, Colorado. After 14 months of hearings, the sexual assault trial of NBA star Kobe Bryant is set to begin.
Our Chris Lawrence is live in Eagle.
Chris, good morning.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Things are definitely picking up here this morning. And we're expecting about 450 potential jurors to arrive throughout the day. The first group has already started to arrive. You can take a look behind me. The Eagle police are out in force. They're directing the potential jurors where to go in the courthouse. They have to report in the first group within the next 45 minutes. And there will be three other groups staggered throughout the morning and the afternoon.
Now, once they get inside, the potential jurors will be sworn in. They'll answer about 82 written questions, and then go home. Over the weekend, the attorneys will review those questionnaires and many of those people will be excluded based on their answers.
Next week, Kobe Bryant is expected back in court. And we may well see his accuser as well. Potential jurors will then be questioned about their feelings on publicity, celebrity, the race of both the defendant and his accuser. Prosecutors will be looking for people who tend to believe women over men, feminists, or those who identify with victims.
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CRAIG SILVERMAN, FMR. DEPUTY D.A., DENVER: As for the defense, they would love L.A. Lakers fans. They would like people of color particularly African-Americans, although that latter category is unlikely in Eagle, Colorado.
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LAWRENCE: Now, you can figure about 40 people will come out of that individual questioning. And at that point, the attorneys on both sides can begin making their challenges to exclude certain jurors. Opening arguments are still scheduled to begin right after Labor Day -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Chris, I think there's a lot of people surprised that this is still going forward given that the civil lawsuit has already been filed, that that was going to mess up the criminal case.
LAWRENCE: There are a number of feelings on that. There were feelings that came out when the civil suit was first filed that perhaps the accuser was wavering. But there are other people who feel like her story was just not able to get out because of the gag order. And now with the civil suit filed, her civil attorneys can now speak out on her behalf and sort of balance out some of the negative information that's come out about her over the last six months or so.
KAGAN: Chris Lawrence in Eagle, Colorado. Chris, thank you.
Abandoned in Africa. More on the story of the woman who allegedly left her adopted children in Nigeria.
And living well in retirement, but what if you're too far in the red? We have advice for our seniors out there. Gerri Willis is here with that.
Hi, Ger.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Daryn, good to see you. What kind of debt traps do seniors fall into? We'll explore it when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
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KAGAN: That four-letter word of debt, D-E-B-T, can be a drag on anyone, especially though, for older Americans who are living on a fixed income. CNN/FN personal finance editor Gerri Willis has some ideas to make money go further in today's "Top Five Tips."
Gerri, good morning.
WILLIS: Hey, Daryn. Good to see you. My first tip today; don't be cash -- house rich and cash poor. Eighty percent of seniors own their own homes, it has a median value of $123,000, but they can't tap that money because it's in the mortgage.
So, one thing to think about, getting a reverse mortgage to help you get your hands on the money early without even selling the house. You can get a check every -- one big check or a check every month, whichever you prefer. And then after you've died, then your heirs will sell the house to pay off the loan. It's really pretty easy to do. And it's one way to get your hands on that money early -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Now, credit cards can be a problem for people of all ages.
WILLIS: Yes. You know, surprising here that seniors have a lot of credit card debt, an average of about $4,000. Doubling, really, in the last few years. Pretty big number and very surprising.
I want to make sure that people understand out there that retirement age may be close at hand, but you may not have the money to actually retire. If you're making up the difference on credit cards, it can be a very big problem.
KAGAN: Big problem for a lot of seniors trying to cover...
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SALLY HURME, AARP LAWYER: The less opportunity you have to save. And we need savings in whatever we'll get with Social Security, or pension, or other investments. So reducing your debt before you get into retirement is going to be probably the wisest thing.
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WILLIS: And so the big problem here, you've got to adjust to that new lifestyle. Before you even think of retiring, you should figure out exactly how much money you're going to need in retirement. Check out one of the online calculators, aarp.org has a great one -- Daryn.
KAGAN: A big hit in many wallets and pocket books for seniors is drug costs.
WILLIS: Yes, they've been escalating out of control here. And your Medicare drug card may not be doing the job. So a couple of things to think about here. Discounted drugs, generic drugs, more and more drugs coming onto generic lists now. You need to check that out in the next few years. Celexa, Zoloft, Zocor, all of those will be far, for cheaper, 30 percent to 60 percent less for people who use them.
Another thing here, Daryn, long-term care insurance. This is insurance you buy in your late 50s or early 60s to take care of you in a nursing home. Maybe have at-home nursing home care. Now, the premiums have been going up. But if you shop around, this may be a good thing for you, if you don't want to have to tap your house to pay for care.
KAGAN: Seniors have to keep in mind that retirement will probably last a long time. They're going to live a long time, hopefully.
WILLIS: That's right. And you want to strike the right balance. Make sure you've got the right asset allocation out there in your retirement savings. A lot of people, Daryn, are just way too conservative. They have too much money in bonds, so they're not making the kind of money they need for a multi-decade retirement. So check it out, make sure you've got the right asset allocation and you're not being too conservative. KAGAN: And finally, retirement -- actually, we already struck the right balance. Talking about seniors and retirement. And keeping in mind that as we said, it's going to last a long time.
WILLIS: You bet. You want to break that fixed income trap. A lot of people out there, they're really not ready for retirement, even though they're at the age when you normally retire. One option a lot of people are taking right now, seniors in particular, is continuing to work maybe a minimum of a few hours a week.
Now, we used to worry about people not being able to get jobs as seniors in the marketplace. But here's the reality, Daryn, employers love the reliability of seniors. The fact that they have a lot of experience in the marketplace. So it might make sense to work a couple of more hours a week. People are healthier now in retirement. And really have the wherewithal to do it. It adds a few dollars and you don't have to worry about being on a fixed income.
KAGAN: Gerri Willis, we don't have to worry because we have you along for the ride.
WILLIS: You're so nice.
KAGAN: You have a great weekend. We'll see you next week.
WILLIS: You too.
KAGAN: We're looking at the run up to the Republican National Convention straight ahead. We are live from Madison Square Garden with your complete preview of what to expect. There you are, literally rolling out the red carpet there.
And later...
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: Look over there.
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Is that the middle of the Hollywood sign?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: That is the 'Ollywoo sign.
(LAUGHTER)
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KAGAN: One of America's favorite "Friends" is back and he's in Hollywood. Stay with us to see what Joey is up to now.
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