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CNN Live Today
Three Sheriff's Deputies Shot in Lake County, Florida; Seeking Solace
Aired February 09, 2005 - 10:59 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.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, today's most popular story on our Web site, police search for a woman suspected of tying up and scalping a teenage girl. Hear the whole story.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Also, what happens when reality television meets the Middle East? It's called "The Ambassador." Wait until you hear what this one's all about. We're going to have it for you right here on CNN, where the next hour begins now.
NGUYEN: Here's a look at what's happening right "Now in the News."
Authorities in Florida are searching for a suspect after three sheriff's deputies were shot this morning. They say one deputy was shot in the knee, another in the leg. One has been taken to the hospital. The suspect may have escaped on an off-road motorcycle. We will have the latest on that coming up just shortly.
Harsh words, in the meantime, in the battle over the budget. The mayor of Baltimore compares the president's proposed budget cuts to September 11 terrorist attacks. We will go live to the White House for the latest on that budget fight.
And police in Madrid, Spain, say at least 42 people were injured by a powerful car bomb explosion this morning. That bomb went off near a city convention complex. Now, a caller claiming to represent the Basque separatist group Eta phoned in a warning to newspaper offices about a half-hour before that explosion.
And for the first time in 26 years, the Vatican holds Ash Wednesday services without Pope John Paul II. Instead, a spokesman says the pope presided over a celebration of the mass in his Rome hospital room. He is expected to remain in the hospital for a few more days.
Well, good morning. It's 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. in the West. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen, sitting in for Daryn Kagan today.
SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. And here is what is going on right now in the Orlando area in Florida.
First of all, three sheriff deputies have been shot. One has been airlifted to a hospital. A nearby school is in lockdown mode as we speak. And we're being told that police are frantically looking for a suspect they believe is armed and has shot the deputies. We have this report that we've received just moments ago. This is a reporter for a television station in Orlando who was filing information as to what the situation is right now. Let's go ahead and listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE BARRETT, REPORTER: Well, you're looking right now at what we believe is the piece of property that these deputies responded to, a domestic violence incident. Here is the problem that they have. They've been told apparently by the wife in this incident that this piece of property is booby-trapped, booby-trapped.
There's an arsenal of weapons here. We believe this is it. It is cordoned off with crime scene tape, although there is no activity, law enforcement activity on the property right now. That's understandable, considering they believe that it may be booby trapped right now.
This is on what is called the Georgia Street Extension. It is about three miles from an elementary school, Spring Creek Elementary School, that is currently on lockdown. It's about three miles away.
While deputies, investigators search by air, there are three helicopters, Volusia County, Seminole County and Lake County, searching for this man right now. They believed to have at least found the area where he is.
Apparently one of these helicopters spotted him at one point. But now he has disappeared again. At one point, they thought that they had him cornered. But that is apparently not the case. There you can see one of the sheriff office helicopters currently searching on the left side of your screen...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That report coming in just a little while ago from Steve Barrett. He's a reporter who's actually in the helicopter as he's reporting scene.
Now, you see that vehicle in the middle of the screen there. That is a vehicle that has just been brought in, a video that we just received of an armored personnel carrier. It's being brought in because of the comment you heard Steve Barrett say moments ago, that maybe this man had booby-trapped part of his house.
Obviously, the last thing that police officials want at this point is to endanger the life of yet another police, another sheriff's deputy, since three have already been shot. As we mentioned, one has been airlifted.
So, once again, here's the situation as we know it right now in Lake County. Three police officers have been shot, all sheriff deputies. One has been rushed to the hospital.
We understand that they're looking for at least one person. That person is being described as the lone gunman in this case. His wife said that he has also booby-trapped the home.
Schools in the area are in lockdown mode as a result of this. And they usually do that. It's customary for police in the area to do something like that when they're looking for someone would may be armed.
We're obviously going to stay on top of this story. And as we get more information we will be following it for you here at CNN.
Meanwhile, up first, the fiscal fight and the war of words over President Bush's budget proposal. Some Republicans are trying to rally support, but the plan to slash or even eliminate more than 150 programs is under fire from many Democrats. And the rhetoric is already reaching a bit of a fever pitch.
White House correspondent Dana Bash is joining us now with more of this fight that will be going ongoing, we understand, for several days.
Dana, over to you.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: For several days -- several months, actually, Rick. And what the president proposed, those 150 program cuts or overall eliminations, that is starting to sink in, in Congress.
Some Republicans are looking at it and saying that is courageous what the president is doing. Others are combing through it and perhaps cringing when they see what it will do to some of their core constituencies back home.
But most Democrats are quite vocal that they believe the president is unfairly targeting the needy, people who are on food stamps, Medicaid cuts and others. One Democrat, however, the mayor of Baltimore, Martin O'Malley, put that in rather stark terms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MARTIN O'MALLEY (D), BALTIMORE: Back on September 11, terrorists attacked our metropolitan cores, two of America's great cities. They did that because they knew that that was where they could do the most damage and weaken us the most. Years later, we are given a budget proposal by our commander in chief, the president of the United States, and with a budget ax he is attacking America's cities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, Democrats, many of them who saw these remarks, have distanced themselves from them. The White House noted simply that they are increasing money for Homeland Security, and perhaps Mayor O'Malley regrets the way he framed that criticism.
But the bottom line here on the budget going forward is the White House says they know full well that many of these cuts, most of them, won't actually make it through Congress. But the president will continue to travel the country.
As you see there, he did in Detroit yesterday. Tomorrow, he'll be going to North Carolina and Pennsylvania. He'll be making the point over and over again that what he is proposing to cut is either redundant or simply not working.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These are the kind of reforms that are necessary to earn the trust of the American people and to bring budget discipline. It is essential that those who spend the money in Washington adhere to this principle: a taxpayer dollar ought to be spent wisely or not spent at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, some Republicans look at the news today that the Medicare prescription drug bill that the president signed into law is actually going to cost a lot more than people originally thought. That perhaps that is proof, they fear, that they've had a Republican in the White House for four years and government is growing and not reducing.
That is heresy among Republicans and their base. That is why you can expect the president to talk about his budget, not only in terms of trying to reduce the deficits to make the market sound, or to make the world leaders be more at ease with the U.S. dollar, for example, but also to keep the Republican base happy and make them understand that he is trying to cut government spending -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: I'll take it from you, Dana. Thank you.
Betty, back over to you.
NGUYEN: More now on Baltimore Mayor O'Malley. Politics is getting nasty in Maryland today. The mayor is depending an apology from the governor.
He and his wife, who is a judge, say people in the governor's administration spread false rumors that the mayor is having an affair. The mayor says it's part of a scheme to derail his possible candidacy for the governor's office in 2006. And an aide to the governor admits spreading gossip about the mayor on the Internet and has resigned. But the governor says an apology at this point is premature.
Now to the other battle facing President Bush, selling his plan to revamp Social Security. Treasury Secretary John Snow is on Capitol Hill right now, appearing before the House Budget Committee. This is a live look.
Lawmakers are pushing for more details about the president's plan for personal accounts under Social Security. And some Democrats have complained the money to pay for the reforms is not included in the Bush budget. Snow says the administration wants to find a bipartisan solution to this Social Security issue. SANCHEZ: She did it again. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice renews her hard line on Iran. She is warning Iran to accept a European deal. If not, the U.S. will send the matter of Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council, and that could possibly mean sanctions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm quite clear, and I believe that everybody is telling the Iranians that they are going to have to live up to their international obligations or next steps are in the offing. And I think everybody understands what "next steps" mean.
We've had these discussions in the IAEA board of governors. It is obvious that if Iran cannot be brought up to live up to its international obligations that, in fact, the IAEA statutes would suggest that Iran has to be referred to the U.N. Security Council.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We're talking about three nations in all, Britain, France and Germany. They've all been trying to convince Iran to give up the nuclear program. In exchange, they would get trade incentives with Europe. Iran, all the while, is insisting its goals are perfectly peaceful.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is in Nice, France. He's meeting with counterparts from NATO countries.
The Bush administration is pushing NATO to try and take a more active role in Iraq and Afghanistan as well. Specifically, Mr. Rumsfeld wants more European specialists to help train Iraq's security forces. NATO currently has just about 100 trainers in Iraq.
NGUYEN: Well, back here in the U.S., the man who compared World Trade Center victims to Nazis is speaking out and getting some support. Ward Churchill, a professor at the University of Colorado, spoke to more than 1,000 people at the school late Tuesday. Many in the audience applauded him, as you just saw, several times and gave him standing ovations.
Churchill recently started a controversy with an essay in which he compared some World Trade Center workers to Nazis. Churchill says he was referring to people who take part in what he calls repressive U.S. policies and that he's not apologizing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROF. WARD CHURCHILL, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: I'm not backing up an inch. I owe no one apologies.
(APPLAUSE)
And what I said is, when you treat people this way, when you devalue, demean and degrade others to this point, naturally and inevitably what you're putting out will blow back on to you. And that's what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now, Churchill has resigned as chairman of the university's Ethnic Studies Department. Meanwhile, though, the governor of Colorado has called for the professor to be fired. Of course we'll continue to follow that story.
Now, over three years after the 9/11 attacks, tragic memories are still fresh for so many people, especially families of the victims. Some are now fighting New York City to hear the grim specifics of what happened to their loved ones on that day.
Here's CNN's Deborah Feyerick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the second plane hit the World Trade Center, insurance broker Richard Gabrielle was blown back into a marble wall, pinning his legs. Any chance of escape crushed.
MONICA GABRIELLE, WIFE OF 9/11 VICTIM: He had no choice but to wait for someone to help him out. He couldn't walk. He was pinned.
FEYERICK: His widow, Monica, learned what happened days later from co-workers who made it out. But Sally and Al Regenhard, whose son Christian was a firefighter, say they've never been told the haunting details of his final minutes.
SALLY REGENHARD, MOTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: When I look at the picture, I realize what happened and I realize that he has disappeared.
FEYERICK: The two families feel there's more to know. They're fighting to unseal thousands of emergency 911 calls many of them made from inside the towers.
NORMAL SIEGEL, ATTORNEY FOR 9/11 FAMILIES: What we're talking about history, making sure that history is told to my grandchildren and their grandchildren what actually happened that horrific morning.
FEYERICK: New York City sealed those 911 calls, along with interviews from 500 firefighter made soon after the tragedy. In court papers, the city says the tapes would be grist for sensational exploitation and that if there were any practical information to be gleaned from those records it would already have been harvested.
The September 11th Commission did get to hear those 9/11 calls and examine the firefighter interviews. Among their findings, that emergency operators did not have information vital to getting people out. The city says that problem has been fixed, with ranking officers giving greater guidance to operators during emergencies.
But for widow Monica Gabrielle, those changes are just the start of the campaign to make skyscrapers safer. GABRIELLE: That would essentially be the dead speaking back to the living about what went wrong, what deadly mistakes were made that prevented these people from getting out. And we can only learn from that information.
AL REGENHARD, FATHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: If this happens in the future we can deal with it better. I owe my son that. That's his legacy.
FEYERICK: A legacy and a search for truth. The painful truth of final moments and final words.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Here's a story. She's one of the most powerful women in corporate America. We're going to tell you what has just happened to change that and rock the world of computer technology.
NGUYEN: And for passengers flying on at least one airline, you will find one less luxury next time you fly. Hear about that in just a moment.
You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We know many of you check your investments from time to time. So we here at CNN like to keep you abreast of what's going on.
There they are. At least the Dow not good, down 41 at this point. Looking over checking the Nasdaq at this point, it doesn't look all that good either. About half of that. It's down 20 right now.
NGUYEN: And speaking of money, one of the most powerful women in corporate America is out of a job this morning. Hewlett-Packard chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina has been forced out by the board of directors. And CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff joins us from the New York Stock Exchange with the latest on this.
Hi there, Allan.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello, Betty.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
NGUYEN: Allan Chernoff in New York for us. Thank you, Allan -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Israeli and Palestinian delegations, they returned home today with a truce in hand from the summit in Egypt that you saw here yesterday as it played out on CNN. Now comes the hard part, getting it to stick. Already, Hamas has said it's not going to abide by this agreement. Former President Jimmy Carter knows a thing or two about this. He weighs in, mentioning to CNN that he likes what he sees so far in new Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAMES CARTER, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have complete confidence in him. Although he tried to be prime minister, as you know, last year for a while, he was still working under the domination of Yasser Arafat. And he was kind of cut -- had his legs cut off by both Israel and the United States and he couldn't be effective.
Now, though, he's been elected on his own. And I think so far, since he was elected, he has shown remarkable courage and also remarkable and surprising effectiveness. So it's a good hope for the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Here's some of the concrete elements of this deal thus far. The Mideast agreement calls for Israel to free some 500 Palestinian prisoners sometime next week. Israel is to pull out of several West Bank towns in early March as long as -- and it's a big "if" -- as long as there are no attacks by Palestinian militants.
NGUYEN: For the first time in his 26-year papacy, John Paul -- Pope John Paul II did not lead Ash Wednesday services at the Vatican today. Now, that job fell to American Cardinal James Stafford, who stood in for the ailing pontiff.
He conveyed no message from John Paul, but says his presence was felt inside St. Peter's Basilica. The pope has been in a Rome hospital, as you well know, for more than a week now, fighting off the flu. He's expected to be there for a few more days. The pope was last seen Sunday, when he delivered his traditional greeting from his hospital window.
SANCHEZ: There is a controversy about one veteran's award. Well, it's a Purple Heart that he had received.
NGUYEN: An Iraq war veteran loses his medal. Should others be worried as well? We have those details coming up.
SANCHEZ: Also coming up, it's an unimaginable crime. You may not believe it when we tell you what it is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We're going to get a little bit of this and a little bit of that. That's how we might describe the weather today.
NGUYEN: But, you know, I'm not complaining, not even with the rain. Because it is at least warm outside around here.
(WEATHER REPORT)
SANCHEZ: It's a medal that certainly conveys honor. It is a Purple Heart that seems to be discoloring somewhat.
NGUYEN: Yes, that's right, because it is now becoming a medal of controversy. Find out why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back. We're coming up on the half-hour mark. I'm Betty Nguyen, sitting in for Daryn Kagan today.
SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. And here's what's happening right now for you in the news.
We begin with Basque separatists. They're claiming responsibility for a powerful car bombing in Madrid that has left 42 hurt. This attack happened near the city's convention center a few hours before Spain's royal couple and Mexican President Vicente Fox were due to visit the complex.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 9, 2005 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, today's most popular story on our Web site, police search for a woman suspected of tying up and scalping a teenage girl. Hear the whole story.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Also, what happens when reality television meets the Middle East? It's called "The Ambassador." Wait until you hear what this one's all about. We're going to have it for you right here on CNN, where the next hour begins now.
NGUYEN: Here's a look at what's happening right "Now in the News."
Authorities in Florida are searching for a suspect after three sheriff's deputies were shot this morning. They say one deputy was shot in the knee, another in the leg. One has been taken to the hospital. The suspect may have escaped on an off-road motorcycle. We will have the latest on that coming up just shortly.
Harsh words, in the meantime, in the battle over the budget. The mayor of Baltimore compares the president's proposed budget cuts to September 11 terrorist attacks. We will go live to the White House for the latest on that budget fight.
And police in Madrid, Spain, say at least 42 people were injured by a powerful car bomb explosion this morning. That bomb went off near a city convention complex. Now, a caller claiming to represent the Basque separatist group Eta phoned in a warning to newspaper offices about a half-hour before that explosion.
And for the first time in 26 years, the Vatican holds Ash Wednesday services without Pope John Paul II. Instead, a spokesman says the pope presided over a celebration of the mass in his Rome hospital room. He is expected to remain in the hospital for a few more days.
Well, good morning. It's 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 8:00 a.m. in the West. From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, I'm Betty Nguyen, sitting in for Daryn Kagan today.
SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. And here is what is going on right now in the Orlando area in Florida.
First of all, three sheriff deputies have been shot. One has been airlifted to a hospital. A nearby school is in lockdown mode as we speak. And we're being told that police are frantically looking for a suspect they believe is armed and has shot the deputies. We have this report that we've received just moments ago. This is a reporter for a television station in Orlando who was filing information as to what the situation is right now. Let's go ahead and listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE BARRETT, REPORTER: Well, you're looking right now at what we believe is the piece of property that these deputies responded to, a domestic violence incident. Here is the problem that they have. They've been told apparently by the wife in this incident that this piece of property is booby-trapped, booby-trapped.
There's an arsenal of weapons here. We believe this is it. It is cordoned off with crime scene tape, although there is no activity, law enforcement activity on the property right now. That's understandable, considering they believe that it may be booby trapped right now.
This is on what is called the Georgia Street Extension. It is about three miles from an elementary school, Spring Creek Elementary School, that is currently on lockdown. It's about three miles away.
While deputies, investigators search by air, there are three helicopters, Volusia County, Seminole County and Lake County, searching for this man right now. They believed to have at least found the area where he is.
Apparently one of these helicopters spotted him at one point. But now he has disappeared again. At one point, they thought that they had him cornered. But that is apparently not the case. There you can see one of the sheriff office helicopters currently searching on the left side of your screen...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That report coming in just a little while ago from Steve Barrett. He's a reporter who's actually in the helicopter as he's reporting scene.
Now, you see that vehicle in the middle of the screen there. That is a vehicle that has just been brought in, a video that we just received of an armored personnel carrier. It's being brought in because of the comment you heard Steve Barrett say moments ago, that maybe this man had booby-trapped part of his house.
Obviously, the last thing that police officials want at this point is to endanger the life of yet another police, another sheriff's deputy, since three have already been shot. As we mentioned, one has been airlifted.
So, once again, here's the situation as we know it right now in Lake County. Three police officers have been shot, all sheriff deputies. One has been rushed to the hospital.
We understand that they're looking for at least one person. That person is being described as the lone gunman in this case. His wife said that he has also booby-trapped the home.
Schools in the area are in lockdown mode as a result of this. And they usually do that. It's customary for police in the area to do something like that when they're looking for someone would may be armed.
We're obviously going to stay on top of this story. And as we get more information we will be following it for you here at CNN.
Meanwhile, up first, the fiscal fight and the war of words over President Bush's budget proposal. Some Republicans are trying to rally support, but the plan to slash or even eliminate more than 150 programs is under fire from many Democrats. And the rhetoric is already reaching a bit of a fever pitch.
White House correspondent Dana Bash is joining us now with more of this fight that will be going ongoing, we understand, for several days.
Dana, over to you.
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: For several days -- several months, actually, Rick. And what the president proposed, those 150 program cuts or overall eliminations, that is starting to sink in, in Congress.
Some Republicans are looking at it and saying that is courageous what the president is doing. Others are combing through it and perhaps cringing when they see what it will do to some of their core constituencies back home.
But most Democrats are quite vocal that they believe the president is unfairly targeting the needy, people who are on food stamps, Medicaid cuts and others. One Democrat, however, the mayor of Baltimore, Martin O'Malley, put that in rather stark terms.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MARTIN O'MALLEY (D), BALTIMORE: Back on September 11, terrorists attacked our metropolitan cores, two of America's great cities. They did that because they knew that that was where they could do the most damage and weaken us the most. Years later, we are given a budget proposal by our commander in chief, the president of the United States, and with a budget ax he is attacking America's cities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, Democrats, many of them who saw these remarks, have distanced themselves from them. The White House noted simply that they are increasing money for Homeland Security, and perhaps Mayor O'Malley regrets the way he framed that criticism.
But the bottom line here on the budget going forward is the White House says they know full well that many of these cuts, most of them, won't actually make it through Congress. But the president will continue to travel the country.
As you see there, he did in Detroit yesterday. Tomorrow, he'll be going to North Carolina and Pennsylvania. He'll be making the point over and over again that what he is proposing to cut is either redundant or simply not working.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These are the kind of reforms that are necessary to earn the trust of the American people and to bring budget discipline. It is essential that those who spend the money in Washington adhere to this principle: a taxpayer dollar ought to be spent wisely or not spent at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Now, some Republicans look at the news today that the Medicare prescription drug bill that the president signed into law is actually going to cost a lot more than people originally thought. That perhaps that is proof, they fear, that they've had a Republican in the White House for four years and government is growing and not reducing.
That is heresy among Republicans and their base. That is why you can expect the president to talk about his budget, not only in terms of trying to reduce the deficits to make the market sound, or to make the world leaders be more at ease with the U.S. dollar, for example, but also to keep the Republican base happy and make them understand that he is trying to cut government spending -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: I'll take it from you, Dana. Thank you.
Betty, back over to you.
NGUYEN: More now on Baltimore Mayor O'Malley. Politics is getting nasty in Maryland today. The mayor is depending an apology from the governor.
He and his wife, who is a judge, say people in the governor's administration spread false rumors that the mayor is having an affair. The mayor says it's part of a scheme to derail his possible candidacy for the governor's office in 2006. And an aide to the governor admits spreading gossip about the mayor on the Internet and has resigned. But the governor says an apology at this point is premature.
Now to the other battle facing President Bush, selling his plan to revamp Social Security. Treasury Secretary John Snow is on Capitol Hill right now, appearing before the House Budget Committee. This is a live look.
Lawmakers are pushing for more details about the president's plan for personal accounts under Social Security. And some Democrats have complained the money to pay for the reforms is not included in the Bush budget. Snow says the administration wants to find a bipartisan solution to this Social Security issue. SANCHEZ: She did it again. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice renews her hard line on Iran. She is warning Iran to accept a European deal. If not, the U.S. will send the matter of Iran's nuclear program to the U.N. Security Council, and that could possibly mean sanctions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I'm quite clear, and I believe that everybody is telling the Iranians that they are going to have to live up to their international obligations or next steps are in the offing. And I think everybody understands what "next steps" mean.
We've had these discussions in the IAEA board of governors. It is obvious that if Iran cannot be brought up to live up to its international obligations that, in fact, the IAEA statutes would suggest that Iran has to be referred to the U.N. Security Council.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: We're talking about three nations in all, Britain, France and Germany. They've all been trying to convince Iran to give up the nuclear program. In exchange, they would get trade incentives with Europe. Iran, all the while, is insisting its goals are perfectly peaceful.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is in Nice, France. He's meeting with counterparts from NATO countries.
The Bush administration is pushing NATO to try and take a more active role in Iraq and Afghanistan as well. Specifically, Mr. Rumsfeld wants more European specialists to help train Iraq's security forces. NATO currently has just about 100 trainers in Iraq.
NGUYEN: Well, back here in the U.S., the man who compared World Trade Center victims to Nazis is speaking out and getting some support. Ward Churchill, a professor at the University of Colorado, spoke to more than 1,000 people at the school late Tuesday. Many in the audience applauded him, as you just saw, several times and gave him standing ovations.
Churchill recently started a controversy with an essay in which he compared some World Trade Center workers to Nazis. Churchill says he was referring to people who take part in what he calls repressive U.S. policies and that he's not apologizing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROF. WARD CHURCHILL, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO: I'm not backing up an inch. I owe no one apologies.
(APPLAUSE)
And what I said is, when you treat people this way, when you devalue, demean and degrade others to this point, naturally and inevitably what you're putting out will blow back on to you. And that's what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now, Churchill has resigned as chairman of the university's Ethnic Studies Department. Meanwhile, though, the governor of Colorado has called for the professor to be fired. Of course we'll continue to follow that story.
Now, over three years after the 9/11 attacks, tragic memories are still fresh for so many people, especially families of the victims. Some are now fighting New York City to hear the grim specifics of what happened to their loved ones on that day.
Here's CNN's Deborah Feyerick.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When the second plane hit the World Trade Center, insurance broker Richard Gabrielle was blown back into a marble wall, pinning his legs. Any chance of escape crushed.
MONICA GABRIELLE, WIFE OF 9/11 VICTIM: He had no choice but to wait for someone to help him out. He couldn't walk. He was pinned.
FEYERICK: His widow, Monica, learned what happened days later from co-workers who made it out. But Sally and Al Regenhard, whose son Christian was a firefighter, say they've never been told the haunting details of his final minutes.
SALLY REGENHARD, MOTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: When I look at the picture, I realize what happened and I realize that he has disappeared.
FEYERICK: The two families feel there's more to know. They're fighting to unseal thousands of emergency 911 calls many of them made from inside the towers.
NORMAL SIEGEL, ATTORNEY FOR 9/11 FAMILIES: What we're talking about history, making sure that history is told to my grandchildren and their grandchildren what actually happened that horrific morning.
FEYERICK: New York City sealed those 911 calls, along with interviews from 500 firefighter made soon after the tragedy. In court papers, the city says the tapes would be grist for sensational exploitation and that if there were any practical information to be gleaned from those records it would already have been harvested.
The September 11th Commission did get to hear those 9/11 calls and examine the firefighter interviews. Among their findings, that emergency operators did not have information vital to getting people out. The city says that problem has been fixed, with ranking officers giving greater guidance to operators during emergencies.
But for widow Monica Gabrielle, those changes are just the start of the campaign to make skyscrapers safer. GABRIELLE: That would essentially be the dead speaking back to the living about what went wrong, what deadly mistakes were made that prevented these people from getting out. And we can only learn from that information.
AL REGENHARD, FATHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: If this happens in the future we can deal with it better. I owe my son that. That's his legacy.
FEYERICK: A legacy and a search for truth. The painful truth of final moments and final words.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Here's a story. She's one of the most powerful women in corporate America. We're going to tell you what has just happened to change that and rock the world of computer technology.
NGUYEN: And for passengers flying on at least one airline, you will find one less luxury next time you fly. Hear about that in just a moment.
You're watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
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SANCHEZ: We know many of you check your investments from time to time. So we here at CNN like to keep you abreast of what's going on.
There they are. At least the Dow not good, down 41 at this point. Looking over checking the Nasdaq at this point, it doesn't look all that good either. About half of that. It's down 20 right now.
NGUYEN: And speaking of money, one of the most powerful women in corporate America is out of a job this morning. Hewlett-Packard chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina has been forced out by the board of directors. And CNN's senior correspondent Allan Chernoff joins us from the New York Stock Exchange with the latest on this.
Hi there, Allan.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello, Betty.
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NGUYEN: Allan Chernoff in New York for us. Thank you, Allan -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Israeli and Palestinian delegations, they returned home today with a truce in hand from the summit in Egypt that you saw here yesterday as it played out on CNN. Now comes the hard part, getting it to stick. Already, Hamas has said it's not going to abide by this agreement. Former President Jimmy Carter knows a thing or two about this. He weighs in, mentioning to CNN that he likes what he sees so far in new Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
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JAMES CARTER, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have complete confidence in him. Although he tried to be prime minister, as you know, last year for a while, he was still working under the domination of Yasser Arafat. And he was kind of cut -- had his legs cut off by both Israel and the United States and he couldn't be effective.
Now, though, he's been elected on his own. And I think so far, since he was elected, he has shown remarkable courage and also remarkable and surprising effectiveness. So it's a good hope for the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Here's some of the concrete elements of this deal thus far. The Mideast agreement calls for Israel to free some 500 Palestinian prisoners sometime next week. Israel is to pull out of several West Bank towns in early March as long as -- and it's a big "if" -- as long as there are no attacks by Palestinian militants.
NGUYEN: For the first time in his 26-year papacy, John Paul -- Pope John Paul II did not lead Ash Wednesday services at the Vatican today. Now, that job fell to American Cardinal James Stafford, who stood in for the ailing pontiff.
He conveyed no message from John Paul, but says his presence was felt inside St. Peter's Basilica. The pope has been in a Rome hospital, as you well know, for more than a week now, fighting off the flu. He's expected to be there for a few more days. The pope was last seen Sunday, when he delivered his traditional greeting from his hospital window.
SANCHEZ: There is a controversy about one veteran's award. Well, it's a Purple Heart that he had received.
NGUYEN: An Iraq war veteran loses his medal. Should others be worried as well? We have those details coming up.
SANCHEZ: Also coming up, it's an unimaginable crime. You may not believe it when we tell you what it is.
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SANCHEZ: We're going to get a little bit of this and a little bit of that. That's how we might describe the weather today.
NGUYEN: But, you know, I'm not complaining, not even with the rain. Because it is at least warm outside around here.
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SANCHEZ: It's a medal that certainly conveys honor. It is a Purple Heart that seems to be discoloring somewhat.
NGUYEN: Yes, that's right, because it is now becoming a medal of controversy. Find out why.
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NGUYEN: Welcome back. We're coming up on the half-hour mark. I'm Betty Nguyen, sitting in for Daryn Kagan today.
SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. And here's what's happening right now for you in the news.
We begin with Basque separatists. They're claiming responsibility for a powerful car bombing in Madrid that has left 42 hurt. This attack happened near the city's convention center a few hours before Spain's royal couple and Mexican President Vicente Fox were due to visit the complex.
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