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CNN Live Today

Judith Miller Freed From Jail; William Bennett Makes Racial Comment; Wildfires Burn in California; Home Heating Tips

Aired September 30, 2005 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: On this Friday. We hope you have a good weekend.
Daryn Kagan at the CNN Center and she takes it away from here.

Daryn, good morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Miles. You have a great weekend in New York City.

We have a busy full packed three hours. Let's get started with a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

The weather may bring some welcome relief to crews battling this wildfire north of Los Angeles. Live pictures thanks to our affiliate KABC. The same winds that whipped the flames across 17,000 acres by last night are forecast to be calm today. The two-day old blaze has threatened about 2,200 homes and commercial buildings.

In world news, more violence in Iraq today. A car packed at a vegetable market exploded this morning in Hilla. Seven people killed and 42 wounded. A hospital official tells CNN that women and children were among the casualties. Police say civilians were apparently intended as targets today, as they were yesterday in a string of car bombings in Balad. Yesterday's attacks killed 81 people and wounded 120 others.

A farewell to the troops from the man who led them. This hour at Fort Meyer in Virginia, an armed forces tribute for General Richard Myers, the departing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The president is on hand for that ceremony. It's hosted by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

John Roberts reports for his first day on the job as chief justice of the United States. Roberts was sworn in yesterday after winning overwhelming support in the Senate. He will preside over the court's new term which begins on Monday.

It is Friday. Good morning, everyone. I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta.

We're going to start the hour with a story that is back in the headlines. The CIA leak probe. We're about to show you pictures of well, you'll see soon see pictures of "New York Times" reporter Judith Miller going to jail in July. First, a live courthouse of where she is expected to testify. This morning she is appearing before a grand jury investigating the outing of a CIA operative, Valerie Plame.

Miller was released from jail late Thursday. She had spent 12 weeks behind bars, having refused to reveal a source in the case. She was freed after receiving permission from her source to provide evidence to the grand jury.

Our Bob Franken is outside the federal courthouse in Washington where Miller will testify. Elaine Quijano also covering the story for us from the White House.

Bob, we're going to start with you.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, and Judy Miller went in a back entrance this morning. Did not want to be where all the cameras are. Cameras that have been here so often in front of this courthouse. In any case, she's expected just about this hour to go in and talk to the grand jury that she refused to talk to so many weeks ago. But, as we know, she changed her mind. She says now that she got the proper notification from the source that she had refused to divulge, Scooter Libby, that it was OK to testify. She says that she had not been properly told before.

Here is her statement. She says, it is an enormous relief that she is now out of jail. She says, "I am leaving jail today because my source has now voluntarily and personally released me from my promise of confidentiality regarding our conversations relating to the Wilson- Plame matter."

The Wilson-Plame matter being the identification in a newspaper column of Valerie Plame, who was a confidential and undercover CIA agent. She was also the wife of Joe Wilson, who had publicly disputed the administration's accounts of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

All of this gets very complicated. The investigation into those leaks, which may or may not be illegal, conducted by a special prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, who insisted on reporter testimony. Judith Miller had resisted. She no longer is. She is apparently now in telling the grand jury what it needs to know.

We're also told that this could signal the near end of an investigation which has included the names of some high administration officials, Scooter Libby, her source according to her lawyers. Her source, Scooter Libby, is the vice president's chief of staff. The other name that has been so prominently mentioned is Karl Rove, the president's long time chief political advisor, currently the deputy White House chief of staff.

The investigation that may finally give some answers about who might have been involved and possible violations of the law or whether the law was even broken. The code part of the U.S. code that is involved here raises a very high bar for that.

Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Bob, thank you. I think the most important thing you said there is, it's really complicated, this story. You basically need a scorecard to follow who's who and what happened when. So we took care of that for you and put together a piece that gives you a little bit more background on this CIA leak investigation and the complex story. So let's break it down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN, (voice over): We start in July, 2003. Valerie Plame was identified as a CIA operative by syndicated columnist Robert Novak. Novak wrote that unidentified administration sources named Plame. Novak is also a CNN contributor.

Her husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson, charged that someone in the Bush White House leaked her name to get back at him. Because earlier in July, Wilson, in "The New York Times" editorial, disputed administration claims that Saddam Hussein tried to buy uranium for weapons of mass destruction. That argument that Iraq had WMDs was a big part of the administration's justification for going to war in Iraq.

In September 2003, the Justice Department began an investigation into how Plame's name was revealed because, you see, it's against federal law to deliberately reveal the identity of a CIA operative.

In February of this year, a federal appeals court said that two journalists subpoenaed by a grand jury must name their sources. One of those journalists, "Time" magazine's Matt Cooper wouldn't talk at first. But in July, Cooper admitted to talking to presidential advisor Karl Rove after "Time" said it would provide documents with information on the source.

That same month, "New York Times" reporter Judith Miller refused to talk and was jailed. This week she finally agreed to talk after she says her source released her from a pledge of confidentiality. The attorney for the vice president's chief of staff says his client, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, is Miller's source.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And so that leads us to the White House where our coverage continues with Elaine Quijano.

: And good morning, Daryn.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: White House officials say they will not comment because this is an ongoing investigation. However, the attorney for the vice president's chief of staff, Scooter Libby, did talk to CNN and after that conversation one of the central questions really is, why did Judith Miller go to jail and remain in jail for so many weeks when there was apparently, according to the attorney for Scooter Libby, a waiver of confidentiality that existed?

Now, according to this attorney, Scooter Libby signed this waiver of confidentiality over a year ago and the attorney says that he then followed up with a phone call to "The New York Times" lawyer assuring him that the waiver was, in fact, voluntary. But a few weeks ago Judy Miller's attorney contacted Libby's lawyer and said Miller had not accepted that waiver as valid because it came from lawyers.

Now again, that account is from Joseph Tate (ph), the person representing Scooter Libby. He also told CNN that he assured Miller's attorney that the waiver was voluntary. He asked, would Scooter Libby say that to Judy? And he said that he didn't want to see Judy in jail.

And the attorney's reaction was, why didn't someone call them 80 days earlier? In other words, again, that central question of why did Judy Miller sit in jail when there was apparently the understanding on Scooter Libby's part, on his attorney's part that there was, in fact, a waiver of confidentiality that existed. Perhaps we will get some more insight when we hear from Judy Miller later today. But it was, of course, after that conversation. In fact, the process was set for Judy Miller's release.

But again another question, Daryn, that has been raised is, why did it not happen immediately? Why did it take 10 days after that conversation for Judy Miller to then be released. So still a lot of open questions. As we said, a very complicated story.

But should also fell you that one of the points this attorney emphasized is that there are no indications that Scooter Libby is the target of this investigation. Nothing to indicate that at this moment. But again, here at the White House, the official comment is, no comment.

Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. Elaine Quijano at the White House.

A lot of questions, as you said. We do expect Judith Miller to speak after she has her grand jury testimony. You'll see that live here on CNN.

We also will be talking to Howard Kurtz, media reporter for "The Washington Post" and host of CNN's "Reliable Sources' about the story.

And now to the controversial comment from former Education Secretary William Bennett. Congressional Democrats are demanding Bennett apologize for what one calls outrageous racism. But Bennett is defending his remark. Miles O'Brien has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM BENNETT: Well, I'm not racist and I'll put my record up against theirs.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Former education secretary, William Bennett, on the defensive after some remarks many are calling offensive. It happened as he respond to do a caller on his syndicated radio show Wednesday. BENNETT: If you wanted to reduce crime, you could if that were your sole purpose you could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do. But your crime rate would go down.

MILES O'BRIEN: Bennett is a veteran soldier in the culture wars. He served as drug czar in the first Bush administration, pushed the war on drugs. Then later wrote "The Book of Virtues," a handbook of conservative morality. Democrats wasted no time firing back at his latest provocative comment.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, (D) MINORITY LEADER: What could possibly have possess Secretary Bennett to say those words, especially at this time? What could he possibly have been thinking? This is what is so alarming about his words.

MILES O'BRIEN: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called on President Bush to condemn the comments. And the head of the NAACP said in a statement, "while the entire nation is trying to help survivors, black and white, to recover from the damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it is unconscionable for Bennett to make such ignorant and insensitive comments."

But true to form, Bennett is standing by his words. He says they were taken out of context.

BENNETT: If somebody thought I was advocating that, they ought to be angry. I'd be angry. I was putting forward a hypothetical proposition, put that forward, examine it, and then said about it, that it's morally reprehensible. To recommend abortion of an entire group of people in order to lower your crime rate is morally reprehensible. But this is what happens when you argue that the ends can justify the means.

MILES O'BRIEN: And to his critics Bennett says, he is not the one who owes an apology.

BENNETT: I think people who misrepresented my view.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And, yes, he says he's been misrepresented and he believes that he is owed an apology. That is our Miles O'Brien reporting.

Let's go ahead and show you a live picture from Virginia, For Meyer, Virginia. You can see President Bush there, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Will is a farewell tribute and hale ceremony in honor of General Richard D. Myers and General Peter Pace, as General Myers steps aside as the Joint Chief chair. More on that just ahead.

Also ahead, firefighter in Southern California trying to get a handle on a raging wildfire north of Los Angeles. Live picture there for you. They're hoping the weather today will help steer those flames away from homes. A live report just ahead. Also coming home. Today is the first time many New Orleans residents will get to see how their property faired. And we will take you to New Orleans.

And allegations of looting by New Orleans police officers. We've been following this story for a while now. But wait until you hear the twist it has now taken.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's show you live pictures from Southern California. Improving weather conditions expected to help firefighters battle this wildfire north of Los Angeles. The fire started on Wednesday. It's already burned about 17,000 acres. It threatens more than 2,000 residential and commercial properties. And a number of people about 1,500 people have been evacuated.

Let's talk a little bit more about the weather, how it might help. Bonnie Schneider's here today with that.

Hey, Bonnie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: We'll have much more from Southern California in just a minute.

Cooler temperatures this fall could bring us a chill in more ways than one. Gerri Willis offers her "Top Five Tips" on keeping your home heating costs down.

And what will be the racial makeup of New Orleans as it recovers from Hurricane Katrina? A member of President Bush's cabinet is drawing fire for his comments on the subject.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We go back to the developing story out of Southern California. This wildfire that they don't have a handle on yet. But hopefully today with the help of the weather. Reporter Marti Johnson is with our affiliate KTLA. She's covering the fire and she joins us from the Incident Command Center. That is in Thousand Oaks.

Marti, good morning.

MARTI JOHNSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

I'm actually at the base camp, which is also in the command center, and I'm surrounded by firefighters. Right behind me, of course, you can see a fire truck with some smoke coming over the horizon towards us. If you look over in this direction, you can see the mess. And there are a good number of firefighters still eating breakfast over there. They have been up for quite some time but they were in a briefing. That briefing was going on right over there in a tented area.

And joining me now from that briefing is Inspector Jason Hurd from the L.A. County Fire Department.

Now you got some new numbers, some updated numbers, on exactly how many acres are involved and what the containment is.

Jason.

JASON HURD, INSPECTOR, L.A. COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: That's correct. We're looking at approximately 20,655 acres with a containment of about 20 percent.

JOHNSON: Now I know the weather has been such a factor in this. Yesterday the wind drove the flames nearly into people's houses. But fortunately we've only lost one house yet. Today the winds seem to be died down. What's the strategy for the day?

HURD: Correct. We're actually going to get crews out real early and try and continue the efforts of the crews that work diligently through the night to construct more line, increasing our containment percentage.

JOHNSON: As far as the equipment and the crews, you've been getting people and equipment in from all over the state.

HURD: Correct. We have over 380 fire engines, close to 3,000 personnel from all throughout the state.

JOHNSON: And those guys have been working, men and women, for about three days straight. How do they do that?

HURD: Correct. We try and rotate crews through and get them as much rest as possible so that they can get out there and do a hard work's job or a hard day's work. And we try and cycle them through the time we can. But they're out there for some long, hard hours and we definitely appreciate the effort that they're putting out.

JOHNSON: There are hot spots out there at this hour. Can you tell us a little bit about where those are and what's going on at those locations?

HURD: Correct. We're getting crews out there (INAUDIBLE) extend the line, get more containment line in and we're concentrating our efforts somewhat on the south flank of the fire to keep the fire well north of the 101 freeway.

JOHNSON: And, of course, away from the houses. So very many expensive houses. I know there was one area of multimillion dollar houses, Mount Calabasis (ph), that was very effected yesterday. Are we expecting more danger in those areas today?

HURD: That's correct. We do have a lot of urban airiface (ph) area where the brush comes up right into the residential areas. And that's a concern of ours. So we're getting crews out there early this morning while the weather conditions are favorable for us to get in there and get those lines in and try and do as much firefighting as we can this morning.

JOHNSON: All right. Thank you for joining us. Jason Hurd from the L.A. County Fire Department.

One other thing going on here at the base camp today, they'll be expecting a visit from the governor. The governor is expected to fly overhead, taking an aerial tour of the damage about 1:30 this afternoon. Towards 1:20 he's expected in this base camp to encourage a lot of very, very tired, hardworking men and women.

Live in Thousand Oaks, California, I'm Marti Johnson. Back to you in Hollywood.

KAGAN: Actually, we're in Atlanta.

JOHNSON: Back to you in Atlanta, Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, see, here's the thing, the firefighters aren't the only ones who are hardworking. So are the reporters who are out there. So we excuse you for that.

Thank you, Marti.

Marti Johnson from our affiliate KTLA from Thousand Oaks, California, on the latest on the wildfires.

Now where things have been so warm in Southern California, it's kind of hard to think that cold is around the corner and the skyrocketing heating bills. But they are. Never fear, Gerri Willis is coming along with "Top Five Tip" on how you can save energy this winter. Just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Winter is actually getting pretty close and the approach of the season is bringing a chill to Americans. But that shiver not just from temperature. Some home heating costs are expected to soar this winter. And whether you use natural gas, electricity or heating oil, there are some simple measures you can do to save you money. And here with her "Top Five Tips," Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis.

Hey, Ger.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Daryn, good to see you.

Some simple tips indeed. First off, automate your use. Get a programmable thermostat. They're not expensive. They can save you up to $100 a year because they turn off your furnace when you're not home, you're at work. They regulate the use of your heat when you're asleep. Saves you money big time.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Seal your ducts. And we don't mean the kind that go quack.

WILLIS: No, we mean the d-u-c-t-s, right?

KAGAN: Yes. WILLIS: Listen, a lot of heat escapes before it even gets to the room it's intended for. You want to check those ducts, make sure they haven't pulled away from their housing, that they're not leaking. And here's the trick, Daryn, don't use duct tape to fix them. What you need is mastic metal-backed tape. Duct tape gets to hot. It doesn't work very well. You've got to upgrade.

KAGAN: Don't use duct tape for the duct. All right. Your attic. You want to insulate that as well.

WILLIS: That's a cheap and easy way to really make sure that your house is holding on to that heat you're paying so much to put into it. The trick here is getting the right R value for your house, the kind of heating system you have and your climate. Go to the Department of Energy's Web site so find out your R value that will work best in your home.

KAGAN: Why do you have to keep an eye on your heating oil provider, Gerri?

WILLIS: Well, last season we had a similar situation where prices went up pretty quickly, pretty fast. And what happened is, some of these heating oil providers couldn't keep their promises about how much they were going to charge you for this oil. So go to your local Better Business Bureau or your state's consumer affairs office to make sure that your provider is on the up and up.

The other thing to check this season, look at the fine print in your contract. What you want to look for is how long you've locked in that price for. So many people like to lock in that oil price. It would have been a great decision this year. But, unfortunately, last season we saw a handful of providers only lock in for maybe three months, ending in November. It doesn't do you much good. So check it out.

KAGAN: We like free stuff. And you say there's a place you can get free heat?

WILLIS: Well, if you meet income requirements and you make less than $18,000 a year, you may be eligible for some free help from an organization called the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. You can calm them at 1-866-674-6327. You have to meet their guidelines. But it's really a program for people who are having a difficult time meeting those bills. And let me tell you, Daryn, they're going to be something else this year. As much as $2,200 for heating oil for people this season alone. It's going to be something else for people.

KAGAN: It's going to be tough. It's going to be a challenge.

WILLIS: That's right.

KAGAN: Gerri, thank you for that.

We are standing by. President Bush expected to speak any minute at Fort Myer, Virginia. It is the farewell tribute for it's in honor of General Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We will get to that in a bit.

Also, they've been away from home for more than a month. Today is the day. A lot of folks from New Orleans get to find out if they even have a home left. That's ahead.

And animal cruelty. More than a dozen dogs found dead in what was a shelter for victims of the storm. Who is behind the carnage?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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