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CNN Live Today

Flooding In Northeast; Relief Efforts in Pakistan; Rove Testifies Again In CIA Leak Case; Political Power In Iraq

Aired October 14, 2005 - 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: Let's go ahead and get started and take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
After an invasion, a deposed dictator and months of deadly insurgent fighting, Iraqis finally vote on their future. It has taken heated debate between Shiite, Sunnis and Kurds to reach tomorrow's vote of a draft constitution. American troops and Iraqi forces are trying to protect voters in polling places from insurgent attacks.

More than 100 people, militants, law enforcement and ordinary citizens are dead in a Russian town. An official says they have routed the attackers in Najaf (ph) and freed hostages. Russian troops are now trying to track down any militants who are still in the area.

One of the president's men is at a federal courthouse at this hour. Bush adviser Karl Rove is in front of a grand jury for the fourth time. The panel trying to get to the bottom of a leak that exposed CIA Operative Valerie Plame. We'll have a live report on the latest on the leak ahead in this hour.

And if you're one of those popular Toyota Prius hybrids, your car could be recalled. An electrical problem might make the engine stall. Toyota is recalling 160,000 cars, 75,000 here in the U.S. The car maker says a computer glitch might be the problem.

Good morning. If you have not noticed, it is Friday. I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta.

Let's start with a big weather story. Flood warnings and flood waters are blanketing much of the Northeast. Days of drenching rains have pushed rivers and streams out of their banks, driven some families from their homes. The town of Wayne is one of several communities to see voluntary evacuations. Parts of New Jersey have been pounded by as much as six inches of rain over the past two days.

In Fairfield, New Jersey, the Passaic River has overflowed into neighborhoods. Much as it did back in April. This time the river could crest more than a foot higher than it did then. New Jersey officials have activated an emergency management center and are mobilizing high water vehicles and rescue teams in flooded communities.

And now a computer animation. It's showing just how much rain has been dumped on the region. In Eastern Long Island, purple shows where 10 inches of rain has fallen, or even perhaps more. Areas in red show rain amounts of more than eight inches in New Jersey and Southern Connecticut.

Let's get the latest on the flooding. Our Chris Huntington is in Lincoln Park with a closer and a wetter look.

Chris, hello.

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, I cannot believe it, but it is raining again. The weather forecast was that it was going stay clear today. It had been clear this morning. It rained again very, very heavily last night.

The waters here and by the way, this might look like a river behind me, and indeed it is the Defacto (ph) River. This is a street. This is Midwood (ph) Road that goes back into a neighborhood. The houses back there are shrouded now in about nearly six feet of water and it's an area in which rescue crews yesterday had their hands full.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTINGTON, (voice over): A search and rescue team from the Lincoln Park, New Jersey, fire department brought 19-year-old Kelly Aldridge (ph) out of her home which is surrounded by nearly six feet of water. Her mother, Suzanne Ritterbusch, anxiously waited as the rescue crew made their way to her neighborhood flooded by the overflowing Compton (ph) River. Kelly had been trying to gather her family's most valued possessions, particularly photographs of her deceased step-father. She couldn't find them.

SUZANNE RITTERBUSCH, FLOOD EVACUEE: No pictures?

KELLY ALDRIDGE: No, the pictures are on top of the shelf in the room. Mommy, I couldn't get it.

RITTERBUSCH: It's OK. It's OK.

HUNTINGTON: Suzanne and her three daughters have been through this before. This section of New Jersey floods often. This is the third time they've had to evacuate this year. Suzanne is angry that the warning from authorities this time did not come until 10:00 Thursday morning and lacked urgency, even after several days of flooding.

RITTERBUSCH: They didn't say get out. They just said there was minor flooding in the area.

HUNTINGTON: How would you characterize this flooding that you've just been evacuated from?

RITTERBUSCH: Major. This is major.

HUNTINGTON: The Lincoln Park Fire Department said they evacuated at least 15 people from here. After helping Suzanne and her daughters, they pulled out. Moment's later, Suzanne's landlord showed up with a boat he just bought for one last ditch salvage effort.

ALDRIDGE: I'm going to hand this to you. HUNTINGTON: Yep. Got it.

Computers. One from a neighbor's house, as well as Suzanne's, containing files and a client list from a business that she only just started. Suzanne praised the rescue workers who helped them but not those who ran emergency operations during the flooding earlier in the week.

RITTERBUSCH: I pushed two cars up to higher ground the other day and watched all the officials stand there and watch me and my two children waist deep in water push cars up. If the rescue workers of Katrina treated those people that way, I can understand their sense of hopelessness, because this was no fun and there was no compassion.

HUNTINGTON: Suzanne knows all too well the perils of living in a flood zone and she has wanted to move for a year. But with the home prices in this area out of her reach, she and her daughters are just renting a house that they can't even call home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTINGTON: Suzanne came by here just a few minutes ago to see if there had been any improvement in the situation down by her house. It has not improved. And, frankly, she said, she'd made up her mind to move out of this area for good.

Now, the situation here is really dependent on how much more water falls not only here, but up north. Because anything that falls on the hills and the mountains north of here ends up as runoff down here. So even if this is just a temporary downpour, Daryn, in this area, the real concern is about how much water gets dumped north of here and how long that tales to come down here. So this area here, the overflowing of the Pompton River, could be a flooded situation for days to come.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Chris Huntington live from New Jersey. Thank you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: For the latest on weather around the world and in your neighborhood, turn to our continuing updated website. The address cnn.com/weather.

Rescue workers say they're in a cruel race against time to save remaining victims of the earthquake that hit South Asia last weekend. There is some encouraging news, like the story of five-year-old Zarad Shaw (ph). She was trapped in the rubble of her home in Kashmir. She survived for almost 100 hours, four days, when finally Russian rescuers pulled her out of the debris. She says she was scared. Some of her family didn't make it, but others did, and that's her uncle who's holding her so tight.

Work does continued to reach other victims and help survivors. Emergency aid is pouring into Pakistan from all around the world, bringing food, water, medical supplies and more. The U.S. and other countries are flying into an air base outside of Islamabad and that's where we find CNN's Andrew Stevens.

Andrew, hello.

Andrew, can you hear us?

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, thanks very much.

What you're talking about, food aid is now arriving here at the this is the operation center for all the international relief. Just behind me, these are halal (ph) meals. These are U.S. halal meals. They've been brought in, in the last few hours. Just part of a massive relief operation now in full swing here.

We're seeing cargo planes arriving all the time. Obviously darkness now, so the helicopter operations have ceased for the evening. Helicopters have been coming in and out of this airport all day, taking supplies up into the hardest hit areas and bringing back down survivors, usually badly injured survivors.

There is a triage operation here right at the airport, treating the most badly wounded and they are then taken of to the hospital. But this really is the hub at the moment. We're seeing medical kits coming in. We're seeing water. We're seeing all sort of treatments coming in.

As you say, this is a desperate race against time and 2.3 million people are believed to be homeless or injured in the northern part of Pakistan after that earthquake. Now nearly seven days ago, rescuers are slowly getting to them. There are very, very few stories, but nonetheless, stories of survival. But this has really now turned into a relief operation. The rescue part of this is virtually over.

As you see, the stuff coming in here will be moved north as quickly as possible. Most of it is taken out by truck. You can see behind me, they're loading up the trucks. They'll be driving about 18 hours to the first areas. There will be a staging post to move on a little bit further and this other going out by helicopter. This operation will continue 24/7 now for the foreseeable future.

I was speaking to the head of the Pakistani army who's coordinating all of this relief work and he was saying the operation now is starting to run quite smoothly.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Andrew Stevens reporting live from just outside Islamabad. Thank you.

History is about to be made in Iraq as that nation takes a giant step toward democracy. Security is tight. Vote on a new constitution gets set to begin. We are live from Baghdad ahead.

President Bush's right-hand man is in the hot seat today facing a grand jury for the fourth time over the leaking of a CIA agent's name. We are live from the courthouse.

And a new, longer version of that videotape captured a man being beaten by New Orleans police. Listen closely.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT DAVIS: (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: It's kind of hard to hear, but I can tell you it was the voice of Robert Davis. If you didn't hear him, he says, if you allow me to turn over I will.

The other things seen and heard on this tape makes the case even more startling. When CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: This just in to CNN. We're getting word of a crash of an F-18 jet off the coast of Key West. The Coast Guard of Miami telling CNN that they are working on a recovery operation, looking for the pilot and co-pilot. Another F-18 was flying with the downed one and spotted the pilot and co-pilot eject. Not sure at this time what would have caused the jet to go down and cause the pilot and co-pilot to eject.

So once again, the search on for the pilot and co-pilot of an F- 18 off the coast of Key West.

Other news in morning, one of President Bush's most trusted advisers is on hand to testify for the fourth time before a grand jury. The panel is investigating the leak of a CIA agent's name. Our National Correspondent Bob Franken is outside the courthouse where Karl Rove arrived a little more than an hour ago.

Bob, good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

If there was "Jeopardy," the response, the answer would be, who is the top White House adviser who is appearing before for the fourth time? And, of course, that would be Karl Rove, who many believe may be in legal jeopardy as he is testifying for an unusual four times. We're told that the special prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, told by a variety of informed sources, has gotten some information about Rove's participation in the discussions with reporters about Valerie Plame, who was an undercover CIA agent until her name was publicly disclosed.

That had not been discussed before, before the grand jury. His lawyer says that Rove had volunteered last July to come back if it was needed. Patrick Fitzgerald decided to take him up that.

The reporter who has testified now that discussed Rove was Matthew Cooper of "Time" magazine. He testified only after a threat that he would go to jail if he did not. All of this is in the context of a grand jury that has been investigating this now for almost two years. And some speculation that it's about to be over since the grand jury's term is about to be over and absent some extension requests from the special prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, decisions will be made on whether there will be indictments, what those indictments might be and whether they would involve top level officials at the White House.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes. And, Bob, as you point out, no indictment, no charges yet. But as we're seeing with the Tom DeLay case, already a distraction and having an effect without even charges being filed.

FRANKEN: Oh, sure. Karl Rove has been the president's chief political adviser for many, many years. He's the deputy White House chief of staff. He and Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who is the vice president's chief of staff, have been the most prominent names mentioned. Either of those could, of course, have if there are indictments, could have tremendous political repercussions here in Washington.

KAGAN: Bob Franken live from Washington, D.C. Thank you.

Well, who says eight is enough. Try doubling that and, who knows, maybe even adding some more. Ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY, the family that gives new meaning to the word sweet 16. Boy, could they use some financial tips from our Gerri Willis.

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

Simple rain water can be a damage to your house, as we've seen in the Northeast. What can you do to prevent flooding? Five tips is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: You remember the movie, "Cheaper by the Dozen"? Well, for one Arkansas brood, a mere 12 kids might seem kind of quaint. On Tuesday, Jim Bob and Michele Duggar welcomed child number 16. Both mom and daughter, the family's first girl in eight years, are doing just fine. Earlier today on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING, the father talked about the expanding needs of a growing family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM BOB DUGGAR, FATHER OF 16 CHILDREN: We are in the process of building a 7,000 square foot house and it's going to have four washers, four driers, nine bathroom, a big boys' dormitory room and a big girls' dormitory room and just a lot more space for everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Did you see how well behaved all those children were? Dad says the family might not be finished yet with 16. He says he and his wife want even more kids. In the next hour, we will hear more from the Duggar family. From the Gulf Coast of the south, to waterlogged New Hampshire in the northeast, the last few months have been a wash in images of flooding and devastation. So how do you protect your home from the threat? Joining us with her "Top Five Tips," our Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis.

And these tips aren't just if you're in a flood zone, it's protecting your home from rain in general.

WILLIS: Yes, that's right. Rain can be a terrible thing, as we've seen in the Northeast.

Job number one, you've got to clean out those gutters because they are the number one reason that people get flooding inside their house. Now the last thing you want to do is be stranded 30 feet up on the side of your house in the middle of a deluge pulling junk out of your gutters. So do it ahead of time. It's the best way to make sure that you don't get into trouble.

KAGAN: And the gutters lead to the downspouts. Those need to be cleaned too.

WILLIS: They need to be cleaned and they need to be shunting water three to four feet out from your house. They've got to be long enough so that they're not putting water right into the foundation of your home. So check those and make sure they're clear.

KAGAN: I have this problem, the grading of the degree of the soil next to your house.

WILLIS: Right. Exactly. You want to make sure that the land is falling away from your home about four feet out from the perimeter of your house. That will help with drainage as well. It's easy enough to do this on your own. Just make sure that you don't use top soil because it's organic and it will hold water next to your house. You don't want that. You just want regular fill dirt.

KAGAN: What about the gardens that people put around their homes?

WILLIS: Well, I love gardens but, I've got to tell you, if you've got that garden right against your house, they're sponges. They hold water. They can make water go into your basement. So be sure to move the garden out a little bit. If you are putting it next to your house, rim it with rock so that you prevent that water from seeping into your house.

KAGAN: And what about waterproofing?

WILLIS: It's always good to waterproof your basement. You can paint these waterproofs on. They're water based, they're oil based. It doesn't really matter. But the beauty of this is it seeps into the wall, particularly if you haven't painted it before, and it prevents water from, you know, clinging to those walls and getting into the middle of those walls.

KAGAN: Gerri Willis from New York City.

Gerri, thank you.

WILLIS: Thank you.

KAGAN: Let's keep it in New York and check the markets. They've been opened, well, almost an hour. Not quite. Kind of a slow start for a Friday morning. The Dow is down a little bit more than two points. The Nasdaq also in negative territory. It is down just over 3 points.

Ahead, divided by war, Iraq looking to unite under a new constitution. How tomorrow's vote on a new basis of law could affect women.

Another case of alleged police brutality. Did police go to far? What happened in this video will shock you.

Plus, you've seen some of the video of the beating of a man in New Orleans. Now hear what was on the rest of the tape.

And we all know the story of the runaway bride. Now it's the case of the runaway groom. The desperate steps he took to get out of his wedding.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Getting close to the half hour. I'm Daryn Kagan. Here's a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

It is an eighth straight day of soaking rains that has unleashed flood waters across much of New Jersey. Several rivers are expected to reach flood stage this morning and flood warnings have been posted in Trenton and to its north. No flood-related deaths have been reported.

Less than an hour actually less than two hours ago, presidential adviser Karl Rove arrived at a Washington courthouse to testify before a grand jury. This is his fourth appearance before the panel which is investigating a leak of a CIA officer's identity. Rove is considered one of President Bush's most valued and trusted advisers.

Dutch police have intensified security in and around government buildings in the Hague after anti-terror raids led to the arrest of seven people. Authorities believe the suspects are connected to the radical Islamic group blamed for last year's killing of a Dutch filmmaker, Theo van Gogh. Police say it's not clear what the threat was posed to the Hague, administrative capital of the Netherlands.

Fans of James Bond may be shaken and possible stirred by this morning's introduction of the first blonde actor to play the role. Daniel Craig says his selection as just the second Brit to win the role has left him a bit speechless. He replaces Pierce Brosnan.

On to Iraq now. It is preparing for a historic vote this morning. In a matter of hours, Iraqis will go to the polls and vote on a new constitution that will pave the way for establishment of a permanent government. To get ready for the vote, security has been tightened amid concerns about more insurgent attacks. CNN's Aneesh Raman joins us now live from Baghdad.

Aneesh, hello.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.

Some 15.5 million Iraqis are registered to vote. There will be some 6,000-plus polling centers throughout the country. And, as you mentioned, security is incredibly high. The country's boarders have been closed, provincial borders within Iraq closed as well, but already insurgent attacks and these five Iraqi policemen have been killed yesterday into today targeted at polling stations in the province of Diala (ph).

Also, bombs going off outside the Iraqi Islamic party, the main Sunni party that signed on to that agreement a few days ago. They are now the targets of insurgent attacks for saying that Sunnis should vote for the constitution.

But, Daryn, a few days ago I spoke to the man who is arguably the guy running this country. It's someone that most people in the U.S. won't know. His name is Abdel Aziz Hakim.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN, (voice over): He is Iraq's most powerful politician. Leader of the Shia party that controls the government, Abdel Aziz Hakim is the political face of the new Iraq.

ISMALE ZAIR: I think he is now, is number one and head guy in the political life.

RAMAN: A fact known here and in capitals around the world. In August, when talks over the constitution stalled, President Bush phoned Hakim, not the prime minister or president to move things forward.

ABDEL AZIZ HAKIM (through translator): We watched the government, its performance, its officials. And consequently, if we see they deviate from serving the Iraqi people, we talk to them and fix the issues.

RAMAN: Hakim rose to the party's top position in August 2003, after his brother Ayatollah Mohammed Bakar Hakim, was killed by a car bomb. Hakim himself has survived numerous assassination attempts. Backed by Iraq's most revered religious figure, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, his words matter, his opinions become mandates. Hakim's endorsement of the country's constitution all but guarantees it will get the Shia's majority vote.

(on camera): Hakim is a cleric, commanding the allegiance of millions, embodying the convergence of religion and politics as he seeks to strengthen ties between Baghdad and Tehran. (voice-over): Hakim spent the Saddam years exiled in Iran, developing a close relationship with the leadership there. When asked about Iran's role in the new Iraq, Hakim is artfully vague.

HAKIM (through translator): The Iranian role is a positive one. We have common borders and, consequently, there are historical, cultural relations. Iran has the desire for strong ties, and we as Iraqis welcome this.

RAMAN: It is that connection, though, which concerns a great many Iraqis, especially Sunnis. But if the constitution passes and the Shia alliance retains its grip on government, Abdel Aziz Hakim will have years to shape the new Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN: But, Daryn, Hakim's power is on line, as well. Tomorrow this vote not just about the constitution, also about the political process here. If the draft document fails, this national assembly is dissolved and the entire political process starts again -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Aneesh Raman, live from Baghdad. Aneesh, thank you.

So if this is approved, the draft constitution could bring major changes to Iraqi life, including the role of religion and women's rights.

Zainab Salbi, author of the book "Between Two Worlds" and founder and president of Women for Women International, joins me now from Chicago to talk about what the vote might mean.

ZAINAB SALBI, PRES., WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTL: Good morning. Good seeing you.

KAGAN: Let's -- you know, we hear so much about what individual religious groups are getting out of this Constitution. How do women fare?

SALBI: We're not quite sure, actually. The way the constitution is drafted at the moment, it's so vague, vis-a-vis women, that's it really could take the direction of a fundamentalist conservative state, or a liberal one. It's providing a very vague framework. It says that religion is a source of the constitution. It does say that the state has the right to balance between women's role in public and between women's duty in the private sphere, vis-a-vis her family. It does talk a lot about the role of religious courts.

And so, it really depends on who is going interpret the constitution. Who are the policymakers? Are they going to be religious scholars? Are they going to be religious politicians? Are they going to be secular scholars? We're really vulnerable. And a lot of the secular educated women from the civil society are very uncomfortable with this process and this -- the draft as it stands right now.

KAGAN: Women have been included in this political discussion, to get to this point, but isn't it almost condescending, in a way, to talk about women as a bloc in Iraq? Just as in this country, there are women with completely different points of view about what they want their political future, especially their political future, to be.

SALBI: Very good point, very good point. Actually, as a matter of fact, one-third of the constitution's drafting committee members were women, actually. We met with a lot of them through Women for Women International conferences that we had to bring members of the civil society with members of the constitution drafting committee members.

And we are seeing women who are conflicting. Some women are religious and they are saying we are pro-family and issues like custody and marriage and divorce and inheritance are seen -- they are seen as against the family. And others are very adamant at -- at least preserving the old laws, if not changing them to the better. And so, you're right that they are -- a discrepancy between women.

Overall, however, we are adamant believers that we really -- women's rights are not only for women's sake. It is really for the nation's sake overall. One women's rights are good and protected and they have mobility. The whole country is -- they take the whole country up with them. Women are bellwether for the direction of the society, and we can't have strong countries when we don't have strong women.

KAGAN: You grew up in Iraq. Your book, your new book that's out, it's fascinating, talks about how your father worked for Saddam Hussein. So this is obviously a country that you know and you love. When you look at where it's come so far, to where it is on the eve of this election, was the war worth it?

I think we might have a technical problem. All right. I still have that question for Zainab, and we will get her back to try to get her to answer that question. Because -- fascinating person to talk to. Zainab Salbi. Once again, her book is called "Between Two Worlds." And we'll have more with her ahead.

Want to let you know, this Sunday, we have an in-depth look at the Iraq war on "CNN PRESENTS." It is 7:00 p.m. Sunday. It's called "The Iraq War: Progress Report II." An investigative look into how the war is really going in Iraq. And at 8:00 p.m., "The Iraq War: Voices from the Homefront," a look past the politics to find out what ordinary Americans really think about U.S. involvement in Iraq. That's Sunday on CNN.

We do have her back. Zainab, can you hear me now?

SALBI: Yes, I can.

KAGAN: OK, you're back, very good. Because I was asking a very important question. I was wondering if you think, as far as your country has come so far, was the war worth it?

SALBI: The day that Saddam Hussein was overthrown was the best day in my personal life and in so many Iraqis' life. Is the way -- the way -- how do we go about it the day after was -- is still a question a lot of people are discussing, about how can we stabilize Iraqi lives. People are still asking for electricity, for jobs, for access to water, for education. And unless we address these things and how we can stabilize normal people's lives, we can't move forward for the future. So overall, I think the past was really bad for Iraqis, the present is very challenging and we really need to look about how can we create a better future.

KAGAN: And that as moves forward, we invite you back. Always good to see you.

SALBI: Thank you.

KAGAN: Zainab Salbi, thank you so much.

SALBI: Pleasure.

KAGAN: Pleas for mercy from the man who was beaten in New Orleans. Ahead, there is new video. You're going to hear for the first time Robert Davis' cries for help while he was being held by police.

And perhaps the most famous resident of New Orleans's Ninth Ward returns to his home. What's left of Fats Domino's life? When CNN LIVE TODAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The U.S. Navy says it's not sure why an F-18 fighter jet crashed this morning off the coast of southernmost Florida. It had just taken off from a training mission from Naval Air Station Key West. It crashed about 35 miles off the coast. The pilot ejected before the crash, status unknown there. It's not clear if the rescue team has made it to the recovery area.

Another case of alleged police brutality caught on tape, this time in Canada. Two Montreal police officers have been reassigned to desk duty while this arrest is being investigated. The woman being arrested Ann Marie Palladue (ph) was charged with theft and assault on police. Palladue is the sister of the owner of the TV network that shot this footage.

And now to the arrest and beating of a 64-year-old man by New Orleans police. That was also caught on tape, and the Associated Press has released the complete video. Robert Davis says he came back to New Orleans to check on property that he owned.

CNN's Dan Simon looks at what happened during the arrest on Bourbon Street.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The entire videotape shot by the agency's photographer runs five minutes. The extended footage shows a little more of what happened at the beginning of the incident. We see a woman try to communicate something to the officers, before she is shooed away by the mounted policeman. This appears to be the woman Davis has publicly asked to come forward to corroborate his story.

After the officers strike Robert Davis, the new tape shows the FBI agents watching the struggle for at least 15 seconds before they assist in the eventual takedown.

Moments later, according to one law enforcement trainer who watched the tape at CNN's request, it appears the officers are working against one another. One holding Davis in what's called a leg lock; the other, sitting on his back, effectively pulling and pushing Davis in opposite directions.

And listen carefully, this could be significant in court. You can hear the 64-year old yell, quote, "If you allow me to turn over, I will." It also appears one of the officers delivers a kick to Davis. Bear in mind, he is already on the ground restrained.

Later, a witness can be heard, saying, quote, "Did you get that on film?" He surrendered to them. They then hit him in the back of the head, and that's when he started to fight.

As the drama continues to unfold, it's clear at least two additional officers -- state policemen from Louisiana and New York are also at the scene. It's not clear in what capacity. Then, this chilling cry, apparently from Davis.

ROBERT DAVIS, VICTIM: Oh, God. Almighty God.

SIMON: At the very end of the complete tape, there are a few more seconds of the handcuffing of Relief Worker Calvin Riles (ph), who told CNN he wanted to report the alleged brutal treatment of Davis, but was told to mind his own business.

(on camera): Because the case against the officers was filed in municipal court, legal experts tell me that any trial would be handled by a judge and not a jury.

Dan Simon, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Robert Davis has pleaded not guilty to charges of public intoxication, resisting arrest, battery on a police officer and public intimidation. The three patrolmen involved face battery charges of their own. They also have pleaded not guilty.

Meanwhile, let's look at some more positive signs of recovery in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Traffic will begin flowing on one of the I-10 spans over Lake Pontchartrain today, Hurricane Katrina- battered portions of the twin bridges over the lake. The eastbound span will carry two-way interstate traffic.

For others the road to recovery continues. We now have a special look at how survivors are coping in a CNN/"USA Today/Gallup poll that was conducted in cooperation with the American Red Cross. Half say they plan to go home. Nearly 40 percent say they are not going back. Very few, five percent, are in their own homes, the rest are living with others in new apartments, hotels or still in shelters.

About a third say financial help is the assistance they need the most, and many also need help finding a place to stay or fixing their homes. Only 18 percent of the people from New Orleans have the same job they had before Katrina, while half are looking for work, but more than a quarter of respondents were unemployed before the hurricanes.

One of the many subplots to emerge from the floodwaters was the disappearance of Fats Domino, a favorite son of the city's famed music sound. He later turned up safe and sound. His home, though, did not.

Reporter Eric Paulsen with our New Orleans affiliate WWL went with the singer to assess the damage.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC PAULSEN, WWL REPORTER (on-camera): What do you think when you see it?

FATS DOMINO, LEGENDARY SINGER: Well, what do you expect, you know? It's one of those things. I saw a part of it on television.

PAULSEN: Yes.

DOMINO: Yes.

PAULSEN: Are you going to stay in New Orleans? I mean, you are New Orleans to many people.

DOMINO: Yes, I'm going to stay here, I think. Help, the good Lord, I'll be here.

PAULSEN: Are you going to rebuild here or what are you going to do?

DOMINO: I don't know. I don't know.

PAULSEN (voice-over): Inside this annex to his house, it's a mess. As we walked through, he found some of the memorabilia from his decades in the music business. In his big entertainment room at the back of the annex, it's wrecked. Then in the main house, where Fats has lived for more than 40 years, total destruction.

DOMINO: I'm impaired. (INAUDIBLE)

PAULSEN (on camera): You still won't move?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, come on, Fats.

DOMINO: I'm going to stay (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, just be all right, just take short steps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on splotchy, just be careful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This area gets all clean.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a wreck.

DOMINO: Yes, man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Follow me, Eric, this is a little wet (ph).

PAULSEN: Yes.

DOMINO: You remember my piano? I had that big white piano here.

PAULSEN: I remember that piano. Where is it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's flip side is over there.

DOMINO: It's over there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: That was reporter Eric Paulsen of our New Orleans affiliate WWL. We've been asking CNN viewers to e-mail their thoughts on the future of New Orleans. Here is what Cole of Lakeside, Montana had to say. Quote, "I believe New Orleans will never be the same. We need to incorporate a dam system similar to Holland. If it was up to me, I would make the coastland a national park so all can enjoy it. Every time we have a hurricane, and it destroys these million-dollar home, they rebuild and we all pay the bill again."

Here are the thoughts of New Orleans resident Derby Gisclair, "For those who want to rebuild our city somewhere else, please remember that New Orleans has been here since the 1700s, and has survived dozens of hurricane, including Katrina. It wasn't that Katrina destroyed the city, but the failure of levees that could have and should have been built better. These levees breached. They did not overflow from rising water. And where would you have us rebuild our city? Where there are earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires, blizzards or other such weather events? And how will you feel when your home is destroyed unexpectedly and some person living hundreds of miles away advises you to not rebuild?"

A wild and bizarre kidnapping plot in Florida, the target an NFL cheerleader. How it all played out, when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's go ahead and take a look at other stories making news coast to coast. A woman at the forefront of the civil rights movement has died. Vivian Malone Jones was the first African-American to graduate from the University of Alabama. Her enrollment in 1963, along with fellow student James Hood, led to then governor George Wallace standing in the doorway in a failed effort to block their entrance.

Police in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, shot and killed a man who they say was at the center a bizarre plot targeting an NFL cheerleader. They say the suspect and two other men planned to kidnap, rape and murder a Jaguar's cheerleader and steal her car. Neighbors called police when she screamed as intruders tried to break into her apartment.

The runaway bride may have a soulmate in Utah. Police in the town of Sandy say a 24-year-old man apparently stabbed himself on his scheduled wedding day. Authorities say the man has confessed and apologized. It's know clear if the charges will be filed. The man says he and his fiance are working through the ordeal.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Checking the time now. It is 10:53 in rain-soaked New Jersey, 7:53 in Seattle, where rain and wind are moving in. Dave Hennen with all the weather details, up next.

Plus their homes washed away by Hurricane Ivan. What one class of students did to cope, and how they're now helping other kids who were victims of the latest hurricanes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Ahead in our next hour, what does President Bush's body language tell us about what he is thinking? I'll speak with a body language expert who will give us her take on what may be behind some of the president's better known gestures.

And some Florida children who lived through Hurricane Ivan last year have written a book that may help other kids cope with the scary threat from hurricanes.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

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