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CNN Live Today

Saddam Hussein On Trail; White House Officials Monitor Hussein Trial; Hurricane Wilma To Hit Florida

Aired October 19, 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: Well, we're in the bonus round, which means...
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Long day, busy day, but . . .

MILES O'BRIEN: Time to go.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: We've got to go. Exactly.

Let's get right to Fredricka Whitfield. She's at the CNN Center. Going to take you through the next few hours on CNN LIVE TODAY.

Hey, Fred. Good morning.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you all. Thanks so much. Have a great day.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: You too.

WHITFIELD: I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN Center in Atlanta. Daryn Kagan is off today.

We are following two major stories this morning. The emergence of Hurricane Wilma as a powerful category five storm, and the opening of Saddam Hussein's trial. We begin in Baghdad.

Inside a heavily guarded courtroom, Saddam Hussein was led into an enclosed dock to join his co-defendants. Even before making a plea in his first trial, the former Iraqi president insisted he was still the leader of that country. And when the judge asked him only to identify himself, Hussein launched into an attack on the court's authority.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SADDAM HUSSEIN, DEPOSED IRAQI PRESIDENT, (through translator): I don't harbor any hatred to any of you. But holding onto the rights and in respect out of respect to the Iraqi people for choosing me. And I say, I I don't answer this what is called a court, with all due respect. And I reserve my constitutional rights as the president of the country of Iraq.

So, please, you have time. This is not the time. I will not go long. Just to comment on your own talk. You ask for my I.D. but but but this is a formality of the court. Therefore, I don't acknowledge neither the entity that authorized you, nor the aggression, because everything that's based on falsehood is falsehoods.

No. You can sit down, please.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour was inside the courtroom today. She joins us now from Baghdad.

Christiane, we saw once again a defiant Saddam. But his mannerisms, his behavior, was a little bit different from the first time we saw him in the courtroom, wasn't it?

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think so. Yes, he was defiant in that he kept repeating that he didn't recognize the court's jurisdiction. He wasn't rude and he did, whenever he addressed the judge, talked to him in fairly polite terms. He said thank you when he had finished saying what he had to say. But he wouldn't give his name and profession as he was asked to do, like all the defendants, to identify themselves at the very beginning.

He sat through listening to the charges, listening to the potential sentence, death sentence or life imprisonment, depending on whether they were convicted. And he also said several times that this is false and what is built on a false base is false. In other words, I don't recognize this court. It doesn't have any legal basis. Because, he says, that the invasion by the United States was illegal and therefore everything that's come since, he says, that's his defense, is illegal.

One of the rare moments of color was during a recess, in fact, when the cameras were not on. The judge had called a recess to take into consideration the defense attorney's request for an adjournment and a few other things. And the judge did ask for and did agree to the adjournment until November 28th. That's when it will start up again.

But during this recess, Saddam turned around, started to talk to his co-defendants, was smiling, indicating many of them had change and they really had. You wouldn't recognize most of them from the way they used to look in full regime regalia. They'd really changed. He, himself, when he came in this morning, to me, looked a lot more demoralized, a lot frailer, tireder than he had done. A lot older than he had done when I saw him walk into the court for his first hearing back in July of 2004.

Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Christiane. And his attorney he was allowed to have one attorney, correct, in the courtroom? Have you had a chance to hear from him on how the proceedings are going thus far?

AMANPOUR: He had actually two attorneys in the courtroom. His main attorney has not spoken to us since the proceedings. But before the proceedings, he had told us that he was for sure going to ask for an adjournment, for a postponement. He said that there simply is not enough time or preparation for a whole raft of defense attorneys here in Iraq who have no experience with this kind of level of high international law and such a sensitive case.

So we knew that he was going to ask for that adjournment and he got it. He had wanted three months but what he got was about 40 days.

WHITFIELD: Christiane Amanpour, thank you so much.

Now this just in according to the Associated Press. "The Guardian Newspaper" is saying that one of its reporters in Baghdad has disappeared. Rory Carroll, 33 years old, an Irish citizen who is apparently "The Guardian Newspaper's" Baghdad correspondent, was on assignment when he vanished, according to that newspaper. Quoting now a statement from "The Guardian." "It is believed Mr. Carroll may have been taken by a group of armed men." "The Guardian" is urgently seeking information about Mr. Carroll's whereabouts and condition. So, of course, when we get more information about whether this is indeed the case, correct that this reporter has allegedly been abducted there in Baghdad, we'll be bringing you that information as we get it.

The trial of Saddam Hussein looks much different to those accustomed to the American judicial system. Here to break the proceedings down for us is Octavia Nasr, CNN's senior editor for Arab affairs.

And I guess, Octavia, most pressing, of course, is you're seeing now seven people in all in this caged in area. Certainly something we don't see in the American system. This proceeding is a combination of Iraqi law, as well as international law, unfolding. Are the Iraqis feeling like they're recognizing things as they're proceeding thus far?

OCTAVIA NASR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No.

WHITFIELD: This is all new?

NASR: It looks like drama to them. You know, the people I've spoken with, the reaction we've been getting, you know, from the streets, is that this is, you know, like a film, like a movie, a drama. They're watching. They're very interested in the proceedings themselves. They're also interested in the outcome.

There were demonstrations earlier today in Iraq, some supporting Saddam Hussein, others asking for his death and asking for him to be hanged. In order to explain the courtroom, if you'd like, we can take a look at the picture we have of the courtroom and go over the defendants and who's who and all that.

WHITFIELD: Let's do that. We know Saddam Hussein.

NASR: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: In the front and to the right.

NASR: Here he is, number one, Saddam Hussein. And then right here next to him is the judge of the revolutionary court under Saddam Hussein. This man's name is Awad Bandar. So it was interesting for him to have the tables turned on him and he was answering to another judge today.

Number three here is this man here. He used to be the vice president under Saddam Hussein. This is Taha Yassin Ramadan. A very well-known figure in Iraq. He is, as I said, the former vice president. He is the one who is believed to have ordered the razing of natural resources around Dujail to drive residents into poverty as a punishment for the assassination attempt on Saddam Hussein.

Another important key defendant is this man here. This is the half-brother of Saddam Hussein. His name is Barzan Hassan. Some people know him as Barzan Hassan Tikriti because they come from Tikrit in Iraq. He is the half brother and adviser to Saddam Hussein. And he is believed to have been behind commanding the forces that descended on Dujail some 23 years ago.

The other men you can see here, number five, six, seven and eight, they are Baath party members who were involved in one way or the other. They were local Baath members in Dujail. So they're involved in one way or the other. But the first four are the key defendants. The people that will be facing not just these charges, there will be more charges.

WHITFIELD: The first four that you have numbered.

NASR: Yes, that we have numbered.

WHITFIELD: Because it doesn't seem as though or is there any significance as to how they were seated in these, you know, three lined up cages?

NASR: Maybe, maybe not.

WHITFIELD: Or partitions.

NASR: We didn't no one told us, you know, if there is a reason for them to be seated this way. But, obviously, the four that we pointed out as one, two, three, four, this is not in any order of importance or anything. But they are the most important and the well known defendants in this case. The other four seem to be just Baath party members, local authorities in Dujail, who participated in one way or the other in the massacre.

WHITFIELD: All right, Octavia Nasr, thanks so much.

NASR: Any time.

WHITFIELD: Well, White House officials are also closely following the trial of Saddam Hussein. Our Suzanne Malveaux is outside the White House this morning.

Any initial reaction, Suzanne?

SUZANNE WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, we're told that the President is not actually watching the proceedings but he is getting updates on it throughout the morning. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told us, and this is a quote here, that Saddam Hussein is facing the Iraqi justice. The Iraqi people are holding him accountable for the brutality of his regime and his crimes against humanity. He says this is another important step in building a new democratic Iraq based on the rule of law. He goes on to say that this trial is a symbol for the rule of law returning to Iraq. He also says that we hope the trial will help bring some closure to the Iraqi people.

Obviously, of course, Fred, this is a very important step for the administration as it hopes that at least this is seen as legitimate and a fair process.

Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right, Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much from outside the White House.

Now joining us, a legal adviser to Saddam Hussein's trial currently underway, Michael Scharf. He's joining us now.

And, Michael, you apparently helped coach or even advise some of the judges involved in this trial. Are things proceeding as you expected they would, even though it's very early on the first day?

SCHARF: Yes. Well, first of all, Judge Amin, who was my star pupil during these training sessions in London and up in Stratford upon Avon, England, he gets an A for how he handled things today. We rehearsed some . . .

WHITFIELD: Why?

SCHARF: Well, he was chosen because he really has an even demeanor. He's very sympathetic. He is a Kurd rather than a Shiite. He's got gray hair and looks distinguished. He has a great sense of humor. And he's very gentle. And he's handled Saddam Hussein extremely well. He's taken all the wind out of Saddam Hussein's sails, and Saddam is now playing by the rules.

But everything you've seen today was carefully choreographed. Including, I might add, where the defendants are sitting. And it's very significant that the person sitting to Saddam Hussein's right was the judge of the revolutionary court. Because what is important about the case of Dujail, probably the most important thing about it, is that the revolutionary court system itself will be on trial.

This is sort of like that movie "Judgment at Nuremberg" that many of your viewers may remember, which was about the Nuremberg trial where they tried the judges that were part of the Nazi regime that perverted the war and the law in the courts. And that's what's going on in this case as well.

WHITFIELD: Well, talk about the legal significance, in your view, as to why there would be why they would begin these proceedings with a case that most of the world is very unfamiliar with. What took place in Dujail? And we're hearing from some of our correspondents there that even a number of Iraqis were fairly unfamiliar with the fact that 150 or so men and boys were killed in supposed retaliation for an attempted assassination on Saddam Hussein. So why begin this trial with this case when there are about a dozen others to follow?

SCHARF: Right. There were those in the U.S. government and also in the Iraqi government that would have preferred to start with one of the grand cases, like the on fall campaign or the genocide against the southern marsh Arabs or even the attack on Kuwait. But ultimately the prosecutors prevailed here. They wanted a case that was ready to go to court that they had they believed open and shut evidence. It's really a strong case. There are fewer defenses available to Saddam Hussein so that he can't clutter up this trial. There will be jurisdictional questions. He'll attack the legitimacy of the tribunal. He'll argue that he has immunity. Those issues will be disposed with in this trial so that when we have the later trials down the line they can focus just on the facts.

WHITFIELD: Michael Scharf, thank you so much for joining us and thanks for your analysis.

SCHARF: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: More on Iraq and Saddam Hussein at the bottom of the hour. We'll speak with a woman who had a firsthand view of life inside Saddam Hussein's inner circle. Sinad Saldi (ph) now heads a group that helps women survivors of war gain self-sufficiency. She'll be joining us later on in the hour.

And it's being call the most powerful Atlantic hurricane on record thus far, Wilma. We'll be talking more about it and the forecast up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's another shock in a stunning storm season. This time yesterday Hurricane Wilma was barely a category one storm. Well, right now Wilma is an extremely dangerous category five storm with maximum sustained winds of 175 miles an hour. Wilma exploded into a monster storm in just a few hours overnight. It's the strongest Atlantic storm in recorded history. The National Hurricane Center confirms Wilma's pressure is lowest ever. Wilma could strike Florida this weekend. The storm is not expected to maintain its current intensity. Still, officials have just issued an evacuation order for the Florida Keys.

CNN Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is here to tell us what Wilma is doing right now. And explain the whole relationship between the low pressure and why that is so significant in terms of recorded history now?

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Let's go now to the west of Florida, along the Gulf Coast. Fort Myers, Florida, and that's where we find our Selena Hernandez with an update on how people are already there starting to get ready, aren't they?

SELENA HERNANDEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka.

You know it's been an all too common scenario for folks living in Florida. It's been a very long and a very exhausting and active hurricane season. Here we are two weeks away from the end of it all and yet there is no rest for the weary.

Here at a local Fort Myers Lowe's, people have been coming in all day today loading up on plywood, sandbags, generators, flashlights, batteries, everything they need to stay to weather the storm. Including Randy Hart (ph), who has been here this morning loading up on plywood.

Randy, a longtime resident of Southwest Florida. What do you think about Hurricane Wilma?

RANDY HART, FLORIDA RESIDENT: This is the worst year we've had yet and it's not looking good. A category five is not going to be no toy to play with. If people can get out, I would suggest getting out if you're not properly prepared for it.

HERNANDEZ: And you're out here today, I saw you load up on your plywood. Are you getting ready because you don't want to take any chances.

HART: Well, I'm ready. Now I'm helping friends get ready. I carried a friend down here and he's loading up. So I'm helping him get his stuff and then I'll take him back and we'll prepare his house, too. I got ready last night. I'm not waiting for this thing, it's too big.

HERNANDEZ: That's right. And that's a good thing to take advice from, Randy, because our emergency officials are saying, we don't want people to panic, we just want people to be prepared. And that's the key issue because the better prepared we are, the better off we're ready to face Hurricane Wilma and any challenges she may bring.

WHITFIELD: All right. Selena Hernandez of our affiliate there in Fort Myers, Florida, WZBN. Thanks so much.

Well, stay tuned to CNN, your hurricane headquarters. We'll have updates on Wilma throughout the day.

The slow response to Hurricane Katrina, however, is the focus on Capitol Hill this hour. Two separate House hearings are getting underway. One panel is investigating the roles of local, state and federal agencies in responding to disasters. The second committee, which you're seeing on the right-hand side of the screen, is hearing from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

The shock, the anger, the pain. Also . . .

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL HOROWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: My brain is telling myself, it's just one of the crime scene photos you've been looking at all day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A famous defense attorney recalls how he arrived home to find his wife murdered. He shares with CNN his emotional and very painful story.

Plus, Saddam Hussein on trial. What is it like for Iraqis who once lived under Iraq's brutal dictatorship to now see the former leader fighting for his life in court. Author Zanab Salby (ph) literally grew up in Saddam Hussein's shadow. She joins me straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: High-profile attorney Daniel Horowitz is speaking publicly about his wife's brutal killing. The body of Pamela Vitale was found Saturday on the couple's northern California property. Police say she was bludgeoned to death. Investigators were still on the property yesterday looking for evidence. Horowitz said he found his wife after returning home from San Francisco. He spoke of the discovery in an exclusive interview with Nancy Grace of CNN's "Headline News."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL HOROWITZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I dialed the regular police number and then I just was with her. And I just I don't know exactly what I said between, you know, you scream, you cry. But I know I just basically sat with her and I just told her, I love you and you're beautiful. And, you know, just whatever things you say to somebody you love because to me, at that point, all that was there was the person I loved.

NANCY GRACE, CNN ANCHOR, HEADLINE NEWS: How long did you sit there until police arrived?

HOROWITZ: It had to be a long time, Nancy, because I kept saying 10 minutes but then I analyzed it. It had to be more than that because I kept hearing the sirens and they got lost and it takes 10 minutes just to get from there to there. And there was bad, it's like, I mean, I'm not stupid. I know that as soon as police come they're going to take me away from my wife. And I just wanted as much time with her as I could have.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And you can hear more from Horowitz on "Nancy Grace" tonight. That's on our sister network "Headline News" at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

And just moments ago, we told you how Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff is on The Hill testifying in front of a House committee. Well just moments ago he responded in the wake of Katrina to how to better respond to such disasters. Let's listen. MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: So one of the things we're doing is this. Within our current programs and resources, DHS is establishing emergency reconnaissance teams that can go in, in the immediate aftermath of a true ultra catastrophe to get us realtime reporting of the facts on the ground and to help us understand where the priorities are and get the resources where they need to be.

Another step I've taken is, I'm in the process of designating PFOs, principal federal officers, in waiting in some of the significant areas where we do face potential challenges with either manmade or natural catastrophes. The idea is that these principal federal officers who may be coast guard officers, they may be secret service supervising agents, they may be other personnel drawn from the department, will have an opportunity to work with state and local officials on an ongoing basis in terms of the planning process and the training process so that we build the kinds of relationships that you need to rely upon when you have a dynamic emergency. And really it's ultimately a person-to-person situation.

When we have these PFOs in waiting and when we have these teams in place, we will have equipped ourselves . . .

WHITFIELD: Well, more on Michael Chertoff's comments coming up.

Also, we're keeping an eye on Hurricane Wilma. It has become very powerful very fast. Now, a strong category five and already a record-setting storm. Where it's headed and how much stronger it could get straight ahead.

Also, this is not a view of Saddam Hussein that Iraqis are used to seeing. What is their take on seeing their former leader on trial?

And Powerball. A $340 million jackpot up for grabs tonight. Could there actually be a downside to winning all that money?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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