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CNN Live Today

U.N. to U.S.: Close GITMO; Cheney Interview Sparks More Fallout Over Shooting; Gunmen Give up Peacefully in Detroit Store Standoff; Thousands of FEMA Trailers Sit Empty

Aired February 16, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, HOST: Let's take a look at what's happening right now in the news.
A number of budget hearings are under way on Capitol Hill at this hour. This morning Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is defending the $440 billion budget request for the Pentagon. But he's likely to face tough questions about Iraq and those newly released pictures showing apparent prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib from back in 2003. We'll have more just ahead.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says his budget provides for the next generation of potential terrorist threats. It's Chertoff's second trip to the Hill in as many days. Yesterday he faced scathing criticism when a House panel detailed what it called mistakes, misjudgments, lapses, and absurdities after Hurricane Katrina.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also making back to back appearances on the Hill. Right now's at a Senate budget hearing, where she is said that stable democratic governments are important for the U.S. to protect itself in the long run. Yesterday she fielded questions and criticism over U.S. policy with Iran, Iraq, and the Palestinians.

A new development in the investigation of domestic eavesdropping. The Justice Department says it has launched an investigation into the role of its own lawyers in approving surveillance activity. Yesterday the Senate Intelligence Committee -- later today actually, the Senate Intelligence Committee is expected to vote on whether to launch an investigation of its own.

More jury selection today in the trial of confessed al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. So far at least 16 people have qualified and several more are expected to be questioned today. Ultimately, the jury will decide whether Moussaoui gets the death penalty or life in prison.

And we're watching a situation as it develops out of Detroit, Michigan. At least one person is holed up in a Family Dollar Store in Detroit. Police do tell us that all employees and customers were able to get out of that store. It appears to be an armed robbery gone bad. More from Detroit in just a moment.

And good morning, once again. Welcome back to CNN LIVE TODAY. Let's check some of the time around the world. Just after 11 a.m. in Washington, D.C. Just after 10 a.m. in Hope, Arkansas. From CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Daryn Kagan.

First up this hour. Fall-out from newly-broadcast images from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. We could see it shortly. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is in front of a House committee at this hour. The session is meant to discuss the Pentagon's budget. That was already on the calendar. But after these new graphic images from Abu Ghraib have spread around the world, Rumsfeld may face pointed questions about the abuse scandal.

Australian television broadcast images from Abu Ghraib that had not yet been seen publicly. The pictures appeared to show more extreme cases of abuse and sexual humiliation. The network says the photos are from the same incidents in 2003 that resulted in prison time for eight U.S. soldiers.

The Bush administration acknowledges the existence of dozens of other Abu Ghraib photos, but it didn't want made more public. Officials say the graphic images will only inflame the Arab world is and put troops more at risk. The Australian news producer who obtained and aired the new batch of photos disagrees with that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE CAREY, AUSTRALIAN NEWS PRODUCER: As far as I'm aware, American troops and indeed Australian troops in Iraq face grave danger every day of their working lives there. I don't think a few photographs shown in Australia, admittedly around the world now, will add to the danger that they face there in Iraq on a daily basis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Iraq's government, meanwhile, has expressed strong disapproval of the apparent Abu Ghraib abuse. And that happened today. But the prime minister noted those responsible have been punished.

Iraqis got their first look at the newly-publicized photos today. The pictures got a great deal of coverage in Arab newspapers. But the images did not appear to spark protests like satirical drawings of the Prophet Mohammed have done across the Muslim world.

The United Nations to the Bush administration: close your prison at Guantanamo Bay immediately. To New York now, and CNN New York producer Richard Roth.

Richard, hello.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

Basically, this report, which CNN obtained a draft of on Monday, has now officially been released. And this U.N. human rights special investigative panel is saying that the United States should either put all of these detainees, about 490 or so, in Guantanamo Bay on trial or release them.

The report, though, is not based on a personal visit by these investigators to Guantanamo Bay.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan today saying the U.N. report may not be a final report. Quote, "It's a rehash of old allegations. The detainees are being treated humanely. Remember these are terrorists."

The investigators did talk to former prisoners and family members, lawyers, and cited public documents and media reports. The report said that Guantanamo Bay should be closed down because of practices amounting to torture and cruel and inhuman degrading treatment are being practiced there -- Daryn.

KAGAN: How does it work that they write this report, but they don't even go to see what they're writing about and make this strong demand that Guantanamo be shut down?

ROTH: Well, they wanted to go, but the U.S. said they were not going to allow any private visits, that only the International Committee to the Red Cross has been able to visit there and do this. So they still write their report.

Many human rights reports are written based on governments are not letting people go to the specific country or site. The U.N. is well used to this, and reports are still published. But they do include comments from the government from where they visited.

KAGAN: And ultimately does a report like this have any teeth? Can the U.N. do anything to make this happen?

ROTH: I don't think it will have the teeth to overturn any U.S. decision on the terms of visiting Guantanamo Bay. But it does serve as an international black eye for the U.S. But I'm sure the U.S. government has heard a lot about Guantanamo Bay and is well aware of a lot of other countries' reactions.

The U.N. human rights commission issues very critical reports on China and other countries regarding human rights. We'll have to see where this one goes if it gets any traction.

KAGAN: Senior U.N. correspondent Richard Roth. Richard, thank you.

In about 20 minutes from now we're going to take a look at a new documentary on Guantanamo prison. The film is drawing comparison to Michael Moore's controversial "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Vice President Dick Cheney says he will never forget seeing his friend Harry Whittington falling to the ground after he accidentally shot him. Cheney talked about the shooting in an interview on another network yesterday.

He said, quote, "Ultimately, I'm the guy who pulled the trigger that fired the round that hit Harry. You can talk all about the other conditions that existed but -- at the time. But that's the bottom line." The vice president goes on to say, "It's not Harry's fault. You can't blame anybody else. I am the guy who pulled the trigger and shot my friend, and you can say that is a day I will never forget."

Our chief national correspondent John King is following all this from our Washington bureau. And he joins us live.

John, good morning.

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Morning, Daryn, to you.

It's an interesting time for the vice president. The White House is being roundly criticized, even by Republicans. And, in fact, we know that the president is not happy with the way the vice president handled this situation.

Many veterans of past administrations, whether Democratic or Republican, say the vice president and his staff ignored the basic rules, if you will, of damage control. They say he should have gotten a statement out earlier. He should have gone before the cameras earlier. He should have acknowledged his role in this on Saturday night when it happened, and he should not have waited until Wednesday to do an interview to discuss his thoughts on camera.

What senior advisers to the vice president tell us, though, is that what he was worried about, especially in those first hours, was the health and the safety and the medical treatment that his friend, Harry Whittington, was getting.

So privately, advisers to the vice president and certainly the president's staff have acknowledged some missteps, Daryn, in how all this has been handled. They are hoping that interview yesterday helps put this behind them.

They believe that the vice president showed his human side, that he showed his remorse, he showed how horrible of an experience it was for him personally. They believe that's what the American people are looking for. They think a lot of the "why won't he speak sooner," "why won't he do more interviews," "why won't he hold a news conferences," they think that's more of a White House press briefing room phenomenon, not a phenomenon that will gather much attention out in the country.

KAGAN: Which just kind of brings me to a logistical question. We've watched Scott McClellan, the White House spokesperson, be really on the hot seat the last couple days during the news briefings in the middle of the day. Why is it McClellan's job to handle this? Why is there not -- why aren't these questions being asked of the vice president's office?

KING: Well, the vice president's office doesn't conduct regular briefings. So Scott McClellan, by virtue of having that forum and stepping up to that podium, becomes the harpoon catcher, if you will. And it's probably the toughest, if not one of the toughest jobs, in Washington in terms of dealing with the media. And Scott McClellan has to catch the harpoons. And it was quite striking when he said there on a live televised briefing that he would have done it definitely, that he would have gotten the information out quicker. We know there is tension between the vice president's staff and, in fact, between the vice president and the president's senior staff. And Scott McClellan saying yesterday that he was speaking for the White House and for the president when he was saying that this should have been handled differently.

That's a tough job. He is the White House press secretary. He speaks for the entire administration. It is a reminder the vice president has a much smaller staff. And this vice president's staff has less experienced hands when it comes to communications and politics than he had in the fist term.

KAGAN: John, now I want to go to the end of the interview that the vice president gave yesterday, because there is one small change in topic. And that's a story that you've been covering a lot of, and that's his former chief of staff, Scooter Libby, who has been indicted. The vice president asked about declassifying information. Tell us about that.

KING: The vice president was asked if he believed he had the authority, simply right now, if I were the vice president of the United States, to say you can declassify this information. And one of his aides could walk out of the room and discuss with reporters information that 20 seconds ago was classified and secret information.

The vice president said in that interview that he believes he has the authority under an executive order signed a couple of years ago by President Bush, that he does have that power to declassify.

You see what he says there: "I have certainly advocated declassification. I have participated in declassification decisions." He makes the case that he has the authority to say, "This information is classified at 11:09 but not at 11:10. Go out and discuss it."

That could be important to Scooter Libby's defense when the prosecutors are trying to make the case that he routinely talked to reporters and in some cases discussed highly classified information. Scooter Libby, we do know, told the grand jury that when he did that in the case of the Iraq intelligence that he had permission from his, quote, "superiors."

So that could come into play. Not directly relevant to the charges against Scooter Libby. But that could be one of the quite dramatic sub-plots, if there is a Libby trial. That trial's scheduled, of course, not for almost 11 months from now.

KAGAN: Right. And the vice president was asked specifically about Scooter Libby's case and he wasn't able to comment.

KING: He said he couldn't comment because it's an active case and also because, Daryn, he could very well be a witness.

KAGAN: And you'll be covering it if he is, I'm sure. John King in Washington. Thank you.

Onto other news now at 10 minutes past the hour. About 11,000 mobile homes sitting in mud in Arkansas. Is it a FEMA foul up or is it something else? We'll get to the bottom of this very unusual parking lot.

Also ahead, can you move a sofa without getting tired or walk several blocks? That might tell you something about how long you will live. We'll explain.

But who let the dog out? A Westminster Dog Show contestant is on the lam today. We'll have the latest on the search for this special pup.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And we are getting new pictures. This is Detroit, Michigan. This is the gunmen who we believe was holed up in this Family Dollar Store, holding police at bay. All the employees and hostages -- or employees and customers managed to get out safely.

In these pictures, we see the gunman giving up peacefully to the SWAT team there in Detroit, Michigan. So that one has a calm ending.

And now this is live pictures. Police still outside of this Family Dollar Store, perhaps making sure that everybody indeed has cleared out. And I guess it's another suspect who was inside. Another suspect is coming out.

Rod Meloni of our affiliate WDIV is standing by and gives us more.

ROD MELONI, WDIV CORRESPONDENT: We now have the second gunmen in custody here. He is on the ground. They are patting him down as well to make sure. So we are seeing the best of all possible endings here to this situation.

OK, we are -- we are looking at the front door. But it looks like the best of all possible endings to this situation is that no one was hurt and that the gunmen who were attempting this robbery appear to be in custody at this time.

Now one of the things, the first thing that's going to happen is that the police are going to try and establish whether these men have been conducting similar robberies in this neighborhood. They were very concerned that these guys had been going around. And so -- we are told now that essentially that these two men had been robbing stores in the neighborhood. And they want to find out for sure if that's, in fact, the case. And they will be very happy to have them in custody and behind bars, certainly, would be the hope here, the final end result.

But once again, the best of all possible endings, as no one was hurt. The people inside the store were allowed to leave at the time of this attempted robbery. And that the only people left inside the store were the gunmen. And we're going to now -- Ted, can we see, is it possible to see both gunmen? OK. They're spread out. Apparently, the SWAT Team on the right-hand side of that Family Dollar has one gunmen. And then the other one is on the ground over in front of the SWAT vehicle here.

And so it has been a tense morning out here, you know. The call comes in shortly after 9 a.m. They just had opened the doors. And the 911 was in for an armed robbery...

KAGAN: Tense morning indeed. We've been listening in as this story develops in Detroit, Michigan. Not one but two gunmen giving up peacefully from this Family Dollar Store that they apparently tried to rob earlier today.

First they let all the employees and customers go. And then each one came out one by one. No one hurt. And they believe, according to Rod Meloni, our reporter with WDIV, that these men possibly have been targeting other stores in this neighborhood. More on that as it becomes available.

Right now let's go ahead and go from Detroit to New York City. Our Susan Lisovicz is there with the New York Stock Exchange.

Hi, Susan.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: It is a day after coming under fire in a scathing report. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is back on Capitol Hill today as we look at live pictures from there. This time, though, he's testifying about his budget. So far this morning he also has fielded questions about terrorism and the government's response to Hurricane Katrina.

Yesterday a House panel report said that lives could have been saved after Katrina if the government had acted more urgently.

Keeping them honest. Almost six months after Hurricane Katrina, a lot of people displaced by the storm are still looking for a place to live. Yet thousands of mobile homes intended for hurricane victims are sitting empty. And some say they may never be used.

CNN's Susan Roesgen has more in a report first seen on "ANDERSON COOPER 360."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So we're going to see about how many of these 10,777 mobile homes today on this walking tour?

JOHN MCDERMOTT, FEMA SPOKESMAN: As many as you want to see. This whole site is open to you today. We are going to take you all out and you can look at each one of them or all of them or just a few of them. As many as you want to see. ROESGEN (voice-over): FEMA rep John McDermott walked us into what had been off limits to CNN: the FEMA lot where nearly 11,000 mobile homes sit empty near the Hope Municipal Airport.

This week the inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, reported that the mobile homes have been damaged by sinking in the soft Arkansas soil and might have to be trashed.

RICHARD SKINNER, INSPECTOR GENERAL, DHS: Insofar as many of these homes failed to meet FEMA specification requirements or FEMA has no qualified pre-arranged site location to place them, they may have to be disposed of.

ROESGEN (on camera): Since the inspector general for homeland security is the one who has made these criticisms, shouldn't you be showing the folks from homeland security again what you're showing the media today? We just report what they report.

MCDERMOTT: Well, maybe they'll see it today.

ROESGEN (voice-over): This is what FEMA says it now wants everyone to see. Here are the mobile homes they showed us.

(on camera) In your opinion are these so badly damaged that they might have to be destroyed?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are no damaged trailers here. None.

ROESGEN (voice-over): FEMA site manager Gerry Hall (ph) says the homeland security inspector spent half an hour on the 300-acre site and then went back to Washington with the news that the mobile homes were in terrible shape. Hall says they are not in terrible shape, but this group of 1,600 is a concern. They're sagging, if not sinking under their own weight. They're the largest mobile homes and FEMA is trying to prop them up. They brought in 6,500 jacks to do just that.

But critics say why not just move them to the Gulf, their intended destination in the first place?

(on camera) When might we see some of these mobile homes moving out?

MCDERMOTT: I don't know. I don't know. It largely depends on where we can find sites to put them.

ROESGEN (voice-over): CNN, Hope, Arkansas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Tonight Anderson Cooper hears from hurricane evacuees in Houston. That's at 10 p.m. Eastern.

Still to come, a whippet gone AWOL. Was it a Westminster disappointment that made the prize pooch take off? I don't know, but the dog is missing. We'll have that story coming up next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: It's not unusual for us to talk about people who need to bundle up. But in California? Here's Jacqui Jeras -- Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: OK. We'll check back with you. Jacqui, thank you.

We're also checking overseas. It's all the talk of this year's Berlin Film Festival. Ahead, we're going to at a new docudrama. It's about three British men and their description of life at Guantanamo bay.

Plus, we'll take you live to Torino. An athlete there could lose her silver medal after failing a drug test. We'll tell you more about that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know more adult individuals who are taking care of their parents. More so than they're taking care of their children. And going forward, I see that as one of the biggest concerns.

VALERIE MORRIS, CNN BUSINESS ANCHOR: One hand is providing money and emotional support to parents. The other is doing the same for kids. Many of the 76 million Baby Boomers born between 1946 and 1964 are caught in this tricky spot, sandwiched between meeting the needs of two generations at the same time.

But members of this sandwich generation don't have to feel squeezed. Nationally syndicated columnist Carol Labaya (ph) says don't quit your job or reduce your workload, although more than one- third of these sandwiched caregivers, overwhelmingly women, have.

Without a paycheck, they're not saving for their own future. And they can't afford to pay for their kids' education, who in turn won't be able to help if their own parents are later in need.

To avoid this downward spiral, don't try to do everything alone. If a grown child or elder is living with you, they should be expected to contribute money to the household.

Also, Labaya (ph) recommends you get a durable power of attorney. It allows you to handle your elder's finances if and when they can't.

Reporting on "Matters at this Age," I'm Valerie Morris, in New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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