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CNN Live Today

South Dakota Lawmakers to Vote on Abortion Bill; Investigating Patient Deaths at New Orleans Hospital; Bush Speaks at Asian Society

Aired February 22, 2006 - 10:30   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan. Here's what's happening "Now in the News."
In Iraq, political leaders are appealing for calm after a bombing so powerful it ripped the dome off of a major Shiite mosque. Gunmen stormed the Samarra's Golden Mosque and set off explosives. No casualties are reported, and ten suspects are in custody. The attack triggered protests and a string of attacks on Sunni Muslim targets. The U.S. ambassador to Iraq right now is speaking out, condemning the attacks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZALMAY KHALIZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: The terrorists led by Zarqawi wish to see Iraq descend into sectarian conflict. This is a critical moment for Iraq. We call on all Iraqis to unite against terror and violence. Coming together in unity to condemn this barbaric act and working for Iraq's salvation will be the right response.

This desperate and despicable act shows that terrorists stop at nothing and care for nothing. The United States and our coalition partners share in the outrage of the Iraqi people against this crime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Other news today, a dire prediction about the future of health care costs. The government says within a decade one of every $5 spent in the U.S. will go to health care. The study finds that health savings accounts, pushed by President Bush, will not likely hold down the costs.

Who bought the record $365 million winning Powerball ticket at this store? Well, you can find out an hour from now, right here on CNN. Nebraska lottery officials are holding a news conference. The Lottery jackpot is the biggest every in the U.S.

The U.S. is continuing its push for Egypt to install Democratic reforms. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with President Hosni Mubarak today. No details were released about the meeting, but later Rice told Egyptian dissidents that Washington will keep pressuring Cairo to turn reform pledges into action.

And a war crimes prosecutor is dismissing rumors that Ratko Mladic has been arrested. The former Bosnian Serb army commander is wanted in connection with the 1995 massacre of thousands of Muslims. Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte says the fugitive is still in Serbia. She said authorities there must arrest him soon, or jeopardize Serbia's chances at European Union membership.

The battle over abortion is heating up one day after Supreme Court justices decided to consider reinstating a federal ban on late- term abortions. New Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito could cast a tie-breaking vote on this issue.

Now, some say the court's decision to take the case is part of a larger movement to re-examine abortion laws. One of the most closely watched battles over abortion is being fought right now on the state level, and the outcome could reverberate across the country.

Today senators in South Dakota are preparing to vote on legislation that would ban almost all abortions in the state. If it's approved, the measure would almost immediately be challenged in court, and that's exactly what the bill's supporters are banking on. They say they hope a court fight over the ban could lead to the overturning of Roe versus Wade.

Megan Myers of the "Argus Leader" newspaper has been following the story, and she joins us by phone from Pierre, South Dakota.

Megan, good morning.

MEGAN MYERS, "ARGUS LEADER" NEWSPAPER: Good morning, Daryn, how are you?

KAGAN: I'm doing OK. Tell me how this law is different from others that have been proposed in the past?

MYERS: Well, this law is House Bill 1215. It's called the woman's health and life protection act, and it would ban most abortions in South Dakota, except to save the life of a pregnant woman. There are no exceptions for cases of rape or incest, and that's what the battle is going to hinge on today in the Senate.

KAGAN: And so there was a law like this similarly proposed back in 2004, but the governor vetoed it. So why would it be different this time?

MYERS: Well, the supporters say they've changed things in this bill that would make the Governor Rounds sign this one. Governor Rounds did send the bill back in 2004 to the Senate on some technical issues and the senators voted that one down 18-17, I believe. This one has some slight variations to it. And like you said, the whole point is to try to get the Supreme Court to reconsider this decision.

KAGAN: So it's crafted for a court battle?

MYERS: Yes.

KAGAN: And what kind of opposition is there to it?

MYERS: Well, it's obviously getting some national attention, for sure. Opponents of the bill say it's obviously unconstitutional, that it jeopardizes the health of women and it doesn't give those exceptions in the case of rape and incest.

KAGAN: In some ways, is it kind of a moot point? Because what is the situation with abortion availability in South Dakota right now anyway?

MYERS: Well, there's about 770,000 people in South Dakota. There is one clinic that does do abortions, the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Sioux Falls. And I believe there's about 500 or so abortions performed a year. It's -- there's one in the entire state.

KAGAN: And so what's the time frame on this bill?

MYERS: They're going to bring it up today on the Senate, most likely. It's on the calendar to be discussed. It could come to a vote, and people are expecting it to pass and go to the governor's desk again.

KAGAN: But meanwhile, just about the most attention South Dakota has had since the last senator's race?

MYERS: Pretty much, yes.

KAGAN: All right, and you'll be following it. Megan Myers, newspaper reporter in Pierre, South Dakota. Thank you.

MYERS: Thank you very much.

KAGAN: Now to developments in the case of alleged euthanasia at a New Orleans hospital. In the days after Hurricane Katrina hit, Memorial Hospital was surrounded by floodwater. Power and plumbing were out, and temperatures soared past 100 degrees. Rumors that some suffering patients had been killed deliberately surfaced in September. The Louisiana attorney general began proceedings in October.

CNN's Sean Callebs has this update.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Documents filed in the Louisiana State Supreme Court and obtained by CNN show that Dr. Anna Pou is part of an investigation into whether patients were killed by the staff at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans.

Pou's lawyer, Rick Simmons writes -- quoting here -- "She is currently under investigation by the attorney general's office for the alleged euthanasia of patients during this horrific time."

In the document, Simmons is asking a judge to keep Dr. Pou's words secret, saying she thought she was protected by attorney-client privilege.

Just weeks after the storm, on September 19, Pou spoke by phone with a lawyer for Tenet Healthcare, the company that owns the hospital, attorney Audrey Andrews, and company media relations director Steve Campanini. The court documents show Pou was asking how she should respond to CNN question on alleged euthanasia, and said in a closed hearing later that Tenet's attorney told her on that call, "We're going help you. You need to speak with us." Eventually, the Tenet attorney said she represented the company and not Pou.

In response, Pou said -- quote -- "I became very upset, because I was under the impression, as they were well aware, that I thought what was said at that time was privileged. And Ms. Andrews told me, 'No. I am Tenet Corporation,'" meaning, "'I do not represent you individually. And I would suggest you get an attorney.'"

Pou's lawyer is asking the court to keep her comments confidential, saying they should be protected by the attorney-client relationship. But the Louisiana Attorney General's Office disagrees and wants to interview Tenet's lawyer and media relations head about Pou's comments.

Attorney General Charles Foti has said his five-month investigation has been slowed by behind-the-scenes legal wrangling.

CHARLES FOTI, LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Like any investigation, you -- you -- you run into roadblocks. You run into dead ends. And this is -- this is more just of a roadblock.

CALLEBS: In the days immediately after Katrina, flooding threatened much of the city. Hospital staff worried about whether all patients could be evacuated.

Dr. Bryant King said he heard other doctors and nurses openly discussing killing patients. He also says he saw Dr. Anna Pou with a handful of syringes, telling patients -- quoting here -- "I'm going give you something to make you feel better."

Dr. King says he left the hospital shortly after that, and he did not witness any acts of euthanasia.

(on camera): We have reaction from some of the parties involved, beginning with Tenet media relations director Steve Campanini, who says, until the Louisiana State Supreme Court makes a decision, it would be inappropriate for him to comment.

Rick Simmons , who is Dr. Anna Pou's attorney. He says, "Dr. Pou is trying to guarantee that her attorney/client privilege is protected." And he goes on to say that "once all the facts surrounding this case are revealed, it will be clear that Dr. Pou and other health care professionals did everything they could for five days to save and evacuate patients, and did not engage in any criminal misconduct."

Finally Harry Anderson. He is the Tenet spokesman. He says simply, "Tenet is not a party to the issues before the state Supreme Court and will abide by whatever the high court decides."

Sean Callebs, CNN, in New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Let's go now to the White House and get the latest on a number of topics, including the increasingly divisive debate over port security and whether a Dubai-based company should be able to manage security at a number of U.S. major ports.

Our Suzanne Malveaux is standing by with more on that. Suzanne, good morning.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, already this morning, we have heard from counselor to the president Dan Bartlett, as well as Press Secretary Scott McClellan and the gaggle. Both of them speaking out about how the White House is undergoing this outreach to members of Congress to try to get them to see the president's point of view. We do not necessarily believe the president is going to speak out about this.

Again today, but certainly at a lower level, the circuit level, they are hitting the airwaves, essentially making the case here. An olive branch, perhaps, to those members of Congress today. Scott McClellan said in the gaggle he acknowledged that perhaps they should have notified members of Congress sooner, that there was a way to do that, a better way of handling this.

They, of course, said it was the panel, the independent panel that handled actually vetting this particular company, and that it passed the standards when it comes to national security. We are also told that the president has not reached out to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, that these discussions are taking place at a lower level, but we do understand that the president yesterday called a couple of cabinet secretaries to ask them if this deal was OK, if they were comfortable with it. They got the go ahead, and that is why the president went forward very strongly, saying that he believes that this deal should go -- Daryn.

KAGAN: What about this other developing story, this mosque attack in Samarra in Iraq, at this sacred site for Shiite Muslims. Any comment on that from the White House?

MALVEAUX: Well, certainly Scott McClellan offered the country's sincerest, deepest condolences about that particular attack. He also said that the United States was ready to do anything in its power to help the Iraqi people. I followed up and asked him about it, if there was any concern about divisions between the Shiite and Sunnis, because you have those Sunni mosques that were attacked following that, of course.

And he said they are urging all Iraqis, of course, to be calm, to be peaceful during this time. Of course, there is a great deal of concern that the violence there could escalate.

KAGAN: Suzanne Malveaux live at the White House. Suzanne, thank you.

And we'll take a break. A lot more news coming up after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: For the first time since mid-October, some of the FEMA mobile homes sitting empty in Arkansas are heading for south Louisiana. FEMA says about 300 of the 11,000 mobile homes are going to Baton Rouge. They'll replace to units that have been moved into hurricane-damaged areas, including Saint Bernard Parish in New Orleans.

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is not happy among those happy with the hurricane response. Winfrey says she can't believe people are still in tents and huts nearly six months are Hurricane Katrina.

Winfrey talked with CNN's Anderson Cooper in Houston, where she built a subdivision for evacuees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: And you built -- all these houses behind us you built, and you're building more here. What are you doing?

OPRAH WINFREY: Yes. Well, I'm -- you know, this is the thing, I think everybody has to do what they're -- I think everybody has to do what they can. And this is something I could do.

Some people can build a house or volunteer for a weekend or, you know, go to our registry. I have a whole -- I set up a whole registry where people could buy a chair or a toaster or an oven or a refrigerator and help a family.

But I can build a neighborhood. So I think that here is -- here is an opportunity for those of us who call ourselves Americans and everything that that stands for, meaning having as much concern for your welfare and your well being as you do for the people who live around you. That this is the time you step up and you show what that really means for you.

So for me it was building this neighborhood. I have a public charity called Angel Network. I love the idea that we called this Angel Lane. And I'm hoping that everybody -- I'm going to move 65 families in here eventually.

And tomorrow, 12 families move into their homes. They get to see them for the first time.

But, you know, compared to what needs to be done, I am just one person. We have a whole government, a whole nation of people.

What I want is to have what we do on the show be a model for what can be done. And so I'm just one person. You have an entire government that can step up and show some leadership and get these people into -- into homes.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAGAN: Anderson will be live from the Gulf region late they are week and next week. And a reminder, you can watch ANDERSON COOPER 360 weeknights right here on CNN.

(NEWSBREAK)

Let's go live now to Washington D.C. President Bush is speaking at the Asian Society. Let's listen in.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRES. OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you all.

Madame president -- got a nice ring to it -- thank you for your kind introduction. Thank you for inviting me here. I'm honored to be here with the members of the Asia Society as you celebrate your 50th anniversary.

I came here today to talk about America's relationship with two key nations in Asia, India and Pakistan. These nations are undergoing great changes. And those changes are being felt all across the world. More than five centuries ago, Christopher Columbus set out for India and proved the world was round. Now some look at India's growing economy and say that that proves the world is flat.

(LAUGHTER)

No matter how you look at the world, our relationship with these countries are important. They're important for our economic security and they're important for our national security. I look forward to meeting with Prime Minister Singh in India and the President Musharraf in Pakistan. We will discuss ways our nations can work together to make our world safer and more prosperous, by fighting terrorism, advancing democracy, expanding free and fair trade, and meeting our common energy needs in a responsible way. I appreciate Ambassador Holbrooke, appreciate your service to our country. Thanks for thank the chairman of the Asia society.

Leo Daily is chairman of the Asia Society in Washington. Leo, thank you. It's good to see you.

I appreciate the members of the diplomatic corps that have joined us today, in particular Ambassador Singh (ph) from India and Ambassador Karamet (ph) from Pakistan. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedules to come and hear the president give a talk.

Fifty years ago, many Asian nations were still colonies. Today Asians are in charge of their own destinies. Fifty years ago, there were only a handful of democracies in Asia. Today, there are nearly a dozen. Fifty years ago, most of Asia was mired in hopeless poverty. Today its economies are engines of prosperity.

These changes have been dramatic. And as the Asian continent grows in freedom and opportunity, it will be a source of peace and stability and prosperity for all the world.

The transformation of Asia is beginning to improve the lives of citizens in India and Pakistan. KAGAN: We've been listening into President Bush. He's speaking in Washington, D.C. today. The president today announcing that he will head overseas. Next month, he will head to India and Pakistan.

We'll take a break. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: It is the end of the road at the General Motors plant in Oklahoma City. The last vehicle has rolled off the assembly line. After nearly three decades of operation, the plant shuts down today as part of GM's plan to close a dozen facilities in North America and cut 30,000 jobs. (WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Thank you.

We are just about 30 minutes away from learning the name of a lucky winner or winners of $365 million. We'll bring you live coverage of the Powerball announcement. It's coming up in the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY. That begins after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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