Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

'Cawfee Talk'; Severe Weather; Schwarzenegger's Fight

Aired April 03, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Time to kick off our segment we've decided to call "Cawfee Talk" because we're just talking, you know, about the stuff that people are talking about and want to know. We are today talking Katie Couric. Is she moving off the morning shift to become a night owl?
Headline news entertainment correspondent Adrianna Costa is our expert on celebrity stuff like that.

ADRIANNA COSTA, CNN HEADLINE NEWS ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I love that.

KAGAN: So we invited her upstairs. Good morning.

COSTA: And I like how you said "Cawfee Talk."

KAGAN: A little "Cawfee Talk" is always good.

COSTA: And I got to always have to the actual sip, you know?

KAGAN: Because it is just water.

COSTA: And then if I'm thinking something else, it's the three- time thing for good luck. You know, you got to hit it three times.

KAGAN: I've never heard that.

COSTA: Don't worry about it.

KAGAN: But I have heard a lot about Katie Couric.

COSTA: Yes.

KAGAN: Is she moving?

COSTA: OK, well, this is the big question and, of course, everyone has been talking about this for months and months and months. Currently on NBC on the morning show. Is she going to move over to CBS on the nightly news?

Now, here's the thing. A pro for her, a few pros for her. If she does move over, she'll go down in history as the first sole female anchor of evening news, which is a pretty prestigious title.

KAGAN: Big deal.

COSTA: On top of that, I'm guaranteeing they're going to raise her income even a little bit more. But once you're up at that level, does it even matter?

KAGAN: I mean, come on.

COSTA: You know, and then also, the thing is, Katie Couric has great personality. So if she went over there, would she be bringing sort of a new element to evening news? And would they be change the format of evening news, you know, entirely? Because usually you see sort of like stiff suits with, you know, the evening news.

KAGAN: Right.

COSTA: Also, you know, CBS is the last in the ratings among the three top networks. So if she comes over, potentially she could bring a lot more viewers and kind of bring up the ratings there.

KAGAN: Although a lot of people have been taken with Bob Schieffer as he -- after he's taken over for Dan Rather. OK, so let's say she goes. That leaves a big hole at "The Today Show."

COSTA: You're absolutely right. And sort of three contenders, top contenders that, you know, people are talking about that they're looking at all over the blogs. For starters, Campbell Brown. Also Meredith Viera, OK, from "The View." And then Natalie Morales, who's filled in for Katie Couric, you know, before. So they're looking at those three top contenders and who knows?

KAGAN: All three fabulous women. Let's move on to bad boy Russell Crowe, who was in trouble not that long ago here in the States for throwing a phone at a guy in a hotel.

COSTA: It's like Naomi Campbell and Russell Crowe.

KAGAN: But now he goes home, and he's in New Zealand. What's smoking down there?

COSTA: The deal is he was on a three concert tour...

KAGAN (singing): A three-concert tour.

COSTA (singing): Concert tour.

Very good.

KAGAN: Thank you.

COSTA: You're a very wise woman.

His band is called The Ordinary Fear of God, OK? You haven't heard of them probably.

KAGAN: No, I haven't picked up that CD yet.

COSTA: Let me just tell you this first. The reviews on his music, not so good, OK? Stick to the acting.

KAGAN: OK. COSTA: Anyway, the situation came up where they have a smoke- free act in New Zealand which is, of course, his hometown or his home country, where you're not supposed to smoke in bars, in restaurants, in concerts, and, you know, any sort of venues like that. And he did.

He was up on stage and he was smoking. So apparently he broke the law.

Now, he won't have any legal trouble, you know, on his own. But if people want to press charges, if someone wants to press charges, they will to the -- the promoter of the venue, or even the owner of the club.

KAGAN: But still, where there's Russell there's trouble.

COSTA: Of course.

KAGAN: Let's move on to another Russell.

COSTA: One Russell to the next one.

KAGAN: A big power couple is splitting up.

COSTA: Russell Simmons and Kimora Lee Simmons. Now, there had been a ton of talk about this for a while, that basically they were splitting up, and this and that.

Now, it threw everybody off because...

KAGAN: First of all, for the less hip amongst us, explain who this couple is.

COSTA: Kimora Lee Simmons is the head of Baby Phat. Russell Simmons is like a rap mogul, OK? Part of DMC.

KAGAN: OK.

COSTA: The deal is -- and they have a lot of joint ventures, you know? So what are they going to do? They have two kids together.

It threw everybody off because they showed up at an L.A. fashion week show just recently arm in arm. So -- and they were denying all the allegations, all the reports that they were splitting up. In fact, the truth is they have officially split. The word came out over the weekend.

And what I heard is that they were separated for nine months living under the same roof and just didn't come out with the news. How somebody does that, I don't know, because if I'm done with someone, I'm like throwing them off.

KAGAN: You're done. Bye-bye.

COSTA: So they have said that they're going to continue their joint ventures and they're going to work together in the future and, of course, remain very proud parents. KAGAN: It's what people are talking about. Adrianna, thank you.

COSTA: That's the "Cawfee Talk" for the day.

KAGAN: Always good to have you stop by upstairs.

And this reminder for you. You can catch and drink Adrianna every morning on "ROBIN & COMPANY." That's 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN HEADLINES NEWS.

Wind, hail, flooding rain, it is a deadly mix of weather overnight in the South and the Midwest. A terrifying scene just hours ago as a tornado slammed into northwest Tennessee. Parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky also getting blasted. At least 19 people are dead. Homes and businesses reduced to rubble.

More than a dozen of the tornado deaths are in Tennessee and a stretch along the Mississippi River. Hardest hit, Dyer County, north of Memphis.

So what's the situation right now? Let's check in with our Chad Myers, who has that -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, good morning, Daryn.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Well, we are in the thick of things, clearly, with tornado season. Time for a primer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a tornado right out my back door! You can see it! Oh, my god! Oh!

MYERS (voice over): The word "tornado" comes from two Spanish words, tornada, meaning thunderstorm, and the verb tornar, to twist or to turn. They're ferociously unpredictable, but most tornadoes form in the same way.

As a thunderstorm develops, air begins spinning in a horizontal column. Violent updrafts tip that column up into an upright shaft of horrendous potential. That dark funnel we see is formed by clouds, dust and debris from the ground.

The average tornado travels northeast, but twisters can zigzag in any direction. And while a typical forward speed is 30 miles per hour, tornadoes can race at highway pace. Never try to outrun one.

Nationwide, more than 800 twisters form each year. They cause an average of 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries. They can occur in any month. Spring is high season in the South, summer for the plains and the upper Midwest. Tornadoes have formed in all 50 states, but 70 percent occur in the Great Plains, otherwise known as Tornado Alley. Kansas and Oklahoma are the top tornado producers, and Kansas holds the record for the most in a year, 124 twisters in 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: The Enron defendants, what's their story? We should know soon.

The defense begins presenting its case today. Both Ken Lay and Jeffrey Skilling plan to take the stand. Their lawyers say the men never did anything wrong.

Prosecutors have spent the last two months laying out their case. They say Lay and Skilling lied to investors and employees about the health of the company.

Enron collapsed more than four years ago. It cost employees their retirement savings, many of them.

Just last hour, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Jose Padilla. He is the man often called the "dirty bomb suspect." A divided high court decided it will not take up that case. Padilla was labeled an enemy combatant when he challenged the Bush administration's wartime powers.

In January, the government removed that designation. Instead, it filed criminal charges against him. Government lawyers argued that dropping the enemy combatant status made his legal challenge pointless. The court agreed.

We'll hear more from CNN Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena in just a few minutes.

Box office to ballot box. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger knows what it's like to be a winner. Now he's trying to win again. And some say it may take more than star power this time.

Our Kareen Wynter has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our dad, Phil Angelides, is running for governor.

STEVE WESTLY, CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: As governor, fully fund education.

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The gubernatorial race against Republican incumbent Arnold Schwarzenegger is heating up. Democratic challenger state comptroller Steve Westly and state treasurer Phil Angelides are trying to seize on Schwarzenegger's slumping job approval ratings. While 71 percent of voters say they like Schwarzenegger personally, 53 percent say they don't like his policies.

WESTLY: People are not so much looking for a charismatic movie star. I think they're looking for someone who is competent...

WYNTER: Westly, a former Stanford University instructor and eBay executive, is taking on education, the environment and health care in his political platform. Westly's Democratic opponent, Phil Angelides, says the governor has made a series of political missteps. Schwarzenegger was defeated in a special election he called over his own initiatives last November.

PHIL ANGELIDES (D), CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE: The governor wasted a whole year on a special election that the voters roundly rejected. He just hasn't proven to have the skills to do the job.

WYNTER: But the governor is still ahead of his two opponents in a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, with an 8- point lead over Westly and a 12-point lead over Angelides, with about 30 percent of likely voters saying they are still undecided.

Schwarzenegger's ad campaign highlights a cut in the state deficit and car tax and the creation of 500,000 new jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor Schwarzenegger's leadership is making California work again.

WYNTER: Still, some political analysts believe the Hollywood heavyweight is in for a real fight this time around.

ARNOLD STEINBERG, REPUBLICAN POLITICAL STRATEGIST: I think the governor is hurt for a couple of reasons. One is he's forever lost his bulk (ph) at political virginity. So we don't have that anymore. He's just a politician like everybody else.

And secondly, I think Republican turnout has to be a real important consideration for him. The base is no longer that energized by him.

WYNTER (on camera): That said, political observers feel the governor's charisma and star power remains a strong selling point and an unmistakable advantage he has over his opponents.

Kareen Wynter, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Let's get back to the Jose Padilla case. The enemy combatant decision coming from the U.S. Supreme Court, saying they will not take his appeal.

Our Kelli Arena following another high-profile case in Alexandria, Virginia. We'll get to Moussaoui in just a moment.

But first, what do you make out of this decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, Kelli? KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, basically that there's still that constitutional question out there, can the U.S. government hold a U.S. citizen indefinitely without charging them in military custody? And we still do not have a definitive answer on that question.

I spoke a little earlier with Donna Newman, who was -- who is Padilla's lawyer. She said that she's very disappointed. She believes not only is it something that will occur again, but that it could occur again to Padilla himself. She says that Congress needs to act here, that she still does not believe the president has the authority that he claims to have, which is the authority to hold U.S. citizens indefinitely.

So we will have to wait and see.

We did get a little bit of insight into the court's thinking from Justice Kennedy. Very rare, Daryn, that they actually public anything when they reject to hear a case. But he did, and he said that right now the situation is hypothetical because Padilla was eventually charged and is within the judicial system right now, that his case is basically moot.

And there's a lot of critics out there, Daryn, as you know, who have said that the only reason the government did charge him when they did was to avoid the Supreme Court dealing with this issue. And if that was indeed their agenda, they got what they wanted -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Meanwhile, there in Alexandria, we're still waiting to hear from the jury in the Zacarias Moussaoui case.

ARENA: We are. They've been deliberating nearly 14 hours so far. They got the case last late Wednesday. What they are dealing with is just the issue of whether or not Moussaoui is even eligible for the death penalty.

We haven't heard a lot from this jury, Daryn. There was only one question. One of the charges says that he used a weapon of mass destruction. They want a clarification on what that was. They were told it just basically meant using an airplane as a weapon.

Beyond that, they have been very quiet, deliberating. They were very conscientious during this whole trial, taking notes, very attentive. We have no idea, no indication when they will come up with a verdict.

If they do decide that he's eligible, Daryn, this will move on to a second phase where they will actually decide his sentence. But if they say that he's not eligible for the death penalty, he will be sentenced to live in prison.

So here we wait.

KAGAN: We'll be checking back with you. Kelli Arena, thank you.

ARENA: OK. You're welcome, Daryn. KAGAN: Waiting -- taking place in Tennessee, trying to see how much damage done from twisters overnight. We'll talk to an official there to see how that cleanup is going.

Also, in Britain, a clinical drug trial gone wrong. Six men get seriously ill while taking part. We'll hear what one of them has to say about that coming up.

And it's a popular game, but some say, wait a minute, it's too real. "Street Wars" stirs a fuss from the rooftop coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: It's the morning after in the western part of Tennessee. A number of twisters touching down there. A lot of homes destroyed, a number of people dead.

I want to focus now on Gibson County, Tennessee, in the west central part of the state. As far as we know, eight people dead so far. As many as 40 injured. Four towns damaged in that county.

On the phone -- on the phone with me right now is Ricky Graves, the director of emergency management for Gibson County.

Ricky, thanks for being on the phone with us.

RICK GRAVES, DIRECTOR, GIBSON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Yes, ma'am.

KAGAN: What can you tell us as daylight is coming to your county, what you're learning about the damage and the dead?

GRAVES: Well, we've been hit very, very hard in the north end of our county. Like you said, we have four towns that have suffered damage. I've got several injured.

Many, many, many houses destroyed. We're doing damage assessments as we speak. We've got teams out. And the worst -- worst event we've ever had in Gibson County in my years of experience.

KAGAN: Sorry to hear that. We are looking at pictures right now from Dyer County, which I imagine is not too far from where you are?

GRAVES: We're neighboring counties.

KAGAN: All right. So this is the country right next door. But I guess the damage looking very similar.

As far as the number dead, what number do you have out right now?

GRAVES: Right now we're at eight. We're expecting that to climb.

KAGAN: And was that a matter of people not getting warning in time, do you think? GRAVES: No. I really don't think so. This was just a devastating storm. And if you see the damage that's been done, it's a literal miracle that we don't have more dead and injured than we have, really. I mean, there are -- there are just tens -- tens of houses that are literally dried.

KAGAN: What kind of help does your county need right now?

GRAVES: Right now, our team, our state emergency management, homeland security, and our -- the National Guard, our governor's helping us. Right now we're getting a handle on things and doing -- we're get ing there. We're going to be days out because we've got a lot of power lines down.

You know, getting the infrastructure back in operation as far as electrical grid is concerned is a priority right now, as well as making sure we've accounted for all of our citizens. And we're in the process of doing it all.

Debris removal is an issue. And the governor has allowed us to use the National Guard in our area to start debris removal, along with our county highway and our city public works. Just everybody's working together extremely well.

KAGAN: A lot of work ahead. A lot of folks to attend to. We wish you well in getting to all of that.

Ricky Graves, director of emergency management from Gibson County in Tennessee.

GRAVES: Thank you.

KAGAN: Thank you, sir.

GRAVES: Thank you.

KAGAN: To the west now, to Denver. Commuters having a tough time getting to work today. Transit workers hit the picket lines overnight, rejecting their latest contract offer. It's their first strike in 24 years. There is no light rail service and only limited bus service.

Well, good news for all you movie buffs out there. It gets even a little bit easier to get your hands on the latest Hollywood flicks.

Susan Lisovicz joins us from the New York Stock Exchange with details on skipping the trip to the video store.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: That's one of the benefits to this deal, no question about it, Daryn.

Starting today, movie lovers can go to movielinks.com and legally download their favorite flicks. And they will be able to keep them as well.

Movie downloading, of course, is nothing new, but the difference now is, instead of renting films online, usually weeks after they hit store shelves, consumers can now buy them on the Web on the same day the DVD is released. Movie Link has a deal with five major studios, so there will be lots of movies to choose from: Universal, Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, Paramount, 20th Century Fox.

Tomorrow, the Oscar-nominated "Brokeback Mountain" will become the first major new studio film to be available online as the same day as its DVD debut.

But Daryn, if you're already thinking you're going to have friends over, you know, and showing it on your big plasma TV, it's only -- it's only available on computer. So keep that in mind. That's how the DVD will be shown, on computer. You have to get your IT department to hook it up for you to get it shown.

KAGAN: Figure that out.

LISOVICZ: Yes, exactly.

KAGAN: Well, I haven't -- I haven't gone plasma or even HDTV yet.

LISOVICZ Me neither.

KAGAN: I'm just living in 1974, I guess.

LISOVICZ: Me too.

KAGAN: So we can all gather around my company-issued laptop.

LISOVICZ: All right.

KAGAN: OK. But how much is it going to cost?

LISOVICZ: Well, you're going to pay a little more, not surprisingly, for the convenience, Daryn. New films such as "King Kong," "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Walk the Line" will cost between $20 and $30. New DVD releases, on the other hand, usually offered as low as $14. Older movies from the studio catalog will cost $10 to $16.

Let's quickly take a look at the markets.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: They were human guinea pigs in a clinical drug trial and then something went wrong. Six British men became seriously ill while taking part in the trial. One of them now is speaking out.

Reporter Sue Saville with ITV has this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUE SAVILLE, REPORTER, ITV NEWS (voice over): Matt Modi (ph) feels he's lucky to be alive three weeks after taking part in the trial of a new medicine for a fee of 2,000 pounds. He told ITV's "Tonight" program of the terrible effect that overwhelmed his body soon after being inject with the drug.

It started with a minor headache, but suddenly after it went into very acute. And the pain was so much killing, I mean, it was kind of a pressure in my head. And the pain -- I mean, I wasn't able to bear the pain. I was shouting with help.

I said, "Doctor, please do something. The pain is killing me." I was literally stretching my head, I was being restless. I was just twirling my hands and -- I mean, I was just trying to kick my legs and kick the bed, and I was trying to get up.

And, I mean, I was trying my best to get out of the pain, but the pain was so much -- so intense, and it was kind of a huge pressure being put up on my head. And I was trying to grab it, "Doctor, the pain is killing me. Do something, doctor. The pain is killing me."

SAVILLE: It was at Northwick Park Hospital in north London that six healthy young men fell seriously ill when they took part in a drugs trial for a compound known simply as TGN1412. Two patients are still in hospital. Four have been allowed home.

Matt (ph) recalled the struggle to get him into an oxygen mask.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was asking me to put the mask on, and I didn't want to put the mask on. Then I just had to fight her, and I said, "Look, it's my life. I don't want to put it. Just leave it."

She said, "Look, it's something serious, yes? If you don't cooperate with us you're going to die."

And I would never ever forget this. I mean, I still remember the face of the nurse and the strange feeling that it had on me that I would die. I mean, a 24-year -- a 24-year-old person would die just for 2,000 pounds.

SAVILLE: The interim report into what went wrong is due out next week. The pharmaceutical industry knows lessons must be learned.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our thoughts, like those of millions of others, go out to the young men affected by these absolutely unprecedented events at Northwick Park. The report is almost certainly going to have some pointers for the future.

These medicines, the monoclonal antibodies effected, have brought benefits to millions of people in the areas like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. So it's very important that these medicines continue to come to the patient, but there will be some lessons from these events.

SAVILLE: Vital questions need answers so that no human guinea pigs suffer like this again.

Sue Saville, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Kids get the message early, sex is hip, sex is cool. And a new study backs up the saying that everybody's doing it -- ahead on LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com