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CNN Live Today

Mosque Suicide Bombing; Da Vinci Decision; Moussaoui Taunts 9/11 Families; Death Penalty Divide; Immigration Battle

Aired April 07, 2006 - 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: And we'll go ahead and get started here.
It is Friday. It's the Muslim day of prayer, but in Iraq it was a day to kill. A Shiite mosque, three suicide bombers. The coordinated blast just about two hours ago kill or wound dozens of people. The attacks also fueled new fears of civil war. The latest from our Aneesh Raman who is live in Baghdad.

Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.

At least 43 people have been killed, upwards of 138 others wounded after, as you say, three suicide bombers detonated at a prominent Shia mosque in the northern part of the capital. It happened just about two and a half hours ago. This mosque, the Baraka (ph) Mosque, is a main mosque for Skeri (ph), that's the main Shia party in the governing alliance. Imam (ph) there is a member of parliament.

Because of its prominence, it did have perimeter security. We understand, though, first some of the bombers detonated at the blast walls that prevent cars from going in. In the ensuing chaos, carnage and confusion, another suicide bomber was able to break through that area and get closer to the mosque inside the compound and detonate there. We also understand from Iraqi police officials that at least two of these suicide bombers were wearing women's cloakes (ph), obias (ph) that women would have worn. That, clearly, a way, perhaps, to decrease suspicion of them in and among the worshipers.

Now as you mentioned as well, Friday noon prayers the most important prayers of the week for Muslims, so there would have been a large number of worshipers at this mosque especially, as well, again, give its prominence. This happened just a few hours after those noon prayers as people were leaving.

Now the attack, Daryn, comes just a day after an attack near the Shia holiest shrine in Iraq, in the Shia holiest city of Najaf. That incident yesterday killed at least 10 after a car bomb detonated just a few hundred meters outside of the Imam Ali shrine in the Shia southern city of Najaf.

So the fear today is that between these two attack, the anger that we've seen at both scenes, in Najaf yesterday and the capital today, the anger that is brewing on the streets could percolate and even embolden Iraq's Shia militias who have said that if Iraqi security forces cannot protect their people or their sites, they will do it themselves. The problem is that, Daryn, they are also behind, we understand, a number of reprisal attacks against Sunnis.

Daryn.

KAGAN: So do they think that these might have been women suicide bombers or just perhaps clothed that way?

RAMAN: Yes, we're getting sort of conflicting information. At one point they said perhaps they were women. Then they said they were cloaked in women's clothing.

Again, it's a scene of utter confusion there. There are essentially efforts underway to help the wounded, get them to a nearby hospital. The investigation just beginning.

We do understand as well that U.S. troops are there aiding Iraqi security forces who are trying to control the scene. But these numbers, these casualty numbers, have been rising in a pretty consistent level for the past few hours. And so the fears is that the numbers will rise as well and that the answers won't be given to us for quite some time as well as how the suicide bombers got in.

Daryn.

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

Focus here in the U.S., touchdown in Kansas and more tornados could be on the way. Severe storms are in the forecast for the plains and the deep south. Forecasters say a clash of opposing air masses could kick up more twisters. There were no reports of injuries from tornados yesterday.

Chad Myers, our severe weather expert, has the latest for us.

Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: The decision is in and author Dan Brown is celebrating. He was accused of plagiarism in his blockbuster novel "The Da Vinci Code," but a London judge has just rejected a claim that Brown stole his ideas from the book "Holy Blood, Holy Grail." Brown had this to say. It's his statement. "Today's verdict shows that this claim was utterly without merit. I'm still astonished that these two authors chose to file their suit at all. But this decision also touches on a wider issue. A novelist must be free to draw appropriately from historical works without fear that he'll be sued and forced to stand in a courtroom facing a series of allegations that call into question his very integrity as a person. I'm pleased with today's outcome, not only from a person standpoint, but also as a novelist.

Our Paula Newton has more from London.

Paula, hello. PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

Well, Dan Brown's reputation was certainly on the line here from the moment the trial started. You know, he wasn't actually the defendant in this case. That was Random House, his publisher. But he knew that there was a lot at stake here and he didn't even want to see any kind of a ruling that didn't go 100 percent in his favor and that's exactly what happened here.

And in the meantime, Daryn, a lot of books have been sold. There's been a lot of publicity around this case and the publishers confirmed that both sales of "The Holy Blood, The Holy Grail" and "The Da Vinci Code" are up. And not to mention the fact that there is a blockbuster movie with Tom Hanks due in a little bit more than a month and this will certainly help the publicity for all of that.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, and it's not just losing for the other side. Doesn't it work like this in Britain, that the losing side has to pay the legal fees?

NEWTON: Yes. This is really -- they were really sticking their necks out, the authors of "The Holy Blood, The Holy Frail." They're in court right now arguing that they shouldn't have to pay the whole legal bill for Dan Brown. I mean estimates run to about $3 million. It's hefty. Any extra money they would have made from the extra sales of those books are up in smoke. You can forget it.

It's interesting that these authors really chose to bring about this case. And, you know, it really shows that these are franchises. These are huge franchises when these books go to these best-seller lists and authors like Dan Brown will again be the target of these kind of lawsuits when that kind of money is at stake.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Well, he is a happy man today. Thank you, Paula.

By the way, the authors of "Holy blood, Holy Grail," as we were saying, they're going have to pay the legal fees. I'm going to have a chance to talk to one of those authors in the next hour. We'll see what he thinks now about bringing that suit against Dan Brown. Well, I guess the publishers of "The Da Vinci Code."

His courtroom outbursts kick at the open wounds of grieving families. Confessed al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, should he die? Two families take opposing views when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: No pain, no gain, America. Those taunting words came from confessed al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. He mocked the heart wrenching testimony that reduced some 9/11 families to tears. At issue, whether Moussaoui should die. More on that debate now from families on two sides of this emotional divide. First, Justice Correspondent Kelli Arena. Her report first aired on CNN's "Paula Zahn Now."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Prosecutors want jurors to hold Zacarias Moussaoui responsible for the horrors of 9/11 and decide that he should be executed. And to remind the jury of exactly how horrible those attacks were, they showed dramatic videotape like this and made jurors relive the tragedy of people jumping to their deaths from the World Trade Center.

They were shown pictures of body parts lying in the streets blocking rescue crews and they heard former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani describe the stench of burned flesh that permeated New York City for weeks. Abraham Scott, who lost his wife on 9/11, has listened to most of the testimony.

ABRAHAM SCOTT, 9/11 FAMILY MEMBER: And we were all in tears when they were showing the excerpt of the plane hitting the twin towers, people jumping out of the tower trying to save their lives, people on fire. It was just -- it was just horrific.

ARENA: For the most part, the jury remained stone-faced, but at least two member had to fight off tears during the day. The same panel of nine men and three women, who decided that Moussaoui is eligible for the death penalty, will now decide whether he gets it.

Following Giuliani's testimony, jurors heard from the families and friends of some of the nearly 3,000 victims. New York Police Officer Jim Smith spoke about his wife, Moira, also an officer who died helping evacuate people from the World Trade Center. Breaking down, Smith said he now tells his little girl her mom was a hero.

Tony Sanseviro told of his friend, firefighter Danny Suhr, who was killed when he was struck by a falling body. One expert, consulted by Moussaoui's defense, says it's going to be very difficult for the jury to focus on the legal facts.

DAVID BRUCK, VIRGINIA CAPITAL CASE CLEARINGHOUSE: Whether this jury or any jury composed of human beings is going to be in any shape to do that after they've been subjected to the extravaganza of grief and agony that the government has carefully over these last few years planned and stage managed after shopping around for the most heartrending week of testimony it could possibly find, that's a very, very open question.

ARENA: In opening arguments, Moussaoui's defense team urged jurors to keep an open mind. He say their exports have diagnosed Moussaoui a paranoid schizophrenic, reason enough to spare him execution. Moussaoui was in the courtroom listening, laughing at times, at other times, seemingly bored with it all.

ARENA: After hearing testimony about people dying and the flames of the World Trade Center, as he was leaving the courtroom Moussaoui started sing Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA," except that he changed the words to "burn in the USA."

Kelli Arena, CNN, Alexandria, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And now families on opposite sides of the death penalty debate. They have opposite views but they do share a common and tragic loss. Among the victims, Donald and Jean Peterson. They were aboard the airliner that crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside. Hamilton Peterson honors the memory of his father and step-mother as the president of the group Families of Flight 93.

Mr. Peterson, thanks for being with us here today.

HAMILTON PETERSON, 9/11 FAMILY MEMBER: Thank you very much, Daryn. And, of course, I'm here in my individual capacity.

KAGAN: Right. OK. And, actually, most importantly, before we even get to Moussaoui, I'd like to learn a little something about your dad and stepmother to honor the important people here.

PETERSON: Well, they were a couple who were happily married on their way from Newark Airport to San Francisco Airport to attend a family reunion in the beautiful Yosemite National Park.

KAGAN: And tell me what you think about Zacarias Moussaoui. Should he die or should he not?

PETERSON: Daryn, I think the question is clear. Three thousand people have died. How many more people need to die before we can justify a death penalty statute which clearly errors on the side of full due process for murders. Normally we associate the death penalty with particularly hideous or gruesome crimes. There's no question here, we heard testimony yesterday of burning bodies hurling themselves out of buildings. Here we have nearly 3,000 people dead. I can't think of a more appropriate end.

KAGAN: And what do you say to those people who say, you know what, this is exactly what this guy wants. It's going to make him a martyr and you're playing into his hands.

PETERSON: Well, first of all, I respect everybody's right to their own opinion and I'd like to express my condolence to Al and Maureen for the loss of their brave firefighter son Christopher, as well as the other New York firefighters. But I do not give that theory much credence. Our own home-grown terrorists we executed, Timothy McVeigh. The CIA assassin from Pakistan who killed the CIA employees as they waited to turn to go to work one morning also was executed. The same, "martyrdom concerns" were floated. And, Daryn, I haven't seen any buildings built in Saudi Arabia with the CIA assassin's name on them yet.

KAGAN: Another question for you here because, as we said, your father and stepmother were aboard United Flight 93 and there's a question of the cockpit voice recorder being played in court. The judge is leaving it up to family members. I know you've had a chance to hear that. Do you think it would be appropriate to have that played in the courtroom? PETERSON: Well, it will be played in the courtroom and I think it is very appropriate. I take issue with the criminal defense attorney who said that, "the government shopped for the most heart wrenching stories." Those stories are reality and we cannot do justice to the horror of that reality. Frankly, if the prosecutors had done otherwise, I would have been offended.

KAGAN: And finally, will you be able to testify?

PETERSON: I'm not intending to at this time, Daryn.

KAGAN: And why is that?

PETERSON: I volunteered, if necessary, but I feel the 40 individuals or 40-plus individuals they've chosen will properly reflect at least a part of the misery as a result of 9/11.

KAGAN: Hamilton Peterson, we thank you for your time. And you make a good point, we use the word debate but this really -- we're not meaning to pit one family member against another family member. We're looking for a discussion on a very emotional and difficult topic and we thank you for your time today.

PETERSON: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Thank you, Hamilton.

Christopher Santora was the youngest firefighter to die in the attacks. His parents join us with their view. Al and Maureen Santora are in Washington D.C.

Mr. and Mrs. Santora, good morning. Thank you for being here with us.

MAUREEN SANTORA, MOTHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: Good morning.

AL SANTORA, FATHER OF 9/11 VICTIM: Good morning.

KAGAN: First, tell us a little bit more about Christopher besides the fact that he was the youngest firefighters to die.

MAUREEN SANTORA: Well, he was passionate about American history. He was a substitute teacher who taught history in New York City Public Schools. He loved sports. He was a young man who had a lot of -- and that's his felon picture that you're showing that I absolutely hate.

KAGAN: You don't like that picture. He's so much better looking than that. There you go. There's that smile, right?

MAUREEN SANTORA: That's a better picture, yes. Yes.

But he was -- this was his dream job to follow in his father's footsteps and be a firefighter. He loved his job. It was with great joy that he went to work and he went down, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and he was one of 343, you know, that died on that terrible, horrible day. KAGAN: And there are no words, no words for your loss to your family.

MAUREEN SANTORA: Absolutely not. And we'll never recover.

KAGAN: No.

MAUREEN SANTORA: We'll never recover.

KAGAN: And so because of that do you think Zacarias Moussaoui should get the death penalty?

MAUREEN SANTORA: Well, I believe that Mr. Moussaoui is a person who belongs to an organization who honors death and I don't think that we should honor him by giving him the death penalty. I think the most just punishment for him would be to be surrounded by the very Americans that he hates and loathes and he should be in a prison in the middle of the United States and live out the remaining days of his life surrounded by the very, very people that he absolutely hates.

KAGAN: Mr. Santora, do you agree with that as well?

AL SANTORA: Yes, I do. I think that his -- you know, it infuriates you when you hear and see what -- how -- what his reaction is in the court.

KAGAN: I can only imagine what that's like. How disrespectful he is.

AL SANTORA: Disrespect. And you would just like to take a bullet and just put it in his brain and just end it. But to play into his hand, he's a -- he's a liar. We know he's a liar. He would like to be martyred and I think that the worst punishment for him would be to wake up every morning and have to think about those almost 3,000 people that died that day and maybe prison life would be very good and I'd be more than willing to pay the $40,000 a year to keep him in incarceration and maybe for a time he should be in, you know, solitary confinement and then maybe put in the general population. The prisoners will take care of him in due time, just like they did to Jeffrey Dahmer.

KAGAN: I can tell this is something that you've give a lot of thought to. Are either one of you going to have a chance to testify?

MAUREEN SANTORA: No, we're not. Those people who were selected were selected prior to the trial. And although we offered, they had already been preselected. So we will go, you know, on Monday and we'll meet back down in New York City where we've gone to listen to the trial in the courthouse.

KAGAN: I want to go back to a point that I was making with Mr. Peterson and that is that this really isn't a debate. It's a discussion among people who have this incredibly tragic bond.

MAUREEN SANTORA: Yes, it is. KAGAN: And what's it like to have this tie with these other family members, a tie that will link you for the rest of your lives and yet to have completely different belief like this? To be together, yet apart.

MAUREEN SANTORA: Well, we are united. We are united in getting justice done and we are also united that our court system will, you know, prevail and the justice punishment and if it is decided that he will get the death penalty, I will be satisfied that our court system has done its job and the jurors have taken this seriously, as I know they are, and I will be, you know, in compliance with accepting that, although it's not what I hope will be his punishment.

KAGAN: Mr. and Mrs. Santora, thank you for sharing your thoughts today. I know all these years later it's still so difficult and I enjoyed learning more about your son Christopher and our condolences.

MAUREEN SANTORA: Thank you very, very much.

AL SANTORA: Thank you very much. Thank you.

KAGAN: Thank you for being a part of our conversation.

MAUREEN SANTORA: Thank you.

AL SANTORA: Thank you.

KAGAN: And I understand we have news just in. There's been a vote on the Kennedy-McCain bill on immigration. Both the senators at the mic. Let's listen in.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: To pursuing this issue to its legislative completion. Of course we are disappointed that we were unable to move forward last night and yesterday after reaching what some view as a very important, vital compromise thanks to other senators, particularly Senator Hagel and Martinez.

So we're here to say this fight's not over. We're going into recess. We'll bring it up and bring it up and bring it up until it passes because the issue must be addressed. And we believe we have the votes and we also have the votes to beat back any amendments. But those amendments should be allowed. That's the way the United States Senate functions and we should allow a reasonable number of amendments to be debated and voted on before we would vote final passage.

I again want to thank my colleagues for all of their efforts on behalf of this worthy cause.

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: Well, first of all, I want to thank Senator McCain and all of our colleagues, Republicans and Democrats alike. As someone that has been through the battles on the great issues like on civil rights and the Medicare issues, the higher education, Americans with disability. The only way we've ever made progress is when we've had bipartisanship. And we have had bipartisanship in working together, I with Senator McCain for over three years and all of us really together in one form or another, really from the origins when this bill really started through the judiciary committee process.

All of us understand that this is a complex, difficult issue. We all understand there's a lot of emotion that's involved in the issues of dealing with immigration. There's strong feelings, there's strong views and there's always the opportunity to try and side track a purposeful, meaningful, comprehensive approach which is essential in terms of our security and our progress and also in terms of our humanity.

So I'm disappointed, but not discouraged. I'm sorrowful, but not without hope for the future. And I'm concerned about the loss opportunity, but absolutely determined to keep right on fighting. With Senator McCain and our other colleagues here, we don't intend to give up and we don't intend to give in.

When I first came to the Senate, I was on the immigration sub committee. And one of the -- one of my brothers' favorite book was one of the earliest ones that he wrote and that was about the nation of immigrants. It was basically printed 50 years ago, in 1957, and I actually remember him writing about this, writing about this issue. And I think in this early chapter he really captures what this debate is all about.

He talks about, "the contributions of immigrants can be seen in every aspect of our national life. We see it in religion, in politics, in business, in the arts, in education, even in athletics and in entertainment. There is no part of our nation that has not been touched by our immigrant background. Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life." I believe that to today. We believe that that -- we're not going to give up. We're not going to give in until America is the kind of miracle that all of us believe America should be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you wondered about bipartisanship, you can tell it continues to this moment.

KAGAN: All right. So we've been listening to senators on Capitol Hill. The latest version of an immigration bill that was moving its way through the Senate that many of them were enthusiastic about have stalled. So that means they will go to the break -- to the Easter and Passover break without getting anything done on the immigration issue. This latest version where it did not have as much amnesty as the earlier version. Apparently it was still too liberal for many people to support there, so they don't have a vote so far. It stalled on Capitol Hill.

We'll have much more on where this immigration legislation stands and what it means to the millions of illegal immigrants across the country still ahead. Right now, a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's check the latest numbers on Wall Street. The markets have been open about an hour. You can see the Dow down just about 30 point. The Nasdaq also in negative territory. It is down six. And the clock is ticking. We have been watching the latest round in the battle over the millions of immigrants who are in America illegally. There's still some voting going on in the Senate on the first amendment. But as we just saw a few minutes ago, more importantly, the larger bill has apparently stalled. And we heard some senators come out and express their disappointment over that.

The president wants Congress to finalize a deal on immigration reform today. It does not look like that's going happen because senators, including some Republicans, can't agree on a compromise, even though it appeared one had been worked out just yesterday. The question now is whether anything will be done on immigration before Congress leaves today on a two-week break. It does not appear that will happen.

Who says and who goes? It's one of the most contentious issues in quite some time. Let's get the nuts and bolts of the immigration debate from Jan Ting. He is a law professor at Temple University and a form INS official. Jan Ting joining me from Wilmington, Delaware.

Good morning.

PROF. JAN TING, TEMPLE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL: Hi. Nice to be with you.

KAGAN: So it looks like not a lot's going to happen. That the latest effort has stalled out in the senate.

TING: Well, the Senate needs its vacation and there are enough senators that insist on proposing some amendments to this compromise and that's why there's a delay.

KAGAN: What about the difference, Professor, in what you see trying to work its way through the Senate versus what's working its way through the House?

TING: Well, there's a huge difference. The House bill is very enforcement-oriented. It does not contain an amnesty provision, and it's mainly concerned with border security. And the Senate bill, both the Judiciary Committee draft and the compromise draft, are mainly concerned with amnesty and the details of amnesty. And frankly, to my mind, are very unconcerned about border security. So there's a dramatic clash between these two versions of immigration reform.

KAGAN: They're coming from two different sides of the fence here. So now it looks like they're going home on their break and nothing's going to happen. How long can this go on with nothing happening?

TING: Well, as you know, the American people are very interested in this issue, and it would not surprise me while the Senate is in recess for a lot of people to weigh in here and express their opinions. Do we really want a vast amnesty? You know, the Senate compromise tries to break the illegal alien population up into three different groups. The people that have been here five years, well, they get permanent work visas immediately. They don't have to leave the country. The people that have been here, you know, two years to five years, they get a temporary work visa for only three years and then they have to kind of -- there's a phrase they use called a touchback. They have to temporarily leave the country and in come back in, and then there's three years behind the first group in terms of legalizing their status.

And supposedly there's a third group of people who have been here less than two years. They're supposed to, I guess, voluntarily leave the country because they see these other two groups getting all the jobs. And the Senate's idea is that these folks will get no benefits and they're supposed to leave. You know, is that going happen? I think that needs to be discussed a little bit.

KAGAN: Well, I always wonder, if you're illegal and you sneak in the country, one, how do you prove how long you've been here?

TING: Well, that's an excellent question. You know, we confronted this question in 1986, when we did a big amnesty. And I will tell you, the litigation from the '86 amnesty is still going on 20 years later. There's still people in court saying I was qualified for this amnesty and I was wrongly -- I was wrongly denied. And it wouldn't surprise me now.

Your question is an excellent one. How does an undocumented alien document the fact that they've been in the country for five years or two years or whatever deadline? And what's to prevent everyone from saying, oh, yes, I've been here five years, I've been here six years. You know, what do they produce? A letter addressed to themselves? Is that good enough? A utility bill? Is that good enough?

So there's -- the devil is always in the details and never more so than when we're talking about amnesty for aliens.

KAGAN: It is a fascinating thing to watch, and we'll continue to do so. Professor, thank you for your time.

TING: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be with you.

KAGAN: Good to have you. And we should expect to hear more about the immigration issue. The White House briefing taking place today. It looks it's a little bit rainy there in Washington, some water on the lens. 12:45 p.m. Eastern, and you'll see that White House briefing live here on CNN.

This Saturday and Sunday night, CNN presents an in-depth look at both sides of the immigration debate. Are illegal workers stealing American jobs or energizing the U.S. economy? Whichever side you fall on, this is one special report you won't want to miss. "CNN PRESENTS: Immigrant Nation" this Saturday and Sunday night, 8:00 Eastern only here on CNN.

KAGAN: The White House, by the way, is tight-lipped this morning about claims of a presidential leak. That allegation comes from Vice President Cheney's former top aide, Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Court documents show Libby testified that President Bush authorized the leak of classified intelligence on Iraq. This could raise credibility questions for the president.

Senior political analyst Bill Schneider takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): In September 2003, President Bush made this pledge.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If there's a leak out of my administration, I want to know who it is. And if the person has violated law, that person will be taken care of.

SCHNEIDER: At issue, who leaked the name of a CIA agent.

In June 2004, President Bush had this exchange with a reporter.

QUESTION: Do you stand by your pledge to fire anyone found to have done so?

BUSH: Yes. And that's up to the U.S. attorney to find the facts.

SCHNEIDER: A year later, the president qualified that pledge.

BUSH: If someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration.

SCHNEIDER: A new standard, the leak would have to be a crime.

Now we learn that Scooter Libby testified that he was told by the vice president he had authorization from President Bush to leak classified information to a reporter. Libby testified that the vice president's legal counsel told him, "presidential authorization to publicly disclose a document amounted to a declassification of the document." In other words, when the president authorizes it, the leak is not a crime.

Congressional critics were quick to pounce.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: The president has said that he'd fire anyone who leaked this kind of information. But it now seems that he authorized leaks just like this in the first place. The American people deserve the truth.

SCHNEIDER: The issue is President Bush's political credibility. That's what got him elected.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: The music is loud, the crowd is psyched. This is not your father's rock concert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you ready?

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: These kids call themselves rebels in reverse. You'll find out why, just ahead.

Charlie Scaffner Day. You've got to go to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to celebrate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As bad as I am, I'm going to get back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Charlie, his kids, his day, when we get back on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Most audiences worship the performers; these young people come to worship Jesus. It is at Battlecry, an event that's been called the "Lollapalooza for the Lord." Organizers say they're fighting back a permissive culture with music.

Here to talk about it, 18-year-old Amanda Hughey and Janine Putnam, who is 17. They're in Detroit for the Battlecry concert this weekend.

Ladies, good morning.

AMANDA HUGHEY, BATTLECRY PARTICIPANT: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: Good to have you here. Tell me what the message is for the young people coming to this event?

HUGHEY: Basically, the message of Battlecry, it really is about, you know, teens reaching out to teens, empowering them to be able to stand up and raise their voice against the influences of pop culture and media and to be able to, you know, let them know that there are teenagers that are raising up, and you know, taking the stand against what the world thinks we have to be.

KAGAN: And so you're saying no to things like drugs, to premarital sex, drinking, these types of things, right?

HUGHEY: Definitely.

KAGAN: Go ahead. HUGHEY: Well, for so long, the world's been kind of, you know, just pushing that on us, that that's what you have to be -- have to do to be cool. But we're trying to stand up and say I don't want to do that anymore, I don't think that's cool.

KAGAN: Janine, can you hear the people out there? Because I know they're listening right now, and they're rolling their eyes, some of them, and they're saying these are a couple of brainwashed goody two-shoes girls. What do you say to them?

JANINE PUTNAM, BATTLECRY PARTICIPANT: You know, I've been in the position where I used to go out and hang out with people that were just the wrong crowd, and until I found that the emptiness inside of me, you have to really experience something that's going to change your life forever. And I really think that Battle Cry is that opportunity that's going to be changing 35,000 teenagers' lives. I know people myself that are going, that just need this one thing, and it's an awesome opportunity for people to actually see kids' lives changed.

KAGAN: Amanda, you were at the event in San Francisco a few weeks ago, and the teenagers that came were not entirely greeted with love. In fact, some people called you, the kids, homophobic fascists. What do you think about that and how would you respond to those people?

HUGHEY: You know, basically, I just think that they might have misrepresented what we were all about, what we were there for. Battle Cry is not there to come against a certain agenda, or a specific people group. It's really about teenagers. It's about getting the message to teenagers that we don't have to stand for, you know, what the world says about drugs, and sex and alcohol, but there is a better life, there is a better way to live, and we just want to be able to show them that they can take a stand.

KAGAN: So is everybody welcome. Are non-Christians welcome? absolutely.

HUGHEY: Definitely.

PUTNAM: Absolutely.

KAGAN: But it is a Christian event?

HUGHEY: Yes, ma'am.

KAGAN: And what about gay teenagers? Would they be welcome?

HUGHEY: Everyone is welcome. We would love to have to them. We want everyone to be able to come and hear these Battlecry message, and we're for real, it's not about singling people out, because we want everyone to come and know God.

KAGAN: Janine, I think one of the things that gets people's attention are the numbers that turn out, 25,000 kids in San Francisco, what, 35,000 expected for here. That is more than would show up for many of the rock concerts, and maybe not the kind of kids that we would think of is living in Michigan.

PUTNAM: Right, from my own experience, my youth group is bringing 500 teenagers, and I think that's one of the largest groups coming, and it just -- the Lord has blessed us with that many teenagers, and it's just going to be an amazing experience to be able to see other teens worship the same God as we do.

KAGAN: Thirty-five thousand teenagers anywhere doing anything, there's going to be a lot of energy this week.

HUGHEY: Definitely.

KAGAN: I can promise you that.

Amanda Hughey and Janine Putnam, thanks for taking some time.

HUGHEY: Thank you.

PUTNAM: Thank you.

KAGAN: It's called Battlecry, and it's in Detroit, Michigan this weekend.

So what is all the fuss about?

Charlie Scaffner gets his own little corner of the world. LIVE TODAY returns to its post momentarily.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: See, it's not al bad news. This is the kind of story that's going to make you smile this morning. You could call it his own little corner of the world. Illness forced a longtime school crossing guard in Pennsylvania to give up that corner, but you know what, Charlie Scaffner had a big surprise coming.

Mike Lowe of our affiliate WFMZ has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE LOWE, WFMZ REPORTER (voice-over): All 78-year-old Charlie Scaffner wanted to do was get back to his corner. Butztown in Shakespeare, across from Governor Wolf Elementary, that's where he served as a crossing guard for so many years. You see, Charlie never wanted to leave in the first place, but lung cancer made that decision for him.

Now he's been gone for a couple of months. Still he had one wish.

CHARLIE SCAFFNER: As bad as I am, I'm going get back.

LOWE: So his family and a few hundred of his closest friends hatched a plan. They'd surprise him with a trip back to his corner. Only today, it officially became his corner.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's my honor to declare this Charlie's corner.

LOWE: The kids described him as a mentor, a protector and occasionally a fashion consultant.

It was clear from the outpouring that he touched so many young lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think Charlie's really cool, and he's, like, never rude to us. He's always nice, and he protects us.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Charlie helped us cross the street, and we always loved him. He was always so nice to us.

LOWE: His son, Charles Jr., was overwhelmed.

CHARLIE SCAFFNER JR., SON: I think that's what's amazing, like he was never anybody -- like never anybody important, he was a plumber, and he got a corner.

LOWE: We spend most of our lives trying to make an impression on our corner of the world. Most of us never quite know if we've done that. There's no doubt about Charlie Scaffner.

CHARLIE SCAFFNER: I've got my own little corner, and I love you all!

LOWE: In Bethlehem, Mike Lowe, 69 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: OK, admit it. You are smiling after that story, and maybe even a little tear in your eye. Congratulations to Charlie.

(MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Let's go live to the newsroom. Tony Harris with information on a story we've been covering -- Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, I'm sure you remember this. A couple of years ago, 2004, the story out of Texas. McKinney, Texas, to be exact, where a woman was accused of cutting off her 10- month-old daughter's arms and essentially sitting by and watching the baby bleed to death in her crib. Well, a jury has found that woman, Dena Schlosser, not guilty by reason of insanity in a retrial today. The jury deadlocked on the murder charge in the first trial. That was in February. The case really had hinged on whether Schlosser had severe mental problems that kept her from knowing her actions were wrong. So with today's decision, she will be committed to the state mental hospital for treatment.

The baby's name was Margaret. And some of the more gruesome details of this story, Daryn -- you'll recall that police arrived at the house and they found Dena Schlosser holding a bloody knife and there was a hymn -- was a gospel hymn playing in the house at that moment. Gruesome story and gory details.

KAGAN: All right. Thank you for handling that one, Tony.

HARRIS: Sure.

KAGAN: I appreciate that.

And we're watching the floor of the U.S. Senate, where we're getting word that the Frist border security bill will not go forward on a vote as well. So it looks like the Senate will be adjourning for the holiday break for Easter and Passover for two weeks without getting anything done on immigration. Senator Ted Kennedy asking senators to give up that holiday and stay and get something done. We'll keep an eye on that and see if they go for that offer.

Meanwhile, tee time again at Augusta National, day two of the Masters. A veteran showing how it's done. Our Larry Smith is keeping score, joining us live from the azaleas in Augusta, Georgia.

Larry, good morning.

LARRY SMITH, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. You know, a bit of dubious history. Not since 1984 has a first round leader gone on to win the Masters. That was Ben Crenshaw, when he won his first of two green jackets. That's the dubious history staring Vijay Singh in the face. The 2000 Masters champion has a one-shot lead as he takes to the course later this afternoon, in round two, one shot better than Rocco Mediate. For Vijay, though, it's unusual. He has never lead after round one of a major. So here he is trying to seal the deal and trying to continue, I should say, moving on.

Meanwhile, Ben Crenshaw, what a great story he was on Thursday. We're watching him as he tees off here in a few moments in his second round. One under par on Thursday, and so quite possibly now, if he can sustain this, he will become the oldest man ever to win a Masters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, 2005 MASTERS CHAMPION: If you're going to see it, it's going from a guy that understands how to play the golf course, which he does. And, you know, he doesn't hit the ball overly long anymore. And -- but he's one of the greatest player that ever lived.

QUESTION: Can a 54-year-old win here?

BEN CRENSHAW, TWO-TIME MASTERS CHAMPION: It's doubtful. I wish to say it was different, but it's doubtful. But -- but I've had my time here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Well, Ben Crenshaw, 54 years old, he would top the record set by Jack Nicklaus back in 1986, when he won his record sixth green jacket at age 46.

Speaking of green jackets, Tiger Woods has four of them. He's the defending champion. He is even par, and he tees off later on this afternoon, after 1:00 local time. Let's go back to you. KAGAN: All right, Larry. Next hour, we'll hear a little bit more about Tiger and I understand you have a great story of a local man who grew up right around the corner from Augusta National and he's playing. He is the local favorite. A great local boy makes good story. We'll see that in just a bit.

SMITH: That's right, OK.

KAGAN: All right. And we'll take a break. We're back after this.

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