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American Morning
Overhaul of U.S. Intelligence Gets Through Mine Fields in Congress; Major League Baseball Told to Clean Up Steroids or Else
Aired December 08, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Finally, something to celebrate for the 9/11 families. The overhaul of U.S. intelligence gets through the mine fields in Congress.
Major league baseball told to clean up steroids or else. Are players and owners ready to act?
And seeing the bigger picture in a common hazard to kids. What's in the walls could destroy grownup eyes, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, good morning, everybody.
8:00 here in New York City.
Good to have you along with us today.
How are you doing, stranger?
O'BRIEN: Never better.
And you?
HEMMER: I'm doing great.
O'BRIEN: We missed you.
HEMMER: Well, thank you.
It's good to be back.
O'BRIEN: You sound like you're sick.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Where's Miles O'Brien?
HEMMER: He'll be back again tomorrow, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Oh.
HEMMER: You just sit tight over there.
Miles was helping us out and did a great job, too, for us, as he always does. A great sport putting up with Jack's stuff every day, for crying out loud. O'BRIEN: I know. Which, in and of itself is like a miracle.
HEMMER: I mean, Miles -- Saint Miles.
Other...
O'BRIEN: We're done.
HEMMER: Yes, we are.
Other stories making headlines this morning.
New allegations could reignite the Iraq prison abuse scandal. There are charges from defense contractors in Iraq saying they were threatened by special ops forces because they witnessed prisoner abuse at a detention facility. That's the charge from some. Our Barbara Starr is looking into this. We'll get to her at the Pentagon in a moment to figure out what's happening on that.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, attorneys for Scott Peterson hoping that their last witness will be the most effective in the sentencing phase of his trial. Peterson's mother could testify today, trying to save her son's life. We'll talk this morning with jury consultant Robert Hirschhorn about that strategy and, of course, its chance of working.
HEMMER: All right, Jack, what's happening -- good morning.
CAFFERTY: He's toast, Peterson. The problem is he'll probably die of old age on death row. But I'll bet they cook him (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HEMMER: The State of California.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
HEMMER: What, about 103 years?
CAFFERTY: I mean they're insulting the jury's intelligence with this nonsense, putting these -- I mean it's -- come on.
Coming up in the "Cafferty File," it's Wednesday, "Things People Say," including a well known Hollywood actor who says he felt like a science experiment gone awry. That's a phrase that could apply to a lot of those folks out there in Hollywood. A singer who says he wanted to be Elvis and a CNN anchor who gets turned on by a little fame.
HEMMER: Ooh.
CAFFERTY: Now, that's a potential, a very long list, isn't it?
HEMMER: Yes, well, I'm putting the list together right now. So give got Cafferty...
CAFFERTY: No, no. HEMMER: O'Brien.
CAFFERTY: No.
HEMMER: Collins.
CAFFERTY: The first name...
O'BRIEN: I'm not in that.
CAFFERTY: The first name is wrong.
O'BRIEN: Heidi, look...
CAFFERTY: The first name is wrong, but you could write a very long list of folks around here that that might apply to.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
Here's Heidi this morning back with us looking at the headlines.
How are you -- good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Again, I feel so innocent over here. And I get brought into the fray.
HEMMER: You can't defend yourself.
CAFFERTY: Let's correct one thing. You're not innocent, OK?
COLLINS: Oh, OK.
CAFFERTY: Let's get that cleared up right away.
O'BRIEN: Guilt by association.
CAFFERTY: If you hang out here...
COLLINS: I've been hanging around you too long.
CAFFERTY: That's right. It's over.
COLLINS: That's exactly right.
We want to go to the news now, folks.
Now in the news this morning, there is word charges will be filed today in connection with last month's basketball fight. According to media reports, five players and five fans are expected to be charged for their roles in the November 19 brawl. The fighting broke out on the court and in the stands during a Pacers-Pistons game. Prosecutors have scheduled a news conference for this afternoon.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld greeting American soldiers in Kuwait. Secretary Rumsfeld praised the troops for their accomplishments over the three years since U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan. He also fielded some tough questions from soldiers who voiced their concerns about the stop-loss policy and the lack of proper armor for military vehicles.
The investigation now expanding into whether Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones used illegal steroids. The International Olympic Committee now reportedly jumping into the fray, appointing a disciplinary panel to look into the matter. The IOC acted after the head of BALCO, the lab at the center of the sports doping scandal, testified he devised a drug program for Jones that included steroids. There was a lot of talk back during the Olympics about that, and a lot of talk now.
HEMMER: Indeed.
That's right.
Thanks, Heidi.
O'BRIEN: Heidi, thanks.
It is not yet law, but intelligence reform has cleared its final legislative hurdle. The House last night voting 336-75 to send the 9/11 bill to the Senate. Passage in the Senate is expected to be a congressional cakewalk, so to speak.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois joining us this morning from Capitol Hill to talk a little bit more about the intelligence overhaul.
Good morning, sir.
Nice to see you.
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Good to be with you.
O'BRIEN: Seventy-five members voted against this legislation and in addition to that, here's what the "Washington Post" had to say, in part, this morning. "That shakeup may improve the quality of intelligence information supplied to the president and other key policymakers. We have our doubts. Like the passage of the Patriot Act or the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, it has been mandated hastily with scant consideration of its long-term consequences."
Are both these wrong?
DURBIN: I think the "Washington Post" is wrong, as well as the 75 members who voted against it. This is historic. And I said that on conference committee, the most complicated and involved conference I've ever been on in 20 years, I think we came up with a great bill. We're going to put one person in charge of the 15 intelligence agencies. We know where the buck will stop. We're also going to have a national counter-terrorism center that will focus on intelligence as the first line of defense against terrorism. And a provision I put in the bill, which is going to require information sharing not just among the computers, but the people who work in these intelligence agencies.
O'BRIEN: You say a great bill. Congressman Sensenbrenner, as you well know, says not so fast, it actually lacks, in his view, critical reform to the immigration policy, although some of it is in the bill as it stands right now.
Is he wrong about that?
DURBIN: Soledad, you and I can sit down and come up with a list of 12 more things that we need to do to make America safe. Congressman Sensenbrenner thinks he has several that we should consider. I can think of several others. But it became an obstacle to passing this important intelligence reform bill. We have another Congress ahead of us, opportunities to consider many other issues. And look at the positive side of this. If we're worried about people coming across our border, we will have thousands more inspectors on the borders, more beds for detention so that people can be set aside.
I think it's a good, strong bill.
O'BRIEN: So you think, then, the reform of immigration will be a top priority for the Senate, for Congress across the board, in '05?
DURBIN: I think it will be, because the president has said he wants it to be. And we won't get anywhere on immigration until President Bush decides that it becomes a priority for his administration.
Now, trust me, this isn't going to be easy at all. I live in the State of Illinois and I'm honored to represent it. We have many undocumented people there who have become an integral part of our economy and a big part of Illinois. We have to try to find out how we can be safe and have reasonable immigration laws in light of the reality of what we face in America.
O'BRIEN: Do you expect easy passage today?
DURBIN: I do. I think the roll call here is going to be bipartisan and decisive. And I want to give credit to Senator Susan Collins and Senator Joe Lieberman. They did an extraordinary job in bringing this bill forward. There were a hundred times they could have quit and they just wouldn't. They stuck with it. And the 9/11 families, I think, are especially thankful today, as all America should be.
O'BRIEN: You're a Democrat. Sixty-seven Republicans voted against this bill. And I'm curious for you to weigh in for me what you think that means. We've been told that they were expecting maybe 20 to 40 voting against that, anything over 50 would be troubling. That came from some Republicans.
What do you make of these numbers, 67, a huge vote of confidence against?
DURBIN: Only two or three weeks ago, the Republican Caucus in the House was so divided and so against this bill that the speaker didn't want to call it. Now that we're down to some 60 or 70 who voted against it, frankly I think it's a big victory. This bill passed in the Senate in similar form, 96-2, overwhelmingly bipartisan. The House is much more political. And I want to give credit to Speaker Hastert and the president for standing up and convincing enough Republican congressmen to come forward and support this good bill.
O'BRIEN: Senator Durbin on Capitol Hill for us this morning.
Nice to see you, sir.
Thanks.
DURBIN: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: There are new allegations, Soledad, about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. All this coming out yesterday in documents released yesterday.
Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon this morning.
And, Barbara, at the outset here, how is this different from what we covered with the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal?
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, what we're looking at now is an extraordinary collection of documents released by the American Civil Liberties Union recording months of concern inside the Bush administration about how prisoners and detainees were being treated.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a June 25 memo this year, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Vice Admiral Lowell Jacoby, told the Pentagon his people in Iraq saw detainees that appeared to have been abused. Jacoby says it happened at the hands of Task Force 626, an elite special operations unit in Iraq working with detainees.
Jacoby's memo reports: "Prisoners arriving at the temporary detention facility in Baghdad with burn marks on their backs. Some have bruises and some complained of kidney pain."
DIA reported that special operations troops punched a prisoner in the face, to the point of needing medical attention, medical attention that was never recorded. He says the special operations personnel then threatened his people, confiscated their car keys and told them not to leave their compound.
This was just one of several government documents now released by the American Civil Liberties Union in response to a Freedom of Information Act request to the Pentagon, documents which show months of complaints about abuse coming from inside the national security community. AMRIT SINGH, ACLU ATTORNEY: These documents, you know, are damning in terms of showing just, you know, just how far the -- how far ranging the abuse was.
STARR: In another DIA memo, an agency employee said special operations troops mistreated Iraqis, including detaining a young mother who was nursing an infant and had no information to offer. This one day after another document was released in which the FBI complained to Army criminal investigators of harsh military interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including allegations a female sergeant bent a detainee's thumbs and grabbed his genitals; a detainee was gagged with duct tape covering most of his head; and a dog being used to intimidate a detainee who was then isolated for three months and later exhibited extreme psychological trauma.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
STARR: And, Bill, Pentagon officials say any specific allegations of wrongdoing are, indeed, being investigated -- Bill.
HEMMER: Barbara, there is an awful lot in your report there.
What else is in there that we have not spoken about at this point?
STARR: Bill, some of the documents didn't relate specifically to prison abuse, but gave a really snide look at what has gone on in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, one of the most interesting in Afghanistan.
You will remember back in 2001, a CIA officer, Mike Spann, was one of the first Americans killed in Afghanistan in a prison riot at Mazar-i-Sharif. It had not really been understood how this CIA officer had been killed in the prison riot. Documents show that other detainees there that day report he was jumped by some of the prisoners and killed in the riot that then ensued.
But one of the most interesting things that we found in looking at these documents is it is now clear, the FBI says they showed the detainees some CNN video of the incident that day to help those captives try and identify who was there and identify the CIA officer, Mike Spann -- Bill.
HEMMER: And also when that story changes, or seemed to change, anyway, it's so tough for the families back here, too.
Barbara, thanks.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Rob Marciano has been helping us out at the CNN Weather Center while Chad takes a few days off -- Rob, thanks, and good morning again.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning again, Soledad. I think Chad's working hard with the new baby on the way.
O'BRIEN: I don't know.
MARCIANO: Maybe even a couple of more days, through the end of this week, and we'll try to get him back here next week.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In a moment here, researchers finding an alarming link between cataracts and a toxic material found in many homes. We'll page the good doctor, Sanjay, on this for details in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also, Jason Giambi is just one of the stars caught up in baseball's steroid scandal. Find out what the players union says its willing to do to try to clean up the problem.
HEMMER: Also, a mother trying to save her son's life. What can Scott Peterson's mom say to sway the minds of jurors?
Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Scott Peterson's defense team is saving its most powerful witness for last in the trial's penalty phase. The defendant's mother, Jackie Peterson, testifies today.
And the attorney and jury consultant, Robert Hirschhorn, is in Dallas to talk about the case.
Robert, good morning.
Welcome back here to AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERT HIRSCHHORN, ATTORNEY AND JURY CONSULTANT: Good morning, Bill.
Thanks for having me back.
HEMMER: What does Jackie Peterson say to save her son's life today?
HIRSCHHORN: She's got to look that jury in the eye and say to them, "I love my son. He did something horrible. He needs to be punished. But spare him his life."
HEMMER: That's a pretty high bar.
HIRSCHHORN: Well, it is, but, you know, Bill, she's not the only reason the jury should spare Scott's life. She's the final reason. And what I mean by that is I know a lot of the pundits have been talking about and criticizing this penalty phase evidence that the defense has put on, but I disagree with the pundits because I think most of them have never tried a death penalty from the defense side in the first place. So they can talk the talk, but you've got to walk the walk.
I am not critical of Mark at all. It's very clear that he cares a great deal about his client and he wants to save his client's life. And that's why I say what Mrs. Peterson has to say today is going to be the final reason, not the only reason.
HEMMER: In a sense, is she competing against Laci's mother? Are they competing in terms of their testimony presented to the jury?
HIRSCHHORN: You know, Bill, I'd like to think that they're not competing, but they're both on parallel planes. And what I mean by that is the victim's mother is going to feel a tremendous amount of hurt and pain because of the terrible tragedy that she has suffered and gone through. And Mrs. Peterson, as a mom, has tremendous hurt and pain because you know what? She loves her son, too, and she's going through tremendous hurt and tremendous pain.
So I think they're on parallel tracks. They're not going to be butting heads. I think they're going to be, in the long run, dealing with exactly the same emotional issues.
HEMMER: Here is what we've heard from some of the witnesses so far. They describe Scott Peterson as generous and polite, a caring guy. We've also heard some witnesses say the jury made a mistake in convicting Peterson.
You know juries. How do they respond when they hear that?
HIRSCHHORN: Well, in terms of the mistake in convicting him, what the defense was trying to get injected back into the jury's mind is this idea of what's called residual doubt. This isn't a strong evidence case. There's circumstantial evidence. There's no strong physical evidence linking Scott to this crime.
So whenever you have a circumstantial evidence case, in the back of the minds of some jurors there's always that nagging doubt, did -- was that verdict the right verdict? And that's exactly what the defense wants to tap into, because if anything is going to help save his life, get him a sentence of life instead of the death penalty, it's this residual doubt, coupled with the fact he's not a bad guy. He did something horrible. He did something horrible, Bill. There's no doubt about that. But he has had a fairly exemplary life up to that point. Did he cheat on his wife? Absolutely. But we don't put cads in the death chamber. We put in the worst of the worst. And I think what the defense has portrayed to this jury and all of America is Scott is not some Charlie Manson. He's not a Tim McVeigh. He's got redeeming value.
HEMMER: Thank you, Robert.
Robert Hirschhorn in Dallas, Texas.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, did some U.S. troops pay the price for not reading the fine print when they enlisted? We're going to take a look at that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: "The Tonight Show's" Jay Leno had some questions about baseball star Barry Bonds and the use of steroids.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO," COURTESY NBC)
JAY LENO, HOST: You know, Bonds still insists that he had no idea the substances given to him by his trainer were steroids. You know, I don't know. I don't know how you not know. Like did you see that footage of him signing autographs at the park from this summer? Show that footage.
Now, here's a clue. Now, watch. You see, now watch when he signs. You see, he apparently didn't realize...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Funny. That's good.
HEMMER: That is one strong guy. They're going to have a really tough season coming up next year. MasterCard is saying they're already going to pull out. They were going to have this huge advertising blitz for Bonds chasing the record of Henry Aaron, 755. It's a mess right now.
What's up -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: Indeed, it is.
HEMMER: How are you doing?
CAFFERTY: Within days of this steroid scandal and the aftermath of that Indiana Pacers' brawl comes Latrell Sprewell, one of the real class guys in the NBA -- he plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves -- yelling sexual vulgarities at a female fan during a game. I think we may have a little footage of this. If we talk here long enough, it might even come up.
The NBA suspended Sprewell -- he earns $14 million a year -- for one game. One game. It's not the first time he's behaved badly, either. He was suspended for choking the coach of the Golden State Warriors, P.J. Carlisimo, a few years ago. He got out of line with the management of the New York Knicks when he was here in the Big Apple. But he continues to play basketball and draw his millions of dollars in salary.
Something is wrong. These days, if you dare to take your kids to a game, you're gambling on what they might see.
So the question is what would you do to clean up professional sports? That's kind of a weighty topic for, what is today, Wednesday. "Start by reducing their pay. Treat their offenses the same as if they were average every day employees and stop making them larger than life," writes Pamela in Pinckney, Michigan. "Teachers and stay at home moms are larger than life. Neither of these get the pay or respect they deserve."
Steve in Sacramento: "All professional sports need to implement an age limit for entering the game. Let these kids grow up a little and then let them play."
There's some wisdom in that.
"Who cares?," writes Peter in Houston. "Fans don't care if sports figures take drugs. Drunken fans with violent filthy language provoke players. Players who graduate from the best universities in the country can't put two English sentences together correctly. Millions of dollars to players whose contribution to society is close to nil. You get what you pay for. Fans deserve Sprewell. They paid for him."
And finally, Ron in Philadelphia writes: "A simple solution. Give them less money. Make the first five years in any professional league like serving in the military -- low paying and hard working. That way you can separate the wheat from the chaff."
You know, guys like Bill Russell and Jordan, I mean, you look back, it didn't used to be this way. Jerry West. I mean it didn't used to be this way.
O'BRIEN: There's got to be an incentive, though, for the NBA. A lot of these people are talking about incentivizing the players, you know, don't pay them for five years. But I think it's the NBA. If they wanted to stop it, they'd stop it, you know? If they wanted to put -- to penalize them more, they'd penalize them more. But they don't, because they need him in the game because he brings in the fans, who don't really mind that he's disgusting to some female fans. I mean, god, I sound like you, don't I?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Oh my goodness.
CAFFERTY: Hey, you know what?
O'BRIEN: Let me stop.
CAFFERTY: I'm not coming in tomorrow. She'll handle it.
O'BRIEN: I need the little glasses.
Thanks, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Still ahead this morning, did Congress set the stage for disaster by dropping a key provision in the 9/11 bill? Kamber and May are just ahead this morning.
Plus, how do you know if you're at risk for cataracts? You might want to check the paint in your home. We'll explain ahead.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired December 8, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Finally, something to celebrate for the 9/11 families. The overhaul of U.S. intelligence gets through the mine fields in Congress.
Major league baseball told to clean up steroids or else. Are players and owners ready to act?
And seeing the bigger picture in a common hazard to kids. What's in the walls could destroy grownup eyes, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, good morning, everybody.
8:00 here in New York City.
Good to have you along with us today.
How are you doing, stranger?
O'BRIEN: Never better.
And you?
HEMMER: I'm doing great.
O'BRIEN: We missed you.
HEMMER: Well, thank you.
It's good to be back.
O'BRIEN: You sound like you're sick.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Where's Miles O'Brien?
HEMMER: He'll be back again tomorrow, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Oh.
HEMMER: You just sit tight over there.
Miles was helping us out and did a great job, too, for us, as he always does. A great sport putting up with Jack's stuff every day, for crying out loud. O'BRIEN: I know. Which, in and of itself is like a miracle.
HEMMER: I mean, Miles -- Saint Miles.
Other...
O'BRIEN: We're done.
HEMMER: Yes, we are.
Other stories making headlines this morning.
New allegations could reignite the Iraq prison abuse scandal. There are charges from defense contractors in Iraq saying they were threatened by special ops forces because they witnessed prisoner abuse at a detention facility. That's the charge from some. Our Barbara Starr is looking into this. We'll get to her at the Pentagon in a moment to figure out what's happening on that.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, attorneys for Scott Peterson hoping that their last witness will be the most effective in the sentencing phase of his trial. Peterson's mother could testify today, trying to save her son's life. We'll talk this morning with jury consultant Robert Hirschhorn about that strategy and, of course, its chance of working.
HEMMER: All right, Jack, what's happening -- good morning.
CAFFERTY: He's toast, Peterson. The problem is he'll probably die of old age on death row. But I'll bet they cook him (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HEMMER: The State of California.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
HEMMER: What, about 103 years?
CAFFERTY: I mean they're insulting the jury's intelligence with this nonsense, putting these -- I mean it's -- come on.
Coming up in the "Cafferty File," it's Wednesday, "Things People Say," including a well known Hollywood actor who says he felt like a science experiment gone awry. That's a phrase that could apply to a lot of those folks out there in Hollywood. A singer who says he wanted to be Elvis and a CNN anchor who gets turned on by a little fame.
HEMMER: Ooh.
CAFFERTY: Now, that's a potential, a very long list, isn't it?
HEMMER: Yes, well, I'm putting the list together right now. So give got Cafferty...
CAFFERTY: No, no. HEMMER: O'Brien.
CAFFERTY: No.
HEMMER: Collins.
CAFFERTY: The first name...
O'BRIEN: I'm not in that.
CAFFERTY: The first name is wrong.
O'BRIEN: Heidi, look...
CAFFERTY: The first name is wrong, but you could write a very long list of folks around here that that might apply to.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
Here's Heidi this morning back with us looking at the headlines.
How are you -- good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Again, I feel so innocent over here. And I get brought into the fray.
HEMMER: You can't defend yourself.
CAFFERTY: Let's correct one thing. You're not innocent, OK?
COLLINS: Oh, OK.
CAFFERTY: Let's get that cleared up right away.
O'BRIEN: Guilt by association.
CAFFERTY: If you hang out here...
COLLINS: I've been hanging around you too long.
CAFFERTY: That's right. It's over.
COLLINS: That's exactly right.
We want to go to the news now, folks.
Now in the news this morning, there is word charges will be filed today in connection with last month's basketball fight. According to media reports, five players and five fans are expected to be charged for their roles in the November 19 brawl. The fighting broke out on the court and in the stands during a Pacers-Pistons game. Prosecutors have scheduled a news conference for this afternoon.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld greeting American soldiers in Kuwait. Secretary Rumsfeld praised the troops for their accomplishments over the three years since U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan. He also fielded some tough questions from soldiers who voiced their concerns about the stop-loss policy and the lack of proper armor for military vehicles.
The investigation now expanding into whether Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones used illegal steroids. The International Olympic Committee now reportedly jumping into the fray, appointing a disciplinary panel to look into the matter. The IOC acted after the head of BALCO, the lab at the center of the sports doping scandal, testified he devised a drug program for Jones that included steroids. There was a lot of talk back during the Olympics about that, and a lot of talk now.
HEMMER: Indeed.
That's right.
Thanks, Heidi.
O'BRIEN: Heidi, thanks.
It is not yet law, but intelligence reform has cleared its final legislative hurdle. The House last night voting 336-75 to send the 9/11 bill to the Senate. Passage in the Senate is expected to be a congressional cakewalk, so to speak.
Democratic Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois joining us this morning from Capitol Hill to talk a little bit more about the intelligence overhaul.
Good morning, sir.
Nice to see you.
SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: Good to be with you.
O'BRIEN: Seventy-five members voted against this legislation and in addition to that, here's what the "Washington Post" had to say, in part, this morning. "That shakeup may improve the quality of intelligence information supplied to the president and other key policymakers. We have our doubts. Like the passage of the Patriot Act or the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, it has been mandated hastily with scant consideration of its long-term consequences."
Are both these wrong?
DURBIN: I think the "Washington Post" is wrong, as well as the 75 members who voted against it. This is historic. And I said that on conference committee, the most complicated and involved conference I've ever been on in 20 years, I think we came up with a great bill. We're going to put one person in charge of the 15 intelligence agencies. We know where the buck will stop. We're also going to have a national counter-terrorism center that will focus on intelligence as the first line of defense against terrorism. And a provision I put in the bill, which is going to require information sharing not just among the computers, but the people who work in these intelligence agencies.
O'BRIEN: You say a great bill. Congressman Sensenbrenner, as you well know, says not so fast, it actually lacks, in his view, critical reform to the immigration policy, although some of it is in the bill as it stands right now.
Is he wrong about that?
DURBIN: Soledad, you and I can sit down and come up with a list of 12 more things that we need to do to make America safe. Congressman Sensenbrenner thinks he has several that we should consider. I can think of several others. But it became an obstacle to passing this important intelligence reform bill. We have another Congress ahead of us, opportunities to consider many other issues. And look at the positive side of this. If we're worried about people coming across our border, we will have thousands more inspectors on the borders, more beds for detention so that people can be set aside.
I think it's a good, strong bill.
O'BRIEN: So you think, then, the reform of immigration will be a top priority for the Senate, for Congress across the board, in '05?
DURBIN: I think it will be, because the president has said he wants it to be. And we won't get anywhere on immigration until President Bush decides that it becomes a priority for his administration.
Now, trust me, this isn't going to be easy at all. I live in the State of Illinois and I'm honored to represent it. We have many undocumented people there who have become an integral part of our economy and a big part of Illinois. We have to try to find out how we can be safe and have reasonable immigration laws in light of the reality of what we face in America.
O'BRIEN: Do you expect easy passage today?
DURBIN: I do. I think the roll call here is going to be bipartisan and decisive. And I want to give credit to Senator Susan Collins and Senator Joe Lieberman. They did an extraordinary job in bringing this bill forward. There were a hundred times they could have quit and they just wouldn't. They stuck with it. And the 9/11 families, I think, are especially thankful today, as all America should be.
O'BRIEN: You're a Democrat. Sixty-seven Republicans voted against this bill. And I'm curious for you to weigh in for me what you think that means. We've been told that they were expecting maybe 20 to 40 voting against that, anything over 50 would be troubling. That came from some Republicans.
What do you make of these numbers, 67, a huge vote of confidence against?
DURBIN: Only two or three weeks ago, the Republican Caucus in the House was so divided and so against this bill that the speaker didn't want to call it. Now that we're down to some 60 or 70 who voted against it, frankly I think it's a big victory. This bill passed in the Senate in similar form, 96-2, overwhelmingly bipartisan. The House is much more political. And I want to give credit to Speaker Hastert and the president for standing up and convincing enough Republican congressmen to come forward and support this good bill.
O'BRIEN: Senator Durbin on Capitol Hill for us this morning.
Nice to see you, sir.
Thanks.
DURBIN: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: There are new allegations, Soledad, about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners. All this coming out yesterday in documents released yesterday.
Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon this morning.
And, Barbara, at the outset here, how is this different from what we covered with the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal?
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, what we're looking at now is an extraordinary collection of documents released by the American Civil Liberties Union recording months of concern inside the Bush administration about how prisoners and detainees were being treated.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a June 25 memo this year, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Vice Admiral Lowell Jacoby, told the Pentagon his people in Iraq saw detainees that appeared to have been abused. Jacoby says it happened at the hands of Task Force 626, an elite special operations unit in Iraq working with detainees.
Jacoby's memo reports: "Prisoners arriving at the temporary detention facility in Baghdad with burn marks on their backs. Some have bruises and some complained of kidney pain."
DIA reported that special operations troops punched a prisoner in the face, to the point of needing medical attention, medical attention that was never recorded. He says the special operations personnel then threatened his people, confiscated their car keys and told them not to leave their compound.
This was just one of several government documents now released by the American Civil Liberties Union in response to a Freedom of Information Act request to the Pentagon, documents which show months of complaints about abuse coming from inside the national security community. AMRIT SINGH, ACLU ATTORNEY: These documents, you know, are damning in terms of showing just, you know, just how far the -- how far ranging the abuse was.
STARR: In another DIA memo, an agency employee said special operations troops mistreated Iraqis, including detaining a young mother who was nursing an infant and had no information to offer. This one day after another document was released in which the FBI complained to Army criminal investigators of harsh military interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including allegations a female sergeant bent a detainee's thumbs and grabbed his genitals; a detainee was gagged with duct tape covering most of his head; and a dog being used to intimidate a detainee who was then isolated for three months and later exhibited extreme psychological trauma.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
STARR: And, Bill, Pentagon officials say any specific allegations of wrongdoing are, indeed, being investigated -- Bill.
HEMMER: Barbara, there is an awful lot in your report there.
What else is in there that we have not spoken about at this point?
STARR: Bill, some of the documents didn't relate specifically to prison abuse, but gave a really snide look at what has gone on in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, one of the most interesting in Afghanistan.
You will remember back in 2001, a CIA officer, Mike Spann, was one of the first Americans killed in Afghanistan in a prison riot at Mazar-i-Sharif. It had not really been understood how this CIA officer had been killed in the prison riot. Documents show that other detainees there that day report he was jumped by some of the prisoners and killed in the riot that then ensued.
But one of the most interesting things that we found in looking at these documents is it is now clear, the FBI says they showed the detainees some CNN video of the incident that day to help those captives try and identify who was there and identify the CIA officer, Mike Spann -- Bill.
HEMMER: And also when that story changes, or seemed to change, anyway, it's so tough for the families back here, too.
Barbara, thanks.
Barbara Starr at the Pentagon -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Rob Marciano has been helping us out at the CNN Weather Center while Chad takes a few days off -- Rob, thanks, and good morning again.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning again, Soledad. I think Chad's working hard with the new baby on the way.
O'BRIEN: I don't know.
MARCIANO: Maybe even a couple of more days, through the end of this week, and we'll try to get him back here next week.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: In a moment here, researchers finding an alarming link between cataracts and a toxic material found in many homes. We'll page the good doctor, Sanjay, on this for details in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also, Jason Giambi is just one of the stars caught up in baseball's steroid scandal. Find out what the players union says its willing to do to try to clean up the problem.
HEMMER: Also, a mother trying to save her son's life. What can Scott Peterson's mom say to sway the minds of jurors?
Back in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Scott Peterson's defense team is saving its most powerful witness for last in the trial's penalty phase. The defendant's mother, Jackie Peterson, testifies today.
And the attorney and jury consultant, Robert Hirschhorn, is in Dallas to talk about the case.
Robert, good morning.
Welcome back here to AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERT HIRSCHHORN, ATTORNEY AND JURY CONSULTANT: Good morning, Bill.
Thanks for having me back.
HEMMER: What does Jackie Peterson say to save her son's life today?
HIRSCHHORN: She's got to look that jury in the eye and say to them, "I love my son. He did something horrible. He needs to be punished. But spare him his life."
HEMMER: That's a pretty high bar.
HIRSCHHORN: Well, it is, but, you know, Bill, she's not the only reason the jury should spare Scott's life. She's the final reason. And what I mean by that is I know a lot of the pundits have been talking about and criticizing this penalty phase evidence that the defense has put on, but I disagree with the pundits because I think most of them have never tried a death penalty from the defense side in the first place. So they can talk the talk, but you've got to walk the walk.
I am not critical of Mark at all. It's very clear that he cares a great deal about his client and he wants to save his client's life. And that's why I say what Mrs. Peterson has to say today is going to be the final reason, not the only reason.
HEMMER: In a sense, is she competing against Laci's mother? Are they competing in terms of their testimony presented to the jury?
HIRSCHHORN: You know, Bill, I'd like to think that they're not competing, but they're both on parallel planes. And what I mean by that is the victim's mother is going to feel a tremendous amount of hurt and pain because of the terrible tragedy that she has suffered and gone through. And Mrs. Peterson, as a mom, has tremendous hurt and pain because you know what? She loves her son, too, and she's going through tremendous hurt and tremendous pain.
So I think they're on parallel tracks. They're not going to be butting heads. I think they're going to be, in the long run, dealing with exactly the same emotional issues.
HEMMER: Here is what we've heard from some of the witnesses so far. They describe Scott Peterson as generous and polite, a caring guy. We've also heard some witnesses say the jury made a mistake in convicting Peterson.
You know juries. How do they respond when they hear that?
HIRSCHHORN: Well, in terms of the mistake in convicting him, what the defense was trying to get injected back into the jury's mind is this idea of what's called residual doubt. This isn't a strong evidence case. There's circumstantial evidence. There's no strong physical evidence linking Scott to this crime.
So whenever you have a circumstantial evidence case, in the back of the minds of some jurors there's always that nagging doubt, did -- was that verdict the right verdict? And that's exactly what the defense wants to tap into, because if anything is going to help save his life, get him a sentence of life instead of the death penalty, it's this residual doubt, coupled with the fact he's not a bad guy. He did something horrible. He did something horrible, Bill. There's no doubt about that. But he has had a fairly exemplary life up to that point. Did he cheat on his wife? Absolutely. But we don't put cads in the death chamber. We put in the worst of the worst. And I think what the defense has portrayed to this jury and all of America is Scott is not some Charlie Manson. He's not a Tim McVeigh. He's got redeeming value.
HEMMER: Thank you, Robert.
Robert Hirschhorn in Dallas, Texas.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, did some U.S. troops pay the price for not reading the fine print when they enlisted? We're going to take a look at that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: "The Tonight Show's" Jay Leno had some questions about baseball star Barry Bonds and the use of steroids.
Let's listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO," COURTESY NBC)
JAY LENO, HOST: You know, Bonds still insists that he had no idea the substances given to him by his trainer were steroids. You know, I don't know. I don't know how you not know. Like did you see that footage of him signing autographs at the park from this summer? Show that footage.
Now, here's a clue. Now, watch. You see, now watch when he signs. You see, he apparently didn't realize...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Funny. That's good.
HEMMER: That is one strong guy. They're going to have a really tough season coming up next year. MasterCard is saying they're already going to pull out. They were going to have this huge advertising blitz for Bonds chasing the record of Henry Aaron, 755. It's a mess right now.
What's up -- Jack.
CAFFERTY: Indeed, it is.
HEMMER: How are you doing?
CAFFERTY: Within days of this steroid scandal and the aftermath of that Indiana Pacers' brawl comes Latrell Sprewell, one of the real class guys in the NBA -- he plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves -- yelling sexual vulgarities at a female fan during a game. I think we may have a little footage of this. If we talk here long enough, it might even come up.
The NBA suspended Sprewell -- he earns $14 million a year -- for one game. One game. It's not the first time he's behaved badly, either. He was suspended for choking the coach of the Golden State Warriors, P.J. Carlisimo, a few years ago. He got out of line with the management of the New York Knicks when he was here in the Big Apple. But he continues to play basketball and draw his millions of dollars in salary.
Something is wrong. These days, if you dare to take your kids to a game, you're gambling on what they might see.
So the question is what would you do to clean up professional sports? That's kind of a weighty topic for, what is today, Wednesday. "Start by reducing their pay. Treat their offenses the same as if they were average every day employees and stop making them larger than life," writes Pamela in Pinckney, Michigan. "Teachers and stay at home moms are larger than life. Neither of these get the pay or respect they deserve."
Steve in Sacramento: "All professional sports need to implement an age limit for entering the game. Let these kids grow up a little and then let them play."
There's some wisdom in that.
"Who cares?," writes Peter in Houston. "Fans don't care if sports figures take drugs. Drunken fans with violent filthy language provoke players. Players who graduate from the best universities in the country can't put two English sentences together correctly. Millions of dollars to players whose contribution to society is close to nil. You get what you pay for. Fans deserve Sprewell. They paid for him."
And finally, Ron in Philadelphia writes: "A simple solution. Give them less money. Make the first five years in any professional league like serving in the military -- low paying and hard working. That way you can separate the wheat from the chaff."
You know, guys like Bill Russell and Jordan, I mean, you look back, it didn't used to be this way. Jerry West. I mean it didn't used to be this way.
O'BRIEN: There's got to be an incentive, though, for the NBA. A lot of these people are talking about incentivizing the players, you know, don't pay them for five years. But I think it's the NBA. If they wanted to stop it, they'd stop it, you know? If they wanted to put -- to penalize them more, they'd penalize them more. But they don't, because they need him in the game because he brings in the fans, who don't really mind that he's disgusting to some female fans. I mean, god, I sound like you, don't I?
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Oh my goodness.
CAFFERTY: Hey, you know what?
O'BRIEN: Let me stop.
CAFFERTY: I'm not coming in tomorrow. She'll handle it.
O'BRIEN: I need the little glasses.
Thanks, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Sure.
O'BRIEN: Still ahead this morning, did Congress set the stage for disaster by dropping a key provision in the 9/11 bill? Kamber and May are just ahead this morning.
Plus, how do you know if you're at risk for cataracts? You might want to check the paint in your home. We'll explain ahead.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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