Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Cheney Shooting; FEMA Failures; Air Marshal Arrests; Saddam Hussein on Trial
Aired February 14, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Happy Valentine's Day. I'm Miles O'Brien.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Zain Verjee in for Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Hunting for some answers. Why the silence after the shooting? More questions face the vice president this morning as his victim recovers from that hunting accident.
Also ahead, air marshals arrested. Two federal agents suspected in a drug smuggling case. Just how safe are the skies?
VERJEE: Plus, a smoldering controversy. Britain moves closer to an all-out ban on smoking in bars, but can smoke-free pubs survive? We're live in London.
Also, American bad boy Bode Miller is back on the slopes this morning. Can he shake off his first big disappointment to capture gold? We're live in Torino.
O'BRIEN: And it is Valentine's Day, and that means you better remember the flowers and the chocolates. You might already be too late. We're spreading the love, though, this Tuesday, February 14.
The White House under fire after a case of friendly fire. The question, why did it take 22 hours for the world to know that Vice President Dick Cheney had accidentally shot someone? Did we have a right to know sooner?
White House correspondent Dana Bash with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The White House is getting pummeled with questions about why it took nearly 24 hours for the vice president to get the news out that he accidentally shot a man. And when that happened, it was a statement by a private citizen.
In part, the White House is answering those questions by saying that the first priority was the medical condition of Harry Whittington, the man who was shot, and also by saying it was the vice president himself who decided to defer to Katharine Armstrong. She was the part owner of the ranch where this happened and Mr. Whittington was her friend. Now this all happened not until Sunday morning. There was no discussion, apparently, of getting it public on Saturday night, the night of the incident. But the White House, at least the vice president's office, did put its first formal statement out and that was to say that it turns out Mr. Cheney was hunting illegally. He didn't have a required $7 stamp on his Texas license. For that he is getting a warning. And the vice president's office says he has sent a $7 check to the state of Texas.
Dana Bash, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff gets a day off from Katrina questions, that's because his planned appearance before a Senate committee today has been postponed. He likely would have faced some very pointed questions about FEMA's failures, especially because of excerpts from a scathing House report which called it a failure of leadership.
CNN Homeland Security correspondent Jeanne Meserve takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Katrina response was a national failure, a collection of mistakes, misjudgments, lapses and absurdities, according to the draft report from the House Select Committee investigating this storm. Noting that the crisis was not only predictable but predicted.
The report says if this is what happens when we have advance warning, we shudder to imagine the consequences when we do not. Four- and-a-half years after 9/11, America still is not ready for prime time.
Though the report notes of failure of leadership at every level, its most withering criticism is directed at Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who, it says, executed his responsibilities late, ineffectively or not at all. A report from the minority Democrats called for Chertoff's removal from office.
Speaking to emergency managers, Chertoff acknowledged the response to Katrina was unacceptable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I want to be clear, as the Secretary of Homeland Security, I am accountable and accept responsibility for the performance of the entire department, good and bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: But he rejected criticism from former FEMA Director Michael Brown and others that his agency's single-minded focus on terrorism left it unprepared for a natural disaster. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHERTOFF: I unequivocally and strongly reject this attempt to drive a wedge between our concerns about terrorism and our concerns about natural disasters. That kind of wedge makes no sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: Chertoff said he is addressing some of the shortcomings in communications, logistics and debris removal exposed by Katrina, and is trying to better coordinate communication and command at the top to avoid what the House committee found in Katrina. Its report said because everybody was in charge, nobody was in charge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: Chertoff says he will establish special disaster reconnaissance teams to make quicker reports on future disasters. FEMA is also going to go directly to shelters to register victims for aid instead of having them call in for help. Chertoff says he wants those changes in place before the upcoming hurricane season -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice headed for Capitol Hill and a grilling this morning. She'll be questioned by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 10:00 a.m. Eastern is when that begins. The official reason for her appearance, to defend the $33 billion State Department budget. But senators are interested in some other things, like Iran's nuclear ambitions, the new Iraqi government and radicals in charge of the Palestinian Authority.
And two suspected al Qaeda terrorists go on trial in California today. The FBI believes Hamid Hayat and his father, Umer, were part of a terror cell planning to attack hospitals and supermarkets. Hamid Hayat is charged with lying about attending an al Qaeda training camp in Pakistan.
A pair of air marshals stand accused this morning of drug smuggling. Investigators say the pair planned to take 33 pounds of cocaine onboard an airliner, taking advantage of their ability to bypass regular airport security.
We get the story from Jason Whitely of our affiliate KHOU in Houston.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON WHITELY, KHOU-TV REPORTER (voice-over): In chains, entering court Monday, the first is Shawn Ray Nguyen. This man with his back to us is Burlie Sholar. Last week, the two were federal air marshals. This week, prosecutors say they are criminals facing serious charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON DEGABRIELLE, ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY: At least Mr. Nguyen, at first, was willing to use his badge to help get things beyond the checkpoints at the airports.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITELY: The affidavit paints a notorious picture of Air Marshal Nguyen. He claims to have been paid to smuggle drugs and money past airport security before. It was apparently easy, since air marshals don't have to go through any screening.
This charge, though, came after an informant allegedly arranged to pay Nguyen and Sholar to carry 15 kilograms of cocaine and $15,000 in cash aboard a flight to Las Vegas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODERICK BEVERLY, FBI SPECIAL AGENT: They were not going to distribute. Basically, they were going to be told where to deliver it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITELY: Nguyen is quoted in the affidavit telling the informant -- quote -- "I ain't being greedy, I've done this (EXPLETIVE DELETED) before." He later said -- quote -- "I'll kill for you." And Nguyen allegedly threatened the man to keep quiet about the deal -- quote -- "This is between you and me, if you say anything I will put you to sleep; I swear to God" -- end quote.
The affidavit says Sholar, a 32-year-old air marshal, was involved in a separate money-laundering scam from Hawaii. Investigators tell us they think these are isolated cases. But with law enforcement bypassing airport security, there is really no way of knowing for sure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: That report came from Jason Whitely of our affiliate KHOU in Houston.
Both arrested air marshals being held until Thursday's bond hearing. They face 10 years to life in prison if convicted on those federal drug charges -- Zain.
VERJEE: Miles, Saddam Hussein announced he is on a hunger strike as his trial got started this morning. It began with shouting and insults. Saddam Hussein even telling the judge that he should hit himself in the head with his own gavel. But things have settled down already and testimony is under way.
Aneesh Raman has been in the courtroom and he joins us now live by phone.
Aneesh, what can you tell us about this apparent hunger strike?
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it was the first thing we heard from Saddam Hussein as he entered. He is, as always, the first of the eight defendants to come in. He said, according to our translation, -- quote -- "we have been on a hunger strike for three days in protest against the treatment from you and your masters." Now it's unclear how many of the other defendants are seemingly joining in.
We did hear from Saddam's half-brother, Barzan Hassan al-Tikriti. He is the one that's wearing his pajamas, he says, into court again today, just about 10 minutes ago, that he was on a hunger strike. And we also heard from Awad Bandar, the former Chief Judge of the Revolutionary Court, at the start of the session. He simply said for two days he has been without food.
Now the atmosphere in the court is more controlled. The judge is allowing the defendants more time to speak. Barzan Hassan al-Tikriti has spoken extensively today, questioning the witnesses, essentially testifying on his own behalf. But it seems the protests by the defendants continue. They are now, according to Saddam, on a hunger strike -- Zain.
VERJEE: What kind of evidence have witnesses presented, Aneesh? Have any of the witnesses directly linked Saddam Hussein to the events in Dujail, which is what this trial is about?
RAMAN: None today. We're hearing right now from the third witness. All so far it's been pretty unremarkable testimony. The first witness came and more than once or twice said this is what I heard, I'm not sure, but everybody else said this. Essentially hearsay in terms of legal speaks. So we haven't heard anything definitive from these witnesses that links the defendants to the case at hand. And, as well, all of these witnesses began their testimony by saying they didn't want to be in the courtroom and that they had nothing to add to the case.
Now the judge compared what they were saying today with what they had told investigators last year where they were more definitive. But today in the courtroom, in terms of what they said, nothing definitive from the witnesses -- Zain.
VERJEE: Aneesh Raman reporting from Baghdad -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Let's check the forecast now, Chad Myers at the CNN Center.
Chad, we're getting a warm-up on the way?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and the problem with that is when it warms up too quickly, that snow is going to want to try to melt. Well guess where it tries to go, into the gutter, into the sewer. Well the sewer is completely covered with snow. So that water that has melted can't go anywhere and it sits and it puddles in your street. And then at night it refreezes and you can skate down the street, bad news. Try to get some of those gutters clean. Try to get those drains clean in your street if you're out there shoveling anyway.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Back to you guys.
O'BRIEN: Here comes the flood.
(CROSSTALK)
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much -- Chad.
MYERS: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: It's 11:00, do you know where your Olympic star and bad boy is? We'll tell you if it was Millertime last night and if it might be medal time for Bode today.
VERJEE: And also, the most lucrative college degrees. Find out which students can expect the biggest paydays after college.
O'BRIEN: And the smoke-filled rooms, what's a pint without a puff? Will Britain's pubs kick a nasty habit? We'll go live to London. In the meantime, smoke them if you've got them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VERJEE: You can say it with flowers, you can say it with chocolates this Valentine's Day.
Adding a little bit more sweetness to our newscast this morning is Carol Costello who joins us with the headlines.
Carol, I tried, it's a bit early, but I tried.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You did and I liked it. Thank you, Zain, I appreciate it.
Good morning to all of you, and happy Valentine's Day.
We are watching two major terror cases in federal court today. Zacarias Moussaoui is set to appear in court to discuss the logistics of his trial. He could be sentenced to death for terror conspiracy.
In the meantime, in Sacramento, jury selection begins for a father and son accused of ties to a terror training camp in Pakistan.
Neil Entwistle is due to arrive in the United States this week. He's the British man accused of killing his wife and baby in Massachusetts. Newly released police documents show Entwistle looked at a Web site that described how to kill people and also searched for escort services in the days before the killings. Police say there may be a financial motive for the murders.
Lebanon is marking one year since the assassination of its former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Tens of thousands of supporters are in Beirut's Martyrs Square. Hariri's son is leading the ceremonies today. A moment of silence marked the time of the deadly explosion that killed the former prime minister. So far, a U.N. investigation points to high-ranking Syrian and Lebanese officials behind the killing. An Iraqi war veteran is reportedly dropping out of the race for the U.S. Senate seat in Ohio. Paul Hackett caught Democrats' attention last summer after blasting President Bush's war policies. He was then persuaded to run. But according to "The New York Times," some Democratic leaders have since turned on Hackett. They pressured him to step aside and let a longtime congressman have his spot.
Didn't take long, guess what former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan is planning to do? He's now in major talks with major publishers to pen a memoir. We hear the bidding has already hit 5 million bucks. The book would cover Greenspan's 18 years as chairman. The challenge might be writing something the average Joe can understand. Greenspan once said, if you think you understood me, it's because I misspoke.
And a race to the emergency room for a new mom. The woman woke up Sunday morning in labor in the middle of that massive snowstorm in the northeast. The roads weren't plowed yet. The road crews heard the 911 call. And get this, the road crews actually rode ahead of the ambulance, plowing the whole way. The woman gave birth five minutes, five minutes, after getting to the hospital. Both mother and baby, as you can see, are doing just fine this morning -- Chad.
MYERS: Is that a baby girl?
COSTELLO: I believe so.
MYERS: So you can't really name it after the truck driver, I guess, if that's all right, because he was a guy.
COSTELLO: I guess not.
MYERS: Anyway, good morning, Carol.
(WEATHER REPORT)
Back to you guys.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Chad Myers.
Carrie Lee is here.
I'm a history major, which means I'm not very employable, right, isn't that basically the gist of it?
VERJEE: And I'm an English major.
CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't know. I think you have a pretty good shot over there -- Miles.
O'BRIEN: Should have been an engineer, right?
VERJEE: I'm an English major...
LEE: English major, OK.
VERJEE: ... and nobody really cares about Victorian history... LEE: Liberal arts not the most lucrative career.
O'BRIEN: No.
LEE: I'm an economics and business major.
O'BRIEN: That's good.
LEE: And we've actually done a little bit better.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
LEE: Let's talk about the best paying jobs for college grads class of 2006. Some new numbers out here, and, Miles, you got it right, engineers at the top of the list. The numbers here going up a little bit versus 2005. You can see chemical engineering -- my father is a chemical engineer -- $55,900. Electrical engineering, mechanical engineering not too far behind.
And then right on down the line we have the economics grads, accounting and economics. They've actually experienced the biggest growth, fifth and sixth spots there. Liberal arts, though, seeing a little bit of a down tick from last year. Actually up 6.1 percent, but still at the low end of the list there.
Overall though, we are seeing pay increases in starting salary offers and more job offers overall. So a much more encouraging story than we saw a couple of years ago when kids were coming out of these really good schools and lucky if they could get a job at Starbucks. Things really picking up from those years. OK.
O'BRIEN: Here's the thing, though, they always do this right after you got out of school. They don't really track it down the road very well.
LEE: And I think that's a very interesting point...
O'BRIEN: You know it's an important thing.
LEE: ... because engineers typically top the list for starting salaries.
O'BRIEN: Right.
LEE: And from what I have heard, from what I understand, you kind of stay at that level more than other...
O'BRIEN: Exactly.
LEE: ... areas.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
LEE: So that's something...
O'BRIEN: So let's get on that, shall we? LEE: OK, I will.
O'BRIEN: Get your crack research team on that, make me feel a little better.
OK, onward.
LEE: All right.
O'BRIEN: What else?
LEE: OK, onward to an anti-union campaign. We've heard a lot about unions lately with the auto giants here, with the airlines. A lot of the airlines are bankrupt.
Well there's a new group out. I don't know if they are new, but they're just starting to get momentum now, called the Center for Union Facts. They had full-page ads in "The New York Times," other newspapers yesterday, basically blaming unions for several industry problems. Saying they are corrupt, they have hurt airlines, steelmakers and automakers. The founder of this effort says he's going to spend about $5 million a year.
We know unions have been struggling recently with declining membership, divisions within the group. You just hear so much about the worker's side. Here's the other side. So trying to get this more into the forefront.
O'BRIEN: And I thought liberal arts majors were the problems at airlines. It's the unions, huh?
LEE: Well unions can cost a company more money sometimes,...
O'BRIEN: Yes.
LEE: ... some would say, you know, and so...
O'BRIEN: Well it's...
LEE: ... not as popular as they were in the '50s. And some people say they're not as necessary.
O'BRIEN: Well it's an adversary relationship, which is not always good within a company, is it?
LEE: Absolutely. Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: All right -- Carrie Lee.
LEE: All right.
O'BRIEN: Thanks for dropping by.
VERJEE: Thanks.
LEE: Happy Valentine's Day. VERJEE: And to you.
O'BRIEN: Same to you.
VERJEE: All right, let's take a look and see what's up with "Morning Coffee" and -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Coming up, you knew the jokes would come. It isn't often the vice president of the United States shoots someone. Take a look at "The New York Post," look, there's Mr. Cheney as Elmer Fudd. More to come on "Morning Coffee" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JON STEWART, "THE DAILY SHOW": Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a man during a quail hunt at a political supporter's ranch, making 78-year-old Harry Whittington the first person shot by a sitting VP since Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton -- Alexander Hamilton, of course, was shot in a dual with Aaron Burr over issues of honor, integrity and political maneuvering. Whittington was mistaken for a bird.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And you know the funniest part is Whittington, supposedly while on the ground after being hit with buckshot in the face, said it was my fault. It wasn't Dick Cheney's fault.
VERJEE: Oh dear!
COSTELLO: That's what they are saying.
O'BRIEN: Should have increased his contribution, don't you think? That might have helped. Who knows?
COSTELLO: Maybe so.
It's time for "Morning Coffee."
VERJEE: (INAUDIBLE).
COSTELLO: And you heard Jon Stewart say it's only happened once before in 1804 when Vice President Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton. Of course this pales, but the White House is struggling to explain Dick Cheney's hunting accident, especially since he was hunting illegally. Yes, the plot thickens. He did not have the proper stamp on his out-of-state hunting license. But the VP's office assures us this morning Cheney has made out a check for $7.
O'BRIEN: Right there. He's making out the check right there.
COSTELLO: Right now.
O'BRIEN: There's his checkbook right there. VERJEE: And he got his warning as well.
COSTELLO: It's true. It's all legal now, so don't worry.
Now to the jokes. Now to more jokes. This from "The New York Post." I thought I saw, I thought I saw a Democrats -- a Democrat, I should say. They have Vice President Dick Cheney as Elmer Fudd.
O'BRIEN: Yes, yes.
COSTELLO: Do you see that?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
VERJEE: But what does it say here?
COSTELLO: The first line?
VERJEE: It says -- yes.
COSTELLO: The White House took heavy flack yesterday for waiting a very, very long time...
O'BRIEN: Very, very, yes.
COSTELLO: ... before revealing the rascally Vice President Dick Cheney had shot a fellow hunter.
VERJEE: The rascally Dick Cheney.
COSTELLO: That press conference with Scott McClellan was nasty, wasn't it?
O'BRIEN: Yes, it was.
COSTELLO: It was.
O'BRIEN: Good thing the media was unarmed, huh, just in that case?
COSTELLO: You're not kidding there.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: Especially David Gregory of NBC.
Anyway, I digress, let's get right back to the jokes and David Letterman's Top 10.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LETTERMAN, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": Heart palpitation caused trigger finger to spasm.
Number 9: Wanted to get the Iraq mess off the front page.
Number 8: Not enough Jim Beam.
Number 7: Trying to stop the spread of Bird Flu.
Number 6: I love to shoot people.
Number 5: Guy was making cracks about my lesbian daughter.
Number 4: I thought the guy was trying to go gay cowboy on me.
Number 3: Excuse? I hit him didn't I?
PAUL SHAFFER, "LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": Yes, he did.
Number 2: Until Democrats approve Medicare reform, we have to make some tough choices for the elderly.
And the number one Dick Cheney excuse, made a bet with Gretzky's wife.
There you go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: I have to say number four is the best, isn't it?
VERJEE: The Bird Flu was a pretty good one, too.
COSTELLO: Oh my!
OK, moving onward and kind of upward, I guess, bad guys beware. Imagine a sheriff's deputy ordering you to put them up. You hesitate and he turns into a hulking green monster. Yes.
O'BRIEN: I'm sorry, it's so silent, I thought I'd add a little something.
COSTELLO: Here, I'll make this -- yes, whatever.
Any who, the "Incredible Hulk" is on duty. Lou Ferrigno, who played the "Hulk" on television, is now a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy.
O'BRIEN: What is this, a silent picture? Listen to this.
COSTELLO: I know. Hey, this is all we could find. This is an old series. It's been almost 25 years since this guy...
O'BRIEN: Back before they had sound, Lou Ferrigno.
COSTELLO: Back before they had sound. Remember Bill Bixby? He was the calm side of the "Incredible Hulk?"
O'BRIEN: Yes.
VERJEE: Is he having fun?
COSTELLO: No, this is the personification of anger.
O'BRIEN: There he is.
VERJEE: No, no, no, no, in his new position?
COSTELLO: Now. There he is in his new position. He is 54 years old now.
O'BRIEN: He looks good, by the way.
COSTELLO: He says he's having a blast.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: And he's looking forward to working with kids in the volunteer program, because, as you know, he has a hearing problem, so he can't go out there and you know actually arrest really, really bad guys.
O'BRIEN: Just don't make him mad.
COSTELLO: That's right.
O'BRIEN: Because you know what happens then, right?
COSTELLO: Exactly.
VERJEE: Can we have our sound effect?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
COSTELLO: Please, don't make him do that.
O'BRIEN: All right, we'll be back with more in a moment.
(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
