Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Sentencing Trial for Zacarias Moussaoui Begins Today; Academy Award Winners; The War Wounded

Aired March 06, 2006 - 09:01   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. I'm Miles O'Brien.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Carol Costello in for Soledad.

O'BRIEN: All about the Oscars. And a surprise winner. We'll go live to L.A.

COSTELLO: Reliving 9/11. Sentencing begins today for a man convicted of aiding al Qaeda.

Plus, wounded in Iraq. We'll take a very special look at some of the soldiers who are still left fighting long after coming home.

O'BRIEN: A college cheerleader keeping up her spirit even after a very scary tumble straight on to the basketball court and her head.

And a new way to keep your children's ears in good shape.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

We begin with the sentencing trial of confessed al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. It begins in earnest a little later today after a jury of 12, along with six alternates, is seated.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve watching it for us from Alexandria, Virginia.

Good morning, Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

The question for this jury is whether Moussaoui should spend the rest of his life in prison or he should be sentenced to die.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice-over): Prosecutors will argue Zacarias Moussaoui should die because he concealed from the FBI his knowledge of al Qaeda agents in the United States.

To win a death sentence, prosecutors must first persuade the jury that Moussaoui's lying, which he confessed to, directly resulted in people dying on 9/11. ANDY MCCARTHY, FMR. FEDERAL PROSECUTOR: If his lies really did stop the agents from breaking up the conspiracy, we'd have 3,000 people alive today who aren't, so he is as responsible in terms of somebody who committed activity that resulted in the death of Americans, as the people who actually were on the plane and carried this out.

MESERVE: Moussaoui, who has pled guilty to terrorism conspiracy, has denied having a direct role in the 9/11 plot. He says he was being trained for a different al Qaeda mission, to fly a plane into the White House.

Prosecutors will argue the training was very similar to that of the 9/11 hijackers. But the defense is expected to use summaries of interrogations of key al Qaeda detainees, such as 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Muhammad, to argue that Moussaoui should not be linked to that attack.

Some of the evidence, as attorneys will present, will point the finger at the government for failing to detect the plot, even though it was well known al Qaeda wanted to strike in the U.S. Exhibit one, the government's failed search in August 2001 for two al Qaeda agents who would turn out to be hijackers aboard the plan that struck the Pentagon.

But a large hurdle for the defense may be the client himself. Moussaoui, who was pledging to testify, had several outbursts at the beginning of jury selection, proclaiming, "I'm al Qaeda," and calling his attorneys names.

Moussaoui's mother, in town for the trial, gave this possible explanation.

AICHA EL WAFI, MOUSSAOUI'S MOTHER (through translator): I'm extremely sorry for the things that my son says during the hearings, but one must understand that he's been in isolation for four years now and he is in a situation of a person who cannot talk to other people. And what he is expressing is his pain, his suffering.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: Moussaoui's mother hopes that her son will get a fair trial, but she fears he may be made a scapegoat for the 9/11 attacks.

Back to you.

O'BRIEN: Jeanne, tell us about the closed-circuit effort so that families of the 9/11 victims will be able to watch this trial.

MESERVE: There are going to be six different locations where the families can tune in and watch the closed-circuit proceedings. One of them in the courthouse behind me, others elsewhere around the country.

The families have mixed opinions about this trial. Some very much want to see Moussaoui sentenced to death. Others are afraid that if that is the case he will be made a martyr. Back to you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Jeanne Meserve in Alexandria.

Thank you very much.

Some other news happening in the world, and Kelly Wallace is watching it for us.

Good morning, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Good morning again, Miles.

Iraqi president Jalal Talabani says Iraq's new parliament will hold its first session on Sunday. That is the last day allowed by the new constitution. And this announcement comes amid new violence in the country.

At least nine people were killed in a series of car bombings in Baghdad. One of the explosions taking place in a marketplace in Baquba. And that's north of Baghdad.

The Army now launching a criminal investigation into the shooting death of Pat Tillman. You'll recall he died as a result of friendly fire while an Army Ranger in Afghanistan back in 2004.

Investigators want to know if any of his fellow soldiers were firing a weapon when they you haven't have been. This is the fifth probe into the killing of the NFL star but the first criminal one.

Baseball hall-of-famer Kirby Puckett is listed in critical condition after suffering a stroke. The 44-year-old Puckett led the Twins to two World Series titles. He underwent surgery Sunday in an Arizona hospital.

And have you seen this? It's a bit tough to see in this video, but a cheerleader falling head first about 10 feet during a pyramid routine. She was carried off on a stretcher with a back and neck brace, but as you can see, she is still feeling the spirit. She kept waving her arms, clapping her hands as she was wheeled away.

And Carol, we are really glad to hear that she apparently is going to be OK.

COSTELLO: I can't believe she was still cheering on the stretcher.

WALLACE: I know. I know. But clearly she wanted to send a message to everybody watching because it was such a scare that she was going to be OK.

COSTELLO: Good. I'm glad.

Thank you, Kelly.

WALLACE: Sure. COSTELLO: Hollywood's biggest night featured a big upset for best picture with "Crash" winning over "Brokeback Mountain."

Sibila Vargas live in Los Angeles with more on the Oscars.

Sibila, good morning.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Lots of love spread at the 78th annual Academy Awards. Oscar welcomed new faces to its family. But it was a star-studded film about racism that stole the hearts of academy voters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACK NICHOLSON, ACTOR: And the Oscar goes to... "Crash."

VARGAS (voice-over): The big win and the big surprise of the night for best picture, "Crash."

CATHY SCHULMAN, PRODUCER, "CRASH": We are humbled by the other nominees in this category. You have made this year one of the most breathtaking and stunning maverick years in American cinema.

VARGAS: The maverick small-budget film about race and class upset the much-buzzed front-runner "Brokeback Mountain," but it wasn't a total shutout for the cowboy romance. "Brokeback Mountain's" Ang Lee used the film's signature line when accepting the award for best director.

ANG LEE, BEST DIRECTOR: I wish I knew how to quit you.

VARGAS: "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart hosted the evening with a mix of his classic political humor.

JON STEWART, HOST: Bjork couldn't be here tonight. She was trying on her Oscar dress, and Dick Cheney shot her.

VARGAS: And a few jokes at the expense of Hollywood.

STEWART: "Goodnight and Good Luck," which is not just Edward R. Murrow's signoff, it's also how Mr. Clooney ends all of his dates.

VARGAS: George Clooney, nominated for three Academy Awards for two different films, took home the first Oscar of the night for best supporting actor in "Syriana." Clooney praised Oscar voters for their willingness to award out of the mainstream films.

GEORGE CLOONEY, BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: I'm proud to be a part of this Academy, Proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch.

VARGAS: "The Constant Gardener's" Rachel Weisz won the Oscar for best supporting actress. The best actor award, as most industry experts predicted went to "Capote" to Philip Seymour Hoffman.

And the man of the evening thanked his mom.

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, BEST ACTOR: Be proud, mom, because I'm proud of you. And we're here tonight, and it's so good.

VARGAS: Reese Witherspoon won the best actress award for her portrayal of June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line." She thanked her grandmother.

REESE WITHERSPOON, BEST ACTRESS: My grandmother was one of the biggest inspirations of my life. She taught me how to be a real woman.

VARGAS: And also honored, the woman she played.

WITHERSPOON: People used to ask June how she was doing, and she used to say, I'm just trying to matter. And I know what she means, you know? I'm just trying to matter, and live a good life and make work that means something.

VARGAS: A significant night for all of the Oscar winners.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS: And Reese Witherspoon has even more to celebrate. American's new sweetheart has reportedly struck a deal to star in a thriller which will pay her -- get this -- $29 million. That's even more than Julia Roberts' highest-paying film.

And again, though, the big surprise of the night went to "Crash."

COSTELLO: Twenty-nine million dollars for one picture?

VARGAS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Wow.

VARGAS: Pretty impressive.

COSTELLO: I like her, though.

VARGAS: Hollywood's "it" girl.

COSTELLO: You're not kidding. Thank you very much, Sibila.

Oh, Chad. I'm still getting over that $29 million.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It just makes my head hurt. I just want to be -- I just want to be her agent. Give me five percent.

COSTELLO: Give me one percent.

MYERS: OK. Fine.

Good morning, Carol.

(WEATHER REPORT) COSTELLO: But it's only, what, 14 days to spring.

MYERS: Coming.

O'BRIEN: Not that you're counting or anything. Thank you.

COSTELLO: I can't wait.

Thanks, Chad.

MYERS: All right.

O'BRIEN: Coming up, a U.S. soldier forever changed by tragedy in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I knew that -- I knew that I was going to die. There was no question about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Pardon me.

He thought his life was over, but thanks to a special place in Texas, he and other soldiers are finding new hope.

COSTELLO: Also, there may soon be a new way to prevent childhood ear infections. That's in our "House Call" segment this morning.

O'BRIEN: And later, the sun of Ma Bell. We've got a huge phone company merger to tell you about, and it could affect you. So stay tuned.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: A hard one here.

All right. This morning we begin a special two-part series on the Iraq war wounded. Nearly 17,000 men and women have been injured since the fighting began. Some with wounds so severe they are faced with trying to start their lives all over again.

There's a little bit of irony here. The advanced medical care has created just terrible war victims who have to deal with all kinds of issues for the remainder of their lives.

WALLACE: I know, because we were saying we were a little surprised to hear that Iraq turning out twice the number of amputees as any previous conflict. Not just medical care, but also, you know, better body armor, using armored vehicles, meaning soldiers will survive, but then they're faced with serious injuries.

And that is what happened to one of the people that you are about to meet. He is a soldier who thought he was going to die, but thanks to a very special place in San Antonio, Texas, he is finding the strength to go on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bring it up and hold it. Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it. Down.

WALLACE (voice over): There is a lot that 24-year-old Christian Bagge wants to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Attack that cone. Attack that cone. Come on. Push, push, push, push. Shuffle, shuffle, keep going, keep going, keep going.

STAFF SGT. CHRISTIAN BAGGE, U.S. ARMY: I want to run. I want to swim. I want to mountain bike. The biggest goal of all is just to do what I did before.

WALLACE: What he did before the attack in Iraq, before the Humvee he was driving was blown apart by a roadside bomb...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Arms in. Hips to ears. Hips to ears. There you go.

WALLACE: ... and his life forever changed.

BAGGE: I told one of the guys, "Tie my wedding ring around my wrist." And they did, and that was the last image I had in my mind was my wedding ring being tied around my wrist. And then I woke up in Germany with my amputated legs.

WALLACE: Before going off to war, Christian's passions included playing drums in a Christian rock band and a gal named Melissa. The two were good friends in high school who fell in love about a week before he left for Iraq. They married while he was on leave, just three months before he became a double amputee.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There have been times I thought it was -- how am I going to do it, but there's always someone there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dig in. Last cone. Dig in. Dig in.

WALLACE: And always someone who knows just what they are going through. The Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio is home to one of only two U.S. Army amputee care centers in the country.

BAGGE: It's kind of like a brotherhood in there. We all -- we're all rooting for each other and pushing each other to do the best that they can.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Push, pull.

WALLACE: The pushing comes not just from peers, but from a team of physical therapists.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some people come in and they say, "Wow, I would have never thought that I would be able to do that again," and they need to be pushed to be shown that it is possible.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good. Oh, you look good.

WALLACE: Also available to amputees like Christian, state-of- the-art technology to create custom-made legs for any activity they choose.

Christian's immediate goal, to run with President Bush. When the president visited the center on New Year's Day, Christian asked if they could jog together sometime. He says Mr. Bush said yes.

BAGGE: He said that I would be an inspiration to other people. And I think he's right, you know, hopefully that I can be an inspiration.

WALLACE: His positive outlook doesn't mean there haven't been really hard times. In the beginning, he was angry and depressed, and every day there are reminders of what life used to be like.

BAGGE: It take me longer to shower. It takes me longer to get my legs on, get dressed. Putting pants on is a 20-minute process. And I hate it.

WALLACE: But Christian and Melissa are adjusting, even thriving, gearing for their second wedding ceremony this weekend, this one for family and friends since they eloped the first time.

BAGGE: You learn a lot about true love and being away from your family. You learn the important things in life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: He really is amazing. He is one of the more than 100 men and women who have been treated at the Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas since it opened last year.

Miles, he's been there about eight months. He hopes to stay as long as he can, because he says having these experts at his disposal, working alongside other amputees, has really given him the strength to move on physically and mentally.

O'BRIEN: Yes, it's a combination of technology and expertise, which is wonderful. Now, has he thought much about the future and what he wants to do?

O'BRIEN: Not -- you know, it's a great question. We don't know. I mean, again, he's sort of going to be there. Their home is in Oregon. They are going to be celebrating a big wedding this coming weekend...

O'BRIEN: Yes.

WALLACE: ... where we understand there won't be a dry eye in the house.

O'BRIEN: Oh, I bet not. WALLACE: And we should say, of course, his immediate future, he hopes to run with President Bush. But he hopes to be in as good physical condition, even better than he was before.

O'BRIEN: That will be a photo opportunity.

Now, what about tomorrow?

WALLACE: Tomorrow we want to talk about how, as we were mentioning, more people, more men and women are surviving in Iraq than previous conflicts. One of the reasons, better body armor, but also more combat medics on the front lines. So we go behind the scenes, the only Army medic training school, to see how these soldiers are being trained for what they are going to see on the battlefield.

O'BRIEN: Thank you very much, Kelly.

WALLACE: Thank you, Miles.

O'BRIEN: We'll see you tomorrow -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Sentencing begins today in the Moussaoui trial. And prosecutors want the death penalty. Senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin looks at why the trial's location could affect whether he gets it.

And in health news, a new way that could protect your children from ever getting an ear infection again. "House Call" is next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Oh, in this morning's "House Call" parents will rejoice because there is a new vaccine that could help prevent ear infections in your kids.

Elizabeth Cohen joins us live from the CNN Center in Atlanta with details on this.

Tell us, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

Carol, you can ask pretty much any parent and they will tell you that ear infections are no fun. The child doesn't feel well, the ear often hurts quite a bit. You have to take the child to the doctor to see if it -- if you need to get a prescription drug. In fact, 20 million children go to the doctor every year because of ear infections.

Well, there has been an ear infection vaccine used since 2000 that kids are getting right now. However, it only -- it only works against seven different types of bacteria that can cause ear infections.

There has now been a study that shows it could protect against -- vaccines -- caused by 11 different types of bacteria. In other words, that it could protect against a wider range of bacteria that cause ear infections.

So let's take a look at this study and see exactly what they found.

And what they found was that it protects against the two main causes of middle ear infections. And when they compared it to kids who didn't get the vaccines, it reduced the incidence of ear infection by one-third overall.

Now, however, before we get too excited, we do have to make this note, which is that these studies are still under way in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia. The company that makes this vaccine doesn't plan to apply for approval in Europe until 2007. And they're right now talking to the FDA in the U.S.

They still don't know what the timeline is going to be for approval in this country. So it could be quite some time before it's used here -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, but Elizabeth, we're so excited about it. So, like, if it hit the market tomorrow, would parents see this huge decrease of the number of ear infections?

COHEN: You know, you wouldn't necessarily see a huge decrease. There probably would be some decrease. It might not be as dramatic as you think.

The reason for that is that the vaccine only covers bacterial ear infections, when, in fact, 80 to 90 percent of ear infections are viral. Now, parents know this because when you go to the doctor sometimes the doctor will look in your child's ear and say, you know what, I have a feeling that this is a viral ear infection. I'm not going to give you an antibiotic, because of course that wouldn't help.

So, again, most ear infections are caused by viruses, not by bacteria.

COSTELLO: OK. So another question. You know, ear infections, they are annoying, but not necessarily so dangerous. So, I mean, could there be bigger reasons for this ear infection vaccine?

COHEN: That's right. Most of the time ear infections are annoying, they're sort of painful. But usually they go away on their own. However, sometimes in a small and a minority of cases they can cause larger problems.

For example, they can cause hearing loss if they -- if there's infection after infection that goes on for a while. It can cause speech problems, because, of course, hearing loss can cause a child to have delayed speech. And also, in extreme cases, it can cause meningitis, which is an infection in the brain.

The other advantage of having a vaccine, aside from stemming those kind of complications, is that ear infections are a big reason why pediatricians hand out antibiotics. The fewer antibiotics that are prescribed, the less problems all of us will have with antibiotic resistance down the road.

COSTELLO: OK. So we'll wait for word of when that vaccine might hit the market.

COHEN: That's right.

COSTELLO: Elizabeth Cohen live from Atlanta.

Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Anderson Cooper has a look at what's coming up on his program tonight -- Anderson.

ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, 360: Miles, tonight on "360," do you have more in common with your kids than you realize. Trouble focusing? Restlessness? In other words, Attention Deficit Disorder.

Tonight we're going to look at why the cases are growing. Will everybody be on Ritalin sooner or later? What's going on.

We'll check it out tonight, "360," 10:00 p.m. Eastern -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: That is so me.

What was is talking about?

COSTELLO: That is so you.

O'BRIEN: What was he talking about? What was he just talking about? I can't remember.

COSTELLO: I think the definition of Miles.

O'BRIEN: Just one of the kids in the household, as Sandy frequently says.

Arguing with your husband or wife could be hazardous to your health. We will explain why for many, many reasons. We're not just talking about that iron skillet on the forehead kind of thing. That's coming up later.

And we'll also take you backstage at the Oscars. Some candid comments from the big winners on Hollywood's big night.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: We are 10 seconds away from the opening bell on a Monday, the beginning of trading for the entire whole week.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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