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American Morning

Miami Terror Plot; Basketball Brutality

Aired June 23, 2006 - 09:31   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: For more now on that indictment that John mentioned, Kendall Coffey is the former U.S. attorney in South Florida. He joins us now by phone from Vero Beach, Florida.
Good morning, Kendall.

KENDALL COFFEY, FMR. U.S. ATTY.: Hey, good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: You heard John Zarrella talking about this indictment. I know that you've gotten a chance to read it. Investigators say they found this evidence that goes beyond just discussions of criminal wrongdoing. And John mentioned that there was an informant who posed as a member of al Qaeda. As a prosecutor, as a defense attorney, how might that play into things? Because sometimes that isn't a good thing.

COFFEY: Well, I think the key to this, Carol, is going to be not just what the informant heard, but the tapes that he almost undoubtedly has of the conversations because sort of studying this indictment the way it's structured, it relies heavily on the informant. In some instances he's with numerous defendants. So I've got to think the government has got some pretty compelling tapes, because the indictment is very specific as to the conversations that took place and when they took place.

COSTELLO: But does it make a difference, Kendall, who this informant is and how they recruited him?

COFFEY: Well, of course one of the big defense strategies is always to focus on the informant. But assuming, and let's assume that there are tapes, then it doesn't really matter what his motives were, how he got there; the voices of the defendants themselves on the tapes are going to speak louder than anything a defense lawyer or anyone else can say, and that's going to be key to this case.

COSTELLO: OK. We've heard descriptions of the seven men taken into custody, that they appeared brainwashed, that they tried to recruit other members, that they were just kind of crazy, and we all know how that can go down in court?

COFFEY: Exactly. And I think the defense is going to be that these were kind of goofy, trash-talking wannabes. much more delusional than dangerous. On the other hand, dangerous wannabes are the heart of combating terrorism, because the whole focus is to get folks like this at the talking stage, where maybe all they are doing is talking and sort of fantasizing long before they actually get to the bomb- making stage. COSTELLO: OK. Let's talk about Florida itself, because several terrorism groups have trained in Florida, the 9/11 hijackers, some of them trained there. Jose Padilla once lived there. He's in custody now. Is it something about Florida, or am I exaggerating that?

COFFEY: Well, I think what's extraordinary about South Florida is in many ways it is a community of new commerce. People can come and go and there's just not a lot of close monitoring. So for example Muhammad Atta and some of his colleagues operated invisibly as they were getting flight training leading up to 9/11. And of course, as you just mentioned, Jose Padilla, the so-called enemy combatant, who has been a major source of controversy as well, was based for a significant period of time in south Florida.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Kendall Coffey, thanks for joining us this morning.

COFFEY: Thank you so much, Carol.

COFFEY: A reminder for you, too, Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez and top FBI officials will discuss the plot as a news conference in Washington at 10:30 Eastern. At 11:30 the United States attorney's office in Miami is scheduled to hold their own news conference on the terror raids. Let's stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Have you guys seen these pictures? The attack on the basketball court. We've been Showing them this morning. Take a look at this. Fourteen-year-old Coulter Vestal clotheslined, pummeled during a youth basketball game in Kansas. It happened back in March. The boy's father, who's also his coach, wants criminal charges filed against that kid, who's now on top of him punching him.

Coulter Vestal and his dad, Dale, join us from Kansas city, Missouri this morning.

Nice to see you guys. Thanks for talking with us.

DAVE VESTAL, COULTER'S FATHER: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Coulter, let's start with you this morning. Did you see this coming at all?

COULTER VESTAL, ATTACKED DURING GAME: No, I had no idea that it was even going to come. I -- in basketball, I never thought that anything like that would ever happen.

O'BRIEN: You were knocked out cold, right, and then the player jumps on you and starts punching you. Do you remember any details of the attack?

C. VESTAL: The only thing I remember is getting the rebound earlier. and I like cleared out, and I think I elbowed him in the chest, and we were running down the court and he pushed me, so I pushed him back, and then I kind of turned away and then that's all I remember.

O'BRIEN: So it really came out of nowhere for you.

C. VESTAL: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Dad, you're also the coach, Dave, and you're watching in the stands. What did you do when suddenly you see not only the clotheslining, but then getting on top of your son and punching him?

As soon as I saw the punching when the other player climbed on his back, I ran on to the floor, along with the coach from the opposing team, and a couple of other spectators went out to kind of break this up. It was a scary thing to watch when it's your son that's on the floor and unresponsive.

O'BRIEN: Oh, my gosh. So you finally called the police and you waited a little bit of time, because there's a lot obviously going on,a and you called the police. What did the police tell you?

D. VESTAL: When I originally spoke with the police, they were very excited that -- or I should say excited when I told them I had it all on tape. I gave them the information, said I have this all on tape. The comment was great, send it to us; we never get a case like this.

O'BRIEN: Where the tape is -- this tape is brutal. We're showing it, but it's...

D. VESTAL: Absolutely.

O'BRIEN: And it's -- you know, it's one of those well-shot, really documentation.

Here's what the Harvey County District Attorney had to say to CNN. "My office is not at liberty to discuss any pending juvenile cases, but it is the normal policy of the Harvey County attorney's office to prosecute cases of unprovoked violence. However, we're unable to state anything specific to this case."

Have they told you whether or not there will be criminal charges in the attack?

D. VESTAL: They have not. I have spoken with their office a couple of times and basically have not received any information from them.

O'BRIEN: Does that make you think it's going to happen, or they're not going to have any charges against him?

D. VESTAL: That leads me to believe, and I think it would lead anyone to believe, that nothing will happen on this. And that's one of the reasons this tape was released. As you know this happened in March. If I wanted this tape out for publicity reasons, I would have released it three months ago. I figured that this would be taken care of the way it should have been handled, and this would be all gone. When I got the feeling that they were dragging their feet, not going to do anything that's when I thought it was time to put the tape out.

O'BRIEN: So you just hope public pressure will make them do something, or is there something else you're going to do?

VESTAL: No, I am hoping the public pressure will do it. I know there's been a lot of outrage not only within this local community, but obviously since we're here talking with you this morning, it's gone a lot further than just Kansas City and this immediate area.

O'BRIEN: Coulter, you feeling okay?

C. VESTAL: yes, I'm much better now.

O'BRIEN: Good, Coulter and Dave Vestal. We're out of time, guys. Let's stay in touch and see what happens now that this videotape's been released. Thanks for talking with us.

D. VESTAL: Thank you for your time.

C. VESTAL: Thank you.

Got a short break. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Something new we're starting this morning. We're highlighting the one person who made their mark this week, who garnered the most attention, forcing you to listen, sometimes whether you wanted to or not. This week it's got to be Angelina Jolie. I know, but ponder this. She is a master at manipulating the buzz around her. She chose CNN to talk for the first time after the birth of her baby, and she found an international forum to sell her cause.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS: I am so inspired by these people, and they are the greatest strength.

COSTELLO: It was not your typical celebrity interview. Then again, this week, Angelina Jolie proved once again that she is not your typical celebrity.

JOLIE: The things these people go through I owe it to all of them to get myself together to stop whining about being tired and get there and get focused because, God, it's the least I can do.

JOLIE: In her first interview since the birth of her daughter Shiloh, the Academy Award-winning actress talked to CNN's Anderson Cooper not just about her own children, but of the world's children. She spoke of her travels to some of the poorest nation on the world and the effect that its had on her.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Do you carry the children you met with you?

JOLIE: Yes, the child I met in Sierra Leone was the first child that I met who was about to die and who died the next day, and it was the first time, because it was the first place I went to, and it was the first time I saw a kid in that state. And he was by himself. I still to this day feel that I should have helicoptered him out and spent the money and done something and saved him.

COSTELLO: More than 1.5 million Americans watch Jolie put the spotlight not on herself, but on others. An article in yesterday's "New York Times" said she gracefully slipped past viewer cynicism, speaking with candor and self-deprecation about the plight of third world refugees. Its a plight that Jolie confronts by putting her money where her mouth is. She acknowledged donating a third of her earnings to various causes, saying she has a, quote, "stupid income" for what she's doing. She also talks about the refugee children she's adopted Maddox and Zahara.

JOLIE: I just -- I love -- I've always felt that my kids are around the world. I loved Ethiopia. Brad loved Ethiopia. We've both been individually, and so it just felt like a natural place.

COSTELLO: In the end, though, this U.N. goodwill ambassador may have made her biggest mark with the simplest truth, that in spite of all the suffering in the world, one person really can make a difference.

JOLIE: You can drive yourself crazy with those kind of thoughts, and you just have to...

COOPER: ... do what you can.

JOLIE: ... do what you can.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Angelina Jolie making her mark this morning. She's on the cover of "USA Today," too. She's been on the cover of every newspaper I think in the past few weeks.

O'BRIEN: Since she had the baby.

COSTELLO: Yes, but she's really not talking much about her baby; she's talking about her cause.

O'BRIEN: You know, I've got to tell you, I'd rather hear about the cause, honestly. The baby is cute. We saw the pictures. Cute baby.

COSTELLO: Both are important in people's minds, however, for different reasons.

O'BRIEN: Happy about the baby, more interested in the cause.

"CNN LIVE TODAY" is coming up next.

Hey, Daryn, good morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.

LIVE TODAY keeps CNN focused on terror and safety. Chicago waking up to news it may have been a target.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no guarantees. You can't stop living just because of terrorists. So keep coming to work and hope for the best. Even after 9/11, as horrible as that was, it's the way life is, and it's going to always be bad, bad people, and they're going to do bad things. So hopefully our government has learned enough to try to stay on top of it. And even that it is going to be impossible at times to be 100 percent, but there's nothing you can do about that. No government, no process is perfect.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They attack the World Trade Center twice. We didn't think that could happen. So yes, I think it's very possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Federal agents say home-grown al Qaeda sympathizers wanted to hit the Sears Tower. The suspects go to court today in Miami. We expect to hear from the attorney general, the FBI director and others live today. Plus, other cities weigh their risks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You think those neighborhoods would be wiped out?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A good possibility, good possibility they could be wiped out.

KAYE: That's a frightening thought.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Millions of gallons of liquefied natural gas, an inviting terror target in the shadow of the Boston skyline. Our Randi Kaye shows us what could happen.

The day's other important stories and of course any breaking news that comes our way. LIVE TODAY, for a Friday, gets started at the top of the hour.

Back to you.

O'BRIEN: All right, Daryn, thanks.

Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business" up next.

Good morning, Andy.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad. Good morning, Carol.

A couple stories we're going to be telling you about. Guess which baseball idiot was ringing in the opening bell this morning. Plus, why is amusement park owner Six Flags drooping? that's coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: The Boss is back on tour with a new sound that's really an old sound. He is performing almost exclusively from his new album. It's called "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions." It's a tribute to anti-war hero Pete Seeger. I spoke to Bruce Springsteen exclusively last night, right before he went on stage at Madison Square Garden.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, MUSICIAN: In search of the one song, we cut about seven or eight, you know, trying to see what would work out. And it was just done very quickly in the afternoon at my farmhouse. We cut about seven or eight things of which I think "Jesse James," "Old Dan Tucker," a few other things survived from the very first session. I kept going back -- I put it away because it seemed so left field for me.

O'BRIEN: Is it a political album? I mean, are you -- is it -- are sending a political message with this album?

SPRINGSTEEN: I like that to be an organic part of what I'm doing. I think because I -- I always search those -- in trying to explain the world and the times to myself, I search those elements out and the music that I like. And so it wouldn't -- I mean, Pete Seeger record without politics in it wouldn't feel right.

O'BRIEN: In 2004, you came out very strongly in support of John Kerry, performing with him. Your fellow guitarist, I think is how you introduced him to the crowd.

SPRINGSTEEN: Yes.

O'BRIEN: And some people gave you a lot of flack for being a musician who took a political stand. I remember...

SPRINGSTEEN: Yes, they should let Ann Coulter do it instead.

O'BRIEN: There is a whole school of thought, as you well know, that says that musicians -- well, you see it with the Dixie Chicks, you know, that go play your music and stuff.

SPRINGSTEEN: If you turned on to -- present company included -- the idiots rambling on on cable television on any given night of the week, and you say that musicians shouldn't speak up? You know, it's insane. It's funny.

O'BRIEN: As a musician, though, I would be curious to know if there's a concern that you start talking about politics -- you came out at one point and said -- I think in "USA Today," listen, you know, the country would be better off if George Bush were replaced as president. Is there a worry you start getting political and you could...

SPRINGSTEEN: Well, that's called common sense. I don't even see that as politics at this point. So I mean that's -- you know, if you get me started, I'll be glad to go.

You don't take a country like the United States into a major war on circumstantial evidence. You lose your job for that. That's my opinion. And I have no problem voicing it. And some people like it and some people boo you, you know.

O'BRIEN: I'd like to think -- I mean,as you get older as a musician, do you feel like, listen, I'm older, I've been doing this a while, I can take more risks?

SPRINGSTEEN: It's always been a part of what I've done. I mean, I don't necessarily lead with it. As the night goes on I -- I occasionally have a public service announcement. But if that violates (INAUDIBLE), about two and a half hours in, by the that time I've earned a minute or two where I can either enliven you or bore you or make you angry. And the audience is sort of -- they respond as they will. I get, you know, my records busted up and sent to me sometimes.

O'BRIEN: Really?

SPRINGSTEEN: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: They mail them back to you?

SPRINGSTEEN: Yes, yes.

(MUSIC)

O'BRIEN: "We Shall Overcome" is such a beautiful song. I was listening to it at home. And it was terrible, but I was all upset, I started to cry in front of my kids. And I'm like -- I mean, it is a beautiful, incredibly moving. You know, you've heard it a millions times. A song that you hear a million times. Why did that song -- why'd you pick that song?

SPRINGSTEEN: If you live through the '60s, you know the importance of that song. And it's one of those things that -- that hasn't changed in America. And to the point of where you saw the shock of the country when they saw who got left in New Orleans. And President Bush himself had to come out and sound like Lyndon Baines Johnson a few days later to actually address the subject of American poverty, which goes unaddressed entirely to this day, to the shame of all of us. Unaddressed. Until people saw it on the news. It was the only time they see those folks on the news, not in handcuffs and not, you know, being exploited in some other way.

And it shocked the country, to the degree where he had to say something. He didn't have to do anything about it. He had to say something about it. You know, that song is at the core of that struggle. And that goes on, around and around and around still to this day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: You can my full interview with Bruce Springsteen throughout the day online at CNN.com/pipeline.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

COSTELLO: We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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