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CNN Sunday Morning
Attempts to Rescue Trapped Miners in Australia Face Another Setback; Widespread Bombings, Violence Seen Across Iraq
Aired May 07, 2006 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Another delay in the attempted rescue of two miners trapped underground in Australia. Hopes once again dashed. Good morning, everyone, I'm Tony Harris from the CNN Center in Atlanta. It is the 7th day of May.
MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. I'm Melissa Long in for Betty Nguyen who's enjoying a well deserved vacation. We have a live report coming up from Beaconsfield, Australia, the site of that delicate rescue search.
HARRIS: Absolutely.
Coming up in just a couple of minutes, but, first, let's get a check of other stories making news at this hour.
LONG: A grim tally in Iraq. Police say 43 bodies have been found in Baghdad in the past 24 hours, all of them had gunshot wounds to the head. A suicide car bomb exploded in a crowded commercial area in Karbala today. Officials say at least five people were killed. Two other car bombs went off in Baghdad.
And an earthquake rocked southern Iran. Initial reports say more than 70 people were injured. The quake has a magnitude of 5.2 on the Richter scale. It struck the Province of Kerman, the same area where more than 30,000 people died when a quake leveled the city of Bam in 2003.
HARRIS: A peaceful end to a hostage standoff at a California prison, but the prison in Sacramento remained on lockdown overnight. Authorities say an inmate with a knife took a female guard hostage. He gave up after about 10 hours of negotiations. The guard was not hurt. No photo finish here. It wasn't even close. Barbaro is the winner of the 132nd running of the Kentucky Derby. The thoroughbred finished six lengths ahead of the runner-up, Bluegrass Cat. I don't even think it was that close. It was the first Kentucky Derby win for jockey Edgar Prado.
LONG: It looks like a competition.
We have a lot to cover this hour, we do hope you'll stay with us.
We'll be hearing more from musician Art Neville on his decision to return to New Orleans, and about performing at this year's jazz fest. Also ahead -- a cheerleading squad's journey from unimaginable tragedy to unbelievable triumph. We will tell you their story as it heads to the big screen.
HARRIS: Rescuers are getting very close to reaching those trapped gold miners in Australia. Reports say they're only about a yard away, but crews are having trouble getting through some very hard, very solid rock. They're using explosives to crack it and that in and of itself can be dangerous for the trapped men as well as the rescuers. Mark Burrows of "National News 9" in Australia reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK BURROWS, NATIONAL NEWS 9: Rarely have Sunday church services seemed so important here in Beaconsfield. For these locals praying somehow helps pass the time.
Give us new strength for the courage of Christ, our shepherd.
BURROWS: There's plenty of courage around here, it's extra strength they need. The news from underground has been difficult.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rock which is being encountered is just a lot harder than expectations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A fellow hit it as hard as he possibly could with a crowbar and did not mark the rock at all.
BURROWS: They needed to go a further 1.6 meters horizontally and then a meter and a half upwards. To do it, 50 holes have been drilled into the wall and small explosives, about as strong as shotgun cartridges are being used to crack through the rock. It's hope the remainder will be softer for the final push through the crust.
BRYAN GREENE, DEPUTY PREMIER: When you're using explosives in the immediate area very close to the fellows, they have to operate cautiously, so that's what's taking time.
BURROWS: The explosives they are using are state of the art, new technology that packs plenty of punch without the rumble.
TERRY LONG, MINERALS COUNCIL: It's advantage is that it is able to split rock but without the sudden explosive release of gases that you would get from a conventional explosion.
BURROWS: With each blast, Todd and Brant are reporting back to their rescuers. Describing the vibrations and exactly what is happening in their tiny, cramped cavity. So far, they've had no complaints.
GREENE: The two people that have been the most patient in all of this, they must be some sort of fellows, have been Todd and Brant. Now surely we can't be as patient as them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The expectations is not in the guys inside, because they understand the process. They understand how hard their colleagues are working to get them out.
BURROWS: Those rescuers are now working six-hour shifts. And it's exhausting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hard work, but none of the rescuers are (INAUDIBLE). They're going to go and get them. This is just sheer muscle and willpower against rock.
BURROWS: Progress is painfully slow. This headline, agonizingly premature.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are all focused on getting this job done. We're not going to finish until it is done.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Reporter Jeremy Pudney is with Channel 10 Australia, and he joins us by phone from the scene with the very latest on the ground. And Jeremy, I understand the calls for patience, but in the real world, how much frustration is there that this has taken so long?
JEREMY PUDNEY, CHANNEL 10 AUSTRALIA: Look, I don't think there's any doubt that the frustration is really building now, and it stems from the fact not so much that it's taken so long, because the experts were always telling us that would be the case. But there was an expectation that around about this time yesterday that the men would be freed, and the delay this time seems to, you know, be difficult to explain. I mean, they've cut through almost 17 meters, a long distance of rock, and now there's so little left to go. But, it's proving so difficult.
HARRIS: And the men, the men who are trapped from everything we're getting, their spirits remain amazingly high.
PUDNEY: Well, I mean, it's just a remarkable tale, we're talking about 13 days now that Todd Russell and Brant Webb have been trapped underground for a few of those days early on, they would have feared that no one would ever find them. For all they knew, the search had been called off. Of course, it never was. Their work mates were never going to give up, and they've been given hope from that, and their spirits do remain remarkably high. And they're in constant contact with the people that are drawing ever closer to them.
HARRIS: And, Jeremy, talk to us about the -- how the families, how the families of these two men are holding up under all this.
PUDNEY: Well, it's been difficult for them. Particularly for the -- I mean, Todd Russell in particular has some young children. It's difficult for the children and the wives, too, waiting for word. The parents. The families are maintaining vigils. It's difficult for them to rest. They're obviously worrying. As the operation -- the rescue mission reaches its most dangerous phase. They're blasting, really, very close to these men in an effort to free them. And blasting into an area that's so unstable that it trapped them 13 days ago. HARRIS: Boy, and Jeremy, we understand that the league of reporters covering this story has lost a member of that -- that tight-knit group.
PUDNEY: Well that's right. I mean this was a tragic set of circumstances from the beginning because, of course, one miner did die when that rock fall happened. And tragically, there's been another death today associated with the story. It was that of Richard Carlton, who was a very well known journalist in Australia, and has worked for many years with "60 Minutes" Australia. He was at a press conference being held outside the mine at 1:00 today. He was aggressively asking some questions, as was his trademark, and suddenly turned from the pack and collapsed.
HARRIS: Yeah.
PUDNEY: Onlookers and then paramedics tried to revive him. Unfortunately, he died on the way to hospital, it's believed he suffered a massive heart attack.
HARRIS: And, finally, Jeremy, are the managers of the mine offering up any new predictions as to when the two men will be rescued?
PUDNEY: They've always been very coy about giving us predictions and for a while they were saying 48 hours, and then 48 hours later they'd say 48 hours again. Now we're being told it's very possible the rescue could occur tomorrow. Of course, it's just after 11:00 p.m. here. But, you know, other people are saying it could be longer than that. We've learned not to listen much to predictions.
HARRIS: Yeah.
PUDNEY: And I guess we'll believe it when we see it.
HARRIS: Reporter Jeremy Pudney is with Channel 10 Australia. Jeremy, thanks for your reporting on this story for us this morning. We appreciate it.
LONG: Just waking up this morning, we want to keep you posted on what's happening around the world. Mixed messages in Sudan. At issue, whether U.N. peacekeepers may be deployed to Darfur to enforce a peace agreement. A deal to end three years of fighting was signed Friday in Nigeria. Yesterday, a Sudanese government spokesman said, U.N. peacekeepers are welcomed in Darfur. Today, another government spokesman said, no decision has been made.
In the West Bank, Israeli police forcibly evict three Jewish families living in Hebron. They saw through the home's barricaded metal door other Jewish settlers threw stones at security forces injuring 19 officers.
And in Greece, things got out of control, during an anti-war protest in Athens. The protesters were peaceful, but police say small groups of hooded rebels torched banks, smashed shop windows and threw gasoline bombs. One policeman and two demonstrators were hurt. HARRIS: Vice President Dick Cheney is in the Balkans this morning. Cheney voiced the U.S. support for Albania, Croatia and Macedonia in their bid to join NATO. Cheney met with the premiers of the three countries in the town of Dubrovnik.
And what's the highlight of President Bush's five years in office? Well a German newspaper put that question to Mr. Bush, and the paper reports that the president said, quoting now, "You know, I've experienced many great moments and it's hard to name the best. I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5-pound perch in my lake." The worst moment, the president says, was September 11th.
Still ahead, sometimes from tragedy we get inspiration, like the story of the University of West Georgia cheerleaders.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was actually the first one thrown out, so, they don't know exactly how fast it was going. They predict it was going over 100.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A van accident killed three members of their team, but that's just the beginning of this story. You don't want to miss the rest of it.
LONG: Plus, who will replace Porter Goss as the director of the CIA? Coming up, a live report from the White House.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LONG: Coming up on "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer," a shake-up at the CIA. Intelligence committee members Senator Pat Roberts and Congresswoman Jane Harman will be Wolf's guests. You can catch that program 11:00 a.m. eastern.
And we'd like to hear from you. We want to know what you think about the changes at the CIA. You can e-mail us your thoughts, weekends@cnn.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: The last day of Jazz Fest kicks off about three hours from now in New Orleans. Today's performers include Paul Simon, Pete Fountain, Fats Domino, New Orleans music great Art Neville has already performed. Earlier I talked to him from his hurricane-damaged home about music and the city he loves so much.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ART NEVILLE, NEW ORLEANS MUSICIAN: I'm going to play a little bit of blues now. New Orleans got the blues.
LONG: You've made the decision to go back to New Orleans, but other family members have not. What factored into your decision and your brothers' decisions?
NEVILLE: Well, my -- I'm not as I said, my brothers, Aaron, had the asthma, and he didn't want to come back. Cyril's house, Aaron's house and Cyril's house were flooded. Fortunately, I'm one of the unfortunate, fortunate ones at the time, we didn't flood here, but we got a lot of damage, you know ceilings falling in and windows blowing out and looters.
LONG: Of course Mardi Gras was smaller in scale this year than it had been in the past. What about the crowds turning up for Jazz Fest this year, are you impressed with those showing up?
NEVILLE: It didn't look any smaller to me. It looked large this year at Jazz Fest. I performed with the Meters, it's a group I started back in the '60s. They were already here (INAUDIBLE). But the Neville brothers, we usually perform every year, you know. This year I think Fats Domino did the closing of the Jazz Fest, and the -- we don't feel too bad about it.
LONG: You are living right there in the midst of all the cleanup. How long do you think it will take to bring back that city?
NEVILLE: I don't think it will never come back like it was. I think it will come back. It will come back, but New Orleans will never be the same again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LONG: And city officials hope events like Jazz Fest, of course, which wraps up today, will help speed up the recovery efforts in New Orleans.
HARRIS: Talking about recovery, we have another amazing story of recovery for you this morning. It starts in 1997 in this van. It flipped over, carrying 12 members of the University of West Georgia cheerleading squad. Three people were killed. What happened next is absolutely remarkable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Here are your five-time, UCA national champion cheerleaders, the West Georgia Braves!
HARRIS: It is a story that could be headed to a theater near you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LONG: And who cares who won the Kentucky Derby, right? Oh, I didn't say that. This is what we all want to see. Hats off to you, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: And they're off!
HARRIS: Great race.
LONG: Did you watch the race?
HARRIS: Yeah.
LONG: Barbaro smoked the competition, pulled away in the homestretch to breeze to an easy Derby win. Keep an eye on him. It was jockey Edgar Prado's first Derby win. The Preakness, mark your calendar, Baltimore, May 20th. Look at that.
HARRIS: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
LONG: By the way, if Barbaro wins that competition, Preakness, he'll be in contention to be the first triple crown winner since Affirm back in 1978.
HARRIS: But the gold standard of triple-crown winners, secretariat. Secretariat hands down.
LONG: Look at the crowds.
HARRIS: Everyone was a winner at the Derby. You got those mint juleps. It's probably the one time of the year when the fashion police can be bribed to look the other way, so, sure, folks, come for the horses, the race, the mint juleps, but as everyone knows, it's the mad hatters that make it the Kentucky Derby. And you know, we were talking about this earlier, and it just seemed that there are just a couple of days, just a couple of days on the calendar. Just a couple of days where you can wear really great hats.
LONG: Easter Sunday.
HARRIS: Well, that's what we were talking about.
LONG: Right.
HARRIS: Reynolds, as you recall, disagreed with us. Let's listen.
WOLF: Every day is a big hat day! Come on. Just because -- I'm not wearing one obviously because we're indoors, but I have several to my collection.
HARRIS: So, with that in mind, if you -- where did --
LONG: Cinco de Mayo.
HARRIS: I'm just going to leave it here, if you feel so inclined, this is not an invitation at the moment for you to do it, I'm just saying if you feel inclined to back up that statement.
WOLF: How could I possibly pass up wearing this sombrero. I think it's happened. I mean all the cool kids are doing it. I just think it's the good thing to --
LONG: You have to tip it down a bit. WOLF: Loose it a little bit?
LONG: There you go.
WOLF: I am styling and profiling from head to toe.
HARRIS: Quickly the freeze frame? Do we have it? Just let me know when we have it. Do we have it?
WOLF: Anybody, anybody, now?
HARRIS: We're going to wear you out on this one.
WOLF: Oh I know it's going to happen.
HARRIS: Wear you out on this one.
WOLF: Okay, guys, we're going to change topics of conversation with the delicacy of using a hatchet. We're going to talk about gardening. Wouldn't this be a great hat to wear in the garden?
LONG: Yes. Keep the sun out of your face.
WOLF: Yes.
LONG: Yes.
WOLF: Your lawn gardening kind of stuff. Well you know here's a factoid for you as you head out there to work on the lawn and whatnot. That's just horrifying.
HARRIS: There we go.
WOLF: You've made children across the country cry by looking at that. That would just stop the clock. That's a hideous thing to see.
HARRIS: Wow, man.
WOLF: Goodness gracious.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Still ahead is this the man? On deck to replace outgoing CIA Director Porter Goss? And is General Michael Hayden qualified?
LONG: And from tragedy to triumph. One cheerleading squad bounced back from a deadly car accident to win five consecutive championships. And their story appears to be bound for the big screen. We'll tell you about it, as CNN SUNDAY MORNING rolls on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: The attempt to free two trapped miners in Australia hits a wall. Officials say they've run into solid rock, five times as hard as concrete. They're using small explosives to blast through. The miners have been trapped underground in a small steel cage for 12 days. Crews don't expect to reach them until possibly tomorrow.
In Iraq, car bombs kill at least 14 people, injured dozens more. Two of the bombs went off within a half hour of each other in northern Baghdad. A third blast happened in Karbala.
HARRIS: A 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook southeastern Iran this morning, several buildings and roads are damaged. Early reports out of the region say more than 70 people were hurt.
A polygamous sex leader is the latest addition to the FBI's 10 most wanted list. Warren Jeffs heads the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He's wanted in Arizona on criminal charges of sexual conduct with a minor. He's also accused of arranging marriages between underage girls and older men.
LONG: There's a top job opening in Washington, the position, director of the CIA. We expect an official announcement tomorrow on the president's choice to lead the spy agency. White House correspondent Elaine Quijano joins us now live from Washington with a look at what's ahead.
Good morning, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Melissa. That's right, senior administration officials say that President Bush has settled on Air Force General Michael Hayden as his choice for a CIA director and that an announcement is planned for tomorrow. Now, Hayden is the deputy director of National Intelligence. He's also the highest-ranking military intelligence officer in the armed forces. Those who know Hayden and his work say he is well qualified for the job.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, FMR. INTERIM CIA DIRECTOR: If general Hayden is the choice, he would be a very good one. He's an experienced intelligence professional. He has the qualification, very important, of having run a large intelligence organization, the National Security Agency. He is very good with situations that require innovation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now meantime, the outgoing CIA director, Porter Goss, still not offering an explanation about why he has decided to leave the agency, but intelligence sources say what led to the decision were turf wars between Goss and the man that he reported to, John Negroponte, the director of National Intelligence. That Goss opposed plans to move staff and duties from the CIA to other intelligence agencies. Goss meantime, says he plans to stay on over the next few weeks to help with the transition -- Melissa.
LONG: Well, General Hayden, once again, what are his chances of getting confirmed?
QUIJANO: Well, it's an interesting question, it really depends on just how far democrats plan to press him, particularly because he was the head of the NSA, the National Security Agency, which implemented that controversial domestic spy program. General Hayden has certainly defended that and at the same time, the White House, interestingly, has been eager to engage on this issue in the past because this is a president and an administration that feels it has done well on national security issues.
But, we'll wait to see what democrats have to say. Already we have heard from democrat Senator Russ Feingold. He said he'd be concerned about a Hayden nomination. We can expect to hear from other democrats on this, but whether they feel that they have enough to go so far as to filibuster a Hayden nomination remains to be seen -- Melissa.
LONG: Elaine Quijano, live from Washington. Thank you, Elaine.
And we will learn more about the changes at the CIA coming up today on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." Wolf Blitzer is live, and in the house -- that's something Tony would say -- he's working hard for a jam-packed show this morning. Mr. Blitzer will be speaking with intelligence committee members Senator Pat Roberts and Congresswoman Jane Harman. And again, "Late Edition" airs this morning, 11:00 Eastern -- Tony.
HARRIS: You're going to love the next story. Cheerleaders are the people sports fans turn to for hope. This morning, we bring you the story of some cheerleaders who needed their own spirits lifted and when they got that extra help, something remarkable happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): In 2002, they were the best in the country, the University of West Georgia cheerleaders, Division II Champions. But to really appreciate where they were headed, you had to know where they had been.
CHAD HAUCK, CHEERLEADER: We're on the way to camp and we're all asleep on the bus ride. One of the coaches was driving, and we hear a loud explosion, and we look up, and the van veers off the road, and it flips, and starts throwing us out.
HARRIS: 1997, about 3:00 a.m., two van loads of west Georgia cheer leaders were headed from Carrollton outside of Atlanta to a training camp in South Carolina. One of the vans flipped over, just outside Augusta, Georgia. It was driven by Coach Stephanie Shaw. Cheerleader Chad Hauck was a passenger.
HAUCK: I was actually the first one thrown out, so, they didn't really know exactly how fast it was going, they predicted it was going over 100.
HARRIS: Shaw and cheerleaders Diondre (ph) Hamilton died that night. A second crew member, Chad Hauck's best friend, Michael Massa (ph) died a week later. Chad's injuries were extensive.
HAUCK: I was bedridden for three or four weeks before I could get out of bed, and then the first place I actually could walk to was my best friend's funeral.
HARRIS: West Georgia's longtime athletic director and men's basketball coach, Ed Murphy was devastated.
ED MURPHY, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, UWG: When you lose cheerleaders, you lose your best people. I mean, you say that they're the most popular kids or they wouldn't be -- they were the some of the most popular kids in high school or some of the most popular, they're all bright kids and, you know, in order to participate. So, it's even -- it's terribly tragic. And everyone took it hard, everyone did whatever they could.
HARRIS: Michael and Sherry Cooney arrived on campus the night before the accident. Sherrie recalls how her husband spent his first day on the job as assistant athletic director.
SHERRY COONEY, CHEERLEADER COACH, UWG: I remember a lot of confusion and I just remember, you know, Michael and Coach Murphy being up here at the athletic department all day, I guess, dealing with parents and with media. I have two little kids, so I was at home with them, and I wasn't the cheerleading coach at that time.
HARRIS: Murphy asked Sherry, a former cheerleading coach at George Mason University, to take over the squad until a permanent replacement could be found.
MURPHY: And I knew she had the cheerleading background, I had been told that, and also had a degree in counseling, and -- but she was not intended to ever work with our cheerleaders, she was going to get another job and go on with her counseling career and do that.
HARRIS: That was eight years ago. Today, she's still the coach.
Remember that championship the team won in 2002? They did it again the next year -- and the next and the next and the next.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They came home with the hardware. Here are your five-time UCA national champion cheerleaders, the West Georgia Braves!
HARRIS: Five years in a row. But it's that first one that carries a very special memory.
COONEY: I did go back to that day, just briefly, because Chad was on that team. You know, and knowing that for him it was a very different moment for him than it was for everybody else on the team, because he was the only one who'd been in the accident, you know, who would then win the championship.
HAUCK: I still have those scars and memories with me. I have scars on my body that are daily reminders of it, but I wouldn't say that I dwell on it or I'm stuck in the past. I feel like I've done a good job of moving forward.
HARRIS: Coach Murphy says the accident changed the campus forever. MURPHY: Well, I think that it's, you know, it's that reminder and we became very conscious of, you know, that horrific things could happen, you know, and that -- but I think there was no -- there was no lasting, terrible effect, as you've seen what happened with the cheerleaders, more of a testament to the human spirit that we came back from it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And when we come back, we'll talk live with the writer and the producer of the movie about those courageous cheerleaders. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here are your five-time UCA National Championship cheerleaders, the West Georgia, Braves!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And joining knee how is Sam Hansly, and he is the screenwriter for a story that he hopes will be turned into a movie. You're determined, aren't you?
SAM HANSLEY, WRITER, PRODUCER: Yes, sir, I certainly am.
HARRIS: You are determined to make it. A Georgia native...
HANSLEY: Yes sir.
HARRIS: From Marietta?
HANSLEY: That's correct.
HARRIS: Not far from where we are right now, up 75 a couple of minutes. How did you learn of this story?
HANSLEY: Well, Richard Nicks, who is a resident of Georgia, where these events took place, actually went to the same high school that I went to, had gotten into film production, a totally different path from mine, but he called me out of the blue one day and said that the university had contacted him and said we have this story. We don't have any idea whether it would make a good movie, but we'd like the find out. Richard called me, and pitched it to me, I immediately said not only do I want to help produce it, but I'd love to write it, it's very inspiring.
HARRIS: Well, why that choice? You could have produced it and that could have been enough. That's a big enough job in and of itself...
HANSLEY: It is.
HARRIS: Few things tougher than writing, completing, finishing, polishing a screenplay. Why did you choose to take on that task?
HANSLEY: Well, that's what I love to do. I mean, that's my artistic expression.
HARRIS: Yes.
HANSLEY: You know, producing is more the business end of things and obviously absolutely essential to getting a movie made, but I responded so strongly to this story, and what these kids went through and what they accomplished in the wake of this tragedy.
HARRIS: Yeah.
HANSLEY: That I felt likely to be a part of it as the screenwriter.
HARRIS: In the research process, in getting all the raw material, and it's pretty raw.
HANSLEY: Yes.
HARRIS: To write this screenplay, I understand that there were some survivors who were open about talking to you.
HANSLEY: Yes.
HARRIS: Others weren't so open to talk to you. What was that experience like of just getting the raw material that you need to craft the story?
HANSLEY: It was a real challenge. And I had never written a script based on true events before, especially not something that had this element of tragedy to it.
HARRIS: Yeah.
HANSLEY: And one of the things we said when we started out on this project is that we were going to be very sensitive to the desires of those that wanted to be involved and maybe those that just didn't. And, so, we had to remain true to the essential story, while at the same time being sensitive to the fact that a lot of these people are still living in the aftermath of this, and will for the rest of their lives.
HARRIS: Chad Houck.
HANSLEY: Yes. HARRIS: Recovered and performed as a senior on the team that won the first national championships.
HANSLEY: That's correct.
HARRIS: What in -- talk to us about what an inspirational story this kid's life has turned into.
HANSLEY: Oh, I just -- I think it speaks for itself. The fact that he was one of these that really wanted to go for it and wanted to try something that this squad had never attempted, even before the accident.
HARRIS: Yes.
HANSLEY: And do something that would make this accident not the defining event of their lives. What has become the defining event of their lives and of the whole West Georgia community and that whole university over there and this has been spearheaded by Dr. Sethna, who's the president of the college and the university, who -- they just welcomed us with open arms because they want to tell this story and reflect what Chad and these other kids have accomplished.
HARRIS: Not an easy road you've chosen to go as an independent producer to make this happen. Talk to us about the big-name, executive producer, who has signed on to help you steer this project.
HANSLEY: Yes, yes. Well, actually, as you know, "Mission Impossible: III" opened this weekend. It's a great movie, it's a lot of fun, by the way, go see it if you haven't seen it. Stratton Leopold who is the executive producer of "Mission Impossible: III" has come on as the producer of this project which means he will help put together the creative elements and maybe take us into a studio with this project.
HARRIS: Still no guarantee, but you are convinced, you are determined to see this story produced into a film. Tell us why. What is it about the story of these kids that will make us glad that we spent two hours in a theater getting to know these kids and learning the story?
HANSLEY: Right. I think what drew me to it is this lesson that by need to hear again and, again, that the tragedies that we face in life, the bad experiences usually are not quite to this extreme, but we all deal with them. They do not have to define our future. We can overcome those. We can make a choice, a conscious choice, to overcome those things and to live a productive and sometimes even triumphant life, like these kid did.
HARRIS: Yeah.
HANSLEY: I think it's just a message that we cannot hear too much of.
HARRIS: And very quickly, if they make the movie about Jason McElwain (ph) -- we love that story, the story about the kid -- the autistic kid making the six three pointers -- you got to make this movie, don't you think so?
HANSLEY: Yes. Absolutely. Yes.
HARRIS: They need to make this movie.
HANSLEY: Yes. From your mouth to the studio's ears.
HARRIS: Sam, great to meet you.
HANSLEY: Great to meet you
HARRIS: And the best with the film. I can't wait to see it, you would like to start shooting this fall? The summer? This fall?
HANSLEY: Probably late summer, early fall would be our goal for a 2007 release.
HARRIS: And the best with it.
HANSLEY: Thank you very much.
HARRIS: "Cheer the Braves" Sam Hansley, writer, producer, and I can't wait to see it. Thanks, Sam.
HANSLEY: Pleasure to be here. Thank you.
HARRIS: Melissa.
LONG: Tony, during your segment you were talking about "M:I:III," well, will meeting expectations be an impossible mission for "Mission Impossible: III"? The Tom Cruise big-budget summer blockbuster premiered this weekend and took in a reported $17 million at the box office Friday night. That's not enough for a lot of industry watchers. And opening night, often a huge indicator of how well the movie will do.
Friday night at the movies brought out Mr. Cruise and girlfriend Katie Holmes for the first time since the birth of the couple's baby. They walked the red carpet, the new mom left baby Suri behind. And a fan asked about the baby weight, and Holmes responded that she hadn't lost that much yet.
A special guest is up early with us on CNN SUNDAY MORNING. He anchors "The Situation room," "Late Edition." anything else we asked him to do, is that really true? Wolf Blitzer joins us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LONG: And now it's time to check in with Howard Kurtz in Washington to see what's ahead on CNN's "Reliable Sources."
Good morning, Howard.
HOWARD KURTZ, "RELIABLE SOURCES": Good morning, Melissa. Coming up the press pounces on the Patrick Kennedy car crash. We'll talk about that. The resignation of the CIA director, the heckling of Donald Rumsfeld, and the media's latest obsession: rising gas prices. Plus "New York Times" editor, Bill Keller on critics who say his paper shouldn't publish classified information. And the great merry-go- round from politics to the press and back again, a long tradition. All ahead on "Reliable Sources."
LONG: Thank you, Howard. Busy morning, huh?
HARRIS: You want to talk about busy morning, Howard Kurtz there, in Washington, Wolf Blitzer usually in Washington. Oh, hi, Wolf. Good to see you. Joining us here in Atlanta, "Late Edition" coming up in, oh, at 11:00 Eastern Time, here. Great to see you. First of all, you were here last night, invited by the Atlanta Press Club to offer the keynote, and we missed it because we got up pretty early.
(CROSSTALK)
LONG: You weren't supposed to admit that.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST. "THE SITUATION ROOM": You guys got to get up early in the morning.
HARRIS: But I have notes. I have notes. So it's great to have you.
BLITZER: It was a brilliant presentation.
HARRIS: From what I understand, by all accounts.
BLITZER: That's what they are telling me.
HARRIS: By all accounts. But you have a big show coming up at 11:00 this morning. Give us a show of what's coming up on "Late Edition."
BLITZER: Well, the shake-up over at the CIA, Porter Goss out, possibly Michael Hayden, general, in. We're going to speak with then of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Pat Roberts and the ranking Democrat in the House Intelligence Committee, Jane Harman. They know what's going on inside the world of America's spy agencies and we're going to get their sense of what's going on.
HARRIS: Do you get a sense that we will learn from them the real answer to the question of why Porter Goss is helping down? I know you'll ask the question.
BLITZER: I think there's -- you know, there are layers and layers and layers, as there is...
HARRIS: Yeah.
BLITZER: ...in any good spy novel. And in this, we'll get one layer. There will be more layers that will unfold, I suspect, in the days and weeks to come.
LONG: A lot of people weighing in on why they think Mr. Goss resigned on Friday. BLITZER: It's a tough agency, the CIA.
HARRIS: Tell me about it. And here's the thing, it's been our e-mail question of the morning, and if you wouldn't mind, we want to share some of the thoughts of viewers and get your reaction some of what we're getting from our viewers to the question of -- you know, are you concerned about the changes underway now at the CIA?
LONG: Here's a comment from William Carlton. He writes in, "I think that the changes in the CIA are a welcome change but the public." William says that the CIA is "one of those departments that needs a regular rotation of upper executive authority." Interesting comment.
HARRIS: Yeah. Yeah. And this...
BLITZER: It needs a regular rotation, but it also needs stability and continuity. It needs leadership that's in place. And one of the things that Porter Goss did when came in only 19 months ago, shake things up and a lot of the senior personnel who had been there for -- some of them for decades they were sort of pushed out or forced out or whatever. And, you know, if you're going to -- you can't just have low-level people who are good, you need the senior people who are good, and they've spent decades with that experience, and you can't go on. This is the front line of America's defense right now. Good intelligence, you want to prevent acts of terror, you got to infiltrate the bad guys and you need a good spy agency to do that.
HARRIS: Well actually, I like this one from N. Green, Pennsylvania, because I think this gets us to what might be contentious confirmation hearings. "He testified in front of a Congressional Committee, aired on C-Span. He was responsible for NSA wiretapping on the public...and supports it. We don't need someone like that as director of CIA, taking away more of our rights."
And I think that does sort of speak to what might lie ahead.
BLITZER: The confirmation process, Tony and Melissa, this could be lively. Because General Hayden was among those most ardently in support of the warrantless wiretaps and he ran the National Security Agency when it started. He supports it. He's been out in front, and the e-mailer is absolutely right -- he was out in this committee, and we covered it extensively. He's one of the most ardent supporters of this program and he's going to be grilled on it.
HARRIS: Yeah. And there's one more from Carlton. Do we have that one? Do we have it up on the screen there?
HARRIS: No? OK.
LONG: Well, we shared this one earlier.
HARRIS: This is the one you handled had earlier?
LONG: Yeah, this is the one we had earlier. HARRIS: OK. Great. So those are some of the concerns and some of the questions and some of the answers that we're getting, some of the thoughts of our viewers this morning to our e-mail question. Great to see you, Wolf. Looking forward to "Late Edition" at 11:00.
BLITZER: One hour or so from now.
HARRIS: We have another moment here.
LONG: We're surrounded by wolves.
HARRIS: We're dancing with wolves this morning. Wolf Blitzer and, may I introduce you to Reynolds Wolf.
BLITZER: Reynolds Wolf.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We've got them surrounded, right where we want them, they are right here in the middle.
BLITZER: The wolfpack.
HARRIS: The wolfpack. There you go. Good to see you. So we're checking the nation's weather forecast one final time before we say goodbye and bring in Howard Kurtz and "Reliable Sources."
WOLF: Absolutely. All right, the big trouble spot that we have is in the southeast some scattered showers and storms -- it's great being here with another wolf. It's wonderful. I'm sorry, folks.
LONG: It's comforting. Is that it?
WOLF: This is a big moment. Absolutely. This is a -- wait until we mark our territory.
HARRIS: Oh no.
WOLF: I'm sorry, I had to throw that in.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Thank you.
WOLF: You bet.
HARRIS: And, Mr. Blitzer, terrific last night.
BLITZER: Thank you.
HARRIS: Terrific last night. And there are so many highlights to your career, but one of the moments you point to, we've got some video to support this, and we want you to talk about it -- your interview with Nelson Mandela. Talk to us about why that goes to the top of the list for you.
BLITZER: It was 1998. I was in Cape Town covering President Clint's visit to South Africa, and the day before I spent some time with the President Mandela in his home in the presidential mansion, in Cape Town. And he had given us a tour of Robin Island, where he had spent some two decades as a political prisoner under the apartheid regime, and this is a man that could have been so bitter, could have been so angry. The transition from apartheid to a democracy in South Africa could have been ugly and violent and civil war and a lot of killing. Because of his leadership, Nelson Mandela, and his willingness to move on and to do it in peaceful way, that country managed that transition remarkably. So it was a moving moment in my career, and I got that interview with him...
HARRIS: Thanks a lot.
BLITZER: ...and I was thrilled by it.
HARRIS: Appreciate it. See you in an hour?
BLITZER: See you.
HARRIS: "Reliable Sources" is next.
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