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CNN Saturday Morning News
Bush Says Job Numbers Show Steady Growth; Serial Child Molester Captured in Guatemala; Legal Briefs: Legal Rights for Detainees, Jurors Asking Questions
Aired July 03, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, ANCHOR: Nine hundred million miles from Earth NASA scientists have found something that looks like smog. NASA experts say images from the Cassini spacecraft showed the surface of Saturn's moon Titan is very murky. Titan is the only moon in the solar system with its own atmosphere.
Coalition soldiers uncovered a car bomb factory with four vehicles apparently being modified from bomb attacks. A separate raid uncovered a cache of grenade launchers and explosives.
And once again, sabotage is blamed for an oil pipeline fire in southern Iraq. Fire is raging in one of two large pipelines on the al-Faw Peninsula that feeds Iraq's export terminals on the Gulf. Both pipelines were shut down by similar attacks last month.
DREW GRIFFIN, ANCHOR: Our top story this hour, it's all in the numbers. A single lottery ticket wins a record $290 million mega- jackpot. The numbers drawn last night in New York's Times Square: 10, 25, 38, 39, 50, a mega ball of 12.
Despite 135 million to one odds, the record jackpot even lured ticket buyers who usually don't play the lottery. The winning ticket was sold in Massachusetts.
NGUYEN: I admit, I ran out, but of course I didn't win, like so many others.
Well, the news across America this morning, police say an angry employee at a meat packing plant in Kansas City opened fire on his co- workers yesterday, killing four, then seemingly turning the gun on himself. We'll have the latest on this with a live report. That's coming up.
And in Alaska, battling the blaze. Several large wildfires are burning in the eastern part of the state, and areas north of the Alaska Range and east of Big Delta. Officials say smoky conditions are making it hard to fight this fire. Check out the fire. The state has issued an air quality alert for the affected regions.
And there's smoke and fire as well in Arizona. Almost 1,000 firefighters are tackling a wildfire there that's beating a path to the community of Payson. The blaze has scorched 65,000 acres so far and is within four miles of a community of 14,000 residents.
GRIFFIN: We begin with job growth in the U.S. The government says 100,000 new jobs created in June, positive growth, but fewer than forecast.
Elaine Quijano is at the White House this holiday weekend.
Good morning, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Drew.
Steady and strong. That is how President Bush says that he sees the numbers, even after the disappointing show yesterday on the new job growth figures that were less than what some economists had forecasted.
And speaking yesterday at the White House here to small business owners, the president maintained that, thanks to his administration's fiscal policies, the overall economic picture is encouraging.
Now, even though yesterday's Labor Department figures on new jobs, 112,000 created in June, amount to less than half of what analysts had forecast, White House officials say that the unemployment rate is holding steady at 5.6 percent and is below the average of the 1970s, '80s and '90s.
President -- President Bush says that there has been consistent progress, and he points to ten consecutive months of job growth with 1.5 million new jobs created.
President Bush also yesterday repeated a call to Congress for help in strengthening the economy by making tax cuts permanent, by adopting a national energy policy and by reducing what the administration calls frivolous lawsuits.
Democrats, meantime, in terms of the job numbers, maintain that the figures are a disappointment. They continue to argue that there is a jobs deficit, that the amount of jobs created is not enough to offset the number of jobs that have been lost since President Bush took office -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Elaine, thank you for that.
If you're among those playing guessing games in this year's Democratic vice president stakes, you might want to stay close to your computer. Published reports say that in a first for a presidential campaign, Senator John Kerry says he's going to make his announcement of a running mate on the Web. The first to find out: reporters who signed up on his Web site, JohnKerry.com. Sounds like a Yahoo! Ad here.
Others tell CNN Kerry could announce his choice as early as this week -- Betty.
NGUYEN: A serial child molester is behind bars in Arlington, Virginia, just days after fleeing the country. Even the anonymity of Central America offered little sanctuary.
Gail Pennybacker of affiliate WJLA explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GAIL PENNYBACKER, WJLA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Days after he arrived in the central American nation of Guatemala, law enforcement authorities here and there were hunting for Thomas Koucky.
The 41-year-old convicted child molester was apparently hiding in a tenement apartment in a rundown section outside Guatemala City. Just after dawn, agents with the Diplomatic Security Service and local Guatemalan police arrested Koucky. He did not put up a struggle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no altercation. There was no violence. It was -- he just walked out and surrendered.
PENNYBACKER: Thomas Koucky comes back to Arlington, Virginia, to face charges that he had a sexual relationship several years ago with a 13-year-old boy.
Despite having previous convictions on child molestation charges in Maryland and Florida, a judge in Arlington released him on a low bond. Days later, Koucky left the country and traveled to Guatemala.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The U.S. Marshal's service in partnership with Arlington Police Department and the Diplomatic Security Service was able to return Mr. Koucky back to Arlington County to face justice.
PENNYBACKER: According to court documents Koucky admits to having abused some 300 teen boys. Police are getting new information about more of those victims.
In the meantime, there is relief in this community that Koucky is in custody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is guilty, that he never can do anything like this again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And authorities say Koucky flew from Atlanta to Guatemala City on June 24. Arlington police got that crucial piece of information from the U.S. Customs Service on Thursday -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: We are looking for the winner, Betty, or winners of the gigantic mega-millions jackpot this morning, and curious what someone might do with all of that $290 million.
NGUYEN: I know what I'd do!
GRIFFIN: If you want to tell us what you'll do, Betty, you can e-mail us at WAM -- Weekend AM at CNN.com, and we'll share your thoughts on the air later on.
And jury duty could get a lot more interesting. Imagine if you got to ask the questions yourself. We're going to explore that in "Legal Briefs" later on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Good morning. After yesterday's rain delay, Wimbledon's semifinals starts back up today in the women's courts. No. 1 ranked Serena Williams is going for a Wimbledon hat trick against Moscow's 17-year-old Maria Sharapova.
And good morning to you, Atlantic City. We will have your complete forecast. That is just ahead.
NGUYEN: And here's a reminder. This morning's e-mail question comes amid news that there is a single Mega Millions winner. We are asking you this question: "What would you do? How would you spend $290 million?
Send us your lottery dreams at wam@cnn.com, and we'll read those responses on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Drew Griffin.
Police say a quiet man with an attitude problem turned a meatpacking plant into a slaughterhouse yesterday. One person described the scene as just short of hell. Five are dead, perhaps including the shooter himself.
Michele Rooney of CNN affiliate KNBC is in Edwardsville, Kansas, with the latest on this -- Michelle.
MICHELE ROONEY, KNBC CORRESPONDENT: Hi. This is the latest from the scene this morning. We are awaiting an official news briefing from Kansas City, Kansas, police this morning, where we expect to learn more about the victims and perhaps the shooter, as well.
At this moment in time, as you can see, security remains quite tight here outside the Conagra plant. No one seen coming or going through much of the night and early morning hours here.
All of this, as you said, following that shooting rampage shortly after 5 p.m. yesterday evening.
Police say the man believed to be a disgruntled employee walked into a cafeteria and began shooting on coworkers. They say he carried more than one weapon. Five people are confirmed dead. That does include the gunman. Three still injured this morning.
It was a very long night for friends and family members, waiting to hear whether their loved one, who was an employee here, was one of dead or injured. Reports are it took about four hours to identify the dead and to interview all of the witnesses. Many family members standing outside the plant last night waiting on word.
Now, the investigation into exactly what happened and why does continue at this hour. We will continue to bring you the very latest from here, outside the Conagra plant, as more information becomes available.
Back to you.
GRIFFIN: Michele, thank you for that report. We'll look forward to that later in the day.
ROONEY: All right.
NGUYEN: Here's a question: what would the U.S. legal system be like if jurors were allowed to ask questions? Kobe Bryant may be about to find out. That headlines our "Legal Briefs" this weekend, along with the first steps to trial for detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, after a significant decision from the Supreme Court this week.
From Houston, we have former Texas prosecutor Nelda Blair, and from Miami, civil rights attorney Lida Rodriguez-Taseff. Good morning to both of you.
NELDA BLAIR, FORMER TEXAS PROSECUTOR: Good morning.
LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Good morning.
NGUYEN: Well, let's start with these Supreme Court cases. In the case of Yasser Hamdi, he's an American citizen who was captured on the battlefields in Afghanistan. The court ruled that he has the right to challenge the legality of him being detained. Is this a fair decision? Let's start with you, Nelda.
BLAIR: I do not think so. I do not agree with it at all. In fact, it was a very split decision, 6-3. And I agree with the dissenters.
The reason is these are enemies of freedom. These are people that were fighting for the Taliban, fighting for al Qaeda, that were captured or taken into custody in Afghanistan, for the most part.
And to afford them rights, affords rights to people who are terrorists against the security of our country, like the people who blew up the World Trade Center, attacked the Twin Towers. That is the type of people that we are giving rights to. I do not agree with it.
NGUYEN: Lida?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Oh, you've got to be kidding, Nelda. This early in the morning? This was an 8-1 decision, really.
BLAIR: No, sir.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Because the majority, eight people said he was entitled to a hearing.
Now, this is a guy who is an American citizen, who was held because some government bureaucrat wrote nine paragraphs, nine paragraphs in a memo saying, we're going to hold him. And that was enough to hold him indefinitely?
BLAIR: Lida...
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: No. Impossible. That's un-American. It goes against everything that we stand for.
And the court didn't say, open up the doors to the jailhouse and let all these people out. All the court said was, give them legal process.
BLAIR: But they already had legal process.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Give me a break! Legal process. Nine paragraphs?
BLAIR: They already had legal process in the military.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Where?
BLAIR: As a matter of fact, they have an annual review of each and every detainee at Guantanamo Bay, which is where they are.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: An annual review of the government saying, "We're holding you because we say so," without a court looking at it? That's not judicial process, and you know it.
BLAIR: I hate to tell you Lida, but the federal court is the government as well. But nonetheless, these are people that are out to get Americans like you and me, Lida.
NGUYEN: Speaking of that, ladies. Let's talk about the legal process for those detained at Guantanamo Bay.
The U.S. Supreme Court says U.S. laws do apply. So therefore, we've already seen attorneys file nine petitions for these detainees. Does this, and we'll start with you, Nelda, because you have a very strong opinion on this, does this hinder the U.S.' ability to interrogate during a time of war?
BLAIR: Well, sure. Because there literally will be, most likely, hundreds of these suits filed. Hundreds of detainees that will be now represented in federal court.
We've got to decide where they're going to have these hearings, when they're going to have these hearings, what lawyers are going to handle these hearings for the government. Absolutely they will be stretched thin.
Not only that, do we take federal judges out to Guantanamo Bay to hear this or do we bring those terrorists onto our own soil, into our own cities, into our own courtrooms to hear them?
I think that it's going to make things very difficult for all of the procedures at Guantanamo Bay. Not just the court procedures.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: You've got to be kidding, Nelda?
BLAIR: I'm not kidding. RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: The sky is -- The sky is not falling! This happens all the time. You give people judicial process. You give them hearings. You make logistical arrangements about where you're going to have those hearings, whether the no-man's-land, Guantanamo Bay or whether you bring them to the U.S.
No big deal. The hearings will be had. The government's already announced that it may very well release people who don't pose a threat. And if they're going to release people, then you'll have hearings on the rest. And if people should be held, they will be held.
All this is really about is due process. That's it.
BLAIR: We'll see.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Very basic concept. Very American concept.
BLAIR: We'll see, Lida.
NGUYEN: Well, let's shift gears a little and talk about Colorado. Now it appears that jurors can ask written questions during criminal trials. This could affect the Kobe Bryant trial.
Let's start with you, Lida. Is this going to slow down the process?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Oh, it will bring justice to a screeching halt. This is a bad idea.
Jurors are supposed to listen to the evidence, listen to the argument and make decisions based on what they hear. They're not investigators. We don't hand them little Ziploc bags and send them out to the crime scene to take a look at the evidence. That's the job of the cops. That's the job of the police.
There is a reason why jurors are not investigators. We wouldn't very well sit here and say, "Oh, why don't we just put the cops on the jury and solve the problem?" At least that way you'll have professional investigators.
Jurors are supposed to be listening to evidence, not investigating the case. The two don't go together. It's not fair to the defendant, and it's really not fair to the process.
NGUYEN: Nelda, will jurors -- will prosecutors get a clue as to where this case is going? Does this give them an undue advantage, on -- actually on either side?
BLAIR: Oh, no. Yes, I think it gives the defense an undue disadvantage.
And Lida, welcome to the conservative side this morning. I completely agree with you. This will be a bad thing for the justice system. Lawyers are trained for years. We have procedural rules. We have evidentiary rules and for hundreds of years, we've been fine- tuning the justice system.
And now we're going to have lay people on the jury, who granted make the decision, but they're going to ask questions? And look at this. One of the first cases is going to be the Kobe Bryant case? Imagine what questions those jurors may ask.
The only person it gives an edge to is the defendant, the criminal, and that is because it muddies the waters, and the more a defense lawyer can confuse things, the better.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Oh, my God, amen, Nelda. You and I agree. The sky is falling!
NGUYEN: You finally agree, but you say it may take a little extra time, but it's going to be due process. And also I must say, Lida, you're saying that it's really going to kind of string out the case...
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Yes, yes.
NGUYEN: ... to which people are out there being the investigators?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Absolutely. You know, part of the problem here, which is -- which is what's troubling is they've already tried this, and it lengthens trials.
But the other thing it does is look, the job of an investigator is to get at the truth. And some of our rules, including the right of a defendant to remain silent are not designed to get at the truth. They're designed to create rights we believe are important.
So when you have a juror going, "I want to hear from this defendant," and the defendant going, "I want to exercise my right to remain silent," you know that juror is going to make a negative inference.
BLAIR: Absolutely.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: And the same thing with the prosecution.
BLAIR: Same thing. And actually, any question that a juror asks. If it's an improper question and the judge does not allow an answer, because these will be written questions submitted to the judge.
So if the judge says, "No, we're not going to have that answered," don't you think that that juror and the jurors that he talks to are going to wonder, "Why can't they answer that question? I must know the answer."
And that will make things -- They'll be basing their opinion and their decisions on facts that they should not be basing them on, not on what the attorneys represent.
So it's -- I think it will be very confusing. I think it will not be a good thing for any criminal trial.
NGUYEN: All right. Nelda Blair, Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, we thank you both this morning.
BLAIR: Thank you.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Drew.
GRIFFIN: Ladies. On this Fourth of July weekend when we celebrate, among other things, our legal rights, it is easy to think about fun in the sun. But don't forget about the possible consequences. "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the fight against skin cancer.
And you still have a chance to get an e-mail to us. If you were holding that $290 million mega jackpot ticket what would you do with the money? And if you won, tell us what you will do with the money.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING, and good morning, Atlantic City. This is from our affiliate WPVI. What a beautiful sight. This is the beach town. And we have Jill Brown on deck with much more on that forecast, and the forecast around the nation.
First, though, the headlines.
One lucky person or a group of persons is holding the winning ticket for the record $290 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot. And the winning numbers are, 10, 25, 38, 39, 50, and the mega ball was number 12. The winning ticket in the 11-state drawing was bought in Massachusetts.
Millions of people are on the move this holiday weekend, one spending that money but the others, according to AAA, 87 percent or at least 34 million of them will travel the highways. Gasoline is averaging about $1.90 a gallon nation-wide.
And in Kansas, investigators are trying to understand why an employee opened fire on co-workers at a meat packing plant. When it was over, five people, including the gunman, at the Conagra Foods plant were dead. Three were injured.
GRIFFIN: We want to check with the weather forecast on this holiday weekend across the U.S., and Jill Brown is in the weather center with that.
Good morning, Jill.
(WEATHER REPORT)
GRIFFIN: Thank you, Jill.
NGUYEN: Well, speaking of the Fourth of July, someone has a lot of money to play with this holiday weekend, and we are asking you, on the heels ever this Mega Millions drawing, how would you spend $290 million if you had won?
Well, we have one person, Margie from West Palm Beach, Florida. She's very generous and she writes, "If I won the lotto jackpot, I would establish a foundation to benefit public schools. I believe a good public education is the foundation to a strong democracy and would be my windfall to further that cause."
Drew, what would you do if you won $200 -- I mean, of course you didn't, but if you did?
GRIFFIN: After that answer, I'd have to, you know, give some -- I'd have give it to charity.
NGUYEN: You wouldn't spend just a little?
GRIFFIN: Might peel a little bit off.
NGUYEN: Like a boat?
GRIFFIN: Like half.
NGUYEN: A fast car.
GRIFFIN: Not a fast car. A big car with a driver.
There's more ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. At 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. We'll probe the risks of skin cancer and how to stay safe this summer.
At 9:05, we will talk to a soldier en route to Iraq, and we'll hear how a community enabled some Louisiana soldiers to see their families before being deployed there.
And at 9:30 a.m., what's more American than baseball on this Fourth of July weekend? Bob Novak talks with us at the ballpark with Baltimore Orioles' Rafael Palmeiro.
(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
Aired July 3, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, ANCHOR: Nine hundred million miles from Earth NASA scientists have found something that looks like smog. NASA experts say images from the Cassini spacecraft showed the surface of Saturn's moon Titan is very murky. Titan is the only moon in the solar system with its own atmosphere.
Coalition soldiers uncovered a car bomb factory with four vehicles apparently being modified from bomb attacks. A separate raid uncovered a cache of grenade launchers and explosives.
And once again, sabotage is blamed for an oil pipeline fire in southern Iraq. Fire is raging in one of two large pipelines on the al-Faw Peninsula that feeds Iraq's export terminals on the Gulf. Both pipelines were shut down by similar attacks last month.
DREW GRIFFIN, ANCHOR: Our top story this hour, it's all in the numbers. A single lottery ticket wins a record $290 million mega- jackpot. The numbers drawn last night in New York's Times Square: 10, 25, 38, 39, 50, a mega ball of 12.
Despite 135 million to one odds, the record jackpot even lured ticket buyers who usually don't play the lottery. The winning ticket was sold in Massachusetts.
NGUYEN: I admit, I ran out, but of course I didn't win, like so many others.
Well, the news across America this morning, police say an angry employee at a meat packing plant in Kansas City opened fire on his co- workers yesterday, killing four, then seemingly turning the gun on himself. We'll have the latest on this with a live report. That's coming up.
And in Alaska, battling the blaze. Several large wildfires are burning in the eastern part of the state, and areas north of the Alaska Range and east of Big Delta. Officials say smoky conditions are making it hard to fight this fire. Check out the fire. The state has issued an air quality alert for the affected regions.
And there's smoke and fire as well in Arizona. Almost 1,000 firefighters are tackling a wildfire there that's beating a path to the community of Payson. The blaze has scorched 65,000 acres so far and is within four miles of a community of 14,000 residents.
GRIFFIN: We begin with job growth in the U.S. The government says 100,000 new jobs created in June, positive growth, but fewer than forecast.
Elaine Quijano is at the White House this holiday weekend.
Good morning, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Drew.
Steady and strong. That is how President Bush says that he sees the numbers, even after the disappointing show yesterday on the new job growth figures that were less than what some economists had forecasted.
And speaking yesterday at the White House here to small business owners, the president maintained that, thanks to his administration's fiscal policies, the overall economic picture is encouraging.
Now, even though yesterday's Labor Department figures on new jobs, 112,000 created in June, amount to less than half of what analysts had forecast, White House officials say that the unemployment rate is holding steady at 5.6 percent and is below the average of the 1970s, '80s and '90s.
President -- President Bush says that there has been consistent progress, and he points to ten consecutive months of job growth with 1.5 million new jobs created.
President Bush also yesterday repeated a call to Congress for help in strengthening the economy by making tax cuts permanent, by adopting a national energy policy and by reducing what the administration calls frivolous lawsuits.
Democrats, meantime, in terms of the job numbers, maintain that the figures are a disappointment. They continue to argue that there is a jobs deficit, that the amount of jobs created is not enough to offset the number of jobs that have been lost since President Bush took office -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Elaine, thank you for that.
If you're among those playing guessing games in this year's Democratic vice president stakes, you might want to stay close to your computer. Published reports say that in a first for a presidential campaign, Senator John Kerry says he's going to make his announcement of a running mate on the Web. The first to find out: reporters who signed up on his Web site, JohnKerry.com. Sounds like a Yahoo! Ad here.
Others tell CNN Kerry could announce his choice as early as this week -- Betty.
NGUYEN: A serial child molester is behind bars in Arlington, Virginia, just days after fleeing the country. Even the anonymity of Central America offered little sanctuary.
Gail Pennybacker of affiliate WJLA explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GAIL PENNYBACKER, WJLA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Days after he arrived in the central American nation of Guatemala, law enforcement authorities here and there were hunting for Thomas Koucky.
The 41-year-old convicted child molester was apparently hiding in a tenement apartment in a rundown section outside Guatemala City. Just after dawn, agents with the Diplomatic Security Service and local Guatemalan police arrested Koucky. He did not put up a struggle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no altercation. There was no violence. It was -- he just walked out and surrendered.
PENNYBACKER: Thomas Koucky comes back to Arlington, Virginia, to face charges that he had a sexual relationship several years ago with a 13-year-old boy.
Despite having previous convictions on child molestation charges in Maryland and Florida, a judge in Arlington released him on a low bond. Days later, Koucky left the country and traveled to Guatemala.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The U.S. Marshal's service in partnership with Arlington Police Department and the Diplomatic Security Service was able to return Mr. Koucky back to Arlington County to face justice.
PENNYBACKER: According to court documents Koucky admits to having abused some 300 teen boys. Police are getting new information about more of those victims.
In the meantime, there is relief in this community that Koucky is in custody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is guilty, that he never can do anything like this again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And authorities say Koucky flew from Atlanta to Guatemala City on June 24. Arlington police got that crucial piece of information from the U.S. Customs Service on Thursday -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: We are looking for the winner, Betty, or winners of the gigantic mega-millions jackpot this morning, and curious what someone might do with all of that $290 million.
NGUYEN: I know what I'd do!
GRIFFIN: If you want to tell us what you'll do, Betty, you can e-mail us at WAM -- Weekend AM at CNN.com, and we'll share your thoughts on the air later on.
And jury duty could get a lot more interesting. Imagine if you got to ask the questions yourself. We're going to explore that in "Legal Briefs" later on.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Good morning. After yesterday's rain delay, Wimbledon's semifinals starts back up today in the women's courts. No. 1 ranked Serena Williams is going for a Wimbledon hat trick against Moscow's 17-year-old Maria Sharapova.
And good morning to you, Atlantic City. We will have your complete forecast. That is just ahead.
NGUYEN: And here's a reminder. This morning's e-mail question comes amid news that there is a single Mega Millions winner. We are asking you this question: "What would you do? How would you spend $290 million?
Send us your lottery dreams at wam@cnn.com, and we'll read those responses on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Drew Griffin.
Police say a quiet man with an attitude problem turned a meatpacking plant into a slaughterhouse yesterday. One person described the scene as just short of hell. Five are dead, perhaps including the shooter himself.
Michele Rooney of CNN affiliate KNBC is in Edwardsville, Kansas, with the latest on this -- Michelle.
MICHELE ROONEY, KNBC CORRESPONDENT: Hi. This is the latest from the scene this morning. We are awaiting an official news briefing from Kansas City, Kansas, police this morning, where we expect to learn more about the victims and perhaps the shooter, as well.
At this moment in time, as you can see, security remains quite tight here outside the Conagra plant. No one seen coming or going through much of the night and early morning hours here.
All of this, as you said, following that shooting rampage shortly after 5 p.m. yesterday evening.
Police say the man believed to be a disgruntled employee walked into a cafeteria and began shooting on coworkers. They say he carried more than one weapon. Five people are confirmed dead. That does include the gunman. Three still injured this morning.
It was a very long night for friends and family members, waiting to hear whether their loved one, who was an employee here, was one of dead or injured. Reports are it took about four hours to identify the dead and to interview all of the witnesses. Many family members standing outside the plant last night waiting on word.
Now, the investigation into exactly what happened and why does continue at this hour. We will continue to bring you the very latest from here, outside the Conagra plant, as more information becomes available.
Back to you.
GRIFFIN: Michele, thank you for that report. We'll look forward to that later in the day.
ROONEY: All right.
NGUYEN: Here's a question: what would the U.S. legal system be like if jurors were allowed to ask questions? Kobe Bryant may be about to find out. That headlines our "Legal Briefs" this weekend, along with the first steps to trial for detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, after a significant decision from the Supreme Court this week.
From Houston, we have former Texas prosecutor Nelda Blair, and from Miami, civil rights attorney Lida Rodriguez-Taseff. Good morning to both of you.
NELDA BLAIR, FORMER TEXAS PROSECUTOR: Good morning.
LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Good morning.
NGUYEN: Well, let's start with these Supreme Court cases. In the case of Yasser Hamdi, he's an American citizen who was captured on the battlefields in Afghanistan. The court ruled that he has the right to challenge the legality of him being detained. Is this a fair decision? Let's start with you, Nelda.
BLAIR: I do not think so. I do not agree with it at all. In fact, it was a very split decision, 6-3. And I agree with the dissenters.
The reason is these are enemies of freedom. These are people that were fighting for the Taliban, fighting for al Qaeda, that were captured or taken into custody in Afghanistan, for the most part.
And to afford them rights, affords rights to people who are terrorists against the security of our country, like the people who blew up the World Trade Center, attacked the Twin Towers. That is the type of people that we are giving rights to. I do not agree with it.
NGUYEN: Lida?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Oh, you've got to be kidding, Nelda. This early in the morning? This was an 8-1 decision, really.
BLAIR: No, sir.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Because the majority, eight people said he was entitled to a hearing.
Now, this is a guy who is an American citizen, who was held because some government bureaucrat wrote nine paragraphs, nine paragraphs in a memo saying, we're going to hold him. And that was enough to hold him indefinitely?
BLAIR: Lida...
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: No. Impossible. That's un-American. It goes against everything that we stand for.
And the court didn't say, open up the doors to the jailhouse and let all these people out. All the court said was, give them legal process.
BLAIR: But they already had legal process.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Give me a break! Legal process. Nine paragraphs?
BLAIR: They already had legal process in the military.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Where?
BLAIR: As a matter of fact, they have an annual review of each and every detainee at Guantanamo Bay, which is where they are.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: An annual review of the government saying, "We're holding you because we say so," without a court looking at it? That's not judicial process, and you know it.
BLAIR: I hate to tell you Lida, but the federal court is the government as well. But nonetheless, these are people that are out to get Americans like you and me, Lida.
NGUYEN: Speaking of that, ladies. Let's talk about the legal process for those detained at Guantanamo Bay.
The U.S. Supreme Court says U.S. laws do apply. So therefore, we've already seen attorneys file nine petitions for these detainees. Does this, and we'll start with you, Nelda, because you have a very strong opinion on this, does this hinder the U.S.' ability to interrogate during a time of war?
BLAIR: Well, sure. Because there literally will be, most likely, hundreds of these suits filed. Hundreds of detainees that will be now represented in federal court.
We've got to decide where they're going to have these hearings, when they're going to have these hearings, what lawyers are going to handle these hearings for the government. Absolutely they will be stretched thin.
Not only that, do we take federal judges out to Guantanamo Bay to hear this or do we bring those terrorists onto our own soil, into our own cities, into our own courtrooms to hear them?
I think that it's going to make things very difficult for all of the procedures at Guantanamo Bay. Not just the court procedures.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: You've got to be kidding, Nelda?
BLAIR: I'm not kidding. RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: The sky is -- The sky is not falling! This happens all the time. You give people judicial process. You give them hearings. You make logistical arrangements about where you're going to have those hearings, whether the no-man's-land, Guantanamo Bay or whether you bring them to the U.S.
No big deal. The hearings will be had. The government's already announced that it may very well release people who don't pose a threat. And if they're going to release people, then you'll have hearings on the rest. And if people should be held, they will be held.
All this is really about is due process. That's it.
BLAIR: We'll see.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Very basic concept. Very American concept.
BLAIR: We'll see, Lida.
NGUYEN: Well, let's shift gears a little and talk about Colorado. Now it appears that jurors can ask written questions during criminal trials. This could affect the Kobe Bryant trial.
Let's start with you, Lida. Is this going to slow down the process?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Oh, it will bring justice to a screeching halt. This is a bad idea.
Jurors are supposed to listen to the evidence, listen to the argument and make decisions based on what they hear. They're not investigators. We don't hand them little Ziploc bags and send them out to the crime scene to take a look at the evidence. That's the job of the cops. That's the job of the police.
There is a reason why jurors are not investigators. We wouldn't very well sit here and say, "Oh, why don't we just put the cops on the jury and solve the problem?" At least that way you'll have professional investigators.
Jurors are supposed to be listening to evidence, not investigating the case. The two don't go together. It's not fair to the defendant, and it's really not fair to the process.
NGUYEN: Nelda, will jurors -- will prosecutors get a clue as to where this case is going? Does this give them an undue advantage, on -- actually on either side?
BLAIR: Oh, no. Yes, I think it gives the defense an undue disadvantage.
And Lida, welcome to the conservative side this morning. I completely agree with you. This will be a bad thing for the justice system. Lawyers are trained for years. We have procedural rules. We have evidentiary rules and for hundreds of years, we've been fine- tuning the justice system.
And now we're going to have lay people on the jury, who granted make the decision, but they're going to ask questions? And look at this. One of the first cases is going to be the Kobe Bryant case? Imagine what questions those jurors may ask.
The only person it gives an edge to is the defendant, the criminal, and that is because it muddies the waters, and the more a defense lawyer can confuse things, the better.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Oh, my God, amen, Nelda. You and I agree. The sky is falling!
NGUYEN: You finally agree, but you say it may take a little extra time, but it's going to be due process. And also I must say, Lida, you're saying that it's really going to kind of string out the case...
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Yes, yes.
NGUYEN: ... to which people are out there being the investigators?
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Absolutely. You know, part of the problem here, which is -- which is what's troubling is they've already tried this, and it lengthens trials.
But the other thing it does is look, the job of an investigator is to get at the truth. And some of our rules, including the right of a defendant to remain silent are not designed to get at the truth. They're designed to create rights we believe are important.
So when you have a juror going, "I want to hear from this defendant," and the defendant going, "I want to exercise my right to remain silent," you know that juror is going to make a negative inference.
BLAIR: Absolutely.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: And the same thing with the prosecution.
BLAIR: Same thing. And actually, any question that a juror asks. If it's an improper question and the judge does not allow an answer, because these will be written questions submitted to the judge.
So if the judge says, "No, we're not going to have that answered," don't you think that that juror and the jurors that he talks to are going to wonder, "Why can't they answer that question? I must know the answer."
And that will make things -- They'll be basing their opinion and their decisions on facts that they should not be basing them on, not on what the attorneys represent.
So it's -- I think it will be very confusing. I think it will not be a good thing for any criminal trial.
NGUYEN: All right. Nelda Blair, Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, we thank you both this morning.
BLAIR: Thank you.
RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Drew.
GRIFFIN: Ladies. On this Fourth of July weekend when we celebrate, among other things, our legal rights, it is easy to think about fun in the sun. But don't forget about the possible consequences. "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores the fight against skin cancer.
And you still have a chance to get an e-mail to us. If you were holding that $290 million mega jackpot ticket what would you do with the money? And if you won, tell us what you will do with the money.
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NGUYEN: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING, and good morning, Atlantic City. This is from our affiliate WPVI. What a beautiful sight. This is the beach town. And we have Jill Brown on deck with much more on that forecast, and the forecast around the nation.
First, though, the headlines.
One lucky person or a group of persons is holding the winning ticket for the record $290 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot. And the winning numbers are, 10, 25, 38, 39, 50, and the mega ball was number 12. The winning ticket in the 11-state drawing was bought in Massachusetts.
Millions of people are on the move this holiday weekend, one spending that money but the others, according to AAA, 87 percent or at least 34 million of them will travel the highways. Gasoline is averaging about $1.90 a gallon nation-wide.
And in Kansas, investigators are trying to understand why an employee opened fire on co-workers at a meat packing plant. When it was over, five people, including the gunman, at the Conagra Foods plant were dead. Three were injured.
GRIFFIN: We want to check with the weather forecast on this holiday weekend across the U.S., and Jill Brown is in the weather center with that.
Good morning, Jill.
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GRIFFIN: Thank you, Jill.
NGUYEN: Well, speaking of the Fourth of July, someone has a lot of money to play with this holiday weekend, and we are asking you, on the heels ever this Mega Millions drawing, how would you spend $290 million if you had won?
Well, we have one person, Margie from West Palm Beach, Florida. She's very generous and she writes, "If I won the lotto jackpot, I would establish a foundation to benefit public schools. I believe a good public education is the foundation to a strong democracy and would be my windfall to further that cause."
Drew, what would you do if you won $200 -- I mean, of course you didn't, but if you did?
GRIFFIN: After that answer, I'd have to, you know, give some -- I'd have give it to charity.
NGUYEN: You wouldn't spend just a little?
GRIFFIN: Might peel a little bit off.
NGUYEN: Like a boat?
GRIFFIN: Like half.
NGUYEN: A fast car.
GRIFFIN: Not a fast car. A big car with a driver.
There's more ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. At 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. We'll probe the risks of skin cancer and how to stay safe this summer.
At 9:05, we will talk to a soldier en route to Iraq, and we'll hear how a community enabled some Louisiana soldiers to see their families before being deployed there.
And at 9:30 a.m., what's more American than baseball on this Fourth of July weekend? Bob Novak talks with us at the ballpark with Baltimore Orioles' Rafael Palmeiro.
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