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CNN Saturday Morning News
Series Of Explosions Rip Through New Delhi; Special Counsel Investigation Still Plaguing White House; Manager Bobby Cox Helps Animals; Comedy And Harriet Miers; Hurricane Beta Hits Nicaragua and Honduras
Aired October 29, 2005 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And we are following breaking news out of India's capital city this morning. There have been at least four separate explosions in New Delhi. At least two of them were at markets filled with people preparing for India's biggest festival. We'll get a live report from New Delhi in just a minute.
A cautious retreat by Iran after its president said Israel should be wiped from the map. Tehran is softening its rhetoric. A foreign ministry statement says Iran stands by its U.N. commitments and would not use violence against another country. Iran's earlier statement was condemned by the U.N. Security Council and governments across the world.
Three more U.S. troops have died in Iraq. A soldier with Task Force Liberty was killed when his vehicle hit a land mine southwest of Baiji in northern Iraq, and two soldiers died when their patrol struck an improvised explosive device in south Baghdad. The deaths bring to 2,014 the number of U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war.
It is Saturday, October 28th and good morning, everyone from the CNN Center in Atlanta. I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for starting your day with us.
HARRIS: And we begin with more on the breaking news out of India's capital. A series of explosions has rocked New Delhi. At least two of them happened at a crowded market. Let's go to international correspondent Ram Ramgopal for the very latest. And, Ram, what is the latest, please?
RAM RAMGOPAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, just a short time ago, the top minister here for home affairs, which is like an interior ministry position, he's really the person responsible for security. He will address a news conference. He said details were so sketchy as to casualties.
He didn't have any cause of the explosion either, but he did confirm that a number of people have been killed. According to other reports we're getting, 10 to 15 at this stage. Obviously, those numbers could go up. He's appealing to many people who have headed out to the markets either to shop, or in the wake of this incident, people going out to those markets to see what had happened. He's requesting them to head away, head back home. All markets in Delhi have been shut down after the series of explosions. At least four explosions reported here in this evening in India's capital -- Tony.
HARRIS: Ram, did they happen all at the same time or in succession to one another?
RAMGOPAL: It appears to have been in quick succession. We've heard from the chief minister's office here. This is the top elected official in the state of Delhi. That office telling us, basically, that these were a series of blasts, within perhaps minutes of each other, at least two of them in crowded marketplaces.
And obviously they were crowded because this was one of the big shopping days before Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, coming up in a couple of days. A number of people had gathered at those markets to make last-minute purchases and apparently among the victims are people who were shopping this evening, Tony.
HARRIS: Ram, I've never been to New Delhi. Give us a sense for anyone who hasn't been there, give us all a sense however big a city New Delhi is.
RAMGOPAL: This is a massive city. In fact, it's about 14 million people, but it spreads across several different states. It is, in many ways -- obviously the big core of the city is where this first explosion took place. It's very close to the railway station.
This is a very congested part of the city. It would be chock a block with shops, with street side vendors selling all kind of things, perhaps books, clothes, and on this day, perhaps also selling sweets, gifts of different sorts. It's the kind of place that is extremely crowded at the best of times. On a day like this, it would have been even more crowded.
HARRIS: And, Ram, one final question. To your knowledge, has the Diwali festival ever been targeted with violence before?
RAMGOPAL: I would have to really think hard about it, but certainly at first thought that doesn't come to mind at all. This is a religious festival. It is a significant portion of India, really, probably about 800 million people are Hindus. This is a very important religious festival all across the country.
And to my knowledge, I don't believe this festival has ever been targeted. Of course, it is still too early to tell what caused the explosion, but certainly the fact that there were four explosions would lead authorities to start close looking closely at this, obviously, Tony.
HARRIS: OK. Ram Ramgopal for us in New Delhi. Ram, thank you.
NGUYEN: And we continue to follow developments out of New Delhi, India. The nation's capital is reeling from four separate explosions, two of which detonated in busy markets filled with shoppers, all of this happening a little more than an hour ago.
For more, let's talk now with Rohan Gunaratna, who joins us on the phone from Singapore. Rohan is a terrorism expert. As you look at this, these four explosion which is went off simultaneously or very close together, does this suggest that this is a sophisticated group that may have done this?
ROHAN GUNARATNA, AUTHOR, "INSIDE AL QAEDA": Certainly, the attacks bears hallmarks of a terrorist strike, and it could have been conducted by a significant network because they attacked a number of targets at the same time and killed a significant number of people.
NGUYEN: What do you think the attacks were aimed at doing, exactly?
GUNARATNA: The attacks were aimed to kill people at a very strategic moment because on Monday and Tuesday we have the largest Deepawali, the largest Hindu festival, and on Thursday we have one of the largest Muslim festivals. And this attack was aimed at generating fear and also it is very likely it was aimed at disrupting the peace process between India and Pakistan. We see a number of groups that are against the peace process, and it is very likely that this attack was conducted by one of those groups.
NGUYEN: Any idea who the group may be? I mean, there's always a lot of talk with the usual suspects. Is al Qaeda even operating in India?
GUNARATNA: Al Qaeda per se does not operate in India, but in the absence of al Qaeda, we have two other groups. One is Lashkar-e- Taiba, and the other is Jaish-e-Mohammed. These two groups are very close al Qaeda and these two groups are opposed to the peace process and in the past these two groups operated in New Delhi and in Bombay and it is very likely that the attack was perpetrated by one of these two groups.
NGUYEN: You talk about both the peace process between India and Pakistan and also biggest festival in India, the Diwali festival of lights, which will be happening this coming Tuesday. When we look at this in the days that are to come, dealing with these festivals and these important events, are you expecting to see more of this?
GUNARATNA: Unless the network that perpetrated these attacks is detected and disrupted, this network will stage more attacks because we have seen that there is groups that have a presence in cities that tend to conduct attack after attack unless they're detected and neutralized.
NGUYEN: What is the key to determining exactly which group is behind this and finding out how to stop it before it happens again?
GUNARATNA: There will be more public vigilance now. Law enforcement and intelligence services will become more proactive and it is very likely with arrests and with the flow of information and with India and Pakistan working together that there will be more intelligence that will indicate which group would have done this. But at this point of time, the only two groups that most likely to have perpetrated these attack is Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Lashkar-e- Taiba. In fact, two weeks ago, one of these two groups, Jaish-e- Mohammed, already mounted an attack against a minister and killed him in the Jammu-Kashmir area.
NGUYEN: And the other group, tell us a little bit about that group.
GUNARATNA: Both of these groups are Pakistani groups and these two groups have traditionally operated in Kashmir. They have conducted some attacks south of Kashmir in Bombay and in Delhi, and these two groups also are planned in Afghanistan and have close links with the al Qaeda network.
NGUYEN: Do you believe there will be a claim of responsibility?
GUNARATNA: Yes, it is very possible. These two groups tend to claim the attacks. It is very likely that we will have a claim either from these two groups or from another organization close to these two groups claiming these attacks.
NGUYEN: So are these groups that really want to take credit for this, to get their message throughout?
GUNARATNA: Because they want to show that they have a presence. They want to show that they're against the Indian-Pakistan peace process and they also want to drive terror and fear into the minds of people, particularly at this strategic moment when Indians are getting ready, both Muslims and Hindus are getting ready to celebrate Deepawali and Eid.
NGUYEN: Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert, we appreciate your insight today on who you think may be behind these four attacks in New Delhi, but we do want to caution that as of this moment we do not know exactly who is behind this, one group, if indeed it is a group, but the suggestion that there are four attacks that happened very close to each is that there were more than one person involved in what happened in New Delhi today.
And we're still working on getting a live interview from our correspondents on the ground. Satinder Bindra is there at one of the sites, a marketplace where much of the damage occur. We'll be talking with him as soon as we can get him up and through the satellite system. Of course, technology is helping with us this, but it can be difficult at times of great tragedy like this -- Tony.
HARRIS: Four days after Wilma and life is slowly keeping back to normal in Florida. And speak of creeping, wait until you see the gas lines there. We'll tell you why they're so doggoned long. That's next.
Plus the other victims of Katrina. We are talking about thousands of pets left stranded after the storm. Now a big name in baseball is pitching in to help. Find out who a little bit later this hour. HUFFINES: We're also talking about Hurricane Beta now affecting the shoreline of Nicaragua. It will seriously affect Honduras and Nicaragua and some of the moisture might even move across parts of north Florida.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: CNN continues to follow the breaking news out of New Delhi, India, New Delhi, India's capital. Four separate explosions have rocked the capital city and the explosions seem to be targeted at the city's busy market area.
CNN's Satinder Bindra is on the ground at one of the blast sites and Satinder, I have got to tell you we're taking a look at the pictures now and the pictures of chaos and firefighters working. They look very grim. Give us the scene on the ground.
SATINDER BINDRA, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Tony, you are absolutely right. The best two words to describe this scene here are perhaps grim and chaotic. And just about an hour and a half ago, eyewitnesses here in the central Delhi market, called Sarojini Nagar, say there was a huge explosion, one eyewitness in particular saying he noticed a bag, an unclaimed bag, and warned others to get away.
And then as soon as people were trying to run away, there was this massive explosion. It occurred very close to a shop and at that point in this busy marketplace here in central Delhi, just on the eve of a major holiday, there were tens of thousands of shoppers.
Eyewitnesses here telling me that they fear several people dead because they pulled people out from under the rubble and dozens more have been injured. Some have pretty serious injuries, their limbs were blown off, obviously, in this very horrific explosion.
What is happening right now, Tony, let me describe what I'm seeing in front of me. Several fire attenders have arrived and this is because literally within minutes of the blast there was this fire and after the fire started there was a massive stampede, people running in every direction they could trying to get away.
And a lot of the makeshift shops, laden with holiday goodies, candles and other stuff to eat, they've all been dispersed on the street. Emotions here are running high because the shopkeepers in this neighborhood are quite upset and angry and many people still arguing with police to try to let them go past the cordon.
A great sense of shock and disbelief here in this marketplace, I must add, Tony, because no one expected something as grim as this to occur just on the eve of India's major holiday, the holiday of Diwali, which is celebrated all across India as the festival of lights.
HARRIS: Satinder, I'm going ask you to do us a favor. We're looking at these pictures coming in now. Obviously, it's evening. We're into the evening in New Delhi, but if you would -- and take your time -- give us kind of a 360 view of what you're seeing right now because I just get a sense that is probably going to match up to what we're seeing on the screens right now.
BINDRA: Tony, what I'm seeing right now is hundreds of anxious people in this neighborhood, in this busy shopping district of Sarojini Nagar, standing by just in shock and disbelief. People just can't make sense of what happened.
In the meantime, security force and fire attenders have arrived in the area just in case there are follow-up explosions. There's also some presence of the media here now, and people trying to take stock of the situation. A lot of the people talking to each other and, of course, many people have been talking to me. They've been telling me that the majority of those wounded were women and children.
This explosion here occurred next to a popular restaurant. It was crowded with thousands and thousands of people in this marketplace and that's when the explosion occurred. So within seconds of that, literally, was there a fire and as soon as the fire started, then a mad stampede.
The damage, I must add -- and perhaps this matches with the pictures that you're seeing there, Tony -- has been quite extensive. Some of the large shops were completely destroyed and the smaller ones as well and there's material lying everywhere. You can see some of the stuff that's littered across the street in the marketplace, overturned stalls, footwear, some debris lying everywhere, broken tables, and also food everywhere.
So it just -- it paints you a picture of panic, that as soon as this happened, people just left and everything ran in a panic. Some eyewitnesses here telling me that they themselves pulled out several bodies. They are seeing that the fatalities here, a number of perhaps, upwards of 15.
This is not a confirmed number though, I must add because the police have to give us that and at the moment all of the wounded and the other people who have been pulled out from under the rubble have been rushed to some of the central Delhi hospitals.
I must add, Tony, that this neighborhood where I'm in is a very central area of New Delhi and perhaps whoever did this was aware that there would be a large number of people here on this holiday weekend.
HARRIS: Wow. That is vivid. This is vivid. Satinder Bindra for us. Satinder, thank you. And any further developments that you can get your hands on, just let us know and we will come right back to you. Thank you.
BINDRA: Will do, Tony.
NGUYEN: Now we want to take you to the fallout from the indictment of Lewis Scooter Libby. Twenty-four hours ago, the top White House aide sat at one of the highest levels of power. Today, he is jobless and faces the prospect of a long time in prison. And that's not the least of it.
There could be more trouble coming for the Bush administration. Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald says the investigation is not over and another grand jury could continue the probe into who leaked a covert CIA agent's name. Libby will not be arrested. The next step, though will be a court appearance before U.S. district court judge.
Fitzgerald has refused to discuss any possible plea deal and if convicted on all counts, Libby, who's been the vice president's longtime right hand man, could be sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison and he could also be fined up to $1.25 million. So that lays out the framework here.
Libby's indictment, by no means the bad apple is out and it's smooth sailing ahead for the administration. Live now to CNN's Suzanne Malveaux at the White House. Suzanne, all of this together leads to more questions. It seems the questions continue to mount.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Betty, that's a really good point because, of course, Karl Rove is not yet in the clear. He wasn't indicted yesterday, but he was mentioned in the indictment, not by name but simply as official A as someone who actually tipped off Scooter Libby saying Robert Novak was going to go ahead and write an article about CIA operative Valerie Plame. Now, what the prosecutor makes of this or does of this is unclear, but what is clear is that he may still be in legal jeopardy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): The cloud that has been hanging over the Bush administration for nearly two years from the CIA leak investigation finally broke. Scooter Libby was a trusted member of Mr. Bush's most inner circle, but the five count indictment of Vice President Cheney's chief of staff is not the end of the probe.
KARL ROVE, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BUSH: I'm going to have a great Friday and a fantastic weekend. I hope you do, too.
MALVEAUX: Karl Rove, the president's top political adviser, escaped indictment today. But his lawyer says he remains under investigation.
PATRICK FITZGERALD, SPECIAL COUNSEL: I will not end the investigation until I can look anyone in the eye and tell them that we have carried out our responsibility sufficiently.
MALVEAUX: A beleaguered Mr. Bush, departing for his Camp David retreat, tried to soften the blow.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: While we're all saddened by today's news, we remain wholly focused on the many issues and opportunities facing this country. I've got a job to do and so do the people that work in the White House.
MALVEAUX: White House insiders say they are saddened by Libby's departure, but are relieved that Rove seemed to have been spared.
Cheney, who stuck to his schedule of fundraising and rallying Georgia troops, said in a written statement he accepted his top lieutenant's resignation will deep regret: "Scooter Libby is one of the most capable and talented individuals I have ever known. He has given many years of his life to public service and has served our nation tirelessly and with great distinction."
In a statement of his own, Libby said, "I am confident that at the end of this process, I will be completely and totally exonerated."
BUSH: I look forward to working with Congress on policies to keep this economy moving.
MALVEAUX: For President Bush, the strategy is to pivot towards his political agenda.
AMY WALTER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: The question now is can this White House get that famous first term focus back? That is the real challenge.
KEN DUBERSTEIN, REPUBLICAN CONSULTANT, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Certainly, he needs some fresh blood. He needs to focus on big, bold things.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And the next big, bold thing we're expecting is that the president will announce his Supreme Court pick. We are told from aides that could happen in 24 to 48 hours -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Suzanne Malveaux.
Of course, our breaking news deals with the four explosions in New Delhi. We have the chief minister of Delhi on the phone. Sheila, let me ask you this. What do you know about the extent of the damage so far?
SHEILA DIKSHIT, CHIEF MINISTER: Well, they confirmed that I heard right away, ma'am, on my way to the hospital, is that we have 31 dead in one of the blasts so far and two dead in the other blast. So that makes it about 33. The figures could rise. I cannot say anything because the injured have already been brought to all of the hospitals, they're being treated and I hope to God that we won't have any more dead.
NGUYEN: But are you just realistically expecting more?
DIKSHIT: Well, I hope not. We are not expecting anything. We would not like to expect something. We do not want to happen, but it's been a sad day for Delhi, particularly because all of Delhi is in a very festive mood. We have our annual festival of lights, and everybody was out shopping. And we have appealed to the people not to panic, not to listen to rumors and that they should going to marketplaces or crowded places.
NGUYEN: The damage -- from the video that we are putting on the air and are seeing right now seems pretty extensive, pretty widespread. Talk to me about the damage. DIKSHIT: Well, it is -- because you know, the markets are very, very crowded. So the crowds there and the extent of the damage would be much smaller if there had not been any crowds and the hour had not been the peak shopping hour. Then, of course, the damage to buildings may have been just as much, but not to human lives. So that is a ...
NGUYEN: So thousands were in these markets when the explosions went off. Do you know at this point, or do you have any indication as to what person or persons or even a group may be behind this?
DIKSHIT: We cannot say anything. We would not to have that many deaths. That will come around later on. Right now we are all very busy. That is the police departments, the fire engines and the home ministry officials and all and myself also.
We are far too busy just now attacking the situation so it doesn't worsen and people do not feel panicked, but what you are trying to ask us is not trying to hazard any kind of a guess. That will come later on when an inquiry brings out what happened and who were the people behind it.
NGUYEN: As all the work is going on now, the emergency personnel there on the scene, is there any fear that nearby buildings that may have been damaged in this could possibly collapse and we'll see more atrocities as a result?
DIKSHIT: No, I don't think so. I think at the moment the situation is very much under control. There is an alert on -- I mean, not a formal alert, but everybody is feeling alerted so I don't think so. At least I certainly hope not and I would not like to create any kind of an impression that there is any feeling that we're not vigilant enough right now. We are vigilant and God help us.
NGUYEN: Well, absolutely, and I know you want to contain the fear factor, but do I have to ask you, what kind of warnings are you giving to the people of New Delhi following these blasts and as you go into this big festive season?
DIKSHIT: Well, we are telling people that they should avoid going to these very crowded marketplaces and see that -- you know, and be careful. And, of course, the usual which we tell people not to touch any kind of bags lying around or if you see anybody who's suspicious. But probably the police should also step up it vigil. But beyond that, I don't think we need to do anything very much and let's hope and pray that nothing more happens anywhere else.
NGUYEN: All right. Well, we appreciate your time. The chief minister of Delhi, thank you. And best of luck to you. I know you have a lot on your hands. We wish you the very best.
DIKSHIT: Thank you very much. Thank you.
HARRIS: Still ahead, he was probably the happiest man in Washington yesterday. The president's right hand man so far, free from charges, but is Karl Rove in the clear? A closer look at his role in the CIA leak scandal next. And she was the president's pick for the nation's top court. Unfortunately, she became the comedian's pick for the nation's best laugh. Later, finding humor from Harriet Miers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Breaking news in India this morning. At least four large explosions ripped through downtown New Delhi just before sunset. At least 33 people are dead. The blast occurred within minutes of each other. They also came just days before the Diwali festival, the biggest holiday in the Hindu religion. Two of the explosions ripped through markets crowded with people shopping for that festival.
Three U.S. soldiers have been killed in Iraq today in two separate incidents. Several other soldiers have been wounded. Land mines and other explosive devices caused the casualties. 2,014 U.S. troops have died in Iraq since the war began in March of 2003. Iraq's top Shiite cleric wants to know when U.S. and foreign troops will be getting out of this country. The Associated Press says grand ayatollah Ali al Sistani may demand a timetable for withdrawal once the democratically-elected government takes over next year.
NGUYEN: The White House is struggling to regain its footing. The vice president's top aide, Lewis "Scooter" Libby resigned yesterday after being indicted for perjury and obstruction of justice in the CIA leak probe. But another target of that investigation is still in legal limbo. He's Friday's most trusted political strategist. More from our chief, national correspondent, John King.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The day's first clue came in Karl Rove's driveway.
KARL ROVE: I'm going to have a great Friday and a fantastic weekend. Hope you do too.
KING: The Bush White House is in turmoil. The president's right hand man is still on the job, though not out of legal jeopardy.
FITZGERALD: We either charge someone or we don't talk about them.
KING: The prosecutor won't name names but Rove remains under investigation. His attorney voicing confidence when the special counsel finishes his work, he will conclude that Mr. Rove's has done nothing wrong. At issue is Rove's initial failure to disclose to leak investigators a conversation with reporter Matthew Cooper about CIA operative Valerie Plame.
Rove contends it was an inadvertent oversight and that he brought it to the prosecutor's attention as soon as he found an e-mail reminding him. Rove friend, former top White House aide Nick Calio says those who don't accept Rove's explanation don't understand the pressure of 18-hour a day White House jobs. NICK CALIO, FMR. BUSH WHITE HOUSE AIDE: There are a lot of things that I don't remember. I go through notes sometimes and I don't say, I don't even remember being in the meeting, let alone said what I said.
KING: Rove has from the beginning insisted he broke no laws.
ROVE: I didn't know her name and didn't leak her name.
KING: What is no longer in dispute though is that Rove took part in a hardball White House political campaign to discredit Plame's husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson when Wilson accused the White House of hyping the case for war in Iraq.
CALIO: I think you know, hard ball comes with politics but hardball doesn't mean being unfair and it doesn't mean doing anything illegal.
KING: Some Democrats are more than skeptical and note the investigation isn't over.
REP. TIM RYAN (D) OHIO: It's going to be interesting over the course of the next few weeks and the next few months to find out exactly what Karl Rove did know.
KING: But for now, Rove is on the job and deeply involved in everything including the urgent new search for a Supreme Court nominee.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, Karl, as everybody knows is an excellent adviser to the president and has interests and a docket that is extremely broad.
KING: That portfolio in the past few weeks has included managing his own campaign to avoid indictment and quietly orchestrating a strategy to get his version of events out of the grand jury room and into the public domain.
(on-camera): Associates describe Friday as just another normal day for Rove, meetings on that Supreme Court vacancy and spending cuts among other things. But while one close source said things are quote, looking good for Rove, another good friend and adviser says he has urged Rove to be extremely cautious, noting that until the prosecutor says case closed, the man the president calls the architect will be under an unpredictable cloud. John King, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And cnn.com has launched a special report detailing the CIA leak investigation. For a timeline of that investigation, a look at the key players, a profile of Scooter Libby and the full text of the indictment, all you have to do is log on to cnn.com/CIA link.
And you don't want to forget about our e-mail question this morning. Here it is on your screen. Do you think Lewis "Scooter" Libby is being made the fall guy in the CIA leak investigation? That's the question. Tell us what you think. E-mail us at weekends@cnn.com and we will read some of those responses a little bit later this hour.
HARRIS: Earlier this morning we told you about the Homeless Pets Foundation and its efforts to rescue stray and injured animals from the shelters. Dr. Michael Good started the foundation seven years ago and helped to find new homes for nearly 3,000 dogs and cats. They would otherwise have been put to sleep. Now Dr. Good's foundation team sat with major league baseball and legendary manager Bobby Cox. They're creating a new nationwide rescue program.
Bobby Cox' paws cause joining me now is Dr. Michael Good and the National League manager of the year. He is for us here in Atlanta, the manager of the year every year, Bobby Cox, good to see you both. Well, welcome. I have to tell you -- Doctor, tell us how this whole program got started for you and my goodness, I saw a number that was astounding, 3 to 4 million pets put down a year. That's a sad number. How did this get started for you?
DR. MICHAEL GOOD, HOMELESS PETS FOUNDATION: Being a veterinarian for the last 20-some odd years, before I was a vet I was an animal lover and so I tried to use my skills as a veterinarian to volunteer and help at local shelters and what I found was just a no win situation. These poor animals, nowhere to go.
The people working at these shelters are frustrated and sad because so many of these poor animals have to be put to sleep. So about seven years ago, I said as an animal lover, I'm going try to do something so I started an ID program because a lot of these animals that end up in animal shelters are lost pets that belong to somebody.
HARRIS: They just wander off.
GOOD: They take a left hand turn instead of a right hand turn out of their driveway and end up in a shelter. Their parents, their pet parent is out of town on a three-day business trip. They don't have an identification on and three days later they're put to sleep because there's not a cage space anymore and it was just tragic. So I wanted to do something. I started with that and then it led to getting involved to actually doing rescue work and I found that the solution is giving animal lovers like myself and there's 130 million of us...
HARRIS: And this man.
GOOD: And this guy and his lovely wife and family to get involved, help foster, help get the word out about this terrible problem we're having and a country this great and this rich should be able to solve it.
HARRIS: Bobby, you get involved. Tell us why. I mean look, you've got a full and active life. You are running a major league ball club here and now you've taken on this cause and there has to be a reason beyond you just being a pet lover.
BOBBY COX, MANAGER, ATLANTA BRAVES: Well, we are pet lovers, my family and our daughter's a big pet lover and actually adopted a dog out of the shelter in Tallahassee when she was at Florida State and knowing Mike for the last couple of years, we've been kicking this around and it would sure be nice to stop the execution of a lot of dogs and we know there's a need for dogs in the north part of the United States and hopefully we can do this here, raise some money, transport those dogs north or locally also.
GOOD: And cats.
COX: And cats. I'm sorry. Anything with paws. That's what we're trying to help.
HARRIS: And, Doctor, that's the interesting point is that there apparently is a large number. We have a large number of pets here.
GOOD: Right.
HARRIS: In the southeast that need homes and that there are other areas in the country with potential pet parents that don't have access that want to adopt these pets.
GOOD: And Bobby and I will be working with large corporations like Purina. Novartis is a manufacturer of heartworm prevention and flea control products. These companies through their sales people are going to help us identify the shelters that got their act together that are educating their communities about spay neuter and being a responsible pet parent and they have waiting lists of people wanting these pets.
So what we're going to do through Bobby Cox Paws Cause is take the animals that we have a surplus down here. We're going to fix them so they can't reproduce. We're going to make them healthy and whole and then we're going to ship them up there to those identifying shelters and have waiting homes waiting for them.
HARRIS: I tell you what, Bobby, it would be great if you could get major league baseball, all of the teams in major league baseball to join in on this effort on your part. What are the chances of that happening?
COX: I'm going do some talking to the commissioner, Bud Selig and also his right hand man, Bob Ducay (ph) and see if that's going to be possible. Tony La Russa does this out in California and has a tremendous organization and we'd like to start one here. So major league baseball would be good for this cause.
HARRIS: Bobby, at the very least, now all the activities involved in this that you just described in making the pets whole again and the shots and everything else, that's expensive. There are costs associated with that. It would be great, Bobby, wouldn't it, if major league baseball would help you underwrite some of those costs.
COX: It would be, absolutely and Mike's talking about the corporations right now.
GOOD: I'll get the money from the corporations. What we want is a Tony La Russa or a Bobby Cox to basically say to their communities through public service announcements, hit a home run for your community and your family. Adopt from your local animal shelter.
HARRIS: Did you just write that?
GOOD: But another thing Bobby and I both feel, every child in America should know and appreciate the game of baseball. It's a beautiful game. It's a part of our history. It's a part of our future. It's what makes us Americans, but the other thing that we both agree that every child in America should have is a pet. A child that grows up with a pet is more responsible. It connects and communicates better with other people. So we think it's therapeutic and it's a tragedy that four to seven million animals are destroyed every year and their only crime is they're homeless.
HARRIS: The ID tags. You got to mention the ID tags. Now, is it's my personal information. I'm a pet owner. My dog has wandered away. Is my personal information, am I creating a tag that has my address and all this on it?
GOOD: Let me tell you something and with today's news of terrorist attacks all over the world, we live in a society now where we don't want to give out our information. Our foundation, the Homeless Pets Foundation, this information is confidential.
If a terrorist finds my dog and calls that number, then they're going to contact me and say we think a terrorist has your dog. Do you want to talk to them? It's my choice. So the information is kept confidential and we think that's the perfect ID tag. Your name and information isn't floating around town on an ID tag. We keep it in a confidential database.
HARRIS: Do you have a Web site?
GOOD: Homelesspets.com.
HARRIS: Dot com, great to see you, great work.
GOOD: Thank you very much.
HARRIS: Bobby Cox, great to see you. Good luck next year.
COX: You bet. We're looking forward to another great year.
HARRIS: Man oh man, he did a great job on this.
GOOD: He's got all of the dogs and cats working for him.
HARRIS: All right, thanks, guys. Betty, back to you.
NGUYEN: He's got more than that rooting for him.
All right, a hurricane aftermath of a different sort on the Louisiana bayou. The New Orleans police department has fired 45 officers and six civilians for abandoning their posts as the crisis escalated. Acting Superintendent Warren Riley says the city and fellow officers deserved better.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF WARREN RILEY, NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPT: It was obvious that during the crisis, during the time when we needed police officers the most, when our citizens counted on us and when we counted on our fellow officers to be there during the most challenging time in the history of New Orleans in modern time anyway, those officers were not there and not only were they not there, they have not returned since that time. So it would be very difficult for them to function in our current operation. We need to be able to count on them and they weren't there. So they were terminated.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And on another note, Katrina's effect on home building and renovations is by no means cheap. Lumber prices have jumped 14 percent partly due to the estimated 15 to 19 billion in board feet destroyed in the hurricane. Roof shingles are at a premium as well. They're up 10 percent since the storm and cement prices have gone up, too 13 percent. Experts say the storm exacerbated an already pricey construction business fueled by the housing boom.
HARRIS: And Betty still ahead this morning is Harriet Miers being humiliated? Oh, the nasty things they've been saying about the former Supreme Court nominee. Our Jeanne Moos takes a tongue in cheek look. That's next. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Here's a check of our top stories in case you're just tuning in this morning. We are following breaking news out of New Delhi, India. Officials say at least 33 people are dead after four separate explosions rocked the capital city this morning. At least two of the blasts happened around sunset at crowded markets where tourists go.
Harriet Miers has returned to her old job as counselor to President Bush and is with him at Camp David this weekend. The president will spend some time considering his next Supreme Court pick after Miers withdrew under heavy criticism from conservatives.
And a London landmark is being silenced this weekend. Workers are examining and replacing parts on Big Ben. The clock's 13-ton, 13- ton bell will be silent until mid-afternoon tomorrow. Officials say it is the longest maintenance outage for the clock in over 20 years.
HARRIS: Whether you think she was qualified or not, well you've got to admit former Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers was put through the ringer in the court of public opinion and that got our Jeanne Moos feeling well, she's feeling a bit sorry for her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The president and cartoonists called her a pit bull in size 6 shoes, but the pit bull got eaten alive. Insulted on the web, lampooned on late night TV.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you for being here on Jeopardy Miss Miers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just don't ask me any legal questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least when Clinton talked about tapping the woman down the hall he was just having sex with her.
MOOS: But the jabs from the right for what knocked her out.
BAY BUCHANAN: The president has made a terrible, terrible mistake.
ANN COULTER: We're talking about the Supreme Court. This is not a reward for, you know, best attendance at office of legal council meetings.
MOOS: Her qualifications or lack thereof were a lightning rod for ridicule. I've never been a judge, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn express last night. As for the mutual admiration she and the president felt, her own words served as a self-inflicted kill two birds with one quote punch.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dear, diary, George W. Bush is the most brilliant man I've ever met.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's the most brilliant man I ever met.
MOOS: And though we laughed t wasn't without a tinge of guilt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel bad for her, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sure she's very glad that it's over because I feel pretty much poor Harriet, too.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Capitol Hill is contact sport up there. You float the balloon and sometimes it gets shot at and that's one of the whole problems.
MOOS: She got machine gunned. One minute it was Harriet Miers' dream come true, nominated to the Supreme Court, the next minute supreme humiliation, Harriet Miers look alike contests, pitting her against Darrin's mom from "Bewitched" comedian Lisa (INAUDIBLE) and even Alice Cooper and who among us could withstand a hairstyle retrospective. But not everyone was saying there, but for the grace of God go I, not Nancy Grace, anyway.
NANCY GRACE: No, I don't feel sorry for her. She'll go write a book.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no pity for her, per se.
MOOS: I feel bad for her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But he kicks puppies.
MOOS: At least they didn't accuse Harriet Miers of doing that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She likes puppies, too.
MOOS: WIP, withdraw in peace said one Web site. It's better to have been nominated and withdrawn than never to have been nominated at all. Harriet Miers didn't agree, thinking back to her happy nomination.
HARRIET MIERS: I have a special note this morning for my mom. Thank you for your faith.
MOOS: Let's hope her 91-year-old mom wasn't surfing the net or watching TV.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This wasn't a choice based on friendship. We're not even that close.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bushy! Come here!
MOOS: I wonder if she'll ever wear that blue suit again without feeling blue. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: You've got to think that she's at some point happy that this is all over with.
HARRIS: That's cruel, isn't it?
NGUYEN: Yes. A lot of it was. Indeed it was. We have much more to come including our e-mail question today that we still want to get responses from you, here it is. Is Lewis "Scooter" Libby being made the fall guy in the CIA leak investigation? E-mail us, weekends@cnn.com. We'll read it on the air.
HARRIS: And we'll come back and check in with CNN meteorologist Brad Huffines and get the latest on the weather across the nation and an update on hurricane, what are we up to now?
NGUYEN: Beta. It's Beta now.
HARRIS: Beta, right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Brad Huffines upstairs in the CNN weather center and Brad, what's the latest? Well I can see it behind you there. Do we have one of those well ...
NGUYEN: Defined.
HARRIS: Eyes.
BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And getting more defined.
HARRIS: Is it?
HUFFINES: Yes, this is hurricane Beta now up to 85 miles per hour. Notice that the storm as it is spinning, you start to notice the center of circulation clearing out there, an eye trying to develop in this hurricane presently and as this storm continues to push toward the shoreline of northern Nicaragua, expect to see heavy rains and reports of mudslides as this moves across Nicaragua and into Honduras because this storm will hit as likely a very strong category two hurricane. Here's what the track has been, a very erratic, but still northerly track.
The storm still expected to move west, becoming a 100 miles an hour hurricane by 8:00 p.m. tonight, making landfall tomorrow morning with 110 miles per hour winds, then slowing dramatically as it moves across parts of Honduras and as it turns into a tropical depression, all that rain has got to go somewhere and it will come down as rain and flooding rains. In fact, we're going to hear reports of I'm sure mudslides in Nicaragua and Honduras, another devastating storm for the Atlantic basin this year.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: OK Brad, thank you.
HUFFINES: Sure.
So, here's the question of the day, it seems. According to our e-mailers, Betty. Why the name Scooter? It is a moniker that dates back to Mr. Libby's infancy. Apparently Libby's father gave him the nickname for the way he scooted around his crib. His real name is Irving Lewis Libby, Jr., but he'd rather you called him Scooter.
NGUYEN: Not Irv or Irvy, but Scooter.
HARRIS: That gets us right to our e-mail question.
NGUYEN: Yes. All morning long we've been asking for your thoughts and here it is. Do you think Lewis "Scooter" Libby is being made the fall guy in the CIA leak investigation? Doug from Alaska says Mr. Libby is not a fall guy or sacrificial lamb as much as he is a player in the Bush administration's vindictive tendency to personally destroy anyone who poses a threat.
HARRIS: And this from Michael, he writes, no he wasn't a fall guy. Libby got caught lying and hopefully justice will prevail. I believe Libby is just one guy who is at the bottom of the ladder that may lead up the higher rungs to Rove and Cheney.
NGUYEN: Speaking of those higher rungs, Ed in Wisconsin says indict Cheney along with Libby and anyone else involved in this mess including President Bush. After all, President Bush is in charge of the country.
HARRIS: And this from Virginia. She's in Gainesville, Florida. I absolutely believe that Bush, Cheney, Rove and Libby mutually decided to teach Wilson a lesson by outing his wife and Libby was appointed as the hatchet man. There you go. Thank you so much for your e-mails this morning. Are we done with e-mails?
NGUYEN: We're done, but we're going to have one tomorrow.
HARRIS: OK, but thank you for the responses.
NGUYEN: Always an e-mail question for you. Now the next hour is coming up. We got a lot more to tell you about.
HARRIS: Right after the break. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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