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CNN Saturday Morning News

Iraqis Cheer Downed British Chopper; Officials Say Michael Hayden to be Next CIA Chief

Aired May 06, 2006 - 08:00   ET

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

MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: A developing story this morning out of Iraq. Crowds of cheering Iraqis converged on the scene of a British helicopter crash today. You can see them throwing stones at British troops, trying to secure the scene, and a British tank was apparently set on fire.
The British Ministry of Defense confirms there have been casualties in the crash but gave no further details. Basra, it's 245 miles southeast of Baghdad. We have a live report coming up just ahead.

Tragedy in Afghanistan. The military says all 10 U.S. soldiers aboard a helicopter that crashed last night were killed. It happened during combat operations in southeastern Afghanistan. The helicopter was a CH-47 Chinook like the one in this file video. The military says the crash was not the result of enemy fire.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A return to rehab with Congressman Patrick Kennedy is back at the Mayo Clinic seeking treatment for addiction to prescription drugs. Kennedy made the decision after a car crash near the Capitol that he says he can't remember. It's his second stay in the clinic in less than five months.

The CIA shake-up. We expect an announcement Monday on the president's pick to replace outgoing director Porter Goss. Senior administration officials tell CNN the choice is Air Force general Michael Hayden. Hayden is top deputy to the director of national intelligence. Goss resigned yesterday. Details ahead in a live report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, man! That's a big tornado! That is a big tornado!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: Texas twister: amateur video showing a tornado on the ground near Klondike. Strong storms pounded the area with hail and torrential rain on Friday. Parts of the state could get hit with another round of storms today.

Good morning, still don't know why Porter Goss quit his job as a CIA director, but there is much speculation about his successor. We're going to take you live to Washington coming up. HARRIS: Absolutely. From the CNN center this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is May 6, 8 a.m. here at CNN headquarters in Atlanta. Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.

LONG: And I'm Melissa Long filling in for Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: Well, we are continuing to follow our developing story out of Iraq. And crowds of cheering Iraqis as a British helicopter goes down in a residential neighborhood in Basra, which is in southern Iraq, very near Kuwait.

Our Ryan Chilcote is standing by for us in our Baghdad bureau with the latest on this story.

Good morning to you, Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

What we know at this point is that a British helicopter crashed in the city of Basra. That, as you say, is in the very south of Iraq. It is mostly a Shiite area. It is the area where the British are most active, the British military.

We understand that this helicopter crashed, according to the British military, and that there indeed are casualties at the scene. There are also reports coming to us from security contractors in that city and from the Iraqi police that that helicopter was brought down by a missile. That is something that the British military so far is not confirming.

We also have some video from the city of Basra, actually, a couple of different pieces of footage, that shows some very disturbing scenes. Unrest in the city of Basra. People applauding, apparently applauding that -- this apparent attack on that helicopter, dancing in the streets.

And also just within the last few minutes we got some video in that shows what appears to be people in the streets lighting a British tank or a British armored personnel on fire.

Very uncharacteristic scenes for the city of Basra. It is mostly a quiet place. Nothing like Baghdad or the Sunni Triangle, where the U.S. military is most active -- Tony.

HARRIS: Ryan, help us understand why this is a bit surprising for those of us who have been covering this story and certainly for you in the way that you've been covering this story to see this kind of episode unfold in Basra and the reaction of the mostly Shiite community there.

CHILCOTE: That's a good question, Tony. The reality of the situation here in Iraq is that so far most of the resistance, most of the insurgency that we have seen, the fighting against U.S. forces, has been -- the fighting against coalition forces here, has been Sunni based. It's primarily a Sunni-based insurgency, primarily because they feel, if you talk to a lot of these people, they feel that the government has really sort of been -- the Shiites and the Kurds have taken control of the government and that they're not sharing power in a fair way with the Sunnis.

What you're seeing right now, why this is so uncharacteristic, is mostly Shiite crowds. These are people that have been quiet up until now with very few exceptions. They are out in the streets right now. They are protesting. They are apparently applauding this attack on that helicopter.

And we have this footage now of them lighting this armored personnel -- British armored personnel carrier on fire. So it's sort of a suggestion that the conflict is expanding -- Tony.

HARRIS: Well, that's a story. OK. Ryan Chilcote for us in Baghdad. Ryan, appreciate it. Thank you.

LONG: We are going continue to learn more information about exactly what happened with that chopper in Basra. Major Sebastian Muntz of the British military is with us on the line.

Mr. Muntz, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

MAJ. SEBASTIAN MUNTZ, BRITISH ARMY: Hello.

LONG: Hello. Are you able to hear me, Mr. Muntz?

MUNTZ: Yes, I am. I can hear you.

LONG: OK. Please bring us up to date. And are you able to confirm exactly how that British helicopter went down?

MUNTZ: No, I'm not able to confirm that. At the moment, we've got troops that have actually secured the crash site and there are people looking into that, but I can't confirm what's actually happened to the helicopter.

LONG: OK, because there are some reports from some news agencies. Reuters is reporting that the chopper was hit by a rocket. You're not able to confirm that?

MUNTZ: No. I'm not -- I've seen those reports, but no, I'm not able to confirm that.

LONG: OK. What are you able to confirm in terms of the casualties from the helicopter crash?

MUNTZ: All I can say at the moment is that there have been casualties. Our priorities now are the welfare of the next of kin and whole process of informing them. So we can't confirm any more details now at the moment.

What I can say is that we've got British troops on the ground, on the site, who secured it, and the Iraqi police and the Iraqi security forces are also assisting us on the ground at the moment.

LONG: I'm curious about this security situation itself. Because you say that you have secured the area. However, we are looking to pictures that do not show security.

MUNTZ: Yes. We secured the area in order that we can investigate the crash site. It does -- there has been civil disturbance, and our latest reports is that the civil disturbance is still going on, but not disturbing now the area of the crash site. That is secure.

LONG: And I'm just curious as well about the timeline of this investigation and when we can get some information about exactly how that chopper went down.

MUNTZ: Yes. I can't -- you know, I can't really say that. It will take as long as it take. There's people there now trying to confirm what's happened. There will be reports. There'll be eyewitness reports. So I can't really -- I can't really indicate how long it will take to get those -- those facts out to you.

LONG: Major Sebastian Muntz, a British military spokesperson in Basra. Thank you so much.

And Washington really buzzing this weekend. The CIA chief abruptly resigned Friday. Now there's talk of his replacement. It could be a military man close to the administration. It is a lot to keep up with. CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano joins us now live from Washington.

Good morning, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Melissa.

That's right. Senior administration officials tell CNN that President Bush has settled on Air Force General Michael Hayden to be the next CIA chief, as his choice to be the next CIA chief. Hayden is the deputy director of national intelligence. And these officials say that an announcement is planned for Monday.

Now, it was less than 24 hours ago that Goss, Porter Goss, the outgoing CIA director, turned in his resignation to President Bush and President Bush accepted.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO (voice-over): President Bush's hand-picked choice to run the CIA quit after just 20 months on the job.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Porter's tenure at the CIA was one of transition, which has helped this agency become integrated into the intelligence community, and that was a tough job. He's led ably.

PORTER GOSS, OUTGOING CIA DIRECTOR: I would like to report back to you that I believe the agency is at a very even keel, sailing well.

QUIJANO: But by many accounts turbulence marked Goss' time in charge of the spy agency. While neither Goss nor the president offered an explanation for the sudden resignation, ignoring questions from reporters, intelligence sources close to the discussions about the CIA's future say Goss' departure was anything but a surprise.

The reason? Sharp differences between Goss and the man he reported to, John Negroponte, the director of national intelligence, a job created after Goss was appointed CIA director.

An intelligence source says Negroponte wanted changes, moving functions from the CIA to Negroponte's umbrella agency, the DNI, but Goss pushed back, hard, arguing those changes would weaken the CIA.

In the end, Negroponte took his case to the White House for resolution, where top Bush aides sided with him. A senior administration official says Negroponte did raise with Goss the idea that he leave and says the decision was ultimately based on mutual understanding between Negroponte, Goss and President Bush.

John McLaughlin, the man who temporarily held the job before Goss, says the resignation is not a sign the CIA is in disarray. But...

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: The real danger is here is that we could go back into an era where we have revolving door directors. With Porter Goss' departure, we'll have something like three directors in four years, and that's seldom a good thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO: Now, in a statement released after the announcement, Goss said that he will stay on over the next few weeks to help with the transition -- Melissa.

LONG: Elaine, I'm curious about the president's schedule today. I understand he's going back to class.

QUIJANO: That's exactly right. He is heading to Oklahoma State University. It is, of course, the graduation season. It's now upon us. And he's going to be delivering the commencement address there.

Expect him to strike the usual themes, the importance of education and giving back to the community. And this is certainly something we'll be seeing in the next few weeks, the president heading off to deliver these commencement addresses.

LONG: Elaine Quijano, live at the White House. Thank you, Elaine.

And a reminder to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable information on your safety and security.

HARRIS: The Kennedy incident. An addiction problem, a car crash and some would say possible preferential treatment. Who would say such a thing? Do we have a case here or not? Get ready for our legal ladies, on the issue straight ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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COSTELLO: Jennifer says you can make the class tougher by adding a 4- to 16-pound weighted vest. But that's optional. The best part is you will burn anywhere from 400 to 700 calories per hour.

Carol Costello, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Look at this! Look at all this nasty weather. Reynolds, watch this. An amateur photographer captured these images. Look at this.

LONG: Storm chasers.

HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes. A funnel cloud near Klondike. And hail destroyed...

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It was crazy yesterday.

HARRIS: Isn't this crazy?

WOLF: Just insane.

LONG: But what's a little more crazy? Chasing after the storm? These storm chasers? Capturing it?

HARRIS: Reynolds loves these guys. They bring so much information. He loves these guys who chase the storm.

WOLF: Right here. Here's where I'm feeling it right here.

LONG: You actually... HARRIS: Right there.

WOLF: Absolutely. Right here. Pitter patter of the heart. No, I think those guys are very smart, but at the same time they're a little bit crazy. You have to have both of those to be a good storm chaser. And this morning they have their work cut out for them.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: There we go again.

WOLF: I know. It just keeps on going. A never ending process.

HARRIS: Thanks, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

HARRIS: Melissa, this is going to be fun. "Legal Briefs" this morning. A Kennedy, a car crash and accusations of a cover-up. Now word that Representative Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island is in rehab. Kennedy denies he was drunk from alcohol during a wild ride to Capitol Hill. And while police were suspicious, the congressman was neither tested nor arrested. The media microscope is now examining both Kennedy and the Capitol Hill police.

Lida Rodriguez-Taseff, Nelda Blair on the story. Lida, smile. It's OK to smile.

LIDA RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Good morning, Tony.

HARRIS: This is me. This is Tony. Smile, there you go. All right. Good morning, ladies. Good morning.

Nelda, good morning.

NELDA BLAIR, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Good morning.

HARRIS: Nelda, you've got to be outraged by this.

BLAIR: Absolutely.

HARRIS: This is pure and -- this is preferential treatment pure and simple.

BLAIR: Tony, I think if I took Ambien, a prescriptive sleeping pill, Phenergan and had a couple of drinks, why shouldn't I drive? No problem.

HARRIS: Wait a minute. We don't know that he had a couple of drinks. Come on now!

BLAIR: Alcohol is mentioned twice in the Capitol Hill police report already.

HARRIS: You're right, you're right. BLAIR: And you're exactly right, Tony, no sobriety test, no arrest, got driven home by a couple of policemen. I think that would happen to me should I barge through a barricade, a security barricade.

HARRIS: Yes. And Lida, look, "I'm addicted to painkillers." Well, that doesn't -- why aren't you -- why isn't he in handcuffs? Why isn't he at least in handcuffs until he can prove that he was on Ambien?

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Well, you know, Tony, it has to do with the fact that he was treated just like every other congressman and every other politician in the Capitol. So that in fact he did get special treatments, but he didn't get the special treatment that you and I get. He got the special treatment, the red glove treatment, the white glove treatment, actually, that politicians get.

And you know, the darnedest thing. If he would have just kept quiet and said nothing about prescription drugs, said nothing about being addicted to painkillers, maybe this thing would go away. I think the problem is going to arise with the fact that he decided to tell the world after he got the break of his life, because he walked away, no drug test, no sobriety test. He was driven home. Nelda's right, he did get driven home. And you know, he got...

HARRIS: Lida, this wasn't going away. Are you kidding me? The Capitol police, the rank and file Capitol police, are upset. They're the ones calling us, saying this is outrageous what happened here.

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: But Tony, it would have gone away, had he not told the world he was addicted to prescription drugs, because now a whole new investigation is going to start into whether or not...

BLAIR: I disagree. Lida, I've got to disagree with you, hon. Because this -- listen, this didn't just happen because he made it public. It happened because -- the reason that it's in the media is because there was no report filed, and people saw him driving without lights on, driving on the wrong side of the road, speeding.

HARRIS: Yes, yes.

BLAIR: We're talking about major problems here.

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: No, you know, full well -- you're from Texas, you know full well that even if you shoot one of your best friends in the middle of a hunting range, you can get away with it.

HARRIS: Oh, no she didn't.

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: It dies down now.

HARRIS: No, she didn't.

BLAIR: Shame on you.

HARRIS: No, she didn't. RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: You know, raising this, he's just raised the specter. He's causing himself a whole investigation. He should have kept quiet.

BLAIR: I disagree, though, that it happens to all congressmen. This particular congressman has a very famous name and a family that is known for getting away with some crimes and some just bad behavior.

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: No, you're not going to convict him for his family name now, are you?

BLAIR: No, he's going to get special treatment because of his family name.

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: He didn't get special treatment because of his family name. He got special treatment because he's a member of Congress. They all get special treatment.

BLAIR: I disagree. There have several congressmen who have been treated just like the average person.

HARRIS: But Lida, let me ask you something. How do you defend this? You're on one hand telling us that, you know, he should have buttoned it up a little bit. So how do you defend this now?

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: I think the way you defend this is you get him counseling and you make sure that the investigation does not go into his personal medical files, that they don't start digging to see how many prescriptions he went out and got from how many doctors, because that's exactly what got Rush Limbaugh in trouble. You can't go out and get 2,000 pills in six months and expect that you won't be prosecuted.

BLAIR: This is why he's fully cooperating.

HARRIS: Wow, you worked in Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh in, like, 30 seconds. Wow! That's pretty good. That's pretty good, Lida.

Hey, Nelda, I have to ask you, as a former prosecutor, aren't you outraged? Don't you want sort of an independent -- let me go too far here and you reel me back in. Don't you want an independent counsel to look into the culture of the Capitol police that gets to the bottom of this? Don't you want to know? Are you a real police force? Or are you a taxi service for Congress?

BLAIR: Absolutely. We're -- we're entitled to know that. And it's the Capitol police themselves that are saying, "Hey, we were prevented from doing our job." I'd like to know by whom.

HARRIS: Yes, good point. You know, I want to quickly get to Moussaoui. I probably only have time for one question. Are either of you surprised?

BLAIR: Absolutely. Absolutely surprised. RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Absolutely not. I called this. I knew this was going to happen. You know, you have a dispassionate jury that looks at the evidence and deliberates fairly, and that's the result you get. They did exactly the right thing. And everybody should have known this was going to happen, because the evidence just wasn't there to sentence him to die.

BLAIR: I totally disagree. I think the prosecutors put on a fabulous case. I think that his testimony damaged him. His defense lawyers did not do him any good.

Shame on the jury for saying because they called him names when he was a kid, it's OK that he behave this way.

HARRIS: This -- this seems like -- let me suggest that some are saying that this is a jury that couldn't sentence him to death, because they couldn't put, so to speak, the gun in his hand.

BLAIR: No, I don't think so, Tony. Actually, only three jurors said anything about his limited involvement with 9/11. The majority of the jurors, the mitigating factors the majority of the jurors looked at were that he experienced racism when he was a youth and that he had a troubled young childhood. The man is 37 years old.

HARRIS: Very quickly, Lida, last word.

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Nelda knows that this needed to be a unanimous verdict of the jury, and it wasn't unanimous. And whatever the reason, the jury understood that he was -- he had limited involvement in 9/11.

HARRIS: Got to wrap it. Got to wrap it. Ladies, great to see you.

RODRIGUEZ-TASEFF: Take care, Tony.

HARRIS: See you next week. That was wonderful, thank you.

We're going to take a break. More CNN SATURDAY MORNING when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: Good morning to you. With the latest incident involving a member of the Kennedy family, of course, people always wonder, are the Kennedys cursed?

HARRIS: Yes. Boy, it is a question that's out there. That's for sure. We'll take a closer look at this famous American family's ups and downs and the often tragic events hitting the Kennedy dynasty.

But first, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Today's topic, wounded warriors. More men and women are surviving injuries received in Iraq than in any previous conflict.

LONG: From the new ways military medics are trained to the treatment and care soldiers receive stateside, Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at medical successes from all angles. "HOUSE CALL" straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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