Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Sunday

Hospital On Wheels; Fresh Take; Mardi Gras In New Orleans; Keeping The Faith; Dress For Success?; Dubai Ports World Case; Insanity Defense Pondered

Aired February 26, 2006 - 18:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: It's 6:00 p.m. in Detroit, 5:00 p.m. in New Orleans, and this is CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Carol Lin.
Straight ahead in this hour, compromise in the port controversy. Well, some would say yes and others are still shouting loudly no deal to having an Arab company in charge.

A mistrial in a case that to some screams guilty of murder and to others screams insanity. Will a mom who admits to killing her child by cutting off her arms spend her life in jail or a mental hospital?

And it's a critical care unit ready to serve in a tent. They used it after Katrina and now again in Mardi Gras. I'll talk to the doctor who can handle just about anything out there.

First let's take a look at the headlines on CNN.

Now, look at that. That is a fire. Part of a natural gas pumping station exploded today in Ft. Lupton, Colorado. No word on how it happened, but one employee was hurt. Firefighters are letting the blaze simply burn itself out.

And a man walked into a Detroit church this morning, shot a woman to death and wounded her child and shot another man and then he disappeared. Amazingly, the church service continued. Police have identified a suspect.

And if you think gas is a bit cheaper lately, I think you're right. Across the country, pump prices are down about 6 cents a gallon from two weeks ago. That's according to the new Lundberg Survey. The national average for regular unleaded, $2.24 a gallon.

Let's take a look at your security in this hour's top story, which has outraged and divided this country. Can we trust a foreign state-run company to secure our ports? Well, yet again new developments just happened this weekend. The company in question, Dubai-based DP World is purposefully slowing down the final approval process. Reaction from New York's two senators in just a moment, but first to the White House and CNN's Elaine Quijano. What's this all about?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you, Carol. That's right, this was shaping up to be a showdown between President Bush and concerned lawmakers, but now a compromise crafted this weekend may have partly diffused the situation. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(Voice-over): Compromise on the controversial Dubai Ports World deal, an agreement designed to head off a possible confrontation between the White House and Capitol Hill.

SEN. JOHN WARNER (R) VIRGINIA: This is a copy of the agreement which is now being delivered to the administration and to members of Congress and it really spells out unequivocally the willingness of this country -- this company to give every means of support to help work this thing out.

QUIJANO: As CNN first reported Saturday, the compromise means Dubai Ports World is taking the unusual step of asking the government's Committee on Foreign Investment to take another look, a 45-day review of its bid to acquire British-owned P&O, which operates terminals at six U.S. ports. "We are confident that further review by CFIUS will confirm that DP World's acquisition of P&O's U.S. operations does not pose any threat to America's safety and security. We hope that voluntarily agreeing to further scrutiny demonstrates our commitment to our long-standing relationship with the United States."

Spearheaded by Senators John Warner and Bill Frist, who negotiated through the weekend, the agreement aims to satisfy some lawmakers' demands for a 45-day investigation, while also saving face for a White House that had threatened to veto any legislation to block the deal. As late as Friday, Bush aides were insisting the Dubai Ports transaction had been thoroughly vetted and that more review was not need.

But just before the deal was announced, a different tone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: What the Congress and the companies are able to work out, we will obviously and support and cooperate with, so long as it does not involve a summary decision by the Congress that blocks this transaction. We are confident by this process Congress will come to the same conclusion the president did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Both Democrats and Republicans had voiced concerns about the deal involving the United Arab Emirates company, noting among other things the UAE was home to two of the 9/11 hijackers. The White House insists the UAE has since become a strong ally in the war on terror.

For now one of the deal's most vocal Republican critics is reserving judgment on the compromise.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETER KING (R) NEW YORK: Obviously I will have to see the details of the deal. If it does provide for a full 45-day investigation as it appears to, then I don't see the need to introduce legislation now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: But others, including Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, plan to press on with legislation.

(On camera): And tonight there is still no official response from the Bush administration on this deal, but as we heard from the national security adviser, officials here are certainly open to it.

Carol?

LIN: Elaine, thank you.

Now, one of the ports involved in this deal is New York's port, the scene of 9/11. And that state's two senators are both Democrats, but they are leading a movement that spans the political spectrum. They are intent on forcing the DP World deal off the table. CNN's senior correspondent, Allan Chernoff reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Standing at the shore of New York harbor, Democratic senators pounced on the proposal from Dubai-based DP ports to have Washington conduct a formal review of its plan to buy an operator of terminals at six major U.S. ports.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D) NEW YORK: The announcement should be coming out of the White House. The president should be showing leadership. It raises serious concerns about who's minding the store in Washington and what kind of leadership we need and deserve when it comes to homeland security.

CHERNOFF: The Treasury Department's Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. had given approval for the sale, but without a formal 45-day investigation. Even with the Dubai company now asking for such a review, the senators say they don't trust the White House alone to evaluate results of the review. After all, the administration has already said it's in favor of the deal.

(On camera): The New York senators plan to introduce a bill Monday that would give Congress authority over the port deal. The bill would require results of the investigation go directly to Congress, not just the president, and that Congress get 30 days to approve or reject the deal.

(Voice-over): Senator Charles Schumer predicts bipartisan support.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D) NEW YORK: It will not only pass, but it will pass by a veto-proof majority. Because the committee did a very, very poor job, a cursory job, a casual job, we don't think that leaving it simply within the executive branch is good enough. And I think most Americans would agree with that.

CHERNOFF: The White House had been hoping the request from DP ports might be a way to diffuse the controversial deal, but it appears leading Democrats have no plans to drop an issue that has now become political dynamite.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

LIN: CNN is your security headquarters. So, please stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

The hours are ticking away to the end of a three-day curfew in Iraq and we've seen extraordinary steps by leaders of the fighting religious sects, who together have publicly called for the end of the killing this weekend. Despite the curfew, there were more attacks across the country. Another Shi'a shrine was bombed as well, and more than 200 people have been killed since sectarian attacks -- last Wednesday's bombing of a mosque in Samarra.

Meanwhile, alarming words from Iraq's top Shiite cleric, this time from "Time" magazine. Grand Ayatollah Ali Husaini Sistani is expressing deep concern over the escalating sectarian strife. According to "Time," al Sistani feels the situation in Iraq has become unbearable and it's become too hard to control the streets. The cover story also quotes a western security adviser to the Iraqi government. He says, "This was the worst-case scenario we hoped would never happen."

It is two days before Fat Tuesday and that means only one thing for the people of southern Louisiana and the bead-covered visitors who flock there every Carnival season. An exhausted and devastated New Orleans refusing to shirk its duties as host to Mardi Gras. CNN's Susan Roesgen is right in the middle of it, on world famous Bourbon Street.

Hey, there, Susan.

ROESGEN: Hey, Carol, I am right in the middle of Napolean Avenue. We're awaiting for the start of the big Bacchus parade -- more than 1200 riders, more than two dozen floats. Right behind me, that's the King's float, and I have been told that they are waiting for the actor Michael Keaton, who is this year's Bacchus, to get on that float. They say that his limousine is stuck in traffic -- which I'm sure you can understand -- around here somewhere. They want to get him out of his limousine, get him in costume, of course, and put him on the float.

Bacchus is one of the most popular parades in New Orleans -- you know, named for the god of wine. Quite a few people imbibing here -- not necessarily wine, but beer or something tonight.

We've got a lot of families -- this is where locals come out every year. They come here and they stake out their places and they wait for days to get a good spot along the parade route. They're going to wait tonight not only for Bacchus, this big parade, but also for Endymion. That's the next super krewe that is going to come along behind them. And then all of the action on Fat Tuesday will move just around the corner on St. Charles Avenue. So what you will want to look for in this parade is a lot of fiber optics. They have the most sophisticated lighting on these floats. And even the costumes themselves that the riders are wearing will light up. They have a kind of neon flash to them.

So some good things to look for tonight. People will be yelling for beads. I'm starting to look like Mr. T myself, Carol. I think I'll quit yelling for beads for a while. But it will be a great night here in New Orleans.

LIN: You bet. It looks like a bunch of fun.

Thanks very much, Susan. That's the mood on Bourbon Street, but around the Gulf Coast region, there are tiny, tiny towns where people feel forgotten. I mean, Mardi Gras may be going on, but there are parts of the hurricane-hit region where very few network cameras or even government officials have been.

Kathleen Koch live now in St. Martin. Kathleen?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Carol. St. Martin is one of those cities; so is d'Iberville, Mississippi, just to the west of here. And these little towns do largely feel forgotten. But they are celebrating Mardi Gras. They're going ahead. They had a great parade in the two cities today. People came out and lined the streets and what you saw were families, families with their lawn chairs and their coolers catching the beads. The children just smiling ear to ear. They were so thrilled to have normalcy back in their lives. A real, real family affair.

But a lot of things were different. There were fewer floats. The parade route had to be changed. And then there were people who didn't make it to the parade. Right now I'm here in St. Martin with Jeanne Gray. Normally she would have walked to the parade from her home on Brittany Avenue, but that home isn't standing anymore.

Right now she's living in a FEMA trailer here, right where her grandparents used to live -- their home is gone.

Jeanne, how have you been coping for the last six months?

JEANNE GRAY, ST. MARTIN, MISS., RESIDENT: We've been trying to do the best we can. My husband's been working with the debris crew. I've been staying home taking care of my little 5-year-old, just doing the best we can, taking it day by day and hoping and knowing that it will get better in the future.

ROESGEN: Jeanne, you have with you just the few things salvaged from your home. You said your home was entirely under water. Why don't you show us what was left.

GRAY: My husband had a whole Green Bay Packers collection, a whole room of Green Bay Packers stuff, and the only thing we were able to find was this one little plaque.

He had a Monkees collectible from the old '60s group, the Monkees, and we found this one little lunch box tin left. And then a Hank Williams, Jr, doll, used to say "Monday Night Football." It doesn't work anymore, but we kept it anyway.

ROESGEN: Jeanne, you're in pretty good spirits despite everything you've been through and I find that's true throughout Southern Mississippi. What's do you think is the key, what's keeping people so optimistic?

GRAY: Just faith and love and hope. We know it's going to be better in the future. We're working on getting a new home already. We're just trying to get off the water, but we're still staying in the same basic area, just about 20 miles north of here, that's about all.

ROESGEN: There's been some controversy about the casinos opening up, some people in the neighborhoods around there feeling forgotten. But you worked at one of the casinos for 12 years, so what are your thoughts about the Beau Rivage opening up again -- where you worked?

GRAY: I think the casinos bring a lot of jobs. People going back to work -- that helps to get your life back to normal. If you're just sitting home doing nothing, or sitting in the trailer doing nothing, you have nothing to look forward to. When you go back to work, it brings more normalcy back to your life. And the casinos bring a lot of jobs, so whichever ones can open up the quickest, I think it's the best thing for the area.

ROESGEN: Jeanne, thanks so much. And again, that sort of does summarize the feeling with Mardi Gras, just brings back a little normalcy and gives people something to smile about, Carol, which they sorely need right now.

LIN: You bet. And Kathleen, you are just doing such a great job of taking us to places that we don't normally get to see in the course of Mardi Gras coverage and telling these people's stories. Thanks.

ROESGEN: It's important.

LIN: It is.

And of course, CNN has full coverage of Mardi Gras. We are live from New Orleans in the morning beginning at 6:00 Eastern. And then join Anderson Cooper at 10:00 p.m. Eastern on the eve of Fat Tuesday.

Coming up, an unsettling case of unthinkable cruelty.

DAVID HAYNES, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: -- we had established the insanity defense.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I vote for the insanity plea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't think she's guilty.

LIN: A Texas mother severs her baby's arms and that baby bleeds to death. Now the fight over the mother's fate.

REV. MICHAEL TRACEY, OUR LADY OF THE GULF CHURCH: This is where people trust you and people have confidence in you and you, you know, you tend to walk out on them.

LIN: His church is destroyed, his faith still stands. One priest's perseverance after Katrina.

And get rid of the dreadlocks or get off of campus: one hair- raising policy at a Virginia University.

You're watching CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: A mistrial in the closely-watched trial of a Texas woman charged with cutting off her baby's arms. She faced capital murder charges and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. But reporter Carol Cavazos of CNN affiliate WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth, has more details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL CAVAZOS, WFAA CORRESPONDENT: Jurors seemed numb as they walked out of the Colin County courthouse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The outcome was disappointing.

CAVAZOS: After 43 hours of deliberations --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been a hard four days. It's been a tough four days.

CAVAZOS: -- the Dena Schlosser capital murder trial ended with a hung jury.

STEVE PENN, JUROR: He told us there was no hope of him changing his mind. And we went to Al Links and argued the case forcefully with him and rationally with him, .

CAVAZOS: But to no avail. Before they broke for lunch, a juror sent a note. It read "I" -- then the juror's name -- "have reached a conclusion that cannot be reversed." He had an ally.

DAVID HAYNES, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Two of them weren't convinced that we had established the insanity defense. But I guess the case will be tried another time. We will try even harder to explain to the next jury what our position is and hopefully we'll carry the day next time.

CURTIS HOWARD, PROSECUTOR: It wasn't resolved.

QUESTION: Are you disappointed?

HOWARD: Any time you put this much work and you don't get a resolution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I vote for the insanity plea.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't think she's guilty. PENN: I was in favor of voting not guilty by reason of insanity.

CAVAZOS: The next thing these jurors' minds?

PENN: Right now every juror is very tired and as for myself I would appreciate it if I could go home now and hug my wife and my kids.

LIN: Well, prosecutors haven't said if they would retry this case. Now, Schlosser was diagnosed with post-partem psychosis and depression, the same defense used by another Texas mother charged with killing her children, Andrea Yates. Her second trial is set to begin next month.

George Parnham is Andrea Yates' attorney. He joins me now from Houston, Texas.

George, thanks for being with us tonight.

GEORGE PARNHAM, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Thanks for having me.

LIN: You had a conversation with Dena Schlosser's attorney. What did he tell you about the outcome of this case?

PARNHAM: I just congratulated him on the defense effort that was put forth in this case. Extremely trying circumstances, very, very difficult professionally and personally for lawyers in that courtroom, and I just applauded his efforts. He's a good lawyer and did very, very well in convincing 10 out of 12 that this woman was not guilty by reason of insanity.

LIN: But, George, how is this justice for 10-month-old Maggie?

PARNHAM: Well, and that's an excellent point, because that same point is going to be raised during the Yates case. I think that Maggie and the Yates children, their legacies in effect need to be to help generations of children in the future be raised by women -- mothers, if you will -- who are as free from mental illness as possible.

These kids are kids that depend on mothers to protect them from danger, and when mothers are mentally ill, the dangers become upside down and as a result, we have the tragedies that happened to Maggie and the Yates kids.

LIN: But in this particular case, doctors had examined this mother and said that she was ready for trial. She received treatment back in May and that their judgment that was she was sane.

PARNHAM: Well, I think their judgment was that she was competent to stand trial. One must remember that at the time of the act, of Maggie's death, this woman was, in effect, so severely mentally ill that she had been rendered to be incompetent to stand trial, but competency and insanity are two different things and two different standards. LIN: George, your own client, Andrea Yates -- it's been reported that she actually advised a fellow inmate that she could escape prosecution by pretending to be mentally ill and convincing a psychiatrist. Is that true?

PARNHAM: Absolutely not. I think you have to put into context the situation in that jail cell. Apparently the individual that made that particular report some five years after she had been with Ms. Yates has had some severe psychiatric problems of her own. All you need to do is to talk to every doctor for the state and defense who has examined Andrea Yates -- her prior mental health history. They all agree that she is and was a severely mentally ill individual on the day that she drowned her children.

The only difference is, what does the word "know" in knowing right from wrong really mean?

LIN: Also tomorrow a Texas judge is expected to rule on whether Andrea Yates should be tried a second time for the killing of her five children. What are you expecting in tomorrow's ruling?

PARNHAM: Well in all probability, there are additional motions and if the court rules against our motion, then we're prepared to present it to the appellate level. But we were able to address some issues that had been outstanding and needed answers to some of these questions, the answers to which we had not received until we proceeded on Friday with this particular motion.

So I anticipate whenever this case goes to trial, being ready to go to trial. We are at a process of spending every waking hour getting ready, in this case. We have a plethora of mental health experts to testify and we hope that the public will know that if in fact, Andrea Yates is acquitted by reason of insanity, or found not guilty by reason of insanity, she doesn't walk out of the courtroom. She'll be placed in a mental health facility for an indefinite period of time.

LIN: George Parnham.

PARNHAM: Thanks, Carol.

LIN: I appreciate the time. And it is still heartbreaking to see the video --

PARNHAM: It's awful.

LIN: -- of Andrea with her children. Such a sad, sad story. Thanks for your time.

In international news, it's Afghanistan's highest security prison you're about to see, but things got pretty ugly there today. You will hear more about what happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Another crisis for Afghanistan: escalating prison riots in the capital. So for the latest on that and other big world stories, we're going to bring in CNN's Anand Naidoo. Anand, what's going on?

ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, these prison riots you were talking about in Afghanistan, they broke out late last night. Right now there are hundreds of Afghan soldiers with tanks and grenade launchers. They've surrounded the main prison. This is in the capital, Kabul. You're seeing pictures of the prison there. They've seized control. Those are the prisoners. The inmates have seized control of much of the facility.

Local media reports that several people have been kill and dozens injured, although we can't confirm any of that. And officials are blaming the unrest on al Qaeda and Taliban militants who being held in that prison. It apparently started when the inmates were ordered to put on new uniforms. There are about 2,000 prisoners in that main prison over there.

Now could there be end -- or, could there be light, rather, at the end of this tunnel? Russia is reportedly making progress on defusing the Iranian nuclear impasse. News agencies say Russia and Iran are discussing a joint nuclear enrichment program. That joint effort would ease Western concern that Iran is after nuclear weapons.

In Mexico, hope is running out one week after an explosion trapped 65 miners underground. The mine's owners are saying there's no chance the men survived the disaster. Search and recovery efforts been hampered by poisonous gases in the mine there. The miners had oxygen tanks but they contained only about six hours worth of air.

Now to Paris: tens of thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets there in a protest against racism and antisemitism. Many politicians, including many ministers in the national government were among the crowd that demonstrated. It comes after the kidnap and torture of a young Paris Jew. Smaller marches took place in other cities around France.

Carol, that's it for me for now.

LIN: What's the update on the kidnap victim?

NAIDOO: Carol, he was kidnapped about three weeks ago. He was found; he was severely tortured. He was held in the basement of a building in the south of Paris, and when they found him, on the way to hospital, he died. Police at this stage are saying that they think that this was an extortion gang that has been operating in the past in France. They have threatened other people. They have the guys -- the guys who were involved in this -- allegedly involved, I should say, have been arrested.

LIN: Actions, no better than animals, Anand. Thank you.

NAIDOO: Thanks, Carol.

We're also covering some of the most popular stories this hour on CNN.com. Darren McGavin dies: he's best known for his role in "A Christmas Story." And also actor Don Knotts dies -- known as the bumbling deputy, Barney Fyfe on "The Andy Griffith Show," Knotts was 81.

For more on these stories and a whole lot more, click on CNN.com.

Some of the hospitals have reopened, but the situation in New Orleans remains dire. Up next, a medical unit that turns mobile -- a first of its kind.

SID CREDLE, DEAN, BUSINESS SCHOOL: It's not only a hairstyle ban. It's a, what we call, a strict business and dress code.

LIN: Dressed for success, but some are not too happy about it. A traditionally black university bans some traditionally black hairstyles.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening "Now in the News."

And this story is just in. Earlier we told you Dubai Ports World requested the Bush administration conduct a 45-day review of its deal to operate terminals at six U.S. ports. Well tonight, the White House says it is, "pleased" and the government committee that reviews such transactions welcomed the company's announcement, saying it would promptly initiate that review.

Now police in Detroit are searching for a shooter who opened fire inside a church. The gunman shot and killed a woman and wounded two others, including that woman's 13-year-old son. Police say it appears to have been a domestic dispute.

And in Torino, Italy, it's all but over except for the shouting, of course. The Olympic games have finished up. Gold Medal speed skater Joey Cheek led the U.S. team into the closing ceremonies. The Americans finished second in medals to Germany. Canada was third.

And "Sopranos," the movie? Well the hit TV series may be in its final season on HBO, but will the "Sopranos" ever stop singing? Its creator says maybe not. He says with such loyal fans, somebody might make him an offer he can't refuse.

Welcome back. We're bringing you live to New Orleans there. That is Bourbon Street and it certainly looks like that city, at least this street, is getting in the groove. Thousands of revelers have flocked to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. The streets are filled with glitter and laughter. That live picture says a lot. But despite all these festivities, there are reminders of New Orleans' devastating hits by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. They're around nearly every corner.

Now several New Orleans hospitals remain closed, including Charity Hospital, the second oldest public hospital in the country. But help is on the way. Literally rolling in, in the form of a hospital on wheels from North Carolina. Dr. Tom Blackwell is part of this mission of medical mercy. He joins me live from New Orleans.

Dr. Blackwell, at last count we have it that your unit has treated 7,500 people since Katrina. Is that right?

DR. TOM BLACKWELL, EMERGENCY MEDICINE SPECIALIST: That's correct. When we were in Waveland and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, we treated about 7,500 patients in the seven weeks that we were deployed.

LIN: And now, I mean, people are depending on you to provide medical service they can't get anywhere else. What can you do for people? I mean I understand broken bone, but what about cancer patients on long-term illnesses?

BLACKWELL: We're a full, comprehensive healthcare facility. As you mentioned, on wheels. It's on a 53-foot tractor trailer. The first ever build at Carolina's medical center. And what we encompass is a emergency department, an operating room, an intensive care unit and a full general medical hospital. And it sounds like some business coming.

LIN: You bet.

BLACKWELL: But we're able to take care of any emergency that might present to any hospital. We have a full diagnostic lab and radiology capabilities, ultrasound.

LIN: Oh, we lost the signal there. All right, if we get Dr. Blackwell back we're going to bring more of his story to you. But it's remarkable that people can get this kind of service in this mobile hospital and they are doing such good work. So many people are depending on them.

In the meantime, we've got some other news "Across America."

Relief in Texas. It looks like the powder found in a university dorm room is not ricin. New tests, including ones done by the FBI, came back negative. Now there were some scary moments after an initial test indicated it could be the lethal toxin.

Chopper down. A student pilot is killed and an instructor injured in a helicopter crash, near Los Angeles. Now it's unclear who was behind the controls when the aircraft went down. The instructor suffered severe head injuries.

And fairground fall in Florida. A boy is in serious condition after falling off a wooden roller coaster at Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven. He fell about 15 feet. Officials say he's between 12 and 15 years old.

Time now for a "Fresh Take" with Carlos Watson. And at the top of the agenda, a controversial bill passed this week by the South Dakota legislature. It bans most abortions and its backers hope it will set up a Supreme Court showdown and overturn Roe v. Wade. Carlos Watson joins me today from New York.

Carlos, this story was so explosive when it came down on Friday. What are the political implications of a state saying, no more abortions for women. You do have not free choice in this state.

CARLOS WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, a couple of significant ones, Carol.

First and foremost, this could have a ripple impact. You could see as many as five or 10 other states, including states like Ohio, pass similar bills that are direct frontal challenges to Roe v. Wade.

Number two, not only may you see direct challenges to Roe v. Wade, but this could be the beginning of a number of state legislatures, particularly those that are Republican dominated and conservative, offering a number of challenges to, if you will, to the new Robert-Alito court. So they may say, where do you really stand on civil unions? How do you feel about affirmative action? What about the church versus state? Public display issue? You may see a number of those challenges.

And then last, but not least, I think that all of this interest surrounding not only abortion, but broader social issues, will be played out in the 2006 elections. In fact, Carol, not just the social issue, but the Supreme Court itself I think will become the most important political issue or it will become the most substantive political issue since 1992.

LIN: Really?

WATSON: We haven't seen it play a big role in deciding campaigns since '92.

LIN: All right. Now the governor says that he is likely to sign this bill, but he hasn't signed it yet. He's going to be hearing a lot about it from constituent, I'm sure. How realistic is it that South Dakota is going to be able to pull this off and that it really will have an impact on Roe v. Wade? Because a lot of women, people who believe in choice, feel very comfortable about what their rights are today.

WATSON: Well, so two thoughts, Carol. First and foremost, a similar bill like this, the governor declined to sign a couple of years ago because he thought it had constitutional problems and he has said that once again he's pausing to review it to make sure there aren't similar issues. Number two, I spoke to a number of law professors over the weekend and many expect that no matter what, that there will be trouble with this issue, that it will be litigated in the court and it won't be put full into effect. In fact, even the sponsors in South Dakota don't think it will take immediate effect because of legal challenges.

But here's what they hope. They hope that it will put the issue front and center, that it will force the court to decide. And some even say that while today there still are five votes in favor of Roe v. Wade, even with Sandra Day O'Connor stepping down, their thought is, could there be a change over of the next year or two while this thing works its way up. In other words, could someone like Justice Stephens, over the next year or two, step down and by the time this bill is in front of the Supreme Court, could, in fact, there be five votes opposed to Roe v. Wade.

LIN: Right. WATSON: So could have a real serious impact, not in the next year or two, but over the next two or three years.

LIN: Hey, let's talk about the developments in one of our top stories, this whole controversy over an Arab company, a Dubai based company, taking over security of six major ports right here in the United States. Now you might hear refrains of "Kum ba yah" coming out of Washington. The president and some members of Congress signing on to this idea that there will be a 45-day period of investigation to make sure that this company is a secure company to do the job. Do you think this takes political pressure off the president?

WATSON: Well, I'll give you two answers to that, Carol. One, I think that by the time we get to November of 2006, this is unlikely to be a big issue, but I do think it will have a significant impact in the short term.

How? Two different ways. One, Carol, this comes on top of the problems with Katrina, the failed Harriet Miers nomination, a number of other recently problems, including the vice president's shooting, and I think this is likely to be the straw that ultimately leads to a shake-up in the White House staff and perhaps there could be a cabinet change or two. So I would look over the next month to see whether or not this is ultimately the straw that broke the camel's back.

Number two, for Democrats, I think this gives them a little bit more confidence as they head towards the 2006 elections. And, in fact, that confidence will turn into real dollars, meaning they ultimately could raise another $10 million to $15 million as they reach out to supporters via e-mail, saying, hey look, once again these guys are in trouble, they're vulnerable. We just need the money in order to make our argument.

Carol, I'll give you one last thought on this. Policy wise, though, what this may finally do is force Congress to get more involved in oversight of national security issues. They've been very deferential of the president. I think this could become the demarcation line where you see that begin to change.

LIN: Well, that's already being discussed, having Congress have overview of who controls the security in these ports.

WATSON: Very much so.

LIN: Carlos, always on topic. Thanks so much.

WATSON: Good to see you.

LIN: Coming up, Anderson Cooper from Mardi Gras, dressed to the nines with a story all his own. I talked to him just a few minutes ago.

But in Bay St. Louis, reality strikes. The struggles a local church faces in healing souls and minds. That's later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LIN: Well, to be sure, it is a bittersweet Mardi Gras for many in New Orleans. They're, of course, looking to the future, even as they still try to cope with the massive damage that lingers from Hurricane Katrina. CNN's Anderson Cooper is in New Orleans and this story has really become a cause for him. I spoke to him just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Anderson, you're standing there in a tux and it's Mardi Gras. It's a far cry from six months ago. What's it like for you to be there now?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a little bizarre to be standing in a tuxedo, I must admit. I'm wearing a tuxedo because I was actually asked to ride on a float in the parade, Endymion's parade. So I'm going to be doing that this evening, which I'm very excited about.

But, you know, it's bittersweet, of course. I mean, I spent most of today down in the lower ninth ward, which is still pretty much exactly the same. I mean the water is gone but, you know, people's possessions are still laying all around. And then you come to Bourbon Street, to where I'm standing now, and, you know, and there's a party going and there's people drinking beer and throwing beads.

So, you know, it's kind of a strange juxtaposition. You know the people here though say it is important that they had Mardi Gras, that they celebrate. Even if no one else came, it was something that this city wanted to do for itself. It's, obviously, a long tradition here and it was important for residents here to show the world that, you know, the city, you know, wants to get back on its feet, that' there's still -- it's alive and that there is spirit here.

LIN: Right. You know, you have talked from the very beginning about keeping people honest. Making sure that people who don't have a voice in this hurricane zone get heard. Do you feel like there has been any progress in rebuilding? Is there any hope on the horizon?

COOPER: You know, there's always hope and there has certainly been progress and there's certainly a lot of plans for progress and a lot of committees. You know, the people here will tell you it is not moving fast enough. They haven't seen results on the ground that they anticipated that they wanted and that they so desperately need.

I mean you go to St. Bernard Parish, which is just a few miles from here. You know, there were 45,000 homes in St. Bernard Parish before Katrina. There's only about 50 habitable home. Fifty, 5-0, right now. So, you know, there is so much that needs to be done and there's a lot of, you know, there's been a lot of politics involved and a lot of issues involved.

I think people here will tell you, look, things are not moving fast enough. Yes, they're seeing some cleanup and Bourbon Street is back, but for the rest of New Orleans, there's still a long way to go.

LIN: You bet. So we're going to look forward to your special coverage going into fat Tuesday. What do we have to look forward to?

COOPER: Well, you know, I'm riding on this float tonight. I'll be shooting behind the scenes what it is like to be on a float. You know, we're also going to be looking back over the last six months. We've met a lot of people along the way, on this journey that we've all been on. We're going to reintroduce them to you and bring you up- to-date on where they are now. Particularly a lot of people we met that first week right after Katrina, we tracked them down and we're going to have updates on just about all of them and show you in a very personal way how they're weathering the storm.

LIN: Great. Anderson, we're going to look forward to it because your coverage is so real and I know this story is so personal to you. So, thanks so much. Have fun there tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, right here every week we like to bring you the more personal stories from the front lines. So today a catholic priest on coastal Mississippi struggles to rebuild his church and comfort his congregation. CNN's Kathleen Koch has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REV. MICHAEL TRACEY, OUR LADY OF THE GULF CHURCH: Everything is gone. Pews. The door has been destroyed.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): After Hurricane Katrina, Father Michael Tracey knew things wouldn't be easy. Not just repairing Our Lady of The Gulf Church, but healing people's souls.

TRACEY: There are people that came by the church here, paritioners, who just couldn't go in.

KOCH: Couldn't come in?

TRACEY: Could come in. There are people that have -- cannot go and look at the water anymore.

KOCH: Father Tracey lost his home, the rectory, to Katrina, too. He salvaged two family photos.

TRACEY: All the people are still recognizable, but it's something I'll treasure.

KOCH: He's taken it all with a strong dose of Irish humor, directing reconstruction on the go.

TRACEY: You go around with a cell phone, a notebook and a pen and that's your office.

KOCH: And almost anything goes. A donated liquor billboard tarp replaces the church's missing roof.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to put the Jack Daniels down, father. TRACEY: Good.

KOCH: Volunteers are pouring, cleaning the grounds, repairing the community center where mass is now held. Paritioners who have lost everything and left come back with difficult questions. Why did this happen?

DARLA GOODFELLOW, FORMER RESIDENT: I mean like you keep wondering, what did we do wrong, you know? I worked very hard to be a good mother. I worked very hard to do the right thing. Did I do something wrong? Where did I fail?

KOCH: Father Tracey refuses to question his role here. He will stay. Though his Irish shoulders sometimes seem stooped by the burden they carry.

TRACEY: And this is where people trust you and people have confidence in you and you, you know, you can't walk out on them. So I'm here in the middle of all this rubble and I'm here in the middle of the rubble of their lives.

KOCH: Father Tracey and the parish believe in resurrection. Their ambitious goal, the church repaired in time for Easter mass.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: How would you feel if your school told you to get a haircut and dress sharp? Well, that is the policy at of Virginia university. Why spikes and dreadlocks don't cut it and why some folks are having a problem with that, coming up on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Great pictures we're working on out of Mardi Gras.

In the meantime, in some other news, this story really caught our attention. How would you like it if someone told you either to cut your hair differently or you're out of here? Well, that's exactly what a traditionally black university in Virginia is doing. The message is, if you want to succeed in business, you better conform. But is that a subtly racist policy? Gary Nurenberg investigates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Hampton University graduate student Quentin Miles had a tough morning Friday.

QUENTIN MILES, GRADUATE STUDENT: I got up, had a decision to make. Went and got my haircut.

NURENBERG: His mohawk became part of his hair history.

MILES: I've had corn rows, plats, two-strand twists, gel twists.

NURENBERG: All statements about his individuality.

MILES: I didn't want to cut it and be seen as though I cut it to conform.

NURENBERG: But the MBA candidate has to conform if he wants to attend the weekly seminar with business leaders held at his historically-black school. No corn rows, dreadlocks or long braids.

SID CREDLE, DEAN, BUSINESS SCHOOL: It's a strict business and dress code.

NURENBERG: Suits and ties, no tight or short skirts. It's been a requirement in the school's business administration program for the last six years.

CREDLE: We're developing professionals who will go into corporate America, so we don't want extreme hair styles or extreme attire.

PAMELA FREEMAN, HAIR SALON OWNER: When we think of racism, we don't think of it happening within our own communities.

NURENBERG: Pamela Freeman founded Corn Rows and Company in Washington, D.C. after she lost a job because of her hairstyle in 1978.

FREEMAN: Here you have students who go to an African-American university because they are embracing their culture and they're telling you, you know, we don't want to embrace our culture.

NURENBERG: Hampton says the policy isn't racist. That strict business attire can help students overcome the racial stereotypes they can encounter when looking for jobs.

CREDLE: For this program we have 100 percent placement.

NURENBERG: Some business diversity experts believe it's dated.

JOHN PEOPLE (ph): It sends a message that appearance is as or more important as competencies.

NURENBERG: John People's says global competition forces companies to push appearances aside.

PEOPLE: They've got to make sure that they're bringing in the best and the brightest people regardless of how they look.

NURENBERG: At Hampton, some student don't see the dress code as a sacrifice of their heritage.

SHAKORA LUCKETI, GRADUATE STUDENT: It's our thoughts and our ideals and our values and our experience and our education that create the person that we are, not the way I wear my hair or the way I don't wear it.

NURENBERG: It is for these business students a business decision.

MILES: I understand that we live in a world that's not perfect and there are sacrifices that we all have to make every day.

NURENBERG: Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: There is much more ahead on CNN this evening.

Up next, hope from the Gulf region. You are going to meet a man who's lost almost everything and yet he is still helping others.

And at 8:00, "CNN Presents" "Reasonable Doubt: Can Crime Labs Be Trusted?"

At 9:00 Eastern, a special "Larry King Weekend," remembering Don Knotts.

And I'll be back at 10:00 Eastern. Tonight, how can U.S. troops help in Iraq now? The latest on the sectarian violence there. The curfews will be up.

More CNN SUNDAY up next.

(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