Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Sunday
Severe Weather in Midwest; Deadly Car Bombs Kill at Least 46 in Baghdad; President Bush will Attempt Damage Control
Aired March 12, 2006 - 16:58 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Deadly tornadoes flattened home in the heartland. Families there brace for more as new storms fire up.
Bloody Sunday in Baghdad, a string of bombs kills dozens of Iraqis and a close call at the airport.
Plus, wow, the dangerous world of cops and criminals caught on tape.
Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. That and more after this check of the headlines.
Slobodan Milosevic died in his cell of a sudden, massive heart attack. That is the word coming out of the Hague, based on preliminary autopsy results. The accused war criminal's backers are claiming he was poisoned. The remains will be released to his family tomorrow.
New York police plan to seek a murder indictment against Darryl Littlejohn in the death of a graduate student. Police say Littlejohn's blood was identified on plastic ties used to bind Imette St. Guillen's hands and feet. She was last seen alive at a bar where Littlejohn worked as a bouncer.
Another night of stormy weather looms for parts of the Midwest. At least two people were killed overnight when tornadoes ripped through southern Illinois and southern Missouri and severe storms hit Missouri and Kansas again today. Our weather update is straight ahead.
Four American troops are dead in a bombing in eastern Afghanistan. The military says the troops were on patrol when an improvised explosive device shattered their armored vehicle.
And Senate Democrat Russ Feingold will introduce a measure to censure President Bush for the practice of issuing wire taps without court orders. Feingold says the president consciously violated the constitution. Today on CNN's "Late Edition" Senator Republican John Warner called Feingold's move grandstanding.
We begin this hour with the threat of more severe weather in the Midwest. A violent storm peaked overnight roaring across the Mississippi, south of St. Louis. Daylight reveals a 20-mile-wide path of destruction in southern Missouri and Illinois. The rural area was pummeled by large hail, intense rain and several tornadoes. Two people were killed when their pickup truck was hurled into a propane tank. Another blast of severe weather is rolling across an even larger area today. CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider is in the weather center with more. Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Fredricka, as we look towards the map, we have another expansive area of tornado warnings that are happening over much of Missouri at this hour. You can see some of the storms very, very severe. Look at this one here just moving out of Henry County into Pettis County in Missouri. As we take a closer look, I want to show you a feature that shows just how powerful these thunderstorms are.
Look at this. We started to get earlier a curvature here or a bow echo in the thunderstorms, indicated on Doppler radar and that means that the winds are so strong in the upper levels of the atmosphere that they're rushing down, kind of tilting back part of the thunderstorm and pushing part of it forward. Those strong winds reach the ground very, very quickly and that's when we can see the rotation develop and a tornado develop as well.
We're starting to see that with a lot of these super cell thunderstorms that are working their way through Missouri at this hour. You can see this one here just a little bit further to the north and the east. Actually this one a tornado was spotted by a trained weather spotter that spotted a tornado just north of La Monte. So this one showed the tornado moving east at 55 miles per hour. So Missouri oh boy, under the gun for a good portion of the day and into the evening hours.
As we look at the big picture now, what we're looking at is an area indicated by the storm prediction center as a very serious situation for much of the nation's mid section. This is a powerful cold front, warm, moist air coming up ahead of it. But really what's making a big difference today is this upper level disturbance, right here very close to the proximity of the area of severe weather we're watching. This is providing instability and very cool layers of air in the upper levels of the atmosphere.
Remember the temperatures right now were climbing all the way into the 80s so we had very cold air aloft and then you have this warm air at the surface, it's just a recipe is ripe for severe weather and tornadoes to break out. So a good portion of the nation's mid section, including Missouri right now where there's not tornado warnings, there's certainly a tornado watch and that should go through a good portion of the evening tonight until about 10:00 p.m. Central time. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Bonnie, thank you so much.
In Baghdad today, deadly car bombs killed at least 46 people. The bombs went off in a stronghold of a powerful Shiite militia, raising fears of retaliation and mass sectarian killing. We have the story from Baghdad from CNN's Aneesh Raman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fires burned after at least six car bombs detonated in Baghdad's Sadr City, home to the capital's largest Shia community. Dozens killed, over 200 wounded in an area where military loyal to Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr patrol the streets and show their force, a force that has come under attack. In all in Iraq Sunday, scores were killed by roadside bombs, rocket attacks and drive-by shootings.
But the attack in Sadr City has devastating potential to infuriate the country's second largest Shia militia. Security is the most important issue facing Iraq's government, from the near daily bombs to more dangerous tactics. Sunday, a source with Royal Jordanian Airlines confirmed that explosives had been found near a plane that was about to take off Thursday for Amman. The major security breach prompted the U.S. embassy to issue this message that read in part, quote, as a result of a recent security incident at the Baghdad international airport, the U.S. embassy is prohibiting outgoing travel by all U.S. government employees on commercial airlines.
Royal Jordanian delayed Thursday's flight by two hours to recheck passengers and luggage, but then the flight took off, and they have continued operations since. Attacks averted, attacks carried out, both over shadowing the continuation of Saddam Hussein's trial. For the first time defendants were brought in one by one to testify. Sunday saw three of Saddam's co-defendants. Low-level Baath Party officials question the evidence that's been presented. Saddam himself is said to testify later this week. For their part, Iraq's current leader spent Sunday feverishly working to jump start a stalled political process, announcing that parliament will convene for the first time on Thursday, three days earlier than expected and just over three months after Iraqis voted them in. Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The problems in Iraq are hurting President Bush, his approval rating now at an all-time low. Mr. Bush this week will attempt some damage control. From the White House now, CNN's Elaine Quijano. Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Fredricka. We are just about one week away from the three-year anniversary of the start of the Iraq war and Bush administration officials know that people are going to be taking a look back, making assessments about what has been accomplished in Iraq. Now, that is why we're going to be seeing not just President Bush, but other administration officials coming out, starting this week, to provide the White House's perspective.
Now, we already saw some of that this weekend. President Bush's radio address focused on Iraq and he also made a rare weekend public appearance before the cameras after a briefing on Saturday about improvised explosive devices or IEDs. In fact tomorrow, the president is going to be talking about IEDs and a larger problem of security in Iraq when he gives the first in a series of three speeches this month on Iraq.
Now, we're told that this is going to be similar to a push in December, another move to explain the president's strategy and why he believes that it is going to be successful. What is different now? Well, the environment in Iraq. Officials here acknowledge that sectarian violence is a very real concern. So this speech is going to be a chance for President Bush to show that he is not out of touch, that he recognizes those images of violence coming out of Iraq are unsettling and that there is anxiety. Complicating the picture of course the difficult challenge of getting the Iraqis to work together to form a new government in the midst of all of this. In fact, today the U.S. ambassador to Iraq said progress by the Iraqis on that front is going to require patience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZALMAY KHALILZAD, US AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: Given the toughness of the situation, of the decision that they have to make, it's still going to take a bit of time, but I have urged them and they understand, they need to move as quickly as possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: As for the president's push to bolster public support, aides say that they do understand what will ultimately shape public opinion is not a speech or two or three but the events on the ground. Nevertheless, the White House believes that these speeches are going to be critical, Fredricka, for providing more context about what is happening. As one senior official put it, a person can be unsatisfied but still have a better understanding of the situation. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: And how much pressure is the White House responding to or admitting to responding to when it comes down to the language that he has to use this week? He can't go up there and say, you know, everything is going well, because the images that most of America are seeing, you know, are quite impressionable, quite bad.
QUIJANO: Well, that's exactly right, and I mean you hit it on the head. That's basically why the president and other officials here feel it is so important for him to come out, because they fully recognize that these images weigh heavily on the American people, that of course we're not just seeing just U.S. casualties now but this increase in sectarian violence. And so they feel now, more than ever, it's important to get out and talk about how it's not just that limited image of the violence that's happening in Iraq, that there is progress being made as well. One thing we're going to hear him talk about is how Iraqi forces are now able to handle some of the security problems that have come up, but it is, you're right, it is a troubling picture and the White House fully understands that.
WHITFIELD: Elaine Quijano at the White House, thanks so much for that update.
Well, new information now in the investigation into the death of war crimes defendant Slobodan Milosevic. An official close to the war crimes tribunal at The Hague says the former Yugoslav leader died of a massive heart attack. Milosevic was found dead in his cell early yesterday. He had been receiving treatment for a heart condition and for high blood pressure. While Milosevic was reviled by much of the world, he was a hero to many Serbians. CNN's Alessio Vinci is in Belgrade where the reaction so far to the former president's death has been noticeably subdued. Alessio?
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka. You know, in life, in death as in life, Mr. Milosevic divided the people of this country he once ruled and this division is quite noticeable today in Belgrade with his supporters accusing the U.N. war crimes tribunal at The Hague of killing Mr. Milosevic or poisoning Mr. Milosevic and who want to organize a hero burial here in Belgrade and his opponents who fear that those socialist and nationalist forces are exploiting, are going to exploit Mr. Milosevic's untimely death to make him a martyr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VINCI (voice-over): No one at the popular St. Michael's church in Belgrade was lighting a candle for Milosevic. Their prayers instead were focused on the first day of fasting ahead of Orthodox Easter. Outside though, some were visibly saddened.
It is hard, it is hard for everybody, she says. He was our citizen and our president. This lady shares the suspicions of many here in Serbia who doubt Milosevic died a natural death. All we want to know is the truth she says. The truth is the only thing we're interested in.
There were plenty of candles instead for Milosevic outside the headquarters of his socialist party. Despite the rain, a small group of people waited in line for their turn to share their sorrow. I felt terrible when I heard about the news. I cried a lot, she says. Why are those people at The Hague so against the Serbs?
Newspaper headlines carried much of that feeling, some suggesting the former Yugoslav strongman was murdered, possibly poisoned by his jailers. It's a charge flatly denied by the war crimes tribunal, but one that gives national sympathizers here an opportunity to review the former president's place in history.
BRATISLAV GRUBACIC, POLITICAL ANALYST: The way he died basically means that he's now out of hands of justice. Now he will be in the hands of historical science and probably after this, he will get much better position in the history of Serbia nation than one could believe even two days ago, definitely better than maybe he deserved.
VINCI: But a larger crowd gathered to commemorate the third anniversary of Zoran Djindjic's assassination, the pro-western Serb prime minister who extradited Milosevic to The Hague in 2001, only to be killed two years later by a sniper believed to have been hired by gangsters connected to ultra-nationalist forces here.
With Milosevic's sudden death, the pressure has increased on the Serb government to finally deliver war time Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic for trial in The Hague.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VINCI: And one of the reasons why the Serb government has not arrested Ratko Mladic is first of all because they claim they don't know where he is, but also most importantly they fear that should they organize a commando or a group of police to try to arrest him, that the former general could commit suicide and make him as well a hero. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Now Alessio, at the beginning you mentioned that Belgrade wanted to have a hero's burial. Now we're also understanding that the remains of Milosevic will be handed over to the family members tomorrow. What are the wishes of the family? Do they want him buried somewhere other than Belgrade?
VINCI: Well, we do know that his brother has told CNN that he would like his brother to be buried here in Belgrade and certainly here in Belgrade tonight, there are discussions among, between Serb officials and the Milosevic's representative of the Milosevic's family, to organize a burial here. But there's a big problem, that the wife of Mr. Milosevic, Mirjana, has an arrest warrant against her in this country and should she come here, she would be arrested. So she has suggested that perhaps Mr. Milosevic should be buried in Moscow. So all this is going on right now behind the scenes. We do not know where the body will be headed once he will be released to his family tomorrow.
WHITFIELD: All right, Alessio Vinci, thank you so much, from Belgrade.
Meantime here in the states, a break in the murder case in New York City, the prime suspect, a bar bouncer named Littlejohn. That's after the break.
Also a virtual dementia tour helps caregivers understand the symptoms and the fears of those affected.
And later, it's been one year since the Atlanta courthouse shootings. We look back at what may have sparked that deadly rampage.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: New York police today announced a major break in the murder case of Imette St. Guillen. She's the young graduate student found dead in Brooklyn last month. CNN's Chris Huntington is standing by with more. Chris.
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, thank you very much. Just about two hours ago police Commissioner Raymond Kelly making the announcement that DNA evidence does indeed link the bouncer of the bar, Darryl Littlejohn to the gruesome murder of Imette St. Guillen. Here's how police Commissioner Kelly announced it just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COMMISSIONER RAY KELLY, NEW YORK CITY: Today we're announcing a break in this case. Darryl Littlejohn's blood was found on plastic ties that were used to bind Imette's hands behind her back and a DNA match to Littlejohn was made. As a result of this and other evidence, Littlejohn is the prime suspect in this case and his indictment will be sought for the murder of Imette St. Guillen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HUNTINGTON: The case is now officially in the hands of the Brooklyn district attorney because that is where Imette St. Guillen was found in the east New York section of Brooklyn. We spoke to the Brooklyn D.A.'s office. They're not commenting just now as to when they can bring charges before a grand jury and then of course bring an indictment presumably against Darryl Littlejohn. Indeed Commissioner Kelly said that he is urging the Brooklyn D.A.'s office to work with all deliberate speed.
Darryl Littlejohn is 41 years old, an ex-convict with a very long rap sheet. He was out on parole for a bank robbery that he committed some three and a half years ago. Indeed he's being held in custody for violating that parole, a small technical detail. He has not been charged by the police department with the murder or with any connection to the murder of Imette St. Guillen, but they're keeping him in custody on Riker's island, a maximum custody jail here in the New York area for parole violation.
Imette St. Guillen, 24 years old, a student at the John Jay College of criminal justice, who was out drinking with friends on the night of February 24th, into the morning of February 25th. She was alone at a bar called the Falls. Witnesses on the scene placed her there and said that she left with Darryl Littlejohn. So to recap, the evidence that the police have now, DNA evidence linking Littlejohn to this gruesome murder. She was found with her face taped, her hands bound, a sock stuffed in her throat, wrapped in a blanket in the east New York section of Brooklyn some two weeks ago. So the police have a major break in this case. We are awaiting formal charges from the Brooklyn district attorney's office. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Chris, the police commissioner also said, aside from that kind of physical evidence, they also have the evidence of cell phone records that placed Littlejohn in the very area where St. Guillen's body was found, correct?
HUNTINGTON: Yes, Commissioner Kelly confirming that they've been able to trace through essentially the tracking of the signal that Littlejohn was in the area where St. Guillen's body was found. Commissioner Kelly also confirming that they have witnesses. This is something that had been reported in the local papers here, but now commissioner confirming it publicly. So in addition to those bits of evidence, he also alluded to the fact that they have other hard evidence to go on and they are building what Commissioner Kelly hinted was a very, very strong case against Darryl Littlejohn.
WHITFIELD: All right. Chris Huntington from New York, thank you so much.
In other news across America, an average of two fatal motorcycle accidents per day cast a shadow over Daytona's annual bike week. The Florida Highway Patrol says 18 people have died in motorcycle crashes in the past nine days. That makes this year's event the deadliest ever in its 65-year history. In southern California, waxing nostalgic for Hollywood. Contents of the Movieland wax museum, which closed last year are being auctioned off this weekend. Among the hot properties a wax figure of Liz Taylor as Cleopatra that went for $25,000 and a 19-year-old college student from Georgia is more than $1 million richer today after winning a poker tournament in Monte Carlo. The saga began last month when he won a $40 online poker tournament. Jeff Williams, a freshman at the University of Georgia joins us next hour to talk about his windfall.
And still to come, what is it like to suffer from dementia? A new program lets you experience some of the symptoms and learn how scary it can be.
And later, a new Turkish film portrays U.S. forces as the bad guys. Should it be yanked out of the theaters? Depends on who you ask. CNN LIVE SUNDAY will return in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Dementia is a disease that might be hardest on caregivers and in many cases it leads to elder abuse. Now there's a new way to understand what it's like to suffer from the disease. In this best of CNN, our Carol Lin takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The police would come day and night, responding to calls about attackers armed with knives or guns, but there were no attackers at Lois Ruhnke's house, only those who existed in her elderly mother's deluded mind.
LOIS RUHNKE, DAUGHTER OF DEMENTIA PATIENT: She would hear somebody in the house and she would imagine them doing terrible things or at one point, I think this broke my heart, she felt that there was a cage I was building to put her in.
LIN: The delusions tormenting Lois's 78-year-old mother were symptoms of dementia. Her brain is dying, leaving her in a sometimes violent or blank child-like state. It's more than most families can deal with, much less understand.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we know, that for our elders who have this terrible disease, it's 24-7. Even we now know in their dreams.
LIN: PK Beville (ph) is a psychologist and founder of a senior citizen advocate group Secondwind Dreams. She tells nursing homes and families around the country that to understand the dementia patient, you have to experience what they see, feel and hear. She invited me to take what she calls her virtual dementia tour, something she developed after working with dementia and Alzheimer's patients for 20 years.
You need to put a few of these in each one of your shoes.
LIN: The dry corn poured in my shoes and the gloves with fingers taped together are supposed to mimic the physical pain of arthritis and the limits of age. The goggles, a senior's declining vision, the head phones a cacophony that often fills the demented person's mind. With all this, I'm given a few simple task to accomplish.
All right, am I supposed to match the socks? It's hard to see, that one? I was so distracted by the noise in my head, I started to feel anxious. I have a hard time picking things up. Whoops. Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you imagine what it's like for a family member to have a mom or a daddy that have been so active and so vital, in this kind of state and just getting so long frustrated that they can't get their mom or dad back.
LIN: Beville (ph) has taken 7,000 caregivers through this exercise which is now being used in many nursing homes, hospitals and medical schools. Lois Ruhnke also took the tour. She ended up having to put her mother in a home for dementia patients, but now, she understands how to coax and encourage her mother through tasks.
RUHNKE: It makes me realize what a fighter my mom is, because she always struggled to maintain her independence, and when you go through the dementia tour, you come to realize how difficult that really is.
LIN: For those who care for the elderly, this virtual tour gives them greater understanding, for the dementia patient, the prospect of better and more sympathetic care. Carol Lin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And now if you're just joining us, another look at the top stories. Three car bombs in Baghdad killed at least 36 people today and wounded more 100. A fourth car bomb was diffused before it could detonate. The attacks targeted markets in the Shiite area known as Sadr City.
Also in Baghdad, a security breach at the world's most heavily guarded airport. An official with the Royal Jordanian Airline says a cigarette pack filled with high explosives was discovered on the tarmac under one of the airlines' planes. U.S. government workers are banned from using commercial flights out of the airport until further notice now.
In Afghanistan, more U.S. casualties were reported today. The U.S. military says four American troops were killed by a roadside bomb. It happened in an area known as the Pech Valley.
Preliminary autopsy results for Slobodan Milosevic suggest he had a massive heart attack. That's according to a spokesperson for the U.N. war crimes tribunal. The former Yugoslav leader was found dead in his jail cell yesterday.
In New York, police say DNA evidence gives them a prime suspect in the rape and murder of a grad student. Darryl Littlejohn's blood was allegedly found on plastic ties used to bind the hands of Imette St. Guillen. Littlejohn, a bouncer at the bar where the 24-year-old victim was last seen is in custody on probation charges. And at the gasoline pumps, the 11 cent increase over the past two weeks probably won't go away even though the price of oil dropped below $60 a barrel on Friday. Analysts say rising demand will probably keep pushing gas prices up.
A new movie called "Valley of the Wolves" depicts U.S. forces as evil. Some say it's anti-western and anti-Semitic. Will it stir more hatred? We'll take a look.
And later, caught on tape, suspects kick, fight and shoot cops just trying to do their jobs. If you had to face this every day, would you? CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Severe weather continues to be a major story for many Midwesterners this weekend. CNN's Bonnie Schneider is keeping a track on all of it. Bonnie?
SCHNEIDER: We've just got some more of these tornado warnings and unfortunately, Fredricka, the computer just keeps spewing them out. What's happening is the tornado warnings are shifting further to the east to the counties we showed you just a half hour ago. The tornado warnings have expired but as we travel to the east you'll find that we are looking at the threat of severe weather for some newer counties.
Take a look. This thing includes Boone, Cooper and further to the south in Morgan and one individual cell spotted just about eight miles south of Sedalia. This one was confirmed by Doppler radar as a tornado and as you can see I mentioned earlier about the bow or hook echo. And we're seeing it once again with some of these super cells where we're getting those strong, strong winds from the upper levels of the atmosphere dropping down with wind, rain and hail reportedly with these storms as large as baseball sized hail. That's why they're so severe and damaging. And you really need to just stay inside until the storm passes.
Kansas City was hammered with severe weather earlier today. Now we're getting more to the south of the city in Overland Park. The big picture now shows you two tornado watch boxes and as you can see, they cover quite a large area all the way into Illinois, where we have some more tornado watches posted and severe thunderstorm watches that just popped up right now in the center of the state and then into the south into Arkansas and parts of Oklahoma. So this is a wide area. These watches will go on until 10:00 p.m. tonight Central Time and may even be extended. That's what we saw last night, and they went until about 2:00 in the morning.
So we're watching for more tornadoes to break out as this batch here of severe weather shifts to the east. One of the biggest concerns we'll have is St. Louis in areas south where we had tornadoes reported yesterday, one day after the other, worst thing that can happen is to get rounds and rounds of severe weather. But we're watching that. Now, on the backside of the system just to mention there is snow reported. We have snow in Denver, we have snow up towards Rapid City. Temperatures are much colder there and it's really that contrast as you can see just on the bottom of the map, notice the darker color combing here with this lighter color. You have Omaha at 39. Kansas City at 65 and further off, we've got even warmer temperatures than that.
And it's that transition we're seeing now as we go from winter into spring, that we're getting the severe weather. That's why March is an active month. And coming up a little bit later on CNN I'll explain more why we are getting such strong tornadoes this particular weekend, the dynamics of the way things are setting up.
It's really interesting so you'll want to stay tuned for that.
WHITFIELD: All right. Will do. Thanks so much, Bonnie.
A new film is drawing huge crowds across parts of Europe, the movie features several American stars, playing characters that are downright nasty. In today's "Best of CNN" segment, Berlin bureau chief Chris Burns gives us a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The movie, "Valley of the Wolves" includes one scene where U.S. troops shoot up a wedding party in Iraq. In another, a suicide bomber kills American troops and anyone else in the way.
The film, the most expensive ever made in Turkey, portrays U.S. forces as generally evil. Billy Zane, who often plays a bad guy, is a brutal CIA agent and a Jewish doctor, played by Gary Busey, harvests body organs of Iraqis for transplant. The hero is a Turkish Rambo who takes on the Americans. Conservative German lawmakers want the movie pulled. Even the liberal Greens Party says the film is anti-Semitic, anti-American and anti-Western.
REINHARD BUEYIGHOFER, GREENS PARTY: This comes on top of all of the difficult discussions that we're having right now about the caricatures and about the so-called clash of civilizations.
BURNS: Cartoon caricatures of Mohammed that have caused rioting across the Muslim world.
At a Berlin news conference the film's creators deny the accusations. "They can easily accuse us of being anti-Semitic. We are saying we are not. They can say we are anti-American. We are not. We are against war and are trying to tell that," he says.
Movie-goers, Turkish and German have mixed feelings. "There of course will be positive opinions, as with me for instance when the sheikh condemns suicide bombings" he says.
"That was bad and unnecessary that the Jewish doctor was operating but there are bad things in a lot of films," he says. Some say the film didn't change their minds about Americans for better or worse.
"If you hate all Americans, that's a stereotype. That's putting them all in one box and that's not right," he says. "I have American friends and we get along very well."
"The policy is evil, what the Americans want to do, do they really seek peace? I don't believe it. I'm sorry."
Berlin's integration chief says he doesn't believe the film will stir up hatred.
GUENTHER PIENING, INTEGRATION COMMISSIONER, BERLIN: I think that one bad film will not have such consequences, for example, the "Rambo" film in the United States wasn't the start of the new anti-Vietnam feeling in the United States.
BURNS: But "The Valley of the Wolves" is yet another test for those who insist on a free media despite the risks. Chris Burns, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: News now in our world wrap tonight, U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice heads to South Asia. She arrives in Indonesia from Chile where she attended yesterday's inauguration of that country's first female president. Britain's Queen Elizabeth is in Australia for what some speculate could be her last visit. She turns 80 next month and is expected to start handing over more of her official duties to her heir, Prince Charles.
Now back in London, they're getting an early start, celebrating St. Patrick's Day. A street festival with Irish music, dance, arts and crafts kicked off the event. Green lights are growing in the fountains of Tralfalgar Square.
And take a look at this. Too adorable, it's China's panda play playground, 16 baby pandas living it up in grand style in their custom built playground in China's Sichuan Province. It's the country's panda research center. And these playful fuzz balls are part of a very serious effort to save the species from extinction. Pandas are notoriously difficult breeders and about half of these little guys will be released to the wild. But first they've got to have a little fun at the playground.
Still to come, don't be fooled by what you see on television. Routine traffic stops can turn deadly for police. After the break, go along for the ride.
And later, we remember what it was like for the 26 hours Brian Nichols was on the loose in Atlanta. CNN LIVE SUNDAY will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Top of the hour more of CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Carol Lin will be on board.
LIN: It has been a busy news day.
WHITFIELD: Yeah. Weekend. Overall.
LIN: We have got some really memorable feature stories so we're going to be covering the days news but I'm going to be talking to a man who was told he had one year to live. He was diagnosed with cancer. He is alive to do the interview but he started this blog that is an amazing resource for cancer survivors and cancer as they are patients going through treatment. And what he's saying 10 million cancer patients in the United States is a powerful lobby. He plans on taking this blog and making big changes in the cancer world like with drugs and the cost of medications and treatment and all of that connecting people.
WHITFIELD: That's good.
LIN: 11:00 is our big newscast tonight. Because we have got a bunch of special reports about Dana Reeve (ph). Perverted Justice. Have you seen the piece Daniel Sieberg did about how they tracked down these child molesters who lure the kids on the Internet sites and he tracks them down? You see the arrest go down. It's amazing.
And I'm also going to be talking to one of the guys from this group called Perverted Justice. He has a pseudonym, so he can't reveal his real name, but I'm doing the interview how to protect kids from these people who stalk them on the Internet.
WHITFIELD: ... smart advice.
LIN: And what we as parents should do. Do you take the computer way? How do you monitor the traffic?
WHITFIELD: Right. We'll be watching,11:00 Eastern.
LIN: Six o'clock and 11:00, all of the news of day.
WHITFIELD: Carol, thanks so much.
LIN: All right. Well, a routine traffic stop goes bad. A high- speed chase ends in a crash. We can watch it all unfold because of the dashboard cam. CNN's Jason Carroll has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One night last month an Ohio state trooper pulled over a motorist for driving erratically. The dash camera in the officer's patrol car captures how a traffic stop quickly escalates into a deadly struggle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your hands up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what I'm doing.
CARROLL: The driver draws a gun but drops it. Both men wrestle for the weapon and with each other for several moments, until the officer manages to retrieve his gun. The trooper shoots the driver in the head and kills him. It's a dramatic example of what officers call one of their biggest concerns while out on patrol.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dante, go ahead, undo your belt and step out here.
CARROLL: Routine traffic stops --
That turn out to be far from routine.
A driver who wants to fight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't fight me, ma'am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why not?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because, don't fight me. Ma'am?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm already in trouble.
CARROLL: Again a struggle for a weapon. The officer in this case is eventually forced to shoot the woman. She does not survive. Michigan State trooper Joel Service says most officers now need to be prepared for just about anything. Service had his own run-in with an unruly driver who let him and fellow officers on a high-speed chase. The suspect rammed his vehicle into service's patrol car, locking them together.
JOEL SERVICE, MICHIGAN STATE POLICE: I don't know. I must have been trained pretty well because I think I was able to handle it, handle the situation pretty well. I didn't lose control. I was able to kind of keep my wits about me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, trooper.
CARROLL: Teaching recruits about the hazards of traffic stops is a major part of the training program for Connecticut State Police and it goes way beyond the classroom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I clocked you for 77 miles an hour in a 65 mile an hour zone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's impossible.
CARROLL: Thanks to dashboard cameras and cops shows on TV, most recruits have already seen how real life situations like this one can become dangerous in a hurry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 1,030, stop, hold that position. Whoa! Drop the gun! Drop the gun. Drop the gun!
CARROLL: Eventually this woman gave up and was taken into custody. (on camera): When the recruits come in, are they asking do you find are they asking better questions, having seen some of that stuff out there in the media?
STAN TERRY, CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE: They see them, they ask better questions, they are very familiar with police tactics.
CARROLL (voice-over): Because dash cam video is now so prevalent, most drivers who are stopped these days almost certainly know they're being taped. That doesn't always stop them from becoming violent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I placed you under arrest. I'm not going to let you go back to that vehicle.
CARROLL: Driver's children can convince him to stop punching the officer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dad, no! No! No, dad!
CARROLL: Some state troopers say all the dramatic dash cam tapes might give a false impression.
(on camera): Are people worse now than they were many years ago when you were patrolling?
TERRY: I don't think so. I think ...
CARROLL: Or are we seeing it more now because of the dash cam?
TERRY: I think the dash cam is adding a lot more to the public awareness of what's going on out there. I don't think people's behavior has changed drastically.
CARROLL (voice-over): Even so, Michigan state trooper Joel Service has this advice for recruits about traffic stops.
SERVICE: Be aware of the fact that it could happen and it does happen, and at some point in time in an officer's career, it is going to happen to him. And he needs to be ready for it when it does.
CARROLL: In this kind of work, it's very dangerous to think that anything is routine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop! Stop!
CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, Meriden, Connecticut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Dangerous job being an understatement.
Well, just one year ago, Atlanta experienced 26 hours of terror. Straight ahead, more on Brian Nichols and what led to the Atlanta courthouse shootings.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: One year ago an accused rapist put Atlanta on edge when he allegedly shot and killed four people while trying to escape from custody. Tonight a special "CNN PRESENTS," the 26 hours that gripped the city. Kyra Phillips has this preview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The time is now 8:22, 44 degrees on Peachtree Street.
KYRA PHILLIPS (voice-over): Reporter: it should have been a day like any other at the Fulton County courthouse, business as usual. It would be anything but.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police are everywhere. Sheriff's have to be flying around. What we know two people have been shot, one is a deputy, the other we believe may be a judge. This is a chaotic scene with emergency vehicles flying everywhere.
PHILLIPS: March 11th, 2005. 33-year-old Brian Nichols is transported from jail to the basement of the county courthouse. Nichols is on trial for a second time in as many weeks on charges of rape, burglary, false imprisonment.
ASH JOSHI, FORMER PROSECUTORS: I was quite confident Brian Nichols knew the trial was not going well. It was the fourth quarter, we were up by a few touchdowns and I think he was concerned.
PHILLIPS: Faced with the very real prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison, police say Nichols takes matters into his own hands. At 8:49 a.m. he's escorted up to the holding cells on the eighth floor of the new courthouse. There he assaults and overpowers Deputy Cynthia Hall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He knocked her out. She had a key on her that unlocked the gun box, and so he unlocked the gun box, which is in the holding cell. And took her gun out. Also got her radio.
PHILLIPS: As Nichols makes his break, Judge Rowland Barnes is presiding over a civil matter on the eighth floor of the old courthouse. Court reporter Julie Brandau (ph) is next to him.
(on camera): By now, Brian Nichols, armed with Cynthia Hall's handgun, is calmly walking away from the holding cells. But instead of easily escaping, he's making his way across this sky bridge to the old courthouse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The judge was already on the bench with the court reporter, and when Brian Nichols came through that door, he then shot the judge, and the court reporter.
PHILLIPS: Judge Barnes and Julie Brandau are killed instantly. Nichols turns his attention to the prosecution table but there were no prosecutors. Instead, he locks his eyes and his gun on attorney Richard Robbins. RICHARD ROBBINS, ATTORNEY: A lot of thoughts went through my mind. He just killed the judge. Now he's going to kill the prosecutor, then he's going to kill everybody else, and I'm sitting at the prosecutor's table. So I decided at that point that I need to get out of that courtroom, and I wasn't going to let him shoot me straight in the chest.
PHILLIPS: Judge Barnes' wife, Claudia, also works at the courthouse and remembers all too vividly the chaos that followed the shootings.
CLAUDIA BARNES, JUDGE BARNES' WIDOW: One of my good friends came and got me and at that point, I knew something was wrong with Rowland. So we went over to his courtroom and they already taped it off.
PHILLIPS: They wouldn't let you in the courtroom?
BARNES: Oh, no.
PHILLIPS: In a matter of 12 short minutes, so many lives are changed forever at the Fulton County courthouse, and it's about to get worse. Brian Nichols is on the loose.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Tune in tonight at 7:00 p.m. for a special edition of "CNN PRESENTS: 26 Hours of Terror." I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Thanks so much for watching. Carol Lin is 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