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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Terri Schiavo Case Goes to Federal Appeals Court; Police Investigate School Shooting

Aired March 22, 2005 - 17:00 ET

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

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

JOHN KING, HOST: And happening now: a call for help. A teenage girl inside this New Jersey home dials 911 and says she's being held hostage. Now, that standoff is over.
Stand by for WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Minnesota massacre: the worst school shooting since Columbine. What went wrong?

Life or death? The fight over Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. Could it go to the Supreme Court?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, March 22, 2005.

KING: The emotional life or death drama of the Terri Schiavo case has moved from Florida to Atlanta, Georgia. That's where a three-judge panel of the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is right now considering whether to order the brain damaged woman's feeding tube reinserted.

CNN's Miles O'Brien is outside the federal courthouse in Atlanta and has been tracking the latest developments all day in this family drama. And Miles, as we bring you in, hold tight for just one second. I want you to listen, before you begin your report, to these comments just moments ago from Terri Schiavo's mother and a family priest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY SCHINDLER, TERRI SCHIAVO'S MOTHER: I understand that we only need one vote in the state Senate to save my daughter. Please, senators, for the love of God, I'm begging you, don't let my daughter die of thirst.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is happening here is Terri is being starved to death. We beg you. We beg you. The family begs you to please save Terri.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: An emotional appeal there from Terri Schiavo's mother from political help from the legislature in Florida. Miles, what is the latest in the legal wrangling in Atlanta, Georgia?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, that is so gut wrenching to hear all of this. And that is just a small sampling of the emotions that have been a part of this case ever since it first came into play, which is of course, seven years now -- years ago now, that Michael Schiavo first asked the state courts in Florida for permission to remove the artificial life support that kept his now estranged wife alive.

But the legal venue has shifted from the state -- from the state legislature, from the state level into the federal level. This building behind me is the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which oversees the court in Florida, where that ruling came out earlier today.

That ruling saying that that judge would not offer emergency injunctive relief, which is a fancy legal way of saying forcing that feeding tube, which was removed from Terri Schiavo, back in while it considered the case, now a federal case, thanks to Congress's actions over the weekend, as to whether ultimately whether that feeding tube should be removed permanently.

Just to give you a sampling of some of the legal filings which have come in here today, first of all I'll read to you from the appeal, the original appeal, which comes from the Schindler's families and their attorneys. And just the tail end really sums it up.

"As matters now stand, this court will be absolutely unable to effect a meaningful review of the petitioner's appeal unless it grants emergency injunctive relief, requiring that nutrition and hydration be immediately restored to Terri Schiavo for the very stark and simple reason that Terri may die at any time. If that happens, the appeal will become moot."

On the other side of it, attorneys representing Michael Schiavo offered this filing, in part saying, "There remains adequate time for this court to conduct an expedited and deliberate review of the appellants' claims and the appelee's responses while maintaining the status quo."

Meaning it is not necessary to reinsert the feeding tube in order to continue this discussion as to whether the federal -- whether the federal case -- how it would proceed.

So, we are watching that deliberation here. Obviously, they do this behind closed doors. It's a somewhat secret proceeding.

We do know this, John. This court is considered a conservative to moderate court. But we do not know who the three members of this three-judge panel are right now as they consider this case -- John.

KING: Miles O'Brien standing by for us in Atlanta. We will get back to Miles if the court has any ruling in the hour ahead.

We should also note that George Felos, an attorney for Terri Schiavo's husband Michael, is expected to speak to reporters shortly in Florida. We will take you live if we can when that event starts.

Now, onto another new and developing case. Authorities in Minnesota are discovering more key details about the student who they say went on a deadly shooting rampage at his high school. It's the nation's worst school shooting since that one at Columbine High School in Colorado back in 1999.

CNN's Sean Callebs is at the Red Lake Indian reservation with the latest -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the FBI is handling the investigation here and a short while ago spelled out a time line of yesterday's tragic events. But if there is a clear motive to the tragic deadly shooting, the authorities aren't saying so.

This community is only about 100 miles from the Canadian border, and over the years, the reservation has had to deal with joblessness, high unemployment rate, poverty, alcohol and drug abuse and now people here are being asked to cope with overwhelming grief.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS (voice-over): In northern Minnesota, a trail of tears at the Red Lake Indian reservation. The small community, no more than 5,000, is coping with a mass killing.

DR. JOE CORSER, NORTH COUNTY REGIONAL HOSPITAL: I think that everybody here understands what a huge tragedy this is for the Red Lake community. And all of us work here with the Red Lake community on a regular basis. And many people in our community know a lot of the people from Red Lake.

CALLEBS: The suspect, 16 year old Jeffrey Wiese, apparently had a history of visiting neo-Nazi Web sites and apparently went on a Nazi web page, where he dubbed himself the angel of death. Then with a handgun and shotgun, went on a shooting rampage. The FBI won't comment on Wiese's alleged connection to Internet hate groups.

Tribal leaders here say the community is devastated.

FLOYD JOURDAIN, RED LAKE TRIBAL CHIEF: We have never seen anything like this in the history of our tribe. Without doubt, this is the darkest days in the history of our people.

CALLEBS: The FBI says Wiese apparently first killed his grandfather and his companion. The suspect's grandfather was a long- time reservation police officer.

The FBI says Wiese took his grandfather's bulletproof vest and guns and then went to Northern Minnesota High School. There, he shot and killed seven and wounded many others. After exchanging gunfire with police, Wiese apparently took his own life.

The FBI says there is videotape of Wiese stalking the halls of the school, but say the tape and 911 calls are not being released at this time. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: ... excuse of any kind, but clearly, Wiese had a difficult childhood. His father committed suicide four years ago, and his mother is in a convalescence home. She's been there since she suffered a serious head trauma in a car accident some years back -- John.

KING: Sean Callebs tracking the case for us. Sean, thank you very much.

And joining us now to talk more about this school shooting in Minnesota is the governor, Tim Pawlenty. He's in the state capital, St. Paul.

Governor, thank you for your time today. Let me start with this simple question. You heard Sean Callebs report just then about what the authorities know so far. Do you have any additional information about the investigation, including the question of motive?

GOV. TIM PAWLENTY, MINNESOTA: We don't, John. And of course, our focus is on getting our support and encouragement and prayers to the families and those impacted by this tragedy.

But the detail about this shooter are starting to come out. And it looks like a very troubled individual, someone who has a lot of challenge and a lot of trauma in his life. And it fits a sad pattern of folks who have been involved in these kinds of incidents in the past, at least based on what we know so far.

KING: The FBI taking the lead because this incident is on an Indian reservation. Do you have, from the state perspective, any jurisdiction or any involvement in the investigation?

PAWLENTY: We do in the sense that we're supporting the FBI at their request. They're the lead law enforcement agency, but our state law enforcement agencies are providing technical support, law enforcement support. We're also leading an effort to bring a crisis team broader than law enforcement to help, as well. But we're in a support role to the FBI.

KING: One of the questions that comes up in such tragic cases is, did this young man, did this suspect come to the attention of authorities or counselors or anyone else in the past? Was there something that perhaps someone should have noticed? Any information on that at all, sir?

PAWLENTY: Well, there's press accounts, John, this morning in the Twin Cities newspapers about an alleged interview with him on the past based on some of his allegations or threats from the past. But we just don't know enough about that yet to comment, and we don't know what kind of support or efforts have been made to reach out to this individual in the past yet either.

KING: As you know, Governor, after events like this, and I recall coverage of the Columbine event, the tragedy back in 1999, there was often a discussion, some of it in the community and some involving national interest groups about gun control. And things perhaps that governors and Congress and others can do. Is there a lesson here in the early hours of this investigation?

PAWLENTY: Well, again, we want to stay focused on the support and the encouragement of the families, but it seems like what you have is a very disturbed individual who was intent on causing a lot of pain and a lot of harm.

This school, you should know and your viewers should know, had a perimeter fencing, had surveillance cameras, had metal detectors, had security guards. It doesn't appear like there was a security issue. You just had a very disturbed individual who was intent on wreaking havoc. When you have somebody who's in that mode, it's very difficult to stop somebody like that.

And so it doesn't appear to be like there was some problem in the sense that if you would have outlawed all guns -- here, he had a long barrel gun, allegedly, a rifle or a shotgun. That wouldn't have been outlawed even under the most aggressive form of gun control. So it really looks like a human problem rather than a legal problem.

KING: You mentioned there was a security guard. That security guard, the initial security guard he encountered, was unarmed. Is that a question? Should security guards at schools -- do we have to go that far?

PAWLENTY: Well, you know, I think it varies from school to school. I think most people would recoil at the idea of armed guards in our schools. And so I think that's probably alarming to a lot of Americans and Minnesotans.

But on a school by school basis, I think we do have to evaluate what's the appropriate level of security. In this case, the school had deployed a lot of security measures, and it didn't stop this shooter.

KING: And you mentioned, Governor, the human toll here. What is the state doing, what is the community doing in terms of counseling for others who luckily survived this, but of course, will be traumatized by it?

PAWLENTY: Yes, well, it's very sad, of course. And people are traumatized by it. We are forming a crisis team and making crisis counselors available, first and foremost to the community impacted, the Red Lake nation, and then more broadly through our school system in Minnesota, trying to make sure that as children and citizens have questions, that there's resources and information available to respond to that, as well.

KING: Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, thank you, sir, for joining us on a difficult day for your state.

PAWLENTY: You're welcome.

KING: Thank you. PAWLENTY: You're welcome.

KING: Oil expectations. Why hopes for a sizable boost in Iraqi oil have not materialized, even after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Our Mary Snow takes a closer look.

Ambush caught on tape. And insurgent's view of U.S. troops closing in on enemy fighters.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ NIEGEL, FRIEND: I need to report a street bike accident.

ROBERT PEASLEY, STATE TROOPER: Was that the one over on Incinerator Drive?

NIEGEL: Yes.

PEASLEY: Help will get there. You shouldn't be playing games.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Fallout and outrage over a 911 dispatcher's harsh response to a call for help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Now to New Jersey, where there's been a dramatic development in a long-running hostage situation involving a 14-year- old girl. CNN's Deborah Feyerick is on the scene -- Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, we just got briefed by prosecutors here on the scene. This is what we know right now.

Three people were talked out of that house at about 4:20 this afternoon. Two men and one woman. And right now -- one teenage girl, actually -- and right now the prosecutor and police are trying to determine whether, in fact, there was a rape, as was reported early this morning when the teenager called 911.

We spoke to a witness who actually heard that tape, and on that tape, the girl says she is handcuffed to the bed, that she had been raped and then the phone, somebody hangs up the phone, then calls back the police and says if police come to the house, then the girl will be killed, police will be killed and so will the people taking her hostage.

Well, right now, those three people, all three of them are in custody. And they are being questioned down at the police station house. The prosecutor would not go as far to say that there was a hoax. But what they are saying is they want to know whether, in fact, there was any sort of a rape. This was a six-hour deal. The SWAT team was called in. There was a standoff at one point, because they believed that there were guns in the house. Right now they are trying to sort it all out, what exactly it means, whether, in fact, this was real or a hoax -- John.

KING: Deborah Feyerick for us in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Deborah, thank you very much.

Calls for major reform at the United Nations. Former secretary of state, Madeline Albright, joins me live.

Plus, an inside look at an ambush, from the view of the insurgents being attacked.

Awaiting a decision on the fate of Terri Schiavo. I'll speak with the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Arlen Specter.

And inside the combat control center of the USS Bonhomme Richard. U.S. troops guarding against enemy fighters, Wolf Blitzer bringing you a story you'll see only here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is calling for a broad reform of the United Nations, including expanding the Security Council and increasing its emphasis on development, security and human rights.

Joining me to discuss Annan's proposals and more is the former secretary of state and the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Madeleine Albright. She's now with the Albright Group.

Madam Secretary, thank you for joining us. Let's start from one of the big issues, at least from the United States' perspective, or the Bush administration's perspective, in these U.N. reforms. Kofi Annan says he wants to find a more polite way, if you will, for the U.N. to debate and to have an actual mechanism, if there is a question, as there was in Iraq, of whether the United Nations should endorse military force. Can he make that work?

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I think it's difficult. I'm very much in favor of the things that the secretary- general has suggested and the fact that he really has come out with a full reform package.

He did a lot of work in getting opinions from this high level panel, and he's talked to a lot of people. And so I think he's come forward with a full package.

But the hardest issue is always about the use of force. And the Security Council is supposed to deal with issues that are threats to peace and security. And I think, for the most part, it would be good if we were able to come to some general agreement about it.

But ultimately, the United States will act unilaterally if it has to. We used to say multilaterally if you can, unilaterally if you must. But I am all for having a discussion about this. I think it's a very...

KING: Is it a waste of time, though, to try to create a mechanism, like a rules of Congress in which you debate force, or is it just as it's always going to be, if somebody disagrees, move on?

ALBRIGHT: No, but I think it's a useful thing to have a debate about what is an appropriate use of force, especially when the issue of preemption comes up. I think that the U.N. and international law has made very clear that if there has been a crossing of a border or a real attack, in time, that everybody has a right to use force.

The thing that has made this so much more complicated is the Bush doctrine of preemption, which is really based on having accurate intelligence. And so that is much of what is going to be debated, I think, internationally. And it doesn't hurt, I think, to have a debate about an issue that's that important.

KING: As you know, there are many who think that Kofi Annan is part of the problem. And there are ongoing investigations into the oil-for-food program. Paul Volcker, a distinguished American, to further his reporting on that.

Some say that, fairly or unfairly, that Kofi Annan is the leader of a house that is a mess. And that if there is going to be change and reform, he should go, as well. Fair? You know politics as well as diplomacy.

ALBRIGHT: Well, I don't think it's fair. I have the highest respect for him. I was very glad when he was elected secretary- general in the first instance. We had a lot to do with that. I think he's very fine.

This oil-for-food thing is a tragedy. But I think that he is taking this very seriously and not only suggesting reforms that would affect the nation states, who are actually the parts of the United Nations, but also reforms as far as the secretariat is concerned.

And I think he's in a good position to push the reforms through. But in the end, as he said in his speech to the General Assembly, the countries themselves have to make some very tough decisions. And I think we should give them a chance to fill out his term.

KING: Let's talk about another issue. Secretary of State Rice, the current occupant of the job you once held, is just back from a very important trip in Asia. Her focus there was to was try to jumpstart and revive the six-party talks to get North Korea -- convince North Korea to give up its nuclear program.

She came back with the Chinese saying they would listen, but no firm public commitment from the Chinese to try to pressure North Korea back to the table. What next?

ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that the real issue is how to go forward, because North Korea is a dangerous place. In the time that there have been no negotiations going on, which really has been for the last four years, they have been able, as far as we know, to develop greater nuclear capability.

And what they really want are to have bilateral talks with the United States. And I don't see what's so terrible about doing that. Talking is an ability to deliver tough messages.

And clearly, Secretary Rice has wanted to stay within the six- party talks, and the Chinese, who are supposed to be the leaders of that, I guess she didn't get everything that she wanted. Which is too bad, because if you're in this kind of a framework of the six party talks, every day that we waste in not talking to the North Koreans I think makes the situation more dangerous.

KING: Let's talk about that point, Whether to talk bilaterally with the North Korea is not only a policy debate: it's personal to you in the sense that one thing the Bush administration says is that you did talk to North Korea. You actually went to North Korea, a ground- breaking trip, a U.S. secretary of state going to North Korea, meeting with Kim Jong-Il.

And what the Bush administration would say is that you made that dramatic overture, you tried to have an opening, and that Kim Jong-Il, as soon as you were gone, violated the deal. He cannot be trusted. Only negotiate now with his neighbors at the table.

ALBRIGHT: Well, I hold no brief for Kim Jong-Il, but I have to tell you, we were in the middle of negotiations. Every signal that the Bush administration gave at the beginning, that is, Secretary Powell, and even Dr. Rice, was that they wanted to pick up where we had left off. And then they didn't.

Kim Dae-Jung, who was the president of South Korea, was President Bush's first visitor in his first term. And when he got here, President Bush just said, "I don't want anything to do with this."

So, there's no point in who's to blame for this at the moment. I truly do think that time has been wasted. It's very dangerous. And there's nothing wrong with having very tough bilateral talks.

KING: I want to ask you quickly a question, not a policy question. You were the first woman secretary of state for this country. Secretary Rice is in the job, and the policy is not only analyzed. Everything she wears from head to foot is analyzed. What do you think of the Condi fascination, if you will?

ALBRIGHT: Well, I think, you know, there was some fascination with me, though I don't have as good a figure. But I did wear a lot of pins, and people are interested. And they don't spend a lot of time talking about what the men wear.

But I think she's got a very tough job. And she's using her charm and her brains to get whatever she can done.

KING: A very impressive pin today, Secretary Albright. Thank you very much.

ALBRIGHT: Thanks a lot. KING: A rare perspective on the insurgency in Iraq. Videotape of an ambush shot by the insurgents themselves. We'll show it to you.

Also, awaiting a life or death decision in the Terri Schiavo case. Influential Republican Senator Arlen Specter is here to weigh in.

Plus, inside a critical mission. Wolf takes us to the control center of the USS Bonhomme Richard.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Welcome back.

Ambush on tape. Insurgents record themselves being attacked and defeated by U.S. forces.

But first, a quick check of other stories now in the news.

The suspect in the kidnapping and killing of a 9-year-old Florida girl, Jessica Lunsford, remains in custody after his first court hearing in the case. John Evander Couey appeared by way of a video link at today's hearing. The judge denied bond and appointed a public defender to represent Couey. He's scheduled to be arraigned April 11.

Baseball star Barry Bonds says he may sit out most of the upcoming season. The San Francisco Giants outfielder is recovering from knee surgery. In recent months, Bonds also has been the focus of widespread speculation about the use of steroids in the major leagues.

In Iraq, insurgents laid a trap for a coalition convoy and then videotaped their ambush. The captured images, provided by the U.S. military, are stunning. But it soon turned into a stunning defeat for the attackers.

Let's go live now to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the scene is the so-called Triangle of Death outside Baghdad. U.S. troops killed the largest number of insurgents in a single engagement since the battle of Fallujah. And it was caught on tape by the insurgents themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): This videotape captured by U.S. troops gives an insurgent's-eye view of an ambush on a supply convoy on the outskirts of Baghdad Sunday.

SERGEANT LEIGH ANN HESTER, INVOLVED IN CONVOY ATTACK: We confiscated that video. The insurgent that was actually filming, he was taken down by my squad. And we confiscated that camera from him.

MCINTYRE: The U.S. military says an unusually large force of up to 50 insurgents attacked the convoy using small arms and RPGs. Shaky video provides an unusual perspective on what it's like to be on the receiving end of superior U.S. firepower.

HESTER: We were trailing that convoy, and that convoy came under contacts, and immediately we went to the right side of the convoy and began taking fire, and we laid down suppressive fire. And pushed up and flanked the insurgents and overcame that day.

MCINTYRE: The U.S. says 26 enemy fighters were killed in what turned into a rout. They U.S. forces suffered no deaths, but did have seven soldiers wounded. The Pentagon provided both the confiscated videotape and access to some of the U.S. soldiers who took part in the engagement through its own satellite link from Iraq to underscore the success its had protecting convoys.

HESTER: They might hit one or two convoys, but they're not getting all of them. The supplies are still getting through.

MCINTYRE: Pentagon officials say they think all the dead were foreign fighters, that they were hoping to produce a propaganda video. And the U.S. military says the plan backfired.

HESTER: Hopefully, the other insurgents that are still out there will see that, and see that they're messing with the wrong people when they mess with the U.S.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: And, John, the Pentagon says there's a number of unusual things about this attack, first, the number of insurgents. Usually, they attack in much smaller numbers, the fact they all seemed to be foreign fighters, and of course that this was captured on video, a video that was then confiscated by the U.S. military and used for its purposes -- John.

KING: A fascinating look. Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thank you very much.

And when the United States invaded Iraq two years ago, there were high hopes the fall of Saddam Hussein would trigger an increase in Iraqi oil exports and boost world oil supplies. So far, that hasn't happened.

CNN's Mary Snow has been looking into why and she joins us now from New York.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you know, some estimate, by this time, there would have been one million more barrels of Iraq -- coming out of Iraq every day, but attacks by insurgents have not made that possible. They have disrupted those plans. It's had a ripple effect that can be felt here in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Whether it's paying more than $2 a gallon at the pump or shelling out more for home heating oil, consumers are feeling the pinch of record oil prices. Energy observers say Iraq is partly to blame. JOHN KILDUFF, FIMAT ENERGY: There's a direct cost of the Iraq war to consumers, besides the impact on the federal budget. It's certainly being seen at the gas pump.

SNOW: Prices at the pump are caused by a tightened oil supply. Part of that tightened supply is linked to Iraq. Two years ago, when the Iraq war started, there was an anticipation that oil would see a dramatic increase in output since Saddam Hussein was overthrown.

KILDUFF: The biggest disappointment is that oil is not getting out of the north, which is seemingly -- or supposed to be Kurdish- controlled.

SNOW: Attacks on oil fields and refineries, like this one in Kirkuk, has slowed the oil flow. Today, there is actually less oil coming out of Iraq than before the war started. In 2003, it's estimated that 2.5 million barrels a day were coming out of Iraq. Now, that number is fewer than two million barrels a day.

GAL LUFT, INSTITUTE FOR ANALYSIS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: There have been close to 250 attacks against oil pipelines, refineries and other facilities. And that has been pretty significant in reducing up to one million barrels a day of potential production.

SNOW: And just how much oil is in Iraq is unknown, since much of it is untanned, but it's estimated to have the world's third largest oil reserve.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: Many say it's impossible to tell when exactly Iraq oil will flow freely. But the thank say, when it does, it will have an effect on prices. And one analyst we spoke with said that, if Iraqi output had progressed as expected, that crude oil may actually be $20 a barrel cheaper by now, meaning that gasoline would be about 50 cents a gallon cheaper at this point -- John.

KING: Wow. That would be a welcome development. Mary Snow in New York, thank you very much.

Now a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KING (voice-over): There's more unrest triggered by disputed parliamentary elections in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan. Opposition protesters have taken control of several towns in the southern part of the country. They say last month's elections were marred by fraud. Kyrgyzstan's president says, despite the unrest, he will not impose a state of emergency.

Presidents and kings from across the Arab world are gathered in Algeria for a two-day summit. They're working to relaunch a peace initiative the Arab League approved three years ago. It offers Israel normal relations if it pulls back to its pre-1967 borders. So far, Israel is rejecting that initiative.

Two weeks after he was admitted to a Monte Carlo hospital with a respiratory infection, Monaco's Prince Rainier is now in the intensive care unit. The 81-year-old has suffered from poor health in recent years.

France's National Assembly has approved a bill that effectively dismantles the country's 35-hour work week. Employers can now negotiate with workers to stay on the job longer in exchange for better pay.

That's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: The stakes could not be higher. Should a federal appeals court order Terri Schiavo be kept alive? I'll ask Republican Senator Arlen Specter.

A ship run aground, battered by stormy seas. We'll show you the gripping rescue.

Plus, desperate calls to 911 dismissed. Now the outrage at what the operator said.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: As many of you know, Wolf Blitzer is spending the week in the Persian Gulf region, investigating developments in that important region at the two-year mark of the war in Iraq. We want to bring you now an exclusive report Wolf filed a bit earlier today from the USS Bonhomme Richard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Right now, the crew of the USS Bonhomme Richard taking charge of their own security. I spent some time with the ship's captain, who understands the enormous consequences of failure.

CMDR. SCOTT JONES, U.S. NAVY: So, I have radars and I have cameras. I have low-light cameras and everything. And I have weapons systems...

BLITZER: What happens if it's in the middle of 3:00 in the morning?

JONES: People are on watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: ... looking at these screens there?

JONES: We're looking at these screens right here. And that's...

BLITZER: If they're pretending a fishing boat or anything. JONES: We're watching them, just watching what they're doing. And we also have -- of course, we listen to the radio signals and whatnot, so we can tell what...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: So, you can tell. And if they don't have fishing poles, you know they're not fishing.

JONES: Yes, that's right.

(LAUGHTER)

JONES: And, plus, we can see it a long time. And we're tracking them. We have like say low-light cameras that can watch them.

BLITZER: Are they looking at you guys, the insurgents, the terrorists?

JONES: Oh, I'm sure they're looking at us like we're looking at them. So, you have to be prepared. You cannot let your guard down in this business.

BLITZER: Yes. Really? You just have to assume a worst-case scenario?

(CROSSTALK)

JONES: You just have to be ready to take action when action is required.

BLITZER: I guess the USS Cole, everybody learned a lesson from that.

JONES: They did. They did. And it Just heightened our awareness to what can happen when you let your guard down.

BLITZER: And when you have an enemy that doesn't care if they die.

JONES: That's right. And we call it the asymmetric threat. It's that one shot that they're going to try to get at you. And it's not a massive attack in a lot of cases. It's just that single source. And they're constantly looking for vulnerabilities. And that's why you have to be constantly be looking at yourself to find out what those vulnerabilities are.

BLITZER: So, how do you tell your sailors here, this is what you have to watch all the time; you can't take anything for granted?

JONES: Oh, they understand. You know, we do a lot of training and they realize the importance of it. And that's why they're all here, all volunteers.

BLITZER: Captain Scott Jones, the commander of the USS Bonhomme Richard, speaking with me just a little while ago. More coverage coming up. Let's go back to John King, though, first, in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: And more now from that critical region.

Iran and Jordan are trying to smooth over a diplomatic dispute that grew out of angry reactions to terror attacks. They have agreed to return their ambassadors to each other's capital, but hard feelings remain.

CNN's Aneesh Raman reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hundreds of Iraqis protesting outside the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad, angered at reports that a Jordanian citizen was behind a massive suicide bombing last month.

At one point, they hoisted the Iraqi flag over the building. The demonstrations led Jordan to recall its ambassador, citing security concerns. And that prompted the interim Iraqi government to call home its envoy in Amman. The diplomatic rift emerged in the aftermath of February's bombing in Hillah, the deadliest single attack by insurgents.

A Jordanian newspaper reported that the supposed bomber's family had celebrated the incident, an allegation repeated by Iraqi ministers. But the suspect's father denied his son was involved and said he had died in Mosul.

"I cry for the victims of the Hillah bombing," he says. "My son had nothing to do with it."

The incident has refocused debate here on Iraq's borders and the terrorists that are crossing at will. At the first gathering of the Iraqi National Assembly last week, the head of the Shia coalition singled out Jordan.

ABDEL AZIZ AL-HAKIM, IRAQI NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: We call on the Jordanian government to take the necessary measures to stop the instigation and mobilizing the terrorists.

RAMAN: The simple fact is that, without help from its neighbors, Iraq cannot stop the flow of insurgents from crossing its borders. And the Iraqi people want action now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We would like to tell Jordan it's enough to harm us daily, enough to make more victims in Hillah, Najaf, Karbala, Fallujah and Mosul. Enough is enough.

RAMAN (on camera): Here at the Jordanian Embassy, there are no more protests. Things seem to have quieted down, but the result of this weekend's diplomatic posturing is clear. Iraq has put its neighbors on notice that they, too, must help subdue the insurgency.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: A 911 nightmare, desperate calls for help dismissed. Now fresh outrage of over what same say were the deadly consequences.

Plus, stranded on a crippled ship battered by waves. We'll show you more of this dramatic rescue at sea.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: What would you think if you called 911 to report a serious traffic accident only to hear the officer reply, too bad, and hang up? The friends and families of a motorcycle rider who died in Connecticut are outraged.

Sara Welch of CNN affiliate WTNH reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SAWYER, FATHER OF VICTIM: This is where all the panic and all the mayhem began.

SARA WELCH, WTNH CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Along this road in Lisbon is where Jim Sawyer's son Justin lay dying. On August 17 last year, the 21-year-old crashed his motorcycle. His friends did what anyone would do in an emergency.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I called 911 right away.

WELCH: That call rang into the state police barracks in Montville.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: State police, 911.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm on Incinerator Road in Taftville.

Someone crashed on their street bike.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Incinerator Road in Taftville.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, too bad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was shocked. I thought I had the wrong number at first.

LIZ NIEGEL, EYEWITNESS: And so I picked up my phone and I called 911.

WELCH: Liz Niegel made the second frantic call.

NIEGEL: I need to report a street bike accident. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that the one over on Incinerator Drive?

NIEGEL: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. Well, we'll get there. Shouldn't be playing games.

SAWYER: I am just absolutely outraged.

WELCH: It wasn't until the third emergency call that a female dispatcher assessed the situation. State police tell us that Trooper Robert Peasley's comments were unprofessional and inappropriate, and the agency apologizes if -- quote -- "our actions added to the family's pain."

SAWYER: It was just an outrageous way to answer an emergency phone call.

WELCH: Jim Sawyer says no one deserves this kind of response.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, too bad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Connecticut State Police say the trooper has been suspended without pay for 15 days. And they say that, despite the trooper's dismissive comments, emergency personnel were dispatched promptly and, according to one witness, arrived within five minutes of the call.

More now on the Terri Schiavo case, an appeal this hour to a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

And, as we await that ruling, we're joined here in the studio by Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senator, let me ask you first, the federal judge, the district judge in Florida essentially said go away to the legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush. Now the Schiavo family appealing to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Do you think the federal courts should, A, intervene in this case? And even as they debate it, should the courts first say, reinsert the feeding tube and keep Terri Schiavo alive?

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: The Congress has the authority to grant jurisdiction, which Congress did. And I think another level of appellate review is always in order.

Now you have a legal question. There is a strong argument to reinsert the tube on the grounds of maintaining what the law calls the status quo, that is so that whatever can be preserved of Terri Schiavo's health is being maintained. The district court said that there had been due process, that the constitutional rights of Terri Schiavo had been protected with all of the proceedings in the state courts. And that was the judgment of the district court. And now, in accordance with our judicial procedures, it goes up on appeal to the circuit court, when they will review the judgment of the district court. So, all the processes of law are being followed, due process.

KING: Followed at a quick enough pace, in your view? The federal district judge waited until 3:00 the day after to schedule a hearing. Now the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, a three-judge panel, has the case. And we're approaching the 6:00 hour here on the East Coast, no indication as to whether we'll get a ruling today. And we are four days now from when Terri Schiavo had that tube removed.

SPECTER: Well, judges have discretion. They have to take a look at the facts and they have to take a look at the evidence.

My own taste would always be to expedite it and get it done as promptly as possible, especially when it's a life and death situation and no one knows for sure the extent of the damage to Terri Schiavo with the delay.

KING: You say Congress has the authority. I don't think anyone questions that, that Congress has the authority to grant federal jurisdiction for this case, if you will.

But many say Congress should have had the judgment not to intervene, even though it has the authority, saying that this case has been in the federal court system for seven years now, that it has been litigated up and down, and that there was an appeal for the federal court system to get involved at one point, and that was rejected. Where do you draw that line?

SPECTER: Well, that's a matter for the judgment of Congress. And I think it is a sound judgment to give one more -- one more layer of review.

You have a curious situation here where they're sort of role reversal. The people on one side of the political spectrum traditionally arguing for Terri Schiavo have long contended on original intent, where there's very little of due process. And the other facet of judicial interpretation is to give a broader expanse to due process, not quite a living Constitution or expanding Constitution, but in that direction.

And I believe that, whenever you're talking about rights, if you err on the side of more rights, it's the wise thing to do.

KING: A letter here from your leader, Senator Bill Frist, the Senate Republican leader, the Senate majority leader, who was of course a leader in getting this federal Intervention, he wrote Governor Jeb Bush of Florida just today, saying that, yes, the federal government -- you've passed this federal legislation.

But he urges the governor to quickly move on the state level to try to do more. And Michael Schiavo's attorney just a short time ago spoke out about efforts now under way in the Florida legislature to try to do something. I want you to listen quickly of George Felos. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE FELOS, ATTORNEY FOR MICHAEL SCHIAVO: The first is, as many of you know, there have been attempts in the state Senate, in the Florida state Senate, to revive a bill that was defeated last week. It is our information that there is intense, intense lobbying and pressure being put on what's called the Republican nine. Those are the nine Republican Florida state senators who courageously are opposing the passage of legislation that the legislature knows would be unconstitutional as an attempt to put back Mrs. Schiavo's feeding tube.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, that, Michael Schiavo's attorney. He, clearly, Michael Schiavo, wanted the feeding tube removed. He is winning, if you will, on the legal grounds so far, his attorney complaining about the politicians, if you will, getting involved again and political pressure on them.

It's a tough one, is it not? It's a life or death issue that has been in the courts for some time. How do you, as an elected official, decide, I need to jump in here?

SPECTER: Well, it's a very tough one.

I cannot recall any situation which has aroused this much public attention on a single case. Traditionally, the states have the authority to decide these kinds of issues. The states decide marriage and divorce and probate, in the states, and a situation of the sort involved with Terri Schiavo. So, the General Assembly of Florida has the authority to decide what the law is in the situation.

KING: And, Senator, let me ask you this. If the state legislature does nothing else and the federal courts say no -- and we are 24 or 48 hours from now and the feeding tube is still removed and Terri Schiavo is still alive, by that point, most likely on her last day or two, should the Congress step in and the federal government step in and do more?

SPECTER: There's nothing more that the federal government can do. This is essentially a state matter. And the state assembly of Florida can still act, signed by the governor.

The federal government has authority to grant jurisdiction to test a constitutional issue. And that constitutional issue is now in the process of being tested. And the district court said due process was followed. All of the rights were given. It's now before the Court of Appeals. It could go to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the Congress would not have the authority to step in, as the Florida legislature would, in fact, have that authority, as a state matter.

KING: Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, thank you, sir, for your thoughts on this difficult case.

SPECTER: Nice to be with you. Thank you.

KING: Thank you.

Ship in distress, dramatic pictures of a rescue at sea up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: And now a dramatic rescue at sea.

Coast Guard crews braved churning waters to reach 10 college students and 10 crew members on a ship stranded near Oxnard, California. At least four people who fell off the vessel had to be plucked out of the ocean. The two-masted ship ran aground on a hidden sandbar.

That's it for WOLF BLITZER REPORTS. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

Aired March 22, 2005 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, HOST: And happening now: a call for help. A teenage girl inside this New Jersey home dials 911 and says she's being held hostage. Now, that standoff is over.
Stand by for WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Minnesota massacre: the worst school shooting since Columbine. What went wrong?

Life or death? The fight over Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. Could it go to the Supreme Court?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: This is WOLF BLITZER REPORTS for Tuesday, March 22, 2005.

KING: The emotional life or death drama of the Terri Schiavo case has moved from Florida to Atlanta, Georgia. That's where a three-judge panel of the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is right now considering whether to order the brain damaged woman's feeding tube reinserted.

CNN's Miles O'Brien is outside the federal courthouse in Atlanta and has been tracking the latest developments all day in this family drama. And Miles, as we bring you in, hold tight for just one second. I want you to listen, before you begin your report, to these comments just moments ago from Terri Schiavo's mother and a family priest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARY SCHINDLER, TERRI SCHIAVO'S MOTHER: I understand that we only need one vote in the state Senate to save my daughter. Please, senators, for the love of God, I'm begging you, don't let my daughter die of thirst.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is happening here is Terri is being starved to death. We beg you. We beg you. The family begs you to please save Terri.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: An emotional appeal there from Terri Schiavo's mother from political help from the legislature in Florida. Miles, what is the latest in the legal wrangling in Atlanta, Georgia?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, that is so gut wrenching to hear all of this. And that is just a small sampling of the emotions that have been a part of this case ever since it first came into play, which is of course, seven years now -- years ago now, that Michael Schiavo first asked the state courts in Florida for permission to remove the artificial life support that kept his now estranged wife alive.

But the legal venue has shifted from the state -- from the state legislature, from the state level into the federal level. This building behind me is the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which oversees the court in Florida, where that ruling came out earlier today.

That ruling saying that that judge would not offer emergency injunctive relief, which is a fancy legal way of saying forcing that feeding tube, which was removed from Terri Schiavo, back in while it considered the case, now a federal case, thanks to Congress's actions over the weekend, as to whether ultimately whether that feeding tube should be removed permanently.

Just to give you a sampling of some of the legal filings which have come in here today, first of all I'll read to you from the appeal, the original appeal, which comes from the Schindler's families and their attorneys. And just the tail end really sums it up.

"As matters now stand, this court will be absolutely unable to effect a meaningful review of the petitioner's appeal unless it grants emergency injunctive relief, requiring that nutrition and hydration be immediately restored to Terri Schiavo for the very stark and simple reason that Terri may die at any time. If that happens, the appeal will become moot."

On the other side of it, attorneys representing Michael Schiavo offered this filing, in part saying, "There remains adequate time for this court to conduct an expedited and deliberate review of the appellants' claims and the appelee's responses while maintaining the status quo."

Meaning it is not necessary to reinsert the feeding tube in order to continue this discussion as to whether the federal -- whether the federal case -- how it would proceed.

So, we are watching that deliberation here. Obviously, they do this behind closed doors. It's a somewhat secret proceeding.

We do know this, John. This court is considered a conservative to moderate court. But we do not know who the three members of this three-judge panel are right now as they consider this case -- John.

KING: Miles O'Brien standing by for us in Atlanta. We will get back to Miles if the court has any ruling in the hour ahead.

We should also note that George Felos, an attorney for Terri Schiavo's husband Michael, is expected to speak to reporters shortly in Florida. We will take you live if we can when that event starts.

Now, onto another new and developing case. Authorities in Minnesota are discovering more key details about the student who they say went on a deadly shooting rampage at his high school. It's the nation's worst school shooting since that one at Columbine High School in Colorado back in 1999.

CNN's Sean Callebs is at the Red Lake Indian reservation with the latest -- Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the FBI is handling the investigation here and a short while ago spelled out a time line of yesterday's tragic events. But if there is a clear motive to the tragic deadly shooting, the authorities aren't saying so.

This community is only about 100 miles from the Canadian border, and over the years, the reservation has had to deal with joblessness, high unemployment rate, poverty, alcohol and drug abuse and now people here are being asked to cope with overwhelming grief.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS (voice-over): In northern Minnesota, a trail of tears at the Red Lake Indian reservation. The small community, no more than 5,000, is coping with a mass killing.

DR. JOE CORSER, NORTH COUNTY REGIONAL HOSPITAL: I think that everybody here understands what a huge tragedy this is for the Red Lake community. And all of us work here with the Red Lake community on a regular basis. And many people in our community know a lot of the people from Red Lake.

CALLEBS: The suspect, 16 year old Jeffrey Wiese, apparently had a history of visiting neo-Nazi Web sites and apparently went on a Nazi web page, where he dubbed himself the angel of death. Then with a handgun and shotgun, went on a shooting rampage. The FBI won't comment on Wiese's alleged connection to Internet hate groups.

Tribal leaders here say the community is devastated.

FLOYD JOURDAIN, RED LAKE TRIBAL CHIEF: We have never seen anything like this in the history of our tribe. Without doubt, this is the darkest days in the history of our people.

CALLEBS: The FBI says Wiese apparently first killed his grandfather and his companion. The suspect's grandfather was a long- time reservation police officer.

The FBI says Wiese took his grandfather's bulletproof vest and guns and then went to Northern Minnesota High School. There, he shot and killed seven and wounded many others. After exchanging gunfire with police, Wiese apparently took his own life.

The FBI says there is videotape of Wiese stalking the halls of the school, but say the tape and 911 calls are not being released at this time. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: ... excuse of any kind, but clearly, Wiese had a difficult childhood. His father committed suicide four years ago, and his mother is in a convalescence home. She's been there since she suffered a serious head trauma in a car accident some years back -- John.

KING: Sean Callebs tracking the case for us. Sean, thank you very much.

And joining us now to talk more about this school shooting in Minnesota is the governor, Tim Pawlenty. He's in the state capital, St. Paul.

Governor, thank you for your time today. Let me start with this simple question. You heard Sean Callebs report just then about what the authorities know so far. Do you have any additional information about the investigation, including the question of motive?

GOV. TIM PAWLENTY, MINNESOTA: We don't, John. And of course, our focus is on getting our support and encouragement and prayers to the families and those impacted by this tragedy.

But the detail about this shooter are starting to come out. And it looks like a very troubled individual, someone who has a lot of challenge and a lot of trauma in his life. And it fits a sad pattern of folks who have been involved in these kinds of incidents in the past, at least based on what we know so far.

KING: The FBI taking the lead because this incident is on an Indian reservation. Do you have, from the state perspective, any jurisdiction or any involvement in the investigation?

PAWLENTY: We do in the sense that we're supporting the FBI at their request. They're the lead law enforcement agency, but our state law enforcement agencies are providing technical support, law enforcement support. We're also leading an effort to bring a crisis team broader than law enforcement to help, as well. But we're in a support role to the FBI.

KING: One of the questions that comes up in such tragic cases is, did this young man, did this suspect come to the attention of authorities or counselors or anyone else in the past? Was there something that perhaps someone should have noticed? Any information on that at all, sir?

PAWLENTY: Well, there's press accounts, John, this morning in the Twin Cities newspapers about an alleged interview with him on the past based on some of his allegations or threats from the past. But we just don't know enough about that yet to comment, and we don't know what kind of support or efforts have been made to reach out to this individual in the past yet either.

KING: As you know, Governor, after events like this, and I recall coverage of the Columbine event, the tragedy back in 1999, there was often a discussion, some of it in the community and some involving national interest groups about gun control. And things perhaps that governors and Congress and others can do. Is there a lesson here in the early hours of this investigation?

PAWLENTY: Well, again, we want to stay focused on the support and the encouragement of the families, but it seems like what you have is a very disturbed individual who was intent on causing a lot of pain and a lot of harm.

This school, you should know and your viewers should know, had a perimeter fencing, had surveillance cameras, had metal detectors, had security guards. It doesn't appear like there was a security issue. You just had a very disturbed individual who was intent on wreaking havoc. When you have somebody who's in that mode, it's very difficult to stop somebody like that.

And so it doesn't appear to be like there was some problem in the sense that if you would have outlawed all guns -- here, he had a long barrel gun, allegedly, a rifle or a shotgun. That wouldn't have been outlawed even under the most aggressive form of gun control. So it really looks like a human problem rather than a legal problem.

KING: You mentioned there was a security guard. That security guard, the initial security guard he encountered, was unarmed. Is that a question? Should security guards at schools -- do we have to go that far?

PAWLENTY: Well, you know, I think it varies from school to school. I think most people would recoil at the idea of armed guards in our schools. And so I think that's probably alarming to a lot of Americans and Minnesotans.

But on a school by school basis, I think we do have to evaluate what's the appropriate level of security. In this case, the school had deployed a lot of security measures, and it didn't stop this shooter.

KING: And you mentioned, Governor, the human toll here. What is the state doing, what is the community doing in terms of counseling for others who luckily survived this, but of course, will be traumatized by it?

PAWLENTY: Yes, well, it's very sad, of course. And people are traumatized by it. We are forming a crisis team and making crisis counselors available, first and foremost to the community impacted, the Red Lake nation, and then more broadly through our school system in Minnesota, trying to make sure that as children and citizens have questions, that there's resources and information available to respond to that, as well.

KING: Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, thank you, sir, for joining us on a difficult day for your state.

PAWLENTY: You're welcome.

KING: Thank you. PAWLENTY: You're welcome.

KING: Oil expectations. Why hopes for a sizable boost in Iraqi oil have not materialized, even after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Our Mary Snow takes a closer look.

Ambush caught on tape. And insurgent's view of U.S. troops closing in on enemy fighters.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIZ NIEGEL, FRIEND: I need to report a street bike accident.

ROBERT PEASLEY, STATE TROOPER: Was that the one over on Incinerator Drive?

NIEGEL: Yes.

PEASLEY: Help will get there. You shouldn't be playing games.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Fallout and outrage over a 911 dispatcher's harsh response to a call for help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Now to New Jersey, where there's been a dramatic development in a long-running hostage situation involving a 14-year- old girl. CNN's Deborah Feyerick is on the scene -- Deborah.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, we just got briefed by prosecutors here on the scene. This is what we know right now.

Three people were talked out of that house at about 4:20 this afternoon. Two men and one woman. And right now -- one teenage girl, actually -- and right now the prosecutor and police are trying to determine whether, in fact, there was a rape, as was reported early this morning when the teenager called 911.

We spoke to a witness who actually heard that tape, and on that tape, the girl says she is handcuffed to the bed, that she had been raped and then the phone, somebody hangs up the phone, then calls back the police and says if police come to the house, then the girl will be killed, police will be killed and so will the people taking her hostage.

Well, right now, those three people, all three of them are in custody. And they are being questioned down at the police station house. The prosecutor would not go as far to say that there was a hoax. But what they are saying is they want to know whether, in fact, there was any sort of a rape. This was a six-hour deal. The SWAT team was called in. There was a standoff at one point, because they believed that there were guns in the house. Right now they are trying to sort it all out, what exactly it means, whether, in fact, this was real or a hoax -- John.

KING: Deborah Feyerick for us in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Deborah, thank you very much.

Calls for major reform at the United Nations. Former secretary of state, Madeline Albright, joins me live.

Plus, an inside look at an ambush, from the view of the insurgents being attacked.

Awaiting a decision on the fate of Terri Schiavo. I'll speak with the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Arlen Specter.

And inside the combat control center of the USS Bonhomme Richard. U.S. troops guarding against enemy fighters, Wolf Blitzer bringing you a story you'll see only here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is calling for a broad reform of the United Nations, including expanding the Security Council and increasing its emphasis on development, security and human rights.

Joining me to discuss Annan's proposals and more is the former secretary of state and the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Madeleine Albright. She's now with the Albright Group.

Madam Secretary, thank you for joining us. Let's start from one of the big issues, at least from the United States' perspective, or the Bush administration's perspective, in these U.N. reforms. Kofi Annan says he wants to find a more polite way, if you will, for the U.N. to debate and to have an actual mechanism, if there is a question, as there was in Iraq, of whether the United Nations should endorse military force. Can he make that work?

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I think it's difficult. I'm very much in favor of the things that the secretary- general has suggested and the fact that he really has come out with a full reform package.

He did a lot of work in getting opinions from this high level panel, and he's talked to a lot of people. And so I think he's come forward with a full package.

But the hardest issue is always about the use of force. And the Security Council is supposed to deal with issues that are threats to peace and security. And I think, for the most part, it would be good if we were able to come to some general agreement about it.

But ultimately, the United States will act unilaterally if it has to. We used to say multilaterally if you can, unilaterally if you must. But I am all for having a discussion about this. I think it's a very...

KING: Is it a waste of time, though, to try to create a mechanism, like a rules of Congress in which you debate force, or is it just as it's always going to be, if somebody disagrees, move on?

ALBRIGHT: No, but I think it's a useful thing to have a debate about what is an appropriate use of force, especially when the issue of preemption comes up. I think that the U.N. and international law has made very clear that if there has been a crossing of a border or a real attack, in time, that everybody has a right to use force.

The thing that has made this so much more complicated is the Bush doctrine of preemption, which is really based on having accurate intelligence. And so that is much of what is going to be debated, I think, internationally. And it doesn't hurt, I think, to have a debate about an issue that's that important.

KING: As you know, there are many who think that Kofi Annan is part of the problem. And there are ongoing investigations into the oil-for-food program. Paul Volcker, a distinguished American, to further his reporting on that.

Some say that, fairly or unfairly, that Kofi Annan is the leader of a house that is a mess. And that if there is going to be change and reform, he should go, as well. Fair? You know politics as well as diplomacy.

ALBRIGHT: Well, I don't think it's fair. I have the highest respect for him. I was very glad when he was elected secretary- general in the first instance. We had a lot to do with that. I think he's very fine.

This oil-for-food thing is a tragedy. But I think that he is taking this very seriously and not only suggesting reforms that would affect the nation states, who are actually the parts of the United Nations, but also reforms as far as the secretariat is concerned.

And I think he's in a good position to push the reforms through. But in the end, as he said in his speech to the General Assembly, the countries themselves have to make some very tough decisions. And I think we should give them a chance to fill out his term.

KING: Let's talk about another issue. Secretary of State Rice, the current occupant of the job you once held, is just back from a very important trip in Asia. Her focus there was to was try to jumpstart and revive the six-party talks to get North Korea -- convince North Korea to give up its nuclear program.

She came back with the Chinese saying they would listen, but no firm public commitment from the Chinese to try to pressure North Korea back to the table. What next?

ALBRIGHT: Well, I think that the real issue is how to go forward, because North Korea is a dangerous place. In the time that there have been no negotiations going on, which really has been for the last four years, they have been able, as far as we know, to develop greater nuclear capability.

And what they really want are to have bilateral talks with the United States. And I don't see what's so terrible about doing that. Talking is an ability to deliver tough messages.

And clearly, Secretary Rice has wanted to stay within the six- party talks, and the Chinese, who are supposed to be the leaders of that, I guess she didn't get everything that she wanted. Which is too bad, because if you're in this kind of a framework of the six party talks, every day that we waste in not talking to the North Koreans I think makes the situation more dangerous.

KING: Let's talk about that point, Whether to talk bilaterally with the North Korea is not only a policy debate: it's personal to you in the sense that one thing the Bush administration says is that you did talk to North Korea. You actually went to North Korea, a ground- breaking trip, a U.S. secretary of state going to North Korea, meeting with Kim Jong-Il.

And what the Bush administration would say is that you made that dramatic overture, you tried to have an opening, and that Kim Jong-Il, as soon as you were gone, violated the deal. He cannot be trusted. Only negotiate now with his neighbors at the table.

ALBRIGHT: Well, I hold no brief for Kim Jong-Il, but I have to tell you, we were in the middle of negotiations. Every signal that the Bush administration gave at the beginning, that is, Secretary Powell, and even Dr. Rice, was that they wanted to pick up where we had left off. And then they didn't.

Kim Dae-Jung, who was the president of South Korea, was President Bush's first visitor in his first term. And when he got here, President Bush just said, "I don't want anything to do with this."

So, there's no point in who's to blame for this at the moment. I truly do think that time has been wasted. It's very dangerous. And there's nothing wrong with having very tough bilateral talks.

KING: I want to ask you quickly a question, not a policy question. You were the first woman secretary of state for this country. Secretary Rice is in the job, and the policy is not only analyzed. Everything she wears from head to foot is analyzed. What do you think of the Condi fascination, if you will?

ALBRIGHT: Well, I think, you know, there was some fascination with me, though I don't have as good a figure. But I did wear a lot of pins, and people are interested. And they don't spend a lot of time talking about what the men wear.

But I think she's got a very tough job. And she's using her charm and her brains to get whatever she can done.

KING: A very impressive pin today, Secretary Albright. Thank you very much.

ALBRIGHT: Thanks a lot. KING: A rare perspective on the insurgency in Iraq. Videotape of an ambush shot by the insurgents themselves. We'll show it to you.

Also, awaiting a life or death decision in the Terri Schiavo case. Influential Republican Senator Arlen Specter is here to weigh in.

Plus, inside a critical mission. Wolf takes us to the control center of the USS Bonhomme Richard.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: Welcome back.

Ambush on tape. Insurgents record themselves being attacked and defeated by U.S. forces.

But first, a quick check of other stories now in the news.

The suspect in the kidnapping and killing of a 9-year-old Florida girl, Jessica Lunsford, remains in custody after his first court hearing in the case. John Evander Couey appeared by way of a video link at today's hearing. The judge denied bond and appointed a public defender to represent Couey. He's scheduled to be arraigned April 11.

Baseball star Barry Bonds says he may sit out most of the upcoming season. The San Francisco Giants outfielder is recovering from knee surgery. In recent months, Bonds also has been the focus of widespread speculation about the use of steroids in the major leagues.

In Iraq, insurgents laid a trap for a coalition convoy and then videotaped their ambush. The captured images, provided by the U.S. military, are stunning. But it soon turned into a stunning defeat for the attackers.

Let's go live now to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, the scene is the so-called Triangle of Death outside Baghdad. U.S. troops killed the largest number of insurgents in a single engagement since the battle of Fallujah. And it was caught on tape by the insurgents themselves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): This videotape captured by U.S. troops gives an insurgent's-eye view of an ambush on a supply convoy on the outskirts of Baghdad Sunday.

SERGEANT LEIGH ANN HESTER, INVOLVED IN CONVOY ATTACK: We confiscated that video. The insurgent that was actually filming, he was taken down by my squad. And we confiscated that camera from him.

MCINTYRE: The U.S. military says an unusually large force of up to 50 insurgents attacked the convoy using small arms and RPGs. Shaky video provides an unusual perspective on what it's like to be on the receiving end of superior U.S. firepower.

HESTER: We were trailing that convoy, and that convoy came under contacts, and immediately we went to the right side of the convoy and began taking fire, and we laid down suppressive fire. And pushed up and flanked the insurgents and overcame that day.

MCINTYRE: The U.S. says 26 enemy fighters were killed in what turned into a rout. They U.S. forces suffered no deaths, but did have seven soldiers wounded. The Pentagon provided both the confiscated videotape and access to some of the U.S. soldiers who took part in the engagement through its own satellite link from Iraq to underscore the success its had protecting convoys.

HESTER: They might hit one or two convoys, but they're not getting all of them. The supplies are still getting through.

MCINTYRE: Pentagon officials say they think all the dead were foreign fighters, that they were hoping to produce a propaganda video. And the U.S. military says the plan backfired.

HESTER: Hopefully, the other insurgents that are still out there will see that, and see that they're messing with the wrong people when they mess with the U.S.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE: And, John, the Pentagon says there's a number of unusual things about this attack, first, the number of insurgents. Usually, they attack in much smaller numbers, the fact they all seemed to be foreign fighters, and of course that this was captured on video, a video that was then confiscated by the U.S. military and used for its purposes -- John.

KING: A fascinating look. Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thank you very much.

And when the United States invaded Iraq two years ago, there were high hopes the fall of Saddam Hussein would trigger an increase in Iraqi oil exports and boost world oil supplies. So far, that hasn't happened.

CNN's Mary Snow has been looking into why and she joins us now from New York.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, you know, some estimate, by this time, there would have been one million more barrels of Iraq -- coming out of Iraq every day, but attacks by insurgents have not made that possible. They have disrupted those plans. It's had a ripple effect that can be felt here in the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW (voice-over): Whether it's paying more than $2 a gallon at the pump or shelling out more for home heating oil, consumers are feeling the pinch of record oil prices. Energy observers say Iraq is partly to blame. JOHN KILDUFF, FIMAT ENERGY: There's a direct cost of the Iraq war to consumers, besides the impact on the federal budget. It's certainly being seen at the gas pump.

SNOW: Prices at the pump are caused by a tightened oil supply. Part of that tightened supply is linked to Iraq. Two years ago, when the Iraq war started, there was an anticipation that oil would see a dramatic increase in output since Saddam Hussein was overthrown.

KILDUFF: The biggest disappointment is that oil is not getting out of the north, which is seemingly -- or supposed to be Kurdish- controlled.

SNOW: Attacks on oil fields and refineries, like this one in Kirkuk, has slowed the oil flow. Today, there is actually less oil coming out of Iraq than before the war started. In 2003, it's estimated that 2.5 million barrels a day were coming out of Iraq. Now, that number is fewer than two million barrels a day.

GAL LUFT, INSTITUTE FOR ANALYSIS OF GLOBAL SECURITY: There have been close to 250 attacks against oil pipelines, refineries and other facilities. And that has been pretty significant in reducing up to one million barrels a day of potential production.

SNOW: And just how much oil is in Iraq is unknown, since much of it is untanned, but it's estimated to have the world's third largest oil reserve.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SNOW: Many say it's impossible to tell when exactly Iraq oil will flow freely. But the thank say, when it does, it will have an effect on prices. And one analyst we spoke with said that, if Iraqi output had progressed as expected, that crude oil may actually be $20 a barrel cheaper by now, meaning that gasoline would be about 50 cents a gallon cheaper at this point -- John.

KING: Wow. That would be a welcome development. Mary Snow in New York, thank you very much.

Now a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KING (voice-over): There's more unrest triggered by disputed parliamentary elections in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan. Opposition protesters have taken control of several towns in the southern part of the country. They say last month's elections were marred by fraud. Kyrgyzstan's president says, despite the unrest, he will not impose a state of emergency.

Presidents and kings from across the Arab world are gathered in Algeria for a two-day summit. They're working to relaunch a peace initiative the Arab League approved three years ago. It offers Israel normal relations if it pulls back to its pre-1967 borders. So far, Israel is rejecting that initiative.

Two weeks after he was admitted to a Monte Carlo hospital with a respiratory infection, Monaco's Prince Rainier is now in the intensive care unit. The 81-year-old has suffered from poor health in recent years.

France's National Assembly has approved a bill that effectively dismantles the country's 35-hour work week. Employers can now negotiate with workers to stay on the job longer in exchange for better pay.

That's our look around the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: The stakes could not be higher. Should a federal appeals court order Terri Schiavo be kept alive? I'll ask Republican Senator Arlen Specter.

A ship run aground, battered by stormy seas. We'll show you the gripping rescue.

Plus, desperate calls to 911 dismissed. Now the outrage at what the operator said.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: As many of you know, Wolf Blitzer is spending the week in the Persian Gulf region, investigating developments in that important region at the two-year mark of the war in Iraq. We want to bring you now an exclusive report Wolf filed a bit earlier today from the USS Bonhomme Richard.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Right now, the crew of the USS Bonhomme Richard taking charge of their own security. I spent some time with the ship's captain, who understands the enormous consequences of failure.

CMDR. SCOTT JONES, U.S. NAVY: So, I have radars and I have cameras. I have low-light cameras and everything. And I have weapons systems...

BLITZER: What happens if it's in the middle of 3:00 in the morning?

JONES: People are on watch 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: ... looking at these screens there?

JONES: We're looking at these screens right here. And that's...

BLITZER: If they're pretending a fishing boat or anything. JONES: We're watching them, just watching what they're doing. And we also have -- of course, we listen to the radio signals and whatnot, so we can tell what...

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: So, you can tell. And if they don't have fishing poles, you know they're not fishing.

JONES: Yes, that's right.

(LAUGHTER)

JONES: And, plus, we can see it a long time. And we're tracking them. We have like say low-light cameras that can watch them.

BLITZER: Are they looking at you guys, the insurgents, the terrorists?

JONES: Oh, I'm sure they're looking at us like we're looking at them. So, you have to be prepared. You cannot let your guard down in this business.

BLITZER: Yes. Really? You just have to assume a worst-case scenario?

(CROSSTALK)

JONES: You just have to be ready to take action when action is required.

BLITZER: I guess the USS Cole, everybody learned a lesson from that.

JONES: They did. They did. And it Just heightened our awareness to what can happen when you let your guard down.

BLITZER: And when you have an enemy that doesn't care if they die.

JONES: That's right. And we call it the asymmetric threat. It's that one shot that they're going to try to get at you. And it's not a massive attack in a lot of cases. It's just that single source. And they're constantly looking for vulnerabilities. And that's why you have to be constantly be looking at yourself to find out what those vulnerabilities are.

BLITZER: So, how do you tell your sailors here, this is what you have to watch all the time; you can't take anything for granted?

JONES: Oh, they understand. You know, we do a lot of training and they realize the importance of it. And that's why they're all here, all volunteers.

BLITZER: Captain Scott Jones, the commander of the USS Bonhomme Richard, speaking with me just a little while ago. More coverage coming up. Let's go back to John King, though, first, in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: And more now from that critical region.

Iran and Jordan are trying to smooth over a diplomatic dispute that grew out of angry reactions to terror attacks. They have agreed to return their ambassadors to each other's capital, but hard feelings remain.

CNN's Aneesh Raman reports from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hundreds of Iraqis protesting outside the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad, angered at reports that a Jordanian citizen was behind a massive suicide bombing last month.

At one point, they hoisted the Iraqi flag over the building. The demonstrations led Jordan to recall its ambassador, citing security concerns. And that prompted the interim Iraqi government to call home its envoy in Amman. The diplomatic rift emerged in the aftermath of February's bombing in Hillah, the deadliest single attack by insurgents.

A Jordanian newspaper reported that the supposed bomber's family had celebrated the incident, an allegation repeated by Iraqi ministers. But the suspect's father denied his son was involved and said he had died in Mosul.

"I cry for the victims of the Hillah bombing," he says. "My son had nothing to do with it."

The incident has refocused debate here on Iraq's borders and the terrorists that are crossing at will. At the first gathering of the Iraqi National Assembly last week, the head of the Shia coalition singled out Jordan.

ABDEL AZIZ AL-HAKIM, IRAQI NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: We call on the Jordanian government to take the necessary measures to stop the instigation and mobilizing the terrorists.

RAMAN: The simple fact is that, without help from its neighbors, Iraq cannot stop the flow of insurgents from crossing its borders. And the Iraqi people want action now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We would like to tell Jordan it's enough to harm us daily, enough to make more victims in Hillah, Najaf, Karbala, Fallujah and Mosul. Enough is enough.

RAMAN (on camera): Here at the Jordanian Embassy, there are no more protests. Things seem to have quieted down, but the result of this weekend's diplomatic posturing is clear. Iraq has put its neighbors on notice that they, too, must help subdue the insurgency.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: A 911 nightmare, desperate calls for help dismissed. Now fresh outrage of over what same say were the deadly consequences.

Plus, stranded on a crippled ship battered by waves. We'll show you more of this dramatic rescue at sea.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: What would you think if you called 911 to report a serious traffic accident only to hear the officer reply, too bad, and hang up? The friends and families of a motorcycle rider who died in Connecticut are outraged.

Sara Welch of CNN affiliate WTNH reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SAWYER, FATHER OF VICTIM: This is where all the panic and all the mayhem began.

SARA WELCH, WTNH CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Along this road in Lisbon is where Jim Sawyer's son Justin lay dying. On August 17 last year, the 21-year-old crashed his motorcycle. His friends did what anyone would do in an emergency.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I called 911 right away.

WELCH: That call rang into the state police barracks in Montville.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: State police, 911.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm on Incinerator Road in Taftville.

Someone crashed on their street bike.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Incinerator Road in Taftville.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, too bad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was shocked. I thought I had the wrong number at first.

LIZ NIEGEL, EYEWITNESS: And so I picked up my phone and I called 911.

WELCH: Liz Niegel made the second frantic call.

NIEGEL: I need to report a street bike accident. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that the one over on Incinerator Drive?

NIEGEL: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. Well, we'll get there. Shouldn't be playing games.

SAWYER: I am just absolutely outraged.

WELCH: It wasn't until the third emergency call that a female dispatcher assessed the situation. State police tell us that Trooper Robert Peasley's comments were unprofessional and inappropriate, and the agency apologizes if -- quote -- "our actions added to the family's pain."

SAWYER: It was just an outrageous way to answer an emergency phone call.

WELCH: Jim Sawyer says no one deserves this kind of response.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, too bad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: Connecticut State Police say the trooper has been suspended without pay for 15 days. And they say that, despite the trooper's dismissive comments, emergency personnel were dispatched promptly and, according to one witness, arrived within five minutes of the call.

More now on the Terri Schiavo case, an appeal this hour to a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

And, as we await that ruling, we're joined here in the studio by Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Senator, let me ask you first, the federal judge, the district judge in Florida essentially said go away to the legislation passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush. Now the Schiavo family appealing to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Do you think the federal courts should, A, intervene in this case? And even as they debate it, should the courts first say, reinsert the feeding tube and keep Terri Schiavo alive?

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: The Congress has the authority to grant jurisdiction, which Congress did. And I think another level of appellate review is always in order.

Now you have a legal question. There is a strong argument to reinsert the tube on the grounds of maintaining what the law calls the status quo, that is so that whatever can be preserved of Terri Schiavo's health is being maintained. The district court said that there had been due process, that the constitutional rights of Terri Schiavo had been protected with all of the proceedings in the state courts. And that was the judgment of the district court. And now, in accordance with our judicial procedures, it goes up on appeal to the circuit court, when they will review the judgment of the district court. So, all the processes of law are being followed, due process.

KING: Followed at a quick enough pace, in your view? The federal district judge waited until 3:00 the day after to schedule a hearing. Now the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, a three-judge panel, has the case. And we're approaching the 6:00 hour here on the East Coast, no indication as to whether we'll get a ruling today. And we are four days now from when Terri Schiavo had that tube removed.

SPECTER: Well, judges have discretion. They have to take a look at the facts and they have to take a look at the evidence.

My own taste would always be to expedite it and get it done as promptly as possible, especially when it's a life and death situation and no one knows for sure the extent of the damage to Terri Schiavo with the delay.

KING: You say Congress has the authority. I don't think anyone questions that, that Congress has the authority to grant federal jurisdiction for this case, if you will.

But many say Congress should have had the judgment not to intervene, even though it has the authority, saying that this case has been in the federal court system for seven years now, that it has been litigated up and down, and that there was an appeal for the federal court system to get involved at one point, and that was rejected. Where do you draw that line?

SPECTER: Well, that's a matter for the judgment of Congress. And I think it is a sound judgment to give one more -- one more layer of review.

You have a curious situation here where they're sort of role reversal. The people on one side of the political spectrum traditionally arguing for Terri Schiavo have long contended on original intent, where there's very little of due process. And the other facet of judicial interpretation is to give a broader expanse to due process, not quite a living Constitution or expanding Constitution, but in that direction.

And I believe that, whenever you're talking about rights, if you err on the side of more rights, it's the wise thing to do.

KING: A letter here from your leader, Senator Bill Frist, the Senate Republican leader, the Senate majority leader, who was of course a leader in getting this federal Intervention, he wrote Governor Jeb Bush of Florida just today, saying that, yes, the federal government -- you've passed this federal legislation.

But he urges the governor to quickly move on the state level to try to do more. And Michael Schiavo's attorney just a short time ago spoke out about efforts now under way in the Florida legislature to try to do something. I want you to listen quickly of George Felos. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE FELOS, ATTORNEY FOR MICHAEL SCHIAVO: The first is, as many of you know, there have been attempts in the state Senate, in the Florida state Senate, to revive a bill that was defeated last week. It is our information that there is intense, intense lobbying and pressure being put on what's called the Republican nine. Those are the nine Republican Florida state senators who courageously are opposing the passage of legislation that the legislature knows would be unconstitutional as an attempt to put back Mrs. Schiavo's feeding tube.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, that, Michael Schiavo's attorney. He, clearly, Michael Schiavo, wanted the feeding tube removed. He is winning, if you will, on the legal grounds so far, his attorney complaining about the politicians, if you will, getting involved again and political pressure on them.

It's a tough one, is it not? It's a life or death issue that has been in the courts for some time. How do you, as an elected official, decide, I need to jump in here?

SPECTER: Well, it's a very tough one.

I cannot recall any situation which has aroused this much public attention on a single case. Traditionally, the states have the authority to decide these kinds of issues. The states decide marriage and divorce and probate, in the states, and a situation of the sort involved with Terri Schiavo. So, the General Assembly of Florida has the authority to decide what the law is in the situation.

KING: And, Senator, let me ask you this. If the state legislature does nothing else and the federal courts say no -- and we are 24 or 48 hours from now and the feeding tube is still removed and Terri Schiavo is still alive, by that point, most likely on her last day or two, should the Congress step in and the federal government step in and do more?

SPECTER: There's nothing more that the federal government can do. This is essentially a state matter. And the state assembly of Florida can still act, signed by the governor.

The federal government has authority to grant jurisdiction to test a constitutional issue. And that constitutional issue is now in the process of being tested. And the district court said due process was followed. All of the rights were given. It's now before the Court of Appeals. It could go to the U.S. Supreme Court, but the Congress would not have the authority to step in, as the Florida legislature would, in fact, have that authority, as a state matter.

KING: Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, thank you, sir, for your thoughts on this difficult case.

SPECTER: Nice to be with you. Thank you.

KING: Thank you.

Ship in distress, dramatic pictures of a rescue at sea up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KING: And now a dramatic rescue at sea.

Coast Guard crews braved churning waters to reach 10 college students and 10 crew members on a ship stranded near Oxnard, California. At least four people who fell off the vessel had to be plucked out of the ocean. The two-masted ship ran aground on a hidden sandbar.

That's it for WOLF BLITZER REPORTS. "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT" starts right now.

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