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Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees
Congress Passes Intelligence Reform; Woman Charged With Trying to Run Over Little Boy
Aired December 07, 2004 - 19:00 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.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: Good evening from Atlanta. I'm Anderson Cooper.
Historic vote on Capitol Hill.
360 starts now.
Congress puts it to a vote, overhauling intelligence. But are lawmakers making the country safer, or just playing politics?
Politicians and their pork barrel projects hidden in bills. Money for mariachi music, wild turkeys, and a weather museum? You won't believe some of the ways your tax money is being spent.
A pistol-packing cashier caught on tape. She'd been robbed before, and this time wasn't taking any chances. But did she do the right thing?
A woman charged with attempted murder, accused of using her SUV to run a little boy over. Tonight, an eyewitness report, and a case of alleged road rage that's hard to believe.
And the crime was terrible. Now, the man accused says he wants to die before his case goes to trial. Will the judge grant him his wish for death?
ANNOUNCER: This is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
COOPER: And good evening again.
We begin with developing news. At this hour, the House of Representatives is about to vote on the most sweeping reform of U.S. intelligence in decades. It has been debated in front of cameras, behind closed doors, in the corridors of power, and the living rooms of America.
That's a live picture from the House floor now.
On the table, the creation of a national intelligence czar, something proposed by the 9/11 commission. Many in the Pentagon and some of the president's own party members had opposed the bill. A compromise on language in it and an agreement to take up outstanding issues, such as drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, in the new year have convinced enough members to vote yes.
CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns is on Capitol Hill now with the latest. Joe?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, they had to have both parties to win. After months of hearings, a legislative process that can only be described as painful, the intelligence reform bill now apparently headed toward the finish line in the House of Representatives. The debate is over whether it will make the nation safer. The supporters of the bill, both Democrats and Republicans, who are winning the day, say it will.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're making history today. This conference report represents the most profound government reform to date for being the unique and daunting security challenges existing in this era of terror. This bill fundamentally overhauls the structure of our nation's intelligence community. It represents an important step in the improvement of our government's intelligence...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Now, the bill puts many of the proposals of the September 11 commission into play to create a new director of national intelligence, a civil liberties board, and a counterterrorism center.
However, some say the things that are left out are more important than the things that were put in, including Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who has argued a number of immigration proposals need to be included in the bill, including shooting down the idea of giving driver's licenses to immigrants. Sensenbrenner talked about his position today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R), CHAIR, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Remember that the 9/11 hijackers had multiple validly issued state driver's licenses among them, and that's how they got on the airplanes. That is what we were trying to stop by changing the provisions in the conference report, and I regret that we failed. But I can assure you that this issue is not going to go away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: So a number of conservatives have joined Sensenbrenner on the floor of the House opposing the bill in speeches. Of course, that makes it a bittersweet day for the speaker of the House. Coming off of a strong national election, he now has some of the party faithful not so happy with him, a possibility of future political problems down the road.
The Senate is expected to take up the bill tomorrow, Anderson.
COOPER: Joe Johns, thanks for that report, live from Capitol Hill.
And as we said, the vote is expected to take place very shortly. We are joined now in Washington by two members of the House Judiciary Committee, Democrat Anthony Weiner of New York and Republican Steve King of Iowa.
Gentlemen, we appreciate you being with us this evening. I know you're, it's a busy day for both of you.
Congressman King, let me start off with you. You plan to vote against this bill. Representative David Dreier said that many of the provisions that you and Congressman Sensenbrenner wanted in the bill, addressing driver's license, immigration reform, are going to be added into the first major bill of the new year. Why wasn't that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) compromise enough to get you to vote yes on this reform?
REP. STEVE KING (R-IA), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Well, my question to that would be, then, why not take them now? If there's a commitment to this, if we're going to recognize it as good policy -- and this Congress did recognize it's good policy -- we ought to adopt it now.
If we can't get it passed the Senate on this side in the conference committee, then to bring this up after the election, our only salvation is that we have the 109th Congress, which appropriately should be addressing this subject matter anyway. A lame-duck Congress shouldn't be setting this policy, which is a huge bill.
COOPER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Congressman King, can you answer your own question? Why not now? Why is it not being addressed right now?
KING: I believe because the open borders people have taken over the conference in the Senate between the Senate and the House, and there's two sides to this argument. One side wants to have open borders for political power, and then the other side of it, they want to have open borders for cheap labor. Those two things together are the dynamic that's the undercurrent here in this Congress today.
COOPER: Congressman Weiner, you're going to vote for this bill. The 9/11 commission wrote a lot about the dangers of groupthink, and talked about the need to eliminate it in intelligence. How does creating a single national director of intelligence actually do that? I mean, some would argue it adds another layer of bureaucracy, and maybe homogenizes intelligence if one person controls it.
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D-NY), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Well, frankly, the hearings that were held by the 9/11 commission showed that we were getting a great deal of intelligence that, if processed right, if getting into the right hands, could have prevented the September 11 attacks.
You know, let's be very honest about something. The Republicans didn't support creating the 9/11 commission, didn't want there to be open hearings, didn't want to extend the deadline for their hearings, didn't want the president to testify.
The Republicans have been dragged kicking and screaming into this process from the word go. Just about everyone who testified before the September 11 commission, a bipartisan, unanimous support of the September 11 commission, came up with the idea of, we need to have a central handle on intelligence. We simply don't have it now, but...
COOPER: But can you explain to me...
WEINER: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
COOPER: ... how a central handle eliminates groupthink?
WEINER: Well, a central -- that doesn't mean that the person getting that information gets it from a sole source. In fact, they're going to be getting it from diverse sources.
I think what we needed to realize is that it's not so much that we the public aren't getting this information, it's that someone isn't getting the information in actionable form from the diverse community that's out there. What we found is that the CIA, the FBI, were not doing a good enough job gathering information, communicating with one another. Now they're going to have to, because there's going to be...
COOPER: OK.
WEINER: ... a single director of intelligence.
COOPER: Congressman King, what about that? Do you buy that?
KING: I will say this national intelligence director is exactly the formula for groupthink. If you set that director in the -- at the cabinet level, that'll be the person that filters the intelligence that gets to the president. Anyone who has the ability and power to determine what the president knows with intelligence is far too powerful.
That's the structure of the KGB and the Soviet Union. You need competing intelligence agencies. You need to set up the structure so that nonlinear thinking, creative, out-of-the-box people are out there outthinking al Qaeda. They outthought us September 11, they're out there still doing that. And we're setting a structure for linear thinkers that does, is a formula for groupthink.
COOPER: Congressman Weiner, one more question. What, Congressman Sensenbrenner points out a lot, we heard it in the piece previous to this, that of those 19 hijackers, those murderers, they had some 60 valid driver's licenses between them. Why shouldn't there be some sort of national driver's license or unified system nationally?
WEINER: Well, the idea that this bill doesn't strengthen our borders just isn't true. Frankly, it does have standards and to make sure the documents received in an official form have certain comments, common standards, and similarities, 10,000 additional border officers, 4,000 customs officers. We're doing more to stop at the borders.
Frankly, this is the anti-immigrant ring of the Republican Party that's held up the bill up until now. And frankly, we can't allow national security, as national security demands to be held up on the altar of those who, frankly, believe that we should shut off the borders, and have say to all the people behind them at Ellis Island, Get out of my country.
COOPER: Very briefly, Congressman King, you want to respond?
KING: This bill provides for driver's licenses for illegals, and in 10 states that do, and they will go like electricity, the path of least resistance. That's just one of the pieces. And it isn't just a matter of border security, it's a matter of domestic internal security. Even if we triple those people that are working domestic security, they aren't allowed to go into the place of work. So if I'm Osama bin Laden, I go get a double shift, and I can (UNINTELLIGIBLE), I can, then I can live in this country, and I can attack this country internally.
COOPER: It's expected the bill will pass. We're going to have to leave it there. Congressman King, Congressman Weiner, appreciate you joining us. Two different perspectives. You're going to be voting tonight. Thank you very much.
The CIA's assessments of the situation in Iraq before the war have been called sharply into question in the months since then. So we're going to let you decide what to make of this next story.
A classified cable from the CIA station chief in Baghdad has been leaked, and the picture it paints about what is happening in Iraq is not good. It is deteriorating, the cable says, though it holds out the hope that there could be some improvement after the scheduled January elections.
It created quite a stir in Washington, no doubt about it. On the ground in Iraq, however, the hard work of rebuilding just goes on.
From Falluja tonight, here's CNN's Jane Arraf.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Armed with food, water, heaters, and blankets, the Marines and Red Crescent, the sister organization of the Red Cross, are going in search of Falluja's families.
In this devastated city, where Marines are still fighting an insurgency, they're also trying to build a foundation for goodwill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We certainly don't want to create more enemies. We certainly want to win those people over who are sitting on the fence.
ARRAF: On this day, in an empty street, a group of men with white flags walk toward the U.S. and Iraqi forces in search of food and water. Almost all of Falluja's civilians left before the fighting started, but Hassan Jassan Muhammad (ph) tells this sergeant major he doesn't want to leave his home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), is no dangerous here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, no danger, right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No dangerous. I stay in my home, I have a white flag in my home. You can come here, I'll make you some tea, some coffee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trying to bring trucks to you to bring food to the neighborhood. We just need to know where everybody lives.
ARRAF (on camera): This Red Crescent convoy is bringing food and water from Baghdad for people in Falluja. Officials here estimate there may be only 150 families left in the city. They say their biggest problem is a lack of running water and electricity.
(voice-over): The Red Crescent doesn't normally work with the U.S. military, but with the Marines in charge of security, and a 24- hour curfew in place, it has no choice.
Part of the tensions between the two, U.S. officials say, in the past, gunmen and weapons were hidden in Red Crescent ambulances.
The Marines say their duty is to both help with humanitarian assistance and provide security, an ongoing challenge in a city just emerging from battle.
Jane Arraf, CNN, Falluja, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, an investigation goes on into how terrorists were able to attack the U.S. consulate there yesterday. Five consulate employees and four of five attackers were killed in this attack in Jeddah. It seems the militants followed a consular vehicle, and then, according to a witness, they sprang into action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They (UNINTELLIGIBLE) our (UNINTELLIGIBLE). They entered our office inside. After that, they were making shout, and they brought the other our (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Then they shoot the men, room guards. After that, we are four people inside. Then they were asking to get up, get up. Then we will pull out (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and they were asking us, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, The Saudi wing of al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack.
We are following a number of other stories right now around the world in the uplink. Let's take a look.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is dismissing calls for his resignation. No great surprise, that. Several Republicans on Capitol Hill say Annan should step down amid allegations of corruption in the U.N.'s oil for food program and the involvement of his son. It's also been disclosed that Annan's son worked for a firm linked to that program. The son's lawyer says his client is, quote, "guilty of no wrongdoing."
Kabul, Afghanistan, now. It was inauguration day. That man, Hamid Karzai, was sworn in as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president. Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld were on hand. In Karzai's inaugural speech, he thanked the U.S. for helping rout out terrorists from Afghanistan.
On the streets of Bangkok, Thailand, a boy held hostage. Take a look at this. Construction worker with a six-inch kitchen knife kidnapped this little boy from in front of his school. The boy stood with a knife to his throat for nearly four hours. Rubber bullets at the man were finally fired by police. The crowd beat him. Police say the man -- there he goes -- ran away, the police grabbed him, the crowd grabbed him. They demanded a car to drive him to a bus terminal. Now obviously in custody.
Amano (ph), Japan, now, a new life for on cold war deserter. Greeted by his Japanese wife and their two children and a lot of flash photography, former Army sergeant Charles Jenkins arrived in Japan today. He just finished serving time in a U.S. military jail for deserting his post on Korea's demilitarized zone back in 1965.
And that's a quick look at stories around the world in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), in the uplink.
The vote has just begin in, on the floor of Congress. As we reported earlier, it is expected to pass, this bill, this sweeping reform of the intelligence system, likely to go to the Senate tomorrow, likely to be passed by the president. It has been debated very hotly behind closed doors, in front of cameras, for weeks now. We have heard from supporters and those opposed.
This vote is anticipated to take about 15 minutes. We will of course bring you the vote results as soon as we have it.
Coming up next on 360, fighting the flu. More vaccines on the way. But will those that need it most get it?
Plus, an SUV attack. A woman accused of running over two boys. The question is, what set her off, if anything?
And a man tries to rob a gas station, and the cashier, she wasn't having it. She took out a pistol. It's all caught on tape right there. We'll talk about that ahead.
First, let's take a look at your picks, the most popular stories right now on CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And we take you to the floor of Congress, the vote continuing, about less than 10 minutes now remaining, nine minutes, 31 seconds. We will bring you updates on the vote until then, and as soon as the vote happens, we'll tell you the results and get you reaction from across Washington.
Anyone clamoring and waiting in line for a flu shot this season doesn't want to hear any more about the vaccine shortage, they just want their shots.
Well, today, there was a step in the right direction. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced that up to 4 million doses of an experimental flu vaccine from Germany will be made available. But with so many people to vaccinate still, can people get it when they need it? That's the question.
CNN's Chris Huntington investigates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson last week admitted to having nightmares about a massive flu outbreak. Today, he said the situation is under control, with more vaccine on the way.
TOMMY THOMPSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: The vaccine shortage presented us with a challenge, but we have done everything in our power to overcome this challenge.
HUNTINGTON: The challenge was how to make do this winter with less than two-thirds of the expected supply of 100 million flu doses, after vaccine from a British supplier was found to be contaminated. The solution, an emergency distribution system directed by the Centers for Disease Control, with state health officials and the primary vaccine supplier, French company Aventis Pasteur, sharing real-time vaccine shipment data on a secure Web site.
DR. MITCHELL COHEN, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: We're in the stage now, since we've distributed most of the vaccine, that we're able to identify those states that perhaps have less of a need and can move the distribution of their vaccine to a state that may require more vaccine.
HUNTINGTON: Vaccine supply and demand has been managed so well in some areas of the country that some states even have surplus vaccine. New Mexico and Illinois, for instance, may ship some of their extra vaccine to New York, where it is still in tight supply. But state health officials and doctors in New York tell CNN they expect to receive more vaccine in the coming weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of the emergent supplies that we've been able to get, people have been able to get it when needed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTINGTON: Now, one problem that has not been solved this year is that none of the major U.S. pharmaceutical makers produce flu vaccine in this country. Now, they used to, but stopped doing it several years ago, because making flu vaccines proved to a low-margin and often money-losing proposition, Anderson.
COOPER: Chris Huntington, thanks for that.
360 next, Punxsutawney Phil, the famed groundhog, out of his hole and on Capitol Hill, chewing on pork barrel. And guess what? You're paying for it. We'll tell you how in raw politics.
And caught on tape, a robbery stopped by a cashier with a gun. She just wasn't having it. She took out the pistol. We'll show you the whole tape later.
And in a moment, today's 360 challenge. Putting you to the test, how much do you know news?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: The surveillance tapes are a lot like silent witnesses. They can tell us everything that happened, like in Ohio this week, where a would-be robber learned the hard way about holding up a store clerk who had been held up one too many times before.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREN SMITH, CASHIER: I just said, I'm going to try to shoot him first before he gets me. He might shoot me, but I'm going to shoot him.
COOPER (voice-over): Cashier Karen Smith says she's been robbed before, twice. On both occasions, she says she didn't fight back, because the robber fled as soon as he got the money. This time, she says, was different. She feared for her life.
SMITH: I was terrified, because I had already given him the money, and then he asked me to step from behind the counter. So the only thing I could think about is that he was getting ready to hurt me.
He came over, and he stuck his hand like that, and he said...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right up on the counter?
SMITH: Yes. He said, I'm going to need that. And I said, Need what? And he said, You know what I'm talking about. And I said, Oh, shoot, robbery. OK. Opened the drawer, gave him the money. And then he said, Now, I'm going to need you to come from behind the counter. And I said, What? Come from behind the counter. So I said, Shoot, he's going to hurt me. OK.
And then I got up and snatched the gun and shot him.
COOPER: Smith says she'd never fired a gun before, but she managed to wound the man in his left shoulder. She doesn't face any charges, because police say she was acting in self-defense.
SMITH: I thank God I did hit him in the shoulder, because it could have been much worse for him. Fortunately it hit him, and it didn't kill him. That's -- I didn't want that on my conscience.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, fire in the sky tops our look at news cross- country tonight.
Chicago, Illinois, high-rise fire investigation. Last night's blaze on the 29th floor of the LaSalle Bank headquarters left 37 people injured, most of them firefighters. Investigators are trying to figure out how the fire started.
Pearl Harbor, now, Hawaii, a day of infamy remembered. Today marks the 63rd anniversary of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. More than 2,000 soldiers perished on December 7, 1941. The anniversary was marked in many ways, including a moment of silence.
And in Los Angeles, the Grammy nominations, rapper Kanye West leads the pack with 10 nominations, including one for album of the year. R&B singers Alicia Keys and Usher both have eight nominations, followed by the late Ray Charles with seven for his posthumous duet album, "Genius Loves Company."
Another notable nomination, former president Bill Clinton, not for his saxophone skills, however. He's nominated for best spoken word for the recording of his best-selling autobiography "My Life." Grammy awards will be held in L.A. February 13.
That's a quick look stories right now cross-country.
A woman charged with attempted murder, accused of using her SUV to run a little boy over. Tonight, an eyewitness report, and a case of alleged road rage that's hard to believe.
And the crime was terrible. Now the man accused says he wants to die before his case goes to trial. Will the judge grant him his wish for death?
360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And some breaking news to report.
It now appears clear that the bill reforming the intelligence community will pass in the House. Some voting still going on, but at this point, it does have enough bills to pass.
I should point out that of the, of those 67 nay votes, 67 nay votes from Republicans, five from Democrats, a significant number had been anticipated. The number might reach 50 nay votes from Republicans, but 67 perhaps more than some perhaps had expected.
This, of course, had been the, a hotly debated issue now for several weeks. It looked at some point like there was not going to be a compromise, but a compromise was reached, and the bill has now passed. Let's go to Joe Johns, who's standing by live on Capitol Hill.
Joe, 67 nay votes from Republicans, an awful lot.
JOHNS: Anderson, that's quite a number. Troubling is the word one person has used to describe it. Of course, this means it's a very bittersweet victory for House speaker Dennis Hastert, who threw some of his own political capital behind this bill. A number of conservatives were deeply worried about the bill, deeply worried about the fact that some immigration provisions they very much wanted were not included, including forbidding driver's licenses for illegal immigrants in this country.
Now, they have been promised they'll be able to get a vote on that very early in the next session, but what it is also showing us tonight is that House Speaker Dennis Hastert does potentially have a problem over there with a number of his party loyalists. On the other hand, it's a big win for the 9/11 families who argued, debated and lobbied so passionately on Capitol Hill for so long, and also the former 9/11 Commission, which tried to push this bill through here on Capitol Hill. It goes to the Senate tomorrow, Anderson.
COOPER: And There have been 9/11 families on both sides of the issue, holding very public press conferences, at times very emotional press conferences. A lot of people watching this bill very closely tonight.
Joe Johns, thanks for that.
Let's go for reaction to the White House. Dana Bash is standing by.
Dana, how intense was the lobbying from this White House to get this bill passed?
DANA BASH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, at the end, it was pretty intense. Some on the commission, some even Republicans on Capitol Hill privately said that perhaps it was the better late than never approach, but nevertheless they were certainly happy with the fact that the president did make some phone calls late last week, and certainly yesterday, that he assigned the vice president, his chief of staff, to be intensely involved in the negotiations to get this passed. And essentially what this means for the president is he has avoided an important political embarrassment that would have happened for Mr. Bush just a month after reelection.
And as he sets himself up tries to rebuild support among an American -- America that's very much divided, because he know he needs to get into a good place to pass what he really understands to be a very aggressive domestic agenda. Where unfortunately for the president, they understand here, that they're going to need these Republicans to get that done here. And that is where this White House is going to have to start to repair relations with some of those Republicans, you see on the screen, that voted against this bill.
COOPER: Dana, some conservatives have been very critical of the president, what they say was slowness on immigration reform. Obviously that was not up to their liking in this bill. They say it's going to be addressed in the first couple of bills in the new session. How likely, though, is it the White House is that they are going to get behind the notion of sort of a single, unified driver's license or perhaps some sort of, at least, state guidelines across the board for driver's licenses?
BASH: Well, part of the deal here was the president actually wrote a letter late last night addressed to the leaders and key players here, promising he is going to try to push to address those issues, driver's licenses and asylum, those issues that the conservatives were upset was not in this bill.
COOPER: We'll see how soon that happens. Dana Bash, thanks very much for that.
On to other news now, a teenager fighting for his life tonight in a Florida hospital. The victim of a really unthinkable crime. Just two days ago he was outside under the bright sun, passing the time away, apparently playing a simple game in a parking lot with his two step-brothers. His mother says what happens next is a nightmare she cannot wake up from.
Here's CNN's Gary Tuchman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ambulance sirens wailed as emergency medical technicians worked to save a teenager's life and treat the less serious injuries of his stepbrother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you do for a living, ma am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a housewife.
TUCHMAN: Under arrest and charged with attempted murder, this 47-year-old woman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with your vehicle, serious bodily injury of one of them.
TUCHMAN: Kathy Ellen (ph) was driving this Chevy Blazer in a St. Augustine, Florida shopping center parking lot, when police say her car was accidentally hit by a golf ball. Thirteen-year-old Isaiah Grayer, and his twin 16-year-old stepbrothers Justin Marshman and Jamel Marshman were the ones playing with the ball.
JAMEL MARSHMAN, VICTIM: It hit her top of her car. The lady came back around charging at us. I ran one way. My two brothers ran the other way.
TUCHMAN: Police say the driver ran over two of the teens knocked over poles, and finally stopped her SUV in the ditch.
MARSHMAN: The lady tried to leave from out of the ditch, and I ran down after her, you know. The lady was smoking a cigarette thinking nothing had happened.
TUCHMAN: The teen's grandmother is Rebecca Lofton.
REBECCA LOFTON, GRANDMOTHER: She deliberately tried to kill my grandkids. Justice needs to be served. If I ran over her kids, where would I be?
TUCHMAN: Isiah is now in critical condition. Justin's skull is fractured and his life is now endangered. And the woman accused of running them down is still in jail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have the money or funds at this time to hire a lawyer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband takes care of all that for me. I'm mentally ill.
TUCHMAN: A public defenders representing Kathy Ellen has not commented about her mental state, but does say her story is different from what police said.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Tamera Nobel is a nurse who was at the shopping center during the assault, she attended to one of the victims. Earlier today, she gave me a firsthand account of what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Tamera, you had just left the store, you saw someone yelling out for 911. What happened next?
TAMERA NOBLE, WITNESS: When I heard the man saying "Call 911" my first response after they said there was a child down, I turned to them and I said you all call 911, I'm a nurse, I'm going to go out there and try to see what was up. I ran across the parking lot, and I came to the first young man, which I immediately knew was critical at that point, with the signs and symptoms...
COOPER: You say you instantly knew he was critical. How -- I mean, what did you see?
How did you know that?
NOBLE: There was blood coming out from underneath his head and there was also blood coming out from his ears. And that is a true indication of a severe head injury.
COOPER: And did you talk to him?
Was he -- were you able to talk to him?
NOBLE: He was not coherent. His brother that was not struck was coherent and was a big help. He was just saying Isiah, hold on, hold on. And I was also telling him to hold on, you know for several different reasons. Hold on for mom, grandma, Christmas, I was just reaching for anything that I thought that my boys would like to hear at that point, you know, that could make a difference.
COOPER: And at this point, did you see Kathy Allen or did you see her vehicle?
NOBLE: Oh, yes, the vehicle was in sight. I did not see her. I did not find out until I was in the middle of, you know, getting the assessment, until after I got off the phone with 911, giving the assessment.
COOPER: You have two sons. They actually know these three young men?
NOBLE: Right. Yes, they do.
COOPER: From what they have said, did it seem...
NOBLE: They're good boys.
COOPER: ... possible they intentionally threw this golf ball at this woman's car?
NOBLE: No, they're teenagers, and there's a golf course right there, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Augustine. And my son, as long -- as well as his friends also collect golf balls, you know, that are in the ditch. And these were just, you know, teenagers, young teenagers. How can a 13-year-old project that if a ball gets out of his control that a woman is going to turn around and do there?
COOPER: Well, you reacted quickly at the scene, and by all accounts, helped out the situation a lot. Tamera Noble, we appreciate you joining us, thank you.
NOBLE: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: This isn't the first time someone has used their car as a weapon. Remember the case of Clara Harris that caught our attention when it happened back in 2002? Here's a quick flash back.
Harris, killed her husband Dave by running over him three times in their Mercedes after finding him with his mistress. Harris was convicted of murder, is currently serving a 20-year sentence. Just last month she lost a lawsuit where she claimed she was overcharged by the attorney who represented her in the murder trail. She still owes that attorney, George Paernham (ph), more than $130,000.
While Clara Harris appeals her sentence, a Kentucky man is asking for a sentence that is truly hard to believe. He does not want mercy. He does not want forgiveness. In fact, all he wants to is to die.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Carolyn Marksbury, once a mother of three, sat in the back of the courtroom. Her only surviving child, 12 year old Courtney sat next to her. And they watched as Marco Allen Chapman, the man who tried to kill them, asked the judge to impose the ultimate punishment.
MARCO ALLEN CHAPMAN, DEFENDANT: I think the only thing that should be actually done, is me entering a plea of guilty and you sentence me to death. And I feel that should be the only thing left that should be done in my case whatsoever.
OPPENHEIM: The facts of the case are not in dispute. Two years ago, Chapman sexually assaulted Carolyn Marksbury in her home and stabbed her 15 times. Somehow she survived, as did her daughter Courtney, who was also stabbed. But the Marksbury's youngest children, 7-years-old Chelbi and 6-years-old Cody died from Chapman's attack. Six weeks ago, Chapman wrote a letter to the Judge Anthony Frohlich expressing his remorse and asking the judge to sentence him to death.
JOHN GIBSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: He's still depressed. His judgment and insight are impaired.
OPPENHEIM: In a twist, which was Chapman's lawyers who were at odds with their client, arguing his ongoing depression makes him incompetent to ask for the death penalty.
LINDA TALLY SMITH, COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY: He's thought through this well.
OPPENHEIM: And it was prosecutors saying he was rational. Judge Frolic accepted the guilty plea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty and for no other reason?
CHAPMAN: Yes, your honor.
OPPENHEIM: As the defendant fought back tears, so did one of his victims. Courtney Marksbury sobbed for the losses Chapman's murders left in her life.
(on camera): The sentencing is set to take place next weeks. And unless there's some change of heart from the court or the defendant, it appears likely that Marco Chapman will, by his own choosing, be sentenced to die.
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Burlington Kentucky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, 360 next, CNN's "Security Watch," targeting the food you eat. We're going to hear from the survivor of a bioterrorism attack here on American soil. Also tonight, Mr. Punxsutawney Phil goes to Washington. In "Raw Politics," why everyone's favorite groundhog stopped by Capitol Hill. We'll give you a hint. It involved money. Your money.
And in a moment, today's 360 "Challenge." How closely you've been following today's news? We'll put you to the test.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Time now for today's 360 "Challenge." Be the first to answer all three questions correctly and win a 360 t-shirt. I didn't even hear that horn.
No. 1: A man in Bangkok, Thailand, held a schoolboy hostage with a what?
No. 2, name a flu strain for which there is no vaccine.
And no. 3, a Florida woman is accused of running over two boys after they hit her SUV with a what?
Take the challenge, log on to cnn.com/360, click on the "Answer" link. Answer first, we'll send you the shirt. Last night's winner and tonight's answers coming up later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: For most of us, the fear of a terror strike on our food supply is the fear of the unknown, really. It's been given renewed attention, of course, because of concerns raised by outgoing Secretary Tommy Thompson. However, food has been used as a weapon before, here in America. Tonight CNN continues its in-depth look into the dangers facing our national security. We visit an Oregon town that has experienced bioterrorism firsthand. CNN's senior medical correspondence Dr. Sanjay Gupta talked with one of the survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUE PROFFITT, SURVIVED FOOD POISONING: People started getting sick, you know, a few people and a few dozen people and a few hundred people.
Of course, people were on edge. No matter who you talked to, everyone was upset, and why can't we stop them? And you need to do this or do that.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty years ago, terrorism wasn't talked about very much, especially not in small Northwest towns like The Dalles, Oregon. But it was there in 1984 that the Rajneesh cult deliberately poisoned 750 people in 10 restaurants in two counties. Their goal: To poison voters who might vote against the cult's candidate. The outcome? Lots of very sick people.
The culprit was salmonella, a potentially lethal bacteria that was added to dressings and salads. DR. BOB LAWRENCE, JOHNS HOPKINS: The most common symptoms are vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, dehydration, and in fact it's the dehydration that usually ends up being the ultimate cause of death.
GUPTA: 64-year-old Sue Proffitt survived it.
PROFFITT: You feel like you're being kicked in the stomach about every 15 minutes.
GUPTA: The problem is, many experts believe it's still too easy.
LAWRENCE: The food supply is really very vulnerable.
GUPTA: Each year, 325,000 people are hospitalized because of food-borne contamination, and 5,000 eventually die. Most of those deaths are at the hands of e.coli and salmonella, as well as other bacteria. Most cases of food poisoning are not intentional, and many view it as an impractical weapon of mass terrorism.
LAWRENCE: It's very difficult to contaminate significant amounts of the food supply, because of the way we distribute it.
GUPTA: Which may be the reason we haven't seen a major food poisoning attack since those terrifying days in Oregon, 1984.
PROFFITT: We'll never be able to put it totally aside. It's always kind of there.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Our next guest is very familiar with The Dalles bioterrorism strike. Judith Miller of "The New York Times" is the co- author of "Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War." Judith Miller joins me now from New York. Good to see you, Judith, thanks very much for being with us.
JUDITH MILLER, NEW YORK TIMES: Good to see you, Anderson.
COOPER: In today's "L.A. Times," FDA acting Commissioner Lester Crawford was quoted as saying -- quote, "I believe firmly that we have a good handle on food importation and also on the production of food with respect to intentional or accidental adulteration."
Now, this is basically the polar opposite of what Tommy Thompson said on Friday. He said, you know, "For the life of me, I can't understand why the terrorists have not attacked food supply." He went on. Who's telling the truth?
MILLER: Well, I think that what you heard in Tommy Thompson's remarks was kind of a reflection of his frustration after a lot of time trying to get the Department of Agriculture to make a comparable effort to what he was making for the protection of humans.
COOPER: So do you think that's closer to what people in government think is the truth than what the FDA commissioner said today?
MILLER: Absolutely. I am certain that people who think seriously about bioterrorism are deeply, deeply worried about the food supply, and they do agree with Secretary Thomson.
COOPER: You've called in the past issue -- this sort of this whole issue the government's dirty little secret. The Bush administration says, look, they've increased the number of FDA inspections I think from 12,000 a year before 9/11 to something like 97,000 now, that they're going to spend $150 million in 2005 compared to 800,000 back in 2001. What more can be done?
MILLER: Well, I think a lot more can be done. The first thing that should be done, according to the sources that I speak to, they want the law changed to make agro terrorism considered a weapons of mass destruction attack. It's still not in this country.
And secondly, Anderson, even though it seems like a lot of money that we're spending, what we're actually spending is about $2 per $1,000 of agricultural asset investment in protecting our food supply. You know, this is a huge amount of the American economy. It's about 15 percent of the American people who are employed in one way or another in agriculture or livestock. It's billions and billions of dollars of exports.
We haven't had in this country an attack of foot-and-mouth disease, for example, since 1929, but if you've ever seen pictures of that, with the burning carcasses of the cattle all over the country, it's a horrific event. I think it would be psychologically devastating to us, and remember that al Qaeda, among other groups, has increasingly spoken about its goal, its determination to bring the American people to their knees economically. So I think we have to worry, as Tommy Thompson correctly noted in his departing remarks, about this kind of terrorism.
COOPER: Yes, funny how politicians are often more honest as they're leaving than they are while they're there. Judith Miller, appreciate you joining us. Thank you very much.
MILLER: Thank you.
COOPER: CNN's "Security Watch" continues tonight on "PAULA ZAHN NOW" and "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN." Paula and Aaron join me from New York with a preview of what they're going to be covering tonight. Let's begin with Paula. Hey.
PAULA ZAHN, HOST, "PAULA ZAHN NOW": Hi, Anderson, how are you tonight.
We actually are going to take on the controversy over steroids and sports to the personal level tonight. I'll be sitting down with world champion sprinter Kelly White who paid a huge price for using steroids. She was stripped of her medals, banned from competing for two years, barred from the Olympics. Tonight, Anderson, Kelly White will come clean on how and why she threw her career away.
COOPER: Fascinating. All right, Paula. Thanks -- Aaron.
AARON BROWN, HOST, "NEWSNIGHT": Well, one of the things that Secretary Thomson said when he was dropping bombshells on Friday was that he worried that the next great health concern might be the flu, the bird flu that's spread through parts of Asia. This is not the first time flu has made people nervous. The flu killed millions of people just after the turn of the century, and there are lessons from what happened in 1918 to today. So on "NEWSNIGHT," Nisson takes a look at then and now as we look at the flu, the killer flu.
COOPER: Aaron Brown, thanks very much. And Paula as well.
360 next, saluting Americans in harm's way. Taking the truth of heroism to "The Nth Degree."
First, in "Raw Politics," the world's most famous groundhog goes to Washington to take up some political pork. That little thing wants your money. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Probably no bill in this Congress has been pored over as much as the intelligence reform bill that was passed just moments ago by House lawmakers. Yet with the compromise that allowed its passage, it wouldn't be surprising if not every member has read every paragraph. Sometimes frankly it's better to not read them. Take the omnibus spending bill passed late last week. Now more than 1,600 pages, weighing in at 14 pounds, you need to be on steroids just to lift the thing. So read it? Forget about it. But don't worry about it, what's inside is nothing but raw politics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): On Capitol Hill today the dirty little secret came out of its hole in the form of a groundhog. Not just any groundhog, mind you, it was Punxsutawney Phil of "Groundhog Day" fame. Punxsutawney Phil was brought here by its local congressman to defend the $100,000 in taxpayer money that Congress earmarked for the creation of the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center in Pennsylvania. And that's just one of the nearly 12,000 pork barrel projects stuffed into the spending bill Congress approved this weekend. All told, that's a record $15.8 billion, according to a taxpayers' watchdog.
KEITH ASHDOWN, TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE: Pork barrel spending is totally out of control. We have seen a 400 percent increase in the last ten years, and there's really no end in sight.
COOPER: Where does it go? Well, $25,000 was set aside for the study of mariachi music in Nevada's Clark County school district. And then there was $225,000 gobbled up for the National Wild Turkey Federation in South Carolina. Punxsutawney Phil's congressman is not only the only lawmaker that wants to bring the bacon home. Many Democrats and Republicans see it as their job to get federal money for their constituency.
ASHDOWN: One man's pork is somebody else's filet mignon, especially in areas that need the money like very rural districts.
COOPER: What's good for a local community is also good politics. Just ask Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, the 81-year-old powerful chairman of the appropriations committee. His nickname, the king of pork. Citizens Against Government Waste says last year he brought back to Alaska a record $524 million in federal money. Alaskans seem to appreciate his efforts. For 35 years in the Senate, Stevens is the longest-serving Republican senator.
On Capitol Hill, lots of pork is an essentially ingredient in a diet of raw politics.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: 360 next, the sacrifice of soldiers, ordinary men and women serving their country is enough to make them heroes, we think. The Nth degree is next.
Tomorrow all that fuss about indecency on TV, a look at who's actually behind the complaints to the FCC. You might be surprised.
Here's another look at tonight's questions. Have you been paying attention? Log on to CNN.com/360. Click on the answer link to play.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Time now for the answers to today's 360 challenge. First person to answer all three correctly will be sent a shirt. Tune in tomorrow to find out if you're the one. Last night's winner, Angie Dennert of Ludington, Michigan.
Finally tonight, taking true heroism to the Nth Degree. When Pat Tillman, the pro ball player turned army ranger, was killed in Afghanistan the information the Pentagon released turned out to be less than accurate. The same thing happened with Jessica Lynch. Whether the Pentagon was deliberately misleading us all or not and we can't say one way or another, you have to ask by creating these grandiose stories that aren't true, what's the message they're sending? That it isn't enough to put a promising life on hold? Not enough to trade a football jersey for a soldier's uniform? Not enough to go to Afghanistan and die for your country?
Are they saying it's not enough to be badly injured in a terrible accident and then be captured and spend frightened weeks alone with the enemy? None of that is enough the Pentagon seems to think. To really make a splash, you have to do those things in Hollywood heroic style or at least so the story must gone even if it isn't true.
Tell you what, Department of Defense, Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire and Jessica Lynch's being limply dragged off without her guns blazing does not make them less honorable. To the contrary. We aren't that much more grateful for their sacrifices precisely because they are not action heroes, but ordinary men and women. There's no need to impress us with special effects and screenplay-style details. The truth of their service and of their sacrifice is impressive enough. Thanks very much for watching 360. I'm Anderson Cooper. Coming up next, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."
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Aired December 7, 2004 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST: Good evening from Atlanta. I'm Anderson Cooper.
Historic vote on Capitol Hill.
360 starts now.
Congress puts it to a vote, overhauling intelligence. But are lawmakers making the country safer, or just playing politics?
Politicians and their pork barrel projects hidden in bills. Money for mariachi music, wild turkeys, and a weather museum? You won't believe some of the ways your tax money is being spent.
A pistol-packing cashier caught on tape. She'd been robbed before, and this time wasn't taking any chances. But did she do the right thing?
A woman charged with attempted murder, accused of using her SUV to run a little boy over. Tonight, an eyewitness report, and a case of alleged road rage that's hard to believe.
And the crime was terrible. Now, the man accused says he wants to die before his case goes to trial. Will the judge grant him his wish for death?
ANNOUNCER: This is ANDERSON COOPER 360.
COOPER: And good evening again.
We begin with developing news. At this hour, the House of Representatives is about to vote on the most sweeping reform of U.S. intelligence in decades. It has been debated in front of cameras, behind closed doors, in the corridors of power, and the living rooms of America.
That's a live picture from the House floor now.
On the table, the creation of a national intelligence czar, something proposed by the 9/11 commission. Many in the Pentagon and some of the president's own party members had opposed the bill. A compromise on language in it and an agreement to take up outstanding issues, such as drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, in the new year have convinced enough members to vote yes.
CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns is on Capitol Hill now with the latest. Joe?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, they had to have both parties to win. After months of hearings, a legislative process that can only be described as painful, the intelligence reform bill now apparently headed toward the finish line in the House of Representatives. The debate is over whether it will make the nation safer. The supporters of the bill, both Democrats and Republicans, who are winning the day, say it will.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're making history today. This conference report represents the most profound government reform to date for being the unique and daunting security challenges existing in this era of terror. This bill fundamentally overhauls the structure of our nation's intelligence community. It represents an important step in the improvement of our government's intelligence...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: Now, the bill puts many of the proposals of the September 11 commission into play to create a new director of national intelligence, a civil liberties board, and a counterterrorism center.
However, some say the things that are left out are more important than the things that were put in, including Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who has argued a number of immigration proposals need to be included in the bill, including shooting down the idea of giving driver's licenses to immigrants. Sensenbrenner talked about his position today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R), CHAIR, JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Remember that the 9/11 hijackers had multiple validly issued state driver's licenses among them, and that's how they got on the airplanes. That is what we were trying to stop by changing the provisions in the conference report, and I regret that we failed. But I can assure you that this issue is not going to go away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHNS: So a number of conservatives have joined Sensenbrenner on the floor of the House opposing the bill in speeches. Of course, that makes it a bittersweet day for the speaker of the House. Coming off of a strong national election, he now has some of the party faithful not so happy with him, a possibility of future political problems down the road.
The Senate is expected to take up the bill tomorrow, Anderson.
COOPER: Joe Johns, thanks for that report, live from Capitol Hill.
And as we said, the vote is expected to take place very shortly. We are joined now in Washington by two members of the House Judiciary Committee, Democrat Anthony Weiner of New York and Republican Steve King of Iowa.
Gentlemen, we appreciate you being with us this evening. I know you're, it's a busy day for both of you.
Congressman King, let me start off with you. You plan to vote against this bill. Representative David Dreier said that many of the provisions that you and Congressman Sensenbrenner wanted in the bill, addressing driver's license, immigration reform, are going to be added into the first major bill of the new year. Why wasn't that (UNINTELLIGIBLE) compromise enough to get you to vote yes on this reform?
REP. STEVE KING (R-IA), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Well, my question to that would be, then, why not take them now? If there's a commitment to this, if we're going to recognize it as good policy -- and this Congress did recognize it's good policy -- we ought to adopt it now.
If we can't get it passed the Senate on this side in the conference committee, then to bring this up after the election, our only salvation is that we have the 109th Congress, which appropriately should be addressing this subject matter anyway. A lame-duck Congress shouldn't be setting this policy, which is a huge bill.
COOPER: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Congressman King, can you answer your own question? Why not now? Why is it not being addressed right now?
KING: I believe because the open borders people have taken over the conference in the Senate between the Senate and the House, and there's two sides to this argument. One side wants to have open borders for political power, and then the other side of it, they want to have open borders for cheap labor. Those two things together are the dynamic that's the undercurrent here in this Congress today.
COOPER: Congressman Weiner, you're going to vote for this bill. The 9/11 commission wrote a lot about the dangers of groupthink, and talked about the need to eliminate it in intelligence. How does creating a single national director of intelligence actually do that? I mean, some would argue it adds another layer of bureaucracy, and maybe homogenizes intelligence if one person controls it.
REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D-NY), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Well, frankly, the hearings that were held by the 9/11 commission showed that we were getting a great deal of intelligence that, if processed right, if getting into the right hands, could have prevented the September 11 attacks.
You know, let's be very honest about something. The Republicans didn't support creating the 9/11 commission, didn't want there to be open hearings, didn't want to extend the deadline for their hearings, didn't want the president to testify.
The Republicans have been dragged kicking and screaming into this process from the word go. Just about everyone who testified before the September 11 commission, a bipartisan, unanimous support of the September 11 commission, came up with the idea of, we need to have a central handle on intelligence. We simply don't have it now, but...
COOPER: But can you explain to me...
WEINER: ... (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
COOPER: ... how a central handle eliminates groupthink?
WEINER: Well, a central -- that doesn't mean that the person getting that information gets it from a sole source. In fact, they're going to be getting it from diverse sources.
I think what we needed to realize is that it's not so much that we the public aren't getting this information, it's that someone isn't getting the information in actionable form from the diverse community that's out there. What we found is that the CIA, the FBI, were not doing a good enough job gathering information, communicating with one another. Now they're going to have to, because there's going to be...
COOPER: OK.
WEINER: ... a single director of intelligence.
COOPER: Congressman King, what about that? Do you buy that?
KING: I will say this national intelligence director is exactly the formula for groupthink. If you set that director in the -- at the cabinet level, that'll be the person that filters the intelligence that gets to the president. Anyone who has the ability and power to determine what the president knows with intelligence is far too powerful.
That's the structure of the KGB and the Soviet Union. You need competing intelligence agencies. You need to set up the structure so that nonlinear thinking, creative, out-of-the-box people are out there outthinking al Qaeda. They outthought us September 11, they're out there still doing that. And we're setting a structure for linear thinkers that does, is a formula for groupthink.
COOPER: Congressman Weiner, one more question. What, Congressman Sensenbrenner points out a lot, we heard it in the piece previous to this, that of those 19 hijackers, those murderers, they had some 60 valid driver's licenses between them. Why shouldn't there be some sort of national driver's license or unified system nationally?
WEINER: Well, the idea that this bill doesn't strengthen our borders just isn't true. Frankly, it does have standards and to make sure the documents received in an official form have certain comments, common standards, and similarities, 10,000 additional border officers, 4,000 customs officers. We're doing more to stop at the borders.
Frankly, this is the anti-immigrant ring of the Republican Party that's held up the bill up until now. And frankly, we can't allow national security, as national security demands to be held up on the altar of those who, frankly, believe that we should shut off the borders, and have say to all the people behind them at Ellis Island, Get out of my country.
COOPER: Very briefly, Congressman King, you want to respond?
KING: This bill provides for driver's licenses for illegals, and in 10 states that do, and they will go like electricity, the path of least resistance. That's just one of the pieces. And it isn't just a matter of border security, it's a matter of domestic internal security. Even if we triple those people that are working domestic security, they aren't allowed to go into the place of work. So if I'm Osama bin Laden, I go get a double shift, and I can (UNINTELLIGIBLE), I can, then I can live in this country, and I can attack this country internally.
COOPER: It's expected the bill will pass. We're going to have to leave it there. Congressman King, Congressman Weiner, appreciate you joining us. Two different perspectives. You're going to be voting tonight. Thank you very much.
The CIA's assessments of the situation in Iraq before the war have been called sharply into question in the months since then. So we're going to let you decide what to make of this next story.
A classified cable from the CIA station chief in Baghdad has been leaked, and the picture it paints about what is happening in Iraq is not good. It is deteriorating, the cable says, though it holds out the hope that there could be some improvement after the scheduled January elections.
It created quite a stir in Washington, no doubt about it. On the ground in Iraq, however, the hard work of rebuilding just goes on.
From Falluja tonight, here's CNN's Jane Arraf.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Armed with food, water, heaters, and blankets, the Marines and Red Crescent, the sister organization of the Red Cross, are going in search of Falluja's families.
In this devastated city, where Marines are still fighting an insurgency, they're also trying to build a foundation for goodwill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We certainly don't want to create more enemies. We certainly want to win those people over who are sitting on the fence.
ARRAF: On this day, in an empty street, a group of men with white flags walk toward the U.S. and Iraqi forces in search of food and water. Almost all of Falluja's civilians left before the fighting started, but Hassan Jassan Muhammad (ph) tells this sergeant major he doesn't want to leave his home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), is no dangerous here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, no danger, right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No dangerous. I stay in my home, I have a white flag in my home. You can come here, I'll make you some tea, some coffee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're trying to bring trucks to you to bring food to the neighborhood. We just need to know where everybody lives.
ARRAF (on camera): This Red Crescent convoy is bringing food and water from Baghdad for people in Falluja. Officials here estimate there may be only 150 families left in the city. They say their biggest problem is a lack of running water and electricity.
(voice-over): The Red Crescent doesn't normally work with the U.S. military, but with the Marines in charge of security, and a 24- hour curfew in place, it has no choice.
Part of the tensions between the two, U.S. officials say, in the past, gunmen and weapons were hidden in Red Crescent ambulances.
The Marines say their duty is to both help with humanitarian assistance and provide security, an ongoing challenge in a city just emerging from battle.
Jane Arraf, CNN, Falluja, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia, an investigation goes on into how terrorists were able to attack the U.S. consulate there yesterday. Five consulate employees and four of five attackers were killed in this attack in Jeddah. It seems the militants followed a consular vehicle, and then, according to a witness, they sprang into action.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They (UNINTELLIGIBLE) our (UNINTELLIGIBLE). They entered our office inside. After that, they were making shout, and they brought the other our (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Then they shoot the men, room guards. After that, we are four people inside. Then they were asking to get up, get up. Then we will pull out (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and they were asking us, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) American.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Well, The Saudi wing of al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack.
We are following a number of other stories right now around the world in the uplink. Let's take a look.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is dismissing calls for his resignation. No great surprise, that. Several Republicans on Capitol Hill say Annan should step down amid allegations of corruption in the U.N.'s oil for food program and the involvement of his son. It's also been disclosed that Annan's son worked for a firm linked to that program. The son's lawyer says his client is, quote, "guilty of no wrongdoing."
Kabul, Afghanistan, now. It was inauguration day. That man, Hamid Karzai, was sworn in as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president. Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld were on hand. In Karzai's inaugural speech, he thanked the U.S. for helping rout out terrorists from Afghanistan.
On the streets of Bangkok, Thailand, a boy held hostage. Take a look at this. Construction worker with a six-inch kitchen knife kidnapped this little boy from in front of his school. The boy stood with a knife to his throat for nearly four hours. Rubber bullets at the man were finally fired by police. The crowd beat him. Police say the man -- there he goes -- ran away, the police grabbed him, the crowd grabbed him. They demanded a car to drive him to a bus terminal. Now obviously in custody.
Amano (ph), Japan, now, a new life for on cold war deserter. Greeted by his Japanese wife and their two children and a lot of flash photography, former Army sergeant Charles Jenkins arrived in Japan today. He just finished serving time in a U.S. military jail for deserting his post on Korea's demilitarized zone back in 1965.
And that's a quick look at stories around the world in the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), in the uplink.
The vote has just begin in, on the floor of Congress. As we reported earlier, it is expected to pass, this bill, this sweeping reform of the intelligence system, likely to go to the Senate tomorrow, likely to be passed by the president. It has been debated very hotly behind closed doors, in front of cameras, for weeks now. We have heard from supporters and those opposed.
This vote is anticipated to take about 15 minutes. We will of course bring you the vote results as soon as we have it.
Coming up next on 360, fighting the flu. More vaccines on the way. But will those that need it most get it?
Plus, an SUV attack. A woman accused of running over two boys. The question is, what set her off, if anything?
And a man tries to rob a gas station, and the cashier, she wasn't having it. She took out a pistol. It's all caught on tape right there. We'll talk about that ahead.
First, let's take a look at your picks, the most popular stories right now on CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And we take you to the floor of Congress, the vote continuing, about less than 10 minutes now remaining, nine minutes, 31 seconds. We will bring you updates on the vote until then, and as soon as the vote happens, we'll tell you the results and get you reaction from across Washington.
Anyone clamoring and waiting in line for a flu shot this season doesn't want to hear any more about the vaccine shortage, they just want their shots.
Well, today, there was a step in the right direction. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced that up to 4 million doses of an experimental flu vaccine from Germany will be made available. But with so many people to vaccinate still, can people get it when they need it? That's the question.
CNN's Chris Huntington investigates.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson last week admitted to having nightmares about a massive flu outbreak. Today, he said the situation is under control, with more vaccine on the way.
TOMMY THOMPSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: The vaccine shortage presented us with a challenge, but we have done everything in our power to overcome this challenge.
HUNTINGTON: The challenge was how to make do this winter with less than two-thirds of the expected supply of 100 million flu doses, after vaccine from a British supplier was found to be contaminated. The solution, an emergency distribution system directed by the Centers for Disease Control, with state health officials and the primary vaccine supplier, French company Aventis Pasteur, sharing real-time vaccine shipment data on a secure Web site.
DR. MITCHELL COHEN, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: We're in the stage now, since we've distributed most of the vaccine, that we're able to identify those states that perhaps have less of a need and can move the distribution of their vaccine to a state that may require more vaccine.
HUNTINGTON: Vaccine supply and demand has been managed so well in some areas of the country that some states even have surplus vaccine. New Mexico and Illinois, for instance, may ship some of their extra vaccine to New York, where it is still in tight supply. But state health officials and doctors in New York tell CNN they expect to receive more vaccine in the coming weeks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of the emergent supplies that we've been able to get, people have been able to get it when needed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HUNTINGTON: Now, one problem that has not been solved this year is that none of the major U.S. pharmaceutical makers produce flu vaccine in this country. Now, they used to, but stopped doing it several years ago, because making flu vaccines proved to a low-margin and often money-losing proposition, Anderson.
COOPER: Chris Huntington, thanks for that.
360 next, Punxsutawney Phil, the famed groundhog, out of his hole and on Capitol Hill, chewing on pork barrel. And guess what? You're paying for it. We'll tell you how in raw politics.
And caught on tape, a robbery stopped by a cashier with a gun. She just wasn't having it. She took out the pistol. We'll show you the whole tape later.
And in a moment, today's 360 challenge. Putting you to the test, how much do you know news?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: The surveillance tapes are a lot like silent witnesses. They can tell us everything that happened, like in Ohio this week, where a would-be robber learned the hard way about holding up a store clerk who had been held up one too many times before.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREN SMITH, CASHIER: I just said, I'm going to try to shoot him first before he gets me. He might shoot me, but I'm going to shoot him.
COOPER (voice-over): Cashier Karen Smith says she's been robbed before, twice. On both occasions, she says she didn't fight back, because the robber fled as soon as he got the money. This time, she says, was different. She feared for her life.
SMITH: I was terrified, because I had already given him the money, and then he asked me to step from behind the counter. So the only thing I could think about is that he was getting ready to hurt me.
He came over, and he stuck his hand like that, and he said...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right up on the counter?
SMITH: Yes. He said, I'm going to need that. And I said, Need what? And he said, You know what I'm talking about. And I said, Oh, shoot, robbery. OK. Opened the drawer, gave him the money. And then he said, Now, I'm going to need you to come from behind the counter. And I said, What? Come from behind the counter. So I said, Shoot, he's going to hurt me. OK.
And then I got up and snatched the gun and shot him.
COOPER: Smith says she'd never fired a gun before, but she managed to wound the man in his left shoulder. She doesn't face any charges, because police say she was acting in self-defense.
SMITH: I thank God I did hit him in the shoulder, because it could have been much worse for him. Fortunately it hit him, and it didn't kill him. That's -- I didn't want that on my conscience.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, fire in the sky tops our look at news cross- country tonight.
Chicago, Illinois, high-rise fire investigation. Last night's blaze on the 29th floor of the LaSalle Bank headquarters left 37 people injured, most of them firefighters. Investigators are trying to figure out how the fire started.
Pearl Harbor, now, Hawaii, a day of infamy remembered. Today marks the 63rd anniversary of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. More than 2,000 soldiers perished on December 7, 1941. The anniversary was marked in many ways, including a moment of silence.
And in Los Angeles, the Grammy nominations, rapper Kanye West leads the pack with 10 nominations, including one for album of the year. R&B singers Alicia Keys and Usher both have eight nominations, followed by the late Ray Charles with seven for his posthumous duet album, "Genius Loves Company."
Another notable nomination, former president Bill Clinton, not for his saxophone skills, however. He's nominated for best spoken word for the recording of his best-selling autobiography "My Life." Grammy awards will be held in L.A. February 13.
That's a quick look stories right now cross-country.
A woman charged with attempted murder, accused of using her SUV to run a little boy over. Tonight, an eyewitness report, and a case of alleged road rage that's hard to believe.
And the crime was terrible. Now the man accused says he wants to die before his case goes to trial. Will the judge grant him his wish for death?
360 continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: And some breaking news to report.
It now appears clear that the bill reforming the intelligence community will pass in the House. Some voting still going on, but at this point, it does have enough bills to pass.
I should point out that of the, of those 67 nay votes, 67 nay votes from Republicans, five from Democrats, a significant number had been anticipated. The number might reach 50 nay votes from Republicans, but 67 perhaps more than some perhaps had expected.
This, of course, had been the, a hotly debated issue now for several weeks. It looked at some point like there was not going to be a compromise, but a compromise was reached, and the bill has now passed. Let's go to Joe Johns, who's standing by live on Capitol Hill.
Joe, 67 nay votes from Republicans, an awful lot.
JOHNS: Anderson, that's quite a number. Troubling is the word one person has used to describe it. Of course, this means it's a very bittersweet victory for House speaker Dennis Hastert, who threw some of his own political capital behind this bill. A number of conservatives were deeply worried about the bill, deeply worried about the fact that some immigration provisions they very much wanted were not included, including forbidding driver's licenses for illegal immigrants in this country.
Now, they have been promised they'll be able to get a vote on that very early in the next session, but what it is also showing us tonight is that House Speaker Dennis Hastert does potentially have a problem over there with a number of his party loyalists. On the other hand, it's a big win for the 9/11 families who argued, debated and lobbied so passionately on Capitol Hill for so long, and also the former 9/11 Commission, which tried to push this bill through here on Capitol Hill. It goes to the Senate tomorrow, Anderson.
COOPER: And There have been 9/11 families on both sides of the issue, holding very public press conferences, at times very emotional press conferences. A lot of people watching this bill very closely tonight.
Joe Johns, thanks for that.
Let's go for reaction to the White House. Dana Bash is standing by.
Dana, how intense was the lobbying from this White House to get this bill passed?
DANA BASH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Anderson, at the end, it was pretty intense. Some on the commission, some even Republicans on Capitol Hill privately said that perhaps it was the better late than never approach, but nevertheless they were certainly happy with the fact that the president did make some phone calls late last week, and certainly yesterday, that he assigned the vice president, his chief of staff, to be intensely involved in the negotiations to get this passed. And essentially what this means for the president is he has avoided an important political embarrassment that would have happened for Mr. Bush just a month after reelection.
And as he sets himself up tries to rebuild support among an American -- America that's very much divided, because he know he needs to get into a good place to pass what he really understands to be a very aggressive domestic agenda. Where unfortunately for the president, they understand here, that they're going to need these Republicans to get that done here. And that is where this White House is going to have to start to repair relations with some of those Republicans, you see on the screen, that voted against this bill.
COOPER: Dana, some conservatives have been very critical of the president, what they say was slowness on immigration reform. Obviously that was not up to their liking in this bill. They say it's going to be addressed in the first couple of bills in the new session. How likely, though, is it the White House is that they are going to get behind the notion of sort of a single, unified driver's license or perhaps some sort of, at least, state guidelines across the board for driver's licenses?
BASH: Well, part of the deal here was the president actually wrote a letter late last night addressed to the leaders and key players here, promising he is going to try to push to address those issues, driver's licenses and asylum, those issues that the conservatives were upset was not in this bill.
COOPER: We'll see how soon that happens. Dana Bash, thanks very much for that.
On to other news now, a teenager fighting for his life tonight in a Florida hospital. The victim of a really unthinkable crime. Just two days ago he was outside under the bright sun, passing the time away, apparently playing a simple game in a parking lot with his two step-brothers. His mother says what happens next is a nightmare she cannot wake up from.
Here's CNN's Gary Tuchman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ambulance sirens wailed as emergency medical technicians worked to save a teenager's life and treat the less serious injuries of his stepbrother.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you do for a living, ma am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a housewife.
TUCHMAN: Under arrest and charged with attempted murder, this 47-year-old woman.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with your vehicle, serious bodily injury of one of them.
TUCHMAN: Kathy Ellen (ph) was driving this Chevy Blazer in a St. Augustine, Florida shopping center parking lot, when police say her car was accidentally hit by a golf ball. Thirteen-year-old Isaiah Grayer, and his twin 16-year-old stepbrothers Justin Marshman and Jamel Marshman were the ones playing with the ball.
JAMEL MARSHMAN, VICTIM: It hit her top of her car. The lady came back around charging at us. I ran one way. My two brothers ran the other way.
TUCHMAN: Police say the driver ran over two of the teens knocked over poles, and finally stopped her SUV in the ditch.
MARSHMAN: The lady tried to leave from out of the ditch, and I ran down after her, you know. The lady was smoking a cigarette thinking nothing had happened.
TUCHMAN: The teen's grandmother is Rebecca Lofton.
REBECCA LOFTON, GRANDMOTHER: She deliberately tried to kill my grandkids. Justice needs to be served. If I ran over her kids, where would I be?
TUCHMAN: Isiah is now in critical condition. Justin's skull is fractured and his life is now endangered. And the woman accused of running them down is still in jail.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have the money or funds at this time to hire a lawyer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband takes care of all that for me. I'm mentally ill.
TUCHMAN: A public defenders representing Kathy Ellen has not commented about her mental state, but does say her story is different from what police said.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Tamera Nobel is a nurse who was at the shopping center during the assault, she attended to one of the victims. Earlier today, she gave me a firsthand account of what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Tamera, you had just left the store, you saw someone yelling out for 911. What happened next?
TAMERA NOBLE, WITNESS: When I heard the man saying "Call 911" my first response after they said there was a child down, I turned to them and I said you all call 911, I'm a nurse, I'm going to go out there and try to see what was up. I ran across the parking lot, and I came to the first young man, which I immediately knew was critical at that point, with the signs and symptoms...
COOPER: You say you instantly knew he was critical. How -- I mean, what did you see?
How did you know that?
NOBLE: There was blood coming out from underneath his head and there was also blood coming out from his ears. And that is a true indication of a severe head injury.
COOPER: And did you talk to him?
Was he -- were you able to talk to him?
NOBLE: He was not coherent. His brother that was not struck was coherent and was a big help. He was just saying Isiah, hold on, hold on. And I was also telling him to hold on, you know for several different reasons. Hold on for mom, grandma, Christmas, I was just reaching for anything that I thought that my boys would like to hear at that point, you know, that could make a difference.
COOPER: And at this point, did you see Kathy Allen or did you see her vehicle?
NOBLE: Oh, yes, the vehicle was in sight. I did not see her. I did not find out until I was in the middle of, you know, getting the assessment, until after I got off the phone with 911, giving the assessment.
COOPER: You have two sons. They actually know these three young men?
NOBLE: Right. Yes, they do.
COOPER: From what they have said, did it seem...
NOBLE: They're good boys.
COOPER: ... possible they intentionally threw this golf ball at this woman's car?
NOBLE: No, they're teenagers, and there's a golf course right there, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Augustine. And my son, as long -- as well as his friends also collect golf balls, you know, that are in the ditch. And these were just, you know, teenagers, young teenagers. How can a 13-year-old project that if a ball gets out of his control that a woman is going to turn around and do there?
COOPER: Well, you reacted quickly at the scene, and by all accounts, helped out the situation a lot. Tamera Noble, we appreciate you joining us, thank you.
NOBLE: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: This isn't the first time someone has used their car as a weapon. Remember the case of Clara Harris that caught our attention when it happened back in 2002? Here's a quick flash back.
Harris, killed her husband Dave by running over him three times in their Mercedes after finding him with his mistress. Harris was convicted of murder, is currently serving a 20-year sentence. Just last month she lost a lawsuit where she claimed she was overcharged by the attorney who represented her in the murder trail. She still owes that attorney, George Paernham (ph), more than $130,000.
While Clara Harris appeals her sentence, a Kentucky man is asking for a sentence that is truly hard to believe. He does not want mercy. He does not want forgiveness. In fact, all he wants to is to die.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Carolyn Marksbury, once a mother of three, sat in the back of the courtroom. Her only surviving child, 12 year old Courtney sat next to her. And they watched as Marco Allen Chapman, the man who tried to kill them, asked the judge to impose the ultimate punishment.
MARCO ALLEN CHAPMAN, DEFENDANT: I think the only thing that should be actually done, is me entering a plea of guilty and you sentence me to death. And I feel that should be the only thing left that should be done in my case whatsoever.
OPPENHEIM: The facts of the case are not in dispute. Two years ago, Chapman sexually assaulted Carolyn Marksbury in her home and stabbed her 15 times. Somehow she survived, as did her daughter Courtney, who was also stabbed. But the Marksbury's youngest children, 7-years-old Chelbi and 6-years-old Cody died from Chapman's attack. Six weeks ago, Chapman wrote a letter to the Judge Anthony Frohlich expressing his remorse and asking the judge to sentence him to death.
JOHN GIBSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: He's still depressed. His judgment and insight are impaired.
OPPENHEIM: In a twist, which was Chapman's lawyers who were at odds with their client, arguing his ongoing depression makes him incompetent to ask for the death penalty.
LINDA TALLY SMITH, COMMONWEALTH ATTORNEY: He's thought through this well.
OPPENHEIM: And it was prosecutors saying he was rational. Judge Frolic accepted the guilty plea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you pleading guilty because you are guilty and for no other reason?
CHAPMAN: Yes, your honor.
OPPENHEIM: As the defendant fought back tears, so did one of his victims. Courtney Marksbury sobbed for the losses Chapman's murders left in her life.
(on camera): The sentencing is set to take place next weeks. And unless there's some change of heart from the court or the defendant, it appears likely that Marco Chapman will, by his own choosing, be sentenced to die.
Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Burlington Kentucky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, 360 next, CNN's "Security Watch," targeting the food you eat. We're going to hear from the survivor of a bioterrorism attack here on American soil. Also tonight, Mr. Punxsutawney Phil goes to Washington. In "Raw Politics," why everyone's favorite groundhog stopped by Capitol Hill. We'll give you a hint. It involved money. Your money.
And in a moment, today's 360 "Challenge." How closely you've been following today's news? We'll put you to the test.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Time now for today's 360 "Challenge." Be the first to answer all three questions correctly and win a 360 t-shirt. I didn't even hear that horn.
No. 1: A man in Bangkok, Thailand, held a schoolboy hostage with a what?
No. 2, name a flu strain for which there is no vaccine.
And no. 3, a Florida woman is accused of running over two boys after they hit her SUV with a what?
Take the challenge, log on to cnn.com/360, click on the "Answer" link. Answer first, we'll send you the shirt. Last night's winner and tonight's answers coming up later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: For most of us, the fear of a terror strike on our food supply is the fear of the unknown, really. It's been given renewed attention, of course, because of concerns raised by outgoing Secretary Tommy Thompson. However, food has been used as a weapon before, here in America. Tonight CNN continues its in-depth look into the dangers facing our national security. We visit an Oregon town that has experienced bioterrorism firsthand. CNN's senior medical correspondence Dr. Sanjay Gupta talked with one of the survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUE PROFFITT, SURVIVED FOOD POISONING: People started getting sick, you know, a few people and a few dozen people and a few hundred people.
Of course, people were on edge. No matter who you talked to, everyone was upset, and why can't we stop them? And you need to do this or do that.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twenty years ago, terrorism wasn't talked about very much, especially not in small Northwest towns like The Dalles, Oregon. But it was there in 1984 that the Rajneesh cult deliberately poisoned 750 people in 10 restaurants in two counties. Their goal: To poison voters who might vote against the cult's candidate. The outcome? Lots of very sick people.
The culprit was salmonella, a potentially lethal bacteria that was added to dressings and salads. DR. BOB LAWRENCE, JOHNS HOPKINS: The most common symptoms are vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, dehydration, and in fact it's the dehydration that usually ends up being the ultimate cause of death.
GUPTA: 64-year-old Sue Proffitt survived it.
PROFFITT: You feel like you're being kicked in the stomach about every 15 minutes.
GUPTA: The problem is, many experts believe it's still too easy.
LAWRENCE: The food supply is really very vulnerable.
GUPTA: Each year, 325,000 people are hospitalized because of food-borne contamination, and 5,000 eventually die. Most of those deaths are at the hands of e.coli and salmonella, as well as other bacteria. Most cases of food poisoning are not intentional, and many view it as an impractical weapon of mass terrorism.
LAWRENCE: It's very difficult to contaminate significant amounts of the food supply, because of the way we distribute it.
GUPTA: Which may be the reason we haven't seen a major food poisoning attack since those terrifying days in Oregon, 1984.
PROFFITT: We'll never be able to put it totally aside. It's always kind of there.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Our next guest is very familiar with The Dalles bioterrorism strike. Judith Miller of "The New York Times" is the co- author of "Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War." Judith Miller joins me now from New York. Good to see you, Judith, thanks very much for being with us.
JUDITH MILLER, NEW YORK TIMES: Good to see you, Anderson.
COOPER: In today's "L.A. Times," FDA acting Commissioner Lester Crawford was quoted as saying -- quote, "I believe firmly that we have a good handle on food importation and also on the production of food with respect to intentional or accidental adulteration."
Now, this is basically the polar opposite of what Tommy Thompson said on Friday. He said, you know, "For the life of me, I can't understand why the terrorists have not attacked food supply." He went on. Who's telling the truth?
MILLER: Well, I think that what you heard in Tommy Thompson's remarks was kind of a reflection of his frustration after a lot of time trying to get the Department of Agriculture to make a comparable effort to what he was making for the protection of humans.
COOPER: So do you think that's closer to what people in government think is the truth than what the FDA commissioner said today?
MILLER: Absolutely. I am certain that people who think seriously about bioterrorism are deeply, deeply worried about the food supply, and they do agree with Secretary Thomson.
COOPER: You've called in the past issue -- this sort of this whole issue the government's dirty little secret. The Bush administration says, look, they've increased the number of FDA inspections I think from 12,000 a year before 9/11 to something like 97,000 now, that they're going to spend $150 million in 2005 compared to 800,000 back in 2001. What more can be done?
MILLER: Well, I think a lot more can be done. The first thing that should be done, according to the sources that I speak to, they want the law changed to make agro terrorism considered a weapons of mass destruction attack. It's still not in this country.
And secondly, Anderson, even though it seems like a lot of money that we're spending, what we're actually spending is about $2 per $1,000 of agricultural asset investment in protecting our food supply. You know, this is a huge amount of the American economy. It's about 15 percent of the American people who are employed in one way or another in agriculture or livestock. It's billions and billions of dollars of exports.
We haven't had in this country an attack of foot-and-mouth disease, for example, since 1929, but if you've ever seen pictures of that, with the burning carcasses of the cattle all over the country, it's a horrific event. I think it would be psychologically devastating to us, and remember that al Qaeda, among other groups, has increasingly spoken about its goal, its determination to bring the American people to their knees economically. So I think we have to worry, as Tommy Thompson correctly noted in his departing remarks, about this kind of terrorism.
COOPER: Yes, funny how politicians are often more honest as they're leaving than they are while they're there. Judith Miller, appreciate you joining us. Thank you very much.
MILLER: Thank you.
COOPER: CNN's "Security Watch" continues tonight on "PAULA ZAHN NOW" and "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN." Paula and Aaron join me from New York with a preview of what they're going to be covering tonight. Let's begin with Paula. Hey.
PAULA ZAHN, HOST, "PAULA ZAHN NOW": Hi, Anderson, how are you tonight.
We actually are going to take on the controversy over steroids and sports to the personal level tonight. I'll be sitting down with world champion sprinter Kelly White who paid a huge price for using steroids. She was stripped of her medals, banned from competing for two years, barred from the Olympics. Tonight, Anderson, Kelly White will come clean on how and why she threw her career away.
COOPER: Fascinating. All right, Paula. Thanks -- Aaron.
AARON BROWN, HOST, "NEWSNIGHT": Well, one of the things that Secretary Thomson said when he was dropping bombshells on Friday was that he worried that the next great health concern might be the flu, the bird flu that's spread through parts of Asia. This is not the first time flu has made people nervous. The flu killed millions of people just after the turn of the century, and there are lessons from what happened in 1918 to today. So on "NEWSNIGHT," Nisson takes a look at then and now as we look at the flu, the killer flu.
COOPER: Aaron Brown, thanks very much. And Paula as well.
360 next, saluting Americans in harm's way. Taking the truth of heroism to "The Nth Degree."
First, in "Raw Politics," the world's most famous groundhog goes to Washington to take up some political pork. That little thing wants your money. Be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Probably no bill in this Congress has been pored over as much as the intelligence reform bill that was passed just moments ago by House lawmakers. Yet with the compromise that allowed its passage, it wouldn't be surprising if not every member has read every paragraph. Sometimes frankly it's better to not read them. Take the omnibus spending bill passed late last week. Now more than 1,600 pages, weighing in at 14 pounds, you need to be on steroids just to lift the thing. So read it? Forget about it. But don't worry about it, what's inside is nothing but raw politics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER (voice-over): On Capitol Hill today the dirty little secret came out of its hole in the form of a groundhog. Not just any groundhog, mind you, it was Punxsutawney Phil of "Groundhog Day" fame. Punxsutawney Phil was brought here by its local congressman to defend the $100,000 in taxpayer money that Congress earmarked for the creation of the Punxsutawney Weather Discovery Center in Pennsylvania. And that's just one of the nearly 12,000 pork barrel projects stuffed into the spending bill Congress approved this weekend. All told, that's a record $15.8 billion, according to a taxpayers' watchdog.
KEITH ASHDOWN, TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE: Pork barrel spending is totally out of control. We have seen a 400 percent increase in the last ten years, and there's really no end in sight.
COOPER: Where does it go? Well, $25,000 was set aside for the study of mariachi music in Nevada's Clark County school district. And then there was $225,000 gobbled up for the National Wild Turkey Federation in South Carolina. Punxsutawney Phil's congressman is not only the only lawmaker that wants to bring the bacon home. Many Democrats and Republicans see it as their job to get federal money for their constituency.
ASHDOWN: One man's pork is somebody else's filet mignon, especially in areas that need the money like very rural districts.
COOPER: What's good for a local community is also good politics. Just ask Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, the 81-year-old powerful chairman of the appropriations committee. His nickname, the king of pork. Citizens Against Government Waste says last year he brought back to Alaska a record $524 million in federal money. Alaskans seem to appreciate his efforts. For 35 years in the Senate, Stevens is the longest-serving Republican senator.
On Capitol Hill, lots of pork is an essentially ingredient in a diet of raw politics.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: 360 next, the sacrifice of soldiers, ordinary men and women serving their country is enough to make them heroes, we think. The Nth degree is next.
Tomorrow all that fuss about indecency on TV, a look at who's actually behind the complaints to the FCC. You might be surprised.
Here's another look at tonight's questions. Have you been paying attention? Log on to CNN.com/360. Click on the answer link to play.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COOPER: Time now for the answers to today's 360 challenge. First person to answer all three correctly will be sent a shirt. Tune in tomorrow to find out if you're the one. Last night's winner, Angie Dennert of Ludington, Michigan.
Finally tonight, taking true heroism to the Nth Degree. When Pat Tillman, the pro ball player turned army ranger, was killed in Afghanistan the information the Pentagon released turned out to be less than accurate. The same thing happened with Jessica Lynch. Whether the Pentagon was deliberately misleading us all or not and we can't say one way or another, you have to ask by creating these grandiose stories that aren't true, what's the message they're sending? That it isn't enough to put a promising life on hold? Not enough to trade a football jersey for a soldier's uniform? Not enough to go to Afghanistan and die for your country?
Are they saying it's not enough to be badly injured in a terrible accident and then be captured and spend frightened weeks alone with the enemy? None of that is enough the Pentagon seems to think. To really make a splash, you have to do those things in Hollywood heroic style or at least so the story must gone even if it isn't true.
Tell you what, Department of Defense, Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire and Jessica Lynch's being limply dragged off without her guns blazing does not make them less honorable. To the contrary. We aren't that much more grateful for their sacrifices precisely because they are not action heroes, but ordinary men and women. There's no need to impress us with special effects and screenplay-style details. The truth of their service and of their sacrifice is impressive enough. Thanks very much for watching 360. I'm Anderson Cooper. Coming up next, "PAULA ZAHN NOW."
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