tv Anderson Cooper 360 CNN August 30, 2011 5:00pm-6:00pm PDT
5:00 pm
can learn from both mistakes and from triumphs. the issue is not whether you tell the issue. it is how soon you tell it. do you allow a discreet interval to pass. and on that one, i think enough years have passed. we're in a speed it up world, after all. i think it is okay to be telling those stories. i think the issue here is not what stories he's telling. i think the issue is whether he took cheap shots. as colin powell is arguing against some of his colleagues and whether that was unfair or not. >> that's all from us tonight. anderson cooper 360 starts right now. we have breaking news. hurricane irene is not through with us yet if you can believe it. new mandatory evacuations underway tonight in northern new jersey from flooding. look at these pictures. local rivers still rising, swamping neighborhoods, turning other neighborhoods into islands where the only way out is by chopper or boat. and some folks in some areas in
5:01 pm
vermont are frankly strand asked have been since the storm on sunday. near paterson, inning, the passaic river is 18 feet deep. they've been evacuating people from here all day. and just down the river in wallington borough, evacuations went out at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. rescuers have been busy pulling 64 people to safety in paterson, new jersey. 14 kids among them. three dogs. people stayed thinking the worst was over, not knowing the rivers were still rising. even in a place where you expect water, they have never seen anything like this before. look at the images. in little falls, new jersey. more like niagara falls, so much storm water flowing through. in vermont we're getting around, it is not only impossible. hundred of stretches of roads have been washed away. the national guard is bringing in supplies in some of the hardest hit areas. in addition, nearly 3 million homes are without power.
5:02 pm
a man who just got married on sunday, his entire wedding party is stranded in vermont. they can't get out because the roads are closed. 33 fatalities and officials are saying it is not over yet. mary joins us from new jersey. the pictures of the amount of volume of water is just incredible. does it seem like it is getting worse in some parts of new jersey? >> reporter: you know, it really is incredible. we wanted to show you. this is the passaic, little falls, what it looks like right now. this raging water. if you can believe it, this is an improvement from what it was and we were told last night that as furious as this water is right now, that it was raging even more last night. that there was much more water. the passaic river crested earlier today in this town and others around it. so some water is receding. you wouldn't know to look at the passaic river tonight here in little falls. i was talking to some county
5:03 pm
officials and they're saying, while this water is receding, that it could take until the weekend. in some places before it clears up. >> we've seen evacuations. have folks been in real danger? >> reporter: they have. we've witnessed some evacuations. we were in paterson, new jersey. what looked like a few inches of water quickly turned to a few feet of water and then add the river currents to it. we saw one man and his son having to be evacuated. basically what happened, they went back to their home to inspect the damage and rescue workers say they were just swept away by the current and they wound up clinging to a log until rescue workers can come in a boat to get them out of there. >> mandatory evacuations in some areas, tonight and the last couple hours. mary, thanks very much for the reporting. let's take to you vermont. one of our producers is talking
5:04 pm
about taking her family to be out of irene's way. it didn't work out that way. she stayed in new york and it's a good thing she did. parts of vermont were literally cut off from the rest of the world when roads and bridges were swept away. they were in pittsfield, vermont. they were getting married. they got married over the weekend. they are still in pittsfield, by the way. i spoke with mark a short time ago. mark, you went up to vermont for your wedding on saturday. everything was fine until irene hit. what happened? >> we had a beautiful wedding day. it was our dream wedding. we wanted a rustic wedding. we love vermont. we came here and had such a great wedding. but sunday we were having brunch with our friends and family and all of a sudden, the storm hit. everyone that came to my wedding thought they were getting out of new york and avoiding the storms, and they were thanking me for it. they were like, this is awesome.
5:05 pm
and then the storm barely touched new york and came to us. >> there are only a couple hundred people who live in pittsfield. their homes are gone, their businesses are gone. do you have enough food, water, medical supplies? people in the town and your party okay? >> we're in need of medical supplies. we have food and we have drinkable water. there is no running water because there is no power and all the water is run on electric pumps. but the only thing is that it depends on how long we're here. they have limited resources. and we have 60 people here that are putting a little drain on their limited sources. >> i'm looking at pictures. it looks like one road is completely cut off. basically the roads are just ill passable out of town? >> yeah. there are several bridges down on route 100.
5:06 pm
there's a road that just caved in. there are several houses and towns that we watched floating. it has been scary. it's been equally amazing how supportive and cooperative people have been up here though. everybody is getting together. everybody is working together, eating together. making sure people are safe. we've been sending people up into the housing areas where the people live and make sure they get water. >> what kind of medical supplies do people need? what kind of medical supplies do people need? >> the stuff that i've heard that is most urgent is specific high blood pressure medicines. a couple people with heart conditions that are urgently looking for medicine and getting real nervous. >> lets hope the national guard or some folks are able to chopper in with supplies. marc, i appreciate you being with us. give my best to your wife and all the wedding party and everybody in town. we wish you the best. we'll continue to check in.
5:07 pm
>> thanks so much, anderson. >> after being stuck with your whole party, between national guard, the national hurricane center, department of homeland security and fema, the federal response has been massive as it is in every big national disaster. what if it weren't that way? my next guest has some ideas on that and they've been talking controversy. ron paul said if elected president, he would do away with fema. >> fema is not a good friend of most people in texas. they just come in and tell you what to do and can't do. they tell you you can't get in your houses and hinder the local people and they hinder the volunteers from going in. there is no magic about fema. and more people are starting to recognize that because they are a great contributor to deficit financing and quite frankly, they don't have a penny in the bank. >> congressman ron paul joins us here. thanks for meeting with us. you say we don't need fema. why? >> we've only had it since 1979. and they don't have a very good
5:08 pm
record. these natural disasters are very, very dangerous. i don't understand why we turn it order to a bureaucracy. as a whole they don't do a very good job but fema has the worst reputation of almost any of them. and i live on the gulf coast. i've had the same position all the time. we've had hurricanes and disasters. and i get so many calls. i have had more calls from fema, than all the other agencies put together. when we had katrina going into new orleans, they needed ice. so fema ordered ice from the northeast. they ordered 211 million pounds of ice. it traveled for two weeks and they finally ended up in nebraska. and they never got it. that's a typical way of how fema works. if you want efficiency, why don't we look at how thing were handled before we had fema. now the department of homeland
5:09 pm
security, and they just don't -- but really, my big -- go ahead. i do have another bigger gripe. >> let me just say. we reported, i reported extensively on the failings of fema during katrina. the trailers, the ice. they also had body recovery teams on the ground very quickly before other people. that was a fema response. they do have expertise in some areas that some states don't. if you had left everything up to louisiana officials during katrina, probably more people would have died. >> well, that remains to be seen. >> the louisiana official were certainly not up to the task. >> the thing of it is, you create more hazard by saying, you 98 and the government will be there. they'll always be there to take care of you and pay your bills. they're broke. they can't pay the bills. the worst part is the economic consequence of saying, well, i can't afford my insurance. and a lot of them are middle class people have their beach
5:10 pm
houses and they don't, they can't get their insurance because it is costly so the government guarantees it. so they give a reason for people to do dumb thing. they build in places the market says don't build here. it is too dangerous. and then there's floods and all these problems. and then when katrina hit, some of the guard units around the country that could have been helpful, they were over fighting wars in the middle east. so it is such gross distortion. thing weren't as bad. before 1979 without fema, it wasn't disasters. go and show me where there was a much worse care before femalea and i don't think you can give me any of that. >> you talked about going back to 1900. way before fema was around. in galveston which is part of your district, i think, wasn't it, it was fema who rebuilt it. they needed fema. there wasn't a seawall in
5:11 pm
galveston before the storm. and it wasn't, they needed to rebuild because locals there decided it was too expensive for them to cover all that on their own using local funds. and because they didn't, 6,000 people died in that storm. if fema were abolished, wouldn't you be setting the stage for life or death conditions in poor areas of the country? >> i pointed out in 1900, galveston, which is in my district, they survived without fema and they did rebuild the city and it was mostly local funds. probably some state funds. >> but there was not a seawall there because they decided to gamble because it was too expensive. if you had a federal government who was involved, wouldn't that be -- >> anderson, anderson, wait a minute. the seawall you a built shortly there after. fema didn't build in it 1979. that has been around a long, long time. you didn't need fema to build it. and just think of the management
5:12 pm
of all the levies in the country. now they're starting to study even the levies on the river are probably making our floods much worse. the levies -- >> you're saying there is no role the federal government should play. >> let me over, let me, let me finish. they were all built by the federal government and they failed. so the federal government had a lot of responsibility for the creation of the mess in new orleans. >> you don't think there is any role for the federal government in disaster response? or do you? >> rescue operations, i think so. as a matter of fact, my approach, i think was a very modest and reasonable approach when they came for funds. even today or back when we got hit at galveston. i think i'll vote for the funds but you have to cut it. we're broke. the economic condition of this country is dire. so you cut $2 billion from overseas. put $1 billion against the deficit. put $1 billion into helping the people that we taught to be dependent on the federal government. so i think that's very
5:13 pm
reasonable. to say, it's endless. the government will take care of us and we're broke and we're in the midst of this economic crisis which will get a lot worse and not be concerned about it. say, well, the people need it. from the start of fema being involved and taking over management, they aren't very efficient. they're very inefficient. they give no bid contracts, big corporations make a lot of money on this. they would have been better off in katrina if they had just written a check to everybody and not gotten involved in all the mess that they. did they handed out checks to people who didn't even live there. i don't know how anybody could defend the inefficiency of what went on in katrina. it hasn't changed. it is part of the department of homeland security. just look at the tsa. >> thank you, sir. let us know what you think. i'll be trying to tweet tonight. ahead, the syrian government
5:14 pm
denies they're murdering their own people. they've denied they're killing children despite the videos that we've seen. they deny and deny and deny. they deny they're keeping the rest of the world from seeing the truthful we're keeping them honest yet again with new reporting on what a u.n. mission to syria saw, what they uncovered and what they have to say about their government post. the syrian government promised us right here, the syrian ambassador said the u.n. can travel anywhere they want in syria. and later, crime and punishments. the missing woman robyn gardner. how her traveling companion looked and acted the day she disappeared. we have new information about the self-proclaimed polygamist prophet warren jeffs seen looking shockingly thin. is he in a coma? what is the doctor saying about his recovery? [ woman ] jogging stroller. you've been stuck in the garage
5:15 pm
5:16 pm
i thought i was invincible. i'm on an aspirin regimen now because i never want to feel that helplessness again. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. talk to your doctor, and take care of what you have to take care of. but not in my neighborhood. ♪ [ female announcer ] we're throwing away misperceptions about natural gas vehicles. more of the vehicles that fuel our lives use clean american natural gas today. it costs about 40 percent less than gasoline, so why aren't we using it even more? start a conversation about using more natural gas vehicles
5:17 pm
in your community. start a conversation about using more natural gas vehicles [ bedistracted driving. ♪ [ disco ] it accounts for 25% of car crashes. and it's why the best agents help safe drivers get a lower rate. - exactly. - oh! [ announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ 2,200 men, women and children. that is how many people human rights watchers estimate have now been killed in the last several months by syrian's dictatorship. they blame muslim extremists, they blame criminals and outsiders them deny killing children. but every day new video emerges
5:18 pm
contradicting those denials. what you're about to see we need to warn you is revolting. even after we blurt out portions of it. it shows a young boy shot in the head just today. human rights advocates say at least seven people were killed, most in dara. at least two dozen killed since the week began. today is the end of ramadan. instead of celebrating, syrians are standing up in mass demonstrations. look at the size of this one. psych a wave of humanity. people making themselves heard. protesting peacefully. sadly, their cause for freedom is being met with gun fire.
5:19 pm
this is how security forces handle the protest. we've seen it again and again. we've seen children gunned down. some like the child, barely a toddler. 2 years old. you see they shot and over and over again we've seen syrian officials deny responsibility. watch what the syrian ambassador said to the united nations on this program when i asked him a week and a half ago. how can children be targeted and then returned to their parents? do you deny that's happening? >> absolutely. children are not targeted by the police. neither by the army. but let me comment on what you have just said. the report of the high commissioner is unfounded and biased. she didn't reflect any of my government's points of view in the report. she didn't even go to syria. she just relied on reports coming from syrian refugees in -- >> back in april, you yourself
5:20 pm
said that no international commission needed to come to syria or was allowed to come to syria because your government was perfectly capable of being transparent and doing your own investigations. that does not seem to be true. >> no, no, no. i was mistaken from my words. we have allowed after the presidential statement adopted by the security council, we have allowed a humanitarian mission. >> the syrian ambassador to the united nations on this program. after not allowing the human rights delegation into syria, despite his fancy suit and fancy talk, the government did not allow a delegation back in syria. then the regime reluctantly allowed a u.n. humanitarian mission to visit. that's what he was talking about. we've just gotten a preliminary statement from them. while there is no countrywide humanitarian crisis, meaning basically there is enough food and water for syrians, quote, the constant presence of
5:21 pm
government official limited the ability to fully and independently assess the situation, however, the report continues, the people it was able to talk to in areas of previous or ongoing unrest that they felt extremely intimidated and under constant threat. this is what happened on the day u.n. observers visited moments after they left. so what happened predictably, government forces opened fire and people died. right after the u.n. left. and as always, these videos come via the internet through dissidents. we haven't independently verify them. we're not permitted into syria to see for ourselves. the ambassador lied saying we can go and travel freely. that's not the case. we've had people there and they're not able to travel freely. syrian official deny responsibility for what you're seeing even as they deny their
5:22 pm
stifling access to outside reporters and observers. >> you don't know all the faces of the story. >> first of all because you're not allowing us in. you're not allowing reporters to actually go to the front lines and see this. you're restricting reporters. so it is disingenuous to say you don't know the truth when you don't allow the international community to see the truth. >> anderson. this is wrongful will we have allowed three delegations of journalists and reporters to enter the country. >> and you keep them in damascus or control them very carefully. >> we don't control anybody. we are there to protect them. >> i want to say, i reported in syria years ago in damascus. five years ago and i had a government minder who followed my every move and observed who i talked to. and that was in a time when there wasn't allegedly these armed gangs. yet again that claim was contradicted by the u.n. mission. look at the q and a. was the mission given free and independent access? answer, although the mission was
5:23 pm
permitted to visit any location they requested, it is doubtful they have fully complied. remember, his claim that government minders are only there for protection, take a look at what happened when the american ambassador, robert ford, went out on the streets of damascus. he was surrounded, harassed by a pro assad mob. this aired on a tv station which heavily ended the footage and tried to paint the picture of him leading an anti-government protest. it takes a lot of editing to make even cheap propaganda. the rest of the video we barely even edited for its length. we think its truth speaks plainly, every night on this program, we speak to people like the man from daraa. joining me, here we are five months into this uprising and the yeem is still killing people. do you sense any real change? >> no. not at all. i think what is really
5:24 pm
interesting, it is now for the opposition to have to think whether peaceful protests work and the debate rages. we stick to peaceful protests and are we always being slaughtered by this regime. should we take up arms? and i think many of the wiser heads have prevailed. if they take up arms, that is exactly what the killer regime wants. it will lure them into a test they cannot win. syria has become a test of this notion of peaceful protests against a violent regime. >> that's what we've seen. it still stuns me. the fact that these people are going every day on the street holding their heads with dignity and talking and calling out and getting shot because of it. you say the regime is running out of money. >> if you look at the head of the central bank in syria has come one this very lame play on marie antoinette. he said the syrian people shouldn't eat cake. they should eat brown bread. by the way, that a lower quality bread and cheaper bread. they're running out of money.
5:25 pm
there is talk the vigilantes should go around and beat people and kill them. >> they're dressed like, civilians but they free reign to beat people. >> they're hoodlums and they've now begun to threaten that they will go on strike. they will not due do have the dirty deeds. the regime is running out of money and it the syrian economy is on the ropes. if the europeans go through with the band on the importation of syrian oil, i think the regime would have a real moment. >> and even iran, of all the horrific regimes, iran which has been a stalwart ally of syria has said you have to listen to your people. >> don't you love it? if you really want an example of the killer regime of the power in damascus, two groups. not only iran and you're right, of all people, they called to
5:26 pm
respect the will of the people. amazing. and even the head of hezbollah has begun to wonder. he has violated the norms of his world. when you kill people who come in out of prayer. when you ban people from prayer. when you attack mosques. there is already now beginning among many religious people in the region talk the b the irreligious nature of him. he is a heretic. >> it is after the mosques that the demonstrations break out. we've we're seeing people killed as soon as they come out of the mosques. >> and now there is another question which has offered itself. should the syrian opposition, should the syrian opposition invite foreign intervention? it is not like nato is ready for another engagement. but the success of the libyan
5:27 pm
opposition now has raised the question for the syrians. why not enlist foreign intervention? thus far they've been too proud. they thought they could do it on their own. but the question will arise before very long. >> the other question is would anybody respond? >> that's exactly it. >> appreciate the as always. upwards of 50,000 combatants and civilian have been killed in the uprising so far. the casualties could grow. saturday is the new deadline for those under control to surrender or face attack. the numbers we can't verify. in algeria, sources say gadhafi's daughter has given birth. the baby's gender so far undisclosed. coming up in crime and punishment, the latest in the search for robyn gardner missing for four weeks. the man in custody, the suspect in her disappearance, could be released soon as more starting details come to light about his behavior on the day she
5:28 pm
disappeared. we'll have the latest from marty savidge. and whether, the latest about whether jared loughner could be forced to take anti-psychotic medication. what's left behind? [ female announcer ] introducing purifying facial cleanser from neutrogena® naturals. developed with dermatologists... it's clinically proven to remove 99% of dirt and toxins and purify pores. and with natural willowbark it contains no dyes, parabens or harsh sulfates. dirt and toxins do a vanishing act and my skin feels pure and healthy. [ female announcer ] new purifying facial cleanser from the new line of neutrogena naturals. but my data is doubling. and my servers are maxed out. [ male announcer ] with efficient i.t. solutions from dell, doug can shift up to 50% of his technology spend to innovation. so his company runs better, and so does doug. dell. the power to do more. handle more than 165 billion letters and packages a year.
5:29 pm
that's about 34 million pounds of mail every day. ever wonder what this costs you as a taxpayer? millions? tens of millions? hundreds of millions? not a single cent. the united states postal service doesn't run on your tax dollars. it's funded solely by stamps and postage. brought to you by the men and women of the american postal workers union. ♪
5:31 pm
tonight the search for the american woman miss in aruba now enters a fourth week. there is new information about the man held in connection to her disappearance. robyn gardner was last seen four weeks ago today with a 50-year-old man named gary giordano. he said she got carried out to sea while they were snorkeling. the police report said he asked three people on the beach for help that day. those witnesses reportedly said he was covered in sweat but was very calm and that he had a cut on his throat. martin savidge has been covered all the twists and turns of the story.
5:32 pm
he joins us from rusch. abc news is reporting this information about his throat having some sort of a cut on it. what exactly have they found out? >> reporter: well, this is the first i've heard of that and i've talked to a lot of witnesses. i've talked to a lot of people and i've read the police reports. i have to point out during the interrogation of gary giordano, authorities asked him do you have any wounds on you. and he said, well, he had a couple scratches on his legs and he showed it to them. regarding a cut on the neck, you can take a look for yourself. there is his mug shot that was released, it was taken a couple days after the alleged drowning. and if you look it a quite clearly, he has a t-shirt. his neck is expose asked i don't see any real mark that would indicate blood. as far as the clothing, wet, dry, i heard varying accounts. some said it was his bathing suit that was wet but he had dry socks and shoes on. if he rushed out of the water, who stop to put socks and shoes
5:33 pm
on. this only shows you that you get a lot of different accounts and that's a real problem for authorities to work through. >> he has been in custody since this disappearance. he could actually be released soon, is that right? >> reporter: right. and you talk to legal experts on the island and they've give you two train of thought. one is the judge will have to release him tomorrow. based upon the evidence that has been brought out so far, they can't possibly warrant him holding him for any longer than they already have. there is the other side that swids the prosecution and says there's a lot more that needs to be learned. this is a serious crime. a lot has to be done with the u.s. they need the fbi and that takes times. they need more time. the reality is it is up to a judge and the judge could say, 60 days or i'll give you 30 days or say, no, gary giordano gets to walk. we don't know which way it will go. >> there is a rumor, i heard in
5:34 pm
aruba that gardner is still alive. are authorities putting any cedence to that. >> reporter: they won't say publicly. she disappears, allegedly drowns in an area where e else who has drowned has floated back to the surface themselves hasn't. if her body was disposed of on land, nature would have given that away. they've done searches in the areas. her body isn't here, people say. if her body isn't here, she is not on the island. and there by they extrapolate and say she must have been part of an insurance fraud, perhaps. she lost her job, she was pretty much separated from her family. maybe she wanted to start a new life with a new name. with $1.5 million of insurance money. is that theory or is it just fantasy? maybe it is wishful thinking on the part of the island. they don't want to be blamed
5:35 pm
again for the death of another american. >> it seems hard to believe she could make to it venezuela. obviously rumors floating around. i appreciate the reporting. just ahead, details on what happened when gabrielle giffords accuser, the shooter, taken off his medication for schizophrenic. fish the 360 bulletin. >> with one day to go, august is the deadliest month yet for u.s. forces in afghanistan. 66 american troops have died including 30 who were killed when the helicopter was shot down by insurgents. a top federal official who oversaw botched sting that allowed thousands of assault-type weapons to be sold illegally is being reassigned to a lesser post. b. todd jones will replace kenneth nelson as acting director of the atf tomorrow. and last year's natural gas explosion that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes in
5:36 pm
the san francisco suburb. that's the conclusion of a scathing report by federal inspectors. it slams the pipeline owner. pacific gas and electric for quote, a litany of failures. and darryl hanna was arrested outside the white house. she and 100 other people taking part in a sit-in, were taken into custody when they refused to move. so there you have it in case you've been wondering what she has been doing all this time. if you're not quite sure what dog tired looks like, this should clear things up. meet ziggy, the snoring sharpei. [ snoring ]
5:37 pm
>> very cute! >> that makes me think of when people are falling asleep on the plane. >> you hate that. the nodding thing because the seats doengt back far enough. i like this one airline, i can't remember which it is, that has the cease. the pillow -- like a shield. so your head at least has something to go against. i hate it when they don't. it is very disorienting. >> i'm going to see your sharpei and raise you, it's a favorite, you know it's coming. it's that singing husky, mischka. >> i love you. i love you. >> that still makes me laugh. we've seen it how many times? >> i love you. >> i love you too, anderson. >> thank you. here's piers morgan with a look at what's coming up tonight. tonight one most powerful
5:38 pm
women in the world, the secrets to her successful you know her from the "huffington post." now meet arianna huffington, on the economy, and keeping america great. plus wisconsin governor scott walker. tonight he talks about that and about the gop's crowded sealed in about his love for his hog. that and more at the top of the hour. >> piers, thank you very much. a lot more ahead. new developments tow battle to forcibly medicate jared loughner. what did he in his cell. plus what landed polygamist sect leader warren jeffs in the hospital. and set off reports that he was in a coma. than many other allergy medications. omnaris. omnaris, to the nose. did you know nasal symptoms like congestion can be caused by allergic inflammation? omnaris relieves your symptoms by fighting inflammation.
5:39 pm
side effects may include headache, nose bleed, and sore throat. got allergy symptoms out of my way. now life's a picnic. [ man ] omnaris. ask your doctor. battling nasal allergy symptoms? omnaris combats the cause. get omnaris for only $11 at omnaris.com. discover aveeno positively radiant tinted moisturizers with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals. give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on to even skin tone in four weeks. aveeno tinted moisturizers. whether it can be done safely and responsibly. at exxonmobil we know the answer is yes. when we design any well, the groundwater's protected by multiple layers of steel and cement. most wells are over a mile and a half deep so there's a tremendous amount of protective rock between the fracking operation and the groundwater. natural gas is critical to our future. at exxonmobil we recognize the challenges and how important it is to do this right.
5:40 pm
so i take one a day men's 50+ advantage. as a manager, my team counts on me to stay focused. at exxonmobil we recognize the challenges and how important it is it's the only complete multivitamin with ginkgo to support memory and concentration. plus it supports heart health. [ bat cracks ] that's a hit. one a day men's.
5:42 pm
tonight, new developments in the legal battle over forcibly medicating this man, jared loughner so he can stand trial in the mass shooting that killed six people and wounded 13 others outside an arizona shopping center where congresswoman gabrielle giffords was meeting with constituents. that's how he looked before. she has made remarkable progress when she was shot. she returned to the house floor for the first time since the attack. to vote on that debt ceiling bill. her staff said she has a long way to go in her recovery. loughner has been diagnosed with
5:43 pm
schizophrenia and is being held in a prison hospital in missouri. his lawyers have been fighting to stop prison doctors from medicating him. tonight the court heard arguments in the case. federal authorities have asked for more time to make him deponent stand trial. the district judge has ruled for now, the prison doctors can keep medicating him because of what happened when they stopped the terrell. the prosecutors said without anti-psychotic medications, he had screaming and crying fits for hours. that he physically harmed himself and claimed a radio had inserted thoughts into his head. he said he wanted to die. he's been judged a danger to himself and others. joining me now to talk about it all, jeffrey tubin and criminal defense attorney -- >> just criminal -- >> sorry about that. a little stumble there. >> so back in july, the reason his lawyers are fighting him being medicated is that they're essentially saying, you're just
5:44 pm
medicating him so he'll be competent to stand trial and possibly face the death penalty. >> they're saying you're fattening him up for the slaughter. there is no doubt that did he the shooting. so their only defense is some sort of mental capacity, insanity defense. basically the crazier he is, the longer they can delay this trial, the more it can be about his obviously very damaged state. the better it is for the defense. the prosecution has the right to give him medication so that he is not a danger to himself or others. and that's what they say they're doing. and -- >> but mark, his defense attorneys are saying, well, look, these guys are trying to make an end run. they're claiming he's being a damage to himself or a danger to others as a way of not having to go through having representation. going through official court proceedings in order -- >> that's exactly it. that's exactly what they're
5:45 pm
doing. bothvised a little disingenuous. the prosecution and the prison authorities are arguing that he is a danger to himself. do you know what the danger is? they're saying because he is constantly pacing he is getting blisters on his feet. that tell but the essence of how he is a danger to himself. and jeff is spot on. the defense wants to delay this because they can then establish, i think, something that is clearly obvious. that this guy is short of a full deck. so i think part of the irony of this and what is so frustrating about this is, we're talking about forcibly medicating somebody who is obviously damaged goods in order that we can then house him or kill him later on. to some degree, that just kind of puts it all in perspective from my standpoint. i think of the whole thing is the height of ludicrous. >> is it all right to have somebody, if he is in fact schizophrenic, if that's how he's been diagnosed, is it a kind thing to do to have this
5:46 pm
guy just acting out in prison? >> no. that's where i think mark is a little off. you have to medicate him somewhat. even in prison, prisoners cannot have untreated mental illness. and that is, it is part of how we house people. >> you can make the, a utility, if he has shot somebody which he hasn't been convicted of yet. if he did shoot these people he does have the potential to be a danger. >> right. that's the other place i would disagree with mark. it is important that he be house asked kept away from other people. this guy is obviously a danger to other people. he is probably also a danger to himself. how this plays out down the line, i'm not sure. but the one thing that is certain is he is never getting out of custody. whether it is a mental hospital or a prison or perhaps an execution. but he is not going anywhere, nor should he will. >> you've had some experience with this judge. what do you speck him to do? >> i think that he will order
5:47 pm
that he is forcibly medicated. where i would take issue with jeff is, look, what happens in prisons all over this country every day is that prisoners are put into solitary confinement. they're put into the hole. that, i can't think of anything that will affect your mental health quicker or more easily than putting somebody in the hole and doing the whole sense over deprivation thing. we're quite medieval when it comes to this. nobody here, let's disaabuse people of this idea, this fantasy that somehow we're concerned about his mental health. nobody is concerned about his mental health. the prosecutors are concerned with getting him in there and getting a conviction. and in report that he is not going anywhere, way to years ago people staying exact same thing about hinckley. the gentleman convicted of -- he wasn't actually convicted. he was ngi for shooting president reagan. you never know. there are situations here that are a lot more nuance and there
5:48 pm
is really a dance going on between the prosecution and the defense that really is not what is being said. >> you're saying the prosecution is being disingenuous. isn't the defense also being disingenuous? don't they have an interest in making him look -- >> that's exactly what i was saying before. i think both sides here are doing a dance where we're not really getting out what the real motivation is here. i don't think that, you know, it's fine to argue what they're, a arrest ewing. that we're trying to save them from harming themselves, that's not what's going on. the defense wants to show clearly what he is, crazy. the locker it goes on, the better, the prosecution wants to get him in and get a conviction. >> the way these cases usually end, the judges, the lawyers say, look, we're going to defer to the doctors in prison. we won't tell the doctors how to do their job. and they want to medicate him so chances, are he'll still be
5:49 pm
medicated. >> mark geragos, thank you very much. up next, new tropical storm on the move in the atlantic tonight. on the verge of becoming a hurricane. we'll tell you where it is. later, the absurdity of the hurricane. and i was a longtime smoker. in my heart i knew for the longest time that did not want to be a smoker. and the fact that i failed before. i think i was discouraged for a very long time. ♪ knowing that i could smoke during the first week was really important to me. [ male announcer ] chantix is a non-nicotine pill proven to help people quit smoking. [ jeff ] chantix reduced my urge to smoke, and personally that's what i knew i needed. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix.
5:50 pm
don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some of these can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. until you know how chantix affects you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. ♪ these are the reasons i quit smoking. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about chantix. over 7 million people have gotten a prescription. learn how you can save money and get terms and conditions at chantix.com.
5:51 pm
yeah. 24 bucks later. that hurts. it's not like i really had a choice. snack on this. progressive's "name your price" tool showed me a range of coverages and i picked the one that worked for me. i saved hundreds. wow, that's dinner and a movie. [ dramatic soundtrack plays ] this picture stars you and savings. but mostly savings. out there with a better way. now, that's progressive. her morning begins with arthritis pain. that's a coffee and two pills. the afternoon tour begins with more pain and more pills. the evening guests arrive. back to sore knees. back to more pills. the day is done but hang on... her doctor recommended aleve.
5:52 pm
jujust 2 pills can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lara who chose 2 aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. coming up, the make the guy from hurricane irene in the ridiculous. first the 360 bulletin. the new storm in the atlantic. >> tropical storm gaining friends and expected to become a hurricane late tomorrow. that's according to the national hurricane center. the storm is about 750 miles west of the cape verde islands and is packing maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour. in northeast oklahoma city, a raging wildfire is spreading forcing more evacuations. so far only one mobile home has been damaged. crews are having a tough time getting the fire under control with the wind and hot, dry
5:53 pm
conditions. texas prison officials say polygamist leader and child rapist warren jeffs remains in a critical condition at a hospital but he is not in a coma and is expected to recover. jeffs was fasting when he fell ill and prison officials say he had, quote, bigger issues that needed medical attention. citing in privacy rules they won't elaborate more. and michael vick has come a long way from his dog fighting convict spending nearly two years in prison and going bankrupt. the philadelphia eagles quarterback has signed a $100 million six-year deal with the team making him one of the nfl's highest paid players. quite the comeback story. >> sure is. thank you very much. coming up, hurricane irene knocked out power, downed trees, swept one guy on to the ridiculous. chad myers did not tell us there was such a high chance of streaking. [ man ] natural gas vehicles are used somewhere...
5:54 pm
but not in my neighborhood. ♪ [ female announcer ] we're throwing away misperceptions about natural gas vehicles. more of the vehicles that fuel our lives use clean american natural gas today. it costs about 40 percent less than gasoline, so why aren't we using it even more? start a conversation about using more natural gas vehicles in your community. sir, can you hear me? just hold the bag. we need a portable x-ray, please! [ nurse ] i'm a nurse. i believe in the power of science and medicine. but i'm also human. and i believe in stacking the deck.
5:55 pm
5:57 pm
time for theory addiction list >> as someone who has covered my fair share of hurricanes, i can tell you, it can be pretty challenging. not like standing outside when you should be inside, brafg the gale force winds. sometimes hanging on to whatever you can hang on to. debris, punishing rain. we look like idiots. if that's not enough to worry about, you never know when some other idiot will run by and pull
5:58 pm
his pants down on television. somewhere out of nowhere, there was always full moon. >> reporter: one thing that has not decreased is the traffic. no shortage of incredibly, well, i'll bite my you know the, people. coming out. we're talking about dozens of people who have walked by me. to be honest, i'm pretty much speechless. >> i believe he went on to show his bait and tackle though from the looks of it, he had been out in the cold for quite a while. i know how it feels. when i was reporting there were some guys walking around in their underwear and cowboy boots and cowboy hats. they were almost live but thankfully, they were court just to walk by the camera until i had finished being on the air. i thank them for that. if a fool wants to get on live tv, a fool will get on live tv. all do you know is hope they're wearing clothes. so for that, i thank you, guy,
5:59 pm
who ran into my shot on hurricane like. >> raising some eyebrows tonight -- >> dude. thank you, too, guy in a chicken suit. >> reporter: we're live throughout these next two hours. we take it live for another hour. we have much more on hurricane ike still coming up. a lot of people if you can believe it or not -- >> yeah, i think we can believe that a couple of bars were still open. i think maybe the strong winds just sweep these people off their bar stools and in front of the cameras. it is like a moron tornado or a mor-nado. thank you. sometimes the conditions are just right. there is the rare phenomenon of a make the fat man will. >> reporter: how long have you been out here? >> a couple hours. some people are just out of their minds. what are you going to do? it's nuts. >> i love that he made a loop that went back around. for the record, he was the
194 Views
IN COLLECTIONS
CNN (San Francisco) Television Archive Television Archive News Search Service The Chin Grimes TV News ArchiveUploaded by TV Archive on