Mystery Solved; Biased Terror Cases?
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Deep Throat comes forward, blindsiding the newspaper reporters who made him famous. This morning, the story behind the story from "The Washington Post." Hurricane season begins today, and this year is expected to bring more furious storms. We'll take a look at brand new inventions to help people cope with disaster. And 25 years of 24-hour coverage from around the world, from the White House to "The West Wing." (</s>BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE WEST WING") UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's not a stupid man. And he knows where CNN is on his television. (</s>END VIDEO CLIP, "THE WEST WING") O'BRIEN: Marking our 25th anniversary on this</s>AMERICAN MORNING. ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.</s>BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. June 1 on the calendar. We celebrate silver today. Today is our 25th anniversary. On this date 25 years ago, CNN went on the air for the first time.</s>O'BRIEN: And this morning, we're taking a look at some of the stories that defined those 25 years, defined the network as well. But today's headlines right now with Carol Costello. Good morning.</s>CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, the most recent headlines right now. Good morning. Good morning to all of you. Coalition forces in Iraq carrying out a raid near the Syrian border. At least seven people were detained for questioning. In the meantime, American officials tell CNN a suicide car bomb exploded at a checkpoint near U.S. military headquarters at Baghdad. At least 15 were hurt. We'll soon learn more from Ohio authorities about Cleveland's deadliest house fire. Most of the nine victims were children. Initially thought the May 21 fire was accidental, but authorities are now saying it was deliberately set. Neighbors in the area reacted to the news.</s>DEVON CABEZA, NEIGHBOR: It's crazy. Who is a person that would want to do something like this? That's just crazy.</s>KIMBERLY BURKS, NEIGHBOR: I'm shocked. I'm speechless.</s>FREDA BURKS, NEIGHBOR: I'm not shocked, because the way the fire went so fast, I thought somebody had set it on fire.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Set it on fire.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What would you like to say to that person tonight?</s>F. BURKS: That I hope he rots in hell.</s>COSTELLO: A news conference is set for 11:00 a.m. Eastern. In a little over two hours, President Bush will host South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, at the White House. This will be their third meeting in the past five years. Today's visit will focus on the upcoming G-8 summit and international help for South Africa's struggle with HIV and AIDS. And the world's longest married couple celebrating their 80th wedding anniversary today. Percy and Florence Arrowsmith walked down the aisle on June 1, 1925. The couple says they're delighted to make it into the history books, and they plan to celebrate with a family party. Mr. Arrowsmith says the secret to their long happy marriage is two words, say, "Yes, dear." But I ascertain that it's her special petting of his head that made the marriage last so long.</s>O'BRIEN: Oh, I do that to Bill, too, sometimes like that. Men love that.</s>COSTELLO: They look so happy.</s>O'BRIEN: They're cute. That's nice.</s>HEMMER: Thank you, Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Sure.</s>HEMMER: There is new information expected today on how the news about Deep Throat finally came out yesterday. "The Washington Post" a central player in this story. David Von Drehle worked today's story. On the front page, that story. Excellent report, too. Very extensive, very in depth. Earlier, I asked him if "The Post" was caught flat-footed when the story broke yesterday.</s>DAVID VON DREHLE, "WASHINGTON POST": We had no idea the story was coming. We learned of it yesterday morning. Our top editors were at a corporate retreat. They had to rush back to "The Post." Bob Woodward had to read the story, figure out what was in it. He had been in contact with the Felt family for the past several years, trying to figure out exactly what Mr. Felt's wishes were and whether he was lucid enough at his advanced age to undo the agreement that had -- that they both had kept for so many years. So we had to react to this, had to determine that, in fact, this agreement had been abrogated by the family, by the lawyer. And there was no point in us doing anything but confirming and telling the story.</s>HEMMER: You also write in today's story that Felt's daughter was trying to coax her father, the words you used today, into admitting his role. Why was that important to her at this point?</s>VON DREHLE: She says in the story that she wanted her father to get the glory for this while he was alive. There's also a quotation from her talking about a desire that if there's money to be made from this revelation, that some of it should go to the Felt family. And those seem to be the motivations.</s>HEMMER: Well, at first yesterday, Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein denied it. Later they admitted it to "The Post" in a series of stories that came out throughout the day yesterday. But I imagine if this "Vanity Fair" article was not out there, that this secret is still that. It's a secret, is that right?</s>VON DREHLE: Absolutely. The commitment that Bob Woodward and "The Washington Post" made to Mark Felt was that we would keep this secret until he died. And that was Bob's intention up until 4:00 or so yesterday afternoon. It was -- that's why the initial statement said the same thing that Woodward and Bernstein had been saying for 33 years, that they had no intention of revealing this source while he was alive.</s>HEMMER: The other point you make into today's piece, you quote Carl Bernstein as saying that Felt's role in all of this can be overstated. In what way is Deep Throat's role overstated at this point?</s>VON DREHLE: Well, the cultural power of the figure from the movie, the Hal Holbrook character in the parking garage, is so intense and so romantic and mysterious, that this mystery has sort of overshadowed the complexity of Watergate. A lot of pieces went into it. Woodward and Bernstein themselves had scores of sources, not all of them anonymous. Many of them named in these stories. They worked hard to get people on the record for their stories. Now that we know Felt's identity, their hope is that people will get a little more rounded picture of the Watergate story and of Deep Throat's role in it. He was their coach, in a sense, there. He gave them contacts, direction and encouragement when they needed it to keep this story alive at a time when the Nixon administration was desperately trying to cover it up.</s>HEMMER: Also, that article today points out how each man communicated with one another. In the case of Felt, he would draw a picture of a clock on page 20 of "The New York Times," not "The Washington Post," but "The New York Times." And Woodward would place a plant outside of his apartment or his condo or is house where he was living in Washington, D.C., at the time. And now that the secret's out, Woodward is getting ready for a piece tomorrow in "The Post" about how his relationship with Felt began, and possibly also more information about a recent meeting they had in California that took place in the past couple of years. So more tomorrow -- Soledad.</s>O'BRIEN: That's going to be fascinating. A CNN "Security Watch" this morning. We're learning more about the two men accused of conspiring to help al Qaeda. Tarik Shah and Rafiq Sabir appeared in federal courtrooms on Tuesday. They're being held without bail. Friends and relatives say they are shocked by the charges and they believe the government's case is racially biased. Adaora Udoji has more.</s>ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tarik Shah, a music man, seen here jamming on the base in a New York City club, friends say he's magical.</s>NELLIE DYER, FRIEND OF SUSPECT: He's a peace-loving masterful bassist. He is internationally renowned. He's respected in the -- in the jazz community.</s>UDOJI: But federal prosecutors say Shah plotted to help terrorists, that he pledged allegiance to al Qaeda unknowingly to an undercover FBI agent and a confidential informant, that he promised to use his martial arts expertise to teach militants hand to hand combat, even scouted warehouses. Shah was in court, but made no formal plea. Outside, his wife, among friends, stood by his lawyer, who denied the charge.</s>ERICA MCDANIEL EDWARDS, SHAH'SANCHEZ:  ATTORNEY: He wouldn't be the victim of the sting operation unless he was a Muslim.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.</s>UDOJI: Prosecutors also allege Shah brought in his friend of 20 years, Dr. Rafiq Sabir, a father of four, an ivy league medical school graduate, now an emergency specialist in Boca Raton, Florida. His alleged contribution? To help stitch up militants fighting the holy war. They say hours of tape recordings prove it. Sabir was also in court, but his hearing was delayed so he could hire an attorney. Sabir's friends don't believe the accusations.</s>DANIEL MCBRIDE, ISLAMIC CENTER OF BOCA RATON: He's just a real nice guy. He's a physician because that's what he wants to do, is help people.</s>UDOJI: Dr. Farouq Khan, a lung specialist who knew Sabir in Long Island in the late 1990s says the man cared deeply about health care for all.</s>DR. FAROUQ KHAN, STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK: He was hard- working. He would put in his hours. And he was very committed to justice.</s>UDOJI: Shah and Sabir supporters question the validity of the case, asking how a two-year investigation led to only a single charge. They want justice, but they worry sometimes Muslims are scapegoated.</s>KHAN: There have been these high-profile cases put forth, and then when they hit the judicial system, they fizzle out. I know many of the families which have been destroyed because of allegations made.</s>UDOJI: The court case has just begun against the musician and the doctor. Both are being held without bail. Adaora Udoji, CNN, New York.</s>O'BRIEN: You'll want to stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.</s>HEMMER: It is payback time for the runaway bride, literally. Jennifer Wilbanks has sent a check for more than $13,000 to the city of Duluth, Georgia. She fled Duluth just days before she was set to get married. That city says it will use the money to cover some overtime paid out during the search.</s>MAYOR SHIRLEY LASSITER, DULUTH, GEORGIA: We're very pleased to have the check in hand, to have the $13,000 with the city right now. What that actually does is let us know we do not have to go to court, we do not have to waste anymore time on this. This chapter of these events is shut.</s>HEMMER: And Wilbanks still faces the possibility of criminal charges and making false statements, and she's been getting counseling, we're told, at an inpatient treatment center north of Atlanta. Check the weather.</s>HEMMER: Closing arguments will begin tomorrow in Michael Jackson's case. And when both sides are finished, is the jury headed for a quick verdict? A look at that in a moment from California.</s>O'BRIEN: Also, Florida bracing for another brutal hurricane season. There's some brand-new gadgets, though, to help people weather the storm. We'll show them to you.</s>HEMMER: Also, 25 years ago today, CNN made its debut and changed TV news forever. We'll talk to a network original today. Bernie Shaw is back with us in a moment on AMERICAN MORNING.