CBS Evening News Online Edition - 2005-10-31

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] Hello, I'm Bob Schaefer and welcome to

[0:02] the CBS Evening News online edition.

[0:04] Just ahead, President Bush has nominated

[0:07] Samuel Alito, an appeals court judge in

[0:09] Philadelphia to succeed Supreme Court

[0:12] Justice Sandra Day Okconor. Also, we'll

[0:15] have a look at how one neighborhood in

[0:17] New Orleans plans to rebuild. Plus,

[0:19] we'll look at high-speed police chases.

[0:22] They're being criticized for killing

[0:24] innocent bystanders. It's all starting

[0:26] now on the CBS Evening News online

[0:29] edition.

[0:31] Well, conservatives wanted a

[0:33] conservative on the Supreme Court and

[0:35] said the president ought to risk a fight

[0:37] in the Senate to get one. Their wishes

[0:40] have been fulfilled. Samuel Alito is a

[0:43] respected conservative and if the early

[0:45] Democratic reaction is an indication of

[0:48] what's ahead, it will take a knockdown

[0:50] dragout fight to get him confirmed. We

[0:53] have expensive extensive coverage and

[0:56] analysis tonight and we begin at the

[0:58] White House. Here's John Roberts.

[1:01] >> Republicans were demanding someone with

[1:02] a solid background in visible paper

[1:05] trail and today they got him. Judge

[1:07] Samuel Alo from Philadelphia's Third

[1:09] Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Alto has

[1:12] served with distinction on that court

[1:13] for 15 years

[1:16] and now has more prior judicial

[1:18] experience than any Supreme Court

[1:20] nominee in more than 70 years. I am

[1:23] deeply honored.

[1:24] >> Conservatives were quote deliriously

[1:26] happy over the choice. And why not?

[1:28] Alto's judicial philosophy so mirrors

[1:31] that of the Supreme Court's hardliner,

[1:32] Antinine Scalia, that he's been

[1:34] nicknamed Scalito. Federal judges have

[1:37] the duty to interpret the Constitution

[1:40] and the laws faithfully and fairly, to

[1:43] protect the constitutional rights of all

[1:46] Americans, and to do these things with

[1:48] care and with restraint. When he

[1:51] nominated Harriet Meyers, President Bush

[1:53] made a virtue of her lack of judicial

[1:55] experience. The best person for the job,

[1:58] he said, but damage control dictated

[2:00] that this time he choose someone well

[2:02] established in the so-called judicial

[2:04] monastery. He is well known to people in

[2:06] a way that Harriet Meyers was not and

[2:08] and uh those who know him are very

[2:10] excited about his nomination.

[2:12] >> And after the disaster of the Meyers

[2:14] nomination, some conservatives said

[2:16] today's news was like waking from a bad

[2:18] dream.

[2:19] >> Wounds are healed and the party is

[2:21] united and conservatives are feeling

[2:23] like this was a grand slam by the

[2:25] president. I mean, the enthusiasm level

[2:27] for Sam Alto is is incredibly high.

[2:29] >> If confirmed, Alito would wipe out the

[2:32] swing seat now occupied by Sandra Day

[2:34] Oconor. tilting the Supreme Court in a

[2:36] solidly conservative direction for years

[2:38] to come.

[2:39] >> Whether it's abortion rights or religion

[2:41] in public life or the role of the

[2:43] executive and in a time of war, all the

[2:45] cutting edge issues may may actually

[2:48] change.

[2:49] >> The nomination is bound to ignite a

[2:51] bitter fight with Democrats. But wait a

[2:54] minute, said the president. Alto was

[2:56] confirmed unanimously by a

[2:57] Democratically controlled Senate twice.

[3:00] and I urge the Senate to act promptly on

[3:02] this important nomination so that an up

[3:05] or down vote is held before the end of

[3:07] this year. While there's still plenty of

[3:10] hard politics still ahead, the president

[3:12] has effectively changed the subject away

[3:15] from the CIA leak investigation, the

[3:17] Iraq war, and other troubles plaguing

[3:19] the White House. But the distraction may

[3:21] be short-lived because the vice

[3:23] president's former chief of staff has

[3:25] his first day in court this coming

[3:27] Thursday. Bob.

[3:28] >> Okay, John. The French Quarter of New

[3:30] Orleans would normally be filled with

[3:32] Halloweeners tonight, but like so much

[3:35] else there. Today was just another

[3:37] reminder of the heavy toll from

[3:39] Hurricane Katrina. In one of the city's

[3:41] other historic neighborhoods, the lower

[3:43] 9inth ward may never be the same. Trish

[3:46] Rean has the inside story.

[3:50] >> If Isaac Gray closes his eyes, it's like

[3:52] Katrina never happened. the birds, the

[3:57] squirrels. It's just like a regular

[3:59] morning.

[4:00] >> But when he opens his eyes, he sees

[4:02] this. It's been 2 months since Katrina

[4:05] devastated this neighborhood. Now

[4:08] memories are all that remain. What's it

[4:10] like going back inside there?

[4:19] >> There's nothing inside there. There's a

[4:23] silence here now that never existed

[4:25] before.

[4:27] This close-knit African-Amean community

[4:29] was the cradle for all that New Orleans

[4:31] is known for. Everything from jazz to

[4:34] Cajun cooking. It's the place where the

[4:36] legendary Fats Domino still lived. And

[4:39] it's the kind of place that most

[4:41] residents don't want to give up on.

[4:43] >> I know it looks dead. I know it look

[4:45] destroyed, but there's life still in the

[4:47] lower ninth ward. The question what to

[4:50] do with the ninth ward is one of the

[4:52] biggest obstacles in the city's

[4:53] rebuilding efforts. After originally

[4:56] suggesting the area might have to be

[4:57] bulldozed, the mayor has turned around.

[5:00] >> People could probably be able to rebuild

[5:03] uh with garages on the first floor and

[5:05] they will live in multi levels.

[5:08] >> But how high will these multi levels go?

[5:10] Some worry that real estate developers

[5:11] will build block after block of

[5:13] highrises right here in this

[5:15] neighborhood, changing the innate

[5:16] characteristics of the lower ninth ward

[5:18] forever. Meanwhile, some scientists

[5:20] still warn that building on such low

[5:23] ground is just plain irresponsible.

[5:26] >> Can we really do it safely? And I think

[5:27] that when you look at

[5:31] this type of destruction,

[5:33] you have to say you can't do it safely.

[5:35] But Isaac Ray says it's a risk he and

[5:38] his neighbors are willing to take.

[5:40] >> That's Lower Ners. We just a family, you

[5:44] know.

[5:46] We're just a family and family stick

[5:48] together.

[5:49] >> For Lower Ner, family is about all they

[5:52] have left.

[5:53] >> Trish Rian, CBS News, New Orleans.

[5:56] >> Gas burning high-speed police chases

[5:58] have become a fixture on television. And

[6:01] while they can be entertaining, they are

[6:03] also extremely dangerous. And now some

[6:06] communities are putting restrictions on

[6:08] when police officers can take off in hot

[6:11] pursuit. Mark Stman now with tonight's

[6:13] Eye on America.

[6:19] Run from a cop and his first instinct

[6:21] will likely be to chase till the wheels

[6:23] fall off. Even for minor crimes at great

[6:27] speeds and greater risks.

[6:29] >> Oh, pip maneuver. Look at

[6:31] >> police chases kill more than 300 people

[6:33] a year.

[6:34] >> Oh no.

[6:35] >> A third of them innocent bystanders.

[6:38] >> It was totally preventable. It didn't

[6:40] need to happen. They didn't need to

[6:41] chase.

[6:43] >> Jim Phillip's daughter Sarah was killed

[6:46] during this police chase in Orange

[6:48] County, Florida.

[6:49] >> He goes over the rise. Boom.

[6:51] >> He has watched her die over and over on

[6:54] this police tape of that awful moment.

[6:57] Deputies were chasing two possible gun

[6:59] suspects in this Jetta. Sarah was in

[7:02] this car and the Jetta plowed right into

[7:05] her. Do

[7:06] >> you see this explosion? That's parts of

[7:09] her car going everywhere. 70 mph.

[7:11] >> Yeah. He never slowed down or stepped on

[7:13] the brakes. He just went straight

[7:15] forward.

[7:16] >> Phillips sued the Orange County

[7:18] Sheriff's Office and became a national

[7:20] expert on police pursuits. Right in his

[7:23] own community, Jim Phillips helped

[7:25] change the chase policies of a dozen

[7:27] police agencies. And now the Orlando

[7:29] Police Department has the most

[7:31] restrictive policy in the entire

[7:33] country.

[7:33] >> I basically boil it down to you saying

[7:35] if you can't shoot them, don't chase

[7:37] them.

[7:38] >> Orlando's community board decided that

[7:40] most crimes just weren't worth the risks

[7:42] of chasing, especially when a cop's

[7:44] adrenaline is racing like his cruiser.

[7:47] >> You're not looking at the school bus

[7:48] dropping off kids. You're not looking at

[7:50] uh pedestrians crossing the street. you

[7:52] were just focused on catching that that

[7:54] bad guy in that car.

[7:55] >> So now in most chase situations, Orlando

[7:58] cops actually have to stop the chase,

[8:01] pull over, and turn around. And yes, it

[8:04] is frustrating for patrol cops like

[8:07] Shawn Dunlap.

[8:08] >> But somebody who does run, let's face

[8:10] it, it it it takes you off.

[8:12] >> It does. And they know that if they take

[8:14] off that we're not going to chase them

[8:17] because we can't. and it becomes a game

[8:19] for them, but it's a game we're not

[8:22] willing to play.

[8:24] >> But cops in many communities still chase

[8:26] for almost any crime. Victims like Sarah

[8:29] Phillips can die when no one's willing

[8:31] to hit the brakes first.

[8:33] >> I've been accused of exploiting her

[8:35] death. And you know what? I have cuz I

[8:38] exploit her death to get the message

[8:40] across.

[8:42] >> A message Philip says many police

[8:44] agencies have yet to get in Orlando. I'm

[8:48] Mark Straman for Eye in America. More

[8:51] stories are just a click away, but don't

[8:53] forget to join me on television for the

[8:54] on air edition of the CBS Evening News.

[8:57] On Tuesday's broadcast, we'll introduce

[9:00] you to a man who was denied a high

[9:02] school education 45 years ago, and now

[9:06] he and his classmates are going back to

[9:08] get their education. For cbsnews.com,

[9:11] I'm Bob Schiffer.