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CNN Live Today
Federal Agents Bust Drug Operation; 'Daily Dose'
Aired April 14, 2005 - 11:31 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Listen up, air passengers, the ban on lighters extends today to your pockets and your carry-on bags. A book or two of match is still OK, but beginning today, airports screeners will confiscate all lighters, including refillables and disposables. Lighters are already forbidden in your checked luggage.
President Bush today will inaugurate the return of baseball to the nation's capital when he tosses out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals home opener. So far, the Nationals have been on the road. Last night, they beat the Atlanta Braves 11-4. The Nationals off to a good start, currently tied for first in the National League East.
And in Michael Jackson child molestation trial in California, the mother of the alleged victim expected back on the stand today. Yesterday, she testified that she once witnessed Jackson licking her son on the head during a flight from Miami to California.
Indictments last hour in the U.N. Oil-for-Food program for Iraq. A Texas businessman is among three people who have been names. Prosecutors charged Houston oil tycoon David Chalmers, head of Bayoil, paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein. Two of Chalmer's associates, citizens of Bulgaria and Great Britain, also face charges, along with a man from South Korea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID KELLEY, U.A. ATTORNEY: One of the ways in which the Oil- for-Food program was corrupted by Iraqi regime was their requirement that recipients of allocations of oil had to pay a secret surcharge to the Iraqi government. These secret payments which were required from some time in about the middle of 2000 through March of 2003 were not made to the United Nations monitored bank account for which humanitarian goods could be purchased for the Iraqi people. Instead, these secret payments were illegal kickbacks made in violation of the U.N. sanctions and United States criminal law to front companies and bank accounts designated and controlled by the Iraqi regime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Between 1996 and 2003, Saddam sold $66 billion under the program. Profit were intended for humanitarian aid. But the deposed Iraqi is suspected of pocketing as much as $4 billion in secret surcharges.
Federal agents say they have busted a drug operation, and the accused smugglers, get this, members of the Air National Guard. CNN's Kathleen Koch is on that story. She's at the Pentagon this morning.
Kathleen, good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
Those stunning arrest came on Tuesday. Two Air National Guardsmen, one a pilot, the other a loadmaster, have been charged with conspiracy to import and intent to distributed more than $11 million worth of the drug ecstasy. According to the U.S. attorney's office for the southern district of New York, 28 large bags, holding some 290,000 pills were found in the luggage of Captain Franklin Rodriguez and Master Sergeant John Fong after they returned to the U.S. from an official mission aboard an Air Force jet.
Authorities say that on April 8th, the two men flew from Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York to Germany, and then on to the republic of Georgia to deliver supplies. The U.S. Attorney's Office said that then during their return stop in Germany, the men went to a hotel room and loaded these bags of ecstasy into their luggage. The men were arrested shortly after their plane landed back in New York on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER GIOVINO, DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMIN.: They were carrying drugs with them. They were apprehended by members of our strike force, as well as the Department of Defense.
CAPT. KEVIN KERLEY, NYPD STRIKE FORCE: The investigation is continuing. We believe there's no other military personnel involved in this ring. The investigation is continuing in Europe and in the continental U.S. at this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Now obviously, the Pentagon is not pleased about these developments. Spokesman Brian Whitman this morning saying -- quote -- "We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to drugs, and they will be dealt with very seriously.
Now investigators say that his was apparently not the first time for the two Air National Guardsmen to have made a trip like this. In the court papers, they do tell investigators that they have made a similar trip at least three other times. The master sergeant saying that he was paid $10,000 for each trip.
And, Daryn, if the men are convicted on all counts, they face 40 years in prison and some $2 million in fines.
KAGAN: Kathleen Koch live at the Pentagon. Kathleen, thank you.
To Florida now, where deputies and volunteers resumed the search this morning for a missing 13-year-old Florida girl. Sarah Michelle Lunde has been missing since Saturday night. Police have questioned the convicted sex offender who once dated Lunde's mother, but they've not named him a suspect. Among those helping with the search today is the father of Jessica Lunsford. She was the 9-year-old Florida girl who was kidnapped and killed earlier this year.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about Sarah Lunde's disappearance to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. That number is 813-827-8200.
Another sad story out of Florida today, a women is accused of selling her 12-year-old daughter into prostitution and trading her 14- year-old daughter for a car. The woman is jailed and $400,000 bond. According to the sheriff's office the youngest girl and her mother were living out of the car. Both of the girls have been turned over to the Department of Family.
In Palmdale, California, the community is still in shock over a senseless tragedy. A 13-year-old boy was arrested Tuesday night for allegedly bludgeoning another boy to death with a baseball bat. The boys were teammates on a pony league team, and they were said to be close friends. Witnesses say there was a dispute of some kind after the team lost a game. Like the rest of the community, their coach is struggling to understand how it happened. He was interviewed earlier today on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY TREVINO, PONY LEAGUE COACH: This was a good kid that made a bad decision. He was a good athlete, a good student. And my heart goes out to all the families involved here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Jeremy's parents also expressed sympathy for the other boy, saying he, quote, "is not a monster."
In the Eric Rudolph case, federal agents today will show the news media where they found and destroyed the dynamite that Rudolph had hidden in western North Carolina. Rudolph pleaded guilty yesterday to four bombings in exchange for four consecutive sentences of life in a federal prison. A statement from Rudolph spoke of his motive. He says -- quote -- "Abortion is murder, and when the regime in Washington legalized, sanctioned and legitimized this practice, they forfeited their legitimacy and moral authority to govern."
Rudolph's guilty plea effectively closes the case for the government, though not necessarily for the victims. Emily Lyons, for instance, was severely wounded in the Birmingham bombing. She spoke last night to CNN's Aaron Brown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMILY LYONS, BIRMINGHAM BOMBING VICTIM: There will never be closure, because Rudolph lives with us every day. Every time I get up and look in the mirror or have to clean my fake eye, or I feel the arthritis and the pain in my body, he's there. So he'll never go away. So there can't possibly be any closure. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Rudolph for now is at the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham. He'll stay there until the sentencing in the summer. Rudolph will then be transferred to the federal Supermax prison, which is in Florence, Colorado.
FDA advisers changes their minds about silicone breast implants, but strict conditions come with their new recommendations. Details coming up in a live report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: In our "Daily Dose" of health news, we have an update on two major stories for you, the debate over silicone gel breast implants and the killer flu vaccine that was sent to labs around the world by mistake. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with details on both.
First to this flu that was sent -- I mean, 4,000 places. It wasn't like it just was sent once.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, it was sent -- this sounds weird, but it was sent once to 4,000 places. It one company, or one lab called Meridian Labs in Cincinnati. They sent out samples of various microbes, including the 1957 Asian flu virus which killed millions. It caused one of the biggest flu pandemics in history. Now why were they sending out these microbes?
KAGAN: Good question.
COHEN: And here's the answer. The answer is that it was part of a routine test. Once a year, labs around the world have to be recertified. This is a good thing. The reason it's a good thing is that we want to know if labs know what they're doing. When your doctors take a blood test and says I'm sending it to the lab, how do you know if the lab knows what they're doing? Well, they test them.
Once a year, they send them a whole bunch of microbes and they say, well, we know what they are, but you have to tell us what they are. And so the College of American Pathology tests to make sure that they know what they're doing. The College of American Pathology asked Meridian to send out all of these test samples to these more than 4,000 labs, and they sent out -- it included this microbe.
Now, here's some more of the data here. 1957 Asian flu virus sent out for testing purposes to more than 4,000 labs in 18 countries. No one born since 1968 would have immunity to this Asian flu virus. Obviously a problem. And many people even born before 1968 would have immunity to this Asian flu virus.
And the company, according to the CDC -- this is sort of the strangest part about this -- the company knew that they were sending the 1957 Asian flu virus, according to the CDC. They said, hey, let's pick this one and when reporters asked the CDC would they do that, and he head of the CDC said basically it was convenient, that the 1957 virus grows rapidly and it has other technical aspects that makes it an easy one to ship out.
KAGAN: Wow. Well, good to know about that.
Let's talk about breast implants, silicone breast implants. Yesterday you were telling us one company turned down. Clearly, there's another company doing differently, because the FDA says OK.
COHEN: That's right, one company turned down. But then yesterday, an advisory to the Food and Drug Administration said that they think a second company called Mentor should be able to put their silicone breasts implants on the market. What you're seeing right here is the advisory committee voting on whether or not to allow this company to sell their silicone breast implants.
Now, the reason why this company apparently got the OK is that apparently they had better data that showed a very, very, low, extremely low, rupture rate. And that's why they got the OK. But there were caveats to this OK that they got and let's go over some of these. There has to be a special educational program for doctors and patients. They have to keep studying these patients and the FDA will review this data. There will be independent data monitoring, in-depth patient tracking and MRIs to detect leaks. So they're being approved, but there are various safety things that this company has to do.
KAGAN: If you're a woman interested in silicone breast implants, how soon would you be able to get them, then?
COHEN: Well, this is approved only by the committee, and the full FDA needs to review this committee. Usually the FDA goes with the decisions of its advisory committee. But actually, on silicone breast implants, in the past, it has gone against it. So it will be interesting to see what the full FDA does. Because, again, this was just the committee.
KAGAN: Story not done yet. Thank you, Elizabeth.
To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is cnn.com/health.
And let's find out what's coming up at the top of the hour on "NEWS FROM CNN." Wolf Blitzer is in D.C. with a preview. Hi, Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Daryn. You won't be surprised, we have a busy hour ahead on "NEWS FROM CNN." New indictments handed down only within the past hour or so, the Iraq oil-for-food scandal. An American businessman from Texas among those accused of paying kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime. We'll have a live update on this developing story. That's coming up.
Also, Daryn, at the top the hour, the political future of the Republican House majority leader, Tom DeLay. His controversial comments about judges and questions about his ethical conduct have been at the center of a huge debate that's unfolding here in Washington. Coming up, I'll speak live with two of his colleagues, one Democrat, one Republican. And what should happen next? Watch out for those stories. Lots more. The top of the hour on "NEWS FROM CNN." In the meantime, Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: All right. We will be watching. Thank you, Wolf. The tax deadline looming. Just ahead, we're going to have more tax advice and other business news, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: The latest news out of Washington, a man named James Wilkinson is the outgoing head of the president of the World Bank. He is going to be named very shortly to help coordinate Palestinian political and economic reforms and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. That announcement soon to be made by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. His job will be to enhance coordination between Israel and the Palestinians. Also he'll be overseeing economic assistance components that would help rehabilitate the economy in Gaza. So that very big and challenging job going to James Wilkinson, the outgoing president of the World Bank.
The clock is ticking. If you haven't done your tax return yet, not to worry. Our dot-com desk has its covered with some valuable tips.
Here now, CNN's Veronica De La Cruz to guide you through the Web site.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to the latest count by the IRS, some 45 million people still haven't filed their taxes. Are you one of them? At CNNmoney.com/taxes, some last minute tips. If you're a procrastinator, you're in luck. Log on to our special report for links to the forms and instructions you need. And did you get forget to deducted for a recent move, college tuition or student loan. Click on to this link for a list of commonly overlooked deductions.
CNNMoney.com has also charted some of the tax-friendliest places to live in the U.S. If you live in Alaska, New Hampshire, Delaware, consider yourself lucky. Alaska has no sales tax, no income tax, and the government annually sends residents because of the revenue it collects for oil
Now if you live in Maine, Washington D.C. or New York, you may want to move. All joking aside, these states collect the most percentage-wise when it comes to taxes. It's the 50-yard dash to the finish line when it comes to filing. You can log on to CNNmoney.com/taxes for some help in getting there.
From the dot-com newsdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: I want to show you new video we're getting in. It is the man who is a suspect in the missing girl case in Florida, David Onstot (ph), in a courtroom today in Florida. He was there facing related unrelated charges, but he is a suspect in the disappearance of Sarah Michelle Lunde. She has been missing for quite a few days from her home in Florida. Lunde is a convicted sex offender who once had a relationship with the girl's mother. He also suddenly reappeared at the family's home the day the teen girl disappeared.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Let's go ahead and check in with Wolf Blitzer and hand it over to him. I will see you tomorrow morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 14, 2005 - 11:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Listen up, air passengers, the ban on lighters extends today to your pockets and your carry-on bags. A book or two of match is still OK, but beginning today, airports screeners will confiscate all lighters, including refillables and disposables. Lighters are already forbidden in your checked luggage.
President Bush today will inaugurate the return of baseball to the nation's capital when he tosses out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals home opener. So far, the Nationals have been on the road. Last night, they beat the Atlanta Braves 11-4. The Nationals off to a good start, currently tied for first in the National League East.
And in Michael Jackson child molestation trial in California, the mother of the alleged victim expected back on the stand today. Yesterday, she testified that she once witnessed Jackson licking her son on the head during a flight from Miami to California.
Indictments last hour in the U.N. Oil-for-Food program for Iraq. A Texas businessman is among three people who have been names. Prosecutors charged Houston oil tycoon David Chalmers, head of Bayoil, paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein. Two of Chalmer's associates, citizens of Bulgaria and Great Britain, also face charges, along with a man from South Korea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID KELLEY, U.A. ATTORNEY: One of the ways in which the Oil- for-Food program was corrupted by Iraqi regime was their requirement that recipients of allocations of oil had to pay a secret surcharge to the Iraqi government. These secret payments which were required from some time in about the middle of 2000 through March of 2003 were not made to the United Nations monitored bank account for which humanitarian goods could be purchased for the Iraqi people. Instead, these secret payments were illegal kickbacks made in violation of the U.N. sanctions and United States criminal law to front companies and bank accounts designated and controlled by the Iraqi regime.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Between 1996 and 2003, Saddam sold $66 billion under the program. Profit were intended for humanitarian aid. But the deposed Iraqi is suspected of pocketing as much as $4 billion in secret surcharges.
Federal agents say they have busted a drug operation, and the accused smugglers, get this, members of the Air National Guard. CNN's Kathleen Koch is on that story. She's at the Pentagon this morning.
Kathleen, good morning.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
Those stunning arrest came on Tuesday. Two Air National Guardsmen, one a pilot, the other a loadmaster, have been charged with conspiracy to import and intent to distributed more than $11 million worth of the drug ecstasy. According to the U.S. attorney's office for the southern district of New York, 28 large bags, holding some 290,000 pills were found in the luggage of Captain Franklin Rodriguez and Master Sergeant John Fong after they returned to the U.S. from an official mission aboard an Air Force jet.
Authorities say that on April 8th, the two men flew from Stewart Air National Guard Base in New York to Germany, and then on to the republic of Georgia to deliver supplies. The U.S. Attorney's Office said that then during their return stop in Germany, the men went to a hotel room and loaded these bags of ecstasy into their luggage. The men were arrested shortly after their plane landed back in New York on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER GIOVINO, DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMIN.: They were carrying drugs with them. They were apprehended by members of our strike force, as well as the Department of Defense.
CAPT. KEVIN KERLEY, NYPD STRIKE FORCE: The investigation is continuing. We believe there's no other military personnel involved in this ring. The investigation is continuing in Europe and in the continental U.S. at this time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Now obviously, the Pentagon is not pleased about these developments. Spokesman Brian Whitman this morning saying -- quote -- "We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to drugs, and they will be dealt with very seriously.
Now investigators say that his was apparently not the first time for the two Air National Guardsmen to have made a trip like this. In the court papers, they do tell investigators that they have made a similar trip at least three other times. The master sergeant saying that he was paid $10,000 for each trip.
And, Daryn, if the men are convicted on all counts, they face 40 years in prison and some $2 million in fines.
KAGAN: Kathleen Koch live at the Pentagon. Kathleen, thank you.
To Florida now, where deputies and volunteers resumed the search this morning for a missing 13-year-old Florida girl. Sarah Michelle Lunde has been missing since Saturday night. Police have questioned the convicted sex offender who once dated Lunde's mother, but they've not named him a suspect. Among those helping with the search today is the father of Jessica Lunsford. She was the 9-year-old Florida girl who was kidnapped and killed earlier this year.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about Sarah Lunde's disappearance to contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. That number is 813-827-8200.
Another sad story out of Florida today, a women is accused of selling her 12-year-old daughter into prostitution and trading her 14- year-old daughter for a car. The woman is jailed and $400,000 bond. According to the sheriff's office the youngest girl and her mother were living out of the car. Both of the girls have been turned over to the Department of Family.
In Palmdale, California, the community is still in shock over a senseless tragedy. A 13-year-old boy was arrested Tuesday night for allegedly bludgeoning another boy to death with a baseball bat. The boys were teammates on a pony league team, and they were said to be close friends. Witnesses say there was a dispute of some kind after the team lost a game. Like the rest of the community, their coach is struggling to understand how it happened. He was interviewed earlier today on CNN's AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY TREVINO, PONY LEAGUE COACH: This was a good kid that made a bad decision. He was a good athlete, a good student. And my heart goes out to all the families involved here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Jeremy's parents also expressed sympathy for the other boy, saying he, quote, "is not a monster."
In the Eric Rudolph case, federal agents today will show the news media where they found and destroyed the dynamite that Rudolph had hidden in western North Carolina. Rudolph pleaded guilty yesterday to four bombings in exchange for four consecutive sentences of life in a federal prison. A statement from Rudolph spoke of his motive. He says -- quote -- "Abortion is murder, and when the regime in Washington legalized, sanctioned and legitimized this practice, they forfeited their legitimacy and moral authority to govern."
Rudolph's guilty plea effectively closes the case for the government, though not necessarily for the victims. Emily Lyons, for instance, was severely wounded in the Birmingham bombing. She spoke last night to CNN's Aaron Brown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMILY LYONS, BIRMINGHAM BOMBING VICTIM: There will never be closure, because Rudolph lives with us every day. Every time I get up and look in the mirror or have to clean my fake eye, or I feel the arthritis and the pain in my body, he's there. So he'll never go away. So there can't possibly be any closure. (END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Rudolph for now is at the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham. He'll stay there until the sentencing in the summer. Rudolph will then be transferred to the federal Supermax prison, which is in Florence, Colorado.
FDA advisers changes their minds about silicone breast implants, but strict conditions come with their new recommendations. Details coming up in a live report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: In our "Daily Dose" of health news, we have an update on two major stories for you, the debate over silicone gel breast implants and the killer flu vaccine that was sent to labs around the world by mistake. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with details on both.
First to this flu that was sent -- I mean, 4,000 places. It wasn't like it just was sent once.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, it was sent -- this sounds weird, but it was sent once to 4,000 places. It one company, or one lab called Meridian Labs in Cincinnati. They sent out samples of various microbes, including the 1957 Asian flu virus which killed millions. It caused one of the biggest flu pandemics in history. Now why were they sending out these microbes?
KAGAN: Good question.
COHEN: And here's the answer. The answer is that it was part of a routine test. Once a year, labs around the world have to be recertified. This is a good thing. The reason it's a good thing is that we want to know if labs know what they're doing. When your doctors take a blood test and says I'm sending it to the lab, how do you know if the lab knows what they're doing? Well, they test them.
Once a year, they send them a whole bunch of microbes and they say, well, we know what they are, but you have to tell us what they are. And so the College of American Pathology tests to make sure that they know what they're doing. The College of American Pathology asked Meridian to send out all of these test samples to these more than 4,000 labs, and they sent out -- it included this microbe.
Now, here's some more of the data here. 1957 Asian flu virus sent out for testing purposes to more than 4,000 labs in 18 countries. No one born since 1968 would have immunity to this Asian flu virus. Obviously a problem. And many people even born before 1968 would have immunity to this Asian flu virus.
And the company, according to the CDC -- this is sort of the strangest part about this -- the company knew that they were sending the 1957 Asian flu virus, according to the CDC. They said, hey, let's pick this one and when reporters asked the CDC would they do that, and he head of the CDC said basically it was convenient, that the 1957 virus grows rapidly and it has other technical aspects that makes it an easy one to ship out.
KAGAN: Wow. Well, good to know about that.
Let's talk about breast implants, silicone breast implants. Yesterday you were telling us one company turned down. Clearly, there's another company doing differently, because the FDA says OK.
COHEN: That's right, one company turned down. But then yesterday, an advisory to the Food and Drug Administration said that they think a second company called Mentor should be able to put their silicone breasts implants on the market. What you're seeing right here is the advisory committee voting on whether or not to allow this company to sell their silicone breast implants.
Now, the reason why this company apparently got the OK is that apparently they had better data that showed a very, very, low, extremely low, rupture rate. And that's why they got the OK. But there were caveats to this OK that they got and let's go over some of these. There has to be a special educational program for doctors and patients. They have to keep studying these patients and the FDA will review this data. There will be independent data monitoring, in-depth patient tracking and MRIs to detect leaks. So they're being approved, but there are various safety things that this company has to do.
KAGAN: If you're a woman interested in silicone breast implants, how soon would you be able to get them, then?
COHEN: Well, this is approved only by the committee, and the full FDA needs to review this committee. Usually the FDA goes with the decisions of its advisory committee. But actually, on silicone breast implants, in the past, it has gone against it. So it will be interesting to see what the full FDA does. Because, again, this was just the committee.
KAGAN: Story not done yet. Thank you, Elizabeth.
To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is cnn.com/health.
And let's find out what's coming up at the top of the hour on "NEWS FROM CNN." Wolf Blitzer is in D.C. with a preview. Hi, Wolf.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Daryn. You won't be surprised, we have a busy hour ahead on "NEWS FROM CNN." New indictments handed down only within the past hour or so, the Iraq oil-for-food scandal. An American businessman from Texas among those accused of paying kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime. We'll have a live update on this developing story. That's coming up.
Also, Daryn, at the top the hour, the political future of the Republican House majority leader, Tom DeLay. His controversial comments about judges and questions about his ethical conduct have been at the center of a huge debate that's unfolding here in Washington. Coming up, I'll speak live with two of his colleagues, one Democrat, one Republican. And what should happen next? Watch out for those stories. Lots more. The top of the hour on "NEWS FROM CNN." In the meantime, Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: All right. We will be watching. Thank you, Wolf. The tax deadline looming. Just ahead, we're going to have more tax advice and other business news, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: The latest news out of Washington, a man named James Wilkinson is the outgoing head of the president of the World Bank. He is going to be named very shortly to help coordinate Palestinian political and economic reforms and reconstruction efforts in Gaza. That announcement soon to be made by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. His job will be to enhance coordination between Israel and the Palestinians. Also he'll be overseeing economic assistance components that would help rehabilitate the economy in Gaza. So that very big and challenging job going to James Wilkinson, the outgoing president of the World Bank.
The clock is ticking. If you haven't done your tax return yet, not to worry. Our dot-com desk has its covered with some valuable tips.
Here now, CNN's Veronica De La Cruz to guide you through the Web site.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: According to the latest count by the IRS, some 45 million people still haven't filed their taxes. Are you one of them? At CNNmoney.com/taxes, some last minute tips. If you're a procrastinator, you're in luck. Log on to our special report for links to the forms and instructions you need. And did you get forget to deducted for a recent move, college tuition or student loan. Click on to this link for a list of commonly overlooked deductions.
CNNMoney.com has also charted some of the tax-friendliest places to live in the U.S. If you live in Alaska, New Hampshire, Delaware, consider yourself lucky. Alaska has no sales tax, no income tax, and the government annually sends residents because of the revenue it collects for oil
Now if you live in Maine, Washington D.C. or New York, you may want to move. All joking aside, these states collect the most percentage-wise when it comes to taxes. It's the 50-yard dash to the finish line when it comes to filing. You can log on to CNNmoney.com/taxes for some help in getting there.
From the dot-com newsdesk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: I want to show you new video we're getting in. It is the man who is a suspect in the missing girl case in Florida, David Onstot (ph), in a courtroom today in Florida. He was there facing related unrelated charges, but he is a suspect in the disappearance of Sarah Michelle Lunde. She has been missing for quite a few days from her home in Florida. Lunde is a convicted sex offender who once had a relationship with the girl's mother. He also suddenly reappeared at the family's home the day the teen girl disappeared.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Let's go ahead and check in with Wolf Blitzer and hand it over to him. I will see you tomorrow morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
