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American Morning
Georgia Runaway Bride Could Face Charges; Lost At Sea
Aired May 02, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
There are questions for a runaway bride. Not why, but when -- that's what a prosecutor wants to know today before he decides on possible charges in that case.
A wave of car bombs hitting Baghdad today. Insurgents sending a deadly message to Iraq's new government there.
And six days lost in the Atlantic. Rescuers had given them up for dead, but two boys lived to tell their story, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Welcome back, everybody.
Some of the troops that are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, well, they're not welcome back at their jobs. This morning we're going to hear about veterans who say they're getting fired. And they're going to talk about how they can fight back.
HEMMER: Also, until now, Soledad, we've rarely seen photos of those American troops killed in the war. But that has changed due to the efforts of a former colleague here at CNN. We will find out this morning about the fight that led to the release of these dramatic pictures. That's coming up, too.
O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty -- good morning again.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Coming up in "The Cafferty File," Soledad, as Mother's Day approaches, moms sound off on their plight.
O'BRIEN: Oh.
CAFFERTY: Like that.
O'BRIEN: Do I get to talk? Talk to me.
CAFFERTY: Like that. Yes, you'll have your chance.
A new cede specifically designed to chap your neighbor's butt. And Thailand crowns Miss. Jumbo. One of them weighed in at over 400 pounds. It was all done to raise money for the elephants.
HEMMER: Wow!
Thank you, Jack.
We'll wait.
O'BRIEN: A big story for "The File."
CAFFERTY: Why does that woman have a blanket over her head?
O'BRIEN: I think she's embarrassed.
CAFFERTY: That runaway...
HEMMER: One of the many questions that persist today.
CAFFERTY: I heard he said if that marriage goes ahead, she has to bring that on the honeymoon.
O'BRIEN: Oh.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
We want to get to the headlines right now.
Carol Costello with some breaking news, too -- Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, this news just into CNN.
Word this morning of an explosion in Afghanistan. Reuters is reporting dozens of casualties in that ammunition blast. That's according to the interior spokesman. We don't h many details on this story. We don't know if the casualties are American. We'll have more details as they come in. We'll bring them straight to you.
On the subject of Iraq, more deadly attacks in Baghdad. Four car bombs went off in the span of a few hours. Officials say at least 11 people were killed, nearly 30 others wounded. In the meantime, officials are working to secure the release of an Austrian man taken hostage in Iraq. A videotape released over the weekend appears to show Douglas Woods with his captors.
Some officials in Asia are downplaying reports of a missile test by North Korea. A South Korean official says the test involved a short-range missile without nuclear capabilities. But the test could strain efforts to restart nuclear talks in the region. We'll get reaction from the White House just ahead.
Titanic memorabilia hitting the block. Dozens of relics from the early 20th century fetched more than $150,000 in a Massachusetts auction. Among the items, that gold pocket watch. It was owned by an Irish immigrant. The piece stopped ticking the day the ship sank in 1912. And actually that Irish immigrant was a woman. She was in lifeboat number 10 and the stopwatch got wet and stopped working.
HEMMER: Wow!
COSTELLO: Isn't that something?
HEMMER: What a story.
COSTELLO: Yes.
A lot of cool stories attached to those things.
HEMMER: Cool.
Thanks, Carol.
O'BRIEN: Carol, thanks.
Well, the runaway bride may have to face the law. A district attorney in Georgia says he's going to make a decision today on whether to charge Jennifer Wilbanks with a crime. The 32-year-old bride-to-be flew home on Saturday -- there she is right there -- after admitting to police that she panicked about her upcoming nuptials. But her return from New Mexico began with two phone calls on Friday night. One was to her fiance. The other was to Albuquerque 911, in which she reported she'd been kidnapped.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: The person who did this to you, was it a he or a she?
JENNIFER WILBANKS: It was a Hispanic man and a Caucasian woman...but it happened in Duluth.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: OK. The male that did this was black, white, Hispanic or Native American?
WILBANKS: Hispanic.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: About how old?
WILBANKS: I would say in their 40s, maybe.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: How tall was he?
WILBANKS: God, I don't know...probably about my height, about 5'9."
(END AUDIO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Wilbanks went on to describe the length of his hair, what he was wearing and the van that the Hispanic man was driving. She also said her kidnappers had a small handgun.
Jennifer Wilbanks allegedly told a similar story to the chief of police in Duluth, Georgia, as well. Danny Porter is the Gwinnett County district attorney, joining us this morning.
Nice to see you, Mr. Porter.
Thanks for talking with us.
DANNY PORTER, GWINNETT COUNTY D.A.: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Give me a sense if you think a crime has been committed here. And, if so, what's the crime?
PORTER: Well, at this point it's too early to determine whether a crime has been committed. I've got to do some research on whether or not the call to Duluth would give us jurisdiction over the false report of the crime.
The potential crimes we're looking at our false report, which is a misdemeanor, and false statements, which is a felony.
O'BRIEN: You have said that it will make a difference to you if it looks as if Jennifer, in fact, had premeditated her disappearance as opposed to just getting cold feet and kind of ditching right away out of town. There is some word that we're getting that she ordered a bus ticket maybe a couple of days in advance, that she arranged with a taxi to pick her up at a certain location.
Do all of these things, to you, read premeditation?
PORTER: Well, sure. I mean it's not like she was just running down the road and went, "I can't get married" and just kept running to the bus station. So the things we're concerned about are those things that show preplanning and intent, because that's an essential element we're going to have to show if we charge her with a crime.
O'BRIEN: Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she made a similar phone call, they say -- and we were just listening to that 911 call -- they say they're not going to charge her with a crime. And they theoretically could, filing a false report.
Why not do what they do, which is say we're going to let it go?
PORTER: Well, I think Albuquerque probably made the right decision given the level of involvement that they had in the case. But here in Gwinnett, we had a huge involvement. The Duluth Police Department did an outstanding job. There were tremendous expenditures of manpower and effort and investigative effort. We have a lot more invested in this case than Albuquerque did, so we have a lot more to say about the consequences of a false report.
O'BRIEN: Have you talked to her since she's come back and sort of been ensconced with her family?
PORTER: No. I've never spoken to Jennifer Wilbanks. I wouldn't know her. Other than her pictures, I wouldn't know her if she walked up to me right now. O'BRIEN: Any indication that she has an attorney, that there's someone now representing the family?
PORTER: I have not received any information from an attorney, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one today some time.
O'BRIEN: At the end of the day, would you be fine if someone made a restitution of all the money -- and I read that it's around maybe $100,000, if you consider the overtime and things like that? Would that sort of clear the books for you, if she -- if someone in her family paid that money?
PORTER: I don't know. I think at this point I want to really take a good look at what was said in Albuquerque. I want to know what happened in Las Vegas. I want to know about the pre-arrangements before I can make that decision. I think at some point there has to be some consequence, but I just don't know what that is.
O'BRIEN: The whole thing baffles you a little bit, Mr. Porter?
PORTER: I've never seen -- I've been doing this 25 years. I've never seen a case like this. It -- you think to yourself you know all about people when you do this job and then something like this happens and you realize you don't know anything.
O'BRIEN: Danny Porter is the Gwinnett County district attorney.
Nice to see you.
Thanks for talking with us.
PORTER: Nice to see you.
Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: Well stated, too.
Seven minutes past the hour now.
Troy Driscoll and Josh Long are true survivors. After staying alive for almost a week floating at sea with virtually nothing to eat or drink and sharks swimming around them, they made it alive. The two teens rescued over the weekend some 100 miles from where they set off originally.
Mike Hughes is in Charleston, South Carolina with WCSC.
He reports today.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
TROY DRISCOLL, SURVIVOR: I was OK for the first night and the second night. But after the second night, I thought that we were not going to make it because I thought the Coast Guard was going to get us real soon. But no one was there.
JOSH LONG, SURVIVOR: Basically, I thought that I might never see my family again. I just prayed every day that god would send me home or send -- take me to him.
MIKE HUGHES, WCSC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seventeen-year-old Josh Long and his best friend and sea mate, 15-year-old Troy Driscoll, each say it didn't take very much time to realize their Sunday afternoon fishing trip would turn into a fearful adventure.
DRISCOLL: As soon as we got the rope tied, we knew that we were in trouble.
LONG: You could see nothing but water. So it just was a mind game and it really got to me.
HUGHES: The boys found themselves lost at sea, floating seemingly helplessly for six days, surviving on only small sea creatures they found in the salty ocean waters. Both boys credit god and each other for the strength to endure.
DRISCOLL: It was a miracle and Josh, if I wasn't -- if it wasn't for him and our teamwork together -- we never argued, we were just encouraging each other and we were making it.
LONG: I think it was a test from god, this whole experience was. And that was to test my faith and my best friend's faith and the faith of my family. And it just showed how everybody, we came together and pulled through it.
HUGHES: And it was those same family and friends who welcomed the boys back. And as far as getting back in the water some time soon...
LONG: I lost everybody's gear, but as soon as I get my gear back, I'm going to be out on the water. But I'll make sure I have two motors this time on the boat.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HEMMER: Mike Hughes again reporting for us there.
Josh Long, his father and Troy Driscoll's father talked with us earlier today here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Josh's father says the families never gave up hope for the teens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDDIE LONG, FATHER OF RESCUED TEEN: Well, we certainly feel like we have experienced a miracle. We just, we just feel like that all the -- most of the authorities were turning it from a rescue to a recovery and they were leading us up to believe that our children were going to -- their bodies were going to come afloat any time. And, but we knew there was room in there for a miracle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Doctors are telling us the two boys are in pretty good shape considering what they have been through. And they have been through a lot over the last week -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: That's true.
It's time to check in on the weather.
Chad Myers is at the CNN Center for us -- hey, Chad, good morning.
What are you looking at this morning?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
Those guys talked about licking the light rain showers that they had on the boat off the deck of the boat, because obviously you can't drink the saltwater. There was only one shower that went past the boat in five days. And it was only what they said was drizzle.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: A rude awakening for Reservists coming home from the war zone. Hundreds are getting pink slips from their employers. Meet one man this morning fighting back. It's our new series. We call it "Battle Fatigue." And we'll get to that in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, movies sanitized for your children's protection. Why Hollywood is up in arms over a new tool for parents, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: This morning we begin a special series called "Battle Fatigue." And this week we'll look at how prolonged military engagements in Iraq and in Afghanistan are taking a toll back here at home.
Going back to 9/11, more than 400,000 Reservists have been called up for active duty. And instead of a welcome back from some of their employers, some are getting pink slips.
That's our focus today with Kelly Wallace with me here -- good morning.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
There is a law on the books protecting Reservists from losing their jobs after deployments. Despite that, some Reservists are hearing the words, "You're fired," and now some are fighting back.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
WALLACE (voice-over): Lieutenant Colonel Steve Duarte of Littleton, Colorado considers himself the consummate citizen soldier. Twenty-eight years as a Reservist with the Marine Corps and 19 years with Hewlett-Packard and its spin-off company, Agilent Technologies.
But in November, 2003, after his second post-September 11 deployment, the 52-year-old was fired.
LT. COL. STEVE DUARTE, U.S. MARINES CORPS RESERVES: It was primarily an emotional thing for me. It was one of shock. I couldn't understand why they did it. And I think the pride thing kicked in there, too -- what did I do wrong?
WALLACE: Duarte says after his deployment, Agilent assigned him to a special project rather than his previous position in human resources. Court records show Agilent was carrying out a workforce reduction program, terminating Duarte after he scored poorly on a critical skills assessment test. Duarte contacted a Marine Corps lawyer and filed a lawsuit.
DUARTE: This is a battle that shouldn't be fought because you're coming back to your families, you're coming back to the United States, you're coming back for a lot of other good reasons, and to have to do something like that and try to fight that battle, it's, it just wasn't right.
WALLACE: After a trial, a federal judge ruled that Agilent violated federal law in terminating Duarte four months after he returned from Kuwait and Iraq. The judge awarded Duarte nearly $390,000 for loss of back pay and loss of future pay.
DUARTE: It was never about the money. It was always about being able to get the word out to other veterans coming back.
WALLACE: Getting the word out about the federal law. It mandates Reservists are entitled to their previous civilian jobs, as well as the pay, status and seniority they would have had if they hadn't gone away. And employers are barred from firing Reservists for a minimum of six months after deployments, except for cause.
(on camera): Lieutenant Colonel Duarte is not alone. Since September 11, Reservists have seen the biggest call-up since World War 2. And with that, the number of complaints from Reservists has gone up.
(voice-over): Gone up from an average of 900 complaints a year to the Labor Department to nearly 1,500 cases in the 2004 fiscal year, a 67 percent increase.
Retired National Guard General Paul Monroe witnessed the problem back in 2002 when his son's job was abolished during his deployment. Monroe then testified before his son's school district to help save his son's job. Since then, he has gotten involved with the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a group which, Monroe says, tries to help not just Reservists, but employers, as well.
GEN. PAUL MONROE (RET.), U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: Not only is it hard on soldiers and families, it's hard on their employers, too. There's one employer that went out of his way to hire Reservists because of their training and everything. Now he says that he can't -- he cannot operate because all his Reservists are his supervisors. And we're taking them all away.
WALLACE: Monroe says more predictability, such as knowing how long deployments will last and when they will occur, would help both employers and Reservists.
Duarte, who has set up a Web site, hopes his story helps Reservists and sends a message to companies like his former employer.
DUARTE: If you're an employer and you're thinking about doing this, this is what it might cost u. And if you're a veteran coming back and this is happening to you, let somebody know, because now there is some recourse.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WALLACE: Duarte tells us he was officially retired from the Marine Reserve Sunday, but says he won't retire from being a citizen soldier.
As for his former employer, Agilent, a spokeswoman says that while the company disagrees with the ruling, it believes it shows the actions of Agilent were based on business circumstances and not connected to Duarte's military service. The spokeswoman also telling us the company doesn't plan to appeal.
HEMMER: He says there's now recourse.
What can someone do if they feel as if they're a victim in this area?
WALLACE: The first thing is get information, because many Reservists might not know about this federal law and they might not know what they can do. And we want to put out some Web sites for you. One of those, Steveduarte. He started his own Web site, as we mentioned. You can go to www.steveduarte.org. You can also contact the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves. Again, it tries to help employers as well as Reservists. You can get that at www.esgr.com. And, also, of course, the Department of Labor.
HEMMER: It's a really interesting story.
What's up tomorrow, Tuesday?
WALLACE: Well, we're going to continue, part two of this series, "Battle Fatigue." We're going to continue our look at how some Reservists are getting fired after deployments. Tomorrow focusing on one man's story, one man versus one company. Michael Warren versus IBM.
HEMMER: Wow!
IBM?
WALLACE: A very interesting story. HEMMER: Whoo.
WALLACE: Yes.
HEMMER: We're taking on a big one.
WALLACE: Yes, exactly.
HEMMER: Thank you, Kelly.
WALLACE: Sure.
HEMMER: All right -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, a new study sheds more light on a powerful acne drug's link to depression. We are "Paging Dr. Gupta" about the potential risks for thousands of patients.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: OK, back to Jack and the Question of the Day.
CAFFERTY: Thank you, sir.
A tough couple of weeks for the news media. We have been had several times -- that finger in the bowl of chili hoax; the buried treasure boys hoax; missing bride Jennifer Wilbanks; just a case of cold feet, no kidnapping, no foul play hoax.
We swallowed all this stuff hook, line and sinker, we did. Georgia officials say they could charge Jennifer Wilbanks with a felony if her disappearance was premeditated. For now, the wedding is still on, indicating that somebody is not well in that group down there.
The question is this, what should happen to Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride?
Tammy in Virginia writes: "I think she ought to be locked up. With all the other missing people that are really missing, with all the manpower involved, the stress placed on the families, she should spend some time in jail or a psychiatric facility."
Tom in Georgia writes: "Song heard coming from John Mason's house Saturday night -- thank god and Greyhound she's gone."
That's a line from an old country tune that I can't -- I looked and I couldn't find it. But that really is a line in a country song.
Sandi in Connecticut: "My question isn't what should happen to this bride. My question is what would have happened to any other bride from a not so prominent family or a person that was a minority had they run away and then lied to the police?" And Jerry in Georgia writes: "The continuing coverage of Jennifer Wilbanks is a demonstration of how out of control the news media has become. If there's no news to report, show cartoons or let Jack take over for interesting commentary. Never mind. Show the cartoons."
HEMMER: I'm looking this up for you, man. I can't find it just yet.
CAFFERTY: Yes, thank god and Greyhound she's gone.
HEMMER: I've got some -- so, well, we heard she was passing notes to the flight attendant, right, on the plane back from Albuquerque, saying that she wanted to go ahead with -- oh, the wedding is still on?
O'BRIEN: Well, in her mind it might still be on.
HEMMER: In her mind.
O'BRIEN: But I guess you have to go back to the groom to be...
HEMMER: What? Doe she take her back?
O'BRIEN: See, did she spazz because she didn't want to marry him? Or was it because she didn't want to get married in a 600- person, 14 bridesmaid...
HEMMER: Or was there something else going on?
CAFFERTY: What if it was all set up to sell a book, get a movie deal, do a TV series?
O'BRIEN: Oooh.
HEMMER: Oooh.
CAFFERTY: What if it was all premeditated?
O'BRIEN: Intriguing.
HEMMER: Who helped her get to the Greyhound station?
CAFFERTY: I don't know.
O'BRIEN: A taxi. She took a taxi.
HEMMER: Maybe. Or maybe not.
CAFFERTY: Well, she went out for a jog. Maybe she ran there.
HEMMER: Maybe there's someone else in it.
CAFFERTY: Huh?
HEMMER: Yes, she bought this ticket a week ahead of time. She was thinking about this.
O'BRIEN: Yes. She had it on her mind.
HEMMER: So.
CAFFERTY: I guess her fiance ought to send her a thank you note.
HEMMER: Ooh.
O'BRIEN: You'd be saying no to wedding...
HEMMER: There's another country music song about that.
O'BRIEN: Yes, exactly. That sounds like a line out of a country music song.
Jack, thanks.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Well, as president of the United States, George Bush has lots of critics. And the president is not safe from any of them, even his own wife.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And so the city slicker asked the old guy how to get to the nearest town...
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Not that old joke. Not again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The first lady, in fact, stole the show at the end of a White House Correspondents Association dinner in wedding on Saturday after interrupting her husband there. Laura Bush delivered several one-liners aimed at the president. She was hysterical. One of her jokes focused on what she does after her husband goes to bed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
L. BUSH: One night after George went to bed, Lynne Cheney, Condi Rice, Karen Hughes and I went to Chippendale's. I wouldn't even mention it, except Ruth Ginsberg and Sandra Day O'Connor saw us there. I won't tell you what happened, but Lynne's Secret Service code name is now Dollar Bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: She was very funny.
You were there.
Was the crowd just in stitches the whole time? HEMMER: Well, you know, you go to these events, right, and you expect the president to get up and maybe crack a one-liner and then sit back down. But when she came up there, she ripped it.
O'BRIEN: And she kept going and going.
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And going.
HEMMER: And to his credit, he sat back and took it as a good husband would.
O'BRIEN: Well, I'm sure he approved all of the jokes ahead of time.
HEMMER: Do you think so?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: Oh. Lynne Cheney took a good ribbing, too. And Condoleezza Rice was in the crosshairs after that so.
O'BRIEN: Yes. That was funny.
HEMMER: It was a good night and some good humor, too.
In a moment here, parents get a chance to make family friendly versions of their favorite films. But Hollywood apparently is not happy about it. Parents' rights versus freedom of speech, the next half hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired May 2, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
There are questions for a runaway bride. Not why, but when -- that's what a prosecutor wants to know today before he decides on possible charges in that case.
A wave of car bombs hitting Baghdad today. Insurgents sending a deadly message to Iraq's new government there.
And six days lost in the Atlantic. Rescuers had given them up for dead, but two boys lived to tell their story, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Bill Hemmer and Soledad O'Brien.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Welcome back, everybody.
Some of the troops that are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, well, they're not welcome back at their jobs. This morning we're going to hear about veterans who say they're getting fired. And they're going to talk about how they can fight back.
HEMMER: Also, until now, Soledad, we've rarely seen photos of those American troops killed in the war. But that has changed due to the efforts of a former colleague here at CNN. We will find out this morning about the fight that led to the release of these dramatic pictures. That's coming up, too.
O'BRIEN: Mr. Cafferty -- good morning again.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Coming up in "The Cafferty File," Soledad, as Mother's Day approaches, moms sound off on their plight.
O'BRIEN: Oh.
CAFFERTY: Like that.
O'BRIEN: Do I get to talk? Talk to me.
CAFFERTY: Like that. Yes, you'll have your chance.
A new cede specifically designed to chap your neighbor's butt. And Thailand crowns Miss. Jumbo. One of them weighed in at over 400 pounds. It was all done to raise money for the elephants.
HEMMER: Wow!
Thank you, Jack.
We'll wait.
O'BRIEN: A big story for "The File."
CAFFERTY: Why does that woman have a blanket over her head?
O'BRIEN: I think she's embarrassed.
CAFFERTY: That runaway...
HEMMER: One of the many questions that persist today.
CAFFERTY: I heard he said if that marriage goes ahead, she has to bring that on the honeymoon.
O'BRIEN: Oh.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
We want to get to the headlines right now.
Carol Costello with some breaking news, too -- Carol.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, this news just into CNN.
Word this morning of an explosion in Afghanistan. Reuters is reporting dozens of casualties in that ammunition blast. That's according to the interior spokesman. We don't h many details on this story. We don't know if the casualties are American. We'll have more details as they come in. We'll bring them straight to you.
On the subject of Iraq, more deadly attacks in Baghdad. Four car bombs went off in the span of a few hours. Officials say at least 11 people were killed, nearly 30 others wounded. In the meantime, officials are working to secure the release of an Austrian man taken hostage in Iraq. A videotape released over the weekend appears to show Douglas Woods with his captors.
Some officials in Asia are downplaying reports of a missile test by North Korea. A South Korean official says the test involved a short-range missile without nuclear capabilities. But the test could strain efforts to restart nuclear talks in the region. We'll get reaction from the White House just ahead.
Titanic memorabilia hitting the block. Dozens of relics from the early 20th century fetched more than $150,000 in a Massachusetts auction. Among the items, that gold pocket watch. It was owned by an Irish immigrant. The piece stopped ticking the day the ship sank in 1912. And actually that Irish immigrant was a woman. She was in lifeboat number 10 and the stopwatch got wet and stopped working.
HEMMER: Wow!
COSTELLO: Isn't that something?
HEMMER: What a story.
COSTELLO: Yes.
A lot of cool stories attached to those things.
HEMMER: Cool.
Thanks, Carol.
O'BRIEN: Carol, thanks.
Well, the runaway bride may have to face the law. A district attorney in Georgia says he's going to make a decision today on whether to charge Jennifer Wilbanks with a crime. The 32-year-old bride-to-be flew home on Saturday -- there she is right there -- after admitting to police that she panicked about her upcoming nuptials. But her return from New Mexico began with two phone calls on Friday night. One was to her fiance. The other was to Albuquerque 911, in which she reported she'd been kidnapped.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: The person who did this to you, was it a he or a she?
JENNIFER WILBANKS: It was a Hispanic man and a Caucasian woman...but it happened in Duluth.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: OK. The male that did this was black, white, Hispanic or Native American?
WILBANKS: Hispanic.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: About how old?
WILBANKS: I would say in their 40s, maybe.
UNIDENTIFIED 911 OPERATOR: How tall was he?
WILBANKS: God, I don't know...probably about my height, about 5'9."
(END AUDIO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Wilbanks went on to describe the length of his hair, what he was wearing and the van that the Hispanic man was driving. She also said her kidnappers had a small handgun.
Jennifer Wilbanks allegedly told a similar story to the chief of police in Duluth, Georgia, as well. Danny Porter is the Gwinnett County district attorney, joining us this morning.
Nice to see you, Mr. Porter.
Thanks for talking with us.
DANNY PORTER, GWINNETT COUNTY D.A.: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Give me a sense if you think a crime has been committed here. And, if so, what's the crime?
PORTER: Well, at this point it's too early to determine whether a crime has been committed. I've got to do some research on whether or not the call to Duluth would give us jurisdiction over the false report of the crime.
The potential crimes we're looking at our false report, which is a misdemeanor, and false statements, which is a felony.
O'BRIEN: You have said that it will make a difference to you if it looks as if Jennifer, in fact, had premeditated her disappearance as opposed to just getting cold feet and kind of ditching right away out of town. There is some word that we're getting that she ordered a bus ticket maybe a couple of days in advance, that she arranged with a taxi to pick her up at a certain location.
Do all of these things, to you, read premeditation?
PORTER: Well, sure. I mean it's not like she was just running down the road and went, "I can't get married" and just kept running to the bus station. So the things we're concerned about are those things that show preplanning and intent, because that's an essential element we're going to have to show if we charge her with a crime.
O'BRIEN: Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she made a similar phone call, they say -- and we were just listening to that 911 call -- they say they're not going to charge her with a crime. And they theoretically could, filing a false report.
Why not do what they do, which is say we're going to let it go?
PORTER: Well, I think Albuquerque probably made the right decision given the level of involvement that they had in the case. But here in Gwinnett, we had a huge involvement. The Duluth Police Department did an outstanding job. There were tremendous expenditures of manpower and effort and investigative effort. We have a lot more invested in this case than Albuquerque did, so we have a lot more to say about the consequences of a false report.
O'BRIEN: Have you talked to her since she's come back and sort of been ensconced with her family?
PORTER: No. I've never spoken to Jennifer Wilbanks. I wouldn't know her. Other than her pictures, I wouldn't know her if she walked up to me right now. O'BRIEN: Any indication that she has an attorney, that there's someone now representing the family?
PORTER: I have not received any information from an attorney, but I wouldn't be surprised to see one today some time.
O'BRIEN: At the end of the day, would you be fine if someone made a restitution of all the money -- and I read that it's around maybe $100,000, if you consider the overtime and things like that? Would that sort of clear the books for you, if she -- if someone in her family paid that money?
PORTER: I don't know. I think at this point I want to really take a good look at what was said in Albuquerque. I want to know what happened in Las Vegas. I want to know about the pre-arrangements before I can make that decision. I think at some point there has to be some consequence, but I just don't know what that is.
O'BRIEN: The whole thing baffles you a little bit, Mr. Porter?
PORTER: I've never seen -- I've been doing this 25 years. I've never seen a case like this. It -- you think to yourself you know all about people when you do this job and then something like this happens and you realize you don't know anything.
O'BRIEN: Danny Porter is the Gwinnett County district attorney.
Nice to see you.
Thanks for talking with us.
PORTER: Nice to see you.
Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Bill.
HEMMER: Well stated, too.
Seven minutes past the hour now.
Troy Driscoll and Josh Long are true survivors. After staying alive for almost a week floating at sea with virtually nothing to eat or drink and sharks swimming around them, they made it alive. The two teens rescued over the weekend some 100 miles from where they set off originally.
Mike Hughes is in Charleston, South Carolina with WCSC.
He reports today.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
TROY DRISCOLL, SURVIVOR: I was OK for the first night and the second night. But after the second night, I thought that we were not going to make it because I thought the Coast Guard was going to get us real soon. But no one was there.
JOSH LONG, SURVIVOR: Basically, I thought that I might never see my family again. I just prayed every day that god would send me home or send -- take me to him.
MIKE HUGHES, WCSC CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seventeen-year-old Josh Long and his best friend and sea mate, 15-year-old Troy Driscoll, each say it didn't take very much time to realize their Sunday afternoon fishing trip would turn into a fearful adventure.
DRISCOLL: As soon as we got the rope tied, we knew that we were in trouble.
LONG: You could see nothing but water. So it just was a mind game and it really got to me.
HUGHES: The boys found themselves lost at sea, floating seemingly helplessly for six days, surviving on only small sea creatures they found in the salty ocean waters. Both boys credit god and each other for the strength to endure.
DRISCOLL: It was a miracle and Josh, if I wasn't -- if it wasn't for him and our teamwork together -- we never argued, we were just encouraging each other and we were making it.
LONG: I think it was a test from god, this whole experience was. And that was to test my faith and my best friend's faith and the faith of my family. And it just showed how everybody, we came together and pulled through it.
HUGHES: And it was those same family and friends who welcomed the boys back. And as far as getting back in the water some time soon...
LONG: I lost everybody's gear, but as soon as I get my gear back, I'm going to be out on the water. But I'll make sure I have two motors this time on the boat.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HEMMER: Mike Hughes again reporting for us there.
Josh Long, his father and Troy Driscoll's father talked with us earlier today here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Josh's father says the families never gave up hope for the teens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDDIE LONG, FATHER OF RESCUED TEEN: Well, we certainly feel like we have experienced a miracle. We just, we just feel like that all the -- most of the authorities were turning it from a rescue to a recovery and they were leading us up to believe that our children were going to -- their bodies were going to come afloat any time. And, but we knew there was room in there for a miracle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Doctors are telling us the two boys are in pretty good shape considering what they have been through. And they have been through a lot over the last week -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: That's true.
It's time to check in on the weather.
Chad Myers is at the CNN Center for us -- hey, Chad, good morning.
What are you looking at this morning?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
Those guys talked about licking the light rain showers that they had on the boat off the deck of the boat, because obviously you can't drink the saltwater. There was only one shower that went past the boat in five days. And it was only what they said was drizzle.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: A rude awakening for Reservists coming home from the war zone. Hundreds are getting pink slips from their employers. Meet one man this morning fighting back. It's our new series. We call it "Battle Fatigue." And we'll get to that in a moment.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, movies sanitized for your children's protection. Why Hollywood is up in arms over a new tool for parents, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: This morning we begin a special series called "Battle Fatigue." And this week we'll look at how prolonged military engagements in Iraq and in Afghanistan are taking a toll back here at home.
Going back to 9/11, more than 400,000 Reservists have been called up for active duty. And instead of a welcome back from some of their employers, some are getting pink slips.
That's our focus today with Kelly Wallace with me here -- good morning.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill.
There is a law on the books protecting Reservists from losing their jobs after deployments. Despite that, some Reservists are hearing the words, "You're fired," and now some are fighting back.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
WALLACE (voice-over): Lieutenant Colonel Steve Duarte of Littleton, Colorado considers himself the consummate citizen soldier. Twenty-eight years as a Reservist with the Marine Corps and 19 years with Hewlett-Packard and its spin-off company, Agilent Technologies.
But in November, 2003, after his second post-September 11 deployment, the 52-year-old was fired.
LT. COL. STEVE DUARTE, U.S. MARINES CORPS RESERVES: It was primarily an emotional thing for me. It was one of shock. I couldn't understand why they did it. And I think the pride thing kicked in there, too -- what did I do wrong?
WALLACE: Duarte says after his deployment, Agilent assigned him to a special project rather than his previous position in human resources. Court records show Agilent was carrying out a workforce reduction program, terminating Duarte after he scored poorly on a critical skills assessment test. Duarte contacted a Marine Corps lawyer and filed a lawsuit.
DUARTE: This is a battle that shouldn't be fought because you're coming back to your families, you're coming back to the United States, you're coming back for a lot of other good reasons, and to have to do something like that and try to fight that battle, it's, it just wasn't right.
WALLACE: After a trial, a federal judge ruled that Agilent violated federal law in terminating Duarte four months after he returned from Kuwait and Iraq. The judge awarded Duarte nearly $390,000 for loss of back pay and loss of future pay.
DUARTE: It was never about the money. It was always about being able to get the word out to other veterans coming back.
WALLACE: Getting the word out about the federal law. It mandates Reservists are entitled to their previous civilian jobs, as well as the pay, status and seniority they would have had if they hadn't gone away. And employers are barred from firing Reservists for a minimum of six months after deployments, except for cause.
(on camera): Lieutenant Colonel Duarte is not alone. Since September 11, Reservists have seen the biggest call-up since World War 2. And with that, the number of complaints from Reservists has gone up.
(voice-over): Gone up from an average of 900 complaints a year to the Labor Department to nearly 1,500 cases in the 2004 fiscal year, a 67 percent increase.
Retired National Guard General Paul Monroe witnessed the problem back in 2002 when his son's job was abolished during his deployment. Monroe then testified before his son's school district to help save his son's job. Since then, he has gotten involved with the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a group which, Monroe says, tries to help not just Reservists, but employers, as well.
GEN. PAUL MONROE (RET.), U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: Not only is it hard on soldiers and families, it's hard on their employers, too. There's one employer that went out of his way to hire Reservists because of their training and everything. Now he says that he can't -- he cannot operate because all his Reservists are his supervisors. And we're taking them all away.
WALLACE: Monroe says more predictability, such as knowing how long deployments will last and when they will occur, would help both employers and Reservists.
Duarte, who has set up a Web site, hopes his story helps Reservists and sends a message to companies like his former employer.
DUARTE: If you're an employer and you're thinking about doing this, this is what it might cost u. And if you're a veteran coming back and this is happening to you, let somebody know, because now there is some recourse.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
WALLACE: Duarte tells us he was officially retired from the Marine Reserve Sunday, but says he won't retire from being a citizen soldier.
As for his former employer, Agilent, a spokeswoman says that while the company disagrees with the ruling, it believes it shows the actions of Agilent were based on business circumstances and not connected to Duarte's military service. The spokeswoman also telling us the company doesn't plan to appeal.
HEMMER: He says there's now recourse.
What can someone do if they feel as if they're a victim in this area?
WALLACE: The first thing is get information, because many Reservists might not know about this federal law and they might not know what they can do. And we want to put out some Web sites for you. One of those, Steveduarte. He started his own Web site, as we mentioned. You can go to www.steveduarte.org. You can also contact the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserves. Again, it tries to help employers as well as Reservists. You can get that at www.esgr.com. And, also, of course, the Department of Labor.
HEMMER: It's a really interesting story.
What's up tomorrow, Tuesday?
WALLACE: Well, we're going to continue, part two of this series, "Battle Fatigue." We're going to continue our look at how some Reservists are getting fired after deployments. Tomorrow focusing on one man's story, one man versus one company. Michael Warren versus IBM.
HEMMER: Wow!
IBM?
WALLACE: A very interesting story. HEMMER: Whoo.
WALLACE: Yes.
HEMMER: We're taking on a big one.
WALLACE: Yes, exactly.
HEMMER: Thank you, Kelly.
WALLACE: Sure.
HEMMER: All right -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, a new study sheds more light on a powerful acne drug's link to depression. We are "Paging Dr. Gupta" about the potential risks for thousands of patients.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: OK, back to Jack and the Question of the Day.
CAFFERTY: Thank you, sir.
A tough couple of weeks for the news media. We have been had several times -- that finger in the bowl of chili hoax; the buried treasure boys hoax; missing bride Jennifer Wilbanks; just a case of cold feet, no kidnapping, no foul play hoax.
We swallowed all this stuff hook, line and sinker, we did. Georgia officials say they could charge Jennifer Wilbanks with a felony if her disappearance was premeditated. For now, the wedding is still on, indicating that somebody is not well in that group down there.
The question is this, what should happen to Jennifer Wilbanks, the runaway bride?
Tammy in Virginia writes: "I think she ought to be locked up. With all the other missing people that are really missing, with all the manpower involved, the stress placed on the families, she should spend some time in jail or a psychiatric facility."
Tom in Georgia writes: "Song heard coming from John Mason's house Saturday night -- thank god and Greyhound she's gone."
That's a line from an old country tune that I can't -- I looked and I couldn't find it. But that really is a line in a country song.
Sandi in Connecticut: "My question isn't what should happen to this bride. My question is what would have happened to any other bride from a not so prominent family or a person that was a minority had they run away and then lied to the police?" And Jerry in Georgia writes: "The continuing coverage of Jennifer Wilbanks is a demonstration of how out of control the news media has become. If there's no news to report, show cartoons or let Jack take over for interesting commentary. Never mind. Show the cartoons."
HEMMER: I'm looking this up for you, man. I can't find it just yet.
CAFFERTY: Yes, thank god and Greyhound she's gone.
HEMMER: I've got some -- so, well, we heard she was passing notes to the flight attendant, right, on the plane back from Albuquerque, saying that she wanted to go ahead with -- oh, the wedding is still on?
O'BRIEN: Well, in her mind it might still be on.
HEMMER: In her mind.
O'BRIEN: But I guess you have to go back to the groom to be...
HEMMER: What? Doe she take her back?
O'BRIEN: See, did she spazz because she didn't want to marry him? Or was it because she didn't want to get married in a 600- person, 14 bridesmaid...
HEMMER: Or was there something else going on?
CAFFERTY: What if it was all set up to sell a book, get a movie deal, do a TV series?
O'BRIEN: Oooh.
HEMMER: Oooh.
CAFFERTY: What if it was all premeditated?
O'BRIEN: Intriguing.
HEMMER: Who helped her get to the Greyhound station?
CAFFERTY: I don't know.
O'BRIEN: A taxi. She took a taxi.
HEMMER: Maybe. Or maybe not.
CAFFERTY: Well, she went out for a jog. Maybe she ran there.
HEMMER: Maybe there's someone else in it.
CAFFERTY: Huh?
HEMMER: Yes, she bought this ticket a week ahead of time. She was thinking about this.
O'BRIEN: Yes. She had it on her mind.
HEMMER: So.
CAFFERTY: I guess her fiance ought to send her a thank you note.
HEMMER: Ooh.
O'BRIEN: You'd be saying no to wedding...
HEMMER: There's another country music song about that.
O'BRIEN: Yes, exactly. That sounds like a line out of a country music song.
Jack, thanks.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Well, as president of the United States, George Bush has lots of critics. And the president is not safe from any of them, even his own wife.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And so the city slicker asked the old guy how to get to the nearest town...
LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Not that old joke. Not again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The first lady, in fact, stole the show at the end of a White House Correspondents Association dinner in wedding on Saturday after interrupting her husband there. Laura Bush delivered several one-liners aimed at the president. She was hysterical. One of her jokes focused on what she does after her husband goes to bed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
L. BUSH: One night after George went to bed, Lynne Cheney, Condi Rice, Karen Hughes and I went to Chippendale's. I wouldn't even mention it, except Ruth Ginsberg and Sandra Day O'Connor saw us there. I won't tell you what happened, but Lynne's Secret Service code name is now Dollar Bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: She was very funny.
You were there.
Was the crowd just in stitches the whole time? HEMMER: Well, you know, you go to these events, right, and you expect the president to get up and maybe crack a one-liner and then sit back down. But when she came up there, she ripped it.
O'BRIEN: And she kept going and going.
HEMMER: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And going.
HEMMER: And to his credit, he sat back and took it as a good husband would.
O'BRIEN: Well, I'm sure he approved all of the jokes ahead of time.
HEMMER: Do you think so?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HEMMER: Oh. Lynne Cheney took a good ribbing, too. And Condoleezza Rice was in the crosshairs after that so.
O'BRIEN: Yes. That was funny.
HEMMER: It was a good night and some good humor, too.
In a moment here, parents get a chance to make family friendly versions of their favorite films. But Hollywood apparently is not happy about it. Parents' rights versus freedom of speech, the next half hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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