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CNN Live Today

Search for Alleged South Carolina Molester Spanning the Globe; Some Perspective on Gas Prices

Aired May 06, 2005 - 10:30   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: We are right at the half hour. Good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Let's take a look at what's happening now in the news. Traffic in moving once again against -- across the Manhattan Bridge, just about 90 minutes after New York police shut down the entire span because of a suspicious package. Earlier this hour, authorities determined the backpack was harmless and had apparently fallen from a train overpass.

We're following a developing story out of Iraq, where a suicide car bomber struck in an area known as the "Triangle of Death." The attack on the crowded market has left at least 22 people dead and 43 wounded. The city is about 25 miles south of Baghdad. It has long been an insurgent stronghold.

Deteriorating weather is hampering efforts to rescue six climbers stranded on Mouth Everest. They were stranded by an avalanche and are being treated in a makeshift tent. Two Americans are among the injured, along with two Canadians and two Sherpa guides.

And hopeful news just in on the economy. The nation's unemployment rate held steady in April at 5.2 percent. The Labor Department says more than a quarter-million jobs were added in the month. Officials also say job gains for February and March were bigger than first thought.

Authorities in Tallahassee, Florida today arrested a sexual predator missing since Tuesday. Patrick Wayne Bell was the object of manhunt after he cut off his tracking device. Bell served five years in prison for child molestation. He was released last month.

The search for an alleged South Carolina molester has lasted for weeks and is spanning the globe. He's ability to elude authorities may not be surprising to his accusers. They say he's experienced at leading two separate lives.

That story now from CNN Randi Kaye from Charleston, South Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was once a respected police officer in Charleston, South Carolina. Now Daniel William Hiers is the focus of an international manhunt, accused of molestation and murder. LESLIE: I was scared. I was in shock.

KAYE: This woman, Leslie, asked us not use her last name. Her 11-year-old daughter is one of Hiers' alleged victims.

Hiers and the little girl met in this karate class. Hiers took no interest in the mother, but a strong interest in the girl, who was 20 years younger. He took her shopping, bought her expensive gifts, drove her to karate, and sent her flowers twice.

Leslie, a single mom, was suspicious at first. But Hiers assured her his intentions were good. She even planned to make Hiers the girl's legal guardian, should something happen to her mom.

LESLIE: He stepped in as a father to my daughter. And I used to -- I used to thank God for him. I would pray and think, my God.

KAYE: That all changed when, after watching a video about inappropriate touching at school, Leslie's daughter told her Hiers had been touching her.

LESLIE: I gave her a hug. And I told her everything was going to be OK.

KAYE (on camera): How tough was that moment?

LESLIE: That was hard.

KAYE (voice-over): According to police, Hiers would take the girl to places like this Wal-Mart parking lot, fondle her repeatedly, even make her touch him.

LESLIE: She said that every time that they passed by there, that she knew what was going to happen, especially -- when he -- noticed that the truck was slowing down, and that she was just too scared to do anything.

KAYE (on camera): Why didn't the little girl come forward sooner? Her mother told me Hiers threatened her. He told her, if she talked about the abuse, she would get in trouble, that no one would believe her because he was a police officer.

(voice-over): But investigators did believe her and moved to arrest Hiers and charge him with lewd acts with a minor. It was then they discovered Hiers had a wife, that had been leading a double life.

Hiers met Mila Cohe De Aruz (ph) in 1996. She was vacationing in Miami from Brazil. Hiers was 23, Mila just 15. They married two years later.

ALESANDRO COHE DE ARUJO, SISTER OF MURDERED WIFE: I believe -- I believe my family, my sister, everybody, we were fooled by him.

KAYE: Mila's sister Alesandro, remembers how charming Hiers could be. She also remembers how distant he became as his wife started to mature into a woman. DE ARUJO: They didn't have a normal sexual life. They used to pass a month or three months without having any kind of contact.

KAYE: Hiers began to ignore his wife. The couple stopped going out together.

(on camera): Did you have any indication at all that he had a wife at home and was married?

COKERS: No. That's the biggest shock. We had no clue that he had a wife. None of us knew.

KAYE (voice-over): Dale Cokers owns the karate school where Hiers befriended Leslie's daughter. He talked with Hiers every week and there was never any mention of a wife.

COKERS: We never saw a wife. He never brought her here for any special events we had. We have never seen her.

KAYE: Leslie and her daughter never met Hiers' wife either. He told them she had gone back to Brazil to file for divorce.

DE ARUJO: He's mysterious, very much mysterious.

KAYE: Alesandro says her sister pleaded with Hiers to stop spending so much time with Leslie's daughter.

(on camera): Did your sister ever think that he liked little girls?

DE ARUJO: She thought that -- she used to told me, Dan loves to stay with the little girls. I think, when we have children, he want to be father of a girl. It's what everybody thought.

KAYE (voice-over): Then police began to uncover disturbing evidence of Hiers' treatment of Leslie's little girl. As he was about to face more serious charges of molestation, the case took a deadly turn.

(on camera): When Hiers didn't turn himself in the morning of March 15 to face a second round of molestation charges, investigators came here to his home. They found his wife dead and Hiers missing, launching an international manhunt.

(voice-over): According to police, Mila was shot while she slept. Neighbors reported seeing Hiers going in and out of the house at about the time of the murder.

Hours later, this surveillance camera captured Hiers at a South Carolina gas station. He calmly withdrew several hundred dollars from the store's ATM, waved to the cashier on his way out, and he hasn't been seen since.

In Hiers' hometown of Hampton, South Carolina, wanted posters hang in store windows. And the manhunt is...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: It would appear we have a little audio problem with the end of Randi Kaye's package, but that's Randi Kaye reporting from Charleston, South Carolina. I can tell you that Hier's attorney did not respond to repeated calls for comment. His family also declined to speak with CNN.

News coming from overseas, literally over the seas today. CNN getting word that President Bush onboard Air Force one. He is on his way to Latvia, to Rigo (ph), Latvia today, that he used the time to pick up the phone and call British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Blair yesterday winning a third term as prime minister of Britain. That is making history there, the first time in the history of the Labor Party that somebody has had three consecutive terms. The president might have also wished Mr. Blair a happy birthday. Today is Blair's 52nd birthday.

By the way, President Bush and Mrs. Bush headed on a four-day four-country trip commemorating the end of World War II in Europe.

Moving through life at the speed of light makes it all the more likely a crash could be coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I need is a husband who will not just stand there!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you want me to do? Get us both shot?

Give me the keys!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just had a gun pointed in my face, and it was my fault because I knew it was going to happen!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Still to come, a new film follows a multiethnic cast in the streets of Los Angeles. What happened when their world literally crashed.

Plus, a special bonus this Friday, a speak peek at the new "Star Wars" movie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: The force is a pathway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: Let's talk about what everybody is. The high gas prices generating talk, a lot of blame as well. According to our latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, 38 percent of those surveyed said the Bush administration deserves a great deal of blame for the increased prices, 27 percent says a moderate is to blame. And half of those polled all placing a great deal of blame on oil-producing countries; 26 percent say they deserve a moderate about to blame.

Well, for those fuming over gas, some perspective might be in order here. Kathleen Hays we hear from once again, driving that point home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When it comes to high gas prices, Americans love to complain. But few of us are ready to change our ways.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, I still go to work, and still go to the club and, you know, do my errands.

HAYS: And now it seems we're even getting used to them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The $2.00 mark seems to be like the benchmark. You know, it used to be, what, $1.75, and now, oh, it's $2, that's great. So we've kind of changed our baseline of where we think things are OK.

HAYS: But if you can get past the sticker so shock and look at recent economic history, you'll see that while gas prices have shot higher, the average American income has grown even faster. That means gas, even at near record prices, is still affordable for many families.

A.F. ALHAJJI, OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY: What we pay today, related to income, is much less than what we paid in 1981.

HAYS (on camera): But averages don't tell the whole story. Wealthy Americans with high incomes and growing wages can easily absorb these costs. For Americans whose incomes aren't keeping up -- retirees, low-income workers -- high gas prices cause more than psychological pain at the pump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It makes a big difference to me. When you're on a fixed income, you know, I have to work a part-time job to make ends meet.

JARED BERNSTEIN, ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Remember, wages for the typical low-end worker are barely keeping up with inflation. So they've got the double whammy of higher gas prices and lower income, and that makes it all that much harder for them to absorb these increases.

HAYS (voice-over): The wealthiest 20 percent of Americans spent less than 2 percent of their after-tax incomes on gasoline in 2003, the latest year of which government statistics are available. The poorest 20 percent paid nearly 7.5 percent of their incomes for gas. And now with gas prices about 40 percent higher, they're probably spending closer to 10 percent.

Kathleen Hays, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Coming up, we're previewing the summer's movie lineup.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Learn to know the dark side of the Force and you will achieve a power greater than any Jedi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Plus, something you don't want to miss, a special sneak peek at the next "Star Wars." Mr. Moviefone comes up next. He has seen the new "Star Wars."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you with me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Well, if the Middle Ages is your thing, you can go to the Renaissance Festival and shout "hooza" (ph) all day. Or if you want to experience the bloody reality of the Crusades, just check out Ridley Scott's new epic "Kingdom of Heaven." But is it any good?

That's why we have our film reviewer, Russ Leatherman. He has been to the "Kingdom of Heaven" and he has returned to tell us about it. Plus, some other new releases, including the new "Star Wars," which we'll get to in a moment.

First, two words: Orlando Bloom. Say no more.

RUSS LEATHERMAN, MR. MOVIEFONE: He is hunk-a-licious, isn't he, Daryn?

KAGAN: He's pretty cute. I got to say. I mean, he's no Russ Leatherman.

LEATHERMAN: You know, that's what I'm thinking.

KAGAN: Let's be clear about that, yes.

LEATHERMAN: They actually offered me the lead in the movie, but I took a pass.

KAGAN: Because you wanted to do these movie reviews instead.

LEATHERMAN: That's exactly right. KAGAN: How's the movie?

LEATHERMAN: You know what, the movie's really good. It's "Kingdom of Heaven" we're talking about and Orlando Bloom is the star of it. He plays the lead. And he really plays a young blacksmith. Liam Neeson plays his father and asks him to come defend Jerusalem against the invading Muslims. And this is a big sword and sandal epic. We've had a bunch of these that have really been awful recently. But that's the difference between this one and those.

This is directed by Ridley Scott, the same guy who did "Gladiator." And if anybody knows how to direct one of these kinds of movies and put 1,000 extras in a battle scene to make it believable, it's Ridley Scott. I like this movie. I thought Orlando Bloom was good. He wasn't great. You didn't really believe that he could necessarily be the leader that they make him out to be in the movie.

But aside from that, brilliant, beautiful battle scenes. Ridley Scott is the master at this kind of thing, so if you like this sort of movie, this one's worth checking out.

KAGAN: OK, totally different type of movie. Modern times, a movie's that supposed to make you think, I think. It's called "Crash."

LEATHERMAN: Well, I think that's what movies are about. When you walk out of the theater and you're sort of shocked and talking to your friends about what happened, I think that makes it a good movie. And we are talking about "Crash." Lots of stars. Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Frasier, Danny Newton, Matt Dillon.

And really, the movie's about racial tension and lots of bad things that happen to people based in the city of Los Angeles. And this stuff happens all over the country and all over the world, obviously. But it follows a series of character whose lives are intertwined by various sort of racial incidents that they run into.

I thought this movie was amazingly well-done. It's the "Million Dollar Baby" screenwriter Paul Haggis, his directorial debut. It's a smart, well-done, thoughtful movie. A lot of people might be offended by some of the actions and dialogue. But like I said, I think if you walk out of a movie and you're talking about it and it makes you think about what's going in the real word, it's got to be pretty good. So I like this movie. I'm in.

KAGAN: Let's go the big mac daddy of the weekend, "Star Wars: Episode III." You've seen it. You went to a special preview.

LEATHERMAN: It's true, I did see it. And here's the thing I learned about this movie is: the movies may change, but the nerds remain the same.

KAGAN: And that's good that we can rely on that, don't you think?

LEATHERMAN: This is -- yes, I was sitting with an interesting bunch of characters, including our cameraman right here, who's as big a nerd as any of them. Let me tell you something. The people -- "Star Wars" fans are going to be pleasantly surprised. I thought this movie did a great job of wrapping up the entire series. We discover why Annikan becomes Darth Vader. And the effects are terrific. The story's good.

And "Star Wars" fans are just going to be delighted. This thing's going to make a bazillion dollars that the box office. I think it's why they're showing it to us this early. If you love these movies, this is much better than the last two, and you're going to be very, very pleased about seeing it.

KAGAN: But I've heard from other people it's dark, it's violent and you don't want to bring your 7-year-old to this movie.

LEATHERMAN: Well, I think that's true, but I don't think it's any darker or more violent than, you know, 7:00 p.m. T.V. or Saturday morning cartoons. There's a scene in it where there -- dark and violent, but for the most part, this is a really brilliantly done series closer. And for the "Star Wars" fans, I think they deserve to go out on a high note and this is definitely it. It is a little darker than the first two, but you know what? Don't take a five or six year old, but anybody above that can take it. And it's -- I was surprised. It's an amazingly well-done movie.

KAGAN: All right. Russ Leatherman, Mr. Moviefone. Thank you for the tips. Have a great weekend.

LEATHERMAN: You...

KAGAN: Let's -- cut off his microphone.

OK, let's check the time. 10:54 in Louisville, Kentucky, where the big hats are filling in for this weekend's Kentucky Derby. And it's 7:54 in Phoenix, Arizona, where the Diamondbacks are offering fans a chance to throw out the first pitch. But that one will set you back $4,000. Stay with us. We'll be back with a quick check of your morning forecast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: You might remember Alex Scott, the young girl who started a lemonade stand to raise money to fight cancer, even as she was dying of the disease. This weekend, her legacy lives on in the Kentucky Derby, of all places. We're going to talk with Alex's mother and the owner of a very special horse, as the second hour of CNN "LIVE TODAY" begins right now.

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 May 6, 2005 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are right at the half hour. Good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Let's take a look at what's happening now in the news. Traffic in moving once again against -- across the Manhattan Bridge, just about 90 minutes after New York police shut down the entire span because of a suspicious package. Earlier this hour, authorities determined the backpack was harmless and had apparently fallen from a train overpass.

We're following a developing story out of Iraq, where a suicide car bomber struck in an area known as the "Triangle of Death." The attack on the crowded market has left at least 22 people dead and 43 wounded. The city is about 25 miles south of Baghdad. It has long been an insurgent stronghold.

Deteriorating weather is hampering efforts to rescue six climbers stranded on Mouth Everest. They were stranded by an avalanche and are being treated in a makeshift tent. Two Americans are among the injured, along with two Canadians and two Sherpa guides.

And hopeful news just in on the economy. The nation's unemployment rate held steady in April at 5.2 percent. The Labor Department says more than a quarter-million jobs were added in the month. Officials also say job gains for February and March were bigger than first thought.

Authorities in Tallahassee, Florida today arrested a sexual predator missing since Tuesday. Patrick Wayne Bell was the object of manhunt after he cut off his tracking device. Bell served five years in prison for child molestation. He was released last month.

The search for an alleged South Carolina molester has lasted for weeks and is spanning the globe. He's ability to elude authorities may not be surprising to his accusers. They say he's experienced at leading two separate lives.

That story now from CNN Randi Kaye from Charleston, South Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was once a respected police officer in Charleston, South Carolina. Now Daniel William Hiers is the focus of an international manhunt, accused of molestation and murder. LESLIE: I was scared. I was in shock.

KAYE: This woman, Leslie, asked us not use her last name. Her 11-year-old daughter is one of Hiers' alleged victims.

Hiers and the little girl met in this karate class. Hiers took no interest in the mother, but a strong interest in the girl, who was 20 years younger. He took her shopping, bought her expensive gifts, drove her to karate, and sent her flowers twice.

Leslie, a single mom, was suspicious at first. But Hiers assured her his intentions were good. She even planned to make Hiers the girl's legal guardian, should something happen to her mom.

LESLIE: He stepped in as a father to my daughter. And I used to -- I used to thank God for him. I would pray and think, my God.

KAYE: That all changed when, after watching a video about inappropriate touching at school, Leslie's daughter told her Hiers had been touching her.

LESLIE: I gave her a hug. And I told her everything was going to be OK.

KAYE (on camera): How tough was that moment?

LESLIE: That was hard.

KAYE (voice-over): According to police, Hiers would take the girl to places like this Wal-Mart parking lot, fondle her repeatedly, even make her touch him.

LESLIE: She said that every time that they passed by there, that she knew what was going to happen, especially -- when he -- noticed that the truck was slowing down, and that she was just too scared to do anything.

KAYE (on camera): Why didn't the little girl come forward sooner? Her mother told me Hiers threatened her. He told her, if she talked about the abuse, she would get in trouble, that no one would believe her because he was a police officer.

(voice-over): But investigators did believe her and moved to arrest Hiers and charge him with lewd acts with a minor. It was then they discovered Hiers had a wife, that had been leading a double life.

Hiers met Mila Cohe De Aruz (ph) in 1996. She was vacationing in Miami from Brazil. Hiers was 23, Mila just 15. They married two years later.

ALESANDRO COHE DE ARUJO, SISTER OF MURDERED WIFE: I believe -- I believe my family, my sister, everybody, we were fooled by him.

KAYE: Mila's sister Alesandro, remembers how charming Hiers could be. She also remembers how distant he became as his wife started to mature into a woman. DE ARUJO: They didn't have a normal sexual life. They used to pass a month or three months without having any kind of contact.

KAYE: Hiers began to ignore his wife. The couple stopped going out together.

(on camera): Did you have any indication at all that he had a wife at home and was married?

COKERS: No. That's the biggest shock. We had no clue that he had a wife. None of us knew.

KAYE (voice-over): Dale Cokers owns the karate school where Hiers befriended Leslie's daughter. He talked with Hiers every week and there was never any mention of a wife.

COKERS: We never saw a wife. He never brought her here for any special events we had. We have never seen her.

KAYE: Leslie and her daughter never met Hiers' wife either. He told them she had gone back to Brazil to file for divorce.

DE ARUJO: He's mysterious, very much mysterious.

KAYE: Alesandro says her sister pleaded with Hiers to stop spending so much time with Leslie's daughter.

(on camera): Did your sister ever think that he liked little girls?

DE ARUJO: She thought that -- she used to told me, Dan loves to stay with the little girls. I think, when we have children, he want to be father of a girl. It's what everybody thought.

KAYE (voice-over): Then police began to uncover disturbing evidence of Hiers' treatment of Leslie's little girl. As he was about to face more serious charges of molestation, the case took a deadly turn.

(on camera): When Hiers didn't turn himself in the morning of March 15 to face a second round of molestation charges, investigators came here to his home. They found his wife dead and Hiers missing, launching an international manhunt.

(voice-over): According to police, Mila was shot while she slept. Neighbors reported seeing Hiers going in and out of the house at about the time of the murder.

Hours later, this surveillance camera captured Hiers at a South Carolina gas station. He calmly withdrew several hundred dollars from the store's ATM, waved to the cashier on his way out, and he hasn't been seen since.

In Hiers' hometown of Hampton, South Carolina, wanted posters hang in store windows. And the manhunt is...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: It would appear we have a little audio problem with the end of Randi Kaye's package, but that's Randi Kaye reporting from Charleston, South Carolina. I can tell you that Hier's attorney did not respond to repeated calls for comment. His family also declined to speak with CNN.

News coming from overseas, literally over the seas today. CNN getting word that President Bush onboard Air Force one. He is on his way to Latvia, to Rigo (ph), Latvia today, that he used the time to pick up the phone and call British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Blair yesterday winning a third term as prime minister of Britain. That is making history there, the first time in the history of the Labor Party that somebody has had three consecutive terms. The president might have also wished Mr. Blair a happy birthday. Today is Blair's 52nd birthday.

By the way, President Bush and Mrs. Bush headed on a four-day four-country trip commemorating the end of World War II in Europe.

Moving through life at the speed of light makes it all the more likely a crash could be coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I need is a husband who will not just stand there!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did you want me to do? Get us both shot?

Give me the keys!

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just had a gun pointed in my face, and it was my fault because I knew it was going to happen!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Still to come, a new film follows a multiethnic cast in the streets of Los Angeles. What happened when their world literally crashed.

Plus, a special bonus this Friday, a speak peek at the new "Star Wars" movie.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: The force is a pathway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: Let's talk about what everybody is. The high gas prices generating talk, a lot of blame as well. According to our latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll, 38 percent of those surveyed said the Bush administration deserves a great deal of blame for the increased prices, 27 percent says a moderate is to blame. And half of those polled all placing a great deal of blame on oil-producing countries; 26 percent say they deserve a moderate about to blame.

Well, for those fuming over gas, some perspective might be in order here. Kathleen Hays we hear from once again, driving that point home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When it comes to high gas prices, Americans love to complain. But few of us are ready to change our ways.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know, I still go to work, and still go to the club and, you know, do my errands.

HAYS: And now it seems we're even getting used to them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The $2.00 mark seems to be like the benchmark. You know, it used to be, what, $1.75, and now, oh, it's $2, that's great. So we've kind of changed our baseline of where we think things are OK.

HAYS: But if you can get past the sticker so shock and look at recent economic history, you'll see that while gas prices have shot higher, the average American income has grown even faster. That means gas, even at near record prices, is still affordable for many families.

A.F. ALHAJJI, OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY: What we pay today, related to income, is much less than what we paid in 1981.

HAYS (on camera): But averages don't tell the whole story. Wealthy Americans with high incomes and growing wages can easily absorb these costs. For Americans whose incomes aren't keeping up -- retirees, low-income workers -- high gas prices cause more than psychological pain at the pump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It makes a big difference to me. When you're on a fixed income, you know, I have to work a part-time job to make ends meet.

JARED BERNSTEIN, ECONOMIC POLICY INSTITUTE: Remember, wages for the typical low-end worker are barely keeping up with inflation. So they've got the double whammy of higher gas prices and lower income, and that makes it all that much harder for them to absorb these increases.

HAYS (voice-over): The wealthiest 20 percent of Americans spent less than 2 percent of their after-tax incomes on gasoline in 2003, the latest year of which government statistics are available. The poorest 20 percent paid nearly 7.5 percent of their incomes for gas. And now with gas prices about 40 percent higher, they're probably spending closer to 10 percent.

Kathleen Hays, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Coming up, we're previewing the summer's movie lineup.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Learn to know the dark side of the Force and you will achieve a power greater than any Jedi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Plus, something you don't want to miss, a special sneak peek at the next "Star Wars." Mr. Moviefone comes up next. He has seen the new "Star Wars."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you with me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Well, if the Middle Ages is your thing, you can go to the Renaissance Festival and shout "hooza" (ph) all day. Or if you want to experience the bloody reality of the Crusades, just check out Ridley Scott's new epic "Kingdom of Heaven." But is it any good?

That's why we have our film reviewer, Russ Leatherman. He has been to the "Kingdom of Heaven" and he has returned to tell us about it. Plus, some other new releases, including the new "Star Wars," which we'll get to in a moment.

First, two words: Orlando Bloom. Say no more.

RUSS LEATHERMAN, MR. MOVIEFONE: He is hunk-a-licious, isn't he, Daryn?

KAGAN: He's pretty cute. I got to say. I mean, he's no Russ Leatherman.

LEATHERMAN: You know, that's what I'm thinking.

KAGAN: Let's be clear about that, yes.

LEATHERMAN: They actually offered me the lead in the movie, but I took a pass.

KAGAN: Because you wanted to do these movie reviews instead.

LEATHERMAN: That's exactly right. KAGAN: How's the movie?

LEATHERMAN: You know what, the movie's really good. It's "Kingdom of Heaven" we're talking about and Orlando Bloom is the star of it. He plays the lead. And he really plays a young blacksmith. Liam Neeson plays his father and asks him to come defend Jerusalem against the invading Muslims. And this is a big sword and sandal epic. We've had a bunch of these that have really been awful recently. But that's the difference between this one and those.

This is directed by Ridley Scott, the same guy who did "Gladiator." And if anybody knows how to direct one of these kinds of movies and put 1,000 extras in a battle scene to make it believable, it's Ridley Scott. I like this movie. I thought Orlando Bloom was good. He wasn't great. You didn't really believe that he could necessarily be the leader that they make him out to be in the movie.

But aside from that, brilliant, beautiful battle scenes. Ridley Scott is the master at this kind of thing, so if you like this sort of movie, this one's worth checking out.

KAGAN: OK, totally different type of movie. Modern times, a movie's that supposed to make you think, I think. It's called "Crash."

LEATHERMAN: Well, I think that's what movies are about. When you walk out of the theater and you're sort of shocked and talking to your friends about what happened, I think that makes it a good movie. And we are talking about "Crash." Lots of stars. Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Frasier, Danny Newton, Matt Dillon.

And really, the movie's about racial tension and lots of bad things that happen to people based in the city of Los Angeles. And this stuff happens all over the country and all over the world, obviously. But it follows a series of character whose lives are intertwined by various sort of racial incidents that they run into.

I thought this movie was amazingly well-done. It's the "Million Dollar Baby" screenwriter Paul Haggis, his directorial debut. It's a smart, well-done, thoughtful movie. A lot of people might be offended by some of the actions and dialogue. But like I said, I think if you walk out of a movie and you're talking about it and it makes you think about what's going in the real word, it's got to be pretty good. So I like this movie. I'm in.

KAGAN: Let's go the big mac daddy of the weekend, "Star Wars: Episode III." You've seen it. You went to a special preview.

LEATHERMAN: It's true, I did see it. And here's the thing I learned about this movie is: the movies may change, but the nerds remain the same.

KAGAN: And that's good that we can rely on that, don't you think?

LEATHERMAN: This is -- yes, I was sitting with an interesting bunch of characters, including our cameraman right here, who's as big a nerd as any of them. Let me tell you something. The people -- "Star Wars" fans are going to be pleasantly surprised. I thought this movie did a great job of wrapping up the entire series. We discover why Annikan becomes Darth Vader. And the effects are terrific. The story's good.

And "Star Wars" fans are just going to be delighted. This thing's going to make a bazillion dollars that the box office. I think it's why they're showing it to us this early. If you love these movies, this is much better than the last two, and you're going to be very, very pleased about seeing it.

KAGAN: But I've heard from other people it's dark, it's violent and you don't want to bring your 7-year-old to this movie.

LEATHERMAN: Well, I think that's true, but I don't think it's any darker or more violent than, you know, 7:00 p.m. T.V. or Saturday morning cartoons. There's a scene in it where there -- dark and violent, but for the most part, this is a really brilliantly done series closer. And for the "Star Wars" fans, I think they deserve to go out on a high note and this is definitely it. It is a little darker than the first two, but you know what? Don't take a five or six year old, but anybody above that can take it. And it's -- I was surprised. It's an amazingly well-done movie.

KAGAN: All right. Russ Leatherman, Mr. Moviefone. Thank you for the tips. Have a great weekend.

LEATHERMAN: You...

KAGAN: Let's -- cut off his microphone.

OK, let's check the time. 10:54 in Louisville, Kentucky, where the big hats are filling in for this weekend's Kentucky Derby. And it's 7:54 in Phoenix, Arizona, where the Diamondbacks are offering fans a chance to throw out the first pitch. But that one will set you back $4,000. Stay with us. We'll be back with a quick check of your morning forecast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: You might remember Alex Scott, the young girl who started a lemonade stand to raise money to fight cancer, even as she was dying of the disease. This weekend, her legacy lives on in the Kentucky Derby, of all places. We're going to talk with Alex's mother and the owner of a very special horse, as the second hour of CNN "LIVE TODAY" begins right now.

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