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CNN Live Today

A Look at Gang Violence; Presidential Retreats

Aired May 11, 2005 - 11:30   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: And a North Carolina preacher who allegedly told John Kerry supporters in his church to repent or resign, well, he resigned last night. Reverend Chan Chandler's warning had divided the Baptist church. Close to 50 parishioners left in protest.
Keeping you informed, CNN is the most trusted name in news.

We want to show you a live picture right now. This is Waukegan, Illinois. We are waiting on a news conference with the Lake County state's attorney Michael Waller (ph) concerning Jerry Hobbs. He is currently in a bond hearing, being charged right now in the murder of his own daughter, Laura Hobbs and her best friend Krystal Tobias. They went out for a bike ride and a play date on Sunday, on Mother's Day. They were found dead on Monday. Laura Hobbs' father Jerry, a recently released ex-convict, is now being charged with those murders. So we'll go back live to Illinois when those news conferences begin.

Meanwhile, insurgents unleashed another round of deadly attacks in Iraq today. Six bombings and one shooting left at least 56 people dead and nearly 100 wounded. Four of the bombings were in Baghdad and there other explosions in cities to the north and south of the capital.

Meanwhile, U.S. forces battled insurgents near the Syrian border for a fourth day. A marine colonel says troops are encountering light resistance in Operation Matador. That operation is targeting insurgents and foreign fighters in the northwestern Anbar province.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) ... are zero. The conference report has agreed to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Our "Security Watch" this morning. The Senate unanimously passing a massive spending bill to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the bill also makes it harder to get a driver's license here in the U.S. Those tougher license rules were tacked onto the war bill. That has Democratic senators complaining they never really got a chance to debate the license rules.

The rules call for states to issue more uniform driver's licenses and for stronger proof of citizenship or legal status. The measure aimed at preventing legal immigrants from getting licenses. Critics say it ends up creating the equivalent of a national I.D. card and states say putting the measures in place would stick them with one big bill.

The controversial Patriot Act is the subject of a public hearing on Capitol Hill, as we look at live pictures this morning. The supporters of the new law -- of the law, say that it's necessary to continue fighting terrorism. Critics say portions of it go too far and undermine the civil liberties of ordinary Americans. Deputy Attorney General James Comey, Jr. is among those testifying today before the House Intelligence Committee.

Also on Capitol Hill, the House today is set to vote on another highly controversial bill to deal with violent gangs. It proposes reclassifying some gang activities as federal offenses, and that could result in more teenagers going to adult prisons.

Our Kelli Arena offers a disturbing view of the hardcore problems now confronting many communities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the MS-13 welcome wagon. New recruits are violently beaten for 13 seconds by gang members. This is how they treat friends. Their enemies receive much worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They will do anything like. They don't care about killing anybody.

ARENA: He should know. This MS-13 member, in his early 20s, who we will call Jose, agreed to be interviewed if his identity could be kept a secret. Seen here flashing gang signals, he's been a member since he was 16 and wants out, but says the only way he's leaving the gang is in a casket.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a family. That is why you have to stay in, never can get out.

ARENA: Jose says he can't even remove the many gang tattoos on his arms and legs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because you can get killed for take off your tattoo.

ARENA: It's the type of loyalty once enjoyed by traditional organized crime families and the FBI has decided to fight them the same way.

CHRIS SWECKER, FBI ASST. DIRECTOR: They are an emerging and up and coming gang. They are making efforts to organize themselves on a national scale and even international scale. We see an opportunity, through a coordinated effort, to knock them down before they become a force in more cities in the country.

ARENA: Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, was formed in Los Angeles in the late '80s by immigrants from El Salvador. Today gang units coast- to-coast are battling as many as 10,000 members in 33 states, according to the Justice Department. And the number of MS members increases five-fold if you include other countries. Back in February, immigration and customs enforcement agents have also launched a gang initiative aimed at MS and have arrested more than 200 members.

MICHAEL GARCIA, ASST. HOMELAND SECURITY SECY: We can not only take them off of the streets, detain them, but we can deport them from the United States.

ARENA: Still, even after deportation, many make their way back to the United States.

OFFICER DAMIEN LEVESOUI, LAPD GANG UNIT: The moment you start coming to the park and start hanging out with other gangsters, then it's not OK with me.

ARENA: Los Angeles police officers Damien Lavesoui and Matthew Ziegler work MS full-time as part of a gang unit that patrols the downtown area.

LEVESOUI: MS is unlike any other gang. They're very violent. They're very -- they have a very, very tight lip with their inner workings. Whereas other gang members do it for the machismo, MS does it for the business-oriented.

ARENA: Their so-called business mostly involves drug and weapons trafficking, auto theft and robberies and violently protecting their turf, often marked by graffiti.

LEVESOUI: The gang's abbreviation, MS, for Mara Salvatrucha. They have MS written. You have 13, which signifies that they're a Southern California street gang. It has a reference to the Mexican mafia.

ARENA: The LAPD has been dealing with the MS problem the longest, and often lends its expertise to other police departments. Cops are using experimental technology to match pictures of suspected MS members with those already on file. And California courts have issued injunctions, restricting the movements of known gang members.

OFFICER MATTHEW ZEIGLER, LAPD GANG UNIT: It's a court order that prohibits them from doing certain activities such as hanging out together, being out after 10:00, being in the area of alcohol. And my partner and I are going out and we're enforcing the gang injunction and it's working.

ARENA: Enforcement, though, is just half the battle. Communities have to convince young people that gangs are not the answer. Jose says since he's been a member, MS has gone after younger recruits as young as 12.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, I see a lot of kids, you know, from school trying to be in MS. They're trying to be tough because they think they can get a girl, you know? Being in MS gets, what they see is like MS getting big, you know.

ARENA: And he says this new generation is even more lethal, showing no remorse for spilling innocent blood. For CNN's America Bureau, Kelli Arena in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: CNN's "Security Watch" keeps you up-to-date on your safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

36 minutes past the hour. The Secret Service got a scary report out of Tbilisi, Georgia, hours after President Bush spoke at a crowded public scare. Georgian officials say a grenade was found about 100 feet from where the president was speaking. However, it was determined to be an old Soviet-style practice grenade and not explosive. The Secret Service was only informed after President Bush was already on his way back to the U.S.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee might vote tomorrow on John Bolton's nomination as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. That is, if Democrats don't force another delay. Not all Republicans are on boar, either, at least not yet. Senator Lincoln Chafee says he is leaning towards voting for Bolton, but has not made up his mind. A major sticking point for many lawmakers are sensational allegations that Bolton was an overbearing and abusive boss at the State Department.

Join us tonight for "Bad Bosses: What Makes Them So Bad?" That's on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific right here on CNN.

A ranch in Crawford, Texas is President Bush's retreat, but where did President Clinton and where did President Roosevelt go when they wanted to get away from the White House? We will show you. And what you can learn about the men from that.

And "CSI," the TV phenomenon, has taken on a life of its own. But now we meet the real-life investigator who inspired some of "CSI: Miami"'s dramatic storylines. Behind the scenes of the hit show, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's show you this video that we're just getting in from Santa Maria, California. That is child star Macaulay Culkin, arriving at the courthouse in Santa Maria. We're getting word he is being sworn in at this very moment in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. Witnesses earlier in the trial said that Culkin, when he was younger -- he's now 24 -- that he was a frequent guest at Jackson's Neverland Ranch in the early '90s. He, though, as we understand it, is testifying for the defense and will deny that anything untold ever happened between and the entertainer. So more from Santa Maria coming up in a bit. Right now, another break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's check in on some health news this morning. Raising awareness about Lou Gehrig's Disease, also known as ALS. The ALS Association is holding a news conference in Washington. The group is releasing a report that shows a significantly higher risk of disease among military veterans. ALS attacks nerves cells in the brain, causing muscles to waste away.

All-terrain vehicles popular for both work and play, but they account for roughly 600 deaths a year. That's according to the government. A group, Concerned Families for ATV Safety, is announcing new safety initiatives this hour. Many of those killed or injured on ATVs are children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL ELLERT KEEZER, MOTHER: Alex had left to go camping and was to return on Sunday evening. At 6:00 p.m., I got a phone call that would change my life forever, the phone call that every mother hopes she will never receive. The hysterical voice on the other end of the line told me that Alex had been killed from injuries he received while riding an adult-size ATV. During the crash, the 500 pound machine landed on top of him, killing him in minutes. The autopsy report stated that he died of asphyxiation. On that day, I died, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The family group hopes to pressure ATV manufactures to make changes that could save lives. And they want children and parents to take ATV safety courses before they go riding on the machines.

The stories are fictional, but many of the storylines from the popular "CSI" series are inspired by real life. They're often based on the experiences of a veteran crime-scene investigator who has now turned into a TV producer.

Senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A quick rehearsal.

And, action!

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Whoa, man, what the hell are you doing.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You've been lying to me for months.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Don't be stupid, put the gun down!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cut!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here's what a day on the job looks like for Elizabeth Devine, in the middle of the Florida Everglades followed by a CNN news crew.

For this show, the "CSI" crew set fire to the Everglades, a controlled burn with real firefighters standing by. They go to great heights to get the shot, as airboats race by below.

Check out the finished product, the chase scene.

The story is fictional drama, a serial killer on the loose, but parts of it inspired by real life, and Devine's days as a top-notch criminalist.

LIZ DEVINE, PRODUCER, "CSI MIAMI": OK, good.

GUPTA: She works closely with the director and the actors giving them advice from the field.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want it to seem like that guy's going to be the problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cut! next!

GUPTA: The labs on "CSI" and "CSI Miami" are modeled on this, the L.A. County sheriff's crime lab.

DEVINE: So this is my old stomping grounds.

GUPTA: For 15 years, Elizabeth worked on high-profile and often grisly cases.

DEVINE: This was a bloodstain on his shirt, and I was able to prove that it was the victim's handprint, and the victim grabbed his shirt while she was still alive.

GUPTA (on camera): She grabbed it while he was stabbing her.

DEVINE: She grabbed it, and grabbed it like that.

GUPTA: Especially with the blood spatter and the whole (INAUDIBLE).

DEVINE: Yes. Yes.

GUPTA (voice-over): She says that while she doesn't miss dealing with the tragedies or the long hours, the adrenaline rush was hard to give up.

DEVINE: When you get out there and you find the key piece of evidence, it's so exciting because you know this is it. This is the piece of evidence that's going to tell me who did it.

GUPTA (on camera): A lot of "CSI," the original "CSI," is based on some of the stuff you worked on here, and you saw here in the crime lab here.

DEVINE: My whole life is on that show. Everything that happened to me, you know, I would just talk to the writers and we would somehow incorporate little bits, sometimes the whole case into episodes.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A CNN primetime special, "ANATOMY OF A MURDER: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION" will take place Sunday night at 10:00 Eastern. It's hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

So you're the president of the United States. Pretty stressful job. Where do you go to get away from it all? Up next, we'll show you many different presidential retreats, from Truman to President Bush.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's get away from it all. Kennebunkport, Warm Springs, Monticello. If this the "Jeopardy," the question would be, what are presidential retreats? The new brook hitting stores today all about life outside the White House. It's called "From Mt. Vernon to Crawford: A History of Presidents and Their Retreats."

Ken Walsh, the man to write this book. His full-time job is chief White House correspondent for "U.S. News and World Report." Ken, good morning.

KEN WALSH, AUTHOR, "FROM MT. VERNON TO CRAWFORD": Good morning. Nice to be with you.

KAGAN: We need a book on how do you have free time when you're a chief White House correspondent. But that's a different story.

WALSH: That is, yes.

KAGAN: OK. So presidents -- it's kind of a stressful job. Easy to say. They need a place to get away from it all.

WALSH: They do. And what I tried to do in the book is to show what the presidents are really like when they get away from the facades and the spin of the White House. And there's no better place to see that than at the retreats and hideaways that they've used, going all the way back to George Washington at Mt. Vernon and Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.

KAGAN: This picture right here is of the Reagans at Rancho del Cielo, just outside of Santa Barbara.

WALSH: Exactly. And the Reagans used their ranch really as a -- almost like a love nest. I mean, their relationship and their lifelong love affair was real. And they really did not want to be bothered by a lot of official duties. Now, a president can never escape his official duties. But the Reagans really wanted to just be by themselves.

President Clinton -- he did not have a home of his own, was not a wealthy man. And he went up to Martha's Vineyard for six of his eight presidential summers, where he liked to go to the beach and he liked to be out with parties. He liked to be the center of attention. Sort of the essence of Bill Clinton. A gregarious guy.

KAGAN: Hanging with the celebrities. You say President Johnson really let it all loose.

WALSH: He did. Well, President Johnson had his own ranch in Texas. President Bush, of course, has one today. And Johnson, at his ranch, you could see sort of this breathtakingly audacious personality. He -- one story about Johnson at the ranch is that he liked to have -- he had an amphibious car, which he used, which could float in the water. He liked to put people in the car, drive them around, and then down a hill into a lake or a river he had on the property and shout out, "The brakes won't hold!"

KAGAN: Ha.

WALSH: And everybody got scared, the car plunged into the water and then they realized it could float. And Johnson thought that was really funny.

KAGAN: Boy, a good old time. For the current President Bush, he likes to take folks out and chop wood at his retreat.

WALSH: He does. He chops -- he uses a chainsaw, but he does chop wood. He burns it. And you know, they -- the Secret Service doesn't like the president near the flames. But President Bush, as so many other presidents, just likes the physical exercise of getting out. And it's so different from Washington, it's so different from the routines and protocols.

He can have privacy, he can be himself, and he can get back to sort of, more of a Texas lifestyle. He likes use the ranch, as so many other presidents do with their retreats, as sort of the top perk of office, to welcome people like Vladimir Putin of Russia, who we just saw.

KAGAN: We just saw the Saudi prince.

WALSH: Right, the Prince Abdullah. And this is sort of the ultimate perk. People really -- foreign leaders really love to be invited to the ranch, and President Bush really knows how to show them around. He loves to give them a sense that they're in his inner sanctum. And he's made a lot of decisions there on the war against terrorism and so on. But you can see the essence of President Bush as sort of a guy who understands the importance of sort of a personal schmoozing factor, but also, the importance of privacy, which he really values at his ranch.

KAGAN: Right. And more just than like a getaways book, your book is interesting because you do get to see the personal side of the men who hold and have held this office. Ken Walsh, thank you so much.

WALSH: Thank you.

KAGAN: We'll have you on for a how you find free time segment. Coming up.

WALSH: That's great.

KAGAN: Very interesting. Ken Walsh. "From Mt. Vernon to Crawford." Thank you, Ken.

WALSH: Thank you.

KAGAN: Now let's go ahead and find out what's coming up at the top of the hour, "NEWS FROM CNN." Wolf has been to share of presidential retreats and covered them, back in your White House days.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And I know Ken Walsh also, and he's a great, great, reporter, a good guy. And I'm sure it's going to be an excellent book for all of our viewers. Daryn, thanks very much.

Let me tell you and our viewers what we have in store coming up on "NEWS FROM CNN."

The search for a motive. A father charged with killing his own daughter and her playmate goes to court. What's next in this awful, awful case? We'll go live to the scene.

Also, thousands of United Airlines employees face the possibility of losing their pension benefits. But the story does not end there. Many other pension plans also could be in jeopardy. We'll take a closer look.

And the battle over the controversial nomination of John Bolton as the next U.S. ambassador to the U.N. A vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee could come as early as tomorrow. Is he the best person for the job? We'll go in depth with two key members of that committee.

All that, much more, coming up on "NEWS FROM CNN." Daryn, in the meantime, back to you.

KAGAN: Profile in the making, Wolf. "Bearded Men Who Covered the White House." You and Ken Walsh. He can't hear me. Otherwise, he would think that was very funny. I promise you.

We're going to check in on business news coming up, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: That's going to do it for me. I'm Daryn Kagan. We're going to wrap up our Wednesday broadcast. But you're in very good hands, because Wolf Blitzer is there in Washington, D.C.

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 11, 2005 - 11:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And a North Carolina preacher who allegedly told John Kerry supporters in his church to repent or resign, well, he resigned last night. Reverend Chan Chandler's warning had divided the Baptist church. Close to 50 parishioners left in protest.
Keeping you informed, CNN is the most trusted name in news.

We want to show you a live picture right now. This is Waukegan, Illinois. We are waiting on a news conference with the Lake County state's attorney Michael Waller (ph) concerning Jerry Hobbs. He is currently in a bond hearing, being charged right now in the murder of his own daughter, Laura Hobbs and her best friend Krystal Tobias. They went out for a bike ride and a play date on Sunday, on Mother's Day. They were found dead on Monday. Laura Hobbs' father Jerry, a recently released ex-convict, is now being charged with those murders. So we'll go back live to Illinois when those news conferences begin.

Meanwhile, insurgents unleashed another round of deadly attacks in Iraq today. Six bombings and one shooting left at least 56 people dead and nearly 100 wounded. Four of the bombings were in Baghdad and there other explosions in cities to the north and south of the capital.

Meanwhile, U.S. forces battled insurgents near the Syrian border for a fourth day. A marine colonel says troops are encountering light resistance in Operation Matador. That operation is targeting insurgents and foreign fighters in the northwestern Anbar province.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) ... are zero. The conference report has agreed to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Our "Security Watch" this morning. The Senate unanimously passing a massive spending bill to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the bill also makes it harder to get a driver's license here in the U.S. Those tougher license rules were tacked onto the war bill. That has Democratic senators complaining they never really got a chance to debate the license rules.

The rules call for states to issue more uniform driver's licenses and for stronger proof of citizenship or legal status. The measure aimed at preventing legal immigrants from getting licenses. Critics say it ends up creating the equivalent of a national I.D. card and states say putting the measures in place would stick them with one big bill.

The controversial Patriot Act is the subject of a public hearing on Capitol Hill, as we look at live pictures this morning. The supporters of the new law -- of the law, say that it's necessary to continue fighting terrorism. Critics say portions of it go too far and undermine the civil liberties of ordinary Americans. Deputy Attorney General James Comey, Jr. is among those testifying today before the House Intelligence Committee.

Also on Capitol Hill, the House today is set to vote on another highly controversial bill to deal with violent gangs. It proposes reclassifying some gang activities as federal offenses, and that could result in more teenagers going to adult prisons.

Our Kelli Arena offers a disturbing view of the hardcore problems now confronting many communities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the MS-13 welcome wagon. New recruits are violently beaten for 13 seconds by gang members. This is how they treat friends. Their enemies receive much worse.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They will do anything like. They don't care about killing anybody.

ARENA: He should know. This MS-13 member, in his early 20s, who we will call Jose, agreed to be interviewed if his identity could be kept a secret. Seen here flashing gang signals, he's been a member since he was 16 and wants out, but says the only way he's leaving the gang is in a casket.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a family. That is why you have to stay in, never can get out.

ARENA: Jose says he can't even remove the many gang tattoos on his arms and legs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because you can get killed for take off your tattoo.

ARENA: It's the type of loyalty once enjoyed by traditional organized crime families and the FBI has decided to fight them the same way.

CHRIS SWECKER, FBI ASST. DIRECTOR: They are an emerging and up and coming gang. They are making efforts to organize themselves on a national scale and even international scale. We see an opportunity, through a coordinated effort, to knock them down before they become a force in more cities in the country.

ARENA: Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, was formed in Los Angeles in the late '80s by immigrants from El Salvador. Today gang units coast- to-coast are battling as many as 10,000 members in 33 states, according to the Justice Department. And the number of MS members increases five-fold if you include other countries. Back in February, immigration and customs enforcement agents have also launched a gang initiative aimed at MS and have arrested more than 200 members.

MICHAEL GARCIA, ASST. HOMELAND SECURITY SECY: We can not only take them off of the streets, detain them, but we can deport them from the United States.

ARENA: Still, even after deportation, many make their way back to the United States.

OFFICER DAMIEN LEVESOUI, LAPD GANG UNIT: The moment you start coming to the park and start hanging out with other gangsters, then it's not OK with me.

ARENA: Los Angeles police officers Damien Lavesoui and Matthew Ziegler work MS full-time as part of a gang unit that patrols the downtown area.

LEVESOUI: MS is unlike any other gang. They're very violent. They're very -- they have a very, very tight lip with their inner workings. Whereas other gang members do it for the machismo, MS does it for the business-oriented.

ARENA: Their so-called business mostly involves drug and weapons trafficking, auto theft and robberies and violently protecting their turf, often marked by graffiti.

LEVESOUI: The gang's abbreviation, MS, for Mara Salvatrucha. They have MS written. You have 13, which signifies that they're a Southern California street gang. It has a reference to the Mexican mafia.

ARENA: The LAPD has been dealing with the MS problem the longest, and often lends its expertise to other police departments. Cops are using experimental technology to match pictures of suspected MS members with those already on file. And California courts have issued injunctions, restricting the movements of known gang members.

OFFICER MATTHEW ZEIGLER, LAPD GANG UNIT: It's a court order that prohibits them from doing certain activities such as hanging out together, being out after 10:00, being in the area of alcohol. And my partner and I are going out and we're enforcing the gang injunction and it's working.

ARENA: Enforcement, though, is just half the battle. Communities have to convince young people that gangs are not the answer. Jose says since he's been a member, MS has gone after younger recruits as young as 12.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, I see a lot of kids, you know, from school trying to be in MS. They're trying to be tough because they think they can get a girl, you know? Being in MS gets, what they see is like MS getting big, you know.

ARENA: And he says this new generation is even more lethal, showing no remorse for spilling innocent blood. For CNN's America Bureau, Kelli Arena in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: CNN's "Security Watch" keeps you up-to-date on your safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

36 minutes past the hour. The Secret Service got a scary report out of Tbilisi, Georgia, hours after President Bush spoke at a crowded public scare. Georgian officials say a grenade was found about 100 feet from where the president was speaking. However, it was determined to be an old Soviet-style practice grenade and not explosive. The Secret Service was only informed after President Bush was already on his way back to the U.S.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee might vote tomorrow on John Bolton's nomination as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. That is, if Democrats don't force another delay. Not all Republicans are on boar, either, at least not yet. Senator Lincoln Chafee says he is leaning towards voting for Bolton, but has not made up his mind. A major sticking point for many lawmakers are sensational allegations that Bolton was an overbearing and abusive boss at the State Department.

Join us tonight for "Bad Bosses: What Makes Them So Bad?" That's on "ANDERSON COOPER 360." 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific right here on CNN.

A ranch in Crawford, Texas is President Bush's retreat, but where did President Clinton and where did President Roosevelt go when they wanted to get away from the White House? We will show you. And what you can learn about the men from that.

And "CSI," the TV phenomenon, has taken on a life of its own. But now we meet the real-life investigator who inspired some of "CSI: Miami"'s dramatic storylines. Behind the scenes of the hit show, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's show you this video that we're just getting in from Santa Maria, California. That is child star Macaulay Culkin, arriving at the courthouse in Santa Maria. We're getting word he is being sworn in at this very moment in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial. Witnesses earlier in the trial said that Culkin, when he was younger -- he's now 24 -- that he was a frequent guest at Jackson's Neverland Ranch in the early '90s. He, though, as we understand it, is testifying for the defense and will deny that anything untold ever happened between and the entertainer. So more from Santa Maria coming up in a bit. Right now, another break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's check in on some health news this morning. Raising awareness about Lou Gehrig's Disease, also known as ALS. The ALS Association is holding a news conference in Washington. The group is releasing a report that shows a significantly higher risk of disease among military veterans. ALS attacks nerves cells in the brain, causing muscles to waste away.

All-terrain vehicles popular for both work and play, but they account for roughly 600 deaths a year. That's according to the government. A group, Concerned Families for ATV Safety, is announcing new safety initiatives this hour. Many of those killed or injured on ATVs are children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL ELLERT KEEZER, MOTHER: Alex had left to go camping and was to return on Sunday evening. At 6:00 p.m., I got a phone call that would change my life forever, the phone call that every mother hopes she will never receive. The hysterical voice on the other end of the line told me that Alex had been killed from injuries he received while riding an adult-size ATV. During the crash, the 500 pound machine landed on top of him, killing him in minutes. The autopsy report stated that he died of asphyxiation. On that day, I died, too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The family group hopes to pressure ATV manufactures to make changes that could save lives. And they want children and parents to take ATV safety courses before they go riding on the machines.

The stories are fictional, but many of the storylines from the popular "CSI" series are inspired by real life. They're often based on the experiences of a veteran crime-scene investigator who has now turned into a TV producer.

Senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A quick rehearsal.

And, action!

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Whoa, man, what the hell are you doing.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: You've been lying to me for months.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Don't be stupid, put the gun down!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cut!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here's what a day on the job looks like for Elizabeth Devine, in the middle of the Florida Everglades followed by a CNN news crew.

For this show, the "CSI" crew set fire to the Everglades, a controlled burn with real firefighters standing by. They go to great heights to get the shot, as airboats race by below.

Check out the finished product, the chase scene.

The story is fictional drama, a serial killer on the loose, but parts of it inspired by real life, and Devine's days as a top-notch criminalist.

LIZ DEVINE, PRODUCER, "CSI MIAMI": OK, good.

GUPTA: She works closely with the director and the actors giving them advice from the field.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want it to seem like that guy's going to be the problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cut! next!

GUPTA: The labs on "CSI" and "CSI Miami" are modeled on this, the L.A. County sheriff's crime lab.

DEVINE: So this is my old stomping grounds.

GUPTA: For 15 years, Elizabeth worked on high-profile and often grisly cases.

DEVINE: This was a bloodstain on his shirt, and I was able to prove that it was the victim's handprint, and the victim grabbed his shirt while she was still alive.

GUPTA (on camera): She grabbed it while he was stabbing her.

DEVINE: She grabbed it, and grabbed it like that.

GUPTA: Especially with the blood spatter and the whole (INAUDIBLE).

DEVINE: Yes. Yes.

GUPTA (voice-over): She says that while she doesn't miss dealing with the tragedies or the long hours, the adrenaline rush was hard to give up.

DEVINE: When you get out there and you find the key piece of evidence, it's so exciting because you know this is it. This is the piece of evidence that's going to tell me who did it.

GUPTA (on camera): A lot of "CSI," the original "CSI," is based on some of the stuff you worked on here, and you saw here in the crime lab here.

DEVINE: My whole life is on that show. Everything that happened to me, you know, I would just talk to the writers and we would somehow incorporate little bits, sometimes the whole case into episodes.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A CNN primetime special, "ANATOMY OF A MURDER: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION" will take place Sunday night at 10:00 Eastern. It's hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

So you're the president of the United States. Pretty stressful job. Where do you go to get away from it all? Up next, we'll show you many different presidential retreats, from Truman to President Bush.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's get away from it all. Kennebunkport, Warm Springs, Monticello. If this the "Jeopardy," the question would be, what are presidential retreats? The new brook hitting stores today all about life outside the White House. It's called "From Mt. Vernon to Crawford: A History of Presidents and Their Retreats."

Ken Walsh, the man to write this book. His full-time job is chief White House correspondent for "U.S. News and World Report." Ken, good morning.

KEN WALSH, AUTHOR, "FROM MT. VERNON TO CRAWFORD": Good morning. Nice to be with you.

KAGAN: We need a book on how do you have free time when you're a chief White House correspondent. But that's a different story.

WALSH: That is, yes.

KAGAN: OK. So presidents -- it's kind of a stressful job. Easy to say. They need a place to get away from it all.

WALSH: They do. And what I tried to do in the book is to show what the presidents are really like when they get away from the facades and the spin of the White House. And there's no better place to see that than at the retreats and hideaways that they've used, going all the way back to George Washington at Mt. Vernon and Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.

KAGAN: This picture right here is of the Reagans at Rancho del Cielo, just outside of Santa Barbara.

WALSH: Exactly. And the Reagans used their ranch really as a -- almost like a love nest. I mean, their relationship and their lifelong love affair was real. And they really did not want to be bothered by a lot of official duties. Now, a president can never escape his official duties. But the Reagans really wanted to just be by themselves.

President Clinton -- he did not have a home of his own, was not a wealthy man. And he went up to Martha's Vineyard for six of his eight presidential summers, where he liked to go to the beach and he liked to be out with parties. He liked to be the center of attention. Sort of the essence of Bill Clinton. A gregarious guy.

KAGAN: Hanging with the celebrities. You say President Johnson really let it all loose.

WALSH: He did. Well, President Johnson had his own ranch in Texas. President Bush, of course, has one today. And Johnson, at his ranch, you could see sort of this breathtakingly audacious personality. He -- one story about Johnson at the ranch is that he liked to have -- he had an amphibious car, which he used, which could float in the water. He liked to put people in the car, drive them around, and then down a hill into a lake or a river he had on the property and shout out, "The brakes won't hold!"

KAGAN: Ha.

WALSH: And everybody got scared, the car plunged into the water and then they realized it could float. And Johnson thought that was really funny.

KAGAN: Boy, a good old time. For the current President Bush, he likes to take folks out and chop wood at his retreat.

WALSH: He does. He chops -- he uses a chainsaw, but he does chop wood. He burns it. And you know, they -- the Secret Service doesn't like the president near the flames. But President Bush, as so many other presidents, just likes the physical exercise of getting out. And it's so different from Washington, it's so different from the routines and protocols.

He can have privacy, he can be himself, and he can get back to sort of, more of a Texas lifestyle. He likes use the ranch, as so many other presidents do with their retreats, as sort of the top perk of office, to welcome people like Vladimir Putin of Russia, who we just saw.

KAGAN: We just saw the Saudi prince.

WALSH: Right, the Prince Abdullah. And this is sort of the ultimate perk. People really -- foreign leaders really love to be invited to the ranch, and President Bush really knows how to show them around. He loves to give them a sense that they're in his inner sanctum. And he's made a lot of decisions there on the war against terrorism and so on. But you can see the essence of President Bush as sort of a guy who understands the importance of sort of a personal schmoozing factor, but also, the importance of privacy, which he really values at his ranch.

KAGAN: Right. And more just than like a getaways book, your book is interesting because you do get to see the personal side of the men who hold and have held this office. Ken Walsh, thank you so much.

WALSH: Thank you.

KAGAN: We'll have you on for a how you find free time segment. Coming up.

WALSH: That's great.

KAGAN: Very interesting. Ken Walsh. "From Mt. Vernon to Crawford." Thank you, Ken.

WALSH: Thank you.

KAGAN: Now let's go ahead and find out what's coming up at the top of the hour, "NEWS FROM CNN." Wolf has been to share of presidential retreats and covered them, back in your White House days.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And I know Ken Walsh also, and he's a great, great, reporter, a good guy. And I'm sure it's going to be an excellent book for all of our viewers. Daryn, thanks very much.

Let me tell you and our viewers what we have in store coming up on "NEWS FROM CNN."

The search for a motive. A father charged with killing his own daughter and her playmate goes to court. What's next in this awful, awful case? We'll go live to the scene.

Also, thousands of United Airlines employees face the possibility of losing their pension benefits. But the story does not end there. Many other pension plans also could be in jeopardy. We'll take a closer look.

And the battle over the controversial nomination of John Bolton as the next U.S. ambassador to the U.N. A vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee could come as early as tomorrow. Is he the best person for the job? We'll go in depth with two key members of that committee.

All that, much more, coming up on "NEWS FROM CNN." Daryn, in the meantime, back to you.

KAGAN: Profile in the making, Wolf. "Bearded Men Who Covered the White House." You and Ken Walsh. He can't hear me. Otherwise, he would think that was very funny. I promise you.

We're going to check in on business news coming up, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: That's going to do it for me. I'm Daryn Kagan. We're going to wrap up our Wednesday broadcast. But you're in very good hands, because Wolf Blitzer is there in Washington, D.C.

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