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Girl Buried Alive Survives; Personal Info Given out in Bank Scam; Charges Reconsidered Against Brawling Bus Driver

Aired May 23, 2005 - 13:00   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Police call it a miraculous discovery. An 8-year-old girl found buried alive after she's abducted and assaulted. Police take us to the dumpster where they found her.
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CO-HOST: I'm Kimberly Osias, live in Washington, where the hot button abortion issues gets even hotter as the nation's highest court agrees to hear a controversial case.

BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: Data disclosed, and it could be your personal information. Investigators uncover an alleged illegal scheme at some of America's largest banks.

O'BRIEN: And a bear necessity. Check this one out. An uninvited guest shows up at a pool party! And he comes empty-handed.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.

NGUYEN: He was just taking a dip! I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Kyra Phillips today. We'll have that story in a moment. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

O'BRIEN: His name is Milagro, Spanish for miracle, which is how police in Lake Wood, Florida, are describing the survival of his alleged victim. An 8-year-old girl missing for hours overnight Saturday, found alive, buried alive a dumpster, in an abandoned landfill. She'll survive, but 17-year-old Milagro Cunningham could spend the rest of his life in prison, if convicted on all the charges against him now.

We get the story from CNN's Susan Candiotti -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.

Yes, that young man's legal fate is, of course, still very much in the air -- up in the air. But remarkably, we understand the little girl is in stable condition.

And we are now back at the landfill, closed to the public, as you said, where, at CNN's request, the officer who found the 8-year-old youngster buried alive under a pile of heavy rocks showed us the Dumpster way off in the distance where he found her and then, he called in a colleague who saw her move a finger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Walked up to the dumpster. Stepped up here and within arm's reach, there was a yellow recycling bin with the lid closed on it. I reached over, flipped the lid open. Started looking in to see behind you, those large, concrete boulders, about halfway filled up.

And as I continued looking down there was what I believed to be a small hand and a small foot. So I started shaking -- starting shaking the recycling bin, you know, looking for movement, you know, crying out to her, "Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Are you OK?" I get no verbal response.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I looked -- I actually pulled myself up and looked down into the -- into the recycling bin and saw her hand, and I was there probably two seconds or so and then I saw her finger move.

CANDIOTTI: You saw her finger move?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I did. And that's the first thing that came out of my mouth, "Her finger just moved." And also thinking that these guys are going to think I'm nuts, but it moved again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now officers said their hearts were pounding and, as soon as they started removing the rocks, they were able to start asking the little girl questions. And police say she was able to immediately identify her alleged attacker.

She was rushed to the hospital, suffering, they said, mostly from bruises from rocks and was somehow able to breathe through pockets of air. Her family and friends and relatives overjoyed.

Now, the teenaged suspect is 17-year-old Milagro Cunningham. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in court at the bottom of this hour. He is charged with attempted murder, sexual battery and false imprisonment.

And you know, this officer, Miles, that we spoke to is a modest fellow, indeed. He said he doesn't consider himself to be a hero. In his opinion, it's the little girl, who came through the punishing ordeal that she did that is the real heroine.

Back to you.

O'BRIEN: It's a horrifying story, and yet obviously, he must have been so shocked and relieved to know this little child was alive. A lot of mixed emotions, obviously.

CANDIOTTI: Oh, yes, indeed. And he said when he went home last night, you can imagine the tight hug he gave his own little child.

And he said, remarkably, too, "Well, if it wasn't me that found her in that Dumpster, it probably would have been one of my other fellow officers." But it was a happy ending to a story where we don't hear many these days, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Susan Candiotti, thanks very much -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Remember when the most important thing you trusted, your bank, was to take care of your money. Well, that's still important, but they don't call this the information age for nothing.

And the latest to wonder who may be using or abusing their information are a few thousand account holders at some of the largest banks in America, including Bank of America.

We get the facts and fingers from CNN's Chris Huntington in Hackensack, New Jersey -- Chris.

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, local police here in Hackensack have uncovered what federal authorities are now calling the biggest breach of bank security in U.S. history.

Some 676,000 names, bank customers, their personal identity information as well as their bank account information, stolen, apparently, by a gentleman who was operating a ring of thieves here in the Hackensack area.

Here's the way the operation worked. A gentleman by the name of Orazio Lembo would present himself to customers as a collection agent, capable of tracking down folks who owed money. He served a clientele of law firms and collection agencies who wanted to find these people.

In return for going to them, those collection agencies would give him Social Security numbers, which were sort of like a passkey for him to then go these banks and, by soliciting several insiders at these major banks we're talking about, Wachovia, Bank of America, PNC Financial and Commerce Bank, as well. These individuals inside the bank would then turn over hundreds and thousands of names to Mr. Lembo for sometimes as many -- as much as $10 per name.

Now, this is something that the Hackensack police have given us to sort of show you, if you will, a flow chart of the operation.

Ozzy Lembo at the top here. And these individuals here worked at these major banks. This gentleman over here worked, in fact, at the New Jersey Department of Labor, giving out all sorts of information from the state computer.

Back to the center here, I just want to focus on this one gentleman. Zoran Levajac was a bank manager at Commerce Bank. He enlisted the assistant manager, who then enlisted two other employees at the bank.

We're told that Levajac might have received $10 a name. She might have received $6 and so on down the line, these gentlemen getting a little bit less.

There is some good news in that the scope of this operation was limited to residents of New Jersey. All 676,000 people, the names involved in this, residents of New Jersey. They first showed up on collection rolls. That's how Mr. Lembo got these names. It's not entirely clear how many names were actually transacted, if you will, ultimately with the collection agencies. We know that upwards of 670,000 names were gleaned from the bank department, from the bank data files. Not clear exactly how many thousands or if it's even thousands of people, were actually looked into on the part of the collection agency.

One thing that the police are saying here, though, is that this is not a case of identity theft. This is basically a crude scheme to try and bill collection agencies who have other legal means of obtaining this information, but apparently tried to take a shortcut -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Still, quite an elaborate scheme. Chris, we want to thank you for that and do remind our viewers that coming up next hour, we will show you steps on how to protect yourself from this -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: It was presumed before; now it's guaranteed. Abortion will be a flashpoint issue. Maybe the flashpoint issue, if there's a Supreme Court vacancy and nomination when the current term ends.

The Rehnquist court agreed today to hear a parental notification case from New Hampshire, and CNN's Kimberly Osias is covering that for us -- Kimberly.

OSIAS: Well, Miles, the Supreme Court, of course, has tread somewhat lightly around the critical issue of Roe vs. Wade and abortion rights, really in general. But today, right back in the center of the ring, at issue: do parents have a right to know when their minor daughter is getting an abortion?

It's been about several years since the justices took on a major abortion rights case. This one comes out of New Hampshire requiring parental notification before minors can get abortions. The law required a notification letter be sent, then a 48-hour waiting period after that.

That law thrown out by a federal appeals court concluding there weren't enough exceptions protecting the minor's health.

Although this case won't deal directly with the constitutionality of abortion, this is the first major case in five years that the high court has agreed to even look at an abortion-related case.

I spoke with the ACLU, which says, quote, "We welcome the opportunity to put to rest any lingering questions about abortion. That right extends even to minors."

And, Miles, of course, the timing is really interesting here. It comes amidst bitter wrangling over the use of the filibuster for judicial nominees. And if we take a look at the U.S. Senate floor right now -- look at it -- the Democrats are, of course, battling it out to save what they believe is a critical tool in preserving minority voice.

Republicans claim the filibuster has rarely been extended to judicial nominees.

And just how does this all of this play into the U.S. Supreme Court and abortion rights? Well, for the first time in over a decade, there could be a high court vacancy. Chief Justice William Rehnquist has been ill battling thyroid cancer, and there's talk of other possible resignations, as well.

Abortion rights supporters vow to fight any nominee that they believe would chip away and erode a woman's right to choose. Any potential vacancy that occurs before that will no doubt trigger a fight from both sides of the abortion issue.

O'BRIEN: Kimberly Osias, thank you very much -- Betty.

NGUYEN: U.S. Troops, Afghan prisoners, Afghan insurgents and poppies. Talking points all for President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House.

In private and then in public, the presidents saluted each other and the Afghan/U.S. alliance, which would seem to be under strain on a number of fronts. Karzai wants more control of U.S. troops in his country, and Afghan detainees there, as well as at Gitmo.

Regarding allegations of detainee abuse, Karzai said this to the White House and to Afghan press corps.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMID KARZAI, AFGHAN PRESIDENT: The prisoner abuse thing is not a tolerance thing, it should be to anybody else but those individuals. The Afghan people are grateful, very, very much, to the American people. They recognize that individual acts do not reflect either on governments or on societies. These things happen everywhere. As we are sad, we recognize that the American people, kind as they are to Afghanistan, have nothing to do with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now, the Bush administration, meanwhile, is growing impatient with the pace of Karzai's war against poppies, which is the raw material of heroin. Here's President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And you know, there are -- is too much poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, and I made it very clear to the president that this is -- that we have got to work together to eradicate poppy crop. And the president, not only in this meeting but in other meetings, has been very forthcoming about the desire to eradicate poppy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: We'll going to get some insight on these and other topics in the next hour of LIVE FROM. CNN Arab affairs editor Octavia Nasr is just back from the region, and we will pick her brain one hour from now, only on CNN -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Laura Bush in Egypt today, seeing some sights and presumably catching her breath after yesterday's tense visit to Jerusalem. Angry protesters marred the first lady's visit to the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock. Though she insists she was never in danger and never afraid.

She talked about that and a whole lot more with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What was going on through your head or through your heart at the moment when there was that hostility that was expressed towards you?

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: Well, I mean, it was a very small moment, and I was surrounded by people who were very, very welcoming. It's not the first time. It certainly happens -- we know. We knew when we came here, that these are places of great emotion.

The holy land is the birthplace of three different great religions. They are wonderful Christian sites there. Obviously, the sites that mean the most to the Jewish people, and then the Dome of the Rock, which is very important to Muslims. But, of course, there are tensions there, but that's part of the purpose of the trip, and part of the purpose of working for peace.

MALVEAUX: Did you speak with the president about it? Was he worried for you?

L. BUSH: Sure. After he saw your coverage, he was a little worried.

MALVEAUX: What did he think? What did he think?

L. BUSH: Well, I called him -- he called, actually, to find out, and I told them that we were fine. That I felt like it had been a little bit built up.

MALVEAUX: And since you've come here, I mean, obviously, you're promoting peace and democracy. The U.S. really has suffered somewhat of an image problem here.

L. BUSH: Sure.

MALVEAUX: since you've been here, you've had the "Newsweek," the fallout of that, the false report, desecration of the Quran. You've had Saddam Hussein pictures in his underwear. How difficult is this mission for you to project and to convince people that they need to rethink America's image?

L. BUSH: It's difficult for all Americans for a handful of people to have committed humiliation, abuse. It's not the way all of our troops are by any means. The great, great, great majority of our American troops are very helpful. They're serving with distinction in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Egypt is the final stop on the first lady's five-day tour -- Betty.

NGUYEN: So should two boys face felony charges after this incident caught on tape?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get up here!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, (expletive deleted.)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey! Hey!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: A parent is upset, and now a prosecutor must decide who gets charged with what, after a wild school bus ride.

And Democrat Dean disses DeLay. The Democrat Party's national chairman sounds off on jail time for the Republican senator. Is Dean just what his party needs?

And look at this. Chilling out at the pool. A bear decides to take a dip. We'll show you what happened next on LIVE FROM.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: This just in: proof that it's been another deadly day that Iraq. CNN has confirmed a car bombing outside of a Shiite mosque in a town south of Baghdad. Now, according to the Associated Press, 10 people were killed in that car bombing. CNN has confirmed that 19 people were wounded, including 11 children.

Again, a car boom blew up outside a Shiite mosque in a town south of Baghdad today. According to the Associated Press, 10 people are dead so far. We, of course, will continue to follow this and bring you the latest -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: "CNN Security Watch" focusing on more safeguards at U.S. ports. The Coast Guard today refusing to allow ships from five countries to enter U.S. Ports. Those countries on your screen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea -Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Naura. The Coast Guard says those countries are not taking adequate anti-terrorism measures at their home ports.

And of course, CNN is committed to provide the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN day and night. NGUYEN: News across America now: Chicago fire officials are on the scene of an apartment building collapse. Look at these pictures.

Investigators say some sort of explosion leveled part of the three-story structure on the city's west side this morning. Seven people were rushed to the hospital. The cause of the blast, well, that is still under investigation.

New developments in the weeklong search for two Idaho children. Dylan and Shasta Groene's father says an FBI agent told him he failed portions of a polygraph test. Steve Groene says the FBI apparently believes he knows about the whereabouts of his children. He denies any involvement in their disappearance.

A big scare for some Florida middle school students. Their school bus slammed into a house today after it was hit by stolen car. The bus was carrying special needs students. No one inside the bus or the home was injured.

O'BRIEN: And a scuffle on another Florida school bus causing some outrage. The mother of two boys who got into a fight with a school bus driver fuming because her kids were charged with a felony while the driver was hit with a misdemeanor. Is it fair? Well, you decide.

Here's CNN's Sara Dorsey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bus driver Albert Taylor told Charlotte County police he had to pull his bus over Tuesday after a few students caused a disruption.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch your mouth.

ALBERT TAYLOR, BUS DRIVER: Don't you tell me what to do. Get up here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

TAYLOR: Get up here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No!

DORSEY: Taylor told police he had asked a student to come to the front of the bus three times. This video shows Taylor then went to get the student. The boy's brother intervened, and Taylor appears to strike him and grab him by the throat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get off him! Get off him!

TAYLOR: The scuffle doesn't end there. The older brother, who has already been struck, appears to throw a punch at the driver.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going hit him?

TAYLOR: Sit down.

DORSEY: The boys then demand to be let off the bus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to jail, boy. If you don't let me off this bus. Let me off the bus. Call that number. Call the deputies, hurry up.

DORSEY: Sixty-six-year-old Taylor has been charged with simple battery, a misdemeanor. We've been unable to reach him for comment, and it's not known if he has legal representation.

None of the other children on the bus were involved in the confrontation, but the 13- and 15-year-old brothers are charged with felonies. The boys' defense attorney says that doesn't add up.

RUSSEL KIRSHY, ATTORNEY: It's just -- it's despicable. It's crazy that they would be charged with felonies and the bus driver would be charged with a misdemeanor.

DORSEY: Charlotte County sheriff's officials say that in Florida, it's an automatic felony for a student to strike a school official. They say the charges were filed before the video became available but that seeing it has, quote, "changed the thinking here."

(on camera) The sheriff's office says it does not have the power to change any of the charges, but the state's attorney can.

The brothers have been suspended from school and will appear in front of a judge on Monday. The bus driver is scheduled to appear on June 1. He has been suspended with pay, and the sheriff's office says the school board will meet next week to determine his future.

Sara Dorsey, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What we're up against is -- is organized wildlife crime.

O'BRIEN: In danger of disappearing. A last-ditch effort to save the beautiful Bengal Tiger.

Later on LIVE FROM, identity thieves strike again. Simple steps you can take to protect yourself.

Tomorrow on LIVE FROM, she's tearing up the track and making Indy racing history. Racer Danica Patrick joins us with a LIVE FROM interview.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, the force is apparently with the box office this weekend. The latest installment of "Star Wars" broke several records. Susan Lisovicz joins us with more live on this and the stock exchange today.

Good morning. Good afternoon, I should say. It's Monday.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired May 23, 2005 - 13:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CO-HOST: Police call it a miraculous discovery. An 8-year-old girl found buried alive after she's abducted and assaulted. Police take us to the dumpster where they found her.
KIMBERLY OSIAS, CO-HOST: I'm Kimberly Osias, live in Washington, where the hot button abortion issues gets even hotter as the nation's highest court agrees to hear a controversial case.

BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: Data disclosed, and it could be your personal information. Investigators uncover an alleged illegal scheme at some of America's largest banks.

O'BRIEN: And a bear necessity. Check this one out. An uninvited guest shows up at a pool party! And he comes empty-handed.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Miles O'Brien.

NGUYEN: He was just taking a dip! I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Kyra Phillips today. We'll have that story in a moment. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

O'BRIEN: His name is Milagro, Spanish for miracle, which is how police in Lake Wood, Florida, are describing the survival of his alleged victim. An 8-year-old girl missing for hours overnight Saturday, found alive, buried alive a dumpster, in an abandoned landfill. She'll survive, but 17-year-old Milagro Cunningham could spend the rest of his life in prison, if convicted on all the charges against him now.

We get the story from CNN's Susan Candiotti -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.

Yes, that young man's legal fate is, of course, still very much in the air -- up in the air. But remarkably, we understand the little girl is in stable condition.

And we are now back at the landfill, closed to the public, as you said, where, at CNN's request, the officer who found the 8-year-old youngster buried alive under a pile of heavy rocks showed us the Dumpster way off in the distance where he found her and then, he called in a colleague who saw her move a finger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Walked up to the dumpster. Stepped up here and within arm's reach, there was a yellow recycling bin with the lid closed on it. I reached over, flipped the lid open. Started looking in to see behind you, those large, concrete boulders, about halfway filled up.

And as I continued looking down there was what I believed to be a small hand and a small foot. So I started shaking -- starting shaking the recycling bin, you know, looking for movement, you know, crying out to her, "Can you hear me? Can you hear me? Are you OK?" I get no verbal response.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I looked -- I actually pulled myself up and looked down into the -- into the recycling bin and saw her hand, and I was there probably two seconds or so and then I saw her finger move.

CANDIOTTI: You saw her finger move?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I did. And that's the first thing that came out of my mouth, "Her finger just moved." And also thinking that these guys are going to think I'm nuts, but it moved again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Now officers said their hearts were pounding and, as soon as they started removing the rocks, they were able to start asking the little girl questions. And police say she was able to immediately identify her alleged attacker.

She was rushed to the hospital, suffering, they said, mostly from bruises from rocks and was somehow able to breathe through pockets of air. Her family and friends and relatives overjoyed.

Now, the teenaged suspect is 17-year-old Milagro Cunningham. He is scheduled to make his first appearance in court at the bottom of this hour. He is charged with attempted murder, sexual battery and false imprisonment.

And you know, this officer, Miles, that we spoke to is a modest fellow, indeed. He said he doesn't consider himself to be a hero. In his opinion, it's the little girl, who came through the punishing ordeal that she did that is the real heroine.

Back to you.

O'BRIEN: It's a horrifying story, and yet obviously, he must have been so shocked and relieved to know this little child was alive. A lot of mixed emotions, obviously.

CANDIOTTI: Oh, yes, indeed. And he said when he went home last night, you can imagine the tight hug he gave his own little child.

And he said, remarkably, too, "Well, if it wasn't me that found her in that Dumpster, it probably would have been one of my other fellow officers." But it was a happy ending to a story where we don't hear many these days, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Yes. Susan Candiotti, thanks very much -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Remember when the most important thing you trusted, your bank, was to take care of your money. Well, that's still important, but they don't call this the information age for nothing.

And the latest to wonder who may be using or abusing their information are a few thousand account holders at some of the largest banks in America, including Bank of America.

We get the facts and fingers from CNN's Chris Huntington in Hackensack, New Jersey -- Chris.

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, local police here in Hackensack have uncovered what federal authorities are now calling the biggest breach of bank security in U.S. history.

Some 676,000 names, bank customers, their personal identity information as well as their bank account information, stolen, apparently, by a gentleman who was operating a ring of thieves here in the Hackensack area.

Here's the way the operation worked. A gentleman by the name of Orazio Lembo would present himself to customers as a collection agent, capable of tracking down folks who owed money. He served a clientele of law firms and collection agencies who wanted to find these people.

In return for going to them, those collection agencies would give him Social Security numbers, which were sort of like a passkey for him to then go these banks and, by soliciting several insiders at these major banks we're talking about, Wachovia, Bank of America, PNC Financial and Commerce Bank, as well. These individuals inside the bank would then turn over hundreds and thousands of names to Mr. Lembo for sometimes as many -- as much as $10 per name.

Now, this is something that the Hackensack police have given us to sort of show you, if you will, a flow chart of the operation.

Ozzy Lembo at the top here. And these individuals here worked at these major banks. This gentleman over here worked, in fact, at the New Jersey Department of Labor, giving out all sorts of information from the state computer.

Back to the center here, I just want to focus on this one gentleman. Zoran Levajac was a bank manager at Commerce Bank. He enlisted the assistant manager, who then enlisted two other employees at the bank.

We're told that Levajac might have received $10 a name. She might have received $6 and so on down the line, these gentlemen getting a little bit less.

There is some good news in that the scope of this operation was limited to residents of New Jersey. All 676,000 people, the names involved in this, residents of New Jersey. They first showed up on collection rolls. That's how Mr. Lembo got these names. It's not entirely clear how many names were actually transacted, if you will, ultimately with the collection agencies. We know that upwards of 670,000 names were gleaned from the bank department, from the bank data files. Not clear exactly how many thousands or if it's even thousands of people, were actually looked into on the part of the collection agency.

One thing that the police are saying here, though, is that this is not a case of identity theft. This is basically a crude scheme to try and bill collection agencies who have other legal means of obtaining this information, but apparently tried to take a shortcut -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Still, quite an elaborate scheme. Chris, we want to thank you for that and do remind our viewers that coming up next hour, we will show you steps on how to protect yourself from this -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: It was presumed before; now it's guaranteed. Abortion will be a flashpoint issue. Maybe the flashpoint issue, if there's a Supreme Court vacancy and nomination when the current term ends.

The Rehnquist court agreed today to hear a parental notification case from New Hampshire, and CNN's Kimberly Osias is covering that for us -- Kimberly.

OSIAS: Well, Miles, the Supreme Court, of course, has tread somewhat lightly around the critical issue of Roe vs. Wade and abortion rights, really in general. But today, right back in the center of the ring, at issue: do parents have a right to know when their minor daughter is getting an abortion?

It's been about several years since the justices took on a major abortion rights case. This one comes out of New Hampshire requiring parental notification before minors can get abortions. The law required a notification letter be sent, then a 48-hour waiting period after that.

That law thrown out by a federal appeals court concluding there weren't enough exceptions protecting the minor's health.

Although this case won't deal directly with the constitutionality of abortion, this is the first major case in five years that the high court has agreed to even look at an abortion-related case.

I spoke with the ACLU, which says, quote, "We welcome the opportunity to put to rest any lingering questions about abortion. That right extends even to minors."

And, Miles, of course, the timing is really interesting here. It comes amidst bitter wrangling over the use of the filibuster for judicial nominees. And if we take a look at the U.S. Senate floor right now -- look at it -- the Democrats are, of course, battling it out to save what they believe is a critical tool in preserving minority voice.

Republicans claim the filibuster has rarely been extended to judicial nominees.

And just how does this all of this play into the U.S. Supreme Court and abortion rights? Well, for the first time in over a decade, there could be a high court vacancy. Chief Justice William Rehnquist has been ill battling thyroid cancer, and there's talk of other possible resignations, as well.

Abortion rights supporters vow to fight any nominee that they believe would chip away and erode a woman's right to choose. Any potential vacancy that occurs before that will no doubt trigger a fight from both sides of the abortion issue.

O'BRIEN: Kimberly Osias, thank you very much -- Betty.

NGUYEN: U.S. Troops, Afghan prisoners, Afghan insurgents and poppies. Talking points all for President Bush and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House.

In private and then in public, the presidents saluted each other and the Afghan/U.S. alliance, which would seem to be under strain on a number of fronts. Karzai wants more control of U.S. troops in his country, and Afghan detainees there, as well as at Gitmo.

Regarding allegations of detainee abuse, Karzai said this to the White House and to Afghan press corps.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HAMID KARZAI, AFGHAN PRESIDENT: The prisoner abuse thing is not a tolerance thing, it should be to anybody else but those individuals. The Afghan people are grateful, very, very much, to the American people. They recognize that individual acts do not reflect either on governments or on societies. These things happen everywhere. As we are sad, we recognize that the American people, kind as they are to Afghanistan, have nothing to do with that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Now, the Bush administration, meanwhile, is growing impatient with the pace of Karzai's war against poppies, which is the raw material of heroin. Here's President Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And you know, there are -- is too much poppy cultivation in Afghanistan, and I made it very clear to the president that this is -- that we have got to work together to eradicate poppy crop. And the president, not only in this meeting but in other meetings, has been very forthcoming about the desire to eradicate poppy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: We'll going to get some insight on these and other topics in the next hour of LIVE FROM. CNN Arab affairs editor Octavia Nasr is just back from the region, and we will pick her brain one hour from now, only on CNN -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Laura Bush in Egypt today, seeing some sights and presumably catching her breath after yesterday's tense visit to Jerusalem. Angry protesters marred the first lady's visit to the Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock. Though she insists she was never in danger and never afraid.

She talked about that and a whole lot more with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What was going on through your head or through your heart at the moment when there was that hostility that was expressed towards you?

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY: Well, I mean, it was a very small moment, and I was surrounded by people who were very, very welcoming. It's not the first time. It certainly happens -- we know. We knew when we came here, that these are places of great emotion.

The holy land is the birthplace of three different great religions. They are wonderful Christian sites there. Obviously, the sites that mean the most to the Jewish people, and then the Dome of the Rock, which is very important to Muslims. But, of course, there are tensions there, but that's part of the purpose of the trip, and part of the purpose of working for peace.

MALVEAUX: Did you speak with the president about it? Was he worried for you?

L. BUSH: Sure. After he saw your coverage, he was a little worried.

MALVEAUX: What did he think? What did he think?

L. BUSH: Well, I called him -- he called, actually, to find out, and I told them that we were fine. That I felt like it had been a little bit built up.

MALVEAUX: And since you've come here, I mean, obviously, you're promoting peace and democracy. The U.S. really has suffered somewhat of an image problem here.

L. BUSH: Sure.

MALVEAUX: since you've been here, you've had the "Newsweek," the fallout of that, the false report, desecration of the Quran. You've had Saddam Hussein pictures in his underwear. How difficult is this mission for you to project and to convince people that they need to rethink America's image?

L. BUSH: It's difficult for all Americans for a handful of people to have committed humiliation, abuse. It's not the way all of our troops are by any means. The great, great, great majority of our American troops are very helpful. They're serving with distinction in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Egypt is the final stop on the first lady's five-day tour -- Betty.

NGUYEN: So should two boys face felony charges after this incident caught on tape?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get up here!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, (expletive deleted.)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey! Hey!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: A parent is upset, and now a prosecutor must decide who gets charged with what, after a wild school bus ride.

And Democrat Dean disses DeLay. The Democrat Party's national chairman sounds off on jail time for the Republican senator. Is Dean just what his party needs?

And look at this. Chilling out at the pool. A bear decides to take a dip. We'll show you what happened next on LIVE FROM.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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NGUYEN: This just in: proof that it's been another deadly day that Iraq. CNN has confirmed a car bombing outside of a Shiite mosque in a town south of Baghdad. Now, according to the Associated Press, 10 people were killed in that car bombing. CNN has confirmed that 19 people were wounded, including 11 children.

Again, a car boom blew up outside a Shiite mosque in a town south of Baghdad today. According to the Associated Press, 10 people are dead so far. We, of course, will continue to follow this and bring you the latest -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: "CNN Security Watch" focusing on more safeguards at U.S. ports. The Coast Guard today refusing to allow ships from five countries to enter U.S. Ports. Those countries on your screen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea -Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Naura. The Coast Guard says those countries are not taking adequate anti-terrorism measures at their home ports.

And of course, CNN is committed to provide the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN day and night. NGUYEN: News across America now: Chicago fire officials are on the scene of an apartment building collapse. Look at these pictures.

Investigators say some sort of explosion leveled part of the three-story structure on the city's west side this morning. Seven people were rushed to the hospital. The cause of the blast, well, that is still under investigation.

New developments in the weeklong search for two Idaho children. Dylan and Shasta Groene's father says an FBI agent told him he failed portions of a polygraph test. Steve Groene says the FBI apparently believes he knows about the whereabouts of his children. He denies any involvement in their disappearance.

A big scare for some Florida middle school students. Their school bus slammed into a house today after it was hit by stolen car. The bus was carrying special needs students. No one inside the bus or the home was injured.

O'BRIEN: And a scuffle on another Florida school bus causing some outrage. The mother of two boys who got into a fight with a school bus driver fuming because her kids were charged with a felony while the driver was hit with a misdemeanor. Is it fair? Well, you decide.

Here's CNN's Sara Dorsey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bus driver Albert Taylor told Charlotte County police he had to pull his bus over Tuesday after a few students caused a disruption.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch your mouth.

ALBERT TAYLOR, BUS DRIVER: Don't you tell me what to do. Get up here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

TAYLOR: Get up here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No!

DORSEY: Taylor told police he had asked a student to come to the front of the bus three times. This video shows Taylor then went to get the student. The boy's brother intervened, and Taylor appears to strike him and grab him by the throat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get off him! Get off him!

TAYLOR: The scuffle doesn't end there. The older brother, who has already been struck, appears to throw a punch at the driver.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going hit him?

TAYLOR: Sit down.

DORSEY: The boys then demand to be let off the bus.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're going to jail, boy. If you don't let me off this bus. Let me off the bus. Call that number. Call the deputies, hurry up.

DORSEY: Sixty-six-year-old Taylor has been charged with simple battery, a misdemeanor. We've been unable to reach him for comment, and it's not known if he has legal representation.

None of the other children on the bus were involved in the confrontation, but the 13- and 15-year-old brothers are charged with felonies. The boys' defense attorney says that doesn't add up.

RUSSEL KIRSHY, ATTORNEY: It's just -- it's despicable. It's crazy that they would be charged with felonies and the bus driver would be charged with a misdemeanor.

DORSEY: Charlotte County sheriff's officials say that in Florida, it's an automatic felony for a student to strike a school official. They say the charges were filed before the video became available but that seeing it has, quote, "changed the thinking here."

(on camera) The sheriff's office says it does not have the power to change any of the charges, but the state's attorney can.

The brothers have been suspended from school and will appear in front of a judge on Monday. The bus driver is scheduled to appear on June 1. He has been suspended with pay, and the sheriff's office says the school board will meet next week to determine his future.

Sara Dorsey, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Next on LIVE FROM...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What we're up against is -- is organized wildlife crime.

O'BRIEN: In danger of disappearing. A last-ditch effort to save the beautiful Bengal Tiger.

Later on LIVE FROM, identity thieves strike again. Simple steps you can take to protect yourself.

Tomorrow on LIVE FROM, she's tearing up the track and making Indy racing history. Racer Danica Patrick joins us with a LIVE FROM interview.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, the force is apparently with the box office this weekend. The latest installment of "Star Wars" broke several records. Susan Lisovicz joins us with more live on this and the stock exchange today.

Good morning. Good afternoon, I should say. It's Monday.

(STOCK REPORT)

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