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CNN Live Today
Missing Teen; Human Trafficking
Aired June 03, 2005 - 11:32 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: Updating you now on a story out of Aruba, police there say the disappearance of an Alabama teenager is looking more like a crime. The FBI has joined the search for 18-year- old Natalee Holloway of Mountain Brook. She disappeared on the last night of an island trip to celebrate her high school graduation. Friends say Holloway was last seen Monday just before dawn getting into a vehicle outside the nightclub.
And we have with us right now on the phone Jan Straten, the police commissioner of Aruba.
Mr. Commissioner, thank you.
JAN STRATEN, ARUBA POLICE COMMISSIONER: Good morning.
KAGAN: What can you tell us about the latest on the search for this American teenager, Natalee Holloway?
STRATEN: Yes, you know, the last day we searched on all places on Aruba. Yesterday, we had a big search with the Dutch marine, and with helicopters, the coast guards. Still we haven't found the girl.
We are busy with the investigation team, and you will understand that I can't tell you a lot of the results of the investigation. That's the update still now.
KAGAN: The last we heard or the last big clue is that she was seen leaving this nightclub getting in a car with three men. You've been able to talk to those -- the people who you believe were those three men?
STRATEN: Yes. We find them and we talked with them, the witnesses, three young boys, they went to school too. And we talked with them and we -- obviously with the investigation around them too.
KAGAN: And they say, as I understand -- and tell me if I have this correctly -- they say that they were with Natalee, but they dropped her back off at her hotel.
STRATEN: Yes, that's true. They dropped the girl by the hotel about two o'clock in the morning on Monday morning.
KAGAN: I know her parents have arrived there in Aruba and they're trying to help and encourage the search.
How hopeful are you to them? How encouraging are you to them that they're going to find their daughter alive at this point? STRATEN: You know, in the first days you are very hopeful, but the longer it takes, the longer you are afraid for a crime. I hope that you understand that. And that's the reason why the investigating team started thinking at the beginning of not only to find her, but thinking maybe she is a victim of a crime.
So the longer it takes we have her, we found her, the longer -- more we are thinking in the direction of a crime.
KAGAN: And is it more than just time that's making you go toward thinking that it's a crime, or are there other clues and information that you're not able to share with us at this point?
STRATEN: Yes, that's the point. I would like to say it, but I'm not able to say it at this moment.
KAGAN: I understand. The last thing we want to do is compromise the investigation and the search for Natalee Holloway.
Mr. Commissioner, thank you for your time, and we wish you well in your search.
STRATEN: OK. Thank you very much.
KAGAN: That's Jan Straten, he's the police commissioner for Aruba searching for 18-year-old Natalee Holloway on a high school graduation trip out of Alabama. She disappeared and has not been seen since Monday. We'll continue to bring you the latest on that story as well.
Meanwhile, we move on to human trafficking and the international sex trade -- will be highlighted in a report that's being released next hour by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Let's see what we can find out now from CNN State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel.
Andrea, good morning.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
You know, there's no other way to describe this report other than to say that the subject matter is about modern-day slavery, not only here in the United States, but in about 150 countries around the world.
And this is the fifth year that the State Department has been putting out this report, and it's more than just words on paper. It really is showing how much as the U.S. has reached out to countries after 9/11 to combat terrorism, they're doing the same thing to combat this kind of slavery that exists around the world.
The numbers are absolutely staggering.
We're talking about between 600,000 to 800,000 men, women and children who are smuggled from one country into another around the world every year; 14,500 to 17,500 are brought right here into the U.S. These victims are forced into everything from prostitution, to work in sweatshops, domestic labor as maids, farming, and child armies.
Eighty percent of these victims are females. We're talking about young women and children. Up to 50 percent of them are children. Seventy percent of them are used in the commercial sex industry.
And each year, over a million children are exploited in the commercial sex trade.
Now, you know, you want to know what is the practical import of a report like this?
I mean, the State Department has different laws. In fact, they've been pushing and pressuring different countries to improve their actions against not only the brothel owners, but also the perpetrators.
And we spoke to one attorney who said even one conviction makes a difference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARON COHN, INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION: Because if you consider it, the reason a person travels great distances like all the way to Cambodia to commit that kind of sex crime is because they believe or have some level of concern that they can't commit that same crime at home so they travel to a place they think they can.
But when you send the message through these types of prosecutions and convictions that, in fact, there's no place you can travel to commit crimes against kids, these little kids 5, 6, 7 years old, you may be able to actually effectively deter people from traveling to those places to commit those crimes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: And there's proof positive that this kind of enforcement and these new laws are working.
Canada just yesterday, Daryn, convicted and sentenced a man by the name of Donald Baker (ph) to 10 years, which is the maximum, for among other things, having had sex with and abused children in Cambodia and in other countries around the world. Some of these kids were under the age of 14 -- Daryn?
KAGAN: Andrea Koppel at the State Department, thank you.
We want to go to pictures now we're just getting into us here at CNN, pictures of the plane that was diverted to Halifax. Here it is, the Virgin Atlantic Flight 45 as it landed safely on the ground at Halifax, Nova Scotia. If you've been following the story with us, you know that this plane sent out a hijack alert soon after it took off from London, England earlier today. Flight control officials and the FBI were able to get in touch with the plane.
Now, what we're looking at here, this is the Canadian fighter jet, one of them that escorted the plane into Halifax. When air control officials and FBI officials were able to make contact with the pilot, they said it was a false alarm, there was no hijacking. But the way the system works today, no chances taken. So those Canadian fighter jets were deployed to escort this plane that was supposed to land at JFK into Halifax, Nova Scotia.
So you can see the plane is on the ground safely. It was supposed to be landing any minute now at JFK International Airport in New York City. For now, it's on the ground to the side and security officials on the ground taking the next part of that investigation.
No new estimated time on when that plane and its passengers, more than 200 passengers and crew, will make it to New York City.
With those new pictures, we'll take a break and have more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Once again, we want to get to these new pictures we're just seeing here at CNN. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Virgin Atlantic Flight number 45 not the plan for it to go there this morning. It was a plane that was headed out of London, headed for JFK International Airport in New York City. A false alarm went off that this plane was being hijacked. The pilot indicated that it was a false alarm, there was no hijacking taking place, and yet the system says the Canadian Air Force fighter jets were deployed, and you got to see one as it flies off.
The fighter jets did not land at Halifax. They're going back to their home base, but the airliner did, and on the ground there, it's going to stay on the ground for now. You have people on board, Virgin Atlantic Flight 45. Its' going to be on the ground there for a while, as security officials will check out what went wrong and what exactly is taking place, and eventually making its way back to JFK. We continue to follow the story as it develops. An interesting morning here at CNN.
We're back with more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's get some health news in now for your Daily Dose. Singing, too, and bouncing a baby on your knee could ensure that a baby gets rhythm. There's a new Canadian study suggesting the combination helps the brain learn to keep the beat. Rocking also apparently works.
How much fat is too much? The Centers for Disease Control are trying to clarify an April study that suggested obesity isn't killing as many people as first suspected. There was a flurry of controversy surrounding that study, and this week, CDC director Julie Gerberding wanted to make one thing perfectly clear. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JULIE GERBERDING, CDC DIR.: What we don't want is for this debate to continue to confuse people. We need to be absolutely, explicitly clear about one thing: obesity and overweight are critically important health threats in this country. They had many adverse consequences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Scientists that were critical of that April report say that they're satisfied the CDC is, again, focusing again on the big picture.
To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is CNN.com/health.
Let's find out what's happening at the top of the hour. NEWS FROM CNN with Wolf Blitzer.
Wolf, good luck topping what we've had this last hour.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We'll try. I'm not sure we'll succeed, but we will try, Daryn. Thanks very much. We do have a busy hour coming up on NEWS FROM CNN. We're awaiting the release of the State's Department annual report on human trafficking. Guess what? It's shocking what's going on in our world.
Our Andrea Koppel covering that story for us.
And we're also near the end of the Michael Jackson trial, the attorneys wrapping up their closing arguments. We'll get a live report from our senior legal analyst Jeff Toobin. He's standing by. Those stories, much more coming up at the top of the hour, including a live interview with the Treasury Secretary John Snow.
Daryn, in the meantime, back to you.
KAGAN: And, Wolf, this is the last Friday I'll be talking to you after me, because you're moving on the bigtime show at 3:00 p.m. later this summer. It's been a pleasure.
BLITZER: Thank you, Daryn. Thanks very much. We'll be talking often.
KAGAN: We always do. OK, we'll see in about 12 minutes. Thank you, Wolf.
And we'll fit in a quick break. We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Hold them or fold them. The 36th World Series of Poker is under way this week in Las Vegas. After six weeks of play, an ace will be revealed. Will it be the defending poker champ Greg "Fossilman" Raymer? He joins me from Vegas this morning.
Greg, good morning.
GREG RAYMER, DEFENDING POKER CHAMPION: Good morning, Daryn.
How are you doing?
KAGAN: I'm doing good.
RAYMER: It's good to be back on the show.
KAGAN: Yes, I interviewed you right after you won the whole big thing last year.
RAYMER: You were my first television interview ever.
KAGAN: Well, a special place in your heart, I hope.
I bet it's been more exciting year as the world champ of poker, than your life as a patent attorney.
RAYMER: Well, I have to agree with you there, Daryn. I mean, things have changed a lot since our last meeting on Memorial Day 2004. The ESPN coverage hadn't been aired yet, and since it's been on TV and re-run a million times, life has changed dramatically.
KAGAN: Have you been back to the office, Greg?
RAYMER: Well, I went back to work actually later in the day, when you interviewed me, and even though it was Memorial Day, and I gave them my resignation about four days later; worked another couple weeks. I didn't want to make things hard on my coworkers and since then I've been traveling the world playing poker tournaments, representing Poker Stars.
KAGAN: No looking back?
RAYMER: No, no, not at all.
KAGAN: So you're ready to defend your big title?
RAYMER: Well, I'm ready to give it my best. You know, Harrahs and the Rio expect like 6,600 players in the main event this year. So, even if were the best player in the world, which unfortunately I'm not quite there yet, I would still be at best, maybe, one in 1,000 to win the tournament this year.
KAGAN: Because you don't have the element of surprise, people are going see you coming.
RAYMER: Well, even -- It doesn't matter that they see you coming or not. I mean, if you're the greatest player ever, you still don't have maybe more than one chance in a 1,000 to win in this tournament with that many people.
KAGAN: Tell us the secret of the sunglasses, Greg. RAYMER: Well, these are the famous 3-D hologram lizard-eyed sunglasses that I found at Disney World in 2002, and I put them on intending them to be a one-time joke.
But instead of the guy just laughing, my opponent in that hand kind of freaked out lost it, threw his hand away, and I decided that, you know, if it's going to bother people, I might as well give them a shot.
KAGAN: So, for those that don't have access to the super-duper nifty sunglasses, what a little strategy tip you can give, you know, for the guys out there playing poker Thursday night or something.
RAYMER: Well, the most important tip is you don't gamble with money you can't afford to lose. Because poker is like other form of gambling, more people lose than win.
KAGAN: Very good point.
RAYMER: I mean, if you're an intelligent poker player, you will make a profit in the long run, but it takes a lot of time, and practice, experience, study, training to reach that level. So, until you get to that point, you know, make sure it's money that you can afford to lose.
It's entertainment money.
Once you get there though, the thing to do is what I just said, you know, you've got to study, you've got to work at it. If it's going to be just a hobby, then it expect it to be a hobby where you lose a little bit of money just like you were going to watch a movie in the theater.
But, if you want to be a winner, you're going to have books, you're going to have to study, go to the Internet, join some discussion groups, and, you know, train at it just like you would train to do any other task in life.
KAGAN: No shortcuts.
Shoot.
We were wishing there was some great little trick there.
Well, Good luck...
RAYMER: Well, if there was, we'd all know it -- we'd all be winners.
KAGAN: We'd all be there with you in Vegas, if we did.
Greg, good luck. If you win, an invitation, right now, to come back and make this your first interview yet again as the defending champ.
RAYMER: OK, Daryn. KAGAN: Greg Raymer, the defending poker champ, the World Series of Poker. Thank you, Fossilman. That's his nickname.
RAYMER: My pleasure.
KAGAN: Thanks.
Another form of gambling, some people think, the stock market, a check of the markets coming up when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We go live now to Halifax, Nova Scotia, the latest on the diverted Virgin Atlantic flight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE OFFICER: Well, right now that's what we're trying to determine, the exact emergency which took place that made the beacon respond.
QUESTION: What will happen at this point? I see SWAT team members there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's normal procedure for us, it's a safety issue. So, we're trying to determine exactly what the emergency is and why the plane was diverted to do Halifax. Right now we're in the process of trying to contact the pilot and then we'll -- should have an update later on exactly...
QUESTION: What will happen to the passengers on board?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're still on board right now and once they're determined what the emergency was or not, the passengers will probably be cleared through customs. That's all the information I have right now. Sorry, thanks.
QUESTION: Why was it accompanied by fighter jets, why did they bring it in?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pardon me?
QUESTION: It was accompanied by a couple F-18s, Canadian fighter jets.
Why was that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, the emergency situation that come in, it was two CF-18s that escorted the plane in, and once the plane had landed safely, they went back to their base.
That's all the information I have for that topic.
KAGAN: That was a constable from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police giving us the latest on the story we've been following through much of the last couple hours here and that is Virgin Atlantic Flight 45, it was making its way from London to JFK. There was a false alarm that the plane was being hijacked. The pilot was very clear, saying that this was a false alarm and yet the system was put in place. Canadian fighter jets escorting that plane to Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is currently on the ground, the crew is still on board, the passengers are still on board, and security officials on the ground there in Halifax taking over, trying to figure out what went wrong and how they can get the plane now on to JFK.
That's going to do it for me.
A big end to the week, but before we do that, why don't we check the Big Board real quick before we toss it off to Wolf.
Stocks not happy on this Friday. As you can see, the Dow is down 78 points. The NASDAQ is in negative territory as well, it is down 23 points. A lot of gauges declining. Investors eying weaker payrolls report, rising oil prices and some softness in the tech sector as well.
With that, I think I've done my time this week. I'm Daryn Kagan. I'll see you right back here on Monday morning.
Wolf Blitzer, take it from here.
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Aired June 3, 2005 - 11:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Updating you now on a story out of Aruba, police there say the disappearance of an Alabama teenager is looking more like a crime. The FBI has joined the search for 18-year- old Natalee Holloway of Mountain Brook. She disappeared on the last night of an island trip to celebrate her high school graduation. Friends say Holloway was last seen Monday just before dawn getting into a vehicle outside the nightclub.
And we have with us right now on the phone Jan Straten, the police commissioner of Aruba.
Mr. Commissioner, thank you.
JAN STRATEN, ARUBA POLICE COMMISSIONER: Good morning.
KAGAN: What can you tell us about the latest on the search for this American teenager, Natalee Holloway?
STRATEN: Yes, you know, the last day we searched on all places on Aruba. Yesterday, we had a big search with the Dutch marine, and with helicopters, the coast guards. Still we haven't found the girl.
We are busy with the investigation team, and you will understand that I can't tell you a lot of the results of the investigation. That's the update still now.
KAGAN: The last we heard or the last big clue is that she was seen leaving this nightclub getting in a car with three men. You've been able to talk to those -- the people who you believe were those three men?
STRATEN: Yes. We find them and we talked with them, the witnesses, three young boys, they went to school too. And we talked with them and we -- obviously with the investigation around them too.
KAGAN: And they say, as I understand -- and tell me if I have this correctly -- they say that they were with Natalee, but they dropped her back off at her hotel.
STRATEN: Yes, that's true. They dropped the girl by the hotel about two o'clock in the morning on Monday morning.
KAGAN: I know her parents have arrived there in Aruba and they're trying to help and encourage the search.
How hopeful are you to them? How encouraging are you to them that they're going to find their daughter alive at this point? STRATEN: You know, in the first days you are very hopeful, but the longer it takes, the longer you are afraid for a crime. I hope that you understand that. And that's the reason why the investigating team started thinking at the beginning of not only to find her, but thinking maybe she is a victim of a crime.
So the longer it takes we have her, we found her, the longer -- more we are thinking in the direction of a crime.
KAGAN: And is it more than just time that's making you go toward thinking that it's a crime, or are there other clues and information that you're not able to share with us at this point?
STRATEN: Yes, that's the point. I would like to say it, but I'm not able to say it at this moment.
KAGAN: I understand. The last thing we want to do is compromise the investigation and the search for Natalee Holloway.
Mr. Commissioner, thank you for your time, and we wish you well in your search.
STRATEN: OK. Thank you very much.
KAGAN: That's Jan Straten, he's the police commissioner for Aruba searching for 18-year-old Natalee Holloway on a high school graduation trip out of Alabama. She disappeared and has not been seen since Monday. We'll continue to bring you the latest on that story as well.
Meanwhile, we move on to human trafficking and the international sex trade -- will be highlighted in a report that's being released next hour by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Let's see what we can find out now from CNN State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel.
Andrea, good morning.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
You know, there's no other way to describe this report other than to say that the subject matter is about modern-day slavery, not only here in the United States, but in about 150 countries around the world.
And this is the fifth year that the State Department has been putting out this report, and it's more than just words on paper. It really is showing how much as the U.S. has reached out to countries after 9/11 to combat terrorism, they're doing the same thing to combat this kind of slavery that exists around the world.
The numbers are absolutely staggering.
We're talking about between 600,000 to 800,000 men, women and children who are smuggled from one country into another around the world every year; 14,500 to 17,500 are brought right here into the U.S. These victims are forced into everything from prostitution, to work in sweatshops, domestic labor as maids, farming, and child armies.
Eighty percent of these victims are females. We're talking about young women and children. Up to 50 percent of them are children. Seventy percent of them are used in the commercial sex industry.
And each year, over a million children are exploited in the commercial sex trade.
Now, you know, you want to know what is the practical import of a report like this?
I mean, the State Department has different laws. In fact, they've been pushing and pressuring different countries to improve their actions against not only the brothel owners, but also the perpetrators.
And we spoke to one attorney who said even one conviction makes a difference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARON COHN, INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION: Because if you consider it, the reason a person travels great distances like all the way to Cambodia to commit that kind of sex crime is because they believe or have some level of concern that they can't commit that same crime at home so they travel to a place they think they can.
But when you send the message through these types of prosecutions and convictions that, in fact, there's no place you can travel to commit crimes against kids, these little kids 5, 6, 7 years old, you may be able to actually effectively deter people from traveling to those places to commit those crimes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: And there's proof positive that this kind of enforcement and these new laws are working.
Canada just yesterday, Daryn, convicted and sentenced a man by the name of Donald Baker (ph) to 10 years, which is the maximum, for among other things, having had sex with and abused children in Cambodia and in other countries around the world. Some of these kids were under the age of 14 -- Daryn?
KAGAN: Andrea Koppel at the State Department, thank you.
We want to go to pictures now we're just getting into us here at CNN, pictures of the plane that was diverted to Halifax. Here it is, the Virgin Atlantic Flight 45 as it landed safely on the ground at Halifax, Nova Scotia. If you've been following the story with us, you know that this plane sent out a hijack alert soon after it took off from London, England earlier today. Flight control officials and the FBI were able to get in touch with the plane.
Now, what we're looking at here, this is the Canadian fighter jet, one of them that escorted the plane into Halifax. When air control officials and FBI officials were able to make contact with the pilot, they said it was a false alarm, there was no hijacking. But the way the system works today, no chances taken. So those Canadian fighter jets were deployed to escort this plane that was supposed to land at JFK into Halifax, Nova Scotia.
So you can see the plane is on the ground safely. It was supposed to be landing any minute now at JFK International Airport in New York City. For now, it's on the ground to the side and security officials on the ground taking the next part of that investigation.
No new estimated time on when that plane and its passengers, more than 200 passengers and crew, will make it to New York City.
With those new pictures, we'll take a break and have more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Once again, we want to get to these new pictures we're just seeing here at CNN. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Virgin Atlantic Flight number 45 not the plan for it to go there this morning. It was a plane that was headed out of London, headed for JFK International Airport in New York City. A false alarm went off that this plane was being hijacked. The pilot indicated that it was a false alarm, there was no hijacking taking place, and yet the system says the Canadian Air Force fighter jets were deployed, and you got to see one as it flies off.
The fighter jets did not land at Halifax. They're going back to their home base, but the airliner did, and on the ground there, it's going to stay on the ground for now. You have people on board, Virgin Atlantic Flight 45. Its' going to be on the ground there for a while, as security officials will check out what went wrong and what exactly is taking place, and eventually making its way back to JFK. We continue to follow the story as it develops. An interesting morning here at CNN.
We're back with more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Let's get some health news in now for your Daily Dose. Singing, too, and bouncing a baby on your knee could ensure that a baby gets rhythm. There's a new Canadian study suggesting the combination helps the brain learn to keep the beat. Rocking also apparently works.
How much fat is too much? The Centers for Disease Control are trying to clarify an April study that suggested obesity isn't killing as many people as first suspected. There was a flurry of controversy surrounding that study, and this week, CDC director Julie Gerberding wanted to make one thing perfectly clear. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JULIE GERBERDING, CDC DIR.: What we don't want is for this debate to continue to confuse people. We need to be absolutely, explicitly clear about one thing: obesity and overweight are critically important health threats in this country. They had many adverse consequences.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Scientists that were critical of that April report say that they're satisfied the CDC is, again, focusing again on the big picture.
To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is CNN.com/health.
Let's find out what's happening at the top of the hour. NEWS FROM CNN with Wolf Blitzer.
Wolf, good luck topping what we've had this last hour.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We'll try. I'm not sure we'll succeed, but we will try, Daryn. Thanks very much. We do have a busy hour coming up on NEWS FROM CNN. We're awaiting the release of the State's Department annual report on human trafficking. Guess what? It's shocking what's going on in our world.
Our Andrea Koppel covering that story for us.
And we're also near the end of the Michael Jackson trial, the attorneys wrapping up their closing arguments. We'll get a live report from our senior legal analyst Jeff Toobin. He's standing by. Those stories, much more coming up at the top of the hour, including a live interview with the Treasury Secretary John Snow.
Daryn, in the meantime, back to you.
KAGAN: And, Wolf, this is the last Friday I'll be talking to you after me, because you're moving on the bigtime show at 3:00 p.m. later this summer. It's been a pleasure.
BLITZER: Thank you, Daryn. Thanks very much. We'll be talking often.
KAGAN: We always do. OK, we'll see in about 12 minutes. Thank you, Wolf.
And we'll fit in a quick break. We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Hold them or fold them. The 36th World Series of Poker is under way this week in Las Vegas. After six weeks of play, an ace will be revealed. Will it be the defending poker champ Greg "Fossilman" Raymer? He joins me from Vegas this morning.
Greg, good morning.
GREG RAYMER, DEFENDING POKER CHAMPION: Good morning, Daryn.
How are you doing?
KAGAN: I'm doing good.
RAYMER: It's good to be back on the show.
KAGAN: Yes, I interviewed you right after you won the whole big thing last year.
RAYMER: You were my first television interview ever.
KAGAN: Well, a special place in your heart, I hope.
I bet it's been more exciting year as the world champ of poker, than your life as a patent attorney.
RAYMER: Well, I have to agree with you there, Daryn. I mean, things have changed a lot since our last meeting on Memorial Day 2004. The ESPN coverage hadn't been aired yet, and since it's been on TV and re-run a million times, life has changed dramatically.
KAGAN: Have you been back to the office, Greg?
RAYMER: Well, I went back to work actually later in the day, when you interviewed me, and even though it was Memorial Day, and I gave them my resignation about four days later; worked another couple weeks. I didn't want to make things hard on my coworkers and since then I've been traveling the world playing poker tournaments, representing Poker Stars.
KAGAN: No looking back?
RAYMER: No, no, not at all.
KAGAN: So you're ready to defend your big title?
RAYMER: Well, I'm ready to give it my best. You know, Harrahs and the Rio expect like 6,600 players in the main event this year. So, even if were the best player in the world, which unfortunately I'm not quite there yet, I would still be at best, maybe, one in 1,000 to win the tournament this year.
KAGAN: Because you don't have the element of surprise, people are going see you coming.
RAYMER: Well, even -- It doesn't matter that they see you coming or not. I mean, if you're the greatest player ever, you still don't have maybe more than one chance in a 1,000 to win in this tournament with that many people.
KAGAN: Tell us the secret of the sunglasses, Greg. RAYMER: Well, these are the famous 3-D hologram lizard-eyed sunglasses that I found at Disney World in 2002, and I put them on intending them to be a one-time joke.
But instead of the guy just laughing, my opponent in that hand kind of freaked out lost it, threw his hand away, and I decided that, you know, if it's going to bother people, I might as well give them a shot.
KAGAN: So, for those that don't have access to the super-duper nifty sunglasses, what a little strategy tip you can give, you know, for the guys out there playing poker Thursday night or something.
RAYMER: Well, the most important tip is you don't gamble with money you can't afford to lose. Because poker is like other form of gambling, more people lose than win.
KAGAN: Very good point.
RAYMER: I mean, if you're an intelligent poker player, you will make a profit in the long run, but it takes a lot of time, and practice, experience, study, training to reach that level. So, until you get to that point, you know, make sure it's money that you can afford to lose.
It's entertainment money.
Once you get there though, the thing to do is what I just said, you know, you've got to study, you've got to work at it. If it's going to be just a hobby, then it expect it to be a hobby where you lose a little bit of money just like you were going to watch a movie in the theater.
But, if you want to be a winner, you're going to have books, you're going to have to study, go to the Internet, join some discussion groups, and, you know, train at it just like you would train to do any other task in life.
KAGAN: No shortcuts.
Shoot.
We were wishing there was some great little trick there.
Well, Good luck...
RAYMER: Well, if there was, we'd all know it -- we'd all be winners.
KAGAN: We'd all be there with you in Vegas, if we did.
Greg, good luck. If you win, an invitation, right now, to come back and make this your first interview yet again as the defending champ.
RAYMER: OK, Daryn. KAGAN: Greg Raymer, the defending poker champ, the World Series of Poker. Thank you, Fossilman. That's his nickname.
RAYMER: My pleasure.
KAGAN: Thanks.
Another form of gambling, some people think, the stock market, a check of the markets coming up when CNN LIVE TODAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We go live now to Halifax, Nova Scotia, the latest on the diverted Virgin Atlantic flight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE OFFICER: Well, right now that's what we're trying to determine, the exact emergency which took place that made the beacon respond.
QUESTION: What will happen at this point? I see SWAT team members there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's normal procedure for us, it's a safety issue. So, we're trying to determine exactly what the emergency is and why the plane was diverted to do Halifax. Right now we're in the process of trying to contact the pilot and then we'll -- should have an update later on exactly...
QUESTION: What will happen to the passengers on board?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're still on board right now and once they're determined what the emergency was or not, the passengers will probably be cleared through customs. That's all the information I have right now. Sorry, thanks.
QUESTION: Why was it accompanied by fighter jets, why did they bring it in?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pardon me?
QUESTION: It was accompanied by a couple F-18s, Canadian fighter jets.
Why was that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, the emergency situation that come in, it was two CF-18s that escorted the plane in, and once the plane had landed safely, they went back to their base.
That's all the information I have for that topic.
KAGAN: That was a constable from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police giving us the latest on the story we've been following through much of the last couple hours here and that is Virgin Atlantic Flight 45, it was making its way from London to JFK. There was a false alarm that the plane was being hijacked. The pilot was very clear, saying that this was a false alarm and yet the system was put in place. Canadian fighter jets escorting that plane to Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is currently on the ground, the crew is still on board, the passengers are still on board, and security officials on the ground there in Halifax taking over, trying to figure out what went wrong and how they can get the plane now on to JFK.
That's going to do it for me.
A big end to the week, but before we do that, why don't we check the Big Board real quick before we toss it off to Wolf.
Stocks not happy on this Friday. As you can see, the Dow is down 78 points. The NASDAQ is in negative territory as well, it is down 23 points. A lot of gauges declining. Investors eying weaker payrolls report, rising oil prices and some softness in the tech sector as well.
With that, I think I've done my time this week. I'm Daryn Kagan. I'll see you right back here on Monday morning.
Wolf Blitzer, take it from here.
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