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CNN Live Sunday

Aruba Police Arrest Two In Connection With Alabama Teen Disappearance; Opportunity Roving Mars Surface Once Again; U.S., Iraqi Forces Find Huge Insurgent Bunker Near Fallujah

Aired June 05, 2005 - 16:00   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: New developments in the search for a missing high school student in Aruba. Two suspects with arrested and police release new information about the case.
Among pope John Paul II's last wishes that his personal writings be burned after his death -- but that wish is not being honored. Ahead, how one archbishop opinion argues the pope's written words could help boost John Paul II's place in the Catholic church.

And is the American dream alive and well are you stuck in the class to which you were born? A discussion with the author of "Class Matters" during this hour of CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after a look at the headlines.

Scary sight over Oklahoma: images of just one the funnel clouds over the state yesterday. More storms are on tap for the Plains and Midwest today. Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is coming up with a live look at the dangerous weather.

U.S. Marines have discovered a massive insurgent bunker in Iraq. It's entrance found in an abandoned building. The underground bunker is described almost the size of nine football fields containg living quarters, fresh food and a stockpile of weapons. We'll have more from Iraq in about seven minutes from now.

Back in action on Mars: NASA's rover Opportunity is again roaming the Red Planet. The robotic explorer had been stuck on a sand dune unable to get any traction for almost five weeks. It is taking engineers all of the time to maneuver the rover free.

Two men in custody and day seven in the search for a 18-year-old high school graduate who vanished in Aruba during her senior trip. The question everyone is asking remains unanswered, where is Natalee Holloway?

CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Palm Beach, Aruba and joins us via phone with the latest on the case -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPNDENT (via telephone): Fredericka, and a question that you very well asked, where is Natalee, still no clues yet. The police -- chief of police has just held a press conference and he said, so far, there is no sign of Natalee.

Yet two suspects are now in custody, they have formally been arrested under Dutch law. And the prosecutors are going to keep them in custody for at least the next two days. They are under going interrogation as we speak, Fredericka. And the prosecutor -- the chief prosecutor here has said they are being charged with crimes relating to Natalee's disappearance. She didn't, however, specify what those crimes would be because, obviously, they also have to find further clues Natalee's whereabouts.

One slightly piece of optimistic news that came out of this, Fredricka, is that a mattress found earlier on in the course of the day. On a wind swept shore on the eastern edge of the island. That mattress was stained with blood. But now, investigators thanks to help from the FBI have ruled that mattress out of the investigations. They say the blood on the mattress not human. It was actually a dog's blood.

They also say, police went on to say, that of the possessions seized at the two suspects' cars in two raids this morning -- three cars were seized at their house. And also, possessions were seized from inside those houses. Police have said that nothing belonging to Natalee has been found, none of the possesions, none of her clothing. So the search does still go on.

What police have also said is that they're in need of assistance from specialized diving teams from the FBI. That help is now being called in. And so, Dutch investigators and Aruban investigaters expect that help to arrive -- Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: And Karl, did investigators indicate what led them to these two suspects?

All right. Sounds like we've lost Karl Pephaul during his audio report from Palm Beach, Aruba. We'll try to re-establish that when we can.

Well, it's been an agonizing week for the family and friends of Natalee Holloway. Yellow ribbons now dot her hometowm of Mountain Brook, just outside of Birmingham. And daily prayer services are being held for the 18-year-old. CNN's Rick Sanchez joins us from Birmingham -- Rick.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In fact, we've been monitoring that reaction throughout the course of the last couple of days, Fred, since we have been here. Most of it had been taking place in that community church here at Mountain Brook that we've following.

We can tell you that while certainly everyone here is very much interested in the whereabouts of Natalee, we have been able to get -- or at least piece together a better sense of the time line for what happened late Sunday night into early Monday morning.

We have spoken to several of the parents and many of the students who, frankly, been here all week long. They have been talking to us about what was going on in those final hours. And they did, indeed tell us that there were three young men, those persons of interest, as many people following this story know about, who they became very friendly with. One of those young men with a dad who's very well connected there in Aruba who became very friendly with Natalee. And they say yes, Natalee did indeed drive away with that young man on that night, according to several sources here and several reports that have been filed from the island, as well.

Where it gets somewhat murky, Fred, is what happens after that. That was late Sunday into Monday morning. The nightclub, Carlos 'n Charlie's closed sometime around 1:00. It was sometime after 1:00 that Natalee, wth this young man drove off. They say they went to a beach -- this young man says with the two others. That they dropped Natalee off back at the Holiday Inn sometime after 2:0 a.m. Monday morning.

So then the question becomes, what hapened after that? And what does it have to do with these other suspects, as you heard in Karl's report that are now interrogated by some of the authorities?

Well, these two other suspects were security guards that worked at a hotel. It's called the Hotel Allegra, which is just adjecent to the Holiday Inn. If Natalee came in contact with them, how Natalee came in contact with them is still not known. And obviously something that's coming out in further news conference that is we expect from the authorities there, including from Chief Staunton there on the island.

Obviously, we have talked to a lot of folks here in this community who have told us that they have known Natalee for an awful long time. And as a honor student, someone who's just received, as a matter of fact, a scholarship to go to the University of Alabama, she was extremely poised and extremely responsible in how she handled herself.

We even asked point blank, her aunt, Marsha Twitty -- and we asked her, is there anything at all about Natalee that would lead to something like this happening, for example, would she be interested in wanting to get away for any particular reason? In fact, let's go ahead and take a listen to this now. This is Marsha Twitty. This is Natalee's aunt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ (on camera): I have to ask you this question.

MARSHA TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S AUNT: Yes?

SANCHEZ: Is there anything about Natalee that would make her want to in any way, go away, run away?

TWITTY: No, no.

SANCHEZ: Disappear?

TWITTY: No.

SANCHEZ: Nothing? TWITTY: There is nothing about Natalee, where on the other free, that she's going to to say, I'm not going -- huh-uh. No. Her own free will, Natalee is not -- would not do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Suffice it to say that it's the talk of the town here. Anywhere in Birmingham you go, people are talking about Natalee's story. People dropping by the church throughout the day, trying to do anything they can to add some prayers, some comfort and some support to the Twitty and the Holloway families. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: And Rick, during those daily prayers and vigils, are any of the townspeople there questioning or wondering what about the fact that the students went to Aruba with chaperons? How is it that one of the students or any of the other students might have disappeared under the care of the chaperons?

SANCHEZ: Let me tell you what I know about that, Fred. And obviously, it is a bit of a delicate subject, because everyone now is concerned about this. And you are hearing and seeing articles in the newspapers here in town with parents questioning whether or not they would ever allow their children to go on a trip like this.

There were some 140 kids on this trip. I say kids, but actually, many of them were adults because they turned 18. Kids for most of us as we look at it as parents wondering if something like this could happen to your children.

And we have all had these conversations. I'm sure you have with your husband. I have with my wife. Would you send your child on a trip like this after they graduate?

The word is, there were 140 of these students. There were seven chaperons. The question is, where the chaperons were at the time that the students were at Carlos 'n Charlie's, at the nightclub. As far as we can tell, there were several chaperons there, but not a full allotment of them. All the students and the parents and all the church officials that we have spoken to say there's no reason to believe at this time that any of those chaperones could have done anything wrong.

As far as the process goes, it was set up by a travel agency here in town. And certainly, there's a lot of questions about trips like this in the future. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Rick Sanchez, thanks so much out of Birmingham, Alabama.

It's being described as an insurgent lair. U.S. Marines in Iraq say they found a huge bunker complex complete with creature comfort and a stockpile of weapons.

And the case against Saddam Hussein is moving forward. CNN's Jennifer Eckelston brings up-to-date from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): As part of a continuing anti-insurgency operation in Anbar Provinc, the center of the Sunni Arab resistance, American marines and Iraqi soldiers uncovered an elaborate series of underground bunkers with large stores of heavy weapons, ammunitions and supplies.

Now, it was located not far from the troubled town of Fallujah. And the bunker was found on Thursday. It was one of a dozen weapons caches uncovered in the area in recent days. There were no insurgents in the compound, but it does appear to have been recently used as there was fresh food and a makeshift kitchen. And it also had furnished living quarters, it had a show shower and it also had air conditioning.

Now, the marines spokesman said the bunkers were built into an old rock quarry and totally about, roughly a half a million square feet, making it according to the spokesman, one of the largest underground insurgent hideouts to be discovered this year, or if not during the entire war.

Now, the spokesman also today for Iraq's prime minister said the former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein will face 12 documented cases against him when he comes to court. But there are likely to be more than 500 cases against him.

Of course, as you know, Saddam Hussein heard seven charges against him during a July 2004 court appearance. He faces a litany of accusations from his more than two decades of power, including the 1988 chemical attack on the Kurdish village of Halabja. The repression of the 1991 Shiite rebellion and the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The prime minister's spokesman also today said that he believed the trial could begin within two months.

Jennifer Ecclestone, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Back in this country. With the National Intelligence Director now in place, a change in White House duties for the CIA director. "Time" magazine reports Porter Goss will not have an essential presence at the president's National Security Council meetings like previous CIA directors. The change was quietly outlined in a White House memo last month. According to "Time" magazine, it says Goss will now attend the meetings, quote, at the direction of the president.

It appears John Negroponte, the new intelligence director is taking Goss's place at the table. The memo says Negroponte will attend all of the meetings. We'll analyze this change coming up. The writer of the "Time" magazine article joins us next hour.

At a stalemate with North Korea over nuclear weapons, the White House considers the options. Is a trip to the U.N. imminent? A live report straight ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

Also, the effort to make your trip through the aiport faster, while at the same time safe, the government has a few ideas.

And a fiery crash inside a tunnel linking two nations. How long could it be before traffic flows again?

And this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course, this is the well itself that she was in. If you look at that shaft, you just can't believe that a human would be in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It was a story that gripped not only a small comunity, but a nation, as well. In our look back at CNN over the last 25 years, we remember Midland, Texas, and the rescue of "Baby Jessica."

(COMMECIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Tornadoes and stormy weather taking aim at the Great Lakess today. These pictures showing one a funnel cloud spotted further over Oklahoma Saturday. At least two tornadoes touched down in that state. Five people were injured. Many residents are cleaning up today, but their efforts could be impeded by more wet weather. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras has the scoop on that -- Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, turning now to the hot spot of North Korea. Is patience running out over Pyongyang's failure to take part in nuclear talks? Today, there is word the Bush administration could decide within weeks whether to bring the mater before the U.N. Security Council. CNN's Elaine Quijano is following the buzz from Crawford, Texas and joins us with more on that -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Fredricka.

Well that word came from a senior U.S. defense official today. And referral, of course, to the U.N. Security Council carries with it the possibility of sanctions.

Now, in making that statement, the senior defense official noted that it has been one year since North Korea last sat down with other countries as part of those six-way negotiations. And this official added, quote, "we have an escalating downward spiral of threats by North Korea. And it appears to be marching to its own frustration drum."

Now, hours later, though, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appeared to walk back the statement, suggesting that it was premature. She told CNN, quote -- this afternoon, that, quote, "I think that the idea that within weeks we're going to decide one way or another is forward leaning." And she added, "we still believe there is life in the six-party talks."

Now, that was the position, in fact, that President Bush himself reiterated during a news conference last Tuesday in the Rose Garden at the White House. He was asked specifically about the U.S.'s approach to North Korea, an approach that has counted on North Korea's neighbors to apply pressure on Pyongyang into returning to the negotiations. But here is what President Bush had to say then.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's the idea. It's either diplomacy or military. And I am for the diplomacy approach. And so for those that we ought to be using our military to solve the problem, I would say that while all options on the table, we have got -- we've got a ways to solve this diplomatically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the Bush White House has continually tried to send the message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il that North Korea needs to move forward within that frame work of the six-party negotiations.

In fact, it was just last month that officials -- U.S. officials in a private face to face meeting in New York sat down and told the North Koreans that they wanted them to return to the talks, talks involved not only North Korea, of course, but South Korea, China, Japan Russia and the U.S. There's no word, though, of any movement.

As for what lies ahead, meantime, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is set to meet this week with Chinese officials in the region. President Bush, as well, said to meet with the South Korean president in Washington later this week, as well -- Fredericka.

WHITIFIELD: All right. Elaine Quijano from Crawford, Texas. Thanks so much.

Well, President Bush gets a visit this week from his close Iraq war ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The pair will meet Tuesday in Washington. It's their first face to face meeting since Mr. Blair was re-elected, but lost a number of seats in parliament.

He is expected to cash in some political chips and ask Mr. Bush to back his plan for fighting poverty in Africa. Mr. Blair is making Africa a key issue of next month's G-8 summit in Scotland.

The former secretary of Pope John Paul II is refusing to follow one of the pontiff's wishes. We'll discuss that. And grade Pope Benedict XVI's first few weeks on the job when CNN LIVE SUNDAY returns.

And torrential rains and heavy flooding has killed hundreds in one nation. And the worst may be yet to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Pope John Paul II's former secretary is going against the wishes of the late pontiff, refusing to burn his private papers. Also, with Benedict XVI in papal robes for only a few weeks now, some general feelings are developing about the nature of his pontificate.

Our Vatican analyst, John Allen, joins us to weigh in on all of this. Good to see you, John.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Hey, Fredricka. How are you?

WHITFIELD: All right. I'm doing pretty good.

Let's first begin with the will -- these the papers. Traditionally, how seriously should the last will and testament be taken of the late pontiff?

ALLEN: Well, generally, it is taken very seriously. I mean, you will recall when the pope's will was presented a few days after the death this time, there were some drama about where he was going to be buried, wheterh it be Poland or Rome. In the end, despite the strong feelings of the Poles, the pope wanted to be buried in Rome. And hence he was.

But on the other hand, the pope also appoints, typically, someone who is sort of like an executor, although that term isn't informally used, that is somebody to interpret his wishes. In this case...

WHITFIELD: And didn't he also have a team of lawyers to help craft and make sure that his will reflected his wishes?

ALLEN: No. This is isn't a will in that sense. I mean, it's not like he's bequeathing vast holdings. I mean the pope actually personally owns very little. I mean, the will is something he would personally prepare.

And in this case, he nominated his private secretary, Archbishop Salislaw Dziwisz, as the person who would make final decisions. And so, in that sense, Dziwisz is very much acting within the...

WHITFIELD: There is a gentleman's agreement between these two, the pontiff -- the late pontiff and his secretary. And he is also the secretary now, the executor, of this will. But that he doesn't carry out the wishes, certainly doesn't seem like he's paying much honor to the late pontiff, does it?

ALLEN: Well, look. Bear in mind, this was a note that is about his papers being burned that John Paul wrote in 1979. I mean, for all we know, it could be that there had been an exchange between these in the intervening almost 27 years.

Look, I would put it this way -- as somebody who follows this stuff pretty closely, there's nobody in Rome who is giong to challenge Archbishop Dziwisz's right to speak on behalf of the pope. You will recall when the pope was sick, the informal understanding was that if he ever slipped into a coma or became incapacitateed and somebody had to make medical decisions for him, it would be Archbishop Dziwisz. So, I don't think anybody's going to file any kind of challenge to Dziwisz right to make kind of judgement call.

WHITFIELD: So, no one will challenge the archbishop, that the archbishop's argument is these papers could help pave the road to Pope John Paul II becoming a saint. Is that a good argument?

ALLEN: Well, that's his argument. On the other hand, I think most of us would say that that was, you know, virtually a slam dunk well before the existance of these papers was known.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Benedict XVI already said he would pursue that, right?

ALLEN: Yes. Yes. Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, speaking of Benedict XVI, then, how is he doing? What's the general consensus about his pontificate thus far?

ALLEN: Oh, I think most people would say that it's been a pretty good performance to date. I mean, you know, a lot of people -- because of his reputation as a kind of doctrinal cop, something of an enforcer, were expecting some pretty quick disciplinary activity, which for the most part we haven't seen. I mean, it has been a remarkably positive presentation to date.

I think, also, we were expecting a somewhat quieter and perhaps less theatrical papacy. And I think to date that probably has been true.

I was on his first trip outside of Rome last week in the Southern Italian port city of Bari. And had this been John Paul II, it certainly would have been more glitzy affair. Benedict XVI on the other hand, got in a copter at 7:30 in the morning Rome time, came to Bari, said mass and went home. He was actually in the air longer than he was on the ground.

I think that indicates that he probably intends to be less of a kind of show biz figure and more someone -- again, he is 78, has less energy and so forth, has to concentrate on his priorities -- I think he intends to be a stay at home and take care of business kind of pope.

WHITFIELD: All right. And folks can read a little bit more about what to expect from Benedict XVI, or at least how he is doing so far. You have got a book coming out later on this week, "The Rise of Benedict XVI." Looking forward to seeing that on the stands, I bet, right?

ALLEN: Yes. You and me both, actually.

WHITFIELD: All right. John Allen, thanks so much.

ALLEN: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, speeding up the time through airport security without compromising safety, a government report reveals some ideas, straight ahead.

And Deep Throat comes forward. How was his identity kept secret for so long? Ben Bradlee, one of the few who knew the secret, talks about keeping the secret when CNN LIVE SUNDAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here's a look at what's happening right now in the news. A new development in the case of Natalee Holloway, the Alabama teenager missing in Aruba since Monday. Police say they found -- that the blood found on a discarded mattress located today does not match that of Holloway's. However police did detained two suspects today, both are security guards at a hotel located near Holoway's hotel.

A surprise discover in central Iraq. U.S. military officials say marines have found an underground insurgent bunker. The hideout covers a half million square feet and it is stocked with a vast array of weapons, night vision goggles, logbooks and cell phones. Some rooms were bare but others were fully furnished. Fresh food was also found indicating people had recently been there.

Te Susana (ph) in Paris has been transformed into a giant sports complex complete with a running track and swimming pool. The temporary makeover is part of the city's bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. They turned out in droves for a huge street party and a parade.

Staying safe and moving swiftly. Can you have both when it comes to flying out of the nation's airports? With air travel in doing a surge, the U.S. government looking at new ways to improve security and make it more convenient for travelers.

CNN's Brian Todd is at Reagan National Airport outside of Washington with more on how these ideas could affect you. Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka that's a huge challenge right now for aviation security officials. And they are doing a real balancing act between tighter security and passenger conveyance. Now we are finding out from top officials and passengers themselves whether it's working.

TODD (voice over): On their first plane trip since September 11th, this Lezotte family isn't worried and isn't having many security hassles as they head back to Dallas from Washington.

LINDA LEZOTTE, PASSENGER: I think it is very thorough. I've been impressed. Everybody is helpful.

TODD: That's what the transportation security administration wants to hear as it comes under added pressure to improve its performance. A confidential new report from the Department of Homeland Security suggests ways that TSA can tighten security gaps at major airports and get you through check points faster.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please keep the boarding passes in hand.

TODD: According to Homeland Security officials who have seen the report, it says more explosive trace detection need to be in place. This involves taking swabs of passengers and luggage and running them through machines to look for explosive residue. The report says these machines are now only in limited use at major airports but there's a more expensive upgrade called the explosive trace portal. A passenger walks through a portal; there is a burst of air. And that air is tested for residue. Only 14 airports have them. And TSA officials say they're acting on the report's recommendation to deploy more.

MARK HATFIELD, TSA SPOKESMAN: We have brought trace portals, which will now be installed at the 40 busiest airports by the end of this year.

TODD: But according to the "New York Times" the report says many overseas airports don't meet U.S. standards for background checks on passengers flying into the U.S. from abroad.

REP. DAN LUNGREN, (R) HOMELAND SECURITY: We do have a situation now where we check manifests while people are in the air. That is while the flights are in the air. There has been a suggestion that might be done at an earlier stage so you don't have to divert these flights. And you could possibly be able to identify potential terrorists suspects before they actually get on the flight.

TODD: But TSA officials say they have good collaboration with other governments over security standards and are always looking for ways to improve. One simple way to get people through check points faster according to this report? Putting longer tables in front of checkpoints to empty your carry-on luggage.

CLARK KENT ERVIN, FMR. DHS INSPECTOR GENERAL: Many of the solutions recommended are very low tech or no tech recommendations at all. They don't cost a lot of money so it is hard to believe that they haven't been implemented.

TODD (on camera): TSA officials say they've been working that problem too along with many others in the report. Experts say that's not a moment too soon, since we are now seeing passenger volume that we have not seen since before September 11th -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Brian Todd from Reagan National Airport, thanks so much.

In other news across America now, federal agents have raided a Florida farm which labor officials call a modern day slave camp. Officials say homeless men and women were recruited to the Evans' labor camp, given drugs and alcohol on credit and then had to work in the fields to pay it off. Four people including the camp's owner face federal charges.

In Polk County, Florida, a former professor is charged with stealing his students' identities. Bradley Schlossberg (ph) taught at a community college for one semester. Police say he and his common law wife Debra Haffner (ph) obtained students' Social Security numbers. Police say the couple then opened credit card accounts under the students' names. And in San Diego, California Anurag Kashya (ph) is enjoying his newly found fame. The eighth grader that your about to see hopefully is this year's national spelling bee champ. He arrived home from the competition yesterday to a crowd of well-wishers and fans. There you see him right there.

Last week, mystery solved, the 30-year old mystery surrounding the identity of Deep Throat. At the urging of his family, 91-year-old Mark Felt revealed he was Deep Throat, the source to that established a relationship with a young "Washington Post" reporter. Former "Washington Post" editor Ben Bradlee appeared on CNN's "Reliable Sources" and he said it was never his secret to tell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN BRADLEE, FMR. "WASHINGTON POST" EDITOR: Woodward made a promise to Felt that he would never reveal his name. Woodward told me who Deep Throat was back 30 years ago, 33 years ago. And, I am -- gave my word to Woodward. So I had to be freed by Woodward before Ii could get involved at all. And we had a discussion about whether the fact that Felt himself went public with what he had put us under an oath of secrecy, whether that amounted to a release. I thought it did. And therefore, we were free to talk. If he was talking, so could we finally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Interestingly, Bradlee says he didn't know Deep Throat's identity until after Richard Nixon resigned.

When we come back, we are talking about class. Not school classes. But psycho economic classes. In other words, if you're born poor, are you likely to stay that way? That's one of the questions being asked, is rags to riches a myth for most in America today?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, a number of news organizations lately have been focusing on class. It has a lot of us pondering the questions whether upward mobility, which is a big part of pursuing the American dream, is still a reality. The book "Class Matters" profiles various perceptions about class and the author Betsy Leondar-Wright is joining me now from Watertown, Massachusetts. Good to see you Betsy.

BETSY LEONDAR-WRIGHT, AUTHOR, "CLASS MATTERS:" Thanks Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, well all of these class articles have gotten people wonderings is the American dream still alive? Can you be born in one class and hopefully pursue to be or at least elevate yourself into another class? Or are you mostly born into it and you stay there?

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: Well, of course, there is some upward mobility but not nearly as much as the popular myth would have it. And not as much as in most of the other industrialized countries. And, it appears from a number of studies not as much as a generation ago. Now, it seems that the apple is falling pretty close to the tree.

WHITFIELD: Hmm. Example, what do you mean?

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: Well, most of the very, very wealthy people we see all these -- this amazing new wealth of the software multimillionaires, most of the super rich grew up affluent. So, true rags to riches is quite rare. It's -- it's only happening in a tiny number of cases. And, most people will be about the same segment of the economy as their parents were at the same age.

WHITFIELD: You would think that has changed quite a bit. Particularly within the last two decades. Simply because you have a lot of new money, a lot of new wealth. Many crediting the dot-com industry. And so, all of what you just said, you know, really doesn't apply to a lot of the new wealth.

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: Well, it's true, this is been a fantastic couple of decades to be a wealthy person. The rules have been set up very favorably. The tax policies and other policies been set up very, very favorably for people who get most of their income from asset ownership but it's been a very bad 25 years for people who get their income mostly from wages or salaries. Those have slipped backwards. And we have just an unprecedented number of people who work full-time and still poor.

WHITFIELD: Hmm. And, you know, when we talk about the rich or the wealthy, apparently, now, you know, wealthy is not one big monolip there is wealthy and then there is super wealthy or ubber weathly, or hyper rich is a term that is being used. Do you agree with that?

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: Well I thought today's "New York Times" cover story by David Key Junction (ph) very, very interesting; the tax advantages have been given to not just the top 1 percent but also the top tenth of 1 percent. Just really cashed in, and that I would say -- I work at United for a fairer economy and we say this is not a great economy for the bottom 95 percent. But it's been very good for the top 5 percent.

WHITFIELD: Wow. But that article also did zone in on this widening gap between the rich and the hyper rich in terms of what they're able to attain, what they're able to enjoy, and what's categorized as wealth these days.

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: That's right. They interview people on Nantucket here in Massachusetts where I am, where people are tearing down beautiful old multimillion-dollar houses and two adjacent lots and building one mega mansion, and I think that this society is really now out of control.

WHITFIELD: Mostly because they don't want neighbors or want more privacy, right.

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: Yes. And but there's no sense of enough. I think we have -- we need some value adjustment to have a sense there's a thing as enough. There is -- there are other things to do with money besides indulge yourself with a lot of luxuries. I think that there are wealthy people who support other wealthy people to put the value into the money and once people do that, I think this reaching for more and more and more luxury does tend to stop.

WHITFIELD: And it seems as though there are some conflict between the old money and the new money. In terms of a lot of folks of the old money are frowning upon the new money because new money folks might be more ostentatious to let everybody know they have the money. So you're seeing there is a clash between these various categories of wealth?

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: Yes. There's an organization that I'm involved with called Class action, the website is Classism.org and it looks at class as not just as a money thing, but as class as culture. That we have different values, we have different ways of talking, and we have different ways of seeing the world depending on what our class experiences have been. And it can be like learning a new language to talk across class differences. And that's what Class Action does, is help people communicate across those differences.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. Betsy Leondar-Wright the book is "Class Matters," thank you so much for joining us. From Watertown, Massachusetts.

LEONDAR WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.

WHITFIELD: Remember this? A little girl trapped 22 feet below ground. 17 years ago, it was an event that gripped a nation. As part of CNN's 25th anniversary, we relive the story of baby Jessica straight ahead.

And talk about a high. Tying the knot with some serious altitude.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: News around the world now. More than 200 are dead, crops are washed away, tens of thousands of homes in disrepair and is summer flood season just begun in southern China. Three days of rains devastated the region forces hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Italy says a tunnel it shares with France will reopen within a year. Officials say they haven't found structural damage after a tractor-trailer yesterday burst into flames. A second person has died as a result of that fire.

And celebrations in the form of a wedding on top of the world. This couple from Nepalese braved sub zero temperatures and biting winds to say their I dos atop Mount Everest. This is one case where we can safely assume the rest of the marriage will be downhill.

Over the last 25 years, CNN has covered history in the making, stories that have had worldwide significance. But there have been also been stories that didn't have great global meaning but a powerful impact on our emotions. The story of a toddler named Jessica McClure falls into that category. She is known best as baby Jessica, the little girl that fell down a well in Texas almost 18 years ago. Here's a look back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course, this is a desert area, and really the reason Midland got its start was because of underground water. This backyard is different than it was in 1987. People have drilled water wells primarily to water their yards. Of course, this is the well itself that she was in. If you look at that shaft, you just can't believe that a human would be in there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What started as a child's innocent game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jessica McClure, trapped --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People all over the world watching this story.

TONY CLARK, FMR. CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica was 18 months old at the time. She was playing in the backyard. She had fallen 22 feet into the well. When we got there, we found that some of the reporters had already gotten ladders. We didn't have a ladder. I started knocking on doors up and down the block.

The rescuers are making progress literally by inches. Cameras and microphones have been brought down.

They could hear her crying a little bit. Gurgling. So they knew that she was -- she was alive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the lord's help, with your prayers, we know that little girl's going to make it.

CLARK: Chip and Sissy McClure were so young. I think she was 18 and he was around the same age and they were obviously worried parents. It's gone frustratingly slow as volunteer rescuers drill; they found it tougher than expected.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what we were digging through. This is the actual indention of the hole that we drilled.

CLARK: They drilled a shaft parallel to the one Jessica fell in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These guys were man handling this jackhammer sideways and drilling across there and just some of the reasons that it took so long. Some 58 hours after we'd been doing, everybody was pretty tired and we'd been through a lot and been through a lot of disappointment. All of a sudden I'm listening on the phone and Steve says, Chief Robert's got her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tony Clark in Midland, Texas.

CLARK: It looks like they're bringing her up right now. We are seeing a lot of activity --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But when she came up above ground, I couldn't believe it. I had to lean around some of the people and just make sure and I saw that one eye open and -- and I saw her moving and I knew that we had finally done it.

CLARK: You can see the enthusiasm. You could hear the applause as Jessica is brought out. The smiles it has taken a long time.

She's swathed in bandages and she's on a back brace. And carried to the waiting ambulance. To the cheers of the rescue workers and people that were surrounding her. It was really quite a moment.

And what happened after that is horns started honking throughout Midland. You knew that this was a city that was rejoicing at that moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know how she ever got out of there alive knowing what I know now. I would say that's one of the miracles that we seen in our lifetime.

CLARK: Looking at Jessica now, she graduated from high school last year. Her parents have helped her keep a very low profile and interesting that right now, she is around 18 years old. And that's the same age as her mom was at the time of this -- that she was trapped in the well. I think the Jessica McClure story changed network news coverage to show that it can put viewers at the scene of a breaking news story from start to finish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We welded (INAUDIBLE) on that night after we got her out and it says for Jessica, 10/16/87 with love from all of us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: For more memorable stories of the last 25 years, tune into CNN "Defining Moments" that is tonight at 8:00 Eastern. When CNN LIVE SUNDAY returns, last week he was convicted of beating to death an 18-year-old woman. So why is he out of jail and walking free? A story that you will want to -- have you questioning rather the criminal justice system. Straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired June 5, 2005 - 16:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: New developments in the search for a missing high school student in Aruba. Two suspects with arrested and police release new information about the case.
Among pope John Paul II's last wishes that his personal writings be burned after his death -- but that wish is not being honored. Ahead, how one archbishop opinion argues the pope's written words could help boost John Paul II's place in the Catholic church.

And is the American dream alive and well are you stuck in the class to which you were born? A discussion with the author of "Class Matters" during this hour of CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after a look at the headlines.

Scary sight over Oklahoma: images of just one the funnel clouds over the state yesterday. More storms are on tap for the Plains and Midwest today. Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is coming up with a live look at the dangerous weather.

U.S. Marines have discovered a massive insurgent bunker in Iraq. It's entrance found in an abandoned building. The underground bunker is described almost the size of nine football fields containg living quarters, fresh food and a stockpile of weapons. We'll have more from Iraq in about seven minutes from now.

Back in action on Mars: NASA's rover Opportunity is again roaming the Red Planet. The robotic explorer had been stuck on a sand dune unable to get any traction for almost five weeks. It is taking engineers all of the time to maneuver the rover free.

Two men in custody and day seven in the search for a 18-year-old high school graduate who vanished in Aruba during her senior trip. The question everyone is asking remains unanswered, where is Natalee Holloway?

CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Palm Beach, Aruba and joins us via phone with the latest on the case -- Karl.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPNDENT (via telephone): Fredericka, and a question that you very well asked, where is Natalee, still no clues yet. The police -- chief of police has just held a press conference and he said, so far, there is no sign of Natalee.

Yet two suspects are now in custody, they have formally been arrested under Dutch law. And the prosecutors are going to keep them in custody for at least the next two days. They are under going interrogation as we speak, Fredericka. And the prosecutor -- the chief prosecutor here has said they are being charged with crimes relating to Natalee's disappearance. She didn't, however, specify what those crimes would be because, obviously, they also have to find further clues Natalee's whereabouts.

One slightly piece of optimistic news that came out of this, Fredricka, is that a mattress found earlier on in the course of the day. On a wind swept shore on the eastern edge of the island. That mattress was stained with blood. But now, investigators thanks to help from the FBI have ruled that mattress out of the investigations. They say the blood on the mattress not human. It was actually a dog's blood.

They also say, police went on to say, that of the possessions seized at the two suspects' cars in two raids this morning -- three cars were seized at their house. And also, possessions were seized from inside those houses. Police have said that nothing belonging to Natalee has been found, none of the possesions, none of her clothing. So the search does still go on.

What police have also said is that they're in need of assistance from specialized diving teams from the FBI. That help is now being called in. And so, Dutch investigators and Aruban investigaters expect that help to arrive -- Fredericka.

WHITFIELD: And Karl, did investigators indicate what led them to these two suspects?

All right. Sounds like we've lost Karl Pephaul during his audio report from Palm Beach, Aruba. We'll try to re-establish that when we can.

Well, it's been an agonizing week for the family and friends of Natalee Holloway. Yellow ribbons now dot her hometowm of Mountain Brook, just outside of Birmingham. And daily prayer services are being held for the 18-year-old. CNN's Rick Sanchez joins us from Birmingham -- Rick.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In fact, we've been monitoring that reaction throughout the course of the last couple of days, Fred, since we have been here. Most of it had been taking place in that community church here at Mountain Brook that we've following.

We can tell you that while certainly everyone here is very much interested in the whereabouts of Natalee, we have been able to get -- or at least piece together a better sense of the time line for what happened late Sunday night into early Monday morning.

We have spoken to several of the parents and many of the students who, frankly, been here all week long. They have been talking to us about what was going on in those final hours. And they did, indeed tell us that there were three young men, those persons of interest, as many people following this story know about, who they became very friendly with. One of those young men with a dad who's very well connected there in Aruba who became very friendly with Natalee. And they say yes, Natalee did indeed drive away with that young man on that night, according to several sources here and several reports that have been filed from the island, as well.

Where it gets somewhat murky, Fred, is what happens after that. That was late Sunday into Monday morning. The nightclub, Carlos 'n Charlie's closed sometime around 1:00. It was sometime after 1:00 that Natalee, wth this young man drove off. They say they went to a beach -- this young man says with the two others. That they dropped Natalee off back at the Holiday Inn sometime after 2:0 a.m. Monday morning.

So then the question becomes, what hapened after that? And what does it have to do with these other suspects, as you heard in Karl's report that are now interrogated by some of the authorities?

Well, these two other suspects were security guards that worked at a hotel. It's called the Hotel Allegra, which is just adjecent to the Holiday Inn. If Natalee came in contact with them, how Natalee came in contact with them is still not known. And obviously something that's coming out in further news conference that is we expect from the authorities there, including from Chief Staunton there on the island.

Obviously, we have talked to a lot of folks here in this community who have told us that they have known Natalee for an awful long time. And as a honor student, someone who's just received, as a matter of fact, a scholarship to go to the University of Alabama, she was extremely poised and extremely responsible in how she handled herself.

We even asked point blank, her aunt, Marsha Twitty -- and we asked her, is there anything at all about Natalee that would lead to something like this happening, for example, would she be interested in wanting to get away for any particular reason? In fact, let's go ahead and take a listen to this now. This is Marsha Twitty. This is Natalee's aunt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ (on camera): I have to ask you this question.

MARSHA TWITTY, NATALEE HOLLOWAY'S AUNT: Yes?

SANCHEZ: Is there anything about Natalee that would make her want to in any way, go away, run away?

TWITTY: No, no.

SANCHEZ: Disappear?

TWITTY: No.

SANCHEZ: Nothing? TWITTY: There is nothing about Natalee, where on the other free, that she's going to to say, I'm not going -- huh-uh. No. Her own free will, Natalee is not -- would not do this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Suffice it to say that it's the talk of the town here. Anywhere in Birmingham you go, people are talking about Natalee's story. People dropping by the church throughout the day, trying to do anything they can to add some prayers, some comfort and some support to the Twitty and the Holloway families. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: And Rick, during those daily prayers and vigils, are any of the townspeople there questioning or wondering what about the fact that the students went to Aruba with chaperons? How is it that one of the students or any of the other students might have disappeared under the care of the chaperons?

SANCHEZ: Let me tell you what I know about that, Fred. And obviously, it is a bit of a delicate subject, because everyone now is concerned about this. And you are hearing and seeing articles in the newspapers here in town with parents questioning whether or not they would ever allow their children to go on a trip like this.

There were some 140 kids on this trip. I say kids, but actually, many of them were adults because they turned 18. Kids for most of us as we look at it as parents wondering if something like this could happen to your children.

And we have all had these conversations. I'm sure you have with your husband. I have with my wife. Would you send your child on a trip like this after they graduate?

The word is, there were 140 of these students. There were seven chaperons. The question is, where the chaperons were at the time that the students were at Carlos 'n Charlie's, at the nightclub. As far as we can tell, there were several chaperons there, but not a full allotment of them. All the students and the parents and all the church officials that we have spoken to say there's no reason to believe at this time that any of those chaperones could have done anything wrong.

As far as the process goes, it was set up by a travel agency here in town. And certainly, there's a lot of questions about trips like this in the future. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Rick Sanchez, thanks so much out of Birmingham, Alabama.

It's being described as an insurgent lair. U.S. Marines in Iraq say they found a huge bunker complex complete with creature comfort and a stockpile of weapons.

And the case against Saddam Hussein is moving forward. CNN's Jennifer Eckelston brings up-to-date from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): As part of a continuing anti-insurgency operation in Anbar Provinc, the center of the Sunni Arab resistance, American marines and Iraqi soldiers uncovered an elaborate series of underground bunkers with large stores of heavy weapons, ammunitions and supplies.

Now, it was located not far from the troubled town of Fallujah. And the bunker was found on Thursday. It was one of a dozen weapons caches uncovered in the area in recent days. There were no insurgents in the compound, but it does appear to have been recently used as there was fresh food and a makeshift kitchen. And it also had furnished living quarters, it had a show shower and it also had air conditioning.

Now, the marines spokesman said the bunkers were built into an old rock quarry and totally about, roughly a half a million square feet, making it according to the spokesman, one of the largest underground insurgent hideouts to be discovered this year, or if not during the entire war.

Now, the spokesman also today for Iraq's prime minister said the former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein will face 12 documented cases against him when he comes to court. But there are likely to be more than 500 cases against him.

Of course, as you know, Saddam Hussein heard seven charges against him during a July 2004 court appearance. He faces a litany of accusations from his more than two decades of power, including the 1988 chemical attack on the Kurdish village of Halabja. The repression of the 1991 Shiite rebellion and the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The prime minister's spokesman also today said that he believed the trial could begin within two months.

Jennifer Ecclestone, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Back in this country. With the National Intelligence Director now in place, a change in White House duties for the CIA director. "Time" magazine reports Porter Goss will not have an essential presence at the president's National Security Council meetings like previous CIA directors. The change was quietly outlined in a White House memo last month. According to "Time" magazine, it says Goss will now attend the meetings, quote, at the direction of the president.

It appears John Negroponte, the new intelligence director is taking Goss's place at the table. The memo says Negroponte will attend all of the meetings. We'll analyze this change coming up. The writer of the "Time" magazine article joins us next hour.

At a stalemate with North Korea over nuclear weapons, the White House considers the options. Is a trip to the U.N. imminent? A live report straight ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.

Also, the effort to make your trip through the aiport faster, while at the same time safe, the government has a few ideas.

And a fiery crash inside a tunnel linking two nations. How long could it be before traffic flows again?

And this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course, this is the well itself that she was in. If you look at that shaft, you just can't believe that a human would be in there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It was a story that gripped not only a small comunity, but a nation, as well. In our look back at CNN over the last 25 years, we remember Midland, Texas, and the rescue of "Baby Jessica."

(COMMECIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Tornadoes and stormy weather taking aim at the Great Lakess today. These pictures showing one a funnel cloud spotted further over Oklahoma Saturday. At least two tornadoes touched down in that state. Five people were injured. Many residents are cleaning up today, but their efforts could be impeded by more wet weather. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras has the scoop on that -- Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, turning now to the hot spot of North Korea. Is patience running out over Pyongyang's failure to take part in nuclear talks? Today, there is word the Bush administration could decide within weeks whether to bring the mater before the U.N. Security Council. CNN's Elaine Quijano is following the buzz from Crawford, Texas and joins us with more on that -- Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Fredricka.

Well that word came from a senior U.S. defense official today. And referral, of course, to the U.N. Security Council carries with it the possibility of sanctions.

Now, in making that statement, the senior defense official noted that it has been one year since North Korea last sat down with other countries as part of those six-way negotiations. And this official added, quote, "we have an escalating downward spiral of threats by North Korea. And it appears to be marching to its own frustration drum."

Now, hours later, though, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appeared to walk back the statement, suggesting that it was premature. She told CNN, quote -- this afternoon, that, quote, "I think that the idea that within weeks we're going to decide one way or another is forward leaning." And she added, "we still believe there is life in the six-party talks."

Now, that was the position, in fact, that President Bush himself reiterated during a news conference last Tuesday in the Rose Garden at the White House. He was asked specifically about the U.S.'s approach to North Korea, an approach that has counted on North Korea's neighbors to apply pressure on Pyongyang into returning to the negotiations. But here is what President Bush had to say then.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's the idea. It's either diplomacy or military. And I am for the diplomacy approach. And so for those that we ought to be using our military to solve the problem, I would say that while all options on the table, we have got -- we've got a ways to solve this diplomatically.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, the Bush White House has continually tried to send the message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il that North Korea needs to move forward within that frame work of the six-party negotiations.

In fact, it was just last month that officials -- U.S. officials in a private face to face meeting in New York sat down and told the North Koreans that they wanted them to return to the talks, talks involved not only North Korea, of course, but South Korea, China, Japan Russia and the U.S. There's no word, though, of any movement.

As for what lies ahead, meantime, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is set to meet this week with Chinese officials in the region. President Bush, as well, said to meet with the South Korean president in Washington later this week, as well -- Fredericka.

WHITIFIELD: All right. Elaine Quijano from Crawford, Texas. Thanks so much.

Well, President Bush gets a visit this week from his close Iraq war ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The pair will meet Tuesday in Washington. It's their first face to face meeting since Mr. Blair was re-elected, but lost a number of seats in parliament.

He is expected to cash in some political chips and ask Mr. Bush to back his plan for fighting poverty in Africa. Mr. Blair is making Africa a key issue of next month's G-8 summit in Scotland.

The former secretary of Pope John Paul II is refusing to follow one of the pontiff's wishes. We'll discuss that. And grade Pope Benedict XVI's first few weeks on the job when CNN LIVE SUNDAY returns.

And torrential rains and heavy flooding has killed hundreds in one nation. And the worst may be yet to come.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Pope John Paul II's former secretary is going against the wishes of the late pontiff, refusing to burn his private papers. Also, with Benedict XVI in papal robes for only a few weeks now, some general feelings are developing about the nature of his pontificate.

Our Vatican analyst, John Allen, joins us to weigh in on all of this. Good to see you, John.

JOHN ALLEN, CNN VATICAN ANALYST: Hey, Fredricka. How are you?

WHITFIELD: All right. I'm doing pretty good.

Let's first begin with the will -- these the papers. Traditionally, how seriously should the last will and testament be taken of the late pontiff?

ALLEN: Well, generally, it is taken very seriously. I mean, you will recall when the pope's will was presented a few days after the death this time, there were some drama about where he was going to be buried, wheterh it be Poland or Rome. In the end, despite the strong feelings of the Poles, the pope wanted to be buried in Rome. And hence he was.

But on the other hand, the pope also appoints, typically, someone who is sort of like an executor, although that term isn't informally used, that is somebody to interpret his wishes. In this case...

WHITFIELD: And didn't he also have a team of lawyers to help craft and make sure that his will reflected his wishes?

ALLEN: No. This is isn't a will in that sense. I mean, it's not like he's bequeathing vast holdings. I mean the pope actually personally owns very little. I mean, the will is something he would personally prepare.

And in this case, he nominated his private secretary, Archbishop Salislaw Dziwisz, as the person who would make final decisions. And so, in that sense, Dziwisz is very much acting within the...

WHITFIELD: There is a gentleman's agreement between these two, the pontiff -- the late pontiff and his secretary. And he is also the secretary now, the executor, of this will. But that he doesn't carry out the wishes, certainly doesn't seem like he's paying much honor to the late pontiff, does it?

ALLEN: Well, look. Bear in mind, this was a note that is about his papers being burned that John Paul wrote in 1979. I mean, for all we know, it could be that there had been an exchange between these in the intervening almost 27 years.

Look, I would put it this way -- as somebody who follows this stuff pretty closely, there's nobody in Rome who is giong to challenge Archbishop Dziwisz's right to speak on behalf of the pope. You will recall when the pope was sick, the informal understanding was that if he ever slipped into a coma or became incapacitateed and somebody had to make medical decisions for him, it would be Archbishop Dziwisz. So, I don't think anybody's going to file any kind of challenge to Dziwisz right to make kind of judgement call.

WHITFIELD: So, no one will challenge the archbishop, that the archbishop's argument is these papers could help pave the road to Pope John Paul II becoming a saint. Is that a good argument?

ALLEN: Well, that's his argument. On the other hand, I think most of us would say that that was, you know, virtually a slam dunk well before the existance of these papers was known.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Benedict XVI already said he would pursue that, right?

ALLEN: Yes. Yes. Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well, speaking of Benedict XVI, then, how is he doing? What's the general consensus about his pontificate thus far?

ALLEN: Oh, I think most people would say that it's been a pretty good performance to date. I mean, you know, a lot of people -- because of his reputation as a kind of doctrinal cop, something of an enforcer, were expecting some pretty quick disciplinary activity, which for the most part we haven't seen. I mean, it has been a remarkably positive presentation to date.

I think, also, we were expecting a somewhat quieter and perhaps less theatrical papacy. And I think to date that probably has been true.

I was on his first trip outside of Rome last week in the Southern Italian port city of Bari. And had this been John Paul II, it certainly would have been more glitzy affair. Benedict XVI on the other hand, got in a copter at 7:30 in the morning Rome time, came to Bari, said mass and went home. He was actually in the air longer than he was on the ground.

I think that indicates that he probably intends to be less of a kind of show biz figure and more someone -- again, he is 78, has less energy and so forth, has to concentrate on his priorities -- I think he intends to be a stay at home and take care of business kind of pope.

WHITFIELD: All right. And folks can read a little bit more about what to expect from Benedict XVI, or at least how he is doing so far. You have got a book coming out later on this week, "The Rise of Benedict XVI." Looking forward to seeing that on the stands, I bet, right?

ALLEN: Yes. You and me both, actually.

WHITFIELD: All right. John Allen, thanks so much.

ALLEN: Thanks, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, speeding up the time through airport security without compromising safety, a government report reveals some ideas, straight ahead.

And Deep Throat comes forward. How was his identity kept secret for so long? Ben Bradlee, one of the few who knew the secret, talks about keeping the secret when CNN LIVE SUNDAY returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here's a look at what's happening right now in the news. A new development in the case of Natalee Holloway, the Alabama teenager missing in Aruba since Monday. Police say they found -- that the blood found on a discarded mattress located today does not match that of Holloway's. However police did detained two suspects today, both are security guards at a hotel located near Holoway's hotel.

A surprise discover in central Iraq. U.S. military officials say marines have found an underground insurgent bunker. The hideout covers a half million square feet and it is stocked with a vast array of weapons, night vision goggles, logbooks and cell phones. Some rooms were bare but others were fully furnished. Fresh food was also found indicating people had recently been there.

Te Susana (ph) in Paris has been transformed into a giant sports complex complete with a running track and swimming pool. The temporary makeover is part of the city's bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. They turned out in droves for a huge street party and a parade.

Staying safe and moving swiftly. Can you have both when it comes to flying out of the nation's airports? With air travel in doing a surge, the U.S. government looking at new ways to improve security and make it more convenient for travelers.

CNN's Brian Todd is at Reagan National Airport outside of Washington with more on how these ideas could affect you. Brian.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka that's a huge challenge right now for aviation security officials. And they are doing a real balancing act between tighter security and passenger conveyance. Now we are finding out from top officials and passengers themselves whether it's working.

TODD (voice over): On their first plane trip since September 11th, this Lezotte family isn't worried and isn't having many security hassles as they head back to Dallas from Washington.

LINDA LEZOTTE, PASSENGER: I think it is very thorough. I've been impressed. Everybody is helpful.

TODD: That's what the transportation security administration wants to hear as it comes under added pressure to improve its performance. A confidential new report from the Department of Homeland Security suggests ways that TSA can tighten security gaps at major airports and get you through check points faster.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please keep the boarding passes in hand.

TODD: According to Homeland Security officials who have seen the report, it says more explosive trace detection need to be in place. This involves taking swabs of passengers and luggage and running them through machines to look for explosive residue. The report says these machines are now only in limited use at major airports but there's a more expensive upgrade called the explosive trace portal. A passenger walks through a portal; there is a burst of air. And that air is tested for residue. Only 14 airports have them. And TSA officials say they're acting on the report's recommendation to deploy more.

MARK HATFIELD, TSA SPOKESMAN: We have brought trace portals, which will now be installed at the 40 busiest airports by the end of this year.

TODD: But according to the "New York Times" the report says many overseas airports don't meet U.S. standards for background checks on passengers flying into the U.S. from abroad.

REP. DAN LUNGREN, (R) HOMELAND SECURITY: We do have a situation now where we check manifests while people are in the air. That is while the flights are in the air. There has been a suggestion that might be done at an earlier stage so you don't have to divert these flights. And you could possibly be able to identify potential terrorists suspects before they actually get on the flight.

TODD: But TSA officials say they have good collaboration with other governments over security standards and are always looking for ways to improve. One simple way to get people through check points faster according to this report? Putting longer tables in front of checkpoints to empty your carry-on luggage.

CLARK KENT ERVIN, FMR. DHS INSPECTOR GENERAL: Many of the solutions recommended are very low tech or no tech recommendations at all. They don't cost a lot of money so it is hard to believe that they haven't been implemented.

TODD (on camera): TSA officials say they've been working that problem too along with many others in the report. Experts say that's not a moment too soon, since we are now seeing passenger volume that we have not seen since before September 11th -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Brian Todd from Reagan National Airport, thanks so much.

In other news across America now, federal agents have raided a Florida farm which labor officials call a modern day slave camp. Officials say homeless men and women were recruited to the Evans' labor camp, given drugs and alcohol on credit and then had to work in the fields to pay it off. Four people including the camp's owner face federal charges.

In Polk County, Florida, a former professor is charged with stealing his students' identities. Bradley Schlossberg (ph) taught at a community college for one semester. Police say he and his common law wife Debra Haffner (ph) obtained students' Social Security numbers. Police say the couple then opened credit card accounts under the students' names. And in San Diego, California Anurag Kashya (ph) is enjoying his newly found fame. The eighth grader that your about to see hopefully is this year's national spelling bee champ. He arrived home from the competition yesterday to a crowd of well-wishers and fans. There you see him right there.

Last week, mystery solved, the 30-year old mystery surrounding the identity of Deep Throat. At the urging of his family, 91-year-old Mark Felt revealed he was Deep Throat, the source to that established a relationship with a young "Washington Post" reporter. Former "Washington Post" editor Ben Bradlee appeared on CNN's "Reliable Sources" and he said it was never his secret to tell.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN BRADLEE, FMR. "WASHINGTON POST" EDITOR: Woodward made a promise to Felt that he would never reveal his name. Woodward told me who Deep Throat was back 30 years ago, 33 years ago. And, I am -- gave my word to Woodward. So I had to be freed by Woodward before Ii could get involved at all. And we had a discussion about whether the fact that Felt himself went public with what he had put us under an oath of secrecy, whether that amounted to a release. I thought it did. And therefore, we were free to talk. If he was talking, so could we finally.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Interestingly, Bradlee says he didn't know Deep Throat's identity until after Richard Nixon resigned.

When we come back, we are talking about class. Not school classes. But psycho economic classes. In other words, if you're born poor, are you likely to stay that way? That's one of the questions being asked, is rags to riches a myth for most in America today?

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WHITFIELD: Well, a number of news organizations lately have been focusing on class. It has a lot of us pondering the questions whether upward mobility, which is a big part of pursuing the American dream, is still a reality. The book "Class Matters" profiles various perceptions about class and the author Betsy Leondar-Wright is joining me now from Watertown, Massachusetts. Good to see you Betsy.

BETSY LEONDAR-WRIGHT, AUTHOR, "CLASS MATTERS:" Thanks Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, well all of these class articles have gotten people wonderings is the American dream still alive? Can you be born in one class and hopefully pursue to be or at least elevate yourself into another class? Or are you mostly born into it and you stay there?

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: Well, of course, there is some upward mobility but not nearly as much as the popular myth would have it. And not as much as in most of the other industrialized countries. And, it appears from a number of studies not as much as a generation ago. Now, it seems that the apple is falling pretty close to the tree.

WHITFIELD: Hmm. Example, what do you mean?

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: Well, most of the very, very wealthy people we see all these -- this amazing new wealth of the software multimillionaires, most of the super rich grew up affluent. So, true rags to riches is quite rare. It's -- it's only happening in a tiny number of cases. And, most people will be about the same segment of the economy as their parents were at the same age.

WHITFIELD: You would think that has changed quite a bit. Particularly within the last two decades. Simply because you have a lot of new money, a lot of new wealth. Many crediting the dot-com industry. And so, all of what you just said, you know, really doesn't apply to a lot of the new wealth.

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: Well, it's true, this is been a fantastic couple of decades to be a wealthy person. The rules have been set up very favorably. The tax policies and other policies been set up very, very favorably for people who get most of their income from asset ownership but it's been a very bad 25 years for people who get their income mostly from wages or salaries. Those have slipped backwards. And we have just an unprecedented number of people who work full-time and still poor.

WHITFIELD: Hmm. And, you know, when we talk about the rich or the wealthy, apparently, now, you know, wealthy is not one big monolip there is wealthy and then there is super wealthy or ubber weathly, or hyper rich is a term that is being used. Do you agree with that?

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: Well I thought today's "New York Times" cover story by David Key Junction (ph) very, very interesting; the tax advantages have been given to not just the top 1 percent but also the top tenth of 1 percent. Just really cashed in, and that I would say -- I work at United for a fairer economy and we say this is not a great economy for the bottom 95 percent. But it's been very good for the top 5 percent.

WHITFIELD: Wow. But that article also did zone in on this widening gap between the rich and the hyper rich in terms of what they're able to attain, what they're able to enjoy, and what's categorized as wealth these days.

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: That's right. They interview people on Nantucket here in Massachusetts where I am, where people are tearing down beautiful old multimillion-dollar houses and two adjacent lots and building one mega mansion, and I think that this society is really now out of control.

WHITFIELD: Mostly because they don't want neighbors or want more privacy, right.

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: Yes. And but there's no sense of enough. I think we have -- we need some value adjustment to have a sense there's a thing as enough. There is -- there are other things to do with money besides indulge yourself with a lot of luxuries. I think that there are wealthy people who support other wealthy people to put the value into the money and once people do that, I think this reaching for more and more and more luxury does tend to stop.

WHITFIELD: And it seems as though there are some conflict between the old money and the new money. In terms of a lot of folks of the old money are frowning upon the new money because new money folks might be more ostentatious to let everybody know they have the money. So you're seeing there is a clash between these various categories of wealth?

LEONDAR-WRIGHT: Yes. There's an organization that I'm involved with called Class action, the website is Classism.org and it looks at class as not just as a money thing, but as class as culture. That we have different values, we have different ways of talking, and we have different ways of seeing the world depending on what our class experiences have been. And it can be like learning a new language to talk across class differences. And that's what Class Action does, is help people communicate across those differences.

WHITFIELD: Interesting. Betsy Leondar-Wright the book is "Class Matters," thank you so much for joining us. From Watertown, Massachusetts.

LEONDAR WHITFIELD: Thanks so much.

WHITFIELD: Remember this? A little girl trapped 22 feet below ground. 17 years ago, it was an event that gripped a nation. As part of CNN's 25th anniversary, we relive the story of baby Jessica straight ahead.

And talk about a high. Tying the knot with some serious altitude.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: News around the world now. More than 200 are dead, crops are washed away, tens of thousands of homes in disrepair and is summer flood season just begun in southern China. Three days of rains devastated the region forces hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Italy says a tunnel it shares with France will reopen within a year. Officials say they haven't found structural damage after a tractor-trailer yesterday burst into flames. A second person has died as a result of that fire.

And celebrations in the form of a wedding on top of the world. This couple from Nepalese braved sub zero temperatures and biting winds to say their I dos atop Mount Everest. This is one case where we can safely assume the rest of the marriage will be downhill.

Over the last 25 years, CNN has covered history in the making, stories that have had worldwide significance. But there have been also been stories that didn't have great global meaning but a powerful impact on our emotions. The story of a toddler named Jessica McClure falls into that category. She is known best as baby Jessica, the little girl that fell down a well in Texas almost 18 years ago. Here's a look back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course, this is a desert area, and really the reason Midland got its start was because of underground water. This backyard is different than it was in 1987. People have drilled water wells primarily to water their yards. Of course, this is the well itself that she was in. If you look at that shaft, you just can't believe that a human would be in there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What started as a child's innocent game.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jessica McClure, trapped --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People all over the world watching this story.

TONY CLARK, FMR. CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jessica was 18 months old at the time. She was playing in the backyard. She had fallen 22 feet into the well. When we got there, we found that some of the reporters had already gotten ladders. We didn't have a ladder. I started knocking on doors up and down the block.

The rescuers are making progress literally by inches. Cameras and microphones have been brought down.

They could hear her crying a little bit. Gurgling. So they knew that she was -- she was alive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the lord's help, with your prayers, we know that little girl's going to make it.

CLARK: Chip and Sissy McClure were so young. I think she was 18 and he was around the same age and they were obviously worried parents. It's gone frustratingly slow as volunteer rescuers drill; they found it tougher than expected.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what we were digging through. This is the actual indention of the hole that we drilled.

CLARK: They drilled a shaft parallel to the one Jessica fell in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These guys were man handling this jackhammer sideways and drilling across there and just some of the reasons that it took so long. Some 58 hours after we'd been doing, everybody was pretty tired and we'd been through a lot and been through a lot of disappointment. All of a sudden I'm listening on the phone and Steve says, Chief Robert's got her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tony Clark in Midland, Texas.

CLARK: It looks like they're bringing her up right now. We are seeing a lot of activity --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But when she came up above ground, I couldn't believe it. I had to lean around some of the people and just make sure and I saw that one eye open and -- and I saw her moving and I knew that we had finally done it.

CLARK: You can see the enthusiasm. You could hear the applause as Jessica is brought out. The smiles it has taken a long time.

She's swathed in bandages and she's on a back brace. And carried to the waiting ambulance. To the cheers of the rescue workers and people that were surrounding her. It was really quite a moment.

And what happened after that is horns started honking throughout Midland. You knew that this was a city that was rejoicing at that moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know how she ever got out of there alive knowing what I know now. I would say that's one of the miracles that we seen in our lifetime.

CLARK: Looking at Jessica now, she graduated from high school last year. Her parents have helped her keep a very low profile and interesting that right now, she is around 18 years old. And that's the same age as her mom was at the time of this -- that she was trapped in the well. I think the Jessica McClure story changed network news coverage to show that it can put viewers at the scene of a breaking news story from start to finish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We welded (INAUDIBLE) on that night after we got her out and it says for Jessica, 10/16/87 with love from all of us.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: For more memorable stories of the last 25 years, tune into CNN "Defining Moments" that is tonight at 8:00 Eastern. When CNN LIVE SUNDAY returns, last week he was convicted of beating to death an 18-year-old woman. So why is he out of jail and walking free? A story that you will want to -- have you questioning rather the criminal justice system. Straight ahead.

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