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American Morning
Natalee Holloway's Mother Demanding Action in Aruba; Insurgents Launch New Attacks in Iraq
Aired June 13, 2005 - 08:00 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Natalee Holloway's mother demanding action in Aruba this morning as the investigation into her daughter's disappearance enters a third week. We have a live report with an update on the evidence in the case.
Insurgents launching new attacks in Iraq as the U.S. death toll approaches 1,700. This morning, new calls in Congress to get Americans out.
And a tribute for Ronald Reagan from the old guard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BARLETTA, U.S. SECRET SERVICE (RET.): You're not there to be his friend. But you couldn't be around him very long without becoming his friend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The Secret Service agents who knew Reagan best remembering their friend on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: Good morning.
Welcome, everybody.
Bill Hemmer has got the day off, but Ali Velshi has been helping us out -- good morning.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A pleasure to be here, Soledad.
Good morning to you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
Let's get right to the headlines this morning with Carol Costello -- hey, good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Good morning to all of you.
Now in the news, U.S. military officials are investigating an explosion in Afghanistan. A convoy traveling to Kandahar was apparently hit by a roadside bomb. At least four U.S. service members were injured in today's blast, one of them seriously.
President Bush is facing new pressure on his policy in Iraq, this time from members of his own party. Republican Congressman Walter Jones says he plans to offer legislation this week setting a clear cut date to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THIS WEEK", COURTESY ABC NEWS)
REP. WALTER JONES (R), NORTH CAROLINA: I feel that we need to make a decision as to what the goals will be that when we achieve those goals, we could declare victory. Our men and women in uniform have done a magnificent job for this country and for the Iraqi people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Other Republican congressmen are urging the administration to adjust its Iraq plan to take into account the ongoing insurgency.
A Cuban militant is expected to appear before an immigration judge today. Luis Posada Carriles was arrested in Miami last month, charged with entering the country illegally. His case has sparked an international battle. The former Venezuelan security official is accused of planning a 1976 attack on a Cuban jetliner and several Latin American and Caribbean governments want him deported and retried as a terrorist in Venezuela.
And have you noticed a slow but steady slide for prices at the pump? The cost of gas dropping less than $0.02 in three weeks. I know it's not much, but according to Lundberg Survey, the national average for a gallon of self serve regular is $2.13. Still expensive, but better.
O'BRIEN: So we don't notice it at the pump? Sorry.
VELSHI: Yes.
COSTELLO: I don't either.
O'BRIEN: I know you're out there cheering it on, but...
VELSHI: I guess Lundberg has to sell its survey somehow.
COSTELLO: That's right. It's going for a penny-and-a-half now.
VELSHI: Yes, exactly.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.
VELSHI: Well, lawyers in Aruba today plan to ask for the release of two suspects in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Now, these are two of the five men arrested on the Dutch Caribbean island off of Venezuela.
Karl Penhaul is live from Palm Beach, Aruba -- Karl, is there new evidence to link any of these suspects with Natalee's disappearance?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ali, what we've been hearing from a law enforcement source close to this investigation was that they thought that they did have some new evidence. A sample of what resembled blood was taken from one of the cars confiscated on Thursday. And that sample was sent to an FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia.
The source, however, says that sample came back and has come back negative. So what was thought to be new evidence turned out not to be.
But as you say, there are five suspects still in custody -- three young men, the ones that were last seen in Natalee Holloway's company exactly two weeks ago. They were arrested Thursday. And two suspects, the security guards who were arrested the week before. They are also still in custody. And the lawyer, as you say, the defense lawyer for one of them is going to lodge an appeal today, we understand, from him. And he's asking the question, obviously, why his client is still in custody.
But this is what the government spokesman had to say about that matter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBEN TRAPENBERG: We don't get the details from the investigation from what we think may be the case, that these three gentlemen are pointing the finger to these two guys. So if they have an alibi they can substantiate where they've been, it may -- they may be released at some point. But that's still ongoing. Today, their lawyer, I have heard, may come with a special appeal so that their case can be considered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PENHAUL: I'll tell you something else, Ali, it's exactly two weeks now since Natalee Holloway disappeared. And I was outside the Carlos & Charlie's Bar, where she disappeared from, around 1:00 last night. That's the time she was last seen. It was a really eerie feeling to think that the minute she walked out of there, only four people know exactly what happened after that, the three suspects now in custody who were in that car with her and herself -- Ali.
VELSHI: Karl, are there a lot of people outside of Carlos & Charlie's at that hour of the morning? Is it typical that more people might have known? Could there have been more witnesses?
PENHAUL: It's possible. At that time -- the time that Natalee was leaving is also the time that the bar closes. It was a Sunday night coming into Monday morning and that Carlos & Charlie's closes at 1:00 a.m. And at that stage, people tend to pour out. There's a lot of people on the streets while they take cabs and such like. It could be that other people saw them all leave -- Ali.
VELSHI: Karl, good to see you. Thank you very much.
Karl Penhaul in Aruba -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, an unusual child custody battle between parents and the state. The parents of a young cancer patient are now dropping their objections to radiation treatments. But 13-year-old Katie Wernecke remains in state custody as her therapy gets underway.
Michele and Edward Wernecke join us this morning.
Their attorney is with them, as well. It's Luis Corona.
They're all in Corpus Christi, Texas this morning.
It's nice to see all of you.
Thank you so much for talking with us.
EDWARD WERNECKE, DAUGHTER HAS CANCER: Thank you, Soledad.
MICHELE WERNECKE, DAUGHTER HAS CANCER: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Michele and Edward, let's begin with you.
Why did you object originally to your daughter's radiation treatments?
E. WERNECKE: Well, we had concerns that it would cause her more injury than -- at the time, she was in complete remission. She had no active cancer and we could see no reason to do the radiation treatments, too. And the side effects that she would have in the future, damaging her heart, lungs and breasts, more than outweighed the benefits.
O'BRIEN: She had already had four rounds of chemotherapy and there were many doctors who were saying get the radiation treatments.
Was there any doctors that agreed with you, that the radiation treatments weren't warranted in this case?
E. WERNECKE: Well, we were never given a chance to really get our own doctor and get another opinion. The doctors that were making these reports never explained that there were other options. There are other options, but they never gave us any.
O'BRIEN: You lost custody, Michele, not only of your daughter Katie, but also of your two sons, as well. And since all of this began, you've dropped your objections to the radiation treatments.
Does that mean you're going to get custody of Katie back, and your boys, too?
M. WERNECKE: Well, I've already -- actually, there's three boys. I've already got them back. They came back on Friday, which I'm very happy and glad. We're still going to fight for Katie. And I still want what's best for her. Her -- I want the right treatments, not just the standard protocol, but the right treatment that she needs. And I want her -- them to look at her as an individual patient and cancer patient, not standard protocol, because not all kids and not all cancers are the same and they won't look at her as an individual.
O'BRIEN: So your argument was that they weren't looking at her as an individual, they were just doing the standard treatment that seemed to be effective in the primary number of children who had the similar disease?
M. WERNECKE: Yes, ma'am.
O'BRIEN: Let me turn to your...
M. WERNECKE: Our...
O'BRIEN: I'm sorry.
Go ahead.
M. WERNECKE: No, I was going to say because where -- it all depends where you're -- where it's sitting when the tumor's sitting and they don't look at it and they just want to treat it as a standard protocol.
O'BRIEN: I guess my question is when you -- when doctors give you advice -- and it seems to be numerous doctors were giving you the advice to go ahead with the radiation after the chemotherapy -- one would think the parents would sort of jump to do anything to try to save their daughter. I guess that's what I'm having trouble with.
M. WERNECKE: We did...
O'BRIEN: Why not just embrace the radiation immediately?
M. WERNECKE: Well, we do. We want her to get well, get better, and we don't want any harm to come to her. But I want it to be the right one, not just something that's always standard that all the doctors follow. I want it to be the right treatment. And if it's not necessary to give that much radiation to her, there's other options out there and nobody will sit down and explain anything to us.
O'BRIEN: Let's turn to your...
LUIS CORONA, WERNECKE FAMILY ATTORNEY: Soledad, if I may...
O'BRIEN: Yes, I was just about to invite you to talk to us, Luis.
There has been much going on in the background about all of this, as you well know. Some people have raised the issue of religion as a factor in any of this. Some people have said listen, at the end of the day, it's parents' rights.
What do you think is going on in this case?
CORONA: Well, I think it's been mischaracterized from the onset. Initially it was seen as a religious issue, a religious rights issue, and really the way we saw it and the way we still see it at this time is that it's the parents' right to make a decision concerning their children's health.
And I wanted to clarify something that Dr. Wernecke and his wife were saying earlier. They've always been in favor of treatment for their daughter. The problem with radiation, as you probably know, Soledad, is there's long-term risks involved. This is a 13-year-old girl. She just celebrated her birthday with the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services possession, not with her parents.
The problem we have here is that radiation can cause breast cancer, heart disease. It could leave her barren, sterile. And that's the concerns of the Werneckes. We're not dealing with a 50- year-old woman, we're dealing with a little girl right now who's still developing. And there's inherent risks involved. And that's what we've been saying all along.
O'BRIEN: Michele, how is your daughter doing? As we mentioned, and as your attorney just mentioned, she just turned 13. Is she still in the custody of the state or do you now have her living back at home?
M. WERNECKE: No, she's still in the custody of the state. She says she's doing pretty good. She told me she's still eating, keeping her willpower up, keeping her strength up. And I told her that, because I didn't want her sick because I'm not there to give her that strength that she needs. And I wish I could be, because she needs all the strength she can get and her willpower.
And, also, the family, it keeps her going, too, and those little -- my two little boys keep her going. And she needs to be back home where she belongs.
O'BRIEN: How devastating has this been to her mental health, in addition to her physical health, Mr. Wernecke?
E. WERNECKE: I'm sure it's affected her greatly mentally. I mean you just can't take a 12-year-old, 13-year-old now, girl out of a home without putting her in great stress and great mental anguish. And, I mean, tearing her away from her mother, putting her out there with strangers, telling her she's going to have these treatments again, I don't know how she bears up under the strain.
O'BRIEN: Now that you've capitulated, are you going to continue to fight this or no?
E. WERNECKE: We haven't capitulated. That's a misunderstanding. We still want the best treatment for Katie, but we haven't gave in to the radiation treatments. We still don't want them for her. There are...
O'BRIEN: When do you make the decision? So she's not going to have radiation treatments? When is this decision going to be made?
E. WERNECKE: Well, the judge has already made the decision for us. But we are still going to fight.
O'BRIEN: OK, forgive me, I'm going to ask you to back up then.
So the judge did say that she had to go ahead and get the radiation treatments and you're saying you're not going to go ahead with the radiation treatments? It sounds like you're contradicting each other.
CORONA: Well, Soledad, let me clarify that point for you, if I may.
We had a hearing on Friday to make a determination as to whether or not the cancer had returned. We received what's called a PET scan, a preliminary report. And we've not actually seen the PET scan.
Now, it seemed to show that there seemed to be a return or a possibly of a recurrence of the cancer. Now, the problems that the Wernecke -- Dr. Wernecke and his wife have is we haven't had our own doctor look at those results yet.
So the state actually has possession of Katie, as well as temporary managing conservatorship, which means they can make that decision at this juncture. However, the doctor has assured us that they're going to proceed with chemotherapy initially and then later on pursue radiation. And that's what's going on right now.
O'BRIEN: But your clients sound like they're not going to go for that. They just said that they don't support the radiation.
So if the doctors say...
CORONA: Well, they still are opposed...
O'BRIEN: ... they're going to continue with the chemo and then they'll go for radiation, it sounds like your clients are saying they're not going to go for that?
CORONA: That's correct. They still believe there's inherent risks involved and they still want to pursue other options.
O'BRIEN: Is this young lady going to -- is she going to get radiation therapy or no?
CORONA: We're not sure yet right now. But according to the doctor, they probably will recommend that in the future, after the chemotherapy.
O'BRIEN: If she has had a recurrence of her cancer, will she get radiation treatment or no?
CORONA: Well, right now it's up to the Department. If they recommend that, we believe she will, and that's why the Werneckes are still fighting this. O'BRIEN: And if she has a recurrence of her cancer, Mr. and Mrs. Wernecke, do you want her to get radiation therapy or no?
E. WERNECKE: We do not want her to have radiation therapy. I mean that...
O'BRIEN: Even if her cancer has come back?
E. WERNECKE: There is long-term effects to the radiation that will extend beyond 15 to 20 years. And she will get other cancers from that treatment and she's just too young for that type of treatment. There are less dangerous treatments. There are other ways to use radioactive materials to maybe accomplish the same thing that will have less total damage to her body.
O'BRIEN: Is the state going to give you back custody of your daughter if you stand in the way of the radiation treatments?
E. WERNECKE: Well, we hope to -- we're going to try for custody. We want the judge to give her back to us because her healing will only proceed properly in our care. There's -- the CPS should not have a cancer patient in their custody. I mean there's no way she can heal without the support of her parents.
O'BRIEN: And you realize that there are doctors who say her recovery can only take place in their care, because you're not allowing the radiation treatments?
E. WERNECKE: Well, we want the best treatment for our daughter and when the results are all in, we will -- hopefully, the judge will give us a say in what her treatments will be. But right now, we haven't had any say.
O'BRIEN: Well, we will see what happens.
Michele Wernecke and Edward Wernecke joining us this morning, and also their attorney, Luis Corona.
Thanks very much. CORONA: Thanks, Soledad.
E. WERNECKE: Thank you.
M. WERNECKE: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Ali.
VELSHI: Thanks, Soledad.
Let's check back on the weather.
Jacqui Jeras is filling in for Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the latest weather update -- Jacqui, hot, wet, what else?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that's about it, actually -- hot and wet and stormy, too, actually, later on this afternoon. (WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, it is the case that inspired the movie "Mississippi Burning." Today, an 80-year-old former preacher is set to face trial more than 40 years after the crime.
VELSHI: Also, the controversial prison camp at Guantanamo Bay -- should it be shut down? Now, even some Republicans are wondering.
O'BRIEN: And a year after his death, the Secret Service agents that served beside Ronald Reagan pay a special tribute to him.
Stay with us.
Those stories ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Jury selection begins today in the trial of Edgar Ray Killen. Now, he's charged in the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964. Andrew Goodman, James Cheney and Michael Schwerner were killed while working to register black voters.
Killen was tried in 1967 on federal civil rights violations, but that trial ended in a hung jury.
Joining us this morning from Philadelphia, Mississippi is Mark Duncan.
He is the Neshoba County district attorney who's prosecuting the case.
Mark, thank you for joining us.
MARK DUNCAN, NESHOBA COUNTY D.A.: Well, thank you for having me.
VELSHI: Let's go through a bit of a time line. This is the movie, this is the case that became the movie "Mississippi Burning." Now, I remember that movie when it came out in 1988, very profound. And that didn't lead to a new investigation. But about five years ago, I guess, this case was reopened or reignited?
DUNCAN: Yes, that's true. Back in 1999, I believe, the U.S. attorney's office here in Mississippi came to our attorney general at the time, Mike Moore, and told him that they had a person that -- who may be able to give us some information about the case. And that prompted an investigation that came to an end last year, when the case was presented to a Neshoba County grand jury.
VELSHI: What's different than last time? Why did it fail the first time around and why would it be different this time?
DUNCAN: Well, I can't speak for why the case was never brought before. All I can say is what we've been able to do in our investigation, which is when this witness was developed and that prompted the investigation, this office, under Ken Turner and our attorney general, Mike Moore, started investigating the case. It went for a long time, until Jim Hood and I took office. And we decided that the case needed to be brought to a conclusion. We felt like we had done all with it we could do and the matter needed to be presented to a grand jury.
VELSHI: Now, just to be clear, you're saying why it hadn't been brought before, the case that had been brought before was a civil rights case. These are murder charges. For the first time in history in this case, murder charges have been laid.
DUNCAN: That's true. The federal charges in 1967 were for civil rights violations. This is the first time that anyone has been charged with murder in this case.
VELSHI: Now, you went to the grand jury with your investigations and you are on record as saying that you recommended or at least had information on six people. The grand jury decided to charge one, to indict one person, Ray Killen?
DUNCAN: Yes, well what we did is we presented all the evidence that we had in the case against anybody and everybody. The grand jury then had the option to indict as many of those persons as they saw where there was sufficient evidence to do so. And they, after their deliberations, they decided to indict Mr. Killen and only Mr. Killen. That was the grand jury decision.
VELSHI: A lot of people are saying he's old and frail and that might work in his favor. And I guess he was cutting a tree down or something in March and now has broken both of his legs?
DUNCAN: That's true. But I understand that they expect him to make a full recovery and he has recovered enough at this point, we expect he'll be able to attend this trial.
VELSHI: Mark, you grew up in Neshoba County? Has it changed enough in all these years that you think it might be a different -- a different sort of trial than it was the first time around?
DUNCAN: Well, you have to remember that the first trial was not a Neshoba County trial, it was a federal trial. But there's no question that Neshoba County has changed significantly since that time. No one here has ever condoned what has happened and I -- while there's a lot of opinions on both sides concerning the case, I feel like that we'll be able to get a jury here that'll judge the case on the evidence and reach a fair determination.
VELSHI: Mark, we'll be watching it closely.
Thanks for joining us this morning.
DUNCAN: OK.
Thank you for having me.
VELSHI: Neshoba County District Attorney Mark Duncan in Mississippi.
Thank you.
And in the next hour, we're going to speak with Edgar Ray Killen's attorney -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the Secret Service agents who stood by Ronald Reagan's side remembering their boss and the man who was their friend.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: It's been a year since the nation paid its final respects to former President Ronald Reagan. Over the weekend, some special friends made an emotional visit to the Reagan grave site.
More now from CNN's Peter Viles.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): : A year after Nancy Reagan said that final good-bye to her husband, a big group of old friends came to visit her -- nearly 200 retired Secret Service agents, many of the men who once protected Mrs. Reagan and her husband.
GARRICK NEWMAN, U.S. SECRET SERVICE (RET.): This is just a show of respect and wanting to pay their regards to him and visit his gravesite.
VILES: Among that number, a retired agent named John Barletta.
BARLETTA: It's just that he was so loved. These agents from all over the world, paying their own money, they wanted to do a tribute to Ronald Reagan.
VILES: Few agents knew the Reagans better. He rode horseback with the president. The day her husband was shot, he tried and failed to keep Mrs. Reagan away from the hospital.
BARLETTA: We said, "Mrs. Reagan, we'd rather you stay here. We don't know what's going on. And for you -- we'd rather have control here."
And she just looked and said, "Either you take me or I'm walking."
I went, "Yes!"
VILES: Now retired, John trains guide dogs. He likes to bring them to a favorite spot on a hillside to tell them about his old friend. BARLETTA: He was a good man, Astro.
VILES: He shares memories with the book "Riding with Reagan," memories that still touch his heart.
(on camera): Do you miss him?
BARLETTA: I miss him a lot.
VILES: It's been a year, yes.
BARLETTA: It's OK. He knows I'm having trouble.
VILES: I didn't mean to shake you up like that.
BARLETTA: We were very close. I'm honored to be so. It's just amazing. We had hundreds of hours of one on one conversation. And usually as an agent, you know, you're not there to be his friend. But you couldn't be around him very long without becoming his friend.
VILES (voice-over): An old friend gone, but not forgotten.
BARLETTA: We'll be back.
VILES: Peter Viles, for CNN, Simi Valley, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Sunday marked another Reagan anniversary. It was June 12, 1987, during a trip to the divided city of Berlin, when Mr. Reagan publicly challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall."
Ahead this morning, with Father's Day approaching, Dr. Sanjay Gupta begins a special series for us, Just For Dad. This morning, he's taking a look at the learning curve for stay-at-home dads.
Stay with us.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired June 13, 2005 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Natalee Holloway's mother demanding action in Aruba this morning as the investigation into her daughter's disappearance enters a third week. We have a live report with an update on the evidence in the case.
Insurgents launching new attacks in Iraq as the U.S. death toll approaches 1,700. This morning, new calls in Congress to get Americans out.
And a tribute for Ronald Reagan from the old guard.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BARLETTA, U.S. SECRET SERVICE (RET.): You're not there to be his friend. But you couldn't be around him very long without becoming his friend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The Secret Service agents who knew Reagan best remembering their friend on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
O'BRIEN: Good morning.
Welcome, everybody.
Bill Hemmer has got the day off, but Ali Velshi has been helping us out -- good morning.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A pleasure to be here, Soledad.
Good morning to you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.
Let's get right to the headlines this morning with Carol Costello -- hey, good morning.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
Good morning to all of you.
Now in the news, U.S. military officials are investigating an explosion in Afghanistan. A convoy traveling to Kandahar was apparently hit by a roadside bomb. At least four U.S. service members were injured in today's blast, one of them seriously.
President Bush is facing new pressure on his policy in Iraq, this time from members of his own party. Republican Congressman Walter Jones says he plans to offer legislation this week setting a clear cut date to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "THIS WEEK", COURTESY ABC NEWS)
REP. WALTER JONES (R), NORTH CAROLINA: I feel that we need to make a decision as to what the goals will be that when we achieve those goals, we could declare victory. Our men and women in uniform have done a magnificent job for this country and for the Iraqi people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Other Republican congressmen are urging the administration to adjust its Iraq plan to take into account the ongoing insurgency.
A Cuban militant is expected to appear before an immigration judge today. Luis Posada Carriles was arrested in Miami last month, charged with entering the country illegally. His case has sparked an international battle. The former Venezuelan security official is accused of planning a 1976 attack on a Cuban jetliner and several Latin American and Caribbean governments want him deported and retried as a terrorist in Venezuela.
And have you noticed a slow but steady slide for prices at the pump? The cost of gas dropping less than $0.02 in three weeks. I know it's not much, but according to Lundberg Survey, the national average for a gallon of self serve regular is $2.13. Still expensive, but better.
O'BRIEN: So we don't notice it at the pump? Sorry.
VELSHI: Yes.
COSTELLO: I don't either.
O'BRIEN: I know you're out there cheering it on, but...
VELSHI: I guess Lundberg has to sell its survey somehow.
COSTELLO: That's right. It's going for a penny-and-a-half now.
VELSHI: Yes, exactly.
O'BRIEN: Thanks, Carol.
VELSHI: Well, lawyers in Aruba today plan to ask for the release of two suspects in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Now, these are two of the five men arrested on the Dutch Caribbean island off of Venezuela.
Karl Penhaul is live from Palm Beach, Aruba -- Karl, is there new evidence to link any of these suspects with Natalee's disappearance?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ali, what we've been hearing from a law enforcement source close to this investigation was that they thought that they did have some new evidence. A sample of what resembled blood was taken from one of the cars confiscated on Thursday. And that sample was sent to an FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia.
The source, however, says that sample came back and has come back negative. So what was thought to be new evidence turned out not to be.
But as you say, there are five suspects still in custody -- three young men, the ones that were last seen in Natalee Holloway's company exactly two weeks ago. They were arrested Thursday. And two suspects, the security guards who were arrested the week before. They are also still in custody. And the lawyer, as you say, the defense lawyer for one of them is going to lodge an appeal today, we understand, from him. And he's asking the question, obviously, why his client is still in custody.
But this is what the government spokesman had to say about that matter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUBEN TRAPENBERG: We don't get the details from the investigation from what we think may be the case, that these three gentlemen are pointing the finger to these two guys. So if they have an alibi they can substantiate where they've been, it may -- they may be released at some point. But that's still ongoing. Today, their lawyer, I have heard, may come with a special appeal so that their case can be considered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PENHAUL: I'll tell you something else, Ali, it's exactly two weeks now since Natalee Holloway disappeared. And I was outside the Carlos & Charlie's Bar, where she disappeared from, around 1:00 last night. That's the time she was last seen. It was a really eerie feeling to think that the minute she walked out of there, only four people know exactly what happened after that, the three suspects now in custody who were in that car with her and herself -- Ali.
VELSHI: Karl, are there a lot of people outside of Carlos & Charlie's at that hour of the morning? Is it typical that more people might have known? Could there have been more witnesses?
PENHAUL: It's possible. At that time -- the time that Natalee was leaving is also the time that the bar closes. It was a Sunday night coming into Monday morning and that Carlos & Charlie's closes at 1:00 a.m. And at that stage, people tend to pour out. There's a lot of people on the streets while they take cabs and such like. It could be that other people saw them all leave -- Ali.
VELSHI: Karl, good to see you. Thank you very much.
Karl Penhaul in Aruba -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Well, an unusual child custody battle between parents and the state. The parents of a young cancer patient are now dropping their objections to radiation treatments. But 13-year-old Katie Wernecke remains in state custody as her therapy gets underway.
Michele and Edward Wernecke join us this morning.
Their attorney is with them, as well. It's Luis Corona.
They're all in Corpus Christi, Texas this morning.
It's nice to see all of you.
Thank you so much for talking with us.
EDWARD WERNECKE, DAUGHTER HAS CANCER: Thank you, Soledad.
MICHELE WERNECKE, DAUGHTER HAS CANCER: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Michele and Edward, let's begin with you.
Why did you object originally to your daughter's radiation treatments?
E. WERNECKE: Well, we had concerns that it would cause her more injury than -- at the time, she was in complete remission. She had no active cancer and we could see no reason to do the radiation treatments, too. And the side effects that she would have in the future, damaging her heart, lungs and breasts, more than outweighed the benefits.
O'BRIEN: She had already had four rounds of chemotherapy and there were many doctors who were saying get the radiation treatments.
Was there any doctors that agreed with you, that the radiation treatments weren't warranted in this case?
E. WERNECKE: Well, we were never given a chance to really get our own doctor and get another opinion. The doctors that were making these reports never explained that there were other options. There are other options, but they never gave us any.
O'BRIEN: You lost custody, Michele, not only of your daughter Katie, but also of your two sons, as well. And since all of this began, you've dropped your objections to the radiation treatments.
Does that mean you're going to get custody of Katie back, and your boys, too?
M. WERNECKE: Well, I've already -- actually, there's three boys. I've already got them back. They came back on Friday, which I'm very happy and glad. We're still going to fight for Katie. And I still want what's best for her. Her -- I want the right treatments, not just the standard protocol, but the right treatment that she needs. And I want her -- them to look at her as an individual patient and cancer patient, not standard protocol, because not all kids and not all cancers are the same and they won't look at her as an individual.
O'BRIEN: So your argument was that they weren't looking at her as an individual, they were just doing the standard treatment that seemed to be effective in the primary number of children who had the similar disease?
M. WERNECKE: Yes, ma'am.
O'BRIEN: Let me turn to your...
M. WERNECKE: Our...
O'BRIEN: I'm sorry.
Go ahead.
M. WERNECKE: No, I was going to say because where -- it all depends where you're -- where it's sitting when the tumor's sitting and they don't look at it and they just want to treat it as a standard protocol.
O'BRIEN: I guess my question is when you -- when doctors give you advice -- and it seems to be numerous doctors were giving you the advice to go ahead with the radiation after the chemotherapy -- one would think the parents would sort of jump to do anything to try to save their daughter. I guess that's what I'm having trouble with.
M. WERNECKE: We did...
O'BRIEN: Why not just embrace the radiation immediately?
M. WERNECKE: Well, we do. We want her to get well, get better, and we don't want any harm to come to her. But I want it to be the right one, not just something that's always standard that all the doctors follow. I want it to be the right treatment. And if it's not necessary to give that much radiation to her, there's other options out there and nobody will sit down and explain anything to us.
O'BRIEN: Let's turn to your...
LUIS CORONA, WERNECKE FAMILY ATTORNEY: Soledad, if I may...
O'BRIEN: Yes, I was just about to invite you to talk to us, Luis.
There has been much going on in the background about all of this, as you well know. Some people have raised the issue of religion as a factor in any of this. Some people have said listen, at the end of the day, it's parents' rights.
What do you think is going on in this case?
CORONA: Well, I think it's been mischaracterized from the onset. Initially it was seen as a religious issue, a religious rights issue, and really the way we saw it and the way we still see it at this time is that it's the parents' right to make a decision concerning their children's health.
And I wanted to clarify something that Dr. Wernecke and his wife were saying earlier. They've always been in favor of treatment for their daughter. The problem with radiation, as you probably know, Soledad, is there's long-term risks involved. This is a 13-year-old girl. She just celebrated her birthday with the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services possession, not with her parents.
The problem we have here is that radiation can cause breast cancer, heart disease. It could leave her barren, sterile. And that's the concerns of the Werneckes. We're not dealing with a 50- year-old woman, we're dealing with a little girl right now who's still developing. And there's inherent risks involved. And that's what we've been saying all along.
O'BRIEN: Michele, how is your daughter doing? As we mentioned, and as your attorney just mentioned, she just turned 13. Is she still in the custody of the state or do you now have her living back at home?
M. WERNECKE: No, she's still in the custody of the state. She says she's doing pretty good. She told me she's still eating, keeping her willpower up, keeping her strength up. And I told her that, because I didn't want her sick because I'm not there to give her that strength that she needs. And I wish I could be, because she needs all the strength she can get and her willpower.
And, also, the family, it keeps her going, too, and those little -- my two little boys keep her going. And she needs to be back home where she belongs.
O'BRIEN: How devastating has this been to her mental health, in addition to her physical health, Mr. Wernecke?
E. WERNECKE: I'm sure it's affected her greatly mentally. I mean you just can't take a 12-year-old, 13-year-old now, girl out of a home without putting her in great stress and great mental anguish. And, I mean, tearing her away from her mother, putting her out there with strangers, telling her she's going to have these treatments again, I don't know how she bears up under the strain.
O'BRIEN: Now that you've capitulated, are you going to continue to fight this or no?
E. WERNECKE: We haven't capitulated. That's a misunderstanding. We still want the best treatment for Katie, but we haven't gave in to the radiation treatments. We still don't want them for her. There are...
O'BRIEN: When do you make the decision? So she's not going to have radiation treatments? When is this decision going to be made?
E. WERNECKE: Well, the judge has already made the decision for us. But we are still going to fight.
O'BRIEN: OK, forgive me, I'm going to ask you to back up then.
So the judge did say that she had to go ahead and get the radiation treatments and you're saying you're not going to go ahead with the radiation treatments? It sounds like you're contradicting each other.
CORONA: Well, Soledad, let me clarify that point for you, if I may.
We had a hearing on Friday to make a determination as to whether or not the cancer had returned. We received what's called a PET scan, a preliminary report. And we've not actually seen the PET scan.
Now, it seemed to show that there seemed to be a return or a possibly of a recurrence of the cancer. Now, the problems that the Wernecke -- Dr. Wernecke and his wife have is we haven't had our own doctor look at those results yet.
So the state actually has possession of Katie, as well as temporary managing conservatorship, which means they can make that decision at this juncture. However, the doctor has assured us that they're going to proceed with chemotherapy initially and then later on pursue radiation. And that's what's going on right now.
O'BRIEN: But your clients sound like they're not going to go for that. They just said that they don't support the radiation.
So if the doctors say...
CORONA: Well, they still are opposed...
O'BRIEN: ... they're going to continue with the chemo and then they'll go for radiation, it sounds like your clients are saying they're not going to go for that?
CORONA: That's correct. They still believe there's inherent risks involved and they still want to pursue other options.
O'BRIEN: Is this young lady going to -- is she going to get radiation therapy or no?
CORONA: We're not sure yet right now. But according to the doctor, they probably will recommend that in the future, after the chemotherapy.
O'BRIEN: If she has had a recurrence of her cancer, will she get radiation treatment or no?
CORONA: Well, right now it's up to the Department. If they recommend that, we believe she will, and that's why the Werneckes are still fighting this. O'BRIEN: And if she has a recurrence of her cancer, Mr. and Mrs. Wernecke, do you want her to get radiation therapy or no?
E. WERNECKE: We do not want her to have radiation therapy. I mean that...
O'BRIEN: Even if her cancer has come back?
E. WERNECKE: There is long-term effects to the radiation that will extend beyond 15 to 20 years. And she will get other cancers from that treatment and she's just too young for that type of treatment. There are less dangerous treatments. There are other ways to use radioactive materials to maybe accomplish the same thing that will have less total damage to her body.
O'BRIEN: Is the state going to give you back custody of your daughter if you stand in the way of the radiation treatments?
E. WERNECKE: Well, we hope to -- we're going to try for custody. We want the judge to give her back to us because her healing will only proceed properly in our care. There's -- the CPS should not have a cancer patient in their custody. I mean there's no way she can heal without the support of her parents.
O'BRIEN: And you realize that there are doctors who say her recovery can only take place in their care, because you're not allowing the radiation treatments?
E. WERNECKE: Well, we want the best treatment for our daughter and when the results are all in, we will -- hopefully, the judge will give us a say in what her treatments will be. But right now, we haven't had any say.
O'BRIEN: Well, we will see what happens.
Michele Wernecke and Edward Wernecke joining us this morning, and also their attorney, Luis Corona.
Thanks very much. CORONA: Thanks, Soledad.
E. WERNECKE: Thank you.
M. WERNECKE: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Ali.
VELSHI: Thanks, Soledad.
Let's check back on the weather.
Jacqui Jeras is filling in for Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the latest weather update -- Jacqui, hot, wet, what else?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that's about it, actually -- hot and wet and stormy, too, actually, later on this afternoon. (WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, it is the case that inspired the movie "Mississippi Burning." Today, an 80-year-old former preacher is set to face trial more than 40 years after the crime.
VELSHI: Also, the controversial prison camp at Guantanamo Bay -- should it be shut down? Now, even some Republicans are wondering.
O'BRIEN: And a year after his death, the Secret Service agents that served beside Ronald Reagan pay a special tribute to him.
Stay with us.
Those stories ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: Jury selection begins today in the trial of Edgar Ray Killen. Now, he's charged in the murders of three civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964. Andrew Goodman, James Cheney and Michael Schwerner were killed while working to register black voters.
Killen was tried in 1967 on federal civil rights violations, but that trial ended in a hung jury.
Joining us this morning from Philadelphia, Mississippi is Mark Duncan.
He is the Neshoba County district attorney who's prosecuting the case.
Mark, thank you for joining us.
MARK DUNCAN, NESHOBA COUNTY D.A.: Well, thank you for having me.
VELSHI: Let's go through a bit of a time line. This is the movie, this is the case that became the movie "Mississippi Burning." Now, I remember that movie when it came out in 1988, very profound. And that didn't lead to a new investigation. But about five years ago, I guess, this case was reopened or reignited?
DUNCAN: Yes, that's true. Back in 1999, I believe, the U.S. attorney's office here in Mississippi came to our attorney general at the time, Mike Moore, and told him that they had a person that -- who may be able to give us some information about the case. And that prompted an investigation that came to an end last year, when the case was presented to a Neshoba County grand jury.
VELSHI: What's different than last time? Why did it fail the first time around and why would it be different this time?
DUNCAN: Well, I can't speak for why the case was never brought before. All I can say is what we've been able to do in our investigation, which is when this witness was developed and that prompted the investigation, this office, under Ken Turner and our attorney general, Mike Moore, started investigating the case. It went for a long time, until Jim Hood and I took office. And we decided that the case needed to be brought to a conclusion. We felt like we had done all with it we could do and the matter needed to be presented to a grand jury.
VELSHI: Now, just to be clear, you're saying why it hadn't been brought before, the case that had been brought before was a civil rights case. These are murder charges. For the first time in history in this case, murder charges have been laid.
DUNCAN: That's true. The federal charges in 1967 were for civil rights violations. This is the first time that anyone has been charged with murder in this case.
VELSHI: Now, you went to the grand jury with your investigations and you are on record as saying that you recommended or at least had information on six people. The grand jury decided to charge one, to indict one person, Ray Killen?
DUNCAN: Yes, well what we did is we presented all the evidence that we had in the case against anybody and everybody. The grand jury then had the option to indict as many of those persons as they saw where there was sufficient evidence to do so. And they, after their deliberations, they decided to indict Mr. Killen and only Mr. Killen. That was the grand jury decision.
VELSHI: A lot of people are saying he's old and frail and that might work in his favor. And I guess he was cutting a tree down or something in March and now has broken both of his legs?
DUNCAN: That's true. But I understand that they expect him to make a full recovery and he has recovered enough at this point, we expect he'll be able to attend this trial.
VELSHI: Mark, you grew up in Neshoba County? Has it changed enough in all these years that you think it might be a different -- a different sort of trial than it was the first time around?
DUNCAN: Well, you have to remember that the first trial was not a Neshoba County trial, it was a federal trial. But there's no question that Neshoba County has changed significantly since that time. No one here has ever condoned what has happened and I -- while there's a lot of opinions on both sides concerning the case, I feel like that we'll be able to get a jury here that'll judge the case on the evidence and reach a fair determination.
VELSHI: Mark, we'll be watching it closely.
Thanks for joining us this morning.
DUNCAN: OK.
Thank you for having me.
VELSHI: Neshoba County District Attorney Mark Duncan in Mississippi.
Thank you.
And in the next hour, we're going to speak with Edgar Ray Killen's attorney -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, the Secret Service agents who stood by Ronald Reagan's side remembering their boss and the man who was their friend.
That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: It's been a year since the nation paid its final respects to former President Ronald Reagan. Over the weekend, some special friends made an emotional visit to the Reagan grave site.
More now from CNN's Peter Viles.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): : A year after Nancy Reagan said that final good-bye to her husband, a big group of old friends came to visit her -- nearly 200 retired Secret Service agents, many of the men who once protected Mrs. Reagan and her husband.
GARRICK NEWMAN, U.S. SECRET SERVICE (RET.): This is just a show of respect and wanting to pay their regards to him and visit his gravesite.
VILES: Among that number, a retired agent named John Barletta.
BARLETTA: It's just that he was so loved. These agents from all over the world, paying their own money, they wanted to do a tribute to Ronald Reagan.
VILES: Few agents knew the Reagans better. He rode horseback with the president. The day her husband was shot, he tried and failed to keep Mrs. Reagan away from the hospital.
BARLETTA: We said, "Mrs. Reagan, we'd rather you stay here. We don't know what's going on. And for you -- we'd rather have control here."
And she just looked and said, "Either you take me or I'm walking."
I went, "Yes!"
VILES: Now retired, John trains guide dogs. He likes to bring them to a favorite spot on a hillside to tell them about his old friend. BARLETTA: He was a good man, Astro.
VILES: He shares memories with the book "Riding with Reagan," memories that still touch his heart.
(on camera): Do you miss him?
BARLETTA: I miss him a lot.
VILES: It's been a year, yes.
BARLETTA: It's OK. He knows I'm having trouble.
VILES: I didn't mean to shake you up like that.
BARLETTA: We were very close. I'm honored to be so. It's just amazing. We had hundreds of hours of one on one conversation. And usually as an agent, you know, you're not there to be his friend. But you couldn't be around him very long without becoming his friend.
VILES (voice-over): An old friend gone, but not forgotten.
BARLETTA: We'll be back.
VILES: Peter Viles, for CNN, Simi Valley, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Sunday marked another Reagan anniversary. It was June 12, 1987, during a trip to the divided city of Berlin, when Mr. Reagan publicly challenged Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall."
Ahead this morning, with Father's Day approaching, Dr. Sanjay Gupta begins a special series for us, Just For Dad. This morning, he's taking a look at the learning curve for stay-at-home dads.
Stay with us.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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