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American Morning

Operation Spear; Search for Missing Boy; Missing in Aruba

Aired June 20, 2005 - 08:59   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The search is intensifying once again in the mountains of northeast Utah for an 11-year-old Boy Scout who's been missing since Friday.
And the search continues in Aruba for Natalee Holloway, missing now for three weeks. A live report from the island as the latest suspect prepares for a date in court.

And in Mississippi, wrapping up the trial of a former Klansman accused of plotting the murders of three civil rights workers in the '60s. A live report from the courthouse on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It's good to be here. And good to be in New York City.

And good to be with you.

S. O'BRIEN: It's nice to you have joining us.

M. O'BRIEN: Beginning with Iraq this morning, insurgent suicide bombers attacked two police stations this morning. Twelve were killed in Erbil and five more died in an attack on a Baghdad police station. U.S. and Iraqi forces are conducting a large-scale anti-insurgent operation near the Syrian border.

Jane Arraf is embedded with the military. She joins us by phone from Karabila, Iraq, where the Operation Spear is in its fourth day.

Jane, give us the latest.

JANE ARRAF, CNN SR. BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the latest is that the Marines have destroyed what they believe is a major car bomb factory. Early this morning, they fired tank rounds and then dropped a JDAM 500-pound bomb from the air on to a complex that they said had a dozen cars. Many of them, they're still trying to determine how many, rigged with explosives to be used as car bombs here along the Syrian border and elsewhere, sent elsewhere, into Iraq, they believe.

They caused a massive secondary explosion. The explosions -- explosives inside the cars were detonated, which is how they knew that they had hit their target, they say. This is all part of an operation to crack down on what has become, according to the Marines, a haven for foreign fighters. They say that they have killed approximately 50 insurgents and foreign fighters.

One Marine has lost his life. Six more have been wounded in this operation -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Jane, that's obviously an important find, and I assume that the officers there are fairly pleased that they've been able to identify a target like that.

ARRAF: They are. They're particularly pleased, because this is one of the things that's happening with this insurgency, foreign fighters coming through Syria. And one of the other things they've found is a series of passports.

We just had a look at some of these passports from Libya, from Saudi Arabia, from Algeria, people who went through Damascus and entered into Iraq without entry visas, meaning that they entered here illegally. These were found with large amounts of weapons and ammunition.

This is a city that the Marines say has been taken over by foreign fighters and insurgents. And what they're trying to do is sweep through parts of the city where these people are hiding and capture or kill them. They say it will have an affect not just here, but in the rest of Iraq. They see this as essentially a transit point for some of these insurgents -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Jane Arraf, embedded with the U.S. military. Thank you very much. Appreciate that.

More news from Iraq. Carol Costello has that and the other top stories this morning for us.

Carol, good morning.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: That I do. Good morning, everyone.

"Now in the News," Iraq is offering a $10 million reward for the capture of its highest ranking official still on the run. Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri was a deputy commander of armed forces under Saddam Hussein. He is number six on the U.S. military's list of 55 most wanted Iraqi officials.

President Bush is meeting with European Union leaders this morning. Just over an hour from now, the president will host the group in the Oval Office. A number of issues on the agenda, including trade, Mideast peace efforts and the upcoming G8 summit.

Senate Republicans say they will try again to confirm John Bolton to the United Nations. The senators are planning to call for a vote today to end debate and give Bolton the thumbs up or thumbs down. But some Democrats say they will delay the vote.

And Tom Cruise gets splashed on the red carpet. We've been showing you video of the actor getting a soggy reception at the London premiere of his movie "War of the Worlds." But you can take an even closer look on our Web site. Starting today, just visit CNN.com, click on "watch" to see free video of our top stories.

There are a lot of different stories in there. Stories other than Tom Cruise getting squirted in the face with a fake microphone.

M. O'BRIEN: But that's the one everybody's going to see anyway.

COSTELLO: It's still number one. It's still the most popular on CNN.com. It's been holding for an hour and a half now.

S. O'BRIEN: It doesn't surprise me at all.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

M. O'BRIEN: The fourth day of searching beginning at this hour for a boy missing in the Utah mountains. A 12-year-old boy was lost in the same area last August. He has never been found.

Keith Oppenheim is following this latest search.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eleven-year-old Brennan Hawkins last seen Friday near his family's campsite at the Bear River Boy Scout Reservation, high in the Uinta Mountains of Utah. Hawkins was climbing this rock wall with a friend who returned to camp for dinner around 5:00 in the evening. Hawkins stayed behind.

An hour later, a massive search was under way. His father tried to retrace his son's steps.

TOBY HAWKINS, FATHER OF MISSING SCOUT: Knowing his behavior, he probably got disoriented, frustrated, scared.

OPPENHEIM: Temperatures can reach extremes in the area, but over the weekend, they were mild.

SHERIFF DAVE EDMUNDS, WASATCH COUNTY, UTAH: He was wearing a pair of shorts and he was wearing a long-sleeve sweatshirt. So he didn't have a lot of provisional items with him and certainly wasn't dressed that warmly. But nevertheless, since it hasn't been that cold, that may not be a major issue.

OPPENHEIM: Officials say the greatest safety risk is the river. It runs over a man's head in places with strong currents.

EDMUNDS: We're going to be back with our swift water team searching in the Bear River. We're going to search that very meticulously today. We also have horses -- horse units, mounted units, four-wheelers and ground-pounders as well. Once again, going to hit it with everything we have.

OPPENHEIM: Another concern, wild animals. A search helicopter used thermal sensors to scan the woods overnight, but no luck.

HAWKINS: My greatest plea at this time, and the way that we can find my boy, is for anybody and everybody to come out and help.

OPPENHEIM: Kevin Bardsley knows what Hawkins' father is going through firsthand. Last August, Bardsley's 12-year-old son went missing from a Boy Scout campsite in much steeper terrain, about 15 miles from the Hawkins' camp. His son was never found.

Brennan's disappearance a painful reminder.

KEVIN BARDSLEY, SON MISSING SINCE LAST YEAR: Every day.

OPPENHEIM: In addition to the search operation, county officials are also conducting a criminal investigation as a matter of standard procedure. But they say there's no evidence of foul play.

Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: More than 1,400 people searched for Hawkins over the weekend. Rescue workers are concerned they may not get as much help today, on a weekday -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: A fourth suspect in the disappearance of an Alabama teenager is set to appear before a judge in Aruba today. It's been exactly three weeks since Natalee Holloway disappeared on that Caribbean island.

Chris Lawrence live for us this morning in Palm Beach, Aruba.

Chris, good morning. What's the latest on this investigation?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, police are definitely looking more closely at one family, the Dutch teenager who hit it off with Natalee the night she disappeared, and his father, who was questioned by police on Saturday and then brought back for more talks the next day.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): No charges have been filed in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway. Over the weekend, police in Aruba questioned this man, but only as a witness.

Paul Van Der Sloot rushed home after speaking with investigators for hours. Van Der Sloot is a judge on the island. His teenage son Joran is one of the suspects being held.

ALLY SANTOS, FRIEND OF JORAN VAN DER SLOOT: He's a very sweet boy.

LAWRENCE: Ally Santos practically grew up with Joran Van Der Sloot.

SANTOS: It's very weird that everybody seems to be thinking that he could have done something to Natalee or something, because he's usually very protective with girls. LAWRENCE: Natalee's friends haven't seen her since she left the bar three weeks ago with Van Der Sloot and two brothers, Satish and Deepak Kalpoe. A judge decided all three could be detained another week, even though no charges have been filed against them.

Police picked up a fourth suspect Friday, a local man who worked as a deejay on this party boat. Steven Croes' boss told CNN, Croes knows one of the brothers from a local Internet cafe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: We'll be in court later this morning. According to Aruban law, prosecutors have to prove why he should be detained another eight days without actually bringing formal charges against him -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Chris Lawrence for us this morning in Aruba. Chris, thanks for the update -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: In Lebanon, results of Sunday's elections are being seen as a major victory for Lebanese opponents of Syrian domination. A coalition led by the son of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, killed by a car bomb in February, is expected to capture a majority of parliamentary seats.

Brent Sadler is in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

Brent what is the significance of today's election results?

BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Miles, good morning.

It is enormously significant on a number of fronts, not least the U.S. policy of trying to democratize this region. What's actually happened is that after 29 years of virtual Syrian domination here, particularly in the last 15 years over Lebanese politics, where Syria's effectively been able to pick and choose who goes to parliament, that for the first time since the Syrians pulled out at the end of April, that the Lebanese have been able to have a free and fair election, which was a cornerstone of U.S. policy all along since the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February.

On the streets of Tripoli and the north of Lebanon, celebrations for the electoral list of candidates made up of Christians, Muslims and Druze, a list that's headed by Saad Hariri. Now, he is very interesting.

He's the 35-year-old son and political heir of the assassinated Rafik Hariri. Saad Hariri could well become the next prime minister here. And he's only been in politics for just a few weeks. Businessman turned politician, and he is a Sunni Muslim, and he is now hoping that his alliance, quite clearly after these results are officially confirmed, will have the largest block in parliament, and the Lebanese parliament will then effectively be free with an opposition alliance majority for the first time in the last 15 years. So enormously significant change on the political climate here -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Brent Sadler in Beirut. Thanks very much -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ten minutes past the hour. Time to get a look at the weather this morning. Chad Myers at the CNN center for us.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: All right. We've got some kinky stuff coming. Like, did you know the tenth Commandment, according to Kinky, thou shall not covet thy neighbor's mud flaps.

O'BRIEN: No, I did not know.

M. O'BRIEN: How is that for Texas, Kinky? Is that OK?

S. O'BRIEN: How's the accent, Kinky? Eh?

M. O'BRIEN: Not so good. All right. We'll talk live with the singer, author and now candidate for Texas governor, Kinky Friedman.

S. O'BRIEN: And part one of our special series on kids and sports, "Surviving the Game." Today we've got some advice on how to handle a coach who wants to win at all costs.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Well, he's an unlucky candidate to fill the job once held by President Bush, but Kinky Friedman, a legend in the Lone Star State, thinks the Texas governor's mansion is a good place to hang his 10-gallon hat. The musician-turned-mystery writer is running as an Independent in the 2006 governor's race. He's got a new book out, too.

I don't know where you find time for all this, Kinky. "Texas Hold 'Em," with the big, long subtitle, "How I Was Born in a Manger, Died in the Saddle and Came Back as Horny Toed."

Can you say that on TV? I guess you can.

Kinky Friedman -- it's cable. We can say whatever we want.

KINKY FRIEDMAN, AUTHOR, "TEXAS HOLD 'EM": That's right, yes. Pleasure, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Kinky, good to you have with us.

FRIEDMAN: Very nice to be here.

M. O'BRIEN: You've got a lot going on, my friend.

FRIEDMAN: Very busy, busy, busy.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. So running for governor, writing a book.

What is this all about? Is this -- are you really running for governor? Is it just part of the whole Kinky inc. kind of thing?

FRIEDMAN: Oh, no, I'm definitely running for governor.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: I mean, the joke is not me running for governor. The joke is the Texas legislature, you know. That's -- they've kind of -- and their cheerleading legislation and things like that that have kind of made a joke of Texas around the country.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, what do you mean? Give me a couple of examples what's going on in Texas that got you upset.

FRIEDMAN: Well, look, the legislature, for instance, is our capitol is seven feet taller than the one in Washington. Built for giants, it's inhabited by midgets. They're banning -- well, they're trying to ban biodiesel, which...

M. O'BRIEN: You're big on biodiesel?

FRIEDMAN: Willie Nelson and I both are.

M. O'BRIEN: Willie Nelson is going to be your energy secretary, assuming...

FRIEDMAN: Yes, he's -- as well as head of the Texas Rangers, yes.

M. O'BRIEN: And, of course, tax commission would be good, too. But that's another story entirely. But the biodiesel deal...

FRIEDMAN: Biodiesel would stop the Saudis from playing the jukebox and the rest of us dancing to the tune.

M. O'BRIEN: But Kinky, shall I remind you there's a little bit of oil in Texas there that might upset a few people?

FRIEDMAN: Well, that could. But remember, I'm for the little fellers, not the Rockefellers.

M. O'BRIEN: There you go.

All right. Now, what's interesting about this is you actually have called upon the expertise of somebody who helped Jesse Ventura rise to the governorship in Minnesota.

FRIEDMAN: Right.

M. O'BRIEN: So that would tell me you're getting pretty serious about this. FRIEDMAN: We are serious. We have Senator Dean Barkley down in Texas as our campaign director, and Bill Hillsman (ph) who was a consultant for Jesse. And, you know, Jesse believed that the guy with the most money shouldn't always win, which is just the way we feel. Jesse just didn't realize that wrestling is real and politics is fixed.

He didn't know that.

M. O'BRIEN: Are you raising some money? You getting some money?

FRIEDMAN: Yes. We're getting money, and we asked -- it's coming in from all over the country. Some people are sending in Jewish contributions, which are a check we got this week for $499.95. So we encourage that.

M. O'BRIEN: All right.

FRIEDMAN: We encourage everybody to send in to kinkyfriedman.com.

M. O'BRIEN: Kinky Friedman...

FRIEDMAN: Yes. We're doing very well in the coin of the spirit, too.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's talk a little bit about some of your stands here. You want to legalize casino gambling, abolish political -- is there a law against political correctness?

FRIEDMAN: Well, that's anti-wussification.

M. O'BRIEN: Anti-wussification -- get rid of that.

FRIEDMAN: That means the governor's going to be OK to say "Merry Christmas."

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

FRIEDMAN: We won't have people like this D.A. in Aruba saying, "Come in here like a cowboy." You know, they're using the word "cowboy" in a negative way.

M. O'BRIEN: Right.

FRIEDMAN: The cowboy has always stood up for little people. Always -- you know.

M. O'BRIEN: Now, you say you want to take a look at death row, meaning -- because it would be kind of un-Texas to say, "I'm against the death penalty." But you have misgivings about it, don't you?

FRIEDMAN: Yes, particularly about a man maimed Max Sofar (ph) who's been on death row for 23 years and who's now getting a new trial, and there's no evidence against him, apparently. Two thousand years ago we executed an innocent man named Jesus Christ. And my question is, what have we learned in 2,000 years?

M. O'BRIEN: Good point.

FRIEDMAN: And I think we've learned something but the governments haven't learned a thing.

M. O'BRIEN: You want to outlaw declawing of cats. You a cat lover?

FRIEDMAN: Yes. I'm a cat lover, and I want to stop the slaughter of wild stallions in two slaughterhouses in Texas. They're being trucked in to Texas and then they're being shipped -- the meat is shipped to France.

M. O'BRIEN: Wow.

FRIEDMAN: Which is my -- my second favorite country, I think. My first is everywhere else!

M. O'BRIEN: It upsets my daughter immensely.

And younger people in your administration, you know, you talk in your book about how sometimes what starts out as a joke has a nasty habit of sailing dangerously close to the truth. Is that where you are right now?

FRIEDMAN: Absolutely. And folks are beginning to pick up on the fact that it's a spiritual campaign. In the words of my spiritual adviser, Billy Joe Shaeffer (ph), if you don't love Jesus, go to hell.

So we need 50,000 signatures, Miles. That's the problem. We need it in March to get on the ballot.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. And it's not easy to get. So we wish you well in that process, because you've got to get people who aren't part of the existing parties. All right.

FRIEDMAN: Yes. There hasn't been an Independent on the ballot in 146 years...

M. O'BRIEN: For (ph) a good reason.

FRIEDMAN: But there will be next March.

M. O'BRIEN: We -- we -- I would put my money on it. Kinky Friedman. The book is "Texas Hold 'Em" and "How I was Born in a Manger, Died in a Saddle, Came Back as a Horny Toad." On his way to try to get on the ballot, running for governor in the Lone Star State.

Thanks for dropping by.

FRIEDMAN: May the god of your choice bless you, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much, as they say in Texas.

FRIEDMAN: Thank you very much.

M. O'BRIEN: Thank you very much -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, for lots of kids it's not summer without little league and soccer games and tennis matches, but an overzealous parent or coach can often spoil the fun for everybody. Coming up, our news series "Surviving the Game." Some tips on how to keep sports fun for kids, that's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: If you've got kids, you probably spend most of the weekend shuttling them from one sports activity to another. And today we begin our new series. It's called "Surviving the Game," tips for parents and kids to try to keep sports fun.

AMERICAN MORNING's Kelly Wallace is with us this morning with much more.

Good morning.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello again, Soledad.

As a mother of four, I bet you're going to encounter this issue year after year after year.

S. O'BRIEN: Once everybody can walk, yes.

WALLACE: That's right. That's right.

Overzealous coaches, overzealous parents, oh, yes, we all have probably come across a few of those. And in the case of one father, after learning something he found out quite trouble about his son's little league coach, he decided he needed to tell the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD DRESSER, LITTLE LEAGUE COACH: Nice! How to hold on, Michael! Nice inning. Nice inning.

WALLACE (voice-over): Richard Dresser remembers the day when his son Sam, who was 10 at the time, learned his coach had a new strategy for the playoffs, and it involved cheating.

(on camera): I mean, when you heard this, you must have thought, what?

DRESSER: Yes. I went crazy. But being a writer, I also sort of stepped back and realized, hey, I can use -- I can use this.

WALLACE (voice-over): With his son's former coach in mind, Richard wrote a play called "Rounding Third," which is in theaters around the country. We asked the actors to perform for us. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As soon as you get on base, you look at me. If my hat is turned around like this, when you get to the next base, you slide. And when you slide, pretend to injure your leg. And why do I want you to do this? So we can take you out of the game and put in a faster runner and maybe get a run we wouldn't have scored otherwise.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That isn't strategy. That's called cheating.

WALLACE: Mike is the coach who thinks fun should be the goal, Don the win-at-all-costs type.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's my team.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's my team, too, and I don't' want them to cheat. If we can't find a way to win fair and square, then I, for one, would rather lose.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't stand up in front of people in their formative years and say you would prefer to lose.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would prefer to lose than cheat!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, would you quit wasting our time quoting from the handbook of curling (ph)!

WALLACE: Richard says he was surprised to learn he was a little like Mike and Don.

(on camera): What do you learn about yourself as you start coaching?

DRESSER: Well, I learned, really, unpleasant things, like, I really want to win. You know, like, I want the kids to have fun, but it's more fun to win than to lose. And...

WALLACE: So you're a win-at-all-costs dad?

DRESSER: Well, no, no, no.

WALLACE (voice-over): There are plenty of recent examples of overzealous coaches and parents: a Texas man charged with critically shooting his son's high school football coach and parents and other fans banned from a Massachusetts arena after a brawl following a high school hockey game.

DRESSER: A lot of it comes out of the personal frustrations that parents feel in their own lives. They want to see their kids win, and it's very easy to go over the line.

WALLACE: And even the best intentions sometimes can get carried away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a confession to make, Don.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, what's that? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I really want to win.

WALLACE: And so the lesson of the play...

DRESSER: How do we raise our kids to function in this ruthlessly competitive society that's getting more ruthless with every passing day?

WALLACE: On this day, those words really hit home. Richard's son's team lost in the playoffs.

DRESSER: I talked to him a little bit and I said, you know, "What can you say when you play that well?" The other part of it is, you get up tomorrow morning and, you know, you've got to put it behind you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WALLACE: OK. So here's the question: what can you do to avoid an overzealous coach or parent, or becoming one yourself?

Well, first, do your homework. Find out the philosophy of your child's coach. What's their approach to the game?

Also, get to know the coach and the other parents on the team.

And, finally, this is key. Take cues from your child. Soledad, we talk about this. Find out what they want to do, not what you think they want to do or what you want them to do, more importantly, I guess.

(CROSSTALK)

WALLACE: Exactly.

S. O'BRIEN: Kelly, what do you have coming up tomorrow?

WALLACE: Tomorrow we're talking about burnout. I think most people might be surprised to hear three out of four kids, according to researchers, dropping out of organized sports by the age of 12.

S. O'BRIEN: Wow, that many.

WALLACE: We talk about why and what you can do to prevent it.

S. O'BRIEN: Kelly, thanks.

WALLACE: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: We'll look for that tomorrow.

Much more AMERICAN MORNING still to come.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): Ahead on "90 Second Pop," Tom Cruise on cloud nine after his engagement to Katie Holmes. But a phony reporter brought him back to Earth.

Plus, the Jackson family throws a party for fans in honor of Michael's acquittal. So how did juror number 10 get into the bash?

That's later on AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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