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American Morning

Western Wildfires; Three Boys Missing; Stories Changing?

Aired June 24, 2005 - 8:59   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Waking up in the West to wildfires still burning. Tens of thousands of acres destroyed. We are live as hundreds of firefighters work overtime to try to gain control.
A potential break in the Natalee Holloway case. A fifth suspect is now being questioned about her disappearance. This as the other suspects change their stories. We're live to Aruba for the very latest.

And at this hour the search intensifies for three young boys who are now missing for two days. New Jersey police using helicopters and dogs, closely combing the area 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: The situation in the West is not good. Did you see that live picture just a moment ago? Take a look at hat show that we just had. It showed the smoke kind going straight out there.

Still, it's very windy, even though it's only 7:00 local time there. That is bad news for the firefighters out there.

S. O'BRIEN: Right. When we saw an interview with one of the spokespeople out there, I mean, her hair was blowing around.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: And she said if it's happening that early out there, that is a bad sign for the rest of the day.

M. O'BRIEN: Exactly.

S. O'BRIEN: A big problem as well.

That's exactly where we begin, in fact, with the wildfires this morning. So far, nearly 50,000 acres burning in two states, in California, just outside of Palm Springs, and near the Tonto National Forest, northeast of Phoenix Arizona.

Officials in California say the fire there is about 50 percent contained. And they hope to have it completely under control by tomorrow morning. About a thousand residents have been evacuated. They're now back home. In Arizona, though, two wildfires have now merged. And officials say they are unsure when they're going to be able to gain the upper hand.

Two reports this morning. CNN's Keith Oppenheim reporting from the fire line in Arizona for us, and Chad Myers has a look at the fire forecast ahead this morning.

Keith, let's get back to you and begin with you. What's the latest where you are?

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there is some good news from overnight, Soledad. And that is, some people who were evacuated have been allowed to go back to their homes. That's really added some confidence to the firefighters here, because though this fire has consumed 46,000 acres and is still growing, it's not threatening private homes, at least not right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OPPENHEIM (voice-over): In the outskirts of Phoenix, where suburbs sidle up to a national forest, two fires erupted Wednesday and eventually joined together. Fueled by the dry, super hot, relatively windy conditions, the blaze now called the Cape Creek Complex fire was suddenly spreading at a rapid rate.

The fire consumed some luxury homes and burned other structures as well. Many residents in subdivisions close to the flames were forced to evacuate. In some cases there wasn't much time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say we were less than a quarter mile away. When we finally decided to pull, I was loading a trailer full of -- full of our stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had run out in the morning to do some errands, and we came back, like, early afternoon, and we weren't allowed to get back in.

OPPENHEIM: Hundreds of fire crews are trying to slow the fire before it gets worse. Teams have set backfires to give the bigger blaze no where to burn, no where to go. So far, after an initial onslaught of destruction, firefighters are now optimistic that the worst of the fire will head to the wilderness and away from private homes.

ART MORRISON, LEAD FIRE INFORMATION OFFICER: This firel is likely to continue to grow, but it's not going to grow in directions that are going to be threatening life and property.

OPPENHEIM: That, at least, is the hope. Wind direction can change quickly during summer in Arizona. And until it rains, for anyone who lives near a hot spot, the danger is too close.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OPPENHEIM: And speaking of hot spots, Soledad, there were a couple overnight. In fact, this morning one of the sheriff's deputies was telling us about an area near Bartlett Lake in the Tonto National Forest where the fire had jumped the road and 68 campers or so were forced to evacuate from there. In the end, what you have is mixed news, because while human habitat isn't really threatened right now, wild habitat certainly is.

Back to you.

S. O'BRIEN: All right. Keith Oppenheim for us. Let's get to Chad now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Let's head to New Jersey now, where a search is under way for three young boys who vanished without a trace. The three friends, aged 5 and 6 and 11, were last seen on Wednesday evening playing outside one of the boys' homes.

They live in Camden, right across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. And Camden is where CNN's Allan Chernoff is this morning.

Allan, good morning. What's the latest on the search for these three?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.

Well, just a few minutes ago I spoke with one of the moms. And she told me that she is absolutely numb at this point, still holding on to the hope that her son is just fine, believing that her son and two friends just went for a walk, perhaps were hiding, and now are afraid to come home because they might be in trouble. But as the hours go on, the waiting becomes more painful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELBA CRUZ, MISSING BOY'S MOTHER: We're just frustrated because it's dragging on longer and longer than I expected. And just frustration because there's nothing, no clues. Nothing.

And the police are doing an excellent job of searching, all they can do. But still nothing.

DAVID AGOSTO, MISSING BOY'S FATHER: I'm holding his (INAUDIBLE). That's what gets me by. You know, his scent from a pair of shorts. I think these were like his favorite shorts. That's what I use to get me by.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: Missing are 5-year-old Jesstin Pagan, 6-year-old Daniel Agosto and 11-year-old Anibal Cruz. The police are focusing their search on a three-square mile area surrounding the Cruz home.

They've divided it into 10 different sections so that they can check every alleyway, every trash can, even looking under homes. And involved in this search are city, state, even federal authorities. It's extending from state troopers and helicopters, all the way down to boys riding their bicycles through the neighborhood searching for these three young children.

Now, the police say they have absolutely no information leading to potential foul play. But they have not ruled that out. As a matter of fact, the spokesperson for the Camden Police says he cannot remember any instance of an abduction of a child in this city -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, gosh, I've got to tell you, though, Allan, I am just sick of missing children stories, as I'm sure we all are here. Thanks. Allan Chernoff for us this morning -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: In Aruba, the mother of one of the suspects admits her son lied about what he did with Natalee Holloway the night she disappeared. Anita Van Der Sloot says her son Joran told her Thursday he took Holloway to a beach and left her there alone.

Meanwhile, the elder Van Der Sloot, who ran from the cameras last weekend, is now under arrest in the case.

Ted Simon is a criminal defense attorney and an expert in international law. He joins us from Philadelphia.

Good to have you with us, Ted.

TED SIMON, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good morning, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. That's a significant development, having Judge Van Der Sloot behind bars. Give us a sense of what sort of probable cause, if at all, the Aruban authorities would have to have to do that.

SIMON: Well, it's certainly a dramatic event. Whether or not it's significant remains to be seen, as well as whether or not it ultimately will be effective.

But as you pointed out, in Aruba, unlike the United States, a person may be arrested and detained just on suspicion, or reasonable suspicion. In the U.S., there has to be probable cause or facts and circumstances based on reasonably trustworthy information that would warrant a prudent person to believing a crime was committed and the person did it. We don't even know for sure if there is a crime, not withstanding these developments.

As far as the father goes, again, we don't know what investigation, what evidence the Aruban authorities have developed. It's very hard to determine what cards they hold without looking in their hand.

And I would suggest perhaps they've developed cell phone records from the night that she was missing between the father and the son, which would perhaps show calls and where they were. They've also taken some computers from the home and the cars. Maybe they developed something there.

They also let the three suspects go immediately, and perhaps -- perhaps they monitored their movements, or even electronically monitored their calls. And, of course, it just may be mere inconsistencies between the stories. So we don't really know yet what they've developed.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Well, tell me about the father and son. The authorities have not allowed them to speak to each other as this investigation has unfolded. Would that happen in the United States?

SIMON: No...

M. O'BRIEN: And is that -- is that a proper investigative technique, given the fact that they're checking each other's stories out?

SIMON: Well, as you mention, in the U.S., a father under these circumstances, particularly where there's no probable cause and the father's not arrested, but in the earlier stages a father has an absolute right to visit his minor child. And even in Aruba the father has a right to visit a minor child, except in these types of extraordinary situations. And they were able to get a judge to order to prevent him from talking to the son. And I'm sure they didn't want to take a chance that they might "get their stories together."

So it's an attempt to put pressure on. And I think ultimately the arrest of the father is another attempt to put pressure on Joran to see if his story will continue to change or not.

M. O'BRIEN: So these are very different tactics than you would see in the United States. There's a whole level of holding people, accusing them, and then, finally, charging them. And essentially, the authorities have a lot of latitude here to put this pressure on, don't they?

SIMON: They absolutely do. They certainly have a lot more power than what would be occurring here. So -- and it looks like they're exerting that.

Of course, on the one hand, everyone wants to try to find out what happened. The danger, of course, is you can exert too much pressure and it may produce a false confession. I mean, what would happen hypothetically if the son all of a sudden started saying, "Well, I did something," only later to say, "I said that falsely because you held my father unlawfully."

M. O'BRIEN: Tremendous pressure here on the authorities coming from the United States, the family, of course. Is it possible they're going over the top here, maybe, and doing to much, just casting too wide a net?

SIMON: Well, there's no question there's enormous pressure being put upon them by the family and the media to solve this. And again, we don't know for sure whether or not a crime has even been committed. Of course, everyone, sadly, is worried and thinks something untoward happened. But where are the facts that would substantiate it?

We do know that the two security guards were arrested, they clearly had no public or factual connection to the three young men. And obviously they were later released.

So there's a possibility when you cast too broad of a net you may arrest, imprison the innocent. And that's a danger. Hopefully, they have much more significant evidence against the father. Otherwise, this could certainly go down to their detriment.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. And certainly he understands the law being a judge. All right. Ted Simon, international law expert. We appreciate your insights from Philly this morning.

Let's check the headlines with Carol Costello -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you, Miles.

"Now in the News," President Bush talking about what lies ahead in Iraq as he gets ready to host Iraq's prime minister, Ibrahim al- Jaafari, at the White House. The Iraqi prime minister visited with wounded troops in Washington. The two leaders will speak with reporters after their private meeting this morning. CNN will provide you live coverage beginning at 11:25 Eastern.

Iranians heading to the polls today to decide a two-man presidential race. Voters standing in long lines to cast ballots, men in one line, women in the other. The runoff is between two conservatives, including the former two-term president. Early results are expected this weekend.

For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug for a specific racial group. Regulators OK'd the drug BiDil for blacks with heart failure. The FDA calls it a step towards personalized medicine, but critics claim there is no biological basis for the move and the drug should be marketed to all patients.

The Broadway play "On Golden Pond" is closing early because James Earl Jones is sick. The curtain will fall on the Tony Award-nominated production this weekend. Jones has pneumonia and he's not expected to fully recover until August. He has been out for more than a week, causing box office receipts to plummet.

Remember, you can view more CNN reports online. Just visit CNN.com and click on to "Watch" for free video. And you can check out the most popular stories.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, that's too bad about him. I hope he recovers speedily and fully.

COSTELLO: I know. He won't recover until August.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. You know, he's not a young man. And pneumonia is just one of those things that you just have to really wait until it goes away and treat it as best as you can. So maybe it's better he's not pushing it. But still, sad news.

M. O'BRIEN: We wish him well, certainly.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Thanks, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, the fallout from a major decision by the nation's high court. Cities can now seize your property to build malls and hotels. Ahead, we're going to meet a man whose family is losing their home to eminent domain for a second time.

M. O'BRIEN: Also, six months after that devastating tsunami, a look at whether the aid money is really reaching those who need it.

S. O'BRIEN: And my conversation with the Reverend Franklin Graham. We'll talk about the future of the ministry as his father prepares for his final American crusade.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: NASA managers will make an important decision today that will indicate if the Shuttle Discovery is on track for launch next month, July 13. Agency brass will hear from shuttle engineers. They have been trying to solve a potential problem with ice accumulating on the shuttle fuel tank. That debris could cause problems for the orbiter.

The Shuttle Columbia, you'll recall, had a terrible breach in its heat shield, which occurred on launch, and ultimately it disintegrated on February 1, 2003. Discovery, the first flight back for the shuttle program, will fly to the International Space Station. It's mainly, though, a shakedown cruise to sort of test new safety measures. The shuttle fleet, of course, has been grounded now since February of 2003.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: In a split decision, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that local governments may seize your house and turn your property over to private developers if they want them to have economic development there. The justices ruled 5-4 in favor of the city of New London, Connecticut. The town wants to clear a piece of property to build a hotel, a health club and offices.

Town officials hope it will boost tax revenue and the local economy. The ruling will now force nine owners from their properties.

Michael Cristofaro's dad has live in one of the homes for 30 years. Michael joins us from out front of that home this morning.

Good to have you with us, Michael. MICHAEL CRISTOFARO, EARLIER ON AMERICAN MORNING: Good morning, Miles. Thank you very much. It's good to be here.

M. O'BRIEN: Your dad is about 80 years old, lived there a long time.

CRISTOFARO: Yes, he...

M. O'BRIEN: And I know you're kind of are speaking on his behalf. Why don't you just tell us what this home means to him?

CRISTOFARO: Well, the house, you know, is not a commodity to my father. My father came over from Italy in 1962 and, you know, land to him means that he's rich and that he's got all the gold in the world. You take that away from him, and you know, he has nothing. You know, money means nothing to him. He would rather have the dirt where he could plant his shrubberies and, you know, his gardens and everything else. That's what he needs and that's what he wants.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's listen to the city attorney in New London and hear what he has to say. I'd like you to respond to this. Let's listen for just a moment.

THOMAS LONDERGAN, NEW LONDON'S ATTY.: This case was not some type of a land grab. This case was about the city of New London, its six square miles and its economic survival. The case was about improving our roadway system, improving public access to the Thames River, increasing our tax base, filling in a flood plane, improving its water and sewer infrastructure.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. The city says it needs the money, needs to make the improvements. New London has fall on hard economic times in recent years. What do you say to that, Michael.

CRISTOFARO: I hope I can say this on the air -- Bull crap.

M. O 'BRIEN: You just did. It's OK.

CRISTOFARO: You're right, the city has fallen into some economic downfalls recently, but I've lived here in this town all my life, and the city of New London has used eminent domain for the last 40-plus years, and they've constantly been tearing down our properties here. They have not proved to the residents of this town that by taking property by eminent domain is going to be to the benefit of the public.

The roadways, the sewage system that he's talking about, you know what, like I say I have never seen the city put any money into this town to improve any of that stuff. We have approximately 90 acres of property sitting here in the Fort Trumbull. Eighty acres is up for grab right now to be developed. They have it. They can do whatever they want.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Now, 35 years ago, Cristofaro's father was forced from another house also in the town of New London. It, too, was taken by eminent domain so the city could build a sea wall. But Cristofaro says that sea wall was never built -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Six months after a monstrous tsunami devastated parts of southeast Asia, reconstruction is well under way. Today the biggest problem isn't raising money, it's collecting it. We'll explain on AMERICAN MORNING as we continue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: It has been six months since a monstrous tsunami struck South Asia. From Indonesia to Somalia, 230,000 people dead and missing. Billions of dollars in aid are helping the area recover. But as Chris Huntington reports, recovery can be slow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From southern India to Indonesia to Sri Lanka, tsunami survivors are reclaiming some of what the ocean took from them last December. Still, many in the region are frustrated with the pace of reconstruction.

JAN EGELUND, U.N. UNDERSECRETARY-GENERAL: Those who lost everything on the 26th of December are, understandably, impatient now. But it's a long, uphill battle to rebuild those thousands and thousands of destroyed communities.

HUNTINGTON (voice-over): According to the U.N.'s own accounting, global pledges for tsunami aid now total more $10 billion. Nearly $6 billion from governments and $4.5 billion from private and corporate donors. But soliciting pledges has been the easy part. The real trick now is to get those who promised to contribute to send in the money.

(voice-over): More than half of the government pledges have yet to be collected. According to the U.S. government, the United States, for instance, has fulfilled less than 40 percent of the more than $900 million it has pledged. That's worse than Japan and Great Britain, but better than Germany and France.

American citizens and companies lead the world with tsunami aid contributions, more than $1.5 billion. Still, less than one-fifth of that has reached victims in the region.

ROBERTA COHEN, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: The money is taking a long time because of local policies and local red tape.

HUNTINGTON: The cooperation and sacrifice of the unprecedented international emergency response is proving difficult to sustain during reconstruction. Last month, hundreds of shipping containers filled with relief supplies piled up in an Indonesian port, stranded over a paperwork dispute.

The international aid group Oxfam was forced pay 500,000 pounds to Sri Lankan customs officials to import 25 trucks. The money has since been refunded, but the ordeal slowed Oxfam's efforts. Perhaps the biggest problem is sorting out land ownership in areas where the tsunami reconfigured the landscape and where records are spotty at best.

ELIZABETH STEVENS, OXFAM: What we need here is a full-court press on the part of governments to resolve the land issues.

HUNTINGTON: Despite the problems, Stevens and others involved in the reconstruction are optimistic and say patience and persistence will pay off.

Chris Huntington, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Scientists say they are sure another large tsunami will wash over the area again, but they don't know if it's going to be 20 years or in 200 years.

Still to come this morning, my interview with the Reverend Billy Graham's son about his father's last American crusade.

Stay with us. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING.

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