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American Morning

New Surveillance Tape From Idaho; Violent Protests in Scotland

Aired July 05, 2005 - 08:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New surveillance tape from Idaho. A convicted sex offender seen with 8-year-old Shasta Groene just hours before her rescue and his arrest.
Violent protests in Scotland and the G8 summit hasn't even begun. President Bush getting ready to leave for the talks this hour.

And tropical storm Cindy heading for the Louisiana coast, promising lots of wind and rain. And will this storm in the Caribbean become the season's first hurricane? We're tracking both for you 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.

M. O'BRIEN: Good morning.

Welcome back.

You had a nice long weekend.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I did.

M. O'BRIEN: Saw some fireworks, like I did.

S. O'BRIEN: I did. And what great weather we had here in the Northeast.

M. O'BRIEN: It was nice. I didn't see much of it, but it seemed nice, I think.

S. O'BRIEN: So much...

M. O'BRIEN: President Bush is on his way -- excuse me -- to Europe for the Group of Eight summit.

S. O'BRIEN: In fact, the president just boarded Air Force One. Tomorrow he's going to meet with the leaders of the world's richest economies at the G8 summit in Scotland.

Bob Franken is live at the White House for us this morning -- hey, Bob, good morning to you.

The president has got a busy week ahead.

What exactly is on his agenda? BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, his birthday, for starters. I presume you sent a card, Soledad. In any case, he would probably be reading it on Air Force One, taxiing now from Andrews Air Base, on the way to Denmark, where he's going to make a thank you stop there at the royal residence outside Copenhagen, awaken, hold a news conference and then go on to Scotland, where he will be meeting with the leaders of the most important developed nations in the world, the G8 Conference, it's called. This is a very workmanlike conference. A lot of very important issues that are on the agenda.

Africa aid is one that is highlighted by the chairman of the conference, British Prime Minister Tony Blair. President Bush has already said that the United States is going to substantially increase its contributions, but nowhere near match what the prime minister from England wants. So there is that. The British prime minister will not get any special favors, said President Bush in interviews with British TV.

There are other contentious issues. The most important one and the most difficult one being climate change, global warming. There is a great effort to try and come up with some sort of statement out of this conference which will reconcile the huge differences between the United States and the other countries that have such divergent views on the matter of global warming. That is a very difficult one. The possibility exists that there will actually be two statements, one from the U.S. and one from the other countries.

Other matters on the agenda include farm subsidies. It does not sound like the kind of thing that should reach the highest levels of government, but it is always a hugely contentious issue, no less this time with efforts at compromise not expected to come out of this conference.

Other issues, energy -- we all know the significance of that -- and a huge amount of opposition to President Bush still in Europe, as manifested in demonstrations that have already begun in Scotland and are expected to increase in intensity, which means that there will be a corresponding increase in security.

All of this will go on until Friday, when the president comes back to the United States and leaves the international cauldron and returns to the domestic one. The more important ingredient in that one seems to be the plan to nominate a replacement for Sandra Day O'Connor to be a justice on the Supreme Court. That one, it looks like, is going to dominate the debate here for most of the summer.

But first the international arguments that'll be going on in Scotland -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, clearly lots to accomplish. And, as you say, in the context of the protests there, we'll be watching on both fronts.

Bob Franken for us this morning.

Bob, thanks. Time to get right to the headlines and Carol Costello -- good morning again, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Soledad.

Good morning to all of you.

Prosecutors plan to charge a convicted sex offender with the kidnapping of an 8-year-old Idaho girl. Joseph Duncan was arrested on Saturday after a waitress recognized Shasta Groene at a Denny's restaurant.

In the meantime, some new images we'll be showing you this morning of the little girl. She's seen here at a convenience store with Duncan just six hours before her rescue. Shasta Groene is now resting at a hospital. This is a picture of her smiling with her father after they were reunited. Authorities are waiting to confirm whether remains found on Monday are, indeed, that of her 9-year-old brother Dylan.

In Iraq, more violence against diplomats in Iraq. A convoy carrying a top diplomat from Pakistan coming under fire this morning. No injuries reported. Officials in Bahrain say they are closing their mission in Iraq after its top diplomat was shot and wounded in a western Baghdad neighborhood. The incidents come just three days after gunmen kidnapped Egypt's top envoy in Iraq.

Karla Homolka says she's not a monster and fears being hunted down. The Canadian woman served 12 years for the sex slayings of three teenage girls on Ontario, including that of her little sister. Homolka was released on Monday from a maximum security prison. She has received numerous death threats and is expected to settle in Montreal, where her case is not as well known.

Brian's Prince William is playing up to the young crowd. The prince met with sick children and their parents at a hospital in Auckland, New Zealand today. It's part of his first official solo trip overseas. One patient's reaction to the meeting, the prince, to meeting the prince, rather, she says, "Now my life is complete. He's a nice man."

And tropical storm Cindy could hit Louisiana either today or tomorrow. A tropical storm watch has been issued for more than 200 miles along the Louisiana coast, all the way to Destin, Florida. Cindy is not expected to become a hurricane. Of course, we'll hear more from Chad in just a bit.

It's not going to settle down there any time soon, though, at least for the next few days.

S. O'BRIEN: Right. And he's already talking into the Ds on a case (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

M. O'BRIEN: You see, he's always looking ahead, don't you?

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. COSTELLO: He is.

M. O'BRIEN: He's sort of fascinated by these things. But that's what we pay him for, right?

And then there was only one. Only one suspect under lock and key in the Natalee Holloway disappearance. This morning, two brothers who had been in custody for the past four weeks are free, yet not free from suspicion.

Ted Simon is a criminal defense attorney who's had many cases in Aruba.

He joins us from Philadelphia.

Ted, what do you make of the release of the two brothers?

THEODORE SIMON, INTERNATIONAL LAW EXPERT: Well, I think it's -- it was a foreshadowing of what the attorney general said last week. Specifically, she went on national television in an interview. It appeared to be in the nature of a public relations attempt to quell the concerns and calm the concerns of Americans that they're doing everything.

But in that interview, she said there was no traces of a crime, there were no facts and no circumstances and they could not confirm that Natalee Holloway was even dead.

So I think what it tells us, even in Aruba, under the lesser standard of reasonable suspicion, there was inadequate proof to maintain and continue to detain these gentlemen.

You know, as we've discussed before, in Aruba, you can be questioned for six hours after you're arrested, you can be held for two days and then three succeeding periods of eight days. And that's what happened. And in each succeeding request to continue to detain someone, you need a greater quantum of proof.

So we can assume, and some of this we do know, that they obtained their cell records, they obtained the txt messaging, they probably monitored their movements, they may have monitored their conversations and there clearly were some inconsistent statements.

But even taking that all together, it was insufficient evidence to warrant their continued detention. So that tells us there are still significant questions of whether or not there was a crime committed. And then with respect to the Kalpoe brothers, there was wholly insufficient evidence to continue to detain them.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, we're looking at pictures, by the way, of their release yesterday. I want to show you a little portion of the statement which came from the judge yesterday. And let me quote: "In this case, the serious suspicions are based on the fact that the three suspects" -- and they use the initials.

Why do they do that, by the way? Why do they use initials? SIMON: I can't see that. Let me see that.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, they use their initials. They don't use their names, they use their initials. It's just kind of an odd thing. I was curious why that is. I'll just press on.

"They were the last persons to be with the missing tourist. The changing statements of the three suspects that are not sustained by other investigative results and/or witness statements."

So, this means that they're still under a cloud of suspicion, right?

SIMON: Absolutely. They're under a cloud of suspicion. There is serious, as the judge was saying, there are serious suspicions, but merely because there are serious suspicions does not mean it amounts to reasonable suspicion, which would be the standard upon which to keep them.

So the question is, obviously it's serious. But is it justifiable? And at least to date, the judge has said no.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, on Sunday they took the Kalpoe brothers to the beach.

What do you think that was all about?

SIMON: I think that was an investigative technique to determine if the second story -- now remember, initially the three young men said they dropped Hollo, Natalee Holloway, at her hotel at the Holiday Inn. They later changed that story to say they dropped her at the Marriott beach hotel. And I think what they did is they wanted to independently determine, with some particularity, whether or not these three individual stories would actually line up precisely.

So it's one thing if you ask someone where did you drop someone off and they say generally the beach or the hotel. It's another thing if you're going to specifically point out the area. And that's what I think they did. And I think the assumption there is that they corroborated each other. Otherwise, perhaps, the Kalpoe brothers would not have been released and they were after that technique.

M. O'BRIEN: So the focus is on Joran van der Sloot. But there is no evidence a crime was committed.

Where does that leave the investigation?

SIMON: Well, I guess they're going to continue to investigate. What we have -- we don't know what cards the Aruban authorities have developed. We don't know what's in their hand, so it's hard to judge it. But what we do know is that he has self-admittedly stated that he was one of, if not the last, we don't know for sure, but he was with her, dropped her at the beach. That is unquestioned. He's admitted that. We know she's missing. And, obviously, we hope and pray that nothing untoward has happened, but with each continuing day, everyone is deeply concerned. So what we know absolutely is there was some changing stories, but just because there are changing stories does not mean necessarily it's a cover-up for what may be a crime. It may be, as I've said before, the white lie as opposed to the big lie. And with what we -- with the release of the Kalpoe brothers, it really shows there's very, very, very little evidence of whether or not there's a crime having been committed.

M. O'BRIEN: Ted Simon is an attorney and international law expert.

Thank you very much.

Appreciate it.

SIMON: You're welcome.

M. O'BRIEN: Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: It's 10 minutes past the hour.

Time to take another look at the weather this morning with Chad Myers -- hey, Chad, good morning again.

What are you looking at?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.

It's been a busy day here.

Good morning, Soledad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Chad, what's the "D" name? What, if T.D. number four?

S. O'BRIEN: Dennis.

M. O'BRIEN: Dennis?

MYERS: Dennis.

M. O'BRIEN: Excellent.

Thank you.

Very good.

MYERS: Yes, Dennis the Menace.

S. O'BRIEN: I'm on top of that.

M. O'BRIEN: Dennis the Menace.

S. O'BRIEN: I think that's fascinating, too. M. O'BRIEN: I think we had a Dennis the Menace not too long ago.

MYERS: Yes, we did, six years ago.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

MYERS: They rotate every six years.

M. O'BRIEN: OK.

Boy, Chad, you're amazing.

All right -- where does he keep all that stuff in the brain there?

Up next, the latest developments in the search for a missing Idaho boy feared dead. We're live from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Plus, new and disturbing details about the man accused of kidnapping Dylan and Shasta Groene.

S. O'BRIEN: And the first Arab ambassador to Iraq is kidnapped in Baghdad. Now, some fear this could freeze efforts to promote diplomacy in Iraq. One Middle East expert says, though, it might actually help diplomatic efforts.

M. O'BRIEN: And then a look at how Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement may affect some critical issues facing the Supreme Court's next term.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Authorities in Idaho now say it's all but certain 9- year-old Dylan Groene is dead. Investigators are awaiting the results of DNA tests to determine whether possible human remains found Monday in Montana are, in fact, Dylan's. Dylan's 8-year-old sister Shasta was found Saturday with suspected kidnapper Joseph Duncan.

Duncan expected to appear before a judge today.

Rusty Dornin is in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho -- Rusty, we know that Duncan has a long rap sheet. Many people are wondering why he was on the street in the first place.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a very long rap sheet, Miles. I mean he spent 17 of his 42 years in prison. He also liked to ramble online about his accomplishments and also make confessions about his inner torments for all to see his troubled past.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DORNIN (voice-over): On this street in Lakewood, Washington, Joseph Duncan's career as a criminal began. He was 16, according to police records. It was 1980. He broke into a neighbor's home and stole handguns and ammunition. But he wasn't done that day.

SHERIFF ED TROYER, PIERCE COUNTY: He came across a 14-year-old boy he didn't know. He kidnapped the boy at gunpoint, brought him into the woods out in the Lake City area by Fort Lewis and took him out there and raped him repeatedly. During that, he also beat him with a stick, burned him with a cigarette and dry fired the gun.

DORNIN: No bullets, but he pulled the trigger twice, making the boy think he was going to kill him.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years. He served 14 and was released in 1994, but violated his parole and was back in prison by '97.

One week after his release in 2000, Duncan moved to Fargo, North Dakota. He enrolled at North Dakota State University. There, according to his student Web site, he described himself as an honors student a go-getter who likes karate, skiing and scuba diving. He claimed he worked for several companies, some during the time he was in prison in the late '90s.

In March of this year, Duncan was arrested for molesting a 7- year-old boy in Minnesota. In April, the judge granted him bail. The judge told a Minnesota TV reporter this week he isn't sure whether he knew that Duncan was a level three sex offender when he granted him that bail.

Duncan then disappeared. Police believe he stole this red jeep in May in Minnesota. Until early May, police say he was an active blogger. He denied being a pedophile but wrote: "Because of my appearance and family circumstances, I was molested so often and by so many different people that up until the time of my offense, I thought it was normal."

In this weblog, he also unveiled his battles with his so-called demons: "The demons have taken over." This entry five days before the triple murder in Idaho. "My intent is to harm society as much as I can then die."

And what about his connection to the triple murders here in Idaho? Investigators say Duncan is still their primary investigative lead.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

DORNIN: Investigators say that now they believe that they have found the remains of Dylan Groene. Of course, they have to confirm that. They're really going to focus in on any possible connection that Joseph Duncan might have had to those triple homicides. But today when he goes for his first appearance, the only charges so far are kidnapping. And then had had two outstanding warrants. And, of course, they say that additional charges could come later. And if they do, that it confirmed that it's Dylan Groene, those charges could come very quickly -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Rusty Dornin, thank you very much -- Soledad. S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, a new trend in vacation destinations -- the workplace. Find out why some people are shelling out hundreds of dollars to explore new job opportunities. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Insurgents in Iraq tried to kidnap Bahrain's top diplomat this morning. Gunmen opened fire as he was leaving his home, shooting him in one hand. It's the second attempt to kidnap an Arab diplomat in Baghdad in four days. On Saturday, Ihab al-Sharif was kidnapped by gunmen in Baghdad. Al-Sharif was the first Arab ambassador to Baghdad.

Middle East analyst Shibley Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland.

Thanks for joining us.

It's nice to see you, Professor.

No one yet has taken responsibility for this kidnapping. But give me a sense, outside of the obvious tragedy here, what the impact is, in the bigger picture, of this kidnapping.

SHIBLEY TELHAMI, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: Well, there are a number of things. First, obviously, they aim to intimidate, and that they do. They also send a picture of insecurity in Iraq. We know that Iraq is not a secure place and if you cannot protect ambassadors, they send a very, very difficult picture of the situation on the ground.

But at the same time, l this is about legitimacy. What they're trying to do is undermine the legitimacy of the Iraqi government and to show they're winning. If, in fact, the Iraqi government is being accepted by the Arab world, it's a problem for them. But that's a double-edged sword here because in a place like Egypt, the public opinion, which is somewhat sympathetic with the insurgency, will, in this case, rally behind their own envoy and that gives the Egyptian government ammunition in its drive to normalize relations with the Iraqi government.

S. O'BRIEN: So you expect, then, regardless of how this kidnapping turns out, what will happen?

TELHAMI: Well, I think that the governments that have said they want to renew their diplomatic relations with Iraq -- and there are four Arab governments -- they're doing it collectively because it's more difficult for each one of them to do it alone because it's not a very popular move in the Arab world. Most people in the Arab world don't see this Iraqi government to be legitimate. And they do worry. And therefore there are four of them that are going to do it at once -- Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait. I think they will stick with it and I think it will enable them to use this case with their own public opinion against the insurgents who are certainly targeting their own envoys.

At the same time, I think it does send a picture of insecurity in Iraq and it's a troubling one and people can see it. And if you cannot protect even the foreign ambassadors in Baghdad, then, you know, the situation on the ground is projected to be very difficult.

S. O'BRIEN: We've gotten word that Bahrain is withdrawing its mission in the wake of that, as I mentioned, shooting and attempted kidnapping of a diplomat there in Iraq.

Do you expect that Egypt will do the same or what steps do you think would happen next?

TELHAMI: First of all, Bahrain had a lower level representation. It was not one of the countries that was renewing diplomatic relations. The others, I think, will stick with it. This is a political decision, a strategic decision for these countries. They cannot afford to pull out. I think they may, in fact, minimize the presence. They may end up having -- limiting their envoys to particular areas, but I doubt very much that it will affect them strategically on the country, I think.

The Saudis today announced that they will stick with their decision to renew diplomatic relations, and I think that will be the norm among those countries that have intended to send ambassadors to Baghdad.

S. O'BRIEN: Regardless of how it ends, do you think that this makes the interim government and the relationship with the United States more legitimate or less?

TELHAMI: Well, look, the whole issue here is the legitimacy of the Iraqi government in its -- the eyes of Iraqis, first and foremost; but also in the eyes of the Arab and Muslim world, and then the international community. They care about all these.

Now, if Arabs are moving to normalize relations and accept the Iraqi government, it sends a signal that time is on the side of that government. And this, when you have an insurgency, you're trying to say no, the time is on our side. This Iraqi government will be weaker every day, not stronger every day.

That's what the fight is about. And I think there is two messages sent here. One is the Iraqi government is not in control of Iraq, it cannot protect the foreign envoys. But at the same time, Arab governments are willing to normalize relations. It's a contradictory picture and that's where we're at.

S. O'BRIEN: Middle East expert Shibley Telhami joining us this morning.

Thanks.

TELHAMI: A pleasure.

S. O'BRIEN: Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Television and test scores -- why it's not just how much television your kids watch, but also where they watch it that matters.

Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING "Quick News" at cnn.com/am.

Still to come on the program, a Texas man flush with excitement after a mistake led him to, of all places, the world series poker table, a chance at millions in prize money. We'll hear his story on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

It's just about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Coming up, the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and the impact it might have on some critical issues facing the high court next term.

M. O'BRIEN: You know, the court has already decided to take up some cases which will go right to the heart of that matter.

And, also, how you can give your dream job a try without having to quit your day job. That sounds good.

S. O'BRIEN: What job would you try?

M. O'BRIEN: You know, I've really always wanted to be a traffic reporter, a helicopter traffic reporter.

S. O'BRIEN: Really?

M. O'BRIEN: I think that would be very cool. And this would be a good city to do it.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes. There's lots of bad traffic.

M. O'BRIEN: Is that a dumb day job?

S. O'BRIEN: No. No, it's charming.

M. O'BRIEN: How about you? What would you want?

S. O'BRIEN: I have no idea. I don't know.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. S. O'BRIEN: But it wouldn't be a traffic reporter. But that's for you. It's like I'm getting out of (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

Let's go right to the headlines with Carol Costello...

M. O'BRIEN: And -- yes, well, anyway.

Go ahead.

COSTELLO: Good morning.

Good morning to all of you.

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