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American Morning

Hostages Freed; American Tourists Killed; Missing Boys

Aired March 23, 2006 - 06:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. Welcome, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm John Roberts in this week for Miles O'Brien. Good Thursday morning to you.

O'BRIEN: Twelve American tourists killed in South America after their tour bus swerved off a highway and then over a cliff. We've got the very latest from the U.S. Embassy this morning in Chile.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Nic Robertson in Baghdad.

Three Western aide workers released from four months of captivity. More on that coming up shortly.

O'BRIEN: A massive search is under way right now in Wisconsin for two young boys. A big reward is being offered in the case. We've got a live report ahead this morning.

ROBERTS: A big decision for tens of thousands of GM workers, take the automaker's buyout offer or stay on the job. We're following that story.

And how much sleep do your children really need? We'll answer that in our continuing series, "Sleepless in America."

O'BRIEN: We begin this morning with the three Western hostages who have been set free by multinational forces in Iraq this morning. One British and two Canadian Christian aide workers had been held since November. American Tom Fox, who had been with them, was found dead two weeks ago just days after this videotape was released of the group.

CNN's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson live for us in Baghdad this morning.

Nic, good morning.

ROBERTSON: Good morning, Soledad.

British Embassy officials say that all three men are well, that they are in the British Embassy compound in the secure Green Zone, the international zone at the center of Baghdad. They say that no one was hurt in this operation.

They describe it as a combined multinational force operation. They say, as well, that it had been in the planning stages for several weeks. The planning had involved both military and civilian people involved in that. They say that this was a product of work between the British Embassy, Canadian Embassy and Iraqi officials in Baghdad.

Now police in Baghdad say that this operation occurred fairly early in the morning today in the west of Baghdad, a predominately Sunni neighborhood -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Nic, has there been any update on Jill Carroll's situation?

ROBERTSON: So far, no. This is the 76th day of her captivity. The British Embassy here has not linked her kidnapping to the three people released today -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Can you update us on what we're hearing about car bombings in the capital this morning -- Nic?

ROBERTSON: A lot of car bombings here today, four so far. More than 24 people killed; 40 or so wounded in those multiple attacks. The most deadly at a police headquarters, a suicide car bomber killing 15, wounding 32 there -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Our Nic Robertson with an update for us from Baghdad this morning.

Nic, thanks -- John.

ROBERTS: Thanks, Soledad.

Now to that terrible bus accident in Chile involving American tourists. At least 12 people are dead. Their bus fell down this 260- foot mountainside. Four people, including two more tourists, survived the crash and are hospitalized this morning.

The accident happened while the group was away from their cruise ship, the Celebrity Cruise Line ship, the Millennium, which is docked in Arica, Chile. The day trip took them to Lauca National Park. They were very close to the top of the mountain and switchback roads that have no guardrails. The driver of the bus, who survived the accident, said that he swerved to get out of the way of a truck, which was coming into his lane.

The Millennium is going to stay docked in the port of Arica at least for the foreseeable future.

Joining us on the phone right now from the U.S. Embassy in Santiago is John Vance. He is the press attache.

And, John, what can you tell us about the two surviving Americans who were on board this minibus?

JOHN VANCE, U.S. EMBASSY SPOKESMAN IN CHILE: Well, at this stage what we know is that they are in a hospital in Arica and are in stable condition.

ROBERTS: Are they getting good care up there? Are there good hospitals in Arica?

VANCE: I would characterize the medical care there as pretty good. And additionally, the doctor and the nurse from the cruise line have also gone to see to their care. And the embassy is in touch with the folks up there as well. And we've got consular officers en route to ascertain their condition and give them any help that they need.

ROBERTS: Right. John, we've seen pictures of this accident. It looked like a pretty barren mountain, switchback roads with no guardrails. The driver of the bus says that he swerved to avoid an oncoming truck. What else might you be able to add to the circumstances surrounding this crash? What have you heard?

VANCE: I don't think there's really anything, at this point, that I can add to that. That's essentially what I've heard as well. And we're continuing to be in contact with Chilean authorities to try to come up with more complete answers.

ROBERTS: What do you know about this tour operator? Celebrity Cruises is saying that it's not connected directly, at least to their organization. Is this just a local outfit? What do you know about that?

VANCE: Very little. I only know what Celebrity has stated that they apparently were not directly responsible for booking or managing the tour. And beyond that, I can't say I know anything about the particulars of the local company, if that's indeed what it was.

ROBERTS: I take it, though, this is one of many local companies that would swarm up to the docks when the cruise ship pulls up offering people day tours to various places?

VANCE: I really don't know on that score.

ROBERTS: Right. OK. What else are you doing besides sending representatives to Arica to look after the -- to look into, at least, the survivors? What are you doing for relatives of the victims, relatives of the survivors who might be concerned about loved ones?

VANCE: Obviously we recognize that this is a very, very difficult time for the families that are involved and we're doing everything we can to smooth the operation for those family members who are surviving.

We're trying to do everything we can to insure that if they want to come to Chile that they can do so in a simple and straight forward manner and trying to make all the procedures as painless as possible. As well as doing everything we can still for the surviving members of the group, of whom, obviously, we have a great deal of concern both for the Americans and the Chileans who were injured.

But we're doing everything we can to insure that the Americans get the medical care they need and then whatever the next steps that prove to be appropriate are.

ROBERTS: A terrible crash. John Vance from the American Embassy in Santiago, Chile, we'll get back to you a little bit later on this morning.

As we said, the cruise ship, the Millennium, is going to stay docked in Arica for the foreseeable future.

If you are looking for information about somebody who was on board that ship and you haven't been able to get in touch with them, here's a hotline that's been set up. It's 888-829-4050. 888-829-4050 -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Here in this country, police are stepping up the search for two missing Milwaukee boys. Twelve-year-old Quadrevion Henning, known as Dre, and 11-year-old Purvis Parker have not been seen since Sunday afternoon. Police and volunteers are now turning their suburban Milwaukee neighborhood upside down.

Let's get to Melanie Stout of affiliate WTMJ. She's live for us in Milwaukee this morning.

Melanie, good morning.

MELANIE STOUT, WTMJ-TV REPORTER: Good morning.

You know the first 24 hours are the most critical when a child goes missing. It's been four days now and still nothing. No new leads.

Now the search for these boys has intensified. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are helping the Milwaukee Police Department in this case. Some officers are volunteering their time. Dive teams have gone into the sewers to see if the boys fell in while playing. One manhole was found open, but again, no sign of 12-year-old Quadrevion Henning and 11-year-old Purvis Virginia Parker.

Also on Wednesday, police scoured a state park north of where the boys disappeared. They searched through trees and thick brush but found nothing. Family and friends have also been out in force handing out flyers. They don't believe these boys would just wander away. The boys' families remain hopeful and desperate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA VIRGINIA PARKER, PURVIS' MOTHER: If you see something, if you know something, please check your homes, let our boys come home. I miss my son so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now police have told us that the families of both of the boys have been very cooperative in this case.

Back to you.

O'BRIEN: Melanie, let me ask you a couple of quick questions.

STOUT: Sure.

O'BRIEN: First, I mean I cannot imagine how frustrating it is to have no clues, no leads, no information about these two boys. Give me a sense of what the neighborhood is like and what these boys are like? Could they have just run off?

STOUT: The family doesn't believe these boys are the type to just run off. They don't have any history of running off. There is no evidence they were upset. And this neighborhood is a relatively safe, very comfortable neighborhood, a lot of families and children here.

There are also registered sex offenders in the area. Police have questioned those sex offenders and even searched their homes and again they have found no evidence that a crime has been committed here.

O'BRIEN: Gosh, what a brutal story for those families.

Melanie Stout of our affiliate WTMJ.

Melanie, thanks a lot.

ROBERTS: Time for our first check of the weather forecast on this Thursday morning.

Chad Myers is off. Reynolds Wolf is at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.

ROBERTS: Am I looking at a motorcycle weekend in Washington this weekend or what?

WOLF: It's going to look beautiful. It's going to be great in Washington. It's going to be great for many places around the country.

You notice Chad happens to leave and then conditions get really tranquil. I'm not saying anything, I'm -- just an observation, if you will.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Let's send it right back to you.

O'BRIEN: So you're highlighting that when Chad leaves and you come in the weather suddenly improves, like a mystery?

WOLF: No, no, no, no, see, that's the last thing I wanted to do. Don't you misinterpret what I'm saying. I'm just -- it's just kind of an observation.

ROBERTS: Yes, well it's good for us, but it's bad business for meteorologists, because you guys thrive on bad weather, correct?

WOLF: Absolutely. Absolutely. O'BRIEN: That's true, it could be bad for you.

ROBERTS: Could be bad.

WOLF: Yes, very true. I'm going to keep it zipped, man.

ROBERTS: You know what, and also when you're filling in, you don't want things to go too well...

WOLF: There you go. Yes, I'm -- being the new guy, you don't want...

ROBERTS: Try to screw up a little bit, if you would.

WOLF: We'll do all that we can here. I'm fully capable of doing that, trust me. All right.

ROBERTS: Thanks, Reynolds.

O'BRIEN: Thanks, -- Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

ROBERTS: Coming up, another book detailing Barry Bonds' alleged steroid use, but this time there's new information on another star slugger's alleged cheating.

O'BRIEN: We're also going to take a look and crunch some numbers at GM's huge buyout plan to see if it's really going to help the troubled automaker.

ROBERTS: And later, our special series, "Sleepless in America." Today, children and sleep and why America's kids may be on the verge of a health crisis. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: I like it.

ROBERTS: A nice sunrise shot.

O'BRIEN: A nice sunrise. And I like the soundtrack behind it. That's the Hasidic rapper Matisyahu.

ROBERTS: It sounds a little reggae, doesn't it? But...

O'BRIEN: I like it. Yes.

ROBERTS: ... Hasidic rap.

O'BRIEN: I've got to add that to my iPod.

ROBERTS: Wow, that's pretty interesting stuff.

O'BRIEN: Who knew?

Let's get right to Carol. She's got a look at the top stories for us this morning.

Hey, Carol.

ROBERTS: Morning, -- Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. Good morning to all of you.

Israel launching an airstrike near the border with Gaza. Israeli troops say they saw three Palestinians in a field near the border fence. They were apparently planting an explosive device. At least two Palestinians were killed in the airstrike. Families arriving at the hospitals a short time ago. It's believed a third suspect got away.

The largest drug trafficking indictment in U.S. history, those words from the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. You are looking at DEA video of a jungle drug lab containing thousands of dollars worth of cocaine. Fifty leaders of the Colombian rebel group FARC have been indicted on charges of importing $25 billion worth of coke to the United States. Three of those men now in custody.

President Bush is set to give more details this morning about his guest worker program for immigrants. It comes as Congress gets ready to debate the most sweeping immigration reform in years. But Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid says he'll do everything possible to filibuster the deal. Senator Reid says the program needs to include ways for immigrants to pay taxes and learn English.

Drugs used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder should have better warnings. An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration making that recommendation. The panel says some ADHD drugs can cause hallucinations and heart problems and need to have clear warning labels. But some critics say stronger warnings could scare people from taking the drugs altogether.

And you have to update the coyote story. Now the wily coyote is waiting for a ride to a more coyote-friendly stomping ground than New York City. He is now recovering from a tranquilizer dart. He's been on the run for days, but he was finally nabbed Wednesday after a televised chase through Central Park. As soon as Hal is ready to travel, he will be driven to a wildlife sanctuary in upstate New York.

And you know, Reynolds, I come from a family of hunters, and I don't even want to tell you what they said about New York's finest efforts at catching that animal.

WOLF: I know. I know. I'm not -- you know I'm not going to say a word. I believe silence pretty much is the best way to go on this.

COSTELLO: I know. I know, but I have to say they needed some country boys up here.

WOLF: Exactly. Exactly. And going from coyotes to wolves, here's what we have now.

Reynolds Wolf, by the way.

(WEATHER REPORT)

Now, John, let's send it back over to you.

ROBERTS: All right, thank you very much, Reynolds.

GM is offering workers some pretty attractive incentives to leave the troubled automaker.

Carrie Lee has the details in a "Financial News Update."

Good morning to you, -- Carrie.

CARRIE LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Good morning, Soledad.

We talked about this yesterday when the news started breaking and now we have all of the details on GM's incentive and buyout plans for workers. Now of course the big goal here, to cut workers by 30,000 by 2008.

Here are the details. For people who have been at the company for more than 30 years, they're going to get $35,000 in cash, plus full benefits. If they have been there for over 10 years, they'll get much more money, $140,000, plus a pension, no healthcare, though. Fewer than 10 years of service, 70,000 bucks, a pension and no healthcare.

Now we're talking about 125,000 hourly workers at GM and Delphi, which is its auto parts maker, used to own that. And of course the big question is how many of these workers are actually going to accept these buyouts?

Now breaking it down in terms of GM hourly workers, on average, the top salary comes in at about $27 an hour. That's $56,000 a year. With benefits, GM is estimating they pay workers $74 an hour. That's what it costs GM, anyway. So 125,000 people offered these incentives. The goal, to cut by 30,000. We'll see if they do it.

But in terms of companies doing this, these benefits and the buyout is considered to be pretty generous. Shareholders liking the idea, anticipating it earlier this week. So far, GM shares up 4 percent this week. They did drop a little bit yesterday, so.

O'BRIEN: And getting rid of the healthcare option for those employees who have not been with the company 30 years is going to be huge. I mean that's really what they're looking for.

LEE: Exactly. And the big thing, too, pensions, because...

ROBERTS: Right.

LEE: ... a lot of the people's pensions were based on them working a full career. Well if they are only working there, say, 10 or 15 years, then the pension is going to be significantly lower. So that's a big one for GM, too.

O'BRIEN: Interesting. All right.

LEE: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Carrie, thank you very much.

LEE: OK, my pleasure.

O'BRIEN: Let's get to Carol with a look at what's coming up in "Morning Coffee."

What you got for us today, -- Carol?

COSTELLO: Hey, did you hear the one about the pope, a porn star and a bottle of red wine? It's no cheesy joke. It's in your "Morning Coffee" next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody.

It's time for a little "Morning Coffee." What you got today?

COSTELLO: You know I love politics.

O'BRIEN: The cheese was sort of eye-catching.

COSTELLO: It was good, wasn't it?

ROBERTS: That was good, yes.

COSTELLO: I don't know if the story will be that good, but the tease was great.

But let's start in the world of politics, shall we, because Senator Hillary Clinton wants to know what would Jesus do? She says the Republicans' new immigration bill would probably lead to his arrest or any other good samaritan for that matter.

She's referring to a provision in one bill that calls for penalties for anyone who help illegal immigrants in any way, even if they are already here in the United States. She says if that bill flies through the Senate, Jesus would probably be under arrest. That's what she says.

So it's going to be a very interesting Senate race and, perhaps, presidential race in 2008.

ROBERTS: Interesting way to describe it.

COSTELLO: Yes.

ROBERTS: An interesting metaphor.

COSTELLO: OK, how about this, Vice President Cheney rock star? Not really, but some of his demands remind us of those made by stars like 50 Cent, kind of. We're talking about what's called a tour rider. The Smoking Gun Web site got a copy of the V.P.'s hotel demands. It calls for all the lights to be on at check-in, a preset temperature of 68 degrees. And, yes, all the TVs set to C -- no, to FOX News. It's about as bad as some stars.

O'BRIEN: Not really a shocker on that front.

ROBERTS: Wow!

COSTELLO: No, no, no, but it's sort of like, you know some stars who want only green M&Ms and...

O'BRIEN: White towels. I've heard a lot of requests for white towels of a certain size.

COSTELLO: Yes. He didn't have that one on the list.

O'BRIEN: No?

COSTELLO: He just needed all the lights on.

OK, here's the joke, kind of. It's not a joke, but it would make a good one. The pope and a famous porn star have the same taste, in wine, that is. Porn star Savanna Samson called on a Vatican vintner to help create her own brand of wine. And that wine is getting rave reviews for its good taste. Again, the wine, and not the porn star.

Now, we'd show you pictures of Savanna Samson, but they're a little too risque for morning television. Samson, who stared in more than two dozen porn films, says she wanted to do something her parents could be proud of. So she worked with a Vatican vintner and came up with this wine called Sogno Uno. It's a red Italian. And Robert Parker, the guru of wine, gave it 91 points.

O'BRIEN: All right.

ROBERTS: Unbelievable!

COSTELLO: So apparently it's really good.

O'BRIEN: So she has done something her mom and dad can watch and approve of.

COSTELLO: Yes.

ROBERTS: And I imagine that the label might be interesting, too.

COSTELLO: Yes, she's in a sheer outfit on the label of the wine.

O'BRIEN: You see.

ROBERTS: How did I know?

COSTELLO: Well, you've got to use what you got.

O'BRIEN: I take that back about the mom and dad.

ROBERTS: While you got it.

COSTELLO: Yes.

ROBERTS: There you go.

COSTELLO: I had to show everyone this, it's in the "New York Times," the new style for men. You know we went through the metrosexual phase where men kind of looked like women. Now men are looking manly because the Ulysses S. Grant look is in.

ROBERTS: There you go.

COSTELLO: Paul Bunyan, Ulysses S. Grant, that's what you should strive for, men of America, and you will be in style.

O'BRIEN: Not cutting your hair or shaving your beard.

ROBERTS: And the amount of money you can save by not having to get haircuts, it's great.

COSTELLO: It's true.

ROBERTS: Spend it all on clothing.

O'BRIEN: Do you think this guy is attractive?

COSTELLO: Yes.

ROBERTS: I'll let you two discuss that.

Meantime, what if there was easy access anywhere you roamed in the wireless universe, no searching for wireless hotspots?

Our own Miles O'Brien makes the connection in our series, "Welcome to the Future."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA: It's great that Wi-Fi technology exists, but if I need to spend all day searching for a hotspot, it doesn't help me. Wi-Fi is a way to get on the Internet wirelessly. And a hotspot is a public place where you can do it. Right now if I need to get information, I've got to scramble around to try to find the nearest hotspot. I want to get access everywhere. I want access on the street corners, in a subway, in a bus so that I can get access to whatever information I want whenever and wherever I am.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hotspots are great. But what if you're in the cold abyss that lies between them? Might as well be digital Siberia. So how long before we can connect wirelessly wherever, whenever, seamlessly? Not that would be hot.

(voice-over): Frank Hanzlik is Director of the Wi-Fi Alliance which sets standards for the technology. And he says Wi-Fi is spreading like wildfire.

FRANK HANZLIK, DIRECTOR, WI-FI ALLIANCE: And one of the things that we're really going to see over the next few years is this notion really of seamless connectivity. So you're actually going to stay connected using a variety of different networks. You're not going to know you're on one network or another network, you're just going to stay connected with the best network at the lowest cost.

O'BRIEN: In other words, you could use one mobile device everywhere, home, office, on the road, painlessly tapping into a quilt of networks without missing an e-mail or a call.

HANZLIK: And the nice thing about Wi-Fi is we're really just getting started. We're seeing Wi-Fi move into the consumer electronic products. But we're also seeing Wi-Fi moving in the future into cars. So vehicle navigation systems, intelligent highway management systems, those kind of things are really to enable us to travel with a lot more intelligence and a lot more convenience as well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: A look at the morning's top stories straight ahead, including news that pollution could be bad for your children's teeth. And then later, in our special series, "Sleepless in America," we'll take a look at why America's children could be on the verge of a health crisis because they're not getting enough sleep. Those stories ahead. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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