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American Morning
U.S. Soldiers Charged; North Korea Threat; Serial Shootings; Amazing Rescue
Aired July 10, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: More than 40 unarmed Sunnis in western Baghdad yesterday. The victims dragged from their homes and killed in the street. The violence apparently triggered by the bombing of a Sunni mosque on Friday which, in turn, prompted a Shiite mosque bombing on Saturday.
The Pentagon has charged four more U.S. soldiers in the rape of an Iraqi teenager and the murder of her family and her. A discharged soldier is charged with rape and murder in a civilian court. But for the Iraqis, this may not be enough. The prime minister, Nuri al- Maliki, is demanding an independent investigation. CNN's Nic Robertson is live now from Baghdad with more.
Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, we do know that the four soldiers who have been charged are being held on their base. They've had their weapons taken away from them. They're escorted whenever they move around that base.
They are being charged with the rape and murder of a young Iraqi woman and the murder of three of her family members. That and conspiring with former Specialist First Class Steven Green, who's been charged with similar charges in civilian court in the United States.
Now at question here at the moment is the age of the young Iraqi woman. The Reuters news agency has her identification papers that would indicate her to have been 14 years of age when she was killed. Her picture and identity card here is covered. That was taken when she was just 18 months old.
The mayor of Mahmoudiya, the area where she was killed, also believes that she is 14 years old. This would make her a girl, not a young woman. The U.S. military and the FBI at this stage believe she was perhaps 20, perhaps 25 years old. And, of course, it's a very key question as this prosecution continues, Miles.
O'BRIEN: Nic, let's talk about that independent investigation by the Iraqis. The U.S. military says they don't have jurisdiction in this case. Is that likely to change at all?
ROBERTSON: No. It's very unlikely to change. The government here seems not to want to cross the U.S. military on this. They obviously have a domestic political agenda to show that such acts cannot be carried out again. They need the United States to act quickly. The government here needs the United States to act in a transparent way in trying these soldiers. But it doesn't appear at this stage as if Iraqi officials will control an investigation. There may be elements where they need to aid. That's not clear at this stage, Miles
O'BRIEN: Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thank you very much. The U.S. Marine killings at Haditha prompting calls to hold officers up the chain of command accountable. A Pentagon report says senior leaders did not sufficiently or adequately investigate the killings of two dozen civilians last November. U.S. Marines are suspected of killing them in revenge for the death of a fellow Marine. A Defense Department official says commanders recommend more review of the chain of command and that could lead to reprimands and even charges against senior officers.
MELISSA: A CNN Security watch now. Very important information has been found on that New York City tunnel bombing plot. Authorities in Lebanon say they have found bombing plans and maps of Hudson River tunnels on suspect Assem Hammoud's computer. He's the alleged mastermind of the plot. Two other men are also in custody this morning. Be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
Now a top State Department diplomat is in Tokyo this very hour. Christopher Hill is trying to keep pressure on Pyongyang, which test fired several missiles last week, raising concerns of its Asian neighbors and the world. CNN's Atika Shubert joins us live now from Tokyo with more.
Good morning, Atika.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A warm welcome here in Tokyo. It's his third stop on a trip to find a solution to the North Korean missile problem. Unfortunately, that's a solution that everyone can agree to is proving to be elusive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT, (voice over): U.S. envoy, Christopher Hill, ends his hastily-arranged trip to Asia in Japan, a staunch U.S. ally. After meeting with Japan's foreign minister, Hill appealed once again for North Korea to return to six-party talks.
CHRISTOPHER HILL, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: North Korea has a choice before it. A choice of whether to go for a continued isolation or to join the international community. And I hope they will make the right choice.
SHUBERT: Japan, with U.S. support, is pushing for tough sanctions on North Korea through a U.N. Security Council resolution that may be voted upon later today. The U.S. and Japan are appealing for a united front, but China and Russia, both with veto power, are opposed to Japan's resolution. South Korea, too, has criticized the plan, while North Korea has threatened to launch more missiles. That has prompted Japanese lawmakers to consider whether the country has the right to carry out a preemptive strike, despite Japan's pacifist constitution. In a press conference, Japan's cabinet secretary said "the government has said in the past, if there are no other means to prevent a guided missile attack, then it is legally possible to say that to attack the missile launching base is within our right to self defense."
Over the weekend, the USS Mustin arrived at the Yokosuka Naval Base outside of Tokyo. The U.S. Navy destroyer is equipped with an Aegis tracking system, an integral part of the joint U.S.-Japan missile defense shield. But the ship's commander insists it is a routine deployment.
CMDR. EDWARD B. CASHMAN, U.S. NAVY: We are aware of the situation in North Korea and the events of the past several weeks. We don't have any particular mission right now. We're tasked to come and turn over, as part of the normal rotation of forces.
SHUBERT: A routine deployment that is timely nonetheless.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Still a lot more diplomacy to be done, Melissa. After Tokyo, Christopher Hill will go to Russia next, his final destination.
MELISSA: Atika Shubert live from Tokyo this morning, thank you.
Now certainly the Bush administration is watching the Chinese diplomatic efforts in this latest saber-rattling incident by Pyongyang. CNN's Kathleen Koch is now joining us live from the White House with more.
Good morning, Kathleen.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Melissa.
And the Bush administration is doing more than watching. It's applying heavy pressure on China to use its leverage to try to make North Korea realize that with its missile firings last week that it has truly isolated itself on the world stage. China provides food, energy, and more to its impoverished neighbor in hopes of keeping the regime stable, preventing a flood of North Korean refugees across the Chinese border. So the U.S. believes that if North Korea would listen to anyone, that it would be China. So U.S. officials are cautiously optimistic about the chances of that U.N. resolution that Atika just spoke about, particularly now that China has sent its own delegation to meet with North Korea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICHOLAS BURNS, UNDER SECRETARY OF POLITICAL AFFAIRS: I think you'll see over the course of the next couple of days, when we get the results of this Chinese delegation to Pyongyang, I think you'll then see us want to move ahead in New York at the Security Council. We hope that China and Russia are going to support this resolution. This resolution essentially backs up and substantiates everything that we -- China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and the United States -- have been trying to do to send a strong signal to the North Koreans that the time has come to return to the negotiating table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: Now if China does not put heavier pressure on North Korea, does not support that U.N. resolution, some U.S. lawmakers are hinting that China itself could pay a price. Two top Republican lawmakers coming out, suggesting that China could find trade and diplomatic dealings with the U.S. much more difficult if it does not step up to the plate.
Melissa.
MELISSA: Kathleen Koch live from Washington. Thank you, Kathleen.
KOCH: You bet.
O'BRIEN: Police in Phoenix working around the clock to try to solve a recent wave of unprecedented crime. Thirteen people shot, apparently randomly, but police now believe it is the work of a serial criminal. But that isn't the only serial crime spree underway there. CNN's Kareen Wynter live now from Phoenix with more.
Kareen.
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, good morning to you.
And you can just imagine the fear gripping many communities here in Phoenix. We're in the vicinity of the latest shootings that took place over the weekend. Two people shot, a man and a woman, in the head and the back. Police believe they may have a serial shooter not just in this wave of shootings, but also two other separate investigations.
In terms of this wave of shootings, Miles, it began just a few months ago in May. Thirteen incidents so far. Police say they have not been able to definitively connect them using forensic evidence. However, they believe they may be connected just because of the nature of how these crimes have been carried out. People targeted randomly, late at night or in the early morning hours as they're out on the streets walking, biking, or just even standing.
Now, there are also two other investigations going on. One that began back in August 2005. That's when the violent spree began. Also in May 2005, just a few months earlier. Nineteen incidents in August, 25 incidents in May. And we're talking everything from rapes, to robberies, to assault, even the killing of animals.
In each case, investigators have managed to connect about a handful of these shootings that turn out to be fatal. But in all, police are looking for any help they can get from the public. There's a tip line number that's provided that you can call if you have any information out there. The number is 602-261-8600. Miles.
O'BRIEN: Kareen, how are they able to connect the dots in all of this? In other words, figure out what is going on and the possibility that there are three serial criminals?
WYNTER: Well, in one series of investigations, one that began starting in August, Miles, police have been using a description they've gotten from surveillance video from one of where the incidents took place. There was at least a composite sketch.
But when we're talking about all three series here, they have not been able to link them as yet. However, they do say that they may be connected here just because of the nature of the crimes and the connections that they've made so far. Again, not releasing a lot of information to the public, Miles.
O'BRIEN: And do they think in some way they may be copycatting each other?
WYNTER: That's a good question. We don't know right now. If so, they're not disclosing. All they're saying is that the similarity -- that they're saying in all three series is that they're random. They're targeting people at random. But, besides that, they haven't been able to provided any more information.
O'BRIEN: Kareen Wynter in Phoenix, thank you very much.
Coming up in the next hour of AMERICAN MORNING, we'll speak to Sergeant Andy Hill of the Phoenix Police Department. We'll hear more about those investigations.
Melissa.
MELISSA: A deadly plane crash overnight in Pakistan. All 45 passengers and crew were killed. The Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed just about two minutes after taking off from Multan Airport in eastern Pakistan. The cause of that crash is under investigation.
And investigators in Moscow are checking the black box recorders recovered from a Russian airliner in eastern Siberia. That plane veered off the runway upon landing, crashing into a concrete barrier and bursting into flames. That crash killed 124 people, including children, and injured dozens of others. Family members started to identify their loved ones today. Special prayers are being held across Russia to mark a day of mourning.
Let's help you to plan the week ahead. Check in with Chad Myers, who's live at the CNN Center, the weather center, down in hot-lanta.
Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: Heavy rains lead to some scary moments out west. Coming up -- take a look at these pictures -- a 15-year-old boy nearly swept away by floodwaters. But a frantic moment and some heroes to the rescue. We're going to talk to them.
MELISSA: Also ahead, a National Guardsman gives his life in Afghanistan, but his widow says the government won't give him a proper memorial because of his religion. We'll explain.
O'BRIEN: Plus, who wants to have a registered sex offender in their neighborhood? No one, right? A not in my backyard story to tell you about which has some interesting implications. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Happening this morning.
Duke lacrosse player Collin Finnerty scheduled to appear at a D.C. court today on an assault charge. This incident occurred outside a bar, not related to his alleged involvement in that Duke rape case.
A Southwest Airlines pilot charged with showing up to work under the influence. He was arrested after the Transportation Security Agency screener smelled alcohol as he passed through a checkpoint. Police followed the pilot to the gate, ordered him off the plane. He faces up to 15 years if convicted.
Back to business for lawmakers in Washington today. The House and Senate returning from their Fourth of July break. Top item on the agenda, consideration of the homeland security bill.
Across Pennsylvania Avenue, President Bush scheduled to meet with the prime minister of Salvina (ph) today. Vice President Cheney will travel to Michigan and Kentucky for Republican fund-raisers.
Henry Paulson, the former head of Goldman Sachs, a big investment firm here in New York City, will be sworn in today as secretary of the Treasury. Paulson succeeds John Snow and is President Bush's third Treasury secretary.
Day seven in space for Discovery. They are now cleared for return, as you see them preparing for a space walk, which should begin in about an hour. The heat shield is good to go, that according to engineers on the ground. And we'll be watching that space walk as it begins in just a little while. We'll keep you posted on all that.
Melissa.
MELISSA: A New Mexico teen is recovering this morning after being sucked into a flooded canal and dragged over a five-mile stretch of raging currents. Sasha Andrade from our affiliate KOAT has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a man floating down the river.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of a sudden he just popped underneath the water. SASHA ANDRADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Witnesses say it was all happening so fast. A 15-year-old boy dragged along the arroyo by raging waters. Rescue workers spot the boy and think they'll be able to rescue him, but then . . .
EDDIE GUTIERREZ, RESCUE WORKER: As the two meet right here, there's a certain point in the middle there where he went under water.
ANDRADE: Here is that moment captured on camera. He slips under the water and doesn't come back up. Crews work frantically to find him, hoping that all is not lost. All eyes remain on the rapid water, searching for a glimpse of the victim.
GUTIERREZ: That's when he popped out close to me, I threw the rope in front of him. Luckily he was able to grab it from there.
ANDRADE: After that intense moment, the 15-year-old is pulled out of the Arroyo and into safety. Amazingly, he's going to be OK. Some might call his rescuer a hero, but he says it was all in the line of duty.
GUTIERREZ: It's just doing our job, you know. Anybody else, another station would have done it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA: Just doing his job, but what a hero, right?
And coming up, we will meet that hero, Eddie Gutierrez, and fellow firefighter Mike Martinez. They join us in the 8:00 a.m. Eastern hour.
Ever wonder what it would be like to be a part of a nationwide party? And why wasn't I invited if there actually was one? Coming up, an entire country is celebrating. They are united by victory in the world's biggest sporting event.
And it may not be the World Cup, but don't tell them. What is he doing? We're going to tell you coming up. These are the redneck games. That's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, command, we have a story on the redneck games and Andy's "Minding Your Business." To (ph) the break, master, in three, two, one, roll to break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MELISSA: A record crowd, 20,000 showed up for the tenth annual redneck games. This is in East Dublin, Georgia, over the weekend. Watch and learn.
O'BRIEN: Listen. You've got to listen to them, though. Listen.
MELISSA: Yes. The events . . . ANDY SERWER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What's he doing?
MELISSA: Well, maybe we can play that again. I don't know.
O'BRIEN: Oh, it's that one? I don't know.
MELISSA: No, no, no, no. The events included, not only that event earlier, but you're watching now the mud pit belly flop. Actually that just looks like a mess. I don't see anybody doing a belly flop. You have bobbing for pig's feet as well.
O'BRIEN: That's bobbing for pig's feet.
SERWER: Oh.
MELISSA: And the was, Miles, the arm pit serenade.
O'BRIEN: Ah, yes, yes, yes.
MELISSA: Maybe a little more classy there. Yes, the event was created as a spoof to the '96 games which were held two hours to the north in Atlanta. And, by the way, tenth anniversary coming up this weekend in Atlanta as well for the Olympic games.
O'BRIEN: Yes, yes. I remember it fondly. But my son, I think, might win that competition.
MELISSA: Which one? The serenade?
O'BRIEN: Yes, the serenade.
SERWER: Oh, not the bobbing for pig's feet on?
O'BRIEN: He can do "Yankee Doodle Dandy" pretty well. Anyway.
MELISSA: That's a good tune.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
Andy Serwer.
SERWER: They might not want you to do that tune at that particular festival, by the way.
MELISSA: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Oh, that's right. It would be the wrong one. That would be the wrong . . .
SERWER: Yes. Well, that's all right (ph).
O'BRIEN: Yes.
SERWER: We're spending to much time on that story.
O'BRIEN: Dixie, we have way digresses, whatever. Let's talk about Renault and GM.
SERWER: Yes. On Friday, GM's board authorized that that company begin talks with Nissan and Renault. And the question right now is, what does each side want from each other? First of all, from the GM side, what could it possibly see in teaming up with a French automaker and a Japanese automaker that's had problems as of late? Well the answer is one man, and that's Carlos Ghosn. And he is the asset in play, as one analyst said.
He's 52-year-old. He's a French citizen born in Brazil of Lebanese descent. He's such a big deal in Japan that there's even a comic book character based on him.
And Kirk Kirkorian, the big investor in GM, is the person who really wants him in there because he really is the straw that stirs the drink in this business. Although one analysts in a "USA Today" story said, he's a dangerous man, Carlos Ghosn, when he's bored.
O'BRIEN: Really?
SERWER: In other words, he just tends to do things for the sake of doing things I think is what he's saying.
O'BRIEN: Right.
SERWER: Now why does Carlos Ghosn want anything to do with GM? After all, I mean this is a company with problems written (ph) large.
O'BRIEN: Global domination. Essentially, right?
MELISSA: Well, he'll have a lot to do. He won't be bored.
SERWER: He won't be bored, exactly, Melissa.
O'BRIEN: That's good. Yes.
SERWER: And also global domination.
O'BRIEN: Bored.
SERWER: Really it's going after Toyota. That's what it's all about. And, you know, what he gets out of GM is he can increase capacity with some of GM's idle facilities. GM is very strong in China. Nissan can leverage off of that. Hybrid technology as well.
Now listen to this. While GM is shutting plants -- listen to this fact -- Toyota is spending $1.3 billion every month building new plants.
O'BRIEN: Whoa!
SERWER: Six new plants. One in Texas, Russia, Canada, Thailand and China. So you can see a lot of catching up to do with the number one player. You know the thinking is, perhaps you can combine all three of these together, they might be able to go after them. But maybe not. O'BRIEN: All right, Andy Serwer. That's some delicious coffee here. And that has something to do with what you're talking about in a little . . .
SERWER: Oh, yes, we're going to be talking about viral marketing and Folgers. That's kind of a new thing for them. We'll get to that coming up soon.
O'BRIEN: OK. Thank you, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: Still to come, the fight over religion and a fallen guardsman's memorial.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Witchcraft is not Satanism. It is not harming others. It's not power over others. It's not hocus pocus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: Straight ahead, the battle between the faith, a particular faith that it causes some controversy, and the government.
Also ahead, a registered sex offender out of prison, trying to start over, but she says she can't even find a new home without breaking the law. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MELISSA: Happening this morning.
The defense is wrapping up in the Saddam Hussein trial. Closing arguments are going on right now. Several of the defense attorneys, including Saddam Hussein's chief lawyer, are boycotting the session.
The United Nations Security Council reconvenes today to consider what to do about North Korea's missile tests. They're considering a resolution that could impose economic sanctions.
Gas prices now at the $3 a gallon mark on average. That's according to the Trilby Lundberg survey for gas prices. I'm sure you've already noticed it. You've felt the pain at the pump, but per gallon prices are up just about 11 cents over the past couple of weeks.
You need to take out a loan to fill up the tank these days.
O'BRIEN: Yes, a little second mortgage. No big deal.
Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.
MELISSA: Good morning. I'm Melissa Long in today for Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Good to have you with us this morning, Melissa. MELISSA: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Now a story of a U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan. He has been awarded a purple heart and a bronze star, but the U.S. military has yet to give him a memorial marker. What's the problem? Religion. AMERICAN MORNING's Bob Franken live in Washington with more.
Hello, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.
And inside the Veteran's Administration building here, we're getting no comment, no television comment at any rate. This is a very sensitive matter, as you might imagine, as government agency discovers how difficult it can be to decide what is an acceptable religion.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): Even though he died in combat last September in Afghanistan, there is no plaque for Sergeant Patrick Stewart on the Wall of Heroes at Fernley, Nevada's Veterans Memorial Cemetery, just a blank marker. That's because he was a Wiccan, a pagan religion that often includes witchcraft.
ROBERTA STEWART, WIDOW: I believe he is the only Wiccan who has died in active combat. My husband went to war and died for the Constitution of the United States.
FRANKEN: Sergeant Stewart's widow has rejected a Veterans Administration offer to erect a plaque with his name, but without the pagan Wiccan and circled five-point star, called a pentacle. The V.A. does not recognize the Wiccan religion, as it has 38 others, along with their symbols. His widow is preparing to sue.
STEWART: I must have it on his memorial plaque before I can lay him to rest, so that he can move on, and that our family can even begin to start to grieve.
FRANKEN: Roberta Stewart came to Washington and met with V.A. officials, who would not agree to a televised interview. Instead, they put out a statement, saying, "A decision on Wicca is simply being delayed until the department completes its efforts to develop a uniform set of rules."
There is no organized public opposition to recognizing Wicca, but although the faith has been given a tax-exempt, non-profit status by the IRS and is recognized by other parts of the government. Wiccan leaders say there is still discrimination, because it can involve witches.
SELENA FOX, SR. MINISTER, WICCAN CIRCLE SANCTUARY: Witchcraft is not Satanism. It is not harming others. It's not power over others. It's not hocus pocus.
STEWART: Our spirituality is our heart, our soul and who we are. (END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: The Veterans Administration is saying it is merely trying to be fair to all religions which might apply, but the Wicca request has been pending, Miles, for nine years.
O'BRIEN: Nine years now?
FRANKEN: Nine years.
O'BRIEN: Tell us about who is helping out the family in this case?
FRANKEN: Well, as I pointed out, there's really no organized opposition, but the politicians in Nevada, both Republican and Democrat, as well as veterans groups, have spoken out in support of the Wiccan petition, but thus far it has not been granted by the V.A.
O'BRIEN: All right. Do we know when they might make a decision?
FRANKEN: Well, they say that it is under review. The decision, as Is said, has been pending for nine years. During that period of time, several other religious groups have gotten their symbols allowed.
O'BRIEN: All right, Bob Franken, thank you very much. Keep us posted on that one -- Melissa.
LONG: In Florida, jury selection begins today for John Couey. He is accused of kidnapping, raping and killing 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford. Last month, a judge threw out his confession, but prosecutors claim they still have enough evidence to convict.
Also today a federal judge will consider the constitutionality of a new sex-offender law in Georgia. The law would prevent all registered sex offenders from living near school bus stops. May seem like a good idea.
But as CNN's Rusty Dornin is going to show us, the issue is not so clear cut.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lori Collins has no idea where to live without breaking the law in Georgia. As of July 1st, when a new law came into effect, she couldn't live within 1,000 feet of a church, a public swimming pool or community gym.
Lori Collins had sex with a 15-year-old boy. She was 39. She pled guilty and served her time. She was a model prisoner and has been a live-in manager of a halfway house for women, but she had to move, because it doubles as a church.
But this is what has Collins and more than 10,000 registered sex offenders in Georgia really worried -- school bus stops. Another provision of that same law prohibits sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of them. Civil rights groups are fighting the law, and a federal judge temporarily blocked the school bus provision until a hearing later this week.
(on camera): This is one way to keep people like you away from children. What would you say to that?
LORI COLLINS, REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER: I understand where people are coming from. I understand the fear. I understand that there are predators, there are pedophiles and there are violent people out there, and this law lumps everybody, unfortunately, into one category.
DORNIN (voice-over): Collins is classified the same as a rapist. In Georgia, underaged teens caught having consensual sex are also considered the same as sexual predators.
If the bus stop provision stays intact, everything outlined in blue here in Richmond County, Georgia, will be off limits to sex offenders. This is about 1,000 feet. With more than 150,000 bus stops in the state of Georgia, opponents say it would be nearly impossible for sex offenders to find a place to live.
SARAH GERAGHTY, SOUTHERN CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: This law is essentially impossible to comply with. It forces pretty much everyone on the registry from their home.
DORNIN: This woman didn't want to be identified. She was sexually abused as a child, and now has a close family member who was abused.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The intentions of the law is to protect the kids, and...
DORNIN (on camera): Even though these people wouldn't be able to find anywhere to live?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What people forget -- everybody's looking at the offender, but that child who was attacked, or raped, or molested, or touched or fondled, it's not just that child who is affected; it's that entire family.
DORNIN (voice-over): Protecting families and children is what many legislators say is most important.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We would urge you in the next couple of weeks to try to find temporary housing until...
DORNIN: Calls from sex offenders confused about the law have been pouring into legal advocates, but for some Georgians, there is little empathy for their plight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do we really want to let sex offenders live that close to the children?
DORNIN: Lori Collins understands that. She just wonders where in the state of Georgia will she be able to live.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, Cedartown in rural Georgia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: In Italy, they were stripping down to their underwear and jumping into fountains. Sounds like another just typical day in Italy. Now they're celebrating this morning after beating France, 5-3, in Sunday's World Cup Championship. That's a big deal.
And our Rome bureau chief Alessio Vinci is right in the thick of the celebration.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): This is what winning a World Cup is all about -- celebration, rapture and a good deal of energy. After 24 years, the World Cup returns to Italy, and this country is celebrating like never before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The final was a great game. The French tried to beat us, and in the end, we managed to breakthrough on the penalties. So it was a really good game.
VINCI: Penalty kicks is what the Italians wanted to avoid at all costs. Still fresh in their memories, the last final lost on penalties in 1994 against Brazil.
This time, however, a different end. The game brought Italy to a standstill. Theaters canceled shows, policemen stopped worrying about public safety, and even a group of homeless managed to gets a hold of a small television set. It felt as if everybody in this country was watching. It certainly felt that way after everybody took to the streets as the game ended.
Most of them celebrated by driving as only the Italians know how to do. We went along for a ride.
(on camera): Traffic is absolutely congested. Even the ambulance is having a hard time getting through. And they are certainly breaking any records of how many people can really fit into one car.
Eleven people in this car, 11!
(voice-over): They seem to never have enough of it. Soccer is a real passion here. Italy has now won the World Cup four times. Only Brazil has done better with five trophies. It was a victory Italian football badly needed, to restore dignity to a sport badly tainted by a match-fixing scandal involving some of the country's best-known teams. A trial is under way, and judges are expected to hand down their verdicts almost as soon as the street cleanup ends.
But this was a night set aside to celebrate.
(on camera): This is just the beginning. On Monday night, so many people are expected here to welcome their heroes.
Alessio Vinci, CNN, from Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Well, we have no idea what Alessio was saying there, but he was clearly having fun.
LONG: I hope so.
VINCI: Alessio Vinci from Italia.
Coming up, looking to storm-proof your home this summer? We've got some tips on finding the biggest problem spots in every house.
LONG: Also ahead, troubled children getting a second chance at life, thanks to some little doggies who need a second chance, too. We'll explain.
VINCI: Also next, one woman's decades of emotional pain. Her own mother trying to keep her a secret from the rest of the world. She shares her story ahead.
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O'BRIEN: So just who is June Cross? Well, she is a Columbia journalist and professor and documentary producer who spent most of her life hiding her true identity. She revealed who she and her mother really were in a documentary she produced for frontline about ten years ago. Now Cross has written a book about her life, called "Secret Daughter: a Mixed-Race Daughter and a Mother Who Gave Her Away."
Soledad with her story.
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JUNE CROSS, AUTHOR, "SECRET DAUGHTER": This is me and my mother. I've lived much of my life in her shadows. I've been her secret child.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): That secret child, a baby girl named "June," was born in 1954 to Norma Booth, a struggling actress, and her boyfriend, vaudeville performer Jimmy Cross. When they split up, Norma hoped to raise June on her own.
CROSS: The neighbors were getting upset because I had grown considerably darker than -- I guess I was born more sort of her shade, by her recollection. And as I grew older, I got to be the shade I am now. So she sent me to live in Atlantic City, New Jersey with some black friends of the family when I was four.
S. O'BRIEN: Peggy Bush, a teacher, and Paul Bush, a county clerk, raised June.
CROSS: It started with, you know, stay overnight, stay for a week, stay for the weekend, and you know, and it sort of, I got so used to staying with aunt Peggy and uncle Paul, that when I finally was left to go to school with aunt Peggy and uncle Paul it seemed totally natural to me.
S. O'BRIEN: June enjoyed a loving middle-class childhood that emphasized education and achievement. Her mother remained a constant presence in her life.
In 1961, Norma moved to Hollywood with her new husband, actor Larry Storch (ph) of "F-Troop" fame. They sent money back to June in New Jersey, but Norma worried that Larry's career would be ruined if anyone found out that June was her daughter.
(on camera): Such a big secret for such a little girl.
CROSS: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: You write about how you're seven years old, and your mother makes it very clear...
CROSS: Right.
S. O'BRIEN: ... you could jeopardize a lot if you call me mommy. You're seven years old.
CROSS: She literally scared me to death. And she scared me so badly that I was never going to make that mistake again.
S. O'BRIEN: Fast forward a lot of years -- what led you to go back and decide to really confront your mother about this big secret?
CROSS: Because if you don't tell them, begin to come out in a variety of ways. I had sort of started choosing one wounded man after another in my personal life.
S. O'BRIEN (voice-over): Convincing her mother, whose entire life had been cloaked in secrecy, took nine months.
(on camera): How did you finally convince her?
CROSS: She began to feel like, you know, I'm old enough where I have nothing to lose. She thought my love for her would protect her. And I'm not sure that I consciously felt that going on, but my...
S. O'BRIEN: She thought your love for her would protect...
CROSS: That I would not make her look like mommy dearest, like Joan Crawford, or the most evil mommy in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was very hard giving you up. You can't imagine what a mother would go through. Enormously difficult, but it was something I always felt was for your own good.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And yours.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well... S. O'BRIEN (voice-over): The result was an Emmy Award-winning documentary and newfound openness for mother and daughter.
CROSS: People said to her, how could you ever have given up your daughter? Which she was totally unprepared for. And people said to me, how on earth, you know, I've known you for 25 years and you've never told me this.
S. O'BRIEN (on camera): Some of the reviews of the book, which have been mostly positive, have said, why is she not bitter? Almost as if they're disappointed that you are not bitterly furious at your mother.
CROSS: It's a growing experience, and I'm learning more about myself, and learning to be more tolerant, and learning to be more accepting and more embracing and less judgmental as a reporter and as a human being.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: In the course of making that documentary, Cross found a half-sister and another sister she never knew.
Coming up next, Andy, "Minding Your Business."
Hello, Andy.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Hello, Miles.
Folgers Coffee has a wacky new way to wake you up.
And the dead, the Grateful Dead. They've like sold out, man. We'll tell you about that coming up.
O'BRIEN: Bummer, dude.
SERWER: Yes, yes.
O'BRIEN: Also ahead, summer camp. It's not only good for the kids, it helps the counselors, too.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It helps me in so many ways, because not only are they learning or I'm being able to teach them, but they're also teaching me in turn.
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O'BRIEN: We'll take you to Camp Noah. It's a place where the kids of Hurricane Katrina get a chance to be happy campers.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LONG: For so many in New Orleans, nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina, the scars remain. Rebuilding the city is an enormous task, and Katrina's smallest victims are sometimes overlooked.
CNN's Susan Roesgen has more on those helping the children to cope with disaster.
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CHILDREN (singing): Who built the arc? Noah! Noah! Who built the arc? Brother Noah built the arc.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ten- year-old Kenny Darner is a survivor of two very different tragedies: the murder of his mother when he was a baby, and Hurricane Katrina.
KENNY DARNER, CAMPER: I lost the downstairs of my house from the flood and a lot of other people lost their homes and all that.
ROESGEN: When we met Kenny, it was at the end of a five-day summer camp. Camp counselors say Kenny was shy at first, but on this last day, he surprised them with a note left on the office chalk board. The summer camp is called Camp Noah, a Minnesota-based program to help children cope after a disaster.
CAROLYN POTTS, CRISIS COUNSELOR: Drawing things like this can really help if they can't express it verbally.
ROESGEN: Carolyn Potts is one of the counselors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is the storm with the rain coming down, and their house. And they said the door isn't there because it was ruined. They really touch our lives. We see each one as a unique story. And these kids are so neat. They just really are.
ROESGEN: If the children learn to hope here, so do the volunteer staffers, like 16-year-old Bianca Rollins.
BIANCA ROLLINS, CAMP VOLUNTEER: If you give them, you know, a way to express themselves...
ROESGEN: Bianca lives just across the street from the camp in her family's FEMA trailer. She says helping the kids express their feelings has helped her deal with her own emotions.
ROLLINS: I love it. It helps me in so many ways, because not only are they learning or I'm being able to teach them, but they're also teaching me, in turn. And I -- it's a joy for me.
ROESGEN: One week can't erase ten months of hardship, but sometimes, it can help.
Susan Roesgen, CNN, Slidell, Louisiana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: Good to see those kids smiling.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
O'BRIEN: Top stories after the break. Stay with us.
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O'BRIEN: More charges stemming from an alleged brutal attack in Iraq. Five more U.S. soldiers charged in the rape and murder case.
LONG: A Russian plane bursting into flames on the ground. More than 120 people are dead.
O'BRIEN: A crime wave in Phoenix has police there on overdrive. They may now be searching for three separate serial criminals.
LONG: A dramatic rescue after a teen is carried away by floodwaters. Those fearless rescuers will join us live in just a little bit.
O'BRIEN: And preparing for the worst. We'll look at how to safeguard your home against severe storms. All ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.
LONG: And good morning, I'm Melissa Long, in today for Soledad, who will be back tomorrow.
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