Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Karr in Colorado; Citadel Sex Assaults; 8 Years in Captivity
Aired August 25, 2006 - 06:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening this morning, John Mark Karr is in solitary confinement in Boulder, Colorado. The suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey killing is waiting for his first court appearance in Colorado.
More French troops are arriving in Lebanon to help keep the peace between Israel and Hezbollah. About 2,200 U.N. peacekeepers are in southern Lebanon now.
And parts of South Dakota and Minnesota cleaning up after a round of heavy storms. Tornadoes ripped through the two states last night. One person was killed.
Good morning. Welcome back, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris, in for Miles O'Brien.
O'BRIEN: We should find out today when John Mark Karr is going to make his first Colorado court appearance. The suspect in JonBenet Ramsey's murder was transferred from California to Boulder, Colorado, jail last night.
CNN's Ed Lavandera has more on the investigation for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One week after being arrested in Thailand, John Mark Karr is finally here in Boulder at the county jail, where he has been segregated in a jail cell all by himself. It's not exactly clear when he will appear in court now, but officials say that first court appearance probably won't happen until Monday.
Investigators at the D.A.'s office say they have no comment about what's going on in the investigation. But we do know one of the things that they will be looking at closely in the coming days is DNA evidence, although it's unclear whether or not a DNA sample has been taken from John Karr since he's arrived in the United States.
Also, in court documents made public Thursday, the D.A.'s office states that they only learned of John Mark Karr's full identity five days before he was arrested in Thailand. Another indication that the investigation and building the case against him is still in its very early stages, and it's not exactly clear how much progress they've made in trying to prove or disprove whether or not John Karr is guilty of murdering JonBenet Ramsey. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Boulder, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Allegations of sexual assault at South Carolina's military college, the Citadel. About 20 percent of the 118 female cadets report being sexually assaulted since starting classes. The school president, John Rosa, is now trying to figure out how widespread the problem might be.
CNN's David Mattingly reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ten years after the first female cadet appeared on campus, the Citadel is calling sexual assault front and center as a problem to be dealt with. And here's why.
The results of a student survey show that over a four-year period, one out of five female cadets say they were sexually assaulted. That's a rate five times greater than the men who say they were sexually assaulted.
Sixty-eight percent of the women said they were sexually harassed, compared to 17 percent of the men. Citadel president Lieutenant General John Rosa says he is disappointed, and cadets here will be seeing much more intense training on how to act appropriately and how to respond when someone doesn't.
LT. GEN. JOHN W. ROSA JR., U.S. AIR FORCE: What we found from that survey, which is just one data point out of many, was disturbing.
MATTINGLY: The survey showed just a little over a third of the female cadets who were sexually assaulted ever reported their crime. And of all of those cases, almost all of them occurred right here on campus involving another cadet.
Campus officials say they will be cutting into time traditionally used for a military drill to spend more time with the cadets instructing them on issues of character and sexual behavior.
David Mattingly, CNN, Charleston, South Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And happening "In America," in Essex, Vermont, charges could be filed as early as today against a man who allegedly went on a shooting rampage after his girlfriend broke up with him. Police say the shooting spree began at the home of the suspect's ex-girlfriend and ended at an elementary school.
According to authorities, Christopher Williams shot four people, killing two of them before shooting himself. The accused gunman is expected to survivor.
In Washington State, reinforcements are being brought in from Arizona, Oregon and New Mexico to help get wildfires under control. The largest fire has scorched nearly 130,000 acres.
Crews will be out today in South Dakota fixing downed power lines and homes after some wild weather. There are several reports of twisters ripping through the eastern part of the state last night. But there are also reports of hail. So far, no injuries to report.
Severe storms moved across southern Minnesota as well. An elderly man was killed when a tornado hit his house. About a dozen homes were ripped apart in this community about 80 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
Man.
Time for a check of the forecast now. Chad Myers in the CNN weather center in Atlanta.
Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: Back to you.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thanks, Chad, for watching it all.
MYERS: You're welcome.
O'BRIEN: Do you know the home of Miller beer is now at the top of a very dubious list, I think it's fair to say. Milwaukee, yes, has been ranked America's drunkest city by Forbes.com. "Forbes" took a look at drinking habits in 35 big cities.
Minneapolis-St. Paul came in second.
Do you say congratulations to that? I don't think so.
HARRIS: Well, no.
O'BRIEN: It was followed by Columbus, Ohio; and Boston, Massachusetts; and Austin, Texas.
Some of the factors they took into account included state laws, the number of heavy drinkers and the alcoholism rate.
HARRIS: I guess the city (INAUDIBLE) isn't pretty happy, all that drinking going on in there and the coffers being filled, tax dollars and revenue.
O'BRIEN: No. No.
HARRIS: No?
O'BRIEN: They hate having the reputation. They said this is a new city. It used to be -- it used to have that perception...
HARRIS: Really?
O'BRIEN: But actually, that's old. That's not the way the city is now.
HARRIS: Well, strike it from the record.
O'BRIEN: They are not -- being the drunkest city, you know, that's not...
HARRIS: No.
O'BRIEN: ... that's not -- that's not something you want to market your city on, I don't think.
HARRIS: You want to bottom that list.
O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes, it makes sense.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
HARRIS: Still to come this morning, what a great story this is. A little girl missing for eight years makes a daring escape from captivity. It happened in Vienna, Austria.
We'll tell you all about it.
O'BRIEN: Also, the delivery of new Toyotas might be delayed. We'll tell you why.
HARRIS: And an ancient Egyptian gets a new home. The latest journey for Ramses II is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Here's a look now at stories that CNN correspondents around the world are covering today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jim Clancy at the U.N. port at Naqoura in Lebanon. This port is located along the coast in the very far south of Lebanon near the Israeli border.
Some 170 French engineers coming ashore this day. Their task will be to build roads and prepare infrastructure, housing for another 1,600 French troops that have already been pledged. The French are going to be leading this mission.
We'll be back with more details this hour about why the French are beefing up the security around this landing based on past experiences with Hezbollah here in Lebanon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: I'm Robin Oakley, reporting from Brussels, where today EU foreign ministers meet to decide how many troops they'll contribute to the peacekeeping force in Lebanon. They'll be pressing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan for more clarity on rules of engagement, who they can shoot at and when in self-defense.
One key question, who's going to lead the troops? Both France and Italy have said they want to do so. And will they be patrolling the Syrian border to prevent any arms shipments to Hezbollah? Syria says it would interpret that as a hostile act.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, is in China this morning. He publicly thanked China for supporting Venezuela's bid to get a seat on the U.N. Security Council and accused the Bush administration of trying to block the bid. Chavez also condemned the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, comparing Israel to Adolf Hitler.
Tens of thousands turning out in Cairo to see the pharaoh. The 3,000-year-old statue of Ramses II was wrapped in plastic, hauled on the backs of two trucks and moved closer to the Great Pyramid. It seems the pollution in downtown Cairo was ruining the statue.
For more on these or any of our top stories, head to our web site. That's CNN.com.
And still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, an eight-year ordeal over at least. We'll tell you about an Austrian girl's remarkable survival story.
Plus, Toyota says production on some models being delayed, but for good reason.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Happening this morning, John Mark Karr is in solitary confinement after arriving in Boulder, Colorado, yesterday. The suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey killing is waiting for his first court appearance in Colorado.
Northwest Airlines goes to court today to head off a flight attendants strike. Workers are threatening sporadic walkouts if they don't get a better contract.
And forecasters say Tropical Storm Debby is no longer a threat to hit land. But now they're watching a tropical depression north of Venezuela. It's expected to become Tropical Storm Ernesto today.
An eight-year ordeal finally over for one Austrian girl. She's finally back home now after being kidnapped and forced to spend nearly a decade in the basement of a house, just about 10 miles from her own home.
CNN's Matthew Chance reports from Vienna.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): She's been hidden from the world for eight long years. Now one of Austria's most disturbing mysteries appears to have been solved and the shattered family has their daughter back.
BRIGITTA SIRNY, MOTHER OF NATASCHA KAMPUSCH (through translator): I always firmly believed she would return someday. I cannot say how happy I am.
LUDWIG KOCH, FATHER OF NATASCHA KAMPUSCH (through translator): It was hell these eight years. There was not a single hour when I did not think about her. It was hell.
CHANCE: These were the last images of Natascha before she disappeared back in 1998. She was just 10.
Her abduction gripped Austria, but as the years passed police found no trace, and she was given up for dead. But all the time she was here, in a cramped dungeon built by a suspected pedophile under his garage, not 10 miles from her home. Inside she had a bed, a sink and a toilet, and books, from children's stories, to serious literature.
(on camera): Well, this is the house in Strasshof where Natascha was held for more than eight years. You can see there are police outside now guarding the entrance. For most of the time she was held securely under lock and key, but over the years, the man she came to call her master became increasingly careless, and eventually she saw an opportunity to escape.
(voice over): This is the man police say imprisoned Natascha, 44-year-old Wolfgang Priklopil. Neighbors say he was quiet and polite, if reclusive.
After Natascha's escape, he threw himself to his death under a train. Damage to the innocent girl, though, remains uncertain.
SIRNY (through translator): Natascha just threw her arms around my neck. I am so proud of that child, that she found the opportunity to escape.
KOCH (through translator): I purposely didn't talk about the ordeal with her. We only discussed the future and about how things used to be.
CHANCE: For Natascha and her family, reunited after eight years, things will thankfully never be the same again.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Vienna.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And later on AMERICAN MORNING, we will talk to Dr. Sharon Cooper from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
That's coming up at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
And coming up, Hummer trying to be less intimidating to drivers? We'll tell you about their new ad campaign.
Plus, damage control for New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin again. Controversial comments putting him in the spotlight.
Stay with us here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A look now at some stories we're working on.
New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin takes a swipe at New York. We'll tell you what he said.
And remember the toxic stew that flooded New Orleans after Katrina? Was it a toxic disaster or just some exaggerated reporting? We'll take a closer look.
Trapped on a plane for seven hours. We'll tell you about the nightmare travel experience for some Virgin Atlantic passengers.
Oprah Winfrey changing the lives of hundreds of South African girls.
We're live in Johannesburg.
And wild weather. A string of tornadoes rip through the Midwest. The cleanup begins this morning.
Quality, job one. Well, that's that old Ford slogan. But it sounds like Toyota is taking it.
(BUSINESS REPORT)
HARRIS: Let's get a check on the forecast now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: More controversy this morning for New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin.
Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: It's all right. You guys in New York City can't get a hole in the ground fixed. And it's five years later. So let's be fair.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: New Orleans. Has the mayor gone too far this time? We'll take a look.
HARRIS: Plus, Tennessee's governor stricken by a sudden illness, sent to the hospital this morning. A medical mystery. No one knows what he has.
Also, Minnesota waking up to this. Tornadoes tear through the state. Today the cleanup begins.
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kathleen Koch at Reagan National Airport.
It turns out those tough new security rules may have a silver lining. I'll have more coming up.
O'BRIEN: And Oprah reaches out to some very special and very lucky children in South Africa.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
