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Phoenix Police Announce Arrest with Possible Link to Baseline Serial Killings; Paris Hilton Arrested for DUI

Aired September 07, 2006 - 11:10   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: So, there you have it, President Bush just outside of Atlanta today, finishing up his fourth in a series of war on terror speeches. This one encompassing, I think, a lot more than we thought it was going to, but mostly the focus on the Patriot Act, and on surveillance and on what congress should do next. And according to the president that is pass more surveillance legislation. Want to get to know who those enemies are.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Outlining the challenges, and we know there are still many challenges, but also giving a sense of a progress report, wouldn't you say, of what has been done, what is still to come, what needs to be done, as you mentioned just a moment ago. Kathleen Koch is standing by, traveling with the president. Kathleen it felt like a bit of a summation, a closing argument just days ahead of the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly Tony I think you are right on target with that. And that was indeed what the White House had promised. The president would look back at just what happened five years ago, on 9/11, what the terrorists did, leading up to 9/11, how we missed those clues of ways that we might have stopped it. And the many, many steps that he says his administration has taken since.

The president said that over the last five years, he has waged what he called an unprecedented campaign against terrorism. And he said as a result today terrorists now find it more difficult to communicate, more difficult to transfer money, very, very difficult to move freely without fearing for their lives.

So the president insisted that his administration has really removed many of the key advantages that the terrorists had back in those early days in Afghanistan, planning 9/11. He said that the U.S. has also managed to remove a lot of their leaders and he referred specifically to one, and that was al Qaeda number three, Khalid Shaikh Mohammad. And the president talked about him, obviously, this man being one of the 14 terrorists, who the president very dramatically yesterday revealed has long been held in a secret CIA prison overseas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For the past three years, KSM has been in the custody of the Central Intelligence Agency. He's provided valuable intelligence that has helped us kill or capture al Qaeda terrorists and stop attacks on our nation. I authorized his transfer to Guantanamo Bay, and the sooner that Congress authorizes the military commissions I have called for, the sooner Khalid Shaikh Mohammad will receive the justice he deserves.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: President Bush also called on Congress to pass more legislation, to give the federal government more tools to really strengthen terrorism surveillance around the globe. And the president pushed for continued support for the war on Iraq, which he still refers to as the central war on terror. The president saying we will stay, we will fight, we will win in Iraq.

And of course, Democrats certainly take issue with much of what the president has said today. They point out that many, many of the 9/11 commission recommendations have not been passed. Many Democrats contend that the war on Iraq has not made Americans safer, but more vulnerable to terrorism attacks. A group of Democrats, as a matter of fact, as the president was speaking, unveiling in Washington what they're calling their comprehensive security bill, outlining their plan to keep America safe in the future. Back to you.

HARRIS: CNN's Kathleen Koch.

COLLINS: All right. Kathleen Koch, thank you for that, traveling with the president just north of Atlanta today.

HARRIS: Well, the war or terror, the war in Iraq.

COLLINS: And certainly the link made by the president just there moments ago. His speeches have sought to reframe that discussion. He may have succeeded to a fault. Here to explain, CNN's senior political analyst Bill Schneider.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): Public support for the war in Iraq remains weak. The latest figures, 39 percent of Americans favor the war, 58 percent are opposed. Not a significant change from two weeks ago. Americans don't like to fight wars they can't win. That's why President Bush talks about the prospects for victory in Iraq.

BUSH: Victory in Iraq will be a crushing defeat to our enemies, who have staked so much on the battle there.

SCHNEIDER: But only a quarter of Americans believe the U.S. and its allies are winning, while 12 percent think the insurgents are winning. The prevailing view, neither side is winning. President Bush is making an effort to link the unpopular war in Iraq with the widely supported war on terrorism. After all, the president says, that's what the enemy does.

BUSH: For al Qaeda, Iraq is not a distraction from their war on America. It is the central battlefield where the outcome of this struggle will be decided.

SCHNEIDER: But most Americans consider the war in Iraq a separate military action. In fact, they no longer believe the war on terrorism is going well. Forty-seven percent say they are satisfied with the way the war on terrorism is going. The lowest figure ever. And the first time most Americans have expressed dissatisfaction with the war on terror. Anger over Iraq may be creating dissatisfaction with the war on terror. Americans who oppose the war in Iraq are deeply dissatisfied with the way things are going in the war on terror. That's true, even among Republicans.

(On camera): By linking Iraq with the war on terror, President Bush may not be building support for his Iraq policy, he may be creating doubts about how he's handling the war on terror. Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Meanwhile, black smoke rising. The scene of the latest attack in Baghdad. With security still a concern there, Iraqis today took command of their armed forces.

HARRIS: CNN's Michael Holmes is live for us in Baghdad. Michael, first of all, we know this is a significant day, General Caldwell calling it -- what was the word that he used? It was more than significant or maybe it was gigantic, this --

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was gigantic.

HARRIS: Gigantic that was the word, exactly. But tell us practically speaking what this handover really means.

HOLMES: You know, practically speaking, not very much, Tony. This is part of a procedure, if you like, and people could take some sense of happiness that there is a process in place, but despite Major General Caldwell calling it gigantic, it really is something of a formality. What happened today was the handing over of the command structure for Iraq's armed forces to the Iraqi government. But context is needed here. How many forces are ready to come under that command structure? Well, not many, Tony. It includes the navy and the air force. The air force has only about 800 members. And interestingly, we asked the minister of defense how many people are in the navy, he didn't know. We estimate it to be about 600 men. And just one army division. That's all that's ready for full Iraqi control. This country has 10 divisions. So, let's face the reality, 90 percent of the military isn't ready to come under that control. Major General Caldwell said they may be handed over at the rate of perhaps one or two a month from here on in, but time will tell. Tony?

HARRIS: I know you had an opportunity to hear the president's comments. I have a question. First of all, the president again made it very clear what he believes about Iraq, saying in a list of musts, the free world must succeed in Iraq, must support young democracies, must confront extremists, and yet as you stand there in Baghdad, you can give us a sense of how difficult it is going to be to support this young democracy in Iraq, given what is going on, even now within the parliament.

HOLMES: Well I think a lot more difficult than we're led to believe from the administration, and from the Iraqi government itself. Although the government itself, you're right, in the parliament yesterday, the speaker said in his words we have three to four months to have reconciliation, and if we don't get there, the boat will sink, meaning the country. So, not really a very optimistic outlook there. You know, I just finished a meeting with three or four local Iraqis, interviewing them for a different story. I talked to them about what the president's been saying. They find several things amazing. Our CNN poll that showed 43 percent of Americans still think Saddam Hussein was linked to 9/11, they find that staggering.

In terms of their own country being a battle ground in the war on terror, the front line, they said to me this. They said, well, we weren't until this war happened. The terrorists who are now at the center of that battle weren't here before the U.S. invaded. And when the president says, we have to fight them over there so we don't fight them on our streets, they say, well, why are you fighting them on our streets? We're the ones that are dying. So, there's a great deal of anger, a great deal of resistance to what is going on here. And the level of violence that goes on simply points to the difficulty facing the military of both the United States and Iraq. Tony?

HARRIS: A reminder again that there are a number of perspectives on this that have to be taken into account. CNN's Michael Holmes for us in Baghdad. Michael appreciate it. Thank you.

COLLINS: Coming to America, Iran's hard line leader prepares for a global audience. We'll have details in the NEWSROOM.

Also, an arrest in a serial case. The suspect, the charges, the city gripped with fear.

HARRIS: And living the not so simple life. Paris Hilton busted in Hollywood. Details in the NEWSROOM ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Nothing simple about Paris Hilton's life in the fast lane, that's for sure. The billionaire heiress arrested early this morning. Police charge her with driving her Mercedes under the influence. They put her blood alcohol level at .08. That's the legal limit in California. Hilton attended a fundraiser last night, apparently stopped by at least one club. Little sister Nicky was among those bailing her out just before dawn.

COLLINS: Arrest in Arizona, police in Phoenix link a man in custody to a serial killer case. The 40-year-old's name is being withheld. Police blame the baseline killer to nearly two dozen crimes over the past year. That's eight killings, 11 sexual assaults. At this point, police say forensic evidence ties the suspect only to one sexual assault.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. ANDY HILL, PHOENIX POLICE DEPARTMENT: A 40-year-old male was taken into custody. He has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of kidnapping, reference a sexual assault case that took place last year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were like undercover cops all over the place. There were like 25 or 30 of them down the street.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's troubling to think of anything like that. It's odd, though. It's kind of shocking that he might be, you know, that close.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The baseline killer case is one of two serial predator cases that have shaken Phoenix. Police arrested two men last month in a serial sniper case.

HARRIS: Breaking the blockade, at this hour, Israel is set to leave its control post in Lebanon. That will allow the country's airports and seaports to reopen. Live now to Lebanon and CNN's Anthony Mills in Beirut. And Anthony, my understanding is that the blockade is being lifted even as we speak.

ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony, that's right. Just a short while ago, Middle East Airlines flight 1210 flew in low, right over our heads here and around over the city, in apparent victory laps. It went around and round several times before landing at Beirut International Airport. The blockade, of course, was lifted less than half an hour ago, and that flight was the first flight to land at Beirut International Airport since that blockade was lifted. And then shortly after it had landed, we heard fireworks in this part of the city from where I'm speaking to you. So, the blockade with the landing of that plane is now officially lift, much to the relief, it must be said, of the Lebanese who have seen their economy effectively strangled for close to eight weeks, even though the stated aim, of course, of that blockade was to prevent the arming of Hezbollah. Tony?

HARRIS: And Anthony, I'm just getting a bulletin on our wires, maybe you can help us clarify this, that while the air blockade is over, that the naval blockade will continue until international forces are in place?

MILLS: Well, Tony, there was a complete blockade, if you will, of Lebanon's ports. Now, there will remain a blockade, which we understand from a government official I have spoken to here, will actually be led by Germany. They will effectively set up a cordon of sorts off the coast of Lebanon. But they're not set to arrive for a little while. And in the meantime, forces from other nations, including Italy, will actually patrol the waters off Lebanon, we understand. So, there will continue to be something of a blockade, but many more ships, especially those carrying economic items, fuel, oil and so on, will be allowed to pass. Tony?

HARRIS: Got you. Anthony Mills for us in Beirut. Anthony, thank you.

COLLINS: He is embroiled in a nuclear standoff with the west. He has called for the destruction of Israel. And now he's coming to America. Iran's hard line leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to visit New York. He's scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly on September 19th. That is the same day President Bush is scheduled to deliver a speech to the world body. In between the two speeches, the adversaries are expected to attend a VIP lunch hosted by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Mr. Ahmadinejad is challenging President Bush to a debate during his U.N. visit. No response yet from the White House on that. But it did dismiss a previous debate offer from the Iranian president.

No confirmation vote today on John Bolton. Bolton has been the eyes and ears of the United States at the U.N. for the past year. He is the ambassador but he has never been formally confirmed by the Senate. A vote was planned today in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but we were told last hour that vote has been delayed. President Bush temporarily put Bolton in the job last year while Congress was in recess. That move after Democrats repeatedly blocked a vote.

HARRIS: One of our favorite stories of the day, wouldn't you say, Heidi?

COLLINS: I think so.

HARRIS: Panda-monium.

COLLINS: Did you write that? The zoo welcomes a new baby panda, so itty bitty that you can't even see it there, but we have the shots. Big deal for this tiny tot.

HARRIS: New, fresh, like butter. A stick of butter.

COLLINS: Four point five ounces, something like that. The zoo's president and CEO will tell you why we have this particular individual. Some interesting facts about what happens between the U.S. and China when a baby is born.

HARRIS: Oh you'll love this.

COLLINS: Coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

COLLINS: The war on terror and the war in Iraq. President Bush making the link once again today in his speech that just ended moments ago. Our senior political analyst Bill Schneider joining us now from Washington. We have some new poll numbers out, but it's probably worth mentioning, Bill, that we don't really have a differentiation between whether or not these folks who have answered these questions watched the series of speeches. We're not sure how any of them actually did.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POL. ANALYST: Well, the poll was taken at the end of last week and over the weekend, when the speeches were just beginning, so... COLLINS: There you have it.

SCHNEIDER: So they might have watched the first of the president's speeches, but the president was just beginning to refocus the agenda. And the polls, I think, indicate why the president feels he needs to refocus the agenda on the war on terror. When people were asked which issue would be most important to your vote for Congress, the top two issues that people listed when they were given a choice was the economy, No. 1, followed closely by the war in Iraq. Terrorism was there. Of course it's always very strong, but it came in third with moral issues fourth, and I should say behind that immigration.

So terrorism wasn't the one overwhelming issue in this campaign as it had been in 2002 and in 2004. And secondly, the number of Americans who are satisfied with the way things are going in the war on terror, not Iraq, but the war on terror, actually took a slight dip this year. It's now for the first time below a majority. As you can see, 47 percent of Americans express satisfaction with the way things are going for the U.S. in the war on terrorism. That number had always been a majority. So that number also had to worry Republicans and the White House.

COLLINS: Yes, you can see the decline there, starting with 2002 as well.

It is interesting, though, it seems that the Democrats are now saying they have their own security agenda. Let's take a moment and listen to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: We have put forth, House and Senate Democrats working together, a real security agenda, a military second to none, to be tough and smart in how we defend our country. Diplomatic alliances to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, to stop the terrorism, to stop global warming. You have to have that diplomacy in order to do that, to have real homeland security, where we enact the 9/11 Commission recommendations, and, fourth, to honor our commitment to our veterans.

This is our commitment, we put it in writing. It's called real security. The inference to be drawn is we don't have real security now. There are huge gaps in our national security.

So not only will we not be swift voted on the issue of national security, we're going to take the fight to the Republicans. The war in Iraq has weakened our military. It has weakened our readiness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Well, Bill, besides fighting with Republicans, how is what she just laid out there different from what we heard from the president moments ago?

SCHNEIDER: Well, what she said was if the president wants to make this a debate on national security, in he wants the debate around terrorism, and that war, rather than the war in Iraq, the Democrats are saying, through their leader, bring it on. They're not going to be afraid to confront the president on these issues the way a lot of people criticized the Democrats for being nervous about talking about terrorism in 2002 and 2004.

In fact, she used a very powerful word -- she said, we're not going to be "swift boated" on this issue. She thinks the Democrats, she argues, have a good position, a strong position, they can argue, diplomatic alliances, implementing the 9/11 recommendations. And, yes, the war in Iraq, which Democrats argue, has damaged the nation's ability to fight the war on terror. So Democrats say if he wants to have a fight on this, we're ready.

COLLINS: Bill Schneider, nice to see you, as always.

HARRIS: Battling Western wildfires. Montana fire officials say bees -- yes, that's right, bees -- are the new challenge. Crews on the front lines of the Derby Mountain fire are being stung by bees at a rate of 40 to 50 a day. Some of the firefighters requiring medical attention. The Derby Mountain blaze has scorched almost 290 square miles and 26 homes.

And west of Las Vegas, Nevada officials say the so-called scenic (ph) grew to more than 2,000 acres overnight. That is a situation we will continue to follow, and get you more information on the efforts to handle those wildfires and bring them under control as we get that information.

COLLINS: I always hate to see those flames, that's for sure.

Meanwhile, a little bit happier story, right? A new baby panda at Zoo Atlanta, just down the road from here. Oh, look, there's mom. A little tired. Let the oohs and ahhs began. I'm sure you'd be oohing and ahhing if you could see the cute little thing. We'll talk to the zoo's president ahead in the "NEWSROOM," a little bit about the finances behind this. You will be very surprised.

Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Well, I don't know how we'd we know. Well, here we are.

HARRIS: Look at this, Heidi.

COLLINS: We are looking at the president getting ready to get back on Air Force One, just -- actually, now he is in Atlanta. This is Dobbins Air Reserve Base. Guess who he's meeting with there? Can you tell?

HARRIS: Now, I'm hoping these are the kids -- I'm hoping these are the kids -- and confirm this for me if I'm correct on this, Miss Heidi.

COLLINS: I think you are.

HARRIS: That these are the kids from Columbus, Georgia, south of Atlanta -- oh, 45 minutes, an hour, maybe an hour-and-a-half -- that won the Little League World Series in Williamsburg (sic), Pennsylvania, a week or so ago. Williamsport, great, thank you. Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

COLLINS: Some of the best pictures and some of the best T.V. I have seen in a long time.

HARRIS: Isn't it great?

COLLINS: Not a dry eye in the house. And now, can you imagine what their parents are thinking, on top of the win? To be meeting the president before he...

HARRIS: He's a baseball fan.

COLLINS: Yes.

HARRIS: He's a former owner or general partner of the Texas Rangers. There he is. So he knows his baseball. So he's talking about the game with these kids and what a great job they did.

COLLINS: It's been a big year for them, that's for sure.

HARRIS: In today's "Daily Dose," the FDA approves a new artificial heart. This latest version can be fully implanted into patients, no exposed wires or communications outside the body at all. It offers a few extra months of life to those whose own hearts no longer work. The device is about the size of a grapefruit and is made of titanium. Heart failure patients in New Jersey will be among the first to receive the mechanical substitutes. They run about $250,000 apiece.

To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log onto our Web site. There you will find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is CNN.com/health.

And "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is coming up at the top of the hour. Jim Clancy is downstairs in the CNN Control Room, CNNI Control Room, with a preview for us. Hi, Jim.

JIM CLANCY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Tony.

Well, the other Tony, Tony Blair, the prime minister of Britain, forced to say he will step down within the next 12 months. Now, this may mean a changing relationship with Washington. The British prime minister's support for U.S. President Bush is seen as one of the reasons he lost the support of his own party.

In Afghanistan, NATO commanders say they need more boots on the ground. The Taliban is making some dangerous inroads in Afghanistan, and they want more forces before the onset of winter. And some sour notes over a song in the world's most populist democracy. The national anthem may be 100 years old in India, but Muslim students say they still can't sing it. We'll explain why.

All that and much more, coming up at the top of the hour on "YOUR WORLD TODAY." Back to you.

HARRIS: We will be there. Thanks, Jim.

COLLINS: Thank you, Jim.

Well, big baby news here in Atlanta this morning. Zoo Atlanta is celebrating the birth of its first panda cub. Oh, that's a healthy sound. The little cub is about the size of a stick of butter. It has no fur. But as you can hear, it is in full voice. Zoo workers are still keeping an eye on the mom. She may not be done yet. Listen to this, 50 percent of panda births result in twin cubs. Mom and dad pandas are on loan to Zoo Atlanta from China, as you might imagine; at a considerable cost, though. The zoo pays the Chinese government $2 million a year, basically, to rent the giant pandas.

So, joining me to talk about all of this is Dennis Kelly. He's the president and CEO of Zoo Atlanta.

Thank you for being here, Dennis. I'm thinking you're probably pretty tired, but not as tired as Lun Lun.

DENNIS KELLY, PRES./CEO, ZOO ATLANTA: No, we're not as tired as Lun Lun, but she's being a great mom. She's taking care of the cub. We're so happy about that.

COLLINS: Thirty-five hours of labor, as we said, and some terrific pictures after the birth there. Want to quickly ask you about this possibility of the twin. I know you're not quite sure yet because you can't get in there to find out. But tell me how much longer we'll need to wait to find out if there will be a second?

KELLY: Normally, we wait 12 to 24 hours. Given Lun's long labor, we're going to probably extend that another 12 hours and look for 36 hours. There's some signs that there might be another cub in there. We just don't know. So, we want to be vigilant. We're really happy that she's doing a terrific job taking care of the cub. That doesn't always happen with a first time mom, but we're really proud of what Lun Lun's doing with this cub, which itself is pretty big.

COLLINS: Definitely. So you'll give us a call real quick if there's another one, right?

KELLY: Oh, absolutely. We'll give -- we'll let you know if there's another one there.

COLLINS: All right. Quickly, let's talk about the finances behind this. Because I think it's quite a bit of information that people have no idea about. We already mentioned that the Atlanta Zoo pays about $2 million a year to have these pandas. KELLY: Well, Heidi, the total cost is about $2 million. Actually about 1.1 of that goes to China every year. It goes for a good cause. It goes to preserve the pandas in the wild. We're doing some great and terrific research.

The issue we have with it is -- it's not sustainable. We'll get a bump in visitors with this new cub, but the program, as we and the Chinese both initially envisioned it, is just not financially sustainable. So at the end of our 10-year agreement, we'll be looking for a better agreement or we'll invest that money in another species that needs our help.

COLLINS: So that being said, I'm sure that you are hoping that you get more visitors to the zoo, of course, while the pandas are there. What are the numbers looking like? You got about 700,000 visitors at this point?

KELLY: We normally get about 700,000 visitors looking at our great collection of gorillas, orangutans and reptiles and amphibians. That number should probably go up over a million. We'll increase by probably 50 percent in our visitors. And after the cubs grow up, it will go back down to its base. That temporary increase in visitation is great, but it's not enough to sustain the very important payments we're making to China for conservation.

COLLINS: And so people need to get there quickly, to see them. Another bit of money, if you will, these guys are picky eaters, and they eat a lot.

KELLY: They do. They eat about 30 pounds of bamboo a day. We're blessed here in Atlanta that we have a lot of their favorite bamboo growing around, about 400 families and companies donate their bamboo. And we harvest that six days a week to make sure that the 30 pounds that they eat a day is fresh and available for them.

COLLINS: Man, all right. Well, that is no small task, but we are certainly thrilled to have you right down the street. We're going to come by and see little baby, once the baby has a name, which we'll wait for the breaking news on that as well.

Dennis Kelly, thank you so much for being here. Congratulations to you and your staff.

KELLY: Thank you, Heidi. Come see us.

COLLINS: We will.

All right. A couple quick facts before we go about the pandas. The mother panda sometimes does reject the cub, though. When that happens, zoo keepers remove the cub and hand-rear it.

What do they eat? As we said, bamboo makes up 99 percent of their diet in the wild. You got to eat it a lot of it, too, to get sufficient nutrients. And they don't accept all of it, only a few shoots here and there. Finally, scientists have argued for a long time about the proper category for the black and white panda, bear or raccoon. Did you know that?

HARRIS: I did not.

COLLINS: DNA studies show that it is indeed a bear.

HARRIS: So they are picky eaters, selective.

COLLINS: And they don't know what they are. Sounds like us.

HARRIS: Yes.

The news keeps coming, we will keep bringing it to you. You're watching CNN, the must trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: CNN NEWSROOM continues one hour from now. Kyra Phillips and the team working hard to bring you the very latest on several stories developing today.

HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next. Have a great afternoon.

COLLINS: Bye, everybody.

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