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Diplomats Meet Today on U.N. Sanctions Against North Korea; Lottery Scam; Former Congressman Gerry Studds Dies; Suspect In Custody In Vermont Student's Death

Aired October 14, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: "Now in the News," there is new evidence that could confirm North Korea's claim. Officials tell CNN the U.S. has preliminary evidence of radioactivity at the site of that suspected nuclear test. They say radioactive debris was detected in air samples and final analysis of those findings, well, that's going to take a few more days.
We'll stay on top of that.

A vote on punishing North Korea could come today. Diplomats at the United Nations are meeting to consider sanctions. The U.S. and other nations are trying to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear program.

We're going to go live to the U.N. in about two minutes for an update.

Former U.S. representative Gerry Studds, the first openly gay person elected to Congress, has died. Studds, a Democrat from Massachusetts, was censured in 1983. He had admitted to a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old male House page that occurred 10 years earlier.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Snow in western new York continues to cause problems. Crews worked through the night, but word is that it could be days before power is fully restored. As of this morning, officials say 237,000 customers are still without power. At least three deaths are blamed on the storm.

And of course we run down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN NEWSROOM, with in-depth coverage all morning long.

Your next check coming up at 10:15 Eastern Time.

NGUYEN: Well, good morning to you. From the CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM.

It's Saturday, October 14th, 10:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, 11:00 p.m. in North Korea.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.

HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you so much for starting your Saturday here with us. Concerns about a North Korea -- a nuclear North Korea front and center at the United Nations today. Diplomats discuss sanctions to punish North Korea for its suspected nuclear test.

Our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, following this developing story for us, of course. He joins us live.

Good morning to you, Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J.

The five veto-carrying members of the U.N. Security Council are right now behind doors here at U.N. headquarters in a private room, and they're discussing whether this resolution has reached unanimous consent, so to speak, among the big five. China and Russia are the ones with the most concerns.

There is Japan. The president of the Security Council joining with the other five for this meeting.

The resolution would slap a lot of sanctions on the North Koreans, but Russia and China think it may go too far. China a few seconds ago was worried about the stop and search provisions in the resolution for all goods that might be used for weapons of mass destruction, that they could be inspected by countries in ports that are going in and out of North Korea -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Richard Roth.

I know you're keeping an eye on it for us. Thank you so much. We'll be checking back in with you.

NGUYEN: Well, the U.S. may be closer to confirming North Korea's claims that it conducted a nuclear test. President Bush talks about the issue in his radio address. That is coming up very shortly. In fact, three minutes away.

CNN's Kathleen Koch is at the White House and she joins us live with the latest on this.

Good morning to you, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Betty.

And certainly the White House is watching very carefully, very closely the events in the United Nations this morning. The White House very concerned that the United States be able to rally unanimous support for this package of tough sanctions against North Korea.

Press Secretary Tony Snow yesterday insisted that the international community, now because of the actions that North Korea took last Sunday, is more unified than ever before, more ready and willing to hold it to account. Snow saying that there will be "no more carrots, no more rewards for bad behavior. There is going to be punishment. There are going to be consequences." And Snow says that this certainly does apply whether or not last Sunday North Korea actually conducted a successful nuclear test or not. As you pointed out, there is a certain level of uncertainty about that right now. Still a lot of questions about that.

The White House put out a statement last night saying, "The intelligence community continues to analyze the data." But at the same time, a statement that was drafted by the office of the director of National Intelligence, it was sent up to Capitol Hill but not released publicly. And it was -- CNN was able to obtain it through a congressional source. That statement does say that the U.S. has found evidence of radioactivity from that site where North Korea is thought to have conducted the test last Sunday.

Now, what this statement does go on to say is that these are not final conclusive tests. More tests will go on for several more days.

Now, regardless, the White House does insist that what North Korea did last Sunday was a provocative act, that it is deserving a very swift international response. And that certainly is the sort of thing that the United States is pushing for up at the United Nations right now.

There are a lot of questions that came out yesterday at the White House briefing. Press Secretary Tony Snow peppered certainly with questions about China, about Russia, South Korea as well. Numerous allies in the six-party talks that North Korea walked away from last year have in the past been very united against sanctions, really more focused on dialogue with North Korea. Unwilling to go any farther than that. But Snow says that right now, again, the international community is standing together on this.

Now, President Bush, in his radio address, which starts very shortly, is expected to echo that same fortitude, the same level of certainty that Snow expressed in the briefing yesterday. He is going to do delineate the history of the face-off with North Korea and what the United States hopes to do to resolve it.

Now to the president.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And now, a message from the president of the United States, George W. Bush.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning.

Earlier this week the government of North Korea proclaimed to the world that it had conducted a successful nuclear weapons test. In response to North Korea's provocative actions, America is working with our partners in the region and in the United Nations Security Council to ensure that there are serious repercussions for the North Korea regime.

North Korea has been pursuing nuclear weapons and defying its international commitments for years. In 1993, North Korea announced that it was withdrawing from the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. The United States negotiated with North Korea and reached a bilateral agreement in 1994. North Korea committed to giving up its pursuit of nuclear weapons in exchange for help with peaceful nuclear power.

After I came to office, we discovered that North Korea had been violating this agreement for some time by continuing work on a covert nuclear weapons program. My administration confronted the North Korea regime with this evidence in 2002, and the North Koreans subsequently walked away from the 1994 agreement.

So my administration decided to take a new approach. We brought together other nations in the region in an effort to resolve the situation through multilateral diplomacy.

The logic behind this approach is clear. North Korea's neighbors have the most at stake and they are North Korea's principal sources of food, energy and trade. So it makes sense to enlist them in the effort to get the North Korean regime to end its nuclear program. This diplomatic effort was called the six-party talks, and these talks included North and South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

In September of last year, these diplomatic efforts resulted in a wide-ranging joint statement that offered a resolution to the problem and a better life for the North Korean people. In this joint statement, North Korea committed to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs. North Korea was offered the prospect of normalized relations with Japan and the United States, as well as economic cooperation in energy, trade and investment. And the United States affirmed that we have no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and no intention to attack or invade North Korea.

Unfortunately, North Korea failed to act on its commitment. And with its actions this week, the North Korean regime has once again broken its word, provoking an international crisis, and denied its people the opportunity for a better life.

We are working for a resolution to this crisis. Nations around the world, including our partners in the six-party talks, agree on the need for a strong United Nations Security Council resolution that will require North Korea to dismantle its nuclear programs. This resolution should also specify measures to prevent North Korea from importing or exporting nuclear or missile technologies, and it should prevent financial transactions or asset transfers that would help North Korea develop its nuclear or missile capabilities.

By passing such a resolution, we will send a clear message to the North Korean regime that its actions will not be tolerated, and we will give the nations with the closest ties to North Korea, China and South Korea, a framework to use their leverage to pressure Pyongyang and persuade its regime to change course.

As we pursue a diplomatic solution, we are also reassuring our allies in the region that America remains committed to their security. We have strong defense alliances with Japan and South Korea, and the United States will meet these commitments. And in response to North Korea's provocation, we will seek to increase our defense cooperation with our allies, including cooperation on ballistic missile defense to protect against North Korean aggression and cooperation to prevent North Korea from importing or exporting nuclear or missile technologies.

Our goals remain clear: peace and security in northeast Asia and a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. We will do what is necessary to achieve these goals.

We will support our allies in the region. We will work with the United Nations. And together we will ensure that North Korea faces real consequences if it continues down its current path.

Thank you for listening.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

KOCH: And the Democratic radio address follows in the next hour. In it, Democratic candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania Patrick Murphy will criticize what the Democrats call President Bush's commitment to "failed foreign policies". He will insist that it is the Democrats who can offer a new, tougher and smarter direction for America's security -- Betty.

NGUYEN: And in the meantime, the president says that the U.N. Security Council resolution will send a clear message to North Korea. We're waiting to see what that resolution entails exactly and how strong, indeed, it is.

Kathleen Koch at the White House.

Thank you for that, Kathleen.

KOCH: You bet.

NGUYEN: Coming up a little bit later today, President Bush will attend the dedication of the nation's latest monument. This one honoring sacrifices made by the men and women of the Air Force. That story is still ahead.

HOLMES: Winning the lottery...

NGUYEN: Yes?

HOLMES: ... without buying a ticket.

NGUYEN: How do you -- is that possible?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't believe it. I was, like, "There's a check in the mail for $4,000. Oh my goodness!" Like we can go pay bills and stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Well, this dream come true turned into a nightmare.

Ahead, how to protect yourself from a lottery scam that's costing Americans millions.

NGUYEN: Plus, a serious matter: serial killers, crooked cops and a cold case. We'll meet the man behind this mystery.

HOLMES: But first, our morning e-mail question.

Are you concerned about North Korea? And what actions would you take?

A lot of folks kind of upset about this with some of the e- mails...

NGUYEN: Oh, yes. We have some good ones.

HOLMES: ... we're seeing.

You can e-mail us at WEEKENDS@CNN.com. We'll read your responses a little bit later in the show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: "Now in the News," punishing North Korea. Diplomats meet at the United Nations to consider sanctions over North Korea's suspected nuclear test. The U.S. is hoping for a vote today, but details still being worked out. And concerns raised by China could delay any action today.

Toll booth surveillance video may provide clues in the deaths of an apparent family of four gunned down along the Florida turnpike. Their bullet-riddled bodies were discovered early yesterday near Port St. Lucie. And police are searching for the victims' vehicle, a black or dark green Jeep with a temporary tag on the back window.

We'll have a live report in 15 minutes.

And some good news this morning concerning former president Gerald Ford. Ford's son Steven says his father is strong and doing well. Ford was admitted to the hospital this week for unspecified tests. He underwent heart surgery in August.

At 93, Gerald Ford is the oldest living American president.

NGUYEN: New flight restrictions for New York City's East River to tell you about. This, of course, following this week's plane crash into a Manhattan high-rise.

The FAA now bans most small fixed-wing planes unless they are in contact with air traffic controllers. The restrictions went into effect immediately but do not apply to helicopters.

A battle is brewing out in Orlando, Florida. Orlando has a new law prohibiting nonprofit groups from feeding the homeless in downtown public parks. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit challenging that law. Orlando officials argue that transients gathering for meals creates safety and sanitary problems for local businesses.

We run down the top stories every 15 minutes right here on CNN NEWSROOM, with in-depth coverage all morning long. So your next check of the headlines, that's coming up at 10:30 Eastern.

HOLMES: Parts of western New York are still under nearly two feet of snow. A heavy snowfall took out trees, took down power lines. And the latest word is that power could be out for days. This is a record-breaking snowfall for October, and it's being blamed for three deaths at least.

Well, we're certainly hoping not to hear about any more bad news and deaths and injuries from that. But man...

NGUYEN: Well, yes, but the thing that's so shocking is that it's only October.

HOLMES: Yes.

NGUYEN: It's not even mid-October. Almost on the brink of it.

Rob Marciano is here with a look at this.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Here's some other stories "Across America" to tell you about.

In Washington, look at this. Police arrest dozens of Gallaudet University students. Gallaudet is the nation's only liberal arts university for the deaf and hearing impaired.

Students are against the hiring of incoming president Jane Fernandes. They say she does not reflect the student body's diversity.

In the wake of several school shootings across the country, some Utah teachers are learning how to shoot guns. That's right.

Our affiliate station, KSL, report some teachers hoping to obtain concealed weapons permits have already completed training. Now, critics say teachers with guns only creates the potential for more accidents.

Out in California Secret Service agents questioned a 14-year-old teenager about an apparent threat on her MySpace Web page. Upset over the war in Iraq, the girl posted a picture of President Bush with the words, "Kill Bush". She was placed on federal authorities checklist. After talking to her, though, agent said they would delete her investigation file.

HOLMES: Well, tight turns in a busy airspace.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's really a thrill, but it's also something that requires a lot of attention. I would be reluctant to come through here with just one pilot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: CNN's Miles O'Brien takes a flight to show us the crowded skies and the dangerous path that New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle took.

NGUYEN: Plus, the lure of easy money. It sounds good, doesn't it? Well, it is duping Americans out of millions.

Coming up, a lottery scam that you need to know about.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, winning the lottery, it's a dream come true for many people. But what if things aren't what they seem to be? Victims of a lottery scam are learning a very hard lesson.

CNN's Randi Kaye has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRANDI WALSTROM, FRAUD VICTIM: Come here, Bubba.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Brandi Walstrom, pregnant with her third child, was delighted to open a letter from Canada a few weeks ago.

WALSTROM: I couldn't believe it. I was like, "There's a check in the mail for $4,000. Oh, my goodness." I'm like, we can go pay bills and stuff.

KAYE: And there was more to come. The letter said she had one $100,000 in a lottery. First, she had to call a phone number somewhere near Toronto. Walstrom was told to deposit her check.

WALSTROM: It looked almost like a paycheck.

KAYE: And then wire money to pay Canadian taxes. Never mind she didn't remember entering a lottery in Canada.

WALSTROM: But then again, it was like three years ago. So I don't remember my left foot from three years ago, basically.

KAYE: The Colorado wife put the check in her bank account and wired $2,500 to Canada. The next day she learned the check was counterfeit.

WALSTROM: I was freaking out. Oh, I was freaking out, because I -- I had gotten -- I was like, "What do you mean it bounced?"

KAYE: It's a scam, Canadian con men tricking Americans into cashing bad checks for them and sending back the money, tens of millions of dollars every year.

We went looking for the address on the letter Brandi Walstrom got. It's somebody's house here behind this cemetery in north Toronto.

GARY BRENNAN, TORONTO POLICE: So these people would just pick an address from anywhere.

KAYE: The phone number she called can't be traced. It's a prepaid cell phone.

BRENNAN: Once you look back into who actually owns the phone, it's a ghost. It's a shadow. There's nothing there.

KAYE: What are the chances of ever finding who is behind the scam?

BRENNAN: It's like nailing Jell-O to a wall. Every time you hit it, it moves.

KAYE: Brandi Walstrom is left owing her bank the lost money.

WALSTROM: I have to pinch pennies just to buy diapers for my son. Food -- it all goes to them. And my husband goes without lunch because we have to pay this back.

KAYE (on camera): Have you beaten yourself up about this?

WALSTROM: Oh, yes. I feel really, really stupid, because I'm like ashamed to tell people what happened.

KAYE (voice-over): She's not alone.

LAUREEN FRANCE, FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION: You know, these are sweepstakes and lottery schemes.

KAYE: This box is full of mailings to just one person. Americans do report $30 million lost to these scams each year. But investigators say that's only a fraction of the real total lost.

FRANCE: It could easily be 10 times that, easily.

KAYE: That would be $300 million each of the last three years.

(on camera): So given that, is this a billion-dollar business for these people?

BRENNAN: Close to it, yes.

KAYE: A billion dollars?

BRENNAN: Yes

KAYE (voice-over): Until now the con men have been using fake lottery names. But see this? The Ontario Lottery is real, and crooks are using its letterhead.

The checks are getting better. This is written on a real bank account with real signatures. Someone stole an original check and cloned it. FRANCE: And it's easy these days. If you've got, you know, a good computer and a scanner and know a little bit about how these things work, it's not hard to create a counterfeit check that will pass muster.

KAYE: The check Brandi Walstrom got had the address of an escrow firm here in Baltimore. The manager told us one old check was copied and used to scam people out of $700,000 in two months.

(on camera): Two things to help you tell when these letters are fake. In Canada there are no Canadian taxes to pay on lottery winnings, or any other fees. And if you win big, you have to collect in person, here in Canada.

(voice-over): For Brandi Walstrom, an expensive lesson.

WALSTROM: It's going to hurt forever until we get caught up.

KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN, Toronto.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: You what this says, T.J.? When it looks too good to be true...

HOLMES: It probably is.

NGUYEN: Exactly.

HOLMES: Oh, that hurts your heart to hear that.

NGUYEN: Yes. I know, it's really unfortunate. You've got to read it through and do your research.

HOLMES: Absolutely.

NGUYEN: Well, narrow, congested and surrounded by skyscrapers. CNN's Miles O'Brien flies the difficult route Cory Lidle took before crashing into a Manhattan apartment building. A pilot's firsthand look in about eight minutes.

HOLMES: And all roads lead to Echo Park. It's the latest whodunit from best-selling author Michael Connelly.

We'll talk to him. That's ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: "Now in the News," possible evidence this morning that North Korea did, in fact, conduct a nuclear test. Sources tell CNN the U.S. has preliminary indications of radioactivity at that test site. Officials say radioactive debris was detected in air samples, but it's going to take a few days to finish analyzing those results.

Diplomats at the U.N. meet to discuss punishing North Korea over its suspected nuclear test. The U.S. hopes for a vote today on sanctions, but details are still being hammered out even as we speak.

And this programming note for you. U.N. Ambassador John Bolton will be a guest on "LATE EDITION". That is tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Eastern.

But today, former U.S. Representative Gerry Studds, some unfortunate news to tell you about him. As you know, he is the first openly gay person elected to Congress. Well, he has died. Studds, a Democrat from Massachusetts was censored in 1983. Now he had admitted to a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old male House page. That occurred 10 years earlier. Studds suffered from a blood clot in his lung earlier this month and was being treated at a Boston hospital

HOLMES: Spying without a warrant. The Justice Department is fighting to keep the Bush administration program alive after a district judge in Detroit ruled it unconstitutional. Friday, government lawyers asked a Federal appeals court to throw out the district judge's decision. Rob Marciano checking out the weather for us, hanging out with us this weekend. Glad you're here. What you got for us?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good to be T.J.. Cool weather across the eastern seaboard, that's for sure. The lake effect snow showers are going to start to wind down today. High pressure under control (ph), looks to be a really nice day today across much of the nation, except for the southwest where rain showers are beginning to move into places like Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Much more detailed forecast in the next half hour. T.J..

HOLMES: All right, thanks so much Rob and of course, we run down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN newsroom, in depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines coming up at 10:45 Eastern.

NGUYEN: A tragic story to tell you about this morning. Police in Florida have gathered nearly 500 hours of surveillance video from toll booths and along the turnpike. On those tapes they hope to find images of a black or dark green jeep. That vehicle belongs to a family of four found shot to death early Friday near Port St. Lucie. CNN's Susan Candiotti is covering the story for us this morning. She is in Port Pierce. Any closer to finding out exactly why this family was shot to death?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We don't know the motive yet, Betty. However, just a little while ago, St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara told me that later this morning, possibly within the hour, he is ready to release the names of the victims in this case confirming to CNN that they are, indeed a family, husband, wife, and two young children, gunned down by the side of the Florida turnpike before dawn yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Side by side, investigators inching their way over the site of an apparent execution style murder, looking for whatever evidence there might be. A man, a woman and two young children, Floridians, who police say moved recently, apparently shot dead at point-blank range and abandoned on the side of the road. The woman used her body trying to shield the children from what was to come.

SHERIFF KEN MASCARA, ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA: The woman in a defensive posture, had both of the children surrounded underneath her arms in an effort that we can assume was to protect them from the gunfire.

CANDIOTTI: The sheriff says the killer or killers also aimed at the boy and girl, both of whom, like the adults, were shot multiple times. The woman was found in a fetal position, the man face up. No evidence of a struggle. Investigators estimate the murders happened between 1:30 and 3:00 Friday morning, just south of the Fort Pierce turnpike exit.

JANIS RICH, RESIDENT: Oh, that's where it is? Oh, my God. That close?

CANDIOTTI: Janis Rich and her husband were in bed with the windows open, their home right next to the turnpike.

RICH: We were sound asleep and we heard pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.

CANDIOTTI: And then silence. They looked out a window, heard nothing more and saw no movement across the highway. A passing motorist discovered the bodies at day break and called police. Authorities used metal detectors, shovels and sifters to find bullets and blood in the grass. Investigators say the casings indicate a semi automatic gun might be the murder weapon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: The sheriff also tells CNN that they spent all night going through dumpsters collected from rest stops along the Florida turnpike. That search yielded nothing. However, they are still spending hours going through surveillance cameras taken from toll booths along the Florida turnpike. That will take a lot of time. They are looking for any pictures of that dark-colored Jeep that the victims were driving. Back to you.

NGUYEN: It seems like they're looking for clues anywhere they can. Thank you for that report and we do hope to hear more. As we mentioned, we are expecting a sheriff's news conference on the murders at the top of the hour and we're going to bring that to you live right here on CNN when it happens.

Meanwhile, police have a suspect in the death of a University of Vermont co-ed, but so far, no charges have been filed in this case. Michelle's Gardner-Quinn's body was found yesterday in a gorge about 13 miles from UVM's Burlington campus.

The suspect is 36-year-old Brian Rooney. Here's a picture. Gardner-Quinn had a chance meeting with him early last Saturday and even used Rooney's cell phone to call a friend. That was the last anyone heard from her. Rooney is being held on unrelated child sex assault charges.

HOLMES: The kind of flight that killed Yankee's pitcher Cory Lidle has been sharply curtailed by new aviation rules. The FAA has now closed the air space over the East River to many small private planes unless the pilot stays in contact with air traffic controllers. CNN's Miles O'Brien owns a plane pretty much identical to Lidle's. This week, he flew the same route up the East River to show just how tricky it can be.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Basically what we're going to do here is we'll try to recreate the river portion of that flight. We'll go down the southern part, down south, the Hudson River, circle the lady, as they say, the Statue of Liberty, and then up the East River and turn back around to the south back in. OK. So here's the Hudson River. The Hudson River is a much more forgiving place to fly.

RICHARD BERTOLI, FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR: To some extent, yes. You have more options, places to land. We're going to circle the statue and then head up the East River, turn once or two, and then cross over the north end of Manhattan back to New Jersey.

O'BRIEN: Suddenly the East River, when you approach the East River, it's quite evident it's a lot tighter. It's a tight little canyon, corridor of airspace, isn't it? We're in a different position. We're talking to controllers. They weren't. So they had to stay within the confine of this river.

But I can see how tight it is to make a turn here. This is a thrill. This really is a thrill but it's also something that requires a lot of attention. I would be reluctant to come through here with just one pilot. Somebody to work the radio, another set of eyes and ears.

I just think that this is fairly intense bit of flying here because of all the things that are going on. We can be going through La Guardia airspace twice, Newark airspace. We've got JFK over there. This is a busy little piece of airspace, you can be sure. This is pretty much the turn they were trying to make, only lower and it's a very, very tight turn. That is, wow, that is a box canyon is what that is. What you have to consider here is we were at 2,000 feet.

That was about double the altitude they were at. And we were -- so we weren't really boxed in by that canyon as they were. Even then I could see the kind of situation they were in depending on how much speed they had, exactly what the wind was doing, which was blowing them toward Manhattan. They were in a situation where they really had no place to go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: We got a crazy coincidence to tell you about now. This was connected with Lidle's fatal crash. It's about the person who owns the condo his plane slammed into. Her name is Kathleen Caronna. She was seriously injured you may remember back in 1997 at Macy's Thanksgiving parade when a balloon knocked down the street hit her in the head.

NGUYEN: A freak accident, yes.

HOLMES: Her condo now. This woman has had some bad luck or good luck because she survived all of this stuff. Well, she was not at home when Lidle's plane smashed into her bedroom. So she's just fine.

NGUYEN: She's due for some good luck, though.

Well, time now to check out what people are looking at online this morning and Veronica de la Cruz has been keeping track.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I sure have and wonderful. Earlier this morning, I was showing you those pictures of the different bands that played at CBGB's over the years.

NGUYEN: That's closing down?

DE LA CRUZ: Yes. It's closing down. You and T.J. knew all about it because you guys are so hip and cool.

NGUYEN: We failed miserably on the quiz.

DE LA CRUZ: Right now, we are going to shift our attention from music to weather. As you know, parts of the northeast have been rocked by snow over the past few days. Let's take a look at this shot, this one coming to us from Hamburg, New York before the storm. It's from Eric Melinowski. You can take a look, look at the lake. It's actually steaming as the storm clouds form overhead. This is Lake Erie that you're looking at.

NGUYEN: That's a bird in the air. That's what I was wondering. That's a really neat picture.

DE LA CRUZ: So even though it's October, it's not even Halloween, it's already beginning to look a lot like Christmas. This picture is sent to us by Brian Rogers. This is his back yard in northern Michigan. He calls it fall defying old man winter. Look at the leaves on the trees and the snow. It doesn't quite look right.

NGUYEN: Not it doesn't at all, but it is very -- these are really pretty pictures.

DE LA CRUZ: Beautiful pictures. Gene Ciweski sent us this picture of his neighborhood in Hurley, Wisconsin. Almost a foot of snow on the ground is what he reported. And then Chris Ibsen sent us this picture from Buffalo, New York. Look at the damage here. His car is snowed in, then the tree falls right on top of it. Good luck digging out.

These are just a couple of the pictures that you've sent to us. It's photos like these that give us a good idea of what is happening in your town, so please do send us your pictures. Go to CNN.com/ireport and we will be looking forward to them. NGUYEN: Yes, they're really great pictures. In fact we got some more to show the folks at home, but thank you, Veronica. Appreciate that. We've been following the weather. This crazy weather and it's just October. You have all this snow on the ground.

Take a look at what's going on though live right now. Some places you can see it's a little snowy there. We've got this balloon- fest going on in New Mexico at the top left hand corner. Then of course you know the Statue of Liberty. That's there at the bottom. San Francisco.

HOLMES: I recognize that picture. I've seen that camera shot a lot. It doesn't look like -- it's too foggy this morning. But it still looks like it's probably a little chilly in the city today.

NGUYEN: There's much more to come here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

HOLMES: You think you're in the mood for a good caper.

NGUYEN: Always.

HOLMES: We'll take you to "Echo Park" and meet the best-selling author behind the LA story. That's coming up next.

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HOLMES: Now in the news, the U.S. moves closer to confirming North Korea's claim it conducted a nuclear test. Officials say air samples detected evidence of radioactivity at the test site. The findings are preliminary. It will take still a few more days to finish analyzing the results.

President Bush calling on the United Nations to take strong action against North Korea. The Security Council is meeting today to consider sanctions over North Korea's suspected test. The president says the U.S. is working with countries in the region and the U.N. to make sure there are serious repercussions.

Former U.S. Representative Gerry Studds, the first openly gay person elected to Congress, has died. Studds, a Democrat from Massachusetts, was censured in 1983. He had admitted to a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old male House page that occurred 10 years earlier. Studds suffered a blood clot in his lung earlier this month and was being treated at a Boston hospital.

NGUYEN: We are just a few hours away from the dedication of the new Air Force memorial. Check it out. This latest monument overlooks Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon. President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld are expected to attend this afternoon's dedication. Inspiration for the memorial, well, it came from the vapor trails left behind from Air Force jets.

We run down the top stories every 15 minutes right here on CNN newsroom with in-depth coverage all morning long. So your next check of the headlines, that is coming up at the top of the hour. HOLMES: Serial killers, crooked cops and a cold case. It's a hard, bold recipe for a pretty good read. You'll find it in "Echo Park." The whodunit hit store shelves this week and the man behind the mystery is best-selling author Michael Connelly joins us now live from Los Angeles. Good morning. Thanks for being here with us. LA, you love writing about this place. Is LA just the perfect place to talk about pretty cops and crime and serial killers?

MICHAEL CONNELLY, AUTHOR, ECHO PARK: Well, it is a fascinating place. It's a destination city. A lot of people come here to attain their dreams and a lot of them don't and that kind of creates a friction that I think is really good for crime fiction.

HOLMES: Now the character you have here, this is the 12th book with this detective, Harry Bosch. Has this guy got anything left in the tank? Are you going to keep it going with this detective?

CONNELLY: That's a good question. I always say the good news is I've written 12 books about Harry Bosch and the bad news is I've written 12 books about Harry Bosch. It's gets harder each time, but it's a good challenge for a writer to have to dig deeper into a character each time.

HOLMES: You've obviously been successful with this character. But beyond that, are you just kind of personally attached to him and really don't want to let him go?

CONNELLY: Well, I've been writing about him for more than 15 years, so I do feel like he's kind of part of the family. I think about what he's doing almost all the time, even if I'm writing a book that he's not in.

HOLMES: Now, give us a rundown exactly what this book is about. I've started it, haven't finished it yet. It certainly hooks you in there. So I certainly want to finish it, but give people an idea exactly what this is about.

CONNELLY: Well, actually, I wouldn't even call this a whodunit. It's kind of a backwards crime novel. It starts with the bad guy. He meet the bad guy early on and he wants to confess several murders to Harry Bosch and so the real mystery is why is he confessing and did he really commit the crimes that he's confessing to.

HOLMES: Now again, Harry Bosch, what other avenues could you possibly explore with this guy or what else are you possibly thinking about?

CONNELLY: Well I mean this is interesting. I've never written about Echo Park before. Los Angeles is such a big place. It's many cities in one in fact that I think there's a lot I can explore. A couple books ago, I put Harry on the cold case squad and that really allows him to go back and forth in time. I can explore Los Angeles in like for example in this book in 1993. So there's still a lot of freedom and I think still a lot of gas in the tank.

HOLMES: You're trying something else. I don't know if it's exactly different for you. But the overlook, I guess you could call it a book, is just being spaced out in "New York Times" Sunday magazine. You're going to have I guess chapters in each for several weeks. Is that something new for you?

CONNELLY: Definitely. I think it's new for the "Times" too and the world. It's kind of a throwback to the way novels were first published more than 100 years ago. Charles Dickens for example, his books first were released in serial form in newspapers and magazines and I think with shows like "24" and "Lost" continuing through weeks, the "New York Times" wanted to see if it would work with the written stories.

HOLMES: And last thing here, we're going to have to let you go here in a moment, but is this, the genre, the crime novels, is this the thing you want to stick with I guess? I know you're looking for different avenues with Harry Bosch, the character, but anything else you want to go into or is this genre just working for you?

CONNELLY: It works for me. I really think that whatever I want to say as a writer I can do it through the framework of a crime novel. It's just really a vehicle to explore whatever I want to do.

HOLMES: All right, well, Michael Connelly, best selling author. Again, the "Echo Park" is the new book. It's out now. Check it out. Thank you so much for getting up with us and your favorite town to write about there, Los Angeles. Good to see you.

CONNELLY: Thank you.

HOLMES: We got the "Water Cooler" coming up next and you do not want to miss this. Betty, you almost did. You could not do this stunt at home even if you tried.

NGUYEN: Oh my goodness.

HOLMES: Let's see that again, if you want to see it.

NGUYEN: You definitely want to see that again. And that is coming up on the "Water Cooler." Stay with us. You're watching CNN. And you're in the news room.

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NGUYEN: Time now for the ever entertaining "Water Cooler."

HOLMES: We got a guy just dedicated to this looking for the craziest mess he can find around. It is good stuff. First up, we're talking fried crickets seriously. These are fried -- it's the latest craze really in Southeast Asia. They're showing up in a bunch of different dishes. Folks at the bars -- I don't know if they're drunk, but they're eating these things like peanuts.

NGUYEN: Maybe it's because they had a little too much to drink.

HOLMES: Quite possibly. They don't even know what they're eating. Well, the demand is so great that cricket farming has become big business now in some parts of the world.

NGUYEN: Everything is a business. Now the story to tell you about. This T.J. would look just so perfect on my finger when it's cut. It's one of the world's largest white diamonds and the biggest one found in more than a decade. After all, it is girl's best friend. Called the Lesotho Promise, the raw 603 carat stone sold this week -- listen to this -- at auction for $12 million.

HOLMES: Your hand is not even that big.

NGUYEN: Oh yes. It will look just fine. Don't you worry.

HOLMES: The buyer said it will eventually be cut into a giant heart-shaped gem. It's going to be worth $20 million plus some smaller diamonds and those are the ones we'll look into for you Betty.

One more thing here. This is the crazy video you just saw. Five- year-old girl roller skating under 40 SUVs parked side by side. There she is. Ground clearance, about eight inches.

NGUYEN: Oh my goodness. OK. You can see that she had to get up some speed to make it under all those 40 vehicles. By the way, skater girl. She can get lower than that. Oh yes, she can go down to six inches off the deck. My question is, how do you practice for that? Where do you go to school for that?

HOLMES: And why would you do it as well?

NGUYEN: Why? Why?

HOLMES: Well, we're going to get to your thoughts on our e-mail question of the morning. That question was, how concerned are you about North Korea and what would you do about it? We got the first e- mail here from Peter in Australia says, why on earth won't America just talk to North Korea? Talk is free. It might even solve the problems.

NGUYEN: And Emily says, personally I would show them how a real nuclear bomb works. Problem solved and the world is a safer place.

HOLMES: All right. Manuel Chavez in Reno, North Korea needs to be attacked now. Locate Kim Jong-Il, kill him, then and only then will the crisis be solved.

NGUYEN: Folks are taking a hard line stand. But Wendy in Ontario has this to say. She says capture and restrain Kim Jong-Il, then force him to watch team America world police over and over and over until he snaps and we're going to show you why. Actually, we have a little clip of team America. Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEAM AMERICA, FROM PARAMOUNT PICTURES: I'm so lonely, so lonely, so lonely.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: It wouldn't take him long to snap after watching that.

NGUYEN: So lonely. We're going to be talking about the seriousness of this situation though and some other news that is coming up at the top of the hour. We do have some new information on a horrific discovery along a Florida highway. A family of four found dead and police are still hunting for the killer. They're about to reveal new details in this case and we're going to bring you that live news conference which is set to get under way in about an hour.

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