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President Bush Meets With British Prime Minister Tony Blair; Iraq Study Group Grilled By Senate Lawmakers; Bad Weather Threatens Space Shuttle Launch; New Orleans Sportscaster Under Investigation For Shooting Death Of His Wife; Tornado Hits London; Autopsy Shows Missing Father Died of Hypothermia, Exposure

Aired December 07, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.

Is this the face of a serial killer? Phoenix police say they have got evidence linking a jailed sexual assault suspect to the notorious Baseline killings -- details on the case ahead.

PHILLIPS: An ex-spy goes to his grave, as another former Russian agent reportedly falls into a coma -- another bizarre twist in a real- life spy drama.

LEMON: Well, according to the calendar, winter is still three weeks away. Teeth are charting all the way to New Orleans, thanks to this cold front -- a frigid forecast ahead, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to the breaking news now -- Carol Lin working details on that Baseline suspect -- Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: That's right.

He was called the Baseline killer, because most of the killings took place around Baseline Road in Phoenix, Arizona.

Kyra, this is the face of Mark Goudeau. And police came out earlier today -- a short time ago, actually -- to announce a total 71- criminal-count indictment in 19 attacks that, which include nine murders.

Apparently, he was arrested back in September on two sexual assault counts, but they wanted to be very meticulous, they said, about the way they went forward with this investigation to link him with the so-called Baseline killings. So, they spent the last three months, they say, in intense investigation. They got something like 8,000 tips in this case.

And now investigators say they have what they need, the evidence they need. They have something like a 15,000-page report. And they're going to trial. And they feel pretty confident right now, Kyra, of a conviction. They're not talking details about the evidence. But it was DNA evidence that first led them to the two sexual assault charges in September.

So, we will see how this case unfolds, but they believe they have a serial killer behind bars.

PHILLIPS: Sure, they wouldn't want to talk about it. After all this time...

LIN: No.

PHILLIPS: ... and all this evidence, they don't want to blow the case.

LIN: They want to be sure, because this was one of two serial killing cases that they have been investigating. They are saying right now, Kyra, this is the largest criminal indictment in Phoenix's history. They want to get this one right.

PHILLIPS: No doubt.

Carol Lin, thanks.

LIN: Mmm-hmm.

LEMON: They are friends; they are allies; they are leaders of nations at war -- President Bush today hosting British Prime Minister Tony Blair -- a wide range of topics on their official agenda.

But we all know what they will be talking about most -- or they talked about most.

Straight to Washington and CNN's White House correspondent, Ed Henry.

Hey, Ed.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Don.

This is a president who does not like to make -- you know, admit mistakes. And, frankly, he got a little frustrated today, as he was pressed on that very point by reporters during this joint press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

You're right. The focus clearly was the Iraq Study Group's report, blistering critique of the war that is synonymous with Mr. Bush, Mr. Blair, as well.

Asked by an American reporter if this is confirmation that his approach has failed, Mr. President -- Mr. Bush came as close as he does to admitting a mistake, by saying -- quote -- "I believe we need a new approach in Iraq."

Then, a British reporter pressed him, and said, some believe you're still in denial how bad it is in Iraq.

Mr. Bush jumped in and said: It's bad. Does that help? You can see him snapping. So, the reporter followed up, why did it take others to say it before you did? And it got the president fired up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I understand how hard it is to prevail. But I also want the American people to understand that, if we were to fail -- and one way to assure failure is just to quit, is not to adjust and say, it's just not worth it. If we were to fail, that failed policy will come to hurt generations of Americans in the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now, the president did confirm something we have been hearing and has been speculated about, that he is planning some sort of a speech that will lay out a new approach.

Aides say it's likely to be by the end of the month. But the president is not yet giving any details on the question about U.S. direct talks with Iran and Syria. The president didn't close the door to it, but he also didn't endorse, saying that he would be willing to have Iran and Syria included in some sort of a regional summit, if, in fact, they would stop their bad behavior.

And, finally, on troop levels, he also made no commitments there -- Don.

LEMON: And, Ed, lots of reports coming in, this ISG report, and then some other independent reports. When is the president likely to act on any of this stuff?

HENRY: Well, it's very likely to be by the end of the month, early January, at the latest.

As I noted, the president said, he's planning a speech. He didn't give any details. But I think that you can expect, potentially, before Christmas, as his national security adviser, Stephen Hadley said, they want to act, both on the Iraq Study Group, as well as some separate administration reviews of Iraq policy, within weeks, not months -- Don.

LEMON: Yes, Christmas coming soon.

Thank you, Ed Henry, at the White House.

PHILLIPS: Yesterday, it was all about the Iraq Study Group and its proposals on the war. Today, the group's leaders had to stand by their words and face a grilling by the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, with us now -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, probably, the proposal that met with the most skepticism of members of the Senate Armed Services Committee was the idea of engaging Iran.

Secretary -- former Secretary of State James Baker told the committee: Look, it's probably the case that Iran doesn't want to deal with the U.S., and would rather see it bogged down in Iraq.

But he insisted it doesn't hurt to make the initiative. And he revealed that, in fact, with President Bush's blessing, he had already approached the government of Iran, and been rebuffed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES BAKER, CO-CHAIRMAN, IRAQ STUDY GROUP: If we ask Iran to come and they say no -- we and the Iraqi government -- and they say no, then, we will held -- then, we will hold them up to public scrutiny, as the rejectionist state that they have proven to be.

Now, I'm not -- we're not naive enough to think that they -- in this case, they may want to help. They probably don't.

The president authorized me to approach the Iranian government. I did so. And they, in effect, said, "We're not -- we would not be inclined to help you this -- this time around."

Fine. What do we lose by saying: "We're getting all of Iraq's neighbors together; we want you to come"? And if they say no, we show the world what they're all about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Interesting there that the president authorized the former secretary of state, known for his hard diplomacy, to actually make direct contact with the Iranian government and put out that overture.

Again, Baker pointed out that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sat with the Iranian former minister at a conference in September. And he said, again, even if Iran doesn't want to play a helpful role, there isn't much for the U.S. to lose in order to try to make the effort -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jamie McIntyre live from the Pentagon -- thanks, Jamie.

LEMON: Now to an international murder mystery -- more apparent poisoning cases involving former Russian spies. A report out of Moscow says, a former agent of a KGB has fallen into a coma. He's one of two former agents who met last month in London with the former Russian spy who suddenly fell ill, and died weeks later.

Now, for more on the story, let's go to CNN's Ryan Chilcote in Moscow -- Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, this most recent twist in this story is coming from the Russian news agency Interfax, itself quoting anonymous sources. It is saying that one of the two Russian men that met with the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, who fell ill of radiation poisoning, and later died, has himself fallen ill -- this coming from the Russian news agency Interfax.

They are saying that, within the last two days, Mr. Kovtun, one of those two Russian men that met with Mr. Litvinenko on the 1st of November, shortly before Mr. Litvinenko fell ill, that he is now in critical condition, and that he is in a coma, and that, according to their medical sources, he has serious damage to his vital organs.

Specifically, they are saying that he has problems with his liver and his kidneys. They are saying that he fell into this critical condition, into this coma, almost immediately after meeting with Russian and British investigators. He was being interviewed by British and Russian investigators as a witness, of course, in the investigation that the U.K. is leading into the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, the former spy.

Now, having said all that, we have just spoken with a lawyer who has been in touch with Mr. Kovtun's lawyer. And he says this most recent claim that Mr. Kovtun is in a coma is patently false and that it has been made up. He says that Mr. Kovtun is ill, that he is in serious condition, but that he is in no more serious condition than he was when he met with those investigators on Tuesday and Wednesday.

So, we're getting very conflicting reports about the condition of this individual -- another very bizarre twist in this story -- Don.

LEMON: So, you're speaking to lawyers. What are you hearing from Russian prosecutors, Ryan?

CHILCOTE: The Russian prosecutor's office made three very important announcements today. First of all, they said that Mr. Kovtun is ill, and that he is suffering from radiation poisoning. They made that announcement about five, six hours ago.

The second thing they said is that they will be opening up their own criminal investigation into an attempt on Mr. Kovtun's life. In other words, they are no longer just investigating the murder of Alexander Litvinenko. They believe that someone was also trying to kill this gentleman, Mr. Kovtun, who was one of the two Russians who met with Mr. Litvinenko in that London hotel on the 1st of November, before he began feeling ill -- Don.

LEMON: CNN's Ryan Chilcote, in Moscow, thank you.

PHILLIPS: All systems are go, but the weather just might be a problem.

Space shuttle Discovery is just hours away from blastoff at Kennedy Space Center. It's the first scheduled nighttime launch in four years.

CNN's John Zarrella is standing by for us at the space center.

What do you think, John?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF: Kyra, doesn't it just figure? The shuttle is in great shape. The vehicle -- there's no problems with the vehicle. The tanking went smoothly this morning.

But the weather is lousy here, and doesn't look very good, only a 40 percent chance of acceptable weather at 9:35 p.m. Eastern time, for the scheduled liftoff of the shuttle Discovery.

Now, if they do get off the ground today, they will head off for a rendezvous at the International Space Station, and a very busy 12 days in orbit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA (voice-over): The spacewalkers on this mission joke about getting their union cards when they return to Earth.

ROBERT CURBEAM, NASA MISSION SPECIALIST: Well, I'm hoping to join the, you know, local here when I get back.

ZARRELLA: If you have ever watched an electrician wire a circuit breaker box, you got have a good image what the Discovery astronauts will be doing.

After the shuttle docks with the International Space Station, the first of three space walks is primarily planned for putting a new truss segment in place, part of the station's backbone. Then, ground controllers will attempt something never done before. This older solar array, which was troublesome when it was unfurled, now has to be retracted.

JOAN HIGGINBOTHAM, NASA ASTRONAUT: Yes, that solar ray has been out there five years. I'm sure it's very happy where it is. And, so -- and -- and when it went out, it -- it was a little sticky. So, hopefully, it won't be too sticky on the way in.

ZARRELLA: The second and third space walks the astronauts have practiced extensively for on Earth are dedicated to changing the station's power, from the way it has been temporarily wired, to its permanent configuration...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Taking the cap off.

ZARRELLA: ... in order to use new solar arrays and provide power for future all laboratories.

On each of the space walks, a portion of the station's power will be turned off, allowing the astronauts to start unplugging and re- plugging. The real shocker on this mission is that only two of the seven Discovery crew members are veterans, Commander Mark Polansky and specialist Robert Curbeam. During the space walk, he will be sharing space, literally, with rookies, Christer Fuglesang on first the two walks, and Sunita Williams on the third.

CURBEAM: There is a reason why we have so many on our flight, and we're not worried about it. And that's because we got really good ones, really good rookie.

SUNITA WILLIAMS, NASA ASTRONAUT: The first time opening the hatch, and seeing the Earth, with just my visor being the -- you know, the window between me and Earth, and I think that's just going to be totally amazing. And, so, I'm really looking forward to that.

ZARRELLA: The entire crew will be looking forward to the moment the power is turned back on. If everything works, they just might get those electricians cards when they return to Earth.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZARRELLA: Now, this, again, going to be the first night launch in four years. After the Columbia accident, NASA had decided they wanted at least two clean daylight launches, where they didn't see any foam debris falling off the external tank.

The last two daylight launches were very clean, making way for the ability to actually go at night, which gives them more opportunities over the course of a year for launches from here at the Kennedy Space Center, not being restricted to just daylight-launch opportunities -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, and a lot of people asking why in the evening, and not during the day? And I was learning, it's physics that really determines at what time that launch should happen, right?

ZARRELLA: Right. Exactly.

It all has to do with where the space station happens to be in orbit, and making its pass over the Kennedy Space Center. It all has to do with how much sunlight will be on the space shuttle when it's actually docked at the International Space Station, so it gets enough sunlight not to be too cold. So, all of those have to be factored in, in determining when the launch opportunity is, whether it's morning, afternoon, or night.

But this does give them more opportunities for launches, now that they have lifted their own self-imposed restriction on night launches -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We will keep watching.

Thanks, John.

LEMON: And the planned nighttime shuttle launch means this liftoff may be visible far beyond the Florida coast, if -- and it's a big if, as you heard John Zarrella say there -- if the weather cooperates.

Let's check in now with CNN's Reynolds Wolf in the CNN Weather Center.

Reynolds, how about it?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know, again, as I -- it's only going to be about a -- about a 40 percent chance the weather is going to cooperate.

But you're right. If you happen to be in the right place at the right time, you should be able to see the launch go up. And I'll tell you what. The launch is scheduled for 9:35 this evening. And, if there happens to be that break in the clouds, that 30-mile circle that is perfect for a liftoff, it will.

And, if you happen to be, say, in Georgia or the Carolinas, you should have a pretty good view of the shuttle. And what you need to do is go outside, look a little bit to the south and southeast around 9:30, 9:35, 9:40, and you should see it rising in the sky.

However, the problem is, farther north you go along the Eastern Seaboard, into Virginia, as well as parts of New England, you're going to have more cloud cover to deal with. So, the odds of seeing it are not going to be as good for you.

Now, if you do happen to step outside along the Eastern Seaboard, take a look at the temperatures that we're expecting for this evening. Grab your sweater. You're going to need it, especially in New York, Boston, back over to Washington, D.C., even Atlanta, where temperatures are expected to drop into the teens, the 20s, even the 30s.

In Orlando, a little bit closer to the launching site, they're expecting 45 degrees.

That's a look at your forecast, a look at the launching weather. Keep your fingers crossed. Let's hope it happens -- back to you.

LEMON: Right here, Reynolds, we got them crossed.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: The shuttle Discovery is scheduled to lift off tonight at 9:35 Eastern. Whenever that launch happens, CNN will be there with live coverage.

PHILLIPS: Of course it's below freezing in Buffalo, but I bet you the temperature goes up tonight, when our own Lou Dobbs hits the town -- up next, a preview of Lou's town hall meeting, "War on the Middle Class."

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Biting, bitter, brutal -- we're running out of words, at least ones that start with B, to describe the latest cold front, at least the kind of words we could say on TV -- a forecast on what is headed your way. Bundle up and stay warm right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, it's no secret CNN's Lou Dobbs has some pretty strong opinions. And he's taken his cause back on the road -- his latest town hall, Buffalo, New York. And it airs tonight at 7:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

Lou joins me from New York with a preview.

How did it go, Lou?

LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Kyra.

The town hall meeting, terrific. The people of Buffalo gave us a very warm welcome, with snow on the ground and cold temperatures, but focusing on the issues that really are challenging middle-class Americans all across the nation. This will be our third town hall meeting, as you know.

And I think it's a terrific broadcast of opinions that are not often heard. And it gives people who are unrepresented, in point of fact, in Washington, D.C., a chance to -- to give voice to their concerns and their interests.

PHILLIPS: Well, what were they most concerned about, Lou?

DOBBS: Well, most concerned, as you might expect, about making a living, about the future of their -- for their children, about the failing public education system, health care that is soaring, and, frankly, a ruling elite in Washington, D.C., in particular, that is just indifferent to their welfare and their jobs.

PHILLIPS: Any solutions, conclusions that caught your attention?

DOBBS: There are a few solutions. We have begun what is now -- in these town hall meetings, we have begun a national dialogue, in which we hope that there will be solutions coming forward.

There are straightforward solutions on certain issues, one of them in terms of free trade -- Buffalo devastated by the loss of jobs to cheap overseas labor markets, the decision by the political and business elites -- the political elites of both political parties, by the way -- to put our middle class in direct competition with the cheapest labor in the world. That has to stop. That is the first step toward assuring some job security in this country.

PHILLIPS: I remember the last town-hall meeting, it got pretty heated, specifically with one...

DOBBS: Sure.

PHILLIPS: ... Hispanic activist. Did that happen this time around? Were there any unexpected moments?

DOBBS: Well, there are some unexpected moments. There -- the -- and all the heat, by the way, as you may remember, came from that one woman. It was her heat.

We're focusing on light. And I think you're going to meet some wonderful people living in Buffalo and representing, I think, middle- class concerns all across the country, as I say.

PHILLIPS: All right, now, you're hitting the road when? Is that tomorrow?

DOBBS: I'll be back on the road next week. We're going to be going to Tampa, Florida, next week.

PHILLIPS: OK. And, well, give me a little taste. Why Tampa, Florida?

DOBBS: Well, Tampa, Florida, again, facing many of the issues that are confronting, again, the rest -- we're going to be visiting a number of communities where the forces that are working against our middle class are really converging -- in Tampa, issues of illegal immigration, again, education and health care, job security.

And one of the things that's coming together in all of these meetings is that our political leaders are not offering a vision that middle-class working men and women in this country can connect to, can relate to.

In point of fact, that vision is often not being offered. And it's one of the reasons that, for me, this is a -- a wonderful experience, learning what those concerns are, and talking with real people about their concerns, and making a connection with them.

It turns out that they have just about, Kyra, had a bellyful of elected officials who simply ignore them. And I think that's a sea change. I think we saw an expression of that on November 7, in the midterm elections.

But there's a real surprise for the Democrats, just as there was for the Republicans on November 7, if the Democrats don't start dealing with the profound issues affecting the quality of life of some 250 million Americans, those Americans who make up our middle class in this country.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know, time and time again, I have seen you go after those politicians.

DOBBS: Mmm-hmm.

PHILLIPS: And I'm curious...

(CROSSTALK)

DOBBS: And I'm going to keep going after them.

PHILLIPS: Well, is there one in your sights right now? That's what I want to know.

DOBBS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Who are you thinking about? Who is one that you really would love to -- I'm not going to stay strangle, but have...

DOBBS: No.

PHILLIPS: ... a good debate with? DOBBS: Well, I would love to -- I'm debating with nearly -- well, certainly all of them.

Look, we have a situation in this country. We have just watched the Iraq Study Group spend eight months to come to us with 79 recommendations, eight months. In that time, Kyra, 608 of our troops were killed in Iraq.

Where is the sense of urgency? Our men and women in uniform are in harm's way in Iraq, and we have eight months to reach what are, I think, at least to most Americans, rather obvious conclusions? I don't think we can tolerate this kind of thing anymore. That's a bipartisan commission, Republicans and Democrats, equally balanced, and equally, in my judgment, unmotivated and lacking urgency to deal with critical issues, like a change of direction in Iraq. We need to change that.

I'm talking with, obviously, with all the -- not all, but nearly all of the political leaders in this country. There is -- they have a sense of change and the need for change, but very little in the way of specifics, very little in the way of concrete steps.

And I don't really believe that Democrats or Republicans in Congress, certainly, understand that the American people, at least as they are expressing themselves to me, as I travel around the country, have had a bellyful, as I say, of wedge issues, like gun control, and abortion, and gay marriage, and "under God," and these partisan spite fights that they indulge in.

They want real work towards real solutions. You know, Washington, D.C., Kyra, has been a place where all sorts of problems, domestic problems, geopolitical problems, our foreign policy, all of those issues go to Washington, it seems, not to be resolved, but to be perpetuated and chewed over, rather than dealt with.

PHILLIPS: Well, now seeing this shift in balance in the House and Senate...

DOBBS: Right.

PHILLIPS: ... my guess is, we are going to see a lot of changes, Lou.

DOBBS: Well, one of the changes that has been made very clear is that there is going to a five-day work week. Imagine that in Congress.

I love the fact that the Democrats are committing themselves to that. I don't love a lot of the clucking sounds I hear from some quarters, though, in the Democratic leadership that sounds very resonant of just what we heard from the Republicans.

This Democratic Congress -- as President Bill Clinton said just a little over a week ago, this Democratic Congress has been given an opportunity by the voters on November 7, not a mandate. And this Democratic Congress, if they wish to succeed in 2008, and if they have a commitment to the national interest and the common good, will take advantage of this opportunity, and begin to represent working men and women, middle-class families in this country, and focus on those issues that matter, and deal with them.

And starting this nonsense about comprehensive immigration reform and getting involved in that nonsense is just pandering to their commercial, corporate masters, and they need to end it. They need to end that nonsense now.

PHILLIPS: Well, folks, if you didn't get enough, Lou Dobbs, his town hall meeting, "War on the Middle Class."

Lou, thanks so much -- tonight, 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

DOBBS: Kyra, thank you. All the best.

PHILLIPS: Thanks. Thanks, Lou.

LEMON: And how is this for a twisted scenario? A road tornado rips through London? Well, get Auntie Em on the line and meet us back here in the CNN.

Also, we're standing by for a news conference, one out of Oregon, where that missing father, James Kim, was found yesterday. His autopsy results are about to be released.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips. Live at CNN World headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.

An estranged husband, a murdered wife, and no weapon? But a key piece of evidence could make the case. A trail of a murder just ahead.

And this is a strange story out of New Orleans. A longtime sportscaster there is under investigation for the shooting death of his wife.

With more now live from New Orleans, CNN's Susie Roesgen -- Susie.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Don, this is such a strange case. This murder was on August 31st. A 45-year-old woman was walking to her car in the parking lot of a suburban New Orleans office building. Her name was Liz Marinello and she was shot twice in the face.

At first detectives thought it was a botched armed robbery because she still had her keys in her hand. She still had her purse on her shoulder. And witnesses described a guy with a mustache and a beard pedaling away on a bicycle. But then a few days later, the sheriff announced, the local sheriff here announced that he didn't believe it was an armed robbery at all.

He believed it was a hit and it was his suspicion that Liz's Marinello's husband, Vince Marinello, the sportscaster, had hired someone to kill her. But then Don, the story got even stranger because now detectives believe that Vince Marinello himself was wearing a fake beard and a fake mustache, pedaled up on a bicycle and shot his wife.

A local costume shop called the sheriff's office to report that Vince Marinello had recently bought a fake mustache and then a local gun shop called the sheriff's office to report that Vince had been in testing a gun with a unique type of bullet and it was the same type of bullet that was found at the crime scene.

LEMON: Well Susan, you know what, that sounds like what detectives might call circumstantial evidence. What hard evidence do they have at this point, if any? Do they have any of that?

ROESGEN: Well, that's the thing. They don't have the gun, they don't have the disguise, they never found the bicycle. But what they do have, what they believe is the key piece of evidence if you will in this case is what they are calling a checklist for the murder.

It was a yellow sheet of paper like this one on my notebook that they found in Vince Marinello's FEMA trailer and they say that he had written down -- that it was a hand-written list of things to do for the murder, like get the bicycle, buy the mustache, even a reminder Don, to get rid of the gun.

LEMON: So, he didn't say anything but he certainly may have written something in all of this. But why, why? What was the motive? How would you get a motive from that, Susan?

ROESGEN: Well apparently the Marinello marriage was on the rocks. Liz Marinello had filed for divorce. She had even filed a temporary restraining order and, in fact, Don, the day that she was murdered, she had just left a therapist, some marriage counseling in that office building where she was murdered in the parking lot.

The assumption is that Vince Marinello would have known that she would have been there for that counseling session and the family has said that they were very worried about her. They thought that something might happen to her.

LEMON: Yes, and you know, this is a small business, we always say that, but you worked for them at one time?

ROESGEN: I actually did, nearly 14 years ago when I first came to New Orleans, Vince was a sportscaster at my local television station here, and I remember he was really nice to me, he was a really good guy and so today, Don, you have to imagine it was pretty strange for me in court.

I sat right behind him for a status hearing and when I went in, I said, hello, Vince, he said, hello, Susan, very pleasantly. I asked if I could ask him any questions and he just said no comment. So it was hard for all of us local reporters here to see a man we worked with now accused of murder.

LEMON: Yes, I'll bet. So Susan, what happens after this? What's next?

ROESGEN: Well we believe that a grand jury right now is considering a possible indictment against him on a second-degree murder charge and then, of course, there would be a trial.

LEMON: All right. And of course, there's going to be more on Paula Zahn tonight right here on CNN. Susan Roesgen, thank you so much for that.

ROESGEN: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: Two weeks in a row the Midwest finds itself in the deep freeze. Not especially good news for hundreds of thousands of people still without power.

CNN's Rob Marciano has more from Decatur, Illinois.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A week after one of the worst ice and snowstorms hit central Illinois, another arctic blast has engulfed the Midwest. Temperatures today not expected to get out of the teens with winds 20 to 30 miles an hour, windchills will be below zero in spots.

Still, there are people without power here in Illinois, power companies will struggle to get power back online. Those who don't have power and heat, best advice is to go to one of the many warm shelters around the state. What are power crews going to have to deal with again today? Well, not only the bitterly cold temperatures. Still debris on the roadway, still ice on limbs.

Look at this big limb that's still dangling across parts of the wires here. On top of this, with brittle limbs and ice caked on them, today, winds are gusting 20, 30 miles an hour in spots so there will still probably be limbs that come down.

So when they get people back online, there may be people coming back offline. An ongoing struggle here in the next two days it will be bitterly cold. Good news is -- warmer temperatures are expected to begin to warm up this area come Saturday and Sunday.

Rob Marciano, CNN, Decatur, Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well a new development in a story we've been following. Green onions that may be linked to an E. coli outbreak on the east Coast, have been traced to California. Scores of Taco Bell customers have become sick in the Northeast and preliminary tests suggests that green onions may be to blame.

The company that supplied those onions to Taco Bell says they came from a southern California grower. Taco Bell has already banished green onions from its U.S. restaurants until further notice. The government is continuing its probe and has gathered samples of all non-meat items served in Taco Bell restaurants.

LEMON: And we want to tell you that we're standing by for a news conference out of Oregon where that missing father, James Kim, was found yesterday. His autopsy results are about to be released. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live breaking news, unfolding developments. See for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: We're waiting for some new information on a story that captivated the nation. A news conference out of Oregon where that missing father, James Kim, was found yesterday. His autopsy results are about to be released and when that happens, we'll bring it to you live.

PHILLIPS: Well, it came from nowhere, like something out of "The Wizard of Oz" -- a tornado in London. It hit in the middle of the day in the middle of a neighborhood.

CNN's Paula Newton has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It began with a clap of thunder that seemed to jolt the entire city. Then came rain and hail. But for this London neighborhood, Mother Nature was just getting started, winds approaching 130 miles an hour and finally the tornado's signature, the funnel cloud.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It came fast. I was absolutely shrieking with shock because it sounds like a train going by and it shook the walls!

NEWTON: This boy tried to outrun what he called a mass of black smoke.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there were bricks going everywhere. I could see things hitting the walls and I was trying to get out of the gate and we got out, me and my friend, and we were running up and it was terrifying.

NEWTON: Fatiha Chadli's daughter had just woken from a nap when she grabbed the baby. Moments later, bricks came flying through her windows, landing in the crib. Fatiha says she hit the floor and covered her daughter who had just been released from the hospital with pneumonia and then she prayed.

FATIHA CHADLI, SURVIVED TORNADO: And I kept thinking, oh God, please, I just got her back, don't take her away from me again. And I honestly thought we were going to die -- honestly. The house is a mess. There is no glass, there's no roof. Everything is blown up. Everything. It's just -- it's pure devastation in there. It's unbelievable.

NEWTON: Where it touched down, the twister showed little mercy, rooms ripped open like the tops of tin cans and brick walls demolished, and the bricks flying like bombs through homes. But 100 homes were affected and miraculously, only one person was hurt seriously enough to go to the hospital.

(on camera): Considering the strength of the wind, there could have been a lot more damage to people and property. But, still, having a tornado hit central London caught everyone off guard.

(voice-over): Some said it looked like something out of "The Wizard of Oz." This isn't Kansas! While gale force winds are nothing new and a few dozen tornadoes do hit Britain every year, rarely has one hit London. This was a spectacle that seemed to drop right out of the sky.

Paula Newton, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: We continue to wait for the news conference out of central Oregon on the autopsy results of James Kim. You remember, he is the father that desperately tried to find help to save him, his wife, his two daughters when they got stuck in the wilderness in Oregon. The wife and the kids survived, he did not. Once again, waiting on his autopsy results. We'll be right back.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: According to Dr. Olson (ph), there were no injuries to the body that would be incapacitating and, at this time, he is unable to determine an approximate time that Mr. Kim died.

When found by searchers, Mr. Kim was fully clothed in a heavy, dark-colored jacket, gray sweater covering a T-shirt, blue jeans, and tennis shoes. He was in possession of a backpack that contained miscellaneous items, including identification.

There was some information and based upon questions that we seemed to receive related to what may have occurred as the days were unfolding and what we have -- feel is appropriate to release, after interviews with Kati, is this following timeline.

On Saturday, November 25th, the family ate at a Denny's restaurant in Roseburg and they left Roseburg a little around 9:00 in the evening. They had originally planned to drive west on Highway 42 to the coast but they missed the interchange and they decided to drive to Grants Pass and travel east to Gold Beach after looking at a map and seeing a route that went from Grants Pass to Gold Beach.

At 10:30 p.m., as they were traveling westbound on Bear Camp Road, the route was confusing. They spotted some signs indicating potentially that winter conditions might make travel difficult in that area, and they decided to try to turn back and it was snowing at the time. They were forced to drive backwards at some of that time with -- James had the driver's door open so he could see because of the snow was falling very hard.

At some point in time during their travels, they ended up on the spur roads that go off of Bear Camp Road and they ended approximately 15 miles north of Bear Camp Road.

At about 2:00 a.m., she guessed, on Sunday morning, gas was getting low and as they were lost trying to figure out how to get out of where they were at, they stopped at a forked intersection and they called it a night. They made numerous attempts to try to call for assistance using a cell phone but there is really bad cell service in that area and apparently they were unable to get out.

It rained all day, according to her, snowed all night. They stayed in the car, occasionally starting up to heat the car to stay warm, but they knew they had to conserve gas so they had to be careful about how they did that.

On Monday, November 27th, she indicated it snowed all day. It was snowing so hard they had to stay in the car. They occasionally started up the car to heat it just to stay warm.

Tuesday, November 28th, it snowed again and rained all day. They stayed in the car, occasionally, again, starting it up so they could have heat.

Wednesday, November 29th, the weather started to clear. She indicated that they started fires with magazines and wet driftwood to stay warm.

Thursday, November 30th, they used a spare tire in the vehicle to start a fire in the afternoon.

Friday, December 1st, they -- she indicated that they burned all four remaining tires. They were trying to signal for some help and also it was a source of heat.

She said about 11:00 in the morning that they got the fire going pretty big, as she described it, but the wood was hard to get because it was frozen. It was hard to move and what wood they would get they would try to store underneath the car to keep it dry if they could or at least let it dry out so they could use it. And then later on that afternoon, the fire had already gone out.

And then she indicated that sometime after that, that they started to hear a helicopter nearby, but she wasn't sure where it was at.

On Saturday, December 2nd at about 7:46 a.m., she said that James left on foot to reach help. And prior to that, they had been studying a map, an Oregon map that they had obtained and they thought that the town of Dulles (ph) was about four miles away, where in reality, it was probably more like around 15 miles away.

But James thought that he could reach it in a couple of hours, thinking it was the distance of about four miles. He was figuring he could try to get to a road. He was trying to flag down some help if he could get to a road where there may be other vehicles. Or he felt that if he could -- he thought that there was, according to the map, this river along by the town and he felt if he could get to the river, he could make it to the town.

And sometime during that day -- and he told his wife that he would try to return about 1:00 in the afternoon. He built a fire for Kati and the children before he left. And then he did leave on foot.

About 9:30, Kati Kim reports that she heard and saw helicopters somewhere in the area. She unsuccessfully tried to signal to get its attention. And then he failed to return at 1:00, at the designated time.

On Monday, December 4th at 1:45 in the afternoon is when word was received that the helicopter crew spotted a woman near a silver car waving an umbrella. They confirmed it upon landing, that it was Kati and the two children and that they were in good condition. They were air-lifted out of the area and transported to Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass.

The search was going on, obviously, very intensely, before Kati and the kids were found and afterwards for the next few days. As many of you were -- being there, you saw the activity. Helicopters were searching frantically in the area. Ground crews were following James Kim's footsteps that were left, that they believed from the car after they learned that he had left the area.

Now, we have the map here of where they were. And a member of the Josephine County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue determined as close as he could the distance that they traveled. And based upon his calculations, he believes the total distance that James traveled was 10.24, about ten and a quarter miles, on foot from the car to his final location where he was found.

The distance that he traveled from the car on the road that they had traveled on to the point of where he went over down the steep embankment towards Big Windy Creek was 5.14 miles, a little over five miles. And then as he continued down here, about a quarter of a mile down is where searchers found a pair of the gray pants. And then it was approximately another quarter mile down to where he got to the creek. And then they continued to follow footprints along Big Windy Creek for the next couple days.

The distance from where they believe that he got down to the creek to where the second set of clothing articles and other items that were found in a larger vicinity was two miles. And then the distance from here, as he continued in very treacherous conditions to the point to where he was found was a little over two and a half miles.

So James, in his effort to try to seek help for his family, traveled well over ten miles on foot during the time since he left on Saturday morning to some point in time to where he passed away in his effort to do so.

That's pretty much all that we have in terms of information to release regarding the autopsy findings, regarding additional information related to their disappearance. And what we have determined, up to this point, in interviews with Kati -- and we appreciate everyone's patience and their understanding and, again, the support of the family, as well as the support of all the other agencies and organizations that were involved over several strenuous days to try to find Kati and the kids and then try to bring James home.

And if you have any questions, we'll take a few questions.

Yes, sir?

QUESTION: I know it's difficult, but as best you can, can you tell us how Kati is doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kati and the kids are in good condition. We've notified them, as well as the family, of what Dr. Olson's findings were. And the family and her, as well, have declined to have any contact with the media. So, I think I don't want to go into further description how they're doing. But they were in good condition as relates to the ordeal that they had been through.

Yes?

QUESTION: Lieutenant, I know at one point this week, I believe on Tuesday, you talked about a backpack that was found. He was found with a backpack. Can you clarify exactly what we're talking about with this? It's not the same backpack?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, there was no backpack that was found that was reported by some stations previously. And we had notified others of that once we had confirmed that that was not the case.

In that area was where there was some clothing articles, there was a blue children's dress or skirt that was found there. And so there may have been the mistake of the blue child's skirt. Someone may have said that that could have been a backpack. But he did have a backpack with him at the time that he was found.

Yes?

QUESTION: You mention he thought there was a river, I guess, leading to Dulles? And is there such a river that he could of found? Or was he on the right track at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the river that he had gone down to, the Big Windy Creek, would not lead him to Dulles directly. But there is, I believe, a river that does eventually go by Dulles, but it's not the creek that he was walking down.

Yes?

QUESTION: Any idea (ph) of how long he lived? How long he survived or how long he had been dead when his body was found?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Dr. Olson said at this time, he is not able to determine that information.

QUESTION: Are you able to determine that was hypothermia? At all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know that. I'm not a doctor. And that would be a question to pose to Dr. Olson at some point in time, or someone else with the State Medical Examiner's office, possibly Dr. Gunson (ph).

Yes, sir?

QUESTION: There has been at least one report some government agency, whether the county or federal government, somebody intended to bill the family for the cost of the search. Do you know anything about that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE No. No, I don't at all. That's -- I've never heard that.

QUESTION: Lieutenant?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

QUESTION: The question people keep asking me is why didn't they keep backtracking down Bear Camp Road? Is that because of visibility? Or...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE I'm sorry. Why that they didn't keep backtracking down Bear Camp Road?

QUESTION: When they first -- when they first were backing out, why did they decide to pull up on that side...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. I don't know. That's a very confusing area, I'm sure for people that haven't traveled there. And they may have possibly just made a wrong turn as they were continuing to travel to where they thought was the coast. But they got about 15 miles off of Bear Camp Road before they made a decision to stop. But I don't know why they -- how they got to that point. I'm sure it wasn't intentional.

Behind you, please?

QUESTION: Any ability to make a fire to try to stay warm in any way?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I really don't know. I really don't know. I don't know of any indication that a fire was set anywhere as they were following his tracks, leading up to where he ultimately was found.

And then once he was found, I believe the searchers were beginning to be pulled out at the points of where they were at, instead of having them continue to move forward because several of them had a distance to go still to where he was found. And because of the treacherous conditions, there was no reason to put someone else in jeopardy for their safety. We had already had one deputy that was injured when he hit an icy spot and went over the edge on his ATV.

QUESTION: Did he leave a note for his family before he died?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry, did what?

QUESTION: Did he leave a note for his family or anything like that before he passed?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not that I'm aware of.

Yes?

QUESTION: His body was found in the water (INAUDIBLE)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it was.

QUESTION: Was he near any kind of lodges or residences or people at that point?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't believe so. Not in that location. That location -- from that point up to where the Rogue River is, it's been described there -- there is some points where there are just sheer cliffs on both sides of the river and the water depth changes. He was in pretty shallow depth where he came to rest.

QUESTION: About how much?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've heard it could be anywhere from one to two feet, just in that one section. But there are other sections that those who were in the Swift Water Rescue that were trying to work their way up the creek, that they indicated that some sections did go over their heads.

PHILLIPS: A father dies just trying to do what was right. You heard the results there . And autopsy shows that James Kim died of hypothermia after trying to find help for his family after they got stuck in the wilderness.

LEMON: Yes. A very, very sad story.

We're going to continue to follow this, obviously, throughout the evening here on CNN.

And then in a moment we're going to be joined by Wolf Blitzer, who may be following this story.

But as you said, Kyra, very sad. But he died of exposure. The family, luckily, though, is OK.

We're going to send you now to "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Wolf Blitzer.

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