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Florida Teen Abducted At Gunpoint Found Alive in Remote Farm Area; Tips on Shoring Up Finances; Court Hears Anna Nicole Paternity Case; Construction Worker Trapped in Trench; Insurgents Using Chemical Attacks; Tom Vilsack Drops out of '08 Race; Tips On Credit Card Debt
Aired February 23, 2007 - 13:00 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.
A brazen bus stop abduction. A Florida boy snatched at gunpoint while waiting for a ride to school.
PHILLIPS: Battle for custody. A paternity hearing for the baby of Anna Nicole Smith. Will DNA samples finally be demanded?
LEMON: Costly cell phone contracts, car repair rip-offs, home repair shams. What about you, the customer? It is Fight Back Friday right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Well, we start with breaking news. A developing story happening in Tamarac, Florida. This is from our affiliate, WSVN. Apparently, a car and a semi tractor trailer have collided leaving -- this is tape here -- leaving at least one person taken to the hospital. We're also hearing that a child was taken away from the scene.
This accident happening just a short time ago. This is video just in from Tamarac, Florida, on the Florida Turnpike.
Now, we spoke to officials just a short time ago, and this is what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very briefly, the child is OK. The pediatric trauma here at this accident where a car got stuck underneath this tractor trailer, that child has just been removed, and they were talking to the child. They've stabilized it. I guess that's the good news.
The turnpike is closed, southbound, just a mile and a half north of the Commercial Boulevard exit.
That's our story here in Seven Sky. It's Rob Brateman (ph). Back to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: All right, that was the helicopter pilot there. Look at this backup. It's just unbelievable. You're looking at live pictures now, the backup from this accident. There's the accident right there.
One child, at least, we know was taken away. We believe that child is a toddler. There was also an adult also pulled away from a neck brace here. This is a developing situation happening in Tamarac, Florida, on the Florida Turnpike. Details, of course, to come right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: Well, there's an Amber Alert in Florida. Police say a 13-year-old boy waiting for a school bus was kidnapped at gunpoint.
Reporter Preston Rudy of CNN affiliate WTST joins us now with more.
Preston, what can you tell us?
PRESTON RUDY, WTST CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the FBI is now here on the scene in Manatee County, Florida. They've been here for about two hours.
Authorities tell us they have received hundreds of tips but so far no signs of 13-year-old Clay Moore. He has been missing since about 9 a.m. this morning Eastern Time. So we're now going on about four hours.
Now here's what authorities tell us. They say right around 9 a.m. this morning, Clay was out with about, oh, 14 other students, waiting at a bus stop, waiting to be picked up to go to school when a white male with dark tan colored skin, short dark hair about 5'7", 5'8", about 30 years old.
He pulled up in an old, faded maroon pickup with an extended cab on it. He got out. He displayed a handgun. He started yelling at some of the kids. He apparently ordered Clay Moore to get inside the vehicle.
Witnesses have told me that apparently, Clay said, "Look, what did I do? I don't know you? What did I do wrong?" But he was forced to get inside the vehicle, and then the vehicle took off.
Authorities have obviously been searching for that man as well as Clay Moore the last couple of hours. We've got hundreds of people on the ground, as well as several law enforcement helicopters in the air.
About those 14 students, authorities have been questioning them all morning long, trying to get more information in terms of what might help locate this man and this boy.
Here's what one witness told us a little bit earlier today in terms of what transpired at that bus stop.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son, Jonathan, had come out to go to the bus. And within about five minutes, was running back in the house, saying that everyone was screaming, that there was someone with a gun, and they had taken Clay.
And so I came out, and I was the first parent out with all the kids. And they were pretty shook up. A couple of the kids were on the phone already, calling the police, giving as much information as they could.
I mean, immediately, as soon as it happened, they were taking care of calling the police. And I walked down to see if I could find his mom, but she had already left for the day.
RUDY: Did any of the kids give any indication as to what they thought was really going on?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You know more about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that at least two of them were, and the other ones were just all running and everything, because they didn't know who the person was, and they saw him have a gun.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, they said the truck pulled up. There was a gentleman in the truck. And he -- they saw a gun, so they started running and dispersing. And I guess Clay didn't move as fast or was kind of standing around, and the guy got out and yelled at him to get in the truck and was waving the gun at him. So he ended up getting in the truck. Was very upset and didn't obviously know him. Kept saying something like, "Why me? What's going on?"
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY: Now, at this point, authorities don't believe that Clay Moore was actually targeted. They're simply calling this a crime of opportunity.
There are also about 300 registered sex offenders in this county here in Florida. Authorities are going through the process of contacting all of them. They've also ordered all nonessential personnel to come to work today, or to essentially come out from behind their desk to get out and join the search.
Hundreds of people looking for this 13-year-old boy, Kyra, but so far, no sign of him.
PHILLIPS: All right, Preston Rudy. We'll follow up with you. Thanks.
LEMON: One of the first to get in is the first to get out. Former Iowa governor, Tom Vilsack, is calling off the campaign he kicked off back in November for the Democratic nomination for president. The reason, of course, is money.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM VILSACK (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This process has become, to a great extent about money, a lot of money. And it is clear to me that we would not be able to continue to raise money in the amounts necessary to sustain not just a campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire but a campaign across this country. So it is money and only money that is the reason that we are leaving today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And more on Vilsack's decision and the battle for campaign cash in about 15 minutes. We'll talk with CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider.
PHILLIPS: Well, you've had it up to here. You can't just take it anymore. Stonewalled at a store, trapped on a plane, hosed by a contractor who won't finish the job? We've got your back. We're calling it Fight Back Friday in search of good customer service, helping you avoid get ripped off.
Spring is when a lot of us decide to spruce up our houses and shore our finances. Where do we start? Our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, is here with a few tips.
Gerri, let's just get right to it. How do I fight my credit card issuer?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: You bet, Kyra. Good to see you.
Well, if you're going to fight the credit card issuer, one of the typical things you're fighting about, well, it's either your interest rate. The average is almost 14 percent. Or late fees, which have climbed now to an average of 39 percent for the large issuers. You want those to be lower.
The thing to do, call the retention department. These folks are in the business of making you happy, because they don't want to lose you as a customer. Listen, it costs the credit card company about $200 to get a new client. They don't want to spend that money. They want to make you happy.
Call the retention department, ask them to cut your fees or lower your interest rate. They'll do it.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's -- how about another scenario. Say I hire a contractor. He or she runs off with my money and the work isn't finished. Do you take them to court?
WILLIS: Well -- absolutely. But you don't go to, like, any court of law. You go to small claims court. Here's why.
The fees are about 30 bucks. You don't have to pay for an attorney. You represent yourself in front of the judge. So does your contractor. You come up with some kind of settlement.
If you win and have trouble collecting from that contractor, well, the next step is to go to the licensing board for your contractor and get them to help you get your money back. Or at least get the work done. One of the two, right? PHILLIPS: Yes, really. All right. Another scenario, my home insurance claim is denied. Is there anything I can do?
WILLIS: Well, you know, it's interesting. You need to read the fine print in your home insurance policy. You've got to go through it.
What you're looking for is an appraisal clause. Some policies have this. Basically this means that you can hire an appraiser and challenge what your insurer is saying. They hire an appraiser. The two of you get in front of a third party group that will say who is right here.
You might have a chance of winning. It's definitely worth trying, if you have an appraiser clause.
PHILLIPS: All right, lastly, a lot states have these competitions among electric or gas companies. But if I can't switch to another company, who's to say my utility will be the right or wrong one for me?
WILLIS: Well, you know, I've got to tell you. It's tough. Let's say, the worst case scenario here, the lights go out, maybe your heat. That's a very bad scenario. For most of us, we live in an area where maybe there's only one utility company. You're stuck calling the 800 number. Maybe you're not even getting a human being on the line. It's very frustrating.
What you can do is call the Public Utility Services Commission -- they are the regulators for these utilities -- to get some help.
But I have to tell you, if the lights of go off in the middle of the winter, many states have rules that require your utility to turn them back on, because they don't want you to freeze to death in your house. So understand that there could be help out there if you're really having trouble.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's go on to the weekend and your special "OPEN HOUSE" show. More on consumer issues?
WILLIS: More consumer issues. We're really going to tell you how to fight back.
Kyra, one issue we're taking a hard look at is predatory lending. This is something that's been plaguing people for some time. We're looking at the toxic loans out there.
Join us, 9:30 a.m. Saturday on CNN and 5:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, on Headline News if you can't get up that early. For "OPEN HOUSE: Ripped Off".
PHILLIPS: All right. Gerri Willis, appreciate it.
WILLIS: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Maybe if you know how to squeak. The fine art of complaining, next from the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: One baby, two courts on two coasts and a question of jurisdiction. CNN's Susan Candiotti is in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with highlights from today's paternity hearing for the baby of Anna Nicole Smith -- Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Don.
It was a very short hearing today. And in the end, a family court judge has delayed the decision until at least Monday on whether he can play any role in this ongoing battle to find out who the father of baby Dannielynn is.
At issue, who's the dad? Is it Howard K. Stern, Smith's longtime partner, or is it Larry Birkhead, the ex-boyfriend of Anna Nicole Smith?
Birkhead is the one that filed the paternity suit, says he's the daddy, and to prove it, he's trying to get a DNA sample from Dannielynn, the baby, in the Bahamas. And he wants this Florida judge to get involved.
However, the Florida judge is saying, "I'm not sure whether I can do that." And here are his thoughts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUDGE LAWRENCE KORDA, BROWARD COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT: I can only hope and assume that any Bahamian judge, as in California judge, will take to heart the best interests of the child.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your honor...
KORDA: Now, now, from a standpoint of this, I -- at this point, I don't think that I have jurisdiction. But I'm not going to shut the door completely at this point. It appears to be that that's where I'm going. But I don't mind conferring with the California judge, as is called for in complicated cases like this.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, judge. And here's the statute (ph)...
KORDA: But it may be two people talking, neither one of which has jurisdiction over the child in the first place...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hold on now, your honor.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Now, the Bahamas court has refused so far to enforce an order from a California judge to collect a DNA sample from the baby.
Birkhead already has a DNA sample from Anna Nicole Smith's remains, and that sample is under lock and key at the medical examiner's office here in Florida. One of his lawyers explained why all three samples are necessary: one from Stern, one from the baby, and one from Anna Nicole Smith.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN BROWN, ATTORNEY FOR LARRY BIRKHEAD: There was a rumor that there was going to be a bait and switch. If he brought a baby that wasn't Dannielynn, there haven't been many pictures of Dannielynn. Who would know? And then our client, Larry Birkhead, would be improperly excluded.
Also, it's easier, and its sounder practice, as Dr. Baird testified, for Judge Seidlin to have all three parents.
NANCY HAAS, ATTORNEY FOR LARRY BIRKHEAD: Correct. And that's why it was important that we secured Anna Nicole's sample, because the triad for paternity testing is always the way you want to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: In the meantime, we are still waiting for an appeal to be filed in West Palm Beach, Florida, about the judge's decision yesterday to give custody of Smith's remains to Dannielynn, in essence, to the guardian who represents Dannielynn, who's only 5 months old.
The mother of Anna Nicole Smith is the one filing that appeal. She says she should be next in line, not the baby, and the judge made a mistake by giving the remains, custody to her baby -- to the baby. And that is why she's filing an appeal.
Again, we're still waiting for that paperwork to go into the courtroom in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Back to you, Don.
LEMON: Susan, just when we thought they'd all made nice yesterday, holding that press conference together. But we shall see. Thank you so much for that report.
PHILLIPS: Well, if you blinked, you may have seen Tom Vilsack's campaign for president. The former Iowa governor has abandoned ship. Find out why next from the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: The so-called X-rated X-ray machine gets a little less explicit. But are critics of the system satisfied? We'll take a look at that, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Betty Nguyen working a developing story for us. A trench rescue somewhere here in Georgia?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, it's in Forsythe County just north of Atlanta. I want to show you these pictures, because a construction worker is trapped in this trench that has collapsed. The man is buried, according to a local affiliate, from his waist down. And officials say it's going to be a while before they can dig him out.
Obviously, you see all the rescue workers on the scene, trying to get him out of there. But here is what is a little frightening, on top of what you're seeing here, is that the man at one time was buried up to his neck. But co-workers jumped in and dug part of him -- at least dug him part of the way out.
But at this hour, he is still buried from his waist down in a trench that has collapsed. This is a trench near the foundation of a two-story home which is under construction, as you can very well see it right there.
Again, this is in Forsythe County, which is north of Atlanta. A construction worker, dealing with a trench collapse. And that has left him buried up to his waist. And emergency crews are on the scene. And we're just watching this as it unfolds.
They say he is conscious, though. And he is stable and alert. So that is the good news. What they need to do right now is just try to get him out just as quickly as we can.
We'll be watching it, Kyra, and bring you the latest.
PHILLIPS: All right, Betty, appreciate it.
LEMON: Well, the fight for Iraq. Ever-changing battles against an enterprising enemy. U.S. and coalition troops are dealing with a previously unseen weapon in the insurgent arsenal.
Straight to Baghdad now and CNN's Arwa Damon -- Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, and that would be chemical weapons. It was one of the major concerns coming into the battlefield in Iraq. And now it appears to be popping up amongst the insurgency's arsenal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON (voice-over): Two attacks in 48 hours, both using chlorine gas, mixed with explosives, enough to send more than 200 Iraqis to the hospital with respiratory problems and side effects from the poisonous gas.
MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, U.S. ARMY: What we saw is about the third time we've seen the last couple of months. It's a real crude attempt to raise the terror level by taking and mixing ordinary chemicals with explosive devices, trying to instill that fear within the Iraqi people.
DAMON: In an audio message posted on a web site back in September, which CNN cannot independently verify, al Qaeda in Iraq's new leader, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, called on scientists to use their expertise and join the fight. ABU AYYUB AL-MASRI, LEADER OF AL QAEDA IN IRAQ (through translator): We say we need you, really. The jihad battlefield is place for your scientific ambitions, and the American-wide camps are the best experiment field for your mass destruction weapons like biological bombs and dirty bomb, as they call it.
DAMON: Iraq is rife with explosives and an abundance of industrial chemicals, the insurgency exploiting these resources to achieve their goals: chaos and destruction.
The tactics may be crude. But coming up with innovative ways to terrorize is one thing the insurgency has proven it is highly capable of.
It is also proven itself highly capable of constantly challenging the U.S., even in areas where the Americans have obvious supremacy, the sky. Eight helicopters either crashed or were forced to make hard landings just since January 20, nearly all of them brought down by insurgent fire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In terms of the helicopters, I think we see in a few cases, two, maybe three of the cases, that there were probably some sort of ambush sites that were set up by -- by some of our foes. We are studying those intently. We're trying to learn from those. We will learn from those. And we will adapt our tactics.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON: Infamous for its ability to morph and continue to strike, despite ongoing U.S. and Iraqi military operations, it appears that, once again, the insurgency in Iraq is changing its tactics -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Arwa. You know what I want to ask you? Just in, I think there's some new information regarding the arrest of an Iraqi Shiite politician's son and the fallout from that?
DAMON: That's right, Don. We have just received an apology from the U.S. Ambassador here in Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, for the arrest of Ammar al-Hakim.
Now, he is the son of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, who is the leader of SCIRI. That is the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, arguably the most powerful Shia political party here, one of the main backbones to Nuri al-Maliki's government.
He was, according to a spokesman for SCIRI, Haifa al-Hussaini (ph), detained along with his bodyguards right after he crossed into Iraq from Iran. There has been no reason given for his brief detention.
However, this has caused quite a political uproar. SCIRI itself criticizing the U.S. military, saying that this is a clear indication of their -- the U.S. military's lack of understanding of Iraqi society.
Other politicians have come forward in saying that this incident really underscores a number of crucial issues that lie between the U.S. military, how they operate, and the Iraqi government and how it wants to see things happen.
So whether or not this was a mistake, at this point, really we are seeing a fairly major fallout from it. That just goes to illustrate how delicate the balance is and the situation is here in Iraq, Don.
LEMON: All right. Arwa Damon, live for us in Baghdad. Thank you, Arwa.
PHILLIPS: Well, as we told you at the top of the hour, Democrat Tom Vilsack has dropped out of the 2008 race for the White House. He says he can't raise enough money to win. But that's not what he said in "THE SITUATION ROOM" earlier this week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VILSACK: I'm going to win it. And that's -- that's why I'm in this race. I'm focused on winning this race. And we're going to start by winning Iowa.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Let's get more on Vilsack's exit from our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider. He's in Los Angeles today.
Bill, Governor Vilsack did cite money as the main reason that he's dropping out. But how much does it take to really be in the race?
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the conventional wisdom is that a candidate -- a candidate, to be viable, has to be able to raise $100 million by the end of 2007.
Well, that's an awful lot of money. And you're going to have to be raising, you know, like $500,000 a day to be able to meet that goal.
Vilsack had a particular problem. He's -- was the governor of Iowa. And as he just said, in that quote from "THE SITUATION ROOM", he has to win Iowa. If he were to remain in the race and not win Iowa, he'd be finished.
But if he did win Iowa, it wouldn't do him a lot of good, because he's a local. And people will say, "Well, he won Iowa as expected," so it really wouldn't really propel him much further.
PHILLIPS: So since it takes so much money so early, does anyone who is not a household name have any chance of making it in this race at any point?
SCHNEIDER: Well, it's tough. That is tough. Yes. In the past, you know, you could pull a surprise like Jimmy Carter did in 1976, win New Hampshire. And that would give you momentum that would enable you to raise the money to compete in some of the big states. The problem is you still could do that, pull off a surprise in one of the early primaries or caucuses, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina. But there's very little time, because many, many big states -- almost, probably, most of the country, will be voting on February 5. Because states are moving their calendars so that California, New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois, those states could schedule their primary as early as February 5.
It would be, in a sense, a national primary that day. It would require an enormous amount of money to be able to compete. And there's just no time to pull off a surprise and raise the money you need to compete on February 5.
PHILLIPS: Speaking of fundraising, we saw how money was at the root of the Clinton/Obama feud this week.
SCHNEIDER: Yes.
PHILLIPS: What do you think? Is it going to be this "Hey, let's scrap for every dollar possible" until election day?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, it's really going to be that, because the candidates are unlikely to accept public financing because that limits their spending, which means they have to raise every cent they possibly can.
It's going to be extraordinarily competitive. Probably both Democrats and Republicans are going to go outside the public financing system. And that means every dollar is going to have to be raised in small amounts. You can only give $2,300 to a presidential candidate in the primary, $2,300 in the general election, if he or she does not accept public financing.
And that means you're going to have to raise that money from a wide variety of people all over the country. You can't just raise a million dollars from some sugar daddy.
PHILLIPS: Everybody wants a sugar daddy or a sugar mama, isn't that right, Bill?
SCHNEIDER: Won't work. Won't work this time.
PHILLIPS: Thanks, Bill.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
LEMON: All right. A brazen abduction at a bus stop. A Florida boy snatched at gunpoint while waiting for a ride to school. Live coverage of this developing story right here in the NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: It's the paternity test worth a whole season of "Maury Povich" episodes. And it's the latest drama surrounding the demise of Anna Nicole Smith. Straight ahead from the NEWSROOM, who's Dannielynn's daddy?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LEMON: Well, it really was salmonella in that peanut butter. The CDC has confirmed the presence of the potentially deadly bacteria in recalled jars of peter butter -- or Peter Pan and Great Value peanut butter.
Now Peter Pan's parent company, ConAgra Foods, called back the product last week after authorities linked it to nationwide salmonella outbreak that started last summer. No deaths have been confirmed, but it sickened more than 300 people.
Make sure you check your pantry for Peter Pan peanut butter sent out since last May. If you have the product with this code -- it's 2111 -- toss it out.
Go to our web site at CNN.com/health for more information.
PHILLIPS: Hello, again. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters here in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.
A shocking abduction. A boy grabbed at gunpoint from a South Florida bus stop, his school bus stop. But there's an Amber Alert for 13-year-old Clay Moore. And we're waiting for a live news conference from police.
You're live, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: Let's get back to Betty Nguyen working details on a developing story from the NEWSROOM -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Dealing with that Amber Alert out of Florida; Manatee County, to be exact. Clay Moore, just 13 years old. There you see a picture of him. He's 5 feet tall, 100 pounds.
And he was abducted this morning at gunpoint according to the sheriff's department there in Manatee County, Florida. What's amazing about this is this was in broad daylight. There were other children at the bus stop. We learn a little bit more now from Sheriff Charlie Wells as to why Clay Moore was taken.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF CHARLIE WELLS, MANATEE COUNTY, FLA.: I believe that's true, that it was just the opportunity that presented itself as the reason that he chose him.
He was the closest one. He was the one in the street. And was obviously -- there's no doubt about it in our minds, he was taken against his will. He was taken at gun point. And he was forced into that vehicle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: He's believed to be in a vehicle with a man, which we have a description of. Earlier it was said he was an Hispanic male. But we learned from the news conference about an hour and a half ago that he possibly could be a white male. They're still getting information in from the witnesses on the scene, which are children waiting at the bus stop.
But what we do know about him is that he is in his 30s. He's 5' 8" tall. He has dark hair. Dark mustache and was wearing dark sunglasses.
Here's another thing that people need to really be on the lookout for. It's an older model red or maroon extended cab pickup truck.
Again, as you heard the sheriff say, this man is armed and dangerous. When he took Clay Moore, he did present his gun. There was kind of an exchange going on between the two. We heard from this news conference. That Clay was overheard saying, I don't know you, sir, I don't know who you are, why me? And then he was gone, snatched away.
A lot of volunteers getting in on this search. They put additional officers on street. The FBI, indeed, is on the scene. So a massive search underway right now in Manatee County.
The problem is, Don, this is a rural area. So, as the sheriff said there are lots of places to hide. They do have a lot of manpower.
At 2 o'clock, we're going to learn more about this search because there will be another news conference. When that happens, we'll bring it to you live.
LEMON: All right, Betty, thank you so much.
We are calling today "Fight Back Friday". All day, we're giving you the tools you need to fight back and get control of your finances. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange, with some valuable tips on -- we could all use this -- eliminating credit card debt.
Very rampant, Susan, in today's world.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: It's troubling, Don. Easy to get, easy to get into trouble. That's one way to look at credit cards.
Consumer credit card debt has nearly tripled over the last two decades. That according to a DEMOS, a national research, consumer advocacy group.
The average American family now carries more than $9,000 in credit card debt. That flat screen TV you shopped around for and bought on sale for $799 can ultimately cost double, even triple your purchase price if you drag out the payments.
So, as part of our "Fight Back Friday", here are a few ideas on how to fight that mounting credit card debt.
Don't charge on cards already have a balance that you have not paid off. What happens is you'll be charged interest from the day you make a new purchase, instead of the next billing cycle.
Instead, carry at least one card with zero balance. You'll be more in control of your spending. And pay off the cards with the highest interest rates first -- Don.
LEMON: Uh-huh, and never -- try to, like, condense your cards. Every time you go to buy something, someone says, would you like to get a credit card, you'll get 10 percent off, you'll get 20 percent off? I always try to avoid that.
But what you said, was really important, looking at the interest rate, Susan, rather than just the amount owed, correct?
LISOVICZ: This is a common mistake. And actually I was not aware of this myself. Because it requires you just to read the fine print. It's a very common mistake consumers make.
Too often, consumers will keep small balances on cards with 24 percent interest rates and pay extra to cards at 4 percent. We assume that paying down the biggest bill is the best way. Not always.
The cheaper way to eliminate your credit card debt is to stack cards in order of interest rate charges. Pay the minimum on every credit card, except the one with the highest interest rate. Then pay most on that card, with the highest rate. That way you avoid paying interest sometimes 20 percent, or more, on the interest penalties you've already accumulated.
Repeat each month until you retire -- emphasis -- retire, that high interest rate card. And then repeat the process with your other cards. Obviously, most planners say -- keep your card --
LEMON: Susan, we have some breaking news.
LISOVICZ: Don, back to you.
LEMON: We'll have to interrupt you, sorry.
Go ahead, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: We just have to take it quick to Betty. They believe they found the young boy that was abducted at gunpoint in Parrish, Florida.
What do we know, Betty?
NGUYEN: Well, that is what we're hearing. Hopefully that is the case. That is from affiliate WTSP down in Florida, that they have found Clay Moore who was missing earlier this morning from a bus stop. You're looking at live pictures right now.
We saw just a few seconds earlier the sheriff there, Manatee County, Sheriff Charlie Wells, he was getting miced up. We'll be hearing from him very shortly.
Hopefully the news is what we've been told so far, and that is that according to affiliates Clay Moore has been found. Let's listen to the reporter on the scene.
(BEGIN AFFLIATE FEED)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Handgun, according to authorities, he then ordered Clay Moore to get into that pickup, with him, and then he drove off.
Witnesses told us, this morning, that during that exchange some of the students started running. They were yelling, get in your house. They were calling for their parents. Clay Moore, according to one of the witnesses, he was apparently saying what did I do wrong? Why me? I don't know you. But again he was forced to get in the pickup.
The FBI the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, as well as the Highway Patrol, and a host of other agencies joined in the search this morning to look for this 13-year-old boy.
But again, within the last 15 minutes, we are told that he was located, not only was he located, but he is safe and he's OK. Now, his father has been here. We saw him earlier this morning. And actually we're going to move to the side here. The sheriff is going to say a few word, kind of fill us in to what happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sheriff?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Listen to what the sheriff has to say.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sit down, sit down.
WELLS: Well, we got good news. Clay Moore is OK. And he's with my deputies right now out in east county. Details are pretty sketchy. What we're doing is interviewing him. We do not have a suspect in custody. And so we're interviewing Clay right now to try to make sense out of this day that has been a nightmare up until now.
He is in the Kibbler Ranch area, which is out on State Route 64, if you have ever traveled out that way, there's a fire tower, lookout tower. He's in that area.
We got a cell phone call to his mom. We believe it was somebody else's cell phone, somebody that had -- was rendering aid to him, and allowed him to use the phone call. We'll know more about that in a few minutes.
And we were able to, after -- after a while, able to find him. That's -- he didn't really know exactly where he was. So it was hard for us to locate him. But we were able to do that. It was called in. And the Kibbler Ranch/Faulkner Farm area, which is a large -- it's a massive farming area. And he was -- he was walking back to a road. And, of course, there's several roads out there.
But he's with our deputies now. We'll be -- we'll be bringing him to a -- you know, into the office and interviewing him more after he's had -- after he's been reunited with his mom and father.
QUESTION: Sheriff, was he released?
QUESTION: How far away was that to from bus stop?
WELLS: Just a guess, 20 miles.
QUESTION: Sheriff did he tell you, was he released or was he able to get away from the gentleman?
WELLS: I haven't got any information other than the fact I've been listening to this over a cell phone, and our department radios. So we don't have any information yet. We'll have some -- Dave will be able to give you details on that hopefully in the next hour or so.
QUESTION: Fair to say...
QUESTION: What was the reaction from his parents?
WELLS: Well, of course, mom's home so -- I haven't talked with her, but one of our victim advocates is with her. And she's elated. And the father is here. And he knows. And he's absolutely relieved. The grandmother and the grandfather -- I talked with them as well. And everybody -- you know, it's a happy ending. And they're just relieved, as we are.
QUESTION: Sheriff, obviously this is not the outcome people were anticipating. They were very lucky in the situation.
WELLS: Well, we feel -- we feel fortunate any time somebody's abducted and we're able to, you know, to bring them back. And they're healthy, uninjured and alive. You feel very fortunate, because so many times, as we see across this nation, that's not the case. So we feel blessed.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Sheriff, search for individuals who abducted him?
WELLS: I'm sorry, Rob?
QUESTION: What do you do about the search now for the individual that abducted him?
WELLS: Our investigation is really is as ongoing as it was an hour and a half ago, or up until the time we received this news. We're on the same manhunt that we were. We just have Clay. Our suspect is still at large. We're doing everything we can to locate him and bring him to justice.
QUESTION: Could you bring the father over to respond?
QUESTION: Do you think the quick response had something to do with the fact that this man apparently let him know (INAUDIBLE).
WELLS: You always hope that that's the case. I'll know more about that in the upcoming hours. You always hope that the case is that he thought better of it and -- you know, let him go, and avoid maybe even bigger trouble for himself down the line.
QUESTION: Do you know if he was harmed in anyway, or touched?
WELLS: I'm told -- I'm told that there are no visible injuries. Maybe some minor scratches, but we don't even know how he obtained those.
QUESTION: Can you give us any anecdote, like what -- what did he say? He must have said something when he saw the people who -- come and get him.
WELLS: I don't have that yet except that -- all I heard -- I was listening to our patrol radio and our -- I'm paraphrasing. The deputy says, "I've got him, he's OK." And that was after much conversation about trying to determine exactly where he was. We had several deputies that were in that general vicinity. And they're trying to locate him. And it was most difficult. But they found him. And that's the paraphrase...
QUESTION: Sheriff, a clarification...
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Just disheveled and with some cuts and bruises?
WELLS: I think so.
QUESTION: Point of clarification, too. So, he was walking down the road. A Good Samaritan stopped, had a cell phone, called authorities and that's how you picked him up...
I don't necessarily believe he was walking down a road. I think he was in either a ranch or farmland. And that he was walking -- that he was walking toward a road. And it just appears -- and I'm speculating, I really shouldn't -- but it appears that somebody on that ranch, or that farm, aided in allowing him to get a hold of his parents on that cell phone.
QUESTION: So, it seems as though he was taken onto a property, off of any sort of main road?
WELLS: That's the way it appears right now.
QUESTION: Sheriff, at this point whether was able to get away or he was just let go?
WELLS: That's what I hope to determine. The detectives are interviewing him right now. And so, we're hopeful that in the next few minutes, the next 30 minutes to an hour, or so, that we're able to put this together for our own purposes -- and -- and keep in mind, he's going to most helpful in identifying our suspect, the exact kind of vehicle that the suspect is driving. May even know more about the suspect than we knew this morning. So we really need -- we need that information in the interview.
QUESTION: How soon will he be reunited with his family? QUESTION: What's the message for parents who are concerned, because obviously this man is out there?
WELLS: We're absolutely concerned about that. Yes, we want to -- we want to apprehend this suspect. That's -- that's the pressing thing for us right now as move.
I'm sorry?
QUESTION: How soon will be he reunited with his family?
WELLS: We want to interview him. We have to interview him. You know, we know mom and dad wants to see him. But they feel good that he's all right. We need to get the information. The information is critical at this point. So we need to get that while it's fresh on his mind. But he'll see mom and dad shortly.
QUESTION: Sheriff, on a personal note, how relieved are you?
WELL: Oh, it's like -- I mean, it's a real burden off our shoulders. Because you can just see this thing -- you know, it being extended and extended and a missing child and everybody's worst nightmare, as we talked about. It's a heck of a relief.
QUESTION: While this suspect is out, any changes in the neighborhood, as far as -- what will be done differently there?
WELLS: I'm sorry, I just dropped something. Belongs to somebody and it looked expensive.
The changes? What kind of changes?
QUESTION: Yes, what will be done differently around here, even though he's...
WELLS: Well, you know when something like this happens, a lot of people take more precautions than, you know, than they did prior to something like this happening. So I would imagine you'll see a lot more attention given to -- by parents to kids. They'll be reluctant, you know, to leave them at bus stops, and those kinds of things.
So I'm sure there will be more of a safety net placed around the kids by parents. That would be my guess anyway.
All right, thank you.
GUYEN: And there you have it. Been listening to Sheriff Charlie Wells, of Manatee County.
The good news is that Clay Moore has been found -- and found alive. And they believe that he is OK. He was found in the Kibbler Ranch area, if you're not familiar with it, what we do know about it, it's about 20 miles from that bus stop where he was taken at gunpoint. It's just a massive farming area.
And he was walking around there. Someone came across him and he had the good sense to use that cell phone and call his mom. And let her know that he, indeed, is alive and OK.
We don't know how he got free. We don't know if he just was let go, if he broke free in some way. But he is going to be key in helping find the man who took him, who is still out there, at large, and believed to be still armed and dangerous.
So that is the latest, Kyra, Don. You know, the good news is he is alive. Unfortunately, that's something we don't get to report always. In this case, we are reporting it, very happy for it.
PHILLIPS: And we'll continue to follow that search for that suspect who is still at large.
NGUYEN: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: All right, Betty.
LEMON: We know this, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Well, maybe if you know how to squeak. The fine art of complaining is next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Oh, yes, we are fighting back. Remember this? All those passengers stuck for hours on JetBlue on the planes at JFK Airport? Well, the airline has spent the better part of this week apologizing to customers on air, in print, online, and resolving to reimburse anyone stranded on its planes in the future. Well, JetBlue's service meltdown inspired us to help you fight back, "Fight Back Friday".
PHILLIPS: So your credit card company overcharges you, your insurance company denies your claim, your mechanic fixes a problem you never had. Whatever happened to customer service? How do you fight back when you know you're getting ripped off? Consumer advocate Janet Rubel joins us now from Chicago with some answers.
Janet you really did have some great advice. And you did make one very strong point, that phone calls and e-mails just don't work. They're not effective, right?
JANET RUBEL, CONSUMER ADVOCATE & ATTORNEY: That's true. You have to preserve your legal rights. For example in protesting a credit card bill, by submitting your complaint or your dispute in writing. Otherwise, you waive your right to complain and you won't get your money back or reimbursed.
PHILLIPS: Why are letters the best way to go? Why not a phone call or e-mail? Why a handwritten letter?
RUBEL: First of all, I believe that e-mails are sent into the vast Internet ether, never to be heard from again. You will find that many companies have e-mail contacts, but no one to read them. And if you filed an e-mail complaint, I would be surprised if you ever received a response. I never have.
Phone calls often are not effective because, again, you don't preserve your legal rights if it's a critical issue like a credit card. Second of all, you're usually not dealing with the person who can help you. You're just dealing with somebody who answers the phone, follows a script and says, we'll investigate, or I can't help you, or you need to talk to somebody else. And there's no proof that you ever talked to them.
If you call back and say, why isn't this fixed be my bill corrected, they'll say, have you ever talked to us? We have no record of it.
So you want to keep a paper trail. I'm a lawyer. We love paper. Even in this computer age, we store our records, but we print them out hard copy.
PHILLIPS: You want the documented hard copy facts.
RUBEL: That's right, we want it right in front of us.
PHILLIPS: Take me through the process of writing a letter. Let's say I had a problem with a company. Say verbatim, exactly, the catch phrases, how I write that letter.
RUBEL: The first thing you need to do is take a deep breath and focus. If you -- I often say write two letters. The first one is the one you really want to send with profanity. and all kinds of exclamation points and under-linings.
PHILLIPS: Cuss words don't get you anywhere, right?
RUBEL: Right, no profanity in the real letter. Write that letter, if it makes you feel better to vent. And then put it aside, rip it up, and send the correct letter.
The correct letter is -- follows a very simple format. First of all you state the letter -- state the problem. Second of all, you state what you want fixed. Do you want your money back? Do you want a credit? Do you want a new product?
Third of all, say thank you for your attention to this matter. I expect to hear from you within ten days. And then put it aside.
Make sure you are not sending any original documents or receipts unless you absolutely have to, such as for a rebate. And then make copies and keep your copies.
Also, you have to make sure you know where you're sending it. Make sure you're sending it to the right place.
PHILLIPS: How do you know that? How do you know who the right person is?
RUBEL: Well, that's a search in and of itself. A treasure hunt. For a credit card dispute, for example if you look at the fine print on the back of your bill, it has two different addresses almost every time. The first one's to send a payment. And the second one is to protest your charges. And if you don't send it to the right address, you're not going to be protected.
As far as tracking down the right person in the company, it's almost never available to you on a Web site from the company. You have to go to somewhere else to hunt it down. Sometimes just picking up the phone and calling, and hunting down the right person helps.
But another way to do is, if it's a publicly traded company, look up their Securities and Exchange Commission filings. They're very detailed. It tells you who's the general counsel, which means their main lawyer. Who's the vice president of customer service. How much they get paid, et cetera. And then you'll have information to send it to the person who can resolve your complaint.
If all else fails and it's a big company, send it to their general counsel. Lawyers don't like trouble and they'll refer it to the right person and probably get some results for you. PHILLIPS: Janet, final question...
RUBEL: Catch phrases...
PHILLIPS: Oh, catch phrases, go ahead.
RUBEL: A catch phrase is -- this is one of my husband's favorite, a non-lawyer. "I'll see you in court." I don't recommend using that until the end. If you've tried everything else, you could say, "I'll take my legal remedies." "I may pursue legal action."
But one of thing you want to remind about is I'm a good customer. I'm disappointed in the level of your service. Sort of tweak them and finesse them and say you've always been happy in the past, and you want it resolved.
PHILLIPS: All right, Janet Rubel. I sure appreciate it. Author of "101 Plus Complaint Letters That Get Results". Great tips. Sure appreciate your time today.
RUBEL: Thank you very much.
LEMON: Can you smell it? That smell. That means Oscar time. It's in the air. Anyone who watches the Oscars knows it's as much about fashion, as movies. Requisite red carpet question, not what are you wearing, but whom are you wearing, or as we say who you wearing? Our Sibila Vargas goes behind the scenes with one anxious -- who. Who, Sibila, who are you wearing?
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm going to be wearing the Barachi, actually. But enough about me.
I want to know what Will Smith is going to be wearing. Will Smith what is he going to be wearing? Will Smith, of course, being this incredible actor that has such an incredible range. This year, he's being recognize for playing a character whose message and whose story is definitely larger than life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SINGER: Oh, joy, look at those lips, look at that sweet smile.
GILLES MENDEL, FASHION DESIGNER: Oh, my God, every time you see someone wearing one of my gowns on the red carpet, it's a dream. It's really a dream.
VARGAS: Gilles Mendel has 10 days until Oscar night.
The sewing floor, always busy, is buzzing.
MENDEL: When I see my public relations, running to my office, look, look, look, you know, look at this. She wore it! She wore it! It's like a big victory, you know? We celebrate the whole night.
VARGAS: Gilles Mendel is pretty sure he's dressing a big star for the Oscars -- As sure as any designer can be.
MENDEL: You never know until the very last minute, whether your dress will be worn by the celebrity, that you've been sending that dress to.
This is 30 yards of chiffon, just on the bottom part of that dress. This is from a lady that I have a relationship, that is also a celebrity.
VARGAS: Until he's certain, the around the clock, painstaking work will make an appearance at the Oscars, Mendel won't name names.
MENDEL: This is the second gown for this celebrity. At this point, I'm really not sure where this dress is going to be. Whether it's a red carpet or on stage. Either way, I'll be really happy.
VARGAS: And that's enough to make couture scurry.
SINGERS: Hey, yes! I want to shoop baby, shoop!
MENDEL: Last Friday, we met, you know, the celebrity. We discussed the dress. We have to finish this dress when, tomorrow, no? Friday. So we have seven days.
(MUSIC)
VARGAS: Twenty-four hours later?
MENDEL: Last week, where she had in her hand a little piece of this fabric. She's now going to -- will discover the entire dress made, which is pretty emotional for me.
VARGAS: The chiffon dress went from this to this. And...
MENDEL: In about five minutes it's going to take a taxi to go Uptown where luckily the lady who is going to be wearing this dress is waiting for a quick fitting. We will have about 25 minutes to do the fitting on her. At 5:30 we'll be done with the fitting Uptown. We will come back and I will say by 7:00 p.m. it will be flying to Los Angeles.
So, a lot of attention and love here.
SINGER: Oh, hello beautiful.
MENDEL: OK, we have to go.
SINGER: 50 million Frenchmen can't be wrong!
MENDEL: On its way. Wish me good luck.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VARGAS: And just to give you an idea of how important it is for a designer to dress a celebrity, you've got to remember that the very next day, everyone is going to be talking about the outfit, the suit, the dress. And that's going to go on for a whole week if not a whole year. So the publicity is priceless -- Don.
LEMON: All right, Sibila Vargas, thank you so much. CNN is live from the Red carpet at the Academy Awards. Don't miss "Hollywood's Gold Rush" Sunday night, at 7:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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