Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

News Conference on Boy Abducted for Ransom, Later Rescued

Aired February 27, 2007 - 10:59   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming in to the NEWSROOM on this Tuesday, February 27th.

Here's what's on the rundown.

The Taliban reportedly targeting the U.S. vice president. Dick Cheney, safe after a suicide attack at a base in Afghanistan.

HARRIS: Open wide, San Francisco. A landslide sends tons of dirt and boulders crashing down on to an apartment building.

COLLINS: Well, it certainly spices up the kitchen, but a new study says it won't make your cholesterol go down. Garlic bummer in the NEWSROOM.

Quickly want to take you directly to Florida now, where we are awaiting a press conference on the situation -- actually, under way. Want to get to it quickly.

Just reminding you of the story. Thirteen-year-old Clay Moore, who was abducted at a bus stop by gunpoint, it happened on Friday. He saved himself. He was found 20 miles from where he was taken.

And let's go ahead and listen in now to Sheriff Charlie Wells. You see Clay Moore by the side of him there. Let's listen to what he has to say.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SHERIFF CHARLIE WELLS, MANATEE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Clay has chosen not to speak with you. And -- but I think we have some interesting stories that the family will share with you. And we've gotten his permission to talk about that.

Tim Moore is his father. He's right here. He will speak to you first, followed by his mom, Traci Kelle, and then his stepfather, Steve Kelle, seated there. His uncle Greg is here as well some place. Greg is here.

But what they would like to do is simply this -- they'd like to kind of get back to a normal way of life, as you might expect. Get Clay back in school. He hasn't been in school since this happened.

And so they have chosen to sort of bring you, the media, their story now, and then they would ask that, you know, you let them go. There's been a lot of people approaching them or calling them by the members of the media. They're not bothered by that. I don't mean to imply that.

They'd just like to get back to normal. And I think any family would like for you to honor their privacy. And so we ask that you do that.

In addition, they're not going to take any questions. They don't want to take any questions. They'll simply state what they have on their mind.

And, so if you would honor that, we'll be available. I don't know that I have too much in the way of updates in the investigation, but we'll be available to take whatever follow-up questions you may have.

So, Tim?

TIM MOORE, CLAY'S FATHER: Good morning, everybody.

First and foremost -- Clay.

I just want to say once again how we as a family are proud of Clay, how he handled the situation. His bravery. I mean, in all reality, when you think about, he's the one that saved himself and got him to where he could get help and, you know, the law enforcement could bring him back to us.

And I just want to say, once again, how proud we are of you.

Next, I mean, of course, you know, I'd like to thank god for, you know, keeping -- keeping him strong. And next from that, Charlie, law enforcement, all the agencies involved, any -- any capacity, I can't say enough about how they've handled this. And it was amazing the show of people out there within 30 minutes of this thing breaking down.

The media, I'd like to thank all of you all. We'd just -- like I said, once again, just give us our privacy when this is done. We appreciate you all getting the story out there. You know, all the family, friends, calls, prayers, we appreciate everything.

And really, that's all I've got to say. I'll turn it over to Traci.

Thanks again.

TRACI MOORE, CLAY'S MOTHER: First and foremost, I thank god that Clay's home and he's safe. I also want to thank everyone for their prayers and their thoughts.

And Friday morning, it was really terrible. I can't put into words how absolutely horrifying it was when we received the news. But I have to say, when I got his phone call, it was the best thing that had ever happened in my life.

I was so -- I'm so proud of him. He was, you know, very smart and he kept his head on him. He's a good kid. An average 13-year-old boy, you know, wants to do things and whatnot, but we want to go back to having a normal life.

He is doing great. He's got good spirits about him. He's wanting to play with his friends and things like that.

We want to thank the sheriff and everybody in law enforcement for being there and helping and keeping on this and getting this guy. We ask that if anybody has any, any information, please come forward. We don't want this happening to any other child or any other person, ever.

Again, I'm just so proud of him. He did a great job. And, you know, thank you.

STEVE KELLE, CLAY'S STEPFATHER: I might repeat some of the stuff they've already said. But we just want to make sure that we cover everything.

We definitely want to thank god, who we know all things are possible through. And without him, you know, I don't think we'd be standing here today.

We'd also like to thank the sheriff's department and all the other law enforcement people that were involved, FDLE, the FBI, and the surrounding areas that really chipped in and helped.

We'd also like to thank everyone who sent prayers. I think it made a big difference. It made the difference in getting Clay back to us.

We'd also like to thank all the people who provided tips and information out there. From what we've been told, it's really been a great help, all the tips and information that's been given in.

Again, we'd like to thank the media for you guys helping to get the information out as quickly as it did get out. We know that was a big deal. And from what we've been told, enormous amounts of people were out looking for him, just by the help of you guys getting the information out there.

We'd also like to thank family and friends and all the support we've been given. We really appreciate all that.

Again, we'd like to ask for some privacy to kind of let Clay and his little brother kind of get back to being boys. They just want to go outside again and ride their bikes and play in the street with their friends without having to be worried about people coming up behind them, asking them all these questions.

We also continue to ask for help with information, anything out there, to really help catch this guy.

And about Clay, we are truly proud of Clay. He did an incredible job on his own. He kept his head about him. We're greatly -- we're thankful, we're grateful that he is back home with us.

We believe he did the right thing. He really kept his head about him and did everything he was supposed to be doing. And that's why he's here with us today.

He is doing well. He's ready, like I said, to get back to playing with his friends, to get back to school, and kind of return to his 13-year-old life.

One of the last things I'd like to share is, there's been a lot of questions about his safety pin. And so I'm going to share a little bit about that.

At MSA, they are required to wear uniforms. And so this was a -- he has a uniform jacket, a long-sleeve hooded jacket. Inadvertently, he had ripped a hole in his jacket, and instead of buying him a new one, we told him basically, pin it up because it was kind of his fault. So he had to use a safety pin to keep his sleeve intact.

He told us that on his way over to where he was left, he was extremely nervous, as you could imagine. And in that, he played a lot with it in the car and, actually, he says that he broke his -- broke the safety pin and kind of ripped through his jacket a little bit more.

As they got to the place where he was left, he was taken out of the truck and then walked out to where he was left. And on his way out to this place, he had the forethought to put the safety pin in his mouth. I asked him last night as we were kind of going over the story, "What made you think to put a safety pin in your mouth?" And in his words, he said, "Just thought it would be helpful."

So as they were out in the location where he was left, he was bound. And it's come out before that one of his socks was placed in his mouth. And then he was -- well, he was bound.

He was then left there, which is truly unimaginable even to us today. He says that after a while it was quiet. After a while he felt that the guy had left for a while. And so he pushed the sock back out of his mouth.

He said he was grateful it was hot and sweaty, so how he was bound kind of helped slip off of his mouth. So he pushed the mouth -- the sock out of his mouth, and in doing that, the safety pin actually dropped to the ground.

Again, it was sweaty, he says, and so it helped get the things off of his eyes so he was able to see where it was. So, he actually maneuvered himself around and grabbed a stick that he used to pick the safety pin back up off the ground with his mouth, incredibly enough.

So after he picked it up with the stick, he dropped it back into his hands. And then he used it to free himself from what he was bound with. And then once he was free of that, he pulled -- he used his mouth and his hands to free himself totally.

He said once he was free, he ran out of the woods and across the field and found the farmer in the fields with a phone. And then I got a phone call that I will never forget. It was a phone number I didn't know. I almost didn't answer it because I had been receiving a lot of phone calls that day.

But I went ahead and answered it, and I heard a voice as calm as if he was calling from a friend's house. And he told me, "Steve, it's Clay, and I've been kidnapped." And it went from there, and we found him and he was safe.

So -- I think I got the story right. OK.

But again, we are grateful he's home and are grateful of all the help that was given to us, and the support and the prayers. And again, we'd ask if we could try to get back to some normality to help us continue to cope with it and to continue on with our lives.

And thank you.

QUESTION: What's your name, sir?

KELLE: Steve Kelle.

QUESTION: Steve, can you spell Kelle.

KELLE: Kelle is K-E-L-L-E.

QUESTION: K-E-L-L-E?

KELLE: K-E-L-L-E.

QUESTION: And is Traci with an I or a Y?

T. KELLE: With an I.

WELLS: Well, I found that story totally fascinating. And that's -- I think now you are beginning to understand why I said some of the things that I've been saying about Clay over the past several days.

By the way, I want to challenge you to do something. I did this. I want you to take your little Duct tape and tie it around your arms and see how easy you can get out of it. Try that sometime.

And I think you'll appreciate a little bit more what Clay went through. It's not easy. Even with a safety pin.

And so I think it was just remarkable what he did. And we're so -- we're so thankful.

We got a lot of breaks in this case, but I think the biggest break of all was him being able to escape and get the call to us, to his mom. So that was the biggest break of all by far. And in all probability, saved a life here, which we're grateful for that as well.

Friday morning, the first thing I did was I walked in our command bus and I saw Traci's face, and the grandmother, I might add. And several of our victim advocates that are here, they saw that same thing. I'm glad I did that, because that just -- that gives you this incredible adrenaline and motivation to press on, because every moment of the day, the rest of the day, Friday and Saturday, I saw that face. And so did our deputies.

And so we knew we -- we knew we had to do what we had to do.

The family, as I stated earlier, has chosen not to take questions. And I don't know if we have any questions that you're interested in, but I don't know, you've heard the story.

QUESTION: Did the first go call go to Steve or to Traci?

WELLS: The first call went to...

T. KELLE: Steve.

S. KELLE: It went to the house, right?

T. KELLE: It was my cell phone.

QUESTION: Charlie, can you explain how (OFF-MIKE).

WELLS: Well, can you explain that?

T. KELLE: He was -- he was Duct-taped, as was said. And then he was -- he was bound.

He used the safety pin to free himself by picking at it, and more or less untying what was binding him. And then he used that and his mouth, once he was free, to pull the Duct tape off.

QUESTION: Was he bound from front or behind?

T. KELLE: In front.

WELLS: He was bound in front. And I've got to stop right there.

Keep in mind, our case is still under investigation. And so it will become clearer, a little more clearer. We've given you about all the clarity that we can right now. But in days to come, you'll see even more of how the safety pin came into play.

QUESTION: How long did it take...

WELLS: I'm sorry?

QUESTION: How long did it take for him to be able to do that?

T. KELLE: He didn't have a watch. But he's guessing, just by guessing in that state of mind, anywhere from half an hour to an hour long it took to free himself. WELLS: OK. So I'm going to excuse the family now before I stand here and blow our case.

(LAUGHTER)

You all are good, OK?

All right.

So, I don't know, do you have anything else? We'd be happy to answer it.

I don't really have an update on the investigation except to tell you that we're still pursuing the suspect. We've got an awful lot of good leads. We're extremely optimistic about our chances of apprehension.

We do have people that are cooperating with us. Many people that are cooperating with us that know his whereabouts. And so I just believe that we'll make an (INAUDIBLE) here in the near future.

QUESTION: Are you convinced he's in Mexico?

WELLS: That's part of our -- the investigation is at critical mass right now. I mean, critical mass. And so I don't want to speculate or elaborate on where I believe he is, because I don't want to minimize our chances of being able to apprehend him.

And me saying where he is might do just that. And it would have been much -- well, I'll let it go at that.

QUESTION: But it's fair to say you don't believe he's in the country?

COLLINS: All right. You have been listening to -- this is Sheriff Charlie Wells now. He is saying that the investigation in the Clay Moore case, the little boy, the 13-year-old boy who was able to free himself after being kidnapped at the bus stop, at gunpoint, with a safety pin, he's saying the investigation is at critical mass. That suspect still out there.

Want to go ahead and put the full screen up there, again, one more time if we could. You are looking at Vicente Ignacio Beltran- Moreno. He is 5'5", a Latino, 140 pounds, goes by the nickname of "Nacho." He's 22 years old.

And there's a phone number there on your screen -- 941-747-3011. That's the Manatee County Sheriff's Office if you have any information whatsoever. That man still on the loose.

But boy, what a great story. Clay Moore apparently used a safety pin from his uniform, his school uniform because he had ripped it and his parents said, hey, that's your fault, you've got to wear a safety pin on it. We're not getting you a new win.

And that safety pin that he put in his mouth as he was being taken from the truck out to the woods by this man for whatever reason, he thought it would come in helpful. And boy, was he right about that.

An incredible story. So good for Clay Moore and his family. Very, very happy to see him, as you can imagine.

HARRIS: And this just in to CNN. A horrible outcome to a story where, again, young people, children, targeted. This story coming out of Ramadi.

Iraqi TV reporting that a bomb exploded on a soccer field, a soccer field, killing 18 children who were playing there. The location of this attack, the western outskirts of Ramadi. Ramadi, as you know, is the capital of the Sunni-dominated Anbar Province.

Again, 18 children killed, according to Iraqi television, by way of a car bomb.

As you know, we've been reporting throughout the morning that suicide bombers, car bombers, seem to be changing, attempting to shift their tactics in response to the government's new security plan. This is something that we haven't seen before today -- children seemingly deliberately targeted at play this time, on a soccer field.

We will bring you the first pictures as soon as we get them here to CNN.

COLLINS: And check out this video now coming to us from San Francisco. We showed it to you a little bit earlier, but we can't, you know, get enough of it. It's amazing.

Residents there woke up as the earth moved and the landslide threatened to swallow their apartment building. About 150 residents of the city's North Beach area have been evacuated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOODY BAKER-COHN, AMERICAN RED CROSS: We've got a very steep hillside. The mud and rock has slid down and there's some more that's sort of precariously perched. The engineering folks from the city and some people that they've brought in have assessed that there are a few buildings that are in danger. So, at this point, we've had evacuations from one large building above and two smaller buildings below, plus three more that are kind of on the side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Very curious to know what the stability of that earth was before the buildings were constructed upon it. That's for sure. But meanwhile, the foundation of at least one of those buildings teetering precariously. Remarkably, nobody has been injured.

We'll keep following this one for you.

HARRIS: And once again, let's take you just outside of Baltimore, Maryland -- Pikesville, Maryland, Baltimore County, Owings Mills Maryland, if you know that area. This is 695.

The cleanup continuing on Interstate 695. Two vehicles, two tractor-trailers involved. But as you can see here, there was at least one other vehicle involved in this horrific accident on 695, the Baltimore beltway, I-795, another major interstate close by.

As you can see, as WBAL's chopper widens out the view a bit, this has caused a tremendous traffic backup there on 695. Both sides of the Baltimore beltway closed down right now.

It is going to take considerable time for that situation to be cleaned up. Maybe we still have those pictures.

Dan, do we have the pictures from earlier of the fire when those vehicles were fully engulfed in flames? If we do, we'll loop them in here in just a second.

But this is quite a scene right now on the Baltimore beltway. And if you know that area at all, the Baltimore beltway circles the city. And this is the area between Pikesville, Maryland, and Owings Mills. And that is a scene we will follow because that will be a traffic nightmare throughout the day and probably in to the afternoon rush hour.

And still to come in the NEWSROOM, close enough to hear the boom. Vice President Dick Cheney reportedly the target of a suicide bomber. The story in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: It may ward off vampires, but what about bad cholesterol? New research on garlic in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And there he is, jazz great Wynton Marsalis, using his awesome talent to help his hometown. Saving the heart and soul of New Orleans in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Deadly new developments out of Iraq this hour. We are just getting word of a bloody attack involving a group of children. Iraqi state television reports a bomb exploded on a soccer field in Ramadi, killing 18 children.

Also, just a short time ago, the Pentagon reported three U.S. soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb. Another soldier was wounded. It happened southwest of Baghdad.

Meanwhile, at least 10 deaths now reported today in bombings in the Iraqi capital. A car bomb exploded in a parking lot. A suicide car bomber rammed into an ice cream shop and the hidden bomb went off inside a restaurant.

All of the attacks in central Baghdad.

Also in Baghdad, officials say they have arrested a suspect in yesterday's attempted assassination of one of Iraq's two vice presidents. Adel Abdul Mahdi suffered minor injuries when a bomb killed a dozen people at the Public Works Ministry.

HARRIS: A Taliban strike. Their reported target, Vice President Dick Cheney. A suicide bomber detonated outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan. Almost three dozen people dead or wounded. Cheney was safely inside Bagram Air Base but heard the blast.

Earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," we heard from a reporter who is traveling with the vice president.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK SILVA, "CHICAGO TRIBUNE": The vice president was preparing to leave. His party was assembling. They were preparing his aircraft and people were heading toward the plane.

The plane itself was on a tarmac near the flight line, very well inside the base and quite removed from that main entrance that was attacked. The first indication we had of an attack was we heard the sirens of the base fire station. They were ringing.

We were very close to the fire station. The trucks sped out, and the public affairs spokesman for the base, Colonel David Asetta (ph), told us that there had been a direct attack at the gate and the base had gone on code red because of this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: An hour after the blast, the vice president appeared with Afghan president Hamid Karzai. According to wire reports, the Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack and confirmed Cheney was the intended target. The Bush administration has repeatedly warned that the Taliban are mounting a comeback in the region.

Before heading to Afghanistan, Vice President Cheney sat down with Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf. A friendly visit or arm twisting?

CNN's Brian Todd reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A high-stakes visit to a key ally in the war on terror amid reports that the Bush administration is applying pressure on Pakistan's president for better results in his campaign to crack down on al Qaeda, reports that are being downplayed by the White House.

TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We have not been saying it's a tough message. What we're saying is we're having -- the vice president is meeting with President Musharraf because we do understand the importance of making even greater progress against al Qaeda, against the Taliban. TODD: Analysts say the United States has reason to complain about increased attacks in Afghanistan by militants from just over the Pakistani border.

PETER BERGEN, CNN TERRORISM ANALYST: One of the reasons the situation is deteriorating in Afghanistan, a critical reason is because of what is going on in the tribal areas on the Afghan/Pakistan border where Taliban and al Qaeda are regrouping.

TODD: But Pakistani officials insist they're committed to hunting down the militants in the border areas where they have been supported by local Pakistanis.

MAHMUD DURRANI, PAKISTANI AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: There are problems in Pakistan, we're fighting them. We are fighting it on multiple fronts. I think we need your sympathy other than accusing us of not doing enough. I think we are doing more than anybody else.

TODD: Even if the Pakistanis could be doing more, the political situation is delicate. How much pressure can the United States put on Musharraf without it backfiring?

WILLIAM COHEN, FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY: He has to walk a pretty fine line. He has to be supportive of cracking down on al Qaeda as possible. At the same time, he has got to watch himself that he doesn't find himself under attack again so we can apply pressure only so much pressure.

(on camera): But more pressure will almost certainly be applied if Osama bin Laden or other high-value al Qaeda targets are spotted inside Pakistan. There's already been tension for months over Pakistan's refusal to allow U.S. forces to cross into Pakistan to pursue bin Laden if he's located.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And tonight, on "ANDERSON COOPER 360," the man who says the U.S. didn't finish the job with the Taliban, and now it is deadlier than ever. The 360 investigation, tonight at 10:00 Eastern.

COLLINS: Through the ages, garlic has developed a reputation as a remedy of sorts. Now, new research is rejecting a modern theory.

Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here.

What? Garlic isn't the cure-all?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: No. Are you shocked? Well, many people think it is. Many people think that it's good for all sorts of things. In fact, the ancient Egyptians, they said that it was good for your heart. And in modern times, it's one of the best-selling supplements in health food stores. One of the many claims that is it will help lower cholesterol. So researchers at Stanford decided to put it to the test. They put some people on these supplements you see here, and other people they just ate raw garlic. It was in mayonnaise on a sandwich. They didn't just eat the actual garlic. So the raw garlic, people on supplements, people doing nothing. So they looked at what happened to their cholesterol, and this is a big disappointment. What they found is that garlic did not lower bad cholesterol.

In addition, the garlic did not increase good cholesterol. So there you go. It just didn't really seem to have an impact on cholesterol. Now, I have to say, this is a small study, fewer than 200 people. It is not the final word. But if you were taking garlic because you thought it was going to help your cholesterol and you have very high cholesterol, you should think about perhaps take a different route, see your doctor, exercise, eat right, get a prescription.

COLLINS: So is it good for anything?

COHEN: Well, there are other claims out there about garlic, and there have been some studies that show it might possibly do some other things. For example, it might lower blood pressure or it might work as an antiinflammatory. It might fight infection. But those are all mights, those are all possibilities. And people are studying these. Garlic is now a very highly studied substance because so many people are taking it and have faith in it.

COLLINS: Yes, you know, it seems like it takes a while for these things to really figure out what the benefits could be. And if you're already on the supplements, should you stop taking them or keep taking them?

COHEN: You know, we asked one of the study authors doing this, and we said, what do you do if you're taking garlic, because it might not be doing you any good. And he said if you're taking garlic and you're enjoying it and you feel like it's doing you some good, keep taking it. It's not going to hurt you, but Certainly don't take it if you think it's a treatment for a serious health problem. You should be seeing a doctor for that. But if you're taking it because you think it makes you feel better or something else, you know, it's not going to hurt you.

COLLINS: All right, I'm sorry for my garlic breath.

COHEN: Oh, that's OK.

COLLINS: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you for that.

I want to let you know, too, if you would like a daily dose of health news online, just log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address CNN.com/health.

HARRIS: Let's throw all of that talk out of window. Daily dose of health news? How about this 00 donut lovers, how about this? Have you dreamed for years of those healthier sweet things to eat? Well, Krispy Kreme says it's got them for you. The company selling a whole wheat caramel flavored version of its original glazed. But before you rush out to buy one, know this, it's only slightly lower in calories, fat and carbs. Still, the company hopes the public will sink their teeth into them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're hoping it will catch on fast and quick. We also have a sampling area where the customer can get a free whole wheat donut to try and see how they like it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Because they're free, I'll sample, that's for sure.

The company also hoping the new donut boosts sales. The low-carb diet craze trimming the company's bottom line in recent years. Final food for thought? Dietitians liken the new donut to a nutrient-packed energy bar, only without the nutrients.

COLLINS: That's good. And you know what I'm going to say.

HARRIS: What are you going to say?

COLLINS: Still a lot of gluten. Gluten-free donuts, that's what we need in this world.

HARRIS: We're working on it. We've got the beer, right?

COLLINS: Hey, now this is something that I know you love. So what a musician. He toots his own horn, in fact.

Do I have to talk, because I want to keep listening to him play. Wynton Marsalis, you know him, planning to bring the beat back to New Orleans. He's live right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Want to give you a quick look at video we've been following here today coming out of Baltimore. Look at this now. There has been quite a traffic accident. This is known as the Baltimore beltway, I-695, at least three vehicles that we know of. And they are really, really burnt and obviously smashed up there. It was a semitruck, a garbage truck and a passenger car involved in the -- every one of those vehicles caught fire.

The problem is this, look -- incredible backup. We have no word at this moment on injuries involved in those first three car there's you see. But the traffic tie-up is going to go on for quite some time.

Again, this is the Baltimore beltway, I-695, both sides of the freeway shutdown right now, trying to get all of those emergency vehicles in place. And we'll continue to follow it for you and give you the latest just as we learn it.

Jazz greats and New Orleans native Wynton Marsalis trying to bring music and culture back to his embattled hometown. Hurricane Katrina's impact is still overwhelming New Orleans, and Marsalis is a key player in trying to preserve the city. So there he is. How about a week from now he is out with a new album, "From the Plantation to the Penitentiary."

Wynton Marsalis with us now from New York.

Good to see you, sir. Thanks for your time this morning.

WYNTON MARSALIS, JAZZ MUSICIAN: Hey, it's a pleasure, Tony. Thank you.

HARRIS: Hey, I've got to tell you, last week we were having a great time last week with Mardi Gras. And I'm wondering now, thank goodness you're here today, that we can talk about New Orleans, otherwise I'm not sure that we would today.

Are you a little concerned that your city might turn into kind of a two-trick pony, Mardi Gras and the big jazz festival and not much in between?

MARSALIS: No, because our city, there are so many people who are citizens. We grew up in the city. And people are not going to let the city just go. We're having a lot of trouble with our system. But you know, we have trouble with our governmental systems and agencies all over this country. We're not going to give up on democracy. If anything, it's actually going to strengthen our belief in it more and make us look for a deeper truth and participate more, so that's what we're...

HARRIS: Are you finding that deeper truth? That's an interesting way to phrase it. Are you finding it?

MARSALIS: Yes, I find it. I find it all the time. First, I find it in the response of the country in the aftermath of Katrina. And I find that many people are still concerned and still involved. And it's still just the problem a lot of times is, systems that are put in place to handle masses of people begin to abuse the people. And it's a thing that we have to work in our culture. And I think that the New Orleans situation is really bringing it front and center so we can see it. And it exists in a lot of our national life, not just in the disaster situation.

HARRIS: Are you a little disappointed, I don't want to put words in your mouth here, but are you a little disappointed, is that what I hear you saying, with some of the governmental structures that have been put into place that may not be working as efficiently as we'd all like them working to help people in the aftermath of Katrina?

MARSALIS: I'm not a little bit disappointed -- I'm very disappointed. And a lot of us on many levels worked on the mayor's commission to bring New Orleans back, and we came up with documents and papers, and we went all over the country doing interviews, and you know, we came up with all kinds of suggestions, and at the end of the day, we're all wondering what happened.

And yes, I'm very disappointed in New Orleans in many things that I see.

HARRIS: The culture committee, which you are part of, believes that New Orleans culture can be a catalyst to the city rebounding. I know you're a part of that. Do you really believe that?

MARSALIS: Well, I believe the culture is the most important thing you have for the centrality as a human being. And I think that the culture or cultural solution is important for our nation as a whole. When you understand who you are, you understand what you're doing. When you don't have a sense of who you are culturally, what are you out here for? What are you doing? What direction are you going? What do you give to your kids? How do you relate to your earlier generation? So I think culture is important to all of us.

HARRIS: Yes, but you've got to get the infrastructure right, don't you? You've got get the homes. You've got to get the jobs, which puts New Orleans in a strange situation. It is a city so dependent on tourism dollars. You've got to almost take the posture of build it and then they will come, don't you?

MARSALIS: Well, you know, even down to what you choose to build, what you build is a manifestation of your culture. So for me, culture is the very first thing, it's your identity, your sense of self.

HARRIS: OK.

MARSALIS: So of course we need homes.

HARRIS: Right.

MARSALIS: And we some people working on it. We have the systems of the (INAUDIBLE) homes, system is very slow, and we have a glut in systems. But we just hired a guy named Ed Blakley, and he's come in, and I think he's a fantastic guy. He's very smart, and he's going to lead the recovery effort, so I think we're going to see a great...

HARRIS: Well, let me asking something on the heels of that. Will the city and state, in your mind, have to subsidize the arts and artists, maybe to a greater degree than the city and state ever have, in order to bring folks back?

MARSALIS: Well, I think the city and state should subsidize the artists much more in New Orleans than any other place in the country, just because our calling card is the arts. And we don't really support it as much as we should. And I think that the country as a whole needs to have a ministry of culture, and we need to have a minister of culture in the sense of the importance of codifying things that are American to help nourish our young people and realize who we are in the world.

HARRIS: Wynton, if you would, take a moment to talk about this new CD that is going to be released next week, "The Plantation to the Penitentiary." When you look outside your door, at your world, what are you seeing? What is the critique that you're offering in this new CD? MARSALIS: Well, I'm looking at all of the things -- the systems, the homeless situation that we had, the kind of continuation of the plantation system, for putting people in jail for having some dope or something on them, kind of corruption in the legal system, many systems that we're all a victim of. It could be something as paying a bill being overcharged, or being charged on a charge for another charge, many things that we have all as citizens just accepted. We pay our tax dollars and they're used in any kind of just unimaginable ways. So I'm looking at all of those things, and I critique our country from the inside. I traveled around the country. I believe in democracy. I believe in this country. I think it's -- I've been to many other places in this world. I understand what a jewel we have in our system and in our country.

HARRIS: You're making a statement with the cover art as well, aren't you?

MARSALIS: Yes. We have a good package on this album. A young lady named Jessica Benjamin did a lot of very interesting artwork. It's very powerful, to kind of convey kind of the feeling, yes.

HARRIS: It really is.

Wynton, great to see you. Thanks for your time this morning.

MARSALIS: Man, it's my pleasure. Thank you.

HARRIS: And the best with the CD.

MARSALIS: All right, thanks a lot.

HARRIS: And your efforts in New Orleans.

MARSALIS: All right, y'all take care.

COLLINS: Speaking of music -- musical chairs in the White House briefing room.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HELEN THOMAS: I can shout from any place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Helen Thomas moves back, and it's apparently all our fault? See why, coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The queen of the White House press corps is losing her throne, thankfully not her head.

CNN's Jeanne Moos with moving day for Helen Thomas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From celebs in courtside seats to the front row at fashion shows, editors may hide behind sunglasses. But Helen Thomas isn't hiding on the front row of history.

HELEN THOMAS, HEARST COLUMNIST: My question is, why did you really want to go to war?

MOOS: It is not as if she didn't warn the president against calling on her.

THOMAS: You're going to be sorry.

(LAUGHTER)

MOOS: And often they were.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hold on for a second -- excuse me for a second, please. Excuse me for a second, Helen. Excuse me.

MOOS: She's used to putting them on the hot seat. But now it's her seat that is hot. The legendary reporter turned columnist is losing her front-row perch. The White House Briefing Room is closed for renovations. But when it reopens, Helen will be relegated to the second row.

(voice-over): So who would have the nerve to bump Helen Thomas from the front row? Well, actually, it's us. CNN and FOX News. Both of the networks want to move up. And the only way for that to happen is for Helen to move back.

(voice-over): Since CNN has seniority, we would have probably gotten a front row seat anyway, but for FOX to also get one, Helen had to move. After more than three decades in the front row, is Helen livid?

THOMAS: What I would like to know is why am I the story? There's a war going on.

MOOS: And she doesn't mean a war on her seat.

THOMAS: Are all of these stories untrue? Why...

BUSH: Let me finish? Ma'am, let me -- ma'am, please let me finish the question.

I can't thank the president enough for his hospitality. He didn't need to do this.

THOMAS: Yes, he did.

(LAUGHTER)

MOOS: She's used to challenging authority, not seating charts.

THOMAS: I don't belong there in the front row. I can shout from any place.

MOOS: One of Helen's books may need a new title "Second Row at the White House." The White House Correspondents Association determines the seating and its president declares: "We love her and we'll take care of her."

THOMAS: Wowie.

MOOS: She's the only person to have a plaque with her name attached to her seat. President Bush once said of sparing with Helen...

BUSH: It's kind of like dancing together, isn't it?

MOOS: She has danced with nine different presidents and made a cameo and a funny video Bill Clinton made for a press dinner.

BILL CLINTON, 42ND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Any questions? Helen?

THOMAS: Are you still here?

MOOS: She'll still be here, probably causing a row from two rows away, this cookie...

THOMAS: Let me put my cookie down here.

MOOS: ... doesn't crumble.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange where an Asian contagion is one of the culprits sending stocks sharply lower. I'll have details when NEWSROOM continues. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: CNN now confirming a tragic event in Iraq. Want to let you know, Iraqi TV earlier reported that a car bomb exploded on a soccer field killing 18 children who were playing there. Once again, CNN has confirmed that this car bomb did go off on the soccer field. The location, the western outskirts of Ramadi. That, of course, the capital of the Sunni-dominated Anbar Province. Eighteen children killed playing on a soccer field. More on that later and coming up on "YOUR WORLD TODAY" at noon.

And now to the stock market. A big sell-off on Wall Street. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange to explain why the market is reeling today. Hi there, Susan.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES) COLLINS: I'm just going to keep my eyes shut. All right, thank you, Susan.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: You can't read the thing. You can't look at the camera.

COLLINS: No, I jut go like this.

LEMON: You have it all memorized, anyway, don't you?

COLLINS: Oh, yes, three hours.

HARRIS: Don Lemon here.

LEMON: Are you guys doing all right? A lot coming up at 1:00.

Talk about a rude awakening. Scores of San Francisco residents jolted from their sleep this morning as a hillside collapses and sends huge boulders rolling into at least one apartment building. We'll get the very latest on that.

Then, it's a mother versus the British government in the bizarre custody dispute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where's my pork chop?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Connor McCready (ph) is just 8-years-old but weighs nearly 200 pounds. Now, British officials are threatening to take him into protective custody for the sake of his health. And we want to hear from you on this one. Obese kids, should local officials get involved? Send your thoughts to cnnnewsroom@CNN.com and tune in at 1:00 p.m. Eastern with Kyra Phillips and me in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: All right, thanks so much, Don, we'll be watching. And as Don says, CNN NEWSROOM continues just one hour from now.

HARRIS: "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next with news happening across the globe and here at home. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: And I'm Heidi Collins. Have a great day, everybody.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com