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Homeless Woman Charged in Chicago Fire Deaths; U.S. Army Surgeon General Resigns; Florida Brush Fire

Aired March 12, 2007 - 15:00   ET

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

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Kiran Chetry, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Kyra Phillips is on assignment.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.

Happening right now: a suspect just charged in the deaths of four people in this weekend apartment fire. We're standing by for a news conference from Chicago.

CHETRY: The flames contained, and now the search is on for an arsonist, a stolen car behind these threatening flames. We're live from the scene of the blaze in California.

LEMON: Well, some call it being on call in hell. A Navy doc joins us this hour to share his tale from the front lines treating the wounded.

You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Top of the hour, and happening now: a live press conference scheduled to happen very soon in Chicago. Four counts of murder is what this person is charged with, a homeless woman, for the deaths of four people in a fire over the weekend in Chicago. Police believe that she set fire to this building, as well as several others, killing four people, wounding a lot of others.

One man still in the hospital jumped out of a third-floor window here. Those are the pictures from the aftermath of that fire this weekend. We're following the story for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

CHETRY: And there's new information as well about that fire in Orange County that scorched more than 2,000 acres and counting. According to the Orange County Fire Authority, they say this was arson. He says that the blaze started when a stolen vehicle was set on fire. That then ignited nearby brush.

It's certainly been an extremely dry situation there -- a red flag warning, as they call it, meaning a high risk for fire. And that certainly was the case. This has been one of the driest winters on record. Right now, though, firefighters have this blaze 80 percent contained. And they are going to continue doing work on it.

The mandatory evacuation orders for people living in the area of Anaheim Hills have been lifted. People are being told they can return to their homes. But it is on a voluntary basis, because, again, the situation could shift. Right now, they are hoping on the cooler temperatures and the winds calming down a little bit. They are hoping that certainly will stick.

So, we are going to find out more about what we can expect there.

Rob Marciano is following the very latest, from the intense heat out West, to the stormy skies in the South.

Hi, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Kiran.

If we could only switch some of that storminess from the South over toward the Southwest, we would be in business. But, of course, that's not the way the weather works.

As you mentioned, it's been one of the drier wet seasons. Typically, January and February is when SoCal gets the bulk of their yearly rain. So far, they have had less than two inches rainfall. Typically, by this time of the year, they would have nine inches or so -- so, dramatically below average as far as moisture is. It's all shooting up into the Pacific Northwest. And very little of it has gotten down towards the Southwest.

And, today, in the past couple of days, on top of the dry weather, we have got an offshore wind, which, as you know, dries things out even more, because you take air from over the deserts, up and over the mountains, compress that air. It heats it up. And you don't get that cooling effect from the ocean.

Eighty-two degrees this hour in Los Angeles, and so not even to the noon hour for those folks, and they are seeing temperatures already into the 80s. They will get into the lower 90s today, with record-breaking temperatures expected. Ninety-three is a possibility -- the old record, 86 -- Long Beach, 92.

Good news is, tomorrow, we will see the winds shift just a little bit, and that should bring in some cooler ocean air and die the winds down as well -- high temperatures in L.A. tomorrow probably right around 70 -- so, a big, big difference. And it will be much better tomorrow -- but red flag warnings, as you mentioned, Kiran, extended through this afternoon. And then tomorrow looks a lot better -- back to you.

CHETRY: Oh, well, that's good news. We hope that weather lasts and sticks.

Thanks so much, Rob.

MARCIANO: You bet.

CHETRY: Don.

LEMON: Let's talk about now the Army -- the scandal at the Walter Reed Army Hospital. It claims another major casualty. CNN has learned Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley, the Army's top doc, has been fired.

We're all over this developing story for you here in the NEWSROOM.

Let's go straight to the Pentagon and our correspondent, Barbara Starr.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, I have to tell you, here in the Pentagon hallways, none of this really a big surprise, somewhat anticipated for the last couple of weeks, since the scandal at Walter Reed unfolded.

Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley is the Army's surgeon general, the top doc, turning in his resignation today, really at the request of the acting secretary of the Army, Pete Geren, who talked about all of this earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE GEREN, ACTING U.S. ARMY SECRETARY: We have already moved out, working with many of you here in this room, and are aggressively making much-needed reform, implementing the action plan, led by the vice chief of staff of the Army, General Dick Cody.

Of equal importance are the changes under way in the leadership of Army medicine and at Walter Reed. Yesterday, Lieutenant General Kevin Kiley submitted his request for retirement. General Kiley is a dedicated physician, and our nation is grateful to his -- for his service to our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: But, Don, to be clear, it's a delicate situation -- clearly, Kiley forced out, told he no longer had a job -- General Kiley a subject of much controversy on Capitol Hill during the past several days of congressional hearings about the health care scandal, a lot of criticism that he simply wasn't contrite enough about what had happened there -- so, clearly, the leadership of the Army and Defense Secretary Robert Gates feeling that General Kiley could not remain in his job while they were trying to fix all of this -- of course, now the third person to lose his job in this matter -- the previous secretary of the Army having lost his job, Francis Harvey -- the previous commander at Walter Reed, General George Weightman, also being told to step aside, and now General Kiley.

Tomorrow, Don, the commission at the Pentagon appointed to look into all of this and come up with some solutions will have its first meeting.

LEMON: Oh, yes.

STARR: Don.

LEMON: Yes. Yes.

And you were -- Barbara, you did say in the halls of the Pentagon, not a surprise, right? So, then why did it take so long for Kiley to be fired, then? What are they saying there at the Pentagon?

STARR: Well, you know, I think it became a very delicate matter. I think they wanted to get through this round of congressional hearings last week, see how it went.

General Kiley was asked publicly several times during these hearings about whether or not perhaps he should retire. And he clearly was resisting that. He used the phrase skill sets. He said he still believed that he had the skill sets to do the job, that he wanted to be part of the solution.

But, to be very clear, many of these problems erupted back when General Kiley was the commander at Walter Reed, back in the 2004 time frame. So, it was becoming very difficult for him to stay on -- I think it's pretty clear the Army, the Pentagon, the Bush administration wanting to make a clean break of it, and just simply get on with it.

LEMON: Yes.

STARR: Don.

LEMON: Move on.

OK. Thank you very much, Barbara Starr.

CHETRY: He's supposed to be bringing goodwill, but bad mojo is what some Mayan priests in Guatemala say they are getting from the visiting President Bush. The priests plan to -- quote -- "spiritually cleanse an ancient Mayan site after the president tours it today."

Such resentment has plagued Mr. Bush throughout his Latin America trip. The president was met with protests at every stop.

LEMON: Well, he is the nation's legal eagle. And some want to clip his wings -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales facing calls to step down, after an internal Justice Department probe and the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.

The probe found the FBI abused the Patriot Act, and the prosecutors claim they were sacked for political reasons. Leading Senate Democrats say Gonzales puts politics above the law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Attorney General Gonzales and his department has been even more political than his predecessor, Attorney General Ashcroft. This department has been so political that I think, for the sake of the nation, Attorney General Gonzales should step down.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: A Justice Department spokesman says Gonzales is demanding a new level of accountability and has a record of rooting out corruption. CHETRY: Well, there is a happy ending -- thank goodness -- to this story. It was brief, but terrifying for a family, after a newborn was kidnapped in Texas, brief, too, though, but just as heartfelt, a news conference by the little girl's grateful, relieved family. That was live in -- that was in Lubbock, Texas.

And now live with more on that, CNN's Keith Oppenheim.

Hi, Keith.

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kiran.

We got to see a little bit of this reunion ourselves here at the Covenant Medical Center. The newborn is Mychael Dawodu. She's just five days old today. And she came into this room with her parents.

Our hope was, because they had quite an ordeal over the weekend, as you said, that we would get a chance to talk to this family a little bit, to get a sense of what their experience was.

But this is a family that is very private, did not say much, except the dad, Mike Dawodu, did express some thanks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL DAWODU, FATHER OF MYCHAEL DAWODU: I mean, basically, the same thing he said. We have said it all. Thank you, God, basically, for everything you did, Amber Alert, Covenant Hospital. And that's all we have to say for the time being.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OPPENHEIM: The suspect in this case is 21-year-old Rayshaun Parson. She had an extradition hearing a little bit earlier today in Clovis, New Mexico. That's about 100 miles away from here in Lubbock. And that's where...

LEMON: OK, Keith. Thank you. My mike wasn't open.

We are going to have to break out of that, because we want to take you to Chicago, where they are holding a press conference to talk about that deadly fire over the weekend.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... fire personnel on the scene, who informed police that there were four victims in the third-floor apartment consumed by the fire.

The fire appeared to have started in the stairwell between the second and third floors and spread quickly. Three males and one female were in the only occupied unit in the rear of the building.

A 21-year-old male in the rear apartment either managed to jump or fall out of the window, and remains in serious condition. Now, I have to say that the community really played a pivotal role in this investigation. And this is a community alert that was issued based on that incident. They provided detectives with an excellent description of the offender in question. And a man who was walking his dog observed Mary Smith standing outside the Fremont building approximately 15 minutes before the Fremont fire ignited.

Another witness alerted police at the scene of the Fremont fire that she knew of several smaller fires on the 3,500 block of North Rita (ph). And that occurred six hours earlier, at approximately 12:20 a.m.

Now, based on that description, police were able to generate the community alert that I just held up for you, and distributed that alert throughout the area.

Now, I would like to make available for questions Commander Ed O'Donnell of the Bomb and Arson Section and Commander Tom Byrne of Area 3 Detective Division.

Thank you.

I will leave that to...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE) you want to handle that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead...

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

We received a community tip based on the community alert that told us that a person fitting the description from the community alert was seen in the area of Barry (ph) and Broadway. We responded to that location, searched the general area, and found her in a coffee shop in that vicinity.

QUESTION: What was that -- what time?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was later in the evening on Saturday. It was about probably around 9:00 or so.

QUESTION: What was her demeanor? Did she say anything?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She made some statements to the detectives, but her demeanor was very calm. She was coherent at the time and that, and sort of quiet. She didn't really make any comments.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have no idea.

COMMANDER THOMAS BYRNE, CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT AREA 3 DETECTIVE DIVISION: All right. I am Thomas Byrne, B-Y-R-N-E. I am the commander of the Area 3 Detective Division.

So, I will take any questions you may have of the detectives.

And, before I do so, I just want to thank the detectives that are behind me from both Bomb and Arson and Area 3. This, again, unfortunately was a very hard scene to deal with. And they -- they really did a great job in a short amount of time and pulled the case together. So, to them, I say thank you.

And please go ahead.

QUESTION: Has she provided any (OFF-MIKE) to police or FBI agents for why she started the fire?

BYRNE: Yes, we do -- I won't get into specifics on a statement, just like always, basically. But she did give self-incriminating statements to us. And, additionally, we have witness accounts. And she has been identified in numerous lineups.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

BYRNE: You know, I am going to turn that over to Commander O'Donnell, if you don't mind.

COMMANDER EDWARD O'DONNELL, CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT BOMB AND ARSON SECTION: Yes, my name is Commander Edward J. O'Donnell.

LEMON: OK.

You are listening to a press conference -- it's happening in Chicago at the Chicago Police Department -- talking about that deadly fire.

Apparently, here's what happened. A homeless woman, they believe, was observed by some neighbors. Specifically, a man walking his dog said he observed her for about 15 or 20 minutes. She was sort of suspicious. And, then, all of a sudden, all these fires happening with, you know, six hours apart, at least two of them.

This biggest one, where four people died, according to the police detective there, he said there were three people at home at the time, three males -- or four people -- three males, one female.

There was also a man, a 21-year-old man, at home who either jumped or fell three floors, and is still in serious condition. This is the one woman -- one of the women who died in this apartment fire. And that woman is 24-year-old Jennifer Carlson, a single mom who was studying to become a massage therapist while working as a waitress to support her son.

Now, according to police, her 23-year-old roommate was a recent college grad, as well, and, apparently, he was home. But the baby, her baby, was at a baby-sitter. So, that baby didn't die in all of this.

But this woman is charged with four counts of murder, found in a coffee shop not far from -- from where these fires took place.

They're still having the press conference. If you would like to continue to monitor or watch that press conference live, you can go to CNN.com/Pipeline. And that press conference is happening there. We will continue to monitor it here on CNN, the big network. And, if there are any developments coming out of that, we will bring that to you live right here.

CHETRY: And still ahead: A doctor volunteers to go to Iraq, and ends up in the middle of one of the fiercest battles of the war. Ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, a Bronze Star recipient shares his story and his insights on medical care in the military.

LEMON: Well, he is a U.S. senator and an actor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED THOMPSON, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: I think the American people are deciding what they want. I think they are looking for maybe something a little different in politics nowadays.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I recognize that guy now. It's Fred Thompson. Will he pull a Ronald Reagan?

We will find out straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: A lot of breaking news happening today in the CNN NEWSROOM -- this is not California. This is Florida.

And it's Osceola County. I think it's near Tallahassee, Florida, is where this is happening. Look at that, going right over the interstate here, right over the Florida Turnpike. It's -- it's near Vero Beach, Florida, I'm being told by producers here.

Look at this, going right over the interstate, right over the turnpike. It's closed in Osceola County, at least that part of the turnpike. And we're saying -- we're getting word that this is due to a brushfire, not exactly sure how it started. And I'm sure it's causing a real mess with traffic.

And you can see -- there you go, absolutely. Traffic is stopped there and backed up. You can see that 18-wheeler right in front. But these are brushfires happening on the turnpike. It's closed in Osceola County, Florida.

We will continue to monitor this, as well as the news out of California, with the fires there, and the news out of Chicago, with that fire as well, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

CHETRY: Well, spring hasn't even sprung. Gas prices, though, have already made the leap to summer, it seems.

CNN's Allan Chernoff went to Jersey City, New Jersey, to find out why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New Jersey has some of the cheapest gas in the nation. Yet, even here, drivers are frustrated, watching prices at the pump shoot higher.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think it's a little strange, prices going up in the middle of February.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why does the price keep going up? I don't understand this. It just keeps going up. When is it going to stop?

CHERNOFF: Station owner Yefim Blitshteyn says he doesn't understand why the price he pays keeps jumping. What's going on?

YEFIM BLITSHTEYN, GAS STATION OWNER: I don't know what's going on. Maybe somebody making money.

CHERNOFF: So, we spoke to Yefim's supplier, Michael Pasinkovsky, who's just as frustrated. He says the wholesale price at which he buys is up 44 cents a gallon since the beginning of last month. He's heard news reports of a supply shortage, but says that's not true.

MICHAEL PASINKOVSKY, GASOLINE SUPPLIER: I didn't see no shortages. We still have the same amount of product. And -- and I can buy product whenever I want to. And it's product always there.

CHERNOFF: Michael is right. There is no shortage. In fact, the nation's supply of gasoline is a bit higher than usual for this time of year. But there is a reason gas prices are climbing.

Some refineries are closing facilities for maintenance and repairs. And that drop in production has energy traders pushing prices higher.

CHRIS MATRONI, ENERGY TRADER: When you hear a refinery has problems, goes down, gets shut down, explosion, you're going to get a spike in prices.

CHERNOFF (on camera): As we get closer to summertime, more refiners will have to temporarily shut production in order to switch their manufacturing to a cleaner-burning summertime blend of gasoline, which, in turn, will push prices even higher.

The bottom line, by the time peak driving season arrives, many of us could be paying $3 a gallon.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, Jersey City, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well, he has been a U.S. senator and an actor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) THOMPSON: I think the American people are deciding what they want. I think they are looking for maybe something a little different in politics nowadays.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Will actor Fred Thompson pull a Ronald Reagan? That's straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Two men, two friends united in grief -- they came to America in search of a better life, and that dream was destroyed last week, when fire raced through the house the two families shared in the Bronx. One man lost his wife and four children. The other lost five children.

At this hour, relatives, neighbors, strangers, they're all gathered at the Islamic Cultural Center to remember the victims. One man plans to bury his children in New Jersey. And the other wants to take his wife and children back to their native Mali.

LEMON: Explosions and evacuations in the heart of New York State -- a freight train derailed this morning in Oneida, just east of Syracuse.

At least six of the tanker cars caught fire -- their cargo, propane gas. People living closest to the site have been ordered out. Schools and businesses are closed. And firefighters are hosing down other tankers that aren't burning, while keeping an eye on those that are.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEPUTY CHIEF MIKE WHIPPLE, ONEIDA, NEW YORK, FIRE DEPARTMENT: If you can't shut it off, you have got to let it burn. That's basically it. If you can -- if you can shut off the vapor, or the leak, then you can attempt to it -- you know, put it out. But, if you can't -- if you can't, you have got to let it burn, so the fuel is gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And, so far, no reports of injuries, and no known cause of that derailment.

CHETRY: "You better catch him before we do." Among the hundreds of phone tips that have flooded the NYPD, that was a bit of advice regarding the mugger who beat and robbed two elderly woman -- women -- a week ago. And, when we say elderly, very elderly -- one was 85. She was the younger victim -- the older victim, 101 years old.

CNN's Jim Acosta is in our New York bureau with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's not every day that a local crime story in New York gains national attention.

The attacker who mugged those two elderly women has been dubbed public enemy number one by one city paper. New York's Police commissioner, Ray Kelly, said, "We want to stop him before he strikes again."

So, police have beefed up their presence in the Queens neighborhood where 101-year-old Rose Morat was mugged in the entry to her apartment building. The brutal attack left Morat with a fractured cheekbone, while the mugger walked away with $33. But that was just his first of two attacks on elderly women.

Eighty-five-year-old Solange Elizee says she was also beaten and robbed by the same man. Elizee says her assailant walked away with $45 and, of all things, her wedding ring.

SOLANGE ELIZEE, MUGGING VICTIM: I'm closing my door, and he pushed me, close the door, begun to beat me all my face, give me -- oh. And then he say, "I get you."

ACOSTA: Elizee has been so terrified by the mugging, she now wants to move out of her apartment. New Yorkers, who are accustomed to hearing about big-city crime, are understandably outraged.

But people in the city are also praising both of the victims for their courage. Neighbors describe 101-year-old Morat as spry and feisty.

JENEEN FRASER, NEIGHBOR: She is a sweet lady. She's very spry for her age. She walks, exercises all the time. She is such a lovely lady. And I just feel bad that that happened to her.

ACOSTA: And New York police are asking people in the city to be on the lookout for the man in the security camera image. And, if they have information, they are urged to, as they say in this town, call the cops.

Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Let's talk about the stress of war. It takes a toll on soldiers returning from the battlefield -- now high-tech help back here on the home front.

CHETRY: It had all the makings of a major political announcement, but this possible presidential candidate actually surprised a lot of people today.

We are going to hear what he said -- that's Senator Chuck Hagel -- ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: All right. We want to show you some of these live pictures right now coming into the CNN newsroom. This is a Florida brushfire. It's on the turnpike in an area called Canonsville (ph). It's southeast of Kissimmee St. Cloud, an area where a lot of people stay when they are going to Disney world. It looks like the reason that parts of the turnpike were shut down is not necessarily because of the flames but because of the smoke making visibility quite a bear in that area. As you can see from the pictures, the fire still burning and the big smoke plumes that are coming out from that making driving difficult. For safety reasons, Florida authorities thought the best thing to do would be to close down some portions of the Florida turnpike just to make sure. There you can see there are fire trucks on the scene. They're doing their best to douse those flames. So a brush fire in the south as the southeast part of the country is also dealing with some major problems because of fire.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: It looks like they are pulling water right there from a reservoir. We'll continue to update you on this story.

We're going to move on now, talk about Senator Chuck Hagel. There was an announcement about not announcing. When Chuck Hagel called a press conference today about his political plans, many assumed he was jumping into the presidential race. But that's not the case. Hagel announced he was putting off, that's a quote, a decision about a possible White House bid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R) NEBRASKA: I am here today to announce that my family and I will make a decision on my political future later this year. In making this announcement, I believe there will still be political options open to me at a later date. But that will depend on the people of Nebraska and this country. I cannot control that. And I do not worry about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: If he does decide to run, Hagel has a lot of work to do. A new CNN opinion research poll shows almost 80 percent of Americans haven't formed an opinion about the senator from Nebraska. Chuck Hagel is Mr. Republican on just about every issue but one -- the war in Iraq. You can trace that to his Vietnam experience.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice-over): When Chuck Hagel declares the Iraq war is looking more and more like Vietnam, he speaks from first-hand experience. He's tasted fear in his gut, felt bullets whiz by his head, battle the claustrophobia of a dense jungle. Hagel and his brother Tom served together in Vietnam in 1968 as army infantry squad leaders. A landmine blew out his eardrums. He returned home with two purple hearts. As with all combat veterans, Vietnam left a lasting impression.

SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R) NEBRASKA: The thing that -- among other things that always sticks with me is the whistle of bullets stripping jungles. When a machine gun opens up or an automatic weapon opens up, in a jungle where there is great foliage, the whistle sound and not just the rat tat tat from the gun but what the bullets do to strip a jungle.

LEMON: Out of the army, Hagel plunged into broadcast journalism working as a radio newscaster and a talk show host. After two years behind the microphone, Hagel served six years as an administrative aide for a Nebraska congressman on Capitol Hill. Next up, three years as a lobbyist, then a successful career in the corporate world. Among his achievements, he co-founded the Vanguard cellular systems. Hagel was first elected to Senate in 1996, an upset victory over then Nebraska Governor Ben Nelson. His political heroes are Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower. Hagel was born and raised in Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: And a better known figure is also pondering a run. He's an actor turned lawmaker turned actor again. CNN's Gary Nurenberg has more on former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Known to millions of voters from his role on the television program "Law & Order" --

FRED THOMPSON: Tell his attorney we're preparing a counter offer.

NURENBERG: Fred Dalton Thompson may be preparing a counter offer for Republican voters. Thompson said Sunday he's considering running for president.

THOMPSON: I think the American people are deciding what they want. I think they are looking for maybe something a little different in politics nowadays.

NURENBERG: Thompson is different after gaining national attention. After gaining national attention as a lawyer on the Senate Watergate committee, he entered private practice, began acting, served eight years in the United States Senate, deciding not to seek re- election in 2002. Acting again, he played a president in the 2005 film "Last Best Chance."

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R) SOUTH CAROLINA: I think he makes a great president in the movies and might make a great one in real life.

NURENBERG: In real life, Thompson helped Supreme Court nominee John Roberts prepare for his nomination hearings.

RICH GALEN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: I think Thompson gets to straddle the fence as insider/outsider.

NURENBERG: Rich Galen is a Republican strategist who compares Thompson to Ronald Reagan.

GALEN: Fred Thompson has the capability of attracting an audience, holding an audience, making the audience understand his point of view and getting them to believe him because that's what actors do.

NURENBERG: Thompson may find support among conservatives who haven't yet found a candidate they think can win. Opposed to abortion and gay marriage, raising money for convicted former Dick Cheney aide Scooter Libby's legal fund, Thompson could be what the right is looking for.

ROBERT DOLE (R) FMR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's a conservative, and there is some question on the Republican side if we really have a true conservative in the race.

NURENBERG: Thompson says his decision depends in part on how well existing candidates do.

DOLE: I don't think he's just going to get into the race for the fun of it. He wants to get into the race, he wants to know that he can probably have a chance at winning.

NURENBERG: Is there room for another candidate?

THOMPSON: Oh, sure. There's always room for one more.

NURENBERG: Thompson says his decision will, quote, become apparent a little later this year. Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: March madness is here. Boy, we're not talking about basketball. We're talking about gas prices. They are jumping even though the peak summer driving season is still months away, Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. I said to you, it's funny how that always happens when it's time to drive again, isn't it?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No coincidence here. That March madness is going to translate into April anger and so forth for these months where people get out in their cars and drive to their holiday vacation spots. All that pain at the pump, many drivers are feeling it already. Allan Chernoff has been talking about it all day. So just how much does a gallon of regular gasoline cost now? The Lundberg survey says on average $2.55. That's up 20 cents in just the last two weeks and the highest level since September. Drivers in San Francisco already dealing with prices that top 3 bucks a gallon. The upcoming summer season means more driving and some analysts say we could even see $3 a gallon gas again.

LEMON: Again.

LISOVICZ: It's not like it's not happened before.

LEMON: Yeah, remember that last year. We kept going. It's going to hit five bucks, I know it, I know it. We can sit here and talk about it and kind of joke a little bit about it, but it's really serious stuff because people have to change their lifestyle because of these high prices.

LISOVICZ: A lot of reasons. And this is really one of the most dramatic examples of that, Don, the move to public transportation picking up and not just here in New York where it's a fact of life. The American Public Transportation Association says that last year, Americans took more than 10 billion trips on mass transit and that is the highest level in nearly 50 years, public transit use up 30 percent since 1995. The trade group says not only do people save money, they also avoid traffic and the added stress. The advantages are even leading some companies like Google, for instance, to pay for shuttle bus service to work.

Turning to the markets, major averages are cruising along right now sort of at the break even point much of the session, but getting a boost from a drop in oil prices -- imagine that and several corporate mergers. In one deal, the discount retailer Dollar General being acquired for about $7 billion. Shares of Dollar General soaring 25 percent. Those deals offsetting concerns about mounting problems for sub-prime lenders. The worry now that it could hurt the entire housing sector. Home builders are feeling the pain today. Beazer Homes, Lennar, Pulte and DR Horton, all home builders and all down more than 4 percent. But the overall market is doing OK. The Dow Industrials up 29 points or 1/4 of a percent. The Nasdaq is up 10 to nearly 1/2 a percent. That's the latest from Wall Street. Kiran and Don, back to you.

LEMON: Man, the housing market. They don't need anything else to hurt it. It's bad.

LISOVICZ: That is exactly right.

LEMON: All right Susan. We'll check back with you. Thank you so much.

CHETRY: One of the major corporate players in the war in Iraq is moving its base of operations overseas. The impending move to Dubai announced yesterday by Halliburton is not being welcomed in some places in Washington. And with more on that, CNN's Brianna Keilar. Hi Brianna

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kiran, not being welcomed specifically on Capitol Hill and specifically with Democrats. For instance, Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, this is what he said. He said it's an example of corporate greed at its worst. This is an insult to the U.S. soldiers and taxpayers who paid the tab for their no-bid contracts and endured their overcharges for all these years. At the same time, they'll be avoiding U.S. taxes, I'm sure they won't stop insisting on taking their profits in cold hard U.S. cash. Meanwhile critics, some like the anti-Halliburton watchdog Halliburton Watch questioned if the company is doing this to get out of paying taxes.

CHARLIE CRAY, HALLIBURTON WATCH: For instance, is it going to be harder for IRS auditors to read their books in Dubai than it would have been if they had stayed in Houston? We're not sure. So, you know, this raises all sorts of questions.

KEILAR: And there are a lot of questions especially because Halliburton in a statement said that it's maintaining its legal registration in the U.S., that it's going to keep its corporate office in Houston. So will this change its tax structure? Halliburton is being unclear about that. Meanwhile, Congressman Henry Waxman, chairman of the House oversight government reform committee not unleashing as much fury as Senator Leahy, but certainly he has some concerns. He said this is a surprising development. I want to understand the ramifications for the U.S. taxpayers and national security. And Kiran, an aide with that committee says that hearings on this are a possibility.

CHETRY: All right, Brianna. One more question for you. Why the move to Dubai of all places?

KEILAR: It's kind of hard to tell because CNN has been making phone calls to Halliburton. We haven't received any response to that, although a Halliburton spokesperson did respond to us via e-mail. We asked if they received economic incentives and Halliburton didn't answer that particular question, Kiran.

CHETRY: All right, Brianna Keilar, thanks so much.

LEMON: A doctor volunteers to go to Iraq and ends up in the middle of one of the fiercest battles of the war. Ahead in the NEWSROOM, a bronze star recipient shares his story and his insights on medical care in the military.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: A medical report is due out just minutes from now on Iraq war veterans and mental problems arising from their service. Our next guest knows all too well about the stress of a combat zone.

He was a Navy doctor pulling wounded Marines from the front lines of this intense battle in Fallujah. He saw all kinds of injuries that left physical and mental scars. Dr. Richard Jadick has written a book called "On Call in Hell." He joins me from north Augusta, South Carolina today. Great to see you, doctor.

DR. RICHARD JADICK, AUTHOR, "ON CALL IN HELL": Thank you. Thank you for having me.

CHETRY: We are just giving some sketchy details about this medical report because we will be able to talk about it in about 10 or 15 minutes in more detail. But can anyone really enter a combat zone and see the things that you all have seen at the battle of Fallujah and come out unchanged?

JADICK: No. You know, I talk about this frequently with guys who have been and guys who have come back and, you know, overall, I think everybody comes home with some ghosts. Now I don't know if that always translates into post-traumatic stress disorder or not, but we all live with it in our own ways.

CHETRY: Let's back up a little bit and talk about how you ended up on the front lines in this battle of Fallujah providing medical care, trying to save lives. How did you get there? JADICK: For me, I was -- I had always been a military man. I've been in the Marine Corps for six years and then went to medical school and had spent some time in Bethesda for two years of general surgery before the urology program closed. I went back to the Marines after 9/11 and subsequently got deployed with the first battalion 8th Marines because they need a doctor and I was sitting around pushing paper. I said to my boss, the division surgeon at the time, I said, sure if you need somebody, I can make it.

CHETRY: What did you see there that would surprise us everyday Americans the most?

JADICK: I think overall what would surprise most Americans is the sacrifice that each of these men and women put out for each other. I mean, they really go the full way just for the comrades in arms. That's why I was there. It was amazing to witness the teamwork that occurred, the sacrifice and nobody out there did it for money, for fame, for power. They did it for each other and they did it because they were afraid to fail. And that's a very motivating factor.

CHETRY: And it must be because you talk about personal sacrifice. You left your wife and five-day-old baby girl to go there to Iraq. How did you do that?

JADICK: Well, there's a point before any deployment when I speak of this, anybody who is deployed will understand exactly what I'm saying, that you turn yourself off. You have to be somewhat distant from your family so that you can make that final step away from your family to get on to that airplane and deploy with the unit. For me, that's what I did. I knew, as time went on, that I had to integrate myself more into the battalion and still, though, integrate it with my wife and the delivery of my baby. I still had to step back a little bit and somewhat seal myself off emotionally so I could make that step because I will tell you, when I saw my little girl born, there was a very strong pull not to go.

CHETRY: And it's an unbelievable sacrifice for the families, too, as you describe that pulling away. Why did you decide to write the book?

JADICK: I wrote the book -- initially several people had approached me about writing a book and I am a resident. I'm currently -- at that point I was a third-year resident in urology down here at MSG in Georgia. And I don't have a lot of time. So initially I turned it down. I had begun to get these e-mails from people who had lost soldiers, sailors, Marines over in Iraq. And from some of the Marines and sailors I had gone over with, who said, if you have the opportunity you need to tell the stories. As time went on, I decided that it was probably OK to tell the stories. It was something that needed to be done, and I linked up with Penguin (ph) publishing who took it from there.

CHETRY: You are the recipient of the bronze star with the combat "V" for valor, the only Navy doctor to get one so far in Iraq. And the book is called "On Call in Hell." It's out now if people want to learn more about the unbelievable stories you have to tell. Commander Richard Jadick, thanks for being with us.

JADICK: Thank you very much for having me.

LEMON: And more breaking news into the CNN NEWSROOM here. We're being told about a gas well explosion in Parker County, Texas. That is west of Ft. Worth. We're getting some reports from our affiliate there that there are people who are injured. Now that affiliate, our affiliate there in Texas, has a chopper on the way to the scene. As soon as we can get you some pictures on that, we'll bring it to you and some more information as well. But again, a gas well explosion, Parker County, Texas. As soon as we get that information for you, we'll bring it right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're going to take a short break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Bug bites and dehydration, no one's idea of fun, right? No.

CHETRY: Oh, mine, of course.

LEMON: But they sure beat the fate that one Louisiana man thought would befall him as days went by. He stayed lost in the bayou.

CHETRY: As we were saying, you don't ever want to be lost there. Rick Sanchez has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Billy Adams loves living on the water so much because he can go fishing every chance he gets.

KEITH ADAMS, BOATER'S SON: He got to live his dream. That was his dream to live on the water.

SANCHEZ: On this trip, though, something goes terribly wrong. Rough weather sends his boat off course. He runs aground, gets stuck in the mud. After five days, he tries to swim for help. Clinging to a gas can, he's got nothing to eat, nothing to drink. And just swamp water to keep him alive. A week passes and still, he's lost in the bayou. Then, Saturday, day nine, new hope. Fishermen spot something in the water.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got out there, we're fishing and then we see something yellow about 100 yards away and it moved every once in a while. Out pops this guy. And --

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Well, he survived and we apologize for cutting in. We want to show you. This is Parker County, Texas, that gas well explosion we told you about. You can see the plume of flames and smoke, black smoke just shooting out of this. The explosion happened, we're told, just before 2:00 p.m. and that would be 2:00 p.m. Central. And this is our affiliate WFAA in Parker County, Texas, there. They are on the scene of this fire. The flames can be seen, as you can see, just hundreds of feet away from this. Boy, Kiran it really looks like it's just going there.

CHETRY: Yeah, I mean it certainly has a lot of fuel there with that explosion and the thick, black smoke that you can see there for miles. And when we -- we were just talking earlier about another one of these fires. I think it was the train fire with the explosion there of propane. And the firefighters said you got to let it burn in some of these instances because it's more dangerous putting it out.

LEMON: It looks like a couple of trucks are on fire as well there and they look just completely demolished. We don't know exactly what caused this, just how bad, the extent of the damage here but you can see, man, it is really going. We're going to continue to follow this and have details for you. We'll be back in just a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Well it is about that time, the closing bell getting set to ring on Wall Street.

LEMON: Susan Lisovicz standing by. Boy the day went by quickly. Oh, Susan Lisovicz not standing by, that's right. Sorry. Let's take a look at the big board. Why don't we do that, get something right here. The bell is about to ring. Three, two, one. There we go right there. Dow is up 36 points, 12,000 for the Nasdaq. It's up. So that's got to be a good day, right?

CHETRY: That's a good way to start the week.

LEMON: Thanks for joining me today. We'll see you tomorrow. Let's send it over to "The Situation Room" and Wolf Blitzer. Hi Wolf.

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