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Pregnant Woman Murdered; Fire Rages at Lake Tahoe; Paris Hilton to be Released From Jail Tomorrow

Aired June 25, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have their names right now. If you'll follow with Sergeant Brady, he'll be able to get you some of that information if he has the names.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The question concerned the scene here, but I didn't catch what it was.

QUESTION: The scene here -- were the two alone? Are there any direct witnesses? And what's the best indirect witness statement you've gotten here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The examination room where the shooting took place is an examination room much like one that we have all been in. It's on the first floor of this building, and across the hallway is the MRI room where the MRI scan would have occurred.

The officer and the subject were alone in that room. My understanding is that there was nobody immediately at the area...

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Twenty-seven-year-old Curtis Michael Allgier, he was a prisoner there in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was supposed to receive medical treatment when he stole the gun of Steven Anderson (ph), the officer that was taking him to the medical examiner's room.

He's with the corrections department. He was killed after Allgier took his gun, led police on a high-speed chase. They finally captured him at a nearby Arby's restaurant.

We'll continue to follow a very sad story of a known white supremacist, a murder suspect who nearly escaped prison.

The next hour of CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips.

The pictures tell the story, but the numbers are pretty scary, too. Two hundred and twenty homes and buildings destroyed, 2,500 acres burned, 800 firefighters trying to hold ground.

LEMON: That scene is in South Lake Tahoe, California, a formerly pristine wilderness.

We're live on the fire lines, and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

But first we start with this -- two arrests, plenty of unanswered questions. What happened to 26-year-old Jessie Davis in the last moments of her life and the life of her unborn baby?

The body of the Ohio woman, nine months pregnant, was found in a national park over the weekend. Now two people are due in court shortly, one charged with murder, the other with obstructing justice.

Let's go straight to Canton, Ohio, and CNN's Jim Acosta.

Jim, what's the latest?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, well, in about an hour, there will be an initial court appearance for Bobby Cutts, Jr. and Myisha Ferrell. Bobby Cutts, Jr. is the Canton police officer and also the father of Jessie Davis' 2-year-old son and possibly the father of her unborn child.

Myisha Ferrell is an associate of Bobby Cutts and was arrested over the weekend. And just before this court appearance, authorities here in Canton, Ohio, filed some new charging documents in this case, and these charging documents do provide some new details as to what authorities say happened to Jessie Davis inside her home before she disappeared.

According to these charges documents, authorities now believe, and they are now saying, that Bobby Lee Cutts, Jr. did kill Jessie Davis at her home. So, this goes to that question that came up time and again last week as to why authorities were not calling this an abduction, not calling it a kidnapping.

The FBI even got involved at one time thinking that this was a kidnapping that might have involved bringing Ms. Davis out of state. But no, now the authorities are saying that Bobby Lee Cutts, Jr. -- they're making this allegation in this charging document -- killed Jessie Marie Davis in her home and caused the death of her unborn child, and a child that possibly was his.

Meanwhile, Myisha Ferrell, her charging documents state that she is being charged with obstruction of justice. That charge boiled down to an accusation of providing false statements to investigating units.

And this is critical, also, because there's been widespread speculation that Bobby Cutts, Jr. had some help in moving Davis' body out of that home, if that is, indeed, what happened to that body after she was killed in that home, according to authorities. But there was some speculation that somehow Ms. Ferrell might have had something to do with this. But according to these documents, at least from what we can read from these documents, no, that is not the case, according to investigators -- Don.

LEMON: CNN's Jim Acosta in Canton, Ohio.

Thank you for your report. We'll be seeing you a little bit later on.

And we're waiting for Bobby Cutts and Myisha Ferrell to make initial court appearances in the Jessie Davis murder case. They are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Eastern, and CNN will bring you that live.

PHILLIPS: Now to California, where a state of emergency has just been declared as a wildfire is raging near one of the most popular vacation spots in the country. More than 200 homes already lost just south of Lake Tahoe. Hundreds of firefighters trying to protect many more.

CNN's Ted Rowlands is there in Meyers, California, to give us a follow-up.

Hey, Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

The fire still blazing out of control. That, the front line, a few miles from where we are. This is the wake of the fire, and you can see the intensity of this fire, what it left behind, demolished homes after demolished homes.

Look at the heat that it generated, this car. Hardly anything left of it. The tires, nothing left but the steel belts, and literally some of the engine block melted.

You're seeing this along this street, just incredible heat. And it came through so quickly, people had very little time to get out. Some people who were trying to save their homes with garden hoses ended up having to flee actually on foot.

You mentioned 200-plus homes completely demolished. And it is really breathtaking to be out here and see all of this destruction and know the heartache that's going to follow when these people come back.

About 1,000 people have been displaced, and they are waiting to come back. Many of them do not know the status of their homes.

This blaze started yesterday and really picked up yesterday afternoon, when the winds were gusting in excess of 35 miles per hour. And that is when they started the evacuation and that's when they started losing ground.

They couldn't fight the fire from the air because of the smoke and the wind, and the ground crews were just simply overwhelmed. They could not save the bulk of these homes. Few here and there they were able to save, but for the most part utter destruction in this part of Meyers, California, about five miles away from South Shore, Lake Tahoe.

Really just an unbelievable scene. They're keeping their fingers crossed they're going to be able to get hold of this before any more of the 500-plus homes are lost, the 500-plus homes that are threatened are lost. It really is -- you look up the hillside here, and as far as the eye can see, literally home after home after home completely, completely demolished -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, Ted Rowlands, we're going to stay on top of this story.

Want to get to the phone now.

Yvonne Jones, she's the fire information officer in Lake Tahoe, California.

Yvonne, we're just getting word through you and our other sources there that a state of emergency has now been declared. What does that mean for the area?

YVONNE JONES, FIRE INFORMATION OFFICER, LAKE TAHOE: What it comes down to is the area's considered an area that's had major devastation, and there's federal funding and state funding that come into play to help with local government. That also allows for more resources to be put into play to help us contain the fire.

PHILLIPS: Now, do you have enough firefighters and enough assets to try and get this contained? From what I understand, 2,000 acres now and zero percent has been contained.

JONES: Well, at this time, we have orders in for resources, and they're coming in. It's just a matter of getting people from point A to point B. So, the resources are coming in. And what's really helped is today it is less windy than it was yesterday. And what that means is now we should be able to use air tankers today, where yesterday we were unable to.

PHILLIPS: So you're now -- you are able to use the air assets in addition to the boots on the ground?

JONES: Correct. And with less wind, there's no longer -- there's less spotting occurring, there's less crown fire occurring, so it really -- it's much -- it's much easier for human beings and aircraft to fight the fire.

PHILLIPS: Now, more than 200 homes have already been destroyed. Yvonne, can you give our viewers sort of an idea of where exactly those homes were?

I mean, I grew up in this area. I know this is a popular area to go for vacation, whether it's during the summertime or skiing. Also a lot of people that live there all year round.

Where exactly is the wildfire burning and taking out these specific homes?

JONES: Well, the area that was hit the hardest yesterday was in an area (INAUDIBLE) are. The fire went through there rather rapidly because it was so windy. And that's where most of the homes were lost.

The fire continued to go north, towards the high school, and actually burned down to Lake Tahoe Boulevard. So at this point, they have created black line around the high school, and right now the front is actually just north of the high school and west, and that's the area where at this time they're trying to put in dozer (ph) lines and use our resources to catch the active part of the fire.

PHILLIPS: Final question, Yvonne. There's talk that arson is what started all of this. Is that true?

JONES: Well, at this time, the fire is deemed man-caused, but it's under investigation. Until the investigation's done, we won't be able to label exactly what was the true reason.

PHILLIPS: OK.

Yvonne Jones, fire information officer there in Lake Tahoe, California.

Appreciate it, Yvonne.

JONES: OK. Thank you.

LEMON: Mangled metal, blown-out ceilings, piles of debris, remnants of a suicide bombing at a busy hotel in central Baghdad. At least 12 people are dead, including seven Sunni and Shiite tribal leaders attempting reconciliation.

The Mansour Hotel also houses a Chinese Embassy and several Western organizations. This was one of several bomb attacks around Iraq today that killed at least 46 people.

President Bush today condemned the hotel attack and singled out the deaths of those seven Iraqi sheikhs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Today once again we saw the brutality that extremists can inflict upon society when a suicider killed innocent people who were working toward reconciliation.

All the more reason, Mr. President, for us to remain firm and strong as we stand for this young democracy, these young democracies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And President Bush's comments came after a meeting with the president of Estonia in the Oval Office.

PHILLIPS: A Mideast summit signals freedom for scores of Palestinian prisoners. Leaders from Israel, the West Bank, Egypt and Jordan are meeting at a Red Sea resort in Egypt in support of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

As a goodwill gesture, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that he's ordering the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners. All are members of Abbas' Fatah movement. (INAUDIBLE) is wanted for killing Israelis, and the four-way talks come less than two weeks after rival Hamas forces seized Gaza, forcing Abbas to form an emergency government right there in the West Bank.

And for the first time the world gets word from a kidnapped Israeli soldier. It's an audiotape posted on a Hamas Web site, apparently from 20-year-old Gilad Shalit. It aired on Israeli TV.

It just so happens to be the first anniversary of Shalit's capture by Hamas militants. Shalit says that he's disappointed in what he calls a lack of interest in his fate by the Israeli government. He also says his health is deteriorating.

Hamas says it's willing to release Shalit in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

LEMON: A kidnapped BBC journalist is pleading with his would-be rescuers to back off. In a new taped message, Alan Johnston says his captors have wrapped him in explosives.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN JOHNSTON, KIDNAPPED BBC CORRESPONDENT: As you can see, I've been dressed in what is an explosive belt which the kidnappers say will be detonated if there's any attempt to storm this area. They say they're ready to turn the hideout into what they described as a death zone if there's an attempt to free me by force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Johnston was kidnapped in Gaza by a shadowy militant group called the Army of Islam more than three months ago.

PHILLIPS: Well, if you think campaign ads are too much now, just you wait. Today the Supreme Court guaranteed it'll be wilder than even during the presidential race.

LEMON: And get this -- how could a pair of pants be worth $54 million? Well, a D.C. judge couldn't come up with a reason for that either.

PHILLIPS: Plus, from jail time to prime time, Paris Hilton ready to walk free.

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

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LEMON: After more than three weeks in jail, Hollywood's most famous inmate is about to be released, barring some last-minute plot twists. You know who should be a free woman tomorrow. And our Sibila Vargas is outside the jail in Lynwood, California.

Hello, Sibila. What is -- what's the very latest on Paris Hilton? Is she still in jail?

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: She is still in jail, and, in fact, she won't be coming out until tomorrow morning. I was just assured by L.A. County sheriff spokesperson Steve Whitmore (ph) that she will indeed be coming out tomorrow.

Now, it will probably happen very early in the morning. They want to somehow try not to -- avoid the media, but I've got to tell you, Don, that's going to be impossible. There are hoards of media out here right now, dozens. There's about more than half a dozen live trucks. So as you can all imagine, they're all anticipating her being released.

Now, as you know, when it comes to Paris Hilton, we really aren't 100 percent sure what's going to go down, so that's why everybody's been staked out here this entire weekend. I will tell you one thing. She says that this experience has certainly changed her life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS (voice over): What does the future hold for Paris Hilton? The hotel heiress herself may have provided some insight.

The day she went to jail, Hilton said the (INAUDIBLE) had already helped her realize what's important.

PARIS HILTON, CELEBRITY SOCIALITE: You know, even though this is a scary thing, I'm using it in a positive way. And when I come out, I can't wait to start my new life and be even stronger than I am now.

VARGAS: Perhaps she'll get involved with children's charities or cancer research. At least that's what she told ABC's Barbara Walters.

BARBARA WALTERS, TV JOURNALIST AND HOST: I was very pleased when Paris called me. She called collect, which is what prisoners have to do. She talked about being a changed person. I'm sure what she's going through has changed her.

VARGAS: Hilton said she believed god had given her a new chance. She told Walters she spent time reading the bible.

She vowed to never again drink and drive, which, of course, is what led to her incarceration. Twice she was caught driving on a suspended license.

The judge ordered she spend 45 days in jail. Legal experts across the board said those convicted of similar crimes would be sentenced to far less time. With good behavior, Paris served just over three weeks.

The question now, how will she behave in the future?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VARGAS: And there were some earlier reports that she would have a post-jail bash in Las Vegas, but, Don, if she wants to maintain that good girl image, I don't think that's the right thing to do.

LEMON: I hope she's not driving after that -- after that party. Sibila, so the latest on Paris Hilton potentially profiting from jail time?

VARGAS: Yes. You know, there were reports, of course, that NBC was going to cough up something like a million dollars, and also that ABC was battling it out. Well, it's not going to either one of them anymore. Our very own CNN's Larry King will conduct that interview. And as you know, it is not our policy to pay for any interviews.

So at least now she's not going to be profiting, at least not from Larry King's interview.

LEMON: Yes, she doesn't really need the money. And you, if you keep on talking, you won't be able to report on this, Sibila. It sounds like you're losing your voice.

VARGAS: Oh, you can tell? You can tell?

LEMON: Oh yes. It's very obvious.

VARGAS: I'm trying.

LEMON: Take care of yourself, and look out for all those other media people. You know, we want the exclusive.

Thank you, Sibila Vargas.

VARGAS: All right. OK, you guys.

LEMON: And e sure to tune in to CNN Wednesday night for a TV exclusive. Paris Hilton talks to Larry King in her first TV interview since her release from jail. Don't miss the interview everybody's been waiting for. That's Wednesday night at 9:00 Eastern, only on "LARRY KING LIVE".

PHILLIPS: The edge of danger. A man slips from firefighters and falls -- and falls two stories. We're going to show you the dramatic plunge straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: To China now and dramatic video of a fire rescue in Shanghai. Take a look at this.

Firefighters raced to a burning apartment building, and a man waiting on the ledge to avoid the massive flames, well, he's fitted with a safety harness around his waist, says he tried to get to the firefighters' ladder. Watch what happens.

He actually falls right here from the fourth floor to the second floor, hitting a metal pole. Luckily, he was saved by the safety rope. The apartment was completely destroyed.

LEMON: Yikes.

Whether it's fuel for your vehicle or fuel for yourself, it's been burning a bigger hole in your wallet. The prices for both are on the move.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, Jessie Davis' murder sends shock waves through her Ohio hometown. It's not just the crime, it's who stands accused.

We'll have the latest, straight ahead from the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. Jessie Davis was just days away from delivering a baby girl. Now both mother and child are dead. Who killed them and why?

PHILLIPS: Within the next few minutes, two people charged in the case make their first appearance in an Ohio courtroom. We'll take you there. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: It is the bottom of the hour, and we start with some developing news out of Utah. That prisoner with all the tattoos on his face, there's an update on him, and we're going to T.J. Holmes for us. What do you have?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, now in this case we do know the name of the corrections officer who was shot and killed today, police believe by that suspect you named, that prison inmate who was being escorted to a medical appointment. But the officer's name is Stephen Anderson. And he's 60 years old, 22-year department veteran. That is the suspect he was escorting. The prison inmate he was escorting to a medical appointment when somehow, police say, this suspect was able to get the officer's gun and shoot him in the head before then leading police on a high-speed chase before he was captured.

And yes, an interesting character, no doubt, tattoos all over his face, a known member, police say, of a white supremacist group. He has a Swastika and "skinhead" on his face tattooed, among other things there. One other person was injured, according to police, after a high-speed chase at an Arby's, ended up at an Arby's, one person injured, nobody else shot, not life-threatening injuries described as.

But this is a person who has an interesting background, an interesting history, and certainly an interesting appearance, it's safe to say, has a history of burglary, forgery, one weapons crime in his background. He was actually in prison on a parole violation. But you're looking at pictures here of him being taken back into custody after a high-speed chase after police say he, in fact, shot the corrections officer who was escorting him to a medical appointment.

That medical appointment, by the way, was for lower-back pain. He was going to be having an MRI, and for that MRI they had to take the metal handcuffs off of him and actually put the plastic cuffs on him that you see oftentimes, the flex cuffs. Don't know how that played into it, how he got free, but that's some of the new details we're getting out -- Don.

LEMON: And now one officer is dead. OK. Thank you, T.J.

PHILLIPS: Now more developments on story is that we've been telling you about, the last moments of Jessie Davis' life and the life of her unborn baby. We just found out now that the man accused of that double murder has arrived now at the courtroom. We are expecting the two people charged in Jessie Davis' murder case to appear in court right now. This is in Canton, Ohio. We're talking about police officer Bobby Cutts.

He's the one accused of killing Davis, who apparently was killing his baby. His former high school classmate, Myisha Ferrell, is charged with obstructing justice. Davis' body was found in a northern Ohio national park over the weekend. She was nine months pregnant.

Canton police officer Bobby Cutts, as I told you, is believed to have killed her at her home, causing the death of her unborn baby as well. Cutts is the father of Davis' 2-year-old son, Blake, also, and may have fathered the child that she was carrying.

Cutts' former high school classmate Myisha Ferrell, this woman right here, accused of obstructing justice, we told you.

Both of them due in court around 3:00 Eastern Time. We'll bring you live coverage at the top of the hour.

Well, the search for Jessie Davis. Now they mourn for her. The people of Canton, Ohio, wracked by a tragedy that unfolded close to home and before their eyes.

CNN's Carol Costello is from that small, close-knit area, and she paid a visit home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I grew up not far from here. I'm standing at the Greentown firestation where a few days ago literally thousands of people turned up to help search for Jessie Davis' body. That so many turned up doesn't surprise me. That's just the way people are here.

Sadly, though, now it's time to grieve.

(on camera): Many of the people who flocked to Jessie Davis' home had never heard of her before she vanished. But they came to offer comfort, and perhaps receive some in return. Eleven-year-old Katlyn Mitchell decided to bring her teddy bear.

(on camera): Why'd you decide on that bear?

KATLYN MITCHELL, 11 YEARS OLD: Well, usually, people have teddy bears, so maybe a teddy bear might help.

COSTELLO (voice-over): Might in some way help Davis' 2-year-old son, whose father, a Canton cop, is now facing murder charges. LT. DENNIS PELLIGRINO, CANTON, OHIO POLICE: I've never seen anything like it in my 32 years.

COSTELLO: That's my cousin, Dennis Pelligrino, with the Canton Police Department. This case has affected our hometown perhaps more than any other. For Dennis, and Canton police, the thought that one of their own might be a killer is tough.

PELLIGRINO: You celebrate with the good, you cry with the bad. All you can do is pray it comes out all right.

COSTELLO: Canton and Stark County are already going through rough times. The Hoover Company, a major employer in town, where my mother once worked, where my cousins now work, will close in September, leaving thousands out of work.

In fact, plant closings in Canton have caused the population to dwindle by almost one-third since 1970.

CHIEF JOHN BACON, NORTH CANTON, OHIO FIRE DEPT.: It's a great community.

COSTELLO: And it is a warm, tight-knit community; 1,800 people showed up the first day the search for Jessie, and when she was found, they immediately wanted to know where.

BACON: All they wanted to know was where was she found. I wanted to make sure I wasn't the person that walked over and didn't see it.

COSTELLO: Now they wait for word of what happened to Jessie Davis and her unborn daughter, who would have been born July 3rd.

(on camera): The fire chief just told me an amazing story, an elderly couple who'd shown up to volunteer offered their wedding rings to members of the Davis family, just so they could help out in any way they could monetarily.

Carol Costello, CNN, Greentown, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And again, we're waiting for Bobby Cutts and Myisha Ferrell to make initial court appearances in the Jessie Davis murder case. They are scheduled for 3:00 Eastern. We're going to bring you live coverage when it happens.

LEMON: A supreme court ruling in a free-speech case could mean a lot more issue ads on TV screens come election time. Joining us now from Washington with the lowdown on this -- we're always glad to have him -- our senior political analyst Bill Schneider.

How you doing, Bill?

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POL. ANALYST: OK, Don. LEMON: Bill, how will today's ruling impact what we'll see in the presidential election? Could we possibly see more attack ads, if that's even possible.

SCHNEIDER: Attack ads? My goodness, I'm shocked. These are supposed to be educational ads that inform the voters about the issues.

LEMON: Never, never.

SCHNEIDER: And yes, the Supreme Court essentially said those ads can run right up until Election Day. They have been banned if they mentioned the name of a candidate for 60 days before a general election, 30 days before a primary, but now Supreme Court says nope, you can mention the name of the candidate, you can run these educational ads to inform the voters right up until then. And this means, Don, that a campaign that was getting pretty wild and woolly is going to get wilder and woollier.

Mitch McConnell, who is the Republican leader in the Senate, said that this decision is a victory for free speech, for the First Amendment, but a Republican strategist told CNN that the party that has the least amount of money will really be hurt in this campaign. Dollars are going to be flying. They're going to be flying at a more furious pace, spent right up until the heat of Election Day itself.

LEMON: You know, Bill, if I had really thought about it, I could have answered my own question, as many people are in this race. We're going to see all kinds of ads, unless some of them are whittled down.

SCHNEIDER: Right.

LEMON: I've got to ask you this, because sometimes people get around it -- you know, paid for by people who support this person, paid for by the party. So do presidential campaigns of the candidates control these ads now or spending on them?

SCHNEIDER: No, they do not. These are run by independent groups, by corporations, by trade unions, by advocacy groups, some of them liberal, some conservative, some inclined to support Democrats and Republicans.

There's only one condition. They have to be so-called issue ads. They cannot say vote for the candidate or vote against the other candidate. They can't say that. But they are supposed to inform the voters. They can attack the candidates, they can praise the candidates, they can inform the voters, but the candidates do not control what they say.

LEMON: And bill, it's almost time for campaign cash, I guess, letting everyone know what you made.

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

LEMON: Speaking of campaign money that you talked about, you could call this week the dash for cash for presidential contenders. There's a significant deadline for all of them. I think, what, we're going to hear from April to June now, is that correct, how much money?

SCHNEIDER: That's right. It's the end of the second quarter of 2007. It ends on midnight, Saturday night, and between now and then, just those few days, you're going to see the candidates. There are now 18 running, possibly a 19th if Fred Thompson gets in the race. Well, they're going to be scrambling for cash, so they can have a strong showing after Saturday night. And there's a lot of fund- raising and a lot of spinning expectations. Candidates saying, well, we don't do as well as a lot of people expect, don't expect too much from us, so when we come out with good figures they say, isn't that a surprise, or they say, we did about as well as expected.

This is part of the scorecard for this long, long, long campaign. You won't get any actual results until January when people start voting. So, what do you have to make do with? Fund-raising figures to show who's ahead, who's behind. And they do mean something.

After the first quarter, Barack Obama surprised everyone by raising almost as much money as Senator Hillary Clinton, and Mitt Romney came out with figures showing he had raised more than any of the other Republicans. So they got a big boost in their campaign.

LEMON: Bill, real quick, but does that necessarily translate into the number of supporters, or is just because maybe they got bigger corporations or people with more money to support them?

SCHNEIDER: Well, usually it has something to do with the amount of press coverage they get, the amount of attention.

Voters will pay attention to them. But look, in 2003, Howard Dean raised an awful lot of money and he collapsed very early in that campaign. So, I would say it's important, but it's not determinative.

LEMON: OK. Bill Schneider, our Senior Political Analyst, thank you.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a warm smile but a heart of pure ice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, am I a legitimate target because I'm British?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Top al Qaeda terrorist says he's permitted to kill. That's ahead, in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Two thousand acres, zero percent contained, more than 200 homes destroyed. We're talking about the growing wildfire near Lake Tahoe believed to be man made. Still investigating right now exactly how it happened. The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, releasing this statement just moments ago, saying, "I extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the firefighters who are courageously battling the fire and put their lives on the line every day to protect the citizens of California. You are true heroes."

We are expecting a 3:00 p.m. eastern time news conference. We will take that live, as soon as that happens.

Meanwhile, winds and temperatures will be key in helping or hindering firefighters' efforts there at Lake Tahoe.

(WEATHER REPORT)

It's al Qaeda's arm in Indonesia, Jemaah Islamiya, accused of horrendous terrorist attacks on tour spots and western interests. It's hard line military leader is now in custody and he is talking about his chilling beliefs and goals, exclusively with CNN's Dan Rivers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He is a figure in silhouette. Handcuffed and flanked by police, you may not know his face, but the mark of his organization can be found here -- among the ruins of suicide-bomb attacks, targeted assassinations and violence against Westerners that has wracked this part of the world for nearly a decade.

This small, wiry man seems unassuming to me, but Abu Dujana is accused of masterminding the cold-blooded murders of hundreds of innocent people.

He's proud to call himself the military leader of Jemaah Islamiya, the Indonesian terrorist group linked to al Qaeda, which has carried out devastating attacks in the region. This suicide bombing in 2005 that killed at least 19 people. A car bomb caught on CCTV at the Australian embassy in 2004. It killed 11, and wounded more than 100. The bombing outside the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, leaving 12 dead. And this bombing in Bali in 2002, clearly targeting tourists; 202 people died.

Now, I had the extraordinary opportunity to ask this military commander why Jemaah Islamiya harbors such hatred for Westerners, and there's not one ounce of remorse.

ABU DUJANA, JEMAAH ISLAMIYA MILITARY: (through translator) Americans or other civilians can become a target, that's how I see it.

RIVERS (on camera): Where does it say in the Koran that it is acceptable to kill completely innocent people? I mean, I'm sorry. You know, you hide behind the cloak of using Islam as an excuse for what you're doing. It's just cold-blooded murder, isn't it?

DUJANA (through translator): I didn't read it in the Koran. It's based on the teachings of our teachers, clerics, especially what Osama bin Laden first said. RIVERS: So am I a legitimate target because I'm British?

DUJANA (through translator): This is how it is -- Islam has rules, and everything is based on Sharia law. If you ask me if you are a legitimate target, if there's clear evidence your country has attacked Islam, then we are permitted to kill you.

RIVERS (voice-over): Permitted to kill, that's how Abu Dujana sees it. But he didn't expect to find himself here at a police station in Yogyakarta, Indonesia facing me, exactly the type of person his organization has targeted in the past.

The police caught alleged members of his cell first. Their arrests led to officers to Dugana. Dujana was shot in the leg during a violent struggle as police arrested him at his family home. An elite anti-terrorist unit has brought him here in secret, to talk to me. I really want to know one thing.

(on camera): Why do you hate the west so much? Why do you hate us so much?

DUJANA (through translator): Many lands owned by Muslims have been taken away by our enemies. America is part of it. Like in Palestine and other places. We demand those governments return that land and let us put Sharia law in place.

RIVERS (voice over): Our chat was interrupted suddenly by Dujana's call to prayer. It surprised me that this man professing to be so devout, was so full of hate.

(on camera): It was a very candid and, in my opinion, pretty chilling interview and admission. He was very frank about his membership of Jemaah Islamiya, his hatred for the west.

(voice over): I found it strange that he smiled frequently, even as he began to talk about massive and sophisticated suicide bombings which killed hundreds of people.

Dan Rivers, CNN, Jakarta, Indonesia.

PHILLIPS: A 60th birthday celebration for a car, but not just any car. Don Lemon's car.

LEMON: Yeah right!

PHILLIPS: We'll take you for a spin, straight ahead from the NEWROOM.

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PHILLIPS: Can you still be cool at 60? We are talking years, not miles an hour. One of the coolest car brands in the world has blown past a major milestone with no sign of slowing down. CNN's Les Ovinchi (ph) rides along.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LES OVINCHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is perhaps no better way to celebrate Ferrari's 60th anniversary than catching a ride with Michael Shoemaker, the seven-time Formula One champion, who retired last year after beating nearly every record in the business.

As we drove in Ferrari's hometown racetrack trailed by hundreds of fans, Schumacher says words alone can't describe the feeling of driving such cars -- the power, the speed, of course, but there is something else.

The other teams they have maybe a group of fans. We have a whole country.

OVINCHI: At the core of this bond between Ferrari and its obsessed public is a passion for beauty, style, and elegance, a long history of victories but also tragedies. And a company that managed to produce over the years, hundreds of models each appearing unique in its own way, all sharing a common thread.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what I love about Ferrari.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a racing car, but it is built for the road.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the noise.

OVINCHI: While other Ferrari lovers would call it music, but what about it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's loud.

OVINCHI: The man behind Ferrari's success today is Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. With Schumacher, he brought home five consecutive world championships between 2000 and 2004, but when he took over the company in the early 1990s, Ferrari had not won a season in 21 years. Its fabulous cars, meanwhile, remained unsold.

LUCA CORDERO DI MONTEZEMOLO, FERRARI PRESIDENT: I said listen, this is terrible for us because we are for exclusivity. I always say Ferrari is like a good-looking woman. Not only good to desire her, so wait.

OVINCHI: The formula for success was simple -- slow down production to the point need became greater than supply and boost the luxury feel for the brand. It worked, and today thousands from all over the world drove their own Ferraris back to this small town in northern Italy. Led by today's champions driving yesterday's cars, with a look very much into the future.

Les Ovinchi, CNN, Italy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: We're following several developing stories here in the CNN NEWSROOM. At the top of the hour, an initial court appearance is supposed to happen with Bobby Cutts and Myisha Ferrell. He's charged with murder. She's charged with obstruction of justice in the death of 26-year-old Jessie Davis and her unborn fetus.

Also, on the right there, you're looking at wildfires. That's from Lake Tahoe, California. In that area 240 structures gone, 165 of which were homes. We are expecting a news conference to hear about that. This fire, less than 10 percent contained at last count. We are back in a moment.

NICOLE LAPIN, DOT COM DESK: What are you doing to impact your world today? From poverty to natural disasters, people all around the world need your help. And cnn.com can help you to figure out where to start.

First, pick a cause and choose from the various charity organizations out there. You can find out about each of them from chariynavigattor.org, an independent non-profit group that evaluates and basically rates thousands of charities.

Charity Navigator explains each group's mission, along with just how your donations are being spent and how a particular charity stacks up against its peers. Find links to organizations where you can also donate your supplies and volunteer your time, like missionfish.org. Or you can support your favorite causes by trading on ebay. And volunteers of America which finds charities that need your help in your own community.

So, take action. To learn how to impact your world today, go to cnn.com/impact. For the dot com desk, I'm Nicole Lapin.

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