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Lake Tahoe Fire. Release of Paris Hilton from Jail.

Aired June 26, 2007 - 09:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: ...240 buildings now. It's just about 40 percent contained. Full containment, though, still days away. Right now, smoke and ash are causing big problems.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is with us now from Meyers, California.

Chris, there is still a whole lot of smoke around you. We can barely see you.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I know. It looks like fog but it's not, it's smoke. And Heidi, our eyes have been burning all morning. The National Weather Service has issued a dense smoke advisory, warning people that all this heavy ash is going to make it very difficult to both see and breathe.

Of course, you've got what -- some two -- almost 200 families out there who may not even want to look at what their home has become.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): South Lake Tahoe residents watched the roaring fire incinerate their homes like paper. Now, they're wondering did anything survive?

We followed this couple back to their neighborhood as they're seeing it for the first time.

HECTOR HERNANDEZ, FIRE VICTIM: Oh, my God.

ANDREA HERNANDEZ, FIRE VICTIM: This is our house.

LAWRENCE: Andrea and Hector Hernandez lost everything.

H. HERNANDEZ: The kitchen, the living room was here. Back bedroom.

LAWRENCE: Ten years of memories destroyed.

A. HERNANDEZ: That's your safe zone. Now, we don't have a safe zone. We're kind of just in limbo. So that, I think -- that's pretty hard right there. Just not being able to come home.

LAWRENCE: Firefighters believe someone started the blaze Sunday, whether intentionally or by accident. Within a day, it had destroyed well over 200 homes and buildings.

A. HERNANDEZ: What's that right there? Is that the -- that's the heater.

LAWRENCE: Hector tried to save his home. But it got too hot too fast. And rescuers were ordering him to leave.

H. HERNANDEZ: And you know what, the thing was that the Red Cross guy -- I yelled at him, I'm sorry. I just wanted some (ph) help, and I couldn't get it.

LAWRENCE: They've got no home, no clothes, no money.

H. HERNANDEZ: The nightmare is just beginning, actually, just the re-building. It's dealing with insurance companies and taking care of everything else now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Yes, it's too late for Hector and Andrea. But, the firefighters are still trying to save hundreds more homes. They've got less than 48 hours to get a leg up on this fire before those winds kick up again. But it's possible they could get it contained by Sunday -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Chris, quickly, any idea if more people will be returning home or if more could be evacuated? We had heard a little bit about that yesterday.

LAWRENCE: Some of the folks who only suffer moderate damage were supposed to be able to get in today, you know, depending on how this smoke shakes out. Most of the people who suffered that really extensive damage like this family right here, are not going to get in until the -- closer to the end of the week.

COLLINS: Such a sad story.

All right, CNN's Chris Lawrence coming to us from Meyers, California, this morning. Chris, thank you.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, have you heard the news? Paris Hilton, a free woman this morning, and enjoying swankier digs at her family's estate. Check it out.

Look thrilled as she walked out of the Los Angeles County Jail after midnight. There to greet her, about a zillion reporters and photographers. She ran straight to her mom who was waiting in an SUV. The hotel heiress spent three weeks in jail for violating her probation on reckless driving -- on a reckless driving conviction. She is on probation until March of 2009.

Hilton is giving her first post-jail interview to CNN's Larry King. Catch that tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern.

In suburban Atlanta, a possible murder-suicide. That is how police say they are treating the death of a popular pro-wrestler, Chris Benoit, found dead with his wife and young son.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is outside the Benoit home this morning. Rusty, good to see you. How was this discovery made, and where were the bodies found?

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a strange turn of events, Tony.

Over the weekend, Chris Benoit was scheduled to appear in two different wrestling events for the World Wrestling Entertainment. One of them was a pay-per-view called "Vengeance." Apparently, he called up and said he had some kind of family emergency.

But on Sunday, some friends of Benoit's apparently alerted the WWE that they'd received some very strange text messages from Benoit. They notified the Fayette County Sheriff's Department and said that they thought that the sheriff's deputy should make some kind of a "welfare check" on the family.

When the deputies arrived at the home in -- outside Fayetteville, Georgia, they discovered the bodies of Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and their son, Daniel. Now, investigators are inside right now, and say they'll be here most of the day going over the scene. They have pretty much ruled out that there were any outside intruders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT BALLARD, FAYETTE CO. DISTRICT ATTORNEY: We're viewing it at the moment as a murder-suicide. We aren't foreclosing the possibility that it might be a triple murder. But, our belief at the present time is that there is no killer at large.

As far as the pressure is concerned, the sheriff's office has already very thoroughly investigated and with the crime lab will continue to investigate. And I'm quite confident in a few days we'll have a lot more answers than we have right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Well apparently, the World Wrestling Entertainment Corporation, they just found out about Benoit's death at 4:00 yesterday afternoon. Four hours later, by 8:00 Eastern last night, they had a three-hour tribute for Benoit.

Of course, his wrestling career stretches over 22 years. He was known internationally, he wrestled in Japan and Germany. He was known -- he's from Canada. He was known as the Canadian Crippler. He also went by the term the "rabbit (ph) wolverine" here in the United States.

So, his loss is being mourned by many in the wrestling family. And as I said, investigators say they're going to be here most of the day, wrapping things up here -- Tony.

HARRIS: OK, CNN's Rusty Dornin for us in Fayetteville, Georgia. Rusty, thank you.

COLLINS: OK, want to take you straight to President Bush. Just taking a look at him here. As you know, today is an important day for the Immigration Bill that has been talked about for a very, very long time. He is addressing now several people on this Immigration Reform Bill, coming to us from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. We are going to be talking more about this today.

It's just a test vote. And as you may remember, it needs 60 votes to pass the White House, and GOP leaders have been saying that they are confident of passage. They were hoping to do it by the end of the week. But opponents are saying boy, there's still plenty of senators that are on the fence about which way they fall.

We are going to have the opportunity a little bit later on today to speak with Michael Chertoff as well, the Homeland Security Secretary. We're going to ask him some more questions about the key points of this and his feeling on whether or not it will pass. We'll be monitoring this story for you all morning long.

HARRIS: Overseas, now parts of southern Europe in the grips of a killer heat wave. More than two dozen deaths reported in the last week or so, four of them just yesterday in Greece and Cypress. Almost 30 other people died from the heat last week in Romania, Albania, and Serbia. The temperature in one city in southern Italy reached 113 degrees Monday.

COLLINS: A dam on the verge of collapse. A major highway shut down, homes and businesses under water. Torrential rains are causing all sorts of problems in England and Wales. The situation, extremely serious in south Yorkshire, about 170 miles north of London. At least three storm-related deaths are reported there. And in the town of Sheffield (ph), this month has been the rainiest since record keeping started 125 years ago.

HARRIS: So, a lot of weather to talk about here and abroad with Chad Myers in the severe weather center.

Chad, good morning.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: A call for change in Iraq. It comes from one of President Bush's stalwart supporters. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana says the U.S. should downsize its forces in Iraq. He wants remaining troops redeployed to what he calls more sustainable positions in and around Iraq. Lugar says the current build-up strategy isn't working.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICHARD LUGAR, (R-IN): American strategy must adjust to the reality that sectarian factionalism will not abate any time soon. And probably cannot be controlled from the top.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Lugar is the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And coming up in the NEWSROOM, CNN Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash on why Lugar's voice carries so much weight.

HARRIS: In New Hampshire, dramatic new dash cam video released by police. It shows a traffic stop last month ending in an officer's death. You can see Corporal Bruce McKay (ph) using pepper spray on the driver there. But, as he turns his back, the driver Leeco Kenny (ph) fires seven shots, killing McKay.

Now, check this part out. A passing motorist saw the attack. He grabbed the officer's gun and killed Kenny. No charges were filed.

COLLINS: Still ahead, new offensives in Iraq. Coalition troops, added strength. Now, chasing insurgents into previously untouched areas. We're on patrol with U.S. troops.

DANA BASH, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dana Bash on Capitol Hill where senators are about to cast their first crucial vote that will decide whether the immigration debate will be revived. More on that coming up in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Also, she looked her daughter's accused killer straight in the eye.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe my whole life has prepared me for this moment. And I'm not sitting down when I see Bobby Cutts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Pregnant woman dead, two suspects in jail.

COLLINS: And there's a waiting list to get into prison. People lining up to try Italy's hottest newest restaurant. Fine dining behind bars.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. And we're back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And welcome back everyone. I'm Tony Harris, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

A new immigration battle in Washington this morning. We will talk to the nation's Homeland Security Chief about why the White House is in the middle of this fight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A new milestone this morning in the debate over immigration reform. In a couple of hours, the Senate bill faces a critical test on Capitol Hill. The vote could shelve the issue and drive a deeper wedge between President Bush and his fellow Republicans.

CNN Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just across the Potomac River, the U.S. capital, and the target of Roy Beck's grassroots campaign to block the Senate Immigration Bill.

ROY BECK, EXEC. DIRECTOR, NUMBERS USA: This is our nerve center for our members.

BASH: Call it virtual lobbying, from this small war (ph) room, Beck's group, Numbers USA, keeps in constant touch with its 400,000- plus members, channeling anger into action, with rapid fire e-mail alerts and an interactive Web site.

BECK: We tell them exactly who is wavering, who's -- are likely to vote no against amnesty, who we've got to motivate (ph) now as wanting to vote yes. We're trying to move these -- we're trying to move our people to make phone calls, send faxes, to get their opinion heard on the Hill.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Senator (INAUDIBLE) office.

BASH: The result, a flood of calls and petitions to key Senate offices, bolstered by TV ads like this one, running against the Senate Republican leader.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is Senator Mitch McConnell selling out Kentucky in favor of illegal aliens? He's joined with Ted Kennedy in strong-arming senators to support amnesty for millions of illegals.

BASH: Tactics like this are working. Georgia's two Republican senators initially backed the immigration compromise, but after getting bombarded by opposition, both now plan to oppose a crucial vote to revive the bill. But other leading Republicans under fire say the immigration system is in crisis and improvements in the bill outweigh its shortfalls.

SEN. TRENT LOTT, (R-MI) MINORITY LEADER: If we don't get it done in the Senate now, it will not be done in the Senate this year or next year. And not before sometime in 2009 when who knows who'll be president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Dana Bash joins us live from Capitol Hill. Dana, good morning to you.

BASH: Good morning.

HARRIS: The first critical test of a legislation comes in a couple of hours. And this is a vote to, in essence, revive the bill, as you mentioned just a moment ago, so that the debate can begin anew. What do we expect?

BASH: Well, we expect it to be very close. But Republican sources tell us that they do think that they have the 60 votes in order to clear the procedural hurdle to get this immigration bill back on the floor for debate. So, they expect to pass this first crucial test, if you will.

But Tony, that says nothing about the fate of this immigration bill.

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: It is still murky at best. Why? Because now we are going to have a few days of votes on about two dozen amendments. Some of those, if they pass, some of the supporters of this fragile compromise say that that could really jeopardize support for this. And in -- there will be a series of final votes at the end of the week.

And some Republicans, for example, even the Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, he says he's going to vote yes on this particular procedural vote today, but not necessarily at the end of the week. So, it's still a big question mark, whether immigration will actually pass or not.

HARRIS: And Dana, our latest poll shows 47 percent of Americans oppose the bill. How are these numbers impacting the debate?

BASH: Well, you know, it's interesting, I guess. And also the question right, is how it reflects the debate and really ...

HARRIS: Sure.

BASH: ...the intensity of what's going on here. It's really hard to tell with one poll what that says about something as complex as immigration. But I will tell you that we talked to opponents of this immigration bill and they will say that that really -- doesn't even begin to show the opposition, the intensity of the opposition, and just anecdotally, Tony, talking to some of the Republicans and their aides on the fence on this, they are just getting bombarded ...

HARRIS: Yes.

BASH: ...as you saw in that piece with phone calls, urging them to oppose this. And you know, it's going to be very tough for them when it comes down to taking that final vote whether or not they can support it, given the backlash they can face from some of their own constituents.

HARRIS: Our Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash following it all for us. Dana, thank you.

BASH: Thank you.

COLLINS: Securing new fronts in Iraq. Coalition troops now moving outside Baghdad, battling insurgents in previously ignored areas.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is on the ground with the U.S. troops.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From here, U.S. troops can't see their target. Thye've been (ph) firing mortar rounds against suspected insurgent positions all the way across the Tigress River southeast of Baghdad. If you listen carefully, you can hear shells land.

The Tigress and roads like this along the river are major smuggling routes into Baghdad. Insurgents transport bomb parts and weapons through here, according to U.S. commanders.

(on camera): How do they do that?

LT. COL. JACK MARR, U.S. ARMY: I mean, it's simple. They get it in a truck on the other side, they load it up in a boat and they zip across the river. We're not always -- in fact, until now, we're not here to be able to reach out and touch that.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): For more than two years, almost no U.S. troops patrolled this area, giving insurgents the chance to plot attacks. The unit operating here now says the going has been bloody. Memories linger of two soldiers killed by snipers on this road.

COL. WAYNE GRIGSBY, U.S. ARMY: These two kids are the real heroes of this fight over here in the YF (ph). We're standing right here on the same ground, we fought for this ground. And now we own this ground with the national police. And basically, we're telling the insurgents it stops right here. You're not going to effect our operations.

PLEITGEN: The unit is part of the five so-called surge brigades sent to Iraq earlier this year to help quell insurgent violence in Baghdad. That also means operating around the capital's perimeter, trying to stop the flow of explosives and insurgents into the city.

(on camera): Commanders here on the ground tell us it's only thanks to the surge in U.S. troops that they're able to conduct operations like this one. But even with the surge in place, they say they won't be able to hold this position. In the end, that will be up to the Iraqis themselves.

(voice-over): The Iraqi security forces will have to be built up sufficiently to take charge, the regional commander says.

MAJ. GEN. RICK LYNCH, CMDR., MULITNATL. DIVISION, IRAQ: The key is someone has to stay. There has to be a persistent security presence and that has to be Iraqi security forces. So, we continue to work with the government of Iraq and the leaders of the Iraq security forces to get that persistent presence. That's the critical piece.

PLEITGEN: The infantry line up the mortar for another round. Operations like this may be signs of progress. But even these soldiers wonder, will the areas U.S. troops fight so hard to secure remain safe in the long run?

Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Salman Pak, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: A community devastated, homes lost by the dozens, people left with little more than the clothes on their backs. Firefighters try to gain ground on that fire near Tahoe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Emotions run high in court. A mother comes face-to- face with the man accused of killing her daughter.

CNN's Jason Carroll is following the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bobby Cutts, Jr. made his first appearance in court since being charged with murdering his former girlfriend Jessie Davis and her unborn child. She had been nine months pregnant. Jessie Davis' mother stood throughout the hearing and looked Cutts straight in the eye. She wanted to make sure he knew she was there.

PATRICIA PORTER, JESSIE DAVIS' MOTHER: I believe my whole life has prepared me for this moment. And I'm not sitting down when I see Bobby Cutts.

QUESTION: Patty, what was going through your mind when he walked into the court room (ph)?

PORTER: I can't really verbalize the things that were going through my mind. But I wanted to make sure that he knew I was there.

CARROLL: A friend of Cutts, Myisha Ferrell (ph), was charged with obstruction of justice. Davis' mother also stood throughout Ferrell's appearance and looked her in the eye.

Cutts and Ferrell were arrested this weekend after investigators found Davis' body in a park. A source close to the investigation tells CNN it was Cutts who led investigators to Davis' body. Cutts says he's innocent. His attorney refused to comment on rumors that Cutts confessed.

BRADLEY IAMS, CUTTS'S ATTORNEY: I'm not going to talk about the evidence.

CARROLL: Investigators say Ferrell is a high school friend of Cutts and is unemployed. Cutts attorney declined to say whether they'd been romantically involved. Authorities searched her home but still have not revealed what they found.

Davis' mother said her daughter did not know Ferrell. She also says Cutts is not the man she thought she knew.

PORTER: We knew Bobby Cutts up to a certain day in this. And from that day on, we did not know him at all.

CARROLL: The Davises say they came to court seeking not vengeance but justice for their daughter, who they say has been portrayed unfairly.

PORTER: The only way I can see this is if you would go to a trash yard, and you would see garbage and rubbish and trash and then you look around and you see this little pink cashmere sweater on top of it and you go, what's that doing there? People who know her know what a wonderful person that she was.

CARROLL (on camera): Bail for Ferrell's set at half-a-million dollars. For Cutts, $5 million. Both are expected in court next week. But autopsy results, which could reveal how Jessie Davis was killed, not expected for weeks.

Jason Carroll, CNN, Canton, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Well, she is all smiles. Paris Hilton released from jail. So what is next for the hotel heiress? Our Larry King knows.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Bottom of the hour.

Welcome back, everyone, to THE CNN NEWSROOM.

I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you, everybody.

I'm Heidi Collins.

Among our top stories this hour, firefighters gain ground on that devastating fire near Lake Tahoe. Some residents hope to get a look today at what is left.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Flames ripped through the Lake Tahoe resort area Monday, reducing more than the 200 homes and buildings to ashes.

LT. KEVIN HOUSE, EL DORADO COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: This is far and above the biggest disaster that's happened to this community, I don't know, probably in forever.

GUTIERREZ: As many as 1,000 residents fled their homes, some on foot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had to what was most important, our clothes... GUTIERREZ: Another 500 structures may be threatened by blaze and more evacuations may be imminent. One resident told how she was warned by friends nearby as the fires devoured the dry brush.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Get your stuff and let's get going.

GUTIERREZ: The fast moving fire, which is believed to have been caused by human activity, started Sunday and has already charred nearly 2,500 acres. High winds fuelled the flames, making the battle even more difficult for firefighters. But changing weather conditions and an increase in fire crews could make a difference.

HOUSE: That's the plan, is to step up and be more aggressive with the air assault, as well as the ground crews that they have out there.

GUTIERREZ: The number of firefight on the ground and in the air has been doubled to about 800. And the signature of the lieutenant government declaring a state of emergency will allow more resources to be brought in. But with the return of high winds and low humidity forecast for later in the week, they don't have much time to bring this blaze under control.

(on camera): You can see that that home is still smoldering. Now, many of the residents of this area have not been allowed to return to the neighborhood. Officials say it's just too dangerous at the time. Many are anxious to see if they have anything to return home to.

I'm Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Meyers, California.

HARRIS: And Chad Myers, when do you begin to get a little bit concerned about weather conditions out there?

Is it starting tomorrow?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's -- no. It's 48 hours from right now.

HARRIS: OK.

MYERS: As soon as the sun comes up during the day Thursday, that's going to start to -- to fan the flames again.

Now where are we?

We're actually looking from the north into Lake Tahoe area. The lake way up here. The fire began on this ridge, raced down the mountain with significant winds that we had during the day on Sunday, obviously, all the way through most of Sunday night. And the weather continued to blow the fire right down into the neighborhoods down here, now up to 250 homes there, right up here on this ridge, a place where people go to kind of enjoy the -- enjoy the area. There's a lake there, kind of a party area up there. And that's where they think it started.

Why did it go so fast?

Well, on Sunday, the winds were out of the southwest at 20 to 30, with some gusts at 40 miles per hour, and there was literally no chance to stop it. Relative humidity at 15 percent. Well, now it's a little bit better than that. Now the relative humidity is up and the temperatures are up and the wind speeds are down.

(WEATHER REPORT)

MYERS: Right now, though, here are the live winds at the fire site -- eight, five, nine, six -- six miles per hour or so. That's good, because yesterday, guys, the winds were zero and the smoke wouldn't get out of the way and they couldn't get the airplanes and the helicopters in like they wanted to...

COLLINS: Yes.

MYERS: ... because it was just too smoky.

COLLINS: Yes, we had good Chris Lawrence out there.

MYERS: It's always something.

COLLINS: A little bit earlier this morning, we could barely see his face.

MYERS: Yes.

COLLINS: Unbelievable.

All right, Chad, thank you.

MYERS: You're welcome.

HARRIS: Here's another story we're watching for you today in the CNN NEWSROOM.

New information is expected this afternoon on the suspicious deaths of pro-wrestling star Chris Benoit and his family. Autopsies are expected to be performed today. Benoit was found dead in his home outside of Atlanta, along with his wife and 7-year-old son. Right now, police say they're treating the deaths as a murder/suicide.

Benoit was a popular wrestling champion, most recently with the World Wrestling Entertainment Group. And wrestling fans may remember his wife Nancy Benoit as a one time pro-wrestling manager with the stage name Woman.

COLLINS: Smiling from ear to ear, Paris Hilton released from jail, then chauffeured away to more lavish digs.

CNN's Brooke Anderson joining us from outside the Lynwood Detention Facility near L.A. -- and, Brooke, I know you have been there all night long.

Were there very many fans to keep you company? BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: There were, surprisingly. I was shocked. There were a number of fans, and I spoke to a lot of them. And they told me, Heidi, that they had dragged themselves out of bed, woken up from a deep slumber to be here to personally witness Paris' departure from jail, if you can believe it.

But you talked about she had been released for more lavish digs. Indeed, she has.

She's firmly planted in the lap of luxury again. We're told that she is currently at the Hilton family compound in Bel Air, California. So she's probably tucked snugly into bed, catching some ZZZs about right now. It's 6:30 local time.

But this after she did exit these front doors behind me at the women's detention center here in Lynwood, California, just outside of Los Angeles. And she was clearly elated, could not contain her excitement. This, after serving 23 days of that 45 day sentence.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Paris Hilton couldn't help but smile as she walked out the front doors of a Los Angeles area women's detention center. The celebrity socialite abandoned her confident stride when she spotted her mother waiting to her home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's nothing for me to say. She's -- she's fulfilled her debt. She was released just after midnight. She thanked people as she left. She was obviously in good spirits. And so it's done. It brings an end to this -- this incarceration.

ANDERSON: Hilton served 23 days for violating her probation following a reckless driving charge. She was sentenced to 45 days, but released early for good behavior and says doing time has made her a changed woman.

Fans and photographers waited to greet her outside her house in West Hollywood. Even the sheriff's department was surprised by the amount of attention Hilton's case has drawn and took extra security precautions Monday night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sheriff was recently at an anti-terrorism conference in Turkey. And the conversation in Turkey was about Paris Hilton. So it is a global phenomenon, if you will. And so, yes, it does present challenges.

ANDERSON: The sheriff's department said it was grateful Hilton's exit went smoothly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you look around at all the people here, something could happen and it didn't happen.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ANDERSON: Now, Paris will be on probation until March, 2009. But Heidi, Tony, she can reduce that by about 12 months if she completes community service or if she records a public service announcement. And I bet she's going to -- to probably do one or the other, because the Hilton family has hired a crisis manager. So they are working really hard to put a certain image out there going forward -- back to you.

COLLINS: And they're talking about her in Turkey. Interesting.

ANDERSON: Can you believe it?

COLLINS: No.

ANDERSON: Yes, with the sheriff.

COLLINS: I can't. But I hope she does that PSA. We'll be looking forward to that.

All right, Brooke Anderson, thanks so much for being out there all night long, certainly.

And if you want more from Paris, well, her first interview after being released from jail is right here on CNN. She's going to be talking with CNN's Larry King. So don't miss that, tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern.

HARRIS: And still ahead, a new immigration battle in Washington this morning. We will talk to the nation's homeland security chief about why the White House is in the middle of this fight.

You are watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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COLLINS: Immigration reform facing a critical test in about two hours. Supporters of the controversial bill need 60 Senate votes to keep it alive. The White House pushing hard for the measure and many conservative Republicans seem to be pushing back.

Joining us from the White House, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

Mr. Secretary, thanks for being with us today.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: Good to be on, Heidi.

COLLINS: This is, obviously, make or break time for this bill. In fact, to begin with, let's take a look at this poll that we have and just kind of let people know where we found them to be standing. This is CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll. You see that about 30 percent of people favor this immigration bill, 47 percent oppose them. And then, to me, astoundingly, still 19 percent really don't know. Maybe we should take the opportunity, Mr. Secretary, to talk about exactly what the key provisions of this bill are.

CHERTOFF: I think that's a great idea, Heidi.

We begin with enforcement, because this bill does a lot more for border enforcement and for enforcement of the law in the interior than any prior measure has ever done. It gives us a lot more resources. It raises the penalties. It creates, for the first time, a mandatory employer verification system. And these are all vital tools if we are really going to have border enforcement in a way we've never had before.

It creates a temporary worker program so that as we enforce the border, we can offer employers a legal way to satisfy their labor needs, which they have up until now been satisfying using illegal workers.

And, finally, it does address the 12 million undocumented workers by -- by giving them a path that requires them to pay a penalty, acknowledge their wrongdoing, get on probation, but then allows them -- if they satisfy all of those requirements -- to continue to work in this country.

COLLINS: All right, which some people, to be fair, some people are calling amnesty and some, of course, are not. In fact, I'd love for you to listen with me to some comments made by Pat Buchanan, thoughts on this bill.

Let's listen for just a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK BUCHANAN, FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What is taking place is not Ellis Island. It is an invasion across our southern border, which the government of the United States refuses to stop. That is the crisis. Stop that, stop the invasion, enforce the law and then you can deal with these other matters later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: What's your response?

Is this country being invaded?

CHERTOFF: Well, I don't think it's being invaded. I think the sad fact is that most of the people coming in illegally have been invited in by employers who are seeking to have workers come in to pick their crops or clean the hotel rooms or wait on tables. So it's been, essentially, an activity in which a lot of American employers have been complicit.

Now, I think most of them really do want to do the right thing if we give them a temporary worker program that allows them to meet their labor needs in a way that complies with the law. So this is a way to give everybody an opportunity to get on the right side of the law in a way that's effective and realistic.

COLLINS: Why is it taking so long to pass?

CHERTOFF: Well, you know, we had a couple of weeks off where the Senate took up another bill while the senators sat down and tried to go through the list of proposed amendments and whittle them down to a reasonable number. That's what...

COLLINS: Pardon me, but that's right. I mean, there are something like two dozen amendments that a lot of people really are having a very hard time getting through and understanding, right?

CHERTOFF: Well, and I think they started out with many dozen. So they had to sift through those and got it down to a manageable number. They can get through those this week. But now I think the American people are looking to Congress to do the job they're elected to do, which is to fix a problem that has been around for 20 to 30 years. And if Congress can't fix the problem, I think the American public is going to be very disappointed.

COLLINS: And you bring up a good point, I mean this is an election year.

How much of this really is about election year politics?

You have congressmen and senators going back to their districts and catching a really hard time, either being forced to vote for it or not being able to vote against it because of what their constituents are saying, and maybe not their real feeling on the vote, because they want to get reelected.

CHERTOFF: Well, of course, Heidi, there's an election every two years at the national level. And that's not an excuse to avoid making hard decisions and getting important things accomplished.

My understanding is there's a lot of emotion and a lot of passion. As you said earlier, I think a lot of people, frankly, don't understand the bill, and they may hear a one word or a two word summary that is not accurate.

Part of our job, and one of the reasons I'm frankly on this show here, is to educate the public about why this is the only realistic way to address this problem which everybody is unhappy about.

COLLINS: Is it going to pass by the end of the week?

CHERTOFF: I believe it will pass because I believe the alternative, which is doing nothing, is not an acceptable alternative.

COLLINS: All right, Secretary Chertoff, we certainly appreciate your time here today.

That test vote is today. It needs 60 votes to get passed. And we will be watching, sir.

Thanks so much.

CHERTOFF: Good to be on.

HARRIS: The food at this Italian restaurant simply to die for.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight's chef is Massimo Izzo from Sicily, six years in a into a 14 year sentence for murder.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HARRIS: Prison food is not what it used to be -- killer dishes. Mama Mia!

The story in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: A new Italian restaurant is doing great business, though it's not making a killing. Its staff already has.

CNN's Alessio Vinci tries the prison restaurant.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "GOODFELLAS,"

COURTESY WARNER BROTHERS)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In prison, dinner was always a big thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VINCI: The wise guys in the movie hit "Goodfellas" may be fiction, but fine dining in jail has become reality in Italy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little extra (INAUDIBLE).

VINCI: We'll call them the Volterra fellows after the name of the small Tuscan town where their prison, a magnificent old Medici fortress, turns into a restaurant for four nights a year.

Tonight's chef is Maurizio Izzo from Sicily, six years into a 14 year sentence for murder. A brief career in a kitchen when he was a free man, he now leads a small team of convicted murders and robbers working on a five course meal that includes yaki (ph), risotto, meatballs and roasted pig.

"Everything there is to learn here, I'll put it on the side for the future," he says. "It is also a good way to kill time," he adds.

Diners enter the jail through the main gate, just as any prisoner would. Handbags are duly searched, no cell phones allowed. The meal costs 25 euros, or just over $30, donated to charity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prego?

Bon appetito.

VINCI: Guests are welcomed by a glass of champagne offered by Maurizio. He is four years into a nine year sentence for murder. Gaitano (ph), another murderer, uncorks one bottle after the other and takes his time. He is in for life.

The prison guards are strict between guarding and giving inmates a hand and making sure everything runs smoothly. This would be a perfect night to escape, says one. But the atmosphere is relaxed. Also, thanks to Bruno, nine years in for homicide. It feels more like a village festival than a gourmet meal. The food keeps coming. So does the wine, not forbidden in Italian jails.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The food, I think it's -- it's good.

VINCI: And guests appear to love the surroundings and not mind some of the prison's restrictions, like plastic cutlery. Inmates and guests could be like old friends at a Friday night dinner. It is easy to forget this is a prison, even if you are a prisoner.

(on camera): The program has been a huge success. Tables have been fully booked weeks in advance and there are even inquiries from abroad. The only prerequisite to be admitted -- you must have a clean slate. And we're told no one has been rejected yet.

Alessio Vinci, CNN, inside a maximum secretary prison in Volterra, Italy.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COLLINS: The suspicious death of a popular pro-wrestler, his wife and son -- police hope an autopsy today will provide more clues. The investigation ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Also, was it just a schoolyard fight or a case of attempted murder?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was getting kicked and stomped.

QUESTION: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. You tell me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Parents of a beating victim speak exclusively to CNN. We have got both sides of the Gina Sick (ph) story in the NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): A fire just south of Lake Tahoe, California has already claimed 2,400 acres of land, including 220 homes and other buildings.

Our reporter, Carl Pole, was one of many near the scene.

CARL POLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, there's smoke. There's so much smoke that you couldn't -- couldn't really tell where the fire was.

MARCIANO: The southeastern U.S. is also struggling with weather related fires. I-Reporter Elizabeth McGee sent these images of a barn fire in Delano, Tennessee.

ELIZABETH MCGEE: A gentleman said that he saw a strike of lightning come down and hit one of the barns. And he says the barn just went up in a circle of flames. There were no injuries. There was one firefighter who had a little bit of the exhaustion. Everybody else was fine. The guys and women who particularly go in and fight these fires should really be admired.

MARCIANO: You'll find more at cnn.com. Just look for the I- Report logo.

And always remember to stay safe and out of harm's way.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Pointing fingers over 9/11.

Were first responders properly warn about air quality problems at ground zero?

CNN's Mary Snow looks at the heated debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Christine Todd Whitman on the defense.

CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN, FORMER EPA ADMINISTRATOR: I have been called a liar...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm -- no. I'm not calling you...

WHITMAN: I have been called a liar even in this room today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, I'm not...

WHITMAN: And my actions might have been criminal...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... I'm not calling you...

SNOW (voice-over): With a growing number of Ground Zero workers getting sick after inhaling the toxic cloud that enveloped the area following the fall of the World Trade Center, some blame her for their exposure to it, scrutinizing Whitman's statements about the air quality.

Here was Whitman, September 13th, 2001.

WHITMAN: But from a real health problem, health concerns, we don't have to worry.

SNOW: On September 18th, Whitman released a statement saying: "I am glad to reassure the people of New York and Washington, D.C. That their air is safe to breath."

Asked if she was premature in making those statements...

WHITMAN: You have to understand that these were not whims. These were not decisions by a politician. Everything I said was based on what I was hearing from professionals. My son was in Building Seven on that day, Congressman...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, Governor, what...

WHITMAN: ... And I almost lost him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor...

SNOW: The issue not only turned personal, it has also turned political, taking aim at former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has largely built his Republican presidential campaign on his handling of the 9/11 attacks.

In an interview with WNBC TV aired over the weekend, Whitman suggested that the EPA's hands were tied in forcing Green Zone workers to all wear respirators, suggesting that the buck stopped with city representatives on site.

The Giuliani camp fired back, saying no one from the city tried to block the EPA adding, "Administrator Whitman never voiced any of these concerns at the time. Doing so now is revisionist, at best."

Whitman said at Monday's hearing she is not blaming the former mayor, but added...

WHITMAN: We conveyed the information about the importance of wearing protective gear on a regular basis to those who had the most direct oversight of the responders on the pile.

SNOW: The pile refers to the area right at Ground Zero where workers sifted through smoldering rubble for months.

Whitman has said that when she called the air safe, she was referring to Lower Manhattan, not the pile at Green Zone.

Mary Snow, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEO TAPE) COLLINS: Good morning, everybody.

I'm Heidi Collins.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.

Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Here's what's on the run down.

Crews gaining ground on that devastating Lake Tahoe wildfire. But flames could flare again.

COLLINS: A prominent Republican breaks with the president on the Iraq War. Senator Richard Lugar questions the troop buildup. He calls for a course correction.

HARRIS: Hotel heiress Paris Hilton sprung from the pokey. Now she is ready to tell her story to Larry King, well, about her time in the big house.

It is Tuesday, June 26th, and you are in THE CNN NEWSROOM.

Progress on the front lines, but the battle is far from over. Firefighters still hard at work right now, just south of Lake Tahoe, California. A big wildfire has destroyed 240 buildings. It is about 40 percent contained. Full containment still days away.

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