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More Iraq Violence; Restaurant Collapse; Texas Flooding; New Orleans Murders
Aired July 07, 2007 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, HOST: A huge and bloody attack in a crowded market. Political implications here at home? Plenty. And they may include him.
Don't you worry. This is only an experiment. CNN commissions a truck bombing. Find out what it takes to spread terror. How many would have died were this real?
I go on assignment underwater because people are drowning in their own cars like this July Fourth tragedy in Connecticut.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then what you're going to do, you're going to work your way out here like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That's above the water. Underwater, things suddenly go wrong. This one is dicey.
It is definitely not a tourist slogan. New Orleans, no murder capital of the U.S.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like how can I come to New Orleans and really have a great time in a city that's still going through so much?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Now the city is spinning an unusual message to draw people back. What is it?
And they're rocking out across the world to save the planet from global warming. We'll take you live in a Live Earth concert here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
And hello again, everybody. We're here in B control. Stay with us now because we've got some breaking news that I want to share with you. This is information we got about half an hour ago, just as we were getting ready to go on the air. Let me show you a map of where this is taking place. A lot of you in the Northeast are certainly going to be familiar with this and certainly folks all over the country. There's Cape May. It's the very tip of New Jersey there in the Atlantic Ocean right where the Delaware River comes in and you follow it all the way to Philadelphia. So it's a populated area where a lot of people vacation.
There has been a collapse there at a restaurant. It was really more of a deck part of a restaurant. And it's being described to us like part of a pier, that for some reason just gave out, collapsed, while people were there on a Friday night as people usually do out dining.
We're told it's several of them have fallen into the water. Original reports were that maybe dozens were missing, but that report has now come back. What we're getting now from officials there on the scene, there it is, the Crab House Restaurant, by the way, as we get some of these pictures in. We're looking at them at the very first time -- for the very first time as you're looking at them, as well.
There you see some of the firefighters arriving at the scene, trying to deal with this most difficult situation.
The very latest that we're getting now from officials at the scene, and again, some of this information still coming in, is that nine people were taken to the hospital and that none of their injuries at this point seem serious, but still they're dealing with the potential fallout of a restaurant where there are, as you might imagine, chemicals and propane and other substances that they're frankly concerned about.
A lot of questions. How could something like this happen? We're trying to get some of those answers for you, and also, trying to get more information on those folks who have been taken to the hospital with this.
I think we've got some sound. These are some interviews that have been done by some of the local affiliates there moments ago. Let's try and turn some of those around now. Roger, let's go ahead and hit some of those.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The floor is still -- it's in what they're calling a V-shape collapse. Self explanatory I guess. At this point, it's still unstable. We have engineers from New Jersey state police task force 1 en route. Atlantic City Fire Department also has some structural engineers with their collapse rescue team that is en route to the location. Should be here within an hour to 90 minutes or so, we're told.
At this point, the situation is stable. The building has been evacuated. Everyone that we're aware of has been accounted for, including all of the workers and the patrons that we know of. At this point, we're just calling the situation stable. We're just standing by. We're beginning to offload some propane that's in a propane tank that is involved. Not involved in the collapse, but services the structure and the kitchen area. So we're trying to get a handle on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: All right. There you have some of the officials on the scene. That is an interview that we turned around just moments ago. There's the restaurant. Once again. I do believe we have now on the line the public information officer there in Cape May, New Jersey. There's some also some new video that we're turning around for you now. It's Tom Piratsky. Mr. Piratsky, thanks so much for being with us, sir. Are you there?
TOM PIRATSKY, SPOKESMAN, CAPE MAY REGIONAL MEDICAL CTR.: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Can you draw us a picture? I mean, the report we got is that the restaurant collapsed and that people fell into water. Is that right?
PIRATSKY: I'm not aware of that. I work at the Cape Regional Medical Center.
SANCHEZ: OK.
PIRATSKY: And all I know is that we received nine patients from ambulances. And they were all bumps and bruises, nobody was serious. And we have admitted nobody to the hospital.
SANCHEZ: What are they telling you? What are you hearing from some of those people?
PIRATSKY: I have not spoke to any of the patients directly. That's all being done by our professional medical staff.
SANCHEZ: What's the situation there at the hospital? Are you going to be able to deal with this?
PIRATSKY: Absolutely. As a matter of fact, about a half hour ago, we cancelled the disaster code and went back into normal operations. And we had called in a few extra people, but we don't have them here anymore either.
SANCHEZ: What does that mean, cancelled the disaster code? What's a disaster code?
PIRATSKY: When we first got the call, we did call in additional personnel to make sure that we can handle the load. And once we got our nine patients and knew we were not getting any more, we were able to send them home.
SANCHEZ: Do you live there?
PIRATSKY: I live in North Wildwood, which is just down the way from the restaurant, about eight miles.
SANCHEZ: Do you live -- so you've been to this restaurant?
PIRATSKY: Absolutely. SANCHEZ: Is it a restaurant that's on the ocean side or on the inlet side?
PIRATSKY: It's on the inlet side.
SANCHEZ: So the people are actually eating and watching the water and the boats go by, sort of?
PIRATSKY: Correct.
SANCHEZ: So and they -- are you familiar with the deck that they have that's out in...
PIRATSKY: You know, I've only eaten there once. So I'm not too familiar with whole the setup there.
SANCHEZ: But you can tell us first person that in fact it is a restaurant that's on the water?
PIRATSKY: Correct.
SANCHEZ: And the water would be the inlet, not the ocean side. Right?
PIRATSKY: Correct.
SANCHEZ: So that would be deeper water?
PIRATSKY: That I'm not aware. I don't know what the depth of the water is.
SANCHEZ: Wow. Tom Piratsky joining us as public information officer at the hospital, where some of these folks have been taken to. Mr. Piratsky, thank you, sir, for taking time to talk to us. We certainly appreciate it.
PIRATSKY: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: All right. That's the latest from the hospital. It appears to be good news. The information we're getting from him is that they do have nine people there. They're not going to admit them. None of them apparently have been seriously hurt.
Worse, this is a story that because we learned of it just moments ago, what we're going to do is try to stay on top of it for you and bring you updates as we get them. If there's any new information or anything we get from some of the officers on the scene to find out how something like this could have happened, why, for example, the restaurant may or may not have been checked, and what they're doing about it now to stabilize the scene, we'll turn that around and share it with you.
In the meantime, the other big story that we've been following overseas, on the other side of the pond as they often say. Talk about an exhausting week in the United Kingdom. Terrorism, terror threats, terror suspects and terror alerts on the front pages and in the minds of many of the people living in the British Isles.
Remember this awful image right there? That's a vehicle in flames after smashing into a Czech-in terminal at Glasgow's Airport. We're learning so much since that day. And still, there are many unanswered questions. Eight people in custody. Linked to either the Glasgow incident or the London car bomb discoveries.
This is one of those suspects, a doctor, 27-years old raised in Iraq. See him right there, being taken away by London officials? Billau (ph) Abdullah is his name. Go in tight on him there. He appeared before a London judge today. The charge, conspiracy to set off bombs in both places.
Now on top of a jangled nerves in the U.K., it's also the anniversary of the horrific rush hour bombings of two years ago. Let's show you something here. This is King's Crossing. King's Station in London. Britain's new prime minister and London's mayor laying flowers and remembering the 52 people who died.
The morning of July 7th, 2005, four bombs on trains and buses went off at almost the same time. More than 700 people were hurt. Britain's Muslim community, 1.6 million strong, is now trying to head off any backlash against them or any attacks against them. And there's been a bevy of accusations in this country. There's a new ad campaign that uses the slogan, "Don't panic, I'm Islamic." Organizers say too many people in Britain are equating Islam unnecessarily with terrorism.
Now the fight for Iraq in Baghdad and in Washington. Because of the repercussions, how big a liability is Iraq right now for President Bush? Well, consider this. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is now about to ramp up a new call to get out of Iraq. Consider also that just two days ago, the president lost the support of another leading Republican, Arizona's Pete Dominici.
And now this. "The New York Times" is reporting today that the main proponent of the Iraq War, Vice President Dick Cheney, no longer has the sway that he once wielded. That's the backdrop.
Here's the news. In northern Iraq today, a place that is usually peaceful, if there can be a peaceful place in Iraq, exploded into chaos. A suicide bomber killed 117 people. He drove a truck. Witnesses say it looked like a military truck. It had two tons of explosions -- explosives, I should say, in the back.
London and Glasgow might have seen similar casualties if the bombers had succeeded. They didn't. Hundreds of people would have been killed had he succeeded.
The impact on the economy, on tourism, on travel would have been no doubt tremendous. Now if you think these bombs are complicated, sophisticated devices that they were about to use that could have succeeded, think again. Here's CNN's David Mattingly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Under the blazing New Mexico sun, a deadly weapon of terror takes shape.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a car bomb, this is an improvised car bomb. MATTINGLY: Using the same volatile ingredients investigators say terrorists attempted to use in the failed attacks on London and Glasgow. We commissioned explosives experts at New Mexico tech to build us a similar car bomb and then blow it up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What will happen is this entire car will turn into shrapnel.
MATTINGLY: This not a how-to in building car bombs. This bomb starts with about $100 of simple materials. Two tanks of liquid propane, the kind you would attach to your backyard grill. Then, tanks of gasoline, about 20 gallons in all. But where the London bombs contained nail, for practical purposes our tests uses metal nuts. They're less likely to cause flat tires at the site later.
VAN ROMERO, NEW MEXICO TECH: For a suicide bomber, a suicide bomber will have a plastic or C-4 explosives and they'll put that to their -- on top of the explosives. And then when it detonates, these will shoot out into the surrounding area.
MATTINGLY: You can see that these are items that are easy to find. Anyone can buy them, anyone can put them together. The real expertise behind a car bomb is in knowing how to blow it up. And for security reasons, detonating a car bomb is the one thing experts here do not discuss publicly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, four, three, two, one.
MATTINGLY: From a half mile away, the sound takes about a second to catch up to the churning orange fireball. Watch in slow motion as the car blows to pieces.
From this angle, we can see fiery debris jetting out of the back, but it's not until we get on the ground to get a clear idea of the damage this could have done on a busy London street.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The casualties would probably be fire victims.
MATTINGLY: The building next to the car was incinerated by the blast. If this had been a night club full of people, fire would have claimed many lives. And all those metal nuts representing nails strapped to the propane nuts could have wounded pedestrians within a half block or more.
No doubt, a deadly weapon, but a weapon intended to create mass panic, more so than mass destruction. David Mattingly, CNN, Socorro, New Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Wow. Once again, we want to let you know that we're following the story that we just learned of before we went on the air out of Cape May, New Jersey. There it is, the Crab House restaurant. Part of it has collapsed with people falling into the water. As we get more information, we're going to be sharing it with you.
Also, concerts for a cause. Music on a mission. Call it what you want. The world is rocking tonight. We'll take you there live.
And it's coming up. We'll tell you the names of the band, too, by the way. Right on, Andreas?
Then, take a look at this. A day on the lake doesn't end so well. That's right. Look out! Oh. This is Rick's picks. It is next in the CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back. I'm Rick Sanchez. This is our top video picks. And we're going to start with number four. We take you to the Ganzhou Province. This is in China. You've heard of the Great Wall of China. This is the great wall of sand in China. Natural phenomenon. It's absolutely huge. Covers up entire cities. Turns day into night. And it lasted several hours. Finally dissipated, but of course left behind a lot of damage because of the rain, the sand, and the wind.
Number three, let's take you now to the famous running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. A favorite, year in and year out. There you see the seven bulls released from the stadium. The fools are running in front of them. You'll see a guy up here now. And he'll be right on this side of the screen, who's about to get gored by one of these things. He gets toppled. There he is. Gets toppled over the top of the second bull and then continues. Like I said, the bulls, the fools every year. It's a tradition.
Now let's take you to the famous story about a bear who decided to just get a better vantage point, looking over a highway. And there he is. And there he sits. How he got to the top of there, no one knows, but the helicopter was going by and got a shot of him. Several people called in. He's out in the middle of nowhere in California. Eventually; after about an hour and a half, he just climbed down and scattered away.
Number one now, and this is the video that really has got to be seen to believe because of the painfulness of it because of the way they make impact. See that right there? We've been telling you about all the rains that have been taking place in this part of Texas. This is Louisville, Texas.
Well, the rains have created a spillover in one of the dams in a lake in Louisville. And the person on this waverunner didn't see it. So he thinks he's going over the surface of the water, when in actuality, he's about to hit that spill. And that's where he crashes over the top. There makes an impact. Pretty serious injury. A pelvis injury to him. Had to be hospitalized. We'll certainly keep tabs on that.
Then, we'll continue to tell you about the big thematic story of the day, which is global warming. And celebrations going on all over the world to try and make sure that people are, well, global warming conscious. The band, maestro. Take it away, Roger.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back to the big set here. I'm Rick Sanchez from Washington. To London to Tokyo, people around the world are rocking out tonight to help fight global warming. This is huge. The biggest names in the music business are performing at the first ever Live Earth Concerts to raise awareness about climate change.
Nine cities are taking part in the 24 hour mega show. Our own Brook Anderson attended tonight a big party in New Jersey. She's in Giant Stadium, where I understand and my proficiency in rock would tell me that Metallica is the music that we've been hearing in the background. Is that right?
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It may sound like that from here, but actually, this is a fantastic show, Rick. I'm having the best time. And I do like Metallica. They weren't on the bill today, but Live Earth is coming to a really entertaining close right now with the reunited Police. They're on the stage right now. The crowd is on their feet. Everybody's singing and dancing along.
This show right after the incredible show by Roger Waters', founder of Pink Floyd, the crowd even got a wave going around the stadium a little bit earlier tonight. So everyone is thrilled to be here, thrilled about both the music and the message. Al Gore, who spearheaded this effort, made an announcement just a short time ago, saying that this is the largest global entertainment event in history. He said that they will have final numbers tomorrow.
Now Live Earth has had its naysayers. Some critics say that there's no definite final goal while others say the whole event is counterintuitive because the concerts themselves harm the environment.
Well, Gore, the organizers, and lot of the artists who participated, including John Mayer, Alicia Keyes, basically say that that's bologna, that they are trying to make this entire thing as eco friendly as possible. And hey, they're not perfect, but they believe that the message outweighs the impact on the environment.
Now it will be difficult to gauge the success of Live Earth. Some other performances here today include Melissa Etheridge, Kanye West, K.T. Tunstall (ph), Kelly Clarkson, but this is about a lifestyle change.
Gore and the organizers are challenging people to make personal changes and also to put pressure on political leaders to change policies on pollution. So it's going to be very difficult to gauge the success, because there's nothing tangible. It's not about money, although the profits do go to the Alliance for Climate Protection. Rick, Gore is adamant that this is more about raising consciousness and less about raising that green, those bills. Back to you.
SANCHEZ: Good cause. All right. Thanks a lot. And I was just told by a producer, by the way, that the Metallica that we were looking at on the screen was from the London stage, not the New Jersey stage.
ANDERSON: Ah, I see.
SANCHEZ: So I got part of it. And there in New Jersey, as long as Al Gore doesn't sing, I'm sure everything will be fine.
ANDERSON: Everything's going to be great.
SANCHEZ: Thanks so much. I appreciate the report.
ANDERSON: Coming up, the story of a fighter pilot who went top gun. Who is this war hero who pulled the trigger in that picture you're looking at right there? You're going to find out, straight ahead. And you may be surprised.
But first...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't want to feel like we're callous. And all we're concerned about is whether the tourists are safe. It's important that everybody's safe in New Orleans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: It's the struggle to make New Orleans what it was, but that's clashing with what it's become. This is a PR campaign with a bit of a twist straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We welcome you back. And tonight in Biloxi, Mississippi, one of the city's famous staples is up and running again. Did you know? Look at this. This is the Hard Rock Hotel Casino back in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. A bit of a mess, wouldn't you say? Gutted out structure. A pile of spinners. Spinners? That would be splinters. They forgot the (INAUDIBLE).
Also, a heap of bricks, but the famous giant electric guitar still standing. And here's the new and improved Hard Rock Hotel Casino now reopened for business. The resort's original opening was scheduled for nearly two years ago. And that's when Katrina struck.
Well, this week, the Essence Music Festival came back home to the Big Easy.
Things in New Orleans are far from easy, though. There have been close to a hundred murders since the first of the year, but city officials say the violence shouldn't keep tourists away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
T.J. REYNOLDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, New Orleans has a crime problem. But they also have a problem with perception, according to police superintendent Warren Riley.
WARREN RILEY, CHIEF, NEW ORLEANS POLICE: First of all, and I believe that the -- what's been portrayed about city of New Orleans has been embellished tremendously because there's a progress. If the progress was focused on more people would be coming to New Orleans because there are a lot of positive things that are happening here.
REYNOLDS: A lot of the city's progress is visible downtown, where the visitors come to play and where it's relatively safe. And that's what the city wants you to know.
MARY BETH ROMIG, NEW ORLEANS VISITORS BUREAU: It's tough for some people to make that balance. They feel like how can I come to New Orleans and really have a great time in the city that's still going through so much? But New Orleanians people want people to come and have a great time.
REYNOLDS: Romig's challenge -- attracting visitors to a city dubbed the murder capital of the United States. City officials are attempting to ease visitors' fears by explaining that the violent crime is almost exclusively criminals preying on other criminals.
ROMIG: We don't want to appear like we're callous and all we're concerned about is whether the tourists are safe. It's important that everybody's safe in New Orleans, because it has to be about being a great place to live, work and play.
REYNOLDS: Come to New Orleans. Don't worry. The criminals are killing each other. They don't want to kill you. Not exactly an ideal slogan for a tourism campaign, but it is a reality in the recovery of New Orleans.
T.J. Holmes, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Coming up, want to show you an actual shot of an air attack. You're going to see it right here. As a matter of fact, we've got the video, right? See that? That's a missile being fired on an enemy target. See that gunship that was firing off the missile? Who saved the lives? Who's the fighter pilot? There she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So I'm down in the site unit, looking through the camera, target's locked on, pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Well, then something did happen. You're going to hear her firsthand account of how this Iraq battle finally comes to an end.
Also, imagine being trapped in a sinking car. It happened to a family earlier this week with tragic results. I learned the hard way just how things can go from bad to worse when I go underwater to do a demonstration.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Well, we welcome you back. Here's what I'm happy to do. Tonight, I'm going to profile the first African-American female combat pilot in this country's history. After graduating number one in her flight school and surviving two combat tours in Iraq, Vernice Armor joins us to share her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: We've got an unbelievable picture that you have shared with us. So we'd like to share with our viewers. Go ahead and put this picture up if you can. This is your gunship actually firing on a target. What was going on here?
CAPT. VERNICE ARMOUR, U.S. MARINE CORPS: The troops on the ground were pinned down. They didn't have any ammunition to fire back at the target. They called us in. Said they needed some air support. We came around from the north. They talked us on to the target. We circled around. Came back up. Popped up. We're looking down in the shoot. Now mind you, we have one missile on the aircraft. It's a tow, which is wire guided.
SANCHEZ: So it is just -- you better hit, right?
ARMOUR: Exactly. Exactly, because lives are at stake here.
SANCHEZ: But failure is not an option.
ARMOUR: Right. Not an option. So I'm down in the sight unit, looking through the camera, target's locked on, pulled the trigger. Nothing happens.
SANCHEZ: Oh my goodness.
ARMOUR: Let it go. Pulled the trigger one more time, hoping this thing comes off. And this missile is known to be a little unreliable. So we really didn't know -- we were praying that it was going to work.
1.5 seconds later, shoots off. And it impacted the target. Jason followed up with six to eight rockets. We pulled off to the right. And we later found out that day that the target was destroyed. They received no more fire. They carried on with the mission.
SANCHEZ: Job well done.
ARMOUR: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Hey, you know, what haven't you done? I mean, it's amazing when I study your background what you've able to accomplish in your short time on earth. How are you using that as an example for other people that may want to follow in your footsteps?
ARMOUR: Well, now, I'm actually leaving the Marine Corps. But to carry on what my parents, what the Army, what the Marine Corps have blessed me with, and that is just the passion, purpose, and positive steps. Follow your dreams. And...
SANCHEZ: Yes, but, here's the issue. I mean, there are so many kids...
ARMOUR: Right.
SANCHEZ: ...who could be, you know, eventually your sons or daughters or mine now...
ARMOUR: Right.
SANCHEZ: ...who are so caught up on the bling as you say...
ARMOUR: Right.
SANCHEZ: ...when I was reading some of your writings.
ARMOUR: Yes.
SANCHEZ: How do you get them not to consider that and to consider things with perhaps a little more purpose?
ARMOUR: Well, you know, it depends on what you want in life. If kids are interested in the Playstation, I say, who designed the Playstation? Who came up with the graphics? Who does the marketing? If you like the Escalade, who came up with the prototype? We can do more than just be consumers.
SANCHEZ: And at one point you say, in what I was reading that you've written, look, I didn't choose to invade this country. I was sent there to do a job. Amplify on that thought for me.
ARMOUR: Well, you know, my grandfather was a (INAUDIBLE) Marine. He enlisted in the Marine Corps back in 1943. My father, Clarence Jackson, he joined the Marine Corps, was in Vietnam two tours in Vietnam. My dad gassed in armor. He was in the Army. It's civil allegiance. It was giving back.
To me from a little girl, I wanted to be a police officer that rode a horse downtown. I actually asked for a pony at six-years old. I got one. And I -- most of my life have been looking for a way to give back do the community.
And when my path was going down the road of joining the Marine Corps, I was like, OK, how is this supposed to go back to community? And you know, getting in the community and seeing the negative trends. I wanted to be that positive role model.
SANCHEZ: There's a picture of you with Barak Obama. I mean, here's a guy who says the invasion was wrong. We never should have done it.
ARMOUR: Right.
SANCHEZ: How do you put the two together?
ARMOUR: I don't put the two together, to be honest with you. My job as a Marine Corps officer was to go over there, protect my brothers and sisters on the ground and in the air. The minute I start second guessing the commander in chief or the powers that be, that's when I take my focus off of those men and women who are on the ground, who also have their lives at risk.
SANCHEZ: Well, I'll tell you what. You've set the bar really high for a lot of us. And it's really a pleasure and an honor to be able to talk to you today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Inspiring story. Well, this guy, well, he doesn't have an inspiring story. He robbed a bank. The question is, which branch? Get it? Hmm. We've got the story behind one of the most unique bad guy disguises that we have ever seen. He dressed as a -- well, you'll find out.
Also, flooding, record heat, and unbelievable drought. Our Jacqui Jeras working all of it for you putting together a forecast. Stay with CNN. We'll be right back with her and a lot more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: You know, you've got to be kidding me segment, remember him? We're going to show you John Mark Karr. He was in the news for like a week. Everybody was talking about him, the man who allegedly confessed to murdering Jonbenet Ramsey, a claim that turned out to be bogus. He may have just wanted a trip back from Europe. Well, he's making news again this afternoon. Police say they were called to his home in suburban Atlanta. He was arrested after some kind of altercation between his dad and a woman who was identified as his girlfriend.
And this guy. See him right there to the left of the screen. Take a closer look. He walked into a bank in New Hampshire with three branches taped to his head and demanded money from the teller. The teller filled a bag with cash. Police described the man as a white male between 45 and 50 wearing glasses, a blue shirt, and a tree.
We've got more wild pictures to show you. This time courtesy of some of our I reporters. For example, Jay Schulz sent us these pictures from flood ravaged Tyler, Texas. Remember, we were talking about Tyler a little while ago or those parts.
Floodwaters wash away a road, along with some vehicles. The rain was so heavy, the driver of this truck didn't even know what he was heading for until it was just too late. We're told, though, the driver is OK.
Now why is it that whenever we do a story about Texas suddenly I start talking like this? It just happens, you know?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I have no idea. SANCHEZ: It's not Tyler, Texas. It's Tyler, Texas.
JERAS: All right, then. I'll let you stick with the accent.
SANCHEZ: Jacqui Jeras, take it away, Jacqui.
JERAS: Hey. You know, it is smiles a little bit across much of Texas today. Take a look at this picture. You know, the flooding situation has really improved a lot. And just very small area of the state has been affected by the heavy rain and floodwaters.
One spot just to the north of the Austin area, into Georgetown, a little bit of flooding going on there. And it's really just been a speck of a thunderstorm that's been sitting there over the last couple of hours. And then also down here into the Houston area. Started out down towards Corpus Christi and Victoria. A little minor flash flooding there earlier this afternoon. Now it's spreading towards Houston on into the Port Arthur area. And it looks like it's starting to diminishing a little bit, but we still do have flood watches and warnings. Takes a long time for that water to run off and get those rivers back within their banks. So a lot of really -- hundreds of miles here still of watches and warnings.
But the good news is with all of this, the rain has spread east, yes, in a place where people are actually happy to see it. Showers and thundershowers have been heavy at times, moving through the Birmingham area. We had a tornado watch briefly. Possible tornado near Montgomery. And then you can see that that has all pushed off into the state of Georgia. So people happy to see some of that. And the rainfall totals should be pretty good over the next 48 hours or so. We're expecting two to three inches within that swath and really could use maybe two to three feet of rain spread out over a long period of time.
The other big story has been the excessive heat. We still have warnings in effect for Los Angeles or Las Vegas, rather and interior parts of southern California. The heat index still way up there even at this hour. And that's part of the problem with this heat is that there's really not a lot of recovery going in the overnight hours.
We're going to watch this spread eastward over the next couple of days and watch out for those of you into the Northeast, because we're going to be seeing temperatures well into the 90s. Heat indices into the triple digits likely for Sunday and Monday.
One other problem with all of this heat, and not just the danger to people, but also to vegetation. Wildfires have been burning all day long. In fact, we've had about 500 new fires start in the last couple of days. Most of which are small. These are some new pictures that we're just getting gin from Los Angeles County. A brush fire started there. About 100 acres have burned. And there's a small section on the Aloe Valley Freeway, which has been shut down there. You can see all the traffic, which has been backed up. So wildfire danger remains high across much of the West. Also, throughout parts of the Rockies and the Great Basin. And we have some of those dry thunderstorms, as we call them, we got a lot of lighting. But the rain evaporates before it ever reaches the ground because it's so dry at the surface.
SANCHEZ: Hmm. And that's from KABC Aqua Dolce California. I bet you that's misspelled. I bet you it's Aqua Dulce in Spanish. Because why would it be Italian over there? Anyway...
JERAS: I don't know.
SANCHEZ: Maybe I'm wrong. Coming, up -- thanks, Jacqui.
This week we told you a horrible story of a Connecticut family who drowned when their van rolled into a lake. It happened more than, well, happens more than you might think. I'm going to show you a tough lesson that I learned on how to survive.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: This is a tough story to tell and certainly wrenching to hear, but an important reminder that we can't overlook in news across America tonight. A little boy left for five hours inside a sweltering car in northern Idaho. Temperatures reached 107 that day. The boy's stepmother is charged in his death. She says she forgot that the little boy was in the backseat. Here's what the dad had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK GRABER, FATHER: He was just so -- so cute and so full of life. I don't know how you could possibly forget him. There's just -- he was a kid you never forgot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: In West Palm Beach, Florida, really just a despicable crime. Police say at least 10 masked people forced their way inside this run down apartment and repeatedly raped a woman for three hours. They didn't stop there. Police say before they left, they forced the woman to sodomize her own son who was only 12-years old. Two teens are in jail. More arrests are expected. Wow.
Texas now. A funeral not for a person, but for a racial epithet. A Houston area group buried the "N" word today. It's a movement that we're seeing in many areas of the country. But today in Texas, organizers summed it up plain and simple.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've put to rest the "N" word. We put (BLEEP) in its proper place buried in history. It's a word that will no longer degrate, demean, and humiliate us as a race.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Well, this week, we told you of a horrible story of a Connecticut family who drowned when their van suddenly rolled into a pond. It happens more than you think. Coming up, I'm going to show you a tough lesson that I learned on how to survive that scenario.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rick Sanchez.
Makeshift memorials are popping up all along the banks of a pond in Bridgeport, Connecticut tonight. Just this week, a woman and three children died when the van that they were in suddenly rolled into the water in the pond.
Well, I decided to go on assignment and find out what do you do in a situation like that? In parts of the country where there are so many canals like in South Florida, where I grew up. How do you save yourself?
But in the middle of my own demonstration, suddenly things went very wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, HOST (voice-over): It's a Saturday morning on the banks of one of the thousands of waterways that criss cross the state of Florida. Miami police, who now do extensive training on submerged vehicle safety, have agreed to demonstrate how to get out alive. It's a daunting lesson that I'm about to receive, but one these police officials are convinced can save lives.
JULIUS WIGGINS, MIAMI POLICE DIVE MASGER: As soon as the car hits the water, you have the seat belt on, you want to get rid of that seat belt as soon as possible.
SANCHEZ: To say that Miami police officer Julius Wiggins, who's also a dive master, is passionate about teaching people how to get out of a sinking car would be an understatement. His goal, to reach as many people with what he calls the basics.
WIGGINS: Seat belt first. OK? Then unlock the car door.
SANCHEZ: Right.
WIGGINS: OK. Then roll down the window.
SANCHEZ: OK.
WIGGINS: And then start climbing out. Then what you're going to do is you're going to work your way out here quick like this. Once you are sitting here, all you have to do is just push yourself off.
SANCHEZ: If ever there's been an appropriate use of the term "dry run", this is it.
WIGGINS: The car's gone in the water. Seat belt first. Lock. Roll the window. Start climbing out. And push off.
SANCHEZ: Got it.
And now, the real thing. The car plunges into the canal head first, then bob's back, allowing enough time to put the basic plan into action. With me inside the car, photographer Rich Brooks, who is a certified diver.
From his pictures, you can see I'm working fast to take advantage of what is a perfect scenario. The car has leveled out, giving me time to open the window and get out before it sinks.
However, on my second attempt, the car turns slightly, forcing the water in faster, slowing my exit. With the seat belt off, the lock undone, the window rolled down, I take a final breath and climb out.
My third attempt takes a bit longer, but I'm realizing window exits seem most effective. Whether it's a roll down or electric, it doesn't matter, as long as you don't remove the keys from the ignition. Remember, even under water, your battery will continue to operate the windows.
What happens, though, if the window is stuck or for some reason simply isn't working? From inside the vehicle, you can see how it looks when I leave the window rolled up. The water is now seeping in from elsewhere and quickly filling the cabin. I try to push on the door, but it seems jammed.
Outside the car, divers are also trying to unjam the door to let me out, but are unable to do so. Admittedly, it is a chilling moment. I grab for the emergency air supply left in the front seat, rush it to my mouth and wait nervously.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pull up. Pull up. Pull up.
SANCHEZ: For the car to be hoisted out of the water with me inside breathing, waiting and with a much better understanding now of how important it is to know the basics. How to act fast and how to get out alive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Yes, heart pumping a little faster. Thank God for that regulator.
Coming up, he is a teenager making a huge difference in the lives of others.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was six years old and I was in my grade one classroom. My teacher said there are people that have to walk about 10 kilometers to get to a dirty mud hole. And I decided to do something about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: And he did something about it. And that's why we call him a CNN hero. This is a heck of a story. Stay with us. We'll share it with you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back. I'm Rick Sanchez. Water, clean water. You and I, we take it for granted. But for millions of people around the world, it's really a luxury. Tonight's CNN hero is changing that. He is a 16-year-old Canadian who is saving children across the globe by giving them their most basic necessity. Here is Ryan Hreljac.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please stand by. Go ahead, please.
RYAN HRELJAC: Every day 6,000 children die because they don't have access to clean water. That's like 20 full jumbo jets crashing every day of the year. I feel that we shouldn't live in a world like that.
I was six-years old. And I was in my grade one classroom. My teacher said there are people that have to walk ten kilometers to walk to a dirty mud hole. And I decided to do something about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ryan told me he has been saving money to put up a well in Africa. And he said he wanted it in a schoolroom.
Let us look at an example. The well which Ryan built was the first clean water they ever had.
HRELJAC: I went to Uganda when I was 10. I was pretty excited to go see what the impact was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You read it.
HRELJAC: Ryan's Well, funded by Ryan H. Thank you Ryan for the water
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Up to that moment maybe Ryan never knew how much this means. A little boy who had this big dream, now look where he is. Not only doing one well, but doing so many wells. The clean water has reached far and wide.
HRELJAC: When a well is built in a community that health, it skyrockets. You see smiles light up on people's faces because they have clean water to drink. It's great to see the impact.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ryan has changed many, many lifestyles here. So he is a hero. He is a warrior who made it happen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: A hero, a warrior who made it happen. Good for him. If you'd like to make a contribution to Ryan's foundation, or nominate your own hero for special recognition, you'll find all the information on our website at CNN.com/heroes. That's it for us. Thanks so much for being with us in the NEWSROOM. We'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow. 7:00 and 10:00. I'm Rick Sanchez.
CNN Special Investigation unit "Battlefield Breakdown" is coming up next. Good night, everybody.
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