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Newark Killings; Mine Chamber Reached; Mom Strangles Raccoon; Gerri's Top Tips
Aired August 10, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Heidi Collins this morning.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.
Investors spooked by tight credit. Within minutes of the opening bell, the Dow dives more than 150 points.
WHITFIELD: And one drill punches through, but no response from six trapped miners in Utah. Today, searchers hope to put a camera down a second hole.
HARRIS: A suspect in Newark's execution-style triple homicide in court right now.
It is Friday, August 10th and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Two suspects in custody, one due in court this hour in the execution-style killings in Newark. An arraignment for Jose Carranza. Deborah Feyerick has more on the arrest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): The day began with news of an arrest.
MAYOR CORY BOOKER, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: That individual is a 15- year-old, a male, who, as a result of the person's age, we are not releasing the name.
FEYERICK: Please won't say if the 15-year-old pulled the trigger. But prosecutors are hoping to charge him as an adult.
The news conference quickly wrapped up when an aide alerted Newark Mayor Cory Booker of a break in the case. The key suspect, a man who's identity the mayor had just made public, was ready to surrender, not just to anyone, but to the mayor himself. The hand-off at police headquarters happened under tight security.
BOOKER: He said nothing. We put him in handcuffs and we walked the individual into the office. I personally helped the detective to sit him down and I left.
FEYERICK: Twenty-eight-year-old Jose Carranza from Peru is charged with three counts of murder, one count attempted murder, robbery and weapons offenses. The 15-year-old faces similar charges. Police will not say who pulled the trigger, though they continue searching for other suspects. The murder of these three promising students has rocked this city.
This is where the four friends came face-to-face with the shooters. The four friends had come here late Saturday to hang out, talk, listen to music. Two men, police say, were already here, but then more started to come. The friends knew they were in trouble.
One of the girls tried to run. She was shot. She managed to survive. But the other three were walked down these steps to this wall. They were lined up and shot execution style. The wall has now been painted over.
Police say the lone survivor, Natasha Aeriel, helped to identify Carranza and the 15-year-old from the picture lineup. She's now being kept under sedation following surgery to remove a bullet in her jaw. A finger print on a beer bottle and ballistic evidence found at the school year also helped identify the two in custody.
BOOKER: I don't think words can describe the level of emotion I feel about this individual and all the individuals involved and what they've done to these families, what they've done -- allegedly done.
FEYERICK: Carranza was scheduled to be in court next week to face a 31-count indictment of sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a minor. He has been out on $150,000 bail.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Newark, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And right now the arraignment is underway right there in that courthouse of the suspect, Jose Carranza, who turned himself in to the mayor yesterday, facing now murder charges. And later on in this hour, we're going to be talking to the Essex County prosecutor, Paula Wow, about how she plans to go forward with this case.
HARRIS: We want to give you an update on the situation that we're following out of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. This is a situation -- a security breach that started at about 7:55 this morning when a man circumvented security at concourse c. And because of that, all of the concourses, Fred, were shut down. Authorities began searching for this man. They still haven't found him.
About 17 flights were preparing to take off at the time of the security breach. Ten left before they could be searched. The seven on the ground are being searched right now. And you can imagine that's kind of a lengthy process of matches ticketed passengers with their ID. So that will take a bit. If the individual is not found, the 10 flights, we understand, that left will be reverse-screened when they reach their destination.
No details yet on how this individual bypassed security. Videotapes are being looked at right now by the TSA. We are continuing to follow this situation. We'll bring you an update as soon as we get it.
WHITFIELD: All right, meantime, big focus on Utah still. Deep inside the Utah mine, the silence is deafening. Drill crews reached their targets, but so far a microphone captures no sounds of life. CNN's John Zarrella is on the scene near Huntington.
John, what's the next plan of attack?
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, you know, first off they don't say that it's good news or bad news, the fact that they didn't hear anything, because it's possible that the miners were out of range of that microphone and don't even know that the microphone is down there. That's certainly a possibility.
The next plan of attack is to get the 8 5/8-inch hole drilled. They've been working around the clock to do that. They hope to have that done by midnight tonight Eastern Time, somewhere in that time frame. Get that one drilled.
And then they will stick a camera down there. And that camera will have the capability of looking 360 degrees completely into this cavernous opening where they believe the miners are. At that point they hope that they'll be able to spot some signs of life.
Now the president of the mine, Bob Murray, at a news conference early this morning, told us that the drilling operation that took place last night and made it into the cavern was right on the mark.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB MURRAY, PRES. & CEO, MURRAY ENERGY CORP.: One, our engineers hit right on targets off of this steep mountainside to where we wanted them to go. And, number two, the atmosphere in the mine is perfect to sustain human life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZARRELLA: So now, while the drilling operation is going on to get that hole dug there, also digging in that -- the main mine shaft, where the workers are digging out the coal that collapsed during the initial collapse of the mine back on Monday. Now, of course, there were aftershocks that caused more collapses and setbacks to that effort.
But the good news today is that they're saying they hope that they'll be able to reach the trapped miners, physically reach them, within four to five days now. And that's down from what had originally been thought to be about seven days before they could get through all of that debris, all of that coal, and get into that cavity to get to the miners.
So at least a bit of good news. And everyone here, of course, still holding out hope that those six men are alive inside that cavity.
Fredricka. WHITFIELD: Absolutely. John Zarrella, thank you so much.
Of course, in the noon hour we expect to hear from that mine company owner once again, Bob Murray. He's planning to have a news conference at noon Eastern Time, 9:00 Pacific. CNN plans to carry that live.
HARRIS: On Wall Street, the sell-off continues. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange.
You know, Susan, I think we've got a little bit of a bounce-back going on right now. Is that what's happening?
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
WHITFIELD: In the meantime, big heat wave across much of the U.S., causing a little problems -- or, you know, a few problems, actually, especially in the likes of wildfires that are being fueled by this heat, the rain, all that good stuff.
Rob, I'll let you do the rest.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: And still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, a community in mourning. Two suspects in custody. Authorities search for more. We will talk with a prosecutor in the Newark execution- style killings.
WHITFIELD: And a monster truck show takes a very bad turn. Just watch. Oh, boy. And it gets worse, people. Crash course. We'll fill you in on all the details.
HARRIS: Made in China, recalled in America. New concerns about Chinese imports.
WHITFIELD: And President Bush letting his fingers do the talking. We'll take a closer look at what his hands really have to say.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Good morning, again. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Scorched earth. Wildfires devouring millions of acres. We'll take you on an aerial tour of Idaho.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: New information out of Minneapolis this morning. More bodies pulled from the Mississippi River. Word from the medical examiner, Navy divers have found three more bodies in the wreckage of that collapsed bridge. The confirmed death toll now eight. Five more people are listed as missing and presumed dead.
WHITFIELD: A monster truck demonstration goes out of control. Nine people are hurt. Just watch this amateur video.
Off the road and off the charts. This is in DeKalb, Illinois. The truck veered into the crowd on the side of the street. Three adults and six children were hurt.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People were just grabbing people and screaming and yelling and running and people falling. And that's, I think, why there were so many cuts and stuff because of all the people that were trying to get out of the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Officials say among the injured, a mother and her four-year-old daughter. Both were taken to trauma hospitals.
HARRIS: A woodland trail turns treacherous. A rabid raccoon attacks a little boy. But it's what happens next that more people are talking about. Bob Wilson with affiliate WTNH has the story. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DENISE MORRISON, STRANGLED RABID RACCOON: With its teeth barred, the whole bit, and I just -- I knew right there that there was something wrong with it.
BOB WILSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): A mother and three boys were walking home from a creek near their house in Cheshire when a raccoon, foaming at the mouth, charged them from the woods and attacked a five-year-old boy.
JAMESON MORRISON, WITNESSED ATTACK: Both jaws just pierced into his leg and then he wouldn't let go. There was - Person (ph) was moving his leg and he would not let go. He just kept biting it and just holding on. And it looked like it was gnawing on his leg.
D. MORRISON: I got on top of it with my knees and I tried to open its mouth away from its leg, but I couldn't. And so I just put more and more pressure on and with my knees and I started choking him and that loosened his jaws. And that's when I got his leg away.
WILSON: The boys ran for safety while the mom stayed and wrestled with the rabid raccoon.
D. MORRISON: And I had to stay there until it was dead because if I let go of it, it would have chased after them or bit me or -- so I strangled it to death.
LT. JAY MARKELLA, CHESHIRE CONNECTICUT POLICE: You've got to commend the woman. I mean, she was able to get the raccoon off the child, keep the raccoon, which was important because we do have to have it tested.
WILSON: Now the police don't want to alarm or panic anyone, saying it's very rare that people attacked by a rabid animal. However, they say this is Cheshire. It's very rural and they do have their share of rabid animals. So they want you to please take precautions.
MARKELLA: If it's staggering a little bit, doesn't appear right, not afraid of people, approaches you, that's a good indication that it is sick.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Do you believe that?
WHITFIELD: No. That's remarkable.
HARRIS: Both the little boy and the mother are undergoing rabies treatments.
WHITFIELD: Hope and fear in Utah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Most coal miners, when they hear this news, that there's six coal miners trapped, it's just like everything drops, the heart, everything. It's just instant, oh, God, no. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Everyone being hit hard. One family's vigil straight ahead.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.
From recovering from bankruptcy to rolling over your 401(k). We're answering all your questions coming up in "Top Tips" in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We've been telling you this morning that Jose Carranza, the 28-year-old suspect, described as the key suspect, in the execution-style killings of three young people, college students, good kids, in Newark, New Jersey, was facing arraignment this morning. We understand that arraignment has either wrapped up or will shortly. And Jose Carranza has entered a not guilty plea to the counts, the charges against him. Our Allan Chernoff is following the hearing and we will talk to Allan shortly right here in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: In the meantime, we continue to watch this big board right here to see if today is as volatile and rocky as it was yesterday. You're looking at the Dow down 115 points. And the Nasdaq down -- what was that number again? Thirty-four points. Well, this after yesterday, which happened to be the second worst point loss for the Dow of this year. So hope is there that maybe things won't go as badly today as they did yesterday. Let's hope not. But it's elicited a lot of questions from a lot of folks out there to our Gerri Willis, who's going to be taking some of your e-mail questions right now.
So bankruptcy and retirement savings, some of the topics brought up by the viewers. All right, there's our CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis. WILLIS: Hey, Fred. Good to see you. Happy Friday.
WHITFIELD: Happy Friday indeed.
Well, you do have a question or two in there that is almost a direct response to what happened yesterday. But let's go to the first question, which really talks about your personal credit rating. "How long would it take to get your credit back in good standing if you had to file bankruptcy?"
WILLIS: Well, excellent question, Marian. You know, a bankruptcy can stay on your credit history for up to 10 years. But, hey, that doesn't mean your credit score has to stay in the basement. You can begin improving your credit score right away. It may take you about three to five years to be able to apply for prime rate credit. So make sure you stay current on your bills. This means if you have a student loan, make sure you make timely payments. Of course, used credit cards sparingly. And for goodness's sake, don't get any more of them.
WHITFIELD: That's right, keep it simple. Just a couple, right?
WILLIS: Yes, exactly.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well Rich in Michigan asks this. "I'm getting ready to retire next week. Do I have to roll over my 401(k) right away?"
WILLIS: This is a great question. A lot of people ask this. Look, you don't have to roll it over if the balance is more that$5,000. But don't forget about it. Some people do. Make sure you continue to receive statements on the plan. Rolling it into an IRA can be a good move. You'll have more investment choices. Plus, there are less administrative costs associated with a traditional IRA than a 401(k) plan.
WHITFIELD: All right. And question number three from Steven in Virginia asking this. "Are targeted retirement funds (2010, 2020, 2030, etc) sufficiently diversified to help protect your nest egg during market downturns" like yesterday.
WILLIS: Well, you know, hey, nothing's going to bail you out of that. No vehicle can stave off all losses during a downturn. Targeted retirement funds are mutual funds, of course, with a mix of stocks, bonds and foreign investments. And those funds rebalance and get more conservative as you get closer to that target retirement date.
Keep in mind, the asset allocation of one specific fund won't satisfy the risk tolerance of everybody who uses it, right? You need to examine the asset allocation of the retirement fund you're interested in and make sure that it fits your own appetite for risk.
Hey, if that fund's to aggressive, you could consider other options. Check the performance of any target date fund to see if it at least matches the performance of a benchmark index or category. Morningstar.com, a great place to do that.
And, of course, we want to remind viewers out there to keep those smart questions coming. We love them. Our e-mail address is toptips@cnn.com. We love, love, love, to hear from you.
WHITFIELD: All right. And we love, love, love your advice. Great advice.
WILLIS: Thank you, Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks, Gerri.
WILLIS: Happy Friday.
WHITFIELD: Happy Friday. Yeehaw (ph).
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, the most trusted name in news. Now back to the CNN NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Well, welcome back to the NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Heidi Collins.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Good to see you, Fred. Good to see you, everyone.
News just in from New Jersey. A suspect in the execution-style killings in Newark enters a not guilty plea. Jose Carranza making his first court appearance. He surrendered to Newark Mayor Cory Booker yesterday soon after authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. The mayor had little to say about his encounter with Carranza.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR CORY BOOKER, NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Any description of the individual would be colored by my feelings right now. So he simply came forward, he said nothing, we put him in handcuffs and we walked the individual into the office. I personally helped the detective to sit him down and I left.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A 15-year-old is also in custody in the killings that shocked the city. Three college students gunned down in a school- yard. A fourth person was also shot. She survived and is helping in the investigation. The prosecutor handling this case from Essex County. Paula Dow will be joining us shortly right here in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: And all morning long we've been telling you about this security scare at a North Carolina airport. Authorities say a man bypassed security screening at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. That prompted the closure of a concourse and the search of at least seven planes. So far, still no sign of the man. About 10 flights did take off before they could be searched, but those passengers may have a surprise waiting for them. They could be questioned when they step off the planes at their final destinations. HARRIS: And the latest now on the mine rescue efforts in Utah. Still no sign of life hours after drilling crews break through. Just before midnight, they reached the chamber where the six miners are believed trapped. The mine's co-owner says that may not mean much. The men may simply be hunkered down somewhere else. He says there was also some good news to emerge.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB MURRAY, CEO, MURRAY ENERGY CORP.: Two good things have happened. One, our engineers hit right on target off of this steep mountainside to where we wanted them to go. And, number two, the atmosphere in the mine is perfect to sustain human life, 20.5 percent oxygen, no methane, and a moderate amount of carbon dioxide. That means if they're alive, they're going to stay alive in that atmosphere.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So crews are still drilling a wider hole. It is expected to break in to the mine late tonight, perhaps early tomorrow.
WHITFIELD: And still ahead, a community in mourning, two suspects in custody. Authorities are searching for more. We'll talk with the prosecutor in the Newark execution-style killings.
HARRIS: And crippled by -- well, it's a brutal war, empowered by the ballot box. Voters in Sierra Leone ready for historic elections. Live from Africa, CNN's Betty Nguyen In The CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Still hoping for a positive outcome today as searchers continue to try to get some word, some sort of communication from those six trapped miners in Utah. In the noon Eastern hour, we will be hearing From the mine owner, Bob Murray, during a press conference to find out what his company an what kind of efforts are under way today. And we will carry that live for you here on CNN.
Well, there have been some agonizing days as of late for the families and the loved ones of those trapped miners.
CNN's Ted Rowlands reports now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLAIR CRATSENBURG, RELATIVE OF TRAPPED MINER: Kerry's been in the mine a long time.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Clair Cratsenburg is talking about her cousin, Kerry, one of the six miners trapped 1,500 feet under the ground.
C. CRATSENBURG: Kerry's been a coal miner longer than I have been. I've never seen Kerry when he wasn't but happy, just really friendly, totally devoted to his family and his wife. Just an all- around good guy and a coal miner.
ROWLANDS: Clair and her husband, Lee, are retired coal miners themselves and very family with the heartbreak of a mine tragedy. In 1984, Lee was working at the Wilberg Mine when 27 miners were killed. What's happening now brings out difficult and familiar feelings, they say, for all coal miners.
C. CRATSENBURG: Most coal miners, when they hear this news that there's six coal miners trapped, just like everything drops, the heart, everything, is just Senate instant oh, god no.
LEE CRATSENBURG, RELATIVE OF TRAPPED MINER: Everybody is just hoping and trying to do everything they can, and most of the things they've tried have not worked out.
C. CRATSENBURG: I think all of them working together will do okay, coming out. I don't know, I hope so. Kerry has experience, yes, but it's still different when you have coal miners trapped. Nobody knows what's going to happen.
ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, Huntington, Utah.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: It is sizzling out there. Whoa, seasick. Not exactly breaking news, Fred, at this point, right. But just how hot is it? How heavy is that blanket of heat covering much of the eastern U.S.
Here's CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Across the nation, temperatures have been rising, making it feel like an oven in much of the south and Midwest. In fact, all you have to do was walk outside to know this is trouble.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels like it's about 150 degrees outside. And the humidity is pretty awful, too.
WOLF: And that high humidity, combined with record-breaking temperatures, is making some people sweat and look for any relief they can find.
Yes, it's summer. But what makes this heat wave so remarkable is its scope. The National Weather Service has issued excessive heat warnings in several states. Health officials are urging people and their pets to stay inside.
In East St. Louis, Mayor Alvin Parks is going door-to-door, warning his constituents to stay inside and stay cool.
MAYOR ALVIN PARKS, EAST ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI: We will not sit idly by while citizens are in the house, getting too hot.
ROBERT VALDEZ, FOOTBALL COACH: Being in Louisiana, the main thing is not X's and O's. It's overcoming the heat.
WOLF: In Baton Rouge, Coach Robert Valdez has had to come up with a new strategy for his high school football practices.
VALDEZ: My practices are scheduled around probably trying to get the coolest time of the day so I can get the most out of them.
WOLF: And he's making sure his athletes are well-hydrated. Keeping his water boy very busy.
VALDEZ: Water, water, water, water. Get some water. Hurry up.
WOLF: The temperature isn't the only thing breaking records. Keeping air conditioners running is eating up power. The Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation's largest public utility, said its 8.7 million customers set an all-time peak record on Monday.
In Charleston, South Carolina, the scorching temperatures have made it tough to work, whether you're man or beast.
TOM DOYLE, PALMETTO CARRIAGE WORKS: Beginning at 90 degrees, we take each one's temperatures. At 98 degrees, we stop operations.
WOLF: Reynolds Wolf, CNN, Charleston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MARKET REPORT)
WHITFIELD: A not-guilty verdict from a suspect in the Newark, New Jersey triple-homicide case. Allan Chernoff was inside the courthouse during the arraignment. Allan, you heard the plea.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, a not-guilty plea from Jose Carranza. He appeared in court just a few minutes ago, handcuffed wearing an orange jumpsuit, and spoke very quietly in Spanish, through an interpreter. He did plead not guilty to the charges, which include three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder/robbery, as well as weapons possessions.
Now, Mr. Carranza's attorney did confirm he is an illegal immigrant from Peru. He is also facing other charges in separate crimes. An assault charge, as well as a charge of child sexual abuse. One of the prosecutors told me that he is charged with sexually molesting the children of his girlfriend. He is being held on $1 million bond.
Now, a 15-year-old also has been charged in this triple homicide that occurred here last weekend in Newark, the killing of three college students, gunshots to the back of their heads execution style.
Now, as I said, a 15-year-old is also charged in that case. He was actually arraigned yesterday in a closed-court hearing. Police tell us they are seeking three additional suspects in this case -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And so, Allan, was the expectation anything but hearing a not-guilty plea from this suspect?
CHERNOFF: Not a surprise at all. As a matter of fact, as we've reported, the suspect himself, through his attorney, insisted that he be handed over to Mayor Cory Booker yesterday. As we told you, the mayor was holding a press conference with other city officials announcing the arrest of the 15-year-old and a warrant for the arrest of Mr. Carranza. During that press conference, his attorney called the mayor's office, said that Mr. Carranza wanted to be handed over to the mayor himself. He met him at a police precinct, and an hour later, the mayor was back before the press announcing the actual apprehension of Mr. Carranza. It was a very interesting day yesterday.
WHITFIELD: And now for this other suspect, the teenage suspect, what's the scheduled arraignment for him or her?
TUCHMAN: Well, that actually DID occur, as I said, yesterday. All of it closed because he is a juvenile, but the prosecutor here saying she does want to try him as an adult. She's going to attempt to do that.
WHITFIELD: Got it. All right, Allan Chernoff, thanks so much, outside the courthouse there in Essex County.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
WHITFIELD: In New Jersey, a community in mourning. Two suspects in custody. Authorities are now searching for more. We'll talk with it is prosecutor in the Newark execution-style killings.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We are podcasting a bit later today. The team is working on it later on. It's a little bit different than what we've been doing. And Normally we're just trying to bring some different stories to the podcast, things that you won't be able to see necessarily in the NEWSROOM from 9:00 to noon weekdays just because of all the breaking news and the stuff that we're following -- for example, what's going on in Newark, what's going on in Utah -- squeezes out some other stories. So they find their way to the podcast, CNN NEWSROOM daily podcast; available to you 24/7. All you do is go to CNN.com and you download it today. Again, available to you 24/7 on your iPod.
WHITFIELD: Wall Street can't calm a bad case of credit jitters. The sell-off continues each after the fed takes action. We watch the numbers all morning long.
HARRIS Hope in the world's second poorest country after a decade of atrocities. The people vote. Our Betty Nguyen is there live.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With no hands to vote, Jakar (ph) shows us how he uses toes to cast a ballot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: A long road ahead for Sierra Leone, live from Africa in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: And the National Geographic World Championship Geography Bee. We've a winner, and this question, a sample question from the bee: What mountain range contains Antarctica's highest peak? Brush up on your mountain peaks. We'll have the answer later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, you've to hand it to him, President Bush has a way of talking with gestures. That got our Jeanne Moos studying his sign language.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Remember when the first President Bush so memorably said --
GEORGE BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF UNITED STATES: Read my lips.
MOOS: In his son's case, we decided to read his hands. The president's hands were busy at Thursday's press conference swaying and slicing.
BUSH: And the forces of murder.
MOOS: Even conducting.
BUSH: Let's see here.
MOOS: So we see him really conducting before, since the president is known for mangling phrases like barriers and terrorists. Maybe it pays to pay more attention to what his hands say. When he says unwind, they say unwind.
BUSH: Unwinding Saddam's laws.
MOOS: When he says embrace, they embrace.
BUSH: Embrace liberty.
MOOS: When he says bottom up, so do his hands.
PATTI WOOD, BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT: This is an example of symbolic body language where what you're saying and what you're gesturing means the same thing.
MOOS: But you better watch out. When the president starts pointing that finger, for instance, at Iran.
BUSH: When we catch you in a non-constructive role, there will be a price to pay. WOOD: Putting your finger on the point where you want to put the pressure.
MOOS: But don't read too much into gestures. We recall the time Condoleezza Rice flicked her hand across your face at an important negotiating session. Cameras clicked and next thing you know it looked like a secretary of state under siege. At the president's press conference, this was the moment the cameras clicked.
BUSH: Put up your dukes. That's an old boxing expression.
MOOS: When it comes to the president's favorite gesture, this seems to be it.
BUSH: I strongly believe that's the case.
MOOS: Translation.
WOOD: This is something I feel strongly in my heart about.
MOOS: Youthful gestures can come back to haunt a leader. Take Tony Blair, take that hat. For years, this innocent air brushed photo circulated and only recently did the original photo showing Blair making a rude gesture hit the pages of newspapers like London's Daily Mail, so the president better watch how he lets his fingers do the talking.
BUSH: Flexibility, distrust, is it worth it?
MOOS: It's worth it to keep your two hands straight.
DAVID LETTERMAN, LATE SHOW HOST: No. 9: not knowing his left from his right hand.
BUSH: The left hand now knows what the right hand is doing.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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