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Ahmadinejad in the U.S.; Mudslide in Los Angeles; Youssif's Surgery

Aired September 23, 2007 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN, ANCHOR: Straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, Iran's president gets the cold shoulder in the Big Apple. His planned speech at an Ivy League university still on but it has some New Yorkers outraged also.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: My car was floating in the mud.

WHITFIELD: A driving rainstorm, an entire hillside collapses. More than a dozen motorists are trapped in a surprise mudslide. We'll show you how it all turned out.

Plus, his first surgery was a success. Now a little Iraqi boy scarred in a cruel attack goes back into the operating room. I'll talk with the little boy, Youssif's doctor about the life-changing surgery.

Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Our top story -- Iran's controversial president will soon be voicing his opinions at a U.S. college campus. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad headed to New York today for this week's U.N. general assembly. But before his highly anticipated address to world leaders, he'll talk directly to the American people in a speech at Columbia University. And no surprise, the protests have already begun. CNN's Jim Acosta is just back from the Columbia campus. What are people saying?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN, GENERAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka they are planning to give Mahmoud Ahmadinejad an earful. We were on the campus of Columbia University today where they did stage a protest. This was not only students at Columbia but also Jewish leaders here in New York City. What both of those crowds are saying is that, while they do understand that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a right to speak at the United Nations as a head of state, Columbia they say is a different story because as they put it, a terrorist. They believe that since he has called for the elimination of Israel that he really has no place speaking at an American University. And we talked to one state assemblyman here in New York state who believes that there should be some acts of civil disobedience tomorrow.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DOV HIKIND, PROTESTER: I call on New Yorkers to make the life of Ahmadinejad as he is New York miserable! Make his life miserable!

(END VIDEO CLIP) ACOSTA: And I asked that state assemblyman what he meant by that, making his life miserable. He said he meant acts of civil disobedience, what he called Martin Luther King style acts of civil disobedience. And Columbia University is still sticking by this plan to have Ahmadinejad speak tomorrow afternoon on its campus.

At this point, the university has no plans of backing down. Last year they did also invite Ahmadinejad to speak but withdrew that offer citing security concerns. But at this point, it appears it's all systems go for tomorrow. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And in fact, Jim, we've got in later on this evening interviews with two students at Columbia University, one who is in opposition of the president visiting there and speaking, the other who at least has a ticket and plans to listen in. From what you gathered, does it seem like its split down the middle on the campus in terms of the student body?

ACOSTA: I think so. And some students themselves are split down the middle. I talked to one student this afternoon who is both Persian and Jewish, and she feels that while Ahmadinejad has a place to speak at Columbia, she would like to see him speak, but only for the reason that she wants him to see all of the students there sort of protesting against him, standing up against what she feels he stands for, which is intolerance and basically a lack of democratic ideals. But yes, there are students on both sides of this issue. There are other students and clearly there are professors who have said this that this is a university campus, this is a place where free speech is part of the life blood of any academic setting and that this is exactly where Ahmadinejad should be appearing. But very strong feelings on the other side as well, especially among Jewish students who see this leader as an affront to their faith.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jim Acosta, thanks so much, from New York.

ACOSTA: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Well, it will be a virtual who's who of world leaders who will be getting their moment in the spotlight at this week's U.N. general assembly. Of course, it's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech that is generating a lot of interest, not just because he's visiting an American college campus but also because he will be speaking before the general assembly. Senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth is joining us live now. Where last year the president tried to attend the general assembly meeting, there were some problems with his visa, at least that was the story. This year it seems like it's a go. Is he at least on American soil now?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN, SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT: We haven't heard any confirmation of that. I think he's still in the air. Certainly here at the United Nations General Assembly there will not be the protests that you're going to be see elsewhere in New York City. It's business as usual here. If you're a member of the United Nations and your a country's president or prime minister or king, you're welcome here. And President Ahmadinejad who left Tehran many hours ago on his way here left with a military parade hours before, anti-U.S. and Israeli signs.

The Iranians though believe that the United Nations is a fair place that gives them a forum to speak to the world. Last year, the president of Iran denounced efforts by the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions on his country. Iran insists it's not doing anything illegal on its nuclear program, that it doesn't want the bomb and it has every right to fuel its country with its needed electricity and power. However, there is widespread concern in Washington and elsewhere on just what Iran may be up to.

Also at the United Nations, the prime minister of Iraq was a subject of a big meeting last night in New York as many countries gathered, along with Secretary of State Rice, to discuss the future there in Baghdad and also there was a meeting here on the situation in Afghanistan. Pick your country, you're going to find a meeting here at the United Nations. As you see the Iraqi leader, he is concerned about the activities of the private security firm Blackwater in the recent shooting of civilians. He says he wants to work with the U.S. on that. And President Karzai is grateful for any help he can get. He has got 40,000 soldiers in Afghanistan on his soil. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. And Richard, speaking of Iraq's Al-Malaki, is there a feeling that he's kind on the defensive since there have been so many criticizing his leadership, even some who are going as far as saying that he should no longer be in that position?

ROTH: You're not going to hear that here, and I think it will be a very calm week with pomp and circumstance. It's not the time and they're not going to do it here to blast him. If it's done, it will be behind closed doors. I think they want a cohesive Iraq moving forward. I don't think you're going to see people many here denouncing this Iraqi leader.

WHITFIELD: All right. Richard Roth at the U.N., thanks so much.

And of course, looking ahead to later on the week, President Ahmadinejad sits down with CNN's Christiane Amanpour Wednesday for a one-on-one interview. Be sure to tune in for that Wednesday night 10:00 p.m. Eastern on "AC 360".

An Iraqi official tells CNN that criminal charges now are pending against employees of Blackwater security. Allegations stem from a shooting incident last weekend in which the Iraqi government says that as many as 20 civilians were killed. Blackwater says its guards were responding to an attack. As for prosecuting the firm's employees, well the Iraqi government has no jurisdiction over security firms hired by Washington. In this country, Blackwater employees are under investigation for possible arms smuggling into Iraq.

In Jena, Louisiana, Sunday churchgoers sought guidance today for their racially troubled community. With the story for us live now CNN's Sean Calebs.

SEAN CALEBS: Hi, Fredricka. Indeed it has been a difficult week for many people in this predominantly white city. Many feel they have been under the unblinking eye of the media, under national scrutiny. We spent the day at a couple of churches here in this town of about 2,900, including predominantly historic black church, Antioch Baptist Church. And we talked to a lot of members there. And they believe that now is a time for healing within this community, but they also feel very upbeat after this massive demonstration that unfolded in the streets of Jena this past week. They believe there is a history of racial intolerance in this town and they believe that maybe by bringing it to attention, by forcing people in this community to talk about it, that may be the fist step toward healing. But they admit the wounds are deep and the divide is deep here as well.

Before that, we were at a predominantly white church at Midway Pentecostal Church. And before we went in, we talked a little bit with the minister about his thoughts. This is one of the few white churches that did remain open this past Thursday, opened its parking lot up for the buses for the demonstrators to park. They opened the church for people up for people to come in, change clothes, get a drink of water, whatever they needed. And the minister there said he actually caught a little bit of flak about that. His daughter is at college and she received some hate e-mail but he said he is not going to be swayed by that. The minister there believing that now is a time for healing at that church as well. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Sean Calebs in Jena, Louisiana. Thanks so much for the update.

Now, let's move north quite a bit. Delaware State University trying to get back to business as usual. Today police are searching for the gunman behind Friday's double shooting. Investigators are looking for a third so-called person of interest.

The two wounded students are recovering. Our Kathleen Koch spoke with the mother of one of the victims.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There have been no arrests yet in the case. University police say they believe the gunman is a male, is a Delaware State University student and that he is no longer on campus. As to the two 17-year-old victims from the Washington, D.C. area, they remain hospitalized. Middleton shot twice in the abdomen and is in serious condition. Nathaniel Pew shot once in the ankle is in stable here at Bay Health Kent General Hospital. His mother tells CNN he was not involved in any kind of dispute or argument before the early Friday morning shooting. She says her son says that the shots came out of the dark at him and a group of 8 students.

MICHELLE BLACKWELL, NATHANIEL PEW'S MOTHER: He didn't see who the person was but he just remembers. They congregate out on the campus, the kids do. So, you know, there were a lot of people out there. I don't know, you know, where this, you know, who was the intended target, but it wasn't my son.

KOCH: So he didn't know who the gunman was, didn't even see him.

BLACKWELL: No. He didn't see anything.

KOCH: With the gunman still at large, Pew is worried about her son's safety. She said she has requested and been denied police protection for him. Michelle Blackwell says that this has all been a frightening ordeal.

BLACKWELL: It's adjust been difficult. It's just been difficult, period. Like I said before, it's not easy for me as a mother anyway just to send my son off to school. You always see your child no matter how old they are as your baby.

KOCH: The Delaware State University campus is open and back to normal today. Classes resumed on Monday. Pew's mother says she doesn't know when or if he'll return to class.

Kathleen Koch, CNN, Dover, Delaware.

WHITFIELD: And coming up next in the NEWSROOM -- it was a long week for one brave Iraqi boy. Little Youssif undergoes his first operation. An update from his surgeon as he prepares for another procedure tomorrow.

And the first big rainstorm of the season left a big mess in California. Could more rain be on the way?

And how much time do you actually spend in traffic? A new report tallies the minutes and money you spend stuck in your car.

Stay with us, you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(C0MMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The weather extremes on the west coast this weekend. In Washington State, residents are returning home as crews get the upper hand on a raging wildfire. Strong winds had fanned the fire, which broke out Thursday near White Salmon, in the Columbia River Gorge area. But the winds were much calmer yesterday. The blaze has destroyed six homes. Its cause still under investigation.

And in southern California, with what's being called the first big rainstorm of the season left behind a pretty nasty mess. A mudslide near Los Angeles's Griffith Park trapped more than a dozen cars yesterday. The slide covered parts of the road with more than two feet of mud, which also seeped into two nearby apartment buildings.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My car was floating in the mud, and they made us turn around and come back this other way. And this is as far as I got.

UNIDFENTIFIED FEMALE: There is a staircase back there, and the mud and debris were just running down the steps.

WHITFIELD: Oh, man. Well luckily there were no injuries in the mudslide. It took about five hours to free all of those trapped. Muddy cars.

Well, some CNN i-Reporters captured some pretty dramatic photos of the southern California storm. Reginald Whatley and his son Justin were at the beach yesterday and then they saw this, water spouts forming over the Pacific Ocean. Reginald said it wasn't windy and there was a calm before the storm feeling in the air. He counted eight water spouts at one time.

Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras in the severe weather center. Some pretty frightening images but at the same time, isn't that weather kind of beautiful, too to see?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, so beautiful. Exactly, when it's not over open water, go right ahead.

WHITFIELD: Talking about the water spouts, not the mudslides.

JERAS: Yes, that was kind of ugly. There was a pretty narrow channel, you know, as well. We are also concerned about some of the burn areas yesterday because of the heavy rainfall. That has pushed eastward now, and we're looking at some of the showers and thundershowers across the great basin on up towards the intermountain west, heavy showers and thunderstorms coming down now from Pocatello on up towards Idaho Falls. And that's all due to this very same storm system. Albuquerque getting some rainfall here and you could see some flashes of lightning to go along with it. And well ahead of this system, the winds are extremely strong. Everywhere in yellow here we have wind advisories from about Fargo on down towards Goodland, Kansas. Winds over the south 20 to 40 miles per hour gusting up to 45. Back behind there is where we're expecting the severe weather to be developing in the next couple of hours from the panhandle here, even into northeastern parts of Colorado, sitting on that towards the Dakotas with large hail and damaging winds will be our biggest concern. What's left of TD 10, still coming there, sitting there and spinning there. You can kind of see the circulation here over parts of Mississippi, right in that area there. Heavy showers and thunderstorms still with more tropical moisture pushing in towards the lower Mississippi Valley. That will be the concern over the next couple of days. We have a new system, which developed here just early this morning, subtropical storm Jerry packing winds around 40 miles per hour. But it's in the middle of nowhere. That's what we like.

WHITFIELD: Right.

JERAS: Will start and will end with weather that doesn't bother anyone.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Just let it fizzle out or make a u-turn or something.

JERAS: Not worried about it right now.

WHITFIELD: All right. Good. Thanks so much, Jacqui.

All right. Stalled traffic -- you know you hate it. But have you ever thought about how much it is actually costing you? We'll get the dollar and time breakdown coming up.

And this --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This thing just comes up and just chomps right on. I didn't know what was going through, I was like, oh, my gosh, I lost an arm. You know, my leg was bitten off.

WHITFIELD: Yes, she's talking about a shark attack. How in the world did she get back to shore in one piece? Just look at her surfboard. Pretty lucky surfer's story straight ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, live pictures now of Los Angeles, kind of easy breathing right now in the commute, but we know ordinarily, especially during the peak rush hour moments, it's gridlock, horrible, which is why that city tops the list of the worst traffic congestion in the entire country. So, if you're already dreading morning rush hour there or anywhere else in the country, then this next story is for you. This week a new report revealed just how much time and money we're wasting in traffic. The numbers aren't pretty. Now, here's pretty depressing information, in fact. In 2005, the average commuter spent an extra 38 hours stuck behind the wheel and wasted fuel 26 gallons of fuel. The bottom line, traffic congestion costs commuters big bucks, $710 on average that's per driver per year. So, don't believe it? Well, the Texas Transportation Institute crunched the numbers. David Shrank co-wrote the report. He joins us now from College Station with more. Good to see you. I think...

DAVID SCHRANK, TEXAS TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: I mean, this is pretty depressing. But the cities that kind of top the list, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., these are all cities that have public transportation. So what gives?

SCHRANK: That's correct. But we still, as an American society, love our automobiles, and we rely on those heavily for our transportation.

WHITFIELD: All right, so what do we take away from this information? I mean, if we're driving in those peak hours and we're constantly behind the wheel, behind, you know, those brake lights, then we know traffic is horrible in our city. So what do we do with this information now that we have it?

SCHRANK: Well, the whole purpose of our study is to bring forth communication about the issue, which is what, you know, we're doing currently. And by bringing this to the forefront, it's the first step toward doing something about it. A lot of areas around the United States are doing things about it and making strides toward dealing with traffic congestion. But we still have a long way to go as congestion continues to increase.

WHITFIELD: So, I'm going to reiterate some of those numbers. If for the average peak hour driver it means 38 hours of extra travel time and $700 in gas in a year, then perhaps the answer is most of us need not to be driving in rush hour. Maybe start your commute before or after the peak hours so as to cut down on all that time you're sitting in traffic and wasting gas?

SCHRANK: Well, that is one of the solutions to traffic congestion. Obviously, we can do things that deal with the capacity side, providing more system, managing it better, and also we can do things with the demand side, which is to do things like flexible work hours, flexible workweeks and telecommuting to have trips not even made or at least move the time during the day that they are made. And that can help just as much as adding capacity.

WHITFIELD: So, David, I'm curious. How did you actually conduct this study? Did this mean that you and others went to these kind of peak cities during peak traffic hours and actually sat in traffic watching the stopwatch and calculating how much gas you were wasting or spending?

SCHRANK: No, that's not how it happened, although we all tried to go to Honolulu. We used a national database and we have a methodology that uses these traffic counts in this database to calculate the amount of delay in each of the urban areas in the United States. We study 85 of them, a little more intensively than the remainder, and those we've been following now for many years.

WHITFIELD: All right. David Schrank with the Texas Transportation Institute, thanks so much. And thanks for being real with us on the numbers. But we all have to head out to work tomorrow anyway, whether it's going to cost us more or spend more time behind the wheel anyway, right?

SCHRANK: Yes, that's true. Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: What a drag but thanks. All right, David. Have a great weekend or what's left of it.

All right coming up next in the NEWSROOM - the search intensifies for a missing Chicago woman. An update on the search in minutes.

And so many of you wanted to help Youssif when you learned of his fight. The latest on the young Iraqi child badly burned by insurgents. It will make you smile and probably cry, too, when the CNN NEWSROOM continues.

JERAS: Hello, everyone. I'm CNN's meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras with today's allergy report. The nation's midsection, that's the big hot spot for high pollen counts today. The ragweed and tree pollen especially bad, including the elms, here across parts of Kansas and then into Oklahoma. Where you see the orange, where you see the red, pollen counts are high to very high but doing very good across parts of the west, the upper midwest, as you guys got new fresh clean air in there, things look good also in the northeast and extreme southeast.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST, THE NEWSROOM: Welcome back to THE NEWSROOM, here is what is happening right now.

Iran's president arrives in New York today for this week's U.N. General Assembly. Mohamoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the assembly Tuesday after speaking at Columbia University tomorrow. A group of demonstrators is protesting his appearance at the school. More protests are expected tomorrow.

And then digging out in Los Angeles, a driving rainstorm triggered a mudslide which then caused a hillside to collapse, 14 cars were trapped in the mud. Luckily, no one was hurt.

His story touched all of us. The Iraqi boy disfigured when attackers set him on fire. He's now in the states to begin the long road to recovery, thanks to donations and help from many of you, our viewers, CNN's Arwa Damon reports on his first surgery. Just be aware, some of the O.R. scenes are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A father's last touch, a mother's final hug. And little Youssif's is taken away, his cries piercing his parents' hearts. The petrified 5-year-old's wales echoes down the hospital hallway. "Mommy, mommy," he sleeks, fighting the doctors. Finally, he went to sleep.

DR. PETER GROSSMAN: We have great exposure. I'm really happy.

DAMON: Dr. Peter Grossman and his team went to work. This is the first and main operation to try and restore what a vicious attack in Baghdad took from an innocent child. The doctors injected steroids into his swollen scars to flatten and soften them.

GROSSMAN: We want to go slow, controlling the bleeding.

DAMON: Tissue expanders, balloon-like modules were placed in his neck and right cheek.

GROSSMAN: That's where you can get in trouble if you go too deep.

DAMON: But everything went smoothly. The expanders will be slowly inflated over the next three months to create good skin that will then be stretched over the scar tissue. The doctors also removed the scars running along his nose, covering them with temporary cadaver skin. Three and a half hours later, Youssif's ordeal was over. Dr. Grossman has warned the family that Youssif would look worse before he started to look better, but nothing could have prepared his young parents for this. Youssif starts to stir.

My darling, my darling, I am here. Sleep, rest, whispers, fighting back tears. I am next to you, Youssif. I am with you. No one will hurt you, Youssif's father says, struggling to keep his voice from cracking. Trying to stay strong, holding on to the dream that one day their child's agony will end.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The Well Dr. Peter Grossman has donated his services for Youssif's treatment. He joins us live from Los Angeles to tell us more about how the first operation went and what's next. Good to see you Doctor. DR. PETER GROSSMAN, GROSSMAN BURN CENTER: Good to see you Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: So how is Youssif doing?

GROSSMAN: He's doing real good today. I saw him a few hours ago. Kids are really remarkable. They are able to recover quickly. This morning I was just barely able to get a high five out of him before he was back playing his video games.

WHITFIELD: Oh, really? He's not in a lot of pain right now?

GROSSMAN: Today he's doing good. The last day or two was a little tough for him. I think it's quite a shock for him, what he had to go through. There's a part that you can imagine of a 5-year-old wondering what the heck had am I doing here? What's happening to me? But I think after he got over the initial fear and initial shock and honestly the initial discomfort the first day or two, he's recovered quite nicely right now. And I've talked to him and his father and mother that we will be going to surgery tomorrow for the second stage of this round of surgery.

WHITFIELD: Tell me about that second stage. What will it entail?

GROSSMAN: Well, as you remember, we removed a fairly large portion of scar tissue between his eyes and down his nose and down through the corner of his mouth. What we're going to do tomorrow is replace that area with good, healthy skin with what's called a full thickness skin graft. That will give us a much thinner, more natural appearance than the scar tissue that he had. That will move us forward in improving the overall appearance of the mid portion of his face.

WHITFIELD: Is that the cadaver skin or is that skin that you've grown for him?

GROSSMAN: No. The cadaver skin is on him currently. That's a temporary biological bandage. We'll have to remove that tomorrow. Instead, we'll take a fairly significant portion of skin from his abdomen and cover that area around the nose. Now, in the other operation that we did a few days ago, we put these balloons underneath his healthy skin to try to stretch out or grow his skin so we could replace the scar tissue around the side of his ear and around his jaw line. But, unfortunately, we don't have healthy skin nearby the nose to do the same so this, in our opinion, is the next best thing, using a full thickness graft because there were no local flaps available or no tissue to be expanded to reconstruct his nose.

WHITFIELD: How are his parents doing during all of this? We saw in Arwa's piece, it was difficult for them to kind of let go as he was being wheeled into O.R. and difficult to see him as he immediately came out of surgery.

GROSSMAN: You know, this is a remarkable young couple. They've gone through an awful lot over the last year. As you can imagine seeing their child so terribly attacked. They've gotten through that and then almost overwhelmed with the graciousness of not only the people in the United States but throughout the world in wanting to help. Then having to go back again and see their child in distress, having to go through surgery. It's been a lot of up and downs.

But they're very, very good people, and they're very appreciative and they understand what we're trying to do. They're trying to get through this emotionally just like Youssif is. They're doing a pretty good job.

WHITFIELD: That's remarkable. What about you? We understand you have graciously donated your time and your expertise to do this for this family and then you're even taking it further by trying to put together some sort of burn center, is that right? In Afghanistan?

GROSSMAN: Well, for me, I'm just very lucky to be a part of this. There are so many other surgeons who could do what I do. I'm just lucky to be a part of it. I'm grateful for that. What we'd like to do is set up a foundation, which we have through the Grossman Burn Foundation, to set up burn centers in parts of the world where they don't have access to burn care. As much as myself and many of my colleagues would be very happy to take care of these children and adults out here, it doesn't make the most amount of sense.

We could do so much more if we could train and open burn centers in parts of the world like Kabul or Indonesia or when the setting is right back in Iraq so that we don't have to bring people across the world but it can be done in their own countries. Hopefully through the foundation we will be able to accomplish that.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Peter Grossman, thank you so much and continued success with Youssif and other burn victims as well.

GROSSMAN: Thank you. Appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: As we mentioned, thousands of people, including you the viewer, have responded to Youssif's story through CNN's Impact Your World Initiative. If you're looking for a way to make a difference for Youssif, logon on the CNN.com/impact and click on Iraq burn victim.

Here now is a look at some other stories from around the world. In Myanmar, a rare public appearance by Aung San Suu. Riot police brought her home on Saturday as authorities permitted hundreds of monks to pay their respects. It is the first time in four years the military has allowed the Nobel Peace lariat (ph) to appear publicly. Across Myanmar today the ranks of pro democracy protesters swelled to more than 10,000. Reports say as many as 20,000. It's the biggest challenge to Junta since 1998 when thousands of people were killed in a military crackdown.

A street party in Germany spirals out of control. Police in Hamburg arrested more than 30 reported leftists who turned the outdoor festival into a fiery riot. Authorities say at least 15 people were injured.

France is mourning the death of Marcel Marceau. The grateful gestures and facial expressions are credited with breathing new life into the art of mimes. Fans say the 84-year-old artist made poetry of silence. Marcel was a Holocaust survivor. He worked with the French Resistance protecting Jewish children during World War II. He was inspired by Charlie Chaplain and went on to inspire others. Among them, Michael Jackson who borrowed his famous moonwalk from Marceau.

Atlanta police investigate a string of robberies and zero in on a bunch of teens. The twist here? The allege getaway driver, and this one is a shocker.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(UNIDENTIFED FEMALE): I had so many thoughts just running through my head, but it was just, like -- it was crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: It was crazy. Hanging ten on a popular Florida beach almost caused one surfer her life. Her close encounter when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: News across America now. Denver police are asking for the public's help to locate the body of this 3-year-old. The little girl's mom and mom's boyfriend have been arrested after allegedly filing a false abduction report. Police strongly believe the little girl is dead and say the body may be in a black or white plastic trash bag.

In Chicago, the search intensifies for this missing 28-year-old woman. Niliah Franklin hasn't been seen since Tuesday, but police do have Franklin's car discovered Friday night in Hammond, Indiana. Last night family and friends held a vigil for Franklin. They say they are trying to stay positive. Police say other jurisdictions are helping in the search for her.

New developments in the investigation into possible animal abuse at rapper DMX's Arizona home. Police say at least two of the three dog carcasses buried there showed signs of serious wounds but no cause of death has been determined. The rapper said he had a caretaker looking after the dogs and had not been to the property in months. No charges filed so far.

And don't expect Atlanta's Laquiche Wooder (ph) to win parent of the year anytime soon. Police suspect the 36-year-old mother of driving the getaway car for a teenage burglary ring, which allegedly includes her 12-year-old son. Police say after one heist Wooder (ph) drove the suspects and a carload of stolen goods to a pawnshop.

In Florida, a teenage surfer may have an angel on her shoulder after a massive shark bit her board, she kept her composure and managed to get back to shore, scared but alive. Jason Allen with CNN affiliate WFTV brings us the surfer's tale.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON ALLEN, WFTV: She is smiling about it now, the fact that her head fits neatly in the space where the shark's jaws bit down. But for several moments Sunday morning Jess Riley was staring down death. JESSICA RILEY, SURFER: The whole jaws effect, the eyeballs that turn white. The teeth were crooked. I had so many thoughts running through my head. It was just, like -- it was crazy.

ALLEN: She was lying on her board when something told her to raise her hand out of the water.

RILEY: As soon as I raised it out, like, this thing just comes up and chomps right on. I didn't know what was -- I was just, like, oh, my gosh, I lost an arm. My leg is bitten off. I just didn't know what was going on.

ALLEN: After the shark took her board apart, it grabbed her leash and pulled her under the water but didn't take her. She knows how close it really was.

RILEY: Definitely someone was over there watching me telling me to put my arm out of the water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Wow. That was some close call. Riley says she actually fought the shark, kicking it under its mouth and then sticking her finger in its eyeball.

All that jazz and more. Brook Anderson is live from the Monterey Jazz Festival. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It's a given. In pro football, someone is going to get hurt. But players of yester year say the NFL is way out of bounds for not addressing the life long disabilities they suffer. Now their complaint is going to a higher authority. Not the commissioner's office but the halls of Congress. CNN's Gary Nurenberg has the play by play.

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(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Down the field and driver has his head absolutely popped, helmet flying. Marlin comes in.

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In every play, in every game, bodies violently crash into one another.

BRETT BOYD: I do have brain damage.

NURENBERG: Brett Boyd was an offensive guard for the Minnesota Vikings from 1980 to 1986 when players were paid far less than today. He says he was prepared for the physical trauma.

BOYD: But they never examined to us the concussions would have -- mild concussions could destroy your life. That we'd have a safety net.

NURENBERG: But Boyd and other National Football League veterans told Congress last week the safety net has gaping holes that some disability claims are unfairly rejected by the NFL and players union, leaving aging football players in financial distress.

BOYD: We've spent times homeless. We've spent months and months at times living in cheap motels. We've spent -- there were times we stayed in a campground.

NURENBERG: Tampa and Oakland veteran Dave Pear says his disability claims for multiple injuries have been rejected.

DAVE PEAR, FORMER NFL PLAYER: I need take frequent rest breaks. I can't lift more than 15 pounds. I can't sit, I can't stand. I ask him, what can I do to get the benefit? They say, we don't know. We're just not going to give you the benefit.

NURENBERG: Former Dolphin star Eugene Mercury Morris says the pension and disability system is unfair.

EUGENE "MERCURY" MORRIS, FORMER NFL PLAYER: This is a scam. It's always been a scam, and will always be a scam.

NURENBERG: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell defends the disabilities record.

ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISIONER: Since 2000, we have paid more than $110 millions to players from the 1960's to the present who qualify for disability benefits.

GENE UPSHAW, NFL PLAYER ASSOCIATION: We reject the charges that the present disability system treats veteran players harshly and denies them access to the benefits.

NURENBERG: The former players say they'll continue to fight for reform.

Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.

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WHITFIELD: There's good music taking place in Monterey. Today is the last day of the Monterey Jazz Festival. There is still a lot of music to be played and heard. Brooke Anderson, once again a great ticket for a front row seat.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right Fredricka. I'm backstage right now at the Monterey Jazz Festival. We have music from the top jazz artists from around the country. I will chat with New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard after the break. Stay with us.

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WHITFIELD: Multiple stages showcasing cool notes and hot jazz in California. Today is your final chance to catch performances at this weekend's Monterey Jazz Festival. Organizers are celebrating milestones, five decades of music. Our Brooke Anderson is enjoying all of it backstage. Can't get a better seat than that. Wait. You keep moving around on me. Are you still backstage? ANDERSON: I'm still backstage Fredricka at the prestigious Lion's stage, I am. It is named after Jimmy Lion co-founder of the Monterey Jazz Festival. Right now the next generation jazz orchestra I think just wrapped up their performance with New Orleans trumpeter Terence Blanchard. Blanchard has been educating and mentoring these kids this year. He's the festival's chosen artist in residence. Now I spoke to Terence Blanchard a little bit earlier where he talked about the future of jazz and also how his native New Orleans and the devastation of hurricane Katrina have inspired his music and his newest album.

TERENCE BLANCHARD, JAZZ TRUMPETER, COMPOSER: It's had a profound impact. It's made me really reflect on what's really important in life. I know a lot of people say that, but it's really true. Coming back to New Orleans and seeing the devastation, you know, the only thing you could think of is the most important thing is family, friends, and your relationships with those people. It's had a profound impact on my music because working on the documentary; I wanted to make sure that the music I had written at that particular moment didn't get in the way of any of those stories because I thought those stories were amazing. I wanted to write music that was more universal. In doing that, I've written music that seems to be affecting a lot of people.

ANDERSON: Your new CD, a "Tale of God's Will," it's really a moving tribute to the people of New Orleans, grew out of Spike Lee's documentary that you were just speaking about when the levees broke. How do you feel the musical tradition of New Orleans is helping that city rebuild?

BLANCHARD: Oh, it's keeping the lifeblood and the spirit of the community alive. The thing that I love about New Orleans right now, you listen to my CD, it's more reflective. When you go to New Orleans and you hear the guys, the local guys, there, the music they're playing is more uplifting, upbeat. It's keeping the spirits very high for the people there. It's caused me to go out more often than I've done.

ANDESON: We certainly hope all to see the city fully recover from that. You are so inspirational in so many ways, very impressive this weekend. You're performing five times total.

BLANCHARD: Don't remind me, man.

ANDERSON: Going to be exhausting but great. You're performing with the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, the young student's artists from all across the country. What do you feel about the future of jazz are these kids continuing it like it should be continued?

BLANCHARD: Just take a listen and it will tell you about the future of jazz. I think it's healthy. We've seen a lot of kids who not only can play. That's one hurdle, to accomplish something technically. But there are a lot of guys, the young kids, have a lot of creative vision. That's what I'm excited about, to see the new compositions that will come as a result of their development.

ANDERSON: It is very exciting. Terence Blanchard, great to see you again.

BLANCHARD: Good to see you again.

ANDERSON: Very exciting indeed. These kids do have a lot of creative vision. I've seen that firsts hand I this weekend. Terence Blanchard will also be going on tour this January with the Monterey Jazz Festival's 50th anniversary all-stars, which includes Benny Green. Fredricka, Benny Green actually got his first significant exposure years ago here with his performance with his own high school band.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Nice to come full circle like that.

ANDERSON: Such a great opportunity for a young artist wanting to pursue jazz. It really is.

WHITFIELD: Well Brooke thanks for bringing us to the festival via television.

ANDERSON: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Music lovers, there's more next hour right here on CNN. Placido Domingo a seen legend talks about a new project that could change how you think about opera.

The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): I call on New Yorkers to make the life of Ahmadinejad as he is in New York miserable! Make his life miserable!

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WHITFIELD: Up next in THE NEWSROOM a call for civil disobedience, a man the president says is part of the axis of evil is headed to New York.

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(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): This is the first time we've had -- this is the first day that the lord has made in this year that we can praise god with all we have.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Yes.

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WHITFIELD: Plus a search for normalcy in the middle of racial tension.

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