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John McCain on Health Care; San Diego Sinkhole Forces Evacuations
Aired October 03, 2007 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Beautiful homes, breathtaking scenery, ever-changing landscapes, some changes bigger than others.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, but how's this for big? The La Jolla section of San Diego, a hillside is slipping. A street is collapsing. Houses could follow.
And you will see it live right here on CNN.
Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
PHILLIPS: And I'm Kyra Phillips. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: More details on our top story.
Let's go straight to the NEWSROOM, CNN's Fredricka Whitfield working on the developing story for us.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, perhaps it's hard for anyone to understand what 50 to 60 yards is, but imagine half the size of a football field, that length. That's the length of this sinkhole, where you see this road just simply buckle.
You can see the distance is about two, maybe two-and-a-half lengths of the houses there. This road, which is heavily traveled by the folks in the neighborhood, simply buckled, and it caused for a pretty significant sinkhole there. And you can see one of the homes there, the house in the center there which was kind of pushed back on its land mass there, pretty frightening moments.
This happening at about 8:30 this morning there local time in the La Jolla section of San Diego. These are million-dollar homes, and that aside, it's simply frightening. A lot of folks in the area have lived with the potential of landslides, mudslides and now sinkholes for quite some time.
In fact, this area has experienced quite a few sinkholes and landslides over many, many years, but this still pretty heartening, but, fortunately, no reports of any injuries. That's the good news.
But we did talk to a number of people throughout the morning here who have described everything from seeing the depression in the road by just a matter of inches, while one gentleman who lives in the neighborhood said he simply was driving through the area to take his dog for a walk, and then the next thing you know he finds out as he looks behind him that this depression of just a few inches turns into many, many feet.
And then another young man that we talked to who just started living in that area over a year ago, and he and his family knew nothing about the potential for a landslide or sinkhole to happen like this when they purchased the home. He finally reconnected with his wife. He was worried about her, because she often works out in her house. They didn't know exactly which house had been subjected to this kind of frightening scenario here.
He was able to finally connect with his wife and everything is OK, but a lot of folks in the area now worried about, OK, one home that has suffered some pretty extensive damage. What about the other homes as workers there continue to get to the bottom of why this happened. So, a lot of unanswered questions, Don. Pretty frightening scenario and pretty frightening pictures, too.
LEMON: If you get some new information, Fred, let us know. We will check back.
WHITFIELD: We will indeed.
LEMON: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, a strange report coming in to us from Washington, Capitol Hill police investigating four suspicious fires in two Senate office buildings. The fires were small. They discovered them in restrooms inside the Dirksen and Hart buildings. There were no injuries or evacuations. Police say they had no leads on potential suspects at this point.
LEMON: A lot of questions still to be answered after a deadly chemical fire at a hydroelectric plant in Colorado. Five people were killed, all contractors hired for routine maintenance at the Xcel Energy plant. They were trapped underground applying sealant to a water tunnel when the fire started.
It's unclear whether they suffocated, were burned, or were overcome by fumes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNDERSHERIFF STU NAY, CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, COLORADO, POLICE DEPARTMENT: There was some initial contact via some type of radio system. They did drop some oxygen and another radio down, but don't know if they ever were able to obtain that or use it. We believe it made it to the bottom of the vertical shaft or the penstock, as they call it. And we don't believe they accessed that. I think they were probably incapacitated at that time, but that's speculation on my part.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Authorities are still working to recover the bodies. Local, state and federal investigators are all on the scene. PHILLIPS: Heartbroken families now breaking their silence. The relatives of six dead Utah miners tearfully remembering their brothers, fathers, husbands at a congressional hearing and angrily asking why the Crandall Canyon Mine became a tomb.
Let's get straight to Capitol Hill and CNN's Brianna Keilar.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, these family members told Congress they are angry both with Bob Murray, the owner of the mine, and with the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the government agency responsible for mine oversight, MSHA for short.
They say their loved ones were the victims of an environment where MSHA just rubber-stamped Murray Energy's plan for this mine that never should have been approved, and they says -- many of them said that miners had safety concerns before the August 6 collapse.
These were concerns that they say were dismissed by mine operators. These hearings, of course, very emotional. We heard from Sheila Phillips, the mother of Brandon Phillips. She testified that she's had little closure, because her son's body has yet to be recovered from inside the mountain.
Here's what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEILA PHILLIPS, MOTHER OF KILLED MINER: It's just hard to have hope and have your heart broke every day, and to watch your grandson grow up without a dad. I just miss him, and I want him -- I don't know -- I would like to know where my son is in that hole, so I can leave a marker on the mountain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The son-in-law of miner Kerry Allred told Congress about the aftermath of the accident. He said that MSHA and Bob Murray told the families of the rapped miners what they wanted to hear and not the facts.
He said that Bob Murray yelled at the families on more than one occasion and he also said that for two days those families who spoke only Spanish went without a translator, and that it was particularly difficult for them, because they didn't really understand what was going on.
We reached out today to Murray Energy to see if Bob Murray would comment. We were told by them that he was not available today -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, what's next for the families, Brianna?
KEILAR: Obviously, from the beginning, there's been speculation that there could be a lawsuit against the mine. We did hear today from one of the family members that that is a very real possibility, so I think that's something we may be hearing more about in the near future -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Brianna Keilar, appreciate it.
LEMON: A registered sex offender on the run. Authorities in Florida on the hunt. They're looking for this man, 46-year-old William Joe Mitchell. He allegedly lured a 15-year-old girl from her Bartow, Florida, home after meeting her on the MySpace Web site.
She was found safe yesterday about 400 miles away at a Florida Wal-Mart, where authorities say Mitchell apparently abandoned her. He was driving a 200 black Chevy Lumina, with a Florida tag -- write this down -- G025EL. And he's considered very dangerous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRADY JUDD, POLK COUNTY, FLORIDA, SHERIFF: We ask the question, why is this person on the street? We know that he's dangerous. We know that he's violent. He's struck before and he struck again. And, quite frankly, when you look at predators, that's their trend. They look for profiles of chat rooms online, and then they groom the children and in this case talked this girl in less than two weeks from leaving her home in the middle of the night, climbing out of a bedroom window, and going with him. That's just how much personality they have. That's how dangerous they are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: If you have any information, please call the Polk County Sheriff's tip line at 863-533-0344. We expect to see more at a news conference in the 3:00 p.m. Eastern hour right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We will bring that to you.
Police also want your help in nabbing this man, 37-year-old Chester Arthur Stiles, suspected of raping a 3-year-old girl on videotape. It happened four years ago. And the girl has been found safe in Las Vegas with her mom, but Stiles is on the run. Police say he's a survivalist and always armed. If you have any information, please call Crime Stoppers. That number is 702-385-5555. You can also call the Las Vegas Police Sexual Abuse Detail Unit at 702-828- 3421.
PHILLIPS: Well, he has a reputation for straight talk, so what does he have to say about his campaign for president? John McCain climbs aboard the CNN Election Express and goes one on one with our own John King.
Stay right there. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
LEMON: An outraged veteran pulls out a knife and takes action when he sees a U.S. flag flying below a Mexican flag. Was there actually a rule being broken here? We will tell you what we have found out straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to the newsroom, Fredricka Whitfield working details on that developing story, boy, all afternoon in San Diego, California, actually La Jolla.
WHITFIELD: Right.
So, Kyra, what do you think you feel like when you walk out your door early in the morning and right in front on your street is this huge sinkhole that is taking place? There are no cars are able to pass, obviously, because it's impassable. This is exactly what happened to Mohammad Ali Afshar, who lives on that street just two houses away from the center point of this sinkhole, which has pushed one of those houses into a pretty dangerous situation.
Mohammad Ali Afshar is on the phone with me now.
So, give me your best description of what you heard, what you thought, what you felt this morning when you found out that right outside your front door was this huge problem.
MOHAMMAD ALI AFSHAR, RESIDENT EVACUATED AFTER LANDSLIDE: Yes. Hi. Yes, this morning, the guys came from the city and knock the door and told me that you have to evacuate as soon as possible.
WHITFIELD: So, you're in the house. You didn't even know. You didn't hear anything. You didn't experience anything in your household. It took someone knocking on your door to tell you there's a big problem.
AFSHAR: No.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
AFSHAR: I was on the phone and I was listening to the news, told it was live, but I didn't hear anything when it happened.
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. OK. And so you're alerted about this, that it is happening. Some of your family members are away from the house, right, on vacation?
AFSHAR: Yes. Yes, my wife is in Hawaii.
WHITFIELD: OK. And she hears about it because she turns on the TV, and she's hearing the news that in her neighborhood there's this big problem, and then looks and says, wait a minute, this is really familiar. That's my street. So, now she's frantically trying to reach you?
AFSHAR: Yes.
She saw exactly what happened on CNN, and she called me. She's on a cruise right now. And she called me: What's going on over there?
I told her what's going on, and I told her that I'm safe. I took something which I needed. And the only thing, I didn't take my medicine. I came back to the doctor, and he ordered another medicine for me, so I'm on the way. WHITFIELD: Wow. So, they roust you out of the house to say, look, we really don't know the potential of what else could happen, so all those who are living on this street are going to have to evacuate the area. But because you had to leave so quickly, you weren't able to take your medication.
So, we're glad to hear that you now have all that you need, but tell me the about kind of situation you're in now, where you can't get back to your home. Neither can a lot of your neighbors. What are you going to do? And how worried are you about what's next?
AFSHAR: Actually, when I came out of the house, I saw a lot of guys from the city, seemed that some of them was (INAUDIBLE) architect or geologist, whoever.
I asked one of the gentlemen, which I believe he must be the head of those teams, and I told him that, what's going on? What -- are you expecting more?
And he said to me, it looks like it has stopped it. And I said how many percent you are sure about that? He said almost about 80 percent I'm sure that it's done, and no more.
WHITFIELD: But then you can't go back to your home. You can't stay there tonight, right?
AFSHAR: No.
When I asked the police officer, I already got something which I needed, but is there any way I come back and pack more with another (INAUDIBLE) And he said, no, as long as you don't hear from the radio that you can come, you're not going to be able to go back.
WHITFIELD: Wow, so a terrible holding pattern you are in, as well as a lot of your neighbors and your family members, too.
Mohammad Ali Afshar, thanks so much for your time.
So, Kyra, that's a pretty frustrating situation, when you can't get back to your home because still unclear is the potential for more damage might affect your household and certainly potentially endanger other people's lives. Nobody wants that. So lots of unanswered questions still on what folks are going to be able to do about returning to their homes -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, and we're going to follow up too on the investigations that are going to take place. Fred, you and I were talking throughout the morning and the afternoon about the fact that this has been a problem for a number for years.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Engineers were out there. They speculated that this could happen.
So, I can just imagine some of the homeowners coming together and filing some lawsuits.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And a lot of homeowners wondering, well, wait a minute. Why do you build in this area?
PHILLIPS: Exactly.
WHITFIELD: Or why do you continue to build if you know there's this great potential? Or if you notice there is this great potential, why do you allow people to continue to live here at such great risk?
PHILLIPS: Well, we will follow up on all those fronts.
Fredricka Whitfield, thanks so much.
WHITFIELD: Great.
LEMON: Time now for America votes 2008.
Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is running third in the national polls, and, so far, anyway, it's been a rough ride, but not today.
The Arizona senator joined our chief national correspondent, John King, aboard the snazzy, state of the art super-sexy new CNN Election Express.
It's looking good behind you there, John, I have to admit.
And John joins me now from Orangeburg, South Carolina. Rough ride for him, but smooth ride aboard the Election Express.
What do you have to say, John?
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a beautiful ride, Don. You and Kyra should come out and enjoy it some time. It's not only a great smooth ride. It's an amazing television production facility.
The senator joined us up in Camden earlier this morning. We talked about a number of issues, from the war in Iraq to his hope that the Arizona Diamondbacks advance in the baseball playoffs that get under way tonight.
We spent quite a bit of time talking about the big news today, the president's veto of that expansion of the so-called SCHIP program, a health insurance program. Democrats already saying they will use this against the Republicans in next year's campaign, saying how could the Republicans be so cold-hearted to oppose an expansion of a program that gives desperately-needed health care to poor children?
Well, Senator McCain offers disagrees with President Bush, but on this issue they are in syndicated columnist, Senator McCain saying he supports the president's veto and that the Democrats wanted to expand the program well beyond its initial urgent mission of providing health care to needy children.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right call by the president. It's a phony smoke-and-mirrors way of paying for it. We have laid a debt on these same children that we're trying to -- that we're saying we're going to give health insurance to.
The American people have rebelled against out-of-control spending. If they can find a legitimate way to pay for it, I would consider it. But it's also now, what was supposed to be for low- income Americans is now up to 400 percent of the poverty level, just like the Medicare prescription drug program, an unfunded liability.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: It was interesting, though.
Even though he supported the president's veto, Senator McCain says he agrees with the many conservative Republicans who are coming forward today, whether they agree or disagree with the veto, saying that it's hard for President Bush to deliver the message that he's vetoing this bill as a sign of fiscal responsibility.
Many Republicans, including Senator McCain, have urged the president to veto spending bills in the past. Mr. Bush has been very reluctant to do so. So, I asked the senator if it was fair, those who are calling the president a Johnny-come-lately on fiscal conservatism. Senator McCain said, it sure is fair -- Don.
LEMON: John, you know what? Blackwater has been embroiled in some controversy lately. I understand the senator spoke about that as well?
KING: He spoke quite forcefully about it. He was asked what he thinks of the hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday looking into of course the allegations that the Blackwater security firm used unnecessary violence and killed Iraqi civilians in one incident recently and, overall, other incidents over the past several years.
And Senator McCain was quite interesting. He said, the root of this problem lies not with Blackwater, but with Secretary Rumsfeld, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. He said that, if they had sent in more troops in Iraq in the first place, you wouldn't need all these private contractors to provide security for diplomats and for the State Department personnel.
He said that outside. And then I asked him on the Election Express, well, if you're blaming Secretary Rumsfeld, doesn't his boss, the president, share that blame as well? And the senator said, yes, he does. He should have listened to those in the military back at the beginning who said you needed to send way more troops into Iraq in the initial invasion force -- Don.
LEMON: Wow. Very interesting, John.
And every day we get you on, Schneidy or Candy, and we ask you for some little nugget about the Election Express. We understand, is it true that there's an American hero driving that bus?
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Our driver, Dale (ph), is a great man. He not only keeps the bus up. He has great humor. We wake up a little early sometimes, go a little late. We can be a little grumpy. He is not only a great navigator and a great driver, but he's a comedian as well.
He gets us around quite well. It is a very impressive ride. Yes, we make fun of it. It's a billboard in many ways for CNN, promotional for CNN. But, believe it or not, on that bus, you can do just about anything you can do back there in the studios in Atlanta. So, we love it, and we love Dale.
LEMON: Yes. We're not making fun of it. We think it's absolutely fantastic. Every day, we look at it and we go, wow, it's nicer than our facilities here at Atlanta. We will have to get on board.
KING: Come on out.
LEMON: Only if I can ride in the front, though.
All right.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: You can drive if you want.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: All right, John, thank you, sir, part of the best political team on television.
And that is just the beginning of his report. You can see more of John King's interview with Senator John McCain later on today on "THE SITUATION ROOM WITH WOLF BLITZER."
PHILLIPS: And, to be a successful president or presidential candidate, you have to know how to think on your feet. Democrat Senator Barack Obama was ready when what you might call howls of protest erupted at a campaign stop in Iowa today. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want to take just a little bit of time to announce my security contractor accountability plan.
This plan would require contractors to coordinate with the U.S. military, to stop contractors from acting in ways that undermine our mission. Contractors would also have to follow rules of engagement...
(BABY CRYING) OBAMA: Yes, your -- I know. He's outraged, too, about Blackwater.
(LAUGHTER)
(BABY CRYING)
OBAMA: I know. It's terrible.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Cue the baby.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: That little exchange happened in Iowa, actually. And more proof that you never know what's going to happen on the campaign trail.
LEMON: An outraged veteran pulls out a knife and takes action when he sees a U.S. flag flying right below a Mexican flag. There he is right there. You can see what he did to it. Was there actually a rule being broken here? It's a big question. We find out here straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS REPORT)
LEMON: We're following some developing news out of the Florida, live pictures now from our affiliate Bay News 9. This is in Bartow, Florida.
We told you about that Amber Alert yesterday for the 15-year-old girl, found safe, but they're still looking for William Joe Mitchell. Police are going to update us shortly.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Straight to Bartow, Florida now, where officials are holding a press conference about that AMBER alert and the person they're looking for.
Let's take a listen.
SHERIFF GRADY JUDD, POLK COUNTY, FLORIDA: ...if you don't already, just how dangerous the predators really are.
So before we go any further, let me ask Roger and Gayle Frank to come up to the microphone. They want to have a few words with you and then they will take questions. It's important for you to recognize that you will not see our victim. She will not be here today, nor will she appear before any other media.
We want her treated as a victim. She was lured away by an experienced child predator, by a pedophile. So from this point forward, we are treating her as a victim of the crimes that we're charging today.
Donna Wood, our PIO, will give you a complete list of those charges, which has to do with luring a child away on the Internet.
We will not discuss where or what happened or what the communication was between the child and the suspect while the child was in the suspect's care and custody, OK?
Roger Frank and his wife Gayle would like to say a few words to you.
Roger, come on up.
ROGER FRANK, FATHER OF TEEN GIRL: Good evening, everybody.
I just want to tell everybody thank you very much for what you've done for us. Without your help, I'm afraid I may have lost a very important piece of our life. I want to thank all the law enforcement -- just the sheriff, all the lieutenants, the detectives, the deputies all across America and the state. I want to thank everybody. And I want to thank America, because without this program that we have in place, I'd be short a member of my life. And I just want to thank every one of you for what you've done for me.
I'd like to tell everyone out there, all the parents, watch your children, folks, OK?
My baby was in front of me on her computer -- I mean in front of me, not in her room. It's centrally located. It can be seen from the back porch of the house.
It can be seen from the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, OK?
She didn't act suspicious. She didn't flip screens or roll anything on the computer to hide anything as we walked by or anything.
It looked like a normal child on the Internet, OK?
Her phones -- she was -- I gave my child her privacy. But her privacy, again, was in front of me.
She didn't do it behind locked doors. She talked on her telephone with her bedroom door open, OK?
So how it happened, God, I don't know how it happened. But it did. People, you all have got to watch your children. You've got to learn how to take care of them better than what we think we know how.
I want everyone out there in America to think about this man that's done this to my baby. He's still out there, folks. Yes, I got my baby back. And, by George, it's great to have her back. But this man's still out there. If you've got children, you know, we got to get him. Don't stop looking for him until we do have him. If it's tomorrow, if it's five years from now, let's get this man. Let's put him away some way or another. I don't care how we do it, but we've got to do it. And I want it done soon. I really do.
I've got to have this man off the street, as well as anybody else needs him off the street. And I'll help out anything I can to get him out of the street. If I knew how to do it, I'd do it now.
But I don't -- I don't know where I'm going with this, except for I need my time with my family, because we are a rather private family.
I know my neighbors, but I know them as neighbors, OK?
They keep to themselves and we kind of keep to ourselves, all right?
So I'm asking everyone to give us our privacy, too, all right, so my child can go to school, as she did last week, and me and my wife can go to work, as we've been doing, OK?
Because it's hard on us, all right?
But, again, I thank everybody for everything they've done for us, all right?
JUDD: OK.
Would you like to ask questions?
QUESTION: Yes, Roger, did you have any idea that she was dealing on MySpace or any of the other chat rooms when she was on the Internet?
FRANK: Yes, I knew she was on MySpace. I knew she was on some of these other Web sites. Some of these Web sites I may not have agreed to, but I monitored them, you know?
And as I'm walking around the house I would stop and look over her shoulder and say, wow, this a little weird.
But, you know, I like horror movies, OK?
So -- but, yes, I knew the Web sites she was on, OK?
Do I know how to go find them in the computer?
No.
I'm computer ignorant, OK?
I won't be for long, though. I'm going to know this thing inside out. I'm going to be able to build one when I'm done with it.
But, yes, I knew she was in these Web sites. Yes, I did. QUESTION: But did she give you any indication who she was talking to anyone on those Web sites?
FRANK: No. No, if you stop and read a conversation, it sounded like maybe a boyfriend -- just a boyfriend, not a man like me, a grown man like me or you. No indications.
QUESTION: Roger, you said earlier she had never run away before.
At what point on Monday did you guys all put together who she was really with?
FRANK: When did we put it together?
QUESTION: Yes. And, obviously you were (INAUDIBLE)...
FRANK: When the lieutenant come and told us who she was with or who she had been in contact with, OK?
We had friends helping us pulling up computer records for her phone, because we don't know how. But I'm glad to have a computer network friend that can. And she helped us out greatly. And we gave all of our information immediately over to the law enforcement to give us our answer, because I don't know where to go, all right?
So I turned it over to the right people, because they know where to go. And we noticed her missing. When why wife got up to go to work, we thought, oh, she's late for school. OK, baby, get up. And she was gone.
QUESTION: What was it like when, after a lot of worry, you finally figured out she's OK, she's safe, she's alive?
FRANK: What did it feel like?
GAYLE FRANK: Oh.
FRANK: Go ask that guy who won the Mega Ball lottery up north somewhere, all right?
I feel 10 times better than that, OK?
There is nothing that can make me feel better, absolutely nothing.
When somebody asked me that the other day, how did it feel?
Better than winning the lottery, all right, because I have...
GAYLE FRANK: We have our baby home.
FRANK: We're the richest couple in the world.
we truly are, all right?
We live a meager life, but, by George, we're rich right there where it counts, so...
QUESTION: Is she pretty shaken up still, or is she starting to (INAUDIBLE)?
FRANK: She's -- when we first got her last night, she was quiet, all right?
She's a talkative person, she really is. She'll yak your ear off. But she was very quiet. And I can understand with the, you know, the emotions that she's been through. So she's starting to talk with us -- not much about her experience because I'm not going to squeeze it. I can't squeeze it because I'm afraid it will cause a scar that can't be healed.
But my baby will tell me, all right?
Because we are a close knit family, and I'll squeeze her lightly.
Yes, sir?
QUESTION: How did you actually get out there?
Did you go late last night and turn right back around?
FRANK: Yes...
QUESTION: What were the mechanics of getting her back?
FRANK: Friends of ours drove us up there, that have been through the whole ordeal with us since Monday morning.
They drove us up there, OK?
Because me and Gayle, it was the first time we got to go to sleep, what, an hour-and-a-half today, all right?
We're still wore out. But they knew that we was not going to be able to make it, so they drove us up there in their truck and we picked up our daughter from family members that went and picked her up from the law enforcement agencies up there, wherever the little town is.
(CROSSTALK)
FRANK: Out there?
You mean in -- by...
(CROSSTALK)
FRANK: We have family members in Alabama, Southern Alabama. They came down and picked her up and took her out to their house, which, good Lord, I don't think I could find it again if I wanted to. It's out there in the sticks, so...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) in the middle of the night (INAUDIBLE). FRANK: We actually got to see her since she left -- it was a little after midnight, yes. It was approximately 12:15, 12:30 when we pulled up and got to hug our child. We didn't hang there long, because my brother had flown down from New York for this. And in mid-flight on his layover, he found out she was good. So he still came down, all right. And he's giving me his support. But I told the family up in Alabama, I've got the other family down there and we're tired and we really want to go home and rest.
They tried to get us to spend the night, but I wanted to get back here with my family and that's that right there.
QUESTION: Again, Roger, any words that you would have to other parents whose children are on Internet sites like MySpace?
FRANK: I would say monitor them. If you don't know how like I don't, learn, please.
Don't let your child sit in their room with it, all right?
My case in point, it wasn't in her room. It was in front of me, it still happened. So this is how hard it is to really know something like this. You know, you've got to do a lot of research back into this. If your kids are upset that you're leaning over their shoulder, oh, well, tough luck.
You know, it's tough love, child, OK?
Can it happen to my family?
I used to -- I said, no, it can't happen to my family. I'm wrong. We're very tight-knit, a very small community here east of Bartow. You know, the population -- if we're lucky -- 200 maybe.
Did it happen?
Yes, it did.
Should it have?
Absolutely not. And you never think it would happen. This isn't a metropolitan area. This a little tiny community where we watched the kids walk to the bus stop. We watched the kids walk off the bus stop.
And, Susie didn't go to school today?
Well, there's Susie on her bicycle later that day.
Maybe she was just sick, all right?
But, you know, even my neighbors have been very supportive of this and they've shown me a lot of concern. I know some of you have been out there to interview them.
But they have no answers, all right? I don't think you should really interview my neighbors, because they have no answers. They truly don't. They don't know us as their friends. They don't -- most of them call me by my last name because my name's on the house, all right, the Frank family. Most of them just call me Frank. And so that's about as far as it goes for, you know, we know each other very well. No, we don't. We just look after everybody.
QUESTION: What do you have to say to Mr. Mitchell if he sees this?
FRANK: I'm not allowed to say these words on television, in front of your camera. But, Mr. Mitchell, you're going to get what's coming to you, boy. I mean to tell you, you're going to get what's coming to you.
Sheriff Judd promised me we're going to get him, and we will.
If something happens to him horribly wrong between now and the time we get to wrap our fingers around his neck, thank you, Lord.
Seriously, save the taxpayers a bullet. I don't know, I want him off the street. If I could see him right now, it would be a blood fest brawl for all. I'm sorry, I couldn't stop myself right now. I don't think even the sheriff with his gun on him could stop me. I don't think he would. So -- I don't think he would.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was pretty straight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
JUDD: OK.
Any other questions?
FRANK: Folks...
GAYLE FRANK: Thank you for bringing our baby home.
FRANK: Thank you very much -- media, law enforcement and America. This system works, folks. Give it a chance. It moves slow. But it does -- it moves as fast as the speed of light. We say it's slow, but, no, it's not. No, it's not. Compared to the results I got out of this, I thank everybody. It's a speed of light process. It truly is.
Thank you.
JUDD: You know, when your child is missing, 25 or 26 hours is too long -- 25 or 26 seconds is too long. But the reality of it is, is men and women of law enforcement around this state reacted as if it was their daughter that was missing. And that's one of the reasons our victim is safe today. And that's one of the reasons we will catch Billy Mitch. We will catch him.
I encourage folks -- we have a program here -- we have a CD that we give away so that the parents can put this into their computer and see what kind of videos and/or language that may be used that is conducive to what a predator would say to your child. If your community has a program -- a crime prevention program -- use it. If not, encourage them to have one.
I must tell you that for about four years, we've done these crime prevention programs. In the beginning, we could advertise that we're going to talk about predators on the Internet and out of a school, an elementary school...
LEMON: All right, you're listening to Sheriff Grady Judd there. He's wrapping up this press conference. But, clearly, some very real moments with some very real folks who are very happy to get their loved one back.
"Thank you for bringing our baby home," they said, and you can just feel it.
He said, "I feel 10 times better than the guy won the Mega Ball."
You can understand why, because many of these kids who go missing, sadly, they're never returned. And they are giving advice to these people, to families about watching their kids. And you can certainly feel them.
PHILLIPS: Well, this is true blue America right here.
LEMON: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: I mean we saw that with the sheriff yesterday, when he started talking about this story. He came out right out saying, you know, it's a blessing that she's still alive. We were able to get her back. This guy is armed and dangerous. We're going to find him. And he was very heartfelt in what he was saying.
Now you see the parents of Alyssa Frank, Roger Frank. And he's like your typical all American dad. He said we live...
LEMON: Um-hmm. Just call him Frank.
PHILLIPS: That's right. Just call me Frank. We live by meager means, but we are rich at heart. We got our little girl back. And there's a message here. And then the mom was just breaking my heart, you know, with her tears. But this -- it sends such a message to parents. Even if the computer is right there in front of them...
LEMON: Right there.
PHILLIPS: ...or behind locked doors, it's so easy nowadays if you're not technologically savvy to know what's going on on the Internet.
LEMON: And the important part, they said, we've got to get this man, right?
PHILLIPS: That's right. Let's not forget, William Joe Mitchell. He also goes by Billy Mitch.
LEMON: On the Internet, on MySpace, Billy Mitch. And, also, we have the kind of car he was driving and we've got some phone numbers we want to give you just in case you may have seen him.
His name is William Joe Mitchell. As Kyra said, he goes by Billy Mitch. Call the Polk County tip line, 863-533-0344. That's -- and, also, the kind of car he was driving.
PHILLIPS: That's right. It's a Lumina with a Florida tag -- G025EL. He's considered armed and dangerous. A 2007 black Chevy Lumina. Once again, police are looking for him. They need your help, folks. He's a child predator and they need your help tracking him down.
LEMON: When we continue here, the flak over the American flag and a Mexican flag.
What happened?
We'll tell you when the CNN NEWSROOM continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: CNN has spent the past several months looking at the various threats to the environment for a special documentary called "Planet In Peril".
Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta recently traveled to China on the front lines of the fight to save threatened and endangered species.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's one of the oldest civilizations in the world -- traditions cultivated over thousands of years. Some out in the open. Others hidden from view.
The Chinese like their exotic wildlife. It's used in traditional medicine and it's served as a delicacy. Some of the animals are extremely rare and endangered, others are more common. In either case, the appetite is enormous. A population of 1.3 billion people has made China a vacuum for the world's wildlife.
(on camera): I really wanted to get a sense of just what the demand was here, just how much consumption. Take a look. We're in this one back store here, and these are all turtles. You're just looking at thousands of turtles. And this is, again, just one small store. It gives you a sense of the demand for this type of wildlife here in China.
(voice over): The turtles are legal. And so is most of the wildlife we found in this market. Punishment is stiff in China if you're caught selling endangered species. But that doesn't stop it from happening.
(on camera): This is a storefront here. And I just want to show you something. This is actually deer antler inside that box. And over here is deer bone. These are both being sold.
And over here is actually deer penis. All of that's being sold here. And it's important to emphasize that none of that is actually illegal.
What's of concern, though, is what else might be getting sold at places like this. This is actually a restaurant called Strength in a Pot (ph). Let me go inside and take a look at the menu.
(voice over): There's no public seating area inside. It's all private dining rooms. We're shown to one in the back.
(on camera): I'm sitting here with Mr. Chen, who is not only the manager, but also a nutritionist. And he has suggested that we get one of the most popular dishes on the menu. So we're going to give it a try.
(voice over): After we order, a toast with Mr. Chen. The drink is a specialty here -- deer antler and blood wine.
MR. CHEN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): What did you think?
GUPTA (on camera): It's OK. It's a little bitter, but it's OK.
(voice over): Mr. Chen leaves to check on the food, when we notice a second menu.
(on camera): The first page actually has a platter of dishes that cost about $1,500. What we saw in here was Canadian seal and Australian lobster. But they also have tiger paw and tiger penis. This is something we're definitely going to ask Mr. Chen about when he gets back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: The "Planet In Peril," a CNN special with Anderson Cooper, airs October 23 and 24th -- that's a Tuesday and a Wednesday -- at 9:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
If you'd like clips online of CNN's "Planet In Peril" before it begins, just download the "A.C. 360" pod cast. Go to cnn.com/planetinperil to download it now.
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, the closing bell and a sneak peek of the Neiman Marcus holiday catalog. Susan Lisovicz was talking all about it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: The closing bell about to ring on Wall Street.
LEMON: Susan Lisovicz standing by with a final look at the trading day.
Now, are you already talking Christmas catalogs here?
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Retailers are, you bet you. This is the biggest time of the year. And it's the 100th anniversary of the Neiman Marcus Christmas book...
LEMON: Really?
LISOVICZ: ...or what we would call the catalog. You know, it's famed for its indulgences and excess. In addition to the diamonds -- that 305 -- 305 carat diamond that Kyra just dismissed that is selling for $1 million, let us tell you about some other items that caught our attention.
One of them is the $30,000 topiary dragon. It's 100 feet long. It has gold leaf, corns claws, teeth and fins, blown glass eyes and a custom welded steel frame. You have to have the yard, obviously, to support that.
That's extra, OK?
No comment there.
All right.
How about the $50,000 tree tent, which is 13 feet tall with a hardwood floor and round mattress inside. It sleeps two. It makes the coolest tree fort/spaceship. You also have to have that...
PHILLIPS: Actually, if you wanted to sell your house and live in that, that could be very economically friendly and environmentally friendly.
LEMON: Oh.
PHILLIPS: OK.
LISOVICZ: Very green.
PHILLIPS: Very humble.
LEMON: What do you need a hardwood floor for in a tree?
LISOVICZ: Let's get to one last one.
LEMON: OK.
LISOVICZ: It's the $110,000 his and hers chocolate portraits. The artist promises to capture your likeness in a double helping of Bosco chocolate syrup. No word on whether you have to be drenched in chocolate yourself.
PHILLIPS: Oh, my.
LEMON: Well, my family portraits are always chocolate. LISOVICZ: Oh!
(LAUGHTER)
LISOVICZ: Or milk chocolate.
PHILLIPS: Oh, lord.
(CROSSTALK)
LEMON: Or toffee, in my case. Yes, there you go.
PHILLIPS: Oh my goodness.
LEMON: All right.
PHILLIPS: Some people have way too much money. That's all I have to say.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
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