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Skydiving Plane Down; Security Convoy Shooting in Baghdad; Woman, Young Boy Caught on Tape Stealing Donations
Aired October 09, 2007 - 08:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Heidi Collins.
Watch events come in to the NEWSROOM live on Tuesday morning. It is October 9th.
Here's what's on the rundown.
Searchers comb a rugged crash site in Washington State at daybreak. Nine skydivers and their pilot feared dead this morning.
Charismatic TV preacher and university president accused of using school funds for his own lavish spending. Richard Roberts and the money scandal that has rattled Oral Roberts University.
New pocket-sized gizmos making it easier to find hidden heart disease. Medical magical wand, in the NEWSROOM.
Wreckage found, a search about to resume. Crews find seven bodies after a plane crashes in Washington's Cascade Mountains. Hope for those still missing all but gone.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is in White Pass, Washington, for us this morning.
Chris, what is the latest now on the search efforts?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, three people are still unaccounted for, and the search and recovery teams are going to hit the ground again in just about an hour, when the sun comes up. It was too dark before, and the area that they're looking in just has some very steep terrain, some very thick timber and brush. Couldn't do anything with it.
Now, on Sunday night, a man who lives right around here in White Pass saw a low-flying aircraft, and a few hours later -- and he actually said that he actually heard a crash as well. And a few hours after that, the skydivers' home base reported they had not arrived on time and that they had lost all radio contact. Within a few hours from then, a search effort was launched, and last night they did find the wreckage just a few hundred yards from where their last radar contact had been.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DEP. DAN CYPHER, YAKIMA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: The search teams were up in the areas with the (INAUDIBLE) that we were providing to them. They did smell an odor of fuel and they did follow that odor and came across the wreckage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Yes, what they found was what was left of half the plane. The tail section had been completely snapped off, and they have still yet to find that -- Heidi.
COLLINS: Chris, you know, there might be some people out there who are wondering, you know, these were skydivers. Talk about, if we even know at this point, the altitude at which that plane might have been flying. I mean, any chance at all that they could of gotten out?
LAWRENCE: Well, the man said, I guess, possibility. There is always the possibility, but it's highly unlikely.
The man said that they were flying at -- it looked like a low altitude. I'm no expert, by any means, but I've been skydiving several times, and I know I've watched them scrub a jump because it was too overcast, because the wind speed wasn't right. And you're talking about jumping in a predetermined jump zone, a landing zone.
In this case, this plane did not set off its emergency locator, and some of the officials have told us it looks like it crashed at a high rate of speed. I guess the one question I would have would be, you know, the seven people who were found, you know, were any of them at all even wearing parachutes?
COLLINS: Sure.
LAWRENCE: It might give some indication, just some indication of whether they had any time at all to prepare.
COLLINS: Yes, absolutely. All right.
CNN's Chris Lawrence coming to us this morning from White Pass.
Thanks so much, Chris.
(NEWSBREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: We have some breaking news that we want to get to directly here now. Alessio Vinci is standing by for us in Baghdad to help us out this one.
Alessio, I understand there is something that has happened on a private security convoy that has been traveling, and two Iraqi women have been shot? Can you give us some details?
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, the incident took place between 2:30 and 2:45 local time here in Baghdad, and we're still trying to get some information.
What we know so far, according to two sources within the Iraqi Interior Ministry, is that a convoy of four sports utility vehicles, four white vehicles, have opened fire on a car carrying two women. And we understand that both of these women died as a result of this shooting incident.
We understand from these Iraqi sources that as many as 19 shots were fired at this car. We do not know the name of the security firm involved, and we are also trying to find out exactly what may have triggered this incident.
We do know that it happened and has happened in an area of Baghdad called Karada district. It is not too far away from the German Embassy, but, again, I must stress, we do not know yet which security firm has been involved in this shooting incident. All we know is that as many as 19 shots were fired and that two women in a single car died as a result of it -- Heidi.
COLLINS: OK. Obviously, lots of question. Alessio, thanks so much. We will come back to you, should you be able to find out the name of that private contractor or what may have caused all of this to happen in the first place.
Alessio Vinci live from Baghdad.
Thanks so much, Alessio.
A surprising crime caught on tape. Donations stolen, and police now searching for an unlikely pair of thieves.
We want to get more now from Kimberly Bookman of affiliate WMUR in Salem, New Hampshire.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KIMBERLY BOOKMAN, REPORTER, WMUR (voice over): You have to see it to believe it. A boy no older than 10 morphs into a full fledged thief right before our eyes. It's all caught on this Salem liquor store surveillance video.
DET. STEVE MALISOS, SALEM, NEW HAMPSHIRE POLICE: He's very young. He looks 6 to 7, 8 years old. And she is teaching him basically how to commit thefts and commit crimes.
BOOKMAN: Watch as the boy sticks close to this woman in the store. Together, they approach an unmanned register, fidget with the trinkets near the checkout, then the woman pockets the charity canister filled with cash.
MALISOS: It appeared as though the young boy was acting as a lookout.
BOOKMAN: Well, it may be the first time, but take a look at this. The duo hit another empty register in the store moments later. This time, the boy takes a more active role, actually moving the donation canister closer to the woman, and she slips it right into her pocketbook.
MALISOS: The most disturbing part is that the young boy was there.
BOOKMAN: Some would argue it's equally disturbing that they stole contributions to MADD, a nonprofit organization of adults teaching children good lessons, like not to drink and drive.
MALISOS: To steal from a charitable organization is really disappointing.
BOOKMAN: A spokesperson from the organization says, "We are saddened by this alleged theft and hope this incident will not deter those who have donated to our cause from donating in the future."
What this crime could do is send the woman to jail for up to one year for theft. She could also face charges of endangering a child. As for the little boy, who was clearly an accomplice, police will handle him with kid gloves.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Police are still searching for the pair. It's unknown how much money was in those donation jars.
Intrigue now in Atlantic City. The mayor on mysterious medical leave. The city waiting for answers.
And scandal at a major religious university. Were school resources used for personal luxuries? The allegations and the school president's response.
We're "Keeping Them Honest".
Big and bulky, but they could save your life. So what if ultrasound machines were so small they could actually fit in your palm? Now they are, and our Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us.
Troopers get a shock when they catch up to a speeding car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's when the driver jumped out and ran into the restaurant yelling for his mother. The trooper at that point then realizes this is a juvenile.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Wow. An 11-year-old behind the wheel with dad in the car.
We'll have that story after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Marion Jones is giving back her medals. The track and field star has also agreed to forfeit any victories dating back to September of 2000. That could cost her more than $1 million if event organizers go after her winnings.
Last week, Jones admitted being on steroids when she won five medals it at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She could be facing prison time for lying to a federal agent during a steroids investigation. Sentencing is scheduled for January 11th.
An ultrasound machine not much bigger than a PDA may soon land in a hospital near you. Not only that, one day it could even land in your hands.
Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is in New York with this cutting edge technology.
Sanjay, we love cutting edge technology.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I like it as well. This one sort of caught our eye, Heidi.
We're talking about a portable ultrasound machine here. Let me show you here. I don't know if you can see the image there. What you're looking at on the screen there is actually an image of someone's beating heart, and it was actually done through this tiny machine here.
This is what's known as a transducer. And basically, you just place this on someone's chest or someone's abdomen and you can get these images back pretty quickly to try and determine if something is wrong. Particularly useful in potential trauma situations.
What's pretty neat about it, though, Heidi, you can see how small it is. You can literally just put this around your neck and it can almost be sort of like a visual stethoscope that doctors wear and carry around with them, and can quickly get an idea if something is wrong by carrying this device around with them personally, as opposed to wheeling in an ultrasound machine -- Heidi.
COLLINS: So obviously that's why they want it to be so small. I mean, it's just convenient. You can take it anywhere you want on to go.
GUPTA: Yes, that's sort of the biggest thing. You know, ultrasound machines can be pretty big. You've got to wheel them in. But also, one of the big concerns is potentially on ambulance runs, for example.
So you're on out in the field and you're concerned that someone might have blood -- have been bleeding into their abdominal cavity. You don't know for sure. You can actually just take this tiny ultrasound machine and place it on their belly and determine pretty quickly, or if there is fluid around their heart, for example.
There are some good uses potentially for this. Not everyone has it yet, but -- this is a pretty new device -- but the fact that it's so small makes it pretty advantageous. COLLINS: Any chance you can go out and buy one? Let's say you have, you know, an issue you know of and you would feel better having one yourself.
GUPTA: No. That's a good question. It's really not being marketed to individual consumers for a couple of reasons.
One is that, you know, I don't know if you can really tell what is going on with this image here. A lot of people need a fair amount of training and sophistication to be able to actually read these things.
COLLINS: Yes.
GUPTA: So what happens is the concern that people are going to misdiagnose. They're going to get the image and they're going to say, well, look, I have a blood clot or I have such and such problem, and it's going to lead to unnecessary anxiety and possibly more tests down the road.
The second thing is this is just really designed as an initial screening test to quickly tell if there is a problem, and it would lead to, you know, a more sophisticated ultrasound perhaps to make the diagnosis for sure. So there's a couple of reasons why it will probably stay in the hospitals as opposed to individual's hands.
COLLINS: Yes. I mean, sometimes you could have a bigger problem, I think, if people were trying to read those and not really knowing what they are looking at.
In fact, you bring up a good point, too. You wonder if this is as good as the massive machines that you see when you go in and have an ultrasound. You already mentioned it's kind of just the first level.
GUPTA: Yes. I asked the same question because, you know, that's one thing you do lose. As technology becomes better, a machine like this may eventually become as good quality as some of the bigger machines that you see often in hospitals, or the machines that pregnant women get, for example, for their babies.
But this right now, the quality of it, while very good, is not that -- not that great. So you'd use it as an initial screening test. You wouldn't use it for obstetrics, necessarily. But if someone were in a traumatic situation and you had to make a decision quickly, it might be a valuable tool.
COLLINS: I think it's cool. Very cool.
GUPTA: And it's pretty cool. Yes. And I like technology, I love gadgets.
They don't actually know this, but I'm going to try to hang on to this particular gadget myself and see if I can get away with it.
COLLINS: Well, they know now. They know now, pal. GUPTA: They do.
COLLINS: All right.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.
GUPTA: Thank you.
COLLINS: She thought her home was safe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They hadn't yellow-tagged us or red-tagged us, and we assumed that we didn't need to get out until that had been done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Then the walls came tumbling down. Home building becomes mountain madness.
And payments and possible punishment. Iraq reportedly makes demands after civilians are killed. What now for the U.S. military contractor Blackwater?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Controversy at Oral Roberts University. Fired professors now talking to CNN about allegations against the school's president.
CNN's David Mattingly is "Keeping Them Honest".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Prayer is a staple of life at Tulsa, Oklahoma's Oral Roberts University. Maybe even more now than usual.
JOHN SWAILS, FORMER ORU PROFESSOR: We thought, oh, no. We thought, maybe this isn't true.
TIM BROOKER, FORMER ORU PROFESSOR: We hope this isn't true.
SWAILS: So, we began to pray.
MATTINGLY: Tim Brooker and John Swails are among three former ORU professors who tell CNN they were fired after reporting information that, if true, could cost the university untold millions.
BROOKER: It could easily lose its tax exempt status.
MATTINGLY: Brooker says university president Richard Roberts ordered him to use students and the political expertise of his government studies program to support a family friend running for mayor. The candidate lost, and Brooker says he was ordered to take responsibility when the IRS investigated complaints.
But that was nothing compared to what the professors say happened next. They claim it started with a computer belonging to Roberts' sister-in-law.
BROOKER: She loaned her computer to one of the students to use during the campaign. And it was while he was in possession of the loaned computer that he discovered these files which were stored on the hard drive.
MATTINGLY: The contents of those files are described in a lawsuit that portrays Richard Roberts and his wife, Lindsay, as big spenders, using the school's resources for personal luxury.
Allegations listed include using the university jet to send a daughter and friends to the Bahamas; remodeling the Roberts' home at university expense 11 times in 14 years; spending $51,000 on clothes; and renovating a spacious home office into a massive walk-in closet.
But it doesn't stop there. A house, cars, and thousands of dollars in cell phone bills, all allegedly paid for by the university and the evangelical ministry. And the professors claim some things in the files, even they don't want public.
BROOKER: We're interested in truth and we're interested in justice, and the things that were in those files, if untrue, would be so damaging that they could never recover. I just am not comfortable going any further. That's why we didn't put them in.
MATTINGLY: The suit also accuses Lindsay Roberts of cell phone bills exceeding $800 a month with more than 800 text messages, many "from Mrs. Roberts were sent to underage males, often between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m., who had been provided phones at university expense."
We contacted ORU officials for comment, but there was no reply. In a statement last week, the university said the allegations were based on unsubstantiated rumors and innuendoes, and that it will deal with them through the legal process.
RICHARD ROBERTS, PRESIDENT, ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY: We live in a litigious society. Anyone can get mad and file a lawsuit against another person, whether they have a legitimate case or not.
MATTINGLY: At chapel services last week, Roberts also responded, saying, God had given him these words.
ROBERTS: It is about intimidation, blackmail and extortion. Make no mistake about it, this suit is about money. I am confident that when the real truth is known, there will be no more questions.
MATTINGLY: Roberts' accusers are seeking unspecified damages for breech of contract and defamation. They say the lawsuit is not about money.
(on camera): What is God telling you? SWAILS: He's telling us that he put us in this position, and he's directing us to make a stand.
David Mattingly, CNN, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Coming up after 11:00 Eastern right here in the NEWSROOM, we're going to be talking with Bishop Carlton Pearson about the university's spending scandal. He's an author, spiritual leader, and a former protege of Oral Roberts.
Skydiving plane down. All 10 people aboard feared dead. Searchers up against rugged terrain and dense timber today in Washington State.
VINCI: And I am Alessio Vinci in Baghdad. We are receiving reports of another shooting incident involving a western private security firm. There are some casualties.
Stay with us.
COLLINS: Replacing an rebuilding after a bridge tragedy in Minneapolis. We'll take a look at what's in the works for that city.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
COLLINS: Good morning.
Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Heidi Collins.
Word now of another deadly shooting involving a private security company in Iraq.
CNN's Alessio Vinci is live from Baghdad now with this breaking story -- Alessio, what's the latest?
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Heidi, we're getting reports from two sources within the Iraqi Interior Ministry. And they're telling us that a convoy belonging to a Western private security firm made up of four four-by-four vehicles, sports utility vehicles, has opened fire on a car carrying two civilians. Two women who were killed as a result of this attack. The only information that we have from these two sources is that as many as 19 shots were fired during this incident. And we do not know yet the name of the Western private security firm that was involved in this incident or even why those contractors felt threatened, perhaps, or why they opened fire.
All we know so far is that it is a Western private security firm that opened fire, killing two civilians -- two women -- Heidi.
COLLINS: OK, very important to point out just because we are in the beginning stages of learning more about that particular story. We just do not know exactly who that private security company it is.
I want to ask you about the other story that has been developing for days now, the Iraqi investigation into Blackwater.
They have some new findings and recommendations to talk about?
VINCI: That is correct, Heidi.
An Iraqi probe basically has concluded that the actions by Blackwater guards, who killed as many as 17 civilians three weeks ago, were "premeditated murder." And they're basically asking -- recommending that Blackwater pays up to $8 million for each of the 17 families. That's $136 million. And, also, the report recommends that the U.S. hands over the Blackwater security guards who were involved in the incident to the Iraqi authorities so that it can try them here in Iraq.
The big question, of course, is can anyone here in Iraq force Blackwater to pay or even can these security guards be brought to justice in front of an Iraqi court.
The answer, as far as we understand, is no. Blackwater operates in this country with a State Department contract, essentially making Blackwater employees immune from prosecution.
And I have another update to give you regarding that incident that I had told you earlier. We understand from a U.S. Embassy spokesperson that no embassy convoy was involved in that incident, meaning that as far as we can tell right now, that no U.S. Embassy convoy that is you -- that are protected by Blackwater was involved in that incident.
Of course, Blackwater operates in this country on other contracts and so we don't know if they are involved. But right now we do not know whether -- what the name of the security firm is involved in that first incident.
COLLINS: Yes, and I think very important to point out here, as well, we've been talking for days -- there are several other companies that operate in Baghdad and across Iraq -- all across that area. So we're just really not sure of exactly who is involved here.
Alessio, I know you're going to continue to work on it for us.
Thanks so much.
Alessio Vinci live from Baghdad this morning.
Also now to Washington State. Search crews are fanning out in the Cascade Mountains. They're searching for three people missing in the crash of a sky diving plane. Seven bodies were found last night. There appears to be little hope that those missing are still alive. The plane disappeared on Sunday.
DEP. DAN CYPHER, YAKIMA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: Pierce County search and rescue teams located the wreckage of the plane that we have been looking for approximately 200 yards from the last radar ping site. At this time, we have not been able to do a good full search due to the fact of the heavy brush, heavy timber. The terrain is very, very steep and in darkness. But we have been able to confirm that we have located the downed aircraft.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The tail section of the plane was separated from the rest of the wreckage and, at last report, has not yet been found. Federal investigators will look into the cause of the crash.
An admitted kidnapper back in court today. This time Michael Devlin will be in front of a judge in Washington County, Missouri. He is expected to plead guilty to kidnapping and sexual abuse of a teenaged boy. The plea comes one day after Devlin pleaded guilty to kidnapping another teen. For that, he was sentenced to life.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT PARKS, FRANKLIN COUNTY PROSECUTOR: This is a predator. This is -- this is -- guy is evil. This is evil incarnate. You'll never see anybody worse than this, because this a guy that preys on our kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Devlin is expected to also plead guilty in other jurisdictions. He faces more than 80 felony charges for kidnapping and abusing the two boys.
A view to die for -- geologists warn that's exactly what could happen to some homeowners.
Let's take a look now.
CNN's Dan Simon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Summer Girgis and her 3-year-old daughter Isabella got out at the last moment -- before their house slid down the mountain.
SUMMER GIRGIS, HOMEOWNER: They hadn't yellow-tagged us or red- tagged us. And we assumed that we didn't need to get out until that had been done.
SIMON: No one here expected the land to crumble beneath them.
GIRGIS: They got (INAUDIBLE) earlier. And it's solid. We were on solid ground.
SIMON: Or so they thought. Geologists say landslides like these happen all over the country where homes are built on mountain slopes.
PROF. PAT ABBOT, SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY: The cause is 100 percent natural. It's the weak rock, steep slope, the pull of gravity.
SIMON: The government doesn't keep statistics on landslides, but published reports show at least 20 in the last year alone -- in Wisconsin, in Colorado, and now here in Southern California.
Geology professor Pat Abbott says there will be more.
ABBOT: We're putting houses into more and more unlikely, undesirable places, and we're getting -- paying more and more prices as nature rejects some of those sites.
SIMON: Like La Jolla's Mount Soledad, with million dollar plus homes with breathtaking views. The area is still being developed -- concrete slabs dotting the landscape. People here say they were never told about the risks.
CINDY GOODMAN, LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT: When we bought it, we were told it was on bedrock, never a problem. You may lose your street some day, but your house will be fine.
SIMON: Professor Abbott showed us why no one should have been told that.
ABBOTT: When you hit it with a hammer, it's -- it's hard, dry stuff.
SIMON: This is the dirt that makes up Mount Soledad -- a durable clay when dry, but when wet in some areas...
ABBOTT: Now it becomes a gooey kind of a mud that is quite slippery. And this is the underlying weak rock. You take this kind of stuff -- the gooey stuff that turns to slippery mud, put that on the hillside as a slope for a whole rock layer, with gravity pulling on it, this is going downhill and any house built on top it is going along for the ride.
SIMON: La Jolla hasn't had any rain.
So why a sudden collapse?
ABBOTT: We're living here in a coastal desert. Yet, thanks to homeowners, they're -- you're actually turning it into the subtropics. They put tens and tens of artificial rainfall per year on those properties. You don't need the rain, because the homeowners add to the instability of their own sites.
SIMON: Combine that with 1960s engineering that wouldn't be approved today -- a recipe for disaster. Mount Soledad still appears shaky. Check out this hole opening up in another street.
Dan Simon, CNN, La Jolla, California.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COLLINS: We want to take a moment now to get over to Rob Marciano, our meteorologist today, talking about more heat? ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.
COLLINS: Or we're going to get a break sometime soon?
MARCIANO: We are.
COLLINS: I heard something about like the 40s coming up this weekend?
Is that right?
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Take a look at this story -- an 11-year-old with a lead foot. Louisiana State Police say they clocked a boy driving at speeds between 80 and a hundred miles an hour -- and his father was in the car. Rodney Brown said he needed his son to drive him to the hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM WVUE)
ROONEY BROWN, 11-YEAR-OLD DRIVER'S FATHER: I lost my leg and (INAUDIBLE) on Mondays and Wednesdays and Thursdays -- Fridays to the hospital. Then he come back home and catch the bus and go to the school.
TROOPER JOSEPH PIGLIA, LOUISIANA STATE POLICE: And that's when the driver jumped out and ran into the restaurant yelling for his mother. The trooper realized, at that point, then realized that this a juvenile.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The boy did find his mom working inside the Burger King. She says he's been grounded. The family goes to court next month.
She's on a roll now, but could Hillary Clinton hit a speed bump in Iowa?
We'll look at who could slow her down.
And, first, he loses his son. Now he may lose the rest of his family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID LEOPOLD, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: My gosh, what else can this man do for this country and what else can he give?
He's has given his son.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Soldier son killed in action -- dad faces deportation.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COLLINS: It's the pod cast music. You already know to catch us weekday mornings from 9:00 a.m. Until 12:00 Eastern. But did you know you can take us with you anywhere on your iPod?
The CNN NEWSROOM pod cast -- It's available 24-7 right on your iPod.
A soldier's son not coming home. Now his father faces a future without the rest of his family.
CNN's Ed Lavandera reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nobody could talk Armando Soriano out of joining the Army after he graduated from high school. This American-born son of illegal immigrants believed serving in the military would bring honor to his family.
Then, three years ago, the 20-year-old Army private was killed in a convoy accident in Iraq. The pain still haunts his parents. The family living room is a shrine to the fallen soldier. And now, the family is facing yet another tragedy. Armando's father, Enrique Soriano's American dream, can crumble any day.
(on camera): How does the rest of your family feel about you being in this situation?
He says that, "My son fought and died for this country and it would help him rest in peace knowing that his family was taken care of and that they had the papers that they needed to be here legally."
(voice-over): Enrique Soriano has lived illegally in the United States since 1982. But in cases like this, the federal government has often looked the other way and allowed the immediate families of servicemen who have died in Iraq to get legal status.
Enrique's wife is now a legal permanent resident, but immigration officials argue that because Soriano was deported in 1999 and reentered the country illegally, he's not eligible for this form of amnesty.
(on camera): He says oftentimes he's at a loss for words to explain how he feels. But he feels very sad. It's already hard enough losing a son in this war and then now being threatened to be separated from his family makes it even more difficult.
Enrique Soriano doesn't know how much longer he'll be living here in the neighborhoods of Pasadena, Texas. We tried asking officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but they refused our request for interview, saying it wouldn't be appropriate for them to talk about his case while it's in the hands of an immigration judge.
LEOPOLD: And my gosh, what else can this man do for this country?
What else can he give? He's given his son.
LAVANDERA (voice-over): But immigration attorneys say Enrique Soriano is a victim of a technicality and that the federal government has the power to keep his family together.
LEOPOLD: This could be fixed tomorrow. All that has to happen, despite the technicalities in the law, is for the Department of Homeland Security to do the right thing and to allow this man to stay in the United States.
LAVANDERA: Soriano says he can't imagine being separated from his wife and five children.
(on camera): He says that if he does get deported, that he really has no other option. He feels like that he has to try to come back. He's crossed illegally twice before and he'll do it again to be with his family.
(voice-over): And to be near his son's gravesite, where Enrique Soriano comes once a week to find peace.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: No man is an island, but his trash can be -- taking out the garbage in Singapore. We'll have the story after a break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Senator Hillary Clinton is leading fellow Democrats in the White House race.
But could the momentum shift?
CNN's Candy Crowley is part of the best political team on television.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She is rolling through Iowa on a bus and making more headway in the polls -- far enough down the road to ignore her Democratic rivals and assault George Bush.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: America's middle-class families have been invisible to the president. It's as if he's looked right through them.
CROWLEY: It's been a pretty easy ride for Clinton -- so far. She began with name recognition, her husband's Rolodex and a formidable campaign machine.
Now, 12 weeks away from the start of the primary season, she leads in national polls and in the early voting states -- Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina. And the greatest of these is Iowa. The Clinton campaign is full of probability, but Iowa is full of possibility. It can be a launching pad or a crash pad, and the caucus system can defy predictions. Iowa votes first. The polls are close here, and because voters have to devote a cold January evening to caucus, the depth and breadth of your organization matters.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I need you to fill out one of these Obama supporter cards.
CROWLEY: Barack Obama and John Edwards have put together Iowa machines as good or better than Hillary Clinton's.
PEVERILL SQUIRE, UNIVERSITY OF IOWA: They have the money and they've put in the time to put together these organizations. So I think they'll able to turn out their people on caucus day.
CROWLEY: The Edwards campaign has organizations in other early states, but much of his time and money has gone into Iowa. He has been here longer and more often than the other leading candidates.
Barack Obama, from neighboring Illinois, has out-visited Clinton. He is counting on years of stagnation in Washington to turn voters in his direction.
Obama is upping his game this fall, challenging her ability to change a system she is part of.
OBAMA: I know that change makes for good campaign rhetoric -- the word change on a bumper sticker. But when these same people actually had a chance to make change happen, they didn't lead.
CROWLEY: The Clinton campaign will tell you she takes nothing for granted, that despite the polls and the money and a well-oiled organization, she does not assume she will win.
They have to say that to avoid looking smug. But she knows and her rivals know if someone is going to stop her, it has to start where the voting starts -- and the voting starts in Iowa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CROWLEY: What Obama and Edwards and all the other Democrats have to do is battle that aura of inevitability. Asked if Clinton was shoo- in, John Edwards replied, "I lived through the inevitability of Howard Dean."
Candy Crowley, CNN, Marshalltown, Iowa.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COLLINS: Peaceful setting, violent attack -- autistic boy beaten. The suspects -- his classmates.
And intrigue in Atlantic City -- the mayor on mysterious medical leave, the city waiting for answers.
The search resumes, but hope appears lost. The latest on the horrific crash of a sky diving plane. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A glimpse into the future -- months after tragedy, Minnesota officials unveiling the design of the new Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis. Ten lanes of concrete, including a number of safety features that were not in the old bridge. It is scheduled to be finished by Christmas Eve of next year and it will replace the bridge that collapsed into the Mississippi River August 1st. Thirteen people lost their lives.
Singapore's garbage island -- a one-of-a-kind environment where wildlife coexists with massive amounts of trash.
CNN's Andrew Stevens takes a look.
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the sky, these azure waters give nothing away about this island's secret. Only the jagged geometry hints at its manmade architecture. This is Pulau Semakau, an artificial island that houses all the trash from Singapore's four million residents. A dirty operation in full swing 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Two thousand tons of trash arrive on the island daily.
This landfill tries to live hand in hand with nature. The trucks arrive here to dump the trash, which is then buried and sealed within protective membranes. When the cells are full, the engineers try to make it appear as if they were never there at all. This is the completed cell. The healthy blades of grass act as a living guarantee that the trash is being properly contained.
Ong Chong Peng runs the 350 hectare garbage island. He believes this innovative landfill is the perfect compromise for today's society.
ONG CHONG PENG, MANAGER OF SEMAKAU LANDFILL: It has turned into a piece of grassland, and so beautiful, OK?
So even though we are getting rid of our waste, at the same time we are creating a piece of new land.
STEVENS: For some, the notion of an environmentally friendly landfill is clearly a contradiction in terms. Critics say despite efforts to limit the harm, the trash leaves an indelible mark no matter how deeply buried.
But on the other end of the island, it seems nature's delicate balance remains intact -- for now. At dawn, low tide reveals a colorful spectrum of wildlife. The unique biodiversity attracts the likes of Ron Yeo, who leads regular nature walks here. Along the shores, all indications point to a healthy ecosystem on Garbage Island. For Ron, this unique place is a happy median between development and environmental sustainability.
RON YEO, NATURE ENTHUSIAST: Every though true enough, part of me (INAUDIBLE) doesn't mean 100 percent we can achieve. To some extent, they can go hand in hand. And it doesn't mean that, you know, when you -- when you want development, make sure we have to go (INAUDIBLE).
STEVENS (on camera): This is hot.
(voice-over): The landfill is expected to fill up by 2040, at which point Ron hopes the government will prove its commitment to the environment by turning the island over to Mother Nature.
Andrew Stevens, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
COLLINS: Good morning, everybody.
I'm Heidi Collins.
Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Here's what's on the rundown now.
First, the Blackwater shoot out. Now bullets fly again today in Iraq. We're told that two more civilians apparently gunned down by unidentified private security contractors. We'll have the latest.
Plus, searchers heading to a plane crash site in Washington State this morning. Nine sky divers and their pilot feared dead.
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