Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Oil Approaches $88; Imus' Comeback; The New Office
Aired October 16, 2007 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Overnight arrest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said, I'm Chester Stiles, the guy you're looking for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: An accused predator who taped himself with a child behind bars this morning.
Speaking out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LARRY CRAIG, (R) IDAHO: I'm embarrassed. I'm regretful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Senator Larry Craig on the men's room sting and his fight to take back his guilty plea.
Plus, clean sweep. Dancing in the streets of Denver after the Rockies roll to their first World Series on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Congrats. They were absolutely thrilled. First time they're headed to the big game.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. I mean they've had an incredible season too.
CHETRY: They really have.
Well, welcome. It is Tuesday, October 16th. Glad you're with us. I'm Kiran Chetry.
ROBERTS: And I'm John Roberts. Good morning to you.
They have been looking for him for a month and they found him in their backyard. After a nationwide manhunt, police in Las Vegas arrested 37-year-old Chester Arthur Stiles late last night. He's seen on a sex tape that surfaced last month in Nevada. Stiles with a then three-year-old girl. Police pulled him over last night in Henderson, Nevada. His car had no license plates. Officers began questioning him and they say Stiles gave himself up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't believe his story or who he was. He finally told us, hey, I'm Chester Stiles. I'm the guy you're looking for. At that time he said, I'm sick of running.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Stiles is wanted on 21 felony counts. CNN's Ted Rowland called in overnight with more information on the arrest and our Chris Lawrence is on his way to the scene right now. We'll hear from Chris in just a little while.
Stiles is a former animal trainer for Siegfried and Roy. The little girl in the tape is now seven years old. Her mother says that she is healthy and safe and has no memory of the incident.
Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, now to extreme weather. Lightning, high winds and thunderstorms slamming northern Texas. More than five inches of rain triggering widespread flooding, as you can see from these pictures. And police say that one person was killed in Denton, Texas, when his car slid in front of an oncoming truck.
Emergency crews say they responded to dozens of high water rescue calls from divers. There you see some rescuers going out on an inflatable raft trying to help people trapped in water. Also, 10 golfers stranded on a course in Garland. Fire crews rescued the men two by two on that inflatable boat.
The storm also knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. And there you see the view from above right now with the flooding. Some of the trees almost halfway submerged.
Rob Marciano is at the CNN weather desk. He's been tracking the storm system for us.
Good morning, Rob.
(WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Idaho Senator Larry Craig is speaking out this morning, talking in detail for the first time about what's happened to him since his arrest in the Minneapolis Airport bathroom back in June. He is issuing an apology to his constituents and talked with our Boise affiliate KTBB.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LARRY CRAIG, (R) IDAHO: Idahoans have taken a heck of a beating here. I'm one of Idaho's senators and I'm very proud of that. And they've taken a heck of a beating. And for that, I'm embarrassed. I'm regretful that it happened. But it has happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTS: Craig's wife, Suzanne, sat beside her husband during the 70-minute long interview. She said that she was taken aback when her husband didn't immediately tell her when it happened. Craig was recently inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame. We're going to hear what the senator has to say about his appeal coming up in our next hour.
New this morning, Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is telling a Texas magazine that she will not seek re-election after this term. The republican also told "Texas Monthly" magazine that she may leave the Senate as early as 2009 whether or not she decides to run for governor.
Rudy Giuliani's campaign is returning campaign donation checks in denominations tied to the 9/11 attacks. Eight checks were written for $9.11. One was for $911. The Giuliani campaign took some heat last month after supporters in California hosted a $9.11 for Rudy fund- raiser.
A Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama still running neck and neck in fund-raising. Clinton ended the third quarter with $35 million in the bank, compared to Obama's $32 million. Obama has raised more money in contributions for the primaries over the course of the year, but Clinton surpassed him in quarterly fund-raising and also benefited from $10 million transferred from her Senate re-election fund.
And also new this morning, Russian President Vladimir Putin arriving in Tehran overnight despite an assassination threat a day earlier. He'll meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to discuss Iran's nuclear program. Russia is building Iran's first nuclear power plant. President Putin says that there is no proof that Iran is building nuclear weapons or even wants them.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says there should not be any doubts about Iran's designs for their nuclear program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: This administration is keenly aware of the threats posed by Iran. It is also keenly aware of the challenges we and our allies face with a regime that seems increasingly willing to act contrary to its own national interests. With a government of this nature, only a united front of nations will be able to exert enough pressure to make Iran abandon its nuclear aspirations. We must also keep all options on the table.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Of course, all options means that the Bush administration is keeping open the possibility of military action to take out Iran's nuclear facilities. Gates is calling for "robust, far reaching, and strongly enforced economic sanctions" against Iran.
Kiran.
CHETRY: Here's a bit of a hard turn from Iran to Britney Spears. She turned herself in to Los Angeles police overnight to face charges stemming from an August 6th fender bender. The ever present paparazzi, seen in this video from Celeb TV, following her around all day and caught the crash on film. Spears was booked on misdemeanor counts of hit and run driving without a valid California driver's license. Well, each count carries a potential sentence of six months in jail and $1,000 fine.
Donald Trump unplugged yet again. The Donald lashing out last night on "Larry King Live." He talked about his very public name- calling feud with Rosie O'Donnell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, "THINK BIG AND KICK ASS": I was never a friend. She came to my wedding. She ate like a pig. And, I mean, seriously, the wedding cake was -- it was like missing in action. I couldn't stand there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: He also had some new targets, including actor George Clooney.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: One of the perceptions I had of George Clooney was he's this big, strong guy. And he was very little when I met him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: That wasn't so bad. But how about this? Up next, Angelina Jolie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Angelina Jolie is sort of amazing because everyone thinks she's like this great beauty. And I'm not saying she's an unattractive woman, but she's not a great beauty by any stretch of the imagination. And now she's like a representative of the United Nations and world peace on hunger and all of this crap.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Donald Trump saying Angelina's not attractive. OK.
Well, also, he was promoting his new book, of course. And he said that the real theme of the book is how to get ahead.
The Colorado Rockies going to the World Series.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Checked swing.
(END VIDEO CLIP) CHETRY: There it is. Rockies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks last night in Denver. They swept the National League championship series, setting off a mile high celebration. It is the Rockies' first World Series appearance in their 15-year history. They'll now wait for the winner of the American League championship series. The Indians lead the Red Sox in that two games to one so far.
John.
ROBERTS: Oil prices surge higher and higher, hovering around $88 a barrel in overnight trading. Ali Velshi at the business update desk with more on this this morning.
And, Ali, you've got to wonder, how far away from $100 a barrel oil are we today?
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, John, when we first hit $80, we were saying that some people think it goes back down to $60 after that and some people say it goes back up. This is where it settled yesterday, $86.13. That was a gain of $2.44. But just like yesterday, overnight we've seen a greater surge in oil, up above $87. In fact, almost at $88 a barrel. We saw it going to $87.97 a barrel.
Now, let's take a look at what this means. This means that eventually it is going to water its way down into your gas prices. That's what oil has done over the course of the year. This is the highest number that oil has ever settled at. You have to get past sort of $90 or $95 to make it the highest number adjusted for inflation.
The other thing is this has folks worried about the economy. Ben Bernanke gave a speech last night where he said, while the Fed stands ready to help out, it cannot insulate investors from everything. Take a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: Although the Federal Reserve can seek to provide a more stable, economic background that will benefit both investors and non-investors, the truth is that it can hardly insulate investors from risk even if it wished to do so. Developments over the past few months reinforce this point. Those who made bad investment decisions lost money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VELSHI: All right. We're going to follow the meaning of what this oil near $90 a barrel means for you through the show. We'll also be talking to Bill Gates the next time I'm back about the future of work.
John.
ROBERTS: All right. So, Ali, let me just back you up. You said that adjusted for inflation, oil would have to go over $90 a barrel to be the most expensive ever.
VELSHI: Yes. And 90's not the exact number. It depends how you calculate it because it was back in 1981. It's somewhere between $90 and $100 depending on the calculation used. So we're not at the all- time high, but we're almost there.
ROBERTS: Well, it's still pretty high however you cut it.
Ali Velshi this morning.
Ali, we'll see you soon.
VELSHI: Sure.
ROBERTS: We want to know what you think this morning. Will rising oil prices force you to cut back on other spending? Cast your vote at cnn.com/am in our Quick Vote section. We'll have the results for you a little bit later on in the morning. We'll actually keep a running tally throughout the morning and tell you how the vote is going.
Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, new research into postpartum depression. It tops your "Quick Hits" now. Federal health agencies would expand their study of postpartum depression under a new House bill. It cited studies that show as many as 80 percent of new mothers get the baby blues in some way, shape, or form with 10 percent to 20 percent experiencing more serious mood and anxiety disorders.
President Bush making new promises to America's wounded vets. He says he's looking to move on some of the 35 recommendations given to him by a presidential panel back in July, including making it easier for veterans to process disability claims.
Well, Don Imus won't be silenced much longer. Are listeners, though, ready for his reported radio comeback? And what about those who pushed for his firing? We're going to talk to radio host and CNN contributor Roland Martin coming up next.
Also, are you ready for the country breakfast burrito? Yes. I'll just say that now. A fast food restaurant rolling out its new morning treat. But why this breakfast sandwich is actually getting a lot of national attention. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Live pictures this morning out of Tehran. That's Russian President Vladimir Putin on the left side of your screen there in a press conference with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Putin arrived in Tehran earlier today Tehran time. This is the first time that a Russian president has visited Iran since Joseph Stalin. That was back in 1943.
Of course, there is a lot of cooperation between Russia and Iran over the nuclear program. Russia is helping to build that nuclear power plant at Mitanz (ph). But, of course, Iran's nuclear intention the subject of a tremendous amount of controversy on the global stage.
The United States trying to rally support of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council for tougher sanctions against Iran to give up that program. Iran insists it's for peaceful purposes. The United States and other nations say that they are headed down the road of potentially creating a nuclear weapon and that's just something that they cannot allow.
We'll keep monitoring this conference. It's, obviously, in both Persian and Russian. And we'll get back to you a little bit later on, on what the central points of this were. Again, Russian President Vladimir Putin there with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Tehran. The first visit of a Russian leader to that country since 1943.
Kiran.
CHETRY: John, thanks.
Well, you know, controversial radio host Don Imus is poised to return to radio. There's a reported multimillion dollar multi year deal that could be finalized by the end of the week. Now as we all know, Imus was fired by CBS Radio and MSNBC back in April after insults to the Rutgers women's basketball team, calling the players "nappy headed hos." The question now is, are listeners ready for Imus' comeback and what about those who pushed for his firing in the first place? CNN contributor Roland Martin is with us this morning.
Good to see you in person.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Glad to be here early. It's so good.
CHETRY: I don't recognize you without a big microphone.
MARTIN: Yes, no kidding. No kidding.
CHETRY: You say that there's been rumblings about this going on for a while. But are you surprised that he's returning six months after that ouster?
MARTIN: No. I mean, we talked about this when he was fired, that he was going to certainly come back. I mean he's a proven ratings winner. He brings in a significant amount of money. The issue really is going to be, what kind of standards are going to be imposed. And, trust me, he is going to be the most watched radio talk show host in the country because folks are going to be waiting to see if he's going to have a sort of the same locker room frat behavior that he had before.
CHETRY: It's interesting because in some of the reports they were talking about this 20-second delay. But I'm wondering, who's going to be the one listening . . .
MARTIN: Actually I saw one -- I saw one today, 40-second delay.
CHETRY: Oh, yes, a 40 -- who's going to be the one listening and making that call, though, you know?
MARTIN: Well, and actually what it boils down to, and so the question is, is he going to change what he does? But the pressure is not just going to be on Don Imus. It's also going to be on those people who are appearing on his show. A lot of the criticism came about of Tim Russert, many other journalists and authors, politicians who came on to his show. And then, of course, advertisers are going to have a certain standard. I would not be surprised if your blue chip advertisers stay away for a certain period of time to see how it all goes.
CHETRY: Test the waters.
MARTIN: Because, again, no one wants their brand effected or impacted negatively by comments made by Don Imus.
CHETRY: You know, it's interesting, there's been some reaction from prominent black leaders. Jesse Jackson, who initially did call for his firing back in April, said yesterday, "since his removal he's been publicly contrite, making apologizing to the Rutgers women and therefore should not face a permanent ban." So Jackson saying basically giving Imus another chance.
MARTIN: Well, first of all, the National Association of Black Journalists, of course, lead the . . .
CHETRY: Yes, we'll get to that in one second.
MARTIN: Yes, of course, you have their statements.
CHETRY: But, first, Jackson.
MARTIN: Well, and I'm not surprised he made his comment. I mean, Reverend Al Sharpton made the exact same comment. But due to a National Congress of Negro Women they say, look, we don't want him back on the air. So people who were -- the initial leaders of this, they're saying something different than what Jackson and Sharpton are saying. So I'm not surprised you see a difference there in terms of opinion as to whether or not he should come back.
You know, I never doubted he would come back. Again, the issue is, how long should he be out and also what kind of standards are going to be put in place by the Citadel to ensure that he does not do what he did before.
CHETRY: But in terms of public influence, Jackson and Sharpton, you know, seem to have a little bit more let's say than the National Association of Black Journalists in terms of . . .
MARTIN: Well I would disagree with that, in that if you have members of NABJ who are editorial page columnists, who are writers, who are radio talk show hosts, if those individuals, if they say, you know what, we disagree with you, trust me, when you have 10 million, 15 million, 20 million listeners, that's a whole different issue. Also what's going to happen when you hear black talk radio? Are they also going to have a different opinion? CHETRY: So is there a consensus then?
MARTIN: No, I don't think there's a consensus. Again, I mean you have different people who say, look, he paid his price, he lost the job, he's been out for six months. Others say, look, his comments were so egregious, he should simply not come back on the air. Bottom line is, I think many folks are going to take a wait and see attitude. Let's see what happens. Will he be a changed man? The only way you know that is based upon the content of his show. That's what's going to drive it.
CHETRY: All right. So that means huge ratings for him right off the bat if people are listening to see what he's going to do.
MARTIN: Well, you know, he didn't have a huge audience beforehand. So it wasn't like he had the Howard Stern pre-satellite radio audience. But again, yes, folks will be watching him, all cameras, all eyes, to see what happens. And again, I doubt very seriously he's going to go down that rocky road again. Because the last thing you want is more condemnation what you did beforehand. So hopefully he'll be a changed man and he'll lose the frat boy behavior.
CHETRY: Roland Martin, always great to see you. Thanks for being here.
MARTIN: Glad to be here.
CHETRY: John.
ROBERTS: Coming up at 20 minutes after the hour.
New plans to protect copyrights on YouTube. Your "Quick Hits" now. Google, which owns YouTube, is trying a new filtering software that scans videos and as they're being uploaded, compares them to a database of copyrighted works. If there is a match, the person that owns the copyright is notified. They can ask to have that video taken down.
And a difficult day for employees at America Online. Managers will begin laying off hundreds of U.S.-based employees this morning. AOL is cutting a total of 2,000 jobs worldwide as it tries to trim costs and expand its online advertising business.
Important phone call? What if you never again had to leave a message on voice mail. Microsoft's Bill Gates say it's possible and it's closer than you think. He's talked with our Ali Velshi about the office of the future. That's coming up.
Plus, a major break in the case of a child predator who tried to hide behind a high tech computer swirl. Cops got the better of him. This morning we've got his name, where the manhunt heads now. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, hope you're hungry this morning because this is what Hardee's has now rolled out. It's Country Breakfast Burrito, 920 calories, 60 grams of fat. It's oozing with eggs, cheddar cheese, bacon, sausage, ham, hash browns, wrapped in a tortilla. It's the equivalent of two Big Macs. OK, the Big Mac has about 540 calories, 24 grams of fat. So it's about two of those and almost three times the fat content.
ROBERTS: Yes, that looks like it's almost big enough, almost big enough to satisfy you in the morning.
CHETRY: I was going to say, look, I have in my bag right here, the shoddy version. I have a burrito right here. I love burritos in the morning. It's a fabulous idea. But this one, I mean, that puts this one to shame.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
ROBERTS: Oh, yes. That's a miniature thing compared to that.
We'll have to get you one of those and see how quickly you can finish it..
CHETRY: It's an hors d'oeuvres.
ROBERTS: It's a starter.
So you talked to the big man?
VELSHI: I did. I was speaking to Bill Gates just recently. And, you know, here's the question that we want to know. If you want to know how we're going to work in the future, you kind of have to look at how everybody communicates today. We use cell phones, we use home phones, we use office phones, e-mail, instant message and handheld computers. The problem is, we spend a lot of time trying to reach the people we're going to reach. Now the future, say experts, belongs to technologies that save us time and effort in reaching other people. And Bill Gates told me that it starts with getting rid of voicemail.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI, (voice over): What if you never had to hear this again?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I call you. I leave voicemail. You call me back. You leave voicemail. We want to break out of voicemail jail.
VELSHI: And even when you do reach someone on the phone, Bill Gates says you're probably still not getting enough done.
BILL GATES: Well, the amount of time you waste calling somebody up, going through some pleasantries, saying please send me this thing or that thing.
VELSHI: So Microsoft is counting on something it calls Unified Communications. It's taking programs and devices that we already use and combing them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Renee.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, Will.
VELSHI: Using a computer or a handheld device, Unified Communications lets you reach someone if they give you the green light indicating they want to be reached instantly, wherever they are and however they want to be reached. Whether it's instant message, e- mail, on their handheld device, or at whatever phone number they're using.
GATES: Well, it's time we brought the magic of software to the whole way we communicate. I want software to understand who I work with, how I want them to be able to get a hold of me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And here you see Francesca is in a meeting. Kevin is available.
VELSHI: And if you're all about the face time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you mind if I actually add video?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead.
VELSHI: These tools have all been available, but now Microsoft is combining them and it's betting that it will save your company enough time and save you enough frustration that 100 million people will be using Unified Communications within three years. And voicemail . . .
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To page this person . . .
VELSHI: Will be a thing of the past.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VELSHI: One major company that tried this software out said to Microsoft that it saved three weeks per worker. Three weeks worth of work per worker in eliminating all that time that you spend trying to find someone.
CHETRY: Really.
ROBERTS: Wow.
VELSHI: But you brought up a good point, Kiran. If you use this system and everybody you work with uses it, which is the way Microsoft wants it to be, there's nowhere left to hide.
CHETRY: Right. You're . . .
ROBERTS: Yes, exactly.
CHETRY: Why is Kiran always red? Why can't I get in touch with her? Why is John always green? VELSHI: In theory it goes into your outlook and it goes -- it says you're on a plane or you're in a meeting or it knows that you're on the phone, so it puts it red. So, you know, unless you are constantly, constantly busy, there's no faking it anymore
ROBERTS: Boy, you know, we thought that just having a Blackberry on your hip was intrusive.
VELSHI: Yes. No, this is the next step. I'll show you more of the whole interview when I come back in a little while.
CHETRY: I want to know if you complained to him about only getting the cardboard version of the iPhone instead of the real thing.
VELSHI: Yes, that would be Apple. But he didn't want to talk about Apple too much.
CHETRY: All right. Oh, yes, sorry.
ROBERTS: Microsoft.
VELSHI: Between the two of them, they both own the world.
ROBERTS: OK.
A look now at a story coming up that you just can't miss. And you've got to see this one to believe it. It looks almost like the wild west. A gas station shootout involving an off duty police officer and mayoral candidate caught on tape.
CHETRY: Yes, seven shots fired at least at this point. They have surveillance video that shed some light on the case. Let's take a quick listen to the 911 call.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DISPATCHER: North Charleston 911.
CALLER: Yes, ma'am. This is (INAUDIBLE) Freddie Robinson. I'm at Dolchester Road across from the bus station at the El Cheapo. There is a bunch of shots just been fired here. There was a black guy running around and somebody's shooting the hell out of him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: All right. That was a panicked caller. But police are saying not only did he act reasonably, he did the right thing. We're going to show you more of the video coming up when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING, and thanks for joining us on this Tuesday, the 16th of October. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us.
CHETRY: Here's a look at what's happening right now. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are meeting the press. They're talking about oil, pipelines in the Caspian Sea, and Iran's nuclear program. This is the first visit to Iran by a Russian leader since World War II.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is also in the Mid-east this morning. She's in Egypt. She's meeting with President Hosni Mubarak. Secretary Rice in the Mideast is trying to nudge the Israelis and Palestinians closer together before a Peace Conference that's tentatively planned for next month.
Also new this morning, search crews searching for an autistic teenager missing in the mountains of West Virginia. An 18-year-old Jacob Allen became separated from his parents on Sunday. They were hiking near Elkin in the eastern part of the state. It's about an hour's drive from Clarksburg, West Virginia. Jacob's mother says he is severely autistic but in great physical condition. He doesn't have any food or water with him and the temperature has been in the 30s overnight. Searchers say they found his hat yesterday near where he was last seen.
Well, in just a couple of hours, the Cleveland High School where a 14-year-old student went on a shooting rampage last week will reopen. And for the first time this morning, we're hearing from one of the two teachers shot during that terrifying ordeal. Michael Grassie spoke to reporters before he left the hospital yesterday. He talked about being in class when student Asa Coon, the same student he scolded a week earlier for talking too much, opened fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL GRASSIE, WOUNDED TEACHER: The teacher came into my room and said, I think there's somebody here with a gun. Can you get your storage room open? Which is where we're supposed to go in a code blue. And I was trying to get my storage room open, when Asa Coon came into my classroom. And I backed away from him, away from my storage room, behind some tables and he was about ten feet away from me. And he was -- I don't know what he was saying. He just -- he stood there, and he had his hands up like this with a gun in each hand, and he said, now what do you got to say to me? And then he just shot me.
I felt the impact. I heard the pop. I felt the impact. I looked down, and I saw the blood, and I was still standing there, and Asa was still standing there. And the first thing that I thought was I'd better run and dive for cover because I didn't know if he was going to take more shots or what. And when I dove for cover, I lost sight of Asa, and I don't know where he went beyond that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Michael Grassie was shot in the stomach. Coon took his own life after shooting him as well as two students and another teacher. This morning, all of the victims are out of the hospital. Grassie says, he thinks the school dropped the ball for not having a metal detector or security guards in the school.
ROBERTS: The man accused of videotaping himself while raping a 3-year-old girl is in custody this morning in Nevada. A 37-year-old Chester Arthur Stiles was arrested last night in Henderson, Nevada, during a routine traffic stop. Police pulled him over for driving a car with no license plates. After questioning, they say Stiles gave himself up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE DYE, OFFICER HENDERSON POLICE: I asked the driver what his Social Security Number was, at which time he said he couldn't remember. And from my training and from my training experience, it sounded a little suspicious too. So upon further questioning, the gentlemen said that he was Mr. Stiles, the person wanted -- or on "America's Most Wanted", and so he came out with his name.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: The officer says Stiles told him that he was tired of running. Stiles has been the subject of a nationwide manhunt. He's wanted on 21 felony counts in connection with the act seen on the videotape.
And police may be closing in on another suspected pedophile this morning. An international manhunt now concentrating in Thailand. Overnight, the Interpol, the National Police Organization revealed that they identify the man seen on hundreds of pictures on the internet abusing children. Anders Persson of Interpol is on the phone with us from Lyon, France. Mr. Persson, thanks for being with us. The last time we talked to you, it was about the work that had been done by German authorities in unswirling that photograph of the suspect. Now you've got a name. It's Christopher Paul Neil, and you believe he's in Bangkok, Thailand. How did you identify him?
ANDERS PERSSON, SPECIALIZED OFFICER, INTERPOL: According to the name, I would not say that we have identified him because it's inappropriate for us to comment on his identity without an arrest warrant.
ROBERTS: Right.
PERSSON: But I can confirm that we know who the man, who is called Vico is, and that was through information from the public who responded on our request question for help.
ROBERTS: He has been named Vico because it's believed that the crimes that he committed were both in Vietnam and Cambodia. This is the first time, Mr. Persson that Interpol has issued a direct worldwide request for information. Now that it's been this successful, might this be a model for the future for you?
PERSON: I do really hope so, and the reason why we did it in this case was that we didn't have any citizenship of him. I know that this technique has been used by other countries, but that has been when they have known which country the suspects come from or the victims come from. But from Interpol perspective, this is the first time, yes.
ROBERTS: So my understanding is, you got more than 350 responses to your request for information, and you managed to identify this perpetrator, this alleged perpetrator through information from -- was it five sources on three continents?
PERSSON: Yes, exactly. And they were -- seems to be independent from each other. So that went very quick, I must say.
ROBERTS: Right. Obviously, you had a huge response. Now this fellow was believed to be in Seoul, South Korea, traveled to Bangkok recently. Is it true that you got a good photograph of him at the Bangkok Airport recently?
PERSSON: Yes. We were able to -- after that he passed the immigration to retrieve the photo from him, when he passed immigration control in Bangkok, yes, that's right.
ROBERTS: Right. Now you're appealing to the public for information on his whereabouts in Thailand?
PERSSON: Yes, exactly. So if someone recognized him, we would like them to contact the nearest police and inform us of his whereabouts.
ROBERTS: All right. Well, it was very successful in getting a fairly quick identification of this fellow. It was only about a week between the time that photograph was unswirled to the time that you made the identification. Perhaps, Mr. Persson you'll get more information from people who have seen him there in Thailand and be able to affect some sort of an arrest. Anders Persson from Interpol in Lyon, France this morning. Thanks very much for being with us. Good to talk to you.
CHETRY: Well, tensions between the Turkey and the U.S. are rising. Add issue, U.S. Resolution to label mass killings of Armenians by Turks during World War I as genocide. Turkish officials are enraged by it, and that could have serious consequences for the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Jennifer Eccleston joins us now from Washington. Jennifer, good to see you this morning.
JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to you see you, Kiran. Well, as you said, concerns over a cooling of relations between Turkey and the United States had always prevented the genocide resolution being passed. The fact that it has now been approved is something of a triumph for the Armenian Lobby here in the United States. They community is active across the country, particularly in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, and in California where the strongest concentration of Armenians live and which happens to be the constituency of Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House.
Her Californian colleague, Adam Schiff, who promoted the resolution, had the issue to think were part of his political career. One of the big reasons Schiff was elected was because his predecessor lost to see when he failed to push through the resolution in 2000. California is home to the largest Armenian-American population in the United States. Armenian groups have been bombarding the representatives over the past few years with a massive PR drive. Their most important umbrella group, the Armenian assembly of America has thousands of members and a sizable annual budget, about $3.5 million, which helps keep the suffering of the Armenians on the agenda in the U.S. Capital.
According to the Non-Profit Center for Responsive Politics, during the first eight months of 2007, Armenian political action committees donated funds to six U.S. lawmakers. Just two, though, are co-sponsors of the genocide resolution. A Democrat and a Republican, both from California. The Turkish Government has also invested millions of dollars in presenting its arguments. Now, Speaker Pelosi said that she did not have a date or in mind for bringing this issue to the House Floor but that it would be brought up this session, which is to end around November 16th.
Kiran?
CHETRY: All right, Jennifer Eccleston, from Washington for us this morning. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Heathrow Airport is investigating this morning how two planes ended up bumping each other last night. Both planes were taxiing on a runway at the time. One plane was a British Airways 747. The BBC reporting that the other plan was a Sri Lankan Airlines Airbus 340. Nobody was hurt from that incident.
Gun fire at a gas station in South Carolina caught on tape. Looked like the Wild West. The surveillance camera and the 911 calls coming to light. We'll show it all to you.
And he's been to some of the toughest places in the world. So, you'll probably be surprised at what manage to throw our very own Anderson Cooper. That's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Good morning. It's 43 past the hour right now. And we're getting word of a magnitude 4.2 quake that hit in California, San Bernardino County actually. Sending some shockwaves across the region. In fact, people were saying that they could feel it as far away as the North Los Angeles suburb of Glendale. Our Rob Marciano has been taking a look at things. 4.2, certainly not that strong, but in an area that's so populated, would you feel that, Rob?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It depends on how close you were. But if they felt it in Los Angeles, and then maybe it shook them out of bed. About 40 miles to the Northeast of Los Angeles. There it is on the map there. Magnitude 4.2 earthquake. In the immediate area, might shake some dishes off the shelves, but that should be about it. Shouldn't do a whole lot of structural damage. Although, the depth of this is pretty shallow, less than two miles deep. So generally speaking, the more shallow it is or the closer it is to the surface, the better chance of seeing some damage. But 4.2, generally speaking, is not a strong quake. So, that's good news. Just waking up some of our friends on the West Coast. (WEATHER REPORT)
ROBERTS: Rob, thanks. We'll check back with you soon.
Another Republican Senator calling it quits. That tops your "Political Ticker" this Tuesday morning. "Texas Monthly" magazine reporting that Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, will not seek re-election after this term and she may decide to run for governor. Seventeen GOP members of Congress have announced their intentions not to run for re- election.
Hillary Clinton's got the cash. Numbers released overnight show the Democrat has $35 million in the bank for primary contests. Obama has got $32 million. Both are far ahead of Republican Rudy Giuliani, who's got about $11.5 million set aside. So get ready for an ad blitz. Some people say could top $3 billion next year.
Thanks, but no thanks. Rudy Giuliani's campaign is returning campaign donation checks in denominations tied to the 9/11 attacks. Eight checks written for $9.11. One was for $911. The Giuliani campaign took some heat last month after supporters in California hosted a $9.11 for Rudy fund-raiser.
Check, please. Tonight's Republican fund-raising dinner could likely turn into a family feud of sorts. Just be sure that you don't seat Mitt Romney next to John Mccain. In the last few days, Romney claims that he is the true Republican in the field. A comment aimed pointedly at Rudy Giuliani. But it was John Mccain who took issue with the remark. So he is reminding people that Romney admitted voting for liberal Democrat Paul Tsongas years ago.
First Lady Laura Bush is getting ready for a trip to the Middle East through week long. Trip will emphasize breast cancer awareness. She'll also meet with several heads of the State including the kings of Saudi Arabia and Jordan, the Abdullahs.
Find all the days' political news round the clock at cnn.com/ticker.
CHETRY: Well, our Anderson Cooper did a little double duty last night. He did his show as usual, "AC 360", and then he went on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien". Anderson and Conan swapped stories about the horror of going high deaf. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You notice things about yourself that you never noticed before. Like I learned I have a little fatty deposit under my left eye. Didn't really know. So I went -- someone told me this.
CONAN O'BRIEN, TV HOST, LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN: You didn't notice this before until they started shooting in HD.
COOPER: Yes, they did a test. So I went to the dermatologist. And I was like, "What is this fatty deposit?" And the guy was like, "Oh, you need a cosmetic procedure to take care of that." I was like, "What are you talking about? I'm 40 years old. I'm not going to have a cosmetic procedure." He's like, "We'll let you got to have." So, I happened to mention it to my mom who was so thrilled. She though it was like this bonding experience. She was like, "Honey, I'm going to take you to the doctor" and like she knew this person, who I guess she's had some experience with.
O'BRIEN: She'll be thrilled you mentioned that on the air. My mom's had a lot of work done.
COOPER: He had this big, huge picture of me on a projection screen. And he gave me a mirror, and he said, "What do you see?" And I said, "Well, I'm here for this little fatty deposit." And he goes, "Well, yes, there is that." And I was like what else is there? And he had this whole litany of things that I could have done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Anderson also promoted his special worldwide documentary "Planet in Peril." He told Conan about fighting off the bats and bugs in the Amazon. By the way, you can catch the premiere of "Planet in Peril" a week from tonight beginning October -- why did we throw that up? That's not "Planet in Peril." That was "Sesame Street" folks. He was also there. October 23rd, 9:00 pm eastern. Yes, Oscar Compost, you know that? I learn something as well about HD, your gray.
ROBERTS: Really?
CHETRY: Didn't notice that before. But now that you're on these big screens, everything's so clear.
ROBERTS: Some things you just can't hide, I guess.
CHETRY: Poor Anderson. He was a good sport on Conan.
ROBERTS: Yes, he was.
CHETRY: Well, patients who don't tell their doctors how much Advil or ibuprofen that they're taking could be at a big risk. We're going to be talking to Dr. Gupta about why you should think twice before popping all of those pain relievers.
Also, it looks like a scene right out of a movie with a wild gas station shootout. We'll tell you how it all unfolded ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: A 52 minutes past the hour. And if you're just waking up, here's a look at what's new this morning. One of America's most wanted is in police custody this morning. Chester Stiles arrested late last night in Nevada. He was wanted in connection with a videotaped sexual assault of a then 3-year-old girl.
The Jena Six case goes national today. The House Judiciary Committee looking into how the case was prosecuted and how communities handle hate crimes. Today's hearing comes less than a week after Mychal Bell, the teenager accused of beating up a white classmate was ordered back to jail for probation violations. CNN and cnn.com will have a live coverage of the hearing. It will starts at 10:00 eastern this morning. Al Sharpton will be among those testifying.
Also, Britney Spears turned herself into police last night. She's booked on two misdemeanor counts stemming from this car crash back in August where you can see, she bumped another car trying to pull into a parking space.
Well, it only took them 15 years and they're headed to the World Series. Colorado for the first time. The Rockies beating the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-4 last night. They swept the NL championship series at a very chilly course field.
Well, it's an all time high for oil. The price for a barrel opens this morning at above $86 per barrel. Why? Well, OPEC says that crude production in some countries is falling even as global demand for oil is rising. So, we want to know what you think. Will rising oil prices force you to cut back on spending? Cast your vote cnn.com/am. And right now, it's overwhelming in the yes column. 88 percent of you saying yes, you are going to cut back because of high oil prices, of course translating into high heating bills for the cold months, among other things and 12 Percent saying no. We're going to continue to update the poll results throughout the morning here on AMERICAN MORNING.
ROBERTS: That may not be good news for the economy next year.
54 minutes after the hour. In Charleston, South Carolina, a police officer, who is also a candidate for mayor, has been cleared of any charges stemming from a wild, and I mean a wild shootout at a convenience store. Surveillance video from the El Cheapo gas station captured the confrontation.
It apparently began with the officer Omar Brown, reached around Antonio Rivers to get items at the counter there. Apparently, Rivers took offense to that. After Brown left the store, you see him there on the upper left, Rivers followed. He rushed out to his car. Prosecutors say Rivers went to get a gun. And then, you'll see in the video here, he walks back to Brown's car, hands behind his back. That's when Brown jumps out of the car and start firing wildly at him. At least six people called 911 to report the gun fire. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Charleston, 911.
FREDDY ROBINSON, CALLER: Yes, ma'am. This is (INAUDIBLE) Freddy Robinson. I'm at Dorchester road across from the bus station at the El Cheapo. There is a bunch of shots just been fired here. There was a black guy running around and somebody's shooting the hell out of him.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ROBERTS: Rivers was shot several times in the back trying to get away, but he survived. He managed to get off one shot, by the way. He was charged with assault and battery with intent to kill and gun possession. His lawyer claims that the video shows Rivers didn't have a gun. Officer Brown, though, went to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg. Didn't appear to shoot himself in that video there. The prosecutor says Brown acted appropriately trying to protect himself.
CHETRY: Unbelievable. The fact of the matter is it was just a bump at the counter that led to all of that.
ROBERTS: It didn't even look like much of a bump. The prosecutor said they thought he shoved him out of the way or something. Can you imagine? Being that offended that you'd go to get a gun? How do you think it's going to turn out?
CHETRY: Yes, exactly. And also that he was shot seven to nine times and survived that one.
ROBERTS: Fortunate man to be alive after all of that.
A disgraced referee paying the price tops your "Quick Hits". Tim Donaghy, he coughed up $32,000 in fines. That was part of a plead deal steaming from illegal gambling. The amount is equal to what he pocketed by providing inside information from NBA games. Threw away his career for 30 grand. He could still face jail time when sentenced early next year.
And a city of Los Angeles is considering a moratorium on all new fast food restaurants in South L.A. Some council members believe that the restaurants contribute to high obesity rates in low income and minority neighborhoods.
ROBERTS: Are you taking over-the-counter painkillers, not telling your doctor about it? That can be a deadly omission. Dr. Sanjay Gupta with details on that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
And it's billed as a massive terror exercise that will protect us from a dirty bomb attack. It's called "top off", but is it just a big rip-off? We're keeping them on us, watching your dollars as AMERICAN MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Speaking out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. LARRY CRAIG (R), IOWA: I'm embarrassed. I'm regretful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Senator Larry Craig on the infamous bathroom sting. His appeal and his future.
Terror drills. They cost us million but what do we learn?
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
