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Baby Grace Case; Malibu Fires; Exchange Student Murder; Natalee Holloway Case; Alimony Outrage; Haditha Hangover
Aired November 25, 2007 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, ANCHOR: Malibu is burning for the second time in less than a month. Now, new details emerge about what or who may have sparked the flames.
He was acquitted of murdering civilians in Iraq. Now a soldier and his family talk about their ordeal.
Hangover from Haditha tonight in "The Newsroom," a teenage girl locked up with about 20 male inmates for weeks. The situation was shocking, the outcome even worse, that and more ahead this hour.
Those stories in just a moment, but up front and first tonight, new developments in the Baby Grace case out of Galveston, Texas. The girl's body washed ashore last month at Galveston Bay? Authorities think they know the mystery girl's identity, they think Baby Grace is actually 2-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers. But DNA tests are not officially in yet.
Galveston County sheriff's detectives have charged Riley's 19-year-old mother, Kimberly Trainor and 24-year-old Royce Zeigler with injury to a child and tampering with physical evidence.
There will be a news conference tomorrow morning. We are working the phones right now to get those connected with this investigation hopefully to share some additional news on the story with us. If we get those folks on the line we'll bring that information to you right here in "The Newsroom."
The fires in Malibu have died down today but dozens of wealthy property owners have cause to feel burning mad. Fifty-three exclusive hillside homes had been reduced to piles of ash. That number revised upward just moments ago. And the leading theory is that the whole thing started with careless outdoor partying.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
CAPT. THOMAS MARTIN, L.A. COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: They have found no natural source of ignition, so consequently, it was started by human means. And they are moving along in that investigation now.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
HARRIS: Well the good news for SoCal firefighters is that those Santa Ana winds backed off today. Jacqui Jeras will be along in a moment to update weather conditions in Malibu. But let's get you on the ground right now and to our Ted Rowlands. Ted, if you're with us there and I see that you are; what else did we learn from that news conference that wrapped up I guess just a short time ago?
TED ROWLANDS, CORRESPONDENT: Well, Tony, we learned that the firefighters are making significant progress and that's what we've seen all day, good news there. But what you're also looking at right now is a family that just came to their home here in Malibu and they're getting a first look at the fact that there's nothing left to their home. And that is something we've seen throughout the day here.
Good news on the firefighting front but horrible news for a lot of families that are coming into these areas and finding they have nothing left. Forty-nine homes completely destroyed by this fire and investigators say this fire most likely was started by a camp fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
Fire investigators say a group of people at what locals say is a party spot may have caused Malibu's latest devastating fire. Two fire investigators who didn't want to be identified tell CNN a camp fire at this party spot is most likely the cause.
HOLDEN MCRAE, HOMEOWNER: They go off into the hills and make fires and party, have raves and so on. And this has been going on for a long time.
ROWLANDS: Holden McRae has lived in this area for more than 20 years. His home survived but several of his neighbors lost everything. The fire, which started Saturday morning, did most of its damage in the first few hours, with winds as high as 50 miles per hour.
Firefighters were outmatched trying to save as many homes as possible. At least 49 homes were completely destroyed. People have been allowed back to some neighborhoods. Many finding they had lost everything.
ANITA STANLEY, HOMEOWNER: I didn't think that it was going to be gone until I got down to the bottom of the canyon and I looked up and I saw huge flames. And my heart just sunk and I thought, my God, it might burn, and it did.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ROWLANDS: Tough day for a lot of folks out here, Tony. And this is, of course, the second round of fires for folks in Malibu. We're a few miles north of where the first fire hit.
Nobody was hit twice but this city really feeling it, obviously in Southern California, again, getting hammered by the Santa Ana winds, and they'll continue to investigate this fire.
Right now it's 70 percent contained. They're expecting full containment within the next few days, though.
HARRIS: Ted, I see the folks behind you there going through what's left of their home. Have you had an opportunity to speak with them or maybe some of the other homeowners this time around who have lost everything?
ROWLANDS: Not them. They literally rolled up here about five minutes ago, so you're really watching them look at it for the first time, but we did talk to several homeowners.
And I talked to one guy, says he's lived here for 20 years. He's going to sell the house. He's going to rebuild, sell it and get out. He says it's just too much for him. And it's nerve-wracking every time the Santa Ana Winds pop up. He's had enough it.
But other people say they're going to rebuild, they love it here. We hear about the ones that went down but there are a lot of homes that did survive. It's a matter of rolling the dice and retaining this lifestyle. People love it here and they're willing to risk.
HARRIS: Well, Ted, if any of those homeowners decide they want to speak with you, just give us a heads up and we'll get back to you, all right? Ted Rowlands in Malibu for us. Appreciate it.
Let's get over to Jacqui Jeras now in Severe Weather Center. Jacqui, 53 homes destroyed there by those fires there in Malibu. But the good news, I guess, the firefighters get a bit of a break from the winds so they can really take the fires on.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, yeah. What a difference you know, this time yesterday, Tony, when we were talking this fire was still zero percent contained. What a difference a day makes when we're talking about 70 percent contained.
That's a lot of progress here and a lot of that, really the vast, vast majority of that has to do with those winds, which have calmed down significantly. Yesterday gusts up to 59 miles an hour. Today, gusts, 15 to 20, at best.
We also have a little moisture which is trying to stream into the area. We have what we call an upper level disturbance out here over the Pacific. And what it's doing it's bringing a little bit of moisture in the mid levels of the atmosphere so you can kind of see some sprinkles trying to develop over central and southern parts of California.
The one problem we have still have in the place, however, is that the humidity near the ground is still so, so low. So any moisture that comes in even at the mid levels is going to evaporate and probably not reach the surface. Although maybe a sprinkle could be possible tonight, either way we'll take the clouds and any moisture we can get.
There you can see the winds of the Malibu Hills, about seven to eight miles per hour coming in over the south-southeast at this time. Winds will be a little bit variable over the next couple of days but really the significant thing is that they're going to be quite calm.
So there's your forecast given for tomorrow. Partly sunny skies, winds becoming northeasterly, around five to ten miles per hour. So there is still that offshore wind, that's a dry wind that continues to push in, but the winds are going to be so very, very light that hopefully it shouldn't be much of an issue over the next couple of days as they try to get a handle on this fire.
HARRIS: Now, I'm going to throw you a curveball here. You know, normally the Sunday after thanksgiving we're talking about travel delays.
JERAS: Oh, we will be.
HARRIS: We will be?
JERAS: Oh, yes, in just a couple of minutes don't go away. If you're flying today or tomorrow you're really going to want to pay attention to what I have to tell you.
HARRIS: Got ahead of myself. Check the rundown Jacqui, thanks.
CNN I-reporters are still sending some impressive, amazing, even some frightening pictures. These photos were taken yesterday as the Malibu fire hit its peak. Take a look at this.
And then that shot from the beach, I-reporter Julie Ellerton sent this one in to us. I-reporter Chris Gaye sent this perspective from a flight taking off from LAX. Wow, look at that.
If you'd like to send an I-report to us, go to cnn.com and click on "I-report." It's the button near the top of your screen there.
A story we've been following for you out of Italy. The latest suspect detained in the murder of a British student, Meredith Kercher, is saying he tried to confront her killer. Rudy Hermann Guede was arrested in Germany last week.
CNN's Jennifer Eccleston told us more a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He told authorities there that he was in the bathroom when the 21-year-old's throat was slit. It was from there he heard her agonizing screams and then fought with the man who attacked her.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
HARRIS: Guede's lawyer told the Associated Press today his client could be extradited back to Italy in the next two weeks. He will join Meredith Kercher's American roommate and that girl's Italian boyfriend, behind bars.
In U.S. criminal law, it's a given. You've got to have a body to bring a murder or a manslaughter charge. But that is not the case under Dutch law, which is practiced in Aruba. And that's where Joran Van der Sloot and two brothers have been re-arrested and charged in the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway.
CNN's Susan Candiotti is there with the very latest.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If the prospect of facing another judge and another jail bothered him, Joran van der Sloot wasn't letting it show under police escort back to Aruba. Cnn obtained this exclusive video of Van der Sloot during his extradition. Unless a judge releases him Monday, it's the last time he'll be seen in public for awhile.
Van der Sloot's about to find out why he might face charges in the presumed death of Natalee Holloway.
HANS MOS, CHIEF PROSECUTOR: We think there's been facts that fit into a manslaughter case, or lesser versions of that, like battery resulting in her death.
CANDIOTTI: What caused Holloway's probable death and what role if any, Van der Sloot and brothers Deepak and Sateesh Kalpoe played, prosecutors won't say or don't fully know. All three young men have always maintained their innocence.
Behind these prison walls in a rural part of the island, a judge will meet with Van der Sloot and his attorneys. If there's enough probable cause, Van der Sloot will have to remain behind bars for more interrogation.
In separate jailhouse hearings Friday, the same judge ruled the Kalpoe brothers must be held for another week. Joran Van der Sloot is the only one of the three suspects held at this prison. He's isolated. The chief prosecutor says he can have no visitors, not even his family. He can only meet with his lawyers.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
CANDIOTTI: What really worries prosecutors is image, that Americans, the majority of tourists here, don't think Arubans are willing or able to solve the Holloway case. Tourism did take a hit after three states boycotted the island two years ago, but business is said to be back to normal. Now this.
MOS: There are a lot of people in Aruba who say, "Okay, why do you come up with this case again? It's just nice and quiet again. The Americans came back and a lot of tourists are coming into the country."
CANDIOTTI: some tourists said the case did not make them think twice about coming.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I always just tell everybody, when you're going to do something, you know, know where you are and know where you've got to go.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Police appear to be doing something and I think that gives us in America some level of comfort.
CANDIOTTI: For investigators, solving the case would be the ultimate comfort.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Orangestad, Aruba.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HARRIS: You know, forget about that turkey for just a minute here. There was a new beef recall to tell you about. American Foods Group of Wisconsin is recalling 96,000 pounds of coarse and ground beef, chuck sirloin and chopped beef steak.
It's the processing date of October 10th that is suspect here. Two people reportedly got sick, possibly from e-coli bacteria.
His ex-wife went to jail in connection with the death of their child but can you imagine this? He still may have to cut her an alimony check once she's released.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And welcome back to "CNN Newsroom." I'm Tony Harris.
A New Jersey man wants to stop making alimony payments to his ex-wife. He's got a pretty good reason too. She was convicted of the beating of the couple's son, who later died from those injuries. It is a family tragedy that's raising all kinds of new legal questions.
CNN's Jim Acosta has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Chris Calbi and his two sons in better times, before his oldest child, Matthew, died, after being beaten by his mother. That mother, Linda Calbi, is now in prison. She pleaded guilty to assaulting Matthew.
BRIAN SOKOLOFF, CHRIS CALBI'S BROTHER: It ripped his soul out.
ACOSTA: But Chris Calbi's brother, Brian Sokoloff, says this family tragedy gets worse. That's because he says his brother may still have to pay his ex-wife $4,000 in alimony for her living expenses. Linda Calbi told the court she wants the payments to continue after she is released from prison, where she's unavailable for comment.
SOKOLOFF: I don't know how anybody, judge, a lawyer, a legislator, the governor can look my brother in the face and tell him, "Get out your pen and keep writing alimony checks."
ACOSTA: a New Jersey appellate court recently ruled that technically, there's nothing stopping Linda Calbi from having her alimony reinstated once her sentence is completed. But the court also seemed to call on state leaders to change the law, stating "Nothing, in its opinion, prevents the legislature, from amending the alimony statute to specify that a former spouse's criminal act in taking the life of one of the party's children disqualifies the ex-spouse from receiving alimony."
RICHARD HERMAN, LAW PROFESSOR: The court didn't have enough guts to stand up and take a position.
ACOSTA: Law professor Richard Herman argues the court did have the leeway to stop the alimony payments but chose not to, because, he says, "the family law system is tilted too heavily against men."
HERMAN: It just shows you how skewed the system is in family court in favor of the spouse, the female. It really is.
ACOSTA: Brian Sokoloff wonders if there's a double standard.
Would this even be an issue if this were a man who had done something like this?
HERMAN: I can't imagine that it would. There's a sympathy for women in divorce court.
SOKOLOFF: Maybe he didn't get the right legal advice at the time, but in his own mind, he said, there's no way that I'm required to continue paying alimony.
ACOSTA: Chris Calbi, his brother says, would rather spend that money raising the only son he has left.
Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.
HARRIS: Some story, huh?
Welcome to another one of the busiest travel days of the year. Millions of people on the move, headed home after Thanksgiving. Guess what? So far, so good, huh? An update just ahead.
Also --
You will not believe the story, seriously, a son back from war, accused of murder in Iraq, and a family in the fight of their lives to clear their son's name.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So here's something totally unexpected, a big smile at the airport? Look at this! On the Sunday after Thanksgiving? I don't believe it. I cannot be convinced.
We know how horrible a travel day this could be, it usually is. But how about this? If you hopped on a flight for the holidays, it might have crossed your mind that someone got it right this time? A few weather problems aside, things have gone freakishly smoothly.
Here's CNN'S Kathleen Koch.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: From Chicago to Atlanta, many passengers on this busiest air travel day of the year were pleasantly surprised.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was very relaxed, very calm, got in and out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was perfect, I couldn't believe it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they were prepared.
KOCH: Airlines, determined to avoid last year's holiday travel nightmares staffed up. And the federal government opened restricted military air space off the east coast to passenger planes for the Thanksgiving holiday. Airlines say 10 to 15 flights an hour have been using the extra lanes in the sky.
DAVID CASTELVETER, SPOKESMAN, AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION: It helped. At the end of the day, what causes delays is weather and volume, and we have volume clearly over Thanksgiving. What we didn't have is weather. If we would have had weather, the highest levels of preparedness would not have reduced delays.
KOCH: the Federal Aviation Administration also suspended nonessential maintenance projects to further reduce slowdowns.
DAVID STEMPLER, AIR TRAVELERS' ASSOCIATION: I think the biggest factor has been the fear factor. I think the airlines, the airports and FAA realized that they could not afford to have another black eye so everyone was pitching in.
KOCH: But pilots and air traffic controllers are skeptical about the long-term impact of the government's Thanksgiving fixes.
CAPT TERRY MCVENES, AIRLINE PILOTS' ASSOCIATION: These band-aid-type approaches, while they offer some short term benefits, what really needs to be done is to find long-term solutions for the congestion that we have in our air space today.
PAUL RINALDI, NATIL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS' ASSOCIATION: The long- term solution is building more gates, building more runways, streamlining the procedures and if you're going to give us air space one day a year, makes no sense whatsoever.
KOCH: overall, the FAA says the nation's aviation system worked exceptionally well this Thanksgiving. So it's likely to try the same delay-reducing measures over the Christmas holidays.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, Reagan National Airport.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HARRIS: Hang on just a second here. Jacqui Jeras, let's go to the final authority on all of this.
JERAS: Almost makes you want to fly on a holiday, doesn't it? Not.
HARRIS: Well, I'm not quite there yet, particularly when I look at that map behind you and I see all that activity in the southeast. There are going to be some delays somewhere here. JERAS: Yeah, there certainly are. Some of them are a little bit heavier. But overall you know, today is actually looking a lot like what we experienced on Wednesday. You've got some delays because they're high volume and you have some delays because of weather but your weather-related delays really aren't all that different than what you would see on any other normal day.
So overall, the news certainly could be a lot worse that we're not looking at a major winter storm crippling traffic, and just keeping people at airports for days on end. Now, one of the worst things we've been dealing with all day, severe weather across parts of Louisiana. We've had some heavy rain, flash flooding and even some severe weather in terms of wind damage reports.
Plaquemine parish right here is under a severe thunderstorm warning now but that storm moving northward and beginning to pull on out and weakening as it does so. But it's till going to be rough going along the I-10 corridor, also along I-20.
On the backside of the system, our upper level system way back here in Texas, this is the one bringing in all the heavy snow. It's still coming down at this hour, primarily north of I-20. And the totals have been really anywhere between about 5 and 10 inches.
Look at that, Alpine, Texas, receiving 8 1/2 inches of snowfall. Ahead of it, we're not seeing a lot of rain here in the southeast just yet but it is on the way. We also have some low overcast conditions. There you can see the forecast rain showers for the next 48 hours and really that's just making everybody happy here.
A little bit of trouble here in the Chicago land area, because of some rain, a little sleet mixing in and here's a look at a few of those airport delays. My husband is coming home late tonight. Look at that, just about two hours there, two hours because of volume in Teterboro and White Plains. There you can see O'Hare about 45 minutes. New York City, JFK and La Guardia, both have delays as well, but not too bad, you know 40 minutes.
HARRIS: Boy, that's not bad. We usually get that domino effect and boy, even that seems pretty minimal at this point. Well, we'll see how it works out tomorrow. All right, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed and not be so pessimistic about it. I'm just used to things going badly when it comes to travel. So far to good, huh Jacqui?
JERAS: Sure.
HARRIS: All right, thank you.
Still to come in "The Newsroom," from Marine to murder suspect in Iraq, he fought for their freedom, and his life, but when he got home, he had to fight to clear his name.
Also ahead, a 15-year-old girl reportedly raped while jailed with male inmates. The case out of Brazil, now the center of a national uproar.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: These days former Marine Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt sees a life of endless possibilities. It wasn't always that way. Back in August, the military dropped charges that he killed three Iraqi civilians in Haditha in 2005. After a fight Sharratt's family thought might never end.
Here's CNN's Sean Calebs.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DARRELL SHARRATT, JUSTIN'S FATHER: This has been our life for the last year and a half.
SEAN CALEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As long as anyone can remember, Justin Sharratt wanted to wear fatigues.
TERESA SHARRATT, JUSTIN'S MOTHER: He just liked everything military.
CALEBS: His parents, Darrell and Teresa, hoped he would go to college, but 9/11 cemented his plans.
D. SHARRATT: We knew there was no turning back at that time.
CALEBS: By November of 2005, Sharratt was a battle-hardened marine. On his second tour in Iraq, wading a column of humvees into Haditha in the early morning cold, when disaster struck.
JUSTIN SHARRATT: I turned around and looked up and there were smoke clouds about 500, 600 yards up high in the air.
CALLEBS: A roadside bomb had instantly killed Sharratt's former roommate, Lance Corporal Miguel Terasus. But what happened over the next four hours has caused the incidents of that day to be investigated, reported, and wildly disputed over and over again. The marines spread out, searching for insurgents. Sharratt followed some suspicious Iraqi man into a house. One raised a rifle. Sharratt's only rifle jammed. He then ducked into a doorway and came back out with his pistol.
SHARRATT: Then he popped back up with his AK-47 so I shot at him, killing him. So I rushed across the hallway into that room and I saw three other Iraqi men, and they were pretty much semi together, but all I saw was the first one, and he also had an AK-47. So I shot him, and then the two males that were behind him, because the first two guys had guns, you know, the last two must have something.
CALLEBS: the last two turned out to be unarmed, but as Sharratt and the other marines left the scene at 10:30 that night, they thought the incident was over. Then months later, this videotape emerged from the Iraqi community, showing the aftermath of all the gunfire in another house in Haditha during the same search. "Time" magazine broke the story of a possible cover-up, a military investigation followed, and widespread condemnation, too.
REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Our troops overreacted, because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood.
CALLEBS: Four marines, including Sharratt, were charged with murder. Four officers were charged with covering up the incident. Darrell Sharratt drained his retirement account to pay for his son's defense.
DARRELL SHARRATT, FATHER: For 18 years, we have protected him, and when this happened, I couldn't -
CALLEBS: He's a tough kid.
DARRELL SHARRATT: I thought I was a tough guy, too, until, man, until you go through what he went through.
CALLEBS: Wasn't there a part of you that said this is completely unfair, I am really mad?
SHARRATT: There was, but I mean that part of me never really showed face.
CALLEBS: It took months, but eventually, after all the testimony, investigators concluded that, while yes, many Iraqis died, they fell in the course of a chaotic and running battle. There was no slaughter. Sharratt was completely cleared. The authority in the case, Lieutenant General James Mattis even praised Sharratt's restraint, saying "our nation is fighting a shadowy enemy who hides among the innocent people and routinely targets and intentionally draws fire towards civilians." Sharratt's father appreciated the comment, but appreciates the facts even more.
DARRELL SHARRATT: It was not General Mattis that exonerated my son. It was the evidence.
CALLEBS: In all, five of the marines charged in Haditha have been cleared and at this point, there are doubts whether any of the marines will be convicted. Justin knows critics of this war will never accept the findings of the investigation, and that rumors about the incident may follow him for years, but he, at least, is intent on putting Haditha behind him.
SHARRATT: No one's going to stop me from doing anything I want to. I mean, it's my future, not anyone else's, so I'm going to take control of my life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TONY HARRIS: Sharratt left the marine corps in September. He says he has his sights set on becoming a motorcycle mechanic but won't rule out entering the political arena as well.
A key player in the Middle East says it will take part in a U.S.- sponsored peace summit this week. Syria agreed today to send an envoy to Tuesday talks in Annapolis, Maryland. Israeli and Palestinian officials both welcomed Syria's decision. The focus of the summit to re-start peace efforts between the two sides. Israeli and Palestinian leaders will meet separately with President Bush at the White House tomorrow and again Wednesday. Got another outrage story for you, this one comes from Brazil. A 15- year-old girl apparently was locked in a jail with more than 20 male inmates for about a month. You can imagine where this story is headed. CNN's Stephen Frazier reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN, CORRESPONDONET: This is the jail in the remote part of northern Brazil, which is now at the center of a national uproar. Behind these walls, a 15-year-old girl was locked in a cell with more than 20 men, for more than a month, and was repeatedly raped. Human rights activists say she was forced to have sex with at least two of the inmates in return for food, and say that police officers did nothing.
TIM CAHILL, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: Guards were implicit, even women guards in this case, implicit, knowing that she was in this situation, where she was being tortured, being sexually abused. She was being given food on the basis of providing sexual favors.
FRAZIER: Women's rights activists are now protesting even outside other jails in the Parra state.
MARIA VALENTE, TUCURUS WOMEN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION (through translator): We want our women to pay their debts to society, but pay with dignity.
FRAZIER: The girl was suspected of robbery but was never charged with any crime. Her father says police tried to force him to change the girl's birth certificate to show that she was an adult.
CAHILL: The level of abuse against this young girl is horrific. And not only that, we know that her family being threatened.
FRAZIER: This case is not unique, according to some, with firsthand experience. These inmates from another jail said a woman had just been transferred out of their cellblock, but that other women remained.
CAHILL: There are fundamental structural problems that exist in Brazil, a criminal justice system which is bankrupt, which is corrupt, and which is falling apart at the seams. And the government has to address these problems.
FRAZIER: The governor of Parra wouldn't say whether it was common for women to be jailed with men, but pledged to end that practice and a senior official talking with CNN said the state was shocked and embarrassed.
CLAUDIO PUTY, CHIEF OF STAFF, PARRA: It's shame, a shame on all the system, on the jail system. We are deeply shocked and we will start a deep investigation of the cause of the system but the question is, there is a total collapse of the jail system all over Brazil. This should not be an excuse for governments to just, you know, wash their hands and do nothing, but, and we are taking all the necessary measures in order to punish all those policemen. FRAZIER: Parra is a huge state in the Amazon, one of Brazil's most lawless. It was here where a Roman Catholic nun from the United States, Dorothy Stang, was killed almost three years ago. Stephen Frazier, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: How is the campaign trail looking? Caucus crunch time is coming up. Many candidates are picking up speed, and some are picking up more support. You are looking at one of those rising stars. Our internet bloggers, Maura, David, let's ramp it up, next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. This week along the campaign trail it seems former Governor Mike Huckabee's GOP star is rising, and not a minute too soon with the very important Iowa contest just around the corner now. And if you missed it this morning, Fred Thompson gave Fox News a piece of his mind. Let's bring in the bloggers on the right, David Freddoso from National Review Online. David, good to see you. And on the left, Morra Evans from blogher.org.
MORRA EVANS, BLOGHER.ORG: Hey, Tony.
HARRIS: Morra, I went on the site earlier today and I was looking at cooking segments. What the heck is going on with your site? Let's ramp up the brass knuckles politics, will you work?
EVANS: Come on, we talk about everything and you know more women vote than men so you better watch it.
HARRIS: Wellness segment, here's what you eat in the diet. Come on, I want the hard-knuckle politics. We'll take care of that for now. Good to see you, Morra. I'm just giving you a hard time. You know I love you. OK, let's start with Mike Huckabee, more of what's happening with Mike Huckabee. Why does it appear his star is on the rise and give us the straight talk on this one.
EVANS: Well, you know, I think the thing with Mike Huckabee is he's charming and he's funny and he's not a Mormon, and he's a great campaigner.
HARRIS: He's not a Mormon.
EVANS: Yes, the thing about Iowa is it really allows for retail politics. Mike Huckabee is a great, great politician and I think that people really enjoy getting to know him. You know, Mitt Romney is a little robotic, even on the trail, and I think you see a hunger in the republican party for a candidate like Huckabee and we love a come- from-behind story. But you know, the truth is this guy is a radical.
HARRIS: He's a radical?
EVANS: He's a radical. His views are very fringed. He actually, you know, would really change our country, I think, for the worse. He's regressive. I said before he doesn't even believe -
HARRIS: David, are you just going to sit there.
DAVID FREDDOSO, NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE: I would disagree with that.
HARRIS: OK.
FREDDOSO: Look, Huckabee, he's been described as the candidate of the religious left for a reason. He is a big spender, raised taxes when he was governor of the state, and just I don't mean to slam him or anything, but his positions on abortion and second amendment issues are what distinguish him as a conservative. They're not terribly different from what President Bush currently has. So, I don't see him as a radical. I do see him as a good possible vice presidential choice for Romney in the long run because he's evangelical and a southerner while Mitt Romney.
EVANS: He has single-handedly taken evolution out of most of the textbooks in Arkansas. I don't think that represents most of the views of Americans. There's a great article in "Salon" called the "Dark Side of Mike Huckabee" that I recommend. Everyone read it. Apparently, he's not at all that ethical either.
FREDDOSO: Well, that's a strong charge to just level over the air but in a blanket way. You know, Huckabee is, he certainly talked about the issue of evolution in one of the debates. He gave the long soliloquy on the topic actually in which it didn't sound to me like that was really denying evolution as a scientific theory.
HARRIS: You were wrong. Morra, you did, you just went strong then and OK.
EVANS: I feel strongly about it.
HARRIS: Yes. I can see that.
Let's talk about the front-runners in the race in Iowa right now and all the attention on Iowa. I get it, I get it. It's the first one out of the box, I get all of that. Can Romney actually lose Iowa? I get that there is a strong challenge going on right now from Huckabee, but can he actually lose Iowa?
FREDDOSO: It's possible he could lose it even if he wins it. If he doesn't win by a lot, because everyone expects him to win by a lot, and I think Romney is in a lot of trouble after Iowa. If anyone is going to beat Giuliani, it will be someone who comes into the big February 5th primary day with a couple of victories under his belt already. If Huckabee sort of makes a disappointing showing in Iowa, does okay, wins New Hampshire, (inaudible) it out in South Carolina, that's not as good as if he just pummels everybody in Iowa. That would be ideal for him.
EVANS: But the thing is with New Hampshire coming five days after Iowa and Romney is so close to home there, he can pour a lot of money in and I think throw off momentum even if someone like Huckabee actually wins Iowa. HARRIS: Morra, let me stay with you for a second. Explain to me the dynamics on the democratic side right now in Iowa. My goodness, Hillary, Obama and maybe according to the polls, we should flip it. It's Obama, Hillary and Edwards. Sort this out for us. Where are we right now just, what, weeks, really, away from the caucus?
EVANS: You know we're too close to call. If you think back to last cycle, John Kerry was not certainly polling in first place at this time. I think we have three great candidates on the democratic and the voters are going to decide. We have over a month away. So, you know, I think we should sit back and let them campaign for the voters.
HARRIS: David, what are your thoughts?
FREDDOSO: Edwards might be the guy to watch in Iowa. You remember he surprised everyone with his showing in 2004. He's got a lot of infrastructure there. He's the only guy who's gone to all 99 counties. I think he could surprise everybody. I think maybe he could upset Hillary the way things are going for her or have been very lately, the way the polls have been trending toward a real horse race.
HARRIS: Morra, a real possibility there?
EVANS: And Hillary doesn't really need to win Iowa, I think. I think that if Obama wins Iowa, it will be a definite, definite heads up for him. But I think that Hillary if she comes in second or third, the race isn't over for her.
FREDDOSO: I'd say the opposite actually. I'd say, if she doesn't win Iowa, then everybody is going to be, I think there are a lot of democrats who will vote for Hillary in the general election. They're just waiting is that if there's somebody out there to stop her from being our candidate, breathe a sigh of relief and go vote for the other guy in the later primaries.
EVANS: I disagree.
HARRIS: You disagree with the Morra? OK. I'm not surprised with that. But let me stay with you for just a second here. David, Fred Thompson as you know taking on the Fox News Channel earlier today, accusing the network of skewing things against him. Are you disappointed with the Thompson campaign so far?
FREDDOSO: Well, look, in the last two weeks, Thompson has done more events I think than any other candidate. He's really stepped it up, to his credit. OK, but let's look back a few weeks. When he first gets into the race, pretty much he had the good will of almost every conservative in the country, who has disappointed with the status quo. I mean, look Mike Huckabee is getting 24%, 25% in Iowa, that's a sign that people are really discontented. All those people who are probably ready to embrace someone like Thompson, if he'd come on strong from the get-go but he really didn't. A lot of people have written him off and I don't want to say it's too late for him, but it is good at least to see him stepping it up. If people criticize him before for running a lack luster campaign it's because he was running a lack luster campaign.
HARRIS: Morra, let me let you rip on the that. Go ahead, Morra.
EVANS: Let me tell you, I think he's violated two key tenets of what we want to see in our president. He doesn't seem to want it bad enough and then today he complained to the media, of all people. I don't think that's what we want of our president especially in a time like this. He sounds like a cry baby who just doesn't care if he wants to be president bad enough. That's not where we're at right now.
HARRIS: You've been hitting hard today, Morra. I got to leave it there. It's great to talk to both of you. This was fun this week, yey! Have a great Sunday. Thanks, guys.
EVANS: See you.
FREDDOSO: Thank you.
HARRIS: And don't forget the cnn/youtube presidential debate, this Wednesday night. This time, it's ask a republican. You still have time to submit a question. But the deadline is midnight tonight. Go to cnn.com/youtubedebates and post your question.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM this evening, a man rescues a child he found alone in the desert but his good deed came with a price.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. We are just in, one, two, three. I can handle that math, three days away from the cnn/youtube republican debate in Florida. We asked you to ask the questions. You have answered the call. Josh Levs keeping an eye on all of this for this. Good to see you, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN, CORRESPONDENT: This my last chance to push everybody, my last little shove over to the computer. You have what, east coast time, five, four hours left, a little more than four hours. It's midnight tonight, that's the deadline for you to send in your questions. So what I'm going to do now is to give you a little taste of some of the questions we've already received.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS (voice-over): Republican candidates can run but they cannot hide from your questions in the cnn/youtube debate which may include some sharp jabs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: W hat are you going to do to return the civil liberties to the American people and stop these outrageous acts on our security and our privacy?
LEVS: Some offer personal stories like this man, who says he's a gay registered republican.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But a vote for you is a vote against my family. LEVS: A few bring up some of the wackier topics on earth or beyond.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: UFOs and aliens.
LEVS: Maybe he ought to be asking this youtuber?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I am one of many from another dimension.
LEVS; Around 4,000 questions are in, more than the 3,000 sent in for the democratic debate in July. All the questions are viewable online. And we're not saying which ones will be used, just giving you a taste of what we're getting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you going to do as president to ensure diversity in your administration?
LEVS: There are unique spins on expected subjects, like Iraq, taxes, and the national debt. Some want specifics.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you willing to open up Guantanamo Bay to the public?
LEVS: There are serious subjects that don't often make the headlines.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about the war going on the old country, black on black crime?
LEVS: And questions all about character.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your one greatest strength and your one greatest weakness?
LEVS: Getting candidates to admit weaknesses? Good luck. Maybe he's in cahoots with this guy who apparently wants to lull the candidates into some form of hypnosis, though there are plenty of characters to keep them on their toes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. Thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: That dude is getting so much play from us, you have no idea. Anyway, look, I want you to know how you could do it. You have until midnight. Here's what you got to do if you want to get your questions in. Go to cnn.com, click on "politics." We'll show you the web page. There it is right there. Once you're there, it talks you through everything you've got to do, Tony, even if you're not that tech savvy. It's really simple. We have guidelines there, the kinds of things we look for. It will trace you through the process and tic tac toe, let's get going, some more.
HARRIS: This is crazy. You, you have already decided which questions are going to be asked in the debate. You have decided it. This is crazy. You've made the decision already. Fess up.
LEVS: OK. The reality is I don't even know. They won't even tell me which ones they're using. They won't tell me. No one would tell me because they know I would tell you probably.
HARRIS: Exactly.
LEVS: I'd definitely tell him.
HARRIS: Right.
LEVS: So they're meeting in this secret Kabal, that means the sitting room in New York, right? I think they're smoking. I don't know what they're doing. While they're there, they're choosing the questions. And yes, no one will tell me.
HARRIS: But it's great fun. I mean, we're having a little fun but what's great fun is we have folks at home get to be totally interactive in this process and submit questions and they really do have until midnight tonight to submit questions.
LEVS: Yes.
HARRIS: Beautiful.
LEVS: And watching people respond to that, not just the traditional questions but also some of the funky ones and just watching the interplay with some of these characters that we get. It's really interesting insight into who these people are, the candidates.
HARRIS: Well said.
LEVS: Love it.
HARRIS: All right. Had to push you a little bit. Thanks, Josh.
Still to come in the NEWSROOM tonight. Here we go, just another tease. Josh you do it, for the youtube debate coming up on Wednesday.
LEVS: There it is right there, Wednesday, at 8:00 Eastern, and I'll be down in St. Petersburg, Florida, but join us before that, because you want to hear the lead up to it and obviously 8:00 is when the show starts and your question might be in there.
HARRIS: Anderson Cooper.
LEVS: Anderson Cooper, of course, will be -
HARRIS: Moderating, great.
LEVS: Making sure they actually answer your questions.
HARRIS: Beautiful.
LEVS: Thank you so much.
HARRIS: And still to come in the NEWSROOM this evening, an illegal immigrant crossing the rugged Arizona desert. A 9-year-old boy wandering there too scared and alone in the desert. Their paths cross in a tale of tragedy and just plain human kindness. More when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A republican presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, is taking the offensive this weekend, but this time, he's not blasting his political rivals. He is denouncing a judge he appointed to the bench while governor of Massachusetts. CNN's Jim Acosta has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hi there, how are you?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN, CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Under mounting political pressure, former governor Mitt Romney called on one of his past judicial appointees Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Kathy Tuchman to step down, over her decision to free a violent inmate from prison.
ROMNEY: Despite her record as being a law and order prosecutor, her lack of judgment suggests the need to resign from that position.
ACOSTA: Earlier this year, Tuchman ruled against the wishes of local prosecutors and granted the release of this man, Daniel Tavares, who had finished his prison sentence for the stabbing death of his own mother but state officials say Tavares was a troubled inmate who had scuffled with prison guards and had even threatened to kill Romney himself. Now, just months after his release, Tavares is charged in the slaying of Washington state couple Brian and Beverly mock, who were remembered at this memorial service over the weekend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bev and Brian's time was short but it was filled with love.
ACOSTA: The case is a flashback to Willie Horton who are on it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This man is governor of Massachusetts. This man was convicted of murder.
ACOSTA: The convicted murderer who furloughed by a different Massachusetts governor running for president, Michael Dukakis. Horton who later robbed and raped a woman became the subject of political attack ads that doomed Dukakis' 1988 White House campaign. Fast forward to 2007, now it's Rudy Giuliani seizing on Romney's judicial appointment, telling the Associated Press it's hard to know how this is all going to come out but the reality is, he did not have a record of reducing violent crime. Romney fired back, blasting Giuliani's friendship with now indicted former New York Police Commissioner, Bernard Kerik.
ROMNEY: I must admit of all the people who might attack someone on the basis of an appointment, I thought he would be the last to do so.
ACOSTA: Political observers say the escalating battle between Romney and Giuliani could shape the days leading up to the nation's first primaries.
RON BROWNSTEIN, ATLANTIC MEDIA: The history of these multi-candidate races is whenever two candidates go after each other, the bystanders are usually the winners.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: That report from CNN's Jim Acosta. In Arizona, an illegal immigrant helps a 9-year-old boy, Jose Jesus Cordoba, found the boy wandering in the desert after he and his mom were in a car crash. Cordoba couldn't free the lady from the wreckage and she died. So he stayed with the boy and flagged down help. After the boy was rescued, Cordoba surrendered to border patrol agents.
I'm Tony Harris in Atlanta. "Larry King Live" starts right now.
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