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Mideast Peace Summit: A Hopeful Beginning; Redskins Grieve for Slain Player
Aired November 27, 2007 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: A happy ending to a breakthrough summit on Mideast peace? Well, no, just a hopeful beginning. The most ambitious Israeli Palestinian peace campaign maybe ever. We're live in Annapolis, Maryland.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Ashburn, Virginia, the Washington Redskins grieving for star safety Sean Taylor gunned down in his Florida home. Police are searching for a killer. The Redskins' coach and team owner prepare to face reporters. Hello everyone, I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
It is 2:00 p.m. eastern and we begin with this. Miami police working round the clock to find the unknown killer of an NFL star. An autopsy is expected this afternoon on Washington Redskins player Sean Taylor who died early today at the age of 24. Taylor was shot in the leg early yesterday in his suburban Miami home where flowers have been left at gate, where friends and family are gathered to mourn, and where the locks are now being changed. Police say an intruder broke in as Taylor, his girlfriend and their baby slept. Here's what Taylor's former lawyer told CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD SHARPSTEIN, TAYLOR'S FORMER ATTORNEY: Apparently there was some noise out in the living room, Sean and she were sleeping in the bedroom with their 18-month-old daughter. They heard noise, a thump. They went out. Sean locked the bedroom door. Before he could do anything the door was kicked in. It's unknown how many assailants were there. Jackie hid under the covers. Two shots rang out. One hit him in the leg piercing his thigh and his femoral artery. He bled out profusely. By the time Jackie waited for people to clear she got down and he was breathing heavily and chest heaving, eyes back in his head. He was pretty much unconscious and non-responsive from that point on. Never really recovered.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Another break in was reported at Taylor's home, a break- in there, on November 18th. No one was there at the time.
We've talked about Sean Taylor's death. Let's find out more about his life, back to his days as a budding football star. And joining us on the phone now from Naples, Florida is Steve Howey, Taylor's high school coach. Mr. Howey, thank you for joining us. Wish it could have been under better circumstances. You heard the police there, the authorities in Florida talking about the death and how it happened. What does that do to you?
STEVE HOWEY, TAYLOR'S HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACH: Well, it hurts. As a coach you really embrace each player that you coach and Sean was like a son to me. So when I heard the news yesterday of him being shot that was devastating and then this morning when I woke up and heard the news it just -- it just knocked the wind out of me.
LEMON: Yeah. You said -- and just from speaking to you before, you said he was a leader both on and off the field. He had a lot of heart for both the game and for the younger kids on the team. Was he a mentor to the younger kids?
HOWEY: He definitely was. He really took some of the younger players under his wing and he worked with them and coached with them and, you know, really made them feel comfortable out on the field and even, you know, in the classroom and everything.
LEMON: Coach Howey, he wasn't quite a household name yet. Did you expect him to get to that place?
HOWEY: Yeah, I knew just from coaching him in high school that eventually he would be a, you know, an NFL player.
LEMON: You knew he would be an NFL player. You say when people die, you don't speak ill of the dead and bring up things, but he was a good guy on and off the field, but also he had his problems as well.
HOWEY: He did, and, you know, a lot of it was, you know, just him being in the wrong place at the wrong time and some of the people that he associated with, but, you know, anybody that knew Sean knew that he was a great person and a great kid.
LEMON: Yeah. What do you mean that he -- he had his problems? What do you mean by that?
HOWEY: Just the stuff that you read in the paper and the media, you know, getting into trouble and doing some of the things that he did off the field, but, you know, knowing Sean, he was -- you know, everybody at the high school, at Gulliver Prep loved him and he was well respected by everybody there and did what he had to.
LEMON: Are you guys in school this week with the holiday?
HOWEY: Yes we are.
LEMON: How is the school dealing with it?
HOWEY: Well I'm actually over at St. John Newman High School, I'm no longer at Gulliver Prep, but I'm sure that they are feeling the same way we are. We're really shocked by the news and trying to take one step at a time and really feel for his family.
LEMON: And speaking of, have you spoken to his family? HOWEY: Not yet. I've spoken to friends of his and coaches that were on our coaching staff when Sean was at Gulliver, so they have kind of kept me up to date on what's going on.
LEMON: Well there's no doubt that a friend or a family member somewhere is watching or listening to this. What do you have to say to them?
HOWEY: Well, I know his dad real well and, Pete, if you're listening, our hearts go out to you. Our thoughts and prayers, and if you need anything, please feel free to call me, I'll be there.
LEMON: Steve Howey, Sean Taylor's former high school football coach. Thank you for joining us today.
HOWEY: Thank you.
LEMON: We want to remind our viewers that we're expecting a news conference within the hour from the Washington Redskins. As soon as that happens, we'll bring it to you. We may hear from team owner Dan Snider and also the head coach Joe Gibbs. Again, we'll bring that to you live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: Ancient enemies meeting face to face to talk peace. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators sitting down this hour in Annapolis, Maryland, along with delegations from more than 40 other nations and organizations. State Department correspondent Zain Verjee joins us now from Annapolis. Zain?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, President Bush really pulled together both the Israeli and the Palestinian leaders here today in Annapolis. He really put them on a tract toward a peace deal that he says he wants to get a Palestinian state and a deal between the two by the end of next year. That's very ambitious, but the administration says that it is committed. It was a little bit of a surprise for all of us here because the announcement, a key one that we've been waiting for, came very early in the day. President Bush announced that both sides had agreed to immediately start the tough talks, the hard negotiations that would lead ultimately to a future Palestinian state. They are going to be meeting every two weeks. President Bush though made it clear that he understands that it's going to be tough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: Achieving this goal is not going to be easy. If it were easy, it would have happened a long time ago. To achieve freedom and peace, both Israelis and Palestinians will have to make tough choices. Both sides are sober about the work ahead, but having spent time with their leaders, they are ready to take on the tough issues.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: Kyra, there was a feeling here earlier in the day that they are not so sure if the Israelis and the Palestinians would actually be able to hammer out an agreement, but they appeared to have overcome that. Diplomats here said that President Bush and Secretary Rice were really instrumental in the last few days in making it happen. Also significantly they dropped the major sticking points that they couldn't agree on and just pushed ahead with what they could. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: Is this a success for the administration?
VERJEE: Well, it's a success in the sense that they delivered today what they said they would deliver. They would launch the start of a peace negotiations that have been stalled for seven years, so in that sense yes, but the real question, Kyra, is whether Annapolis will have legs, whether everyone wraps up today and goes away and there's a real meaningful, credible and sustainable process that comes out of it. Experts that we've talked to say that can really only happen if President Bush is invested personally in this and is hands on right the way through. He said today that he would be and significantly said the United States would judge and monitor the progress on the ground. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: State Department correspondent Zain Verjee, thanks Zain.
LEMON: The Middle East summit has drawn protesters from across the U.S., and like the negotiators they are from diverse faiths with different views. CNN's Brianna Keilar is covering that part of story for us. Brianna, how many of them are out there about?
(INAUDIBLE)
LEMON: Apparently, Brianna, sorry to cut you off, we're having a little bit of problem hearing you, but we'd like to continue to talk to you as soon as you get your microphone fixed, we'll get back to you. But again we told about Brianna just moments ago outside of those meetings in Annapolis, Maryland. There are some protesters. It is believed that they are Jewish protesters there in Annapolis, Maryland. As soon as Brianna's -- there's some video of that. Do we know if we have Brianna's audio? Ok. We'll get back to Brianna Keilar in just a moment.
PHILLIPS: All right, let's get to the NEWSROOM. Betty Nguyen still working details on a number of developing stories for us. Betty?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: In Orlando, Florida, we understand a standoff is under way at this hour and has been for the past few hours. Let me tell you how it happened essentially. We're told by police that an East Indian man walked into this Wachovia bank earlier this morning around 11:00 a.m. eastern and he was acting suspiciously. He was acting suspiciously. He was then asked to leave, and according to authorities the man refused, and then he called out I want to go to India. And I'm being told by the producer right now that we're getting some new information that he has surrendered and the situation has since been resolved. Because earlier we were told that he pretty much sat in a chair and didn't move an inch, didn't say a word, even after officers were called, the S.W.A.T. team was called. And therefore there was a standoff inside the building. People had evacuated, even roads as you can see in this video are pretty much shut down. There's no traffic around the bank, and there was really some concern, too, because the man was carrying some sort of briefcase so it wasn't known if he had any type of a weapon with him. But, again, I was just told by our producer that the situation has been resolved. The man has surrendered and everything is A-ok inside that Wachovia bank. Obviously, should there be any further developments, we'll continue to follow this for you. Back to you Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Thanks Betty, we'll track it with you. Live pictures there from WKMG, our affiliate, appreciate that.
LEMON: Let's also get back to live pictures now from Annapolis, Maryland, and our Brianna Keilar is on the ground covering a protest there. Brianna, sorry, I know it's very loud out there. How many protesters, about how many there with you?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, actually it's gotten a little quieter because the police have forced a lot of protesters away from behind us because it was getting kind of unruly as we got ready for our live shot. Well, we've seen only about a couple hundred I'd say, throughout the late morning. Some people have come and gone. Right now it seems to be kind of at the height and only a handful of protesters are pro-Palestinian. The rest are either Jewish or supporters of Israel, and what's interesting is just because they are Jewish doesn't mean they're pro-Israel. There's a big showing here today from a sect of Hassidic Jews who say that it goes against the Tora for there to be a Jewish state. They really got into quite a heated verbal altercation, the most heated verbal altercation that we've seen today. And there's another group of Hassidic Jews here who disagree with them and many different viewpoints. Even among pro- Israel protesters they are split on whether this meeting should be taking place here at Annapolis. Here's what a couple of them told us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERLINDE JACOS, THE ISRAEL PROJECT: We're really confident that the Israelis want peace and we want the peace talks to go on and to start again and to renew.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think peace can only be if there is a just peace and if both sides think they get what they have to get and if both sides live in peace and have a good life, have good jobs, have security. Otherwise there will never be peace.
BOB KNUST, SHALOM INTERNATIONAL MIAMI: You can't make peace with somebody who wants to kill you. All these Arab countries are sponsoring global terrorism, 9/11, everything that has attacked everybody everywhere. All of these countries are committed to Israel's destruction. They are not here for peace, they are here to have a piece of Israel.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So a lot of different points of view here, including the ubiquitous code pink protesters, a few protestors from that group are here including one dressed as Condi Rice in a jail uniform. They say their point of view, the message they are trying to share, is that this meeting excludes a very important player in Mideast peace and that is Hamas. Don, back to you.
LEMON: Brianna Keilar, thank you so much for that.
PHILLIPS: His legs carried him to fame on the football field but a bullet to one of them ended his life. We're going to take a closer look at Sean Taylor's lethal wound and what you can do if it happened to you.
LEMON: Beaten, thrown, held underwater, new and horrific details about the death of a girl once known as baby grace.
PHILLIPS: The crash is fast and furious and so where the phone calls. So this is the first time we're hearing 911 calls from the night Hulk Hogan's son wiped out. We're here live in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: 2:15 eastern time right now, here are three of the stories that we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM. An autopsy expected this afternoon on Sean Taylor. The Washington Redskins player died early today, a day after an intruder shot him in his suburban Miami home. Police are searching around the clock for the killer.
Just minutes ago, a standoff ended peacefully in Orlando, Florida. A man has surrendered to police after refusing to leave a bank. He had apparently demanded a ticket to India.
The wife of missing adventurer Steve Fossett comes to a difficult decision. Peggy Fossett is asking a court to declare her husband dead and his will be admitted to probate, nearly three months after he disappeared, a solo plane flight.
LEMON: Kyra, as you said moments ago, an autopsy's expected this afternoon on slain NFL star Sean Taylor. An intruder shot him in the leg in his Miami-area home yesterday, the bullet puncturing his femoral artery. Does this kind of wound always mean a death sentence and for the answer to that we turn to our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Elizabeth, does it always mean a death sentence and you're going to demonstrate exactly what it was, right?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: No, he was shot in the femoral artery, and, unfortunately, that is a really terrible place to be shot.
LEMON: Ok.
COHEN: And I'll show you the reason why. We've brought along our medical model here. This is the femoral artery right here. You see it in red. It is a very large artery. It's about the size of your pinky which I know doesn't sound big but that's actually big. So you can bleed out before the paramedics get there. That's what an emergency room doctor told me today. It's a very difficult situation, but -- and here you see actually right here, the femoral artery. It starts in the abdomen and then it goes down into the thigh. Now I asked this emergency room doctor from the University of Chicago, ok, well, what would you have told Jackie Garcia, his girlfriend, if she had called you from the scene and said I've called the paramedics but they are not here yet, what do I do and he said you know what, there's not a whole lot she could have done. There's probably nothing she could have done but what he would have advised if someone had asked him is you put on a tourniquet, remember that from boy scout days, you put on a tourniquet and you squeeze it incredibly tight. The mistake people make is they don't make it tight enough. He said even put like a stick in and twist the stick to get it as tight as you can. But he was very clear that when the femoral artery has been damaged in certain ways you can just sometimes be, unfortunately, out of luck.
LEMON: There's not really much you can do. Besides, and in surgery you'll see like a doctor sometimes on a demonstration like stick their finger to try to cut it off. But you don't have that access when you're not a doctor.
COHEN: Oh I asked him about that because another doctor had said to me, you know what, if you sever, completely sever the femoral artery, it's actually in some situations better because that artery will spasm sometimes and close itself off. But if only part of the artery is affected, imagine having a hole in a pipe and that water just gushes out, so theoretically you should be able to put your fingers over that hole and hold off the blood flow. However, this doctor said to me it's incredibly difficult to do, because when you -- if you're going to go in there and muck stuff up you might cause a blood clot to travel, you might do more harm than good. He said someone who really knows what they are doing in exactly the right situation with it truly visible, they might be able to do it, but it's a very difficult thing, not impossible, but a difficult thing for a lay person to do.
LEMON: I have to ask you this real quick. Here's a man obviously, difference between a man and a woman when it comes to this, the femoral artery?
COHEN: There is actually. Right, this emergency room doctor said, you know what, women are slower to bleed out. Women do better in this situation, and I asked him why and he said they think it has something to do with the estrogen, that it protects women. So women do better and obviously younger, healthier people do better than let's say an older person who's not in good health.
LEMON: That's very interesting. I've learned something but I didn't have to wonder red when you said like a pinky right on this middle that sort of goes around.
COHEN: Right, as big as your pinky, like your pinky is bigger than mine, your femoral artery is bigger than mine. But it has to be about the size of your pinky.
LEMON: And on that, all that blood can come out, all right, thank you very much for that Elizabeth. PHILLIPS: CNN has Sean Taylor's last known interview given during training camp in August of this year. He talks about getting picked for the pro bowl in Hawaii last year and he sounds humble, even downplaying his talent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEAN TAYLOR: There's so many people out there in the NFL that make hard hits every week. I thank them for voting me that but that means nothing and that buys me nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you take pride though in being an intimidating factor out there?
TAYLOR: I don't think I'm an intimidating factor. People aren't scared of Sean.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't? Oh, I beg to differ. Receivers don't want to run into you out there in the middle.
TAYLOR: You know, I'm a good person.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're a good person but you're a hard- hitting safety out on the field. Right?
TAYLOR: Not at all.
Hawaii was definitely an experience I thought I'd never get to have and it was definitely a wonderful time out there for me and my dad. I took my dad out there. I mean, I had a pretty good time, it was just kind of nice, me being able to meet other players from different teams and just be able to talk to them and sit down with them and you know, know that it wasn't all about football. You can actually talk to these guys and you can see that it's more to them than football.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: His teammates say that Taylor matured after the birth of his daughter, and we're still waiting for that news conference on behalf of the Washington Redskins. It should happen within the hour. We're expected to hear from head coach Joe Gibbs and also the team owner Daniel Snider. We'll take that live as soon as that happens.
LEMON: In the baby grace mystery it was a talented forensic artist who helped fill in the blanks. We'll talk with Lois Gibson, about the case, her job and why she takes them both personally.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: America's mayors are warning about more trouble for the housing market and the potential harm that will cause to their cities around the country. Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange with the latest. Susan, just yesterday, front page of the Atlanta paper, just talking about the housing crisis. SUSAN LISOVICZ: That's right, it is affecting a lot of places, and Atlanta saw a lot of development, and some of those areas are especially hard hit as a result. America's mayors expect the mortgage meltdown to take a heavy toll on home prices and consequently their cities next year. The U.S. Conference of Mayors representing 1,100 cities says the average price decline will be 7 percent in '08. The group predicts another 1.4 million homeowners will face foreclosure and the mayors say that will lead to more than $1 trillion in lost property value. The organization also predicts new home construction will sink to the lowest level since 1993. The mayors are also concerned that municipal tax receipts will suffer along with those declining home property values. The group's president who happens to be mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, says this has the potential to break the back of the economy. Kyra?
PHILLIPS: And prices already on the decline.
LISOVICZ: That's right because just this morning we got a closely watched report showing the largest quarterly decline in home prices in the 21-year history of the S&P index. While prices have been falling steadily since July of '06 the drop in the latest quarter was the steepest. Housing stocks are mixed this afternoon, but stocks overall are rallying big time after yesterday's selloff. Lower oil prices are giving stocks a lift. Prices are falling, down $3 this afternoon on speculation OPEC will hike production at its meeting next week. Check it out, the Dow well off of its highs but still up 166 points or about 1-1/3 percent. The NASDAQ is up 1 percent.
Coming up, say the word Google. Most people think online search, of course, but how about storage or electricity? Google's newest business plans in the next hour of NEWSROOM. I'm going to Google it and give you all you need to know on that, Kyra, back out to you.
PHILLIPS: Sounds good. We'll talk to you in a little bit.
LISOVICZ: You got it.
LEMON: A daring prison escape in Pennsylvania has a convicted murderer on the run. You won't believe how he got out.
And look at this. Here comes the bride. Which one is the bride? Get real, dude. This would never fool a man in uniform.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live in the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Miami police are working round the clock to find the unknown killer of NFL star. An autopsy is expected this afternoon on Washington Redskins player Sean Taylor who died early today at 24. We're also standing by for a Redskins news conference in Virginia at any time now. Taylor was shot in the leg early yesterday at his suburban Miami home where flowers have now been left at the gate, and where friends and family are gathered to mourn, and where the locks are also being changed.
Police say an intruder broke in as Taylor, his girlfriend and their baby slept. Here's what Taylor's former lawyer told CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD SHARPSTEIN, TAYLOR'S FMR. ATTORNEY: Apparently there was some noise out in the living room. Sean and she were sleeping in the bedroom with their 18-month-old daughter. They heard noise, a thump. They went out. Sean locked the bedroom door. Before he could do anything the door was kicked in. It's unknown how many assailants were there. Jackie hid under the covers.
Two shots rang out. One hit him in the leg piercing his thigh and his femoral artery. He bled out profusely. By the time Jackie waited for people to clear, she got down, and he was breathing heavily and chest heaving, eyes back in his head. He was pretty much unconscious and non-responsive from that point on, never really recovered.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Another break-in was reported at Taylor's home November 18. No one was there at the time of that one. Miami-Dade police are urgently looking for more information as they search for Sean Taylor's killer. If you can help, call this number.
PHILLIPS: Relatives had already started buying Riley Christmas presents when detectives and FBI agents traveled to Ohio over the weekend to tell them that they had an I.D. and it had been made.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT SAWYERS, RILEY'S FATHER: Just trying to get through all of this. It's very rough.
QUESTION: Do you feel that the charges could be more serious than what they are right now?
SHERYL SAWYERS, RILEY'S GRANDMOTHER: Uh, yeah, and I hope they are upgraded to just, you know, injury of a child. She wasn't just injured. She's dead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Riley's family struggling to comprehend the nightmare that began when they first saw the Baby Grace drawing on TV. That sketch is the work of forensic artist Lois Gibson, who herself has been the victim of a violent crime.
Lois, so glad to have you with us.
LOIS GIBSON, FORENSIC ARTIST: Oh, Kyra, I'm delighted to be here. PHILLIPS: Just hearing from the family and talking to detectives, all of us have had a chance pretty much to talk to everybody involved in this case, and now we're so lucky to talk to you. It really was your sketch that triggered something in the minds of little Riley's grandmother. And the next thing you knew this case was pretty much being solved. When you found out what your sketch had done, tell me about the rush. It must have been overwhelming.
GIBSON: I couldn't hardly believe it because the last time I had a murdered baby it took seven months. I knew it was it. I heard the gossip. They said they found somebody and then a seasoned homicide detective called me, that had already retired, and he said this is it. This is going to be it. And he was saying from the reaction of the mother, at the fence, when media contacted her. So I did cry. I was in a taco restaurant, and I cried.
PHILLIPS: Lois, tell me why you got so emotional about this case. Were you emotional about this case even before you found out what your sketch had done.
GIBSON: Well, I get emotional about all my cases. I don't mind doing that. I've been doing this for 25 years. And I use my emotions as a fuel for my engine. I do this because someone tried to kill me for fun when I was 21, so I know what it was like to watch myself die. But I didn't die. And I know what it feels like to see justice. And I want to get justice for people, and I know Riley, she didn't even have a chance.
And I love helping helpless victims and she could not be more helpless. Not only is she tiny and two years old, but she's been murdered. So I was able to cry out with her, and I do beautiful little girls really well. That's my favorite thing to draw is little bitty blonde-headed girls. And I was so delighted to be able to go to the morgue and look at her and see what was left of her, which was unspeakable. But I knew, even though she was in such a horrible state, I knew she would be beautiful, and she was.
PHILLIPS: And how did you -- what kind of details did you look for when you had to start making your sketches? It must have been gruesome in many ways? Did you actually have to look at the remains and --
GIBSON: I did that on purpose. I'm going to go all the way for that little girl. I knew it was a murdered girl. And pictures don't do justice compared to seeing someone in person, including if they are dead. So I had to go and go all the way. And I went to the morgue -- and I brought my camera in case they didn't have good pictures, but they did. And then they gave me pictures of the clothing. And I took this picture of my Tippy Celeste (ph). And I used that pose and put the clothing on the little dead girl.
So, my Tippers looked like this girl. You know?
PHILLIPS: Your daughter actually looked like Riley at that age.
GIBSON: Exactly. She's 22 now, but you don't forget when you have your little baby girl. I've done 500 portraits on the River Walk in San Antonio of little bitty children, so I knew how to draw children really well. And I went to dental school. So, I knew how to do the teeth. And the teeth on a deceased person are the same, they are not deteriorated. And so I was able to replicate the teeth exactly.
And I'm glad I hit a home run and it was quick. I'm so glad it was a quick resolution. I needed it. Before I found out results I prayed could this please finish, could I get a finish at all? Because sometimes I have unsolved cases and I honestly don't know if I could have lived with it if it hadn't been solved.
PHILLIPS: You took that to heart.
I just have to ask you, because you just sort of skimmed past it, and I know our viewers are probably wondering. You actually were the victim of a serial rapist and serial killer. And tell me again what was it when you went through that and the fact that you survived that has now contributed to this passion that you have when you make these sketches for detectives?
GIBSON: What happens when you get attacked is you want justice more than anything at all. It ruins every second, every minute, every hour of every day after it happens. And my life was destroyed and I couldn't even figure out how to commit suicide. Because to commit suicide it takes a lot of energy. I realized that I couldn't do it because I wasn't energetic enough to kill myself. And six weeks after my attack I went up a street -- I didn't mean to go up -- and I accidentally came on the guy that tried to get me, getting arrested for another crime. This was in Los Angeles, 45 minutes from my house. And it's a miracle that six weeks later I would drive by at the exact second he walked out of the door.
So, I profile all that in my book "Faces of Evil." It's a true crime book. I've solved over 1,142 cases. And so I had quite a bit for a book. I only needed 12 chapters. It's called "Faces of Evil" and it describes the miracle of seeing justice. I saw justice in spite of myself. Because it's a sexual assault, like nine out of 12 girls, I couldn't bring myself to report it. So I couldn't get justice, but because of this miracle I drove by, I saw justice. I could go on living.
That's why I do what I do. I know what it feels like to almost be killed. I know what it feels like to want justice more than anything else in the world and then I know what it feels like to get justice. And I'll do whatever it takes. If it takes going into the morgue and looking at a murdered baby that's been dead for a very long time, and the decomposition -- but I could see she was beautiful -- I will do that.
PHILLIPS: You did it for little Riley.
GIBSON: I did it. My sketch did do it finally, yeah.
PHILLIPS: Thank you for talking to us. Really appreciate it.
GIBSON: You're welcome.
PHILLIPS: Lois Gibson, forensic artist. Pretty amazing stuff.
For more on how artists and investigators put together sketches and models to solve crimes go to CNN.com. You can learn more about Lois. You will also find in-depth information on the fascinating science of recreating a face.
LEMON: Police in Pennsylvania are searching for a convicted murderer who escaped a prison two days ago in a garbage can. Surveillance video shows another inmate covering up 53-year-old Malcolm Kysor with a box and plastic bag. The garbage can was hauled away from the prison. Kysor apparently had someone on the outside waiting to help him. He was serving a life sentence for a 1988 murder conviction.
PHILLIPS: A new push for a lasting peace in the Middle East. Israelis and Palestinians are sitting down this hour in Annapolis, Maryland, in the company of more than 40 other delegations from the region, and the world. The meetings began with a joint declaration to try to achieve a permanent two-state solution by the end of 2008. President Bush is hosting the talks. He says peace making is an opportunity that just can't be missed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Achieving this goal is not going to be easy. If it were easy, it would have happened a long time ago. To achieve freedom and peace, both Israelis and Palestinians will have to make tough choices. Both sides are sober about the work ahead and having spent time with the leaders they are ready to take on the tough issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The one country not represented in Annapolis is Iran. It's opposed to the whole idea and openly critical of longtime ally Syria for taking part. CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Tehran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Clearly feeling no threat of isolation out of the Annapolis summit Iran's supreme leader has said the conference is doomed for failure. The only real threat Iran had was the fact that Syria is in attendance. Many have said that could cause a wedge between Syria and Iran's alliance, but those concerns were really put to rest, at least in Iran today.
Syria's foreign minister, according to state-run reports, has called Iran's ambassador in Damascus and said the only reason Syria attended the conference was to discuss the Golan Heights. And that the Syrian government already believes the conference is a failure. So in Iran it was business as usual; announcements on the state-run news services that Iran has a new long-range missile with a capability of hitting targets within a 1,200-mile radius. That includes, of course, U.S. bases in the Middle East and Israel. Iran has already had similar missiles but none have been independently verified. Iran also said that on Wednesday it will launch a new submarine in its southern waters. All of this, the defense minister says, is part of a defensive strategy, preparing the Islamic republic for any oncoming attack. Aneesh Raman, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Insurgents cook up a plan to get past an Iraqi military checkpoint near Baghdad, but the wedding party ploy falls apart when guards realize the bride just isn't blushing. She has a 5 o'clock shadow. In fact, the bride, the groom and several alleged attendants were wanted terror suspects. They are now in custody.
LEMON: So she needs a little laser treatment or something. Who knows?
Let's head now to the Newsroom. CNN's Betty Nguyen working the details of a developing story.
What do you have for us, Betty?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Yes, we understand the American Red Cross has ousted its president, Mark Everson, after learning he had engaged in a personal relationship with a subordinate employee. Everson is the former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. He took the Red Cross job last May as the charity sought to restructure itself after -- you remember that sharp criticism from its response to Hurricane Katrina? Well, that's when he took the reins.
And in a statement the Red Cross said that it asked and received Everson's resignation effective immediately after learning of that relationship. Let me just tell you what we have learned from a statement, from Mark Everson saying, quote, "I am resigning my position for personal and family reasons, and deeply regret it is impossible for me to continue in a job so recently undertaken. I leave with extraordinary admiration for the American Red Cross, the service its men and women provide our nation and for the humanitarian work of the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement across the world."
But again, Mark Everson, the president of the American Red Cross has resigned and his resignation was called for by the Red Cross after they found out that he had a relationship, a personal relationship, with a subordinate employee. So that's the latest. A committee has been formed, Don, to find a new leader for the Red Cross. We'll keep you posted.
LEMON: All right, Betty. Thank you very much for that story.
And we're also going to update our breaking news here. Our top story here on CNN, the death of Washington Redskins player Sean Taylor. We'll take you live to a news conference as soon as that happens. Meantime, live pictures outside of the Washington Redskins' headquarters in Ashburn, Virginia. Black bunting has been hung there. Details to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Topping our political ticker, Senator Edward Kennedy set to reap a big pay day for writing his memoirs. Hatchet Book Group just bought the rights for a reported $8 million. Clearly Kennedy has lots of material to draw from after more than four decades in the Senate. And of course, there's some interest his family, too.
Anyway, the Senate Ethics Committee still has to clear the deal. A Kennedy advisor says a significant cut of the money will go to charity, including the John F. Kennedy Library.
Well, we asked for questions and, boy, did you deliver. We got nearly 5,000 submissions for tomorrow night's YouTube debate. We don't know yet which questions will actually make it on the air, and to the Republican candidates, but here's a few samples.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where do you stand on the terminally ill patient's right to die? If a national physician assisted suicide law were passed, would you sign it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George W. Bush and his administration are suffering from all-time lows in approval ratings. How will you, as a Republican candidate, distance yourself from the president and his administration in order to appeal to the mainstream voter?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you be willing to extend all the health care coverage that you get in the United States Senate, the House of Representatives, and the president, would you be willing to extend that coverage to all Americans?
SNOWMAN: This question is for Fred Thompson. You've made it clear you don't believe in humans cause global warming. Al Gore won the Nobel peace prize for fighting against global warming. Does this mean you don't believe in peace?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, if you would like to see more of the questions viewers submitted for the CNN/YouTube debate, CNN.com/politics has it all. Get the latest news from the campaign trail, the political ticker, and more, CNNpolitics.com. And tune in to the CNN/YouTube Republicans debate 8:00 p.m. Eastern tomorrow night. The best political team on television is choosing your questions for the candidates from thousands of submissions on YouTube. Your voice will be heard, only on CNN, you home for politics.
LEMON: Detroit, one of the many cities bleeding home foreclosures is hosting a group of mayors trying to address the issue. They are talking strategy with financial counselors, mortgage lenders, and also banks. Ahead of the meeting the U.S. Conference of Mayors released a pretty gloomy report. It projects the foreclosure crises will mean more than 500,000 fewer jobs created next year, and a possible loss of $6.6 billion in tax revenues in 10 states. On top of all of that, more bad housing news. Standard & Poor's says home values fell 4.5 percent this quarter, from the year before. It's the steepest drop in the two decades S&P has been keeping records.
So Geri Willis, what do you do if you're a homeowner, that's the question?
GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: You know, Don, I think a lot of people are panicking out there, but you've really got to look at the big picture.
First off, home prices have increased overall 51 percent over the past five years. That's according to the federal government, so if you own your home any time at all you've seen increases.
Now, having said that, it's probably not the time to do the ultimate kitchen upgrade. Look, homeowners could stand not to recoup much of the value. Two years ago most projects returned 85 cents on the dollar. Today, only less than a quarter of these projects return the same amount. So maybe forget adding the granite countertops to the high-end appliances. Middle-of-the-road renovations will be your best payoff since now is probably a great time to find a contractor. Their services are on sale.
LEMON: OK. So, Gerri, then, how do you protect your home value if there are foreclosures in your area? Because it won't necessarily be your neighbor's problem, it can be your problem as well.
WILLIS: That's right. Foreclosures in your neighborhood hurt the value of your home. For every foreclosure in your neighborhood your home value goes down about 1 percent. Now if you have foreclosures in your neighborhood, you're going to need to take matters into your own hands. Join a neighborhood watch program or form one yourself so you'll be able to spot foreclosed properties that are beginning to decay. Pull weeds, plant flowers. I'm telling you, you are going to take this on yourself. If you've heard of people in your area having trouble paying their mortgage, or even if you think you're afraid of going into foreclosure, get help now.
There are places to go. Contact the Homeownership Preservation Foundation at 888-995-HOPE. And the Department of Urban and Housing Development can help you with a counselor. Call 1-800-569-4287 to get assistance in your community.
LEMON: So, you really are your neighbor's keeper. One more question, though, because people are still going to be looking for homes even in a bad market. What advice do you have for people who may be in the market to buy a house?
WILLIS: This is tricky. Most experts predict housing prices are likely to drop well into next year, so if you're in the market where prices have just started falling, you may want to wait three to six months before getting in. Of course, on the other hand, lenders are more strict these days with credit, so it's harder qualifying for a mortgage. If you must sell, though, in this market, remember that pricing your home correctly is one of the most important moves you'll make. The bottom line here, real estate is local. So the areas that have seen double-digit growth over the past few quarters will naturally see the biggest declines. It's estimated that housing prices will bottom sometime next year, and that means, ultimately, some day, a recovery is in the cards.
LEMON: Ultimately, some day, I would not want to be selling a house in this environment, Gerri.
WILLIS: It's tough.
LEMON: It is tough. Thank you for your advice.
WILLIS: My pleasure.
PHILLIPS: We're still waiting for that news conference out of Ashburn, Virginia. The death of Sean Taylor, we're expected for the Redskins head coach and team owners to step up to the mikes. We'll take it live when it happens.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: These are not good times for the family of wrestler and reality show star Hulk Hogan. "Showbiz Tonight" host A.J. Hammer joins me now with the release of some pretty interesting 911 tapes.
Hey, A.J.
A.J. HAMMER, CNN ANCHOR, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: Hey there, Kyra.
Yeah, the 911 calls that were made moments after Hulk Hogan's son car crash can now be heard. Seventeen-year-old Nick Bollea crashed his car back in August. The number of people who witnessed the accident called for help.
(BEGIN AUIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They was racing, they were racing. I saw it happen. It was two cars drag racing and one just wiped out.
Now the car that he was drag racing was in the left lane. His car was all the way in the right lane. And the car that he was drag racing is headed towards Tampa.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, well, I'm not the police. I don't have anything to do with the police. So, I'm trying to get you with them so we can advise them of that information.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's no way this guy is alive after that.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HAMMER: That 911 call had been released involving the car crash with Hogan's son, Nick Bollea. The 17-year-old was arrested earlier this month on reckless driving charges. Clearwater police say that Bollea crashed his 1998 Toyota Supra while he was street racing against a silver Dodge Viper, which was driven by a friend. He was reportedly driving about 20 miles per hour over the speed limit. His passenger, John Graziano was not wearing a seat belt. He was critically injured in the crash. Bollea was wearing a seat belt, he was not seriously injured.
Meanwhile, Hulk Hogan's wife Linda Bollea, filed for divorce after 24 years of marriage. She's asking for alimony, child support, and a share of the family's two multi-million dollar Florida properties. So, yeah, not a happy time for them.
Coming up tonight on "Showbiz Tonight," the most useless celebrities in Hollywood. We have a controversial look at the stars who remain remarkably famous and wealthy even though, well, they don't seem to have a lick of talent. Who is the most useless? Don't miss this special report tonight on TV's most provocative entertainment news show. We'll see you at 11:00 p.m., Eastern and Pacific, on "Showbiz Tonight."
PHILLIPS: Sounds good. Thanks, A.J.
HAMMER: You got it, Kyra.
LEMON: Well, I bet you the driver of this car thought about making a pit stop? This wasn't exactly what she had in mind.
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