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Texas Police Raid Polygamist Compound; Price to Fly Soars; General Petraeus and Ryan Crocker Prepare to Testify

Aired April 07, 2008 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the worst year ever for the U.S. airline industry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Bumped, delayed, canceled, and just plain fed up. When it comes to flying, you're paying more, you're losing more, and you're fuming even more.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: A polygamist sect, scores of children, allegations of sex abuse, it's all part of a raid at a sprawling Texas ranch. And now police make an arrest.

From CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Kyra Phillips.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

We have a new development to tell you about in a massive and ongoing raid at a sprawling west Texas ranch. We're learning that state police have arrested one person after removing scores of children. Now they're trying to find out just what went on inside the ranch, home for years to a polygamous sect.

Let's get to the latest from CNN's Ed Lavandera. He's nearby in San Angelo, Texas.

That's where child protective services, they plan to hold a news conference in less than an hour, right, Ed?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Don.

And, also, we're told that the CPS officials will also be joined by a spokesperson from the Department of Public Safety, the state police here. And, so, we suspect that there will be some added information as to this arrest that has been made on the compound.

You have to remember here that the investigators moved on to this compound late Thursday afternoon and began their searches. They're still doing that. They initially went in with SWAT teams, preparing for situations where they might be prevented by the people living on the compound from entering certain areas. And that has indeed been the case on several occasions throughout the weekend. So, as you hear it, we talk about this arrest that has been made, it's important to point out that it might not have anything to do with the abuse allegations. It might have just a lot more to do with the fact that maybe someone is getting in the way of the police work on the compound.

So, we will kind of keep that in mind for the next couple of hours, as we expect to hear more information. But the CPS workers you're talking about have been flown into the San Angelo area by the dozens. You see them all over the place. And they're doing extensive one-on-one interviews with all these children that have been pulled out of the compound, some 220 people in all.

And it's really been the first time that many people in this part of west Texas have ever gotten an up-close look at who these mysterious people are that have been living on this 1,600-acre compound for four years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): From a distance, the dresses and hairstyles suggest these sect members are from another time. But the images don't fully capture the drama several hundred women and children have endured.

EVA JO SESSOM, CHURCH VOLUNTEER: They just were so fearful. And all they have learned, that we were of the devil, all the outside world was of the devil.

LAVANDERA: Helen Pfluger and dozens of other Eldorado residents spent the last four days setting up a temporary shelter for the sect members at a local Baptist church. The experience was eye- opening.

How do you react when a child looks confused by a crayon?

HELEN PFLUGER, CHURCH VOLUNTEERS: Didn't know. She was maybe 16 -- maybe 16 -- didn't know what to do with Crayolas. She said, What are we supposed to do with these?

LAVANDERA: Inside the compound, there are no televisions, no newspapers, no magazines.

(on-camera): For the volunteers here in Eldorado who have been taking care of these sect members, it's really the first chance they have ever had to come close to them. Almost none of the women and children ever venture off the compound. In fact, only a few of the men have ever been seen around town.

(voice-over): Several volunteers say many of the women and children sat huddled together. Many were described as non-responsive. And that they even wanted their beds to be touching.

Pfluger says she heard one girl tell a child abuse investigator that it's an honor to be a teenaged mother. PFLUGER: It was a little girl, probably 8 years old, and she had one of the babies and you could have thought, Oh, well, that's her mother. She was learning at that age to be a mother. Not with a doll, because they don't have dolls. Their dolls are real.

JIMALEE DUTTON, CHURCH VOLUNTEER: The young pregnant girls was hard to watch or hard -- hard to watch, or hard to see. Some of them, the way they would not look at you, would not give you eye contact, that was -- that was hard.

LAVANDERA: Investigators acknowledge the children are terrified of the world outside the compound. But people like Helen Pfluger and other volunteers are also terrified of what it's like inside the compound.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LAVANDERA: And the girl at the center of this investigation is a 16-year-old teenager suspected of being impregnated and married by a 50-year-old man. Officials here say they still haven't been able to identify that young girl, even though they have been pulling out more than 220 people from this compound over the last four days -- Don.

LEMON: Ed Lavandera in San Angelo, Texas -- Ed, thank you for that report.

Secretive and operating outside the law, how polygamist sects get away with it? Ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM, a former sheriff's deputy who converted to a polygamist group after he was sent investigate one shares his amazing story with us about how he got into the group and how he eventually got out.

KEILAR: Protesters in San Francisco getting a jump on the arrival of the Olympic torch. The city hosts the only North American leg of the relay on Wednesday.

And just a little while ago, these guys managed to scale the Golden Gate Bridge and hang a "Free Tibet" banner. Big anti-China demonstrations are expected along the torch's route on Wednesday.

Meantime, Senator Hillary Clinton has entered the fiery debate over these Beijing Summer Games. Today, she called on President Bush to boycott the opening ceremonies over concerns about China's human rights record. That record was the focus of angry protests today in Paris, where the torch relay descended into chaos.

Demonstrators formed human blockades. Riot police dragged them away and people with fire extinguishers rushed the flame. Officials finally called it quits after just 10 miles of the 17-mile route.

LEMON: And, Brianna, members of the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee travel with the torch as it makes its way around the world. Initially, plans were to have three to six attendants run along with the torch.

Their official role, to help with the handoff from one relay runner to the other and to ensure that the torch remains lit. Now, even when the torch is not on public display, at least one of them must be awake. And when the torch -- even overnight, must be with the torch, just to make sure that the torch stays lit.

With all the disruptions and protests, more than 20 attendants and security people are now traveling with the route of that torch and they're going to be with it for the whole time.

For more on the protests that have greeted the torch relay, including pictures from I-Reporters and a map of the flame's route around the world, log on to CNN.com/Olympics.

KEILAR: More than 10 years later after 250 witnesses and $6 million of British taxpayers' money, there is an official ruling on Princess Diana's fatal crash.

A coroner's jury has placed the blame on her chauffeur and also the pack of paparazzi for grossly negligent driving. The 1997 crash in Paris killed the princess, her friend Dodi Fayed, and the chauffeur, Henri Paul. Fayed's father has insisted for years now the British royal family was responsible. He says he's disappointed by today's ruling.

LEMON: President Bush is putting a proposed free trade agreement with Colombia on the fast track. He's signed a letter that requires Congress to vote on the measure within 90 working days before lawmakers leave in the fall for the campaign season.

Many Democrats oppose the deal, saying Colombia has not done enough to halt violence in the country. The bill would end tariffs on most goods traded between the two countries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: President Uribe has told members of Congress, and me as well, that approving the free trade agreement is the best way for America to demonstrate our support for Colombia.

People throughout the hemisphere are watching to see what the United States will do. If Congress fails to approve this agreement, it would not only abandon a brave ally; it would send a signal throughout the region that America cannot be counted on to support its friends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice is also pushing the deal.

She says in an op-ed in "The Wall Street Journal," "More than 90 percent of Colombian goods enter the U.S. duty-free, while our exports to Colombia face tariffs of up to 35 percent. This agreement would level the playing field for U.S. workers, enabling them to send the products of their labor to Colombia on the same terms that Colombians now send theirs to the U.S. The result, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission, would be an annual increase of approximately $1.1 billion in U.S. exports to Colombia."

KEILAR: Hillary Clinton has shaken up her campaign after a controversy involving the Colombia free trade agreement.

Clinton's chief strategist -- you see him here, Mark Penn -- he stepped down after it was disclosed that he had actually met with Colombian government officials to discuss promoting the trade deal. The problem, Clinton opposes the agreement. Her campaign says Penn will continue to provide polling information and advice and his duties will be assumed by other campaign staffers.

LEMON: Well, we have also heard a lot about the North American Free Trade Agreement on the campaign trail. The deal eliminated most tariffs on traded among the United States, Canada and also Mexico. And it brought down most investment barriers.

Now, here's where the candidates stand on the issue. John McCain voted yes on NAFTA when it came up for a vote in 1993, calling it vital to the future of America. Barack Obama says he would call the leaders of Mexico and Canada to try to amend NAFTA. He would also stop tax breaks for companies that move overseas and he says the federal government must reinvest in communities that are not benefiting from free trade.

Hillary Clinton supported NAFTA while she was the first lady, but now believes it should be changed. She says she would end tax breaks for American companies that move jobs out of the country. Under current laws, those companies can defer paying U.S. taxes on overseas earnings.

KEILAR: Talk about unwanted baggage -- airlines facing sky-high complaints from you, the passenger. We have a new report card just out today.

LEMON: And a pretty good sign of the party's over when police break out the tear gas -- caught on camera, revelers-turned-rioters. Cops try to gain control of a huge party near Michigan State University.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: You don't have to fly often to realize there are some real problems with air travel. And judging by responses to a new survey of airline quality, passengers are fuming.

Consumer complaints against carriers jumped 60 percent last year. On-time arrivals dropped for the fifth straight year. In fact, the survey shows that more than one in every four flights is late. Also on the rise, the number of passengers bumped from overbooked flights and the number of bags lost, stolen or damaged -- Now, some airlines fared better than others. Three carriers in particular got high marks from passengers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. BRENT BOWEN, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-OMAHA: The number-one rated airline in America today is AirTran. AirTran moved into the number-one place from third last year, were followed by JetBlue, that remained in the second position. And Southwest, at number three this year, moved up from the sixth position. It's interesting to note that all three of the top-rated carriers are low-cost carriers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: And a closer look at those air carriers -- AirTran had the fewest mishandled bags. JetBlue bumped the fewest passengers. And Southwest had the best on-time performance. At bottom of the list, though, Comair, American Eagle, and in last place, Atlantic Southeast.

LEMON: Many airlines aren't helping their image by raising ticket prices. Those in charge say they have no choice if they want to keep flying.

CNN's Alina Cho looks at what's behind the airline blues.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really comes down to jet fuel prices. If you think about, just as we're paying more to fill up our cars, on a much larger scale, the airlines are paying more to fill up their planes. Jet fuel prices are up a whopping 200 percent over last year, and that's affecting everyone's bottom line.

(voice-over): Talk about going up, up and away. Jet fuel prices are sky high and climbing, a tough combination especially for low-cost airlines.

GENEVIEVE BROWN, SR. EDITOR, TRAVELOCITY: Those low fares are just simply not enough to cover the high cost of fuel.

CHO: Three airlines folded under the pressure in recent weeks. ATA, Aloha, and Skybus, all closed up shop. Leaving passengers holding their bags and looking for a way home.

UNIDENTIFIED TRAVELER: We decided to rent a car. That was our cheapest way to get back.

CHO: Bigger carriers are also feeling the pain. American, the nation's biggest, has stopped hiring. Delta is looking to cut 2,000 jobs. Continental has hinted it could follow suit. Northwest and United say they will fly fewer planes.

And then there are the extra fees. Checking more than one bag? Be ready to pay up. An extra 50 bucks on most airlines. Want to talk to a real person on the phone or bring Fido along on your flight? You got it, pay up.

BROWN: Airlines have become more creative about how they make money. We're now paying for things that once were included in the cost of an airline ticket.

CHO: We're paying another price, too. Customer complaints shot up 60 percent last year according to new numbers from the Airline Quality Survey. There were more delays with one out of every four flights showing up late. Airlines trying to fill flights to capacity meant more people got bumped, even though they had tickets.

And luggage? Good luck finding it. The number of bags lost also up for the year.

(on-camera): The airlines as an industry just returned to profitability last year after that rough period following 9/11. That makes what's happening now all the more painful. And it's painful for the passenger, too. Those higher costs that the airlines are paying most certainly are being passed on to the flying public.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: A female murdered and her mom now speaking out -- a CNN exclusive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Yahoo! once again saying thanks, but no thanks. Yahoo! says it wants a better offer than Microsoft's $44.6 billion bid to buy the Internet icon. Yahoo!'s chairman and CEO said they're not opposed to a deal, but say this offer price is -- it's just too low. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sent a lawyer to Yahoo! over the weekend threatening to take his offer right to the shareholders.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

KEILAR: Saving on life insurance -- you can protect your wallet and your family.

Christine Romans helps you make a decision that's "Right on Your Money."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Buying life insurance can be confusing. Some policies have fixed terms and others can be adjusted each year. Money Magazine Walter Updegrave suggests a bare bones approach.

WALTER UPDEGRAVE, SENIOR EDITOR, MONEY MAGAZINE: For most people, the answer is a term policy and that provides basic insurance protection. There's no investment component to it. And the nice thing about this sort of policy is that you get -- for a relatively small premium, you got a pretty large death benefit.

ROMANS: And when deciding what amount of life insurance to get, Updegrave says Web sites like lifeline.org, intelliqoute.com, and insure. com can help.

UPDEGRAVE: You go to one of the sites that allow you to comparison shop for policies. You put in your age, the type of policy you're interested in, and it will give you listing of policies with different premiums.

ROMANS: Keep your budget and your priorities in check.

UPDEGRAVE: The idea with insurance isn't to try to create a wind fall should somebody die. It's really to provide just enough protection so that your family can go on and maintain something close to its current lifestyle.

ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Who knows more about polygamy than a former polygamist? We will talk with one and get an inside look at an ultra-secretive world at the half-hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Kyra Phillips.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

It is just almost half past here in the CNN NEWSROOM, and three of the stories that we're working on right now: The Olympic torch won't even arrive in San Francisco until Wednesday, and the protests there are already starting. Three people climbed up the suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge today. They hung massive banners to protest China's human rights record.

And, also, Hillary Clinton has now called on President Bush to boycott the opening of the Beijing Summer Olympics.

One analyst says the past year was the worst year ever for airlines in the U.S. An annual survey of airline quality finds, consumer complaints soared last year, amid more lost luggage, more bumped passengers, and fewer on-time arrivals.

The inquest into the death of Princess Diana has come out with a ruling today. It blames Diana's 1997 car crash in Paris on grossly negligent driving by her chauffeur and the paparazzi who were in pursuit.

LEMON: Tomorrow brings the long-awaited return to Capitol Hill of the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus. Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, are to report again on the state of the war and troop withdrawal prospects.

War supporters John McCain and opponents Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton all will get to question Petraeus and Crocker. After Petraeus and Crocker, President Bush will speak to the nation on the subject of Iraq and it's expected he will announce shorter tours of duty for Americans fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

To tell us more about that from the Pentagon, our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- hi, Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, hi, Don.

The open secret about General Petraeus' closely guarded testimony is that it's really not much of a secret what he's going to say. All have you to do is look to his recent comments, including an interview he gave CNN just last month in Baghdad, where he said things in Iraq are much better than they were a year ago, but he called the progress "tenuous and reversible."

And that's going to be his theme as he testifies before Congress, that the progress that they've seen could quickly turn around and he's going to need to hold off on any predictions of any further troop cuts, even though privately here at the Pentagon, some are expressing some hope that maybe by the end of this year another additional brigade or two could come home.

But don't expect to hear that kind of prediction from General Petraeus. He's also going to be asked a lot of questions about to what extent progress in Iraq is the result of the surge and to what extent is it a result of Muqtada al Sadr?

Here's an example of some of the questions that Democrats have for General Petraeus from the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: General Petraeus has to be asked the questions, why is this happening?

The battle, as we see in the papers today, is intensifying between al-Sadr and al Maliki. We've heard today's news that the Sunnis are becoming more violent. The Green Zone, which is supposed to be a safe haven, the safest part of Iraq, has seen a series of attacks in the last couple of weeks.

People have been killed in the Green Zone. Our soldiers are now being killed in the Green Zone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Those attacks in the Green Zone are especially worrisome for U.S. commanders. That's one of the reasons you're seeing the operations that are going on now in the Sadr City area of Baghdad. They want to go after those rockets. One of -- a rocket attack over the weekend hit a facility inside the Green Zone where U.S. soldiers were gathered and killed two soldiers and wounded 17 others. That's got to stop, according to U.S. commanders.

But the U.S. is trying to, again, push the Iraqis out in front, to make them take the lead in these kinds of operations and the results, Don, have been mixed. And that's one of the reasons you're going to see a very cautious assessment from General Petraeus when he kicks off those two days of testimony tomorrow.

LEMON: Jamie McIntyre for us at the Pentagon.

Jamie, thank you very much.

And be sure to join CNN on Thursday morning, when President Bush addresses the nation on Iraq and on plans to reduce military tours of duty.

KEILAR: One arrest made, scores of children removed -- the Associated Press reports Texas State Police have arrested one person in their ongoing search of a ranch that's home to a polygamous sect.

Meantime, authorities are now trying to get any information they can from the nearly 160 children taken from the ranch amid allegations of physical and sexual abuse.

We expect to hear from child welfare officials at the top of the hour. But for now, let's get an inside look at the secretive world of polygamists from a man who really should know -- John Llewellyn. He's a retired sheriff's deputy and a former polygamist and he's also the author of the book, "Polygamy's Rape of Rachel Strong."

John, thanks for joining us.

JOHN LLEWELLYN, FORMER POLYGAMIST, AUTHOR, "POLYGAMY'S RAPE OF RACHEL STRONG": It's my pleasure.

KEILAR: And you investigated polygamist sects for the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Department. You were so impressed with Mormon fundamentalism that you actually joined, although you later got out.

Tell us -- I know it's a long story, but if you could just nutshell it for us, tell us why you joined and how you got out.

LLEWELLYN: Well, I was investigating the polygamists that I became interested in Mormonism. And I became active in the LDS Church after I retired in '82. It is a long story. It wasn't something I planned on, but something that happened. And I did become a polygamist for a period of time.

KEILAR: And how did you get out? Was it difficult for you to get out? Do you have contact with any of your children or grandchildren who are still part of it?

LLEWELLYN: I'm in contact with all of my children -- both through marriage and biological and adopted -- about 13. It wasn't hard because I was involved with the second largest polygamist group and it's more liberal and it's more in tune with mainstream society. I got out because of the crime, the corruption and the abuse that's endemic to that lifestyle. I just couldn't handle it any longer.

KEILAR: So you were in the second largest polygamous sect. Obviously, the first largest polygamist sect is the FLDS Church.

LLEWELLYN: That's correct.

KEILAR: Which is what we're talking about here with this raid in Eldorado, Texas.

LLEWELLYN: Right.

KEILAR: Now, we associate these sects, of course, with polygamy. But you say it's not just polygamy, it's really child abuse and that's the problem.

LLEWELLYN: Well, what it's really all about is power, money and sex. And these young girls in the FLDS are literally merchandise.

KEILAR: And how young are they, John?

LLEWELLYN: Well, I've talked to some that have been as young as 12 -- 11 and 12-years-old. This was years ago. But it's not unusual for a 13, 14 or a 15-year-old girl to be selected and placed with a family, with a husband that's many years older than her.

KEILAR: And we're seeing these girls and these women who have been taken out of this sect, this compound in Eldorado, Texas. Is there a possibility for them to join -- I guess we could say the outside world -- or are they so indoctrinated that this will be where many of them stay?

LLEWELLYN: Well, this is going to be the real challenge for the authorities in Texas, is because they have been brainwashed. And they're going to have to try and convince them -- deprogram them so that they know that they have a better life and a more productive life in mainstream society.

I suspect that there will be a few that will go along with it. But, you know, it's about as strange for these young girls to suddenly be thrust into mainstream society as it would for a young lady from Iran to suddenly come to America. That's how much difference there is in the culture.

KEILAR: So we're focused today and the last few days on this sex outpost there in Eldorado, Texas. But it's actually a bigger FLDS community there on the border of Utah and Arizona. It makes you wonder why aren't there raids in that area if it's an even bigger problem.

LLEWELLYN: Well --

KEILAR: Is it -- are people afraid there's going to be sort of a Branch Davidian situation?

LLEWELLYN: No, not really. I think it's a cultural thing. Here in Utah, where Mormonism and the LDS Church is the dominant religion, there's more sympathy for the polygamist because it is still part of LDS scripture. It still is. They just don't believe that they should practice it at this time.

The Utah attorney general has a policy -- and along with a lot of other prosecutors -- that as long as an underage girl isn't involved, they won't bother them. As a result, they've been able to grow and establish their roots. They have incorporated communities to where it's a bona fide subculture right now. And it's just a matter of what they're doing. But I think that the authorities in Texas are going about it right and they are doing what Utah should have done years ago.

KEILAR: And, of course, John Llewellyn, you are fighting polygamy -- spearheading an effort against that.

Thanks so much for joining us, author "Polygamy's Rape of Rachel Strong." Thank you.

LLEWELLYN: And thank you.

LEMON: A female Marine murdered and her mom now speaking out. It's a CNN exclusive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Here's what's hot at CNN.com.

Shocking shirts -- you've seen them before. But now one in particular is stirring up a storm.

Go to CNN.com and find out for yourself which one.

That tragic story out of Detroit -- a toddler stumbles upon a gun in her family's apartment and shoots herself in the head. "The Detroit News" says the girl is in critical condition.

You can check out these stories and more at CNN.com.

And here's another story that people are watching -- the piece by CNN's Nic Robertson. It's on the fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City. It's a stunning, up close look at the Iraqi/American push against a Shiite militia.

Those stories and plenty more at CNN.com.

LEMON: A Marine suspected of killing a pregnant Marine is still on the run.

The mother of the victim says her daughter's murder could have been prevented and our Susan Candiotti has the exclusive interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She is a mother in pain. Mary Lauterbach visits the graves of her murdered pregnant daughter, Maria, and unborn grandson, Gabriel Joseph.

MARY LAUTERBACH, MOTHER OF VICTIM: Preparing for Easter is very hard because Maria loved holidays.

CANDIOTTI: Just a few years ago, her daughter was playing high school soccer and dreaming about a bright future. This is the first video of Maria made public.

MARIA LAUTERBACH, MARINE FOUND MURDERED: For after high school, I am going into the Marines. So I'll probably be doing that for about 20 or 25 years and then hopefully after that becoming a cop.

CANDIOTTI: Two months after Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach was found murdered, her body pulled from a fire pit in a fellow Marine's backyard, her mother is on a mission.

MARY LAUTERBACH: My concern is I want women to be better protected.

CANDIOTTI: Last April, 20-year-old Maria was working the night shift in an office at Camp Lejeune with fellow Marine Corporal Cesar Laurean when she claimed he locked the doors and attacked her. A month later, Maria called her mom.

MARY LAUTERBACH: And said, you know, mom, I've been raped. Maria, you have to report this because you have to protect all the other Marine women to make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else. She says, OK, mom. So the next day she went in and reported it.

CANDIOTTI: Corporal Laurean denied the rape. Maria Lauterbach became pregnant.

MARY LAUTERBACH: If there are perceived credibility issues, you still must protect the person making who's making those claims. You have to protect them. The problem is, when someone has a perceived credibility issue, they make themselves the perfect victim.

CANDIOTTI: While waiting for investigators to finish, Lauterbach reported being punched on base by an unknown attacker and having her car keyed. Then, last December, about a month before Lauterbach's due date and a rape hearing on base, she disappeared. Her roommate found a note.

(on-camera): So the note said, "I could not take this Marine life any more, so I'm going away. Sorry for the inconvenience, Maria."

Does that sound like your daughter?

MARY LAUTERBACH: It shocked me. No. And she never gave me any indication that she was leaving.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): A month later, Maria's body was dug up. Investigators say Laurean told his wife he had buried Maria under his barbecue pit after she slit her throat. He ran. The M.E. says Maria was killed by a blow to the head.

REP. MIKE TURNER (R), OHIO: And this is a matter that deserves higher scrutiny.

CANDIOTTI: Lauterbach's hometown Congressman, Mike Turner, wants answers from the Marine Corps, including why Laurean didn't submit DNA during the investigation. The Marine Corps defends its action as appropriate and is expected to reply to the Congressman soon.

(on-camera): What worries you about other women who might be raped who are in the armed services and whether they will come forward after they look at this particular case? TURNER: Well, they're going to be very concerned about their own safety. And they're going to wonder whether or not, like Maria, if they'll feel as if they're alone in coming forward with the accusation. That fear has really have -- got to have a chilling effect.

CANDIOTTI (on-camera): Authorities are still waiting for the results of the paternity test to confirm whether Cesar Laurean is the father of Maria Lauterbach's unborn baby.

Charged with murder, Laurean remains on the run, believed to be hiding in Mexico. Will he be caught? Authorities say they hope so -- trying their best to cut off his resources.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Dayton, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And we want you to take a close look at these two pictures. This is Marine Corporal Cesar Laurean. The one on the left is a photo investigators were showing when he first went missing and the one on the right is the most recent photo. Authorities think he is hiding somewhere in Mexico. He may have grown this beard and is possibly a little tanner than he was when he took off a few months ago.

KEILAR: Tomorrow brings the long-awaited return to Capitol Hill of the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus. Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker -- you saw him on the right there -- they're going to report again on the state of the war and troop withdrawal prospects.

War supporter John McCain and opponents Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton all will get to question Petraeus and Crocker. And you can tune in for Petraeus' live testimony on the Iraq War. Our coverage from Capitol Hill begins at 10:00 a.m. Eastern right here in THE NEWSROOM.

LEMON: Well, here's a good sign the party's over -- when police break out the tear gas.

(VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Caught on camera -- revelers turned rioters. Cops try to gain control of a huge party near Michigan State University.

KEILAR: Baby talk on the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you vote for Hillary or for Obama?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Say I've got a crush on O...

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Bama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Talk about the youth vote.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, we have a developing story to tell you about. It involves a polygamous sect in Eldorado, Texas. We told you earlier that one person was arrested. That was according to the Associated Press.

Here's what we're hearing about that person. The Associated Press says the person was charged with interfering with the duties of a public servant for actions made during the search of the religious compound. A Department of Public Safety spokesman is saying that -- giving that information to the Associated Press.

Again, 220 women and children were taken away from this compound over the weekend. Those children now in the care of Child Protective Services. Details to come.

KEILAR: Fifty-two people busted and more arrests are likely after a huge party turns sour near Michigan State University. It was all caught on camera.

(VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, police finally resorting to tear gas to disperse drunken rioters. The all day party started off quietly, with barbecues and Frisbee. But eventually about 3,000 or 4,000 people gathered in the student housing complex. Some bottles were thrown at cops and then the mood changed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After that, a couple of tear gas canisters went out. After that, you see these dumpsters catch on fire. You see bricks thrown, bottles thrown -- a couple of people get hit in the head.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Police say many of the rioters were not actually Michigan State students. The university had warned people to steer clear of the party.

LEMON: Oh, where will the market end up -- up or down?

The closing bell in just a minute. All the action on Wall Street straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Oh, guess who's back, Brianna?

KEILAR: Let me guess.

LEMON: I haven't seen him in a week.

KEILAR: Is it Wolf?

LEMON: Wolf Blitzer is standing by -- Wolf, you were gone for a week, weren't you?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Gone for a week. Good to go. Good to come home. Always good to recharge those batteries. I recommend it to all of our viewers. I recommend it to everyone at CNN, as well.

All right, guys, let me tell you what's coming up at the top of the hour.

The former governor and wrestler, Jesse Ventura -- he's here in "THE SITUATION ROOM". I'll ask him whether he's going to be running for the United States Senate and the one question he says every lawmaker should ask before sending America into war.

The president is pushing it, the candidates are talking about it and a top Clinton adviser just lost his job over it. We're talking about the Colombian trade deal and why it's causing so much controversy.

Plus, get ready to see the presidential candidates in a different spotlight when they grill Iraq's top U.S. military commander about what's really going on in the war.

All that, guys, coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- back to you.

LEMON: All right, thanks, Wolf. And it's good to have you back.

BLITZER: Thank you.

KEILAR: Well, they are not -- well, they actually are. They're too young to vote. But they're not too young to push a presidential candidate.

CNN's Jeanne Moos on presidential baby talk.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It used to be that candidates were the ones kissing babies. But these days, babies are kissing back -- and even talking back.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Obama. Obama.

MOOS: Home videos of babies for Obama have become a genre on the Web.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you vote for Hillary or for Obama?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Obama. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I've got a crush on O...

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Bama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who do you want to be president, Alec (ph)?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Barack Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Barack Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want my bottle, I don't want my bear, I just want a president who's really going to care.

MOOS: Lest you think we don't care about babies for Hillary...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Put both your feet in the air if you will vote for Hillary no matter what.

No, maybe not (INAUDIBLE).

MOOS: And there are kiddies for McCain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do we like Hillary?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No.

Do I don't like Barack?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: No.

Do we like McCain?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Yes.

MOOS: But the overwhelming number of babies parroting a preference are saying...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Obama.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: McCain?

Hillary?

Obama?

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Obama.

MOOS: Now either parents are beating Obama into their kids or there's something about that word.

Speech development expert Professor Harriet Klein says ba and ma are two of the easiest sounds for children learning to talk.

(on-camera): It's a child-friendly word, Obama?

PROF. HARRIET B. KLEIN, SPEECH DEVELOPMENT EXPERT: Yes, it's like just repeating syllables, as children do. You know, they'll say da-da-da-da-da-da.

MOOS (voice-over): He's not quite two and Tyler Robinson (ph) is already an Internet hit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tyler, say Hillary. Say Hillary. Hillary.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Obama.

MOOS (on-camera): Your son sounds possessed.

(voice-over): Tyler's dad says the family is split between Obama and Hillary.

(on-camera): You never sat with him and said Obama, Obama, Obama?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, we never -- we never made like a point of like drilling it into him.

MOOS: Dad thinks Tyler keeps repeating the word because he likes all the attention it gets him.

It's ironic that after all the talk of Obama's name being a political liability, it goes over big with the youth vote.

(on-camera): The word Obama is very similar to babbling, then?

KLEIN: To the babbling sounds -- ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't want my blankie, I don't want a boob, I just want a president who will send us down the tube. I want Obama maybe.

MOOS: Linguistically, it's the next best thing to mama.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, honey.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Obama.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: And I know they said most of the babies are for Obama, but did you see the baby for McCain, because she was very enthusiastic and that counts for something, I think.

LEMON: But she was reserved, right?

KEILAR: Well, I mean she wasn't as crazy as the... LEMON: Enthusiastic (INAUDIBLE).

KEILAR: ...as the crazy kid. You know the one I'm talking about.

LEMON: All right, speaking of crazy kids, how are those crazy kids on Wall Street -- Susan Lisovicz.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN ANCHOR: The rally faded.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

LEMON: All right, Susan. Thanks.

KEILAR: And let's head to "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Wolf Blitzer.

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