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CNN Newsnight Aaron Brown
Manhunt Under Way For Escaped Texas Death Row Inmate; Protesters Rock Summit of the Americas; New Security Changes Good News For Airline Travelers?
Aired November 04, 2005 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, on a very serious note, we are talking about a killer tonight, a killer on the loose in the Texas. I'm Kyra Phillips
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez.
Anti-American protests in Argentina turning violent now.
NEWSNIGHT starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Anti-American rioting in Argentina, and President Bush is there -- protesters calling him a fascist and a terrorist. We are there live.
A convicted killer charms his way not just off death row, but out of prison. If you're in Houston, be on the lookout for a very smooth- talking killer.
Also, tonight, good news -- air travelers, you may soon be able to take your pocketknives, clippers and scissors on board. Wait, though. Is that really good news?
This is NEWSNIGHT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And here's a look at what is making news on this night and at this moment.
Street violence marred the opening of the Summit of the Americas in Argentina. Small bands of protesters left a -- a peaceful anti- America rally, setting fires and then looting stores as well. There are unconfirmed reports of more than 20 injuries.
Also, this is the eighth straight night of rioting in the suburbs of Paris, riots that have spread now to some 20 different communities that are across France -- many of the rioters unemployed immigrants frustrated with high unemployment and what they see as discrimination in the French society.
And three alleged terrorists appeared in the British court today. Investigators say they had computer images of the U.S. Capitol and other Washington landmarks and of a vehicle used to detect nuclear, chemical and biological agents as well. One U.S. official says it's hard to tell whether they represented any real threat to Washington -- Kyra, over to you.
PHILLIPS: Now to a developing story here at home: a death row inmate, a convicted killer, on the loose in Houston tonight -- an intensive manhunt under way. Exactly how he escaped and who may have helped him is still a mystery. But this much is known. He broke out of jail in plain view of guards by charging his way right past them, convincing he was a civilian.
Here's CNN's Keith Oppenheim.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Charles Victor Thompson is a 35-year-old convicted killer. Prosecutors described him as a pretty boy, someone who looked appealing, but was, in fact, deadly.
On Thursday afternoon, at the Harris County Jail in Houston, police say Thompson found a way to transform himself and con his way out through these doors to freedom.
DANNY BILLINGSLEY, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: There's a series of mistakes here. There's like a lot of catastrophic events that happened.
OPPENHEIM: Investigators believe Thompson smuggled street clothes that he wore for a court appearance back to his jail cell and then found a way to change in a booth like this one, a booth used for meetings between attorneys and inmates.
LT. JOHN MARTIN, SPOKESMAN, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: He got out of his inmate jumpsuit, the orange clothing they commonly wear, changed into civilian clothing. He was handcuffed when he was taken into the attorney booth and, apparently, was able to -- to get out of the handcuffs. We do not know if he had a key or if he just slipped the cuffs off.
OPPENHEIM: It was in April of 1998 that prosecutors say Charles Victor Thompson stormed into the apartment of his ex-girlfriend, Dennise Hayslip, shot her and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain. Both victims died.
Thompson was found guilty and sent to death row. On appeal, Texas courts upheld the conviction, but ruled that, during the trial, Thompson's right to counsel had been violated. He was granted a new sentencing hearing, but, once again, received the death penalty. Officials say, within 45 days, he would have been transferred back to state prison and death row. Now he's a killer on the loose.
BILLINGSLEY: We will find out what happened. And, when we do, we will correct it, OK? And the chips -- let the chips fall where they may.
OPPENHEIM: Now police are carrying Thompson's picture, searching throughout the area for where he might have gone. The relatives of murder victim Dennise Hayslip live in Tomball, Texas, a Houston suburb. Dennise's mother, Wynona Donaghy, is packing up, preparing to live in a safe house under police protection. She is afraid. Prosecutors said, while Thompson was in jail, he made a hit list targeting Dennise Hayslip's family.
WYNONA DONAGHY, MOTHER OF MURDER VICTIM: He's a very scary individual, and I want him caught, and I want nobody else getting hurt. And I want my life back. I can't -- I can't function right now.
OPPENHEIM: Wynona isn't alone. All Houston area residents will probably feel a little uneasy until Charles Thompson is back in prison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OPPENHEIM: Kyra, I'm joining you live outside the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
The doors you see behind me are the doors that Thompson went through when he escaped. And either he had a bit of luck or he was a smooth talker. The details are that, once he changed into his civilian clothes, he posed as someone from the attorney general's office. And he actually had an I.D. with his picture on it, according to police. There was even a black stripe on this I.D. car -- I.D. card. It's not clear that it was, you know, a real attorney general's identification or not.
But, at any rate, it was enough convince the deputies that they could take him from the secure area to a nonsecure area, basically, to a lobby. And while they continued to check out his story, that's when he escaped out the door. If they had just kept him in place and they had checked him out before they had taken him to the nonsecure area, then he probably would not be out right now -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Keith Oppenheim, thank you so much -- a lot of questions tonight.
Lieutenant John Martin is the spokesperson for the Harris County Sheriff's Department.
I spoke with him earlier tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: When he entered into the attorney booth and met with this lawyer, a lawyer that was not assigned to the case, do we know what happened in that attorney booth?
MARTIN: We do not monitor conversations between the attorneys and the inmates. And, of course, the attorney is free to leave as soon as that meeting is over.
What we do know is, at some point, while he was in the attorney booth, he did change into his civilian clothing. And he was handcuffed in the front, which would allow him to sign any legal documents that he may be asked to sign. But we also know that he did manage to get out of the handcuffs.
And, at this point, it's not clear if he had a key or if he managed to slip them off some other way.
PHILLIPS: I'm assuming this attorney is a witness now. Are you questioning this attorney?
MARTIN: If he has not been contacted, we will make an effort to contact him. And, just as you said, he will be considered as a witness, someone who may have additional information regarding this incident.
PHILLIPS: Could he be an accomplice to this escape?
MARTIN: Right now, we -- we haven't ruled out any possibilities. But, again, at this point, there's no evidence to suggest that he was an accomplice. And, again, we will be seeking to contact him merely as a witness at this point.
PHILLIPS: What about your staff? Is it possible that Thompson could have developed a relationship with someone within that jail and that individual helped him escape?
MARTIN: Well, again, there -- there's no evidence to suggest that, although we have not ruled any possibilities at this point.
PHILLIPS: I understand he devised some type of hit list while in jail of people that he wanted to possibly go after. Are you concerned about family members of those of those that he's accused of murdering or anyone else that he may be going after?
MARTIN: We're extremely concerned about the fact that he's not in custody. Again, he is an extremely dangerous individual.
I know the family was concerned about possible retaliation. That question has been posed to a number of the people in the legal community who may have been involved with handling of his case. But, again, he's an extremely dangerous individual. And -- and we are concerned that there may be further violence if -- if he's not apprehended soon. .
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Now, Wynona Donaghy is the mother of Dennise Hayslip, one oft victims. And prosecutors say that she may be in danger tonight because of that hit list. We are going to talk with her in just a few minutes.
Now, Darren Cain was the second victim of Charles Victor Thompson. Lance Potter was his friend. Mr. Cain's family has asked him to speak for them and for Ms. Hayslip's son. He joins us now live.
Thanks for being with us.
And I just want to take a moment to ask you about Darren. Tell us about him.
LANCE POTTER, FRIEND OF DARREN KEITH CAIN: Darren was the kind of person that, the minute you met him, you were best friends. He made friends with everybody.
I got -- I received an e-mail yesterday from another one of his friends that described him as having an infectious smile. His smile and his jokes and -- he was just a happy person who loved life, who loved people, and made friends with everybody that he met. Strangers on the street, before you knew it, they were best friends.
PHILLIPS: And...
POTTER: He was an amazing person.
PHILLIPS: And, Lance, you didn't even get a chance to know his girlfriend, Dennise, right?
POTTER: No, I didn't get a chance to know Dennise very well.
PHILLIPS: I understand she has a son?
POTTER: Yes, Wade.
PHILLIPS: Wade.
And how is he's doing? We -- we -- I didn't realize that she left behind a son. We haven't heard a lot about the family.
POTTER: Wade is a phenomenal young man, especially from having to experience the circumstances that he has. He's in college. He is getting his psychology degree. He's 20 years old. He has a great outlook on life.
Given the hand that he was dealt, he's a -- a phenomenal person. He's a -- he's a great individual. I just got off the phone with him a few minutes ago. And he's not concerned at all. The family -- the family now feel that they're not as concerned, since they pretty much scattered. They are concerned for anybody who might run into...
PHILLIPS: Well, what about...
(CROSSTALK)
POTTER: ... Mr. Thompson.
PHILLIPS: Lance, what about this hit list, though? You -- you said that you found out about this hit list. Were family members on this hit list?
POTTER: Yes. Dennise's brother was on -- was one of the members on the hit list, because of the fact that Dennise had identified Thompson to her brother while she was still alive. So, she -- she had identified Thompson to her brother. And that is why the brother was one of the members on the hit list.
PHILLIPS: And do you know if he's being protected by police? And, also, do you know how the search is going right now for Thompson?
POTTER: Yes.
I -- I spoke with Dennise's brother earlier today. He is under police protection. They are -- from what I understand, they have left their home. They're very frustrated that they're having to deal with this situation still. We thought it was behind us on Friday. We thought it was all over. We were very relieved that it was finally put to bed. And they're very frustrated, very irritated, that they're having to deal with this situation, that Thompson is still causing anguish and grief.
PHILLIPS: Well...
POTTER: Even to this day...
PHILLIPS: ... we're going to -- we are going to stay on the story and on the -- and stay on the search for Thompson.
Lance, thanks for your time tonight.
POTTER: Thank you, Kyra.
SANCHEZ: Well, it's got to be a worrisome situation...
PHILLIPS: Well...
SANCHEZ: ... for the family down there.
PHILLIPS: ... and just knowing that your name is on a hit list, I can't imagine what the brother and other family members are going through.
SANCHEZ: It's also a worrisome situation for the president of the United States -- deep troubles in Argentina. We are going to take you to some of the violence that has been taking place there.
Also, new plans to shorten airport security lines, but will they you them any safer?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To know that he was found and that we could have him brought home here to -- for burial.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Also ahead, a new twist in the case of that frozen airman. Will the decades-old mystery be solved?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back.
And let's go now, as promised, to Argentina, where President Bush's problems at home seem to be following him. Tens of thousands of protesters taking to the streets of the city of Mar Del Plata -- most have been peaceful, but some turned violent, calling Mr. Bush, on some occasions, a fascist.
Now, the president is there for the Summit of the Americas, where leaders from North, Central and South America gather to talk mostly about trade. It's the fourth summit since 1994 -- the focus, also jobs and combating poverty. But the goal is to pass a free-trade zone stretching all the way from Canada to Chile. It could get even more bumpy in the summit and for the president as well.
CNN's White House correspondent, Dana Bash, is in the Argentinian host city, where she has been following the president and some of the action today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First, angry demonstrators burned mock American flags. Then they carried out what appeared to be a careful plan to storm a security barrier -- next, the clash. Police aimed tear gas towards the small band of determined protesters, as they launched Molotov cocktails, burned in the streets, and used rocks and sticks to break the windows of empty storefronts.
Black smoke billowed from a bank they sat set on fire. Just blocks away, the president and other world leaders, out of sight, but aware of the disturbance, went on discussing the very policy demonstrators were now rioting.
Despite the violence, most of the massive demonstrations were peaceful, including this so-called anti-summit in a packed stadium, which featured Mr. Bush's Latin nemesis, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
All this dissent was hardly Mr. Bush only distraction.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... that I'm not going to discuss the investigation until it is completed.
BASH: Earlier in the day, he played dodgeball with the White House press corps, responding, but refusing to answer lingering questions about an ongoing leaks investigation. Over and over, he sidestepped questions, like whether he owes Americans an apology for a White House claim the now indicted Scooter Libby was not involved in the CIA leak and whether Karl Rove told the truth or he should stay in his job.
BUSH: The investigation on Karl, as you know, isn't complete. And, therefore, I will not comment.
BASH: Back home, a new pair of polls already showed an already sinking approval at new record lows, especially where he used to fare well, integrity. A "Washington Post" poll shows only 40 percent of Americans described the president as honest and trustworthy, a 13 percent plummet since May of last year.
Sometimes, pomp and summitry on the world stage provide a respite for a president in crisis at home -- not here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: And, Rick, the president and his aides have gotten used to facing demonstrations while traveling aboard. But, this time, it might be harder to just shrug off, given the fact that Americans watching at home apparently are more down on Mr. Bush than ever before.
SANCHEZ: You know, Dana, I have covered a few of these myself. And I remember, one of the most uncomfortable moments was always when the president of the United States had to be in the same room or had to come with -- within a distance of Fidel Castro.
Now there's another player. It's the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez. Did Mr. Bush and Mr. Chavez ever come together? And, if so, what happened?
BASH: They got very close, apparently, tonight. They were involved in the meetings, of course, along with the other 32 leaders here.
And they had a class photo together and, also, apparently, were next -- or near each other on line going into one of the events. But they didn't get close enough, we're told, to actually talk to one another. Now, Hugo Chavez had talked about the fact that perhaps he was going to confront Mr. Bush when he saw him here. So far, we don't believe that has actually happened. But you're right. That is one of the moments, if you will, that we have all been waiting for, to see if that actually happens.
SANCHEZ: And there's that team picture now that you were just alluding to.
Dana Bash, thanks so much. We appreciate it, from the Argentinian city.
Now, there are few people who know or understand the president's Latin American policy better than the man that you're about to meet. Otto Reich worked for President Reagan and Bush and was the current president's assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere.
And he's good enough to join us from our studios in Washington, D.C.
We have talked before.
Thanks for being with us, Mr. Reich.
OTTO REICH, FORMER SPECIAL ENVOY TO SOUTH AMERICA: My pleasure.
SANCHEZ: You're said to be one of architects of our Latin American policy. Does it disappoint to see 10,000, 20,000 people taking to the streets, protesting against the president you served?
REICH: Well, first, we should put it in context. Argentina is a country of 44 million people. The fact that 10,000 or 20,000, if it was that many people, demonstrated really doesn't mean very much.
These are the same crowds we have seen at every meeting of presidents, whether it's Seattle, Washington, or Genoa, Italy, you know, what we call a rent-a-crowd. I mean, you can get some people to demonstrate against leaders anywhere in the world.
SANCHEZ: Who is getting them to demonstrate? Who do you believe is orchestrating this?
REICH: Well, some of them genuinely are against free trade, against free markets, against -- against capitalism.
Some of them are -- are paid by Fidel Castro. Castro keeps a lot of these people on his payroll for demonstrations such as this. And now Hugo Chavez is also spreading a lot of money around South America to do this kind of of -- anti-American demonstration.
SANCHEZ: Let -- let me show you a statistic. This is a Pew Research study that came out in 2002. It shows that, in Argentina alone -- and it's pretty much the same pattern all throughout Latin America -- the U.S. image has gone down during this administration, from 34 to 50 negatives in Argentina, for example. Does it trouble you, and -- and to what would you attribute that?
REICH: Well, it does trouble me as an American.
But I was in Argentina a few weeks ago, and I read the newspapers. I watched the television every night. And it is -- it's constant anti-American propaganda, frankly. If I were an Argentine that had to read or watch that every night, I might even believe some of anti-American propaganda.
SANCHEZ: That's interesting.
I have to ask you about Hugo Chavez, because it's almost personal, not only with Mr. Chavez and the president of the United States, but, to a certain extent, with you as well, sir. He says that the coup that took place in his country was engineered by the United States. And some in his administration say that, in fact, you had something to do with it.
What do you say when you hear that?
REICH: Well, I have to laugh, because the coup -- first of all, there was no coup. If there had been a coup, I think Mr. Chavez would have been removed. There was a coup in 1992 that was led by Mr. Chavez that cost the lives of 300 Venezuelans.
But, in the case of the events of April 2002, where Chavez was removed from office for two days, the -- the military in Venezuela refused to carry out his orders to fire on the Venezuelan people. And then they asked him to leave. There was, in fact, a vacuum of power. If there had been a coup, there would have been some general or somebody who would have filled that vacuum.
Instead, some businessman proclaimed himself president. And then Chavez was able to come back in. There was a four-month -- four-month investigation by the State Department. There was absolutely no U.S. involvement in that action that -- that Chavez calls a coup.
SANCHEZ: Otto Reich, a man who has been on the hot seat and certainly knows Latin America as well as just about anybody, thank you, sir...
REICH: Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
SANCHEZ: ... for taking time out of your busy schedule to be with us tonight.
REICH: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Well, it's time now to check some of the other news going on in our world tonight.
CNN's Erica Hill -- hi, Erica..
ERICA HILL, HEADLINE NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra. Good to see you.
We start off tonight in Cuba -- 23 Guantanamo Bay detainees on hunger strike there, we are learning, have now been giving feeding tubes. A doctor at the U.S. prison camp in Cuba says the detainees were given nourishment to -- quote -- "prevent the unnecessary loss of life." He says they are protecting their -- protesting their detention, not their treatment at the camp. However, an attorney representing several detainees claims, they're living in desperate conditions.
Japanese health officials says signs of bird flu have been found among a flock of 300,000 chickens. It's not yet certain whether it's the deadly strain scientists fear could turn into a pandemic. Meantime, China has reported nearly 9,000 chickens in the country's northeast have died from bird flu. It's the country's fourth out outbreak of the deadly strain in just three weeks.
And, here in the states, an early does of old man winter -- a winter weather advisory in effect today in Oregon's Cascade Mountains, and not much visibility, apparently, as you can see from the video there. One ski resort says it now has up to 20 inches of snow on ground. And that means it could be open early.
And don't get caught spray-painting the freeways in Las Vegas, Nevada. The city's mayor says those who deface the highway landscaping with graffiti should have their thumbs cut off on television. He also suggested that troublemaking children should get whippings.
PHILLIPS: What ever happened to time-out?
HILL: I don't think the time-out, count to 10 in your corner is working with Oscar Goodman. (LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: It worked with me. How about me?
(LAUGHTER)
HILL: It -- it was fine with me.
(LAUGHTER)
HILL: I would like to avoid all the other things, so, I will stick with the time-out.
PHILLIPS: Yes. I'm with you . Erica, thank you so much.
HILL: Thanks.
PHILLIPS: Well, Pakistan's earthquake that killed more than 70,000 people has made nearly three million more homeless. But that's not the end of this tragedy. It could be just the beginning.
Tens of thousands of victims face a brutal winter now. And Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, says that more international help is desperately need.
Jonathan Miller with Britain's ITV reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN MILLER, ITV REPORTER (voice-over): In the Urdu language, they have a phrase for Kashmir. (SPEAKING IN URDU) they call it, paradise beyond compare.
But, for three weeks now, there have been tears in this wild and beautiful corner of heaven. In paradise, they're suffering. Nine thousand feet up, in the foothills of the Himalayas, we are flying into a valley unreached by international aid, Debati (ph) Valley. Two hundred here are killed by the quake. More than 400 still lie injured, trapped in the valley by landslides. And it's already been snowing. The vicious cold is already killing, they say.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The most important things are medicines, warm clothes and food. And we have had none of them. The small children are really suffering in this freezing cold weather. And there's nothing to protect us. Poor people are dying here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's too cold here. Children are dying. For six months, you can't get to the markets. And no one can get in. We get 15 feet of snow. We can't even contact each other. It's just too cold.
MILLER: The poorest of the poor, their houses wreck, clinging to the edge, their future as precipitous as the snow peaks which stub the rugged Indonesia-Pak frontier.
(on camera): You only need to look at these people to realize just how cold it is here. It's absolutely freezing. Within a couple of weeks, this whole place will be cut off by deep snow. It's about as remote as you can get. The line of control is just up there. And they're completely hemmed in by big mountains.
(voice-over): The winter tents will do for now. But, with 15 feet of snow, what they need are new tin roofs, hammers and nails to rebuild houses fast. They don't want to leave. And, soon, it will be too late to go. We had to leave, though, the weather closing in.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And, coming up, it's a familiar story in New Orleans -- people losing their homes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was outraged. I thought they were way out of line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: There's a twist here we need to tell you about. This time, it's not a hurricane that is getting the blame. It's the landlords.
Also ahead:
PHILLIPS: Remember the frozen body they found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains? A World War II airman, that's what they said, but who? We will have the latest on the quest to solve this very cold case.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back.
In New Orleans today, something different, a royal visit. Prince Charles and wife, Camilla, toured the battered city. It's their third stop on their first trip together to the United States. The royal couple met with rescue workers and some residents. They also visited the devastated Ninth Ward.
More than a month after Katrina struck, recovery in New Orleans still comes slowly.
CNN's Dan Simon reports on some people made homeless, and, this time, not by the forces of nature.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An army of movers show up at this apartment complex in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans, ready to carry out a series of evictions, the first of thousands expected in the city.
A sad display, as people belongings are dumped on the sidewalk, furniture, electronics, bicycles, you name it, the consequence of not paying rent.
JUDGE MARY KAY NORMAN, SECOND CITY COURT: That's the law. And I'm just here to enforce it.
SIMON: Judge Mary Kay Norman gave the green light on Thursday for the evictions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Someone that's been away from the city for two months and has never even found the time to call the landlord and say, Hey, I left some valuable property, then, if they haven't done that in two months, I don't think they're very interested in that property. And we need to allow the landlord to evict those tenants, because we've got hundreds and hundreds of people that need housing.
SIMON: Property managers like Bonnie Morel make no apologies for tossing out tenants.
We found her at the courthouse, eviction notice in hand, for a woman she says has made no effort to get in touch with her, much less pay the rent for her apartment.
BONNIE MOREL, PROPERTY MANAGER: I've contacted all the personal references on her applications, I've been to the condo numerous times, I've left notes. And I just -- I can't find her, and no one's returned my calls to see if they've heard from her.
SIMON: But it's not always that clear-cut.
(on camera): When you ripped open the envelope and you started reading that note, what did you think?
LAURA MILLER, TENANT: I was outraged. I thought they were way out of line.
SIMON (voice-over): Laura Miller received a letter stating she'd be evicted from her apartment in the Garden District if she didn't pay $430 rent for the month of September, when the city was under a mandatory evacuation order. So Miller wasn't even there.
MILLER: We did not have electricity. The water was not drinkable until October 14. So in my opinion, we should not be required to pay rent until the middle of October, at the very earliest.
SIMON: Miller's landlord later claimed it was all, quote, "a misunderstanding," agreeing that his tenants were in fact liable for September.
Back at this apartment complex, there were no clashes, because none of the evicted tenants were around.
(on camera): So what happens to all this stuff now? Well, because it's on public property, it's all up for grabs. Anybody who comes by is welcome to take what they want. And many here have already staked their claim.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE), and then I saw a little TV (INAUDIBLE).
SIMON: Saw a TV.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
SIMON (voice-over): Some had had shopping carts ready to pounce on the pile. However, most were reluctant to be seen on camera, profiting from someone else's misery. It's a scene likely to be repeated over and over again in the coming weeks.
Dan Simon, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Coming up, a cold case heats up. Another discovery about the identity of the World War II airman found in the mountains of California.
From Texas, we'll have more on tonight's developing story, a murderer on the loose. We'll speak to the mother of one of the victims, herself now a target.
And in L.A., where even the panhandlers are movie stars, Thelma is busted. We'll tell you why.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Back to that developing story that we're following closely tonight, a death row inmate on the loose in Texas, a major manhunt under way.
Convicted killer Charles Victor Thompson simply walked out of jail today after charming his way past the guards, the U.S. Marshals Service now Offering $10,000 for information leading to his arrest.
Prosecutors say Thompson made a hit list while he was in jail, targeting the family of one of the victims.
That victim was Dennise Hayslip, and her mother, Wynona Donaghy, joins me now live.
Wynona, I know this a difficult time. And I'm (INAUDIBLE), I know you're concerned about your safety. Are you getting protection right now?
WYNONA DONAGHY, MOTHER OF DENNISE HAYSLIP: Yes, I am.
PHILLIPS: And have you been informed on how the search is going, if deputies are close to finding Thompson? And is that giving you any peace of mind right now?
DONAGHY: No, I have not been kept abreast by the sheriff's department on the manhunt. No.
PHILLIPS: I know you have strong feelings about how Thompson got out of the jail that you are standing in front of. What are your thoughts? Do you think he had help, inside help?
DONAGHY: At this point, I don't want to start, you know, playing the blame game. The important thing is, he did get out. I'm sure that they'll fix it to where that'll never happen again. But my concern is that he is loose, and he is a threat to my family, and to me, and to anyone he comes in contact with.
PHILLIPS: Tell us about...
DONAGHY: (INAUDIBLE)...
PHILLIPS: Go ahead, I'm sorry.
DONAGHY: That's all right, go ahead.
PHILLIPS: Well, I wanted to ask about you Dennise. I wanted to give you just a moment to talk about your daughter. And if you were ever concerned about their relationship, and if you're indeed surprised at the situation right now, or does this seem like something that Thompson would do?
DONAGHY: Starting at the beginning, yes, I did have objections when he -- when they were dating. And I was very concerned at the time. And I am extremely concerned at the way -- with him getting loose and being out on the streets. Yes, I am.
PHILLIPS: Are you concerned about your grandson, Wynona, Wade?
DONAGHY: No, he is -- all of my family is in a very safe place. And I have been. I only came out to do this show for y'all, to try to get it back out in the public again. And I will go back into seclusion again.
PHILLIPS: And tell me, so you, we are very surprised that you're talking with us tonight. But we're thankful, because you really put a name and a face to the victim, your daughter. And you're also able to tell us more about Thompson. We don't know a lot about him. So can you tell us what police are doing right now to comfort you with regard to this search? Have they said, Look, we feel like we are close, and we don't want you to worry, but we will protect you in the meantime, and other family members?
DONAGHY: No, my -- the little small town that I'm from, their police department is the one that's been giving me security. And as far as being kept up to date from the sheriff's department, the Harris County Sheriff's Department, no, I'm not. I do not know where they stand with the investigation at all right now.
But I'm -- I came back out after CNN called me, because I felt it was more chance for people to understand how dangerous he could be.
PHILLIPS: Well, Wynona, there... DONAGHY: And if they know anything, to call.
PHILLIPS: Well, and there's talk about this attorney he met with, an attorney that was not assigned to the case. Do you believe that attorney could have helped him get out? Or do you think possibly it was somebody working within that jail?
DONAGHY: You know, the part about the attorney, that other trial only ended last Friday, with him getting the death penalty for the second time, Friday of last week. And before he left the courtroom, they were assigning him an appeal attorney, which was apparently not the same as the attorney represented him during the trial.
So that part doesn't surprise me, because I didn't understand that they -- the attorneys that were going to be representing him in the appellate court was not the same attorneys that represented him at the trial.
PHILLIPS: Well, there's still a lot of questions. Wynona Donaghy, appreciate your time. We will stay on the story and the search until Thompson is found.
DONAGHY: I thank you very much for your help, in trying to help me.
SANCHEZ: We're going to talk about a safety issue now that affects just all about us. You may be all too familiar with these long security lines that you've probably all experienced at airports. Well, now the government says it's got a plan to try and shorten these lines. But will that make any more safe, or maybe even perhaps less safe?
Here's CNN's Mary Snow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is little debate that passengers should not be allowed to carry items like these guns and large knives on planes. But what about nail clippers, scissors, and small knives?
Four years after 9/11, the government thinks it's time to change some of the rules created to prevent future attacks so that it can focus on bigger threats.
By January, the Transportation Safety Administration, or TSA, plans to update its list of prohibited items and may allow passengers to carry items like scissors and knives, but it's not saying how big they could be.
Passengers are split on the plan.
DAVID POMEROY, PASSENGER: I think if we're talking, like, you know, machetes and spears, that might be different. But I think in terms of personal items that have a legitimate use, absolutely. I think it's time that we get back to some kind of normality on that stuff.
MARI HURRY, PASSENGER: The more careful you are, the better chance you have of nothing happening. And I don't think it's the worth the risk of allowing people to carry on stuff that could be dangerous.
SNOW: It's not passengers who are divided. The pilots' union says there are limited resources, and screeners should be checking for major threats like explosives, rather than on small things like tweezers.
But flight attendants disagree.
CHRISTOPHER WITKOWSKI, ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: I think that the proposal that TSA is considering to remove -- to allow small knives and other sharp objects onto aircraft is the -- an absurd idea. The terrorists on 9/11 all had small knives less than four inches long.
SNOW: The TSA wants to speed the screening process and redirect its agents so that their time and attention can be spent on identifying potential components of an improvised explosive device.
(on camera): The agency is also looking to offer people so- called smart cards that, with a fee and after a background check, would allow passengers to skip random secondary searches. It says it's tested the program successfully in five cities.
(voice-over): Some travelers have grown impatient waiting on line for security checks.
MARTIN ROSENSTOCK, PASSENGER: I think that right after 9/11, people were a little bit more sensitive to the lines, because that had just happened. But I think some of that has died down.
SNOW: But some families who lost loved ones in 9/11 say this is not the time for the TSA to let its guard down.
CARRIE LEMACK, 9/11 FAMILY MEMBER: I think about my mom's line. On September 11, I believe the line my mom went through to get on that plane was pretty short. She probably didn't have to wait very long. But at the end of that line she was murdered.
SNOW: The TSA says none of its plans are final, and clearly the debate isn't either.
Mary Snow, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And here's a follow-up. You know about this one. It's that frozen body...
PHILLIPS: I'm fascinated by this story.
SANCHEZ: ... that we've been -- It's amazing story. It was found atop a California glacier. It was one of four young airmen killed in a crash in 1942. But which one? Well, there's new development in this extraordinary story.
PHILLIPS: Speaking of extraordinary, also coming up, beggars can't be choosers, but they can be arrested even if they're as cute as Elmo, "Sesame Street"'s lovable red Muppet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back.
Here's a fascinating story about this frozen body. It's a development in a story that we've following very closely for you from the frozen mountains of California, all the way to the military forensics lab that's in Hawaii. It's a cold-case mystery for scientists trying to determine the identification of a man frozen for more than 60 years, but basically intact.
Today's developments take us to Pittsburgh.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ (voice-over): For a time, these three sisters, all in their 80s, had something they never thought they would ever have again -- hope, hope that their brother, an airman lost more than 60 years ago, had actually been found.
If the frozen body discovered early in October, high atop the Mount Mendell (ph) glacier in California, was, in fact, their brother, Ernest Glenn Munn, who was 23 when he disappeared, at least they would have had his remains to bury, and a terrible wartime mystery would have been soled.
Late Thursday, though, there came a phone call from JPAC, the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command, which is overseeing the military's attempt to learn the identity of the young airman who died there in California in a training flight crash back in 1942.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To know that he was found, and we could have him brought home here to -- for burial, and...
SANCHEZ: What hope the sisters had was suddenly dashed. Their brother, Ernest Glenn Munn, had, in fact, gone down on that very flight, along with three comrades. But the latest lab results suggest that the body, so well preserved in the ice for so long...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) the teeth.
SANCHEZ: ... is not the man his 81-year-old sister, Lois Shriver, still remembers as a snappy-dressing, good-looking, baseball-playing book lover. Ernest Glenn Munn, lost so long ago, remains lost.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And joining us now live from Pittsburgh, the nephew of missing World War II airman Ernest Glenn Munn, Scott Shriver.
Thank you, Scott, for being with us. We certainly appreciate it.
SCOTT SHRIVER, NEPHEW OF MISSING AIRMAN: Oh, no problem.
SANCHEZ: Who told you that this could possibly be your uncle to begin with?
SHRIVER: No one told me. I just put the two and two together. I picked up some information from news and newspaper articles. And ultimately, I collected more and more information. And it became clear to me that there was a good possibility that this was, in fact, my uncle.
SANCHEZ: So you were pretty well wrapped up around this thing. I mean, you were thinking this could be the, this could be the, the, the, what I've been waiting for, huh?
SHRIVER: Well, yes, as a biology teacher, I've always been interested in bodies, mummies, found in ice and so forth. And when I heard that a man had been found in ice, I was very interested. And then it compounded the interest when I found out it could have been a relative of mine.
SANCHEZ: Well, well, how'd you find out it wasn't?
SHRIVER: Well, actually, we're not 100 percent sure. But I did get a phone call from a man named Johnny Webb, and Johnny Webb is a civilian consultant who works with JPAC. And he called me last night. And he asked me, What is your uncle's name? And I said, My uncle's name is Ernest Glenn Munn. And he suggested that, Well, we don't think it's your uncle.
SANCHEZ: And JPAC, by the way, for the viewers who may not know, that's basically the database for MIA and POWs, right?
SHRIVER: Yes, yes, yes.
SANCHEZ: How -- we just saw somebody in the store. We saw three sisters. One of them is related to you, right?
SHRIVER: Yes, my mother, Lois.
SANCHEZ: How she's taking it?
SHRIVER: Well, you know, she -- they're great, all three of the sisters, my two aunts and my mom, they're doing very, very well. I mean, for 63 years, they had no hope whatsoever of ever seeing my uncle. And then two weeks ago, the hope came back. And so, you know, they always knew that there was a chance it wasn't going to be him. I think they hoped that it was going to be him. And, you know, they're all a little bit disappointed right now. But, you know, it's been 63 years. So they're getting along well. And, you know, we're moving along with our lives.
And it's been a good experience for the family, even though it hasn't -- it isn't going to be my uncle, probably.
SANCHEZ: By the way, some people might be curious, what kind of mission was this? Was it a secret mission? Do you -- have you studied it? Do you know much about it?
SHRIVER: No, I know very little about it. It was just a standard training mission, as far as I know. And the fellows were taking off from Mather Field out of Sacramento on a training flight. And somehow, some way, they got way off course, and they ended up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, King's Canyon, if you will.
SANCHEZ: Wow, what a story. Scott Shriver, we do thank you...
SHRIVER: (INAUDIBLE).
SANCHEZ: ... for taking time to talk to us. Amazing. And by the way, we wish you and your mom and her sisters the very best.
SHRIVER: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: All right.
Wow, isn't that amazing?
SANCHEZ: We're going to have more on this story, I'm being told, too, on Monday...
SANCHEZ: Wow.
PHILLIPS: ... on the new edition, let's brag about it, ANDERSON COOPER 360, beginning at 10:00 Eastern.
SANCHEZ: We're going to have it right here, our friend Anderson.
Still to come tonight on NEWSNIGHT, by the way, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elmo is not obviously snatching purses or robbing people or anything bad like that. All he's guilty of is loving people and trying to communicate with some foreign tourists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: From "Sesame Street" to Hollywood Boulevard, Why police say Elmo took a wrong turn, wrong turn.
PHILLIPS: He was busted.
SANCHEZ: Key in on that when NEWSNIGHT continues.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, the city of Los Angeles is full of characters, of course. Now, really, actual comic book characters and TV show characters walking the streets, getting in people's faces, and their wallets. If you've ever been shaken down by a Muppet, well, you know this is no joke.
CNN's Ted Rowlands reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands...
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two weeks after Elmo's world was rocked, he is out on bail, back working Hollywood Boulevard. Elmo, whose real name is Donn Harper, was handcuffed, his head on the hood of a squad car. Along with Mr. Incredible, Elmo was arrested and taken away for something called aggressive begging. They were nabbed as part of an undercover sting operation.
CAPT. RON SANCHEZ, LOS ANGELES POLICE: We've had an extensive amount of complaints from people visiting Hollywood that they've been harassed and the victims of aggressive panhandling, of really aggressive begging that's reached almost points of the victims feeling like they're almost robbed.
ROWLANDS: Harper and dozens of other impersonators, dressed up as superheroes and movie stars, parked themselves along Hollywood's Walk of Fame, making cash by posing with tourists.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We do for tips (INAUDIBLE).
DONN HARPER, "ELMO": Elmo is not out there snatching purses or robbing people or anything bad like that. All he's guilty of is loving people and trying to communicate with some foreign tourists.
ROWLANDS: Tourists we talked to said they didn't mind paying a buck or two for a photograph.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We get a great a favor out of it for the families. So it's OK by me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: La-la-la-la, it's Elmo's world.
ROWLANDS: Elmo is free on $100 bail. He says a lawyer is helping him with his legal troubles. Police, meanwhile, say until the complaints stop, they'll continue to keep a close eye on the big red Muppet and his friends.
Ted Rowlands, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: (INAUDIBLE) representing Elmo. Zoe?
SANCHEZ: I don't know, but, you know, given a choice between them and the windshield washers, I'll take them. Wouldn't you?
PHILLIPS: Well, at least it's a little more entertaining. You get a little bit more for your buck, right?
SANCHEZ: (INAUDIBLE).
Coming up, a more serious subject.
(LAUGHTER)
SANCHEZ: Yes, weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein. How could the intelligence that led to the Iraq war have been so wrong?
PHILLIPS: We're going to go behind the scenes and hear from some of the people involved, many for the very first time.
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