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CNN Live Saturday
First Violation of U.N. Cease-Fire in Lebanon; New Evidence in JonBenet Ramsey Case?; Interview With Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis; Veteran Job Search
Aired August 19, 2006 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The man who confessed to killing JonBenet Ramsey arrives in the U.S. tomorrow night. We are going to have this and new information.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN MILES, FBI BOMB TECHNICIAN: The evidence that they're looking for is out there somewhere and if they know where to look for it, they'll find it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: tracking down killers by digging through debris. CNN is going to take you inside a special school.
And earrings, necklaces and some jazzy jewelry you can buy to help New Orleans rebuild.
This is CNN LIVE SATURDAY and I'm Carol Lin.
First, to catch you up on the headlines right now.
John Mark Karr arrives tomorrow night in Los Angeles on a commercial flight from Bangkok, Thailand. Well, tonight his high school yearbook may link him to the ransom note. We are going to answer questions about a suicide watch. A live report in just a moment.
Also, Israeli commandos stage a deep raid inside Lebanon. Lebanon calls it a flagrant violation of the U.N.-sponsored cease- fire. But Israel says it has the right to stop arms shipments from Syria and Iran.
We are going to have full coverage of the Middle East crisis momentarily.
And an arrest today in northern Germany for an attempted train bombing last month. Police apprehended a Lebanese student at the main train station in Keil. Another subject still being sought.
And President Bush says the nation's security may depend on advancing democracy abroad in places like Iraq. The White House issued the president's weekly radio address as Mr. Bush spends some time at Camp David. The Associated Press reports that sprinter Marion Jones failed a test for performance enhancing drugs. Track and field officials are awaiting the results of a follow-up test. Marion Jones denying allegations of doping before.
I'm going to talk later with legendary track star Carl Lewis.
We're also going to update the top stories every 15 minutes on CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
Your next update coming up at 5:15 Eastern.
But right now, our first top story, the 10-year-old murder of JonBenet Ramsey.
Today, the "Washington Post" reports law enforcement authorities may have suspected John Mark Karr years ago. The "Post" says the suspicion was conveyed to Karr's former attorney by officials in California five years after the murder.
Now, at the time, Karr was facing misdemeanor child pornography charges.
Also today, investigators are combing through Karr's writings and e-mails, still looking for possible clues. Among those writings, a message expressing reverence for the slain child beauty queen. Karr, by the way, is to be accompanied by U.S. officials on his commercial flight out of Thailand, where he was taken into custody on Wednesday.
CNN's Stan Grant has more on how Karr is spending his time behind bars and some contradictions to what you may have heard.
What do we really know?
STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the clock is ticking for John Mark Karr as he sits in this cell here behind me in Bangkok. He's been there since Wednesday, when he was charged over the killing of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey 10 years ago.
Now, the officials, U.S. officials have been visiting him. They have described him as in good condition. They say he's been passing the time reading books and watching television; in particular, reports about his case. He also had a meal of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
We also have managed to speak to another inmate, a fellow inmate who was in a nearby cell and he said that John Karr has been passing the time, he is also in good condition.
This is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, so as I was saying, he's in the room with two other guys. What he said of all the stories that they are saying, everything is not true. Some are false. Yes.
QUESTION: OK, and then you...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because that's all I've got to say.
QUESTION: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRANT: So, according to that inmate, John Karr believes some of the things that are being said about him are, in his words, not true.
A lot of that will become clearer when he arrives back in the United States. Sunday afternoon, Bangkok time, he'll be taken from his cell to the airport. Several hours later he will board a plane flanked by security guards and flown directly to Los Angeles.
Stan Grant, CNN, Bangkok.
LIN: So what do we really know about John Karr?
CNN's Drew Griffin has done some digging on the man who claims to have loved the 6-year-old pageant queen.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They tell the story of a loner, a man who lived in a room here at Bloom's guest house since December -- no visitors, no friends. And according to this neighbor, a teacher himself, John Mark Karr's mood in the last few weeks had changed.
BIJAN SARDJAD, KARR'S NEIGHBOR: I think he was very paranoid. I think he was -- he looked like he had something on his conscience, guilty about something and he would never talk to anyone.
GRIFFIN: More details are emerging about the 41-year-old's life in Bangkok, looking to be a teacher. One school showed CNN this job application from Karr. A school official said Karr seemed overly eager to be working with children, especially young girls, and Karr wanted to work alone, without an assistant.
At one point, the school says, messages sent from Karr's e-mails contained pornography. This school actually hired Karr as a teacher, but he was let go after two weeks because administrators say he was simply too strict.
Bryce Smedley, a teacher who knows Karr, calls him strange.
BRYCE SMEDLEY, TEACHER WHO KNEW KARR: I'm not a doctor or anything, but I think he is someone who is a little mentally unstable, to be honest with you.
KARR: Her death was an accident.
GRIFFIN: It was this admission from Karr two days ago that bordered on the bizarre. After almost 10 years, this loner in Thailand says he was with 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey when she died Christmas night 1996 in Boulder, Colorado.
The statement raised suspicions Karr was just perhaps looking for attention. According to this Thai police official, Karr has insisted he was involved.
GEN. SUWAT TUMRONGSISKUL, THAI POLICE: I hear from my people that he said that he had sex with her...the girl.
QUESTION: What about drugging her?
TUMRONGSISKUL: No drugging her. And my officer asked, "How come you have sex with a girl six years old?" He said at that time, just, "Blah, blah."
GRIFFIN: Drew Griffin, CNN, Bangkok.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LIN: Now, in about 25 minutes, we're going to have more on the Ramsey case and John Mark Karr. We are going to, in fact, take a look at this some of Karr's writings and whether his high school yearbook links him to the ransom note at the Ramseys' house.
In the meantime, we don't want to forget about what's happening in the Middle East. It has been six days since the Middle East cease- fire went into effect and the truce has been holding all week, until an Israeli commando raid in South Lebanon.
Now, Lebanon is accusing Israel of violating the cease-fire. And Israel blames the international forces for not stopping Hezbollah from rearming.
Reporting from Lebanon, CNN's Beirut bureau chief, Brent Sadler.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The aftermath of a bloody clash in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, straining a barely week-old U.N.-brokered cease-fire. Blood and bandages are left scattered across open fields after helicopter borne Israeli commandos launched a raid against a bastion of Hezbollah fighters. One Israeli soldier confirmed killed in a fierce firefight.
Although confined to the Bekaa, it was the first deadly skirmish since the cessation of hostilities. Israel claimed the commando raid was aimed at disrupting Hezbollah attempts to rearm from Iran and Syria, an act of self-defense which Israel insists its forces are entitled to take.
MARK REGEV, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: We had specific information that a weapons shipment was coming from Syria for Hezbollah. That is in direct violation of the U.N. Security Council resolution which established the cease-fire. And we were responding to that violation of the cease-fire. SADLER: Lebanese officials sought to put the blame both on Israel and the United Nations for taking a non-committal stand toward Israel's latest military action. The defense minister warned a crucial deployment of Lebanese troops to the south of the country could unravel if the U.N. failed to censor Israel for the raid.
Meanwhile, a handful of French military engineers landed in the south, the first sign of any international troop reinforcements actually hitting the ground since the truce came into effect. A much bigger overall U.N. force of 15,000 soldiers is planned, but it's taking longer than expected to deploy significant elements of the force. And the resumption of Israeli military action in Lebanon gives this U.N. official cause for concern.
TERJE ROED LARSEN, U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY: Worry related to the potential troop contributors and worry related to possible retaliation from Hezbollah, which, again, create escalate the situation and, in the worst case, bring it out of control.
SADLER: For now, Lebanese Army troops are trying to stabilize South Lebanon with the support of a minimal U.N. force of about 2,000 peacekeepers. Now, an urgent need of more troops, clear rules of engagement and a new arsenal of weapons.
(on camera): At best, significant U.N. reinforcements are unlikely to arrive imminently and it could take as long as a year for a new U.N. mission to work up to full strength, time enough, warn Lebanese officials, for the cease-fire to wobble some more in a still hostile environment.
Brent Sadler, CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LIN: And Brent just touched on it there -- a paltry number of troops arriving in South Lebanon. In fact, some French troops arrived today.
CNN's Jim Clancy explains why some governments won't do more to secure the fragile peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The first troops of an expanded U.N. force began arriving in Lebanon Saturday from France. But it was only a trickle. Fifty soldiers now in country, 13,000 more needed. Israel threatening more operations and the U.N. battling the clock.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome.
CLANCY: These soldiers were part of a security force that cleared the U.N. port area at Nakura, not far from Israel's border. These are the first of 200 troops France has added to its contingent already serving in Lebanon.
Some 50 engineers brought heavy equipment and amphibious armored troop carriers to help repair roads and pave the way for more troops.
COL. JACQUES COLLEVILLE, CHIEF LIAISON OFFICER: We will need more accommodation for our soldiers so they will help to build something like that. And to destroy and explode the ordinance.
CLANCY: France was originally expected to deploy as many as 4,000 troops, but slashed those numbers. Sources say security concerns and the rules of engagement are at the heart of reluctance by France and many others to commit more troops. Italy may offer between 2,000 and 3,000 troops. Malaysia will send 1,000 peacekeepers. Turkey has pledged as many as 5,000 troops, but like so many others, its deployment hinges on the rules of engagement.
We asked UNIFIL's deputy commander about those rules.
(on camera): Now, if they perceive a threat, even if they're not fired on, can they fire?
BRIGG. GEN. J.P. NEHRA, UNIFIL DEPUTY COMMANDER: That has to be looked at, actually. The rules of engagement have to be looked at. They are still being finalized. We haven't -- we can only comment once we get them.
CLANCY: Sources say Lebanon itself is hesitant to authorize a more robust set of rules. Its own Lebanese Army is now positioned alongside the U.N. and it will be caught up in combat if international troops clash with Israel or Hezbollah.
(on camera): And so the major question remains when will the United Nations Security Council renew UNIFIL's mandate and under what terms of engagement? This is of primary impatience to this mission and its success.
Jim Clancy, CNN, Nakura.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LIN: We're keeping a close eye on the Middle East.
But we've got a terrific story coming up -- the battles, the bombs, the injuries always in the news. So CNN is going to take you inside an FBI training camp so you can see the intricate details they find in this pile of debris.
First, new scanners show everything. And I mean everything. The complaints that are keeping them out of U.S. airports when CNN LIVE SATURDAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Fifteen after and here's a quick check of the news.
John Mark Karr is to arrive in Los Angeles tomorrow night on a commercial flight out of Bangkok, Thailand. So many questions surround the former schoolteacher's confession to the murder of JonBenet. And an Iraqi oil pipeline bombed today by militants south of Baghdad. People at the scene say it is not the first time it's happened to that pipeline.
Also today, a U.S. soldier was killed in fighting in the Anbar Province.
And sprinter Marion Jones has reportedly failed a drug test. Track and field officials are awaiting the results of a follow-up test.
We're going to update you on the top stories every 15 minutes right here on CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
Your next update coming up at the bottom of the hour.
Terrorism, liberty and protecting America -- that was the theme for President Bush's radio address. He was vowing more support for Iraq and Lebanon. And he says in the long run, it will keep the United States safe.
Elaine Quijano at the White House right now with more on that -- Elaine, good afternoon.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Carol.
That's right, President Bush today, amid continued violence in Iraq and a tense situation in Lebanon, in his radio address, said that the young democracies in Iraq and Lebanon are fragile. But he defended his push to promote democracy in the Middle East saying that that will be vital to America's own future security.
Now, the president made his comments continuing his weekend at Camp David and pledged U.S. support in fighting terrorists in that region.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is no coincidence that two nations that are building free societies in the heart of the Middle East, Lebanon and Iraq, are also the scenes of the most violent terrorist activity. We will defeat the terrorists by strengthening young democracies across the broader Middle East.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, for their part, Democrats are taking on President Bush over Iraq, ahead of those congressional mid-term elections just two-and-a-half months or so away. In today's Democratic radio response, a Pennsylvania congressional candidate says he believes that it is time to begin a phased redeployment of U.S. forces in Iraq in order to face other global challenges.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
JOE SESTAK (D), PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE: The fact is we are fostering a culture of dependence in Iraq. Iraqi leaders must be responsible for their own country. They must make the difficult political compromises that will stop the civil war and bring about stability. We cannot do this work for them.
completing our mission in Iraq will also make America safer everywhere. It allows us to focus on security threats like North Korea and Iran. It gives us the flexibility to revitalize and transform our military. It keeps America's eye on the target -- terrorism.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, the debate over the president's foreign policy approach and his approach to the war on terrorism again coming just about 80 days from those congressional mid-term elections. And, borrowing a page from previous election year playbooks, the president and Republicans have lately been trying to tout their national security credentials. They believe that national security is an issue that they can beat Democrats on, Carol.
But Democrats are hitting back, as we saw in the radio address today, hoping to capitalize on the low public support for the way in which President Bush has carried out his Iraq policy -- Carol.
LIN: A lot at stake.
Elaine Quijano live at the White House.
Thank you.
Well, all the talk about keeping the nation safe has a lot of people talking about what rights or sets of privacy are we willing to give up? For example, if airport security could see everything -- and I mean everything about your body -- do you think it could keep America's skies safer?
Our Brian Todd puts a virtual strip search to the test.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At London's Heathrow Airport, a weapon in the war on terror that can see through clothes carrying liquid explosives. Already used on more than a million passengers, these special x-rays can catch all kinds of contraband.
PETER KANT, RAPISCAN SYSTEMS: Regular weapons, guns, knives, box-cutters and the like, but also unusual types of weapons -- explosives, liquid explosives, gels.
TODD: The U.S. government owns four of them, but none are in use at America's airports. One look at our demonstrations reveals why. I am advised that if I don't want my private areas shown, I should put a metal plate in my pants.
(on camera): But those would be seen normally on the screen here. I'm going to do that now, right before I get screened.
(voice-over): I step just in front of the machine, turn around. In just a few seconds, the monitor displays my humble contours.
Now, in this test, I am playing the role of a would-be terrorist. I try to hide a plastic lipstick container in my vest pocket. Busted.
I sneak a sports drink bottle similar to one officials believe may have been used in the latest terror plot into my pants pocket. Busted again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There it is. It picked it up.
TODD: How about wires in a sealed sandwich bag hidden in my sock? On the monitor, they show up on my ankle.
But the machines have limitations. When I pour water into a sealed sandwich bag, place it inside my belt line and in a sock, you can barely see it.
But the company behind this technology says trained screeners would detect it, and the TSA says they have other methods to detect liquids. Still, privacy advocates have seen enough.
MELISSA NGO, ELECTRONIC PRIVACY INFORMATION CENTER: It's a virtual strip search. What it is, is a detailed image of a person's body, so detailed that you can see genitalia.
TODD: What do passengers at New York's JFK Airport think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That definitely seems like an invasion of privacy, and I would not be willing to do that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been through it over in Europe, and I didn't like it.
TODD: Machine maker Rapiscan Systems says Heathrow Airport uses its devices as a secondary screening measure, segregating men and women with same gender screeners in private rooms. Even then, passengers can choose between the see through screen or a pat down. And according to Rapiscan, the vast majority choose the machines.
(on camera): So is this an efficient screener of terrorist tools or a huge invasion of privacy?
Well, officials at this company and others are trying to come up with a middle ground, a device that will maintain privacy but not lose any detection capability. And they hope to have a machine like that ready is a matter of months.
Brian Todd, CNN, Arlington, Virginia.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LIN: A bomb blast could be anywhere in the world, but we're going to show you where American law enforcement is learning the intricate details of sifting through debris.
And then at the bottom of the hour, more on John Mark Karr. High school yearbook messages could link his past to the present.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: The car bomb has become the weapon of choice for the Iraqi insurgency. Almost every day, there are multiple attacks. Well, here in the United States, the FBI has a bomb school in Virginia training experts on how to gather evidence in the aftermath of those attacks.
Our Kelli Arena has been visiting the school and she got a hands- on lesson.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Iraq and Afghanistan, lethal truck bombs are a constant threat. When they explode, U.S. troops are forced to become crime scene investigators, a role few are prepared for. The FBI is trying to change that.
KEVIN MILES: It's going to be a record breaker, guys. This may be the biggest crime scene we've ever had.
ARENA: At the FBI's large vehicle bomb school, bomb technician Kevin Miles oversees the construction of a 4,000-pound truck bomb. Another 400 pounds is loaded into this smaller vehicle to recreate a real life scenario experienced by U.S. troops in Baghdad, in which a suicide bomber attacks those who have responded to the first blast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two-four. We're going fire in the hole, shot one. Fire in the hole, shot one. Push it.
ARENA: The second explosion also goes off without a hitch. The next day students are brought in to try to figure out what happened.
(on camera): Debris from these explosions scattered almost 4,000 feet, creating a 374 acre crime scene. With only 45 students investigating the bombings, instructors here think that maybe they gave them a little more than they could handle.
(voice-over): An advanced team does a preliminary search for evidence, and all are keenly aware of the clock.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Afghanistan and Iraq, if you get an hour, you're very lucky. I've seen it where we've only had maybe 15, 20 minutes on the ground due to the area may not be secure.
ARENA: This Navy lieutenant commander expects to be redeployed soon and for security reasons doesn't want his name used.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got an engine number.
ARENA: Teams photograph and flag pieces of potential evidence and swab a vehicle caught in the crossfire for explosive residue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any indicator of any type of initiation device, you know?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. They might have it up over on that end then, hopefully.
ARENA: They eventually find most of what they're looking for, including batteries and a telephone key pad they determined was used to trigger the second bomb. Robert Pursley, a 27-year law enforcement veteran, says the training is invaluable, in part because he expects terrorism to make its way back to U.S. soil.
LT. ROBERT PURSLEY, SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: We've had our incidents here already. That's an indicator. And that's why we're doing this training.
ARENA: Kevin Miles says more than 400 people signed up to take the course. To keep up with the enemy, he's constantly modifying his classes, but not his message.
MILES: The evidence that they are looking for is out there somewhere and if they know where to look for it, they'll find it.
ARENA: Kelli Arena, CNN, Fallon, Nevada.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Well, out of this world's fastest men joins me next. He's going to talk about another athlete who's in hot water for allegedly using performance enhancing drugs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ninety-nine percent of America doesn't know that these soldiers have honorably served and that they're finding difficulty coming back home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: You could be among that 99 percent. So we're keeping you informed about veterans returning home only to face an uphill battle in the workforce.
A new report, right here on CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
It's coming up in about 20 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: An Israeli raid into Lebanon may threaten the nearly week- old Middle East cease-fire. Lebanese officials say the move violates a U.N. resolution. Israel says it intercepted a weapons shipment from Iran to Hezbollah.
And bomb threats rattle German commuters today. Authorities closed one train station for five hours and arrested a suspect in a failed bombing plot from last month. And a bomb threat at Hamburg's main train station closed it for several hours.
Now, this video you're looking at just in to CNN from Turkey, where a natural gas pipeline exploded. The fire can be seen for miles. Witnesses say the blast shook houses in nearby villages. Turkish government officials suspect sabotage from Kurd separatists.
And triple Olympic gold medalist Marion Jones is the latest athlete suspected of cheating. The Associated Press reports the 30- year-old sprinter failed a drug test earlier this summer. I'm going to talk with Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis about this in five minutes.
Top stories are updated every 15 minutes on CNN LIVE SATURDAY. Your next update coming at 5:45 Eastern.
Now to the latest on the JonBenet murder investigation. Thai officials say tickets for John Mark Karr's departure are ready.
Karr was arrested Wednesday in Bangkok in the 10-year-old murder case. And in a stunning admission, he confessed to killing the little girl. But Karr's ex-wife claims he wasn't even in Colorado in 1996. The Colorado district attorney warns people not to rush to judgment. Now, Karr is expected back in the United States tomorrow.
The search for new evidence leads in many directions, including back to Karr's high school yearbook.
CNN's David Mattingly has that chilling story, one first seen on "ANDERSON COOPER 360".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The mild manner and polite tone of a restrained John Mark Karr could be a deceptive cover. A U.S. law enforcement official tells CNN that Karr provided in graphic detail gruesome physical facts about the condition of JonBenet's body that only the coroner, the investigators, and the killer could have known. Details so closely guarded they have been a virtual secret for 10 years.
During his exchange with reporters in Bangkok, we can hear in this audio how Karr seemed frustrated he could not say what he knew in short sound bites.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What happened in the basement?
JOHN MARK KARR, SUSPECTED MURDERER: It would take several hours to describe that, to describe that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you could be brief.
KARR: There's no way I could be brief about -- there's no way I could be brief about it.
MATTINGLY: Since the murder of JonBenet, authorities have long been puzzled by the cryptic letters "SBTC," the signature at the end of a long ransom note found in the Ramsey home. Now the inscription from a high school yearbook written by Karr in 1982 and obtained by CNN shows in capital block letters the words "I Shall Be the Conqueror," SBTC.
The owner turned the yearbook over to authorities, curious to know if the phrase could be linked to the ransom note. Leaving old classmates in Karr's former hometown of Hamilton, Alabama to wonder what happened to the bright, talkative, skinny teenager they used to know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The way he talks and the way he acts on TV is nothing like what he was in high school, nothing.
MATTINGLY: The "Associated Press" reports anonymous sources say Thai authorities swabbed Karr's mouth retrieve cell samples for DNA testing and that more tests will be done when he returns to the U.S.
In California, prison officials search the cell of Richard Allen Davis, the killer of 12-year-old Polly Klaas. Karr was reportedly obsessed with the child's murder and might have exchanged e-mails with her killer. But no evidence of any contact was found.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Investigators did, in fact, speak with Richard Allen Davis and it was shared with me that they concluded from that discussion that there was no direct contact with John Karr and Richard Allen Davis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: David Mattingly reporting on this story for "ANDERSON COOPER 360". And, of course, you can watch "AC 360" weeknights at 10:00 Eastern, only on CNN.
And Larry King is going to have an exclusive interview with the Ramsey family attorney, Lin Wood, and the Colorado professor who led police to Karr. That's Monday night at 9:00 Eastern.
"Across America" today, a police chase for a felony child abuse suspect in Mesa, Arizona, ends with high drama. Police officers sicced (sic) a police dog on the suspect to take him into custody. Later, police found a small child in the suspect's car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, Jason picked me up and put me in the trash can and had all the kids pick up three to five pieces of trash and throw it on me.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LIN: Charges of hazing at a surf school in suburban San Diego. Kids as young as 7 have allegedly been subjected to various forms of hazing. You know, hitting and being cursed at. An assault complaint was filed with police earlier this week.
And in Wyoming, firefighters say they're getting the upper hand on a 10,000-acre wildfire burning on Casper Mountain. They estimate that 70 percent of it is contained right now. The fire has been burning since Monday, sparked by a lightning strike.
A failed drug test may catch up with sprinter Marion Jones. For the so-called fastest woman in the world, The Associated Press reports Jones tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance during a U.S. track and field championship in June.
Now, Olympic gold medal winner Carl Lewis joins us now live from Los Angeles with his perspective on this story.
Carl, three different people say that she tested positive for these tests back in June. Do you believe that Marion Jones took performance-enhancing drugs?
CARL LEWIS, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST: Well, Carol, it's very frustrating. And that's really why I'm out speaking today, because, you know, I've been in this sport -- I was in this sport for 18 years and I've been out of it for 10 years, and this whole drug issue is a problem. Marion is just a small part of a huge problem that's happening.
You know, I...
LIN: What do you mean? I mean, isn't it really an issue of whether her championship comes from taking these performance-enhancing drugs? Do you think she did? Would she?
LEWIS: Oh, absolutely, I mean, you know, because people cheat in our sport.
LIN: Are you saying she would absolutely take these drugs?
LEWIS: Well, you know, honestly, it would be hard for me to say because I don't know Marion enough. But if the evidence stands up, then it wouldn't be -- it wouldn't be surprising to me, because obviously she's gone through a lot of scrutiny for the last few years, and she's denied it, like people always do. But people talk about, "I've been tested many times and I've never knowingly taken drugs," and that's just really a line.
You know, the whole idea is to beat the test. So it's not about being tested. If you are clean and you haven't done it, well, then you stand on what you believe in.
And what's really sad to me is that all of these kids see this lesson. And, you know, as we know, track and field is the highest participatory sport in America amongst kids.
LIN: Oh, any kid can do it, right?
LEWIS: Exactly.
LIN: All you need is the space, and your school says go for it.
LEWIS: Yes, exactly. And this is a message that is damaging those kids.
And, you know, just recently I talked to a lot of the USA track and field athletes, and they're frustrated as well, because this is the story that gets out all the time when most of them are clean. So I'm really speaking out because I feel like I have an opportunity and a voice that people listen to, because I dealt with -- directly with a drug problem and drug issues with other people, Ben Johnson, or whatever, and I know what it's like to be competing against people that are taking drugs.
LIN: You bet. I mean, Ben Johnson, back in 1988, Seoul, Korea, he won the gold medal, set a world record, in fact, in the 100 meter race. You came in second. He was kicked out because of steroids allegations. And you won the gold medal.
How did it make you feel winning under those circumstances? And did it change the way you viewed him?
LEWIS: Well, it definitely changed the way I viewed him because I knew that he was on drugs before. And I could just tell. You know, being an athlete, you understand that.
But at first I was very frustrated because he did win the gold medal. But in the long run, people remember the fact that I did the right thing. So, now I can preach all the time to these young people in America, do the right thing and things work out for you.
I ended up with the gold medal. And actually, what people don't realize, they give you the actual medal. They take it back and give it to you. So it's even better that they took that medal back and gave it to the rightful -- rightful winner.
LIN: You know, Marion Jones' attorney told The Associated Press, "Not now, not ever." They are both still maintaining her innocence that she would take this. It was a blood booster EPO. That's what she tested positive for.
You know, her performance declined after that big drug company investigation, the BALCO investigation in the Bay area, a company accused of supplying some of these drugs to athletes. Her -- she denied it at that time, though her name was linked in that investigation. But her performance declined after that.
Does that give you more fodder in your though when you...
LEWIS: Well, Carol...
LIN: ... see Marion Jones performing? LEWIS: Exactly, Carol. I mean, of course she had a baby as well, so that probably plays into it. But the reality is that there's a bigger problem.
Here, the U.S. championships is the biggest meet in America. She's been under scrutiny for years. And for her to even -- if she did test positive and it is true, for her to test positive in that meet, it shows a bigger problem in the sport.
Why in the world would you go to the biggest meet where you know they're going to test and even take a drug? To me, that's where the big problem is, because I think that there needs to be a change in the structure. If this was a company, the president would be fired because his company is being failed by the workers.
LIN: Well, that raises the question of who would be responsible. Is it the athlete, is it the coach, is it the sponsors?
LEWIS: Honestly, I think it's everybody, because we -- we think it's really a simple reason, but it's a bigger reason. It's a moral issue.
LIN: All right.
LEWIS: It's a financial issue. And it's also a cultural issue.
You know, I personally feel that instead of just suspending people, we should send them to rehab. Why did you start taking it? Who was involved in the process?
LIN: Well...
LEWIS: I mean, there are a lot of things that we should do to make it better.
LIN: All right. Carl Lewis, thank you so much for joining us.
LEWIS: Thank you.
LIN: You add perspective and passion to this sport. So many people are counting on the winners being clean.
We appreciate it. We'll be waiting for the results of the second test on Marion Jones.
LEWIS: Thank you.
LIN: Still to come, you could own the tiara that Madonna wore on her wedding day. It is a jazzy auction for a great cause.
But first...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's good to be home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: ... this soldier is enjoying his first day home, but what will he find in the workplace?
Next on CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Insurgents on the attack in Iraq. Today in the town of Baquba, at least nine people were killed. And among the victims, two professors and a human rights activist.
And tight security in Baghdad this weekend as thousands of Shiites converge for a pilgrimage. A vehicle ban is in effect until Monday, and there are more security checkpoints. But even that hasn't stopped the sectarian violence. Seven Shiite pilgrims were shot and killed last night.
U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan expect a fight, especially while in combat, but they don't expect a fight when they come home.
CNN's Gary Nurenberg reports on the frustrating battle many vets are facing just to find a job.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The transition from this job to a civilian job back home can be tough.
GARETT REPPENHAGEN, VETERAN: A lot of the skills really don't translate at all. I mean, I was a sniper. I was a combat soldier.
NURENBERG: Part of Garett Reppenhagen's new job is to help other veterans find jobs.
REPPENHAGEN: A lot of these guys are infantry soldiers that have been in the infantry maybe eight years from the time they graduated high school. They never had a real job. They never had a college education.
NURENBERG (on camera): The problem is most acute for younger veterans. While the nation's unemployment rate as a whole is less than 5 percent, the most recently available numbers show unemployment for veterans between 18 and 24 at more than 17 percent.
JAMES NICHOLSON, VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY: That's significantly higher than their counterparts in the civilian sector, and that bothers me.
NURENBERG: So the Department of Veterans Affairs has what it calls transition assistance programs.
NICHOLSON: We send teams all over the world really to talk to them for several months before they -- they get out to get them thinking about employment.
NURENBERG: But there is a sales job to do at home as well.
STEVE ROBINSON, VETERANS FOR AMERICA: Ninety-nine percent of America doesn't know that these soldiers have honorably served and that they're finding difficulty coming back home.
JASON MCGEE, VETERAN: D.C. Army National Guard and the positions I'm looking for are for international project management.
NURENBERG: Veterans like Jason McGee can use special job searches facilities like this one in Washington, D.C...
MCGEE: We have to also work for it.
NURENBERG: ... where counselors tell employers...
ROBINSON: These people are -- will be good employees when they come back. They're willing to do what they have to do to get the job done.
NURENBERG: If they could get just the job in the first place.
Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: We are nearing the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and the Gulf Coast is still recovering.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTON MARSALIS, MUSICIAN: It's the type of devastation that you can't describe, because it's neighborhood after neighborhood.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Up next, my conversation with Wynton Marsalis about the rebuilding and the auction where you can bid on Madonna's wedding tiara.
CNN LIVE SATURDAY returns right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Checking the most popular stories on CNN.com, John Mark Karr, the suspect in the death of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey, is expected back in the United States soon. His flight from Thailand is scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles tomorrow night.
An illegal immigrant and her son have found sanctuary in a Chicago church, at least for now. U.S. immigration agents say they won't forcibly remove the woman. She's facing deportation to Mexico.
A judge's ruling is splitting an Ohio town. Two teens involved in a prank are being allowed to finish out their football season before serving jail time. The teens placed a fake deer in the middle of the road and watched cars swerve to avoid it. Read more about it on CNN.com. Just click on "Most Popular".
White House or bust. A Katrina survivor is towing his FEMA trailer from New Orleans to Washington. He wants to thank President Bush and the American people for what they've done so far and remind everyone that the rebuilding job in the Gulf is not complete.
Now, we checked in with Rockey Vaccarella about an hour ago on his rest stop in Atlanta.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROCKEY VACCARELLA, TAKING TRAILER TO D.C.: We got bombed (ph), and we've got trash all over the place still. And, you know, we're a long way from -- from recovery. And being in America, we are one of the strongest nations in the -- we are the strongest nation in this world. So why can't we come down here and clean it up and put us back on our feet?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Musician Wynton Marsalis has taken an active role in helping rebuild his home town, New Orleans. He is co-founder of a charitable trust called Rebuild the Soul of America. And now he's teaming up with a jeweler Michael Kazanjian in an online auction of celebrity jewelry to help Katrina survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARSALIS: A lot of people have come home. A lot of people are doing work. It's kind of like the first -- first week of a 10-week diet. You're not going to see that much progress, but when you get -- I think when we get a couple of years from now, we have to realize the size of the tragedy.
So people are doing all they can do to get home and to make things change. And the more of us that want New Orleans and more people around the world and the country to get in New Orleans and see the things and support us, the more you'll see a tremendous progress.
LIN: You know what's really struck me? Is the grassroots initiative, things like this trust, things like the auction that's coming up on August 22nd.
Why do you think it has taken ordinary people and celebrities like yourself to make that change, and that it's not necessarily coming from the political quarters?
MARSALIS: Because our systems don't really work for us that much anymore. It's not just the political system. Our big institutions, things that we put money into, they're used to stealing our money and doing what they want to do. And we don't really do anything about it.
So many times it's incumbent upon us to just say, look, we're going to make -- make things change. And we are doing that. We've seen in the United States of America such an outpouring of love and support for New Orleanians. We've never seen anything like this in the history of our country. So I think it gives us something to build on.
LIN: It is really remarkable.
Michael, how much do you think this auction is going to raise?
MICHAEL KAZANJIAN, JEWELS FOR CHARITY: We would like to hope it could bring from $500,000 $1 million of revenue generated.
LIN: You think so? Who do you think your buyers are going to be?
KAZANJIAN: I think Americans from all parts of the country that want a taste of America. We have pieces from celebrities. We have pieces from very prominent families. Our family foundation...
LIN: Yes.
KAZANJIAN: ... has contributed quite a number of the pieces. They're all distinctive, unique pieces.
LIN: Oh, they're gorgeous. They're absolutely gorgeous. Madonna contributed her wedding crown.
Why would she contribute her wedding crown?
KAZANJIAN: This was acquired in London through Astri Girard (ph), who had lent it to Madonna for her wedding. And so it was acquired for the benefit that our foundation could generate using it as a headline attraction.
LIN: So you are actually going to have the wedding crown that Madonna wore?
KAZANJIAN: Yes. It also converts into a diamond necklace. So it has a very practical side to it.
It's over 100 years old. It's beautifully made. Nearly 100 carats of diamonds. And it's a one-of-a-kind treasure. It's a collector's item.
LIN: Fantastic. As well as Eva Gabor's earrings. Some of the pieces that you have really from -- worn by the icons of Hollywood celebrity.
Michael Kazanjian, good luck with the auction. I hope the money is even greater than you anticipate.
And Wynton Marsalis, good luck with the trust.
KAZANJIAN: Thank you.
LIN: New Orleans needs you. (END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Now, you can take part in the Katrina benefit auction or follow its progress on eBay next Tuesday, August 22nd.
New information about the JonBenet homicide case coming up at the top of the hour. Could murder suspect John Mark Karr be changing his mind? We're going to take you live to Bangkok next on CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: He is possibly the most talked about man in America right now. He says he had a role in the JonBenet Ramsey murder, but some aren't so sure now. And word today John Mark Karr is headed back to the United States.
Hello. I'm Carol Lin. Welcome to our top story in just a moment, but first the hour's headlines.
Israeli commandos stage a raid deep inside Lebanon. Lebanon's government calls the raid a violation of the Mideast cease-fire. Israel says it was meant to thwart the rearming of Hezbollah, which also is forbidden by the cease-fire accord.
And 49 troops, French troops, disembarked today in a Lebanese coastal village. They are the vanguard of the international peacekeeping force which is supposed to number 15,000.
A full report in just a few minutes.
President Bush's surveillance program is to go before an appeals court heavy on Republicans. A lower judge appointed by Democrat Jimmy Carter declared the program unconstitutional this week.
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