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CNN Newsnight Aaron Brown

Suicide Bomber Strikes Jerusalem; New Developments in Elizabeth Smart Case

Aired June 18, 2002 - 22:00   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening again. I'm Aaron Brown. We're in Washington tonight.

Don't ask me why, but one of our producers was recently reading some of the works of the famous Jewish historian Josephus who chronicled the Jewish wars in the early centuries after the death of Jesus.

The sense you get from reading this work is that war and murder for political ends is nothing new to the region and we saw that again today, a terrorist attack, Israeli reprisals, the kind of things that are literally as old as the hills of Jerusalem.

Not an especially encouraging thought, as the Bush Administration prepares to release a plan to create, in all probability, a provisional Palestinian state, a step toward a real peace, even as Israel rejects the concept and decides tonight to retake part of the West Bank.

That decision is of enormous implication. It is going on as we speak to you and it is not likely we will get our arms around as much of it as we would like. It is enough to say now that it is a hugely important step. It may or may not provide Israel with the increased measure of security it seeks. It will certainly anger the Palestinian side and the Arab world, all of which makes the work of the administration that much harder, that much more complicated and that much more important.

The president, as we have said many times before, hoped he could avoid getting bogged down in the Middle East, but circumstances change and they have changed again tonight and the plans the administration had this afternoon may, we can't be absolutely sure, but may be outdated before they're even released.

So the whip begins in Jerusalem. Israeli forces literally, as we speak, on the move into the West Bank after another suicide bombing today. Sheila MacVicar begins the whip. Sheila, the headline from you please.

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A deadly day in Jerusalem, Aaron, is followed by the Israeli government decision to retake, reoccupy parts of the West Bank, and in the words of Israel's government, to hold them for as long as the terror continues. Tonight, they are in Jenin and we are getting word they are now in the city of Nablus.

BROWN: All right, Sheila back with you in just a moment. The attack comes at an extremely delicate moment, as we said, for the White House, a planned announcement this week on the Middle East. Our Senior White House Correspondent is there tonight. John King, the headline from you please.

JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Aaron, the White House says it is keeping track of what it calls a significant Israeli military mobilization tonight. Officials here insisting the bombing and the Israeli response will not deter the president from pushing ahead with his new peace initiative, but also clear tonight this latest Israeli response could well delay the release of the plan for a day, perhaps a little more.

BROWN: John, thank you. The story of Elizabeth Smart took a very odd twist today. Jeanne Meserve is in Salt Lake City for us, Jeanne the headline from you there.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Mary Catherine Smart waited two hours to tell her parents her sister Elizabeth had been abducted. Today, a new story from police about why. Also, a new more detailed description of the abductor, Aaron.

BROWN: Jeanne, thank you, and the weather was not friendly tonight in the fight against wildfires in Colorado. Charles Molineaux is still there, Charles the headline from you.

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Aaron, firefighters have been dreading this day for about a week now and, sure enough, as expected it brought higher winds, higher temperatures, lower humidity and more runs by the biggest forest fire in Colorado history. Thousands more acres were consumed today. We were with the firefighters on the fire lines as they had to pull out and regroup.

BROWN: Charles, thank you, and we're back with all of you in just a moment.

Also on the program tonight, a fascinating political battle going on in Massachusetts. Is the Republican candidate for governor a resident of the Bay state as required by law or is he a resident of his adopted state of Utah? The answer may decide whether Mitt Romney can stay on the ballot. We'll talk to the "Boston Globe"'s political editor Carolyn Ryan a little bit later.

And a great story about a young man not yet old enough to drink, but talented enough to get standing ovations before he even hits the final notes. His name is Lang Lang, and Lang Lang will end the program tonight.

There is an awful lot to do. We begin with three words spoken proudly we're told by the 65-year-old father about his 22-year-old son. The three words, "he's a martyr."

Nineteen Israelis are dead for it. Mohammed Agoul (ph) left a note saying he'd already tried twice before to kill. Well he succeeded this morning in Jerusalem, on a bus filled with commuters and children on their way to school.

It was the worst attack on Israelis since the Passover bombing in March, the deadliest attack in the city of Jerusalem since 1996 and the attack has provoked the Israelis to respond, the government saying tonight it will reoccupy some of the West Bank land turned back to the Palestinians as part of the long forgotten Oslo Peace Accords.

We have two reports on this tonight. We begin first with CNN's Sheila MacVicar who is in Jerusalem. Sheila, good evening to you again.

MACVICAR: Good morning from Jerusalem, Aaron.

Overnight, we have had Israel's response to that deadly terror attack. Dozens of tanks and armored vehicles supported in the sky by helicopters and fighter jets have gone into the West Bank town of Jenin. It is an apparent attempt to retake control of that town. We have reports, as yet the IDF is not yet confirming those reports, but reports that we are seeing similar action now taking place in the West Bank city of Nablus. All of this, of course, comes just within 12 hours of that deadly bus attack in Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MACVICAR (voice over): Death came with the morning rush hour. The Number 32-A bus was making its way into Jerusalem, onboard workers heading for their jobs and children heading to school; waiting with deadly intent at a bus stop, the suicide bomber.

Michael Lavsky (ph) was on the bus as the terrorist boarded. I realized what he was going to do" he says. "I managed to crouch down and the bus exploded."

Jerusalem had been on high alert for nearly 24 hours. Israeli police said they had specific intelligence a suicide bomber had entered the city. In spite of roadblocks and searches, they were not able to catch him in time.

Once again, Israelis were dealing with terror and rescue workers had the grim task of collecting the dead; the bus driver, dead in his seat; a body lying on the steps of the bus. Through the morning, the toll mounting, the row of body bags growing longer.

(on camera): This comes as both Israelis and Palestinians wait for U.S. President Bush's statement on his views of the way forward toward a political dialog. The view of Israel's government is that it will not now accept the creation of any form of a Palestinian state.

(voice over): With the U.S. administration's deliberations in mind, Israel's prime minister paid an unusual visit to the scene. Somber, sorrowed, Ariel Sharon walked solemnly past the dead. This was, he said, a terrible scene, stronger than words.

ARIEL SHARON, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): What Palestinian state are they intending? What Palestinian state are they talking about? It is this terrorism which we have to fight and that is what we shall do.

UZI LANDAU, ISRAELI MINISTER OF INTERNAL SECURITY: What must be clear, that there is no Palestinian state, there is no negotiation with Arafat, there is no trying to reach a compromise with all those terrorist organizations.

MACVICAR: From Gaza, the spiritual leader of Hamas confirmed this bomber had been launched by that organization. The Palestinian Authority condemned the attack but said control of the bombers was beyond its current capabilities and made a plea for renewed dialogue.

GHASSAN KHABIB, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY MINISTER OF LABOR: The only security for everybody can guarantee an end to the violence.

MACVICAR: As one more horrifying reality sinks in everyone, Israelis and Palestinians wait to see what happens next.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACVICAR (on camera): Many of the victims, Aaron, have now been identified. Amongst them, as I said, the bus driver, two bank workers, two high school students and an 11-year-old girl -- Aaron.

BROWN: How many times have we gone through this? Sheila, let's talk about what we know, what the Israeli government has said tonight, early morning for you about its move into the West Bank.

MACVICAR: What Israel's government is saying is that they have taken a decision, a strategic decision that they will go in and that they will reoccupy parts of the West Bank and they will hold those parts of the West Bank until the terror ends.

Look on this as a kind of, you might say, a rolling occupation. We know that they're in Jenin now. We are hearing that they are in Nablus. They are saying that each act of terror will bring a renewed occupation of another chunk of territory sort of eating away at those parts of the West Bank which have been under Palestinian control, those areas that are known as Area A under, as you said before, the long dead Oslo Accords.

Now that is what Israel's decision has been. It has to be said, Aaron, there has been tremendous pressure from the right on Mr. Sharon's government to go further than this and to expel Mr. Arafat, to force him to leave the territories, to declare the Palestinian Authority dead and to essentially reoccupy all of the West Bank.

BROWN: And they put no timeline on this and they say, they have yet to say how, what the breadth of this is how many cities they'll occupy. But they're in Jenin and apparently moving towards Nablus and we don't know what comes next, correct?

MACVICAR: Correct. I mean you have to look at this in the context of the long and the much anticipated speech or statement that's supposed to be coming from President Bush at some point later this week. There is out there the view that the U.S. administration may be moving toward declaring its support for the immediate creation of some form of interim Palestinian state. Israel's government has made very clear in the meetings with Prime Minister Sharon and President Bush last week, they do not want that. They will not accept that. They were saying that again today at the scene of the bus bombings, and that is the context in which they are operating.

So, by going in, by taking these steps now, they are first off dealing with their own public opinion in Israel, which is going to be demanding very strong, very clear action on the part of this government, and at the same time, trying to make a statement internationally.

BROWN: All right. There's obviously things happening and you can do some reporting and we'll check back with you if we should. Thank you, Sheila MacVicar in Jerusalem.

Guys, I wonder if we can just quickly go to John King at the White House and start dealing with that. The president, as Sheila mentioned, is on the edge of announcing this new policy, a more defined policy. John, they got to be scratching their heads saying, man this is why we wanted to stay out of the Middle East.

KING: Well, certainly many in this administration say this is a reminder of President Bush's early message that the parties themselves must want to make peace.

Here at the White House tonight, Aaron, no official reaction. They refuse to respond to the Israeli military response. Privately, sources telling us they do have evidence of a significant Israeli military build-up. We are told the administration's message to the Sharon government is that it hopes this response is a temporary one. Again, the White House saying the president will go forward with his plan.

But the question now is when. We expected that speech today. It was delayed. We now are told, in the words of one senior official, we need to let all this settle in. The earliest, we were told, we will hear from the president, and many now view this as optimistic, but the earliest will be Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KING (voice over): The president's central goal is to get the Israelis and Palestinians back to the bargaining table, not to present a detailed new U.S. peace plan but Mr. Bush does hope to offer a roadmap.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're going to be steadfast toward a vision that rejects terror and killing and honors peace and hope.

KING: Central to the Bush proposal is a call for reforms to the Palestinian Authority, a new Palestinian constitution, new leadership positions and improved security forces. But selling those reforms could be complicated by tough talk from senior White House officials, who make clear they would prefer that Yasser Arafat have no role in day-to-day decision making.

SHIBLEY TELHAMI, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: Very often when it seem as if the intent of the U.S. is to remove a leader, that people rally behind him even if he's unpopular. I think we've seen that in the past, including in a case of Mr. Arafat.

KING: Mr. Bush also will call for an international Middle East conference this summer with the goal of narrowing differences between Israel and Arab states, a resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and an easing of Israeli economic restrictions on the Palestinians.

One controversial idea is recognizing an interim or provisional Palestinian state that would consist of West Bank and Gaza Strip land now under Palestinian control. The borders of a permanent state and competing claims on Jerusalem would be left to direct negotiations.

Vice President Cheney is said by knowledgeable sources to be skeptical of recognizing an interim Palestinian state before seeing proof of Palestinian reforms, and several top officials say the idea, while still on the table, appears to be losing appeal.

Another deadly bombing only reinforced Israel's view that this is no time for peace talks and no time to discuss Palestinian statehood, interim or otherwise. The White House condemned the bombing as the work of those who oppose peace and says it will not impact the president's deliberations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING (on camera): But, again, senior officials telling us tonight there is now no question that the latest bombing and this Israeli response will delay the initiative, at least for a day or two. Senior officials saying the president fully understands it would make no sense right now to try to get these parties, the Israelis and the Palestinians, to focus on peace -- Aaron.

BROWN: It's just yet again a reminder of how things change in a day or in a minute. They changed with the bombing. They've changed again in a way that, at least as we sit here, it's hard to fathom the implications of the Israelis moving back into the West Bank.

But to take one example if, in fact, the U.S. government, the administration had a map in mind of what the provisional state would look like, the map just changed.

KING: Well, the map certainly did just change and we have not been able to get an answer to that question. If you recognize a provisional state and then there is a bombing and the Israelis react militarily and cross the borders, are they appropriately responding to terrorism, as this administration has done in Afghanistan and elsewhere, or are they violating the border of a sovereign state?

U.S. officials say that is one reason the president has not let the ink dry on that proposal, and we understand there's still a tug of war within the administration. And make no mistake about it, the president will make the final call, but those who think this provisional state is a bad idea feel emboldened today.

BROWN: I expect that is the case, John, and I also assume there's some reporting still to be done from there tonight. Thank you for your efforts. We'll see what turns up.

As NEWSNIGHT continues, we'll move on. We'll go to the frontlines of the fires that continue to plague Colorado. That's in a little bit.

Up next, the latest on the case of Elizabeth Smart, the missing 14-year-old in Utah, some new information out today about the suspect and the night of the abduction. This is NEWSNIGHT. We're in Washington tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Well it's not exactly clear how the case of Elizabeth Smart took such a strange turn today, whether the 14-year-old's younger sister changed the story she was telling police or police changed the story they were telling reporters. But whatever, it changed in pretty significant ways, as we heard new details of the night Elizabeth was taken from her Salt Lake City home. Here's CNN's Jeanne Meserve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice over): Two weeks after he abduction, a new rendition of events, including a more detailed description of the kidnapper.

CAPT. SCOTT ATKINSON, SALT LAKE CITY POLICE: Dark hair on his arms and on the back of his hands. Dressed nicely and spoke nicely, would be wearing a Polo brand shirt, tan pants, dark shoes, and a lighter jacket.

MESERVE: Police now say nine-year-old Mary Catherine Smart, who witnessed the abduction, pretended she was asleep. Law enforcement sources say she saw the kidnapper in the hallway, as well as the bedroom, and that although he threatened Elizabeth to keep her quiet; he had no conversation with Mary Catherine.

ATKINSON: The threat was not made to Mary Catherine.

MESERVE: A police spokesman acknowledges he was mistaken when he previously told reporters that threats against Mary Catherine herself had kept her from telling her parents about the abduction for two hours.

When asked if Mary Catherine had been hypnotized to get new information, one law enforcement source said, "it's safe to say we have tried everything."

Also displayed Tuesday, sneakers identical to the ones Elizabeth was wearing when she was taken from the house. The family was unaware of some of the new information until it was released to the press.

TOM SMART, ELIZABETH SMART'S UNCLE: My reaction is, is that obviously the police have some leads and by design the police don't tell the family everything.

MESERVE: A law enforcement source says investigators have not ruled out the family at all and that they are looking at, "family business and lifestyle issues that may have brought others in contact with Elizabeth."

But the net is still wide open, as they wait to see if tape from a surveillance camera near the Smart home can be enhanced by an FBI lab. Investigators say they are following several fairly good leads, all of them in the state of Utah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(on camera): Law enforcement sources say they are looking at the abduction of two 13-year-olds in Portland, Oregon, but as yet have found no connection. One federal law enforcement official summing up the entire investigation says, at this point it's kind of discouraging. Aaron.

BROWN: It is that. They maintain - I want to make sure I understand this. They maintain that the younger sister has been consistent in the story she has told, is that correct?

MESERVE: That's correct. There appears to have been a communications problem within the Salt Lake City Police Department. We are told by the officer who put out the information that Mary Catherine had been threatened, that he had been given misinformation by the watch commander and it was not corrected to him until about an hour before the news conference today.

I talked to a federal law enforcement official. He said it had always been his understanding that it was Elizabeth that was threatened, not Mary Catherine. Aaron.

BROWN: Jeanne, thank you. Jeanne Meserve in Salt Lake City tonight.

We'll take a quick break here and then talk to Clint Van Zandt, the former FBI profiler about the developments today in this case. This is NEWSNIGHT from Washington on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Last night we spoke with former FBI profiler Clint Van Zandt. He and I agree that one of these days it would be nice to sit down and talk about a piece of good news, today apparently not the day, given the news out of Salt Lake City. Clint joins us from New York tonight. It's good to see you.

CLINT VAN ZANDT, FORMER FBI PROFILER: Hi, Aaron.

BROWN: Well, look here's my question. I don't want to sound more cynical than I generally do. Is it a reasonable reaction for a child who's aware that her sister is being kidnapped...

VAN ZANDT: Yes.

BROWN: ... to remain silent?

VAN ZANDT: Well, I think it could be. You know the child psychologists are going to have to debate this issue. But if you take a young child who's awakened in the middle of the night, it's the most traumatic event she's ever been involved in. She doesn't understand what's going on. She hears that her sister's life is being threatened. What frame of reference does she have?

There is no script that we, as parents, give our children to deal with something like that. So those that would say why didn't she run yelling and screaming through the house, I would say she could have. I understand that, but I think the behavior that we see may also be consistent with a young girl who's just frightened, confused, and trying to do what she can to save here sister's life.

BROWN: Now the other thing and this really goes to your experience being involved in these investigations and what police know and FBI knows and what they release and they're not always the same. Does it surprise you in any sense that new information or a new version, new sketches, new descriptions comes out this far down the road?

VAN ZANDT: Well, it can be one of two things, Aaron. As you suggest, many times the police will hold things back in essence. As an FBI agent, I would never want to give out all the information I knew about a case because I need to hold back information, cards so to speak, so that if someone else raises their hand and says, yes, I know something about this case or I did it, I need to be able to discriminate between someone who really knows, who was really involved and who just wants their 15 minutes of fame.

And, in the case of Elizabeth's sister at this point, I know that the police would employ every sophisticated, investigative technique and interview technique that they could.

Some of those techniques, Aaron, could in fact illicit new information that might have been repressed that the little girl just wasn't aware of. If through interview that information came out, law enforcement first looks at it and says, can we use it ourselves to go out and find this kidnapper?

And number two, they say okay, we've looked at it a day or two or whatever. Now it's time to illicit the general public, share that information and get everyone, at least on that one page of this sheet of music so we're all looking for the same person.

BROWN: Would you agree with me that withholding a good solid, description of the suspect, however, does not make a whole lot of sense?

VAN ZANDT: Well, you know, if you look at law enforcement's standpoint, Aaron, as we talked last week, this is a two-track investigation. Track One says we have to look at the family.

Fourteen-to-one statistically an offender in a case like this would come from the common family, from the social circle, so you have to look at them and part of that says let's look at everybody in the family and see if this description meets anyone.

If it doesn't then we have to go to the greater community and start looking toward someone who had access to the neighborhood, or in worst case scenario, the unknown offender, who for some unknown reason wound up on this street and in that bedroom two weeks ago.

BROWN: We're probably down to a half a minute or maybe a little less. Have you heard anything in the last day or so that leads you to believe that this case; a) will get solved, or that it won't get solved?

VAN ZANDT: Well, we've got a better description of this person now, so that's going to help us. Aaron, statistically if we don't get a child back in the first 28 or 24 to 48 hours, I really fear for that child. But some of the ways this offender went toward Elizabeth, he was calm. He was poised. He seemed to know what he was doing. I hold out hope, just like you and I or any other parent would.

BROWN: Yes.

VAN ZANDT: That our child will come home.

BROWN: Clint, thanks. Clint Van Zandt, formerly of the FBI, on Elizabeth Smart.

VAN ZANDT: Thank you.

BROWN: We've got a lot to take care of tonight. We'll take a quick break and be right back, OK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: A little politics today, a message from Governor Jesse Ventura to all those pesky Minnesota reporters he calls jackals. They won't have the former pro wrestler to kick around any more. Actually, the message was for the entire state of Minnesota.

Ventura announcing today that he will not seek a second term in the fall. Quote: "I'm like Che Guevara -- I'm having one of those moments, aren't I -- my job is to lead the revolution, then hand it off to someone else." That's enough of that. Anyway, he's not running any more.

There was a story in the paper in Minnesota today, by the way, that his kid has been using the governor's mansion as a party pad. I don't think the governor cared much in terms of his decision.

The better story in politics these days is going on in Massachusetts. It is quite bitter, and we're not even close to election day. It has to do with the Republican candidate there, Mitt Romney. Democrats say he made the state of Utah his primary residence when he moved there to run the Winter Olympics, which he did. And now they want him off the ballot. Romney showed up for a second day of hearings into the matter today wearing a tie with small outlines of the state of Massachusetts on it. Good move that.

But election officials aren't looking at the tie. They're looking at tax returns, his bills, his public statements to figure out just where he has been an official resident for the past few years. They play politics for keeps in Massachusetts. This one is nasty and important. "Boston Globe" political editor Carolyn Ryan joins us to talk about it. Hi, Carolyn.

CAROLYN RYAN, POLITICAL EDITOR, "BOSTON GLOBE": Hello.

BROWN: All right. There are a lot of sort of interesting twists in this. Let's talk about his tax records first. There is a Utah tax bill, a property tax bill, where he clearly pays a residence rate, correct?

RYAN: Right. That was the story that the "Globe" first reported, that he was receiving a tax break that's reserved for primary residents of Utah. In other words, in-state homeowners.

Now, he has insisted that he wasn't aware that he was receiving that tax break for three years, which came to about $54,000. The other question is income tax returns, and he filed those as a resident of Utah and as a non-resident of Massachusetts, at least initially until he decided to run for governor of Massachusetts.

BROWN: And does he acknowledge that he was aware that he was doing that?

RYAN: He has said that after he met with his lawyers and had decided to run for governor, he started talking about the residency status and how he had handled his tax returns, and was informed at that point that he didn't have to file as a non-resident of Massachusetts when he was in Utah.

BROWN: Are there other material facts -- I want to get to the politics of this in a second -- but are there other important facts that say he lived as a resident, either in Utah or in Massachusetts?

RYAN: Well, I mean, there's sort of a copious record on either side. I mean, if you look at his voting registration, he retained that in Belmont, Massachusetts. If you look at tax purposes, it seems that he designated, at least for income tax purposes, Utah as his residence. You know, he had bills sent to Utah, but he maintained civic organizational memberships back in Belmont.

You know, he would argue that his intention was always to return to Massachusetts in that, you know, he's been a resident of the state for 30 years. So, this is just sort of people making hay for political reasons.

BROWN: And then maybe so. One more question and then I want to get to the making hay part. Does he or does he not acknowledge telling a reporter for one of the newspapers in Salt Lake that he was considering running for office as a resident of Utah?

RYAN: Well, that has been somewhat damaging, I think, because he seems -- in those comments, which he hasn't denied, he seems to be state shopping a little bit, sort of looking for which state would be the more political -- the more fertile ground politically for him.

He hasn't backed away from those statements though. Again, he's insisted that Massachusetts is his home, that he always intended to return. But, you know, there are several instances where he told reporters that he was at least looking at Utah.

BROWN: All right. Now, the politics of this. The group that will decide this, am I correct, is dominated by Republicans? The election...

RYAN: Dominated by Republicans, yes. It's a fairly obscure outpost of state government in Massachusetts, and it's very difficult to tell how they'll actually rule. I mean, they haven't come across this kind of a highly charged, you know, contentious battle like this before. But they, you know, there are three Republicans on the panel, a Democrat and an independent.

BROWN: And regardless of how they vote, what they decide, do you have any sense of how this is playing out in terms of the electorate? Is Mr. Romney getting dusted up or are Democrats being seen as pretty petty?

RYAN: Well, I mean, it's a fascinating question. We sent a reporter out around the city to ask them when these stories first started appearing, you know, was it hurting Romney. And they, essentially, a lot of voters kind of greeted the whole subject with a shrug, meaning obviously he had to live in Utah to run the Olympics. He's back. Let him run.

But, you know, there have been some surveys. There haven't been any published polls yet. There have been some fast surveys that show that some of his negatives are going up. I mean, Romney has been, you know, in the papers. He's seemed to make some contradictory statements about his tax filings. And that can't help him. When he returned initially from the Olympics, he seemed like he was removed from, you know, the kind of back and forth of politics, the things that people don't like. And now he seems like he's right in the middle of it. And, you know, some of the dissembling has not been helpful.

BROWN: Carolyn, thanks. Pretty good dust-up going on there. If you're a political editor, this is a pretty good story. Nice of you to join us tonight.

RYAN: Yes, it's absolutely. Sure.

BROWN: Thank you. "Boston Globe" political editor Carolyn Ryan tonight on the gubernatorial battle there.

We'll take a break. Colorado fires and much more as NEWSNIGHT continues from Washington. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: It seemed a few days ago that Colorado was going to catch a break. The wildfires over the weekend had calmed down to the point that another story was able to grab most of the attention.

The arrest a Forest Service worker for allegedly starting one of the fires. She says accidentally.

But today the fire itself was back to the forefront. Conditions getting worse at the southern end of the blaze, as one official put it, "we need a lot of help from Mother Nature and we're not getting any."

Once again here's CNN Charles Molineaux.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOLINEAUX (voice-over): This time it was the fire that got the upper hand as humidity under four percent, and wind gust up to 30 miles an hour gave it incendiary new life, forcing the crews of division X-ray in the southern fire zone to pull back and move out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One mile down the road, we'll meet up one mile down the road. Reassess from there.

MOLINEAUX: Turning firefighters into spectators. Cooling their heels and grinding their teeth.

Someone's house still standing, but dwarfed by massive columns of smoke.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's burning through the tops of the trees, fire dropping down, burning everything underneath. It's throwing up brands to start other fires out in front of it. That's what it's all about, right there, you don't want to get caught in one of those.

MOLINEAUX (on camera): We're looking at a bridge above the Beaver Creek drainage area where crown fires have started on the ridge. Three plumes are starting and the concern is they may start coming down into this valley.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got a little nervous when we were loading into the trucks. I didn't realize how close the fire was, but once we got into the trucks and got moving, we were OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were warned that the conditions were going to be pretty much continuous from yesterday, pretty dry and hot.

MOLINEAUX: But this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No, you have no idea.

MOLINEAUX (voice-over): By early afternoon this was largely an air war, as slurry bombers and helicopters made run after run on fire lines just too dangerous to attack from the ground. And firefighters wondered just how much of their work actually worked.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Been going through a back area that just blew up on us. Digging a line, we hope it holds. We'll go in there tomorrow, I guess, or whenever it settles down and find out how we did.

MOLINEAUX (on camera): Does it bug you at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little bit. You kind of want to get out there, but you got to do what you have to do. So I got to go.

MOLINEAUX (voice-over): And amid the frustration and concern, simple awe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a once in a lifetime fire right here. Not too many people will ever see this. I think it's a very humbling event. There's not much anybody could do about it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MOLINEAUX (on camera): The Forest Service weather teams have been calling this a red flag day since before sun-up. And that's about the way it played out. At the north end of the fire near Denver, the fire lines pretty much held. The fire didn't make any progress, but here in the south, some 6,000 additional acres and this unknown number of additional homes have burned up in the past couple of days.

We are in for slight, and I do mean slight relief in the next couple of days. The forecast is for moisture, cooler weather. But come this weekend we can be right back were we are right now, with hotter, drier, windier more fire-friendly conditions -- Aaron.

BROWN: Everybody OK today? Any injuries that you know of?

MOLINEAUX: The amazing thing here is that for the ferocity of the fire, that fact that it's the biggest in Colorado state history. The fire service -- Forest Service has not sustained anything more serious than cuts, bruises, some smoke inhalation, and twisted ankles. So, they're very proud of that, they've done a good job of keeping people safe and keeping themselves safe.

BROWN: Charles thanks a lot. Charles Molineaux in Colorado tonight.

As we go quickly to the national round-up. It's one of those stories related to the wildfires in Colorado. The rest of the country, too. And it shows, again, how dangerous this work can be.

Once again, this crash of an air tanker yesterday, we want to remind you, we're going to show some pictures here, they are not easy to watch. the nation's C-130A air tankers which are used to fight fires, were grounded today, after that, after one of them lost its wings and nose-dived into -- in northern California.

All three firefighters on board perished. Planes may be back in action by the end of the week after authorities investigate what caused the crash.

Midwest today, of all places an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 5.0 on the Richter Scale, shook southern Indiana, and five neighboring states; strong enough to rattle nerves, but only caused minor damage.

And NASA, once again, has postponed the return of the space shuttle Endeavour. For the second day, thunderstorms sweeping across Florida forced flight managers to delay the landing. They hope to bring her down tomorrow.

Later in NEWSNIGHT: He's 20 years old, already outstanding in the classical music world. You'll meet Lang Lang after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: Finally, from us tonight, a teenage musical sensation. No, this isn't about Britney, or some boy band. This is about a prodigy who turns the critics, usually quite sober-minded types, into delirious fans.

A dazzler; a true poet; heroic; breathtaking; all words to describe a young concert pianist named Lang Lang.

Sometimes you get a hint of joylessness in young talents, whether it's in sports, or music, or science. The pressures felt by kids of whom great things are expected, perhaps "demanded" is a better word. It is hard to detect that in Lang Lang, so keep an eye on his fingers, and his face.

His story, and music, from CNN's Michael Schulder.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL SCHULDER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, CNN NEWS (voice-over): His name is Lang Lang, and Lang Lang is about to catch fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, LANG LANG PLAYING PIANO)

Some major critics and conductors believe Lang Lang may very well be the most talented pianist of his generation. On this night he's playing one the most difficult pieces in the Classical repertoire, Prekofiev's Piano Concerto 3.

(END VIDEO CLIP, LANG LANG PLAYING PIANO)

Here's music critic Barbara Jepson.

BARBARA JEPSON, MUSIC CRITIC: I have never seen anyone have so much fun playing the Prekofiev 3rd. He has a formidable technique. He didn't so much pound out the chord as divebomb it with pinpoint accuracy. What sets Lang Lang apart is his extraordinary ability to quickly come back with an audience.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You taught me how to passionately listen to music for the first time. Thank you. LANG LANG, PIANIST: When you getting famous or when you get more audience, so, you will play in this kind of hall.

SCHULDER: A day before opening night, I met up with Lang Lang as he prepared for his first rehearsal of the Prekofiev 3rd with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

(on camera): Tell us a little bit about the piece you're going to be playing tomorrow night, and it's Prekofiev.

LANG: In the beginning it is a beautiful melody played by clarinet. This is kind of like, as you can feel that later it's going to be big waves or big terrible thing happen. But in the beginning, it's very kind of puzzled, and the color is quite dark. Even -- also, I mean, this music is very beautiful. Then comes the string. You know something is going to happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, PREKOFIEV PIANO CONCERTO NO. 3)

And then -- see, boom, cha-boom.

(END VIDEO CLIP, PREKOFIEV PIANO CONCERTO NO. 3)

SCHULDER: Go back to where -- I understand you took your first piano lessons at age three, right? Do you remember what you played at that first lesson, at age three?

LANG: I was four, I -- maybe first piece I ever played was -- it's this one. It's Mozart.

SCHULDER: Did you play it that well?

LANG: Yes, I think so.

SCHULDER (voice-over): This was Lang Lang's very first public performance, at the age of 5, in his hometown of Sheng-Yang (ph), China. His biggest challenge was reaching the foot pedals.

A year later on to a bigger venue, the Sheng-Yang (ph) Convention Center, and a very young performers competition.

Six-year-old Lang Lang took home first prize. By age 11, he was ready for the international competition. This one in Germany -- more gold medals.

Soon after, off to America and one of the world's great conservatories, the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, and an 18-year- old debut at Carnegie Hall, which the "New York Times" music critic called brilliant.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, LANG LANG PLAYING PIANO)

So where could Lang Lang go from here on the eve of his 20th birthday. Could he get any better?

(END VIDEO CLIP, LANG LANG PLAYING PIANO) JEPSON: I will be curious to hear Lang Lang 10, 20, even 30 years from now, because classical music is one of the few arenas around where age is an asset. Life experience will stretch him and give him more to draw on.

LANG: This kind of melody you could tell it's a love song. You're in my heart.

SCHULDER (on camera): Have you ever felt that way before?

LANG: You mean this piece?

SCHULDER: Have you ever felt that way before?

LANG: Not yet.

SCHULDER: You were featured in "Teen People" magazine. Here's 20 teens who will change the world, and here you are among 20 teens that will change the world. Very different image from Pink.

LANG: Yes. She's a pop singer and this is classical music. Of course there's always connection. This is music and overall...

SCHULDER: If you had an audience of young people who were fans of pink and you wanted to bring them over to Classical music, what would you play for them?

LANG: I think I would play the "Stars And Stripes Forever," because it is really a cool piece and everybody loves it.

SCHULDER (voice-over): One final question for Lang Lang about his role model Tiger Woods. Lang Lang says he loves the fact that Tiger wins so consistently.

(on camera): We know when Tiger Woods wins the game -- he gets to the last hole, if there in fewer strokes than anybody else, he wins. How do you know when you win the game?

LANG: It's not like you beat the audience -- oh, you are so good. OK.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, LANG LANG PLAYING PIANO)

The thing that you win, that the audience completely loved you.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP, LANG LANG PLAYING PIANO)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BROWN: You know, there are rewards for watching the entire program, and that was one of them. That was terrific. We'll see you tomorrow.

Good night for all of us from NEWSNIGHT. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com