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Deadly California Wildfire; U.S. Command Proceeding With Caution Amid Lull in Attacks in Iraq

Aired October 27, 2006 - 13:59   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Four firefighters killed, another clings to life. And investigators hunt for whoever set that fire, burning fierce and fast in the mountains just outside of Palm Springs.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is in Beaumont, right there in the middle of the massive firefight.

Thelma, are crews gaining any ground?

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, I can tell you that conditions out here are really very bad. They're dangerous. It's very windy. It's smoky.

It's just not a good scene for firefighters who are trying to get on top of this blaze. And I can also tell you that the scene out here at the command center is very sobering right now.

Just a short time ago, the U.S. Forest Service released the names of the four firefighters who were killed and injured in the line of duty. Now, they also released the firefighters' photograph, one of them, at least, and they're doing so as the families release those photographs.

The first is Jason McKay. He was 27 years old. He was with the Forest Service for five years. He was also a volunteer firefighter in the area.

McKay and four of his colleagues were trapped in their engine as a wall of flames overtook the area that they were at while they were trying to protect a structure there. Three died on the scene, two were airlifted to a burn center.

We understand that 23-year-old Pablo Cerda, also from this area, is fighting for his life now. He is on life support with burns over 95 percent of his body.

The engine captain, 44 years old, is survived by a wife and five children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope you all can help keep your thoughts and prayers for these folks and their families at this time. And also their colleagues on the force. There's a lot of pain right now. And we appreciate your support.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: Again, a very difficult time for the people who are out on the line, knowing that their colleagues have been killed and injured in the line of duty.

So far, 24,000 acres have burned. There are upwards of 1,700 firefighters now on the ground trying to fight this fire. There's also an air assault that is now under way. That has been difficult at best because it is so windy out here.

And Kyra, I know you've been out here covering these wildfires. You know how rugged this terrain is. It's a very treacherous area.

In some places you can really only get in by hiking back into those areas. And so the firefighters have the -- that very difficult job of actually having to go in. The only other way to do it is to fight this fire by the air. And, of course, very difficult because conditions are just terrible.

One of the captains out here was telling me that they expect these conditions, these -- they call them red-flag conditions -- to go on until 11:00 tomorrow night. And typically they are able to get a hand on the fire overnight when the humidity is up.

But they did not get a break last night. Humidity was down to seven percent. The wind gusts were up to 40 miles an hour, and so there were just no -- there was no stopping these flames -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And Thelma, you and I have actually been out there at the same time covering those wildfires within the past 10 years. And as you report on these four firefighters that lost their lives, this one that is clinging on for his life, just maybe we should explain to our viewers that when that happens, there is definitely -- it's tough for these guys to go back out there and fight that fire. They know what they have to do, but at the same time, they can't stop thinking about their own and the fact that they lost them at the beginning of this fight.

GUTIERREZ: Well, that's exactly right, Kyra. I mean, this is a very tight community of people. And, in fact, the fire captain came out, and she told me -- she says, "Make sure and talk about the inmate (ph) crews that are out there on the line, they're on the front line just with a shovel, helping to fight this fire." She says we're all part of the same community out here trying to do this. And they feel that they lost their own in all of this.

I mean, this is -- this is a family. And so you're absolutely right. You talk to firefighters, and you can see a very somber look out here.

PHILLIPS: Thelma Gutierrez, appreciate your report very much. We'll keep talking to you out of Beaumont throughout the day.

Thanks.

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, Thelma. And let's get those live pictures back up. You can see the winds there that were up there in California. And let's talk about all the conditions.

And I'm just wondering, Rob Marciano, is there any relief in sight for these firefighters out there?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, the only relief they can hope for right now the way the weather pattern is set up is for the winds to die down.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Now the fight for Iraq and what to make of an apparent lull in attacks by insurgents in Baghdad.

As CNN's Michael Ware reports, the U.S. command is proceeding with caution.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Iraq, the bloodshed continues and the war lurches on.

There has been a glimmer of good news for the U.S. military. A lull in violence in the capital, Baghdad, over the past few days. We see the U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Major General William Caldwell, though, still sober in even his assessment of this current drop in violence.

MAJ. GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, SPOKESMAN, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: The violence is focused on Sunni-Shia ethnic fault lines, predominantly outside the cleared focus areas. With the end of Ramadan, we have seen a decrease in the levels of violence, but this is only been in the past few days, and we'll have to wait to see if this decrease proves to be a trend.

WARE: So it's too early to tell whether this fits into a broader pattern of violence being reduced here in Iraq. Most likely, however, it's linked to the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the three-day Festival of Eid where Iraqis celebrate.

It also marks the end of the insurgents' month-long Ramadan offensive. Most likely, military intelligence assessments would be that this is a bad time for the insurgents to attack during the Eid festival in terms of their PR campaign, but also, the insurgency having launched four weeks of ongoing attacks will now be regrouping, taking its breath before it moves on.

Meanwhile, outside the capital, the violence has gone on. Just 45 minutes north of Baghdad in the province of Diyala, over the past two weeks, we have seen concerted and coordinated attacks on police recruits in which dozens have been killed and dozens more were captured. Their whereabouts to this day still remain unknown.

Just yesterday we saw an Iraqi police rescue team acting on intelligence that some of their missing comrades were in a village lured into an ambush set upon by the insurgents, who quite possibly had fed them the information. In that exchange yesterday, 29 police were killed, at least 29 more were wounded.

Meanwhile, we've had the announcement of the deaths of five more American troops, bringing this month's total to 96, making it the fourth deadliest month since the war began.

Michael Ware, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: U.S. troops enter a hostile corner of Baghdad in search of a missing soldier. Today American forces moved into Sadr City. That's the sprawling Shiite stronghold of Muqtada al-Sadr, the feared militia leader and political player. No attacks were reported, but still no success in the hunt for the missing soldier, an Iraqi- American apparently kidnapped Monday.

LEMON: Under attack in Afghanistan. Authorities say a bomb ripped through a bus today in the province of Uruzgan. Fourteen people were killed. The victims were on their way to a celebration marking the end of Ramadan. But there's anger in a neighboring province over this week's NATO air strikes against Taliban targets.

Witnesses and local officials say as many as 80 civilians were killed. NATO initially said a dozen were killed. Last week, Afghan president Hamid Karzai urged NATO to use maximum caution after nine civilians were killed in another military operation.

PHILLIPS: The torture debate is back. Vice President Dick Cheney under fire for comments that he made about the interrogations of U.S. terror suspects. Cheney's critics say that his comments in a radio interview amounted to an endorsement of water boarding. That's the interrogation technique where a suspect is made to think that he's drowning.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you agree a dunk water is a no-brainer if it can save lives?

RICHARD CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, it's a no brainier for me, but I -- for a while there I was criticized as being the vice president for torture. We don't torture. That's not what we're involved in.

We live up to our obligations in international treaties that we're party to and so forth. But the fact is, you can have a fairly robust interrogation program without torture, and we need to able to do that. And thanks to the leadership of the president now and the action of the Congress, we have that authority and we are able to continue the program. announcement.

(END AUDIO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Earlier today, President Bush was asked about Cheney's comments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This country doesn't torture. We're not going to torture. We will interrogate people we pick up off the battlefield to determine whether or not they've got information that will be helpful to protect the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the Bush administration has never revealed which interrogation techniques it has OK'd for terror suspects. Human rights groups consider water boarding a form of torture.

LEMON: Hour by hour, acre by acre, a wildfire races across southern California, and the person who started it now blamed for four deaths. We'll talk to a former arson investigator next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hundreds of firefighters on the front lines -- there you see it live -- carrying water, trying to put out those wildfires. The wildfire is still burning out of control.

It has swept across 24,000 acres in Riverside, California. That's about 38 -- 38 square miles.

The flames, driven by fierce winds, trapped five firefighters yesterday afternoon. And sadly, four of them died. The lone survivor has burns over 95 percent of his body.

And authorities say the fire was intentionally set and those responsible will face murder charges if they're caught. Now, they're setting up a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arsonist's arrest.

Keith Mashburn is joining us from Los Angeles. He's a former chief arson investigator for Ventura County. He also spent time on the front lines as a firefighter.

And I've got to ask you this: If you -- if you investigate these things and you've done this before, why on earth would anyone set a fire like this?

KEITH MASHBURN, FMR. CHIEF ARSON INVESTIGATOR: Well, there's several reasons why people set fires. None of them are good reasons, but there's numerous reasons, and that helps us profile the arsonists and eventually catch them.

LEMON: So take us inside. We see the flames there raging right next to you as we're talking. Take us inside this investigation. What might the investigators be looking for right now? MASHBURN: Well, the first thing they'll have to do is determine the area that the fire started, and then start looking for evidence, actual physical evidence, which can sometimes be extremely hard. It wouldn't surprise me to find investigators out there holding magnifying glasses and crawling around on their knees looking for pieces of evidence that may lead them to the suspect.

LEMON: And we talked about why someone -- you said none of them were good reasons -- but why someone might -- might start a fire like this. Tell us, as a profiler, I'm sure profilers look at the type of people who do this, what their habits are, what kind of behavior they exhibit. Tell us about it from a profiler's point of view.

MASHBURN: Well, statistics show that most arsonists are -- the vast majority of them are males in their 30s that have a troubled past, kind of loner-type people. And they're out to take control. And this is their way of showing that they do have control.

LEMON: Yes. Control over -- and probably getting their jollies out of watching the fires rage on television.

Does it always -- do they always return to the scene of the crime? Might they be out there looking at this? Could it be someone from the neighborhood?

MASHBURN: Very likely. We hope that they do return to the scene of the crime, because investigators will be looking at films, traffic patterns and every possible person that may have been leaving the area when others are responding to the area. So that certainly would help if they would return to the area because then someone may get a look at them or catch them in some type of film, and it will give the investigators people to go talk to.

LEMON: Yes. And this is something that's very serious because we have earn learned that the FBI is also involved in this investigation since the firefighters were federal employees. So very serious investigation here also.

Four people have died in this. And eventually when this person is caught or people, they will be charged with murder.

Keith Mashburn, a former chief arson investigator for Ventura County.

Thank you very much for joining us today in the CNN NEWSROOM.

MASHBURN: Thank you for having me.

PHILLIPS: Michael J. Fox took heat for taping a political ad. Now he's responding to the criticism.

Ahead in the NEWSROOM, Fox talks about his decision to join the political debate over stem cell research.

Plus, abandoning the conservative cause. Some on the right say their party has gone wrong on some key issues. That story straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's go straight to Carol Lin, with details on a developing story.

Carol, what do you have?

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra, you remember the three lacrosse team players at Duke University who are probably going to be going on trial for -- their accused of attacking an exotic dancer. Well, we have an update on that case.

There was a court hearing in Durham, North Carolina, where the district attorney who's prosecuting these three Duke lacrosse players apparently said -- and I'm quoting here -- "I've had conversations with" -- the accuser, he's talking about -- "about how she's doing. I've had conversations with (the accuser) about her seeing her kids. I haven't talked with her about the facts of that night. We're not at that stage yet."

All right. We didn't quite understand that because why wouldn't he have talked to her directly, especially with the trial looming?

So we asked our legal analyst, Jeffrey Toobin, to join us on this one.

Jeffrey, this -- the trial is supposed to start in the middle of December. Why is it that the district attorney hasn't actually talked with the accuser? Do you find this unusual?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: It's definitely unusual, Carol.

The way a trial usually works, preparing a trial, is that both the police and the district attorney's office work together in preparing the witnesses and going over their testimony, and preparing them for cross-examination, and testing their story, and getting, you know, additional details. And what the district attorney here said is only the police have spoken to the accuser.

No one from the district attorney's office, not him, not his deputies, not his investigators, have not discussed the substance of the case with her. And that's just, frankly, baffling to me. I mean, it would be worse if the police hadn't spoken to her also, but it's still pretty darn peculiar that given how difficult this case is going to be for the government, that they wouldn't start working with her as a witness.

LIN: So it wouldn't -- the prosecuting district attorney is supposed to talk to the accuser. It's not as if that he's going to be working off of statements that the police have taken from her after the alleged crime to be used this trial. He would need to actually debrief and interview her prior to that trial?

TOOBIN: That is what trial lawyers, prosecutors spend most of their time doing, or at least much of their time doing, which is meeting with witnesses, going over their testimony, preparing them for cross-examination. You know, probing for weaknesses in their -- in their testimony. And the fact that neither he nor anyone in his office has is real baffling to me.

LIN: Well, here's how it came up. The defense attorneys are insisting that they want to get copies of his notes, of his conversations that he had with her. And the defense attorneys are saying that -- Nifong said that he met with the accuser, as well as an investigator back in April, but apparently didn't talk about details of the case because the woman was too traumatized.

So they sort of apparently danced around it. He apparently said that she didn't make eye contact, that their -- their discussion really centered on how the case would actually develop. But they never -- he never really got right to the point of what happened that night.

TOOBIN: And it's certainly appropriate to have that kind of meeting for a district attorney with a witness, because you want to make the witness feel comfortable. You want to explain to the witness how the trial is going to unfold. But you're certainly not doing a witness any favors if you don't prepare her substantively for what's to come and talk about the facts of the case, and probe her story, because otherwise you're just getting ready to throw her to the wolves.

Now, you know, the trial is still -- you know, they do have some time, but given how much information has come out that puts the story of the prosecution in question here, you know, it would certainly seem to behoove the prosecution to start working with this witness, the accuser, because it sounds like almost the entire case is going to come down to her standing in that courtroom and pointing the finger and saying, these people did this to me. Because there's not a lot of corroborating evidence as far as I can tell.

LIN: All right. Well, we'll see what happens December 15th, if even the trial begins at that point.

Jeff Toobin, thank you very much.

TOOBIN: Bye, Carol.

LIN: All right.

Those three Duke lacrosse players, former lacrosse players -- they've been suspended from the team -- are out on bail -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, Carol Lin, for that report.

In the firestorm. From 800 acres to 24,000 in one day, you're looking at live pictures of that fire there. Investigators call it arson. Hundreds of firefighters are on the front lines right now.

We're expecting a briefing that's coming out of Arrowhead Medical Center. It is in Colton, California. There is one firefighter still clinging for his life after four of his colleagues died.

As soon as we get that, we'll bring it to you live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Firefighters battling to protect homes from a raging wildfire today remembered as heroes. Four of them died yesterday in the burning mountains of Southern California.

Forty-four-year-old Mark Loutzenhiser was the engine captain, Jess McLean the engine operator and Jason McKay his assistant. Both were 27. Firefighter Daniel Hoover-Najera was 20. And still clinging to his life, the fifth member of that crew, 23-year-old Pablo Cerda. Hundreds of their colleagues are back on the front lines now, throwing everything they've got at this fire.

Photojournalist Tim Walton also spent time in the line of fire. Here's some of what he encountered.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire coming your way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm down at the bottom end of it, at the truck tail. It does look like it's coming pretty hard. I don't know if it's coming for you or not. Also, I guess did you guys notice you've got power lines running behind the structures there?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we're getting embers flying into the structure from the left. Just keep watching it closely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch that structure, get ready to deploy there. Get the pumps fired up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thirty, Charlie 53.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead, 53.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's established. It's going to be coming down the canyon.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, yes, looks like we've got a spot (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, affirmative. Basically, yes, we'll take the fire up and out of the storage area, but we have no lines in the storage area back down to the community. And the fire is pretty much blowing past there now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's coming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Hundreds of firefighters there on the front lines today. Live pictures from KCAL, one of our affiliates out of Los Angeles.

Just imagine, from 800 acres to 24,000 in one day. Investigators now calling it arson. One firefighter still clinging for life right now after losing four of his own. We're talking about 23-year-old Pablo Cerda. We're waiting for a live news conference from the Arrowhead Medical Center, where he is right now in Colton, California. As soon as doctors step to the mics, we'll bring it to you live.

LEMON: Just a tough, tough situation all the way around.

Let's move on now and talk about actor Michael J. Fox. He is responding to critics of his TV ads, backing candidates who support government -- government funding of stem cell research. Now, Fox taped this ad for a Missouri Senate hopeful. Talk show host Rush Limbaugh took issue with the ad. He even questioned whether Fox was acting.

On last night's "CBS Evening News" with Katie Couric, Fox appealed for respect on all sides of the debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL J. FOX, STEM CELL RESEARCH ADVOCATE: If you just get people for two minutes to go, this is big. This is like not a wedge issue. This is not a thing. This is, like -- this is really about who we are as a country and how we feel about our people. And about the majority are respecting the minority, but moving forward with what they need and what they want.

I want to make that point, too, that people that are against stem cell research, embryonic or otherwise, whatever, I couldn't respect them more. If they prayed on it and they've thought about it and they can't get their head around it or their heart around it, then great. I mean, fantastic. I admire them and I respect them.

All I say to them, respectfully, is if there's a majority that also prayfully and thoughtfully and emotionally and intellectually and in every other way weighed this and came on the other side, and said no, I think it's the right thing to do, to very carefully tread these waters to save these lives, then you have to respect that, too. And don't resort to name-calling or inflammatory language or mocking or whatever you need to do. Just have a discussion about it, and we'll see what happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP) LEMON: Rush Limbaugh has apologized for his comments about Fox. But he also said Fox was, quote, "allowing his illness to be exploited."

Another public figure living with Parkinson's Disease, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. She will join us live in the CNN NEWSROOM on Monday to talk about her experiences with the disease that afflicts about thousands and thousands of people in the United States.

Make sure you tune in to the CNN NEWSROOM on Monday.

PHILLIPS: Conservative politicians have dominated the Republican party since the time of Ronald Reagan, but some on the right fear that many of those politicians have lost their way. At 8:00 Eastern tonight on CNN, our Jeff Greenfield examines why the political right stands accused of promoting the same big government policies that Ronald Reagan so strongly opposed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The bill I sign today authorizes 400...

This legislation will authorize $200 million per year.

There's no doubt we increased our budgets.

JEFF GREENFIELD, CNN SR. ANALYST (voice-over): The biggest increase in discretionary domestic spending of any administration since LBJ's...

BUSH: Our government is finally bringing prescription drug coverage to the seniors of America.

GREENFIELD: The biggest new entitlement, the prescription drug program, since Medicare.

BUSH: In order to fight and win the war, it requires an expenditure of money.

GREENFIELD: A war in Iraq premised on a foreign policy that aimed to bring democracy to every corner of the globe.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, FMR. WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: There is an investigation going on by the Justice Department.

GREENFIELD: And embraced by congressional Republicans of the very behavior...

BUSH: I don't know him.

GREENFIELD: ... trading legislative favors for campaign cash and personal enrichment, that outraged conservatives when Democrats were in control.

REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: I believe that, as a movement, that we have veered off course into the dangerous and uncharted waters of big-government Republicanism.

GREENFIELD: Mike Pence is far from alone. In recent months, conservatives have penned a stack of books, accusing Bush and congressional Republicans of abandoning the conservative cause.

And a growing number of conservatives have been asking out loud, whatever happened to the core conservative notion proclaimed by Ronald Reagan in his first inaugural?

RONALD REAGAN, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Jeff Greenfield joins us live. What do you think? Is there one major source of conservative discontent, or is it over a lot of different grounds?

GREENFIELD: Well, I think there's no question that spending is the kind of issue that is at the core of what many conservatives think is wrong about big government. And there's a lot of discontent, even among otherwise loyal congressional Republicans like Mike Pence, like Jeff Flake from Arizona, like Senator Coburn of Oklahoma, like John McCain, that the government seems, even with tax cuts, to have just kept growing.

But there are also other very specific issues. The fact that the Republicans, when they got power in the Congress, turned to the same kinds of tactics that Democrats have used -- in fact, expanded them. The use of so-called pork barrel spending, earmarks, bringing lots of goodies home to the district so that you could brag about them when you run for re-election. The embrace of lobbyists and the Abramoff affair, which some conservatives say that's exactly what's wrong with embracing the idea of government as a favor dispenser.

And even in the area of foreign policy and the war on terror, there are -- while most conservatives support the president there, there are some who say, you know, it's not a conservative notion to spread democracy around the world. If you watch tonight, you'll hear, for instance, the founding father of modern conservatism, William F. Buckley, Jr., describe that notion as, in his words, "loony." And I should mention to you that the only people we talked to for this documentary, for this hour, were conservatives.

PHILLIPS: Well, what about other issues? Do you think that most conservatives still back Bush and the GOP? I mean, in general, on everything?

GREENFIELD: Yes, I think that's a fair statement. I mean, there are some things where there's widespread conservative approval. The appointment of federal judges, both economic and social conservatives like the judges Bush has appointed. They all -- more or less all like the tax cuts. And most of them approve of the global war on terror.

But on the issues of like social conservatism, you find a lot of people on the right -- and the Mark Foley story exacerbated this -- who felt that Republicans wanted their votes, but didn't really respect their agenda and tended to put it to one side. And you have others, so-called Libertarians, people who believe that government should be neither in the bedroom nor the boardroom, like former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, who have some very tough things to say about power of the evangelical movement, the so-called religious right, over Republicans.

But yes, I think this is a case not of wholesale conservative desertion of the Republicans, but enough discontent that it could dampen the enthusiasm and the nature of what happens a week from Tuesday, which could put some Republicans in jeopardy.

PHILLIPS: Interesting to watch. Great insight. Thanks, Jeff Greenfield.

GREENFIELD: OK.

LEMON: All right, let's head straight to the newsroom. CNN's Carol Lin has a story for us, some breaking news for that.

LIN: All right, Don. We just go this word -- and let me turn to it, because I wasn't able to print it -- that Governor Schwarzenegger out in California -- you've been covering this massive wildfire out there -- has issued a $100,000 reward to the -- any information toward the arrest of the arsonist.

He wants information. He wants an arrest. He wants a conviction in a California court of the person or persons responsible for setting the Esperanza wildfire. So this just came over today. Obviously, a very dangerous and tragic fire that has killed firefighters and one is still injured, and we're waiting to get an update on his condition -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Carol.

LEMON: Carol Lin on top of the breaking developments when it comes to all of this. Again, we are awaiting a press conference. We were telling you about those wildfires that are happening out in California. We're awaiting a press conference at Arrowhead Medical Center. It's in Colton, California, where we have one firefighter who is clinging to life after four of his fellow firefighters died fighting these blazes.

And you just heard the governor, $100,000 reward, for any information and for the suspects' capture in all of this. They will be charged with murder. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Live pictures right now via our affiliate KCAL out of Los Angeles. As you can see, the firefighters continuing to move across the frontlines, trying to battle that wildfire in Southern California just outside of Palm Springs.

It went from 800 acres all the way to 24,000 in just one day. Investigators are now calling it arson. And as we watch these hundreds of firefighters on the frontlines, trying to build a containment to fight those flames from spreading any further than those 24,000 acres, we are waiting to hear the condition on that one firefighter still clinging to life right now.

As we told you, four firefighters have lost their lives in this wildfire. One is still trying to survive, 23-year-old Pablo Certa. We are waiting to hear from doctors at the Arrowhead Medical Center in Colton, California. When that happens, we will take it live.

LEMON: A court case on hold. We're talking Madonna, the child she wants to adopt and those trying to stop her. Where does the boy's biological father fit into all of this?

CNN's Africa correspondent, Jeff Koinange, has that from Malawi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: The case against Madonna was a nonstarter from the very beginning. Two lawyers, one of them representing the superstar icon and the other representing a coalition of 67 human rights groups, arrived early this morning and met with a judge in his chambers behind me.

Less than an hour later they were out. The human rights lawyers, storming out, hardly speaking to the gathered journalists. Madonna's lawyer did stop by, and this is what he had to say.

ALAN CHINULA, MADONNA'S LAWYER: So an adoption order was never made by this court. There was an interim order for custody. After 18 months, after reviewing everything, we'll come back to the courts. And at that point, an adoption may be made or may not be had.

KOINANGE: There was a surprise appearance here in the high court grounds by none other than Yohande Banda, the biological father of young David Banda. He tried to hide himself with his overcoat from the barrage of journalists who were gathered here, but we managed to corner him. And the first thing everyone wanted to know was why was he here.

YOHANDE BANDA, DAVID'S BIOLOGICAL FATHER (through translator): I'm surprised that the issue is in court when it was resolved a long time ago. How come the issue is in court without my knowledge?

KOINANGE (voice-over): Yohande Banda insists that he regrets what he had earlier said, namely that he didn't understand the fine print when it came to signing over the adoption papers. The one thing he doesn't want now is for his son to be returned back to Malawi.

BANDA (through translator): I'm very disturbed. If they bring David back, I wouldn't be able to feed him and he will surely die.

KOINANGE (on camera): The judge ordered the two lawyers to appear in court Monday, November the 13th, when the hearing will begin. In the meantime, the future of one young Malawian boy hangs in the balance.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, Llongwe, Malawi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Getting word of a bomb scare in Boise, Idaho. Carol Lin working the story for us -- Carol.

LIN: Well, this is what we know right now, Kyra, that Interstate 84 has been completely shut down in both directions. There is a possible explosive device, if you are in the region it is Gowan and Izenman (ph). That is the location at I-84.

The -- according to wire services, the police department bomb technicians are responding. They found the device which could be, indeed, viable. So it could explode. They are looking at a potential explosive right now. We're showing you a Google map of the area. And apparently, obviously, traffic backed up.

So we'll stay on top of this situation. But it looks like they feel they've really found something that could go off, and they're trying to disable that device before it is detonated -- Don and Kyra.

PHILLIPS: We'll keep our eyes on it. Thanks, Carol.

LEMON: In the line of fire, in the firestorm from 800 acres to 24,000 in one day. Investigators are calling it arson. Hundreds of firefighters on the frontlines there. So is CNN. That's next from the CNN NEWSROOM.

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ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Don Lemon and Kyra Phillips.

PHILLIPS: Two celebrities fighting for their causes end up getting criticism instead of applause. Actor and Parkinson's Disease sufferer Michael J. Fox in a verbal dustup with talk show host Rush Limbaugh. And international icon Madonna in a legal mess after trying to adopt a little boy from Malawi. Here to put them through the "Spin Cycle," media strategist Robbie Vorhaus.

Well, you've been busy all week, haven't you, Robbie?

ROBBIE VORHAUS, MEDIA STRATEGIST: It's a great time for spin and it's a great time to break that spin cycle right now.

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk about Madonna.

VORHAUS: I'd love to talk about Madonna. I mean, that young boy just won the Lottery. I mean, I'd like to be him, going to go have so much opportunity, going to go live with the superstar.

You know, there's so much criticism, and so much time had been -- and money were to be put into what these people are criticizing, we could actually help with what Madonna's trying to do and stop the poverty and the hunger in this African nation. PHILLIPS: Now -- oh, wow. Sorry about that. We got a little loud voice in the NEWSROOM there, Robbie. I hope you can still hear me OK.

VORHAUS: As long as they weren't yelling for me to get off the air. Get him out of here.

PHILLIPS: No, they still want you on the air. I think he's just having a little bit of an exciting conversation. Now, Madonna never does anything without controversy, right?

VORHAUS: No, she never does. You know, there are a lot of celebrities, Kyra, who do things that nobody ever hears about. But the fact still remains. This isn't a publicity stunt for her. I mean, she didn't expose a breast on the Super Bowl. She's not trying to sell a record.

What she's trying to do is she's trying to save lives. Whoever heard of Malawi before this? And here is a situation where these kids are starving, and she wanted to help this one child, and as an example for so many others.

PHILLIPS: Ultimate spin here?

VORHAUS: Well, the ultimate spin is, is the critics should take -- every time they go to criticize Madonna, they should take a dollar and send it to a fund in Malawi to try to save some of these children, the same thing that she's doing.

PHILLIPS: Well, she's definitely bringing attention to that area. That's for sure.

VORHAUS: That's right. That's right.

PHILLIPS: Let's talk about Michael J. Fox. The spin here.

VORHAUS: Well, thank goodness for Rush Limbaugh. You know, if Rush Limbaugh hadn't opened his mouth, what we would have had is just Michael J. Fox doing an ad in Missouri that a lot of people would not have heard of except for the people of the great state of Missouri.

However, because Rush decided that his intention was to criticize, Michael's intention was to save lives, we're now hearing about it, talking about it, and Katie Couric got a coup, and we saw that Michael J. Fox is, in fact, suffering. And a picture tells 1,000 words.

The guy really believes in his cause for embryonic stem cell research, and regardless of how you may feel about the cause, his intention is to save lives which is the same as Madonna's, which is a good thing.

PHILLIPS: Let's listen to a part of that coup that Katie got.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR: I could give a damn about Rush Limbaugh's pity or anybody else's pity. I'm not a victim. I'm someone who's in this situation. I think I'm in this situation along with millions of other Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: If you take a look at overall how this has played out, Robbie, I mean, talk about the ultimate gentleman. Michael J. Fox has really handled this with class.

VORHAUS: Michael J. Fox is -- you know, somebody once said you can only be judged by your achievements. Here is a wonderful man who's a wonderful actor who's done wonderful things who, in fact, stumps for stem cell research on both sides, Democratic and Republican.

Kyra, we as a nation should almost stop saying that -- what we need to say is, is that from now on, every time that we spin, let's do it as an inspirational thing. Let's try to enlighten. Let's try to bring people together versus being divisive and breaking people apart. Enough of this.

PHILLIPS: Robbie Vorhaus, we love spending our Fridays with you. Thanks.

VORHAUS: Well, I love being here, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, see you again.

LEMON: Hour by hour, acre by acre, a wildfire race as cross Southern California. And the person who started it now blamed for four deaths. One firefighter is fighting for his life. We'll get an update on his condition.

We're also awaiting a briefing on that, it's happening in California. We'll keep you updated here in the NEWSROOM, just on the other side of the break.

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