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Fighting the L.A. County Fire; Killed in the Line of Duty; Jaycee Dugard's Life in Captivity; Killings in Georgia; CIA Abuse Probe Riles Cheney; Economists Wary on Stimulus
Aired August 31, 2009 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Happening this morning, an intense firefight in California. Tens of thousands of acres burned and two firefighters killed in the line of duty.
Blasting a new review of CIA interrogation techniques, former Vice President Dick Cheney calls it an outrageous political act.
And should the drinking age be lowered to 18? It's a hot topic in our snap shot across America.
Plus, your comments on our blog.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. It is Monday, August 31st, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
First off this morning, two major stories that we are following for you out of California. First, the fires -- a state of emergency now in two counties, destruction and evacuations also taking place in others.
In fact, our Rob Marciano is standing by right near the fire lines of Los Angeles County where dangerous red flag conditions are now in effect. We'll get to him in just a moment.
Also happening in California, the missing child found as a woman. Our Ed Lavandera spoke to a woman who knows Jaycee Dugard and the daughters she gave birth to in captivity.
Let's begin this morning with what we know on the California fires. Crews are fighting at least seven active wildfires around the state. One near Sacramento destroyed 60 buildings, including an entire neighborhood cul de sac.
A fast-moving fire in southern California is threatening 12,000 homes, and also TV, radio and emergency communications towers on top of a mountain are in jeopardy.
And most tragically, as we have mentioned, two firefighters responding to this fire were killed when their vehicle overturned.
Mandatory evacuations are in effect for cities and towns in Los Angeles County. Our Rob Marciano is joining us now live from the neighborhood of Sunland with the latest on conditions there.
Rob, how do things look? ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, this is one of those many communities that are under mandatory evacuation. It is on the southern fringe of the Angeles National Forest, which is behind me.
There have been flames that have been coming and going all morning, a glow certainly, and what they're worried about is that advancing over that ridge to get to this spot where it's heavily populated.
Regardless of the flames, what has been constant in this area and other surrounding areas, even in Los Angeles, smoke in the air and in this case constant ash fall from this huge blaze that just exploded over the weekend to over 45,000 acres.
A number of interesting conditions have made this happen and we talked to the incident fire commander about exactly what are the causes that make this fire so dangerous?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE DIETRICH, INCIDENT COMMANDER, U.S. FOREST SERVICE: The primary factors are the extreme drought conditions we've had over the last 10 years, the effect of two-plus weeks of hundred-degree temperatures and single-digit relative humidities combined with the perfect conditions in terms of topography.
And when all that comes together in alignment -- weather, fuels, and topography -- the fire essentially can get up and run any time and essentially has a mind of its own.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: And with the weather setup we don't have the Santa Ana winds that would typically blow this kind of fire. That's what happened back in 2007. Matter of fact -- and then of course the drought which is ongoing.
So without the Santa Ana winds, the fire -- the commander said, hey. I've never seen a fire expand like this, explode like this, without the Santa Ana winds blowing. Just to give you an idea how dry and hot it's been.
COLLINS: Wow.
MARCIANO: So red flag warnings are up again for the heat and the lack of humidity and that Mount Wilson Observatory as you mentioned, Heidi, that is a jam here in southern California but not just for that. But also up on that mountain of almost 6,000 feet they have a number of radio and television transmission towers.
COLLINS: Right.
MARCIANO: Not to mention some government agency towers that are critical for things like this, which is fire and fire rescue and police departments being able to talk to each other. As of last night they thought that thing was going to be burned by now. So far it hasn't burned.
They've got a strike team in place to protect that piece of real estate but the bigger concern, obviously, are the over 12,000 homes threatened if this thing gets out of the forest and into the areas like Sunland and Pasadena.
COLLINS: Yes. Wow.
MARCIANO: Heidi.
COLLINS: The video we've been getting all morning long just incredible there so we will certainly stay in close contact with you, Rob Marciano. Let us know if we need to come back earlier. Appreciate that, Rob.
In fact, we want to tell you more now about the two firefighters who were killed in that Los Angeles County fire. It happened yesterday near the city of Acton on the fire's northwestern front. Fire officials say their vehicle rolled down a mountain side.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEPUTY CHIEF MICHAEL BRYANT, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: We ask you please for your understanding, for your patience, as we move through this difficult time and, please, prayers for their families of our two brothers that we lost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Obviously very, very difficult time for everyone there in California. In fact, authorities are still investigating the cause of that crash.
Now to the bizarre case of a young girl kidnapped and then held captive for nearly two decades. It turns out Jaycee Dugard may have had several opportunities to escape over the years.
So what really went on during that time?
Our Ed Lavandera has more now on Dugard's life in captivity.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jaycee Dugard appeared to have settled into an unimaginable routine during her 19 years of captivity. Behind the scenes she lived in this messy, back yard prison, but to the outside world, she was the creative force behind Phillip Garrido's printing business, designing business cards for clients all over the town of Antioch.
Deeparl Karunaratne describes her as intelligent with an attention to detail.
DEEPAL KARUNARATNE, GARRIDO BUSINESS ASSOCIATE: She was always having a very pretty smile on the face. She comes and talking to me and always smiling and she's a very pretty girl, very pretty young lady.
LAVANDERA: Even Dugard's daughters appeared to live a normal life. These are pictures of the young girls obtained by CNN. The 11- year-old went by the name of Angel, the 15-year-old Starlet. We blurred their faces to protect their privacy.
The pictures were taken two weeks ago at a birthday party for Cheyvonne Molino's daughter. Molina says Garrido called Jaycee and the daughters my girls and often brought them to her Molino's rec yard, delivering bottles of water on hot days.
CHEVONNE MOLINO, GARRIDO BUSINESS ASSOCIATE: They made it seem like these little girls were like living like wolves or jungle kids in the back yard, you know, dungeon. Perhaps that is it but they didn't give the visual to me that they were. They were polite. They were well mannered.
LAVANDERA: Molino says Angel and Starlet were huge fans of Hannah Montana. She says Jaycee dreamed of becoming a model. Always clean and well dressed, no hint of the tragic reality.
Investigators have expanded the crime scene at Phillip Garrido's home. They brought cadaver dogs to search the property next door. Authorities are looking into whether Garrido could be connected to a string of murders in the 1990s.
JIMMY LEE, SPOKESMAN, CONTRA COSTA SHERIFF'S DEPT.: What we also know is that Phillip Garrido had access to that property. He used that property and it looks like he lived on that property in a shed.
LAVANDERA: As we've scoured Garrido's hometown looking for clues we found this in a hardware store, the name Phil G. on a donation card. On August 17th, this receipt shows Garrido bought a pressure switch and then left a $2 donation to the Children's Miracle Network.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Ed Lavandera joining us now live from Antioch, California.
And, Ed, the more we learn the more unbelievable this story really is. Do we know anything yet about Jaycee's reunion with her family and what on earth is being done to help her adjust?
LAVANDERA: Well, we do know that reunion has been taking place throughout the weekend. And in fact, according to her step father one of the first things she told her own mother when she saw her was that, "Mommy, I have babies." So we understand that she has been with her two children, her mother, a couple other relatives. But she's also been surrounded by (INAUDIBLE) law enforcement officials and psychologists.
We understand she's been moved around several times to make sure that nobody sees her or her picture isn't seen publicly yet. But one of the interesting things her stepfather told us is that at this point she has expressed some guilt about having bonded and connected with her captor.
But as you well know, many people who are experts in this type of ordeal say that that is a common thing that they see happen.
COLLINS: Right. Right. Hard for anyone to understand unless you're in the situation of course. All right. We will continue to learn more information here.
Ed Lavandera, thanks so much.
Now to Georgia where police are not saying much about a crime scene. Bodies found inside a mobile home. Eight people are dead. One is still in critical condition. One of those victims, a teenager, died at a hospital late last night.
At this point police do not have any suspects. The bodies were discovered Saturday after someone dialed 911 from inside the home in Brunswick, Georgia, which is about 300 miles south of Atlanta. Authorities are extremely guarded about releasing details on their investigation but they are telling the community to be vigilant.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF MATTHEW DOERING, GLYNN COUNTY, GA POLICE: There is cause for concern. I'm not going to mislead you or the members of the public. You have a right to know we do have concern. We do. And I would not say don't disregard that. And I wish I could give you more. I don't want to be misleading to the public or to community.
If would say anything else I would. It's tough. We simply don't have a whole lot to go on and I'm not going to sit here and tell everybody not to be cautious because people need to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The man who is said to have discovered the bodies and dialed 911 is under arrest. He is facing charges of evidence tampering and lying to police.
Well, he has nothing but harsh words for the Obama White House. Now hear what former vice president Dick Cheney is saying about the investigation into CIA interrogation techniques during the Bush years.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: More criticism from the old administration towards the new one. Former vice president Dick Cheney says the investigation into possible CIA prisoner abuse is just a political move. He told FOX News Sunday the current White House is going back on its word.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We had the president of the United States, President Obama, tell us a few months ago there wouldn't be any investigation like this, that there would not be any look back at CIA personnel who were carrying out the policies of the prior administration.
Now they get a little heat from the left wing of the Democratic Party and they're reversing course on that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Elaine Quijano is joining us now live from the White House with more on this this morning.
So, Elaine, what does the White House think about what Vice President Cheney said?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, as you can imagine officials here are rejecting out of hand the notion that somehow this probe was politically motivated.
One official telling me this morning that, in fact, the attorney general made a determination independently, based on facts and the law. But certainly Mr. Cheney's remarks are raising continued questions as you know, Heidi, about the use of so-called enhanced interrogation techniques.
Former vice president's comments coming just days after that 2004 CIA Inspector General's Report was released. That report which showed, among other things, that CIA interrogators went beyond the rules that were in place at the time, rules outlining such controversial tactics as waterboarding.
Now Cheney called those techniques good policy. He said he was comfortable in cases where interrogators went outside the authorized methods and he said that the decision to move ahead with the review of CIA cases would have a chilling effect on officers out in the field. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHENEY: I think it's an outrageous political act that will do great damage, long term, to our capacity to be able to have people take on difficult jobs, make difficult decisions, without having to worry about what the next administration is going to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, the president, himself, in recent days and weeks has emphasized that the attorney general acts independently and, Heidi, that is a point certainly that officials here are echoing this morning. Heidi?
COLLINS: What did the former vice president say, Elaine, about cooperating with the investigation or what role will he take, if any?
QUIJANO: Yes. He was asked whether or not specifically, Heidi, he would in fact talk to the prosecutor that has been assigned to look into these CIA cases, John Durham, and he basically didn't say one way or the other. The former vice president said it will depend on the circumstances and what he thinks their activities are really involved in.
He said he's been very outspoken on this and he says that it won't take a prosecutor to know what he thinks about it. Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. Elaine Quijano, we appreciate that. We'll stay on top of the story alongside you.
Meanwhile, the Obama administration says the economic stimulus plan is doing its job but a new survey shows many economists are not so optimistic.
Christine Romans is joining us now live from New York on this.
So, Christine, how do economists rate the current economic policies here?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all, on the Fed, what the Federal Reserve is doing, they're saying overall they're glad, they're happy with the way the Fed has kept interest rates low and the situation for monetary policy.
They are split, though, on what they think the Fed should do next. And in terms of fiscal policy, that stimulus, that's government spending, overall they say maybe too much fiscal stimulus. 35 percent say too much fiscal stimulus. 42 percent expect even more.
But look at this. More than 3/4 say no need for another stimulus. Almost -- a vast majority of these economists saying that they don't think there should be a second stimulus. So what you can see is that in the very near term they seem to be pleased or at least happy with the way things have gone so far but it's going forward.
They are a little concerned about government spending and they're concerned about how the Fed is going to undo, the Federal Reserve is going to undo the monetary policy that is done going forward here. So still some challenges ahead I would say, Heidi.
COLLINS: Absolutely. The survey, though, also asked questions about health care reform. Obviously, a very hot topic at this point.
ROMANS: Yes. And among these economists again, the National Association for Business Economics' survey, the NABE, with 266 economists, no real consensus on how to best fix health care. And frankly, little optimism about how to cut costs.
Among the plans on the table -- these economists were asked about the plans on the table -- 49 percent said that the health reform debate under way will somehow expand access but look at this. 47 percent said it would actually decrease quality and increase cost.
And these economists, Heidi, were given a list of all of the major proposals and variations of the major proposals under way right now in Washington. And then the last item was "other," and a majority of the economists picked "other" as the appropriate way to try to reform health care.
It's a vexing policy challenge, this group, the president said, with little agreement on how to fix it. Quite frankly, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes. That's what we've been hearing certainly. All right. Christine Romans, thanks for that.
ROMANS: Sure.
COLLINS: Also want to get you back to one of the major stories that we are following this morning out of California. Los Angeles County to be specific. Let me tell you what you are looking at right now. Obviously, we're talking about the fire, the seven active wildfires that are being fought and fought vehemently by thousands of firefighters right now.
This particular shot is that communications tower we've been telling you about. As you can tell it's on top of the mountain there and very, very important for firefighters to try and protect this because TV, radio, and emergency communications are handled out of there, are disseminated from those towers, so obviously this is a way for firefighters to stay in contact with one another as well as getting information out to whatever people are still in their homes and trying to learn where the fires are.
Clearly, they need some type of communication in order to get that information so that is kind of a jam if you will, we've been hearing from our correspondent Rob Marciano who there is near the fire lines, and we will continue to follow this as we go this morning. About 12,000 homes now in jeopardy there in Los Angeles County.
Just enough time for one last summer road trip before Labor Day. Find out where our Ali Velshi is taking the CNN Express and what he'll ask you if you happen to run into him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: California firefighters are mourning two of their own while they battle a fast moving wildfire in Los Angeles County. The two firefighters were killed when their vehicle rolled down a mountain side.
The fire has spread to at least 42,000 acres and is threatening about 10,000 to 12,000 homes. The Los Angeles County wildfire is one of several being fought in the state.
There's new information in an 18-year-old California kidnapping case. CNN has learned Jaycee Dugard may have had several opportunities to escape over the years. She apparently had been working at a printing company owned by Phillip Garrido, that's the man police say abducted her.
Garrido and his wife are charged with kidnapping, imprisoning, and raping Dugard.
Some NFL teams are taking a hit from the recession. None of the Jacksonville Jaguars games for the coming season are sold out. The same is true for the Minnesota Vikings even though the team thinks that could change with the recent signing of quarterback Brett Favre. I have my own opinions about that. A league spokesman describes the ticket sales as positive but difficult in these challenging times.
Well, as you well know, summer is coming to an end and many college students are heading back to school this week. And besides all the studying, it usually means parties and maybe even some drinking. So today we're talking a little bit more about that. In fact the question for you is, should the drinking age be lowered?
We'll be talking about from the age of 21 back down to 18 as it is in some states. So we want to know what you think. So go ahead and go to my blog, if you would, just post your comments at CNN.com/heidi and we, of course, will offer up some of those opinions that you give us a little bit later on in the show.
Once again, should the legal drinking age be lowered to 18?
More fire crews heading to California this morning. Now, the fight is on. Again, some deadly wildfires there. The flames are moving fast, too. We'll go live to the fire lines in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: In California right now the fight is on against fast moving wildfires and it's turned deadly. The fires are burning up and down the state right now. One in northern California has destroyed 60 buildings. Many of them homes in the town of Auburn. It wiped out an entire neighborhood cul de sac.
A fire in the Yosemite National Park has forced the evacuation of some 50 homes there. But the most dangerous one is north of Los Angeles where some 12,000 homes are threatened.
Fire in the Angeles National Forest is only about 5 percent contained, too.
Also want to let you know two firefighters responding to that fire were killed when their vehicle rolled down a mountain side.
Rob Marciano is there. He's going to be joining us in just a little while with more on the situation as we speak.
Our iReports are getting you close to the scene of the California wildfire. These pictures, in fact, were sent to us from CNN viewer, Trisha Ma (ph), showing crews fighting the flames by air. Of course, we'd welcome your iReports but make sure you stay safe in all this because some of the pictures we're getting in are just incredible there.
Go to iReport.com to share your story.
Hot, dry, and windy conditions in Utah are raising concerns the wildfire there could spread. The fire had been burning for more than a month in the wilderness area before it flared up again over the weekend. It's burned three homes near the town of New Harmony.
Some 350 homes in the rural area have been evacuated and more homeowners could be told to leave. The fire has spread heavy smoke and ash throughout southwestern Utah.
Stocks in China fell to three-month lows today and that is making investors here on the other side of the world nervous.
Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange now with a preview of the trading day as we await that opening bell this Monday morning.
Hi there, Susan.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. We are expecting a lower open largely because of the selloff overseas. China's main index, which is the Shanghai Composite, tumbled nearly 7 percent today, and that's on top of a big drop Friday.
Investors there are worried about bank lending drying up and of course we have concerns about our own financial institutions here. And here is something we don't see that often these days, Heidi Collins, a merger Monday. Just a few minutes ago we learned Walt Disney is buying comic book giant Marvel Entertainment for about $4 billion.
The deal will bring Marvel's 5,000 characters like Iron Man, Spider-man and X-Men into the House of Mouse. Disney's last big deal was Pixar Studios, the animation wonder behind "Toy Story," "Cars" and "UP," I'm sure your son..
COLLINS: Yes.
LISOVICZ: Heidi, both of them will pay special attention to this news story. Marvel shares soaring 25 percent. The pre-market Disney is down 3 percent.
When we were talking about financial institutions and concerns there, three are more banks closed by regulators this weekend bringing the total number of failed banks this year to 84. That's the largest number since 1992.
Maryland's Bradford Banks, Minnesota's main street banks, and Affinity Banks of Ventura, California, all taken over by rival banks this past weekend.
Checking the numbers, real quick. We are seeing some selling. Heidi, it's the final trading day, final day of August which has been good to us. The Dow and the S&P going into the session up 4.5 percent. The NASDAQ is up 2.5 percent.
And by the way, Heidi, that was the Toxic Avenger.
COLLINS: I know.
LISOVICZ: Crazy opening sell.
COLLINS: The (INAUDIBLE), right?
LISOVICZ: That's correct. If only we had a Toxic Avenger for all those toxic assets.
COLLINS: There you go.
(CROSSTALK)
LISOVICZ: We need a super hero to clean it all up.
COLLINS: Yes, definitely. All right. Susan, we'll check back a little bit later on.
LISOVICZ: Sure.
COLLINS: Thank you.
I want to get back now to our Rob Marciano who's been out covering this Los Angeles county fires. He's got live update for us from the neighborhood now of Sunland.
Good morning to you once again, Rob.
MARCIANO: Good morning, Heidi. As you mentioned, this fire spreading rapidly over the weekend now have grown over 45,000 acres. Most of it in the Angeles National Forest, which is behind me just past those houses. But, obviously, smoke and ash fill the air here at times. You can see the flames, but they are spreading. Five percent containment. So an uphill battle no doubt about it.
As far as what the weather is doing, they are not getting the Santa Ana winds that they would typically get in a fire situation. That's the good news. The bad news is the fire incident commander has said that he's never seen a fire spread this quickly without the Santa Ana winds. It's been exceedingly hot the past two weeks with 100- degree plus temperatures, a severe, long-term drought and low levels of humidity.
And that sea breeze doesn't look like it wants to kick in until Wednesday or Thursday. They've been attacking this from the ground with almost 3,000 firefighters, and they still continue to come in from all different parts of the state, and obviously, in the air. Now that the sun is up, Heidi, we're looking for more air attack as far as fixed wing and helicopters.
On either side of the Angeles National Forest, you have populated towns. On the north side in Acton, they're struggling to keep that town safe.
COLLINS: Right.
MARCIANO: On the south side here in Sunland, and to my east, Pasadena, all highly populated areas. In between is the Mount Wilson and the Mount Wilson observatory, which in itself has 50 or 60 buildings up there, high dollar facility. And on top of that, we've got television and radio towers, transmitters about over 20 of them so that service the entire southern California area.
And that doesn't include the government agencies that has equipment up there. So they're really worried about that particular piece of real estate being torched and they thought that might happen last night. Good news, so far, that hasn't happened.
But today a red flag warning is up so weather is not going to help. And I don't think it's going to kick in as far as cooling things off or raising levels of humidity until Wednesday or Thursday of this week. So the next two days certainly are going to be critical.
Heidi?
COLLINS: Yes, absolutely.
In fact, we're getting a look right now and a little bit earlier we were able to get some live pictures coming in to us of the observatory up there. And you can see a whole lot of activity as they're really trying hard to protect that so that they can keep the communications open with everyone that they need to be speaking with including residents who have not left their homes yet.
What's the latest, Rob, do you know, about evacuations?
Is there going to be some sort of continual announcement, press conferences, anything to keep people informed about what the next step could be?
MARCIANO: Yes, the next conference will be at 9:00 a.m. Local Time, and then, some mandatory evacuations for this community and several other communities. At least 2,000 people have been mandatorily evacuated, and that number expected to increase.
As of last night, Acton was the town that they were most worried about to our north, but the problem with this weather not having winds coming out of one direction all the time, you'll have them come out of the south and southwest, a bit of a sea breeze during the afternoon and then at night they'll turn around and come from the north so they pretty much have to battle this thing from all sides.
It's not like they're dredging one line and one spot as the fire advances. The fire is going one direction during the day and then another direction at night. But the fire line from east to west stretches almost 19 miles just to give you an idea of how much real estate they have to cover with this thing.
COLLINS: Yes. No kidding. No kidding. Not very comforting when you hear the fire officials say that it basically has a mind of its own as they try to fight this thing.
All right. Rob Marciano, sure do appreciate that live reporting this morning from Los Angeles County.
Hurricane Jimena headed toward Baja, California. Forecasters say it is a powerful category 4 storm, packing winds of 145 miles per hour. The storm is expected to approach the southwestern tip of Baja early tomorrow. A hurricane watch is in effect for that area.
So, of course, we'll be watching that closely for you as well.
He helped lay down the law after Hurricane Katrina, and he often appears right here on CNN as an analyst. But there's one job that retired Lieutenant General Russell Honore says he does not want and that is the job of U.S. senator.
A political Web site reported that Honore may challenge Louisiana Senator David Vitter in the 2010 GOP primaries, but Honore says that's all speculation and rumors.
Lessons in extreme survival. Three Texas fishermen lucky to be alive today after spending more than a week lost at sea. Curt Hall, James Philips and Tressel Hawkins were found a day after the Coast Guard called off the search on the Gulf of Mexico. All three clung to their capsized boat living off crackers, bubble gum, and what they called country boy know how.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CURT HALL, RESCUED BOATER: We've seen a ton of boats. We've seen some helicopters, and we tried flagging everybody we could and it was just like I guess not our time to go home yet, because, I mean, they'd come straight at us and I was like, "hey!," and then they go. I was like, well, you know, good man above, he's -- either he's teaching us a lesson or showing us something, and finally, you know, when that boat came, it was just, I don't know, it was...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was a miracle. It was a long eight days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And in case you are wondering, they managed to suck drinking water out of an internal wash down tank. That's the tank fishermen use to wash away fish slime.
Was it a drunken driver, a fugitive with warrants? How a temper tantrum led to this car chase in Indiana. And why police were shocked to find out who was behind the wheel.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: There is new information in an 18-year-old California kidnapping case. CNN has learned Jaycee Dugard may have had several opportunities to escape over the years. She apparently had been working at a printing company owned by Phillip Garrido, the man who police say abducted her. Garrido and his wife are charged with kidnapping, imprisoning and raping Dugard.
An eighth victim in a mass killing inside a Georgia mobile home has died. 19-year-old Michael Toler was one of two people critically injured during the attack. He died on Sunday. Seven people were found dead inside the mobile home on Saturday. A ninth victim is still in the hospital. The situation in Afghanistan is serious, but it's still a winnable war. That is according to a review by the top commander of U.S. and NATO in the region. NATO says Gen. Stanley McChrystal has wrapped up his 60 days strategic review of the war. He says the U.S. can achieve success there after revising current strategies and applying commitment and resolve. But the review did not ask for more troops. The controversial issue that will be decided separately.
Away from Washington, away from Wall Street. This month we've been on the road looking for the hot button debate going on in your communities. And our Ali Velshi has found them, using the CNN Express.
In fact, he's outside the CNN center right now in Atlanta with his bus there behind him.
So, Ali, tell us what you hope to find this time out.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, well, Heidi, we did this a couple of weeks ago. And we're really talking to people a lot about health care. The health care debate was the biggest thing going on. Those town hall meetings were happening.
COLLINS: Yes.
VELSHI: I think that's going to be a lot about what we're speaking about to people as well, but we're going to talk to people about other things as well. What we found even when we were talking about health care was that Americans did have other concerns on their minds, most notably jobs. They want to talk about credit. They want to talk about the housing situation.
So, we're going to get out and get a sense of what people want to talk about, and as a result, we can sort of help them out by programming for that. We can discuss the things that they want to know about. We can explain the things that they want to talk about.
So, we're pulling out of here in just a few minutes on the CNN Election Express. We're heading to Indianapolis -- we're heading to Indiana. We're heading to Evansville, Indiana, the southern part of the state. And that's going to be our first stop today.
COLLINS: Hey, tell us why Evansville. Just remind everybody what's going on there, maybe, Ali.
VELSHI: Well, that's an interesting part of the state. There is some manufacturing going on there. There's a Whirlpool plant, and Whirlpool just announced that it's going to be shutting that plant down, cutting 1,100 workers. About 300 workers are at that plant in Evansville.
So, we want to talk to people there. With all of the talk about whether this recession is coming to an end, if things are improving, we want to speak to people who are actually living through it particularly when you see job losses or a factory shutdown. That tends to have quite an impact on people's psyche. We want to know what they're thinking about it, and what they're going to be doing about that.
Heidi?
COLLINS: All right. Very good.
Well, we will stay in touch with you best that we can.
Ali Velshi with the CNN Express.
Thanks, Ali.
VELSHI: OK.
COLLINS: Officers in Greenfield, Indiana thought they were running down a drunk driver on Saturday only to find a 9-year-old boy was behind the wheel. Police say he was mad at his parents for telling him to come inside from playing so he took off in the car. They arrested him and released him to his parents.
Google can turn up some pretty wild search results, as you know. But a young Pennsylvania woman wasn't expecting this when she typed in her name.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I scroll down, it was my full name, my birth date, my mom's name, my birth certificate. And I'm like, ah! And I just took this huge breath, and I just screamed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The answer to a question she has been asking since she learned she was given up for adoption.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Quickly, we want to give you an update on one of the major stories that we're following this morning out of Los Angeles County, California. You can see it for yourself. That is smoke. Looks a little bit like clouds because of the elevation there. We're talking about the mountains, obviously, but it is not. It is very thick smoke, about 45,000 acres known as the station fire. Really only about five percent contained we are told, being fueled very much by the dry air and the steep terrain that you're looking at.
No Santa Ana winds, which is what they usually have to deal with in this area. But instead it gives you a really good idea of just how dry things are there. This area really not seeing a major fire like this in more than 60 years. So about 12,000 homes are threatened right now. There have been two firefighters that have been killed.
And you're looking at Mt. Wilson Observatory right there. That's home to about 20 television and radio transmission towers, as well as fire and police communication equipment. They're really trying hard to protect that so that they can stay in contact with residents and officials in the area. So we'll follow those pictures for you and that story throughout the morning right here on CNN.
To Afghanistan now, incumbent President Hamid Karzai may eventually claim victory in Afghanistan's presidential election, but don't look for a concession speech from his opponent any time soon.
Complaints of voter fraud keep pouring in, and Afghanistan's electoral commission is scrambling to investigate more than 500 complaints. The complaints could further delay the vote counting process that's already much slower than officials had predicted.
And a reminder, starting September 7th, Anderson Cooper takes you inside Afghanistan live from the battle zone. That's an "AC360" special report beginning September 7th.
The rumors simply won't go away.
Did Scotland release the Lockerbie bomber as a deal sweetener to secure oil contracts from Libya? And if it happened, was the British government involved?
CNN's Phil Black is gathering some answers for us from London this morning. He's joining us now live from 10 Downing Street.
Good morning to you, Phil.
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, the British government denies these latest allegations very strongly. But no matter how hard it tries, it just can't seem to shake the suspicion that the release of the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Al Megrahi was in some way linked to a trade deal. Now there are also new pictures of Al Megrahi out of Libya, in a hospital, and he doesn't look well.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLACK (voice-over): This is the Lockerbie bomber, in a hospital, on a drip, breathing through an oxygen mask. Abdelbaset Al-Megrahi looks like a dying man. According to a British journalist invited to his bedside, he was unable to independently verify the state of al- Megrahi's health. Asked if his release from prison in Scotland was linked to British trade deals, he would not or could not offer an answer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you feel that you were released because of a commercial deal with Britain and Libya? He can't -- he's too sick.
BLACK: But that is the question that is still being asked in Britain especially after this story in the "Sunday Times" newspaper. Its headline, "Lockerbie bomber set free for oil."
JACK STRAW, BRITISH JUSTICE SECRETARY: The "Sunday Times" headline suggesting that Lockerbie bomber al-Megrahi was released as a result of a deal for oil is wholly untrue. There was no deal for the release of Mr. Megrahi.
BLACK: The paper says an oil exploration deal between Libya and British company, BP, was only ratified by Libya's parliament after the British government agreed a prisoner transfer deal between the countries would not exclude al-Megrahi specifically. Britain's Justice Secretary Jack Straw admits the government had pushed for al- Megrahi not to be eligible for transfer under the agreement, but Libya refused and Britain relented. But the deal always allowed for the Scottish government to veto any transfer.
Al-Megrahi's application under the transfer agreement was refused by the Scottish government. Instead, he was released under Scottish law on compassionate grounds, because he's drying of cancer. Scotland's first minister insists justice was his government's only consideration.
ALEX SALMOND, SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER: If you have to make a difficult controversial decision, a challenging decision, and for goodness sake, let's take it for the right reasons, and the right reasons were to release a dying man on compassionate terms.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLACK: Scotland has been heavily criticized for that decision to release al-Megrahi, and to try and counter some of that international criticism tomorrow, it will take the unusual step of releasing all the documents, paperwork, advice it has received leading up to that decision to let the Lockerbie bomber go.
Heidi?
COLLINS: So I have to wonder, you know, there's only been one reporter that's been able to go in, and certainly, the condition of al-Megrahi did not look very good, Phil.
Will there be more questions that will come his way? I mean, you know, what if he just can't ever answer these questions?
BLACK: Certainly, the demand to hear from the Lockerbie bomber himself is very strong. The reporter who did gain access to his bedside hospital -- to his hospital, his bed in hospital, did say that he wasn't able to independently determine just what his health actually is. And there is a feeling there that obviously that is the image that the Libyan government would want the world to see.
COLLINS: Yes.
BLACK: That he is unwell, that he is a dying man, and therefore, the decision to release him was the right one.
That's what the Libyans would want, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Well, we understood that.
All right. Phil Black, we sure do appreciate that. Thank you.
The Dalai Lama on a visit to Taiwan. In an exclusive interview today with CNN's Sara Sidner, the Tibetan spiritual leader said he is visiting the island to comfort victims of typhoon Morakot that killed more than 500 people when it hit earlier this month. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DALAI LAMA, TIBETAN SPIRITUAL LEADER: As soon as I received the invitation, I know there's some complications maybe, but it is my sort of moral responsibility to come and to see, show my face to those people who are passing through difficult sort of period.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The Dalai Lama added he would not meet with Taiwan's president to avoid politicizing the trip. A state-run news agency in China says Beijing is opposed to the visit. Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province and accuses the Dalai Lama for advocating for Tibetan independence from China.
There's an awful lot going on this morning. CNN crews, as you can see, are in place to bring it all to you.
In fact, let's go ahead and check in with some of our correspondents now, beginning with meteorologist Rob Marciano for us there covering those fires in California.
Rob?
MARCIANO: The station fire here, Heidi, has grown substantially overnight. We've got new numbers on just how many acres have burned. Tens of thousands -- actually, over 80,000 acres burned right now. And the Mt. Wilson Observatory still threatened. Five percent containment. So they haven't gotten a handle on it. And weather not necessarily cooperating. Live report coming up at the top of the hour.
LISOVICZ: And I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange, where investors are marvelling over a deal that will bring Spider-Man, Captain America, and the Fantastic Four into the house of mouse.
Heidi, more on that in the next hour.
COLLINS: All right. Very good.
Thanks so much, guys.
Appreciate it.
In fact, you can go to war if you're 18. You can drive a car. You can vote. But you can't legally drink. Unless a push by some college educators gains some traction.
We're going to hear from both sides of the debate in our snapshot across America.
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COLLINS: Seems like Google really can find anything for you. 20-year-old Ebony Keck of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania said she's always known she was adopted, but the search for her birth family went nowhere until she typed her own name into Google. The results got her to adoption.com, which led her to her biological sister's phone number.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EBONY KECK, FOUND BIRTH FAMILY THROUGH GOOGLE: And they were just like screaming and crying. And next thing I know everyone's telling me that -- they're telling me that I have nieces and nephews, and I have two older brothers, and it's just -- I never really expected for that to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Unfortunately, Ebony's birth mother has passed away. But she plans to meet her six brothers and sisters later on this week.
It took three years, but a young man has finally found his birth family. Christian Norris, always known as Dar Cheng, disappeared from a bus station in central China when he was just 6 years old. Later he was adopted by an American woman, but now he's been reunited with his Chinese family.
Senior international correspondent John Vause has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN BEIJING CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an instant it all came out. Anguish, guilt, and joy of finding a child they thought was lost forever, 11 long years ago. That child is Christian Norris, 17 now and seemingly unmoved by this outpouring of emotion. Perhaps because both men, his birth father and uncle are distant memories.
CHRISTIAN NORRIS, DISAPPEARED AT AGE 6: I don't really remember my dad that much. I just remember my uncle a lot. He raised me most of the time.
VAUSE: Christian was raised in this small village always thinking his uncle was his father because his parents, doctors in a nearby town, had two sons violating China's strict one child policy.
"They felt conflicted. They were afraid it might affect their jobs. So they brought him to me" says his uncle.
When he was six, Christian went to live with his birth parents so he could attend school and was told they were a foster family. But after a few months as he returned home to the village by bus, he disappeared. The details aren't clear, but it could have been up to a year later when police brought him to an orphanage, hundreds of miles away in a neighboring province. Eventually adopted by Julia, a volunteer at the orphanage from the U.S.
(on camera): Did you expect the outpouring of emotion when his uncle and dad just grabbed him and broke down crying.
JULIA NORRIS, CHRISTIAN'S ADOPTIVE MOTHER: No, not that much. No. It was heartbreaking. I mean, I just -- my heart breaks for the family that they have missed out on these years with him.
VAUSE (voice-over): Painful years of never knowing what happened.
"I have had a sickness in my heart, and today I can say it has been cured completely," says his birth father.
VAUSE: This reunion was set in motion three years ago when Christian asked to find his family in China. Their first day together spent touring Beijing, holding hands, slowly reconnecting.
(on camera): Christian's past might be here in China, but he has grown up American, spending most of his life in the United States. And for now, at least, that's where he says he sees his future.
(voice-over): A decision which his Chinese family say they will respect but -
"He has grown, taller, bigger but inside Chinese blood is still flowing in his veins," says his father.
After so many years apart they're hoping not to let go again.
John Vause, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Hurricane Jimena headed toward Baja, California. Forecasters say it is a powerful category 4 storm packing winds of 145 miles per hour. The storm is expected to approach the southwestern tip of Baja early tomorrow. A hurricane watch is in effect for that area.
Gas prices inching higher as we begin a new work week. They are up one-tenth of a cent from yesterday. AAA reporting the national average price for unleaded regular gas is $2.61 a gallon. Over the past month, gas prices have jumped eight cents.
And NATO is confirming the deaths of two U.S. service members in Afghanistan yesterday. Both died in separate roadside bombings in southern Afghanistan. August is now the deadliest month for U.S. troops in the region since the war began in 2001.
