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Doc Flees After Child Porn Charges; Iran Releases U.S. Hiker; Primary Day in Seven States; Tea Party Battle in Delaware; Primary Day in Seven States and District of Columbia

Aired September 14, 2010 - 9:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning guys. Candy great to see you. Loved watching you guys this morning.

We begin with a pediatrician who cuts off his ankle monitor and just disappeared. This man who, parents trusted with their children is linked to child pornography.

And we saw how that gas explosion and fire laid waste to San Bruno, California. Now we're getting a closer look at the moment of impact, thanks to these security cameras.

And there's a big debate over cough syrup and how safe it is. One day soon you might need a doctor to prescribe it.

It's 9:00 a.m. on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out west. I'm Kyra Phillips. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

All right. First, we begin with breaking news that's happening out of Iran. Free at last. Iran's press TV reports that American hiker Sarah Shourd has been released after being held for more than a year.

Our Reza Sayah will be joining us live from Pakistan shortly to tell us more about this release and how it cost $500,000 to get her bail paid.

Also happening right now, a multi-state manhunt underway for this doctor. A Phoenix area pediatrician suspected of distributing child porn. Thousands of files were allegedly shared from his computer.

The FBI says that the Dr. Emilio Luna may have fled from Arizona to Texas, California, Illinois or Mexico. All places that he has called home at some point.

Now last week, the doctor was put under house arrest and required to wear an ankle monitoring bracelet but officers say he just cut it off and bolted.

Now keep in mind this is a man whose job it is to care for our sick, vulnerable kids. And he's charged with five counts of distributing child pornography in interstate commerce.

KNXV's Rudabeh Shahbazi spoke with his Sun City neighbors, some whose children were treated at the suspect's office.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know why anyone who would want to indulge in child pornography. I think it's horrible.

RUDABEH SHAHBAZI, KNXV CORRESPONDENT: Doctor Emilio Luna's arrest shocked his neighbors and co-workers and parents at his Phoenix pediatric office. He is accused of sharing thousands of files of child porn online.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If in fact that he did do it then he should never be allowed to be with -- be around children again.

SHAHBAZI: But a judge did allow him to be around children before a trial. He was under house confinement with an electronic monitoring device but was allowed to go to this Glendale church.

The judge made the decision because he had no criminal record and was not considered a flight risk.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have to wonder at the treatment given to criminals, particularly ones who would go after children.

SHAHBAZI: A family member called investigators when he didn't come back and detectives found his abandoned vehicle. Inside, bolt cutters and his cut-off ankle monitor.

Desert Valley Pediatrics initially released a statement saying, "Obviously, as pediatricians, we are disgusted by the allegations which are against every belief that we as pediatricians hold dear."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want him caught. Who knows what he's going to do next?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And joining us now live by phone from Phoenix, FBI spokesperson, Susan Herskovits.

Susan, any word on where the doctor might be right now?

SUSAN HERSKOVITS, FBI SPOKESPERSON: No. We are -- at this time but we are actively seeking him and we expect to have him in custody.

PHILLIPS: What exactly was found in his home?

HERSKOVITS: We have not searched his home.

PHILLIPS: Has anyone -- what have you done with regard to the investigation thus far?

HERSKOVITS: Well, we can't go into all the specifics but obviously we are going to be contacting all of his family members, friends, all of his known associates and going to places that he's been known to live before.

We'll be looking on both sides of the border for him. Working with our partners -- law enforcement partners in Mexico.

PHILLIPS: Now what type of evidence do you have that makes you believe that he is as everybody is saying a pedophile and someone who's been distributing child porn, possibly molesting a number of his patients?

HERSKOVITS: He is not accused of being a pedophile. And we don't have information linking him to active pedophilia. We do have him trading child -- we believe that he traded child porn on a peer-to- peer network on the Internet. He is not accused at this time of being a pedophile or molester.

PHILLIPS: So you don't believe that he has assaulted any of the children he was treating?

HERSKOVITS: We have no information in that regard. It's just very concerning and troubling that he's a pediatrician and has ready access to children or did until he surrendered his medical license.

PHILLIPS: Now he was held previously and let go. Why was he released?

HERSKOVITS: Well, the -- you know, hindsight's 20/20 and we can be critical of the judge but we're not. The judge had to make a decision and this man had no criminal record. He had significant support from his family.

He was just viewed not as a flight risk. However, you know, now that he's gone obviously we wish a different decision had been made but the judge had a difficult decision to make.

PHILLIPS: What type of assets are out there now trying to track him down? Is it on foot? Is it by air?

HERSKOVITS: Well, we'll put all the resources we have available to the FBI and we have national and international resources. We are grateful for things like this, CNN, getting the word out about him because we believe that the public will end up assisting us in this regard.

PHILLIPS: All right. Susan Herskovits with the Phoenix FBI. We'll be following the investigation. Appreciate your time this morning.

Now we get back to our other developing story out of Iran. Iran's Press TV reporting now that American hiker Sarah Shourd has been released after being held for more than a year.

CNN's Reza Sayah joins us from Islamabad, Pakistan.

Reza, Iran said it would release Shourd on $500,000 bail. Was that bail paid?

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's not clear at this point, Kyra. That was the condition that was outlined by senior prosecutor in a news conference in Tehran on Sunday. He essentially said Sarah Shourd can be released from prison and she can leave Iran if she can post $500,000 in bail money.

There were some reports that Sarah Shourd's family was trying to lower that amount but -- so it's not clear exactly how much was posted if indeed that entire amount was posted.

But the big news is that she has been released from prison according to her lawyer after more than 13 months behind bars, most of it in solitary confinement without ever being formally charged, with only one opportunity to see her lawyer which came just a few days ago.

Right now she is in the care of her lawyer and the officials from the Swiss embassy in Tehran. Because Tehran and Washington do not have diplomatic relations it is the Swiss embassy that's played the role of mediator in this matter.

So she has been released. The next step is getting out of Iran and heading for U.S. soil for the long awaited reunion with her family -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So we still don't know if that money was paid to get her out. What about the other two hikers that are still in prison there?

SAYAH: According to the senior prosecutor, they're not going anywhere. They're going to remain behind bars. They are suspected of spying for the U.S. when they allegedly crossed into Iranian soil in July 2009 when they were hiking along the Iran-Iraqi border.

The senior prosecutor said on Sunday they haven't confessed to spying but he said there's enough evidence that shows they were spying.

Of course, spying is a very serious crime in Iran if convicted. You could face the possible death penalty so this is a good day for Sarah Shourd but the ordeal is far from over for these two men, one of them Sean Bauer, of course now the fiancee of Sarah Shourd.

PHILLIPS: All right. Reza Sayah from Islamabad. Reza, thanks.

Well, seven weeks from today voters head to the polls in the all- important midterm elections but today we find out which candidates will make the final cut to earn a place on those ballots.

Right now we're going to look at some of the key races playing out in today's primaries. First up, New York Congressman Charlie Rangel. The legendary Democrat is facing an ethics trial later this year and former President Bill Clinton has taped a robocall urging voters to vote for their support.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: We need Charlie to go back in Washington to work with President Obama to say yes. Charlie Rangel has always been there for us.

I urge you now to be there for him in this Tuesday's Democratic primary. Again, this is Bill Clinton. Thanks.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: New York is just one of the seven states holding primaries today so is the District of Columbia. Today's voting will not only decide the November ballots but also set the tone of how angry voters are before the midterm elections.

We're covering all the angles of today's races with the best political team on television. This hour, we turn to CNN senior political editor Mark Preston and political producer Shannon Travis.

Let's go ahead and begin with Mark at the CNNPolitics.com desk -- Mark?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Well, Kyra, as you said, seven states and the District of Columbia all holding primaries today. You know basically you can call this the East Coast primary.

All of these states except for Wisconsin will be sending voters to the polls. Let's start off in New Hampshire, if we can, Kyra. There is a very divisive Republican Senate primary up there. So many sub- thoughts to that race.

We have front page editorials from the conservative newspaper blasting outsider groups for trying to weigh in on the race. You have the battle between moderates and conservatives for the soul of the Republican Party and of course you have Sarah Palin in that race.

Those two people were focusing on that race right now. Kelly Ayotte. She is the frontrunner, considered more moderate. And Ovide Lamontagne who is considered the more conservative candidate in that race.

Let's shift down to New York. Just very quickly you mentioned Charlie Rangel. Thirteen ethics violations against him. He faces five primary challengers.

We should note Charlie Rangel is very liked in his district. He's likely to win reelection but again this isn't the kind of news -- these ethics woes that he is facing -- that Democrats want to have to handle heading into November.

And let me just close by talking about here in D.C. We have Adrian Fenty right now, the mayor of the District of Columbia who really made a name for himself for trying to reform education. He has a very tough fight right now for reelection here in D.C. -- Kyra?

PHILLIPS: So after today, what's next, Mark?

PRESTON: Well, you know, Kyra, excellent question. We've seen a lot of divisive primaries. We have seen incumbent Republicans knocked out. We saw it happened in Utah. We saw it happened in Alaska. Knocked out by Tea Party activists. These angry conservatives.

Kyra, it will be interesting to see in November, will these angry voters still show up at the polls? Will they vote Republican? And guess what, Kyra? If this Tea Party activism, this angry activism continues to foster itself it will turn what is expected to be a very good night for Republicans into a great night for Republicans.

PHILLIPS: All right. Mark Preston, thanks so much.

And CNN's Shannon Travis has reported extensively on the Tea Party. He's in Delaware where the upstate conservatives are challenging the GOP establishment.

So, Shannon, there's some pretty nasty words being hurled around in this race.

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: Kyra, you follow these things for -- these political races. Let me ask you a question. When is the last time you've heard words like cannibalism, prostitution and death threats being hurled in a political race?

PHILLIPS: It definitely wasn't a political race.

TRAVIS: Probably pretty rare, huh?

PHILLIPS: Yes, it is.

(LAUGHTER)

TRAVIS: Yes. Absolutely not. But those are exactly the kinds of words that you're hearing right now here in Delaware.

Let's set this up. Christine O'Donnell is the Tea Party-backed Republican candidate. She's running hard for what was Joe Biden's -- Vice president Joe Biden's old Senate seat. Her campaign alleges that the Delaware Republican Party is basically eating their own. They're calling it cannibalism in order to get her out of the way.

They feel -- the O'Donnell campaign feels that the establishment wants Mike Castle and that they'll go at -- they'll spare no expense and do nothing -- stop at nothing to actually get it.

In terms of this notion of prostitution, Tom Ross is the chairman of the Delaware Republican State Party. The O'Donnell campaign and her supporters basically accuse him of being in bed with Mike Castle for supporting him.

And in terms of death threats -- and this is very serious -- Tom Ross, that same chairman of the Delaware Republican Party, he's actually received death threats according to our Tom -- I'm sorry, our Brian Todd.

And the O'Donnell campaign, obviously, denounces any kind of talk of violence or any acts of violence. So it is getting increasingly bitter in these final hours as voters are going to the polls and as we wind down this Republican race.

PHILLIPS: OK. Shannon Travis, we'll be following it. That's for sure. Thanks so much. And CNN is the place to be for continuing coverage over the primaries all day long. Later this hour at about 45 past, senior political editor Mark Preston will return again with the latest information from our CNNPolitics.com desk.

Abusing over the counter drugs. Getting so bad you may soon need a prescription for items that you might not believe some are using to get high.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We often hear prescription drugs going OTC, or over the counter. Rarely the other way around. But that's exactly what's being considered as the DEA and FDA actually weigh in on the dangers of over-the-counter cough suppressants.

Last year more than 8,000 people, mostly teens, were hospitalized for misusing cough syrups. Sometimes with deadly results. CNN's senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Carl Hennon was your all-American teen. Good looking, talented and popular. But Carl had a secret. For much of his high school years, he was getting high on over-the-counter cough syrup. His mother, Misty Fetko, a registered nurse, always talked to him about the affects of drugs and alcohol, but never thought to talk to him about cough suppressants until she tried to wake him up one morning and couldn't.

MISTY FETKO, MOTHER: Unfortunately, I found him in his bed, and at that point it was too late.

COHEN (voice-over): That was in 2003. Since, Fetko has been on a mission to make sure other parents are aware that over-the-counter cough medicines can be abused. When Fetko first discovered empty bottles of the stuff in her home, it never occurred to her that Carl might be doing something dangerous. But on the day he died, it hit her. What triggered the death was sitting right there in her medicine cabinets.

FETKO: It is inexpensive and, the fact is, the kids don't have to have a scary drug dealer to obtain it.

COHEN (voice-over): According to the Partnership for Drug Free America, eight percent, or 1.3 million teens have reported abusing over-the-counter cough suppressants over the past year. The ingredient in these medicines that creates the high is known as Dextromethorphan, or Dex.

COHEN (on camera): Dextromethorphan is found in all sorts of products on drug store shelves. When you take a lot of it, it can create a euphoria, and it can also raise your body temperature, your blood pressure, and your heart rate. And then, if it's mixed with other drugs, it can kill you. COHEN (voice-over): Dex-related emergency room visits increased more than 70 percent from 2004 to 2008, so the Drug Enforcement Administration is asking for help. They want advice from the Food and Drug Administration on whether to make products like Nyquil, Robitussin, and Tylenol cold medicine available by prescription only. Some say this is going overboard.

STEVE PASIERB, PARTNERSHIP FOR A DRUG FREE AMERICA: When you've got inhalant abuse four times higher, marijuana abuse many, many times higher, compared to other drugs of abuse, this is not the most serious threat facing a lot of families.

COHEN (voice-over): Cough medicine makers say their products help millions of people and should stay over the counter, and parents are the key to curbing abuse.

LINDA SUYDAM, CONSUMER HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION: Many parents do not talk to their children, but we do know that parent who do talk to their children have a 50 percent decrease in using drugs.

COHEN (voice-over): Misty Fetko agrees. She says restricting these medicines to prescription only probably won't help.

FETKO: It might be, you know, a short-term, quick fix, so it's -- the access is still there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Once again, that was our Elizabeth Cohen reporting. And cough syrup misuse is by no means limited to teens. Listen to this. Former Oakland Raiders quarterback, JaMarcus Russell, the NFL's top draft pick just three years ago, was arrested in July for possessing a controlled substance. It's alleged that Russell had codeine-laced cough syrup without a prescription. He's pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama. The Raiders released him in May after three subpar seasons. No other NFL team has picked him up.

Quick check of our top stories right after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Let's check our top stories. Going on right now, a multi-state hunt for this man, Dr. Emilio Luna, of Phoenix, Arizona. A pediatrician suspected of distributing child porn. Luna was under house arrest, but cut off an ankle monitoring device and just took off.

It's primary day in seven states and the District of Columbia. Today's voting will not only decide the November ballots, but also set the tone of how worried and angry voters are before the midterm elections.

California utility company PG&E says it will provide $100 million to help rebuild parts of a San Francisco suburb destroyed by a deadly gas line explosion and fire. That includes up to $50,000 per household for living expenses. That blast in San Bruno destroyed 37 homes and killed 4 people.

CNN equals politics, and one of the big issues in the political world affects pretty much everyone. Taxes for next year, and whether you're going to pay more. We're taking a closer look straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Stocks have been on a roll this month, and yesterday was no exception. The Dow jumped more than 80 points to thanks to some upbeat economic news. Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange to tell us how things are looking now. Alison?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, expect stocks to be a little bit under pressure today, although stock futures, as we watch them, they are off their lows. And you can thank positive retail sales numbers for that. Those just came out this morning.

We found out that retail sales rose 0.4 percent in August, which is actually better than expected. And that's a really good sign because August is an important month. It's back to school season, and it shows consumers were willing to part with their cash and dig into that back to school spending a bit.

But we're finding that some sectors are still struggling a bit. We're talking about car dealers, furniture makers, and electronic stores. We watched this report really closely, because spending is really what drives this economy, and investors looking to how much consumers are spending, because once that money hits the market, that's what really gets the wheels turning. And they want to see that confidence return to the markets, as well.

We're also keeping an eye on shares of Best Buy. Best Buy came out with their second quarter earnings. They beat the street, they beat estimates. They raised their outlook for the year, which shows that they have confidence and an improving economy. Best Buy shares right now are up in the pre-market about 8 percent.

And finally, Kyra, it's really the age-old question. What do men really want? The answer may really surprise you. It's not about what you look like. A study from ING Direct finds that men want a woman with a low credit card balance. A big shocker there. In fact, 61 percent of men find a frugal blind date to be smart and sexy.

Ah, but the ladies don't feel the same way, Kyra. Most women are more likely to be upset if their date doesn't spend enough money on them. Not such a big shocker there. What do you think?

PHILLIPS: I'm not buying it. I think that women want to be treated well and, yes, they don't want someone a tightwad. And men are totally wrapped up in looks. Come on, let's be for real, Alison.

KOSIK: Come on, aren't they interested in your credit card balance? You know, doesn't --

PHILLIPS: Yes. They want sugar mamas. They want someone to take care of them. (LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: That's it.

KOSIK: But there you go. So, if they have a low credit card balance, they're more willing to be able to take care of them, right?

(LAUGHTER)

PHILLIPS: Oh, my goodness. You and I could talk about this for a long time.

KOSIK: I know.

PHILLIPS: Being the career women that we are, yes. And there we have the opening bell.

KOSIK: There's the opening bell. Let's wait a minute and see how stocks are doing. Right now, we are starting to the downside a bit. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Alison, thanks.

KOSIK: Sure.

PHILLIPS: Congress is back in session today for the big midterm election push but the big issue is whether you'll have to pay more taxes in 2011.

Congressional correspondent Brianna Keilar, with us to talk about that. Brianna, we're talking about a lot of money here.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is big money when you take a look, according to the tax calculator from the Tax Policy Center at just what would happen if these tax cuts were to expire. You can completely understand how this would really hit you in the pocketbook.

Let's talk about we crunch the numbers based on a couple. Let's say they're making about $57,000 per year, a married couple filing jointly. They would see their tax liability increase $2,000. That's a lot of money. And this is obviously very much a middle class couple. If they're making $106,000 or thereabouts, up $3,000. Let's say they're doing really, really well, $400,000 per year, filing jointly; up $6,000.

So you can see, Kyra, why this is such a political hot potato because you look at those numbers there on the right side of that screen and you say, I can completely understand what I would have to do without or even if I could go without, if these were to expire.

PHILLIPS: All right. So what are the chances that this issue could be settled before the midterms?

KEILAR: This week is the temperature check because the Senate was back yesterday, the House coming back today and we are going to be seeing members of the Congress milling about the hill and where they are on this issue.

The thing is conventional wisdom tells you it's going to be really hard for them to find some sort of agreement as they move into the midterm elections. They're only going to be on the Hill really for a few weeks before they take off from Washington again.

The question then being are they going to pass something before the election? That's going to be difficult. But you can just see how politically devastating it would be for Democrats and Republicans if they don't figure out sort of solution here and that's really the answer, that maybe they will, if they don't get a deal with this before the election, maybe deal with it after. Because you can't imagine them sticking all Americans with that much of an increase in their income taxes.

PHILLIPS: Yes. All right. We'll follow it. Thanks, Brianna.

Later today President Obama is due to speak to the nation's school children. He's going to urge students to make the most of their education. According to text of the speech he is going to tell them, quote, "Your future is in your hands and your life is what you make of it."

The is his second back to school speech. His first, last year, was met with skepticism from Conservatives. They thought he would use the forum to push his political agenda. That concern proved unfounded and he received praise from both parties for delivering a positive message on education.

But we've seen that natural gas explosion. We saw what it did to San Bruno, California. Let go ahead and rewind to the moment it happened. Take a look that the security video from a gas station. On the left actually see the smoke rising and then boom, explosion and fire ball. 6:07 p.m. Pacific Time.

This video is from inside a market. You can't see the blast but the shoppers sure do. Some run out to see what happened. Others don't know whether to stay or go. It's just a chaotic moment there on that Thursday evening. Four people still missing in San Bruno, by the way. At least four people were killed. And PG&E says that it will set up $100 million fund to help rebuild that area.

People in Bell, California, ran off their overpaid city manager, his assistant and the police chief. But they're not done yet. They're going after the city council now

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want them to go to jail. We want them stripped of everything that we have been stripped of.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Yes. There's unfinished business in Bell. Coming up, we'll tell you why there's a reason for those over-taxed folks to celebrate. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And checking top stories. Word out just this morning out of Iran, that American hiker Sarah Shourd has been released after spending more than a year in detention. Shourd and her two hiking companions were detained after they allegedly strayed into Iran in July of last year.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Middle East Envoy George Mitchell are meeting with leaders of Israel and Palestinian authority. Gathering is going on in an Egyptian Red Sea resort. The talks are a continuation of discussions held recently in Washington.

It's Primary Day in seven states and the District of Columbia. Today's voting will not only decide the November ballots, but also set the tone of how worried and angry voters are before the midterm elections.

And a view from above. This is what hurricane Igor looks like from space as the category 4 storm swirls under the Atlantic. Pretty impressive sight but Igor is expected to weaken. Right, Rob?

ROB MARCIANO: Well, we started off strong. Any weakening we'll take but it's still a monster. Cool shot from the ISS there. And this is also a cool shot. This is our satellite. Ghost 15. It was launched this past spring so it's brand spanking new and they've this rapid scan mode where it can take a snapshot almost every minute so you've got an almost continuous loop of what's going on in that hurricane.

Look at how distinct that eye is. You can peer right down into it. It's unbelievable how gorgeous that shot is. I say gorgeous because most of this storm is not going to affect too many people. We certainly hope that that forecast verifies, we're getting more confident about that. This is the infrared shot. The other was visible where it was just basically taking snapshots. We measure this with infrared imagery so the colors are enhancing what we can't see at night.

Category 4 storm, 135 mile an hour winds. It's moving to the west but notice this little jog last couple of - get a little bit of a jog there to the north.

Starting to see this turn to the north that we've been anticipating because of the way the atmosphere is set up. And actually the National Hurricane Center is thinking this thing is really going to make a turn to the north remaining a major storm until it gets a little bit farther north in the general vicinity of Bermuda. We think it'll miss the U.S., but certainly some waves from the storm are going to propagate to the Caribbean islands and also to the East Coast of the United States.

The other area of concern that we're watching here -- and the National Hurricane Center may fly some planes into this later on today, this disturbance; that's heading into this general direction. That may turn into something more consequence hitting Mexico, maybe even affecting southern parts of Texas as we go through the next few days.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Strapped since mid-summer and now the effort to reach those miners takes a hit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

PHILLIPS: All right. Go ahead, stand. Put your right hand over your heart and sing the National Anthem, would you? 196 years ago on this day, 1814, Francis Scott Key is credited with writing the lyrics to the Star-Spangled Banner. He did this after witnessing the British bombardment of Maryland's Fort McHenry during the war of 1812. It was originally a poem. The passage was set to a popular drinking tune at the time and volia, colonial verse of American Idol that stands the test of time.

Well, politicians love to rally votes by promising to get tough on crime. You're about to meet a candidate who showed he's more than talk. William Keating was at a local diner in Falmouth, Massachusetts, when a actually man snatched a purse just outside the window and then this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM KEATING, NORFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Right on Main Street Sunday morning, where there's a guy running down the street with a purse and a whole group of people shouting stop or get him.

MARK CLIFONE, WITNESS: The guy that saw him running by, he called me. You ought to see what happened? And then that's when we looked out and we heard the commotion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Keating and another customer chased down the suspect and held him for police. Turns out he was already wanted. Oh, and the purse contained thousands of dollars because the owner was arranging a wedding. Keating is a congressional candidate but he's used to bad guys. He's currently the Norfolk District Attorney.

Time now for stories from the Best Political Team on Television. A quick peek. The Democrats launching a new campaign against John Boehner, the man who could become the next speaker of the house. The queen of the wrestling world is in a tough political fight and filmmaker Michael Moore applying for a job in the Obama White House.

Let's get the latest from Washington. Our CNN senior political editor Mark Preston joins us once again -- Mark.

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey, how are you, Kyra? Of course, this is Primary Day and we talked a little bit about that a while ago. But the fact of the matter is, there are so many other political stories making news today. First of all, John Boehner again in the sights of the Democratic National Committee. They're already running a national cable ad criticizing him, saying he doesn't care about the American workers and they're running that ad this week. Last night they decided to put up another ad. What they're trying to do is frame Boehner as a political insider. They're trying to say he's not an outsider and he doesn't have solutions. So that ad is running on national cable through the end of the week.

As you said, Linda McMahon, the wrestling executive, a lot of folks out there probably grew up watching wrestling. Well, Linda McMahon has proven to be an excellent candidate up in Connecticut. She is running as a business woman for the Senate Republican nomination. She was able to beat back the establishment candidate to win that nomination. She is now the general election candidate. A new poll out has her just down six points to the Attorney General Richard Blumenthal who has been in office for quite some time. So a very, very strong race going on in Connecticut. Republicans are hoping that Linda McMahon's deep pockets, Kyra, carry the day.

And then what would be a day without Michael Moore, Kyra? The fact of the matter is he's always trying to make news and of course he did again yesterday on our own "SITUATION ROOM" with Wolf Blitzer. A lot of talk about Rahm Emanuel, the Chief of Staff, Kyra, leaving, perhaps running for mayor of Chicago. Well, Michael Moore again said, look, I want to be chief of staff. Why don't you elect me or why don't you pick me for the job? This isn't the first time he's said this, Kyra, but I don't think the Obama administration is going to choose him.

PHILLIPS: We'll follow up. That's for sure.

Mark, thanks.

All right. We're going to have your next political update in just an hour. And a reminder for all the latest political news, go to our web site CNNPolitics.com.

Here's welcome sight. The lieutenant governor of California in Bell. Town government abuse and corruption put on the map until the people said no more. Finally Bell has something to clap and cheer about. We're going to tell you how those folks are finally getting some of their money back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hi, buckle up. Let's go cross country.

First stop: Detroit, where accused underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab wants to be his own attorney. The Nigerian national faces multiple federal counts relating to the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S.-bound plane from the Netherlands. The next court date is set a month from now.

In Kingman, Arizona, one of three suspects who escaped a state jail and allegedly killed two people while on the run appeared in court yesterday. John McCluskey is described as the ring leader and trigger man in the jailbreak and the subsequent slaying of a vacationing Oklahoma couple. McCluskey and his fiancee were caught three weeks later when a Park Ranger recognized them at a camping area.

And last stop, New Hampshire, police say they've recovered thousands of dollars in stolen property from a suspected burglary ring which allegedly used the Internet to help case potential heists. Police say the robbers targeted as many as 50 homes they knew were unoccupied by the Facebook postings of vacationing homeowners.

So if outrage were a state then Bell would definitely have to be its capital and that's why we haven't left this story alone.

This little dot in expensive Los Angeles County is mostly poor. The median annual income is about $40,000 per year but the city manager was pulling in nearly $800,000 a year. Other city officials were making curiously huge salaries too before people in Bell got wind of it and then ran them off.

Now we've got an update. Property owners will get some of their money back. Money that was going to those overpaid underworked so- called leaders. It's not a huge amount but it's a start.

The story from Eric Spillman now of KTLA.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC SPILLMAN, KTLA REPORTER (voice-over): Acting Governor Abel Maldonado put his name on the dotted line and for once there was something to cheer about in the City of Bell.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eighty nine hundred, signed.

SPILLMAN: Property owners here could finally celebrate in front of City Hall. Bell is one of the poorest cities in L.A. County but for years it's had one of the highest property tax rates with the money paying the outrageous salaries and pensions of city employees.

With the scandal exposed, state lawmakers took action to give taxpayers here $3 million of their money back.

LT. GOV. ABEL MALDONADO (R), BELL, CALIFORNIA: Refunded because it was taken illegally by their city council who thought they were above the law. We're here to say, "No, you're not."

SPILLMAN: Various politicians crowded in front of the cameras to take credit for the law which they say sends a message.

MALDONADO: If you are a city council member or a mayor or even a board of supervisor around California and you know this is going on in your city, we're going to start looking. And it's going to get -- it's not going to be fun for you.

SPILLMAN: Still, many in the crowd are demanding more than just a tax refund from the people responsible for the mess in Bell.

WILLIE AGUILAR, BELL RESIDENT: We want them to go to jail. We want them stripped of everything that we have been stripped of.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Each property owner should get about $300 back. But the story doesn't end there. People in Bell are working on a petition now to boot several city council members who were making about $100,000 a year for their part-time service.

State and federal agencies are investigating the city. But you had to know that Bell wasn't alone, right? Vernon, California, just a few miles away, it has 90 residents.

Listen to what their top city managers were making: about $1.6 million a year, and getting perks, like first-class airline tickets in a town that's laid-off workers and cut health benefits because of budget problems.

It makes you wonder, how many more Bell, California and Vernon, California are out there.

We've got a lot going on in the CNN NEWSROOM. Let's take a look at what's coming up in the next hour starting with Josh Levs.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, Kyra, millions of miles of natural gas pipelines lie beneath our country. How old are they? And how often are they involved in fatal accidents? I have the answers for you this morning. And we'll bring them to you at the top of the hour.

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL PRODUCER: And I'm Shannon Travis here in Dover, Delaware, outside of an elk slide where Christine O'Donnell, the Republican Tea Party-backed candidate, hopes to be celebrating tonight a primary win. But can she pull it off? I'll have more at the top of the hour.

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The long wait is finally over for one of the three U.S. hikers jailed in Iran. Sarah Shourd has been released from a Tehran prison. The latest on the release, coming up at the top of the hour.

PHILLIPS: All right, thanks guys.

Also, fat and in denial. A new study says that three in 10 overweight Americans think they're normal-sized no matter what the scale says. Maybe they're right. As a nation, we're packing on the pounds.

So has fat become the new norm? Sound off at CNN.com/kyra. We're going to talk about it next hour. Right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, our morning passport takes us to the southern hemisphere. Let's start in Chile where workers have been trying to drill a rescue shaft to reach 33 miners trapped nearly a half mile underground.

CNN's Patrick Oppmann reports on the difficulties that those workers are having right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Family members of trapped miners gather for an emergency meeting with Chilean officials in an area closed to the press. The subject: the slow progress in rescuing their loved ones.

Magdalena Lobos says some relatives are at their wit's end.

MAGDALENA LOBOS, SISTER OF TRAPPED MINER (through translator): They called a meeting because some families feel impatient at the work to rescue the miners isn't going quicker.

OPPMANN: Not going quickly and sometimes not going at all. It's been tough going for rescuers at this mine lately. The Plan A drill is steadily grinding away at the mine but with frequent stoppages for maintenance. The Plan C drill is still being delivered and won't be online for at least another week. And the Plan B drill which is making the best progress of all has come to a full stop.

Engineer Rene Aguilar shows a piece of the drill bit from Plan B, completely destroyed after colliding with a reinforcement beam in the mine's depths. Aguilar says he knows why families are upset.

RENE AGUILAR, ENGINEER: Well, actually we just talked with them and they understood very well the things that we are doing here. Obviously, they are a little anxious because of the problems that we had with Plan B, but everything is understandable right now for them.

OPPMANN: And you're still on schedule?

AGUILAR: Of course.

OPPMANN: getting the Plan B drill on schedule and running again is Brendan Fisher's job. His Pennsylvania company dropped everything to rush the drill bit to Chile and has been working around the clock.

For the first time he shared what happened in the mine.

BRENDAN FISHER, CENTER ROCK INC.: All of a sudden, the penetration rate stopped, the drill string torqued up violently. We tried to pull off bottom. We were hung in the hole. We worked at that for a while to get the bit past that obstruction and then back out of the hole. At that point in time, we really didn't know what the problem was until we cleared the rotary table and brought it back to surface.

OPPMANN: What went through your mind when the drill bit was destroyed?

FISHER: It's not a good feeling. It's never a good feeling, but, hey, you immediately get that out of your head and start to develop a game plan to recover the broken pieces.

OPPMANN: He hopes to have the drill back to work this week. And despite the delays, Chilean officials say they still hope to have the miners above ground at least by November.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, at the San Jose Mine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)