Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Several Arrested for Madrid Bombings had al Qaeda Connections; Civilians Deaths on Rise in Iraq; Police Search for Ohio Freeway Shootings Suspect; Federal Reserve to Issue Report Today

Aired March 16, 2004 - 13:00   ET

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

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


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The war on terror: arrests in the Spanish train explosions. What is this investigation revealing about global terror tactics?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went to Iraq and I was an instrument of violence. And now I have decided to become an instrument of peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Dereliction of duty? A soldier refuses to go back to Iraq. He says it's a matter of conscience.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Columbus, Ohio, a possible break in the case of the highway shootings that have terrorized parts of this city for more than 10 months.

PHILLIPS: From the CNN Center in Atlanta are I'm Kyra Phillips. Miles is off today. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Up first this hour, new leads, new suspects, and new connections in the probe of the Spanish rail attack. All of it pointing to Islamic radicals, possibly al Qaeda, whose sinister objectives in Spain are spelled out in writing in chilling detail.

We get the very latest from CNN's Al Goodman. He's in Madrid -- Al.

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

Well, we're waiting for the people who have been arrested already to go before a judge. That's not expected to happen this day. They can be held for five days under Spain's anti-terrorism law. And that clock has not run out.

We're expecting more arrests, because the police say they have identified some of the bombers. They just don't have all of them in custody.

And the investigation clearly is advancing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GOODMAN (voice-over): A Spanish investigator tells CNN police have identified at least six Moroccans who placed bombs on the Madrid commuter trains last Thursday in Spain's deadliest terrorist attack.

One suspect, Jamal Zougam, age 30, was arrested Saturday, but others remain at large.

Zougam owned a home here, modest apartments in eastern Madrid. Spanish court documents say police searched his home in August 2001, just before the September 11 attacks.

He was not arrested then, but police said he had the phone number of several men who have since been detained as al Qaeda suspects.

(on camera) Since before the September 11 attack, Spanish investigators have been trying to connect the dot among various suspected Islamic radicals or terrorists. Sometimes, as in the case of the man who lived here, the arrests have come months or years after the individual first came to the attention of the authorities.

(voice-over) Reports say Zougam was linked to a cell phone found with an unexploded bomb from last Thursday's attacks. A neighbor says he owned a small telephone business.

Court documents say Zougam was a follower of this man, Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, in custody as the suspected head of al Qaeda in Spain.

Moroccan investigators tell CNN Zougam also has been linked to two brothers who are in custody in connection with the Casablanca bombings last May that killed several dozen people.

At least six men -- three Moroccans, two Indians and an Algerian -- are being held since the Madrid bombings. The latest arrest, Basque police in the northern city of San Sebastian detained an Algerian man.

An official told CNN police remembered threats he made two years ago that there would be deaths in Atocha. Police didn't give it much credence then, but after the bomb struck the Atocha train station, they went looking for him, too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOODMAN: Kyra, I'm here at the Atocha train station. This is a place that took about half of the 201 fatalities in these bombings last Thursday.

Let me just show you what this looks like here. There is still very active remembrance going on. You're seeing crowds. And what's behind these crowds are candles like the kind that you see in churches and flowers like the kind that you see at funerals and all sorts of messages.

Now the people here, Kyra, clearly want to know who did this. Everyone is very -- watching very closely the investigation. But right now, the nation is still bearing an enormous grief -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Al Goodman, live from Madrid, thank you.

Well, if Spain really does pull its 1,300 troops out of central Iraq, it won't be a crushing blow to the coalition, so says the coalition commander, whose most pressing issue at the moment is a spike in deadly violence against civilians, Iraqi and otherwise.

CNN's Jane Arraf following the events, now live from Baghdad -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, first of all, we just wanted to tell you about something we had been following. It is a series of explosions that rocked central Baghdad.

We had reported that security forces said that they appeared to be mortars fired at the Green Zone, but we're now told by a senior military official that they were in fact, controlled detonations.

That means that the military itself is exploding unexploded ordnance to keep it away from -- keep it out of harm's way.

Now, on the Spanish troops, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, who's the commander of land forces in Iraq, was asked about it at a ceremony to hand over power from the 4th Infantry Division in Tikrit, the men and women who caught Saddam, to new units coming in.

General Sanchez said that the military could handle the withdrawal Spanish troops if it did happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. RICARDO SANCHEZ, COALITION COMMANDER: I'm not concerned about that at this point in time. But once again, those are national decisions that have to be made, and as a commander on the ground once a nation makes those decisions, then we'll adapt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARRAF: But clearly on the political front, if not on the military side, it does pose a problem, Kyra.

This is a major member of the coalition, and there aren't really enough members of the coalition, according to many people, and according to Iraqis, who would like to see less of an American presence and more of an international one -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And I'm just curious, Jane. As we see these attacks that take place on civilians, most recently these missionaries that were killed, what are you hearing there from volunteers like missionaries? Do you see it decreasing, those type of numbers?

ARRAF: There certainly has been a decrease, Kyra. And we've seen it sort of steadily go down since the U.N. was bombed last year. Just after that happened, the U.N., of course, pulled out most of its staff.

And a lot of NGOs, nongovernmental organizations, those private aid agencies, pulled out as well.

Now, they've started to slowly come back, more in the south and far north in Iraqi Kurdistan and in Central Baghdad. But it really has had a chilling effect.

And every time something like this happens, these organizations look very, very carefully, as to whether they want to send people in here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jane Arraf, live from Baghdad, thank you.

Complicated stories. But you can follow all the leads and links from Spain and Iraq anytime, anywhere, right here on CNN.com.

From Gaza this hour, efforts of two people dead, ten people hurt in Israel missile attacks in a house in Gaza City.

Israel says that the target was Islamic Jihad. And the timing? Well, the air strikes follow an Israeli cabinet meeting in which officials reportedly decide to step up targeted killings of Palestinian militants.

That meeting, in turn, follows suicide attacks on Sunday in the Israeli port of Ashdod, where ten Israelis were killed.

Finally a face, a name and a charge. Almost a year after the first so-called highway shootings on or near the beltway around Columbus, Ohio, police now have a suspect.

CNN's Sean Callebs now has the details -- Sean.

CALLEBS: Well, Kyra, you're exactly right. The first significant development that authorities have announced in this case.

They say they have issued an arrest warrant for 28-year-old Charles McCoy. He is accused of felonious assault.

Authorities say on September 15 of last year, he fired two shots from a 9-millimeter handgun into a house. And authorities also say that bullet fragments from that incident match bullets from a number of the shootings that have taken place in and around the I-270 area, just south of the city.

Now, investigators won't say exactly how they had this information. But that is what they are going on.

And they're also urging anyone who may have any information about McCoy's whereabouts to contact authorities.

Here's what we know about him. He is 5'7". He weighs 185 pounds. As I mentioned, he is 28 years old. Authorities say he is to be considered armed and dangerous. He is apparently driving a 1999 Green Metro, a green Chevy Metro like this one.

He lives with his mother, and the home is only a matter of miles from the heart of where a number of these shootings have taken place. And this is significant, because all along authorities have said they believed the shooter is someone who lives in this vicinity.

Authorities also say McCoy has basically a record of mental instability. They say that he should be considered potentially suicidal, with homicidal tendencies.

They say if indeed you come in contact with him, do not try and apprehend the suspect; call 911.

There have been two dozen shootings that have simply terrorized parts of this capital city since May of last year. He has taken -- the suspect has taken shots -- or -- at cars, trucks, buildings.

And one fatality: on November 25 of last year, a 62-year-old woman was shot while she was a passenger in a car. Kyra, she died the next day at a hospital.

Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Sean Callebs, thank you for that report out of Des Moines, Iowa.

Well, the Ohio region and much of the northeast, for that matter, is being slammed by a major snowstorm. Des Moines, Iowa, is under 15 inches of snow. That's the third largest snowfall on record there.

Much of Ohio's expected to be hit with another 10 inches of snow today. More than six inches have already fallen in Dayton, forcing the closure of Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

But that's nothing compared to what's forecasted for today in the northeast. You're looking at a live picture now of Boston. The city is expecting as much as a foot of snow by tonight.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, in Missouri, a landmark verdict could have far- reaching implications for workers at a popcorn factory.

Yesterday, jurors awarded former worker Eric Peoples $20 million. They agreed that his lung disease was caused by vapors from butter flavoring in microwave popcorn.

Twenty-nine other workers are suing the plant. Peoples spoke about his case earlier on CNN today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC PEOPLES, AWARDED $20 MILLION JUDGMENT: The main goal five years ago when we contacted the first attorney was to -- to have somebody notice that there was a problem, and that something needed to be done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, health officials insist that people who eat microwave popcorn are not in any danger. Straight ahead, cave to cave searches. What are American forces finding in Afghanistan, and are they any closer to closing in on al Qaeda? We'll talk about it with a security expert inside Afghanistan.

An American soldier says he will not go back to Iraq. Find out why he's laying down his arms.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ted Rowlands in Salt Lake City, where that woman who has been charged with homicide for refusing a C-section will be back in court in just a few hours. We will preview that, coming up next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A Utah woman charged with murder for allegedly refusing a C-section is back in court for a second day, this time over charges relating to her daughter who survived.

CNN's Ted Rowlands join us live from Salt Lake City with the details -- Ted.

ROWLANDS: Those charges are child endangerment charges, and they're expected to be dropped today in open court, the D.A. saying that they want to concentrate on the homicide charge that Melissa Rowland is facing.

That charge has created a lot of controversy in this case around the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS (voice-over): Twenty-eight-year-old Melissa Rowland pled not guilty to a homicide charge in court yesterday. She's accused of refusing medical advice at three separate Salt Lake City hospitals.

Prosecutors say a C-section could have saved her child's life, and her, quote, "depraved indifference" is why she was charged.

Some mental health advocates are concerned that Rowland's actions, including an alleged statement to a nurse that she'd rather lose a child than have a scar, indicates that she may be suffering from mental illness.

VICKI COTTRELL, NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR THE MENTALLYILL: This woman was not thinking rational, and it should have been picked up when she was exhibiting those behaviors.

ROWLANDS: Rowland's attorney says she has a history of mental illness dating back to her childhood. Prosecutors, however, say it isn't a factor in this case.

KENT MORGAN, SALT LAKE D.A. SPOKESMAN: They've indicated that her difficulty is a failure to comply with authority. We have two prisons completed filled with people who are unable to comply with authority. ROWLANDS: University of Utah law professor Wayne McCormick says that, potential mental illness aside, Rowland had the right to refuse a C-section.

WAYNE MCCORMICK, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH LAW SCHOOL: Her right to refuse surgery is her interest. If she didn't like the color of the paint on the walls of the hospital, she can leave.

ROWLANDS: Since her arrest after giving birth, Rowland not only tried convincing a judge to reduce her bail, but allegedly also tried scamming bail money from a local adoption agency.

According to the agency director, Rowland called from jail, claiming she was pregnant and would be willing to give up her fictitious child if they would get her out of jail.

ANN LAMPHERE, DIRECTOR, ADOPT AN ANGEL: She's very good at manipulating, very good at being -- telling you what you want to hear.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS: As Rowland still has not been able to come up with the $300,000 in bail. She remains in custody -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ted Rowlands, live from Utah, thank you.

Other news across America.

Pop diva Whitney Houston is in drug rehab, according to her publicist. Houston admitted to using drugs two years ago.

Recently, she and her husband, singer Bobby Brown, have had several scrapes with the law. Brown is currently in jail, serving a 60-day sentence for violating probation.

Talk about an alternative spring break. Students from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas spent their vacation learning what it's like to be homeless and went as far as sleeping and eating on the city's streets.

A special honor for one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. Rosa Parks was honored yesterday with a monument in Alabama. The historic marker was placed near the apartment where Parks lived when she sparked that Montgomery bus boycott back in 1965.

From the unemployment line to easy street.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One lump sum, take the money and run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A laid off factory worker has millions of reasons to be thankful for his lottery ticket. More from him later. And you'll hear from Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He'll join me live in just a few minutes to talk about his new book and why he thinks Saddam Hussein and George Bush are both part of God's family.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Less than an hour from now, we do expect to hear from the Federal Reserve on interest rates. They're currently holding at a 45-year low, but a critical piece of the recovery is still missing: new jobs.

More on all this now from CNN's Kathleen Hays. She's in New York.

Hi, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Well, you know, the common conclusion on Wall Street is the Federal Reserve is not going to do anything on interest rates today.

And you say, well, why do I care? Well, the reason we care is because the Federal Reserve is watching the economy closely, especially in this election year. And there's some sense they could signal a change, and that could affect interest rates.

When the Fed starts signaling something on rates that could affect your mortgage rate. It could ripple across the stock market. So it can really have importance for people of all aspects: consumer, investor, whatever.

Now, what's the Fed waiting for? They're waiting for hiring to pick up. That's the big thing. Who isn't waiting for hiring to pick up?

And until hiring picks up, the Fed is not going to worry about inflation even though we've seen stronger numbers on things like GDP, manufacturing activity.

Again, though, getting to this policy statement, this is what Wall Street will look at very closely. The Fed has been saying for months now it could be patient before raising interest rates. Is it possible the Fed would drop that word "patient" and give us a sense they're getting closer to that?

A lot of people say, especially in the wake of the terrorist bombings in Madrid last week, a reminder of the fragility of the European economy, of the global economy, the Federal Reserve will be very reluctant to do that.

In terms of the job market, in February, we had disappointing job numbers. The unemployment stuck at around 5.6 percent.

We did get some good news from Manpower. They are a big kind of outplacement -- they track hiring, that kind of firm. And now they found the best outlook on jobs in roughly three years. Twenty-eight percent of the 16,000 CEOs they surveyed said they plan to start adding workers. Only six percent say they're going to cut jobs.

One thing very interesting, though, Kyra, in this survey, the CEO of Manpower said it's all predicated on the idea that we're seeing better demand. Consumers are spending; businesses are investing. If you demand slipping, the hiring plans will cut down immediately.

He also said don't expect to see jobs gains of 250,000 or 300,000 a month. That's the kind of thing the administration is looking for. It will be a long, slow turn.

So we'll hear what the fed says at 2:15 and how many of these issues they reference -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Kathleen, thanks so much.

(STOCK REPORT)

PHILLIPS: We've got a bit of breaking news coming in out of California.

These are live pictures via our affiliate KCRA, out of Sacramento. A report of a man with a gun on Interstate 80 in Vallejo, California.

Looking at information I'm getting here, we're told that Interstate 80 has now been shut down in both directions because of the man in this van, in Vallejo.

As you can see here, the SWAT team starting to come up to the van. As this happens live, I'm going to kind of -- and it looks like like -- it looks like we heard -- no, that's static.

Let's listen here for a minute. Let' s see if we can get some audio. OK. Wasn't sure if I was hearing gunshots or if that's static from the signal. But it's static, I'm being told.

OK. Looks like the SWAT team approached the van. Possibly there isn't an individual in the van, because if there were, we probably, more than likely, would see some type of apprehension there.

As we get more information on that breaking news, we'll bring you back to it and fill you in on what's taking place.

Straight ahead, a change of heart in the heat of war lands one soldier in hot water.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm John Zarrella in north Miami. And that soldier will soon be on his way to Fort Stewart, Georgia, to turn himself in to military authorities.

PHILLIPS: Also, prove it. That's the word from President Bush to John Kerry's claim of having support from world leaders. We've got an update from the campaign trail.

And on the offensive in Afghanistan a live report ahead from Kabul on U.S. soldiers hunting for Osama bin Laden. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Connections; Civilians Deaths on Rise in Iraq; Police Search for Ohio Freeway Shootings Suspect; Federal Reserve to Issue Report Today>


Aired March 16, 2004 - 13:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The war on terror: arrests in the Spanish train explosions. What is this investigation revealing about global terror tactics?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went to Iraq and I was an instrument of violence. And now I have decided to become an instrument of peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Dereliction of duty? A soldier refuses to go back to Iraq. He says it's a matter of conscience.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Columbus, Ohio, a possible break in the case of the highway shootings that have terrorized parts of this city for more than 10 months.

PHILLIPS: From the CNN Center in Atlanta are I'm Kyra Phillips. Miles is off today. CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Up first this hour, new leads, new suspects, and new connections in the probe of the Spanish rail attack. All of it pointing to Islamic radicals, possibly al Qaeda, whose sinister objectives in Spain are spelled out in writing in chilling detail.

We get the very latest from CNN's Al Goodman. He's in Madrid -- Al.

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Kyra.

Well, we're waiting for the people who have been arrested already to go before a judge. That's not expected to happen this day. They can be held for five days under Spain's anti-terrorism law. And that clock has not run out.

We're expecting more arrests, because the police say they have identified some of the bombers. They just don't have all of them in custody.

And the investigation clearly is advancing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) GOODMAN (voice-over): A Spanish investigator tells CNN police have identified at least six Moroccans who placed bombs on the Madrid commuter trains last Thursday in Spain's deadliest terrorist attack.

One suspect, Jamal Zougam, age 30, was arrested Saturday, but others remain at large.

Zougam owned a home here, modest apartments in eastern Madrid. Spanish court documents say police searched his home in August 2001, just before the September 11 attacks.

He was not arrested then, but police said he had the phone number of several men who have since been detained as al Qaeda suspects.

(on camera) Since before the September 11 attack, Spanish investigators have been trying to connect the dot among various suspected Islamic radicals or terrorists. Sometimes, as in the case of the man who lived here, the arrests have come months or years after the individual first came to the attention of the authorities.

(voice-over) Reports say Zougam was linked to a cell phone found with an unexploded bomb from last Thursday's attacks. A neighbor says he owned a small telephone business.

Court documents say Zougam was a follower of this man, Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, in custody as the suspected head of al Qaeda in Spain.

Moroccan investigators tell CNN Zougam also has been linked to two brothers who are in custody in connection with the Casablanca bombings last May that killed several dozen people.

At least six men -- three Moroccans, two Indians and an Algerian -- are being held since the Madrid bombings. The latest arrest, Basque police in the northern city of San Sebastian detained an Algerian man.

An official told CNN police remembered threats he made two years ago that there would be deaths in Atocha. Police didn't give it much credence then, but after the bomb struck the Atocha train station, they went looking for him, too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOODMAN: Kyra, I'm here at the Atocha train station. This is a place that took about half of the 201 fatalities in these bombings last Thursday.

Let me just show you what this looks like here. There is still very active remembrance going on. You're seeing crowds. And what's behind these crowds are candles like the kind that you see in churches and flowers like the kind that you see at funerals and all sorts of messages.

Now the people here, Kyra, clearly want to know who did this. Everyone is very -- watching very closely the investigation. But right now, the nation is still bearing an enormous grief -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Al Goodman, live from Madrid, thank you.

Well, if Spain really does pull its 1,300 troops out of central Iraq, it won't be a crushing blow to the coalition, so says the coalition commander, whose most pressing issue at the moment is a spike in deadly violence against civilians, Iraqi and otherwise.

CNN's Jane Arraf following the events, now live from Baghdad -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, first of all, we just wanted to tell you about something we had been following. It is a series of explosions that rocked central Baghdad.

We had reported that security forces said that they appeared to be mortars fired at the Green Zone, but we're now told by a senior military official that they were in fact, controlled detonations.

That means that the military itself is exploding unexploded ordnance to keep it away from -- keep it out of harm's way.

Now, on the Spanish troops, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, who's the commander of land forces in Iraq, was asked about it at a ceremony to hand over power from the 4th Infantry Division in Tikrit, the men and women who caught Saddam, to new units coming in.

General Sanchez said that the military could handle the withdrawal Spanish troops if it did happen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. GEN. RICARDO SANCHEZ, COALITION COMMANDER: I'm not concerned about that at this point in time. But once again, those are national decisions that have to be made, and as a commander on the ground once a nation makes those decisions, then we'll adapt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARRAF: But clearly on the political front, if not on the military side, it does pose a problem, Kyra.

This is a major member of the coalition, and there aren't really enough members of the coalition, according to many people, and according to Iraqis, who would like to see less of an American presence and more of an international one -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And I'm just curious, Jane. As we see these attacks that take place on civilians, most recently these missionaries that were killed, what are you hearing there from volunteers like missionaries? Do you see it decreasing, those type of numbers?

ARRAF: There certainly has been a decrease, Kyra. And we've seen it sort of steadily go down since the U.N. was bombed last year. Just after that happened, the U.N., of course, pulled out most of its staff.

And a lot of NGOs, nongovernmental organizations, those private aid agencies, pulled out as well.

Now, they've started to slowly come back, more in the south and far north in Iraqi Kurdistan and in Central Baghdad. But it really has had a chilling effect.

And every time something like this happens, these organizations look very, very carefully, as to whether they want to send people in here -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jane Arraf, live from Baghdad, thank you.

Complicated stories. But you can follow all the leads and links from Spain and Iraq anytime, anywhere, right here on CNN.com.

From Gaza this hour, efforts of two people dead, ten people hurt in Israel missile attacks in a house in Gaza City.

Israel says that the target was Islamic Jihad. And the timing? Well, the air strikes follow an Israeli cabinet meeting in which officials reportedly decide to step up targeted killings of Palestinian militants.

That meeting, in turn, follows suicide attacks on Sunday in the Israeli port of Ashdod, where ten Israelis were killed.

Finally a face, a name and a charge. Almost a year after the first so-called highway shootings on or near the beltway around Columbus, Ohio, police now have a suspect.

CNN's Sean Callebs now has the details -- Sean.

CALLEBS: Well, Kyra, you're exactly right. The first significant development that authorities have announced in this case.

They say they have issued an arrest warrant for 28-year-old Charles McCoy. He is accused of felonious assault.

Authorities say on September 15 of last year, he fired two shots from a 9-millimeter handgun into a house. And authorities also say that bullet fragments from that incident match bullets from a number of the shootings that have taken place in and around the I-270 area, just south of the city.

Now, investigators won't say exactly how they had this information. But that is what they are going on.

And they're also urging anyone who may have any information about McCoy's whereabouts to contact authorities.

Here's what we know about him. He is 5'7". He weighs 185 pounds. As I mentioned, he is 28 years old. Authorities say he is to be considered armed and dangerous. He is apparently driving a 1999 Green Metro, a green Chevy Metro like this one.

He lives with his mother, and the home is only a matter of miles from the heart of where a number of these shootings have taken place. And this is significant, because all along authorities have said they believed the shooter is someone who lives in this vicinity.

Authorities also say McCoy has basically a record of mental instability. They say that he should be considered potentially suicidal, with homicidal tendencies.

They say if indeed you come in contact with him, do not try and apprehend the suspect; call 911.

There have been two dozen shootings that have simply terrorized parts of this capital city since May of last year. He has taken -- the suspect has taken shots -- or -- at cars, trucks, buildings.

And one fatality: on November 25 of last year, a 62-year-old woman was shot while she was a passenger in a car. Kyra, she died the next day at a hospital.

Back to you.

PHILLIPS: Sean Callebs, thank you for that report out of Des Moines, Iowa.

Well, the Ohio region and much of the northeast, for that matter, is being slammed by a major snowstorm. Des Moines, Iowa, is under 15 inches of snow. That's the third largest snowfall on record there.

Much of Ohio's expected to be hit with another 10 inches of snow today. More than six inches have already fallen in Dayton, forcing the closure of Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

But that's nothing compared to what's forecasted for today in the northeast. You're looking at a live picture now of Boston. The city is expecting as much as a foot of snow by tonight.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, in Missouri, a landmark verdict could have far- reaching implications for workers at a popcorn factory.

Yesterday, jurors awarded former worker Eric Peoples $20 million. They agreed that his lung disease was caused by vapors from butter flavoring in microwave popcorn.

Twenty-nine other workers are suing the plant. Peoples spoke about his case earlier on CNN today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC PEOPLES, AWARDED $20 MILLION JUDGMENT: The main goal five years ago when we contacted the first attorney was to -- to have somebody notice that there was a problem, and that something needed to be done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, health officials insist that people who eat microwave popcorn are not in any danger. Straight ahead, cave to cave searches. What are American forces finding in Afghanistan, and are they any closer to closing in on al Qaeda? We'll talk about it with a security expert inside Afghanistan.

An American soldier says he will not go back to Iraq. Find out why he's laying down his arms.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ted Rowlands in Salt Lake City, where that woman who has been charged with homicide for refusing a C-section will be back in court in just a few hours. We will preview that, coming up next. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A Utah woman charged with murder for allegedly refusing a C-section is back in court for a second day, this time over charges relating to her daughter who survived.

CNN's Ted Rowlands join us live from Salt Lake City with the details -- Ted.

ROWLANDS: Those charges are child endangerment charges, and they're expected to be dropped today in open court, the D.A. saying that they want to concentrate on the homicide charge that Melissa Rowland is facing.

That charge has created a lot of controversy in this case around the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS (voice-over): Twenty-eight-year-old Melissa Rowland pled not guilty to a homicide charge in court yesterday. She's accused of refusing medical advice at three separate Salt Lake City hospitals.

Prosecutors say a C-section could have saved her child's life, and her, quote, "depraved indifference" is why she was charged.

Some mental health advocates are concerned that Rowland's actions, including an alleged statement to a nurse that she'd rather lose a child than have a scar, indicates that she may be suffering from mental illness.

VICKI COTTRELL, NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR THE MENTALLYILL: This woman was not thinking rational, and it should have been picked up when she was exhibiting those behaviors.

ROWLANDS: Rowland's attorney says she has a history of mental illness dating back to her childhood. Prosecutors, however, say it isn't a factor in this case.

KENT MORGAN, SALT LAKE D.A. SPOKESMAN: They've indicated that her difficulty is a failure to comply with authority. We have two prisons completed filled with people who are unable to comply with authority. ROWLANDS: University of Utah law professor Wayne McCormick says that, potential mental illness aside, Rowland had the right to refuse a C-section.

WAYNE MCCORMICK, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH LAW SCHOOL: Her right to refuse surgery is her interest. If she didn't like the color of the paint on the walls of the hospital, she can leave.

ROWLANDS: Since her arrest after giving birth, Rowland not only tried convincing a judge to reduce her bail, but allegedly also tried scamming bail money from a local adoption agency.

According to the agency director, Rowland called from jail, claiming she was pregnant and would be willing to give up her fictitious child if they would get her out of jail.

ANN LAMPHERE, DIRECTOR, ADOPT AN ANGEL: She's very good at manipulating, very good at being -- telling you what you want to hear.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROWLANDS: As Rowland still has not been able to come up with the $300,000 in bail. She remains in custody -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Ted Rowlands, live from Utah, thank you.

Other news across America.

Pop diva Whitney Houston is in drug rehab, according to her publicist. Houston admitted to using drugs two years ago.

Recently, she and her husband, singer Bobby Brown, have had several scrapes with the law. Brown is currently in jail, serving a 60-day sentence for violating probation.

Talk about an alternative spring break. Students from St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas spent their vacation learning what it's like to be homeless and went as far as sleeping and eating on the city's streets.

A special honor for one of the key figures of the civil rights movement. Rosa Parks was honored yesterday with a monument in Alabama. The historic marker was placed near the apartment where Parks lived when she sparked that Montgomery bus boycott back in 1965.

From the unemployment line to easy street.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One lump sum, take the money and run.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A laid off factory worker has millions of reasons to be thankful for his lottery ticket. More from him later. And you'll hear from Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He'll join me live in just a few minutes to talk about his new book and why he thinks Saddam Hussein and George Bush are both part of God's family.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Less than an hour from now, we do expect to hear from the Federal Reserve on interest rates. They're currently holding at a 45-year low, but a critical piece of the recovery is still missing: new jobs.

More on all this now from CNN's Kathleen Hays. She's in New York.

Hi, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.

Well, you know, the common conclusion on Wall Street is the Federal Reserve is not going to do anything on interest rates today.

And you say, well, why do I care? Well, the reason we care is because the Federal Reserve is watching the economy closely, especially in this election year. And there's some sense they could signal a change, and that could affect interest rates.

When the Fed starts signaling something on rates that could affect your mortgage rate. It could ripple across the stock market. So it can really have importance for people of all aspects: consumer, investor, whatever.

Now, what's the Fed waiting for? They're waiting for hiring to pick up. That's the big thing. Who isn't waiting for hiring to pick up?

And until hiring picks up, the Fed is not going to worry about inflation even though we've seen stronger numbers on things like GDP, manufacturing activity.

Again, though, getting to this policy statement, this is what Wall Street will look at very closely. The Fed has been saying for months now it could be patient before raising interest rates. Is it possible the Fed would drop that word "patient" and give us a sense they're getting closer to that?

A lot of people say, especially in the wake of the terrorist bombings in Madrid last week, a reminder of the fragility of the European economy, of the global economy, the Federal Reserve will be very reluctant to do that.

In terms of the job market, in February, we had disappointing job numbers. The unemployment stuck at around 5.6 percent.

We did get some good news from Manpower. They are a big kind of outplacement -- they track hiring, that kind of firm. And now they found the best outlook on jobs in roughly three years. Twenty-eight percent of the 16,000 CEOs they surveyed said they plan to start adding workers. Only six percent say they're going to cut jobs.

One thing very interesting, though, Kyra, in this survey, the CEO of Manpower said it's all predicated on the idea that we're seeing better demand. Consumers are spending; businesses are investing. If you demand slipping, the hiring plans will cut down immediately.

He also said don't expect to see jobs gains of 250,000 or 300,000 a month. That's the kind of thing the administration is looking for. It will be a long, slow turn.

So we'll hear what the fed says at 2:15 and how many of these issues they reference -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Kathleen, thanks so much.

(STOCK REPORT)

PHILLIPS: We've got a bit of breaking news coming in out of California.

These are live pictures via our affiliate KCRA, out of Sacramento. A report of a man with a gun on Interstate 80 in Vallejo, California.

Looking at information I'm getting here, we're told that Interstate 80 has now been shut down in both directions because of the man in this van, in Vallejo.

As you can see here, the SWAT team starting to come up to the van. As this happens live, I'm going to kind of -- and it looks like like -- it looks like we heard -- no, that's static.

Let's listen here for a minute. Let' s see if we can get some audio. OK. Wasn't sure if I was hearing gunshots or if that's static from the signal. But it's static, I'm being told.

OK. Looks like the SWAT team approached the van. Possibly there isn't an individual in the van, because if there were, we probably, more than likely, would see some type of apprehension there.

As we get more information on that breaking news, we'll bring you back to it and fill you in on what's taking place.

Straight ahead, a change of heart in the heat of war lands one soldier in hot water.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm John Zarrella in north Miami. And that soldier will soon be on his way to Fort Stewart, Georgia, to turn himself in to military authorities.

PHILLIPS: Also, prove it. That's the word from President Bush to John Kerry's claim of having support from world leaders. We've got an update from the campaign trail.

And on the offensive in Afghanistan a live report ahead from Kabul on U.S. soldiers hunting for Osama bin Laden. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Connections; Civilians Deaths on Rise in Iraq; Police Search for Ohio Freeway Shootings Suspect; Federal Reserve to Issue Report Today>