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Roman Catholic Priest Faces Charges of Crimes Against Humanity; Squatter's Rights?

Aired October 22, 2004 - 13:33   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Wrenching images of the latest Westerner taken hostage in Iraq. Margaret Hassan, the director of the CARE International office there, was kidnapped earlier this week in Baghdad. In a videotape aired by the Arab-language network, Al Jazeera, Friday, she pleads for her life and begs Prime Minister Tony Blair to pull British troops from Iraq.
Russia takes a big step toward making a huge pact aimed at combating global warming a reality. Its lower house of parliament has ratified the Kyoto Protocol. The upper house also likely to approve, and President Vladimir Putin is expected to sign the measure. The treaty gives industrialized nations eight years to cut their collective emissions of six key greenhouse gasses. Russia's agreement is necessary put the pact into effect because the U.S. has declined to ratify it.

Louder preaching to a smaller choir? The Federal Trade Commission says cigarette makers spent more than $12 billion on advertising and promotions last year, an 11 percent increase from the year before. Despite that increased spending, the number of cigarettes sold or given away declined by 3.7 percent from the year 2001.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And although we've seen flashers move faster than this year's presidential race, we are finally at T-minus 10 days and counting to November 2nd. Democratic contender John Kerry spending today in Wisconsin and Nevada, two swing states where he narrowly trails President George Bush. In both states, Kerry is wooing women voters on issues like equal pay, the minimum wage and the cost of health care.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No matter how tough it gets, no one in the White House seems to be listening. The women I meet, they don't expect the government to do their jobs for them. But they do want leaders who are on their side as they try to do their jobs. They want somebody to be able to empower them to facilitate, to be able to make the playing field fair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: There are three stops on President Bush's campaign agenda today. Again, they're battleground states, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. Polls in all three states show the race is very tight.

While he's attending GOP rallies and fund-raisers today, the president is talking medical liability reform and health care.

In Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he replayed a popular punchline about his competition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With just 11 days left in this campaign -- who's counting? -- voters are focusing on the issues that matter most for their families and for our country. You've heard the debates. You know where I stand, and sometimes you even know where my opponent stands.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Mr. Bush and Senator Kerry were not in New York City last night. They were not invited to the Annual Alfred E. Smith Charity Dinner last night because organizers didn't want the event to turn too political. But the former President Bush did attend, and he managed to serve up a little partisan dish on Barbara Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE H.W. BUSH (R), FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The constant attacks on our son have really gotten her steamed up. And it's not good to get her steamed. I don't know who's going to blow first, Barbara or Mount St. Helens.

I know this, if Barr ever gets her hands on Senator Kerry, he's going to need another Purple Heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right. Now for another course of politics, from dinner to dessert -- two men at the University of Arizona apparently couldn't stomach conservative columnist Ann Coulter.

Whoa.

She was trashing John Kerry, liberals, Democrats, probably the media, during a speech last night. They ran on stage, as you saw, tried to pelt her with pies, but, boy, she was fast. They only got a small amount of goo on her shoulder, but Coulter had to lean to the left to avoid getting a face full. The men were arrested by university police, and her lean to the left was temporary.

The presidential election is also dominating conversations overseas. Japan's prime minister is standing firmly behind his ally, President Bush, in the race for the White House. But media polls show that more than 50 percent of the Japanese public support Senator John Kerry. The main area of contention is the war in Iraq.

In Egypt, there's also overwhelming support for Senator Kerry, even if people don't know much about him or his policies. Ask around in the marketplaces of Cairo, on and you'll probably get the answer, "anybody, but Bush." Egyptians associate the president's policies with wars in Iraq, and Afghanistan and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. A poll found 98 percent of Egyptians, 98 percent, have a negative impression of the United States.

WHITFIELD: Well, for the first time ever, a Roman Catholic priest faces charges of crimes against humanity and goes on trial in connection with Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

CNN's Jeff Koinange has more from western Rwanda.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what the Catholic Church in Nyange, on Rwanda's western border, used to look like 10 years ago. This is what remains of the church now, flattened in an orgy of hate and horror and that led to the genocidal slaughter of close to a million mostly Tutsis by Hutu militias, or Interahamwe, a word loosely translated to mean "those who attack together."

(on camera): I'm standing in what was then the interior of the church. Inside here, more than 3,000 terrified Tutsis had sought refuge. Surrounding the church's compounds, hundreds of armed Hutu militia. Suddenly, a rumbling sound was heard, and before the people here knew it, bulldozers had come crushing into the church, and those who didn't die from the fallen debris were either machine gunned or hacked to death.

(voice-over): Witnesses at the ongoing trial for genocide suspects in Arusha, Tanzania, have recounted more details of what happened that day. Standing at this balcony, across the street from the church, they say, was this man, Father Affan Seromba. In his hands, they recall, was a rifle, and more chilling, Seromba actually shot at his own injured parishioners while urging on the slaughter.

Father Seromba escaped to Europe after the genocide, where he continued to preach at a Catholic church in northern Italy. He was finally arrested in 1997 and brought before a U.N. court for trial. He's the first Catholic priest ever to be tried for crimes against humanity. He also faces charges of genocide, complicity in genocide, and conspiracy to commit genocide by using the church as a killing field. He's pleaded not guilty to all charges.

A few hundred feet from the rubble of the killing ground is where locals now worship. It's nothing like the old church -- a few wooden polls and a corrugated iron roof. No walls or windows to shield the faithful from the country's weather.

Despite what happened here 10 years ago, Sunday mass is packed with both Hutus and Tutsis. Many here from both tribes are offended by questions about their former cleric. Talking ill about a man of the cloth, they say as they turn down our interview requests, is tantamount to blasphemy.

But one person who is willing to talk is the man who took over the parish. Father Eugene Urayeneza say whether guilty or innocent, his Father Seromba's predicament is a blow to the Catholic church. "The Catholic church is like a parent to us," he says, "and if we do something wrong, our parent won't be happy with us. If Father Seromba he is guilty, then let justice take its course."

Urayeneza says turnout was down when he first arrived, but, he adds, the faithful are slowly coming back -- all the while keeping a close watch on the outcome at the U.N. court.

"We expect our numbers to continue to grow, whether Father Seromba is found guilty or innocent," he says. "Life will go on, and the sooner the verdict, the better it will be for us."

The trial is expected to bring new heat into the debate of the role of the Catholic church during the genocide. The church is said to have had close ties with extremist Hutu politicians. And while Father Seromba is accused of actively helping the Hutu militias, the church has been forced to defend other priests accused of ignoring the atrocities going on around them.

There's a graphic reminder on the church grounds to victims of the Nyange Massacre. To the survivors, the skulls and bones piled on shelves are a reminder of the thousands of innocent lives lost. This lone wooden cross stands in the rubble that was the church, a symbol of the forgiveness Christ offers believers, even as an earthly court sits in judgment of a man of god.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, Nyange in western Rwanda.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And since 1997, about 22 former government ministers, journalists, and army officers have been tried and convicted of genocide charges in Rwanda -- Miles?

O'BRIEN: Up next on LIVE FROM, she came back from vacation and found a stranger in her home, but the intruder didn't run or hide. She'd actually moved in.

And fearing the friendly skies, if the jitters are keeping you grounded, don't fret. And there's our -- there's the John Madden of CNN, Jeanne Moos. She doesn't fly. There's a new way to face your fears, and Jeanne's going to walk us through a very personal story.

Stay with us.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right. You've heard all the stories about homes being burglarized, cleaned out while the owners were away. Beverly Mitchell can top just about every story you've heard. She returned from a vacation in Greece and found that someone had moved in, lock, stock, and barrel -- complete with redecorating.

Lynn Harasin from Atlanta affiliate WSB with an extremely bizarre tale.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEVERLY MITCHELL, HOMEOWNER: She's hung up this little decoration at the front door to let us know it's autumn time.

LYNN HARASIN, REPORTER, WSB (voice-over): The home invader moved out most of Mitchell's personal belongings and put in her own.

MITCHELL: She'd taken the carpet out of the bedrooms. She cut up one room and put it in the living room -- and you'll see the bits and pieces. I don't know where the other room went to. Moved her furniture in. And I walk in the kitchen and I said, well, none of this is mine. Where's my dishes? Where's my pots and pans?

HARASIN: Deputies found Beverly Valentine in Mitchell's bathroom. She was arrested and charged with burglary. She won't tell authorities much of anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She mentioned that she broke -- took a shovel and broke into the house.

MITCHELL: She decorated. She hung pictures. Family portraits. Took pictures that I had and she's hung those. Went through some of my linen stuff and put out different decorations and -- it's really bizarre.

HARASIN: She even had the electricity switched over to her name. It isn't all funny.

MITCHELL: I've got a complete bag and one complete box of personal papers that we've not been able to locate yet, and that concerns me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Valuables?

MITCHELL: Yeah. Lots of valuables.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow, pretty remarkable.

O'BRIEN: Yeah. And the motive, all the -- there are so many details that I would like to know right now. We're trying to get some more stuff.

WHITFIELD: No kidding. Well, that's from Lynn Harasin of WSB.

O'BRIEN: We thank both for that.

WHITFIELD: That's right. Well, perhaps you're afraid to leave the house. Well, maybe you're afraid to fly altogether. You're not alone. Up next, Jeanne Moos gets some virtual help for a very real fear.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rhonda Schaffler in New York. An investigation is launched into how songs are put on the radio. You'll want to tune into this when CNN's LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, perhaps you prefer to stay grounded than to travel the friendly skies. Well, guess what, you're not alone, as many as one in six Americans is afraid to fly, but one type of therapy just might be your ticket without ever having to leave the ground.

CNN's Jeanne Moos explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For some, flying seems heavenly, but for others, it's like preparing to join the dearly departed. We sit rigid as dummies, analyzing every engine noise, waiting for impact, watching for wings to ignite, imagining flopping around tethered to a fireball. Yikes!

(on camera): I don't think I've been on a plane for a decade...

(voice-over): ... which means the only thing I'll take off on is a virtual reality flight.

DR. JOANN DIFEDE, PSYCHOLOGIST: Move your head a little bit. OK. You can look out the window.

MOOS (on camera): Oh, yeah.

DIFEDE: You see you're on the runway.

MOOS (voice-over): Here at Cornell New York Presbyterian Hospital in a nondescript office, Psychologist JoAnn Difede asks questions like did I stop flying because of a bad experience that made me fear for my life?

(on camera): No, never thought I was going to die.

I do things when I'm on the plane like I tiptoe to the back. You know, I want to go easy on the airplane, like my weight is going to make some kind of difference. It's nuts.

(voice-over): For 15 years at CNN, I flew when absolutely necessary -- to China, for instance.

(on camera): Here at the Great Wall, you don't have to walk a mile for a camel.

(voice-over): I'd rather take a camel than a jet. Finally, I stopped flying altogether, though I still manage to ride in a balloon and go up in a blimp.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Try it.

MOOS: (on camera): I am not going to fly this thing. I don't want to drive anymore.

(voice-over): The goal of virtual reality is to desensitize patients to what scares them.

(on camera): It's the actual hurdling down the runway part that really gets me going.

(voice-over): For eight sessions, the cost about $2,100, the therapist puts you in a 3D world of airplane noises and thunderstorms.

(on camera): I can do that again and again and again.

(voice-over): They even have a virtual reality program for those traumatized by 9/11. Difede says the success rate of virtual reality is about 90 percent, but you have to want the cure.

DIFEDE: Going to Hawaii to, I don't know...

MOOS (on camera): Could care less. I have no desire. The plane trip is not -- the vacation is not worth the plane trip.

DIFEDE: You have no motivation.

MOOS (voice-over): No wonder my progress is slow.

(on camera): So, do I get frequent flyer miles for this?

(voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Well, as you pointed out just a few moments ago, it's a good thing she's in New York City where there's plenty of stories.

WHITFIELD: Yes, lots of great stories, just get in the car or cab.

O'BRIEN: Yes, a drive or a train ride.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

O'BRIEN: That's our first hour of LIVE FROM. It was an excellent hour, wouldn't you say?

WHITFIELD: I'd say it was. Let's do it again, one more hour.

O'BRIEN: Yes, well, he's getting some rave reviews for his portrayal of Ray Charles in this new film. I'll speak with comedian- turned-actor Jamie Foxx.

WHITFIELD: He looks like quite a musician.

O'BRIEN: A musician, he's a comedian, he's a wonderful actor, and there's Oscar buzz over this movie. I mean, you've got to stay tuned for that, if nothing else. (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


Aired October 22, 2004 - 13:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Wrenching images of the latest Westerner taken hostage in Iraq. Margaret Hassan, the director of the CARE International office there, was kidnapped earlier this week in Baghdad. In a videotape aired by the Arab-language network, Al Jazeera, Friday, she pleads for her life and begs Prime Minister Tony Blair to pull British troops from Iraq.
Russia takes a big step toward making a huge pact aimed at combating global warming a reality. Its lower house of parliament has ratified the Kyoto Protocol. The upper house also likely to approve, and President Vladimir Putin is expected to sign the measure. The treaty gives industrialized nations eight years to cut their collective emissions of six key greenhouse gasses. Russia's agreement is necessary put the pact into effect because the U.S. has declined to ratify it.

Louder preaching to a smaller choir? The Federal Trade Commission says cigarette makers spent more than $12 billion on advertising and promotions last year, an 11 percent increase from the year before. Despite that increased spending, the number of cigarettes sold or given away declined by 3.7 percent from the year 2001.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And although we've seen flashers move faster than this year's presidential race, we are finally at T-minus 10 days and counting to November 2nd. Democratic contender John Kerry spending today in Wisconsin and Nevada, two swing states where he narrowly trails President George Bush. In both states, Kerry is wooing women voters on issues like equal pay, the minimum wage and the cost of health care.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: No matter how tough it gets, no one in the White House seems to be listening. The women I meet, they don't expect the government to do their jobs for them. But they do want leaders who are on their side as they try to do their jobs. They want somebody to be able to empower them to facilitate, to be able to make the playing field fair.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: There are three stops on President Bush's campaign agenda today. Again, they're battleground states, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. Polls in all three states show the race is very tight.

While he's attending GOP rallies and fund-raisers today, the president is talking medical liability reform and health care.

In Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, he replayed a popular punchline about his competition.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With just 11 days left in this campaign -- who's counting? -- voters are focusing on the issues that matter most for their families and for our country. You've heard the debates. You know where I stand, and sometimes you even know where my opponent stands.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Mr. Bush and Senator Kerry were not in New York City last night. They were not invited to the Annual Alfred E. Smith Charity Dinner last night because organizers didn't want the event to turn too political. But the former President Bush did attend, and he managed to serve up a little partisan dish on Barbara Bush.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE H.W. BUSH (R), FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The constant attacks on our son have really gotten her steamed up. And it's not good to get her steamed. I don't know who's going to blow first, Barbara or Mount St. Helens.

I know this, if Barr ever gets her hands on Senator Kerry, he's going to need another Purple Heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right. Now for another course of politics, from dinner to dessert -- two men at the University of Arizona apparently couldn't stomach conservative columnist Ann Coulter.

Whoa.

She was trashing John Kerry, liberals, Democrats, probably the media, during a speech last night. They ran on stage, as you saw, tried to pelt her with pies, but, boy, she was fast. They only got a small amount of goo on her shoulder, but Coulter had to lean to the left to avoid getting a face full. The men were arrested by university police, and her lean to the left was temporary.

The presidential election is also dominating conversations overseas. Japan's prime minister is standing firmly behind his ally, President Bush, in the race for the White House. But media polls show that more than 50 percent of the Japanese public support Senator John Kerry. The main area of contention is the war in Iraq.

In Egypt, there's also overwhelming support for Senator Kerry, even if people don't know much about him or his policies. Ask around in the marketplaces of Cairo, on and you'll probably get the answer, "anybody, but Bush." Egyptians associate the president's policies with wars in Iraq, and Afghanistan and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. A poll found 98 percent of Egyptians, 98 percent, have a negative impression of the United States.

WHITFIELD: Well, for the first time ever, a Roman Catholic priest faces charges of crimes against humanity and goes on trial in connection with Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

CNN's Jeff Koinange has more from western Rwanda.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what the Catholic Church in Nyange, on Rwanda's western border, used to look like 10 years ago. This is what remains of the church now, flattened in an orgy of hate and horror and that led to the genocidal slaughter of close to a million mostly Tutsis by Hutu militias, or Interahamwe, a word loosely translated to mean "those who attack together."

(on camera): I'm standing in what was then the interior of the church. Inside here, more than 3,000 terrified Tutsis had sought refuge. Surrounding the church's compounds, hundreds of armed Hutu militia. Suddenly, a rumbling sound was heard, and before the people here knew it, bulldozers had come crushing into the church, and those who didn't die from the fallen debris were either machine gunned or hacked to death.

(voice-over): Witnesses at the ongoing trial for genocide suspects in Arusha, Tanzania, have recounted more details of what happened that day. Standing at this balcony, across the street from the church, they say, was this man, Father Affan Seromba. In his hands, they recall, was a rifle, and more chilling, Seromba actually shot at his own injured parishioners while urging on the slaughter.

Father Seromba escaped to Europe after the genocide, where he continued to preach at a Catholic church in northern Italy. He was finally arrested in 1997 and brought before a U.N. court for trial. He's the first Catholic priest ever to be tried for crimes against humanity. He also faces charges of genocide, complicity in genocide, and conspiracy to commit genocide by using the church as a killing field. He's pleaded not guilty to all charges.

A few hundred feet from the rubble of the killing ground is where locals now worship. It's nothing like the old church -- a few wooden polls and a corrugated iron roof. No walls or windows to shield the faithful from the country's weather.

Despite what happened here 10 years ago, Sunday mass is packed with both Hutus and Tutsis. Many here from both tribes are offended by questions about their former cleric. Talking ill about a man of the cloth, they say as they turn down our interview requests, is tantamount to blasphemy.

But one person who is willing to talk is the man who took over the parish. Father Eugene Urayeneza say whether guilty or innocent, his Father Seromba's predicament is a blow to the Catholic church. "The Catholic church is like a parent to us," he says, "and if we do something wrong, our parent won't be happy with us. If Father Seromba he is guilty, then let justice take its course."

Urayeneza says turnout was down when he first arrived, but, he adds, the faithful are slowly coming back -- all the while keeping a close watch on the outcome at the U.N. court.

"We expect our numbers to continue to grow, whether Father Seromba is found guilty or innocent," he says. "Life will go on, and the sooner the verdict, the better it will be for us."

The trial is expected to bring new heat into the debate of the role of the Catholic church during the genocide. The church is said to have had close ties with extremist Hutu politicians. And while Father Seromba is accused of actively helping the Hutu militias, the church has been forced to defend other priests accused of ignoring the atrocities going on around them.

There's a graphic reminder on the church grounds to victims of the Nyange Massacre. To the survivors, the skulls and bones piled on shelves are a reminder of the thousands of innocent lives lost. This lone wooden cross stands in the rubble that was the church, a symbol of the forgiveness Christ offers believers, even as an earthly court sits in judgment of a man of god.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, Nyange in western Rwanda.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And since 1997, about 22 former government ministers, journalists, and army officers have been tried and convicted of genocide charges in Rwanda -- Miles?

O'BRIEN: Up next on LIVE FROM, she came back from vacation and found a stranger in her home, but the intruder didn't run or hide. She'd actually moved in.

And fearing the friendly skies, if the jitters are keeping you grounded, don't fret. And there's our -- there's the John Madden of CNN, Jeanne Moos. She doesn't fly. There's a new way to face your fears, and Jeanne's going to walk us through a very personal story.

Stay with us.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: All right. You've heard all the stories about homes being burglarized, cleaned out while the owners were away. Beverly Mitchell can top just about every story you've heard. She returned from a vacation in Greece and found that someone had moved in, lock, stock, and barrel -- complete with redecorating.

Lynn Harasin from Atlanta affiliate WSB with an extremely bizarre tale.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEVERLY MITCHELL, HOMEOWNER: She's hung up this little decoration at the front door to let us know it's autumn time.

LYNN HARASIN, REPORTER, WSB (voice-over): The home invader moved out most of Mitchell's personal belongings and put in her own.

MITCHELL: She'd taken the carpet out of the bedrooms. She cut up one room and put it in the living room -- and you'll see the bits and pieces. I don't know where the other room went to. Moved her furniture in. And I walk in the kitchen and I said, well, none of this is mine. Where's my dishes? Where's my pots and pans?

HARASIN: Deputies found Beverly Valentine in Mitchell's bathroom. She was arrested and charged with burglary. She won't tell authorities much of anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She mentioned that she broke -- took a shovel and broke into the house.

MITCHELL: She decorated. She hung pictures. Family portraits. Took pictures that I had and she's hung those. Went through some of my linen stuff and put out different decorations and -- it's really bizarre.

HARASIN: She even had the electricity switched over to her name. It isn't all funny.

MITCHELL: I've got a complete bag and one complete box of personal papers that we've not been able to locate yet, and that concerns me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Valuables?

MITCHELL: Yeah. Lots of valuables.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Wow, pretty remarkable.

O'BRIEN: Yeah. And the motive, all the -- there are so many details that I would like to know right now. We're trying to get some more stuff.

WHITFIELD: No kidding. Well, that's from Lynn Harasin of WSB.

O'BRIEN: We thank both for that.

WHITFIELD: That's right. Well, perhaps you're afraid to leave the house. Well, maybe you're afraid to fly altogether. You're not alone. Up next, Jeanne Moos gets some virtual help for a very real fear.

RHONDA SCHAFFLER, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Rhonda Schaffler in New York. An investigation is launched into how songs are put on the radio. You'll want to tune into this when CNN's LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, perhaps you prefer to stay grounded than to travel the friendly skies. Well, guess what, you're not alone, as many as one in six Americans is afraid to fly, but one type of therapy just might be your ticket without ever having to leave the ground.

CNN's Jeanne Moos explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For some, flying seems heavenly, but for others, it's like preparing to join the dearly departed. We sit rigid as dummies, analyzing every engine noise, waiting for impact, watching for wings to ignite, imagining flopping around tethered to a fireball. Yikes!

(on camera): I don't think I've been on a plane for a decade...

(voice-over): ... which means the only thing I'll take off on is a virtual reality flight.

DR. JOANN DIFEDE, PSYCHOLOGIST: Move your head a little bit. OK. You can look out the window.

MOOS (on camera): Oh, yeah.

DIFEDE: You see you're on the runway.

MOOS (voice-over): Here at Cornell New York Presbyterian Hospital in a nondescript office, Psychologist JoAnn Difede asks questions like did I stop flying because of a bad experience that made me fear for my life?

(on camera): No, never thought I was going to die.

I do things when I'm on the plane like I tiptoe to the back. You know, I want to go easy on the airplane, like my weight is going to make some kind of difference. It's nuts.

(voice-over): For 15 years at CNN, I flew when absolutely necessary -- to China, for instance.

(on camera): Here at the Great Wall, you don't have to walk a mile for a camel.

(voice-over): I'd rather take a camel than a jet. Finally, I stopped flying altogether, though I still manage to ride in a balloon and go up in a blimp.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Try it.

MOOS: (on camera): I am not going to fly this thing. I don't want to drive anymore.

(voice-over): The goal of virtual reality is to desensitize patients to what scares them.

(on camera): It's the actual hurdling down the runway part that really gets me going.

(voice-over): For eight sessions, the cost about $2,100, the therapist puts you in a 3D world of airplane noises and thunderstorms.

(on camera): I can do that again and again and again.

(voice-over): They even have a virtual reality program for those traumatized by 9/11. Difede says the success rate of virtual reality is about 90 percent, but you have to want the cure.

DIFEDE: Going to Hawaii to, I don't know...

MOOS (on camera): Could care less. I have no desire. The plane trip is not -- the vacation is not worth the plane trip.

DIFEDE: You have no motivation.

MOOS (voice-over): No wonder my progress is slow.

(on camera): So, do I get frequent flyer miles for this?

(voice-over): Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Well, as you pointed out just a few moments ago, it's a good thing she's in New York City where there's plenty of stories.

WHITFIELD: Yes, lots of great stories, just get in the car or cab.

O'BRIEN: Yes, a drive or a train ride.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

O'BRIEN: That's our first hour of LIVE FROM. It was an excellent hour, wouldn't you say?

WHITFIELD: I'd say it was. Let's do it again, one more hour.

O'BRIEN: Yes, well, he's getting some rave reviews for his portrayal of Ray Charles in this new film. I'll speak with comedian- turned-actor Jamie Foxx.

WHITFIELD: He looks like quite a musician.

O'BRIEN: A musician, he's a comedian, he's a wonderful actor, and there's Oscar buzz over this movie. I mean, you've got to stay tuned for that, if nothing else. (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