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Identify Theft Issues; Mother of Jackson Accuser Takes the Stand

Aired April 13, 2005 - 14:30   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: Laboratories around the U.S. and 17 other countries are told to destroy test panels of the deadly 1957 Asian flu virus. U.S. and world health officials say the panels were accidentally sent out by an Ohio-based vendor. The Asian flu sparked a pandemic in 1957, killing more than a million people worldwide.
And if you have a G.M. Mastercard, you may get a notice that you are at risk for identity theft. The international bank HSBC has about six million customers holding this card. It says that an undisclosed retailer may have compromised the personal information of up to 187,000 of those card holders. The company insists it still doesn't know who that retailer is.

Well, the Senate is looking into identity theft. Heads of personal data companies hit by security breaches testified before the judiciary committee today. Senior correspondent Allan Chernoff followed the hearings from New York. He brings us an update -- Allan?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, those executives got a grilling this morning before the Senate judiciary committee and it certainly was pretty timely. Just yesterday, LexisNexis is revealed that 100 -- 310,000 Americans, excuse me, had their personal information compromised, actually stolen from the computers of LexisNexis. And this is one of several data brokerage firms that sell Social Security numbers, driver's licenses, information like that to employers, also financial institutions.

Also, we had today the head of the company apologizing and then we had information from ChoicePoint. ChoicePoint, of course, recently also had a similar breach of security. And Senator Arlen Specter asked if there had been other breaches of security at the company.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: Did ChoicePoint have a breach of security and fail to report it, notify the people whose documents, whose information had been breached?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir, it would appear in 2001 that happened.

SPECTER: And it was not reported?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. It was not reported.

SPECTER: Why not? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one was made aware of it, sir. We turned over the information to law enforcement, didn't know the purpose of their investigation.

SPECTER: No one was made aware of it. Well, how about the person who turned it over to law enforcement?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think that person understood the purpose of the subpoena, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: Specter says he believes it is time for some tough legislation and there are a couple of bills in the Senate right now. They would require these data brokerage companies to reveal any time that personal data has been compromised, to tell the people who have been victimized here. And if they didn't do that, then they would be fined under these bills in the Senate right now -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Allan Chernoff. We'll continue to follow it. Thank you so much.

And a California husband and wife are on the frontlines of that battle against identity theft. CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley tells us how they went from victims to crime-fighting duo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They work out of their home in San Diego, Jay and Linda Foley spend their days and nights in front of computer screens and on the phone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Identity Theft Resource Center.

BUCKLEY: With a handful of paid staffers and some 75 volunteers, they help victims of identity theft reclaim their identities.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And so look out for other lines of credit that shouldn't be opened. That's what you're looking for when you monitor your credit.

BUCKLEY: They know what identity theft victims are going through. They've been there.

LINDA FOLEY, IDENTITY THEFT VICTIM: When you need someone who's empathetic who says, yes, I know how you feel. And the first thing you want to say is, you don't have a clue, lady, how I feel. You want to make a bet? Yes, I do. I've been living identity theft for seven years now.

BUCKLEY: She found out she was a victim when a credit company called to ask about her new address.

L. FOLEY: And I said I haven't moved. And they said, yes, you did. And I said, no, I have moved.

BUCKLEY: It turned out the thief was this woman -- Berry Nestle (ph), her boss.

L. FOLEY: I filled out my tax form. She used those to get credit cards and a cell phone. The very same cell phone I was calling her on on a daily basis. Little did I know I was going to end up getting the bill.

BUCKLEY: Along with the phone were the credit cards. All these bills were due in your name?

L. FOLEY: Yes.

BUCKLEY: Nestle was eventually convicted and sent to prison.

L. FOLEY: I was one of the lucky ones. I caught my impostor. She got some jail time out of it. She'll be out in a couple years. What about all the thousands and thousands of victims who never get it resolved that way?

BUCKLEY: Foley and her husband Jay resolved to help those victims through the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center. They say they get 700 requests for help every week.

L. FOLEY: And we get these -- for 2 1/2 years I've been battling this. I don't know what else to do other than to just give up. And let them take all the money, let them have everything, and then they can't hurt me anymore. We write back, that's not an option. There's nothing a thief can do that eventually cannot be undone or we can find a way through using the system to get to the point where you can continue your life.

BUCKLEY: The Foley's have testified in state legislatures, and in Congress, trying to raise awareness and get tougher laws passed.

L. FOLEY: I now have your Social Security number. I now have access to your credit and to your lives.

BUCKLEY: They've received numerous awards. They get by on grants and donations.

(on camera): Why didn't you just leave this to some government agency or some credit card company to deal with?

L. FOLEY: Because no one else will do the job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning. Identity Theft Resource Center.

BUCKLEY: A job that's become a mission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to help you, we want to help you get through it. And it can be overcome.

BUCKLEY: Overcome with the help of these fellow survivors of identity theft.

Frank Buckley, CNN, San Diego. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.

Well, at the Michael Jackson trial, a ruling on whether to allow the accuser's mother to answer questions in that case and avoid questions about alleged welfare fraud.

CNN's Ted Rowlands is in Santa Maria, California, with more -- Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, there was a bit of a break and both sides argued the issue and judge in the end decided that he would instruct the jury that this witness had invoked her constitutional right to her fifth amendment right not to incriminate herself. And he told the jury that she would not be answering any questions about welfare fraud, therefore the attorneys would not be asking those questions.

She then entered the courtroom. We've blurred her image because we want to protect the identity of the accuser in this case. The accuser's mother then started to answer questions from the district attorney. She's at the very beginning portions of her testimony. She seems to be hypersensitive on this stand. She's having trouble waiting for the question to be completed. It's unclear how the jury is going to perceive her.

They have seen her before on a videotape. They've heard her voice on an audiotape and they have also been exposed to evidence in this case concerning her about the welfare fraud and other inconsistencies that the defense has put out and I think it is safe to say that this is not the best prosecution witness that we have seen thus far. She does seem to be overacting at times and not very well at that, in terms of my estimation in sitting in the gallery.

However, it will all be up to the jury, obviously, how to take this witness. They have been told by the judge she refuses to answer these specific questions about welfare fraud and it really will remain to be seen how she'll play out in front of this jury. The prosecution is expected to continue to ask her questions for another extensive period of time because this is their key witness as to the allegations against Michael Jackson that he imprisoned the family at Neverland Ranch.

And then, the cross examination should be something to see. Thomas Mesereau has set her up to really be the demon in all of this. He's portrayed her to the jury as the person behind these allegations, saying that she is a grifter, someone who is trying to grab onto Jackson for money and should not be trusted. So a lot still coming from the accuser's mother as she stakes the stand here in Santa Maria -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Ted, we'll talk again. Straight ahead, you've heard of soccer matches getting out of hand, but take a look at this. Oof. Big flare-up on the field in Italy.

Would you be willing to give up a DNA sample to trace your family tree? Well, a giant new project launches today. We've got the details.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: And could pop princess Britney Spears be singing lullabyes soon? I'll have the answers to all those pregnancies rumors when LIVE FROM returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News around the world now. Former president Bill Clinton at the United Nations just a short while ago, talking about relief for victims of the Asian tsunami. Clinton is the U.N.'s formal -- or special envoy, rather, for tsunami relief. He urged the international community to stay focused on rebuilding the devastated region.

The victims are slowly recovering after that disaster. Nearly 170,000 people killed when the tsunami struck more than a dozen countries along the Indian Ocean rim. One of the worst hit areas, seen here, was Banda Aceh in Indonesia.

A new project begins to trace the routes of human migration. That may might shed some light on the theory that mankind originated in Central Africa. "National Geographic" and IBM are sponsoring a plan to collect 100,000 samples of DNA in an effort to track and one man -- track how, rather, and when man moved across the world.

Now, check out this violence on the soccer field. The referee had to abandon this match in Italy when one of the goal-keepers was hit by a flare. Inter Milan was playing local rival AC Milan when fans started throwing flares into the field. The Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who also happens to be the owner of AC Milan, is calling for a crackdown on soccer violence.

The pop star Britney Spears, who sang, "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman," has apparently grown up. News on her Web site states the singer is pregnant. More on that and other celebrity buzz from entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas. Hi, Sibila.

VARGAS: Hey, Kyra.

We knew it. After weeks of speculation that maybe there was more than just a few doughnuts in that belly, Britney Spears has finally come clean about her baby news.

(MUSIC)

The 23-year-old pop princess has made it her prerogative to tell the world she's with child. On her Web site, Spears says, "The time has finally come to share our wonderful news that we're expecting our first child together. There were reports that I was in the hospital this weekend. Kevin and I just want everyone to know that all is well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers."

Spears married dancer Kevin Federline last September. He, by the way, has two small children from a previous relationship. And we certainly wish the parents-to-be all the best.

Well, Billy Joel is finally at home after spending a month in the hospital to kick the habit. The 55-year-old singer left the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, after receiving treatment for alcohol abuse. This is not the first time the piano man had been hospitalized for alcoholism. The singer received treatment back in 2002.

And just as Joel gets out of the hospital, actor Joaquin Phoenix has checked himself in. The 30-year-old "Gladiator" star is also dealing with an alcohol problem. Phoenix's brother, you may remember, River Phoenix, died of a drug overdose in 1993. His publicist says the actor hopes that by getting treatment for this vice, others will be encouraged to do the same.

And finally, it's the quintessential children's film. And now you can own a piece of it. Julie Garland's blue and white gingham dress from "The Wizard of Oz" is soon to be on the market. Bonhams and Butterfields has the dress on display in San Francisco and will be auctioning off in London mid-April. For an estimated asking price of $50,000 to $70,000 even, you could own the dress, Kyra. I hear that blue and white gingham is all of the rage.

PHILLIPS: The newest fashion. All right. We'll see Britney Spears in that baby. It's big enough. Sibila Vargas, all right. Thank you.

All right, this news just into CNN. We just got this videotape in from affiliate KPNX in Phoenix. Interstate 17 is closed now in North Phoenix area, after the crash landing of this small plane. The plane wound up in the median, actually, of the freeway. You can see its tail was broken off. One person has been airlifted to a hospital, we are told. Evidently, this plane might have clipped an 18-wheeler, as it was flying lower than usual.

Once again, these pictures from our affiliate KPNX out of Phoenix. Interstate 17 still shut down right now in northern Phoenix after the crash landing of this small plane. We'll let you know what happened to the pilot and if, indeed, anyone was on board.

Well, gas prices too high for you? Try four legs instead of four wheels. Of course, we're not sure where you park, but I don't know, this could be fun.

Wal-Mart plays nice with its neighbors, offering a $35 million present. We'll tell you what it is. And who let the flu out? The world health organization rushes to kill an old strain of the flu that was accidentally shipped to more than 4,000 labs around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. LIVE FROM's on gator watch again. These pictures just in to us from New Orleans, Louisiana. Hey, it's bayou country, you know? This shouldn't surprise you that you see a gator swimming along a canal. As you can see, the experts out in full force. Roped him up, or she, I guess. Safe to say, everything went down OK.

They carried out proper procedure, but you know, it's mating season, a popular time, Florida to New Orleans. There's a bit of a tussle with this guy: we're told -- I'm going to assume it is a guy, all right -- 10 foot two inches. Cause men are so ornery, and obviously, this gator is having an issue here as he's trying to get pulled in. But the new video coming to us for WZSU, great station, used to work there, love them. We're going to listen a bit here as they talk about it. Here we go, listen for a minute.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you're gonna break his -- go ahead, try, try. I kind of doubt it.

PHILLIPS: Well, they're trying to get him to open his mouth. That's interesting. I guess you tend to wonder what might be inside there. Anyway, authorities there in New Orleans, swimming along the canal came across an alligator. Of course, they were worried that it could be a threat to residents there living along the canal. We're told that this is Gauze Boulevard (ph) in New Orleans and what can I say? They are just cool pictures. There you go, they are measuring him out. That's how we found out that he was 10'2".

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten, two.

PHILLIPS: There's your confirmation right there.

Anyway, a little different from last week when Todd Hardwick, our gator wrestler, from Florida had a tougher time wrangling in a pretty fierce alligator, but things looking good there in New Orleans.

All right, we're going continue our animal stories and move on to a Georgia woman that has found a way to save money on gasoline and still get around town. I promise it isn't on an alligator but her horsepower does not involve an engine or a horse. More from photojournalist Cherise Harris (ph), at CNN affiliate WXIA in Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEE DEE BEAVERS, OUTSMARTING HIGH GAS PRICES: I'm not getting her beautiful. We're just -- we're going out working. This is Miss Bell. She was my third mule. See, there's no lady-like way to get on here. Can you imagine doing this 100 years ago in a skirt?

CHERISE HARRISE, WXIA AFFILIATE PHOTOJOURNALIST: No.

BEAVERS: That's why I tell people, there's not lady-like way to drive. Just get in and go.

But the gas is just -- I can't afford it. It's so much easier this way. Well, it is getting ridiculous. I drive an older truck. It's a larger truck, it's an F-250, typical farm truck. You know, running around town is just a waste because we're, what, nine miles from town? And it is so much easier to hook her up and go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's like the old days.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's awesome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man alive. That brings back memories.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a wonderful idea. I do. Yes, I do.

HARRIS: Is it surprising to you at all?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. Being an animal lover I just think it's great. Of course, I couldn't get on 85 with you, no sir. I wouldn't do that any way.

BEAVERS: It's a bond. If you ever find good mule, that's it. It is a nice way to travel, it really is. The savings really mount up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That story came to us from our photo journalist Cherise Harris, a CNN affiliates WXIA in Atlanta. Thank you, Cherise.

Finally, straight ahead, police in Florida looking for another missing girl today. This comes just a few weeks after the Jessica Lunsford case. We're live from Florida.

Suspected Olympic park bomber Eric Rudolph goes before an Atlanta judge next hour. We're live from the courthouse.

Now, let's check on those markets.

(STOCK REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: "Now in the News:" al-Jazeera today aired this hostage videotape. The U.S. Embassy in Iraq confirms that the man in the video is American contractor Jeffrey Ake. He was abducted from a construction site in Baghdad on Monday. The White House says it's staying in touch with his family; it also made clear that the U.S. will not negotiate with kidnappers.

The judge in the Michael Jackson trial has paved the way for the mother of Jackson's accuser to take the stand and she won't have to testify about allegations she committed welfare fraud. The judge says he'll inform the jury that she's invoking her fifth amendment right against self-incrimination.

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 April 13, 2005 - 14:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Laboratories around the U.S. and 17 other countries are told to destroy test panels of the deadly 1957 Asian flu virus. U.S. and world health officials say the panels were accidentally sent out by an Ohio-based vendor. The Asian flu sparked a pandemic in 1957, killing more than a million people worldwide.
And if you have a G.M. Mastercard, you may get a notice that you are at risk for identity theft. The international bank HSBC has about six million customers holding this card. It says that an undisclosed retailer may have compromised the personal information of up to 187,000 of those card holders. The company insists it still doesn't know who that retailer is.

Well, the Senate is looking into identity theft. Heads of personal data companies hit by security breaches testified before the judiciary committee today. Senior correspondent Allan Chernoff followed the hearings from New York. He brings us an update -- Allan?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, those executives got a grilling this morning before the Senate judiciary committee and it certainly was pretty timely. Just yesterday, LexisNexis is revealed that 100 -- 310,000 Americans, excuse me, had their personal information compromised, actually stolen from the computers of LexisNexis. And this is one of several data brokerage firms that sell Social Security numbers, driver's licenses, information like that to employers, also financial institutions.

Also, we had today the head of the company apologizing and then we had information from ChoicePoint. ChoicePoint, of course, recently also had a similar breach of security. And Senator Arlen Specter asked if there had been other breaches of security at the company.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: Did ChoicePoint have a breach of security and fail to report it, notify the people whose documents, whose information had been breached?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir, it would appear in 2001 that happened.

SPECTER: And it was not reported?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. It was not reported.

SPECTER: Why not? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No one was made aware of it, sir. We turned over the information to law enforcement, didn't know the purpose of their investigation.

SPECTER: No one was made aware of it. Well, how about the person who turned it over to law enforcement?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think that person understood the purpose of the subpoena, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHERNOFF: Specter says he believes it is time for some tough legislation and there are a couple of bills in the Senate right now. They would require these data brokerage companies to reveal any time that personal data has been compromised, to tell the people who have been victimized here. And if they didn't do that, then they would be fined under these bills in the Senate right now -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Allan Chernoff. We'll continue to follow it. Thank you so much.

And a California husband and wife are on the frontlines of that battle against identity theft. CNN national correspondent Frank Buckley tells us how they went from victims to crime-fighting duo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They work out of their home in San Diego, Jay and Linda Foley spend their days and nights in front of computer screens and on the phone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Identity Theft Resource Center.

BUCKLEY: With a handful of paid staffers and some 75 volunteers, they help victims of identity theft reclaim their identities.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And so look out for other lines of credit that shouldn't be opened. That's what you're looking for when you monitor your credit.

BUCKLEY: They know what identity theft victims are going through. They've been there.

LINDA FOLEY, IDENTITY THEFT VICTIM: When you need someone who's empathetic who says, yes, I know how you feel. And the first thing you want to say is, you don't have a clue, lady, how I feel. You want to make a bet? Yes, I do. I've been living identity theft for seven years now.

BUCKLEY: She found out she was a victim when a credit company called to ask about her new address.

L. FOLEY: And I said I haven't moved. And they said, yes, you did. And I said, no, I have moved.

BUCKLEY: It turned out the thief was this woman -- Berry Nestle (ph), her boss.

L. FOLEY: I filled out my tax form. She used those to get credit cards and a cell phone. The very same cell phone I was calling her on on a daily basis. Little did I know I was going to end up getting the bill.

BUCKLEY: Along with the phone were the credit cards. All these bills were due in your name?

L. FOLEY: Yes.

BUCKLEY: Nestle was eventually convicted and sent to prison.

L. FOLEY: I was one of the lucky ones. I caught my impostor. She got some jail time out of it. She'll be out in a couple years. What about all the thousands and thousands of victims who never get it resolved that way?

BUCKLEY: Foley and her husband Jay resolved to help those victims through the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center. They say they get 700 requests for help every week.

L. FOLEY: And we get these -- for 2 1/2 years I've been battling this. I don't know what else to do other than to just give up. And let them take all the money, let them have everything, and then they can't hurt me anymore. We write back, that's not an option. There's nothing a thief can do that eventually cannot be undone or we can find a way through using the system to get to the point where you can continue your life.

BUCKLEY: The Foley's have testified in state legislatures, and in Congress, trying to raise awareness and get tougher laws passed.

L. FOLEY: I now have your Social Security number. I now have access to your credit and to your lives.

BUCKLEY: They've received numerous awards. They get by on grants and donations.

(on camera): Why didn't you just leave this to some government agency or some credit card company to deal with?

L. FOLEY: Because no one else will do the job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning. Identity Theft Resource Center.

BUCKLEY: A job that's become a mission.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to help you, we want to help you get through it. And it can be overcome.

BUCKLEY: Overcome with the help of these fellow survivors of identity theft.

Frank Buckley, CNN, San Diego. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. Stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.

Well, at the Michael Jackson trial, a ruling on whether to allow the accuser's mother to answer questions in that case and avoid questions about alleged welfare fraud.

CNN's Ted Rowlands is in Santa Maria, California, with more -- Ted.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, there was a bit of a break and both sides argued the issue and judge in the end decided that he would instruct the jury that this witness had invoked her constitutional right to her fifth amendment right not to incriminate herself. And he told the jury that she would not be answering any questions about welfare fraud, therefore the attorneys would not be asking those questions.

She then entered the courtroom. We've blurred her image because we want to protect the identity of the accuser in this case. The accuser's mother then started to answer questions from the district attorney. She's at the very beginning portions of her testimony. She seems to be hypersensitive on this stand. She's having trouble waiting for the question to be completed. It's unclear how the jury is going to perceive her.

They have seen her before on a videotape. They've heard her voice on an audiotape and they have also been exposed to evidence in this case concerning her about the welfare fraud and other inconsistencies that the defense has put out and I think it is safe to say that this is not the best prosecution witness that we have seen thus far. She does seem to be overacting at times and not very well at that, in terms of my estimation in sitting in the gallery.

However, it will all be up to the jury, obviously, how to take this witness. They have been told by the judge she refuses to answer these specific questions about welfare fraud and it really will remain to be seen how she'll play out in front of this jury. The prosecution is expected to continue to ask her questions for another extensive period of time because this is their key witness as to the allegations against Michael Jackson that he imprisoned the family at Neverland Ranch.

And then, the cross examination should be something to see. Thomas Mesereau has set her up to really be the demon in all of this. He's portrayed her to the jury as the person behind these allegations, saying that she is a grifter, someone who is trying to grab onto Jackson for money and should not be trusted. So a lot still coming from the accuser's mother as she stakes the stand here in Santa Maria -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Ted, we'll talk again. Straight ahead, you've heard of soccer matches getting out of hand, but take a look at this. Oof. Big flare-up on the field in Italy.

Would you be willing to give up a DNA sample to trace your family tree? Well, a giant new project launches today. We've got the details.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: And could pop princess Britney Spears be singing lullabyes soon? I'll have the answers to all those pregnancies rumors when LIVE FROM returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: News around the world now. Former president Bill Clinton at the United Nations just a short while ago, talking about relief for victims of the Asian tsunami. Clinton is the U.N.'s formal -- or special envoy, rather, for tsunami relief. He urged the international community to stay focused on rebuilding the devastated region.

The victims are slowly recovering after that disaster. Nearly 170,000 people killed when the tsunami struck more than a dozen countries along the Indian Ocean rim. One of the worst hit areas, seen here, was Banda Aceh in Indonesia.

A new project begins to trace the routes of human migration. That may might shed some light on the theory that mankind originated in Central Africa. "National Geographic" and IBM are sponsoring a plan to collect 100,000 samples of DNA in an effort to track and one man -- track how, rather, and when man moved across the world.

Now, check out this violence on the soccer field. The referee had to abandon this match in Italy when one of the goal-keepers was hit by a flare. Inter Milan was playing local rival AC Milan when fans started throwing flares into the field. The Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who also happens to be the owner of AC Milan, is calling for a crackdown on soccer violence.

The pop star Britney Spears, who sang, "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman," has apparently grown up. News on her Web site states the singer is pregnant. More on that and other celebrity buzz from entertainment correspondent Sibila Vargas. Hi, Sibila.

VARGAS: Hey, Kyra.

We knew it. After weeks of speculation that maybe there was more than just a few doughnuts in that belly, Britney Spears has finally come clean about her baby news.

(MUSIC)

The 23-year-old pop princess has made it her prerogative to tell the world she's with child. On her Web site, Spears says, "The time has finally come to share our wonderful news that we're expecting our first child together. There were reports that I was in the hospital this weekend. Kevin and I just want everyone to know that all is well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers."

Spears married dancer Kevin Federline last September. He, by the way, has two small children from a previous relationship. And we certainly wish the parents-to-be all the best.

Well, Billy Joel is finally at home after spending a month in the hospital to kick the habit. The 55-year-old singer left the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, after receiving treatment for alcohol abuse. This is not the first time the piano man had been hospitalized for alcoholism. The singer received treatment back in 2002.

And just as Joel gets out of the hospital, actor Joaquin Phoenix has checked himself in. The 30-year-old "Gladiator" star is also dealing with an alcohol problem. Phoenix's brother, you may remember, River Phoenix, died of a drug overdose in 1993. His publicist says the actor hopes that by getting treatment for this vice, others will be encouraged to do the same.

And finally, it's the quintessential children's film. And now you can own a piece of it. Julie Garland's blue and white gingham dress from "The Wizard of Oz" is soon to be on the market. Bonhams and Butterfields has the dress on display in San Francisco and will be auctioning off in London mid-April. For an estimated asking price of $50,000 to $70,000 even, you could own the dress, Kyra. I hear that blue and white gingham is all of the rage.

PHILLIPS: The newest fashion. All right. We'll see Britney Spears in that baby. It's big enough. Sibila Vargas, all right. Thank you.

All right, this news just into CNN. We just got this videotape in from affiliate KPNX in Phoenix. Interstate 17 is closed now in North Phoenix area, after the crash landing of this small plane. The plane wound up in the median, actually, of the freeway. You can see its tail was broken off. One person has been airlifted to a hospital, we are told. Evidently, this plane might have clipped an 18-wheeler, as it was flying lower than usual.

Once again, these pictures from our affiliate KPNX out of Phoenix. Interstate 17 still shut down right now in northern Phoenix after the crash landing of this small plane. We'll let you know what happened to the pilot and if, indeed, anyone was on board.

Well, gas prices too high for you? Try four legs instead of four wheels. Of course, we're not sure where you park, but I don't know, this could be fun.

Wal-Mart plays nice with its neighbors, offering a $35 million present. We'll tell you what it is. And who let the flu out? The world health organization rushes to kill an old strain of the flu that was accidentally shipped to more than 4,000 labs around the world.

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PHILLIPS: All right. LIVE FROM's on gator watch again. These pictures just in to us from New Orleans, Louisiana. Hey, it's bayou country, you know? This shouldn't surprise you that you see a gator swimming along a canal. As you can see, the experts out in full force. Roped him up, or she, I guess. Safe to say, everything went down OK.

They carried out proper procedure, but you know, it's mating season, a popular time, Florida to New Orleans. There's a bit of a tussle with this guy: we're told -- I'm going to assume it is a guy, all right -- 10 foot two inches. Cause men are so ornery, and obviously, this gator is having an issue here as he's trying to get pulled in. But the new video coming to us for WZSU, great station, used to work there, love them. We're going to listen a bit here as they talk about it. Here we go, listen for a minute.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, you're gonna break his -- go ahead, try, try. I kind of doubt it.

PHILLIPS: Well, they're trying to get him to open his mouth. That's interesting. I guess you tend to wonder what might be inside there. Anyway, authorities there in New Orleans, swimming along the canal came across an alligator. Of course, they were worried that it could be a threat to residents there living along the canal. We're told that this is Gauze Boulevard (ph) in New Orleans and what can I say? They are just cool pictures. There you go, they are measuring him out. That's how we found out that he was 10'2".

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ten, two.

PHILLIPS: There's your confirmation right there.

Anyway, a little different from last week when Todd Hardwick, our gator wrestler, from Florida had a tougher time wrangling in a pretty fierce alligator, but things looking good there in New Orleans.

All right, we're going continue our animal stories and move on to a Georgia woman that has found a way to save money on gasoline and still get around town. I promise it isn't on an alligator but her horsepower does not involve an engine or a horse. More from photojournalist Cherise Harris (ph), at CNN affiliate WXIA in Atlanta.

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DEE DEE BEAVERS, OUTSMARTING HIGH GAS PRICES: I'm not getting her beautiful. We're just -- we're going out working. This is Miss Bell. She was my third mule. See, there's no lady-like way to get on here. Can you imagine doing this 100 years ago in a skirt?

CHERISE HARRISE, WXIA AFFILIATE PHOTOJOURNALIST: No.

BEAVERS: That's why I tell people, there's not lady-like way to drive. Just get in and go.

But the gas is just -- I can't afford it. It's so much easier this way. Well, it is getting ridiculous. I drive an older truck. It's a larger truck, it's an F-250, typical farm truck. You know, running around town is just a waste because we're, what, nine miles from town? And it is so much easier to hook her up and go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's like the old days.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's awesome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man alive. That brings back memories.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's a wonderful idea. I do. Yes, I do.

HARRIS: Is it surprising to you at all?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. Being an animal lover I just think it's great. Of course, I couldn't get on 85 with you, no sir. I wouldn't do that any way.

BEAVERS: It's a bond. If you ever find good mule, that's it. It is a nice way to travel, it really is. The savings really mount up.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: That story came to us from our photo journalist Cherise Harris, a CNN affiliates WXIA in Atlanta. Thank you, Cherise.

Finally, straight ahead, police in Florida looking for another missing girl today. This comes just a few weeks after the Jessica Lunsford case. We're live from Florida.

Suspected Olympic park bomber Eric Rudolph goes before an Atlanta judge next hour. We're live from the courthouse.

Now, let's check on those markets.

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PHILLIPS: "Now in the News:" al-Jazeera today aired this hostage videotape. The U.S. Embassy in Iraq confirms that the man in the video is American contractor Jeffrey Ake. He was abducted from a construction site in Baghdad on Monday. The White House says it's staying in touch with his family; it also made clear that the U.S. will not negotiate with kidnappers.

The judge in the Michael Jackson trial has paved the way for the mother of Jackson's accuser to take the stand and she won't have to testify about allegations she committed welfare fraud. The judge says he'll inform the jury that she's invoking her fifth amendment right against self-incrimination.

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