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U.S., Italy Blame Each Other for Checkpoint Shooting; D.A. Deciding Whether to File Charges on Runaway Bride; Police Look for a Link in a Series of L.A. Freeway Shootings; Oakland A's Pitcher Raises Funds for Wounded Soldiers

Aired May 02, 2005 - 15:00 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, HOST: First, one of the United States' biggest allies in the war in Iraq is not toeing the line when it comes to that deadly friendly fire shooting in Baghdad. Sometime later today, we are expecting Italy to release a report on what happened at a U.S. checkpoint in Baghdad in March. By most accounts, it will differ sharply from a U.S. report exonerating American troops.
CNN's Jamie McIntyre is at the Pentagon with details of the U.S. investigation -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the United States and Italy say they agree on the facts of the situation but not the conclusion. In fact, the U.S. and Italy are essentially blaming each other for the March 4 incident in which an Italian agent was killed and an Italian journalist was wounded.

A U.S. military investigation has found that the American soldier who fired into this Toyota did nothing wrong, even though it resulted in the death of agent Nicola Calipari and wounded Giuliana Sgrena, the Italian journalist whose release he had just secured.

The checkpoint shooting occurred, again, the evening of March 4 along the airport road. That is the 7 1/2-mile route between Baghdad and the airport. It's dubbed the deadliest road in Iraq.

Now, among the report's findings, 15 to 30 vehicles had been safely stopped at the checkpoint earlier that night. Driver admitted that he has -- was driving as fast as 50 miles an hour. The U.S. thinks it might have been even faster. The car did not slow down when signaled by a U.S. soldier holding a searchlight and laser pointer.

Again, these are the findings of the investigation, also that the car did not respond to a burst of warning fire and that the disabling fire that was fired by the soldier hit the right and front of the car, and that the time between the first shot and the car coming to a stop was no more than seven seconds.

In addition, an American soldier told investigators that the driver said afterwards, quote, "He heard shots from somewhere and that he panicked and started speeding, trying to get to the airport as quickly as possible."

And finally the report found no coordination at all between the Italian authorities and the U.S. government. They went on to say flatly, "The U.S. military was totally unaware of the recovery and transport of Ms. Sgrena on the night of incident until after the shooting incident had occurred." That, the conclusion of the Pentagon report.

Now the Italians have an entirely a completely interpretation of events. They believe that the checkpoint was poorly marked. They think that the warnings were inadequate. And they also contend, apparently, according to published reports in Italy, that they did inform the U.S. military and U.S. government.

But again, we have yet to see the formal Italian report, so we're not going to be able to say precisely why they have these divergent conclusions from essentially the same set of facts -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jamie McIntyre live at the Pentagon. Thank you.

Well, you know her face well, an Army reservist at the center of the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq. Today Lynndie England pleaded guilty to most of the charges against her, two counts of conspiracy, four of abusing detainees and one of committing an indecent act. All were tied to photos shown around the world, including the one you're about to see of England with a naked detainee on a dog leash.

The judge has yet to accept her plea deal. If he does, her military attorney wants a jury, not the judge, to decide that punishment. That means she could face as little as two years in prison, or as much as 11 years.

Well, that wasn't a veil that Jennifer Wilbanks was wearing on what was supposed to be her wedding night. She's not on her honeymoon today, so far as we know. But we do know that Wilbanks' convincing disappearing act and the unconvincing kidnap claim that followed it may bring her up before a judge, whether or not she ever gets to the altar.

CNN's Charles Molineaux is awaiting a verdict by prosecutors in Duluth, Georgia -- Charles.

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, at least some of that decision is in, Kyra. The district attorney here in Gwinnett County says that his office, he and his staff, have determined that they can press charges in this case. They've gone over the case law, have determined that they do have legal standing.

Now, we are standing by for a briefing that's supposed to be coming from the city. But one thing that the D.A. does say is that no decision on whether or not there will be criminal charges will be made today. It's going to be awhile while they continue their investigation.

Now, the runaway bride, Jennifer Wilbanks, set off a frantic search in her hometown of Duluth, Georgia, when she disappeared last Tuesday. Duluth's mayor estimates that cost the city $100,000 before police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, announced that Wilbanks had taken off in a case of pre-wedding jitters, took a bus there and then told them a story about being kidnapped, then admitted she made that up. District attorney Danny Porter here in Gwinnett County says that when Wilbanks then called police in Duluth with her bogus kidnapping story, that opened her up to possible charges here. He, his office and police have been going over how to handle this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANNY PORTER, GWINNETT COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: When I talked to the chief early Saturday morning, I said I'm not sure there there's a crime here in Gwinnett County, because if she just ran, then -- then she's not the one who reported herself missing. So there was no false report.

But then, as I began to get information about the conversation she had with the chief, the purchase of the ticket earlier, the altering of her appearance, the arrangements to get to the bus station, all those things started moving me in the direction of this is something I need to look into. This is something I need to think about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOLINEAUX: Well, again, we're standing by for any further updates from police and from the city of Duluth on this case, possibly including a time line about what exactly happened between Tuesday night, when Jennifer Wilbanks disappeared, and early Saturday morning, when she showed up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her story and finally recanted it.

A lot of people around Duluth are pretty angry at her over what happened. Although there are some who are trying to be sympathetic, saying that perhaps she was just a little freaked out about this upcoming wedding. But Porter, for his part, says that it's going to be the law that guides what he decides to do next -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Charles, thank you.

And tonight at 10, "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN" goes beyond the headlines and takes an in-depth look at the twists and turns of the runaway bride case. Plus other high profile hoaxes. That's tonight, 10 Eastern.

Police in Los Angeles are trying to figure out whether six shootings that have happened on L.A. freeways since March are connected. The latest happened this weekend.

KCAL's Joel Conavel (ph) starts there and looks at two months of mayhem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOEL CONAVEL (PH), KCAL REPORTER: The 18-year-old man who was shot is lucky to be alive. He was hit two times while driving his car in the latest freeway shooting.

LT. JOHN DEL VECCHIO, LOS ANGELES POLICE: Early this morning, a little after 1 a.m., the victim was driving northbound on the 405 Freeway, just north of Roscoe Boulevard, when a dark colored vehicle drove up alongside of him and started firing rounds into his vehicle.

CONAVEL (ph): Even after the victim had two bullets in him, he was able to keep driving. He exited at Devonshire and drove for about a mile until by chance he ran into some firefighters on another emergency call at a Chevron gas station. That was at the corner of Devonshire and Balboa.

DEL VECCHIO: Possible suspect vehicle is described as a dark colored, either Honda or Nissan-type vehicle with four to five males with shaved heads.

CONAVEL (ph): this is the sixth shooting on Southern California freeways in the past two months.

The first was on the northbound 55 Freeway near Tustin. That's where a 26-year-old man was shot and killed. Then in April another man was shot but wounded, this time on the same freeway just a few miles away.

At the end of March, 26-year-old Michael Livingston died when his Camaro was sprayed with bullets on the 110 Freeway near Florence Avenue.

One week later, 47-year-old James Wiggins was shot and killed, also on the 100 Freeway, this time near Redondo Beach Boulevard. Then, one week after that shooting, a 32-year-old man was shot and killed as he was driving on the Marino Valley Freeway out in Riverside County.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm always, you know, on the look out. I'm a pretty safe driver.

CONAVEL (ph): With so many shootings so close together many drivers we spoke to told us they definitely think about it when they're driving on the freeway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And every time I see cars getting close to me, I -- it's very tense. It's very tense. Very, very -- I'm very concerned about it because anybody can just pull a gun and shoot you now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Other news across America now.

Two more men face charges in what police in Massachusetts say was a buried treasure hoax. All told, authorities accuse four men of stealing thousands of dollars in old bank notes and bills while on a roofing job. They were arrested after two of the men went on television to talk about finding the money buried in a backyard.

Thrill seekers hoping for a wild ride got a lot more than they bargained for last night. The Sky Surfer ride at a Phoenix amusement park got stuck, trapping 11 people 30 feet in the air. Firefighters brought them down on ladders and ropes. No one was hurt.

The search presses on for the body of a Boy Scout who fell overboard from a whale watching boat. The 14-year-old boy fell in the ocean Saturday off the New Jersey coast. Investigators did find a piece of clothing on the boat's propeller. It's unclear whether it belonged to that young boy.

Two South Carolina teenagers say it will be a while before they go fishing again after a weeklong ordeal at sea. Troy Driscoll and Josh Long set off April 24 from Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, and a rip current dragged their 14-foot-boat out to sea. They were found off the North Carolina coast near Cape Fear. That's 111 miles from where they started. Troy and Josh were dehydrated, hungry and sun burned but otherwise OK. Josh says they survived any way they could.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH LONG, SURVIVOR: Really, we didn't eat anything. Troy ate these little jelly balls that we could catch with my hat. We'd just scoop them up out of water. Water, the only thing we could do with the water is gargle with salt water and spit it out. And it drizzled one night, and we licked water off the deck, trying to get something in us. And that's all we had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Josh and Troy said they did a lot of praying, but Troy added, "We didn't even get a chance to fish."

Florida has a tough new law aimed at child sex abusers. It's called the Jessica Lunsford Act. Governor Jeb Bush signed the bill into law today. It requires convicted molesters of children under 12 to serve at least 25 years behind bars. Any offender released from prison would be tracked by global positioning satellite.

Nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford was kidnapped and murdered, allegedly by a convicted sex offender, John Evander Couey. Jessica's body was found in March. That act -- bearing was drafted by the Florida legislature immediately afterwards.

A check of the markets straight ahead, plus can you hear me now? MCI says "Yes, we can," to Verizon, but do its shareholders agree?

Plus, pitching in for a good cause. The Oakland A's Barry Zito joins me live to talk about his new idea for helping injured troops.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A fowl deed for federal agents. That's f-o-w-l, and it involved relocating a mallard and her nine brand new babies from outside the U.S. Treasury Building in Washington. The Secret Service, no less, had been watching over mom and her nest since early April.

The move to a nearby park is intended to protect the little family from busy D.C. Traffic and perhaps to prevent little Huey, Dewy and Louie from running amok through the Treasury in search of great Uncle Scrooge McDuck.

Well, a soap opera-like twist in a telecom saga, Qwest is calling it quits with MCI. Susan Lisovicz has all the details now, live from New York at the stock exchange -- Susan.

(STOCK REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Susan.

Well, he may be on the baseball field. But Oakland A's pitcher Barry Zito is making a difference for those on the battlefield. Straight ahead on LIVE FROM, striking out for a good cause. Barry Zito joins me live, along with Specialist Mark Gonthier. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: When Oakland A's pitcher Barry Zito took to the mound Sunday afternoon, he was looking for strikeouts, but his fastballs, curveballs and sliders are doing more than just helping his Major League record. They're working for a much bigger cause. He's making sure an injured soldier's mom has a place to stay while visiting her child or that a wounded Marine has a few more comforts of home while recuperating.

Barry Zito joins me live from our San Francisco bureau to talk about his Strikeouts for Troops program. And one of the wounded soldiers his cause is helping, Specialist Mark Gonthier, he joins me live from Washington. What a pleasure to have both of you here.

BARRY ZITO, OAKLAND A'S PITCHER: Thank you.

SPECIALIST MARY GONTHIER, U.S. ARMY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Mark, let's -- let's start with you, and tell us what happened in Iraq and tell us about your injury?

GONTHIER: I was just on a regular patrol going down into Baghdad, Iraq, and we just took a side road off the highway. And I got hit by a roadside bomb. A piece of metal went through my left ear, and a piece went through my back.

PHILLIPS: And Mark, I see the picture of you in the hospital when you got back. No doubt, this was not an easy recovery.

GONTHIER: No, it wasn't.

PHILLIPS: How are you feeling now?

GONTHIER: Much better.

PHILLIPS: You sure look good.

GONTHIER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Barry, let's -- let's talk to you. You were visiting the hospital. You went to Walter Reed, specifically the Malone House. First of all, why do you go?

ZITO: Well, first, I want to say hey, what's up, Mark? I haven't spoke to him since.

But I went to the hospital, you know, to kind of see the guys and meet them and, you know, if I could cheer them up or bring any type of happiness or just a break in the monotony to these guys and just let them know how much I respect them, and, you know, they have a lot of support in me and also in the fellow, you know, baseball players and teams that are going to get involved in this program.

PHILLIPS: We'll talk about the program in just a minute. Tell me how you met Mark?

ZITO: We were at the Malone House, where guys go when they get checked out of the actual hospital, and I was just, you know, signing autographs and pictures and kind of shooting the breeze with the guys. And he -- you know, he came up, and we were talking ball with him and another guy. And you know, it was pretty cool.

And then, you know, he gave me his Support the Troops bracelet, which I actually had one and gave it away and haven't been able to find one. And you know, it was very special when he gave me his, because you know, he had it on in Iraq, and actually, I never take it off. And I still have it on right now.

And, you know, there's an umpire in the game yesterday made me take it off for one inning, but it was in my pocket. And right after I came out, I put it back on.

PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what. I'll talk to that umpire. He won't make you take it off again. I'll put some public pressure on him.

ZITO: Please.

PHILLIPS: So Mark -- I will, I promise. Just give me his name, trust me. Mark, so Barry comes in, and did you know who he was? Did you recognize him right off the bat?

GONTHIER: Yes, I did.

PHILLIPS: And what was your reaction, and what did you think about this Major League player coming in to visit the guys and visit you?

GONTHIER: Finally something happened good to us.

ZITO: That's cool.

PHILLIPS: You've never met anybody famous until that point, right?

GONTHIER: Yes, that's correct.

PHILLIPS: So why did you give him your bracelet? GONTHIER: Just he was the first one and the first one that I got a baseball signed by a famous guy. And so, and then he didn't have one on his wrist, so I had to help him out there.

PHILLIPS: So Mark, we see guys like you, and we see you overseas and what you're doing for our country, and having so much courage. Yet, you come face to face with this Major League Baseball player, and you're not sure what to say. And you get a little nervous.

Tell me how he inspired you when and how he made you look, I guess, at things a little differently. Because you were -- you were dealing with a little bit of depression at the time?

GONTHIER: Yes, actually, after I got hit by the roadside bomb, it's just -- we never had anything good happen to us, but until I got to Malone House at Walter Reed, finally got to meet Barry Zito, and it was a pleasure, so...

PHILLIPS: Barry, you see what Mark has done, what these guys and these women continue to do. And you have this amazing lifestyle. Ballplayer, you don't have to worry about going overseas. When you look at that bracelet, when you met Mark, is it a humbling experience?

ZITO: Yes, it really is. And it's, you know -- I mean, in my eyes, you know, Mark is a lot more famous than I am, in a lot more -- you know, respected, I think, worldwide, especially by our fellow Americans because of the sacrifice that he has made for us.

And you know, to enable us really to play baseball and to do these things, and you know, that's -- it's just really inspiring to me, that you know, that I could have any kind of effect. Not just me but more man-to-man, it was just great to see and talk to him, and you know, I wish him a great recovery, and you know, every other guy, too.

PHILLIPS: Well, Barry, I know you're really close to your family. And you were sitting around brainstorming, thinking about what you could do. Tell us about now the Strikeouts for Troops program. And I'm going to talk about the web site, too. It's StrikeoutsForTroops.org. Great web site. Tell us how you came up with this idea and what you're hoping to achieve and how it's going to help guys like mark?

ZITO: Yes. Well, you know, my family and I were talking in the off-season, basically, in the wintertime, about how we could basically rally baseball back behind the troops, because it seems like they have been forgotten about to a certain extent by a lot of the country, you know.

And you know, we always do focus on the tragedies across the world. And we tend to forget some times that our fellow Americans are still putting their life on the line, you know, for our freedom. And I believe that's the most important thing at this point.

And so what we have designed is a program to basically raise money through different pitchers and also position players to donate money per strikeout or per home run or per RBI, and that would go to comforts, you know, providing comforts of home to guys recovering in Bethesda and Walter Reed and different military hospitals. And we can also, you know, get Oakland A's sponsors involved and various people just by going to the web site. And you can make any kind of donation, you know, whatever you feel is right.

PHILLIPS: Once again, it's StrikeoutsForTroops.org. Yes, we've got to rally up and get some more pitchers involved.

ZITO: Yes.

PHILLIPS: So Mark, are you watching the tube now? Are you watching Barry play?

GONTHIER: Yes, I am.

PHILLIPS: And do you have any advice for Barry you want to give him, you know? What do you think? Is his curveball okay? Is he looking good up there on the mound?

GONTHIER: He's looking good. But what happened on the game that you just played, Barry?

ZITO: Yes. We played yesterday and I only got one strikeout. I'm sorry, Mark. Sorry, Mark.

PHILLIPS: Mark, any other requests? You want to become a bat boy or maybe hang out on the dugout? What do you think? Now is your chance.

GONTHIER: Definitely, Barry. You've got to get me over there with you.

ZITO: Yes. You know, actually, we're coming to D.C. to play the Nationals, and when I get out there, man, you know, we've got to catch or hang or something, man.

GONTHIER: Definitely. Definitely.

ZITO: That would be great.

PHILLIPS: I love it. This is good. All right. Maybe we can talk Mark into throwing the first pitch. Who knows? You can give Barry a few pointers.

ZITO: Yes. You can show me how to strike some guys out, you know?

PHILLIPS: Well, this is a pretty awesome story. Barry, I'm glad to see you're wearing the bracelet. Mark, that was so awesome for you to give that up and give it to him. We'll be monitoring, of course, how many strikeouts that you're going to be making, Barry. No pressure, all right?

ZITO: All right. All right.

GONTHIER: That's good. PHILLIPS: And Mark, what's next for you?

GONTHIER: Back to Walter Reed and hopefully my home station in New York.

PHILLIPS: Well, we salute you. You're a brave man. Thanks for coming on CNN with us, also.

GONTHIER: Thank you, guys.

PHILLIPS: And Barry, thank you very much for your time and what you're doing for Mark and other men and women.

ZITO: My pleasure. My pleasure. Thank you.

PHILLIPS: We are now permanent A's fans here at LIVE FROM.

ZITO: That's great.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, guys.

Well, that wraps up this Monday edition of LIVE FROM. Now to take us through "INSIDE POLITICS," Judy Woodruff with a preview.

Hi, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Hi, Kyra. Thanks very much.

Do Americans think George W. Bush is doing a good job as president? We polled people across the country this weekend, and our new numbers come out just minutes from now.

Plus what may look like junk to some can be treasures to others. Our Bill Schneider visits a political memorabilia garage sale. We'll show you some of his finds when "INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired May 2, 2005 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: First, one of the United States' biggest allies in the war in Iraq is not toeing the line when it comes to that deadly friendly fire shooting in Baghdad. Sometime later today, we are expecting Italy to release a report on what happened at a U.S. checkpoint in Baghdad in March. By most accounts, it will differ sharply from a U.S. report exonerating American troops.
CNN's Jamie McIntyre is at the Pentagon with details of the U.S. investigation -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, the United States and Italy say they agree on the facts of the situation but not the conclusion. In fact, the U.S. and Italy are essentially blaming each other for the March 4 incident in which an Italian agent was killed and an Italian journalist was wounded.

A U.S. military investigation has found that the American soldier who fired into this Toyota did nothing wrong, even though it resulted in the death of agent Nicola Calipari and wounded Giuliana Sgrena, the Italian journalist whose release he had just secured.

The checkpoint shooting occurred, again, the evening of March 4 along the airport road. That is the 7 1/2-mile route between Baghdad and the airport. It's dubbed the deadliest road in Iraq.

Now, among the report's findings, 15 to 30 vehicles had been safely stopped at the checkpoint earlier that night. Driver admitted that he has -- was driving as fast as 50 miles an hour. The U.S. thinks it might have been even faster. The car did not slow down when signaled by a U.S. soldier holding a searchlight and laser pointer.

Again, these are the findings of the investigation, also that the car did not respond to a burst of warning fire and that the disabling fire that was fired by the soldier hit the right and front of the car, and that the time between the first shot and the car coming to a stop was no more than seven seconds.

In addition, an American soldier told investigators that the driver said afterwards, quote, "He heard shots from somewhere and that he panicked and started speeding, trying to get to the airport as quickly as possible."

And finally the report found no coordination at all between the Italian authorities and the U.S. government. They went on to say flatly, "The U.S. military was totally unaware of the recovery and transport of Ms. Sgrena on the night of incident until after the shooting incident had occurred." That, the conclusion of the Pentagon report.

Now the Italians have an entirely a completely interpretation of events. They believe that the checkpoint was poorly marked. They think that the warnings were inadequate. And they also contend, apparently, according to published reports in Italy, that they did inform the U.S. military and U.S. government.

But again, we have yet to see the formal Italian report, so we're not going to be able to say precisely why they have these divergent conclusions from essentially the same set of facts -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jamie McIntyre live at the Pentagon. Thank you.

Well, you know her face well, an Army reservist at the center of the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq. Today Lynndie England pleaded guilty to most of the charges against her, two counts of conspiracy, four of abusing detainees and one of committing an indecent act. All were tied to photos shown around the world, including the one you're about to see of England with a naked detainee on a dog leash.

The judge has yet to accept her plea deal. If he does, her military attorney wants a jury, not the judge, to decide that punishment. That means she could face as little as two years in prison, or as much as 11 years.

Well, that wasn't a veil that Jennifer Wilbanks was wearing on what was supposed to be her wedding night. She's not on her honeymoon today, so far as we know. But we do know that Wilbanks' convincing disappearing act and the unconvincing kidnap claim that followed it may bring her up before a judge, whether or not she ever gets to the altar.

CNN's Charles Molineaux is awaiting a verdict by prosecutors in Duluth, Georgia -- Charles.

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, at least some of that decision is in, Kyra. The district attorney here in Gwinnett County says that his office, he and his staff, have determined that they can press charges in this case. They've gone over the case law, have determined that they do have legal standing.

Now, we are standing by for a briefing that's supposed to be coming from the city. But one thing that the D.A. does say is that no decision on whether or not there will be criminal charges will be made today. It's going to be awhile while they continue their investigation.

Now, the runaway bride, Jennifer Wilbanks, set off a frantic search in her hometown of Duluth, Georgia, when she disappeared last Tuesday. Duluth's mayor estimates that cost the city $100,000 before police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, announced that Wilbanks had taken off in a case of pre-wedding jitters, took a bus there and then told them a story about being kidnapped, then admitted she made that up. District attorney Danny Porter here in Gwinnett County says that when Wilbanks then called police in Duluth with her bogus kidnapping story, that opened her up to possible charges here. He, his office and police have been going over how to handle this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANNY PORTER, GWINNETT COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: When I talked to the chief early Saturday morning, I said I'm not sure there there's a crime here in Gwinnett County, because if she just ran, then -- then she's not the one who reported herself missing. So there was no false report.

But then, as I began to get information about the conversation she had with the chief, the purchase of the ticket earlier, the altering of her appearance, the arrangements to get to the bus station, all those things started moving me in the direction of this is something I need to look into. This is something I need to think about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOLINEAUX: Well, again, we're standing by for any further updates from police and from the city of Duluth on this case, possibly including a time line about what exactly happened between Tuesday night, when Jennifer Wilbanks disappeared, and early Saturday morning, when she showed up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with her story and finally recanted it.

A lot of people around Duluth are pretty angry at her over what happened. Although there are some who are trying to be sympathetic, saying that perhaps she was just a little freaked out about this upcoming wedding. But Porter, for his part, says that it's going to be the law that guides what he decides to do next -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Charles, thank you.

And tonight at 10, "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN" goes beyond the headlines and takes an in-depth look at the twists and turns of the runaway bride case. Plus other high profile hoaxes. That's tonight, 10 Eastern.

Police in Los Angeles are trying to figure out whether six shootings that have happened on L.A. freeways since March are connected. The latest happened this weekend.

KCAL's Joel Conavel (ph) starts there and looks at two months of mayhem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOEL CONAVEL (PH), KCAL REPORTER: The 18-year-old man who was shot is lucky to be alive. He was hit two times while driving his car in the latest freeway shooting.

LT. JOHN DEL VECCHIO, LOS ANGELES POLICE: Early this morning, a little after 1 a.m., the victim was driving northbound on the 405 Freeway, just north of Roscoe Boulevard, when a dark colored vehicle drove up alongside of him and started firing rounds into his vehicle.

CONAVEL (ph): Even after the victim had two bullets in him, he was able to keep driving. He exited at Devonshire and drove for about a mile until by chance he ran into some firefighters on another emergency call at a Chevron gas station. That was at the corner of Devonshire and Balboa.

DEL VECCHIO: Possible suspect vehicle is described as a dark colored, either Honda or Nissan-type vehicle with four to five males with shaved heads.

CONAVEL (ph): this is the sixth shooting on Southern California freeways in the past two months.

The first was on the northbound 55 Freeway near Tustin. That's where a 26-year-old man was shot and killed. Then in April another man was shot but wounded, this time on the same freeway just a few miles away.

At the end of March, 26-year-old Michael Livingston died when his Camaro was sprayed with bullets on the 110 Freeway near Florence Avenue.

One week later, 47-year-old James Wiggins was shot and killed, also on the 100 Freeway, this time near Redondo Beach Boulevard. Then, one week after that shooting, a 32-year-old man was shot and killed as he was driving on the Marino Valley Freeway out in Riverside County.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm always, you know, on the look out. I'm a pretty safe driver.

CONAVEL (ph): With so many shootings so close together many drivers we spoke to told us they definitely think about it when they're driving on the freeway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And every time I see cars getting close to me, I -- it's very tense. It's very tense. Very, very -- I'm very concerned about it because anybody can just pull a gun and shoot you now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Other news across America now.

Two more men face charges in what police in Massachusetts say was a buried treasure hoax. All told, authorities accuse four men of stealing thousands of dollars in old bank notes and bills while on a roofing job. They were arrested after two of the men went on television to talk about finding the money buried in a backyard.

Thrill seekers hoping for a wild ride got a lot more than they bargained for last night. The Sky Surfer ride at a Phoenix amusement park got stuck, trapping 11 people 30 feet in the air. Firefighters brought them down on ladders and ropes. No one was hurt.

The search presses on for the body of a Boy Scout who fell overboard from a whale watching boat. The 14-year-old boy fell in the ocean Saturday off the New Jersey coast. Investigators did find a piece of clothing on the boat's propeller. It's unclear whether it belonged to that young boy.

Two South Carolina teenagers say it will be a while before they go fishing again after a weeklong ordeal at sea. Troy Driscoll and Josh Long set off April 24 from Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, and a rip current dragged their 14-foot-boat out to sea. They were found off the North Carolina coast near Cape Fear. That's 111 miles from where they started. Troy and Josh were dehydrated, hungry and sun burned but otherwise OK. Josh says they survived any way they could.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH LONG, SURVIVOR: Really, we didn't eat anything. Troy ate these little jelly balls that we could catch with my hat. We'd just scoop them up out of water. Water, the only thing we could do with the water is gargle with salt water and spit it out. And it drizzled one night, and we licked water off the deck, trying to get something in us. And that's all we had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Josh and Troy said they did a lot of praying, but Troy added, "We didn't even get a chance to fish."

Florida has a tough new law aimed at child sex abusers. It's called the Jessica Lunsford Act. Governor Jeb Bush signed the bill into law today. It requires convicted molesters of children under 12 to serve at least 25 years behind bars. Any offender released from prison would be tracked by global positioning satellite.

Nine-year-old Jessica Lunsford was kidnapped and murdered, allegedly by a convicted sex offender, John Evander Couey. Jessica's body was found in March. That act -- bearing was drafted by the Florida legislature immediately afterwards.

A check of the markets straight ahead, plus can you hear me now? MCI says "Yes, we can," to Verizon, but do its shareholders agree?

Plus, pitching in for a good cause. The Oakland A's Barry Zito joins me live to talk about his new idea for helping injured troops.

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PHILLIPS: A fowl deed for federal agents. That's f-o-w-l, and it involved relocating a mallard and her nine brand new babies from outside the U.S. Treasury Building in Washington. The Secret Service, no less, had been watching over mom and her nest since early April.

The move to a nearby park is intended to protect the little family from busy D.C. Traffic and perhaps to prevent little Huey, Dewy and Louie from running amok through the Treasury in search of great Uncle Scrooge McDuck.

Well, a soap opera-like twist in a telecom saga, Qwest is calling it quits with MCI. Susan Lisovicz has all the details now, live from New York at the stock exchange -- Susan.

(STOCK REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Susan.

Well, he may be on the baseball field. But Oakland A's pitcher Barry Zito is making a difference for those on the battlefield. Straight ahead on LIVE FROM, striking out for a good cause. Barry Zito joins me live, along with Specialist Mark Gonthier. Stay with us. We'll be right back.

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PHILLIPS: When Oakland A's pitcher Barry Zito took to the mound Sunday afternoon, he was looking for strikeouts, but his fastballs, curveballs and sliders are doing more than just helping his Major League record. They're working for a much bigger cause. He's making sure an injured soldier's mom has a place to stay while visiting her child or that a wounded Marine has a few more comforts of home while recuperating.

Barry Zito joins me live from our San Francisco bureau to talk about his Strikeouts for Troops program. And one of the wounded soldiers his cause is helping, Specialist Mark Gonthier, he joins me live from Washington. What a pleasure to have both of you here.

BARRY ZITO, OAKLAND A'S PITCHER: Thank you.

SPECIALIST MARY GONTHIER, U.S. ARMY: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Mark, let's -- let's start with you, and tell us what happened in Iraq and tell us about your injury?

GONTHIER: I was just on a regular patrol going down into Baghdad, Iraq, and we just took a side road off the highway. And I got hit by a roadside bomb. A piece of metal went through my left ear, and a piece went through my back.

PHILLIPS: And Mark, I see the picture of you in the hospital when you got back. No doubt, this was not an easy recovery.

GONTHIER: No, it wasn't.

PHILLIPS: How are you feeling now?

GONTHIER: Much better.

PHILLIPS: You sure look good.

GONTHIER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Barry, let's -- let's talk to you. You were visiting the hospital. You went to Walter Reed, specifically the Malone House. First of all, why do you go?

ZITO: Well, first, I want to say hey, what's up, Mark? I haven't spoke to him since.

But I went to the hospital, you know, to kind of see the guys and meet them and, you know, if I could cheer them up or bring any type of happiness or just a break in the monotony to these guys and just let them know how much I respect them, and, you know, they have a lot of support in me and also in the fellow, you know, baseball players and teams that are going to get involved in this program.

PHILLIPS: We'll talk about the program in just a minute. Tell me how you met Mark?

ZITO: We were at the Malone House, where guys go when they get checked out of the actual hospital, and I was just, you know, signing autographs and pictures and kind of shooting the breeze with the guys. And he -- you know, he came up, and we were talking ball with him and another guy. And you know, it was pretty cool.

And then, you know, he gave me his Support the Troops bracelet, which I actually had one and gave it away and haven't been able to find one. And you know, it was very special when he gave me his, because you know, he had it on in Iraq, and actually, I never take it off. And I still have it on right now.

And, you know, there's an umpire in the game yesterday made me take it off for one inning, but it was in my pocket. And right after I came out, I put it back on.

PHILLIPS: I'll tell you what. I'll talk to that umpire. He won't make you take it off again. I'll put some public pressure on him.

ZITO: Please.

PHILLIPS: So Mark -- I will, I promise. Just give me his name, trust me. Mark, so Barry comes in, and did you know who he was? Did you recognize him right off the bat?

GONTHIER: Yes, I did.

PHILLIPS: And what was your reaction, and what did you think about this Major League player coming in to visit the guys and visit you?

GONTHIER: Finally something happened good to us.

ZITO: That's cool.

PHILLIPS: You've never met anybody famous until that point, right?

GONTHIER: Yes, that's correct.

PHILLIPS: So why did you give him your bracelet? GONTHIER: Just he was the first one and the first one that I got a baseball signed by a famous guy. And so, and then he didn't have one on his wrist, so I had to help him out there.

PHILLIPS: So Mark, we see guys like you, and we see you overseas and what you're doing for our country, and having so much courage. Yet, you come face to face with this Major League Baseball player, and you're not sure what to say. And you get a little nervous.

Tell me how he inspired you when and how he made you look, I guess, at things a little differently. Because you were -- you were dealing with a little bit of depression at the time?

GONTHIER: Yes, actually, after I got hit by the roadside bomb, it's just -- we never had anything good happen to us, but until I got to Malone House at Walter Reed, finally got to meet Barry Zito, and it was a pleasure, so...

PHILLIPS: Barry, you see what Mark has done, what these guys and these women continue to do. And you have this amazing lifestyle. Ballplayer, you don't have to worry about going overseas. When you look at that bracelet, when you met Mark, is it a humbling experience?

ZITO: Yes, it really is. And it's, you know -- I mean, in my eyes, you know, Mark is a lot more famous than I am, in a lot more -- you know, respected, I think, worldwide, especially by our fellow Americans because of the sacrifice that he has made for us.

And you know, to enable us really to play baseball and to do these things, and you know, that's -- it's just really inspiring to me, that you know, that I could have any kind of effect. Not just me but more man-to-man, it was just great to see and talk to him, and you know, I wish him a great recovery, and you know, every other guy, too.

PHILLIPS: Well, Barry, I know you're really close to your family. And you were sitting around brainstorming, thinking about what you could do. Tell us about now the Strikeouts for Troops program. And I'm going to talk about the web site, too. It's StrikeoutsForTroops.org. Great web site. Tell us how you came up with this idea and what you're hoping to achieve and how it's going to help guys like mark?

ZITO: Yes. Well, you know, my family and I were talking in the off-season, basically, in the wintertime, about how we could basically rally baseball back behind the troops, because it seems like they have been forgotten about to a certain extent by a lot of the country, you know.

And you know, we always do focus on the tragedies across the world. And we tend to forget some times that our fellow Americans are still putting their life on the line, you know, for our freedom. And I believe that's the most important thing at this point.

And so what we have designed is a program to basically raise money through different pitchers and also position players to donate money per strikeout or per home run or per RBI, and that would go to comforts, you know, providing comforts of home to guys recovering in Bethesda and Walter Reed and different military hospitals. And we can also, you know, get Oakland A's sponsors involved and various people just by going to the web site. And you can make any kind of donation, you know, whatever you feel is right.

PHILLIPS: Once again, it's StrikeoutsForTroops.org. Yes, we've got to rally up and get some more pitchers involved.

ZITO: Yes.

PHILLIPS: So Mark, are you watching the tube now? Are you watching Barry play?

GONTHIER: Yes, I am.

PHILLIPS: And do you have any advice for Barry you want to give him, you know? What do you think? Is his curveball okay? Is he looking good up there on the mound?

GONTHIER: He's looking good. But what happened on the game that you just played, Barry?

ZITO: Yes. We played yesterday and I only got one strikeout. I'm sorry, Mark. Sorry, Mark.

PHILLIPS: Mark, any other requests? You want to become a bat boy or maybe hang out on the dugout? What do you think? Now is your chance.

GONTHIER: Definitely, Barry. You've got to get me over there with you.

ZITO: Yes. You know, actually, we're coming to D.C. to play the Nationals, and when I get out there, man, you know, we've got to catch or hang or something, man.

GONTHIER: Definitely. Definitely.

ZITO: That would be great.

PHILLIPS: I love it. This is good. All right. Maybe we can talk Mark into throwing the first pitch. Who knows? You can give Barry a few pointers.

ZITO: Yes. You can show me how to strike some guys out, you know?

PHILLIPS: Well, this is a pretty awesome story. Barry, I'm glad to see you're wearing the bracelet. Mark, that was so awesome for you to give that up and give it to him. We'll be monitoring, of course, how many strikeouts that you're going to be making, Barry. No pressure, all right?

ZITO: All right. All right.

GONTHIER: That's good. PHILLIPS: And Mark, what's next for you?

GONTHIER: Back to Walter Reed and hopefully my home station in New York.

PHILLIPS: Well, we salute you. You're a brave man. Thanks for coming on CNN with us, also.

GONTHIER: Thank you, guys.

PHILLIPS: And Barry, thank you very much for your time and what you're doing for Mark and other men and women.

ZITO: My pleasure. My pleasure. Thank you.

PHILLIPS: We are now permanent A's fans here at LIVE FROM.

ZITO: That's great.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, guys.

Well, that wraps up this Monday edition of LIVE FROM. Now to take us through "INSIDE POLITICS," Judy Woodruff with a preview.

Hi, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF, HOST, "INSIDE POLITICS": Hi, Kyra. Thanks very much.

Do Americans think George W. Bush is doing a good job as president? We polled people across the country this weekend, and our new numbers come out just minutes from now.

Plus what may look like junk to some can be treasures to others. Our Bill Schneider visits a political memorabilia garage sale. We'll show you some of his finds when "INSIDE POLITICS" begins in just a moment.

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