Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

How Many Wars?; BTK Suspect Arraignment; Driver's License Bill

Aired May 03, 2005 - 14:00   ET

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

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


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Is America's military stretched too thinly? Could the Pentagon handle one more hotspot? Well, the military's highest ranking officer reports to Congress.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Is it too easy to get a driver's license in the U.S.? A move for tighter restrictions to keep the proof of I.D. from falling into the wrong hands.

PHILLIPS: Live pictures now of the Big Board, the New York Stock Exchange. Traders are awaiting the Fed's decision on interest rates and its assessment of the U.S. economy. Both are expected in just a few minutes.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.

O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

PHILLIPS: Well, you do the math. X number of troops, guns, tanks, planes, spread among Y number of wars, conflicts, commitments, and the answer is a prime concern to the Pentagon, not to mention the president. And today we're getting two seemingly different bottom line from the same source.

In his primetime news conference last week, President Bush said Joint Chief's chairman Richard Myers told him the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan aren't limiting America's ability to fight elsewhere, but in a new report to Congress, Myers says otherwise.

More now on the he said-he said from CNN's Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, this is basically a status report that the chairman delivers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Congress every year on the military's ability to carry out its war plans as designed. A senior Pentagon official tells CNN that because of those two continuing deployments, both in Iraq and Afghanistan, General Richard Myers' report this time does conclude that speed and precision to respond elsewhere in the world would suffer. Essentially, other armed conflicts would likely last longer and produce higher casualties, as well as more collateral damage.

The report does conclude, however, that the United States would still have the ability to win another military face-off. The official explaining, "It just wouldn't be as pretty."

Pentagon spokesman Brian Whitman (ph) today downplayed the report's findings, saying, "What is certain is the U.S. military remains capable of executing every mission it is assigned."

The report does cite as some areas which are particularly stressed on the battle front, stockpiles of precision weapons, the availability of propositioned equipment that's necessary for war, such as vehicles and supplies, and then finally reserve units, the manpower, really reservists providing much of the combat support duty in Iraq at the moment. And Kyra, the situation is not likely to change anytime soon, since the Pentagon has no sort of timetable for U.S. troops to leave either Iraq or Afghanistan.

PHILLIPS: All right. Kathleen Koch, thank you so much.

And still no signs of the second U.S. pilot presumed killed in last night's crash of two FA-18 strike fighters in southern Iraq. It's believed the jets, based on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, collided in a sandstorm, which is hampering efforts to locate the wreckage and the remains. One pilot's body was found today.

Oaths, vows and vacancies in Baghdad today, as most of Iraq's transitional government is sworn in. Shiites and Kurds account for most of the new ministers, but Sunnis are represented also. Nine of the 37 slots are still unfilled. Those include such high profile portfolios as oil and defense.

Are Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Sheik Abu Ahmad one and the same? Well, a letter addressed to the latter turned up in a raid last week in the Iraqi capital, a letter lamenting low morale and incompetence among insurgents. U.S. forces are uncertain the true addressee is Zarqawi, but they like what they read.

O'BRIEN: In this country, a plea in a notorious serial killer case. Dennis Rader, the man police say bound, tortured and killed at least 10 people, was in court today. CNN's Jonathan Freed live now from Wichita, Kansas, with more on that -- Jonathan.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Miles.

It was at 9:00 this morning here in Wichita that Dennis Rader walked into court here at the Sedgwick County Courthouse and did what his attorneys have been telegraphing for the past two week he was going to do, and that is enter a plea of not guilty in the 10 counts of first-degree murder that are facing him, murders that spanned a -- three decades, Miles, 30 years of a time period during which the people here in Wichita have been living in fear of the BTK strangler.

Now, let's listen to how it all went down this morning, right here at the Sedgwick County Courthouse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this time, the defendant would stand mute as to plea and ask the court to enter the appropriate plea and set the matter for trial.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very well. On the defendant's standing, mute, the court will enter a plea of not guilty. I will set this matter for a jury trial on June 27.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREED: So we are hearing the judge there, Miles, set a trial date of the 27th of June. Nobody here, including the district attorney, actually expect it to happen on the 27th of June, just given the sheer size of this case.

It spans three decades. They say it's going to take at least until the fall. They're kicking around a possible date, Miles, of October, but are saying it could go even significantly beyond that, until everybody is really ready to move this forward to trial.

O'BRIEN: Jonathan Freed in Wichita, thank you very much. Anderson Cooper and Paula Zahn both have special coverage of the BTK case tonight, 7:00 p.m. Eastern. What's it like to live in a home targeted by the BTK suspect? And then at 8:00 Eastern, meet the neighbor of the BTK suspect.

PHILLIPS: News "Across America" now.

State highway patrol officers are investigating the eighth southern California freeway shooting in two months. A bullet pierced the windshield of an SUV yesterday during the afternoon rush hour on Highway 14. The highway patrol has created a new team dedicated to tracking down leads in freeway shooting cases.

Fears of HIV exposure have been squashed for the parents of 19 schoolchildren pricked by a diabetes testing needle last week. One of the children pricked had tested positive in a prelim HIV test. A more definitive test says the child is negative for the virus that causes AIDS.

In Durham, North Carolina, a bold smash and grab that could be called a drive-through robbery. As stunned employees watched, the thieves backed their stolen pickup through a Costco door, shattered the store's jewelry case and sped off with their haul.

O'BRIEN: Well, here's a worst-case scenario, terrorists attacking the United States with a nuclear device. Quick and proper action could save many lives in the aftermath. But a U.S. security expert telling the CNN the government hasn't adequately prepared first responders and, for that matter, the public, for such an event.

Evacuating people downwind of a radiation cloud, for example, would call for rapid decision-making and some execution. But former Deputy Homeland Security Adviser Richard Falkenrath says the country is not ready for such a scenario right now. Homeland Security officials say they've made progress in planning a response to nuclear terrorism, however.

Also in our "Security Watch" today, drivers' licenses. Getting one may soon mean tougher scrutiny.

Congress moving towards requiring states to check whether applicants are in this country legally. Critics say that's a step closer to turning a driver's license into a national I.D. card. Supporter say it's good for national security.

CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Antonio. That's not his real name, because he's not legally, and he's not alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody needs immigrants. Look, you see? How many immigrants in the world? A lot.

JOHNS (on camera): Everywhere you look?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

JOHNS: Do you think they're all legal? Do you think they're all documented?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think so. They need work. They work.

JOHNS (voice-over): Antonio is from Mexico. He doesn't have citizenship or a green card, but he does have a driver's license, and that's got some in Congress upset. They say, if he can get a license, so could terrorists, like they did on 9/11.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), CALIFORNIA: Nineteen terrorists had 63 drivers' licenses.

JOHNS: But Antonio said he's no terrorist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are honest people, you work, you make -- you produce, you pay taxes. I don't know what is the real problem.

JOHNS: The problem is that drivers' licenses are used for identification, for everything from getting on to a plane to buying a firearm. The congressional measure would require that all states get proof people are in the country legally before giving out licenses. At least 10 states don't do that now, including Maryland, where Antonio lives and works renovating homes.

(on camera): What would happen to your business if they took away your driver's license?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know exactly, because if they take away my license driver, it's like taking off my hands.

JOHNS (voice-over): Backers of tougher rules insist they are not meddling in states' rights, just trying to create national standards. And they keep coming back to the 9/11 hijackers.

REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R), WISCONSIN: So they used a legitimately legally-issued state driver's license to get on the plane. JOHNS: But even some supporters of national standards say the proposal could lead to one kind of license for people who prove their legal and a lower-level license for people who don't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We called it the scarlet letter license. Because if you are here illegally and you're in an accident, do you want everybody to know that you're not here legally? I wouldn't think so.

JOHNS: And that could result in some immigrants too scared to even get a license. But they would drive any way with know test and no insurance. Without a license on file the state might not even know their names.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

JOHNS (on camera): And where you are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

JOHNS: And how to find you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very simple.

JOHNS (voice-over): It's a tough choice, balancing public safety with the risk of driving illegal immigrants further into the shadows.

Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: 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.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're also committed to keeping our eye on one of most important numbers in the U.S. economy.

O'BRIEN: Moments away now from the Federal Reserve's announcement about interest rates. We'll bring it to you when it happens.

PHILLIPS: Also, when this man talked, he amazed everyone. The reason, well, he's not been able to speak for more than nine years after being injured on his job as a firefighter. We're going to have his amazing story straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Are you in the market for a new car? Considering buying or leasing? Log onto cnnmoney.com before you get behind the wheel.

In those new car ads on TV, monthly lease payments look a lot lower than loan payments from purchasing, but leasing is not for everyone. Before you make a decision, answer these three questions: Do you trade in your car every four years or less? Do you drive less than 15,000 miles a year? Are you looking to skip a down payment of 10 to 20 percent?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider leasing and try these helpful tips...

Master the jargon. You can't successfully negotiate a lease without becoming fluent in industry terms. When you're doing your shopping, try to find a manufacturer-subsidized lease.

These offers, featured in splashy ads often seen in the auto section of your newspaper, can be the best deals in town. Set a target price and negotiate hard. Look at the real market price of the car and start a little below that. That way, when you're bidding you end up with a price you want to pay.

Still on the fence when it comes to buying or leasing? Crunch the numbers. This online calculator will help you decide which is the better option.

Again, you can find it all online at cnnmoney.com/autotips.

For the dot-com news desk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: All right. It's decision day at the Federal Reserve. Will the cost of borrowing money go up again? Probably. You know, the big word here is "measured." Will it be measured?

PHILLIPS: Miles is patiently awaiting the word, along with everybody else...

O'BRIEN: Measured. Measured.

PHILLIPS: ... because of all his investments and homes he's try to sell, you know. Our financial correspondent...

O'BRIEN: I'm always measuring.

PHILLIPS: ... Susan Lisovicz.

O'BRIEN: Susan Lisovicz...

PHILLIPS: ... monitoring everything.

O'BRIEN: Measured. That is an important word.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, keeping order in Afghanistan and trying to stop the violence in Iraq. Is America's military pulled in too many directions? We're going to talk about a new report to Congress. Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON MANKA, DON HERBERT'S UNCLE: He did initiate a question, "How long have I been -- been away?" And his -- we told him almost 10 years. And his response to that was that he thought it was only three months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: ... this is truly the story of the day. A firefighter suffering with a head injury for years makes an amazing recovery. His story just ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Back on their own, back in the ocean. Volunteers released seven rough-toothed dolphins -- hope they saw a dentist while they were on land -- off the Florida Keys. Kind of smooth them out a little bit.

Two months of rehab there. The mammals were among 68 that were stranded on a mud flat in March. Three dozen died, we're sorry to tell you, but 32 were rescued, treated at the South Florida Marine Mammal Centers. Volunteers who have been caring for them say this is the day they live for. Congratulations to them and the dolphins -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, he spent almost a decade in silence after suffering horrible injuries. Now a New York man is talking again, startling his family and friends. Stephanie Hoey from affiliate WKBW has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANKA: The word of the day on Saturday was "amazing." That's the word.

STEPHANIE HOEY, REPORTER, WKBW (voice-over): Simon Manka, speaking on behalf of his nephew, Don Herbert's family. The buffalo firefighter suffered severe brain damage 10 years ago when a roof fell in on him while fighting a fire.

Since then, Don's only been able to say a word or two at a time. But suddenly on Saturday, the sentences flowed, one after another.

MANKA: Well, it was spontaneous, yes. Don had asked for wife. His wife came down and certain conversations ensued.

HOEY (on camera): After being moved around to a few different facilities, Don was brought here to Father Baker Manor in 1997. His family says when he talked Saturday, he thought he had only been away for three months.

(voice-over): He quickly learned otherwise when he talked to his son Nicholas, now 13 years old.

MANKA: Nicholas was 3 when his father was injured. And Donny, when he spoke with him, he goes, "That can't be Nicholas. Nicholas is -- Nicholas can't talk," you know? And so that -- he goes, "No, dad, it is Nicholas."

HOEY: Family members say they're overwhelmed by Don's progress but they remain cautious. Don's prognosis is still not clear.

MANKA: I'm a family member. I hope he recovers 100 percent. I don't know what else to tell you on that front.

As far as the prognosis, I'm not a doctor. We have to wait for the evaluation of his physicians in order to be able to answer that question.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Once again, that was Stephanie Hoey from affiliate WKBW reporting.

O'BRIEN: We have been following the career of a remarkable Army captain. His name is David Roselle. Ahead, he's back in Iraq, inspiring a whole new group of soldiers. And we'll explain his amazing firsts to you.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: "Now in the News," a sheriff's investigator says Michael Jackson's ex-wife, Deborah Rowe, told him last year the pop star was a sociopath. Prosecutors told the court that they called the witness to impeach Rowe's previous testimony that Jackson is a wonderful parent and a victim of, in her words, opportunistic vultures. The prosecution is expected to wrap up its case soon.

The process has begun for deciding how Private 1st Class Lynndie England will be punished for her role in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. A military jury at Fort Hood, Texas, will be comprised of officers and senior enlisted personnel. England yesterday pleaded guilty to abusing inmates at the Iraqi prison.

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 May 3, 2005 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Is America's military stretched too thinly? Could the Pentagon handle one more hotspot? Well, the military's highest ranking officer reports to Congress.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Is it too easy to get a driver's license in the U.S.? A move for tighter restrictions to keep the proof of I.D. from falling into the wrong hands.

PHILLIPS: Live pictures now of the Big Board, the New York Stock Exchange. Traders are awaiting the Fed's decision on interest rates and its assessment of the U.S. economy. Both are expected in just a few minutes.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.

O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

PHILLIPS: Well, you do the math. X number of troops, guns, tanks, planes, spread among Y number of wars, conflicts, commitments, and the answer is a prime concern to the Pentagon, not to mention the president. And today we're getting two seemingly different bottom line from the same source.

In his primetime news conference last week, President Bush said Joint Chief's chairman Richard Myers told him the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan aren't limiting America's ability to fight elsewhere, but in a new report to Congress, Myers says otherwise.

More now on the he said-he said from CNN's Kathleen Koch at the Pentagon -- Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, this is basically a status report that the chairman delivers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Congress every year on the military's ability to carry out its war plans as designed. A senior Pentagon official tells CNN that because of those two continuing deployments, both in Iraq and Afghanistan, General Richard Myers' report this time does conclude that speed and precision to respond elsewhere in the world would suffer. Essentially, other armed conflicts would likely last longer and produce higher casualties, as well as more collateral damage.

The report does conclude, however, that the United States would still have the ability to win another military face-off. The official explaining, "It just wouldn't be as pretty."

Pentagon spokesman Brian Whitman (ph) today downplayed the report's findings, saying, "What is certain is the U.S. military remains capable of executing every mission it is assigned."

The report does cite as some areas which are particularly stressed on the battle front, stockpiles of precision weapons, the availability of propositioned equipment that's necessary for war, such as vehicles and supplies, and then finally reserve units, the manpower, really reservists providing much of the combat support duty in Iraq at the moment. And Kyra, the situation is not likely to change anytime soon, since the Pentagon has no sort of timetable for U.S. troops to leave either Iraq or Afghanistan.

PHILLIPS: All right. Kathleen Koch, thank you so much.

And still no signs of the second U.S. pilot presumed killed in last night's crash of two FA-18 strike fighters in southern Iraq. It's believed the jets, based on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, collided in a sandstorm, which is hampering efforts to locate the wreckage and the remains. One pilot's body was found today.

Oaths, vows and vacancies in Baghdad today, as most of Iraq's transitional government is sworn in. Shiites and Kurds account for most of the new ministers, but Sunnis are represented also. Nine of the 37 slots are still unfilled. Those include such high profile portfolios as oil and defense.

Are Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Sheik Abu Ahmad one and the same? Well, a letter addressed to the latter turned up in a raid last week in the Iraqi capital, a letter lamenting low morale and incompetence among insurgents. U.S. forces are uncertain the true addressee is Zarqawi, but they like what they read.

O'BRIEN: In this country, a plea in a notorious serial killer case. Dennis Rader, the man police say bound, tortured and killed at least 10 people, was in court today. CNN's Jonathan Freed live now from Wichita, Kansas, with more on that -- Jonathan.

JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Miles.

It was at 9:00 this morning here in Wichita that Dennis Rader walked into court here at the Sedgwick County Courthouse and did what his attorneys have been telegraphing for the past two week he was going to do, and that is enter a plea of not guilty in the 10 counts of first-degree murder that are facing him, murders that spanned a -- three decades, Miles, 30 years of a time period during which the people here in Wichita have been living in fear of the BTK strangler.

Now, let's listen to how it all went down this morning, right here at the Sedgwick County Courthouse.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this time, the defendant would stand mute as to plea and ask the court to enter the appropriate plea and set the matter for trial.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very well. On the defendant's standing, mute, the court will enter a plea of not guilty. I will set this matter for a jury trial on June 27.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREED: So we are hearing the judge there, Miles, set a trial date of the 27th of June. Nobody here, including the district attorney, actually expect it to happen on the 27th of June, just given the sheer size of this case.

It spans three decades. They say it's going to take at least until the fall. They're kicking around a possible date, Miles, of October, but are saying it could go even significantly beyond that, until everybody is really ready to move this forward to trial.

O'BRIEN: Jonathan Freed in Wichita, thank you very much. Anderson Cooper and Paula Zahn both have special coverage of the BTK case tonight, 7:00 p.m. Eastern. What's it like to live in a home targeted by the BTK suspect? And then at 8:00 Eastern, meet the neighbor of the BTK suspect.

PHILLIPS: News "Across America" now.

State highway patrol officers are investigating the eighth southern California freeway shooting in two months. A bullet pierced the windshield of an SUV yesterday during the afternoon rush hour on Highway 14. The highway patrol has created a new team dedicated to tracking down leads in freeway shooting cases.

Fears of HIV exposure have been squashed for the parents of 19 schoolchildren pricked by a diabetes testing needle last week. One of the children pricked had tested positive in a prelim HIV test. A more definitive test says the child is negative for the virus that causes AIDS.

In Durham, North Carolina, a bold smash and grab that could be called a drive-through robbery. As stunned employees watched, the thieves backed their stolen pickup through a Costco door, shattered the store's jewelry case and sped off with their haul.

O'BRIEN: Well, here's a worst-case scenario, terrorists attacking the United States with a nuclear device. Quick and proper action could save many lives in the aftermath. But a U.S. security expert telling the CNN the government hasn't adequately prepared first responders and, for that matter, the public, for such an event.

Evacuating people downwind of a radiation cloud, for example, would call for rapid decision-making and some execution. But former Deputy Homeland Security Adviser Richard Falkenrath says the country is not ready for such a scenario right now. Homeland Security officials say they've made progress in planning a response to nuclear terrorism, however.

Also in our "Security Watch" today, drivers' licenses. Getting one may soon mean tougher scrutiny.

Congress moving towards requiring states to check whether applicants are in this country legally. Critics say that's a step closer to turning a driver's license into a national I.D. card. Supporter say it's good for national security.

CNN congressional correspondent Joe Johns with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is Antonio. That's not his real name, because he's not legally, and he's not alone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody needs immigrants. Look, you see? How many immigrants in the world? A lot.

JOHNS (on camera): Everywhere you look?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

JOHNS: Do you think they're all legal? Do you think they're all documented?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think so. They need work. They work.

JOHNS (voice-over): Antonio is from Mexico. He doesn't have citizenship or a green card, but he does have a driver's license, and that's got some in Congress upset. They say, if he can get a license, so could terrorists, like they did on 9/11.

REP. DUNCAN HUNTER (R), CALIFORNIA: Nineteen terrorists had 63 drivers' licenses.

JOHNS: But Antonio said he's no terrorist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are honest people, you work, you make -- you produce, you pay taxes. I don't know what is the real problem.

JOHNS: The problem is that drivers' licenses are used for identification, for everything from getting on to a plane to buying a firearm. The congressional measure would require that all states get proof people are in the country legally before giving out licenses. At least 10 states don't do that now, including Maryland, where Antonio lives and works renovating homes.

(on camera): What would happen to your business if they took away your driver's license?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know exactly, because if they take away my license driver, it's like taking off my hands.

JOHNS (voice-over): Backers of tougher rules insist they are not meddling in states' rights, just trying to create national standards. And they keep coming back to the 9/11 hijackers.

REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R), WISCONSIN: So they used a legitimately legally-issued state driver's license to get on the plane. JOHNS: But even some supporters of national standards say the proposal could lead to one kind of license for people who prove their legal and a lower-level license for people who don't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We called it the scarlet letter license. Because if you are here illegally and you're in an accident, do you want everybody to know that you're not here legally? I wouldn't think so.

JOHNS: And that could result in some immigrants too scared to even get a license. But they would drive any way with know test and no insurance. Without a license on file the state might not even know their names.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

JOHNS (on camera): And where you are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

JOHNS: And how to find you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very simple.

JOHNS (voice-over): It's a tough choice, balancing public safety with the risk of driving illegal immigrants further into the shadows.

Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: 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.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're also committed to keeping our eye on one of most important numbers in the U.S. economy.

O'BRIEN: Moments away now from the Federal Reserve's announcement about interest rates. We'll bring it to you when it happens.

PHILLIPS: Also, when this man talked, he amazed everyone. The reason, well, he's not been able to speak for more than nine years after being injured on his job as a firefighter. We're going to have his amazing story straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Are you in the market for a new car? Considering buying or leasing? Log onto cnnmoney.com before you get behind the wheel.

In those new car ads on TV, monthly lease payments look a lot lower than loan payments from purchasing, but leasing is not for everyone. Before you make a decision, answer these three questions: Do you trade in your car every four years or less? Do you drive less than 15,000 miles a year? Are you looking to skip a down payment of 10 to 20 percent?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider leasing and try these helpful tips...

Master the jargon. You can't successfully negotiate a lease without becoming fluent in industry terms. When you're doing your shopping, try to find a manufacturer-subsidized lease.

These offers, featured in splashy ads often seen in the auto section of your newspaper, can be the best deals in town. Set a target price and negotiate hard. Look at the real market price of the car and start a little below that. That way, when you're bidding you end up with a price you want to pay.

Still on the fence when it comes to buying or leasing? Crunch the numbers. This online calculator will help you decide which is the better option.

Again, you can find it all online at cnnmoney.com/autotips.

For the dot-com news desk, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: All right. It's decision day at the Federal Reserve. Will the cost of borrowing money go up again? Probably. You know, the big word here is "measured." Will it be measured?

PHILLIPS: Miles is patiently awaiting the word, along with everybody else...

O'BRIEN: Measured. Measured.

PHILLIPS: ... because of all his investments and homes he's try to sell, you know. Our financial correspondent...

O'BRIEN: I'm always measuring.

PHILLIPS: ... Susan Lisovicz.

O'BRIEN: Susan Lisovicz...

PHILLIPS: ... monitoring everything.

O'BRIEN: Measured. That is an important word.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, keeping order in Afghanistan and trying to stop the violence in Iraq. Is America's military pulled in too many directions? We're going to talk about a new report to Congress. Also ahead...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON MANKA, DON HERBERT'S UNCLE: He did initiate a question, "How long have I been -- been away?" And his -- we told him almost 10 years. And his response to that was that he thought it was only three months.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: ... this is truly the story of the day. A firefighter suffering with a head injury for years makes an amazing recovery. His story just ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Back on their own, back in the ocean. Volunteers released seven rough-toothed dolphins -- hope they saw a dentist while they were on land -- off the Florida Keys. Kind of smooth them out a little bit.

Two months of rehab there. The mammals were among 68 that were stranded on a mud flat in March. Three dozen died, we're sorry to tell you, but 32 were rescued, treated at the South Florida Marine Mammal Centers. Volunteers who have been caring for them say this is the day they live for. Congratulations to them and the dolphins -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, he spent almost a decade in silence after suffering horrible injuries. Now a New York man is talking again, startling his family and friends. Stephanie Hoey from affiliate WKBW has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANKA: The word of the day on Saturday was "amazing." That's the word.

STEPHANIE HOEY, REPORTER, WKBW (voice-over): Simon Manka, speaking on behalf of his nephew, Don Herbert's family. The buffalo firefighter suffered severe brain damage 10 years ago when a roof fell in on him while fighting a fire.

Since then, Don's only been able to say a word or two at a time. But suddenly on Saturday, the sentences flowed, one after another.

MANKA: Well, it was spontaneous, yes. Don had asked for wife. His wife came down and certain conversations ensued.

HOEY (on camera): After being moved around to a few different facilities, Don was brought here to Father Baker Manor in 1997. His family says when he talked Saturday, he thought he had only been away for three months.

(voice-over): He quickly learned otherwise when he talked to his son Nicholas, now 13 years old.

MANKA: Nicholas was 3 when his father was injured. And Donny, when he spoke with him, he goes, "That can't be Nicholas. Nicholas is -- Nicholas can't talk," you know? And so that -- he goes, "No, dad, it is Nicholas."

HOEY: Family members say they're overwhelmed by Don's progress but they remain cautious. Don's prognosis is still not clear.

MANKA: I'm a family member. I hope he recovers 100 percent. I don't know what else to tell you on that front.

As far as the prognosis, I'm not a doctor. We have to wait for the evaluation of his physicians in order to be able to answer that question.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Once again, that was Stephanie Hoey from affiliate WKBW reporting.

O'BRIEN: We have been following the career of a remarkable Army captain. His name is David Roselle. Ahead, he's back in Iraq, inspiring a whole new group of soldiers. And we'll explain his amazing firsts to you.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: "Now in the News," a sheriff's investigator says Michael Jackson's ex-wife, Deborah Rowe, told him last year the pop star was a sociopath. Prosecutors told the court that they called the witness to impeach Rowe's previous testimony that Jackson is a wonderful parent and a victim of, in her words, opportunistic vultures. The prosecution is expected to wrap up its case soon.

The process has begun for deciding how Private 1st Class Lynndie England will be punished for her role in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. A military jury at Fort Hood, Texas, will be comprised of officers and senior enlisted personnel. England yesterday pleaded guilty to abusing inmates at the Iraqi prison.

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