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Israeli Pullout; Three Bombs Explode in Baghdad, Killing 43

Aired August 17, 2005 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Eviction day. Strong emotions and deadly violence as Israel settlers are literally dragged from their homes.
Sentencing a serial killer. Testimony starting up again this hour in a Wichita courtroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One person definitely can make a difference. And even if it's only a small difference, they can possibly inspire other people.

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WHITFIELD: Home team hero. One young man's inspiration brings America's pastime to children in Iraq.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in for Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now.

A massive forced evacuation of Jewish settlers in Gaza is under way. Scores are being dragged out from their homes. Some sobbing, others fighting mad. The controversial move was ordered by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in a bid to fulfill his promise to end 38 years of occupation.

CNN's Guy Raz is in the middle of the action.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The moment both soldiers and settlers dreaded now under way in earnest. Struggles were expected. So was the resistance and the arrests. But in the end, those who chose to stay and resist were no match for the thousands of Israeli soldiers.

Some burnt barricades, a futile attempt to stop Israeli's military machine. Others hurled abuse at the soldiers they once regarded as heroes. Torn clothing, the symbol of death in Jewish tradition, worn by the most distraught.

In the synagogue, thousands of defiant youngsters milled about, waiting for the inevitable evacuation. These were once the political children of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Today, the prime minister was called a Nazi by the very same people who once celebrated him. "Hurt me," the prime minister appealed in a televised news conference. "I am responsible for this. I will take the blame," he said. "But do not attack the soldiers and police."

The scenes were dramatic on the fist day of evacuation. But surprisingly, the army says things were calmer than expected, with an estimated 60 percent of the settlers already out.

(on camera): For now, it's still a low intensity standoff, but an emotional test for both soldiers and settlers, brothers, but now opponents as well.

Guy Raz, CNN, Neveh Dekalim settlement, Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Some 14,000 Israel troops are involved in the Gaza evacuation. One settlement where resistance is particularly strong is Neveh Dekalim.

CNN's John Vause is there and joins us live -- John.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Fredricka.

Across the Gaza Strip, thousands of settlers have now packed up and left either voluntarily or by force. But here in Neveh Dekalim, the evacuation goes on.

A lot of the settlers have decided to leave. They were carried out earlier today. But one area of concern right now is the synagogue. That's where we are.

If you take a look up here, inside the synagogue, what we're being told by police is that there could be a thousand, maybe more, young Jewish teenagers inside this synagogue right now, girls on the left, boys on the right. A lot of the Jewish teenagers inside this synagogue are not residents of Neveh Dekalim. They've come into this settlement over the last couple of weeks, avoiding the security checkpoints on the way in, sneaking in here as a show of support for the people of Neveh Dekalim.

And if we just pan around to the left, we'll take a look at the scene outside. You can see a lot of the residents, a lot of people out here on the lawns of the synagogue showing their support for the people inside the synagogue. And the smoke you see in the distance is the smoke which is coming from burning tires.

A little bit further, you can probably see a long line of police here surrounding the synagogue now. And in front of the police, you can see the residents of Neveh Dekalim, the settlers who are talking to the police.

They're coming out saying, "We are your friends, you don't have to do this." Please -- you know, "Join us. Put down your weapons, if you have them and join us. You don't have to be part of this." And all day long we've heard the refrain "Jews do not expel Jews." But what the police are now saying is that really time is definitely running out for the -- for these people inside this synagogue. If they leave peacefully, then they will not be arrested. However, if they don't, then they will be dealt with decisively -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And John, then exactly what is the timeline? John, if you can hear me, if you can explain what the timeline is, because it seems to be fluctuating.

VAUSE: You know, I can't hear what you're saying right now.

WHITFIELD: All right.

VAUSE: But one of the other issues, Fredricka...

WHITFIELD: All right.

VAUSE: ... of course, is the resistance at the other settlements. There was a great deal of concern that at some of those more hard-core settlements, such as Morag, or in the south, that the police could be shot at. That hasn't happened.

This has all gone off very, very peacefully. A lot of the weapons were collected from the settlers, the government-issued weapons were collected from the settlers in the weeks leading up to this. And one of the reasons why this has actually taken off in such a speed is because the police and the army have simply flooded this area with -- with numbers, basically overwhelming the resistance which they came - which they have come across.

And the other point, really, is that the leaders of these communities have implored the people here not to fight back, not to hit the soldiers, not to hit the police -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. John Vause, in Neveh Dekalim.

Thanks so much.

Well, now for the view from the Palestinian side, CNN's Ben Wedeman joins us from the Khan Yunis refugee camp, which is near the Neveh Dekalim settlement -- Ben.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka.

Well, we've been watching throughout the day as people, Palestinians have been slowly coming towards the edges of Khan Yunis to watch essentially what's going on in Neveh Dekalim, which is the settlement just adjacent to Khan Yunis, but also beyond in the Gush Katif settlement bloc.

They've been watching as smoke has been rising up through -- from the settlement. A lot of anticipation.

We also watched as a group of children, essentially, or teenagers, seemed to be sort of probing how far they could get toward the settlement. And as they did that, they approached a tank. The tank fired quite a few warning shots. The children slowly dispersed.

But this is typical of the feeling. People are really feeling that things are moving, that one Palestinian I spoke to said this is a real historic change. And they want to see this change accelerate. People here very much looking forward to an end to the Israeli occupation, to the disappearance of the Jewish settlements in Gaza.

Now, north of here, in Gaza City today, the Islamic Jihad, an Islamic militant group, staged yet another of its victory celebrations. And we've been seeing a lot of these recently as the various militant groups, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, have taken to the streets, showing off their weapons, showing off their gunmen, and claiming credit for the Israel pullout.

As we've said on many occasions, they have said that the Palestinian Authority and its negotiators and diplomats aren't the ones who brought about this, that it was their -- in their words, their armed resistance, their attacks on Israeli settlements, and also within Israel proper that led to this decision by Ariel Sharon to evacuate the approximately 9,000 Jewish settlers and the 21 settlements in Gaza -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ben Wedeman in the Khan Yunis refugee camp.

Thanks so much.

On the West Bank, a Jewish settler shot three Palestinians dead at the Shilo settlement today. Police say the suspected shooter is a driver who ferries Palestinian workers to and from the settlement.

He allegedly grabbed a gun from an Israeli guard at a settlement gate and opened fire. The gunman was arrested by Israeli authorities. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon condemned the attack as Jewish terror against innocent Palestinians aimed at stopping the Gaza withdrawal.

Now to the war in Iraq. After a short period of relative calm, a renewed insurgent onslaught today. Three car bombs explode in Baghdad. Forty-three people killed, 88 wounded.

Also, U.S. military authorities report the deaths of two more U.S. troops in separate incidents. That brings the number of 59 American forces killed this month alone.

CNN's Aneesh Raman is in the Iraqi capital and filed this report a short while ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On mornings like this, the politics of Iraq seem irrelevant. A trio of car bombs detonating within minutes of each other in central Baghdad, the first two at the Al-Nahda bus terminal, one of the busiest in the capital. The explosions killed dozens, wounded scores of others. Moments later, another bomb, this one at the Al-Kindi Hospital, as casualties from the first explosion were being brought in. A coordinated attack and one of the biggest in Iraq in weeks. The pain unbearable, the anger understandable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We want our voices heard by the president and every official to tackle such violence. All those who were killed are innocent people. There were no Americans nor Iraqi troops on the scene.

RAMAN: This is reality for Iraqi civilians. Waking some days to carnage. On most others, facing a continued lack in basic services. There is work being done, reconstruction taking place, but not nearly as quick as anyone here would like. And that is why the extension of the constitutional deadline is so frustrating for the average Iraqi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): They give no convincing reason for the delay. They just said we are still in talks. There's no convincing reason compared to what's happening on the Iraqi streets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): What a pity, all this delay for nothing. This country is being destroyed daily by explosions with no security. No, we just want it to end.

RAMAN: Under intense scrutiny, Iraqi leaders say they are making progress towards a final compromise. Whether that is truly the case will be known in a matter of days.

(on camera): This is Iraq's ongoing duality, forging new political ground while facing sustained security needs. And in the middle, the Iraqi people, eager to put hope in the future, incapable of seeing beyond the difficulties of daily life.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: In Crawford, Texas, the antiwar protesters camped near the president's ranch are preparing to move closer to the president's property. Residents have started complaining about traffic and trash. So tomorrow, the group led by Cindy Sheehan will move to land just a mile from the president's home.

Sheehan, whose son died in Iraq, is demanding a meeting with President Bush. She says she's looking forward to the new protest site.

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CINDY SHEEHAN, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: I like the fact that we're closer, but more than that, I like the fact that it will be less traffic and it will be more secure for us, I think. And besides, the person that owns the land is 100 percent behind us, so that will make it easier to stay there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The man who is allowing protesters to use his land says he's motivated, in his words, "by compassion for a parent that's lost a son in combat."

Testimony under way right now in the case of the BTK serial killer. We'll go live to Wichita for more on the chilling details revealed in court during the sentencing phase.

And from child actor to murder suspect, a bizarre California case that reads like a Hollywood movie script.

Jack Daniels at a discount. The world's largest retailer gets ready to serve up the hard stuff.

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WHITFIELD: More graphic and grisly details are emerging in the decades-long BTK crime spree. We first heard Dennis Rader months ago describe very matter-of-factly how he trolled, stalked and killed his victims. And today at his sentencing hearing authorities are revealing more of what they have learned from the notorious killer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY THOMAS, KANSAS BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: He did state that it was the first time that he had attempted to strangle people as opposed to dogs and cats. And that he was surprised at how much pressure it took and how hard it was to do.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did it appear to you that he seemed to be extremely proud of what he had done?

THOMAS: Yes. It was very matter of fact. And he used the animation and also drawing pictures to help illustrate the details.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Rader said it was his sexual fantasies that drove him to kill his 10 victims. Prosecutors are pushing for the strongest possible punishment, a minimum of 175 years without a chance for parole.

Joining us for some legal perspective on this case is criminal defense attorney Jeffrey Voluck.

Thanks so much for sticking around, Jeffrey.

Today, law enforcement officials are testifying. Tomorrow, it might be the family members of the victims.

How will this help Judge Waller determine a sentence?

JEFFREY VOLUCK, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I don't know that it will make a lot of difference. You have an exposure of 175 years. And again, at this age, Rader is 60 years old, anything above 40 is basically a life sentence.

We know they're horrific crimes. And I wouldn't be surprised if the judge already has his mind kind of made up, or at least made up maybe 90 percent.

WHITFIELD: Do you believe he likely made up his mind at the time of the confession, and not being influenced in any way, shape or form by the testimony today?

VOLUCK: Well, I don't know what goes on in the judge's mind, but it's -- I mean, judges are human beings. And this judge is going to hear the details of the most horrific crime probably that he's ever heard in, you know, his years on the bench. So there's no doubt that because he can't get the death sentence, that the judge will probably give him the maximum.

WHITFIELD: And can't render a death sentence because the crimes were committed at a time when the death penalty was not applicable. So if it's likely that this judge already made up his mind, why put the family members through this, hearing more grisly, graphic details, which it would seem would be to the satisfaction of Dennis Rader?

VOLUCK: Well, that's a very good point. As Andy Warhol said, everybody wants their 15 minutes of fame, and this is Rader's 15 minutes of fame.

I don't know that it serves any purpose other than allowing the families of the victims to express their views. As I said before, it's a double-edged sword. They're going to have the opportunity to express their views, but on the other hand, they're going to relive these gruesome details or maybe even hear them for the very first time.

In actuality, this sentencing could probably take place in 15 minutes.

WHITFIELD: Bottom line, Dennis Rader is 60 years old. No matter what the sentence, he is likely to spend the rest of his life in jail. So does it matter whether he were to get a minimum 175 years or whether it were merely a portion of the 10 years for each of the 10 victims? Does it matter what the number is of sentence time for jail?

VOLUCK: No. In actuality, I don't think it matters at all.

I mean, the prosecutor might say, well, great, we got 175 years. But whatever he gets, it's going to be a life sentence. So it really doesn't matter in actuality.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeffrey Voluck, thanks so much for joining us from Florida this afternoon.

VOLUCK: My pleasure.

WHITFIELD: The BTK case reminds us of all the frightening realities. There could be cold-blooded killers living among us, and we might never even know that. There has been extensive research on serial killers. Let's check the facts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice over): The FBI estimates at any particular time there are as many as 35 active serial killers in the United States. Sound unbelievable? Experts say many killers are never detected.

By definition, a serial killer commits three or more murders over an extended period of time, with cooling-off periods in between. The FBI further divides serial killers into two categories.

First, there's the organized type. Ted Bundy is a good example. These killers are usually very intelligent, they know forensics, and they plan their crimes methodically, abducting, killing, and disposing of their victims in separate locations. They're often seemingly well- adjusted social people, even described as nice guys. Criminologists say some murders that might appear to be isolated random killings might actually be the work of these organized-type serial killers who change locations and even change tactics during their cooling-off period.

There are also disorganized serial killers. Jeffrey Dahmer is one example. They usually commit their crimes on impulse.

They often perform strange rituals once victims are dead, and then make virtually no effort to cover their tracks. Rather than friendly, they are more often perceived as creepy. Investigators say these disorganized types elude capture because they're unpredictable, have few social contacts, and many of them get caught up in the nation's mental health system, vanishing before they are caught for their crime.

Some serial killers exhibit qualities of both types. It's worth noting, even if there are 35 serial killers at large in the United States, they're responsible for 1 to 2 percent of all murders that take place each year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Which does a better job of spotting the enemy, a satellite or a spy? The Pentagon gets set to decide where to spend the money to keep America safe.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Susan Lisovicz at the New York Stock Exchange. We're talking big bucks next. I'll tell you how much second-hand smoke costs the U.S. economy.

LIVE FROM continues right after this.

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WHITFIELD: A pesky computer worm is causing more trouble for corporate computer -- computer networks. The worm first emerged over the weekend, attacking networks running the Windows 2000 system. But it wasn't until yesterday that a new variance of the worm snarled computers at companies such as "The New York Times" and CNN.

Today, another four variance of the worm surfaced. While experts say the worm spreads quickly, they don't see it causing any major damage.

Second-hand smoke is a big health risk, but it's also a costly problem. A new study shows it costs the U.S. economy billions of dollars each year.

Susan Lisovicz joins us live from the New York Stock Exchange with more on that report.

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