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President Bush Visits Pakistan; Police Pursue Fugitive Father; Understanding the Alternative Minimum Tax

Aired March 03, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's a tantalizing lead in an agonizing case. It's the convict from Kentucky who was let out of custody, so he could donate a kidney to his ailing son. Well, he hasn't been heard from since.
CNN's Susan Candiotti has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From an ailing son to his fugitive father.

DESTIN PERKINS, SON: Do the smart thing and turn yourself in.

CANDIOTTI: Destin Perkins, whose career criminal dad ditched him, instead of donating a life-saving kidney, might have some new hope.

DAWN IZGARJAN, U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE: What did he say they were doing down there?

CANDIOTTI: A tip from a Washington state couple vacationing in Mexico, is convinced they spent time with Byron Perkins and his fugitive girlfriend, Lee Ann Howard. The man and woman used the name Perkins.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, she is 100 percent as to who it was.

CHUCK GILBERT, DEPUTY U.S. MARSHAL: OK.

CANDIOTTI: A deputy sheriff in Washington calls investigators leading the manhunt in Kentucky. Tourists called the cops after seeing Destin's story on CNN last night.

IZGARJAN: The couple who called in had left, landed at the Phoenix Airport. CNN, the -- the segment was on CNN. And they just thought, man...

(LAUGHTER)

IZGARJAN: ... this is who we were vacationing with.

CANDIOTTI: According to the tipsters, the man and woman said they were vacationing in a small fishing village near Puerto Vallarta earlier this week. The couples' physical description appears a match. GILBERT: They described a tattoo that was on the gentleman's chest. It is identified with Byron Perkins as being an identifying mark.

CANDIOTTI: The same caller said the man went by Eric (ph), the woman used insulin. And Perkins' girlfriend is a diabetic.

IZGARJAN: He told them he was in Harley accident, waiting for some money to come in, and money was going to be I guess wired. He really didn't say how he was going to get the money, but he -- he kept going into the town to see if the money was in.

CANDIOTTI: Perkins and his girlfriend talked about getting money in recorded jailhouse phone calls before Perkins was released for a court-ordered kidney donor test, and never came back. The calls were obtained by CNN.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

LEE ANN HOWARD, GIRLFRIEND OF BYRON PERKINS: Do you want me to get my mom to write me a $100 check?

BYRON PERKINS, FUGITIVE: If you want to.

HOWARD: Do you think you can get it cashed?

PERKINS: Some way.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: Perkins, with a string of convictions for bank robbery, drugs and guns, even left behind a letter promising he would -- quote -- "come through for his son Destin."

ANGELA HAMMOND, MOTHER OF DESTIN PERKINS: You know, he -- he ran. It doesn't say much about his feelings for Destin.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Perkins' deal for temporary freedom that backfired so badly raises troubling questions: Why did authorities, the judge, prosecutors, U.S. marshals, public offender, allow Perkins to leave jail, trusting his word that he would return? And a $10,000 unsecured bond, that means he didn't have to put up any money for it.

Remember, one month later, Perkins faced a minimum 25-year prison sentence on a gun and drug conviction. Those in charge now say, some policies will be reviewed.

(voice-over): U.S. Marshals Service policy states, taxpayers won't pay for elective or preventive medical interventions and procedures unless ordered by the court. As CNN reported Wednesday, authorities said Perkins successfully duped him, literally in tears, that he would be true to his word.

Doctors told the court, an ankle bracelet would have interfered with medical tests. Bottom line: Those in charge told CNN a good- faith humanitarian decision was compromised. RONALD MCCUBBIN, U.S. MARSHAL: It's starting a new -- what will happen tomorrow certainly is not going to be a repeat of what happened yesterday, so to speak. So, and changes obviously are going to have to be made.

CANDIOTTI: For now, the authorities' focus is on finding a fugitive dad, and making him keep his promise to donate what may be the key to saving his son's life.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Louisville, Kentucky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: They took an oath to serve and protect, but now they are accused of using their badges as part of an armed robbery ring. Nineteen people, including Los Angeles and Long Beach police officers, face federal charges in a series of burglaries and robberies. They are accused of carrying out crimes in squad cars while wearing LAPD badges.

The U.S. attorney's office says other members of the gang had police training. Prosecutors say they assaulted some victims using a stun gun on one man. All the police officers involved have been fired or suspended.

He was once a powerful member of Congress. In the next hour or so, he will be headed to prison. Randy "Duke" Cunningham resigned his House seat last fall, after pleading guilty to bribery and corruption charges. He faces up to 10 years in prison for accepting cash and gifts worth more than $2 million.

His attorneys are asking for leniency. They cite his recent health problems, as well as his experience as a military fighter pilot in Vietnam.

Two new faces joined an annual tradition today at the Supreme Court. Take a look. New Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito joined their colleagues for a class photo. It's the first time we have seen all nine justices together since Roberts and Alito were confirmed to the high court.

Well, rain, rain, rain and more rain -- the Pacific paradise of Hawaii is taking a beating. More than a foot of rain has fallen in some areas.

And reporter Jodi Leong of affiliate KITV reports, some people have been forced to flee their homes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're hearing, like, rumbling. And we thought it was a -- I thought it was thunder. But then we came outside and the rocks was rolling down the river.

JODI LEONG, KITV REPORTER (voice-over): The gushing rain water from the mountains flooded the stream, washing away their entire yard, that once contained their catamaran and picnic table.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then we had a little barbecue pit way down below. And all that just went.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of our plants, everything is gone.

LEONG: But for Wanda (ph) and Glenn (ph), it was supper as usual, both confident their home's foundation is solid. Scenes like this kept emergency cruise busy all day. Flooded roads and rockslides forced the civil defense to shut down portions of Kamehameha Highway, near the Kahana Bay and Ka'a'awa.

Work crews cleared the area, but then found, part of the road was washed away.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, not the paradise that you think of when you think of Hawaii.

When's it going to stop, Dave Hennen?

DAVE HENNEN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it looks like later today. It looks like conditions much better over the weekend -- they get back into their regular weather, which is the trade winds, will help bring the rain to the end.

What happened is, you get this southerly winds off the tropics. And, as it rides up into the mountain locations on Oahu, the rain gets squeezed out -- so, in Honolulu, over the last 24 hours, less than an inch of rain. When you get up in some of the higher elevations, on the windward side of the island, the east side of the island, you begin to see some of these incredible rainfall totals.

Let's take a look at a few of them -- Honolulu, the winner, if you want to call it that -- almost two feet of rain over the last three days. So, we have see the storm be rather persistent. The good news, as we said, though, we are expecting conditions to improve over the next 24 hours or so. Some of the rainfall rates have been as high as three inches an hour -- looking better, though, at this hour over that area.

Let's take a look at Southern California. We have been watching this line of showers. Maybe even a few isolated thunderstorms are possible through the remainder of the afternoon. Good news for Los Angeles -- most of the heavier rain has now moved out. There was a flash flood watch in effect for mainly the burn areas. That has since expired.

Still, the heavier rainfall, though, continues to move farther towards the east, towards Santa Ana some of the higher elevations. Here's the mountains here. As you get up about 2,000 feet or so, some of this precipitation cold enough in the higher elevations to change over to snow.

In fact, I-5, which -- follow up out of Los Angeles, through the Grapevine, some of that is expected to be snow. And we could see up to three to four inches of snowfall before the time all is said and done.

Here's our latest look at where the advisories are still in effect, still a -- a flood threat for parts of Southern California. This includes Orange County and into the mountains of San Bernardino -- San Bernardino Mountains, and southward, towards San Diego. These are the areas we are watching. That's where we showed you the heavy rainfall that continues to persist.

And, further to the north, we are looking at more rain as well, some cold showers falling -- and some of the higher elevations in the mountains outside of San Francisco seeing some rain here as well -- and, certainly, snowing through the high Sierra -- unlike the storm that occurred earlier in the week, snow levels much lower. So, we are seeing some significant snowfall, Betty.

Good news for skiers, though -- it looks like, if you are heading up to Tahoe this weekend, it looks pretty good -- another storm set to move in Sunday -- back to you.

NGUYEN: I have to ask you this, though. All this wet stuff, is it going to rain on Oscars' parade?

HENNEN: Probably not. The rain should be out of Southern California. It looks like a nice day on Saturday. Most of Sunday -- it looks like Northern California on Sunday, though...

NGUYEN: All right.

HENNEN: .. will see some more rain.

NGUYEN: All right, a lot of pressure on you there.

(LAUGHTER)

HENNEN: Looking good...

NGUYEN: OK, Dave...

HENNEN: ... always, as usual.

NGUYEN: ... we will take your word for it.

HENNEN: All right.

NGUYEN: Well, former FEMA Director Michael Brown is blasting his former boss. Brown, as you know, lost his job in the Hurricane Katrina aftermath.

Well, he says Michael Chertoff, the head of homeland security, should lose his job, too, because he oversaw the government's storm response. Brown says behind-the-scenes changes had crippled his agency long before Katrina struck the Gulf Coast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "THE SITUATION ROOM") MICHAEL BROWN, FORMER FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY DIRECTOR: I had been screaming internally that the budget cuts, the personnel cuts, what they were doing within Homeland Security was, in effect, marginalizing FEMA.

And I predicted that, at some point, in a -- in a very specific memo to both Tom Ridge and -- and to Chertoff, that, at some point, FEMA would fail. I just didn't expect to be in the middle of that failure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Despite Brown's criticism, Michael Chertoff's job appears to be safe. President Bush this week said Chertoff is doing what he called a fine job.

Well, Michael Brown will have even more to say later today on CNN. He returns to "THE SITUATION ROOM WITH WOLF BLITZER." That's tonight, 7:00 Eastern, 4:00 Pacific.

Nuclear tension, Osama bin Laden, moderation in the Muslim world -- all key topics on President Bush's agenda in Pakistan, a country he calls a key ally in his war on terror. Mr. Bush arrived in Islamabad for -- just a few hours ago, after three days in neighboring India.

And Suzanne Malveaux reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: U.S. officials say this trip does come with some risks, but they are confident that enough security is in place to protect the president.

Mr. Bush wrapped up his visit here in India with a trip to an agriculture school and a meeting with Indian business leaders in a high-tech hub in southern India. He continued to be dogged by protests by Muslim and communist groups, who see him as a warmonger. Some clashed with riot police.

The centerpiece of this historic trip, however, was a speech in New Delhi, where he highlighted a new strategic partnership that the U.S. is forging with India on issues of defense, energy and trade.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Outsourcing -- it's true that some Americans have lost jobs when their companies moved operations overseas. Some people believe the answer to this problem is to wall off our economy from the world through protectionist policies. I strongly disagree.

MALVEAUX: Now, looking ahead, President Bush has a very brief, but packed schedule with President Pervez Musharraf -- Mr. Bush saying that he will emphasize to Musharraf the need to crack down on militant groups in his own country. Prevent terrorist organizations, and people from crossing the border into Afghanistan, as well as India.

At the same time, President Bush will also highlight the massive U.S. relief effort in response to Pakistan's devastating earthquake -- this in an effort to build on the goodwill between these two countries, in a place where the United States and this president are very unpopular.

Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, New Delhi, India.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: I want you to take a minute and imagine this. Imagine having a sick child. Now imagine being told by a stream of doctors that they have no idea what causes the seizures.

This girl, Hillary Reston, and her family lived through that nightmare. Her father has written a moving account of the journey. And he's on LIVE FROM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

NGUYEN: One surprise if you visit Los Angeles IS something that's hiding in plain sight. There are some 91,000 homeless men and women in Los Angeles County. That is more than three times the number in New York City. In L.A., most share the same address, downtown. They were supposed to get a helping hand and a ticket out of misery. But, instead, they ended up with a trip to nowhere.

Here's CNN's Randi Kaye.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is Skid Row, a 50-square-block human dumping ground in downtown Los Angeles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, let me see your wristband. Were you in the hospital recently?

KAYE: Still wearing a bracelet from the county jail, this woman, Lilly (ph), was too strung out to tell how she got here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How long were you in the county jail?

KAYE: Because of the abundant social services, Skid Row is a magnet for the drug addicted, the mentally ill, the criminals, and the helpless. It's also a magnet for other cities who don't know what to do with their own problems, so, they bring them here and dump them.

CAPTAIN ANDREW SMITH, LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT: I saw an outside agency dropping off an individual who didn't live in this area, who had never been here before, and hadn't been arrested in this area, down -- actually, right down on that corner down there.

KAYE: Out on patrol, LAPD Captain Andrew Smith says he saw two L.A. County sheriff's deputies dump this man, Byron Harris (ph), who Smith described as confused. SMITH: Watched them pull to the curb, open the door, and take a handcuffed prisoner out, un-handcuff him, hand him a bag of his property and begin to leave. So I, of course, stopped him and tried to figure out what was going on.

KAYE: Smith says Harris told him he had not been requested to be dropped downtown. He had been arrested in Long Beach, 25 miles away. But a spokesman for the sheriff told CNN Harris, just released from jail, had requested food and shelter. Both available on Skid Row. The spokesman said deputies did not dump that man or anyone else.

(on camera): Why do you think, if it's indeed happening, other communities are doing this?

SMITH: Well, we have a lot of services, social services down here. But, really, I think it's a way for other cities to get rid of the problems that they have.

KAYE (voice over): Skid Row services include food, shelter, medicine, even prenatal care. It's a unique setup born from good intentions. But critics, like Central City East Executive Director Estela Lopez, now worry, the free handouts are leading to dumping.

(On camera): A long time ago they thought that this idea of centralized services was a good thing. Has it turned out to be a good thing?

ESTELA LOPEZ, BUSINESS LEADER: It has turned out to be a nightmare. What it has done -- it has been a good thing for the 88 other cities in the county of Los Angeles that don't have to deal with problems that come from their own communities. They send them here.

KAYE (voice over): Which of these people have been dumped or decided to come on their own is unclear, but Estela Lopez and Captain Smith aren't the only ones who have witnessed dumping.

ORLANDO WARD, THE MIDNIGHT MISSION: How long have you been on the streets?

SMITH: Orlando Ward works at Midnight Mission, just a block from where Captain Smith encountered Byron Harris (ph).

WARD: I had a guy in our courtyard three days ago. He had a hospital gown on, he had -- the I.V. was still attached. So, I went and I asked him. I said, how did you get down here? And he said that the ambulance dropped him off a couple blocks down in front of a mission.

I said, well, did you go in?

And he goes, well, they just dropped me off.

KAYE: Ward was once a basketball star at Stanford University. Drugs lured him to the streets of Skid Row. He bottomed out, and after two years, he got clean. Ward says Skid Row was designed to help people, not dump people. WARD: It makes me angry when you dump people without attaching them to the services that they really need. If -- if -- if your motive is getting them out of your backyard and dumping them to somebody else, I have a problem with that.

KAYE: Captain Smith's 145 officers can hardly make headway here. San Julian Street, otherwise known as "Heroin Alley," is like a giant block party, where everyone brings an illegal drug.

This woman propositioned me. Police say, it's well known she's a prostitute.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How am I going to pay for this?

KAYE: She explained she has been on the street since age 9.

(on camera): Why do you live like this so and do this to yourself?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because you know what? This is a million- dollar corporation. It's going to never stop.

KAYE: This is Skid Row.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Baby, Skid Row looks out for Skid Row.

SMITH: How are you doing? How are you hanging?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm OK.

SMITH: Are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm hanging on.

KAYE (voice-over): Captain Smith says police can't fix the problem. So, who will? And when, the captain wonders, will other communities start providing services for their needy?

ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA, MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES: A great city can't be a place where we're leaving so many people behind.

KAYE (on camera): Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is investigating. He says the city of Los Angeles has pledged millions to help the chronically homeless, but it's time the federal government step up, too.

VILLARAIGOSA: The only governmental entity with the resources to deal with the structural problems of poverty in the cities is the federal government. The federal government has failed and refused over the last few years to invest in housing, to invest in the urban core in our cities.

KAYE (voice-over): The same society that's allowing people to live on Skid Row is, in some cases, transporting them to be forgotten and, perhaps, to die.

WARD: It's a cultural genocide. We're losing a whole -- a whole generation of people to this despair and, ultimately, death.

KAYE: Unlike Byron Harris (ph), countless others may have been dumped here without a witness.

Randi Kaye, CNN, on Skid Row in Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: We have a developing story out of New York to tell you about.

Let's get straight to it with CNN's Fredricka Whitfield in the newsroom.

Hi, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Betty.

Well, a close call for a corporate jet that was landing at the Teterboro, New Jersey, Airport. It slid off the runway. Here are some pictures now, taken just short while ago. We understand there are no reported injuries. That's good news. We don't know exactly why it skidded off the runway. But it did delay things quite a bit at the Teterboro Airport, which is considered a reliever airport for the New York metropolitan area and northern New Jersey.

Things were backed up quite a bit. But now we believe everything is back to normal. And, of course, when we hear anymore information as to why it may have skidded off the airport and who may have been an board, we will be able to bring that to you -- but good news, no reported injuries -- Betty.

NGUYEN: That is good news. And it's out of Teterboro, New Jersey.

OK, Fred, thank you.

Well, the news keeps coming. We will keep bringing it to you -- more LIVE FROM after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: A big financial headache for more and more middle-income Americans is something called the alternative minimum tax.

Valerie Morris has gotten a lot of questions about the AMT, which some people are calling the stealth tax.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIE MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's often called a stealth tax because most people don't know about it until they have to pay it. And the AMT is always higher than regular tax. Here's why.

MARY BETH FRANKLIN, "KIPLINGER'S": It's because the deduction that has we normally take under the regular tax system of things like state and local income taxes, property taxes, or even the personal exemptions for yourself, your spouse, your kids, none of those things are deductible under the AMT.

MORRIS: You are especially in the AMT crosshairs if you live in a state with high taxes, like New York or California, and if you have children.

Now, one viewer, Mike from Portland, asks: "If I had to pay the AMT last year and my financial situation is basically unchanged this year, is it highly likely that I will have to pay the AMT this year again?"

Certified financial planner Michael Schulman (ph) says, it's not only likely; absolutely, you will have to pay it again. He says, it only gets worse, not better. Once you are in, you are in for life, unless your personal or financial circumstances change radically.

Mike, you can do a little planning and accelerate some income or put off deductions to boost your regular tax liability. But, realistically, there's not much you can do, short of moving or giving up your children.

And, finally, Read from Brooklyn wants to know if Congress is doing anything to help. He says: "My wife and I got hit hard by the AMT last year. Why don't we hear politicians addressing this issue?"

Mary Beth Franklin, who has been writing about the AMT for several years, responds this way.

FRANKLIN: I don't think Congress will do anything until the public gets ready. Like that old movie, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore," that's exactly what we need.

MORRIS: Congress could repeal the AMT. But that would increase the national debt by more than $1 trillion over the next 10 years. And that's why this is such a nasty problem.

Making tax time easier, I'm Valerie Morris in New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, it is Friday, so we are all dreaming of life after work, and maybe even retiring. Today, we profile an American woman who has chosen to retire south of the border.

CNN's Jennifer Westhoven has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NANCY HOWZE, RETIRED IN MEXICO: I have the most delightful, beautiful life. I'm just a little person from Alabama, and I get to live this wonderful life every single day.

JENNIFER WESTHOVEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nancy Howze had never even been to Mexico when a friend of hers said, why not retire south of the border? Now she's living the good life, after leaving her real estate job back in Birmingham.

HOWZE: One of the things that is so wonderful about the community of people that live San Miguel is that everybody is warm and welcoming. We're all people who have left friends and family behind, so that gives us a common -- it's -- it's sort of like a level playing field, so to speak, when we all arrive. And people are very helpful to tell you, well, now, this is how you do this.

WESTHOVEN: Set in the mountains four hours north of Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende is home to thousands of American retirees. The warm weather, vibrant arts community, and affordable household help make this town particularly attractive to those who want something different, like Nancy. She has a driver, a cook, and a maid and says they bring her closer to the Mexican community.

HOWZE: I'm often included in things, personal things, in my staff's lives, like the baptism of their children, or quince anos. I personally love the peace and quiet and the tranquility, because, for me, it's now like I have everything. I couldn't imagine a better life.

Jennifer Westhoven, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We want to take you straight now to CNN's Susan Lisovicz in New York with the latest on this Northwest Airlines deal.

What do you know?

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What we know now is that there must be a sigh of relief coming from Northwest Airlines headquarters in Minneapolis. CNN has confirmed that the pilots union has reached a tentative agreement with the airline on pay cuts and workload changes.

Two days ago we told you about a similar deal struck with the flight attendants' union. And this was critical, Betty, because if they could not come to terms with these very large unions at Northwest, a bankruptcy court could void their contracts and impose new rules. That's something neither side wanted.

And in fact, the pilots' union and the flight attendants said that if the contracts were voided, they would strike. And that according to many observers would be the death now for Northwest, which is struggling to emerge from bankruptcy.

Again we have confirmed that the pilots union has reached a tentative agreement with Northwest Airlines on a new round of pay cuts. No details yet. And the union has not yet voted on it. Back to you, Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. Thank you, Susan. Hillary Reston was a precious 2-year-old, talking up a storm and charming her parents and older siblings. But a high fever that lasted for five days changed all of that. She eventually no longer spoke, no longer played peek-a-boo and began having seizures.

That led to more than 20 years of frustrating visits and doctors, appointments, specialists, you name it. They all failed to diagnose what happened to Hillary.

Her father, author, James Reston Jr., has written about the painful and powerful experience in his book "Fragile Innocence: A Father's Memoir of His Daughter's Courageous Journey." He joins us live now from Washington.

Thanks for being with us.

JAMES RESTON JR., AUTHOR, "FRAGILE INNOCENCE": Delighted.

NGUYEN: Let's go back to when Hillary was 2 years old. Five days of a temperature over 104 degrees. Why didn't doctors tell you to take her, bring her to the emergency room?

RESTON : Well they did tell us to do that, certainly to come back to the doctor's office. But it was determined that this was some sort of virus, and my wife was told to bring Hillary home and to give her aspirin or Tylenol and put her in baths and so forth. And if there was no change, bring her the next morning.

And this went on for three or four days. And obviously that was a period where some very sinister seed was invading Hillary's brain.

NGUYEN: Oh goodness. We are looking at pictures right now. Just a beautiful child. You described her before the illness as the most verbal child. But I want to ask you, though. Once this illness took effect, walk us through what it was like of that painful journey of when she wouldn't play peek-a-boo anymore, when she started losing her ability to speak.

RESTON: Yes, well she was quite verbal. It's when you look back through the mist of 20 years, you don't really know exactly how verbal she was. My wife thinks it's something over 200 words that she had. And we did watch those words drift away until it was just a few sounds. And that was very difficult to do -- to witness.

NGUYEN: I imagine. We want to put up some video now. This is video of Hillary at Disneyland. Now this is a place where you are going to see children smiling, exciting, yelling out with laughter and just really thrilled about being there.

But if you look closely at some of this video and you look at Hillary's face, she almost seems sad, sometimes kind of lost. That had to be so hard for you as a parent and for her brother and sister.

RESTON: Well, certainly. It's very hard. There is a kind of isolation particularly for a person who loses their language that those who have language can't really fathom. I mean, we don't really know what is going through Hillary's brain and through her heart.

We have a kind of communication system that works for us. But it has been left to the imagination to wonder, you know, what is actually going through that brain.

NGUYEN: It's got to be so frustrating, though, not only to watch your child go through this. But also to go to doctor upon doctor and be told, you know what? I just don't know what's wrong with her.

RESTON: Yes, well that's what I call in the book the powerlessness of not knowing. I mean, we often hear philosophers talk about the power of knowing. We have the powerlessness of not knowing. And that's difficult. And that's what I have attempted in this book to chronicle is our search for the answer to that mystery.

NGUYEN: And that's important for parents out there. Because not always can you get a straight-forward diagnosis. A lot of times people are left wondering.

RESTON: Well, I think that's true. And beyond that, it's sometimes hard for ordinary people to penetrate the scientific language or the medical language of doctors. It doesn't really seem to have a kind of human quality to it. And so, you know, mothers and fathers treat that differently.

In our case, my wife tried to read everything that she possibly could on the medical front. And in my case, I felt, well I could never really argue with the doctors. They had the scientific knowledge.

But I think over 20 years of our experience, one of the lessons that emerges is that it's well to challenge doctors and to push them harder and to ask for explanations that the ordinary person can understand better.

NGUYEN: Hillary is 24 years old now. Still undiagnosed. How's she doing?

RESTON: She's doing quite well. She had -- there was a secondary problem with Hillary beyond the neurological problem, which was a kidney failure. And after eight years of dialysis, she finally got a miraculous kidney transplant three years ago. So she's reasonably stable.

She still has some regular seizures. But this is a story with a happy enough ending in our case. And we are quite a happy family with Hillary. And it's just important for people to know that there are a ton of other cases out there that don't have happy endings. And so we feel quite blessed, actually.

NGUYEN: I have to ask you, though. Several years ago you wrote a book about the Jonestown suicide. This was very difficult for you. And yet you tackled another difficult situation. One that was so very personal. Why did you want to do it?

RESTON: Well, I think, you know, I've been writing for 35 years. And 13 books, and it seemed to me at some point that I ought to address Hillary's situation. Here I was a writer and had this unique experience.

And we found when we were going through this that there was virtually nothing to read that was helpful to us. And so I felt a kind of compulsion that if you like to write the book because I am a writer and that is what I do, but also feeling that this might be helpful to some people.

NGUYEN: Sounds like it was help to you.

James Reston Jr., author of "Fragile Innocence," thanks for sharing that story. We appreciate it.

RESTON: Thank you.

NGUYEN: High speed driving 101. For police it could make the difference between capturing criminals and endangering innocent lives. We're going to take you behind the wheel, next on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Let's get to CNN's Fredricka Whitfield live in the news room with the latest on former Congressman Randy Duke Cunningham -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Who is to be sentenced today and we have got new pictures right now of the former Congressman arriving in court there in San Diego, arriving to a crush of reporters as well as photographers. This new video coming now a week after he pleaded guilty to accepting $2.4 million from defense contractors in exchange for steering government contractors their way.

You are seeing, obviously, quite a lot of attention as he is arriving in court. It is expected that he is to be sentenced today. His defense attorneys are hoping for a minimum.

Meantime, prosecutors are asking for a maximum which could be up to 10 years in jail. And, of course, when we get anymore information on the sentencing proceedings, we'll be able to bring that to you out of San Diego -- Betty.

NGUYEN: We'll be watching. Thank you, Fred.

Well it goes without saying, car chases are dangerous, which is why police in many places are now getting very rigorous training in the finer points of white-knuckle driving.

CNN's Rick Sanchez goes behind the wheel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, look at the smoke coming off...

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They have called off the chase in Seattle, Washington. Police here now have a no pursuit policy.

However, in surrounding King County, the chase is not only on, but being perfected here at Pacific Raceways, a virtual chase training academy where police are taught to ram, to use spike strips and to employ the pit maneuver, where a suspect's vehicle is literally spun into submission.

TIFFANY ATWOOD, INSTRUCTOR: Stay hard on the brakes, real quick steering.

SANCHEZ: Instructors say the most important lesson they teach here is to avoid danger, by learning when to call off the chase and how to avoid collisions when they don't.

Watch what happens when this officer tries to come to a full stop at 55 miles per hour while maneuvering around a set of cones.

DEPUTY JAY MILLER, KING COUNTY: They did hit a cone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened? What went wrong?

MILLER: I'm not quite sure what went wrong.

SANCHEZ: Apparently it's all in the hands.

PETER LINDY, KING COUNTY: His hand position was all wrong. He was probably just turning the wheel too far, and trying to jerk it back and forth.

SANCHEZ (on camera): As you watch these officers train, you begin to wonder just how hard it would be to learn something like this. Let's give it a try.

DARREN JENKS, INSTRUCTOR: The first thing we want to do is think about our seat position and where our arms are in relationship to the steering wheel.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): Soon, I am zooming down the roadway. I'm told to hit the gas and get it to 50 miles an hour and then slam on the brakes when I'm only 30 feet from those five cones. But I chicken out. I take my foot off the gas.

(on camera): If I told you I wasn't scared, I would be a liar.

Here's why I chickened out. This is what it looks like from my vantage point. We placed a camera on the hood of the car. Look how fast those cones seem to be coming at me. Daunting, isn't it? Now I'm told to crank it up to 55 miles an hour. It seems totally illogical. My instruction is to slam on the brakes and then steer the car around the cones. It's a disaster. This is tough.

ATWOOD: Remember, I talked about quick steering?

SANCHEZ: Quick steering, quick steering, I tell myself. Finally, on my fourth try, I get through the obstacles, but I released the brakes. ATWOOD: That was so nice...

SANCHEZ: I did it, Anderson! Oh my God, look at me!

ATWOOD: ... and you released the brakes.

SANCHEZ (voice-over): What you come to realize is it's all about trust. This car and probably yours too, has an antilock braking system that allows us to steer while braking. But who gets to practice something like this?

At 60 miles an hour, it's even more intimidating. Those five miles make a mountain of difference. I hit a cone. Close, again. But no cigar.

ATWOOD: Actually, that was a pretty nice job.

SANCHEZ: This is my last try and I want to get it right. Keep my foot pinned to the brake, trust it. Keep my hands at 2:00 and 10:00 o'clock, and steer quickly. What an incredible adrenaline rush.

ATWOOD: That was his best one.

SANCHEZ: It was my seventh try, and I finally nailed it.

It's scary. It's heart thumping. And it's what officers deal with when they choose to pursue.

(on camera): There is some new technology out there that's being developed now that could possibly take this away from the officers. Two things. One is a dart the police are working on, that they'd shoot into a vehicle that would work like a GPS tracker, that they'd then be able to watch on a monitor.

Another one is a gadget they would use to zap a vehicle which essentially sends a charge that would conk out its engine. The car would basically stop, as if it had run out of gas.

Two technologies. They're still working on them, though. They're not quite there yet.

In the meantime, these officers say they'll continue to train for the inevitability of police pursuits.

In Seattle, Rick Sanchez.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, speaking of the roadways, there's been a school bus accident in Maryland. Let's get the latest on that from CNN's Fredricka Whitfield in the news room. Hi, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Hi, Betty. Well particularly in Charles County, Maryland where a police cruiser collided with a school bus or vice versa. We just know that this is the end result. We don't know who was at fault, or the circumstances of how this collision took place.

We only know right now that one person who was in the police cruiser has been transported to a facility to get some medical care. We understand there were kids on the school bus, but we don't have any reports as to whether there are any injuries involving those children on this school bus. This taking place in Charles County, Maryland -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Thank you, Fredricka.

Well the news keeps coming, and we are going to keep bringing it to you. More LIVE FROM next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: The death of a 15-year-old Canadian girl is still a mystery, but it wasn't because of peanut butter kiss. Christina Desforges died in November. Her death made headlines because of the suspected reason. At first, it was thought her severe peanut allergy reacted to a kiss from her boyfriend, who had eaten a peanut butter sandwich. Well, the coroner now says peanut butter wasn't responsible, although he is not revealing the girl's actual cause of death just yet.

At one time, he was the greatest player on the court, winning five Wimbledon titles in five years. Now Bjorn Borg is having some financial problems,so the one-time tennis great is putting symbols of his achievement on the auction block. Borg is putting his five Wimbledon trophies and two rackets from two of his biggest games up for sale in June. He retired at 26 following a string of wins, but says business problems are forcing the sale for financial security for his family.

They're taking more than 1,000 dogs out far walk this weekend. It is Alaska's famous Iditarod sled dog race. But it won't follow its usual path. Nope. We're going to tell you why when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Alaska's annual Iditarod trail sled dog race had to hit the road this year before the race could even happen. The problem, no snow. At least there wasn't enough snow in the part of Alaska where the race usually takes place. So the nine day race is being moved 30 miles to the north for tomorrow's opening ceremony. Some scientists are pointing to global warming as a possible reason the Iditarod has had trouble finding snow for the 1,100 mile race.

So what's involved in running the Iditarod and how did it get started? Here are the facts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN (voice-over): The Iditarod race begins in the first week of March. Between 55 and 75 teams compete in the race. Teams consist of 12 to 16 dogs and a musher. About 1,000 dogs set out from Anchorage. The race runs from there across the state of Alaska, 1,150 miles to the town of Nome on Alaska's west coast.

It typically follows an old mail route made famous in 1925 when dog teams saved the day by carrying medicine to Nome during a diphtheria epidemic. The final run was led by the sled dog Balto, who was later honored by a statue in New York's Central Park and more recently became the subject of children's movies.

Almost 50 years after Balto's historic run, a passionate dog sledder named Joe Redington organized the first Iditarod in 1973, reportedly paying the prize money by taking out a mortgage on his home. Today teams from several countries compete in the race. Any team that finishes gets $1,000. The winner gets $68,000 and a new pick-up truck.

The record-winning time for the race is about eight days and 22 hours, set in 2002. The coldest temperature ever reported during the race was minus-130 degrees Fahrenheit with the windchill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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