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Arizona Police Arrest Serial Shooter Suspects; Thousand of Iraqis March in Support of Hezbollah; Hezbollah Rocket Lands 25 Miles From Tel Aviv; Interview With Daughter of Fidel Castro

Aired August 04, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the mayor calls them monsters. Arizona police chiefs are just glad to have them behind bars. It took a year and a handful of police forces now in Phoenix, Arizona, but it rests a bit easier, as two men are arrested in the serial shooter case.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is in Phoenix with an update -- Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the mayor of Phoenix said -- quote -- "These are the two monsters we have been hunting."

And police sound extremely confident that they have caught two men linked to one of the serial killer investigations that has been ongoing here in Phoenix. They did not provide any details or actual evidence to back up that claim, but they have named the two men they say are involved in the serial shooting, serial killing spree.

They Dale Hausner and Samuel Dieteman, both men in their early '30s who live here in the Phoenix area.

Now, we are getting some more information about how exactly all of this went down last night. Police are telling us that they had both men under surveillance constantly since Monday. Last night, one of the men left an apartment in a Phoenix suburb of Mesa, Arizona.

The tactical team went in. They arrested him, and then went into the apartment and arrested the other man without a fight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN ROBINSON, ASSISTANT PHOENIX, ARIZONA, POLICE CHIEF: We recovered several weapons. Whether or not they have all been used in our offenses, we don't know yet. We have a series of steps that we need to go through to determine, you know, what weapons may have been used on what victims. And we will go from there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE: And, as police investigators continue to push this case along, there is still another serial killer out there. Police are calling him the "Baseline Killer." And, in some ways, he is even more brazen and vicious than the killings that police are attributing to the serial shooter.

In the Baseline Killer's case, police say that he has snatched a woman from a bus stop and shot her, that he has car jacked a woman and her 12-year-old daughter and sexually assaulted the daughter.

In this case, police say they are continuing that investigation. And a lot of folks that we speak with here in Phoenix say they are very relieved at what looks to be -- looks to be -- good news in one case. But they're still very fearful about there being another killer still out there -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Chris, thanks.

And, earlier on LIVE FROM, I talked with Pat Brown -- she's an investigative criminal profiler -- who says she has noticed a disturbing change in serial killings.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAT BROWN, CRIMINAL PROFILER: In the past, it has been more likely to be one, because it's very hard, in a sense, for a psychopath to get good friends to hang around with.

But we are seeing a bit of a change in that. We're seeing people who are being -- many young people who are becoming disaffected together, as we're seeing all the -- the increase in the school shootings, something we didn't have in the past either, where now we're having a couple of teens get together, stockpile the weapons, and take out a bunch of schoolmates.

So, I think we are seeing this on the rise, which is a little bit concerning, that we have them grouping up now to take -- to terrorize a community.

PHILLIPS: You...

BROWN: And, so, it's surprise -- it's -- it's surprising in one way, but not surprising in another.

PHILLIPS: And you say it's a very impersonal crime. Tell me what you mean by that.

BROWN: Well, when you're doing a sniping type of thing, you're at a distance.

And most serial killers like to be up close. They like to play God by grabbing someone in their hands and -- and tearing the life out of them and looking in their eyes and saying: Ha-ha, I have got you.

And this -- serial snipers, on the other hand, are happy making their mark from a distance and watching their just targets drop, and running from the scene, and adding up the numbers.

So, it's a little bit more like a -- a video game, shall we say, or paintball, where you can go bang, bang, bang, take out people, but you don't really have to put your hands on the people and suffer any up-close contact.

PHILLIPS: All right, so, if you look at the profile of these guys and then this Baseline rapist that -- that the police are still looking for in the same area -- we have got a sketch up right now -- the difference between the two, some have said, well, could they have all been acting together?

BROWN: Oh.

PHILLIPS: But, from a profile perspective, two totally different things, right?

BROWN: Oh -- oh, absolutely. And they wouldn't get along at all.

I mean, the Baseline rapist would think what the snipers were doing was not very interesting at all, and they would think he was probably pretty sick for raping women. So, even psychopaths have their standards, shall we say.

So, they're two entirely different groups of people. The Baseline rapist is another kind of character. And, hopefully, they will be able to catch up with him pretty soon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And be sure to stay with CNN for the very latest on both the serial shooter case and hunt for the Baseline Killer.

Day 24 of the Mideast conflict -- here's what we know right now.

An Israeli airstrike in the town of Qaa, near the Lebanese-Syria border, could increase tensions between Israel and Syria. More than 20 people died, and at least some of them reportedly Syrian agricultural workers.

There were more than 135 new Hezbollah rocket attacks inside Israel today. Israeli police say that two or three Hezbollah rockets landed near Hadera, 50 miles south of the Lebanese border, and just 25 miles north of Tel Aviv. That's the deepest attack inside Israel so far.

And there was a huge pro-Hezbollah demonstration in Iraq today. U.S. military officials say an estimated 14,000 protesters marched in Sadr City, a Shiite enclave in Baghdad.

Straight to the newsroom -- Fredricka Whitfield with more details on a developing story -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A bit more on that Hadera, Israel, attack that you just mentioned moments ago, Kyra.

We have got pictures that have just been coming in, that have been broadcast on Israeli TV, showing the aftermath of what is believed to be two to three rockets from Hezbollah crashing into the town of Hadera, which, as you describe, is just 50 miles south of the Lebanese border, but, more importantly for Israel, that it's just 25 miles or so north of Tel Aviv.

And this rocket attack now marks the furthest, deepest south into Israel that these Hezbollah rockets have landed into Israeli territory. Israeli officials are saying it's too early right now to determine what kind of casualties they may be dealing with.

But, again, you're looking at video that has been streaming on Israeli television, just showing the aftermath. You're seeing a lot of people who seem to be standing around after these attacks. We don't know, as of yet, what may have been struck by these two to three missiles in Hadera, just that it has landed in that town.

And, when we get more information about any potential casualties, we will be able to bring that to you -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK, Fred. Thanks.

Well, deja vu of the worst sort of those who call Beirut home. Just take a look at the Associated Press photo right here. It captures a building exploding under fire.

Octavia Nasrallah is CNN's senior editor for Arab affairs. She joins us with an overview of the damages inflicted upon Lebanon's capital.

And, Octavia, the reason why we wanted to do this is because I think there has been a confusion to whether these airstrikes are hitting Beirut, the capital, vs. the suburbs of Beirut, right?

OCTAVIA NASR, CNN SENIOR EDITOR FOR ARAB AFFAIRS: Right, Kyra.

That's why, here on CNN, we always emphasize the fact that the southern suburb of Beirut, not just the southern suburb of Beirut, an area in particular called Dahiye. Look at Lebanon. This is the map of Lebanon.

You can see how, on the west side, it is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea. And look at Beirut. It's that portion here. That's called the head of Beirut, as a matter of fact. It's called Ras Beirut, that portion right there. And that is really the main Beirut area, downtown Beirut.

Now, all this area, right here, is the suburbs. Beirut has northern, eastern, western and southern suburbs. The southern suburbs, right here, this area here, is mainly populated by Shiites. And it is the stronghold of the Hezbollah militia.

As a matter of fact, the areas that are being bombarded are mainly in the southern suburb called Dahiye. And -- and for anyone in Lebanon or the region, when you say the Dahiye of Beirut, which means the suburb in Arabic, that is the southern suburb. That is where Hezbollah is based.

But, Kyra, again, the rest of the Beirut -- I mean, look at Beirut. It's -- it's much larger than just the suburb here. The airport is right here on -- on the lower end of the -- of -- of this map. And -- and this is the southern suburb here. And, basically, this is the area that is being targeted. What Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, talked about yesterday, he said that if Israel attacks Beirut. And, basically, he was talking about Beirut proper, the downtown. And this is the area that was rebuilt since the war ended in 1990, the -- the civil war.

You know, billions of dollars were poured into this one area to rebuild it to the same exact shape and architecture of before the war. So, basically, many people are worried about this area, hoping that Israel will spare it and won't bomb it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: So, that's interesting, because you're -- you're right. Nasrallah did come out and say: That's when we attack Tel Aviv.

If they attack the capital of Beirut, that area that you have shown to be unscathed at that point, they would attack Tel Aviv.

Now, that's interesting. So, is he basically saying, from what you have been seeing, that it's just going to be the suburbs vs. the main central part of -- of Israel, when he talks about attacking Israel, and vice versa?

NASR: Well, look, he was so specific yesterday.

He said he wants to make it very clear, because he doesn't want anyone to misinterpret or even try to interpret what he's saying. He said, if Beirut is targeted, then Tel Aviv will be targeted.

Now, experts are saying, look at the areas in Israel that were targeted by Hezbollah rockets. They are the suburbs. So, basically, he's saying if Beirut is touched.

And, here, you're looking at pictures from today from Beirut. You see, life continues as usual. You see people sitting in coffee shops, you know, walking around. You see the cars driving around. You see people reading newspaper, and, basically, life continues in Beirut.

Now, if you take pictures of the Dahiye area -- and I'm sure we have those that we can show to our audience -- the bombed-out areas, you're going to see a totally different picture.

As a matter of fact, we're looking here at a map of before and after. Look at before. This is the Dahiye area. This is the southern suburb of Beirut, the area where the Hezbollah stronghold was.

Look at the buildings. You see so many dots, dots, dots there, buildings, buildings, buildings. Well, take a look here. It's bombed out. You see ash-looking area.

Now, this is called the security square. And, you see, it looks a little bit like a square. And you look at the security square here, and it's almost gone -- and very important to talk about this on air, because, when we report the news, when we talk about those Israeli airstrikes that pound the southern suburbs of Beirut, they're really pounding this very area. And that's why you see the damage.

On the other hand, you know, you look at other areas, and they're almost -- almost -- intact. We cannot say intact, because some -- some other areas outside of the southern suburbs of Beirut have been hit, especially last night, as we reported here on CNN. The strikes took a -- a different turn, and went all the way up to the north of the country, attacking bridges, basically cutting off Beirut from the north of Lebanon.

PHILLIPS: Octavia Nasr, great perspective. Appreciate it.

Well, a menacing march hailing Hezbollah and its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, but it wasn't through the streets of Beirut, Lebanon. It was in Baghdad's Sadr City.

CNN's Harris Whitbeck has a disturbing -- well, tells us now about this disturbing show of support and a disturbing show of Iraqi anger aimed at the U.S. and Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Chanting that Hezbollah leader Nasrallah is waging his war against Israel in the name of religion, Shia protesters from all over Iraq converged on Sadr City, the bastion of Shia fundamentalism in the Iraqi capital.

They arrived in buses and private cars, and they numbered in the tens of thousands, accompanied by armed militiamen waving the yellow flag of Hezbollah.

As Israeli and American flags were burned and effigies of George Bush and Tony Blair waved in the air, an imam prayed for Hezbollah fighters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The victory will be for the Islamic resistance in Lebanon. Imam Ali, peace be upon him, will support him, like he did before, with the Mahdi Army in Najaf.

WHITBECK: That was a reference to the bloody fight between Shia militias and U.S. forces two years ago that led to the rise in prominence for radical Shia clergy Muqtada al-Sadr. It was also a call to arms for Hezbollah supporters elsewhere in Iraq.

This protester, shrouded in white, signifying his willingness to die for his cause, said he was ready.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I will fight with Hezbollah and Hassan Nasrallah, and we will support him until we free Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq, God willing.

WHITBECK: Others demanded that Hezbollah strike Tel Aviv next.

(on camera): The protest was described as the largest ever in support of Hezbollah in the Middle East. It was also a show of strength by Shia radicals in Iraq, who said Hezbollah's fight is their own. Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead: gas lines, food shortages, and bombs, those are the facts of everyday life in Beirut. Coming up, we're going to talk with Lebanese blogger has been writing about it and living it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So, what's it like to be in Lebanon these days? You can get a pretty good idea if you know where to look on the Internet.

Habib Battah is a Lebanese journalist and a contributor to this Beirut Live blogspot. He joins us now from Beirut to talk about why he is staying will and why he continues to blog.

Habib, I just want to read a couple grabs from your blog. This first one, you say: "So, what do you do when there is no more gasoline left? Tomorrow, on day 21, I will be getting up at about 6:30 a.m. to be the first in line at the gas station. I'm thinking I could conserve a full tank for about two, three weeks tops. I'm becoming a pro at coasting in neutral, though not at all good for the transmission."

You seem to be keeping your sense of humor, but day-to-day life is getting tougher, isn't it?

HABIB BATTAH, LEBANESE BLOGGER: Yes, I mean, you need to kind of disconnect, in some ways.

You -- you -- you worry about so many things during the day. You worry about gasoline, about food shortages, about all kinds of things. So -- so, you kind of just, at the end of the -- the day and the evening, you just -- just let go. You release, and you -- you -- you give up all your pre -- your preoccupations of the day. And you -- you kind of just joke and laugh it off.

PHILLIPS: Well, and that leads me to my next part of your -- your blog. You say: "How about a donkey? That could be fun. Hey, thanks, Israel. You want to take away our future. So, we will just have to relive our past, right? Maybe we will come up with some crazy outfits as well."

Now, once again, you're keeping that sense of humor, but you are trying to get a message across, in a non-threatening way.

BATTAH: Yes, it -- it's just kind of a release.

As I said throughout the day, you're full of so many worries. The future is so uncertain right now. On my way over here to this interview, the driver -- we drove over probably the last two remaining bridges in Lebanon. And it's just kind of looking in the air, thinking, you know, this could be it any moment. So, the blog helps us connect with other people. And -- and we try to spread a message of -- of peacefulness, because, you know, I have watched this country grow from -- from the ashes. The civil war devastated Lebanon completely. And, after the past 15 years, finally, we started to grow out of that stigma. People are starting to come back to Lebanon. They believe in Lebanon.

I could point out a building to you here, right across the street, that is being refurbished for a billion dollars by an architectural firm in Miami. So, this was totally off guard. We didn't expect this.

About a week ago, I was interviewing 50 Cent, the rap superstar, doing a concert here in Beirut. And a few -- next month -- in the next couple months, Snoop Doggy Dogg was scheduled to come to Lebanon.

I know it sounds trivial, but American viewers might -- might understand that we are real people here. And we are really suffering, all of us, not just Hezbollah.

PHILLIPS: Well, Habib, you bring up a good point, because even Octavia Nasr, our -- our Arab affairs editor, was showing us that Beirut, the capital of Beirut, it's -- it seems pretty normal. People are at coffee shops. They're walking around. They're doing their shopping, and it's the southern part of where you're living that is really getting hammered by the bombs and -- and these -- these attacks.

Do you believe that to be true, that -- that some parts of -- of Beirut seem to be sort of life, you know, as it was, whereas it's just these pockets that are really suffering?

BATTAH: That might have been the case last week or so.

Actually, a lot of people are out in nightclubs in some parts of the country. It might be kind of sickening to some, but people are carrying on with their lives in that way.

But that all changed today. Today, for the first time, people who thought they were safe were no longer safe. We realized today that no one is safe in Lebanon. Israel struck into the Christian heartland today, a region that was actually the home of its allies before, in its previous invasion.

So, that was a real shock to everyone. Now everybody is very uncertain in Beirut. And the anger toward these attacks is growing. And the only outlet right now, the only sense of fighting back seems to be through Hezbollah.

So, if -- if that wasn't the intended effect, that's the consequence, it seems.

PHILLIPS: So, Habib, do you...

BATTAH: People are very angry...

PHILLIPS: Do...

BATTAH: ... even Christians.

PHILLIPS: Do you think that -- that support for Hezbollah is growing?

BATTAH: With today's attack in the Christian areas, crippling the country, not only crippling the south of the country, but crippling the entire country -- we're already cut off from the rest of the world. Now we're cut off from the rest of our country.

We're all isolated now in our own neighborhoods. So, I do think that attack today was a real turning point. And a lot of people are just kind of still shocked about it. And -- and they do blame Israel, because that's where the bombs came from.

And then, of course, where those bombs were made, you can continue the -- the equation, as we do with the Hezbollah rockets to Iran and Syria. So, people are making that same equation here.

PHILLIPS: Now, the leaflets that Israel is dropping over Beirut say that -- that they are targeting Hezbollah. Do you believe that?

BATTAH: That is completely incorrect.

Hezbollah might use a bridge that is used by millions of people. That doesn't mean that that bridge is not used by civilians. That is a civilian target. There are many civilian targets being hit across Lebanon right now. And it's a real shame for us, even people who have been to the West, watching American TV, looking forward to the objective journalism, and hearing the same mantra over and again: "Hezbollah targets," "neutralizing Hezbollah."

As I told you, I don't know who knows what it's like over there to live under siege, when you have no gasoline, and food is running scarce, and we think there might be a fight over food in the future.

We are all suffering. If -- if -- I have friends in that area. I could have been driving down the streets. People died in their cars. It was a highway. Hezbollah -- Hezbollah might use ATVs, for all I'm concerned. They might use dirt bikes. They don't even use -- need to use the real roads.

These are civilian targets. And the American audience needs to understand that civilians are being targeted.

PHILLIPS: Lebanese blogger Habib Battah, interesting blog. Interesting talking to you. Thanks Habib.

BATTAH: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: A new reason to worry in Israel, a Hezbollah rocket strike deep inside Israeli territory, about 25 miles from Tel Aviv.

CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney joins us live with that -- Fionnuala.

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra.

About an hour ago, three rockets hit the northern city of Hadera, just 40 kilometers from Tel Aviv -- no injuries reported, but the significance of this being that this is the deepest strike so far into Israel.

We are in Haifa, which is north of Hadera. And Hadera is midway between Tel Aviv and Haifa. And, of course, last night, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, threatening to hit a major Israeli city if the Israeli military continued to target Beirut, and specifically central Beirut.

He seems to have made good on his threat. Now it appears that we are going to await the Israeli military response.

Last night, Israeli military sources telling CNN that, if Tel Aviv was target, then the Israeli military would target Lebanon's infrastructure. As you know, and you have just been hearing, much of Lebanon's infrastructure has already been destroyed. But, by this, we take to mean its water, its power, those kind of electricity supplies.

So, tonight, people here are very concerned. This is the first time in a long time that air-raid sirens have wailed over northern Israel at night. That's because, when Hezbollah fires rockets, there's a flash that can be picked up by the Israeli drones. And, so, they tend to fire their rockets during the day.

So, this a very serious development here in Israel, three rockets hitting the city of Hadera, which is just 40 kilometers north of Tel Aviv -- no injuries reported, but an Israeli military response likely to be expected -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Fionnuala Sweeney, thank you.

Well, watching, and wondering -- the lack of solid information about Fidel Castro's condition is starting to weigh in on the people of Cuba. And so is the continued absence of Raul Castro from the public stage.

CNN's Morgan Neill is in Havana, where, privately, people are starting to admit their unease. But, publicly, that's an entirely different story.

Morgan, what do you think about this talk about Fidel and Raul possibly both having health issues or some type of condition, because we haven't seen either one of them?

MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I will tell you, it's one thing you get very used to here, Kyra, very quickly, is rumor.

Because information is so tightly controlled, people, essentially, are left to guess and to come up with answers on their own, to speculate. And -- and, honestly, there's very little way of knowing more about -- for example, about President Fidel Castro's condition than we were told Tuesday night on Cuban state television, or -- or the reasons behind -- the reasons why we're not seeing acting president, his brother, Raul Castro.

It's just hard to say unless -- because there is so little information that gets out -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Raul -- or Morgan Neill in Havana, thank you so much.

And a young Cuban girl gets the shock of her life. At the age of 10, she finds out that her mother's friend is really her father, and his name is Fidel Castro. Now she's talking to LIVE FROM about the man who is even a mystery to the CIA.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Fidel Castro, international man of mystery? Well, the highly managed news of Castro's illness this week just shows how effectively his regime keeps a lid on information.

Although Castro has been the public face of Cuba for nearly 50 years, his private life is so classified, even the CIA has to guess about some of the details.

We do know he has a daughter, though. But, these days, Alina Fernandez is one of her father's harshest critics.

On a radio talk show in Miami, she provides a platform for other Cuban exiles to express their views.

Alina Fernandez is joining us as a CNN contributor.

Alina, it's nice to meet you.

ALINA FERNANDEZ, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Nice to meet you, too.

PHILLIPS: I want to talk about your father's condition in just a second. We will get to that.

But I'm just curious. When you hear yourself referred to as Fidel Castro's daughter, are you embarrassed or are you proud?

FERNANDEZ: Well...

(LAUGHTER)

FERNANDEZ: ... maybe I was proud when I was a small, little girl, you know? But the -- the longest I grow, the less proud I feel, in a sense.

You know, it -- it depends on where you are. Some people love him. Some people hate him. And I live in a community that has been very hurt from him.

PHILLIPS: And I hope you don't mind if I ask you this, but I don't think a lot of people understand the relationship that happened between Fidel and your mother. They had quite an interesting love affair, wouldn't you say?

FERNANDEZ: I would say that.

They met when they were fighting, let's say, my mother in a more social way, against Batista. And he -- he was sent to jail. She started writing to him. And she helped him in an attack of the cuartel Moncada, which is a part of the Cuban history we won't get into now.

And, then, by writing to each other, I think they -- -- they they went in love.

PHILLIPS: And, when you say they fell in love, did she keep him hidden out? Did she protect him? Did -- did they ever live together for a period of time?

FERNANDEZ: Well, after he was released from jail -- and I think it's the moment I was conceived -- he was sent to Mexico as an exile, like ex-prisoner. And he came back under grandma, went to the mountains, so they didn't have chance to live together.

PHILLIPS: How is your mom now? Do you get a chance to talk to her very often?

FERNANDEZ: Yes, we e-mail each other.

PHILLIPS: And does she still talk with Fidel?

FERNANDEZ: She belongs to that generation that made the revolution possible. I think she's very fond on that, ideologically.

PHILLIPS: So do you think that she's having a hard time with his illness?

FERNANDEZ: I must say that, yes. I know she's worried. And the latest news I have is that he walked today, so it seems that he's recovering little by little, as you can expect, being almost 80 years old.

PHILLIPS: Wow. So she keeps you informed of his condition?

FERNANDEZ: Not exactly her. No.

PHILLIPS: OK, other sources, we shall say.

FERNANDEZ: Yes.

PHILLIPS: Why did you leave? Did you -- well, maybe -- before I ask you why you left, maybe I should say what was your life like just because it was not the traditional family situation, considering ...

FERNANDEZ: No.

PHILLIPS: ...their affair, et cetera, and how you were conceived. But how were you treated? How was your life as a child before you did leave?

FERNANDEZ: Well, I still use the name Fernandez but everybody knew I was not Fernandez, I was something else. At the beginning, it was a little confusing, and then you get used to it.

PHILLIPS: Why did you want to leave?

FERNANDEZ: Well, you know, the guest you had before was describing the situation in Lebanon with shortages ...

PHILLIPS: With the short ...

FERNANDEZ: Shortage of gas, oil, and food and stuff like that. And Cuba had the same situation for so many years. And at the end of the Cold War and the falling of the Soviet Union, the situation in Cuba became really, really desperate. It was 1993 and I had to escape.

PHILLIPS: And you did it on your own. You left your mom behind, right? Wasn't that difficult? Did you want to do that?

FERNANDEZ: My mom and my daughter. My mom wants to stay there, but my daughter wanted to join me and we made that possible and she came to America 15 days after my escape.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Six sons, we're told, Fidel has, and you. Not really sure if those are exactly the right numbers, but at least from our research, that's what we can find. Do you talk to any of your brothers?

FERNANDEZ: No.

PHILLIPS: No contact at all?

FERNANDEZ: No contact at all, because one of the tragedies of the Cuban family is once you broke ideologically or you break ideologically, you break sentimentally also. It's awful, but that's the way it is in Cuba.

PHILLIPS: If your father dies, is there something that you have thought about for a long time, that you wish you would have been able to say to him?

FERNANDEZ: Maybe we didn't have the relationship every child wants to have with the father, but that's normally his case.

PHILLIPS: Do you still love him?

FERNANDEZ: I don't think so, not in a way you could think. I feel more as a Cuban and a woman and an exile and somebody that is living away, and the reason is because he's there and his regime.

PHILLIPS: Final question, his regime.

FERNANDEZ: Let's not personalize, of course.

PHILLIPS: Yes, of course. If his regime does fall, if he does pass away, if Raul takes over or doesn't take over, do you think Cuba will ever see democracy and do you think that truly is the right answer? FERNANDEZ: Well, I think we cannot stay back in history. We have to go forward.

PHILLIPS: Will you ever go back if indeed there's democracy?

FERNANDEZ: I think so, if I could help in any way. I don't know if I'll be the first person in the first plane.

PHILLIPS: I'm curious if you would run for office, would you want to run Cuba?

FERNANDEZ: No.

PHILLIPS: There's a history of politics in the family.

FERNANDEZ: I don't think anybody can have that ambition. It would be, at least at the beginning, very stupid and very hard.

PHILLIPS: Alina Fernandez, we appreciate your time.

FERNANDEZ: Thank you.

Well tips from you, the citizens. That's what police say led to the capture of the serial shooters that have been haunting Phoenix, Arizona. Two men were arrested early this morning at an apartment complex in suburban Mesa. This is one of them, Dale Hausner. Police say he and Samuel Dieteman have been booked on numerous counts of murder and aggravated assault.

Within the past 15 months, the serial shooters are blamed for 36 shootings since May of last year. Six people were killed, 18 others wounded. Most of the victims were either walking or riding bikes. The shots fired from a passing car.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR PHIL GORDON, PHOENIX: These are the two monsters we've been hunting and as I promised, you and my colleagues promised you, we're not yet finished. I said last week that we had turned the tables on these criminals, that the hunters had become the hunted, and that Phoenix is a city on the offensive. No one should question that today.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: But there's still a lot of work to do. Police are still looking for this man, described as the "Baseline Killer." He's blamed for nearly two dozen crimes including robbery, rape and eight killings.

We're starting something new here at CNN. We want you to join in. Watch and learn how you can become a bigger part of the world's most trust name in news.

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PHILLIPS: Well, not surprisingly, many people are turning to cold drinks for some relief from the extreme summer heat. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange with an interesting new take on an old story. Hey, Susan.

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in the Atlanta news room with more on a developing story. We'll have more from Kyra Phillips and LIVE FROM in a moment but first this developing story. It was an incident of embarrassment for the White House and to those who knew the former White House domestic policy adviser Claude Allen. Allen was accused of taking money in exchange for returning merchandise at D.C. area stores. Well, today, Claude Allen pled guilty to theft under $500, a misdemeanor. He avoids jail time but must pay a $500, $850 restitution to the department store and will be on a two-year supervised probation.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield in the news room, more of LIVE FROM with Kyra Phillips after this.

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PHILLIPS: Well, good thing a Los Angeles surgeon has a knack with a knife. Dr. John Hughes says an operation to remove two brain tumors from musician Doug Fieger on Thursday was a success. Fieger, best known as lead singer for the popular 70s band the Knack is expected to make a full recovery. If the name Fieger sounds familiar for some other reason than the repeated air play of "My Sharona," well it's because Doug's big brother is also well known, but Jeffrey Fieger's talents lie elsewhere. He's well-known Michigan attorney who once represented Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Well he was once a flamboyant villain of rock and roll, but today, Alice Cooper has staged a turnaround. He announced plans this week to build a $3 million center for at-risk teens in Phoenix. I spoke to him this week about his faith and his personal transformation.

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PHILLIPS: All right, so -- you know, and I'm thinking of, like, your album covers and I'm just thinking of pictures of you through the years, you know, from "Killer," "Poison," "Hell Is," "Trash," "Alice Cooper Goes to Hell." How can we forget all those album covers? But you have made this turnaround. What was it? I know your dad was a pastor, your grandfather was a pastor, did amazing things in their lives. Was -- did you rebel against that or did that finally find you? Or was this -- when was the moment that you said, OK, I'm flipping it around?

ALICE COOPER, ROCK AND ROLL STAR: Well, here's -- you know, I mean, I was the -- I always introduced myself as the prodigal son. You know, I mean, I grew up in a church, I grew up with my dad being a pastor. I had a great relationship with my dad and my granddad and the church. I had no problem with that.

It's just I ended up being at the right place at the right time to be -- and I did create Alice to be rock's villain. I wanted Alice to be rock's villain and I still do. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. He's a fictitious character. And he's, you know, I mean -- he's Captain Hook of rock 'n' roll.

PHILLIPS: What do you think of these metal bands dabbling in Satanism?

COOPER: Well, that's the one thing that I write a lot about. I mean, I've been -- I've never been into that. But I've certainly seen a lot of it. And it's the one thing that I warn against in a lot of my songs. But at the same time, I still do a full-out show. I still do a full-out Alice Cooper show. It's just the fact that I don't think that that interferes, really, with my Christianity. The show I do, if people aren't laughing in that show, there's something wrong, you know.

But, I mean, I went out and I became one of the great alcoholics of all time in rock. And it nearly killed me. I almost went the way of Jim, Morrison and Jimi Hendrix, who were friends of mine. But I got ahold of myself and I really started searching for what I was really looking for. And in my real life, I've been married 30 years.

PHILLIPS: Sheryl is amazing.

COOPER: Sheryl is great. She's the best thing in the world. And I've never cheated on her. She's never cheated on me. So our kids are very happy and healthy. And, yes, we're Christians. We go to church every Sunday.

PHILLIPS: You know, Coop, it makes me think back to when you were a teenager. And it's that same discipline that you had. You want to convince Frank Zappa that you had something. And didn't you play outside his home until he finally said, OK, I'll sign you? You said, either call the cops or sign me, Zappa.

COOPER: You know, I'll tell you the truth, what it was was, he told me to be there at 7:00 to rehearse -- I mean, to do an audition. Well, we got there at 7:00 in the morning. We were so anxious to get there, that we got there at 7:00 in the morning. We were so anxious to get there that we showed up at 7:00 in the morning, and started playing. And Frank came downstairs and he goes, what are you doing? And I said, you said 7:00. And he said, I meant 7:00 at night. And he said, I'll sign you. Just leave, OK? Go away. And that was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

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PHILLIPS: Well, the one and only Alice Cooper. He's teaming up with Grand Canyon University to build his new teen center. Plans call for a recording studio, a basketball court and a computer room.

It's time now to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour -- Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Kyra, thanks very much.

War rages in Lebanon. Israel bombs major bridges and roadways near Beirut, hits a group of farm workers, as well, near the Syrian border. There are some significant casualties.

Meanwhile, a Hezbollah rocket lands deeper than ever inside Israel, closer and closer toward Tel Aviv. We're going to take you to the front lines on both sides of the border.

And will the war in Lebanon spark even more violence in Iraq if that's possible? Thousands hit the streets in Baghdad in support of Hezbollah, burning Israeli and U.S. flags.

Also, in the line of fire. Donald Rumsfeld and calls for his resignation. Would dumping the defense secretary change the president's policy? Jeff Greenfield on the story.

And we'll also find out in the coming hour what Americans are really thinking about the war in the Middle East, as well as President Bush and Condoleezza Rice. A brand new CNN poll releases, Kyra, right at the top of the hour.

All that coming up right here on "THE SITUATION ROOM."

PHILLIPS: We'll be watching. Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: We've been sweating -- sweating over it. How do we set up this next story? Let's just say Jeanne Moos is steamed by this week's heat wave. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you're a fan of heat jokes ...

DAVID LETTERMAN, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": Let me tell you how hot it was today ...

MOOS: It was so hot, newscasters exhausted just about every possible word to describe the heat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The oppressive heat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Blistering heat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excessive heat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Punishing heat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Scorching heat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sweltering heat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, it's sizzling.

MOOS: It's as if all these tortured phrases are torturing us ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Painfully hot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Boiling hot.

MOOS: ...leaving regular folks grasping for something new to say.

(on camera): It is blistering hot.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is steaming.

MOOS: Punishing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Punishing, cruel, unmanageable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Intolerable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unbreathable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hellish, people.

MOOS (voice-over): He ought to know, he's a Presbyterian minister. Judging by their language, even the most proper people are succumbing to the heat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) hot.

MOOS: As if temperatures at or above 100 weren't enough, they rub it in with scalding hot maps and jarring graphics, not to mention weird weather-related segments like the one where the reporter swallowed a thermometer ...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here we go.

MOOS: ...in the form of a pill, or another titled "Mission Impossible, Smell Good in the Heat."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your anti-perspirant could have a deodorant in it, but if it is just deodorant, it has nothing to stop the sweating.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right.

MOOS: And if one more person tells me to ...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hydrate today.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay hydrated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

MOOS: Try hydrating this kid.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No!

MOOS (on camera): And talk about a heated vocabulary. The "New York Daily News" coined a new word.

(voice-over): Sweatiquette, sweat meets etiquette. They offer solutions to sticky situations, for instance, if you're trapped in a subway under someone's armpit, or if someone sweaty tries to hug you.

(on camera): Come at me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.

MOOS: This is a forearm grab.

(voice-over): Obviously, the heat is getting to the media.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're looking at the baked apple.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Boston is getting baked, and excuse the pun, but it's a little like the beans they're famous for.

MOOS: The pun we'll part. Not this simile.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Heat like a sword.

MOOS: Blazing heat one day, sizzling the next is enough to make you wish the weatherman would shoot the breeze, like in "Groundhog Day."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But look out. Here comes trouble.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

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PHILLIPS: Closing bell right after a quick break. And remember to CNN.com and check out our new feature, I-Report.

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