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CNN Live Today
Possible Capture of Man Suspected of Abducting Woman From Wal- Mart Parking Lot; Michael Jackson Trial; What's Being Done to Make Iraqi Polling Places as Safe as Possible
Aired January 21, 2005 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
A major Muslim holiday is marred by the latest violence in Iraq. A car bomb exploded outside a Shiite mosque in Baghdad this morning. Iraqi police say 14 people died and 42 others were wounded. Today is Eid al-Adha, which coincides with the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca.
President Bush begins the first full day of his second term with prayer. Mr. Bush is attending an inaugural prayer service going on right now at the National Cathedral in Washington. Later this hour, we'll go live to the White House for more on the president's day and his plan for his second term.
This morning, the FBI is looking for 10 more people in addition to these four in connection with a possible terror plot against the city of Boston. Officials say information about the plot is still uncorroborated, and they won't elaborate on the nature of the threat.
The Michael Jackson child molestation case is the focus of a hearing set to begin about an hour from now. On the docket today, motions on previous child abuse allegations and a documentary about the pop star. Details in a live report just ahead.
And we're looking at 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, and coming up on 8:00 a.m. on the West. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez. A lot of news on this day.
We're going to begin this hour with what appears now to be the capture of a man suspected of abducting a young woman outside a Wal- Mart in Tyler, Texas, where she worked. Now, this story has been developing. In the time that we've been in on the air it's been changing.
Police are expected to hold a news conference in just a couple of minutes. And we're going to bring that live to you when it happens.
First, though, CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks is here to try and fill in the holes as we -- as we try and put this thing together. Because the latest we hear now is that he's been caught, that he's been injured, and that may have something to do with Arizona. Put it together for us, Mike.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, apparently this subject, whoever he is, we don't have a name yet, walked into a hospital in Wilcox, Arizona. Now, this is almost 1,200 miles away from Tyler, Texas.
He walked into the Northern Cochise Community Hospital there with some kind of gunshot wound. I just spoke a short time ago with the head of the hospital there, Chris Kronberg (ph), who did confirm to me that yes, they do have someone there who is in police custody, and that after he's treated he will be released to the Wilcox police.
Now, I asked him, I said, "If he's going to be released, are we talking a short time?" And he said, "Yes." And I said, "Well, I guess it's not very serious." He said, "No, it's not." So apparently it's not too serious of a wound. But apparently he came in...
SANCHEZ: But what does that tell you, though? The fact that -- the fact that he drove all the way to Arizona and the fact that he's shot, or injured or bleeding?
BROOKS: Right. Well, he's there -- apparently her truck, he drove her truck there to the hospital, the truck they were looking for, that red 2002 red Ford F-150 truck with the Texas tags. He apparently was in that truck drove himself to the hospital. So that's going to be very crucial.
Number one, was he acting alone? And how did he get a gunshot wound? Did he use a weapon during the time of the abduction?
The evidence in this truck, Rick, is going to be extremely crucial. Number one, blood. Is his blood in there? Or, you know, we hope worst case scenario...
SANCHEZ: But we don't know anything about her now, right?
BROOKS: Not at all.
SANCHEZ: Nothing.
BROOKS: She's not there. Hairs and fibers, powder residue, is there powder residue on his hands? Is there powder residue in the truck?
The evidence in that truck is going to be crucial to this case. And we've seen cases before where they found the perp, or the alleged perp and the truck, but they haven't found the victim.
SANCHEZ: So he allegedly abducts her. She's still missing. He has now turned up and he's injured. Let's go back if we can to that...
BROOKS: Right.
SANCHEZ: Can we put that picture back up? Because I think this is somewhat telling. And maybe we can learn from it. This is the point where he allegedly abducts her.
BROOKS: Right.
SANCHEZ: And you can see it in the video. If we can get that up in just a minute, it's going to be circled for you. You'll be able to see -- OK, there they are walking right there.
BROOKS: There she's walking in the circle in the front, and he's closing in on her pretty quickly as we see.
SANCHEZ: But you cannot tell what actually happens when they get to the car.
BROOKS: No, you can't. And then -- so right now, the violent crimes task force of the FBI in -- just out of Dallas -- because Tyler's just a little bit east of Dallas -- they're involved in this. And that brings into play the FBI, the ATF, the sheriff's office there in that county, all of the profiling evidence response teams, also the Texas Rangers are involved in this. So we're talking about a task force that's working on this case.
So now the question remains -- and I tried to contact the Phoenix FBI, and they're checking for me on exactly what assets the Phoenix FBI is going to send down to Wilcox, Arizona, to help in this case. Because Wilcox apparently has a very good police department, but it's only about 16 men strong.
SANCHEZ: The key here is to find her.
BROOKS: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Before anything else.
BROOKS: It is. So they'll probably keep him on ice, wait until someone gets there. They'll -- or if he goes ahead and spills his guts, that's all the better. But right now, the question is, where is Megan Leann Holden?
SANCHEZ: Yes. And was she just -- was this just a crime of opportunity? They say he may have been waiting for anybody else. That he actually followed a bunch of other people who were walking to their cars that day.
BROOKS: Right. He was there almost two hours prior to the abduction. In fact, a security guard, a contract security guard for Wal-Mart, actually spoke to him when he was sitting in front of the store and asked him what he was doing. And he said he was waiting for a ride.
SANCHEZ: Mike Brooks, we do thank you. You know what we're going to do? We're having a news conference that's coming up in just a little bit. And as soon as that happens, we're going to monitor it and see what happens. And maybe we'll be talking to you again.
BROOKS: Absolutely. SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, another case of a missing person that we've been following for you in Florida. This is a search for an 11-year- old boy that enters its fourth day now.
The FBI and local police are looking for Adam Kirkirt in the Ocala National Forest. Now, he was last seen Tuesday when a known sex offender, a roommate of the boy's father, picked him up from school. We will also continue to follow that one for you.
KAGAN: First, though, to California. A pretrial hearing in the Michael Jackson case gets under way in the next hour. The pop star will not be there. The hearing, though, is expected to cover some important legal ground.
Our Miguel Marquez is outside the courthouse in Santa Maria with more.
Miguel, good morning.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you.
He's not here today, but he will be here soon. The trial of Michael Jackson set to get under way still on January 31. The judge has already ordered that he be here for that day.
That's the day when they will start selecting the 12 jurors who will judge Michael Jackson. And that is expected to take three to four weeks. The judge, those jurors, and then the trial itself could take anywhere between four and five months. We're guessing at this point. And most people here who are part of this are guessing that's about the -- the length it will take.
There are several things on the docket today. One is a prosecution motion, a motion brought by the district attorney, that they want to allow experts on child abuse trauma to testify to misconceptions about child abuse trauma.
They say some of those misconceptions are that children will disclose all the information to friends or to family. They said that's not necessarily true. And they also say that one of the misconceptions is that children who are abused don't still love those who are -- that they were molested by. They want to testify to the grooming process here, and what they say was a grooming process by Michael Jackson of this -- this alleged victim.
Another thing that we're going to hear about today is some evidence that they've been wrangling over. A personal assistant's office of Mr. Jackson was searched back in September of last year, and there's a single file that was titled Mesereau. Thomas Mesereau, Jr., Mr. Jackson's lawyer.
Jackson's attorneys want that -- that file kept from the prosecution. And they believe that is subject to attorney-client privilege.
There will also be a lot of discussion about the jury today, the jury questionnaire, what will go in that questionnaire, what it will look like. There's going to be a period of discussion to talk about the jury selection process, which I'm sure is going to be a long process indeed.
Back to you.
KAGAN: Miguel Marquez, live from Santa Maria. Thank you so much.
Want to go live now to Tyler, Texas, the developing story, the search for Megan Holden, the young woman taken from a Wal-Mart parking lot after she was leaving there from work. Her truck has been found over 1,000 miles away. We're standing by for a news conference.
Our Ed Lavandera is in Tyler, Texas, with the latest -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
Well, we are here in Tyler, Texas, the police headquarters, where we're waiting the beginning of a press conference to get the latest information as to the -- in the case of Megan Holden, who was last seen about 36 hours ago as she was leaving the Wal-Mart here in Tyler where she was working cashier shift. And she was on her way out to her car when she was abducted.
Now, authorities just a short time ago reporting that the suspect in this case is in custody in the town of Wilcox, Arizona. He walked into a hospital there, reportedly suffering from some sort of gunshot wound. The -- we're told from hospital officials there in Wilcox that the injuries are minor, but we also understand that he is in custody.
Authorities there are beginning the process of questioning him and trying to find out, of course, what is on everyone's minds here in Tyler, is the whereabouts of Megan Holden, the 19-year-old girl. We are told by authorities so far that there's no information as to her whereabouts. And that, as you might imagine, is what the family here is most concerned about at this point.
But they do anticipate that finding the car and finding this suspect will begin to shed clues as to what has happened during the last 36 hours. And perhaps we'll hear a little bit of that coming up shortly -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Ed Lavandera, live from Tyler, Texas. Ed, thank you. And when that conference begins, we'll bring it live to our viewers.
SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, parts of the country are bracing for net yet another wintry blast. We are going to be showing you where you can expect the, well, the difficult, the frustrating, the worst, and where the storm is headed for the weekend.
KAGAN: Also, a popular cartoon character gets caught up in the controversy. See why some folks are taking issue with SpongeBob Squarepants.
SANCHEZ: And it may have been the biggest party of the year. And we're going to take a look at who was there, what they wore, how they wore it. Jeanne Moos dissects the pomp and circumstance of the inauguration in just a couple of minutes.
You are watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
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KAGAN: A bombing outside of a mosque tops the news out of Iraq this morning. It is just nine days before the Iraqi elections.
Police say 14 people died and 42 were wounded when a car bomb exploded outside a Shiite mosque in Baghdad today. Worshipers were celebrating a major Muslim holiday known as the Feast of Sacrifice.
Authorities are investigating another bombing near a military base in southern Iraq. An Iraqi civilian was killed and 15 people were wounded, including nine British soldiers.
A new video surfaced today from kidnappers threatening to kill eight Chinese hostages. It called on China to issue a statement forbidding citizens from entering Iraq.
SANCHEZ: And with all of this going on in Iraq, and as the Iraqi elections get closer, the violence does seem to continue, making security a huge concern. What is being done to protect the Iraqis and try to make the polling places where they hope to go as safe as possible?
From Baghdad now, Brigadier General Erv Lessel talks about the role of U.S. forces and Iraqi troops in providing election security.
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BRIG. GEN. ERV LESSEL, U.S. AIR FORCE: These are Iraqi elections, and the Iraqis have primary responsibility for their conduct. The Iraqi security forces, the police, will provide primary security in and around the polling locations. They'll be backed up and supported by the Iraqi National Guard and Iraqi army. And then coalition forces will provide additional support whenever and wherever needed across the country.
SANCHEZ: Given the fact that so many of them, as we have been led to believe here, at least stateside, have in many cases walked away from their jobs, have been attacked. Pretty rough in many cases around the Sunni Triangle.
How can you be convinced that they're up to this challenge, up to this job, to be able to provide security in a way that really they haven't been able to do as of yet without the assistance of U.S. forces?
LESSEL: Well, again, today, across the country, Iraqi security forces are on patrol providing security. You don't hear about many parts of the country. Fourteen of 18 provinces, there are very few instances of attacks by terrorists.
The Iraqi security forces are providing primary security in most of these regions. In areas like Mosul and Baghdad and Ramada, the Iraqi security forces are proving themselves.
In Mosul, for example, two months ago, two-and-a-half months ago, the Iraqi security forces were intimidated. The police walked off the job due to intimidation. But today there's more than 1,000 that have come back under good leadership, that are providing security for the citizens of Mosul.
SANCHEZ: There are some who say that perhaps we are not ready for this election, and indeed this January 30 date should not be etched in stone. Some would say that it should be moved back to the point where security is in fact better or bolstered from the place where it is right now.
What is your opinion? Or what would you say to those, General?
LESSEL: Well, everyone that I talked to here in Iraq, the Iraqi government officials, Iraqi citizens, multinational forces, everyone is targeted and aiming at on-time elections on the 30th of January. Right now, we don't see anything that could possibly stop that.
There could be potential technical reasons that there might be some -- some delays. But right now, everyone is focused on on-time elections. And we're confident that the security environment will only continue to improve. And we will continue to do everything possible to ensure that security environment.
We do expect that the terrorists will try to escalate the number of attacks, try to intimidate the people and keep them from coming out to the polls. But equally, we're determined to have those elections on time.
SANCHEZ: General Erv Lessel, coming to us from Iraq. General, thanks so much, sir, for taking time to talk to us and explain the situation over there for us right now. We appreciate it.
LESSEL: My pleasure, Rick.
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KAGAN: The big question out of Tyler, Texas, is, where is Megan Holden? She is the 19-year-old Wal-Mart cashier who has been missing for the last 36 hours. Her truck has been found. Tyler, Texas, police we'll be holding a news conference very soon. And we will take you to Tyler live as that begins.
SANCHEZ: Also, it is the first full day of the president's second term. We're going to have a live report from CNN's senior White House correspondent John King about what's on the White House agenda now.
KAGAN: And some parts of the country may be in for a wintry weekend. A full forecast is just ahead.
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SANCHEZ: Here's one we all may be able to relate to. In Raleigh, North Carolina, temperatures still running high, though the temperature is now not.
Wednesday, an inch of snow created some slick roads. And many motorists, as you can see there, were stuck in long lines of traffic jams for hours. Not to mention, they weren't able to stop half the time. Unable to use a home phone because the system was overloaded as well.
A TV weatherman who wrongly predicted just a dusting of snow has now apologized to his audience. And now we learn that more snow is in the forecast for today.
KAGAN: It would not happen here on CNN.
SANCHEZ: No, man.
KAGAN: That weather man was not Rob Marciano. He's like the snow king.
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KAGAN: A key cabinet confirmation now has to be delayed until next week. You're going to hear why Democrats are trying to cause so much trouble for Condoleezza Rice and what that means for Colin Powell.
SANCHEZ: They're playing hardball. We'll be back.
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KAGAN: We're getting kind of close to the half-hour. I'm Daryn Kagan.
SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. Here's what's happening right "Now in the News."
KAGAN: The FBI is widening its probe of a possible terror plot against Boston. Four Chinese nationals are being sought. Now the FBI is adding 10 other names to the list.
All are wanted for questioning in what the FBI is says is an uncorroborated threat there. Of those on the list of 10 names, officials say five are also Chinese nationals.
Palestinian security forces have started deploying along the border with Israel. It is part of a two-phase plan to stop attacks on Israeli communities. New Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas also negotiating with militant groups, hoping to win their commitment to a cease-fire. Earlier in the week, Israel approved plans for a major offensive in Gaza if Abbas fails to control the violence. And five Danish soldiers have been charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners. The soldiers are all back in Denmark now. They allegedly forced the prisoners into painful positions during interrogations at the Danish military headquarters near Basra. Denmark currently has over 500 troops serving in southern Iraq.
Also in the news today, police in Texas have arrested a man suspected of kidnapping a woman from a Wal-Mart parking lot. Police nabbed Johnny Williams 1,000 miles away from Tyler, Texas, in Wilcox, Arizona. He had been spotted getting out of the red truck allegedly used for the getaway. Police say he had gunshot wounds.
Megan Leann Holding is the 19-year-old missing Wal-Mart cashier. She still has not been found.
We are standing by waiting for a news conference from Tyler, Texas. With the latest, let's check in with Ed Lavandera -- Ed.
LAVANDERA: Hi, Daryn. We told you a little while ago that this press conference was going to start in a short while. We've just been informed here by police officers that this press conference will actually start at 11:15 Central Time, 12:15 Eastern.
They say they're gathering up as much of the latest information as they can. This has been a quickly -- a quick developing story here throughout the morning, where there are reports out of Wilcox, Arizona, around 6:00 a.m., that this suspect, Johnny Williams, walked into a hospital in the Wilcox, Arizona, area.
As you mentioned a short while ago, 1,000 miles away. Megan Holden was abducted from the Tyler area about no less than -- a little less than 36 hours ago. It was midnight Wednesday when she had finished up her shift as a cashier at a Wal-Mart here in Tyler. So the distance that was covered here, quite a ways, across a couple of state lines to get to that point.
I understand from authorities here in Tyler that when Johnny Williams walked into the hospital in Wilcox, Arizona, he had told the person there that he had been shot by a Hispanic male at a car wash across the street from the hospital. But it turns out that -- from what I'm told here -- that there was an officer in that area who had seen Johnny Williams walk into the -- into the hospital and was able to tell authorities there that nothing like that had happened. So there are a lot of questions that authorities are asking Johnny Williams.
We also understand that he walked into the hospital to get treatment for gunshot wounds. But we're told that those gunshot wounds from hospital officials there in Willcox that they're minor wounds and that he should be OK. In the meantime, authorities are around him asking questions.
And of course, the main point and the main concern here for authorities in Tyler is the whereabouts of Megan Holden. And unfortunately, there's no new information to pass along at this point. However, that could change in the next hour. Daryn? DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE TODAY: Yes. That is the number one question. Willcox, Arizona, what they call a cow town of about 3,100 people on I10 east of Tucson. You have to wonder if he had some kind of connection to that city.
LAVANDERA: You know, up until now, Johnny Williams had been a mystery to authorities here in Tyler. They weren't even sure if he was from the Tyler area. In the videotapes he had been seen just walking into the parking lot, appearing in the Wal-Mart parking lot. He didn't drive up or get dropped off or anything like that.
Now they do believe he's from the Tyler area. But much more than that, I imagine that authorities are going through a lot of that information as we speak. But up until just a short while ago, this man was a complete mystery to Tyler police.
KAGAN: All right. Ed Lavandera, in Tyler, Texas, you say that news conference is set to begin in 45 minutes; we'll show it live here on CNN. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 21, 2005 - 10:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
A major Muslim holiday is marred by the latest violence in Iraq. A car bomb exploded outside a Shiite mosque in Baghdad this morning. Iraqi police say 14 people died and 42 others were wounded. Today is Eid al-Adha, which coincides with the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca.
President Bush begins the first full day of his second term with prayer. Mr. Bush is attending an inaugural prayer service going on right now at the National Cathedral in Washington. Later this hour, we'll go live to the White House for more on the president's day and his plan for his second term.
This morning, the FBI is looking for 10 more people in addition to these four in connection with a possible terror plot against the city of Boston. Officials say information about the plot is still uncorroborated, and they won't elaborate on the nature of the threat.
The Michael Jackson child molestation case is the focus of a hearing set to begin about an hour from now. On the docket today, motions on previous child abuse allegations and a documentary about the pop star. Details in a live report just ahead.
And we're looking at 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, and coming up on 8:00 a.m. on the West. From CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez. A lot of news on this day.
We're going to begin this hour with what appears now to be the capture of a man suspected of abducting a young woman outside a Wal- Mart in Tyler, Texas, where she worked. Now, this story has been developing. In the time that we've been in on the air it's been changing.
Police are expected to hold a news conference in just a couple of minutes. And we're going to bring that live to you when it happens.
First, though, CNN law enforcement analyst Mike Brooks is here to try and fill in the holes as we -- as we try and put this thing together. Because the latest we hear now is that he's been caught, that he's been injured, and that may have something to do with Arizona. Put it together for us, Mike.
MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, apparently this subject, whoever he is, we don't have a name yet, walked into a hospital in Wilcox, Arizona. Now, this is almost 1,200 miles away from Tyler, Texas.
He walked into the Northern Cochise Community Hospital there with some kind of gunshot wound. I just spoke a short time ago with the head of the hospital there, Chris Kronberg (ph), who did confirm to me that yes, they do have someone there who is in police custody, and that after he's treated he will be released to the Wilcox police.
Now, I asked him, I said, "If he's going to be released, are we talking a short time?" And he said, "Yes." And I said, "Well, I guess it's not very serious." He said, "No, it's not." So apparently it's not too serious of a wound. But apparently he came in...
SANCHEZ: But what does that tell you, though? The fact that -- the fact that he drove all the way to Arizona and the fact that he's shot, or injured or bleeding?
BROOKS: Right. Well, he's there -- apparently her truck, he drove her truck there to the hospital, the truck they were looking for, that red 2002 red Ford F-150 truck with the Texas tags. He apparently was in that truck drove himself to the hospital. So that's going to be very crucial.
Number one, was he acting alone? And how did he get a gunshot wound? Did he use a weapon during the time of the abduction?
The evidence in this truck, Rick, is going to be extremely crucial. Number one, blood. Is his blood in there? Or, you know, we hope worst case scenario...
SANCHEZ: But we don't know anything about her now, right?
BROOKS: Not at all.
SANCHEZ: Nothing.
BROOKS: She's not there. Hairs and fibers, powder residue, is there powder residue on his hands? Is there powder residue in the truck?
The evidence in that truck is going to be crucial to this case. And we've seen cases before where they found the perp, or the alleged perp and the truck, but they haven't found the victim.
SANCHEZ: So he allegedly abducts her. She's still missing. He has now turned up and he's injured. Let's go back if we can to that...
BROOKS: Right.
SANCHEZ: Can we put that picture back up? Because I think this is somewhat telling. And maybe we can learn from it. This is the point where he allegedly abducts her.
BROOKS: Right.
SANCHEZ: And you can see it in the video. If we can get that up in just a minute, it's going to be circled for you. You'll be able to see -- OK, there they are walking right there.
BROOKS: There she's walking in the circle in the front, and he's closing in on her pretty quickly as we see.
SANCHEZ: But you cannot tell what actually happens when they get to the car.
BROOKS: No, you can't. And then -- so right now, the violent crimes task force of the FBI in -- just out of Dallas -- because Tyler's just a little bit east of Dallas -- they're involved in this. And that brings into play the FBI, the ATF, the sheriff's office there in that county, all of the profiling evidence response teams, also the Texas Rangers are involved in this. So we're talking about a task force that's working on this case.
So now the question remains -- and I tried to contact the Phoenix FBI, and they're checking for me on exactly what assets the Phoenix FBI is going to send down to Wilcox, Arizona, to help in this case. Because Wilcox apparently has a very good police department, but it's only about 16 men strong.
SANCHEZ: The key here is to find her.
BROOKS: Absolutely.
SANCHEZ: Before anything else.
BROOKS: It is. So they'll probably keep him on ice, wait until someone gets there. They'll -- or if he goes ahead and spills his guts, that's all the better. But right now, the question is, where is Megan Leann Holden?
SANCHEZ: Yes. And was she just -- was this just a crime of opportunity? They say he may have been waiting for anybody else. That he actually followed a bunch of other people who were walking to their cars that day.
BROOKS: Right. He was there almost two hours prior to the abduction. In fact, a security guard, a contract security guard for Wal-Mart, actually spoke to him when he was sitting in front of the store and asked him what he was doing. And he said he was waiting for a ride.
SANCHEZ: Mike Brooks, we do thank you. You know what we're going to do? We're having a news conference that's coming up in just a little bit. And as soon as that happens, we're going to monitor it and see what happens. And maybe we'll be talking to you again.
BROOKS: Absolutely. SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, another case of a missing person that we've been following for you in Florida. This is a search for an 11-year- old boy that enters its fourth day now.
The FBI and local police are looking for Adam Kirkirt in the Ocala National Forest. Now, he was last seen Tuesday when a known sex offender, a roommate of the boy's father, picked him up from school. We will also continue to follow that one for you.
KAGAN: First, though, to California. A pretrial hearing in the Michael Jackson case gets under way in the next hour. The pop star will not be there. The hearing, though, is expected to cover some important legal ground.
Our Miguel Marquez is outside the courthouse in Santa Maria with more.
Miguel, good morning.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you.
He's not here today, but he will be here soon. The trial of Michael Jackson set to get under way still on January 31. The judge has already ordered that he be here for that day.
That's the day when they will start selecting the 12 jurors who will judge Michael Jackson. And that is expected to take three to four weeks. The judge, those jurors, and then the trial itself could take anywhere between four and five months. We're guessing at this point. And most people here who are part of this are guessing that's about the -- the length it will take.
There are several things on the docket today. One is a prosecution motion, a motion brought by the district attorney, that they want to allow experts on child abuse trauma to testify to misconceptions about child abuse trauma.
They say some of those misconceptions are that children will disclose all the information to friends or to family. They said that's not necessarily true. And they also say that one of the misconceptions is that children who are abused don't still love those who are -- that they were molested by. They want to testify to the grooming process here, and what they say was a grooming process by Michael Jackson of this -- this alleged victim.
Another thing that we're going to hear about today is some evidence that they've been wrangling over. A personal assistant's office of Mr. Jackson was searched back in September of last year, and there's a single file that was titled Mesereau. Thomas Mesereau, Jr., Mr. Jackson's lawyer.
Jackson's attorneys want that -- that file kept from the prosecution. And they believe that is subject to attorney-client privilege.
There will also be a lot of discussion about the jury today, the jury questionnaire, what will go in that questionnaire, what it will look like. There's going to be a period of discussion to talk about the jury selection process, which I'm sure is going to be a long process indeed.
Back to you.
KAGAN: Miguel Marquez, live from Santa Maria. Thank you so much.
Want to go live now to Tyler, Texas, the developing story, the search for Megan Holden, the young woman taken from a Wal-Mart parking lot after she was leaving there from work. Her truck has been found over 1,000 miles away. We're standing by for a news conference.
Our Ed Lavandera is in Tyler, Texas, with the latest -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.
Well, we are here in Tyler, Texas, the police headquarters, where we're waiting the beginning of a press conference to get the latest information as to the -- in the case of Megan Holden, who was last seen about 36 hours ago as she was leaving the Wal-Mart here in Tyler where she was working cashier shift. And she was on her way out to her car when she was abducted.
Now, authorities just a short time ago reporting that the suspect in this case is in custody in the town of Wilcox, Arizona. He walked into a hospital there, reportedly suffering from some sort of gunshot wound. The -- we're told from hospital officials there in Wilcox that the injuries are minor, but we also understand that he is in custody.
Authorities there are beginning the process of questioning him and trying to find out, of course, what is on everyone's minds here in Tyler, is the whereabouts of Megan Holden, the 19-year-old girl. We are told by authorities so far that there's no information as to her whereabouts. And that, as you might imagine, is what the family here is most concerned about at this point.
But they do anticipate that finding the car and finding this suspect will begin to shed clues as to what has happened during the last 36 hours. And perhaps we'll hear a little bit of that coming up shortly -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Ed Lavandera, live from Tyler, Texas. Ed, thank you. And when that conference begins, we'll bring it live to our viewers.
SANCHEZ: Meanwhile, parts of the country are bracing for net yet another wintry blast. We are going to be showing you where you can expect the, well, the difficult, the frustrating, the worst, and where the storm is headed for the weekend.
KAGAN: Also, a popular cartoon character gets caught up in the controversy. See why some folks are taking issue with SpongeBob Squarepants.
SANCHEZ: And it may have been the biggest party of the year. And we're going to take a look at who was there, what they wore, how they wore it. Jeanne Moos dissects the pomp and circumstance of the inauguration in just a couple of minutes.
You are watching CNN LIVE TODAY.
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KAGAN: A bombing outside of a mosque tops the news out of Iraq this morning. It is just nine days before the Iraqi elections.
Police say 14 people died and 42 were wounded when a car bomb exploded outside a Shiite mosque in Baghdad today. Worshipers were celebrating a major Muslim holiday known as the Feast of Sacrifice.
Authorities are investigating another bombing near a military base in southern Iraq. An Iraqi civilian was killed and 15 people were wounded, including nine British soldiers.
A new video surfaced today from kidnappers threatening to kill eight Chinese hostages. It called on China to issue a statement forbidding citizens from entering Iraq.
SANCHEZ: And with all of this going on in Iraq, and as the Iraqi elections get closer, the violence does seem to continue, making security a huge concern. What is being done to protect the Iraqis and try to make the polling places where they hope to go as safe as possible?
From Baghdad now, Brigadier General Erv Lessel talks about the role of U.S. forces and Iraqi troops in providing election security.
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BRIG. GEN. ERV LESSEL, U.S. AIR FORCE: These are Iraqi elections, and the Iraqis have primary responsibility for their conduct. The Iraqi security forces, the police, will provide primary security in and around the polling locations. They'll be backed up and supported by the Iraqi National Guard and Iraqi army. And then coalition forces will provide additional support whenever and wherever needed across the country.
SANCHEZ: Given the fact that so many of them, as we have been led to believe here, at least stateside, have in many cases walked away from their jobs, have been attacked. Pretty rough in many cases around the Sunni Triangle.
How can you be convinced that they're up to this challenge, up to this job, to be able to provide security in a way that really they haven't been able to do as of yet without the assistance of U.S. forces?
LESSEL: Well, again, today, across the country, Iraqi security forces are on patrol providing security. You don't hear about many parts of the country. Fourteen of 18 provinces, there are very few instances of attacks by terrorists.
The Iraqi security forces are providing primary security in most of these regions. In areas like Mosul and Baghdad and Ramada, the Iraqi security forces are proving themselves.
In Mosul, for example, two months ago, two-and-a-half months ago, the Iraqi security forces were intimidated. The police walked off the job due to intimidation. But today there's more than 1,000 that have come back under good leadership, that are providing security for the citizens of Mosul.
SANCHEZ: There are some who say that perhaps we are not ready for this election, and indeed this January 30 date should not be etched in stone. Some would say that it should be moved back to the point where security is in fact better or bolstered from the place where it is right now.
What is your opinion? Or what would you say to those, General?
LESSEL: Well, everyone that I talked to here in Iraq, the Iraqi government officials, Iraqi citizens, multinational forces, everyone is targeted and aiming at on-time elections on the 30th of January. Right now, we don't see anything that could possibly stop that.
There could be potential technical reasons that there might be some -- some delays. But right now, everyone is focused on on-time elections. And we're confident that the security environment will only continue to improve. And we will continue to do everything possible to ensure that security environment.
We do expect that the terrorists will try to escalate the number of attacks, try to intimidate the people and keep them from coming out to the polls. But equally, we're determined to have those elections on time.
SANCHEZ: General Erv Lessel, coming to us from Iraq. General, thanks so much, sir, for taking time to talk to us and explain the situation over there for us right now. We appreciate it.
LESSEL: My pleasure, Rick.
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KAGAN: The big question out of Tyler, Texas, is, where is Megan Holden? She is the 19-year-old Wal-Mart cashier who has been missing for the last 36 hours. Her truck has been found. Tyler, Texas, police we'll be holding a news conference very soon. And we will take you to Tyler live as that begins.
SANCHEZ: Also, it is the first full day of the president's second term. We're going to have a live report from CNN's senior White House correspondent John King about what's on the White House agenda now.
KAGAN: And some parts of the country may be in for a wintry weekend. A full forecast is just ahead.
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SANCHEZ: Here's one we all may be able to relate to. In Raleigh, North Carolina, temperatures still running high, though the temperature is now not.
Wednesday, an inch of snow created some slick roads. And many motorists, as you can see there, were stuck in long lines of traffic jams for hours. Not to mention, they weren't able to stop half the time. Unable to use a home phone because the system was overloaded as well.
A TV weatherman who wrongly predicted just a dusting of snow has now apologized to his audience. And now we learn that more snow is in the forecast for today.
KAGAN: It would not happen here on CNN.
SANCHEZ: No, man.
KAGAN: That weather man was not Rob Marciano. He's like the snow king.
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KAGAN: A key cabinet confirmation now has to be delayed until next week. You're going to hear why Democrats are trying to cause so much trouble for Condoleezza Rice and what that means for Colin Powell.
SANCHEZ: They're playing hardball. We'll be back.
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KAGAN: We're getting kind of close to the half-hour. I'm Daryn Kagan.
SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez. Here's what's happening right "Now in the News."
KAGAN: The FBI is widening its probe of a possible terror plot against Boston. Four Chinese nationals are being sought. Now the FBI is adding 10 other names to the list.
All are wanted for questioning in what the FBI is says is an uncorroborated threat there. Of those on the list of 10 names, officials say five are also Chinese nationals.
Palestinian security forces have started deploying along the border with Israel. It is part of a two-phase plan to stop attacks on Israeli communities. New Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas also negotiating with militant groups, hoping to win their commitment to a cease-fire. Earlier in the week, Israel approved plans for a major offensive in Gaza if Abbas fails to control the violence. And five Danish soldiers have been charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners. The soldiers are all back in Denmark now. They allegedly forced the prisoners into painful positions during interrogations at the Danish military headquarters near Basra. Denmark currently has over 500 troops serving in southern Iraq.
Also in the news today, police in Texas have arrested a man suspected of kidnapping a woman from a Wal-Mart parking lot. Police nabbed Johnny Williams 1,000 miles away from Tyler, Texas, in Wilcox, Arizona. He had been spotted getting out of the red truck allegedly used for the getaway. Police say he had gunshot wounds.
Megan Leann Holding is the 19-year-old missing Wal-Mart cashier. She still has not been found.
We are standing by waiting for a news conference from Tyler, Texas. With the latest, let's check in with Ed Lavandera -- Ed.
LAVANDERA: Hi, Daryn. We told you a little while ago that this press conference was going to start in a short while. We've just been informed here by police officers that this press conference will actually start at 11:15 Central Time, 12:15 Eastern.
They say they're gathering up as much of the latest information as they can. This has been a quickly -- a quick developing story here throughout the morning, where there are reports out of Wilcox, Arizona, around 6:00 a.m., that this suspect, Johnny Williams, walked into a hospital in the Wilcox, Arizona, area.
As you mentioned a short while ago, 1,000 miles away. Megan Holden was abducted from the Tyler area about no less than -- a little less than 36 hours ago. It was midnight Wednesday when she had finished up her shift as a cashier at a Wal-Mart here in Tyler. So the distance that was covered here, quite a ways, across a couple of state lines to get to that point.
I understand from authorities here in Tyler that when Johnny Williams walked into the hospital in Wilcox, Arizona, he had told the person there that he had been shot by a Hispanic male at a car wash across the street from the hospital. But it turns out that -- from what I'm told here -- that there was an officer in that area who had seen Johnny Williams walk into the -- into the hospital and was able to tell authorities there that nothing like that had happened. So there are a lot of questions that authorities are asking Johnny Williams.
We also understand that he walked into the hospital to get treatment for gunshot wounds. But we're told that those gunshot wounds from hospital officials there in Willcox that they're minor wounds and that he should be OK. In the meantime, authorities are around him asking questions.
And of course, the main point and the main concern here for authorities in Tyler is the whereabouts of Megan Holden. And unfortunately, there's no new information to pass along at this point. However, that could change in the next hour. Daryn? DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR, CNN LIVE TODAY: Yes. That is the number one question. Willcox, Arizona, what they call a cow town of about 3,100 people on I10 east of Tucson. You have to wonder if he had some kind of connection to that city.
LAVANDERA: You know, up until now, Johnny Williams had been a mystery to authorities here in Tyler. They weren't even sure if he was from the Tyler area. In the videotapes he had been seen just walking into the parking lot, appearing in the Wal-Mart parking lot. He didn't drive up or get dropped off or anything like that.
Now they do believe he's from the Tyler area. But much more than that, I imagine that authorities are going through a lot of that information as we speak. But up until just a short while ago, this man was a complete mystery to Tyler police.
KAGAN: All right. Ed Lavandera, in Tyler, Texas, you say that news conference is set to begin in 45 minutes; we'll show it live here on CNN. Thank you.
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