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CNN Live Today

North Korea Announces It Has Nuclear Weapons; Pope Scheduled to Leave Hospital Today; Charles and Camilla to Wed

Aired February 10, 2005 - 10:00   ET

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

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


RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: We've got a lot on tap on this day. Is the world a more dangerous place today? And what does the U.S. have to do now that North Korea has come out and said yes, we have nukes?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And here's what's happening right now in the news as well.

Consider it a royal bombshell. Prince Charles has announced he will marry his longtime friend Camilla Parker-Bowles. And they'll be married without much pomp or ceremony in less than two months. The announcement ruled out her becoming queen one day. The late Princess Diana had long blamed that romance and the media for the failure of her marriage to Britain's heir to the throne.

We're also following dramatic developments in international politics. For the first time, North Korea is publicly saying that it has nuclear weapons. It then immediately withdrew from six-party negotiations on disarmament. North Korea's announcement, and increasingly aggressive talk, sharply increases diplomatic tensions and creates stark diplomatic challenges to the Bush White House and its allies.

President Bush travels to North Carolina today to resume pressing for his proposed Social Security reforms. He'll appear before an audience of supporters in Raleigh. Opponents are planning a protest outside that building.

And earlier this morning, the Vatican announced Pope John Paul II will be released from the hospital and return to the Vatican later today. Now, nine days ago, he was rushed to the hospital with flu- related breathing problems.

Well, good morning everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen in for Daryn Kagan today.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez.

Two big stories, Camilla's wedding, which is interesting but certainly not as important as this. For the first time, North Korea is publicly admitting that they do indeed have nuclear weapons. And what's more, they're also saying they're not willing to talk about it. They're literally dropping out of the six-party nuclear talks. In fact, they're saying they will boost their nuclear capability in response to a U.S. strategy. Here it is. We quote, "The U.S. disclosed its attempt to topple the political system in the DPRK, North Korea, at any cost, threatening it with a nuclear stick. This compels us," they go on to say, "to take a measure to bolster nuclear weapons arsenal in order to protect the ideology, system freedom and democracy chosen by the people of the DPRK."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was wrapping up her European trip when the North Korean threat was suddenly leveled. Speaking from Luxembourg, Rice said the North Koreans need to rethink this decision to pull out of the talks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is an unfortunate move, most especially probably for the people of North Korea, because it only deepens the North Korean isolation from the rest of the international community. It's very clear that all responsible members of the international community, and most especially North Korea's neighbors, support the six-party framework as a way to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Now, North Korea's nuclear saber rattling comes just as President Bush is trying to establish his second term domestic agenda.

Our Suzanne Malveaux, she is at White House this morning.

Suzanne, does this suddenly move to the head of the pack?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly this is a priority for the administration. While President Bush heads to North Carolina and Pennsylvania to try to sell his Social Security reform plan, of course, the White House is paying very close attention to the developments in this kind of so-called axis of evil, North Korea as well as Iran.

There have been comments from across globes, Russians, Britain United States reacting to North Korea comments. But at the same time, they say they are trying to assess exactly what this means. They're in consultations takings with other members of six-party talks: Russia, China, Japan, as well as South Korea.

And the State Department really wants to put this into perspective here. They say that they are used to the kinds of provocative language that North Korea's using, that this is not first time that they have threatened to walk away from talks. But what it is, it's the first time that North Korea has been so explicit and public in acknowledging their nuclear weapons program. Privately, they have told U.S. officials about this before.

And the Bush administration, of course, has been engaged in these kind of multiparty talks. What North Korea wants is a one-on-one, face to face with President Bush. So far, President Bush has not engaged in that, not agreed to that. And that has caused quite a bit of debate in Washington, whether or not that is really the best course of action.

But we've heard from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier today wrapping up her European trip, explaining why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICE: But the fact of the matter is that the world has given them a way out and they should take that way out. We would hope that there will be six-party talks again and six-party talks soon, so that we can resolve this issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now of course, Rick, this comes at time when the rhetoric between the United States and Iran has heated up over the last couple of weeks. We have heard loud pronouncements from the president, the vice president and Secretary Rice, saying Iran has give up its nuclear ambitions. Iran says it will not do so, it insists that it's using it for energy purpose. What the United States is saying regarding Iran is that it's not pursuing military action, at least not at this time. But rather, they will refer to the U.N. Security Council for possible economic sanctions.

SANCHEZ: Is the expectation now, Suzanne that the United States will need to engage somehow with the North Koreans?

MALVEAUX: The expectation is that the United States will continue to engage in its partners: Japan, China, Russia. That they in particular -- South Korea, that they're going to put the kind of pressure on them to put pressure on North Korea. Again, they will use that same argument, saying it is not in North Korea's best interest in terms of the region itself, that everyone is concerned about this. It is not likely that the president is going to now change policy and say yes, I'll meet face-to-face with the North Koreans. They just don't think that's going to work.

SANCHEZ: Suzanne Malveaux following things there for us at the White House. Certainly a worrisome issue. We'll be getting back to Suzanne.

Whether it's North Korea or homeland defense, CNN security will keep you up to date with the most reliable news about your safety -- Betty.

NGUYEN: At this time yesterday, we were on top of a breaking story out of Florida. Three deputies shot, one killed and a gunman on the loose. This morning, it's over. And it ended the same way it began, with gunfire.

Here's CNN's Susan Candiotti from just outside of Orlando.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police say the day started when Jason Wheeler came out of the woods, shooting. In the end, he went out on a stretcher. CHRIS DANIELS, SHERIFF, LAKE COUNTY: It's not easy.

CANDIOTTI: Not easy because the Lake County sheriff lost one of his deputies, allegedly at Wheeler's hands. Two other deputies were wounded. Police say Wheeler ambushed police when they showed up to investigate a claim of domestic violence at Wheeler's home. In a chilling 911 call, Wheeler's girlfriend warned police there could be trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He almost killed me yesterday. My old man has lost it. And he's promised me that if a cop pulls in that driveway it's going be to a gun battle.

CANDIOTTI: When police arrived they say Wheeler came out of the woods, firing at them. Deputy Wayne Koester, a father of two, was shot in the head and died. Deputy Bill Crotty, the brother of Orange County mayor and Deputy Tom McCain were injured.

Investigators say Wheeler escaped on a motorcycle. At least 500 officers from several area agencies helped track him down.

DANIELS: We started tracking a trail right after we did the search of the -- of his residence. And we followed the trail in the direction we thought it was, put a lot of people, a lot of resources in the area. And we were able to flush him out of the woods.

CANDIOTTI: Police records show 29-year-old Wheeler has had several run-ins with the law, including two six-month jail sentences on drug-related charges.

DANIELS: It's obviously we're relieved we arrested the suspect.

During his capture Wheeler was shot, critically wounded by police and airlifted to a hospital.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: There's another big story we're following this day. There is word that sometime this morning, in fact, possibly at any time now, Pope John Paul II is going to be discharged from a Rome hospital.

CNN's Alessio Vinci has been following the pope's condition. He's joining us now with the very latest.

What do we know at this point, Alessio?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Rick. Well, we understand Pope John Paul II will be discharged from the Gemelli Clinic in the next few hours or so. There are some rumors it could happen within the next hours, others reporters believe it will happen around 7:00 local time, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

No matter what time it will be in the day, we do know that Pope John Paul II will spend his first night at -- back at the Vatican today, after being rushed here 10 days ago for problems, respiratory problems.

We understand from a Vatican statement that the pope has complete healed, at least in terms of his infection that he had in his respiratory system, and that his general conditions are improving. And also that all of the tests conducted in the last two days, including a CAT scan have completely ruled out, excluded other kind of pathogen. And therefore, the Vatican feels very confident at this time to send the pope back home.

The pope will return tonight and he will decide when to resume his normal schedule in the days ahead.

Back to you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: We're learning here, Alessio, that the pope may have had interesting visits while he was in the hospital. Can you tell us anything about that?

VINCI: That is correct. It was a wonderful day yesterday for Pope John Paul II and a young kid. As you know, the pope is here and it's a public hospital. Right next to his room there's a ward where young kids are being treated for cancer. And yesterday, the pope's private secretary, a very powerful man in the -- in the church here at the Vatican actually toured that ward and distributing rosaries.

And one of the kids approached the secretary, asking him whether it was true or not that the pope was nearby because they had been knocking on that door all morning and got no reply. And so the secretary took the kid, brought him to the pope. And when the kid saw the pope he asked the pope, "Please, pope, make me well."

And so the pope delivered a special blessing to the kid, telling the kid go back to your ward and distribute this blessing to all your kids who are there with you. So a wonderful story here the very last day the pope spent at the Vatican -- here at the hospital -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Wow. Right place, huh? Interesting story. Fascinating. We thank you Alessio Vinci following things there in Rome. We'll certainly get back to you as soon as we hear that the pope will indeed be discharged -- Betty.

NGUYEN: And that will take place sometime today.

Now to our other big story, a royal engagement. Prince Charles will marry his longtime partner, Camilla Parker-Bowles, on April 8 at Windsor Castle. That is the headline. But there is a lot more to talk about.

So let's go straight to London for those details. And CNN's royal watcher, Richard Quest is outside Buckingham Palace.

And Richard, you know this relationship is no surprise. But how much of a surprise was the engagement? RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you had said to me this morning, Betty, when I was having my morning corn flakes that I would be talking about the engagement of the prince -- I mean, we've known that the two have been obviously living together for a couple of years. But the fact that they have decided to do it now -- and that has been a big question we've been asking all morning, why now?

We asked Clarence House officials why now? And they simply said well, the couple has been talking about it for sometime. It was discussed over Christmas. It was felt this was the right moment to get over the awkwardness of the two of them living together. We expect to have a British general election in May. It's almost as if everything seemed to be the right moment.

But what was really interesting about it, it didn't leak until the morning. There was no word about this until actually the announcement was the day of the announcement. So what we have is a civil ceremony. Remember, she's a divorced woman. They can't get married in a church.

So instead they're going for a civil ceremony at Windsor Castle, and that will be followed by a religious blessing by the archbishop of Canterbury's. It's called a Service of Prayer and Dedication. That pretty much is the closet we're going to get to religiosity in this particular proceeding -- Betty.

NGUYEN: OK. Let's talk about her title once she's married. Now, she'll never be able to become queen, correct?

QUEST: Well, no, she won't. And she could have taken -- they decided to give her that title. But they have decided not to. Instead, what she will be, she will become the duchess of Cornwall because that's one of his other titles. She will become her royal highness. You'll remember, they stripped Diana of that after her divorce. Well, Camilla will become the Royal Highness, the duchess of Cornwall.

And then later on when Charles becomes king, she will become the princess consort. It's very interesting when you watch ask royal officials about think they go on and on about Prince Albert, who was a consort to Queen Victoria. They go on about the duke of Edinborough, who's not King of England, but the queen's husband. So they are saying look, people like you and me are talking about it, but frankly, it nothing new.

I think there's a bit of -- a bit of sophistry in that. The truth is, today is a new era in royal relationships. We have a prospective king getting married in a civil ceremony. He's the supreme governor of the Church of England and his wife won't become king -- queen. So all in all, they're putting brave faces on the way they've tried to modernize the monarchy.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. And it definitely has people talking on both sides of the pond. All right. Richard Quest, thank you so much.

Well, a little fly in the ointment now. Should Prince Charles become king, he would also become the supreme governor of the Church of England. And despite the good will of the archbishop of Canterbury, some Anglicans firmly believe that divorce -- divorcees that is, should not remarry. Very interesting that tangled web.

SANCHEZ: It certainly is. I guess it's a love affair.

NGUYEN: For a long time apparently.

Looking for your dream home? You don't have to wait to start your search. Our Gerri Willis is going to tell you how you would go about doing this and what the advantages will be if you don't wait.

NGUYEN: Plus, amazing video of a daring rescue. Here's a little bit of it right now. A hike on a hill turns traumatic for one 14- year-old girl. We'll show you more.

SANCHEZ: And then later, suing for freedom. How one author tells the story of Dred Scott in an effort to reach the youngest readers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Let's do this now. Let's take a look at some of the other stories that are making news from "Coast-to-Coast."

NGUYEN: A couple of airborne rescues. Check this out. A 14- year-old girl out for a hike fell about 40-feet down the side of a cliff in Southern California. A rescuer dangling from a helicopter carried the girl to safety. Wow. The girl had only minor injuries. And neighbors say the girl takes frequent trips to the cliff to get away just to read.

SANCHEZ: Coast Guard helicopter rescued three-fishermen from the frigid waters of the Atlantic. The crew radioed a mayday call when their boat started sinking 45 miles off of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The three men were able to get into a life raft before their rescue. All three fishermen, we're told, they're OK.

NGUYEN: Fifteen hundred people are still out of their homes in the Salt Lake City area after an explosion and a fire. A butane tanker truck hit a van and then ruptured, as you see here. Flames shot 100 feet into the air. And the van driver, that person is hospitalized in serious condition today. The truck driver says his brakes went soft and he just wasn't able to stop the rig.

SANCHEZ: Deploying to Iraq can certainly be difficult. But for one soldier, bedtime stories for his sons are certainly just as important.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A miss you when you to go to work. And that's where daddy is. Daddy is at work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Still to come, leaving a special gift behind.

Plus, Gerri Willis, she joins us with a new live feature on the show.

Good morning, Gerri.

SANCHEZ: Another one?

NGUYEN: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: You're busy.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Yes, you guys get another five tips. That's right. We'll tell you how to jump start your home search when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We want to introduce you to something new today. This is a new segment that we're going to be airing each Thursday at this time. It the "Top Five Tips, Home Edition." See, it's got a little special flare to it now.

CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis is joining us. Gerri looks into turning blahs into bargains by finding your dream home. Here's the catch, though. She's teaching us how to do it off-season, like now, snow on the ground, winter, whole nine yard, right?

WILLIS: We're looking for the deals, Rick, you know it. If you're ready to buy a home but thought you had to wait until spring to kick your search into high gear, you could be missing out. Old Man Winter may give you more bargaining power than you realized when it comes to buying a home.

First off, you can catch a break with your bank. During winter months, banks may drop interest rates up to a quarter point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Bob MOULTON, PRESIDENT, AMERCANA MORTGAGE GROUP: We generally find some lenders offering pricing incentives when volume is low. In the winter markets, we have banks coming in to us saying if you bring us more buyers, we'll give the buyer a break on their interest rate. So there's also an incentive to the buyer to buy a house in the winter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: (AUDIO GAP) it could cut your cost with moving companies. According to Schleppers Movers in New York City, movers will give you a 5 percent to 20 percent break to winter customers. In addition, they may throw in free boxes, and you'll likely have more flexibility on choosing a moving date.

SANCHEZ: How are my friends over at Schleppers, by the way?

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Great name for a company.

WILLIS: Isn't it? It's Terrific.

SANCHEZ: Hey, speaking of companies. You know, when dealing with someone who is trying to sell their home, you can always bargain with them. But when you go and look at these models and try and deal with these builders, they don't usually bargain that much, do they?

WILLIS: Now they do. When you're buying new construction in the winter, you can usually bargain with the builder. According to Commonwealth Homes, builders will often concede up to 5 percent on the price of a new home if you're buying in the winter months.

SANCHEZ: You know, in winter, it's -- at least in some parts of the country, not where I come from. But in some parts of the country there's a lot of snow on the ground, you really don't get a good feel. In other words, how can you tell what type of curb appeal a home has when you're in the middle of winter?

WILLIS: If you're not in Florida it can be tough to scope out the landscaping when covered by snow. Think about getting a contingency clause in your contract so you have leverage to negotiate changes.

SANCHEZ: Don't more people though, put their homes on the market in the spring just before school starts, and on and on?

WILLIS: You bet you.

SANCHEZ: So there's going to be a smaller inventory, right?

WILLIS: That's right. A lack of inventory in winter can make finding your dream home tougher than in traditional buying months. According to the National Association of Realtors, only 18 percent of homes are bought in the winter months. That compares to 30 percent in the summer months.

Now, the plus side of that is with fewer buyers looking, there could be less competition. When you find the right home, you're not going to feel the pressure to make an offer right away, like many buyers do in hot seasons.

SANCHEZ: Gerri Willis as usual bringing us the news. And say hi to the Schleppers for me, will you?

WILLIS: I sure will, Rick. Thanks.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Here's the programming note. Gerri is going to have her own show now. It's called "OPEN HOUSE," and you can see it every Saturday morning that's at 9:30 Eastern 6:30 Pacific. NGUYEN: All right. Rick, it is three years away. But hey, some people are already thinking about it. Coming up, front-runners in the ongoing race for the White House. Can you believe it?

SANCHEZ: And then later, 24 hours before he heads back to Iraq, this husband and father stops first at a local library. We're going to tell you, although you probably already figured it out, this is a good guy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired February 10, 2005 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR: We've got a lot on tap on this day. Is the world a more dangerous place today? And what does the U.S. have to do now that North Korea has come out and said yes, we have nukes?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And here's what's happening right now in the news as well.

Consider it a royal bombshell. Prince Charles has announced he will marry his longtime friend Camilla Parker-Bowles. And they'll be married without much pomp or ceremony in less than two months. The announcement ruled out her becoming queen one day. The late Princess Diana had long blamed that romance and the media for the failure of her marriage to Britain's heir to the throne.

We're also following dramatic developments in international politics. For the first time, North Korea is publicly saying that it has nuclear weapons. It then immediately withdrew from six-party negotiations on disarmament. North Korea's announcement, and increasingly aggressive talk, sharply increases diplomatic tensions and creates stark diplomatic challenges to the Bush White House and its allies.

President Bush travels to North Carolina today to resume pressing for his proposed Social Security reforms. He'll appear before an audience of supporters in Raleigh. Opponents are planning a protest outside that building.

And earlier this morning, the Vatican announced Pope John Paul II will be released from the hospital and return to the Vatican later today. Now, nine days ago, he was rushed to the hospital with flu- related breathing problems.

Well, good morning everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen in for Daryn Kagan today.

SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez.

Two big stories, Camilla's wedding, which is interesting but certainly not as important as this. For the first time, North Korea is publicly admitting that they do indeed have nuclear weapons. And what's more, they're also saying they're not willing to talk about it. They're literally dropping out of the six-party nuclear talks. In fact, they're saying they will boost their nuclear capability in response to a U.S. strategy. Here it is. We quote, "The U.S. disclosed its attempt to topple the political system in the DPRK, North Korea, at any cost, threatening it with a nuclear stick. This compels us," they go on to say, "to take a measure to bolster nuclear weapons arsenal in order to protect the ideology, system freedom and democracy chosen by the people of the DPRK."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was wrapping up her European trip when the North Korean threat was suddenly leveled. Speaking from Luxembourg, Rice said the North Koreans need to rethink this decision to pull out of the talks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: This is an unfortunate move, most especially probably for the people of North Korea, because it only deepens the North Korean isolation from the rest of the international community. It's very clear that all responsible members of the international community, and most especially North Korea's neighbors, support the six-party framework as a way to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SANCHEZ: Now, North Korea's nuclear saber rattling comes just as President Bush is trying to establish his second term domestic agenda.

Our Suzanne Malveaux, she is at White House this morning.

Suzanne, does this suddenly move to the head of the pack?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, certainly this is a priority for the administration. While President Bush heads to North Carolina and Pennsylvania to try to sell his Social Security reform plan, of course, the White House is paying very close attention to the developments in this kind of so-called axis of evil, North Korea as well as Iran.

There have been comments from across globes, Russians, Britain United States reacting to North Korea comments. But at the same time, they say they are trying to assess exactly what this means. They're in consultations takings with other members of six-party talks: Russia, China, Japan, as well as South Korea.

And the State Department really wants to put this into perspective here. They say that they are used to the kinds of provocative language that North Korea's using, that this is not first time that they have threatened to walk away from talks. But what it is, it's the first time that North Korea has been so explicit and public in acknowledging their nuclear weapons program. Privately, they have told U.S. officials about this before.

And the Bush administration, of course, has been engaged in these kind of multiparty talks. What North Korea wants is a one-on-one, face to face with President Bush. So far, President Bush has not engaged in that, not agreed to that. And that has caused quite a bit of debate in Washington, whether or not that is really the best course of action.

But we've heard from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier today wrapping up her European trip, explaining why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICE: But the fact of the matter is that the world has given them a way out and they should take that way out. We would hope that there will be six-party talks again and six-party talks soon, so that we can resolve this issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Now of course, Rick, this comes at time when the rhetoric between the United States and Iran has heated up over the last couple of weeks. We have heard loud pronouncements from the president, the vice president and Secretary Rice, saying Iran has give up its nuclear ambitions. Iran says it will not do so, it insists that it's using it for energy purpose. What the United States is saying regarding Iran is that it's not pursuing military action, at least not at this time. But rather, they will refer to the U.N. Security Council for possible economic sanctions.

SANCHEZ: Is the expectation now, Suzanne that the United States will need to engage somehow with the North Koreans?

MALVEAUX: The expectation is that the United States will continue to engage in its partners: Japan, China, Russia. That they in particular -- South Korea, that they're going to put the kind of pressure on them to put pressure on North Korea. Again, they will use that same argument, saying it is not in North Korea's best interest in terms of the region itself, that everyone is concerned about this. It is not likely that the president is going to now change policy and say yes, I'll meet face-to-face with the North Koreans. They just don't think that's going to work.

SANCHEZ: Suzanne Malveaux following things there for us at the White House. Certainly a worrisome issue. We'll be getting back to Suzanne.

Whether it's North Korea or homeland defense, CNN security will keep you up to date with the most reliable news about your safety -- Betty.

NGUYEN: At this time yesterday, we were on top of a breaking story out of Florida. Three deputies shot, one killed and a gunman on the loose. This morning, it's over. And it ended the same way it began, with gunfire.

Here's CNN's Susan Candiotti from just outside of Orlando.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Police say the day started when Jason Wheeler came out of the woods, shooting. In the end, he went out on a stretcher. CHRIS DANIELS, SHERIFF, LAKE COUNTY: It's not easy.

CANDIOTTI: Not easy because the Lake County sheriff lost one of his deputies, allegedly at Wheeler's hands. Two other deputies were wounded. Police say Wheeler ambushed police when they showed up to investigate a claim of domestic violence at Wheeler's home. In a chilling 911 call, Wheeler's girlfriend warned police there could be trouble.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He almost killed me yesterday. My old man has lost it. And he's promised me that if a cop pulls in that driveway it's going be to a gun battle.

CANDIOTTI: When police arrived they say Wheeler came out of the woods, firing at them. Deputy Wayne Koester, a father of two, was shot in the head and died. Deputy Bill Crotty, the brother of Orange County mayor and Deputy Tom McCain were injured.

Investigators say Wheeler escaped on a motorcycle. At least 500 officers from several area agencies helped track him down.

DANIELS: We started tracking a trail right after we did the search of the -- of his residence. And we followed the trail in the direction we thought it was, put a lot of people, a lot of resources in the area. And we were able to flush him out of the woods.

CANDIOTTI: Police records show 29-year-old Wheeler has had several run-ins with the law, including two six-month jail sentences on drug-related charges.

DANIELS: It's obviously we're relieved we arrested the suspect.

During his capture Wheeler was shot, critically wounded by police and airlifted to a hospital.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SANCHEZ: There's another big story we're following this day. There is word that sometime this morning, in fact, possibly at any time now, Pope John Paul II is going to be discharged from a Rome hospital.

CNN's Alessio Vinci has been following the pope's condition. He's joining us now with the very latest.

What do we know at this point, Alessio?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Rick. Well, we understand Pope John Paul II will be discharged from the Gemelli Clinic in the next few hours or so. There are some rumors it could happen within the next hours, others reporters believe it will happen around 7:00 local time, 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

No matter what time it will be in the day, we do know that Pope John Paul II will spend his first night at -- back at the Vatican today, after being rushed here 10 days ago for problems, respiratory problems.

We understand from a Vatican statement that the pope has complete healed, at least in terms of his infection that he had in his respiratory system, and that his general conditions are improving. And also that all of the tests conducted in the last two days, including a CAT scan have completely ruled out, excluded other kind of pathogen. And therefore, the Vatican feels very confident at this time to send the pope back home.

The pope will return tonight and he will decide when to resume his normal schedule in the days ahead.

Back to you, Rick.

SANCHEZ: We're learning here, Alessio, that the pope may have had interesting visits while he was in the hospital. Can you tell us anything about that?

VINCI: That is correct. It was a wonderful day yesterday for Pope John Paul II and a young kid. As you know, the pope is here and it's a public hospital. Right next to his room there's a ward where young kids are being treated for cancer. And yesterday, the pope's private secretary, a very powerful man in the -- in the church here at the Vatican actually toured that ward and distributing rosaries.

And one of the kids approached the secretary, asking him whether it was true or not that the pope was nearby because they had been knocking on that door all morning and got no reply. And so the secretary took the kid, brought him to the pope. And when the kid saw the pope he asked the pope, "Please, pope, make me well."

And so the pope delivered a special blessing to the kid, telling the kid go back to your ward and distribute this blessing to all your kids who are there with you. So a wonderful story here the very last day the pope spent at the Vatican -- here at the hospital -- Rick.

SANCHEZ: Wow. Right place, huh? Interesting story. Fascinating. We thank you Alessio Vinci following things there in Rome. We'll certainly get back to you as soon as we hear that the pope will indeed be discharged -- Betty.

NGUYEN: And that will take place sometime today.

Now to our other big story, a royal engagement. Prince Charles will marry his longtime partner, Camilla Parker-Bowles, on April 8 at Windsor Castle. That is the headline. But there is a lot more to talk about.

So let's go straight to London for those details. And CNN's royal watcher, Richard Quest is outside Buckingham Palace.

And Richard, you know this relationship is no surprise. But how much of a surprise was the engagement? RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you had said to me this morning, Betty, when I was having my morning corn flakes that I would be talking about the engagement of the prince -- I mean, we've known that the two have been obviously living together for a couple of years. But the fact that they have decided to do it now -- and that has been a big question we've been asking all morning, why now?

We asked Clarence House officials why now? And they simply said well, the couple has been talking about it for sometime. It was discussed over Christmas. It was felt this was the right moment to get over the awkwardness of the two of them living together. We expect to have a British general election in May. It's almost as if everything seemed to be the right moment.

But what was really interesting about it, it didn't leak until the morning. There was no word about this until actually the announcement was the day of the announcement. So what we have is a civil ceremony. Remember, she's a divorced woman. They can't get married in a church.

So instead they're going for a civil ceremony at Windsor Castle, and that will be followed by a religious blessing by the archbishop of Canterbury's. It's called a Service of Prayer and Dedication. That pretty much is the closet we're going to get to religiosity in this particular proceeding -- Betty.

NGUYEN: OK. Let's talk about her title once she's married. Now, she'll never be able to become queen, correct?

QUEST: Well, no, she won't. And she could have taken -- they decided to give her that title. But they have decided not to. Instead, what she will be, she will become the duchess of Cornwall because that's one of his other titles. She will become her royal highness. You'll remember, they stripped Diana of that after her divorce. Well, Camilla will become the Royal Highness, the duchess of Cornwall.

And then later on when Charles becomes king, she will become the princess consort. It's very interesting when you watch ask royal officials about think they go on and on about Prince Albert, who was a consort to Queen Victoria. They go on about the duke of Edinborough, who's not King of England, but the queen's husband. So they are saying look, people like you and me are talking about it, but frankly, it nothing new.

I think there's a bit of -- a bit of sophistry in that. The truth is, today is a new era in royal relationships. We have a prospective king getting married in a civil ceremony. He's the supreme governor of the Church of England and his wife won't become king -- queen. So all in all, they're putting brave faces on the way they've tried to modernize the monarchy.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. And it definitely has people talking on both sides of the pond. All right. Richard Quest, thank you so much.

Well, a little fly in the ointment now. Should Prince Charles become king, he would also become the supreme governor of the Church of England. And despite the good will of the archbishop of Canterbury, some Anglicans firmly believe that divorce -- divorcees that is, should not remarry. Very interesting that tangled web.

SANCHEZ: It certainly is. I guess it's a love affair.

NGUYEN: For a long time apparently.

Looking for your dream home? You don't have to wait to start your search. Our Gerri Willis is going to tell you how you would go about doing this and what the advantages will be if you don't wait.

NGUYEN: Plus, amazing video of a daring rescue. Here's a little bit of it right now. A hike on a hill turns traumatic for one 14- year-old girl. We'll show you more.

SANCHEZ: And then later, suing for freedom. How one author tells the story of Dred Scott in an effort to reach the youngest readers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: Let's do this now. Let's take a look at some of the other stories that are making news from "Coast-to-Coast."

NGUYEN: A couple of airborne rescues. Check this out. A 14- year-old girl out for a hike fell about 40-feet down the side of a cliff in Southern California. A rescuer dangling from a helicopter carried the girl to safety. Wow. The girl had only minor injuries. And neighbors say the girl takes frequent trips to the cliff to get away just to read.

SANCHEZ: Coast Guard helicopter rescued three-fishermen from the frigid waters of the Atlantic. The crew radioed a mayday call when their boat started sinking 45 miles off of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The three men were able to get into a life raft before their rescue. All three fishermen, we're told, they're OK.

NGUYEN: Fifteen hundred people are still out of their homes in the Salt Lake City area after an explosion and a fire. A butane tanker truck hit a van and then ruptured, as you see here. Flames shot 100 feet into the air. And the van driver, that person is hospitalized in serious condition today. The truck driver says his brakes went soft and he just wasn't able to stop the rig.

SANCHEZ: Deploying to Iraq can certainly be difficult. But for one soldier, bedtime stories for his sons are certainly just as important.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A miss you when you to go to work. And that's where daddy is. Daddy is at work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Still to come, leaving a special gift behind.

Plus, Gerri Willis, she joins us with a new live feature on the show.

Good morning, Gerri.

SANCHEZ: Another one?

NGUYEN: Yes.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: You're busy.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Yes, you guys get another five tips. That's right. We'll tell you how to jump start your home search when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SANCHEZ: We want to introduce you to something new today. This is a new segment that we're going to be airing each Thursday at this time. It the "Top Five Tips, Home Edition." See, it's got a little special flare to it now.

CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis is joining us. Gerri looks into turning blahs into bargains by finding your dream home. Here's the catch, though. She's teaching us how to do it off-season, like now, snow on the ground, winter, whole nine yard, right?

WILLIS: We're looking for the deals, Rick, you know it. If you're ready to buy a home but thought you had to wait until spring to kick your search into high gear, you could be missing out. Old Man Winter may give you more bargaining power than you realized when it comes to buying a home.

First off, you can catch a break with your bank. During winter months, banks may drop interest rates up to a quarter point.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Bob MOULTON, PRESIDENT, AMERCANA MORTGAGE GROUP: We generally find some lenders offering pricing incentives when volume is low. In the winter markets, we have banks coming in to us saying if you bring us more buyers, we'll give the buyer a break on their interest rate. So there's also an incentive to the buyer to buy a house in the winter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIS: (AUDIO GAP) it could cut your cost with moving companies. According to Schleppers Movers in New York City, movers will give you a 5 percent to 20 percent break to winter customers. In addition, they may throw in free boxes, and you'll likely have more flexibility on choosing a moving date.

SANCHEZ: How are my friends over at Schleppers, by the way?

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Great name for a company.

WILLIS: Isn't it? It's Terrific.

SANCHEZ: Hey, speaking of companies. You know, when dealing with someone who is trying to sell their home, you can always bargain with them. But when you go and look at these models and try and deal with these builders, they don't usually bargain that much, do they?

WILLIS: Now they do. When you're buying new construction in the winter, you can usually bargain with the builder. According to Commonwealth Homes, builders will often concede up to 5 percent on the price of a new home if you're buying in the winter months.

SANCHEZ: You know, in winter, it's -- at least in some parts of the country, not where I come from. But in some parts of the country there's a lot of snow on the ground, you really don't get a good feel. In other words, how can you tell what type of curb appeal a home has when you're in the middle of winter?

WILLIS: If you're not in Florida it can be tough to scope out the landscaping when covered by snow. Think about getting a contingency clause in your contract so you have leverage to negotiate changes.

SANCHEZ: Don't more people though, put their homes on the market in the spring just before school starts, and on and on?

WILLIS: You bet you.

SANCHEZ: So there's going to be a smaller inventory, right?

WILLIS: That's right. A lack of inventory in winter can make finding your dream home tougher than in traditional buying months. According to the National Association of Realtors, only 18 percent of homes are bought in the winter months. That compares to 30 percent in the summer months.

Now, the plus side of that is with fewer buyers looking, there could be less competition. When you find the right home, you're not going to feel the pressure to make an offer right away, like many buyers do in hot seasons.

SANCHEZ: Gerri Willis as usual bringing us the news. And say hi to the Schleppers for me, will you?

WILLIS: I sure will, Rick. Thanks.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Here's the programming note. Gerri is going to have her own show now. It's called "OPEN HOUSE," and you can see it every Saturday morning that's at 9:30 Eastern 6:30 Pacific. NGUYEN: All right. Rick, it is three years away. But hey, some people are already thinking about it. Coming up, front-runners in the ongoing race for the White House. Can you believe it?

SANCHEZ: And then later, 24 hours before he heads back to Iraq, this husband and father stops first at a local library. We're going to tell you, although you probably already figured it out, this is a good guy.

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