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CNN Live Today
Vatican Protest; Bolton Under Fire; Crash Test Results
Aired April 11, 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: A controversial event in Rome. Former Boston archbishop Cardinal Bernard Law celebrates mass in St. Peter's Basilica. Critics say he's a bad choice after the priest sex abuse scandal here in the states. More on that as the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.
And let's start by taking a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
Police in New Jersey say they're looking for a man who drove off with his infant daughter after shooting another man this morning. The suspect was driving a gray or silver 2001 Honda with New Jersey license plate RJD 75V. Authorities have issued an Amber Alert for the 4-month-old girl.
Progress against insurgents in Iraq could mean possible U.S. troop cuts by early next year. That is according to today's "New York Times." The paper says insurgent attacks are down to 30 to 40 a day from a peak of about 140 leading to the January elections.
Israeli Prime Minister Sharon is meeting with President Bush at his Texas ranch this hour. The two leaders are at odds over Israel's plan to expand its largest West Bank settlement. We'll have live reports from Crawford, Texas, and Jerusalem this half-hour.
Former President Clinton holds a news conference this hour to discuss his foundation's HIV and AIDS initiatives. The foundation is launching a program to expand care in rural areas in the developing world. Clinton may also face questions about his recovery from his recent surgery.
We are looking at just a minute past 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, just past 8:00 a.m. on the West. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
And we are tracking the high prices at the pump and the nasty weather in the Midwest. Gas prices reached yet another record.
And a spring snow storm strands hundreds of travelers in Colorado.
Details on those stories coming up later this hour.
First, though, a mass mourning Pope John Paul II leads to a protest at the Vatican. Survivors of the priest sex abuse scandal in the U.S. are angry that Cardinal Bernard Law was chosen to lead the mass. Law is accused of covering up the scandal. The mass is under way right now as we look at live pictures from the Vatican.
Our Chris Burns joins us live from Rome right now with details -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
Yes, the bells of St. Peter are ringing. Yet another mass during this week, and mourning the passing of Pope John Paul II here. And two women have just gone in there for mass, Barbara Blaine and Barbara Doris (ph), two women who have brought their campaign here to the steps of St. Peter's.
They were hoping that Cardinal Bernard Law not give this homily today, which is supposed to be beginning any minute now. They said he does not -- he should not be doing it because he was former archbishop in Boston and looked the other way when there were priests who were engaging in pedophilia.
And they say he should not be giving that homily. They say he shouldn't even be voting in the conclave that begins to vote for a new pope beginning next Monday.
They handed out leaflets here. It turned out to be quite a media feeding fest.
A lot of journalists, perhaps 100, 150 journalists, surrounding them as they answered questions, they handed out leaflets. But really no demonstration as had been expected here. But they do say they're not disappointed.
They do plan on continuing their campaign this week to try to pressure the Vatican into some way sidelining the cardinal from next week's vote. But it doesn't look like it at this point. It looks like the Vatican is standing firm.
Back to you.
KAGAN: All right. Chris Burns, live from the Vatican.
The protesters say that choosing Cardinal Law to lead today's mass is a sign the Vatican doesn't understand the hurt felt by abuse survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA BLAINE, SNAP FOUNDER: I think that the protocol could be set aside if we are talking about the extreme pain and suffering that so many victims and family members have gone through. In the Archdiocese of Boston, over a thousand victims and their families were -- were just devastated.
The parishes have been split over this. And to just keep bringing it up, especially at a time when Catholics around the world have come together to focus on the life of Pope John Paul II, just putting Cardinal Law's image up there is just inappropriate. And we believe that the Catholic cardinals know this and know about this for the American Catholics, and that they should have stopped it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Members of the survivors network say they hope to meet with the U.S. cardinals who will help select the next pope.
Well, some say John Bolton doesn't exactly choose his words delicately. That gives Democrats of ammunition. They are fiercely challenging his nomination as United Nations ambassador today.
State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel joins us. She is on Capitol Hill, watching the proceedings this morning.
Good morning.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Daryn.
Well, John Bolton's supporters say that he has the courage of his convictions and the resume to back those up. But those many critics who are out there, and among them Democrats here in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, say that he is the wrong man for a job that's supposed to be at a time when the U.S. is trying to heal its relations with many of its allies oversees.
Right now he's being questioned by one of the moderate Republicans on this committee, Lincoln Chafee, someone who has said before going into this committee that he's still on the fence. But someone who is definitely not on the fence is the ranking Democrat, Joe Biden, who had quite a heated exchange with Mr. Bolton a short time ago in which he was asking Bolton to answer allegations that he tried to get members of the intelligence community who are assigned to the State Department reassigned when he disagreed with their assessments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: Did you ever ask anyone to remove Mr. Westermann from your portfolio?
JOHN BOLTON, AMBASSADOR TO U.N. NOMINEE: I think as the -- as the interviews that your staff conducted show -- and that's one reason why I want to get them all out in the public -- we believe Mr. Westermann had behaved in an underhanded fashion. And I think I -- as my assistant mentioned to your staff, I said to him at the time, "I don't care if you disagree with me. Just don't do it behind my back."
I mentioned it...
BIDEN: But that's not my question. I only have 10 minutes. So I don't want you to be a senator and filibuster me. Did you attempt to have him removed from your portfolio?
BOLTON: I mentioned it to Mr. Finger (ph). I may have mentioned it to one or two other people, but then I shrugged my shoulders and I moved on. He was not... BIDEN: So the answer is yes, you did?
BOLTON: And he was not moved, and I did not...
BIDEN: OK. And that's all I want -- I just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing.
Let me talk about the U.N. I'll go back to...
BOLTON: I in no sense sought to have any discipline imposed on Mr. Westermann.
BIDEN: Other than removed from your portfolio.
BOLTON: No. No, I said to at least one of his supervisors that I specifically had no intention whatever to cause him any ill will.
BIDEN: I'm not suggesting that.
BOLTON: But I had lost trust and confidence in him. And I think in any professional relationship you need trust and confidence.
BIDEN: No, I got that. I just want to make sure our terminology -- we're all using the same terminology when I talk about this with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Going into this hearing today, it was already very clear, Daryn, that John Bolton is a lightning rod for controversy. His confirmation, however, is anything but a sure thing.
Of the 10 Republicans on the committee and eight Democrats, all Democrats have already come out saying that they're going to vote against him. Lincoln Chafee, who's still questioning Mr. Bolton, again on the fence. And you need to have a majority in order for it to be recommended to the full floor of the Senate.
Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: Andrea Koppel on Capitol Hill. Thank you.
You can consider it a clash of the Titans. A well-known Republican on Capitol Hill calling for embattled fellow Republican Tom DeLay to resign his post as House majority leader. Representative Christopher Shays had this to say about the Texan's ethics problems...
"Tom's conduct is hurting the Republican Party, it's hurting his Republican majority, and it's hurting any Republican who is up for reelection." And then Shays goes on to say, "My party is going to have to decide whether we're going to continue to make excuses for Tom to the detriment of Republicans seeking election."
Other Republicans are demanding answers, even as they point out that DeLay still has strong support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R), PENNSYLVANIA: The fact of the matter is that he still has very strong support within his ranks. And he is very effective in leading the House. And that, to date, has not been compromised.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: DeLay was admonished three times last year by the House Ethics Committee. The congressman has denied any wrongdoing.
Well, you're driving in bad weather and the next thing you know, disaster strikes. That's what happened -- watch this -- oh -- on a road in Toledo Ohio.
Why and how he they all walk away? Details coming up next.
And so you think $2-plus gas prices are high? Well, how about $4 a gallon? Why one columnist thinks we would all be better off.
And for anyone who says Tiger Woods has lost it, did you see this moment? Oh, that was incredible on 16. A look at the sudden death Masters win at Augusta coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: I want to show you a live picture now from New York City. That's former President Bill Clinton, of course, announcing today his foundation will donate $10 million to expand treatment for children with AIDS in the developing world.
The first kind of official -- first official role and appearance he's making since his recent surgery. Of course, he did go to the pope's funeral at the Vatican.
We expect at the end of his announcement for former President Clinton to take questions. We might go back and listen in to those if people asking questions about his recent health and recent recovery.
Meanwhile, let's check in on business news. Suzanne Lisovicz is handling that for us.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
KAGAN: I want to show you live pictures from Washington, D.C. The confirmation hearing going on for John Bolton to be the next U.N. ambassador -- U.S. ambassador to the U.N. There's a protester in the room. And we understand that that protester is going to be taken out by security guards. John Bolton, of course, a controversial choice to be the next U.N. ambassador from the United States because of his expressions of disdain for the United Nations and the blunt criticism he's leveled at North Korea and other countries, and also about arms control treaties.
So we will have the latest from there with our Andrea Koppel straight ahead. Right now a break. We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Live picture let's show you from Washington, D.C. The hearing has resumed there for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee disrupted by a protester not happy with the idea of John Bolton being the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
More from Capitol Hill in a moment on that.
Recently in Ohio, a freak accident on a snow-soaked highway. And one man survives with barely a scratch.
Incredible. It was caught on a police camera's -- a police car's dash camera. A tow truck driver working on a stalled call in snowy weather slammed by the out-of-control SUV. That driver was thrown over the guardrail and down a hillside. Amazingly he wasn't seriously hurt. The Ohio State Patrol released the video to show drivers the danger of inclement weather.
Well, when you are out on the highway, which vehicles might help you and your family stay safe if you're in an accident? Our Julie Vallese reports on how some of the most popular vehicles performed in the latest round of crash tests.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the top- selling minivans in the country is also one of the top rated for safety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The new Honda Odyssey did a good job of protecting the driver in this severe frontal crash. Not only did we give it a good rating, but we gave it a "best pick."
VALLESE: When the institute tested the Chevrolet Transport back in 1997, it called the vehicle "one of the worst ever tested." But now Chevy has redesigned the vehicle and renamed it the Uplander. It's now rated good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think this is a case of Chevy paying attention. They've looked at how other people are doing well in this test, they see that the design isn't magic. And now they've got their own minivan that does a good job protecting its occupants.
VALLESE: Small pickups with extended cabs were also crashed and rated. The Nissan Frontier, Chevrolet Colorado and the Toyota Tacoma were all rated good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Toyota Tacoma earned a good rating and a "best pick" rating in the frontal offset crash test this time around.
VALLESE: The Dodge Dakota and Ford Ranger were rated acceptable.
(on camera): The institute says its goal has been to have no vehicle rate lower than acceptable. And that's almost the case. In previous tests of these two classes, there are only two vehicles rated poor. And after this model year they'll no longer be named.
Julie Vallese, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Speaking of cars, how about those gas prices? Have they hit their peak? A little later in the show we'll hear from someone who thinks higher prices are good for the country. And he wants to see them even higher.
And take a look at this. Amazingly, once again no one hurt. Twisters plagued the plains over the weekend. A full weather wrap is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Well, here's a pretty picture from Washington, D.C. It is the peak of the blooms for the cherry blossoms.
How do they define that? Well, when 70 percent of the blossoms are open. So there you have it.
A big, wide range. That can go from March 15 to as late as April 18. So a little bit on the later side this year, and yet beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
So, we go from pretty to not so pretty. Live picture there from Denver, the Mile High City. It seems like a mile-high mess.
Denver, Colorado, digging out this morning after a spring blizzard dumped up to two feet in parts of the state. Flight cancellations virtually shut down the airport, caused a lot of stranded travelers to sleep -- sleep there. Many schools are closed, hundreds of people are still without power.
Hang in there, Denver.
And there was no Dorothy, no Toto, no wicked witch. But, yes, indeed, I think we are in Kansas. Several tornadoes touched down in the open and the western parts, and central parts of the state as well. Now residents there are surveying the damage and cleaning up the mess. No reports of any injuries.
That's good news. And as Jacqui Jeras would say, "Tis the season."
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Let's see what the hottest stories are, what you're most interested in at CNN.com. Our Veronica De La Cruz is at or dot-com desk.
Hello.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, Daryn.
You're right, we are keeping our eye on the stories receiving the most clicks at CNN.com. And one of our hottest stories comes to us from the University of Wisconsin, where they have put the oldest thing on Earth on display.
Now, this tiny microscopic sliver of zircon crystal is believed to be nearly 4.5 billion years old. The university had a celebration over the weekend, complete with a jazz band. And those scientists admit there wasn't much to see.
Spectators did use a microscope to check out this tiny grain which measures less than two human hairs in diameter. Really, really small there.
Now, to find out what else is making the list, let's go live to the Web. Our most popular story right now, a school in Georgia is paying its students to snitch. Using revenue from candy sales, the high school is planning on paying students up to $100 for information on theft, drug or gun possession. Pretty good idea, huh?
Let's go now to number two, which has also changed in the last hour. People are clicking on this train crash in Wisconsin. Four people in a minivan were killed when they came to a railroad crossing that didn't have any lights or any gates.
Now, the Prius story, Daryn, has dropped to number two. Last hour, it was at number -- actually, it's dropped to number three. Last hour it was at number two.
And a new report out says that used hybrid Priuses are now selling at more than the list price. And details, of course, you can find at CNN.com.
Now, to find the most popular stories, go to our main page and click on the icon "most popular" or the right-hand side of your screen, or you can type in cnn.com/mostpopular. That list is updated every 20 minutes.
And that's it from the dot-com desk. Back to you, Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Thank you, Veronica.
The latest dispute in the Middle East could mean tension in Texas. We'll tell you why some say that President Bush and Israel's Ariel Sharon are in for some tough talks. That's next in a live report from Crawford, Texas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We're coming up on the half-hour. I'm Daryn Kagan. Good morning once again. Here's a look what's happening "Now in the News."
A nationwide manhunt today for Stephen Stanko. South Carolina police say the ex-con killed two people and raped a teenager. He had been released last July after serving eight years for kidnapping. Stanko is thought to be traveling in a Mazda pickup, South Carolina license plate 709PYJ.
A Dutch airline on an Amsterdam to Mexico City flight was denied permission to fly over U.S. airspace. The Bush administration says two passengers matched names on a terrorist watch list. The plane turned around after 11 hours in the air. KLM says the names were not on any list that it had.
The mother of a boy who settled with Michael Jackson in 1993 is expected on the stand today. Perhaps today. The boy is not listed as a witness in the trial. The mother is among nine witnesses the prosecution called to show an alleged pattern of molestation.
And the British royals have released official family photograph from the wedding of Charles and Camilla. The main shot shows the couple with their parents and children in the drawing room of Windsor Castle.
President Bush is hosting Israel's leader at his Texas ranch today. And talks could get a bit heated.
CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us from Crawford, Texas.
Good morning, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.
And that meeting between President Bush and Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, is taking place at this hour. And while there are areas in which the two leaders disagree, today we are expecting them to focus largely on what they can agree on: Israel's planned withdraw from Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In roughly three months, Israel plans to remove its troops and thousands of Jewish settlers from 21 Israeli settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank. But Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon is taking intense political heat for the idea, even receiving death threats.
DAVID MAKOVSKY, INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: I think Sharon has a sincere problem at home with 100,000 protesters, 200 Israelis that are trying to kill him and a party that is very divided and convinced that this is a bad idea. Meeting with President Bush is not going to change that fundamental point.
QUIJANO: Still, Mr. Sharon heads to Crawford with the hope of getting backup once again from President Bush.
It was nearly a year ago, the two leaders stood together at the White House and President Bush made clear he was firmly behind Sharon's plan.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I commend Prime Minister Sharon for his bold and courageous decision to withdraw from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. QUIJANO: Yet complicating the picture now, Israel's recent call to develop land just east of Jerusalem that the Palestinians claim is theirs. Critics say that would affect what any future Palestinian state might look like, while Sharon argues it would be a natural extension of an existing Jerusalem suburb.
The U.S. calls those plans at odds with American policy. And while the president says he intends to take up the issue of Jewish settlements with Sharon, Mr. Bush also wants to give the prime minister the latitude he needs in the short-term to carry out the Gaza withdrawal successfully.
At the same time, President Bush will urge the Israeli leader to work closely with the new Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Yet Israelis say Abbas has not been effective enough in dismantling and disarming terrorist groups.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: Still, analysts believe with Mahmoud Abbas Israelis and Palestinians have a prime opportunity to move the peace process forward. They see Abbas committed to coexistence, and they believe it is crucial that any plans by Israel to withdraw must be coordinated with him -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Elaine Quijano, live from Crawford, Texas. Elaine, thank you.
So what about Israel? What's the reaction there.
Let's go to our John Vause, joining us now from Jerusalem -- John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
Well, the Israeli prime minister is facing heat from settlers and their supporters. Just yesterday, they clashed with police outside the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's old city. That's a sacred site to both Jews and Muslims. They call it the noble sanctuary. Now settler said they wanted to go to the Temple Mount and pray on mass. The Palestinian militant group warn that would be a major provocation. And if it happens, it would mean to an end to the two-month long cease-fire. Now a massive Israeli presence kept these settlers from entering the Temple Mount. They are warning that as disengagement draws near, scheduled for July 20, there will be more protests, and in the last few months or so, security around the prime minister and other senior Israeli government officials has been greatly increased after they have been receiving death threats.
Israeli intelligence is also warning that they're could be a hard-line group of Jews opposed to the disengagement, who may carry out some kind of mega-attack. They're not saying specifically what. There's been a lot of speculation in the Israeli media, some kind of attack on the Dome of the Rock, which is a religious site sacred to Muslims. But they say the aim of this attack would be to provoke a confrontation between Israelis and the Palestinians, and that would disrupt the Gaza withdrawal. Settler leaders, though, say they condone -- they do not condone the violence, and all of their protests will be peaceful. As for Ariel Sharon, this disengagement plan has caused deep spits within his conservative Likud government. However, opinion polls have shown time and time again that it is supported by most Israelis -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Meanwhile, earlier today, Ariel Sharon saying that he thinks the mood in Israeli is like a civil war, that he's concerned for his safety from perhaps, from Israelis and from Jews.
VAUSE: Yes, he said that on a number of occasions, especially in light of these death threats. Now it is in Ariel Sharon's interest to talk up the threat, to talk about how difficult this disengagement is, so that he can win support from the international community, to talk about painful concessions that Israel is making. To be fair, though, we don't have all the intelligence. We don't know exactly what Israeli prime minister knows. However, there is this concern that there could be this small group of hardline right-wing extremists within those opposed to the disengagement who could carry out some kind of attack and spark some major confrontation within Israel -- Daryn.
KAGAN: John Vause, live from Jerusalem, thank you.
Let's turn now to this morning's world wrap. Take a look at these pictures. An earthquake -- you're watching it, pictures of it, as it happened in Japan. It was 6.1, a tremor, rocking the Tokyo area as commuters headed to work. Despite damage to some buildings and delays in public transportation, no reports of injuries officials are warning residents of possible aftershocks.
Japan is calling for calm this morning after violent anti-Japan protesters rallied in China over the weekend. A history of sour relations between the two nations were stirred up again after Tokyo approved a history textbook that Chinese critics say glosses over Japan's brutal World War II aggression against China.
And in Lebanon, thousands of Palestinian refugees took to the streets in support of Israel's plan to withdraw from Gaza. The refugees from a camp south of Beirut denounced planned protests by those Israelis who are against the withdrawal.
So, are you feeling the pain? The pain of the pump. We're going to talk about gas prices. The latest in gas prices coming up. And Tiger pounced. This was a great moment. Took home yet another green jacket. The latest from Augusta on an unbelievable win.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Silicone gel breast implants have been banned for most women in the U.S. since 1992. This morning, though, the FDA began hearings on whether to lift that ban.
Medical correspondent Christy Feig has details in our "Daily Dose" of health news.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTY FEIG, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Terry Heide lost both of her breasts to cancer at age 49, she was able to get silicone breast implants through a clinical trials. She thinks all women should have that option.
TERRY HEIDE, SILCONE BREAST IMPLANT ADVOCATE: They look so much more natural and feel so much natural that it gives a woman that extra boost of self esteem.
FEIG: But Carolyn Wolf says getting silicone breast implants was a mistake.
CAROLYN WOLF, SILICONE BREAST IMPLANT OPPONENT: I started getting little blister-like things on my neck, and then I started getting boil-like things on my forehead.
FEIG: In 1992, the FDA limited the use of these implants to clinical trials, over concerns they rupture or leak. Some experts believe that's a real risk.
DIANA ZUCKERMAN, NATL RESCH. CTR, WOMEN AND FAMILIES: All the data seems to indicate that rupture is inevitable, that every breast implant, if a woman lives long enough, every breast implant will break inside the body.
FEIG: But others believe they're safe.
DR. SCOTT SPEAR, AMERICAN SOC. OF PLASTIC SURGEONS: We have good data about how long the devices will last, at least through 10 or 15 years. And we also have information that you don't get sick, even if they do break.
HEIG: This week two companies, Inamed and Mentor, are seeking FDA approval to sell silicone implants to the general public. The agency rejected a similar request a year ago, not over safety issues, but because there weren't enough long-term studies. The companies will spend the next three days trying to convince the committee the data is there.
In Washington, I'm Christy Feig.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is cnn.com/health.
Now we want to bring you up-to-date on the amber alert story we've been covering for most of the last couple of hours. These pictures coming to us from Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Our affiliate WABC. Police believe this is the silver Honda that they've been looking for. They believe the suspect and the baby they're looking for could be inside. And you're watching as police move in and get closer to the car. Now, to bring you up to date on what happened earlier today, they say -- police in New Jersey say the father of a 4-month-old girl shot another man and then fled in the vehicle with the infant and mother. That's when the amber alert was issued. They said the man who was shot was not expected to die. He has been taken to a local hospital.
The shooting took place just after 7:00 a.m. and the suspected shooter, they believe, is the father of the child. And so they put out the amber alert. The child they're looking for, Jada Saunders, 4- month-old African-American girl. They believe she was taken by her father, Almutah Saunders, along with her mother, Erika Turner.
And the amber alert was for this car, the 2001, gray-silver Honda Accord, New Jersey plate RJD-75Z. They believe it headed west towards the George Washington Bridge. The reason for all this caution, you see the police crouching behind the patrol cars, they believe the suspect does have a weapon. So, of course, they don't want anything to happen, especially if the mother and child are still inside of this car.
This amber alert has been out for about a couple of hours. And police have been keeping a lookout for it. Once again, they believe this is the car they've been looking for, the silver Honda, 2001. Gray-silver Honda Accord. We're going to keep monitoring the situation. Hopefully it will come to a peaceful end.
We'll take a break. We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: All right. We're going to go back to this breaking news situation we're watching out of New Jersey. This is Phillipsburg, New Jersey and it is a hostage situation, it would appear after an amber alert has been issued. We want you to know, by the way, that we're showing you these pictures on a five second delay, just in case this ends in a violent manner.
This story here, an amber alert issued about 7:00 a.m. earlier today. A man by the name of Almutah Saunders, suspected of shooting a grandfather and then taking his baby and the mother of the child and then fleeing. There's the baby they're looking for, 4-month-old Jada Saunders. The mother, Erika Turner. It's believed the girl and the mother could be in this silver Honda Accord, along with the suspect, Almutah Saunders.
This goes back to earlier today, as I was saying, the father of the 4-month-old-girl shooting the infant's grandfather and then fleeing in the vehicle with the baby and mother. One of the reasons so much caution being taken at the scene right now, the amber alert saying the suspect has threatened to commit murder and kill himself.
And we have been able to see through closer pictures. There is some movement inside that car. So there are people -- or at least one person in that car. It's unclear right now if the mother and child are in there, as well. The girl's grandfather, by the way, struck in the leg. He is expected to survive. This amber alert was issued shortly after 10:00 A.M. for the baby, Jada Saunders, described as a 4-month-old African-American girl. And I think we have that picture, we can put up once again. There she is. And then her mother, Erika Turner. Once again, the suspect, they believe, still holed up inside that car. Almutah Saunders, along with the girl's mother.
And the issue, the amber alert issued earlier today for that gray-silver Honda Accord. When it was put out -- it was put out about 50 miles away from where this car was found -- they'd been in this parking lot for at least about 10, 15 minutes, perhaps longer. We've been monitoring this situation. We'll continue to do that and keep on that.
Meanwhile let's check in with our Wolf Blitzer, who I'm sure will continue to follow this story at noon and see what else, Wolf, you have in store for us.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Daryn. We certainly will follow this story, update our viewers as we get more information. We'll have a busy hour ahead on "NEWS FROM CNN."
There's also a critical step to the so-called road map to peace in the Middle East happening today, a key meeting between President Bush and the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon. Can the U.S. and Israel agree on how to proceed? We're closely watching developments out of Crawford, Texas. That's coming up.
Also, Daryn, as you've been reporting this morning, there's more political pressure on the Republican House majority leader Tom DeLay and it's coming from some members, a few, at least, of his own party. It's a story that's getting lots of play here in Washington. We'll break it down for our viewers.
Daryn, we'll have those stories coming up, a lot more, at the top of the hour on "NEWS FROM CNN." In the meantime, back to you.
KAGAN: All right, Wolf, we look forward to all that. Meanwhile, we're going to stay with this story in New Jersey, give you the latest on the stand-off that came from this amber alert after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Want to go back to the story we're following out of Phillipsburg, New Jersey. I think we want to take down that live bug in the corner, because we put a five-second delay on these pictures just in case this ends in a -- thank you for that -- ends in a violent way. This is the Amber Alert we're following out of Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
Our Deb Feyerick is joining us from New York now with the latest on what we think is happening in this standoff.
Deb, are you with us?
All right, we'll work on establishing Deborah Feyerick. let me bring you up to date what I know, that this Amber Alert was issued around 10:00 a.m., about two hours ago. They believe the man, the father of a four-month-old girl, shot the girl's grandfather, and took the baby, 4-month-old baby Jada Saunders, and her mother, Erika Turner, and this silver Honda Accord and took off from Irvington, New Jersey and ended about 56 miles to the west, in this parking lot where the standoff goes on with police.
One of the reasons they're being so careful and so deliberate about trying to get this man to come out of the car, it's believed he might have a weapon.
WABC has also been following the story. Let's listen to what their helicopter pilot had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just off of Route 22. The suspect was headed west on 78. And we had received word that there was police officers that were set up on the bridge, on the Route 78 bridge, into Pennsylvania.
I'm not sure, and I don't really see how the suspect could have received word that it was shutdown, but he did in fact get off Route 78 at the last possible exit in New Jersey, veered onto Route 22, and then veered off into the local streets, wound up in this townhouse development, which we now learned apparently the victim's sister has a home in this development. So the suspect somewhat familiar with this. Still that suspect wound up in an area here that's nothing but dead- ends and cul-de-sacs. It's confined townhouse development with one way in and one way out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: So that's sounds from WABC's helicopter pilot, giving us a little bit more information. Apparently the suspect that they're looking for had heard that one of the highways had been closed off as part of this Amber Alert, got off on the last possible exit and turned into this development, where apparently the victim's sister has a home in this townhouse development.
Now I do believe we have our Deb Feyerick with us from New York to tell us more -- Deb.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, we're learning this sort of piece by piece. We do know that that car once it did pull into that area, where there were cul-de-sacs, began rolling. We're not sure whether in fact the driver had made contact with police or not. But at one point, it was parked teen a couple of homes, and it just began rolling to where it is you see parked now. What's interesting about that is that police had begun moving in on that car in an area where it was originally parked, and then it began moving to these other police.
You can see sort of a row right now of policemen coming now towards the car. It looks like they're carrying those shields in order to protect themselves. There is a report that perhaps the man does have some kind of gun, some kind of weapon. He's holding the woman and the 4-month-old baby according to New Jersey State Police. So this is what's happening as we're watching it live.
KAGAN: And of course, also, the great concern because this man has made, we understand, violent threats, threatening to commit murder and perhaps kill himself as well.
FEYERICK: Correct. And that's why it's so important. As you see the cars there, the police door are open. And usually what's done in that particular case is that the police will try to make some sort of voice contact. The window, it appears, on the suspect's car is also rolled down. This is a critical moment, obviously, because the police want to resolve this in a peaceful way. So usually what they do is they call in some sort of hostage negotiator, or some sort of high-level detective or somebody who's got experience in talking to people like this, and hopefully talking them down from whatever it is they're intent on doing.
KAGAN: And this started from a violent beginning, the baby's grandfather shot in a leg.
FEYERICK: That -- what we do know that apparently the grandfather was -- that the young man was there and he did have a gun, and we do believe that the grandfather was shot in the leg, but again, that's one of the things we're trying to double confirm with our sources out there on the ground.
KAGAN: All right. Deborah Feyerick, thank for that.
Once again, if you've been with us, we're following the story. This is the culmination of an Amber Alert that was issued for the first time about two hours ago. They're looking for this man, Almutah Saunders. They believe he is holed up in that silver Honda Accord with that baby, Jada Saunders. He apparently is the father of that baby, and the mother of the baby, Erika Turner. The shooting and the abduction took place about 7:00 a.m., and police have been on the lookout for this car ever since.
We're going to keep our eyes on that story.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: That's going to do it for me. I'm Daryn Kagan. We're going to continue to keep an eye on what's happening in New Jersey.
But right now, I hand it over to Wolf Blitzer, and I'll see you here tomorrow morning.
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Aired April 11, 2005 - 10:59 ET
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DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A controversial event in Rome. Former Boston archbishop Cardinal Bernard Law celebrates mass in St. Peter's Basilica. Critics say he's a bad choice after the priest sex abuse scandal here in the states. More on that as the next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.
And let's start by taking a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
Police in New Jersey say they're looking for a man who drove off with his infant daughter after shooting another man this morning. The suspect was driving a gray or silver 2001 Honda with New Jersey license plate RJD 75V. Authorities have issued an Amber Alert for the 4-month-old girl.
Progress against insurgents in Iraq could mean possible U.S. troop cuts by early next year. That is according to today's "New York Times." The paper says insurgent attacks are down to 30 to 40 a day from a peak of about 140 leading to the January elections.
Israeli Prime Minister Sharon is meeting with President Bush at his Texas ranch this hour. The two leaders are at odds over Israel's plan to expand its largest West Bank settlement. We'll have live reports from Crawford, Texas, and Jerusalem this half-hour.
Former President Clinton holds a news conference this hour to discuss his foundation's HIV and AIDS initiatives. The foundation is launching a program to expand care in rural areas in the developing world. Clinton may also face questions about his recovery from his recent surgery.
We are looking at just a minute past 11:00 a.m. on the East Coast, just past 8:00 a.m. on the West. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
And we are tracking the high prices at the pump and the nasty weather in the Midwest. Gas prices reached yet another record.
And a spring snow storm strands hundreds of travelers in Colorado.
Details on those stories coming up later this hour.
First, though, a mass mourning Pope John Paul II leads to a protest at the Vatican. Survivors of the priest sex abuse scandal in the U.S. are angry that Cardinal Bernard Law was chosen to lead the mass. Law is accused of covering up the scandal. The mass is under way right now as we look at live pictures from the Vatican.
Our Chris Burns joins us live from Rome right now with details -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
Yes, the bells of St. Peter are ringing. Yet another mass during this week, and mourning the passing of Pope John Paul II here. And two women have just gone in there for mass, Barbara Blaine and Barbara Doris (ph), two women who have brought their campaign here to the steps of St. Peter's.
They were hoping that Cardinal Bernard Law not give this homily today, which is supposed to be beginning any minute now. They said he does not -- he should not be doing it because he was former archbishop in Boston and looked the other way when there were priests who were engaging in pedophilia.
And they say he should not be giving that homily. They say he shouldn't even be voting in the conclave that begins to vote for a new pope beginning next Monday.
They handed out leaflets here. It turned out to be quite a media feeding fest.
A lot of journalists, perhaps 100, 150 journalists, surrounding them as they answered questions, they handed out leaflets. But really no demonstration as had been expected here. But they do say they're not disappointed.
They do plan on continuing their campaign this week to try to pressure the Vatican into some way sidelining the cardinal from next week's vote. But it doesn't look like it at this point. It looks like the Vatican is standing firm.
Back to you.
KAGAN: All right. Chris Burns, live from the Vatican.
The protesters say that choosing Cardinal Law to lead today's mass is a sign the Vatican doesn't understand the hurt felt by abuse survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA BLAINE, SNAP FOUNDER: I think that the protocol could be set aside if we are talking about the extreme pain and suffering that so many victims and family members have gone through. In the Archdiocese of Boston, over a thousand victims and their families were -- were just devastated.
The parishes have been split over this. And to just keep bringing it up, especially at a time when Catholics around the world have come together to focus on the life of Pope John Paul II, just putting Cardinal Law's image up there is just inappropriate. And we believe that the Catholic cardinals know this and know about this for the American Catholics, and that they should have stopped it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Members of the survivors network say they hope to meet with the U.S. cardinals who will help select the next pope.
Well, some say John Bolton doesn't exactly choose his words delicately. That gives Democrats of ammunition. They are fiercely challenging his nomination as United Nations ambassador today.
State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel joins us. She is on Capitol Hill, watching the proceedings this morning.
Good morning.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Good morning again, Daryn.
Well, John Bolton's supporters say that he has the courage of his convictions and the resume to back those up. But those many critics who are out there, and among them Democrats here in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, say that he is the wrong man for a job that's supposed to be at a time when the U.S. is trying to heal its relations with many of its allies oversees.
Right now he's being questioned by one of the moderate Republicans on this committee, Lincoln Chafee, someone who has said before going into this committee that he's still on the fence. But someone who is definitely not on the fence is the ranking Democrat, Joe Biden, who had quite a heated exchange with Mr. Bolton a short time ago in which he was asking Bolton to answer allegations that he tried to get members of the intelligence community who are assigned to the State Department reassigned when he disagreed with their assessments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: Did you ever ask anyone to remove Mr. Westermann from your portfolio?
JOHN BOLTON, AMBASSADOR TO U.N. NOMINEE: I think as the -- as the interviews that your staff conducted show -- and that's one reason why I want to get them all out in the public -- we believe Mr. Westermann had behaved in an underhanded fashion. And I think I -- as my assistant mentioned to your staff, I said to him at the time, "I don't care if you disagree with me. Just don't do it behind my back."
I mentioned it...
BIDEN: But that's not my question. I only have 10 minutes. So I don't want you to be a senator and filibuster me. Did you attempt to have him removed from your portfolio?
BOLTON: I mentioned it to Mr. Finger (ph). I may have mentioned it to one or two other people, but then I shrugged my shoulders and I moved on. He was not... BIDEN: So the answer is yes, you did?
BOLTON: And he was not moved, and I did not...
BIDEN: OK. And that's all I want -- I just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing.
Let me talk about the U.N. I'll go back to...
BOLTON: I in no sense sought to have any discipline imposed on Mr. Westermann.
BIDEN: Other than removed from your portfolio.
BOLTON: No. No, I said to at least one of his supervisors that I specifically had no intention whatever to cause him any ill will.
BIDEN: I'm not suggesting that.
BOLTON: But I had lost trust and confidence in him. And I think in any professional relationship you need trust and confidence.
BIDEN: No, I got that. I just want to make sure our terminology -- we're all using the same terminology when I talk about this with you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOPPEL: Going into this hearing today, it was already very clear, Daryn, that John Bolton is a lightning rod for controversy. His confirmation, however, is anything but a sure thing.
Of the 10 Republicans on the committee and eight Democrats, all Democrats have already come out saying that they're going to vote against him. Lincoln Chafee, who's still questioning Mr. Bolton, again on the fence. And you need to have a majority in order for it to be recommended to the full floor of the Senate.
Daryn, back to you.
KAGAN: Andrea Koppel on Capitol Hill. Thank you.
You can consider it a clash of the Titans. A well-known Republican on Capitol Hill calling for embattled fellow Republican Tom DeLay to resign his post as House majority leader. Representative Christopher Shays had this to say about the Texan's ethics problems...
"Tom's conduct is hurting the Republican Party, it's hurting his Republican majority, and it's hurting any Republican who is up for reelection." And then Shays goes on to say, "My party is going to have to decide whether we're going to continue to make excuses for Tom to the detriment of Republicans seeking election."
Other Republicans are demanding answers, even as they point out that DeLay still has strong support.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R), PENNSYLVANIA: The fact of the matter is that he still has very strong support within his ranks. And he is very effective in leading the House. And that, to date, has not been compromised.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: DeLay was admonished three times last year by the House Ethics Committee. The congressman has denied any wrongdoing.
Well, you're driving in bad weather and the next thing you know, disaster strikes. That's what happened -- watch this -- oh -- on a road in Toledo Ohio.
Why and how he they all walk away? Details coming up next.
And so you think $2-plus gas prices are high? Well, how about $4 a gallon? Why one columnist thinks we would all be better off.
And for anyone who says Tiger Woods has lost it, did you see this moment? Oh, that was incredible on 16. A look at the sudden death Masters win at Augusta coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: I want to show you a live picture now from New York City. That's former President Bill Clinton, of course, announcing today his foundation will donate $10 million to expand treatment for children with AIDS in the developing world.
The first kind of official -- first official role and appearance he's making since his recent surgery. Of course, he did go to the pope's funeral at the Vatican.
We expect at the end of his announcement for former President Clinton to take questions. We might go back and listen in to those if people asking questions about his recent health and recent recovery.
Meanwhile, let's check in on business news. Suzanne Lisovicz is handling that for us.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
KAGAN: I want to show you live pictures from Washington, D.C. The confirmation hearing going on for John Bolton to be the next U.N. ambassador -- U.S. ambassador to the U.N. There's a protester in the room. And we understand that that protester is going to be taken out by security guards. John Bolton, of course, a controversial choice to be the next U.N. ambassador from the United States because of his expressions of disdain for the United Nations and the blunt criticism he's leveled at North Korea and other countries, and also about arms control treaties.
So we will have the latest from there with our Andrea Koppel straight ahead. Right now a break. We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Live picture let's show you from Washington, D.C. The hearing has resumed there for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee disrupted by a protester not happy with the idea of John Bolton being the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
More from Capitol Hill in a moment on that.
Recently in Ohio, a freak accident on a snow-soaked highway. And one man survives with barely a scratch.
Incredible. It was caught on a police camera's -- a police car's dash camera. A tow truck driver working on a stalled call in snowy weather slammed by the out-of-control SUV. That driver was thrown over the guardrail and down a hillside. Amazingly he wasn't seriously hurt. The Ohio State Patrol released the video to show drivers the danger of inclement weather.
Well, when you are out on the highway, which vehicles might help you and your family stay safe if you're in an accident? Our Julie Vallese reports on how some of the most popular vehicles performed in the latest round of crash tests.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the top- selling minivans in the country is also one of the top rated for safety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The new Honda Odyssey did a good job of protecting the driver in this severe frontal crash. Not only did we give it a good rating, but we gave it a "best pick."
VALLESE: When the institute tested the Chevrolet Transport back in 1997, it called the vehicle "one of the worst ever tested." But now Chevy has redesigned the vehicle and renamed it the Uplander. It's now rated good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think this is a case of Chevy paying attention. They've looked at how other people are doing well in this test, they see that the design isn't magic. And now they've got their own minivan that does a good job protecting its occupants.
VALLESE: Small pickups with extended cabs were also crashed and rated. The Nissan Frontier, Chevrolet Colorado and the Toyota Tacoma were all rated good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Toyota Tacoma earned a good rating and a "best pick" rating in the frontal offset crash test this time around.
VALLESE: The Dodge Dakota and Ford Ranger were rated acceptable.
(on camera): The institute says its goal has been to have no vehicle rate lower than acceptable. And that's almost the case. In previous tests of these two classes, there are only two vehicles rated poor. And after this model year they'll no longer be named.
Julie Vallese, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Speaking of cars, how about those gas prices? Have they hit their peak? A little later in the show we'll hear from someone who thinks higher prices are good for the country. And he wants to see them even higher.
And take a look at this. Amazingly, once again no one hurt. Twisters plagued the plains over the weekend. A full weather wrap is coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Well, here's a pretty picture from Washington, D.C. It is the peak of the blooms for the cherry blossoms.
How do they define that? Well, when 70 percent of the blossoms are open. So there you have it.
A big, wide range. That can go from March 15 to as late as April 18. So a little bit on the later side this year, and yet beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
So, we go from pretty to not so pretty. Live picture there from Denver, the Mile High City. It seems like a mile-high mess.
Denver, Colorado, digging out this morning after a spring blizzard dumped up to two feet in parts of the state. Flight cancellations virtually shut down the airport, caused a lot of stranded travelers to sleep -- sleep there. Many schools are closed, hundreds of people are still without power.
Hang in there, Denver.
And there was no Dorothy, no Toto, no wicked witch. But, yes, indeed, I think we are in Kansas. Several tornadoes touched down in the open and the western parts, and central parts of the state as well. Now residents there are surveying the damage and cleaning up the mess. No reports of any injuries.
That's good news. And as Jacqui Jeras would say, "Tis the season."
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Let's see what the hottest stories are, what you're most interested in at CNN.com. Our Veronica De La Cruz is at or dot-com desk.
Hello.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, Daryn.
You're right, we are keeping our eye on the stories receiving the most clicks at CNN.com. And one of our hottest stories comes to us from the University of Wisconsin, where they have put the oldest thing on Earth on display.
Now, this tiny microscopic sliver of zircon crystal is believed to be nearly 4.5 billion years old. The university had a celebration over the weekend, complete with a jazz band. And those scientists admit there wasn't much to see.
Spectators did use a microscope to check out this tiny grain which measures less than two human hairs in diameter. Really, really small there.
Now, to find out what else is making the list, let's go live to the Web. Our most popular story right now, a school in Georgia is paying its students to snitch. Using revenue from candy sales, the high school is planning on paying students up to $100 for information on theft, drug or gun possession. Pretty good idea, huh?
Let's go now to number two, which has also changed in the last hour. People are clicking on this train crash in Wisconsin. Four people in a minivan were killed when they came to a railroad crossing that didn't have any lights or any gates.
Now, the Prius story, Daryn, has dropped to number two. Last hour, it was at number -- actually, it's dropped to number three. Last hour it was at number two.
And a new report out says that used hybrid Priuses are now selling at more than the list price. And details, of course, you can find at CNN.com.
Now, to find the most popular stories, go to our main page and click on the icon "most popular" or the right-hand side of your screen, or you can type in cnn.com/mostpopular. That list is updated every 20 minutes.
And that's it from the dot-com desk. Back to you, Daryn.
KAGAN: All right. Thank you, Veronica.
The latest dispute in the Middle East could mean tension in Texas. We'll tell you why some say that President Bush and Israel's Ariel Sharon are in for some tough talks. That's next in a live report from Crawford, Texas.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We're coming up on the half-hour. I'm Daryn Kagan. Good morning once again. Here's a look what's happening "Now in the News."
A nationwide manhunt today for Stephen Stanko. South Carolina police say the ex-con killed two people and raped a teenager. He had been released last July after serving eight years for kidnapping. Stanko is thought to be traveling in a Mazda pickup, South Carolina license plate 709PYJ.
A Dutch airline on an Amsterdam to Mexico City flight was denied permission to fly over U.S. airspace. The Bush administration says two passengers matched names on a terrorist watch list. The plane turned around after 11 hours in the air. KLM says the names were not on any list that it had.
The mother of a boy who settled with Michael Jackson in 1993 is expected on the stand today. Perhaps today. The boy is not listed as a witness in the trial. The mother is among nine witnesses the prosecution called to show an alleged pattern of molestation.
And the British royals have released official family photograph from the wedding of Charles and Camilla. The main shot shows the couple with their parents and children in the drawing room of Windsor Castle.
President Bush is hosting Israel's leader at his Texas ranch today. And talks could get a bit heated.
CNN's Elaine Quijano joins us from Crawford, Texas.
Good morning, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.
And that meeting between President Bush and Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, is taking place at this hour. And while there are areas in which the two leaders disagree, today we are expecting them to focus largely on what they can agree on: Israel's planned withdraw from Gaza.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In roughly three months, Israel plans to remove its troops and thousands of Jewish settlers from 21 Israeli settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank. But Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon is taking intense political heat for the idea, even receiving death threats.
DAVID MAKOVSKY, INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY: I think Sharon has a sincere problem at home with 100,000 protesters, 200 Israelis that are trying to kill him and a party that is very divided and convinced that this is a bad idea. Meeting with President Bush is not going to change that fundamental point.
QUIJANO: Still, Mr. Sharon heads to Crawford with the hope of getting backup once again from President Bush.
It was nearly a year ago, the two leaders stood together at the White House and President Bush made clear he was firmly behind Sharon's plan.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I commend Prime Minister Sharon for his bold and courageous decision to withdraw from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. QUIJANO: Yet complicating the picture now, Israel's recent call to develop land just east of Jerusalem that the Palestinians claim is theirs. Critics say that would affect what any future Palestinian state might look like, while Sharon argues it would be a natural extension of an existing Jerusalem suburb.
The U.S. calls those plans at odds with American policy. And while the president says he intends to take up the issue of Jewish settlements with Sharon, Mr. Bush also wants to give the prime minister the latitude he needs in the short-term to carry out the Gaza withdrawal successfully.
At the same time, President Bush will urge the Israeli leader to work closely with the new Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. Yet Israelis say Abbas has not been effective enough in dismantling and disarming terrorist groups.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUIJANO: Still, analysts believe with Mahmoud Abbas Israelis and Palestinians have a prime opportunity to move the peace process forward. They see Abbas committed to coexistence, and they believe it is crucial that any plans by Israel to withdraw must be coordinated with him -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Elaine Quijano, live from Crawford, Texas. Elaine, thank you.
So what about Israel? What's the reaction there.
Let's go to our John Vause, joining us now from Jerusalem -- John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
Well, the Israeli prime minister is facing heat from settlers and their supporters. Just yesterday, they clashed with police outside the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's old city. That's a sacred site to both Jews and Muslims. They call it the noble sanctuary. Now settler said they wanted to go to the Temple Mount and pray on mass. The Palestinian militant group warn that would be a major provocation. And if it happens, it would mean to an end to the two-month long cease-fire. Now a massive Israeli presence kept these settlers from entering the Temple Mount. They are warning that as disengagement draws near, scheduled for July 20, there will be more protests, and in the last few months or so, security around the prime minister and other senior Israeli government officials has been greatly increased after they have been receiving death threats.
Israeli intelligence is also warning that they're could be a hard-line group of Jews opposed to the disengagement, who may carry out some kind of mega-attack. They're not saying specifically what. There's been a lot of speculation in the Israeli media, some kind of attack on the Dome of the Rock, which is a religious site sacred to Muslims. But they say the aim of this attack would be to provoke a confrontation between Israelis and the Palestinians, and that would disrupt the Gaza withdrawal. Settler leaders, though, say they condone -- they do not condone the violence, and all of their protests will be peaceful. As for Ariel Sharon, this disengagement plan has caused deep spits within his conservative Likud government. However, opinion polls have shown time and time again that it is supported by most Israelis -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Meanwhile, earlier today, Ariel Sharon saying that he thinks the mood in Israeli is like a civil war, that he's concerned for his safety from perhaps, from Israelis and from Jews.
VAUSE: Yes, he said that on a number of occasions, especially in light of these death threats. Now it is in Ariel Sharon's interest to talk up the threat, to talk about how difficult this disengagement is, so that he can win support from the international community, to talk about painful concessions that Israel is making. To be fair, though, we don't have all the intelligence. We don't know exactly what Israeli prime minister knows. However, there is this concern that there could be this small group of hardline right-wing extremists within those opposed to the disengagement who could carry out some kind of attack and spark some major confrontation within Israel -- Daryn.
KAGAN: John Vause, live from Jerusalem, thank you.
Let's turn now to this morning's world wrap. Take a look at these pictures. An earthquake -- you're watching it, pictures of it, as it happened in Japan. It was 6.1, a tremor, rocking the Tokyo area as commuters headed to work. Despite damage to some buildings and delays in public transportation, no reports of injuries officials are warning residents of possible aftershocks.
Japan is calling for calm this morning after violent anti-Japan protesters rallied in China over the weekend. A history of sour relations between the two nations were stirred up again after Tokyo approved a history textbook that Chinese critics say glosses over Japan's brutal World War II aggression against China.
And in Lebanon, thousands of Palestinian refugees took to the streets in support of Israel's plan to withdraw from Gaza. The refugees from a camp south of Beirut denounced planned protests by those Israelis who are against the withdrawal.
So, are you feeling the pain? The pain of the pump. We're going to talk about gas prices. The latest in gas prices coming up. And Tiger pounced. This was a great moment. Took home yet another green jacket. The latest from Augusta on an unbelievable win.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Silicone gel breast implants have been banned for most women in the U.S. since 1992. This morning, though, the FDA began hearings on whether to lift that ban.
Medical correspondent Christy Feig has details in our "Daily Dose" of health news.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTY FEIG, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Terry Heide lost both of her breasts to cancer at age 49, she was able to get silicone breast implants through a clinical trials. She thinks all women should have that option.
TERRY HEIDE, SILCONE BREAST IMPLANT ADVOCATE: They look so much more natural and feel so much natural that it gives a woman that extra boost of self esteem.
FEIG: But Carolyn Wolf says getting silicone breast implants was a mistake.
CAROLYN WOLF, SILICONE BREAST IMPLANT OPPONENT: I started getting little blister-like things on my neck, and then I started getting boil-like things on my forehead.
FEIG: In 1992, the FDA limited the use of these implants to clinical trials, over concerns they rupture or leak. Some experts believe that's a real risk.
DIANA ZUCKERMAN, NATL RESCH. CTR, WOMEN AND FAMILIES: All the data seems to indicate that rupture is inevitable, that every breast implant, if a woman lives long enough, every breast implant will break inside the body.
FEIG: But others believe they're safe.
DR. SCOTT SPEAR, AMERICAN SOC. OF PLASTIC SURGEONS: We have good data about how long the devices will last, at least through 10 or 15 years. And we also have information that you don't get sick, even if they do break.
HEIG: This week two companies, Inamed and Mentor, are seeking FDA approval to sell silicone implants to the general public. The agency rejected a similar request a year ago, not over safety issues, but because there weren't enough long-term studies. The companies will spend the next three days trying to convince the committee the data is there.
In Washington, I'm Christy Feig.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: To get your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is cnn.com/health.
Now we want to bring you up-to-date on the amber alert story we've been covering for most of the last couple of hours. These pictures coming to us from Phillipsburg, New Jersey. Our affiliate WABC. Police believe this is the silver Honda that they've been looking for. They believe the suspect and the baby they're looking for could be inside. And you're watching as police move in and get closer to the car. Now, to bring you up to date on what happened earlier today, they say -- police in New Jersey say the father of a 4-month-old girl shot another man and then fled in the vehicle with the infant and mother. That's when the amber alert was issued. They said the man who was shot was not expected to die. He has been taken to a local hospital.
The shooting took place just after 7:00 a.m. and the suspected shooter, they believe, is the father of the child. And so they put out the amber alert. The child they're looking for, Jada Saunders, 4- month-old African-American girl. They believe she was taken by her father, Almutah Saunders, along with her mother, Erika Turner.
And the amber alert was for this car, the 2001, gray-silver Honda Accord, New Jersey plate RJD-75Z. They believe it headed west towards the George Washington Bridge. The reason for all this caution, you see the police crouching behind the patrol cars, they believe the suspect does have a weapon. So, of course, they don't want anything to happen, especially if the mother and child are still inside of this car.
This amber alert has been out for about a couple of hours. And police have been keeping a lookout for it. Once again, they believe this is the car they've been looking for, the silver Honda, 2001. Gray-silver Honda Accord. We're going to keep monitoring the situation. Hopefully it will come to a peaceful end.
We'll take a break. We're back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: All right. We're going to go back to this breaking news situation we're watching out of New Jersey. This is Phillipsburg, New Jersey and it is a hostage situation, it would appear after an amber alert has been issued. We want you to know, by the way, that we're showing you these pictures on a five second delay, just in case this ends in a violent manner.
This story here, an amber alert issued about 7:00 a.m. earlier today. A man by the name of Almutah Saunders, suspected of shooting a grandfather and then taking his baby and the mother of the child and then fleeing. There's the baby they're looking for, 4-month-old Jada Saunders. The mother, Erika Turner. It's believed the girl and the mother could be in this silver Honda Accord, along with the suspect, Almutah Saunders.
This goes back to earlier today, as I was saying, the father of the 4-month-old-girl shooting the infant's grandfather and then fleeing in the vehicle with the baby and mother. One of the reasons so much caution being taken at the scene right now, the amber alert saying the suspect has threatened to commit murder and kill himself.
And we have been able to see through closer pictures. There is some movement inside that car. So there are people -- or at least one person in that car. It's unclear right now if the mother and child are in there, as well. The girl's grandfather, by the way, struck in the leg. He is expected to survive. This amber alert was issued shortly after 10:00 A.M. for the baby, Jada Saunders, described as a 4-month-old African-American girl. And I think we have that picture, we can put up once again. There she is. And then her mother, Erika Turner. Once again, the suspect, they believe, still holed up inside that car. Almutah Saunders, along with the girl's mother.
And the issue, the amber alert issued earlier today for that gray-silver Honda Accord. When it was put out -- it was put out about 50 miles away from where this car was found -- they'd been in this parking lot for at least about 10, 15 minutes, perhaps longer. We've been monitoring this situation. We'll continue to do that and keep on that.
Meanwhile let's check in with our Wolf Blitzer, who I'm sure will continue to follow this story at noon and see what else, Wolf, you have in store for us.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Daryn. We certainly will follow this story, update our viewers as we get more information. We'll have a busy hour ahead on "NEWS FROM CNN."
There's also a critical step to the so-called road map to peace in the Middle East happening today, a key meeting between President Bush and the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon. Can the U.S. and Israel agree on how to proceed? We're closely watching developments out of Crawford, Texas. That's coming up.
Also, Daryn, as you've been reporting this morning, there's more political pressure on the Republican House majority leader Tom DeLay and it's coming from some members, a few, at least, of his own party. It's a story that's getting lots of play here in Washington. We'll break it down for our viewers.
Daryn, we'll have those stories coming up, a lot more, at the top of the hour on "NEWS FROM CNN." In the meantime, back to you.
KAGAN: All right, Wolf, we look forward to all that. Meanwhile, we're going to stay with this story in New Jersey, give you the latest on the stand-off that came from this amber alert after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Want to go back to the story we're following out of Phillipsburg, New Jersey. I think we want to take down that live bug in the corner, because we put a five-second delay on these pictures just in case this ends in a -- thank you for that -- ends in a violent way. This is the Amber Alert we're following out of Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
Our Deb Feyerick is joining us from New York now with the latest on what we think is happening in this standoff.
Deb, are you with us?
All right, we'll work on establishing Deborah Feyerick. let me bring you up to date what I know, that this Amber Alert was issued around 10:00 a.m., about two hours ago. They believe the man, the father of a four-month-old girl, shot the girl's grandfather, and took the baby, 4-month-old baby Jada Saunders, and her mother, Erika Turner, and this silver Honda Accord and took off from Irvington, New Jersey and ended about 56 miles to the west, in this parking lot where the standoff goes on with police.
One of the reasons they're being so careful and so deliberate about trying to get this man to come out of the car, it's believed he might have a weapon.
WABC has also been following the story. Let's listen to what their helicopter pilot had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just off of Route 22. The suspect was headed west on 78. And we had received word that there was police officers that were set up on the bridge, on the Route 78 bridge, into Pennsylvania.
I'm not sure, and I don't really see how the suspect could have received word that it was shutdown, but he did in fact get off Route 78 at the last possible exit in New Jersey, veered onto Route 22, and then veered off into the local streets, wound up in this townhouse development, which we now learned apparently the victim's sister has a home in this development. So the suspect somewhat familiar with this. Still that suspect wound up in an area here that's nothing but dead- ends and cul-de-sacs. It's confined townhouse development with one way in and one way out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: So that's sounds from WABC's helicopter pilot, giving us a little bit more information. Apparently the suspect that they're looking for had heard that one of the highways had been closed off as part of this Amber Alert, got off on the last possible exit and turned into this development, where apparently the victim's sister has a home in this townhouse development.
Now I do believe we have our Deb Feyerick with us from New York to tell us more -- Deb.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, we're learning this sort of piece by piece. We do know that that car once it did pull into that area, where there were cul-de-sacs, began rolling. We're not sure whether in fact the driver had made contact with police or not. But at one point, it was parked teen a couple of homes, and it just began rolling to where it is you see parked now. What's interesting about that is that police had begun moving in on that car in an area where it was originally parked, and then it began moving to these other police.
You can see sort of a row right now of policemen coming now towards the car. It looks like they're carrying those shields in order to protect themselves. There is a report that perhaps the man does have some kind of gun, some kind of weapon. He's holding the woman and the 4-month-old baby according to New Jersey State Police. So this is what's happening as we're watching it live.
KAGAN: And of course, also, the great concern because this man has made, we understand, violent threats, threatening to commit murder and perhaps kill himself as well.
FEYERICK: Correct. And that's why it's so important. As you see the cars there, the police door are open. And usually what's done in that particular case is that the police will try to make some sort of voice contact. The window, it appears, on the suspect's car is also rolled down. This is a critical moment, obviously, because the police want to resolve this in a peaceful way. So usually what they do is they call in some sort of hostage negotiator, or some sort of high-level detective or somebody who's got experience in talking to people like this, and hopefully talking them down from whatever it is they're intent on doing.
KAGAN: And this started from a violent beginning, the baby's grandfather shot in a leg.
FEYERICK: That -- what we do know that apparently the grandfather was -- that the young man was there and he did have a gun, and we do believe that the grandfather was shot in the leg, but again, that's one of the things we're trying to double confirm with our sources out there on the ground.
KAGAN: All right. Deborah Feyerick, thank for that.
Once again, if you've been with us, we're following the story. This is the culmination of an Amber Alert that was issued for the first time about two hours ago. They're looking for this man, Almutah Saunders. They believe he is holed up in that silver Honda Accord with that baby, Jada Saunders. He apparently is the father of that baby, and the mother of the baby, Erika Turner. The shooting and the abduction took place about 7:00 a.m., and police have been on the lookout for this car ever since.
We're going to keep our eyes on that story.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: That's going to do it for me. I'm Daryn Kagan. We're going to continue to keep an eye on what's happening in New Jersey.
But right now, I hand it over to Wolf Blitzer, and I'll see you here tomorrow morning.
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