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CNN Live Today
Atlanta Man Threatens to Jump Off Crane; Officials Confirm Zarqawi is Wounded; Abbas to Meet Bush
Aired May 26, 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to call them live pictures; but we want you to know CNN has made a commitment with this story to put it on a slight delay. If anything happens with this man, who has positioned himself on a crane about 18 stories above the ground in the middle of a Buckhead region of Atlanta, we will break away from these pictures.
But let me tell you what we know about the story so far, about the man who just put on a jacket. Florida authorities say that this is a man, 41-year-old Carl Edward Roland; he's being sought in Pinellas County, Florida for killing his ex-girlfriend. The badly beaten body of 36-year-old woman, Jennifer Gonzalez, was found in a retention pond on Tuesday. Now, the Atlanta part of the story happened about 5:00 local time yesterday. This man climbed up on the crane that is a building under construction in the Buckhead region of Atlanta. And if you've been to Atlanta and come to a convention, and gone to the bar and restaurant region, this is right across the street from there. It's a building obviously under construction. Climbed up top and has been there ever since all through the night.
If you look closely in this picture, you'll also see there is a police negotiator up there. This is pretty much the scene as it's gone on since 5:00 yesterday afternoon. The man, from time to time, getting up, walking around, moving back and forth on the crane. And the police negotiator staying put, trying to talk him down.
The other part of the story here in Atlanta, is the traffic story. Because of this situation, starting at about 4:30, 5:00 yesterday police shut down Peachtree Road. Which again, if you know Atlanta, it's the main drag going through Buckhead causing severe traffic tie-ups, and snarls.
So we're going to keep our eyes on this picture. As I said it's been going on for about 14 hours now. As there are developments we'll be going back to the picture. Also checking in with our correspondent who is there on the scene. Back to that as it warrants. Right now, let's take a look at what else is happening now in the news.
And for that we begin in Iraq. Nasty string of violence- shattering Baghdad: a roadside bomb, a car bomb, and drive-by shooting and a stabbing death. That was all within 70 minutes this morning. At least eight people are dead including two Iraqi police officers and a college professor.
The man believed to be orchestrating Iraq's insurgency might himself be wounded. Iraq's interior minister now says that he too has heard credible reports that al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi has been hurt. We'll find out more about this development in a live report with our Ryan Chilcote coming up in just a minute.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas meets with President Bush this hour at the White House. Mr. Bush is expected to offer him tens of millions of dollars in aid. The two will hold a joint news conference in about an hour that's scheduled to begin at 11:25 a.m. Eastern. CNN will carry it live.
And U.N. ambassador nominee John Bolton remains in the hot seat this hour on Capitol Hill. Heated debate is expected to continue all day. A vote could come later today.
Good morning to you on this Thursday morning. I'm Daryn Kagan.
We begin this morning in Iraq. More violence to tell you about in Baghdad. Eight people are dead, 11 wounded in fighting there today. And Iraq has just announced a dramatic new operation to counter those attacks in Baghdad. We're also getting word that the most wanted man in Iraq might, indeed, be wounded.
Our Ryan Chilcote has more now from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Some very dramatic developments coming out of a press conference given by Iraq's interior and defense ministers today in the Iraqi capital. First Iraq's interior minister saying that five days ago, he got information that Abu Musab al Zarqawi, Iraq's most wanted terrorist, is indeed wounded. Very interesting, indeed, because we have seen numerous rumors to that effect, numerous reports. However, up until this announcement today, no senior U.S. or Iraqi officials have ever been able to confirm it. They've always said they simply don't know.
They also announced a new operation unprecedented in its size. They say Operation Thunder will begin in the Iraqi capital next week. Both the defense and interior ministers here in Iraq say it will involve some 40,000 members of Iraq's security forces. They say they will set up some more than 600 checkpoints, both static and some mobile checkpoints.
The goal of that operation to try to stop the violence that has -- we have seen in the Iraqi capital over the last month. Remember, at least 600 Iraqis have been killed here since April 28 when the new government has formed. The Iraqi defense and interior minister say this operation will begin in the Iraqi capital, but in two weeks it will be extended to other areas throughout Iraq.
Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And let's get more on the possible wounding of the most wanted man in Iraq. We started hearing these reports about two days ago here on this program. Our Jamie McIntyre is standing by with reaction from the Pentagon.
Jaime, good morning.
JAIME MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. You know there's an old saying in the intelligence business, "Tell me what you know, tell me what you think. And make sure you make clear which is which," and this is falling into the category what people think or believe.
The U.S. military was initially skeptical when these reports first surfaced on Web sites that Abu Musab al Zarqawi had been wounded recently. They said they had no intelligence to confirm that. But as the reports have continued to circulate, increasingly some number of military officials believe it might, underscoring, might be true, even as they have no hard evidence to confirm it.
They also say there's some information to indicate that these reports are coming from rivals, or Zarqawi wannabe replacements who are anxious to -- there's a little bit of a power struggle in the group there. And that's also reflected by some of the conflicting claims we've seen on Web sites in the last day or so, suggesting that various people are going to step in the place for Zarqawi. One of the sites also suggested that he'd actually left the country in the company of two doctors after receiving a gunshot wound to his lung and was having trouble breathing.
Again the U.S. military can't confirm that at all. And U.S. intelligence says it has no indication that Zarqawi has left Iraq. So that may also be disinformation. The bottom line is that the U.S. military is continuing to consider al Zarqawi the top of its most wanted list. He has a $25 million price on his head. They would like to capture him, or if not, see that, confirm that he is killed.
But they're under no illusions that that would stop the insurgency. Someone else is expected to fill in his role, but they're not sure that whoever replaces him would have the same street smarts, the same ability to organize that Zarqawi has. They believe he's very dangerous, so they're watching the situation carefully -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Jaime, thank you.
We have an update now on the reported U.S. desecration of the Muslim holy book, the Quran. "Newsweek" retracted those claims after they drew Pentagon denials and sparked Muslim protests abroad. But now a declassified FBI report showed that prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have this have made similar claims for years. The first eight -- excuse me, goes back to April 20 -- to April 2002, just three months after the first terror suspects arrived there.
And for the first time taking office more than four years ago, President Bush will welcome a top Palestinian leader to the White House. Later this hour Mr. Bush will meet with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority. Mr. Abbas says that he will ask for Washington's support in creating a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.
Here now is part of his exclusive interview he gave to our John King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD ABBAS PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (through translator): We hope that you will be able to get something that would reflect the credibility of what we say. And we will be in a position to say to the Palestinian people that the American president is committed and here is the proof of his commitment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Well, Mr. Abbas obviously had a lot more to say to our John King. Those comments came during their one on one interview. And we'll have more on those comments just a little bit later in this hour.
But first a closer look at the larger picture, the Middle East peace process that once largely dormant for several years.
For that we turn to CNN State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel.
Andrea, any hope of things actually getting restarted?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that there is a certain amount of hope, and that's largely because of Mahmoud Abbas. And both Israel and the United States feel that he's someone they can do business with. That is unlike their feelings for the man who last held the job. And that is Yasser Arafat, because both Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Bush felt that he was not a serious partner for peace.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL (voice over): When Mahmoud Abbas arrives at the White House, that picture will speak 1,000 words. After more than four years of refusing to meet with the now deceased Yasser Arafat, President Bush is eager to welcome the newly elected Palestinian leader.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: They will build a relationship, that is one that is based on the good faith that only democratic leaders can bring.
KOPPEL: After Arafat's death in November and democratic Palestinian elections in January, the U.S. quickly renewed its push for peace. Secretary of State Rice traveled to the region in February to meet with both leaders. The U.S. has also appointed a U.S. general to help restructure Palestinian security services, and tapped a former World Bank chief as special envoy to Gaza.
Israel's prime minister, too, has reached out to Abbas. In February, the two leaders announced a cease-fire. But months later it's on shaky ground. Israel has only released about 500 of a promised 900 Palestinian prisoners, one of its few concessions. Again this week, Sharon countered that Palestinian terrorism has not ended.
ARIEL SHARON, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL: The smuggling of weapons and arms production continues. And there is no real prevention of terrorist actions.
KOPPEL: Militant groups like Hamas, which won big in recent municipal elections, still refuse to answer to Abbas.
The next milestone on the horizon, Israel's expected withdrawal from Gaza, slated to begin in August. Palestinians say disengagement must be followed by the next stage in the U.S.-backed Roadmap to Peace.
NASSER AL KIDWA, PALESTINIAN REP., U.N.: Gaza is only is not going to work. It's as simple as that. We will be counting days until the next confrontation, the next Intifada.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL: Now, Abbas is also expected to ask President Bush during his meeting at the White House to funnel $200 million in promised U.S. aid directly to the Palestinian Authority. Right now, Congress is insisting that that money go to nongovernmental organizations, and to places like USAID. But he wants the money directly, Daryn, so that in the hopes that he'll be able to improve life on the ground for Palestinians ahead of elections, parliamentary elections that are scheduled in July.
Now, CNN has learned that President Bush is expected to announce tens of millions of dollars in direct aid, but not the $200 million that Abbas wants -- Daryn.
Andrea Koppel live at the State Department, thank you.
And of course, we will have live coverage of next hour's joint news conference from the White House. It's now scheduled for 11:25 a.m. Eastern, 8:25 Pacific right here on CNN. Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, a man wanted for murder, perched high above the streets of Atlanta. Our Sara Dorsey is there -- Sara.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police negotiators have been trying to talk for 17 hours to talk a suspected murderer off of a crane. Still no luck. I'm Sara Dorsey, live in Atlanta. We'll have an update coming up.
KAGAN: Plus, more follow-ups. The Georgia runaway bride offers to pay up for the trouble that she's caused. Details straight ahead.
And later, we'll tell you how dialing 911 for help landed this 86-year-old woman behind bars.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: So your plans are in the northeast for Memorial Day, bummer.
Rob, blustery and pounding, this nor'easter sure doesn't bode well for Memorial Day weekend in Massachusetts. About 6,000 homes and businesses are without power this morning. Some coastal roads are closed. Weather forecasters say rain is likely to linger all the way through Monday. Not exactly conducive to the Memorial Day barbecue and celebrations.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right, but it's not going to be that bad. What you saw there, Daryn, is not going to be what it's going to be like this weekend. So improving weather.
KAGAN: Very good! That's why you are like our ray of sunshine, Rob.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: Always the optimist. Here we go, Daryn.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: We want to get back to a story that's unfolding here in Atlanta. A strange one. A man has scaled an 18-story crane and snarled nearby traffic, turns out he's a fugitive wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in Florida.
Our Sara Dorsey is on the scene here in Atlanta with details.
Hi, Sara.
DORSEY: Hi, Daryn. It's been 17 hours since the man went up on that 18-story crane. We're going to pan up to give you perspective on how high this really is. He's way up there. And you see his legs dangling over the side. Every once in a while we'll see him get up and walk around. Police say that's because his legs are getting tired, he's been up there for so long.
But a highly-placed Atlanta police source tells us that identification found in the wallet of the man, he apparently threw his wallet down at some point from the crane, is that of Edward Roland. The 41-year-old is wanted by Pinellas County, Florida officers for the murder of his former girlfriend. The badly beaten body of Jennifer Gonzalez was found in a retention pond Tuesday there.
We're told by Atlanta fire officials out here on the scene that food and water is being taken up to Mr. Roland. He has that. Also every once in a while, Daryn, we're hearing a siren-type noise and we're asking around, what is that? They're telling us that every once in a while he starts to doze off and they don't want that to happen. So they're making this noise from what we think is a bullhorn up there to try to keep him awake. One of the officers are fearing if he falls asleep he could possibly fall off of this scaffolding.
As of now, officials are saying it's going to be ineffective if they were to put some sort of bag under the crane to try to catch this man if he were to fall or jump. They say because of the height that just won't work. So what they're going to do, the plan right now is just to continue watching him, talking to him.
Police negotiators are also up on top of that crane and they're going to wait it out. They said hopefully he's not going to jump and he will eventually listen to what they have to say and come back towards him.
I can tell you that every once in a while we're seeing him get up. At one point he walked very near to the middle point of that crane and sat down for a second. Then shortly after that, he walked back up very close to negotiators. He's moved out away from negotiators a little since that point, but it doesn't look like he's coming down at this point. We an opportunity to get close enough to at least hear the negotiators. He moved away from them quickly after doing so, though -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Sara, I was in the Buckhead area yesterday when this situation started. There was not a worst time; a worse place that you cuff could have cut off this road. The other part of this story, besides that he is a wanted murder suspect, is the traffic part and the inconvenience to all of the Atlantans that live in the area. Just how bad is this traffic at this point?
DORSEY: It's a mess down there. Anyone that knows Atlanta traffic, knows it's a mess most of the time. But to have this main thoroughfare, Peachtree Street, which anybody that knows Atlanta heard of the street. It runs straight through the city, straight through Buckhead and on out. A section of that is closed. It's causing all sorts of traffic issues. I came from my home in midtown, which should have taken ten minutes. And it took far longer than that because people are going down other roads nearby trying to get around all of this now.
KAGAN: Sara Dorsey live in Atlanta, we'll checking back with you.
Also want to make a note, if we can put that picture back up for our viewers at home. It does say live, of course, because we're staying on top of the story. We do though have the commitment here at CNN to keep this on a slight delay if at any point something happens that we don't think is appropriate to show you on television, we will quickly cut away from that picture.
Also here in Georgia, an update for you on the story of Georgia's runaway bride. Jennifer Wilbanks has reportedly agreed to reimburse her hometown for some of the money spent searching for her. In an interview earlier today on CNN, the mayor of Duluth said the city will accept Wilbank's offer of $13,000, even though it falls some $30,000 short of the money actually spent. Yesterday, prosecutors announce criminal charges against Wilbanks for the hoax.
So you want to take a getaway, the proper kind of getaway trip this holiday weekend. But your funds are a little bit low? You can still get away. Still to come, the most economical way to travel with your entire family.
Plus, Gerri Willis is here with us live talking about staying home.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: That's right -- Daryn. Good to see you. Home prices, they're through the roof. Is your investment at risk? We'll tell you more when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: All cross the country, home sales are surging. For some, though, tensions are rising with those numbers. How do you know if your local market has hit a peak? Here's CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis with her "Top 5 Tips."
Hey, Ger.
WILLIS: Hey, Daryn. Good to see you. Before you take that money and run, you need to check your numbers and understand a little bit about your local market. If you've seen prices rise in double- digit rise from three years to five years it could be a signal that the market is topping out -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And moving on. There's another number to worry about. And that is days on the market.
WILLIS: That's right. Tick tock, tick tock. You know the real estate market is all about timing. And the way the pros look at t the longer a house is on the market, the worse the real estate is. So look at the average, what is the average number of days is takes a house to sell. Compare that to the historical average and you actually get that from a real estate agent. It's pretty easy. If the time it takes to sell a house now is double the usual time you could have a problem on your hands.
KAGAN: Why do I care about the number of new jobs coming into my area?
WILLIS: Well, Daryn, the way the economists look at it, it's all about job creation and the health of the real estate market. The more jobs that are being created, the more likely people will be having families, buying homes and expanding. So you want to make sure that the job situation is good in your neighborhood and in your town.
KAGAN: And then the relationship between especially the amounts of money those people are making around town.
WILLIS: Yes. It's all about income, how much money are people earning and can they afford the prices that homes are at? That's the big question that's going on in the marketplace right now. I've got to tell you, because incomes have been rising but housing prices have been rising faster. So you'll definitely want to pay attention to that.
KAGAN: So what if you -- you look at all these factors and you're like, ooh shoot, things do not look good for me and I'm a homeowner. WILLIS: Well, don't panic. Look, at the end of the day, the kinds of declines that we've seen in markets in, like the '80s, early '90s, they typically aren't as deep as the rise that precedes them. So if you're holding onto your house for a long time, you should be in OK shape. And remember, it's only when you have to cash in your house you could have a problem. Most people just wait right through one of the downturns, or even when the market is just stagnant.
We're going to be talking more about this 9:30 a.m. Saturday Eastern on "OPEN HOUSE." We'll examine it in-depth. Plus, Daryn, you're going to love this.
KAGAN: What's that?
WILLIS: We're taking a look at what $1 million buys you in this red-hot market. Let me tell you, a little preview here. Manhattan, it's less than you think. We found a one-bedroom apartment with 800 square feet. So you're going to want to see that. Join us 9:30 a.m. Eastern on CNN's "OPEN HOUSE."
KAGAN: Unless you're living in New York City, and then you'll watch that and you'll start crying.
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIS: That's right.
KAGAN: A million dollars for. OK, thank you, Gerri.
WILLIS: You're welcome.
KAGAN: To drive or not to drive? That's the question many travelers will be asking themselves this holiday weekend. Ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY, we're going to help you do the math. We're going to take a look at the most economical ways to travel this holiday weekend.
And for the first time in more than four years the White House welcomes the Palestinian leader. We'll take you there live after a quick break.
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Aired May 26, 2005 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to call them live pictures; but we want you to know CNN has made a commitment with this story to put it on a slight delay. If anything happens with this man, who has positioned himself on a crane about 18 stories above the ground in the middle of a Buckhead region of Atlanta, we will break away from these pictures.
But let me tell you what we know about the story so far, about the man who just put on a jacket. Florida authorities say that this is a man, 41-year-old Carl Edward Roland; he's being sought in Pinellas County, Florida for killing his ex-girlfriend. The badly beaten body of 36-year-old woman, Jennifer Gonzalez, was found in a retention pond on Tuesday. Now, the Atlanta part of the story happened about 5:00 local time yesterday. This man climbed up on the crane that is a building under construction in the Buckhead region of Atlanta. And if you've been to Atlanta and come to a convention, and gone to the bar and restaurant region, this is right across the street from there. It's a building obviously under construction. Climbed up top and has been there ever since all through the night.
If you look closely in this picture, you'll also see there is a police negotiator up there. This is pretty much the scene as it's gone on since 5:00 yesterday afternoon. The man, from time to time, getting up, walking around, moving back and forth on the crane. And the police negotiator staying put, trying to talk him down.
The other part of the story here in Atlanta, is the traffic story. Because of this situation, starting at about 4:30, 5:00 yesterday police shut down Peachtree Road. Which again, if you know Atlanta, it's the main drag going through Buckhead causing severe traffic tie-ups, and snarls.
So we're going to keep our eyes on this picture. As I said it's been going on for about 14 hours now. As there are developments we'll be going back to the picture. Also checking in with our correspondent who is there on the scene. Back to that as it warrants. Right now, let's take a look at what else is happening now in the news.
And for that we begin in Iraq. Nasty string of violence- shattering Baghdad: a roadside bomb, a car bomb, and drive-by shooting and a stabbing death. That was all within 70 minutes this morning. At least eight people are dead including two Iraqi police officers and a college professor.
The man believed to be orchestrating Iraq's insurgency might himself be wounded. Iraq's interior minister now says that he too has heard credible reports that al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi has been hurt. We'll find out more about this development in a live report with our Ryan Chilcote coming up in just a minute.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas meets with President Bush this hour at the White House. Mr. Bush is expected to offer him tens of millions of dollars in aid. The two will hold a joint news conference in about an hour that's scheduled to begin at 11:25 a.m. Eastern. CNN will carry it live.
And U.N. ambassador nominee John Bolton remains in the hot seat this hour on Capitol Hill. Heated debate is expected to continue all day. A vote could come later today.
Good morning to you on this Thursday morning. I'm Daryn Kagan.
We begin this morning in Iraq. More violence to tell you about in Baghdad. Eight people are dead, 11 wounded in fighting there today. And Iraq has just announced a dramatic new operation to counter those attacks in Baghdad. We're also getting word that the most wanted man in Iraq might, indeed, be wounded.
Our Ryan Chilcote has more now from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Some very dramatic developments coming out of a press conference given by Iraq's interior and defense ministers today in the Iraqi capital. First Iraq's interior minister saying that five days ago, he got information that Abu Musab al Zarqawi, Iraq's most wanted terrorist, is indeed wounded. Very interesting, indeed, because we have seen numerous rumors to that effect, numerous reports. However, up until this announcement today, no senior U.S. or Iraqi officials have ever been able to confirm it. They've always said they simply don't know.
They also announced a new operation unprecedented in its size. They say Operation Thunder will begin in the Iraqi capital next week. Both the defense and interior ministers here in Iraq say it will involve some 40,000 members of Iraq's security forces. They say they will set up some more than 600 checkpoints, both static and some mobile checkpoints.
The goal of that operation to try to stop the violence that has -- we have seen in the Iraqi capital over the last month. Remember, at least 600 Iraqis have been killed here since April 28 when the new government has formed. The Iraqi defense and interior minister say this operation will begin in the Iraqi capital, but in two weeks it will be extended to other areas throughout Iraq.
Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And let's get more on the possible wounding of the most wanted man in Iraq. We started hearing these reports about two days ago here on this program. Our Jamie McIntyre is standing by with reaction from the Pentagon.
Jaime, good morning.
JAIME MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. You know there's an old saying in the intelligence business, "Tell me what you know, tell me what you think. And make sure you make clear which is which," and this is falling into the category what people think or believe.
The U.S. military was initially skeptical when these reports first surfaced on Web sites that Abu Musab al Zarqawi had been wounded recently. They said they had no intelligence to confirm that. But as the reports have continued to circulate, increasingly some number of military officials believe it might, underscoring, might be true, even as they have no hard evidence to confirm it.
They also say there's some information to indicate that these reports are coming from rivals, or Zarqawi wannabe replacements who are anxious to -- there's a little bit of a power struggle in the group there. And that's also reflected by some of the conflicting claims we've seen on Web sites in the last day or so, suggesting that various people are going to step in the place for Zarqawi. One of the sites also suggested that he'd actually left the country in the company of two doctors after receiving a gunshot wound to his lung and was having trouble breathing.
Again the U.S. military can't confirm that at all. And U.S. intelligence says it has no indication that Zarqawi has left Iraq. So that may also be disinformation. The bottom line is that the U.S. military is continuing to consider al Zarqawi the top of its most wanted list. He has a $25 million price on his head. They would like to capture him, or if not, see that, confirm that he is killed.
But they're under no illusions that that would stop the insurgency. Someone else is expected to fill in his role, but they're not sure that whoever replaces him would have the same street smarts, the same ability to organize that Zarqawi has. They believe he's very dangerous, so they're watching the situation carefully -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Jaime, thank you.
We have an update now on the reported U.S. desecration of the Muslim holy book, the Quran. "Newsweek" retracted those claims after they drew Pentagon denials and sparked Muslim protests abroad. But now a declassified FBI report showed that prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have this have made similar claims for years. The first eight -- excuse me, goes back to April 20 -- to April 2002, just three months after the first terror suspects arrived there.
And for the first time taking office more than four years ago, President Bush will welcome a top Palestinian leader to the White House. Later this hour Mr. Bush will meet with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority. Mr. Abbas says that he will ask for Washington's support in creating a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.
Here now is part of his exclusive interview he gave to our John King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD ABBAS PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (through translator): We hope that you will be able to get something that would reflect the credibility of what we say. And we will be in a position to say to the Palestinian people that the American president is committed and here is the proof of his commitment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Well, Mr. Abbas obviously had a lot more to say to our John King. Those comments came during their one on one interview. And we'll have more on those comments just a little bit later in this hour.
But first a closer look at the larger picture, the Middle East peace process that once largely dormant for several years.
For that we turn to CNN State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel.
Andrea, any hope of things actually getting restarted?
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think that there is a certain amount of hope, and that's largely because of Mahmoud Abbas. And both Israel and the United States feel that he's someone they can do business with. That is unlike their feelings for the man who last held the job. And that is Yasser Arafat, because both Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Bush felt that he was not a serious partner for peace.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL (voice over): When Mahmoud Abbas arrives at the White House, that picture will speak 1,000 words. After more than four years of refusing to meet with the now deceased Yasser Arafat, President Bush is eager to welcome the newly elected Palestinian leader.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: They will build a relationship, that is one that is based on the good faith that only democratic leaders can bring.
KOPPEL: After Arafat's death in November and democratic Palestinian elections in January, the U.S. quickly renewed its push for peace. Secretary of State Rice traveled to the region in February to meet with both leaders. The U.S. has also appointed a U.S. general to help restructure Palestinian security services, and tapped a former World Bank chief as special envoy to Gaza.
Israel's prime minister, too, has reached out to Abbas. In February, the two leaders announced a cease-fire. But months later it's on shaky ground. Israel has only released about 500 of a promised 900 Palestinian prisoners, one of its few concessions. Again this week, Sharon countered that Palestinian terrorism has not ended.
ARIEL SHARON, PRIME MINISTER, ISRAEL: The smuggling of weapons and arms production continues. And there is no real prevention of terrorist actions.
KOPPEL: Militant groups like Hamas, which won big in recent municipal elections, still refuse to answer to Abbas.
The next milestone on the horizon, Israel's expected withdrawal from Gaza, slated to begin in August. Palestinians say disengagement must be followed by the next stage in the U.S.-backed Roadmap to Peace.
NASSER AL KIDWA, PALESTINIAN REP., U.N.: Gaza is only is not going to work. It's as simple as that. We will be counting days until the next confrontation, the next Intifada.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KOPPEL: Now, Abbas is also expected to ask President Bush during his meeting at the White House to funnel $200 million in promised U.S. aid directly to the Palestinian Authority. Right now, Congress is insisting that that money go to nongovernmental organizations, and to places like USAID. But he wants the money directly, Daryn, so that in the hopes that he'll be able to improve life on the ground for Palestinians ahead of elections, parliamentary elections that are scheduled in July.
Now, CNN has learned that President Bush is expected to announce tens of millions of dollars in direct aid, but not the $200 million that Abbas wants -- Daryn.
Andrea Koppel live at the State Department, thank you.
And of course, we will have live coverage of next hour's joint news conference from the White House. It's now scheduled for 11:25 a.m. Eastern, 8:25 Pacific right here on CNN. Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, a man wanted for murder, perched high above the streets of Atlanta. Our Sara Dorsey is there -- Sara.
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police negotiators have been trying to talk for 17 hours to talk a suspected murderer off of a crane. Still no luck. I'm Sara Dorsey, live in Atlanta. We'll have an update coming up.
KAGAN: Plus, more follow-ups. The Georgia runaway bride offers to pay up for the trouble that she's caused. Details straight ahead.
And later, we'll tell you how dialing 911 for help landed this 86-year-old woman behind bars.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: So your plans are in the northeast for Memorial Day, bummer.
Rob, blustery and pounding, this nor'easter sure doesn't bode well for Memorial Day weekend in Massachusetts. About 6,000 homes and businesses are without power this morning. Some coastal roads are closed. Weather forecasters say rain is likely to linger all the way through Monday. Not exactly conducive to the Memorial Day barbecue and celebrations.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right, but it's not going to be that bad. What you saw there, Daryn, is not going to be what it's going to be like this weekend. So improving weather.
KAGAN: Very good! That's why you are like our ray of sunshine, Rob.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: Always the optimist. Here we go, Daryn.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: We want to get back to a story that's unfolding here in Atlanta. A strange one. A man has scaled an 18-story crane and snarled nearby traffic, turns out he's a fugitive wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in Florida.
Our Sara Dorsey is on the scene here in Atlanta with details.
Hi, Sara.
DORSEY: Hi, Daryn. It's been 17 hours since the man went up on that 18-story crane. We're going to pan up to give you perspective on how high this really is. He's way up there. And you see his legs dangling over the side. Every once in a while we'll see him get up and walk around. Police say that's because his legs are getting tired, he's been up there for so long.
But a highly-placed Atlanta police source tells us that identification found in the wallet of the man, he apparently threw his wallet down at some point from the crane, is that of Edward Roland. The 41-year-old is wanted by Pinellas County, Florida officers for the murder of his former girlfriend. The badly beaten body of Jennifer Gonzalez was found in a retention pond Tuesday there.
We're told by Atlanta fire officials out here on the scene that food and water is being taken up to Mr. Roland. He has that. Also every once in a while, Daryn, we're hearing a siren-type noise and we're asking around, what is that? They're telling us that every once in a while he starts to doze off and they don't want that to happen. So they're making this noise from what we think is a bullhorn up there to try to keep him awake. One of the officers are fearing if he falls asleep he could possibly fall off of this scaffolding.
As of now, officials are saying it's going to be ineffective if they were to put some sort of bag under the crane to try to catch this man if he were to fall or jump. They say because of the height that just won't work. So what they're going to do, the plan right now is just to continue watching him, talking to him.
Police negotiators are also up on top of that crane and they're going to wait it out. They said hopefully he's not going to jump and he will eventually listen to what they have to say and come back towards him.
I can tell you that every once in a while we're seeing him get up. At one point he walked very near to the middle point of that crane and sat down for a second. Then shortly after that, he walked back up very close to negotiators. He's moved out away from negotiators a little since that point, but it doesn't look like he's coming down at this point. We an opportunity to get close enough to at least hear the negotiators. He moved away from them quickly after doing so, though -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Sara, I was in the Buckhead area yesterday when this situation started. There was not a worst time; a worse place that you cuff could have cut off this road. The other part of this story, besides that he is a wanted murder suspect, is the traffic part and the inconvenience to all of the Atlantans that live in the area. Just how bad is this traffic at this point?
DORSEY: It's a mess down there. Anyone that knows Atlanta traffic, knows it's a mess most of the time. But to have this main thoroughfare, Peachtree Street, which anybody that knows Atlanta heard of the street. It runs straight through the city, straight through Buckhead and on out. A section of that is closed. It's causing all sorts of traffic issues. I came from my home in midtown, which should have taken ten minutes. And it took far longer than that because people are going down other roads nearby trying to get around all of this now.
KAGAN: Sara Dorsey live in Atlanta, we'll checking back with you.
Also want to make a note, if we can put that picture back up for our viewers at home. It does say live, of course, because we're staying on top of the story. We do though have the commitment here at CNN to keep this on a slight delay if at any point something happens that we don't think is appropriate to show you on television, we will quickly cut away from that picture.
Also here in Georgia, an update for you on the story of Georgia's runaway bride. Jennifer Wilbanks has reportedly agreed to reimburse her hometown for some of the money spent searching for her. In an interview earlier today on CNN, the mayor of Duluth said the city will accept Wilbank's offer of $13,000, even though it falls some $30,000 short of the money actually spent. Yesterday, prosecutors announce criminal charges against Wilbanks for the hoax.
So you want to take a getaway, the proper kind of getaway trip this holiday weekend. But your funds are a little bit low? You can still get away. Still to come, the most economical way to travel with your entire family.
Plus, Gerri Willis is here with us live talking about staying home.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN-FN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: That's right -- Daryn. Good to see you. Home prices, they're through the roof. Is your investment at risk? We'll tell you more when CNN LIVE TODAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: All cross the country, home sales are surging. For some, though, tensions are rising with those numbers. How do you know if your local market has hit a peak? Here's CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis with her "Top 5 Tips."
Hey, Ger.
WILLIS: Hey, Daryn. Good to see you. Before you take that money and run, you need to check your numbers and understand a little bit about your local market. If you've seen prices rise in double- digit rise from three years to five years it could be a signal that the market is topping out -- Daryn.
KAGAN: And moving on. There's another number to worry about. And that is days on the market.
WILLIS: That's right. Tick tock, tick tock. You know the real estate market is all about timing. And the way the pros look at t the longer a house is on the market, the worse the real estate is. So look at the average, what is the average number of days is takes a house to sell. Compare that to the historical average and you actually get that from a real estate agent. It's pretty easy. If the time it takes to sell a house now is double the usual time you could have a problem on your hands.
KAGAN: Why do I care about the number of new jobs coming into my area?
WILLIS: Well, Daryn, the way the economists look at it, it's all about job creation and the health of the real estate market. The more jobs that are being created, the more likely people will be having families, buying homes and expanding. So you want to make sure that the job situation is good in your neighborhood and in your town.
KAGAN: And then the relationship between especially the amounts of money those people are making around town.
WILLIS: Yes. It's all about income, how much money are people earning and can they afford the prices that homes are at? That's the big question that's going on in the marketplace right now. I've got to tell you, because incomes have been rising but housing prices have been rising faster. So you'll definitely want to pay attention to that.
KAGAN: So what if you -- you look at all these factors and you're like, ooh shoot, things do not look good for me and I'm a homeowner. WILLIS: Well, don't panic. Look, at the end of the day, the kinds of declines that we've seen in markets in, like the '80s, early '90s, they typically aren't as deep as the rise that precedes them. So if you're holding onto your house for a long time, you should be in OK shape. And remember, it's only when you have to cash in your house you could have a problem. Most people just wait right through one of the downturns, or even when the market is just stagnant.
We're going to be talking more about this 9:30 a.m. Saturday Eastern on "OPEN HOUSE." We'll examine it in-depth. Plus, Daryn, you're going to love this.
KAGAN: What's that?
WILLIS: We're taking a look at what $1 million buys you in this red-hot market. Let me tell you, a little preview here. Manhattan, it's less than you think. We found a one-bedroom apartment with 800 square feet. So you're going to want to see that. Join us 9:30 a.m. Eastern on CNN's "OPEN HOUSE."
KAGAN: Unless you're living in New York City, and then you'll watch that and you'll start crying.
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIS: That's right.
KAGAN: A million dollars for. OK, thank you, Gerri.
WILLIS: You're welcome.
KAGAN: To drive or not to drive? That's the question many travelers will be asking themselves this holiday weekend. Ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY, we're going to help you do the math. We're going to take a look at the most economical ways to travel this holiday weekend.
And for the first time in more than four years the White House welcomes the Palestinian leader. We'll take you there live after a quick break.
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