Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Manhunt Under Way For Courthouse Suspects; Bush Administration Concerned By Suspected Iranian Weapons; President Bush Set to Sign Highway Bill Today; Iran Removing Seals on Nuclear Facility

Aired August 10, 2005 - 10:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We're out of time. Let's get right to Daryn at the CNN Center.
Daryn, good morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, ladies. You guys have a great day in New York City.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: You too.

KAGAN: We'll go ahead and get started. We'll do that by taking a look at what's happening "Now in the News."

An escaped prisoner and his wife remain at large. This is one day after a shoot-out outside a courthouse in Kingston, Tennessee. George Hyatte had been in court on an armed robbery charge. Police say Jennifer Hyatte shot and killed a guard who was escorting her husband and they escaped together.

And this just in to CNN. A sad end for the search for a seven- year-old girl swept away by flood waters near Phoenix last night. Marissa Reyes (ph), her family and ranch worker tried to take cover when they saw the wall of water but the girl was ripped out of the ranch workers arms. Just in the last few minutes, searchers have found the little girl's body. We'll have a live report from one of our Arizona affiliates in just a few minutes.

One day after their safe return from space, the Discovery astronauts are getting ready for a reunion today. Family members are in Florida where the shuttle was scheduled to land before it was diverted to California. The astronauts and their loved ones will meet each other half way in Houston.

Hundreds of people in suburban Detroit are out of their homes this morning after an explosion and a fire at a chemical plant. The blast sent fire balls and billowing spoke into the air. All of the workers got out safely and right now no serious injuries are reported.

Good morning. I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta. Let's get started.

We do that in Tennessee this morning where a manhunt is under way for an escaped convict and his wife, a former prison nurse. Her medical knowledge may be much needed. Police believe at least one of them was wounded in a deadly shoot-out outside of the courthouse. Our David Mattingly is in Kingston with the latest.

David, good morning.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

It was almost exactly 24 hours ago right now that George Hyatte was being brought out of the county courthouse here to a waiting van which was parked right here on this curve. He was shackled, he was hand cuffed, he was escorted by two armed guards but that was not enough for the ambush that police say was carried out by his wife, Jennifer.

The question today remains, where are they? Police are operating under the assumption they could be anywhere. They're following up on leads everywhere from here all the way across the state to Memphis. Extra law enforcement personnel, according to the local police chief, were brought in here last night to step up patrols. A local convenience store clerk tells me that she was checked on almost every 15 minutes last night.

So police taking this threat very seriously. They're also watching very closely all of the hospitals in the area because it's believed that one of them may be needing medical attention after that shoot-out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK GWYN, TENN. BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: We do believe at some point, some either George or Jennifer Hyatte, will have to receive some medical attention. That's why we have all hospitals throughout the state on alert that if someone comes in fitting George or Jennifer Hyatte's description, to please call the local authorities or the TBI.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: I spoke to the county sheriff just a short time ago who's responsible for the security here at the courthouse. He tells me that the way this courthouse is set up, they have no secure entry or exit for these inmates, that they have to come out and be loaded and unloaded here in this public parking lot. He says there is probably no precaution they could have taken to have prevent this from happening.

And I'll show you, Daryn, how shortly how short the drive would have been for them to make their mistake. This is where the shoot-out happened. Look how close the public street is here, which is where they made their escape.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Yes, well Mr. Hyatte was when this all happened, wasn't he in heavy chains around his waist, around his ankles, around his handcuffs on?

MATTINGLY: This is all part of a standard operating procedure that the state has for their inmates who have shown that they are prone to escape. Remember, this man escaped twice before in the past. They have to have handcuffs, they have to have their ankles shackled, they have to be wearing a chain belt and they have to be escorted by two armed guards. But it is not part of that procedure for the guards to be wearing bulletproof vests. That is something that was not in place and, of course, one of the officers losing their lives in the shoot-out.

KAGAN: Something they'll probably need to look at.

David Mattingly, from Tennessee, thank you.

There is more fallout here in Atlanta this week regarding the deadly courthouse shooting that happened last March. Some deputies are crying foul over their firing. Several days ago the sheriff in charge of the courthouse security fired eight deputies, citing an investigation of the rampage. In the March 11th attack, rape defendant Brian Nichols, who you see here, allegedly overpowered a guard, took her gun and killed a judge and three others. At least two of the deputies who have been fired say their dismissals were unjustified.

Now "The Fight for Iraq." Four U.S. soldiers are dead, six wounded, after an insurgent attack on their patrol near Baiji north of Baghdad. A military spokesmen says the soldiers armored humvee was struck by an anti-tank mine and then insurgents opened fire as the vehicle burst into flames.

Earlier this morning in Baghdad, a mortar attack killed one traffic officer and wounded another. Six civilians were also hurt. Also in the capital, yet another suicide bombing. The car bomber targeted a police patrol killing three police officers and wounding a fourth.

The insurgency in Iraq may have a new pipeline of weapons extending from neighboring Iran. The recent discovery of those weapons raises deep concerns within the Bush administration and yet another potential minefield for diplomacy in the region. Our Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr is at her post with the latest on this.

Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

Well, U.S. military intelligence is trying to figure out what Iran may be up to. The reaction here, nobody's very happy about it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR, (voice over): In the latest worry about the Iraq insurgency, the Pentagon has confirmed Iran is now smuggling weapons into Iraq.

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It is true that weapons clearly, unambiguously from Iran, have been found in Iraq. STARR: Military officials tell CNN, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld is talking about a truck load of explosives seized recently at a border checkpoint. Explosive devices more sophisticated than the improvised explosive devices, IEDs, so many have come to fear on the streets of Iraq. U.S. intelligence officials believe the Iranian revolutionary guard, but not the central government in Tehran, may be behind it. Either way, Rumsfeld is furious.

RUMSFELD: If one sees it there on the ground, you identify it, it's from Iran, and you don't know who brought it in or who tolerated it being brought in, who facilitated it to be brought in, who sold it to someone to take in to bring in. What you do know of certain knowledge is the Iranians did not stop it from coming in.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Military officials tell us part of what they're trying to figure out right now, Daryn, is was this really just one smuggling operation, one truck load of explosives, or do the Iranians have some rat line of smuggling into Iraq set up and what might the motivation be behind any Iranian moves.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon.

Thank you.

President Bush is on the road this hour. Fitting, since his travels will lead him to the ceremonial signing of a huge highway bill and this bill makes up $286 billion funded nearly a dime of each dollar is assigned to so-called special projects. Other people might call that pork. Critics say that is what they call it. Our Dana Bash is at the White House with that.

Dana, good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

And don't be surprised if President Bush talks about fiscal responsibility actually when he signs this later today. Why is that? Because it took nearly two years to bring the cost down to the point where the president at least close to I should say the point where the president said he's withstanding his limits in order not to veto this legislation. He had a veto threat on it because of the costs. But critics point out that the bill is still way overstuffed, they say, with pet projects for the folks back home.

In fact, there are $24 billion in special projects in this bill. Let's take a look at some. First of all, in Alaska, the home state of the house transportation chairman, $230 million for a bridge connecting Gravina Island, which has the population of 50 people, with the Alaskan mainland. Also $35 million for road construction outside a Wal-Mart in Arkansas. $2.75 million for a National Packard Museum in Ohio. $5.9 million for a snowmobile trail in Vermont. Now whether it's unnecessary pork barrel spending, as some say, or not, for members of Congress, for their ability to go home and say that they were responsible for a bridge, a road, even a bike trail in their districts that they got for their constituents, is really a classic weapon for a member of Congress in a campaign against a challenger. Now, many also argue that this is actually a jobs bill that helps create jobs back home. Deficit hawks, though, are quite unhappy. They say especially Republicans even say, especially for a Republican controlled Congress, a Republican president to allow this kind of spending is unnecessary.

I have to read you quickly, Daryn, a quote from John McCain who railed against this. He said, this Congress can weather any storms thrown at it as long as we have our pork life saver to cling to.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Very funny. Dana, thank you for that.

BASH: Thank you.

KAGAN: I want to invite you to join us next hour for live coverage of President Bush signing the Highway Bill. That's schedule for 11:35 Eastern, 8:35 for those of you on the West Coast, right here on CNN.

The White House is also voicing concerns over new developments in Iran and its nuclear program. This morning, U.N.'s nuclear watchdog group says that Iran is removing the seals on a nuclear processing facility and preparing to fully resume its operations. But will the facility work on energy or are they focusing on weapons? Our Walter Rodgers live in Vienna, Austria, today. That is where the International Atomic Energy Agency is demanding answers.

Walter, hello.

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

Actually, the International Atomic Energy Agency is so divided at this point that they were unable to sit down and meet today. They are trying to draft a resolution, a statement, which we may see tomorrow.

What we've seen here is a hardening of positions on all sides. The Iranians are hardening their position, removing the seals from the various control rooms, and operating equipment at the Isfahan nuclear plant which is the one which is so sensitive these days in the nuclear conversion process facility.

Even more disturbing, however, is the hardening of positions and the great seism (ph) which exists inside the IAEA itself. The European big three, France, Germany and Britain, are now believed to want to go directly to the United Nations Security Council to threaten Iran with sanctions. They're backed by the United States. The United States also says that it's time for sanctions. So do the Canadians, the Australians and the New Zealanders, according to sources with whom I've been speaking shortly. The difficulty, of course, is that the nonaligned nations in the 35-member IAEA governing board are not so keen on confronting Iran at this point and, indeed, there is and continues to be a diplomatic effort to tone down the rhetoric. Here's Mark Gwozdecky of the IAEA.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK GWOZDECKY, IAEA SPOKESPERSON: This isn't particularly helpful at this point in time and that's why the board of governors is calling upon Iran to rethink this decision and maintain the suspension of these activities because they have no urgent requirement for operating this facility at this point in time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RODGERS: So what we're expecting is that the IAEA here in Vienna will come up with a watered down resolution tomorrow. It will, again, ask the Iranians to freeze their nuclear conversion process which is so troublesome to the west. But again, there will be no condemnation, not even a warning to the Iranians at this point. In fact, the IAEA is planning to give the Iranians one more chance.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Walter Rodgers live from Vienna, Austria.

Walter, thank you.

Back here in the U.S., there's massive flooding in the west. Still to come, new details are emerging this hour about a little girl who was swept away by the high water. A live report coming up.

Plus, you can do just about anything at a baseball game, including drink too much, perhaps? We'll see. Call umpires and other teams names. (INAUDIBLE) the players even spit but some things are just over the top, literally.

Later, they are a staple in African-American beauty salons and barber shops. "Ebony" and "Jet" magazines. Still to come, a look at the man, the tycoon, behind the publishing empire.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Want to show you live pictures we're getting. This is from our affiliate, KTTV. Palmdale, near Lancaster, California, about 70 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, a helicopter crash. Apparently it looks like they might have bee doing some agriculture and pesticide work. This one down in an onion field. The pilot who was on board, we believe, has been killed in this crash. The cause of the crash not quite determined. It happened about an hour ago. California Highway Patrol is on the scene, as is the local sheriff's department. A helicopter crashed in an onion field in Lancaster, California.

More news ahead. Right now, another break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Take a look at these pictures. You can consider this a road to no where. This is San Diego County in Southern California. Heavy thunderstorms unleashing several mudslides that swallowed the road and the cars that were traveling in it. No one was hurt. That's the good news. But a lot of folks did have to abandon their vehicles. Some stretches of four-and-a-half miles were buried under several feet of mud, rock and sand. They're going to need a big car wash when they get done with that.

Flood waters are causing some serious problems in Arizona. These are scenes yesterday in Phoenix. The flood waters have killed at least two people in the region, including a man who made the fatal mistake of getting out of his truck to look at a flowing river.

Jacqui, anyone who is actually, we'll get to that in a second. Near Cave Creek, Arizona, searchers have now found the body of a seven-year-old girl who was swept away by a wall of water. Reporter Jeanne Herwerth with our affiliate, KTHO, has been covering the search from Cave Creek.

Jeanne.

JEANNE HERWERTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Unfortunately, approximately a half hour ago, the body of seven- year-old Marissa Reyes was found about a mile and a half from her ranch home just downstream. And, of course, it was the outcome that no one wanted and no one had hoped for. But again, about a half an hour ago her body was found.

The search for Marissa started last night, approximately 5:30. She and her family were trying to evacuate a ranch home in this area when the flood waters started moving in. A ranch hand grabbed her hand and was taking her out when a second wall of water came crashing down. He lost his grip and Marissa slipped away in the stream water. And that is when the search began.

Now this water was so fast and very high. To give you an example, it took a Cadillac, a vehicle, a mile and a half downstream. So searchers did go into the night until about midnight looking for Marissa and, again, she was found at approximately 6:45 Arizona time this morning. We understand that her body is in a very rugged area. That they will most likely fly her out of that area. We also understand her family has been notified.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Sad ending for the search for that little girl. Jeanne Herwerth from Cave Creek, just north of Phoenix.

Thank you.

Flash floods the problem in the summertime, Jacqui, there in the desert. Anyone who's lived there in Phoenix, like I have, you know that's how it goes. There's no where for the water to go, so it piles up.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Still to come on CNN LIVE TODAY, looking for some creative ways to save for your child's education. Gerri Willis is here with that.

Hi, Ger.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Daryn. Good to see you.

Sending Johnny to college? Well, you don't have to break the bank to do it. Five Tips is next.

KAGAN: More to that.

Also, talk about making good on a loan. The story of how one man, the grandson of slaves, used his vision and $500 to become a pioneer in the publishing industry. The legacy of John Johnson coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: All across America, college kids heading back to campus. That could be bad news for mom and dad's bank account. In today's "Top Five Tips," CNN's Gerri Willis joins us from New York talking about some savings programs that parents can take advantage of to ease the financial burden.

Good morning.

WILLIS: Good morning, Daryn.

Tip number one, start early, obviously. The earlier you start, the better off you're going to be. Think about getting a Coverdale account. This allows you to set aside as much as 2,000 each and every year. The money grows tax deferred. You don't have to worry about that. Good news is, you can also tap it for private elementary or high school tuition. Bad news, the money is held in the child's name so it reduces your student aid eligibility once you do hit college.

KAGAN: What's a 529, Ger?

WILLIS: The 529s are plans offered by the states. Now they've been great vehicles. Again, your money grows tax deferred, which is great. And there's almost no limit, really, on how much money you can set aside for most of us.

But here's the downside. They can have very high fees. You have to be careful about that. And secondly, there have been some major mismanagement screw-ups, people looting something of these programs in a couple states. You want to check them out. Buy them you're best off buying them from a Fidelity, a Vanguard, not from your broker, your financial adviser. That way you'll have lower fees. Fees are very important here.

KAGAN: What about prepaid tuition?

WILLIS: Well, if you believe little Johnny is going to go to a state school, you can get involved in one of these prepaid tuition programs. Allows Johnny to go to any school in the state, generally speaking. But here's the downside, if he doesn't, you may lose some of that money that you're setting aside. The beauty of these, though, is that you buy your college tuition in today's dollars. So you don't have to worry about inflation and that can be a very big deal.

KAGAN: How do education savings bonds work?

WILLIS: Education savings bonds are issued by the government. They're practically risk free. And if you're in certain income categories, particularly low income categories, you can actually get a tax write-off. It's a great way for grandparents to get involved in helping parents save for their children's college education. And you can, you know, spend a little money, and particularly if you do it early, it goes a long way.

KAGAN: How can shopping or eating help with your child's tuition bill?

WILLIS: Isn't that a wonderful thought?

KAGAN: I like it.

WILLIS: Yes. Definitely. Well, you want to get involved with something called UPromise. Actually, not just you, but the whole family. That's how it really pays off. The more people involved, the better. Essentially, a portion of your spending dollars go to whatever you're earmarking it for. In this case, a 529 plan like we discussed before. So every time you're flipping down that Visa card, a little bit of money goes to Johnny and his college education.

KAGAN: Why not. Thank you. Sounds good.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Good to see you. Thank you.

Talking about traveling now. And when you travel by air, do you think about what's in the belly of the plane? Still to come, more than just your luggage could be getting shipped. Surprising details about cargo security straight ahead.

Plus, he definitely didn't stay glued to his seat at Yankees Stadium. Oh, no. But did he fall or was it a dare? More on that coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com