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Tensions Flare at Gaza Synagogue; Pope Benedict XVI Celebrates World Youth Day in Germany

Aired August 18, 2005 - 10:30   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are right at the half hour. I'm Daryn Kagan. Here's a look at what's happening "Now in the News."
Tempers flare as Israeli forces physically remove Jewish settlers and protesters from a synagogue in Neveh Dekalim. It is the largest of seven settlements in Gaza slated for evacuation in the coming days.

Wichita, Kansas, is again reliving the horror of Dennis Rader's ruthless killing spree. Day two beginning in his sentencing hearing. Some of the victims' relatives are expected to respond today to the grisly details of his crimes that emerged in yesterday's hearing. Rader was known for decades only as BTK, the abbreviation for Bind, Torture, Kill. He might also address the court.

Scratch any plans for watching another shuttle launch this year. NASA plans to announce today it will push back its next shuttle flight until early next year. The space agency grounded its fleet after a potentially deadly chunk of foam fell from Discovery during its takeoff on its return to space mission last month.

And we are about 30 minutes away from the release of 38,000 documents related to John Roberts' tenure at the Reagan White House. The papers cover Roberts' service as the White House counsel from 1982 to 1986. The Senate Judiciary Committee requested the documents. It is preparing for Roberts' Supreme Court confirmation hearing. Those begin on September 6th.

KAGAN: Once again, we are following an emotional and developing story out of Gaza and the removal of settlers and protesters from two synagogues. Our Paula Hancocks, watching the story unfold with us. She is in Jerusalem today -- Paula?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

We're seeing some very dramatic pictures from two synagogues. Kfar Darom is in Gaza, and it's been stormed by police and by military. Riot police have gone into the synagogue itself where hundreds of protesters were standing on the roof. They had erected some barbed wire around the rooftop so that the police could not put ladders up and try and remove them that way. But police managed to break through the front door, removing barricades. As they went, chairs were being thrown out of the front door, as they rushed in and tried to get the settlers -- sorry, the protesters -- down from the roof.

Now, they have hoisted a crate full of riot police, which you can see from pictures is being brought down to the ground again. Now, this was being hoisted up by a crane. There were police inside. They wanted to land the crate on the roof so the police could come out and put some of the protesters inside to get them off the roof itself. But as soon as they hoisted this crate up, the protesters started pushing it and, obviously, that was a danger to the police inside. So they've been trying to stabilize it in order to bring those protesters down.

The protesters have been throwing eggs, they've been throwing milk bottles, they've been throwing paintballs, not only at the police in that particular crate, but at the police and soldiers on the ground below, as well. Though one by one, they are bringing these protesters out of the front door. They are carrying them -- four police -- and usually four military, carrying one arm, one leg each, bringing them out of this synagogue, taking them on to buses where they will be driven out of Gaza.

This has been ongoing for a couple of hours now. Very crucial time for the soldiers and for the police. The next couple of hours will be very crucial. These are considered the two biggest hardline spots, where they are really expecting the main trouble. If they can peacefully, as peacefully as possible under the circumstances, resolve these particular cases, then they have built up such a momentum, many others should just leave of their own accord.

I should mention, these aren't settlers, for the most part. These people, these protesters, don't actually live in Gaza. They're either settlers from other parts of the West Bank, those settlements that aren't slated for evacuation this time around, but could be in any future evacuations. They're ultra-nationalists, ultra-religious. These are really the hardline protesters that we had been warned about in the days and the weeks and the months before this evacuation started taking place -- Daryn?

KAGAN: Paula Hancocks, live from Jerusalem. Thank you.

There is other news taking place in the world today. In fact, Pope Benedict XVI is in Germany today. He is marking World Youth Day. It's the pontiff's first foreign trip and his first visit to his native Germany since he was elected pope in April. He says he is very moved to return home.

Our Rome bureau chief Alessio Vinci is traveling with the pope and he joins us today from Cologne, Germany. Hello.

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: Hello to you, Daryn. We arrived with the pope, we traveled with the pope, from Rome here to Cologne. We arrived about four-and-a-half hours ago. I can tell you that this -- while the crowd of pilgrims here in Cologne may be just the same as any pilgrims who have waited for so many years, Pope John Paul II.

But while the main actor has changed, certainly their mood here has not changed. Hundreds of thousands of people welcomed the pope. A few hundred at the airport, but throughout the city, people have been here camping out for days, awaiting their opportunity to see Benedict the XVI. He left Germany 20 years ago as a bishop. He arrives back in Germany as a pope.

Of course, this is a very different country that he left 20 years ago. The number of Catholics and churchgoers in this country dwindling, very much as it is the case in the rest of Europe. And John Paul and Benedict XVI know very much that this trip is an opportunity, hoping that this meeting with the youth will reenergize the value of the Catholic Church.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE BENEDICT XVI (through translator): The meeting of so many young people with the successor of Peter is a sign of continuity in the church, and I am happy myself to be among young people with belief and in the will of God and to be able to experience this. All those who are here present and taking place in this event, people who have come together from all parts of the world, I give my warmest greetings.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VINCI: That said, it will be a big test for Benedict XVI. First and foremost, of course, because the inevitable comparison with his predecessor, John Paul II, will be made. We've managed to speak to several pilgrims here, some from the United States, who had organized a trip before, of course, John Paul II died. They were a little bit disappointed, but they're also very much looking forward to see what the new pope has to say.

We also met some pilgrims from Poland. They also, of course, are disappointed that John Paul II is no longer here among them. But they also said that a pope is a pope, and what is important is the message that he has to send. And so everybody here, eager to be able to listen to what Benedict XVI will be able to tell them.

His first opportunity will be in the next 45 minutes to an hour or so, when the pope will take a cruise along the Rhine River, which goes through Cologne. You can see some of it here behind me. Hundreds of thousands of youth, young people, lining up the river bank. The pope will deliver a speech, and we are obviously out to see the reaction of the people, because, of course, the big task will be to emulate the same kind of ability that John Paul II had in communicating with the young people.

And this is what people are telling us here. John Paul II, while his message sometimes was bit stiff and perhaps a bit too conservative, as is the message that this pope is bringing along, well, you know, the way this message is delivered is as important.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Alessio Vinci, live with us from Cologne, Germany. Alessio, thank you for that.

Well, there are some families in Wichita, Kansas, today, that could probably use some words of hope. They're there to face that man, confessed BTK killer Dennis Rader. This is day two of his sentencing hearing and today, family members of some of his victims get to speak directly to the man who calls himself a monster. More on that story, live from Wichita, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We can expect more emotional testimony beginning this hour in the BTK sentencing hearing. Relatives of Dennis Rader's 10 victims will be allowed to confront the serial killer.

Our Chris Lawrence is covering the hearing. He is in Wichita, Kansas this morning.

Chris, good morning.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Right now, the prosecutors are wrapping up their description of each of Dennis Rader's crimes with his last victim, Dolores Davis. Shortly after that, the family members will begin taking the stand to address both the judge and Dennis Rader himself.

We can take a live look inside the courtroom. You can see the detectives are still on the stand, still wrapping up testimony in that regard. Just a few minutes ago we heard they describe how Dennis Rader killed Ms. Davis, how she begged, literally, for her life, telling him that she had children, asking him, "please don't kill me, please don't kill me," and at that point, he took some of her pantyhose, wrapped it around her neck and strangled her for two to three minutes. And to prove her point of how long this woman had to struggle before she eventually died, the prosecutor took a moment of silence for an entire minute, and the time just dragged out and dragged out. And at the end of it, she said, "It was three times that amount of time before Dolores Davis died."

Dolores Davis' son is in the courtroom. We have seen him watching this testimony. He has told us that he has been waiting 14 years for Dennis Rade to hear what he has to say. A lot of family members feel exactly the same way. They are also in the courtroom, waiting for their first chance to really address Rader face to face -- Daryn.

KAGAN: So, Chris, the families will get to speak. Do we also expect to hear a statement from Dennis Rader?

LAWRENCE: We have heard he has been preparing a statement. As to what he might say, we don't know. I've talked to a couple family members. And we've asked them, you know, is there anything that he could say that would change anything for you? And at this point, most of them don't think he's even capable of showing real remorse, of doing any kind of real apology, as you or I would think about it, and at this point, I don't think they say -- it wouldn't matter. Their opinions of him are so rock solid. Nothing he could say could really change how they feel about him.

KAGAN: Well, they certainly aren't getting anything from his expression, because he's been pretty stone-faced over these last two days.

LAWRENCE: Yes, exactly.

KAGAN: Chris, thank you.

This BTK case reminds us of a frightening reality. There could be a cold-blooded killer living among us, and we might not even know. There has been extensive research on serial killers. Now here are the facts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The FBI estimates at any particular time, there are as many 35 active serial killers in the United States. Sound unbelievable? Experts say many killers are never detected.

By definition, a serial killer commits three or more murders over an extended period of time, with cooling-off periods in between.

The FBI further divides serial killers into two categories. First, there's the organized type. Ted Bundy is a good example. These killers are usually very intelligent. They know forensics, and they plan their crimes methodically, abducting, killing and disposing of their victims in separate locations. They're often seemingly well- adjusted social people, even described as nice guys.

Criminologists say some murders that might appear to be isolated, random killings might actually be the work of these organized-type serial killer, who change locations and even change tactics during their cooling-off periods.

There are also disorganized serial killers. Jeffrey Dahmer is one example. They usually commit their crimes on impulse. They often perform strange rituals once victims are dead, and then make virtually no effort to cover their tracks. Rather than friendly, they are more often perceived as creepy.

Investigators say these disorganized types elude capture, because they're unpredictable, have few social contacts, and many of them get caught up in the nation's mental-health system, vanishing before they are caught for their crimes. Some serial killers exhibit qualities of both types. It's worth noting, even if there are 35 serial killers at large in the United States, they're responsible for one percent to two percent of all murders that take place each year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: He is a governor with a presidential pedigree, but family ties won't mean much when Ohio Governor Bob Taft enters a courtroom today. You're going to find out why he is in legal hot water, ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: So, if you have a son or daughter heading off to college, now is the time to give them a crash course in managing their money. Ellen Stark of "Money" magazine has budgeting 101 for college students in today's top five tips.

Good morning.

ELLEN STARK, "MONEY" MAGAZINE: Good morning.

KAGAN: Let's start with teaching them good lessons at home and giving them an allowance?

STARK: Right. Well, hopefully you teach your kids to manage money when they're not at home. You should be teaching them for all the years coming up to that, giving them an allowance, letting them make choices about how to save money or spend money. And when your kids are teens, you may want to have them pay for all of their -- for entertainment and clothing with money you give them, so they learn to live within a budget.

KAGAN: Now looking ahead to the cost of an average college student, you have to kind of try to figure how much everything is going to cost?

STARK: Right. You should try to estimate their out-of-pocket costs before they leave for college, and it may be a few thousand dollars, when you consider that books are hundreds of dollars, there's transportation, there's entertainment, and you should figure out how much that is.

But more importantly, who's going to pay for what? Are you going to give your kid a set amount? Are you going to pay for certain expenses? And if he or she is going to pay for some of that, are they going to have a job?

And if so, studies show that working for more than 15 hours a week can really start getting in the way of your studies. So you don't want your kid to work too much.

KAGAN: So if you are giving them money, don't do it in a big lump sum?

STARK: Right.

KAGAN: Not a good idea?

STARK: Yes. I mean, that's relying on a lot of self-discipline. It may be better to sort of send a monthly check, or put money in their checking account, or something electronic like that, until you're really confident that your child can manage money.

KAGAN: Now, tip number four sounds like a bad combination to me -- a college student and a credit card.

STARK: Right. Well, the truth is that college kids are going to get credit cards whether you like it or not. Because once your kid is 18, he or she can get a credit card and the campuses are filled with credit card issuers offering them cards.

So you may want to step in and be part of that decision and help them find a low-rate credit card. There are some special student credit cards with rates as low as about 10 percent nowadays. And that's much better than 15 to 18 percent they may get on a card on their own.

KAGAN: Who doesn't love to shop for bargains? Teach your kid this.

STARK: Yes. Right. You may want to point out ways that your kids can save money. I mean, your kids will find this out, too, but for instance, buy textbooks online -- can be a lot less than in the college bookstore. Go to sites like e-Bay's half.com to find textbook bargains.

And you may want to just send them to Staples for notebooks instead of buying the nice embossed notebook with the college seal on it.

KAGAN: All very good tips.

Ellen Stark from "Money" magazine, thank you.

STARK: Thank you.

KAGAN: Our quick crash course there in saving money with college kids.

We will be checking in on Ohio's governor. He has an impressive political pedigree, but that won't be enough to keep him from gong before a judge this morning.

Coming up, Governor Bob Taft has become the first Ohio governor charged with a crime. We'll tell you what he's accused of, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's take a look at a few stories making news coast to coast.

Just a few minutes from now, Ohio Governor Bob Taft appears in court to answer criminal charges. Taft is accused of failing to report dozens of gifts. The governor says the omissions were an accident. Taft is not expected to face jail time and he is not planning to resign.

Thieves couldn't stop a patriotic ride set to begin today. Philadelphia police recovered more than two dozen Harley-Davidson motorcycles that were stolen from a tractor trailer. The bikes belong to Minnesota riders who are taking part in America's 9/11 tour. The riders will visit Shanksville, Pennsylvania, Washington and New York to remember those who died in the terrorist attacks. And San Francisco hosted a Ferrari parade yesterday. More than 60 vintage and modern Ferraris thundered across the Golden Gate Bridge. The even marks more than a half century for the automaker in the North American market.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

Coming ahead in our next hour of CNN LIVE TODAY, more from today's sentencing hearing for convicted BTK killer Dennis Rader.

And as you send your kids off to school, we have some hints for making sure they get a healthy lunch.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

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