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CNN Live Today

The Fight For Iraq; Americans In Iraq; White House Strategy For Iraq; Saddam Hussein's Trail; New Jersey Snowfall Falls Short; Grace Memorial Bridge Demolition

Aired December 06, 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: These are live pictures from Atlantic City, New Jersey, right now. The northeast expecting plenty of snow. But that didn't quite happen. There's still more than enough to go around, however. The forecast this hour.
Also, live pictures -- whoa! There it goes. Now let's tell you a little bit about what you just saw there. That is the John P. Grays (ph) Memorial Bridge and they're knocking down this bridge because they built a new one in Charleston. That is a 320-foot-long section (INAUDIBLE) to -- it fell into Town Creek. And we're going to -- because we were late to that, I want to recue it and show you what you missed and let you know that big, big stakes here for the demolition contractor. Take a look. Looks picture perfect.

Now, they've been blowing up other parts of another bridge there earlier. It didn't go so well back in October and it took them three weeks. It took them three weeks to get all the debris out of the Cooper River (ph) there. But this time they're going to blow it up in bigger chunks and the state saying you have 24 hours to get all the debris out. Last time those smaller chunks fell with unexploded devices into the river. It took them three weeks to get that out. That was a problem.

Looks like things went much better today in Charleston, South Carolina. We'll have more on that story in a little bit. Let's also take a look at what else is happening "Now in the News."

Five small bombs exploded on highways around Madrid today. Spain's interior ministry saying the blasts were preceded by a warning call from the Basque separatist group ETA. There were no injuries and little damage. Traffic was lighter than normal because of a national holiday.

Iran state-run television is reporting that a military transport plane crashed south of Tehran after clipping a 10-story building. At least 110 people are dead. Nearly half of them journalists aboard the plane to witness military maneuvers. An explosion apparently from a gas leak was later reported in the building which houses military personnel.

Just minutes ago, the American Civil Liberties Union announced a lawsuit against the U.S. government. The suit says the CIS practice of sending foreign nationals overseas to be interrogated is unconstitutional. The Bush administration has denied reports that secret prisons were used to torture U.S. terror suspects. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is repeating those denials in Europe today. Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed Rice's assurances that Washington does not condone torture and that the U.S. will combat terrorism with every lawful means.

Washington has closed its embassy in the capital of the Philippines, a staunch ally in the U.S.-led war on terror. This temporary closure cites plausible threat information, but no other details have been released. The Philippines government has been battling radical Muslim rebel groups.

Good morning to you on this Tuesday morning. I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta.

We're going to start this hour in Iraq with acts of violence today and accounts of torture from two decades ago. The Arab TV network Al-Jazeera reports that a militant group is holding an American hostage and is threatening to kill him within 48 hours. Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives at a police academy killing at least 36 people. And in a Baghdad courtroom, a woman testified she was beaten and given shock treatment by agents of Saddam Hussein's regime.

CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Baghdad with the latest on these developing stories.

Aneesh, let's start with the latest out of the trial of Saddam Hussein and the seven other defendants.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, good morning.

We've just heard from inside the courtroom that the court is in recess. They haven't adjourned for the day, they've simply taken a break. This is seven hours into the day's session. Yesterday they went for about eight hours. We've heard from at least three witnesses so far. All of them anonymous, sitting behind blue curtains, their voices disguised, known only as Witnesses A, B and C.

The first witness, a female, who spoke of what happened after that failed assassination attempt in her village of Dujail north of the capital in July 1982. She spoke of being tortured. She spoke of being thrown into Abu Ghraib prison for months. She then spoke of being transferred to other facilities, in detail describing the torture that they endured, beatings, electrocutions. At one moment she spoke that inside the prison a woman was forced to give birth without aid. The child subsequently died.

But during the day, during this wrenching, emotional testimony, Daryn, we have also seen the judge interject often pushing for specifics. This is, in fact, a legal process. These first witnesses are what are called complaining witnesses. Witnesses brought forward by the judge, not by the prosecution or the defense. And they're incredibly emotional in their testimony. But what the judge needs are specific fact against these eight defendants. And so often he says, who do you think was behind the torture? Do you have names? Who was killed? Do you have names? Can you link these alleged crimes to the defendants in the courtroom?

Now as far as we've been able to hear, and we see edited video on a 20 to 30-minute delay, only a few of the witnesses have essentially only pointed the finger at Saddam Hussein himself. But all of this part of the trial process. We expect it to continue later today and onward tomorrow with more witnesses.

Daryn.

KAGAN: And still a lot of other news coming out of Iraq today. What about this latest word of another U.S. hostage taken there, Aneesh?

RAMAN: Yes, video broadcast this morning on Arabic-language network Al-Jazeera from a group the network says is called Islamic Army in Iraq. A known insurgent group here. That group says the video shows an American hostage in the video. A man is seen seated on a plastic chair, his hands bound behind his back. Also the front of a U.S. passport is shown. The group is saying that the U.S. has 48 hours to release prisoners from the insurgent group, otherwise the hostage will be killed.

The embassy in Baghdad is efforting (ph) information. They have no comment at this time. But as I say, this is a known insurgent group, Islamic Army in Iraq, known for attacks, known for beheadings as well.

Daryn.

KAGAN: And then this latest suicide bombing. At first it sounded like it was two female suicide bombers, but that indication is changing.

RAMAN: Yes, the death toll, according to Iraqi police, stands at 36. Seventy-two others wounded after two suicide bombers entered inside a Baghdad police academy. The first one detonated just outside of a classroom. After that initial explosion, the people there rushed towards a bunker. That is where the second suicide bomber detonated.

All morning we've been getting conflicting information, which is often the case. Surprisingly though today, the U.S. military very quickly and very specifically put out a press release saying they were two female suicide bombers. The military has since concluded their investigation and said both of the bombers were male. They also say a U.S. contractor was wounded in the attack.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Aneesh Raman live from Baghdad. Aneesh, thank you.

Also in Iraq today, there's word of a gruesome discovery on the outskirts of Falluja. Police say they found the bodies of nine men yesterday afternoon. The men are said to be between the agency of 30 and 50. Authorities said they had been shot dead and their bodies partially devoured by animals. A police official said the dismemberment made identification impossible. With word of another American possibly kidnaped in Iraq, we wanted to take a look at how many other U.S. citizens are still being held or are unaccounted for in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN, (voice over): If today's claim of another American hostage is true, then there are at least seven Americans currently missing or kidnaped in Iraq. Christian aid worker Tom Fox was kidnaped more than a week ago, along with two Canadians and a British aid worker from his organization. The group holding him has threatened to kill him this week if its demands are not met.

American contractor Jeffrey Ake was kidnaped earlier this year in Baghdad. He later appeared on a videotape holing his passport. Two other U.S. citizens taken last year also appeared on tape.

You may recall truck driver Timothy Bell. He's been unaccounted for since his convoy came under attack near Baghdad in April of 2004. Army reservist Matthew Maupin was also killed in early 2004. The U.S. has not confirmed the videotape allegedly showing his execution.

All told, at least 15 Americans have gone missing in Iraq. As many as seven are still unaccounted for. But five of the 15 either escaped or were released, including Roy Hallums. He was rescued in September after being held for nearly a year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And there's a new round in the debate over the Iraq War. Republicans are attacking Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean for his comments in a radio interview. Dean told a San Antonio radio station that the idea the war can be won is, in his word, just plain wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: This is ultimately what America had to do in Vietnam. Ultimately they said we're going to turn this over to the Vietnamese and, of course, the south Vietnamese couldn't manage to take care of their own country. And I -- you know, as I said, I supported President Bush -- the first President Bush's war in Iraq. I supported this president's war in Afghanistan. But I do not believe in making the same mistake twice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Dean's GOP counterpart, Ken Mehlman, had this response. He said Dean's quote is "it's outrageous prediction sending the wrong message to our troops, the enemy and the Iraqi people just 10 days before historic elections."

Well, we are hearing more from lawmakers on Capitol Hill about what to do next in Iraq. Senator Joe Lieberman is speaking right now. He says the issue of how to win in Iraq should be the focus of congressional discussions. The Democratic lawmaker from Connecticut recently returned from Iraq. He says pulling U.S. troops out now would be wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN, (D) CONNECTICUT: The cost of victory will be high and American lives lost and American resources spent. But the cost of defeat would be disastrous in the collapse of the new Iraqi regime, civil war in Iraq, regional war beyond its borders, a victory for Zarqawi and al Qaeda, which would embolden them to attack other Arab countries and our American homeland.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Several Republican members of Congress plan to hold a news conference to share their thoughts to Iraq. That's taking place at 1:30 Eastern.

The White House is keeping up a high profile campaign to convince Americans of what the president calls his strategy of victory for Iraq. Tomorrow, President Bush delivers his second speech on the topic. And later this morning, Vice President Dick Cheney will address troops at Fort Drum in New York state. Elaine Quijano is in Washington with a preview.

Hello.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

That's right. Vice President Dick Cheney's speech this morning is part of a concerted effort by the White House to try to convince the American people that the administration does have a strategy for victory in Iraq. As we've heard the president talk about last week, but also that that strategy is working.

Now this morning the vice president, as you mentioned, will be visiting troop at Fort Drum in New York. He'll take part in a rally and afterwards, according to an administration official, will meet privately with about 50 soldiers.

Now last week, President Bush addressed this issue of Iraq, the war on terror, at a speech in Annapolis. The president talking to members at the U.S. Naval Academy. His comments then focused on what the administration says is progress in the training of Iraq's security forces. Tomorrow, the president in a speech before the Council on Foreign Relations, Mr. Bush will highlight the developments in Iraq's economy and also focus on reconstruction work taking place as well.

Now this really is an effort at a time when the Bush administration has continued to watch the public support for the president's Iraq policy fall. Really an effort by the administration to kind of counter. To try to counter some of the daily news out of Iraq about bombings and casualties with more than 2,100 U.S. servicemen and women dead since the start of the Iraq War. The administration knows very well that those deaths are weighing heavily on the American people.

Now in addition, though, these speeches are also taking place against a backdrop of the upcoming Iraq parliamentary elections. Those, of course, scheduled for December 15th. A critical test in the administration's eyes. A critical test for the Iraqi people as they try to establish their new government.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Elaine Quijano at a snowy White House this morning. Thank you.

You can hear the vice president's speech live here on CNN beginning at 11:45 Eastern, 8:45 a.m. Pacific.

The case against Congressman Tom DeLay will apparently proceed to trial minus one charge. A Texas judge yesterday tossed out a conspiracy count against the former house majority leader. Two other money laundering charges from an October indictment do remain. The case surrounds the funneling of money from a political action committee to Texas legislative candidates. The judge said he doubted trial could begin before the end of the year.

Let's take a look at the latest CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup Poll. It shows a slight majority of voters in DeLay's district in Texas have an unfavorable opinion of him. Forty-nine percent of those voters said they would choose an unnamed Democrat in next year's election, 36 percent said they likely would support DeLay.

It's law schools versus the military today at the Supreme Court. Should the schools allow on campus a potential employer who they say discriminates? There's a lot of money on the line. A live report is ahead.

Also, the northeast bracing for a winter snowstorm. It didn't quite pan out like they were planning. Find out what might still be in store though coming up.

And this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As soon as I read that, I went home and looked at the Web site. And sure enough, those pictures -- I had no doubt that it was my father.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: A father's dark secrets come to light, forcing his sons to make a life-altering decision. Their compelling story is ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Following this developing story out of Iraq. There's been a break in the trial of Saddam Hussein and seven other defendants. Our Nic Robertson has been following the trial from inside the courtroom and joins us now on the phone.

Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, this afternoon we've heard testimony from two male witnesses. Both have been giving testimony from behind a curtain. Both have had their voices electronically altered to protect their identity. One of the witnesses, 12 years old at the time of the Dujail attack, said he was taken from his house, taken to Baath party headquarters in Dujail, transferred to the intelligence headquarters in Baghdad, tortured, beaten with cables, taken to Abu Ghraib jail, taken to a jail in the desert for four years.

The second witness this afternoon, Witness D, who lived in Dujail, said that after the attack there, the police had come to his house and taken his 16-year-old son away. He said he'd heard nothing about his son until after Saddam Hussein fell from power. Then he discovered then that his son had actually been killed.

What was interesting this afternoon, Witness C pinpointed Saddam Hussein's half-brother, Barzan Hassan al-Tikriti, at the Baath party headquarters. The headquarters in Dujail where the operation, where the operation from the attack on Saddam Hussein, was coordinated from. The witness saying that Barzan Hassan al-Tikriti was there. At that point, Barzan Hassan al-Tikriti, in his cross-examination, then didn't deny that. He placed himself there. Very firmly saying, yes, I was there at the Baath party headquarters. Don't you remember? I was there. I kissed 60 men. I shook their hands and I set them free. This was an indication, a clear indication, that he places himself there.

The judge has been giving more time this afternoon for Saddam Hussein to speak, as well as his half-brother. Both of them had been taking quite a bit of time in the dock to speak. Saddam Hussein saying that he thinks America is in Iraq to finish off what he calls the theater of Saddam Hussein. He said, America wants to execute Saddam Hussein. This is not the first time.

Daryn.

KAGAN: What about a lot of the chaos and outbursts that we saw in the courtroom yesterday. Any of that today, Nic?

ROBERTSON: More controlled, indeed, Daryn. It seems that the judge is allowing Saddam Hussein and his half-brother to speak at some length because at times they don't thank that he is coherent and that perhaps had their arguments as well thought through with the lawyers and it gives the impression that perhaps they are really -- that they are not in control, despite the imagery of them shouting at the judge and trying to shout at witnesses yesterday. The image today is of people being allowed to speak, but not having anything very concrete and coherent to say at times. And I think that is an impression that's going to be left with people watching the trial this afternoon.

KAGAN: And you'll be heading back into the courtroom. Nic Robertson live on the phone with us from Baghdad. Look forward to more of your report. Nic, thank you very much. Back here in the states, a number of people in the mid Atlantic states woke up to snow this morning. These are pictures out of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Many areas of the state saw the first snowstorm of the season yesterday. Forecasters say more snow may be on the way. Meteorologist Rob Marciano is live from Atlantic City. That's where the snowfall -- well, not exactly what they promised when they got you to pack up your parka and head to that part of the world.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. Typically, more of a summertime community here. The boardwalk on Atlantic City, so quiet to begin with and then a snowstorm comes around and even more quiet.

Typically, on the coastal areas of the northeast, you might not see the most snow. But with this particular storm track, this is the area that got the most. But still, not as bad as originally forecast. About half as much as what was the potential of this storm.

Take a look at this snow. This has been already plowed. But just to give you an idea of the consistency. They saw about four inches of snow here. Last night you could pack it. This morning, you can't. It's much drier because drier, obviously, has moved in and the sun has come out, but also colder air has moved in and that's going to be the ongoing theme for the next couple of days.

Plows were out in full force last night, of course, clearing the roadways. Ad they got a new deal here in Jersey. A brine solution. Kind of a water and salt mix that they tested out and it seemed to work pretty good. I-95 and most of the major roadways clear or at the very worst slushy and then some secondary roadways on the slick side.

Even here on the boardwalk they've got snow plows out and they've been clearing it. At one point, this boardwalk was seven miles long. Built back in 1870. Now about four miles long and very quiet this morning. There's the Taj and the pier which has the amusement park. Also very quiet. The Atlantic Ocean, pretty quiet as the sun begins to glisten off the saltwater. That's a pretty nice shot there for you, Daryn.

KAGAN: Pretty.

MARCIANO: So this storm now moving out to sea and into Cape Cod. But, you know, with this much snow, three, four, five inch, not quite enough to cancel schools widespread. So I'm sure the kids this morning are a little bit disappointed. But we're just getting into the winner season. So I'm sure there's going to be more of this to come in the coming months.

That's the latest from Atlantic City, Daryn.

KAGAN: You keep that parka packed because I have a feeling before the season's over you'll be up to your nose in snow drifts somewhere.

MARCIANO: That may very well be the case, Daryn. We're not as scared. We're not as scared.

KAGAN: Do not be afraid. Rob, thank you.

Let's go ahead and check in. Jacqui Jeras is here to look at weather across the country.

Jacqui.

Oh, Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: And also I want to show you what we saw at the top of the hour. Look at this. That is in Charleston, South Carolina, the Grace Bridge. It looked picture perfect, which was really important. A lot of pressure on the contractor to get it right this time. They didn't the last time. We'll tell you more about that just ahead.

The Dow is up 52 points. The markets have been open an hour and the Nasdaq also in positive territory. It is up 12 points. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Welcome back.

Let's get back to this very interesting story out of Charleston, South Carolina, where they demolished parts of the Grace Bridge there over the Cooper River earlier today. A lot of entry kind of behind the scenes. And for more on that, let's go to Bill Burr. He's with our affiliate WCSC and he is live from Charleston, South Carolina.

Hello.

We'll here's a look at the bridge.

BILL BURR, CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: Hi there, Daryn. Good . . .

KAGAN: We just were looking at tape of what happened at the top of the hour. Look, picture perfect.

Bill.

BURR: Oh, I'm sorry, Daryn. I'm sorry. Yes, I didn't see the videotape there. Yes, it was a picture perfect day here in the Mount Pleasant and Charleston area. It went down at about 10:00 Eastern Standard Time this morning. This was the third blast in as many months.

They had some problems with the first blast at the beginning of October. Part of the old bridge that was being brought down in October, it went down into the water fine, into Town Creek, but they realized after demolition crews got down into the water, some of the explosive charges didn't go off. And so instead of taking maybe a day or so to get that debris out of water, it ended up taking several days then at that point. So here is the key right now. The South Carolina Department of Transportation is going to keep an eye on the demolition crews as they begin the cleanup process. And basically what's going to happen is, the demolition crews are going to have a 24-hour process to get all of this steal tresses and debris out of Town Creek. And if they don't do that, that could jeopardize their process of getting a permit to do the next round of demolitions on these bridges then.

So the next round is especially crucial, too, because these next part of the bridges are going to be out into the Cooper River, which is a major shipping channel here in the Charleston area. So a lot at stake here in the Charleston area as we bring down these old bridges.

KAGAN: Yes. As I understand it, with those pieces last time, there actually were live explosives there in the creek. And so divers had to go dig out live explosives? That's not exactly according to planned.

BURR: Yes. I'm not quite sure exactly what happened at that point. I think the DOT wasn't quite sure at that point either. They were electrical explosives. A high-tech way of bringing down large spans like this. They didn't go off. And, fortunately, no one was injured as these crews were going down into the water to recover a lot of this debris, but nevertheless, that was still something they were concerned about, because obviously lives were at stake here, and they need to get that town creek area, that major channel, cleared out.

So right now, as of this point, according to the source with the DOT, this appears to be a clean break, and they're going to keep an eye on these demolition crews as they continue and begin the long process of hauling up all these tons of debris.

KAGAN: And it looks like a beautiful day in Charleston, South Carolina.

Bill, thank you. Bill Burr.

(NEWSBREAK)

KAGAN: Just a few minutes from now, President Bush meets the director general of the World Health Organization at the White House. The two will likely discuss efforts to prevent a bird flu pandemic. We'll bring you any statements that the president makes immediately following that meeting.

Sexual orientation and privacy lead to a case before the Supreme Court: universities against the Pentagon. Ahead how the "don't ask, don't tell" policy of the military and the no discrimination policies of schools are clashing. We'll have a live report.

Also the intriguing story of an Illinois family, three upstanding sons and the father who led a secret life of crime. The lessons learned and the difficult decision they had to make, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: This hour at the U.S. Supreme Court, a turf battle between universities and the Bush administration. A live picture of the high court there. At issue whether schools that accept federal money must allow military recruiters on campus. Our national correspondent Bob Franken is outside the court with a closer look.

Bob, hello.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATL. CORRESPONDENT: Hello.

And at issue is whether the Solomon Act, which was passed in 1994 by Congress, which says that schools that don't allow recruiters, military recruiters, the law schools, do not get the huge amounts of money that universities get from the federal government. The law schools say -- many of the law schools say that they have antidiscrimination policies, and the military with its "don't ask, don't tell policy," in effect, discriminates against students, particularly gay student.

This is an issue that's been rattling in the courts for some reason. It is being argued right now before the Supreme Court, with attorneys for the universities saying that if they are coerced into allowing military recruiters the same access that other recruiters get who are looking for potential future lawyers, they are being required unconstitutionally to enforce a policy that they do not believe in, which they say is a violation of their freedom of expression and association.

The military lawyers are arguing in the person of the solicitor general of the United States, they're arguing that they have to have such access; particularly since September 11th and the war in Iraq, there is a much greater need for people who are needed and the judge advocate general's office, which is the military attorneys setup. They are needed much more to conduct the business of the military. Therefore, the law has to be enforced. That's what's being argued. People are watching to see how the new Chief Justice John Roberts who has a history of pro-government rulings in his scant judicial career, how he's going to handle this. There's a view that chances are the military is going prevail. This is considered significant enough that at the end of these proceedings, which will be a half hour from now, they will release audio tapes of the arguments. Not the only time that's happened, but it's become a signal of how significant the case is considered to be -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Bob Franken live at the Supreme Court. We will hear more from you in the next hour. Thank you.

Also up next, we're going to spend several minutes telling you about a very interesting and unusual story. It's about a father who's deepest secrets and how his three sons dealt with a very difficult situation when they found out. Their compelling story is just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And now a story that shows what appears to be normal on the surface can be far from it. A father from Illinois shocked his family with his crimes and his sons say he hid it from them for years.

Keith Oppenheim has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): To most everyone in Lewistown, Illinois, population 2,600, it seemed Bill Ginglen was living the good life with his wife after bringing up a daughter and three sons.

(on camera): What kind of dad was he?

GARRETT GINGLEN, SON OF WILLIAM ALFRED GINGLEN: Well, he was a great father most of my life. When I was around him, especially as a younger person, he was -- you know, he raised me right. He -- he raised us all right.

OPPENHEIM: But Garrett, Jared and Clay Ginglen have been facing a difficult truth. In the fire station where two of them are volunteers, Bill Ginglen's sons told me that, while they thought their father was working hard to earn a living, he had secretly become a bank robber.

CLAY GINGLEN, SON OF WILLIAM ALFRED GINGLEN: He hid it well. He did hide it very well.

G. GINGLEN: True.

C. GINGLEN: He didn't -- in Lewistown, he was -- he was not that person.

OPPENHEIM: In Lewistown, Bill Ginglen was known as a former Marine, a well-dressed businessman, an upstanding citizen. Then, a few years ago, he started asking family members for money.

G. GINGLEN: You are obliged to help.

OPPENHEIM (on camera): But that makes you trapped, doesn't it?

G. GINGLEN: It does, very much.

JARED GINGLEN, SON OF WILLIAM ALFRED GINGLEN: We were raised to believe that family comes first above all things. And, so, we wanted to help as much as we could.

OPPENHEIM (voice-over): What the brothers didn't know is, as they were giving their father cash, police were looking for an older, well-dressed gentleman who had been walking into small-town banks carrying a gun. The robber hit seven banks in nine months and got away with more than $56,000. In November 2003, the spree began here, in Kenney, Illinois.

(on camera): During the investigation, the problem for police was, the banks either didn't have camera surveillance at all or the systems weren't good enough to get a clear picture of the suspect. But, after being hit once, the managers of this small bank did a smart thing. They upgraded to a digital video system to catch the robber if he were to ever come back. In July of 2004, he did.

ROGER MASSEY, DEWITT COUNTY, ILLINOIS, SHERIFF: We felt, after the -- the second robbery at the Kenney bank, that we had such good video from their surveillance tapes that we could find someone in -- from the public that could identify him. So, we quickly put up a Web site for our department and displayed about eight photographs of the suspected bank robber, as well as his car.

OPPENHEIM (voice-over): That someone from the public turned out to be the bank robber's son. Jared Ginglen is a police officer in Peoria, Illinois. He read about the Web site in a local paper.

J. GINGLEN: As soon as I read that, I went home and looked at the Web site. And sure enough, those pictures are -- I had no doubt that it was our father, you know, wearing a mask and hat and sunglasses. But we could tell it was him.

OPPENHEIM: He called his brothers to make sure there was no mistake.

G. GINGLEN: Panic hit me. And I, you know, got physically sick, instantly threw up, started sweating, just -- a violent panic reaction to what I had seen. It -- was terrible.

C. GINGLEN: I went instantly cold. I guess, when I told my boss that I was going to have to leave for the day, I -- she says I was pretty pale.

OPPENHEIM: The brothers felt they had to take action immediately.

C. GINGLEN: We went to his house, actually, thinking he would be home, and we were going to confront him about it and turn him in, or have him turn himself in. He, however, was not home. So, that's when we decided that we had to call the authorities and put a stop to whatever he was up to.

OPPENHEIM: The sons would learn their father was up to much more than they ever imagined.

After the arrest, police recovered a detailed account of his double life from Bill Ginglen's computer. He was having an affair, hiring prostitutes, supporting an expensive crack cocaine habit. And he was desperate. He wrote: "The $500 that I spent on smoke during this visit was an incredibly stupid expenditure and evidence that I truly am in over my head. There is also the mortgages, the car rental, the utilities, the phone bill. What the hell am I going to do?"

C. GINGLEN: Very rarely, in -- in a crime, you get to look inside the mind of the person committing it. And with his journal, you could see everything he was thinking.

OPPENHEIM (on camera): Now, he's your father.

C. GINGLEN: Yes. And that made it 10 times worse. OPPENHEIM (voice-over): William Ginglen pleaded guilty to all charges, robbery and gun possession, and is now awaiting sentencing. He could spend the rest of his life in prison.

His wife divorced him. His son Clay has spoken to him briefly on the phone, nothing substantial. Jared and Garrett don't want to speak to their father.

G. GINGLEN: I'm -- I'm still angry. I -- I just still feel angry. I kind of hope I get over that some day, but -- but, right now, I am just still angry.

OPPENHEIM: For all their anger and hurt, the brothers have no regrets about the toughest decision they ever made.

(on camera): Do you have doubts? Are there moments where you just sort of say, you know, did I do the right thing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely not.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

OPPENHEIM: Because?

C. GINGLEN: Because we had no choice. I mean, to us, it was obvious.

(CROSSTALK)

G. GINGLEN: Right. And it's -- it's right and wrong. Very simple, really.

OPPENHEIM: Is he the one who taught you that?

G. GINGLEN: Yes, he is. He taught us.

OPPENHEIM (voice-over): And that's the irony of Bill Ginglen: The man who taught his sons right from wrong would go wrong himself. His children would have to make sure his crimes did not go unpunished.

Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Lewistown, Illinois.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: The next chapter of the story, William Ginglen will be sentenced in three weeks on December 29th.

Now, take a look at this. You might remember these pictures from a year ago. An entire neighborhood outside of Washington torched by arsonists. We have an update on that story just ahead.

And Verizon, you might say they're disconnecting from some of their most loyal employees. Retirement benefits won't be so beneficial. Business headlines after a quick break.

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KAGAN: Let's go ahead and take a look at other stories making news coast to coast.

A suspect is expected to be arraigned today in connection with a series of bomb threats that closed all 45 of the Connecticut's courthouses last week. Twenty-eight-year old Javier Rodriguez (ph) was arrested on terrorism and other charges yesterday. He's being held on $250,000 bond.

Exactly one year after fires destroyed or damaged 35 homes under construction in Maryland, three young members of an arson ring have been sentenced. The ringleader faces 20 years in prison. All three of the men must pay part of the $3.25 million dollars in damages caused by the fires.

And here is a sad case of bureaucracy in action in the nation's capital. A jaywalker who was lying on the street from injuries that would later kill him was issued a $5 jaywalking ticket. The man, Charles Atherton, was a renowned urban designer who contributed to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial project, plus many others. A police spokesman tells "The Washington Post," the officer would haven't ticketed Atherton if he'd realized just how badly injured the man was.

Let's check the time. It's 10:53 in the East and 8:53 in blustery Colorado. You might say the state has a windblown look this morning. The damage whipped up, plus your forecast for today. CNN LIVE TODAY is back after this.

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KAGAN: Plans for building a New Orleans are getting a lot of people hot under the collar. We'll talk about the challenges with a member of the city's planning commission.

Plus, the heartbreaking story of an 11-year-old girl. She is now at the center of a right to die case.

The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.

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