Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Church Arson Arrests; Missing Teen Found; Armed Former Teacher Takes Hostages at School in France

Aired March 09, 2006 - 10:59   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening right "Now in the News" at the top of the hour.
"The Boston Herald" reporting a New York bouncer who's been questioned in the murder of a graduate student could be charged today on unrelated sexual assault charges. Darryl Littlejohn is being held on a parole violation. He's being questioned in the death of Imette St. Guillen, the -- a customer at the bar where he worked.

CNN has crews at the courthouse. We'll have more on this as it develops.

Bird flu may be spreading to another species. A German lab says the deadly H5N1 strain has turned up in a mammal called a stonemartin (ph), which is kind of like a weasel. It was found on the same island where a cat was discovered with bird flu last month.

And there's a new gadget for people on the go. Microsoft unveiling it's ultra mobile personal computer. It holds a personal organizer, a TV, a gaming device, GPs, and a whole lot more. And get this, it weighs less than two pounds and is about the size of a paperback book. More on this with the Game Guy, Marc Saltzman, just ahead.

Good morning and welcome to CNN LIVE TODAY.

From CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Daryn Kagan.

We begin this hour with a developing story, the case of a missing New Jersey teenager. Within the last few minutes, police revealed the girl has been found apparently by a New York cabby. Thirteen-year-old Natasha Browne never made it to school on Monday. That same day, her mother says she received text messages from her daughter's cell phone.

They read, "Help. I'm scared. I don't know where I am."

Another message says, "Someone was following me." Still another message claimed the girl was being forced to "do disgusting things."

The teen is said to be at a hospital this morning. She's been reunited with her mother.

More on that story just ahead.

Meanwhile, our other top story, a prank that got out of hand. That is how authorities are describing the string of church arson fires that spread fear across rural Alabama.

Three college students are in custody in Birmingham. They face a bond hearing tomorrow.

We first brought you the news of the arrests during this broadcast yesterday. According to court papers, the suspects say this all started as a joke. Both a forensic psychologist and an acquaintance of the two suspects talked about the arrests on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK DOLL, FELLOW STUDENT: Personally, I don't think it was a prank. I don't know, maybe one was. I'm not really sure. I just know whatever -- whatever it was, they just -- they made a -- they made a mistake.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

N.G. BERRILL, FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGIST: Young men in this demographic are capable of the most stupid and violent behavior, you know, that we have ever seen on a crime scene. So it sounds superficial, it sounds trite, but, you know, give young men some booze and boredom and they're capable of coming up with absolutely absurd type behavior.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: CNN's Fredricka Whitfield joins us live now from Birmingham, Alabama, with more -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello again, Daryn.

Well, some church pastors are expressing some relief that the church burnings may be behind them. At the same time, there is resounding sadness that three college students stand accused.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice over): One month after the first of nine Alabama churches were intentionally set, a stunning break that seemed to unsettle even seasoned arson investigators.

JAMES CAVANAUGH, ATF: I certainly still feel hurt for all the churches. And they lost their historic buildings. And I think I'm a little bit sad for the families of these three young people we've arrested.

WHITFIELD: The suspects, three college students. On the campus of Birmingham Southern College, where two of the suspects attended, disappointment and dismay.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Huge shock.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just absolutely shocking.

MARK DEMPSEY, BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN STUDENT: It's kind of appalling, but, you know, I guess you're innocent until proven guilty.

WHITFIELD: BSC sophomores Ben Moseley and Russell Debusk have been suspended and are banned from campus. Both are described as outgoing and talented.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were good in the theater department. They were both theater majors.

MOLLY BYNUM, BIRMINGHAM SOUTHERN STUDENT: Ben is a really great guy, he's a really interesting guy. He sometimes sits on the step playing the guitar. He has a lot of friends.

WHITFIELD: Investigators say Moseley and Debusk, along with 20- year-old Matthew Lee Cloyd, who attended the University of Alabama- Birmingham, allegedly set the fires as a joke. But things got out of hand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the complaint, you'll see they said that after they lit the first two fires in Bibb County, that it became too spontaneous.

WHITFIELD: So to throw investigators off track, officials say the arsonists set fires in the Birmingham area and then moved west. But authorities say they left a trail, literally. Sets of unique tracks made by special-order tires traced all the way to Cloyd's vehicle.

TROY KING, ALABAMA ATTORNEY GENERAL: I stand before you today very, very proud of the work that law enforcement across this state has done. What they have done is just good old-fashioned police work.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And now Birmingham Southern College is vowing to help rebuild those churches by providing financial assistance, as well as sweat hours in the form of both students and faculty -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Fredricka Whitfield, live from Birmingham, Alabama.

Thank you.

Now let's go back to our top story, and that is this teenager who has been missing from Jersey City, New Jersey.

Natasha Browne disappeared on Monday, sent text messages to her mother saying that she was in trouble, was being held against her will. Well, that girl has been found now and reunited with her mother. But still a lot of questions about what's happened to her since Monday.

On the phone with us right now is Chief of Police Robert Troy with the Jersey City Police Department.

Chief, hello.

CHIEF ROBERT TROY, JERSEY CITY POLICE DEPT.: Yes, good morning. How are you?

KAGAN: Well, I'm doing good, and apparently the family doing better since this girl has been found safe.

Can you tell us what her condition is?

TROY: That's great news. Natasha is with her parents. And the situation is ongoing.

There were some allegations made by Natasha concerning New York, so we have the referral to the NYPD. They did a great job and they're holding her.

She's being evaluated mentally and physically at the hospital. And we look forward to talking with Natasha by the end of the day.

KAGAN: So still a lot of questions for your department, too, then, I guess.

TROY: Absolutely. Absolutely.

KAGAN: And at this point are you able to tell if this was a kidnapping situation or if this was a teenager who made some bad choices?

TROY: No, we really can't be conclusive on what our opinion is at this point because we really do need to talk to Natasha. We -- my investigators did a lot of work on this. We have a lot of factual stuff ourselves. But we're right in the middle of this right now, and like I said, we're happy that Natasha's with her mom and we'll deal with the rest of this as time goes on.

KAGAN: All right. The important thing is that she is back, and as you said, she's back with her family. And that has some resolution.

Chief, thank you.

TROY: You're very welcome. Thanks.

KAGAN: Chief Robert Troy from the Jersey City Police Department.

I want to go back to another developing story. This one we're following out of Le Mans, France, and it's a hostage situation. Police saying a former teacher went into a school, apparently, and is holding about 20 hostages, including some children.

Let's go to the phones again. Our Jim Bittermann standing by from France with more on this situation -- Jim.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.

Not a lot of information coming out. It's been developing over the last three hours or so. We just heard about it, though, recently. The (INAUDIBLE) has only just recently started releasing information about it.

It took place -- it's taking place in a small town called Sable- sur-Sarthe, which is west of Paris, a little bit northwest of Paris, near the town of Le Mans, known for the 24-hour Le Mans race. And a former teacher apparently broke into a classroom this afternoon, armed with a gun -- we're not clear whether it's a handgun or a rifle -- and took 18 students hostage.

There also may be several adults along with the students. And it's not clear at this point exactly what kind of demands this former teacher is making. They dispatched a special hostage negotiating team from Paris to -- it's not all that far from Paris -- to try to negotiate with the gunman to see what he may be asking for -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Anything more we know about the situation, Jim?

BITTERMANN: No, I think that's basically it. I mean, I think that there -- this is a developing situation, and they're -- the (INAUDIBLE), and they're waiting to see what happens.

I'm sure that they're talking to the -- the hostage-taker. And this kind of thing, in the past, there is a crack S.W.A.T. team that the (INAUDIBLE) have, and they are probably going to be engaged in this, if they're not already there, because I think that they -- this is sort of standard procedure for them in these kinds of situations.

KAGAN: Jim Bittermann on the phone from France. We'll continue to follow the story out of Le Mans, France.

Thank you.

Now on to this developing news. The secretaries of state and defense are on Capitol Hill this hour. They're asking for more money to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but they are getting questions, too. One, about possible civil war in Iraq -- as we look at live pictures of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr has been watching and listening to this morning's back-and-forth and brings us the highlights.

Barbara, good morning.

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

The hearing goes on as the head of two very significant cabinet level departments, the Department of Defense and Department of State, make the case for $65 billion in additional funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And of course as you might expect, it's not terribly unusual these days, this hearing started off with a protester.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: ... prevent a civil war, and to the extent one were to occur, to have the -- from a security standpoint, have the Iraqi security forces deal with it to the extent they're able to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: That's Defense Secretary Rumsfeld talking about, of course, how much he wants the Iraqi security forces to deal with a civil war if one were to break out. But he thinks it will not. He thinks that they have turned the corner on this situation of violence in Iraq.

But General John Abizaid, the head of the U.S. Central Command, making a very significant point, Daryn, saying that while the situation has changed, what perhaps has changed, in his view, from a military point of view, is that something other than an insurgency has now developed in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. JOHN ABIZAID, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: There's no doubt that the sectarian tensions are higher than we've seen. And it is of great concern to all of us.

On the other hand, the role played by Iraqi security forces after the Samarra bombing was quite professional. They did a good job. It's my belief that the security situation in the country, while changing in its nature from insurgency to sectarian violence, is controllable by Iraqi security forces and multinational force -- forces.

It's also my impression that we need to move quickly to a government of national unity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: Very significant, Daryn, what the general is saying there, that the situation in Iraq, in his view, has changed from an insurgency to a situation of, indeed, sectarian violence -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon.

Barbara, thank you.

We're hearing a lot about port security these days, but what about the nation's borders? One governor calling for the National Guard to head to the Arizona-Mexican border. It has erupted in a political war within our own state.

Your security in the spotlight next on CNN LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And now to New Orleans, where a government glitch is making an already grim task even more difficult. One of the K-9 teams searching for the bodies of Hurricane Katrina victims is in New Orleans. It's heading back home to the home state of Maine.

The reason, arrangements were not made for the hotel rooms. The K-9 team members say they also were not provided with access to a vet as they had been promised.

A good promise that there might be some severe weather in the Arkansas area today. Our new weather guy, Reynolds Wolf, is here to...

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: What a way to get things started, huh?

KAGAN: You know, we don't waste any time throwing the new guy in.

WOLF: No, not at all.

KAGAN: Yes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: We're at 18 minutes past the hour. We know police work is dangerous.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh! I'm shot! I'm shot!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: But these days, ordinary traffic stops are turning deadly, with dashboard cameras as silent witnesses.

CNN LIVE TODAY takes you to the mean streets just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: For police officers, simple traffic stops can sometimes turn violent, even deadly. Now there's a good chance that those traffic stops are being caught on videotape.

CNN's Jason Carroll went along for what can be a very dangerous ride.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much have you had to drink tonight?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One night last month, an Ohio State trooper pulled over a motorist for driving erratically. The dash camera in the officer's patrol car captures how a traffic stop quickly escalates into a deadly struggle.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, OHIO STATE TROOPER: Put your hands up here...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, DRIVER: OK. That's what I'm doing. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm just going to pat you down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's what I'm doing. That's what I'm doing.

CARROLL: The driver draws a gun, but drops it. Both men wrestle for the weapon and with each other for several moments until the officer manages to retrieve his gun.

The trooper shoots the driver in the head and kills him. It's a dramatic example of what officers call one of their biggest concerns while out on patrol.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dante, go ahead and undo your belt and step out here.

CARROLL: Routine traffic stops...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

CARROLL: ... that turn out to be far from routine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, OFFICER: Ma'am...

CARROLL: A driver who wants to fight.

OFFICER: Don't fight me, ma'am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why not?

OFFICER: Because. Don't fight me. Ma'am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm already in trouble.

What difference would it possibly make?

CARROLL: Again, a struggle for a weapon. The officer in this case is eventually forced to shoot the woman. She does not survive.

Michigan State Trooper Joel Service says most officers now need to be prepared for just anything.

Service had his own run in with an unruly driver who led him and fellow officers on a high speed chase. The suspect rammed his vehicle into Service's patrol car, locking them together.

JOEL SERVICE, MICHIGAN STATE POLICE: I don't know. I must have been trained pretty well, because I think I was able to handle it -- handle the situation pretty well. I don't -- I didn't lose control, and I was able to kind of keep my wits about me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

RECRUITS: Good morning, Trooper.

CARROLL: Teaching recruits about the hazards of traffic stops is a major part of the training program for Connecticut State Police. And it goes way beyond the classroom.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, OFFICER: So I clocked you for 77 miles an hour in a 65 mile an hour zone.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, DRIVER: I think that's impossible.

CARROLL: Thanks to dashboard cameras and cop shows on TV, most recruits have already seen how real life situations like this one can become dangerous in a hurry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And they make the 1,030 (ph) stop. Hold that position. Whoa! Drop the gun! Drop the gun! 3044 (ph) drop the gun!

CARROLL: Eventually, this woman gave up and was taken into custody.

(On camera): When the recruits come in, do you find are they asking better questions, having seen some of that stuff out there in the media?

STAN TERRY, CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE: They see them. They ask better questions. They are very familiar with police tactics.

CARROLL (voice-over): Because dash cam video is now so prevalent, most drivers who are stopped these days almost certainly know they're being taped. That doesn't always stop them from becoming violent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, OFFICER: I placed you under arrest. I'm not going to let you go back to that vehicle.

CARROLL: Not even this driver's children can convince him to stop punching the officer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dad, no! No! No, Dad!

CARROLL: Some state troopers say all the dramatic dash cam tapes might give a false impression.

(On camera): Are people worse now than they were many years ago when you were patrolling or?

WILLIAM TATE, CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE: I don't think so. I think...

CARROLL: Or are we just seeing it now more because of the dash cameras?

TATE: I think the dash cam is adding a lot more to the public awareness of what's going on out there. I don't think people's behavior has changed drastically.

CARROLL: Even so, Michigan State Trooper Joel Service has this advice for recruits about traffic stops.

SERVICE: Be aware of the fact that it could happen and it does happen and at some point in time in an officer's career, it is going to happen to him. And you need to be ready for it when it does.

CARROLL: In this kind of work, it's very dangerous to think that anything is routine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop! Stop!

CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, Meriden, Connecticut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Very dramatic pictures.

Also, big drama happening along the Arizona-Mexico border. The governor there has called out the National Guard. It has erupted into a big political battle in that state.

We'll talk about that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's talk illegal immigration. Arizona talking about pumping up its border patrol, trying to stop illegal immigration and related crimes. Governor Janet Napolitano is ordering more National Guard troops posted at the Mexican border. She says she's not trying to militarize the border, but she's not saying how many additional troops will be stationed there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JANET NAPOLITANO (D) ARIZONA: I've already signed an executive order for the Guard to be on the border. I've already directed the Homeland Security to move half-a-million dollars to the Guard so we can get started prior to an appropriation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: This has actually kind of erupted into a political battle in Arizona. Arizona Congressman J.D. Hayworth has written a book on border security. It is called "Whatever It Takes."

Congressman Hayworth joins us live from Washington.

Congressman, good morning.

REP. J.D. HAYWORTH (R), ARIZONA: Good morning to you Daryn.

KAGAN: And we should say for the purpose of the conversation, the governor, a Democrat, you, a Republican. What do you think about the governor's proposal to put more National Guard troops along the border?

HAYWORTH: Well, first of all, let's accurately define this. The National Guardsmen would not be patrolling the border. It's a bit of a misnomer to say that the National Guard is on the border, because if you read the governor's executive order, what she has the National Guard doing is changing oil in vehicles, and fixing computers, and yes, on some occasion, checking into the back of car trunks.

But in the popular mindset, when you hear "troops on the border," you think the National Guard is going on patrol. So, essentially, what the governor has done is said, we're going to pub the Guard on the border, but it's not really going to be the Guard, and the Guard is not really going to patrol the border. It is going to be there in a secondary role. My office checked with the Arizona National Guard yesterday, and they said, nothing has changed about their mission in the wake of the executive order, and nothing has changed as of yesterday, nor today, nor tomorrow. It is continuation of a secondary program.

KAGAN: It's supposed to be a support role, is what the governor is saying.

Let me take a step back here first. One thing that it seems all parties agree on, illegal immigration into Arizona is a huge problem. How would -- briefly describe just how bad it is in your homestate.

HAYWORTH: Daryn, in chapter one of my book, I use one word, "overrun." And here are the numbers nightly. Every evening, between 6,000 and 6,500 illegals attempt to cross the Mexican border in my home state of Arizona. And of that group, between 4,000 and 4,500 make it on a nightly basis. That is why the Guard needs to be on patrol, supplementing the Border Patrol. And while the governor says it's not her intent to militarize the border, Daryn, I would have just have to point out that the other side has militarized the border. Between coyotes, and narcoterrorists and others on the other side of the border, the border has been militarized.

KAGAN: So, meanwhile, congressman, what we have is the governor making one proposal, looking for federal funding, the state legislature kind of took it into their own hands and passed another measure, but then the governor came back and said, wait, you can't do that. It's the governor's role to talk about bringing up the National Guard. It seems like it's kind of dissolved into a political mess. Meanwhile, nothing gets done.

HAYWORTH: Yes, that is the major problem here. And I can understand the state's legislature's skepticism, because earlier in her term, this is the same Governor Napolitano who said she would sign into law a bill giving illegals drivers licenses if the legislature would in fact vote that out.

And what was very interesting, back in September of last year, you may recall, along with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, our governor said that there was a state of emergency on the border. I asked her at that point in time, if there is in fact a state of emergency, since you are commander in chief of the Guard, why don't you send the Guard to the border. And she sent out some of the state legislators in her party to roundly criticize me for that request, but it remains today.

If the Guard is going to the border, Daryn, it seems to we ought to let the National Guard be the National Guard, not glorified Jiffy Lube agents, not computer technician experts and not guys who occasionally check the back of somebody's car trunk.

KAGAN: Is that the long-term solution there, though, of what needs to take place. Does that even, in the end, solve the problem, the reasons and the causes for this illegal immigration?

HAYWORTH: Daryn, we absolutely have to put our military on both our southern border and our northern border, and we have to bring to bear every bit of technology at our disposal. And I think this is something in the final analysis that regardless of political parties elected office holders are awakening to, because what has happened in Washington, and in Phoenix and a lot of other places, regardless of party, is a lot of people view illegal immigration as a political problem to be managed. It is not. It is an invasion and a national security threat that we must stop.

KAGAN: And to those that are looking to defend the rights of migrant workers and those that have come over the border and are positive members of the American Society, what would you say to them, Congressman?

HAYWORTH: Well, it's interesting the way you couch the question. Positive members of society -- if we were going to be positive members of society, wouldn't we have respect for the rule of law? I don't know of any that you've done -- let's take, for example, the story two days ago that received international attention, about a 75-year-old grandma, an alleged bank robber. In the municipality where she lives, I have not heard anyone saying to excuse her for her age or her motive for robbing the bank. Why would we excuse any motive in terms of engaging in illegal behavior? Let's call it what it is, illegal behavior. And while we are a nation of immigrants, we are likewise a nation of laws.

And woe to office holders of either major political party, or either whether they're independents, Libertarians, vegetarians, if we fail to understand that we must have a framework of law, and that we don't look the other way, especially in the post 9/11-world, with the heightened national security concerns we have.

KAGAN: Congressman J.D. Hayworth, Republican from Arizona. Congressman, thank you. Good have to you on.

HAYWORTH: Daryn, great to be with you.

KAGAN: And I should say, we have extend an invitation to the Democratic governor, Janet Napolitano, hoping we could get her today. If not, perhaps we'll hear from her tomorrow. She could respond to some of what the congressman had to say.

Meanwhile, it has been nearly a year since the deadly shooting rampage at a courthouse here in Atlanta. Now a deputy critically wounded in the attack is saying she'll sue the county and the state if an agreement is not been reached.

Surveillance video captured the suspect in the case, Brian Nichols, in the stairwell of a parking deck. Nichols is accused of overpowering Deputy Cynthia Hall, taking her gun, and killing a judge, a court reporter and another deputy. Hall suffered a severe brain injury in that attack. Her attorney says she is still undergoing therapy. And Hall is speaking out with advice to other deputies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CYNTHIA HALL, INJURED DEPUTY: Make sure you watch over one another while you're working together. Keep each other safe is until you go home for the evening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: We are just about at the year mark after the Atlanta courthouse shootings. Relatives of the victims are trying to rebuild their shattered lives. The rampage set off a citywide manhunt that led to the capture of suspect Brian Nichols at the apartment of Ashley Smith. Smith says the ordeal that could have taken her life ended up saving it.

Our Kyra Phillips talked with Smith for a "CNN PRESENTS" special, 26 hours of terror.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ASHLEY SMITH, HOSTAGE SURVIVOR: He said he thought that I was an angel sent from God, and that I was his sister and he was my brother in Christ.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The day after Brian Nichols is captured, a shaken Ashley Smith tells her story for the first time.

SMITH: And I told him if he hurt me, my little girl wouldn't have a mommy or a daddy.

PHILLIPS: A year ago, Ashley had been desperately to escape a life of drugs, but the night she talked Brian Nichols into letting her see her daughter again was when she found the will to quit.

SMITH: I think the only thing that scared me straight was Brian Nichols, because I saw my life in front of me. I mean, I shouldn't be sitting here right now. I should have been the fifth person.

PHILLIPS: Ashley is now in her hometown of Augusta, Georgia. As she pieces together her life, landmarks from her troubled past still remind her how easily it can all fall apart. Ashley takes us to the house in Augusta, where she fed her crystal meth addiction, retracing for the first time those dark days following her husband's fatal stabbing.

SMITH: This is absolutely disgusting.

These marks right here are from people throwing knives. That was one of the things that one of the boys did, was he threw knives a lot when he got high.

This point in my life, I almost lost my life because I was just in such a state of psychosis, and mentally, physically, just unhealthy.

PHILLIPS: Clean now, she's well aware of how far she's come.

SMITH: I took a very miserable drug addict who had really nothing in her life at the time, and he's used me in a way that has helped hundreds, maybe thousands of people.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kick it!

PHILLIPS: Ashley lives with her aunt in Augusta and is rebuilding her relationship with her six-year-old daughter, Paige.

SMITH: I can start in here.

PHILLIPS: She's fixing up a home of her own to eventually move into with her daughter, but regaining custody is the next hurdle.

SMITH: The way we all want it is I go and live with Paige for a little bit on my own and make sure that everything's OK, so we don't play with Paige's head.

To have another chance to prove to my daughter that I do love her, by my actions. And I do that every day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Kyra is going to have a lot more from witnesses and family members affected by the shooting rampage. Tune in to "26 Hours of Terror: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Courthouse Shootings." That's Saturday and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Meanwhile, we're talking gadgets. There's this new thing out, if you took a computer, an iPod, a phone and a BlackBerry and they all had a baby, it would be this new thing. Do you want it? Should you spend your money on it. We'll talk about it and show it to you just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Today in Germany, Microsoft takes the wraps off its new high-tech minicomputer that needs no keyboard. The code name? Origami Project. The computer is a hybrid of a laptop PC and a host of mobile devices. It's about the size of a paper back book. Microsoft hopes it will create an entirely new market, but will it? Let's ask the game guy, journalist and technology analyst Marc Saltzman, joining us live from Toronto.

Marc, good morning.

MARC SALTZMAN, JOURNALIST, TECH ANALYST: Good morning to you, Daryn.

KAGAN: So call it Origami, I guess, because all of stuff folded into one.

That's right, your description was apt. It's a game player, an MP3 device, it's a computer, and it's official title now, it's known as "Ultra Mobile PC," or UMPC. Origami was its code name. And you know, they sparked a lot of controversy with this vague messaging. They had this very clever teaser campaign with cryptic videos on the Web site. Origamiproject.com, hinting at what it is. And sure enough, it is all of those things all wrapped into one. It's a paperback-sized computer with a seven-inch touchscreen display that runs on, of course, the Microsoft Windows XP operating system, a version of it.

KAGAN: I kind of like Origami better. I think they should have stuck with that.

Bottom line, do I need one? It clearly doesn't fit in my pocket.

SALTZMAN: Well, it's, like you said, it's trying to create a new category. It's not quite a laptop computer, nor is it a handheld, or pocket-sized PDA. It is something that's nestled in the middle, and this is for somebody who's of course on the go. This is geared more toward consumers. The Tablet PC, which debuted in 2002 from Microsoft, steered more toward the business market, so this is for consumers on the go. They're going to retail between $600 and $1,000. That is meant to try to do everything.

One hurdle that they've got is battery life. They're estimated 2 1/2 to 3 hours of battery life, which in my professional opinion is not enough for a portable device. So you know, you're flying from New York to L.A., this thing's only going last for half the flight. So until they work that out, you know, we'll have to see how much juice we can get out of it, but that's going to be a hurdle, especially when you consider all the wireless connectivity options, such as surfing the Net at high speed at a hotspot.

KAGAN: Yes, so in general, when something new comes out, isn't it better to kind of wait for the second or third generation?

SALTZMAN: Well, it's my advice to definitely do your homework. There's no shortage of online destinations, such as CNET.com, that reviews these high-tech gadget from people that do this daily. And it's wise to wait until the price drops a bit, but if this sounds like a product that is for you, where you don't want to lug around a heavier laptop and you're not into, you know, PDAs or smartphones, this might be something you want to test drive next month when they debut from Samsung, Asas (ph) and Founder (ph). This is a Chinese company.

KAGAN: And I know what you tech guys are like, you've got to have the newest. If it's like last month's forget it, it might as well be 10 years ago.

SALTZMAN: That's right. There are some early adopters with deep pockets who are going to want something like this. But it's true, Microsoft is trying to create a new category. You know, I hope they have more success than they did with their Tablet PC, which did not catch on with consumers. But it looks like they -- you know, they're really thinking this one through. If they can lick the battery-life issue, they may be on to something. KAGAN: OK, and we saw it first here. Marc Saltzman, thank you.

SALTZMAN: Thank you.

KAGAN: And we'll take a break. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: This is just in to CNN. Marion Barry, the former mayor of Washington D.C., has received his sentence for federal tax evasion. a judge has given him three years in connection with charges that he failed to file federal of local tax returns for 2000. Barry could have received a prison sentence of 18 months and a fine of up to $100,000. So Marion Barry avoiding jail for tax evasion.

On to our daily dose of health news. Our medical news this hour begins with another high-profile person who is battling cancer. This time it's former Texas Governor An Richards. She says she has cancer of the esophagus. She tells "The Dallas Morning News" that doctors found it while checking out a lingering, unpleasant feeling in her chest. The cancer is one of the more deadly forms. But Richards, who is 72, says her case is considered very treatable.

That announcement coming on the heels of Dana Reeve's death from lung cancer this week. It refocuses attention on the fight against all forms of cancer. Many people who are battling the disease turn to the Internet for information and advice.

Our Ed Lavandera introduces us to a cancer patient's blog who is now a weapon in the war on cancer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. PHIL BERMAN, CANCER PATIENT: This is my brain, taken in slices like...

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Phil Berman keeps a stack of brain scans in his San Diego home. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with cancer.

BERMAN: Look at these big guys. Tons of them. You know, everywhere you look.

LAVANDERA: Doctors couldn't count all the cancer. Then the news got worse.

BERMAN: I had it in my liver, I had it in my bones, I had it in my brain, had it in my lung. So everywhere.

LAVANDERA: Berman was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, the most advanced stage. Most doctors gave him less than a year to live.

BERMAN: Because the times get really difficult, and the opportunity to just lay down and die is very real. And you have to just say no, I'm not going to do that. LAVANDERA: What Berman needed was an outlet for his thoughts and fears, so he started an online diary to keep family and friends updated on his condition.

BERMAN: OK. Here's my very first blog. "Chemo number two today. Went well. I'm feeling well. Maybe it's just the steroid high?" So that's where it started. And then I got better at it. You know, they got, -- you know, longer and more story-like.

LAVANDERA: He found blogging so therapeutic, he created a Web site called redtoenail.org, a site where other cancer patients can create their own blogs. Putting your fears and experiences in words, Berman says, offers cancer patients the kind of medicine doctors can't prescribe: hope.

BERMAN: The people that gave me the most hope when I got my diagnosis and I obviously knew how deadly the disease I had were other people with the same diagnosis at the same stage who had done well.

LAVANDERA: Cancer patients can go online to share experiences about treatment, as well. Doctors do warn people to be careful with information they find on the Web. What works for one cancer patient might not work for another. But Berman says this site is policed by the patients who participate.

BERMAN: This is a community that is more interested in people surviving and healing, so that I don't think we're going to experience that kind of misbehavior, if you will, or bad behavior.

LAVANDERA: Phil Berman knows people will be asking where the name for the site came from. The secret is in his shoe.

BERMAN: Yes, I have one red toenail. It is true.

LAVANDERA: Berman will paint one toenail red for every year he beats lung cancer. He just passed the two-year survival mark, so there are two red toenails. The idea came from a friend who had a nightmare that while Berman was undergoing treatment, he had come out with 10 red toenails. Phil Berman's goal is to make that nightmare come true.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, San Diego.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And we wish him well with making that come true.

Attention, Medicare recipients: Are you still confused about the new prescription drug program? Having problems with the program that you have signed up for? We want to hear from you. E-mail us at LiveFrom@CNN.com. The man who can answer your questions, Dr. Mark McClellan, head of Medicare and Medicaid coverage, will be on CNN's LIVE FROM at 2:00 p.m. Eastern to answer your questions. E-mail us right now -- LiveFrom@CNN.com.

And we'll check the markets after this break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HERBERT SLOANE, PLANE CRASH SURVIVOR: We crash landed, yes, in the sense of -- unfortunately, it's pitch black. I yelled several times, Get me out of here. And the next thing I realize, somebody was pulling me out of the plane. My instinctive fear was of course, gasoline.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: A passenger in a vintage plane describes his terrifying fall to earth. Herbert Sloane and his buddy, Lloyd Probst, got out of the crash in pretty good shape, as you can see. Both are veteran military pilots. They talked each other through the crash landing in a muddy Alabama field. So if this was a joke, this would be the punch line: Sloane -- he's 91 years old. He says he plans to fly when he turns 100. It will take more than a little plane crash to stop him, I guess.

How about the markets? Here's Susan Lisovicz. Hi, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No turbulence here. All I can think about, Daryn, is, Can you imagine what these rascals were like in their 20s?

KAGAN: Trouble.

LISOVICZ: Exactly.

(MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Susan, thank you.

That's going to wrap up this hour. I'm Daryn Kagan. International news is up next. Stay tuned for "YOUR WORLD TODAY." Then I'll be back with the latest headlines from the U.S. in about 20 minutes.

(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