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Duke Investigation; Secrets For Sale?; Suspicious Device In New York City; Oklahoma Amber Alert; Airline Strike Tips

Aired April 14, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We'll go ahead and get started. Not our holiday quite yet.
We're going to start this hour with the rape investigation at Duke University. There is a new wrinkle to tell you about today. A police recording and the accuser. She is described as being, "passed out drunk." Duke is holding a forum this morning to try and ease racial tensions set off by the rape allegation. First, though, let's get to that tape. One of the first police officers to see the alleged victim talks to dispatchers on this tape.

Our David Mattingly has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OFFICER: This is going to wind up being a 24-hour hold. She's 10-56 and unconscious. Going to have 222 (ph) continue (ph).

DISPATCHER: 10-4 do you need a medical truck or you (INAUDIBLE).

OFFICER: She's breathing, appears to be fine. She's not in distress. She's just passed out drunk.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): And while their lawyers publicly played defense, the players are quietly going to classes. Their season was ended. Their coach resigned. The doors and windows remain closed at the off-campus house where the young woman says she was raped during a raucous party in which she and another young woman were performs as hired strippers. Now a full month later, officials on and off campus look for ways to mend racial and cultural ties strained by the scandal.

CRAIG KOCHER, ASSISTANT DEAN OF CHAPEL: When wounds bleed, it's better for wounds to bleed in the open so that healing can take place in the open.

MATTINGLY: Duke University has launched five separate investigations, examining the university's response to the scandal, the campus culture, and an apparent pattern of partying and bad behavior by this former team of winners.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: David Mattingly joins us live now. He is in Durham, North Carolina.

David, there a news conference today that was held just about an hour ago. What did we learn from that?

MATTINGLY: Well, Daryn, the leadership of Duke, the leadership of North Carolina Central University, that's a historically black university here in Durham, and the university where the woman who is the alleged victim attends classes, along with the mayor of Durham, were meeting behind closed doors. It's their second in a series with leaders of a black community in Durham.

Their purpose is to inform them of the progress they're making and trying to address how this issue has inflamed cultural ties in the community between the community and Duke University. All of them coming out, trying to put a very positive and forward-looking outlook on this, saying that -- citing that things aren't as bad as what the national media might be portraying in relations here in Durham.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCELLOR JAMES AMMONS, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY: For the last few weeks, Durham has been shaken by allegations rising from the incident of March 13. While feelings of pain, anger and confusion are understandable, in times like these let us remember that justice is served in the courtroom, not in the media, nor at the hands of individuals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: Again, Duke University has launched five of its own internal investigations into this, looking at not only the behavior of the players and behavior of all students, but at how the university is handling this as well. They have promised that they will come back and have more meetings just like the one we saw today with community leaders. Everyone hoping that whatever rift there might be is sealed and the university comes out stronger for this experience.

Daryn.

KAGAN: David, meanwhile, no charges have been filed but could that change any time soon?

MATTINGLY: Everyone looking ahead to Monday, wondering if a grand jury that has been called for Monday will actually hear this case. It is not known whether or not the D.A. will approach the grand jury and seek indictments. If he does and if the grand jury decides to charge someone in this case, it would be the first time that any faces and names have been put to these allegations.

Daryn.

KAGAN: David Mattingly live from Durham, North Carolina. David, thank you for that.

I know we have a lot of travelers who watch this show. You will be particularly interested in this next story. The skies may be clearing, at least a bit for Delta Air Lines. Just about an hour ago, CNN learned that the airline has reached a tentative agreement with the pilot's union. The deal could avert a strike. The airline has been operating under bankruptcy protection since September. Delta has been saying a strike would kill the carrier, but problems still threaten Delta and the airline industry as a whole. Our Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis will advise us on protecting your travel plans during these turbulent times and that is just ahead.

Meanwhile, some breaking world news for you. One of India's largest and most famous religious sites targeted in a terrifying attack today. Two explosions near Delhi's main mosque about 10 minutes apart. About 12 people were hurt. But a police commissioner is disputing early reports of two killed. The mosque was not significantly damaged.

Under our CNN "Security Watch," military checkpoints, troop movements, such things are top secret. At least they're supposed to be top secret. But are those secrets for sale? CNN's Brian Todd investigated for "The Situation Room."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): A sprawling bazaar just yard from the biggest U.S. facility in Afghanistan where hundreds of suspected terrorists are held. For sale here, athletic shoes, flashlights, watches, an old kid's basketball hoop.

MEERWEIS, CONTRACTOR AT BAGRAM AB, (through translator): Everything you find in the base you can find here.

TODD: Including flash drives like this one, the size of a cigarette lighter. CNN was provided access to information on one of these discs. What appears to be classified information from a U.S. military briefing at Bagram Air Base in February 2005. Maps showing border crossing points, U.S. and Afghan military positions, construction of roads and other installations, important information on Taliban personnel and sympathizers with first and last names and on the diversion of al Qaeda resources to Iraq.

The selling of similar discs was first reported by "The Los Angeles Times." CNN is not reporting all the information we saw out of security concerns. One former special forces soldier who examined this information says it appears to be authentic and there are key characteristics he recognizes. We don't know when this disk made its way out of Bagram or exactly how. CNN interviewed several Afghani men who work inside or with the Bagram base. This man, who says he's the president of a company that does contract work at Bagram, says some material is smuggled out by locals who work there. But with some items . . .

MEERWEIS: It's the Americans themselves who bring it outside the base. They themselves, day and night, steal anything that comes in their way and bring it. The Afghans bring it, too. They probably help each other.

TODD: It's not clear if he means American military personnel or civilians. We called the Pentagon for comment. They referred us to the local U.S. command in Afghanistan. U.S. military officials there would not go on camera, but say the Army's criminal investigation command is looking into the allegations. And when reached by CNN, a spokesman said to protect the integrity of the investigation, they would not comment further.

The military did issue a statement reading in part, "coalition officials regularly survey bazaars across Afghanistan for the presence of contraband materials, but thus far have not uncovered sensitive or classified items."

CMD. SGT. MAJ. STEVEN GREER, U.S. ARMY (RET.): There's a number of items here that in and of themselves are probably highly sensitive. The good news in this is that it appears this information is dated.

TODD: Still, Retired Army Sergeant Major Steven Greer, who spent 10 years in the special forces, says this information can still be of use to Taliban and al Qaeda forces.

GREER: It presents a look for the insurgent forces as to what we look at and what we think is important when we conduct our campaign.

TODD: And what Greer calls battle rhythm, like a calendar showing when commanding generals were meeting each week. Another military intelligence expert says it's possible these discs were leaked out as part of a deception campaign, but Steven Greer says in those operations he's never seen a case where first and last names were released.

If investigators find evidence of a security breach at Bagram, it won't be the first time. Last July, four key al Qaeda suspects about to be sent to Guantanamo Bay escaped from the detention facility there. They are still at large.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A couple of break news stories. Let's go to Carol Lin.

Carol, first, a security threat in New York City.

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Potentially, Daryn.

Police right now, as we speak, have blown out the window of a red van on number four east 67th Street. They've condoned off the area. They are looking at a suspicious device in an area where there are some international diplomatic missions stationed.

All right. So what we know right now, standing by on this perch, you're looking at -- we can't quite see the red van, but we are told by a produce or the scene that moments ago the bomb squad was entering that van to see if it had anything to do with a reported suspicious device. So that's the situation as we know right now on the New York streets, Daryn.

KAGAN: Also I hear there's an Amber Alert out of Oklahoma.

LIN: Yes, did you hear about this 10-year-old little girl? She's been missing for 24 hours. Her name is Jamie Rose Bolen. She's been missing since yesterday and Percel (ph) police in Oklahoma believe that she may have been kidnapped by a 19-year-old man that she was talking to online, Daryn.

The description of this little girl is that she's about four feet tall. Let's see, about 110 pounds, red shoulder-length hair and the suspect, more importantly, is 20 to 30 years old and they're asking that people be looking for a dark blue Tahoe, Chevy Tahoe, partial Texas license plate beginning with Z69, tinted windows, shiny wheels with the wood "Fox" and blacked out back windows. Her green bike may be in that vehicle.

So, once again, she's been missing for 24 hours. A news conference is going to happen shortly. But, Daryn, according to the police chief, they talked with one of her friends that she apparently had been chatting online with this guy and had been planning on making contact with him some time this weekend, but that contact may have happened much sooner.

KAGAN: Carol Lin. Carol, thank you. We'll check back with you on both of those stories.

LIN: All right.

KAGAN: Meanwhile, a teacher-student sex scandal turns treacherous. A small town learns a sordid tale surrounding a high school English teacher.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DET. RON BAGGETT, CLARKE CO., ALABAMA SHERIFF'S OFFICE: In other words it was a plan that this teacher possibly wanted to kill her husband.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: That's ahead on LIVE TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Outrage and disbelief. A high school sex scandal shakes the small town Coffeeville, Alabama. Now this English teacher here is accused -- she actually is behind bars, accused of having sex with at least four students. All right, that's shocking enough. It gets worse from there. Police say that 30-year-old Sharon Rutherford was plotting an even more sinister crime with one of her alleged victims.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DET. RON BAGGETT, CLARKE CO., ALABAMA SHERIFF'S OFFICE: In other words, it was a plan that this teacher possibly wanted to kill her husband.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was shocked. This coming from Miss Rutherford because she's a very nice teacher and I liked her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: That reaction is fairly typical. The sheriff's department says that at least two of the student involved with Rutherford are under the age of 16.

Take a look at some of these pictures here. They are some incredible pictures out of Iowa. A nighttime tornado lit up by lightning strikes during a major storm. At least two other twisters touched down in the area. One person was killed. And the damage was overwhelming. Cars were flipped, trees and power lines toppled. Many homes and buildings were hard hit as well.

Chad Myers keeping his eye on that. Chad has this sixth sense where he can just look at the video and tell us, yes, that was an F-26 or -- it only goes up to five, right?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It only goes -- it goes from zero to five, right, Daryn. But the problem with it is that nighttime video is a little bit more difficult than daytime video. That church was obviously pretty hard hit, but you don't know the strength and how old the building was. You know, you don't know if it was tuck pointed lately. Seventeen, different, though, reports of damage from tornados across Iowa yesterday. One report from Illinois and one on up into Wisconsin.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: All right, Chad, pop quiz for you. Math. All right.

MYERS: Yes.

KAGAN: One plus one equals.

MYERS: Two.

KAGAN: Well, you would think. But -- well, no . . .

MYERS: Is that the new math again?

KAGAN: No, no, it's a good guess. This is bunny math.

MYERS: Oh, OK, (INAUDIBLE) 14.

KAGAN: When it's all about multiples. Yes. Exactly. Oh, they've got a big problem here.

MYERS: Wow.

KAGAN: Doesn't add up quite right when you're talking about these furry little friends. It is bunnies gone wild. We'll have that story for you just ahead.

Also Gerri Willis, tell us what to do if you think your airline might be going on strike.

Hey, Ger. GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I can't beat bunnies gone wild. There's nothing I can say that's better than that.

KAGAN: That is the line of the day, bunnies gone wild.

WILLIS: Well, I'm going to talk about what you need to know, what your rights are, if your airline strikes. We'll have more. "Five Tips" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Wait a second. Come back here. This is one-year-old River Santana (ph). His first meeting with the Easter bunny. Let's just say it didn't go so well. He's a little upset over the hair style. We're not sure. Anyhow, this is from El Paso, Texas, and the boy apparently did not find the Easter bunny that appealing. The photo captured him making a mad dash to his parents. But we should tell you, after about a minute or so, River decided the bunny was OK and he went up and gave him a big hug.

We like the stories with happy endings. Could there be a happy ending for Delta Air Lines? The future of Delta may be a bit more secure this hour. The carrier and its pilots have apparently avoided a strike by reaching a tentative agreement. But problems still loom over Delta and the airline industry as a whole. So that brings up the question, how do you, the traveler, protect yourself? Good question for our Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis who has today's "Top Five Tips."

Hi, Ger.

WILLIS: Hi, Daryn. Good to see you.

You know, we've been seeing these headlines over and over again about the possibility of a strike. You've really got to keep a level head here because the pilots did, in fact, reach agreement, as you just said. The airline industry is still in rough financial shape. So you've got to not buy into the hype of a strike. What you see in the media is really a part of the process of negotiation. So, at the end of day, you've got to make sure you don't overreact.

KAGAN: This next tip says know your rights. I had no idea I had any as an air traveler.

WILLIS: Well, yes. I mean, airlines don't have to book you on another flight is the bottom line here. If your airline goes on strike, there is no law that requires the airline to put you on another carrier. And other carriers have no legal obligation to put you on another flight either.

So an airline may put you on another flight as a matter of customer service, but good luck getting a seat. The number of seats have declined by 2 percent since last year and passenger traffic is up. You do the math. You can see what's going on there. You do, however, have the right to get your money back.

KAGAN: Those electronic tickets are so convenient, but there might be a time when you want a paper ticket.

WILLIS: Yes, paper tickets are more expensive but they're also more transferable among the airline. Why? Well, airlines just can't tap into each other's electronic reservations. Getting a paper ticket, though, is going to cost you $50.

KAGAN: What if you're using your frequent flier miles?

WILLIS: Well, if you're using frequent flier sky miles, you're going to be at the end of a long line when it comes to getting another flight. If you have miles you haven't used, you should be able to use them on your airline's alliance carriers. But the safest bet is to shed your frequent flier miles quickly. If the airline goes out of business, our miles are going to be useless.

KAGAN: How far does trip insurance take you?

WILLIS: Not so far, Daryn. If your airline is in a lot of trouble, few trip insurance policies cover strikes. Trip insurance can cost you from 5 to 20 percent of the cost of your trip. Insurance companies aren't going to take the risk of ensuring a ticket, especially if the company is bankrupt and, of course, as we know, Delta, in this case, was in Chapter 11.

KAGAN: Yes. Still is. Gerri, thank you.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Some amazing pictures still ahead to show you in this next story. Motorists in a big hurry. Kids at risk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you know than when you passed a stopped school bus you could like hit a kid and kill him?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I really did not -- I really, really did not mean to do anything. A swear to God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Well, this driver is one of thousands who have done it. You're not going to believe what you see in this story coming up in just a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We've been following this potential security threat out of New York City. Carol Lin has the latest on that.

Carol.

LIN: Daryn, New York police right now are investigating what could be an explosive device on East 67th Street. Our senior producer, Rose Arce, is on the scene right now.

Rose, last we heard, they were going in to investigate a red van.

ROSE ARCE, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Yes, Carol. All this started when a dog walker was going by this red Mercury SUV in front of a building that supposedly houses a high-ranking official from the Japanese government. The dog walker spotted something with blinking red lights, an LCD device on a black box with wiring that had been position between the front and the back seat. She called the police thinking that it might be a bomb and that's where all this began.

The police bomb squad brought in a robot that is supposed to be finding explosive devices and exploding them. That device was able to -- using a water-shooting system, break open the windows, go inside to take an x-ray of the box. What they discovered inside was a radio. That's apparently a very high tech radio. It's got like a black security box around it, wiring, LCD, et cetera, just for the use of the operator.

A lot of excitement here from residents that had to be evacuated. The street was closed off. The car has several broken windows, et cetera. But it's all over now. They're clearing the street and they're happy that they did it because they say that these things are always good to check out. But for right now everything's safe and it turns out to be nothing but a radio.

LIN: So are you saying that the owner of this red van is going to come out and find out that the police busted into the van thinking that there was a bomb inside?

ARCE: Absolutely. And I can tell you, this thing is not in great shape. They've got the front and the back windows broken. Side windows broken. There's glass all over the place. This high-tech radio has been torn out and thrown outside and broken to pieces. And there's still packages inside. They haven't found the owner yet.

LIN: All right. Well the owner's going to be surprised, that's for sure. Rose Arce, good news that perhaps it was a false alarm.

Daryn, can you imagine, a high tech radio? Maybe in New York they're afraid of getting their radio ripped out of their car, so the electronics companies have come up with something new.

KAGAN: Well I knew they are on high alert. And good news for New York City officials. Bad news for the owner of that van, especially when they come out and find . . .

LIN: You bet. Can you imagine that insurance report.

KAGAN: Yes, try to explain that one.

LIN: Yes.

KAGAN: Carol, thank you.

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