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CNN Live Today

Air Force General To Head CIA; To Catch a Thief; Medicare Part D Tips; Fighting Skin Cancer; FBI Hunts for Polygamist on the Lam

Aired May 08, 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: And we'll go ahead and get started.
Big news out of Washington. The name is in, the battle is on. Just moments ago President Bush nominated Air Force General Michael Hayden to head the CIA. Hayden's name has been out there since Porter Goss quit the job on Friday. Early word of the nomination sparked criticism, a military man leading a civilian spy agency, but the president says Hayden is the best man for the job.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Mike Hayden was unanimously confirmed by the Senate last year for his current post and I call on the Senate to confirm him promptly as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The work of the CIA has never been more important to the security of the American people. America faces determined enemies who struck our nation on September 11, 2001, and they intend to attack our country again. To stop them, we must have the best possible intelligence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Michael Hayden is described as a brainy guy from working class stock, a big Pittsburgh Steelers fan. So why would a man who is said to just have a -- just a kind of folksy style cause such a fuss on Capitol Hill? Our Congressional Correspondent Andrea Koppel joins me now.

Talk about fuss, Andrea, there's criticism coming from the right and the left on General Hayden.

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Daryn.

You've got some very senior Republicans, like Senator Saxby Chambliss from Georgia, who is also on the Senate Intelligence Committee, who is voicing concerns. You've also got senior Republicans on the House side. You've got the powerful chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Peter Hoekstra, who on "American Morning" a short time ago also voiced those concerns.

Now the primary concern -- a couple of them really. One has to do with the fact that Michael Hayden is a general and that he still has links to the military, obviously. And as one congressional source told me, there's, you know, kind of a bee in the bonnet among many up here about the fact that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the Pentagon have too many inroads into the intelligence community. So they're concerned about that.

Secondly, they're concerned about the fact that General Hayden, while he was at the NSA, not only developed that highly controversial domestic wiretapping program, but he also helped to defend it. He went out as part of the White House spin control and some are questioning whether or not he's going to be able to maintain his independence. In fact, one person I spoke with said that he may have crossed the line. That they feel that General Hayden has broken with the long tradition within the intelligence community of not being involved in politics and not being involved in policy.

Daryn.

KAGAN: So when are these confirmation hearings supposed to begin, Andrea?

KOPPEL: That's a good question. Now that the announcement has been made, it will be up to the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Pat Roberts, to set a date. I spoke with one of his aides yesterday. He said that, obviously, the committee members have to come up with their list of questions in coming days. They will then send those questions to General Hayden, who's already been through this before since he went through the confirmation process to be the deputy to John Negroponte.

Nevertheless, depending upon his answers, there may be follow-up questions depending upon if they're satisfied. But this staffer did not rule out the possible that this could be wrapped up by Memorial Day. But, you know, you always have to say -- you always have to leave a question mark there. It may not.

KAGAN: All right. We'll be checking back with you. Andrea Koppel on Capitol Hill, thank you.

The general's background is high tech intelligence. The CIA is all about human intel. So is Hayden a good fit for the job? National Security Correspondent David Ensor covers the agency and knows the general as well. Also all the insides of the intelligence community.

Is there concern within the intelligence community about the military link here, David?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I don't really think there is, Daryn. Not much anyway. Because this is not Donald Rumsfeld's favorite general. This is a general who when asked -- when he was director of the NSA, do you think the NSA should report through the Pentagon to the president or through the new DNI? That was going to be General Negroponte. He chose Negroponte. He's been an advocate of civilian control and of a direct sort of national security leak through to the president rather than through the Pentagon. So that is not really going to be their concern.

They are worried about plans that Mr. Negroponte and General Hayden have expressed to move a lot of the analysts who currently work at the CIA to other parts of the intelligence community. That worries senior CIA people quite a bit, Daryn. KAGAN: Now no matter who is the next director of the CIA, what will that person's primary role and main mission be?

ENSOR: To stop terrorism. To stop the next attack against the United States if there is one being plotted. And there is concern here that with all the upheaval, and there's going to be more of it now, the terrorists might think was a good moment to try something. Of course, most of these big attacks need a long lead time, Daryn.

KAGAN: What about morale within the CIA? We've heard a lot of reports of how bad that is these days.

ENSOR: It is not good. I think losing the director so quickly. And Goss was a controversial director. He and the people around him fired some highly-regarded people in the CIA when they first came in, so morale was low and ready.

Now another change and someone who isn't from the CIA once again being brought in to run the agency. But the difference is, Mike Hayden has the trust of the president, the trust of John Negroponte, the people at the CIA know that and they know he is extremely bright. So I think that most intelligence professionals over there are going to say, we've got a smart boss and he's got access and we can't really ask for much more than that.

Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, David Ensor in Washington D.C. David, thank you for that.

As we move on, five minutes past the hour. Sharing their pain. Relatives of those killed in a tragic nightclub fire are expected to describe their anguish today. They're testifying in a Rhode Island courtroom this morning. The sentencing hearing is for Michael Biechele, a former band tour manager, lit a pyrotechnics display that engulfed a club three years ago. He pleaded guilty in February to 100 count of involuntary manslaughter. Under a plea deal, Beakley faces no more than 10 years in prison. Sentencing takes place after the hearing.

Let's see what the weather picture looks like across the country. As always, Chad Myers doing that for us.

Chad, oh, you're focused on Florida.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: This isn't exactly what you would expect from a bitter enemy. A letter from Iran's leader to President Bush. The letter from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is said to offer new ways to end the current situation regarding Iran's nuclear program. That letter was sent to Mr. Bush through the Swiss embassy in Tehran. The focus is on Iran's enrichment of uranium and international efforts to stop it. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meets today with key U.S. allies at the United Nations. They're trying to chart a course on the draft resolution demanding that Iran give up its enrichment program. Attention burglars and petty thief wannabes. You want to stay away from Scott Jeter's house.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCOTT JETER, BURGLARY VICTIM: Don't break into my house. I'm going to catch you. Especially if you do it five times. Give me a break. I'm not that stupid. I work on computers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: A suspect caught in the act by a webcam. High tech catches a low life.

We're talking skin cancer today. A dermatologist coming in to talk about what you need to watch out for as we head into the sun season. We want to know about your experience with skin cancer. So send me an e-mail at livetoday@cnn.com. We'll get to those in just a minute.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The not so bright burglar file is full today. A Cincinnati thief kept coming back for more, so the homeowner wised up a bit. He trained his webcam on his backyard. Guess who showed up again? Jay Warren from our affiliate WCPO takes a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAY WARREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Scott Jeter likes to work on his computers. So after several break-ins, which included the theft of some guns, he had a suspicion of who the burglar might be and even left a note for him. He found a way to prove his suspicion.

SCOTT JETER, BURGLARY VICTIM: Some pictures from my webcam XP program and the webcam I had set up in my backyard.

WARREN: Jeter installed a webcam in the back window of his house.

JETER: This is the guy right there. You can see his face.

WARREN: The camera's images proved his theory.

JETER: And picking information up from people around the neighborhood. You know, it's got to be the same guy. And I just started putting it together. So I've got to have a webcam set up because this was making me afraid to go to work. You should never, ever be afraid to go to work.

WARREN: So after the fifth time, even with the camera rolling, 26-year-old Joseph Dyer (ph) kept coming. He was later caught and Jeter has a message for anyone thinking about trying to steal from him.

JETER: Don't break into my house, I'm going catch you. Especially if you do it five times. Give me a break. I'm not that stupid. I work on computers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Well and here's the stuff the suspect is charged with stealing, cash, two handguns, stereo speakers, cigarettes and beer and, yes, he did steal the very computer webcam that caught Mr. Sticky Fingers in the act.

Tattoos. They are no longer taboo in Oklahoma, at least. The governor is expected to sign a bill this week legalizing the trade. Right now Oklahoma is the only state that outlaws tattooing. It's been that way since 1963. Attempts to lift the ban always centered on health, safety and even moral issues.

Probably not a lot of seniors out there looking to get tattoos, but they are interested in getting drugs at a reasonable amount of money and Gerri Willis has tips on that for us.

Hi, Ger.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you, Daryn. That was a difficult transition.

KAGAN: Yes.

WILLIS: No. No tattoos even for me. But, however, if you have a parent or maybe you are on Medicare, the deadline is next week. You're going to want to follow what we have to say in "Five Tips." We'll help you pick a Medicare plan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's check out the latest numbers on Wall Street. The markets have been open about 50 minutes. The Dow is up slightly. It's up 18 points. And the Nasdaq is up a couple points as well.

That familiar pinch at the pump. It might not hurt quite as much today. The latest Lundberg survey says the national average for regular unleaded gas is now $2.95 a gallon. That's up less than 4 cents in the last two weeks. In fact, the survey shows prices actually dropped a little or a lot in 26 cities. Of stations surveyed, the highest average price was $3.41 -- oh, my goodness -- in San Diego. Drivers, meanwhile, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, have been paying the lowest price, only $2.61 a gallon.

An important reminder for you if you are on Medicare or know someone who is. The deadline to sign up for the prescription drug plan is next Monday. A lot of you may still have questions about the program. Our Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis is here to help with today's "Top Five Tips."

Ger, good morning.

WILLIS: Hey, good morning, Daryn. Good to see you.

That deadline is a week away. It's May 15th. That's next Monday. Now if you're eligible for Medicare and you don't enroll by then, you're going to be hit with penalties that will last for the life of your plan and that penalty is one percent of the premium every month. The next time you'll be able to enroll is all the way to November 15th.

Now there are exceptions. If you are a victim of Hurricane Katrina, you'll have until December 31st to enroll. You'll also get an extension if you've moved into or out of the nursing home. And there are also extensions for those who meet certain income requirements.

KAGAN: And let's talk about what certain people's drug expenses are and how that matters.

WILLIS: Well, if you -- and you should be enrolling if your drug expenses are over $750 a year. And if you're on a Medigap (ph) program, you'll also want to enroll.

Now if you're already getting Medicare, you should have be assigned a plan already. Keep in mind, though, you can change that plan. If you have retiree health coverage, you don't have to sign up. And if you received a letter saying your benefits are comparable to the Medicare program.

And, of course, if you have low income, this is a no brainer. I know it's tough to navigate this thing, but it really will make a big difference once you do.

KAGAN: How do you decide if you're supposed to go with the national or local program?

WILLIS: Well some plans won't work outside your state. If you spend your winters in Florida or maybe you have a summer home in California, you should think about getting a national medicare plan. Some plans won't cover you outside your home state. There are about 10 national options. So if you see pharmacies like Rite Aid or CVS, you know you're dealing with a national brand.

Now if you're unsure whether a plan is regional or national, pick up the phone, make a quick call. You definitely want to check, particularly if you have a summer home somewhere or you travel a lot.

KAGAN: What about your rights as a consumer?

WILLIS: Well, you do have some rights. You should choose a plan based on the medicines you take. A plan cannot drop coverage of a drug if you're taking it, at least until that year is up. Make sure you get all of the fine print. Some plans limit how much medicine you can get. If you have a history of a certain disease in your family, you may want to include those medicines in the plan. Now if you're . . .

KAGAN: Now . . .

WILLIS: Pardon me, Daryn.

KAGAN: Go ahead. No, finish up. I thought you were finished with that thought.

WILLIS: If your medical treatment changes while you're enrolled in the plan, you'll can't switch to another plan, you'll have to wait for the next enrollment period.

KAGAN: What if -- I mean you look at this stuff. It's easy for your eyes just to simply glaze over, Gerri. What if you need some help figuring it all out?

WILLIS: Well, I know, it's really complicated. Tons of plans. As many as 40 for consumers in some areas. To get help, Medicare has a website. It's great. It's medicare.gov. You can also call them, 1-800-633-4227.

Here are a couple other places to go. States have what they call SHIPS, State Health Insurance Assistance programs. Shiptalk.org is a great place to go. And the Administration on Aging has eldercare.gov. I tell you, if you just make a couple of phone calls, you can get some real help here and get some money to pays for those expensive drugs.

KAGAN: OK. I'm going to turn the tables on you because we're talking skin cancer ahead. Are you good with the whole sun screen thing and staying out of the sun?

WILLIS: No.

KAGAN: No. OK.

WILLIS: No. I, you know, I'm the sun lover and worshipper. And, as a matter of fact, this weekend I was sitting outside thinking, boy, you know, should I have some sun screen on?

KAGAN: The answer would be, yes. And you also can stay tuned for our upcoming segment. That is skin cancer awareness.

WILLIS: All right. I'll watch, Daryn. I need to take notes, obviously.

KAGAN: Yes. We're also asking our viewers to send their experience that they've had with skin cancer. We want to hear from them. We're going to be talking with a dermatologist. Our e-mail, livetoday@cnn.com.

Well, he is a fugitive. Now former followers are speaking out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was excommunicated by the profit Warren Jeffs at the age of 16 because I decided that I wanted to go to a public school.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Ahead on LIVE TODAY, inside a secretive sect whose leader is now on the run.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: In about a half hour we expect to hear from John Negroponte, the National Intelligence director. He'll have a live briefing at the top of the hour. This just about an hour after President Bush names his next choice to lead the CIA, General Michael Hayden, to some a controversial choice. We will hear from John Negroponte at the top of the hour. You'll see that live here on CNN.

Other news first though. Congressman Patrick Kennedy in drug rehab today in Minnesota, but he's still getting support from back home. Rhode Island Democrats are expected to endorse his bid for re- election when they meet tonight. Kennedy checked into the Mayo Clinic after crashing his car into a barricade on Capitol Hill. He admits an addiction to prescription drugs.

Time for your "Daily Dose." A search for freckle, moles and strange-looking blotches on the skin. One way to get into the "Guinness Book of World Records," believe it or not. It's a massive one-day screening for skin cancer and it's free. But it's lives, not just the world record that's at stake. As we move into the sun worshiping season, the focus is a cancer that is easy to detect, treatable if caught early but deadly if ignored.

Celebrities are not immune. Reggae artist Bob Marley ignored the warning signs. At age 36 he died from a deadly form of skin cancer called melanoma. A malignant melanoma also killed Maureen Reagan, the daughter of former President Ronald Reagan. And Senator John McCain, Elizabeth Taylor and journalist Sam Donaldson have all been treat for skin cancer.

So let's look at some numbers now. They're startling. More than a million and a half new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed this year. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer. And according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, melanoma will kill 8,000 people.

With me today, Atlanta Dermatologist Dr. D.J. Papadopoulos.

Doctor, welcome and good morning.

DR. D. J. PAPADOPOULOS, DERMATOLOGIST: Thank you for having me.

KAGAN: You see a lot of skin cancer in your practice.

PAPADOPOULOS: Unfortunately we see a tremendous amount of skin cancer. And it varies. And in varies in ages, it varies in sex and it varies in racial predilection. What is true, though, is that we're seeing more and more of it especially over the last 10 to 15 years now.

KAGAN: So you're noticing that trend.

PAPADOPOULOS: We certainly have. The incidents of melanoma is currently about one in 75 people and that incidence will probably reach one in 50 people by the year 2015.

KAGAN: Let's go over some of the misconceptions because I think that's as dangerous as the sun in some ways. First of all, I'm not vulnerable. I'm dark complected. I'm African-American. I don't spend that much time in the sun.

PAPADOPOULOS: Well, I think that that is a relative conception that should not be believed 100 percent. Meaning in every race there's an incidence of development of skin cancer. Certainly in Caucasians that incidence is greater. But in African-Americans as well, there is a significant possibility of developing skin cancer.

KAGAN: Usually what gets people in your office is they find perhaps some patch or some mole that looks kind of funny. Let's talk about some of those. First of all, somebody might be looking at a mole and think, oh, but I've had it my whole life, so I shouldn't worry about it.

PAPADOPOULOS: That's one of the most common misconceptions. The two biggest misconception are that, which a patient will come in and say, you know, doc, it's been there all my life. You know, why is it that you're concerned about it. And very often we have difficulty convincing a patient that something like that ought to be removed.

And what we tell patients is, no matter how long it's been there, approximately 50 percent of all melanomas begin in preexisting moles. So that's the first and most common misconception, that because it's been there all my life I'm protected in some way. And the reality is, you're not protected even if it's been there all your life.

The second misconception is that if something is raised, that's the only time you need to worry about it. Unfortunately, 90 percent of all melanomas appear to be completely flat.

KAGAN: Really?

PAPADOPOULOS: And that is another common misconception that people have.

KAGAN: I think we have some pictures. Do we have a picture of a melanoma we could put up that you would -- OK. When we look at that . . .

PAPADOPOULOS: Now that is a Basal Cell.

KAGAN: OK.

PAPADOPOULOS: And that's the most common skin cancer of mankind. These can be very locally aggressive and they can certainly be in a position where they can destroy an ear, destroy a nose, destroy a lower eyelid. Very infrequently do they lead to death.

Squamos Cell Carcinomas, on the other hand, tend to occur in older individuals and they can metasticize about 1,500 deaths a year from Squamos Cell Carcinoma. And in the . . .

KAGAN: And here's a melanoma.

PAPADOPOULOS: And this is, obviously, a melanoma. KAGAN: OK. Now that looks flat.

PAPADOPOULOS: It looks flat. It just looks like a dark place. Now, this is something a patient could come in and say, you know, Doc, that's been there all my life.

KAGAN: Right.

PAPADOPOULOS: You know, it isn't something that I would particularly be concerned about from a patient's perspective. But in an expert eye, I think that that is something that we would pick up right away.

KAGAN: Right.

PAPADOPOULOS: And we would recommend removal.

KAGAN: Now, of course, you would biopsy in that. But have you come to the point, if that person with that mole or whatever walked into your office, you would look at and go, I know what we're dealing with here?

PAPADOPOULOS: Well, you know, I think that it's important for to convey to the patient that it is something worrisome. But what I tell patient is that even a person like myself who deals with this pretty much every day all year long is only right 80 percent of the time. It's four out of five times. That means I'm wrong one out of five times.

KAGAN: Wrong which way?

PAPADOPOULOS: Either way, you know. That I overcall something or I undercall something. The point is, though, that if it fits certain criteria, it needs to be removed. And today with what we have available, we can do that painlessly, quickly, and have answer quickly and inform these patients as to whether something else needs to be done.

Now, I have to tell you, most of the times that we've sampled something, it turns out not to be a melanoma. It may be a precursor lesion to a melanoma.

KAGAN: Which, with time, which you can't -- and you can't replace time, in terms of the early...

PAPADOPOULOS: Exactly.

KAGAN: I think is interesting. Let's bring in our meteorologist Chad Myers. Chad, you have a map showing us what?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: This map that we have today is the UV index for today. Obviously a lot of clouds in Maryland and the UV index pretty low. But across Florida, across Texas, the UV index very high. And Arizona very high. But doctor, what strikes me -- we've been doing some research up here -- those states are not the ones with the most melanoma. New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Maryland have the highest percentages of melanoma across the country.

Now, there's one big perturbation in there, and that would be Hawaii. Sixty-six percent of white males may get melanoma there, but only 20 percent of the overall population, which tells you something about the Hawaiian population compared to the transplanted white population. But why New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maryland?

PAPADOPOULOS: I think that's probably an indication as to the types of populations that live there. And what I mean by that if you look at the ethnic backgrounds of the people that live there, it probably figures prominently into who gets it. Or the best example of that is, if you look at the population that lives in Australia -- Australia has the highest skin cancer and highest melanoma rate on the planet -- it's people Scotch-Irish -- people of Scotch-Irish ancestry that happen to live in that particular climate. So that's one reason, is the demographics of the populations that live in those places.

The second reason is the increased mobility of our populations. I bet the people that live in those northern states want to vacation in southern states. And as a result, they may throw caution to the winds in a different way than a southerner would and may sustain significant sunburns. And that may explain their increase incidents, because sunburns are related -- the number of sunburns, the severity of sunburns, to the development of melanoma. So I think that that probably contributes to a great degree.

KAGAN: Before you had a seat, we put the word out to our audience, asking for some e-mail with their experience. Can you stick around a couple of minutes?

PAPADOPOULOS: Absolutely.

KAGAN: All right. We're going to get your e-mail. Tell us about your experience with skin cancer and we will run it by Dr. Papadopoulos. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And welcome back. We are talking skin cancer and we're doing that with dermatologist Dr. D.J. Papadopoulos. We've been asking for your e-mail and you've been sending in some good stories that we could as examples, that you can play off of, Doctor.

This is from Chuck. He says, "Little did I know I was a poster child for melanoma. I had all of the factors that would allow the disease to eventually form cancer in my body. Blond or brown hair, blue eyes, fair skin, intermittent extreme sun exposure." He said he was diagnosed over four years ago with stage three melanoma, underwent a radical neck dissection, radiation and interfuron (ph) treatment for a year. So far so good, but he clearly wants to get the warning out.

KAGAN: You know that is probably -- you know, We hate for that to happen, but there are certain individuals who fit a criteria that we really want to be really careful. And we want to address those individuals. If you have red hair, blond hair, blue eyes, Scott-Irish ancestry, Northern European ancestry, and you have spent a lot of time in the sun, then you have a much higher risk of developing melanoma than somebody that has not done those things or happens to be from a different part of the world. So you really need to be very, very cautious.

And the most important thing is, if you see a change, no matter if it's been there all your life, on a spot that's even been there all your life, you need to get it examined. And with what we have available today, it can be easily removed. And if we catch it early -- if we catch a melanoma early, there's no need to go through those other steps that this individual...

KAGAN: Everything that that man had to go through.

This is from Jim in Brooklyn, New York. He also says he has fair skin. Never put on sunscreen when he was a kid. Lived by the beach. I mean, when we were kids we didn't do that. I spent a year in the Middle East while serving the Navy. I now have early stages of skin cancer, taking treatment. I'm 46. I've been putting on sunscreen for about 20 years. But he also shaves his head he's has never put sunscreen on while wearing a hat. But now he realizes the little holes in the hat the sun was getting through.

PAPADOPOULOS: I can tell you -- I don't know if it's the holes as much as the shaving of the head and being outdoors. You know, and I can tell you that that's sort of a mini epidemic that we've seen as fashion has gone that particular way, where people are shaving their heads. We're seeing many more skin cancers on the top of the scalp. And we certainly have. The take-home message to -- for anyone is if you have exposed skin, it needs to be protected, especially if you're going to be in midday sun.

KAGAN: Check, check, check, and do it early. Because you can't make up for the difference in time, can you?

PAPADOPOULOS: That's exactly right.

KAGAN: All right. I know you have a lot of patients to see out there. Dr. Papadopoulos, thank you for your time...

PAPADOPOULOS: Thank you having me.

KAGAN: ... today.

And we have some breaking news get to. Betty Nguyen standing by with that -- Betty.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.

We have been following this today in Providence, Rhode Island, where a sentencing hearing is underway. Three days of testimony is going to take place starting today. We've been hearing from family members talking about those killed in this fire which occurred in 2003. It was a fire at a Great White concert. And Daniel Biechele is the former Great White tour manager. Now, his sentencing hearing is taking place this week. And we want to take you to some sound right now of some of the victims' family members who have been talking about their loss.

Andrea Silva is talking about Thomas Maderos (ph), her uncle who was killed in that fire. Let's take a look at what she had to say today during today's sentencing hearing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREA SILVA, NIECE OF FIRE VICTIM: ... of our lives. We never had a chance to say good-bye, to kiss him one last time or to even touch that face we loved so much. Our family will always be incomplete without him here. Nothing will ever be the same. But the next time your family is all together, look around and just imagine one person ripped out of your life forever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: It's just so emotional. Victims' family members have been about five minutes to talk about that loss and the grief that's occurred since the fire. About 30 victims' family members plan to speak during the next three days in the sentencing hearing. And again, Daniel Biechele, the former Great White tour manager, is up for at least ten years, or I should say no more than ten years in prison at the end of this, when it will be decided what his sentence truly is. But obviously this testimony is a key part of that. Daniel Biechele is only 29 years old.

And again, we will be watching all of this as the testimony takes place and those family members continue to share the pain that they have suffered and endured since the fire that killed a hundred people, Daryn, back in 2003. It injured 200, as well.

KAGAN: It was a terrible night, indeed. Betty, thank you. Betty Nguyen.

It is Apple that represents the Beatles music versus Apple, well, you know, the computer folks. Who wins out in that business battle? We'll get to that as well as a check of the markets, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

KAGAN: He is a man of a thousand ideas -- 3,000, to be exact. His inventions range from the mainstream to the extreme.

CNN's James McDonald introduces us to the idea guy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dr. Yoshiro Nakamats.

JAMES MCDONALD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An award from Harvard university is an honor, even if it is isn't an IgNobel Prize, a tongue-in-cheek award for offbeat and bizarre scientific research. Japanese inventor Yoshiro Nakamats certainly qualifies. Studying how to live longer, he's taken photos on of every meal he ate over 34 years, analyzing them to see which foods are best for his brain.

YOSHIRO NAKAMATS, JAPANESE INVENTOR: Please be patient before eating a meal. Take picture.

MCDONALD: Whatever he's eating, the man best known as Dr. Nakamats appears to be doing something right. For decades he's been one of Japan's most colorful, eccentric and successful inventors, believed to hold a record number of patents.

NAKAMATS: Today, at this moment, maybe over 3,300, but still going daily.

MCDONALD: Mind you, Nakamats hasn't exactly invented the light bulb. His early claim to fame is having created a primitive version of the floppy disk in the 1950s. IBM disputes his claim of being the inventor, but has said the company licenses several of Nakamat's patents.

His innovation range from the practical to the absurd. A kerosene pump he designed as a teenager. His so-called "flying shoes," and the love jet aphrodisiac spray.

NAKAMATS: Push this and spray, to this important (INAUDIBLE).

MCDONALD: This odd-shaped putter he invent side supposed to improve accuracy. Nakamats credits his upbringing for this constant stream of ideas.

NAKAMATS: I studied very hard and I graduated in the most difficult industry in Japan.

MCDONALD: But true genius may be self-promotion. In Japan, Nakamats is a celebrity. He knows how to draw a crowd, running for Tokyo governor several times. From his patents, he has made millions, enough to build the Dr. Nakamats House, complex filled with his creations. It's an ideal place to work and think about his life's goal, to reach 6,000 patents. Now 78 years old, Nakamats has no doubt he'll get there.

NAKAMATS: According to my celery (ph), I shall read 144 years.

MCDONALD: After all, by that count, this inventor has barely reached middle age.

James McDonald, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A story from the West coming up. He is a fugitive. Now former followers are speaking out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE), Warren Jeffs at the age of 16, because I decided that I wanted to go to public school.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Ahead on LIVE TODAY, inside a secretive sect whose leader is on the run.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: He calls himself the "Fat Man Walking," and he's about to finish his cross-country trek. Steve Vaught started in San Diego last year. He's due to arrive in New York possibly today. Vaught set out on his coast-to-coast journey to lose a few. He weighed 410 pounds. Some question whether he's abandoned his family.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE VAUGHT, WALKING ACROSS AMERICA: A lot of people say that by doing this, by taking a year and walking like this, that I've abandoned my family. And it's actually absolutely the opposite. Because I really felt if I stayed home and I did nothing as a 39-year- old guy that had reached 410 pounds, I was abandoning my family that way because I was going down a path that would end up in a lot of hospitalization, a lot of hospital bills, a lot of grief for my family and ultimately, my death. I mean, how much more damaging can that be?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Ten pairs of shoes and 12 states later, Vaught said about a week ago that he has shed about 100 pounds.

There may be a dangerous trend on campus: recreational use of Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs. Some college guys think popping the little blue pill will give them better and longer sex. Researchers talked to 234 sexually active men on campuses in Chicago. All were 18 to 25 years old. Thirteen percent admit to erectile dysfunction. Just about half took E.D. medications, but plenty who didn't have the problem also took illicit Viagra that they bought off the Web. Two-thirds say mixed E.D. meds with booze and street drugs such as Ecstasy and meth. That combination, by the way, can cause a dangerous dive in blood pressure.

On to dolphins. They speak. New research suggests that dolphins can call out their own names. Researchers based their findings on a group of dolphins in Sarasota, Florida. The mammals have been studied for more than 30 years. Scientists recorded the sounds of individual dolphins and isolated shrill noises thought to be signature whistles or names. The conclusion: dolphins may be more like humans than previously realized.

To followers, he's a prophet. To the FBI, Warren Jeffs is the latest fugitive on its 10 most wanted list. Authorities say Jeffs is the leader of a polygamist sect, one that was once linked -- was once linked to the Mormon Church. He's accused of arranging polygamist marriages for underaged girls.

Our Sean Callebs is following that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At the edge of the desert, straddling the Utah and Arizona border, a community of break away Mormon fundamentalists lives in shuttered houses behind walls and gates. Miles from other towns, in Utah it's called Hildale. And in Arizona, Colorado City. For generations this group of about 7,000 people has shunned the rest of America and the opinions of outsiders.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We put these walls up for privacy.

CALLEBS: County investigator Gary Engels has come to know a lot about this secretive group. Do they really believe they are the chosen one?

GARY ENGELS, DETECTIVE, MOJAVE COUNTY, ARIZONA: Yes.

CALLEBS: When judgment day comes what happens to these chosen people?

ENGELS: These chosen people believe that they'll be lifted up while God sweeps the earth clean of the wicked people and then they'll be sent back down to rebuild the earth and replenish it.

CALLEBS: Engels has been sent to this town to investigate a variety of disturbing allegations and criminal charges ranging from child neglect to rape and theft.

ENGELS: And I came to be here because of all the different types of accusations and rumors that have been coming out of this place for some time.

CALLEBS: The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or FLDS, has been here since the 1930s. It broke away from the mainstream Mormon Church more than a century ago. The breakaway sect wanted to pursue polygamy. A practice renounced by mainstream Mormons for more than 100 years and outlawed in every state. The group considers its leader Warren Jeffs a prophet to be obeyed without question. Former members say Jeffs has several dozen wives. He selects multiple wives for other church elders, sometimes reassigning wives from one man to another and imposes rigid rules.

SAM BROWARD, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR: Warren Jeffs does need to be stopped. He has to be reined in and stopped.

CALLEBS: Sam Broward is a local private investigator.

BROWARD: If they argue with him or voice any dissension they are kicked out.

CALLEBS: Broward has been hired by some of those who have been kicked out. A group of adolescent boys. Over the last seven years investigators like Sam and Gary estimate as many as 400 boys, some as young as 13 years old, have been banished by Warren Jeffs for seemingly trivial infractions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was excommunicated by the prophet Warren Jeffs at the age of 16 because I decided that I wanted to go to public school.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had nowhere to go, afraid to eat.

CALLEBS: Tommy Steed (ph) committed the crime, he says, of watching movies. Each of these boys has his own story. Having a girlfriend, using curse words, going to beer parties, refusing religious instruction -- all causes for excommunication for these and so many other boys.

(on camera): There's also speculation that the boys are kind of drummed out because they're competition for these young brides.

BROWARD: Right. And that's -- I mean that can't help but be true. Mathematics alone would dictate that there has to be a lot more hens than roosters in the community.

CALLEBS (voice-over): The prophet who investigators say created this situation, Warren Jeffs, is now on the run. He faces an arrest warrant issued by the state of Arizona, which alleges a series of abuses including engaging in sex with a minor.

(on camera): Where is Warren Jeffs today?

ENGELS: I have no idea.

CALLEBS: Is he dangerous?

ENGELS: Well, when you have a radical person like he is that has the control over the people he has, I think he's unstable.

CALLEBS: As for what the FLDS community in Colorado City has to say about all of this, it's hard to tell. We spoke with the mayor of Colorado City, David Zitting, and he says people in his community are content and that they don't want to speak with the media. He says people in Colorado City have had dealings with the press in the past and it's been a bad experience. That from the mayor of Colorado City.

Sean Callebs, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And want to let you know, in a few minutes, we expect to hear from National Intelligence Director John Negroponte. Coming up live. We expect to hear from the White House also. The president is speaking on the Sudan crisis. That's all live at the top of the hour. I'm back in a moment.

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