Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
John Mark Karr Expected to Face Extradition Hearing in L.A.; Teacher Faces Controversy for Flag Burning; Bodies Found After Ukraine Air Crash
Aired August 22, 2006 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We've been following news of a fatal plane crush in Russia, actually in Ukraine. And Tony Harris has more on that.
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I just want to give you the latest that we have, Daryn. The aircraft was carrying more than 170 people when it went down in eastern Ukraine, oh, about four, four-and- a-half hours ago now. Ukrainian emergency officials -- you can see here from this video -- say about 20 minutes into the flight, the pilot reported a fire on board and some heavy turbulence. The pilot tried to make an emergency landing, but the landing gear would not work. We're told then that's when the pilot tried a belly landing. Weathercasters reported thunderstorms. And you can see here from these pictures, the weather seems to be bad in the area. Thunderstorms and lightning in the area.
Daryn, more details when they come in to us.
KAGAN: All right, Tony, thank you.
On to Iran now. Western envoys are now apparently looking over Iran's response to U.N. demands. A resolution demands that Iran stop work on its nuclear program. According to Iranian media, that response was delivered this morning in Tehran. Iran's top nuclear negotiator reportedly says his country is willing to return to serious talks, but did he not say if Iran is willing to end its nuclear activities first. The U.N. resolution requires that, before any talks, Iran's response comes nine days ahead of a deadline set by the U.N.
So if the U.S. and Iran ever came to blows, how would Iran's military stack up against U.S. forces? Here now, a "Fact Check."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ever since its devastating war with Iraq in the 1980s, Iran has been struggling to rebuild its military. The biggest obstacle, international sanctions on spare parts, which "Jane's Defense Weekly" says are desperately needed for an aging weapons systems.
For its part, Iran claims great strides in beefing up its military. Among the weapons it claims to have, flying boats that can fire missiles, radar-avoiding missiles, high-speed torpedoes and tanks. Western analysts dismiss most of the claims as mere chest beating.
"Jane's Defense Weekly" says recent Iranian reports of new missile tests were actually variants of existing missiles, and that the high-speed torpedoes are believed to be based on Russian models that would pose little or no threat to the U.S. Navy.
As for Iran's 350,000 strong army, "Foreign Policy Magazine" says more than half are conscripts who are poorly trained and undisciplined. The Air Force apparently is in worse shape. "Foreign Policy" says, in addition to a lack of spare parts, it's been years since pilots have had air combat training.
That aside, analysts say Iran does have this ability: its Navy could cause havoc around the world by attacking oil tankers and oil platforms in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Dozens of suspected terrorists captured in Iraq. That's the word this morning from a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad. Major General William Caldwell says U.S. and Iraqi forces rounded up 100 or so known and suspected al Qaeda insurgents, as well as death squad members. Caldwell says one of the men in custody is linked to the February bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra, and that blast triggered a wave of attacks by Shiites and Sunnis.
Gripping testimony at today's genocide trial of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. An Iraqi Kurd describes greenish smoke, the smell of rotten fruit and then watching a baby die during a poison gas attack. Hussein is charged in the deaths of thousands of Kurds during the 1980s. One of his six co-defendants testified that Iraqi troops were targeting Iranian soldiers and Kurdish rebels, not civilians. The case is the second trial for the former Iraqi leader, who is still waiting for a verdict in his first trial.
Those two Western journalists who were abducted in Gaza last week are still missing. The families of Fox News correspondent Steve Centanni and freelance cameraman Olaf Wiig appealed for the men's release on Al-Jazeera network over the weekend. Centanni is an American and Wiig is from New Zealand. No group has claimed responsibility for their abduction. In the past two years, Palestinian militants in Gaza have seized at least 26 foreigners, and that includes nine members of the media.
Standing by, we expect any minute John Mark Karr, the suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey case, to enter a courtroom in Los Angeles. It's an extradition hearing.
With more on that, our Jeffrey Toobin is on the phone.
Jeffrey, so this could mean John Karr is heading to Boulder, Colorado, very soon or this could stretch out for weeks?
JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: It probably means he's going to leave shortly. There's really only a narrow issue at stake in an extradition hearing, which is, are you the person who is named in the arrest warrant in Colorado? Not are you guilty, not do you want to get out on bail? None of those questions. Are you the same person? It's really -- it's like an identity hearing. And most people wind up waiving an extradition hearing because they are the person named in the complaint, and they just as soon get somewhere where they can start to organize a defense.
KAGAN: Well, plus, he came back from Thailand voluntarily, right?
TOOBIN: You know, that is somewhat mysterious to me, how voluntarily -- how voluntary it was. But he -- there's no question that he's not voluntarily in custody now, and it seems like he would rather -- he has no hope of winning an extradition hearing. He is the John Karr. So he might as well go somewhere where he can start to organize an actual defense.
KAGAN: And what will that entail, do you think? Some people look at this, oh, slam dunk. Not so simple, though.
TOOBIN: Well, you mean the trial?
KAGAN: Yes, the case.
TOOBIN: Well, ultimately -- well, first of all, the Boulder district attorney has got to decide whether they're going to charge him or not. You know, we -- in -- with a full-fledged case. Are they going to...
KAGAN: Well, wait, now hold on. So he could get back to Boulder, and they go nevermind?
TOOBIN: Absolutely. All that is lodged against him is an arrest warrant. The next step that the Boulder authorities will have to take is, will they go to a preliminary hearing or will they bring the case before a grand jury? Because given what's emerged about Karr and his peculiar background and whether, in fact, he was ever in Boulder and whether any of the physical evidence, the DNA, the fingerprints, ties him to the murder scene, there may be no case here for them to bring against him.
KAGAN: Well, and even as the story was breaking last Wednesday, the Boulder -- or Thursday, I guess -- the Boulder D.A. came in and said, this happened a lot sooner than I was hoping it would.
TOOBIN: That was a very unusual statement at a press conference by a prosecutor, that Mary Lacy made last week. That's exactly right, Daryn. She was even more cautious than she had to be. And she basically said the only reason they went ahead was that they were afraid of him fleeing and they were concerned about public safety. In other words, the students, the young...
KAGAN: He started working at the school.
TOOBIN: The young students he was teaching in Bangkok. So she all but said we really don't have our ducks in a row here on this case. Now they've really got to start determining whether there are any DNA matches, fingerprint matches, or -- and exploring this question of whether Karr had an alibi. Was he, in fact, in Alabama, where he was living in 1996, and that this so-called confession was just the result of some sort of fantasy?
KAGAN: We're looking at live pictures of downtown Los Angeles. This is the courthouse where John Mark Karr will have his extradition hearing sometime in the next hour. We understand there's a number of names that should go before the judge, and where his pops up, we'll just have to wait and see on that.
Do you expect, once he gets back to Boulder, they'll be able to keep him in custody?
TOOBIN: I do. Given the seriousness of the charge and the fact that he had been in Thailand and overseas a great deal of the time, the combination of the seriousness of the charge and the risk of flight would be such that I can't imagine he'd be released on bail.
KAGAN: What are you watching for as this story develops over the next few days?
TOOBIN: One issue in particular, corroboration. What is the evidence against him besides his confession? One issue that should be resolved fairly shortly, the news media in Colorado has gone to court to try to get the arrest warrant unsealed.
What happened, the Boulder district attorney filed an affidavit and said, we believe there is probable cause to arrest John Karr for the following reasons. That document has been sealed. If that gets unsealed, that will let us know a lot more whether there is any evidence against Karr, except his own statements, and that'll be an important first step in the process.
KAGAN: Jeffrey Toobin on the phone. And, Jeff, thank you.
TOOBIN: See you, Daryn.
KAGAN: And we'll be watching what happens in downtown Los Angeles, bring you the latest as it pertains to John Mark Karr.
A story ahead for you: a teacher ignites, literally ignited, outrage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I'm asking the same question that many other parents are asking, that I know the school administrators and students are asking, and faculty, you know, what was this guy thinking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: What he set on fire and who got burned. This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KAGAN: We're looking at a police van that's pulling up to the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. We have not confirmed that John Mark Karr is inside that van, and yet it is pulling up to the courthouse where he's set to go through an extradition hearing that would -- if he does not fight extradition, have him going back to Boulder, Colorado very, very soon to face potential charges in the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation. We'll be following that out of downtown Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, a fatal plane crash in Ukraine today. A number of people die, and Tony Harris has details and pictures on that -- Tony.
HARRIS: That's right. Daryn, just a couple minutes ago we showed you pictures of emergency personnel on the scene of that plane crash. We've got new picks in we want to share with you right now. This is a plane, as you mentioned, carrying more than 170 people when it went down in eastern Ukraine about four, four-and-a-half hours ago now. Ukrainian emergency officials say 20 minutes into this flight, the pilot reported a fire onboard and heavy turbulence. The pilot then tried to make an emergency landing. The landing gear didn't work. We're told then that the pilot tried a belly landing. These pictures just into CNN now.
Firefighters working over some of the debris of that aircraft. The plane, a Russian made TU-154. Weathercasters report thunderstorms, lightning in the area at the time. Once again, there's a picture of the plane as it looks intact. Clearly, firefighters working on debris, what is left of the plane on the ground in Eastern Ukraine. More than 170 people onboard, and no word, Daryn, of any survivors. We'll continue to follow the story.
KAGAN: All right, Tony, thank you.
We're also watching reports out of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota this storm. Former President Gerald Ford recovering after receiving a pacemaker. A Ford aide reports the 93-year-old is stable. He's expected to remain in the hospital for several days.
A couple of drug warnings to pass along this morning. The first involves popular medicines used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. U.S. health experts say the drugs, which include brand names like Ritalin and Dexedrine must carry new warning labels. The FDA say they carry a possible risk of serious heart problems or even sudden death.
The other warning is for the acne drug Accutane and its generic equivalent. Researchers say that Accutane may increase cholesterol and other fat levels more than thought. A study by the University of California San Francisco says the drug raised total cholesterol levels in nearly a third of patients. To get your daily dose of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is CNN.com/health.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES) KAGAN: Once again we're watching downtown Los Angeles, the extradition hearing for John Mark Karr, the JonBenet Ramsey suspect, about to get under way. We're monitoring developments from L.A.
Also ahead, a teacher ignites outrage. What he set on fire and who got burned. This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Middle school in Louisville, Kentucky, a teacher there stirring up debate with a flame, a couple of American flags and questionable judgment.
Here's reporter Tim Seymour of our Louisville affiliate WHAS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TIM SEYMOUR, WHAS REPORTER (voice-over): It was a fiery demonstration in two Friday classes at Stuart Middle School in Louisville.
KORTNEY LOWE, SEVENTH GRADER: He would throw it in the garbage can real quick, and then catch the stick and stuff on fire.
SEYMOUR (on camera): What did you think about that?
LOWE: I thought it was crazy.
SEYMOUR (voice-over): A seventh grade teacher, apparently trying to spark his Social Studies students into writing a passionate paper on free speech, set fire to two U.S. flags.
MARY RITTER, PARENT: Fire is not a good idea, but, you know, if it gets them fired up -- you know, it takes a lot to get kids fired up.
SEYMOUR: This parent says his daughter was there.
PATRICK BISSIG, PARENT: Here is a teacher, someone that she's taught to respect, and here is the flag, something that she's also taught to respect, and here is this teacher who is burning and destroying something that she respects. It really confused her.
SEYMOUR: So, like some others, he when the to the school today looking for an explanation.
BISSIG: I'll be honest, I think I'm asking the same question that many other parents are asking, that I know the school administrators and students are asking and faculty. You know, what was this guy thinking?
SEYMOUR: The district says the teacher, Dan Holden, has been moved out of the school into a non-teaching position while administrators investigate.
LAUREN ROBERTS, JEFFERSON CO. PUBLIC SCHOOLS: The issue is the possible endangerment of children by having an open flame in the classroom. That is definitely a safety issue. And then also the issue of the actual burning of a flag. And the symbolism of that is highly offensive to many people.
SEYMOUR: Tim Seymour, WHAS 11 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Mission accomplished. Well, almost. Katrina survivor Rockey Vacarella, with a duplicate of a FEMA trailer in tow, is pulling into the nation's capital today. He hauled it from southern Louisiana to Washington, and attracted plenty of attention along the way about the slow pace of storm recovery. Vacarella still has one thing on his to-do list: convince President Bush to sit down in the trailer for an old-fashioned Cajun dinner. Unfortunately for Vacarella , the president leaves Washington early this afternoon for Minnesota. But point made.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Well, you know, college kids are heading back to class, but deep in the heart of Texas, this is what you might hear: "Where's the party, dude?" "The Princeton Review" naming the University of Texas at Austin -- hook em', Horns -- this year's top party school. The Longhorns are followed by Penn State, West Virginia, the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the University of Mississippi. And the top stone cold sober schools: Brigham Young, Wheaton College, College of the Ozarks, Grove City College, and the U.S. Naval Academy.
All right. Want to let you know quickly, we are watching what's happening in Los Angeles. John Mark Karr is scheduled to go through an extradition hearing any minute in downtown Los Angeles, perhaps headed back soon to Boulder, Colorado. You'll see the latest here on CNN.
That's going to wrap up our hour. I'm Daryn Kagan. Keep watching CNN. YOUR WORLD TODAY is up next.
(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
