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CNN Sunday Morning
Is al Qaeda Responsible for Attacks in Madrid?; Who Is Marcus Wesson?
Aired March 14, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
It is March 14. Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
Want to let you know what's coming up this hour on the show. New claims that al Qaeda was behind the attacks in Spain, but are those claims legitimate? We'll have the latest on the investigation from Madrid.
And who is Marcus Wesson? Police believe he killed nine of his own children in a brutal mass murder. We'll have the latest details on that case.
The political unrest in Haiti has touched even the youngest citizens of that country. We'll talk with one woman who is looking out for Haiti's orphans.
But first, here's what's happening at this hour.
A bloody weekend for American soldiers in Iraq. Six killed by roadside bombs. The latest, 8.5 hours ago, a blast killed a 1st Infantry Division soldier in Baghdad. Earlier, three from the 1st Armored Division were killed in Baghdad, two from the 1st Infantry Division died in Tikrit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin heads for the voting booth, presumably to vote for himself. Putin is expected to win easily in today's presidential election, but he made a final appeal for a good turnout, hoping for a mandate during a new four year term as president. Russian's foreign minister warned Georgia today not to use force against the autonomous Adzhara region. The statement said, "in case of a crisis, responsibility will lie with the Georgian leadership."
In Gaza City, four Palestinian suspects in an attack last October that killed three Americans will be freed today. A Palestinian judge ordered them to be released during a secret military court hearing. The U.S. has offered a $5 million reward in the case.
A war protest and a memorial for all those killed in Iraq begins 5.5 hours from now with a march in Delaware from Camden to Dover Air Force Base. That base is where the bodies of those killed in Iraq returned to the U.S. From the base, the protesters will go by bus to Baltimore on what organizers call the trail of mourning and truth, scheduled to end tomorrow at the White House.
Authorities in Spain are grilling five suspects now in Thursday's commuter train bombings that killed 200 people. And they're analyzing videotape in which a man claims al Qaeda is responsible. The Basque separatist group ETA is still denying involvement.
Peace demonstrators were in the streets of Madrid this weekend protesting the bombings. And voting is underway today in Spain's national elections.
Details on all these developments now from CNN correspondent Diana Muriel, coming to us live from Madrid.
Diana, good morning.
DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, yes, Heidi. There's a steady stream of voters coming to this polling station in downtown Madrid. Of course today's election taking place against the backdrop of that continuing investigation into Thursday's bomb attack. A series of important developments occurred over this weekend.
First of all, the government -- the interior ministry has told us that they are detaining five people -- three Moroccans and two Spaniards of Indian origin. And they're talking to them, they're interviewing them about the contents of a backpack that did not explode, packed with explosives but did not explode. But also contained a mobile telephone. And they are investigating the connection between that and the bombings, of course, that took place on Thursday.
In addition, a videotape was recovered by police in Madrid. A telephone call received by a local media station. They were told that this was in a rubbish bin behind the central mosque here in Madrid. This tape, which had a Moroccan man speaking. He describes himself as a military spokesman for al Qaeda in Europe, coming from an organization called Abu Dujan al Afghani (ph).
He is speaking on this tape. Now we haven't heard this tape ourselves. We haven't seen this broadcast, but we understand that he says amongst other things that there will be more, referring to bombings, God willing.
The tape is now being given to a judge here in -- at the national court in Madrid. And this is all part of the ongoing investigation. We hope to have more details of that later on.
Now the election, as I say, is continuing today against this backdrop of the investigation. The outgoing head of Spain, Jose Maria Aznar, he's already voted amongst those who are heckling him, as has his successor, Mariano Rahoy (ph).
The head of the Socialists, though, has not yet voted. He is polling on a platform that includes, amongst other things, a pledge to bring back Spain's 1,300 troops who are in Iraq by the end of their mandate at the end of June -- Heidi? COLLINS: All right, Diana Muriel, thanks so much. We see quite a bit of activity happening there behind you, live from Madrid, this morning. Thanks so much.
A tribute in London this morning to the victims of the Madrid bombings. The Spanish national anthem was played during the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Spain's ambassador attended that ceremony.
We want to invite you to weigh in on our morning e-mail question today. Does the threat of terror make you think twice about traveling? You can send your e-mail to wam@cnn.com. Of course, we will read some of those responses throughout the morning.
Federal investigators head for Pittsburgh, where firefighters are mourning the loss of two of their own. They were killed yesterday. And 31 other firefighters were injured when the bell tower fell, as fire raced through the Ebenezer Baptist Church.
CNN correspondent Adaora Udoji is live now in Pittsburgh for the very latest on that.
Adaora, good morning.
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. It certainly is a sad day for the people here in Pittsburgh. The Ebenezer Baptist Church here is still smoldering. And that, of course, caused by the fire, which was devastating on many levels. As you mentioned, two veteran fire fighters were killed yesterday fighting the fire, the first death of firefighters in Pittsburgh in five years.
The two men were inside the historic church when the bell tower collapsed. 31 others were injured battling the fire. Seven serious enough, according to local papers, that they were hospitalized over night.
This church, 131 years old, is the oldest Ebenezer Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, and really a cornerstone of the black community. A congregation of 2500 people strong. Very active in the community, everything from bible study to alcoholic anonymous meetings.
At this point, there are reports in the local media that it may have been caused, the fire may have been caused by an electrical problem. Of course, they are still investigating. In fact, we've seen some firefighters here this morning.
And the church members were obviously praying for the families of the firefighters this weekend. A local church nearby here, the 7th Day Adventist Church, has opened their doors. And they will be celebrating the morning service there today -- Heidi?
COLLINS: All right, Adaora Udoji, thanks so much, live in Pittsburgh this morning.
Turning now to those mass killings in Fresno, California. The man suspected of killing nine of his own children is due in court this week. He's already charged with murder in the gruesome deaths and may face more charges.
And as the case unfolds, we're learning he had a peculiar lifestyle.
CNN's Miguel Marquez reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JERRY DYER, FRESNO POLICE CHIEF: This is obviously the worst mass murder case that we have had in the history of our city.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The worst mass murder police say caused by this man, Marcus Wesson. In response to a reporter asking if he was the killer, Wesson only expressed love.
MARCUS WESSON, MURDER SUSPECT: I love you.
MARQUEZ: Fresno's police chief says the murder scene was so grisly, police officers cried as the bodies of the children were bagged. Among the nine dead, Wesson's children and the grandchildren he fathered with his own daughters.
DYER: Our investigation has revealed, at least we've been told, that suspect Wesson is the father of two of his grandchildren, which means that there was a sexual relationship that occurred between he and perhaps two of his daughters.
MARQUEZ: Police believe Wesson had a polygamist relationship with several of the women he lived with. Police are also investigating the possibility that Wesson had a cult like following by his family. Chief Dyer also says there are so many dead, that almost his entire department is involved in the case.
DYER: In fact, this single incident has quadrupled the murder rate in our city in one night.
MARQUEZ: Frank Muno has known Wesson for several years. He claims the relationship between Wesson and the women was less than normal.
FRANK MUNO, WESSON BUSINESS ASSOCIATE: It was an odd relationship between them and -- for him and the women. He had complete control. They were the ones working and bringing in money. And he would tell them where -- how to spend it, where to transfer funds. And they just fell in line.
MARQUEZ: And as the day wore on, people who didn't even know the victims stopped by to pay their respects, a clear sign of how the murders have shaken even the city's youngest.
MAYA MOSS, 7 YEARS OLD: I was kind of sad that those kids had to die.
MARQUEZ: Wesson has been charged with nine counts of murder. Police say more charges are possible. And an arraignment is expected early next week.
Miguel Marquez, CNN, Fresno, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Neighbors and strangers alike are showing their support for the family of the nine people killed in the Fresno home. Many gathered in a makeshift memorial last night. They lit candles, prayed, cried, and sometimes just stood in silence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just want them to know that there's people out here that are saying a praying for them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that care.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that cares.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They care, you know? And that Fresno's a good town. Don't let this incident make it seem like our city's a bad place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Police say many people have offered to pay for the victims' funeral expenses.
Here now are some headlines happening across America. In Tennessee, a standoff between police and the teenage son of a prosecutor ends with a 16-year old boy apparently committing suicide.
The Loudon County Sheriff says the teen was found shot to death inside his house, 28 hours after the standoff began. He had apparently been dead for 20 hours. Authorities say the boy killed a sheriff's deputy and injured four other officers.
There's new information on a Utah mother accused of killing her unborn child by refusing a C-section. A Pittsburgh newspaper reports the woman was convicted of child endangerment nearly four years ago. The paper says the conviction stems from an incident where the woman punched her young daughter several times in the face.
Police in Texas searching for the person who shot and killed four people at a home in the Dallas suburb of McKinney. The victims were all shot in the head Friday night. Two of them were teammates on a high school football team.
The FBI looking into a new claim about where the body of teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa is located. An ex-teamster allegedly wrote a death bed confession, saying he picked up Hoffa's body from the killers in 1975 and took it to a Michigan trash incinerator. It says Hoffa was later cremated. The man's daughter says the letter is fake.
A new cast of characters is ready to entertain a new generation of kids. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We play a variety of music from Go-Go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go where? Where do you want me to go? I don't understand the hostility here, because I'm just trying to do an interview...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: We venture to Pancake Mountain a bit later on in the show. Going to tell you about that. And an uplifting report on a soldier's continuing desire to serve. The story how one woman's determination to make it back after a near fatal injury in Afghanistan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: An escort for Aristide, an American and Jamaican delegation is heading for the central African Republic to escort Jean Bertrand-Aristide to Jamaica. The ousted Haitian president flies to Jamaica tomorrow to be reunited with his daughters, who have been living in New York.
Despite the ouster of Haitian President Jean Bertrand-Aristide, Haiti is still in turmoil. And because of the violence and chaos, many kids waiting for adoption are stranded in orphanages that are running out of food and supplies.
On Monday, CNN told you the story of one Georgian family waiting for these adopted babies from Haiti. We decided to check if there's any progress since then.
So we have Susan Secor. She is with One World Adoption Services and joins us today to talk about that. So let's get right to it. Any progress? Why don't you remind us of the situation of that family first, and then tell us what the latest is?
SUSAN SECOR, ONE WORLD ADOPTION SERVICES: OK, currently, their paperwork is ready, but we cannot send it down right now because of what's going on down there. So -- and also, the office that handles the adoption in Haiti, they are -- they have actually reopened, but with limited staff. So there's not really a whole lot getting down right now, but...
(AUDIO GAP)
COLLINS: ...a little bit. We're looking at orphanages that are full and that are having trouble, obviously, with everything that we have been telling our viewers about over the past several weeks, are running out of food. They're running out of supplies.
SECOR: Right.
COLLINS: What is the most dire need there at this point? SECOR: The most dire need right now is really for their security. They are hoping that we'll send more Marines down there to help protect them. They also are running out of food and water, as you mentioned. And we're working to help them with that.
COLLINS: What are these orphanages able to do? We're looking at some of the violence and what happens in the streets of Haiti right now. I understand that you know of at least one orphanage that they do have a gun, and they are ready to do the best they can, I imagine, to protect these children?
SECOR: They have actually -- a lot of them, you know, just stay inside during the day. Most of the homes in Haiti have large walls built around them. And they're adding on three or four feet to those walls. They also add razor wire to the top and broken glass. So it makes it really difficult, if not impossible, to scale the walls to come in.
COLLINS: How many kids are we talking about here? Any way to know?
SECOR: The number of orphans?
COLLINS: Yes.
SECOR: Well, Haiti's a country of approximately eight million people. And two million of those are orphan children.
COLLINS: Wow.
SECOR: And four -- between four and five million of the population are actually children in Haiti. So there's more children than adults in Haiti.
So that's why the problem is so extreme down there.
COLLINS: Certainly. Before we let you go, Susan, tell us what can people do? I know it's not easy to just say, you know I am open enough to go and to adopt a child from Haiti. I would love to do that, because there is so much going on there right now, you can't just make that happen as we saw obvious with this couple right here in Georgia.
SECOR: Right.
COLLINS: What can people do to help?
SECOR: Well, if families aren't interested in adopting or they simply can't adopt, there's a lot that they can do. Number one, they can pray for these people. They really needed it this time. And our organization is accepting donations, not just financial help, but we accept donations of clothing, medical supplies, just anything that they can use.
And a lot of people, when they think about donating to us, can -- they just consider donating children's clothes. But we work with an outreach program down there, that reaches families in these villages. So men's clothing, women's clothing, shoes...
COLLINS: Any...
SECOR: Yes.
COLLINS: We are looking at your Web site now. One World Adoptions. Susan Secor, thanks so much for being with us today and shedding some light on this. We appreciate it.
SECOR: Thank you.
COLLINS: Well, it is a sad fact that U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have suffered many casualties as well. Most of those men and women are unknown to the larger public. But each of them has a story to tell.
CNN's Casey Wian brings us one of those stories from California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four years ago, Diane Gilliam was fresh from a failed relationship.
SPEC. DIANE GILLIAM, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: When that guy and I broke up, I wanted to get the hell out of Dodge.
WIAN: So Gilliam joined the National Guard, which angered her family.
ANITA COTOLI, DIANE'S MOTHER: It was different than her career plans had been, which were to become a schoolteacher. So I was kind of shocked.
WIAN: Gilliam trained in Army intelligence, and was sent to Afghanistan last August, where she interrogated Afghani prisoners.
GILLIAM: It was a wonderful experience for me, especially when we heard it like in the news, that you know, prisoners were being sent over to Guantanamo Bay. It's like, that's us.
WIAN: In November, the helicopter Gilliam and 12 others were traveling in suffered an engine failure.
GILLIAM: It's where you hear a pop, see some smoke and some sparks. And I thought we'd been shot. And according to a sergeant who was on the helicopter ahead of us, they saw us, and then they didn't see us. When I realized this was not going to be a hard landing. It was within seconds. I was like oh crap, we're going to crash.
WIAN: Looking at the wreckage, it's hard to believe anyone survived. Gilliam remembers a wall of flames and a brief sense of calm. She struggled to exit the inverted chopper.
GILLIAM: I looked to my right, as I'm walking out with a fire was. And there was a soldier on fire. And I'm looking at him, and he's screaming. And I can just see the flames coming up his face. And then I can see his mouth and his eyes, and he's just like oh, my God. He's like help me, help me, someone put the flames out.
WIAN: She and another soldier helped, but five others died. Now home, Gilliam endures physical therapy to recover from injuries to her neck, collarbone, ribs and knees. She also has post-traumatic disorder but wants to return to Afghanistan when she's recovered.
GILLIAM: The people of the country overall are really awesome.
WIAN: Her mom now embraces Gilliam's military service. And Diane still plans to be a teacher some day.
Casey Wian, CNN, Huntington Beach, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Good for her.
Well, the issue over gay rights and same sex marriage can be found just about everywhere these days, but even on a gold course? Why some members at one golf club say gay rights aren't up to par.
ROB MARCIANO, METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano on the CNN Weather Center. Good morning. Those of you who may have had a dry Saturday might see a wet Sunday. We'll go over the complete forecast. But Florida's looking good. Good morning, Jacksonville. WJXT is our affiliate out that way. Just a few little clouds and mostly fair weather. You're looking at warm weather today with the high in the '70s. It's currently 57. And more of CNN LIVE SUNDAY. It's coming in just a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Let's fast forward now to the week ahead. On Monday, European Union officials review an anti-trust case against Microsoft. Another hearing takes place one week later.
On Wednesday, the hearing will be held in California to determine whether a lawsuit against Firestone Tires will become a nationwide class action case. The suit accuses Firestone of using substandard materials to make several steel tex models.
And on Thursday, the U.N. Security Council debates a hot topic, the situation in the Middle East.
We want to go ahead and check in on weather now. Our Rob Marciano standing by to do that for us.
Good morning, Rob. How are things looking out there?
MARCIANO: Oh, things are OK. Big doings here at the CNN Weather -- CNN Center actually.
COLLINS: Yes?
MARCIANO: Well, your aunt's in town.
COLLINS: Well, of course she is.
MARCIANO: Yes.
COLLINS: Yes, so we want to make sure we have a Minnesota forecast, as usual.
MARCIANO: Well, we'll touch on them. I know she's down here for the big NASCAR race.
COLLINS: Right, right, right. Yes, maybe not.
MARCIANO: No, maybe not. Anyway, it was good to see her, good to see you, Heidi. NASCAR fans, Atlanta is going to be, I think, dry, although clouds will be increasing throughout the day today, as that race takes place later on this afternoon.
Minnesota, you're going to see some wind today. You saw a little bit of rain, snow and ice yesterday. Winds and temperatures will be in the 30s for you folks.
Again, the Texas and western parts of Louisiana, pretty much all of Louisiana, will be under the gun foreseeing some rain and thunderstorms today. Two systems, one splitting in half. This is the one that came through Minnesota yesterday. And it's going to bring wind to Chicago today, as most of that moisture begins to pull out.
Across the mid section of the country, we're really looking at dry weather. Another warm day expected. Yesterday in San Francisco, it was in the lower 70s. That's some nice weather. And then finally after a dry Saturday across the Pacific Northwest, we're looking at some wet weather arriving there later on today.
Dallas, south of Houston, an area of low pressure out here. Just kind of sitting there. So we're going to see the same storms kind of fired up as they did yesterday. Maybe a bit of a shift over towards Louisiana, eventually in through Mississippi. And then that's when it pretty much hits the breaks.
And then our northern half of this system, Memphis across I-40, towards Nashville and up towards Louisville, we're looking at some rainfall today. Parts of Ohio and northern parts of Indiana have seen a mixed bag of precipitation, mostly north of Lafayette and Indianapolis.
But most of Michigan is going to see some snow today. Probably one, two inches in spots, just north of Detroit especially. You can see a pretty strong band now moving across Lake Michigan.
Daytime highs today, check them out. 52 in St. Louis. You expect some rainfall. 70 in Atlanta. 43 degrees up in New York City and 43 in Boston. But Jacksonville, Florida, we showed you this shot earlier. And if you like warm weather, you'll like Jacksonville. WJXT, it's 57, a little cloudy, but a high of about 77 expected down that way -- Heidi? Was that enough detail for you in Minnesota? Or you needed probably a little bit more?
COLLINS: Yes, that's just fine.
MARCIANO: OK.
COLLINS: You know, in fact we have more detail. We have a shot of Aunt Nancy in the control room.
MARCIANO: Aunt Nancy!
COLLINS: Wave, wave. There she is.
MARCIANO: Very charming woman. Great to meet her before the show.
COLLINS: Yes, we love her. All right, thanks so much, Rob. We'll check back with you a little bit later on and probably Aunt Nancy, too.
All right, here's a quick update now of our top stories today. Pittsburgh firefighters are mourning two of their own this Sunday morning. Yesterday, the two were killed when a church bell tower collapsed on them as they battled the blaze at a historic church. 31 other firefighters were also injured.
In Spain, angry voters are going to the polls right now. This comes amid claims by some protesters that the ruling popular party may have withheld information on who was behind Thursday's terror attack. Demonstrators accused the government of blaming the Basque terror group ETA for political gain. The investigation is now focusing on al Qaeda.
A reminder to log in and weigh in on this morning's e-mail question, does the threat of terror make you think twice about travel? E-mail us at wam@cnn.com. We'll share some of your responses a little bit later on.
And the issue of gay rights is no game to some members of one golf club in Atlanta, Georgia. More on that when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.
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Marcus Wesson?>
Aired March 14, 2004 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
It is March 14. Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
Want to let you know what's coming up this hour on the show. New claims that al Qaeda was behind the attacks in Spain, but are those claims legitimate? We'll have the latest on the investigation from Madrid.
And who is Marcus Wesson? Police believe he killed nine of his own children in a brutal mass murder. We'll have the latest details on that case.
The political unrest in Haiti has touched even the youngest citizens of that country. We'll talk with one woman who is looking out for Haiti's orphans.
But first, here's what's happening at this hour.
A bloody weekend for American soldiers in Iraq. Six killed by roadside bombs. The latest, 8.5 hours ago, a blast killed a 1st Infantry Division soldier in Baghdad. Earlier, three from the 1st Armored Division were killed in Baghdad, two from the 1st Infantry Division died in Tikrit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin heads for the voting booth, presumably to vote for himself. Putin is expected to win easily in today's presidential election, but he made a final appeal for a good turnout, hoping for a mandate during a new four year term as president. Russian's foreign minister warned Georgia today not to use force against the autonomous Adzhara region. The statement said, "in case of a crisis, responsibility will lie with the Georgian leadership."
In Gaza City, four Palestinian suspects in an attack last October that killed three Americans will be freed today. A Palestinian judge ordered them to be released during a secret military court hearing. The U.S. has offered a $5 million reward in the case.
A war protest and a memorial for all those killed in Iraq begins 5.5 hours from now with a march in Delaware from Camden to Dover Air Force Base. That base is where the bodies of those killed in Iraq returned to the U.S. From the base, the protesters will go by bus to Baltimore on what organizers call the trail of mourning and truth, scheduled to end tomorrow at the White House.
Authorities in Spain are grilling five suspects now in Thursday's commuter train bombings that killed 200 people. And they're analyzing videotape in which a man claims al Qaeda is responsible. The Basque separatist group ETA is still denying involvement.
Peace demonstrators were in the streets of Madrid this weekend protesting the bombings. And voting is underway today in Spain's national elections.
Details on all these developments now from CNN correspondent Diana Muriel, coming to us live from Madrid.
Diana, good morning.
DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, yes, Heidi. There's a steady stream of voters coming to this polling station in downtown Madrid. Of course today's election taking place against the backdrop of that continuing investigation into Thursday's bomb attack. A series of important developments occurred over this weekend.
First of all, the government -- the interior ministry has told us that they are detaining five people -- three Moroccans and two Spaniards of Indian origin. And they're talking to them, they're interviewing them about the contents of a backpack that did not explode, packed with explosives but did not explode. But also contained a mobile telephone. And they are investigating the connection between that and the bombings, of course, that took place on Thursday.
In addition, a videotape was recovered by police in Madrid. A telephone call received by a local media station. They were told that this was in a rubbish bin behind the central mosque here in Madrid. This tape, which had a Moroccan man speaking. He describes himself as a military spokesman for al Qaeda in Europe, coming from an organization called Abu Dujan al Afghani (ph).
He is speaking on this tape. Now we haven't heard this tape ourselves. We haven't seen this broadcast, but we understand that he says amongst other things that there will be more, referring to bombings, God willing.
The tape is now being given to a judge here in -- at the national court in Madrid. And this is all part of the ongoing investigation. We hope to have more details of that later on.
Now the election, as I say, is continuing today against this backdrop of the investigation. The outgoing head of Spain, Jose Maria Aznar, he's already voted amongst those who are heckling him, as has his successor, Mariano Rahoy (ph).
The head of the Socialists, though, has not yet voted. He is polling on a platform that includes, amongst other things, a pledge to bring back Spain's 1,300 troops who are in Iraq by the end of their mandate at the end of June -- Heidi? COLLINS: All right, Diana Muriel, thanks so much. We see quite a bit of activity happening there behind you, live from Madrid, this morning. Thanks so much.
A tribute in London this morning to the victims of the Madrid bombings. The Spanish national anthem was played during the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Spain's ambassador attended that ceremony.
We want to invite you to weigh in on our morning e-mail question today. Does the threat of terror make you think twice about traveling? You can send your e-mail to wam@cnn.com. Of course, we will read some of those responses throughout the morning.
Federal investigators head for Pittsburgh, where firefighters are mourning the loss of two of their own. They were killed yesterday. And 31 other firefighters were injured when the bell tower fell, as fire raced through the Ebenezer Baptist Church.
CNN correspondent Adaora Udoji is live now in Pittsburgh for the very latest on that.
Adaora, good morning.
ADAORA UDOJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi. It certainly is a sad day for the people here in Pittsburgh. The Ebenezer Baptist Church here is still smoldering. And that, of course, caused by the fire, which was devastating on many levels. As you mentioned, two veteran fire fighters were killed yesterday fighting the fire, the first death of firefighters in Pittsburgh in five years.
The two men were inside the historic church when the bell tower collapsed. 31 others were injured battling the fire. Seven serious enough, according to local papers, that they were hospitalized over night.
This church, 131 years old, is the oldest Ebenezer Baptist Church in Pittsburgh, and really a cornerstone of the black community. A congregation of 2500 people strong. Very active in the community, everything from bible study to alcoholic anonymous meetings.
At this point, there are reports in the local media that it may have been caused, the fire may have been caused by an electrical problem. Of course, they are still investigating. In fact, we've seen some firefighters here this morning.
And the church members were obviously praying for the families of the firefighters this weekend. A local church nearby here, the 7th Day Adventist Church, has opened their doors. And they will be celebrating the morning service there today -- Heidi?
COLLINS: All right, Adaora Udoji, thanks so much, live in Pittsburgh this morning.
Turning now to those mass killings in Fresno, California. The man suspected of killing nine of his own children is due in court this week. He's already charged with murder in the gruesome deaths and may face more charges.
And as the case unfolds, we're learning he had a peculiar lifestyle.
CNN's Miguel Marquez reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JERRY DYER, FRESNO POLICE CHIEF: This is obviously the worst mass murder case that we have had in the history of our city.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The worst mass murder police say caused by this man, Marcus Wesson. In response to a reporter asking if he was the killer, Wesson only expressed love.
MARCUS WESSON, MURDER SUSPECT: I love you.
MARQUEZ: Fresno's police chief says the murder scene was so grisly, police officers cried as the bodies of the children were bagged. Among the nine dead, Wesson's children and the grandchildren he fathered with his own daughters.
DYER: Our investigation has revealed, at least we've been told, that suspect Wesson is the father of two of his grandchildren, which means that there was a sexual relationship that occurred between he and perhaps two of his daughters.
MARQUEZ: Police believe Wesson had a polygamist relationship with several of the women he lived with. Police are also investigating the possibility that Wesson had a cult like following by his family. Chief Dyer also says there are so many dead, that almost his entire department is involved in the case.
DYER: In fact, this single incident has quadrupled the murder rate in our city in one night.
MARQUEZ: Frank Muno has known Wesson for several years. He claims the relationship between Wesson and the women was less than normal.
FRANK MUNO, WESSON BUSINESS ASSOCIATE: It was an odd relationship between them and -- for him and the women. He had complete control. They were the ones working and bringing in money. And he would tell them where -- how to spend it, where to transfer funds. And they just fell in line.
MARQUEZ: And as the day wore on, people who didn't even know the victims stopped by to pay their respects, a clear sign of how the murders have shaken even the city's youngest.
MAYA MOSS, 7 YEARS OLD: I was kind of sad that those kids had to die.
MARQUEZ: Wesson has been charged with nine counts of murder. Police say more charges are possible. And an arraignment is expected early next week.
Miguel Marquez, CNN, Fresno, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Neighbors and strangers alike are showing their support for the family of the nine people killed in the Fresno home. Many gathered in a makeshift memorial last night. They lit candles, prayed, cried, and sometimes just stood in silence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just want them to know that there's people out here that are saying a praying for them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that care.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that cares.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They care, you know? And that Fresno's a good town. Don't let this incident make it seem like our city's a bad place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Police say many people have offered to pay for the victims' funeral expenses.
Here now are some headlines happening across America. In Tennessee, a standoff between police and the teenage son of a prosecutor ends with a 16-year old boy apparently committing suicide.
The Loudon County Sheriff says the teen was found shot to death inside his house, 28 hours after the standoff began. He had apparently been dead for 20 hours. Authorities say the boy killed a sheriff's deputy and injured four other officers.
There's new information on a Utah mother accused of killing her unborn child by refusing a C-section. A Pittsburgh newspaper reports the woman was convicted of child endangerment nearly four years ago. The paper says the conviction stems from an incident where the woman punched her young daughter several times in the face.
Police in Texas searching for the person who shot and killed four people at a home in the Dallas suburb of McKinney. The victims were all shot in the head Friday night. Two of them were teammates on a high school football team.
The FBI looking into a new claim about where the body of teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa is located. An ex-teamster allegedly wrote a death bed confession, saying he picked up Hoffa's body from the killers in 1975 and took it to a Michigan trash incinerator. It says Hoffa was later cremated. The man's daughter says the letter is fake.
A new cast of characters is ready to entertain a new generation of kids. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We play a variety of music from Go-Go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go where? Where do you want me to go? I don't understand the hostility here, because I'm just trying to do an interview...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: We venture to Pancake Mountain a bit later on in the show. Going to tell you about that. And an uplifting report on a soldier's continuing desire to serve. The story how one woman's determination to make it back after a near fatal injury in Afghanistan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: An escort for Aristide, an American and Jamaican delegation is heading for the central African Republic to escort Jean Bertrand-Aristide to Jamaica. The ousted Haitian president flies to Jamaica tomorrow to be reunited with his daughters, who have been living in New York.
Despite the ouster of Haitian President Jean Bertrand-Aristide, Haiti is still in turmoil. And because of the violence and chaos, many kids waiting for adoption are stranded in orphanages that are running out of food and supplies.
On Monday, CNN told you the story of one Georgian family waiting for these adopted babies from Haiti. We decided to check if there's any progress since then.
So we have Susan Secor. She is with One World Adoption Services and joins us today to talk about that. So let's get right to it. Any progress? Why don't you remind us of the situation of that family first, and then tell us what the latest is?
SUSAN SECOR, ONE WORLD ADOPTION SERVICES: OK, currently, their paperwork is ready, but we cannot send it down right now because of what's going on down there. So -- and also, the office that handles the adoption in Haiti, they are -- they have actually reopened, but with limited staff. So there's not really a whole lot getting down right now, but...
(AUDIO GAP)
COLLINS: ...a little bit. We're looking at orphanages that are full and that are having trouble, obviously, with everything that we have been telling our viewers about over the past several weeks, are running out of food. They're running out of supplies.
SECOR: Right.
COLLINS: What is the most dire need there at this point? SECOR: The most dire need right now is really for their security. They are hoping that we'll send more Marines down there to help protect them. They also are running out of food and water, as you mentioned. And we're working to help them with that.
COLLINS: What are these orphanages able to do? We're looking at some of the violence and what happens in the streets of Haiti right now. I understand that you know of at least one orphanage that they do have a gun, and they are ready to do the best they can, I imagine, to protect these children?
SECOR: They have actually -- a lot of them, you know, just stay inside during the day. Most of the homes in Haiti have large walls built around them. And they're adding on three or four feet to those walls. They also add razor wire to the top and broken glass. So it makes it really difficult, if not impossible, to scale the walls to come in.
COLLINS: How many kids are we talking about here? Any way to know?
SECOR: The number of orphans?
COLLINS: Yes.
SECOR: Well, Haiti's a country of approximately eight million people. And two million of those are orphan children.
COLLINS: Wow.
SECOR: And four -- between four and five million of the population are actually children in Haiti. So there's more children than adults in Haiti.
So that's why the problem is so extreme down there.
COLLINS: Certainly. Before we let you go, Susan, tell us what can people do? I know it's not easy to just say, you know I am open enough to go and to adopt a child from Haiti. I would love to do that, because there is so much going on there right now, you can't just make that happen as we saw obvious with this couple right here in Georgia.
SECOR: Right.
COLLINS: What can people do to help?
SECOR: Well, if families aren't interested in adopting or they simply can't adopt, there's a lot that they can do. Number one, they can pray for these people. They really needed it this time. And our organization is accepting donations, not just financial help, but we accept donations of clothing, medical supplies, just anything that they can use.
And a lot of people, when they think about donating to us, can -- they just consider donating children's clothes. But we work with an outreach program down there, that reaches families in these villages. So men's clothing, women's clothing, shoes...
COLLINS: Any...
SECOR: Yes.
COLLINS: We are looking at your Web site now. One World Adoptions. Susan Secor, thanks so much for being with us today and shedding some light on this. We appreciate it.
SECOR: Thank you.
COLLINS: Well, it is a sad fact that U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have suffered many casualties as well. Most of those men and women are unknown to the larger public. But each of them has a story to tell.
CNN's Casey Wian brings us one of those stories from California.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four years ago, Diane Gilliam was fresh from a failed relationship.
SPEC. DIANE GILLIAM, ARMY NATIONAL GUARD: When that guy and I broke up, I wanted to get the hell out of Dodge.
WIAN: So Gilliam joined the National Guard, which angered her family.
ANITA COTOLI, DIANE'S MOTHER: It was different than her career plans had been, which were to become a schoolteacher. So I was kind of shocked.
WIAN: Gilliam trained in Army intelligence, and was sent to Afghanistan last August, where she interrogated Afghani prisoners.
GILLIAM: It was a wonderful experience for me, especially when we heard it like in the news, that you know, prisoners were being sent over to Guantanamo Bay. It's like, that's us.
WIAN: In November, the helicopter Gilliam and 12 others were traveling in suffered an engine failure.
GILLIAM: It's where you hear a pop, see some smoke and some sparks. And I thought we'd been shot. And according to a sergeant who was on the helicopter ahead of us, they saw us, and then they didn't see us. When I realized this was not going to be a hard landing. It was within seconds. I was like oh crap, we're going to crash.
WIAN: Looking at the wreckage, it's hard to believe anyone survived. Gilliam remembers a wall of flames and a brief sense of calm. She struggled to exit the inverted chopper.
GILLIAM: I looked to my right, as I'm walking out with a fire was. And there was a soldier on fire. And I'm looking at him, and he's screaming. And I can just see the flames coming up his face. And then I can see his mouth and his eyes, and he's just like oh, my God. He's like help me, help me, someone put the flames out.
WIAN: She and another soldier helped, but five others died. Now home, Gilliam endures physical therapy to recover from injuries to her neck, collarbone, ribs and knees. She also has post-traumatic disorder but wants to return to Afghanistan when she's recovered.
GILLIAM: The people of the country overall are really awesome.
WIAN: Her mom now embraces Gilliam's military service. And Diane still plans to be a teacher some day.
Casey Wian, CNN, Huntington Beach, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Good for her.
Well, the issue over gay rights and same sex marriage can be found just about everywhere these days, but even on a gold course? Why some members at one golf club say gay rights aren't up to par.
ROB MARCIANO, METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano on the CNN Weather Center. Good morning. Those of you who may have had a dry Saturday might see a wet Sunday. We'll go over the complete forecast. But Florida's looking good. Good morning, Jacksonville. WJXT is our affiliate out that way. Just a few little clouds and mostly fair weather. You're looking at warm weather today with the high in the '70s. It's currently 57. And more of CNN LIVE SUNDAY. It's coming in just a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Let's fast forward now to the week ahead. On Monday, European Union officials review an anti-trust case against Microsoft. Another hearing takes place one week later.
On Wednesday, the hearing will be held in California to determine whether a lawsuit against Firestone Tires will become a nationwide class action case. The suit accuses Firestone of using substandard materials to make several steel tex models.
And on Thursday, the U.N. Security Council debates a hot topic, the situation in the Middle East.
We want to go ahead and check in on weather now. Our Rob Marciano standing by to do that for us.
Good morning, Rob. How are things looking out there?
MARCIANO: Oh, things are OK. Big doings here at the CNN Weather -- CNN Center actually.
COLLINS: Yes?
MARCIANO: Well, your aunt's in town.
COLLINS: Well, of course she is.
MARCIANO: Yes.
COLLINS: Yes, so we want to make sure we have a Minnesota forecast, as usual.
MARCIANO: Well, we'll touch on them. I know she's down here for the big NASCAR race.
COLLINS: Right, right, right. Yes, maybe not.
MARCIANO: No, maybe not. Anyway, it was good to see her, good to see you, Heidi. NASCAR fans, Atlanta is going to be, I think, dry, although clouds will be increasing throughout the day today, as that race takes place later on this afternoon.
Minnesota, you're going to see some wind today. You saw a little bit of rain, snow and ice yesterday. Winds and temperatures will be in the 30s for you folks.
Again, the Texas and western parts of Louisiana, pretty much all of Louisiana, will be under the gun foreseeing some rain and thunderstorms today. Two systems, one splitting in half. This is the one that came through Minnesota yesterday. And it's going to bring wind to Chicago today, as most of that moisture begins to pull out.
Across the mid section of the country, we're really looking at dry weather. Another warm day expected. Yesterday in San Francisco, it was in the lower 70s. That's some nice weather. And then finally after a dry Saturday across the Pacific Northwest, we're looking at some wet weather arriving there later on today.
Dallas, south of Houston, an area of low pressure out here. Just kind of sitting there. So we're going to see the same storms kind of fired up as they did yesterday. Maybe a bit of a shift over towards Louisiana, eventually in through Mississippi. And then that's when it pretty much hits the breaks.
And then our northern half of this system, Memphis across I-40, towards Nashville and up towards Louisville, we're looking at some rainfall today. Parts of Ohio and northern parts of Indiana have seen a mixed bag of precipitation, mostly north of Lafayette and Indianapolis.
But most of Michigan is going to see some snow today. Probably one, two inches in spots, just north of Detroit especially. You can see a pretty strong band now moving across Lake Michigan.
Daytime highs today, check them out. 52 in St. Louis. You expect some rainfall. 70 in Atlanta. 43 degrees up in New York City and 43 in Boston. But Jacksonville, Florida, we showed you this shot earlier. And if you like warm weather, you'll like Jacksonville. WJXT, it's 57, a little cloudy, but a high of about 77 expected down that way -- Heidi? Was that enough detail for you in Minnesota? Or you needed probably a little bit more?
COLLINS: Yes, that's just fine.
MARCIANO: OK.
COLLINS: You know, in fact we have more detail. We have a shot of Aunt Nancy in the control room.
MARCIANO: Aunt Nancy!
COLLINS: Wave, wave. There she is.
MARCIANO: Very charming woman. Great to meet her before the show.
COLLINS: Yes, we love her. All right, thanks so much, Rob. We'll check back with you a little bit later on and probably Aunt Nancy, too.
All right, here's a quick update now of our top stories today. Pittsburgh firefighters are mourning two of their own this Sunday morning. Yesterday, the two were killed when a church bell tower collapsed on them as they battled the blaze at a historic church. 31 other firefighters were also injured.
In Spain, angry voters are going to the polls right now. This comes amid claims by some protesters that the ruling popular party may have withheld information on who was behind Thursday's terror attack. Demonstrators accused the government of blaming the Basque terror group ETA for political gain. The investigation is now focusing on al Qaeda.
A reminder to log in and weigh in on this morning's e-mail question, does the threat of terror make you think twice about travel? E-mail us at wam@cnn.com. We'll share some of your responses a little bit later on.
And the issue of gay rights is no game to some members of one golf club in Atlanta, Georgia. More on that when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.
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