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CNN Sunday Morning
John Mark Karr: Under Suspicion and En Route to the U.S.; Bloodbath in Baghdad
Aired August 20, 2006 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone.
"Now in the News," under suspicion and now en route back to the U.S. We are following new developments this morning in the JonBenet Ramsey case. Suspect John Mark Karr is on board a plane that will take him to Los Angeles. Our correspondent Drew Griffin is on the plane with Karr, and we'll hear from Drew in the hour.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: In Iraq, there was a horrible bloodbath today in Baghdad when gunmen and snipers fired on religious pilgrims walking to a Shiite shrine. Authorities tell CNN that at least 16 people were killed and nearly 300 wounded.
CNN's Michael Holmes will have a live report from Baghdad in just about seven minutes.
HARRIS: Fierce fighting in eastern Afghanistan. Three American soldiers are dead, another three wounded. The Kunar province is a critical area. American troops are hunting Taliban fighters there who are close to the al Qaeda network run by Osama bin Laden.
In the Middle East, new information into CNN just this past hour. Israel says Lebanese troops will not be permitted near the Israeli border unless they are accompanied by U.N. peacekeepers. Israeli ministers complained during the weekly cabinet meeting that Europe so far has not provided a "robust international force as was promised to Israel."
HARRIS: Peace mom Cindy Sheehan was among more than 50 protesters at a Texas event for Karl Rove chanting, "Try Rove for treason!." The group disrupted a reception in Austin, Texas, before President Bush spoke's top adviser at a fund-raiser there yesterday. Sheehan contends Rove planned the war that killed her son.
NGUYEN: Now to Reynolds Wolf for a quick check of the weather outside.
Good morning to you, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: And we do run down the top stories every 15 minutes right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines coming up at 9:15 Eastern. Well, good morning, everyone. It is Sunday August 20th, 9:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, 8:00 p.m. in Bangkok, Thailand, where John Mark Karr has already left the country, headed to the U.S.
Thanks for joining us today.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And good morning, everyone.
I'm Tony Harris.
Thank you for starting your day with us.
New developments unfolding this hour in the JonBenet Ramsey case. Right now suspect John Mark Karr is on a plane that will bring him back to the United States to face charges. Karr is due to arrive in Los Angeles tonight.
CNN's Stan Grant was at the airport in Bangkok, Thailand, when Karr arrived. He joins us now on the phone.
And Stan, if you would, walk us through this progression. Start us off wherever you please, and unravel for us this bizarre tale of John Mark Karr.
STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It has been a bizarre tale, Tony, hasn't it? The past few days, I mean, the world knew nothing of John Mark Karr. Now we've seen his face, we know his name. Many people already quick to make up their minds about his guilt or innocence on this as well.
But he arrived at the airport in Bangkok, stepped out of a police van, surrounded by police, and, of course, a hoard of media. Very reminiscent of those scenes earlier last week where he was paraded in front of the cameras and made that startling confession right then that he, in his words, loved JonBenet Ramsey, was there with her on the night she died, and he claimed that she died accidentally.
Well, he came among the media today and refused to answer any questions. He was hustled through as quickly as they could, fast- tracked through Customs, and then put aboard that plane that seats 21 we are told. The upper deck of the plane, of course, flanked by U.S. officials.
He'll be making that 15-hour journey direct to Los Angeles. There's still so many questions to be answered about this, trying to put him at the right place at the right time.
Could he have actually been there when JonBenet died? Will the physical evidence match? Will his handwriting match the ransom note? Will they be able to match up his DNA?
As I say, many people already making up their minds -- while I focus on passengers who are getting on board with him. Many of them were unaware that, in fact, he'd be making the flight. It's caused some shock and surprise. Some wanted to know why he wasn't wearing handcuffs. Many have said he is simply a sick individual -- Tony.
HARRIS: CNN's Stan Grant for us this morning.
Stan, appreciate it. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Well, first stop, Los Angeles. Eventual destination for John Mark Karr, Boulder, Colorado.
What lies ahead there for Karr in the case against him? That's a big question.
CNN's Peter Viles joins us live from Boulder with the latest.
I imagine people are waiting really anxiously to see John Mark Karr arrive there.
PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, very high sense of anticipation here. This is really a mystery man. Very little, of course, is known about him.
Now, the sheriff here in Boulder is quoted in one of the local papers today saying he thinks it's going to be a couple of days before John Karr actually shows up here in Boulder, but really a mystery man here. And what we've learned about John Karr in the past couple of days, we know that he lived in Alabama, we know that he lived in California. We've learned something about his behavior in Thailand, but almost nothing about his connection to Boulder.
And that's why it's very interesting in this community. Only one person has come forward and said "Yes, I know John Karr. I met that guy. I remember him." But there is a catch.
This one person, who is a freelance writer named Michael Sandrock, says he met John Karr in Paris four summers ago. Now, that said, he says immediately on meeting him -- or soon after meeting him it became clear to him that John Karr was obsessed with the JonBenet Ramsey case.
Here's some of Michael Sandrock's recollections of meeting John Karr in Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL SANDROCK, FREELANCE WRITER: He asked me my opinion of it, and I said that, you know, some people think the parents did it, some people think there was an intruder. And he asked me what I thought. I said, "Well, I really don't have an opinion either way." And when I said something about the intruder, he kind of smiled a little bit.
And I just started getting an uncomfortable feeling because it was just a little bit too much. And at the time I was reading -- I always take a book with me to Paris -- to Europe if I go on a long trip, and I had "The Brothers Karamasov," and I just remember thinking -- I said, this is -- this is straight from the Dostoevsky novel, because when I was talking to him, I always got the feeling that there was something else that he was ready to talk to me about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VILES: We don't know what that something else is or if, in fact, there was something else he was ready to talk about. But this freelance writer did play a key role.
When he met Karr in Paris, he connected Karr to a professor here in Boulder named Michael Tracey. Michael Tracey has written extensively about the Ramsey case and has produced some documentary movies about the Ramsey case.
That started this e-mail relationship between the professor here in Boulder and John Karr. And that e-mail relationship eventually got to the point where the professor wasn't comfortable with it anymore, he started to think there might be something wrong with John Karr, brought his -- brought Karr to the attention of law enforcement, and that's how we got to where we are.
That investigation led to the arrest in Thailand, and that's what's bringing him here. But the connection we know about now between Karr in Boulder is just that one connection, an e-mail connection between Karr and this professor here in Boulder -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, I want to ask you about that, because it's very interesting. There are a lot of questions. So -- many more questions than there are answers, but let's get back to that Professor Tracey.
Are any questions being directed at him? I mean, how -- how are locals reacting to that?
VILES: Oh, yes. Well, you know, he's been in the media a lot since this case broke, and he's actually -- there's this story in the paper today that he's again criticizing the media. He's sort of made his reputation by criticizing the media's handling of the case over the years. Specifically, he has said the media has been unfair to the Ramsey family, and a lot of his work has been aimed at clearing the Ramsey family.
So, again, he is in the media and he's being critical of the role that the media is playing over time. He says there's just too much attention on this case and over the years that's been unfair to the Ramsey family. But he's a known figure here, and he's very heavily -- very closely connected to this case because he has sort of made it his work to study this case and study the way the media has covered it.
NGUYEN: Which is interesting in itself. We'll be talking with another journalist from the Boulder area who will give us a little more insight to this professor.
Thank you so much for that, Peter. We'll join you a little bit later.
VILES: You're welcome.
NGUYEN: And we do have an interesting interview coming up, as mentioned, right after 9:30 Eastern, 7:30 Mountain Time. Colorado journalist and blog editor Travis Henry, he's been tracking this case for more than six years. We'll have his thoughts on John Mark Karr and all the information on this case that's out there on the blogosphere.
And what to give you this programming note, too. Larry King will have an exclusive interview with the Ramsey family attorney, Lin Wood, and the Colorado professor who we just spoke about who led police to Karr. That is Monday at 9:00 Eastern.
HARRIS: Gunfire rocks Baghdad today as gunmen open fire on a Shiite religious procession. Hundreds are wounded. At least 16 are dead.
CNN's Michael Holmes is live in Baghdad with an update now on yet another violent day -- Michael.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Tony.
Yes, that's right, I can update that death toll for you. It is now up to 20 dead. More than 300 have been wounded in a day of violence. A variety of shooting attacks right around the capital here in Baghdad.
Now, these victims were largely Shia pilgrims. Hundreds of thousands of them were here to commemorate the death of a revered man in Shiite Islam, Musa al-Kadhim, the 7th Imam.
Now, violence was expected. Security has been really tight, and it has included, we've seen today, Shia militiamen. There's been a total vehicle ban in effect, anything on wheels, right up to bicycles, or those pony or donkey-drawn carts around the streets.
It didn't stop the gunmen, however. Many of them launching attacks from rooftops on mourners, and also on security forces.
As I said, Tony, we had expected something to happen, and that's why security was out in force, but it didn't stop another bloody day in the capital -- Tony.
HARRIS: Michael, how do we explain this? As you mentioned, security is very high. You describe it as a day of violence. It almost sounds like a deployment of snipers in and around Baghdad to carry out this violence.
HOLMES: Yes. And this happened, I should point out -- it wasn't in one place. This happened in six places or more along the route that these marchers took, which is a route of several kilometers.
Organized, yes, but that is the mark of the insurgency. Very -- a lot of these insurgents are not ragtag militias. They know what they're doing, and get themselves in place. Perhaps as surprising, they were able to access rooftops when there was clearly helicopter surveillance of the area. But perhaps they were in hiding and came out when they had to do their job. But certainly very organized elements of this insurgency, Tony. They're not just running around willy-nilly, firing opportunistically. They're organized.
HARRIS: OK. CNN's Michael Holmes for us live in Baghdad.
Michael, thank you.
NGUYEN: Well, betraying your fellow troops or doing what is morally right? That is the choice this soldier had to make, but his decision forced him to go into hiding. We'll tell you why ahead.
HARRIS: Plus, we're continuing to follow developments in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. Ahead, we will speak with a Colorado journalist who has covered the case for six years.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: "Now in the News," the suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey case making his way back to the U.S. this morning. John Mark Karr is on board a plane that will take him from Bangkok, Thailand, to Los Angeles.
And our correspondent Drew Griffin is also on that flight. He'll be checking in throughout the day.
HARRIS: In Iraq, a religious procession today in Baghdad turned into a bloodbath. Look at these pictures. This happened when gunmen and snipers fired on crowds in at least six different locations around the capital. Authorities tell CNN that 20 people were killed and nearly 300 wounded in the attacks.
NGUYEN: In the Middle East, a new development in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel now says that Lebanese troops will not be permitted near the Israeli border unless they are accompanied U.N. peacekeepers. Israel is accused of violating its truce with Hezbollah because of a commando raid yesterday in the Bekaa Valley.
HARRIS: Iraq rattles its sabers and missiles. State-run TV reports Iran test-fired 10 short-range missiles during large-scale war games. The surface-to-surface missiles have a range of up to 150 miles. With wars in neighboring countries, Tehran says the military exercises are just to ensure its defense capability.
NGUYEN: And listen to this. This country's first boomer president is the big 60, and despite the smile, he is not happy about it. Bill Clinton turned 60 yesterday and says even though 60 is considered the new 40, he hates it.
HARRIS: What's the alternative?
NGUYEN: I don't know.
HARRIS: Yes. We run down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines is coming up at 9:30 Eastern Time.
NGUYEN: Well, nobody's hating Reynolds Wolf...
HARRIS: No.
NGUYEN: ... except unless you live in Texas, maybe, Reynolds. But it's not your fault.
HARRIS: And you can't hate the messenger.
NGUYEN: That's true, but you've got to be angry at somebody.
WOLF: I know. I mean, I have no control over that.
HARRIS: Right. There you go.
WOLF: I have no control over the heat they've been getting in Texas.
NGUYEN: Love the disclaimer.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: All right, Reynolds.
HARRIS: And still ahead, a traitor and a whistleblower. Joe Darby says he's been called worse. He says he was just doing the right thing when he revealed a painful chapter in the Iraq war. That story in about 30 minutes.
NGUYEN: And breaking barriers in Afghanistan -- a special music school for women. We are going global right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, we want to show you the very first still photograph. This is, as you know, John Mark Karr on this flight, Thai Air, from Bangkok, Thailand, back to Los Angeles, California, taken a short time ago. Again, this is a photo from The Associated Press. Don't know who this person is who is standing kind of above him there.
We do know that there are Homeland Security officials on board with him. as well as CNN's Drew Griffin. We understand...
NGUYEN: Who is just sitting a few seats behind him on this 15- hour flight from Bangkok to Los Angeles.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: And, you know, this is just the culmination, this shot right here, of what was really a bizarre scene at the airport earlier today when he was just pretty much paraded out through the terminals and sat there right at the terminal like anybody else ready to get on this flight. Now he has boarded this Thai Airline flight headed to Los Angeles, 15 hours. He should get there late tonight, and then eventually he will be sent to Boulder, Colorado, to face authorities there.
We'll keep you posted with the latest on John Mark Karr's arrival in the U.S.
Going global now. Let's turn things over to our international desk.
HARRIS: Brenda Bernard joins us, previewing a new trial for Saddam Hussein -- Brenda.
BRENDA BERNARD, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Thanks, Tony.
You can imagine there will probably be some more courtroom drama. Saddam Hussein's new trial begins tomorrow. This time the ousted Iraqi leader faces genocide charges that stems from a 1980s ethnic cleansing campaign dubbed "Operation Anfal," when Iraqi forces allegedly killed 100,000 Kurds.
As you know, Saddam Hussein is awaiting a verdict in his first trial in which he's charged with the deaths of 148 Shiite villagers from Dujail after an attempt on his life. That verdict is expected in October, and the former dictator could get the death penalty.
Fires and frustration in Nepal. Protesters brought traffic to a halt in Kathmandu for the second straight day today. They're angry about a hike in petroleum prices. Everything from gas to cooking oil went up 11 to 25 percent, igniting the protest. The government plans to hold talks this evening with the oil company and gas dealers in hopes of getting those prices back down.
And check this out: Afghanistan's first women-only music school. Take a listen to it.
Well, just a few years ago, music was banned by the Taliban and females were barred from schools and were only allowed to leave home with a male relative. So this school in Mazar-i- Sharif is a huge accomplishment.
Eighteen girls and women singing and playing modern and traditional instruments. The country's conservative Muslims are opposed to women singing. They say according to Islamic Sharia law, women's voices should not be heard by men.
NGUYEN: Well, you can hear the music. That's one thing.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
NGUYEN: And that, too, is a sign of progress in that area.
HARRIS: Yes.
BERNARD: Indeed.
NGUYEN: All right, Brenda. Thank you.
HARRIS: Intruder or someone in the family? A journalist and blog editor who's follow the JonBenet Ramsey case for six years has some theories, and we will speak to him in about, oh, five minutes.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It needed to be done, and it was the right thing that had to -- it had to be done.
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No matter what the consequences?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No matter what the consequences.
KAYE: For you or the military?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The soldier who blew the whistle on the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. His life, well, it has changed, and not for the better.
CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And good morning again, everyone.
"Now in the News," suspect in flight. Take a look at this. A new picture, actually a series of new pictures in to CNN from The Associated Press of John Mark Karr on this Thai Airline flight from Bangkok to Los Angeles.
As Betty mentioned a short time ago, it's a 15-hour flight. He is accompanied on this flight by at least two officials from the Department of Homeland Security.
CNN's Drew Griffin is on the flight with him as well. We believe he's flying business class. Drew is just a couple of rows behind and a seat over.
This is kind of the culmination, at least on this end of the trip, of what has been a bizarre day, when John Mark Karr was brought to the airport in Thailand, placed in the waiting area at the gate with the rest of the passengers waiting to board this flight, and he just sat there for about 10 to 15 minutes before he was taken on board, but once again, these are the latest pictures from the "Associated Press" of John Mark Karr on this Thai flight headed from Bangkok, Thailand, to Los Angeles and then he will be taken to Boulder, Colorado at some point in the future. We will continue to follow the latest developments and get Drew on the phone as soon as we can. In other news now... BETTY NGUYEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Well the pictures and the sound tell it all. In Iraq a religious procession, today, in Baghdad turned into a bloodbath when gunmen, snipers, fired on crowds in at least six different looks around the capital. We just received new casualty figures. Authorities tell CNN that 20 people were killed, and listen to this, more than 300 wounded in those attacks.
HARRIS: Fierce fighting in Eastern Afghanistan, three American soldiers are dead, another three wounded in a skirmish with the Taliban. The Kunar province is in an area near Pakistan where American troops are hunting Taliban and al Qaeda fighters.
NGUYEN: In the Middle East, a new development in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel now says that Lebanese troops will not be permitted near the Israeli border unless they are accompanied by U.N. peacekeepers. Lebanon accuses Israel of violating its truce with Hezbollah because of a commando raid yesterday in the Bekaa Valley.
HARRIS: It has been little more than a day since a huge storm did all this damage in Ellsworth County, Kansas. Man, take a look at this. People have their power back, thankfully, this morning, thankfully. The storm carried such force it ripped a roof from a store and dumped parts of it in a neighbor's yard. Let's get a check of the weather now. Where is that storm headed? Reynolds Wolf is in the Weather Center this morning.
Good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Fingers, toes, elbows, everything. Cross everything you can. All right, Wolf, thank you.
We will run down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your check of the headlines coming up at 9:45 Eastern Time.
NGUYEN: Cold case no more. After almost 10 years the JonBenet Ramsey murder case is back, center stage. Right now a suspect is on a plane somewhere over the Pacific. John Mark Karr, he left Bangkok, Thailand, last hour and will be on his way to Boulder, Colorado, after landing in Los Angeles late tonight.
Now journalist and blog editor, Travis Henry, has been following the JonBenet story for years, he joins us from Denver.
Good morning to you.
TRAVIS HENRY, JOURNALIST: Hi Betty. How are you?
NGUYEN: I'm doing great. Let me ask you this, you've been covering this story for six years. Did you ever suspect John Mark Karr, let alone the fact that he has confessed.
HENRY: No. I still suspect that this might be a cold case. Really? OK, well let's look at that. Let's look at John Mark Karr for just a minute, if you would. Do you think this is a guy who is obsessed with the Ramsey case and he's looking for attention?
HENRY: Think he has. From the evidence I've seen he's no different than the multiple people who have contacted me and multiple journalists and police officers and prosecutors in this case. You know, maybe there's evidence out there that going to prove different and I hope so.
NGUYEN: Well, OK, put yourself in the district attorney's shoes. Why would the district attorney go through all the effort to arrest and extradite him to the U.S. if there wasn't solid evidence?
HENRY: You know, this isn't anything new with this district attorney attorney's office. I've covered multiple cases, one of the biggest case sets C.U. recruiting scandal where they basically -- where Mary Lacy accused a football team, a football organization of providing drugs and alcohol to recruits and basically there was no evidence.
I covered another case in 2002 where they arrested a man named Jason Mook (ph) for sexually assaulting a young boy at a YMCA when there was no evidence including the DNA sample taken from the boy that did not match him.
NGUYEN: Well, this is such a high-profile case. John Mark Karr is being deported right now to the United States. Do you think that the D.A. should have maybe started with a different charge, maybe a child porn charged and then maybe looked into the connection with the Ramsey case. Would that been a safer move?
HENRY: I definitely think so. I think that they could have brought him back on the charges from California and then they could have investigated more. You know, I spent six years and I think my job was interpreting what Mary Keenan said, and what I heard from her press conference was don't hold your breath.
NGUYEN: OK, but you have said, recently on a blog, and I want to read it to you right now.
HENRY: OK.
NGUYEN: "I've covered this case for six years and the is evidence pretty strong that an intruder, and not a family member, killed JonBenet, but the theory was unpopular for a long time."
Why do you think an intruder, and I ask you this because John Mark Karr kind of fits that mold, if this was to be the case. As being an intruder coming in, he says he loved her very much and this was an accident and you know, on and on.
HENRY: He does. Two people they respect very highly and that's Trip DeMuth, and was the former lead prosecutor in the Ramsey case, and Steve Ainsworth, who was an investigator with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office. Both of those two men were removed early in the case because they supported the intruder theory. But I've seen them solve cold cases and I've seen them convict people in court and both of them supported the intruder theory and I've read the 93-page ruling by Judge Julie Carnes in Atlanta, which was the first kind of judicial analysis of the case, and it all points to an intruder. But it points to a violent intruder, not someone that loved JonBenet Ramsey. It points to violence.
NGUYEN: Well, but these e-mails. Let's look at those for just a success, too, because this Professor Michael Tracy at Colorado University, exchanged e-mails with Karr and what do you know about that? Does it talk about things that only Karr would know about this scene? Things that were not public knowledge?
HENRY: You know, I would be shocked if there is evidence in this case that isn't public knowledge. I have talked to people close to this case and there is very, very, very little that the public doesn't know about, at least some part of the public and especially people who cover this case, you know, from top to bottom. I don't think that there's much evidence out there that I don't know about.
NGUYEN: All right, Travis Henry, you had been following it for six years. Editor of Yourhub.com. Thanks for spending a little time with us today.
HENRY: Thank you.
HARRIS: All right, so we've just heard from Travis Henry about the Ramsey murder case. Nicole Lapin is here to tell us what else you can find online about this case at CNN.com.
Nicole, good morning.
NICOLE LAPIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. Well we keep learning more about the man suspected in this case and as we do we keep track of it online for you. Who is John Mark Karr? He's a 41-year-old father of three boys, but learn more about the former schoolteacher. He was married and divorced twice and now his former wives are chiming in on what Karr is really like. And we've heard a lot about it lately. Karr said, quote, "I loved JonBenet very much." But see what else he said to reporters.
You can watch this video, it's on CNN Pipeline and it's unedited for you. And go ahead and see what our partners over at "Time" magazine are reporting. They talk about Karr's life over in Thailand, saying for instance, the cost of living was very low for him over there. The apartment he was living at cost about 160 bucks a month. And you can trace his decade-old case and chime in with your thoughts and it's all, Tony, at CNN.com/ramseycase.
HARRIS: OK, that's a lot, right there at CNN.com. Nicole, appreciate it. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Thank you Nicole.
Well, he turned into the now famous -- or he turned these photos in to what we -- we should say infamous instead of famous -- Abu Ghraib pictures that we've seen come out of Iraq and later this man feared for his life because of it. Did he regret his decision of turning those photos in? Well have some "Soldier Story" ahead.
HARRIS: Plus Larry Smith is live at the PGA Championship. Larry, good morning.
LARRY SMITH, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you. That's right, just outside Chicago where Tiger Woods is tied going into the final round, a position from which he has never lost in a major. But what do his competitors think about Tiger and his position? Well, we'll tell you coming up when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: A tie at the top. Tiger Woods and Luke Donald both at 14 under par going into the final round of the PGA Championship -- oh, good stuff. CNN's Larry Smith is live in Medinah, Illinois, for us this morning.
And Larry, history says Tiger Woods with a share of the lead or with the outright lead wins, so you can book a flight and head on back home, right?
SMITH: Well, I'll tell you what, you would think so anyway, right? But there is a reason they game -- he is 11 for 11 in that position, but you may be wondering what is Luke Donald -- as planes go overhead here, heading to O'Hare Airport not far way.
Luke Donald lives here in Chicago, you can argue that no PGAer has slept better this week, but at the same time you can't but wonder if maybe he tossed and turned just a little bit last night with Tiger Woods in perfect position to win his 12th major. Donald will be his playing partner. They're tied at 14 under, as you mentioned, teeing off at 2:50 Eastern Time today, in the final twosome. Woods has again, never lost when leading or tied for the lead after three rounds at a major. It's a daunting stat entering the final round, but his chief competition says so what?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEOFF OGILVY, GOLFER: He's not going to win them all. I mean, at one point he's going to not win one. You know? I mean, he's pretty special, but he's not unbeatable.
MIKE WEIR, GOLFER: To stand up to him, I don't -- you know, it's not boxing. You know, you got to go and just play your own game. So, I don't know what the other guys do, but I know what I need to do. I just play my own game.
SHAWN MICHEEL, GOLFER: It's going to take a low round, but you know, Tiger's playing flawless golf and he's going to be a tough man to catch.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SMITH: We heard the 2003 masters champion Mike Weir with the boxing reference there, and certainly Tiger in this position is much like Mike Tyson in his prime. He seems invincible, but will there be a Buster Douglas on the course today? We'll find out.
Luke Donald, here he is, 28 years old, he's from England. He was an arts major at Northwestern and a very avid painter. So we wonder now what his canvas will look like once he gets done painting this, his final round, at the PGA Championship. Once again, the final major of the year, Woods and Donald tied at 14 under par. Tony, back to you.
HARRIS: Well, it won't be a smiley face. I will tell you that. He's going to get one today from Tiger. All right, Larry, appreciate it, thank you.
And good morning, everyone. "Now in the News," new developments and new pictures in the JonBenet Ramsey case. These are photos from the "Associated Press." The Ramsey suspect, John Mark Karr, is on the plane that took off within the hour from Bangkok, Thailand, headed to Los Angeles. We'll be checking in with correspondent Drew griffin who is on board that flight.
NGUYEN: In Iraq, a religious procession today in Baghdad turned into a shooting gallery. Look at these pictures where gunmen and rooftop snipers fired on crowds and at least six different locations around the capital. We now have new casualty figures. Authorities tell CNN that 20 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in these attacks.
HARRIS: Well, take a look at these pictures. In Turkey, a huge gas fire could be seen for miles. Man, authorities say Kurdish separatists militants blew up a section of the pipeline carrying natural gas from Iran. The separatist group, the Kurdistan Workers Party, has targeted gas pipelines in the past. Authorities say a security operation is underway to track down the terrorists.
NGUYEN: Iran shows off its military might during large-scale war games. The Iranian military test fires 10 short-range missiles. The weapons have a range of up to 150 miles citing wars on either side of its boards. Tehran says it's just ensuring Iran's defense capabilities.
HARRIS: Peace mom Cindy Sheehan was among more than 50 protesters at a Texas event for Karl Rove chanting "try Rove for treason." The group disrupted a reception in Austin, Texas, before President Bush's top advisers spoke at a fund-raiser yesterday. Sheehan contends Rove planned the war that killed her son.
We run down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines is coming up at the top of the hour.
NGUYEN: Well, the decision to do the right thing can sometimes go terribly wrong. That is exactly what happened to Joe Darby. He exposed what became the Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal only to find out that some people saw him as the bad guy.
CNN's Randi Kaye has his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Growing up near the Appalachian Mountains, Joe Darby dreamed of a career in forestry, so he joined the military to help pay for college, eventually, as an Army Reservists, he landed at Iraq's Abu Ghraib Prison.
(on camera): What was it like working there?
SPC. JOSEPH M. DARBY, U.S. ARMY RESERVES: Nerve-racking at times because we were constantly under mortar fire. We lived for, the most part, in prison cells.
KAYE (voice-over): It would get bad. It would get worse in ways Darby never imagined.
DARBY: The first picture that was opened up was the picture of the pyramid of Iraqis -- naked male Iraqis. And you know, at first I found it amusing, but it was more out of shock because, you know, it was something you think a fraternity would do as college and then as I started to get more into flipping through more photos I realized, you know, exactly what I was looking at.
KAYE (on camera): What did you think?
DARBY: Didn't know what to think.
KAYE (voice-over): Or what to do. The pictures, more than 100 on a CD, had been given to him by this man, Specialist Charles Graner. Graner is now serving 10 years for his part in the now infamous prison abuse. Darby had asked him for travel photos on.
DARBY: Think the picture that bothered me the most was the picture you see on the Internet and TV of the male Iraqi standing with the other male Iraqi kneeling in front of him with the sandbags over their heads.
KAYE: For weeks he struggled, should he blow the whistle? Should he turn in the photos? Darby decided he should, anonymously.
(on camera): So what in the made you decide to hand them over.
DARBY: Ultimately, it was just the right -- it needed to be done and it was the right thing that had to be done.
KAYE: No matter what the consequences.
DARBY: No matter what the consequences.
Kaye: For you or the military.
DARBY: Yes.
KAYE (on camera): The suspects were all told they were under investigation, but all remained there working with Darby.
DARBY: They had their weapons. They slept in the same compound I did and they were trying to find out who turned them in and, you know, for that four to six weeks I lived in fear, worried that they would figure out it was me. I slept with a loaded weapon under my pillow until they left.
KAYE: Darby had special worries about Graner. He members a picture Graner showed him of a prisoner handcuffed to a cell.
DARBY: There was water on the floor, and Graner looked at me and he says, "The Christian of me know it's wrong, but the corrections officer in me can't help but love to make a grown man piss himself."
KAYE: Then without warning, Darby was suddenly outed. He was in the mess hall watching as the world heard the news.
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: There are many who did their duty professionally and we should mention that as well. First Specialist Joseph Darby who alerted the appropriate authorities that abuses were occurring.
KAYE: Though proud of himself, others in the military, and even in his own family called him a traitor, a rat, a whistleblower. He started getting hate mail. He and his family got threats, fearing for her safety, his wife called the Pentagon for protection.
(on camera): Are you a traitor?
DARBY: No.
KAYE: Do you see yourself as a rat?
DARBY: No.
KAYE (voice-over): Back in the states, Darby and his wife had to move. They entered military protective custody.
KAYE (on camera): How do you feel about being called a whistleblower?
DARBY: I don't like the name, the tag that much. I view it as I was a soldier and I was an M.P. and I was just doing my job and it was the right thing to do. They violated the law.
KAYE (voice-over): But now they can't anyone where they live or who they work for.
Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And that story comes to us from ANDERSON COOPER 360. You can join AC-360 weeknights at 10:00 Eastern.
HARRIS: Hey, take a look at these pictures, of massive flooding in Alaska. A main highway and rail line forced to close. The full story and a detailed look at your weather with Reynolds Wolf coming up on CNN SUNDAY MORNING in about five minutes. We'll be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New York's transit system is enough to make even a city native's head spin.
CHINEDU ECHERUO, FOUNDER HOPSTOP.COM: I was sitting on a subway headed from Brooklyn to Manhattan and I thinking that there has to be a way to leverage technology to solve this problem.
SIEBERG: So in 2001, hitch a route founded Echeruo founded HopStop.com. It's a free web site offering step by step instructions on how to get from point A, to point B in the Big Apple via subway, bus, or your own two feet. And for those on the go.
ECHERUO: You can text message directions from the web site directly to your cell phone, you don't actually have to carry around a piece of paper.
SIEBERG: Now, with HopStop Mobile, you can request directions via text message or even a phone call.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK. If you're planning to travel between anchorage and Fairbanks today you may want to rethink that. Check it out, the main highway and rail line are shut down because of flooding and mudslides. If you absolutely have to get on the road out that way, well, it is best to pack a little patience. The traffic diversion between Anchorage and Fairbanks adds about 75 miles to the 362-mile trip. Woo, that's a lot of time. Any let-up in sight any time soon? We'll then we have to go to our two meteorologists on staff.
HARRIS: That's right.
NGUYEN: Tony Harris and Reynolds Wolf.
HARRIS: There is no reason for me to be here other than I just wanted to stretch my legs, get up and walk around, and say hello to Reynolds, so, I've done that.
WOLF: But He makes the set look better, doesn't he? Just by being here?
HARRIS: That's all I wanted to do.
WOLF: There he goes, folks, the bright sunshine of Tony. No question.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WOLF: Tony, I miss you. You should be back here again. NGUYEN: Yeah, I know. Look who's back.
HARRIS: He's a tall man.
NGUYEN: So are you.
WOLF: Betty, your turn next time.
NGUYEN: All right, I'll come visit.
WOLF: Open invitation.
NGUYEN: OK. RELIABLE SOURCES is next followed by LATE EDITION and THE WEEK AT WAR, so don't go away.
HARRIS: And Fredricka Whitfield will be with you all morning with live news updates. Have a great Sunday.
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