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CNN Sunday Morning
Dramatic Rescue After Barge/Boat Collision; Wildfires Near Los Angeles
Aired October 21, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of a sudden a hand came down and grabbed me on my shoulder, which I certainly wasn't expecting under water in the dark.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: A dramatic rescue after a barge and a boat collide in the waters off Manhattan. We have a live report, that is straight ahead.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Also in California fast-moving wildfire whipped by Santa Ana winds near Los Angeles. We'll get an update from the frontlines.
Also, we've this for you:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were rock climbing, and we got to the peak, and I tripped...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Tripped and injured herself. Fortunately for her, though, a scout troop comes to the rescue. You have to hear this story.
From the CNN Center right here in Atlanta, bringing you the news from all around the world. Good morning everybody on this Sunday. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hello everybody, I'm T.J. Holmes. It is Sunday, October the 24. Let's get you caught up.
NGUYEN: Yeah, we are bringing you more news in the morning, so here are some of the "Quick Hits" for you.
An amazing rescue in the cold waters just outside New York harbor, two people were found alive after the boat capsized and was run over by a dredging barge. Now, one of them surviving in an under water air pocket, two other people died in the collision. We're going to have much more on this story coming up. HOLMES: Also, a military offensive has been launched into Baghdad's Sadr City. U.S. military saying 49 criminals were killed in the raid. Iraqi officials claim some civilians are among the dead.
NGUYEN: And in southern Turkey, escalating attacks this morning. Look at this, Turkish soldiers killing as many as 23 Kurdish rebels. They're retaliating to earlier rebel attacks that killed Turkish soldiers.
HOLMES: And now to the story that everybody in the Southeast seems to be talking about, running out of water in the Southeast. The drought in several states is so extreme some cities and counties are taking extreme conservation matters. Look at these pictures, here, shows this growing crisis that's going on, so many areas just drying up.
NGUYEN: All right, we go to the pictures of this map, right now, because the bright red shows extreme drought. The deep red, you see it right there, that indicates beyond extreme. Outdoor watering bans are becoming the norm.
HOLMES: Give you another perspective here, as well of just how big this thing is. Side by side, two view of Lake Lanier, north of Atlanta. Which one would you prefer to be on? The one on the left, that was taken six years ago. It shows you how the lake looks like in normal year. The one on the right shows you Lake Lanier now. And Georgia's governor, Sonny Perdue, well, he's a bit upset about it.
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GOV SONNY PERDUE (R), GEORGIA: The actions of the Corps of Engineers and the Fish and Wildlife Services are not only irresponsible, I believe they're downright dangerous, and Georgia cannot stand for this negligence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Negligence, some pretty strong words, and we're going to follow up on those words now, with Georgia's governor, Sonny Perdue, here with us this morning.
Sir, thank you for being here. Those words there, "downright dangerous" from the Corps. Do you really believe -- how is it possible, I guess, that they could knowingly be putting the lives of people in danger? You think what's going on? They know and they're still not doing anything about it?
PERDUE: Well, I don't know if they know or not, but we want to make them aware. Obviously it's a dangerous precedent, and in the Endangered Species Act I don't think that the public or Congress expected that the rights of animals would be put above humans, and the bureaucratic snarl that's taking place between the Corps, who manages the reservoir, and the Fish and Wildlife is just unconscionable.
HOLMES: Help people to understand here. This Endangered Species Act you're talking about requires them, federal law says that so much water has to go downstream to help these endangered species, mussels and sturgeon I believe it is. Now, somebody hears that, wait -- water is going to mussels and sturgeon, why isn't it staying here for people who need it? So, isn't the Corps -- aren't their hands pretty much tied? They have to follow federal law.
PERDUE: We been dealing with the Corp for months now on this issue, as well as Fish and Wildlife, and we get conflicting stories from them. And that's a problem. I mean, we can deal with disasters, but these manmade bureaucratic disasters are extremely frustrating. That's why I've declared a disaster in order to ask the president to unsnarl this bureaucratic mess.
HOLMES: How's that work? How's that going so far? Because things are still slow, we haven't heard anything about relief just yet.
PERDUE: Well yeah, and I just asked this yesterday. I will be talking with the White House this next week and I think it is under consideration. Hopefully they will understand that the rights of people are at least as equal to animals and I would think most people think we're superior.
HOLMES: Do you think more water than is required is going from Lake Lanier downstream like you said, to the -- and some of the water also going to power plants in Florida as well, but do you think more water than is necessary to the plants and to those endangers species is going or just the required amount?
PERDUE: No doubt about it, T.J., more than twice as much as is need is going down there, that's the problem. If you look at other reservoirs in our state that are governed by utility companies, those are in much better shape than Lake Lanier and Lake Altoona, that's governed by the Corps. And because of the release of water unnecessarily downstream in order to remain outdated standards that are not based on science.
HOLMES: So, right now, there's just a disagreement, because obviously -- and then also right now, the Corp -- officials are saying, you know what, it's not as dire as the Georgia officials would have you believe. I mean flat out saying there is not a crisis; they're not running out of water, there's plenty of drinking water. Even one official said if there was no rain for nine months straight, there would still be enough drinking water for folks. So, how can there be such a disagreement between you and the Corps?
PERDUE: T.J., I'm telling you, we were using the same numbers up until Wednesday of this past week when we gave them a deadline to respond and we went to court on Friday. We and the Corps, REPD and the Corps, have been using the same numbers. Once we went public on this, they discovered other water that is just mysteriously there.
HOLMES: Well, help people understand as well, we've been hearing three-month supply left, that's something referred to as the "dead pool level." We're talking about within 80 days, that's the bottom of the conservation pool. Now, officials with the Corps are saying even when you get to that level, that doesn't mean the lake is dry. That doesn't mean the bottom of the lake. That just means that some of the water might not be -- it's not the best water. You know, more things in it, more things you need to clean out of it. It's not the best water, but still you've water. Is that the truth?
PERDUE: That's factually true, but also the fact is our intakes for water usage for drinking water is below -- is above that. It's in the conservation pool, not below in this dead pool. We don't usually and normally we have never been there before taking water out of this storage area that's at the bottom. You can imagine in a dirty cup for instance trying to drink the bottom dregs there. This is what it's like when we try to drain Lake Lanier to that point. And if these are the numbers that the Corps is using, I think that's unacceptable to the people of Georgia.
HOLMES: And never had to use that before. It is there, but we don't know what we're getting into when we get to that.
PERDUE: That's right.
HOLMES: All right, finally here, and we need to -- this is very important for people to hear because they hear the 80 days, we're running out of water, it's going to be dried up. What does it mean for Atlanta residents, for Georgia residents, when we hear that the water supply is going to dried up. Does that mean you're going to turn on your faucet one day and no water is going to come out? What exactly does that mean when you say, if we do get to that 88 point, the water's gone, what happens?
PERDUE: It doesn't necessarily mean that, but we have to continue to conserve with more restrictive measures as we go forward hoping and praying that we get rain. But then also we're willing to conserve, but it doesn't do any good to conserve if the Corps and the Fish and Wildlife still send more than twice the water needed down the stream and beyond that dam.
We can't conserve our way out of this if they don't cooperate. And that's what I'm asking the president to intervene so we can get some common sense decisions out of Fish and Wildlife and the Corps of Engineers.
HOLMES: All right and we want the people to know that the governor and his wife are doing their part to conserve at the mansion. Do you recommend that we all go the route that you all are going?
PERDUE: T.J., I didn't have any idea you'd say that.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Two people, one shower, just give it a shot. Is what the governor... Governor Perdue, sir, (INAUDIBLE) we can joke about some of the conservation stuff, but it is a drought, it is an absolute mess, but...
NGUYEN: I believe you're blushing there, governor.
PERDUE: Oh, I'm telling you what. NGUYEN: Now earlier you said you didn't have a problem saying it.
PERDUE: No problem at all.
NGUYEN: Hey, we got to do what we have to do, right?
PERDUE: That's right.
NGUYEN: T.J. hasn't showered in three days.
PERDUE: Everyone has to sacrifice.
HOLMES: All right, we appreciate it. That was your sacrifice...
NGUYEN: Exactly, (INAUDIBLE) sacrifice you're talking about?
HOLMES: Governor, thank you for coming by.
PERDUE: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Thank you.
Get to the New York now, a dramatic offshore rescue late last night. Two survivors were plucked from the water near the mouth of New York harbor after their 24-foot boat was run over by a barge. Two other people died in that collision. New York police divers and helicopters joined the Coast Guard search and it took around two hours to find the final survivor. Here's how the rescue diver described the startling discovery.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DET FRANCIS VITALI, N.Y. POLICE DIVER: A hand came down and grabbed me on my shoulder, which I certainly wasn't expecting under water in the dark. Hand moved up, and tried to pull me up on my head. At that point I realized, obviously, we got a live individual in here -- put my head up and realized that there was, in fact, an air pocket that was trapped inside the boat itself. Got up into the air pocket, came face to face with the gentleman. He was clearly very relieved to see me, but he was obviously in a state of panic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: An incredible story. Now, the other survivor was pulled out of the water just minutes after the accident by a passing party boat.
HOLMES: Also this morning, an incredible story of survival at sea. Lillian Ruth Simpson, lucky to be alive this morning. The 49- year-old woman was kayaking off Maui when strong winds flipped her over. She spent the next 19 hours stranded on the ocean with only an improvised flotation device. The charter fishing boat found her in the nick of time about a mile offshore.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP) JOSEPH CARVALHO, JR., STRIKE ZONE FISHING CHARTERS: I could tell it was a person, and I -- my first my first thought was that it was just a body until I got closer and she turned around and just kind of put her hand up to signal us. She was a little disoriented. She was happy, she was defiantly happy, just real weak, real thirsty, she was hungry. She just got lucky. Everybody was lucky that we were in the right place at the right time.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, that works sometimes. And when Simpson was pulled from the water, the boat crew says she could not even remember her own name.
NGUYEN: Listen to this, some crafty bank robbers in Tempe, Arizona. Police say three armed men followed a Wells Fargo bank manager home Thursday night, held her hostage for a while, and then drove back to the bank and then forced her to open the vault. They took the cash, no word how much. Now, the good news is the bank manager was not hurt.
HOLMES: Well, stay in Arizona here where a gun battle broke out in a quiet upscale Phoenix neighborhood. Police are now looking for a group of men they believe are responsible for this. Police say one person was killed another wounded, a lot of gunfire going around, certainly rattled the residents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRENT GILFORD, WITNESS: When I saw the person shooting. I was close enough that I could see the smoke come out of the end of the gun as they drove down the street. Since then I've learned that there was a person killed in the house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Police don't know much just yet, but they have ruled out a couple things, that the shooting was not random, also it was not drug-related.
NGUYEN: Well, here come those Santa Ana winds yet again, and California firefighters suit up for battle against a blaze that has torched 500 acres just overnight.
HOLMES: Plus this. A hiker takes a bad fall, but luckily her rescuers, always prepared.
Also, we'll have this story for you:
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
(INAUDIBLE)
CALLER: Oh my god, he's hitting my dog (screaming).
DISPATCHER: OK, stay on the line with me...Luis, Luis. (END AUDIO CLIP)
NGUYEN: He was home alone until a burglar stopped by. His frantic conversation with a 911 operator, that's ahead, right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A developing story right now that we've been updating all morning long. Strong Santa Ana winds are purring a wildfire just north of Los Angeles. Now, overnight the rural fire quadrupled in size. So, joining me now on the phone is Stanton Florea or the U.S. Forest Service. He's been keeping us updated on this fire as it progresses throughout the morning.
Last time we spoke, it was around 500 acres. Where is this fire at right now?
STANTON FLOREA, U.S. FOREST SERVICE: Well, the fire laid down over night. We did have high winds, but with the low temperatures the fire was a little more subdued overnight. It's continued to grow somewhat in size. It's going to get daylight and getting some aircraft over it to get a better assessment of exactly where the perimeter is.
NGUYEN: Are you going to be able to get those aircraft up? I know that the Santa Ana winds are gusting, sometimes up to 65 miles- per-hour.
FLOREA: We have, yeah, even in excess of that, in some -- the mountain passes. The terrain is very steep. Once it's light out, it depends on what the pilot's comfort level is. It's also, there's -- the water drops are a little less effective when the winds are high just because the water dissipates with high winds. Safety is just going to be our primary concern.
NGUYEN: Oh, absolutely.
FLOREA: We're trying to fight the fire on the ground using existing dozier line and engines and some of our hotshot crews.
NGUYEN: Yeah, you got about 200 people right now helping you, I'm sure that will grow. Now, talk to us a little bit about where this fire is traveling and if there are any structures or homes in the way.
FLOREA: The fire is about 60 miles north of Los Angeles on the Angeles National Forest, west of Interstate 5. It's a pretty rural, rugged area. Very close to the Ventura County line. If the fire continues to spread to the south and west driven by these high winds, it could threaten a couple of different communities.
NGUYEN: All right. But so far no injuries and no homes burned.
FLOREA: That's correct. We just had one outbuilding that burned last night. NGUYEN: All right. You definitely have a lot of work ahead of you today, but that fire just burning in many places out of control, some 500 acres already charred. Stanton Florea with the U.S. Park Service, thanks so much for your time.
FLOREA: Thank you.
HOLMES: And our Hillary Andrews is with us this weekend standing in for Reynolds Wolf.
And Hillary, the weather out there going to be helping or hurting for a while?
HILLARY ANDREWS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Tell you what, it's not going to help out those firefighters. We have high pressure in the intermountain west, and what's that's doing is creating a clockwise flow of air and literally accelerating the wind right through those passes and canyons. Whitaker Peak, I saw 108 mile-per-hour wind gust. Plus, as the wind goes down these mountain passes, you have a drop in height, in gravity, accelerates that as well, plus warms it up. So, these are very warm, strong winds, and we will not get a break until Tuesday night.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: OK, thank you Hillary.
HOLMES: Well, they are just teenagers, but they are already, at a young age, saving lives.
NGUYEN: Yes, this morning, a scout troop is being credited with saving the life of a Pennsylvania hiker who fell and injured herself. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANE SCHOLL, INJURED HIKER: We were rock climbing, and we got to the peak, and I tripped.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Yeah, she tripped, and when the troop found Jane Scholl she was bleeding, disoriented and couldn't walk. So, here's what they did, they carried her three miles to a rescue chopper and this next part, well it might just amaze you.
HOLMES: Yeah, they didn't just pick her up and throw her over their shoulder, you know? These guys didn't know how bad she was hurts, so they made a stretcher.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDREW SWARTZ, JR., EAGLE SCOUT: We laid two sticks out, and we put the two sticks through each of our sleeves and we just made it long enough for her body, and just laid her down on it, and we all picked her up and carried her down to where the chopper was waiting for her.
ANDY SWARTZ, SR., TROOP LEADER: They did an outstanding job. I believe they actually saved the woman's life.
MEGAN GALLAGHER, VENTURER SCOUT TROOP 226: ...need to use it, but I never thought it come this soon, and so I was like, wow, I really helped someone today.
SCHOLL: They were amazing. I'm going to send them a check just like so that they can go out and do something fun, because they were amazing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Scholl cut her eye and then had a concussion, as well. But other than that, she is OK.
Well, prisoners have lots of time playing cards, right? But some of them just can't keep a poker face about what they're holding. We have details on this card trick that's helping crack some old cases.
And he thought he could make a quick getaway, but that stolen car, check it out, deliberately left as bait. A double shot of crafty cops. That's ahead on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, thank you. Lights out in California, San Francisco went dark for about an hour last night. Yes, even the bridge.
NGUYEN: Don't worry though, it was done on purpose as part of a campaign to get people to conserve energy. Now, the lights, they were shut at landmarks like city hall and of course the Golden Gate Bridge, but all the street lights stayed on for safety reasons.
HOLMES: Good idea.
NGUYEN: Yeah, don't you think? Power company passed out energy efficient light bulbs to folks there.
HOLMES: We have an energy efficient CNN logo going right now. You got the right spot, this time. You've been pointing to...
NGUYEN: I have been practicing.
HOLMES: A little different there at the bottom of the screen. Our logo is now green.
NGUYEN: That's because CNN is going green over the next week. And what we're doing is we're digging deeper on environmental issues covering stories that affect all of us from the air that we breathe to the fuel that we use, and it all coincides with the premiere of PLANET IN PERIL," which is a special report from Anderson Cooper with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and "Animal Planet's" Jeff Corwin. That airs Tuesday and Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN. So, mark your calendars because this Tuesday for the first time in history though, two women will each be commanding a spacecraft at the same time.
HOLMES: Well, isn't that impressive? Pamela Melroy will be commander of the space shuttle Discovery when it blasts off and she's going to be heading to the International Space Station and meet up with Peggy Whitson who's in charge up there.
NGUYEN: Got to get used to us bossing you around, T.J.
HOLMES: I am used to it. Been here a year Betty. You've made it clear who is in charge.
NGUYEN: Oh please, this is not true.
HOLMES: It is.
NGUYEN: No.
HOLMES: Well folks, it's a new day in Louisiana, and the man that voters just elected governor is newsworthy for a number of firsts. We'll tell you about Bobby Jindal coming up. Stick around for that. Plus, stick around for this:
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do think that in this day and age if you think that cameras aren't watching you all the time, you are very naive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Big brother coming to the Big Apple. We've got those details a little later on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, so stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hello again, everybody, and welcome back. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning everybody, on this Sunday. I'm Betty Nguyen. Here are some of the stories that we're watching for you. Our "Quick Hits," now.
Two survivors were pulled from the water of the mouth of New York harbor after the 24-foot yacht was hit by a barge. Two other people died in that collision.
HOLMES: Well, in southern California a fast-moving wildfire is being fueled by strong Santa Ana winds. Firefighters battling that blaze right now north of Los Angeles. No homes immediately threatened.
NGUYEN: And with Atlanta's drinking water supply running critically low, the White House is getting involved in Georgia's drought crisis. It's considering a request to declare parts of northern Georgia federal disaster area. The governor submitted that request.
HOLMES: Well, a clear wind in the Louisiana governor's race. Republican Congressman Bobby Jindal netted more than 54 percent of the vote. His next closest competitor scraped up only 17 percent of the vote. So, no need for a run off. The son of Amar and Raj Jindal, is the first Indian-American ever elected as a U.S. governor.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA GOV ELECT: My mom and dad came to this country in pursuit of the American dream. And guess what happened? They found the American dream to be alive and well right here in Louisiana.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And when he's sworn in, Jindal will be the youngest governor in the country.
NGUYEN: Well, from New Orleans to New Delhi, friends and family are savoring Bobby Jindal's win, but victory is especially sweet for Jindal himself. Four years ago he lost this race. So why did he win this time? Well, here is CNN's Tony Harris with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TONY HARRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is the storm that defined Louisiana's future, and the sign that followed left residents yearning for change. Oddly enough, change has a familiar face in 2007.
JINDAL: We've got to get it right this time, otherwise in our lifetimes this is it.
HARRIS: four years ago Bobby Jindal lost his gubernatorial bid to Democrat Kathleen Blanco. After the last election people woke up and said, wait a minute, familiar face in 2007.
We've got to get it right this time, otherwise in our life times this is it.
HARRIS: Four years ago, Republican, Bobby Jindal lost his gubernatorial bid to Democrat Kathleen Blanco.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After the last election people woke up and said, wait a minute, who did we elect governor?
HARRIS: Now, for the first time since Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana voters are choosing a new governor and Bobby Jindal embodies the comeback kid. Twice elected to Congress, Jindal is only 36 years old. No other governor in the country is that young. He is from New Orleans, an Indian-American, conservative, opposed to abortion, but supports the war in Iraq. He's also a far cry from Louisiana's political legacies of the past that include the likes of Huey Long and Edwin Edwards. And perhaps, just perhaps, that's what voters were looking for this time around.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really, what the governor did now, I mean I think that's changed just about everybody's mind.
JINDAL: Mom and dad came to this country in pursuit of the American dream.
HARRIS: Tony Harris, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, we head to the campaign trail, the president campaign trail, this time. Republican presidential hopefuls face off in Orlando, Florida, tonight. Eight candidates still in the running, including former Tennessee senator and actor Fred Thompson, former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, of course, and also, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani. Well, ahead of tonight's debates some of the candidates are meeting with GOP activists and Florida governor Charlie Crist.
NGUYEN: Well, on the Democratic side, Iowa yesterday, Nevada today. Front-runner Senator Hillary Clinton will be in Las Vegas today speaking to members of the Service Employees International Union. Rival John Edwards spoke to the same group yesterday, and presidential hopeful Bill Richardson continues his trip to New Hampshire meeting with voters in several cities there.
HOLMES: Well, another verbal jousting match for Republicans tonight, and some political experts say one candidate in particular really needs to step up his game, and speaking of stepping up, can any of the Democrats steal any of Hillary Clinton's limelight.
CNN's deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser has the skinny on all the stories.
Sir, good to see you, again. Yes, somebody needs to step up. Is Thompson ever going to live up to the expectations that were laid out for him?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEP POLITICAL DIR: Yeah, you know, there were a lot of expectations. He was the great hope for the conservatives. Look what happened yesterday. You had this big conservative conference, the Value Voters Conference, right here in the nation's capitol. They took a vote and Thompson came in a disappointing fourth place. It's probably not what he wanted.
His campaign though, they point to two recent polls that say that Thompson is No. 1 among conservative Republicans. So, it's hard to see whether he made the case or not. You know, we're going to find out obviously in January when the conservative voters vote.
His first debate performance, two weeks ago, OK, not great. Tonight he's really got to step it up. The expectations are going to be a little higher for him tonight, and his campaign says he's going to be much more engaged tonight. So, we'll see what happened.
HOLMES: All right, what about Giuliani? How did he come out with these value voters? We all know he's had some issues on some of these conservative -- on some of the stands that he takes on some of the conservative issues.
STEINHAUSER: These value voters are very important on the Republican side. Remember, Tony -- I mean remember, T.J., they make up a large percentage of those Republicans who vote in Iowa and in South Carolina, two of the most early and crucial primary states.
Giuliani, we all know he has difference with these people, he believes in the right to choose. He supports abortion, supports the right for abortions. But he made a good point yesterday when he spoke to this crowd here in D.C. He said I am going to do my best to limit the number of abortions, increase the number of adoptions. That's what I did in New York City, he said. Did he make the case? Hard to say. Among the vote he was less than two percent.
HOLMES: Wow. Well, Romney came out ahead. The Mormon. There's been some questions about him and if he could appeal to a lot of Evangelicals, but he won this particular straw poll.
Huckabee -- Governor Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, he has slowly but surely and steadily found a way to make some inroads, and to move up and when he comes in second, that's a victory for him in things like this.
STEINHAUSER: A big victory. And remember in the overall vote, he only lost by 30. Almost 6,000 people voted and he was only 30 votes behind Romney. And there were two votes yesterday, there was the overall vote. You know you had to vote in person or you could vote online or in the mail.
And there was a vote of just the people who attended the conference, and of those people, those 900 votes, Huckabee was by far the winner. He had over 50 percent of those people.
They love this guy really. I mean, he's the ideal candidate for them in some ways. Before he was governor of Arkansas, he was a preacher. He's the only minister in the whole field of all the candidates, and he's with them on all their core issues, but he's not a well-known name across the country. And there are a lot of Republicans that are worried, Mike Huckabee, can he beat Hillary Clinton? And they really just don't feel that way.
HOLMES: Yeah, spent a lot of time with Governor Huckabee in Arkansas for three years, chasing him around the capitol, there, when I worked there. But you're right, he's -- a lot of people don't realize he's an ordained minister, the guy. So, he has that conservative background for sure.
Let's turn to the Democrats, right now. Hillary Clinton, I mean, it seems like sometimes not much of a story anymore to talk about on the Democratic side. This air of inevitability still seems to be there for her, and Barack Obama still doesn't seem to be making up any ground on her. What else can he try?
STEINHAUSER: Well, he said it before and he just said it with Wolf Blitzer about a week ago. He pointed out that he needs to step up. He needs to make the case to Democratic voters that he and Hillary Clinton differ on some important issues, Iraq, Iran, health care, and I think in the last week you've seen him start to step up his rhetoric a little bit. He's not going negative. He pointed that out at the beginning of the year when he started, he said I'm not going to do that, and he's not going negative.
But he's starting to kind of get a little more energetic on the trail, use other name more in his speeches and point out where he differs from her. And you know, you made a good point, she is by far in all the national polls, including ours, the overall favorite. She's up 30 points in our poll and in most of the other national polls, but in Iowa, the first state that vote, and it will probably, you know, we think it'll go right in the beginning of January, it's a much, much closer race. Hillary Clinton is in the lead, Barack Obama and John Edwards are just behind her. It's really a three-way dog race, there.
HOLMES: All right, and we know that's what matters, the national polls it's fine and dandy, but Iowa and New Hampshire matter right now. Paul Steinhauser, the deputy political director for CNN, here. I know you're all rolling down to Atlanta in the CNN election express, what, next week -- or this week, in couple days. Is that right?
STEINHAUSER: Couple days. T.J. Wednesday, I hope to see you there, I hope we can spend some time together on the bus and then it's going to go to Florida and then it's going out West for our debates.
HOLMES: I am not going to miss the bus. We'll take it out for dinner or something one night, all right, Paul. Paul, appreciate you. We'll see you here in Atlanta in a couple days. All right?
STEINHAUSER: You got it, T.J.
HOLMES: CNN, folks, is your campaign headquarters for 2008. Next month CNN and YouTube teaming up for another GOP debate. That's Wednesday, November 28. You be submit your questions for the candidates at YouTube.com/republicandebateand, and of course, watch it right here on CNN.
We've got a whole lot more coming up just ahead, including a real-life home alone kid. His quick thinking stopped a would-be burglar right in his tracks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only thing I remember is being pulled by the hair and thinking, I think every woman's rule is you don't touch the hair. You just don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP) NGUYEN: That's right. You don't touch the hair, and you've heard of road rage, but what about drive-thru rage. We're going to show you more of this smack down outside a Rhode Island doughnut shop. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right, some anxious moments in Long Beach, California. Police say a pipebomb exploded at a downtown parking garage forcing much of the area to shut down for hours and scaring people nearby.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was in the restaurant, and all of a sudden everything just...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, the table shook.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were sitting down and like we were just talking and then the table and our feet were like trembling a little. And everyone's like what is that?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now police say no one was injured and no vehicles were damaged.
HOLMES: All right, 13-year-old boy in Florida. He misses the school bus. OK, that's bad enough. He goes home and, boy, does he have a homework assignment. Police say he ended up nabbing a man who tried to break into his house. Luis Gomez was home alone when someone busted in the front door. Gomez ran upstairs and called 911.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
CALLER: He's getting in, he's getting in, he's getting in...
(DOG BARKING)
DISPATCHER: Go into a room or something. Lock yourself in.
CALLER: Oh my god, he's hitting my dog (screaming).
DISPATCHER: OK, stay on the line with me...Luis, Luis.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: Police say the suspect is Mario Baez, a repeat offender. They say they caught Baez stocking up on the family's electronics. Baez faces charges of burglary, grand theft, and animal cruelty for kicking that dog.
NGUYEN: Well, check out these playing cards. Inmates often talk among themselves about crimes that they've committed, but it's not always easy to connect the dots. So this summer Florida prison officials issued special playing cards to inmates with photos and information about unsolved cases hoping to generate fresh leads, and this week it paid off with an arrest in a 2004 murder. They've also received new information in two other missing people's cases.
HOLMES: Now, a tool here for police departments. You're actually watching a car being stolen. Look at the guy. He's pumping his fist, excited. I just stole a car. Mama would be proud.
NGUYEN: Yeah, right.
HOLMES: He thinks he's getting away. The car is actually a bait car, as they call it. Police have it wired for video, and what you're seeing there is the suspect after he was fired upon by police in a chase. They've been tracking thieves like this in some of the bait cars. You've probably seen them around the country. Well, an increasing number of departments across the country are using these to catch thieves, and you can see here it works.
NGUYEN: He tries to get out, but the door won't let him out. I mean, these cars are great.
HOLMES: Shuts down.
NGUYEN: Yeah, because you're defiantly stuck inside. And he's holding his head because that bullet you saw flying there just grazed him on the head. Can you imagine? Of all cars out there, he took the bait car.
HOLMES: He took the bait car. That's why they call it bait, right?
NGUYEN: And now he's behind bars.
All right, America is rapidly becoming a surveillance nation. Security cameras routinely monitoring the comings and goings of ordinary people in several big cities.
HOLMES: And now New York wants to boost its coverage even more, Circling Manhattan in so called "Ring of Steel." CNN's Jim Acosta takes a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Big brother is about to get much bigger in the Big Apple. Right now the New York Police Department is testing what will eventually be 100 new license plate readers. Most strategically focused on the city's financial district. They can quickly capture the plate on a moving vehicle and identity its owner. The readers, along with thousands of new security cameras, being mounted across Manhattan, are all a part of an $81 million plan to rapidly expand the city's surveillance capacity over the next two years.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), NEW YORK: London they have two or three cameras on every single subway car. ACOSTA: New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, recently got a close- up look at London's self-described "Ring of Steel," a system of a staggering 400,000 government cameras capable of following a suspect's movements at street level. Comparing that to the 6,000 public and private security cameras used by the NYPD, Bloomberg says it's high time for America's biggest city to catch up despite privacy concerns.
BLOOMBERG: I do think that in this day and age, if you think that cameras aren't watching you all the time, you are very naive.
ACOSTA (on camera): In some ways New York already has its "Ring of Steel." There are countless private companies with cameras rolling, capturing images that can be handed over to law enforcement. In many places across this city, you're being watched, you just don't know it.
(voice-over): With the city's new cameras on the way, privacy advocates wonder what police will do once they're flooded with all of that fresh surveillance material.
DONNA LIEBERMAN, EXECUTIVE DIR, NYCLU: Who has access to these records? Under what conditions can they be released and to whom? How long are they going to be maintained? We don't know the answers to these questions.
ACOSTA: But the founder of the Web camera company, EarthCam, says it's all about security. Noting how the British obtained clear surveillance images of the 2005 London subway bombers.
BRIAN CURY, CEO AND FOUNDER, EARTHCAM: Five years from now, hopefully we have a lot more cameras in critical areas to protect infrastructure, human beings, major office complexes. We're in the right direction, where the mayor is heading is a great step, but there's a lot further to go.
ACOSTA: And it's not just New York. Other cities, big and small, are setting up their own camera networks. United surveillance states of America coming soon to a town near you.
Jim Acosta, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And this just into CNN. We are learning that they are evacuating Pepperdine University out West because of the wildfires there in California. We've been talking about them all morning long. So far the fires have burned at least 500 acres, and it's a fast- moving fire because those Santa Ana winds are not helping things, in fact in some areas they're gusting up to 70 miles-per-hour.
HOLMES: We've been talking about this all morning. Certainly the weather was not going to help out. We even talked to a gentleman out there -- on of the fire officials out there are saying that not too many structures and issues like that. Some homes possibly need to be evacuated and some 200 homes, I believe it was. But still, it wasn't a direct threat just yet, but apparently something has become a real enough of a threat that they've taken the step to evacuate the school, Pepperdine University. We're just getting that word in. We're trying to get some more information in. As soon as we get more details, we certainly will pass them along. But the word is, that because of those fires we've been covering this morning and talking about Pepperdine University is being evacuated.
NGUYEN: Well, and not only that, I mean, we were talking earlier and they were saying it's not threatening homes, but we're getting new word now, information coming in that in fact this fire is starting to threaten structures along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Not only is Pepperdine University being evacuated, perhaps we'll see some evacuation of those homes, as well. Again, though, this fire is burning very, very quickly. It's not known how it started, but we know that the winds are whipping somewhere in gusts up to 70 miles- per-hour. It's consumed at least 50 acres and about 40 engine companies were responding. That's just in that one particular area, but overall it has already burned some 500 acres, and of course, we're going to stay on top of this and bring you more information just as soon as we get it. But the latest in this fire is not only has it charred hundreds of acres, but Pepperdine University is being evacuated because of wildfires. So, we'll stay on top of it and bring you the latest.
HOLMES: All right, we're going to take a quick break, here. We'll be right back with more information on that, certainly as we get it. But stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: We do have breaking news for you out of California, today. Take a look at this, a wildfire is moving very quickly out in California, especially in the northern area of Los Angeles. Here is what we know, some 500 acres have already been burned, and this thing is moving fast.
So far the Pacific Highway, along that area, we've learned that evacuation of Pepperdine University is underway and the Malibu Colony neighborhood. Let me tell you a little about that.
Malibu colony is one of Malibu's original beach front neighborhoods; it was built back in the 1930s. It's a densely built stretch of luxury homes and has been a favorite of celebrities over the years. So, we are seeing a lot of developments in this fire, and it's not being helped by the Santa Ana winds, which are blowing in gusts up to 70 miles-per-hour. So we're going to stay on top of this fast-moving fire and bring you the latest as soon as new information comes into CNN.
HOLMES: Well, it's now time for us to take a turn to Washington to see what's coming up on CNN's RELIABLE SOURCES, and for that we'll say hello to Howard Kurtz.
Good morning to you, sir.
HOWARD KURTZ, RELIABLE SOURCES: Good morning, T.J. Coming up, is the press declaring George Bush increasingly irrelevant with 15 months left in his term?
Falling out of love with Barack Obama and swooning over the new guy, Stephen Colbert.
Larry Craig gets an hour of network time to say he's still not gay and he didn't do it, a look at her interview with Matt Lauer.
Plus, is there more pressure than ever for TV news women to look young and sexy. We'll tackle that and more ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.
HOLMES: Wow, OK. Howie, we will tune in for that.
KURTZ: You got to watch it.
HOLMES: So, is that pressure, Betty?
NGUYEN: Just a little bit. But hey, but you know, speaking of young and sexy, growing up in Hollywood, that's all you got to say, right? Well, you expect most kids to wind up with visions of fame in their heads. But, we found a couple of visions of fame in their viewfinders.
HOLMES: Yeah. Not even old enough to drive, but they've already enlisted in that crazy army of celebrity chasers known as the paparazzi. Thanks to their cameras, Blaine Hewison and Austin Visschedyk, they are not hurting for cash.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AUSTIN VISSCHEDYK, 14-YEAR-OLD PHOTOGRAPHER: I think one of my Britney's sold for about $34,000.
BLAINE HEWISON, 15-YEAR-OLD PHOTOGRAPHER: He got that like this week.
VISSCHEDYK: Yeah.
HOLMES: $34,000? What are you going to do with $34,000 -- Austin.
VISSCHEDYK: Save it.
HEWISON: Yeah right.
HOLMES: Yeah right.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Have you spent some of it already?
VISSCHEDYK: Oh no, no. I haven't even gotten the check yet.
HOLMES: You're 14 years old, what are you going to do with a check for $34,000, though? You got to do something fun. You want an xBox 360, something a kid would want. HEWISON: He's already got that.
VISSCHEDYK: And you do, too, with every game.
HOLMES: What about you, Blaine? What about one of your money shots?
HEWISON: I went and bought clothes at the store. I bought some new shoes for me, you know,.
HOLMES: What was the picture of?
HEWISON: Britney Spears flipping me off.
HOLMES: Britney spears flipped you off? That does not sound like something in her character, Blaine. Are you sure that's what you got?
VISSCHEDYK: No, no, no. He asked her to flip him off.
HOLMES: Oh, OK. Wait a minute. That's how you do it. That's not an original shot.
HEWISON: No, I didn't.
HOLMES: Yeah, he just told on you on national TV -- Blaine.
HEWISON: Geez.
NGUYEN: There goes the friendship.
HEWISON: Yeah, we're done.
VISSCHEDYK: All right, see you later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Yeah, right. All the way to the bank -- $34,000, what are we doing, T.J.? Seriously.
HOLMES: What are we doing wrong you mean?
NGUYEN: Yeah. I need a camera.
HOLMES: Apparently a lot, but 34 grand for that picture. I don't think he had to have anybody pose for his to get the big money.
NGUYEN: Here's the question. How do they get to and from? I mean, like on their skateboards? They're not old enough to drive.
HOLMES: Skateboards, bikes, they didn't say anything about their parents taking them around. You see him with his skateboard, there on the left. That's Blaine it is, I believe. And those, on the right, they say they've got $4,000, $5,000 cameras. These guys are for real.
NGUYEN: Yeah, and they're making beaucoup money because of it. All right. Well, good luck to those kids, not that they really need it. But maybe you've done this, tapped your horn in the drive- thru to move the other car along?
HOLMES: You know, it's drive-thru, it's fast food, it'll move eventually, but you got to see what happens when this woman or this woman here, she did do just that. Road rage, (INAUDIBLE) to the drive-thru and it was caught on camera, that story for you. You've to see this one.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, we've all heard of and some of us actually practice this thing, road rage, every now and again.
NGUYEN: I've never had road rage. Never.
HOLMES: Never. I am a wonderful driver.
NGUYEN: I've never gotten violent, but I've had rage. OK, but anyway. On to the story, shall we? Now, we've got a drive-thru rampage that a Rhode Island Dunkin' Donuts of all places.
HOLMES: OK, and you know, sometimes people got to have their doughnuts, maybe they've just got to have them. This happened when one driver honked at another. You know, you tell somebody, hey, move it along.
NGUYEN: Yeah, get out of here. Keep an eye on the lady, thought, getting out of the black sedan, right there at the bottom of your screen. See her right there? Well, that is your alleged victim. She says the minivan driver, the one in front of her, threatened to smack her with a crowbar. Victim then reaches in to get her cell phone and call 911.
HOLMES: OK, that is when the woman in the minivan figured she'd better make tracks, but hold up says the victim. They tussle for a bit. There was some hair pulling going on, there was some cussing going on.
NGUYEN: Oh-oh.
HOLMES: Things of that nature going on. The victim talked about it in an interview, but she didn't want her face shown. Neither would I.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENISE DEMEDEIROS, ALLEGED DRIVE-THRU VICTIM: She said you get out of the car, that's the only way I'm moving. I thought, OK, here we go. I dialed -- I picked up my phone to dial 911 and that set her off. Because the next motion, when I look at her, she was actually coming out of the vehicle with a crowbar towards my vehicle and screaming as she was going to kill me...
(END VIDEO CLIP) NGUYEN: OK, but wait a second. If she's out of the vehicle with a crowbar, watch this video. Then you see her walk up in the minivan. Get in the car, lock the doors, don't go up to the lady with the crowbar.
HOLMES: Betty, you're making the assumption that common sense is being used in this whole situation.
NGUYEN: She's inside the vehicle, hanging out of it, right at the window there, fighting or whatever they're doing.
HOLMES: The van is rocking a little bit. Yes, and this is -- these are not even Krispy Kremes, OK? This is a Dunkin' Donuts. OK, but you know, actually police say the minivan driver has done something like this before.
NGUYEN: Yeah. Except that time she threw cream cheese and then spit at the honker.
HOLMES: Yeah.
NGUYEN: Now, she is topping her bagel with a felony assault charge.
HOLMES: You see that minivan in the line ahead of you, just...
NGUYEN: Stay away.
HOLMES: Just try another store.
NGUYEN: Back up, go in reverse, just go to the Dunkin' Donuts down the street. All right, well RELIABLE SOURCES is coming up with Howard Kurtz. He's much nicer than the lady that we've seen. Right?
HOLMES: A lot, yes.
NGUYEN: At least, so I've heard.
Is the press giving President Bush the lame duck label? And the new candidate in a presidential race, Stephen Colbert, really?
HOLMES: Yeah, then on LATE EDITION with Wolf Blitzer, Iraq war strategy will be the topic and how tensions with Turkey could be the U.S. But first here, we've got a check of the morning's top developments.
First here, the Santa Ana winds are back and fuelling wildfires in southern California. Right now ,the fires are forcing evacuations of Pepperdine University and also luxury beach front homes in the Malibu Colony neighborhood.
Also, a dramatic rescue outside New York harbor after a barge collided with a yacht. Two people killed, two others had to be rescued. A diver rescued one of them from an air pocket in the overturned boat.
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