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CNN Saturday Morning News
Three Alleged Jihadists Arrested In Britain; Summit of the Americas Winds Down; Paris Riots Have Spread; Images Of Women In Hip Hop; An HIV Positive Runner Uses His Situation To Help Others; Death Row Inmate Escapes In Texas
Aired November 05, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: The Texas death row inmate who simply walked away from a county jail continues to evade police this morning. Charles Victor Thompson slipped out of his jumpsuit into civilian clothes and showed guards a fake I.D. to escape on Thursday.
Now, we are going to take you to Houston for a live update. That's coming up in the next 30 minutes.
Now to Britain. Three alleged Jihadists taken into custody have U.S. and British investigators trying to figure out what kind of threat the three may have posed. One of the suspects allegedly had pictures of important Washington sites on his computer. We're going to go live to Washington in just a few minutes for more on this developing story.
And Indonesian health officials confirm two more human cases of bird flu. The State of Hawaii, though, is starting to take actions to stop the deadly virus from spreading. According to the Associated Press, passengers and visitors at Honolulu International Airport will be voluntary tested.
And right now on cnn.com, you can check it out, the most popular story this morning is the pirate attack of a luxury cruise ship off the Horn of Africa. Yes, a pirate attack.
HARRIS: What?
NGUYEN: Pirates armed with guns, grenades and rockets fired on Spirit, which is a ship with the Seaborne Cruise Lines, as it sailed off the coast of Somalia with about 300 people on board. You can read all about it and how they got away at cnn.com.
Pirates, ooh, in this day and time.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Pirates? Of the Caribbean? It's not a movie, is it?
NGUYEN: No, not a movie at all, unfortunately.
Welcome.
Thanks for joining us this morning.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is November 5, can you believe it? The holidays are right around the corner.
HARRIS: Bye-bye '05.
NGUYEN: It's true.
Good morning.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.
Thank you for being with us.
As Betty mentioned a moment ago, law enforcement officials in Washington are downplaying the arrest of three alleged Jihadists now charged under Britain's anti-terror laws. One suspect was found with pictures of important sites in the nation's capital and that's drawing the scrutiny of investigators on both sides of the Atlantic City.
Joining us with the latest is correspondent Gary Nurenberg in our Washington bureau -- Gary, good morning.
What else can you tell us about this?
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Tony.
The three suspects were arrested in late October near London and face various charges, including conspiracy to carry out a terrorist attack in Britain. They faced a hearing yesterday drawing attention to the details of the investigation. Of particular interest here in Washington is the discovery on one of the suspect's computers of video slides describing how to make a car bomb and other slides of "a number of places in Washington."
Among the slides, a picture of a vehicle here in D.C. used to detect chemical, radiological and biological and nuclear agents. The exact locations have not been disclosed. But a senior FBI official says the images included locations near the United State Capitol.
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer says: "We are neither frightened nor concerned. We have a vigorous capacity to assess the threat."
And Assistant FBI Director John Miller says: "The FBI is working with our partners overseas on the investigation. We have shared the relevant information with local law enforcement agencies concerned. There is no credible indication of any imminent threat."
Authorities, as you can see, are being careful not to overstate the threat, saying the images could be evidence of terrorist planning or could simply be described as tourist shots here in Washington.
One U.S. counter-terrorism official says it's hard to know if this was terrorist bravado or a real threat. As the investigation continues, Capitol Police Chief Terry Gainer told CNN he won't be losing any sleep over the threat.
Again, Tony, no indication of anything imminent.
HARRIS: And, Gary, do we know whether or not these three men arrested in Britain, whether or not they knew one another?
NURENBERG: Early indications are that they did. But that's nothing solid yet. We'll have to see how the investigation in Britain turns out.
Another court date for them on November 18th. And hopefully during that court appearance we'll learn more about this alleged conspiracy they're engaged in.
HARRIS: And, again, the Capitol police chief, Gainer, is basically saying he's not particularly worried about this threat at the time.
Is that correct?
NURENBERG: It is. He said he won't be losing any sleep over it.
HARRIS: He won't be losing any sleep.
NURENBERG: Important to point out, though, before he went to the U.S. Capitol police, he was a high ranking official here in D.C. and has been dealing with terrorist threats in Washington for years. He's got a pretty good sense for these things and is also pretty frank with reporters. We suspect that if he was seriously concerned, he probably would fess up to it.
HARRIS: Yes, it sounds like it.
OK, Gary Nurenberg in our D.C. bureau.
Gary, thank you.
And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
NGUYEN: Let's just take a listen to this.
I'm not sure if that's exactly the sounds we were trying to show you. But we're talking about rioting outside of Paris. It has now spread to 20 communities. It was the ninth straight night of racially fueled riots, initially triggered by the deaths of two teens who were chased by police.
CNN's Chris Burns has been following the violence and joins us now live from Paris with the latest -- Chris, how has this -- has this violence actually subsided?
CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, it's -- Betty, it's actually gotten worse. It spread even more. It's spread beyond more than two dozen communities and cities in France. It's an incredible list here. And the number of cars that were destroyed by torching last night were the highest ever in this rioting of more than a week now. Some 900 vehicles torched across France, not only in the suburbs north of Paris, but it also started to touch the edge of northeastern Paris itself, in the 19th Arrondissement or District. A handful of cars torched there and a firebomb thrown at a police station.
But also in towns like Lille in the north, Royal (ph) in the west, Rouen in the west, Nice in the south, Orion (ph) in central France. It has gone to a number of cities where they -- all of these cities have very poor neighborhoods of mainly immigrant populations very frustrated with very high unemployment, but also a lot of copycat attacks by youths with not much else to do. And that is what the government is grappling with.
We have also seen today a number of peace marches or even demonstrations against this violence. The largest one was several hundred people in the suburb of Paris called Aulnay-sous-Bois. Hundreds of people, including religious leaders of different faiths, taking to the streets, calling for peace, calling for an end to this violence.
Also, in a town east of Paris, where paramedics were attacked last night as they were trying to rescue somebody who had fallen sick, a firebomb was thrown at their ambulance.
So it is getting uglier in many ways in recent days. Also, police and firefighters have been shot at, even. Though only a handful of people -- of police and firefighters have been injured by fire and rocks. No gunshots yet. But it is a very ugly situation.
The prime minister, Dominic de Villepin, meeting again with community leaders, trying the soft power angle. But, also, the interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, pushing the tough arrests side. They've arrested 250 people last night. That's the largest figure ever so far right now during this rioting -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Chris, you touched on it just momentarily, but what is being done by authorities to calm this anger and prevent further violence?
BURNS: Well, it seems like an iron fist and a velvet glove at the same time. The authorities, Nicolas Sarkozy saying, being quoted in the French media as saying that the arrests are the key right now. They need to step up these arrests of youths. On the other hand, this soft power that Dominic de Villepin, the prime minister, is pushing, is meeting with community groups that hopefully will reach out to these youths.
But we went out to the neighborhood where it all started, Clichy- sous-Bois, northeast of Paris, where we talked with some leaders at a mosque, who said that they were trying to talk and claim youths down. The youths at their mosque are talking to other youths on the street. It is working, to an extent, they say, but there still is a climate of fear, there still is a climate of violence out there. And the question is when will that stop? Hopefully the government can find some solutions with community leaders -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And time is of the essence.
Chris Burns, thank you for that -- Tony.
HARRIS: Look at this. President Bush and the leaders of more than 30 other countries are hoping for a quiet end to the Summit of the Americas. Yesterday, anti-U.S. protests turned violent when more than 1,000 demonstrators clashed with police, torched businesses and shattered storefronts.
CNN's Elaine Quijano was traveling with the president and joins us from Mar del Plata, Argentina with more -- Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony, from a very windy seaside resort town here in Argentina, Mar del Plata.
Yesterday, as you mentioned, those violent demonstrations were taking place less than a mile or so from where the summit was taking place, from the hotel there. It was the White House deputy chief of staff, Joe Hagen, we are told, who briefed President Bush on the situation yesterday.
Now, as you mentioned, it was bands of protesters who hit the streets here in Mar del Plata. They threw Molotov cocktails and smashed storefronts. Argentine police used tear gas to disperse the crowds, which did not make it past the security cordon set up near the hotel.
But the violence came after thousands had gathered earlier in the day for a peaceful demonstration at a nearby sports stadium. The rhetoric there was fiery, though, and addressing the crowd for hours was a very vocal U.S. critic, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Now, Chavez, who has dubbed President Bush "Mr. Danger," calls the U.S. imperialistic and he vehemently opposes the United States' push for a free trade hemisphere.
Now, as for President Bush, he actually acknowledged that even before he arrived in Argentina, that the U.S.' efforts on that front, the FTAA, as it's called, the Free Trade Area of the Americas, has stalled. But U.S. officials are stressing progress, they say, in reaching out to individual nations for trade agreements.
Yesterday, Mr. Bush joined with leaders who joined CAFTA and took the opportunity to tout success with the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Now, today President Bush has a few more events as this summit wraps up. He will head to Brazil tonight and make a stop in Panama, as well, before returning to the United States -- Tony.
HARRIS: CNN's Elaine Quijano traveling with the president in Argentina.
Elaine, thank you.
QUIJANO: Thanks.
NGUYEN: And here are some "Stories From Across America" right now.
Great Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are working up in San Francisco. They'll begin their four day visit with a morning trip to the farmer's market in Point Reyes Station. And then they will lunch with local farmers. On Monday, they'll tour a Berkeley School organic garden.
The mayor of Las Vegas is refusing to apologize for his controversial suggestion that vandals should have their thumbs lopped off. Yes, that's what he said. Oscar Goodman insists he was not being sarcastic, saying: "One good thumb being televised and that would end it."
Yes.
He also said that kids who get into trouble should face whippings and canings.
All righty, then.
HARRIS: Right.
NGUYEN: Now, another lesson learned in punishment. This Los Angeles area principal lost a bet with her students when they managed to read more than a thousand books. Their reward? Smearing the administrator in honey, decorating her with feathers and perching her atop the school.
HARRIS: Man.
NGUYEN: Now, that's one way to lose a bet.
HARRIS: And everybody is happy. Something tells me she didn't mind a second of it.
NGUYEN: No.
HARRIS: No.
NGUYEN: They read a thousand books.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: It was all for a good cause.
HARRIS: Still ahead this morning, a Texas inmate faces the death penalty, but only if police can find him. Hear how he managed -- this is an amazing story -- how he managed to break free from jail. NGUYEN: And out with the old, in with the new. That is some tuxedo there. NBA players are now being told what to wear on and off the court and they're making some decisions on their own, as well.
HARRIS: Dress code? I'll show you dress code.
And a hip-hop controversy. Are some music videos getting too sexy and too offensive?
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NINA ZAGAT: The top three power lunch restaurants in Philadelphia are The Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel, Le Bec-Fin and Lacroix at the Rittenhouse Hotel.
The Fountain Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel is a new French continental restaurant. It comes in number one in the survey and it continues to be Philadelphia's favorite venue for impressing the date or closing the deal.
George Perrier's Le Bec-Fin is an elegant French, Center City institution with a staff so attentive you'll feel like a movie star.
Jean-Marie Lacroix's restaurant is a sleek, formal, classic France masterpiece, as conducive to a romantic dinner as to a power lunch. And our surveyors say it's worth every dollar your platinum card is debited.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: If you are just settling in with your first cup of coffee, here are the top stories this morning.
U.S. and British officials are investigating three alleged Jihadists in Britain for a possible threat to Washington. Police say one of the suspects had pictures of important Washington sites on his computer.
In Argentina, angry demonstrators set fire, threw rocks and broke windows along streets not far from where President Bush attends the Summit of the Americas. The summit ends in just a few hours.
A reward is being offered for a dangerous killer still on the loose in Texas. Authorities say death row inmate Charles Victor Thompson simply walked away from a Houston area jail. We will have a live report from Houston in 15 minutes.
NGUYEN: And speaking of Texas, Brad Huffines joins us -- you've got to be kidding me -- record heat in Texas in November?
BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Pushing 90 in parts of west Texas today.
NGUYEN: Oh my goodness.
HARRIS: Ninety in west...
HUFFINES: Pushing 90.
NGUYEN: In November.
HUFFINES: The last I checked the calendar...
HARRIS: Whoa, is this upside down.
HUFFINES: ... it said, it did say November.
HARRIS: That's right.
HUFFINES: Has it changed?
NGUYEN: I don't think so. No. But those temperatures need to change.
HUFFINES: Yes.
NGUYEN: It's just not right.
HUFFINES: Well, the people in San Angelo are going to say so today.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: All right, Tony, get ready.
HARRIS: Yes?
NGUYEN: Because there is a new dress code for NBA players. Check it out.
HARRIS: That's tight, as the kids say. That's tight.
NGUYEN: Yes, that's nice. The colors a little odd, but nice nonetheless.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: Find out what is in and what is out.
HARRIS: From the man with impeccable fashion sense and a cell phone in his ear...
NGUYEN: Who is he talking to at this hour?
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Hey, I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
HARRIS: Impeccable fashion sense and a face only his -- Rick Horrow takes us "Beyond The Game" next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
HORROW: Good morning.
HARRIS: Oh, man.
NGUYEN: He's just showing off.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Running two marathons in four weeks is not the only challenge for this man. He is an HIV positive cancer survivor who found a new cause in life. Meet him at 8:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
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(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN IVERSON, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS: I don't think that's going to help the image of the leak, you know, at all. You know, people are still going to -- if people act like (EXPLETIVE DELETED), you know, they going to look at them as (EXPLETIVE DELETED), you know, whether they have on a suit or not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN (voice-over): That was Philadelphia 76ers' Alan Iverson last month when rumors of the NBA's new dress code became reality. He was not alone in his discontent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN JACKSON, INDIANA PACERS: It bugs me because, you know, I worked hard to buy myself jewelry and I want to wear it. But they say I can't wear it. I'd rather keep my money than give it back to them. They done took enough from me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Quite a buildup to this week's opening day.
Will the players get in uniform on and off the court?
The question this morning as we take you "Beyond The Game."
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: Also this week, hurricane Katrina forced the New Orleans Hornets out of Louisiana and they landed in Oklahoma City. Could this be a permanent move?
Some hot topics this morning for CNN sports business analyst Rick Horrow, who joins us today from Dallas, Texas, my old stomping ground -- howdy, Rick. RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Hey, you know what? I'm giving a speech at the Sprint Executive Technology Forum here before the Nextel NASCAR Race.
NGUYEN: Oh.
HORROW: And I'm also looking at some of the various handheld devices so I can text you guys every week and tell Tony exactly how it feels out there.
NGUYEN: Be very afraid, Tony.
All right, let's start with the New Orleans Hornets' home opener Tuesday in Oklahoma City. They're there because of the damage to the New Orleans arena. NBA Commissioner David Stern says the Hornets still belong to Louisiana. But you are hearing that that could be just wishful thinking.
HORROW: Well, Betty, you know, I'm lucky enough to be part of that whole process. It's just three hours up the road and I was there for that opening night. And it started with an Oklahoma City legacy of 12 years ago, passing the then largest vote in U.S. history for nine facilities, library, adult education center, including an arena.
Then two years later, as you know, the federal Murrah Building bombing, the then largest tragedy in U.S. history. Oklahoma Mayor Ron Norrick, at that point, an incredible visionary, said we want to go after major league sports. He tried to get a hockey franchise. Passed over them, Quebec, to become the Colorado Avalanche.
Then they preserved. Katrina hit New Orleans. Twenty-two days later, the Oklahoma City Brain Trust did a deal to bring the Hornets to town for a year, plus a year, and many say they're staying.
The real thing, David Stern says, is they're going back to New Orleans. But if Oklahoma City passes the test, they'll be a major league city for years to come. They're going to pass that test.
NGUYEN: That's going to be interesting to see how that plays out.
All right, speaking of interesting -- you've got to see these pictures -- now on to the NBA and that dress code. Day one of the new rules was Tuesday. Some are calling it the Iverson rule because of the hip-hop style of Alan Iverson.
Now, take us through this new dress code, because there are changes, and, boy, have the players stepped up to those changes.
HORROW: Yes, and I dressed up a little bit for today, as you can obviously tell.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes.
HORROW: But, you know, the NBA -- yes, right. Twenty years ago, the franchises were worth about $15 million. Now they're over $400 million and the reason is because corporate America is behind it. They're big sponsors -- Coca Cola, MBNA, American Express. And David Stern, the commissioner, wanted to clean up the image.
So what's business casual -- no flip-flops, no indoor sunglasses, no shorts and sleeveless shirts -- and some talk about the concept being bad. But everybody agrees the players bargained for it.
By the way, in football and baseball, reasonable is the rule. And in hockey, you've got to wear coats and ties on the road.
But of course, the NBA players have taken it to...
NGUYEN: Look at that.
HORROW: ... taken it to extreme.
By the way, you can tell Alan Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Lebron James, it is a dress fest. Mark Cuban, the owner of the Mavericks, says he has a problem. But then there's Brevan Knight, by the way, an NBA player. He says we don't have enough money for this. We need vouchers on a $5 million annual...
NGUYEN: They need what? Vouchers?
HORROW: ... annual NBA salary.
NGUYEN: Give me a break.
HORROW: I don't feel too sorry for them, by the way.
NGUYEN: You've got to be kidding me.
All right, hey, you can rent the tuxedos, right? You don't have to buy those things.
HORROW: Yes, I understand.
NGUYEN: Especially in those colors.
HORROW: Yes, absolutely.
NGUYEN: All right, let's get to the fair ball, shall we?
HORROW: Well, the fair ball is part of the NBA's week opening, opening week. It's an expansion issue internationally. Twenty percent of their revenues of $6 billion come from international. And, by the way, it's now an international game, across the pond, 142 television partners in 212 countries. The NBA opening is not just an American experience anymore.
NGUYEN: All right.
We're going to have to end it on that fair ball.
Out of time, though.
But we'll get to you next weekend.
Thank you, Rick.
HORROW: Talk to you later.
NGUYEN: All right -- Tony.
HARRIS: And still to come, there is a killer on the loose in Texas. Wait until you find out how he escaped from jail. You won't believe it.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: The search is on for this man and a reward is offered for a death row inmate who walked out of a Texas jail. He is still on the loose this morning. We're going to give you an update.
Welcome back, everybody.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.
A live report from Houston in a minute.
First, a look at some other headlines now in the news.
U.S. and British investigators are scrutinizing three alleged Jihadists to determine what kind of terrorist threat they may have posed. One of the suspects was found with computer images of Washington landmarks. D.C. law enforcement officials are downplaying the discovery, but are trying to determine if the sites were being targeted.
U.S. and Iraqi forces have launched a major offensive on the Syrian border. The area is considered a nerve center for insurgents and foreign fighters. And there have already been foreign fighters since this morning's launch. Operation Steel Curtain is mobilizing about 3,000 U.S. troops and about 550 Iraqi soldiers.
And one of the most popular stories on cnn.com this morning is former President Jimmy Carter's accusations against the Bush administration. He says Americans were intentionally misled on the justification for war in Iraq, and says President Bush's policies on war are a radical departure from his predecessor's.
If you were away from your television set, hmmm, you can always find the latest news on our continually updated Web site, cnn.com. But come back home.
NGUYEN: Yes. Don't go too far from the TV set.
Well, the search does go on for a Texas death row escapee, Charles Thompson. You see him here. The convicted double murderer slipped out of jail Thursday wearing civilian clothes and flashing a fake I.D.
CNN's Keith Oppenheim picks up the story from the Harris County Jail in Houston -- Keith, are they any closer to catching this guy?
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not that we know of. So we are keeping our ears close to the possibility of that happening.
I'm standing in front of the jail. The doors that Charles Victor Thompson went through to freedom are right behind me.
It was on Thursday afternoon, Betty, that Thompson met with his attorney. And we have some video we can show you right now of one of these inmate-attorney booths. It was in a booth like that that Thompson, police say, smuggled some civilian clothes that he got from his jail cell or brought from there, clothes that he was using for court appearances.
Then he changes from his orange jumpsuit, police say, into the civilian clothes. He goes to a security checkpoint inside the jail, he flashes some kind of I.D. with his picture on it, police believe, and he is escorted from the secure area of the jail into a public area, at which point he's able to walk out the door.
Keep in mind that Thompson was re-sentenced to death row last week, all for the 1998 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Dennise Hayslip and her boyfriend, Darren Cain.
And a friend of Darren Cain, Lance Potter, spoke to us about the jury verdict and the danger of Thompson being out on the loose.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LANCE POTTER: They've seen the evidence. They know he is a continuing threat. So obviously they say he's a continuing threat. You can ask Darren and Denise. They know that he's a threat. The people on his hit list, they know he's a threat. He's a desperate man. Anybody that crosses his path better watch out, because desperate people do desperate things.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OPPENHEIM: The hit list that Lance Potter was referring to is part of the murder case, specifically that prosecutors said that while he was behind bars for this murder case, that he was developing -- that Thompson was developing a list of more murder victims, which included the brother of his ex-girlfriend.
In a nutshell, the family of his -- of the ex-girlfriend that Thompson murdered is quite afraid. They are under police protection in the Houston area, quite concerned for their safety. And I think what Lance Potter was saying in general, Betty, is that a lot of people should be worried because this is a guy who would do whatever he would have to do -- back to you.
NGUYEN: And he's mentioned as a guy who is obviously very desperate at the moment. Keith Oppenheim, thank you for bringing us up to date.
It is that time of the morning again, to check out some of the other stories making news all around the world.
HARRIS: The bird flu crisis takes an ominous turn in Southeast Asia. More infections are being reported.
For the latest, let's get right to Shanon Cook, who's monitoring the situation at the CNN International Desk -- and Shanon, what are you hearing?
SHANON COOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, thanks, Tony.
Here's what we know. This is coming into us overnight. Two new cases of avian flu have been confirmed in Indonesia. Health officials are telling us a woman who died there last month was suffering from the deadly H5N1 strain. She's believed to have got the disease from infected chickens. And one of her 8-year-old relatives has also been infected. He's in hospital in a stable condition.
Now, these two cases bring the total number of bird flu cases in Indonesia to nine. Five of those have been fatal.
This coming as new cases were also reported in China and Vietnam in the past few days.
Now to the situation at Guantanamo Bay. We're hearing that officials there are force feeding 23 detainees. They have been on a hunger strike at the facility to protest their continued detention. A doctor tells us feeding tubes were inserted into the prisoners to prevent loss of life. The number of detainees refusing food at Guantanamo Bay has increased to about 128 since the beginning of August. That's about a quarter of the prison's population -- Tony.
HARRIS: Shanon, what was the story you were telling me earlier about pirates and pirate ships and cruise ships and...
NGUYEN: Yes. What was that all about?
HARRIS: What was that?
COOK: Well, it's not a movie script, believe it or not, Tony. These are modern day pirates we're talking about. And this is not so unusual in the region. We're talking about the -- off the coast of Somalia. And pirates have attacked aid shipments before in this region. But this time they tried to attack a vacation cruise liner using machine guns and rocket propelled grenades.
The cruise liner managed to outrun the pirates' boats. One person suffered minor injuries. The ship was carrying 150 passengers and a crew of about 160. And, Tony, the cruise liners taking this very, very seriously.
NGUYEN: Yes, of course. Yes.
COOK: They say that they're going to rethink future trips off the coast of Somalia. A very dangerous region, apparently.
HARRIS: I thought it was going to be a joke story, but no. No.
NGUYEN: Yes, unfortunately it's not.
HARRIS: No, it's not.
COOK: It's serious.
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: Shanon Cook, thank you.
HARRIS: Take a look at this.
NGUYEN: Hey, now, this is a family show, Tony.
HARRIS: Right.
Does this look pretty outrageous to you? Some students here in Atlanta are upset with racy music videos.
NGUYEN: Wow!
Goodness.
HARRIS: And they're trying to take back the music. We are taking up the topic next, on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
NGUYEN: If that didn't wake you up...
Good morning, Chicago. A little foggy there this morning. We're going to have your weekend forecast a little bit later this hour.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: It is a lucrative market raking in more than $10 billion a year. I'm talking about the hip-hop industry. But critics say it's moved past its musical roots into a world of extravagant clothes, gaudy cars and foul lyrics that often degrade the very women who are dancing to them.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll melt in your mouth, girl, not in your hand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS (voice-over): These are the images that go out to the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I'm (INAUDIBLE) I don't think a lot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: And the women of Atlanta's historically black Spelman College are sick of it. Outraged by the images of women dressed in thongs and bikinis, critics say these images are degrading, humiliating and portray particularly black women as little more than sexual objects.
Hip-hop began in the '70s as a way to get kids involved in productive activities. But these are the images that millions of children who watch music videos today see over and over.
MOYA BAILEY, SPELMAN COLLEGE GRADUATE: There are some things that are more important than money. I think that, you know, at this point in time, you know, you've made what money -- you've made a lot of money. I don't think another million is going to add to your standard of living that much. So, you know, think about the people -- think about where you came from. And think about what you're doing to the community that you come from.
HARRIS: Moya Bailey spearheaded a Take Back the Music campaign on the campus of Spelman in 2003. Two years later, the campaign has gained national attention is attracting support from rappers like MC Lyte, DeBrat, YoYo and Salt of the rap duo Salt N' Pepper.
CHERYL "SALT" JAMES, RAPPER, SALT N' PEPPER: You know, what we take in constantly has to start becoming a part of who we are. And I think that it affects them deeply, their self-image. And I think it's very damaging and it has gone to a serious extreme.
HARRIS: Salt, along with other rap artists, panelists, students and professors, took on these issues at Spelman this week, brainstorming ways to bring a sense of responsibility to the hip-hop industry. And they had some support from their male counterparts.
JONATHAN MERENIVITCH, MOREHOUSE COLLEGE SENIOR: I think it's horrible, but we live in a capitalist society. I can understand why they do it. I just don't agree with it.
HARRIS: Feedback from the crowd led to a lot of finger pointing at artists, rappers, parents and record labels.
BAILEY: Record companies are more interested in the dollar than they are in the representations of black women. And they're more interested in making money than they are in human rights issues. But I think for us, we were trying to empower young people in particular to kind of stand up to that.
HARRIS: Now the million dollar question in a multi-billion dollar industry -- has hip-hop turned its back on the notion of responsibility?
JAMES: Like some kids are raising themselves, you know? And so they're open to always seeing the videos and, you know, being targeted in the morning with the music and when they come home from school. So it eventually affects them.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HARRIS: Well, CNN made several attempts to contact record companies looking for comment, but none of them released a statement to us.
So, the challenge remains for morally educated women to take back the music and set the record straight for African-American women. Or, has the damage already been done?
Joining me this morning to discuss this hot button issue is William Jelani Cobb, who is an assistant professor of history at Spelman, and rapper/actress MC Lyte.
Good to see you both.
MC LYTE, RAPPER: Good morning.
HARRIS: Thanks for coming in this morning.
WILLIAM JELANI COBB, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR HISTORY, SPELMAN COLLEGE: Thank you.
LYTE: Good morning.
HARRIS: Well, where do I want to start? Where do we begin with this topic?
Lyte, let me start with you.
What are we talking about here? Are we talking about exposure, valuable exposure for artists? Or are we talking about crass exploitation?
LYTE: Well, we're actually talking about a combination of both. But it's at the expense of the youth, of the younger generation. And I think most of who's buying the records is not being affected on a daily basis by the images that are being shown.
HARRIS: Yes, professor, I have to ask you, if you just sort of landed here from another planet and you dropped in and you saw some of the videos that led into this piece, "Candy Shop," 50 Cent...
COBB: Right.
HARRIS: ... "Kit Drill," Nelly...
COBB: Right.
HARRIS: And the list goes on. I'm not singling those two artists out, but the list goes on.
What kind of statement would you take from the videos? COBB: You would believe that we are a community that has absolutely no concern for its youth, that is materially obsessed, that is violence obsessed and that has no respect for its women. And I think that that's really a dangerous precedent. And some of these people don't understand the power of the images that they are producing and that these are being globally disseminated.
HARRIS: And, Lyte, when did it cross over for you? When did it become just too much, to the point where you just felt like you had to say something?
LYTE: Well, when I was at Take Back the Music at Spelman. A young lady stood up in the audience and she said, "You know, we love hip-hop. We love the men that represent hip-hop. Why do they hate us so much?"
HARRIS: And what did that say to you? I mean could you answer her?
LYTE: No. But the question wasn't posed to me.
HARRIS: Yes.
LYTE: It was posed to a record executive who was unable...
HARRIS: Did that executive have a...
LYTE: No. He was unable to give an answer.
HARRIS: And I've got to tell you, there's another side to this, and we've got a couple of sound bites we're going to string together here right now. One is from -- you're going to hear from Nelly, who respondents to this question. And one from a young lady who performs in some of these videos.
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELYSSA FORD, VIDEO DANCER: The majority of girls that you see are not portraying the image of who they really are. They're being sexy for the camera. But they go home and they're regular people.
NELLY, RAPPER: These are professionals. These are not little girls that we take out of school and we just throw them on a video or nothing like that. These are through agencies, you know? You have different agencies that these girls make their living by.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HARRIS: OK, I'm sorry. You didn't have earpieces so you couldn't hear the sound bites. But let me read them to you.
The first woman in the piece said: "The majority of the girls that you see are not portraying the image of who they really are. They are being sexy for the camera but they go home and they are regular people."
And then Nelly followed that up with: "These are professionals. These are not little girls that we take out of school. These are women who are in agencies. These girls are making a living by this."
There is a component of women who really see this as an opportunity -- they may not like the work per se -- but they see this as an opportunity to begin to make a name for themselves.
And, I guess, professor, what you're going to say is what kind of a name are you making for yourself.
COBB: Right. Exactly. And one of the other things we look at is that this is -- in some ways it's worse if you're saying this is not who you really are, because this is certainly who the world believes us to be. And so when we send students abroad and we have them going to, you know, different places all over the world and people think that it's appropriate to respond to you or to interact with you using the five letter "B" word...
HARRIS: Right.
COBB: ... or the "N" word. And they don't know that these are offensive terms, then who's responsibility is that? Who takes -- who's going to take the blame for that?
HARRIS: I have to ask you, the other side of this is you know what? We all know, as we said here, adults this morning, that sex sells. And these artists are trying to move product.
So what is wrong with them doing what artists have done for years? My goodness, you've got Britney Spears, you've got -- what's the -- Jessica Simpson, you know, in a bikini in the video for -- and Madonna, another example.
So, you know, why should we be focusing so much attention on these videos and these artists who are doing the same thing, the time honored tradition of pushing sex to move the product?
LYTE: Well, this is a cause that's near and dear to me because I am a part of hip-hop. Hip-hop has always come from a place of being based in reality. And what happens is when they hire people for jobs like this, or when they portray these certain characters, the youth believes it. So therefore you have young children wanting to be exactly what they see in these videos. And I'm not anti-hip-hop or anti-any particular artist. I'm pro-self-respect. I'm pro-awareness of what's going on around you and not succumbing to what we're seeing in these videos.
HARRIS: Is that what -- and so if we sum it up, is it you would like to see, professor, more responsibility? You're not saying, you know, these images have no place, but there's a way to treat this more responsibly?
COBB: These are adult images and we want this to be dealt with responsibly. But certainly there's a problem with the image in and of itself. But at the very least, we don't want this music at 3:00 p.m. when young children are hearing it, transmitting these ideas and the music videos, at the very least, maybe we can look at a more diverse spectrum of who we are as a community.
HARRIS: Yes.
Professor, good to talk to you.
Thanks for coming in this morning.
COBB: Thank you.
HARRIS: MC Lyte, great to have you here this morning.
LYTE: Thank you.
HARRIS: We appreciate it.
LYTE: Thank you.
HARRIS: Betty.
NGUYEN: College women are not the only ones demanding respect in popular culture. Female high school students in Pittsburgh are calling for a Girl-Cott of a new line of T-shirts by Abercrombie & Fitch. Now, the pricey tees, $25 each, feature a variety of messages the students say cross the fine line between humor and insult.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMA BLACKMAN-MATHIS, "GIRLCOTT" ORGANIZER: These T-shirts, in my opinion, are absolutely and positively degrading to ourselves and other women around us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Now, Abercrombie & Fitch is no stranger to controversy, of course. The company has had little reaction to the boycott campaign, saying only the T-shirts are popular with adult women.
It is the ninth night of violence in France. Cars and warehouses are set ablaze in Paris suburbs overnight. We'll have a report at the top of the next hour.
And later this hour, a man's best friend becomes his life saver. An amazing rescue story in our "Wows of the Week."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Look at this. We have got to say good morning, Chicago.
HARRIS: How about a special shout out to the folks on the Number 6 bus heading downtown?
NGUYEN: Who are these people on the Number 6 bus?
HARRIS: The Jeffrey Express Bus.
NGUYEN: Oh, OK.
HARRIS: The South Siders.
NGUYEN: You know them?
HARRIS: Oh, yes, yes, yes. My friends. My friends.
NGUYEN: OK.
HARRIS: I spent a lot of time there.
NGUYEN: Yes, that was a directive from our executive producer. We definitely had to say that. You know, this morning we've got a lot to talk about, including the weather. It looks a little foggy out there.
HARRIS: Oh, yes. Oh, yes.
But hopefully things will clear up.
Brad Huffines upstairs in the CNN Weather Center -- good morning, Brad.
NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE) people on that bus.
HUFFINES: Not just fog, but haze and fog. And some mist, how's that?
NGUYEN: OK. They've got it all.
HUFFINES: It didn't mist Chicago today.
NGUYEN: Oh, badumbum.
HUFFINES: Let me show you the forecast, the three day forecast for Chitown.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Hey, check out these pictures. They look like -- look it. Oh.
NGUYEN: Oh, look at this.
HARRIS: Yes, they're cute puppies.
NGUYEN: Puppies.
HARRIS: But can you name the breed?
NGUYEN: No.
HARRIS: The hottest commodity on the block, right there.
NGUYEN: Really?
HARRIS: More in our "Wows of the Week."
That's next.
NGUYEN: They are cute.
Look at these two.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Ready to be wowed, Betty?
NGUYEN: Definitely. Yes. Bring it on.
HARRIS: All right, this is Honey. This is a great story. A Cocker Spaniel adopted from an animal shelter just two weeks ago. A good thing, too.
NGUYEN: Look at that.
HARRIS: Honey turned out to be an angel for her owner when his SUV crashed down a ravine into hills outside of San Francisco. Michael Bosch was pinned inside with a broken leg for seven hours. Somehow -- remember, two weeks now, right? Somehow the dog got free and ran a half mile to a neighbor's house and then led the neighbor to the crash site.
NGUYEN: Wow! That is a wow of the week.
HARRIS: Owned the pup for two weeks. Isn't that something?
NGUYEN: Yes.
HARRIS: All right, you want more?
NGUYEN: Man's best friend. Yes.
HARRIS: How about this? This is a...
NGUYEN: What's that?
HARRIS: It's a puggle. A puggle. It's a...
NGUYEN: No!!!
HARRIS: Yes, it is. It's a cross between a pug and a beagle. A puggle.
NGUYEN: Oh.
HARRIS: Well, I'm told the designer pups are all the rage among dog fanciers in New York.
NGUYEN: Designer pups, huh?
HARRIS: Yes. "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini.
NGUYEN: He has a puggle?
HARRIS: Yes, he has a puggle.
NGUYEN: Who knew him to be a puggle man?
HARRIS: And clean up aisle three and aisle eight and aisle four.
NGUYEN: What is this person doing?
HARRIS: You'd better make that the whole story. Yes, there you go.
NGUYEN: Uh-oh.
HARRIS: This surveillance video shows a deer just running amok inside a grocery store in suburban Washington, D.C.
NGUYEN: Wow!
HARRIS: It's rutting season for deer, rutting season. So police say the animals are prone to all kinds of erratic behavior. Running season.
NGUYEN: In grocery stores, of all places.
All right, so there you have it, the "Wows of the Week."
Now you see why we call it the "Wows of the Week."
HARRIS: There we go, yes.
NGUYEN: The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.
HARRIS: In the news, it is the final day of the Summit of the Americas in Argentina. Thirty-four Western Hemisphere leaders are attending. President Bush is pushing for proposals for a pan-American free trade zone. We'll have a live report from Argentina in just a couple of moments.
Here's a story we want to share, a modern-day pirate attack on a luxury cruise ship. It happened off the coast of Somalia, when pirates in two small boats attacked Seaborne Cruise Lines' "Spirit" with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. No one was injured, and the pirates were not able to board.
Real terrorist threat, or a hoax? Authorities say one of three terror suspects arrested in Britain had images of Washington landmarks on his computer, and FBI officials say that there's no credible indication that any imminent threat at this time.
And U.S. and Iraqi forces today launched Operation Steel Curtain. The offensive is to combat what's become a command-and-control center for insurgents and foreign fighters from the Syrian border. In separate attacks north of Baghdad, insurgents killed 11 Iraqi security forces and two American troops.
And from the CNN Center in Atlanta, it is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, November 5, 8:00 a.m. here at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, and 7:00 a.m. in Houston, Texas, where the manhunt for Charles Victor Thompson continues.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for being with us today.
Speaking of that manhunt, a convicted killer is still on the loose, here's his picture, after escaping from a Houston jail. Officials are taking the blame after the man changed into street clothes and talked his way past guards. The escapee is considered dangerous, perhaps even desperate.
And CNN's Keith Oppenheim is on the scene for us in Houston. Keith, so many questions here, like, where did he get the street clothes, where did he get the ID from the attorney general's office?
OPPENHEIM: That's a good question about that ID, and I'll talk about that in just a moment.
I'm standing in front of the Harris County jail. Those doors behind me are the doors that Charles Victor Thompson went through when he was on his way to freedom.
Betty, the interesting thing about this story is that when you talk to officials from the Harris County Sheriff's Department, they are fully acknowledging that there were serious mistakes made in this case. And, in fact, this morning's "Houston Chronicle" really reflects that, with its headline quoting the Harris County Sheriff's Department saying, "Escape 100 Percent Human Error."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OPPENHEIM (voice-over): Charles Victor Thompson is a 35-year-old convicted killer. Prosecutors described him as a pretty boy, someone who looked appealing but was in fact deadly. On Thursday afternoon at the Harris County Jail in Houston, police say Thompson found a way to transform himself and con his way out through these doors to freedom.
CHIEF DEPUTY DANNY BILLINGSLY, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: There's a series of mistakes here. It's like a lot of catastrophic events that happened.
OPPENHEIM: Investigators believe Thompson smuggled street clothes that he wore for a court appearance back to his jail cell, and then found a way to change in a booth like this one, a booth used by meetings between attorneys and inmates.
LT. JOHN MARTIN, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: He got out of his inmate jumpsuit, the orange clothing they commonly wear, changed into his civilian clothing. He was handcuffed when he was taken into the attorney booth, and apparently he was able to get out of the handcuffs. We do not know if he had a key or if he just slipped the cuffs off.
HARRIS: It was in April of 1998 that prosecutors say Charles Victor Thompson stormed into the apartment of his ex-girlfriend, Dennise Hayslip, shot her and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain. Both victims died.
Thompson was found guilty and sent to death row. On appeal, Texas courts upheld the conviction, but ruled that during the trial, Thompson's right to counsel had been violated. He was granted a new sentencing hearing, but once again received the death penalty.
Officials say within 45 days, he would have been transferred back to state prison and death row. Now, he's a killer on the loose.
BILLINGSLY: We will find out what happened. And when we do, we'll correct it, OK? And the chips, let the chips fall where they may.
OPPENHEIM: Now, police are carrying Thompson's picture, searching throughout the area for where he might have gone. The relatives of murder victim Dennise Hayslip live in Tomball, Texas, a Houston suburb. Dennise's mother, Wynona Donaghy, is packing up, preparing to live in a safe house under police protection. She is afraid. Prosecutors said while Thompson was in jail, he made a hit list targeting Dennise Hayslip's family.
WYNONA DONAGHY, MURDER VICTIM'S MOTHER: He's a very scary individual, and I want him caught, and I want nobody else getting hurt, and I want my life back. I can't function right now.
OPPENHEIM: Wynona isn't alone. All Houston-area residents will probably feel a little uneasy until Charles Thompson is back in prison.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
OPPENHEIM: Betty, you were asking about the ID card. Apparently, when Thompson was going to a security checkpoint, after he changed his clothes, he flashed some kind of ID with his picture on it. And while he was being checked out by deputies, they escorted him from the secure area of the jail to the public lobby, to the insecure area, if you will. That was their big mistake. If they had checked him out before they had led him through into the lobby, he might very well still be in custody. And now, of course, he is out there.
Back to you.
NGUYEN: Which leads to the headline of the "Houston Chronicle," "100 Percent Human Error." Keith Oppenheim, thanks for following it. We'll check in.
HARRIS: Well, Betty, in France, another night of mayhem. More cars are torched, more buildings destroyed, and dozens are arrested as clashes between young people and police erupt for a ninth straight night.
CNN's Chris Burns is on the phone with us from Paris. And Chris, what's the latest?
BURNS (on phone): Tony, we're talking about the worst violence in decades now in France, and it was the worst night ever in more than a week of violence. Some 900 cars across France were torched, some 250 people also arrested or detained. Authorities are trying to do what they can to bring this under control, but it doesn't seem like it's working.
Other cities out -- the -- most of the violence was happening in these suburbs outside of Paris, where we are right now, in one of these suburbs, also around France as well. It's almost like a travelogue, Lisle, Rouen, Nice, Rheims, Orleans, Borbous (ph), Hasboul (ph). In more than two dozen cities in France where in -- these are in immigrant neighborhoods, mainly North African and African families, where they live, and where there's very high unemployment.
This sparked more than a week ago after two youths died as they were electrocuted accidentally in a power station, trying to flee from police.
This -- and today, we're seeing peace marches as well, though. Religious leaders here in this area north of Paris joining with thousands of other people calling for peace, calling for no violence, but yes to dialogue, Tony.
HARRIS: Here's a couple of questions. First of all, set that scene for us. How far away is this violence happening from, say, some of the better-known landmarks of Paris?
BURNS: Well, it's about 45-minute drive, really, from these beautiful tourist sites of Paris that are not at all touched by what's going on. But really, for the first time, the last couple of days, we started to see some of this violence spill over into Paris proper, in northeastern Paris, in the working-class areas of the 19th District, where there aren't any tourist sites there, but it is part of Paris proper.
HARRIS: Right.
BURNS: So it isn't that close. And on the other hand, though, keep in mind that the U.S. State Department is giving -- has given a traveler's advisory for Americans to stay clear of these suburbs in northeastern Paris, where there is also a shuttle train that goes between Charles de Gaulle Airport, the main airport of Paris, and downtown Paris, because that train was halted at least once because of rock throwing.
HARRIS: And Chris, quickly, one last question, is there any talk of bringing in the French army, military?
BURNS: Well, you know, in the last couple of days, there has not been, but the policeman's union, at least one of their officials, had been calling for that, saying this is virtual civil war, and it's over the heads of the police. But in the last two days, the authorities have been sending in thousands more police into some of these areas. And at this point, they seem to be just relying on that. But because of last night being the worst night ever, they might be reevaluating things.
On the other hand, too, there's the soft powers aspect. (INAUDIBLE), who's the prime minister has been meeting with community groups and promises to have some kind of an action plan to address the key issues like unemployment by the end of the month.
HARRIS: OK. CNN's Chris Burns in Paris for us. Chris, thank you.
NGUYEN: There's also been violent demonstrations at the Summit of the Americas in Argentina. Protesters clashed with police outside the gathering of 34 leaders, and there are reports of widespread damage outside the conference center.
Now, the meeting, which brings together President Bush and 33 other leaders, ends in less than two hours.
And our Elaine Quijano joins us now with the latest. Police still bracing for more violence today?
QUIJANO: Not really expectations that things will get to the point that they did yesterday.
Good morning to you, Betty, from a very windy Mar del Plata here in Argentina.
Day two of the Summit of the Americas is now underway, President Bush sitting down with the leaders of 33 other countries. And the official focus of this summit is on creating jobs and strengthening democratic governance.
Now, the plenary session taking place this morning, one of a few that the president will be joining in. Got a few more events before the summit wraps up.
A quiet day so far, as I mentioned, in contrast, though, to yesterday, when bands of protesters hit the streets here in Mar del Plata. Now, they did not make it past the security cordon that had been set up around the hotel where the summit activities were taking place, but they did set fires, smashed storefronts. Argentine police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, and reports that there were dozens of protesters who were arrested.
Now, President Bush was briefed on the situation yesterday. The summit events continued. But earlier in the day, thousands of anti- U.S., anti-Bush demonstrators poured into a sports stadium, and they were being led by the very vocal U.S. critic Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan president. He has dubbed President Bush Mr. Danger. He calls the United States imperialistic, and he vehemently opposes the U.S.' push for a free trade hemisphere. That's a proposal that even President Bush has acknowledged has stalled.
Nevertheless, U.S. officials are saying that they are making progress in reaching out to individual countries on the issue of free trade. As for what is ahead, a few more events, as I mentioned, here in Argentina. The president will then move on to Brazil tonight, and meet with the president there, and then move on to Panama Monday morning before returning to the United States, Betty.
NGUYEN: CNN's Elaine Quijano in Argentina, thank you.
HARRIS: Terror arrests in the U.K. are being investigated for possible U.S. links. A live report up next in our security watch.
NGUYEN: And next hour, some would say Senate proceedings are dry and boring, but this week the Hill saw headlines ranging from a possible shutdown to a potential showdown over the president's Supreme Court nominee.
National Public Radio's Andrea Seabrook joins us next hour to sort it all out.
CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: In our security watch, a man believed to be a top al Qaeda operative has been captured in Pakistan. Mustafa Setmaria Nasser (ph) was captured in a raid in Queta (ph) near the southern Afghan border. The U.S. Offered a $5 million reward for his capture in 2004. He was indicted in 2003 for training a sleeper terror cell in Spain in the mid-1909s.
U.S. and British investigators are looking at three alleged Muslim militants who were arrested in Britain. U.S. officials are trying to figure out if they were planning an attack on Washington.
CNN's Gary Nurenberg has been following the story for us, and he joins us now with the latest. Gary, good morning.
NURENBERG: Good morning, Tony.
The broad outline of the investigation is emerging, following a hearing for the three suspects in London on Friday. The men were arrested in late October on charges including violating Britain's Terrorism Act, and conspiracy.
In one of the suspect's homes, investigators found papers including, in Arabic, the phrase "Welcome to Jihad," and also found what court documents describe as a recipe for rocket propellant and guidance on causing an explosion.
Of particular interest here in Washington is the discovery on the computer of a second suspect pictures of important sites around D.C., including, an FBI official says, locations near the United States Capitol Building and instructions on how to make a car bomb. Was this a plot to bomb places in Washington? U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer says, "We are neither frightened nor concerned. We have a vigorous capacity to assess the threat." FBI assistant director John Miller says, "The FBI is working with our partners overseas on the investigation. We have shared the relevant information with local law enforcement agencies concerned."
"There is no credible indication of any imminent threat," he says.
Capitol Police Chief Gainer says the images could be described as either tourist photography or preplanning for terrorists. One image is interesting, a picture of a vehicle here in D.C. that's used to detect, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents, but no indication of where that vehicle was when it was photographed.
The bottom line, from one U.S. counterterrorism official, quote, "It's hard to know if this was terrorist bravado, or a real threat," end quote. Investigators on both sides of the ocean are working to find out, but they do seem to agree, Tony, there is no imminent threat.
HARRIS: Well, that part, at least, sounds good. All right, Gary. Gary Nurenberg for us in Washington. Gary, thank you.
And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
NGUYEN: All right, here's a story that will wake you up this morning. We're going to introduce you to a marathoner whose 26-mile trek tomorrow through the streets of New York will be a walk in the park compared to the other obstacles he's overcome. His story is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Tomorrow, the streets of New York will look something like this. Millions of spectators will line the 26-mile route stretching from Staten Island to Central Park. They'll watch more than 35,000 runners take part in the New York City Marathon.
Now, it started back in 1970 with just 127 runners. Last year, 36,500 runners crossed the finish line.
And Richard Brodsky is a runner who is no stranger to challenges. He is a HIV-positive cancer survivor running two marathons. And get this, the next four weeks. He's also the author of "Jodi, the Greatest Love Story Ever Told."
Richard Brodsky joins me now from New York.
We appreciate you being on the show. Boy, you have quite a story. You're 53 years old, father of three. When did you realize that you had HIV?
RICHARD BRODSKY, MARATHON RUNNER: It was about eight years ago. I had been involved just a little bit with men, and I sort of had to tell my wife as soon as I found out that I was HIV-positive, and...
NGUYEN: So you were married at the time.
BRODSKY: I was married at the time. But my wife, she's just an incredibly loving person. I have a great family. And, you know, we've worked things out. We're still married. We have great kids. And it's -- we were going keep our story a secret, but we realized we didn't want to. I was able to run marathons. I was very fortunate. I'm in America, I have great doctors, and I'm on the AIDS medicine. And it's keeping me alive.
And it's -- I think if, you know, the AIDS sufferers all around the world could get the AIDS medicine, we wouldn't have to have 8,000 people dying every day.
NGUYEN: Which, you know, leads to...
BRODSKY: And also, there's...
NGUYEN: ... what you're doing, because you have viewed this HIV- positive not as a death sentence, but as a way to reach out and help others. Tell us about your organization and what you do.
BRODSKY: OK. Well, I started my own foundation, and I'm organizing a World AIDS Marathon in Gainesville, and the proceeds are going to go towards AIDS and cancer research, to the 14 million orphans living in Africa, and just helping people in this country who are HIV-positive.
And we want to do it through this -- through a marathon. We're going to be having a conference down there, Surviving and Thriving. We're going to be having the one campaign there. We're going to be having a concert, a fund walk. It's basically a whole week of world AIDS-awareness activities.
NGUYEN: This is quite, really quite a project for a man who not only is HIV-positive, but also faced brain cancer. Tell us about that.
BRODSKY: Oh, God, the brain cancer. I just came back from a book tour. It was going to be the most exciting week in my life. I had a lot of activities planned. I was doing a book-signing at Barnes and Noble in Greenwich Village, and I had the seizure there. My doctors didn't give me too much hope. But I was able to beat it.
In fact, the second anniversary of my brain cancer, I was flying to Kenya to have a World AIDS Marathon there. And we're going to continue it this year. And we're just looking for donations, we're looking for support, because we really think we can make a difference. And if people would realize that -- I mean, people like myself, if we could just get the AIDS medicine, we don't have to be dying.
NGUYEN: And we put up your book just quickly. It makes me want to ask the question, "Jodi, the Greatest Love Story Ever Told." Tell us just a slight bit about that.
BRODSKY: That book is gift to my wife for keeping our family together. And we also didn't want to live our life a secret. We just felt that the stigma of AIDS, it just doesn't help anybody. And if people would be honest, they would say they're HIV-positive, whatever. If everybody's just going to be quiet about it, then it's just going to be hard to get funding from government. And that's -- that was basically the reason for writing it.
NGUYEN: Well ...
BRODSKY: Betty, can I just...
NGUYEN: Sure, go ahead.
BRODSKY: Just about my Web site for a donation. It's WorldAIDSMarathon.com.
NGUYEN: Ail right. And you will be running in the marathon tomorrow, and again in four weeks ...
BRODSKY: Yes, yes, I just can't wait. I'm really, I'm really, like, just excited about both of them.
NGUYEN: I got to ask you, what's your best time? I mean ...
(CROSSTALK)
BRODSKY: My best time, OK, three hours, 23 minutes...
NGUYEN: Wow.
BRODSKY: ... and it was at age 46, and it was after I was diagnosed HIV-positive.
NGUYEN: You are a man on a mission.
BRODSKY: OK, OK.
NGUYEN: And we appreciate you sharing that story with us. And hopefully, we'll get the word out and bring about awareness and bring about change too. Thank you so much, Richard Brodsky.
BRODSKY: Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: It would take me longer than that to get upstairs to the...
NGUYEN: It would take me four weeks to do one marathon.
HARRIS: Yes, longer than that for me to upstairs to the CNN Weather Center, say hello to Brad Huffines. Morning, Brad.
HUFFINES: And did you know that the women's, the women's prize this year is $30,000, a bonus, so the women's prize this year is more than the men's prize in the marathon.
NGUYEN: Well, that's the way it should be, right? HARRIS: And about time.
HUFFINES: That's pretty much, I'd say. My wife deserves that alone.
(LAUGHTER)
HUFFINES: Let me show you the jet stream forecast, why we're seeing this scattered showers of, scattered areas of heavy thunderstorms across the Plains and across the upper Midwest today.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
HUFFINES: And now the colds and flu report. Oh, heaven's sakes, hate to start talking about this, but we really do have to, because of the sporadic activity and regional activity now across parts of the Lone Star State.
Rest of the country pretty quiet except out West, in Florida, and a couple of states in the Northeast.
Here, I'm going to give you a clue as to what to do. The best thing you can do all season long, wash your hands, just keep them clean.
HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes.
NGUYEN: Always got to keep them clean.
HARRIS: You got to cover your mouth when you...
NGUYEN: No sneezing on you?
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: And then you got to wash hands.
HUFFINES: And avoid close contact at work.
NGUYEN: What, we learned that in elementary school, right?
HUFFINES: And call in sick.
HARRIS: Call in...
HUFFINES: Call in sick.
NGUYEN: That's kind of hard to do.
HUFFINES: If you're sick, I mean, of course.
NGUYEN: Right.
HARRIS: Thanks, Brad. We're all in trouble now.
NGUYEN: Yes. HARRIS: Coming up next hour, live from the front lines, where Operation Steel Curtain is under way this morning in Iraq.
NGUYEN: But first, bird flu remains in the news, as we all know. And as Hawaii starts taking precautions, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a bird flu reality check on "HOUSE CALL." That is up right after this break.
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