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CNN Live Sunday
Police Release Grisly Details About Oklahoma Girl's Murder; Is Omaha Intentionally Segregating Schools by Race?; Fast and Efficient Smart Cars; Video Shows Storm Chasers Catching Tornado
Aired April 16, 2006 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This is CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Carol Lin. Straight ahead in this hour, the pictures you'll be talking about on Monday morning. Terror from a twister, up close and personal.
Also, separate but equal, a wall that divides students by race.
And they are fast and fuel efficient, but are you sacrificing safety with these smart cars?
First, here's what is happening right now in the news.
Police released the grisly details about the murder of an Oklahoma girl. The neighbor accused of killing her has his first court appearance tomorrow. We're going to have a live report from Purcell, Oklahoma, in five minutes.
A black bear killed in eastern Tennessee. Forest Service officials say it may be the bear that killed a 6-year-old girl on Thursday. The bear was euthanized and the body will be tested.
We don't know much more than his initials. A man is detained in Aruba in the Natalee Holloway investigation. He is not necessarily a suspect. Police only say that they want to question him.
Now, four U.S. Marines have been killed in Iraq this weekend. The military says that all four were killed in hostile action.
The Pentagon sends out a memo defending Donald Rumsfeld. The letter went to both critics and supporters after six retired generals called for his resignation.
They are the best pictures we have seen all day in the newsroom. Our top story, severe storm damage across the Midwest. And, as you can see, there's a lot of tornado damage. But amazingly, nobody died. Fredricka Whitfield reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) tornado.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Randy Hicks (ph), the twister that spiraled across Beatrice, Nebraska was more exciting than terrifying.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at that debris. WHITFIELD: It was one of several tornadoes that touched down northeast of Omaha on Saturday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We may have two tornadoes.
WHITFIELD: Cameraman Jeff Piotrowski followed one tornado, watching it race across a road before wrecking several buildings. Two more photographers caught a twister in the making in the skies above the plains, and raced to keep up as it barreled across farm land.
Amazingly, there were no casualties, but several farm buildings in eastern Nebraska were destroyed, including the chicken houses at Gary Wiese's farm. He'd evacuated the birds just two days earlier.
GARY WIESE, POULTRY FARMER: If we would have had them full of chickens, it would have been tough, man. Because you would have had 80,000 chickens up there.
WHITFIELD: Neighbors gathered to help the Ericksons after their farm had been damaged by winds that topped 60 miles an hour.
MARY ERICKSON, FARMER: It's my husband's birthday today. What a way to celebrate. Of course, he's got the whole community here.
WHITFIELD: Saturday's tornadoes in Nebraska were the latest in what's become the most dangerous season for twisters in seven years.
Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: You saw a little bit of the video in Fred's piece, but I have never seen anyone get this close to a tornado.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in a bad spot here (inaudible).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my God!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a tornado right there, it's going over.
We're in a tornado!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Two storm chasers try to ride out this tornado. That's in about 30 minutes.
Bonnie, I don't know, lucky or dumb? Which one? You know, it's one or the other, or maybe a little of both.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You can't outrun a tornado in a truck or a car or SUV or anything like that. It's just -- it's very, very dangerous. I mean, of course there are trained professionals that do this out in Oklahoma, say, for example, but generally speaking, do not try this at home. Very, very risky and dangerous. You want to take cover when there's tornado warning and not try to get so close to it. It's better to just let it happen and stay safe.
Now, speaking of tornadoes, we have tornado warnings in effect right now over a good portion of the heartland as we speak. Now, we have one in Cumberland County. That's down here in southern Illinois. And also Jasper County. That goes until 5:15 Central Time.
South of Chicago, we actually have some tornado warnings that have popped up in Will and Kankakee Counties. And also north of Indianapolis, some tornado warnings posted for Clinton and Tipton Counties. Those also go to 5:15, so just about to expire, but still.
Most of these are Doppler-indicated tornadoes, meaning that in our radar pictures, we're seeing rotation and some storms that potentially could produce tornadoes. But the main thing to know is a tornado could drop down at any time, so you want to take cover.
Strong storms across much of Illinois and Indiana for much of the evening and into areas of Wisconsin as well. Even Chicago getting hard hit with these heavy downpours of rain, and reports of flooding in northern Indiana, where the rainfall rates come as strong as two inches per hour.
Taking a closer look at these storms, for the most part, they're moving to the east. And for that reason, we are looking at the threat of severe weather in a very specific area for this evening, from the Storm Prediction Center, including Indianapolis. And this will be for the next couple of hours. We will see some of the strongest storms stretching all the way to the west in Illinois.
And as you look at the radar picture, you can see the reason why. All of this headed to the east. So Indianapolis may be seeing calm conditions at this hour, but the stormy weather's on the way. Frequent lightning strikes also with these storms.
Tornado watches do continue. This one that doesn't include Indianapolis goes until 9:00 p.m. tonight Central time. So we are looking at the threat of severe weather to go into the evening hours. And the one back off further to the west goes to 7:00 p.m.
So, Carol, overall, we are definitely looking at a rough night ahead.
LIN: All right, Bonnie, good to have you on board then. Thank you
Now, this story coming out of Oklahoma. Quiet, boring, that's what neighbors said about an Oklahoma man.arrested in the murder of a 10-year-old. "Dangerously weird" is how 26-year-old Kevin Ray Underwood describes himself.
CNN's Ed Lavandera is live in Purcell, Oklahoma. Ed, have you found out anything more about this man? ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, the most disturbing thing about all of this for the victims's family, 10-year- old Jamie Rose Bolin, is that this 26-year-old man was their neighbor, literally lived across the hall in the apartment complex. And as they stood vigil for two days last week searching for the 10-year-old girl, all along, she was in the closest of her neighbor's apartment, according to police. That's why police arrested 26-year-old Kevin Ray Underwood Friday afternoon.
It was a bizarre scene at the house when we were there. We were shooting some video of where this home was in relation to where she had reportedly last been seen, which was at a library, just a few hundred yards away from the home. While we were there, officers arrived, and it was a kind of a confusing scene for several minutes as they were trying to figure out exactly what was going on.
It was during that time that Underwood, according to police, admitted to them that the 10-year-old girl's body was in his closet. And what police say he has gone on to say has been a very disturbing scene and a disturbing tale, police say, that Underwood planned on essentially cannibalizing the 10-year-old girl and eating her.
The apartment complex where she lived has now become kind of a sight of a small memorial, as people have come by today leaving Easter lily flowers and teddy bears for the family, who have been coping with this dreadful news.
And around town, everyone is trying to figure out more about Kevin Ray Underwood. He is a person who's been known around here. His family is from here. Has a sister and family that live here in the city, and many people sending their thoughts out to them, for they know it must be a very terrible situation for them to be dealing this.
But everyone says this 26-year-old man is quiet and reserved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL BERDAN, UNDERWOOD CO-WORKER: You know, the whole town is shocked. It's, you know, something here it is, Purcell, Oklahoma, you know, this happens in big city or something, not in our town. He was weird. He wasn't a happy person, you could see it, you know. He just -- it was hard to get him to smile, but you know, other than that, he was all right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: That was a former co-worker, who worked with Kevin Ray Underwood just up until a few weeks ago at a local hamburger restaurant. He had worked there or had known that gentleman you just heard from for about eight years, and we're told that Underwood had been working in the drive-through of that restaurant here. And many people we've spoken with today say they remember him through driving through that drive-through. And that has been their experience and their coming into contact with him.
As for Underwood, he remains in jail today. He's expected to make his first court appearance tomorrow, where prosecutors say he will be charged with first-degree murder, and they do intend on seeking the death penalty against him -- Carol.
LIN: Ed, how long have you been a reporter? Have you ever covered a story this weird?
LAVANDERA: You know, it was incredibly bizarre on Friday afternoon, how everything kind of unraveled towards the end of the day. I had never seen so up close and personal a lot of the confusion. We were able to see it essentially firsthand as the officers were making sense of what exactly was going on.
They had just stopped Underwood at a checkpoint near the apartment complex. We've learned since then that Underwood had been kind of on their radar for the last couple of days, that they thought he had been acting suspiciously. He had come here voluntarily to the police department here and was questioned by authorities for some time. One of the officers said, well, let me drive you home, and as they dropped him off, he said, well, let me check your apartment, to see if -- just to check it out.
And when he went in there, he had originally told the officer that in the container where the young girl's body ended up being hidden, that he had said, oh, it was a container full of comic books. The officer opened it up and found the bloody shirt of the young girl, and that's when Underwood, police say, said you might as well arrest me; she's in there.
LIN: Ed, our heart goes out to the families. And thank you.
Want to tell folks that coming up 10:00 p.m. Eastern, I'm going to talk with a criminal profiler. We want to know, what happened here? One of the questions, was this the first victim of a serial killer, because the police say that he had identified other victims.
Now, some movement in the search for Natalee Holloway. Authorities in Aruba are holding a 19-year-old man. His name isn't being released yet. And police won't say why he's being detained. We spoke to a journalist in Aruba today who says the man has been held since yesterday, when he agreed to answer some questions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This person did show up voluntarily yesterday late afternoon, and after they questioned him, they had reason to detain him at the moment. That's what happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Natalee Holloway was last seen May 30th of last year, leaving a nightclub on Aruba. She was there to celebrate her high school graduation. Aruban authorities have questioned and released three other young men, including the son of a local judge.
We spoke this afternoon with Holloway's father.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE HOLLOWAY, NATALEE'S FATHER (on phone): I still think that these original suspects, still know more than what they have told us. And it could be others. They just made this arrest. We'll have to wait and see what happens. I know he'll probably be detained for at least two days. And if there's sufficient evidence, I think it goes on to another eight days after that and then they have a number of days, depending on how much evidence is compiled throughout their investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Natalee Holloway's friends and her relatives are pretty unhappy with the way the investigation is going and with Aruban authorities.
Now, we know it's the dinner hour, but you might interested in this story. Canada's government is insisting its beef is safe. A cow at a farm in British Columbia has come down with mad cow disease. But Canadian officials say the dairy cow is now a threat to cattle or people. The U.S. has banned beef imports from Canada since the country's first case of mad cow in 2003. Now some restrictions have been lifted since then.
Is Omaha intentionally segregating schools by race? I'm interviewing the black senator who got this law passed. A drag race turns deadly, a car loses control. The question now, what's went wrong? And what Easter like for soldiers in Iraq?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I usually go to church on Easter with grandma. But sorry grandma, that's not happening this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Coming up, you might see your family member. We're going to show you more testimonials when CNN LIVE SUNDAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Nebraska's lawmakers voted to split Omaha school district down racial lines. The idea is to give minority parents more control. And it's a law written by Nebraska's only black senator. But is it state-sponsored segregation? Well you're going to hear from that senator right after CNN's Bill Tucker shows you what he learned.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like many problems do, the dispute over schools in Omaha began about money. Omaha's public school system wanted to increase its funding base, and it touched off a full-blown controversy.
The state will now create three school boards with three new school districts. Three essentially racially segregated school districts.
NANCY OBERST, OMAHA SCHOOL PRINCIPAL: It is shocking to me that we would decide to carve out the district in a way because the residential situation in Omaha is such that we do have communities where, in the north, it is heavily African-American and in the south Latino, and the west is Anglo.
TUCKER: The action has sparked outrage.
PAT BOURNE, NEBRASKA STATE LEGISLATURE: I just think it's a dark day for Nebraska. I truly believe that we set race relations back here 20 years. I don't think any state has done what we did in a long, long time. And I'm discouraged and disappointed.
TUCKER : Under a bill signed into law by Governor Dave Heineman, parents of children in a school district will have a greater say in the governance of their schools because the school board members will be from the neighborhoods the schools are in. It doesn't seem like an especially controversial idea. But it certainly is distinctive.
ERNIE CHAMBERS, NEBRASKA STATE LEGISLATURE: Every proposal made by the white people has failed. Nothing has altered the situation in these schools. I offer a plan. And because it is going to work, white people have gotten alarmed because when we do have control of our schools, the parents will be interested because they have a stake.
TUCKER: Chambers says nothing about the racial makeup of the schools will change. He's the first to admit they are segregated and the first to point out that this is the first time many opponents have admitted it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: All right, so Senator Chambers authored the controversial amendment and state Senator Pat Bourne says it will set back race relations in Nebraska. So I asked Chambers why it was necessary to change the districts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAMBERS: It is necessary in order to obtain quality education for children in every building where they attend, regardless of where those buildings are located or the children live. And my plan is the only way, practically speaking, to accomplish that.
LIN: All right, we may very well get into that, but Senator Bourne, what are the consequences when you're talking about three school districts, predominantly white, predominantly black, predominantly Hispanic. What are the consequences of that?
BOURNE: Well I think the consequences remain to be seen. But I can tell you the reality is, the education will not be better. You know, Senator Chambers has talked many times about the fact that the schools are segregated already. The reality is that 58 percent of the elementary schools in Omaha, have more diversity than the neighborhoods in which they reside. LIN: Senator Chambers, if the national statistics are true and that half of all African-American students end up dropping out, how is that going to change if the school district is run by black leaders?
CHAMBERS: First of all, the fact that black people run something does not mean that will be an inferior operation.
LIN: I'm not suggesting that. I'm saying, what is going to change when you have black control over black -- predominantly black schools?
CHAMBERS: You have to understand what these terms mean. First of all, there's no requirement that all of the administrators be black or all the teachers be black.
LIN: Then what's going to change? What's going to change? What is at the thrust of this amendment then for you?
LIN: There will be -- each district will have its own school board. The school board will hire the teachers, the administrators, formulate the curriculum. Right now, the majority of schools that black children attend are in fact segregated.
About five years ago, the current superintendent ended bussing, returned to a neighborhood school concept. That resegregated the schools. They not only are separate, but they're unequal when it comes to supplies, equipment, the assignment of teachers and achievement. So the facts speak for themselves.
LIN: Senator Chambers, are you suggesting that there was deliberate neglect by the white administrators of these school districts?
CHAMBERS: There's no question about it and the segregation was deliberate because the superintendent was trying to float a bond issue and if he said if they would endorse this issue, he would end bussing, return to neighborhoods schools, which means segregation. The bond issue went. We're back to segregated schools. So what I'm trying to do is ameliorate the deleterious effects of segregation, because it will always be here as long as there's an America.
LIN: So what happens, Senator Bourne -- what if bussing were reinstituted?
BOURNE: Well I'll concede that Senators Chambers plan doesn't call for bussing. But I will tell you that his numbers are a little skewed. I looked at what we're spending on the inner-city schools, the predominantly minority schools, and on average, we're spending $1,300 more per student on the inner-city schools.
LIN: Then what's your explanation for the drop-out rate when it comes to African-Americans and Hispanics?
BOURNE: I don't have an explanation for that. And I've never said that our school system is perfect. But I can absolutely say that if we go backwards and further segregate these schools, it cannot be good for our community. And that's my argument.
LIN: But then are you suggesting that Hispanics can't run their own school district, that blacks can't run their own school district?
BOURNE: Absolutely not, that's ludicrous. I've never suggested that once. But I don't see how on earth further segregating a community is helping our kids learn. I think that what we've done by creating a separate Latino district, a black district and a white district is further segregate and divide our community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Well, Nebraska's attorney general says he believes the law may violate the constitution's equal protection clause. So he expects legal challenges. We're going to keep you up to date.
Coming to a highway to you, a little car that gets 40 miles-per- gallon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a tornado right there. It's going over us. We're in a tornado.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: More pictures from inside a massive tornado. We'll take you along for the ride of a lifetime in 10 minutes. CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: I don't know about you, but I'm expecting to pay about $3 a gallon this summer. You know, when it comes to gas prices soaring, bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to cars. CNN's Christopher King tells us we may be seeing more mini cars on the road.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why not? It's exciting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would love it, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's great to come back and forth it work, it's easy to park, looks great.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's just a fun car.
CHRISTOPHER KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Manufacturers at the New York Auto Show are rolling out pint-sized rides to attract drivers who want to trade in the high-profile bulk of the SUV for the fuel efficiency and ease of the sub-compact.
REBEKAH DECKER, NISSAN PRODUCT SPECIALIST: This year the biggest question has been, what's the fuel economy, how much miles per gallon am I going to get on this vehicle?
KING: Automakers are hoping small is big in America, with the prices of most of these vehicles, ranging from about $10,000-to- $15,000, the appeal is simple.
MICHAEL GIANNONE, CONSUMER: Comfort, easy to park, low gas -- a better gas economy, probably low maintenance on the car.
KING: The smart car from ZAP gets about 40 miles to the gallon, the highest, the company claims, for a conventional combustion engine.
STEVEN KIM, ZAP: There is still a little bit of a niche market that wants to drive socially-responsible cute, fun cars around. To be noticed, to help out the economy.
KING (on camera): Now the makers of these extra-small cars are banking on the idea that rising fuel costs and concerns for the environment will drive consumers to down size and buy micro-sized vehicles, like this smart car. The question is, can they stand up to the demands of American roads?
(voice-over): The smart car rated three out of five stars in European crash tests.
KIM: You'll see with your own eyes that this really is -- in an impact collision, is really one of the safer cars.
KING: But how safe are smaller cars overall? The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says smaller vehicles lack the crush space in front to absorb the impact of a crash. According to the group, mini cars accounted for 117 fatalities per million drivers in 2004, more than almost any other vehicle category.
RUSS RADER, INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: If you are putting your family in a small car, to save money at the gas pump, that's a risky proposition because small cars are less safe than bigger vehicles.
KING: Some consumers aren't buying that.
GIANNONE: That is a myth. People think if they have a lot of metal around them it's better. It's compact, crumple zones, air bags, the way the cars are configured, they may collapse around you, but you won't get killed.
KING: So, get used to seeing more mini cars on a highway near you. Christopher King, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh hang on, here comes another one. Oh watch out.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LIN: This storm chaser is caught inside a Nebraska twister. We're going to take you along for the ride, next. And another one that's got the newsroom talking. A deadly crash at a drag race. We'll have the details when CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Check these pictures out. Have you seen them? I mean, you have to ask, who would be dumb enough, or even lucky enough to get so close to a tornado? Here's what happened when two storm chasers took their camera inside the massive tornado that struck in Gage County, Nebraska.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in a bad spot here (INAUDIBLE) . Hold on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a tornado right here. It's going right over. We're in a tornado! We're in a (bleep) tornado. Get down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at that debris.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're in the middle of that tornado. There it is, right in front of us. We're right over it. Here comes another one. Oh look out. (INAUDIBLE) All right, who's your daddy? Hang on, here comes another one. Watch out. Hold on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm holding on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know what we lost. Look at that piece of debris.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Bonnie, we have to tell people, don't do this. They are lucky to be alive.
SCHNEIDER: They're making it seem so much fun but it's so dangerous. When debris's is flying, that's how people get killed. It's just very, very serious.
LIN: How close do you think they were because normally we see the funnel, but we didn't even get a chance to see that shape?
SCHNEIDER: It was difficult to tell because, what happens is, when you're looking at a tornado, you see how it's darker there towards the bottom. What's happening is it's actually lifting up the dust and debris in its wake as its moves along and that's what give it a color. So when we look at these close up videos, it's hard to determine how close they are to the actually wing of the tornado or if they're just coming upon it. But generally when you're that close, you actually feel that sucking motion of being pulled towards it because what's happening is that the bottom of the tornado base is pulling up as I mentioned debris and air and anything in its path and those winds can be as strong as over 200 miles per hour. So I mean, I guess looking at that, people think it's fun, but it's really really serious and deadly.
LIN: Yeah, it looks like an ocean wave there. I guess that's all the debris you were talking about.
SCHNEIDER: Yeah it is and it's also the motion of the storm as it works its way. You can see that piece of debris flying right over there. It's kind of going in a circular motion and it's very difficult to determine which way a tornado would go. That's why storm chasing is so dangerous because it may look like it's heading in one direction, then quickly shift and move to another.
And unfortunately, Carol, we have the threat of tornadoes right now and that's happening in parts of Illinois and Indiana. We have tornado watches that are set up to go straight through the night into about 9:00 p.m. and they could extend it. We saw that yesterday and we're seeing tornado warnings now for a bunch of counties down in southern Illinois including (INAUDIBLE), Cumberland, Clark, Jasper, Coles and Douglas County in Illinois and then also farther to the north, we're also seeing the threat of tornadoes actually south of Chicago. We have some tornado warnings, that just expired actually for Kankakee County.
But we're watching those closely for Ford and (INAUDIBLE) county as well so about another 30 minutes, they'll go until and we've actually had seen a couple towards Indiana, the one for Lake County, where Gary, Indiana, has just expired moments ago. And these of course will go on for another 30 minutes because we've seen such strong storms across much of Indiana.
Now here's what's happening. Here's our storm system. The low- pressure system is actually working to the southeast and later this evening, it'll be passing right over Indiana. And that means, we'll be getting the biggest contrast of our air masses. We'll be getting lift in the atmosphere and unfortunately, it means more strong thunderstorms breaking out for portions of eastern Illinois, right into central Indiana. So as we look at the radar picture for Indianapolis at this hour, we can see the rain sweeping on in. Rainfall rates could be as much as two inches per hour. We've actually had reports of flooding in northern Illinois because of all this rain coming down heavy and hard. As we start working our way into the evening hours, that's where the danger becomes because you can't see when a tornado is coming. The important thing is, have your NOAA weather radio handy, have the batteries fresh and just be ready in case you do lose power because Carol, as we saw on that video, these winds are super strong.
LIN: These are the critical hours too. So you're going to be with us through the night. I know people are going to want to know. Should they go to work tomorrow? What are the conditions going to be like? Just want to let everybody know, Bonnie is here and we're going to be giving you that information through the night.
SCHNEIDER: Absolutely.
LIN: But right now, let's check on what's happening in the news. He's 19. His initials are GVC and that's about all we know about the latest person to be questioned in Natalee Holloway disappearance in Aruba. He has been held since yesterday.
Four Marines were killed yesterday in two separate incidents in Iraq's Anbar province. The military said today the four died in hostile action.
Jesse Jackson says he's going pay the college tuition of the woman accused of or accusing three Duke lacrosse players of rape. Jackson says she should not have to be a stripper for a living. No word on whether she wants to go to college or whether he's even met her.
Now this may be a long night for many of you. Most Americans have until midnight tomorrow to file their 2005 tax return. The deadline was extended since April 15th fell on a Saturday this year.
It's Easter Sunday, the day Christians mark as the day Christ was resurrected and rose from the dead. More than 50,000 worshipers filled the Georgia dome in Atlanta. Now at the Vatican, Pope Benedict led thousands of pilgrims in Easter celebrations, the first of his pontificate. Now joining me now is CNN's faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher. Hey Delia, in the next hour, you're going to have a terrific two-hour special documentary. You actually have the inside story of the last days of Pope John Paul II.
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT: That's right Carol. I know you'll remember last year when for the conclave, we saw those cardinals filing into the Sistine Chapel to begin voting for the new pope. What we didn't know is what went on behind those closed doors. So I went back to Rome to talk to some of the cardinals to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GALLAGHER (voice-over): After two days of voting, just four ballots. The cardinals picked their man. Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He certainly didn't seek it, that's for sure. Who would in his right mind?
GALLAGHER: He seemed calm, anxious, frightened?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He seemed calm. He seemed calm. There's a deep humility about him and it's that humility which gives calm.
I think the shockingly simple answer is that they felt they had to elect a pope who would not be crushed by the weight of comparison to John Paul II and they felt Joseph Ratzinger is that man.
GALLAGHER: The world was still watching and waiting for white smoke, the ancient sign that a new pope had been elected. But inside, there was trouble getting the word out.
CARDINAL FRANCIS EUGENE GEORGE, ARCHBISHOP OF CHICAGO: This ancient stove they haul in for these occasions. I don't know where it comes from. It's a pot bellied stove. Somehow or other, they didn't have it connected exactly right. When they tried to get white smoke, it apparently backed up. I know it backed up. I was there. It just filled one end of the chapel.
GALLAGHER: We are seeing smoke at the top of the Sistine chapel. And when the smoke finally began to rise, there was confusion outside.
GALLAGHER: That might be black smoke. It started out a little white.
ALESSIO VINCI, ROME BUREAU CHIEF: The smoke looked white, although it wasn't completely white. But I couldn't call it the end of the conclave because the bells were not tolling.
GALLAGHER: It was the wish of John Paul II that the balls (ph) of St. Peter's would ring upon news of a new pope. But here again, there was a problem.
ARCHBISHOP RENATO BOCCARDO, VATICAN CITY SECRETARY-GENERAL (through translator): After the pope was elected, everyone was coming up to congratulate him in the Sistine chapel. In the confusion, there was a lack of coordination in ringing the bells.
VINCI: I was waiting for that bell. I remember, the 14 longest minute ever in my Vatican television career. There we go! Then eventually we saw it moving and that's when St. Peter's Square exploded.
We have a pope!
It was an explosion of joy. It was unbelievable.
GALLAGHER: Finally a new pope, Benedict the XVI stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.
CARDINAL THEODORE MCCARRICK, ARCHBISHOP OF WASHINGTON: I think those of us who knew Cardinal Ratzinger knew that this was a strong and holy man and we all felt and I felt, the church is in good hands.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GALLAGHER: And you know, Carol, a year on, those people that I've talked to at the Vatican have reiterated Cardinal McCarrick's sentiments that they have elected what they consider a good pope.
LIN: Hey Delia, with all due respect to the Vatican, that is a hilarious moment that you described. I mean I always have this imagine of the Vatican aspiring to perfection and the perfection of the moment when there was this historic transition taking place.
GALLAGHER: That's why it's such a great story because we all assume that the thing runs like clock work when in fact you have to consider that you've got many elderly gentleman locked in the Sistine Chapel that have to figure out how to stuff ballots into a stove and how to unlock the doors and go out and ring the bells. It's not so easy.
LIN: Right, exactly. Well, I think it's fair to say that you don't have to be Catholic or even Christian to appreciate the two hours, because even though, we know the outcome, it has an element of suspense to it. That's what I really enjoy about the two hours.
GALLAGHER: Well, absolutely and I think a lot of people have said to me that it's the one moment where they can sort of sit down and watch from beginning to end what were sort of several months of tremendous change and events from the time the pope went into the hospital to his death to his funeral, to the election of a new pope. And they get to see that narrated by people who were there, sort of at the pope's bedside, by the pope's doctor. So you really get an inside feel for what was going on in the pope's apartment and in the Sistine chapel which is a rare thing.
LIN: Delia, great work, thanks so much for beginning it to us and we want to tell the folks, the last days of Pope John Paul II, that's coming up at 7:00 p.m. Eastern and then later again at 11:00. The mystery of Jesus, a probing look at his life and death.
In Turkey a drag race goes horribly wrong. Shanon Cook tracking these details and a whole lot more of stories around the globe. Shanon.
SHANON COOK, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there Carol. People who showed up to watch this drag race in Turkey today, ended up running for their lives essentially. We've got some video of it and tragically, three spectators were killed. Check out this video and you'll see the dramatic events unfold. That blue car there, the driver just appeared to lose control and plowed into spectators. As I said, three people died and reports from the Anatolia news agency, the resort town where this happened, say the driver survived, but reportedly he broke his arm and his fingers. So he was obviously quite lucky.
Now in central Europe, rain and melting snow have pushed the Danube River and its tributaries to record highs. Large parts of the Serbian capital, Belgrade are threatened and hundreds of people have been evacuated in Romania. The government there actually ordered controlled flooding of thousands of hectares of farmland to divert waters away from populated areas and keep people safe.
Now to Australia where cheerleaders much like, who dress like these American counterparts show here, are being told to cover up. They have been banned from showing their midriffs. Officials fear that showing too much skin may encourage anorexia. Now Gymnastics Australia, the governing body, says cheerleading troops have until the end of the year to find new uniforms. And Carol, you can bet that some of those cheerleaders not too happy about it. Why go after cheerleaders? What about dancers? What about models in magazines?
LIN: I'm still bitter from high school when I couldn't do the splits, so I couldn't be a cheerleader, but OK, a point of disclosure. So what are the rules here in the United States, then? Is there anything comparable?
COOK: Well before you think that Australians are obviously a little bit prudish, America has a very similar rule. In fact the National Federation of State High School Associations issued a rule that went into effect this year and goes through until 2007, which says cheerleaders have to cover up their midriffs. The feeling is here that cheerleading is performed in front of families. So maybe it's just a little inappropriate to be showing that much skin, but let alone the dance moves though.
LIN: It's all about their minds right, the minds (INAUDIBLE) young women have to offer society so more power to them, focus on what's important. Shanon, thank you.
COOK: Thanks Carol.
LIN: A hundred years ago this week, the great quake nearly wipes San Francisco off the map. Up next, see some photos found in a family's attic, 100 years later.
And still to come, how some U.S. troops are getting through this Easter holiday in Iraq. It helps if you have a sense of humor.
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LIN: It's amazing what you would find in a family's attic. Take a look at these pictures. Richard Torney's family found photos that date back hundred years, pictures seen for the first time of the 906 San Francisco earthquake. They're very telling about that day. Richard's here with me, today. So, Richard, it's your grandfather who took those pictures, right the photos.
RICHARD TORNEY, PHOTOGRAPHER'S GRANDSON: That's correct.
LIN: All right, so what were they doing stuck in an attic. How come nobody knew about these?
TORNEY: Well, that's a real good question. I was do research on my great-grandfather who was also involved with relief after the earthquake. And an unmarked enveloped turned up with 75 negatives of photos clearly taken starting on the day of the earthquake and in the days after.
LIN: Because your grandfather actually had a critical role in keeping public health together, preventing an outbreak of disease. His son, your grandfather decided one day just to go out and take some pictures. What's interest about this though is it has a different perspective than say a journalist going out and covering the story. These are the things that captured the heart and mind of your grandfather that day. The refugee tents for example.
TORNEY: Yes, there are a number of series of the photographs that are taken on the first day and then in the days afterwards. He didn't run out of film completely.
LIN: What does it tell you? I mean something like a quarter million people were homeless, leaving in these tent cities. What was your sense when you looked at these pictures?
TORNEY: I was surprised to see the resiliency of the people in photographs, the photos taken in the tent camps. Some of the people appeared to have smiles on their faces. They're going to recover as quickly as they can. They want to get their lives back in order.
LIN: What are some of the other images that you saw of that devastating day?
TORNEY: Well the most stunning I think is the series of four photographs that show a building as the fire's approaching and the fire gets to it and then as the fire is completely engulfed. And I thought my grandfather must have had a lot of nerve to have just stood by and taken the series of photographs that must have been taken over a period of 10 or 15 minutes.
LIN: And I wonder, did he ever write about that experience?
TORNEY: No evidence in the family at all. I have one surviving aunt, one of his children who knows nothing of these photographs. So they were put in the trunk and locked away and haven't been seen since.
LIN: So what are you going to do with them now? Are historians interested? Is anybody calling?
TORNEY: Well, there are a number of historians have gone through them and they've agree that they're all new images and in the works is the possibility of doing a display in a museum and a publication.
LIN: What did the historians tell you about the pictures? I'm wondering from their professional eye.
TORNEY: Well, they are finding elements in them that they haven't seen in other photographs. So it's adding to a great depth of knowledge on the subject, but we're getting some new looks and some new input on some questions.
LIN: Richard, I love the way you put it about the human spirit, just like the guy, getting a shave in the middle of the tent city, as if life just goes on and maybe from these pictures we know that it is does. Thanks so much for sharing them.
TORNEY: Thank you.
LIN: Well, it's a holiday like no other when it's spent on the front lines in Fallujah.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Many of these men are actually just kids. Their peers back home in the United States will be celebrating the holiday with their families.
So that's our Arwa Damon who went along and asked can U.S. troops even think about Easter when they're on patrol in Iraq. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. I'm Theresa Erdman (ph), specialist Erdman here at (INAUDIBLE) shout out to my friends and family back home. (INAUDIBLE) my father Dan Wilson (ph) friend of the family, so happy Easter, good luck.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, my name is (INAUDIBLE) Iraq. I'd like to say hi to my wife and my daughter Ava in (INAUDIBLE) Iowa, happy Easter and I love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Easter in Iraq is hardly a holiday for U.S. troops. Our Arwa Damon is embedded with a unit in Fallujah. And as she found out, it sure does help to have a sense of humor to get through the day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When we asked Marines at camp block (ph) what they are doing for Easter, they just start laughing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This actually came in two boxes.
DAMON: An Easter care package brings home a little closer for Corporal Travis Roundtree, even at this desolate camp just outside of Fallujah.
The Reese's, they're supposed to be in a heart shape, but it melted.
DAMON: But survival out here for this medical platoon is more about being able to find humor in everything even close calls such as the IED that detonated on the vehicle carrying Corporal (INAUDIBLE) There are few other ways to cope with their reality.
Death is very real to them. Reminders spray-painted on the wall next to the freshly-watched socks. But that doesn't slow them down. A few hundred meters away at another camp, the men describe each day as ground hog day. It's hard to find relief from the mundane routine so they found humor even in their toilet drill as Corporal Aaron Mann (ph) demonstrates.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Inside, you have Ziploc bag.
DAMON: Lance Corporal Jeremiah Dillon (ph) jokes before going to his post.
CPL. JEREMIAH DILLON: I take three bottles of ice out there and then after about two to three hours there's no more ice water.
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Still peaches. But no eggs.
DAMON: Out here, home comforts are a world away.
I usually go to church on Easter, my grandma, but, sorry grandma. It's not happening this year.
DAMON: Joking aside, it's time to head out. The temperature's reaching 100 degrees. Their gear weighs in excess of 65 pounds. They have to stay alert for the next four hours. Back at Camp Black (ph), preparations are under way for their mission. Weapons are cleaned. Soon the sniper platoon will be back outside the wire. Many of these men are actually just kids. Their peers back home in the United States will be celebrating the holidays with their families. Right now, they're focusing on their mission knowing that if they get home alive, they'll have a lifetime of holidays ahead of them. Arwa Damon, CNN, Fallujah, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: His life touched billions around the world. And now, Pope John Paul II appears to be on the road to sainthood. Coming up next, "CNN Presents" takes an in depth look at the last days of the pontiff's life.
And then at 9:00 Eastern, Larry King has high society insider Dominicke Dunne. He shares his secrets and scandals of the rich and famous. At 10:00 Eastern the latest on the child murder case out of Oklahoma. I'm going to speak with a criminal profiler about the accused man. A check of the headlines next.
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